Disclaimer: Again, Stephenie Meyer owns the characters other than Anya and Killian

You guys are absolutely awesome. I'm thrilled with the reception this story has gotten. I was really nervous about posting this story but I had nothing to worry about as it seems.

Loads of you have given me some really good tips about how to keep the nausea away and they're working! So thank you all for that!

A lot of you are curious about the panic room in Jasper's house and I promise, you'll understand soon. I'm not spilling about anything that'll happen in the story but don't worry, it'll all become clear before long. Now I will let you know that there won't be an update until at least Tuesday, maybe Wednesday as I'm going away for a long weekend.

Well, on with the chapter.

Enjoy!

Over the next month or so, the three of us fell into a routine with our time. I had told Jasper that I didn't want to disrupt Killian's routine too much, wanting to make sure that he knew that Jasper would be around on the weekends but during the week it would just be him and me.

During the first week, he would ask me periodically about where Jasper was and on the Wednesday when I told him that Jasper wouldn't be coming round until the weekend I got the front row seat to one of Killian's tantrum. Thankfully, he didn't throw them very often but when they appeared, they were epic.

I amused myself by wondering how Jasper would react when he had his first one to deal with.

That could be interesting because I would be making him fly solo with that one. It would test him about what kind of parent he was going to be. Would he give in and give Killian what he wanted to stop the screaming – because that boy could sure as hell scream – or would he stick to his guns and make sure that Killian knew who was boss when it came to the parent/child relationship.

I always made sure that Killian knew that there were rules for grown-ups and rules for children. He knew what his rules were and he also knew that they would change as he got older. He understood that there were times when Daddy or another grown up would say a bad word but he also knew that he was not allowed to use them himself. He was allowed to ask me or another grown-up what it meant but if he was told it was a bad word then it meant he couldn't use it. One of the other mothers had heard Killian ask me what the word 'shit' meant when we were walking into day care one day. I had just told him that it was a bad word and we don't say it.

She had asked me how I let him get away with that kind of language. I had replied swiftly and smoothly with the fact that he had obviously heard it from one of the other adults around – because I limited my language around him and made sure I censored my words around him – and that he was only asking what it meant. She huffed at me, clearly not happy with my answer.

How the hell he is supposed to know what the 'bad words' were if he had never heard them before and wasn't told as such.

He knew not to push me when he made me angry. He knew when he was taking it too far when I told him to go into the second study the house had. He hated it in there and normally did everything to avoid going in there.

From the moment that he had starting pushing the boundaries, I'd had that in place. I wasn't stupid enough to send him to his room. That's where all his toys were. There wasn't anything in the second study other than a desk and a couch. He didn't like it in there because there was nothing for him to do.

And of course that was the whole point.

I placed him in there on Wednesday after his tantrum and left him in there for ten minutes. Normally, it was a minute for every age, just like my parents had done with me and my sister. He knew that when I didn't come back after a long time, he was really in trouble and had upset me.

When I went back into the room after ten minutes, he was sitting on the couch, looking down at his hands, a frown on his face. When he heard the door open, he looked up at me before launching himself off the couch and clinging to my legs, saying that he was sorry. I had knelt down and wrapped my arms around him as he clung to me.

I had made sure that he knew that his tantrum had upset me and he nodded saying he wouldn't do it again. He would at some point and I knew it but I hoped it wouldn't be for a long time. After a hug and a kiss, I let him out, closing the door after me and he ran off into the kitchen, all thoughts of his tantrum and subsequent punishment forgotten.

It was when I had been flicking through TV channels after Killian's first epic tantrum and after the first time I'd used the room, I'd come across the British show Supernanny. It turned out that she used the same thing that I'd had used on me when I was little and was going to be using with my own child.

Must be doing something right if her techniques were working.

I had let Jasper know about how Killian was to be handled when he threw a temper tantrum and he had looked sufficiently terrified. I smirked, shaking my head and letting him know that he would have to deal with it sooner or later.

He didn't look too pleased with me.

Meh, he's a father to a toddler now. He's gonna have to learn sometime.

Killian had learned pretty quickly that at the weekend, Jasper would join us. In just a few short weeks, we'd come into a routine where Jasper would arrive at our house on Saturday morning just before breakfast and stay with us during the day. We would fill the day with inane little tasks that kept him amused and allowed the two of them to bond. Jasper would stay for dinner and the first weekend that happened he had his first taste of Killian at bath and bedtime.

To be honest, I wasn't sure he knew what to make of the four year old streaking through the room. I had to laugh at his expression as he sat there, clearly in shock.

I sighed as Killian's naked little butt once again flew out of the bathroom at a speed that shouldn't be possible for someone so small. Why couldn't he just cooperate for once?

I followed him down the stairs, knowing that he would be hiding in the little spot he liked to occupy down in the utility room. It didn't escape my notice or amusement that he chose what was naturally the coldest room in the house to hide in when he wasn't wearing anything.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, laughing as I saw Jasper sitting there, eyes wide, a look of shock in his face as he stared straight ahead of him.

