Crazier than Crazy

Rosetta was still on the run from Marcus. She pulled her hat on when she walked out with Maggie, her friend having given her a ride.
"Thank you Mags." Rose said when they pulled up to her house. "You're the best."
"Oh, I know." Maggie laughed. "Call me and tell me what his reaction is!" She whispered, and Rose promised she would.
Rosetta headed inside, finding Shaun in the living room, his back to her. She smiled, creeping up on him and wrapping her arms around his neck to kiss his cheek.
"Hi."

Aeris shook her head, raising her eyebrows.
"I mean, technically it's your night, so no I guess." She told him, putting individual bags of chips in the girls' bags to finish them off. "What did you have in mind?" She asked him, already setting out a glass.

Yuffie blushed, but then she laughed.
"I think so too!" She whispered. "See you downstairs!"

Shaun jumped slightly when he felt Rosetta's arms around him, but then he leaned into her. he shut his laptop and he looked over towards her.
"Hey, what are you up to?" he asked.

Cloud chuckled and he nodded.
"I'm feeling whiskey." he mumbled. "Maybe I'll wait til the munchkins head off to school."

Emma giggled and she nodded, she made her way down the stairs. She saw Cloud and she tackled him. "Daddy!"

"Oof! Hey...what did I tell you about tackling me..." Cloud groaned, lifting her up.

Rosetta climbed over the back of the couch to slide into his lap, her arms around his neck.
"I took Maggie to run an errand with me." She told him. She knew he was having trouble adjusting to normal work. But she had an idea. "You know how that horse camp that I worked at closed?" She asked, referring to Rockbrook. "Well, we have a lot of land out here, and I was thinking I could reopen it as like a rehabilitation center. Former racers, pets, even show horses, we could give them a place to stay. Bring in kids and families, for therapy purposes. It would cost a lot to take the loan out, but the financial advisor I spoke to said that it'd probably pay itself off by the end of the year." She explained. She had enough to invest with the money she had made in the army. "And we're going to need a solid revenue pretty soon."

Yuffie came down with the hoodie zipped up, just enough to cover the crop so it didn't look too fishy. She took her lunch bag and put her backpack over her shoulder.
"Hey." Aeris said, and Yuffie froze mid-step. "It's eighty degrees outside. Take the hoodie off."
"It gets cold in the cla-"
Aeris sighed, walking up to Yuffie and unzipping the hoodie to see the short top.
"Yuffie, we've been over this. If you're going to lie then-"
"Then lie well." Yuffie mumbled.
"Go change, and hurry up." Aeris laughed. "That's strike one! Three and you're grounded."
"What about you, are you going to behave today?" Aeris smirked at Emma, handing her the other lunch bag.

Shaun wrapped his arms around Rosetta, and he looked up to her as she began speaking. He raised an eyebrow at first but then he started to really listen to her, and then he started to chuckle. He had an idea what she was doing, and in a way he appreciated it.
"I've never worked with horses before." he mumbled, and then he raised an eyebrow. "Why do we need solid revenue? We're doing pretty okay so far."

Cloud looked up when he heard Aeris talk to Yuffie and then he laughed. He laughed at the lie, and then he laughed when Aeris exposed her lie.

Emma nodded and she gave a thumbs up.
"Yeah! Maybe. I don't know!"

Rosetta bit her lip before she smiled, so hard her cheeks almost hurt.
"Because you have super-human sperm." She informed him, taking the ultra-sound picture out of her hoodie pocket. It wasn't much, just a little round thing, the size of a quarter. "I took Maggie because I was just so in denial and I didn't want to freak you out if it wasn't necessary. But I saw it, it's there. I've named it Blip. Because when its heart beat, it was a little blip." She whispered.

Aeris shook her head.
"Okay, say goodbye to Dad and get in the car. We're going to be cutting it close since your sister decided to be sneaky." She sighed.
Yuffie came down the steps a moment later, dressed in a band t-shirt that was a least a lot more appropriate.
"See you." Aeris said to Cloud, waving at him as she got the kids in the car.
"Okay so you-" She said, referring to Emma, "-have peanut butter and jelly, crusts cut off, with carrot sticks, and a bag of doritos, and you-" She said to Yuffie, "-have peanut butter and jelly, apple slices, and a bag of lays. I don't care how you want to switch it around, but eat the good stuff." She told them, pulling up to the curb at the school. "Love you, have fun."
"Love you!" Yuffie called, getting out of the car.

Shaun was confused at first, and then his eyes widened. He looked at the picture, examining it closely. He looked back at Rosetta and then back at the picture.
"S-seriously?" he asked. "Like...legit...like...we're going to have our own brat?"

