So, I'm in the car on my three day drive back home from vacation, and inspiration struck. I actually got two story ideas, but I am starting with this one. Stay tuned for my new crossover of Sue Thomas FBEye and Bones (The Snipers in the FBI [title may change]), which I am hoping to post today or tomorrow in the Bones category as it seems to get more readers (I put it in the crossover category after it's finished).

This story is a continuation of my series involving Sue and her brothers, John, Billy, and Charlie, and I apologize for the tears I am most likely going to cause after this chapter.

He stood there, waiting. He had been asked to leave because she was in distress, and the not knowing what was going on was killing him. He paced. He sat with his head in his hands. He tapped his feet anxiously. He hassled the nurses until they ordered him to sit and stay until someone came for him. Finally, after what felt like hours, the doctor appeared in front of him. He looked up, and he didn't even need to hear the words come out of his mouth in order to know what had happened. His heart dropped like a stone. The doctor opened his mouth.

"I'm so sorry. Your wife...we lost her."

Nine Months Earlier

Sue was sitting on the bathtub waiting. She thought about the first time this had happened and how scared she had felt. This time, she felt excited. Jake was almost three, and she wanted him to have a sibling. Levi nosed his way into the bathroom and sat beside her, resting his head on her knee.

"We're going to find out very soon," Sue told him. She rubbed his head softly. Levi was getting up there, and she knew she didn't have many years left with him, but she chose not to think about it in that moment. She had told her brother, John, that she would be coming in late to work that day. She hadn't been feeling well lately, and when she missed her period, she knew something was up. Her phone vibrated, and she looked at it.

Thinking of you, Jack had written. She smiled. She hadn't told him about her potential pregnancy yet. She wanted to make sure first.

Now I'm thinking of you thinking of me, she wrote back.

I like thinking of you thinking of me thinking of you, was his reply. She laughed out loud.

I can do this all day, she replied.

Okay, Captain America, he joked back.

Sue looked at her pregnancy test then, and she saw what she was hoping to see. The plus sign.

...

Charlie was looking at his phone with one eye while keeping his other on his computer monitor. He was trying to work while reading Tess's updates about Grace being in school. She was in kindergarten now, and sometimes Charlie wondered just where the hell time went. Wasn't it just yesterday he was holding her as a newborn? Soon she'd be asking for the keys to his car. He couldn't deal with it.

"Hellooo," Billy's voice said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Huh?" Charlie asked, looking up.

"I said, do you want to get a coffee?" Billy repeated.

"Oh. Sure."

"John?"

John held up his coffee that he brought from home in his fancy, insulated ,mini thermos type coffee mug.

"I come prepared, boys," he answered.

"Show off," Billy said, throwing his pen at John's head. He ducked.

"Does Alexis know how bad your aim is?" John asked, his tone teasing.

"I have excellent aim when my target stands still," Billy retorted. He was on his feet and heading to the door with Charlie when Sue came in.

"Oh, hey," Billy said. "I thought you weren't coming in today?"

"I just took the morning off," she answered.

"Cool. Coffee?"

"Not today," she answered, going to her desk. Levi settled on the floor beside her chair, giving a big sigh.

"All right then, Charlie Boy, it's just you and me," Billy said. They left together. Billy was grateful his brother had forgiven him for the whole undercover stint he had pulled a few years ago and faking his death. They were tighter than ever now.

"So," John said, looking at Sue once the other two were gone. "Yes or no?"

"Yes or no what?" she asked. He made a face.

"Come on, sis. You barely eat, you look green around the gills, and you spend a lot of time in the bathroom, especially early in the morning. I'm not a doctor, but I think we both know what I'm asking you."

"Maybe I'm sick," Sue challenged, raising a brow.

"Uh huh, and I'm a Smurf," John responded. "So, am I going to be an uncle again or what?"

"I am not saying anything until I talk to Jack."

"That's a hard yes then," John grinned. He earned his second pen tossed at his head that day.

"Don't say anything," she ordered, pointing at him.

"I won't," he promised, holding his hands up.

"Knock, knock," Jack's voice said, making Levi nudge Sue's leg.

"Oh," Sue said, seeing him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on my way to work a case and thought I'd swing by and say hello," he said. "Also, Lucy will throttle me if I don't give you the book you wanted from her. It's been on my desk for two weeks."

"Thanks," Sue said, taking it from him.

"Sue has something to tell you," John piped up.

"John!" Sue exclaimed.

"Now I'm intrigued," Jack said. Sue got up and grabbed his hand to pull him into the hallway. She would get John back later. He had waggled his eyebrows at her as they passed.

