Pictures On A Crooked Wall

Alina Juniper Petrovskii || 24 Mother || Big Sister English || Russian || ASL Black Belt (martial) || Blue Belt (kick) Exotic Dancer || Escort "I don't have time to worry about who doesn't like me; I'm too busy loving the people who love me."

[alinaxpetrovskii]

jackfitzgerald:

Jack bit the inside of his cheek and looked down. It went against everything in his body to refer to a woman he’d just met as anything but ma’am. Especially one that was so trying. With the people he was comfortable with, he would use their first name, nothing else. But he was far from comfortable with Alina. But he clenched his jaw and reminded himself to pick his battles. He didn’t want to take the chance of her disappearing on him, losing his daughter for good. “Fine.” The word dragged reluctantly from his mouth, as much as he felt like he was losing a much bigger battle than just what he would be calling her. 

His eyes snapped up when she went off again. This, no. He couldn’t take that from her, he wouldn’t. Bright blue eyes turned a darker shade. “I ain’t perfect, Alina. That is what I say, and regardless of whether or not I try not to, I will say ma’am on occasion. There is no stopping myself from using it without thinking about it. Imagine if I came marching in here and told you not to use a single Russian word, only ever speak in English around me. It’s not something you can just turn off.” She had to understand that. But her last sentence snapped something inside of him. He took a step forward, head raising and drawing himself up to his full height. “You will not keep me from daughter after you’ve already kept her away for over a year. If you try to stop me from seeing her, I will fight you.” He didn’t care what she had on her side. That would not fly with him. 

He didn’t like the way she was ordering him around. He understood that she had been the one to raise Katerina up till now, but she wasn’t only her child still. He thought he deserved a little more respect being her father, and he knew from experience with family that a child could sleep just as well on a chest as they could in their crib. Yet swallowing his protest again, he walked rather stiffly to the crib and laid Katerina down, taking a moment to make sure she was laying right and nothing was under her. He straightened back up and looked at Alina. “Let’s speak.”

"Thank-you." The words were oddly sincere. "I do not say these words often.." Which was probably quite obviously true, due to just her clear as day personality. Where was Ginger when she needed her? Her friend was so good at these kinds of things. "Do you even listen to what I say?" If her children hadn't been around, she'd be going off on this man, that was for sure. "I did not say I would stop you from seeing her. Net. I said I do not wish for that earlier - pay attention. I said you would not be welcome in my home if you call me this. I have my reasons."

Jack was infuriating, and Alina didn't know if she could deal with him much longer. Of course, it did help to remember she was even more infuriating, and she apparently chose the one man who actually wanted to be part of his child's life, to not tell. "And she will be eleven months on the tenth - not over a year. Her birthday is January tenth. She was born at eleven forty-one in the morning though emergency c-section." Alina loked down at her tiny girl, smiling as she put a blanket over her a little. "She was three pounds, seven ounces - born at only twenty-nine weeks. She scared the hell out of me.." Gently rubbing her back she stepped away from the crib so Jack would see her a moment more, and then headed back out. "We can talk outside."

She made her way into the yard and sat down around the table out there, running a hand through her hair. "You may now yell quietly." When she made eye contact with Jack outside, she spoke those words - she didn't want her boys knowing anything was up, but he had to get his anger out, or they'd get nowhere.

[alinaxpetrovskii]

drcarterbenson:

Carter had been sitting at the table next to the family in the diner. When he looked up and saw they’d left and left a small toy behind he’d told the waitress, not to his surprise the waitress really didn’t seem that interested in going that extra mile to help out. Throwing down far more money than was due he got up, grabbed the stuffed dog and made a dash out into the street to try and track them down. If it wasn’t for the crying he wouldn’t even know where to look first and would have been out there for a while looking for them. “It’s no problem. I see enough kids lose it everyday over lost toys and animals, if I can save a kid from a meltdown and a parent from having to listen to them than it’s my good deed for the day,” he said with a soft chuckle.

"Do you work with kids?" Alina asked offhandedly, trying to not be rude to the stranger who just saved her from having to deal with a very upset little girl. The same little girl who was hugging that stuffed dog tightly like she was apologizing to him. "Oi! Ne tak blizko k doroge!" She frowned, shaking her head softly as her boys gave her an innocent look and backed up from the curb to continue their sword fight with invisible swords - being more cautious about the road and people now.

"Mama." The little girl was clutching onto and tugging at Alina's pant leg, her other tiny, gloved hand, reaching and grabbing to be picked up, speaking the word 'up,' though in Russian.

She picked her little girl up and blew a raspberry on her cheek, causing her to shriek in giggles. She spoke softly to her in Russian, the word 'thank-you' coming out of her mouth after the Russian word for it. The small girl attempted to say what her mother prompted, but it wasn't all that understandable.

