Your Name Hurts / Criston Cole / Vaera Targaryen

37. Trouble

Vaera was so excited to have another baby, she hoped it was a boy, it felt like a boy. Caspian kept saying the house was overrun with females and he needed a brother so he prayed for a brother every night.

"All our kids are perfect." Criston remarked when vaera asked what he wanted.

"I kind of hope its a boy." Vaera admitted.

"It is bad that I want that too?" Criston mused. "I love our girls so much but Cas is right, its a lot of female energy."

It was a common misconception that vaeras children were perfect, because she was perfect but they had meltdowns and temper tantrums, and overall moodiness  just like every other child. And don't get vaera started on if there weren't enough cookies in the kitchen. Everyone was moody after that.

But the good overweighed the bad tenfold. Vaera loved being a mother. She loved her children and couldnt wait to have another.

Cas and Caera were 8 and Rona and AJ were six. They had come so quickly one after the other vaera felt like she was pregnant for two years straight. Then she got to enjoy their toddler years together.

She loved how close they all were. But each set of twins were really inseparable. Vaera loved seeing them walking the halls hand in hand. She loved knowing they had a friend for life. Hoped at least.

Vaera woke with a head on her stomach. She jumped slightly and startled Rona.

"Verona love what are you doing!" Vaera declared

"Listening to the baby." She answered.

"Heavens baby girl. You scared me."

"Ohhh," rona smiled back at her and crawled up the bed kissing her cheek. "Im sorry." Vaera snuggled her close.

Criston yawned out reaching for vaera but finding Rona snuggled up between them. Criston kissed her head glancing to a once again sleeping vaera before going back to bed. His arm draped over rona his hand clasping vaeras hand.

The sun was peaking through the curtains when they woke again to a crash. Vaera jumped up. Rona tensed rubbing her eyes before stretching out over the bed.

"Criston im pregnant you check." Vaera decided. But a moment later there was a wail of panic and vaera jumped up too.

"Cas? Caera?"

"AJ!" Vaera dropped beside her. "Aemma baby what happened?"

"Owwww," Aj whimpered holding her hand. Vaera looked at the little cut and brought aj to the wash bin to clean it out. She glanced back at the broken cup on the floor. "I didnt mean to break it. I was just playing tea party with my stuffed animals and..." her lips pursed as vaera cleaned off the wound. "That hurts." Aj told her.

"Needs soap. Im sorry honey. Go on." Vaera assured as criston got a bandage for her.

"Well leo the lion was fighting with mr woof and i told them no fighting at the tea party. We are civilized beings." Aj informed her. Vaera nodded gently drying her hand. "I lost my grip on the cup when i was scoulding them. Im sorry mommy."

"Its okay sweetie we have more. Im just glad you are okay."

" I tried to pick up the broken pieces, but I got hurt. Can daddy clean up the mess? I don't want you to do it and hurt the baby." AJ clarified

" I think that's a great idea so I shouldn't have to do any cooking or cleaning or manual labor?"

" exactly! For the baby sake." Aj agreed.

" do you hear that honey? You are going to tend on me hand and foot." Vaera agreed. 

" don't I do that already?" Criston teased. He took a bit of a soft, gentle cloth and wrapped Ajs hand.

" I promise to be extra careful with my tea parties when the baby comes." Aj added. "Super duper careful. And I will make sure Mr. Lion and Mr. Woof are not invited to the same parties they always cause trouble."

" that's a good idea." Criston agreed.

Today was a trouble day. Caspian and caera decided against their lessons and wanted to play hookie instead. Some days the children were perfect. Other days it was like constant parenting was needed.

"Shhhhhhh!" Caera hissed back at the septa. "Shhush yourself."

"Caera!" Criston declared. Caera blushed embarrassed

" all she ever does is shush me." Caera countered. " and I don't want to go to lessons. It's so boring and it's so nice out in my dragon needs me."

" your grandfather was telling me that your mother didn't like lessons either."criston recalled

" and mommy turned out perfect so I don't have to do my lessons either?"

" can you read the words OK?"

" yeah," she agreed slowly

" when I was around your age, I had a hard time reading. I pretended that everything was fine, but all the words were jumbled up."

" what do you mean jumbled up?"

" sometimes the word switched places." he answered.

" did you have a magic book?" Caera declared. " I would most certainly like to see that but if the words keep moving around, I don't know how I would be able to read it." she admitted. Criston believed she was smart as a whip just bored.

" why don't I help you with your lessons-"

"So the words don't jump around on my book ?" Caera questioned.

" the words don't jump around anymore. I studied a lot - where is your brother?" he realized after moment that Caspian was not there.

"Ohhh well you see father I was to distract and he was to make a break for it." Caera answered honestly. Criston nodded slowly.  "Oh shoot. I wasn't supposed to tell you that."