Author's Note: Taylor Braydon and Evie belong to Aline Riva. Takes place after "Silver Sentinel". And so sorry for the long wait for an update, but things have been crazy for me as I finish up my last semester of college. Hopefully this will make up for it for anyone who's been following along.

WARNING: This chapter is rated M for sexual scenarios and context. Don't like? Don't read. This also takes place right after "Discovery", which is the previous chapter.

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"Twosome, Threesome, Foursome"

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"I said, 'No'" spoke Evie Braydon in a clipped tone.

The newly appointed inspector groaned as he leaned into the kitchen bar. "Aww, come on! You even admitted it yourself, darling! You WANT Gadget!"

Evie shook her head with an exasperated chuckle as she stood there and ironed one of her shirts. "Taylor, do you even realize what you're suggesting?"

Taylor paused a moment, leaning against the bar opposite of Evie. He was wearing one of his nice work shirts and pants, having just gotten home from being on duty. Gadget had been slowly showing him the ropes on being an Inspector rather than a deputy. He had no idea there would be such a change between the two positions. Suddenly he had files to report and crime scenes to investigate. He had taken off his jacket though and tossed it on the couch.

Ever since Evie had admitted her attraction to Gadget earlier in the week, it was all Taylor was able to think about. The idea of having a threesome with Gadget and Evie made him shiver with pleasure. It thrilled him; the thought of being able to be with the two most important people of his life together at the same time. The lovemaking they would do!

Taylor nodded at her question, pursing his lips as he leaned further into the counter. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I do, love muffin!"

Evie rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt that you do." She set the iron to the side, which gave a hiss of steam. She leaned over towards her husband. "Look, Taylor, my answer is no! Its one thing keeping this from Penny, but it's another thing entirely to go having sex with her husband behind her back! You two are just lucky I haven't told her!" She went to grab the iron again, before she paused and looked back to Taylor. "What does Gadget say about all this?"

Taylor frowned and leaned away. "Well-I haven't exactly-erm….What I mean to say is-"

"You haven't told him" guessed Evie.

Taylor scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, no, I told him. But uh….he didn't like the idea so much…" Evie said nothing, unsurprised as she waited for her husband to continue. "He said….he-"

"Taylor" prompted the blonde woman warningly.

Taylor sighed. "He said pretty much the same things you're saying…." He muttered.

Evie nodded, grabbing the iron and working on her shirt. "Nice to know one of you has common sense…" she mumbled darkly. After a moment she continued. "Taylor, you have to remember, there is a lot more at stake here than you realize. You and Gadget are already having an affair. You realize that, right?"

Taylor nodded.

"And, thankfully, I'm not holding it against either of you. I'm not mad at either of you either. Because both of you mean a lot to me and Gadget is my friend and—" Her gaze moved up to the stairs where the Taylor Tots were sleeping upstairs. "….and there is no way in Hell I'm raising two babies all by myself…Especially now that-" Evie stopped herself right there, her eyes locking with Taylor's large blue curious ones. She subconsciously placed a hand over her abdomen.

Taylor stared at her, confused. "Especially now that what?"

Evie put the iron down and lowered her head so that Taylor couldn't see her expression. She was forcing herself not to grin like an idiot, but she was finding it was a lost cause. After a long minute of looking down with a hand over her stomach, she finally looked up and said, "Taylor, sweetie…."

Taylor cocked his head to one side, showing her she had his attention. This just made her grin all the more. Sweet, naïve Taylor. "Taylor, you know how we talked about what we were going to do after having the Taylor Tots?"

Taylor thought for a moment. "…Buy new rubber duckies for the bathroom?"

Evie shook her head. "No…." she sighed. "About having more children?"

The blonde man smiled goofily now that he was on the same page. He nodded. "Yeah."

"Taylor, sweetie, I'm pregnant."

Taylor just stared at her.

"Taylor? Did you hear me?"

Taylor blinked rapidly, the wheels in his head trying to wrap around what he had just been told. He looked down at his hands which were spread out on the kitchen bar before him for what seemed like an eternity to Evie. Finally, in a small voice he said, "You're pregnant?"

Evie forced herself not to roll her eyes and nodded. "That's what I just said." She couldn't help but smile though, for she knew what her husband was like; sometimes it took him a while to grasp onto things.

Taylor looked her in the eyes. "You mean to say we're going to have more babies?" He voice was in awe.

Evie shyly shrugged her shoulders, placing a hand over her stomach. "Well, hopefully this time it's only one…I don't think I could handle giving birth to twins again…."

Taylor shrugged. "I dunno….I would kind of expect it sweetie…" he placed his two index fingers together. "I mean….our awesomeness…..you saw what happened last time…." He spoke in a slightly sing-song voice. He pulled his fingers apart.

Evie shook her head, knowing full well of her husband's theory on why they had twins. She grabbed onto the iron once more. "So, any ideas you have about a threesome…you can just get out of your head right this instant! We have the children to focus on, Taylor!"

Taylor seemed to deflate. "That didn't stop us before…."

Evie narrowed her eyes at him, placing the iron back down. "What do you mean by that?" She paused, closed her eyes, and shook her head. "You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know!" Frustrated, she seized her shirt and ironed out every wrinkle from it in max speed. Taylor watched as she did so and backed away carefully. He swung himself around the kitchen counter that had been separating them and slid his arms around her waist.

