Ana's POV

I walk Grace through the foyer and to the front door of our home. What she had to do was not easy, but she managed to keep herself cool and composed for the sake of her grandchildren. Even now as she prepares to leave and head back to the hospital, she is not allowing herself to fall apart. I don't know how she does it. This woman, my mother-in-law is just amazing. As much as she thanks me for coming into Christian's life, I thank her for being his mother and sticking by him through so many hard times. This family has had to face a lot of hard times, and this one is no exception.

"Take good care of my grandbabies" she says as she hugs me tight. I can feel her body tremble slightly, but just like that she manages to compose herself again. She truly is the rock of our family.

"I will Grace. Give Carrick my love."

I watch as she turns and is escorted to the car by Dovis with a big umbrella to shield the both of them from the pouring rain. We didn't want Grace to drive, so Dovis will be driving her back to the hospital. He will also stay there and be on hand to assist our family in whatever is needed. I close the door and take a moment for myself before I have to return to the main room. All of Grace's grandchildren are in there, except for Teddy of course. Leticia, Penny and Gail are also in there. They have been taking such good care of us in this difficult time. But I want my husband. I need him in my arms.

I don't know how long I stand here, but I am forced to move out of the way when I feel the front door open. I step back and watch my husband walk through. He is slightly wet from the rain. I suspect he tried to walk ahead while Taylor caught up with him with the umbrella. Taylor walks through the door after closing the umbrella and greets me with a nod. I nod back and wrap my arms around my husband's neck. He buries his face in my shoulder and wraps his arms around me tightly. We stand like this for a while, just holding each other. I can feel his pain and his fear. I rub my hand over his back and try to provide comfort.

After a while he pulls out of the embrace and kisses my cheek. I help him remove his wet suit jacket and hang it over the banister. I want to be in his arms again so I wrap my arms around him and press my face against his chest. He wraps his arms around me and holds me. I've been away from him for too long. He was in New York, and then he went straight to the hospital after landing in Seattle.

He pulls back and cradles my face in his hands. We stare into each other's eyes. No words are needed. I know he is scared. I know he is worried. I know he is looking to draw strength from me, and I need to be able to do that for him. He closes the distance and kisses the side of my mouth, and then his lips are on mine. He kisses me sweetly and gently while holding my face. He then leans his forehead against mine while catching his breath. It's like he's been holding his breath this whole time.

"You just missed Grace" I say to him softly. "She came by and talked to the kids."

"I know" he says sadly. "What did she say?"

I shake my head and take his hands in mine. "I don't remember exactly, but she was so good with them. I don't know how she did it."

He brings one of my hands to his lips and plants gentle kisses on my palm. "They're all here?"

I nod. "They're in the main room."

"What do we do, Ana?"

I bring my hand up and caress his cheek. "We take care of Mia and Ethan's kids. Grace said we need to make things as normal as possible for them."

He chuckles, but it is more like a sob. "Normal. When has this family ever been normal?"

"Fair point well made, Mr Grey. Normal" I emphasize the word while I play with his shirt. "… same schedule, same activities, school, bedtime... Leticia is here and I've asked her to stay on as their nanny." I prepare myself for the temper storm that is my husband. He's never wanted a nanny for our children, but Mia and Ethan have had Leticia since Elizabeth was six months old. So I am pleasantly surprised at his response.

"I think that's best" he says as he looks down at his shirt and takes my hands in his. "She knows more about their daily routine than we do, and they trust her."

"You're their Uncle, they trust you." I try to assure him but I know he is doubting himself. He always does. I lean up and kiss his lips. "Come on, we can do this."

I take his hand and we walk into the main room to see the kids. We stop and I watch Christian as he takes in our surroundings. Natalie and Sophie are sitting by the princess castle playing quietly. Cameron is sitting on the sofa with Ava playing with blocks. Leticia is sitting next to them with her arm around Elizabeth providing comfort. Trevor and Phoebe are sitting on the other sofa, his arm around her for comfort. Christopher is sitting on the floor by Leticia's feet playing with his ninja turtles. Monte is asleep in the swing, and Maddie is sitting on Gail's lap on the lounger playing with one of her books that plays music.

When Natalie sees her Daddy she runs over to us and he picks her up. Phoebe also rushes over and wraps her arms around him. She has tears rolling down her face. He puts his free arm around her and comforts her, and he seems to draw comfort from them. "Peanut" he says softly as he kisses her hair.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

There wasn't anything I could do at the hospital, so my father suggested I come home and take care of his grandchildren. As I hold my daughters I scan the room again. All of Grace and Carrick's grandchildren are here, except for Teddy. I talked to him earlier while I was still at the hospital. Kate and Elliot are both at the hospital, although Carrick and Kate's parents were trying to get them to go home for the evening. I'm not sure if they listened, but for now we have Ava and Cameron here with us. And of course Mia and Ethan's kids are here. I've made the decision that they will stay with Ana and me for now. We have the room, the staff and the financial means to take care of them while my sister and brother-in-law can't.

