A/N – Thanks for the comments! I appreciate them. Hope everyone is safe and healthy!

Chapter 24

Liz and Evangeline finished heating the food and then Georgie helped them put it on the table.

"Come and get it," Liz yelled.

What sounded like a herd of elephants emerged from the next room as Liz watched them gather around.

"Jason, you're over here," she said pointing next to one of the chairs.

She stood next to the other one across the way, and then Milo and Georgie sat together and Francis and Julie. Eva chose to sit on the other side of Jake in case Jason needs help.

"What are you feeding them?" Francis asked.

Liz grinned. "It's squash and I'll give them some of the potatoes."

"Did you want some squash?" Jason asked before dishing out some ham onto Julia's place. It was easier to do that then pass a huge platter around.

"Hell no," Francis said looking disgusted.

They passed the other plates around.

"I just want to say how thankful I am for everyone at this table. We are blessed," Liz said.

"Amen!" everyone said.

They dug in.

"The mac and cheese is so good," Julia said.

"It's my favorite," Eva said.

"Your mom is coming to live with us," Jason said.

Eva chuckled. "I'll tell her you said that."

The boys banged on their tray when they wanted more. Everyone chuckled when Cam started to hum while he ate.

"He gets that from her," Jason said.

Liz shook her head. "My brother used to do that, so I'm told."

"This is delicious," Georgie said.

"Georgie, are you still thinking of taking some art courses?" Julia asked.

She nodded. "I am going to next semester."

"You should join us tomorrow. We're doing a Plein air session. The guys can watch the boys, or we can do it around nap time."

"We can handle it," Jason said.

"I would love to join you."

Julia smiled.

Elizabeth is so excited to get to paint.

They finished up and then Francis and Milo insisted on cleaning up, so everyone else went into the living room.

Jason lay on the floor and the boys were pulling his clothes and loudly clamoring away.

"Get them tired out," Liz said.

"I'm trying."

When the dishes were finished, Milo got on the floor too and the boys loved it.

They are already pulling themselves up and shakily moving around, but hadn't taken any steps yet, but Liz thinks they will walk before they turn a year.

"Well, I'm going to head back. I want to prepare for tomorrow," Julia said.

Francis stood. "I'll walk you. It's dark outside."

She smiled. "Thank you."

Once they were gone, Liz clapped her hands prompting the boys to do the same.

"See, even the boys are fans."

Milo moved towards the door.

"Where are you going? You can leave me alone. The boys are whipped. I'm outnumbered," Jason said.

Milo chuckled. "Newsflash, boss, you're already whipped."

He ducked outside as the girls laughed.

Georgie's eyes narrowed. "Hmm, what can we do to Jason?"

"We can paint his toenails pink," Liz said.

Jason's expression is priceless.

"His nails too..." Eva said.

He pushed himself up and then grabbed the boys. "Let's escape before they get us."

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"Bath time…"

Georgie jumped up. "I love bath time," she said running after him.

Liz shook her head.

"He's moving better."

"Yes, but he gets tired and does too much and then he's sore. Tomorrow will be a little harder for him since Dan worked him out well today."

"I'm going to warn you, I'll probably have a nightmare."

"Okay. I'll be there for you, no worries."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"No one expects you just get over everything quickly."

"I know. Maybe after James is caught, I'll start to feel better."

Liz nodded. "Why don't you take a bath? It might calm you."

Eva let Liz walk her upstairs.

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Three hours later, Eva's scream filled the air as she panicked, and Jason jumped up.

"I got it," Liz said scrambling out of bed.

Georgie has the boys in her room, so Jason could rest.

Liz waved Francis off and opened Eva's door and flicked on the light.

"I'm sorry."

Liz hurried to the bed and hugged her. "It's okay."

"It's just so real."

"Do you want me to stay with you? It's a giant bed."

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

A sleepy Jason moved into the room carrying their pillows. "It's okay."

