Linnie wiggled until she could feel Chris' sole. "Chris, Chris."

"Go to sleep, Linnie, please." Chris begged.

"My tummy hurts." Linnie whimpered. "It hurts a lot."

"Do you need Daddy and Papa?" Chris asked. "Is that thing cold and wet or smelly, too?"

Linnie considered, "It's a little wet but not smelly. I just have a really bad ache in my tummy."

Zuma yawned. His babies were awake. The room was dark but he could see in their crib. It was too early for them to be awake. A pup needs sleep, but they were his babies and he should see what was wrong. Wearily, he made his way off the bed. Staying down wind, he sniffed carefully before he went closer.

His twins were fussy. He pressed his nose in between the bars and reached though with a paw to pat Chris. "It's okay," Zuma soothed him.

"Zoomom. Linnie doesn't feel well. Get Papa and Daddy."

Zuma protested the modification of his name. Although it was hard to comprehend everything Chris was saying, the names came through well. "Zoomba. Zoomba." Leaving Chris' side he made his way to the other end of the crib. "What's wrong, Linnie?"

Linnie whined. "I need Papa. My tummy hurts. Papa. Daddy. Come get me."

Zuma whirled towards the bed. Aiming carefully, he leapt onto the mattress and came down on Daddy's legs. Spinning he began to kiss mom.. papa. "Wake up, Daddy. Wake up, papa. My sister doesn't feel well."

Jethro groaned. "Zuma, off."

Tony batted at the pup. "What is... Jethro, the babies are crying." He began to move towards the edge of the bed. "Papa's coming."

"I'll get them." Jethro gave Zuma a big push. "Good job, pup." He gave him a quick ear scratch. Tony moved to the crib and patted Chris before reaching to pat Linnie. His daughter had tears and whimpered pitifully.

"Finally, Papa. Wait pick me up. My tummy hurts and you just pat and leave. At least Zoomba tried to help me."

"Can you hand me Linnie?" Tony sat down in the rocking chair. "She's crying, Chris seems to just be grumbling."

"Grumbling? My sister is sick. I was trying to wake you up to help her. How dare you accuse me of grumbling? What nerve? Linnie, do you hear them? Humph."

"It hurts," Linnie said to her daddy, "Fix it."

"Here you go."

"What is this? Pass the baby night? My stomach hurts. Someone do something." Linnie wailed.

"What wrong, my precious girl?" Tony looked down at her. She was drawing her legs up and kicking them. He felt her tummy. "Does someone have gas? Here," Tony put her up against his shoulder.

"It hurts, papa. Help me." Linnie tried to pound him on the shoulder with her tiny fists. "Fix it now." Tony began to rub her back and along the bottom of her ribs. "Papa, it's not helping. Daddy, make him him fix this. Doggie! Chris! Someone!"

Zuma looked up from where he was laying on the edge of the bed. He barked at Linnie. "Give him a chance."

"Someone help m... eeeerrrrpppp..." Linnie felt a trickle of milk run from her mouth on to Papa's shoulder. "Oh, excuse me."

Chris snorted from his place on Daddy's shoulder. Daddy was rocking him slowly from side to side. Even though Chris wasn't in pain, Daddy was still holding him and patting him. He liked that about Daddy and Papa. If one baby got attention, they both did. He loved Daddy's smell. "You sound like Grandpa."

"I do not!" Linnie cried back.

"Do to."

"Do... eerrpp..." Linnie felt the fullness in her tummy ease.

"How's that feel, sweetheart?" Tony lifted her away a bit to see her face.

"Oh, Papa, I feel so much better." Linnie sighed.

Tony moved her to his other shoulder so she didn't have to smell the curdled milk. "I know, baby girl, that mean old gas hurts, doesn't it?"

"Yes, Papa, it really does."

"Do you think you could go back to sleep, sweetheart?"

Linnie tried to kept her eyes wide, but felt her head drooping. "No, Papa. I want to stay here. Don't put me down, yet. Please."

"Suck-up." Chris called.

"Don't see Daddy putting you down yet." Linnie retorted.

"Jethro, could you wipe my shoulder off?" Tony asked holding his other arm out for Chris.

Jethro wiped his husband's shoulder before obligingly settling Chris beside his sister.

"No, Daddy!.. It's my turn with Papa. Take him back."

"No. Papa made you better, it's my turn now."

"Hey, my angels." They felt the rumble of Papa's voice. "Skeeters are a-humming on the honeysuckle vine..."

"No fair, Papa." Linnie shook her head. "I want rocked... I don't want to sleep yet."

"Silvery moon a shining..."

"Shh, Linnie, I want to hear the end..."

"We... yawn... never hear the ..."

"Close your eyes..." Tony finished low.

"Out like a charm." Jethro carefully lifted Chris and placed him back in the crib.

"I told you... they sleep in self-defense." Tony handed his husband Linnie. He stood carefully and went to stand next to Jethro looking at their sleeping babies.

"They love to listen to their papa." Jethro corrected. "So do I..."

A snore from the bed interrupted the sweet moment. "I think that's Zuma for 'Me ,too!', Papa."

"He sure was determined to wake us." Tony smiled as Jethro moved to stand behind him and lowered his chin to Tony's shoulder.

"Don't need a baby monitor with Zuma around." Jethro laughed. "I think Chris was crying just because Linnie was crying."

"No gas?"

"Nope."

"They are going to be so close," Tony smiled. "and loving."

"Just like their papa."

Tony put his head against Jethro's. "I love you all, so much."

"We love you, too."

In their sleep, Chris and Linnie smiled slightly.

"Wonder what they are dreaming of?"

Jethro smiled at the babies and hugged Tony. "Papa holding them on his shoulder, rocking them to sleep to the sound of a lullaby, don't you think?"

Tony only smiled. Sometimes everything was perfect and didn't need explaining.