Welcome back. Please enjoy this chapter. Gotta flash!

Non-canon characters are mine.

Young Ratchet stood on the stoop of his grandparents' house for a hot minute before XJ rang the doorbell and hid in the bushes.

"Hey!" The young Lombax cried.

An older male voice came from inside. "Hold on, I'm coming!" Ratchet was about to bolt if XJ hadn't grabbed his tail. "Sorry," a cream-colored older Lombax opened the door. "Not as quick as I used to be." His irises were brown but his pupils were cloudy grey.

"Orion Vital?" Ratchet questioned slowly.

Orion nodded firmly. "That's me, but come on in." He opened the door and let the boy in. "We live in houses for a reason."

"Dad," A grown female's voice spoke. "Who was at the door?"

Orion took a deep breath, sitting down in his armchair. "Sorry I forgot to ask your name."

A sudden crash of dishes on the ground made the room jump. Claire stood in the doorway in shock, her eyes trained on Ratchet.

Orion jumped up as fast as he could, using the wall to guide himself. "Honey," he spoke gently. "Honey are you alright?"

"Mom!" A grown Pixie rushed to her mother and stopped her father from stepping on the broken pieces and shards. "I'll clean this up, maybe you both should go sit down."

Claire simply stepped over the broken dishes and went to Ratchet. "Virgil," she stopped short and had to keep herself from touching Ratchet's face. "I'm sorry, you look like…"

"My dad?" Ratchet offered. "Mom said that a lot." He shrugged.

Orion staggered over to Claire, his wife in shock. She simply held onto her husband. "Please tell me your name is Ratchet Vital."

"Hi, Grandma." Ratchet nodded. "Hi, Grandpa."

Claire immediately felt tears running down her face. "Ratchet," She sighed. Claire wrapped her arms around Ratchet and wept with joy.

"My boy," Orion smiled, simply nodding and waiting for his wife to get back to him. "Your father wrote to us all about you and your mother."

Pixie stacked the broken dishes before getting up and going to her father. She took his hands and put them on Ratchet's head. "He's right here, Dad."

"Thank you, Pix." Orion smiled towards his daughter, running his hands on Ratchet's head.

Ratchet frowned a little. "Dad didn't say you were blind."

"Cataracts," Orion nodded. "Luckily they started to develop after your father took over. They run in my family."

Ratchet tilted his head. "Does that mean I could get them?"

Orion smoothed Ratchet's ears. "Don't mind that now." He smiled and felt his grandson's face. "What matters is that you're here."

"Yes," Claire smiled and knelt to Ratchet. "You're here now with us."

Ratchet tried to smile at his grandparents. He wished his parents were there with him.

"Oh, we should call Simon!" Claire jumped up, ruining her husband's anchor. She kissed Ratchet's head before she made her way to the home communicator.

Pixie smiled and guided her father to his chair. "While my mother is calling my brother, make yourself comfortable." She gently rubbed Ratchet's shoulder for a moment before going to check all of the smashed dishes for survivors.

"Ratchet," Orion smiled in Ratchet's general direction. "Tell me all about your travels here."

While Ratchet was telling his grandfather his story he watched his aunt Pixie examine each dish and fragment. Calmly she rinsed the surviving dishes to clean off possible contamination, she rinsed off her gloves and dried them off on her pants.

Pixie's high rise pants fell slightly to show a gentle bump underneath her belly button. She checked to see if her mother had seen before pulling them back up to cover up all evidence of the life growing within her.

Ratchet acted as if he hadn't seen, paying much more attention to the story he was saying to Orion.

"Boys," Claire smiled as she rejoined Ratchet and Orion. "Good news." She sat next to Orion and interlaced their fingers. "Simon, Demi, and Ori are coming to dinner."

Orion nodded. "Good, no offense to Pixie but it's been too long that there have been more girls than boys in this house."

"Heard that." Pixie's voice came from the kitchen.

Claire lovingly kissed her husband and affectionately embraced her grandson before rushing off to make dinner for the family.

When the rest of the family did arrive poor little Ratchet was nearly crushed by his Uncle Simon.

"I can't believe it." Simon finally let Ratchet go, the latter gasping for air on his release. "It's like looking at my brother when he was younger."

Demi was much more gentle, she calmly shook Ratchet's hand. "It's so nice to meet you, I'm your Aunt Demi." She pushed forward young Ori. "And this is Orion, your cousin."

Ori was at least 2 feet taller than Ratchet and had gotten his father's muscular build. "Hey." He shrugged. Demi lightly hit her son on the arm with the back of her hand. "Fine." Orion sighed. "Hello Ratchet," he spoke flatly. "My name is Orion, it's nice to meet you." Ori looked at his mother. "Happy?"

