Slowly, Matt started to wake upstairs, his presence growing firmer, more defined.

*Evening Bro.*

*Did I sleep all day...?*

*Pretty much, then again me and Ro did too.*

*Is she with you then?*

*Yeah, seems like she hasn't been sleeping well lately.*

*I've not really seen her sleeping much at all... *

*She won't talk..*

*Could be that she feels bad, making you worry with the eggs and such.*

*It's not her fault..*

*I'm not saying it is, I just know I wouldn't want to get you worked up...*

Al sighs mentally, petting her. *They were kicking earlier..* he says changing the subject.

*Mine too,* Matt smiled softly through the link. *They woke me up actually.*

Al smiles.

*Wonder how much longer till they'll come out?* Matt was kind of getting excited about his impromptu babies.

*I dunno.*

*This must be torture for women... I'd want my baby instantly,* Matt chuckled.

*Well at least you have one you can hold for now.*

*I still don't know why I had an egg...*

*My guess is it's Gil. We've never had him tested but after looking it up Phoenix fits him pretty well. Arthur's second litter is most likely cats and then who knows what Ivan is that I've got..*

*He can carry his own bloody egg next time... Hopefully then, I'll have cubs and they'll be easier.*

Al chuckles.

*I might come down soon... I need to move.*

*Alright, you hungry though? I ate not to long ago and Dad's been grazing off and on.*

*I probably should...*

*Alright.*

*See you in a moment.*

There was a soft scuffling from upstairs, the flush of the toilet then footsteps on the carpeted staircase. Al glanced to Ro briefly. She heard the footsteps and sat up, trying to look awake. He rubs back gently.

Matt waddled down, smiling softly. "Heya..."

"Hey."

"You two hungry?"

"Maybe a little."

Ro opened her mouth to object but Matt just smiled and left. "I'll make us all dinner!"

Al chuckles softly. Ro started getting up. "I'll go help him."

Al gets up as well.

She hesitated slightly. "I... You don't have to...?"

He shrugs.

"It's better if you rest, right?" She looked rather fretful.

"I've been sleeping most the day, I'll be fine."

"I guess..." She knew she wouldn't win this and let it go. He smiles at her gripping her hand. She squeezed tightly and lead him to the kitchen.

They peek in seeing what Matt had started. He was mixing something in a big white bowl.

"What'cha got?"

"I had a pancake craving," Matt smirked over his shoulder at them.

Al chuckles going into the fridge for blueberries. He paused for a second before grabbing honey too. Ro's eyes lit up at the honey - she'd rather taken to it since becoming human. Al was experiencing a rather bad sweet tooth at the moment.

They gather fruits and sugar and mix up a good batch of pancakes. It was hard not to sneak bites in before they were done.

Matt smacked his hand with the spoon if he caught him mind... In the end they ended up with a sore and pouty Al.

*Wait till they're done. We go through this every time,* Matt sighed, flipping the pancake he was currently cooking.

*But they smell too good..*

*Don't make me smack you again,* he warned, but with a kind, teasing tone. Al pouts taking off with the honey. Ro fidgeted before following Al. Matt didn't need help.

Al sat at the table squeezing drops onto his finger to eat. Ro just perched beside him, at a loss for what to do with herself. He offered the bottle. She smiles and they sit and eat honey.

Al glanced over to Matt.

Matt was humming happily to himself. Soon he came over with a good stack of pancakes. Al reached over.

"Go on. You can eat them now," Matt chuckled.

Al piles up his plate topping it off with honey and syrup. Ro copied, making Matt chuckle.

*What? Got a sweet tooth..*

*Got a shadow too,*

He glanced over and smirks. She just sat, tucking into her stack of pancakes. The boys do the same.

They group on the couch after and watch movies and play games late into the night before they finally pass out. Ro ended up squished between the twins.

Al woke up much earlier than he would have liked as he struggled down the hall. The others shifted but didn't wake. He stumbles into the bathroom heaving into the toilet. Matt frowned at the noise, sleepily reaching for his twin.

After a few minutes Al sat back shivering.

*Al...? You kay...?* It was still early. The Canadian wasn't really awake yet, but he was getting enough vibes to worry. He just got a soft groan in return.

Matt frowned and opened his eyes, looking around. *Alfred...?*

*Don feel good..*

*Where are you?*

*Bathroom..*

Matt wiggled away from Ro, covering her with a blanket before going to his twin. Al sat on the floor pressing his forehead to the rim of the cold tub. Matt sat awkwardly and stroked his hair gently.

