Clay stormed into his house as the clock struck 11pm. Kayla and Logan were both fast asleep, but of course Quinn had stayed up, patiently waiting for her husband to return home from a long day of work. Quinn hated when Clay worked late because it meant he didn't get to spend time with Logan and Kayla, but it didn't happen often. He slammed the door shut and instantly regretted it, knowing his children would be sleeping and he didn't want to wake them. Walking into the kitchen he headed straight for the fridge and pulled out a beer, before slumping down on one of the tall kitchen stools. He wondered where Quinn was and why she hadn't immediately came running to him when the door slammed. He thought she might of fallen sleep too.

Quinn was in her bathroom when she heard Clay return to the house. She wiped her eyes and washed her face free of make-up before going to see Clay.

"Baby, was wrong?" She asked Clay as she walked close to him, noticing his angry face that explained the door slamming.

"Stressful day at work, thats all" He replied not looking away from his beer.

"What happened?" She asked as she stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders hoping to release some of his stress.

"Me and Nate are looking to buy an office, rather than just working around our dining table, but we can't agree on one, we need a good location with a professional appearance, but he doesn't get that" Clay began to rant.

"Hey" Quinn interrupted and kissed his neck trying to calm him down, "I'm sure the perfect one is out there.." she kissed his cheek "I'm going to bed" she said as she turned away.

Clay instantly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her on to his lap in one swift motion. "You've been crying?" He asked, but it was more of a statement. He could see her eyes were a little red. Quinn didn't reply, she diverted her eyes away from Clay and stared blankly at the wall. "Hey look at me babe." Clay said as he gently shook his leg that she was sat on to get her attention. "What's wrong?" He asked sincerely when she finally looked at him.

"I took another pregnancy test. It was negative." Quinn said sadly and Clay instantly pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay baby, we can keep trying" Clay replied. They had been trying for another baby ever since Alex and Chase's wedding.

"We've been trying almost every night for the past 3 months, why is it taking so long" she said with a dry throat from holding in her tears.

"These things take time Quinn" he tried to reassure her.

"It didn't take long with Kayla, she wasn't even planned and I was still on the pill when she was conceived"

"I know babe"

"Clay, what if somethings wrong?" Quinn asked and started to worry.

"Nothing's wrong, we just have to keep trying, okay?" he was trying to cheer Quinn up. "Everything will be fine, I promise."

"I know, i just... i just don't want anything bad to happen. We had such bad luck with Kayla and it seemed like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong"

"Listen to me Quinn James, everything will be fine, we can just keep trying, in fact, if you didn't have to be getting up in 5 hours to go to that amazing photo shoot in New York that you haven't stopped talking about, i'd be carrying you off to the bedroom right now." he said still trying to lighten her mood, hoping it would work. Quinn had been offered to shoot for New York fashion week at a Teen Vogue event, it was an offer she immediately accepted.

"Are you sure you can look after Logan and Kayla tomorrow? Things are stressful with you and Nate and i don't want to add to that by leaving you to look after the kids on your own - i can cancel the shoot?" Quinn said, it was just like Quinn to drop everything for the sake of her family. Nothing was more important to her than Clay and her children.

"You leave at 4am and get back at 10pm, I'm sure I can look after our children for that long, and don't you dare cancel that shoot Quinn James!" he said as he lifted her off his lap and began to stand up. "Now get to bed, otherwise you'll never wake up in time" he said as he directed her to their bedroom.

"Fine." she replied bluntly. She knew Clay was right, she did need to go to sleep, but she wanted to spend more time with him. "Have fun with my babies, and I will see you at 10 tomorrow night" she said as they both got into bed.

"Night babe, i love you" Clay said as he leaned over to kiss Quinn goodnight.

"Night handsome, i love you more" she said after pulling away from their kiss and resting her head on his chest.

At 4am Quinn was up and ready to leave for New York. She had quietly snook out of bed, hoping not to wake Clay and quickly got ready. She had checked on both Logan and Kayla and kissed them both on the forehead, again hoping not to wake them. She sat in the kitchen on the same stool that her and Clay had been sitting on only a few hours prior, drinking a cup of coffee and reading a magazine before she had to leave. She was so into the column that she was reading that she didn't even hear the faint footsteps that were getting closer to her. Suddenly she felt two big arms snake around her waist, making her jump. After everything that she had been through, being alone at night time scared her enough.

"Clay!" She gasped as she noticed it was him, and couldn't help but smile.

"Sorry baby, i didn't mean to scare you" he said as he pulled her closer to his embrace.

"Did i wake you? I was trying to be really quiet" she said apologetically.

"No, I could feel that you were gone, and that woke me up" he replied. That was normal for both of them, they could always sense when the other wasn't there and it would wake them up.

"Oh right, well i need to go and you need to go back to bed. Logan and Kayla will really tire you out tomorrow" she said and tiptoed to give him a quick kiss.

"Call me when you get there, okay" Clay said, being his usual protective self.

"I will honey, I love you, bye" she said as she turned to walk away, but once again Clay quickly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back.

"I'm gonna need a little more than a quick peck to keep me going all day with out you!" he said as he pulled her closer and gave her a more passionate kiss. "Now go, before you miss your flight" he smiled and watched her leave, before climbing back into his bed.

After what felt like 5 minutes to Clay but was actually 4 and a half hours later, Clay was woken up by Logan climbing on to his bed, with Kayla attached to his hip.

"DAD!" Logan shouted "Wake up dad!"

"I'm up, i'm up" Clay said as he struggled to open his eyes. "What's up little man?"