"You okay?" I asked and he looked at me, his eyes still wide. "What's the matter?"

"Killian." He stuttered, shaking his head. "Naked. No clothes."

I laughed, shaking my head. Of course he was shocked at seeing him run through here without a stitch on. "Don't worry, this is normal. He hides in the same place every time so he's pretty easy to find."

"This is normal?" He asked looking shocked and I nodded. "How often does he do this?"

"Oh, just about every time he has to take a bath." I shrugged, laughing. "His state of undress depends on when he can slip away. Ever since he could walk there has been a grand total of four times when I've managed to get him into the bath without him pulling a disappearing act."

"Four times?" He asked and I nodded, laughing.

"It's something you get used to." I chuckled before I walked off towards the utility room to try and get my dirty four year old into his bath before the water went cold.

The weekends generally followed the same pattern and Killian was getting used to the fact that his Papa was around on the weekends and not during the week. Apart from this weekend. I could curse some parents that decided that their careers were more important than their kid not feeling well.

Half of Killian's day care was out with a stomach flu which my little one had decided to bring home.

I pulled myself back into my bedroom, seeing Killian curled up in my covers, feeling as crappy as I was but at the moment he was sleeping soundly. I crawled back into bed, pulling him to me as I grabbed my phone calling Jasper. I held the phone to my ear.

"Morning!" He sang and I grumbled in return. I sat up slightly, earning myself a disgruntled little moan from Killian. He had it as bad as I did. Neither of us were going to be fun to be around any time soon. "Everything okay?"

"Define okay." I sighed, running my fingers through Killian's hair gently being careful not to wake him. My poor little guy had been up since two o'clock this morning throwing up and sleeping on and off. And I hated to say that I wasn't that far behind him.

"What's the matter?" He sounded worried and cursed myself.

"Killian and I aren't going to be much fun to be around today. In all honesty, I'm going to warn you to keep your distance." He asked me what happened and I dropped my head back onto my pillows. "One of the smarty pants parents at Killian's day care sent their kid in with a stomach virus on Thursday. Half the kids are out, including our lovely little boy and guess who he's given it to." I chuckled, immediately regretting it. "I'd stay away if I were you."

"Nuh-uh." I glanced at the phone, wondering what that meant. "If you guys are sick, you shouldn't be alone."

"Jasper, I don't want you getting sick as well."

"If I get sick, then I get sick. The two of you mean more to me than that." It didn't escape my notice that he'd said 'the two of you' and not just Killian. What did he mean by that?

"You're not going to be much help to anyone if you're praying to the porcelain gods like the two of us are."

"I'll pick up some crackers and ginger ale and some other things that won't be too hard on your stomachs on my way. I'll see you in a bit." I didn't get a chance to argue before he hung up and I sighed, closing my eyes and dropping my phone on the bedside table.

"Well, looks like Papa's on his way round." I muttered, sliding down the bed and wrapping myself around my little boy, hoping to get a little bit of sleep before either one of our stomachs decided it had been too long for between rebellions.

I was woken a little while later to my phone ringing. I sleepily glanced around before picking it up, knowing that it was Jasper. He told me that he was at the front door so I slowly got out of bed, standing up straight, waiting for the cue from my stomach to tell me if I could head downstairs to let him in. When it didn't churn and make me run for the bathroom, I grabbed my robe and slowly made my way downstairs. I unlocked the door, seeing Jasper standing there, bags in hand.

"Wow, no offense, but you look like shit." He chuckled and I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks," I shot back, my tone full of sarcasm. "Can't say I feel much better either."

"Where's the little man?" He asked, following me into the house and closing the door behind him.

"Sleeping in my bed at the moment." I sighed, flopping down onto the sofa and resting my head on the back on the sofa, watching him in the kitchen from where I was sat.

"Well, here's what's going to happen." He turned and looked at me, giving me a no-nonsense, no arguments expression. Even if I had the energy to fight back at the moment, that expression told me I shouldn't. "You're going to go upstairs and get Killian, I'm going make the two of you some soup, something light so it won't upset your stomachs, which means no bread with it," he gave me a small smile as my face fell. He knew how much I loved bread and butter with my soup. It wouldn't be the same otherwise. "I'm going to upstairs and air out your room, just open a couple of windows and leave the door open, try and air it out. I'm guessing that's where the two of you have been the majority of the time, right?" He asked and I nodded. Since he'd been sick, Killian had joined me in my bed, not wanting to be alone. "Right, where do you keep your spare sheets?"

"Huh?"

"Your bed is going to be full of germs at the moment. I'm going to strip the bed, put all your sheets in the wash and re-make your bed." I gave him a small smile. While I'd thought about the fact that the two of us were ill, I hadn't had the energy to do much of anything over the last day and a half after Killian had brought the bug home. "I might need some guidance with the washing machine though because I've seen that thing and it looks complicated as hell."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "All the settings are already set all you need to do is push the big on/off button until the lights flash and the little red one keeps flashing. Put the detergent in and close the door, you have to slam it though until the red light stays on and then you push the big button again and voila. Wash is on."

