So, this story will end in the next chapter. It's been a journey, a beautiful one and it is time to focus on my other fics for this fandom. I do have a story in the works set to be released for the Christmas period and then perhaps another for the New Year's but right now, Eighteen and ATEOTB will be updated frequently. Replies to reviews will be in the last chapter to end on a lovely note!

"Bash!"

Bash stops typing and places his laptop on the other side of the bed, getting out of it and heading downstairs.

"Bash, come quick!"

"What is it? Is it a spider?" He asks, ready to collect something to get rid of it.

"No, just come!" Kenna calls out.

Bash rolls his eyes playfully and enters the kitchen to see his wife standing there with their daughter on her hip. "What is it?"

"Say it again, baby. Can you say 'dada'?" Kenna says, turning to Perrine.

Bash gasps. "Wait-"

"Shh!" Kenna hushes him. "Say 'dada' again."

And then she says it and all that the couple feel is joy and relief. Tears spring to Bash's eyes as he lifts Perrine from Kenna and hugs her, pressing a long kiss on her head.

"We both knew that she could be behind, but she's right on track," Kenna says softly, wiping her own tears. "She said it out of nowhere, I was just feeding her some breakfast and she called for you. I didn't even realise until she turned to me and..."

Bash brings his wife to his side, pressing a kiss on her lips. "She's fine, Kenna."

"I know," Kenna whispers, letting out a sob. "We've already been through so much with her. I feel so stupid for being excited about her saying 'dada'."

"It's understandable," Bash replies. "God, the way you called for me had me fearing the worst."

She laughs a little. "Sorry. I just couldn't believe it. She's nine months old already and sometimes I get scared that she isn't like the other babies or she's too clingy... but she isn't. She's special and she's independent and I'm losing her."

"Losing her?" Bash asks. "What are you on about? She's a baby."

Kenna shrugs. "Adrien grew up quickly. I feel like we weren't there enough for him... I still think that we're not there enough for him. I mean, he tucked himself in when Matthew and Di-Ann came. And now we're seriously talking about bringing Pascal into our family... I don't want to lose them. I've almost lost them many times, I can't deal with that heartache."

"I'm going to call in sick at work," Bash starts. "Then, I will inform Adrien's school that he has an emergency doctor's or dentist's appointment. But Kenna, this will only be the once."

Kenna's eyes widen and she nods quickly. "Uh, yes. Thank you so much!" She kisses him and lets out a cheeky grin. "Let's wait an hour because you look really good in those pyjama trousers."

Bash looks down at his very belated Christmas-themed clothing choice. "Well, my wife has great taste. Even if it turns her on."

...

It's a lazy Tuesday in their home and all day, they go about in their pyjamas and watch films and eat all the sweets and unhealthy snacks and meals they want. It makes Kenna happy and soon, their sofa will be warm with yet another small body to occupy it.

"Hey, we should start looking for a new house," she tells Bash whilst Adrien's eyes are transfixed on the Disney film they watch.

Bash turns to his wife. "I've barely lived in this one," he says lightly. "But I also agree. I've got used to having Francis close by, we could look for bigger houses around or... in other towns."

Kenna blinks in surprise. "Are they expanding their search?"

"They've found a house," Bash admits. "Well, it's a surprise for Mary. Seven-bed in the Cambridgeshire countryside. It's perfect. It has a tennis court and an annexe, Francis and I went to see it and he made an offer that was accepted."

"Oh," Kenna whispers breathlessly. "That's far."

"Francis was planning on staying in the immediate area because of the kids' private school, but the more he thought of it, he wanted a life similar to the one we had in France. The fresh air, the stables nearby, the tennis court and swimming lessons in our private lands and the local highly respected boarding and private school..." Bash trails off. "He has four kids, it's understandable he'd want privacy, especially with our jobs."

Kenna frowns a little. "But here, we have seven-bedroom homes as well! And they're all modern with large gardens and-"

"Kenna, what if we moved there as well? I saw a great eight-bed house just right next door. It comes with two pools - outdoor and indoor, a gym, two offices so we both have enough space to work. It's a little bit of a fixer-upper-"

"But... What about Lola and Greer and my brother?" Kenna asks him. "Adrien has finally settled into this school. He's popular and has friends-"

"He can make new ones and it's not like he will be all alone in another new school," Bash gently tells her. "He will have his cousins and soon, his new older brother. And Lola, Greer and Alexander can visit anytime."

