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Post by Emma Lawrence on Jan 15, 2010 21:24:09 GMT -5
"The one and only," chuckled Emma, allowing Maura to meet her grandpop--which she did with unparalleled enthusiasm and delight--before taking her into her arms, turning her to allow her to see everything around them. Passing a smile, she stroked a hand over Maura's hair, which was similar in complexion to Oliver's: fair, loose. "As good as we possibly could," she agreed, giving a glance to Cian. She wanted to include him in the whole "process" of Maura. Because without him, she would have probably been a goner.
William's between-the-lines apology let her lie down a little on the situation. At least they weren't on awful terms. And it wasn't really her business, anyway.
Below the hum of the family's casual noise, Emma heard a rhythmic rock at the door. Her eyes danced around, noticing that no one else was hearing it, and she slipped away, Maura still in arms, to answer it. Behind the door, soaked and dripping, stood a man with dark hair, electric eyes looking at her kindly.
She called into the house. "There's...an extremely good-looking man at the door."
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Post by Cian Lawrence on Jan 15, 2010 21:40:31 GMT -5
"There's...an extremely good-looking man at the door."
Cian's eyebrows went up at that. Who could that be... His eyes trailed to Timmy's and he suddenly knew. Ah, that's who that was. Dave. He grinned happily and nodded for his brother to move to the door ahead of him. Tim sent him a wary look before complying, the rest of his family (nosy as they were) following.
Dave, meanwhile, just smiled a little shyly to Emma. "Hey," he offered, something of the bayou in his voice. "I'm Dave?" he said it as a question, unsure if she would have heard his name, who he was and all. Maura strained forward, liking this new person's voice and face and the pretty, shiny thing on his face. She gurgled as she reached toward him. Dave spared a smile for the little girl, waving a little which only delighted her further, prompting her to clap her hands together.
Tim approached and tried to play it cool, offering a light smile and a mild "Hey." But his brother could clearly see the way his entire face lit up at the sight of his boyfriend. And the way that Tim seemed to have an identical affect on Dave. He smirked happily and rustled Tim's hair.
Danny, who had arrived with the rest of the siblings and Cathy and William, studied Dave a minute, hands on her hips. Finally, with a half-aggravated sigh, she exclaimed. "Not fair! Why does Timmy get a gorgeous boyfriend and I don't!"
Tim and Dave both blushed spectacular shades of scarlet while Cian just broke into quiet laughter. Trust Liadan to break the ice...
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Post by Emma Lawrence on Jan 15, 2010 21:50:30 GMT -5
"Dave!" Emma exclaimed gleefully, immediately recognizing the name. Not wanting to be overbearing but unable to keep some of it back, she stuck out her hand, adjusting the baby in her arms. "Timmy wasn't kidding! You can pick 'em, boy," she addressed the Lawrence as he slunk to the door, inviting his boyfriend in and shutting the door behind him to keep out the rain. Mo's excitement made her lurch to keep a more secure hold on her.
"Careful, baby girl. Don't want to hurt yourself." She pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Her attention turned back to Tim and Dave and she sunk into the slowly erupting from the siblings. But what they were really waiting for was the sounds that were supposed to come from the parents. Which, there wasn't any. Yet.
And Cian. He was unusually quiet. Stupid ass. Had to go and mutter to himself about boyfriends and pie and then refuse to talk to her about something as simple (simple?) as babies. Emma pulled Mo a little closer, thanking whatever she thought she was lucky enough to have to deserve her. And Oliver.
"Danny," she sighed, a smirk toying with her mouth. "You and me both."
Fuck with that, Cian. Just try.
She was an awful person wanting to see Cain mad.
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Post by Cian Lawrence on Jan 15, 2010 22:06:28 GMT -5
"Timmy wasn't kidding! You can pick 'em, boy."
While Dave just blushed a little further, Tim shot a grin to Emma. "Yeah, well..." he trailed off nervously. He chewed on his lower lip and Dave made an odd move. It was as if he unconsciously went to move forward, reaching toward Tim, but then caught himself, stopped it.
