Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2017 20:57:51 -0700 From: Emri S. Subject: Emerson and the Lion Ch. 12 Please remember to donate to nifty to keep the site free and open. Author's Note: People asked for an Emi and Ali update so here it is. If you've followed the new series, Kasper's Den (with Ali and Amir all grown up), this is the story of how Ali and Amir came to be. For more information, check out the website that details all of my series with links to the nifty chapters: https://sites.google.com/view/emri +-{Emerson & the Lion}-+ +-{Chapter 12}-+ "Emi, do you want a going away party for your last day of work? I can get a cake," Ali signed to me in swift, fluid motions with an excited smile. We were in his office where he had set up a small desk area for me to work. This would be my last day before we left to get ready for the boys to be born. I couldn't believe how quickly everything had worked out. It had been a crazy nine months since our wedding in New York. I had finally finished my degree and was rewarded with a long vacation in Europe before the next phase of our lives together would begin. I would work with him at his company, but first we would start a family. We both wanted it. He was at the age where he needed to carry on his family name and legacy, but more importantly he wanted little versions of us to grow our family. We had flown to Rome where Ali rented a very impractical white Ferrari. We were spending two weeks driving around the coast of the Mediterranean from Rome to Barcelona. I'd suggested we get something bigger and more comfortable, but he loved his race cars, his mind was set. We stopped in resorts and beautiful hotels in Monte Carlo, Cannes, Marseilles, and smaller towns along the way. We hiked a small mountain, went scuba diving, took a sailboat out, and every other activity we could find. The best stop though was at a clinic in Genoa, on a steep Italian hillside overlooking the glass-blue sea. The doctor and a sign language interpreter sat across the large oak table from us in front of a huge window that afforded the most beautiful view of the crashing waves. "You see, this candidate has virtually the same ethnic DNA as you! We traced your DNA back to a relatively small area along the coast of Finland! You may choose from these two prospects that will have the healthiest eggs. Which one would you like to see in your children?" The doctor pointed between two folders. I had no idea my family DNA was traceable to Finland. I knew very little about the family that rejected me when my parents were gone. Each folder held pictures and essays from the women. They had written specifically to us because they knew Ali would pay any exorbitant price they wanted for their eggs. They both had compelling stories of excelling in academics, athletics, community service. One wanted to go to medical school and the other had a dream of buying a home in the mountains with her new husband who was a struggling artist. Ali had meticulously researched their medical history back five generations to ensure there would be minimal risk. He wanted the best. Ali was giving them both money. We had read through their letters the night before and he knew I couldn't make that kind of connection with someone and not give them help. But the one who would be the real egg donor would get the largest sum and Ali had set up an additional trust to give her something extra every year. Our children would know that wherever their biological mother was, she was taken care of and would never want for anything. We decided on the woman whose donation we would use. Ali picked her because her father and brothers were all tall and strong, and had my nose and eyes. He said they were too cute to pass up. Most of her family members had been in their country's armed forces so there was a lineage of physical and mental strength used in service to their people. I'm not sure if that's something one inherits in the genes, but he wanted to cover all his bases. He also said her writing reminded him of the gentle optimism he saw in me. She was the one I liked as well, I was glad we agreed on such a big decision. He had come a long way from when we were newly together and he rarely thought to consult me on even the simplest decisions. Now he listened, asked my opinion, shared his calendar and plans with me. Ali had run it like his business. He set up meetings with me when he got updates or new information. We'd go over it together and decide what to do. He told me I was good with details and found things he missed. I doubted that was true, but I was happy to have a voice. The doctor had already met with us in Satra several times to collect our DNA samples and take copious amounts of sperm from Ali. I had helped in the collection. They had taken samples from me as well. They assured us that they could combine it so that our children would be genetically linked to both of us. Science is amazing when you have enough money. Dr. Hamad, Ali's father, was also involved. He was interested in the research on the procedures they would use, but also overjoyed to welcome new grandchildren. He was already in love with them long before they were born. I knew they would be the most spoiled children to ever enter the compound. Dr. Hamad, more than anyone, put me at ease when he said this could be done safely. I was mostly worried about something going wrong with science and the children having to live a life of struggle because we played around with their DNA too much. But Dr. Hamad sat with me and showed me the computerized models of how it worked. He promised he would be involved throughout the process. It was in the Aquarium in Barcelona where Ali got the phone call. We were in a glass tunnel under the giant tank when Ali