Kenna bites her lip and runs a hand through Adrien's hair. She notes that he's fallen asleep and she's relieved because she isn't ready for his input yet. She knows it won't be as accepting.

"He's been in and out of school for the past two years, Bash. It will mess up his routine. He'll start acting out again... Can we put a pause to this for now? I was thinking that we'd be moving up the road, not to another town that is miles and miles away."

"It's closer to Scotland than here," Bash tries.

Kenna laughs wryly. "A pro, but not enough to change my mind just yet. We will see what Mary says."

"Kenna."

"What?"

"It's only roughly two hours away from here," Bash informs her. "It's not that far. I promise this will be great for our family. I haven't done anything rash, but I did tell the seller that I was considering taking another look at the house. Think about it, you, me, Pascal, Adrien and Perrine... In the tennis court or swimming in one of our pools. A proper family. And we'll have space for our horses because it has its own stable. We'll literally be a couple of seconds drive down the road from Francis, Mary and the kids."

Kenna smiles a little. "I guess it is a nice idea."

"Yeah?"

"But as you said, we are considering," she tells him. "You need to book the tickets for the zoo this weekend. We should plan for an afternoon out and evening in. The morning is out of the question, I have work."

"Oh, yeah. Sure," Bash replies, turning to the TV.

Kenna sighs, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "I will think deeply about this offer. Maybe I might be swayed into seeing the house for myself."

"Really?" Bash asks, turning to her again. "A-Are you sure?"

She nods slowly. "I guess. I mean, it wouldn't hurt to see what we want in a home. This will potentially be our forever home, we need to get it right."

"We do," Bash agrees. "And it needs to be beneficial for all of us. So, if you don't want this, then I won't railroad you into leaving. As you said, we have friends and family here and it will be hard."

"And at the same time, we'll have family over there as well..." Kenna whispers. "We'll talk about it, okay?"

"Okay. That's all I want."

Kenna smiles. "Okay."

...

As they park, Kenna asks, "Should I go and get him or should you? Or do we go as a family?"

Bash turns to her. "I guess we could see him in his element."

"So family front it is," Kenna breathes out, getting out of their car.

She closes the door and opens the backdoor to unstrap Perrine from her car seat as Bash helps Adrien undo his belt and booster. As a family, they go over to the front door and Adrien rings the doorbell.

"Remember, Little Man, Pascal could potentially become your older brother so you have to be nice to him," Bash says to their son. "But if you don't want this, we can stop at any time."

Kenna smiles softly. "I'm sure the boys will hit it off."

The door opens and Pascal's female careworker gives them a bright, but winded smile as she lets them inside. She leads them into the kitchen where the children are having their lunch and Pascal packs his.

"It's a bit full here," the careworker says apologetically. "But Pascal is prepped and ready to go!"

Adrien looks around, his eyes falling on Pascal as many of the children eye the family. "Bonjour."

Pascal looks surprised, but he smiles at Adrien, holding his hand out. "Bonjour," he replies, shaking Adrien's hand. "I am Pascal."

"I am Adrien," Adrien says quietly. "And that's my sister, Perrine Aveline but we all call her Perrine."

"She's small," Pascal states, eyeing the baby.

Kenna chuckles. "She is, but she's healthy," she says, kissing her daughter's head. "Are you excited about the zoo?"

"I am," he tells her.

"That's awesome. And after, when we drop you back here, we have something to talk about," Bash informs him.

"What is it?"

Bash gives Kenna quick glance. "Uh, we'll talk about that this evening. Should we get going?"

Pascal nods and takes his packed lunch which Bash immediately carries for him. "You don't have to."

"I would do it for Adrien and Perrine," Bash says warmly. "Do you have any allergies or things we should know about before we leave?"

Pascal shrugs. "I'm allergic to apples."

"Well, it's a good thing that we didn't buy any apples because we got lazy and forgot to go shopping," Kenna says lightly.

"We have oranges," Adrien states, pulling Bash out of the hall.

Pascal follows on, turning to his careworkers who give him encouraging smiles. He smiles back and follows after Adrien and Bash with Kenna and Perrine behind him.

When he sees their car, he gasps. "Is that a Tesla?"

"It is," Kenna says happily. "It's my car, I thought it would be easier to drive around in London."

Pascal nods excitedly and gets in, going through the middle to get to the furthest seats. "Can I sit alone at the back?"

"But I wanted to sit with you and show you my Match Attax cards," Adrien tells him.

Bash and Kenna share a look before he says, "Why don't you show him the cards this evening after the zoo? I think Pascal wants to admire the interior a bit."

