Jackson paced back and forth slowly on his crutches. This was just as bad as when Marty was having a baby! Now it was his sister!
"She'll be fine," Spot assured him, rocking Ashleigh.
"These women are going to drive me into an early grave, with all this baby-having."
Spot laughed softly.
"I can't take this!"
Sam walked in and dropped onto the couch. "How are you doing, Grandpa?" he asked, smirking at his father.
Spot smiled. "Better than him." He pointed to Jackson.
Jackson turned to look at them. "What if she has twins? I mean, she and I are twins...and Andy and Ann..."
"Oh gosh... Twins everywhere..."
A few minutes later Ann came into the room with a smile on her face.
"What's the verdict?" Spot asked.
"Boys."
"Boys... as in more than one?"
She smiled and nodded. "Twins," she said with a laugh.
"Oh wow..."
"All three are perfectly fine."
"That's good to hear."
"Any names yet for my grandsons?" Spot asked.
"She chose Andy and Drew"
Spot nodded. "Good names."
"She thought so."
He stood and handed Ashleigh to Sam. "Is she up to visitors?"
Ann nodded. "Just one though...she's really tired."
Spot nodded. "All right. I won't keep her long." She walked back upstairs with him. "I'll bet she's glad that this is over with," Spot said with a smile.
"She is...she's also sad that Andy can't be here to see his sons..."
"Oh, I know...."
"It's not fair, Daddy..."
"I know it's not. If I could change it, I would."
She sighed. "Come on in. Ginny wants to show off her boys to you."
Spot entered the room. "I hear you have some grandchildren to show me?"
Ginny smiled softly. "Come see..."
He crossed the room and sat next to her.
"I had a feeling it was going to be a boy...so I was gonna name him Andrew Jr..." She sighed. "I never expected twins..."
"We have a lot of sets in this house. You and Jackson, now your children, Ann and Andy, the triplets... it's ... crazy!"
She smiled. "Trent told me that they tend to run in the family...I didn't believe him..."
"Well, now I reckon you do, eh?" he said with a smile.
"What do you think of your grandsons?"
"They're quite handsome," he said.
"Thank you, Grandpa."
He laughed. "I don't mind being called grandpa."
She smiled.
Noelle walked into the room. "Alright Spot...the little momma needs her rest..."
"Right. Call for one of us if you need anything," Spot told her.
"I will...now scoot."
-----
Ginny paused in hanging clean, wet diapers on the line to cover a yawn. She hadn't been sleeping well because of the twins, and with five babies in the house there was always something that needed to be done, usually washing diapers. She frowned when she saw a figure slowly moving up the driveway toward the house. They never got visitors. She looked over her shoulder and called for Spot, who was setting out the cart horses to graze.
He walked over, watching the person walking toward the house. They were still too far away to make out who it was. "That's odd... I didn't think we'd be getting any visitors today..."
Ginny dropped the diaper and raised her hands to her face with a gasp. There was something very familiar about the man coming toward them.
"Do you know who it is?" Spot asked.
"It's Andy!" she said, running across the yard.
"What? Andy?"
"ANDY!" she yelled, running to him with tears blurring her vision.
"GINNY!" He caught her and held her tight in his arms.
"They told me you were dead..." she sobbed, clinging to him.
"Missing, more like it," he said, burying his face in her hair. "I missed you so much..."
"I missed you too," she said, looking up at him.
He was just about to kiss her, when the whole family surrounded them and in the shuffle Ginny got pushed from his side. Biting her lip, she slowly walked back into the house and up to her room to check on the twins. Andy greeted everyone, but early on saw Ginny leave. He managed to worm his way out of the small crowd and he headed up to the house.
Ginny knelt on the floor near the cradle and brushed a kiss on each little forehead, before standing and walking over to the window, watching the crowd in the yard. There was a tap on the door. She turned toward the door.
Andy poked his head in the room. "Can I come in?"
"Of course...it's your room..."
"Ginny... are you mad... what in the world?" He noticed the cradle.
She moved over to the cradle and knelt beside it again. "Come meet your sons..."
"My... mine??" He looked surprised. Then he smiled a bit. "Look, there's two of them! What a coincidence."
