Chapter Ten: Angel of the Morning

I come out of the bathroom and make a beeline for my seat at the table, where the waiter has just arrived to take our order. I smile and laugh and make nice with my family while we await our appetizers, all the while waiting for the inevitable. When we arrive back at the hospital around an hour and a half later—after walking through the market to buy some exotic chocolates for the kids (and for me, who are we kidding here?)—we reach Sarah's room in the hospital. She is sitting up with a secret smile on her face, and Brian and Stewie quickly manage to distract the kids from their mother being awake from her coma with a trip to the gift shop to get her some overpriced things to help her feel better.

"Well?" Paul asked, eyebrows raised.

I nod, reaching into my bra and pulling out the wire. "I got it. I got everything." I give him a quick smile. "Now, where's Detective Stabler?"

"You watch too much Law & Order," Sarah says, shaking her head. "Her name is Detective Michelle Kensington. She's here. She's checking out another case and she'll be back shortly, don't worry."

I take a seat beside Meera on the other side of the bed, fiddling with the wire ever so slightly with my hands. "I had to pretend I didn't know anything," I said softly. "Do you know how difficult that was?"

Sarah sighs. "Well, the fake pregnancy was more difficult," she replies.

Paul wrinkles his nose. "There's actually a recipe online to make it appear as if you've suffered a miscarriage," he says, shaking his head. "God, I can't believe I actually did that and...ew," he says softly, shuddering.

"I don't want to hear it!" Meera cries, covering her ears. "No, no, no..."

I sigh, reaching out to take her hand. "And the fake heroin marks?"

"Make-up," Sarah says proudly. "Remember my brother, Johnny? Well, he's been doing make-up on those Broadway shows for years. He managed to give us a tutorial over Skype that we saved and voila, fake heroin needle marks."

Detective Michelle Kensington arrived shortly afterwards, her attractive blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. She took a seat beside Paul and smiled at Meera and me, her ice-blue eyes having nothing cold about them. She had a long nose—much like the House of Valois of France, yet, it was appealing in that the bridge had no faults to it—and a blossom mouth that shone with pretty pink lip gloss. "What do we got?" she asked, looking down at my hands which held the wire.

"Everything you asked for," I reply, handing it over. "It was so hard to hear those things, and I actually had to make myself think that I still wanted him..." I make mock retching noises and shook my head. "God, it was probably the single-most disturbing and disgusting moment in my entire life..." Det. Kensington smiles. "Well, pending what we get on the tape, we'll be able to get Paul for slander, and drug possession," she says, putting it into an evidence bag. "My partner, Det. Ryland, and I will be in touch within twenty-four hours. This case has been moved up to top priority as of noon today."

"Top priority?" Paul asks, getting to his feet and following Det. Kensington to the door. "I don't understand. You had so many other cases..."

"We've handed those off to experts," Det. Kensington replied smoothly. "For now, Det. Ryland and I need to focus on your case. Our computer experts will get back to us by the end of the day on whether or not Colin Valentine has any aliases that we need to be worried about. Who knows? He could have had surgery to alter his appearance. He may be a serial killer for all we know," she says darkly as she quickly leaves down the hall.

Paul turns around and smiles at me. "You really didn't have to go through all this," he tells me gently.

I sigh, shaking my head. "I have to get your kids back to you and I have to explain to Brian and Stewie what happened..."

"Stewie's one," Sarah says softly. "He understands you?"

"Yes," Meera says adamantly. "Very much." She turns to me then. "I'll go with you to fetch the kids."

I smile. "Thanks," I reply and we leave the room together. "You've been awfully quiet," I say as we take the elevator downstairs to the gift shop. "Anything wrong?"

She shakes her head. "No. Everything's right."

I raise my eyebrows. "Really? What's right?"

Meera blushes, reaching out to grip my hand. "I'm going back to Quahog with you," she replies. "When you were busy with Colin in the bathroom, I went to call Roberto. We talked it out and we're giving it another shot. I love him, Viv. I really do."

I squeeze her hand. "I'm so happy to hear that, Meera."

We step out of the elevator, walking across the hallway to the gift shop, where Stewie is, rather enthusiastically, giving his number to Felix. I raise my eyebrows at him and he lets out a chuckle. I look at Brian, who is allowing Jackie and Daphne pick a teddy bear each for their mother, although he and I both know full well that they'll just keep the stuffed toys for themselves anyhow. He looks up as Meera and I walk in, and calls me over while Meera keeps an eye on the girls.

"She doing okay?" Brian asks. "She seems..."

"In love," I reply with a quick grin. "Her and Roberto are going to give it another shot. She's coming back to Quahog with us."

Brain grins. "That's wonderful," he replies, turning to look at the assortment of flowers the gift shop has. "Does Sarah have a favorite? It's not roses, is it?"