Evie put down the iron with a huff, trying to restrain herself. It wasn't Taylor's fault that she was in a bad mood now that they'd just talked about the threesome possibility….again. She turned off the iron, feeling herself smile. Now was not the time to be worrying about something so trivial. She knew it was just like a fad Taylor was going through. He would get over the idea eventually and they would be able to move on. Once the pregnancy started kicking in and she got closer to her due date that would be all Taylor would be able to talk about, just like he had been the last time.

Taylor pulled her close and placed his chin on her shoulder, nipping at her neck and around her earlobe. He spoke quietly in a sing-song voice, "We're gonna have more Taylor Tots….!" He gently started moving his hips back and forth and causing Evie to follow the motion. She giggled. Taylor always managed to find a way to cheer her up no matter what mood she was in. He continued to repeat the same phrase over and over again until it seemed to finally sink in that it was actually happening. Evie watched with amusement as he slowly let her go and began bouncing up in down right there in the kitchen. "We're gonna have more Taylor Tots!" he shouted with giddiness, causing Evie to burst out laughing.

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On the other side of Riverton, Gadget, like Taylor, was just getting off work. It had been a long day since the Head of the Fire Department had wanted to speak with him about the new regulations at the school. The two of them were going to talk it out before meeting with Mayor Wilson before making the final call on the decisions. It was not a meeting Gadget was looking forward to in the least.

"Later, G Man" called out the Gadget Mobile as Gadget got out of the car and turned off the Gadget Mobile to recharge its batteries.

"Night" he mumbled; clearly just wanting to collapse.

He was hallway to the front door when his phone suddenly went off. He sighed and pulled it out of his trench coat pocket, flipping it open without looking at the call ID. He regretted it a moment later.

"HI GADGET!" screeched the loud voice of Taylor through the phone.

Gadget flinched at the noise and pulled the phone away from his ear. He stopped in his tracks. "Ugh, Hi Taylor….You don't have to shout."

"YESIDOBECAUSEIJUSTFOUNDOUTEV IEISPREGNANT!"

Gadget sighed heavily once more, shaking his head. "What? Taylor, seriously, stop shouting and….breathe while you're talking…okay?"

There was a pause from Taylor in which he didn't say anything, but Gadget could hear some noises in the background. He also thought he could faintly hear Evie's voice in the background. What was going on?

There was a loud clanking noise before Taylor spoke again. "Sorry, Gadget! I won't scream anymore.."

"That would be appreciated…" Gadget glanced over and watched the sun begin to set in the West. He couldn't help but admire the night as he waited for Taylor to continue.

"Taylor-get off the phone! This is completely inappropriate!" came Evie's voice. "You're sick, you know that?!"

Evie's words only made Gadget all the more confused. He could hear Taylor replying. "Gadget deserves to know and I can't wait to tell him, so I'm telling him now! I promise sweetheart, I'll only be a minute and then we can—"

"Shut up, Taylor! Say no more! Just say what you have to say to him and GET OFF THE PHONE!" shouted Evie from wherever she was in the background.

"Fine….fine" groused Taylor. Gadget could suddenly hear him more clearly, proving that he was now on the phone properly. "Hey, Gadget….Sorry about that….Evie gets kinda fussy and bossy when she's ho—OWWW!" Gadget flinched, wanting to know what happened. "Don't throw things at me!"

Gadget had had enough. "Taylor, what is going on? I'm very tired and clearly you shouldn't be on the phone right now, so just say what you want to say and get it over with."

Taylor made a noise of agreement. "Yeah, well, I wanted to say-Evie is pregnant, Gadget! Pregnant! We're having another baby-well, possibly babies….Evie doesn't believe me, but it'll probably be twins again….you know, cause we're just THAT awesome…"

Gadget was speechless. The total awkwardness of the call had been completely worth it to hear such news. No wonder Taylor had wanted to speak to him so badly. "W-Wow….oh, wow! Taylor! That's so great! Congratulations!"

"Heh heh. Thanks. She told me a little bit ago and I just couldn't wait to tell you—so I called!"

"At a very inappropriate time too!" came Evie's irate voice.

Gadget chuckled. "Well, thanks Taylor. Thanks for telling me. That's wonderful! I'll uh….I'll let you go now….I don't want to keep you away from Evie…She seems pretty urgent about something."

"Yeah, I know. Its cause we're about to have sex—"

The line suddenly died and Gadget was met with simply dial-tone. He shook his head, easily able to imagine Evie having been the one to cut the line.

He put his phone away, a large smile on his face as he continued walking towards the front door. While that certainly was a strange and, as Evie put it, inappropriate way to tell your best friend your wife was pregnant, Gadget couldn't be happier for them. Taylor was meant to have children; lots of children. And Evie was just the right woman to give them to him.

Just as he was about to grab for the front door knob, the door was pulled open, startling the inspector. He looked up to see that Penny had beat him to opening the door. "Penny!"

"Oh, I thought I heard your voice out here" she greeted with a smile, leaning against the door. Gadget took a moment to soak in her beauty and allowed himself to be reminded how lucky he was to have her. She continued on, "Who were you talking to? Gadget Mobile?" She glanced around as though expecting to see company.