"What's going on?" Jack asked when they were alone.

"This is not how I wanted to deliver the news," Sue lamented. "But my brother apparently can't help himself."

"Are you...?" Jack paused. He looked at her midsection then and back up to her face.

"Yes, I am," she nodded, breaking out into a smile.

"Oh, wow," Jack said, bursting into a huge grin. He pulled her tight to him in a hug, spinning her around and making her laugh. They were going to have another baby. He was beyond ecstatic.

...

"I have a secret," Billy said to Charlie as they were walking back with their coffees.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"Alexis will kill me if I say anything, but I have to tell someone."

"So tell me already!"

"Okay, okay," Billy said, holding his hand out. "We're having a baby!"

"What?! That's amazing!" Charlie exclaimed.

"I know!"

"Why the secret?"

"She is worried about miscarriages before three months, so she wants to wait until after to tell people."

"You mean, I have to keep my mouth shut for three months?!"

"Sorry, buddy."

"You're lucky I'm good at secrets," Charlie said, shaking his finger at Billy, who swallowed. He knew that about Charlie. John had let him in on how badly Charlie had suffered after his fake death and how close Charlie had come to becoming lost in a very dark place.

"Just don't tell John. He's terrible at keeping things to himself."

"Got it."

They walked on in silence, and they found Jack, Sue, and John in the office talking and laughing.

"What's up?" Billy asked.

"Sue's having another baby!" John blurted.

"You are worse than Dad," Sue said, swatting him. Their father wasn't the best at secrets either.

"Congratulations!" Charlie said, hugging her. Billy hugged her next.

"That's great, Sue," he smiled.

"You're the last one," John said to Billy. "You better pop one out soon before Mother thinks you're barren."

Charlie coughed and sat at his desk. Billy froze, holding his breath. John looked at Charlie curiously before looking at Billy again.

"We haven't even really talked about kids," Billy lied. John narrowed his eyes.

"Really," he said. "So Charlie's 'I have a secret' cough was nothing?"

"It was just a cough," Charlie argued.

"I know my siblings better than anybody," John said. "And something is up between you two."

"It's all in your head. You should put that energy into the case we're working," Billy said, sitting down.

"This isn't over," John warned, pointing at him.

"I have to go," Jack said, giving Sue a quick peck on the cheek. "We'll celebrate later."

"Okay," she agreed.

"Grace is going to be so excited for another cousin," Charlie commented when Jack was gone.

"How is she doing in school?" Sue asked.

"She's loving it so far." That was his last update anyway.

"That's good."

"Okay, people," John said, clapping his hands. "Enough chatter about the good stuff. We have some work to do."

And just like that, it was time to work.

Present

We lost her.

He couldn't think. He couldn't see. He couldn't hear. Hands were reaching for him. He was pretty sure he fell at some point. He couldn't breathe.

"How?" he asked for the hundredth time. He couldn't comprehend. The words "brain aneurysm" rang in his ears. They don't know what caused it to happen.

"The baby is okay," the doctor told him. "Do you want to see her?"

He didn't want to see anyone. He was in shock. He felt like he was in a dream. They had a daughter. She never got to see her. He couldn't comprehend. How was he supposed to live without her?

Five Months Earlier

"I knew it!" John exclaimed when Alexis walked into the living room showing off her baby bump. They had made it to four months, and she was ready to tell everyone. Charlie had been true to his word and hadn't even told Tess, who was outraged he had kept it a secret so long. Billy was grinning as everyone hugged Alexis and congratulating her. Sue laughed as they hugged awkwardly to avoid their baby bumps hitting. Sue was just beginning to show too.

"You guys are gonna give birth on the same day," John declared.

"That would be awesome," Charlie laughed. "I'd bet on that."

"Deal," John said. "Fifty bucks?"

"You're on."

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?" Jane asked both Sue and Alexis, ignoring her husband's betting with Charlie.

"We don't want to know," Alexis answered.

"We don't either," Sue nodded. "It's more fun that way."

"Ugh, see I had to know," Jane said. She had had Maddy with another man before she had met John.

"I'm gonna get more cousins?" Grace asked from where she and Jake were playing. Levi was supervising.

"That's right," Charlie nodded, answering her.

"I'm gonna be a big brother," Jake said proudly. He was taking that responsibility seriously. He was helping with the nursery.

"How are your friends doing?" Tess asked Sue, who looked at Jack. Bobby and Tara had been trying to have a baby for a while without succeeding. It had caused some tension in their relationship, and Bobby had almost relapsed into gambling again before having a break down with Jack and admitting his feelings of a failure for not giving Tara a child of their own. They were looking into adopting now.

