The twins were running around at home. Bellino was dressed up in a lion costume and Bellini was dressed as a hunter.
"I see you!" Bellini stepped slowly through the kitchen, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
Bellino gave a mighty roar- well, the best one he could, anyway- and started chasing after Bellini.
"You'll never take me alive, hunter!" He ran upstairs with Bellini on his tail. He tripped over and the mane fell over his face.
"Time out! Time out!" He scrambled to get everything back in place, "Ok, I'm good."
Bellini continued chasing Bellino around. Bellino escaped through a window and scrambled down the tree. Bellini was waiting for him at the bottom. She chased him back inside where they noticed something. Midnight was in her cat bed, but there were three little balls of fur with her- one gray, one black and white, and one calico. Bellino paused at the sight.
"Midnight's got visitors?" He said, confused.
"They look like babies kittens, Bellino!" Bellini said happily, looking at them.
"Where do babies come from, Bellini?" Bellino asked.
"Huh," Bellini said, "I don't know, Bellino."
The two heard Izzy talking on the phone in the kitchen and went to see. She was making a sandwich with some milk.
"Hey Izzy?" Bellino said.
"Hold on Rye," Izzy said, "Hey guys. Want some milk?"
The two nodded and Izzy poured them both small cups of milk. While the twins drank their milk Izzy finished making her sandwich and took a sip of her own milk.
"Hey Izzy, where do babies come from?" Bellini asked. Izzy nearly choked on her milk and started coughing. She finally recovered from her coughing fit.
"Rye, I'm going to have to call you back," Izzy said and hung up. The twins looked at each other, confused.
"Um, well..." Izzy thought for a minute, "Babies come from...baby seeds."
"Baby seeds?" The twins asked together.
"Yes," Izzy nodded, "Mommies swallow a baby seed and then it grows in their belly."
Izzy poked Bellini in the belly.
"Well why can't daddies have baby seeds?" Bellino asked. Izzy thought for a minute, opening and closing her mouth.
"I'll have to get back to you on that," She said. The doorbell rang and she went to answer. It was Nicole.
"Hey, Izzy," She greeted, "Is your brother home?"
"He's not, he's out scamming," Izzy said, "Sorry."
"Okay. Tell the twins I said 'hi'," Nicole said. As she turned to leave, Eddward could be heard talking to Kevin in the background. The twins rushed out the door, having finished their milk.
"Hey guys, guys!" Bellino called, catching the attention of the three. Eddward looked up.
"What do you want? I got math homework to get from my nerd here!" He snapped.
"Do you guys know where babies come from?" Bellini asked. Eddward's grip on Kevin's shirt loosened as Nicole struggled to stifle her laughter. Only when Kevin was dropped on the sidewalk did Eddward speak.
"Say what?" He asked. Nicole kept giggling but Eddward started to look a little bit confused, "Babies? Where do they come from?" He gave Kevin a small kick, "Well?"
"Um, w-well, Eddward, t-there's a lot of-of...uh, h-how do I p-put this?" Kevin was thinking. Bellini and Bellino were only ten, they're weren't really old enough to know yet. Eddward kicked him harder.
"C'mon, I don't have all day!" He snapped angrily. Kevin scrambled to get up.
"Eddward, I'm not sure if I should say," Kevin said quietly, "With the twins here and all..."
Eddward grabbed him by the sleeves.
"You better say something to them, or you'll have to do my math homework TWICE!" Eddward threatened.
"Alright, alright!" Kevin squeaked. He looked around quickly, "Um, babies come from...trees. Like apples!"
Eddward couldn't believe what he heard. He stood staring at Kevin before smacking him in the back of the head hard enough to send him face first into the road.
"See if I ask you about where babies come from again..." He mumbled. His words were heard by Jakob, who was looking for a ball in a bush. Eddward walked off, followed by Nicole.
"Eddward, wait!" Kevin ran after him, "That's not the actual answer, I just couldn't say in front of the twins!"
"Well, he's got the tree part right, but the rest of it is a bunch of malarky!" Jakob said. The twins were confused.
"Tree part?" They questioned.
"Me and Woody know where babies really come from," Jakob said. He held up Woody dressed as a lobster in a trap, "We saw last spring. Come on!"
The twins followed Jakob up a tree.
"I hope we don't get stuck this time," Bellini said.
Jakob had built a giant nest. The twins were inside two eggs in the nest.
