Chapter Sixty-Four: Snippets
Kentares IV, Draconis March, Federated Suns June 20th, 3013
"Why did you have me go to the livingroom?" Natasha asked me.
"Because it has only now come to my attention that no one that I know has seen the best movie ever, of all time." I said excitedly. "I'm surprised it even survived until this day and age."
"What movie is this?" Natasha asked me as I ran around the kitchen getting movie snacks together.
"The Princess Bride!" I exclaimed. "It's the only movie ever made that appeals to pretty much everyone." I started making some popcorn on the stove.
"Why does this movie appeal to so many?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Because it has true love, revenge, duels, wit, there's just so much packed into the movie that you can't unravel it all at once." I made sure butter and salt were set aside in the proper amounts for the popcorn. "Go wait in the living room, I'll bring all of the snacks out in a minute."
An hour and forty minutes later…
"Well," I bounced a little excitedly. "What did you think?"
"That was an…" Natasha paused, thinking about the right words to say. "Entertaining piece of fiction, I particularly enjoyed the sections where Westley faced all of the enemies and beat them at their own challenges." She smirked at the end there, knowing she was pushing some of my buttons.
"Well, at least you liked it." I said, with a smile on my face. "That's all I can ask for now"
August 10th, 3013
"Okay Natasha," The doctor told her. "Your body knows how to do this, and we are just here to help everything go smoothly." He had me standing by the bedside. "We're going to just give minor updates and encourage the process along."
After three hours of labor, and many fractured bones in my hand, we had a newborn on our hands.
"Here Nat," I handed our newborn to her. "Here's our son."
She took him into her arms with a look of awe and wonder on her face. Amazed at the small human being in her arms.
"He needs a name." She said with no small sense of urgency in her voice. "Mark, he needs to have a name right now."
"How does David Alexander sound?" I asked.
"David Alexander?," She hummed to herself while staring at the baby boy in front of her. "I very much like that."
Kentares IV, November 10th, 3013
"So, you and Natasha are finally tying the knot huh?" I was surrounded by a group of my closest friends.
"Yeah, I guess we finally are." I said with a smile on my face. "You're gonna be the next one Jack." I told my longtime XO. "I mean, you and Lamb have been together for how long now?"
"Long enough." Jack Sheppard grunted.
"Well, Ian and Hanse are supposed to be here sometime this week." I changed the subject for Jack. "And I'm pretty sure that Arthur and Melissa are going to be coming sometime the week after that."
"No Archon this time?" Jack asked.
"She wants to be here, but she's at a critical point in the restructuring of the LCAF." I responded. "She tried to poach Peterson from the Concordat, but they were already halfway to Menke by the time that she broached the contract."
"Peterson would have taken the Concordat contract anyway." Jack replied. "He is dead set on removing the Capellan Confederation from existence as a nation state."
"He'll probably get his wish in less than a decade." I told the group around me. "Dunham here has been hearing some likely rumors that the Anduriens are going to be carving some chunks out of the CapCon, and that Pavel Ridzik might break off into his own state."
"And with Candace being the only remaining Liao Heir." Jack finished. "Max only has a few options if he wants to keep any sort of power for his family."
Kentares IV, November 21st, 3013
"Uncle Mark!" Melissa moved as fast as her little legs could carry me. "Where is Tante Tasha?" She asked as I picked her up.
"She's with little David at our house right now." I told the three year old. "Do you want to meet David?"
Arthur just casually strolled up and shook my hand. "I always enjoy seeing her like this." he told me. "She's always asking after you and Nat you know?"
"I know Arthur, I try to respond to her letters as soon as I get them." I said with a sad shake of my head. "It's hard enough managing a planet like I'm doing, I can't imagine what Katrina must go through on a daily basis."
"Well, it helps that she did get sometraining for the job from Alessandro before we deposed him." He offered. "I don't think you had anyone to teach you about the ins and outs of the nobility and politics."
"No, Ian and Hanse did give me some pretty good advisors though." I shrugged, casually throwing Mel over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes to her laughter. "Hey Arthur, side question. Have you seen Melissa anywhere?" I asked with the three year old slung over my shoulder. "She's about this tall." I held my hand down by my thighs. "And has blonde hair and blue eyes."
"I'm right here Uncle Mark!" She laughed from behind my shoulder. "Behind you!"
"Behind me?" I asked and spun around. "I don't see you Melissa, are you sure you're behind me?"
After a couple of minutes of playing, I set the three year old down and we made our way to my (small) Mansion where the guests would be staying.
"He's so small." Melissa whispered to Natasha as she held the currently asleep two month old.
"You were that small once upon a time too." I said from the doorway I was leaning on. "We all start out that little, and then as we get older, we start to get bigger." I made my way over to the bed and knelt down to eye level with both my lover and the three year old. "It's the job of Mommys, Daddy's, and uncles and Aunties to make sure you learn and one day grow up to be as big as we are." I ruffled her blonde head full of hair. "Now, David and Tante Tasha need their rest, okay?"
"Okay." She responded, handing the small baby to Nat and leaving the room. "I'll go play with Andrew for a little bit."
"Sorry for that." I sat down next to Natasha. "I can take him for a bit if you need to get some rest." I offered.
"I feel like that is all that I do," She said. "Rest, I am not even on bed rest anymore and yet I still feel so tired."
"I'll take care of David for a little bit." I picked up our two month old. "You go to sleep and I'll get some food set up for you when you wake up."
November 28th, 3013
"You may kiss the bride." I leaned over and gave Natasha a kiss on the lips, intending it to be chaste, but she grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in for a far deeper and breathtaking kiss.
"Whoooo!" The crowd cheered and clapped, for a while before stopping.
After the ceremony was over, we dispersed to go to a small reception where some of our closest friends and family would gather.
"I am glad that you found someone." Joshua Wolf said to Natasha as he looked at the small child held in her hands. "And I think I am closer to understanding what you were trying to tell me before."
"Good." Natasha smiled. "Would you like to hold him?"
Joshua Wolf just got this look of fear and worry in his eyes and he backed away slowly. "No thank you, I will go enjoy something from the dessert table now."
"The Wolf Brothers." I snarked in Nat's ear. "Unafraid of death, terrified of tiny humans."
"Only Joshua is that way I believe." She laughed. "Jaime has children, remember?"
"I suppose you're right." I shrugged while chuckling. "Now, I think we should finish making our rounds."
We started talking to all of the people at the reception. Laughing with Hanse and Dana (Who was now pregnant) and picking on Ian for still being single before moving on.
"Melissa, you looked so cute in your little Flower girl dress." I told her. "Thank you for doing such a good job." I knelt down and gave her a big hug.
Kentares IV, November 31st, 3013
"Go back to sleep Nat." I told my wife. "I'll get David back to sleep." I got up and walked over to his crib, picking him up and sitting down in the rocking chair next to it.
"Shhh, Shhhh." I rubbed his back softly while checking his diaper to make sure it didn't need to be changed. "It's okay little man. It's okay." After around thirty minutes, he had gone back to sleep and so I put him back down in his crib and crawled back into bed.
Author's note: Something dark in Romano's story, and something lighthearted to balance it out properly. Hope y'all enjoyed this little set of scenes...