Ana's POV

Phoebe and I were able to help Ava calm so that she could go to sleep. She was exhausted after a long day at school, the boutique and then breaking the pregnancy news to Kate and Elliot. She was so distressed from their reaction and it took some time for her to settle down. Phoebe thought a distraction was in order, so she put on one of their favorite chick flicks and we sat together in her bed and watched in silence. About halfway through the movie Ava was asleep.

Christian and the babies are not in our bedroom, so I walk down the stairs and find them in the main room. I stand at the entrance and admire my man. He is seated on the sofa with Maddie cradled in his arms and he is feeding her a bottle. I can hear him talking to her softly but I can't make out what he is saying. I slowly walk in and sit next to him. I cuddle up to him and put my hand on our baby girl, but her eyes stay focused on Christian.

"She likes it when you feed her" I say to him softly. "Look at her looking at you."

"I know. I love this so much Ana. Look at her holding the bottle. Has she been doing that for long?"

I shrug my shoulders. "She just started doing that." She leaves go of the bottle and wraps her tiny hand around Christian's finger. Christian's smile just grows wider. We are silent as we watch her feed and listen to her sweet baby noises.

"How's Ava" he asks me.

"She's asleep. It took some time though, she is very upset."

"My brother couldn't have reacted any worse. But…. watching him tonight, Ana that was me last summer. Elliot could shut Ava out the way I shut out Phoebe."

"And if that happens…..?"

"I meant what I said. We'll be there for her. I don't like that she's pregnant at her age, but I want to be there for her until Elliot can be."

"If it were Phoebe?"

"Don't even go there" he says angrily, and then he remembers that he's holding and feeding Maddie. He glances at her and smiles before he looks at me again. "I can't blame Elliot for acting so harshly because that's his daughter. I get it."

"Are you going to talk to him?" I ask him.

"I think I'll go and see him tomorrow." He lifts Maddie and holds her up to his shoulder to burp her. After a few pats she lets out a very loud burp. We can't help but laugh. "That's a relief, huh Baby Girl." He cradles her again and guides the bottle to her mouth. She holds the bottle as he feeds her and her beautiful eyes are on him again. "This never gets old. I love having babies around."

"Our babies, yes. But what about Ava's?"

He looks at me for a moment and then looks down at Maddie. "We haven't talked to Ava about what she wants to do. If she keeps the baby she's going to need help."

"You don't think Kate and Elliot will help her?" I know things are bad now, but I can't imagine Kate and Elliot turning their backs on Ava and her baby. I shake my head at the thought.

"I don't know, Ana. But it's something to think about. I guess I'm just saying that it would not be something that I'd be opposed to."

I reach over and gently run my fingers along Maddie's head and face. "You don't think we'll be in over our heads?"

"I know we will be. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

We both look over and see Phoebe and Natalie walking into the room. Natalie is in her bare feet. I glance back at Christian and he doesn't look pleased. "What are you doing out of bed?" he asks them.

"Mommy, my belly hurts" Natalie whines. I pull her into my lap and cradle her in my arms.

"One day at school and she's already catching something" Christian says almost angrily.

"Oh Christian, she needs to build an immune system. She'll be fine." I hold Natalie's head to my chest and I notice she feels a little warm. She closes her eyes as I run my fingers through her hair.

"I heard her calling for you so I went and got her" Phoebe explains.

I look around for the monitor that we keep down here. "Oh, I must have forgotten to turn the monitor on. Thank you Phoebe."

"How's Ava?" Christian asks again.

"She's asleep. She stayed asleep even after I turned the movie off. I'm going back up."

"Wait, hold on a moment" Christian says as he stands with Maddie in his arms. She had fallen asleep while drinking the rest of her bottle. He gently bends and places her in her pack 'n play, and then turns to face Phoebe. "Seeing your Uncle Elliot tonight has opened my eyes to….. well, how I've treated you. I've said things and done things and when I look back I hate the person that I was in those moments."

"I'm no saint, Dad. I don't like when you're like that but I've done things that made you angry."

