Thank you for all the reviews. You made my holiday!

Review please.

So, I recently saw Bandslam.. don't ask me how (shady, I know), but it was AMAZING. I loved it, I can't wait to own it on DVD. I've always liked Vanessa Hudgens, but this seriously proved to me what a good actress she is. She's REALLY good. Watch it.... somehow... I say nothing.

Well, review please, especially since my life sux.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL.
I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family/friends, and enjoyed whatever you did.
The holidays is why this is late... business, you know? Plus, I had a little trouble, but I am forging on through.

Named Little Brother by Grizzly Bear because the title fits.

5 Weeks Later...

I laughed as Carmin giggled in her baby way when I tickled her tummy. They've only just begun to have actual expressions and I am loving every small smile or baby noise. It's mostly just gurgling, some smiles, a baby laugh once in a while. It's a little early to get too much, but I always manage to get something out of them.

"Are you laughing at me?" I questioned her as we layed on the ground. All three of us are, me, Carmin, and Tristin. Tristin was silent, just waving his arms around as if he was signalling me to pay attention to him too. "I didn't forget you, bubba," I assured him, poking gently at his own stomach, getting a small smile in return. I love being a mom.

It was very hectic there for a while. I was always pumping my breasts for milk, up almost all hours of the night, changing diapers constantly, sore from birth for a little bit, but it's finally getting easier. It isn't exactly easy, I don't think that is the right word, it's just not as crazy anymore. The babies are getting on a solid sleep schedule, I am already done with breastfeeding, or in the process of it anyways, the throwing up quota is going down a bit, I am getting some more sleep every now and then, I am off that long period, and the twins are perfect.

I lifted myself up over them, kissing them each on their cheeks with a loud 'muah' noise. It made them smile more, making me smile. They only first smiled a few days ago and like any other cliche set of twins, at the exact same time. I was making their bottles, the formula kind (I am slowly getting them off breast milk), and just talking to them. I was saying how their daddy would be home soon, mentioning how much I missed him (it was a two day shift) when they both just smiled at me. I almost cried, for real.

"Daddy is gonna be so happy to see us, you know why?" I asked them, playing with their feet. "Because, Mommy's mommy came over today, do you remember that?" I wondered, leaning down to kiss their feet. Oh, it's not gross, it's not like they can walk. They can't even hold their necks up well yet. I smell their diapers, kissing a foot is nothing to me. "Well, Mommy's mommy cleaned the whole house, almost, did the laundry, made dinner, and even took over so Mommy could sleep for three hours!" I exclaimed in an excited voice.

The two just continued to look at me, but I knew it could be due to the fact that there was a light on behind me. They like lights, all babies do. They had small Bolton grins on their face that only another Bolton would notice.

I picked up Tristin. "Not only did Mommy do that, but she actually got a nice shower too!" I informed him, holding him in front of me to nuzzle and kiss at his belly. It made him giggle like Carmin did. "Since she got a nice shower, she actually looks like a girl today!" I said, pulling him close to kiss his face again. I swear, they are both so much like Troy. His eyes, his hair, his nose. They have a mix of our skin tones, plus my mouth. "I am even wearing my ruby necklace" I finished, putting him down gently only to scoop Carmin up.

Carmin is smaller than Tristin, but they are both at pretty good weights for twins. They're gaining well, and are liking baby formula too, which makes the transition easier for me. Carmin leaned in against me, nestling into the slope of my neck.

I shook my head, kissing the side of her head. "Oh, no you don't, baby girl," I stated, not moving her at all. "You do not get to fall asleep until Daddy gets home, five more minutes," I compromised, moving her down into a cradle that she cuddled into. I'm wearing a dress, so I am sitting on my knees on the side. It's a black dress that goes a little past mid-thigh and has a scoop neckline. I am wearing a long red cardigan on over it that is almost as long as the dress. I left my hair long and curly, throwing on the red ruby necklace with it. My rings actually fit on my fingers again, yay.

I've only been allowed to work out for about a week, I needed time to recover from the births. I only work out when Troy is home, and working out means going on a run in the morning, plus doing a little work with weights in the basement, not much. I gained about forty pounds with the pregnancy, then lost over ten due to the fact that the babies came out, along with the afterbirth gunk. Then, just being a mom lost me a couple pounds. I only need to lose about twenty now, which seems to be coming off easily enough.

I continued to play with Tristin and keep Carmin awake until I heard Troy's car. "Daddy's home!" I almost yelled, waking Carmin up from her trance. She's getting tired, as is Tristin, but I want Troy to see them before they fall asleep until almost midnight or so. They are getting a sleep schedule, but I am tweaking it so they aren't waking up at night for long periods of time.