[alinaxpetrovskii]

jackfitzgerald:

“I’ve been told I am.” He replied, any hint of humor gone from his voice. She was acting as though he had run off on her, as though he had chosen to leave her alone with all of her children, much less just the one. But he didn’t deserve it, he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong. A one night stand wasn’t like him, certainly, but he hadn’t known the consequences and he had never seen her after. “I picked up on what Kovboy meant. Where I come from, women expect to be called ma’am, because it is a sign of respect. My ma would just about hit me into next week if I didn’t use that, so it’s old hat to me. A bit more ingrained in me than a nickname from one night, so how’s about you respect me and my traditions. It ain’t meant as a disrespect, it’s just the opposite. It’s what I do.” His jaw set stubbornly, shoulders filling out. It was rare that he got set on something, but when he did, there was no changing his mind. 

“The cow did it one night. You don’t have a doggone clue what kind of work I do, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell me it ain’t worth nothing. I’ve put away a pretty penny with that work, and I’ll be putting that towards a college fund for Katarina. Surely that at least will give you some respect for it.” Again, there wasn’t much to rile him up. But ranching had been in his family for generations, and his brother had died to give him his ranch. He couldn’t stand to hear it talked about like it was some weekend resort when he’d watched countless ranches die back home, countless good people work themselves into an early grave, breaking their back on their ranch. 

“I don’t know what kind of Bullfrogs you’ve got in Russia, but where I come from, they can’t learn to read and I doubt they care much to listen. Just a sayin’ ma’am.” He was using ma’am without even thinking about it, the word slipping off of his tongue like an old habit. He followed her around the house, slowly growing accustomed to the little thing in his arms and the rise and fall of her chest against him. He figured out a little bounce, and there was a steady shake of his head when she asked if he wanted to put her down. “Not a chance.”

"I respect you call most that - but you need to respect to not call me that." She was getting worked up, herself, not understanding why it was so difficult to just use her name. She couldn't stand it, and so when the point came where Jack started going on about ranches, it was toned out; it's what she did best, really. He wasn't at all listening to her not wanting to be called Ma'am, so she didn't feel like she owed him anything to listen to whatever sob story he was telling about some ranch and a cow or two.

Then he did it again, and Alina wanted to punch him - she wanted to throw something against a wall and scream and quite honestly..strangle him, too. Instead, she turned to him with a clenched jaw, a clenched fist, and watered down eyes. "If you have the slightest ounce of decency to you, you will never call me that again." Her voice cracked, it making her feel like work did, and she refused to feel that in her own home. "I will ask you to leave if you do."

When Alina turned back around from setting up the crib, she couldn't help the soft smile forming on her features as she watched Jack with their daughter. "You are learning to read. But unfortunately, it was not optional. She needs to go down for her nap - and we need to speak. I was asking if you wished to put her in the crib, yourself. She will be awake in about an hour and a half - you can see her, then." What Alina didn’t mention, was he only had about a half hour at that point, because she needed to pick kids up from school. He’d be welcome to stay, it would just be interrupted.

[alinaxpetrovskii]

jackfitzgerald:

It was disorienting, how quickly she changed speeds. One minute she’d hidden the existence of a daughter from him for..an entire year? The next she was informing him of holidays spent together and how they would approach raising her. “Look, I get that you’ve had a lot of time to deal with having a kid. But up till about two minutes ago, I was a childless bachelor. You’re gonna have to give me another two minutes or so fore’ I can get into the plan making part and get everything right.” If she expected him to be perfect, she’d better prepare to be disappointed. 

“Now hold on just a cotton-pickin’ minute. This ain’t about who’s handing who what. I ain’t no sissy city boy, but that ain’t what this is about. So settle down little mustang, we’ll come to an agreement without things coming to blows.” He was starting to get a headache now. “I say ma’am. You get your Russian words and you call me Kovboy, I get to say ma’am. That’s how I was raised.” She wasn’t the first person to try to stop him from that. But there were some things that he just wasn’t going to give up for anyone. The things that felt proper to him, that his parents had put in his head since before he could walk, those weren’t going anywhere. 

“Now I ain’t trying to downplay raising eight kids, but there ain’t nothing about a ranch that’s child’s play. I was up eight hours last night delivering a calf, then I went and worked about five hours, checked on the new calf, then headed into town and bought whole bunch of supplies to take back and work all afternoon. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell me that ain’t worth nothing. That ain’t easy either.”

Everything else fled his mind though, when she put the sleeping girl in his arms. He wasn’t sure how to hold his hands, or where to support her, but he did the best he could, barely even hearing her talk in the background as he stared down at her daughter. At his daughter. This had to be the mark of his world changing, and whatever chaos it brought, he was confident that it would be for the better. He followed her inside, watching her send her boys out before following her again to the nursery and standing uncomfortably. “I feel about as out of place as a bullfrog at a book club.”

"Then you better be a fast learner. Did you just say cotton picking?" Alina had just had a way of doing things since before she could really remember having an actual childhood. It didn't at all help that she was stubborn about basically everything. And had to actually try to not laugh at him for the unusual phrase. "For someone who claims he is a gentleman or whatever you call yourself, you are not very respectful. I ask you to not call me this, and yet you insist on doing so. I will not respond to it. And you will not be welcome in my house if you keep calling me that. My name is Alina - use it. Not Ma'am or Miss or- I have a name. And Kovboy is a nickname. It means Cowboy." Of course, it wasn't his fault that he didn't know any better, but as an escort, she got into some pretty intense things, and being called Ma'am was certainly one of them.