Adrien nods sadly and allows his father to strap him into his booster. "Fine."

"Don't be glum," Kenna says, strapping Perrine in. "He's just excited to be in a car like this. He doesn't get many opportunities."

"How rich are you?" Pascal asks them.

Bash falters. "I, uh... Well, I run my family's business and Kenna owns her own event planning company. If you take money out of the equation, we're a normal family."

Kenna nods, smiling brightly. "All ready to go?"

Pascal does his seatbelt. "Yes. Locked and loaded."

"Look, the only kid we don't need to spend time faffing about to strap in," Kenna says lightly, making Adrien scowl. "One day, you'll do it yourself, baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Adrien cries out, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Sure acting like one," Bash mutters, closing the backdoor and getting into the driver's seat as Kenna shuts the other door.

She eyes Adrien look away from her through the window and sighs, getting into the passenger seat. She takes her phone and sends a quick text to her husband.

{To Bash (Husband): Let's dial it down a bit. I think he's jealous and feeling a bit ignored.}

Bash checks his phone and turns to her with a nod. "Adrien, why don't you pick out a radio station for us?"

"No thanks," the boy mumbles.

Kenna sighs and rests her head on the window. "Just leave it off."

"Yeah," Bash replies.

...

By the time they see most of the animals, Adrien is in higher spirits and makes an effort with Pascal. He understands that they both need space and time to get to know each other but he hates how his parents are willing to drop everything to cater to the other boy.

If he is to be his new brother, would it always be like this? With Pascal always getting his way?

"Hey, what's your favourite animal that we've seen so far," Pascal asks him.

Adrien shrugs. "The penguins."

"They were cool, weren't they?" Pascal says. "My mum liked penguins. I think she used to take me to the zoo a lot but I don't remember."

"Where is she?"

"She's... she's dead," Pascal mumbles sadly.

"I'm sorry," Adrien tells him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "My mum and dad broke up and I went to live with my mum for a while before going to live with my dad in France and then my mum again and now we are happy."

Pascal frowns. "They broke up?"

"Yes," Adrien says. "They weren't happy. They argued all the time and... they said mean things about each other. But then they had Perrine and everything is better. They got married again and they went on a honeymoon and we stayed with our grandparents. Then Meme died and they were sad but then Papa found out he had another brother! Then he was all happy again and now, they want you."

Pascal gasps, disregarding everything the other boy has said except the last part. "They... want me?"

Adrien nods. "They keep saying that you'll be my new brother. And that we'll move houses and buy a bigger one with swimming pools and loads of space for our horses!"

Pascal stares at him in shock before he starts crying. It makes Kenna turn away from the spider monkeys to look at him in alarm. She taps Bash's shoulder and hurries over, kneeling down to check Pascal for any injuries.

"What is it, mon petit chou?" She asks, cupping his cheeks.

Pascal fingers the necklace she gave him. "You want to be my family?" He asks shakily.

Kenna gasps, turning to Bash. "Who told you that?"

"Adrien," Pascal says. "Is it true? You want me?"

Bash pushes the buggy closer to them and joins Kenna in kneeling down before the boys. "Yes, it is," he replies.

"We were hoping to talk to you about that this evening," Kenna tells him, sharing a glance with Bash before looking back at Pascal, her eyes watering. "You like it?"

Pascal looks down at the cross pendant and nods. "I do."

"My... my Mamó gave me that," she informs him. "She was the strongest person I knew before she died. She became very ill and forgot about us but she saw me wearing that necklace and she remembered me. It's very special to me and I wouldn't give it to just anyone. It's protected me and I wanted it to protect you because... I feel like everything happens for a reason. God put you in our lives for a reason and you're special. We can help each other heal, all of us."

Pascal sniffles and leans forward to hug Bash tightly as Kenna turns away to wipe her tears. He feels Bash's arms wrap around him and then he feels another pair.

Letting go, he sees Adrien giving him a shy smile. "I thought you didn't like me?"

"My mum is a good judge of character," Adrien says simply. "I trust her."

"What about me?" Bash asks, ruffling his son's hair.

"Meh," the boy replies, shrugging.

Bash turns to Pascal. "So?"

"So...?"

"Do you want to be adopted by us?" Kenna asks him hopefully.

Pascal smiles widely. "Yes, please."

