Wolves of the Pacific

by greenpeach20

In 1902, Renesmee Cullen grew tired of the tedious life of moving around with her family and decided to make the journey west as a mail order bride. Yet a chance encounter with a reddish brown wolf would change her life forever.

176. Chapter 176

Chapter 176

When noon rolled around, Jaedynn and Roshad drove back to the school together to pick up Kamron. They as well as all the other parents waited outside the front entrance for the children to come outside. The teachers soon walked out with their classes and the kids were told they could go to their parents. Each child was holding something but it seemed to differ based on who's class that child was in. Kamron was holding a big piece of paper but he didn't end up coming to Jaedynn and Roshad right away. He was playing with two other boys that had been in his class until their parents called for them to come to the car. Kamron finally ran over to Jaedynn and Roshad presenting the piece of paper he was holding.

"Baba! Maman! Look what I made!" Kamron said and offered the little paper that Jaedynn accepted and Roshad picked Kamron up. It was a little drawing that had Kamron's name on it both in the Roman alphabet and Farsi by which there was a little note from the teacher that said 'Very impressive!'. Kamron's handwriting was extremely messy, especially his name in Farsi which was also smudged from writing it using his right hand. The pictures were little stick people and it looked like it was a drawing of her, Roshad, Kamron and all his little brothers and sisters. She knew right away which stick figure was supposed to be her because it was a stick figure that had a big circle around the body meant to indicate her pregnant belly.

"This is precious, Kamron," Jaedynn smiled and rubbed her thump over his cheek then showed it to Roshad. "He made a family photo of us all."

"We'll have to find a place to hang it," Roshad said and kissed Kamron's head. "So how was your first day? What did you do?"

"Miss Campbell told us all to say our names and then we sang songs and went outside to play and when we came back inside we made drawings and then we played some more," Kamron said.

"Sounds like you had a busy day," Roshad smiled and helped Kamron get into the back seat of the car so they could drive home. "So Kamron," Roshad said once they were all in the car, "tell maman and I what you learned today."

"Um," Kamron started then said, "Miss Campbell made us sing the alphabet with her and she taught us a song to remember all the fifty states – she said we all need to work on it. No one could remember the last states."

"There's a song for all the US states?" Jaedynn asked. "When I was in school we had to learn it the hard way: boring memorization while looking at a map. And you want to know something else? Alaska and Hawaii weren't even states when I was a girl."

"No?" Kamron asked and looked surprised.

"Nope," Jaedynn giggled, "those states didn't join the union until 1959. It was the same thing with the presidents: we had to learn all the US presidents through tedious memorization. Although, grandpa and Uncle Carlisle put together a little puppet show for us kids to help us remember the Kings and Queens of England."

"I sense a degree of bias," Roshad said with a light chuckle.

"You want to know the worst part?" Jaedynn said.

"What's the worst part?" Roshad asked.

"I can still remember all the Kings and Queens of England but if you were to ask me to name every US President right off the top of my head, I probably couldn't," Jaedynn said with an embarrassed smile.

"In your defense, the English Monarchy is a shorter list to remember," Roshad said. "Imagine trying to remember every Shah of Persia."

"Just the thought makes me shiver," Jaedynn giggled and looked over her shoulder at Kamron. "Did you make any friends?"

"Yeah!"

"What were their names?" Jaedynn asked.

"Sonny and Danny," Kamron said. "They saw me writing my name and asked why I'm scribbling."

"They didn't realize it was Farsi?" Jaedynn asked with a smile and Kamron shook his head.

"Miss Campbell saw it and told them it was Arabic," Kamron said.

"You told her that's wrong I hope," Roshad said.

"I told her, 'No Miss Campbell! It's Farsi!' and she said, 'What is Farsi?' and I said, 'My baba says it's Persian' and she said, 'Oh! So your baba is from Iran?' and I said, 'Yes!'"

"Very good," Roshad smiled while keeping his eyes on the road.

About that time, Nadja flew into Washington from London and Levi took the day off work to make sure he was there to pick her up from the airport. Levi waited near baggage claim and stared at all the people passing by hoping to see Nadja. When she reached the baggage claim area, she saw him and waived at him. Levi waived back and waited for her to grab all her luggage that she put on a trolley so she could carry it all. With all her things on the trolley, Nadja ran over to Levi and the two of them shared a big hug.

"I missed you so much," Levi said to Nadja.

"I missed you too," she said and lifted her head so they could give each other a kiss. They stayed that way for several seconds until Levi finally put Nadja back on her feet so they were looking at one another but he continued to hold her in his arms.

"How was your flight?" Levi asked.

"Long and exhausting," Nadja said, "It's good to finally be back on the ground."

"I bet," Levi said and released her so he could take the bars of the trolley. "Come on. I've got my car parked a way's away but I can bring the car around while you wait at the entrance."

"You brought a car with enough room for my luggage?"

"I'm burrowing Anatoli's truck," Levi said, "so we'd better get everything back to the apartment so I can drop off Anatoli's truck."

They walked out of the airport and at the entrance and then Levi told Nadja to wait with the trolley while he ran into the parking lot to find Anatoli's truck. It took a while to find the truck but once he had, Levi brought it around to the entrance and then helped Nadja get all her luggage into the back bed of the car. Once in the car, Nadja started dozing off as Levi was driving, so he let her be. Once they made it to the apartment, Levi parked out front and since Nadja was still asleep, he left her alone and got all her suitcases into the apartment setting them in the bedroom.

After that, Levi went down to the truck and they drove to the job site Anatoli was at and dropped off his truck. Only when they needed to switch cars did Levi gently wake Nadja so they could get in his car and drive back to the apartment. When they returned, Levi parked in one of the spaces near his unit and once he turned off the car, he looked at Nadja. She was still out. He hated to wake her, but he reached over and gently squeezed her shoulder until she squinted a little and finally fluttered them open.

"We're home," Levi said. Nadja breathed out and closed her eyes again like she wanted to go back to sleep. "Do I need to carry you in?" Levi asked jokingly and with her eyes still closed, Nadja smiled.

"If you would be so kind," she replied.

Levi chuckled and got out of the car going around to the passenger's side and opened the passenger door. She looked up at him with a light smile and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck as Levi lifted her into his arms. Then Levi kicked the door closed and carried her up the stairs to their second floor unit. With his left hand he put the key into the lock and turned it until the knob turned and opened the door. He pulled the key out of the lock before pushing the door open so they could walk in and then he kicked the door closed.

"Hold on; I'll give you the grand tour," Levi said and started by turning his body with Nadja still in his arms. "As you can see, this is the living room." Nadja took the room in. It was almost all white with the only color coming from the couch which was mustard yellow and across from the couch on the other wall was a small TV and beside that a radio with a record player top. "And then," he continued and carried her further into the apartment to the little galley kitchen, "this is the kitchen."

"It's bigger than mine had been," Nadja smiled. It was barely larger but it definitely had more cabinet space and counter space. There was an island separating the kitchen and the dining area but there was no dining table. There were two stools by the island instead.

"So down this way is the hallway," Levi continued and turned around going for the hallway. He continued until he reached the linen closet door, "this is the linen closet. This is where all the towels are; I've got band aids in there, some folded boxes, unopened dish and hand soap: anything you need." Levi continued onto another door that was open to the bathroom, "this is the bathroom," and then he turned again to the open door that led into the bedroom where there was still only a lone mattress on the floor with two small tables on either side holding a lamp, one holding a clock and the other holding a phone, "this is the bedroom."

"A private bedroom; how fancy," Nadja said with a light smile as she rested her head against Levi's chest. "I see you never bought a bed frame."

"It's not high on my list of priorities," Levi said. "Mom's been chewing me out about it but I keep telling her it's stupid to buy once since I might just be moving back to London."

"True," Nadja said and snuggled her nose against his neck. Levi walked over to the mattress and kneeled down so he could lay Nadja down on the bed. Once he'd released her, he gave Nadja a tender kiss on the lips which she lazily reciprocated.

"I'll let you get some sleep," Levi said and got up from the floor leaving the bedroom so Nadja could sleep off the jetlag.

Nadja didn't wake up until late the following day. When Levi got to bed the day she'd flown in, she was still sleeping like the dead and didn't even flinch or twitch when he kissed her cheek as he got into bed for the night. She was still asleep when he woke up the next morning and started getting ready for work. He left her a note just in case letting her know he was at work and would be home by 5:30. When Nadja did finally wake up, she found Levi's note and tossed it before taking the rest of the morning to unpack and put her things away so she was finally settled. She figured they would be going to see his parents either that night or later in the week so she had an outfit picked out right away for that occasion. She had a few hours of the afternoon left to kill, so she left the apartment with a spare key on the table that Levi had left for her and toured around the neighborhood to get acquainted with the area.

She found the grocery store a few blocks away first, then she found an elementary school and then she came across a movie theatre. When she eventually made it to a nearby park, she took a moment to sit on a bench and relax for a bit. She made it back to the apartment before Levi got off work and he ended up calling her just before leaving the office to let her know he was on his way home. Levi promised they weren't going to his parents' house that day so Nadja ordered Levi a small pizza and it arrived by the time he'd made it home.

"You got me pizza?" Levi asked when he stepped into the apartment and saw the box on the island.

"Yeah," Nadja said. "I promise next time I'll make you an actual dinner. I found a grocery store nearby so I think I'll get the things I need to make meat and potato dumplings."

"That sounds great," Levi said and went to her by the island and gave her a hug. "So how was your day?"

"Productive," Nadja said. "I got everything unpacked and put away and I walked around the neighborhood for a bit. Tomorrow I'll check the newspaper and start looking for work. Maybe there are restaurants in the area that are looking for a waitress. You said there was a theatre near here right?"

"Yeah, it's five miles from where we are," Levi said. "This weekend I'll drive you there so you know where it is. Mom said we can go to their house on Saturday for dinner. My brother and his wife will be there and so will my sister and her husband that way you can meet everyone. I mean, again I guess."

"It's been a while," Nadja agreed and gave Levi a kiss.

She'd meant for it to be a chaste kiss, but Levi pressed his tongue against her lips until she parted them with a moan, granting him entry. He gently guided her back until she was pressed against the island and held her tightly in his arms while Nadja's hands stayed planted on Levi's chest. Levi tilted his head so he could deepen the kiss further and Nadja moaned again as their tongues dueled. His hands trailed down to the hem of her shirt and he slipped his hands under the fabric so he was touching her bare skin. Nadja trembled from the feel of his warm hands against her back and she lifted her arms up so she could wrap them around his neck. Levi continued to trail his hands upward until he'd came around to her chest and started touching her bare breasts. He took his lips away from hers so he could lift her shirt up over her chest and dipped his head down so he could start kissing her breast.

"Levi," Nadja said breathily, "your pizza is getting cold."

"I don't mind cold pizza," Levi said before taking her nipple into his mouth sucking the nub tenderly making Nadja's head fall back in a moan.

Levi brought his hands down so he could lift her legs around his waist while never taking his mouth from her breast. Nadja held onto him as he walked out of the kitchen to the hallway until he made it to their bedroom. He kneeled down beside the mattress taking his mouth away from her chest and laying her down on the bed removing her shirt once she was settled. Nadja released him and brought her arms over her head so he could take off her shirt and started unbuttoning his dress shirt as he tossed her shirt aside and then removed his suit jacket. He didn't wear a tie so once his shirt was unbuttoned, she moved on to his belt and started unbuckling it. Levi unzipped her jeans and pulled them off her along with her panties and socks. While he was taking off her pants, she pulled his belt from its loops and sat up as soon as she was undressed so she could go for the button and zipper of Levi's dress pants.

"So tell me, Levi," Nadja said as she reached her hand into his boxer briefs to take a hold of his erection. She pulled it free and Levi removed the rest of his clothes. Once he'd removed his clothes, Levi got back onto his knees so they were closer together and Nadja took his erection in her hand so she could stroke it. "Are your neighbors offended by loud noises as mine had been?"

"Um," Levi started being both distracted by her hands on his dick and also needing a second to realize what she was talking about, "I don't know. I haven't really made a habit of making noise since moving in." A mischievous smile crossed Nadja's face as she continued to stroke his erection.

