The switch from one child to two was a lot harder than expected. She knew it would be difficult, but she had assumed it would mostly be jealousy issues and having enough time for both boys. Those hadn't been the problems though. Jealousy was non-existent and that meant that time for both boys came naturally as she could have time for them together. The hardest part had been keeping up with the laundry and food preparation and cleaning and bills and all the 101 things that she had made time for before, but just couldn't seem to muster up the energy for now. Two days home from the hospital and she was looking around the apartment with trepidation, knowing there were dishes to be done and garbage to be taken out and now when the boys were both fed and asleep and Adam was getting ready for work, she should be using this time wisely. Instead she sat on the couch, flicked through the TV channels and counted how many times she yawned during a commercial break. She had every right to just sit down and relax for two minutes and she would never begrudge any mother that time, but she felt lazy just sitting there.

"Sweetie, I'm going to head out."

She smiled as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Are you going to be okay here?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"I really wanted to take a whole week off but-"

"Honey, people are out sick and they need you in the lab. It's okay. We'll be fine here. Besides, Stella's bringing dinner over, so I'll have an extra set of hands if I need it."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"You are doing such an amazing job. Have I mentioned that lately?"

"Yeah, but it's always nice to hear it."

"And I'm really proud of you."

"I'm proud of you too. Thank you for getting up with me at night."

"I just bring the baby to you and then I usually go right back to sleep."

"I know, but just knowing you're there helps a lot."

"Well then you're welcome."

"Go to work. And then come home to me, alright?"

"I will," he promised, kissing her softly. "I love you, Lindsay."

"I love you too, Adam."

The words carried so much more weight with their names attached, and they just stared at each other for a moment, grinning.

"I gotta go," he said finally, reluctantly.

"Go. We'll be here when you get back."

With one more kiss he left the apartment and she sighed. She didn't want him to go at all, but she was proud of him for stepping up to take a shift when he really didn't have to and for always doing things he didn't have to just to make things a little better. He did everything he could to provide for them and be a good role model for the boys. He was so much more than the Prince Charming she had dreamed of all her life.

She sat there for a few minutes more, then stood up and stretched a little, figuring she could get a few things picked up before the need for sleep completely took over. Colton's toys stayed where they were; once potty training had been tackled, next came learning to clean up after himself. He was doing a good job most of the time, but he still had to be reminded. She picked up the laundry instead, setting the basket on the couch and folding everything quickly. She wasn't sure how Ben had managed to go through eight outfits in two days, but she got a small thrill out of folding the tiny garments so she didn't care. Colton's clothes were so much bigger by comparison and she stood there for a second looking at their matching Buzz Lightyear footie pajamas and smiling. Her boys, both of them together, the fact that there were two of them was still blowing her away. Admittedly, after Colton was born she had seen them always being a family of three. They had seemed complete then, and while she had occasionally thought about more, she would have been happy with them being done. But the second the stick turned pink she knew they needed more. Whether it was just two kids, or if they ended up with twelve, she wasn't sure, but she couldn't wait to find out.

"Mama."

"Mmmm."

"Mama, wake up."

"Why?"

"Ben cryin'."

She cracked her eyes open and looked at him, sighing as Ben's cries registered in her ears. She was kind of used to it, but had fallen asleep on the couch, so she didn't hear it immediately.

"I get him, mama."

"No, buddy, I'll get him. He's probably hungry."

"Ben always hungry," he said, following her into the bedroom. "He need yogurt."

She chuckled and lifted Ben from the crib, kissing his cheek while he settled down a little bit.

"Mama, I feed him."

"No buddy, I'll feed him. Can you do me a favor though?"

"Uh-huh."

"Can you go in your bedroom and get a new diaper and the wipes and the powder?"

"Yeah! I race!"

He pranced out of the room, ecstatic to do anything to help his mama. It took him a few minutes to gather everything she asked for, putting them in one of his buckets and driving it back into the bedroom.

"I get it," he said, putting the bucket on the bed then climbing up and over the footboard.

"Mama?" he asked, reaching under the blanket to hold onto Ben's foot.

