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Chapter 30

September

Fang ran a hand down my side. "Get up."

I moved away from him. "What?"

"We're done and rested. Get up." Fang stood up, stretching. He went over to the closet, getting dressed. "Almost ten. You work."

"Fang, it's only nine. Get back in bed." I was whining a little. "Please?"

He sighed, sitting at the foot of the bed. I went over to him, wrapping my arms around him from behind.

I ran my hands under his shirt, feeling the me before this start to take over. "You liked that didn't you? You like when I take care of you."

Fang leaned back against me. "Yeah."

I kissed under his ear. "I love you."

"You're stomach."

"Hmmm?"

"It's not big enough. You should eat more."

Fang was back. "Shut up Fang."

He pushed me off him. Moment over. Fang turned to face me. "You need a shower. I'm going to make breakfast."

I sighed, standing. "Alright."

I took a shower and got ready before going into the kitchen. Tabitha was there but her twin wasn't.

"Where's Ty?"

"I fed him some fruit. He didn't feel like eating breakfast." Fang was making pancakes. "How many?"

"…Two."

"Four."

"Fang-"

"I don't feel like arguing."

Tabitha was drawing. She seemed to like that a lot recently. "What are you doing, Tabby?"

"Drawing Tommy picture."

"You are?"

"Daddy gonna mail it to 'im."

"Well won't he like that?" I smiled at her, sitting down. "What are you drawing him?"

"The baby."

I frowned. "Why?"

"So him see how pretty she is and takes her. We no want her. Right Daddy?"

"No. We love the baby." He sat a plate in front of her. "Boy or girl, we'll love her or him all the same."

"Why you no know if it boy or girl?"

"Because we want to be surprised." I started cutting up her pancakes. "Don't you?"

"No. It be boy."

"How come you're so sure?" I put syrup on her food.

"Me no want girl."

"And what Tabitha wants, she gets," I finished.

She smiled. "Yes!"

Fang gave me my food. "Take Tabitha to work."

"Why?"

"Did I say that there was a question portion to this test?"

I looked at my food, eating. Fang ran a hand down my head, kissing my head. Tabitha giggled, seeing this She had suddenly fallen in love with the idea of Fang and me together. She also loved princesses and anything remotely involving romance.

Fang went into the living room. After Tabitha and I were done, I picked her up, having to wash her off. Why does syrup have to be so dang sticky?

"Alright, you ready?"

She nodded, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Bye Daddy!"

Fang was sitting on the couch, Tyler on his chest. "Bye baby."

Tyler looked at me. He looked bad. "Max?"

"I have to go to work, sweetie."

Tyler whined, cuddling against Fang. Tabitha smiled at him. "Bye-bye Ty-er. I love you!"

He frowned but, instead of responding, closed his eyes. Fang kissed his head. "See you later, Tabitha."

I carried her out to the car. When we got there, only Bone was there. Tabitha wiggled in my arms until I gave her to him. I sat next to him, putting my head down.

"Night?"

Weird how in less than a year I know how to speak his one worded language. Maybe it's my experience with Fang growing up. "Fine. Yours?"

"Tracy."

I frowned. "I thought that her name was Lucy?"

"Different."

"You're dating two girls at once?"

Bone shook his head. "Six."

"Do they know about each other?"

"Two. Together."

"They're together?"

"Bi."

"You are or they are?"

"They."

"And they like…three?"

"You?"

"I have with two guys. Not another girl."

Tabitha had climbed out of Bone's lap and was looking for Snickers, who had spent the night here last night.

"Fang?"

"I'm married now. That life is over."

Bone laughed. "No."

"Yeah, it is. Besides, Fang wouldn't go for that."

"If?"

"There is no if. I'm not like that any more."

Bone stood up. He went over to where Tabitha was playing with Snickers and picked her up. He kissed her cheek. "Happy?"

"Muy feliz."

Bone sat her on his shoulders before going in the back. When she came back, she was holding a bunch of plushies."

"What are those?"

"Mine!" Tabitha held them to her as if I was going to take them from her.

"New shipment."

"And she gets some because…?"

"Always."

"You guys always give her those?"

Bone nodded. "Luther buys extra. Enough to have them around the store."

"So they stay here?"

Bone nodded, setting her on the counter. Tabitha sat the toys out in front of her.