Eva's head tilted. "You're going to sleep here too?"

He smirked.

She shook her head. "Let me guess, you want to tell Johnny?"

"Oh yeah…"

Liz giggled. "You get in bed and I'll get the light."

She waited until they were settled and then she turned off the light and crawled between them.

"We should have taken a picture first," Jason said.

"You are bad," Liz said as he spooned her.

"Thanks, guys."

"You're welcome," Jason said.

The room lit up from a flash and Jason grinned.

"Thanks, Francis."

A chuckle came from the doorway. "No problem. I'll go deliver it to him and Epiphany now."

Even Eva smiled at that. "It's one way to get him to come home faster."

"Piph is going to be pissed," Liz said.

"It's nothing a hug won't fix."

"Slut…"

"It's a hard job."

Liz smirked.

It took a while, but Eva finally fell asleep. She had one more nightmare, but they were able to calm her fast.

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The next morning, Johnny checked in with Jason.

"We haven't found a trace of him."

"That's not good."

"I know. I got the picture."

Jason smiled. "I had a good night's sleep."

"I'm going to overlook your betrayal because she needed you. Thanks!"

"She'll be fine. We'll watch over her, but if you start having nightmares, I'm not sharing your bed."

"You're a lousy friend."

"What are you going to do next?"

"Frisco is going to keep me in the loop while I go handle something."

Jason understands what he's inferring. "Be careful…"

"I will. I'll let you know when it's done."

"Okay."

He ended the call and then went into the living room.

"Alright, we're going to our lesson. Are you sure you'll be fine?" Liz asked.

"Yes. They are fed and will probably take their late morning nap soon. We're good."

Milo nodded.

Georgie kissed him on the cheek and the women left.

Milo laid a blanket on the floor and then put some toys on it. "Come on, boys, I'm freeing you from jail." He lifted them out of the playpen and then and gently deposited them.

Jason sat and they crawled toward him and pulled themselves up as they babbled. He wouldn't change his life for anything. Being a dad is something he has always wanted and he's so proud of his babies. They are happy and curious, and his heart just swells with love as he gazes at them.

"Ugh, the love is gone," he muttered.

Milo looked up and then sniffed. "Damn…"

Jason stood with Jake and Milo with Cam and they headed to the room to change them.

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Elizabeth slowly inhaled the fresh air. "The sun feels good."

A hat is plopped on her head. "We can't have you getting burnt," Julia said.

Liz pouted as Georgie grinned and put on her hat. Eva donned one as well and stretched out on a blanket while Liz and Georgie sat in front of an easel.

"Alright, we can all paint the same scene, or you can turn a bit and capture something else."

The women looked around. Elizabeth chose to paint Julia's house and Georgie picked the yard and sky while Julia focused on the main house.

They got to work with Julia providing some guidance at times.

Eva started to lightly sing which made Liz smile.

Julia harmonized with her at one point, and Liz and Georgie encouraged them to sing louder as Francis watched.

He brought them some water at one point and when Eva fell asleep, he threw a light blanket over her to protect her from harmful rays. It is a beautiful day. The temperature isn't too hot, and a cool breeze felt good against their skin.

"You don't realize how much you miss painting until you come back to it. Thank you so much for inviting me," Liz said.

Julia smiled. "You have talent. I think you should practice more and think about showing your work."

"She's right," Georgie said.

Liz slightly blushed. "I'll keep that in mind." She gazed at Julia's painting. "Yours is beautiful. Where do you sell?"

"There are some markets I go to and twice a year, I have a showing."

"Edward said you've made a name for yourself."

Julia smiled. "I like painting what's around me. Sometimes, I go to the mainland and get inspiration and I paint people doing regular things. It's like having an insight into their lives and I create all kinds of stories in my head as I paint them."

"Maybe that is why people love them. There's an intimacy and respect there that means something. They connect with the scenes because it's familiar and touches them in some way."

"Thank you for saying that."