"Now's as good a time as any to find out, wouldn't you agree?" Nadja replied right before she placed her mouth over the head and dipped her head all the way down taking him in until he could feel the back of her throat.

"Oh my God," Levi groaned and laced his fingers through her hair and gripped on her hair.

Nadja moaned as best she could and bobbed her head up and down slowly and sensually. When she felt like she couldn't breathe, she lifted his head while she sucked to intensify the pleasure. Once she was back to the head, she swirled her tongue around and brought her right hand back around the shaft stroking his length while her mouth gave the head of his dick special attention. She used her left hand to cup his balls and massage them. She got a rhythm going moving her mouth and hand in time with one another and did that for several seconds. The longer she went, the more the feel of her warm mouth made him throb with need. Listening to her moan and feeling the gentle vibration it produced made it even better. Soon she took her mouth off him but only briefly before releasing her hand's grip on him so she could trail her tongue up and down his shaft at one side. While she did that, she looked up at him batting her eyelashes sensually. Her lashes seemed to go on for miles. Every time he looked at her, he was always dazzled by her beauty.

"Did you miss this, Levi?" she asked after she'd lifted her head back so her lips were right against the head of his erection but she hadn't taken him in yet. "I know I certainly did."

Then she brought her mouth around the head again bobbing her head up and down slowly at first as her hands stroked him then going much faster until Levi felt as though he couldn't remain upright anymore. He tugged on her hair gently but with enough force to pull her away from him. Then he let go of her hair and wrapped his arms around her waist so he could lift her into his arms and carry her further onto the mattress. Just in time, he remembered he needed to grab a condom so he left the bedroom, ran to the bathroom where he was keeping them and returned once he had one.

"Shouldn't those be in our bedroom?" Nadja asked teasingly as she lied back on her elbows with her right knee up and gently swaying from side to side.

"I figured a box of condoms out in the open would be a bit of an eyesore," Levi smiled and tore open the packaging.

Once their protection was in place, Levi returned to the bed crawling on top of her. Nadja wrapped her arms around his neck and the two of them began kissing passionately as Levi guided his erection inside her. She moaned into their kiss as he entered her and Levi could feel her long nails start to dig into his back. When he felt her nails against his skin, he began a swift pace gripping onto the sheets covering the mattress for greater speed and when he did, Nadja nearly screamed with pleasure and started sucking on the skin of his neck though it did little to quiet her cries. After a minute, Levi slowed down his movements so his thrusts were gentler and he kissed her neck up to her ear where he sucked on the lobe twirling his tongue around the little gold stud in her ear.

"Did you miss this, Nadja?" Levi whispered in her ear with a light chuckle and her moan was answer enough. "I know I certainly did."

Nadja's breathy moan combined with a light laugh, but it didn't last long as Levi picked up the pace once again. However he kept that pace moderate at first wanting to tease Nadja just a little. After several minutes of that, Levi sat up so he could grab her by the hips and flip her over onto her stomach. Then he pulled her up so she was on her knees with her face down on the mattress before slipping back inside her. He started slow for just a moment but quickly sped up like he knew she wanted him to. He gripped her hips tightly as he guided her hips back and forth against his. He increased the speed a little at a time until Nadja was nearly screaming his name. Her right hand came around to grab a hold of Levi's forearm while he moved and she repeated his name over and over like a chant as she came closer and closer to her release.

She felt so good and her cries of pleasure bolstered him more and more until he had to slow down to regain his stamina. Nadja whimpered when his thrusts slowed and she started to back her hips against his hoping to encourage him to move again. When he could, Levi started going faster and harder again and this time he didn't slow down until he felt Nadja's inner walls constrict around him like a tight glove and her moans turned to screams she barely contained as she pressed her face into the mattress. In no time, after she achieved orgasm, Levi soon followed. He slowed his pace briefly but soon started to move faster again. He grabbed a hold of her long blonde hair and tugged as he continued to move and Nadja kept moaning with pleasure. Soon, Levi felt a tingle go up his spine and his release quickly followed and his whole body shook. Levi groaned her name and fell to his side taking Nadja with him so they were lying down on the bed. They stayed like that for several seconds just basking in pure bliss until Nadja broke the silence.

"Levi," Nadja said, "Your pizza's still waiting for you."

"I'll get to it," Levi said and pressed a kiss against the back of Nadja's head.

The following day, Nadja looked through the newspaper to see who was hiring and found a few jobs that were available including restaurant and entry level office jobs. Her work resume wasn't much but she knew it would land her a decent part time job at minimum. She was more concerned with going to the local theatre with her headshot and resume listing some of her favorite performances over the years. When Saturday came, Nadja used the early afternoon to go to the local theatre so she could see what plays were available for audition and so she could leave her headshot and resume with them. Sadly, the play they'd be performing was already cast but promised they'd contact her when auditions began for a new play. They also went around the neighborhood dropping off copies of Nadja's resume to any places that were open and get a head start on finding a job, although with any restaurant jobs, they gave an application that needed to be filled out and that she could turn in either the following day or on Monday.

Once they made it back home, Nadja got in the shower so she could wash her hair and then got it in large curlers before blow-drying it. Once it was partially dry, she started putting on her makeup but kept it simple. Levi showered after her and by the time he got out, Nadja was sitting on their mattress with her makeup done and reading while she held a blow-dryer above her head so her hair would dry faster. Levi made sure not to laugh but it was just a little funny watching Nadja hold a blow-dryer above her head in one hand and The Shining by Stephen King in another. When her hair was finally dry, she took out the curlers and her hair was styled in the large beach waves she'd been shooting for and they finally got going about 10 minutes before they were expected to be at his parents' house. By the time they arrived, Anatoli's and Embry's trucks were already parked on the street while Amber's and Kevin's cars were in the driveway. Levi found a spot in front of Anatoli's truck and once they were parked, Nadja checked the mirror to make sure her makeup was in order.

"You look beautiful, Nadja," Levi said and reached over to put his hand behind her neck affectionately.

"It never hurts to check," Nadja said and took Levi's hand so she could give it a gentle kiss. They left the car and walked up to the front door. Levi rang the doorbell but opened the unlocked front door so he and Nadja could step inside. Amber was already approaching the front door and went right to Levi.

"There you are," Amber said and gave Levi a hug. Then she released him so she could give Nadja a hug. "It's so good to finally see you again. You've grown so much since last I saw you."

"It's good to see you again too, Mrs. Black," Nadja said.

"You can just call me Amber," she said and patted Nadja's back then released her. "It's been a while, so let me introduce you to everyone. Over there is Kevin, Levi's father," Kevin was already approaching and took Nadja into a hug.

"It's good to see you again, Nadja. You can just call me Kevin," he said and let go of her.

"Neither of you have changed a bit," Nadja smiled.

"A lot to be said about a good diet and exercise," Kevin joked then shifted so everyone else was visible. "That's Ivory and Anatoli. Theirs was the wedding you'd attended."

"I remember," Nadja smiled and waved at them and they waved back and welcomed her.

"That's Levi's sister Heather and her husband Embry," Kevin said as he pointed them out.

"Hey," Heather and Embry said and Nadja waved at them as well.

"And finally, those two are the twins Tristan and Lilliana," Kevin said and the twins both waved at her.

"You're both turning thirteen this year aren't you?" Nadja asked.

"Yeah, and their Mitzvahs will be in October," Amber said, the pride in her voice unmistakable. "You're invited of course."

"I wouldn't miss it," Nadja smiled. "So how are you two planning to celebrate? Are you going on a trip to France or Germany?"

"Both," Lilliana said. "We're doing a whole tour. We're starting in Paris and finishing up in Rome."

"Oh," Nadja said as she rose her brow and looked at Levi. "All I got for my mitzvah was a Star of David and Shakespeare's complete works."

"All Heather and I got was a trip to one country; little brats," Levi teased.

"You're just jealous," Lilliana answered and stuck out her tongue.

"That's not very ladylike missy," Levi said as he approached and once he was close he ruffled her hair and she smacked at his hands. "So mom, what are you making?"

"Sauerbraten," Amber answered. "It's been in the oven since 4:00 so that's got ten more minutes before its ready."

"Is there anything I can help you with, Amber?" Nadja offered.

"You can help me make the gravy. Heather, can you take over making the spätzle noodles?"

"Sure," Heather said and the three of them went to the kitchen. Ivory followed behind Heather as she waddled to the kitchen both to help where she might be needed but also to make sure Heather didn't fall over.

"Heather looks ready to pop," Levi said.

"She's ready for this whole thing to be over," Embry smiled sympathetically. "Jaedynn and Roshad were supposed to come over but Jaedynn's not feeling good at all. I guess she's been sick all week."

"Is it serious?" Levi asked.

"No, Kyle said everything's normal," Kevin said. "Hopefully she feels better soon. Otherwise it's only one more month before she delivers."

"At least there's that," Levi said.

"Lilli!" Amber called from the kitchen, "can you come to the kitchen please?"

Lilliana left the living room to go help Amber while Levi, Tristan, Anatoli, Embry and Kevin stayed in the living room and talked. They all met at the dining table once dinner was ready and Nadja sat next to Amber and Heather so the two of them could talk to her and get to know her. Nadja spoke with Amber and Heather so naturally and confidently and seemed to warm up to them immediately. They asked Nadja about London, about the plays she'd been in, her old job, Anatoli asked how Mykolas and Maritza were doing, and anything else that came up. After they finished dinner, Nadja helped Amber with the dishes so the two of them could talk more. They all stayed over until it was late having some spiked coffee while Heather had hot chocolate with Lilliana and Tristan. When they were leaving, Amber pulled Levi aside and said to him, "Ich mag sie. Ich mag sie sehr," (I like her. I like her a lot) before giving him a kiss and then saying goodbye to Levi and Nadja.

"What did your mother say?" Nadja asked with a big smile as they were walking to Levi's car.

"She said she likes you," Levi said and wrapped and arm around her waist and gave her a quick kiss. "She likes you a lot."

"Not that you could marry this one?" Nadja joked.

"I'll double check with her, but I'm sure mom agrees I can marry this one," Levi said and kissed her again.

Come Monday, Nadja dove into finding work starting with dropping off her applications to all the restaurants and cafes she'd applied to. Before long, she was offered a job at a little burger place nearby. It was close enough for Nadja to walk which made it loads easier. Levi suggested she buy a car but she refused saying it was silly to buy a car when they weren't sure if they were staying in Seattle or moving back to London. That and she didn't have a license anyway. She'd really never learned to drive which took Levi by surprise.

"You never learned to drive?" Levi asked as he sat on the barstool by the kitchen island while Nadja was finishing making the meat and potato dumplings.

"No, of course not; I lived in the city. There's no need to. I always took public transit or I walked," Nadja said.

"Oh," Levi said, feeling a little silly that never occurred to him. "Do you want me to teach you? I mean, you would still need to go to the DMV and enroll in classes before you can actually get your license but a little practice would help."

"Are you sure that's necessary?"

"It wouldn't hurt," Levi shrugged. "We can do it on a day when we both have a day off, we'll find an empty parking lot and you can practice."

"I'll think about it," Nadja finally said as she focused on making dinner. A few days later after she'd gotten back from the restaurant and Levi was off work, he suggested again that they go out and practice driving. Nadja eventually agreed and Levi drove them to an empty stadium parking lot and parked the car further into the lot where there was plenty of open space.

"Okay," Levi said once they were parked, "Let's start with the basics. Your gear shift is right here and this is what you'll use to put the car in park, reverse, neutral and drive. Neutral is really only intended for when the car's stuck or your battery dies or something and it makes it possible to move the car. Where my foot is here is the accelerator and over here is the breaks. This right here," Levi pointed out a long stick beside the gear, "is the emergency break. This is a break the passenger can use if necessary but it's also good for if you're parked on a hill."

"Okay," Nadja said, "I get it. So do we switch spots and I just drive?"

"Yeah," Levi said and the two of them got out of the car and switched spots. Once they were both back in the car, Nadja took a second to look everything over. She took a moment to adjust the seat so she could sit comfortably and then she turned the key to turn on the car and went straight for the gear shift but it wouldn't move.

