A/N 1 - hey guys! Hope everyone is enjoying this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. There are only 3 more chapters, then this story will be complete. There will not be a prequel or a sequel. You can read my other stories in the meantime. Speaking of, I will update The One at Horse Camp & Love Songs for Everyone - just having some writer's block.
A/N 2 - I don't own the following - the book I Love My Daddy Because, the song Hush Little Baby, the song Silent Night, the song Satisfied from the musical Hamilton, or the song Blackbird. I do own The Welcome Song, since I wrote it.
CHAPTER SEVEN
(chapter title - Good For You)
In the summer between their junior and senior year of college, Sara and Barney got married in a small ceremony.
Three-year-old Annabel and year-old Kat served as flower girls and year-old Max was the ring bearer.
Loretta watched her three grandkids while Barney and Sara went on their honeymoon.
Once Barney and Sara were in the honeymoon suite at a hotel in Time's Square, they undressed each other and made love all day and into the night, only stopping to use the bathroom, get something to eat and drink from the sparkling champaign that room service had sent up for free.
Barney looked into Sara's eyes, "do we want another child?"
Sara nodded, "yes - I'll have a thousand children with you."
Barney chuckled, "how about we have the children we have together?"
Sara nodded and closed her eyes as Barney brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck. She felt his arms wrap around her torso and hold her close.
The following day, Barney and Sara went to see a show on Broadway. They saw Hamilton and got really good tickets - four rows from the stage.
After the performance, the couple went to lunch, then explored Time's Square a bit more before grabbing dinner at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant before heading back to their hotel.
After a week of their honeymoon, Barney and Sara packed up their things and took the train back to campus, where they would be starting classes towards the middle of September.
Sara signed up for all the theater classes she could get her hands on, along with a sign language class.
"Sign language?" Barney asked curiously.
Sara nodded, "I thought it would be fun to teach the kids some. A friend of mine from elementary school was deaf and I felt bad I couldn't communicate with her."
Barney smiled and kissed Sara's temple, "what time is it?"
Sara looked at her cell phone clock, "it's 1:15 - I need to grab the twins and get to Mommy and Me. I'll talk to you later, baby. Love you."
"Love you, too" Barney said, watching his wife leave.
Sara put the twins in their car seats and drove to where Mommy and Me would be. As she pulled in the parking lot, she thought she saw a friend of hers from high school.
Sara and the twins followed the person into the building, signing in before going to Mommy and Me.
There were four moms and five year-old toddlers in the class. The moms were - Sara, Makayla, McKenzie and Eliza. The toddlers were - Kat, Max, Dexter, Tia and Emory.
Makayla brushed her blonde hair into a ponytail as her sister McKenzie dinged the triangle for class to begin.
"We have a new mom and little one joining us today" Makayla said, indicating to an African-American woman who was Sara's age, "why don't you introduce yourself and your little one to the group?"
"Hey everyone - I'm Hannah Washington and this little guy is Miles" Hannah said, meeting Sara's eyes from across the circle, "Sara?"
"Oh, you two know each other?" McKenzie asked, holding her daughter Tia on her lap.
"Haven't seen each other since high school" Sara said, holding Max and Kat on her lap.
"You guys can talk after class" Makayla said as she began singing the Welcome Song.
"It's time to welcome our little friends today
We have Max and Kat, who really like to play
Next is Emory and her cousin Tia
Finally is Dexter, who really likes to say 'see ya'
These are our friends and we love our friends
We play together and the fun never ends" Makayla and the moms sang as they held their little ones on their laps.
After Mommy and Me ended, Sara went to Hannah, keeping an eye on Max and Kat, "hey."
"Hey" Hannah repeated, "can we go get coffee somewhere and catch up?"
"Yeah. Let's go to Perky's on Central" Sara said.
Hannah nodded, "I'll follow you, since I don't know where that is."
"It's a short walk from here" Sara said, getting the twins into their stroller.
Five minutes later, Sara, Hannah and the kids were sitting at an outdoor table.
"So, what have you been up to since high school?" Hannah asked.
"I had Annabel - my eldest - my junior year of high school. Barney and I got married over the summer and a year ago, we had the twins - my son Max and daughter Kathleen, Kat for short" Sara said, "you?"