"You spent eight hours one night up? I am sure that is so difficult - imagine how that cow must feel." That was all she said about it. She wasn't about to explain she was up nearly all night around six nights of the week, then had things to do all day and still be conscious and awake enough to really care for the kids and be present in their lives.

"You have a cow, Mr. Jack!?" Alina softly hushed both her boys, who said something similar at the same time, and they automatically apologized in Russian.

Alina paused, waiting to see if Katerina would raise her head from against the man's chest, and was happy to see she remained sleeping - it also had a bonus of shutting Jack up, which was also lovely. "A bullfrog could learn to read - or be read to." She let Jack hold Katerina while she asked her boys something once they got in, and then set them up at the table when they had their answer. She decided to cut them up an apple each before putting Katerina down, just so Jack could hold her longer, and set a kitchen timer to an hour.

Motioning for him to follow, she took him to the nursery, not bothering with turning the light on as she made her way to the crib, setting the stuffed puppy in it. "You may put her down, if you would like."

[alinaxpetrovskii]

jackfitzgerald:

“Well you can prepare to find yourself surprised. I ain’t going anywhere, that ain’t how I was brought up. Even if I didn’t want to, which I do, I would stick around because that’s the decent thing to do.” He told her, a hand running down his face. Okay, he could understand that fear. The wanting to protect her own. But that didn’t make it any easier to deal with, anymore fair for him. 

“Our kid.” He repeated, the word leaving his tongue somewhat unsurely. Saying our made it feel a little more like they were a couple, which felt off to him. He’d met her only once before, and that night was early two years earlier now. But whatever would make her more comfortable for the moment. He didn’t want her to think he was trying to take anything away from her, he knew he wasn’t capable of taking care of a child on his own. But he wasn’t about to just walk away either, or let her leave with his child. 

His hands went up at her protest, a resigned look on his face. He should have known better and he should have had more self control than that. “I’m only human, ma’am. I just found out a rather life-changing fact, don’t suppose you could cut me some slack for not handling everything just right.” He asked her, eyebrows raising as he looked at her, his most unsure eyes, full of hope at least, that she wouldn’t hold it against him. 

He nodded, swallowing again as the truth sank in. He was nothing but a stranger to his own daughter. She was nothing but a stranger to him. “Yes ma’am.” His voice was a little more hoarse now, less surety in it. “You should know, I ain’t the type of man to walk away. I’ll do just about anything you tell  me to, but I’ve got a ranch to take care of. Figure we oughta reach something of a compromise.” He reasoned, climbing into the car next to her. 

"Da. We do not have to be anything, but she is ours all the same. She will not grow up with two families - but one. It does not matter if you like me or I like you. At the end of the day, holiday's and special events will especially be done together. Family. It is what is important." Too many children had two Christmas' and thought they were lucky, but Alina didn't see it as such. Just because Katerina had a Mama and Papa that weren't together, it didn't mean that she had to grow up seeing that kind of separation.

"Better. Do not let it happen again - I am more than capable of literally handing you your you know what." She understood anger better than Jack would of known, she imagined. But she wouldn't tolerate another outburst as such again. "And knock it off with that Ma'am nonesense. My name is Alina." Her jeep was a standard, and putting it into gear, she began to drive. "A ranch? I have eight kids to raise on my own." She didn't even look at him for his reaction, honestly having stopped caring what people thought of her when she said that a long time ago. "A ranch is child play to this. My schedule." She was no longer alone in raising Katerina, but that brought up a few more issues. If Jack even stuck around.

Arriving at the house, she parked her jeep beside the family SUV that would of promptly fit the entire family. She handed the boys the keys to the house and they raced to see who got to open the door. "Here." She took off her overshirt and draped it across his one shoulder before pulling Katerinaout of the car seat carefully - she was sleeping - and placing her in Jack's arms. "She knows my scent." It was why she settled the child onto her sweater on Jack, so she didn't stir from the unfamiliar. It was a show of..good faith, so to speak. She had no intentions on keeping Jack from her - but that didn't mean she wasn't about to be extremely difficult and stubborn.

 Upon entering the house, she shushed her boys, crouching and speaking to them in Russian, giving them an option. They thought this over for some time before deciding and Alina locked the door behind Jack and held up a finger for him to wait. It took just over five minutes, but she didn't think Jack would mind. "Follow." She lead him to her nursery, and got the crib ready for the little child to be put in. The house itself, though wasn’t dirty by any means, or a mess - showed obvious signs that many people probably lived here, and some things were just picking battles.

[alinaxpetrovskii]

jackfitzgerald:

It took a moment to process the word, whether he knew what it meant or not. He swallowed, unable to tear his eyes away from the girl in her arms. He wanted to reach out and take her, hold her in his arms, but he somehow got the feeling she might just cut his fingers off if he tried to do that. He just had to process that he had a daughter with his arms hanging listlessly at his sides, staring at her and wishing he could come up with the right thing to say. With anything to say. He swallowed hard. Then another thought crossed his mind and he tensed a bit, anger hitting him. She hadn’t told him he had a daughter. She had kept him from something was precious. 