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
"Ginny...."
She buried her face in her hands, sobbing.
"Shhh...." He rubbed her back gently.
She clung to him.
"It's okay."
"I was so scared, Andy..."
"I know... I'm so sorry I worried you..."
One of the babies began to fuss. She sniffled and glanced over her shoulder. "He needs a diaper change."
He kissed her forehead. She stood and picked up Drew, laying him on the bed. "What did you name them?" Andy asked, looking at the other baby.
She smiled a bit. "Andy and Drew."
"You named them after me?"
"Yes."
He walked over to where she was changing Drew's diaper. "Why?"
"Why not?"
"I don't know what to say..." he said.
"Does that upset you?"
He shook his head. "Would you hurry up with that...I want to kiss you!"
She laughed a bit. She finished changing Drew's diaper and put him back in his cradle, before turning to face Andy.
He stepped over to her and gently caressed her cheek. "You're so beautiful..." She flushed. He rested his forehead against hers. "I love you, Virginia Wayne Conlon..."
"I love you Andrew... I missed you so, so much..."
"Not nearly as much as I missed you, Gin." He leaned down and kissed her softly.
She rested her head against his chest. "Are you upset about my having the boys? You haven't really said..."
He laughed. "Of course not. Though I am surprised."
She looked up at him. "Your mother..."
He kissed her forehead. "Sippi told me...he told me about Annie and Jeremy too...but he didn't tell me that I was a father..."
"Well, I imagine he had a lot on his mind already with all that and then you coming home."
He kissed her again. "May I hold our sons?"
"Of course you can."
"How old are they?" he asked.
"Two months."
"Whoa... that old?"
She nodded and picked up Drew. "I was terrified at the thought of raising them without you, Andy."
"Well, you don't have to worry anymore. I'm back and nothing can take me away again."
"I'm glad..."
He smiled when she handed Drew to him. "Hey buddy..." Drew yawned. "He doesn't seem so interested in me," he said with a chuckle.
She giggled and took Drew from him. "This little guy should be getting hungry soon.
"What about little Andy?" He leaned over the cradle and peered at the sleeping baby.
"He'll be hungry in about an hour...They usually take turns...usually..." He laughed a bit. She walked over to the bed and sat on it, with one foot tucked beneath her. She looked up at him and smiled. "I had a dream that you would come back."
He walked over and sat next to her.
"Where were you all this time?"
"In a hospital...I lost my memory, Ginny."
"You what?" she gasped.
"I can't remember what happened...I just woke up in a hospital and had no idea who I was...and my identification had been lost..."
"What happened then?"
"It came back in bits in pieces...the first thing I remembered was you...although I had no idea who this girl I kept thinking about was..."
She laughed a bit.
He leaned over and stole a kiss. "The next thing that I remembered was our 'honeymoon'."
"Mm, not one of our fonder memories."
"It wasn't that bad..." he said, smirking at her mischievously.
She flushed and elbowed him.
He grinned. "How long do you think I can hide in here before someone comes looking for me?"
There was a tap on the door. "Mm, not very long," she said with a small laugh.
"Who is it?" he yelled.
"It's your twin sister you twit!" Ann shouted back with a grin.
He rolled his eyes. "Come in!"
She opened the door and ran to him, flinging her arms around him. "I'm sorry I'm interrupting, but I just had to see you! I can't believe you're alive!"
He held her back at arms' length. "And what is this I hear about you being married to 'that annoying pest'?"
She jabbed him. "He's not so annoying anymore."
He grinned, unable to resist teasing her. "Could it be that my twin sister has finally fallen in love with Jeremy Saint?"
"Well, it took some time," she admitted.
"And I hear something about a baby too..."
"Adopted...and we'll be bringing her sister to the states after the war..."
"Well, you'll have your hands full," he said with a smile.
"So will you!"
He laughed. "I guess I will..."
She stood up. "Well, I'll leave you two alone now."
He walked with her to the door. "Tell everyone that I do want to see them...but I would like to spend time with my wife and sons first..."
Ann laughed a bit. "Yes, I will. Behave." And she left.
