Title: Family Planning
Fandom: Adventure World
Rating: G
Length: 1327
Summary: Pretty much what it says on the tin - Ardith, Aleyn an Vedran discuss family planning.

Family Planning

After bedtime kisses from each parent, Amylia shepherded the three children out of the room and off to bed. Vedran shook his head, looking back over to his wife. Ardith smiled back, resting a hand on her abdomen.

"Thinking about how much more trouble they'll be with four of them?" she teased.

Aleyn chuckled. "Or five…six….seven…" He grinned as both his spouses' eyes widened. "Well, okay, maybe not seven."

"No, but maybe six sounds about right." Ardith, petting her belly again. "Including this one, of course. I admit, the whole subject of, well, family planning, is something I've been thinking about recently too, so I'm glad it's come up."

"I think we all have," Aleyn said. "I guess it is probably a little inevitable at this point."

Ardith nodded. "I haven't forgotten that the two of you want to have a child together, either." She tilted her head contemplatively. "I hope you know I would be love to be part of that, as your surrogate, if you would want that."

Both men beamed at that, speaking at the same time to assure her that please, yes, of course they would love that.

"We'd talked about it a little," Vedran explained. "And that was something we both agreed on – that we wanted to ask you to carry for us."

Ardith smiled again, offering her hands to the other two. Vedran scooted his chair over a little closer so that they could all hold hands. "Thank you."

"No, thank you." Aleyn squeezed her hand. "It feels like.... this way, the child will really be from all of us.

"I'm glad – I think of it the same way, and it's led my thoughts down another related path that I wanted to bring up as well." She took a deep breath. "I think that… to make our family complete, what I'd also like is to have a child with Aleyn."

This time, both of her partners were silent, working through various levels of surprise. Vedran smiled slowly, Aleyn nervously.

"I, uh, I… oh," he stammered.

"I like it," Vedran said. "I think you're right, that it would make us complete."

Ardith nodded, returning his smile, but focusing on Aleyn. "I know, it is a lot to think about, but we'll have a while – years even – to decide. I don't want you to feel pressured into this, even if Vedran likes the idea, because if you don't want to do it, I don't either."

"No! I want to!" He blushed following his outburst. "I'd just never thought it might happen, that's all. I agree, I want it, I really do. It makes a lot of sense, and it feels right, too. It's more the, uh, mechanical aspects…"

"Then, thank you again. But we'll have a few years to work on those as well." This time she smiled teasingly.

Aleyn blushed deeply. "Okay… I mean I guess we do have a while. I just want to get this right"

"And we have options," Ardith said, more gently this time. "Don't worry about that."

Vedran squeezed his hand again. "We can talk about it more once we've all had some time to process." He paused, looking back at Ardith. "Am I right to think we'd need to talk to our lawyer as well?"

She nodded again. "This isn't in the contracts, so yes. I want to make sure everyone is looked after to the same degree."

"It can never just be personal, can it," Aleyn muttered, giving a resigned sigh. "I get it, but I don't have to like it. I've been in this world long enough to know why it's important, and I guess I'm glad it is in our power to do something about it, but I'm never going to be happy that it's necessary."

"I know, but it is in our power," Vedran answered with a sympathetic smile. "And it's our responsibility to look out for them too, and to make things as easy on all our children as possible, I think. This is the easy part, as far as all that's concerned."

"How we raise them," Ardith added, "that's personal, I hope."

"The choices we make are still our own."

Aleyn didn't look entirely convinced at Vedran's assessment, but sighed again, and shook his head. "You know what I think about that. But we're being as fair as we can, and if we can teach them to treat each other equally, that's what's really important."

"I think we're doing alright so far. Enough that I'm looking forward to helping make our family bigger." Ardith's sigh was more contented.

"Bigger by three, at least," Vedran teased.

"Trust me, three is plenty." Ardith struggled to sit up a little straighter, letting go of the men's hands to adjust her robes. "Right now, one feels like plenty."

"Well, we won't put it in the contracts that you can't change your mind." Aleyn grinned.

"I don't think I'm going to change my mind about the ones we talked about tonight – one from you two, and one from me and Aleyn – but I would like to have a more solid plan about how we're going to do it."

"Timing, you mean?"

Ardith nodded to Vedran. "Yes. Timing and order. I think it would be best to go ahead with the surrogacy next." She smiled over at Aleyn, who was already blushing in anticipation of her next comment. "To give us more time to work towards the other, among other things."

"That, uh, that would be good."

This time it was Vedran who blushed. "I might be able to help with that."

Aleyn nodded, looking a little relieved. "That, yes, that would help. Yeah."

Ardith gave the pair an exaggerated leer. "I think I like this plan. But," she turned serious again, giving them both a moment to get over their embarrassment, "as far as timing goes, maybe if we can aim for about two years between them? It should be easier to set up with the second, assuming we can line up a willing priest to cast the ritual."

"Right," Vedran said. "I guess that's pretty close to what we'll be working with now, on average."

"This one will catch up with the others pretty quickly, don't forget." Ardith hugged her belly this time. "Dragonborn children are more precocious than elduar or most humanoid children."

"Then yeah, two sounds right," Aleyn agreed, then grinned. "Two more, and two years apart, that is."

"That was so easy." Vedran shook his head. "I know that, like everything else we have to deal with, there will be more challenges than we expect... But it always feels so easy, when it is just the three of us, to see what I want, and to believe we can have it."

Ardith held out her arms for him to come to her. "To believe you deserve it?" She asked as Vedran settled next to her on the couch, keeping hold of her hands. He nodded.

Aleyn squeezed in on Vedran's other side, resting one arm on his husband's shoulders and reaching over to join his hand with his partners'. "We all deserve it, and it seems easy because we work for it, and because we know we'll all do what's right for our family no matter what people say."

"Yes." Ardith leaned over to give them each a quick kiss. "And now I think what is best is for me to go to bed, if you would care to join me. I know you were both up late last night."

Vedran made to protest, until Aleyn started to massage the tense muscles of his neck. "Mm, alright. We can help you up. As soon as he stops that."

Taking his cue, Aleyn stood back up, giving Vedran a hand up before they both turned to help Ardith. She took them both by the arm, shepherding her husband and her partner off to bed with the promise of bedtime kisses.