"Now." Adam decided he was going to set some ground rules on the way home from school. "Gus, Rhiannon and Viv are coming for dinner tonight and MiMi is very excited so we are going to have fun and be nice okay?" Kim was delighted that they were all coming over and she was desperate to see Vivienne as well. It had been a couple of weeks and the last time they were all together it ended in tears for Viv as Iris let her green eyed monster out for a spell. Viv wanted a cuddle from her MiMi and Iris was having none of it and tried to pull Viv off MiMi's lap. It got ugly for a few minutes and of course Alfie came to Iris's aid and it descended into a bitch fight with tears and an all mighty tantrum from Iris.

Kim found it too hard to deal with, she got angry with Iris and Alfie and they were distraught. Viv just wanted to go home and Adam held his wife as she cried in his arms in bed that night. They didn't need to be torn between their grandchildren right now; it was too much. They had more than enough emotional baggage to deal with so this was the last thing they needed.

Gus had been upset and he had snapped at his mother, which had been a heat of the moment comment that she didn't care about Viv anymore. He had apologised immediately and Adam had a go at him. It was just a shitty night all round.

Adam couldn't wait and it had been a struggle to keep the news to himself all afternoon. He had promised Gus he wouldn't spoil their surprise. Viv wanted to tell them the news so Adam had to suck it up and pretend he knew nothing.

"Why are they coming?" Alfie was always up for a chat on the way home from school. Lola was a surly teenager and Adam well remembered trying to talk to Polly at this age, it was like getting blood from a stone. She sat in the front seat and either stared out the window or caught up on her very important messages on her phone. It had been in her locker all day, like all her friends' phones so whom she thought would send her messages they didn't ask. He did always like that she smiled, just a little when she read the message from him that he sent everyday telling her he loved her. He had annoyed Polly and Gus with that when they were growing up so it seemed appropriate that he was going to do the same to his grandkids. Lola was the only one that had a phone at the moment so she copped the lot. He also got joy out it was knowing that late at night she would talk to him so he just sucked up the attitude right now.

Mae was always quiet on the way home. It was like the effort of talking all day exhausted her and she needed to bit of time not talking to recharge her batteries. If he had Iris she didn't get much of a chance to not speak because Iris had a days worth of questions in the tank to get out. Without Iris today it was up to Alfie to fill the void but at least Mae could just listen.

"Because we want them to come for dinner. I miss Viv and MiMi does too. We love Viv just as much as we love you all. And we love Gus and Rhiannon."

"It's Iris you need to talk too." Alfie took exception to being singled out, or at least that's what he felt was happening. He was very aware of how much MiMi and Pops were disappointed in him for yelling at Viv last time she came over. "She's always mean."

"Iris is three. She doesn't understand as well as you do. If she sees you playing and being nice it might help her be nice too. So okay? Can I count on you?"

"Do you love Gus more than Mum? Is it because Mum is dead now?" Adam felt like he had been stabbed in the chest. Alfie was way too blunt some days.

Lola was mortified. "Alfred, that's awful. Don't say that. Pops loves Mum too, just as much as Gus."

"Thank you Lola."

"We love Viv too Pops." Mae piped up, finally deciding to add her two cents worth. "She's funny and cute and not as silly as Bug."

"Good to know."

Iris had a good day with Heidi and she was happy when she got home and had even had a sleep, which was good for her and Kim. A grumpy Iris was not what anyone needed tonight. She wasn't always sleeping during the day anymore and if she did it might be a quick nap on the sofa after lunch. Generally Iris was too busy being three to sleep but she hit a wall if she didn't about 630pm, tonight dinner would probably be a little later so it might be nice not to have princess bitch face in the house.

"MiMi, Pops." Viv marched through the door like she owned the place. She had swag this girl. "I bought you a present or is it a surprise?" she looked at her parents and they just shrugged. "I think it's a surprise."

"Hello sweetheart." MiMi scooped her up, planting a big kiss on her cheek. "What's my surprise? Do I have to unwrap it?"

"No, It's a baby." She giggled. "My Mom has a baby in her stomach. I'm getting a brother or a sister."

The look on Kim's face was priceless. "Oh my god." Gus and Rhiannon just smiled and nodded.