"You have, but I know that I've been out of line. I don't want to be that man anymore. I want to be the man and the father that you can come to even when you know you've done something that would make me angry."

I observe them as I continue to hold Natalie close to me. She's softly whimpering but her eyes are closed.

Phoebe nods and I think she's holding back tears, but then she smiles. "Dad, I don't plan on getting pregnant."

Christian laughs and manages to smile. "That's good to hear, Peanut." Phoebe wraps her arms around him. He holds her and plants kisses in her hair. Now I think I might cry. But I'm able to suppress it. He holds her for a little bit and then releases her.

"Do you want some help getting them upstairs?"

"Mom and I will handle it. Go and get some sleep."

Phoebe says goodnight to both of us and leaves the room. "That was beautiful, Christian" I say to him softly as he sits down next to me again. He shakes it off, but I know he feels better after having that moment with Phoebe. "Elliot's reaction really got to you."

He nods and looks down. "I meant what I said. I don't want to be that way. I don't know how or why you've put up with me."

"Because I love you, and I know that anytime you overreact or lose your temper, it's because you love us. You wouldn't be able to do those things if you didn't."

He shifts so that he is facing us. He then reaches over and gently wraps his fingers around one of Natalie's bare feet. "Her feet are warm."

I bring my chin to her forehead. "Her head felt a little warm when she came down here. It still does."

He reaches over and gently feels her forehead without waking her up. "Should we wake her up and give her some medicine?"

"Hmmm, I'd hate to wake her. If she wakes up while we put her to bed we can give her some."

"I'll take her up" he says before standing and taking her into his arms. He's able to take her from me without waking her up. "I'll be back to help with the babies" he whispers before leaving the room. I stand and walk over to the pack 'n plays to peek in on the twins. They are so sweet looking. I know Ava is young, but I hope that she decides to keep her baby and experience this joy.

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

Teddy's POV

I check my phone for the millionth time today for any trace of an update, but once again I am disappointed. I call the police chief to see if any progress has been made on finding my girl, or that fucker Hagen. The police chief calmly tells me that there haven't been any new developments. Fuck! I have the urge to throw my phone across the room, but I manage to stop myself and keep the phone fisted in my hand. I then drop the phone onto my pocket and go back to the task at hand.

I hear Sarah in the great room, so I pick up the bowls and waters and go to sit with her. She's had a shower and is wearing the pajamas that Reynolds picked up for her. "Did you find everything okay?" I ask her as I place the bowls and waters on the coffee table.

"Yes, thank you."

"You're welcome. Have a seat. We need to redress your knee."

"You don't have to. It's fine."

"Sarah, if we don't keep it clean and dry it will get infected." I start to get angry. I can't help it. I realize that I'm glaring at her, but I stop when I see her reaction. Her eyes grow large and then she looks away from me. "Just… let me do this and then we can eat."

I sit down on the coffee table so that I'm facing her. She silently cooperates with me as I roll her pant leg up and carefully remove the bandage. The bruise is ugly. I catch her glance at it and quickly look away, but she keeps still as I gently clean it and place a new bandage on it. "All done." I fix her pant leg and reach behind me for the bowls. "Is cereal okay?"

"Yeah, it's okay." I give her one of the bowls and I take a seat next to her on the sofa. I switch on the television and find a basketball game. We are silent for a few minutes while we eat our cereal. "Didn't you just eat?"

"I eat a lot. At home we have Mrs Taylor prepares all of our meals. But when she's not around I just eat cereal."

"So you don't cook?" I look over at her as I chew. "It's not a judgment. I'm just asking."

When I finish chewing I shake my head. "No, I don't cook. I can make easy things, but Rebecca has done most of the real cooking. She likes to experiment with recipes."

"Is she any good?"

I smile as I think of my girl. "She's great, but one of her experiments didn't work out so well. We spent a week here together sick as dogs last year with salmonella poisoning."

"Eww, that's awful."

"It was." I can't help the smile that spreads on my face as I think back to last year when Rebecca and I had to take care of each other while we were both sick. "But it wasn't….. because we were here together. Even though we both felt very crappy, we were here together. She was confined to a wheelchair so I was already used to taking care of her. But for the first time, she had to take care of me."