"What, handsome?"

"When Ben go bye?"

"Ben's not going bye."

"He not?" he asked, his voice rising.

"No, he's going to live with us forever."

"Forever and ever and ever."

"Yeah. Is that okay?" she asked, using her free hand to fix the drawstring on his hoodie.

"Yeah. I love Ben."

"You're such a good big brother. Do you know that?"

"Yep, I know. I hold Ben now please?"

"Wait a little until he's done eating and I change his diaper and then you can hold him."

He nodded and rested his head against her shoulder, sighing a little as he played with the edge of Ben's blanket.

"Mama, he eats loud."

Lindsay snickered.

"Yeah, he kind of does."

"Like the piggies on the farm."

"Exactly."

He smiled and they sat their in almost silence until Ben was finished, his eyelids drooping.

"Colton can you help me?"

"We make him burp?"

"Yeah."

"Burp, Ben, burp," Colton chanted, patting his brother's back. "You can do a big one like daddy."

"I don't know if he can burp that big just yet."

"Oh no, mama, he throwed up."

"It's just spit up, it's okay," she said, cleaning it up with the rag she always had for such accidents. "See, all cleaned up."

"That gross."

"It's kinda gross. Babies do it all the time though."

"You change diaper so I hold Ben, 'kay mama?"

"Alright," she chuckled, laying Ben down on the comforter and leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"What's going on baby boy? Did you make a full diaper for me?"

He gave her a grumpy look and started screaming once his diaper was off.

"I know, it's cold out here. It won't take me long, just don't pee on me okay?"

"Mama, he needs go in the potty like me."

"It's going to be a long time before he can do that," she said, finishing up the diaper.

"I hold him now?"

"Yeah, go sit by the pillows."

He obeyed and she placed Ben in his lap, making sure they were both comfortable.

"I'm going to go wash my hands, so don't move okay?"

"Okay mama."

She escaped to the bathroom for a second, washing her hands quickly before returning to the bedroom. They were sitting just how she left them, Colton wrinkling his nose.

"What's the matter?"

"My nose has itchies."

Smiling she scratched his nose gently while there was a knock on the door.

"Who that is mama?"

"It's Stella. Should we go get it?"

"Yeah. You carry Ben."

They made their way out to the other room, Colton swinging the door open and smiling at Stella.

"Hi! Looka my brother!"

"I see your brother," she chuckled, making her way inside and setting dinner on the table.

"He's little."

"Yeah, he is. Do you like him?"

"Uh-huh. I hold him."

"You hold him but can I hold you for a minute?"

He smiled and she lifted him up, smiling when he wrapped his arms around her neck.

"This kind of thing is going to make it really hard to leave in the morning."

"You could always extend your trip," Lindsay suggested with a shrug and a smile.

"I wish. You have no idea how much."

"Stella, you sit on the couch and hold Ben. I show you how."

"You'll show me how?"

"Yep. I good."

She chuckled and sat down, smiling as Lindsay handed Ben to her.

"Linds, he looks like you."

"You think so? Everyone keeps saying that but I see Adam."

"He's got Adam's eyes and ears, but the rest is all you."

"Maybe a little," Lindsay said, sitting down and pulling Colton into her lap, kissing his head and realizing that it had been a while since she'd cuddled him.

"So what do you guys think of Jo?" Stella asked, taking a piece of blanket fuzz off of Ben's hand.

"We like her. She's easy to work with. She doesn't seem to get frustrated. Ever. Even when Mac makes the coffee."

"So she's a saint?"

"Maybe not a saint, but more saintly than the rest of us ragamuffins. What do you think of her?"

"I think it's a little weird that someone else has my job, but I'm really glad it's her. I know she's looking out for everyone and she's been giving Mac a run for his money."

"Yeah, I think it's hard for him to go head to head with so much southern gentility."

"Oh yes. He's always had a hard time with ladies actin' like ladies."

"They get along really well but I think he misses you."

"I miss him too. It's weird not having him there every day. I'm not homesick anymore but… sometimes I just want to hear his voice."

Lindsay nodded, knowing that feeling well.