A few moments later, Troy appeared from the basement steps, a smile plastered on his face. "Hey," he greeted, walking right on over to sit down, picking Tristin up in the process.

I tilted Carmin up, something she didn't like, and let me know so. "Sorry, I tried to keep her awake," I apologized, lifting her up to lean against my chest again.

"No problem," Troy replied. "Here, switch me, Tristin is more awake," he compromised, settling Tristin down in his Indian style lap, then reached for Carmin. She let out a cry because she was comfy, then recognized Troy. "Why are you crying at me, little girl?" he asked her, holding her close.

I grabbed Tristin, then settled him in my lap in a cradle. I looked up to see Troy holding Carmin much like I was, plus mumbling something into her ear softly. I smiled at the sight. He must have felt me watching him because he looked up at me.

"What?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

I shrugged, my smile disappearing mysteriously leaving my face. "Nothing," I swore, glancing down to see Tristin's eyes closing as well. "Come on, we should put them down before they get too asleep," I reminded him, expertly getting up with an almost sleeping baby in my arms. Carmin, who was more asleep that Tristin, didn't like being jostled around.

Troy situated her on his chest better, slipping his coat off as he did, letting it drop to the ground. "Come on, Car, I'll spend more time with you and your brother tonight when you need fed," he commented, leading the way upstairs. It's seven now, they'll be waking up around midnight to be changed, fed, then changed again, then just to play around for a little before falling asleep until around eight or so. We put them in the big bassinet in our room, putting their stuffed animals between them. We don't want them too used to sleeping right next to each other, then it'll be a bitch when we put them in their cribs to sleep.

Their nightlight went on, putting colorful lights around the room, but they were already almost asleep. I smiled down at them as they drifted off, my hand playing with my necklace. Troy's arms wrapped around me from behind, now changed into new clothes, I noticed. "Hi," I greeted, leaning back against him.

"You didn't call me today," he accused me in my ear in a low voice. I've been calling him once a day lately, just so he can get an update on the twins.

I covered his hands with mine. "I know, my mom stopped over. I got a nice nap today," I informed him, feeling his face at my neck.

"I can tell, you don't look out of it like you usually do," he replied, pressing himself against me a little more.

I let out a quiet half-laugh. "Oh, thanks so much," I responded sarcastically.

I knew he was smiling. "You know what I mean. You don't look so tired like normal," he rephrased. "You're gonna get a lot of sleep tonight too, because I don't work tomorrow, so I'll take care of them all night," he admitted. "She looks just like you when she is asleep, you know," he mentioned.

I turned around in his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I see you in them all day," I told him something he already knows. I leaned in against his chest. "I love them so much sometimes my heart aches," I muttered. "Geez, that is so cheesy."

Troy kissed my head. "Cheesy but true," he said, holding me tight. "Come on, let's go downstairs before we wake them up," he suggested. "I missed you the three of you all day, but I will not wake them up," he stated, causing me to laugh a little. "What's that smell?" he questioned once we reached then downstairs.

I passed him on the way to the kitchen and opened the oven which contained delicious food. "My mother's dinner for us," I answered. "Pot roast with potatoes, carrots, the whole shebang," I explained.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love when your mother comes over?" he wondered, getting a can of pop out of the fridge. "Today was good, then?" he asked. "No fussy baby, or hissy fits, or an overload of throw up?"

I shook my head, going out to the bar to sit down. "Nope, it was a good one," I assured him, crossing my legs. "Finally. We've been due for a good day," I reminded him. They may be the most perfect of babies in my book (like they wouldn't be?), but they are still work.

Troy pulled his stool close next to me. "Good," he mumbled, his free hand sliding onto my bare thigh. "You look different," he stated, putting his drink down. "More awake, but different somehow," he explained.

I smiled at him. "Get this, I showered today," I said. "And, it wasn't a five minute one," I gasped for effect.

He gasped back dramatically. "No!" he exclaimed, making me laugh. I nodded to confirm. "Wow, babe, you're getting this whole Mom thing down," he complimented.

"Nope, since my mama came over, I took a little bit of me time," I corrected.

"Good," he repeated from earlier. "You deserve it, I don't remember the last time either of us left the house for fun," he commented. "At least at work I get a few laughs, you're just here," he said.

I shrugged. "I like being home with the twins," I reminded him. "Seeing them smile is the highlight of my day," I assured him.

He cupped my cheek. "I know, seeing any of you smile is my highlight, but if you don't get out of this house sooner or later, you'll go crazy," he told me. "I'd prefer you not to go crazy just yet," he added.

"Thanks so much," I replied, leaning in to peck him on the lips.

I pulled away just as quickly as I leaned in for it, but his hand slid to the back of my neck, keeping me there. "Hold on, now," he murmured, our foreheads touching, then our noses brushed up against each other. "That was the first time you kissed me today," he muttered, pressing his lips against mine. We separated a few moments later after enjoying our slow kiss. "You look nice today, Brie," he informed me.