"Dis Sas-key, Sak-rawr, Nar-oo-too, Ken-shon-"

"Tabby, let's look at them later, alright?" God, Fang's turned her into one of them. Tabitha started playing dolls with them. Bone set her on the floor before putting the plushies down there too.

After an hour, Luther came in. "Hey."

"Hey."

Bone nodded at him.

"Lut'er!" Tabitha smiled at him.

"Are those my toys? Huh?" He picked her up, holding her above his head. "You steal them, Tabitha? Did you?"

She giggled, looking down at him. "No!"

"Yes you did. You so did. Now you're going to have to be punished."

"No!"

"Yes!" He started blowing air on her stomach. She giggled as he brought her back down, setting her on the counter. "Had enough?"

"No!"

He started tickling. "Give up?"

"Yes!"

"Alright then." Luther sat her back down on the floor. "Hey Max."

"Hey." He walked over to Bone and pushed him out of the chair. Bone went into the back. "How's Tyler?"

I shrugged. "Fine."

"Good. You?"

"What do you mean?"

"With Fang."

"Fine."

"Max-"

"Look, you're my boss, not my counselor."

Luther didn't say anything else on the subject. Tabitha went back to her toys.

October 31

Fang kissed Tyler's head. It was his first day back from chemo. "We'll get you lots of candy, buddy."

Tyler moved closet to me. "Max."

"I know, I know. Next year you can go, I promise." I kissed his head.

"Bye-bye Ty-er. Me share me candy."

Tyler just buried his head in my stomach. Fang watched him for a second before walking out of the room, the ghost following him. Since Tabby's a girl, would that make her a ghostess? Or a ghoul? I don't know.

Ten minutes after they left, Tyler removed his head from my stomach. "Max?"

"Hmmm?"

"Baby kick."

"Yeah." I ran a hand down the back of his head.

Tyler smiled at me a little. "Bone say when me hair come back, him gets me Mohawk!"

No way in hell. "That's cool Tyler."

"Yeah." He cuddled against me, looking at my stomach. "Baby have blankie?"

"No."

"Baby gets cold." Tyler brought the covers over both our heads. "Now baby no cold."

I sighed, letting the covers stay above our heads. "Go to sleep Tyler."

"Ni-ni Max." He kissed my stomach before closing his eyes and going to sleep. I was sleeping for a few minutes too before my cell rang. I sighed, pulling the covers away to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello Maximum."

I froze. Shit. "H-Hey Jeb."

"Care to explain why I had to hear from Carlos that you're now married and pregnant?"

"…No not really."

"Maximum!"

"Calm down."

"No. I told you to stay under the radar."

"How is this not under the radar?"

"The press is just loving you shacking up with Fang and his kid having cancer."

"Really? Haven't noticed." Okay, so there has been some press. But not a lot. Imagine that, mutants attract attention. But there really hasn't been that much.

Jeb was silent for a long minute. "You want to get caught again? You want to lose another child?"

"Jeb, just shut up. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"And you have no idea what you're doing so I think we're even!"

"Look, I can't deal with you right now. I can take care of myself."

"Oh, you can?"

"Yes. You haven't bothered me in almost a year."

"I've been in Germany."

"Then go back there." I hung up.

Fang picked me up. "Why are you on the couch?"

I shrugged, keeping my eyes closed. "Ty's in his room and I wanted to watch TV. Did you put Tabs to bed?"

Fang nodded a little. "You're heavy."

"Thanks."

Fang just carried me to our bedroom. He laid me down before starting to remove my clothes. He then put me in one of his shirts.

"Go to bed." He kissed my stomach.

"Where are you going?"

"Shower." He walked off into the bathroom, closing it behind him. I couldn't sleep though. I laid there in the dark until he came back out. When he did, he left the bedroom. About an hour later, he returned.

"Where were you?"

He got into bed after stripping down to his boxers. "Go to bed."

"Washing clothes."

"Yeah now go to sleep."

"I slept all day."

"And who's fault is that?"

I cuddled against him. "You're warm."

Fang pulled the blankets up around us. "Shut up and go to bed."

"I love you."

"I said to go to-"

"You're an asshole." I closed my eyes, staying on his chest. Fang ran a hand down my back.

"Shut up and go to sleep, Maximum."

"Fang?"

"I said to go to sleep."

I ignored this. "What do you want to name the baby?"

"I don't know. Now-"

"Come on, Fang."

"I don't know."

"Well, I'm due in December so maybe we should start thinking about it."

