A/N: Hey guys! I was so glad to get such great feedback from chapter one. I think I'll still with the title I have (it was untitled for about half an hour). Thanks to MrsEads for helping me with the title. I hope you enjoy, and please review!

It was Nick's day off of work, but his day on with the kids. Basically, the same amount of work was involved, if not more, with the twins. The little runts didn't understand the concept of sleeping in. Mally had been so far ahead of them in age that Nick had forgotten just how hard it was to have children under the age of five. They had an endless amount of energy, and the pair got into an endless amount of trouble. Sometimes, Nick felt that 'no' was the only word in his vocabulary.

Mally and Sara had already left for the day, so Nick was trying to get the twins dressed. They still weren't capable of picking their own clothes, because they always came out looking like circus clowns. Bailey would try it every day, though, and they always had to redress her.

Nick was finishing helping Aidan put his shorts on over his Spiderman underwear, when Bailey came out of the closet. She had on a blue floral skirt, a purple shirt, and a yellow striped cardigan.

"Do I wook pwetty daddy?" She asked, turning around and curtseying.

Nick finished with Aidan and walked over to his daughter, making a dramatic sigh, and then bending down to pick her up. He blew a raspberry on her tummy, sending her into peals of laughter.

"You look beautiful, darlin', but I don't think the rest of the world would quite understand."

"What?"

"You need to change." He said simply. Nick went to the closet and pulled out a pair of navy capris, white shirt, and a matching cardigan. He knew they'd be playing a lot today, and a skirt would not be suitable. Not that she cared. Nick helped her strip her clothes off again and they started over. Soon, she actually matched, and she looked adorable, as always.

Nick looked back over at Aidan, who had been quietly playing with some of his toys on the floor. It scared him how easy going his son was. He might even forget he was there, if he didn't look over every once in a while. Nick struggled to keep a balance between giving attention to both twins, and also Mally. He tried not to give Bailey so much of his time, because he was always correcting her, and she was always demanding attention. Bailey required constant supervision. Nick didn't want his son to miss out, and didn't want Mally to feel unfavored. It was so much easier with one, but now Nick's heart was extra stuffed full.

"Alright, let's get you in the car and take you to preschool." Nick announced, trying to push the kids out the bedroom door and towards the garage. They waddled out, and waited for Nick at the door.

He carefully buckled them into their booster seats, both in the back seat, away from poking distance. Finally, Nick got in himself and buckled his seatbelt.

"Is the Stokesmobile ready?" He asked of their new minivan. It about broke Nick's heart, but he'd basically become a soccer mom. He swore he'd never drive one of these pregnant things, but kids did weird things to you.

"Yes!" They both answered, and out the driveway they went.

Nick put the radio on country, set on raising them right, and listened as they tried to sing along, but it amounted to mere babbling. He stole glances in the rear view mirrors of his two youngest.

Nick thought Gil and Catherine had been exaggerating when they marveled at how different their two daughters were. But now that he had two of his own, Nick couldn't agree more. Thinking back to when Mally was this age, he couldn't find more different kids. They were both still loving little girls, but were day and night. Mally wouldn't dream of misbehaving or being smart, but that was just Bailey's personality. Bailey was much louder and outspoken than her sister, who had been innocent, curious, and sweet. Mally rarely got into trouble, but Bailey did almost daily. He loved them both dearly, of course, but couldn't get over their differences.

And his son. All men dreamed of having their own son, and Nick was thrilled to have Aidan. He showed a gentleness and consideration for others that Nick prided in. Aidan was so concerned with others, and quiet, but still so much fun. He'd already taken to sports, and Nick looked forward to teaching him to play catch with a real ball and glove like he had with Mally so many years ago.

Nick dropped the twins off at preschool, and the teacher looked less than happy to see them once again. Well, not really. Nick could tell that Bailey was a handful to her just like she was at home. Bailey ran off happily after giving her dad a kiss and a hug, but Aidan stayed next to his father, holding his hand. Nick crouched down next to him, and turned his son to face him.

"Daddy's gotta go now, okay? But I'll be back to get you in a while." He explained, looking into Aidan's eyes. They were starting to well up with tears. Some days, he was just fine, but he still had a lot of separation anxiety. Aidan started crying, and so Nick picked him up and stood.

"Hey, there, little man. It's okay. I'll only be gone a little while and then we'll go home and play in the backyard. Does that sound good?" Nick was careful not to say, 'don't cry', because Sara was very diligent about making sure he knew crying was okay for boys.

Aidan nodded his head, but rested his head on Nick's shoulder, still not wanting him to go. Nick glanced outside and saw that it was a beautiful fall afternoon, and got an idea.

"Hey, I'll tell you what. Today, when you get home from school, I'll teach you how to play real catch, like a big kid. Would you like that?"