"Why isn't it letting me switch gears?"

"Put your foot on the break," Levi said. Nadja did and finally the gear shift allowed her to put the car in drive. "There you go. Now start by taking your foot off the break then slowly step down on the accelerator. Just don't do it to fast or-" the car jolted forward but Nadja got her foot on the breaks stopping the car.

"Or that will happen?"

"Yeah," Levi said, "always step on the accelerator gently or that will happen. Go ahead and try again." Nadja brought her foot back to the accelerator and pressed down gentler this time and the car went forward slowly. Once she felt like she had some control, she pushed down more and the car went a little faster. "Great! Now let's try making a few turns."

"Just turn in circles?"

"Yeah, let's start with large circles and then we'll try smaller circles and sharper turns," Levi said. They stayed in the parking lot for an hour practicing driving in circles and learning how to control the car and different speeds. By the end of it all, Nadja had actually really enjoyed herself. "That wasn't so bad was it?" Levi asked once they'd switched back.

"No, it wasn't," Nadja said. "It was actually a really nice bonding experience."

"I thought so too," Levi smiled and leaned over to give her a kiss. They switched spots again and when Levi got back into the driver's seat, it was like getting into a clown car and he needed to adjust the seat back. Once the seat was adjusted, they left the stadium parking lot and returned home.

Meanwhile, Jaedynn finally started feeling a little better in September, but the ease was short lived as a week into September, she already began to feel the contractions of pre-labor. Ashti could always be relied on to somehow know when Jaedynn was feeling especially sick and she came into hers and Roshad's bedroom early one morning when the contractions started with a cup of the gold milk tea and she used her cold hands to numb away the pain radiating in her back. It was several days of Braxton Hicks. They called Kyle who recommended making sure Jaedynn got plenty of water to help alleviate it until she finally reached proper labor, but that didn't happen until the 18th. By then, she felt the true labor pains she always managed to forget were this bad.

"Kyle will be here in an hour," Ashti said once she returned to Roshad's and Jaedynn's bedroom. Jaedynn was lying down on her side, seemingly the only spot in which she could get even remotely comfortable, while Roshad sat beside her on the bed holding her hand and rubbing her back.

"Thank you, maman," Roshad said. "Are the kids downstairs?"

"Yes, I put Kamron in charge," Ashti said, "But he knows to come get me if there's a problem."

"Madar Jun!" they heard Iman yell from downstairs and Roshad just smiled.

"I see that's going well," Roshad joked.

"I'll be right back," Ashti said and went back downstairs to find out what was going on.

Once Kyle finally arrived, they got the large tub set up so Jaedynn could have a water birth this time around. She preferred it since it was really the only way to make the labor a little easier for her. Roshad was in the tub with her dressed minimally and in clothes he didn't care got dirty and held Jaedynn against his chest to help her be slightly more comfortable. Nathan and Ada María made it into the city shortly after Kyle arrived and Ada María stayed in the bathroom with Jaedynn along with Ashti and Roshad. Nathan took care of distracting the kids downstairs. There were several towels on the floor so Roshad could help Jaedynn out of the water to walk around when it was needed and to replace the water if it was getting too cold. It couldn't be too hot but at least warm enough that it matched her body temperature.

It was several hours of Jaedynn walking around with Roshad's help or sitting in the tub waiting out the contractions and rest periods. It wasn't until 11:30 that night that the contractions were constant and she could finally start pushing. Roshad sat behind her in the tub holding her hand the entire time helping her through the painful contractions. Kyle had his hands under the water ready to catch the baby as soon as it was out and after nearly thirty minutes of pushing, the baby was finally born falling into Kyle's hands. He lifted the baby out of the water and the baby started crying.

"It's a boy," Kyle announced and handed the baby over to Jaedynn resting him on her chest as she smiled. Roshad kept his hands under the baby to help her hold him. He was a precious little baby with paler skin like Jaedynn's, black fuzz on his tiny head and what was unmistakably Roshad's nose. He had chunky little cheeks and he was a heavy little baby. "If I had to guess, I'd say the little guy's ten pounds." Jaedynn was barely listening, more focused on the little baby.

"Maleek Nathan? Just like we talked about?" Jaedynn said and looked over her shoulder at Roshad.

"Maleek Nathan Javadi it is," he smiled and kissed her forehead.

Ashti brought Maleek downstairs as soon as he was cleaned up and Jaedynn and Roshad had held him for a while. She eventually handed Maleek to Nathan and sat in one of the chairs while all the kids crowded around him to see the new baby. All the kids who'd fallen asleep previously for how late it was were now wide awake. Kamron got on the couch to Nathan's right to stare, Iman got on Nathan's left while Navid, Sherry, Leo, Mikie and Don all got on either side practically climbing over Kamron and Iman to see.

"How's Jaedynn feeling?" Nathan asked Ashti as the kids were all crowding around him.

"She is doing better," Ashti answered. "She will need rest of course; Maleek is very big baby."

"Yes, I can see that," Nathan smiled and gently bounced Maleek up and down. Maleek opened his eyes eventually and they were brown just like Jaedynn's. "He has his mother's eyes."

"Does he?" Ashti asked but resisted the urge to open her eyes. She'd opened them to look at Maleek when he'd stopped crying and his eyes were closed and indeed he was a beautiful little boy.

"Kids, can you give me a little breathing room here?" Nathan said to all the kids as they leaned on him.

"Grandpa, can I hold the baby?" Iman asked.

"Me first!" Kamron said.

"First one that gives me some space gets to hold the baby," Nathan said and like that all the kids jumped away from him but ended up falling all over each other on the couch and Ashti sprang to action when Navid, Sherry, Mikie, Don and Leo started crying. "Damn it," Nathan sighed and adjusted Maleek so he was holding him against his chest with one hand and got to work soothing the younger kids.

Ashti got all the kids tucked in for the night once they were calmed down and the family that was over stayed the night. In the morning, Roshad brought Maleek to Jaedynn so she could feed him and then went downstairs to make everyone breakfast. He brought Jaedynn some breakfast in bed and her gold milk tea and even had Kamron carry her breakfast on the little tray to make it special. All the kids were following behind Kamron and Roshad had to make sure they didn't get too eager and bump into him causing the tray to fall, but once Jaedynn had her breakfast and tea, she gave all the kids a kiss and they all had breakfast in bed together including Kyle, Nathan and Ada María.

After another week once Jaedynn had a chance to fully recover, they invited the whole family over to their house for a party. Jaedynn, Ashti and Ada María all took turns throughout the party holding Maleek and letting everyone visit him. Everyone had a great time and even Heather and Embry stayed until 10, but after that Heather had to call it for the evening and they needed to go home. When October finally came, Heather worked one more week before officially taking her maternity leave. Embry still went to work but he made a point to take shorter days if it was at all possible. Amber and Kevin also had to make sure any last minute preparations for the twins' Mitzvah was completed. Invitations were sent out the first week of October and Amber invited everyone at the Synagogue.

The twins' birthday, October the 24th, was on a Monday so they had to wait until Saturday the 29th for the Mitzvah. That Monday, though, they had a small family birthday party of the twins that Heather and Embry had planned to be at, but it figures that was the day Heather started feeling contractions. They reached out to Kyle thinking she was in labor but Heather received the frustrating news that she was not in labor. Rather, she was experiencing Braxton Hicks and it was normal to mistake that for true labor, especially for first time moms.

When it was getting closer and closer to the twins' Mitzvah, Heather was willing for the baby not to come until Sunday at least. Assuming they were just more false labor, she ignored the radiating pain that would come and go and focused on keeping the house orderly to distract herself. Then Friday before the mitzvah, Heather couldn't take the pain anymore. Embry was at work but had promised he'd be back before three that day once they'd finished laying the wood floors down for an office remodel. Heather went to the phone and called Kyle asking him to please come into the city and give her something to manage the pain. He promised to be there within the hour and told Heather to lay in bed and relax. Once he'd arrived an hour later, Kyle let himself into the house and went straight upstairs just as Heather was feeling another wave of horrible pain.

"Uncle Kyle," Heather cried when he entered the room.

"Hold my hand, Heather," Kyle said and took her hand so she could squeeze it through the pain. When it finally passed, Kyle asked, "Heather, when did you start having full blown contractions?"

"About two days ago," Heather said. "I thought it was still false labor."

"Get on your back for me and I'll check how far you're dilated," Kyle said and Heather did as he said. Once she was situated and he had on a glove, Kyle reached in to check and then sprung into action. "You're almost at ten centimeters."

"Wait, what?" Heather asked.

"You're just over 9 centimeters at the moment," Kyle clarified as he removed the glove and then went to the phone to get a hold of Embry.

He got Gaeli who promised she'd call the site and let Embry know he needed to get home. Kyle then called Kevin to let him know and Kevin promised he'd call Amber and they'd both be there as soon as possible. Amber closed shop the moment she heard the news and drove right to Heather's house making it at the same time as Embry. Embry drove the truck into the driveway coming to a screeching halt barely avoiding slamming into the garage door and jumped out of the truck going straight into the house. He was still wearing his knee pads and heavy boots when he got into their bedroom and saw Heather leaning against the headboard of their bed.

"I got here as soon as I could," Embry said as he approached the bed.

"Just in time, Embry. The baby will be here any second now, so get behind her," Kyle instructed. Embry didn't bother trying to remove his boots and got into the bed and sat behind Heather to keep her as comfortable as he possibly could. Amber came into the house and came up the stairs as well going to Heather's side to hold her hand.

"Mama," Heather cried and Amber grabbed a hold of her hand.

"Alles ist in Ordnung, Heather. Mama ist hier," (Everything's alright, Heather. Mama's here) Amber cooed soothingly and accepted a cool cloth from Kyle so she could dab Heather's head. Kyle got on some gloves and checked Heather again.

"You're fully dilated, Heather," Kyle announced, "On the count of three, I want you to start pushing okay? One, two, three," Kyle counted down and on three, Heather started to push. She did it for as long as she could but had to stop when the pain was too much. "Deep breaths, Heather," Kyle encouraged and gave her a second to recover before telling her he'd count down again. On three, she started pushing again but had to stop and squeezed Amber's hand impossibly tight. "Good job, Heather! The baby's crowning. One more good push and the baby will be out." Heather nodded and started pushing again without Kyle having to count down and, finally, the baby was born and fell into Kyle's hands. The room filled with a baby's cry as Heather felt a wave of relief and her head feel back against Embry's shoulder as she panted.

"Heather," Embry said in Heather's ear with a big smile on his face when he saw the baby, "It's a boy." Heather smiled and lifted her head so she could look and saw the little boy. Kyle brought the baby to Heather's chest so she could hold him as he continued to cry.

"William," Heather cooed as she held the baby, "my little Billy."

Kyle helped Embry cut the cord and then took William away to be washed off. The baby calmed a little as he was being washed off but got fussy when Kyle started to take the baby's footprint. Finally he returned William to Heather and Embry so she could try to get William to have his first meal. It took a while, but he eventually latched on. Once William had his fill and finally unlatched from Heather, Amber took him so Kyle could help Heather pass the placenta. Amber went downstairs with William and was sitting on the couch with him when Kevin finally arrived and let himself in the house. When he saw the baby, he smiled and sat beside Amber.

"So who's this?"

"This is our grandson William," Amber smiled and lifted the baby up a little more so Kevin could see. He was asleep swaddled in a little white blanket with chunky little cheeks. He was tan like Embry and had black hair with Embry's nose but he had Heather's eyes, mouth and ears.

"Can I hold him?" Amber nodded and handed William over to Kevin so he could hold him. He bounced William up and down a little and the baby whimpered then opened his eyes showing his big black eyes. "Hey Tater Tot. I'm your grandpa."

"Kevin, don't call him that!" Amber scolded.

"It was inevitable Amber. You knew this was coming," Kevin chuckled and bounced the baby a little more. Embry came downstairs once he'd overheard Kevin. "Hey Embry. How does it feel being a dad?"

"Pretty good," Embry smiled and walked over to the couch.