"I don't want to right now."

"I like the name-"

"Shut up."

"Fang-"

He stood up. "I'll be in the attic."

"Fang, no. I won't talk anymore."

He ignored me, walking out of the room. Well, he no longer gets a vote. I ran a hand down my stomach. We'll see how much Fang likes having the name Bartholomew tattooed on his body.

Thanksgiving

Tabitha handed me one of her drawings. "Here Max. Turkey!"

I smiled at her. "It's pretty, baby."

Giggling, she climbed up onto the couch next to me. "Where Ty?"

"He's in the kitchen with Dr. Martinez."

Tabitha looked at my stomach. "Baby 'ike me drawing?"

"He loves it."

"He?"

"Or she."

Tabitha frowned. "He."

Nudge, who was in the chair texting Drake, looked over at her young follower. "Tabby, I would rather have a sister than a brother. A brother would be just like Tyler."

"Love Tyler." Tabitha jumped off the couch. She went into the kitchen. "Look Tyler! Me draw pic-ter."

Fang walked into the room from outside. He went over to me, kissing my head. "Hey."

"Hey. How was work?"

He shrugged, sitting next to me. "When do we eat?"

"Soon."

Tyler walked into the room. "Max, me seepy."

I picked him up, setting him in Fang's lap. He cuddled against his father. "Hi Daddy."

"Hi buddy." Fang kissed his head. "You hungry?"

"Yes."

"Really?" Fang brightened a little. Tyler turned to look at my stomach.

"Hi baby." He patted my tummy before giggling. "Baby happy?"

"Very happy." As if to reinforce this, it kicked. Tyler giggled.

"Gasman called," Iggy said, walking into the room. He made Nudge get up so that he could sit down while she went into the living room.

Angel and her older brother weren't coming down here. Fang said this was for the better, that I was under enough stress.

"What did he say?" Fang asked, taking his own hand and putting it over my enlarged stomach.

"Nothing. Just that Angel's bitching."

I laid my head on Fang's shoulder. Tyler was trying to lick his nose. I pushed his head. "Cut it out."

He giggled.

Fang ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, Iggy."

"You said that you weren't going to marry her!"

"I did not. And, this is none of your business."

"How did you even get married?"

"What do you mean how?"

"She had papers and everything?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't she?"

Iggy sighed. He didn't dislike Max. Sure, before he had but now that he knew why she left, he was more sympathetic. But he still didn't like the idea of them being married.

"Fang, this is not a good time in your life. You shouldn't be having another baby!"

"You think I don't know that? Hell I don't even want that baby!" Fang's face paled. He didn't mean that. No, of course not. Right?

They were outside arguing. We were all in the kitchen, we could hear them.

"Hell, I don't even want that baby!"

They were all quiet. Too quiet. If they had been talking, we would have heard that. I ignored what he said, continuing to play tic-tac-toe with Tyler. He heard it and giggled.

"Daddy loud. Daddy no use inside voice!"

I kissed his head. "He's outside."

Fang walked back in. He could tell from the looks he was getting that we heard him. He ignored them, going over to me. Looking at what me and Tyler were doing, he tried to put his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't touch me."

"W-"

"Don't."

Fang shook his head, walking away. I played a few more games with Tyler before going into the living room. Fang was on the couch, watching the football game. When he saw me, he sat up.

"Max-"

"Shut up. I am not going to fight here. I'm just not."

"Max, I didn't-"

"Stop," I looked at him, pleading with him. "Just stop Fang. I don't want to hear it. I've heard enough."

"Well if you would just listen to me-"

"Shut up, okay?" I went down the hall, to the first bedroom I saw. Tabitha was in there, still drawing. When she saw me, she smiled.

"Look Max! Me draws picture."

"It's nice sweetie." I laid down next to her, not even looking at the paper. "Wake me up when it's time to eat, alright baby?"

Tabitha nodded dutifully. "Alright!"

I gave her a weak smile before closing my eyes. A few minutes later, I heard the door open.

"Nud-ga!"

"Hey." She walked over to the little girl. "What are you doing?"

"Draw Max. She sleep. Shhhh."

Nudge laid down on the bed. It was tight but she fit. Tabitha moved to the foot of the bed so that Nudge could lay on her side next to me. The eighteen year old laid her head next to mine, whispering in my ear.

"I know you're awake."

"Go away Nudge."

