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

(Welp.  I slept for longer than I meant to and then I got talking with my mom, and then my dad when he got home.  x_x'  Sorry 'bout that.)

(Oh, gosh, that's terrible... ;o; I'm so sorry for your friend... <\3)

John gave a slight sigh of relief as the boys eventually started to calm down, and retracted his hand, reaching to cradle Maggie's head instead, swaying gently on his feet.  "Shhh..." he whispered soothingly in her ear, running his fingers lightly through her hair, giving her the time she needed to calm down, as it was obvious she was far too upset to explain what had happened.

When she finally settled enough to tell them what had happened, John's eyes brightened with mixed sadness and anger, and he turned to look at Rose in dismay.  He had hoped that that horrible event wouldn't continue to haunt Maggie in her dreams, but it appeared his fears had come to light, after all.  "Oh, sweetheart..." he sighed, remorsefully, hugging her a little tighter.  "I know... and I'm so, so sorry...  But the bad men are gone now, and they're never going to hurt you again."  Though his words were meant to reassure, he felt a flicker of anxiety light within him.  He knew not all of the men involved in the kidnapping had been killed in their assault on their compound, and he prayed to the universe that they wouldn't come back for revenge, like their leader had.  Next time - if there ever were a next time, stars forbid - the outcome probably wasn't likely to be so happy...

the little reddish-haired girl whimpered softly and clung tight to her father, getting his shoulder wet with tears. Rose frowned too, her eyes holding pity. once she had gotten the boys to stop fidgeting for a moment, she scooped them both up and quickly sat down in the rocking chair, letting them rest their heads on her collarbones and listen to her heart so they could relax. matthew grabbed david's pudgy wrist before shutting his eyes.

(You called her Rin lol)

John gave another soft sigh and moved to sit on the floor against the wall next to the rocking chair, shifting Maggie in his arms a little so her head was rested on his upper chest - like he would often hold her when she was a baby - so that she, too, could hear his heartbeat, hoping it would comfort her like it used to.  He continued to gently stroke her hair, leaning down after a few moments to plant a kiss atop her head.  "You're safe now, Mags," he continued to whisper soothingly.  "It's alright.  Everything's going to be alright."

(darnit! I told you that was going to happen eventually!)

little maggie kept whimpering softly as her tears dried, then quickly dropped back off to sleep, listening intently to her father's heartbeat. Rose gave a soft sigh of relief and started to softly hum a lullaby, rocking herself in the chair with just one set of toes, holding her sons close.

(man *yaaaaaAAAWWNN* it's been a really long day, huh? I should turn in)

(XD  Well, two one-syllable 'R' names... I can imagine it'd probably get confusing every once in a while~
I remember when I first brought in Sunwhisker to Perso; I kept calling him Sunstrike - the name of one of Moon's charries.  xD)
John smiled a little as Maggie drifted off once more, gazing down at her with fond sympathy.  Hearing Rose start to hum, he looked up to her, his smile broadening, and, after a few moments, began to hum softly along with her, forming a duet.  He was glad the boys both seemed to be asleep now, too, rested up against Rose's chest.

After a few more moments, he looked back down at Maggie, wondering how much longer they should stay.  He felt bad leaving them, especially her, but he and Rose needed their rest, as well, and they probably wouldn't get the best sleep in here - in both quantity or quality...

(Yeah, really - sounds like a rough day on your end, for sure.  >.<  Mostly just tiredness on my part, lol.  No idea how it got to be so late, though.  o__o  Anyway, g'night!)

when the song was over, Rose looked up at john and murmured, "the boys will be all right in here. d'you think we could bring maggie to bed with us, and let her sleep in between? I think it might make her feel better."

(yeah, the even funnier part is she's married to a powerful being of a different species and has several kids in the same age range XD including a pair of snuggly little fraternal twins, although they're boy and girl)

(Just a quick post, and then I'm off for a nap.  Tired for some reason.  x_x)

John looked up again as Rose spoke, and smiled.  "Yeah, I think that's a good idea," he murmured in response, carefully getting to his feet in an effort to avoid waking his daughter.  He then looked down at her, his eyes filling with remorse once again.  "Poor little thing...  I can't imagine how terrified she must've been when they were taken..." he whispered sorrowfully.  "I was hoping that horrible incident wouldn't leave a permanent scar, but..."

(Well, I can definitely see how that would get confusing... xD)

(that's a heckuva nap, spotticus...)

Rose sighed softly, looking pityingly at her daughter. she carefully got up and laid the boys back in their crib, kissing one head, then the other, and gently tucking them in before stepping back out into the darkened hallway and turning off the light in the nursery, leading the way back to the master bedroom. maggie put her little thumb in her mouth, listening to the reassuring, steady beat of her daddy's heart...

(Oh, I've been up for several hours now - I've just been lazy and haven't posted anywhere else yet xD  Also was working on reorganizing my WotS charries and inserting a few new/future characters so everyone's in order of age, so I can start adding some of my younger charries in.  ;u;)

Once Rose had laid them back in their crib, John leaned in to kiss both boys on the head as well, then followed her out of the nursery and back towards their room, Maggie still cradled securely against his chest.