Ginny smiled. Andy sat down and wrapped his arms around her. Drew protested in her arms. He laughed and tickled the infant's stomach. Drew cooed.
"He knows his daddy," she said with a smile.
"I should hope so..." He looked at her. "You did good, Gin."
"Well, they're you're children too."
He kissed her. She returned the kiss and then cuddled up against him with a contented sigh. "I'm never going to leave you again, sweetheart."
"I won't let you, either," she added with a smile.
-----
Marty lay in the dark and bit her lip. She wanted to tell him, but she wanted to be sure first...besides, they hadn't really talked about more children.
A hand reached hers. "Are you still awake?
She sighed. "Yeah."
"What's wrong?"
"We never talked about having children..."
"No," he agreed. "We didn't."
"We have Faith...and I wouldn't trade her for anything...but I don't even know if you want more...or how many more you want..."
"Why do you ask now?" he asked curiously.
"Because I want to know...I need to know, Jackson..."
He wrapped his arms around her. "I want children. Lots. Not an outrageous amount, but I won't balk at five or six."
She was silent for a long time. "Jackson..."
"Hmm?"
"I think I'm pregnant..."
"You do??"
She nodded.
He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Is that what you were fussing about all night?"
"I wasn't fussing..."
He smiled. "Tossing and turning and sighing sounds like fussing to me."
She elbowed him. "You're so mean to me..."
"Am not."
She rolled onto her side. "Yes you are."
He pulled her close. "Why do you say that?"
"You're picking on me..."
He buried his nose in her hair. "Oh, I'm only doing it out of love."
She sniffled. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. She snuggled up against him. "Do you want another one now?"
"The more the merrier, I always say."
"That's not an answer Jackson Wayne."
"Yes it is."
"Not a very good one..."
"It's a brilliant one."
"You take delight in aggravating me...don't you..."
"No. Why do you say that?"
"You won't give me a straight answer..."
"Fine... Yes. I want more children." He smiled. "Happy now?
"Yes."
He smiled. "What about you?"
"Yes...I do..."
"Is that hesitation I hear?"
"Maybe a little."
"How come?"
"Faith is still so little..."
"Well, if you are pregnant, you still have... well, a good long while to go. Faith will be a year and a half, you know. That's not so young anymore."
"I was kinda hoping we'd have some time with just her, ya know?"
"That's true..."
"She's crawling all over the place..."
"Well, if you're pregnant, you're pregnant though..."
"I know..."
He hugged her. She snuggled into his arms. "I love you Marty."
"I love you too, Jackson."
He kissed her forehead. "Now, do you think you can go to sleep?
She nodded. "I think so."
"You better," he said with a smile. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Sleep sweet."
-----
"So tell me about you and Jerry," Andy said, as he and Ann walked back from town.
"What do you want to know?" she asked.
"Last time I saw him, he was headed to Russia for a few days of leave...said he wanted to get some pictures..."
"Well, that might have been the reason he was heading out there, but he found me."
"How did he convince you to marry him? You never could stand to be in the same room with him."
She smiled. "My dance school burned down. My papers with it. I couldn't leave Russia. But he managed to find out...that I could. If I left as a war bride."
He looked at her confused. "A war bride? But he's just a photographer!"
"Not exactly..."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... he...is a spy. He took on many roles."
"Jeremy Saint? A spy?!"
She nodded. "I didn't believe it at first either."
"So he married you, brought you home and then left you again?"
"Well... not quite like that."
"Then what happened?"
"Well, we had to hide out in England for a while. Some men wanted to kill him. And we ended up falling in love there. Then Aimee and Colette were left on our doorstep... Then we came home. And he has to finish working, so he had to go back."
"And you're happy?"
"I'd be happier if he was home safe... but yes." She tilted her head. "Why?"
He put his arm around her shoulder. "You're my twin sister Annie...I want you to be happy."
She smiled a bit. "I am."
He kissed the side of her head. "Good. Now tell me about this Colette..."
"She's Aimee's older sister... about two, and the sweetest child... She can only speak French though, so far."
"Why didn't you bring her with you?"
"Because the story we had to leave under was that I was his Russian bride... And she would've blown our cover, since she spoke French."
He nodded. "Was it hard to leave her?"
