So... it's been a while!

Recently I saw some newish reviews and some older private messages about continuing this. This fiction is finished, I just always assumed I'd finished posting it. I've made no edits in the 6 years since I completed it, so I'm sorry if it's not quite up to standard – but at least it's consistent with the rest of the story before it. I'll post up the remaining chapters this week. Enjoy, y'all (whoever's still out there anyway)

Chapter 42

"Okay.. Joey's allergic to peanuts, and Liam's allergic to raspberry's. Don't give them pure orange juice. They'll be worse." Jazzie spoke, shoving a large bag in to Dougie's hands as she pulled the twins in to the house with her other hand.
"What do you mean worse?" I asked.

I shouldn't have asked.

"Wow! Uncle Doug, you've got a girlfriend!" Joey spoke. I think it was Joey. Yes.. Joey has the dimple.
"Have you banged her yet?" Liam grinned pulling on Dougie's arm frantically.
"He has. She's having a baby. Mum said." Joey replied knowingly and pointed at me.
"Shouldn't you be married before you shag?" Liam raised an eyebrow.

They look more like Dougie if I'm honest.
Both with dirty blonde hair..
Only difference was their eyes.
Green.
Bright green.
Definitely not on their mothers side.

And their language!
Bloody hell.

I'm sure I wasn't that bad.
Then again, free speech and all that.

"Yeah, we banged." Dougie shrugged, waving at Jazzie before shutting the door in her face. Did he really just do that?
I watched the letter box open and Jazzie's voice filter through the hall, as I watched on dumbly.
"You've brought this on yourself, Dougs. Don't expect me to baby-sit your kids in the future if you behave like that." She tutted.

I'm putting this down to sibling rivalry.
I'm no expert though.
I can't really be rivals with my brother.
He is 18 years younger than me…

"So.. Is this Aunty Brenna?" Liam prodded my arm, looking up at Dougie.

Aunty Brenna..
That's new..

"Right. Where are the peanuts..." Dougie grinned mischievously, rubbing his hands together, winking at Joey who whimpered and took hold of my legs, hiding behind me. "We don't have Raspberries, Joe... I'm afraid it's just your brother who'll see his ninth birthday."
"Doug!" I scowled. "You can't say that to an eight year old!"
"It's okay, Aunty Brenna." Joey tugged on my sleeve. "He'll go to sleep later."
"And we'll be waiting." Liam continued his brothers sentence, both looking rather smug.

"I'm scared. Really I am." Dougie really did lack the enthusiasm.
"You should be. Danny brought us our own special kit." Liam smiled broadly, showing off the gummy gap where his two front teeth should have been.
"Our Little b*****ds Kit." Joey said. "I like it."
"Can I see?" Dougie asked, looking over at the bag that had been dumped on the coffee table in the living room.
"No." The twins replied.
"Why not?" He demanded.
"Because then it won't be a surprise when we test it on you." Joey explained.

I like these kids.
I remember that age.
Not a care in the world.

"Aunty Brenna," Liam looked up at me, eyes wide. "Can I name the baby?"

So cute.

"What would you name it?" I asked, bending slightly so I was less of a height to him.
"Sh|t Head." Liam stated, his face not breaking from the serious it already was. "It reminds me of my Uncle Dougie."
"That's it! Come here you little sh|t!" Dougie exclaimed, lunging for Liam as he and his brother raced up the stairs, my boyfriend following after them quickly.

Maybe I should follow.
I wouldn't want to be responsible for the severely smacke of two eight year olds.

"What are they doing?" I asked, hearing thuds and muffled yells from upstairs. Dougie had locked the twins in one of the spare rooms for the past three hours since dinner when they'd set about catapulting peas in to his hair. Bless them.
"Who cares.." He shrugged and turned the volume up on the TV.
"What if they're in pain?" I said.
"Good." He flicked the button on the remote again.
"What if they're dying?" I spoke, raising my voice to be heard over the Television.
"Even Better." He smiled, lacing his arm around my shoulders, drawing me closer.
"I'm going to see what they're doing..." I got up, ignoring Dougie trying to protest against me.

"Good luck, Brenna! It was great knowing you! The sex was great." He called as I shut the door behind me and ventured upstairs.
For someone who was fathering a child, he didn't exactly seem to have much of a parental instinct as such.
Or even a care for his young nephews.
Brilliant.
Sense the sarcasm.
Again.

I unlocked the door to the spare room, staring in amusement at what I saw.

"Sh |t!"
"F* ck!"
"B* llocks!"
"B* stard!"
"Di ckface!"
"C* nt!"

The twins both jumping up and down on the twin beds, yelling as they hopped from one to the other, trying to hit or knock in to each other in the process. Well, I've not seen this before. I stood watching for a few more moments, looking up at the clock, noticing it was way past the bed time Jazzie had mentioned to us.

"Joey? Liam?" I called out to them.
Both paused, mid air, falling in a heap in the gap between the beds.
"Sorry, Aunty Brenna." They chorused.
"Do you two want anything before bed?" I asked.

They looked at each other, grinned and stood up before running straight after me.
I closed my eyes tightly.
Oh god!
They're going to pounce on me.
Death by Infant projectiles.
I felt their arms wrap around my hips, their heads buried in to my stomach.

