Another April & Andy one-shot. This started as a drabble request for fluffy bunnies on tumblr and turned into so much more. I really can't seem to stop myself when it comes to Kiliane, James, or their babies. :)

P.S. Given James' fondness for rock ballads, I decided to use one for the title. ;-)

James sat in his cabin on the Normandy, going over reports when his omni-tool pinged with an incoming message. He smiled when he saw who it was from.

Pulling up the video, he said, "Hey, Lola."

"Hey yourself. How's your mission going? I didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?"

"Not at all. We just wrapped up here, and I was going over report before I sent it in. How's everything going at home?"

"Good, really good."

His wife's answering smile caused a mix of emotions for him. It had been happening more and more lately. While he used to be filled with pure joy when talking to her or the kids, now there was something else there. Something not quite as pleasant, and something he wasn't sure he was ready to deal with.

"James, are you okay?"

He realized he must have missed something she had said when he looked at her concerned expression.

Shaking off what he'd been feeling, he said, "Fine. Just a little tired is all. Glad to be on my way home finally."

"Me too. April wanted to talk to you, but if now's not a good time…"

"No, it's fine. Put her on."

Kiliane's face disappeared, but he could still hear her voice in the background.

"April? April, Daddy's on the com if you want to tell him your news. Make it quick though, sweetie. He's tired and needs to go night-night."

"Okay." James watched as his soon-to-be five-year-old daughter's face popped up on the screen. She smiled and waved at him. "Hi, Daddy!"

"Hiya, little fiend. How are things going on the homefront?"

"Good. Guess what?"

"Monkey butt!"

April giggled and then said, "No! You're silly, Daddy."

He grinned. "I know. So, what did you want to tell me?"

"I'll show you!" With that, she opened her mouth and pointed at the space where her front tooth used to be. "I wot a too."

"I see that. Wow, lost your first tooth. You're not such a little fiend anymore, are you?"

She grinned back at him. "Nope, I'm a big girl now."

That unnamed feeling returned with a vengeance, but he pushed it down and focused on his daughter.

"Yeah, you are. So, did you put it under your pillow for the tooth fairy?"

"Yes." She frowned a little. "But Mama says the tooth fairy only brings money. I don't want money."

"Well, what do you want?"

"A bunny."

"A bunny?"

"Yeah! Mama and Auntie Randa took us to the zoo, and we saw lots of bunnies and we got to pet them and they were so cute and soft, Daddy, and I want one that I can name Fluffers and I want to pet him every day!"

He laughed. "Slow down, little fiend. Let's think about this a little. I don't think the tooth fairy can bring you a bunny because it wouldn't fit under your pillow."

She frowned. "Oh. Yeah."

"Plus, I'm not sure having a bunny would be a good idea with Riley. He might try to eat it."

"Oh. That's not very nice."

"Yeah, but he wouldn't know any better. It would just be instinct."

April's face scrunched up. "What's instinct?"

James was saved from answering when he heard Kiliane's voice.

"Something I'll explain later. Remember what I said? Daddy needs to go to bed, and so do you. Go brush your teeth."

"Okay, Mama." She waved at the camera. "Night night, Daddy."

"Night night, Fiend. Sleep tight."

She ran off, and he heard Kiliane say softly, "Andy, do you want to say hi to Daddy quick?"

His son's face was much more subdued when it popped up on his screen. Anderson had always been the quieter of the two, but James had noticed lately that he'd been even more so.

"Hi Daddy."

"Hey, Mouse. You holding down the fort for me?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

There were several seconds of silence before he said, "Daddy? Are you coming home soon?"

"Sure am. Just a few more days."

"Oh, okay. See you."

With that, Andy's face disappeared, and was replaced by Kiliane's.

"Sorry. He's been like that lately. Only says a few words at a time. I'm not sure what's bugging him."

"Hmm. I'll have a heart-to-heart with him when I get home."

His wife smiled as she said, "So, when do you think that'll be?"

"Should be early next week. I've got to go meet up with K, and then we've got to give our report to the Alliance and the Council. But then I'm on my way home."

"Good. We miss you."

And there it was again. That feeling. He knew that he couldn't keep ignoring it, but he just wasn't quite sure he was ready to face it-and what it might mean for his family.

