Zoey was sitting at the kitchen table, typing away at her laptop. Normally, she would be at school teaching, but it was an optional teacher work day, so she had the day off. She was typing an e-mail to the principle about a boy in her class that had told her his family didn't have heating in their home, and she needed to do something about it.

Vito and Noel came in from outside, both covered in grease. Zoey did a double take when she saw them.

"Um, I thought you two were going surfing. Was there an oil spill?"

"Nah, the car broke down on the way back so I showed the brat here how to fix an engine."

"I think I just made it worse, but I'll do better next time!" said Noel.

"Okay, well, I'm going to a doctor's appointment and I'll bring home dinner, so you guys wash up. Vito, don't forget the rules, and don't get into any trouble. You hear me?"

"We'll see, toots."

While all of Mike's personalities had no qualms about bending the rules to suit them, Vito took it upon himself to go out of his way to break every single one. His rule breaking and trouble making had cost him many Saturdays in the past to come out and do whatever he wanted, and were given to the others so they would get two weeks in a row.

But Zoey couldn't deny that he had greatly improved over the years, which was the only reason he was now allowed to be around Noel without her being there. He had stopped drinking entirely a few years after Noel's birth. He didn't want Zoey knowing this for some reason, but she knew because Mike no longer had to deal with hangovers after regaining control, and he didn't come home smelling like booze anymore. She didn't know why he gave it up, and he would never tell her, anyway. Zoey still had to keep an eye on him, but she could trust him more now than she ever could before.

"Love you Noel, see you Vito."

Zoey took the keys and drove off. Noel and Vito both washed their hands, but they didn't wash anything else.

"Since I helped you with the car, you have to play dolls with me."

"That's not how it works, brat."

"You said if I let you show me how to fix the car, you would do whatever I wanted, and this is what I want."

"How about we do something that's not lame, like riding a motorcycle, or poker. Whatcha got to bet with?"

"I'm not supposed to play poker, and neither are you. Remember how you gambled away Mom's wedding ring to that scary guy with the shark tattoo on his face?"

"I got it back eventually, that's what matters."

"And you bet me in a game once, too."

"That was a joke, everyone's too sensitive around here, and I knew I was gonna win anyway. And besides, I paid dearly for that with makeup and nail polish, remember? I have never been brought lower. I'll never get rid of the mental scars."

After the game had ended, Noel had been very upset that Vito would use her as a gambling chip. She was going to tell Zoey, and he realized that if she found out he would never hear the end of it, and it would cost him a lot of Saturdays. And there was always the possibility Zoey might go commando on him. It had been a long time since he'd done anything to incur her wrath like that, but this would definitely qualify.

He had begged Noel not to tell, and asked what he could do to get her to keep quiet. She at first refused, but he wouldn't let it drop until they came to some kind of agreement. She finally agreed not to tell, but he had to let her give him a makeover. He had almost refused, but having no other options, he was forced to give in.

She put makeup on him, painted his nails and toenails pink, and braided his hair. Even Mike had turned her down when she had asked him to let her give him a makeover, so for Vito, this was excruciating torture. When Zoey came in, she couldn't stop laughing and took several pictures before Vito could stop her.

When they were alone again, Noel admitted that she actually hadn't been very upset, and she wasn't going to tell Zoey. He had given her a lot of leverage over him, and she played it up to see how much she could get out of it, since he did deserve it after what he did. She had always wanted to give him a makeover, and she saw an opportunity and went for it.

Vito was enraged, and he yelled at her, even though now they were technically even. He washed off the makeup and took the bows out of his hair, but the nail polish wouldn't come off no matter how hard he scrubbed. Noel also used this to her advantage, and told him she would only tell him how to take it off if he did one more thing for her. Vito knew a guy with a motorcycle, and she wanted him to take her riding on it. This was something Vito had been wanting to do anyway, so he eagerly agreed, and she gave him the nail polish remover. Unfortunately, the others saw the pictures before he could destroy them, and they wouldn't let him live it down.

"That was fun, and you know it."

"Fun? Fun for you, maybe. You've got everyone fooled thinkin' you're some kind of angel, but I know the truth. You made me suffer indignity upon indignities, you devious little brat."

"I'm a devious brat for giving you a makeover and making you take me on a motorcycle?"

"Yes."

"Whatever, Vito. Are you going to play with me or not?"

"No way, sis."

