Arabella was in one of the spare room, white paint all over her jean shorts, legs and her hot pink shirt. Her hair was pulled up behind her in a messy bun and she was slowly painting around the border of the window. It was a sunny and warm day and Hunter was at work for the day. Arabella had gotten bored very soon, so she had driven down to the store, bought the paint and started painting one of the rooms that Hunter had cleared out for the babies. The day had gone by so fast and Arabella had been so busy that she lost track of time. When she heard the front door opening and Hunter walking in the house, Arabella jumped a little bit out of surprise.
Hunter walked in, feeling a little exhausted and set his bag down by the door. Slipping off his coat and hanging it on the wall, he glanced around, looking for his wife. Ajax trotted over to him and barked up at him. "Hey, bud." Hunter said, bending down and picking him up. "Oh, you're getting big, Aj." He said, patting his back. "Ellie?" He called through the house as he walked down the hall. He opened the door to the nursery and looked in. "Sweetheart, you shouldn't be doing this. Who knows what the fumes could do to the baby? And besides, you should be relaxing." He set Ajax down and then walked over to Arabella. "No matter how cute you look with paint on your nose." He said with a smile as he put a hand on her hip and wiped the drop of paint off her nose.
Arabella giggled and she scrunched up her nose when he wiped the paint off. "I got the non-toxic paint, so..that should be good. I'm not really worried about me but I don't want out little sweetpeas to be sleeping in a toxic room" She said and she put the paintbrush down then moved closer to Hunter, slipping her arms around his middle and looking up at him with happy eyes. "And I got bored just sitting on the couch and doing nothing. Once I get so big that I start to waddle, I'll relax. Promise" She said and she kissed him lightly. "How was your day?"
Hunter pressed his lips to her cheek. "You covered all the bases, didn't you?" He laughed a little bit and wrapped his arms around her. "I had a good day, but I'm really glad that I'm home. Oh, and how was your day?" He kissed her again and leaned in a little, gasping when he felt her baby bump push against him. He crouched down and lifted up her shirt enough to access her stomach. "Did the babies behave?" He asked with a small laugh, placing a kiss next to her belly button.
Arabella grinned and she looked down at Hunter. "They had a wonderful day" She said with a little nod and she pushed a loose piece of her hair behind her ear. Being just over 3 months pregnant was going well for Arabella. Slowly, as the months went by, she started to feel better about the whole thing. It was starting to feel really natural for her and she liked it. She was starting to believe that she really could be a good mother. "All three of us are really glad that you're home too, by the way" She told him with a small smile.
Hunter stood back up and kissed her on the lips, holding her and swaying gently back and forth. He finally pulled away and sighed happily. "Wow, you did a really good job." He said, finally noticing the room. She had a lot done. Just some detail work and a wall left. He licked his lips a moment then leaned in a little bit closer again. "I'm sorry that I'm gone all day." He said with a sigh as he took her arm and started toward the kitchen, closing the door behind them.
"No...don't be sorry. I'm glad that you have a job and you get to do something that you're really, really good at all day" Arabella said and she followed him down to the kitchen. She yawned a little and walked over to the sink so that she could wash the paint off of her hands. "I went and bought a few cupcakes for dessert today from my favorite bakery" She told him and she turned to look at him with a big grin, drying off her hands.
Hunter smiled back and looked around for a second, trying to find where she put the cupcakes. He couldn't find them, so he narrowed his eyes at her then sighed a little. "What do you want for dinner, so that we can get to dessert, so I can have a cupcake?" He asked with a smile as he slipped an arm around her waist, placing his hand on her stomach. "Maybe, you want to go out for dinner? You can put on some sexy dress and we'll go out and then we'll come home and have a cupcake and we'll make a night out of it." He said, kissing her on the cheek.