"If you had your homework done before we came," Demi smiled and booped her son's nose. Which he did not appreciate.

The family settled into dinner, everyone talking and eating except Pixie.

"What's wrong, Pixie?" Claire helped Orion Sr. find his drink.

Pixie smiled as big as she could. "I'm just not hungry, Mom." She rested a hand on her stomach. "If you will please excuse me." Pixie got up and went to the restroom.

"Simon," Claire glanced toward the restroom.

Simon sighed. "Pix is fine, Mom." He shrugged. "She's a grown woman, she doesn't need me to check up on her."

"She hasn't been feeling well for over a month," Claire whispered to Simon. "As her mother I'm concerned."

Simon set down his silverware. "Mom, I don't think we should have this conversation." He groaned and grabbed the bridge of his nose. Simon closed his eyes tight as he rubbed his bridge.

"Si," Demi grabbed his arm.

Simon sighed. "I'm fine, Demi." He gently patted his wife's hand.

Young Orion frowned and looked away from his parents.

"Is something wrong with your eyes?" Ratchet blinked.

Simon took a deep breath and smiled at Ratchet. "No, Bud. My eyes are fine."

"You were transferred to records," Young Orion simply watched his plate. "Because you couldn't pass the yearly eye exam."

Simon frowned deeply at his son. "Your grandparents don't need to know that."

"You and Mom," Young Orion huffed at his father, standing up. "You guys act like nothing's wrong! But Dad, you are losing your eyesight!"

Simon stood to face his son. "My eyes are fine." He groaned again and his hand immediately covered his eyes. "Damn it."

"I'm scared, Dad." Young Orion swallowed. "It makes me so mad that you act like it isn't happening but it is. And I have to pretend that my dad is fine when he's not."

Claire stood up from the table and ran to do the dishes. The room was otherwise silent but the sound of clinking dishes from the kitchen. Orion Sr. joined his wife in the kitchen. Young Orion frowned at Ratchet. "Sorry, we're not perfect. I'm sure things would be better if your Dad was still here."

"Virgil," Simon laughed weakly. "My brother Virgil." He looked at Ratchet, moisture in his eyes. "Do you boys want to hear a few stories about my little brother?"

Demi perked up. "I think that's a great idea." She stood up and corralled the boys to the living room. "There are some real gems in the roster."

"Yes," Simon sat down with the boys. "Such as my mother hid her pregnancies with my brother and your Aunt Pixie." He went on to tell the stories about how Claire hid the two pregnancies (well, almost did with Pixie but still Virgil was surprised).

Pixie hid in the hallway but still listened to her brother, rubbing her stomach. She knew about hiding pregnancies. Pixie simply sighed, feeling like the failure child. Her loser boyfriend fathered her child and refused to even acknowledge that she was pregnant.

Pixie's communicator went off and she instantly silenced the ringer, she barely had to look to see who it was. It went off a second time and Pixie bolted outside through the bathroom window.

"What?" Pixie grumbled into her communicator.

Xader laughed back. "You're grumpy." He turned serious. "Why aren't you answering my calls? You cheating on me?"

"No." Pixie scoffed. "I'm too busy puking my brains out."

Xader growled. "Probably something you caught from those guys you been with behind my back."

"I 'caught' it," Pixie laughed. "From you. From our child."

Xader rolled his eyes. "Just shut up. You're so much better when you keep that mouth of yours closed." He shrugged. "I need you to get here, my bike needs fixed. And wear your special outfit, you know I like to watch you work."

"I'm not wearing that dumb outfit." Pixie hissed.

Xader glared at Pixie. "You're wearing it. And remember to do your crunches, you're getting fat. Just shows I'm treating you too good."

"For the last time I'm preg-," Xader hung up on her, "-nant." Pixie sighed heavily.

Ratchet blinked. "Who was that?" Pixie jumped and spun around to see her nephew.

"No one." Pixie hid her communicator behind her back. "A friend. An enemy."

Ratchet perked a skeptical eyebrow. "Why would you be speaking to an enemy?"

"Alright." Pixie sighed. She sat down next to the house, Pixie patted a spot next to her for her nephew. Ratchet gladly took the invitation. "Can I convince you that was a friend of mine that I don't like but have to hang around because of arbitrary reasons?"

Ratchet blinked. "No."

"How much of the conversation did you hear?" Pixie buried her face into her hands.

Ratchet frowned. "That he makes you wear a stupid outfit and he thinks you're fat when you're pregnant." He sighed. "Do Grandma and Grandpa know?"

