"Hello welcome to Ross and Zane Body Art, I'm Talia."

"Hi, my wife and I have an appointment with Zane. Piper and Alex Daniels."

"Hello. I see. And do you have a design in mind?"

"I actually sketched out a design. We want a couple tattoo of a lock and key."

"Good choice. I'll get your sketch ready and you and your wife can wait on the couches."

The two sat next to each other on a worn brown leather couch, Piper in an attempt to hide her nervous energy grabbed a tattoo magazine and started flipping through it while Alex filled out the necessary forms.

"Don't be nervous babe. You've done this before."

"I don't even know why. I didn't think this would be so big until I sat here. It's real."

"Having second thoughts?"

"Yes, no. I've loved you forever and if that was gonna change it would have years ago."

"Me too, babe. Everything is going to be fine, promise. Besides if you made sense even most of the time I would wonder who took my beloved Pipes and where."

"If anyone else said that I would be offended but its you and your cute as hell and if you didn't tease me mercilessly I would wonder the same thing about my beloved Al," Piper smiled and kissed her wife as the older woman sneakily rubbed her shoulders until a man with a sleeve of tattoos on each arm entered the waiting area.

"Which one of you is Alex?"

"Me," the brunette answered.

"I just want you to check the design before I finalize it and then we can get started."

"Be right back babe," she told her wife with a quick kiss.

"So here's the design in our computer program, here's the lock with a rose behind it and the curls you wanted. VIII XVII MMXIV above the design and the quote you chose, 'I love you without knowing how, or when or from where' underneath and the purple ribbon with your wife's name.'

"It's beautiful."

"And I have your colors ready. Gold, red, green, purple and black, right?"

"Yes. And Piper's tattoo?"

"Here an ornamental key with the same date and quote in the same places and a matching rose but with yours. I made a few tiny tweaks. I was thinking my assistant Rowen could do your wife's tattoo, she's great at tiny detail work."

"If you think that's best."

"Okay let's get you two to the semi-private room and we'll get started."

Alex went to get her wife from the waiting area, "C'mon babe, they're ready when we are."

Piper took her wife's hand and followed her to the room where she helped her out of her tank top and onto the chair and then took her own tank off and got comfortable in the chair. The artists came in and put the stencils just above their left breast and started work. Two hours, fifteen minutes later they showed them the finished work in the mirror.

Piper broke into tears, "It's beautiful. It's exactly what I imagined. And Alex's looks amazing!"

"I know babe! If it looks this good now then imagine how it'll look when it's healed."

"I didn't think about that," Piper responded as she put her top back on and then helped her wife. Alex gave each artist a thirty dollar cash tip for all their work.

"Now someone getting their eighth tattoo probably doesn't need aftercare instructions still we have to at least give you a copy and the list of what to look for. Call if you have any questions or problems."

"Alright, Zane. Thanks again."

"When you want more work done I hope you give me a call."

"Oh I will. Your definitely one of my favorite artists ever."

When they were back on the street Alex saw a frozen yogurt shop, "You hungry?"

"Yeah. You see something you want?"

"Froyo."

"Alright, baby."

When they had their cups Alex pulled a small box out of her purse. It was wrapped in shiny gold paper, "This is my last surprise. Happy anniversary babe."

"Al but I didn't get you anything! I didn't think we were doing formal presents, I thought we only did that for our marriage date."

"It's fine babe. You've given me so much. You've taken such good care of me, your patience and love have made miracles happen. So I will always spoil you."

"You have always spoiled me, even before. Sometimes my head tells me its cause you feel guilty or you have so many regrets about losing me to begin with."

"I will never tell you I don't have regrets every single day about how the things I've done or failed to do have affected you and our relationship cause I do but every time those thoughts start you or one of the kids will climb up next to me and ask for a cuddle with a huge smile and pleading eyes but-"

"No, Al, sweetheart I have told you a million times there's no reason to have regrets. If everything hadn't happened the way it did I might have kids, most likely, but they wouldn't be the three I have and I wouldn't trade every shitty thing that happened to have the perfect life and kids I thought I wanted because that's how I realized I had it all along. If I couldn't have the kids I've got I wouldn't want kids, same goes for the spouse I have. I would be a childless old maid before I accept anything different from what I have."

"That's sweet and it would be sweeter if it were true but we both know its not, you moved on. Yes it took you three years but you did. And you ultimately chose me and on the rough days I remind myself of that but you would have still had a marriage and kids."

"But I would never have been happy or able to do anything more than resent my kids, be the woman who always has a headache because WASPs don't get divorces. I love you and yes I've lied to you, so have you but that's the past. What do we always try to do, baby? Say it with me, live in the present and try to be the woman the other one deserves."