Arabella bit her lip and she leaned into him. She turned her head a little bit and she kissed him lightly. "Like a date night? I think that sounds pretty amazing" Arabella said softly and she brushed her lips along his jaw. She ran her hands down his chest and she looked up at him with an excited twinkle in her eye. "I just bought a new dress the other day, too" She said and she gave him a wink.
Hunter smiled and moved his hands to her butt. "Mmmm...I'll bet it looks really good on you. You could make a garbage bag look good though, sweetie." He said, wrapping her up in his arms. "So, where do you want to go? We can try and go back to that Butter place. That sounds good? Whatever my baby wants." He kissed her on the lips again. "And my children, too." He laughed and pressed a kiss on her nose.
"Butter?" Arabella said, her face lighting up at the sound of her favorite place. "Oh boy, I am spoiled" She breathed and she slipped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him and kissing him tightly. She smiled at him and kissed him once before pulling away and letting ehr hair fall down out of the bun. "I should go get ready, then" She told him with a little nod. "Maybe this time we won't run into a jerk" She giggled.
Hunter put an arm around her waist and kissed her one more time. "That's the plan. I think we'll have to go to Burger King instead of Wendy's if that happens." He said, finally letting her go. "Maybe the whole...pregnant thing will stop people from hitting on you." He said as he turned to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. "We'll leave in about an hour, okay?"
Arabella smiled at him and she nodded. "An hour sounds good" She said and she looked at him for a moment, amazed at how happy she was and how giddy he made her. Arabella took a deep breath then turned and walked up the stairs towards their bedroom. As she stepped into the closet, she ran her fingers through her hair but when she felt a spot that had a bit of paint in it, she wrinkled her nose. Quickly, she grabbed her outfit for the night, laid it out on the bed then walked into the bathroom to get a quick shower. Going out with Hunter was exciting for her and she couldn't wait to get all dressed up.
Hunter finished off his bottle of water then headed upstairs only to hear the shower on. He thought for a few seconds before grabbing a pair of boxers and heading into the bathroom. "I'm not going to get in. I'm just going to help wash your hair." He said as he took off his shirt and reached in to start getting her hair clean. He ran his fingers through it, getting the knots and the paint out. "The paint is supposed to go on the wall not on you, babe." He said, reaching in and giving her butt a pinch.
"No..that's too logical" Arabella said and she laughed a little bit when he pinched her butt. She closed her eyes and she leaned into his hand a little bit as he got the last of the paint out. "You spoil me so much, Hunter" Arabella sighed and she leaned out of the shower so that she could kiss him.
Hunter smiled and wiped his lips with his arm. "Only the best for you, wife." He said with a smile before walking back out and slipping out of his jeans. He set out his clothes and was about to put them on when he caught a whiff of his armpit. He sighed a little and then let out a little laugh as he pulled off his boxers and walked back into the bathroom, stepping into the shower with Arabella. "We're saving water now." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist, keeping his hands on her stomach and placing soft kisses on her cheek.
Arabella laughed and she slipped her arms around his neck, smiling. "I'm glad that we're saving water. That's always a good thing" She said in a light tone and she leaned into him a little bit more, kissing his lips lightly. Arabella pulled away just a little bit so that she could look up at him. With a happy little sigh, Arabella ran her fingers down his cheeks. "Our life is pretty great, huh?" She said softly.
Hunter laughed and bent down kissing her lightly on the lips. "You're pretty great. And pretty. And great." He ran his hands down her sides and leaned into her brushing his lips across hers. He pulled her closer and then pulled away quickly. "No. I'm here to shower. We're here to shower. Let's shower and then we'll go out to eat and then we'll come home and then we'll...finish the night." He said, taking a deep breath and running his hair under the water. He turned to look at her and sighed. "Why do you have to be so sexy all the time? Gosh."
Arabella smacked his chest, laughing a little bit. "You're one to talk, mister" She said and she leaned into him, kissing him tightly. Arabella ran her fingers down his chest, towards his stomach then pulled away. She stepped out of the shower, giggling and she wrapped a towel around herself. "I look forward to finishing the night" She teased and she reached in, smacking his butt then turning to walk out of the bathroom.