Gadget shook his head and held up his phone for her to see. "No, no. Taylor called me. He uh…." He paused as he stepped through the door, giving Penny a kiss as he did so. She shut the door behind him. "He called to tell me that Evie is pregnant!" He shrugged off his coat.

Penny placed her hands over her mouth in shock, her eyes wide with excitement. "Oh, wow! That's wonderful! Oh, I'll bet he was excited to tell you!"

Gadget took a moment to remember the phone call and nodded. "You have NO idea, Penny…" he chuckled as he placed his briefcase on the couch and collapsed into it. She sat in his lap a moment later, pulling him in for a gentle kiss. Gadget breathed her in. "Hmm….Today was a long day….I needed that…" he said when they broke apart.

Penny chuckled and pushed some of her blonde hair behind her ears. "Well, I'm glad things are still okay between you two."

Gadget gave her a look of confusion and felt a twinge of suspicion shoot through him. "What do you mean?"

Penny shrugged. "I don't know. Things have just seemed…tense between the two of you. I was starting to worry something had happened….like a fight or something…"

Gadget felt a slight wave of panic rush through him. Penny was right; things had been a bit more tense between the two of them ever since Evie had walked in on them that one day and found out about their affair. They had been seeing each other less and less and Gadget knew part of was simply because of his guilt. Even though Evie seemed to have taken the news well and had promised not to tell Penny about their secret relationship, Gadget didn't want to take any chances. It just seemed so unlikely that Evie would take such news like that so easily and readily. There was something about the whole situation he didn't feel right about and therefore, he had unwillingly been keeping his distance. He had hoped Penny wouldn't notice but it seemed she had.

Gadget shook his head. "No….Nothing like that."

"Then what happened?"

Gadget looked away and forced himself not to sigh loudly and openly. He should have known Penny wouldn't let it go that easily. She was too good at noticing things. Grinning nervously, he bunched his shoulders up and chuckled. "Who said anything even happened?" He gently rubbed her thighs while he waited for an answer.

Penny titled her head. "Well, for one thing….the two of you haven't been hanging out all the much lately…"

Gadget quirked an eyebrow. "And that's a bad thing?"

Penny smiled, playing with some of his hair with her fingers. "Not so much a bad thing, just…strange….for you two. I mean, you guys are really close….."

Gadget looked away at that. "Is….that a problem?" He made himself look Penny in the eyes. He had never really asked Penny's opinion about how much time he spent with Taylor and now that certain events had taken place, it was even more concerning what she might have to say about it. Penny had never voiced any concerns or ever opposed to them spending time together, but perhaps Penny had been keeping it from him.

Evie had promised not to say anything about their secret relationship, and while he trusted Evie and knew she wasn't the type to lie like that, he couldn't be sure. Not to mention the guilt that had been hanging on him ever since Evie found out. He was also a little freaked about it; if Evie could walk in on them and find out, Penny could too. Hence that being one of the reasons he and Taylor had been distancing themselves.

Penny continued playing with his hair. "No! Goodness, no! You know I adore Taylor and I know how close you two have gotten throughout the years. You need friends, Gadget. It's not a crime to want to hang out with your friends. I spend time with G2, Evie, and Lula all the time. I have my girls and you have Taylor. It works out."

Gadget nodded slowly. "Yeah…." He thought about what Penny had said about her and Evie hanging out. "You and Evie are pretty close too then, huh?"

Penny slid off Gadget's lap and sat down beside him on the couch, where he instinctively wrapped an arm around her. "Yeah….I could easily call her one of my closest friends. She's shy, though. Quiet. Not that that is a bad thing! I just don't think she's all that used to having friends, you know?"

Gadget nodded.

Penny giggled. "But now that's she's pregnant, I'm sure she'll be talking our ears off like the last time." Gadget laughed, remembering how giddy Evie had been and how willing she was to talk about the twins and how they had been progressing. Penny's voice brought him out of his thoughts though. "You know, since Taylor and Evie are expecting, we should do something for them!"

Gadget looked to her and saw a sparkle in his wife's eyes. He knew that look. "What do you mean?"

"We should do something for them!" she repeated as though it were obvious. Penny scoffed when Gadget continued to give her a blank look. "You know, take them somewhere. Like out to eat or something! Treat them to a nice restaurant as our way of saying congrats on the baby!"

Gadget felt his heart drop into his stomach. "So….you're saying…..The four of us should get together and sit down…..together. And eat at a restaurant….together. The four of us." Gadget was sure he sounded ridiculous, but at that moment he couldn't bring himself to care. It was bad enough dealing with the guilt and worry that Penny would find out about him and Taylor, and things were awkward enough with them being away with each and Taylor and him 'ignoring' one another, but for them to all sit down and have a meal together; Gadget didn't think he could handle it. It would be too much. He could just imagine the tension at the table, since Penny would be the only one not knowing what was going on. And nothing ever got past Penny, she would notice something was wrong and then everything would fall apart.

"Sure!" the cyborg heard himself saying. He could hear himself distantly chuckle. It sounded like he was far away or under water, not actually the one speaking. "Why not?"

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"Taylor, we have a problem!"