I giggle. "No. That's mine, silly," I say, scratching him behind the ear. "She has a fondness for irises and wildflowers, actually, but unfortunately, I don't see those..." I reach out and make a grab for the pretty bouquet of pink tulips with stripes of yellow in them. "She'll love these," I say, and Brian nods in approval.

From the corner of my eye, I see Stewie yawning ever so slightly, and know that we should take him back to the hotel for a nap before dinner. We quickly sign one of those flower cards and hand the bouquet over to Meera to present to Sarah, with the information that Stewie is in desperate need of a nap. I bend down to pick him up, and he begins to fall asleep in my arms as we take him down the elevator, outside and across the street, and into the hotel for another elevator ride and towards our room.

"Had us upgraded to a suite," he yawns, handing me a different room key. "All our stuff should already be up there..."

I roll my eyes at his cleverness and kiss his forehead, which makes him yawn again and settle more comfortably into my arms. We ride the elevator to the top floor and, when the doors ding, head to the one suite the hotel has to offer. The room key works and we step inside, admiring the view for a few moments before I see that the concierge has already brought up a crib for Stewie, and Rupert is placed inside it. I gently lay him down inside it, taking off his overalls so he'll be more comfortable, and cover him with the little blanket provided with the crib. I shut the curtains around him to make it more comfortable for him and bend down to give him a kiss. I then go with Brian to the master bedroom portion of the suite and shut the French doors before lying on my back on the king-sized bed.

"Comfortable?" he asks.

I nod. "Yes, thank you."

Brian lies down beside me and crawls over, listening to my stomach. "Have the two of them been behaving today?"

I giggle. "For the most part, yes."

"I meant what I said, you know."

I find myself shutting my eyes—my god these pillows are entirely amazing! "About what?" I ask, and I find myself smiling as he caresses my stomach.

"I am going to propose to you eventually..."

I sigh, knowing that we have to talk. I punch the pillows so that they're parallel to the bed frame and sit up, facing him, my hands placed on top of my swollen belly. "Brian, you and I have to talk..."

He sighs. "Here we go..."

"What?"

He rubs his temples. "Just, give it to me straight. Are we doing a joint custody arrangement here, or do I have to fight to see them every third Christmas?"

My eyebrows knit together. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you running into Colin at the restaurant and staying with him in the ladies' room for minutes and minutes," Brian replies levelly.

I feel my face drain of color. "How did you know about that?"

He narrows his eyes at me. "Really? Really, Viv? I'm a dog. How the hell do you think I figured it out?"

I lowered my eyes. "I suppose your nose may have had something to do with it..."

"Yes, I suppose so," he says heatedly. He sighs. "So...just tell me. Are you going back with Colin? Is that what we need to discuss?"

"Brian, no, of course not!" I cry, hurt that he would even consider such a thing. "No. Colin...I was just using him."

"Using him?" Brian asks. "What? I can't satisfy you anymore?"

"Brian, ew!" I cry. "I've never slept with Colin and I never will, okay?!"

"So...not for sex?"

"No...dammit," I say, proceeding to rub my temples now. "Sarah never was pregnant, and she never was in a coma..."

"What are you talking about?"

I sigh. "Colin has been attempting to blackmail Paul and Sarah for months," I say softly, not how I wanted to do this, but still. "He's been preparing a dossier of alleged information against them about how they're drug users..."

"They smoke pot," Brian replies rather defensively.

I nod. "Yeah, so do a lot of people. And when Sarah suffered an actual miscarriage after the twins were born, Paul was smoking over two packs a day to get over the depression, but he kicked the habit, years ago. But Colin has been claiming that Paul and Sarah embezzled money from the hospital and through other channels—like charity auctions and benefit dinners—in order to feed their cocaine and heroin habit. But it isn't true, Brian. All he's doing is saying that they're doing it, and that they pressured him into doing the drugs too. So there's embezzlement, fraud, drug possession... And Colin could work a plea deal where he gives the courts all this information and then himself get out with a slap on the wrist. But Paul actually caught him stealing the money and doing drugs, but in order for Paul's secret not to get out, Colin would have to be caught and found to be an unreliable witness..."

"What's Paul's secret?" Brian asked.

I sighed. "About three and a half years before he and Sarah started dating, Paul was in a relationship with a girl named Persephone," I say softly. "She was some exotic dancer or something, I don't know. But Persephone got pregnant, and she and Paul had a little boy together that she named Stan. Paul gives her a few hundred every month and Persephone works as a waitress in a diner Downtown here. Sarah still doesn't know about Stan, and Paul entered into a lucrative contract where he must list every member of his family and assets and such and, according to him, he never put Stan there as a legal relative of his anywhere in the paperwork..."

"So you've got another nephew out there?"