"They're good," Jack answered. "They just finished taking the course through the agency and are waiting to hear about a child to adopt. They are also thinking of fostering."

"That's great of them," Jane said. "I don't know if I could do fostering."

Sue knew that Tara had been a foster child herself and adopted, so she knew that was a big reason she was doing it aside from not being able to have her own children. She and Lucy felt bad for having their own children, and Tara had to tell them to stop pretending they didn't have children in front of her because she could handle other people having kids even though she couldn't. Lucy's daughter, Mila, was just over two now and getting into everything.

"It will be a challenge for sure," Sue agreed. "But I know Tara and Bobby can handle anything."

"Picture time!" Tess called. "Let's get those mamas and their bellies on display!" Sue and Alexis laughed as they stood beside each other and posed.

Present

He looked down at his daughter through the glass and was ashamed to admit that he felt nothing for this little being that was lying there. He just couldn't. A dark piece of him almost blamed this baby for killing his wife, but how could she have when she was only a baby? As the doctor said, these things happen, and no one knows why. A brain aneurysm of all things. He wished it had been him who died. He would have gladly taken her place. This baby needed her mother, not her father. He couldn't do this by himself. He noticed his daughter was not crying, that she was merely looking at everyone around her until her eyes fixed on his.

"I don't know you," he said. Then he turned away.

Twelve Hours Earlier

"Oh no," Sue said. "Here's another one." She bent over with the pain, breathing it out like she remembered from last time. Jack was hustling around and throwing last minute items into their go bag.

"Jack?" Bobby called, coming in.

"Uncle Bobby!" Jake shouted, leaping into his arms.

"Hey, you," Bobby grinned, picking him up.

"Thanks for taking him," Jack said. "My mother's flight was cancelled. Sue's mom is on her way, but we have to go now."

"It's all good. Tara and I enjoy hanging out with this guy," Bobby said, tickling Jake and making him squeal.

"We gotta go," Sue said, interrupting and tugging on Jack's arm.

"I really wish you hadn't waited until contractions were two minutes apart," Jack said to her.

"I didn't want to wait in the hospital. I'd rather be here."

"And risk having our baby in the car," Jack tutted. "Thanks."

"Not if you hurry up," she replied.

"Okay, we're going," Jack said. Bobby grabbed Jake's back pack and took him to his truck. Jack locked the door and helped Sue into his SUV.

"Good luck!" Bobby called as Jack threw himself into the driver's seat. Jack waved as they tore off.

...

"Oh, who called it. Who called it?!" John exclaimed when he saw Sue come into the hospital with Jack.

"Called what?" Sue asked, huffing through her contraction.

"You and Billy having your babies at the same time," John said.

"All the credit goes to Alexis, but thank you," Billy said, coming into view then. He looked tired.

"How long have you been here?" Jack asked.

"Just got here. I was about to call you, but I see you're a little busy," Billy said, gesturing to Sue, who was checking herself in.

"Yea. We'll catch up with you after," Jack said.

"Sounds good," Billy nodded. "And good luck!"

"You too!"

"Charlie owes me fifty bucks," John mused when he was alone. Charlie and Tess said they would come after to see the baby. He couldn't wait to tell Charlie that Sue was having hers too.

Present

"Billy?"

He looked up, tears streaked down his face. His eyes felt raw and sore. He wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare, but he knew it was real.

"What?" he asked.

"I just heard," John said, sitting down beside him. "I'm so, so sorry."

"A brain aneurysm?" Billy asked, choking again.

"I know," John said, putting his arm around his brother, who started to cry again. Charlie was on his way after John had called him once he heard the news. He hadn't told Sue yet. She was sleeping after having her baby girl. John was in disbelief. Billy had been so happy. He couldn't understand why this had to happen to him.

"I can't even look at her," Billy said, muffled by John's shoulder. "She looks too much like Alexis."

"I haven't seen her yet," John admitted.

"I can't do this, John."

"You can, and you will. We will be here the whole step of the way."

Billy hated himself then. Maybe if he hadn't faked his death and hurt his family, this wouldn't be happening to him. Was this his punishment?

"Mr. Thomas?" the doctor said, knocking. Billy looked up at him, wiping his face on his sleeve.

"Yes?"

Could things get any worse from here?

"I have some further unfortunate news."

Apparently they could. Billy braced himself, and John squeezed his shoulder hard.

"What is it?"

"Your daughter, we just did an assessment on her."

"And?"

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Thomas. She's deaf."

As always, I appreciate hearing your thoughts :)