A/N: Dear All,

As you can see, I've made a return and am going to continue on with this story. I've had a lot of support from a lot of readers and after some time away, I feel ready to return. Forgive me for being a little rusty - I've not written since I left, it might take a little time to get back into the swing of things. As for the hateful comments, they're nothing but jealous remarks made by people who are jealous of my boundless talent and imagination :-)

You might need to refresh your memories with the story - I have had to, and I'm the writer! I really do hope you enjoy, and if you don't, then you're more than welcome to stop reading. Enjoy the week, readers!

Chapter 35

"Horatio, if you don't want to cuddle your daughters, that's absolutely fine, and if we're being too loud, then just ask nicely, please? Arguing and being sarcastic won't get you anywhere with me, you know that." She said softly as she took the remote from him and turned the volume down to a normal level. She tried to keep a happy tone to keep things calm and didn't want to stress the babies out as they were very susceptible to crying when anyone around them had a stressed tone of voice.

But Joe was getting more and more worked up. "Joe, thank you so much for all that you've done for us, we can't thank you enough. But I think the girls need a nap and both Horatio and I need a little rest too now." She said softly as she scooped both babies up as she stood.

"Zoe–" Joe had begun but Zoe quickly cut him off, because she knew exactly what he was going to say which would cause a huge feud between all 3 of them.

"Come on, Joe." She said brightly before she walked out.

"See you later, Horatio, I hope you feel better soon." He said flatly as he looked back to Horatio who just grunted at him while he watched the TV.

"What was that about, Zoe? Are you afraid of him?" He questioned firmly and quietly as he stepped close to her and looked into her eyes.

"Of course not, Joe! Don't you dare get angry with him either, he's experiencing difficulties, but with the past week or so, who wouldn't?! Goddamn it, Joe, he's been to Hell and back twice in the past week, he's not even as bad as I thought he would be. You need to chill out because I was far worse after our car accident and you put up with my shit, so you can put up with his. I said terrible things to him, so I know he doesn't mean any of it. I've been in his shoes and I know he can't help it. There is no need for you to get wound up because you're the one that is stressing me out at the moment, not Horatio, I can deal with Horatio. He's going to say some horrible things, but they go in one ear and straight out the other, Joe. So stop worrying about me, I'm a bloody adult." She calmed herself and gently rocked both babies to stop them from getting upset as they'd sensed her distress.

She then saw the look of relief cross his face. "I understand that Zoe, I was just worried that you'd take it all to heart. I know he doesn't mean it, but I thought he'd hurt you. You know I can't help myself when it comes to you." He admitted.

"I know, Joe, and that's what Horatio is feeling, but multiply that by a million; he's anxious and scared. He's worried about losing me, or me getting hurt. He's trying to do what he thinks is right to protect me, so that's why he's getting overprotective of me when anyone is around me, okay? It's not just you, it's anyone. And I suspect that he's going to be the same when he starts to bond with the girls again. At the moment, he doesn't want to engage with them, he's afraid of hurting them and he's in pain himself. He's trying to distance himself to ease the pain, and he needs to be slowly accustomed to them again, you can't just throw them into his lap and expect him to know what to do. His confidence is through the floor. Alright? Just don't worry; I know what I'm doing." She said quietly and Joe nodded.

"Okay, but please call me if you need anything at all. I can be here in 5 minutes… probably less in fact, I can skip a few meetings, so if you need a hand around the house, just call me. Promise me that you'll call me if you need anything at all, please?" he asked; it was clear that he was still worried about her and that he wanted to help in any way he could.

"I promise." She replied with a gentle smile as she felt the twins pulling at her top and starting to fidget.

"Zoe, he's being possessive, that's my main worry. That can get out of hand, Zoe…" Joe admitted, evidently, he was anxious about it too.

"I know he's being slightly possessive, but I have it under control, okay? Just let me take charge of my own life for once, please? Believe it or not, I am a grown woman with my own family and I don't need you to mollycoddle me for my entire life. I am quite possibly more grown up and wiser than you in some respects, so please, stop, Joe. I know you care, and I know you don't want me to get hurt; Horatio is exactly the same, but I don't need to be treated like a little girl anymore." She looked down at the floor, becoming stressed. She took a couple of deep breaths and began to feel bad about snapping at him, all he was doing was looking out for her. "I'm sorry, Joe, I didn't mean to snap at you, I know you're just looking out for me." She apologised and then gently kissed both babies to calm herself and them down.
He nodded at her and knew it was best not to press the matter anymore. "Okay, but call me if you need to, okay? If you're feeling uncomfortable or anything gets out of hand, just call, I won't say I told you so, I just want to be there for you and Horatio in any way I can, okay? I promise to keep my lid on, okay?" He said softly and she nodded as she looked up at him, gratefully.

"Get a decent rest, you're shattered." She said as he stepped forwards and placed his hand behind her head, then kissed her lightly on the forehead, then kissed both babies before leaving.

She took a couple of deep breaths and walked back into the living room with a smile, placing the babies back down on the carpet to play with their toys.

Zoe kept a very close eye on them while she began to prepare lunch for them and Horatio, while Horatio just continued to sit and stare blankly at the TV while his daughters played by his feet. Throughout the afternoon and early evening, Zoe found it difficult to engage Horatio in anything, he even preferred to eat his lunch alone. She kept herself gentle with him and pushed her slight annoyance back; she found it difficult to watch Horatio ignore his daughters.

Having had dinner, Zoe lifted the babies up and turned to Horatio. "I'm just giving them a bath and putting them to bed, you can help if you want?" She asked but he just shook his head. "Okay, Horatio, could you possibly just pick up their toys while I sort them out?" She asked softly but soon left when he ignored her. "Give me a shout if you want anything." She slowly walked up the stairs, keeping her mood happy for the babies.

Placing them in their cots, safely she quickly ran a shallow bath for them before she undressed them and took them through to the bathroom. Her mood quickly picked up when she played with them in the bath, listening to their happy squeals and watched them splash about, it was enough to cheer anyone up. "Daddy's going to get better soon." She whispered to them, as she knew they loved it when Horatio played with them too, but she also wanted to reassure herself.

She then heard the front door open and close, and looked towards the door to listen, just hoping that Horatio hadn't walked out. All she could hear was the TV blurting out, but that didn't mean that Horatio was sat in front of it, but she couldn't leave the babies in the bath on their own.

She swallowed and looked towards the door, straining her ears to try and listen, however, the babies were splashing about and having too much fun for Zoe to hear anything other than them. She turned back to them with a smile and began to lift one of them out to dry them as she needed to go and check on Horatio, but she then heard footsteps hurrying up the stairs. 'They're too light to be Horatio's, who is it?' She wondered, she knew that it could only be a select few as not many people knew the pass-code to enter the house. She was sure that Horatio hadn't let anyone in either, as he didn't look like he was going to move from the couch for anything.