With An Addition (VA Fanfic)

Shocking surprises

DPOV
After spending half the afternoon running around after Jen while she learned how to ride her trike I was stuck in Alberta's office trying to convince her to let Jenée have her way and bring it with us on the ski trip.
"It's a ski trip, Belikov." It was abundantly clear she was trying not to laugh at my expense. I know, I know. I'm whipped. Jenée's got me wrapped around her little pinkie and when she says jump I can't help asking how high.
"I know, but she's little, Alberta. Surely you can't expect her to walk or be carried all over the lodge." I'd seen the layout a million times over. It was too big for a two year old to get from Rose's room to mine, from mine to the dining hall, or from the dining hall to the ski slopes. And knowing Jen, she was likely to want to go everywhere three or four times a day.
"She's a dhampir, Dimitri, she'll be fine. Besides, haven't you been working with her as well as Rose?" How the hell did she know?
"Yeah..." I replied hesitantly, not quite asking the question.
"Then she'll survive without the trike. I honestly don't know why you two bought her that thing."
"She's a child and she loves Disney Princesses. How could we not?"
Alberta couldn't hold her guardian composure any longer. She laughed. "You could have gotten her a Little Mermaid coloring book, you didn't have to buy her a trike she'll likely outskill and outgrow by the end of the school year."
"Possibly. And we got her the coloring books too- she's already taking them."
Alberta shook her head in amusement and resignation. "Okay. Take it, just try to get Rose to keep her on the slopes."
That'll be easy. Not.

"Mitri!" her sweet little voice called when I stepped on the jet. "Tike, Papa? Papa got tike?"
"It's trike, Jen, and yes, it's coming with us." I sat in the free spot next to Rose and Jen crawled onto my lap before I could buckle up. I laughed when she hugged me so tightly anyone else would think she was suffocating me and showered me in thanks and gratitude in English and Russian. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Rose throw her head back into the seat in frustration. I smirked at her. "You know you love it so stop being so dramatic."
She playfully slapped my arm.
"Momma! No hurt Papa!" chastised an innocent Jen. Then that look crossed her face.
"Jen," I warned, "Momma didn't hurt Papa." She pouted and I began to understand why Rose always wanted Jen in her line of sight. "Jen, don't even think of it."
"But Papa!" she whined softly. I hated having to resist those cute brown puppy eyes but it was safest very few knew she could use magic. Especially the healing with spirit.
"No buts, Jenée Hathaway."
She pouted but listened regardless.
Rose sighed, shook her head, and smiled. I knew what she was thinking in this moment: This is our crazy but loveable family.
Most of the rest of the others on the jet were conversing in groups, but a certain Scottish dhampir mother was watching us with curious eyes. "Go say hi to Nana, Jen," I nodded across the aisle and a row back to where Janine was sitting. It made me delighted to see Janine settling into the role of Jenée's grandmother, but it scared me knowing that I had her wrath to face one day soon and that day crept closer every hour Rose's graduation did, unbeknownst to Janine.
Jenée nodded and jumped down from my knee to run over to Janine. "Hi Nana!" she cheered.
"Hey Jen," Janine smiled and lifted Jenée up into a hug. "You're getting so strong, baby girl," she laughed and scrunched her face up as if Jen's vice grip hurt.
"Nana! Am not!"
Rose and I smiled while Janine buckled Jen in for take-off.
"She's definitely my girl, isn't she?"
I chuckled at Rose's observation. "Yes, Rose. She's all the best bits of you."
"Hey! She's picked up some of your finest qualities too."
"Is that right?" I deadpanned.
"You're a fool to think otherwise."

Rose's teasing smile was absolutely precious and lit her up in a way that made my heart skip a beat because she was just that heartbreakingly beautiful, the definition of gorgeous. There was no way she could possibly be only seventeen, not with that mature beauty, not with the way she adored and mothered Jenée. That smile, so youthful yet so, so mature, made me fall in love with her all over again, as if it was even possible for me to be in love her any more deeply than I already was.