The Affair

A/N: Uck. I feel like crap today. Pregnancy is not a very fun time all of the time, no sirree.

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When I first saw you standing there

You know it was a little hard not to stare.

So nervous when I drove you home

I know being apart's a little hard to bear.

Sent some flowers to your work in hopes

that I'd have you in my arms again.

We kissed that night before I left

And now that's something

that I could never forget.

You've got all I need,

Looking at all or nothing,

Baby it's you and I.

With you I know that

I'm good for something,

So let's go give it a try.

We've got our backs against the ocean,

It's just us against the world.

Looking at all or nothing,

Baby it's you and I.



- Theory of a Deadman, "All or Nothing"

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Chapter 18: The New Kid in the Bed.



Kagome stirred, opening her eyes a little. She smiled brightly as she became aware of her surroundings once more and realized that she had her arm hugged protectively around a small frame. Inuyasha snored a little, and she realized that he was still holding her hand, their fingers entwined. Sunlight spilled into the room from the window across from the bed, just barely missing their faces.



Suddenly, the phone on the bedside table rang shrilly. Kagome jumped, yanking her hand out of Inuyasha's, who grumbled and turned over. She grabbed the phone off the cradle and nearly smacked herself in the face with it, determined not to wake the baby at her side. "Yes? Hello?" she asked frantically, her voice low and hushed.



"Mom?" Shippo's timid voice asked. "Mom? Is everything all right?"



Kagome stood, careful not to jostle the baby. She only stirred a little; Kagome smirked. 'She's sleeps like a rock, just like her father.'



"Yes, baby, everything's fine with us," she whispered to Shippo as she made her way out of the room. When she was safely in the hallway, she closed the bedroom door as quietly as possible, then focused on her son. "Now that we can speak freely, what's wrong?"



He laughed; 'Gods, does his laugh sound like Inuyasha's,' Kagome thought, rolling her eyes a little in exasperation. As time had worn on and Shippo had grown into a man, he had become more and more like his father. The way he walked, the way he spoke, even the way he looked at Kagome... it all seemed to remind her so much of her husband, the father of her children. Shippo Taisho really was Inuyasha Taisho's son.



"Nothing's wrong, Mom," he told her. "I just... wanted to call ahead and let you know that Ari and I are coming to Colorado for a visit."



Kagome's eyes narrowed in suspicion. It wasn't that it was unlike her son to visit; as much as he hated to hear it, he was a momma's boy. He just never brought his girlfriend along with him, even though they'd been dating for around six years, and they'd been living together in Virginia for two of those years. Something was brewing, and she wouldn't rest until she got to the bottom of it.



"That's all?" she asked, her tone the epitome of skepticism. Even though he couldn't see her from where he was sitting in Virginia, Shippo could imagine what his mother looked like; she hadn't aged a bit in the past five years since he'd left for college, and he knew she was standing in the hallway of the apartment, her hand on her hip and one eyebrow raised. He bit back laughter at the image.



"Yes, Mom, that's all," he told her.



"No, it's not," she responded rather bluntly. It was Shippo's turn to roll his eyes; his mother had never been anything BUT blunt. "There's something else, something you're not telling me."



"It's nothing, really, Mom," he replied, getting exasperated.



Kagome could tell by his tone. She decided that it would be best to drop it - for now. 'After all, he IS Inuyasha's son,' she thought with a smug smirk. 'I'll get it out of him sooner or later.' "Well, all right," she told Shippo. "Just... please be careful. You know the weather's been very strange lately."



"I know, Mom. We will be."



Stock answers, she knew. "I'll talk to you later."



"Bye, Mom."



"Bye, baby."



She hung up the same time he did, and she slowly opened the bedroom door to peek in on her family. She opened the door when she heard the shower in the bathroom going, and she saw that the baby was sitting up and watching her with big, chocolate eyes. Kagome smiled brightly at her daughter. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she greeted the girl, who sat there and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Ava's long, curly, dark brown hair was a mess; Kagome knew she'd have to brush it after breakfast.



Right then, the shower stopped, and Inuyasha came out of the bathroom, his long, silver hair shining in the bright morning light. He had a towel wrapped around his waist to cover his lower half, but Ava still covered her eyes and dove underneath the covers, giggling. "Otou!" she cried out.



Kagome laughed with her daughter. Inuyasha just looked between them in puzzlement.



Sometimes it annoyed Inuyasha to no end when he thought of how much like Kagome Ava looked. Pretty much the only piece of him that was clearly recognizable in the girl was his small, pointed nose, which seemed to be coupled with an amazing sense of smell; other than that, she showed no signs of being quarter-demon, as Shippo had. His daughter was completely human, like her mother.



'Just like her mother,' he thought as Ava bounded off the bed and ran smack into her mother. The two women ran, screaming and giggling, from the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind them.



Inuyasha blinked and sighed. His family was so strange sometimes...

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They all hugged when Inuyasha opened the door to find his son and his son's girlfriend standing on their front steps. It was snowing now, as it did often around Thanksgiving time in Denver, Colorado, and the Taisho's were very happy to have their extended family joining them for the holiday.



"Ari, you've never been here before," Kagome said, trying to alleviate the feeling of discomfort from the girl's presence. She went around, introducing everyone: "This is Sango, my best friend since college." Sango smiled and waved at the girl. "This is Miroku, Sango's husband and one of Inuyasha's longest and closest friends." Miroku grinned at the girl, and Sango smacked his arm. Kagome shook her head and moved on. "This is Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's brother and Shippo's uncle, and this is Sesshomaru's wife Rin, my favorite sister-in-law." Sesshomaru only nodded to Ari approvingly, but Rin bounced up and hugged the girl enthusiastically.



"It's very nice to meet you finally!" Rin cried out, and Ari smiled at her. "It's nice to finally meet all of you," she replied, looking mainly at Kagome, who now stood beside Inuyasha and Ava. "Shippo is always talking about you."



"I'll bet," Inuyasha mumbled, only loud enough for Sesshomaru and Shippo to hear him, and he punched his son lightly in the arm. Shippo rubbed it, grinning at his father's strange form of approval.



Ava barrelled forward right then and squeezed her older brother's leg. "Shippo!" she called excitedly.



He laughed and picked the four year old up off the floor. She squeezed his neck in a tight hug. "I missed you," she told him.



He smiled. "I missed you too, little sister."



The meal was good, and everyone got along. As it neared its end, though, Shippo stood and tapped a spoon to his glass, getting to his feet. Kagome saw Ari bite her lip, and the mother of two wondered what was going on, her sense of suspicion flaring uncomfortably.



"Ari and I have an anouncement to make," Shippo said, looking meaningfully at his mother. "Mom, I wanted to tell everyone, and I knew that you would just spoil it. You get so excited about these things..." He shook his head, suppressing a laugh.



Kagome went white, and Inuyasha grabbed her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze; he could guess what was coming, and he knew it would be stressful for Kagome to hear.



Shippo was brimming with excitement. "What the hell?" he cried out, his smile erupting into a grin. "Ari and I are getting married!"

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A/N: Uh oh! Who knows how Kagome will react to her sweet little boy doing something as grown up as getting married! haha, this should be fun.



And, yes, we are expecting another child, and if it is a girl, we're going to name her Ava. Ava's character is more what I hope that my daughter is like, just like Shippo's character is along the lines of what I am expecting from Noah once he reaches adulthood.