“Like hell we’ll see.” He said, voice a little more hard now. He wanted to stay respectful while her boys were there, but he couldn’t help the frustration as she seemed just as set on keeping him out of his child’s life. “If you think I’m walking away, you’ve got another think coming.” He warned her, eyes hard and determined. 

He looked over at the boy that spoke, the look on his face softening a bit, a crooked smile taking the place of the thin line that had been his mouth. “I’ll play whatever you like, so long as you give me and your momma a little time to talk. That alright with you, kiddo?” He asked, nodding as she sent them off to play. He watched them go at first, working on forming words before he turned back to her. Of course he wasn’t even close to prepared for the words that left her mouth. 

Jack fell into step beside her, long stride keeping pace with her without struggle, without any hesitation. “Yes I wish to talk, you think I’m just gonna let you walk off with my kid?” He said, finally letting his frustration bleed into his tone. “Katerina…” He practically breathed her name, all the tenseness leaving his body as he was brought back to the little girl who apparently had a name. More than ever, he wanted to reach out to her, as if to prove to himself hat she was real. He merely nodded at the next words, figuring he could try to wrap his head around all of that later. But as she kept going, his shoulders rose again, face darkening. “Now listen here, don’t you be acting like I walked out on you. I ain’t done nothing wrong here, you was the one to not tell me I had a daughter. I fully intend to go with you, ain’t no question about that. But I don’t need you acting like I’m some kind of deadbeat who can’t be trusted or doesn’t want nothing to do with you. This here situation, this is on you. You should’a told me.”

"You misunderstand - I do not wish for you to walk away. I just have my doubts that you will not." Alina refused for him to believe she'd prevent him from seeing his daughter. Okay.. so she didn't tell him and maybe she should of. And even if it wasn't an escuse, she did have her own reasons that made sense at least. Her eyes stared back at his; eyes of a protective mother.

Aleksei said 'okay' in Russian, which was probably because he was excited; Alina taught them that speaking Russian in front of someone who didn't understand was rude, and mostly, they were good. But they were still more fluent in Russian and it was what was spoken at home, so they slipped up. They were only seven. "Net - our kid." There was great emphasis on 'our' because as much as Alina used that word, she wanted it through his head that Katerina was hers, too. It stemmed from the fear that he'd try and take her child from her.

She stopped walking and positioned her back to her boys for a moment, a finger gently tapping Jack's chest. "Net." She spoke rather firmly. "You do not get to do this in front of my kids. You wish to be angry, da? It can wait." And that was the end of that as she continued walking, catching up to her boys who waited at the corner for her, then turned to walk towards the parking lot, though dind't venture into it on their own.

"Katerina is like Dmitri - she is cautious around strangers. And it is time for her nap, so it would not be a good start. If you are willing to wait, you may hold her when she wakes up - I imagine this is something you really wish to do? But only if we come to an agreement, da? I am not unreasonable, Kovboy. I would like to work with you if possible. Not against you." Alina always did it on her own, and it wasn't in her instinct to need another; to trust another. But she wanted her daughter to have a father, she really did. So putting Katerina in the car seat in the back of her four door, green jeep wrangler, and her boys hopped in the back, too. Getting in the front, she put her belt on and waited for Jack to get in, as well.

[alinaxpetrovskii]

bashtanner:

If there was anything Bash understood, especially as a single parent to two young children it was that there were just certain things kids loved and as a parent you needed them to survive which was why when he saw the woman leave the cafe and the toy was left in the booth he had rushed out of the cafe to keep up with her, seeing the unsettled child he instantly knew the dog belong the little girl. Holding it out he looked up giving the obviously stressed mom a small smile. “Oh no worries, god knows what would have happened if you lost this little fella for good.”

Alina smiled to her daughter and kissed her cheek, wiping her tears. She then held out her hand for the dog, and her words were all in Russian, but the child handed the stuffed animal over before using her version of the right Russian words for 'please' and 'thank-you' and Alina handed the stuffed animal back right away, leaving the tiny eleven month old happy. Picking her daughter up, she used the end of her sleeve to wipe under her eyes and nose. She asked if it was all better and the little girl nodded. She personally didn't care if the other thought it was gross that she used her sleeve for that, but it was a parent thing.

"She does say thank-you. And sorry for grabbing - what she grasps about it, at least." She'd be eleven months old on the tenth, so she grasped what Mama meant and what brothers meant; play, please, thank-you, sorry - smaller words and phrases like that. And she grasped that it wasn't okay to grab things.

"Mama!" A blonde little boy of around seven came running up, followed by his brother, and he began in Russian, stopping and looking at the stranger his mother was talking to, then switched to English. "Look! The toy store's got the Christmas stuffs out! Can we? Please, Mama? Please?"

Alina ran a hand through her sons hair, and laughed as Aleksei tried to 'fix' it afterwards, a drawn out 'mammaaaaa' leaving his lips. The other one with hair just like his mother's, only smiled when the same thing was done to him. "The dentist did say you had such nice teeth, da?" She gave a smile to them that was usually a rare sight to see othersise, and turned back to the other. "I am not sure I would of gotten her to sleep for the next month if she did not have Nok."