"So, you're Dave then." All her children's eyes turned to Cathy. "Nice t' meet y', dear. I'm Cathy Lawrence, Timmy's mother, o' course. We're very happy to have you here." She sent a hard look William's way.
"'Course we are," William added. There was something awkward in his diction, but not angry or disapproving. And that was good, at least.
The whole of the Lawrence clan laughed at Danny's exclamation and then dispersed a little, breaking off so they weren't one huge mob of people. Cian was just about to introduce himself to Dave who was edging closer to Tim when he heard Emma's reply to his sister.
Furrowing his brow, he looked to her pointedly. "I'm hurt, Emma, really," he pouted. It was a joke, surely, but underneath it was real venom. She was probably still angry about what they had discussed (or rather, hadn't discussed) earlier. He would deal with that later. That night, when they were alone and could talk properly.
Turning to Dave, he offered a grin. "'Lo there. I'm Cian, Timmy's older brother." He and Dave shook hands before TIm took his place. Standing close as he dared, Tim spoke to Dave in a low voice, face lit up with a bright smile. Cian couldn't help the wide, cheek-splitting smile that found his face as he watched his brother interact with his boyfriend.
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Post by Emma Lawrence on Jan 15, 2010 22:17:10 GMT -5
Whether or not he was truly insulted was questionable. It wasn't something she had the energy or desire to ponder over right now, and in truth, if he was hurt, maybe he deserved it. The counterpart of that opinion shocked her brain, sending her into a periodic emotional tailspin. That was downright cruel to think that. How could she ever want upset feelings or feelings of the like upon her husband?
Choosing not to reply, for fear of what might accidentally slip out of her mouth, Emma dropped her head onto Maura's, letting the parents interact with the boys. Dave looked like a sweetheart--shy and sensitive like Tim, but with layers of differing persona components underneath. Perfect.
---
Oliver, curious, wiggled between the knees of everyone feet taller than him, wanting to know what was going on. Who were they gathering around? And why? Finally poking his head between the legs of William, goggles and hat still adorned on his head, he looked up to Uckle Teem standing next to the new man.
Oh boy! "Hewo!" he cried, jutting into the conversation, jumping out from behind William and showing his hands in exaggerated waves.
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Post by Cian Lawrence on Jan 18, 2010 0:23:01 GMT -5
Dave smiled, a little unsure but friendly still and waved to the little boy. "Hey there. Who're you, now?"
Cian grinned and lifted Oliver into his arms so that he could be closer to eye-level. "This is Oliver, m' son. Ollie, this is Dave." Cian smiled down at his son, waiting for the inevitable greetings from the boy.
As he waited, he passed a side-long glance to Emma, smile fading a bit. They really would have to talk soon. Actually sit down and talk. Because he wanted to be able to completely get how he was feeling, what he was thinking out so maybe she could understand. And he wanted to hear the same from her.
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Post by Oliver on Feb 5, 2010 18:03:06 GMT -5
With a definite finger pointed at his chest, he introduced himself. "Oliver," he replied, nodding at his name. "Mah name ees Oliver." Yes it was. And he was very proud of it. Then he was swept off his feet, panicking briefly before feeling the sturdiness of Daddy's chest. "Daddy," he whined, "I can says it."
But then he caught the other man's name and waved again, a bright smile coming back to his face. "Hewo, Day. Mah name ees Oliver. Dat Mo." He pointed a finger at his sister's nose. The goggles strapped around his head fell into his eyes and he jumped, not knowing how to respond right away.
"Uh...help!" he requested, arms out. "I cans no see!"
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Post by Cian Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 2:10:21 GMT -5
"Daddy," he whined, "I can says it."
"'Course you can," Cian agreed with a short wince. Everyone wanted independence these days, from him. He settled Oliver on his feet again and moved to his sister, taking Maura up just as she was introduced by Oliver. "Yup," he added on, "This one's our Maura Erin." He ran a hand through the little girl's curls.
