For someone who was usually so well organized, Piper had managed to wander straight into her second trimester without booking a scan. Of course, she couldn't be entirely blamed for that - between a Malamute, a Kneazle, and a wonderfully hyperactive half-Fae little girl, it was a wonder anything got done at all in this particular Granger household. Finally, however, she had organized it, and with Des on Lyneth duty - in other words, solely responsible for preventing the excited little girl from totaling the ultrasound suite - she'd made it to the clinic, where they were waiting to be called. Tucked between her parents, Lyneth was bouncing in her seat, one hand possessively on the burgeoning bump at her mother's waist, cheerfully informing the baby inside of everything that was going on in an embarrassingly loud voice.
As usual, Des was the epitome of calm and control in an otherwise hectic world. After all, this was a piece of cake for a man who had once been accustomed to the high-profile and highly stressful life of a big city prosecuting attorney. Even so, life in Rhy'Din was never boring, especially in the very lively household he shared with Piper, Lyneth, and their menagerie of pets and fairy-folk. If anyone back home had told him a few years ago that he'd be living this life, he'd have laughed in their faces, but the truth was Desmond was happier here than he'd ever been back in New York, and the two people sitting beside him were largely responsible for that happiness.
Despite his usual calm, Desmond couldn't help but share some of Lyneth's excitement at the prospect of getting a peek at the baby growing inside of Piper, her second child, but their first together. Though he wasn't Lyneth's biological father, he couldn't imagine loving her more if he was. He smiled an apology to the other patients in the waiting room and casually leaned toward the hyperactive little Fae girl to scold her gently. "Inside voice, Lyneth. We're not the only ones waiting."
"But the baby's more insider than we are, and it won't be able to hear me if I talks all little," Lyneth protested, patting Piper's belly affectionately. She turned and virtually bellowed at her mother's midriff. "Will you, baby' 'Cos you're all inside Mummy and there's all wet stuff, and you can't hear proper under water." Thankfully, the other expectant parents sat around them were relaxed enough to be indulgent of an over-excited child, but Piper still blushed as she shushed her daughter, exchanging an embarrassed smile with Des over Lyneth's head.
Des exchanged a patient and slightly amused smile with Piper, still leaning toward the little imp that was sat between them. "Lynnie, the baby can hear you just fine. People in the parking lot can hear you. Why don't you try getting really close to your Mum's tummy and whispering" The baby will hear you better that way." It was reverse logic of a sort, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, depending on Lyneth's mood.
This was given due consideration for what seemed to be an interminable couple of minutes before Lyneth frowned, conceding the logic in that. A moment later, Piper sighed as the little girl disappeared underneath her shirt, chuckling softly. Now no one could hear what Lyneth was saying, but there was a certain ticklish sensation of little lips and hot breath against her skin. She looked over at her husband with a resigned smirk on her full lips. "Is this an improvement?"
Des shrugged, mirroring the smirk on her face with one of his own. No matter how hard they tried, Lyneth always seemed to outwit them one way or another. "She isn't disturbing the other patients anymore," he pointed out quietly, wondering if any of them realized they were likely to end up with a Lyneth of their own before long. He tapped a finger against Lyneth's back to get her attention.
The little girl surfaced, smoothing her mother's shirt back down again before looking up at her father, wiping her hair out of her face. "Yes?" she asked, looking for all the world as though there was absolutely nothing wrong with her over-excited behavior.
"Why don't we play the Quiet Game?" he suggested. The Quiet Game was something all parents invented when they wanted to find a way to trick their children into sitting still and quietly for a while. "If you can sit quietly for the next, oh..." He glanced at his watch, hoping it wasn't going to be too much longer before Piper's name was called. "...ten minutes, you win!" This game involved a reward, of course, but the reward didn't come until later.
The look on Lyneth's face at his suggestion told him right away she knew what he was up to. She pouted, but since the reward for winning usually involved ice cream - chocolate ice cream - she subsided with a huffing sigh, kicking her feet back and forth beneath the chair like the most put upon child in the history of the world.
Piper had to stifle a laugh as she wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders, kissing the unruly curls. "It won't be for long, sweetie," she promised, grinning at Des. He'd just earned himself his own kind of reward, later on.
He grinned a little smugly back at his wife, rather proud of his achievement with Lyneth, though he knew it wouldn't last. Ten minutes of peace was a lot to ask of a small child, and he and Piper relished every minute of it, however long it lasted. "Just think about all the ice cream you get to eat later. Mmm, ice cream," Des told Lyneth quietly.
The little imp stuck her tongue out at him from under Piper's arm, though the rude little gesture was softened somewhat by the grin that followed. She knew how to play the Quiet Game well enough, and was ridiculously good at it when she applied herself to it. At least it meant that they would get a little peace for just a little while. And a little while was all they needed - around five minutes later, Piper's name was called, and the little family rose to slip into the radiography suite, silent little mischief maker and all.
Des had done all he could to prepare Lyneth for what was to come, warning her that she had to behave and listen to what the technician and doctor told them to do. He wasn't too worried, knowing much of Lyneth's behavior was merely for show. She was far more mature than she let on, reveling in the adoration that was showered upon her by the two people who loved her most in all the known universes.