put his hand to my chest to stop me. He held up his phone and I watched an excited smile spread across his lips as he spoke. He nodded and paced a few steps in each direction, making a little bounce when his smile widened. He finished up and then signed for me that everything had gone perfectly and two of the embryos were growing inside a surrogate who would spend the next nine months living it up at a health spa in Switzerland. It was really going to happen. We were going to raise babies together; babies who held a piece of each of our DNA's and all of our love. "I'm going to be a father! Father! We are going to be fathers!" He signed and shouted in the small, enclosed tunnel. It must have been loud because I saw people jump and look startled. Everyone turned to look at us with joy though. I saw their hands clap and Ali hugged me into his side tightly. "You will be the best father they could ever ask for!" I signed back. "We have much to do to prepare! We have so much to buy, to build, to childproof!" Ali began to sign frantically as he paced in front of me. His body was working through the anxiety of the quick revelation. It was real, it was coming. "We will. We have time... lots of time," I signed back and laughed. He pulled me in and kissed me for the longest time as a school of colorful fish swam overhead. They seemed to pause and look down at us. I wondered what they thought about two men kissing. Are fish open minded? "This is one of the things I love most about you, Emi. You are so caring and even-tempered; centered and peaceful. I know you will be the best care-taker our boys could ever ask for," Ali praised. He lifted me up and spun around in a circle with excitement. "I'm glad we got the news somewhere memorable. This place is magic now... You know this means we will have to come back here for the boys' birthday someday. I hope they like aquariums," I joked. We were always sentimental about the places where big events happened. Barcelona would now hold significance as the place we found out our boys first had life. "I will build them one! It will be built for them, but open to the people of the Kingdom! It will have their name on it and we'll only have fish that they like," Ali laughed. "We could give them fish names!" I joked. "I will veto this! But we do need to choose names at some point," Ali laughed. Ali led me out of the aquarium. We stopped by the gift shop so he could spend a small fortune. He chose stuffed animals, whales and dolphins. I picked out little shirts for them with the logo of L'Aquarium de Barcelona. Ali was grabbing things he thought they would like along with a souvenir picture of us in front of a giant whale backdrop. We filled two large boxes and Ali paid for shipping so everything would be sent back to Satra for us. After that news we canceled the rest of our plans and headed home to Satra. Ali was on a new mission. He met with the architect that had designed most of the compound and they looked over plans he had drawn up to build a bigger space. Our small loft house in the corner of the Hamad compound would be too small for a family of four. Our "little love-nest," as Ali called it, would be passed on to Zaid or Samir. Ali selected a site on the opposite side of the expansive pool area. The designs called for attaching it to the main house through a small, walled-off courtyard that could serve as a safe play area for the boys and keep them away from the pool. The design had three bedrooms clustered together. One would be ours, the other a nursery and the third would house someone to help us take care of the kids until they were old enough and we were more sure of our abilities. Ali had launched an exhaustive, worldwide search for the perfect caretaker. There were piles of applicants, male and female, from a variety of countries. Ali had unreasonable expectations. They needed to have full medical training, speak Arabic, use sign language, be trained in arts, music, and education. I pointed out that Mary Poppins couldn't even meet his qualifications. He said she would be disqualified for having children dance on roofs and feed street birds. Ali took me on tours every Friday to show me the progress as they built it over four months. There was a lot of solid concrete walls and a very modernist style emerging with exposed steel beams and large, thick windows. He loved that style, but it was a little harsh for our family. He assured me they were making it the most childsafe house ever built and we would have soft furniture and surfaces. When it was finished, he was so excited to show me all of the touches he had added just for me. It didn't yet have furniture, that would come in the following days. I worked with a designer specializing in baby friendly homes and the large furniture was in transit from Egypt. There were blinking lights throughout the house that would respond to the sounds of the babies. Red lights meant tears and blue lights meant laughter. It would help me when they weren't in my sight even though the nurse would be there. He knew I would want to be involved in every aspect and wanted to give me that access. Ali led me through the empty rooms where we would sleep, eat, dine, live our lives together as a little family. For some odd reason it all hit me when he showed me the small laundry room near the boys' nursery. It hit me that soon I would be responsible for two little humans. They would look to me for everything. I felt a moment of panic as he showed me the touchscreen controls on the washer and dryer as if I'd ever use them with so much house staff in the Hamad compound. "What's wrong, baby? You're so quiet," Ali signed with a look of concern as he gauged my mood. "I don't speak," I signed back and laughed to shrug it off. "You know what I