She smiled beatifically to her daddy before resetting on the stranger. "Day-vuh," she tried clumsily. She giggled at her own attempt and hid her face against Daddy's chest. Cian smiled and rubbed a gentle hand over her back.
"Nice to meet the both of you," Dave replied, grinning easily to the small children. His mouth was open to compliment Maura on her pretty hair when Oliver's hout of distress interrupted him.
"Uh...help!" he requested, arms out. "I cans no see!"
Cocking his head a little, Dave reached over and lifted the goggles, replacing them to the top of his head. "Better, Oliver?" he asked with a light smile.
Cian gave an approving look to the man, eyes passing over to Timmy. His younger brother was watching his boyfriend with bright eyes, like Dave was the best thing in the world. And Cian thought maybe he was, for Timmy at least.
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Post by Emma Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 2:38:06 GMT -5
Noticing Cian's reticence after her comment about the boyfriend, Emma passed him a glance. To show her lack of spite--well, most of it--she moved to his side, glad to have free arms for once, taking hold of his hand and entwining their fingers together. Without waiting for acceptance of this gesture from him, she matched their foreheads as best she could, still being inches shorter than him.
Children, boyfriends, whatever. What mattered now was family, and enjoying the time they had together. The Lawrences didn't need to be in the thick of their head-butting.
Oliver's smile brightened her spirits.
Stupid Cian. He caused problems.
Suddenly a cry from the back of the group--was it Lucas, or Thomas?--startled her. "Soccer, anyone?!"
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Post by Cian Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 3:16:59 GMT -5
Emma's sudden contact surprised him. Looking to her with raised eyebrows, he reciprocated easily. Didn't want to give her any reason to back off or anything. Their foreheads touching, he rubbed their noses together lightly. Pulling back, he rested a hand over her cheek, flipping his thumb over her lower lip. Grinning, he was just moving in for a kiss when Maura spread her arms, exclaiming, "Airplane!"
Cian chuckled at his daughter, shaking his head. Then he head Lucas call from a-ways off: "Soccer, anyone?!" Guess it was that time then. He grinned wide and glanced over to his family. "Rain's stopped, hasn't it?" he pointed out. This would be the best. Playing in the fresh, wet grass, slipping and sliding, getting all muddy and having a good time with the whole family.
"What d'you say, Emma?" he asked, smiling. "Oh, and I should let you know, as an act of rebellion, we Irish folk call your American football 'soccer,' since you call our football 'soccer.'"
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Post by Emma Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 3:44:20 GMT -5
Maura robbed her of any more contact, turning her out like tapping out a cigarette. Painful. Slow. She scanned the crowd of Lawrences around the door, some even already donned in pre-stained jerseys, a football being playfully tossed back and forth between Lucas and Danny. They all seemed ready, and this should turn out...interesting, to say the least. "Sure," she took up the offer. "So long as I can borrow one of your shirts. I'm not about to get all muddy in mine."
Soccer--American football, then. Tackling included, she surmised.
"Should we dub these two," she nudged the little ones, "as scorekeepers? Don't want any broken bones."
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Post by Cian Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 10:53:52 GMT -5
He dropped the missed kiss to her lips, indulging in a few seconds before pulling back. Maura in his arms giggled at her parents kissing like that. "Sure, love," he complied. Putting Maura on the floor a moment, he unbutton the flannel he had on over a tee shirt and handed it off to her. "That is a very good decision actually, 'cause you will get very muddy." Chuckling at that, he dropped a hand to Maura's head.
"Yeah, these two shouldn't play." He frowned softly. His brothers could get a little...enthusiastic and, well, let's just say that the second time he broke his nose, it had been from a game of "soccer" with his family. Turning to his family, he called, "Well what are we waitin' for then?!" A general cheer rose up from his family and the headed as a mass toward the backyard. He laughed happily; excited. This was always ten different kinds of fun.
"Are you up for it?" he heard Tim ask Dave. Dave's response was unhesitant: "Hell yeah!" and made Cian smile bright.
