trueinspiration, SlytherinGirl0220, and all the others that have submited reviews and emailed me thank you so much. I truly appreciate it. And thanks for following me on this sad journey, I promise the whole story isn't as depressing as the beginning.

While studying the report Thorne had sent her, Brooke idly tapped her fingers on her desk. With a brilliant thought, her fingers flew across the keyboard with a message that succinctly got her point across. She hit send and mentally crossed one more item off her to-do-list. She picked up the next pile of paper on her desk. Sifting through the pile, she found the two documents she was looking for.

These two legal documents weighed heavily on her mind. How did she want to handle this? One document allowed her to surprise and stun her opponent. Initially catching him or her off guard, but allowing him or her to catch-up, if he or she could, in time. Or she could use the sneaky, backdoor approach. Before her opponent knew what hit him or her, everything would be signed, legal, and there would be no legal recourse. Decisions, decisions, but she needed to make one soon because time was ticking away. She needed- - she paused the stillness of the room alerted her to trouble.

Brooke spun around in her leather swivel chair to find the makeshift play area in her room empty. She had created the area for her daughter and grandson to busy themselves while she worked. She quietly crept around her spacious suite to catch the toddlers red-handed. She pushed in the walk-in closet door, praying it didn't make too much noise.

"What are you two doing?" she asked, piercing the silence surrounding the room.

Little Eric and Hope screamed, frightened by Brooke's sudden appearance.

Keeping her laughter inside, she repeated her question.

"Nothin'," Little Eric said innocently, wearing the shirt Ridge wore to their first wedding.

She had hidden that shirt in the back of her wardrobe. She shook her head.

"Nuttn," Hope concurred with her nephew, dressed in the very first gown Ridge had ever designed for Brooke.

"It looks to me like you two are up to something," Brooke countered.

Guiltily Little Eric looked everywhere but at her. Hope followed his lead.

"Are you supposed to be in here?"

They shook their heads.

"Granma, are you gonna yell at me like Mommy does when I'm bad?" Little Eric asked softly.

Her heart broke upon hearing her grandson's words. She walked deeper into the closet and got down on eye level with Little Eric and Hope. Reaching out and touching both their faces, she reassured them.

"I'm not going to scream or yell at you. And neither of you is bad," she said, tilting their heads up to look at her. "I love you, but you scared me when I couldn't find you. Okay?"

They both nodded and murmured, "Kay."

"Now give me a hug and kiss."

Little Eric and Hope hugged her as tight as their little arms allowed and showered her face with sloppy, wet kisses.

Grabbing the kids, she laid them on the floor of her spacious closet and a tickling war ensued. Laughter and squeals reverberated around the room.

"Am I interrupting a private tickling session or can anyone join in?" Ridge questioned from the doorway of the closet.

"Unca Ridge," Little Eric shouted, crawling from underneath his Grandma and running to Ridge.

Ridge opened his arms and caught the running toddler and threw him in the air.

"Hey, Buddy," Ridge greeted his nephew.

"Hello, Ridge," Brooke said while she helped Hope stand upright.

"Hey Logan, Hope."

Suddenly turning shy, Hope whispered something that sounded vaguely like a hello.

"Playing dress up, Logan? I thought you were suppose to be working?"

"This is break time. Why aren't you working?"

"It's break time and I thought I would stop by and see if anyone would be interested in helping me get over my creative block by accompanying me to the zoo?"

The kids cheered.

"Ridge," Brooke pleaded. She had a ton of work to do.

"Pwease," Little Eric begged.

"Pwease, Mama," Hope said imitating her nephew, complete with puppy dog eyes.

"Please, I'll throw in Mc D's for lunch," Ridge asked joining the crowd.

Little Eric and Hope licked their lips at the sound of their favorite word and eatery.

Brooke laughed. "Fine, but we have to be back before it's dark."

"Yes, ma'am." Ridge agreed, saluting Brooke. "Let's get out of these clothes so we can go."

Brooke and Ridge helped the kids take off the adult clothing.

With their clothing arranged nicely, Ridge sat Little Eric on the ground and took his hand. He held out his other hand to Hope. "Let's go get the car ready while Mommy gets the snacks ready?"

Hope looked from her Mommy to the man she recognized, but didn't really know. With an encouraging nod from her Mommy, Hope happily ran to Ridge, took his hand, and the threesome departed.

Rehanging her evening gown and Ridge's shirt, Brooke reminisced on happier times. But her subconscious mind interrupted her conscious thoughts, how could she remember the happy times or go to the zoo when her babies were dead. She quickly walked out of the closet and headed directly for her balcony.

Her gaze swiftly found the ocean as she thought about Ric and Bridget and all the happy times they were now not going to be apart of. Hope's first trip to the zoo. Now that she thought about it, Ridge had taken Ric and Bridget on their first trips to the zoo also. It almost seemed like history was repeating itself, but she would not allow that to happen. This time she and her kids would have a happy ending.

Her focus moved to the driveway. Placing the car seats in his Range Rover, Ridge had the kids doing tasks to "help" him. With the sun shining in her face and her squinting, for a moment she could imagine that that was Ric and Bridget down there with him. When they were dating and first got married, Ridge and the kids would get the car ready for the trip while she was in charge of jackets and snacks. Brooke lifted her hand to shield her face and the illusion and the memory disappeared.

Ridge started waving to her and Little Eric and Hope followed suit. She waved back and vowed to make this day about the two kids she had here and now with her and just for a few hours not have all her thoughts consumed with the other two.

"Logan, let's get this show on the road," Ridge yelled at her.

She could see the toddlers nod in agreement.

"I'll be right down," she shouted back.

She walked off the balcony, locked the doors, and headed downstairs for what she prayed would be a few Bridgetless and Ricless hours. She prayed that request didn't make her an awful mother.