[alinaxpetrovskii]

jackfitzgerald:

His brow only furrowed deeper as he tried to do the math in his head. He wasn’t sure if it fit or not, and her ability to skirt around he subject without being upfront about it was beginning to frustrate him. Yet at the same time, he didn’t want to be too forward in front of her children, her boys obviously old enough they would understand too much. “Does that mean what I think it does?” He asked, finally finding his voice again, staring at her like he could convince her with his look alone to be honest with him. He didn’t know if she would or not. He couldn’t remember much of her, terrible as that sounded to him now. But none of that had been like him to do. 

His eyes drifted back to the child, to the boys moving with her. Another thought occurred to him, and his eyes shot down to check her left hand, but he didn’t see a ring. Relief swept over him. He didn’t think he could’ve handled it if she had been married on top of all of it. He found himself meeting the child’s eyes, swallowing as a little something unknown stirred inside. It felt like he was staring into his brother’s eyes, the same exact shade of blue. No, there was no question now, and he was dumbstruck all over again. 

His eyes flicked back down to the boys, taking a moment to process their question, and another one to process her response. “I ain’t going anywhere, I can tell you that much.” He said, stubbornness bleeding through in his tone, the words directed at her even as he looked down at her children. “And as a matter of fact, I do enjoy a good game of catch. Maybe I can play one or two with you at some point.” He straightened up again, squaring his shoulders and doing his best to look her in the eyes. “I figure we oughta talk a bit.”

There was one thing for sure - Jack wasn't a complete idiot, and had a decent amount of respect. At least, that's what she picked up on with how he was handling it around her children. He could be going off the handles about how she didn't tell him about Katerina. "Da." She finally answered with a small nod of her head, and it was clear her eyes were trying not to line with tears, especially as she placed a lingering kiss to the top of her child's head. Katerina was half asleep, lazily playing with Mama's hair and tightly still hanging onto the stuffed dog.

"We will see about this." It wasn't a threat by any means, and the tone in her voice was more the absence of hope than anything aggressive. They all left.

"Can.. we play soccer? Not catch?" Dmitri finally spoke up from beside his mother, insisting on holding her hand as he still looked cautiously up at Jack. He was a huge Mama's boy, where his brother was more so opposite and had no problem talking to people he didn't know.

"Mr. Jack can play soccer another time, moi malen'kiye lyudi. Mama has to talk to him about some things." She crouched and kissed Dmitri's hand before letting it go and adjusting the hat on her child's head. "You know the rules, hmm?" She smiled at them and nodded her head forward and they shouted out in unison and ran a ways ahead, making sure they were never farther than a street light ahead of their mother and also never crossing without her, either. She began to walk, having a feeling Jack would just follow.

"If you wish to talk, you work on my schedule. Follow - or do not." She kept an eye on her boys, who she watched intensely as they found a puppy, mostly making sure it looked like they asked before petting; they did. It gave Alina a moment to turn to Jack. "Her name is Katerina Ginger.." Her eyes searched his, trying to pick a read up on him, the girl looking up at her mother at the sound of her name a moment before going back into her world. "She is spoken to only in Russian, so she does not know English cues.." Another glance at her boys who were in their own universe, but still close enough. "I will ask you one question, Kovboy. If your answer is even unsure, you will stay put on the sidewalk and not follow and we will deal with this another time. But if yo wish to be part of your daughter's life - my jeep is parked around the corner. I do not care what your day looked like before; it will be mine now. I assure you my day is not as easy to move around. My schedule; my terms; my rules. For now. Da?"

[alinaxpetrovskii]

jackfitzgerald:

He practically didn’t hear the words coming from her mouth anymore. Normally he would have had some quip ready about how Wilmington seemed like a big city compared to the town he’d grown up in, but nothing came to mind to say to her. He eyebrows furrowed silently, looking at her and silently asking the questions he couldn’t figure out how to form out loud. He was trying to do the math as he was looking at the child and as far as he knew, the numbers were matching up in his head. 

Kovboy. That was where that accent, those words sounded familiar. His eyes shut for a brief moment, accepting that she was exactly who he thought she was. He watched almost numbly as the little girl moved away to play her brothers, unsure of how to feel or what to think. All he could do was look at her now, wondering. Was it rude to ask? Was it worse to assume? He didn’t see much other choice, dragging his eyes back to the annoyed woman standing in front of him. “She’s… How old is she?” He finally managed, figuring he could take it from there and figure it out. He knew one thing for certain, he wouldn’t be moving an inch until he knew the truth for certain, and if she tried to walk away, he would be following. 

That question - it meant he was putting things together. Or at least, he thought he was. He was correct about it, and Alina wouldn't be able to lie to him. He wasn't an idiot, and she wasn't that cruel. She may of not told him, but she wouldn't lie to him about it. But a direct question about it wasn't there, so she didn't have to give a direct answer. "She is almost one year." Perhaps those two months of being born prematurely would knock any ideas out of Jack's head - but then again, there was no mistaking who she got her eyes from. Most mother's would give an exact age for their children, but she didn't need him clicking it together sooner than he was about to.