Francis moved forward and brought them a basket of food. "Alright, you need to eat something."

Julia smiled. "Thank you, Francis."

"He's the best," Liz said before pulling out some sandwiches.

"Do I smell food?" a sleepy Eva said.

"Yup. Come and get it," Georgie said.

Liz smiled when she spots Jason and Milo with the boys.

They head towards them and sit on the blanket.

"How are my babies?" Liz asked.

"They've smelled better," Milo said.

Liz chuckled. "Dirty diapers?"

He nodded.

"Sorry about that."

"I ordered some gas masks for the next time."

Georgie giggled.

"Do you hear how he's talking about you, Cam?" Jason asked.

Cam grinned.

Jake crawled over to Eva and she pulled him up and gave him a little piece of bread.

They ate and laughed until it was time to paint again and Milo and Jason took the boys inside for their nap.

Francis joined them with a guitar. "I found this in the house."

"You play?" Eva asked.

"Yes."

He sat and took it out and started playing and when he found a song Eva knew, she sang and sometimes, he sang with her. It was a beautiful afternoon and they all thoroughly enjoyed it.

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The next day, Johnny moved into place and waited. Patience is something that if you're lacking it in this business, you're screwed. There's a lot of surveillance, planning, and waiting around, but he doesn't mind. That focus and tenacity help him succeed. While he may joke around a lot, that doesn't mean he's not paying attention. Men like him are always on alert. You learn to perceive changes in the atmosphere around you. Listening skills are heightened and you train your muscles to comply with your every whim. As he watched Nadine put some trash in a dumpster before heading back into the bar where she worked, a smile edged onto his face. Women are usually off-limits, so there is a part of his mind that resists what he's about to do, but just thinking about his girl makes any trepidation go away. It's time for Nadine to meet her maker and Johnny had gotten creative with her demise. Helena is very happy to assist.

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Evangeline giggled as she watched the boys splash in the water. Francis had found a little pool in a shed and partially filled it. It's a beautiful day and the only thing that she'd change is to have Johnny by her side. As she fingers her ring, she grows sad, but the boys aren't having it and she jumps when some water lands on her legs and her mouth dropped open. "Did you splash me?"

Cam did it again and Eva jumped up, making them squeal and crawled to them and started splashing them. The boy's eyes were big and then they mimicked her and the next thing she knew, Jason and Milo had taken off their shirts and tossed them aside and joined in until Eva was soaked. Francis took some video so Johnny could watch it later.

Liz and Julie turned away from their paintings and laughed at the sight. Eva jumped up and ran after Milo who had just gotten her good and Georgie helped Jason watch the boys. Milo hadn't realized Eva could run so fast and she jumped on his back and they fell to the ground. He can't stop laughing as she straddles his back and lifts her hand in victory only to find herself flipped onto hers.

"You're fast."

She grinned. "I know. Maybe you should work out a little more."

He tickled her and she called for the boys to help and Georgie ran Jake over and sat him on Milo who turned to let Jake tackle him as Eva jumped up.

"You got your ass kicked by a girl," Jason said catching up to them. He's still slow but doing much better. His workout in the morning went well. Milo is great at making sure he keeps his form.

"Ha! She got her ass kicked by two babies."

Francis handed Eva a towel.

"Thanks!"

"That was one of the funniest things I've since we had you steal Johnny's clothes and sneak out of the safe house."

Eva laughed. "I forgot about that. He ran outside in his underwear to all your applause."

"Classic…" Jason said.

"I'm sorry I missed that," Liz said saucily.

Jason's jaw dropped.

"Gotcha."

He handed Cam to Eva and Liz was about to run, but Jason darted and grabbed her and spun her around as the boys squealed.

"I think they want a turn."

"No way, they had squash for lunch, and I don't want it to end up on me again."

Eva laughed. "Thank you for inviting me here. I'm having a great time."

Liz winked at her. "Francis said we could ride in the boat today."