"Look at Mom's belly." Viv was so happy, her face was alight and she had been bursting at the seams to tell people. They had only told her a couple of days ago because they were scared she was going to blurt it out. "It's getting bigger now. We have a video too, do you want to see it." Rhiannon pulled her top a little tighter so that they could see her tiny little bump. How she had kept it hidden Kim didn't know, she was a little disappointed in herself for being so wrapped up in their own world that she didn't notice.

"I do." Tears streamed down Kim's face as she watched the video of her newest little grandchild. "I can't believe it."

"Are you happy Mom? We are really happy."

"I am, this is the best news ever." She hugged Gus and then Rhiannon. "I so need this. Thank you." They had been worried about people's reaction; that they would think it was too soon and that it would seem strange to be happy when everything was so sad but it was the light that everyone needed. Life needed to go on, it wasn't stopping to let them wallow and what better way to move on than with a new baby. "Where's your Dad? He needs to see this."

"He already knows. I kind of told him today." Gus looked a little sheepish. "I wanted to cheer him up."

Viv didn't get the same reaction from her cousins as she did from her grandmother. "My Mom is having a baby." She excitedly told them. Lola was excited for her, Alfie tried to be and Iris just followed Viv's jumping up and down and Mae fled to her room in tears.

Gus insisted of going to talk to her. "Hey Monkey. Can I come in?"

He stretched out on the bed beside his niece. "How are you? Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm just sad Gus."

"Because we are having a baby?"

"No, because Mom would have been so happy. She wanted Rhiannon to have another baby and instead we got Iris." It didn't make much sense but he figured out what she meant. They had been hoping for a sibling for Viv for so long and when Polly fell pregnant with Iris it felt like a bit of a slap in the face and Polly had apologised over and over again to Rhiannon and Gus.

"Iris is a superstar."

"I love Iris. I just wish Mom got to see your baby."

"So do I Monkey."

"Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"I'm not sure. Some days I think it is a girl and then some days I think I would like a boy. What about you?"

"I don't know. If you have a girl will you call it Polly?"

"Oh Monkey, I don't know. There is only one Polly in this family and I miss her so much."

"She would love it. Or if it's a boy you can call it Sam."

"We'll see Mae." It was certainly something that Gus had thought about but hadn't discussed it with Rhiannon yet. He wasn't sure he wanted to name his child after his sister, Polly would probably hate it, she had a thing about giving children their own identity and it would also be a painful reminder of the fact that Polly wasn't ever going to meet his new child. Now that Mae was asking him he started to worry that it was going to be expected.

"Gus, I hope Rhiannon doesn't have the baby in the car this time." Mae still loved to talk about how Rhiannon gave birth on the side of the road while they were all in the back seat.

"Me too."

"I mean, Mom won't be there to help this time."

"Whatever will we do?"

"Perhaps you can be there this time."

"I hope so Mae." He pulled her up off the bed. "I can't wait to see you with your new cousin. I think my baby is going to be one lucky little bub. They've got all these awesome cousins to grow up with."

"It's very exciting." She stopped suddenly. "That's okay isn't it? To be excited?"

"It is Mae, imagine how excited Mom would be right now? She'd be jumping up and down and screaming, hugging everyone in sight."

Gus was surprised to see Iris playing happily with Alfie and Viv when they came downstairs. Usually she was two foot up Kim's backside when Viv was around but it was nice to see them playing and Kim was fussing over Rhiannon which made him smile. She wasn't allowed to lift a finger and Kim had plied her with a million questions already. Lola was helping, her mother hen skills were obviously transferable and she was helping her grandmother smother Rhiannon with love and attention.

His Mom looked happy, he worried about her lately and how much this was all taking it out of her. Not that he expected anything less, nobody wanted those kids to be anywhere else than with his parents and as his Dad had told him taking care of the kids was probably the only thing that was keeping her from completely falling apart.

Adam was watching them, he was watching his wife and nothing else mattered right now but how happy she was. He knew, later on she would probably crash a little, she would falter and cry, hopefully in his arms. Not that he wanted to see her cry but she did cry and as long as she cried in his arms then he was okay with that, he never wanted her to cry alone. She looked beautiful and for the first time in almost two months the smile reached the very corner of her eyes.

This baby was just what this family needed. Maybe that's why it took so long, it was waiting for the right moment. It was waiting to save them.

It was the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.