CharismaticCrowe59s

Soon Tasha and the baby were all buckled into the SUV, ready to get to the farm. She was a bit shaken up, but as they gotten further away from the hospital, she had calmed a bit. There had been a bit of trouble with a photographer outside the hospital, but Russ had dealt with it in his usual fashion. She grinned as she thought about the expression on the man's face when Russ had nearly knocked him down while attempting to pass him. He had looked as though he had just swallowed a rather large insect, gaping and aghast at being shoved aside. It was quite funny, but Tasha was sure it would end up in the tabloid rags somewhere. She sighed, understanding that the adjective "surly" would again be attached to her devoted husband. Turning her attention back to him, she sought to distract herself from the anger that always followed when she thought of how the press labeled Russ.

Russ hadnt said anything else about what he had planned, just kept this slight grin on his face. Tasha would glance up at him once in a while on the drive home and he would give her a lop-sided smile that said, "Wait, you'll see"

She was sitting in the back beside the baby, watching as he slept soundly. His chubby little face twitched occasionally, as though he were having some strange dream. As always, it made her wonder what exactly it was that babies saw when they dreamed. The expressions chased across his face, each one replacing the previous. He would squirm, his tiny hand clinching and unclinching with his arms waving about wildly every once in a while. So caught up was she in her reverie that she barely noticed when they pulled into the dirt driveway of the farm. Glancing up, she again saw that grin on Russ's face and noticed a rather large pair of blue ribbons adorning the gateway. A couple of the farmhands were opening the gate, ushering them back into the grounds.

She noticed that there was a large number of people milling about the house, with the smoke of a grill rising from behind the it. The next sight that struck her was her parents, standing beside his mum and dad; grinning and waving, they welcomed her and their new grandson back to the farm. She knew her parents precarious situation with their own farm, being heavily endebted for various small disasters that had happened in the last few years. Her gaze cut from her parents to Russ, sharply.

"How in the world were you able to get them out here?? I thought I remembered you saying something about it after Alexander was born, but I didnt know whether it was real or my own imagination playing tricks on me!" She exclaimed.

He rubbed his hand against the side of his face, toying with the feathery hair ornamenting it. She caught a mysterious flash in his eyes, quietly guarded as he grinned at her. "Ah, well...they just wanted to be here when their daughter and grandson came home, you know? Not very often you get to do that when you daughter lives all the way across the world, but they really wanted to be here. I know it was important to you. It was to me as well, you know, so I did what I could to get them here, that's all." With his shoulders shrugging slightly, his smile increased until it covered his face - his eyes crinkling up around the edges in the tiny lines that added so much character to his face.

Tasha stared at him in wonder, realizing immediately that he had paid to get them out here. Before she could speak, the SUV rolled to a stop in front of the house and Russell popped out to open the door for her. She busied herself with unbuckling the baby and lifting him from his carrier, all the while near tears from the absolute astonishment coursing through her. When he opened the door, he caught sight of the tears standing in her eyes. Leaning in, he kissed her passionately on the mouth, to a chorus of hoots and jocular shouts from the males in his family. She smiled up at him, the baby still sleeping in her arms. Touching his face, she brushed the stray waves away from his foreheard.

"Have I ever told you that I completely adore you, husband?" She smiled slightly, still running his fingers down his cheek, brushing up against the soft fur covering it. He giggled, scrunching his face up and drawing his voice into a long Texas drawl.

"Thank you very much, wife. I happen to be just a little fond of you as well! Now, may I escort my wife out of this vehicle so that she can greet her parents, who traveled all the way from Indiana to see her and the new young un?" Holding his face close to hers, he kissed her again, his mouth lingering on hers, before stepping back. She smiled, extricating herself from the SUV - his sturdy arm guiding her.

Her parents approached, laughing and embracing her. At first sight of their grandson, Tasha noticed the tears appear in their own eyes. Her father beamed proudly, proclaiming that the baby had Tasha's nose, but all the rest of him was Russell. Her mother clutched her arm, smiling a tender and loving smile at her.

Russell's parents stood a short distance away, overjoyed that Russ was able to be part of the cause to such a joyous moment. Too often they had watched as their son was harried and vilified, to their own dismay. It was nice to watch a scene of absolute domestic bliss. Of course, there had been that scene when Tasha and Russell had attempted to leave the hospital and Russell had gotten into a slight scuffle with one of the photographers clogging the exits. From what they had been able to distinguish of their son's angry growls over the phone, the man had jumped right in their pathway - snapping his camera in bright flashes that had upset Tasha. Russell had evidently asked the man, calmly, to move. When the man had persisted, Russell had turned the wheelchair in a different direction, moved forward and shouldered the man aside. While Tasha had been strapping the baby into his car seat, Russell had phoned in to the farm to voice his disgust to his parents. They were certain that they would be hearing this in the papers, but they were relieved to be able to put that all aside; for a moment, they were able to revel in a scene of happy reunion.

Russell stood beside Tasha, quietly accepting numerous claps on the back from his father-in-law and all-enveloping hugs from his mother-in-law. It was obvious he liked them, laughing with them as they all leaned over his son. Soon, though, Tasha began to weary. They could all detect it in her face and they all broke things up to let Russ guide Tasha toward the door, again with his strong arm practically holding her up.

Terry held the door open as Russell conducted Tasha to the large couch in the living room. Settling her into it, he sat beside her - careful not to jar her significantly. The rest of the family filed into the room, sitting in various spots with much talking and laughing. Her parents sat close to her, gazing from her to Russell to Alexander with a great deal of love. Noting the longing in their eyes, Tasha deposited Alexander in Russell's arms, asking him to carry the baby to her parents so they could hold him. His eyes expressed concern at her obvious tiredness. He leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead before standing. Putting the baby gently into her mother's arms, he returned to the couch. Tasha leaned against him, pleased when his arms wound around her. She sighed, enjoying the fresh scent of his soap and the feeling of his anchoring embrace.