I nod. "Yeah. Paul told me when I turned eighteen, just before I started dating Colin. Stan's a nice kid—he's in middle school now."

Brian sighs. "So...how'd you make out with Colin?"

"Oh, there was no kissing," I reply, winking at Brian. "I claimed that I'd help him take down Paul and Sarah, then I'd leave you and get full custody. Then I would seize Paul's and Sarah's assets and get custody, and then I'd marry him."

"And he believed you?" Brian asked.

I smiled. "Unless he's a better actor than I am, yes."

He sighs. "I should've never doubted you."

I nod. "It's all right," I reply. "Hey, if you suddenly told me that you had to attempt to seduce Jillian for something or other, I'd be pretty mad, too."

Brian smiles and takes my hand. "Never again, with Jillian I mean."

I squeeze his hand. "Never again, with Colin I mean."

The next week was one of the most eventful times in my young life, and that's really saying something, to tell you the truth. The police were able to figure out that Colin Valentine—and let me tell you, nobody was as shocked as I was—was an alias for Chad Zachary, who was a former reality T.V. star based on Quahog, who, according to Stewie, was the East Coast equivalent to the Kardashians. Chad Zachary was formally booked on charges of fraud, embezzlement, blackmail, and drug related charges before the week was out. Before he was due to be sentenced, he turned to the T.V. cameras, and, from where we were all watching in Paul and Sarah's living room, a chill went down my spine.

"I just want to thank the love of my life, Vivienne Shaw, who helped me see that I need to plead guilty. I love you, baby. I hope you wait for me on the outside."

I felt sick and we weren't able to leave town for another two days because I was so stressed that I kept vomiting. Finally, I was able to board a plane with Stewie, Brian, and Meera, and we were on our way back to Quahog. The seven-hour flight was draining, but thankfully I was able to get some good sleep during the flight. Upon our return, the four of shared a cab on the ride home, and got out on Spooner Street. We hugged each other in turn before Meera scooped up Stewie and brought him inside the Griffin house, while Brian and I went up to the garage apartment of the Brown residence. A text from Donna welcomed me home and she encouraged me to take the weekend off to get off the whole jet-lag trip.

After unpacking and whatnot, Brian and I were in bed by nine-thirty, and woke up around eight the following morning. Cleveland and Donna had gone up to Portsmouth for the weekend, where Cleveland had inherited a family cottage. Lois texted me that morning to ask if Brian and I would like to come over for brunch, and we accepted. I put on a knee-length black skirt and a white blouse and my Mary Janes and waited for Brian to straighten his collar out properly. We made our way across the street with some fresh raspberries from a bush I'd planted a few months back, and Lois was very pleased with them.

Brian and I sat together at the big table in the Griffins' dining room, and I was pleased to see that Roberto had joined the event as well. Just as we were getting things on the table, the doorbell rang and Lois bit her lip. "Dammit," she said softly. "I've got to get everything onto the table..." "I'll get it," I say with a smile, and she sighs in relief, thanking me. I walk out into the living room and open the door, seeing a flamboyantly-dressed white dog and a lean man who looks to be of Filipino descent standing on the stoop. "Hi," I said politely. "Can I help you two gentlemen?"

"Hi, cousin-to-be!" the little dog shouts, pulling me down and hugging me. "I'm Jasper, it's so nice to finally meet you!" he gushes. "I'm Brian's cousin, in case you didn't already figure that out! But who am I kidding?! Of course you did! Brian says you're different that all the other women he's been with, so I guess that makes you one of the smart ones!" Jasper giggles then, and I find myself laughing along with him. His fur has a bit of poof to it on top and he wears a gold earring in each ear, along with a pink tank top and jean booty shorts which he is clearly wearing to show off his legs. "Oh, where are my manners?! This is my hairless, Filipino boy, Ricardo, also known as my husband and, according to little Stewie, my chew toy."

"Nice to meet you both," I reply. "I'm Vivienne."

"Oh, of course you are," Jasper says. "What a lovely name!"

"I heard voices," says Meera from behind me. "Oh, hello!" she says, catching sight of Jasper as he and Ricardo step inside. "Aren't you adorable?"

"Honey, please. You are far more adorable than I am. I mean look at me! Ricardo and I decided to take a honeymoon now of all times! It's summer! Sure we went on a two-week cruise to the Caribbean for free—I work at Club Med, darlings, as a dance instructor—but there I was on the plane beforehand sitting on my money maker when all these sailors came on board the plane. Hello?! Who's that on the phone? Temptation!"

"Lots of free drinks to go with the free cruise?" Meera asks.

"Sweetie, of course. Three Tropical Sunrises, plus seven Mai Tai's, and then about five or six Cosmos and I was on my ass—except in the opposite direction! We've got to get our kicks somehow—the nautical way, baby!"