"Why was she in a wheelchair?"

"We were in a car accident in high school. She had a few surgeries, and last summer she had surgery that allowed her to walk again."

"You stuck by her. Most guys would have walked away."

"I'm not most guys" I say as I place my empty bowl on the coffee table. "For me it was a no brainer. I loved Rebecca. I still do. I'm not giving up on her."

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

Christian's POV

I carry Natalie up to her bedroom and gently put her back to bed, but she wakes up and starts to fuss. I sit down and cradle her in my arms again. "You're okay, Sweet Pea." I continue to hold her and brush my fingers through her hair. She still feels warm. "Daddy's going to give you some medicine, okay? That will make your belly stop hurting." I stand with her in my arms and walk over to her changing table. Even though she's out of diapers we still keep this in her bedroom to store things. I use one hand to rummage through to find the medicine and dropper. There are lotions, powder, Q-tips, cotton balls, nail clippers, tweezers, all kinds of things that I have to move out of the way before I find what I need. Natalie is whimpering as I carry her back to the bed and sit. I am able to keep her in my lap as I put the medicine in the dropper. I put it by her mouth and try to get her to take it. "Come on, Sweet Pea. I need you to open your mouth for me." I keep the dropper by her mouth, and when she doesn't open it for me I gently brush it along her lips. "Come on, Baby. Open up for Daddy." I try a few times, and eventually she opens her mouth for me. She swallows the medicine effortlessly and keeps her eyes closed.

I decide to sit on the glider for a few minutes and rock with her in my arms. Looking down at her adorable face, I think back to a few hours ago when I was in the car with Ana complaining about our little girl growing up too fast. Is it too much to ask for her to stay this little for just a while longer? I want her to need me, but I would never wish for her to feel sick like this. I hope I didn't cause this. I gently brush my fingers through her hair again and plant a kiss on her forehead. When I'm satisfied that she's asleep I gently tuck her into bed and make sure she has her teddy bear that Teddy had given her. "Good night, Sweet Pea" I say softly.

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

Teddy's POV

"I'm fine, Dad." Dad calls me every morning to check on me. It is the same conversation every morning. He and Mom want me to come home for a break. I have to keep telling them that I'm fine and that I need to stay here for my studies and for Rebecca. I would love to see my family, but that will need to wait. While I'm talking to him I am sitting on my coffee table and toning with a dumbbell. "I checked with the chief about ten minutes ago, there haven't been any new developments….. yes, they are looking for Hagen….. I promise, I won't do anything stupid. We are organizing another search this weekend…. I know, Dad. I love you too. Please tell Mom I love her, and… you know you don't have to call me so early. You're old and need your rest….. you heard me." He gets so mad when I call him old, but I have to yank his chain. "Bye Dad."

I let out a chuckle as I put the phone down and continue my weight training. I know that Sarah is up but I haven't been paying attention to what she's been doing. She's still in her pajamas and she's in the kitchen.

"Everything alright in there?" I ask her.

"I'm fine."

I switch arms and continue my toning until I smell something good. She's cooking something. "What are you doing in there?"

She walks into the great room with two plates. "You don't have a lot of food here, but I was able to make eggs and toast."

She holds out a plate and I take it. I'm speechless, and a bit embarrassed. I don't have any food here because I haven't had the urge to make anything. "Thanks. I'm…. sorry. I should probably get some groceries in here."

"You have nothing to apologize for. You're letting me stay here. The least I can do is cook."

I taste the eggs and they are actually good. "Mm. These are delicious."

I turn to face her and notice that she is taking smaller bites than me. "You sound surprised."

I shake my head and feel embarrassed again. "I'm sorry, I guess…. I don't know. Forgive me for asking, but how do you know about cooking?"

"Because I'm homeless" she says casually. I feel like such a jerk right now.

I look down at my eggs and shake my head. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to offend you. I've never met anyone that's homeless. I don't know what you've been through. All my life I've had things and people to do things for me. I only had to focus on my studies. I never knew anything different."