Emma hugged Cloud goodbye and he followed them to the door. When they left he waved before he made his way back to the kitchen to finish off his drink.

Emma wrinkled her nose at the doritos, eyeing Yuffie for a moment before she nodded.
"Bye, Oba-san!" Emma said, calling Aeris her aunt in Japanese. She was just a sponge for language. Cloud had been teaching her Japanese, and Charlie insisted he teach her Spanish as well. It lead to funny situations where she'd mix up her words and end up saying something in three different languages in one sentence.

Rosetta laughed, nodding.
"The ovary I have left has scar tissue in the tube, but apparently not enough to completely render it useless. Blip made it past the badlands and ended up in the safety of my very healthy uterus." She informed him, still smilingly dopily. "I'm about six weeks in. We're going to have a baby, Shaun." She laughed, thinking she would never get to say those words.

Aeris waved, a little out of her league. She knew Korean, but that was it. She found Emma to be adorable though. She pulled away from the curb and headed back home, spotting Cloud.
"Did you make your drink?" She asked him, crashing in the living room with her laptop.

Shaun smiled, and he moved his hand over her stomach. A baby, he couldn't believe it. After a moment he frowned, looking away from her.
"I...I...What if Blip ends up like me?" he whispered. "Sick. In the head."

Cloud looked up and he nodded, holding up the glass.
"This is my third one." he chuckled. "How's my blue eyes doing? Not going into the office today?"

Rosetta smiled when he put his hand over her stomach, putting her hand on top of his.
"Well, the horse ranch will be up and flourishing by then, so he can also make use of the manure to speed body decomposition." She mused, then she laughed. "Shaun, if Blip ends up like you then we'll handle it. You know how to be safe and smart about it, so if it comes down to him killing then you can teach him. And that's the worst case scenario."

Aeris smirked when he said it was his third, before shaking her head.
"I'm going to remote in for a meeting around noon, then I'll pick up the girls and head in to help consult on a project. I should be home around six at the latest. I can pick up pizza on the way back if you want." She often wondered how it had happened. They had gone from gang banging killers to domesticated family folk. She wished Julia were still alive for Cloud. They could have been really happy.

Shaun chuckled and he nodded.
"Good thing Blip will have very understanding parents." he chuckled. "You can teach them how to run from the law, and I'll teach them how to get in trouble with it. Perfect."

Cloud nodded, and he finished off his drink, debating on a different one.
"I'm going to stay up til noon." he chuckled. "Today is my weekend, and I'm going to live it up. I'll try not to be so loud while I'm pumping that music."

Rosetta laughed with him, shaking her head. She was actually absolutely terrified. Not of the baby, or having the baby, that thrilled her, but being pregnant and hunted at the same time. What if Marcus caught her again? What if he killed Shaun, or Blip?
"I'm not going to be leaving the house anymore after today unless I absolutely have to." She told him. "I don't want to put Blip, or you at risk."

Aeris raised her eyebrows, but she didn't mind. She had basically given up drinking, mostly because she knew how she was when she was drunk. She'd tell Cloud everything, or be all over him, neither of which she wanted to do.
"That's fine. I don't mind the music either." She said, sharing his same taste.

Shaun nodded, the smile slowly fading. He ran his fingers through her hair, pulling her in for a kiss.
"Shush." he whispered. "You'll be alright. I'll make sure of that, and then Blip will get here and then we'll move to Canada if we have to. It'll be fun."

Cloud chuckled and he glanced over to her.
"Alright, it's going to be at max volume all day." he chuckled, poking her.

Rosetta laughed, kissing him back before she wrinkled her nose.
"Canada is way too nice for people like us." She smirked, running her fingers through his hair. "What about Germany or Japan, somewhere over seas? Lots of people, lots of criminals, but beautiful scenery. Actually I've never been to Japan, but I've seen it in magazines."

Aeris raised her eyebrows at the poke, when her computer pinged.
Aeris, with you working on the Goldstein case, I'm going to give the Finch case to Brent. You're off the hook for the meeting today.
Aeris sighed. She had wanted them both, partially out of greed, mostly to distract herself from Cloud.
"Give me that." She told him, stealing his glass for a sip.

Shaun laughed and he shook his head at her.
"Then we'd have to learn Japanese, or German." he said. "I'm not sure I have the mental capacity to even attempt to speak another language, especially with this redneck accent."

Cloud raised an eyebrow as she took his glass and he reached over the side of the sofa, grabbing the bottle.
"Fine, I didn't want that puny sip anyway." he said before taking a huge gulp.

Rosetta laughed when he finished his sentence, pulling back to look at him.
"I love that redneck accent. Between that and the whole you trying to kill me that, I fell in love." She said dramatically, putting the back of her hand against her forehead.