I smiled again. "Thanks," I whispered back, my hands on his legs. "Troy," I said to get his attention. He was looking down at, well, me. My boobs have gone down since I have stopped breastfeeding, but they are still bigger than normal. They should go down a little more. His eyes flicked to mine. "One, my eyes are up here," I reminded him, touching a finger to the side of my eye, making him grin. "Two, there is no way we're having sex for at least a little while. And, three, please shower before bed tonight, you smell like smoke."

He looked tired too. "I should, today was a busy day," he admitted, sitting up straight.

I frowned a little before he notice. "Yeah? What happened?" I wondered, running a hand through his normally messy hair. He takes showers before bed now, then sleeping on the wet hair, waking up to a haystack that oddly looks really good on him. It's the same look as before, now it's less work. I wish my hair hair worked that way.

Troy shrugged. "A few fires, some car crashes, about two false alarms," he summed up. "Nothing big, I swear," he promised.

I kissed his cheek. "Alright, you look hungry, let's get some dinner," I suggested, sliding off the stool, tugging him along with me.

Later, after we'd eaten, we cuddled up on the couch, the t.v. on in the background. "So, since I'm off tomorrow," Troy started, his arms tightening around me. "You can get up whenever and do whatever it is you do when I'm home to take care of the twins," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Work out, you mean?" I questioned.

"Bleh, sure," he answered, making me chuckle. "Whatever you are doing to get 'healthy," he said with air quotes.

I pinched his side. "I don't get why you don't understand why I am working out," I mentioned. "You work out half the week, why can't I?" I asked. "I want to be healthy too," I reminded him. "And, stop with the air quotes!"

He chuckled too. "I just think you're fine the way you are," he responded, pressing his lips to my forehead.

"You can think whatever you want, but I have about twenty more pounds to go, and I will lose at least most of it," I stated. "It's not like I am religious about it, it's just when you are off I go on a run," I mumbled.

"Speaking of," he started a new topic. "Gavin is gonna be stopping over tomorrow, gonna be dropping off somethin'," he informed me.

I buried my head into the crook of his neck. "What is he dropping off?" I asked, comfortable.

"You know that up hill treadmill walker thingy?" he wondered, his hands moving through my hair. He didn't wait for my to answer. "I was talking to Gavin about how you're trying to get 'healthy' now," he went on, making me roll my eyes again. "And, he said something about how Amelia has two of those, then asked if we wanted it so you could get 'healthy' quicker. I said we'd take it," he finished.

I tilted my head up to look at him. "So I am getting a what did you call it?" I questioned. "A up hill treadmill walker thingy?" I laughed.

He nodded, pushing hair away from my face. "Yep, if you want it," he replied.

I kissed him on the lips. "I do," I assured him. "Thank you," I muttered, then kissed him again. "Please stop using air quotes," I pleaded a moment later.

He smiled, then a baby cry was heard from upstairs. "That's Tristin," he told me something I already knew. "I'll get him, you stay down here," he said as I slid off of him. He quickly went upstairs. A moment or two after I knew he was up there, the cry came to a halt.

I watched t.v. for a little, then got bored, and wondered what was takin' so long, so I went upstairs. I went into our room, where Troy wasn't present, nor was Tristin. I checked on Carmin, she was hugging her teddy bear, sleeping peacefully. I went across the hall to the nursery only to find Troy in his rocking chair, holding Tristin, speaking softly to him.

He looked up when I entered the room. "Sorry, Tristin just wanted to spend some time with his dad, didn't he?" he asked, glancing back down at the baby boy.

I walked over, then knelt down in front of them. Tristin was getting drowsy again, content in Troy's arms. I smiled and kissed his head. "You shouldn't be sorry about that," I replied in a low voice. "Why'd he wake up?"

"Dirtied his diaper a little early, huh bubba?" he questioned our son. Tristin's adopted the nickname bubba. "But, Dad cleaned you all up," he answered himself.

I stood up, my hand in Troy's hair. "I'll let you two men bond, I'll go back downstairs," I told him.

Troy nodded, his head tilting downward so he could keep talking to Tristin. "I'll be down once this little guy gets to sleep," he said, smiling at him.

"Make sure you don't intentionally keep him up, we're trying to keep him sleeping with Carmin is," I reminded him, backing away.

"I know, I'll be back soon," he replied as I left.

I went back downstairs to do the dishes. I cleaned all the bottles, plus loaded the dishwasher, then went on to the laundry. I didn't turn the washer on because Troy went into the shower, I heard the pipes in the basement. I smirked to myself, making my way up to the top floor. I checked on the babies, both sleeping soundly, before going into the bathroom. I took off my clothes quietly so he wouldn't know I was there, I made sure to take off my jewelry too. After, I poked my head into the shower.