mean, sweetness. Are you alright?" Ali asked. And then it just came out, a torrent of tears and signs about everything I worried. "What if I forget to feed them? What if I drop one? What if they are born homophobic and hate us for being gay?" I signed. Ali laughed at the last one. He knelt in front of me, rubbing his prickly chin over my stomach as if I was the one carrying the boys inside me. He looked up at me with those big, brown eyes that held my world. "Baby," he signed and rubbed my tummy. "We will have a nurse to keep them on a feeding schedule. You will not drop one. You are the strongest little cub I know. And they will love us no matter what because we will fill them with love and they will grow up seeing how inseparable their daddies are. We will teach them to love who they want and love is all they will ever know. No one is born to hate," Ali assured. I nodded. He got to his feet and lifted me up into his arms. He set me down on top of the washer. I spread my legs as he leaned in between them and wrapped his dark, muscled arms around me. He licked at my tears and kissed my cheeks with his perfect lips. "I do the worrying. Whenever you need a break, I will be there. I will always be there," Ali signed. I nodded again and he leaned into me. He put his lips at the base of my neck and slowly kissed his way up, licking my skin and biting a little trail up the side until his nose disappeared into my hair. He rubbed his strong Arab nose up behind my ear sending a strong shiver through me. His arms slid around me to let me know I was his, I was safe. I felt his breath against my ear as he said something. He always whispered things in my ears even though they didn't work. I knew his sentiment though. He hated to see me anxious. It always stopped him from whatever he was doing, no matter how important. He could have been giving CPR to the Pope, but he'd drop it to rush to my side, settle his cub. His hands rubbed down my back to grab my ass, knead my cheeks in his strong hands. He finished whatever he was saying and then bit playfully on my earlobe. I relaxed against his chest, leaned into him, gave up my worries to let him be the protector. He pulled back from me, studied me with those big brown eyes. I hoped our boys would have his eyes though he specifically requested that at least one of them would have my blue ones. The geneticist and specialists told him that wasn't likely with his dominant genes. Science hadn't caught up to photoshop. "O.K." he mouthed with a questioning look. I smiled and nodded to show him I was ok. I leaned forward and kissed his forehead. He leaned into me and rubbed his nose against mine. They do that here, the Arab nose rub. Fathers do it to children. Grown men do it to other men to show a deep friendship. No one explained to me how it developed. It was just something they did. Ali often did it to me; usually when I was just waking up or when I'd done something he found adorable. He never liked to go without making physical contact with me for long. "Ali," I said his name. His eyes always sparkled and his lips curled into a smile when he heard my voice. I rarely use it mostly because I was mocked as a child for having a "deafspeak" accent. I honestly don't know what it sounds like, and it feels weird on my throat. "My precious love," he signed. He brought a hand to my cheek and rubbed his thumb over my lips. I parted them for him and he pressed inside. I bit lightly at his thumb. I rubbed my tongue slowly across the smooth sheen of his nail. Our eyes locked, each of us waiting for the other to blink as though it would decide who was stronger. I blinked first and lowered my eyes. I read that in a book once, it might have been Kipling's Jungle Book. The boy would stare at the wolves, eye to eye, knowing that neither the wolves nor any other animal of the jungle could hold his gaze, his challenge, his superiority. But man is actually the weakest of animals his size and is ill prepared for an unarmed fight. A wolf could kill him, a lion could do it with ease. I could never meet my lion's gaze for long. And so I blinked first. Ali did what he always did when I looked down, he leaned in to sniff my neck, then nosed around in my hair before playfully baring his teeth on the back of my neck. He bit gently at the skin like a father picking up his cub. He'd do this until I laughed from the tickling sensations and pushed him away. We really are a strange couple... but it works. Ali kissed around my neck and then along my jaw until he found my lips again. I felt his hands slide up under my shirt and he pushed it up. I raised my arms and he pushed it up and off my arms, breaking our kiss for mere seconds so the fabric could pass. He leaned back and pulled off his own shirt then dove in to bite and suck on my nipples. I relaxed into his arms as they massaged up and down my back. My cock was hard and I reached down to rub it through my shorts. Ali raised his eyes and looked at me with a lustful smile. It was time to break in the new house. "Stay put," he signed and dashed, shirtless and tenting his shorts, out of the little laundry room. I took the time to slid off my shorts and sat there in my briefs and tennis shoes atop the cold metal washer. My legs dangled over the side and I looked up to admire the nice shelves stocked with detergent and cleaning supplies lined up perfectly like a fancy supermarket display. Ali dashed back in and pushed his shorts down and off. His red briefs, stuffed to capacity with his hard cock and heavy balls, were pushed down just enough to show the thick bush of his black pubes poking out of the top of the waistband. I know hot, ripped guys are supposed to be shaved, waxed, or whatever; but I like mine muscled and hairy. Ali hadn't "manscaped" in many