Lizzie Lionheart- Here is Mike and Maddie's chapter. I wasn't able to post till now because I just got back from a comic book convention. I wasn't going to post till tomorrow but with all of your begging, I couldn't let you suffer any longer. See begging pays off.

As for why Lex asked for Michelle to be called Maddie for short, that is an excellent question. And one I don't have the answer to. But don't worry there will be one. Now the reason I chose Maddie as a nickname for Michelle is because I like the nick name Maddie, but I'm not overly fond of the name Madeline

And Will meant no -if you'll pardon the pun- ill will, towards his brothers. He was just teasing. And if it makes you fell any better Aaron takes a shot at Will towards the end of the chapter.

LJP- Glad you liked it. Major happenings staring in a bit. MAJOR happening not occurring till chapter 42. It will shock.

Angus Hardie- Excellent a new reviewer. I'm thrilled that you are enjoying it so much. And thank you for reviewing.

CHAPTER 32

A GIFT

November 21, 2010

2:02pm

Blue Cove, Delaware

Jamieson Manor

"Hey," Will said walking out on to the enclosed patio. There sat Mike and Maddie, little Keegan in between them as the three swayed gently on one of the two swings that decorated the porch. Across from the three siblings were Jason and Jack, sitting on the other swing, their legs tucked under them. The younger set of twins' faces lit up when they caught sight of their eldest brother.

"Hey Will, we were just telling Keegan about the family," Mike said indicating the scarlet suede, photo album stretched across Keegan's lap. Visible were a series of eight pictures showing, groups of siblings. Jarod and Morgan's children, Lex and Julia's, Ethan and Sara's and so fourth.

"What do you think of our family Key?" Will asked sitting down in between Jason and Jack. The twins scooted apart to make room for their brother.

"We have a big family," Keegan said his almond shaped blue eyes going wide. Will chuckled.

"We do have a big family huh?" Will stated smiling down at Jason and Jack who had snuggled into either of Will's sides.

"I don't think I'll be able to remember everybody," Keegan said softly, casting his eyes down as though he were ashamed of himself.

"Hey no worries little bro. We can barely keep each other strait. Uncle Sam started pinning name tags to us last year 'cause he couldn't keep us strait," Mike said. Keegan looked up at his brother an incredulous expression on his small face.

"He's telling the truth. On thing we don't do is lie to each other. We're family and we all trust each other enough not to lie to one another," Maddie replied. Having been lied to most of his life, Keegan found this information to be relieving.

"If need be sweetie we'll make you a chart, that has everybody's picture, their name, and their background information. That way you won't get confusion," Maddie said getting back to Keegan's worry that he would be unable to remember all of his family.

"No need," Will said.

"Will you seriously didn't make one did you?" Maddie asked her cousin.

"You try training over a dozen kids to use their powers," Will replied. Maddie just shook her head in pity.

"On another note, where's Key gonna room? I mean there's enough space in the mansion for him but that's on the second and fourth floor. But the forth floor is all the offices, and the second has all of the adults bedrooms," Mike said.

"Jace, Jack do you mind sharing your room with Keegan?" Will asked the twins. The six year old boys shook their heads. Will frowned slightly, the boys had returned to the laconic state they had been in the previous day.

"Sweet. We can take Key shopping," Mike said.

"Yeah with Daddy's credit card," Maddie said with a grin.

"What about my credit card?" Lex asked walking out onto the patio.

"We need to take Keegan shopping for clothes, bedding and stuff like that. I guess a set of bunk beds and a loft bed would be the best thing," Mike said as he began to mentally design the room for the three boys.

"Hey does Key have a middle name yet?" Will asked. "I want to draw up his papers and things later today."

"Of course he has a middle name, it's Markus," Lex replied.

"No," Mike said in a harsh whisper his face one of anger. "Don't do this to him."

"I don't understand," Keegan said frightened. "Did I do something wrong?" Mike's face softened as he turned to face his brother.

"You did nothing wrong Key. It's just... I need to talk to Dad alone," Mike replied.

"Why don't I take Keegan, Jason, and Jack with me. We can search on the internet for new furniture for their room," Will suggested.