Troy was already washing conditioner out of his hair. "Room for one more?" I suddenly wondered, making his eyes pop open.

He grinned for a second. He held his hand out to me, which I took to let him pull me into the shower. The door closed behind me as he pulled me under the spray. His arms wrapped around me as I got wet, holding me close. "And, here I was just beginning to think about how lonely my showers were getting," he commented, causing me to laugh into his shoulder.

About half an hour later I wiped my hand across the foggy mirror. I had a big, fluffy towel wrapped around my body with my hair freshly brushed and parted down the middle, along with my minimal bangs combed to the side. I saw Troy approach me from behind through the mirror, his hands on either side of me, boxing me in. "Hi," I greeted, looking him in the eyes.

"Hey," he mumbled against my shoulder. "I want to tell you something you already know, but need to hear," he informed me, moving my hair to my other shoulder.

I bit my lip, nodding. "Should I change first or will this be a quick thing?" I wondered, turning around.

He lifted my up, setting me on the sink. "It's a sit down, shut up, no interruptions kind of thing," Troy answered honestly.

I made a face. "You could be a little nicer about it.." I trailed off, feigning hurt.

He knew me too well. "Whatever, now," he started, his hands still on either side of me. He already has boxers and white basketball shorts on. I ran my hand up to rest on his tattoo. "I want you to know that you are seriously the best mom in the world, that is just not me talking," he told me. My heart swelled. Aw. "You are with the twins all day, mostly by yourself, you take on so much, and doing so well. It's amazing how much you get done in one day while taking care of two babies. It's amazing that you can take care of two newborns all by yourself with minimal help other than me and sometimes your mother," he explained.

I opened my mouth, but he shook his head. "Tr-"

"Sh, I said no interruptions," he reminded me. "I also want you to know that you're sexy even though you are so for losing those last twenty pounds," he went on. "Go ahead, work out, lose the weight, you know that that is ultimately your decision, unless you go over twenty, then I will have a real opinion," he informed me. I rolled my eyes. "I've been giving you grief over it, but you know I am just kidding around. You're still beautiful, sexy, and every other adjective I've ever used to describe you, just like you'll always be," he assured me, his hand slipping up my thigh slowly. "Actually, you're more of it because you're the mother of my children, that's a turn on," he confessed.

I let out a small laugh, pulling him into a hug. "I love you," I whispered, kissing his neck gently.

"I love you too," he replied, his lips at my own next, brushing up against it.

We moved away from each other a little, just so we could look at the other. "That being said about me, I think you should know that you are the best father in the world to those two," I stated. "I love seeing you with the twins, I could watch you for hours interacting with them," I admitted. "I'm not joking. You're the best dad, you should see your face when you are with them," I stopped, resting my forehead on his. "Anyways, you shouldn't give me so much credit because you're home more than other dad's with boring 'ol nine to five jobs, something I like," I told him. "You three mean everything to me," I breathed. He smiled at me. "Make a note I didn't mention how sexy you are, you already know that."

Troy chuckled. "You three mean everything to me too," he agreed. "Now, get into some clothes," he ordered jokingly, picking me up to set me back down on my feet.

I put on a pair of red comfy, slightly fashionable sweatpants, along with a white scoop neck t-shirt. I half dried my hair, not having the patience to do all of it. Troy just put on a black shirt. We spent the time until the twins would be waking up relaxing. We watched some movie on t.v., ate, and talked. They woke up a little before twelve, ready to be changed (again) then be fed. I fed Tristin while Troy took Carmin on. Troy has been working a little more than usual lately, so they were happy to see him, I could tell.

"School starts up in a few weeks," Troy commented an hour into the twins being awake.

I nodded, dipping down to kiss Tristin's head as I held him. "I know," I simply responded, shrugging while I did it.

"You upset you're not going back?" he wondered with Carmin leaning against him, his hand moving up and down her back, keeping her her happy. She wasn't exactly sleepy yet, but she wasn't fussy or needy either, which was something for me to smile about. I realized a while ago that when the babies are crying, it's always Mommy they went. It's not like Daddy won't do, it's just that Mommy has that maternal instinct, you know? On the flip side, when they are in their bestest moods, it's always either because of Troy, or when he is with them.

I shrugged again. "I love teaching, but I love being a mom more," I told him. "I'll go back to it, we both know I will, but this is my priority right now, always will be," I said, lifting Tristin up to nip at his belly, making him laugh as he usually does when someone does this to him. I smiled when he did. Their laughs, even though I classify them as laughs, aren't full on laughs like a regular person. It's more of a baby chuckle, which is something just as good if you ask me. "I'd much rather be doing that with my son, than assigning homework right now."

