To say that the last two weeks of their lives have been hard would definitely be the understatement of the year. Fitz opted to save his paternity leave until the babies came home from the hospital which meant he had to go back to work the day Liv got out of the hospital. Kat, Dot and Myra agreed to stay with Olivia in shifts to make sure she was never alone. Friends visited at different times when she was in the hospital but Olivia was exhausted and sore. She would pump her breastmilk every three hours so she wasn't able to sleep as much. While in the hospital, she and Fitz would go and spend copious amounts of time in the NICU looking at their twins and praying that they would get stronger every day.

Liv was discharge from the hospital that Thursday morning. It felt surreal and not anything like she expected. She was a mother who left the hospital without her children. It devastated her and she felt like a complete failure. The first day home, she closed herself off in her room and refused food or company. She buried herself under the covers and only moved to use the in-suite bathroom or to pump her milk and put it in the fridge.

When Fitz got home from work, the first thing he noticed was the worried look on his mother's face as she was sitting on the couch.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

She whispered, "You need to check on Olivia. She is not eating and refuses to see anyone. Every time I go in her room, she is hiding under the covers."

He quickly nodded his head and went upstairs. With Liv's history of depression, he was worried that she would relapse or even have postpartum depression. He quietly walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

In an irritated voice, Liv yelled, "For the love of God, could you please just leave me alone? I don't want to see anyone!"

Fitz said softly, "Does that apply to your husband as well? I always thought that I was more than just anyone."

She didn't respond or move. That worried him because it felt like she was indifferent and it made her moods harder to read.

He quickly took a shower and put on a fresh pair of boxers. As he moved the covers to slide into bed, she turned away from him so that he couldn't see her face. That raised more red flags in his mind. He crawled into bed and tried to pull her back to him but she pushed him off.

He sighed, "Liv, you have got to talk to me. I need to know what is going on with you. Mom says you're not eating and you are sitting here in the dark like you are a hermit. That is not healthy and I am starting to worry about you."

In a weak voice, "I am fine."

Getting frustrated, "No you are not. This right here is not fine. You are my wife and want to hold you but you won't let me touch you or look at you. That is not fine, Olivia."

"Why do you care? I carried your children and gave birth to them. Your obligation to me is done. You are free to do whatever you want."

He sat up in the bed trying to wrap his head around this conversation, "My obligation? You are my wife. You act like you are just my babies' mama and I didn't make a commitment to you."

She finally turned over to look at him, "Really? Was that you? I am confused because I thought it may have been your mom or my aunts because they are the ones that have been here for me since I got home. You left me to go back to your job."

He ran his fingers through his hair, "You know why I did that. I wanted to save my paternity leave for when the twins get home that way I can help you with them."

She slowly sat up in bed, "Exactly. You want to be home for them. Meanwhile, I am here in pain going through one of the most difficult moments of my life without my husband here to comfort me." Tears started falling from her face, "But I get why you can't be here. I wouldn't want to see the face of a failure either."

Fitz frowned at her words, "Failure? Is that what you think I see you as?" He took her hand and was glad that she didn't pull it back, "Liv, you are not a failure. If anyone is a failure it is me. I should have been here instead of at a game. My family needed me and I should have put my foot down that morning but I didn't. And if I could be here with you then you know that I would but I made the decision to wait so that we can adjust to being parents together."

She took her freehand and wiped her tears, "That's my other point. You decided. You didn't discuss it with me."

"Liv, you were doped up on some powerful pain meds when I made that decision."

She yelled, "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE WAITED A DAY!"

He took a few deep breaths, "In hindsight, you are right. But I was also thinking about the financial aspect of our lives. I needed to go to work."

She scoffed, "Fitz, you know that I just got a residual check last week for the song I wrote for Jennifer Hudson. You heard Alex say that we could keep expecting them on a regular basis especially while she is touring and promoting her album."

He let go of her hand and stood up, "I am capable of working to take care of my family. I don't need my wife to take care of everything all the time. It's like the little money I get from my job doesn't matter."

She frowned up at him, "What the hell does that mean? Where is all of this coming from? We talked about this before and you had no problems with it."

He groaned in frustration, "I didn't have a problem with it then because then it was only extra bonus money. Next thing I know it's the house, a truck and more extra money. What the hell do you need me for?"

