A/N: I feel like interest is waining in this collection now, which is fine because I'm wrapping it up soon. Also, I doubt this particular episode will inspire joy because it stars April, but hey ho, my fic, my rules :P It does also feature toddler-sized Jack, Billy, and Tori, if that helps anyone :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

15. It's All Relative - 14th January 2011

April had said she would be fine. She meant it when she said it. After all, she was almost eighteen years old now. Practically a fully grown, well-adjusted adult, predicted to graduate in the top two percent in her high school class in May. She had been babysitting since she was twelve and was pretty good with kids in general. How hard could it be to sit quietly reading a book and watching TV whilst three small children slept upstairs? Apparently, harder than she thought!

The thundering like a herd of elephants running across the landing startled April from her book when she was barely one chapter in. How three children of such young ages could make such a noise she had no idea, and yet she knew it was entirely possible. She had been in the house before when just Jack and Tori were chasing each other around up there, and tonight Billy was staying over too, whilst Luke, Lorelai, Rory, and Jess all attended a party in lieu of Friday Night Dinner in Hartford. Still, the fact two or even three kids could make such an epic noise was almost impressive, or would've been if they shouldn't be still and sleeping right now.

"Okay, okay. What is going on?" April called as she got up and headed for the stairs.

She hurried when she realised she could hear crying and voices louder than she would have expected. If they were just out of bed playing around, she could be at least a little mad at them, but tears were never cool.

"Tori?" she called, looking into the little girl's room.

Jack was sat on his sister's bed with her, his little arms holding her close. Billy was hovering by the bed, a couple of fingers and part of his sleeve shoved in his mouth. He did that when he was nervous, if there was no food for him to eat. He just started chewing on himself, which April was surprised to find she wasn't weirded out by. Such was the nature of this whole mixed up family.

"What happened?" she asked, moving closer to the bed.

"Toria had a bad dream," said Jack, as Tori herself cried and hiccupped still, her little hands in a death-grip on her blankie and Jack's pyjama top.

"Oh, sweetie," April sympathised, reaching out to smooth Tori's hair and wipe some of her tears away. "It's okay. Everybody has bad dreams, but it's all over now. You're safe here with us."

"See? Told you it was okay," said Jack to his sister, patting her back. "Nothing scary here, Toria."

"Monsters," she said in a little voice. "Try to eat me!"

She started crying harder again and April wished she knew how to make it better. She recalled her own childhood and the nightmares she had back then. From flying monkeys coming to take her away after seeing The Wizard of Oz for the first time, right up to just a few years ago when she dared to rent White Noise and despite her better judgement became terrified she could hear voices in the night, sure the paranormal spirits were coming after her. Dreams could be so vivid and seem so real. Even adults could get beyond freaked out by them sometimes. For little children, for whom imagination was as genuine as reality much of the time, it had to be just terrifying.

"Okay," said April, getting up to go turn on the main light.

Suddenly, it was almost as bright as day time in Tori's room, not the shadowy scariness of the dark with only the night light in one corner.

"Where were the monsters?"

Tori pointed in three different directions without speaking a word, though her sobbing seemed to be down to a dull roar by now. The closet, under the bed, and somewhere in the general direction of the window seemed to be the nightmares hiding places. Realising that moving Tori and Jack wasn't an option right now without causing further distress, April offered her hand to Billy and he placed the hand he wasn't keeping in his mouth into her palm.

"You wanna help me prove to Tori that there's nothing to be afraid of?"

Billy nodded solemnly, smiling around a mouthful of fingers and sleeve.

April would be grossed out to see the spit running down the chin of any other kid, but this was her half-brother, so it was fine. It was almost cute, in a weird way.

One place at a time, April and Billy opened the closet door, moved the drapes away from the window, and even went so far as to heave the bed (with Tori and Jack still on top of it) over a few feet to prove no monsters were there.

"See? Nothing but clothes, toys, and a few dust bunnies."

"Bunnies?" Tori checked, frowning some as she leaned too far over off the edge of the bed to look. "Bunnies!"

"No, not bunny rabbits." April shook her head, trying not to laugh too much as she grabbed Tori and pulled her into her lap before she fell completely off the bed. "But that'd be a better thing to dream about, right? Bunny rabbits and kitty cats?"

"Hello Kitty!" said Tori happily, reaching for the toy she wanted.

Jack handed it to her with a smile, glad to just see his sister happy again. He continued to grin as Tori hugged Hello Kitty and walked her around on the bed and in her lap. April loved how well the brother and sister got along, even if she was a little jealous. She was a teenager before she got an older step-sister and when her half-brother was born. She had grown up the only child of a single parent, and was just a little bitter about it sometimes. Then she remembered just how much family she had these days and she couldn't be upset anymore. She was very lucky, even if most of her closest relations were much older or younger than she was.

"Okay, so, time to get back to bed now," she told the three kids who seemed determined to get out toys and play now that Tori had started. "C'mon, it's too late for play time now."

She tried to get Jack off the bed and put Tori back under the covers, encouraging Billy away from the shelves of board games at the same time. It didn't go well. Jack did as he was told, but he was the only one. Tori was gripping onto April like a koala, refusing to let go when she tried to put her back into her bed. When April prised her legs away, they started kicking. It was like fighting with Michael Flatley and April knew she was going to end up bruised if she didn't change tactics here.