"I got pregnant my senior year of high school - I was raped at a party. I had no support system - my parents disowned me and my baby's dad wanted nothing to do with us, so I lived on the street for a while, until I was taken in by Miss Renee - she ran a home for girls who were pregnant or had nowhere to go. I honestly thought about killing myself, thinking that would make everyone happy. Those thoughts went away when I had my daughter - Diana - nine months later. She's 2 years old and is at daycare. I had Miles last year after marrying a guy I met at an office Christmas party" Hannah said, "my husband - Rich - and I are pretty happy together."
Sara smiled a tiny bit, "I'm happy for you."
"Thanks" Hannah said, taking a sip of her coffee, "I'm sorry about the pregnancy pact back in high school."
Sara shrugged, taking a sip of her tea, "you hear from Addison or Madison at all?"
Hannah shook her head, "you?"
Sara shook her head, "so, what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a secretary in a law firm. You?" Hannah asked.
"I work at the local theater in the box office part time and my other part time job is working at my old horseback riding stable" Sara said.
"You ever do something with soccer?" Hannah asked.
"Not really. You?" Sara asked.
Hannah shook her head, which made her curls bounce, "I should probably get home. It was nice to see you."
"You too" Sara said, smiling at her twins, who were asleep in their stroller.
Arriving home, Sara put the twins down for a nap and went to find Barney and Annabel.
Sara got a text from Barney when she was at Mommy and Me saying that Barney & Annabel were at the park and would be home in a while.
As Sara exited the twins' room, Barney and Annabel came home.
"How was the park?" Sara asked as she got ingredients out to make spaghetti for dinner.
"It was good" Annabel said, "I don't want spaghetti for dinner - I want pizza!"
"Annabel Lee, we already had pizza this week. You can either have spaghetti with daddy, your siblings and I or you can take your bath and go to bed now. If you choose the second option, you will not have a story or a stuffed animal" Sara said, putting a pot of water on the stove to boil.
Annabel was quiet, which wasn't good - it usually meant she was going to scream or yell.
"Annabel Lee Stinson, if you wake up your brother and sister, you will be grounded for three days" Barney said in a gentle, yet firm voice.
Sara continued getting ingredients for the spaghetti, "babe, do we want meatballs or no?"
"Yeah - I'll make the salad" Barney said.
Both Sara and Barney winced and jumped when Annabel let out an ear-piercing screech.
"I WANT PIZZA FOR DINNER! I DON'T WANT PASTA!" Annabel screamed at the top of her lungs.
Barney picked up Annabel and brought her to her room, closing the door behind him, "you're grounded for three days, so I'm taking all your stuffed animals. They are going in a garbage bag that will be in mommy and my closet. For your three day punishment, you will help out around the house - I'll figure out something later. You are to stay in your room until dinner is ready and think about your actions. Your mom, brother, sister and I still love you, no matter what."
Annabel began crying as she watched Barney grab a large garbage bag and put all her stuffed animals inside it, "can I keep one stuffed animal?"
"No, but you can keep your doll" Barney said, "dinner will be ready in ten minutes. I hope you'll join us."
Annabel threw herself on her bed as her dad exited the room with her stuffed animals. She looked at her doll and threw her across the room. She then got off her bed and held her doll close, thankful she was plastic and not porcelain, "I'm sorry Molly" she said in a hoarse voice, holding her beloved doll close.
A while later, Annabel exited her room and went to the kitchen table where her family was eating.
Sara smiled, "hi sweetie. Are you hungry?"
Annabel nodded and sat in her usual spot between Sara and Barney, "can I have some pasta, please?"
"Of course" Sara said, getting a child sized bowl and put some spaghetti in it, "would you like some cheese?"
Annabel shook her head, "can I have some fruits and veggies, please?"
"Sure" Barney said, getting Annabel some fruits and veggies from the fruit and veggie plate.
"After dinner, you and daddy are gonna work together to put the dishes in the dishwasher and clean up the kitchen while I give your brother and sister a bath" Sara said.
"Okay" Annabel said.
Once the food was taken care of and the dishes were in the dishwasher, Barney took Annabel onto the porch and sat with her on the swing.
"Honey, I know you want pizza, but having pizza every day isn't good. We need to have healthy things in between the pizza and the junk food. Mommy and I love pizza too, but we don't eat it every day - it's more like a once a week thing" Barney said, holding Annabel close.
Annabel laid her head on her dad's shoulder, sniffling.
"You don't have to cry, pumpkin" Barney said, holding Annabel on his lap, "how about you, mommy and I make a meal plan sometime this week, okay?"
