A/N:
Granger Family Saga. Set after "Thanksgiving" and "Rescue".
Shrieks and wails from the twins woke Hannah and Colby up the next morning. Hannah dressed hurriedly, but Colby rolled over with a groan and covered his head with his pillow. She shook her head and smacked his butt as she scrambled to the twins' room. His muffled growl went unnoticed.
"Mama, want Mama!" Quinn was still in his crib, wailing piteously over and over again for his mother. Brandon was trying to sooth Quade, who was screaming incoherently at the top of his lungs. Hannah quickly dashed the tears from her eyes, tears that had leaked, unbidden, at the sight before her. Quinn reached for her and she cradled him in her arms, crooning to him. His wails slowly dwindled to soft sobs. He sniffled as he whimpered for his monther. "Where's Mama?" he hiccuped. "Nana, where's Mama? Want Mama."
"Oh, Quinn!" Hannah kissed him sadly. "Mama can't be with you anymore."
"I miss Mama," his soft whimper broke her heart.
"I know, baby, I know." She rocked him gently. "Put Quade down, Brandon, and come get Quinn. I'll calm Quade." Quade was still screaming.
"I'll get him," Colby growled from the doorway.
"Dad," Brandon began to protest, startled at his father's growl.
"I'm not going to hurt him," Colby's brows lowered in affront.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Quade was now screaming for his grandfather. Brandon looked at his son in surprise as Quade leaned into Colby's arms.
"Stop screaming, Quade. You're upsetting everyone." For a moment Brandon thought that Quade would ignore Colby's firm command. But his son surprised him by quieting down to sobs punctuated by hiccups.
"I want Mama, Grandpa. Where's Mama?"
"Quade," Colby's husky voice broke, "Mama couldn't come with us."
"Why? Bad man there!" Quade's lower lip jutted out rebelliously. He was revving up to scream again.
"No screaming." The firm command stopped the screaming before it started, but Quade's stubborn pout remained. "Mama didn't stay with the bad man, Quade. Mama died." The room was quiet now, broken only by the occasional sniffle from the twins. An icy hand squeezed Colby's heart as he ached for his son and grandsons. He kissed Quade tenderly as he rocked him.
"What's died?" Quinn's quiet voice barely registered.
Hannah swallowed at the hollow look of pain in Brandon's eyes. He and Kendra hadn't been together long, but he must have had feelings for her. Her own eyes turned to plead with Colby.
"Quinn," Colby hesitated, unsure how to explain death to a two year old.
"Because she was sick?" Quade picked up where his brother left off.
"Mama said she was sick," Quinn said solemnly, his eyes huge. "Took us to meet Daddy."
"Oh, Quinn!" Hannah hugged him closer, this time she didn't dash her tears away. "Mama loved you and Quade very much. That's why you're here with Daddy, and with us. She can't be with you anymore."
Colby wondered if the twins always alternated asking their questions. "When people die, they don't breathe, they don't eat. They can't be with us anymore."
"Because I was bad?" Huge tears rolled down Quade's cheeks.
"No, Quade, not because you were bad." Colby brushed the tears away with a gentle finger. "I know you miss her, but she loved you and Quinn very much, and she won't want you to be sad."
"Nana, don't die," Quinn threw his arms tightly around Hannah's neck.
Colby swallowed a lump in his throat at the look in Hannah's eyes. He wanted to say the same to her.
"I won't let you be alone, Quinn," Hannah's soft whisper brought tears to Colby's eyes, and almost drove Brandon to his knees. "Brandon, it's going to be fine." She smiled at her son as she patted him on his cheek. "Come on, let's show Daddy how to get you cleaned up and Nana will fix breakfast, okay?" Quinn nodded. "Brandon, why don't you take Quinn into the bathroom, I'll be right there."
She put her arms around Colby, and kissed him. "It's going to be alright."
"You keep telling me that," he mimicked her words. The catch in his voice startled him.
"You've never failed me, Colby. I won't fail you."