The newly appointed Chief of Police, Gadget walked into the office of Inspector Taylor Braydon.

Taylor was looking down intently at his something on his desk as Gadget stopped before him. "Hmm…I know" said the blonde. He leaned back into his chair and the cyborg was able to see his friend holding two different pens. "I can't decide which pen color to use. Red? Or Blue?" He held them up for Gadget to see.

"Taylor, that's not a problem" Gadget said quickly, trying his hardest to keep himself from panicking. The previous evening had been Hell for the cyborg hero and he had gotten very little sleep after Penny had suggested the four of them going out for dinner.

Taylor frowned. "Yeah. It is." He said seriously. "I have these papers to sign and I can't figure out which one would be more appropriate. If I sign in red, they might get the idea that I'm angry and therefore take offense. But then if I sign in blue, they may see it as a sign of weakness and try to bully me into letting them get away with things they want and Gadget…." Taylor put down the pens and looked hard at Gadget. "I'm an inspector. I can't just let people walk all over me. I have lives to save. So, I either come off as angry and violent, which might force them to take drastic action, or I look weak and naïve. Like I said, VERY important decision; big problem."

The chief of police just stood there for a moment and let his friend's words sink in. After a moment, Gadget reached into his pocket and pulled out a third pen. He glanced at it before tossing it at Taylor. "Here, sign in black. Problem solved."

Taylor blinked at the black pen and then smiled up at Gadget. "Great idea! Thanks, Gadget!" He was about to sign the paper with the black pen when he paused and looked back up. "Wait, or will that appear too neutral and uncaring?"

Gadget could have sworn he felt a vein pop somewhere in his neck. "Taylor, forget about the signing and the pen, alright! We have a more serious problem to worry about!" he snapped.

Taylor looked at him as though seeing him in his office for the first time. "What's wrong?"

"Penny wants the four of us to go and have dinner at a fancy restaurant" Gadget informed him.

"Hmm….I don't really mix well with fancy restaurants, so I can see where that would be a problem, yes."

The cyborg shook his head. "That's not the problem though, Taylor, didn't you hear me? The four of us! As in, Penny, Evie, you, and me all at the same table. Talking!"

Everything seemed to click for the blonde and his eyes widened. "Oh…."Gadget nodded, glad to know Taylor finally understood. "So….you're worried that things are going to be awkward?"

"It will be, Taylor. Evie can't even so much as look at me, let alone sit at a dinner table with me."

"That's only because she's in denial of how badly she wants you" shrugged Taylor nonchalantly as he tossed aside the paper he was supposed to sign. The paper ended up falling to the floor.

"I think it's more about the fact that she's guilt for keeping all this a secret from Penny! She knows how delicate this situation is, unlike you, Taylor!"

Taylor took in a deep breath. "Relax, Gadget. We'll take care of this." He stood up from his chair and walked around the other side of his desk to Gadget. "I'll let Evie know tonight when I get home and everything will be fine. We just won't talk about….that. It'll be fine. I promise." He placed a hand on Gadget's shoulder.

Gadget looked up into Taylor's bright blue trusting eyes and couldn't help but feel a bit of hope about the whole situation.

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Taylor walked through the front door of his mansion, humming an off-tune beat without a care in the world. After having seen Gadget earlier that morning, he had lost track of the papers he had been meant to sign and it hadn't been until three hours later did he finally find them on the floor. He had dusted them off and signed them with the black pen.

It wasn't another hour later until he realized it was Gadget who had been meant to sign them and not him, so he had handed the papers to Gadget who took them with a begrudged frown and got some white-out ink out.

Taylor had taken off his jacket and tossed it on the couch when he heard something. He paused, listening carefully. It sounded like crying, yet he knew it wasn't the twins, for they were in their pen on the other side of the room cooing quietly and playing with their toys.

He followed the sound after checking on the twins and quietly greeting them with a quick, "Hi, Taylor Tots!" and kissing them each other the foreheads. Both boys giggled and reached up for their daddy but Taylor quietly shushed them and headed to see where the source of the crying was coming.

The only other person who could be home would be Evie, since the twins were in their playpen and not in their room. He went down the hallway and towards the first floor bathroom. He pressed his ear to the door though the crying was still muffled.

"Penny…" came Evie's broken voice through the door. Taylor could hear her sobbing.

A million different thoughts started rushing through Taylor's mind. Why was she crying? Why did she say Penny's name? Is Penny in there with her? is she visiting? Are they talking on the phone? What has Evie so upset? Why would she be crying to Penny of all people and not to him?

Taylor was about to knock on the door when he heard Evie speak again. "P-Penny….I have to tell you something…." Taylor froze at those words. He didn't hear a response so it was a safe bet that Evie was speaking to her over the phone.

Again, more thoughts went through his mind. What could Evie possibly have to tell Penny as she was sobbing over the phone with her? Taylor then felt as though an ice cube had been dropped down his shirt.

No….

Evie couldn't possibly be planning on telling Penny about him and Gadget, could she?

Evie spoke on the other side of the door. "Penny….I'm okay….Really. I'm just….yes, you're hearing me crying because it hurts…Hurts just like they said it would…."

Taylor desperately wished he could hear Penny's side of the conversation.