She looked over to see her boys walking over to them - Dmitri was holding her hand and following Aleksei who was basically making sure none of the big people walking along stepped on little Katie Kat. The little girl was a little pouty and once she got to Alina, she raised her arms again, the hand holding the dog rubbing at one of her eyes. She cooed at the child in Russian as she picked her up and gave her a kiss on her cheek, and the girl instantly snuggled into her, big eyes looking curiously at the stranger that Mama was still talking to for some reason.

"Hi. Are you Mama's friend? 'Cause you're new. Do you like catch?" That was Aleksei; always the outgoing one.

"Net. Jack is just going, dikaya veshch'. He does not have time to play. And we need to get home to put Katie Kat to bed, da?" She side eyed him, wondering - hoping - he'd accept it and leave. "Thanks again for bringing the dog." Her free hand gently ran through Dmitri's hair who studied Jack just as Katerina was, but at the curiosity level of a seven year old - and she began to walk, honestly feeling a little guilty, but no man in her life ever proved to stick around, and she wasn't going to give Jack the chance to flake out. At least, that's how she justified it. Still, she wasn’t able to look him in the eyes.

[alinaxpetrovskii]

jackfitzgerald:

Jack waited patiently, a lopsided sort of smile on his face as he observed the family. He’d never felt too much of a need to start one of his own, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate watching kids play, or watching a mother with her child. The language, that he didn’t recognize, though there was something oddly familiar about it. He just couldn’t put his finger on where or when he had heard it before. Then, he’d met a lot of people and been a lot of places. It wasn’t the first time he’d had an indiscernible sense of deja vu. 

He figured everything was alright, nodding at the little girl as she appeared to be saying something to him. Then he looked up at the mother, and she had a look on her face like she had just seen a ghost. He could tell she was trying to cover it, which only confused him more. “You know, you look mighty familiar..” He mused, half to himself as he looked a little closer. “She’s just fine. You’re quite welcome little lady.” He said, briefly addressing his attention to the child before turning it back to the woman, eyes narrowing. There were glimpses of her in a bar, music playing. But that didn’t seem to fit. Then it clicked into place and he felt the blood drain from his face. His gaze dropped to the child once again, and back to the woman’s face, mouth trying to form words. No. No, that couldn’t be it. “Are you….” He wasn’t sure how to even ask her. 

Katerina began to play with her mother's hair, her other hand holding tightly to the stuffed animal as she rested her head on her shoulder. For eleven months old, she looked younger; smaller. Which probably had to do with the fact that she was born two months early. "It is a small town, what do you expect, net?" She hoped he didn't put the pieces together, but she felt pretty safe that he wouldn't. That was until, his face drained of colour, as well, and she could practically hear the gears turning in his head. Especially when he side eyed her child. Their child.

Alina felt saved when Aleksei ran up, also using the word 'Mama' and asking something in Russian, Dmetri hanging back at the bench. That's when she whispered something in Katerina's ear and the girl smiled and nodded, only really understanding the word 'brothers' and 'play' mostly. Alina set her down and Aleksei brought her carefully over to play with Dmetri - the boys had become like knights to their little princess of a sister and Alina not once questioned Katerina's safety with them. Turning back to Jack, her face void of any amusement at all. "Annoyed? Da. If there is nothing else, I would like to continue on with my day, Kovboy." Of course, that’s what she called him the night in the bar, too, and certainly knew the moment the word left her lips that she shouldn’t of used it.

[alinaxpetrovskii]

jackfitzgerald:

Jack had spent the morning in town, and his truck was loaded up with supplies for the week that he figured would last a while. After getting a healthy lunch that he hadn’t cooked himself, he knew that he needed to head back. But instead he found himself walking around a bit and enjoying being around people, even if he wasn’t doing much interacting. At least, not until his boot stepped on something that didn’t match the rest of the sidewalk. He paused and reached down to pick up the little stuffed toy, eyes scanning the area to see if the owner was still nearby. Only a few feet ahead, a woman crouched with two children around her and a baby in her arms, and he could only assume that it belonged to her. He strode forward and held it out, nodding back at her. “Not a problem.”

Alina proceeded to ignore the man for a moment, merely holding up a finger to indicate for him to wait a moment. The only English resembling word that fell from her lips was 'ta-ta' as she held out the hand for the stuffed dog. The reluctant child pivoted the middle of her body to lean away from her mother, clutching the stuffed dog. It took a minute for Alina to get the stuffed dog from the young toddler, all while keeping an eye on her boys - playing some make believe game on the bench a few feet away.

She spoke to the girl in Russian again, before pointing to the man who brought the dog back. The little girl then spoke 'sorry' and 'thank-you' even if it was in Russian and slurred through the tongue of an eleven month old. It was then when Alina's face went white, forgetting to make sure Katerina asked for the dog back nicely and just handing the stuffed animal to her. She quickly stood, taking the child's hand and half stepping in front of her - so far relieved that the man didn't seem to recognize her. "She has said sorry and thanks you. She is still learning to not grab for her things - especially that dog." All she heard was a 'Mama' from the small child and felt a tug on her coat; 'vverkh' fell sloppily from her lips and reluctantly Alina prompted the word 'please' from her daughter in Russian before picking her up, though still trying to keep her body between the man and her- their, child. "You can get back to your day now. As will we."

