"That a girl, who's all ready to go have fun with us, huh?" Carly says after managing to get Sachi dressed, Sachi babbling about the pink and grey shoes on her feet.
"Harleigh, baby girl, I'm sorry I wake you up." Blake said, holding a half awake Harleigh while trying to put on the baby a teal colored and white polka dots onesie that had a pink kitty cat face on it.
Harleigh was cooing softly, as she was leaning towards her mother's chest, having her black curls covering her face before Blake placed them into two side ponytails.
"They're curious as to why we dress them up like this." Carly says, adjusting Sachi's onesie that read Mommy's Little Angel before picking Sachi up into her arms.
"Yeah, but Harleigh isn't." Blake said holding Harleigh in her arms. "She's still asleep. Just like her daddy."
Carly glanced at Franklin, who was asleep on the couch… before sitting down, carefully holding Sachi.
That didn't stop Sachi from reaching out and grabbing Franklin's right ear, Franklin yelping as he woke up and Harleigh laughing while clapping her hands.
"Sachi, you've been watching the adults do that to Auntie Lunchables?" Franklin asks, Sachi giggling as he tickled her.
"Daddy…" Harleigh said happily as Blake held her.
Carly stood back up, Johnny walking over and helping her doing so out of habit before all four heard a knock at the door, Blake putting Harleigh in Franklin's arms and going to the door… looking out the peephole, she looked at the others before walking outside.
"Ain't you gonna let me see the kids?" Ethan asks as Blake closed the door behind her.
"I don't know? Why should I?" Blake said, crossing her arms. "You already have pictures of Harleigh and Sachi now."
"Pictures aren't the same and Carly gave them to me reluctantly." Ethan says.
"Well… I'm still not letting you see them, Ethan." Blake said, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Blake, they're his family!"
Blake's head snapped up, her seeing Trevor.
"You too?!"
"I tried showing up on the porch of the Klebitz house, Carly put shock pads under the welcome mat!" Trevor says, Blake snickering.
"That's what you get for messing with one of us!"
"What in the world is going on here?!" Michael asks after getting out of his Tailgater, Carter getting out of the passenger seat.
"They're messing with us again!" Blake yelled.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Carter pointed to his 24 year old son and then Trevor. "Are you trying to see the babies again, after scaring the girls and even Harleigh and Sachi?!"
"Trevor doesn't take a hint." Michael says, going to check on the others with Blake… and finding that the newborns were distracted, Sachi's tiny arms out as if she were an airplane and Carly making airplane noises which made Sachi laugh.
Blake walked towards Franklin and kissed his cheek, while being behind him as he sat down with Harleigh who had her small hands touching his cheeks.
"Sachi airplane." Harleigh exclaimed.
"Yeah, baby girl, Sachi's an airplane." Blake said, touching her tiny nose.
Carly held Sachi closer to her, Sachi cuddling into her mother's upper body and babbling.
"Showing up here was useless, what are you trying to prove?!" Michael asked, holding Ethan to the hood of the Tailgater.
"I just wanna see my niece and even Sachi." Ethan said, trying to push Michael off him.
"Fucking untie me!" Trevor yelled after Carter had tied him up.
"Come on, old man, can I at least see Harleigh just for once and I'll be on my way?" Ethan asked.
Michael's response to that was bashing Ethan's head against the car, Ethan screaming as his nose broke.
"You old fart, my nose!" Ethan cried.
"You deserve that for how you've treated the girls!" Michael growled.
"Fine! I'll fuckin' leave!" Ethan finally said.
After both were gone, Michael and Carter checked on the others, Sachi reaching her tiny hand up to Carter and pinched his nose.
"Sachi Angel got my nose!" Carter said with a funny voice, Blake laughed while going into the refrigerator for breakfast stuff.
"What's in there, Blake?" Michael asks.
"Well… I thinking pancakes and bacon for breakfast, how about that?" Blake asked. "And the girls can have some fruit."
Carly set Sachi up in her high chair, Sachi pouting slightly and Johnny crouching to her.