Aeris put her legs in his lap, sitting back against the arm of the couch. When he took the whole bottle she rolled her eyes.
"Show off. You're lucky I have to pick up the kids later."

Shaun raised his eyebrows and he moved to climb over her, his hand wrapped loosely around her throat.
"Oh? Is that what it was?" he whispered, drawing out his words to make the accent a bit more clearer. "My accent?"

Cloud laughed, and he placed a hand along her calf. He massaged her leg idly, looking up at her.
"I mean...that won't be a long while from now." he whispered. "Same with the meeting."

Rosetta tipped her head back as his fingers moved over her skin, her fingers moving through the side of his hair as she smiled.
"Yes. And these eyes." She whispered, running her thumb by the corner of his eye. "Especially when you look at me like I'm prey, when they get dark."

"Meeting's cancelled." She sighed, holding out her glass so he'd pour her more. "Jacobs is giving it to that fuck-boy Brent, I guess." She explained. "I'll just have a few." She said, although she wasn't sure if she was telling him or herself.

Shaun eyed her and he chuckled, leaning in to kiss her.
"I prefer yours." he whispered. "Nice and light...but not...odd like mine. I hope Blip has them."

Cloud raised an eyebrow and he poured her a drink.
"Then a long while before you gotta pick up the kids." he chuckled. He took another sip from the bottle as he looked around the living room. "So...how was that date the other night with...Bobby, Billy? Whathisface?"

"Nuhuh, I already decided Blip's getting your eyes." She smiled, kissing him gently. "I like odd. Besides, Blip will get an amazing skin tone, so it's not like you where you're pale as hell and have those eyes." She tickled his side, smirking as she teased him.

Aeris eyed him as he spoke, shaking her head.
"Ben. It was...okay." She sighed, downing the rest of her drink. "I mean he's a nice guy, but...he's a nice guy." She explained. She just didn't do nice. "It was date four, so he asked if I wanted to go to dinner with his mom and his sister. Like, happy family shit. It was just weird. I told him it wasn't working for me."

Shaun shook his head at her, but he kissed her instead. He squirmed away from her as she tickled him, and he laughed.
"I love you." he whispered.

Cloud raised an eyebrow. It seemed like there was something wrong with every guy she dated. He wondered if this was a sign he should make a move on her. He had been thinking about it for the past few months, but he wasn't sure if what they had would work in a relationship.
"I mean...you do happy family shit here all the time." he whispered.

Rosetta laughed, following him as he tried to get away. She ended up taking them both off the couch, tumbling lightly to the floor.
"Oh my god, I'm sorry!" She laughed. "You know what we should do? Other than get off the floor, I mean. We should get a dog. You, me, Blip, and a dog. It'd be like the full family experience."

Aeris blushed, just lightly, but it was there.
"Well, this is different." She told Cloud. It was different because it was him. Because she loved Cloud, and his daughter, and no one else was ever going to measure up to him. "I don't feel like dealing with someone else's family shit." She tried to explain, refilling her glass.

Shaun raised an eyebrow at her and then he laughed.
"A dog too?" he chuckled. "You're really living the American dream right now. Should I build a picket fence too?"

Cloud looked at her then, and he bit his lower lip.
"How about..." he started, shifting in his seat. "You go on a date with me then."

Rosetta smirked, nodding.
"Damn right you should, the dog's going to need to be off leash sometime." She told him, then she laughed. "I'm not an American Dream girl, but it looks really good on us. Besides the terrorism and the killing, I mean, but those are little details."

Aeris choked on her drink, clearing her throat before looking at him carefully. Was he serious? Or did he just want to see if she liked him? Cloud didn't date. It took almost a year for him to even let her sleep over. But it had been years, and he was the perfect family man now.
"Okay. But you're going to be held to even higher standards." She told him.

Shaun shook his head at her and he moved to stand, helping her up.
"You're out of your goddamn mind." he laughed pulling her closer.

Cloud chuckled and he nodded.
"Of course." he said with a smile. He took another sip, and he side eyed her for a moment as he smirked. "I'm sure I already got those boys beat in another department anyway."

"I'm not out of my mind, I'm pregnant with our miracle child!" She laughed, kissing him before she moved to head into the kitchen. She was going to have to make him a grocery list of things she'd need. "Actually you forgot one thing on the American Dream list!" She called to him, setting out the hamburger she was going to grill for dinner that night. "You'd have to marry me for the full effect."

Aeris rolled her eyes, but she was already getting a nice buzz going, and so she smiled.
"I'm not sure I have your other women beat. I've been out of practice for years. And the last guy I slept with was like, ancient."