A/N: Not sure if the disclaimer is necessary. If you don't know which characters I don't own, please slap yourself repeatedly. Xx Ella

P.S. I'd like to specially thank all of my reviewers for leaving amazing comments. Thank you to wintertwist87, SinisterShadows, Arinna Black, not-so-average-07, TragicCure, Leave your hat on, Kermitfries, SleepWalks, Neith4Weiss, Hayley Jean, lovelylinds, Kris Death, casadora22, LacedWithLove, Obsessedfan13, Bookworm 305, QuietOne364, ILuvOdie, Ravvy B, babyicequeen666, blackwolfgirl87, .X.x, dramaqueen612, K., Reidsgirl18, tradingforeverx, Supernatural GilmoreGirls, Mico-chan and Serena2012!

P.S.x2: I promise you Serena2012 and TragicCure, this is not the end of Eliza and Reid just yet. That last chapter was so hard for me to write. Poor Reid is right! I sort of feel like God right now... everyone's fate rests in my hands haha.

Chapter 14

October 31st is an exciting holiday for children. You get to dress up, stay up late, and go trick-or-treating. For a parent though, Halloween is nothing short of a pain in the ass.

"Stay still." Andy and Ahna were holding Ava still. She wanted to dress up as a butterfly months before the Halloween sections were placed on display in stores, we had bought her costume weeks in advance, and everything was set. Until four o'clock this afternoon, when she casually decided she wanted to be a cowboy instead. "There we go." I said, turning her around so she could see herself in the mirror. There was my four year old daughter, cowboy boots, tight jeans, a cowboy hat, and a fake marker mustache I had just drawn. She looked like a child straight out of Lord of the Flies, but I wasn't going to tell her that. I doubted any of my kids would catch that reference. "There you are Ava, a cowboy." I sat proudly, rubbing my hand over my very pregnant baby-belly.

"No." Ava spoke, rubbing her hand over her chin as if she were thinking hard. "I changed my mind. I want to be a butterfly." I rolled my eyes and the twins groaned.

"Honey! I'm home!" I heard Tyler call out from the foyer in a horrible Ricky from I Love Lucy impersonation.

"Hey guys, how about you help your sister take off her make-up and get ready in her butterfly costume." I leaned down to Andy and Ahna and patted them on the backs. "Twenty bucks each." I whispered quietly.

"Come on Ava!" Ahna grabbed her by the hand.

"Yeah, let's hurry this up." Andy grabbed Ava's other hand and took her into the bathroom.

I greeted Tyler with a kiss on the cheek. "How was work?" I asked casually. Tyler didn't like it when I asked how Reid was doing, so I sort of found indirect ways of asking about him.

"Fine." He spoke shortly. "How are the kids coming along? Will they be ready by 6?" He looked at his watched. I looked at the clock just above the gas fireplace. It was 5:30 on the dot.

"Yeah, they should be." I started rubbing my belly again.

"Is he still kicking?" He spoke, replacing my hands on my belly with his.

"He won't stop." I smiled as Tyler bent down and began talking to the baby.

"MOM! Ava just ate all the lipstick!" Ahna yelled out from the tiny bathroom adjacent to the living room.

"Jesus Christ!" I yelled as I turned around and walked towards the commotion, Tyler's laughter fading as I made my way into the bathroom to see an extremely happy Ava, smiling with lipstick on her teeth.

"Momma, you want some?" She asked, holding out an empty tube of lipstick.

xx

"Cee thinks if we put up an ad in Times Square and start a website that our customer traffic will increase." I shifted Ava's half-full candy bag higher onto my shoulder.

"What do you think?" Tyler spoke quietly as Ava slept with her head on his shoulder.

I watched Andy and Ahna race up to the last house of the night with the rest of the trick-or-treaters. "I don't know Ty. I think we bombed again."

"You never know, I mean, just because the first store didn't work out doesn't mean White Rose won't either. Maybe Cee is right, ya know? Maybe some extra advertising would do the store good?" Ava stirred, but remained asleep. Her butterfly antennas would gently move every time Tyler made a step. It was cute and I wished I had brought a camera.

"Yeah, you're right. Cee's right. Maybe I shouldn't give up too easily." I watched as the older lady held out the bowl of candy. Both Andy and Ahna took two handfuls of candy and shoved them into their bags.

"See, that's what your problem." Tyler put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. "You give up too easily." He kissed my forehead as I rested my head on his free shoulder. I found myself thinking of Reid. It had been six months since I had confessed everything to him. I had thought coming clean and being with Tyler would make me happy. It didn't. But what is happiness anyways? Getting everything you want?

"Alright, are you guys ready?" Tyler looked at the witch and warlock in front of him. Before they could protest he spoke again. "Who wants to watch scary movies and eat popcorn?" I smiled as the kids cheered. Tyler grabbed my hand, intertwining his fingers through mine, as we walked back up to our home on the fourteenth floor.