"It's okay. You didn't offend me." She continues to eat her eggs and I take another forkful into my mouth.

"So, cooking?"

She slowly finishes chewing and looks down at her plate. After she swallows she answers my question. "Ernie is the morning cook at the Café. He taught me some things about cooking when we didn't have a lot of customers. And he let me help a few times."

I finish my breakfast and place the plate on the coffee table. "How did it happen?" I ask softly.

"How did what happen?"

"How are you homeless?" I know she doesn't want to answer my question, but I need to know. She does the slow chewing thing again and looks down at her plate. I wait for her to answer me, but she doesn't. "How's your knee?"

She waits until she swallows before she answers me. "It feels better than it did yesterday."

I nod and look down at my hands folded in front of me. My elbows are rested on my knees. "You answered that question but what about my other question?" I'm able to keep my voice low and calm. I know I can't get anything out of her if I'm harsh like I was yesterday. I glance at her and she is looking down at her plate, but she's stopped eating. "I've told you some things about me. But I don't know much about you."

"What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with….. where are your parents?"

"They're dead."

"I'm sorry." I look down and run both hands through my hair. "How?"

"Plane crash."

I nod and look away for a moment. "Do you have any other family?"

"I had a brother."

"Had?"

She nods and looks at her eggs. "He's gone." She stirs her eggs around her plate for a bit while we are both silent. "I can't really talk about him."

"Okay." There is more silence, so I switch on the television and start toning again. After a while she takes our plates and disappears into the kitchen. I hear the water running while she washes the dishes. When she is finished she walks back into the room and sits in the lounger that we keep in the corner.

"I appreciate everything you're doing for me" she says softly. "You've been so kind and generous…. you would think the least I could do is answer your questions." I look over at her but I don't say anything. She is knotting her fingers in her lap. Something's got her scared, I can tell. "Please believe me when I say you are better off not knowing."

"Sarah, are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Not at the moment. There are people out there, very dangerous people, if they knew I was alive they would come looking for me and they would kill me. So it's better for me to stay invisible and unattached."

I continue to tone as I think about what she just said. "Is Sarah even your real name?"

"No"

"What is your real name?"

"Teddy…."

"No, you're right. You can't tell me." I stand and pace as I run my hand through my hair."

"I should go."

"No. No, I don't want you to go. There is no reason you should be out there fending for yourself when I have the means to help you."

"But I can't even be honest with you."

"Who else knows about this?"

"No one. You are the only one I've told."

I nod and look down. "Nobody is looking for you right now?"

She shakes her head. "They think I'm dead."

I nod again. "Fine. I'm not going to ask you to tell me something that is going to put us in danger. And I'm not going to go looking for trouble. My focus is on finding Rebecca and getting through my Sophomore year. You should stay. Stay here, and work at the Café as long as you need to. I meant what I said, I don't expect anything in return." With that I leave the room to get ready for class.

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

Christian's POV

I arrive at Grey Construction and am welcomed into Elliot's office. He is sitting at his desk busy with something on his computer. "Little Bro" he greets me without taking his eyes off of his screen.

"I hope you are not spending your work day looking at porn" I say to him jokingly.

He looks away from his screen for the first time since I've walked in. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

I can't help but chuckle. "El, the way your eyes were glued to the screen…."

"Yeah, I have a lot of work to do. I don't know if you've heard but my company had just signed a deal with a major firm that is entrusting us with a huge building project that has to start next week."

"Yes, I am aware. I'm very happy for you." I stand for a while with my hands in my pockets as I watch him work. "I was hoping you could spare a few minutes for your little brother."

"It's not a good time."

"You need to make the time, Elliot." I sound more stern now, hoping it gets his attention. It does.

"What?"

"We need to talk about Ava."

"I don't want to talk about Ava right now."

"You can't put this off, Elliot. Your daughter is pregnant, and your reaction to the news…"

"Don't give me this bullshit, Christian" he interrupts me. "How would you feel if your teenage daughter told you she was pregnant?"

