Hermits United~ An RP of Pete's world awesomeness!

"hey boss," jack's voice came through the phone, "just checking in. you still in traffic or something? or should we be expecting rose instead?" there was a faint shriek on the other end of the line, and another person blurting "no, dennis!" before jack laughed. "we probably don't need you, all things considered, but we wanted to check in."

John raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to 'remind' Jack that he hadn't been going to come in today, when the shriek on the other end startled him slightly.  After a moment, hearing the cry, he laughed, as well.  "Denniiiiis, what have you done now?" he asked sternly, grinning, though he knew the troublemaking tribble couldn't hear - or answer, for that matter.  After another giggle, John turned back to the question that had been posed to him.  "I'm not coming in, remember?  It's Rose's and my third anniversary - I told you that yes--..."  He trailed off, a frown furrowing his brow, then his eyes widened slightly and he turned a bit pink as he realized.  "Oh, right...  I didn't come in yesterday, so I never told you...  Sorry..." he apologized, once again sheepish.

"yeah, you never came in, and it's not like we keep track of the days and all that," jack teased. "so, today's a special day, huh? well, have fun, you guys. we'll hold down the fort here--Mike, grab dennis, he's making a break for it!" there was a small scuffle, then a "gotta go!" and jack hung up.

the receptionist was looking like she ate a lemon at that point, impatiently waiting for him to get back to her and tell her what he wanted.

(Sorry 'bout that - went into the kitchen to put something away and my mom waylayed me to help her with stuff.  ^^'  This'll probably be my last post for tonight~)

John had opened his mouth to respond when a scuffle involving Dennis apparently broke out in the background, and Jack quickly hung up.  John wasn't sure whether to be amused or concerned, so after a moment he settled on a mixture of both.

Slipping the mobile back into his pocket, he turned back towards the receptionist behind the desk, noting her expression and giving her his best sheepishly innocent eyes - which he was fairly skilled at pulling off.  "Sorry... 'bout that...  Work troubles..." he mumbled apologetically, clearing his throat and shuffling from foot to foot awkwardly at his show of what she apparently saw as rude behavior.  "Um... I wanted to make a reservation for my wife for a couple weeks from now - she's been working hard chasing after the kids, and I haven't been able to be home as much as I'd like, and I thought she could use a relaxing day away from the house, so I decided that I'd surprise her with this as an anniversary gift..."  In his embarrassment, he began to babble unnecessarily, reaching to rub vigorously behind one ear, making his hair stick up in the process.

the receptionist cheered up at the young man's words and sheepish expression, writing down what he wanted. "so, a full day spa package? what day would you like exactly?" she got all the details ironed out and gave him a card with the appointment details on it so he wouldn't forget. "we look forward to seeing her."

John, in turn, brightened as the receptionist did, relieved that he hadn't angered her too badly.  He nodded, selecting a date that seemed good, and took the card with a smile.  "I'm sure she'll look forward to it, too - she deserves it, certainly," he replied, his eyes glowing as he thought about Rose's reaction when he gave her the card; he hoped she would be excited.  "Anyway, thank you for your help," he told the receptionist, nodding to her appreciatively before heading out, dropping by the market next.

He picked up a few groceries that they needed first - most notably bananas and the roast beef Rose had asked for - then selected a bottle of wine that he hoped would be good; he frowned slightly as he looked at the bottle, thinking of Claire, and how she had helped him pick out the bottle of wine for the night he'd proposed to Rose.  Unknowingly, he gave a sigh, wondering for the umpteenth time if she was still alive, and just out there somewhere, still in hiding from the men she couldn't know were now dead.  Shaking away the feeling of guilt, he stood, placing the bottle in the shopping trolley and continuing on.

In the process of his shopping, he walked down the aisle with the pop, and paused as something caught his eye.  He frowned a little, turning towards the drinks and picking up the item he'd spied.  Ginger beer.  Hmm...  He was well aware of the effects it could cause - or, rather, lead to - in Time Lords, but he now found himself extremely curious as to if it would cause the same reactions in him, now that he was 20% human.  Shrugging, he put it in his trolley and continued on.  It couldn't hurt to experiment a bit... right?

Lastly, he grabbed a couple dozen Mars Bars and bought a heart-shaped box to put the sweets in - along with a dozen red roses and an anniversary-themed card to put the appointment card in - and after putting the groceries in the car and fixing up the Mars Bars and the card, headed back home, a grin on his face.  He couldn't wait to see Rose's surprise when he burst back in so soon after he'd left to go to 'work'.