years. He did keep his beard trimmed close to his face and lined up nicely, but from the neck down he was a man in his primal state. He knelt down for a moment to fish a small packet of lube from the pocket. He tried to step out of the shorts, but they caught on his sneakers. He stumbled against the dryer and his mouth moved like he was cursing. I leaned forward to put a hand to his shoulder to check that he was ok. He shrugged and smiled then held the lube up to show me he was not defeated. He kicked off the shorts and then shucked his underwear, his cock bouncing up and then down as if suddenly remembering how heavy it was. "Emi," he mouthed my name and pulled me to the edge of the washertop as he set the packet of lube beside me. He leaned in for a quick kiss as he reached under to pull at my briefs. He kissed down my neck and lingered around my left nipple as he fumbled to slide them down my thighs. They were too stretchy, the sheer material he liked me in, and they didn't yield easily to his touch. He yanked at them angrily as his lips twisted my nipple. I reached down to help him. He got them down below my knees and then raised his foot to push them off me. He raised my legs as his lips and tongue worked their way down my stomach. He has a little obsession with my belly button, but this time he just gave it a cursory pat of affection as he worked his way down to my hard, thumping cock. He never had much to do with it, but he would stroke it sometimes or kiss it. This time he kissed the tip and swirled his tongue around it twice, looking up at me with those eyes that said he was doing this just for me. His lips moved on to my thighs. He spread my legs and kissed between them, licking that space just under my nuts. He rubbed his tongue, pressing hard, back and forth over that spot. It made my cock thump on its own and my eyes roll back. "Ohhh," I gasped and reached down to rub my hand over his freshly shaved head. He kept up the pressure, but let his tongue slide down to his prize, the pink hole that he loved. With my hand on his head, I could feel the vibrations as he hummed approval at my welcoming hole. He slid his tongue inside, knowing the path quite well. He licked in circles slow enough to drive me crazy and have me whining for more. He didn't need to do much to open me, he'd fucked me the night before. But he knew what I liked, knew his responsibility to give it to me. I only got a few moments of it though. He was in a rush and needed to bury his seed soon. I could tell by his mood. He had just brought his boy home to the house he had built for him. He wanted his reward and soon. "Ready?" he signed as he pulled his tongue from me. He looked up from between my thighs and I put a finger under his chin to lift him to his feet. He raised up and grabbed the pack of lube from beside me. He put it to his lips and tore the tip off with his teeth, spitting it into the corner where it would someday meet a housekeeper's broom. I reached down between my thighs and grabbed for his cock to stroke it. I still couldn't close my hand around his thick shaft. He squirted lube out on two fingers and slid them inside my ass. He rubbed around, stretching and coating me in preparation. I squirmed on his fingers as he hit the right spots that sent tremors of warm chills through me. I moaned and leaned against his shoulder to bite and suck on his skin. He finger fucked me five more times, slow and deep, withdrawing in spiral motions. His left hand rubbed my back, supporting me as I leaned forward against him. He lubed his cock up with the rest of the packet and then tossed it aside for someone to find. Once the twins arrived, I knew we would need to be more careful with that stuff. But today we were still wild, just me and my lion. He stroked his cock and looked at me with that hazy expression of a guy in deep pleasure. I leaned forward and our lips met as he lifted my legs to his shoulders and pushed inside me. "Ahhhh," I gasped around his tongue in my mouth as his thick python crawled its way inside its favorite home. I felt the familiar fullness of having my lion inside me. He stretched me but gave me time to adjust as he patiently worked in as far as he could go. He rubbed my muscles and breathed into me to calm his boy, open me to him. "Mmmm," he hummed with his lips on mine. He got that zen look that told me he had found his peace. He always told me I made him feel things no one else had when he was inside me. His eyes closed from the feelings that overtook him as he began to slide in and out of me. He kissed up my jaw and then went back to working on my neck. He started to work up a rhythm on me as his hands supported my back. He slowly let me lean back against the washer as he raised up and began to piston in and out of me with force. He put his hands on my pecs as the back of my sneakers rested on his shoulders with my legs pressed against his chest. He looked down at me and reached to put two fingers to my lips. I sucked them in eagerly as he pounded my hole. His shaft slid along my canal, stuffing it and touching the spots that made my body thump and whine in delight. I felt the little fireworks show blast inside me as my skin prickled in goosebumps from the ecstasy. I was lost in the hazy lust of being his boy, taking his cock, receiving his prize. He made the sign for love with one hand and pressed it against my heart as I sucked on his fingers. He pushed them back over my tongue until he could touch my throat. I gagged and sputtered on them and he slid them back. His cock was buried deep inside me now, he rammed it in and out with swift strokes of ownership. His chest, hard and muscled was dripping in sweat as we banged the new washing machine against the wall. He could buy another one if it broke. "Love