"I know but it's all so hard sometimes. All I would have changed would have been to give you what you deserved sooner."

"You didn't know how. This moment is what matters, not our failings. All we can be is better."

"If you insist. Now open it already, I'm so excited for you to see what I got you."

"Okay, baby," Piper responded as she tore the paper, gasping when she saw the pale blue box with a yellow ribbon, "I don't even need to open this cause whatever it is I already see my favorite color-Tiffany blue."

"Humor me, babe and finish opening it."

"Okay," she undid the ribbon and then gasped when she saw the necklace inside the box-a rose gold, diamond encrusted heart with a key, "It's beautiful Al."

"I wanted to make sure you remembered today and that even when your tat is covered everyone can know who has the key to my heart."

"You are seriously the sweetest person in the world."

"Don't let it get out."

"Never, it is as its always been, our little secret."

"Good. Ready to go get our pack of wild toddlers?"

"Yes."

"We should stop and pickup some presents for them. What kind of parents would we be if we didn't."

"Not the good kind."

They ducked into a toy store and picked up a stuffed monkey and two stuffed pandas before heading to their friends' house.

They knocked twice after parking their van and saw Lisa, "Hello ladies. how was your weekend?"

"Relaxing. It was just what we needed. How were the kids?"

"Crazy. Your not joking when you say they are a never ending fountain of energy. We took them to the indoor playground yesterday and our two napped in the car, your three were watching kids videos on YouTube and singing. So we ended up teaching them Gator Golf, they loved it. Then they napped for an hour and a half after running around the family room for forty-five minutes."

"Sorry about that."

"No, we actually loved it. Then we made S'mores on the fire pit and did some night swimming. Then today we took the kids to IHOP then James came over and we walked to the park. He coached Charlie on baseball and Mia joined in, they raced around the bases and she was really good at catch. I don't know where she gets it from, we're thinking about putting her in t-ball."

"She should join Charlie's team, it has boys and girls. We could be baseball moms together!"

"That would be awesome! We're also thinking about pulling them out of day care now that they have activities they're involved in and getting a nanny."

"I'd recommend it. We love ours. I think Hannah, our sitter has a friend who's looking for a position, I could talk to her."

"That would be great, You guys hungry? The kids are finishing Frozen."

"Yes!, Pipes?"

"Oh yeah."

The two came into the house and made pulled pork sandwiches and served themselves some salad and potato salad.

"So let's see the tattoos already!"

"Okay," Alex responded and pulled out the pictures on her phone.

"Those are beautiful, when do we get to see them for real?"

"Probably be a few days, maybe a week. It needs to be covered and a lot of upkeep. When they heal."

"Okay. Your killing me but okay."

A few minutes later Charlie came running into the kitchen, "Ma-meeees! Mided you so muk!"

"Momma missed you too," she responded as she picked the boy up and he hit her breast, "Ow!"

"Sa-we, no mean hurd."

"I know, it's tender. Mommies let someone draw on them and it hurts."

"Why?"

"Cause we love each other a lot and we wanted the world to know."

"Ma-ma has lossa pikures."

"Yes, I do bud. I like pictures."

"Can I have pikures?"

"When your a grown up. If you could get a picture what would you get?"

"A piwate ship or a T-wex!"

"Not bad ideas, you are definitely my boy."

"Not to cut into your sweet moment but where's my love?"

He hopped from his momma's lap to his mommy's, "So, I heard you had a fun weekend."

"Go down lossa swides, pway in ba'pit, wen on kiddie wides, pay ball oh and Uncie Ja'ie shoe me how pee on Chewios. It was so fun!"

Piper turned to Piper and whispered in her ear, "There goes our cereal. It wasn't so long ago that we were celebrating finding out we were having a boy and now here we are."

Alex smirked and rubbed her wife's shoulders, "Yup, we've created a monster. But we'll keep him."

"I guess he is pretty cute and those eyes remind me of someone I love very much and he's goofy just like her."

Alex just smirked, kissed her wife and then whispered, "I wonder who? Could it perhaps be, uh, I don't know-his mother!?"

"Ah, yes her. Peanut, baby, where are your sisters?"

"Wid de guwls."

"Go make sure your stuff is packed so we can head home."

"Kay ma-me."

He started to run off before Alex called him back, "Come back here baby boy! You forgot something!"

"Whud ma-ma?"

"Give your mother kisses! I missed you so much," she declared as he jumped into her arms and even though she knew she'd pay for it later she picked her boy up so he could drown her face in kisses.

"Ma-me wan kideds too?"

"Is the sky blue?"

"Yes!"