"Oh, God," Kenna breathes out, hugging him tightly. "Well, the next step will be to have you live with us for ten weeks and then we can apply for an adoption court order-"

"We can talk about that with his social worker later," Bash cuts her off. "For now, I think this calls for a celebration. Who wants to adopt an animal?"

"I do!" The boys say.

Bash chuckles. "I went on the website and saw quite a good few options from tigers, lions, gorillas to sloths."

"I want to adopt the penguins!" Adrien says excitedly.

"I want to adopt the gorillas," Pascal says, laughing.

Bash turns to Kenna. "Babe?"

"Oh, I guess I could go for the tigers and Perri wants the lions?" Kenna says. "It's a great way to protect the animals in the wild. And it's a wonderful gift that won't clutter up the house. Your toy boxes are overspilling, I wish I sorted them out when we came from France."

Adrien giggles. "Can we also have fizzy drinks?"

"No," his parents say.

Adrien turns to Pascal. "It was worth a try."

Bash laughs, lifting both boys into his arms. "I think before we do that, we need to do one important thing."

"What?" Pascal asks him.

"Take a family picture," he says before smiling brightly. "Or prenez une photo de famille!"

Pascal smiles sadly. "I've never had a family picture."

"That changes today," Kenna tells him, grinning.

...

"Look at them," Kenna whispers as she and Bash watch the boys fast asleep on the twin beds in Adrien's room. They have remodelled it a bit to accommodate Pascal for whenever he visits. Tonight, they were allowed to have him have a sleepover. "They're so special."

Bash kisses the side of her head. "They are," he replies just as quietly. "I can't believe it."

"Neither can I," Kenna says, laughing a little as she turns to face him. "Your mum would have loved him."

Bash nods. "She really would," he says, stepping away from the door so she can close it. "We have a lovely new photo up on the mantlepiece."

"We do," Kenna says happily. "I thought that we were rushing into this but it feels right. I can't think of anything better for us to do than be parents to a third child. We've had our ups and downs but this is really good."

"It is," he says, leading her downstairs. He heads over to the radio and turns it on, fiddling around with the stations before he finds a good one and offers her his hand. "Shall we dance?"

"Oh, we're one of those parents," Kenna tells him, laughing as she takes his hand and they start to sway around the room.

She pulls away from his chest and looks up into his green eyes. "So green."

"So brown," he whispers in kind.

Closing her eyes, she kisses him softly. "I love you," she says against his lips.

"I love you," he states, pressing his lips against hers.

"If we buy that house now, we can have it ready by the time the adoption is finalised within about three months or so," she says, smiling softly.

Bash gasps. "Y-You want to move?"

"I've done my research after we went to see the house. And today put things into perspective. I can see us, I see us waiting by the backdoors as we watch the boys on their horses and Perrine roam about on the grass, intrigued at the world around her," Kenna tells him. "I see us singing Christmas carols in the formal living room and watching movies in the informal one. I see myself in that beautiful farmhouse styled kitchen, baking and cooking dinner or breakfast every day. And that office with the view of the garden... We used to have a fairytale life in France before everything went sour, I want that fairytale back. For good."

Bash rests his head against hers. "I do too."

"Oh, I love this song," she says, listening to the song that's just come on. "Perfect by Ed Sheeran."

Bash smiles, leading her outside and kicking his shoes off. "Go on, take them off."

Kenna does. "What is this?" She asks, amused.

Bash takes her hands and pulls her further into the garden, their feet on the grass. "My mother taught me how to be free. The outdoors, my paradise just perfect for that."

"Bash..."

"May I have this dance where there is no music because the radio isn't loud enough to reach outside?" Bash asks her.

Kenna giggles. "You may," she says shakily, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"You're strong, you're perfect. One look and I know I'm safe, I know I'm certain," he tells her. "You've taught me so much. And I hope to learn even more from you."

"Bash," Kenna whispers, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I stepped on something disgusting."

"Oh!" He says, laughing as they look down. "Do you think it's those damned foxes again?"

She nods, gagging. "Urgh. And here was us, wanting to get a dog."

"We can! The house also has kennels-"

"Of course, it does," Kenna says, laughing. "You've already sold the dream, you don't need to keep going on about it."

Bash chuckles, lifting her up into his arms. "I'll never stop going on about it because you are my dream."

"For fuck's sake," she mutters lightly, kissing him. "Now take me inside and wash my feet because it's starting to smell and it feels disgusting."

"As you wish, mon ciel étoilé," he says, making her look up at the sky.

"There're no stars," she states.

He laughs. "Use your imagination. That and we have Perrine's nightlight that makes the stars."

