December 8, 2000
Dedicated to: Red Dawn
December 220 AC
"Is everything ready?" Trowa asked, walking into the large Winner Residence kitchen where a large table was set up with various baking ingredients. He reached in and snatched some chocolate chips from a bowl, yanking his hand back before the wooden spoon could whack it.
"Ack! Out of there, you!" Mariemeia scolded. "You're as bad as the kids!"
The man grinned unforgivably at her, brushing his bangs out of the way as he tossed back some chocolate chips. The 32-year old woman went to smack him with the wooden spoon again but the forty-year old stepped out of reach.
"Why don't you go call the kids so we can get started, huh?" Marie said, tying her dark auburn hair back in a tight ponytail.
Trowa looked over his shoulder. "OKAY!!" he shouted.
It was a catalyst.
Almost immediately, it was like an earthquake, the entire house began to shake as tiny and not-so-tiny feet pounded down stairs and through hallways before exploding into the kitchen that suddenly seemed too small with thirteen people in it. A chorus of "SUGOI!" and "EXCELLENT!" and "WHAHOO!" and "IT'S ABOUT TIME" echoing through the walls.
"Yo, Aunt Marie! What's shaking?" a sixteen year old with spiky, dark--GREEN BANGS?
"Does your mother know you're hair's that color, Adrian?" Marie asked bemusedly.
"Yep." He dished out a spoonful of peanut butter and began sucking on it, grinning.
"Don't worry," Kat said, smiling, giggling, her two-year old sister Nicolette in her arms. "Dad's already replaced the two doors and took Mom shopping." She bopped her brother on the head when he tried to shove the peanut butter in Nicole's face.
"Hey, Dad? Can I color my hair red like, Adrian's?" Tristan asked, grinning up at his father--who was only a few inches tall then the sixteen-year old.
"Yeah! I wanna color mine blue!" Triton grinned, snatching up some raisins from another bowl.
"Stop eating those!" Marie cried, brandishing her spoon.
"You can ask your father about it," Trowa smiled, nodding, happily passing *that* question by.
"Okay! Where're the cookies! Show me the cookies!" Duo chimed, throwing the doors open, Trinity, Mara Jade, and Dylan at his heels, giggling.
Mariemeia and Trowa stared. The 'children' giggled.
"What?" Duo exclaimed, turning around in a circle, grinning. "Don't you like it?"
"See!" Tristan and Triton both chorused. "Uncle Duo! Will you asked Dad if we can color our hair too?" both boys begged.
Duo beamed at the boys, flipping his tri-colored braid--red, green, and gold--over one shoulder. "Sure!" He looked to Trowa, but the man shook his head bemusedly.
"Uh-uh, not me... all body piercings, tattoos, hair colors and anything else that deals with bodily changes are under Quatre's jurisdiction," Trowa said, holding his hands up.
"Quatre?" Duo waved his hand. "No problem!" He winked at the twins and they hissed with delight.
"Boys," Trinity said, rolling her eyes and flipping her long silver-painted braids over her shoulders as Mara Jade giggled.
"Whadaya think?" Mara Jade asked, shaking loose her long green-painted hair from its ponytail.
"I think your fathers are going to kill someone," Marie replied smirked towards Duo.
"Nah! Dad helped up do it!" Dylan piped up, running a hand through his own red-painted bangs.
"I bet," Trowa murmured.
"Mom! Can I dye my hair too?" Julian Mazzolla asked, jumping from one foot to another.
"No."
"Puh-lease???"
"No."
"But, Mo--"
"Do you want to explain to your grandmother why your hair is a color other than the one you were born with?" Marie raised one dark eyebrow, looking at her son.
The nine-year old visibly gulped. "Ne'ermind," he mumbled.
"Okay! Let's get these cookies a cooking, huh?" Duo chirped, clapping his hands happily.
"Yeah!!"
"Okay! Okay!" Marie called over the ruckus. "Kataryna, will you handled the chocolate chip cookies, hon?"
"On it!" the twenty-year old chimed.
"Duo, the sugar cookies are set up next to you--"
"Whahoo! Lookie lookie! Looks like I lucked out!"
"Tri, Tristan, you're on the oatmeal raisins--and leave some raisins for the cookies, huh?"
" Ninmu ryoukai," both boys chorused, snapping to attention before grinning and reaching for their ingredients.
"Can we make rumballs, Aunt Marie?" Trinity asked sweetly.
"And coconut drops!" Calista cooed, clapping her hands dramatically.
"Yes, yes. I've got the rumballs ready to go over here by me. Trowa, the coconut drops are by you. Adrian! If you eat all that peanut butter they'll be none left for the cookies!"
"I'sokay!" the boy returned through a mouthful of the sticky substance. "There's an extra jar in the pantry. I checked!"
Mayham ensued as the thirteen people ranging from forty--"Daddy! You're putting too much sugar in!" "Nonsense, Jade-baby. There's no such thing as too much sugar in sugar cookies!"--to two--"Taste! Taste!" "Nikki-sweets, you can't keep tasting the chocolate chips! There won't be any left for the cookies!" "Pwease, Kat? Pwetty Pwease?" "Oh, alright. Just one more taste, but that's it!" "Yeah!"--created chaos in the formally pristine Winner kitchen.
Later that night
"Trowa, love? Why again are our sons' heads red and blue?"
Trowa leaned over and drop-kissed his husband's nose. "Because you tried to outtalk Duo, dear."
"Oh." He continued to nibble on a cookie.
"Should I be surprised that our children now have rainbow colored hair?" Wufei leaned closer to Heero to whisper.
The Japanese man took one look at the braided man who had taught him to love as Duo came into the room bringing a large tray of freshly baked cookies with him. He looked back at Wufei, one brow raised.
Wufei sighed. "You're right. Of course not."
<<SLAM>>
Kataryna Peacecraft barely winced as she continued to feed her baby sister.
"What did you do now?" she asked when Adrian walked into the room.
The sixteen year old wore a mad-hatter's grin. "I only asked her if I could get a tattoo for Christmas," he replied, picking up a cookie from the platter.
Kataryna's head bowed to her chest and shook.
End of Part 3: Making Cookies
Footnotes and closing comments if any -->
Andrea Readwolf
Please send comments to: andrea_readwolf@hotmail.com