Reaching the bed, he climbed in carefully, then slowly rolled over onto his right side so he was facing the center of the bed, lying near the middle so Rose could cuddle up to Maggie on her other side.  He then removed one arm from around her for long enough to grab hold of the covers, pulling them up over both of them and tucking them securely around Maggie.

(I've been visiting with my friends earlier this afternoon, and then I've been cleaning. lol, you're totally fine)

maggie squirmed when she was let go, curling up in a little ball under the covers, her forehead against her father's chest. Rinose climbed in on her side of the bed, curling up close to her daughter too, gently smooching her little head. "sleep well, maggie."

(Ah, that's good xD)

(So I was checking to see which astrological sign Laiko and Elskan would have based on what month/week they were born in, and they're apparently Virgo, whose gloss is "the Maiden" (-snorts-), element is Earth (that matches lol), polarity keywords are "practicality, caution, material world" none of which really apply xD, and modality keywords are "adaptability, flexible, resourceful", which... fit surprisingly well.  Not that I put much into star signs and all that, but I felt the need to add it to my forms... for some reason.  xD
Also, as a note, Aries (my sign) has Fire as the element (maybe that's why both my fursonas - Acara and Spottedfire - have Fire as their element... xD), polarity keywords of "enthusiasm, drive to express self, faith" (none of which apply XD), and modality keywords of "action, dynamic, initiative, great force" (which also don't fit at all lol).  I am amused.  )

Once the covers were up, John rested his arm protectively across Maggie once more, reaching over to grasp one of Rose's hands in his and squeezing it lightly, smiling a little.  He planted a matching kiss on Maggie's head, added a soft "Sweet dreams," then snuggled into his pillow with a light, contented sigh, letting his eyes close once more.

(mine is gemini, which I know is an air sign...but that's all I know)

luckily, maggie stayed asleep through the rest of the night and woke when the sun came through the window the next morning. rose peeled one eye open as she started bouncing on the bed, chirping for breakfast, last night's nightmare ordeal now forgotten with the dawn.

Rose suddenly sat bolt upright as she realized neither she nor john had set an alarm, and she was certain to be at least an hour late for work...if she left right now.

(Hmm...  Looks like polarity keywords are "communication, socialization, conceptualization" and modality keywords are also "adaptability, flexible, resourceful".)

John woke, bleary-eyed, as Maggie moved, beginning to bounce on the bed.  He sat up slightly, reaching to rub the back of his head, then abruptly sat up all the way as Rose did, his eyes now wide open as he turned to her.  "What?  What's wrong?" he asked, oblivious for a moment... then-- "OH!!!  I'm going to be late for work!" he exclaimed in obvious alarm, turning to look at the clock, then, again, a moment later, "No, wait... You're going to be late for work!"  He hopped up out of bed, throwing open the bedroom door, and strode quickly down the hallway, adding, "I've got to get breakfast started!!" as he went.

( that sounds more like the doctor than anything!)

Rose jumped up, scooping up the tot with a happy "wheee~!" and setting her on the floor to follow her father while she grabbed clothes and headed into the bathroom, herself.

"What's breakfast, Daddy? can I help?" maggie asked, following her father eagerly.

(Yeah, it does, a bit... xD
...Though, that being said, I don't think Twelve is very good at being social... )

John, who was already in the kitchen getting out pots and pans, looked back at the sound of Maggie's voice.  He smiled at her.  "I was thinking pancakes for Mummy and me, and oatmeal for the boys; you can have whichever you want."  He figured she'd choose the oatmeal, but no harm in asking.  "And you can certainly help," he added, grinning a bit further and moving into the dining room to grab a chair she could stand on, moving it in front of the center island.  "You can help me put together the ingredients for the pancakes while I start on the oatmeal."

(he's very social...you don't have to be nice to be social, lol)

maggie gasped in eager surprise. "really?" she asked when he said she could help make the pancakes. "I want pancakes too, then, if I get to cookem!" she said, bouncing a little once she was standing on the seat of the chair. "um, um, daddy?" she said, turning to him again after a short moment, "how come I was all snuggled up in your bed?"

(That sinking feeling when you realized you fORGOT A WOLF YOU NEEDED TO ADD AND NOW YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND BUMP EEEEVERYBODY DOWN ANOTHER POST  -muffled screaming-  DANGIT, KUREN)

(I suppose that's true... xD)

"Alright," John agreed with a slight laugh and a twinkle in his eye.  He started getting out ingredients and measuring cups, setting them on the island along with a large bowl.  "Well, Mummy and I thought you might be more comfortable there, because of your bad dreams last night," he told her at her question, his smile dropping and a slight, sad frown creasing his brow instead.

(Dang, I didn't realize it was getting so late... O.O  I should probably start getting ready for bed...)

(I mean, to be fair, you didn't used to have kuren--didn't you say he was somebody else's character first? also, you said he was based on a tv character, but I can't figure out who~)

"oh," maggie said, getting quiet herself. "yeah, I had bad dreams...bad people coming and taking away...you not there, or mummy...it was scary..." she turned back to the mixing bowl after a moment, cheering up and grabbing a shortened wooden spoon that only had about half a handle and looked like the end had been sanded separately from the rest. it was the same spoon rose had accidentally broken the day that they had accidentally woken up in each other's body.