Mia and Ethan were seriously injured in a car accident the other night. The police have confirmed that the man that plowed into them head on was driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.17. Fucking drunken bastard tried to leave the scene but he passed out in the street. Ethan has some serious injuries and had to have surgery to remove his spleen. He has been sedated since the surgery. Mia also had to have surgery. She was bleeding internally and she also has a fractured skull and some broken ribs. She fell into a coma, and the doctors do not know if she will be able to come back from this. My heart that I've once denied even having is just shattered right now. She's my baby sister. She has to be okay. I look down at Phoebe as she works to compose herself. I run my hand through her hair and lead her over to the sofa. Ana follows and we all sit and watch television in silence. Phoebe settles back next to Trevor and he puts his arm around her. Natalie cuddles with Ana, and Sophia walks over and joins them. I take Maddie from Gail and sit next to my wife with by baby girl on my lap.

After watching some television, we are able to get the kids to bed without incident. Ava and Phoebe take care of Cameron, Leticia takes care of Elizabeth and Sophia, I put Natalie to bed and Ana takes care of Christopher. Gail waits in the main room with the babies until Ana and I are able to get them fed, changed and put down for the evening. By now I am exhausted, but I can't sleep. I wait for Ana to fall asleep and drag myself down to my study for some late night emails. I put in a few hours of work before I realize it is three in the morning. I really need to get some sleep if I'm going to be any kind of Father and Uncle in the morning.

I drag myself up the stairs to our bedroom, only to find that Ana is not in our bed. She's not in the bathroom and she's not in any of the kids' bedrooms. I look at the monitors that we keep in our bedroom and notice that Elizabeth is in her bed, but Sophia is not with her. I make a call to Keenan and he tells me that Ana is in our enclosed porch.

I drag myself downstairs again, amazed that I haven't passed out yet, and I find Ana on the porch with Sophia sleeping on her. I sit on the lounger next to her and she smiles at me. "Is she okay?" I ask my wife.

She smiles sadly at me. "She wanted her Mommy. I think she woke up and got scared. I didn't want her to keep Liz awake so I brought her out here."

I reach over and gently move some of my niece's hair off of her face. She looks just like Mia did at her age, except her hair is blond with soft curls. "You shouldn't be out here with the dog" I softly admonish my wife. Ana is allergic to dogs, so we've decided to keep their dog Sadie out here. She is a beautiful golden retriever, but her hair sheds like crazy.

"I'm okay. I had Jacobs open all of the windows."

I reach over again and adjust her blanket so that more of her and Sophia are covered. "Are you warm enough?"

"Umhm" She pauses as we both look down at our niece. "I'm worried, Christian."

I put my arm around her and pull her toward me so that her head rests on my shoulder. "I am too."

"They are so young. This shouldn't be happening to them. I'm just so grateful that they weren't in that car."

I cringe at the thought. My sister and brother-in-law were on their way home from dinner the other night when the accident happened. My parents were watching the kids so that Mia and Ethan could have a date night.

"I am too." I kiss her hair and lean my chin against her head. "Thank you, Ana. I know that taking on my sister's kids is a lot right now."

"It is a lot" she says, and I sense her smile. "But they are my family too and I love them."

"You're amazing, Mrs Grey."

"Back at you, Mr Grey. Now, will you help me get little Miss Sophie back to bed?"

"Of course" I say as I leave go of her to stand. "Let me carry her." I lean down and carefully take our niece into my arms, and Ana and I walk through the house and up the steps together.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

I wake up a few hours later to the sound of birds chirping outside our window. My eyes are still closed as I stretch my arms and legs, and moan about my exhaustion. I used to be able to function on very little sleep. I would get up in the middle of the night to do work or tend to the kids, and I'd be up at six in the morning ready to start my day. But now, I feel like I could sleep for another twelve hours. I lie back down and put my hands over my face, and then I'm reminded that my nieces and nephews are here. I need to get up. I reach over for Ana only to find her side of the bed empty. It's rare for Ana to get up before me. I look over at the bassinets and notice that they too are empty.

I stand from the bed and start to walk toward the bathroom, but I stop when I see my bedroom door open and my daughter run in.

"Daddy, Daddy!" she says excitedly. She runs toward me and I pick her up into a hug.