The technician looked a little surprised when the little girl was led in between her parents, but to his credit, he didn't say a word against it. "Well, looks like I'm standing," was all he said, wheeling his higher stool around to the other side of the gurney with a wink for Lyneth. "Mrs Granger, I'm pretty sure you know what to do." Piper chuckled, easing herself up onto the gurney with a faint groan as Lyneth clambered her way up onto her own special stool, clinging to Des to keep from toppling off.
As usual, Des was the epitome of calm and control in an otherwise hectic world. After all, this was a piece of cake for a man who had once been accustomed to the high-profile and highly stressful life of a big city prosecuting attorney. Even so, life in Rhy'Din was never boring, especially in the very lively household he shared with Piper, Lyneth, and their menagerie of pets and fairy-folk. If anyone back home had told him a few years ago that he'd be living this life, he'd have laughed in their faces, but the truth was Desmond was happier here than he'd ever been back in New York, and the two people sitting beside him were largely responsible for that happiness.
Despite his usual calm, Desmond couldn't help but share some of Lyneth's excitement at the prospect of getting a peek at the baby growing inside of Piper, her second child, but their first together. Though he wasn't Lyneth's biological father, he couldn't imagine loving her more if he was. He smiled an apology to the other patients in the waiting room and casually leaned toward the hyperactive little Fae girl to scold her gently. "Inside voice, Lyneth. We're not the only ones waiting."
"But the baby's more insider than we are, and it won't be able to hear me if I talks all little," Lyneth protested, patting Piper's belly affectionately. She turned and virtually bellowed at her mother's midriff. "Will you, baby' 'Cos you're all inside Mummy and there's all wet stuff, and you can't hear proper under water." Thankfully, the other expectant parents sat around them were relaxed enough to be indulgent of an over-excited child, but Piper still blushed as she shushed her daughter, exchanging an embarrassed smile with Des over Lyneth's head.
Des exchanged a patient and slightly amused smile with Piper, still leaning toward the little imp that was sat between them. "Lynnie, the baby can hear you just fine. People in the parking lot can hear you. Why don't you try getting really close to your Mum's tummy and whispering" The baby will hear you better that way." It was reverse logic of a sort, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, depending on Lyneth's mood.
This was given due consideration for what seemed to be an interminable couple of minutes before Lyneth frowned, conceding the logic in that. A moment later, Piper sighed as the little girl disappeared underneath her shirt, chuckling softly. Now no one could hear what Lyneth was saying, but there was a certain ticklish sensation of little lips and hot breath against her skin. She looked over at her husband with a resigned smirk on her full lips. "Is this an improvement?"
Des shrugged, mirroring the smirk on her face with one of his own. No matter how hard they tried, Lyneth always seemed to outwit them one way or another. "She isn't disturbing the other patients anymore," he pointed out quietly, wondering if any of them realized they were likely to end up with a Lyneth of their own before long. He tapped a finger against Lyneth's back to get her attention.
The little girl surfaced, smoothing her mother's shirt back down again before looking up at her father, wiping her hair out of her face. "Yes?" she asked, looking for all the world as though there was absolutely nothing wrong with her over-excited behavior.
"Why don't we play the Quiet Game?" he suggested. The Quiet Game was something all parents invented when they wanted to find a way to trick their children into sitting still and quietly for a while. "If you can sit quietly for the next, oh..." He glanced at his watch, hoping it wasn't going to be too much longer before Piper's name was called. "...ten minutes, you win!" This game involved a reward, of course, but the reward didn't come until later.
The look on Lyneth's face at his suggestion told him right away she knew what he was up to. She pouted, but since the reward for winning usually involved ice cream - chocolate ice cream - she subsided with a huffing sigh, kicking her feet back and forth beneath the chair like the most put upon child in the history of the world.
Piper had to stifle a laugh as she wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders, kissing the unruly curls. "It won't be for long, sweetie," she promised, grinning at Des. He'd just earned himself his own kind of reward, later on.
He grinned a little smugly back at his wife, rather proud of his achievement with Lyneth, though he knew it wouldn't last. Ten minutes of peace was a lot to ask of a small child, and he and Piper relished every minute of it, however long it lasted. "Just think about all the ice cream you get to eat later. Mmm, ice cream," Des told Lyneth quietly.
The little imp stuck her tongue out at him from under Piper's arm, though the rude little gesture was softened somewhat by the grin that followed. She knew how to play the Quiet Game well enough, and was ridiculously good at it when she applied herself to it. At least it meant that they would get a little peace for just a little while. And a little while was all they needed - around five minutes later, Piper's name was called, and the little family rose to slip into the radiography suite, silent little mischief maker and all.
Des had done all he could to prepare Lyneth for what was to come, warning her that she had to behave and listen to what the technician and doctor told them to do. He wasn't too worried, knowing much of Lyneth's behavior was merely for show. She was far more mature than she let on, reveling in the adoration that was showered upon her by the two people who loved her most in all the known universes.
The technician looked a little surprised when the little girl was led in between her parents, but to his credit, he didn't say a word against it. "Well, looks like I'm standing," was all he said, wheeling his higher stool around to the other side of the gurney with a wink for Lyneth. "Mrs Granger, I'm pretty sure you know what to do." Piper chuckled, easing herself up onto the gurney with a faint groan as Lyneth clambered her way up onto her own special stool, clinging to Des to keep from toppling off.