A\N 1: I'm back! In October, I had a family tragedy that took me a while to recover from. After that, I took some time to get better at writing. I'm using a different outline now and a paid online spelling and grammar helper. I'm confident about this chapter, but please let me know what you think.

A\N 2: After watching the new movie, I introduced Shane's mother. She was in the previous story under a different name, and although I reference that in this chapter, I haven't had time to edit the other story yet, I will eventually.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Adult Discussions

Shane people watched while sitting down in a chair at the arrivals and baggage claim area at the Denver airport. She liked to see all the different people coming home from vacations and guessing about where they'd been. For some, it was apparent, like the people wearing sandals and t-shirts she imagined had gone someplace warm, maybe to the Caribbean, she had seen a few children and adults wearing Disney clothes, and she made a good guess that they had come from Orlando.

Still, all the people watching couldn't help reduce the level of anxiety she was feeling. One week ago, she had gotten a call from her mother, the first call in nearly a year. Sharon said she had some free time and wondered if she could come for a visit. Shane knew they had a lot to discuss, so after clearing everything with Oliver, she texted her mom and said she could reach. She'd be staying for ten days. Surely that would be enough time for them to talk about everything that needed to be talked about.

Alex dying giving birth to Hope had devastated them both. When Sharon moved from D.C. to Denver to help with Hope, she and Shane scratched the surface of the pain but never got beyond that. When Hope became more well-adjusted and used to being around different people, Shane could feel her mother backing away. It was hurtful but not that much of a surprise when she announced she would move back to D.C. shortly after Shane and Oliver returned from their honeymoon. Since then, Sharon had called or texted twice a year and sent presents, but she hadn't come back for a visit.

"Go Play," Hope attempting to stand up in her stroller, broke Shane out of her deep thought. Luckily, Oliver had caught Hope before she fell.

"Hope," Oliver looked at the twenty-month-old, "It is far too dangerous for you to play in an airport. There are several different areas in which you could get hurt. When Grandma comes, you can give her a hug and the card you made. For now, please sit in your seat and play with your toys." Oliver placed Hope back into her seat in the double stroller and handed her a hand-quilted busy book. Mrs. Niven's worked very hard making these for you and your sister. How about we try to match some colours together. Can you find the yellow crayon and put it beside the yellow sun?"

"Yellow," Hope correctly found the felt yellow crayon and placed it on the felt piece below the yellow sun, "Pink Daddy," Hope picked up the purple crayon.

"That is a purple crayon Hope," Oliver gentry corrected her, "It goes here with the purple block."

Oliver continued to help Hope with her busy book for a few more minutes until 8-month-old Jessica started to cry. She threw her soother, and it went flying onto the floor.

"She's tired, and she didn't get a good sleep last night." Shane used one of the crutches to retrieve the soother; once it was within reach, she picked it up. Since it fell on its side, she would have used her shirt and some water to clean it, but she knew Oliver didn't like that. Getting a new soother, she used the locked stroller for support as she stood up and took her daughter into her arms.

"Shane!" Oliver looked at her with displeasure and concern, "You are still injured."

"The stroller was right beside me," Shane told him, "If it's anything big, I know to ask you," she smiled at her husband as she attempted to soothe Jessica in her arms. Even though she found Oliver's overprotectiveness a little much at times, she knew it came from a place of love.

Once Shane could get Jessica settled in her arms, her ringtone went off. Looking at her messages, she saw her mother had sent her a text saying she was getting on the tram to baggage claim.

"My mom should be here in a few minutes," Shane tucked her phone away again.

"Yay, Grandma! Yay!" Hope cheered. Oliver lifted her out of the stroller and placed her on his shoulders. He then gave her a sign that said 'Welcome Sharon (Grandma)' on it. Kicking her feet in happy anticipation, Hope waved the sign over her head as much as she could.

Shane spotted her mother and then noticed she saw the sign. She placed a now relatively calm Jessica back in the stroller and used her crutches to walk towards her.

"Hi Mom," Shane smiled warmly, "How was your flight?"

"It was well enough, but I do not want you to injure yourself further by doing unnecessary walking," Sharon told her.

"Thanks," Shane nodded her head, trying not to let her mother's words get to her, "Hope," She looked up at the grinning toddler, "Do you want to give Grandma a hug?"

"Grandma hug," Hope repeated happily as Oliver placed her on the ground.

"Oh my…" Sharon gasped slightly as she looked at how much Hope had grown. She also looked quite a lot like Alex, which she had always found hard to process. "You are a beautiful little girl. "You're so much bigger now than when I saw you the last time." Sharon bent down and hugged Hope.