"Okay..." Kenna says, grinning. "Let's watch the stars."

...

Two months later, on the 18th of April and six days after Easter, Kenna gasps when she hears liquid pour onto the floor and sees her best friend looking down at it in shock. They both look at each other and at the water and at each other and Kenna grabs her phone.

"Not yet," Mary says. "Don't you dare call Francis."

"What? Why?" Kenna asks, dialling '999' instead.

Mary rolls her eyes. "They are in this important meeting and I don't want to disturb him-"

"His fourth child is arriving, Mary. I think he would want to be disturbed!" Kenna tells her.

"Hold off on the emergency services, I haven't even started my-ah!"

"Right," Kenna says, cancelling the call. "Contractions, right."

Mary looks at her in disbelief. "Haven't you done this twice before?"

Kenna gives her a look. "My first one, I was unconscious and woke up in a hospital where they suddenly told me to push. The second time was a C-Section."

"Right," Mary replies, nodding and biting down on her lip. "Fair enough. Ow, ow, ow!"

"Okay, how about you walk it off?"

"Am I a dog? Do I look like a dog?" Mary snaps.

Kenna holds her hands up. "Jesus, Mary."

"I'm sorry," Mary whines. "It never gets easier. It gets worse and my back kills and it hurts...!"

"Deep breaths-"

"Bitch, please," Mary says.

Kenna snorts. "I'm rubbing off on you," she replies. "Do you want some music? I have whalesong music from when I was expecting Adrien. Thought it would be good for his cognitive-"

"You're so weird sometimes, do you know that?" Mary asks her, laughing slightly. "Oh my God, by July, we'll be moving into our new homes in the middle of nowhere. H-H-How is the adoption process going again?"

Kenna beams. "Really well. Pascal loves staying with us and soon it will be forever! It was nice for you guys to invite us over so he could get to know John, James and Anne. Speaking of them, have you got a name for Baby yet? Or even a gender?"

"Francis and I want it to be a surprise. We already have one of each, we don't really mind what we have," Mary says, breathing through the pain. "Dear God, take away the pain!"

"If it's a boy, you could go with the 'J' theme. Joseph, Jeremiah and a whole bunch of lovely Bible names."

Mary laughs. "Francis said 'Simon', you know, his middle name."

"Does he want your child to be bullied?"

"That's what I asked," Mary tells her. "Simone is nice though. For a girl. Francis and I have names but we will reveal them in due time."

Kenna nods. "Alright, how far apart are these contractions."

"Far enough-ahhhhh!"

"That was about five minutes," Kenna states. "We should think about calling Francis."

Mary glares at her. "Not yet! God, I need to pee so bad as well!"

"Then go! It's not like the baby is going to come out. Wait, can the baby come out?"

"Kenna!"

"I'm joking," Kenna laughs, taking her arms and walking with her back towards the downstairs loo. "Do you need help?"

Mary nods. "The one day I choose to wear a damn jumpsuit. I wanted to look cute!" She cries.

Kenna laughs at her. "You're still cute, Marvellous Mary."

"Go on."

"Majestic Mary."

"Yeah?" Mary says, sniffling as they enter the bathroom and close the door. No unexpected guests in the form of the children who are in the garden oblivious to what is happening. They do not need to be alarmed just yet.

Kenna grins, unzipping the jumpsuit as Mary takes over. "Magnificent Mary."

"This is really helping," Mary says, sitting on the toilet. "Positive mindful thinking. My birthing coach-"

"You have a birthing coach?"

Mary nods, rolling her eyes. "Catherine got one for me during the baby shower. Francis told me to grin and bear it and accept it."

"Did they help? The birthing coach, not that I would ever need one," Kenna asks.

Mary smiles sadly. "Uh, they did. A little. Oh, and don't call the contractions that, we call them surges."

"What the fuck?"

"Hey! Do not swear in front of my un... Okay, the pee is coming out."

Kenna laughs. "I love our friendship. It's got to the point when I can not even look away as you pee and probably pee your child out-"

"Kenna!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. I will shut up."

Mary smiles, sighing in relief. "Bladder is empty and now I need help getting back up."

Kenna gently pulls her up. "God, look at all of this baby weight. This may be your biggest size yet."

"Kenna!"

"What?" Kenna asks, laughing. "This baby is huge. I hope you won't need stitches."

Mary glares at her. "Shut up. I had stitches with Anne."