"I understand that," Troy replied. "I was just making sure you're doing okay with the decision, we did make it a while ago. We haven't really talked about it since then either," he reminded me. He picked Carmin up much like I had Tristin a moment ago. He didn't do anything, just held her up to look at her, and he was already rewarded with her toothless smile. He smiled wide, bringing her close to touch their foreheads.

Yeah, I can watch Troy interact with the babies any day, all day. It's one of the highlights of my days.

I was awoken later that night to a weight being lifted off my chest. My eyes popped open immediately, knowing the weight was Carmin, and I knew she was now gone. I searched for her frantically for a moment before someone, Troy, shushed me. "It's okay, Brie, I got her," he assured me, our daughter sleeping on his chest. "Go back to sleep, I'm putting her down now, she's finally asleep," he informed me before turning to put her in the bassinet. When they went back to sleep, Tristin was easy, but Carmin did not want to be put down. She kept crying, keeping Tristin awake, making him cry, so Troy and I split up. I got the bedroom with Carmin since she was calmer with me, and I was more tired. He took Tristin downstairs to stay asleep.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," I swore, sitting up while rubbing my eyes.

Troy must have already put her in the bassinet because he was now getting into bed, pulling me close. "It's alright, you got her to sleep. I think she was listening to your heartbeat," he mentioned. "We should get her one of those toys that give off a heartbeat," he added.

"We have those, they're called animals," I reminded him, collapsing on his chest. I replaced my pants with black booty short to be more comfy when I slept. Minnie hates the babies, but Mickey is in love. The only problem is that they don't really like him yet, but Tristin is warming up to him. Right when I was drifting off, our house phone rang. "Seriously!?" I whisper-yelled. Babies, hello!

Troy instantly reached for it, silencing it after the first ring. No baby stirred, I guess it didn't have enough time to wake them. We lowered the ring once they were born, anyways. He pressed it to his ear. "Hello?" he questioned, his hand guiding my head back to settle on his chest. "No, no they're fine," he replied. "You annoyed Gabriella, that's all," he said to the person. "What's up?" he asked.

He moved to sit up, but I just let my body fall back onto the pillows, too tired to sit up with him. It's about four in the morning. I usually nap in between the twins falling asleep to when they wake up, but I didn't today because my earlier nap. Geez, I am, like, old now because I am napping so much. I don't give a shit, you try being home with two newborns.

"How?" I heard him question. I started drifting off again, not hearing his words, just his voice, if that made sense. After what seemed like a few minutes, Troy was shaking me gently. "Baby, babe," he kept repeating. "Brie, I need to tell you something," he told me, making me groan. "It's important, Gabriella, it has to do with the family," he informed me.

I opened my eyes, he was twisted towards me, the phone hung up I guessed. "Wha?" I garbled, my eyes heavy.

"It's Tricia, she lost the baby," he filled me in.

That woke me up, hell, it made me shoot up in a second flat. "What happened?" I asked.

"It wasn't her fault. They just went to bed tonight, she woke up a little over an hour ago, feeling wet. She went to the bathroom, then noticed the blood. She screamed like bloody murder, and AJ rushed her to he hospital, her parents too. She was also feeling pain, your mom didn't explain it, she was in a hurry. Tricia's parents didn't tell her, but some gene runs in their family, it makes them difficult to conceive. It's not impossible, seeing as her and her sister are here, it's just hard. Her sister didn't know either, apparently. They thought since Tricia did get pregnant, she didn't get it, but she did," he went on. "Miscarriages happen when you have this, whatever it is, and she had one," he finished.

I covered my face with my hands. "Oh, God," I whispered. Troy's hand was on my back. "I feel so bad for Tricia, having deal with all this right now," I said. Not only did she find out she lost her child, this far along no less, but she might never have kids because of this.. thing? It'd be horrible to deal with any one of them, and she is getting both at the same time. "And AJ," I added. "We should call them," I reached for the phone, but Troy held me back.

"They don't want to talk to us," he stated. "Gabriella, they just had to go through her miscarrying about a four month old fetus, which she did have to give birth to, but she found out it will be really hard for her to have kids. I asked your mom, she said AJ refused to talk to anyone, let alone us," he told me.

I was confused for a second. "What do you mean 'let alone us' Troy?" I wondered, keeping my voice low since the babies are asleep.

"We have two five week old babies, Gabriella, would you want to see us?" he rephrased.

I shook my head, now in realization. "It's not fair, but I get it," I muttered, wanting to call my little brother very much.

Troy leaned in, hugging me. "AJ will be okay," he assured me softly. "So will Tricia. They said it would be hard for her to get a baby, not impossible," he reminded me. He slowly fell backwards, bringing me with him. "We probably won't get much sleep tonight, but we should at least try to rest," he mumbled, holding me close.