"Yes, it has been quite a long time," Oliver commented, sharing a look with his mother-in-law, "This is Jessica Hope's younger sister," Oliver lifted Jessica out of her stroller seat, "Jessica, this is Grandma."

"You're gorgeous too, just like your sister," Sharon smiled at the baby.

Jessica returned the smile through her soother. "Ma ba," She reached out for Shane.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I'll hold you at home," She felt horrible that with her knee still in recovery, she couldn't pick up her kids, "I think now we should probably help Grandma find her bags." She pointed over to where the bags from Sharon's flight were starting to come onto the conveyor belt

"Hope help!" Hope ran over to the crowded area, with Oliver quickly following her.

Later, at Shane and Oliver's house, after Oliver had put the girls down for a nap, the three adults sat in the living room, an awkward tension surrounding them. Shane and Sharon occasionally looked at each other, unsure of what to say or do; finally, Sharon spoke after a few minutes of silence.

"I guess I should explain why I left Denver," She talked slowly.

"Yes, that would be nice," Shane responded, her voice laced with anger and hurt.

"I didn't want to leave you," Sharon clarified to her daughter, "I need you to understand that. It just became too hard. Every time I looked at Hope, I saw your sister, and it was like she died all over again. All those emotions would come back. I didn't want you to think…. sometimes I wondered what Alex would be like as a mother." Sharon looked away from her daughter at her last statement and started to cry. She gently wiped them away, determined to keep going. "Hope seemed happy, and you had a great support system. I knew you were going through a lot, and I didn't; want to add my problems to it, so I left. In D.C., after a few months, I joined a support group for parents who lost their children. I've learned and discovered a lot. I'm here because I'm hoping we can work things out."

Shane took a few minutes to process everything she had been told. "I appreciate you saying that, Mom. I know it was hard." taking Oliver's hand for comport, she spoke. When you left, I was devastated, you hurt me, and I wish we could work things out. Adopting my sister's baby was never how I pictured becoming a mother. After everything that happened with Alex those first few months, I lived in a fog, almost as if everything was a dream. I attempted to recover quickly, but I just wasn't ready. I still grieve for Alex. I learned in my support group that I need to lean on my friends and family for help. It's okay to need help. I think we should be relying on each other for support. It's hard, though; we're both," Shane tried to laugh but ended up crying. Oliver turned his body slightly to console her. Just then, a voice called out from upstairs.

"Daddy! Mommy! Hope up!" Hope yelled from her bedroom, "Mommy! Daddy!"

Oliver glanced down at his watch and sighed, "Unfortunately, I think an hour nap is all she'll have anymore. I do apologize, my dear, but I should get her before she wakes up her sister," Oliver rubbed Shane's back before moving to stand up.

"No, no, I'll go and get her," Sharon stood up, waiting for permission. She smiled when Oliver gratefully nodded his head. Sharon walked upstairs and returned with a very awake Hope, clutching Baby Shark a few seconds later. Sharon put Hope on the floor, and Hope ran around the room.

"Hope play, play," Hope pointed in the general direction of her and Jessica's playroom.

"I think Mommy has something even more exciting," Shane told her as she got an alert on her phone from their security cameras outside the front door. "Guess what is getting delivered? Your new playset.

Hope and Jessica's play area in the office was already taking up more and more space in the room. So, looking ahead to the future, Shane and Oliver had decided to move most of their toys downstairs. They had purchased toy shelves and cabinets and were in the process of having the bins labelled with pictures as well. That way, it would be easier to get Hope to help keep toys organized.

Hope ran ahead of her parents to the front door and peered outside the window. She could see two delivery men finish putting three big boxes on the. Front porch. She smiled as one of them waved at her. She waved back and watched them go back to their truck.

"Daddy, Mommy friend," Hope babbled happily, clapping her hands, "Hope toy."

Oliver looked at his daughter and frowned slightly, "Hope those men are not my or your mothers' friends. They are employed by an inferior company that I don't particularly appreciate. However, I have learned that the USPS is becoming quite overrun by its competitors."

Shane chuckled lightly as she saw Hope had long ago lost interest in her father's long explanation, "Hope, what to do think about Daddy getting your new playset up? Maybe we can text Grandpa and get his expertise."

"Grandpa," Hope smiled in agreement.

After some coordination and child watching, the boxes were in the basement and Oliver and Joe were opening the boxes and sorting out all the different pieces. Jessica was playing with Sharon quite nicely, but Hope wanted to explore. She stood up and walked over to a now-empty box. She studied it for a few seconds and then climbed in.

"Oh no," Shane laughed as she saw that Hope quite ungracefully had half fallen and half climbed in the box. "I don't know where Hope is? Is she invisible?"

