Alias- Forever And Always

36) Grandparents

AN: Music for this chapter (on repeat): The Beach Song by Hans Zimmer from True Romance (aka the Twins Theme :), Nothing Compares by Sinead O'Connor, Suavemente by Elvis Crespo, Family Affairs by Mary J. Blige, Pride by U2, First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack, Walkaway by Thomas Newman from Meet Joe Black Soundtrack, Fried Green Tomatoes Main Theme by Thomas Newman from Fried Green Tomatoes Soundtrack.

THIRTY-SIX

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Irina was lying draped across Jack in the early morning watching as the light reflected through the glass Memorial to her son and cast the room full of spectacular prisms of color making her smile. Jack was sound asleep, exhausted after such a long day and wonderful night, falling asleep not long ago. She was wide-awake with rampant emotions running through her and her smile remained when she carefully slid out of bed.

The discarded sheet was draped across the end of the bed and Irina quickly wrapped it around herself before moving to Nicholas first, removing his sleeper and then Nadia who were both stirring in their sleep about to wake up and cry with hunger.

With arms full and kissing both tiny heads with a smile, she eased out of the old wooden door and onto the little veranda. Her smile only widened when she saw the new hammock in a 'Family Size.' Carefully and with both babies held securely to her chest she slid into the hammock.

*The Beach Song*

When she was settled Irina pulled her knees up and laid her mostly naked babies back against them, cradling them together in her arms and looking over their entirely perfect forms with a smile. The slight breeze coming off the ocean was already warm and wrapped around them like a cozy familiar blanket.

Nadia's eyes were fluttering open and Irina smiled, nuzzling her baby girl with a kiss when she pulled her fingers into her mouth and started sucking on them with a sleepy look in her eyes. Nicholas's face scrunched up when his sister's arm swept over his own face and slanted his eyebrow opening one eye enough to make Irina laugh softly at their dynamic already.

She traced each perfect little ear with the tips of her fingers and then down and over their tiny little arms, finally filling out a little and not so terribly skinny as they were when first born. Their teeny tiny feet had always been her most favorite part of each of her children and she measured them now against her finger as she did every morning, inspecting them and memorizing everything about them as she'd already done a thousand times before.

Nicholas was the first to speak of his hunger with a tiny squeak when sucking on his fist no longer pacified him and Nadia followed immediate suit.

"Okay, okay…" Irina spoke softly with a soothing voice and smile, pulling down her sheet resituating them with Nadia nursing on her right and Nicholas on her left.

Their little bodies were nestled against her sides and held to her with her arms while her hands and bent knees supported their tiny heads. Both babies were wide-awake and seemingly staring up at her when she began to hum The Russian Lullaby and soon both were drifting off to sleep again while eating happily.

It was only on rare occasions that both babies were actually hungry and nursed at the exact same time and though she cherished her alone time with each, she loved moments like this with both of them equally as much.

Jack's hand swept over the side of the bed before his eyes opened, noticing her absence immediately from first his chest and then his side and he sat up and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hand. Irina was gone and looking over into the bassinets, both babies were too.