Ready or not!

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Dimitri sighed and wiped his eyes. "Alright, kiddo. Good and changed and all that good shit." He smiled and turned to walk out out of the room just in time to see Rebeca walking towards him. He grinned and leaned in to give her a kiss. "It was a war zone in there, but he's all cleaned up, now."

"After? Dina, the restaurants will all be closed by the time we get to them." He shook his head and reached over to ring the bell. "You are a very good and attentive mother, Dina." he said, rubbing her back while he waited for the door to be answered. "No one will ever be able to tell you otherwise."

A shock of nerves flew through Dimitri's stomach when he heard the doorbell. He smiled and gently transferred the baby over into Rebeca's arms. "I'll get it." he said with a smile, kissing her again before rushing off to the front of the house. He glanced down at himself to make sure he was fully clothed and nodded. Shoes, socks, pants, shirt, suspenders...sure his shirt sleeves were rolled up, but his mom would understand. Right? He opened the door and smiled. <Come in!> he said happily, stepping aside so they could. <I'm glad you came.> he said, holding his arms out to his mother for a much needed hug.
 
Dina smiled and eagerly hugged Dimitri tightly. <We're so happy for you two,> she told him, purring. <We brought you some food from home. They're in the car. It'll help to have some ready food for the first few days,> she explained as she handed her son over to his father and stepped into the house. <Where's Rebeca? Is she resting?>
 
"Oh I'm sure," she snorted, rolling her eyes. And then took in a deep breath at the ringing bell. They were here. Oh lord they were here. She liked his parents just fine. And they seemed to like her fairly well too, considering. But that did not make this less scary just then.

She let him go answer the door, adjusting the boy in her arms and slowly padding after him. "<She's right here,>" she said softly in their tongue from a few feet behind them. She offered a small smile, feeling a little uncertain about them being there now that she was looking at them. She just wanted their approval so much.
 
<That sounds wonderful, mom. Thank you.> he said as he moved over to shake his father's hand.

Nikolai gave his son a firm handshake and a smile before looking over at Rebeca. "Look at you! Up and around already!" He chuckled and walked over. "You are niet need to stand on our account. Please." he motioned to the living room. "We are come and sit with you while Dimitri goes and gets food out of car, da?"

The young man laughed and shook his head. He expected them to give more attention to Rebeca and Michael. She was a new mom after all, and he remembered how it was when his siblings were born with his own mother. "You'll be alright while I run out to the car, Rebeca?"
 
Dina carefully wrapped her and the baby in a hug before kissing both of them on the forehead. She stopped to take a look at the kitten, gently running a finger along the edge of one ear. <How are you feeling? Not too sore, I hope? Come and sit and relax my dear, and tell me how you are doing.> She linked an arm with the young girl and headed towards the living room. <You must rest as much as you can these first days, and let your body recover! It has been through quite a lot!>

Dina continued to rattle on some advice, sticking to the general, safe topics of her health and trying not to lecture her on how to raise the child. She had hopes, of course, but for now she kept them to herself. <What is his name?> she finally asked.
 
"I'm not standing just for you guys," she chuckled, feeling a little more at ease as Dina came in for a hug and to look at the baby. She turned with her and headed towards the sitting room, nodding to Dimitri that she'd be fine. Her dad was there if she might panic or anything like that. Even if it was unlikely. She was past the panicking stage at this point.

"<I'm fine,>" she assured Dina. "<Everything went smoothly, no compilations at all. Just a little achy and tired at this point.>" And it was the truth. Delivery had gone quickly. There'd been no tearing, no distress with the baby. It'd been almost perfect. Only would have been better if it'd hurt less with the contractions, but they hadn't been that bad either. So she had nothing at all to complain about.

Rebeca settled down on the couch, allowing room for Dina to sit with her if she so wished. But when she asked what the boys name was, she looked down at him and smiled. "<I think we should wait for Dimitri to get back for that,>" she said softly, a hint of a giggle in her voice. He hadn't told his father over the phone then like he said he would. But it was probably better this way. So he could clap him on the back in the way that men did when they were proud of the other man.
 
Nikolai walked in and sat in a chair, looking around his son's living room with an approving eye. His son was doing very well for himself. He was very proud. He looked over at Rebeca and the child and couldn't sit still for long. He got up and walked over, sitting down on the arm of the couch so he could see the boy. <Well, he'd better hurry up then!> He laughed and shook his head. <He seems like a healthy child.> he said, hands fidgeting in his lap. <Can I hold him?> He was trying to hide his excitement, but Nikolai was never good at that. He was good at hiding other emotions, and was typically a very calm person (now, anyway), but babies just made him very happy and excited.