Hunter shook his head a little, taking a little breath. "That's assuming you get ready before the night is over." He said, quickly rubbing shampoo in and out of his hair. He rinsed off and stepped out, quickly drying off and slipping on his boxers. He stepped out and started to get dressed and in a few moments he was fully dressed and ready to go. "Alright. I'm ready and it has been 57 minutes. How's it coming?"
Arabella stepped out of the closet, her hair was mostly dry and pulled back in a braid and she was just fixing the straps on her new dress. She had bought the dress because when she tried it on, it made her look like she was pregnant. Most of her clothes just made it look like she had gained about 20 pounds but this dress actually made her look like she was pregnant and it was a beautiful dark blue with a silver ribbon around the bottom hem. "What do you think?" She asked, fiddling with the straps again.
Hunter smiled and walked over to her, placing a quick kiss on her forehead. "You look stunning." He said, turning her around and then fixing the straps. "Absolutely perfect." He whispered, placing a kiss against the back of her neck and wrapping his arms around her middle. "I like feeling our babies when I do that. It makes it feel like I'm hugging you and them." He said, rubbing her stomach gently. He placed his chin on her shoulder. "Our babies..." He breathed, closing his eyes a moment. With a content sigh, he pulled away and took her hand. "You ready?"
Arabella looked down at herself for a moment then back up at Hunter and she nodded "Ready" She smiled and she gave his hand a squeeze. He led her out of the bedroom and down the stairs where Arabella slid into a pair of flat shoes. She missed her high heels like crazy but they hurt her feet so much ever since she had gotten pregnant. It was like her body was rejecting anything that wasn't a pair of sweatpants and slippers. She grabbed her purse and slid it onto her shoulder then followed Hunter out of the house, locking the door behind her. "Oh...I am so excited for supper tonight" She sighed happily and walked with Hunter towards the car.
Hunter laughed and opened her door, kissing her hand as he helped her in. "It feels like a long time since we went out together." He said before closing the door. "When was the last time? It must have been the honeymoon, I'll bet." He said, looking over and putting his arm around her. He kissed her temple as he backed out and turned toward the city. "We can't have that can we?"
Arabella looked up at him and she smiled. "No, we can't. Which means that we are going to have to find a really good babysitter for the kids because I will not lose my date nights with you" She said and she brushed her fingers along his jaw. Arabella smiled at him for a moment before turning a little bit and looking out of the window, happy that she was next to her husband and she had a hand on her little baby bump.
Hunter grinned and placed his head on hers. "Well, maybe our kids will just be self-sufficient. They'll learn to survive in their environment, just like their dad." He laughed a little and turned left onto the highway. "And then we'll just leave and do whatever and they'll be fine to just hang out. I'll teach them how to chop vegetables, use the oven and the stove. Fight a hellhound. Make their beds. Do the dishes. Boil water. Use measurements. They'll be like parenting-free kids."
"Oh gods...my children better not see a hellhound and if they do, I hope they take after you" Arabella said with a huff then she turned to look at Hunter. "When I first saw a hellhound, I thought it look cute and lonely and I wanted to hug it and it was NOT Mrs. O'Leary.." She said and she let out a little yawn, looking out of the window. After a few seconds, Arabella turned her head quickly to look at Hunter. "We should go back to camp for a little bit. Before the babies come" She bit her lip, wondering if he would go for that. Arabella knew how important that place was to him and it meant a lot to her too.
Hunter ran his fingers up and down her arm a second. "I'd like that. I wonder what people will think. A daughter fo Aphrodite and the only male Hunter of Artemis. We'll be the talk of the town." He said with a laugh. "I guess we did get married there. It won't be a huge surprise."