"Okay" Annabel said, kissing Barney's cheek, "can you read to me, daddy?"
"Of course I can. What book?" Barney asked, walking Annabel to her room. He smiled as he heard Sara and the twins being silly in the bathtub.
Annabel went to her bookshelf and got out a book, bringing it to Barney, "I need to put on my pajamas and brush my teeth first."
"Of course" Barney said, "you can change in mommy and my bathroom."
Annabel nodded and went to Barney and Sara's bathroom, closing the door behind her. She put on her pajamas and went to her room, "can we read for a bit before I brush my teeth?"
"Of course" Barney said, smiling at the book, "this is one of my favorites."
"I Love My Daddy Because" Annabel read the title, "I gave this to you for Father's Day last year."
"That's right" Barney said, kissing the top of Annabel's head, "let's start reading. I'll read a page, then you repeat it back to me, okay?"
Annabel nodded, opening the book to the first page. The illustration showed a man and a little girl playing with a pig and a raccoon puppet.
"I love my daddy because he plays with me" Barney read.
"I love my daddy because he plays with me" Annabel read.
Sara tucked the twins in and stood in the doorway of Annabel's room, watching her and Barney read together.
Barney turned the page, "what kind of bird is that?" He pointed to the bird on the left side of the page.
"My favorite animal - penguin!" Annabel said happily.
Barney smiled, "what do the words say?"
"He keeps me safe and worm" Annabel read.
"Close - warm. Wanna try again?" Barney asked, smiling at Sara.
Annabel nodded, "he keeps me safe and warm."
"Very good" Barney said, pointing to the bird on the right-side of the page, "what is that?"
Annabel laughed, "a fat penguin!"
Barney chuckled, "nope - that's a puffin. Do you know what those words say?"
"He brings me dinner" Annabel said, smiling.
The two of them read a few more pages before Annabel got sleepy.
Barney tucked Annabel in and kissed her forehead, "good night, sweetie. Love you."
Sara smiled and entered the room, kissing Annabel's cheek, "sleep well my star shine. May your dreams be happy. See you in the morning. Love you."
Together, Sara and Barney exited Annabel's room and went to the master bedroom.
Barney closed and locked the door as Sara kissed him passionately. He wrapped his arms around her and took off her clothes as she undressed him.
Barney picked Sara up bridal style and threw her on the bed. He hovered over her for a moment before getting on top of her, kissing her skin as his arms wrapped around her small frame.
Sara closed her eyes as she felt Barney enter her. She wrapped her arms and legs around his torso.
Barney kissed Sara's neck, collarbone, cheeks, forehead, lips, clavicle and breasts as he continued to thrust deep inside her.
Sara whimpered and moaned as Barney made love to her all night and part of the following morning.
Barney and Sara ended up falling asleep a little after dawn, both of them not knowing that Sara was now pregnant with a little boy.
The two of them woke up to pounding on their bedroom door.
"Mom and dad, mom and dad, mom and dad!" The three kids chanted as they pounded on the door.
"Your children are awake" Barney groaned, turning over on his side, facing away from Sara.
"Before sunrise, they're your children" Sara mumbled, curling into a ball.
Barney looked at the clock on his bedside table - 7:20 AM, "okay, okay. I'm up, I'm up" he yawned and sat up, stretching.
Barney got dressed and kissed Sara's forehead before exiting the room. He closed the bedroom door, "okay, you little monkeys. It's Saturday, so what do we wanna do today?"
"Zoo! Park! Museum! Pizza! Play!" Kat and Max shouted.
Barney made pancakes and looked at Annabel, "what do you wanna do today?"
"Sit in my room and read" Annabel said sadly.
Barney stopped making the pancake batter and sat next to Annabel, "I think I'm gonna let the punishment go - you learned your lesson, right?"
Annabel nodded, "will mommy be mad?"
"I'll talk to her about it later" Barney said, hugging Annabel before going back to the kitchen, "okay, I heard zoo, the park, a museum, pizza and playing. What about going to the library?"
"Ya!" The twins said in unison.
"Let's make a plan - all 3 of you need to nap this afternoon, so let's do something around campus after breakfast, like go to the park or the library, then you three will nap, then we'll go to the zoo or a museum after your nap. I don't think we'll get pizza tonight" Barney said.
"Okay" all three kids said in unison.
"What's okay?" Sara asked as she exited the bedroom. She was in fuzzy socks, jeans, a red T-shirt and a grey hoodie. Her hair was in a tangled mess.
