Author's note: This is my first attempt at a modern fanfic (the regency one I tried to do still remains on hiatus unfortunately) Please be forgiving! I'm sorry for the long delay: it was a month of hectic meetings, tests, evaluations, band practices etc. I'm sorry! Forgive me!

Disclaimer: Lalala, all characters and plot references belong to Jane Austen. If I owned them...I not sure what I would do.

Plot Summary: Still no Jane and Lizzy meet Darcy unfortunately. Introduction of more characters and an exploration of Bennet life. REVISED!

Enjoy!

--

Mrs. Juliana Bennet bustled into the kitchen with that week's groceries in hand and set the mass of plastic bags on the kitchen counter.

"Good morning dear," she called to her husband who was sitting quietly at the kitchen table reading the morning news and sipping a cup of coffee. She got herself a cup of coffee from the prepared coffee pot, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"And how was your day so far?" inquired James Bennet smiling at his wife, looking over her glowing appearance with appreciation. Memories flashed over him as he remembered is proposal, the wedding and how the things in his life just seemed to fall into place with the appearance of Juli.

Jane and Lizzy entered the kitchen and the exchange of 'good mornings' began again. Jane now at age 12 and Lizzy at 10 were the joy in their parent's lives. They had accepted Juli as their new mother, and it had already been a few years since their father's remarriage. Now, they were the epitome of a perfect family.

"What did the doctor say mom," asked Jane who was always so considerate in nature. Juli had gone to the doctor's this morning because flu symptoms had been plaguing her for the month.

All smiles, Juli gestured for her 'gang' to quiet down, "I have news for all of you," she announced. James Bennet perked his ears up. Lizzy, going through a slightly rebellious phase just nodded and continued reading the magazine article that had captured her interest, and Jane smiled in anticipation.

"Well guys…I'm pregnant," she said with a grin. Whoops of joy then followed along with congratulations as they all began to dream about life with a baby in the house. And thus, the new addition to the Bennet family was announced.

Over the next months, the family fared as well as to be expected, with one hormonal pregnant mother, a father at his wit's end and two scampering children and their friends.

--

"So guys, do you want to know?" Juli asked the gang, one hand clamped over the phone. Her audience looked at each other.

"Yes," James voiced first.

"Of course," Jane then inserted.

"No."

"Two to one Lizzie dear," chuckled James and nodded to his wife "let's hear it darling."

His wife listened intently at the phone for a couple of seconds while the rest watched with bated breath. Boy or girl?

"Its…" she began happily keeping them in suspense,

"Mom get a move on with it, I have homework to do— "

"Patience Lizzie!"

"Yeah, yeah…well what is it?"

"Twins".

"Twins," muttered James before his eyes glazed over in shock.

"Surprise darling."

'Surprise indeed' thought Lizzie as Juli happily kissed her husband's forehead, swaying out of the room, leaving the man dazed in his chair.

--

"James where ARE you?" cried Juli for the fourth time as she, dressed in her coat and dangling the car keys in impatience, was standing in the front foyer waiting…patiently for her husband.

"I'm coming, I'm coming darling," huffed the man as he trailed in looking intently through his wallet.

"What's the matter? Did you lose something."

"Er – no…just counting how much money I have before I lose it all."

"Lose? So you don't think shopping for the babies is worth it?"

"Ah, of course not. I'm sure the amount you decide to buy will be a good investment…"

"Glad you understand, dear."

--

A petite woman mildly pregnant streaking around the store was not an uncommon sight to the cash staff at the Bennington's. Noted for their wide assortment of infant, toddler and children's clothing and accessories, it was considered the premium shopping destination for expect mothers…and fathers. In that sense, the staff knew to approach James Bennet, walking unhurriedly down the aisle.

"Can we help you sir?"

"No, no, I'm sure my wife has it all under control," he replied with a sheepish chuckle and gestured towards the vicinity of the rapid exclamations of delight.

"Oh, isn't this just perfect, James dear?" It was a lacy confection whose froth made it hard for the male mind to decipher exactly what it was.

"Indeed," he replied to find his wife already occupied with another garment.

Two hours later, the Bennets were finally heading out the doors of the store laden with various shopping bags and cardboard boxes – more precisely, James Bennet was the one suffering under the weight. Happy from his wife's enthusiasm, albeit a bit tired from the trip, he managed to settle himself into a comfortable armchair in the living room.

"Phone dad," Lizzie muttered, shoving it under his nose and scooted away calling from her shoulder, "it's Grandma…I think."

"James, dear, how are you doing?"

"Fine mum," starting a thirty minute rant about the care he would need to take of himself, Juli and the attentions of Jane and Lizzie among numerous things.

"You sound a bit tired, dear."

"Been shopping all afternoon with Juli."

At that, the voice on the phone chuckled, "just you wait 'till the midnight feedings luv."

And he buried his face into his hands and groaned.

--

"Here mom, let me help you," came Jane's sweet voice. Juli looked down the step ladder to her daughter, hands still raised preparing to lift a cardboard box from the top of the closet.

