first_in_time | Unplanned And Terrified

The day had been much the same as all the others but still Barbara felt nervous. She met Ian briefly at the end of the day and told him she would be late home but did not reveal what she was doing. Barbara had noticed that she was late (in other, more personal matters), and needed to speak with someone more qualified. She had her suspicions, of course but they were only going to stay suspicions until some sort of result manifested itself.

The result....made her nervous.

She slowly walked home, wondering just how she was going to tell Ian that she was pregnant. At the front door, she paused, hand hovering over door knob. It would be fine. They would be fine. Barbara just had to convince herself of that fact. Quietly she opened the door and stepped into the house. Already she could hear a few of the teenagers relaxing in their lounge eating dinner.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

splendid_roman

Ian was generally of the persuasion that everyone should eat together. However, what with it being his and Barbara's second anniversary, he wasn't going to eat dinner without her nor let the teenagers go hungry. So he let them eat together, while his and Barbara's dinner was being kept warm.

He'd been out picking flowers and when Barbara returned he was in the kitchen arranging them in a vase. Flower arranging wasn't something he'd tried before, but he had just about worked out that the length of the stems made a difference to how high the flowers sat.

From:

first_in_time

Barbara was greeted as she walked through the lounge. She had to stop and listen to everyone's days and the problems they were having with various people both in school grounds and in the he village. Although both Barbara and Ian were aware of the problems, there was little they could do about them.

"Yes, alright. I will have a word with Mrs. Gates about walking past of a morning. I agree that she's being a little strict but there has to be more to it than that," she told them all when they complained.

Eventually she made it into the kitchen where she found Ian and smiled at him a little nervously. She kissed him briefly and hugged him in greeting, only to be heckled by those who could see them from the lounge. Barbara rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I hope you weren't kept waiting too long."

From:

splendid_roman

"I wasn't," he assured her, smiling. "We'll wait until the rabble out there have finished," he raised his voice, to make sure they heard - there was laughter, shouting and banging of cutlery in response, "then we'll have dinner."

He held out the vase of flowers. The best you could say about them was he'd tried, but he didn't have a future in flower arranging. "These are for you."

((OOC: Forgot to add the subject to my previous comment!))

From:

first_in_time

It was quite obvious that Ian had picked and arranged the flowers himself but Barbara was touched by the thought.

"Oh, Ian. They're lovely!" she smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to put them in the bedroom."

Barbara picked up the vase and took it to their privat quarters. There she put it on a little table by the window and took a few deep breaths. She was surprised at how close to tears she was. Which was ridiculous. Ian would still love her, even if having a baby would make their lives more complicated than it already was. Maybe it would put strains on their marriage. Maybe they wouldn't be able to have nay time to themselves anymore and they start to feel like strangers and sleep in different beds....

She was getting away from herself. She just had to focus on telling Ian. Worry about everything else later.

Barbara walked back out and into the lounge. "Who has homework they should be doing?"

From:

splendid_roman

There were various mumbles from everyone there except for Ruth. She smiled and said, "I don't. And I'm going out," she added.

Ian, standing in the doorway, knew she had some biology homework, but also that it wasn't due yet, so he let it go for now. He tried to separate home and school, but not so far that it let any of them fail. For now he merely asked her, "You're not on washing up duty are you?"

She shook her head. "I did it last night."

From:

first_in_time

"It's my turn!" Alfie shouted and ran for the kitchen. Kate was close behind him.

The remaining five grumbled but got up and put their plates in the sink before thumping their way upstairs to presumably make a start. Barbara decided that she wouldn't check on them this evening, they could have one free night but only because she'd be too preoccupied.

"Ian," she walked over to him now that the room was empty, "I need to tell you something."

From:

splendid_roman

"That sounds ominous." He shut the kitchen door so they wouldn't be overheard and turned back to her looking worried. "What is it?"

From:

first_in_time

Barbara wrung her hands together and tried to look Ian in the eye but couldn't. "This afternoon I visited-"

There was a shout from upstairs. Then another. Then a loud crash.

"Not again," Barbara groaned and headed for the stairs, bracing herself to stop another fight.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian was right behind her. "That doesn't sound like homework," he shouted up the stairs. It didn't make any difference to the combatants, but it did make everyone else who was watching quickly close their bedroom doors.

From:

first_in_time

Rolfe and Harrison tumbled about the corridor trying to pin the other down. They had knocked over a table in their rumbling which Barbara quickly picked up and out out of the way.

"Excuse me!" she shouted over the top of them and clapped her hands to try and get their attention but to no avail.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian went for the direct approach, of grabbing whichever one was on top and holding onto him. "Are you going to tell us what this is about?" he asked both boys.

Rolfe stood up, looking like he was still considering taking a swing at Harrison, who struggled in Ian's grip.

"He sat next to Jessie at lunch," Rolfe said in the end. "He knows I like her."

From:

first_in_time

For goodness' sake! Barbara thought and put a hand on Rolfe's arm to remind him that she was there, too.