She slowly shook her head, "This isn't you. I know you and none of this stuff bothered you before. No this is your idiot friends that you let get into your damn head. I bet they all said that they couldn't have a woman making more than them. Well let me tell you that misery loves company. I guarantee you that if Abby took Stephen back right now, he wouldn't give a damn how much she made. Harrison is out there living like he is happy being a player but he is not. It's easy to find someone to go to bed with on a Friday or Saturday night but who is there when you have a bad day on a Wednesday evening. Huck is a great guy and he loves Quinn but they don't live together. They don't share the things we share so who makes what really doesn't matter. But you and I are in a completely different league than our friends. We are married and have kids. If me making more than you is going to be a big problem, then we might as well end it now. I will never be less than who I am to please anyone including you."

She slowly climbed out of bed and retrieved her Electric Breast Pump. Fitz stood in his same spot thinking and taking in everything around him. Neither spoke to the other. She pumped both breasts and labeled them accordingly using the labels furnished by the hospital. While she walked downstairs to put them in the refrigerator, Fitz called the hospital to check on the twins.

Kat insisted that Liv eat a little something and she obliged her. As she sat down eating, Fitz came back downstairs full dressed. She looked at him strangely wondering where he was going.

He grabbed some food and joined her at the table, "When you get done eating can you put on some clothes?"

She rolled her eyes, "Why?"

Not wanting to argue with her, "Please."

She sighed, "Fine."

After quickly eating, Liv walked upstairs very slowly. She was very fortunate that the surgeon used glue instead of staples to seal her incision. She was still experiencing some pain but each day it got less. She read many reviews on parenting sites and everyone said the third day was the worse. They were absolutely right.

Fitz came upstairs as she was putting on a simple black dress. He asked which shoes she was wearing because he knew it would be hard for her to bend down. She sat on the bed while he put them on her feet. After she was dressed, he helped her walk down the stairs and walked her to the truck. Because it was a little high, he picked her up and placed her in the passenger seat.

The car ride was completely silent. She barely looked up from her phone to notice where they were going. She was very shocked when she noticed they were pulling up at the hospital.

She spoke with a little edge in her voice, "You could have told me that we were coming to hospital. I could have gotten the breastmilk I pumped out the refrigerator."

He reached in the back and grabbed his small cooler, "I had already placed it in here while you were getting dressed."

He parked the truck and help her out. They walked into the hospital heading straight for the NICU. After they washed and scrubbed their hands, they walked into the room where their babies were. On the wall over their incubators were their names. In pink, it said "Faith" and in blue, it said, "Fitzgerald."

A nurse named Angela smiled when she spotted them, "Hey Olivia and Fitz! How are you guys?"

They both smiled politely and responded, "Fine."

Fitz handed her the cooler with the breastmilk, "This is what she has pumped today and they are all labeled."

Angela took it smiling, "Awesome. I will put these in the cooler. You can have a seat in the rocking chairs and Jessica will pass you your babies."

Liv eyes got big. She was finally getting to hold her children. She sat in the rocking chair between their spots. Fitz sat beside her.

Jessica stood before her, "Okay, Mom, who do you want first?"

Her voice was soft, "I want to hold my son."

Jessica opened Fitzgerald's incubator and took him out. He was wrapped tightly in his receiving blanket with his cute hat on his head. The minute he was placed in her arms, the tears started falling. He was still so small and had a feeding tube in his nose but he was alive and okay. To her, that was all that mattered.

Jessica opened Faith's incubator, "Okay, dad, I guess you want your baby girl."

It was more of a statement than a question. He was so overwhelmed to hold his daughter for the first time. The minute she was placed in his arms, everything changed for him. She was his princess. She was daddy's girl. She had him wrapped around her little finger.

Jessica left the parents alone with their bundles of joy. They each held a baby slowly taking in their features. Surprisingly, Faith took after Fitz. She had his blue eyes. They both had Liv's nose and mouth. Fitzgerald had his mother's doe eyes. They both had a light caramel complexion and their father's curly hair. Faith had less hair than her brother.

Liv kissed her son on the cheek and smiled. She looked over at her husband who was smiling while looking at their daughter, "When did you do all of this?"

His smile got brighter when he looked at her, "While you were taking the milk downstairs, I called to check on them and to see when we could hold them for the first time. Angela said that she felt they were strong enough to be held today. I figured we both could use a little pick me up."

She reached over and took his hand into hers, "Thank you. I really needed this."

He lifted it to his mouth and kissed it, "You and them will always come first to me. You are not an obligation to me. You are my family. Nothing about this says you are a failure. I know you did the best that you could and you gave them a fighting chance. This is just a bump in the road but I promise you that we will all get through this together."

She slowly nodded her head, "Okay. I believe you."