"We just made a plan" Barney said, smiling at his beloved wife, "wanna tell mommy what the plan is?"
All three kids started talking all at once as Sara went to make herself some coffee.
Kat came over and put her arms up for Sara, "mama milk!"
Sara sighed, "no, honey."
"Mama milk, please mommy!" Kat whined.
Sara sighed and picked Kat up, "you gotta kick the habit like your brother did" she looked at Max and Annabel, "when I get back, I wanna hear the plan."
Kat smiled as she cuddled into Sara.
Sara took off her hoodie and shirt, then unsnapped her bra to let Kat nurse. She winced as Kat bit down on her left breast, "ow! Be gentle, sweetie."
Kat cuddled into Sara as she nursed. Max had been fully weaned since he was nine months. Kat wanted to nurse from Sara at every opportunity, even at a year old.
Sara had read in a parenting book that it was okay if the child wanted to continue to nurse at a year, but by two, they should be fully weaned and start working on potty training.
Once Kat was done nursing, Sara burped her and kissed her cheek.
"Go to the kitchen and I'll be right there" Sara said, looking at the nipple that Kat had nursed from - it was a little red, but there was no blood to be seen. She refastened her bra and put her shirt and hoodie back on before going to the kitchen.
Barney smiled a bit at seeing Sara, "you okay?"
Sara nodded and dumped her coffee out and made herself some tea instead.
The kids sat at the kitchen table as they ate their breakfast - chocolate chip pancakes, fruit salad, bacon and to drink, orange juice.
"So, what are we doing today?" Sara asked as she helped herself to some breakfast.
"We're gonna hang around campus after breakfast, then we'll nap, then go to the zoo or a museum after our nap and go to the park" all three kids said over one another.
Sara looked at Annabel once the kids were done jabbering, "what are you and I gonna do while your siblings and dad are having fun?"
Annabel looked from her dad to her mom and back again, "I can't go?"
"I told her she could - she learned her lesson and is off punishment" Barney said.
Sara sighed and nodded, "okay" she looked at Barney, "while the kids are napping, can I talk to you in private?"
"Oooohhh daddy's in trouble!" Max, Kat and Annabel said in unison.
Barney looked embarrassed as he continued eating his breakfast.
"After breakfast, daddy and Annabel are going to clean up while I help you two brush your teeth" Sara said once everyone was done eating.
Annabel nodded and helped bring plates to the kitchen counter. She missed and the plates crashed on the floor, shattering to a million pieces.
"Everyone stand back and let mommy and I clean up" Barney said, looking at Annabel, "are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Annabel started crying as Sara guided the twins to the carpet in the living room.
"Play quietly while we clean up" Sara told the twins, rushing to Annabel, "honey, are you okay?"
Annabel cried as she hugged Barney, getting the hiccups.
"Honey, it was an accident - you're not in trouble" Sara said, examining Annabel's skin for any cuts she might have gotten.
Barney swept up the mess into a big pile.
Sara held Annabel as she cried, "shhh shhhh. It's okay. You're okay. Do you want me to sing to you?"
Annabel nodded as she cried.
"Hush little baby don't say a word
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird don't sing
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring" Sara sang as she rubbed Annabel's back.
Annabel calmed down a little bit as Sara sang, laying her head on Sara's right shoulder.
Sara hummed Silent Night, another song that calmed Annabel down.
"Sing that song, mama" Annabel said in a hoarse voice.
Sara nodded and led Annabel to the living room couch, holding Annabel on her lap, "get comfy and I'll sing to you."
"I wanna hear the song, too!" Max said, coming over with Kat.
"Okay" Sara said, clearing her throat.
Barney went to get the vacuum, listening to Sara sing to their children.
"Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace" Sara sang to her three children.
Annabel was now fully calm, as were Max and Kat.
The three children went to play in Annabel's room while Sara and Barney finished cleaning up the kitchen.
"You mad at me?" Barney asked as he washed his hands after vacuuming the kitchen floor.
"No, I'm not" Sara said, kissing Barney's cheek, "there was a situation and you handled it."
Barney smiled and pulled Sara into a hug. He kissed the nape of her neck, laughing as her hair tickled his nose, "let's go check on our children."
Sara nodded and followed Barney to Annabel's room, pressing her ear to the door - silence. She opened the door and smiled at what she saw.
The kids were all asleep on Annabel's floor, looking incredibly cute.