Noel glared at Vito, and he glared right back. The battle of wills went on until Vito let out a defeated sigh and said, "Fine! Let's get this over with so I can throw up!"

"Yay! Come on, I'll be Rebecca and you can be Ashley."

The matter being settled, Noel took Vito by the hand and led him to her room while he swore under his breath.

Noel went to her toybox and pulled out two Barbie dolls and some props. She handed Vito the one with blonde hair while she kept the brunette. She set up a table with a miniature tea kettle and tea cups and set up mini chairs. She ran to get Marcy while Vito stared at his doll in disgust.

"Hello Ashley, how was your day today?" asked Noel through Rebecca.

In a very high-pitched girly voice, Vito replied, "Terrible. My sexy boyfriend left me because I'm not tan enough. Now who will dance with me at the club? I'm whiter than a snowflake and I blind everyone with my skin, my life stinks."

"That's terrible, Ashley. Here, have some tea," she said as she pretended to pour him a cup.

"It's a shame too, because he's tall, dark and handsome, and doesn't share a body with five other losers. What's a girl to do?"

"Maybe someday you'll find someone who doesn't mind if you're tanned or not," said Noel encouragingly.

Vito thought it over for a moment, then, still in that high-pitched voice, said, "Nah, I'm breakin' out the big guns. Where's the orange paint?"

Noel helped Vito find the paint and they proceeded to paint tans on all her dolls, except Marcy. Once they were finished, Noel threw paint at Vito's face. He looked surprised at first, but then a mischievous grin cross his face and he grabbed the paint.

"Oh, it is on, sister!"

He chased her through the house with the paint, and she got some to defend herself with. Noel screamed and laughed when he hit her with a big glob of paint. They kept splattering each other with paint until Zoey came home. Vito immediately replaced his smile with a disinterested frown. He could never let Zoey think he actually enjoyed playing with Noel.

"I'm home!" Zoey announced, and when she caught sight of the two of them covered in paint and grease, she gasped. "Vito! You promised you'd never put self-tanner on her again!"

"I did no such thing! This is orange paint, thank you very much. Her dolls were in serious need of a makeover."

"It's true Mom."

"And was the house in need of a makeover too?" she asked, gesturing to the orange paint splatters on the walls.

"Maybe not in that color, but you really should do something about the paintjob," said Vito.

"Don't worry Mom, the paint will come off. I'll clean everything and I won't ever do it again."

Noel looked up at her mother with puppy-dog eyes while Vito scowled at her, daring her to challenge him. In the end, she decided it wasn't that big a deal. When it came to Mike's other personalities, you were always fighting a great war, and she had to choose her battles carefully. There were some you fought to the death; others you surrendered without a fight, and this was one of the latter. After all, the house wasn't nearly as messy as it had been at other times in the past.

"I guess your dolls were a little on the pasty side. Now go take a bath, I need to talk to your father in private for a minute, and then it's his turn. And then we're cleaning this house."

Noel ran off and Zoey made Vito put his shirt back on. Mike appeared and barely had time to take a breath before she started talking.

"I went to the doctor Mike, and you'll never believe this. I am pregnant!"

"Yes!" he cried as he put his hands in the air. "I don't know how it happened, or how Noel guessed it, but yes! I'm going to be a dad again!"

"But there's more, you're going to want to sit down for this."

Mike and Zoey sat on the couch, and she took his hands and squeezed them. Mike wondered in anticipation and excitement for what she had to say next.

"The doctor did an ultrasound for the baby's heartbeat and… there were two."

Mike started to worry. "Two heartbeats? Meaning two hearts? Isn't that an alien thing? Is that bad for the baby, can they fix it? Will it be okay?"

Zoey laughed and Mike couldn't understand why. "Mike, it's not one baby with two hearts, it's two babies, identical twins."

It took Mike a minute to process this, but once he had recovered, he picked Zoey up and swung her around in circles, the both of them laughing like lunatics.

"Noel's birthday, Christmas, and twins! Can it get any better than this? Wait till we tell Noel, she'll be so excited! I gotta call Cam, let him know the good news!" said Mike as he ran into the other room.

"Take a shower first, you're indecent!" she yelled after him.

"Never!" he yelled back.

After Noel and Mike had both scrubbed themselves and the house until it shined, they told Noel the good news over dinner.

"Noel, your father and I have something to tell you. Guess what it is."

"You're finally letting me get a dog?"

