Disclaimer: if you recognize it it's not mine.

PLEASE check out my profile page to see links for pictures of the furniture and baby stuff that I mention in this story. I spent a lot of time finding it all maybe even more time than in writing the story.

HELP ME PLEASE: I have stuff written for this story until Troy starts school and an outline for his first day of school and a few ideas for beyond that. But I would like my readers input on things that they would like to see happen in the story. Please either send me ideas in a review or a PM. I will give you credit if I use your idea. THANK YOU!

Chapter 2: Settling In (Friday 19th Aug to Sunday 21st Aug)

Troy was not at all tired so when he had Eli down for the night he got out the paint gear and prepared his bedroom to be painted. He put down the drop cloth and taped up where it needed to be taped up. He then got out the blue paint that he had picked for his ceiling and painted it. He decided to bring down the blue paint four inches onto the wall from the ceiling to create a more elegant look. Between coats he set up his kitchen, first he cleaned everything, and then put contact paper on the cupboard shelves. After everything was clean Troy put the dishes away that he had run through the dishwasher when he had gotten home. While they had been out getting the paint Troy and Lucy had gone to a store in the same shopping center and had gotten Troy a basic set of dishes, glasses, and silverware. They found a collection where they could mix and match shapes, colors, and sizes. Troy picked out square ceramic plates in three sizes and glasses in two sizes that were all green, blue, black, and off white, two of each thing in each color. From the same set bowls were also selected. He got cereal bowls, bowls that were smaller than the cereal bowls, and four bowls that were larger than the cereal bowls in increasing size for mixing or salad bowls. They had not expected there to be a full kitchen in the basement complete with fridge, dishwasher, oven, stove, and microwave so, they had decided to get the basic supplies that he would need. Troy also made up a big batch of bottles that he then put in the fridge so that he would have them ready for the next day.

The paint was of a very good quality so it only took two coats and dried in a half hour. Troy had the ceiling done and one coat of the walls done by 10:00 pm. Troy chose a green color for the walls. Troy did the taping off that was needed out in the kitchen and living room area while he waited for the paint to dry. Troy had decided to paint the living area of the basement a gray tinted blue. The ceiling will be a cream color to accent the carpet that is throughout the basement. The cream will be brought down four inches on the wall as was done in the bedroom.

Troy was working on the living area ceiling when Eli woke up at 11:00 pm to be changed and feed. Eli was up for an hour playing with his activity mat in the bedroom. When he fell asleep again Troy put him in the crib.

The kitchen counter tops were a very nice beige-tan colored granite and the cabinets were black wood which set the design for the rest of the furniture in that area. Grandpa Alex had helped find the house and finalize the deal for Jack and Lucy. When he had viewed the house he took pictures and video of it that he showed to them and Troy when he visited in late June. Troy based his furniture and design choices based on the pictures and video that he had seen. A cream carpet that went very well with the counter top and cabinets was throughout the basement except for the kitchen area that had linoleum in a very similar color. Before Troy had gone to bed he had his room completely done; and the ceiling and one coat of the walls done in the living area. Troy was exhausted when he went to bed at 1:00 am so even with a 3:00 am feeding for Eli he was well rested when the 6:00 am feeding came. Due to how rested he felt he stayed up and did the second coat of paint on the walls in the living area. Troy had finished the painting and clean up by 7:30 am. So with a majority of the painting done Troy decided to move both his and Eli's bed into his bedroom and set up the swing in there also. After Troy had that done and Eli settled into his swing he brought in the boxes with his clothes in them into his bedroom from a storage room in the basement where he had stashed them so he could paint the living area without them in the way. His closet had built in organizers with plenty of drawers so he didn't need a dresser. Troy had two medium size boxes of clothes. He put the clothes that went into the drawers away and the clothes that needed to hang he stacked on top of the drawers because he didn't have hangers. At the apartment in Chicago he didn't have a closet only a dresser so he didn't have hangers. He would have to get some later. As he put away the clothes he talked to Eli. He basically just made comments on where he wanted to put each piece of clothing saying his thoughts out loud. He had read in a book about early childhood development that talking in a normal voice instead of in sickly and annoying baby talk was better for the baby's speech development. The more the baby head the better also, so Troy had taken to saying his thought out loud for Eli to hear. There was also the added benefit that hearing Troy's voice seemed to sooth Eli and Troy was soothed by that. A better bond was forming between father and son from it also like a mother does with the baby while she is pregnant. Troy was also writing a grocery list as he out his clothes away. Troy had bought a few books about babies when he had decided to keep Eli. After Eli was born he also bought a few books about preemies and the special care they needed.

Troy had finished putting away one of the boxes of clothes and was taking the empty box out of the bedroom into the living room when Lucy walked down the stairs into the living room bearing Burger King. Troy smiled brightly at not only seeing his mom but breakfast as he was hungry but knew that there was no food in the house.

"Hi, mama," Troy said in greeting.