"I'm not here to judge you. And I'm not here to talk about Phoebe. I'm here to talk about Ava."

He takes a breath and calms himself. "How is she?"

"Not good. She's disappointed you. She dreaded telling you, and she still needs to tell Nathan."

"Nathan…" he says as he puts his hand on his forehead and shakes his head. "He got her into this fucking mess."

"I know you want to blame Nathan, but Ava had a hand in this too. You know that. I'm not happy about this either, but these kids need our support. They need your support."

"I can't condone this, Christian. I do not want my baby to have baby. She's too young."

I shrug my shoulders. "So, that's it? You're not going to be there for her?"

"I have work to do." He dismisses me. I nod and walk out without saying a word. There are a lot of things that I'd like to say to him right now, but I'm trying to keep the promise that I made last night. I need to be a better man, and not the raging monster that loses his temper and shouts at his family.

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

Kate's POV

I find Ava in Phoebe's room. She's getting ready to go and work at the boutique for a few hours. I gently knock on the open door and smile at her when she turns and looks at me.

"Mom" she says and stays in her spot in front of the mirror. I walk into the room and put my arms around her. She hugs me back. I want to cry but I'm able to suppress it.

"Let's sit down." I take her hands and we sit down on the bed together.

"Mom, I'm sorry."

"I know. I know you didn't mean for this to happen."

She shakes her head. "I didn't. Nathan and I were careful."

"I thought you were on the pill" I say to her, but I regret it right away. I sound like I'm accusing her.

"I was. But my prescription was up, and I thought I would just refill it when Nathan got back. We used condoms."

"Your Aunt Ana told me you've seen a doctor."

She nods. "Yeah, she went with me."

"I understand why you told your Aunt and Uncle first. And I'm grateful to them for supporting you. I hope you let me be there for you too."

She looks surprised, and I can see a tear in her eye. "Really?"

I nod and I have to suppress the tears. "Yes, Baby. Come here." I wrap my arms around her again and hold her for a while. I feel her body relax as I hold her. When I let her go she has tears rolling down her cheek. I gently wipe them away with my thumb.

"What about Dad?"

"He needs some time. But he'll get there. We just need to be patient."

"He is so angry."

"You're his little girl" I explain to her with a smile. "It's been very difficult for him to face the fact that you are growing up and you are in a serious relationship that involves making out and having sex."

"I know I let him down."

I nod and run my hand through her hair. "We'll get through this, Ava."

"He said you've been saving for college so that I could go anywhere I want. I ruined that."

I continue to brush my fingers through her hair. "Have you thought about what you want to do?"

She shakes her head. "No. No I haven't. I've been so busy trying to keep this a secret. And now that people know….. I still need to tell Nathan."

"When will he be home?"

"Tonight" she says and looks down. "His parents are picking him up from the airport and taking him to dinner."

"Have you made plans to see him?"

She nods. "Yeah, I'm meeting him for breakfast tomorrow before school."

"You're going to tell him then?"

She nods and giggles, but I know it is a nervous giggle. "I'll have to. He's going to notice my bump. I can hide it under clothes, but he's going to want to make out and stuff."

I hold both of her hands again and squeeze. "Aside from having to tell him about the pregnancy, are you excited to see him?"

"I have butterflies" she says with a teary smile. "I've missed him so much. But I'm also really scared. I have no idea how he is going to react to this. Not only am I pregnant but I'm pretty far along now."

"You're young" I say to her as I rub my hand through her hair again. "You both are. This will be a true test to your relationship. But no matter what happens, I'm here, and so are your Aunt and Uncle. And if Nathan wants to be, he will too."

She nods and another tear rolls down her cheek. "Yeah."

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

Christian's POV

I'm at Grey House going through some reports, but my mind keeps drifting to my family. So much is happening right now, enough to make my head spin. My son's girlfriend is missing. Mia is in a coma. Ethan is in home care at my house. Ana and I and the staff are looking after their kids. Ava is pregnant and also staying at my house. I don't think our family ever catches a break.