"See? This is the nest," Jakob said, "You need to build one, for the baby."
The twins watched with earnest.
"Woody want to be the mama bird," Jakob said, showing Woody dressed as a bird, "And you guys are the eggs."
Jakob zipped up the fake eggs with the twins inside.
"I don't see any babies," Bellino said.
"Me neither," Bellini said.
"You have to wait for the warmth of mama bird to hatch you," Jakob said, laying Woody down on the two eggs.
"This is ridiculous," Bellino complained.
"I'm getting a cramp," Bellini whined.
"Ding! Ready!" Jakob announced, removing Woody, "Now you know. That's where babies come from."
The twins made their ways out of the eggs, gasping for breath.
"Now it's time to feed the baby," Jakob said. Bellini giggled and opened her mouth for food. Jakob tossed a worm into her mouth, but she didn't realized until she had swallowed it.
"I ATE A WORM!" She screamed.
"JAKOB, YOU IDIOT!" Bellino screeched. A voice from below prevented a brawl from breaking out.
"JAKOB THE WOOD BOY!" Victor called, "Your sister has called for you to aide in laundry washing. What brings you to the treetops with the Siamese cat twins?"
"Jakob made Bellini eat a worm!" Bellino yelled angrily. Being a son of a Sheppard who tested soil by tasting it, Victor didn't see anything unusual about that.
"Were you starting a garden, female Siamese cat twin?" He asked.
"No, worms are yucky!" Bellini sobbed.
"We just want to know where babies come from," Bellino said.
"Hallo!" Victor whistled for one of his sheep and put Jakob on it, "Off to your laundry, Wood Boy cousin!"
Victor slapped the sheep and it scurried off. Victor wasn't usually at his papa's house during the school year, so he went to see him.
"Hallo Papa, may Victor borrow some things? Thank you very much! Come!" Victor waved the twins over, "And Victor will explain as Victor was told."
Victor set up a little scene, with a fireplace and a log for him to sit on. He put on a fake white beard and lit the fire.
"These words Victor is about to share have been whispered down the bushy ears of Victor's forefathers," Victor paused to place the pipe in his teeth, "Are you ready to accept the disclosure of newborn life?"
The twins nodded excitedly. Victor took a big breath.
"You are children. Go away," Victor said. He cleaned up the setup he had made, putting out the fire and carrying it away. The twins heaved a sigh and headed for home.
"Oh, we'll never find out where babies come from," Bellino said. Suddenly, a patch of grass rolled over them, carrying them along to the Lane. The grass unrolled and dropped the two in a bucket of ice and a box of ice cream. Chris slid in front of them, wielding a cane and a fancy suit.
"Got goosebumps?" He shivered, "Well, not anymore! Be the first on your block to get your very own, custom-built, sweat-inducing... sweater!"
He motioned to Nick, who was spinning on a stool-like thing and wearing a sweater.
"Sell it, Nick," Chris said through his teeth.
"Quack! Quack!" Nick said. He stood on his head, "Haha."
Chris smacked Nick off his pedestal with the cane and turned to the twins.
"So whaddaya say?" He smiled.
"But Chris, we just want-" Bellino began.
"Two? No problem!" Chris said, "I'll get Nonna Martin right on it!"
Martin was busy knitting sweaters.
"Knit one, purl two - agh, curses, I missed a stitch!" He worried.
"Get over it, ya old coot," Chris said, "Our customers here want two sweaters, pronto!"
"We don't want sweaters, Chris!" Bellino said.
"We want to know where babies come from!" Bellini said. Chris was surprised.
"What do I look like, the Joker?" He asked. Nick shrugged.
"Maybe with some makeup," He said.
"But babies, huh?" Chris said thoughtfully, "I could probably hook you up. But for a fee, of course. It's a secret, you know."
"I got this one, Chris!" Nick leaped in front of the twins, "Babies come from storks."
"This idiot don't know where babies come from!" Chris said, "But I do. Uncle Danny told me."
"Oh boy, that means it has to be true," Bellino said. Martin put away his knitting.
"Pardon me, I couldn't help overhearing," He began. Chris kicked him away.
"So what do you say?" Chris said, "I mean, something like this would usually cost 50 cents each, but since you're my little siblings, I'll split the price in half."
Bellino bounced up and down.
"Tell us, Chris! Tell us, please!" He begged. Bellini still had the taste of worm in her mouth.