"Adrien destroyed my womanhood," Kenna says. "Five stitches, Mary. Five. At least I wasn't awake for it."

"I don't know how she will take it," Mary mumbles, letting Kenna take the jumpsuit off as she puts a spare robe on instead. "Anne has been distant from me. She prefers Francis to carry her or read her bedtime stories."

Kenna nods sadly. "Adrien was clingy when I had Perrine. Seems like Anne is trying to be independent but reliant on Francis only. It happens, don't worry about it. She'll make her way back to you."

"I hope soooooo...!"

"Breathe, Mary. Breathe through the surges," Kenna tells her, giggles threatening to leave her lips.

"Mckenna Marie-Oh my God," Mary whispers.

Kenna frowns. "What is it?"

Mary points at the door where the handle is missing. "Where's the handle?"

Kenna gasps. "Oh, the boys were playing hide and seek and broke it last week. Bash was supposed to fix it but he had to go into work all week. Shit!"

"We're locked in here?!" Mary cries out, eyes wide. "No...!"

"It's fine," Kenna says, patting her pockets. "I have my phone... I don't have my phone."

"Kenna, don't joke with me right now."

Kenna falters, turning to the door. "Uh, children?! Anyone?!"

"James! John!"

"Adrien, Pascal!" Kenna calls out, banging on the door. "I'm sorry, Mary."

Mary shakes her head. "I hate you so much right now," she says lightly.

"I know," Kenna replies, laughing. "Look at us."

"This is just like last time," Mary whines sadly. "I thought I learnt my lesson."

Kenna turns to her. "Worst case scenario, Baby is born in this very bathroom and Bash and I are relieved that we're in the process of moving to another house so won't be reminded of the blood and shit all over this floor. We just have to wait until one of the kids come back inside. I really hope Perrine is still napping."

"Kenna," Mary whispers. "They're getting closer."

"I... I have no experience in childbirth-"

"Kenna."

"I mean, I really don't want to," Kenna says. "This is a new dress and... Fine. I will help you give birth again."

Mary smiles in relief. "At least I sent you the bill for the dry cleaning."

"Don't worry about this one. I intend to burn this," Kenna jokes, grabbing towels. "Bash is obsessed with towels. The funny thing is, he wears the smallest one so it's easy to pull down and I can-"

"Kenna, I do not want to hear about your sex life right now," Mary tells her.

"Alright, keep your hair on!"

Mary sends her a stern glare as she watches Kenna lay down towels by the bathtub. "Is the floor a comfortable twenty-five degrees Celcius?"

"You what?"

"I'm joking," Mary says, giggling as Kenna helps her sit down.

Kenna playfully rolls her eyes and gets more towels and runs the bath, retrieving a bowl for hot water. "Everything will be alright, Mary. Just keep an ear out for the kids," she says, putting the bathroom heater on and placing the other towels on it.

"When I'm screaming bloody murder?" Mary chuckles. "I wanted a birthing pool."

"Why?"

"Never had one," Mary says, shrugging before she hisses in pain. "Have a look."

Kenna raises her eyebrows. "Mary, I love you but I am-"

"Take a fucking look!"

Kenna gulps and lifts up the top of the robe and checks. "Yep, that baby is coming very imminently. Damn, is that what it really looks like? How can our bodies do that? That's wide!"

"Do you mind?" Mary asks. "How big?"

"About seven or eight centimetres dilated. Bitch, I don't have a ruler, I don't know."

"You've had two kids and at least one vaginal birth, Kenna! How do you not know?"

Kenna shrugs. "I've never seen myself from that point of view. I can ask Bash," she says lightly.

"How on Earth did you help me last time?"

"Now, you see, that was mostly Lola and Greer. I more or less took James and spread all that goop all over me as they focused on you," Kenna jests. "As a good luck charm to have Adrien. Yeah, that makes sense."

"At this point, I want a cartoon villain to help me give birth than you," Mary replies. "Call the kids!"

Kenna gets up and bangs on the door. "Children! Children we gave birth to and otherwise!"

"Well?"

"They're still outside."

Mary rolls her eyes. "For the love of God," she then swallows deeply in pain. "This baby is coming. I can't, I can't-I need to push. Like, now."

Kenna says a quick prayer before kneeling in front of Mary and checking. "Yep, that baby is crowning."

"Why are you stating the fucking obvious?"

"Hey, don't swear."

Mary blinks in mortification. "Are you serious right now?"

Kenna winks at her and takes one of her hands. "When I tell you to, you push."