you," I tried to say as my body moaned in deep pleasure. He got that smile he kept only for me and showed it at my words. I saw him mouth back "Love you too" in slow, pronounced lip movements. He leaned down and kissed me as he plowed away at me happily. My body was twisting and my cock thumped against my stomach as he lip-wrestled with me. "Close," I think I said as my cock rubbed between our stomachs while his plunged the happiest parts of my hole. I felt the cum building in my shaft and the tip was at that super sensitive point where one move could send it firing off. He nodded and leaned back up off of me. He gripped my cock while he pistoned my hole with his meat. He gave me two good strokes and then let it go as I started to shoot. My body writhed in pleasure as he kept pounding away at me, pushing the cum out of me and spraying my chest. "Uhhhh," I whined as I emptied my juice all over my chest. I felt my hole clamp down on his shaft and he signed that he was going to finish soon. He fucked me through my orgasm as I shot, shook, twisted, and begged for him. My legs slid down his body to wrap around his waist as I bucked against the hard metal machine while Ali filled me like a twinkie. "Daddy," I called and I felt shots of thick hot seed begin to fill me. I reached up for him as I finished and he leaned into me as his body started to spasm and fill my hole with his offering. He picked me up off the washer and I threw my arms around his neck, holding onto him. My legs wrapped around him and his hands went to my ass to support me against his quivering chest. He backed up until he hit the wall and used it to steady himself as he held me on his chest and drove his cock deep inside me to deposit his prized white cream. He bounced me on his cock as his oversized muscles shook and spasmed with pleasure. I buried my face in the side of his neck. I bit and sucked at his sweaty skin as he finished shaking and filling me. "Huhhh," he breathed against my ear, lowering his face to kiss my cheek and recover his breath. He held me in his arms and leaned against the wall as we recovered together. He slid down the wall to sit his bare ass on the floor and steady me in his lap as his hard but sated cock rested inside me. I felt his big hairy nuts rest against my ass as I collapsed into his chest. He rubbed my back as we both took deep breaths and fought back the need for a long nap. We were not in our little house. We were here in the new one with no furniture to rest on. I'd always remember this spot on the cold floor of the laundry room, his sweat on the freshly painted wall. I rested against him until my eyes closed. I woke up later as he kissed my forehead, rubbed his nose over the top of my hair. We had no way to clean ourselves. The new bathrooms weren't yet stocked with the new towels I'd ordered or the soap and other necessities. We made out for a bit until he signed that we needed to sneak back to our house. We put on our clothes over our sticky, sweaty, dirty bodies so we could get back home with our modesty in tact. We crept across the courtyard and through the main house towards the back pool area and across. Luckily only the house staff was around and they were used to our hyjinx. Ali led me by the hand back home and we showered properly. I went to take a nap while he headed for the home office areas to check on work and see if there were any updates on the babies. ++++ "The announcements have arrived. Do you wish to send any to your family?" Ali signed as he set a large white box tied with a gold bow on the table in front of me. He knew I hadn't had any contact with my family since I was very young. My parents were dead and none of them stepped in to take a "damaged" kid. Ali knew I would decline, but he thought someday I would want to reach out to them. He likely thought that the boys coming would put me in a mood to build bridges. "No thank you," I shook my head. I wanted nothing to do with them. "My family is here... All of them." I belonged with the Hamads. They were all I needed. "Ok Emi, I am behind you no matter your decision. Did you at least finish registering for the baby gifts? I wanted you to choose everything. You are the... primary one," Ali signed. He knew better than to call me the mother. He had signed us up on the most ridiculously extravagant baby gift website. We made a page showing the 3-D ultrasound pictures of the twins who were growing well inside the surrogate. They had the most adorable poses, both shrugging with their heads turned towards each other as if agreeing that they were over this. Who wouldn't want to send them gifts? "I started, but... Do you really think we need baby windbreakers from Versace? Or this stroller that senses oncoming traffic and moves out of the way? Ok well actually that is pretty cool. We do need that, but some of this stuff... diamond pacifier? whirlpool baby bath with massaging jets? A napping pod that simulates a parent's arms? They have my arms. They will always have my arms." I frowned. "People expect us to request decadent things, my love! It is what we do to show our status. You remember when Mohammed and Alex had their baby last year? We sent them a custom built bassinet with a built in massager that was synced to Alex's pulse so the baby would never feel far from his primary caretaker. You know I don't care about these things, but image is important to our status. The public face needs to look like our country is succeeding and flourishing with money," Ali signed. I most certainly didn't remember that gift, but his personal secretary took care of those things. He was right though, the gossip blogs would be ablaze if I requested simple rubber pacifiers. Those were things we would buy on our own. "Oh wow," I signed in alarm. I