"Nope." She ran a hand down my stomach. "I always thought you would never have kids."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"You just don't seem like the type."

"Oh? What's the type?"

"Desperate people."

"So you don't want kids?"

"Please, I am so desperate." Nudge sighed. "I know you don't want to hear this and you've probably heard it before but Fang's-"

"Save it, sweetie. I'm not in the mood."

"Max, you can't just let him say stuff like that."

"He wasn't saying it to me."

"So you're telling me that he never pulls shit like that in front of Tyler and Tabitha?"

I was silent.

"Don't leave him for you, leave him for Tabitha. You think that it's good for her to hear him talk to you like that?"

"So what do you want me to do, Nudge? Leave him? Lose Tabitha and Tyler?"

"Fang is an ass but he's not heartless. Besides, you two are having a kid together. You get Tyler and Tabitha one night, he gets the baby."

"It doesn't work that way."

"It could."

"Life's a bitch, Nudge. A bigger bitch than me. I stuck with Fang whether I like it or not. Fuck, I lived in the school for how long? And then got out and avoided him and yet still ended back up here. Some things are written in the stars, Nudge."

"Stars die everyday, Max. Maybe you two's already has."

"No."

"How do you know?"

"I left before. I stayed at the freaking store and still ended up back here. I could have gone home with Bone, Luther, fuck even Damien but I didn't." I took a deep breath. "Nudge, you're just starting college, have no kids, and no serious relationship."

"Drake-"

I ignored her. "You can do what you want, you have no responsibilities. I promised Tyler and Tabitha I was going to be there for them and I am. Whatever happens between me and Fang is between me and Fang but, as long as they're around, I'm around."

"You're stupid then."

"Yeah. Real stupid."

Dinner was good. Tyler ate. Not like his old self but he ate. Now, after putting them to bed, it was just me and Fang. He was up in the attic with his comics and crap while I was in the bedroom, trying to sleep. It was hard.

"Hey, you still up?"

I didn't answer him. Fang sighed, taking off his clothes before going to brush his teeth. When he finally got into bed, he spoke again.

"I love the baby."

"You don't want it."

"…No, I don't. I don't think that this is a good time for it but I'm welcome to the challenge."

"A baby shouldn't be a challenge. It should be something that you love and want and will always be there for."

"Who says that I'm not going to be there for it?"

"You weren't our last one. But that's just because I'm not Lydia, right?"

"Listen, Max, you know that I did not know about Kevin. If I had, I would have killed myself to find the two of you. I would have saved him. But I didn't know. That's not either of our faults so just let it go."

"…They all want me to leave you."

"Who?"

"Everyone."

"Screw them."

I closed my eyes. "I want you to be what you were before."

It was silent for a second. "Yeah? Me too."

He wrapped an arm around me. No matter how hard I tried, I could not break his grip. Finally, I gave in, letting him hold me.

"You're mine, Max. You and the baby."

"Since when?"

"Since always."

December 19th

We were putting up the tree early. One, because I was going to have the baby soon and wouldn't have time for it later and two, because Tyler's about to go back into chemo. Right now, as Fang thought that I shouldn't be standing too long, Tyler and I were on the couch, watching Mom, Fang, and Tabitha put up decorations.

"Max?"

I looked down at him. "What baby?"

"I no want to go to chemo."

"I know." I kissed his head. "Hey Tyler, how old will you be on your next birthday?"

He held up four fingers. "Dis many."

"What number is that?"

"Four."

"In Spanish?"

"Quatro."

"In German?"

He frowned. "No know."

"That's okay. Neither do I."

He giggled, running his hand down my stomach. "When me gets home, where baby gonna be?"

I frowned. Fang and I were fighting over that. When Tyler gets out, he'll be sickish and grumpy. A whining baby wasn't going to be good around that. Fang said that I should take the baby and stay at Mom's. I said that he and Tyler should stay at Mom's, because the baby needs to get used to it's home. Fang didn't agree with this at all. I told him that he was favoring Tyler. We haven't talked about it anymore.

"Home, waiting for its big brother."

Tyler smiled. "Her name be Sammy?"

"Why Sammy?"

"I 'ike dat name!"

I sighed. "I don't know what it'll be baby. Ask Daddy."

"Daddy, baby name Sammy!"

Fang looked over at Tyler. "What?"

"Sammy!"

"Tyler, you are not naming the baby."