Is it just me, or are they hugging me?

"Aunty Brenna..." Liam yawned. The two boys had managed to pull me in to their room, sitting down on one of the beds with them curled up either side of me. "I like you better than Sarah."
"She was a skanky cow." Joey remarked, his eyelids drooping.

I noticed movement from the open doorway, Dougie's head appearing, his mouth agape.
He went to say something when he noticed the twins half asleep, almost in full time slumber.
"Aunty Brenna..." Liam looked up at me again, his green eyes brighter than I'd seen all day. "Why doesn't Uncle Dougie love us?"

Oh my.
Now that's something to tug at your heart.
Your soul.
Your very being.

"He just hates us." Joey shrugged sulking, burying his head further in to my arm.
"Well, may be he thinks you don't like him much.." I suggested, my eyes flickering over to where Dougie stood, a sad expression neatly placed upon his face.
"He's stupid then." Liam stated flatly. "I love him lots."
"We want to be just like him." Joey pitched in.
"Does this mean you'll hate us too, Aunty Brenna?" Liam pulled out of the embrace slightly, sitting up, back turned to Dougie. "Sarah hated us. At least Uncle Dougie didn't smack."
"Dougie doesn't hate you." I pulled the pair closer to me. "I'll never hate you two."
"He yells at us all the time." Joey complained. "He doesn't care."
"Is that why he's having a baby with you, Aunty Brenna?" Liam asked. "So he doesn't have to see us?"

I could see the twins on the verge of tears.
I looked over at the doorway.
It was empty.
Oh great.
Run away again, Doug.

That's when I looked down, my gaze travelling down the doorframe.
He was sitting, leaning against it, head in hands.

"Boys, I'm sure Dougie loves you lots. Why don't you show him how much you love him." I whispered.
"But we do!" Liam squealed. "We try to do what he does. He never likes it. It's never good enough."
"I thought he'd be proud with the can on fire." Joeys tear ducts finally gave way, bawling in to his balled fists. "I want my Uncle Dougie!"

"Dougie!" I called loudly, sitting forward slightly, cradling Joey in my arms, small whimpers muffled against my jumper.
"No don't!" Liam pulled on my sleeve. "He'll yell!"
"No he won't. I promise." I smiled, sliding off the bed and telling them to stay put, and that I was going in search of my beloved.

I closed the door behind me, crouching down in front of Dougie who'd not moved from his spot on the floor, head still in hands, knees up to his chest.
"Doug?"
"I'm going to be a sh|t dad." He mumbled, his voice wavering when he spoke.
He looked up, his face more red and tearstained than the eight year old boy in the other room.
"Why couldn't I see that they were trying to impress me?" He asked, not expecting an answer.
"Dougs, they did it in a really weird way." I placed my hands on his cheeks, as he straightened out his legs so I could sit down on them. "You won't be a sh|t dad."
"I will. I won't be able to do anything. Brenna, I'm so scared I'll mess up like I've done for the boys." He placed his hands over mine and brought them down in to his lap, squeezing them slightly, his eyes fixated upon them.
"You've not messed up. You've just took the wrong road, so now you'll have to go the long way round. It might take some time, but they really love you, Dougie. They want to be you. Not jazzie, not their own dad. They want to be just like you! Is that not significant to you?" I spoke in barely a whisper.

"I don't deserve you." He murmured, pressing his lips against mine.
"Shut up." I smiled, lips still touching. "Go do some bonding."

I got up, pulling him with me, opening the door for him in to the spare room.
The twins looked up at Dougie and moved slightly away from him.
"I can't do this." he mumbled, and turned to me.
"Sorry, Dougie." I closed the door before he had chance to protest, locking it. "You'll thank me later."
"Brenna! Let me out!" He pounded on the door.
"Told you he didn't love us." I heard one of the twins say loudly before Dougie sighed.

Well,

I'm off to watch Oprah.
Can you tell where she gets her talent from?
All these problem solving skills I have of course..
How could you doubt me?

I wake up on the sofa.
I look at the clock.
Wow.
Three in the morning.

There's some weird dating programme on the TV.
Some woman dressed in PVC, with her breasts pressed up against the camera.
Her mother must be so proud.

Well now, I'm knackered.
And the TV is becoming rather disturbing.
That's going off right now.
Oh yes, definitely right now.
I don't want to see anything at that angle..

Hmm.
It's very quiet.
Where is everyone?

Sh|te, I locked them all in the spare room didn't I? Bugger.

What if everything's so silent because he's murdered them…
Or what if they've murdered him?

Oh deary me.

Walking up the stairs, I still can't hear anything..
Pressing my ear against the door I cant hear anything.

I unhook the latch and push open the door.
Now that is something to Awh about.

All three lying on the bed, Dougie in the middle, the twins wrapped in his arms either side of him. A small saliva patch on his shirt. Joey's mouth open as he sleeps. Bless.

Dougie's eyes open slightly, and he turns his head, careful so as not to move or disturb the boys. He smiles and beckons me over.

"Help me get them in to bed?" He asks.
"But they look so adorable." I reply in a whisper, bending down and moving Liam's fringe from out of his eyes.
"But I can't feel my arms." He moaned.
I rolled my eyes.
Typical.