JP Part 2

Reading Between the Lines

"Don't worry about it too much Jojo," I say as we enter the house.

"I can't shake the feeling now Peter. I don't know what it is." Joseph says while holding onto my arm and I caress his cheek. "I will protect you and the kids no matter what okay? You know that." I reassure him and he nods.

I hear a giggle and a loud bang. Joseph and I carefully edge our way up the stairs to our babies bedroom. I can hear our robotic nanny YUKA sweeping in the hallway and tell it to shh as we walk past. It follows us and I can hear the metallic plink of YUKA's metal feet taking small steps with us.

We reach the nursery door and I open it slowly to see a complete disaster like I expected.

"Elucillana Unmei and Peter James Richard Grayson." I give a stern look and cross my arms while the twins look back at me.

"Oh my god." Joseph gasps behind me and YUKA leaves to get something to wash the walls and floor with.

It looked like the nursery was caked with ash and debris from some invention of sorts they were trying to create exploding.

Joseph and I had both of the twins in the bathtub. I was scrubbing down little PJ while he had Ella as we washed the dirt and soot off of them, turning the water black several times.

"I'm sorry daddy! Stop scrubbing so hard," PJ complains and I stop for a second and look my unhappy three-year-old who looked like an exact copy of me when I was his age.

I wonder how my mother and father had the patience to deal with two PJs.

"What were you trying to make anyway?" I ask, knowing they had somehow broken into my research lab and stole materials. "Ella wanted a doll that could spin and dance so I tried to make one for her but then the dolly legs were too twisted and it went poof!" He says and makes a big splash to exaggerate his point. I love him so much it hurts to try to discipline them.

I look over at Ella, Joseph was making good progress and her hair was finally blonde again with those bright grey-green eyes that were like no other.

"Ella, how big was this doll?" Joseph asks and Ella looks at PJ who gives her the look of death but she tells anyway.

"It was this big papa!" She says and with her hand, she does a height that was as tall and she could reach. PJ tries to dive underwater to hide but I pull him back up.

"What have I told you about inventing?" I ask while locking his little arm in my hand.

"If I do it, it can only be this big." He says while pointing to about half his height.

PJ and his sister often worked together when inventing different toys and it made me proud to see they had inherited my gift but not when they were endangering themselves.

"I'll have to ask your father as to how he protected you when you guys were at this age," Joseph whispers as we watch the twins from sleep peacefully from the doorway.

"To be honest I don't know. We were blowing up the labratory left and right." I say and turn to him, wrapping my muscular arms around his lean waist. He holds my arms in place and sighs.

"They're so beautiful Peter." He whispers and I rest my head on his shoulder. He reaches his arm up and caresses my cheek.

"Nash is taking them to the zoo tomorrow," Joseph says and I pull him closer to me.

"Oh? So it's just going to be you and me?" I whisper in his ear and can see his small smile.

"Yeah, but can't we just sleep the day away? I'm exhausted." He says and I kiss his soft lips gently.

"Nope, I'm taking you out. I love the babies but we need alone time." I say and pull him away from the twins doorway, towards our bedroom.