"I know, little darlin, but it's just for a bit." Johnny says, Sachi putting her tiny hands on his face and kissing his nose.
Blake looked down to see Harleigh pulling on her pajamas bottoms, as the baby noticed the food in her mother's hand. Her big blue eyes were staring at them, until Franklin picked her and brought her to her highchair next to Sachi's.
Sachi and Harleigh babbled at each other, neither liking the highchairs and confused as to why their parents bought the highchairs.
They did a small smirk at each other before they decided to do their next move together…
Carly and Blake caught the girls just in time though, breathing relieved sighs.
"Clever little ones." Carly says, wondering how Sachi and Harleigh managed to climb out of their highchairs.
"They wanna eat on the floor and I bet it's under the table." Blake said, looking at Harleigh. Harleigh babbled happily, while trying to reach her small hand out to the pancake batter that Carly just mixed.
"Gotta wait for a bit longer, kiddo." Carly says, Harleigh babbling in confusion as to what that meant.
"Just put them in their playpen, until the food's ready." Carter suggested.
With the newborns in their new playpen, Sachi pulled herself up and babbled at Carter as she watched Carly stir the pancake batter before putting it into the pan. Blake on the other hand was flipping the bacon on a different frying pan, as she was avoiding to get popped and even Carly.
"That's their breakfast… now open up, Sachi." Johnny says, putting some oatmeal into a spoon and feeding Sachi the oatmeal, Franklin feeding Harleigh as well.
"More…" Harleigh was able to say with her mouth full of oatmeal before she swallowed it.
"Here's something to drink, Harleigh and Sachi." Carter said, placing two baby bottles full of milk next to the babies.
As the girls drank their milk, everyone else ate and Carly and Blake held the girls and patted them on their backs, Sachi and Harleigh letting out loud burps.
Carly and Blake place the girls on the floor as they started crawling towards the table.
"Harleigh Bear, what are you doing?" Blake asked.
"Come on Sachi Angel, crawl to Granddad." Michael says, Sachi crawling to him after he sat down and pulling herself into his lap… before pulling herself up to her feet and wrapping her tiny arms around him, the two hugging.
Harleigh started fussing when Sachi abandoned her, as she was under the table.
Sachi untangled herself from Michael and crawled to Harleigh, the two hugging.
"Aww, that's so sweet…" Blake said, Harleigh and Sachi found a piece of leftover bacon under the table and they shared it.
A half hour later…
Out at the park, Norah and Charlie saw everyone.
"Mommy, look who's here!" Charlie says excitedly.
Norah smiled. "Well, isn't this a surprise?"
Norah and Charlie walked over to everyone, Charlie kissing Harleigh and Sachi on their foreheads.
Harleigh blew a kiss at Charlie as the small girl waved to her.
"Such a beautiful day out here." Carly says, the temperature comfortable for late summer.
"Yeah, it is," Blake said, removing Harleigh from her baby stroller.
Sitting under a tree with Sachi in her lap and Johnny by her side, Carly started to look around for a bit and Carter knew why… she was looking for that red truck.
Blake was looking at Carly from a distance as she and Franklin had Harleigh playing in the sandbox. Harleigh had a small blue shovel in her small hand, as she was trying to eat the sand without her Mommy and Daddy looking.
"Don't eat that, Harleigh Bear." Franklin says, Harleigh pouting before letting the sand slip through her tiny fingers. "You think Carly's being a bit of a nervous mother?"
"So what?" Blake said, looking at Franklin and then Harleigh. "I'm one too, you know."
"First time around can be scary… but we're all doing okay, it's a learning experience. I just wish T would back off." Franklin says.
"Mean man?" Harleigh questioned.
Blake looked at Harleigh before looking away... she felt a little bit scared now that Harleigh mentioned Trevor.
"He's not here now, Harleigh Bear." Franklin says, Blake nodding in agreement before kissing Harleigh on her forehead.