"C'mon lad," Cian said, scooping up Oliver and trailing after his family, "you can keep score for me and cheat so I win." He dropped a kiss to the boy's cheek as they broke out to the yard, his famil already calling teams.
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Post by Emma Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 11:37:37 GMT -5
And so began a momentous game of Lawrence foot--err, soccer. Teams were already decided when Emma stepped outside, still doing the last button of Cian's shirt. Cian, Timmy, Danny, Thomas, and Frances vs. herself, Dave, Kelly, William, Lucas, and Brian. There were years of plotting going behind the former team, family ties--she and her team would have to sort things out in the spur of the moment. Smiling, Emma looked to Dave and poked him in the arm.
"So Dave, I just wanted to let you know," she mumbled, as if telling him some great secret, eyes flickering conspicuously to Cian, "the back of your head is ridiculous. Where your boyfriend at? Can I have your number?"
The game commenced, and she stood awkwardly as everyone took up positions near the ground. "Wait, wait," she said, looking to Catherine for help. "I don't know what I'm doing!"
Lucas, with a sigh and a pulled-back sneer, stood back up and put a hand on her shoulder. "See that kid with the ball?"
Her eyes went to Cian. "Can't be him, he's got none." Then she looked back devilish to Lucas. "Yes?"
"Yeah. Tackle him."
"Oh."
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Post by Cian Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 12:11:42 GMT -5
Joining with his family for his team, Cian set his kids off to the sidelines with his mom, ruffling their hair softly. "Let's do this, huh?" he said, grinning to his brothers and sisters. They each sent him their own grins back before setting up. "I call Dave!" Danny shouted immediately, taking her stance across from the boy. Cian lifted an eyebrow, asking why. Danny shot him a smirk and then matched eyes with Timmy, "'Cause he's pretty." "You're sixteen," Cian lamented, hand over his face. "And he's gay," Timmy put in as well, pulling a face. "And Timmy's boyfriend," Thom added. Liadan rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll take Brian then. I can take him down easy." She shot her brother across from her an evil look and waited for the play to start.
Cian shook his head at Liadan and took his places along with the rest of them. At the end of it, both he and Timmy were blocking their significant other --a pure coincidence, he was sure. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Cian waited impatiently. Last year, they had banned his powers from the game on account of him always stealing the ball with his TK. But they hadn't made any such rule this year yet. And he had to be sure to plan out the best time to use his powers before they were banned again.
Then Frances tossed the ball to him and he set off without hesitation, making for the endzone. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Frances standing with hands on hips in front of her father, as if daring him to block her and thenTimmy tackle Dave even though there was absolutely no need for it, grinning down at his boyfriend.
God, he loved his family.
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Post by Emma Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 12:24:07 GMT -5
So, it was her job to take down Cian. This could be a problem, considering he had superspeed. She was a fair sprinter, but nothing compared to superhuman powers. The play started, and she dashed off, hoping to cut him off at an angle. In one instance, he seemed temporarily distracted by Frances, and she took that as her opportune moment.
Her feet pushed off the ground and she went diving for Cian, side of her face crashing into his chest with her arms around him as she felt the sickly feeling of them falling to the ground before she even had time to let go of her breath. The force of hitting the ground reverberated back onto her and her head snapped, breathless as she laid on top of him, touching the ball with her index finger. Tag.
After coming to her senses and regaining full consciousness, Emma propped herself up, one arm on either side of him, staring down at him. Her heart thumped wildly, wishing they could be in this position more often. After Mo, he refused... Nothing more that a pecking kiss, nothing. He wouldn't do it.
Clearing her throat, she pulled herself to her feet, wondering if she should help him up.
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Post by Cian Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 13:07:13 GMT -5
If Cian had bothered to pay attention in phsysics class his junior year he would have learned that the faster something was going, the more momentum it would have. And the more momentum it had, the harder it would fall. And the harder the fall, the more the fall would hurt that something. But Cian had been joing with Katie Hawkins that month and he hadn't been focused on much else then. So he was a little surprised at how much it hurt when Emma tackled him.