"The only people I know that know," Pixie sighed, putting her head back against the wall behind her. "Are me, you, and...Xader." She scoffed. "Who thinks I'm making it up to hide weight gain." Pixie lowered her pants to expose her stomach. "This is not fat."

Ratchet scooted closer. "Can I touch your stomach?"

"Go ahead, kid." Pixie sat up, looking down at her nephew and stomach. "Not like the baby's father is going to give it any attention."

"Baby?" Claire's voice made Pixie and Ratchet lookup. A look of pure surprise and hurt on her mother's face shot Pixie down. "Pixie, you're having a baby?"

Pixie fought not to vomit. "I'm sorry, Mom." She turned away from Claire. "I didn't listen to you and Dad. Xader said that…" Pixie knelt in her flower bed, her arms crossed over her stomach. "I know how much I messed up."

"Pixie, sweetheart." Claire knelt next to Pixie. "Your father and I love you so much. We will always be there to help you when you need it." She rubbed her daughter's ears. "You can mess up a million times but your father and I will still be there for you."

Ratchet snuck away to be with the men of the family and his Aunt Demi. It was a surprise that his visit would be interesting. Not that he was disappointed. Part of him didn't want to go back home, but Solana needed him.

Pixie confronted Xader when she was 4 months pregnant. "Hey," Xader scolded her, each of his arms around a girl she had never met before. "Where is my favorite outfit?"

"I'm never wearing it again." Pixie kicked the skimpy outfit along the ground to him. "I'm not fixing your bikes anymore."

Xader instantly had a hand around Pixie's neck. "You want to try that again?" He whispered to her. "I'm sure I didn't hear you correctly, sweetness." Xader smiled, squeezing Pixie's neck a little.

"You heard me," Pixie mumbled. "Let me go."

Xader laughed, the others around him the following suit. "You can't leave yet." He gently touched her stomach. "You don't have your souvenir." Xader started to apply pressure to Pixie's stomach, Pixie gasped. Her stomach trembled in pain. "I should have gotten rid of you when you told me you were knocked up."

"Let us go," Pixie growled. "Let us go, Xader." She grabbed his hand on her stomach, ripping it off.

Xader frowned. "I got to teach you a lesson in manners, girly." He took Pixie's neck in both hands and squeezed as tight as he could.

"No!" Pixie pulled out her wrench and grabbed both his wrists. She twisted hard, Xader screamed and let her go. "You need manners." Pixie swung her wrench, connecting with the side of Xader's head.

Xader flew a little way but sadly got back up. He had a fire in his eyes as he looked at Pixie. "You pregnant bi-" Pixie connected again, under his jaw.

"No cursing in front of the baby." Pixie put her spare hand under her stomach. "I'm sure they'll get your fat head and stubbornness."

Xader leaned against the wall. He panted. "I don't give a flying fu-" Pixie connected with his family jewels. Xader groaned and fell over onto his side.

"Let me fill you in," Pixie twirled her wrench and got Xader by the throat. She lifted him along the wall so his feet were off the ground.

"My grandfather," Pixie snarled, "was the savior of the universe." She smiled when Xader whimpered, holding onto her wrench with a swollen eye. "He was the greatest man I know. And this baby inside me is part of his legacy." Pixie tightened her wrench around Xader's neck. "If you so much as a glance in my direction before or after I give birth I will end you. No one," Tighten, "threatens," Tighten, "my," Tighten, "baby." She forced the wrench into the wall, Xader's gag giving Pixie immense satisfaction. "Got it?"

Xader nodded vigorously. "If the nice lady could let me go." He tried to smile, his voice strained for some reason.

"Almost done." Pixie made sure her wrench would remain secure. She took off her glove, secured Xader's legs, and carved into his stomach 'PPV'.

Xader squirmed, screaming as the letters took form. "You crazy bi-" Pixie broke a...sensitive body part "AAHH!" (Which yes, to even my immense horror, can be broken. As all the gentlemen reading this cross their legs.)

"Self defense by the way," Pixie cleaned the blood off her hand. "You may want to get to a hospital with that particular injury." She patted her stomach. "Come on, Baby. Mommy is feeling a little tired." Pixie pulled her wrench out of the wall, sending Xader tumbling to the ground.

An undisclosed amount of time later Pixie had a baby boy she named Ty, her father very pleased to have another darling grandson. Xader was no longer a problem. And never fathered a child again.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Maybe.

Thanks so much for reading. I'll be releasing more as time goes on. Possibly due to the volume of the chapters I have. See you soon!