"No, but you're not too far off. You're going to be a big sister!" said Mike.

Noel smirked. "I told you! When is the baby coming? Is it a girl?"

"Not just one, two! But it's too soon yet to know if they're boys or girls."

"I hope they're girls, I really want sisters. This is so great! But wait, will I have to share a room?"

"No, the twins will have their own room. But you will have to share your things with them, that's the price of being an older sibling."

"I can live with that. And just think, I can teach them all the stuff you taught me, Daddy, like gymnastics and making snares. And Mom, we can sew them blankets and make them teddy bears!"

The conversation revolved around the new babies until it was Noel's bed time. As Mike put her to bed, Zoey watched from afar. She didn't mention it to Mike, but she was so relieved and thankful that this time around he was able to relax and just be happy about the new babies, not apprehensive and worried like last time. This pregnancy was going to go much better than her last, she was sure of it.

Manitoba passed Noel a backpack and said, "Fill this up with everything you need to survive in the wild, Joey. Then come show me and I'll tell you how you did."

Noel rushed off to fill her backpack, and while she did Zoey confronted him.

"If you come across any wild animals, don't make Noel pet them or anything. And don't wrestle them yourself either, I don't want her to get scared."

"That ankle-biter watches scary movies, but she can't handle a wild beast?"

Zoey and Mike tried to regulate what Noel saw on TV, but the others, excluding Svetlana, didn't really care what she watched so they never made her turn the TV off when a horror movie came on.

"There's a difference between seeing things on TV and seeing them in real life. She likes animals well enough, but if she gets freaked out, don't force her to go near them."

"I won't force her. As long as she can track, survive in the woods, wrangle a bear, and fire a gun if she needs to, I'm satisfied."

"Good. Wait, no bears."

"We'll see. When are you gonna let me take her on a real safari? I'm running out of patience."

"When she's eighteen, Manitoba. You know that, it's one of the terms of our truce."

"Can't blame a bloke for trying."

"You keep her safe out there, okay?"

"You're one to talk about safety, Mrs. Skydiving While Pregnant."

"You made me go skydiving with you! And I didn't know I was pregnant at the time, I just found out a few days ago."

"Excuses, excuses."

"Seriously, don't let her get hurt. Her birthday is in just two days and I don't want her turning seven without all her limbs."

"Aye, Sheila. I can't believe she's turning seven already, it was just yesterday she was just a baby and I had her on my back swinging through the trees and looking for treasure in old abandoned mines. You never have to worry about the little joey when she's with me, I'd wrestle a crocodile for her any day."

"I know you would."

Noel ran back with her backpack now full of supplies. She handed it to Manitoba and he inspected it thoroughly.

"Looks like you got everything, except… the compass."

"I looked for it everywhere but I couldn't find it."

"That's because I have it right here," he said with a wink as he flourished the compass. He picked up his own backpack and said, "All right, adventurer sidekick, let's go! Today, we're tracking the elusive jaguar."

"There aren't any jaguars around here," said Noel.

"I'm Manitoba Smith, Joey! When I go lookin' for somethin', I always find it, no matter where I am geographically. Now, quick quiz, what do you do to keep warm on a freezing night in the woods?"

"Build a fire!"

"And how do you build a fire without a lighter or matches? And what other things do you do to keep from freezin' your rear end off?"

Manitoba continued to quiz her as they left the house and made for the mountains. They were hiking the trail that he had discovered when Mike was younger than she was, and this was her first time going.

Manitoba didn't like going on adventures alone. He would if he had to, but he didn't enjoy it nearly as much if he didn't have a companion. If there was someone around, he would drag them along, even if it was a total stranger. If Noel couldn't go with him, he'd talk Zoey into accompanying him. Noel was the perfect sidekick; she loved exploring and going on adventures almost as much as he did, and she looked up to him and fed into his massive ego. He didn't even care that she was a girl, he couldn't ask for a better sidekick.

It was Saturday; they would be returning Sunday in time for her birthday on Monday. She alternated between walking and riding on Manitoba's back. Noel didn't mind the quizzing, because she knew it would make her into a great adventurer like her father. Once he had finished quizzing her, they started practicing their bird calls.

"If we do find a jaguar, will you show me how to wrestle it?" she asked as they were a good ways up the mountain.

"This is why I like you, kid."

Suddenly, a large rock slid down the mountainside.