"No, dear, I can handle it," Juli said with a smile and turned her attention back to the box.

"Handle what – Juli you shouldn't be doing that!"

They turned and saw James Bennet rushing at them at breakneck speed.

"I can't do this, I can't do that, who are you to boss me around?"

"The father of your child—"

Lizzie rolled her eyes at them as she passed the room and shared a sisterly smile with Jane who dashed out, not wanting to be part of their parent's squabbles.

A loud 'I am not an invalid' resonated through the hallway causing both girls too look up from their reading.

"Dad's in for it this time, isn't he?" commented Lizzie with a smirk.

"Yeah, but mom really can't control her hormones. Look at the bright side; it'll all be over in a few months."

"That's what you said during her morning sickness phase, puking up her toes at every sight and smell of food—"

"You think you've got it bad? Think of dad."

"It's his fault anyways … even though that's a nasty thought in itself."

"Lizzie!"

"Our parents didn't ride to school on dinosaurs, nor were we discovered under cabbage leaves."

"Ugh."

--

Lizzie was wandering around the house's library, trying to find a good book to read to pass the time. She had already finished all her holiday homework and now spent her time restlessly prowling the house. Normally, the family would be on vacation, but with her mom's upcoming due date, they couldn't go anywhere. All her friends were away on skiing trips or tanning in the Caribbean. She sighed: 'I'm so bored' she thought to herself.

Skipping out of the room, she turned the corner, looking for her dad to play chess with or amuse herself with a random television show. She was greeted with the sight of him at the far side of the living room with a deer-in-the-headlights look. Her mom was standing in front of the large hallway mirror inspecting her appearance.

"—I'm so fat!" she wailed as she took in her enlarged proportions, bloated stomach and swollen ankles.

"It's all right Juli," her father said comfortingly "…I love big women—"

Totally the wrong thing to say dad. Lizzie chuckled to herself as she hopped up the stairs to find her sister, seeing the sight of her angry mother advancing upon her prey ready to release her wrath.

--

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow"

"Who was that?" Lizzie asked when Jane hung up. They were in their room, lounging on their beds, each passing time in their chosen way. Lizzie had walked through the interconnecting door of their rooms to see her sister sprawled upon the bed in an intense discussion over the phone.

Her sister blushed bright red. "Oh, another admirer Janie?"

Not even in high school, Jane Bennet was already the object of admiration over half the boys in her grade and older. Her gentle nature was averse to rejecting them too harshly, so every so often, a few persistent admirers were allowed a date or two.

"Who was it Janie? Do tell!" Lizzie whined and pleaded. Only she could see the humour of her sister's long train of 'suitors'.

"Alex."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Alex McKinley, lead socialite, footballer …the jock?" she was slighty awed. Alex was the kind of guy who was friends with everyone, the most popular kid in high school. Decked out in Hollister and Abercrombie, he was clustered with admirers (mostly girls, in the same way boys clustered around Janie) everyday in the halls and the cafeteria. He was also a known player.

"I'm sorry Janie, but are you sure it's a smart thing to do?"

"I suppose, and he was insistent." Attention seeker, Lizzie thought to herself, by dating the most popular girl in school, he'll practically be the talk of the town.

"When are you going out?"

"He asked to be my date for the 'fest'."

The 'fest' was an annual dance party, the biggest event at Longbourn District High where all teens in the area were invited. Going with someone meant that you were pretty serious. Yup, this was going to make big news.

The 'fest' rolled around pretty soon and even Lizzie began to think that Janie's new boyfriend was a bit slimy. She had been with them for some hang-out time where she observed them. There was one day, they were in a food court, Jane was patiently waiting for Alex to bring back food. A handsome teen walked passed the table and accidently elbowed her bag the floor. Both hands reached out for it and as they came up, their eyes met. Lizzie sighed in pleasure, it was one of those perfect examples of chemistry – that is until Alex came back. Ignoring the 'third party' he had roughly grabbed Jane and kissed her possessively. Just a bit jealous was Jane's excuse. Lizzie didn't like him at all.

Jane had also invited him over several times and he was able to charm most their parents. She was preparing for the dance with the usual zest, improving upon her almost perfect angelic appearance set off by carefully chosen attire.

It looked to be good evening. Her parents and Lizzie sat at home around the living room joking at the kind of fun they were probably having. That is, until the doorbell rang at around ten in the evening, and the door opened to a crying Jane.

Apparently, upon arrival, she had been left high and dry on the dance floor and watched over the course of the evening, her date flirt, charm and dance with Jessica Powell whose chest measurement severely outweighed the size of her brain. As he kissed her in the middle of the dance floor with an audience of over a hundred, Jane had slipped out of the room, tears silently flowing and began her walk home.

What a jerk, Lizzie thought as she spent the rest of the evening comforting her heartbroken sister.

--

James Bennet was temporarily but absolutely terrified of his wife who currently prowling the house specifically with the intention of ending his life in some particular painful way. Apparently, his usual quirky sarcastic type of humour didn't sit well with her hormonal self. He peeked around the corner to see his wife seated calmly in the kitchen sipping a cup of milk. Composing himself, he walked in like there was no threat to his life whatsoever and picked up the newspaper and began to read.

