Charlotte was throwing a terrible fit as she began screaming. Sean shook his head when I took the toddler back into my arms. William was gurgling away in his arms with a happy grin on his face. "Abby, if we're ever going to leave, you have to hand her over."

Audrey reached out again, but Charlotte started her wailing all over again.

"Maybe we shouldn't go then," I tried. "We'll go another night, when she's ready."

Sean handed William over to Percy, and then turned me to face him. "Abby, she's seven months old. We can go out on a date night, and she will be perfectly fine. Percy and Audrey will take excellent care of both of them. We have reservations and, if we're going to keep them, we need to leave now." He gave Charlotte a kiss. "Say goodbye, and let's go, love."

I bit down on my lip, shifting my weight nervously. "What if she's sick? She feels warm. We can't leave her. We'll reschedule dinner."

"Abbygail, Charlotte is not sick. She's warm because she's crying. Once we leave, she will stop throwing her fit. Now let's go."

My eyes settled on the girl in my arms. She was sucking on her thumb and gazing up at me with watery blue eyes. "We'll be home soon, honey. You be a good girl for Aunt Audrey and Uncle Percy." I gave her a kiss, squeezed her warm body to mine, and then painfully handed her over to Audrey again. Her cries started up instantaneously.

I winced and started to move to get her when Sean stopped me. "Give Will a kiss, and let's go, love."

Percy gave me a hug after I had said goodbye to Will. "Charlotte will be fine. You two both have fun on your date."

Sean's arms slid around my waist and he pulled me towards the door. "Let's go, Abby," he insisted. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll be back."

My eyes lit up at his words, but once William started his crying I was turning to go back to them. Sean blocked my view of them and pushed me towards the door. "Thanks again, Percy and Audrey!" he called. "We'll be back by eight!"

OOO

Sean smiled at me over our dinners. I stole a bite of his pasta, causing him to chuckle. "I don't think I've gotten to eat all of my dinner in the last seven months. Everytime you're there to sneak bites off my plate."

I rolled my eyes and offered up some of my ravioli. "If I hadn't stolen your cookie that first night, then we wouldn't be here."

His hand squeezed mine from where they rested together in the middle of the table. "Things would be different, but we always would have ended up here. Living in your dad's house, sharing a room with the twins, Magdelena walking into our room in tears from sleep deprivation at least twice a week, famiy dinners every Sunday..."

"You finishing up your first year of schooling, with honors, and months ahead of the normal pace," I teased.

He chuckled as he nodded. "That, too. However, it was you that made that possible. Coming home to you every night..."

"Mmmm, that's my favorite part, too. Cuddling up on the bed with Charlotte and William crawling all over us."

Sean gave my hand another squeeze. "They're just fine," he whispered, knowing where my mind had traveled. "Besides, Audrey and Percy want the practice. They'll be married in a few months time, and we both know Audrey's looking like she wants a baby."

"She'll be an amazing mum," I murmured. "I just miss my babies."

He took a long sip of his wine and then set his glass down. "Well let's go home then," he suggested.

My eyes widened, but I quickly shook my head. "No, no. Not yet. This is our time together-our time with no family running in and out..."

"But...?"

I grinned. "But I do have a better idea than sitting in this stuffy restaurant."

He looked around at the formal dining cloths, rich couples exchanging fake laughter, and the waiters dressed in their iron-pressed white dress shirts. "It is pretty stuffy," he agreed. "But this food is pretty damn good."

"To-go boxes," I said simply.

OOO

I leaned over outside the small bakery and stole a bite of his chocolate-filled doughnut. "Mmmm. Nothing better."

"I can think of one thing." His lips found mine and before I knew it our desserts were forgotten.

When his free-hand roamed to the front of my shirt, I pulled back. "We're in public, Sean," I reminded him. He glanced around us at the empty patio we were seated at, making me roll my eyes. "You know what I mean, and this doughnut is too good to ignore."

He chuckled and pulled me in closer to him on the bench. "So what's new with you, my love?"

I sighed in content as I rested my head on his shoulder. "Other than being a milk machine for the twins, playing crisis averder for Leah and Belle, and helping Mags get a good nights sleep?"

"Crisis averder?" he repeated. "What's going on with them?"

I grinned. "Belle met a boy in Hogsmeade, and Leah failed one of her tests-typical teenage girl stuff."