"Right. I think I got that." He muttered, motioning for me stay there apparently, rethinking the part of the plan where I get Killian. "Mind if I get him?" I shook my head, closing my eyes, kind of thankful I didn't have to get up.

He made his way up the stairs and I was glad that I always put dirty clothes in the hamper. At least with a little one around I knew to keep everything embarrassing out of sight and reach. Otherwise, there was a chance he could get his hands on it and decide to show everyone that happened to be in the house at that point what it was. Cue most embarrassing moment of your life. Ever since that happened to a friend of mine with her little girl and some . . . . um . . . . unmentionables, I'd made sure that everything Killian shouldn't be getting his hands on was out of reach.

I heard Jasper's footsteps coming down the stairs slowly. I glanced up to see him carefully carrying Killian down the stairs. He was still zonked out in his arms and he passed him over to me as if he was made of glass. He immediately curled into me and I rested my cheek on top of his head.

I closed my eyes for a moment, lifting my head as I felt jasper laying a blanket over the top of us.

"Thank you." I said softly and he gave me a small smile. I pulled the blanket around the two of us, my stomach rolling with all the movement as Killian shifted against me.

I let myself drift off as Jasper made himself busy in the kitchen. I heard him head upstairs again and I guessed that he was stripping the bed and airing out the room like he said he would. I couldn't help but smile as I thought about how he didn't care whether he got sick, which he probably would do now.

"Daddy." I opened my eyes to see Killian looking up at me, his eyes tired and weary as he looked up me. "I don't feel well."

"It's alright." I said softly not really caring if I felt like shit but hating the fact that he was feeling the same way. I silently cursed the parent that had sent their sick child into day care. Who does that?! They had told me when I'd called in for Killian that they had half of the class out with it.

I wondered what Jasper was doing in the kitchen as I heard him puttering around, opening cabinets and turning the cooker on. I couldn't place what he was doing but if I had to guess, I'd say he was making the soup from scratch. Wouldn't surprise me. Jasper was funny about his food. He didn't like to eat something that was out of a can or box when he could make it himself.

It wasn't long before Jasper was walking back into the living room. I opened my eyes to see him setting a tray with two small bowls of soup on the coffee table.

"Hey," he gave me a smile which I couldn't stop myself from returning. "You feeling any better?"

"Not really." I replied, judging the nausea that was still rolling round my stomach. I sat up slowly, being careful to try to not jostle Killian as I moved.

"Here." He handed me one of the bowls which already had a spoon in it. "Eat it slowly." He warned and I rolled my eyes at him. He chuckled and I sat up a little more, stirring the soup slowly. "Leek and potato. Your favourite. Both the potato and leeks finely chopped, just how you like it."

"Thank you." I whispered and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"For what?"

"This," I gestured towards the soup and looked back at the kitchen and down at Killian. "For all of this. You didn't have to come over here and do this."

"Of course I did." He said softly, running his fingers across the tips of Killian's hair. "You guys need looking after so that's what I'm going to do." I had a couple of spoonfuls of the soup he'd made, which I had to admit, was delicious but I couldn't get anymore down. My stomach started to rebel and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, willing the sick feeling down. "You okay?" He asked and I shook my head, keeping my eyes closed. I felt him take the bowl from me and I was kind of grateful for that.

I felt Killian being lifted off of me and my eyes flew open as my head flew up, an action which did not bode well for my stomach and I saw the reason Jasper had taken him off of my lap as I bolted off the sofa and into the downstairs bathroom.

I let out a few breaths as I rested my head on my arm, my stomach still rolling. I heard Jasper behind me and I moaned quietly, not wanting him to see me like this.

"Hey," I felt his hand on my back gently, rubbing soft circles on my back. I let out a breath leaning against the wall next to the toilet, pulling the flush. "Better?" He smirked and I flipped him off which only made him laugh. He moved and sat next to me, putting an arm around me. "How can I help? You know I hate seeing you sick."

"You already are helping. Just by being here." I said softly, looking up at him.

"Anything I can get you?" He asked, playing with the hair at the base of my neck, something he always used to do when I was sick when we were together. It was slightly unsettling and made me wonder how he felt about the situation between the two of us. He hadn't mentioned anything about the two of us. When we talked, it generally centred around Killian. I didn't know anything that was going through his mind.

"No, I'm good here at the moment. But I do have the strangest craving for crackerjacks." He snorted and I chuckled gently, moaning as my stomach rolled again.

"Crackerjacks?" He asked and I nodded, feeling slightly confused.

"Yeah, which is weird." He raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged. "I don't know. It is weird. I haven't wanted crackerjacks since . . ."

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