would definitely need to go back and reevaluate the modest gifts I'd chosen. Ali had already bought more than enough to keep our boys fed, clothed, and entertained for many years to come. But I didn't want to ruin their tradition. He sat with me and we chose a few overpriced items. Others would simply give bonds or small investment properties that the boys could use later in life. Satrans took care of their own. We filled a nice registry and even customized some wish list items as though they weren't already designer. We did add a few cheaper items since some of his employees had very sweetly asked if they could contribute to the baby shower. I did not want them to feel as though their gifts wouldn't be just as greatly appreciated. They had been so kind to me in the workplace. Ali checked over the address list his secretary had compiled. I made sure the handful of people I knew outside our family circle were on the list. Ali caught one or two ambassadors who had been left off and he noted them in his email to the secretary. Our lives had become very complicated. ++++ Ali finally hired a young man named Jai who specialized in pediatrics. He was from India and had been working on finishing medical school to become a doctor when he had been caught in the act with the son of the city mayor. The true outrage was the public nature of the act. A group of older women in search of the restroom at the new banquet hall found Jai and the mayor's son fucking in a side room. It was on a night of some Indian celebration, and all of the city's upper-caste were in attendance. Word of the shameful discovery spread like wildfire and Jai's family had to make a harsh and rash decision. They would have to do an honor killing in private. The mayor's son, of a higher status, was on the giving end and could be rehabilitated civilly. Jai, on the receiving end of the seed, would have to be put to death. Jai came from a semi well-off family of respected physicians. Though his family held advanced degrees, they could not escape their culture and what it demanded. They sneaked Jai to a family friend at the American embassy in Madurai. He hid him there while the family announced that he had been killed and his body burned to end the shame. They even had a holy-man sign off on the certificate. Jai was gone. Jai was hiding in Madurai and waiting to be placed into the medical recruiting visa program to start over in the United States when Ali found him. He jumped at the chance to stay on the Asian continent in hopes that he could someday reunite with his family rather than just exchange secret emails with his parents. He arrived in Satra a week before the babies were due. He had dark Tamil skin and a handsome face that held a few traces of earlier acne battles. His full, black hair was trimmed down on all sides but spiked a half inch on top. He had recently seen great sorrow and it showed in his large, brown eyes. Jai and Ali worked to get every medical supply two babies could ever require. They set up the nursery and Jai added some personal touches to his own bedroom in our little house. He took a few days to warm up to me. He wasn't rude, but he addressed Ali and kept his distance from me unless Ali directed him to show me something I would need to know for the babies. I was sure he was intimidated by Ali and he just wanted to err on the side of caution. Once he felt comfortable being around me without Ali there, I got to hear all about his life back in India. I felt so awful that he was torn from his family like that. He said he knew he would leave India anyways. There were few opportunities for him there, especially as a man who liked other men. He was fascinated by our kingdom and every time we left the compound for shopping trips he marveled at the sight of men freely walking about and showing affection to their male partners. He asked why he had never heard of this. "Satra is an escape for many from around the world," Ali told him. "We are not as well-known as the wealthier kingdoms, but we like our privacy. You will find what you're looking for here." Jai seemed most delighted that Ali let him buy whatever he wanted. He had lost most of his luxuries when his family sent him away. He found his favorite face-wash and the food he used to get back home. Ali did draw the line on the cologne he wanted. He thought it might be overpowering for the boys. We wanted him happy, but Ali never let him forget that there was hard work ahead as he would be entrusted with the well-being of our boys. Jai took it very seriously when Ali met with him each day to review what he was working on, learning, or preparing for. Ali enjoyed keeping him aware of his purpose here. He wanted him focused on his mission. While Jai seemed intimidated, always wearing a look of slight alarm when Ali entered the room, there was certainly a piece of him that seemed to light up around his main employer. Jai's eyes lingered over my lion's body a little too long. I'd caught him staring at his ass when Ali walked around the house in just a small pair of workout shorts, or looking with a little longing when Ali would hold me in his arms. I swore that once the boys were on a settled routine I'd find out what kind of guy Jai preferred and try to give him some time to express his personal needs. We had to think of his well-being since he'd be joining our family for many years. He had learned a little sign language and showed me the app he was using to learn more. He texted some with me on the app I used with Ali. His English was pretty good. He admitted that he used it with Ali since his Arabic was almost non-existent. I spent hours showing him important signs and he learned quickly. He told me he envied the love I had with Ali and hoped some day to have a family of his