"Very... You can't imagine how hard it was..."
He hugged her.
"I'm glad to have you back, Andy. And I know Ginny is too."
"It's so good to be back."
"I know."
He sighed. "It's hard to believe that Ma's gone..."
She nodded and sniffled a bit. "Ashleigh is adorable..."
He smiled. "She is."
"She looks so much like Lizzy..."
She nodded. "She's going to grow up even more beautiful."
"Dad says that Lizzy looks so much like Ma did at that age..."
"Momma was always beautiful."
He nodded. "Do you ever think about our parents Annie?"
"Of course I do... why?"
"I thought about them a lot on the way back..."
"What about?"
"The fact that I remember nothing about them...just that they died..."
"That's all I remember too.. That...and Momma used to sing us a lullaby... I can't remember the words, but I remember the music."
"I've heard you humming something when you rock Aimee...is that it?"
She nodded.
"I don't remember going to sleep in that old barn...but I've always been grateful that Ma and Dad found us."
She smiled. "Me too."
He hugged her. "Come on...let's get back."
She nodded. "They'll probably be wondering where we are."
-----
Jeremy walked into the room where Colette was playing. "vous vous êtes ennuyé du pépère, mon petit?" (Did you miss poppa, my little one?)
"Papa!" she shrieked, running to him and wrapping herself around his ankles. He scooped her up into his arms and held her close, smothering her in kisses. She started babbling all sorts of things that happened while he was away.
"Allez voient la maman?" he asked. (Go see momma?)
"Oui! Oui!" she said excitedly.
He took the bag with her clothes and headed for the door. She ran after him and clung to his hand tightly. He scooped her up. "Je t'aime, mon petit." (I love you, my little one)
She giggled.
He grinned and held her close.
"Je t'aime aussi!" (I love you too!)
He sat down on the train and smothered her in kisses.
"Ou est Maman?" (Where is momma?)
"Home," he said.
"'ome?"
He nodded. "Home."
She gave him a puzzled look.
"Pleasant Valley."
She yawned hugely.
"Sommeil" (sleep)
She nodded and curled up in his lap. He smiled and pulled his coat around her. He was finally going home.
-----
Ann was sitting on a blanket in the yard with Andy and Ginny while little Andy, Drew, and Aimee played on the blanket. Aimee kept trying to crawl off the blanket, but Ann would stop her and turn her in another direction. There was a whistle across the yard. Ann looked up, startled.
"Maman!" Colette yelled, running across the yard.
"Colette!" Ann stood and met her halfway across the yard. She scooped her up in her arms and held her close.
"Maman, Maman!" Colette squealed.
"What did you do with your Poppa?"
"She's a fast thing, despite those short legs." He came up gasping behind Colette. Ann put Colette down and threw herself into Jeremy's arms. "Hey there," he said with a smile, hugging her tightly. Colette looked at the two of them and decided to join in, flinging her arms around her adoptive parents' legs.
Jeremy stole a kiss from Ann and scooped up Colette. The three of them walked back over to where Andy and Ginny were sitting, Andy holding the squirming Aimee.
"Hey bub, I hear you've married my sister!" Andy said with a smirk.
"That I did...best thing I've ever done."
Andy chuckled. "Well I never expected it...but I'm glad you two are happy. And it's good to see you again."'
"It's good to see you too, friend...although I wasn't expecting it..."
"Yeah, neither was I for a while." He grinned.
Jeremy took Aimee from him and tossed her in the air. "Hey there little one." Aimee giggled.
Spot stood on the porch with Ashleigh in his arms, watching his family in the yard.
It brought a smile to his face. Everyone had returned safely. He looked down at Ashleigh. "Well baby...this family has come a long way..."
He could only imagine how far it would go.
THE END!
AN: This is the end of our series. What started out as an idea for a single story, grew into a 12 story series that took just over two years to write. Thank you for sticking with us that long.
We will be writing more in the future, but it will not be until after Christmas. I (Rae) am trying to finish my senior year of college and have a tremendous amount of work to get done between now and Christmas.
At this point we do not have any story ideas, but we hope that when we start writing again, our stories will please you as much as this series has.