"Jasper!" Brian says, coming into the room. "So good to see you!"

"Hey, cousin!" Jasper practically squeals, dashing across the room towards Brian and hugging him, both of their tails wagging. "It's been too long..."

"You're telling me," Brian replies. "Two weeks in Hollywood at your place and then another week here when you two got married. Last I saw you was that time on Skype when I needed a shoulder to cry on about my play..."

"What were you in Hollywood for?" I ask.

"Uh, well..." Brian says, bringing his collar outwards from his neck in a cliché nervous reaction moment.

"He didn't tell you?!" Jasper cries, playfully swatting Brian's shoulder. "I'm not shocked! He worked in the adult film industry for a week and a half down there. He won a Woody while he was over there..."

"A Woody?" Meera and I ask together.

"Oh, you two are so innocent it has to be fattening," Jasper chuckles. "A Woody is an Oscar for the porn industry."

"Porn?!" Meera cries, shocked.

I shrug. "Hey, as long as the parties were over eighteen, I could give a damn," I say, looking from one face to the next.

Brian's jaw drops. "You mean, you don't care?"

I shrug again. "Not really..."

Relief floods Brian's face and he sighs. "Oh, good..."

"Oh, great. You're into the part of the relationship where you lie to each other," Peter says, coming into the room. "Hey, Jasper! Hey, Ricardo!"

"Hi, Peter!" Jasper says.

"Do you have any more of those brownies you bought in the Quahog Gay District that you had last time for your depression?" Peter asks. "They packed so much fudge into those, and the fact that there were some walnuts lodged in there..."

Jasper laughs and dives into his shoulder bag. "Here. They came in packs of three, nine, and twenty. I got you the twenty pack, if that's all right."

"Is that all...? Wow." He takes the pack and sighs. "How long are you two going to be staying with us...?"

"We were thinking maybe the weekend if it's not too much trouble," Jasper replies.

"That's okay," I say, stepping in. "Meera, my couch pulls out if you..."

"Don't be silly, Vivienne," Peter says. "We bought a new rollaway bed last month with a top-of-the-line mattress. Meera, would you mind staying in Stewie's room on the rollaway bed for the weekend?"

"Actually, Peter, Roberto and I have been talking about it... He lives in an apartment in town and I'm actually moving in with him this weekend. I'm bringing my car from Seattle over and it's only about a ten-minute drive from his place to here..."

"You're moving in with Roberto?" I ask, shocked that she didn't share this news with me. "I am just so shocked right now..."

Meera smiles uncomfortably. "I was going to tell you later..."

I shrug. "Hey, we've all got a life to live, right?"

Lois comes out into the living room and grins at the sight of Jasper and Ricardo. "Oh, Jasper! Ricardo! Oh, it is so good to see you two!" she cries, clasping her hands in front of her face. "We were all about to sit down to brunch. There's plenty for everyone if you would like to join us."

"Oh, we'd love to!" Jasper cries.

"Chris! Meg! Come bring their bags upstairs!" Peter calls.

"Dad..." Chris says in a warning tone.

"Oh, right, thanks for reminding me. Meg! Get in here and do the job yourself!" Peter shouts angrily.

My head snaps to attention. "Peter!"

Peter turns and looks at me. "What?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I cry.

Lois turns and looks at me. "Vivienne, do you have a problem with my husband?"

"Yeah, I do," I say, crossing my arms. "Why do you treat Meg like she's a piece of shit? I mean, please. What on earth has she ever done to make you so angry? And don't you dare say existing because it was one of your boys that caused her existence to happen! How dare you call yourself a father of three when you only love one of your kids, like the other one, and despise your only daughter?"

"Uh, Viv, can I see you on the screen room for a moment?" Brian asks, taking me by the arm and pulling me into the room off the living room, where we had our first intellectual conversation so long ago.

"What the hell?!" I demand as soon as Brian has closed the door. "The way the treat Meg is totally uncalled for..."

Brian sighs. "I know, Viv. But, like it or not, Meg isn't our child..."

I shake my head. "No. No, she's not. But she's over eighteen, so she should get the hell out of here as soon as possible in order to get a better outlook on life..."

Brian reaches out and takes my hand. "I agree. But we've got to give it some time. Who knows? Maybe she'll be more successful than any of us."

"Maybe," I say. "But..."

"What?"

"I'm very hungry..."

He grins. "Good. So am I."

"You think I should apologize for the whole business with Meg?" I ask.

Brian raises his eyebrows. "Do you want to?"

I shake my head. "No."

"Then don't. I'll get Stewie to zap them with something and it'll all be forgotten."

I clap my hands. "Good," I reply. Suddenly, my phone begins to vibrate and I check to see that Felix's number is on there. "Oh, dammit, I forgot," I say, slapping my forehead. "Felix turns twelve today. I guess he's calling to make sure that I know..."

