Spot looked up when Trent walked into the lodging house. "Trent? What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you and Rae.," he said.

"About Julie?"

He nodded.

"All right.. come in."

"Where's Rae?"

"She's upstairs. I guess it's good you came by now, because she's not feeling too well."

"Let's talk first and then I'll take a look at her."

He nodded and led him upstairs. Tapping lightly on the door, Spot poked his head into the room. "Trent's here."

She sat up. "Come on in." And both men entered the room.

Trent nodded to her. "Hello Rae."

"Hey Trent."

Trent sat in the chair next to her bed. "I have to talk to you about Julie's current situation."

Rae sat up straighter. "What about it?"

"She needs to get out of my clinic. It's not that I don't have room for her...or don't want to care for her...but she needs to be in a house, with all of you..."

"But you said she probably couldn't handle a trip back to Pleasant Valley..."

"She CAN'T handle a trip back...but I have a friend that is willing to rent his house out to you for a few months while he goes to London."

Spot and Rae looked at one another. "Are you sure?" Spot finally asked.

"Yes."

"All right then... when should we move in?"

"Today."

"All right..."

"It'll have to be in the evening though," Rae spoke up. "Duchess still doesn't know he's back... and.. I'd like to keep it that way."

"That's fine. Besides...I want you to get some rest."

With a bit of a sigh, she nodded. "Spot told you I wasn't feeling well?"

"Almost as soon as I walked in the door."

She laughed faintly. "Spot, you worry wart."

"No. I just love you is all."

Trent smiled a bit. "Well, I'll check you over once you get settled in to the house, okay?"

"Alright," she said with a nod.

"All right. See you then." With a final nod, he rose to his feet and left the lodging house.

When he left Spot sat next to Rae. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better. I don't feel quite as queasy..."

"Good. I know four little people who want to see their Momma."

She smiled. "I bet I know four little people who want to see their Momma too."

"I'll bring them up."

She smiled. "All right. I'll be waiting."

He rose and left the room, returning a moment later with the twins, Kendra and Sam.

Andy and Ann were at his heels. "Momma!" they exclaimed, racing over to her.

"Hello sweethearts," she said, giving them all hugs and kisses.

"Are you feelin' better?" Ann asked.

"A little bit."

"Did the doctor make you better?" she asked.

"We saw him here," Andy explained.

Rae and Spot exchanged a glance. "No. He was here to talk to me and Daddy about Julie."

"Is Julie getting better?" Ann asked hopefully.

Rae hugged Annie to her. "No, sweetheart. She's not going to get better."

She frowned. "Why was he here then?"

"Because he was telling us about a house that we can live in while we stay here with Julie."

"So she's not gonna stay at the hospital?" Andy asked.

"No.  We're gonna move into the house tonight and Julie will come tomorrow."

They nodded simultaneously and scooted aside as Sam and Kendra clambered towards Rae.

"Daddy won't let us play outside," Kendra said as Sam claimed a hug and a kiss from his mother,

She smiled. "Well, it's scary outside. It's probably better if you don't for now." Kendra pouted. Again, Rae smiled. "I know you wanna play outside... Maybe tomorrow, when Dr. Trent comes, he could play with you a little before he leaves..."

"Alright," she said, curling up on the bed beside Rae.

She stroked Kendra's hair gently.

"Momma," Sam said, patting Rae's cheek.

She smiled. "Come sit next to Momma."

He sat next to her and began babbling.

"When are you going to say full words, mister?" she asked with a small smile.

He grinned at her.

Rae looked at Spot. "Where is this house, do you know?"

Spot looked at the paper Trent had shoved in his hand as he had left. "This is near his office...maybe two blocks or so."

After a moment, she nodded. "All right I guess.

"He wouldn't suggest this if he didn't think it best for Julie."

She nodded. "I know."

He gently cupped her face with his hands. "I love you."

She held his fingers and smiled. "I know."

"Ready to come downstairs with us? The newsies will be getting back soon and they still don't know that I'm alive."

After a moment, she nodded. "All right."

He scooped Sam and Kendra up and threw them over his shoulders.  "We'll be waiting."

She nodded and slowly climbed to her feet, tugging her fingers through her slightly tangled hair. Grabbing a brush, she brushed it quickly, and headed downstairs to be with her family and old friends.

When she got downstairs Andy sat on the couch beside her. "Momma?" he asked. "Why do Chris and Molly like kissing? Ain't kissin' gross?"

She laughed. "It can be."

"Then how come you and Daddy kiss so much?"

"Because it isn't gross for us."

"Why not?" Annie asked.

"Because we love each other."

"I don't understand."

She smiled. "Well, really, you won't fully understand it until you're a little older."

"Everything happens when you're older," she pouted.

Rae smiled. "That's what makes growing up so exciting!"

"Growin' up takes too long."

"I know... But you'll get there before you know it. You were just four when we found you, remember? And now you're already seven!"

Annie sighed.

Well, it had seemed fast to her! It was as if finding them had just happened a week ago, and all that happened since was squished into those seven days.

Rae kissed her forehead. "I love you Annie."

She hugged her back. "Love you too, Momma."

"What did you do while I was gone?"

"We went to school," Andy said in a dull voice.

"And helped Daddy with the babies," Ann added.

"Was school that bad?"

"Yes," Andy replied as Ann shrugged and said "I guess..."

"What happened?"

"They still make fun of us for Daddy...."

"And one big kid said that he thinks daddy killed someone," Andy added.

"Daddy would never do something like that!"

"I know! But he said that Daddy did..."

"And Andy hit him in the nose."

"Andy!"

"Well he deserved it!" Andy said, balling his fists up at the memory.

"I thought we talked about fighting Andy."

"I know," he mumbled. "But if you just heard him!"

She put her arm around him. "I know, buddy. But you can't fight everyone who says something mean."

"But... he shouldn't've said that at all"

"He was wrong for saying it...but you were wrong for hitting him."

"And two wrongs don't make a right," Ann chirped, as they had been told this when Andy had hit the boy.

Andy crossed his arms and glared at his sister.

"What? It's what they said..."

"Maybe you should just keep your mouth shut, Ann," Spot said.

She pouted.

"No more fighting, alright, Andy? Please," Rae said.

He sighed heavily. "Yes Ma'am...."

She tickled him.

He gave a small giggle.

She kissed his head. "Go play."

After a moment, he nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Rae smiled at Spot as the twins moved to the other side of the room to play.

"The way Andy carries on sometime, you'd think he really was ours," she said.

"I know," he said, slipping his arm around her.

"I love them to pieces.. but I hope they don't forget their real parents, you know?"

"I know. But they were so little...and we don't even know anything about them..."

"I know," she sighed, "but I still hope."

He kissed the side of her head.