"I've been—" she cut herself off, Penny obviously saying something. "Yes—Yes. I cleaned myself up. It still hurts though….." Evie broke down into more tears. "Penny…..you have to promise me…that you won't tell anyone…..I don't' want anyone to know yet! They'll all make a fuss!" There was a long pause. "Look…..can I come over?"

Taylor waited with anticipation, hoping to hear what his wife was about to say.

"Penny….Taylor and-"

Taylor heard no more as the cries from one of the twins sounded out down the hallway from the living room where their playpen was placed. He jumped at the sound and nearly fell over right there in the hallway. There was a commotion on the other side of the door and Taylor could hear Evie unlocking the door. She whipped the door open and cried out when she saw it was Taylor, scared for his sudden appearance.

"Taylor!" she squeaked over the sound of the twin's cries. Taylor composed himself the best way he could, fixing his collar and trying not to seem as though he was just eavesdropping.

"Oh, hi, sweetie. There you are. I-uh….I just got home" he told her nervously as he scratched the back of his head. He could see no tears in her eyes but her eyes were red behind her glasses. She sniffed, holding the phone against her shoulder.

"Is that the twins?" she asked him, glancing down at the end of the hall. Taylor nodded. "Um….could you get them? I…." she gestured almost guiltily to the phone. "I'm in the middle of a call…"

Taylor nodded, his eyes wider than they needed to be. "Yeah, sure. I-I'm on it" she flashed a false smile at her before going to check on the twins. Evie watched him go before ducking back into the bathroom and shutting the door.

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"Taylor, are you SURE about this?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure! Gadget! Evie and Penny are having an affair! She kept talking about how it hurts and how she didn't want anyone to know cause it would cause a big fuss!"

"Wait, what? That doesn't sound right-"

"I'm just telling you what I heard, Gadget! It's Evie's way of getting back at me!"

"Evie wouldn't do that to you!"

"They said the same thing about us, Gadget!"

"Well, didn't you try to listen to what she was saying afterwards?! I'm sure there's more to it than that!"

"Yes, of course! But the Taylor Tots kept making noise every time I tried eavesdropping again and then she'd stop talking until I left."

Gadget sighed into the phone. "Look, let's not jump to conclusions. The very fact that Penny has yet to say anything to me proves that Evie didn't say anything. Trust me, if Penny had been told she would be down my throat."

"Yeah, we said the same thing about Evie" Taylor pointed out as he picked up Jimmy and balanced him on his hip with one arm. He was up in the boy's room. "And look at how SHE took it."

Gadget made an irritated noise in the back of his throat. "Well, it's not like we can say anything."

"Yeah, but then what do we do?"

"Nothing. We just pretend like nothing happened."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. And Taylor?"

"Yeah?"

"You had better not saying anything at dinner on Friday. Clear?"

"Clear."

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It was shortly after Taylor got off the phone when Evie informed Taylor that she would be spending the night over at Penny's. Taylor blinked at her as she packed the bags for the twins. "I'm dropping the twins off at my mom's, just like I told her I would. You'll have the house to yourself, so…if you want to invite Gadget over…or…." She looked away. "….something….You can." She shivered a bit and looked to be in pain.

"Um….Yeah, okay. I might do that. Um…why suddenly are you staying at Penny's?" Taylor didn't bother asking her if she was feeling alright; he had already tried asking her what was wrong, but she refused to admit anything was wrong.

Evie shrugged, her red eyes long gone, yet she looked pale, and nervous, as though she was guilty. "We were just talking on the phone earlier and we both saying how we could both use a girl's night. Sleepover type thing, you know?"

Taylor frowned. "A sleepover? Isn't that what like….little teenage girls do?"

"Adults do it too sometimes, Taylor" she snapped at him gently. She hissed quietly as though she had a cramp or something.

"Sleep over?" chuckled Taylor. "Adults don't have sleepovers. Unless you call something like an orgy a sleepover." He laughed even harder at the idea.

Evie blushed slightly. "Grow up, Taylor!"

Taylor just continued to laugh. "What?! It's true! I mean seriously-Adults don't just sleep over at each other's house unless they're going to—" Taylor trailed off, his eyes going wide and his laughter dying in his throat. He glanced over at Evie, who was packing a small bag.

Evie looked up at him, bewildered by his expression. "What? Unless adults want to what?"

Taylor just stared at her like he had never seen her before. He took a step backwards, his eyes going to the floor. He pursed his lips. "Nothing. I—um….I forgot what I was going to say…."

Evie shot him an unconvinced look yet said nothing.

"So…..you and Penny, huh?" he asked her after a long pause, his voice sounding off and slightly deeper than normal.

Evie, not fully understanding what he was saying, shrugged. "Yeah, just the two of us. Girl's night. It's been a while since we've both had some fun…And we were talking about how close of friends you and Gadget are and we figured….why not do the same thing?"

Taylor's eyebrows rose at this. "Oh….You want what Gadget and I have?"

Evie gave him a dubious look. "Well….not exactly what you guys have…."

Taylor watched as she winced again. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Just morning sickness, Taylor. I get it in the evenings sometimes…" Evie glanced at the clock. "Oh, I have to go, my mom is expecting me in thirty minutes." She zipped up her bag and leaned over to give Taylor a kiss, which he accepted. He helped her gets the twins in the stroller and walked her to the front door. "Night!" she called over her shoulder.