"And I'm sure that Chiron would want to see you" Arabella said softly and she danced her fingers along his leg gingerly. "I mean...he was like a father to you and now you're going to be a father...." Her voice trailed off and she took a small breath "I don't know. It's up to you" She added then looked up at him with big eyes.
Hunter took a small breath. "I know. I know." He said quietly. "I don't know. I honestly am not sure what he'd think of me and think of this life I'm living now. It's not like I'm at camp anymore. I'm not there fighting monsters anymore. I just think that he would see it as me giving up or something." Hunter shook his head a little as he found a parking spot next to the restaurant. "I don't know. I don't want to talk about this."
Arabella looked over at him and she bit her lip. "He would be really proud of you, Hunter" She said softly then shook her head. "Sorry...I needed to have the last word" Arabella bit her lip and she looked out of the windows at the restaurant then looked back at Hunter. "If you want to talk about it...I'm here. It's what I'm here for" She said with a nod
Hunter got out and opened her door, offering her his arm. She got out and took it, giving him a small smile as they walked toward the restaurant. "You don't always have to have the last word, you know." He said with a nod as they walked inside. He asked for a table and looked around the restaurant. It looked like a slow night, fortunately. They were led to a booth and Hunter sat down across from Arabella and immediately took a sip of water.
"Yes I do" Arabella said and she fiddled with her napkin. Hunter gave her an odd look and she smiled over at him. "Have the last word. I have to have the last word" She told him and she drank a little bit from her water, looking around at the beautiful restaurant. It was beautiful and fancy and Arabella loved it. She remembered the last time that they were there and she laughed a little bit. "I still can't believe that of all the people we would run into in the place, we run into Ian"
Hunter rolled his eyes. "That guy was a douchebag." He said, picking up his menu and glancing through it. He wanted to have a nice night, but something seemed a little off. He wasn't sure what it was. Something just felt off. He wasn't going to let Arabella know that though. "Alright. I don't know what I want." He said, closing his menu. "Pick us a full meal and I'll pick dessert. Especially since, you're the one who needs to watch what they eat." He said, reaching over and poking her belly.
Arabella laughed and she rubbed her stomach lightly where Hunter poked her and she looked down at the menu. She let out a little huff and she looked down at the menu. "Well, if you don't like the food that I pick for you, don't hate me" She said and she ran her finger down the menu. Finally, the waiter came over and Arabella ordered a steak dinner for Hunter that she thought looked good and a grilled chicken dinner for herself then asked for chocolate milk. The waiter gave her a slightly odd look, like he wasn't used to people asking for chocolate milk. But he nodded and walked away. "You doing okay, Hunter?" She asked him, looking over at him with a small, concerned smile. It seemed like he was a little bothered by something.
Hunter looked up and shook his head. "Yes. Of course. Why do you ask?" He said, taking another sip of water. "I am perfect. I don't know how I couldn't be." He said with a small yawn, slyly shuffling his foot over and tapping her foot with his. He was a little worried that he might be overdefending himself, but he really didn't know what to say. "You okay? Can I get you something?"
"I'm fine" Arabella said softly and she looked down at the table for a moment. The waiter came back with two glasses of chocolate milk and placed it down on the table in front of them. Arabella smiled at him and thanked him. As he walked away, Arabella looked back at Hunter. She moved her foot so that it was ontop of his and she tapped his foot lightly. "You know...I'm going to convince you to talk about this when we get home"
Hunter examined his glass of milk a little oddly. He'd never had chocolate milk before, so this would be new for him. "I didn't anticipate doing much talking when we got home." He said, sliding his glass of chocolate milk closer towards him then looked up and giving her a wink. "Besides, there isn't anything to talk about. I'm fine. Really." He nudged her foot then took a sip of chocolate milk. He was surprised at first, but quickly he really liked it. "This stuff is delicious." He said, taking a big gulp.