"I know I should have talked to you about me going back to work but my focus was getting through this project as quickly as possible so that it could count towards our performance evaluation and get us a pay raise. I was selfishly thinking about me and not us."

She interrupted him, "No you weren't selfish. You were thinking about what was best for your family and your team. I forget sometimes that other people depend on you as well. I was the one who was selfish. All I kept thinking about was me and how everything was affecting me. This is not on you. I am not trying to emasculate you or make you feel like you aren't the head of the house. I don't see it as my money or your money. To me, everything is ours. What's mine is yours."

"I know that baby. I just let the guys get to me and I apologize to you for letting that happen. I am proud of you and everything that you have accomplished. You deserve all that and more. I am just happy to be a part of this journey with you."

She smiled, "Baby, I hope you realize that all of this was possible because of you. You made me feel so loved and special that it showed in my music. You are my missing link. I am a movement by myself but I am force when we are together."

He laughed, "Did you just quote Fabolous?"

She playfully rolled her eyes, "No more hip-hop for you. You ruined the moment."

He laughed louder, "Yeah, Yeah. How about you let me hold my boy?"

"Your boy! Are my baby girl and I going to have to handle the two of you?"

They carefully switched babies. He kissed his son, "It's going to take an army to handle me and him. He is getting stronger every day. He is the real superman. Isn't that right, Quad?"

Liv looked at Faith, "Oh lord. Baby girl, I hope you are ready because Mama is going to need some help."

They took several pictures and their first official family photo was posted on their social media with the hashtag 'Grant Family.'

The next week got better. Liv was feeling okay for the most part. Fitz was working overtime to finish his project. He had to admit, the newbie was an excellent surveyor. He hated that he had to work late somedays and wasn't able to go to the hospital with Liv but she told him that she understood. He almost cried when she sent him a picture of her breastfeeding the twins for the first time. He laughed when she texted that he had officially lost his spot.

The last two weeks have definitely been a roller coaster in the Grant household. Kat went back home to give the new parents time and space to adjust to being parents. Sunday night, their nerves were completely on edge. They both doubled and tripled checked to make sure everything was ready. Their babies were two weeks old and tomorrow they would be coming home.

X X

After officially receiving their discharge papers, the twins were released to come home. After a week and half in the NICU and few days in the Well Baby nursery, they had put a few more pounds on and were past their birth weight. Fitz carefully secured them in the backseat of the truck. Liv sat in the back with them behind the passenger seat. Fitz drove his family home making sure to drive way below the speed limit. It upset him a little as cars flew by him in a rush. He had precious cargo and they were driving like idiots.

They finally made it home safe and sound. Liv grabbed the diaper bag while Fitz lifted both carriers out of the car. Liv smiled at his excitement.

He spoke to the twins like they understood him, "Okay, you two. Welcome home!"

Liv encouraged him by clapping. She was so happy to have her babies home.

Fitz decided to show them around, "Okay, so this is the kitchen. When mommy gets better, she is going to throw down in here. We have your high chairs set up but mommy says you aren't ready for those yet but I wanted to be prepared." He kept walking, "This is our living room. As you can see, I put your playpen in the corner. You have your bouncers and swings already set for you to lounge in. We have an open floor area to place your play mats down when we do tummy time. Over in the back corner is Mommy's so called office. She usually works on her music there. There is a bathroom right here under the stairs but you are not ready for that either."

He took them upstairs as Liv followed behind him letting him enjoy his moment.

"Okay, this is the upstairs. There is a total of four bedrooms up here. You also have a bathroom in the hall. One room is my office/man cave. Sometimes mommy gets mad at me and doesn't want to see my face so I go there."

He looked back at Liv and winked.

She rolled her eyes, "Don't lie to the children."

He laughed, "Okay. Mommy loves me." He walked into the guest room, "This is where your granny and aunties stay when they visit. You will probably see a lot of them at first. They are so excited that you two are here."

He walked into the master bedroom, "Now, this is where the magic happens."

Liv punched him in the arm, "Don't say that to them."

He whispered, "They don't know what I am saying."

She scoffed, "Then why are you giving them a tour."

He was in too deep to quit, "Anyway, this is where hopefully mommy and daddy will give you some more brothers and sisters. But we will discuss that later." He walked towards the master bathroom, "This is where you enjoyed the magical bubble baths that mommy took all the time."

He walked out and stood in front of their room, "Okay ladies and gents, the pièce de résistance."

Liv laughed and mumbled, "Oh my lord."