"Take it," Brian says. "Put it on speaker. We can tell him together."

I swipe right on the green phone icon and put it onto FaceTime. "Felix, honey! I'm so sorry I didn't call sooner! Happy Birthday!" I cry. "Wait..." I check my phone, and it's not even ten a.m. here yet, which would make it close to seven in Seattle. "Did you wake everyone up early to open your presents?"

"No..." Felix replies softly, tears in his voice.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" I ask. "Are you sad because I didn't call? I'm really sorry, buddy. Brian's cousin Jasper is in town, and..."

"They're dead," he says brokenly.

I stop, mid-sentence, and look up at Brian, who shrugs. "Felix, sweetie, what are you talking about?"

Felix's eyes fill with tears. "That guy...Colin. Colin was here... He..." He breaks off, wiping his eyes again.

"Felix, sweetie? I need you to be really brave and tell me what happened..." I say.

He nods quickly, tears streaming down his face. "He came in the night," he whispers. "I heard him...recognized his voice. He yelled at Mom and Dad and said that they ruined his life...and then he shot them. And then he shot himself..."

"Sweetheart, did you call the police?" I ask.

He nods again. "Yeah. We're with them now. Me and Jackie and Daphne. The detective wants to talk to you..." He looks up, presumably at the detective. "Can I go back to my sister's now?" he asks.

"Yes, of course," says the detective in the background.

"Thanks," Felix says, scurrying away.

"Hey, Vivienne," says Michelle, the detective who handled the case earlier, as she presents her face to the conversation. "I know you must be in a state of shock..."

"Yeah," I reply, feeling emotionless.

"Well, we've managed to meet with attorneys for the moment and their will is dated a year ago, before you knew of Meera's existence, so all the money, assets, property, and custody of the kids goes to you."

I look up at Brian, who nods, and he understands. "Is there a stipulation as to where the kids will live?" I ask.

"No." Michelle shakes her head. "No. Just that they live with you."

"Okay," I say, nodding. "I'll get a flight out there..."

"No need," Michelle says. "We're sending the kids to you, with all the legal paperwork as we speak, Vivienne. You'll be able to work with the lawyer by email and phone to sell the house and any pieces of furniture and antiques you may not want to keep, and then you can use the money to pay for a house out there."

I nod. "Okay..."

She smiles. "It's not going to be easy. Is that Brian?"

"Yes. Hello, Michelle," Brian says politely.

"Brian, why don't you step out and grab Meera?" Michelle asks. "I know you want to comfort her, but Meera and Vivienne need to grieve in private for a while."

"Of course. Thank you, Michelle." Brian kisses my cheek and leaves the room.

"I also wanted to let you know that Paul and Sarah left trusts for the kids in case of anything that would have happened to them. Each trust will be given to them when their eighteen, if they choose not to further their education, or if they do, they will get it at twenty-one. Each trust is worth fifty thousand."

I nod. "Sounds about right..."

"As for you, you were left some money as well..."

"Money?" I ask, shaking my head.

"Yes. You were left a hundred thousand dollars by Paul and Sarah..."

"Wait, wait. The lawyer just gave the information to you?"

"Yes. I was made the children's' temporary guardian until they can be sent over to you in Rhode Island."

"Oh, yes, I see," I reply.

"The kids'll be on a flight no later than this afternoon," Michelle says breezily. "What airport should we send them to? Providence?"

"No, Quahog Airport, please, Michelle," I reply as Meera comes into the room. "Meera is here, Michelle."

"All right. You two have a lot to discuss. I'll be in touch. Goodbye," she says, hanging up before I have a chance to ask to say goodbye to the kids.

"What's going on?" Meera asks. "Brian says you needed to talk to me about something important?"

I nod; that was one way to put it... "Yes," I reply.

She sighs. "Look, Viv, I know you think I'm being impulsive by just dropping everything and moving in with Roberto, but I really..."

"Meera." I step closer and take her hands. "That's not it."

"You look very serious," she says, her eyebrows knitting together. "Should we sit down for this or something?"

I nod. "Yeah. Sitting down is good."

We sit next to each other on the couch in the screen room, and Meera cocks her head to one side. "Okay. We're sitting. What's up?"

I sigh. "Meera, there's been an accident."

She shakes her head. "I don't understand. What kind of accident?"

I bite my lip. "From what I can gather, either Colin evaded police custody by bribery or bail, but, in any case, he went to Paul and Sarah's house..."

"No," Meera whispers, her face going white.

I nod again. "Yes. He open fired on Paul and Sarah before killing himself. Felix and the girls are in police custody right now for their own protection..."

"We need to fly out there!" Meera cries, getting to her feet.

