The Breeders

P3 VIII

"I think I should try and walk around for a bit," Venus told Peter.  

"Are you sure?" Peter asked setting his mostly finished plate down.

She nods and slowly rises, still sore from childbirth, "The Medics in the Cube would have been pushing me to move by now.  I'm sure there is a good reason why they were making."

"Do you want me to go with you?  I can carry the twins for you."

She looked down at her two sleeping babies wrapped in blankets.

"Is it warm outside?" She asked, "They don't have any clothes on under the blankets and I don't want them getting cold."

"Oh, damn.  I completely forgot in all the excitement. I have stuff for the babies, but I was wanting to wait until they were born to surprise you.  Do you think you can make the walk to my tent?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think so," she told him.  She was determined to bounce back quickly.  She wouldn't be able to make the trip with Peter and the others but she didn't want to be far behind them.  Having Peter around gave her a sense of security and the hope of freedom was too sweet not prolong the taste.

Peter knelt down to tenderly picked Dex up off his mother's cot.

"I'll take him if you want to carry Pepa for me," she told him.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "Because, I can carry both."

"I'll be fine, he isn't heavy...yet, but with the way he eats I don't think that'll last long."

Venus didn't realize how much babies ate, or how often.  She never realized she wouldn't be able to rest as she did in the Cube.  Once the birth was over she would have been placed in a recovery room allowed to sleep several hours with a medic monitoring her vitals of and on for a few hours.

With the twins, she was only able to get a couple of hours of sleep the night before.  Between an irrational fear that they would both stop breathing and the two of them screaming she would barely drift off before being jarred awake again.  She loved the twins and was happy to have them, but she wasn't sure why anyone would purposely choose to have children.  And it completely blew her mind why someone, like Peter's parents, would choose to buy another child especially if they knew what it was like to have a screaming baby already.  

"Hey, beautiful," Peter whispered as he picked up little Pepa.  The tiny girl squirmed around a little and stretched out a tiny fist into the air before she settled into his arms.

"Oh look at that!" He gasped and Venus peered into his arms to see that Pepa's eyes cracked open for the first time.  To Venus's delight, Pepa's sparkling ocean blue eyes looked around as she took in her surroundings.

Venus breathed a sigh of relief to know that Pepa hadn't inherited her much desired violet eyes.

"There blue," she smiled.

Peter looked up at Venus, "Is this the first time you've seen them two?"

Venus nodded, "Neither of them have opened their eyes yet until now.  I'm hoping they'll both have blue eyes like their dad."

"Why?" Peter asked.

"Let's just say it's what's made me so popular in the Cube," she told him.

"Oh," He responded with wide eyes, "I can see why you aren't fond of your eyes then, even though they are gorgeous."

"I definitely don't feel like they are.  They are my curse and will always remind me that I was literally made to look like this."

"Mars was made to look like what he looks like, and so was I.  Someone sat at a computer, picked out genetic features for me, and told the computer to mix up a Peter stew."

"And?" She asked not sure exactly what his point was.

"And, even though someone designed you, and you weren't made randomly,  doesn't make you any less human...or beautiful."

"You can't say stuff like that to me anymore, Peter."

He scowled, "What stuff."

"Nice stuff!  You're leaving me so you can't keep calling me beautiful and anything else like that.  It's not fair."

A pang of guilt struck him and he quickly looked away from her.  He knew she wouldn't be happy about him leaving without, but he knew it was right for the camp.  And in the end, what was right for her, Mars, and their children.  She just needed time to see it for herself.

"I'm not leaving you forever," he told her.  He knew it was probably a lie.  Most likely by the time she made it to New Anada, she and Mars, would finally be together and she wouldn't want him around anymore.

"Then why are you acting like I'm never going to see you again?  When you came to say goodbye it felt like you were saying goodbye forever.   You said you were making the choice of who I'm going to be with for me."

"V," he began to say, but she quickly cut him off.

"Mars has decided to be with Bridget, you're deciding to leave me behind  and I haven't seen Cas since I went into labor.   Everyone is abandoning me.  I'm alone,  Peter, alone, exhausted, and terrified.  When I need my friends the most I can't seem to find them."

Peter didn't know what to say.  He hated the fact that he had to leave, but he knew it was what was best for the camp.  He had pushed off his responsibilities for her to many times, and it was time for him to take care of the others.

Venus sighed in response to his silence,  "We're not your responsiblity,  and I realize that, it just...I'm going to miss you."

Peter leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, "I'll miss you to, and I promise, I will always be with you as long as you need me."

"Who says I don't need you right now?" She asked.

"It might not seem like it, but you are strong enough to not need anyone,  and I know Mars will take care of you three.  If I didn't think so the entire Providence Union army wouldn't be able to pull me away from you."

A/N:
I will do my best to update within a week, but my book club is hosting an awards and I am judging a few categories(plus organising the award.)   It's got me hopping. 
I definitely won't be able to update before Valentine's Day so happy lovers day to you all. ❤

Lot of Love,
Reading_Mermaid08