"Hi Sweet Pea. Good Morning."

"Goomoning Daddy."

Sophia walks into the bedroom but isn't quite as excited to see me. "Hello Sophie."

"Mommy told me to wake you up."

"Did she now?"

"Umhm. You need to get me and Sophie dwessed."

I chuckle as I gently place her on the ground. "That's dressed, and I think I can handle that. But first Daddy needs to use the bathroom. Can you and Sophie wait in your bedroom for me?"

"I wanna stay with you" she says sadly. I squat down so that I am at her level.

"Baby, I need some privacy. Can you take Sophie to your bedroom and play with your dolls?"

"Pweeeeaaaase?"

I hate it when she does this. She has such big gray eyes and a pouty lip when she's sad about something. I gently place my fingers under her chin and rub my thumb next to her lip to get her to stop pouting. "Okay, compromise." I lift her up and hold my hand out for Sophie to take. She does and I take them to the other side of the bedroom and settle them in front of the big screen television. We have it mounted to the wall and there are no wires or anything they can get hurt on. "You two can sit and watch television for a couple of minutes while I use the bathroom and shave. And then I'll take you to get dressed."

"Can I watch you save?"

"Sure Sweet Pea. And its shave." I kiss her hair and set the television to the Disney channel. That will keep them occupied for a few minutes. After I use the bathroom and brush my teeth I allow Natalie into the bathroom to watch me shave. Sophie stays in the bedroom in front of the television. I don't know why Natalie likes to watch me shave. Ana says that our daughter just likes to be around me.

Once I'm finished I follow the girls to Natalie's bedroom. In there I find that Ana has laid out their dance outfits. I completely forgot about dance. They have class every Saturday morning. I tell them both to use the bathroom first and then I make quick work to get them both ready so that I can get them to the studio on time. Sophie doesn't say a word until both girls are dressed and I am doing their hair.

"Is Mommy going to be there?" she asks softly.

This is killing me. I can't look her in the eye, because I feel like I am looking in Mia's eyes and telling her bad news. "No, Baby. But I will be there. I'm taking both of you to dance today and I will bring you both back here."

I let them both look in the mirror for a few minutes before I take them downstairs. I walk into the kitchen to greet my wife and find her and Penny cleaning up after breakfast. I wrap my arms around her, stopping her from her task. "Good Morning Beautiful" I say to her softly before I kiss her. "You are supposed to be the first thing that I see in the morning" I whisper in her ear, which makes her shiver. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"You needed your sleep. You looked so peaceful, I just couldn't wake you."

"You had to get the kids up by yourself."

"You will have all day to make up for that. I promise." She gives me that smile, that smile that tells me that she wants something. And of course I will oblige, and she knows it."

"Enlighten me, Mrs Grey."

She wraps her arms around me and continues to smile. "Well, after you bring the girls back from dance, we are packing up the kids and going to Woodland Park Zoo for the day."

"The zoo, huh."

"Yes, I think it will be good for the kids to get out for the day. I talked to Taylor and he's rounding up our security detail."

"You were very busy while your husband was sleeping, Mrs Grey."

"Sleeping quite beautifully might I add." She reaches up and kisses me. I tighten my arms around her and deepen the kiss. After some time she pulls out of the kiss and I lean my forehead against hers.

"Mmmm, good morning." She giggles, such a delightful sound. "I love that sound." I keep my forehead leaned against hers and my eyes are still closed. I just want to stay like this for a while and forget everything that's happening around us. But I'm reminded very fast that I can't do that.

"Daddy" I hear by baby girl call me. She and Sophie walk into the kitchen together. I keep my arms around Ana and turn and look down at them. "Can we leave now?"

"Sure, Sweet Pea. Let's get jackets." I leave go of Ana but she takes hold of my hand. I turn and give her a kiss goodbye.

"Breakfast to go, Mr Grey" she says to me as she hands me a coffee and a bag. I steal another kiss.

"Laters, Baby."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe's POV

Ava and I are in my bedroom getting ready for the day. Aunt Kate came by earlier for Ava and Cameron, but Ava was still in bed and wanted to stay. I can't believe that our Aunt and Uncle were in a car accident. There is always something going on in this family. We can never have any peace.

Grandma came over last night and explained that Aunt Mia and Uncle Ethan need to stay in the hospital for a while to get better, but I heard Mom talking on the phone. I know that Aunt Mia is in a coma and it is serious. I'm sure Grandma didn't want to tell the little kids that. Uncle Ethan is also hurt very badly, but I don't think he's in a coma. Either way, this is all just so horrible. Mom said that we are all going to the zoo today to lift their spirits. I don't know. If my parents were hurt like that I don't think anything would lift my spirits.