Arabella smiled when he drank the chocolate milk and she placed her straw in it, stiring it around a little. She leaned over slightly and took a sip of her milk. In all honesty, she was worried about Hunter and there was no way that she was going to let him get away without talking about it. Something was wrong and she was going to get to the bottom of it. "Thanks for bringing me here tonight, Hunter"
Hunter smiled over at her. "Well, any excuse to see you look even more beautiful than you do at home is well worth it." He said, taking another sip of chocolate milk. "Good grief, why didn't you tell me about chocolate milk before?" He said, finishing off the glass. "How-oh. Food's here." He said, looking up at the waitress who set a very delicious looking steak in front of him.
Arabella thanked the waiter and she looked down at her chicken, pushing the veggies around on her plate with her fork. She let out a little sigh then took a bite of carrot. Something was bothering Hunter but Arabella didn't want to think about it, not right then. She wanted to have a good night with Hunter. "How's your supper?" She asked, nodding towards his plate.
Hunter took a bite of steak and chewed hungrily. "Wonderful. You made a great choice." He took a bite of the mashed potatoes next to it and soaked up some of the juice from the steak and crammed it into his mouth, washing it down with another sip of water. He looked down at Arabella's plate. "Ellie, Look at me. If something were really really bothering me, 1) I would tell you, and 2) I probably wouldn't be eating." He said, reaching across the table and taking her hand. "And if you suddenly don't want that, then I can make you something at home, if you'd like."
Arabella looked over at him and she smiled softly. "I just...worry" She said with a little shrug then took a bite of her chicken. Arabella leaned across the table and she kissed him lightly. She smiled then sat back in her seat, smoothing out her dress and running her fingers over her stomach. Maybe a change of subject would be good. Something happy. "I hope that I don't get too big too fast. I don't really want to spend 4 months on bedrest"
"I'll start lifting weights, so I can carry you." He said with a wink. She reached across the table and slugged him lovingly in the shoulder. He caught her hand and gave it a quick kiss before waving to a waitress that he wants two more glasses of chocolate milk. With that, he went back to his steak and took a big bite. "I really like this. This was a good choice. You made a good choice."
"I know. I'm pretty amazing" Arabella giggled and she took a big bite of her rice. She picked up the chocolate milk, drinking a bit from it. "I'm glad that you like the chocolate milk so much" Arabella giggled. Seeing him react the way he did when he first drank it was amazing and really hard not to laugh at.
Hunter took a big gulp of chocolate milk. "You know," he said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "I don't think chocolate milk is the right culinary choice with a steak. Don't people usually have wine with a steak? I'm not sure chocolate milk really complements the flavors of the filet." He said with a smile as he finished off his steak with a smile. He took a deep breath and waved to their waitress, asking for the check.
"Well....chocolate milk is a lot more fun" Arabella said and she placed her fork and knife down neatly on her empty plate. They were going to go home nad have a cupcake and Arabella was nearly bouncing out of her chair for some of that cupcake. As Hunter paid for the bill, Arabella tried really hard to look anywhere else. She didn't like that the food was so expensive and she was very happy that they got to go there, but she didn't really want Hunter to have to pay that much.
Hunter signed the receipt and slipped his card back in his wallet. He stood up and helped Arabella up, offering her his arm. She took it and they headed out the door, back to their car. "Alright. Shall we get back home for dessert or did you want to stop for ice cream or something?" He asked, opening her door and letting her in.
"Oh...well...ice cream does sound really good" Arabella said with a nod. "Maybe we could go through a drive-thru at Dairy Queen, something really fast. I've been thinking about my cupcake all day" She giggled and grinned over at Hunter as he slid into his seat and started the car. He smiled and nodded, driving down the street. Arabella reached over and she brushed her fingers along his jaw. "Thanks for everything tonight, stud" She said softly.
Hunter stopped at a red light and looked over at her, pressing his lips to hers. "Well, the night's not over yet, beautiful." He said, kissing her again and pulling her toward him, putting his arm around her. He got into the line at the Dairy Queen. "What would you like?" He asked, kissing her again. "And what would I like?" He asked with a smile.