He pulled back down their driveway a few minutes later, and, silly grin still plastered to his face, grabbed his things and strutted up to the door, unlocking it and throwing it open as he burst into the strains of a familiar song.  "I got chiiiiiills, they're multiplyin', and I'm loooooooosin' control!  'Cause the poweeeer you're supplyin' - it's electrifyin'!"  Setting down the bag of groceries, he pranced into the living room with flowers, card, and box of chocolate in hand, dancing around the sofa where Rose was sitting as he continued to sing.

"I'm all shaped up, because I'm your man, and my heart belongs to yoouuuu!  I'm all shaped up, oh, I know you understaaand - to our hearts we must be true!  Nothin' that, nothin' that we cannot do!  You're the one that I want!  Ooh-ooh-oooh, honey!  The one that I want!  Ooh-ooh-oooh, honey!  The one that I want!  Ooh-ooh-oooh, the one I neeeeeeeed!  Oh, yes, indeeeeeeeed...~"  On the last line, sung more softly than the rest, he stopped his prancing about and moved over to where Rose was sitting, leaning down over the couch with a hand braced on the couch to either side of her lap, and pressed himself closer so that he was nose-to-nose with her, staring straight into her eyes, though more in a playfully romantic way than anything.  After he finished singing, he closed the couple of inches left between them to kiss her smack on the lips, his eyes drifting closed.

(THAT WAS SO LONG OH MY GOSH XD)

Rose--and, it had to be said, all three children--froze and stared at the man who came theatrically prancing through the front door at almost eleven in the morning, carrying a bouquet of flowers, a card and a box shaped like a heart, which was probably full of chocolate. she and maggie started to giggle uncontrollably at John's antics, and rose followed him with her head as he circled around her, singing loudly. when he finally stopped, she managed one last little giggle and returned the kiss enthusiastically.

"daddy's gone crazy," maggie mumbled from across the room. rose smiled warmly, having locked her wrists behind her husband's head to trap him for a moment. "happy anniversary, love."

Having achieved the reaction he'd hoped for - with a bonus of Maggie's additional laughter - John grinned happily, not in the least minding that Rose now had him somewhat trapped.  "Happy anniversary," he murmured warmly, leaning forward to kiss her again, giggling a little at Maggie's mumble from across the room.  Once Rose released him, he plopped himself down on the sofa next to her, presenting her with the roses and the box of Mars Bars, and finally, the card.  "There's another little surprise for you, and I hope you approve of it," he told her, waiting eagerly for her to open the card and the chocolates.

"oh, what 's that?" rose asked, eagerly opening the box first and making a very faint squeal of delight at the mars bars, grabbing one to eat immediately and setting the box aside for later. maggie wandered over, wanting one too and trying to sneak it from the now-open box without her parents noticing. after unwrapping and starting to munch on the mars bar, she opened the card, reading the inside first, then noticing the little appointment card when it fell in her lap. "oh, what's this?" she grabbed it and flipped it open, her eyes going wide. "a whole day? blimey...I won't know what to do with myself..."

John's grin broadened further as she opened the box and gave a tiny but obviously delighted squeal at the contents.  "Figured you'd prefer those over 'fancy chocolates'," he said with a little giggle, then glanced down as movement caught his eye.  Seeing it was Maggie, trying to steal one of the Mars Bars, he fixed her with a stern look.  "Maggie..." he rumbled warningly.  "If you'd like a bite, then ask Mummy if she'll share."  He turned to look back to Rose as she opened the card, smiling once more at her reaction.  "I thought you could use a better break from the chaos around here than going to work," he told her with another small chuckle.  "I hope you enjoy it - you deserve to be pampered for once, instead of having to take care of everyone else."

Rose sighed contentedly and gave a small smile, offering another little kiss on the cheek. finally noticing maggie after john's stern talking to, she glanced over and glared slightly at her daughter. "I'm not sharing these, little miss. this is mummy's special treat." maggie pouted a little, then started to wind up to throw a tantrum. "oh, no..."