"I think that's for the best," Maddie said staring at her father. "Keegan baby, go with Will," Maddie said picking the photo album off of Keegan's lap. Keegan slid off of the swing and followed Will, Jason and Jack in to the house.

"What is going on here?" Lex asked his arms folded across his chest. Mike launched himself off of the swing at his father.

"He is not Markus! Stop acting like he is! Have you learned nothing when it came to Uncle Jarod, and Chris? They are not the same person and neither are Markus and Keegan. I swear Dad if you do, it if you give him Markus as a middle name I will tell Keegan everything," Mike threatened, jabbing his index finger at his father's chest.

"Where do you get off?" Lex asked his anger beginning to match his son's.

"Where do you get off Dad? Do you think that you can get Markus back by pretending he's Keegan? Last time we checked you were a physic not a pretender. God do you think he'll never learn the truth? It's only a matter of time," Maddie asked tears ready to fall. "Dad, he was our brother. We know it hurts you to see Keegan, Dad. God it hurts us too. But please don't hurt Keegan by forcing him to be the son you lost.

"Fine, I'll try not to make Keegan into Markus," Lex said. Mike shook his head doubting his father's words.

"Don't try. Just don't do it," Mike snapped.

"Watch you're tone Michael," Lex warned

"Stop acting like an idiot Dad," Mike drawled.

"Enough you two," Maddie said stopping any further words from being said between father and son, that the two would later regret. "What about telling Keegan who he is?" Maddie asked.

"I don't think-"

"That now is the best time," Julia said interrupting her husband. Lex shot his wife a look.

"Julia I don't think that we should tell him at all," Lex said.

"You damn well better," Jeremiah said stepping out on to the patio.

"Watch your mouth Jeremiah Grey," Lex reprimanded. "And I don't remember you being a part of this discussion."

"I think I'm one of the few people -maybe the only person- in this house equipped to be in on this discussion," Jeremiah said his voice not betraying even a slightest bit of the anger he felt towards his Uncle. Normally reserved, Jeremiah felt full of passion when it came to the topic of telling Keegan who he was.

"What do you think Jerry?" Julia asked the boy after shooting her husband a reprimanding look.

"He should be told. It's his right," Jeremiah said.

"You think that he should be told, that's fine. But if you were in his position would you want to be told?" Lex asked. Jeremiah clenched his fist at his sides, his green eyes becoming cold, they were the only clues that showed Jeremiah's anger. Subconsciously Mike and Maddie backed a few feet away from Jeremiah. One of Jeremiah's powers was borrowing, and though he had only done it once, Jeremiah was more than capable of losing his temper and inadvertently borrowing Alex's pyrokinesis.

"I was in his position," Jeremiah replied curtly. "And I have no regrets knowing what I do. Granted it was a bit overwhelming the first couple of years but that was because I had no one to talk to, who understood what I was going through. Keegan will, he's going to have Chris, and the rest of us. So you need to tell him."

"Not to mention he'll find out on his own if we don't tell him," Maddie stated.

"What do you mean?" Julia asked her daughter.

"Will says that Keegan is a more powerful psionic than any one in the family, including Will," Mike answered. "When Will tired to take a peek into Key's mind, Key blocked him."

Julia's jaw dropped slightly, she knew that Will was powerful, the fact that Keegan could be more so powerful frightened Julia. She had always been grateful that Mike and Maddie were just pretenders with minimal physic power. She didn't know how Morgan and Jarod copped with five extremely gifted children, and three younger boys who had the potential to become just as powerful as their older siblings.

Julia saw that Lex's face grew stonier upon the new realization that he would more than likely be forced into revealing to Keegan that the young boy was a clone of Lex and Julia's eldest son Markus. Jeremiah on the other hand did not seemed fazed in the slightest by the news. Julia wondered if the boy already knew what Keegan was capable of, or if Jeremiah was just hiding his shock.

The boy was quite skilled in hiding his emotions, more so than any of the other children in his group. In fact when it came to keeping his emotions hidden Jeremiah gave Will a run for his money. Will -who was most defiantly his mother's child- tried to bottled up all of his emotions, but all of the fear, anger, pain, and frustration that he felt was revealed to all through his eyes.