"We'll, apparently you aren't either. I don't know if you noticed Fang but pretty soon, you're going to have another baby."

He frowned. "Not now Max."

I am so tired of him. "I'm naming it Lucas."

I don't know why that name came to my head but it did. Fang turned to look at me. "What?"

"He's gonna be a boy and his name is going to be Lucas. Lucas Roy Shadows."

"No, Max. We're going to chose together, like I told you."

Tyler looked up at me. "What if it's a girl?"

"Samantha Rose Shadows."

"Sammy?"

"Sammy."

Tyler smiled.

"No be girl, Ty-er. It be boy. Luc-ass."

"Not Luc-ass Tabitha." Fang shook his head. "Luc-us."

"Luc-ass."

Mom sighed. "It's getting late. Busy day tomorrow. I should probably get going."

Tyler cuddled against me more, laying his head on my stomach. "I love you Sammy."

Fang ignored this, continuing to decorate the tree. "Bye Dr. Martinez."

"Bye." She kissed Tabitha and Tyler on the head before leaving. Once she was gone, Fang turned to me.

"His name is not Lucas."

"Why not?"

"Well for one, I do not like it and secondly because it makes it sound like Tabitha's cursing."

"She's doing that on purpose."

Tabitha giggled. "Luc-ass!"

Tyler yawned. "Me sleepy. Me go night-night now."

Fang picked him up, walking out of the room. Tabitha got onto the couch with me. "Max?"

"What baby?"

"I like your names. You picks good names."

I smiled, if only a little.

Fang and I were sitting in Tyler's hospital room as he played with Bear. Chemo sucks.

"How far apart are they now?" Fang whispered to me.

"It's fine. I am not having this baby right now."

"Max-"

"Still like twenty minutes."

"Really?"

No. "Yeah."

Fang ran a hand down my stomach. "You tell me if you need to leave."

Nope. "Fine."

Tyler looked at the IV. "Max, me bored."

"You are?" Contraction. Fuck.

Tyler didn't notice. "Yes."

Fang noticed though. "Max, you alright?"

I got my breath back. "Yeah. Peachy."

Fang shook his head. We were silent for a few minutes, until Mom came in.

"Hi Mom," I gave her a look, noticing how Tyler shrunk back into the pillows. "I thought you were watching Tabitha?"

"I left her with Luther and…Femur?"

"Bone."

"Right." She shook her head.

"Why are you here?" I mean, not to be rude but-

"So Fang can take you to the hospital."

I looked at Fang before back at her. "Mom, we sort of are."

"We're at the Children's Max. You can't have a baby here."

"Mom, I don't know if you noticed but I still have another two da-" Ooh, another contraction.

"Eight minutes."

I looked at Fang. "What?"

"I know you were lying to me. Their eight minutes apart."

I turned to look at Mom. "How did you even know that you need to come get me?"

"Fang called me."

"When?"

He sighed. "When I said that I was going to the restroom, I went to call her."

I closed my eyes. "I do not need to go."

Tyler was watching me. "Max have baby? Sammy come?"

"Shush, buddy." Fang stood up before helping me stand. "Go with her, Max."

"I thought you were going with me?"

He shook his head. "I'm staying with Tyler."

I frowned but nodded. "Fine."

Mom gave him a look. "No, you're not. I'm staying with Tyler and you're taking your wife to the hospital."

"No." Fang sat back down. "Thanks Dr. Martinez."

Mom gave him a long look before shaking her head. "Alright, are you ready Max?"

Was I ready? No. But my water broke so…

"Hey." Fang stood up when I walked into the room. "It's only been like a day, Max."

"Yeah, and you still haven't seen the baby."

Fang frowned. "Why aren't you in the hospital still? Lydia was for like three days."

"Lydia also had premature twins."

"Well, if anything, you need to be home with the baby."

"I was."

"Then go back."

"You think I want to be here? I had to sneak away from Mom." I sat down next to Tyler's hospital bed. He was sleeping. "Go."

"What?"

"Go see Lucas. Mom said that you wouldn't because you wanted someone to be here with Ty and well, guess what, I am."

Fang shook his head. "You need to go home."

"And you need to see the baby. Hell, Bone and Luther have seen him."

I could tell the mention of this made Fang mad. Well, I didn't say it to be nice! "You need to go back home, Max."

"Nope. Go see Lucas."

