A/N: Christmas chapter already? I'm cheap.

"Hey little Ben, what's all the fuss about?" Adam asked, lifting Ben out of the cradle. "I'm pretty sure mama just fed you about twenty minutes ago."

"Seventeen," Lindsay grumbled, rolling over and looking at the clock. "Does he need his diaper changed?"

"No, he seems free and clear."

"So he's just being difficult?"

"I think so. Go back to sleep, I'll take care of him."

"Are you sure? He's probably going to cry for a while."

"You do this every night. It's the least I can do. Sleep honey."

"Thank you."

He gave her a smile and leaned down to kiss her while Ben continued to squawk.

"Alright dude, it's time to go to sleep," Adam said, sitting down in the rocking chair in the corner and holding Ben close to him. "Your mama needs some sleep and so do you. You haven't been doing enough of that lately, you know. I guess it's just the magic of the holiday season."

"Adam," Lindsay said with a chuckle. "He's two weeks old."

"The Christmas spirit permeates even the youngest of minds."

She gave a snort and rolled her eyes, burying her face in the pillow and trying to go back to sleep.

"Your mama thinks I'm nutso, dude. But you'll be on my side, right? I thought so. See, this is much better than crying isn't it? Yeah, much better. You're probably even getting a little bit tired, aren't you? I can tell because your eyes got all big and you're staring just like mama does when she's about to crash."

Ben gave a small yawn and stretched his arm out of the blanket, his hand landing on Adam's.

"You don't need to eat now dude. You're already getting chubby cheeks. Catching up to that brother of yours probably. Does this mean you two are gonna be competing your whole lives? I guess that's okay, as long as you don't hate each other. But you probably won't will you? I'm figurin' your mama's got that all worked out though. She thinks of everything. Let me tell ya, it makes everyone's lives a lot easier. Especially mine. You'll probably hear me say it a lot, but you're really lucky to have her for your mama. And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you feel lucky to have me for your daddy too."

They sat like that for a while longer until Ben lost the fight against sleep. Adam stood up carefully and put him back in the bassinet, then climbed back into bed himself. Lindsay rolled over and snuggled in close to him, smiling when his arms came around her too.

"I thought you were going to sleep."

"I tried. I was listenin' to you."

"Oh. Was I keepin' you awake?"

"No, sometimes I just like to listen when you don't know I am."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. You say good stuff."

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I just want them to know. I want that in their first memories. Not like mine were."

"It never will be, Adam. They'll always know how much we love them."

"Yeah, I know."

She leaned up and kissed him softly, and it suddenly occurred to her how little alone time they had had since Ben was born. It was a normal thing when one was blessed with a new baby, but that didn't make it easier. With strange feeding times, the holidays and her parents in town, she couldn't remember the last time they had a moment like this together, in such quiet. She silently thanked Ben for waking up when he had, and going back to sleep so they could have this moment.

"It goes fast, doesn't it?" he said, breaking into her reverie.

"You mean life?"

"Doesn't it feel like yesterday that… well everything seems like just yesterday."

"It does go fast," she agreed. "Sometimes I feel like I'm frantically trying to hold on to every second. And then I wonder what I'm missing while I'm trying to hold on."

"It's an ouroboros."

"Such a big word for five a.m. But I have to admonish you for the snake reference since you know how much I hate them and am now totally creeped out."

"Such a country girl, yet one mention of snakes or rats and you're all shivery."

"I don't know why, they just bother me."

He hissed and she shoved his shoulder with a little laugh.

"Jerk. You're scared of spiders."

"I'm not scared!"

"How come you always ask me to kill them then?"

"Because I'm a big fat sissy."

"You're not fat."

"But I am a sissy?"

"Babe, this spider has like 42 legs, come kill it!" she mocked, running her fingers up his side.

"I never said that! I would never exaggerate something so drastically."

"Sure you wouldn't."

He chuckled.

"I could just squeeze the stuffing out of you sometimes."

"Yeah, I'm pretty darn cute."

Grinning, he stroked her cheek and lowered his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. She sighed happily against his lips and pulled herself a little closer, enjoying the moment while it lasted. His hand ran gently up and down her back and then moved to her side, his thumb stroking over her skin. She reached down and moved his hand back to where it had been before and he broke the kiss in confusion.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"I know we can't… I mean, I wasn't trying to… why did you do that?"