Jeremiah on the other hand -who Will often compared to the red-haired werewolf, Oz from Buffy- was often quiet, and one could never quite tell what Jeremiah was think or feeling."So we're going to tell him?" Mike asked. A pained look crossed Lex's face. Unwillingly the physic nodded his head.

"Yes, we'll tell your brother who he is...Just not yet," Lex said.

"Dad," Mike said annoyed.

"Michael your brother is still trying to adjust to everything. I don't want to overwhelm him," Lex explained.

"Fine," Mike said easing up. "But his middle name won't be Markus."

"Don't we get to pick his middle name?" Maddie asked. "Alex and the others got to name Jace and Jack. Why can't we give Keegan his middle name?"

"You can if you like," Julia told her daughter, without consulting her husband. Julia was not quite happy with Lex at the moment.

"Matthew. His middle name is Matthew," Mike whispered. Maddie nodding her head.

"Matthew, God's gift," Jeremiah said. "Good name." Lex found himself agreeing. Keegan was indeed a gift.

November 21, 2010

2:31pm

Blue Cove, Delaware

Jamieson Manor

Will sat at the desk in Jamie's room typing away on Jamie's laptop. On Will's right sat Keegan, and on either of Will's knees sat Jason and Jack.

"Whatch typing?" Keegan asked.

"I am making up a birth certificate for you," Will replied.

"Oh," Keegan said, confusion then crossed the little boy's face. "What is a birth certificate?"

"It's a form stating who your parents are, what your name is, and where and when you were born. You wouldn't by chance know what day you were born would you?" Will asked Keegan. Keegan bit his bottom lip and stared down at his hands as he shook his head.

"Hey it's nothing to be ashamed of Key, my Dad didn't know when his birthday was till he was in his mid thirties. Don't worry we'll find out when your birthday is. Jake and the others are deciphering your file as we speak," Will told him

"Will when's your birthday?" Keegan asked.

"Alley and I were born May 9th 1991. Your big brother, and sister, along with Air, Andy, and Alex were born April 30, 1996. And these two munchkins in my lap were born..." Will trailed off as he glanced down at the twins in his lap.

"You three stay here," Will said sliding Jason and Jack off his lap and onto the chair. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." With that Will left the room, leaving the three six year olds behind.

"I'm confused," Keegan stated looking at the twins. Jason and Jack nodded their heads a sign to Keegan that he was not the only one confused.

Will ran down the hall, to the library, where the rest of the children were deciphering Keegan's file.

"Will there you are, I have a question to ask you," Jake said looking up from a mound of papers.

"No time," Will said.

"Will what's wrong?" Rachael asked concern in her voice.

"Forget Keegan's file, we have other matters much more important than that," Will stated.

"Will have they found a lead on old man Parker?" Greg asked.

"What? No. Listen we have things we need to get done. But where going to have to split up to do them."

"Will for those of us not following your nonlinear babble, could you please explain?" Jeff asked.

"Oh sorry, I got a head of myself," Will said grinning sheepishly. "Look the boys were taken before their birthday, and they missed it. I swore to myself that they would get their birthday. Granted we're missing half our family but the boys should still get their party, even if just a small one. They can have the real thing once we're all back home."

"Will that's brilliant," Alley said grinning.

"Actually Will it's perfect," Jake said as he glanced between the two sheets of paper in his hands.

"How so?" Will asked.

"Keegan's birthday is tomorrow," Jake said grinning.

"Sweet little brother has a full name and a birthday," Mike said.

"Keegan has a middle name now, that's perfect, I can finish his birth certificate now," Will spoke.

"Hey mister ADD, focus," Aaron said to Will. "What do we need to do?"

"Alley and I can whip up a cake for the boys, you guys up for a bit of present buying and party decorating?" Will asked.

"Always," Alex replied.

"I'm going to go tell Mom and Dad. After that we'll divide and conquer" Will said heading out of the room. "Oh and Jeff do you have those glasses you used on that pretend a few months back?"

"Yeah," Jeff replied looking at Will curiously.

"Can I borrow them?"Will asked.

"Sure," Jeff answered

.Up Next: It's Benny and Adam. Things aren't running to smoothly with the boys. Find out just what Will wanted with those glasses. Oh and Will breaks some bones. Who's? I'm not saying.

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