[alinaxpetrovskii]

Alina's fraternal boys were only home from school that day because they had a dentist appointment - so they were just taking a walk after lunch, along with her eleven month old girl. Who was now crying, because she lost her stuffed animal, probably forgotten in the diner. She was trying to calm the girl down as best she could, and keep her boys from goofing off too much and getting hurt or knocking into somebody. She spoke in Russian to the child, wanting to calm her down before they went looking for the stuffed dog - the stuffed dog that some stranger was now holding out to the girl; Katerina grabbed for it, hugging it really tightly as Alina wiped the child's face of tears and snot quickly, looking up at the stranger from her crouched position. "Thanks."

[alinaxpetrovskii]

Enter Title Here || Alina&Renn

[hadleyrenn-blog]

“It’s also a job where no one even has the chance to touch me…” She whispered as her mode of defence. She became numb to the fact she took her clothes off after all this time because now nudity wasn’t a huge deal for her but if someone had the chance to physically reach out and grip her – well that made her feel  a little sick. “I don’t doubt the exercise…” She mumbled but she had the gym for that. And the roads around Luciole. She was also great at boosting egos as well because she knew how to talk to people to make them want more because they felt good. They felt like she wanted them when in fact she was repulsed. It was twisted but to Renn it was all it was. She loved the money and the physicality wasn’t the problem but the feelings were. The feelings of the people on the other end so to speak. “You raise good points. Even as a waitress but I really don’t think….” Her eyes dropped, wondering whether she was even considering this. It was scary to change but perhaps it also wasn’t suitable to remain. 

The commute wouldn’t bother her and she knew she’d be somewhat protect but emotional lack of safety could be just as damaging. Plus Vancouver was where bad things had happened in her less than savoury career. It was also where her parents were which was an unattached but also relative thought. She couldn’t. “I promise you that I will not whisper a word to a single soul.” She insisted and genuine honesty showed in her eyes. “I understand some of how this feels and these words of what you’ve said will never leave my lips.” She gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s a twisted kind of admiration I have for you though…doing all this for the wellbeing of your family. I know sort of how that feels but…” She pursed her lips, unsure where she was going. “But no one will ever know from me..”

[alinaxpetrovskii]

"This is true. It is something to wegh against the feeling, da?" Alina had never been worried about being touched, because she could down right kick some serious ass. It was something she use to have to worry about a lot, but since working at the club, she could honestly say she never needed the help of security. Of course, she could count on one hand the aount of times someone got too handsy, but she quickly broke a finger or nose. Nearly was fired for it, too - except she was too good at encouraging the people there to continue buying alcohol or food. And Alina was fairly certain her boss actually liked her attitude.  "Like I said - you think about it. But do not spend too much time, because you will need to take classes before. But if you wish to also learn to defend yourself, I can help there."

Overall, Alina was glad she approached Renn. "I will tell you what I tell my kids about new food - try it. If it is something you do not like, then you do not have to eat it again. If you do not try it, you can miss out. Your favourite food was once a food you did not try, da?" Despite not knowing the other woman, her words were assuring and brought her comfort. "Thank-you. And know I do not use those words often." She really didn't. "I just never wanted them to go through or remember what I had. This was how to do that. To give them everything." Natasha was old enough to remember; so was Irina, and Nikolai had a bit of recollection mostly because he was the one her step father struck the day she killed him. But the girls and Tatiana were too young and were always protected, so they hadn't a clue. "And know that know one will know from me about you, either. It is why I insisted on privacy. If you do choose to give this a try, I can line up our shifts for a little while. I can drive us there and back - an extra set of eyes making sure you are okay if it helps in your decision."

[alinaxpetrovskii]

Enter Title Here || Alina&Renn

[hadleyrenn-blog]

“Not clean.” She replied simply and then just left it there because it was the only truth she had to admit. This all went against everything Renn considered to be normal. Someone with a normal life was not offered prospects this sketchy by someone in a gym and rational people did not follow others in to strange cars. However in that moment she felt as if she had no other choice and she believed she could at least try and defend herself. It wasn’t even like she wanted to hear what the other woman had to say but once she was in the car she certainly heard a lot. She just listened, not knowing what to say or when to speak. The details didn’t shock her because she didn’t know the woman but they did move her a little. She was pregnant? Working as an exotic dancer? Caring for everyone? She knew it was partially the reason she’d started the webcam deal because she’d wanted to care for her parents.  The money sounded inviting but Renn made good money too for a few hours work. She never had to interact with her clients but when she had it made her feel sick. It had also made her feel very unsafe back in the first few years when someone had learnt….too much. But fucking three grand a night?! She breathed out heavily. She got the implications - the money, the lack of pride, the clients….and it all made her chest tighten a little. She knew life was fucking tough but this woman…. “Well…this is an odd type of thank you from me for the offer but…” She swallowed thickly and shook her head. “I think it’s an odd concept and it’s a little strong but the thought is there – I just don’t think I could even….look at the people I’d have to be in that club with.” 