"I'm just going to get a regular dipped cone'' Arabella said with a little nod. She yawned and rested her head on Hunter's shoulder. As he ordered two dipped cones for themselves, Arabella looked down at her stomach, tracing a heart over and over again with her finger. She was looking forward to being able to feel the babies kicking and moving around. It still blew her mind that they were having twins and she had no idea what to expect from that.
Hunter handed the woman in the window the money and then waited for his ice cream. He sighed happily and looked over at her, smiling as she absently traced a heart over her stomach. He quickly leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I bet they can feel that. And I bet they're drawing one back." He kissed her on the jaw and then moved back to his seat just as their ice cream came. He handed one cone to Arabella and then bit into his own. "Mm...You're on a roll tonight, sweetheart."
Arabella grinned over at him, eating a bit of her ice cream. "I'm glad that you like this, too" She giggled and she placed a messy kiss on his cheek. She laughed a little and leaned back, taking another bite of her ice cream. Sitting with Hunter in the car like that, it was easy to forget that they were adults and married and had kids on the way. She felt like she was younger and had less to worry about, laughing at the ice cream and chocolate that was smeared on Hunter's cheek.
Hunter wiped his cheek on his shoulder and carefully drove, taking another bite out of the ice cream. He drove in comfortable silence and in a few moment he was done with his ice cream, wiping his fingers on his pant leg. He reached over and put his arm around her just as he pulled into their driveway. "Well, I had a wonderful night." he said, placing a kiss on her lips. "We should do this again sometime."
Arabella smiled softly against his lips and she nodded. She leaned into him a little bit more, kissing him. Being with Hunter was easy and she never wanted to give it up. She could never be without it. Arabella slipped her arms around his neck and she looked up at him with content eyes. "It was an awesome night. Thanks" She said softly and she kissed him again.
Hunter smiled and reached for the door handle, giving it a pull and opening the door. He slid out and pulled Arabella with him, lifting her up out of the car. He slammed the car closed with his foot then walked toward the front door, putting his key in the lock and swinging it open. "Why do I feel like it has been a long time since we've done this?" He said, heading up the stairs. He walked into the bedroom and carefully set her on the bed. He was about to climb on top of her when he realized it might not be good with the pregnant belly. "Uhh...Now I realize why it has been a long time."
Arabella giggled a little bit and she slid her arms around his neck, pulling herself a bit closer to him. "It's been too long" She huffed and she placed a gentle kiss against his chin. Arabella pulled away a little bit so that she could look at him and she slid her hands away from his neck, dancing her fingers down his arms. "Is everything okay?" Arabella asked, thinking about earlier in the evening and wondering if there was anything bothering Hunter.
Hunter slid next to her and pressed his lips on hers, pulling her close. He placed a hand on her hip and pulled away a little. "Everything is fine, okay? I promise." He said, kissing along her jaw and to her neck. Hunter tangled his legs with hers and brushed some hair out of her face. "You okay? Anything feel weird?" He asked, pressing a hand on her stomach.
Arabella shook her head and she placed her hand ontop of his. "I'm good. Nothing feels weird" She said and she looked down at her stomach before looking over at Hunter. She laughed a little bit and she shrugged. "I don't know. Everything feels a little weird now, but...it's not bad" Arabella sighed and she brushed her fingers over his knuckles.
Hunter smiled and pressed his lips to hers. "I don't want anything bad to happen to the baby or you." He said, wrapping his arms around her. "If anything hurts or feels weird or...aches or...moves or pinches or-" He was interrupted by Arabella pulling his face to hers, kissing him on the lips tightly. Hunter leaned into her a moment before pulling away slightly. "Tell me, okay?" He said, kissing her neck and sliding his hands down to the hem of her dress. "I love you."