"How's Heather?"

"She's starting to feel better. She's taking a nap right now," Embry said. He looked down at William and then sat beside Kevin. "So; first grandkid. How does it feel?"

"Feels pretty good," Kevin said. "I'm hoping this is the first of many tater tots to come."

"Oh, fuck you, Kevin," Embry laughed.

Kevin and Amber stayed as long as they possibly could but eventually had to go back home. Heather wanted so badly to go to the Mitzvah but the following day she was still really sore so she and Embry stayed at home with the baby. Embry called Kevin in the morning to let him know but also to wish the twins luck that day. Kevin and Amber had Tristan and Lilliana up early that day so they could get ready. Renesmee and Jacob came in the earliest and Renesmee helped Amber get Lilliana ready while Jacob helped Kevin get Tristan ready.

"Do I have to wear a tie?" Tristan asked while Kevin was helping secure it.

"Yes, Tristan, you have to wear a tie," Kevin said. "The moment we leave the Synagogue, you can take this thing off. I promise."

"I'm holding you to it," Tristan said in a groan. He started biting his lip a little and fidgeting.

"Don't worry, Tristan. You'll do fine," Kevin said and patted Tristan's shoulders. "I can't believe you're 13 already. Where has the time gone?"

"Dad, stop," Tristan said and Kevin laughed under his breath before standing upright.

"Just remember: today is yours and Lilli's day. Pour your heart and soul into that speech you're going to give and have a good time today. When Anatoli and Ivory take you to Europe, have a good time."

"Thanks, dad," Tristan said.

Once they were ready, the family left for the Synagogue and arrived an hour ahead of time so the twins could sit with the Rabi for some last minute encouragement and review if needed. Once it was closer to noon, people started funneling in and family sat in the front four rows or so. Two spots in the front row were left empty so pictures of Levi Sr. and Anna could be placed there and Amber sat beside those pictures with Kevin beside her followed by Levi Jr., Nadja, Anatoli and Ivory who were then followed by Jacob and Renesmee. Family took up nearly half the whole synagogue and seeing all those faces made Lilliana and Tristan a little nervous, but the Rabi helped them relax before he proceeded with the ceremony.

The Rabi gave a speech first welcoming all the attendants then moved on to a sermon about growing up and the responsibilities Tristan and Lilliana were about to embrace with their shift into becoming a man and a woman. It was a weird thing for Anatoli to hear especially. He still remembered when Lilliana would cry and cry until he was holding her or all the times the twins would squeal at him demanding black bread when they'd run out. Tristan was asked by the Rabi to come up first for his Mitzvah speech and when he'd finished, Lilliana took her turn. Taking the Rabbi's advice, she found a spot on the wall in the back so she wouldn't have to stare at the attendants otherwise the nerves might have gotten to her. When the ceremony ended, family stayed at the Synagogue to take pictures while all the other guests went to the venue for the party. When people started arriving, there was already food on each of the tables for people to pick at and beer and wine was available for the parents that wanted it. Boris brought a special present with him for the boys despite Edward previously insisting over and over and over again that he not.

When Lilliana and Tristan finally got to the venue with the rest of the family, they got their table special for Lilliana, Tristan, their siblings, their parents and grandparents. The moment a buffet was made available to the guests, people walked around to talk and dance or they stayed at their tables and enjoyed their lunch. When he could, Boris pulled Anatoli, Lee and Tristan aside and the four of them went to a private room in the banquet hall usually used for brides and he pulled out a zip-lock bag of pickles, a bag of black bread slices, a bottle of vodka and four shot glasses. Anatoli told Tristan he was only allowed the one shot and that was it which was fine. Boris poured some vodka into each shot glass and handed them out with the bread and pickles ready on a paper plate.

"Cheers to you, Tristan," Boris said and lifted his shot glass and everyone followed suit, "Welcome to manhood and to a bright future ahead of you."

"Cheer!" they all said then blew out to one side before taking back the shot of vodka, grabbing a slice of bread to breath in the spices and then took a bite of pickle to finish it all off.

After their little shot, they all returned to the banquet hall so Tristan and Lee could rejoin all the cousins and Tristan's and Lilliana's school friends on the dance floor. Gifts that were brought for the twins were kept on a large table in one corner of the room to be opened later when they all got back home. Their flight left Sunday afternoon, so after the party when most of the guests had left, Tristan, Lilliana and Lee went to Anatoli's and Ivory's house for the night so they could relax before going to the airport. Tristan and Lee shared a room while Lilliana had her own room for the night but Lilliana really wanted to hang out with Lee and the three of them stayed up late in the night playing Monopoly: a game that never failed to test Lee's and Tristan's friendship every time they played. The three of them slept in late while Anatoli made everyone a big breakfast that was ready for them when the three of them finally got out of bed. They narrowly made it to the airport in time to make their flight. Lee and Tristan had their own seats at one side of the plane while Lilliana was sitting in the middle row with Anatoli and Ivory reading through some of the flight and sleeping through the majority of it.

The plane landed in London to refuel and they all stayed in a hotel for the night and were back on a plane the next day to fly to Paris where they would officially start their trip. They took a taxi to the same hotel they'd stayed at all those years ago for Heather's Bot Mitzvah celebration but they'd only be staying for three nights before getting on a train to Germany.

"Let's go to Versailles first," Lilliana said once they'd all made it to the hotel. "Then we need to go to the Catacombs, Notre Dame; Oh! We need to go to the Eiffel Tower! That's a must!"

"Lilli, calm down – we're only here three days," Anatoli said and plopped down his suitcase. "We'll get in as many sites as we can, but tell me what places you want to go for sure."

"I'm open to the Catacombs – that sounds cool," Tristan said.

"Versailles first," Lilliana said.

"No, the Catacombs," Tristan said and then looked at Lee, "Lee, which would you rather do? The Catacombs or Versailles?"

"I'd rather do the Catacombs honestly," Lee said.

"Fine," Lilliana said and crossed her arms while she blushed a little. "We'll go to the Catacombs first, but I want to go to Versailles after that."

"Alright, that's what we'll do then," Anatoli said and looked at Ivory. "If we're going to get as much site seeing in as possible, we'd better start now."

"Sure," Ivory said, "but I want a whole bottle of wine to myself tonight."

"I'll get two: one for you and one we'll share," Anatoli said with a smile. "Lee, Tristan, Lilli, this is going to be the room you three share. Ivory and I will be in the room next door."

"Works for me," Lee said.

They got their luggage put away and then left the hotel to get started with site seeing. They went to the Catacombs together and it was packed even during a week day. The Catacombs were still drafty despite the tourists but Tristan and Lee walked around going ahead of the others taking in all the bones and how they were organized. They were at the Catacombs for over two hours and by the time they left, it was nearing dinner. Lilliana insisted they go to the Eifel Tower before they go to dinner after which they went to a little café nearby. After dinner, Lilliana begged they go to Notre Dame to finish off the day and they took a taxi to the church so they could see it. Each site they visited they bought some souvenirs and by the time they finally returned to the hotel late that evening, Anatoli was carrying several bags of knickknacks most of which were items Lilliana had picked out.

"Tomorrow we're going straight to Versailles after breakfast," Lilliana said once they'd made it back to their room. "We'll make a day of it."

"Lilli, I don't want to be at Versailles the entire freakin' day," Tristan said.

"Tristan, Versailles is the size of a small city – it's going to take a while to see everything. When we go to Germany, we can see anything and everything you want. While we're in Paris, we're seeing what I want."

"You two bicker; I'm taking a shower," Lee said and grabbed his toiletry bag out of his suitcase and walked to the bathroom closing the door behind him. Lilliana looked at her hands bashfully feeling embarrassed. Tristan looked at Lilliana, towards the bathroom and then at Lilliana again.

"What's up with you?" Tristan asked as soon as the shower was on.

"What? It's my Bot Mitzvah too – I get to have a good time," Lilliana said.

"I'm talking about Lee," Tristan said. "You're looking at him all weird."

"No I'm not!" Lilliana said but she just blushed more.

Tristan gave her a weird look but eventually shrugged and said, "Alright. Whatever you say."

Tristan turned on the TV to see what was on, but it was all French television and he couldn't understand anything, so he laid back in one of the beds but he left the TV on for background noise. Lilliana sat on one of the other beds reading and kept her nose in her book when she heard the shower turn off and then later the door open.

"Hey, Lilli," Lee said.

"Yeah?" Lilliana said, never taking her gaze off her book.

"Tristan's out cold so if you want to get in the shower before him, now's your chance," Lee said.

"Thanks, Lee," Lilliana said and finally put her book down but she kept her eyes looking down as she went to her suitcase.

"What are you staring at?" Lee asked.

"Nothing," she said.

She grabbed her toiletry bag from her suitcase and as she turned she saw Lee's feet and then realized he was wearing pajama pants. She wasn't sure what she thought she'd see if she looked at him, but realizing he was just in his pajamas made her feel a little stupid as she rushed to the bathroom to take a shower while Lee stared after her with his brow curved wondering what her problem was. Lee sat on the third bed in the room finishing running a towel through his hair while Tristan was still napping. Lilliana did her best to relax while she was in the shower and finally felt better once she was done and stepped out. However as she grabbed a towel to dry off, she looked at the floor and realized she hadn't brought in any clean clothes. Her whole body was completely red and she just stood there staring at the floor where her clean clothes should have been. She wrapped the towel around herself and slowly opened the bathroom door before poking her head out.

"Tristan?" Lilliana called.

"He's still asleep – you okay?" Lee asked from the other side of the room.

"Can you wake him up please? I'd rather talk to Tristan," Lilliana called out. Eventually, Lee went to the bed Tristan was on and patted his arm until he eventually jolted awake.

"Tristan, Lilli's asking for you," Lee said and walked away to go to his own bed.

"What?!" Tristan said, not getting up from the bed.

"Come here!" Lilliana yelled and Tristan finally got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom door.

"What?" Tristan asked, irritated.

"Can you bring me my suitcase? I forgot to grab my pajamas and fresh underwear," Lilliana said. Tristan just stared at her for a moment completely baffled.

"Seriously? You made Lee wake me up for that?"

"Just get my suitcase!" Lilliana yelled.

"Christ, fine," Tristan grumbled and walked away from the bathroom door and grabbed Lilliana's suitcase. All the while, he was mumbling irritably to himself and when he was in front of the bathroom again, he plopped the suitcase down on the floor.

"Don't drop it like that!" Lilliana yelled but Tristan was always walking away and Lilliana dragged her suitcase into the bathroom so she could pull out some fresh panties and her pajamas.

The next day, they all had breakfast together before taking a taxi to the Palace of Versailles. That had been an all day affair given Lilliana wanted to see as much of the Palace as possible. The gardens were especially beautiful with all the fountains, flowers and statues. They were at Versailles until guests were required to leave and even then, they'd not seen every single thing the Palace had to offer but Lilliana had a wonderful time all the same. The next day they all went to a museum together but did not stay the whole day since they needed to be on a train the following day.

Their last morning in Paris, they had breakfast at the hotel, Anatoli checked them out of the hotel and they made their way to the train station where they would get on a train to West Berlin. It was going to be a 13 hour train ride so the box cars were equipped for overnight use. Anatoli booked them for the largest box car the train had available so they could all be together and they were finally able to board around 11 and departed by noon. By nightfall they were in Germany but it was still West Germany. Tristan stayed away for as much of the ride as possible wanting to see the German countryside but at midnight he couldn't stay awake anymore and he didn't wake up until Anatoli gently squeezed his shoulder.

"Get up, birthday boy," Anatoli said. "We just stopped in Berlin."

Tristan jumped to attention staring out the window, but all he saw was the train station with signs in German with train schedules, a map and some advertisements. Since they'd only be in Berlin three days just as they'd done with Paris, Tristan rushed everyone to get off the train so they could go to the hotel, put their things in a room and start enjoying the city. Tristan took over the whole trip while they were in Berlin. He spoke to their Taxi driver in German who enquired about Tristan's odd accent while they were on their way. When Tristan explained his mother was raised in Munich and he'd been born in the US, the Taxi driver chuckled and proclaimed in English, "That explains your accent. Your proficiency is wonderful."