I remember how scared I was when Troy and I first started trying to conceive. I was so scared something was wrong with me because I had a miscarriage. I thought I would never be able give Troy the five babies he so desperately wanted, I wanted just as much. At thing young age, Tricia had to discover she might never be a mother, how is that fair? I remember that fear, that is the fear Tricia is probably feeling right now, only is isn't just a fear, it's a definite possibility.

"What are you thinking about?" Troy asked the next day as he sat down next to me on the floor, Carmin freshly changed. I am supposed to be playing with Tristin, and I am, my heart just isn't all the way in it right now.

"What do you think I am thinking about?" I rhetorically questioned in return, waving a light up toy over Tristin's face, making him smile, then reach for it, but I held it away from him.

Troy ran a hand up and down my back comfortingly. "I want to talk to him too, Brie," he insisted, dangling something equally as fascinating over Carmin's head. "But, I wouldn't want to talk to me either," he sighed, picking Carmin up to hold. "I understand that they were a little to young for this, but they wanted it," he said, kissing Carmin. "And, to think that they might never get it," he just stopped after that.

I scooped Tristin up into my arms, making sure to keep the light up toy in his eyesight. "I was so scared half this year I wouldn't be able to have babies, always telling myself in the back of my mind that it was probably just my worries, not the truth," I started. "But, she doesn't have that thought, for her it's teal," I stated. "She does have a chance, but my mom said her mom had a number of miscarriages, at any point during the pregnancy. I don't think I would even want to try if there was a chance I would have to give birth to a stillborn," I confessed.

"I always knew you were fine,"Troy replied. "I never thought about what would happen if you couldn't because I just knew you were okay. I couldn't imagine having you go through that pain or fear," he mumbled, picking Carmin up into a cradle. "Then again, I couldn't imagine not having this either," he added. He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

I nodded, agreeing. "I haven't thought about me not being fertile in months," I confessed, watching Tristin's eyes follow the light. "Tricia has to everyday," I mumbled with a sigh.

"They'll get through it, baby," Troy assured me, leaning over to kiss on my cheek, bringing Carmin with him, who smiled at me. Even with this family tragedy, it made me smile. Their smiles always will, I'm sure. "See, you make Mommy smile," he cooed to her. She reached for his face. "I think you're stealing my job, little girl, and I don't like it," he teased, lifting her up so she could touch his face. "Fine, we'll share," he concluded, kissing her cheek.

I shook my head at them. "It's time for two little people to eat," I reminded my husband, plus Tristin, who I knew really wasn't paying attention. He was still entertained by the light up toy I was holding.

Troy stood up, Carmin in his arms, then helped me up. I sat down on the couch, putting the twins down also. "I'll make the bottles, you stay here," he volunteered, walking away. As he made the bottles, the phone rang. "I'll get it!" he called out to me, answering the phone. "Hey, Mom," he said once he knew who it was. "They're fine, about to eat, actually," he told her. I wasn't sure which Mom it was. "Gabriella's fine too. Sleep deprived, but fine," he went on. "Really?" he asked. I could hear him, I was also eavesdropping, I'm allowed. "I understand." What does he understand? "Uh-huh, yep," he said. "I know, yeah, we'll see you then," he assured my mother. I now knew it was my mother. "Love you too, bye."

He came out now, two bottles in his hands. "What did my mom say? Why didn't she want to talk to me? What's going on?" I quickly asked him as handed me a bottle, then picked up Tristin to feed.

I scooped up Carmin so he could sit. "She said that Tricia is being released tomorrow, that she didn't have much time to talk, and tomorrow's dinner at her house is called off," he answered.

"But, tomorrow is Sunday, we go over there every Sunday," I reminded him. "It's practically the only time I leave the house except for doctor's appointments," I stated the sad truth. Being with my babies right now is more important than me going out with friends. Once they get older, I'll hang out more, but they are only five weeks old. As for the doctor's appointments, the twins have had two, and I have had one.

"Well, we're just gonna have to get you out of the house some other way," Troy replied. "Brie, your mom said that it would feel wrong having Sunday dinner when AJ can't be there. It isn't like he is just missing it because he begged her to not be there like the rest of us do once in a while, he doesn't want to be around his huge family, most of whom who have kids. It's on for next Sunday, we're just missing one. Think of AJ here," he instructed.

I think I am offended. "I am thinking of him," I insisted. "I understand that being around his family with so many kids would hurt, but he needs us to get through this," I stated. "We can't just let him shut us out because we have children, besides, only half of us do," I reminded him.