She didn't say anything, just untangled herself from his arms and sat up a little, needing a sliver of space. He let her move and didn't say anything, just kept his eyes on her while she bit her lip and her eyes darted around the room.

"Adam," she whispered finally, so quiet he almost had to ask her to repeat it. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Of course I do. You're gorgeous."

"I don't feel like I am," she confessed. He reached over and took her hand, holding it tightly.

"Why not?"

"Because. I had two babies. I don't look the way I used to. I'm never going to."

"Lindsay."

"I don't want you to see me."

The thought of her being unattractive to him was ridiculous, but he knew that it was something she really worried about. But to go so far as to say she didn't want him to see her meant that she had been thinking about this for a while.

"Sweetheart, look at me and listen to me like you've never listened before. You are beautiful. You're gorgeous. You're pretty. Sometimes I look at you and my knees buckle."

She gave him a teary smile and he continued on, running his hand over her as he spoke, calming the self-deprecating thoughts that flew through her mind. His hand grazed over her stomach and she tensed beneath him, wanting to move him away again. He ignored it though, sliding her t-shirt up and pressing gentle kisses to her skin until she relaxed.

"Honey, you carried our babies inside you. You kept them safe and healthy. You gave them life. And that is beautiful."

"But-"

"Lindsay, this is the one and only time that what you feel matters very little. You are beautiful. You always will be. Carrying a baby changes your body, yes. But they're not bad changes. You are as wonderful and amazing as you were the first day I laid eyes on you, and I will know that until the day I die."

"But I have stretch marks and I'm puffy and last time it took so long to get back to normal and I'm worried that I won't be able to do it again and-"

"I don't care. I don't see that, Linds. It doesn't matter to me. I think that you are the most beautiful woman in the whole world. Nothing will ever change that."

She nodded and sniffled and he reached up to wipe her tears away.

"Are you ever going to see what I see?"

"I see it," she said with a nod. "Sometimes I just worry that you'll stop."

"Never."

He tugged on her until she laid back down and he wrapped around her completely, wishing that he could make her feel as beautiful as she was.

"Thank you," she said finally, turning a little to kiss him. "I don't mean to be so insecure, I just can't help it sometimes."

"It's okay. I need to do a better job of reminding you. Now, we'd better go to sleep because I am pretty sure that the little boy in the next room is going to want to open presents about the same time the sun comes up."

"You're probably right," she sighed, reaching over and running her fingers through his hair. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Mama, mama, lookit!" Colton hollered, clapping his hands in excitement. "See what I have? A hocklitockter!"

"A helicopter," she corrected. "Can you fly it?"

He kneeled next to the coffee table, and examined the toy, wondering how to get the helicopter to fly. It was attached to a plastic arm that kept it in place and it basically just flew around in a circle, but he was still nearly jumping around in delight.

"Daddy, you show me how?" he asked. Adam scooted over to him and explained the controls, then helped him to get the helicopter going.

"Oh wow! Granna, lookit what I doing!"

"All by yourself?"

"Uh-huh, I a big boy."

He watched the helicopter for a few seconds more then let it land, moving over to the tree and pulling another present out from under it.

"I get this for Ben," he said, walking over and handing the present to Lindsay. "You open it mama."

"Oh look Benjamin, new clothes!"

Ben of course, just laid there, completely unimpressed with the whole thing.

"Ben, you say thank you to me for presents."

"He can't say thank you yet, son," Adam chuckled.

"Oh. Christmas done?"

"Nope, there's one more big present for you. It's right under the tree."

Colton grinned and wadded through the piles of wrapping paper, as Adam had gone a little crazy with gifts for him this year. He was at an age where he appreciated things more, and the toys that also became learning tools were too good to pass up.

"What is it, daddy?"

"I guess you're going to have to open it and see."

"I can't."

"Yes you can. Push it over here."

He managed to get the box into the middle of the room, then tore into it gleefully, sitting down and staring at it when it was finally revealed. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide as he reached out and touched the picture on the box.

"It doctor stuff," he said, almost reverently. "I be a doctor."

"Should we open it up and take a look?"

He gulped and nodded, watching closely as Adam opened the box. The pieces were made of wood and metal instead of plastic and would probably last for years and years.

"There's a stethoscope and a thermometer and a blood pressure cuff," Adam said, showing Colton each piece. "And a bunch of other stuff that I can't identify, and all of it fits in your nifty doctor's bag."