Barney got his phone out and took a few pictures with the flash off. He and Sara put blankets over the children, then left the room.
Sara went to the closet and took out the large garbage bag of stuffed animals, "she can get this back after she wakes up from her nap."
Barney nodded as he closed the door behind him, "let's have some time to ourselves."
Sara nodded and quickly undressed herself as Barney quickly took his clothes off. The two of them went to the bed and laid on it, kissing each other and exploring each other's bodies.
Barney exploded deep inside Sara, his head resting between her breasts. He kissed one and fondled the other one, his eyes closed.
Sara relaxed as she felt Barney deep inside her. She was about to kiss him when a loud ringing noise filled the air, "hun, do you hear that?"
"Hm?" Barney asked, lifting his head from Sara's chest, "get dressed and let's get the kids - it's a fire alarm."
Sara and Barney quickly got dressed before going to Annabel's room. Sara picked up Annabel as Barney picked up the twins.
"What's going on?" Annabel asked.
"Fire alarm - I hope it's a fire drill" Sara said as she, Barney, Annabel and the twins made it outside with the other people who lived in their dorm building.
Everyone gathered in the park across from the dorm building, staying with their families.
"I don't like that noise" Annabel said, staying close to Sara.
"Me either" Sara said, holding Annabel close.
Barney and the twins stayed nearby.
"When can we go back inside?" Max asked.
"Once they figure out that everyone is out and that it's safe" Barney said.
"I'm scared" Kat said, cuddling into Barney.
"It's okay" Barney soothed his youngest, holding her close.
The fire chief gave the all clear and everyone headed back into their dorms, chatting with each other or their families.
Barney and Sara entered their dorm, "what do you kids wanna do?"
"Can we go to the zoo?" Max asked excitedly.
"I don't see why not" Sara said, "I want all of you to grab a sweater or hoodie, since it's a little chilly."
Barney smiled as he kissed Sara's temple.
The family of five enjoyed a full day at the zoo. Once everyone had their fill, they headed back to the dorm where they had leftovers for dinner and watched a movie together.
Sara slept as Barney kissed her 4 month baby bump. The two of them had made love all night and Sara had fallen asleep twenty minutes ago.
Barney gently spread Sara's legs and thrust into her, holding her sleeping figure in his arms, going harder and faster, his hands roaming her body as he went even harder and faster inside her.
Sara continued sleeping, completely out of it. She was tired, between being a mom to 3 kids with different needs, going to classes, working and doing homework. She also cooked, cleaned, did laundry and cared for her growing family.
Barney held Sara close as he exploded inside her for the third time, hoping their baby was doing okay. He laid Sara on her back and kissed her body, starting at her medium-sized breasts, holding them in his hands as he kissed and sucked on them. He then kissed his way down her body, looking between her legs before kissing her down there briefly and kissed his way up her body.
"Mmm" Sara moaned sleepily, "tm?"
"It's 4:45" Barney said, stifling a yawn.
Sara turned on her side facing away from Barney and felt him spoon her.
Five months later
Sara entered the tub, fully naked as her water broke, making a big mess in the tub.
Barney helped Sara into the tub, then held her. He kissed her forehead as he helped her get comfortable, along with the doctor and her team of nurses.
Sara had sweat dappling her skin - she had felt her first contraction at 6:47 that morning and it was now 12:34 that afternoon.
Dr. Su checked Sara for dilation, "you're about six centimeters dilated."
Sara whimpered as a nurse filled the tub with eight inches of water.
Barney sat on the uncomfortable floor, adjusting his positioning every four minutes.
Dr. Su was sitting on a comfortable-looking cushion at Sara's front, "let me check again."
Sara whimpered as the doctor checked her positioning, squeezing the life out of Barney's hand.
Barney whimpered at Sara's vice-like grip on his hand, "baby, can I have my hand back?"
"Noooo" Sara whimpered as she felt a strong contraction, "oooooooowwwwww."
Dr. Su checked Sara's positioning again, "okay, the baby is on his way. On the next contraction, push."
Sara whimpered as she pushed on the strong contraction, her eyes closed.
Barney kissed Sara's temple, "do we have a name picked out for this little guy?"
"Not yet" Sara said between clenched teeth as she pushed again.
At 2:46 PM, Sara was in a hospital bed and in a blue hospital gown as she nursed her son for the first time.
Barney smiled as he watched his son nurse, "what about Alexander?"