own. I wasn't sure which of us he wanted to be, but he just seemed happy to be there with us. +++ The night the doctor called and said it was nearly time, we left for Switzerland. We'd packed everything we could possibly have needed in the event of any emergency or any length of stay. We were prepared. Jai would stay at the hospital and assist, while Ali and I had a hotel overlooking Lake Geneva. It was four blocks from the hospital, the closest we could get. Jai texted us updates every few minutes when it looked like the arrival was close. There was still time before she would go into labor though no one could tell the exact hour. Jai said that the babies were healthy and there was no reason for concern. The doctor was monitoring things constantly. I'm not sure Jai slept that night. He seemed even more afraid than normal of Ali and of messing this up. I guess for him, the stakes in not pleasing us were very high. Ali seemed to like the fear he instilled in Jai. The twin boys weren't yet born, but they already had his heart. He wanted the best. "I can't sleep, Emi. What if I sleep through the phone call or miss a text?" Ali signed with excitement. I was yawning and curled against his chest after a quick fuck throughout which Ali had been checking his phone for updates. "Wake me if anything happens, ok?" I signed with another yawn. He had the lights off except for a small, bedside lamp. He had the tv on and was pretending to be into a soccer match, but he was just reloading his texts for an update from Jai. "Of course, my heart," Ali wrote to me on his phone and kissed my forehead. I intended to just close my eyes for a minute, but sleep overtook me. I dreamed about the twins. We were walking through the aquarium in Barcelona and Ali was carrying one while I held the other. We were showing them the different types of fish that swam above us. Ali shook me awake. He was standing over me and pulling on white sweat pants frantically. He signed "Up! Go! Up! It is time!" while he grabbed a tight, dark blue sweatshirt. I got out of bed and found my jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. I pulled on my slip-on shoes and grabbed a hoodie from the closet. He was waiting by the door and waving his phone excitedly with a smile. I took it from him and read Jai's texts as he guided me out the door. We had mere minutes to get there. He slipped my own phone into my pocket. The sun was rising over the lake as we ran the few blocks to the hospital. Jai had written that the first one was ready to be delivered and the second would come soon after. The boys were impatient to greet the world. We rushed through the hospital entrance and bounded up four flights of stairs to find the right room. Ali pushed into the room, but I hung back and just watched from the window. I wasn't ready. I felt anxiety hit me again. Was I really ready for this? For some stupid reason I looked to my right and studied the Exit sign, or "Sortie" as it read in glowing red letters. I looked back and forth a few times between Ali rushing around the delivery room and the peaceful red exit. I shook that thought off. I knew what it was like to grow up without parents. I couldn't do that to the lives I'd helped create. I watched Ali's back as he valiantly stripped down and scrubbed himself quickly at the delivery room sink. He was ready for this, one hundred percent. He'd wanted these babies, and me, for a long time. Every time we made love he buried his seed deep inside my hole. He'd always playfully put his ear against my stomach afterwards. He'd rub it gently and joke that he felt his seed taking root inside me in hope that a baby would grow. He was most definitely ready for this. A nurse helped him into the paper gown and he rushed over to assist. He wouldn't want to miss a moment of any of this. He had studied and read up on deliveries. He'd gone through the drill with his father, a physician, many times. He was prepared. He was all in. I saw him squat, kneel, pace, and then discuss things with the doctor as though they were old colleagues. He disappeared for a few minutes but then came out from behind a curtain holding something in his arms. He looked at me excitedly and handed the bundle off to a waiting nurse. Jai texted me that the second baby was taking a few more minutes. No longer able to contain myself, I pushed my way into the room and saw Ali washing his hands and arms again. He had shucked the first paper gown and another nurse helped him into a fresh one with new gloves. I looked over at the bed where a sweatty blonde lady in distress had her mouth open as though screaming. She looked at me and tried to force a smile. There was no need for her to impress us. She was giving life to our children. Jai pointed to a clear plastic bin by the wall where the nurse was working on the baby who had come out first. I saw him and my heart lept. A son, I had a son. He looked like a little me but with Ali's features as well. It's hard to explain, but he really did look like a combination of both of us. I turned to look at Jai with an uncontrollable smile. He seemed genuinely excited to be a part of our family. I went over towards the nurse who was cleaning off my son and pointed to him and then to my chest. She said something, not knowing I was deaf. I looked at her with confusion and she pointed towards the wash station where Ali had finished cleaning himself. Ali went over to the mother to see about helping with the second delivery. I went to wash up. I slipped off my hoodie and shirt. I scalded my hands on the burning water and harsh soap. I didn't care. I'd do anything to be able to touch him. The second nurse came and helped me into a paper gown with gloves. I put a mask on over my face and then went to where the nurse was finished