"So…" he began, desperately wanting to fill the silence by making small talk, "have you thought about what preschool the twins are going to?"

"It's too early James, they're not even born yet, much less being ready to go to preschool."

"Of course dear, but it's never too early to plan. I've heard that once they are born, life gets a bit busy and time seems to fly."

"Is that so?"

James, willing to grasp at any opening launched into a monologue as to the benefits of early planning. "—and of course an excellent preschool would be the first step to a successful educational career for our children. I was looking at this education magazine and it recommends several very prestigious academies with preschools and elementary acceptance. There's this one…aha…Meryton Elementary Academy, sounds so very distinguished doesn't it?"

"No!" James flinched at the sudden exclamation but kept his eyes glued on the page just in case.

"Are you sure dear? How about Milton Primary? It says here that it's won numerous awards in early childhood education—"

"NOT NOW!"

"Really? But it is really never too early to plan…"

"JAMES!"

His head shot up to see his wife clutching her abdomen and leaning on the chair for support.

"My water just broke…"

Oh my goodness.

--

And so, Juli was rushed off to the hospital and admitted to the maternity ward. The family waited in anticipation outside the delivery chamber for the afternoon as no news of a successful birth came. James had later changed and stood by his wife's side as she endured the pains of labour. As she swore castration against him, and hatred against her libido, his and against the entire process of birthing, he smiled down in adoration trying to ignore the increasingly tighter grip on his fingers.

"NEVER AGAIN!"

"Just one more push dear."

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID AN HOUR AGO!"

"Please darling, just a few more and it'll be all over," he said as he patted her hand comfortingly.

"I'm so tired – ahh" she cried out as another wave of pain overtook her.

"Push, Juli!"

She did, and thus was the birth of Christopher James Bennet, a healthy baby boy who, after his lusty wail, was then whisked away to be cleaned and looked after until the birth of the second twin was finished.

"Here's the first one, darling. Just keep pushing and it'll all be over soon," soothed James.

Normally, it would have been a relatively quick process, but as soon as James saw the frown appear on the doctor's forehead, he knew something was wrong.

"It's a breach birth," he called out to the nurses who hurriedly gathered the equipment necessary for the situation. "Mr. Bennet, I need to ask you to leave the room now," the doctor turned and asked.

"What! Why?"

"In layman's term, the baby is stuck in the birth canal, we have to perform an immediate C-section."

James hurried out into the change room, changed out of the scrubs and stalked into the waiting room where mutual friend were waiting with him for support.

"How is she?" Malcolm was a distant cousin of Juli's. They had been introduced at a university function and found out the delightful family connection. He was close with Jane and Lizzie, their favourite 'uncle' and often dined as part of the family. Now, he saw the worried frown on James' countenance and assumed the worst. "What's happened?" he asked.

"The doctors called it a breach birth, and began a c-section."

Malcolm sucked in air, but hurriedly began an awkward assurance. "It should be all right James, they perform c-sections routinely these days, and there should be no complications."

"I hope so Mal."

It was several hours of severe suspense later that James finally heard news from a nurse who led the family into a room where Juli was resting peacefully on a bed. The doctor looked up at their arrival and approached them.

"Mr Bennet, your wife's condition has been stabilized and she is currently on anesthesia. It was a birth of a daughter, who is now under observation in an incubator."

"Under observation?"

"She is a bit weak and has slight jaundice. Do you have a name decided for her yet?"

"Yes, yes we do. Mary Christine Bennet."

"Very good, now I'll leave you to your wife," the doctor nodded in acknowledgement and gracefully left the family to their solitude.

"How are you feeling love," James asked as he gently took hold of his wife's hand gazed into her tired face.

Juli managed a weak smile and nodded. Malcolm approached the bed and smiled down at them.

"Hey cuz."

"Hey Mal."

"Just to let you know that the children are all right, patiently waiting outside and losing their hearing to their I-pods. I'll leave James here with you while I take them out for dinner, 'kay?"

They nodded and said there thanks, attention already back on each other.

Malcolm snorted as he looked over his shoulder while passing through the doorway. Married for a few years and still acting like lovesick newlyweds.

James looked down at his wife and locked with her brilliant blue eyes.

Yes my love, now we have two lovely additions to our family. With them we begin yet another phase of our lives…very happily ever after I hope.

------------------------------ P&P

Once again, all the events that happen are truly fictional. I have never experienced the lashings of an emotionally wrought pregnant woman or know what happens in a delivery room.

The only partial truth to the story was the tidbit about "I love big women", a story told by my music teacher to us during band. Apparently his friend was the husband in that scenario. I thought it was rather funny 

I'm thinking of introducing the Meryton assembly next chapter. Any ideas?

I had a friend review and her only comment was that it was a bit too fast paced. I admit at trying to pass over this phase as it seems amazingly hard to write a believable narrative on pregnant women and childbirth. I lack life experience.

As always to my reviewers, I thank you with the depths of my heart!

trek-elly