John gave a happy sigh to echo Rose's and leaned into her a little as she kissed his cheek, before putting his arm around her shoulders and resting up against her.  He looked over as Maggie started to fuss, and then proceeded to begin to throw a fit, raising an eyebrow and giving a much-less-contented, now-weary sigh.  "Well...  I guess sometimes you've just gotta let 'em throw a tantrum, get it out of their system..." he commented, adding to Maggie in a stern tone, "Calm down, Little Miss - it's not the end of the world.  And trust me, I know what that looks like.  Buck up, now."  He figured his words would have little to no effect on the not-even-three-year-old, but still, he made no move to comfort or placate the toddler - just stared at her bemusedly.  She couldn't always have everything she wanted, after all.  He had gotten something for dessert at the market, but he wasn't going to bribe her with it when she was behaving like that.

maggie stopped crying long enough to listen to him, staring and sniffling, then immediately started to wail again when it was clear he wasn't going to give in, and threw herself on the ground, hitting it with her little fists and flailing her legs. "blimey, it's not even naptime yet...here I was hoping to avoid the terrible twos..." rose said, wincing with every new wail as the tot paused to draw breath. both the boys stopped crawling and sat themselves up, staring with alarm at their sister. "is there a monster?" matthew whimpered to david. "it must not be seeable!" david quickly agreed.

(Omg boys x'D)

John watched her impressively obnoxious antics with a half-incredulous, half-deadpanned expression.  "Well... It was worth a try, I suppose," he sighed again, continuing to watch the wailing child with a slight grimace of pain at her volume.  "Maybe she'll wear herself out and fall asleep, and we won't have to deal with the naptime drama," he added to Rose in a vaguely amused sarcastic tone.  As David and Matthew started talking to each other in alarm, however, he couldn't help but giggle a little.  "It's alright, boys - there's no monster," he reassured them.  "Your sister's just having a... moment..."  Well, that was putting it mildly.

it took five or so very long minutes for maggie to cry herself out and calm down. she went oddly silent and rose carefully got up and rolled her little daughter over, finding her asleep. "phew. all right, I guess she gets an early nap. can you put the mars bars away somewhere she won't see them?" rose asked, scooping up the tot and gently taking her to bed. the boys crawled over to the sofa and david reached up, trying to grab the couch cushion again.

John gave a bit of nervous laughter as Rose rolled a now-sleeping Maggie over, reaching to rub the back of his head.  "Well, that's certainly a relief," he agreed, nodding at her request and standing, as well.  He was reaching for the chocolate when he spied David trying to grab the couch cushion.  "Nooooo, you can't have the cushions!" he giggled, moving all the cushions so that they were out of reach of small hands and mouths.  Then, grabbing the chocolates, as well as the now-open envelope and the flowers, he stepped over the baby gates before he took pause for a moment, considering where he was taking them.  After a couple of seconds, he started off down the hall towards their bedroom - Maggie didn't go in there too often - and placed the chocolates and card up on the chest of drawers for good measure.

Then, flowers still in hand, he headed back out into the front of the house, grabbing the bag of groceries that still needed to be put away before making his way into the kitchen, placing the cold things and the ginger beer in the refrigerator, the bananas in the fruit bowl on the center island, the bottle of wine on the island's counter, and the remaining few things he'd gotten in various cupboards where they belonged.  Then, he fetched something that would serve well as a vase, poured some water in it, snipped the stems to the proper length, and stuck the roses inside, smiling and sniffing the fragrant blossoms with a contented sigh.  Even a toddler tantrum couldn't ruin his good mood today.

Rose came back out after a few moments of tucking in her little daughter to see him sniffing the roses he'd put in a vase. she smiled, walking up behind him and hugging him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. "so, what's the plan for lunch? I imagine we're not eating out, what with the children and how...well, disastrous it turned out last time." her birthday dinner had been delicious, of course, at a gourmet restaurant, but she would rather stay where she knew her children were safe.

hearing the word lunch, both the boys started cooing and squealing excitedly. "food!" "Food!" "we want food!"

(Apologies; got waylaid by my mom again xD This'll probably be my last post for the night.)

(Yeeeaaah, she had two disastrous birthdays, lol.  Well, one was disastrous and one was near-disastrous...  Poor Rose.  Birthdays are bad.  xD)

John's  smile broadened further as Rose appeared, walking up behind him and hugging him with her chin over his  shoulder.  He gave a soft hum of happiness, resting his head lightly against hers and putting his hands over her hands, one arm crossed over the other.  He stiffened slightly at the mention of 'last time', knowing what she was referring to - that horrible day just a few short months ago when the children had been taken.  On her birthday, no less.  He swallowed, forcibly pushing those thoughts away.