cleaning the first born. He coughed as she rubbed his chest and checked him for any problems. He looked over at me and blinked while his little fists waved a few times. I knew his name already. We'd decided the first-born would have Ali's name, "Ali Raza." It had come from his grandfather and he thought that the first one to come out would end up being the strongest. I had told him that it probably was just whichever baby was closest to the exit. He insisted that a spiritual advisor had told him the first one would carry his business legacy while the second would have a more creative side. I reached down when the nurse indicated that it was ok. I picked up little Ali Raza and held him against my chest like I'd practiced on a doll with Jai. I looked down at his sleepy face as he calmed at my hold. I knew I would do anything to protect him. There was a wide, blue armchair next to us and I sat down so I could rock him. I saw Ali carrying over the second baby, Amir, with Jai. We picked the name "Amir" because it means Prince and it was close to "Samir," Ali's brother. It was also spelled Emir sometimes which Ali said sounded close to how he pronounced my name. He envisioned the second-born to take after me more. I thought the whole theory was ridiculous though and I swore I would make sure that the boys grew up to be exactly who they wanted to be. Ali watched as the nurse cleaned off Amir. He went to wash up and put on a fresh paper gown and then came back to where I sat rocking baby Ali. He knelt down in front of us and touched his face. Ali looked up at me with a burst of emotion. He reached up and touched my cheek and signed, "This is so perfect." I nodded and felt on the edge of tears. When the other baby was brought over, Ali sat in the chair beside me and we rocked the boys and comforted them. Jai stood over us, adjusting the babies so they were supported perfectly. Ali motioned for me to come over to his lap. He had Amir in his left arm and I sat on his right thigh holding Ali. He inspected both of his babies as he supported the three of us. Jai was taking pictures, our first picture all together. We spent the next week in the hospital with them. Ali had rented the family suite on the top floor. We would have a private room and the babies slept in the living area with Jai at their attention. Jai slept during the day when we had them with nurses who showed us everything we would need to take care of them when Jai wasn't available. We spent two more weeks in Geneva at a vacation house on the lake so the babies could be near the medical center. Ali had set up a small office so he could get some work done. The family was fine without him, but Ali wasn't the type to sit around all day caring for a baby without working to make sure he could provide for them. He insisted on keeping up with the business back home. He loved his sons. He was fascinated with them and would sit with them in his arms while they sucked down their bottles. He would help me a little while Jai slept during the daytime, he even changed their diapers and wiped their bottoms a few times. He was maturing, sloughing off the hyper-masculine ways of the alphas in his culture to be a better partner to me and father to our boys. We had talked about it many times and he truly did want to be there and be involved. On our last day there, Ali sent us both off to the hotel spa for relaxation while he helped whichever of us stayed behind. I went for two hours and then came back so Jai could go. Jai had packed up for our trip home and he looked genuinely refreshed when he returned from the spa. I knew he had spent his two hours being entertained by the buff french masseur Ali had booked for him. He came back with a dopey smile on his face. I could guess how things went at the spa. Ali knew what Jai needed and wanted him happy and relaxed. We had a private jet take us back to Satra. Ali didn't want any unnecessary time with the boys out and exposed to the world. It was also the only way to get a direct flight. Geneva to Satra is not a popular route. I knew that once we got home, he would be back to his normal work routine. Still, he made sure we had whatever we needed. As was his personality, Ali was meticulously organized and stocked the house with their milk, diapers, medical supplies, whatever we could possibly need. Over the next month things settled into a routine. Babies sleep a lot, just not in long stretches. I didn't know what I would do if I didn't have Jai there to take over. He was so good with the boys and always explained to me what was happening with them. He had things under control. Ali wanted me in bed with him at night. Some nights he had to help me rock the boys until they fell asleep. He never complained though. Most nights I'd wake up a few times just to go and check on them. He would always follow me, our bodies so intertwined that I couldn't untangle without waking him. He would come up behind me and we'd pick up whichever one was awake. Sometimes I'd find them both sleeping peacefully and look at Ali with sadness. I wanted so badly to pick one up and hold him. I'd watch for a few minutes hoping they'd open their eyes and need me, but Ali would stop me from disturbing them. He was always the mature one. He'd let me watch for a minute and then pull me back to bed. He'd settle me into his hold and rub me until I fell asleep again. He'd joke that he had three children now. We made it though. We kept them alive and healthy. He stepped up to be the father they needed. I knew he would. I knew he would always step up to be what we needed; a father, a husband, a partner, a provider. He always made me so proud to be at his side. +++ Thank you for reading. tarzanacide@gmail.com -- My Stories: https://sites.google.com/view/emri/