"Do you ever call him?"

"No. Maybe once or twice I have but… it's hard to know what to say."

"You can just tell him you miss him."

"Yeah, I guess. I don't want to talk about that. How are you guys doing now that you're home?"

"Pretty good. If we can get ourselves on a schedule, it's going to be so much easier. Hopefully it won't be too much longer."

"You'll manage. You did it so seamlessly last time, you've just got to had some more steps to the Rube Goldberg invention."

"Yeah."

"How's Adam doing?"

"He's good. He helps me so much, sometimes when I don't even know I need it. I don't even have to ask him to do things he just anticipates."

"Is it true what they say, that you love him more with every baby?"

"Yeah. Maybe it's not so much that I love him more, I think it's that I understand it better. I see it more. When it was just us it was kind of selfish, but now with the boys… part of the reason he loves them so much is because he loves me. And I can't help but see that every time I watch him with them."

"Can I admit something to you?"

"Sure."

"When you two first started dating…"

"Yeah?"

"I wasn't sure it would last."

"Why not?"

"Because you're so similar. It just almost seemed like you would be… I dunno, dating yourself."

"I was worried about that too. But we discovered enough different things to keep it interesting. We still discover different things. They're little, but there's just something about the unexpected."

"You guys… I've never seen people love each other the way you do. I didn't know it existed."

"We like to bring hope to the masses."

It was to a quiet and cozy apartment that he returned home that evening. The lights were off except for the one by the sink, which he crossed the room to turn off. There was lamplight coming from the bedroom, and he checked on Colton quickly before going in there. Lindsay was sitting up in bed, looking exhausted but happy with Ben in her arms.

"Hey, how was work?"

"The power went out so that was kind of an issue, but it came back on pretty quick with the generator or whatever they've got going on down there. How were things here?"

"No screaming and gnashing of teeth."

"And how were the kids?"

"You're hilarious."

He chuckled and sat down next to her, reaching over to touch Ben's hand.

"I don't think I've seen him this awake before."

"He's been like this for an hour."

"Without a wink of sleep in sight."

"I think he was waiting for you to get home," she said.

"Maybe so," Adam agreed, taking the baby from her and settling him against his chest.

"Better?"

"Much. I missed you guys a lot today."

"We missed you too."

"Mac said I could have an extra day at the end of the week, so I'm yours for seven more days."

"And then what, you're gonna leave me?"

"You know what I mean."

"Seven more days and then my parents will be here a few days after that, and then right after they leave your parents are coming."

"December is a very busy month for us."

"Yes it is, and we didn't even think about Christmas yet."

"Speaking of, I was thinking that I would take Colton out tomorrow to get a tree."

"He'll love it. Plus, who could pass up having daddy all to themselves?"

"No one it seems."

She smiled and rested against him with a sigh, craving the warmth that radiated from him.

"You know what Stella told me tonight?"

"I can only imagine."

"She said that when we first started dating she thought we might not make it."

"Because we're so similar?"

"Yeah."

"You thought that too."

"I didn't think that, but I wasn't unaware of the possibility."

"You know what though?"

"What?"

"I think it helped us out at the beginning. It gave us like a… safe foundation I guess. We read each other better, trusted each other faster. I don't know Linds, I guess from the first time you held my hand I just knew you were my forever."

"It's kind of unbelievable, isn't it? That we found each other out of all the people in the world, and just at the right time, when we both were ready and needed it and if anything had been different, we might not be here right now. One tiny change and we could have ended up as friends or maybe we wouldn't know each other at all."

"I don't want to think about that," he said, reaching over to brush the tear from her eye.

"Do you know how happy you make me, Adam? You know I'm happy, but do you understand how absolutely indescribably and wonderfully happy I really am?"

"About the same as me, I would guess."

"You do have your shoes on the bed though."

He chuckled and kicked his shoes onto the floor while she climbed under the blankets and laid down, reaching over to take his hand. She played with his wedding ring, spinning it around and around his finger, watching how the silver caught the light.

"Adam?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for making me that happy."

"Right back at you, babe. Get some sleep. We'll see you in a few hours."