"Have you talked to Reid since… you know?" Cee was holding her mug of tea in both hands as she spoke. A few of the personal shopping girls threw their purses into the lockers behind us.

"No, I haven't."

"Not even when you drop the kids off?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Tyler does that for me. He'll take the kids with him to work and they'll just go home with Reid after that."

"That's sweet, isn't it? How fatherly Tyler has become. You know, a lot of guys aren't like that." She looked past me at Matthew, who was lying on the carpet, coloring on paper. "The last guy I brought home asked me if Matthew was my brother."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry, it's not funny… but it is." My belly shook as I giggled.

"I know, but think of Matthew, that poor kid is growing up not knowing his father." I automatically stopped laughing and looked down at Matthew. He was such a good kid, always listened to what Cee told him, never misbehaved in public, and never told Cee to 'suck it' when she asked him to turn down the volume on the TV.

"Matt ended up being a p-r-i-c-k anyways. Matthew's better off not knowing him."

"Yeah well, that part is true." She took another sip of her tea and placed her mug back down on the table. "What's wrong?" She eyed me up and down.

I sighed, I could never keep anything from her. Cee always knew when something was up. "Tyler annoys me." I finally spoke up. And this time, it was Cee who shook with laughter.

"Casper or Hocus Pocus?" Tyler held each DVD up in both hands.

"HOCUS POCUS!" The twins cheered unanimously. I stuck the bag of popcorn into the microwave.

I brought out the bowl of popcorn just as the movie began to play. I curled up next to Tyler as the twins laid on the opposite side of the couch. "This is great, isn't it?" Tyler whispered into my ear. I leaned up and kissed him on his cheek.

"It sure is." I lied.

"What's wrong?" I looked over at the half naked man standing in front of me. I rubbed my eyes, trying to make the sleep fade away.

"Where the hell did you put my briefcase? Huh? It's not on my desk where it's supposed to be!"

"I'm sorry, I put it in the front hall closet. I thought I told you last night." I squinted as he pulled the curtains back, letting the sunlight drift into the room.

"How many times do I have to tell you Eliza? Don't touch my stuff." He hurriedly buttoned up his shit. "I spend all morning looking for it and now I'm going to be late."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's too late now," he threw on his business coat, "I'm already late." He stormed out of the room and I followed.

"When will you be home? The twins started walking yesterday…" I trailed off. He wasn't listening to me. He was checking his voice mail.

"Not now, I gotta go." Reid said, pushing past me, and slamming the front door shut behind him.

"I love you too." I mumbled quietly to myself.

"Eliza! You okay?" Tyler was looking down at me.

"Huh, what?" I snapped out of my reverie.

"The movie's over and I put the kids to bed."

I looked around and noticed that both Ahna and Andy were missing. The TV had been turned off and the bowl of popcorn had been put away.

"Come on, let's go to bed." He said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I mentally rolled my eyes. I really wasn't in the mood for it. All the popcorn and M&M's from the kids Halloween stash was giving me heartburn. Not to mention that the damned baby inside me was kicking as hard as he could at my ribcage. Tyler helped stand me up and walked me back to our room… It felt weird, calling it 'our' room when six months ago it was 'mine and Reid's' room. "Tyler, I really don't feel up to it tonight."

"Oh, okay" his eyes dropped a little. I felt like I had just taken Christmas away from a child.

"It's not you, it's this." I put my hand over my baby bump. "He just won't stop kicking."

Tyler pulled his shirt off and walked into the bathroom. I sat down on the bed and watched as he washed his face, almost obsessively. "You know, your skin is going to fall off if you keep washing it all the time."

Tyler laughed. I didn't. Why was I finding this annoying? Why was I finding him annoying? Why couldn't I just be happy with Tyler? "Because he's not Reid" I thought to myself.

xx

"Daddy!" Ahna, Andy, and Ava came bouncing into Reid's office, a tired looking Tyler close on their heels.

Reid tensed up as Tyler walked into the office, all high and mighty, like nothing had ever happened. "Daddy we got a lot of candy last night!" Andy lifted up his backpack and began to unzip it. "Look at how many Reese's I got. Tyler said if I eat it all I'd go into a diabestical coma."

"Diabetic Andy, diabetic coma." Tyler corrected him as if Andy wasn't six years old, setting Ava's car seat next to Reid's desk.

Reid ignored Tyler like he had been doing for the past six months. "I'm sure you'd get really, really, really sick first before the diabestical coma would kick in."

Andy looked up at his father and smiled. Reid's heart only melted a little more. "Let's get you guys home. How about pizza for dinner?" Reid spoke enthusiastically. The kids nearly broke his eardrums as they yelled their praise.

Tyler watched as Reid and the kids brushed past him and into the lobby. He grabbed the car seat and followed them. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Tyler held out the car seat and Reid's angrily snatched it from him. The elevator doors opened and Reid and the kids walked inside. Before the doors shut closed the kids yelled out their goodbyes to Tyler, while Reid struggled to keep his anger in check.