"We're not gonna let him shut us out," Troy assured me, glancing at me from Tristin as I looked up at him. "But, all of this just happened last night, this morning, actually. It's barely been twenty four hours, I think he deserves a day or two to get his shit together in his head, don't you?" he questioned. "Him and Tricia need each other right now, more than anyone else. Give them time to grieve with each other, then we'll force ourselves on him like Montez's," he finished. "After these two eat, let's take them out on a walk," he suggested a moment later. "We'll get you out of the house, plus you're all for working out these days," he teased.

I rested my chin on his shoulder. "Okay," I agreed.

"Then, you can call your sister's like I know you really, really want to," he added.

"Thank you," I breathed, making him shake his head at me with a small smile.

1 Week Later...

I yawned, annoyed with all the personal questions. "No, I told you we haven't," I repeated to Serena, snuggling into a pillow after Sunday dinner. "Can you all please leave me alone?" I pleaded.

Everyone has split up by now, the girls in the living room, boys in the dining room, kids playing every where in between. The twins are off sleeping in a bassinet to the side of the room. I really need to fix their sleep schedule, because they'll be waking up around midnight until three, keeping me up. Eh, I'll work on it.

The women in the living room are me, Serena, Belle, my mother, Jaymi, and Allie. Vince and Val broke up. He's going to medical school, she's going into the peace corps. Marcus and Hannah are 'on a break' or something because their schedules conflict, so they don't see each other. Felix and Jaymi are still engaged, planning a wedding for this winter. Allie and Lucas are doing good, they are a match for each other. Alex is single, and AJ is... No one has really spoken to AJ besides Mami and Richard.

The front door opened. "Hello?" Troy said, walking in. He had a two day shift again, ending now.

I smiled, getting up off the couch. "You sure you two won't be doing it tonight?" Serena wondered as I went to greet him.

"Will you please stay out of my sex life?" I questioned back, almost walking into Troy.

"Sorry, can't," Troy replied. "I'm kind of involved in it," he explained, causing me to roll my eyes. "Hey, baby," he added, hugging me with a kiss.

My arms wound around his neck, resting myself against him. "Hi," I responded, lifting my head up to kiss him again. "I missed you," I mumbled, resting my forehead on him.

"Back at you," he agreed, his arms still around my waist. "Twins asleep?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, we'll wake them up to take them home, though, so I should get a little sleep tonight if we keep them up for a little bit," I suggested.

"You're gonna get sleep tonight regardless, I'm off for two days," he reminded me just as the front door swung open.

AJ strode in, two big duffel bags on his shoulders. "What? Me and Tricia broke up, I'm moving back," he simply said, then went up the stairs.

"They broke up?" I questioned once he was gone.

Troy shrugged, taking off his jacket to hang up. "I guess," he replied.

"You should go talk to him," I stated, starting to push him in the direction of the stairs.

He stopped, making it so I couldn't push. "Me? I don't think so, I want to check on the twins," he disagreed.

"Troy! You and AJ have always been able to relate to each other, go talk to him," I pleaded.

"Gabriella, he doesn't want to talk to anyone, I wouldn't want to," he responded.

I crossed my arms, stomping my foot for affect. "Troy Alexander Bolton-"

"Don't pull the full name thing," he interrupted, running a hand through his messy hair. He groaned. "Fine, but you are coming with me," he stated, grabbing my hand to pull with him.

"Me?!" I exclaimed, letting him tug at me.

Troy knocked on my old bedroom door. There was no answer, so we went in anyways. Well, I opened the door and pushed him in, he brought me with him. AJ was laying on his/my bed, staring at the ceiling. "Not answering doesn't mean come in," he informed us in a dry tone. "If I wanted a talk, I would sign up for one, so just go away," he added.

"Can't do that," I replied, sitting on the trunk at the end of the bed. "I'm a meddler," I reminded him.

"A big one," Troy agreed, standing behind me.

AJ sighed, getting up on his elbows. "You two talk, I'll sit here, pretend I am listening, then you can go away," he suggested. "Start now," he prompted.

I tilted my head back to look at Troy. He shrugged. I gave him a hard look, to which he shrugged again. I grabbed his shirt, then pushed him towards the bed with it. "Have we ever told you about Gabriella's miscarriage?" Troy started, sitting down at the end of the bed.

"No," AJ answered, obviously listening.

I was planning on letting Troy do most of this one, he is a guy. "It was the first basketball game of the season," Troy went on. "And, I was pretty nervous about it. If we didn't win, East would hate the team, mainly me, and I needed your sister there," he explained. "She promised she would be there, knowing I needed at least one friendly face in the crowd if the game took turn for the worst. She was there, until about half time, then she disappeared. I didn't find out until later that her and Sharpay went to the bathroom. Sharpay got her period, mentioned that Gabriella should have hers, only she didn't."

AJ got up to lean against the back board. I smiled. He's paying attention.