Dimitri walked back in with the food and started putting it in the fridge. <What do you two think?> he called from the kitchen. It didn't take him long before he was back in the living room, smiling and wiping his hands off on each other. He stood in front of the group on the couch, nervous and tired but smiling.
 
Dina grinned at Rebeca, and then at her son. <You must tell us his name, Dimitri, before your papa bursts,> she teased. <You are very fortunate to have an easy birth. Do not take that for granted, believe me,> she told Rebeca. <Still, you must remember to let yourself heal well. Don't try to take on too much too soon.>
 
She nodded at his father's request and shifted the sleeping bundle to his arms without hesitation. She'd seen him with his own little ones, she wasn't worried about him not knowing what to do. She smiled reassuringly at Dina and nodded. "<I know. I'm very thankful. And I've got my father and girls from the dinner willing to help as well as you and I'm sure Kizzy if I asked.>"

She looked to Dimitri, nodding that he go ahead. It was more his good news than hers at this point.
 
Nikolai had 5 kids. He knew how to hold a baby by now. And besides, he only dropped Dimitri once! He took the child and cradled him in his arms, smiling and tracing his tiny little features with his free hand. <So, what is it?> he asked, looking at his son. <Why so much suspense?>

Dimitri smiled and stood up proudly. <This is Michael William Dimitriovich Zaitsev.> he said, damn near about to burst from the pride welling from his chest. And maybe a bit of nerves. He was telling his parents that he was officially claiming the child as his own, even if he didn't contribute to the boy's DNA. This was his son and he had every intention of making it legal and official.

Nikolai looked at his son. <Michael William Dimitriovich Zaitsev...> He nodded and smiled, looking back down at the kitten in his arms with tears in his eyes. <That is...that is a wonderful name, Dimitri...>
 
Dina just blinked at him for a moment, taking that in. She hadn't quite expected to hear that. Suddenly, she smiled at him, and then at Rebeca and the baby. <I, I'm truly speechless. I don't know what to say. I am very proud of you, Dimitri...> she purred. And he looked so happy! She couldn't understand it, but she was very happy to see it. She stood up and went over to the baby, Michael, as Nikolai cradled him in his arms. She kissed her husband first; he always looked so handsome with a baby in his arms, then kissed Michael on the forehead, breathing a blessing over him. <Are you going to baptise him?> she couldn't help asking.
 
Rebeca just smiled, staying quiet. She had hoped that they would be as happy as Dimitri had been when she'd told him that she wanted to give the boy not only his family name, but the tradition of his culture as well. And they were. It felt better that he'd been the one to tell them as well. Like the baby was truly his and not just her saying 'oh yes of course,' and not really meaning it at all.

Michael endured the attention well, cracking open sleepy eyes almost the same blue as his mother's to look up at his grandparents.

But the question of baptism threw Rebeca off for a second. She'd not thought it that far through just yet. "Ahhh..." she started, flushing and looking a little embarrassed. If he was going to be Dimitri's son truly, that meant his family religion and all. "<What's the harm?>" she said after a moment, shrugging her shoulders. And where was the harm in doing that?
 
Dimitri was slightly surprised at Rebeca's hesitance, but he knew immediately that he shouldn't have been. He knew Rebeca well, after all. He smiled at his parents. <I was going to talk to the priest in a couple of days. I'll have to talk to Pete, too, since he'll be the godfather.>

<I would have been surprised if you had said anyone else. You're the godfather to his children, yes?>

Dimitri nodded, though he decided not to bring up that Pete's children weren't baptized. He was still the godfather though. He grinned over at Rebeca, then looked up at his mother. He was happy that she was happy with all of this. He knew it had hurt her when he moved out, and was hoping she was just as proud of him as he felt they should be...without sounding conceded....
 
Dina nodded approvingly. <Da, but do not wait too long, yah? When Rebeca is feeling more recovered, and you have the baptism, we will have a big dinner at the house to celebrate,> she said with a decisive nod. <Have Pete and Kizzy over as well. All the babies together! It will be nice to have everyone in the house!>

Dina was no fool. She knew Pete wasn't Catholic, and that Kizzy was a gypsy, so of course they hadn't baptised the twins. Dina couldn't very much help that, so she just prayed for their souls as well as her own family's. No one could object to that.
 