From inside the box, Hope giggled and put her hands over her eyes, "Oh no!"

Joe stood up and pretended to look for Hope around the room. Finally, he walked to the box and said, "I wonder if Hope's hiding here."

"Boo!" Hope removed her hands and laughed.

"Oh, there you are," Joe lifted her, "We'll turn the boxes into fun toys later. Maybe a submarine for you and Baby Shark."

"Baby Shark," Hope repeated. Joe placed her back beside her sister, who was trying to copy her sister and hid as well. She was attempting to get her purple blanket over her head. Her attempts made her a bit frustrated, but the adults laughed at how cute she was.

"Jessica, do you love your sister?" Do you want to be just like Hope?" Sharon asked, "I hope Mommy and Daddy are ready for that."

"As much as we love Hope, we are hoping Jessica's remains as calm as she is now. However, I am afraid Hope's influence may be too strong," Oliver responded.

"It's natural for the younger sibling to copy older ones. It'll be interesting to see how Hope responds, considering they are rather close in age," Sharon replied.

Just as Jessica had managed to get her blanket over her head, Hope took it off and threw the blanket away with a mischievous smile.

"Not so well right now," Shane responded with a sigh as Jessica started to cry,

"Hope," Oliver walked over to the toddler and helped her to her feet, "You do not throw your sister's things. Go and get your sister's blanket."

"No."

"Hope Alexandra O'Toole," Oliver increased the level of his voice as he got sterner, "Do as your told. Go and get your sister's blanket, or you will have a time-out."

Hope threw herself on the ground and started having a temper tantrum. These were happening more and more regularly. Her screaming only made Jessica more upset. Sharon continued to comfort Jessica as Oliver took Hope away. Hope and Oliver returned downstairs fifteen minutes later. Hope picked up her sister's blanket and offered it before playing again.

A few hours later, with the playset only halfway done, both Hope and Jessica started to get restless and cranky. Joe saw this developing, so he suggested taking the girls outside to play in the snow. After getting them changed, Joe took them upstairs to get into their snow gear.

A big blizzard a few days ago plus a week of snowfall meant there was quite a lot of snow outside to play with. Hope climbed through the snow laughing as if she fell in the snow. She made it a little way into the front yard and then plopped herself down and started to lick the snow off her mittens. She smiled back at her Grandfather, who was holding Jessica, who was a little unhappy about being outside.

"Hope, Jessica, how would you like it if Grandpa showed you girls how to make snow angels ?" Joe asked, but the baby screamed as he placed Jessica down on the snow.

"Ssh!" Hope yelled at her sister and then threw snow at her.

"Hope that wasn't very nice," Joe told her as he cleaned the snow off Jessica, "You made your little sister upset."

Hope looked at Jessica and saw her crying. She crawled over and hugged her, "Huggy," She babbled.

Jessica stopped crying in her sister's arms, smiled a little, and then played with her sister in the snow.

Sharon's trip in Denver went by fast, and soon it was her last morning before going back home. She walked downstairs and into the kitchen to see Hope carefully carrying her milk jug with her picture on it to the table. Once she got to the table, she yelled for help. Sharon saw both her daughter and son-in-law busy, so she took the milk jug and placed it on the table for her Granddaughter.

"Good job for helping," Sharon praised her, "Now, remember this is your milk. The other milk makes you sick." She placed Hope in her highchair,

"Hope milk," Hope pointed to the jug, "Jessie milk," She pointed to the cow's milk on the other side of the table. "No Hope."

"Thank you for waiting, Hope," Shane brought Hope some dry cereal and cut-up fruit. She poured some of Hope's milk into her cereal and then sat down beside her.

"We're going to miss Grandma around here, aren't we? Hope. Grandma's going back home today. Maybe we can visit her sometime?"

"I was thinking about what you said when I first got here, how we need to help each other. I don't think we're going to be able to do that when I'm so far away. I want to make up for leaving you and not telling you why. I'm thinking of moving back to Denver, this time for good.

"Mom, there's nothing to make up for. I was hurt, but so were you. However, I would love to have you closer; even if I may not have let you know it in the past, I do very much love you. I try every day to be as good of a mother as you were to Alex and me I. Hope and Jessica deserve to grow up with the same kind of love.

"Oh, Shane," Sharon cried and then pulled her daughter into a hug, "I love you too. You are a fantastic mother. I know Alex is delighted you're raising Hope the way you are; you and Oliver are everything she needs."

Shane smiled, "I think Hope and Jessica need their Grandmother close by, though, so I'm pleased you're moving back."

TBC