Aidan's tears started to stop. Nick knew that telling him he would be doing 'big kid stuff' really got him going. The trick seemed to work, now that Aidan had something to look forward to.

Nick kissed his tear-stained cheek and set him on the floor, crouching down with him again.

"So, why don't you go have some fun with your friends, and I'll be back later to get you."

"Otay, daddy." He managed.

"Give me a hug."

Aidan wrapped his arms around his father's neck one last time. Nick gave him a little push, and off he went. He was glad to see that he didn't immediately go to his sister. They were independent twins, and some parents weren't so lucky. It was sweet when they did play together, but they had their own friends.

Both of his children were happily playing now, so Nick quietly scooted out the door. Most of his day was spent running errands, doing laundry, and cleaning the house. Mally always jokingly called him, 'Mr. Mom'.

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The school day was not going well for either Natalie or Mally. Natalie had been feeling down in the dumps the whole morning, more tired than usual. In fact, the last few days, she'd been feeling out of it. Mally didn't have too many good days nowadays, and today she was bummed out about a notice she got from her science teacher. She currently had a 'D' average. Mally knew her parents weren't the type to ground her for poor grades, as long as she was trying, and they knew she was. But that's what made it so frustrating for the senior. She was trying so hard, but getting nothing. Soon, she thought, she would just give up.

The two girls were sitting at a lunch table, talking about their awful days.

"I feel like taking a nap for two days!" Natalie complained. Mally wasn't really in the mood to hear it, but she humored her friend. They'd known each other practically since birth.

"It's not like that time you accidentally took a NyQuil instead of a DayQuil, is it?" Mally reminded her.

Natalie stuck her toungue out at the reminder.

"No! This is totally different. I barely feel like I can function!"

"Nat, I think you're exaggerating."

"I'm not." Natalie told her seriously. Mally had to admit she'd been complaining a lot. She wished Natalie would just shut up already. Nat was dead tired, and still she managed to ace all her classes. Was she superhuman or something?

"Yeah, well my dad made me go to bed at friggin' 8:30 last night." Mally complained, not wanting to be without pity. She was fully rested, but still not in the mood to function at all, especially at science. Why did things come so easily to Natalie? Why did she have to be so damn good at everything? Natalie was her best friend, but sometimes she resented her for being so…perfect. She knew her parents were aware of how well Natalie was doing. What did they think of their own daughter? Mally bet they wished she was smarter.

"Hey, I wouldn't be complaining. I had to stay up late with all these AP classes I'm taking." Natalie complained, but really was kind of bragging too. Sometimes Mally just wished she would shut up. Was she an awful friend for thinking that?

Finally, the bell rang, and they made their way through the herd of high schoolers, trying to get to their next class.

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Nick unloaded the twins from the van once more and they darted for the garage door. Neither was strong enough to open the heavy door yet, so they spent the time it took Nick to come help them unsuccessfully twist the knob and push at the stiff door. Nick chuckled and gently shooed their hands away, opening the door with ease. The first thing up was lunch, and then a nap. It was the same schedule he had used with Mally when she was young, and it continued to work well, though Bailey argued a lot more about nap time. The twins played while Nick prepared lunch, cut up into small pieces for their tiny throats. They happily ate it up, but always took their time because they knew what was next.

Nick came back from the bathroom to tell the twins it was time for a nap. He found that Aidan had worn himself out and had actually fallen asleep at his chair, his tiny body draped over his plate. Nick thought it was adorable, to say the least. Bailey was still popping hot dog into her mouth, staring strangely at her brother.

"Daddy, why's he always so tired?" She asked her father rather loudly.

Nick put a finger to his lips and shooshed his daughter.

"Let's let him sleep." He told her. As carefully as he could, Nick scooped up his son, flicking a stray hot dog bit from his face, and carried him to his bed, tucking him in and kissing his forehead. One down, the hardest one to go.

When he came back, Bailey wasn't in her seat and had instead turned on the television. Nick sighed and went over to the TV, switching it off.

"Bailey, what are the rules about lunchtime and any meal?" He put a hand on his hip. Nick was all about regiment and keeping things orderly, within reason. His parents had taught him to be well-mannered and always follow parents' directions, and he expected his children to be the same way.

"I don' know." She lied, biting her lip.

"Yes you do." He crooned back. "What do we do when we're finished?"

"Ass to be escyoosed." She mispronounced. Nick resisted the urge to laugh.

"That's right. Did you ask to be excused?"

"No." She played with her feet and fidgeted around.

"Next time, you wait for daddy. And no TV after lunch." With that, Nick bent down and picked Bailey up, carrying her to her bedroom also. When they reached the door, Nick reminded her to be quiet because her brother was already sleeping. She promised to be good, but that had happened before with less than favorable outcomes.

Nick gently laid her down and tucked her in.

"Daddy, sing to me." She whispered.

"Not right now, sweet pea. Aidan's sleeping."