"Six months had passed and they're already calling him 'Tyler' instead of 'Uncle Tyler'" he thought to himself as they descended down to the ground floor of the building.

xx

"Daddy, when are you going to move back home?" Ava was clutching her baby doll, Leah, to her chest as Reid set the 'The Velveteen Rabbit' book back on her nightstand. He swallowed hard and thought to himself for a minute.

"Sometimes, Ava, Mommies and Daddies break up and live in separate houses for good." He answered, pulling her covers up to her shoulders.

"But don't you and Mommy still love each other?" Ava looked up at his with her bright blue eyes. His blue eyes. He didn't know how to answer that. He reached over and ran his hand through her messy red hair. Eliza's hair.

"Ava, sometimes…" He paused while he thought, "Mommies and Daddies love each other so much that they forget what love is. And sometimes…" he swallowed again, his throat was suddenly dry, "they make bad decisions that the other just can't forgive." Reid reached over and took a drink of water from Ava's glass at her night stand. "Sometimes Ava, when you love someone so much you just want them to be happy."

"But why'd you leave us?" Her voice was pure and genuine. Reid felt his heart ache for his daughter.

"I didn't leave you or your brother and sister. I still see you all every weekend, don't I?"

Ava smiled and Reid noticed her eyes droop with sleep. "Get some sleep okay? Tomorrow we've got a big day ahead of us." Ava nodded and turned her head, clearly she was on the brink of unconsciousness.

Reid placed a kiss on her forehead before shutting her bedroom door closed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. He was going to introduce his children to Gabriella, his girlfriend… or rather his escape from reality.

xx

Early the next morning…

"Jesus Christ!" I screamed out in pain. My hands were gripping onto the metal arms of the hospital bed. My knuckles were turning white. This wasn't supposed to be happening. It was a month too early. This damn baby was not going to come out of me anytime soon.

"Actually my name is Tyler, but I could get used to that." He laughed at his lame joke.

I glared at him from my position on the bed. "Do you really think now's the time to be making jokes! AHHHHH!" I screamed out as another contraction took over me.

Tyler rubbed my back and I fought with myself not to head butt him away. "How much longer for the damn epidural?" I screamed out in pain. The nurse looked at me with pure fear in her eyes.

"I'll g-go get the doc-doctor and he'll check for y- you." She stuttered and practically sprinted out of the room.

"Would it help if I sang to you?"

I turned my head and looked at Tyler in disbelief. "Sing?" Was he really serious?

He shrugged his shoulders. He was serious. "No thanks, Josh Groban. I'll be perfectly fine without you trying to raise me up." I mocked sarcastically. Tyler blushed.

Just then the doctor walked in with the skinny scared nurse at his heel. "Well, Mrs. Garwin, long time no see." He laughed, his round belly jiggling as he did so. I wanted to punch him in his jolly tummy. Did he not realize how much pain I was in?

"Actually, it's Miss Brennan now" Tyler corrected him. I gently squeezed Tyler's hand, silently thanking him for correcting the doctor.

"Ahh I see," Doctor Angus stood and shook Tyler's hand. "Congratulations. Is this your first?"

"It is." Tyler looked proud. "It's a little overwhelming to be honest."

"Every first time parent says that." Dr. Angus reassured him. "Once the baby's here all the worry and fear only increases." He laughed in his high-pitched laugh. Tyler looked mortified.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed again.

"What's wrong? Another contraction?" Tyler began rubbing my back again.

"No," I answered, pushing Tyler's hand away. "Can you two have this conversation after I get my fucking epidural?"

xx

Giving birth for the third time wasn't too bad. After my epidural kicked in, that is.

"Alright Eliza, this is it. Push as hard as you can." Dr. Angus ordered.

I gripped onto Tyler's hand and pushed with all my might. The pressure soon faded and I heard a loud cry. Dr. Angus was holding up my new baby boy.

"It's a boy!" He announced, holding the baby up like he was reenacting the scene in The Lion King when the newborn Simba is proudly displayed for all to see. I looked over at Tyler and noticed the expression on his face. It wasn't one a new father would proudly be displaying. He looked distraught.

Doctor Angus cut the cord and one of the nurses took the baby to the other side of the room to clean him up. Doctor Angus ordered me to push again, this time I gave birth to a bunch of goo. I silently prayed that he wouldn't display it like he did my baby a few minutes ago. I looked away as Doctor Angus threw it out. Thankfully, he didn't reenact The Lion King again.

"Here you go." The scared nurse looked less scared as she handed me over my new baby, wrapped in a blue blanket. He cooed as I cradled him in my arms. I pulled the blanket away from his face, to get a better look at my new son, Alexander. I gasped in shock.

Tyler had been silent since Alexander had been born. Now I knew why. When I stared back down at little Alex, I wasn't looking at a little Tyler.

The blonde hair and blue eyes gave it all away.

I was looking at a little Reid.