Two Weeks Later

James stood in the corner of the park, watching his children run and play with their friends. Their golden retriever, Riley, was darting in and out while they all tried to grab at him. He caught Kiliane's eye where she stood talking with Miranda and Dr. Chakwas, and he winked at her. She smiled and went back to her conversation.

He'd been home for a little over a week, and he'd done a lot of thinking during that time, sharing some of his thoughts with her along the way. Afterwards, he'd realized how silly it had been for him to ever worry about what she'd think. Kiliane would always stand by him, not matter what he decided to do.

"So, I understand I have an appointment scheduled with you in the morning."

Hearing Admiral Hackett's voice next to him caused James to instinctually snap to attention.

"Uh, yes, Sir."

Hackett chuckled. "At ease, James. We're at a family function, I'm not your commanding officer right now."

"Right, sorry. Habbit."

"I know. When you live and breathe something for so long, it can be hard to shake it off."

James looked up at Hackett in surprise. It was almost like he'd been reading his thoughts. The older man just smiled before changing the subject.

"It sure turned out to be a beautiful day for the party."

"Uh..yeah. Yes, it did. Kiliane had to do most of the planning by herself, so I'm glad everything turned out."

They were celebrating the twins' fifth birthday. They'd rented out a park shelter on the lake, and invited all of the their friends from the Normandy, plus all the twins' friends from pre-school. He had to hand it to his wife. It was a lot to put together, but it had come together rather nicely.

He'd worried about her for a while after she had retired. She'd gone through a brief period where she hadn't known what to do with herself. James had been away on missions for extended periods of time, and she had become quiet and withdrawn. But then the twins had come, and she'd fallen into the role of mother quite naturally and happily.

Hackett interrupted his thoughts again, and again made James feel like he was reading his mind.

"If you think about it, her experience as a Spectre was good practice for all this. Planning missions, solving petty squabbles between the races, all of it."

James laughed. "I suppose that's one way to look at it."

"She was a soldier through and through. Lived it and breathed it since the day she turned eighteen. I suppose if she can make this transition, anyone can."

"Sir?"

"James, I'm fairly certain I know what you want to meet with me about tomorrow. So, why don't I make it easy for you. We're looking for an instructor at our Los Angeles facilities. That's only, what, forty-five minutes from here by shuttle? I think you'd be perfect for it, and I'd happily put your name forward as my top recommendation. It would give you much more time to be here, soaking up these moments while you can."

James felt relief wash over him as the knot that had been in his chest for the last few months slowly started to unravel. He missed his family so much that it hurt when he was away on missions, and it had only gotten worse as the twins got older, and he missed more and more of the big moments. Kiliane had sent him vids when they'd taken their first steps and said their first words.

He wanted to be here when they had their first day of school, went on their first dates, fell in love and had their hearts broken. He just hadn't been sure what he would do with himself outside of being a marine. It had been his lifeline when he'd first joined. But he realized he had a different lifeline now. Three of them, in fact. All wrapped around each other and around his heart.

James smiled at Hackett, shaking his hand.

"Thank you, Sir. I think I'd like that very much."

Later that night, James was tucking the twins into bed. He leaned down and kissed each of their foreheads, breathing in their scent as he did.

"Hey guys, I have a question for you."

"Okay, Daddy. What is it?"

April looked up at him solemnly with her mother's grey eyes, and the knot unraveled just a little more.

"What would you guys think if Daddy was home more? Like, almost every day?"

"Really?"

That came from Andy this time.

"Yeah, Mouse. Grandpa Steven offered me a teaching job, and that means I would get to stay here, and only go to work during the day."

Andy looked thoughtful, while April stated matter-of-factly, "I think it's an excellent idea, Daddy. You could tuck me every night. And we could get a bunny because you would be able to stop Riley from eating him."

James laughed. "Well, we could think about it anyway." He turned towards his son. "What do you think, Mouse?"

"I would like that very much."

"Is that why you've been so sad lately? You missed me being around?"

The little boy nodded slowly.

"That's kind of what I thought. It was making me sad, too. But now neither one of us has to be sad any more, do we?"

"Nope."

"Good. All right. Time for lights out." He walked to the door and flipped the switch on the wall. "Night night, sleep tight."

Two little voices echoed the words back to him, and the knot finally unraveled completely, replaced by warmth and light as he joined his wife on the sofa and pulled her into his arms.