Author's Note
This is for all AppleDasher fans of my readers, and part of my anniversary writing set.
Possibility
Twilight leaned forward. “It all depends on the process,” she said, smoothing her dresses’ skirt as Sunset bounced Midnight on her knee, making weird faces at the laughing girl. “Each has its own risks and side effects, like twinning. And may I add that I’m surprised that the two of you couldn’t decide which of you would carry your child.”
I rubbed the back of my neck while glancing at AJ. We had kind of had more than a few arguments over that. I didn’t really want to retire from soccer just yet, and we were both worried how her mindset on taking a day off from the orchard might affect a pregnancy. And, if I was honest with myself - a habit my darling wife had drummed into me - I was a little worried that I’d be a horrible parent.
“It’s not so much that we can’t decide,” AJ spoke up. “It’s more which of us can give up our job when the time comes t’where we can’t do it.” She smiled at me. “Now, don’t get me wrong, between the orchard and Dashie’s money from the team, we’re comfortably well off, but Ah can’t see taking a couple months off just ‘cause Ah’m expecting.”
“I remember you trying to keep working when you broke your leg after that one ski trip after college,” Sunset remarked. “Despite doctors telling you to stay in bed for a week.”
“And I can’t see not at least getting my morning run in,” I said. “It’s the next best thing to coffee.”
Twilight sighed. “Trust me, no matter which of you carries, you’ll be glad for the rest,” she said. “Because between the water retention, the extra weight, and the general mess that the raging hormones make you, not to mention your mind going over-reactive and worrying about every little thing and the weird cravings and the constant need to use the rest room, and the…”
Sunset reached over with one hand and laid it on her arm. “We’re supposed to be listening to them,” she said. “Not scaring them. Besides, you’ve seen some of Dash’s cooking attempts. Weird cravings she has down already.”
“And your mind already goes to the worry zone,” I said, leaning back. “I’m just…” I shrugged.
“Worried about how you’d be as a parent?” the author asked me, shifting her daughter further up into her lap as the child started nodding off.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “I thought you had to touch someone to read their feelings,” I said softly.
She patted the air. “I recognize the looks the two of you are sharing,” she said with a laugh. “They were the same that Twi and I had before we started looking into it ourselves. Though it took a while and it wasn’t the most fun of endeavors at times.”
AJ rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah,” she said. “Sorry if this drags up some bad feelings, Twi.”
The bookworm across the way waved her hand dismissively, though there was still a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I managed to get this bundle of fun here.”
As she reached over and stroked the silvery hair of their child, the joy I saw in that smile made me jealous for reasons I can’t even explain. I was happy with my life and my marriage to Applejack was one of the best things in the world, even better than being able to fly.
Then why out of all the times did my biological clock have to start ticking now?
“You don’t have to decide now, you know.” Sunset said, breaking me from my thoughts.
“I know,” I mumbled. “But it keeps coming up whenever we talk about the future. And we can hardly talk with you two without Middy coming up or wondering what your second will be.”
“And it is something that Ah always thought about,” AJ admitted. “Family is big for me, Ah’m sure you know.”
We all nodded. Just trying to remember all the names of Apple family relations for gatherings or from the wedding made my head spin. Seemed like every time the Apple family got together there were twenty new faces.
“Well, you can’t go any further on it until you both decide on who’s doing what,” Twilight said, taking Midnight into her arms and smiling down. “That much is certain. We’re only in our twenties, it’s not like it’s now or never.”
“Some of us are,” Sunset chuckled. “I just hit thirty.”
“Getting old, lady,” I snickered. It never ended being amusing at Sunset’s real age. Even though she physically matched us at twenty-five, the fact that she had been five years older than us all through school had been a great joke when we found out.
AJ slid an arm over my shoulders, making me sigh internally. I’ll never understand why I enjoyed being the one held. Maybe it was because I was the shorter of the two? Or maybe I liked it because of dim memories of Mom? I don’t know, but with AJ I could handle not being totally awesome. I had to give her at least twenty percent of it in times like that.
“We’ll talk it out some more,” AJ said as she tipped her hat back a bit. “We just wanted to bounce our thoughts offa you two before we decide. Ah’m tired of having it out with her because she wants to go first.”
“Have it out?” Sunset said, frowning.
“You mean you’re fighting on who gets to carry, not because you don’t want to,” Twilight said. “But because you both want to do it?”
“Well, yeah,” I said. “I mean, sure there’s a lot of negatives, but the overall process is pretty awesome. Besides, it means that there’ll be a second generation of cool in the house.”
Sunset shook her head. “The way you two were talking when we got here, we thought you were split on which one wanted to keep working instead of carrying,” she said. “Not both of you trying to be the one to get it.”
“And why did you ask about twins, anyway?” Twilight asked. “I mean, it is a possibility that is raised with IVF, especially with the method the two of you were looking at.” She screwed up her face for a moment, thinking.
In the silence that followed, I heard the door to the house open up and the sound of Apple Bloom entering while talking sought out my focus.
“Come on, Scoots,” she said. “It’ll be a blast. We can even go halfsies on the cost…Sweetie Belle is already going with Button, Scoots. Oh, come on, we went stag plenty of times before the two of them hooked up. Ah’m serious…” As she climbed the stairs, her voice faded out.
“College dance issues?” Sunset asked.
“Yeah,” AJ said. “Ah’m kind of missing the days when the three of them just got into mischief together instead of worrying about them dating.”
“Halfsies,” I murmured.
“What now?” my wife asked.
“Twilight,” I said slowly. “Are they still twins if they’re carried by two parents independently?”
“Technically, no,” she said. “They would have to be split from the same set of fertilized cells or both eggs be from the same person for the most accurate sense.”
“But if you do what I think you’re scheming,” Sunset grinned. “And they are both delivered on the same day, nothing is stopping you from calling them that.”
AJ looked at me confused. “What’re y’all blathering about?”
I took my wife’s face in my hands and leaned my forehead on hers.
“About this kids business,” I said before giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
“What would you say to going halfsies? You carry one and I carry the other, together?”
