You need to thank Helen for sending me stories and prompting me to get writing again. I am so sorry for disappearing without trace, and well, I don't know what more I can say apart from aplogising again.

C

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60

"An' this where me and Joe sleep," Tom told his Mum, pulling him over towards his bed, PJ just managing to catch her as Maggie stumbled over a football that the boys had left on their bedroom floor.

"Guys, what have I told you about keeping this place tidy?" Nick said, ignoring the fact that Zoe's mouth had fallen open in shock.

Maggie had no such restraint. Wrapped in the safety of PJ's arms, she smirked over at Nick. "Getting a memory here. Something about kettles, pots and black…."

"You can shu – not say a word there Doyley. I'll have you know I keep a very neat and tidy house ….."Nick's voice tailed off as he caught sight of Zoe's eyebrows.

"So if we were to – "Zoe looked over her shoulder in the direction of the room they were currently saying in and grinned as she looked back at her husband.

"Yes, well, anyway, this ah, this is Tom and Joe's room then," Nick said, scooping up a twin in each arm and studiously ignoring the smirks that every other adult in the room now wore.

"Where Mummy sleep?" Joe suddenly piped up. "Zoo and Nick sleep there," he gestured in the vague direction of their room, "Me and Tom in here and 'Tective Daddy sleep in there" Joe pointed down the corridor.

"No more 'drooms, so where Mummy sleep?" Tom joined in the questioning, wrapping an arm around Nick's shoulder as he spoke.

It was Nick's turn to smirk now, as the silence grew.

"Mummy? Where you sleep? " Tom asked again, before his twin came to a sudden realisation.

"Silly Tom. Mummy sleep with Daddy" he grinned.

Tom reached over, swiping at his brother, nearly causing Nick to drop them. "NOT silly. You mean Joe. Not silly!" he was determined to get at Joe, who just stuck his tongue out at Tom.

"Tom Hasham, you stop that right now." PJ snapped, reaching over and grabbing Tom, Nick managing to subdue Joe. "Joe is right, Mummy will be sleeping in with me, so I can make sure she's ok, and before you say anything, no, you can't look after her because you're too little. Daddy's look after Mummies at night when they have been sick like your Mummy has, and not little boys. You two get to look after her in the daytime, and I will keep her safe at night.

Joe, wrapped tight in Nick's arms gave a victorious look at his brother, who continued to glare back at him. PJ tucked Tom tightly on his hip, before turning to look at Joe.

"And I don't know what you're looking so smug about matey, you need to apologise to Tom here. We do not go round calling each other names, and it was wrong to be so mean to your brother. What do you have to say?"

Joe gasped, turning his baby blue eyes to look at his Mum, who shook her head, he'd get no support there. Sighing, Joe squirmed to look over at his brother. "I sorry," he whispered.

"Pardon?" Maggie said, gesturing over at PJ to put Tom down, as Nick followed suit. Joe looked over at Tom.

"Not silly" Tom said, his little face a curious mixture of anger and a rather wobbly bottom lip. The boys rarely fought, and when they did, it was fierce, but always over in minutes.

Joe toddled over to his brother and stared at him for a moment, before wrapping him in a rather ungainly hug. "Not silly. I sorry Tom."

"And Tom? What do you have to say?" PJ persisted, Nick and Zoe smiling as they watched Daddy PJ. Maggie just stood, a soft smile on her face.

"I sorry Joe. I not want to hit you really," Tom said, suddenly reaching over and tickling his twin. The pair of them collapsed in a heap of shrieking laughter, the volume becoming deafening as after a nudge from Zoe, Nick picked the two of them up and carried them to the sofa, where he proceeded to take the pair of them on in a game of tickle torture.

"You called him Hasham" Maggie said, moving over to PJ who was watching his family.

"Hm?" he said, his blue eyes finding hers as he felt her wrap his arms around his waist.

"Tom. You called him Tom Hasham," she softly repeated.