"No," I say, gently pulling her down. "No, we don't." I sigh, allowing the information I've given her to sink in. "Michelle, the detective working with us, has the kids and they're fine. She's getting them on a plane with the legal paperwork and they'll be here by tonight. I guess we'll manage to send for their things somehow for the move..."

"The move?" Meera asks. "What are you talking about?"

"Paul and Sarah gave me custody," I reply, knowing that this will be a difficult pill to swallow for her. "Apparently, the latest copy of Paul and Sarah's will they found was dated last year —before we met you. So, if anything happened to them, they wanted me to have the kids because, at that time, I was the only other surviving sibling."

"Doesn't Sarah have that brother in New York?" Meera demands, clearly hurt that the will wasn't revised to include her somehow.

I sigh. "Yes, but he's not a kid person and he's never met them," I say patiently. "Trust me, he's not an appropriate guardian for them..."

"And how the hell is this situation different?!" Meera cries.

I raise my eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"You don't have a proper house, or the money, to take on three kids. Plus, what's gonna happen when you give birth in a few months?! That's five kids, Vivienne! What the hell are you going to do?!"

I lower my eyes. "Paul and Sarah left me an inheritance," I confess. "That, combined with the payment we'll get from their house, property, land, and antiques being sold in Seattle should be plenty for a house here."

"An inheritance?!" Meera cries, outraged. "Where's my inheritance?!"

I raise my eyes to hers. "Don't fault me for what the will says, Meera," I say quietly. "I hardly ever asked for anything extreme here. I got a settlement of sorts from Mom and Dad when I moved out, and I used that to buy my car. Since coming into this family, you've totally mooched off of everyone. You've demanded a luxury car, plus several other luxury items that I can't even begin to list. You've totally changed into a different person. Hell, I'm not surprised that Paul and Sarah didn't change the will."

Meera glares at me. "Excuse me?" she asks, deathly quiet.

"Oh, I think you heard me," I reply. "After I get all my ducks in a row, I'll be fine. But you, Meera... You still don't have a clue what you're going to do. You're stumbling around and you got back with Roberto—and you're moving in with him—at the drop of a hat because you have no plan. Me? I'm over halfway done with my teaching degree, and the Browns and the Griffins are going to help me use their connections for a teaching job. And you want to know why I'm working my ass off? Because I want to deserve everything I have. I want to deserve Brian, and the good man he is. I want to deserve the love of his children that I have growing inside me. I want to deserve the love of Felix, Jackie, and Daphne, who I'm now going to raise as my own. And..." I sigh. "At one time, I wanted to deserve your love and respect, but the truth is, Meera, I can't have that. I can't have that because you obviously don't love and respect yourself, and that's evidenced in your constant need for attention from the opposite sex and other luxury items that you can't afford, and now never will be able to afford unless you or Roberto win the Powerball." I shake my head at her, utterly finished with her, my identical twin. "Meera, please leave. Please get out of my life. Run off with Roberto and start somewhere new, far away from me."

Meera looks as if she will say something, but instead, she merely stamps her foot, and walks out of there like some dumb teenage girl on a below-average sitcom that's failing in its first season.

FIVE YEARS LATER

So much has happened in the five years since Paul and Sarah died. Here's a few highlights from that time: Brian proposed to me shortly thereafter; he and I found a lovely house in the Upper West Side of Quahog that could accommodate five children; Brian and I welcomed our daughter, Serena Amber and our son, Heathcliff Fitzwilliam, into the world; Brian and I formally adopted Felix, Jackie, and Daphne about a year and a half after they came to live with us; I graduated with honors from Rhode Island College with a Bachelor's Degree in Education and began work at Martin Mull Elementary School; and Brian and I wrote a bestselling memoir on our experience called For the Love of a Dog.

One thing I was very excited about was the fact that Stewie, who was now five years going on thirty, had managed to be skipped four years ahead in school, and pretended like he was now at the appropriate grade level so as he could be in my class. He was a very engaging student, and had won the Most Promising Friend Award at Martin Mull Elementary. He was truly a gifted boy, and Brian and I still made time to go with him on adventures, which would sometimes include Felix, Jackie, and Daphne, and would include Serena and Heathcliff—who we called "Heath"—one day.

Meg went on to become a promising mathematician at M.I.T. She told me that when she had a date once with Quagmire, he'd asked her what her favorite subject was in school, and she had told him math. Since then, she is the CEO of Marketing for a starter company with Roberta Brown, Donna's daughter and Cleveland's stepdaughter. It has something to do with your body type versus what wardrobe is appropriate for said body type. They do it for every occasion imaginable, and, from what I hear, it's very successful. Meg got over her single life by becoming successful. She ended up inseminating herself about two years back and had a son she named George after the prince in England, with the hopes that she too can find her own prince one day.

