So...this whole chapter is just Jerome talking to his kids. Some might find it boring, others might find it interesting because you learn a bit about each kid. In case no one remembers how old each kid is, Jerome visits each child from youngest to oldest: Gracie - 5; Matty - 7; Louisa and Josh - 13; Alice - 15; Michael - 16. And since Jerome had Michael when he was about 19, he is now, 35.

Just clear things up for you guys- he's not an old man just because he has six kids. Not to mention, the job (which will be explain later on...) he has keeps him in shape. ;)

Enjoy! :)

"So what's going on?" Jerome asked, standing before his kids as they sat around the living room. "Why won't you stop fighting? What's up? You guys can talk to me about this."

They remained silent, bowing their heads.

Jerome sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, all of you are going to bed early tonight." Before they had a chance to protest, he continued, "We're all tired and we need a little more rest. Everyone head upstairs and get ready for bed; I'll be up in a minute. I'll be talking to all of you before you go to bed. And I'll start with you."

"Okay, daddy," Gracie smiled, hopping down from the couch and following her siblings out of the room.

Jerome's eyes closed, his eyelids feeling heavy. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt. He climbed the stairs and arrived at the top just in time to see Gracie scrambled into her bedroom in her pajamas.

"Are you ready, sweetie?" he asked, poking his head into the room.

Gracie nodded her head vigorously from her beside her bed. Jerome entered the room, closing the door behind him and lifted her onto her bed, holding the comforter back so she could slip under it.

"Daddy, I don't like the color of my room." she stated, leaning her head back on her pillow.

Jerome looked around at the plain white walls and turned then back down at her. "What color would you like it, baby?"

"Yellow, with a giant rainbow on that wall!" she explained, pointing to the wall across from her bed.

Jerome sat back and tried to imagine what she could see. "Alright, I think that's doable."

Gracie grinned and clapped her hands.

"Sweetheart, do you have any idea why your siblings have been fighting a lot lately?" he asked, leaning on his elbow to hold himself up as he laid next to her.

"Louie and Joshy miss mummy." She told him, fingers absentmindedly tugging on the small beads that were stitched into the fabric of her covers.

Jerome remained silent as she continued.

"I don't miss mummy, I just want a new mummy. Daddy, can you give me a new mummy for my birthday?" she asked, raising her hand and running her fingers through his hair. She blinked and brushed his fringe over his forehead. She snuggled under her blanket. "I like your hair like that daddy."

He smiled slightly and kissed her nose. "Good night, Monkey. I love you."

"I love you, too, daddy." She yawned as he left the room.

Jerome shut the door behind him softly and continued down the hallway, passing Michael's room and stopping front of Matty's door. He opened it swiftly, finding his son sitting on the floor, reading a Spiderman comic book. He looked up at his father and put the comic on the table next to his bed as he climbed up and under the covers.

"Are you alright, kid?" Jerome asked as he sat on the edge of the twin bed.

Matty nodded silently.

"What's been going on? I haven't seen you much lately. You're not a teenager yet and you're already hibernating."

Matty shrugged and explained, his stutter proving to be one of the things he had inherited from his mother's side and not from a member of the Clarke family. "I've b-been p-pr-racticing my r-reading."

"If you ever need any help, let me know."

"Michael's b-been helping me." he replied, slowly.

Jerome blinked and slowly made himself nod, a little hurt. "Alright, well, um…do you know what's going on with the others?"

Matty sighed softly. "Michael and Alice are talking ab-bout setting you up with their friends' mums."

Jerome stared at him. "Why?"

"B-because they want a mummy, I guess."

"Do you want a mum?"

Matty didn't hesitate to nod, but he avoided his father's eyes. "I see kids at school get p-picked up by their mummies and I get picked up b-by my b-big br-rother because I d-don't have a mummy."

Jerome leaned forward as his son laid back on his pillow. He kissed his forehead, brushing his light, curly, brown hair away from his face. "Get some sleep, kiddo."

"G-good night, daddy," He called as Jerome slipped out of the room.

He took a deep breath and prepared himself for Josh after shutting Matty's door behind him. He knocked on Josh's door twice and after receiving a come in, he entered. Josh switched off his TV and tossed the PS3 controller onto his blue beanbag chair.

"Dad, don't you think I'm getting a little too old for getting tucked in?" he smirked, falling back on his bed.

"Can you tell me why you and Lou haven't been getting along lately?" Jerome demanded.

Josh didn't answer. He looked away from him, eyes flitting to the red numbers on his alarm clock.

"Gracie said that you're missing your mother. And I think she could be right; you and Louisa used to be best friends and suddenly if you're in the same room, someone's going to lose an arm? What's going on?"

"Gracie doesn't know what she's talking about, dad. Lou and I just grew out of that twins-are-the-best-of-friends phase." He shrugged indifferently.

Jerome arched an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Do you know what's been going on with the others? Not Gracie, she'd tell me anything. But is there anything about your siblings I should know? You four older ones are a lot like me; you can't tell anyone what you're really feeling, until the right person comes along."

Josh looked away.

"I know you'll open up eventually. And it might not even be to me." Jerome stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his trousers and looked at the video game posters on the walls.

"Alice doesn't have any friends." he spoke quietly. "She's basically a total outcast at school."

Jerome's head snapped back so he could look at Josh, but he didn't meet his gaze. Jerome nodded and stepped back toward the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, bud."

