so, here is the redone prologue to All-American Girl. (= something i started doing for later stories and will do for this one is, i put clips of lyrics from songs that i was thinking about, listening to, or songs that the current chapter made me think about before the text. so, yes. this one is a kind of obvious one. it's actually the song that made me think of this entire series.

Since the day they got married
He'd been praying for a little baby boy
Someone he could take fishing
Throw the football and be his pride and joy

He could already see him holdin' that trophy
Takin' his team to state
When the nurse came in with a little pink blanket
All those big dreams changed

*Fang*

"We'll be in with your baby in just a moment," a nurse informed me kindly as she walked in, a slight suspicious tone to her voice. "Your wife is doing just fine."

My head snapped up as I looked into her eyes, only to see also a warm smile plastered on her lips—worn out too. Her eyes were a green color, and she had candy apple red hair.

Max would've hated her.

"Thanks," I said softly before giving her a small smile in return.

Yeah. Me, Fang, just smiled. I've done that a lot recently. I've changed a lot too, since I admitted how I feel to Max, and she did the same for me.

What can I say? Love changes a guy.

Okay, so, let me clue you in on a few things. One, we've saved the world now. Actually, we did over two years ago. Two, Max and I are married. We have been for about a year now. Three, we're eighteen, and four…we're having a baby.

A baby boy. I told Max it would be a boy, but she refused to listen to me because she wants a girl. According to her, it would be a girl and I didn't know what I was talking about, even after we had the test done that said otherwise. A test proves it's a boy!

Right?

I've been hoping for a kid since the day Max and I got married. It had been a small ceremony; family and Flock only, of course. Since day one, I've wanted a kid, and I've wanted a little boy. I want to have a family started with Max.

I can see it now. They'll bring me my little boy, and that'll be where it all starts. We'll be best friends forever and ever. He'll be the star football player, he'll lead his team to state, he'll be a great fisher, and sometimes, we'll even go to school together, where we'll be the best of friends. We'll laugh together, do fun things together, and everything. I can see him, holding the football state championship trophy up a high, and a bright grin on his lips.

Once an avian hybrid mates—if they ever do, and if not, this doesn't apply to them—then they'll live forever, along with their mates. When they turn sixteen, they have a year to find their mate, or they'll die. Their mates will be invincible, like the original hybrid is, and they'll be a hybrid too. In my boy's sense, the girl he chooses will be ninety-six percent bird, like he is.

My little Chasester.

Well, technically his name is Chase. Max wanted to name him Alex—if it's a boy, like I know it is—and I wanted to name him Chase. So, we agreed on Chase Alex Lawrence.

Yeah. I found my real parents, but they're really not worth mentioning, either one of them.

Just in case, we came up with a female name too. Max decided on Aria for her name, because she wanted to name him after her half-brother, Ari. I picked Samantha, because to me, anything would've been better than naming her after him. So, if it's a girl, her name would be Aria Samantha Lawrence.

Right now, Nudge is dating a guy named Sean. He is huge, bigger than any of us, and he's a complete goofball. He has curly brown hair, big brown eyes, and tan skin. He's from Australia, and when we went there on a vacation a couple of years ago, she met him. The two fell in love, and he begged his parents to move to America. So, they did.

Gazzy is dating a girl named Allison. She was here already, so things weren't complicated with them. They just fell in love and had your every day love story. This girl is small, all-around. We're all worried about breaking her, to be honest, because she's that tiny. Her hair is bronze, and she has hazel eyes, olive skin. She's pretty, I guess, but that's all I can see.

Iggy and Ella are engaged. No surprise there. We all saw it coming, from the first day they met. Well, okay, the first day they met again after we saved the world and he got his eyesight back.

And...Angel seems interested in a guy who goes to her school. His name is Jesse. He seems nice, but...it's Angel. She's not allowed to be with anyone. And, besides...they're only ten. There's no way it'll ever turn into anything. Just her first crush.

Then again, I've only ever crushed on, well, more like loved one girl, and we're married with a kid now.

You may be wondering why I'm out here in the waiting room and not in there with Max. Well, for starters, she told me I had to stay out. According to statistics, when the male is in there for the child birth, they're less attracted to their wife. I argued the fact that that wasn't even possible, and even if it was, we're stuck together forever, and I'll always love her.