Chris went on to the Rhode Island School of Design after sending in his portfolio spur of the moment after his junior year of high school. Getting in, he took night school for a semester and managed to get his GED for the spring semester of what would have been his senior year of high school. He now does animation for this company named after some animal or something in California, where he is now based. He comes home every now and again, mostly for Christmas, but always sends us and the rest of the Griffins updates on what he's doing and what his life is like. He met a lovely girl over a year ago at the company, who has the darling name of Stephanie Parker, and rumor has it, he's going to pop the question any time now.

Peter and Lois are somehow still happily married. They went through an open marriage arrangement about two years ago, which didn't really work out because once, when Brian was on a book tour, Peter showed up drunk at our front door, demanding sex from me. I ended up calling Joe, who got Peter into A.A.—again. Well, now he's doing the whole "moderation" thing again, but we'll see how that goes. Lois, now experiencing somewhat of empty nest syndrome, adopted another dog, except this one is a female poodle that Peter insisted they name "Brady" for some reason—although Brian tells me it is after Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, despite the fact that he supported Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election...wah-wah-wah. Brian backed me up when I insisted that the two of them get her fixed—I did not want Brian having any more children with anyone that wasn't me. Hey, I'm his wife, for Christ's sake. Wives get to make certain choices when it comes to a balanced, healthy union.

The day he asked me to be his wife was the second-happiest day of my life, the first being the birth of our twins. That day was truly something out of a fairy tale. It was about two months before the twins were born, and Brian decided to have a big party for the whole family to celebrate our anniversary at The Chanler at Cliff Walk, with Felix, Jackie, Daphne, the Griffins, and the Browns, in attendance. Of course, Quagmire managed to weasel his way in, and Joe and Bonnie were invited, too, with Kevin—who couldn't stop staring at Meg —and Susie. We had a D.J. there that night, and when our song—Close to You by The Carpenters—played, Brian held me close for the duration of the dance. Finally, he proposed to me in front of everyone, with an antique ruby ring with diamonds surrounding it. I loved it on sight and vowed to marry him. We ended up getting married right there at The Chanler at Cliff Walk, with everyone we wanted in attendance.

"Vivienne?"

I turn around to face Brian, a smile on my face. "Good morning," I reply, crossing the room and climbing back in bed beside him. "How are you?"

"Good," he replies, kissing my forehead. "Excited for today?"

I giggle. "It's not every day that a mother gets to send her oldest son off to do goodness knows what," I mutter.

"Hey, Felix graduated high school a year early. That was the condition we gave in order for him to take out The Shawshank Regriffins on tour... Although I'd have at least thought over that name a little bit more..."

I roll my eyes. "Sweetie, he's seventeen. Of course it's going to be a weird name initially, but who knows? They'll tweak it, or it'll become a hit."

Brian nods. "You're probably right. How are the girls taking it?"

"As any wannabe groupies might," I reply. "They'll be fifteen in three months and they think they're going with him..."

"Felix is turning eighteen a week before he leaves, so technically we can't stop him, but they sure as hell aren't going anywhere..."

I push out my lower lip. "I thought we decided on Disney World this year," I whine in a sarcastic manner. "Remember? Felix was going to leave the tour in Jacksonville for the weekend to join us in Orlando..."

"We're not driving him?"

I snort. "No! He's taking a three-hour bus ride there, but we're taking him back and catching a flight at Jacksonville International Airport."

"I thought we decided on Orlando, leaving just after the mandatory ten hours at Disney World as dictated by many leading parenting magazines..."

I raise my eyebrows at him, reaching under the covers and in between his legs. "I'll make it worth your while," I whisper.

He grins. "I like the way you think, Mrs. Griffin."

"Why thank you, Mr. Griffin..." I say softly.

Suddenly the door bursts open and Brian and I suddenly dart away from each other like two horny teenagers who were caught in the act. Sitting up, Sabrina and Health jump into my arms while Jackie and Daphne get on either side of us and Felix hops onto the foot of the bed, a grin on his face. He looks triumphant, and a doppelganger of my brother Paul, which almost makes me cry as I look at him.

"Mom?" he asks; god, his voice is so deep now.

I quickly snap out of my reverie. "Yeah, honey?"

"Come on," he says with a grin. "I graduate in six hours. Do I get my favorite breakfast or don't I?"

"Yeah, Mommy!" Sabrina and Health chorus.

I lower my eyes at them and smile. They were so much like their half-brother, Dylan—who I'd met since he became the youngest actor to ever win Best Actor in a Leading Role when his Disney T.V. show was spun off into a movie Parent Boppers: The Villain Within. It had since been made into two sequels: Parent Boppers: The Return of the Villain Within and Parent Boppers: The Villain's Darkness and had a fourth film in development: Parent Boppers: The Lightness of Being. He had collected three Oscars for these roles. Also like Dylan, Sabrina and Health were completely human as well.