"There ya go," Piper responded as Alex held him towards the blonde's face and he drowned her face in kisses too before she let him go and they went around the couch, slowly walking closer as the girls came out of their Disney princess induced coma.

"Ma-ieees," They yelled in perfect unison. Unlike their brother, the two girls had never spent a night without their moms since they were discharged from the NICU so every bit of how much they missed their moms was evident in their excitement.

"Did you girls have a good weekend?"

"Yes! I pay in ba-pi an' on mewoun," Mila answered.

"What about you Dela? How's my tiny princess? Did you make sure your Aunties turned on your humidifier at night and gave you your medicine?"

Piper could have stopped her wife and told her she didn't know half of what she was saying about their younger daughter's weakened lungs, the hope they had that the pulmonologist was right when he said she was getting better and it was temporary, and what that meant for her but she didn't because this was the first time Alex admitted how nervous she was about her precious special needs child. Piper knew she felt like to admit it meant she didn't trust her close friends.

"Baby, she doesn't know half of what you just said and its better that way. She's getting stronger and catching up a little more after every OT session. She needs less mucus cleanings and we haven't rushed her to the hospital in months. Her monitors haven't gone off in weeks."

"Listen to her Alex, we did everything exactly how you showed us and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. When we noticed her struggling to breathe while playing on the playground Heather took her over to the little rides," Lisa yelled from the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, she's just well," tears started rolling down the brunette's eyes as she searched for the words to say what the baby she saved when nobody else believed she could survive was to her.

"I know, we all do. Back to our tiny princess, What did you do Del?"

"Runed on bidge, luked tue bubble, winn'd on wise. Payed on stings."

"That sounds so fun sweetheart! Give mommy kisses," She cooed as she held her up and tickled her belly. Mid laughter she kissed her mom and then walked over to her mother's lap and put her hands under her jawline and gave her kisses.

"Okay, who wants to go home," Piper asked in a cheery, high pitched voice which made all the kids jump up and run to get their stuff. Lisa helped Piper pack up the kids' gear in their van and then load them up as Alex joined her family and Piper helped her obviously tired wife into the car. When they got home they gave the twins a bath and got them into thin pink and brown ice cream themed jammies and sent them to play in their room. Then they gave Charlie a bath, letting him play sharks versus dinos, the heroes always being the dinos. Then they put him in blue cotton shorts and a Superman shirt and told him to join his sisters and they'd be right there. Piper and Alex came into the room with a bag.

"Charlie, what do mommies do when they go away?"

"Bing me pezints!"

Piper pulled a monkey out of the bag as her son's eyes grew wide and he handed it to him, he instantly cuddled it, "Like Cus Dorge!"

"My thoughts exactly bud," Alex answered as she reached for one of the pandas to hand to Mila, who squealed when she held the bear.

"You giving her loves?"

"Uh-huh. Luds!"

"Whe mines?"

"You don't think your mommies would really forget about you," she asked as she did a round of tickle monster with the tiny girl and blowing raspberries before holding her on her lap as she came around with the second Panda and set it on her lap.

"Tay-oo ma-ma."

"Your welcome. Everybody go pick a book to read before bed, its already late so no playing."

Charlie disappeared to his room while the girls started pulling off all the books from their bookcase.

"Pick one or I will! One, two," they looked over at her as if they were sure she wouldn't really say three," th-two and a half-thr."

At that the girls each grabbed a book and sat between their mom's as Charlie joined his moms and sisters, sitting on Piper's lap with his head resting on her chest and a thumb in his mouth while she toyed with his hair before reading the stories with help from Alex. By the time they were done Charlie was already asleep.

As she was leaving his room to say one last goodnight to his sisters he mumbled, "C-oo ge-me Dowge, peaze?"

She grabbed the toy, pulled off its tag and put it in her son's waiting arms. She came into the room just as Alex was tucking the girls into their cribs.

"How many songs did it take tonight?"

"Three. Our boy never wants us to rock him to sleep anymore."

"He's becoming a little man."

"I don't know how I feel about that."

"Me neither. It makes me want to do it all again sometimes but then I look at Dela and how close we came. Now that she's getting better it has me thinking but I'm still scared."

"I feel the same way. She's doing so well. But I also remember sitting by your bedsides and talking to my mom silently and when I was pushed out of the OR not so silently. The anger, pain and fear. Even when I was staring down him and then the things he did I didn't feel those things as strong and I never thought I could feel those emotions more than I did that day but then there I was. The same people who brought me such joy were bringing me such pain and when I think about that I realize you can only truly feel one extreme when you feel the opposite extreme to that one towards the same person."

"Makes sense. Let's go cuddle and go to sleep."

Alex just yawned at the suggestion then embraced her wife and kissed her before the two walked down the hall to their room.