After that, things only seemed to get worse.

Erik turned himself in a few months after the search began and not even a week later, the jury found him guilty. First-degree murder and conspiring to assassinate a president had led to a sentencing of two consecutive life sentences - in simple terms, Erik was never going to be a free man. Ever.

And while Heather was disappointed that her children would probably never met their father, she knew that the less content with him, the better.

The better chance that her babies wouldn't be disappointed when he left. Or when they turned out to be human.

There were times of light, of happiness, throughout the years to come - of course.

And most of the happiness came from the twins.

Pietro was mischievous. Heather could already tell that her little boy was going to be a troublemaker, especially when he started hiding things and making that little, devilish smirk. But even when she grew frustrated, his shrieks of laughter and his long lasting love of Alex's rock music and raspberries made her heart flutter.

Wanda could be a drama queen when she wanted to be, but that girl was also one of the sweetest things. When she started walking, Heather could rarely ever get her to stop following her. The little girl would always toddle after her, her chubby little fist hanging on tightly to Heather's skirt, and she'd always demand to help with whatever Heather was doing.

Pietro had been the first to walk, but Wanda had been the first one to speak - and she had taken it as her duty to always speak for her brother, even after Heather told her multiple times that no, sweetheart, Pietro can tell me he wants a peanut butter sandwich himself.

And even when they frustrated her to no end (three days out of the week, the two would crawl into her bed and kick her multiple times in the side through the night - try not getting frustrated over that), she'd just remember the look in their eyes when they saw her - like she was the only person that mattered, like she was their superhero - and she'd think of their hugs and kisses and I love yous'.

And then Charles opened the school.

There seemed to be more light in the house after that, with more laughter spreading throughout. The emptiness of the mansion seemed to - disappear with each addition to the school.

And each of the children brought something different to the table - Eva could control time, Christopher would heal others, Benjamin could morph his appearance, Fabio could create gold balls (Alex had asked the boy to a game of dodgeball and had come back holding an ice pack to his face), and then there was the quintuplets.

They were odd characters, that's for sure. No one, not even Charles, knew where they came from - Charles had stated that their mental barriers were so strong, he couldn't gather any information about them. Celeste, Esme, Irma, Phoebe, and Sophie.

There was something about them that had Heather shivering around them - though she chalked it off to their icy blue eyes, ever silent presense, and the fact that they were never alone.

But everyone was happy. Hank had created a serum that allowed him to look human for short periods of time, but continued to claim it was in a test stage - though the man seemed almost giddy about it. The twins had new people to play with and the students seemed more willing to open up when Wanda and Pietro were around - hell, Heather had even seen Celeste smile a little when Pietro gave her a flower.

It was too good to be true.

The Vietnam War began to pick up steam when they were barely even a semester into school. And with it came the drafts.

Christopher was first. He had gone with head held high, his jaw tight, and Heather wanted nothing more than to take him home - take him back to the mansion because he was too young, he was too young, and he reminded her so much of her brother.

Alex was next. It had been a punch, a straight punch to the gut, and her kids screamed and screamed when he walked out of the door towards the army truck. "I'll be home soon" he called out, pain in his voice, "I promise!"

Fabio and Benjamin were called one after another, as if that wasn't another blow. They interlocked arms like brothers and promised to be home for the next school year. Heather had grabbed them both and squeezed them tightly, like she was their mother.

Sean was the last. His face looked odd, no longer framed by his red curls, and Heather was surprised by the lack of baby fat lingering on his cheeks. He was no longer the teenager she'd met in '62, but a man. She hugged him tightly as well, kissing his cheek, and held her babies as they sobbed.

The house grew quiet as what had happened began to sink in. Heather tried to take over Alex and Sean's classes, but having her own classes and taking care of her kids and making sure Hank and Charles were okay - it was all overwhelming.

And that's when the first letter came.

The priest and army official exited the car at the same time and Heather felt lightheaded, as she stood on the porch, waiting. She thought back to when her brother's letter had been delivered, thought of her mother's scream of utter agony, and when official handed her to letter, it seemed to weigh ten pounds.

Her hands shook as she opened the letter and her heart almost stopped when she read the first sentence.

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the death of Private First Class Benjamin Deed.

She wanted to throw up. She wanted to scream and cry and she wanted her students, her friends, back. But Benjamin was dead. Killed during an attack, according to the letter, and Heather couldn't stop the tears that blurred her eyes.

A few months later, a letter came again - different this time. Christopher Muse was missing in action, and while Heather could hope with all her might that he was alive, the not knowing was eating her up.

No more letters arrived until the following year, and Heather tried to be strong when the priest and official left their car. She held her head high and clasped her hands together tightly, as the two made their way up the stairs. The twins watched from inside, their little faces pressed against the glass and eyes scanning the area - like they were expecting Sean, Alex and Fabio to just pop out.

She tried to be strong. But then she read the name.

...death of Sean Cassidy.

And Heather collapsed.