He smiled innocently at her, "What? You aren't the only one that knows French in this family." He focused back on what he was doing, "As you can see this is your room because it has your names on it. Daddy had that made special for you guys." He looked at his hands and realized that he couldn't open the door without putting them down.

Liv saw the mini crisis as it was slowly unfolding. She moved beside him and opened the door, "It is okay if you put them down for a minute."

He walked into the room shaking his head, "No, this is like carrying the bride across the threshold. Plus, this was the only room that was closed."

She raised her hand in surrender, "Okay, crisis is solved."

He turned the kids around giving them a complete view which was really irrelevant since they both were asleep, "Okay so this it. Mommy worked hard at decorating your room and your uncles and I put together your furniture in one night. Between you and me, Mommy and Granny went overboard with the shopping but that's our little secret."

Liv smiled, "Okay, Daddy. I think the tour is over. What do you say we put them in their cribs for now? We can unpack the diaper bag and you can fix us some lunch because I am still recovering."

He finally put their carriers down, "Yeah, I got a feeling you are going to be recovering for a while."

She chuckled, "You are so right."

They placed each baby in their cribs and turned on the monitor. They left the room and went back downstairs. Fitz fixed them both a sandwich with some chips and juice. Liv had organized a changing area in the living room to save them from having to go up and down the stairs all the time. There were times that Fitz thought she was too organized but he knew better than to say it out loud.

He placed their food on the table and called her to lunch. They said their grace and as they were about the eat, they heard crying through the monitor.

They smiled at each other. Fitz stood, "I got it."

Liv ate her lunch as she listened to Fitz talk to Quad on the monitor. She figured he must be changing his diaper.

She heard Fitz yelled, "Oh my God! No you didn't!"

She hurried up the stairs as fast as she could which really wasn't fast at all. She found Fitz groaning and making noise in the nursery without his shirt on.

Curious, she asked, "What happened?"

He grabbed the baby off of the changing table, "Your son peed on me!"

She burst out laughing.

"That's not funny Liv. He got it all on my shirt and his clothes."

He held the baby who only had on diaper. Liv came and took the baby from his arms, "I got him. You can go and wash up."

"Thank you baby."

He walked out as Liv grabbed a onesie and a jumpsuit from Quad's closet, "I guess you got Daddy, huh?"

That was the beginning of an eventful day. It was safe to say that the twins definitely let their parents know who was in charge. By 6 pm, Liv was exhausted. She was feeding them both from her breast and they were on completely different schedules. It felt like she was feeding one every other hour. While she and Faith were napping in her bed, Fitz and Quad was downstairs watching TV.

Fitz had on a pair of pajamas pants and a muscle shirt relaxing in his recliner with his son laying on his chest. His wife was doing better. She would be back to her old self in no time. His daughter was sleeping peaceful with her mom. Here he was watching Monday Night Football holding his baby boy. He thought to himself, 'This is what heaven must feel like.'

X X

Liv heard a soft knock at her bedroom door. She whispered, "Come in."

She smiled as she saw her red headed best friend open the door. They had been home a week with the kids. They didn't have any visitors at first because everyone respected their decision to wait at least a few days before visiting. It would give them time to adjust but also protect the twins from outside germs.

Right now it was Sunday evening and Liv couldn't help but smile when she saw Abby standing there.

Abby spoke softly as not to disturb the baby attached to Liv's breast, "Hey Mama. How are you feeling?"

As Abby closed the door behind her, Liv motioned for her to join her in the bed, "I am doing good. A few sore moments here and there but I am okay."

Abby sat down in the bed and peeked at Faith, "She is so beautiful, Liv. I can't believe you are somebody's mother. I never would have guessed that you would be the first one of us to grow up."

Liv chuckled, "Yeah, life has a way of making you change your plans." She waved her hand, "Enough about me. I haven't heard from you in a minute. What's going on?"

Abby smiled at big bright smile, "I met Leo's parents today."

Liv accidently squealed startling the baby a little, "Sorry." She turned back to Abby, "How the hell did that happen? I thought you weren't going to meet them till Thanksgiving."

Abby sat back against the headboard, "That was the plan but I told him that I really wanted to be with you guys for the twins' first major holiday. I know it sounded stupid but they are my niece and nephew as well as my godchildren."

"What did he say?"

She let out a slight chuckle, "He said that he totally understood and supported my decision. He wants me to be happy and he knows what you and the kids mean to me. He said that if that is where I want to be then he plans on being right here with me."

Liv was getting confused, "Okay but what does that have to do with meeting his parents today?"