"Rolfe, Harrison can sit where he likes. There are other opportunities to get close to her. And If Jessie is interested in you, she'll do everything in her power to spend more time with you. There is no need for fighting. Ever."

She turned to the other boy and pointed a finger at him. "And you need to stop stirring. We know what you're like and there's no need for it. Rolfe wouldn't do it to you, so why do it to him? Both of you are on bathroom duty for a week starting right not. Finish your homework and before school, I want to see those bathrooms clean. Do I make myself clear?"

From:

splendid_roman

Rolfe looked like he was going to complain, but the combined glare of both Ian and Barbara made him relent. "Yes, Mrs Chesterton." It didn't stop him from glaring at Harrison on his way to his bedroom.

"Yes, Mrs Chesterton," Harrison said, and Ian let him shake himself free.

Ian sighed when he'd gone to his bedroom too. He wasn't going to say anything to Barbara while everyone was probably listening, but he thought that staying here for a minute would be enough to make sure they took their books out and actually started on their homework.

From:

first_in_time

Barbara looked to Ian then turned to watch Rolfe sit at his desk and open his homework. How much he was actually doing was anyone's guess.

One of the other doors opened and Sally stepped into the corridor. "Mr. Chesterton, can you please help me with my homework?"

From:

splendid_roman

It was clearly going to be one of those evenings. Ian smiled briefly at Barbara. Whatever she was going to tell him would have to wait - to say nothing of their dinner.

"All right," he said to Sally. "Bring it downstairs and you can tell me what part you're stuck on."

From:

first_in_time

Sally grinned at him and went to grab her books. Barbara left ahead of them both to see if she could at least make a start on dinner but in the kitchen all she found was a sink full of water and two teenagers locking lips by the sink.

Barbara cleared her throat loudly and the two sprung apart. "We have rules about this," she sighed, "please finish the cleaning up."

Behind her, she could hear Sally talking her usual string of endless words about any and all subjects she could think of at any given time. Barbara had to give her credit for her enthusiasm.

From:

splendid_roman

Alfie and Kate hurried through the rest of the washing up and drying up to run upstairs afterwards. Whether they were both going to their separate rooms was another question.

Ian tried to direct Sally to tell him her query with her homework. It turned out to be about something he'd explained in the lesson. He explained it again, along with a lecture on listening in future and it seemed like she understood this time.

From:

first_in_time

Barbara made Ian some tea for while he worked with Sally, who listened to him with glassed over eyes. Inwardly Barbara laughed just a little. It was like being back in Coal Hill.

Sally did the questions, eventually, while Barbara sat and watched. She tried to continue on their conversation but Barbara cut it off. "Sally, you have an essay to start and it's lights out soon.."

From:

splendid_roman

"I've got ages to do it in," she protested, but as Ian had stood up, she had to do the same. But she didn't look happy as she took herself and her books back upstairs.

Ian sighed and ran a hand over his face. "A house full of teenagers seemed like a good idea at the time." He went over to sit beside Barbara. "You'd better kiss me while we have a moment to ourselves."

From:

first_in_time

Barbara did just that and sweetly met his lips with her own. For a quiet moment she simply hugged Ian tightly to her and closed her eyes. She wondered how long they had before someone came down for a glass of water or to complain about someone else.

"I should serve our dinner before someone else takes our attention. Did you want to check on them all while I do it? I've a funny feeling that Alfie and Kate didn't quite make it to their separate bedrooms."

Edited Date: 2014-01-14 01:22 am (UTC)

From:

splendid_roman

"All right." He kissed her again, then went upstairs.

He knocked on Kate's door first. "Is Ruth back yet?" he asked her, though the door.

"No, she won't be back until curfew."

"Are you doing your homework?"

"Yes." She sounded put upon at being asked.

"Is Alfie doing his homework?" There was a silence that sounded suspicious to Ian.

From:

first_in_time

There was a rustling and the gentle click of the cupboard door closing before Kate answered. "Um, yes Mr. Chesterton."

From:

splendid_roman

He didn't believe her, but he stayed in the hall for now. "I'm sure he can do it in his own room."

"He is in his own room," Kate protested.

"I can easily check," he warned her. After a moment's silence he added, "If he is in there you're both going to be doing your homework in the lounge where we can keep an eye on you."

From:

first_in_time

A long moment passed before Alfie opened Kate's door and stepped out into the hall, eyes focused on the ground. He did look legitimately sorry but he always did and still continued to break rules.

"Sorry Mr. Chesterton. We were doing our homework, I promise."

Edited Date: 2014-01-14 08:17 am (UTC)

From:

splendid_roman

"It's harder to believe you when Kate just lied to me." Ian sighed. "You're lucky because I haven't had dinner yet. Go to your room and do your homework and we'll speak to you both when you get home from school tomorrow."

Alfie, looking contrite, went to his room. Kate seemed to be concentrating very hard on her homework.

Ian left them to it and went back downstairs.