I take a break from the reports and pick up a framed photo that I keep on my desk. It is the photo we took on Christmas after Ana came out of her coma. The babies have changed so much since that photo was taken. I look at Natalie and smile as I remember the exchange I had with her this morning. I was worried about sending her to school because she had a fever last night, but she insisted she was okay. As usual she picked out her own clothes and shoes and let me help her get ready. Her tights didn't match her outfit, but I've learned not to argue about her choice in clothes.

My phone rings loudly and interrupts my thoughts. "Grey" I answer without looking at the caller ID. I listen for a few minutes. "I'll be right there."

I arrive at the ER in less than six minutes and rush in to find Ana behind one of the curtains. She is sitting on the bed and holding Sophia in her lap.

"Hey, everything's fine" she says to me softly as I walk closer to the bed. "We're just waiting for the doctor."

Sophia reaches her arms in my direction. I take her from Ana and she buries her head into my chest. "What happened?" I softly ask Ana as I pace around the small space.

"She choked on a grape. Penny was able to get her to cough it up, but we brought her here to make sure she is okay." I continue to pace around with Sophia in my arms. This is a first. She's usually more comfortable with Ana. "Taylor was supposed to tell you not to come. We brought her here just as a precaution."

I stop and look at my wife. "He did, but I don't take orders from my staff." Ana nods and looks down. "How long was she choking?"

"I don't know. I think it was under two minutes. Penny acted right away. She knew what she was doing. She pulled her out of her chair and she used the Heimlich until Sophie was able to cough up the grape." I kiss Sophia's head and gently run my hand through her curls. I notice that she is sucking her thumb. I try to gently pull her hand away from her mouth but she fusses, so I just let it go. "I remember learning that stuff when we attended classes before Teddy was born, but that was so long ago, Christian. Maybe we should…. I don't know, look into taking classes again. We have six kids under the age of seven that are depending on us, and I think this was a wakeup call. If Penny and Gail weren't there…."

"I think we should, too" I say softly.

"What?" I think she's surprised.

"It's a good idea, Ana. We should take classes and get certified. In fact, I want the entire staff to become certified or recertified."

Ana smiles at me and runs her hand down my arm. When the doctor joins us I try to give Sophia back to Ana, but she wants me to keep holding her. So I sit on the bed next to Ana with Sophia in my lap while the doctor examines her.

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

Ava's POV

I am so tired, but I have to keep working until closing. I only have thirty minutes left. I can do this. I have to do this, for Aunt Mia. She's done so much for me since moving here. She taught me a lot about fashion and designing clothes, probably more than what I would learn at any college.

College. I have no idea what I'm going to do about school. It really hurt to find out that Mom and Dad have been saving all of my life for my college education, and I ruined it for them. I honestly had no idea. I thought I would have to pay for some of it, and I figured Uncle Christian would help them. I know he's helped them with my tuition so that Phoebe and I could attend the same school. I'm not supposed to know that, but I've heard them mention it.

I stop for a moment and rub my baby bump when I know that no one else is around. "What am I going to do with you?" I ask my bump. I never really gave this any thought. Can I be a mother? I'm so young. It really wouldn't be fair to this baby. But could I give up my child? Nathan's child? Nathan. He's worked so hard to get his basketball scholarship. He's on his way to making basketball his career. This is something he's worked for since he was six years old. It wouldn't be fair to him to tie him down with a baby.

"Gorgeous"

I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear his voice. I look up and our eyes meet. He's here. I immediately feel the butterflies in my belly and the tears in my eyes. "Nathan?"

He rushes to me and wraps his arms around me. I wrap my arms around him tightly. He's holding me up. If he were to let go I would fall and land on my butt. We hold on to each other for a long time before I feel him kissing my cheek and my neck. The tears are still falling but I am now giggling.

"Why the tears pretty girl?" he asks me as he pulls back and wipes them away.

"I missed you so much."

"I missed you too."

He pulls away more and places his hand on my baby bump. Shit!

"Um"

"We have a lot to talk about" he says softly. There is no trace of anger in his voice. But then again, I don't think I expected him to be angry. Upset, yes. But not angry.

