PART 11

"Do you want to go into the pool?" Sydney asked Jessica who sat on Christina's lap a little bit scared to go into the water. Sydney was melting away even though she was lying in the shade and hurriedly changed into her bikini to take some refreshment. The little girl looked carefully at Sydney and then put both of her tiny arms into the air and Sydney lifted her up.

"Thanks Sydney that's real nice. She won't go with me... I don't know why... I'm her aunt after all"

"Well sometimes it takes a complete stranger to wake up a child" Sydney stepped into the water slowly sitting on one of the steps so that she was with her waist in the water, slowly pooling water over the toddler's body to get her used to the cooler water.

"CATCH THE BALL" Oliver shouted over the place to his older brother.

"Oliver! Will you please be quiet!" Vaughn shouted in return. "You're not alone here!"

"But dad, he won't listen to me!"

"I don't care, you gotta sort this out with him. That's no reason for shouting, you know exactly that you aren't allowed otherwise buddy you get out of here, understood?"

"Yes!" Oliver said a little bit too sharply, as he wasn't happy with his father's reply. He folded his arms in front of his chest and started pouting.

"I heard that! Another tone next time please. I warn you just once!" Vaughn now threatened him with his finger up in the air, holding it before his face.

"Mum?"

"Don't mingle your mother into this Oliver. You know far well that she will say the same. Got it?"

"Ok!" Oliver had enough of this and decided to get out off the pool "Whatever" he muttered under his breath, which went unnoticed of Vaughn. Although Sydney heard him say so, she didn't want to make a scene here so she left it. They would talk it over once back home.

"Not nice!" Jessica held up her chumby finger, pointing at Oliver's back.

"Yes sweetie, Oliver's been a bad boy but he'll calm down soon again."

"I go swim!"

"Oh! Ok... then let's go" Sydney held her by the pit of her arms and let her glide over the water, watching out for her head to be constantly kept over the water. Her little arms and legs had a hard time to keep up with the pressure of the water with all the waves the older children were making and soon she was tired.

"Out water!" she requested and so Sydney went back to the long chair with her. In the meantime Christina had also gone into the pool and Francie was left alone.

"Mom, I'm hungry!" Unsatiable Thomas wanted some food again.

"What? Again? We just had some cake and icecream before, how are you doing that?"

"I don't know mum, and I don't care. I'm hungry!"

Sydney had to laugh as her oldest best friend rolled her eyes "Like father, like son!" Francie proclaimed "I can't believe it. "Here, there's some pancake but you don't go into the water with it!" she called after him.

"No mum, I won't!"

Sydney was drying Jessica's little body with a big towel that was twice the size as the toddler's.

"Look at this?" Francie blurted out.

"What?"

"This, I mean us, we're all married, we all have kids, you are still having one by all means" she chuckled.

"Hey, what does that mean?"

"Nothing... I'm just saying... did you really think your life would turn out that way Syd?"

"You mean just in general or me having 5 children?"

"I guess both..."

"No way!!" she paused briefly "Remember Danny?"

Francie nodded "Sure"

"Well I thought I would marry him, become a literature teacher at some kind of High School and who knows maybe one or two kids. And then I met Vaughn, you know, after,... and I think everything changed from then on. First I didn't know that I loved him, it was little by little. It were those little things that made me fall in love with him. His support, his help, his ability to listen when I felt down, all those little things made me realize that I started falling for him. Of course I didn't dare making the first move since I didn't know how he felt about me and about protocol. But later he thought, screw protocol, we want to be happy together. And that's how everything happened. And before you ask me. I definitely never thought I would have 5 kids. But now I look at them, even if they are all boys, I don't care. They are the spit image of the person I love most on Earth. How can I not be happy with that? Ok, I never thought it would be like this, but do I regret it? Do I want to change anything? No way! Never! Francie"

"Yeah I know what you mean. I always knew that Will and I were good friends but that we would be married and have children together. Would you even think about it?"

"No, not 10 years back Francie! But I'm glad you are!"

"Me too... It's funny though... when I look at your kids Syd, you can always say they are Vaughn's sons. But if you look at mine, you would always think Kelsey is my child and Thomas is Will's. The genes didn't mingle but if you look at Eric's children, they both have something of each other. Isn't that funny?"

"Yeah... Even if the boys look like Vaughn, Alex and Tim have caught some of my genes. Not visible genes but anyway. At least something from me." Sydney rolled her eyes again, wondering why they all had to turn like Vaughn. Not one single of her children looked like her.

Francie got up and patted Jessica's head, who was sleeping next to Sydney in the lounge chair and then Sydney's belly. "Who knows, maybe the fifth will be the right!"

"Ha! The chances are pretty slim to that Francie. I won't count too much on it!"