[alinaxpetrovskii]

"Most people in that club are businessmen and women, so it is not so bad. But it is a job where you do not have to take your clothes off for other people." Okay, so what she did wear wasn't exactly covering, but Alina didn't mind showing off her body and tattoos in those cases. "The worst you do is sit with someone and inflate their ego, listen to their day and complaints. It is also good exercise." She shrugged, needlessly feeling the need to defend the fact she really didn't hate that part of her life. "I just know how it is I feel two nights a week. And every day in between. It is not a feeling I would wish on anyone. It is why I thought I would offer it to you as an alternative. Even if it is possibly only temporary. But even serving as a waitress there and the tips is quite the sum, net?"

She shrugged her shoulders, not use to being this genuine, but Renn understood what it was like. Alina personally had a scalding shower at the gym before she even got home after being with a client. "Depending on when it is I start to show, you will have one to two months to think about it. But you also need to know what you are doing there. It is also in Vancouver, so it is even more unlikely that the locals would attend. If it is your safety you are worried about, there is security there. But I could also teach you some things." If they could afford the expenses there, anyways. It took a couple years for Alina to get out of sketchy places with less 'class' (if a club like that could really have any, that was), but she got through it. She'd do anything for her family. That much was clear - just as it was clear she hated what she did. “You will not tell anyone? No matter your decision?” All it took was one person telling their close friend, and that close friend telling theirs and so on and so forth. She could handle the humiliation - but she had her kids (siblings included, because they were more or less hers) to think about. And they would be ridiculed; Alina wouldn’t tolerate that.

[alinaxpetrovskii]

Enter Title Here || Alina&Renn

[hadleyrenn-blog]

Renn furrowed her eyebrows a little. For a couple of seconds an image of Liam Neeson’s speech from Taken crossed her mind as Alina’s words resonated but she didn’t think it was the time to divulge this. “I get paid pretty well as it is…” She admitted and furrowed her eyebrows, figuring the woman may have guessed that if she already knew what she did. How did she know? Fuck. “Well I feel like I don’t have a choice about this conversation now and I really have been put off exercising…so fine..enlighten me. What else do I have to do, right?”

[alinaxpetrovskii]

"But how is it you feel after?" Alina questioned, thinking maybe she was wrong, and the girl had no shame in what she did. "Come." Alina pulled out her car keys and unlocked her four door jeep wrangler; blue. She got in the driver seat, though didn't turn the car on and waited for Renn. In which she then got to the point. "I work at a gentlemen's club as one of my jobs, as an exotic dancer. It is the job I do not mind, because of the security - and less assholes. However, to get a job, you have to be an experienced pole dancer. This place is not a sketchy strip club - trust me, I have been there." For the first time, she actually looked over to Renn.

"I am pregnant. In a couple months, I will not be able to dance for a while. It is time you can learn to pole dance. I would put in a word for you to take my spot. It is a temporary position, yes. But it could become more if you are good, net?" She looked down to her hands, voice becoming quieter. "I have to do things so I can take care of my family.. things I am not proud of, and do not advertise. I have two kids, a third on the way, and I am raising five of my six siblings. Three grand a night on average, two nights a week.. it kills me. But the dancer gig can be three hundred to even seven hundred a night. It does not feel..like it does after I have seen a client." She looked back up at Renn. "I thought perhaps you might prefer it to what you do now. That is all. I am not good with people, so you will have to excuse if I come off strong or cold."

[alinaxpetrovskii]

Enter Title Here || Alina&Renn

[hadleyrenn-blog]

Renn paid only a little attention the weight that Alina selected but she did focused on the motion of each rep, monitoring subconsciously the way she handled it. She knew her job was just to keep an eye on her but when Alina’s words hit her she had a very small wish for the weight to knock the words back in to her mouth. At first her mind clouded and then cleared to a haze. People were beginning to know more about her private life and even after facing it a few times it still made her hands clammy. The confusion was very clear on the woman’s face as she watched Alina sit up, her eyebrows up toward her hairline. “I’m not sure this is a conversation I want to have…last time someone approached me about it…well I don’t think I offered them the answers they wanted. Or whatever it is you want from me…”

[alinaxpetrovskii]

"I do not want answers from you, because I do not have questions for you." Alina stated simply. "I told you - I understand." She took a sip of her water, half studying the woman before her, taking her time before going on to tell Renn what she wanted from her; rather, what she could offer the other. "I am offering you an alternate job - one that still pays handsomely, but also one that does not bring those feelings about." Alina didn't think she had to specify which feelings she was talking about. "I will ask you one more time - do you wish to take this conversation somewhere private?"

[nick-ashford-blog]

“So what would happen if we put the Avengers on a ring against themselves? It would be catastrophic, considering they destroy New York every time they try to save New York, but who would win?”

[alinaxpetrovskii]

"Natasha. Bruce would not harm her, and he is really the only one to hold his own against Thor. If not Natasha, Thor." Why Alina had even made the time to watch those movies was beyond her, but she did enjoy them, as well as most things Marvel or DC, and they didn't displease. “But my hormones may play a part in my answer, too. Which means who can forget Captain America, net?”