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Peter was sitting in his room with Baby Thomas in his lap. He was also researching the Great Fire of London, because even though the fire he'd seen in his dream was obviously meant to happen now and now 1666, he thought there might be something in there he was supposed to get. Names, dates, places...sometimes the dreams were obscure like that. While he read, he bounced Thomas in his lap while the baby made excited, happy noises. "Eugh. Burned alive!? I mean..." Peter looked down at his infant son. "Cuddled alive. That's what I meant... Oh bugger it, you didn't understand anyway, right?"
Thomas looked up at his father and he grinned. "Dada!" He said firmy.
"Damn right!" Peter responded, kissing little Thomas's head. Then he went back to reading, making odd noises to both keep him from saying anything out loud again, and to entertain his son. He was in the middle of saying, "Blarlarlarlarlalalalalalrlaaaaah!" when Aly and Lydia walked into the room.
"What are you doing, Dad?" Lydia asked, one eyebrow raised.
Peter turned around and he looked sheepish. "Er...being entertaining?"
"I'll say!" Aly said with a laugh. Liz is downstairs. Lyddie and I want baby snuggles too, we'll take Thomas."
"I'll hold him!" Lydia more decided than asked as she held her arms out expectantly.
Peter handed his son to Lydia carefully, his heart melting at the fact that Thomas was eager to be passed into his sister's arms. "You got him, Lydia? He's a diver sometimes..."
"Yes, Dad!" Lydia nodded and then she laughed as Thomas reached to touch her face. Peter planted kisses on both their heads and then he kissed his wife before heading down the stairs to greet his older sister.
"Liz! Hello." He gave her a tight hug and then he backed away, still holding her arms. "Is something wrong?"
Liz sighed. "Not something big. What were you doing, am I interrupting?"
"Nothing particularly scintillating, let me assuage your fears. I was reading about the Great Fire of London."
"Your research is always so cheerful..."
"It's better than researching the Inquisition. That gives me flashbacks." Liz made a look of utmost distaste and sadness and Peter quickly changed the topic to one of his favourites. "Tea!" He said almost too loudly.
"Absolutely!" Liz agreed, matching his tone. She following him into the kitchen and as he boiled the water, she prepared the mugs. "Max stopped by the house..."
"Who's that then?" Peter asked, turning to face her.
"Max. Maximillian Kempf? Our cousin? Uncle Wolfgang's son?"
"Oh god, the card player?!" Peter asked with wide eyes.
"I don't think Max considers it 'playing'..."
"What did he do!? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Peter." Liz leaned against the counter and she rubbed her forehead. "He just...rubs me the wrong way. All of them do. He said Aleric and Verena are here too."
"Who the fuck are all these people?!" Peter asked, throwing his hands up in the air."
"Well the latter two are distantly related. Like fourth cousins three times removed or something crazy like that, but you know that family. They have to stay in the same place. In the same house for some crazy reason. Verena and Aleric Drescher. They were at your wedding. Aleric drank all the champagne and Verena thought you were the valet. And then I said you were the groom and she wanted to know why an indoor wedding had horses..."
"Oh...goodness..." Peter looked horrified. "What are they doing here?!"
"Something illegal for profit you can bet. Peter...Max asked about Emma." The family had not attended Liz's wedding to Emma. They didn't agree with that sort of thing...
Peter's face darkened. "Liz, just ignore them. They're prats."
"He said things about David too. My David. Things like...there was a sense of family when he was around or something."
"Oh, Liz..." Peter was going to punch this Max right in his stupid face. Or...glare at him really hard! Peter went to hug his sister tightly. "I'm sorry..."
"And I think he threatened me! In that sneaky way where it seems like he's being caring. He said they could come here and restore some sense in family values or something!"
"They might be the bloody Untouchables or whatever, but they have no idea what they're up against. Pay them no mind." Peter kissed his sister's hair. "They can't hurt us."
Liz, however, was not so sure.
Thomas looked up at his father and he grinned. "Dada!" He said firmy.
"Damn right!" Peter responded, kissing little Thomas's head. Then he went back to reading, making odd noises to both keep him from saying anything out loud again, and to entertain his son. He was in the middle of saying, "Blarlarlarlarlalalalalalrlaaaaah!" when Aly and Lydia walked into the room.
"What are you doing, Dad?" Lydia asked, one eyebrow raised.
Peter turned around and he looked sheepish. "Er...being entertaining?"
"I'll say!" Aly said with a laugh. Liz is downstairs. Lyddie and I want baby snuggles too, we'll take Thomas."
"I'll hold him!" Lydia more decided than asked as she held her arms out expectantly.
Peter handed his son to Lydia carefully, his heart melting at the fact that Thomas was eager to be passed into his sister's arms. "You got him, Lydia? He's a diver sometimes..."
"Yes, Dad!" Lydia nodded and then she laughed as Thomas reached to touch her face. Peter planted kisses on both their heads and then he kissed his wife before heading down the stairs to greet his older sister.
"Liz! Hello." He gave her a tight hug and then he backed away, still holding her arms. "Is something wrong?"
Liz sighed. "Not something big. What were you doing, am I interrupting?"
"Nothing particularly scintillating, let me assuage your fears. I was reading about the Great Fire of London."
"Your research is always so cheerful..."
"It's better than researching the Inquisition. That gives me flashbacks." Liz made a look of utmost distaste and sadness and Peter quickly changed the topic to one of his favourites. "Tea!" He said almost too loudly.
"Absolutely!" Liz agreed, matching his tone. She following him into the kitchen and as he boiled the water, she prepared the mugs. "Max stopped by the house..."
"Who's that then?" Peter asked, turning to face her.
"Max. Maximillian Kempf? Our cousin? Uncle Wolfgang's son?"
"Oh god, the card player?!" Peter asked with wide eyes.
"I don't think Max considers it 'playing'..."
"What did he do!? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Peter." Liz leaned against the counter and she rubbed her forehead. "He just...rubs me the wrong way. All of them do. He said Aleric and Verena are here too."
"Who the fuck are all these people?!" Peter asked, throwing his hands up in the air."
"Well the latter two are distantly related. Like fourth cousins three times removed or something crazy like that, but you know that family. They have to stay in the same place. In the same house for some crazy reason. Verena and Aleric Drescher. They were at your wedding. Aleric drank all the champagne and Verena thought you were the valet. And then I said you were the groom and she wanted to know why an indoor wedding had horses..."
"Oh...goodness..." Peter looked horrified. "What are they doing here?!"
"Something illegal for profit you can bet. Peter...Max asked about Emma." The family had not attended Liz's wedding to Emma. They didn't agree with that sort of thing...
Peter's face darkened. "Liz, just ignore them. They're prats."
"He said things about David too. My David. Things like...there was a sense of family when he was around or something."
"Oh, Liz..." Peter was going to punch this Max right in his stupid face. Or...glare at him really hard! Peter went to hug his sister tightly. "I'm sorry..."
"And I think he threatened me! In that sneaky way where it seems like he's being caring. He said they could come here and restore some sense in family values or something!"
"They might be the bloody Untouchables or whatever, but they have no idea what they're up against. Pay them no mind." Peter kissed his sister's hair. "They can't hurt us."
Liz, however, was not so sure.
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