"Alright," he nodded and ran his fingers through his hair, leaning back on the bed as Jerome switched off the light.

Jerome walked next door to Josh's room, knocking on Louisa's door gently.

"Come in," she called back softly.

Jerome entered as she lifted the needle off the vinyl record, stopping the Beatles from playing and crossed her room to her bed, climbing up onto the fluffy white comforter.

"How's my princess doing, huh?"

"I'm fine," she replied.

"Josh didn't tell me how he was really feeling either." Her father acknowledged.

"But I really am feeling fine." She assured him.

"Gracie told me you're missing your mum."

"Well, yeah, I mean, this week, there's going to be this mother-daughter brunch thing so you can get to know everyone at drama and I'm the only girl in my grade that can't go." She said sadly.

"I'm sorry, love."

"Have you ever thought about remarrying? Can't you start dating? Miss Amy, my dance instructor, is single—"

Jerome chuckled. "I don't think Miss Amy has time for dating, just like me."

"But, dad,"

"I promise that when I find a woman that I like, I'll ask her out." he assured her. "Time for sleep," he whispered and kissed her head.

He left the room and walked past Josh's room to Alice's door. He knocked and she opened it seconds later.

"Hey, daddy," she smiled. "Can you braid my hair?"

"Can you answer me a question?"

"Sure," she nodded and hopped onto her bed. She tugged a hair tie off her wrist and held it over her shoulder as her father sat behind her.

He pulled her hair back and ran a brush through the long strands. "Josh said that you were having trouble making friends at school. Is that true?"

Alice's small shoulders tensed slightly. "No."

"Is that the truth, darling?" he asked quietly, looping one strand after another of her tangle free hair to create the simple braid.

"Yes. I haven't been socializing with anyone on purpose."

"Why?" he finished tying her hair and she turned to him.

"No one would want to be Michael's friend if they found out his sister was the biggest nerd in school." she replied. "I corrected a teacher and everyone shunned me as a know-it-all. I don't want Michael to be shunned as well. He's already become a popular. I don't want to ruin it for him. It was hard for him to make friends last time we moved."

Jerome smiled and brushed a finger down his daughter's cheek. "You're amazing."

Alice blushed and changed the subject quickly, "Dad, just a heads up, Michael and I will be finding your perfect match. We guarantee it." she winked.

"Well, hopefully, you won't have to look too far or work too hard." He sighed. "Can you talk to your brother about the whole reputation thing? Work it out so you don't have to go through high school without friends."

"Yes, sir," she mumbled.

"Love you, daughter."

"Love you, too, father."

Once he was in front of Michael's door, between Matty and Gracie's rooms, and across from Josh's room, he took a deep breath and walked in. Michael was spread out on his bed, staring at the ceiling, talking on his cellphone.

"Are you kidding me?" he laughed. "Beth is obviously hotter than Lisa."

Jerome cleared his throat as he sat in Michael's desk chair and rolled up to the bed.

"I gotta go; my dad's giving me the look." He stopped talking as the person on the other line responded. He chuckled. "Yeah, exactly – that's totally his face right now. Alright, later, man." He tossed his phone onto the end of the bed and sat up. "Hey, dad,"

"Your sister's amazing isn't she?"

"Which one," Michael chuckled.

"Your first one,"

"Yeah, she's alright, I guess. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? About how I should protect my sisters and do anything for them and respect them and believe in them and love them to no end—"

"I shouldn't have to tell you that; you should already know."

"I do."

"Good. So how's school?"

Michael blinked. He'll never understand why his father was such an interrogator. "It's fine. I was a little surprised when I found out that our science teacher was a friend of yours." But his father wasn't the only Clarke that could change the subject so easily.

"Yeah, I was surprised when I found out she isn't married." Jerome mumbled.

"Why?"

"Met any girls yet?"

Michael mentally rolled his eyes. "Of course," he scoffed.

"Are any of them…?"

"The girl you described would be perfect for me because of your past girlfriend? No. I haven't found her yet, and I doubt I ever will."

"No, you'll find her, and I'll get to say, I told you so."

"You live to tell us that don't you," Michael said flatly.

"Oh, yes," Jerome smirked. "Alice told me that you two have been planning to set me up with someone."

"We're working on it."

"Don't do it, please."

"Dad, we want—"

"I've got someone in mind; I'm gonna go for it. Maybe."

"I can't believe I'm about to start a conversation about girls with my own father, but who is it?"

"None of your business, son," he chided.

"Oh, come on, dad, please?"

"I'll tell you who she is when she says yes to a date."

Michael ran a hand through his hair. "Is that it?"

"Matty said that you've been helping him out with his reading."

"Yeah, he's doing really well with it." he nodded and then continued, arching an eyebrow, "Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, well, he just said it like he didn't need me anymore, but he does."

Michael laughed. "No, he asked me to help so that you had more time to yourself."

"Oh, that little pipsqueak is just being unselfish. And I'm being selfish because I don't want to let go of my children. Stop growing," he begged playfully, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Sorry, dad, no can do," His son replied, removing his hands.

"Louisa has been missing your mother. Do you miss her?"

"No, I just want a mum."

Jerome nodded. "Good night, Mike."

"'Night, dad,"

Review?

"You can take your love away, but don't you ever leave me alone. Burn the ghosts we've carried home. Come on, touch me, show me you're imperfect too. These broken lights, they shine on us tonight." -August 18th 3:30 a.m., Automatic Loveletter

-Rachel