Fang looked into my eyes for a minute, as if challenging me. Of course, he gave in first. "You say sitting. Do not leave."

"Whatever Fang."

Fang sighed, walking into the house. Dr. Martinez's car was gone but he had anticipated this. No way Max flew to the hospital. When he came inside, he was bombarded with questions from Max's mother.

"Where is she? She shouldn't be out! Did you make her leave?"

Fang ignored her questions as Tabitha walked into the room. She held up her hands and Fang picked her up.

"Hi Daddy. Max in trouble."

"Yeah." He kissed her head.

"Luke loud. Hims cry."

"Luke?"

"Max say I no 'llowed to say Luc-ass. Ass a bad word." She giggled, burying her head in Fang's shoulder. Apparently, her giggle was loud enough to wake the newborn. At the sound of his cries, Dr. Martinez went to go get him.

"I've got him." Fang sat Tabitha on the ground before going into his and Max's bedroom. They had fought over where the baby would go after being born. Ultimately, Fang let Max win, not wanting to fight.

As Fang opened the door to the bedroom, his ears screamed for him to go no further. Fang grimaced, having forgotten how loud babies could be. He went over to the crib, thanking God that it didn't smell like the baby needed a diaper change. Fang started at his son for a moment, his breath catching. The first thing Fang noted was that Lucas looked nothing like himself, which meant that he didn't look like his half-brother or half-sister. For a second, Fang had to wonder if this was what Kevin looked like.

Regaining his composer, Fang picked the newborn up. "Hi Lucas. Why are you crying? Huh?"

Funny how a name means nothing unless you can attach a face to it. Now, looking at baby Lucas, Fang couldn't even thinking of naming him something else. He was exactly what Fang would have thought a Lucas would be.

Making a groaning noise, Lucas stopped crying, just as suddenly as he had begun. The baby whined for a moment before closing his eyes.

"Daddy?"

Fang didn't even look at Tabitha, not caring that she had followed him and was in the room. The man sat on the end of the bed, cradling his youngest in his arms. Tabitha, upset that Fang wasn't paying attention to her, went over to him.

"Da-"

"Shhhh, Tabby."

She huffed, getting up onto the bed. The three year old moved so that she could see over her fathers shoulder and stared at her new brother.

"Daddy, Docta Martini say go gets Max. Now!"

Fang could tear his eyes away from his son. "Tell her I will…"

Tabitha jumped up, off to fulfill the mission she had been assigned. She even attempted a summersault for effect. She had decided that she was going to be a ninja if the whole artist thing didn't work out. Or both. Whatever.

Fang, however, wasn't thinking about ninjas or the sort. All his thoughts were centered around Lucas. From the way his fist opened slightly to the way his lip curled. He could spend hours watching the child, as he had with his other two children and would have done with his oldest, given the chance.

"Perfect," mumbled the twenty one year old. How could he have been so foolish? He couldn't give Lucas up now if he had to, much less did he want to.

"Fang," Dr. Martinez started, walking into the room, "go and get her. Now."

"She's fine," whispered Fang.

"No, she's not."

Fang frowned, finally breaking away from his son's face. "You're right. She's not."

In that single moment, Dr. Martinez realized they weren't talking about the same thing. She nodded a little. "Go bring her home."

Fang looked back down at Lucas, already knowing where he was going to get the name tattooed and for what reason.

Christmas Eve

"Shhh." I put a finger to my mouth. "Be quiet or else Daddy will hear us."

Tyler cuddled against me more. "Me no seepy. Want Santa to come."

"I know." I kissed his head before standing, taking Tabitha with me. "But if you don't sleep, he won't come."

I sat his sister on the ground so that I could cover Tyler over once more. "Now go to bed before Daddy comes in here."

With that, I went to Tabitha's room, putting her back into bed. "Good night, baby."

"No go to sleep Max."

I sighed. "You have to, okay? Besides, you know that Fang's been grumpy all day. If he finds out that you two were up, he'll be mad."

Tabitha frowned. "Daddy's mean."

"You're telling me." I kissed her head. "Now go to bed, alright?"

"Almost morning?"

I looked at the pink Disney Princess clock in her room. 11:58. "Almost morning. Now go to sleep."

She closed her eyes. "Night Max."