After they found a hotel and got themselves rooms, Tristan insisted he wanted to go to the Berlin Wall first and foremost. He remembered Levi saying that Amber's old candle shop was on the other side of the wall and they couldn't go which was upsetting, but he wanted to see it anyway. They grabbed some food at a tiny shop nearby before making the walk to the wall asking directions as they went. When they finally made it, the wall was so daunting. It wasn't very tall but it was lined with barbed wire. There was also graffiti on the concrete of the wall ranging from actual art to political statements and even gang art.

"It's so oppressive," Lilliana said after they'd stared at it for a few minutes.

"That's a good word for it," Anatoli said.

"Are there guards on the other side?" Ivory asked. Looking at the wall now, it didn't seem like it would be too hard to climb over.

"There are," Anatoli said. "There were when I climbed over. I had to do it in the dead of night and find a spot that was poorly lit. I don't know if the guards are as strict as they used to be in the sixties."

"I wonder what it looks like on the other side," Tristan said and then started walking along the wall trying to find a spot where he might be able to climb up.

Anatoli chased after him but Tristan managed to find a dumpster near a building he could stand on. He climbed onto the dumpster and got to a spot where he could see over the wall, but there wasn't much to see. At least not from his vantage point. It looked more or less the same but he could spot an East German flag which had the same red, yellow and black but in the center was a Soviet image. Anatoli and Lee climbed onto the dumpster after him and looked over the wall as well.

"It looks how I remember it," Anatoli said off-handedly.

"Does it really?"

"Yeah," Anatoli said, "it doesn't seem like it's changed a bit."

"Tristan, look over there," Lee said and pointed at a building he could see in the distance. It was a grey square building with an East German flag at the ground floor from what Tristan could see but it was an extremely bare bones building. "That looks exactly like what we used to live in back home in Moscow."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Lee said. "I don't remember much of Moscow but I remember those buildings."

"They're extremely utilitarian – function above all else," Anatoli said. "Your father and I used to share a unit on the third floor of a building just like that one. We shared it with your grandma, this guy named Vadim, his wife and all his kids."

"Sounds cramped," Tristan said.

"Oh yeah," Anatoli said, "It is."

"I don't remember who we shared the apartment block with," Lee said, "but I remember there was at least two other kids living there with us. Mom always looked after us during the day."

"Would you remember enough of Moscow to miss it?" Tristan asked.

"No," Lee said, "I remember our apartment block, I remember my favorite grocer shop that sold candies I liked and mom would buy me some once a month if I was good and I remember dad coming home every evening from work giving me a hug."

"Your memories of the Soviet Union are certainly fonder than mine," Anatoli said. "Okay boys, time to get down."

Anatoli directed Lee and Tristan to get off the dumpster and climbed down with them so they could take a walk through the city. They finished their evening by going to a Beer Hall where Tristan and Lee both ordered beer since they were of the legal age by German law. Lilliana avoided getting anything with pork and the waitress was kind enough to point out brisket that Lilliana could have while Tristan got sausage not terribly concerned that it had pork in it. Lilliana rolled her eyes at him.

"Just had your Mitzvah and you're still ordering pork," Lilliana mumbled.

"Hey, when I'm at home I'm good. When I'm on vacation, I will have pig if I want," Tristan said and Lee laughed.

The beer on tap was extremely cheap so Tristan and Lee had two pints. They would have had more if Anatoli hadn't cut them off although he got through four pints easily. Lilliana stuck with water and at the end of dinner, as a way to say Happy Birthday, the waitress brought out a large slice of black forest cake for everyone at the table to share on the house. The waitress spoke English but Tristan insisted he wanted to speak German whenever she came over wanting to keep his skills sharp. She giggled a little at his accent guessing his family was from Munich based on how he spoke and when he confirmed she was right, tried to order another beer to go with the order but Anatoli wouldn't let him.

The next two days were spent going to museums, parks and any other notable spots Tristan wanted to go to and every day was topped off with a visit to a new Beer House where they'd order beer and have dinner. Tristan was really sad when they had to leave and begged they stay a little longer, but they had one last destination on their trip: Rome. This time, they traveled by plane and when they arrived, Ivory treated it like a second honeymoon for herself and for Anatoli. The last time she'd been in Rome was for Kyle's and Evalina's wedding and she'd been a little kid. She barely remembered it and was eager to jog her memory of the city. Lilliana and Ivory determined where they were going and when and made sure they went to the coliseum together as well as the Vatican. There was a wedding in progress when they went so Ivory couldn't show them where Kyle and Evalina had gotten married but there were plenty of other places to go in the Holy City.

One morning while the kids were still in bed, Anatoli and Ivory went to a little café down the road from the hotel so they could have espresso and cookies while they enjoyed some time to themselves. They stayed at that café for over an hour before their coffee and cookies were done and they finally returned back to the hotel so they could pick up the kids and take them site seeing. Back in Washington while the kids were away for their Mitzvah trip, Ahiga was preparing for the Water Glove tournament. He'd been cutting since beginning of August so he'd make weight. By October, Nesia's morning sickness finally passed for the most part and she could keep food down without having to drink the tea Kyle had prescribed. She was barely showing except for a tiny bump that had started to form. Right before the tournament Nesia had another ultrasound appointment. Ahiga got off work early so he could make it to the appointment and he met Nesia at the hospital in the sitting room where they waited. Eventually they were escorted to one of the exam rooms with the ultrasound machine and they waited another twenty minutes before Evalina came in holding a clipboard and smiling at them.

"Good afternoon," Evalina said, "how have you been feeling?"

"Better," Nesia answered. "I'm feeling bloated but I assume that's normal."

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Evalina said and took a seat near the ultrasound machine getting it ready.

Evalina moved aside the gown and blanket so Nesia's belly was exposed and applied the gel before pressing down the wand and moving it around. An image appeared on the screen in black and white. The white mass was much larger and seemed to have more discerning features, but Ahiga still couldn't really tell what he was looking at. Evalina took notes and measurements as she went along but was pointing out noteworthy things in the meantime.

"There's baby's head," Evalina said pointed at the large ball. When they really looked, they could see the baby's nose but it was really hard to tell. "And there's baby's hands," she continued pointed out little nubs. "And there's baby's feet," Evalina continued.

It was a surreal moment for the both of them seeing their baby on the screen but for Ahiga it was especially strange. He'd followed Kyle's advice talking to Nesia's belly, telling the baby stories, talking about his day and anything else that came to mind but he still didn't really 'feel' anything except scared shitless.

"Do you want to know the baby's sex?" Evalina asked.

"I do," Nesia said but then looked at Ahiga, "unless you wanted to wait."

"No, let's find out," Ahiga answered. Maybe knowing if it was a boy or girl would help, Ahiga thought.

"Alright," Evalina said staring at the screen and moving the wand around until she found what she was looking for and smiled. "It's a girl," Evalina said with a bright smile. Nesia smiled too and asked Evalina to move the wand to find the baby's face again and once the baby's head was in view, she smiled more.

"Ahiga, it's a girl," Nesia said while she kept staring at the screen.

"Have you picked a name for her?" Evalina asked.

"Saraya," Nesia answered. She wanted to touch the screen so badly but she resisted the urge. A girl, Ahiga thought to himself. At least now he knew their baby's name.

"She's healthy?" Ahiga finally asked.

"Yes, everything looks normal," Evalina answered. She made a few more measurements on the screen before finally taking the wand away and wiping it off. "One moment; I'll print a picture for you," Evalina said. She wiped the gel off Nesia's belly and then finally printed out another picture. This one was much more detailed than the last one and actually looked at least marginally like a baby rather than a tiny bean.

Evalina congratulated them again before leaving the room so Nesia could get dressed but Nesia stayed in the medical bed while she stared at the picture. Their daughter's features were hard to see and it was too soon to tell who she looked at, but it was still a tender moment for Nesia. For Ahiga, it was a culmination of emotions and he wasn't sure where to even start.

"We've got to tell our moms," Nesia eventually said. "They'll be so happy."

Ahiga hummed and nodded his head but otherwise said nothing. He'd hoped finding out the sex might make this less scary but it hadn't. If anything, he was more scared than ever before. Ahiga and Nesia went to Natalie's and Suerro's house inviting Haseya to come over before finally announcing they were having a girl. Natalie and Haseya were delighted with the news which was to be expected but Ahiga felt like the world was on his shoulders. He didn't admit it, least of all to Nesia. He smiled, said he was happy and engaged with everyone as much as possible but on the inside, he was shaking. It felt so much more real now.

"This weekend," Nesia said to Ahiga once they were back at their house, "let's go shopping for some paint. We can paint the baby's room a pale purple. That would be beautiful don't you think?"

"Yeah, purple would be nice," Ahiga said. "Lilac is what you're thinking of right?"

"I think so," Nesia said thoughtfully. "Or maybe we should go with a really pale yellow. That way when she starts getting older, she has more options with decorating."

"If that's the line of thought, I say let's paint it a pale gray that way it'll go with any color she wants," Ahiga said and Nesia smiled at him.

"That's a really good idea," Nesia said and jumped a little. "This is so exciting, Ahiga! It feels so good to be able to start nesting."

"Nesting?"

"It just means getting the baby's space ready," Nesia said. "We haven't started our baby registry yet so we'll do that over the weekend too. Grandpa will build a crib and changing table for us."

Nesia continued talking while Ahiga sat at the dining table listening to her as best he could but he was mentally miles away. He went to the gym that night and when he arrived, he barely said a word and went straight for the punching bag so he could clear his head. Boss and Freddy left him alone at first, but when an hour passed of him not talking to anyone, Freddy walked over going behind the punching bag and holding it still while Ahiga kept punching it.

"Everything okay?" Freddy asked.

"In theory," Ahiga said. "In practice it's a fucking mess."

"What's a fucking mess?" Freddy asked.

"Me," Ahiga said and landed one more really hard punch on the punching bag before finally giving himself a break. He took several deep breaths and Freddy stood by in silence giving Ahiga a moment. "We found out it's a girl," Ahiga said.

"And are you not happy about that?"

"I'm terrified," Ahiga admitted. "When it was just 'baby' it wasn't…..it didn't feel completely real. I don't know. Knowing….it feels real now."

"So it's not about the baby being a girl, it about knowing either way?"

"Yeah," Ahiga said. "It knowing what my kid's name is that's making this so fucking scary. She's real. She's there. I'm responsible for her."

"Have you talked to Nesia about it?"

"No," Ahiga said, gently shaking his head. "I can't. She's so happy about the baby. The look on her face when we found out it's a girl….the fucking look on her face. She was so happy. What kind of bastard would I be if I took that away from her because I'm a fuck up?"

"You're not a fuck up, Ahiga. Just take a deep breath," Freddy said. "If you want my honest opinion: you're over thinking this. Just because your father abused you doesn't mean you'll be the same. Don't let him color your perception of yourself. Otherwise you're letting him ruin your life. That man can only stop you from moving on with your life if you let him, Ahiga. Remember that."

Ahiga nodded anxiously, "You're right."

"Good," Freddy smiled reassuringly, "now let's get you in the ring so you can train."

Ahiga followed Freddy to the ring and the two spared together both so Ahiga could prepare but also so he could get his mind off things. Maybe Freddy was right, Ahiga thought to himself. Maybe he was over thinking this. When he got home, he was drenched in sweat and Nesia was in bed, Tina sleeping at her feet, working on a lesson plan. When he came into their bedroom she looked up at him with a smile.

"How'd training go tonight?"

"Great," Ahiga said calmly. "Boss and Freddy worked me to the bone – I'm sweating like crazy. I'm going to take a shower then I'll join you in bed okay?"

"Sure," Nesia smiled and returned her attention to her lesson plan. After his shower, Ahiga got dressed in fresh clothes and walked to the bed getting in under the covers pressing a kiss to Nesia's cheek. "What story are you telling Saraya tonight?" Nesia asked.

"What?" Ahiga asked and then glanced down at Nesia's belly. She was sitting upright and the bump wasn't visible under her nightshirt.