"I didn't think I was going to see you until tomorrow."

"I couldn't wait another day to see you. I got through dinner with my parents and rushed right over here."

A customer comes into the boutique and interrupts us. I try to compose myself so that I can finish my shift. Nathan walks around while he's waiting. The customer stays and tries on some dresses before she makes her purchase and leaves. I follow her to the door and lock it since it is time to close.

Nathan stands behind me and wraps his arms around me. It feels so good to be in his arms. I feel like I can breathe. So much is happening right now and I need him. I really need him. I turn around in his arms and cry into his chest. He comforts me and doesn't try to stop me.

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

Christian's POV

Ana and I arrive home from the hospital with Sophia. She fell asleep during the ride so I carry her into the house. All of the kids are in the main room with their toys and they are watching one of their movies. Phoebe, Elizabeth and Leticia are also here. Phoebe greets us and tells us that she, Penny and Leticia took care of the kids' baths. I'm relieved since it is late and the kids need to go to bed soon.

I leave Sophia to sleep on the sofa and find Penny and Gail in the kitchen. Penny seems very uneasy and Gail appears to be comforting her about something. "Everything okay?" I ask as Ana follows me into the kitchen.

"Welcome home Mr Grey" Gail greets me with a smile. "How is Sophie?"

"The doctor checked her out, and she's going to be okay."

"That's good. She gave us quite a scare. Um, what would you like for dinner?"

Ana leaves my side and opens the refrigerator for some wine. She holds it up and I nod with approval. "Whatever you want to make will be fine, Gail. Penny, can I see you in my study?"

I turn and walk toward my study. Before I walk into my study Natalie runs over to me and hugs my leg. I pick her up and give her a hug. I kiss her cheek and put her back down. Penny has caught up to me so I open the door to my study and have her walk in first. She seems very nervous. I don't know why she's nervous. I'm the one that should be. I'm not very good at expressing this level of gratitude to my staff.

I have her sit on one of the sofas that face my desk, while I stand and lean against the desk. She is knotting her fingers in her lap and looking at everything but me. "Miss Jones?"

"Mr Grey" she stutters and then clears her throat. "Before you say anything, I just really want to say what an honor it's been working for your family. I know that I came into this with very little experience….. okay, no experience. You took a big chance with hiring me. I know it's because of Aunt Gail, and I know how lucky I am. I guess my luck has run out and I'm sorry."

I give her a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you brought me in here to fire me, and I get it. What happened to Sophie, I know I'm responsible…."

"Stop." She's starting to get upset so I need her to stop talking. I'm not very good at dealing with other people's emotions. I wasn't expecting this when I asked to speak with her. "You think I want to fire you?" She only responds by nodding. "Do you want to keep working for me?" She nods again but then looks up at me. This time she gives me the confused look. "Miss Jones, I have no intention of firing you. You saved my niece and I'm grateful. My wife told me that you acted with no hesitation when Sophie started to choke. How did you know what to do?"

"Um, I babysat in high school, and the families I sat for required CPR and rescue certifications. So I took all of the classes and got certified."

"We're very fortunate that you did."

"But Sir, I have to tell you it was my fault she choked. I probably didn't cut the grapes small enough."

"I think you are being too hard on yourself. You did cut the grapes, right?"

"Yes, each one."

"We are not blaming you for this. I think we just need to keep an eye on Sophie while she eats." She nods and looks down. "My wife and I would like to give you a raise. That's why I asked you in here. And to thank you for saving our niece. You and your Aunt have taken on more responsibilities since our nieces and nephew started staying with us, and you never once complained or asked for more compensation. So I want you to accept this, and I want you to keep working for us."

"I don't know what to say."

I manage to smile. "Say yes, and go home and get some rest. I will see you in the morning."

I start to walk toward the door to my study and she follows. "Thank you" she says. I hold the door open for her and follow her out. Natalie runs over to me again and I pick her up. "I love you Daddy" she says and kisses my cheek.

"I love you too Sweet Pea. Did you have a good day?"

"Uh huh. Daddy, can I make you some tea?"