Eventually his stomach stopped rolling and he sits up.

*Better?* Matt smiled warmly at him.

*Yeah..*

*Come on, let's get you a drink...*

Al struggles up following, he had been feeling horrible lately. Matt helped him hobble along, getting a quick drink before settling him in a seat. *Are you sure you're alright...?*

*Yeah.. Not nauseous anymore at least..*

*Okay...* Matt kept an eye on him regardless.

Al sighs setting his head on the table. He had never fully recovered from laying due to his growing stomach and whatever-it-was was starting to go against his anatomy, like Matt did with his egg.

Really, all of this went against their anatomy... But something was sitting very wrong with him and though he couldn't explain it, Matt was picking up on it.

"..I need to go back to the store.. We never picked up any fish and I'm craving salmon like mad.. Maybe I'll get some tums or antacid or something while I'm there.."

Aside yesterday's fat panic Al had been rather testy the last week. He had gone to town on his own one day and was out till late night. When he got home he just walked straight to the shower for an hour then curled around his eggs brushing everyone off.

"We can send Francis... Al, I think you need to be resting more... You look tired constantly and I'm worried about you..."

He shook his head. "Need to go.."

"No you don't," Matt gripped his arms not too tight, but enough to be firm. "You can't drive with your stomach that swollen and you're not walking."

He swayed slightly.

"You're going back to bed..."

"No.. Nee see Judy.."

"Who the hell is Judy...?"

His arms started twitching spastically. *Ju.. Doc.. Help..*

*Al...* Worry crept in, his grip tightening nervously.

*Phone.. Please..*

*Not until you tell me why...*

*Sick.. Eggs..*

*Your eggs are sick?*

He shook his head hugging himself.

"Then what is it?" Matt was close to snapping. "Alfred, I need to know or I can't help!"

Al winced as he slumped in the chair. *Can't get out..*

"What...?"

He whines curling up. Pain starting to seep through. Matt panicked, shouting for Francis. Francis comes down helping to get Al into his nest.

"He's in pain and I don't know why..."

Francis looks him over. "He's unbalanced somehow.."

*Judy..*

"He keeps asking for Judy," Matt muttered, fidgeting anxiously. "Who the fuck is Judy...?"

"Check his phone?"

He nodded, grabbing it and fumbling through. He came across her number and dials. "Hello? Al?"

"Ah, no, I-I'm his brother, Matt... Al's here though, h-he keeps asking for you..."

"Is something wrong with him?"

"That depends on who you are," he quipped defensively.

"I'm a wildlife conservationist. Al helps out up here at the rehab center a lot. You must be that twin he told me about?"

Matt gasped, a thought dawning on him. "Bad eggs..."

"Eggs? Did he find a new hen?"

"...Um..." *Al, can we trust her...?*

*Yes..*

"Do you know where he lives...?"

"Yes."

"Come over..."

"Alright."

"Be quick..." he hung up. Al whines softly. Matt paced anxiously.

Soon enough a car pulls up out front. A woman stepping out with a bag in hand. Matt waddled out to meet her, frazzled beyond belief.

"You're Matt I'm guessing? What's the problem?"

He just told her to come with him. She follows along blinking at the sight if the incubator then to Al. "Holy crap.. You never told me you could lay eggs!" Al gave a weak "Shut up.."

"Al said something about bad eggs earlier..."

"..Has he been twitching a lot? Grumpy maybe?" She walks over setting her bag down.

"I don't know!" Matt was far too wound up now.

"He's been awful grumpy for a while," Ro leaned in the doorway, speaking softly. "And fidgety and anxious..."

She hums taking out a bottle and syringe. Al cringed away from it.

Ro came a bit closer. "Can I help?"

"Distract him? I've noticed he dislikes these.."

She nodded and stepped over to him, pretending not to notice as Francis had to take Matt away. "Alfie...?"

He glanced up at her as Judy filled the syringe.

"Look, I learned how to do that circle thingy with my tongue," she smiled. "Watch."

Al stayed focused on her as Judy lifted his sleeve and jabbed the needle in. Al flinched but only moves slightly. Ro held his hands, genuinely trying to curl her tongue. She still couldn't quite manage it.

About ten minutes later Al had relaxed into a tired sleep.

"What are you gonna do to him...?" Ro had loitered, somewhat worried but curious too.

"He's fine now, the needle helped. But I'd like to talk to that brother if I could?"

"I can ask if he'll come back?" She must look like a young teen with social anxiety, the way she rocked and fidgeted...

"Please?" Judy felt Al's stomach curiously.