"What story are you telling Saraya?" Nesia asked again with a smile.

"Oh," Ahiga and tried to think of something new he could tell the baby but he was blanking at the moment. "Water Glove's coming up real soon," Ahiga finally said to Nesia's belly. He brought his hand to her belly rubbing the area. It felt really hard compared to everything else. "Does it hurt when I touch your belly?"

"Not at all," Nesia reassured while she kept staring at her work. "It feels the same as it would if you were touching my stomach before I was pregnant."

"And it doesn't hurt the baby?"

"No," Nesia said with a smile and finally looked at him. "Saraya's protected under several layers and water. She's safe and snug."

"How is she able to breathe?"

"Babies get oxygen from through the umbilical cord while they're in the womb. They don't start breathing with their lungs until they're born."

"Okay," Ahiga said and gently poked her belly before lifting her nightshirt so he could actually see the bump. He put his hand on the bump and when he did, Nesia covered his hand with her own. They were both quiet and still for a moment while Ahiga stared at Nesia's belly. He remembered that a baby was supposed to kick and when they did the parents would feel it so he was hoping it would happen, but it didn't.

"Ahiga?" Nesia said, taking Ahiga out of his trance forcing him to look at her. "Are you okay? You look sad."

"I'm fine," Ahiga said. "I guess I was just hoping the baby would kick."

"She'll kick – don't worry," Nesia smiled, "and when she does, I'll make sure you feel it." Nesia put down her lesson plan on the nightstand and started getting comfortable. "We'd better get to bed."

Ahiga agreed and got comfortable as Nesia turned off her lamp. Ahiga turned off his own and they said I love you to one another. Ahiga was wide awake for a while just staring at the ceiling but soon his eyes got heavy and he could finally fall asleep. He felt his body go warm and opened his eyes. When he did, he was in the desert. Specifically he was in the slums. He was playing with the other boys and was stopped when one of the thunderbirds grabbed a hold of him to inspect his face. He heard Barka give the order and was dragged to the pedestal. Ahiga fought and cried, he heard his mother scream and the event played as he remembered all too vividly. When they reached the top of the pedestal, Ahiga looked up, tears running down his face with fear, but when he looked up it wasn't Barka he saw: it was him. He was let go and started to fall but when the scream came, it wasn't his. It sounded like a little girl.

Ahiga shot up in bed gasping. He was wide awake and searching around the room to make sure he was home. It was a nightmare. It was just a nightmare, but it left him shaking violently. He realized he was actually crying too. Ahiga looked at Nesia: she was still asleep. Making sure not to wake her, Ahiga got out of bed and dressed in some jogging clothes then left the house to go for a run. He didn't know what time it was but it was dark and freezing outside. It was misting on top of that making it even colder, but Ahiga needed air. He was running mindlessly oblivious to where he was even going but he eventually made it out of the trees and to the shoreline of the beach. He found a spot where he could sit on the rocks and try to relax but the run hadn't helped.

"Ahiga," Ahiga jumped when he heard his name. When he looked around, it was JJ wearing nothing but jeans he'd just pulled on after shifting back to human, "it's 2 in the morning; what are you doing out here?"

Ahiga needed a second to breath but eventually answered, "I had a bad dream. I needed to run; try to get it out of my system."

"Did it help?"

"No," Ahiga answered bluntly. JJ walked over and sat beside Ahiga on the rocks.

"What did you dream about?"

"My dad," Ahiga said. "Wait…..no," Ahiga groaned and rubbed his face, "it was me. I mean, it was the day I was thrown from the pedestal but it wasn't dad. It was me." Ahiga and JJ were both quiet for a moment. Ahiga took a deep breath but it didn't help and he rested his hands in his face. "I can't do this," Ahiga finally said.

"What can't you do? Be a father?" Ahiga nodded as answer. "Yet you can," JJ said but Ahiga shook his head again. "Yes you can Ahiga and you will," JJ said firmly.

"How can I?" Ahiga asked.

"You just do it," JJ said. When Ahiga was still trembling, JJ put his hand on Ahiga's shoulder and squeezed hoping to ease the anxiety. "I get it: it's scary and you don't want to be like your dad. The good news is that's the easy part. You're nothing like Barka. What I'm going to suggest to you is don't dwell on what Barka was to you. Instead, focus on being the father you wish you'd had. If you can do that, you'll do just fine."

"I'm trying so hard to bond with the baby but I can't," Ahiga admitted. "I've told it stories, I've talked to Nesia's belly but I can't."

"Ahiga, just because you aren't bonding yet doesn't make you a bad or incapable father," JJ said. "Although you can start by not calling your baby 'it'. I heard you guys are having a girl, so first step is to call her 'she'." Ahiga didn't say anything. He was staring at the shoreline lost in thought feeling depressed and inadequate.

"Will it ever get easier?"

"Bonding with your child? Of course that'll get easier," JJ said. "Some guys need to hold their kid before they'll bond and sometimes that's just the way it is. If that's the case, just take the pregnancy one day at a time and when you hold your daughter, you'll finally feel something."

"I feel plenty. Feeling isn't the issue. I'm feeling all the wrong things," Ahiga said.

"And when you hold her, you'll feel the right things," JJ said. There was another silence that passed between them before Ahiga finally looked at JJ. JJ didn't look angry. He didn't look happy either.

"When you found out Eun Mi was pregnant, were you happy?"

"I was shocked," JJ said. "Jae Sun came along a lot sooner than we expected; that's for sure. So no, I can't say I was especially 'happy', but she was pregnant so I needed to do what I needed to. There's a lot I regret with our first. I regret that I wasn't there for Eun Mi, I regret that I never got to feel Jae Sun kick, I regret that I had to track my infant son across the world – there's a lot I wish I could change, but all I could do was do the best I could."

"So you didn't bond with Jae Sun right away?"

"I couldn't really," JJ said. "Eun Mi told me she was pregnant, next thing I'm doing is scrambling to get her to the US so my son wouldn't be born in a war zone. That was more important. Bonding had to wait, but when I held Jae Sun for the first time, it was an amazing feeling. I was scared but I loved him more than anyone in the world; even Eun Mi. That's how I feel about all my kids. It'll happen, Ahiga. I promise it will. You're beating yourself up for not being starry eyed over a baby you haven't felt kick or held."

"Everyone else is certainly starry eyed," Ahiga said, berating himself.

"Don't worry about everyone else," JJ said. "Focus on you and Nesia. It's your baby, no one else's. You've got time before the baby's born so just keep doing what you're doing and when you hold her, everything will be okay." JJ patted Ahiga's back and stood up. "Go home, okay? Try to get some sleep and if the nightmares are coming back, sit down with grandpa Edward and he'll help you."

"Okay," Ahiga said and stood up from the rocks.

They said goodnight to one another and Ahiga started walking back to the house but he wasn't sure he felt better. If anything, he felt worse. The idea that he'd spend several more months feeling the way he did before it got better was not a prospect he looked forward to. When he got home and went upstairs, Nesia was still asleep and undisturbed just as he'd left her. He got out of his jogging clothes tossing them on the floor but once he was undressed, he walked around to Nesia's side of the bed. She was lying on her back so Ahiga gently pulled the covers down and slowly lifted Nesia's nightshirt so he could see the bump. Ahiga placed his hand on the bump like it would change how he was feeling but it didn't. He sighed, disgusted with himself, and laid his head down on the edge of the bed.

"Ahiga?" Nesia said and Ahiga forced his eyes open. When he opened his eyes, he realized he was still kneeling by the bed. He'd fallen asleep beside Nesia with his hand remaining on her belly.

"Sorry," Ahiga said and lifted his head so he was looking at her. "I had a nightmare last night. I went for a jog to clear my head."

"Come here," Nesia said tenderly and pulled on his hand guiding him to sit on the side of the bed with her. When he was sitting beside her, she gave him a hug and he hugged her back kissing her neck before resting his head on her shoulder.

"I didn't see my father in the dream this time," Ahiga finally said. "When I was being thrown from the pedestal, I saw myself in my dad's place. When I was falling, it wasn't me screaming."

"Who was it?" Nesia asked.

"I don't know," Ahiga said. "I didn't want to think about it."

"Do you want to talk to grandpa?" Nesia asked. Ahiga wasn't sure at first if he wanted to but after giving it some thought, he decided it would be for the best and nodded.

"I'll go talk to him today," Ahiga said.

Nesia gave Ahiga a reassuring kiss before suggesting they get dressed and make breakfast. After they'd eaten and Ahiga had his coffee, he left so he could go to the Cullen house to speak with Edward. When he arrived, Edward was already waiting for him and the two of them went upstairs to Carlisle's office so they could speak alone. Edward already knew why he was there. He knew about Ahiga's dream, he knew about his conversation with JJ and he knew about feeling Nesia's belly desperate to feel something, so instead of talking about any of that, he got straight to the point.

"I'm trying, Edward," Ahiga said once he was sitting on one of the chairs in the office and Edward was sitting across from him. "I swear I'm trying."

"I know you are," Edward said. "JJ's right, though: you're over thinking it. You're trying to force things along and you need to relax. I think the sheer fact you are putting forth so much effort proves you want to be the best father you can be and that's what matters. It's natural to feel scared or anxious when there's a child on the way. It's especially scary when you grew up with an abusive father, but you have all the tools you need to be better. You've done that in spades already. Saraya will be very fortunate to have you as a father, Ahiga."

"I wish I could say I felt the same way," Ahiga said solemnly.

"All you need to do, Ahiga, is do the best you can," Edward said. "That's all any father can do and if you're doing the best you can and you love your child, then you're doing a good job. Take JJ's advice and call her by her name from now on. Don't say 'the baby' or 'it'; instead say 'Saraya' or 'she'. It'll help."

"Okay," Ahiga nodded awkwardly.

"You're a better man than you give yourself credit for, Ahiga," Edward said. "You'll be a better father than you're giving yourself credit for too. Take it one day at a time, Ahiga. If you have that nightmare again, feel free to come talk to me. Go to the gym today and punch it out of your system too. Freddy and Boss are here for you just as much as the rest of us."

"Okay," Ahiga said again taking a few more deep breaths.

"You can do this, Ahiga," Edward said. "Relax and stop forcing yourself to have emotions that aren't there. Everything you should feel as a father will come naturally in its own time."

Ahiga nodded and said, "Thank you, Edward."

"You're welcome, Ahiga," Edward said. "You're always welcome if you want to talk so never hesitate to stop by."

Edward walked Ahiga out and he went to the gym as Edward recommended. There was a class going on so he had to stay to one side focusing his energy on a punching bag, but it was helping. Leading up to Water Glove, Ahiga was at the gym every night getting ready and he was late getting home. By the time he would be home, Nesia would be in bed working or she'd already be down trying to fall asleep. Then it was finally the Friday before Water Glove. Ahiga got on the scale the night before the fight at the facility and once he met his weight class, Ahiga returned home so he could replenish and eat something.

"Are you sure you'll be okay tomorrow?" Ahiga asked Nesia while they were sitting at the dinner table together.

"Yes, I'm sure," Nesia smiled and rubbed her toes against his ankle under the table. "Salem said he'd come to the match tomorrow so he'll make sure people keep their distance."

"Okay," Ahiga said while he poked at his chicken breast with his fork. "I'll be leaving early in the morning but you guys don't need to be there until 1. That's when my first fight'll be. If I win, my next fight will be around 5. Sunday's the finals."

"You'll do great," Nesia smiled lovingly. She reached over to touch his hand and squeezed. "I feel like this is the first time we've sat down together in days."

"It is," Ahiga said and rolled his hand over so he could take hers. "I'm sorry if I've been distant. I'm just trying to focus."

"I know," Nesia said. "Once you can relax, let's work on painting Saraya's room. We should get that done before we start getting any furniture."

"Okay," Ahiga answered. He glanced down but Nesia's lower half was hidden and he couldn't see her belly. She was wearing a looser dress so even if it were in view, he'd not see it anyway. "Can…..could I touch your stomach?" Ahiga asked.