Sabrina—who was named after the Audrey Hepburn character and not the teenage witch—had my hair and Brian's dark eyes, along with my elegant nose. She possessed our mutual talents of writing and a love of reading, managing to begin reading the Harry Potter books earlier that year. We were very proud of her, although she was a little overenthusiastic when it came to little things.

Heath tossed his sandy hair then, and my heart swelled at how much he resembled Paul when my older brother was just a little boy. His blue eyes, which came from my father, had a lightness to them; he had a flair for comedy, and wished to be the next Jimmy Fallon when it came right down to it. He was so kind, that Brian and I felt that it was a perfect fit.

"Okay, favorite breakfast—waffles, eggs, and sausages!" I cry. "Last one to the kitchen is a rotten egg!" I cry, and everyone scoots off the bed, except for Jackie and Daphne, who remain behind. I cock my head to one side. "Girls? Come on, let's hustle. At this rate, we're losing to the boys."

"Sabrina can represent us, can't she?" Jackie asked.

"Yeah, Mom," Daphne replies. "She runs fast..."

I smile at the two of them and smile. "Okay. What's going on?"

They sigh. "Today was the day that they were murdered, and nobody really seems to care at all," Jackie says, almost as if she wants to stop herself from doing so.

"Jackie!" Daphne hisses.

"Girls." I sigh and take their hands. "We all care, very much. What happened to your mom and dad was deplorable..."

"But you're our mom, Mom!" Daphne says stubbornly.

I smile and kiss her forehead. "Yes, I am your mom, now. I don't want you to forget Sarah Shaw, your birth mother. She was an amazing woman, and you two look just like her." I take their hands. "You're almost fifteen...god I can't believe time has gone by so fast..." I give them each a smile. "Have you given any thought to what you may want to do after you graduate high school?"

"College?" they say.

I grin. "If you want to. I'm not forcing you. Felix is touring with the band now, but our deal is that he gets until he is twenty-one. Then, if they're not Taylor Swift successful, he has to go to college. Signed a contract, too," I say, feeling proud of myself.

Jackie bites her lip. "Can I go to law school?"

I raise my eyebrows. "You want to go to law school? It's not like Legally Blonde... Well, you're not blonde, and I'm just assuming. I didn't go to law school..."

"Do you think I can do it?" she asks.

I lean in and hug her. "Of course. I think if you work hard enough, you can be whoever or whatever you want to be."

"Can I go to med school, Mom?" Daphne asks me softly, almost as if she fears I will yell at her for the expense it'll eventually cost. "I think I want to be a child psychologist focusing on grief."

I smile and hug her, too. "I think that's wonderful, sweetheart. I think you'd really make a wonderful child psychologist." My phone buzzes then. "Oh, it's Stewie."

"Take it!" they squeal together.

I put it onto FaceTime. "Hi!" I say, waving at him. "Just here with the girls. Say hello!" I say, moving the phone to Jackie and Daphne.

"Hi Stewie!" they chant.

"Hello," he says. "Viv, I needed to talk..."

"What's up?" I ask. "I'm not changing your grade again..."

He chuckles. "No. No, nothing like that..."

"Stewie?" Brian enters the room. "Everything okay?"

"Um, yeah, yeah. Just... Just needed to talk to you two."

"Okay, girls. Go make sure Felix, Sabrina, and Heath didn't destroy the kitchen," I say rather indulgently to the pair of them.

"Aw!" they cry, getting up off the bed, but nonetheless going down to the kitchen.

"What's up, Stewie?" Brian asks.

"It's Meg..."

"What about Meg?" I ask.

He sighs. "Her and Kevin eloped!" he cries, unable to stand it any longer. "He took her and George to Vegas and they just...got married!"

I clap. "That's wonderful!"

"Seriously?!" he demands. "It's Meg!"

"Stewie..." Brian says, rubbing his eyes.

I shrug. "Hell, I'm in no place to judge. I married a dog..."

"Woof," Brian replies.

I turn to look at him. "For the love of a dog... I love a dog..." I grin at him. "Woof," I say in what I think is a sexy voice.

Stewie screams like he's just witnessed every sexual act that Quagmire has committed before shouting, "Gotta go!" and hanging up.

"You love a dog?" he asks.

I can't stop grinning. "Hell yes," I reply. "I'll love you forever..."

"You can take me here or there," he says, laughing. "You could take me in a box, you could take me with a fox..."

I shut my eyes and shake his head. "No... No. I would not take you in a box. I would not take you with a fox..."

"Maybe you're right. Box denotes homeless person and fox means... Like a bear skin rug or something...?"

I shrug. "Who knows?"

"I know that I love you," he says.

I lean in and kiss him. "I know that I love you more," I reply.

THE END