"His parents are from Syracuse, New York and every now and then they come to city on the weekend for brunch. Leo invited me to brunch but neglected to tell me that I was meeting his parents. He wanted to surprise me so that I wouldn't be nervous. Apparently he called his parents to tell them that he wasn't coming for Thanksgiving but requested that they come to town to meet his future wife."

Liv jaws dropped, "Oh my God! Did he really say that?"

Abby nodded her head, "His mother told me that was what he said and when I looked at him for confirmation, he grabbed my hand and told me that I was his forever."

Liv was stunned, "Wow! That is a bold declaration especially in front of his parents."

"Exactly and come to find out, he has never introduced anyone to his parents. I am the first."

Liv took the baby off her nipple and burped her. Once Faith was situated in her arms, she turned back to Abby, "How do you feel about all of this?"

She laid her head on Liv's shoulder and sighed, "Honestly, a part of me is terrified. I keep thinking it's too good to be true but then I listen to the things he says and the things he does. His actions are lining up with his words. I don't think he is feeding me a line or BS because he can. It's the little things he does that makes me believe it's true. That's why I invited him to go home with me for Christmas."

If Liv had been drinking anything, she would have spit it out, "Home home? Like South home? With your parents and brother home? With Gail, John and Travis home?"

Abby laughed as Liv said the names of her parents and brother, "Yes, Liv. Home home. My mom is always complaining because I haven't been home in two years. We are going to spend Christmas Eve and Day with his family and a few days after Christmas with mine."

"Does your parents know about Stephen?"

She shook her head, "No, they never even knew I was dating which says a whole lot about that relationship and this one. I can actually see a future with Leo. Stephen was always just a good time or in the meantime kind of thing. We mistook lust for love. This thing with Leo is like nothing I have ever experienced. I really don't know what to think of it."

Liv smiled, "It's that all-consuming total love. You can't bear to be away from him because it's hard to breathe and when you are with him sometimes you want to kill him. It hurts to remember what your life was like before him because it hurts to think about a time in your life when he wasn't there. He is your sun and your reason for being."

Abby raised her head and looked at Liv, "Yeah, how did you know that?"

"That's what I have with Fitz. It's what I fought so hard against. The highlight of my day was coming home to see him but I kept lying to myself and saying I wasn't ready for a relationship. Leo is right Abby. You guys are forever."

Abby whispered, "I hope so." She looked at Faith sleeping in Liv's arm, "So how has this week been for you guys? I saw Fitz watching football downstairs with the guys while his mom is in the kitchen cooking."

Liv nodded, "Yeah, she got in yesterday and has been helping us out since I still can't do much. Fitz has his son, as he says it, and they are enjoying football together. The guys stopped by to hang out and just see the kids. Other than the lack of sleep, we are doing okay. We adopted the 'divide and conquer' bedtime schedule. This week I deal with Quad and he deals with Faith. We try to use the breast as much during the day and bottles at night. Right now, I will say that it's going. We just have to get a routine established then we should be fine."

Abby chuckled, "You make raising twins sound so easy."

Liv shook her head and smiled, "Believe me, it's not. But I couldn't do this without Fitz. He is my rock."

"Have your Aunts been by?"

She nodded, "They stopped by yesterday. Dot gave me an update on my father. His new meds have slowed down his dementia. We plan on taking the kids to see him after their 2 month shots. Myra brought me a box of letters and pictures that my mother sent my grandmother over the years."

Abby grabbed her hand, "How do you feel about that?"

She sighed, "I am trying to imagine if it is possible to be overjoyed and overwhelmed with everything at the same time? They are organized by postdates. It felt surreal to read about my mother's life before she met my father. As I read it, I could hear her voice speaking. I broke down and Fitz carried me to bed. Right now it's too much. One day, I will read them all but not now."

Abby decided to change the subject, "So what are your birthday plans? It's October and your birthday is next month. Do you have any special plans?"

Liv appreciated Abby for changing the subject, "Yes we do. My husband is taking us to Boston for our first official family mini-vacation."

Abby threw her head back in laughter, "You are kidding me?"

Liv laughed with her, "No, I am not. He goes back to work in two weeks. I go back in three. We've decided to keep the twins at home until their 2 months' shots with will fall right before my birthday. My loving husband wants us to go out of town as a family."

"Wow, Liv. That sounds amazing. I hope you guys do some more videos."

"Oh you know it."

Abby grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, "Since the men are downstairs, then us girls need to watch a chick-flick or something. Isn't that right, Faith?"

Faith didn't make a sound because she was asleep.

Abby chuckled, "I will take your silence as confirmation. It's girls' day, ladies."