She nodded and hurried off, soon coming back with a haggard blond on her heels. Judy frowns curiously before turning to him. Matt just stood with his hands in his pockets, rocking impatiently.

"He has hypocalcemia. Low calcium results in muscle spasms, seizures, heart spasms and egg binding."

Matt froze in his tracks, paling. "You can help him, right?"

"He's fine for now, just make sure he gets plenty of vitamin D and calcium either through his diet or supplements. Eggs require a lot if calcium to form the shells, but if the hen is too low on it she won't be able to push the egg out properly due to weak contractions. Though if he already has a clutch the other shouldn't have been made.."

"Wait, he has more eggs...? But... Ivan's not..." he frowned, turning away and muttering quickly to himself.

Really this had all started that day he disappeared..

"He had to have been stimulated in someway.. Keeping the first clutch should have prevented growing another. But then again this is all guesswork.."

Matt shook his head, not wanting to listen to the ideas that leapt to mind. Ro tried to take his hand, but he brushed her off roughly.

Al shifted, hand moving around searching for something. Matt was getting worked up again, Ro watching him with uncertainty.

Al whines.

*Al?* Matt whined, heart pounding.

Al tugged at him wrapping him in a warm hug, sensing his distress subconsciously. Matt folded in, wishing all this would just go away. Judy watched sitting on the side. Ro stood helplessly aside, very confused.

"So.. Is this normal for you guys or..?"

Matt didn't answer so Ro slipped over. "They always go really quiet like this..."

She hums. "Guess I'll talk then. I first meet Al a long time ago, he comes in and helps with the animals from time to time. One day he came in itching all over and I caught him breaking into the medicine cabinet. Turned out he caught Avian pox from a sick raptor. I got him to let me treat him a he came back whenever he needed help. Mites, broken wings, or just asking questions."

"He laid some eggs..." she offered. Poor girl, she didn't really know what was going on half the time. "And Matt had an egg but I dunno much else..."

"He's never told me he could so I'm guessing this is new?"

She nodded softly. "They disappeared for a while then came back with..." she vaguely gestured to her stomach.

She raised a brow at that. Had no one given this girl the talk yet..?

Honestly, as much as the twins really did love her, they tended to forget she didn't understand some simple things that they considered daily knowledge. It took her two months to figure out the toaster and three days to learn how to use the toilet...

"Hmm.. Well anyway he should be fine as long as he keeps his calcium and vitamin D up until this passes. Afterwards he should be normal in short time." Hopefully..

"...What's calcuim...?" She felt stupid asking, but she wanted to know...

"...it's something that helps keep you're body healthy.."

"Can you buy it at the store...?"

"Yes you could."

"Really? What does it look like?"

"Well sometimes it's already in the food but you can also get it as a pill." This girl was curious..

She just wanted to learn. She wanted to know all of these things that she thought were strange. "What about the... Vitimundy?"

"It's pretty much like calcium but it does different things."

"What's it do?" her eyes were bright; eager to know.

Judy stayed for a while answering the girl's questions before she had to go back to work.

Ro had been happy just to have someone to talk to for a while. The twins had fallen asleep together so she shuffled off to Arthur's room, hoping one of them would keep her company for a while. Francis had just brought up lunch for them both. She poked her head in the door, quietly asking if she could come in.

"Oui come on."

She smiled softly and came in, eyes instantly drawn to their litter. "Oh, wow..." They were starting to stumble around on their feet. Her face lit up, watching them totter about. "They can't walk straight."

"They're still learning." Francis chuckles.

"They have to learn to walk?" Things like this never really occurred to her.

"Yes. They've never done it before." Jeneane seemed to be leaning to the left, making slow circles.

Ro perched on the foot of the bed, smiling softly. "They're funny."

Francis chuckles. "But oh so cute!" He picked up the honey nuzzling her nose to his.

Ro watched eagerly, bubbling with childish excitement. "Can I hold one?"

"Go ahead."

She carefully picked up the closest one - one of the blacks. "So soft.."

Francis smiles. She snuggled it gently, beaming when it snuggled back. They sit playing with them a while.

Arthur couldn't help smiling warmly. "It's been a while since I've seen you smiling..."

Ro blushed softly, hiding behind a bunny. Francis chuckles softly. Arthur smiled warmly, just happy to see someone who wasn't miserable. It was lifting.


Me and my pension for angst.. But honestly I wanted another clutch.. P.s to guest Laura, that was my idea from the starX3 It just fits him so well and they are abundant in Russia.