"You'd better be right!" She said. Chris led the twins home to the garage.
Martin, who had landed in the clothesline, was trying to get down.
"Nick, Chris attempt to educate the children could bring irreversible harm to their youthful good-natured ways," Martin worried, "Perhaps a more sensitive explanation is in order."
Nick pulled Martin off the clothesline.
"Keep your head on, mister!" He chuckled.
Chris turned on the light in the garage, standing on a ladder to do so. He looked down at the twins, who were sitting on the floor.
"Ok, ready?" Chris said. He looked around, "Alright, here goes. You know that lint you find in your belly button? Well if you don't clean it out, it grows! And when it gets big enough, it runs away behind the couch! It waits there, jiggling, and gets even bigger! Then, it grows into a baby, and at night they come out and feed on table scraps! That's why babies smell so bad."
"Coooool!" The twins said together. Just then, the door opened, flooding the garage with light.
"Hello, I'm Martin the Buzzzy Bee," Martin said. He was dressed up as a bumblebee, "Care to follow me into my hive? I'm here to teach you the truth to lifezzz beginningzzz."
Martin pushed a button that opened the garage door and revealed a giant bee hive.
"Cool! A bumblebee hive!" Bellino said.
"This one looks fun!" Bellini smiled. The twins headed inside.
"Hey, what's with you?!" Chris yelled, trying to follow, but Martin shut the garage door. Chris slammed into the door, creating a Chris-shaped dent. Martin paid no mind to Chris as he started up his video presentation.
"Catered to by industriouzz worker beezz, a queen honeybee is capable of laying zzeveral thousand eggzz a minute," Martin explained, going through slides. The twins marveled at the display. Suddenly, Nick burst through the door.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo! I am a stork!" Nick said, "No rain, sleet, or ingrown hairs keep me from delivering my babies!"
"They're clueless!" Chris said, entering the beehive, "They don't know where babies come from!"
"Storks, Chris!" Nick smiled. Chris stomped angrily towards him.
"I'm the older brother! I get to tell them!" He yelled.
"Storks, guys!" Nick repeated. Chris slammed Nick's head to the ground.
"Where's your babies now, Captain Stupidstork?" Chris glared. Martin remembered the stinger on his bee costume and used it to 'sting' Chris in the butt. Chris jumped in the air with a cat's screech. He landed back on the wooden board, causing Nick to jump and accidently hit him with his beak. Chris raised his fist, "Why you-!"
Martin stung Chris again, causing him to jump again and for Nick to hit him again by accident. Chris left the beehive, but returned within moments wielding a broom.
"BANZAI!" He cried.
"Run, Nick!" Martin cried as Chris started chasing them with the broom. Chris took to his heels after the boys.
"C'MERE, YOU!" He shouted.
"Chris is mad, Martin!" Nick said.
"I'm well aware of that, Nick!" Martin panted.
"Well, this is betting boring," Bellino sighed, "Let's go make mud pies, Bellini."
"I like playing in mud!" Bellini clapped. The fight took the boys out of the tent, where Chris saw the twins leaving.
"Hey, where's my 50 cents?!" He cried, "Great going, four eyes! You scared 'em off with all your stupid science mumbo jumbo."
Martin folded his arms.
"And your theory kept them entertained?" He asked.
"Aw, it's ok Martin," Nick comforted, "It is not your fault you are so useless. If I may re-irritate, babies come from storks!"
Martin's arms fell to his sides.
"Think, Nick!" He tried, "A child is far too heavy a load for a bird to carry!"
"Says you," Nick folded his arms. He walked over to Chris and grabbed the back of his jacket between his teeth. Flapping his arms like wings, he flew up to the chimney.
"What the-Put me down, you lunkhead!" Chris desperately tried to unbutton his jacket, but it wasn't working, "Martin, do something!"
"Babies are born as such!" Nick said. He proceeded to drop Chris down the chimney, causing him to start bawling loudly, "See, Martin? Screaming like a baby." Nick returned to where Martin was, "Boy, it sure does stink when I'm right."
Martin started in shock and awe as he pulled a lawn chair out of nowhere and sat down.
"Nick, how did you do that?" Martin asked.
"What, this?" He started flapping like a yellow-bellied bird, and he was soon airborne. But within seconds, he had beat himself senseless against the roof and fallen back to Earth, "My head's still attached, Martin!"
"NICK!" Chris yelled angrily, but continued sobbing loudly.