"Night."

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Evie ended up staying with Penny for the next two nights.

Supposedly.

Gadget didn't see much of her at the house, yet that was probably because he had spent most of the time at Taylor's, upon Penny's insistence.

"She looked like she was coming down with something" the cyborg commented as he and Taylor ate some Chinese.

"Evie said it was just her morning sickness."

Gadget nodded. "Penny didn't say anything about…..us. And she was in a really good mood."

Taylor nodded. "Well, we'll find out eventually I guess."

It was Gadget's turn to nod.

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Taylor didn't see Evie again until Friday night when they were all meeting up for dinner. Penny had made all the arrangements for dinner at a fancy little Italian restaurant. It was clear that Penny had also let Evie borrow a dress, since Taylor had not seen her pack one. Evie still looked a bit pale, but she brushed it off as her morning sickness again.

The restaurant was fairly busy, yet not crowded. The white walls were lit by small candles and chandeliers hung from the ceiling. All the tables were either round or square and had red table clothes over them.

The four of them met up at the front lobby. Penny wrapped her arms around Gadget and gave him a kiss while Evie did the same thing to Taylor. Taylor pulled back and glanced down at her black dress. "It's pretty."

"It's Penny's" giggled Evie. Taylor grinned.

"Well, Penny needs to give to you" he whispered seductively into her ear, his head gently caressing her still flat stomach. Evie cleared her throat at that and looked away. She looked towards Penny, who seemed to give her a reassuring look.

The host walked up to them and they were quickly taken to their seats. They were sat next to the wall. Gadget and Taylor sat up against the wall while Penny and Evie sat opposite from them. They ordered drinks, though Evie was the only one who didn't order alcohol for obvious reasons.

Silence filled the table as they all searched through their menus.

Every now and then Evie and Penny would lean over next to each and whisper something into their ears. Taylor narrowed his eyes at them.

"What are you two whispering about?"

The girls blinked at him. Gadget remained behind his menu, knowing full well it was simply Taylor's jealousy and suspicion.

"We're just helping each other figure out what we want to order. Sharing ideas, you know?" shrugged Penny.

Taylor said no more on the subject.

Once their meals had been ordered, the four of them attempted to make small talk, yet it was obvious that the tension between them was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Gadget remained to himself for the most part, much to Penny's concern.

"So, Evie, love, did you have fun at Penny's?" asked Taylor in a strained voice.

Evie nodded, looking down at the table. "Yeah, I did. It…was nice to get out and have some girl time."

"Yeah….girl time…" muttered the blonde male. Gadget discreetly kicked him in the leg. "Ow!"

Penny and Evie looked back and forth between their husbands. "What's going on?" voiced Penny first, a suspicious glint in her eye.

"Nothing" claimed Gadget as he fiddled with his fork.

"I just—" began Taylor. Gadget shot him a warning glare. Taylor shifted in his seat. "I just-didn't get to see you much the last few days, Evie. You didn't even call."

Penny and Evie exchanged a look. "Sorry. I guess I just didn't feel like calling…"

Taylor frowned at that. "Didn't feel like calling your husband?" Taylor's voice had an edge to it that none of them had ever heard before. They all stared at him, unsure of what was going on with their usually happy-go-lucky friend.

Evie looked away. "My phone was dead. I forgot my charger."

"They have a house phone" Taylor pointed out.

"So she didn't call you, so what?" snapped Penny defensively. "There's no reason to be rude to her for it. She had her reasons."

Taylor glared hard at Penny who was sitting diagonal from her. "Yeah? And what were they? What could she possibly have been doing at your house with you that would keep her from calling me?! I'm her husband! She should call me! Especially now that's she pregnant, she has to take care of herself! I worry about her!"

Evie paled visibly and hid her face by looking down into her lap. Penny was quick to wrap an arm around her.

It was Gadget's turn to be curious and suspicious. "Penny, what's going on?"

Penny went to open her mouth, but Taylor beat her to it. He quickly rose from his chair with a fury in his gut that he had never had before. He threw down his napkin that he's been fiddling with. He pointed an accusing finger at the girls.

"Sir, your drinks" came the timid voice of one of the waiters. The thin man in the black suit was about to place Taylor's drink on the table when Taylor raised his arm and hit the man before promptly beginning to shout.

"I'll tell you what's happening! It's just like I said, Gadget! They're cheating on us! That must be it! It explains why Evie was so guilty and all the things she said on the phone!"

Penny and Evie both spoke at once as they stared up incredulously at Taylor. "What?! We're not cheating on you two!""When I said WHAT on the phone?!"

The waiter gave a cry which was ignored by the four of them. Without their knowledge, the waiter went flying backwards, bumping into another waiter on the way. The other waiter had been holding a tray of empty plates that he had been collecting; everything crashing on the table next. Several waiters started rushing forward to help, but in the mess got caught up in their feet and lost their footing. While the argument at the table began, chaos began in the restaurant around them like a domino effect; people bumping into other people and trays of dishes falling into a mess on the floor. Wine flying everywhere and costumers getting covered in food and wine.

The four of them were in their own little world though.

"Taylor, please! Sit down!" snarled Gadget as he grabbed a fistful of Taylor's suit.

