I was irritable. What made it so bad was the fact that I couldn't really place a finger on why. I was just crabby as all get out.

I was on my own that night, struggling to deal with my four kids. The twins were about six weeks old at that point and Dennis and Amy were giving me hell of a time getting ready for bed. I was tired, frustrated, overwhelmed and just all around ready to pull out my hair and hang myself with it, it was long enough by that point. Cris wasn't even there as I struggled to get a wet soapy little girl dried off and in pajamas while I had crying going on in stereo in my bedroom as the twins let their hunger be known. Dennis was playing "Hey! Let's jump off of the couch fifty million times and screw the fact that Mommy said knock it off for just about as many". I sighed in frustration as I shooed Amy, now wrapped into a towel, to her room to get pajamas on. Then I walked into the concert going on in my room and tried to figure out how in the hell I was going to feed them both at the same time. Normally I would feed one while Leo gave the other Donnie's special mix. I really wasn't brave enough to try and breast feed them both yet. Was too scared I'd drop one. Not to mention it's hard to do double duty when you got two other kiddos still stomping around. For me anyway. How other mothers did it I had no fucking clue...

I pulled them both out of the crib in my room, one by one, and placed them onto the bed. I already had a couple of bottles ready, that much I had managed to do. I put Lavi in my lap then did something a lot of mothers would probably yell at me for, I propped up a bottle for Ty on the pillow next to me and let him eat that way. I admit it, I was desperate. At least I was able to get them to eat now.

"Mommy! I can't find clean jammies!" Came the complaint from Amy's room and I sighed again.

"Look in your drawer!" I called back, followed with "Dennis! If I hear you jump one more time..."

"They ain't none in there!"

"Oh yes there is! I put some clean ones in there earlier!"

Silence, thud from the living room, then "Oh! I found dem Mommy!" which was promptly followed by Lavi spitting up all over me, and my bed. Guess she had enough. I burped her, and she spit up some more just as Amy came into my room, with her pajamas on inside out and backwards. Another thud from the living room. Would it be ok if I screamed?

I cleaned off Lavi as best I could and put her back into the crib before picking up Ty so I could hold his bottle for him, then tried to help Amy get her pajamas on straight. Once that had been accomplished I stomped up front, still feeding Ty, and glared at Dennis who I caught red handed in the middle of a jump. "Bed, now."

"But Mommy!" They both whined.

"Now!" By then my patience was pretty much all used up.

They both stomped off to their rooms, with mumblings of "Mean Mommy..." trailing behind them. You have no idea how hard I bit my tongue...

It was a couple of hours, and about twenty "I'm thirsty, I gotta got to the bathroom" runs, three diaper changes and one more spit up mess, before they all calmed down enough to go to sleep. I was about to check myself into the nearest nuthouse.

This was pretty much the first time I had been completely on my own with all four of them and I can honestly admit...they whooped my ass. The others had all gone out on an alarm call earlier, and they sure as hell were taking their time getting back. And my folks weren't home tonight, taking a rare weekend trip and Jim was out doing...something. Probably hiding if he knew what was good for him.

I was more than a little snippy when Leo finally came home, I couldn't sleep and was up, washing bottles that had seemed to pile up again in just a few short hours. Didn't I just do this? And laundry... Laundry was never ending... But to be honest, that really wasn't the only reason I was in a pissy mood when he made his appearance, the kids just added to the pissyness already there.

"I'm home." He so kindly notified me as he walked in from the hallway.

"Yay." I replied flatly, slamming a bottle into the dish rack by the sink.

He stepped into the kitchen. "Rough night?" He asked his blue eyes watching me.

"Nope, not at all." Slam went another bottle.

He braved the storm and moved closer and began to help me. Taking the bottles from me after I washed them before I broke one. "Got the kids in bed ok?"

"Yup." I dunked another bottle in the hot water, hard enough to splash us both.