She reaches her other hand for one of the towels that are warm and faces Mary again, giving her a comforting smile.

"Everything will be okay, Mary. I am here-"

"I don't want you to be here," Mary says, crying.

"I know," Kenna replies. "I don't want to be here either but you're stuck with me. Just like you've been since you were born." Tears spring to her eyes. "This is crazy."

Mary nods. "It really is," she whispers, groaning. "I need to push."

Kenna nods, squeezing her hand comfortingly. "Alright, push."

And Mary pushes.

...

Mary laughs in joy, looking up at Kenna before looking back down at her towel wrapped baby. "Call those fucking kids to help us out of here."

Kenna laughs, washing her hands. "On it," she says, going to the door and banging on it.

"Mum?" John calls out. "Mum, where are you? Auntie Kenna! I'm thirsty!"

"Your kid is lazy," Kenna states, turning to face her friend. "John Philip Valois!"

"Auntie Kenna?!"

"He gets that from Francis," Mary tells her quickly. "John, darling! We're in the downstairs bathroom!"

Kenna places her ear against the door and hears footsteps come closer. "Sweetheart, we're locked in. Can you grab my phone from the kitchen counter and call your dad for me, please? Oh and an ambulance."

"Are you hurt?" John asks in alarm.

"No, but you have a new sibling, Johnny!"

John gasps. "I'm getting the phone!"

"Good lad!" Kenna tells him, turning back to Mary. "He's getting the phone."

"I heard," Mary says, laughing as she eyes her baby. "Look at those brown eyes... My eyes."

The baby yawns and closes their eyes, making the women swoon happily.

"I wish I could have another one," Kenna says softly. "Nothing beats the feeling of pushing an eight-pound kid out of you. Or having it cut out of you. But that pure, innocent, little face is worth it."

Mary sobs. "It is. It really is."

"Are you going to tell me the name?"

"Not yet," Mary whispers, brushing a finger of her newborn's cheek.

"Auntie Kenna! I have your phone! Do I make the calls now?"

Kenna stares at the door in disbelief. "This child... Yes, John. Call your father and '999'. Your father is in my emergency contacts, number five."

"Okay!" John calls out. "Hello? Daddy? Mama and Auntie Kenna are locked in the toilet in Auntie Kenna and Uncle Bash's house. Oh, and Mama had the baby."

"At least he's straight to the point," Mary says, making them laugh. "I can imagine Francis freaking out."

Kenna nods. "'What? Your mother had the baby? She's locked in the bathroom? Bash, we need to go ASAP! Our wives need us, they're suffering, they're dying in the toilet! Sebastian! No, Sebastian, we will not be making a stop at Starbucks. Although, I wouldn't mind a soy latte. My personal assistant didn't make a nice one this morning before the meeting so my morning is all ruined!'"

Mary laughs loudly, jolting her child awake. "Oh, no. Sorry, baby. So sorry. Go back to sleep, darling," she whispers, eyeing Kenna. "You've got my husband spot on. Starbucks is his weakness."

"I've called Daddy, Mama!"

"Good boy, John!"

"I will call the '999', now!"

Kenna nods. "Yes, do that right now! Call the '999' now." She looks at Mary. "And let's see who gets here first."

...

Kenna smiles, standing up from her seat to hug Bash tightly. "Did Catherine use the jet?"

"She did. She and Claude are looking after all of the kids, and I've cleared our schedules for the rest of the weekend," he says, kissing her. "I heard you played midwife."

"I did."

"Was it crazy?"

She laughs. "It was. Mary and I couldn't stop bickering but it's a once in a lifetime experience. Or twice for me, but I wasn't much help the first time around."

"What do we have?"

"I can't tell you," Kenna says softly, kissing his lips. "They'll let everyone else know in a bit. They just need some time as a family."

"Kenna, don't make me tickle it out of you."

Kenna giggles. "We have another niece."

"We do? Oh, that's amazing," Bash says happily. "Although Queen Anne will have something to say about that."

Kenna nods. "She will. God, the baby is so beautiful. Brown eyes, blonde fluffs of hair. She's all Mary but with your side's blonde hair."

"Remember when Adi had blonde hair?"

"Although I never slept with any man other than you, I did question it sometimes until your mother showed me pictures from when you were a baby," Kenna tells him. "It's Henry you both got it from. He was born blonde too. I know that because he told me."

Bash tightens his grip on her a little. He doesn't need to be jealous of a dead man, but he still feels awkward about their former relationship. "Has Mary told you a name?"