Lucy was in a bit of a daze at seeing how far Troy had gotten with the painting. "Hi, Troy dear," she finally got out after a moment while still looking around the room at the paint job.

"Is that for me?" Troy asked pointing and referring to the Burger King bag and drink in her hands.

"Huh? What? OH! Yes, this is for you," she said breaking out of her daze and handing him the Burger King breakfast.

"Good morning Troy and how is my grandson doing this morning?"

"Morning mom, he's doing well, been up since 6."

"I like the paint job Troy. How late were you up last night?"

"Until 1:00 but I did the second coat on the walls out here this morning, I just finished about a half hour ago."

"Out here… you did more than this room?"

"Yeah, I finished my room last night. I did that first, did you want to see?"

"Yes, lead the way." Troy first set his breakfast on the kitchen counter and then walked to his bedroom with Lucy following him.

She was impressed with this room also. She took note of the beds having been moved in there, Eli in his swing, clothes in the closet, the lack of hangers, and a notebook on top of another box of clothes.

"We will have to get you some hangers, figure out how many you need and later we'll go to the store and get some. What is this list?" she asked referring to the notebook on the box.

"A grocery list, stuff that that I need right away and another of stuff I would like to have down here but don't need right away," he said in answer.

"This morning while your father starts painting the girls bedrooms I'll be taking Emma with me to the grocery store. My parents will be here around one to take the girls shopping for their bedroom furniture. Jack has asked for you to help him with the painting, he wants to get it done before my parents get here."

"Okay I'll help with the painting but do you think you could take Eli with you. He's been fed and changed so he should be good for you. I just don't want him near the paint fumes or down stairs by himself."

"I'll take him just get his diaper bag ready for me please."

"Okay I will and thanks mom."

"You're welcome."

Shortly after breakfast was done Troy had gotten the diaper bag ready and Eli in his car seat in the SUV for his mom. In the two hours that Lucy was gone to the store Troy and Jack had two of the girls' rooms done. While Jack started on the third Troy went and helped unload the car and got Eli settled in his swing in the gathering room for Lucy to watch so he could finish helping Jack paint. By the time Lucy's parents had arrived the painting had been finished. Troy was helping put the last of the kitchen stuff from the boxes away when they arrived. After a quick and quite cold greeting Troy left them to faun over the girls and to get a tour of the house while he broke down the boxes and took them out to the garage to be recycled later. During the tour Jack had been quite impressed with how far Troy had gotten with the painting; Lucy's mother however found ways to insult Troy for painting his area when he should have done the girls' rooms first. Lucy did her best to set her mother straight but it seamed that everything she said went in one ear and out the other. By the time the tour was over Lucy was so upset and frustrated with her parents that she decided to stay home with Troy and Eli while Jack went with them and the girls to go shopping.

Troy and Lucy spent the afternoon painting Eli's room and the bathroom while Eli took a nap in Troy's room. Before they got started on the painting Troy went into great detail about his plans for Eli's room so that Lucy would know what to do. The colors would be a green, blue, and dark brown to match the bedding set. The ceiling will be a sky blue, the upper half of the wall a darker blue. The lower half of the wall will be green with a dark brown border where the blue and green meet. Lucy enjoyed hearing her son be happy again. Troy had been in a funk for the last year never quite getting over his rape. Troy took to fatherhood like he did with most things, with ease. Eli was a very good baby, easy to please, didn't fuss much, easy to feed, and self content. Troy spent as much time with him as he could while he could. Once school started up again his time with Eli would be significantly less.

Troy and Lucy had started painting at two and had finished by four. All that was left was the horizontal boarder stripe that Troy was going to do later that evening to allow the paint to dry completely. While Troy fed and changed Eli, Lucy cleaned up the brushes. Jack had called to say that they would still be a few more hours and that they would eat dinner out. So Troy and Lucy would make their own dinner. While Lucy started on diner and Eli was in his swing in the hearth room Troy went upstairs to paint the girls bathrooms. Emma and Mira who were sharing a bathroom had decided to have a purple bathroom. Kat decided to have a blue bathroom to match her bedroom. They would be getting the shower curtain, towels, and accessories today when they ordered their bedroom furniture. Troy had finished with the painting and clean-up by the time Lucy had dinner ready. All the rooms on the main floor including the master bedroom were all painted in colors that Lucy and Jack liked so all the painting was finished. After dinner between Troy and Lucy they had brought in all of the electronic equipment that goes in the entertainment center in the grand room and all other stuff that would go on the shelves and walls from the garage. Troy had all the electronics hocked up and running correctly and Lucy had all the boxes of stuff empty and on the shelves. Picture to hang on the walls were placed on the floor leaning against the walls. Troy had just come back inside from the garage where he added the last of the broken down boxes to pile out there when everyone else got beck from the shopping trip.

Lucy's parents, Amanda and Richard, did not stay long because it was getting late and they wanted to get home. However, before they left Amanda made a few short statements.

