Chapter Four- Away in a manger

The twins and I were allowed to go home on the 20th of December, three days after they were born. Our first port of call was Keira and Matthew's apartment on the edge of London, to pick up Anthony and Felicity.

Pulling up, we could see two little faces peering down from the window on the second floor. Dan waved up at Tony and Fliss and they waved back, smiling widely. Dan took Willow out and I carried Tom and together, we made our way up to Keira's flat. When we got up there, Keira had opened the door already and Fliss was stood in the doorway.

"Mummy! Mummy! You're back!" she called, almost bouncing.

I smiled, "I'm back and we've brought Willow and Thomas too!"

"I know!" she beamed, "I'm so excited!"

"Fliss, honey, why don't you let Mummy and Daddy in and then maybe they will let you have cuddles on the sofa before you head home?" said Keira, steering her in the direction of the living room.

"Ok." And she ran off into the living room.

"Welcome home!" smiled Keira, giving her brother a hug before looking down at the tiny human in his arms. "Is this Willow?" she asked, smiling.

"Yep, all 5lb 4oz of her!" he smiled proudly, "and Abi has Thomas!"

Keira squealed quietly, "Now please tell me, you two are done breeding. I don't think I can take any more cuteness!"

I laughed, "You're ok, Keira. I promise, no more kids."

"Yeah," added Dan, smiling at his sister, "It's your turn next kiddo. I want some nieces and nephews!"

Keira swatted him gently on the arm and poked her tongue out. She led Dan and I into her living room. You could tell our kids had been round. Keira had her Christmas tree up in front of her window that led to a small balcony. Her Disney plushies had been moved from their usual arrangement on the smaller sofa to the floor, not doubt by my daughter. There were colouring pages and superheroes scattered all over the floor.

"Sorry about the mess!" said Matthew, smiling from the floor where he had previously been engaged in a battle between Spiderman and Iron Man with Tony.

"It's ok! I'm sure our house will look exactly like this in a bit." Smiled Dan, perching on the edge of the sofa. Fliss shuffled over and looked at her sleeping sibling.

"She's so small!" she gasped.

"You were this big once," smiled Dan, looking at his eldest daughter, "Maybe even smaller because you were very early."

Fliss smiled up at him, "I had to go in an incu- incutabator when I was a baby!"

"An incubator!" smiled Anthony, who had also gone to have a look at his new baby sister. I crept in and sat on the other sofa.

"That's what I said…" muttered Fliss.

"Just in time for Christmas," smiled Anthony, "I couldn't have asked for a better present!"

"Good cause we're going to need all hands on deck with two newborns in the house!" I said.

Anthony looked up, "Hello, Mum! When did you come in?"

I smiled, "Not too long after your dad did. You were busy with Uncle Matthew, which was fine."

"Is it true Thomas was born in the car?" he asked, coming over, "That Daddy had to deliver him?"

I nodded, "He just couldn't wait to come into the world!"

"That's good then," smiled Anthony, gently stroking the side of his face, "I couldn't wait to meet him. And I am glad that I have a little brother. I would have been happy with two sisters, but I like having a brother. I'll have someone else to play superheroes with!"

"I play superheroes with you!" said Fliss, indignantly.

"Yeah, but you get bored after about five minutes!"

"That's because they're fighting all the time!"

"They're superheroes, that's what they are meant to do!"

"But it's silly fighting all the time. Why not just sit down and talk about things?"

"Because that would be boring!" he sighed.

"No it wouldn't!" argued Fliss.

"Yeah, it would!"

"Wouldn't!"

"Enough!" said Dan, smiling. "Can't you just agree to disagree on this matter?"

"But Dad…" moaned Anthony.

"That's enough, son." Dan said, firmly and Anthony got the message.

"Look, why don't you help Aunty Keira and Uncle Matthew tidy up. You need to put all The Avengers somewhere safe to make sure they get home ok."

"Fliss, help Aunty Keira put the colouring away please." Smiled Dan. Fliss looked unwilling, her gaze focused on Willow.