"No," Kenna mumbles sadly. "I tried but she wouldn't budge."

"Bash, Kenna?"

They turn and see Francis standing by the open door.

"Come and meet your new niece. Or again for you Kenna considering you held her first," Francis tells them.

Kenna beams and leads Bash inside, Francis heading inside to perch on the side of the bed where Mary holds their new daughter in her arms. She looks much better and less sweaty than before, Mary immediately knowing that is what her friend is thinking right now.

"No stitches," she says.

"Good one, lass," Kenna replies. "Well? Name?"

Mary shares a warm glance with her husband. "Rose."

"Rose Anaïs Valois," Francis says."Our little grace."

Kenna takes a shaky breath, tears stinging her eyes. "That's so beautiful."

"It really is," Bash says. "She's beautiful. Congratulations." He moves from Kenna to hug his brother tightly and then Mary, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Well, two new kids added to the family. Our move to Cambridgeshire is going to be quite a journey."

"We have seven kids between us. Our siblings need to start working," Francis says lightly. "I am closed for business."

"I was put out of business."

Kenna turns to her husband. "That's right."

Bash chuckles, sending her a quick. "Don't worry. The only woman I'd ever want to carry my children is you. Even if you can't anymore but the thought still counts right?"

"Shut up," Kenna says with a smile.

"Uh, so I'd like to introduce you both to my half-brother from my mother," Bash tells the other couple. "We've been getting to know each other better these past few months and I think he's ready to meet our half-sisters and... well, my paternal side of the family."

Francis nods. "I'd love to meet him properly," he says. "How about July? I'm sure the kids would all be off then. I'm not sure if UK and US holidays interlink."

"I'll ask Matthew," Bash says. "It will be great for the kids to meet their cousins. I think that Louise and Frankie are considering it."

"They're warming up to the idea of having an older brother?"

"A little. I understand their feelings, but he's family and this is what our mother wanted," Bash replies. "She kept him from us for so long, it did more damage than good and she realised that at the end."

Francis smiles sadly. "No matter what, I'll try and get along with him. Here's to hoping he isn't as headstrong as Louise and Frankie."

"He's pretty decent from what I know so far," Bash says. "But I'll let you make your own opinions of him."

Kenna pats his shoulder. "We should go. You know how Pascal gets around new people without us," she says, giving him a pointed look.

"Oh, yes," Bash says, shifting so he makes his way over to the door. "We'll leave you guys to it. Don't worry about the kids, they can chill at ours until Catherine takes them over to yours."

Mary gives them a warm smile. "Thank you so much. Honestly, you're a big part of our lives and... Francis and I decided that..."

"We want you to be Rose's godparents as well," Francis finishes, sharing a bright smile with his wife. "If you don't mind-"

"Of course, we don't mind!" Bash tells them. "Hey, we'll be happy to."

"So happy," Kenna adds. "Thank you."

Mary shrugs a little. "It's nothing. Before you came in, we also gave Rose a third name. We named her after you, Kenna."

"Mary, you didn't have to," Kenna says softly.

"We wanted to," Francis tells her.

Mary nods happily. "We've known each other for almost thirty years, my whole life... Some friendships don't even last a decade or two. So we gave her the name that your grandmother, Linda, gave you. Rachel."

Kenna's fingers reach for the necklace around her neck but it's absent, her mind remembering that she gave it to Pascal. She was never one for superstitions but she was religious. Her grandmother was still with her after all and so was Diane.

"T-Thank you," Kenna whispers, swallowing her tears down. "We should get going. The traffic will be awful if we don't leave on time."

"Alright. See you guys. We love you," Francis replies, even getting little Rose to wave.

"We'll see you guys soon. Text me if you need anything," Bash tells them before he and Kenna make their way out. As they head outside, Bash turns to his wife. "Are you alright?"

Kenna nods. "Yeah."

"You're crying."

"All I have ever wanted was a family. I couldn't wait to start my own family, where I would be surrounded by my extended family and loved ones," Kenna says, linking her arm with his as they walk to their car. "Reality has just hit me."

Bash kisses her head. "In what way?"

"In the way that even when they're gone or not nearby, they're still there. I can call my mum and dad over the phone, I can look at the stars and talk to Diane and my grandmother..." She stops and turns to him. "Even when we're in different places, I know you're coming home to me."

"I will always come home to you," Bash whispers, cupping her cheeks. "Always."

"And I will always come home to you," she replies, kissing him softly. "Come on let's go home."