Blake was still looking away from Franklin and Harleigh, as she felt warm tears coming down her face.
"It wasn't always like this… he wasn't always like this." Blake says quietly before brushing her tears away and looking at them. "But… he doesn't see us for who we are now."
"Mama?" Harleigh asks, Blake taking her into her arms and cuddling Harleigh close to her.
"Mama's alright, Harleigh…" Blake said quietly, Harleigh touching her Mommy's left cheek with her small hand.
Carly looked up at them as Sachi snored lightly in her arms, kissing Sachi on her forehead.
"She likes it out here, the breeze feels good to her." Johnny says, lightly stroking Sachi's short blonde hair.
Carly worried a bit but felt Charlie's tiny hand on her arm and smiled at the 4 year old.
"Auntie Carly, are you okay?" Charlie asked. "Mommy's asking about you."
"Just a lot of things going on, kiddo… things you'll understand when you're older." Carly says, Sachi cooing in her sleep.
"Mommy says that at times… it'll be okay." Charlie says, kissing Sachi on her forehead before lightly hugging Carly and running to Carter as Carly thought back…
"Uncle Carter, Uncle T's acting funny again." 3 year old Carly says, pointing to a passed out Trevor on the couch as Carter picked her up, Carter seeing the syringe. "What's that in his arm?"
"Macey, take her upstairs please." Carter says, Carly climbing into Macey's arms and Macey taking her upstairs as Carter poured water on Trevor, who screamed as the water had been heated up first.
"What the fuck, asshole?!" Trevor demanded after waking up.
"You were supposed to be babysitting Carly, not shoot up and pass out!" Carter says.
"Bahhh… she's alright! Carly?!" Trevor says, looking for the tiny child. "Carly, don't fucking play hide and seek from Uncle T!"
"Auntie Macey, why is Uncle T saying bad words?" Carly asked, Macey looking at the youngest Townley.
"Uncle T can be an idiot at times, Violet." Macey says…
Blake walked over and rested her hand on Carly's shoulder after Carly put Sachi in her car seat.
"My old memories are coming back…" Carly says.
"What do you remember, cousin?" Blake asked.
"Trevor passing out with a syringe in his arm… he thought I was asleep in the room but I climbed out of the bed and walked into the living room…" Carly says after buckling Sachi up, Blake pulling Carly into a hug as tears fell from Carly's eyes.
"Hey… even though I wasn't there… we have to try and forget about the horrible things." Blake said. "I'm trying, but… I'm worried about Harleigh."
Blake let go of Carly and looked at Franklin placing Harleigh into her seat, as she was babbling happily to her Daddy, still having sand around her small mouth.
"They won't grow up in the life that we did… no constantly having to rob places because we don't know another way to live, not seeing our parents for weeks… that's no life for a child. Now I understand why our parents wanted better for us." Carly says.
"I know, Carly Jade. Our parents wanted us to have a better life, and yet they gave it us since they care about us." Blake said. "And they sacrificed everything for what we wanted in life."
"And we'll do the same for our little ones… and they for their kids and their kids for their own kids." Carly says.
"Yeah, we'll do the same thing for our little ones, no matter what…" Blake said.
Everyone left the park, heading to their homes… and although she didn't know it then, Carly wouldn't have to wait as long as she thought for the family to grow.
Two and a half years later…
With Sachi and Harleigh down for their naps, Blake checked on Carly, who had been throwing up since earlier in the day.
"Carly, you alright?" Blake asked. "You've been throwing up this morning."
"Yeah…" Carly says as she waited before turning the tests over, all three reading Positive.
"Well…" Blake waited for Carly's response, before looking down at the three pregnancy tests in shock.
"Sachi's gonna be so excited to have a little sibling." Carly says as the cousins hugged.
"I'm so happy for you, Carly!" Blake said happily. "Now, it's just me alone who's waiting to get on the pregnancy train."
Carly and Blake let go and Carly looked out at the rainstorm, smiling.
Family could be a complex thing at times as she and everyone had learned over the years.