(I should too, I suppose)

(Quite true; he was Gem's character originally - which is most certainly why I forgot about him.  xD  And yup - this guy: Link Link Link Link "Uhhh... Leftenant...? I've done something catastrophic." x''D
Also, in addition, Aina was originally based off of Abbie, though she's evolved a little away from that, I think~)

John nodded mutely, swallowing the rising feeling of fury directed toward the men who had taken his babies.  Not only had it traumatized all of them on that terrible day, but now it seemed it had left more permanent scars on Maggie's fragile young psyche.  At least their leader was dead now, he thought, and could never harm the children again.  He tried to let that thought soothe him a bit.

Giving a slight, shuddering sigh as some of the tension left his body, he reached over and gently patted Maggie on the shoulder in a gesture of comfort, letting his hand rest there for a moment before Maggie seemed to cheer, grabbing the wooden spoon that Rose had broken during their body swap.  He smirked amusedly.

"Right, so," he began, opening up the container of flour and removing the measuring cup, "we start with some flour..."  He showed her how to properly measure the ingedients, demonstrating with a scoop of flour, then moved a few feet away to start on the boys' oatmeal, monitoring Maggie closely.

(Probably gonna disappear for a nap - I didn't sleep all that well last night.  T_T)

(I was cleaning...and I think I just murdered an innocent vacuum cleaner...or else the poor old thing just finally gave out )

Maggie started to stir haphazardly before there were any wet ingredients in the mixing bowl, making random little poofs of flour come out at irregular intervals. he had to help her pour in the milk and crack the eggs for her, of course, and she started to sing a nonsense song as she worked, nothing to the lyrics but "da's and la's and ba's" in whatever order she thought sounded best. "does this look good?" she asked, still stirring and soon to overmix the batter if he didn't stop her soon.

(Oh, dear... x'D)

John, who had momentarily turned to stir up the oatmeal, looked back over his shoulder at Maggie's question, then walked over, taking a look and nodding quickly.  "Yup, that's good - too much stirring and the pancakes will turn out stiff instead of fluffy," he told her.  Once she handed him the spoon, he picked up the bowl and ran said spoon around the outside of the batter, checking to make sure she hadn't missed anything, then smiled.  "Good job - you did perfectly," he praised her proudly, ruffling her hair with one hand before turning to the grittle, which he'd already preheated.  "Now, we dish the batter out," he said, spooning the mix onto the grittle and watching it spread out into flat, pancake-shaped blobs.

(well, mom said it apparently just overheats sometimes, so back to cleaning I guess~ my phone is attached to my email so every time you post I get an alert. so I'll kind of be poofy but not really? )

maggie followed her father over to the stove, trying to see, but she was still too short and knew better than to touch the stove to try to hold herself up on tiptoe. "oooh," she cooed, watching him spoon the batter onto the griddle and smelling it start to fry with a bit of a sizzle. "that smells really good!" she told him eagerly. she turned at the sound of fussing. "the bothers are awake," she informed him in a disappointed tone.

(Well that's good xD  Ahhh, so that's how you always seem to know whenever I post...  xD)

John grinned, inhaling deeply as the scent of cooking pancakes hit his nose.  "Mmm," he agreed happily, his eyes closing briefly, before snapping open again as he heard the twins start to fuss.  "Yes, the 'bothers' are indeed awake," he agreed with a hint of a laugh, feeling it safe to leave breakfast for a few moments to head for the other room.  "Come on - we'd better fetch them," he beckoned Maggie, making for the nursery.  He scooped David up first, giving him a good morning kiss on the head, then carried him out to his highchair before returning for Matthew and repeating the process.

( heeheehee yeah, that's exactly how. I'm totally cheating XD)

maggie stood by the center island with her chair, concerned that her father would walk away from the stove when there was food on it still...she didn't want anything to be burned! she watched with anxiety, climbing back onto the chair so she could see the oatmeal and pancakes cooking to ensure they weren't going to get even the slightest bit burnt under the tot's watchful gaze.

the boys, for their part, seemed upset it was daddy fetching them instead of mummy, who was just jumping out of the shower and starting to dress now, going as quick as she could.

(Yup, you are xD  I don't even have my alerts hooked up to my email - I don't like getting a bazillion emails just telling me somebody posted xD  I never check my email, anyway, so it wouldn't really be that helpful lol)

John snorted at the boys' apparent disappointment upon seeing him, not sure if he should laugh or feel offended.  After setting them up in their highchairs and making sure they weren't about to tumble out in search of food, he headed back into the kitchen, smiling at Maggie's watchful eyes, locked onto the stove.  The pancakes were just about ready to be flipped, so he did so, then turned to the oatmeal, which was now finished, and turned off the burner before fetching the necessary flavorings and adding them to the pot.  By that time, the pancakes, too, were finished, so he also turned off the griddle, dishing everything onto plates and into bowls and beginning to bring everything to the table, along with syrup for the pancakes.