"The furniture will be delivered on Tuesday between 9:00 and 11:00 am. I have also ordered a piano that will be delivered on Monday between 2:00 and 5:00 pm. Here is the information on the piano," she said handing over a brochure on the piano to Lucy, "I will pay up to one hundred dollars per week for lessons per girl. Once a month at each Sunday dinner I will give you check for $1200 for the lessons. If there is anything left over after paying for the lessons use it on the girls for something else. I have included a list of piano teachers in the area in the brochure. You may choose one of them or find someone else it does not mater to me who the teacher is. However, I expect to see progress once a month when I will have them play for me at our monthly family dinner. Now we must be going, we will see you tomorrow for the family diner at 5:00 pm. Do not be late. Good bye." With that last parting statement she and Richard left.

Troy took the brochure on the piano from his mother to see what kind it was and found it was a Steinway and Sons Model B Music Room Grand piano. It was a very expensive and exquisite piano that had Troy practically drooling thinking about just being able to play on one just once let alone have one in his house where he could play it at anytime he wanted, well within reason. While Troy was day dreaming about one of the best pianos that could be made, Jack was informing Lucy that he had not known about the piano and then went on to describe their shopping trip.

After Lucy had calmed down about the piano, mostly from seeing how excited Troy was about it, she had the girls take all their new stuff up to their rooms and had Troy help them. The furniture may not be delivered until Monday but all the bedding and accessories to go with it they had brought home with them. Troy had them put all of the bedding downstairs in the laundry room so that it could be washed before it was used. When they got to the bathroom accessories Troy helped them put up the shower curtains but told them the decals and shelves for the walls would have to wait until the next day to make sure that the paint was completely dry before they were put up. Laundry was started that night but would have to be finished the next day. Soon it was time for everyone to go to bed. Troy finished putting his clothes away before he crashed for the night.

The next morning, Sunday 21st of August, Troy was up at six with Eli. After Eli had his morning change and breakfast, Troy was using the internet on his iPhone (somehow getting service) to make a detailed list of all that he was going to buy later that day at Pottery Barn. His grandparents, Alex and Sophie, were going to be there around 10:00 am to pick him up. He wanted this trip to go smoother than the trip back in June because this time he would have Eli with him. All the furniture had been ordered and paid for already and was due to be delivered on Monday. Alex and Sophie had gone to the local Pottery Barn there in Albuquerque to order the furniture after they had come back after their visit in June. The store had wide enough aisles that Troy would be able to keep Eli in his stroller instead of having to carry him around the store. Due to the time that they would be there he had a feeling that Eli would sleep through most of it so he was glad that Eli could be in his stroller and be jostled around less than if he had to be carried allowing for a better nap.

By 8:00 am Troy had eaten his breakfast and was heading upstairs with Eli to see what the rest of his family was up to for the day. Lucy, Jack and the girls were going out to get things that they would need for the house. From the basic stuff such as laundry and dishwasher soap to the furniture for the house. They would be getting the hangers that Troy would need while they were out shopping. They had left by 9:00 leaving Troy and Eli home alone until his grandparents got there.

Troy spent the time looking through the stuff that he had found in the storage room in the basement that the previous owners had left. He hit a jackpot. He found a stash of candles of every size and shape he thought there was ever possibly made. They varied in color from the normal cream to greens, blues, reds, orange, black, purples, and pinks. There were also a lot of old glass bottles and jars of all sizes. If he cleaned everything up he could make the accessories he had seem at Pottery Barn from them. Troy wanted to clean out the storage room to convert a small area into a photography darkroom. He had some of the stuff for it but not all. At his old school he could use their darkroom for a fee but he had to buy his own chemicals and photo paper. So he had the chemical and photo paper but not the tubs or tables for them to go on. The storage room had what he needed though with work benches and shelves that looked like someone had set up for an indoor greenhouse. There was electricity and lights in the room all he had to do was change the color of light bulbs. The set up of the room would be an on going project until he could get all the equipment that he would need and not all of it was cheep. He was planning on asking for some of what he would need for his birthday and Christmas that year from his parents.

At a quarter to 10:00 Troy cleaned himself up from being in the dusty storage room and made sure that Eli's diaper bag was packed. While waiting for Alex and Sophie to show up he feed Eli a bottle and the got him settled in his car seat. They showed up shortly after Troy had everything by the door waiting for them so in short order they were all in the car and off to the store. They were gone for four hours and that included the drive there and back and a lunch break. Troy's detailed list made the trip smooth and would have gone faster but the store was quite busy so they had to move slower through the store and the check out took a while. When they got back they took everything to the basement where Troy gave them a tour of the rooms to show what he had done in the few days that he had been there. After seeing the basement Troy took them upstairs to see the rest of the house. Shortly after the tour the rest of the family got home. Alex and Sophie did not stay much longer than to see the rest of the family because everyone else needed to get ready for the Nielsen family dinner.