Taylor wouldn't listen though. "NO! THEY'RE CHEATING ON US, GADGET! DON'T YOU CARE?!"

Gadget, knowing it was futile, let go of Taylor and hid his face behind his hand.

"Look, Evie, I know Gadget and I have been having an affair, but that gives you NO RIGHT to go and have one behind MY back too!"

Gadget moaned and hid his face on the table.

Penny's eyes went wide with outrage. "Wait, WHAT?!" she looked between all three of her friends before turning her full attention on Gadget.

"That's right, Penny! Gadget and I have a secret relationship! We've made out, goofed around, fucked! However you want to put it!" Taylor's face was completely red and was entirely clear that he had completely lost it. He pointed at Evie was now in tears as she glowered up at her husband. "She found out several weeks ago and promised not to tell you but then she goes and does this! She goes and starts seducing you to get back at me!"

Evie had had enough at this point. "SHUT UP, TAYLOR! You have no idea what you're even talking about! You have it ALL WRONG! I haven't been sleeping with Penny to get back at you! We're friends! That's all! And the fact that you even THINK I would do something like that to you sickens me!"

Taylor faltered slightly, yet only for a moment. "Then how do you explain the phone call?!"

"The phone call in the bathroom?!" Taylor nodded. "I KNEW you were eavesdropping!" She sighed heavily. Fresh tears came to her eyes and Penny pulled her glare on Gadget away to look at Evie. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "I wasn't cheating on you, Taylor! I stayed over at Penny's because….I had a miscarriage!" She broke down into complete sobs.

Taylor froze, all of his anger completely gone. He stared at her, completely in shock. "What…" he gasped weakly.

"I lost the baby…..and I didn't know how to tell you…..You'd been so excited just days before and then for me to lose the baby so soon afterwards…." She sniffled for a moment. "I didn't know how to tell you….I didn't want to….you'd….you'd been so happy when I to you…." Her voice broke off and she sobbed harder.

Penny patted her on the shoulders and continued for her. "I took her to the hospital later that evening. The cramps had already started. She exactly what they were. She immediately called me. I told her to come over and I'd take her to the hospital. We came up with the excuse that she was staying over so you wouldn't worry. She was going to tell you after she recovered a bit. Once she got to the hospital, the cramps got worse and she…..miscarried."

Silence filled the table. Gadget had come up from hiding and was giving Evie a sympathetic look.

It wasn't until that moment did the world around them crash back into them.

Literally.

"Look out!" someone was calling over to them.

Before any of them could move, Evie and Penny screamed as they were sprayed and dowsed completely of several different Italian dishes. Spaghetti sauce covered their hair, soaking them, noodles sliding down their front and back. The waiter who had been carrying the tray collided into the table just between their chairs, nearly hitting his head as he stumbled over his words in apologies. The tray clattered to the table, spilling all their drinks. Gadget and Taylor quickly backed away so they wouldn't get hit. Glass shattered around them and plates were broken into shards.

Half a dozen waiters bustled around them with napkins and quickly cleaned up the mess, all the while saying how regretfully sorry they were. They gave the girls large white towels to wipe their faces.

Penny and Evie, still in shock, smiled at them politely and gently shooed them away, assuring them they were alright. Gadget and Taylor just stood there against the wall, looking down at their shoes. They didn't dare go near them; not after that.

Penny rose first, her red dress slopping with noodles and sauce.

Evie stood next. Taylor glanced up and saw that there was a meatball on her head. "Y-You have a—" he gestured to her head as she snarled at him. Taylor gulped. "You have a…..meatball in your hair…"

Evie quickly reached up, grabbed it, and threw at him, before turning to follow Penny into the ladies restroom. Taylor flinched as it hit in the chest and stained his white shirt underneath.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The manager had been called in and was quick to apologize, yet it seemed they were upset by the disturbance they had made and quickly kicked them out. Gadget and Taylor were forced to wait outside the front doors while the girls cleaned up in the bathroom.

"I told you not to say anything" growled Gadget, not looking at Taylor.

The air was cold and they could see their breath. Taylor said nothing.

It wasn't until another ten minutes of silence between them did the girls finally come out. The girls had wiped their faces clean of sauce, along with their make-up, and their hair was now damp and noddle-less.

Both men went to their wives, but after seeing their expressions, they stepped back. Instead they followed them into their respective cars without a word.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

It wasn't until after Evie had showered and dressed for bed did she and Taylor finally face each other. They stood on opposite sides of their bed. "Happy now?" sneered Evie.

"Not really" replied Taylor honestly. He was wearing his race car pajamas.

"Well good! You made absolute FOOLS of us, Taylor!"

Taylor frowned and held his ground. "I didn't mean to!"

"Oh, right!" griped Evie, wavering her arm in the air. "Just like you didn't mean to shout to the whole damn world about your affair with Gadget! Do you have ANY idea the trouble he's now in because of you! I'm sure Penny is beyond pissed with him right now!"

"I didn't mean to say that-it just came out!" protested Taylor, crossing his arms.

"Right! Because that's how it works with Taylor Braydon! Things just sort of HAPPEN around Taylor! He just goes around in his own little world, without thinking of the consequences! Without thinking of anyone else!"

"Hey!"

