OK, lovebugs this is the proper chapter 17, and now I will be working on getting Dance For You updated for you all. 3

TEN YEARS LATER

"Keep your grimy little fingers out of my room, or I promise I will cut them off and feed them to a pack of wolves," Iris hissed out at her twin brothers. A lot had changed in the household. Sam and Mercedes had decided to get married, with Sam proposing exactly three months after Mercedes came back from New York. As expected and hoped she said yes and they had a beautiful wedding and reception at the Evans's farm. Then nine months later Mercedes gave birth to Evans boy twins. There was the oldest was Mac, who was the smartest out of his brothers, and his coke bottle glasses sure did fit his aesthetic. He loved science and math but also loved to be sneaky especially when it meant messing with his sister Iris. Then there was Theodore who was the smallest of the bunch and was the quiet and reserved one.

"Mom, Iris threatened to cut off our fingers!" Mac yelled as he looked at his sister square in his eyes.

"Mom, Mac keeps sneaking into my room and messing with my things," Iris yelled after him as she kept her eyes trained on the little devil. Mercedes came into the hallway with her five-month-old baby girl in her arms and looked at her three oldest kids before her eyes landed on Theodore.

"Theo, what happened?" She asked calmly.

"Mac snuck into Iris's room and went in the back of her closet and messed with the locked chest that dad gave her for her birthday last year," Theodore told truthfully.

"Remind me to never rob a bank with you," Mac let out as he pinched his brother.

"Mac, that is enough, ok you have one more time to do something else, and I promise you I will let your dad handle you. Iris, can you please take Theo out shoe-shopping the money is on the counter, Theo you only need sneakers nothing more. Mac you can go clean the kitchen." Mercedes instructed her children. They all nodded their heads and went about doing the tasks. Mercedes, however, needed to speak with her oldest daughter, so she stepped into her little girl's room and admired how grown-up her daughter had become. She had traded in her pink and purple aesthetic for brighter colors her favorite being orange and yellow, but she also had hints of subtle brown. Her posters of Barbie and her favorite shows had been replaced with gymnastics posters, her medals, and pictures of her family. However, Mercedes's favorite photo was the one of when she and Sam got married, and someone had caught the perfect picture of Sam's belt down at Iris's level and their foreheads touching. It represented their relationship so much.

"How was gymnastics practice today?" Mercedes questioned as Iris moved about her room.

"It was ok, they have me working on a few new tricks to use in the competition this year." She explained.

"Hmm, ok and how are you doing after the breakup with Polly?" Mercedes asked seriously.

"Honestly mom, I think the breakup is for her more than it is for me," Iris answered honestly. Iris and Polly had both come out as bisexual to everyone and to say someone was surprised would be a lie. All of the adults kind of figured they had a thing for each other when they both hit high school, and kept looking at each other longingly. Last year though they both decided to date and everything was going great until Iris had gotten the opportunity to compete in the junior Olympics for gymnastics, and Polly had gotten the same opportunity for track, Polly made the decision to end things, and her reasoning for it wasn't good enough.

"I just don't want to see you guys lose your friendship, you guys have been friends since you were four," Mercedes stressed.

"Mom, I am fine I promise. However, there is something I need to talk to you and dad about at dinner," Iris admitted.

"Am I going to like it?" Mercedes questioned.

"I don't know but I do know for sure that dad is going to hate it."

"Ok, well, just remember he is hella protective. Isn't that right Lily," Mercedes cooed at her daughter.

"Do you think you'll ever have another one?"

"Hell no, I got my tubes removed after this one, so you miss are stuck with the siblings that you have, make sure Theodore only gets sneakers, he ran these new ones into the mud," Mercedes explained.

"Babe, I'm home finally," Sam announced as he walked into the bedroom and saw Mercedes doing laundry as their new baby Lily sat in her boppy and looked up at her.

"Hi, honey how was work?" Mercedes asked her husband as she gave him a kiss and a hug before he picked up Lily who grew excited at seeing her father.

"Eh, it was ok, just a few surgeries here and there, however, I am glad that you are going to be coming back to work tomorrow, and little Lily can be in the daycare, while mommy and daddy get to work together all over again. Just like old times, who knew that coming here and working at a hospital would leave me to be the father of four amazing kids, and a husband?" Sam sighed happily.

"No, you coming to a club, and having a one-night stand with me led to you being my husband," Mercedes corrected him as she gave him a kiss.

Sam chuckled, "Yeah that too, how is Iris?"

"You know her she won't confront the breakup head-on so she has been pushing herself in gymnastics to get ready for the Olympic competition, but aside from that she also has something to share with us at dinner."

"Ok, and what about the boys?"

"Well, Mac keeps on sneaking into Iris's room, and Theo is with Iris to get himself new tennis shoes, and I think he might be finally getting the hang of karate and breaking out his shell."

"Well, that's great, ok I am going to shower, and then I will see you down for dinner, and maybe if we are lucky you can come and join me in the shower because someone looks to be falling asleep," Sam smirked as he looked at Lily who was now asleep.

"Hmm, well let's go, because she won't stay down for long," Mercedes smiled as she headed to the bathroom.

At dinner, Iris was more quiet than usual which concerned her parents but they figured she would talk about it once her brothers went upstairs. After dinner, Theo and Mac headed upstairs to their bedroom and grabbed Lily to put her down for her sleep as their mother asked them to. This left Iris, Mercedes, and Sam at the dinner table just like years ago when it was just the three of them.

"So, baby girl, what did you want to speak with us about?" Sam questioned.

"Um, I have been receiving letters from Matt, and he wants me to come to visit him, and I think I want to," Iris said quietly. Mercedes wasn't stupid she knew that the day would come when Matt would start contacting his daughter, but it wasn't a secret that he signed his rights over, and that Sam had adopted her just days after he and Mercedes wed. Not to mention that Sam is extremely protective over all his kids, but it was Iris of who he was the most protective over the most.

"How long has he been sending these letters to you?" Mercedes questioned as she stared at an eerily quiet Sam.

"I've been receiving letters from you for about a month," Iris answered honestly.

"You aren't going," Sam let out as he grabbed the dishes and started to clean up.

"But dad, it fits perfectly for me to go, the competition is in New York, and it is only about thirty minutes away from the prison, it would be fine," Iris argued,

"Iris, when I said you are not going, I meant you are not going, you need to focus on the competition and on the school that is final."

"But dad I have to go, I remember all too well about what happened just eleven years ago, and I know you do too. He has changed his letters to prove it he wants me to go and apologize to him and it is my right to do so," Iris insisted as she went and walked over to the sink.

"IRIS, YOU ARE NOT GOING AND THAT IS FINAL!" Sam shouted at her.

Iris cowered back at her father's outbursts and felt tears hit her eyes, "If it wasn't for me him giving up his rights, you wouldn't even be my father," Iris hissed as she rushed up to her room and shut the door. Sam sighed and banged his fists on the counter as he turned and looked at his wife who was still sitting at the table.

"You are doing it again," Mercedes whispered.

"Doing what Mercedes?"

"Being over-protective to the point where it is scary and you are not listening, you did it to me when I wanted to go and see my dad, and now you are doing it to her. You both are wrong Sam, but as her father, and as the man she trusts for everything you handled it poorly." Mercedes replied.

"So what do you want me to do, let her just go there?" Sam sighed.

"I want you to listen to your daughter, and talk with her not at her," Mercedes explained as she stood and walked over to him, "I know you don't want her to get hurt, but we also know she will sneak off and do it if she really wants too. Just be calm." Mercedes reached up and gave Sam a kiss before heading upstairs leaving Sam with a lot to think about.