"Well... I got that roast beef that you wanted - we could have that, if you'd like?  Or I could make something else."  He paused briefly, noting with a giggle the boys' sudden excited sounds from the other room at the mention of lunch.  "I also got some ginger beer - thought that sounded kinda good..."

(I just realized that if Rose is still nursing the twins at all, they'll be getting some of the ginger beer through her milk...   Good thing that in and of itself doesn't cause too much of a problem...)

(lol, oops...I didn't even think of that XD)

"ooh, I haven't had that in ages," rose said eagerly, giving him a peck on the cheek and letting him go so he could start lunch. "just some simple roast beef sandwiches and some crisps honestly sounds divine. I'll just go feed the boys right quick, but it sounds like they might want your cooking over me!" the boys were squirming and flailing excitedly, still making all kinds of "food!" noises, when she scooped up matthew and grabbed a spare blanket off the back of the couch to cover him.

(I wonder if John would think about it... I feel like he would, but I'm not sure how I would have him react to it because his drunken stupor later was supposed to surprise Rose (I think?) so we can't reveal to her the effects it could cause until afterward when he explains what happened - probably in the midst of a raging headache when he wakes up in the morning.  xD)

John nodded, sneaking a peck on her cheek as well before moving off toward the refrigerator to take out the roast beef once again.  "Well, maybe they're just bored of milk - I know I'd get tired if I ate the same thing for nearly every meal day after day for six months," he giggled, getting a couple plates and beginning to make a pair of sandwiches.  Once they were finished, he grabbed a bag of crisps and poured a generous helping on both their plates, popping one from his plate in his mouth with a hum and taking the plates to the table.  "...I guess Maggie's going to be eating lunch late - I hope she's hungry for dinner," he commented half-jokingly after a few moments.  He wasn't too worried - the children always seemed a little hungry, he thought with amusement.

"what, little miss magpie the baby bird?" rose asked with amusement, rocking slightly in her chair while she fed matthew. "she's always hungry, just like I was at that age. I think all kids are, they grow so fast." david crawled over to his mother and continued to rather loudly beg while his mother burped his brother before laying him back down on the floor and scooping up the other twin, beginning to feed him. "smells good~I'll be in just a mo'."

John laughed at that and nodded, though of course Rose couldn't see him.  "Yeah, and Time Tots need even more nourishment than a human child, as you well know..." he agreed, adding jokingly, "I guess they're saving it all up, since Time Lords don't need to eat nearly as often as your average adult human..."  He headed back into the kitchen after setting the plates on the table, opening up the refrigerator and removing two bottles of the ginger beer, taking them back to the table, as well.  He then sat down in his place, staring at the bottle with a slight frown of intrigue as he waited for Rose.  After a few long moments, he finally reached for it, popping the cap and taking a swig, analyzing the flavor.

(I don't really know what it would be in - a bottle or a can.  xD  But, since I'm unsure what they call soda cans in England (I know they call canned food tinned, but I don't know if it's the same for drink) I just went with bottles lol)

(it's usually in glass bottles)

"yeah, they don't really seem as demanding as the other babies I've seen," rose noted as david nursed happily, hidden under the blanket. "and they definitely don't cry nearly as much, but I bet that's because you can understand them." she sighed, then let out a short laugh at matthew, as he hadn't moved from where she'd laid him and was now asleep. "can you come and put matthew to bed for me?"

(Bleeeh, got distracted by the TV.  x_x')

(Well good, I got that right, then.  xD)

"Yeah, I have no doubt that helps," John giggled, looking over at Rose's short laugh and subsequent request.  "Sure," he agreed, getting up again and heading into the living room, giggling once more at the sight of Matthew, crashed out on the floor.  "Apparently, eating is hard work," he commented amusedly, crouching down and gently scooping the infant up.  "Come on, then, you - that can't be very comfortable!"  He headed out of the living room with him and down the hall toward the nursery, opening the door very carefully and creeping inside to tuck Matthew in, cautious not to wake Maggie.

(it's fine, lol)

matthew stirred a little and yawned in his father's arms, getting comfortable before falling more deeply asleep. maggie showed no signs of stirring as matthew was put to bed. as soon as rose was done with david and he was also burped, she brought him in and laid him gently beside his brother before creeping carefully out and shutting the door. "all right, time for mummy to eat. ooh, did you get pop?"