"That sounds great."

They went inside and cleaned up and then headed to the launch. Francis had arranged for a bigger boat to accommodate them and they piled on and were taken on a tour.

Liz wrapped her arms around Jason's waist. "This was a beautiful day."

"Any day with you is beautiful."

"I swear you do my hormones in."

He grinned. "Ditto."

She chuckled and then sighed when she spotted Cam fast asleep on Francis. They looked so cute. Jake was trying to hang on as Eva sang and rocked him. Her boys are so loved.

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Finally, the bar closed, and Nadine headed to her car. Johnny waited a bit to let her pull off and then followed her. One of Helena's men is directing him as she cluelessly makes her way back to her house which is in the woods.

He chuckled. It's a bad move on her part. There will be no one there to hear her scream.

Like clockwork, she's almost to the house when her car dies.

"Shit," she mutters before she coasts onto a swatch of grass and then gets out. "Dammit," she said before getting out and kicking the tire. Pulling out her phone, she checks for a signal and when there is none, she growls. "Fuck it," she mutters moving forward, not even hearing Johnny come up behind her.

"You always did have a potty mouth."

Her eyes widened and while her first instinct is to run, Johnny isn't having it. He lifts her as he covers her mouth with a chloroform cloth and at first, she tries to kick, but he has pressed her against the car, so she was unable to maneuver. Finally, her body went slack and she relaxed against him and a black SUV pulled up and he threw her inside. They took her to the agreed location while Johnny retrieved his rental and then joined them. It's going to be a good night.

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Eva smirked when Georgie and Milo entered her room. "Did Jason send you?"

Georgie grinned. "No, we volunteered. He looked kind of disappointed though. I believe he muttered something about wanting to sleep in the middle."

Eva laughed. "He'd have to sleep with one eye open when Johnny got back."

"Maybe we can pose it."

"Everyone good?" Jason said for the doorway.

Eva smiled. "Let's do it!"

He frowned. "Do what?"

She crooked her finger and he tentatively moved over while Milo retrieved his phone.

Liz entered the room. "What's going on? You look like you're up to something."

"Want to make Johnny's head implode?"

Liz grinned. "Hell yeah!"

"Alright, Jason crawl in the middle. I'm on one side. Eva is on the other and Liz is going to lay on him. Milo will cover us up and then take the picture. Just pretend that you're asleep," Georgie instructed.

"You are amazing," Liz said.

"I had years of practice being devious with my sister."

Francis cracked up. "Let me dim the lights."

Jason perched himself on the pillows and Eva and Georgie cuddled next to him and then Liz crawled towards him.

"This is kinky. Piph is going to have a coronary."

Jason grinned. "My dad will save her."

"You're so literal."

She lay on his chest and Francis covered them. "Perfect. He stepped out of frame and Milo couldn't help but crack up. "You look very comfy."

"Good. I want his eyes to fall out."

Eva giggled.

"Alright, one, two, three," Milo took two pictures and then they scrambled to see it.

"I think the second one is perfect. Jason has a slight smile on his face."

Francis loved it. "Yeah, go with that one. Text it to me and I'll forward it."

"Jason, you were very comfy," Georgie said surprising everyone.

Milo's eyes narrowed and a smile crept onto her face.

"Gotcha."

Liz and Eva cracked up. "Good one. Later…" Liz tugged Jason into the hallway.

Francis waited until everyone was settled and then shut off the light and closed the door.

"Thanks for not making me feel bad about this," Eva said.

"I don't mind at all. Maxie and I would always hear strange noises. That house was creeky, so nine times out of ten, one of us would end up joining the other."

"Does Milo snore?"

"Like a sailor," he quipped. After a long moment of silence, he said, "Gotcha!"

Eva giggled. "Good night."

"Night," they said.

Eva did well. When she began to murmur, also thrashing a bit, Milo went to her side and Georgie coaxed her softly and she stayed asleep.