"Oh my," he said, running his hand over the canvas bag. "It my job."

Lindsay chuckled at his reaction. She hadn't been expecting him to take it so seriously, and had actually worried that he had grown out of his desire to be a doctor. Colton stood up from the floor and pulled the stethoscope from his bag, draping it around his neck as if he really was a grown up.

"Okay, who be sick? I fix you."

"Oh, I think I've got a touch of the vapors," Dale said pressing a hand to his forehead and putting on a high pitched southern accent. "Whatever will I do?"

"I fix you papa, I fix you! Where it hurt?"

"Oh doctor, I'm just so achy and weak and I feel as if I could fall right over."

"Don't worry, you be better soon," Colton said seriously. "You need medicine. It taste ewwie but you eat it."

"Will I get better soon?"

"You go home and sleep."

"Thank you ever so much doctor."

"You pay me money."

"Oh, I see your racket. Here you go."

He slapped a piece of wrapping paper into Colton's hand and he tucked it into his bag.

"Who sick now?"

Pretty soon they were all dropping like flies, and Colton ran between all of them, tending to their injuries and ailments, his eyes alive with excitement as they hopped up from the floor, cured of whatever the malady was.

"I think we'd better start saving up for med-school," Adam remarked, as Colton cured Anne's bout with the heebie jeebies.

"He sure seems to enjoy it," Lindsay agreed. "I should have mom make him a lab coat or scrubs or something."

"He'd flip. That would be awesome."

"And we've got Halloween costumes for the next five years or so."

"Then he'll want to be a zombie doctor."

"God willing."

"Daddy, it time for your shot. No cryin'."

"But I'm so scared!"

"Don't be a weenie, daddy."

"Where did you hear that?"

"Au'tin say it."

"Guess it could be worse. Okay Doc, cure me."

"Here come your shot!"

"Oh wow, I feel so alive."

"I fix you. Give me money."

"I've gotta get rid of this HMO, they're not helping me out at all."

"Uh-huh," Colton said with a nod. "HMO hurt? I fix you?"

"Nah, this is something that needs a home remedy."

"Okay. Ben all better?"

"Yeah, Ben's fine, he's just sleeping it off for a while. Why don't you take a break and put on some regular clothes. I don't know many doctors that work in their pajamas."

"Okay mama. I be right back. Get sick!"

Lindsay giggled and propped her feet up on the coffee table while Ben stayed still against her chest, one of his tiny hands gripping her shirt. Adam got up from the floor and joined them, sighing when Lindsay dropped her head onto his shoulder.

"I think it's naptime," she said as her parents went into the kitchen to make breakfast.

"You close your eyes and he's gonna give you CPR."

"Very likely."

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her, kissing the top of her head and watching the snow fall outside. It was such a perfect peace that he didn't want to let go.

"Mama, I sit up there?" Colton asked. Lindsay chuckled at his messy hair and mismatched socks, being vaguely aware that the shirt was the one he had worn the day before.

"Yeah, come on up."

He grinned and planted himself in between them, snuggling in for warmth.

"I hold Ben now, okay?"

"Maybe in a minute. Remember you're going to call Isa to say thank you for the present she got for you?"

"Oh yeah. I can call now?"

"Yeah, just a second."

She dialed Austin's number and talked to her for a second before they put the kids on.

"Hi Sweet Thing," Colton greeted, using the long forgotten but making a comeback nickname. "I say thank you for my present…yeah, I find yours at the store. I wrap it too… Know what? I a doctor now. I fix you. You have owwies?... I fix it later. Okay?... Bye-bye, see you another day."

He clicked the phone off and handed it back to Lindsay as if he did this every day.

"Isa have owwie. I gon' fix it."

"Well that's nice of you."

"Yep. I hold Ben now."

Lindsay carefully transferred the baby to him, hoping that there wouldn't be any waking up and crying.

"He gonna sleep all day mama?"

"For a good chunk of it. Do you like being a big brother?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "He not play much."

"He'll play more when he's older."

"Okay. Mama, Ben love me?"

"I'm sure he does."

"I do good job?"

"You do a really good job," she said, pushing a curl off his forehead. He smiled up at her and rocked back and forth, then kissed Ben's cheek.

"I love Ben. He my best brother."

Lindsay smiled and put her arm around him, her chest nearly exploding with pride. She had envisioned it being such a harder transition, but this was just too good to be true.