"Me and Kayla want breakfast, don't we Lala?" Logan said as he and Kayla crawled closer to Clay.

"Yep" Kayla said. Clay still couldn't believe that his little girl was now walking and was able to say a few words. He would never forget the first time she spoke.

FLASHBACK

Clay, Quinn and Logan were all snuggled up on the sofa one friday night watching The Goonies, while Kayla obliviously walked around in her play pen, playing with a ball. After Kayla got bored of playing and walking she sat back down and began to get restless. She didn't cry or moan this time, instead she let out a few mumbles of words, if you can even call them words, more like sounds, before clearly saying "Dada". All 3 were instantly drawn away from the movie and looked straight at Kayla.

"Did she just-" Logan said but was quickly interupted by both Clay and Quinn.

"Yeah!" They both said at the exact same time.

"She just said "dada!" Quinn squeeled and ran over to Kayla and picked her up.

"She said her first word!" Clay said in an equally excited tone.

"That's awesome!" Logan said as he and Clay walked over to Quinn and Kayla. "Say "Logan" Logan said as she shook her little hand, "L-O-GAN" he said trying to make her say it, but she didnt.

"Say 'mom' babygirl, say 'momma'" Quinn said.

"momma" Kayla quietly said.

"No say Logan!" Logan said causing Clay and Quinn to laugh.

"Logie" she said in her adorable 18 month old voice.

"Ah close enough" Logan giggled and went back to the movie.

"Well done babygirl" Quinn said as she bounced Kayla up and down in her arms. Both Clay and Quinn had the biggest smiles on their faces. It didn't bothered Quinn at all that she sad "dad" instead of "mom", she figured "dad" is most babies first worst, it was her first word and all her siblings first word, and it was even Logan's first word, so she's been told.

"Well it's about time you started talking, princess. You've had mommy and daddy worried!" Clay teased as he stroked her soft little cheek, knowing she probably didn't understand a word he was saying.

END OF FLASHBACK.

"So can we have breakfast dad? I'm starrrrrving" Logan said making Clay laugh as he was drawn away from a memory. Logan exaggerated all the time and put on a cute little voice as he pretended to moan.

"I don't know, what do you think Lala?" Clay asked as he picked Kayla up from the bed and rested her on his chest, where Quinn would normally be resting her head. "Should we get Logan some breakfast?"

Logan nodded at Kayla, and Kayla copied his motion, nodding her head at Clay.

"Come on then." he said picking up both of his children, Logan in one arm and Kayla in the other.

The three of them spent the entire day together at the beach house. They made a mess of the kitchen floor from finger painting and Clay had to give Kayla a quick bath and Logan had a quick shower before they could cover the whole house in paint. Now that Kayla was getting very good at walking, it was hard to keep her still. He had to keep an eye on her at all times because she would walk anywhere and everywhere. After they had all cleaned up and put their pajama's on, they made a fort with all the cushions from the sofa's and used a few quilts and blankets. As Clay and Logan would set something up, like a big cushion to act as a wall for their fort, Kayla would walk over and knock it down again, so it was a very funny but long process. They called themselves the three musketeers, not that Kayla knew what one was or could even say it.

"But dad, what about when mom gets home, then we can't be the three musketeers anymore because there's four of us?" Logan said

"Hmm what else could we all be then?" Clay asked and they both thought for a moment

"The fantastic four!" Logan smiled "that's what we can be! Lala say The Fantastic four!" Logan said to Kayla.

"Four!" was all she managed to say as she looked at Logan blankly.

"Um, that will do" he giggled and lied down in the fort. "I am soooo tired" Logan exaggerated again.

"Me to!" Clay yawned. He was happy that Logan was tired, because he him self was exhausted. He smiled at himself as he thought about how Quinn had warned him that Logan and Kayla would tire him out.

"But dad, its only like 8.30, why are you so tired?" Logan asked.

Clay couldn't exactly say that most nights for the past 3 months he and Quinn had been up late trying to make another baby and he actually needed to catch up and sleep, "You kids are a tiring piece of work!" he laughed, "but I had a lot of fun playing with you and Lala today Wolverine"

"Yeah, me too" Logan yawned "Night dad"

"Night son" Clay replied

"Come here Lala" he said and patted the quilt in between him and Logan. If they were this tired, she must of been even more tired! He wondered how she had managed to stay awake so long. As soon as she crawled over to Clay, she lied down and fell straight to sleep. Logan and Clay soon followed.

When Quinn returned home at just after 10pm, she was greeted by what at first looked like a giant mess, but then she realized it was a fort. She noticed there was a little sign on the stop of the fort that had "The Three Musketeers" on, which had been scribbled out and had "The Fantastic Four" written just below. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the three bodies sleeping soundly inside it. Clay on the left, Kayla in the middle and Logan on the right. She quickly changed into her pajama's and climbed into the fort and snuggled up beside Clay and put her hand on his chest and gently kissed him on the lips. She didn't want to wake him up, but a part of her wanted him to wake up.

"I missed you" she heard Clay whisper seconds after she had rested her head on the pillow just next to Clay's head.

"I missed you too" she said and closed her eyes, exhausted from working all day.

THANKS FOR READING YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.
PLEASE REVIEW AND LEAVE ANY IDEAS OR SUGGESTIONS!
I REALLY LIKED THIS CHAPTER AND I HOPE YOU ALL DO TO.

OTHUSER. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITHOUT YOU FOR A WHOLE WEEK. - have fun at school while i'm on a cruise!
To everyone else who always reviews, you all know who you are, i love you all, you are all amazing and its your reviews that keep me writing... that and OTHUSER nagging me every single day to write! gotta love her for it though!

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