He didn't say anything else, but he did watch me from the corner of his eye and the rest of the bottles were cleaned in silence. And not a one of them was broken. He then handed me a dishtowel that I took from him with a short mumbled thanks. His eyes had a thoughtful look in them as he still just quietly watched me. I just ignored him and went to tackle the pile of laundry I had just pulled out of the dryer and was now sitting in a basket by the couch, waiting to be folded. I was mumbling a whole bunch of things as I started on that task, none of them really pleasant.

Leo just followed me into the living room, silent as a shadow. He unstrapped his katanas and leaned them against the wall next to my computer in an out of the way spot, and a spot that was on the other side of the room from me. Wise decision. I was in the process of folding one of the baby blankets when the lights went out on me.

"What the hell!" I snapped. I tried to spin around to give him the matching glare, but he was already there, his arms around me and his warm breath on my neck as he brought his head down to nibble on my ear.

"Listen here you! If you think you can just walk in here and get some after the day that I-" My voice cut out in a squeak as he slipped a hand in between my legs and pushed his finger, hard, against a certain spot. My protest quit before it even started as I slammed against him, my head now leaning on his shoulder.

"Who said anything about me getting anything?" He calmly told me. "I'm not the one in need of a stress relief."

My eyes closed and a whimper escaped my mouth as what he was doing caught all of my attention. "L-leo..." I somehow managed to stammer out.

"Hmmm?" His face was next to mine and I could feel the hum of his voice. Lord...even that sent a shock through me.

"N-not...here...kids..."

"Are all sleeping." He replied, his head still next to mine and his finger still rubbing.

By now I was squirming against him. Any measly protest was quickly washed away and I turned my head to face him, bringing an arm up and placed my hand behind his head, and pushed him closer. Our lips met in a kiss that started off soft, but quickly heated up. His hand never let up and it quickly reached the point where my legs just straight up gave out on me. Didn't phase him a bit as he guided me to the floor, still holding me to him. I sat here, a wriggling pile of flesh, my breathing growing heavier and harder as that finger still worked on me.

"Leo...ngh...god Leo!" God this was feeling so damn good...

"Shhh, dear one." He murmured, but he didn't let up. I bit my lip but I honestly wasn't sure if that was going to help or not.

My eyes were now clenched shut as my head pressed against his shoulder and my groin was by now pushing against his hand. The whimpers grew in intensity to the point where he just solved that problem by kissing me again. Still he persisted, refused to let up. My body pressed against him even harder as I came, his mouth muffling the soft cry that took the place of the needy whimpers. I kissed him hard as my body shook in his firm grip.

Finally I just collapsed against him, breathing heavily, head rolling listlessly on his shoulder as I struggled to get my wits about me again. With a last, gentle rub on that now sensitive clit, that made me gasp and twitch a little, he brought his hand back out and it joined his other one around my waist as I sat there next to him.

"See? Now that wasn't so bad now, was it?"

I didn't have it in me to talk, but I did manage a small smile. And I did have to admit, the irritation that had been bothering me for most of the day was pretty much gone now.

He gave me a small, knowing smile in return before he kissed my hair. Then he picked me up and carried me to the couch where we just sat together in the quiet, dark room. It wasn't long before I started to nod off.

"Ready for bed?" He asked as he stroked my hair with his hand.

"No." I mumbled through a large yawn.

"Looks like you are to me." He chuckled.

"Twins spat up all over the bed." I grumbled, my eyes drooping shut. "Didn't...have time to...remake it yet..." I was seriously struggling to stay awake now.

"Ah..." Leo just did the next best thing. He shifted around on the couch to where he was leaning up against the armrest and squarely placed me on top of him. Then reached up for the blanket I usually kept on the back of the couch and covered us up with it. "Well, it'll just have to wait until tomorrow then."

I just nodded once before I settled down. My moodiness now gone and his comforting presence helping me to do so. I just had a quick moment to hope the twins would sleep awhile before I passed the fuck out.