"Joey!" cried Manitoba as he shoved her out of the way. He didn't have time to save himself, and the rock hit him in the head and then kept tumbling down the mountain. He collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

"Daddy! I mean, Manitoba! Manitoba, are you okay?"

Manitoba didn't respond for several minutes. He didn't allow cellphones or technology of any kind on expeditions, and so Noel had no way of calling for help. But finally, to her immense relief, he opened his eyes.

"Manitoba, are you all right?"

He groaned and rubbed his head. "I'm all right, Joey. That rock tried to do me in, but nothin' can stop the great Manitoba Smith."

Noel helped him back on his feet. He started off again as if nothing had happened, and even started whistling a tune.

"What's that song you're whistling?"

Manitoba stopped and shook his head. "Was I whistlin'? That's odd. Oh well, come along, Joey."

They climbed the rest of the way and made it to the top. They set up Noel's tent and made a campfire to roast hot dogs and marshmallows with. After they had eaten their fill, they laid down on the dirt and looked up at the night sky.

"That one there is Orion, the hunter," said Manitoba as he pointed out the constellation to her.

"Isn't that one the lion?" she said as she pointed up at another set of stars.

"That's right, Joey. You really know your stars. And that one, that bright one there, that's the North star. You'll never be lost as long as you have the stars to guide you. Better than any map."

"How do you know so much about all this stuff? You get lost in the mall sometimes, but out here someone could drop you blindfolded out of a helicopter in the middle of nowhere and you'd have no trouble getting home."

Manitoba grinned. "It's my passion, I make it my job to know everything I might need out here in the wild. I've never gotten lost, not once in my life, and do you know why?"

"Because you're the great Manitoba Smith!"

"Exactly! And I'll teach you to be as good as I am. Well, maybe not as good, I'm a tough act to follow, but I think you've got what it takes."

They talked about the constellations until Noel fell asleep. Manitoba gently lifted her up and transferred her off the ground into her tent, and then laid back down on the ground and slept under the stars.

The next day, they went in search of jaguars. Though they found none, they did see some moose in the distance, and that satisfied them. While exploring, Noel found a gold coin in the dirt, and Manitoba inspected it.

"Yup, no doubt about it. There's treasure up here somewhere on this mountain. This proves it."

"We make a great team, don't we Manitoba?"

"Nope."

"No? Aren't I a good sidekick?" her face fell. Treasure hunting and exploring was very important to her.

"We're not a great team, we're the best treasure hunting duo there ever was!" he said as he mussed her hair and she giggled.

They returned home in the afternoon and Noel and Zoey spent the rest of the day preparing for her birthday party the next day. Zoey and Mike wanted to make sure that Noel's birthday wasn't overlooked just because it was right next to the biggest holiday of the year, so they always made a big deal out of it. Manitoba spent the rest of his free time making arrows and shooting them at the eyeballs of people on billboards for target practice.

That night, it was Noel's turn to pick the movie they watched. She chose Lion King, one of her favorites.

"Isn't this movie basically the cartoon version of Hamlet?" asked Zoey. "Every time I watch it it reminds me of your performance as Hamlet, Mike. You were amazing."

"I was pretty good, wasn't I? My understudy only had to fill in for me once, I got to do every other show. It was my greatest performance, I think."

"No doubt about that."

After the movie ended, Mike went to tuck her in. When Zoey came to wish Noel goodnight, she accidentally walked in on them dancing together. Noel was tiny and her head barely hit his waist, but they made it work. It must have been very difficult for Svetlana to not make a guest appearance, but she was managing to contain herself.

Noel took after her mother in that she was a big music lover. She could get lost in nearly any genre, particularly classical and jazz. They often joked her about how grown-up her taste in music was. Mike, on the other hand, didn't care as much as they did about music, but he was a great dancer. He liked listening to the radio, but he didn't get hooked on certain bands and he didn't learn the lyrics to the songs, except for a select few.

The song playing on Noel's old radio was Unforgettable. Mike didn't sing or dance often, but he could never turn Noel down when she asked. Mike was singing Nat King Cole's part, and Noel was singing his daughter's part. They didn't notice that Zoey was watching.

"Unforgettable, that's what you are," sang Mike as he held her close.

"Unforgettable, though near or far," Noel sang back.

"Like a song of love that clings to me."

"How the thought of you does things to me."

"Never before has someone been more,"

"Unforgettable, in every way."

"And forever more, that's how you'll stay."