"Of course you can," Nesia said and scooted her chair closer so Ahiga could reach her stomach. He reached down and touched the area. It was still really small – barely noticeable. Kyle had told them since Nesia was so tall, it would take a while for her to show. It had only been recently that she'd started showing. "You don't have to ask, Ahiga," Nesia said while he was touching her. "If you ever want to touch my belly, you can."

"Sorry," Ahiga said and kept trying to feel for a kick but it wasn't happening.

Ahiga went to bed early that night and was up early the next morning so he could make it to the gym first. Boss, Ahiga and Freddy drove to the arena in Seattle together and got themselves checked in early. All the fighters were given the bracket so they knew who they'd be fighting and from there, Ahiga had to wait until the middle weights were up and it was his turn to fight. Meanwhile, Nesia arrived with Haseya, Salem and JJ who'd invited himself last minute. Once JJ had bought his ticket, they went into the arena and got a seat towards the front once Nesia presented her pass proving she was married to one of the fighters. JJ and Salem stayed close to her making sure no one accidently bumped into her while they went along. The last of the welterweights were fighting by the time they arrived. Next would be the Middleweights and then the first rounds of fights would end with the Heavyweights. There were two rounds of middle weights before it was finally Ahiga's turn to fight.

"Next up in our round of Middleweights, it's Jack Mann versus Ahiga Washington!" the announcer roared over the intercom and the crowd cheered.

While the crowd cheered, Ahiga and his opponent approached the ring with their coaches following behind them. Nesia kept her eyes on Ahiga the whole time but Ahiga kept his eyes forward. When he made it to the ring and got in, Boss and Freddy were right behind him at the ropes.

"This guy's a newbie but don't underestimate him," Boss said. "Remember you were a Newbie once too."

"I've seen this guy practice," Freddy said. "He has a nasty right hook so focus on dodging until you get an opening."

"Got it.," Ahiga said.

Both fighters were directed to come further into the ring by the referee who then gave a brief overview of how many rounds they'd be fighting. They would be fighting five rounds at 1 minute per round with a 30 second break in between. The referee got out of the ring while Ahiga and Jack got into position and when the bell rang, the fight began.

Jack went in right away throwing punches that Ahiga narrowly managed to dodge. He was expecting they'd play chicken for a few seconds feeling each other out, but Jack had other plans. Ahiga ended up spending the majority of the round dodging which wasn't what he wanted to do. The moment he had an opportunity, after a dodge, Ahiga landed an uppercut sending his opponent falling back against the ropes and before Jack could react, the bell rang ending the round. They each went to their corners so they could rest. Boss and Freddy were on the ropes ready to meet Ahiga giving him water and Boss was spinning the towel to fan Ahiga off.

"Good job, but you need to be more aggressive," Boss said. "This guy's not going to let and you don't have enough rounds to tire him out."

"Okay," Ahiga nodded.

Their thirty second break was up in no time starting off round 2. This time, Ahiga and Jack both went on the offensive right away trading punches across each other's faces at the same time but Ahiga's punch hit harder. Now that his opponent was stunned, Ahiga took advantage and threw more punches while all Jack could do was block. He waited for an opening that finally came towards the end and landed a punch across Ahiga's face, but Ahiga landed a punch to his opponent's gut. Just after that punch landed, the bell rang ending the round. They went to their corners and Jack was visibly tired while his coach talked to him.

"That was much better, Ahiga," Freddy said. "If you have to take a hit from him, make sure you hit back like you did right before the bell rang and you'll win for sure."

Ahiga nodded and the two of them went back into the ring and started to fight as soon as the bell rang. Jack was defensive this round and Ahiga could land as many hits as he'd wanted, but he landed enough to earn himself some points. For round 4, Jack remained largely defensive but Ahiga still got some good hits on him. During their rest between rounds 4 and 5, Jack and his coaches seemed to be deep in conversation.

"I'd wager he's going to let up on blocking and will start punching," Boss said, "So be prepared. Block, but hit him harder."

When the bell rang, Ahiga and Jack got back in the center of the ring and as Boss predicted, Jack went all in. He threw a punch the moment they were close to each other but Ahiga blocked the punch tossing it aside and hitting Jack right across the face. That didn't stop the man, though. He kept throwing punches and even landed some good ones on Ahiga. Nesia watched anxiously the whole fight and wasn't sure if Ahiga was winning or not. Finally, the fifth round ended and the two men went to their corners so they could wait for the judges to tally the score. The referee got in the ring once he'd been relayed the results of the fight and directed both fighters to come to the center. He took their wrists in both hands and after a brief pause, the referee lifted Ahiga's arm in the air proclaiming him the winner and the crowd cheered.

Nesia screamed for him and waited for Ahiga to get out of the ring. Boss and Freddy were patting him on the back once he was out of the ring and Nesia ran to Ahiga to hug him. Since Ahiga had won this round, he would be fighting again at five against one of the other finalists. Ahiga had won that fight as well, but just barely. His fight with Jack had taken a lot out of him and after that day of fighting, Ahiga was ready to go back to the hotel and sleep. Once they'd returned to the hotel, Nesia drew him a hot bath so he could relax. Ahiga got in the tub first and Nesia sat on the lip of the tub behind him so she could start rubbing his shoulders.

"You did great today," Nesia praised when she started squeezing his shoulders to ease his sore muscles.

"Today was a close call," Ahiga said. "Mann and Morgan were really good."

"You were better," Nesia said and kissed his neck. Ahiga took Nesia's left foot in his hands under the water and rubbed her foot affectionately and it made her moan.

"Good?" Ahiga asked with a light smile.

"Yes, very," Nesia said. "I can't believe my feet already hurt so much." Ahiga and Nesia continued to massage one another in the tub. Ahiga eventually moved on to Nesia's right foot and by then Nesia was rubbing her hands over Ahiga's back and chest.

"Did everything go alright today?" Ahiga asked. "JJ and Salem made sure no one got near you?"

"Yes; my brothers made efficient meat shields," Nesia smiled and kissed his neck.

"And you're feeling alright? You weren't sick or anything?"

"Not at all," Nesia said. "I've got my tea with me but I haven't needed it as of late. I still can't handle the smell of fish, though."

"It'll pass," Ahiga reassured and squeezed her foot before releasing it.

He was against the bump on Nesia's stomach but there was still no movement. Ahiga sighed a little, saddened that he still couldn't feel the baby moving. When the two of them finally got out of the bath, they dried off and went to bed. Ahiga touched Nesia's belly one more time but there was still nothing. He did his best not to dwell on it, though. In the morning, Ahiga was out of bed first and was about to leave to meet Boss and Freddy downstairs when he heard Nesia groan. He looked at her but she was still asleep. On a whim, he walked back to the bed going to Nesia's side and kneeled beside the bed. He carefully pulled the covers aside and then lifted Nesia's nightshirt so her belly was exposed and placed his hand over her belly.

For a moment, he didn't feel anything and he felt so discouraged. Just when he was about to take his hand away, he felt a tiny poke against his hand. He stared at Nesia's belly and caressed her belly trying to feel another kick.

"Saraya?" Ahiga whispered and a few moments later, there was another kick. It felt like something under Nesia's skin was moving across his and when he felt it again, he actually smiled. "There's my little girl," Ahiga said. Ahiga kept feeling around hoping to feel another kick and he got to feel one more before he realized the time and that he needed to leave. "Daddy has to get going, Saraya," Ahiga whispered to Nesia's belly. "Wish me luck today."

Ahiga finally left the room and met Boss and Freddy downstairs so they could leave for the arena. He walked into the arena feeling better than he had in months. He felt a burst of energy as he waited for his turn to fight. He felt like he could take on the world with ease and when it was finally his turn, he walked out to the ring feeling like a titan. He looked Nesia's way this time as he went to the ring and when she smiled and blew a kiss his way, he waved at her with a confident smile. Once he got into the ring, he was facing with his opponent with his head held high. The referee gave the overview. This fight would be the full thirty rounds and the winner would be the Water Glove middleweight champion earning a belt and a check for $1500. When the bell rang to start the fight, Ahiga went into full attack mode. He dodged hid opponent's hits delivering his own counter blows. Five rounds in and Ahiga had his opponent exhausted already.

"I don't know what's gotten into you," Boss said during one of the breaks, "but keep it the fuck up."

Ahiga just nodded and got back in the ring as soon as their thirty second break was over and kept up what he'd been doing. It wasn't a perfect fight, but it was damn close. At the end of all thirty rounds, Ahiga still felt like he had energy to burn while his opponent was bloodied and tired. The referee directed the two of them to come back to the center of the ring and took their wrists in his hands. After a pause, the referee lifted Ahiga's arm declaring him the winner and the crowd cheered. After letting them go and directing them to leave the ring so the next weight class could fight, Ahiga got out of the ring and noticed his opponent was approached by a tiny little girl.

"Did you lose, daddy?" the little girl asked them man as he kneeled down to her level.

"I'm afraid so, honey bun," his opponent answered sadly.

"It's okay, daddy," the little girl said and gave him a hug, but she quickly recoiled. "Daddy, you're all wet!" the little girl said and his opponent finally smiled.

"It's sweat, honey bun; that's what happens when you work hard," he said and grabbed a hold of the little girl who squealed and laughed when the man pretended he was going to eat her.

"Ahiga!" Nesia called his name and Ahiga finally looked at her as she was running to him. She took him in a hug and he spun her around once he'd caught her in his arms. "You were amazing up there," she said.

"I had some motivation," Ahiga answered.

"What do you mean?" Nesia asked.

"I'll tell you later," Ahiga smiled and gave her a kiss.

After all the fights were over, the winners of each weight class were handed their checks and belts and had their pictures taken for the newspaper. To celebrate afterwards, they all went out to dinner together and Boss paid for everyone's drinks but Ahiga kept his drinking light. He wanted to drive back home that night so he could spend Monday at home relaxing without having to drive back to the tribe from Seattle. When they all returned home after dropping off Salem and JJ, Ahiga stopped the car in front of the house, came around to the passenger's side and grabbed a hold of Nesia taking her in his arms and carrying her.

"Ahiga!" Nesia giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck while he carried her.

"This morning before I left, I went to check on you," Ahiga said as he made his way to the door. He let them in closing the door behind them but he continued to carry Nesia as he made the trip upstairs to their room. "While you were sleeping, I touched your belly and I felt Saraya kicking."

"You did?" Nesia asked with delight.

"Yeah," Ahiga smiled and walked past Tina on his way up the stairs. Once he made it to their bedroom, he placed Nesia on the mattress and hovered over her. "She even kicked when I said her name; like she already recognizes it."

"She probably does," Nesia said and brought her hands to her belly looking down. "I haven't felt her today. She much have been sleeping all day."

"Sounds like she's an early bird," Ahiga smiled and looked down pressing his hand on her belly over her hands. "Let's paint her room tomorrow," he suggested. "We'll order in so neither of us have to cook and we can get her room painted that pretty grey color we bought."

"I don't know if it's 'pretty' so much as it's practical," Nesia smiled.

"Hey, we can register for pretty, girly things that'll spruce up the room," Ahiga smiled and gave her a tender kiss.

That tender kiss turned passionate and when it had, Ahiga was hard in an instant. He nestled himself between her legs holding her close while they continued to kiss. When she was ready, Nesia unbuttoned her pants so Ahiga could pull them and her panties down, she pulled down his pants to release his erection and he slipped inside her setting a slow pace at first. Nesia held onto Ahiga as he moved moaning his name when he started to thrust faster.

"I love you, Nesia," Ahiga said in her ear when he was getting close to his release thrusting hard and fast. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Nesia cried and held onto him tighter while her own release continued to build.

Then her body convulsed and her core tightened around him which made Ahiga pound even harder until he went completely stiff and clutched onto her. Nesia was kissing his cheek while Ahiga trembled until he finally came down from his orgasm. As they calmed down, they kissed one another and finally went to bed for the night after Ahiga pulled out of her. Nesia had school in the morning but was home by 3:30 so they could paint Saraya's room like they talked about.

When the twins got back from Europe, things returned to business as usual. Beginning of November, Roshad was in Iran but returned in time for Thanksgiving held at the Cullen house like always. When Roshad had returned home from Iran before Thanksgiving, he seemed ill at ease. Jaedynn didn't bother him about it until they were getting ready for bed for the night after the children were tucked in.