Ava comes out of my bathroom dressed in a blouse and skirt. "Why are you dressed like that?" I ask her.

"I'm going to work."

"You're not going to the zoo with us?"

She sighs as she rummages through one of her bags. "I need to meet with the assistant manager today and help her go through Aunt Mia's designs."

"What do you think is going to happen with Aunt Mia's stores?" I as her as I work on my hair.

"I think they'll be okay. Aunt Mia's designs are complete for the next ten months. She has a team that makes the clothes, so we just have to make sure they are on top of things."

She continues to rummage through her bags. "Can I help you find something?"

"No, I'm fine. I just don't remember where I put my favorite barrette." I start to look through her things too, but just as I find her vitamins she announces that she's found her barrette. "Got it." She goes to work on her hair in front of the mirror, but my eyes are fixed on this bottle of vitamins that I've found.

"Ava, these are prenatal vitamins."

She quickly moves away from the mirror and tries to take the bottle out of my hands, but I pull my hand away. "Phoebe. Phoebe, please give those to me."

"Not until you tell me why you have them." She tries to take them again, but I don't let her. "Ava?"

"This doesn't concern you, Phoebe. Just give them to me." This time she is able to take the bottle away and toss it into her bag. I stand frozen in my spot as I watch her walk around my bedroom.

"You're pregnant" I say softly without even thinking. She turns and looks at me but she doesn't say anything. I'm having a hard time in that department as well. After a while I am able to find my voice. "Ava"

"Yes, okay? Yes."

"But…. when? I mean, Nathan has been in Florida for months. You didn't…."

"I didn't cheat on Nathan" she says angrily. "Nathan's the only guy I've had sex with."

"Okay, okay. Calm down." I walk around the room and sit down on my bed, but she remains standing with her arms crossed. "How far along are you?"

She shakes her head, and I swear I can see a tear in her eye. "I don't know." She uncrosses her arms and sits on the bed next to me.

"Did you see a doctor?" She shakes her head and doesn't look at me. "But you have prenatal vitamins."

"I bought them without a prescription."

"Who else knows about this?"

She looks over at me and I see more tears. "Just you. I haven't told anyone."

"Why not? Ava…."

"This is my problem, Phoebe" she cuts me off. "Nobody elses."

"What about Nathan?"

She stands and takes a few steps away from me. "Nathan has worked so hard to get a scholarship to play basketball in college. It is his dream to play in the NBA. How could I take that away from him?"

I stand and walk over to stand next to her. "You need to tell him. He has a right to know. This is his baby too. And besides, you didn't get pregnant on your own."

"It's my fault?"

"How is this your fault?" I ask a little too loudly.

"Shhh, keep your voice down. It's my fault because I stopped taking the pill."

"Why'd you stop?"

"Because, Nathan was going to be away for four months. And I wasn't planning on having sex with anyone else, so I didn't think I needed it."

We both sit down on the bed again. "Does Nathan know you stopped the pill?"

"Yes, we talked about it."

"Okay, so… Ava you can't take this on by yourself. You need to tell him. When is he coming home?"

"Next week. My God, Phoebe, I'm going to see him next week. He's going to want to do things and he's going to see that I'm pregnant." She pulls at her blouse and stands from the bed again.

"I'm surprised that you've kept the secret for this long. I mean looking back some things are starting to make sense. You were sick and you were tired a lot. Wait a minute, is this why you didn't do cheerleading?" She nods. "Why didn't you tell me?" I ask sadly. Ava and I used to tell each other everything, but things have changed this year. We spend a lot of time together, but she managed to keep this huge secret from me.

"Like you told me about the road trip?"

"Ava, you cannot compare my road trip to you being pregnant. Come on, this is much bigger than that."

"It still hurt, Phoebe."

She walks around the room some more but I just stay in my spot. "I'm sorry. I should've told you about the road trip. Look, we're going off topic here. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"We need to figure this out Ava. I mean, pretty soon there is going to be a baby here, and people are going to ask a lot of questions. And, you've managed to hide the baby bump but it is only going to get bigger."

"My parents are going to kill me. What do I even say to them?"

I think this over for a few minutes. What would I say to my parents? And then it hits me. "Tell my parents."

For the first time she's able to laugh about this. "Yeah, okay."

"I mean it. Ava, if I had something that I couldn't tell my parents, I would probably talk to Aunt Mia or Aunt Kate first."

"Thanks for the thought, but your parents would probably kill me too."