"Pwease?"

"No, Bailey. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, but we have to be quiet."

Bailey decided that would do for today. When Mally was little, Nick would always let her lay on his chest until she fell asleep, but with two toddlers, it didn't quite work. There wasn't enough room, and one would get jealous of the other. Bailey liked to have her belly rubbed like a little puppy. It seemed to calm her down. Nick gently patted and rubbed her slightly protruding toddler tummy for a few minutes, hearing her breathing shallow out. Finally, she closed her eyes and she was out.

At about 3:15, Mally arrived home, and Nick could tell she wasn't happy. The last couple of weeks had been like this, and he was desperate to help her, but things just weren't working. She tossed her bag on the counter and angrily unzipped it.

"Something wrong, baby?" He asked her, placing some plates in the drying rack in the sink. The twins were watching Bananas in Pajamas and were behaving for now.

"Here, this is for you." She was on the verge of tears. Nick studied her face as she handed him a slip of paper. Whatever it was, he could tell she was disappointed in herself and no lecture of his would help. He opened it up and saw the note of her science teacher. Mally was currently receiving a 66 percent. D's were never acceptable, but reminding her would do no good.

"Well, that's too bad." He said. "But we're gonna work on it remember?"

"What's the point? I keep trying, and it makes no difference!" She cried, getting upset that he was being dismissive. Mally almost wanted him to yell at her and ground her. Maybe that's what she needed. But Nick knew this wasn't at all what she needed. Right now, she just needed his arms.

Nick walked around the bar and quickly brought her into a hug, rocking her back and forth.

"Don't you worry, Mal. You'll get it." He reassured her. "Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even this week, but you'll get it. I know you will."

"How do you know?" She sobbed into his shirt.

"Because I know you. You won't give up without a fight. And I know science. It doesn't lie or change. Once you get it, you'll always have it and it will just click."

His words seemed to help a little bit, and her crying died down. Nick suddenly remembered what he'd promised his son earlier, and thought it would be great for Mally to join in helping her siblings to play catch. It was a hobby they'd enjoyed together since she was four. (A/N: check out Single Daddy ch 1 – hint hint)

"How about we go play some catch?" He pulled away. "I was thinking about teaching Aidan and Bailey to play today."

After a few moments, she agreed, and they got all their baseball stuff. Nick helped get the twins into position, not far from him, and Mally stood about ten feet to his right.

"You both stay right there, and Mally and I will tell you what to do."

They both their sunglasses on, looking overly cute. Bailey wore Barbie glasses, and Aidan wore Spiderman. They both nodded.

"Okay, I'm gonna throw the ball to Mally, and you watch how she catches is, okay?"

Nick threw the ball gently to the teenager, and she modeled the perfect catch. They didn't use gloves today, just a light wiffleball.

"Good, Mally." He praised her like she was four again. "Now I'm going to throw it to Aidan, and you'll try to catch it just like Mally. You ready?"

"Yes." He answered. Bailey was digging her toe into the ground, bored. She was totally not into sports. Mally sailed the ball to her brother. It bounced in his hands a little, but he dropped it.

"Good try, Aidan!" Nick praised him, clapping his hands. "Now throw it back to me."

Aidan tried to hurl it as hard as he could, and it made it to Nick's feet. He picked it up and praised the boy again.

"Bailey, are you ready?" He asked his daughter. Bailey held out her hands in front of her body, palms up, and looking away so she wouldn't get up. Nick couldn't help but have flashbacks to teaching Mally. She'd taken almost the exactly same stance. Girls were so cute. Nick walked over to her and squatted down, adjusting her hands to the right stance. "Keep them just like that."

Nick walked back and asked Bailey if she was ready first. He floated the ball to her, and the kid actually caught it on the first try.

"I caught it! I caught! Haha! My first time, too!"

Mally had been silent the whole time. She didn't know why, but this was bothering her. Baseball had always been she and her father's little oasis, and now all of a sudden he was bringing them into it. This was supposed to be their alone time. No one else ever played catch with them. When she saw her father gently explaining it to the twins, and then how he readjusted Bailey's hands just like he had with her, it sent Mally over the edge. She threw down her glove and stormed into the house in tears. This was just too much after the day she'd had. No one had time for her anymore. They were all busy with school, or work, or the twins.

"Mally!" Nick called after her.

"Daddy, what's wrong with Mawwy?" Aidan asked, always concerned about others' feelings. He looked a little teary eyed himself. Displays of emotion upset him easily, especially when it was from someone he looked up to so much and was always calm and patient with him.

"I don't know, bud." Nick stared at the door where she had stormed through, wondering himself. The poor girl was having such a rough time.

"Guys, why don't you play on the swingset a bit, and be careful. I'm gonna go see why Mally's upset."

The twins obeyed, both of them, for once. Nick walked into the house and ran up the stairs to find a closed door.

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