"That's why, darling, it's incredible,"

"That someone so unforgettable,"

"Thinks that I am, unforgettable too." The last line they sang together. They broke apart and dramatically bowed to each other.

The song ended, and they looked up to see Zoey.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"You weren't interrupting," said Mike as he scooped Noel up in his arms.

"Mind if I join in on story time tonight?" Story time was Mike's sacred right in this house, since he had to share his time with his other personalities. Zoey usually didn't intrude, but since this was the eve of Noel's birthday, she made an exception.

"Sure Mom!" said Noel.

Mike was eager to have her join them for story time. "I was going to do Jack and the Beanstalk, but we can do Little Red Riding Hood instead. You can be Little Red. Noel is usually Little Red, do you mind giving your role to Mom tonight?"

"Just this once," said Noel with a broad grin.

"Are you typecasting me?"

"Well, you could be the grandma, but she doesn't have any lines."

"I'm just teasing, I'd be honored to be Little Red."

Noel listened reverently as her parents played the parts in the story. Zoey spoke in a high-pitched little girl voice as Little Red while Mike spoke in a deep, gravelly voice as the big bad wolf.

"Grandma, what big ears you have!" exclaimed Zoey.

"All the better to hear you with, my dear," said Mike in a voice that was higher, but still gravelly.

"And what big eyes you have!"

"All the better to see you with, my dear."

"And Grandma, what big teeth you have!"

"I'll the better to eat you with!" Mike roared and grabbed Zoey and she screamed in mock terror. He then said, in a voice that was even deeper and more gravelly than before. "And then the huntsman came to rescue them, but alas, he was no match for the big bad wolf. The wolf gobbled up the grandma, the huntsman, and Little Red in one bite, and then he ran off in search of more suckers to eat."

Zoey stared at him and Noel said, "Daddy! That's not how the story goes. You're so weird."

Mike shook his head and said in his normal voice, "No, you're weird," he booped her nose. "I was just testing you. The wolf chased Little Red through the whole house, until the huntsman came to save them. He chased back the wolf with his axe and made the wolf leave for good. Little Red found her grandma locked in the closet, safe and unharmed, and they lived happily ever after."

"Tell another story!" Noel demanded. "Just one more, please!"

"Sorry kiddo, but you're going to need your sleep for the party tomorrow," said Mike. "I'm sure you didn't get much sleep on that hike, so you need to make it up now. You don't want to be a zombie on your special day."

"I can't believe you're almost seven," said Zoey. "This is your last night of being six, make sure you savor it."

"Do you think people are really going to come to my party?"

"Of course, you're the coolest kid in school! They'd be crazy not to," said Mike.

"And if this really is my last night of being six, I think I should get extra time to savor it, so I'm not too traumatized tomorrow when I'm suddenly seven. How about a late-night movie marathon? With ice cream and popcorn?"

Mike looked to Zoey pleadingly. He was caving, he was going to give in. When she was younger, he had completely lacked the ability to tell her no. He had improved since then, but it was still nearly impossible for him to say no, especially so close to her birthday. Noel had him wrapped around her finger.

"Nice try," said Zoey. She hated to be the bad guy here, but if she didn't Mike would let her stay up all night. "Besides, school will be ending in a few days for winter break and then you can stay up every night. You just have to last a few more days."

"All right," she said in defeat.

They both kissed her forehead.

"Love you," said Zoey. "Happy birthday early."

"Love you, Winter Princess," said Mike.

"Love you too," yawned Noel just before they closed the door.

"You feeling okay, Mike?" asked Zoey once they were away from Noel's room.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Manitoba took a hit to the head yesterday, but other than a little headache, I'm fine."

"Let me know if it gets worse, okay?"

"I will." Then, to change the subject, "After tomorrow, I won't have a six year old anymore. How is she growing up so fast? I always thought parents exaggerated that, but it's true! Soon she'll be sixteen and dating a guy with piercings and a Mohawk. I'll never be ready for that."

"How about we don't even think about the teen years yet. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"You think I could scare any potential boyfriends away? Only if I needed too, of course."

"You're too big of a sweetheart to be intimidating. I think Vito or Manitoba could get the job done, though."

"Thanks for the confidence, honey."

Zoey stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Mike and Zoey went to sleep that night peacefully and without a care in the world, their little family as happy as it could be. Little did they know that everything was about to change. Life would never be the same for them after the light bulb burned out, and their peaceful life would end.