"Good night." I kissed the back of her head before leaving the room. I went into me and Fang's bedroom to find that he was no longer in bed. Shit. I was hoping he had slept through me having to going to get them out of the living room. Guess not…

I checked on Lucas before getting back into bed. I was in there for about twenty minutes before Fang came back into the room. He went over to me and I faked sleep. Fang ran a hand through my hair before walking away. I thought he had left the room but then I heard him talking.

"Hey Lucas. Are you sleeping? No? Good. Anyways…Daddy wants to say that he's sorry. Very sorry. He knows that you're not stupid, that you know what he said before you were born. I know that you heard me talk about you like you weren't important."

I opened an eye and saw him lean down into the crib, I think to kiss the baby.

"Daddy didn't mean to be an asshole to you or Mommy. I really didn't. And I want you to know that I love you, just as much as Kevin, Tabitha, and Tyler. In fact, you already have your name on my body. Don't tell Mommy though. She doesn't know. You'd think she'd notice me wearing a shirt to bed again but hey, I love her anyways."

Fang pulled of his shirt. "See this? No, of course not, you're sleeping again, I think. But I'll describe it to you. You remember when Daddy said he had work and me and Mommy fought, yesterday? Because she said Luther said that I was off until New Years? Well, she was right. Shocking, huh? But I went to see Damien to get this tattoo.

"Do you like it? It's your name. Lucas. It's in big green letters. Just so you know, you're oldest brother, Kevin, has his name in blue, Tabitha in pink, and Tyler in red. You know what makes yours special though? It's where it is. You're is going down my side, down my ribcage. Do you know how much that hurt? That's why I did it though. Your side is the most painful place to get a tattoo and having Daddy say he didn't want you was the most painful thing for you, huh?"

Fang put his shirt back on and kissed the baby again. "Don't tell Mommy, alright bubba? It'll be our secret for now. I love you. Good night Lucas."

I closed my eyes as Fang started back over towards the bed. He got into bed, wrapping an arm around my waist.

Tyler didn't feel well, I could see it in his eyes. Yet, he was still sitting on the ground, playing with his new gifts along with his sister. Snickers was watching from a safe distance, as Tabitha had gotten a pretend vet set and had already tried about five times to take the cats temperature with the pretend thermometer. I'm just glad for that cat that she thinks it goes in the mouth like with humans….

"Think we did good with their gifts?" I asked Fang, jokingly. He just got up from the couch and walked out of the room. I sighed, wrapping my arms around myself. How is it that you can feel unwelcome in your own home?

Tabitha got onto the couch next to me. "Max, me gets vet tools, drawing kit, and ninja headband."

"Yeah, pretty good Christmas." For her anyways.

"Yeah!" She giggled. "Me draw picture of Max with me art kit?"

"Alright." I kissed her head. "Later."

Fang walked back into the room, holding one more present. It was small, wrapped in red wrapping paper. "Okay Max-"

"For me?" Tabitha perked up even more, if that's possible.

"No." Fang grabbed my hand, pulling me up. He lead me into the hallway, so that we could still hear Tabitha and Tyler but they couldn't see us. "Here."

He handed it to me. I gave him a look before opening it. It was a small box, a jewelry box. Oh God. I opened it. There set the most perfect ring in the whole world.

"Fang!" I hugged him.

"Don't hug me."

I frowned. "Oh-"

"Yet," he added, a slightly smile forming on his face. "See if it fits."

I took it out of the box, sliding it onto my finger. "Perfectly."

"Perfect." He kissed me before laying his forehead against mine. "I love you."

I know that our life isn't perfect, that our relationship is far from fairytale but what in life is? I pulled away from Fang to look at my ring, realizing that, a little over a year ago, if someone told me I would have not only another child but three total and I would be married to Fang, I would have laughed in their faces. And yet, here I was. I had always thought that change was some horrible part of life that you had to suffer through, like your period or death. And it could be that but you have to have unimaginable things happen to you so that when things like this happen, it makes them so much more important.

I smiled a little. "I love you too."

Fang smiled back at me and I knew that he was feeling what I was feeling. Change isn't all bad and neither is life. Sure, it's not like the movies but it's still pretty dang close sometimes.

"Mine Tab-it-tha!"

"Stop Tyler!"

Something fell from in the living room, which of course, woke Lucas so he started scream. You know, it is exactly like the movies. A horror film. But these are my little monsters and I couldn't imagine life without any of them.

And it's done. Wow. I loved it! This is one of the only ones I can happily put THE END after the last paragraph and still smile. Good job self!