"They wouldn't and you know it. My Mom would be a very good listener and my Dad, well Dad would probably be relieved that I'm not the one that is pregnant. Please, just think about it."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

"This was a good idea, Baby" I say to Ana as I wrap an arm around her and kiss her cheek.

"Yes it was" Ana says and smiles at me. "The kids are having a great time. I just wish Elizabeth was with us." My niece didn't want to come to the zoo with us, and she didn't want any of us to stay with her. She is at our house with Gail and Taylor.

We've been walking around the zoo with our security detail and two strollers. The babies are in one stroller and Natalie and Sophia are in the other. Christopher has been walking and holding Ana's hand. I've been pushing the babies' stroller and Phoebe has been pushing the other. Trevor is also here with us.

We stop at the family restroom so that the kids can use the bathroom and we can change the babies' diapers. Some parents change their kids on a bench but Ana and I have agreed that we would never do that. Our kids deserve privacy no matter how little they are. We have to wait a bit for a few families that are ahead of us, and just as it is our turn my phone rings. I take the call while Markson checks the restroom.

Ana must see the concern on my face as I listen to Taylor. "Is everything alright?"

I nod. "Yeah, Taylor could you bring her here? I'll come and meet you at the entrance. Thanks Taylor."

"Elizabeth?" Ana asks me.

"Taylor said she's crying, and she probably has been since we left."

"Poor kid. He's bringing her here?"

"He and Gail are both coming."

Ana helps the kids use the toilet and washes their hands while I change both babies. They are both awake and smiling at me. They are completely oblivious to what is happening with our family right now. That is how it should be. I hate that Mia's kids have to go through this. We can't take them to the zoo every day to keep them happy. Ana and I are going to have to think of other things we can do while they are with us.

While I'm cleaning Monte I feel little arms wrap around my leg. Natalie clings to my leg and whines that she wants to be picked up. It is getting to be her nap time. "Sweet Pea, I need to finish with Monte's diaper and then I'll pick you up." She stops whining but she continues to cling to my leg. I hear Ana talking to Sophia and strapping her into her stroller, and telling Christopher not to push and pull at the stroller. It is locked and he is trying to make it move. I start to get annoyed because he is not listening to her. "Christopher, leave go of the stroller or you will sit in time out." I turn my head and see that he's no longer touching the stroller. But he looks like he could cry. I certainly don't want him to be sad, but these kids need to listen to us. I pick Monte up and kiss his cheek. "Natalie, Baby, I need you to leave go of my leg so that I can put Monte back in the stroller." She releases her arms but grips my pant leg with her little hand. After I strap Monte into his stroller I keep my promise and lift my baby girl into my arms. I ask Christopher if he'd like to push Sophia's stroller and he immediately cheers up.

We meet up with Phoebe and Trevor and settle in a big picnic area with our lunch. Our security detail is close by. Ana and I lay out a big blanket for everyone to sit on and relax. My phone vibrates to let me know that Taylor is here. "I'll be right back" I say to Ana and give her a quick kiss. Jacobs walks with me to the entrance where we meet up with Taylor, Gail and Elizabeth. My niece is walking in between them and looking down at the ground. Taylor explains that he and Gail are staying, so I send them off to enjoy themselves. Elizabeth just stands in her spot and looks at anything but me. Is she afraid of me? "Let's sit down" I say to her gently.

I have her follow me over to a bench. We both sit and she folds her hands in her lap. "I'm glad you changed your mind" I say to her. But she doesn't respond in any way. I slowly shift so that I am sitting closer to her. "I know you're upset Sweetheart. It's okay to be upset. Angry even. I feel those things too." She looks up at me with sad eyes but she doesn't say anything. "Do you know why?" She shakes her head. "Your Mom is my little sister, and I love her very much. Just like you love Sophie, and you'd be upset if something were to happen to her, right?" She looks down again and nods. "I've always looked out for your Mom just like you look out for Sophie. You take great care of her." She nods again and I think I see a slight grin. I think I found a good angle here. "Your Aunt Ana and I might need some help with her while you are staying with us. What do you say? Can we count on you?" She nods again and her grin grows slightly bigger. "That's good. Thank you. I meant what I said, okay? I'm really glad you changed your mind. I think this family needs to stick together and help each other out right now."

"I don't want to do fun things while Mommy and Daddy are sick" she says sadly.

"Well, do you think they would want you to be sad all the time?"

"Probably not"

"Most definitely not" I say to her. "They'd want you to do the things that make you happy. So that's what we're going to do."

"Okay" she says, but she still has a sad tone.

"Okay. Everyone's over at the picnic area eating lunch. Are you ready to join them?"

She nods and we both stand. She lets me take her hand and we walk with Jacobs through the zoo to meet up with our family.