Here's the first chapter of Four Plus One Equals Six, I hope you like it. I plan on posting once a week, on Friday? Maybe? I don't know, I'll figure out a schedule eventually.

Characters, etc, are all Cassie Clare's, you know the drill

Enjoy

Chapter 1:

It was her lunch break at school, and it was the first time she had had any alone time for weeks. Between teaching disrespectful and vulgar high school students the importance of physical education all day, keeping tabs on her three kids, making sure her husband is happy (in a totally non-sexist housewife kind of way. There's nothing wrong with prioritizing her husband), and finding the time to simply take a shower, alone time has been a rare and exoctic concept to her for the fifteen years she's been a mother. Not that she didn't love her kids and husband and job, but God it was hard to find time to even go to the bathroom without being interrupted by her husband or cellphone.

Being that it was her lunch break, and being that her husband would, for once, not be bringing in something for the two of them to share between her desk in the phys ed office, she finally had time to herself. This should be a time for celebration for her; she's finally alone and able to sit in peace for 30 full minutes. But, no. Instead she is sat by herself in one of the only single stall staff bathrooms in the school, fretting about her future.

Surely she can't be pregnant. Not again. She'd already pushed three, albeit beautiful and worth every painful hour, children from her lithe body. She can't be expecting another one. Can she? She's been on the pill for years, aside from the times she and Julian specifically made the decision to begin trying for a baby. While she knew the pill wasn't always 100% effective, it had never failed her and Julian. Hell, they've been going at it since high school and only had to have used condoms a few times before she got herself a prescription, and they'd never had a pregnancy scare. Ever. Not even their first time on the beach, when contraception was the last thing on either of their hormonal teenage minds.

I guess there's a first time for everything, she thought begrudgingly to herself while she sat on the closed lid of the toilet, waiting for her phone to go off and announce the moment of truth.

Really, she and Julian were too old to be new parents...again. They were both 35, and their biological clocks were ticking, and they were happy with their three beautiful teenage kids. They were young parents to begin with, having they first borns (yes, her first two were twins) when they were 20, then welcoming their third-and supposedly final-child when they were 22. Now the kids are in highschool and middle school, surely adding a newborn to the mix would only cause-

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Emma stood from her reverie on the porcelain throne and held her breath as she looked at the test waiting for her on the counter.

Pregnant.

Fuck.

Well, she'll definitely have news to share with Julian when she gets home tonight.

As she pulled into the lengthy drive-way of her and Julian's large Los Angeles home- it was a mansion really, but Emma liked to consider herself a humble and modest person-she noticed a lack of cars in the driveway. It was shocking considering her kids and husband were usually home far before she was from school, but nonetheless she breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad to have some extra time to herself in order to construct a plan of action to break the news to her husband.

She could always wait, she figured that's what most women did-waited until they were sure. But she's never been one to keep things from her husband.

Her Julian.

They were more than just husband and wife. They were best friends-Soulmates- and soulmates didn't keep secrets from one another. Even when she was unsure of whether or not she was pregnant with her twins, Tiberius and Livia, she told her then boyfriend now husband, of her speculations, and he was there with her every step of the way. He was there when she took her first test, at her first appointment, and at all consequent appointments as well.

The only reason she didn't tell him about her current concerns was because she didn't want to stress him out about nothing when he had a major deadline with the publisher he worked with. Julian was a well known illustrator for children's books, which is what allowed the Blackthorn family to live lavishly, yet humbly as well. Their oldest, and only son, was autistic and had a hard time comprehending certain things without visual aid, so Julian took it upon himself to illustrate whatever his son needed extra help with. Ty took these illustrations to school with him, and his teacher found the images and immediately contacted her husband who knew a guy who knew a guy who worked at a children's publishing company. And so was born Julian Blackthorn, children's book illustrator who draws for those struggling with autism in their family.

She sighed as she unlocked her door to her home, her husband was truly a saint. Not only was he a successful artist, he was a wonderful and loving father, and a perfect husband. She really did luck out.

She greeted the family's cat, Church, with a pat on the head once she entered the Blackthorn home and headed straight to the master bedroom on the second floor.

It was simply decorated in whites and blues and silvers, but it was her favorite room in the large home. It housed their steel framed four-poster bed and dozens of pictures of her family. There were multiple wedding pictures scattered on the walls and counters, there were various pictures of the family trips they've taken, and then there were her favorites: pictures of her and Julian and their newborn babies. The first was of course with two little dark haired babies, wide awake in Emma's arms with both her and Julian gazing down at their little miracles; and then her third, Drusilla, who was asleep in her father's arms as Emma laid asleep in the photograph.

Emma's eyes began to well with tears. To think she could be adding another picture to the collection. She placed her hand on her still flat and well toned stomach, thinking of the baby that could be added to the family. She loved her family more than anything, and adding another little person would only allow the love to grow.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt two familiar arms wrap around her midsection. She mustn't have heard the door open and the sounds of her husband with the thoughts clouding her mind.

"Honey, I'm home," Julian whispered in her ear as he placed kisses down her neck. She quickly blinked away her tears, and turned around in his arms and placed a chaste, yet loving kiss on his lips.

"Hi baby, I missed you when I got home today. Even the kids were gone," she pretended to pout and feign loneliness, "I had this whole mansion to myself."

Julian laughed, "I'm sorry, I had to run and grab some groceries for the dinner I was planning tonight and figured I'd pick up Dru from school so Ty and Livvy could hang out with Kit after school since they've been begging all week." He leaned down to press his lips to hers not satisfied with the chaste kiss she left him and pressed her to him, running his tongue along the seam of her lips. She allowed him in and ran her fingers through his unruly, beautiful dark locks. God, she loved this man.

She pulled away and said teasingly, "Well a text would've been nice, but I hear dinner is in order, and I can't be upset with the promise of food.
Julian grinned, "Then I'll get right on it, m'lady. By the way, the twins are still out with Kit, but they promised to be home in time for dinner, and Dru is in her room working on homework so she doesn't miss Project Runway tonight because she missed it last week which was a 'tragedy in and of itself.'"

Emma chuckled at the thought of her slightly dramatic fourteen year-old and gave her husband another kiss before shooing him off to make dinner.

Once he left she began devising her plan, with the goal of breaking the news some time before they went to bed.