"<Dimitri and I can talk about the details when we've both had a bit more sleep,>" she nodded. She wasn't totally for certain on Catholic traditions. Or at least not all of them. Her family wasn't Catholic after all. So it would be something they would discuss without his mother here to sway them any.

"Becs," a voice called from the kitchen door way and Rebeca jumped, cursing under her breath as she felt her breath come back. She'd almost forgotten that her dad was there. And she certainly hadn't expected him to come out like that. "Coffee's ready," her father went on, nodding back into the kitchen.

"<I'll be right back,>" she mumbled hurriedly and stood, slipping off to join her father and grab the coffee.
 
Nikolai looked over to the door, then back at Rebeca. He smiled and looked back down at the baby in his arms. "A nice, big dinner to celebrate all of the new life in our lives."

Dimitri looked up and over when William spoke from the kitchen doorway. He stood up and smiled. "Mom, dad, let me introduce you to Rebeca's father." he said, motioning over and speaking in English so William wasn't weirded out by hearing his name in the middle of a bunch of Russian. "This is William Axford. William, this is my mother, Dina, and my father, Nikolai." He had already warned the man that English did not come easily to his mother, mostly so he didn't have to embarrass her and say it now.

Nikolai gently handed the baby over to his wife, a bit reluctantly, but so he could stand and offer the man a handshake. "Is pleasure to be meeting other grandparent." he said with a happy smile. "You are here helping young parents?"
 
Dina very happily took the child, and smiled at the man whom Rebeca very much favoured. Even if she hadn't understood the word 'father' in relation to Rebeca's name, she would've easily known him for who he was. She snuggled the baby, but smiled politely at him from her seat on the couch. "Da. Hello," she answered with a careful nod.
 
Will stopped in his retreat to the kitchen, turning some to let Rebeca past him, who lightly touched his arm in reassurance. He had a moment of panic, wincing almost at the sound of his own name, and regretted coming to tell her the coffee was ready.

But he took a calming breath, stepped forward and took the offered hand of the other man. He was a little older than he was, but not by all that much. And Rebeca had told him they had just become parents again themselves.

"Just Will will do," he said, shaking Nikolai's hand and nodding to Dina. "And yeah, Kelly can't be here for Rebeca, so I'm filling in for her. Not that I wouldn't have been here even if Kelly was too..."
 
"Is always good to meet another supporting father." he said, ushering the man into the kitchen with his daughter and following. "All too often I am finding fathers absent, da? Ones who just are niet care at all about children they are raise." There was no accusation in his voice. None at all. He didn't know their situation really, so he had nothing to comment on besides the fact that Will was there at that moment. He glanced around the kitchen a little and smiled, starting to roll up his sleeves. "I am try very hard to be there for my children and I think they are growing up just fine....we are see about young twins, how they are end up." he said with a laugh. "But Dimitri is good boy! And son Ivan is wonderful artist! And daughter Millya is wonderful help around house!" He laughed again and smiled at Will. "And Rebeca is always such joy to have around." he said, starting to clean up some dishes and other little things around the kitchen that didn't really matter too much but that were there. "Always with the bright smile that is capture Dimitri's heart."

Dimitri put his hand on his mother's back and smiled at her. <Dad's being embarrassing...> He laughed a little and looked down at the boy in his mother's arms. <I'm going to get the paperwork done tomorrow, for the birth certificate and everything. I'm...it's really good to know you both support me in this. I really do love her. She's just...> he looked off to the kitchen, a soft, dreamy smile on his face. <She's so....just.....ya know?>
 
Dina giggled a bit at Dimitri's mild complaint about Nikolai. <Doing what he does best, da?> She rested her paw on her eldest son's cheek. <I think it's wonderful that you love this boy just as much as you love his mother. I can see that you do. And I'm so glad that you're happy. You are more like your father than you know. He was restless and always fighting until we fell in love as well. After that, he devoted his time to caring for and protecting his family...> Her voice trailed off a bit as she adjusted the baby. <Even when he was off at war, he was doing it to protect his family, just as he was doing when we left Russia.>

She sat back on the couch and gave her son a watery smile. <You are doing the right thing. You have no fear in us not supporting you in this. You are protecting your family now.>
 
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