In case you didn't know...she's stubborn. You probably already knew that, though, right?

She also used another weakness on me. She would be screaming, which I could deal with, it would be bloody, which I can also handle, and...she would be in pain...agonizing pain. That is what made me give in. I knew I wouldn't be able to take that, especially knowing I was the cause of this pain.

The door that led to the delivery room opened, and the nurse from before walked in, holding a fluffy pink bundle. I looked around the room in shock, looking for the other possible parent or family of this little girl.

I had thought I was alone in here.

It hit me as I looked back to the nurse, who was looking at me and still walking towards me, that I was alone. There was no one else in here but me. Everyone else was waiting at home by now, because Max was in a long labor.

Poor Max...

"You have a beautiful baby girl," she informed me brightly with the same smile on her lips. "She has the most beautiful eyes." She gently sat the bundle in my arms. "Your wife insists she's fine, so we're gonna go ahead and let her out as long as she rests at home."

I nodded but didn't say anything for a minute while I processed this. I still hadn't looked at the pink bundle in my arms. Where's my boy? Where are all those dreams? I don't want makeup, and pompoms, and shopping. There's enough of that at home as it is! "I'll make sure she gets just that."

She nodded and smiled at me for another moment or two before walking back towards the delivery room.

Well, we could keep trying. I mean, we're bound to get a boy eventually, right? Even if it meant twenty more kids, we'll get there! I am determined.

Then, when I looked down at the bundle in my arms, I realized then twenty more kids weren't necessary. As I looked at the beautiful baby girl in my arms, I melted inside, completely. She looked a lot like me, yet she still had her differences. Her eyes were beautiful, like the nurse said, and unique. I'd never seen any this color before. Her eyes were blue, the most beautiful and moiré color I had ever seen. It was like looking into a diamond, the way they sparkled and changed from every angle you looked at them. They were...beautiful.

I stared into her eyes, and a small, adorable smile spread across her lips. She was a skinny baby, lightweight. Her fingers were maybe a millimeter wide.

She looked so fragile.

Her teeny little fingers wrapped around my index finger, and a soft smile spread across my lips as I realized one thing.

She's my little girl, my little Aria.

Aria Samantha Lawrence.

The door opened again, but I didn't even look to see who it was as I stood up. I knew by how my heart raced it was Max.

I was too awed to look away from the bundle.

Her lips softly pressed against mine, and I was forced to look away. I saw then a blue bundle in her arms, and she smiled.

"Twins?"

"Twins," she repeated. "Alex and Samantha. He's Alex. You can name her, and I'll name him. Alex Chase Lawrence."

"Aria Samantha Lawrence," I said instantly. Her name sounded perfect. It wasn't girly at all, and it was unique.

"Alright," she agreed as she sighed, smiling brightly as she realized that I had now accepted naming our child after Ari. "I had the nurse bring you the girl, to make you think I was right." She grinned. "And I also asked her not to say anything." Then, she frowned. "Doesn't look like she did a very good job."

"She didn't say anything," I assured her as I looked back down at Aria. "I'm just...I've changed my mind."

Her eyes slightly bulged. "You have? Well, I have too, so, I guess she's a Daddy's girl, and he's a Momma's boy."

I laughed before kissing her forehead gently. "Already choosing favorites?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Maybe. Of course, I'll always love her too, but there's just something about him..."

"Same with him and her," I said softly. "So, who's oldest?"

"Alex," she replied instantly. "At first, I thought you had completely won, and I was okay with that. I was already amazed and awed by him, so when I had her too, I was too awed by Alex to really be awed by her."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and laid her head gently on the side of my chest. "You ready, sweetheart?"

She nodded as we walked out of the waiting room, towards my black 2011 convertible Mustang GT, with four seats instead of two, like most of them had.

As I got in the driver's seat, I, very reluctantly, I might add, handed Aria to Max. Something I noticed then was...she already had a head full of black hair. Now, she was asleep too, and she looked so at peace, so beautiful, as she laid there.

Max held them both close, and even though we had just picked our favorites, you could tell by the look in her eyes...

She loved both of these kids. She loved them more than the sun, maybe even more than me. That's alright.

Of course, I'll always love her more than anything, but they're right there under her, and I mean just the tiniest little smidge separating them.

I smiled and looked forward as I started my car and drove off.