Dan smiled, "It's ok. Willow isn't going anywhere. You'll get plenty of hugs at home and forever ok? Now please help Aunty Keira to tidy up."

Fliss sighed and walked over to where the pile of colouring books was and started to help put them away.

Half an hour later, we had packed all four kids in the car and headed home. We put the twins straight in the nursery and settled down in the living room and spent some quality time with our eldest kids. We ordered pizza for tea (neither Dan or I fancied cooking) and we watched The Greatest Showman.

Before we knew it, Christmas Day was upon us. We had offered to host, and kept to that offer despite having the twins. John had offered to come over in the morning to help Dan and soon the whole Watson clan was round. Amber curled up in the armchair, doing some of her GCSE revision (she had mocks after Christmas), Joe and Anthony went to his room to swap football cards and make up their own teams or something like that and Fliss and Rosie sat and played with some of Fliss' toys that she had got from Father Christmas. Mary sat next to me on the sofa, having cuddles with Tom.

The next load of family to arrive were Dad and Molly. Hamish bounded straight upstairs to find the boys, Chris curled next to Amber and read the book he had brought and Molly put Lily in the playpen to lie on her tummy. We called the men in from the kitchen and the boys from upstairs and did some present exchanging. Needless to say, the kids were all thrilled with what they had been given and soon were wanting to play with their presents. I was in the middle of undoing a play mobile set for Anthony when the doorbell went. It was Greg, Mycroft, Phoebe, Emma and Rory. They were followed by Keira and Matthew and Mollie and James with little Noah. We did some more opening of presents and left the kids to go play. Willow and Thomas made their way around their adult relatives.

"Mum and Keira, will you be Willow's godmothers?" I asked, smiling at them.

"Of course I will!" squealed Keira, "I get to be a fairy godmother to my beautiful baby niece!"

"I'd be honoured, you know I will!" smiled Mum.

"And Mollie, Phoebe and Greg, will you be Thomas' godparents?" asked Dan, looking at his sisters and stepfather.

"Sure thing bro!" smiled Mollie, snuggling little Thomas (she had hold of him at that time).

"I will!" smiled Phoebe, "Thank you for asking me!"

"I'd love to. I have beautiful grandchildren. More than I could ever have asked for!"

"How many do you have now?" I asked Greg, smiling.

"Well let's see. You and Dan have four children, Johnny and Emily have two with the third on the way so that'll be seven and Sally and Johnny have three currently but I cant see them slowing down any time soon. So I'd say I have ten amazingly wonderful grandchildren and maybe more on the way!"

"Please don't be looking at me just yet, Dad!" sighed Phoebe, "I want to make it through university first!"

"So, you're not going to be like Sally then?" I asked, teasingly.

"Hell no!" she smiled.

"You know, I don't think I will ever forget the day Sal told me she was pregnant. She was fifteen years old, about to sit her GCSE exams and she comes into the living room, holding a pregnancy test." Said Greg, "I know she said it was an accident and little Sarah is perfect but there's are part of me that thinks she was acting out after her mother died. I mean, she left home and everything!"

"But look at her now!" I smiled, "She's already Detective and she's only 28."

"I know! I couldn't be more proud. And my youngest, at Cambridge University studying Religion and Politics!"

Phoebe blushed.

"I still can't believe it, you know." Said Dan, smiling, "It only seems like five minutes ago we were all school kids and the most important thing to us was our exams. And now, I'm married to a beautiful woman, have four amazing children and the best family anyone could ask for."

And Dan was right. I would not have believed anyone if they had told me this is what my life was going to be like. My family may not be perfect, but whose is. And when I think back to when I was 12 and had just moved in to 221B Baker Street, everything just seems like one big gift that I have been slowly unwrapping for 20 odd years. And it has been 26 years. I'm 28 now. It's almost as if I blinked and I made it to 28, a qualified midwife, mum of four. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

It just goes to show that family doesn't have to be blood. Family can be anyone.

Family.

It really is special.

THE END