"They left, got some pregnancy tests to take," Troy said. "They were all positive. While this was going on, I was sucking on the court, knowing your sister wasn't there. We still won, thank God for Chad and Zeke, but I was pissed. She knew I needed he there, and she just left?" he asked himself. "I didn't go see her after the game, knowing we would have gotten into a fight. Well, since she was pregnant, we probably won't have, but I didn't know that. I came over the next day, and I could tell something was wrong with her. I didn't want to yell at her, or get into a fight, I just wanted to make her feel better," he stated.

"Did she tell you?" AJ wondered.

Troy shook his head. "Nope," he answered. "She told me she was sick, I believed it. I guess, maybe a part of me wanted to believe it, actually. She missed a few days of school, she was depressed, something in my was telling me to figure it out, it had to be more than just her not feeling good. But, I didn't do much about it. After a day or two, she told me she wasn't just sick, but she didn't tell me she was pregnant. I just wanted us to be back to normal, happy, you know?" he asked. AJ nodded. "Then, one day during free period, she called me, crying."

"She had the miscarriage," AJ pieced together.

Troy nodded. "Uh-huh," he confirmed. "Your mom had sent her to the doctor because she thought she was sick, plus she needed a check up or something. She told her doctor, the doctor figured out she had a miscarriage," he explained. "Gabriella, she thought it was her fault, that this is what she is supposed to do, in theory, have babies, you know?" he asked.

"Tricia doesn't think it's her fault," AJ mentioned. "She's.." he trailed off. "She's blaming everyone else," he admitted. "At first it was just her mom for passing the gene on to her. Then, her dad for not telling her about it. Next it was her sister for not getting the gene. Finally, me, I don't even know why me. We got into a huge fight. She packed my shit and kicked me out. She said that it was my fault she was pregnant, that if we had never gotten together, this wouldn't have happened to her," he finished.

"She's blaming herself, AJ," Troy insisted. "She's just not telling anyone she is," he said. "She got the gene, she lost the baby, she thinks it's her fault. If she had just done something better, not worked as much, slept more, ate better foods, did something, this wouldn't have happened," he listed off. "My mom did that." AJ looked confused. "My mom had a miscarriage when I was little, little enough to remember. She blamed herself for a long time," he confessed.

"What brought her out of it?" AJ questioned, looking at Troy.

Troy shrugged a little. "Me," he answered. "I missed her, she was so gone after the miscarriage, that happened far into the pregnancy, farther than Tricia's, that she didn't got to work. My grandmother moved in to take care of me, my mom was practically incapable of doing it herself. I knew that if I saw my mom, I could help. But, my dad never let me see her, he said she was really sad and he didn't want me see my mom that way. I didn't care what he said, I broke into her room to see her anyways. We spent all morning watching cartoons and talking. She missed me just like I missed her. My dad finally found me in there, and was pissed. Before he could haul me away I told my mom I loved her, that she is a good mom, and it's not her fault."

"Did it work?" AJ wondered.

"Yeah," Troy said. "The next morning she was showered, dressed, making breakfast," he told him. "Still from time to time she gets sad about it, it was a boy, I was gonna have a little brother. He was due in March, and when March rolls around, she calls me more, but I don't mind. Tricia is always gonna be sad about this, it was different for your sister and me," he insisted.

AJ looked at me for the first time since the talk started. "How?" he asked.

"Gabriella was barely a month along, if that, we weren't ready for a baby, it wasn't our time," Troy informed him. "It wasn't meant to be. It was meant to be now, so we had two babies now. In the end, AJ, you love Tricia, don't you?"

"Of course I love her," AJ stated.

"Then you gotta go fight for her," Troy told him. "You have to tell her it's not her fault, it's no one's fault, it just wasn't meant to be. That one day you two will have a baby because it's not impossible for her to have babies, just hard. If it was impossible, she wouldn't here there. That when the day you two do have that baby, it will be the right time, when you're older and married," he listed off. "If I didn't fight for your sister, Age, we wouldn't be together right now," he confessed.

I nodded. "We really wouldn't be, I'm stubborn," I spoke up.

Troy wrapped an arm around me. "AJ, go talk to her, don't let her kick you out, be there for her," he instructed.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you guys," AJ apologized. "All of you," he added.

We waved him off. "Will you just go talk to that girl?" I pleaded.

"What she said," Troy agreed.

A few minutes later, AJ was on his way out the front door.

"I think we'll be good when our kids are teenager," Troy stated, making me smile.

"Yep, because their daddy is so good at talking," I agreed.

I like it! Wowza, right?

I know it's a little long, but it's good.

Review please! I'll try to get the next one done on time. I think I'll make is a little drama-light, they deserve a fluffy, happy chap.

REVIEW PLEASE!

-- Kayleigh