"Operation! Kerplunk! Pop-Up Pirate!"

Billy was yelling the names of every game as he pulled them from the shelves.

April gave up trying to put Tori down, standing straight and hugging the little girl close a while longer. She turned to find Billy surrounded by boxes and Jack seemingly trying to be good but feeling all kinds of tempted by the idea of a game.

"Guys, please," April urged them. "Put the games back. It's sleepy time."

"Not tired," Tori said from her shoulder, even as she yawned big. "Hungry!" she declared then.

"Hungry? Sweetie, it's past ten o'clock."

"Hungry," Tori intoned, over and over. "Hungry, hungry, hungry."

"Hippos?" Billy asked, lifting the box aloft with both hands.

"No." Jack shook his head. "Hungry... for cookies!" he declared. "Please, Aunty April?"

"Pweeeease!" Tori urged her, bouncing in her arms. "Pweeease, Anty Aypill!"

She might've managed to say no to Jack and Billy, maybe, but the ridiculously adorable way that Tori said her name never failed to melt her heart.

"Okay, okay. One cookie each and some nice healthy milk, then back to bed," she insisted.

Corralling all the kids down to the kitchen was easy enough. They were so eager for the cookies, and despite her saying they were only allowed one, most of a bag was gone before April could stop them. She had to admit, she ate more than a couple herself, they were just so good!

It was almost eleven by the time the kids had gulped down their milk, sat huddled together on the couch with the throw covering them up. April took a deep breath and let it out slow. Now came the tough part, getting them all back upstairs and making them sleep.

"Okay, I'm taking these back to the kitchen and then it's bed time," she insisted, gathering up the empty tumblers.

Unfortunately, when she got back five minutes later, the couch was empty, and she had a feeling the kids hadn't gone upstairs to bed as she planned. It didn't take long to realise they were all caught up in the curtains, peering out of the window as best they could. Jack could just about see, being as he was almost six and taller than the rest. Billy was straining on his tip-toes to get a better view, even though at not-quite four he was almost as tall as his cousin. Three-year-old Tori had clambered up onto a chair so she could see, though as yet, April had no idea what the draw was.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she moved to see.

"Smell snow!" Billy declared, just as his mother often did.

April smiled indulgently. "You can't smell snow. And even if you could, there is no snow forecast at all this week. It's been weirdly warm for this time of year and-"

"Smell snow!" Billy repeated, glancing at her with a determined look and a very deep sniffing breath. "Snow!" he said definitely.

"C'mon, snow!" said Tori, looking up into the dark night sky. "Love you, snow!"

"We want snow!" Jack declared, banging his hands on the sill. "Snow! Snow!"

"C'mon, kids, please," April urged them, checking her watch.

It was closing in on eleven thirty. Luke, Lorelai, Rory, and Jess were due home by midnight, and she really didn't want to have to explain why none of their kids were asleep when they got there. By now, all three of the little ones were calling for snow and April just knew they were not going to give in until they got some, which was just great, because as she already said, none was forecast for the whole of the week.

"Look, we can't just stand here forever. It's not..."

April's voice trailed away as she took another look out of the window and realised what she was seeing. The kids had stopped their chanting, all three of their mouths now open in silence as they stared at the flurry of snowflakes whipping past the glass. Snow.

"See, I told you," said Billy proudly, sparing April the briefest of glances before going right back to watching the weather. "Snow."

It was amazing. He really could smell snow coming, just like Lorelai always seemed able to do. April was almost a little jealous. She watched as Jack put an arm around Tori, holding her steady when she seemed fit to tumble off the chair she was balanced on. It was so sweet. Sure, she could feel bad that she never had a brother like Jack or a sister like Tori, that she couldn't smell know the way Billy could, that she didn't have these bonds of childhood friendship, but that would be dumb. These kids were part of her family and they loved her too. April was a part of this, this perfect picture, all of them huddled in the window watching the snow fall.

Putting her arms around all the kids, she sighed.

"Love you, Anty Aypill," said Tori, leaning into her embrace, even though her eyes stayed fixed on the snow.

"I love you too," she replied. "All of you."

She should get them back to bed, try to have them at least pretending to sleep before their parents got home. April knew all this and yet she couldn't move. This was too special.

One by one, the kids suddenly let out a series of great heaving yawns.

"Sleepy now," said Billy, slipping out from under April's arm and rushing for the stairs.

Jack helped Tori down from the chair, with further assistance from April, and they followed after Billy. April followed them, just in case they needed help, but between the three of them they all got back to bed without any further fuss. She checked in on Jack and Billy, and then finally on Tori.

"You want me to leave the light on?" asked April from the doorway.

Tori shook her little head against the pillow and curled happily into her blankets.

"Snow makes monsters go 'way," she said, eyes already closed.

April smiled and put out the light, closing the door behind her. She peered out of the window at the end of the hall, where flurries were blowing by in a beautiful veil of white, and hoped Dad and the others got home safely before the weather got too bad. She was sure everything would be fine. Somehow, with her family, it always was in the end.