"I – " PJ stopped for a moment, casting his mind back over the last few minutes. "I did, didn't I? Mags, I, look I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I know they're Doyles, but I just, it– "

"It felt right." She smiled at him. "It felt, PJ, it felt right. They're your sons, and the world should know that."

"The world?" he grinned back, perfectly willing to shout it from the rooftops. Maggie Doyle was back, back with his sons, he and Maggie were parents. His Mags was back!

"You know what I mean, you idiot,' she grinned, her eyes widening slightly as PJ suddenly reached down and kissed her, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement and passion. Breaking away breathlessly, she smiled up at him. "What I was trying to say is that Mt Thomas should know they're your sons."

Her smile fell slightly as reality sunk in again. "I mean, Peej, it's going to be hard enough facing everyone without them wondering who the father is and talking about me behind me back."

PJ's blue eyes, only moments ago clouded with passion for the woman in his arms, now darkened with frustration. . Shaking his head slightly, he clamped down on his emotions, before reaching over and lifting Maggie's chin with a finger, forcing her to look at him.

"Maggie Doyle, you listen to me, and you listen good."

She couldn't meet his eyes, her usually ordered emotions clouded with confusion. It had seemed a good idea at the time, coming back like this. She'd really thought she could do it, but – but now, now that she was actually here, now that word had got around that she was back, it was daunting. It was – she was scared.

"Mags?" PJ's gentle voice broke through.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come back. Maybe we should have stayed there, you and me and the boys, maybe we – "

"Maggie, - "

"But I couldn't, PJ, I - once I remembered, once I started to remember it all, Mt Thomas is my home PJ, I had to come back here, I – PJ, I had to, but –but I - " she stopped, her head spinning with confusion and fear.

"Mags, please, just listen to me" Once again PJ's calm tones broke through. "Sweetheart, I know you're scared," PJ looked up as a footstep started down the hall, his eyes meeting Zoe's. Looking between the two of them, their emotions all too evident Zoe turned, and soon the boys were squealing happily as she and Nick flung the footy around in the back yard.

PJ led Maggie down the hall, and into the bedroom closing the door behind them and sitting her down on the bed.

"I know you're scared about this, and I can't even begin to imagine how huge all of this all is for you. People will be curious Mags, this town they loved you, and you - " he took a deep breath, it still killed him to say it – "You were dead Mags, they thought you were dead, and now you're back. You're alive again, and not just you, but the boys as well. You're back with two little boys, who are undoubtedly mine. People are going to want to know what happened. Actually, if I'm honest, it's not as if they haven't already been asking questions, but I think the Boss and the others have been fielding for us and keeping it all quiet." He stopped, drawing her into a hug, before straightening up. Standing, he moved over to the window, quietly watching as his sons tackled Nick, their happiness palpable, their laughter echoing around the garden. Turning, he looked over at Maggie.

"I love you Maggie Doyle. I always have, and I always will. I love Mt Thomas too, my job, the people, all of it, but you Mags, you mean more to me than anything, than any of that. You – you are - Mags, you're my life. You own my heart, my soul. You are everything to me. So, well, it's up to you. We'll do whatever you want, whatever you need to feel happy. All I want is for you to be happy," he said, coming back to kneel down beside her, his hands taking hers, resting his forehead against hers. "It's all I've ever wanted."

"So – so if I wanted to go back, if I wanted – "

"We'd go. Mags, you don't have to do this." PJ said firmly, moving to sit beside here again.

"But the Maggie you knew would have. The Maggie you knew would have faced this head on and got over it. Would have - "

"The Maggie that matters is the one sitting here, the one with me now. You're the one that matters, sweetheart. You, here and now."

"But – " she pinned him with a look, "I know I'm all over the place here, and I know I'm all go ahead and then pulling back, but – " she stopped, and as ever, he caved.

"Ok, if you really want to do that, if you really want to split yourself into a before and after, then, well, yes, the Maggie before would have gone in guns blazing. But Mags, the Maggie before, she didn't have the boys, she didn't - she hadn't gone through what you've been through, she – " he tailed off, watching her think. "Mags?"