Didn't help that she hadn't landed somwhere between his spleen and kidneys. Fuck. Didn't matter which of them wanted kids now, either of them of both of them...he didn't think he would be able ot deliver after that. He groaned softly, letting the ball roll to the side. Owwww...
Once he got over the pain, he became away of the fact that Emma was leaning just over him, close and pressed, just as Timmy had been with his boyfriend minutes ago. He managed a pained grin and stole a kiss before she rose to her feet. He followed suit, wincing a little. "Ach. You all right, Em-n-em?" he asked, putting a hand to his tender lower abdomen.
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Post by Emma Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 13:16:58 GMT -5
He seemed to be in real pain. Crawling off of him was one thing, unsure of whether or not she liked the kiss, and facing him afterwards was another. "Sorry," she breathed out, still trying to regain a normal heartbeat. Rubbing the back of her neck soothingly, trying to massage the new pain out of it, she had her other hand on her hip, hair falling into her face.
Replying hesitantly, "I'm fine," Emma scanned over him. He was muddy. Muddy and sweating. And so was she. Another low sigh left her without any reluctance.
"Are you okay?" she checked, noting how he was still holding his aching body. "I'll try to loosen up next time." Because there would definitely be a next time.
The other members of the family were already setting up for the next play, calling them over irritably. Eager and ready, Em jogged over and set up with her side. Oliver and Mo were busy on the sidelines with their mud, and jumping up and down, being Lawrence cheerleaders.
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Post by Cian Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 13:48:51 GMT -5
"S'all good," he assured her, waving a hand. Stretching, he tested his muscles and bones out, finding everything in working order. "All's fair in love and sports after all, huh?" he quipped lamely, shooting her a smile as they headed to opposite sides again. He started with the ball this time and lobbed it off to Timmy. Give his brother a chance to get thrown to the ground by that boyfriend of his. As Timmy took off for the goal, his attack was taken by Maura's voice.
"Hike!" Maura called, mimicking the shouts of the impromptu quarterbacks. In her hand was a pile of mud with she launched expertly at Oliver so it hit him smack in the chest. "To'down!" she called, throwing her hands into the proper formation for a score.
Cian laughed out loud at the exchange and turned to the field just in time to see Timmy get tackled three seconds before the touchdown line. "Awww," he moaned along with his team. So close. He moved to set back up. Ready for the last play for the score.
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Post by Emma Lawrence on Feb 12, 2010 15:50:50 GMT -5
The babies' cries stole her attention and she smiled, watching Maura's hand reel back as she prepared to throw--whoa, no! Just as she raised her hand from her crouched-over position in the football/soccer play set, Oliver's chest was smothered with mud. "Oh, Maura!" she sighed, calling over to her with a shake of her head. "Don't do that, Mo-Mo.
"Oliver Mason Lawrence," she started again, pointing a finger at him as she saw his face turn red with anger, preparing to retaliate with the same weapon, "don't you dare. Drop it."
With a pout, he threw it onto the ground, a few drops splattering onto Maura's face.
She almost missed the play. Going back to soccer, she started to pick up speed once it started, going after Cian again, just for the hell of it. She ended up running into him again, but not with enough force to knock him to the ground. Instead she sort of stumbled into his front, hands on his shoulders.
"Um. Tag? You're it?"
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Post by Cian Lawrence on Feb 13, 2010 1:00:58 GMT -5
Maura giggled as the mud splashed into her face. She wiped it away but ended up only smearing lots more mud all over her face instead. Cian shook his head amusedly at that. He loved his kids.
"Um. Tag? You're it?"
Cian "oof"ed gently as Emma collided with his chest. His arms instinctively took hold of her waist, steadying her. Shooting her a grin, he pulled her close to him and took her into a chaste but lingering kiss. When he finally broke off, he stated, "Tag. Now you're it."
"Stop makin' out and get into the play!" It was Danny who made the irritated call to which Cian rolled his eyes. Danny added, "And stop fraternizing with the enemy!" That made Cian chuckle and finally let go of his wife.
"All right, we're comin'!" he called back, moving into place.
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