"Tea? Not coffee?"

"No. Coffee is for the day time and tea is for night time."

"You are absolutely right. Tea would be great." I put her down and pat her bottom as she runs in the direction of her tea set. Ana tells me that dinner isn't ready yet, so I sit in the main room with the kids. Phoebe and Elizabeth have already showered and Phoebe is brushing her cousin's hair. Christopher is building something with Legos, so I sit on the floor with him and help. Natalie rushes over to me with a pink plastic tea cup and saucer.

"Careful Daddy, it's hot."

I pretend to blow and sip the tea as she watches. "Mm, this is very good Sweet Pea. What's in it?"

"Um, sugar and ketcup."

"Ketchup, in tea?"

She giggles so hard she almost falls over. I love watching her have a good time. Ana comes in and lets me know that dinner is ready. I hand the cup back to Natalie. "All done. Maybe hold the ketchup next time."

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

Ava's POV

I feel better after having a good cry. There is just so much going on right now. I've been holding it together, but with Nathan I feel like I can just let it all go. He held me and allowed me to cry until I was able to calm.

Right now we are sitting on a blanket on the floor at the boutique. He offered to take me back to his place, but I didn't think it was a good idea. His bedroom is over the garage and separate from his parents, but I'm afraid of running into them. His mother knew that I was pregnant and told him.

"I can't believe your mother told you" I say softly.

"She thought I knew."

"I didn't want to tell you over the phone, or skype. This is something you should have found out in person."

"Did you know that my mother knew?"

I shake my head. "No. She's been here a few times. She's a doctor, so I guess she could tell. How come you're not angry?"

He is sitting behind me with his arms wrapped around me, and I am leaning against him. He plants a few kisses in my hair. "I was." We are both silent for a moment. "I had some time to think about it before I got to see you."

"When did she tell you?"

"I was still in Florida."

"I'm so sorry Nathan. About all of this…."

"Please… don't apologize. Ava, I can't be mad at you for getting pregnant. I was mad that you didn't tell me. But my mother gave me some pretty good advice."

"What did she say?"

"She told me to put myself in your shoes and think about what you've been going through. You are the one that is pregnant and your boyfriend was on the other side of the continent for four months. And to add to that, your family is going through hell right now."

"My father is very angry."

"I should stay clear of him for a while."

"What about your Dad?" I ask him. He doesn't answer me right away. "Nathan?"

"Hm?"

"Your father. What did he say about the pregnancy?" I feel him plant kisses in my hair again. "Please tell me."

"You should probably stay clear of him for a while too."

"He blames me."

"He thinks you did this on purpose."

I sit up and turn to face him. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Ava. He was being a real dick about this at dinner. I couldn't wait to get out of there."

"What did he say?" He looks regretful, but he doesn't answer me. "Tell me" I say sternly.

"Okay, calm down" he says calmly and takes one of my hands into his. The contact provides a little comfort. "He thinks you did this on purpose to trap me."

"Trap you?"

"Look, you know my father. He's been pushing me all of my life to work hard at basketball. There was never a meal that didn't include the mention of basketball, or statistics, or scholarships. 'Nathan, go out back and do a hundred free throws', or 'Nathan, you looked sluggish out there today, go and do some sprints'. 'Nathan, don't forget the scouts from three of the best schools are in the crowd today'. He's going to be on the defensive anytime he sees anything that could get in the way of his dream."

"His dream?"

"It's always been his dream for his son to play in the NBA."

"I thought that was your dream."

"That has always been something that I wanted. And I still do. But I won't die if I don't make it. I will work hard and go as far as I can, but if it doesn't work out I'm going to need a backup plan."

I'm impressed. "I've never heard you talk like this. It's so….. mature."

He shrugs. "Ava, we're seniors. After high school we won't have the luxury of being stupid teenagers hiding behind our parents. We'll be out there in the real world making real decisions, and that really scares me. But I'll be less scared if we stick together and get each other through the real world and the tough decisions."

"I'm really scared, Nathan."

"I know. We'll get through it. I'm home now and everything's going to be okay."