Evie wasn't finished. "It's true! You were so damn sure you were right! So DAMN POSITIVE that I was having an affair with Penny that not ONCE did you even consider the fact that you might be wrong! No, no, no! You had to go and make a big scene! And all because of part of a conversation you heard my having with Penny! I mean, HONESTLY! Did it even EVER occur to you that there might have been MORE to that conversation that you didn't hear?!"

Taylor shook his head and snapped, "I'm sorry! I was just worked up at the idea that you might be cheating on me! I panicked! It hurt me, Evie! I thought you were trying to get back at me or something because of what I have with Gadget!"

Evie sighed heavily at that and her anger seemed to deflate a bit, yet she still snarled, "Yeah, well, maybe now you have some idea as to how I felt when I saw you and Gadget kissing together…"

Taylor's eyes widened and his shoulders sagged dumbstruck.

"Yet instead of jumping to conclusions and fussing….I walked away and thought about all of it. I spent some time away from you for a while and thought it all out. Then we talked about it and I told you I was okay with it Like you should have done with me."

Taylor seemed desperate. "But-" he sputtered. "You left though! I couldn't talk to you! You went and hid something from me!"

Evie looked down at the carpet. "I know…sweetheart…and I should have told you….but…You had been so excited and I didn't want to give you such awful news. Penny is my friend and she said she'd help me through it. And then we had dinner tonight….I was planning on telling you in the morning…." Taylor offered an arm out to her and she slowly shuffled her way over to him. She hid her face in his chest. "This is all one big mess…"

Taylor nodded, tucking her head under his chin. "I'm sorry Evie. I should never had accused you of cheating."

"And I'm sorry, Taylor, for not telling you right away…." The two of them continued to hold each other for several long minutes. "Now…let's just go to bed. And tomorrow we'll be there for our friends; Penny and Gadget, and help them through anything they need."

Taylor nodded in agreement.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

On the other side of Riverton, Penny was also finishing up with her shower. Gadget had just seen Maxie and Hope to bed and walked into their bedroom. He sat down on the mattress, already in his pajamas. He sat there in deep thought until Penny walked into the room with a towel around her head.

She sat down on the bed next to him. She looked right at him while Gadget continued to avert his gaze. "Well, tonight was certainly something…" breathed Penny with an air of indifference. She took off the towel and leaned over to grab a comb.

Silence filled the room as she combed out her hair. Finally she spoke again quietly, "So…..you and Taylor, hm? I guess I should have seen the signs…"

Gadget said nothing.

"How long?"

Gadget glanced over at her. He shrugged. "I don't know. A while."

"A long while? Months? Years?"

"Years…"

"Hmm…"

"Penny….its not like that…."

"You've always had this problem. You have such a big heart, Gadget, and you just don't know what to do with it."

Gadget shook his head, "That's not—"

"Isn't it?" she interrupted him. "It happened with Alicia when you were with G2. It happened with Lula. Then me. You've had a line of women you've known and fallen in love with and….thankfully….your relationships were able to recover with them, but it happened all the same…"

"Penny….this is different. You know I don't mean any of that. I never have. I can't help it. You know that! I don't mean to hurt people!"

"I know."

"What Taylor and I have is like nothing before. I-It's not even something you can call a relationship. We're just….two best buds who….happen to be attracted to each other. It doesn't happen every time we're together. Just sometimes. And we never PLAN on it, it just happens! It's not like we get together behind you and Evie's back and specifically cheat on you!"

"I know, but it wasn't like that with the others either" Penny pointed out.

Gadget finally turned to her and looked her in the eyes. He grabbed hold of her hands gently. "Listen, Penny. I'm sorry. I should have told you ages ago, but honestly, Taylor and I didn't really see a reason to!" Penny frowned at that and he quickly continued. "We didn't even realize what we were doing until Evie walked in on us one day…..getting it on in their living room. She was shocked at first but she took it well. I didn't tell you afterwards because I was afraid of….well….this…" He motioned to this conversation. "And Evie said she wouldn't tell you either. But please don't be mad at her for it."

Penny shook her head. "I'm not mad at her for not telling me."

Gadget nodded. "Just remember this Penny. This doesn't change anything. I mean, come on! It's Taylor!" he tried to smile and chuckle. "He would never intentionally want to hurt anyone! He doesn't have a mean bone in his body! And he loves Evie so much. He worships her! Just like I worship you…."

Penny smiled at his words, leaning in closer.

"Just because Taylor and I….occasionally fool around, doesn't change anything. We still love our beautiful wives and nothing will ever stop that." Penny allowed him to give a small chaste kiss on the lips. "Forgive me?"

Penny placed her hands on the side of his face. "Of course." She leaned in and gave him a kiss.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Later that night….

"Is everything okay with you and Evie?" Gadget quietly over the phone.

"Yeah….We're fine. How about you and Penny?"

"Yeah, we're fine. She understands that you and I…."

"Yeah."

"She kinda took it the same way Evie did."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

"Hey, Gadget?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we could try a foursome then?"

Gadget hung up the phone.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Author's Note: FINALLY! The end! Oh, this was a hard chapter to write, but I did it! And its extra long to make up for the long gap between updates! Oh, goodness. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors or such. I hope you all enjoy!