"Is everything alright?" Jaedynn asked as she sat on bed waiting for Roshad to join her. He'd just finished trimming his beard and was washing his face.

"I'm alright," Roshad said.

"Are you sure? You seem like something's bothering you," Jaedynn said. Roshad took a deep breath and then started pressing a towel against his face. Once his face was dried, Roshad started walking to their bed.

"You heard about the protests outside the White House?" Roshad asked and then climbed into bed.

"Yes, I heard," Jaedynn answered solemnly. "It was all over the news. It was Iranian students protesting the Shah's visit right?"

"Yes," Roshad said, "I'm afraid the Shah is growing increasingly unpopular."

"Weren't most of the protesters supporters?"

"They were, but that's not necessarily the case back in Iran," Roshad said. "The people are becoming rightfully unhappy with the Shah's abuse of power, there are more educated young men and women than there are jobs especially in Tehran – it's causing anger among the masses. The Shia Clergy is fully supporting this unrest. The Shah can have all the support in the US he wants; it won't do him any good back home when the Clergy isn't on his side. I'm afraid his days as Shah are numbers."

"So Iran will have a new Shah soon? Or is it another communist uprising?" Jaedynn asked anxiously.

"Absolutely not," Roshad said, "Communism wouldn't be tolerated by the Clergy. Communism is seen as Atheistic and the Shia Clergy would never allow that sort of thing to take root in Iran. As for the Shah being replaced, I'm quite certain that's on the horizon. It just depends on who the Clergy decides is worthy of that power. Most likely Khomeini."

"Who's Khomeini?"

"He's a Shia Cleric," Roshad answered, "but he's heavily involved in affairs of state. The Shia Clergy have been heavily involved in politics for centuries; it's the norm. My concern, frankly, is his opinion that a Shia scholar should have ultimate power."

"Do you think he'll get ultimate power?"

"I don't know," Roshad said. "Bastet is keeping me up to date on what's going on."

Jaedynn smiled reassuringly at Roshad and took his hand, "Everything will be okay. I promise."

"I hope so," Roshad said, smiling gently back at her.

Bastet continued to keep Roshad informed of any new information that came up but December was blissfully uneventful in that respect. Roshad was hoping the protest in Washington D.C. would be an isolated incident although he couldn't pretend change wasn't on the horizon. He just didn't know exactly what that change would be. Of course, the quiet ended as soon as January. A disparaging newspaper was published – reportedly by the Shah's demand – about Khomeini. Days later, the Bazaar in Qom closed down in protest, protesters tore down symbols of the monarchy and reportedly five protestors were killed by security forces. It just kept going from there and all Roshad could do was keep in contact with Bastet about what was happening.

Saraya was due in April, so in March Natalie hosted Nesia's baby shower at her house. Jacob constructed for them a crib, a changing table and even a little dresser made from red alder trees. They got loads of clothes, some toys, necessities and Renesmee put together a little diaper raffle so that anyone that brought Nesia a box of diapers would qualify to win a prize. The more boxes someone brought, the more tokens they would get and the more likely they would be to win a prize. However, April came and progressed, but Nesia wasn't going into labor. When it was the end of April with still no progress, Kyle decided they would set a date to induce her.

"Is it really a good idea to do that?" Ahiga asked Kyle when they were at the hospital for Nesia's check up and Kyle had recommended inducing.

"If she's past 41 weeks, inducing is for the best," Kyle explained. "The issue is after 41 weeks, the placenta no longer works as well as it did before and it could pose a risk to the baby and the mother. Nesia and the baby are healthy so there's no need to induce sooner than May 7th like I recommended. If she goes into labor before then, we'll go with our original birthing plan."

"Will inducing her be more painful?" Ahiga asked.

"It can be, but it'll always depend on the mother," Kyle explained. "I've induced mothers that found it uncomfortable but the rest of their labor felt the same and I've induced mothers that said being induced was much worse than labor that happened naturally."

"Let's hope for natural labor then," Nesia said. "Knowing my luck, inducing me will make it hurt even worse. Is there anything I can do to encourage labor?"

"Light exercise is a good option," Kyle suggested. "Don't do anything strenuous that your body's not used to, but you can go to a long walk once a day and that will help. Intercourse can also help if you're up for that."

"If it'll help, I'm definitely up for it," Nesia said.

After their appointment, Ahiga dropped Nesia off at the school so she could finish the last three periods of the school day and Ahiga drove back to the lumber mill to finish out his day. By the time they were both home, Nesia was too tired and just wanted to go to bed. In theory, the idea of sex to encourage labor sounded like a good idea, but in practice she felt so bloated and tired and sore and unsexy that she just didn't want to be touched. She did force herself to take long walks at least. Ahiga would take her for a walk after dinner every night but they'd only slept together twice since her last appointment. Nesia just wasn't in the mood. She felt like a beached whale no matter how many times Ahiga swore up and down that she was beautiful. On May first, she woke up feeling like death. She was so tempted to call in sick, but she resisted and forced herself into a yellow floral pattern empire dress with short sleeves and went to school.

"Mrs. Washington?" one of the little kids said when Nesia finally made it to class with just minutes to spare before the bell rang. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, Matilda," Nesia said and took out her booklet with all her student's names. "Settle down, everyone. It's time for roll call. Danny?" She looked at her students but none of them answered so she marked Danny as absent before moving on. "Lauren?" Once again, there was silence and she marked her absent. "Carrie?"

"Mrs. Washington?" a little boy in the front row raised his hand. "They aren't in this class."

"What?" Nesia asked and looked down at her booklet only to realize she was reading off the names of the students in her afternoon class. "You're right, Eric. Thank you for that," Nesia said and erased her notes before skimming through her booklet until she found the right name list. "Let's start this over. Ashley?"

"Here!" Ashley answered.

"Sandy?"

"Here!" Sandy answered.

Nesia continued reading everyone's name off until she had everyone marked in her book then finally moved onto their lesson for the day. About an hour into class, Nesia told her students to put away their English textbooks and told them to take out their math textbooks so they could go over their fractions. Nesia was writing the first equation on the board when she was stopped suddenly by a sharp, intense pain in her back and lower abdomen that seemed to radiate up and down her spine.

"Mrs. Washington? Are you okay?" one of her students asked.

"I just need a minute," Nesia said. "Just give me a minute."

Nesia started breathing while holding onto her desk chair. One of her students got out of his chair and ran out of the classroom but Nesia barely noticed. She was in too much pain. It lasted only a few minutes but it felt like an eternity. She stood up straight the instant she could and looked over her classroom and finally noticed one of her students was missing.

"Where's Jordan?" Nesia asked.

"He ran out when he started crying, Mrs. Washington," one of her students answered.

"Okay, everyone stay in here. Work on problems 1-5. I'll be right back," Nesia said and walked out of the classroom to go look for Jordan. While she went down the hallway, she was stopped when she felt another sharp pain shoot up her back and she was crying.

"Nesia?" Suerro said as he approached her.

"Help, Mr. Roux! Mrs. Washington's hurt!" she heard Jordan yell.

"Nesia? Honey, are you alright?" Suerro asked.

"No," Nesia said and started crying from the pain.

"Jordan, I need you to go to the principal's office and get Mrs. Black," Suerro ordered.

"Yes, Mr. Roux!" Jordan said and ran down the hall going for the administrative office where Renesmee's office was.

"Deep breaths, Nesia," Suerro said. "Grandma Renesmee will stay with your students and we'll get you home." A moment later, Jordan was coming down the hall with Renesmee following behind him and went straight for Nesia.

"Nesia? Honey, are you okay?"

"She's having contractions," Suerro answered for Nesia. "Can you stay with her students and I'll get her home and call Kyle?"

"Of course," Renesmee said and took Jordan's shoulder. "Let's go back to class, Jordan. What were you working on before you left class?"

"Mrs. Washington was putting fractions on the board," Jordan answered.

"Then fractions is what we'll be doing," Renesmee said and rubbed Nesia's back then led Jordan back to the classroom while Suerro guided Nesia outside to his car.

"Ahiga," Nesia said after her contraction finally passed, she was sitting in the passenger's seat and she was able to think at least a little clearly.

"We'll give him a call once you're in bed and I've called Kyle," Suerro said. "He'll have time to leave the mill and make it home; don't worry."

Suerro rushed Nesia back to the house and got her upstairs and in bed then called the hospital to ensure Kyle was notified Nesia was in labor and to come to her house as soon as possible. Once he'd called Kyle, Suerro then called the lumber mill to ensure Ahiga was notified to come home. Ahiga made it home first and rushed upstairs finding Nesia in bed. She was experiencing a rest period and was uncomfortable but not in unbearable pain. Suerro had already called Natalie and she walked into the house about the same time Ahiga did.

"Ahiga," Nesia said and reached for his hand when he came to the bed.

"How are you feeling, Nesia?" Natalie asked as she got on the bed on the other side of Nesia.

"Alright for now," Nesia said.

A few minutes, Nesia started crying and squeezed Natalie's and Ahiga's hand as another contraction came. Finally Kyle arrived and washed his hands and put on some gloves before finally checking how far Nesia was dilated. She was about two centimeters, so she had a long way to go. This went on for several hours and the longer it went on, the worse it became. Kyle had Ahiga hold onto Nesia while she walked around to help encourage her water to break. He brought her to their bathroom so it would be easier to clean later and after walking back and forth in the bathroom for nearly two hours, her water finally broke. When Kyle directed him to, Ahiga guided Nesia back to the bed so Kyle could check her dilation again.

She was finally dilated 10 centimeters around 9:45 that night and the moment she finally could, she started to push. Ahiga sat behind her on the bed while Natalie held Nesia's hand and after several minutes of pushing and the worst pain Nesia had ever felt in her life, she felt the baby pass through her and the room filled with a baby's cry. Kyle lifted their daughter so she was in view.

"It's a girl," Kyle announced and handed Saraya over to Nesia so she and Ahiga could see her.

She was still crying when Nesia took Saraya in her arms. Nesia cooed to her little daughter and Ahiga started running Saraya's back to sooth her. Her skin was pale from being in the womb but was already starting to deepen in complexion now that she was breathing and adjusting to the outside world. She had thick black fuzz on her head and when Nesia offered Saraya her finger, Saraya had an extremely strong grip.

"She looks so much like you," Nesia said to Ahiga while never taking her eyes off Saraya.

"She does, doesn't she?" Ahiga replied in awe. She was such a cute little baby.

"Ahiga, did you want to cut the cord?" Kyle asked and offered the scissors. Ahiga cut where Kyle directed freeing Saraya so Kyle could take her to clean her up. After Saraya was cleaned and dried, Kyle took her foot print, wrote down her birth date – May 1st, 1978 – and her name on the little birth certificate and then got her swaddled in a blanket to comfort her. Once she was no longer crying, Kyle brought Saraya over Nesia could hold her again.

"She's so beautiful, Nesia," Natalie said and then asked to hold her and take her downstairs. Haseya was waiting downstairs with Suerro and stood up when she say Natalie coming downstairs with Saraya.

"Oh, she's so beautiful!" Haseya said as she approached Natalie. "Please, let me hold her," she said and Natalie handed Saraya over and Haseya held her sleeping granddaughter in her arms. Her chubby little cheeks were perfectly pinchable and she could see so much of Ahiga in her. Upstairs, Kyle helped Nesia deliver the placenta after which she wanted to just sleep. While Nesia was resting, Kyle handed over Saraya's birth certificate so Ahiga could sign.

"How does it feel to be a father?" Kyle asked as Ahiga signed his name.

"Better than I thought it would," Ahiga answered with a smile.

***Author's Note*** To my readers – I'm extremely sorry this installment took so long to post. Between everything that's going on, my husband and I moving and work, it's been difficult writing as much as I would like to. The story is continuing but there may be delayed posting and for that I apologize. I will post as often as possible and hopefully once the move is done with, it'll make writing and posting with more frequency a lot easier.

Thank you to everyone that has been so patient and have reached out to me just to make sure everything was okay.