He glanced at me in confusion. "And you're happy about that?"

"It's the one thing Magdelena and I ever wanted for them. They were like our little sisters growing up, so to see them getting a real chance at life..." I sighed, shrugging my shoulders. "It makes me happier than I ever could have imagined."

"As much as I hate having them rush into our room at night in tears from these boys they keep meeting, it does make me happy knowing that the four of you are here, with all of us, smiling and laughing and-"

I broke him off with a kiss. "Sean," I whispered.

He looked down at me with a dazed and confused look. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

His thumb wiped across my cheek. "Chocolate," he mumbled, licking it off his thumb.

I nodded, biting my lip subconsciously. I had just told him for the first time that I loved him, and he was more occupied with the chocolate icing on my face. I suppose that's what I deserved though. We had only been dating for seven months, and even in that time, we had only been on a few dates. Most of our time was spent with Charlotte and Will-

"I love you, too, Abbygail," he said, kissing the tip of my nose. "I love you so much."

OOO

When we made it back to Percy and Audrey's flat, I was surprised to see nearly the whole family there. Charlotte was crying; her gurlgles choking off as she sobbed. She stretched out from her spot in Angelina's arms as tears streamed down her red, puffy face.

I rushed to her, scooping her up and holding her crying body to mine. Her cries stopped the moment my hand began rubbing circles on her back, causing the clock chiming seven to sound even louder than it usually was.

William mumbled incoherently, holding his arms out to me with fat tears rolling down his cheeks. I easily picked him up from Dad's arms and let him burry his face against my neck. When both babies were quietly sucking on their binkies, and gazing up at me in wonder, the adults in the room gave sighs of relief.

"They were that bad?" Sean asked, running his hand up and down Charlotte's tiny arm.

"We called in reinforcements," Percy said, falling onto his sofa.

Charlotte wiggled till she could see Sean. He caught the binkie that fell out of her mouth and let Charlotte cling to him. Her tiny hands wrapped around his neck as best as they could. She kept her eyes on me standing next to them with Will falling asleep against my chest.

"They were just fussy," Audrey assured. "It was to be expected, though. It was their first time away from Abby."

Sean nodded, pulling me into his side and resting his hand on my hip. "Abby threw a fit, too. Very fussy." I glared at him, but he took that instant to kiss my lips. "It was a good thing she did, too. I'm looking forward to a night in with these three."

I grinned up at him. "Agreed."

"How was dinner?" Dad asked, breaking through my reverie.

George snickerd. "You really have to ask, Charlie? They're ready to jump each other-"

Sean held up the bag he was carrying. "We ended up leaving right after we got our meals-great food, but not where we wanted to be."

"We went to the bakery instead and ate more than our fair share of dessert."

"We brought some back for you two," he said, looking at Percy and Audrey. "Didn't realize you lot would be here."

Audrey was already breaking into the box of desserts.

OOO

I snuggled up into Sean's arms as he pulled the comforter over the two of us. Charlotte and William were sleeping soundly in their cribs. I could faintly hear Dad and McKenzie watching the muggle television downstairs. Magdelena had gone to bed an hour after we arrived home, once I had convinced her to shower and let Sean and I watch Sophie. The tiny baby girl was asleep in her crib in Mags' room, but I knew that wouldn't last for long. She'd be awake and hungry soon.

Sean kissed the top of my head after he switched the light off. "Can I ask you something?" he whispered.

"Of course."

"What made tonight different?" he asked. "Why did you say it tonight?"

I smiled and rested my head on his chest. Even though we had to speak in hushed voices, this was always my favorite part of the entire day. It was the time where Sean and I could just relax and slightly pretend that we were in a normal relationship. The pretending ended when we'd both look over and dimly see the twins in their cribs. "Because tonight I was able to see things from the outside. I didn't have Charlotte or Will attached to my hips, or Dad watching over us, or Leah and Belle demanding my attention. It was you and me and it was exactly how I wanted it. I've known I loved you since the day the twins were born. I just didn't have the guts to say it."

"Abbygail," he started. He pulled me on top of him with no preamble, causing my breath to leave me in a gasp. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I never, ever want to lose you. I absolutely love you."

I felt my lips break into a grin and I gave him a peck on the lips. "I love you, too, Sean."