"Alexander James?" Sara suggested.
Barney nodded, "Alexander James Stinson - I love it."
"I do, too" Sara said, watching her 8 pound, 6 ounce, 23.5 inch long baby boy nurse, "welcome to the world Alexander James Stinson. We love you so much."
Alexander continued nursing noisily. He had dark hair poking from under his hospital cap. He was wrapped in a sky blue blanket and had a diaper on, along with blue booties on his feet and blue mittens on his hands.
"Can I hold him once he's done?" Barney asked.
Sara nodded and felt Alex finish nursing. She gently burped him before handing him to Barney. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Barney sat in a rocking chair, gently rocking his son back and forth. He looked up as the door to the room opened and the kids, followed by Loretta entered the room. Barney adjusted Alex in his arms and put a finger to his lips.
The kids nodded and watched their dad rock the newborn in his arms.
Sara was fast asleep as she felt Loretta dab a cool cloth on her face and neck, "mmm."
"Shh, sweetie. Just relax" Loretta soothed.
"When can we hold our little brother?" Annabel asked in a quiet whisper.
"In a minute" Barney answered quietly.
"I wanna hold him!" Kat whined softly.
"Shhh" Barney shushed.
"I wanna hold him!" Max said a little too loudly, accidentally waking up Alex.
Sara was awake as she heard the piercing cry of her newborn, "I'm up."
Loretta gently took Alex from Barney and handed him to Sara, closing the divider around her bed.
"What's his name?" Annabel asked.
"Alexander James Stinson" Barney said.
"How big he get?" Max asked.
Barney chuckled, "he's 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 23.5 inches long."
"What color hair him have?" Kat asked.
"Black" Barney said.
"Can I hold him first when mommy's done with whatever she's doing?" Annabel asked.
"She's nursing him and yes, you may" Barney said, watching the twins go over to where Sara was, "Max and Kat, where are you two going?"
"We wanna see mommy" the twins answered in complete unison.
"Mommy needs some space for a while, so let's give it to her, please" Barney said.
Loretta looked at Barney, "I'm sure it's fine if they wanna watch their little brother nurse."
"It's fine with me" Sara's muffled voice came from the other side of the divider.
Loretta moved the divider and smiled, "how are you feeling?"
"Like I got slammed into a brick wall at least 600 times" Sara said quietly as she adjusted her positioning so the kids could see what she was doing.
Alex was currently nursing from Sara's right breast, making cute sucking noises.
"What's he doing?" Max asked.
"Nursing, just like you and your sisters did. It's how he gets the nutrients he'll need to grow big and strong" Sara said, smiling over at Barney.
"Is he naked under his blanket?" Kat asked.
Sara shook her head, "he has on a diaper and blue booties on his feet. He had mittens on, but his hands got too hot."
"How long does he nurse for?" Annabel asked.
"He'll nurse anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour" Sara said, looking at Barney, "babe, how long has it been?"
"About seventeen minutes" Barney said, coming over to his little family.
A while later, Sara felt Alex finish nursing. She burped him carefully and laid him on her chest.
"Mama, can I hold him first?" Annabel asked.
Sara nodded and watched Barney pick up Alex, who was fast asleep.
"Go over to the armchair and let G-maw put some hand sanitizer on your hands" Barney instructed his eldest.
The twins watched Sara get out a notebook and a pen.
"What are you doing, mommy?" Kat inquired.
"I'm keeping a journal for how long he nursed and which breast he nursed off" Sara said, writing down 'R Breast for 45 minutes.'
"Why?" Max asked.
"Just so I can compare notes later and see which breast he liked best" Sara answered.
"Which breast did I like?" Kat asked.
"You liked my left and Max liked my right" Sara said, stifling a yawn, "babies, mommy is tired, so can you do something with G-maw?"
"Okay" the twins said and went over to Loretta.
Annabel carefully held her little brother, watching him wrap his hand around her middle finger, "why is he doing that?" She asked Barney softly.
"It means he likes you" Barney said softly, watching Sara drift off to sleep.
Once everyone had held Alexander, the kids and Loretta left the room, leaving the new parents and baby alone.
Barney smiled as he put Alex in the bassinet at the foot of the bed. He closed the door and climbed in behind Sara, careful not to wake her up.
The following day, the little family was given the okay to go home.
Barney and Sara had applied to be in Student Housing, since they had a big family and got approved.
Their house was on Ivy Lane and was painted dark green with white shutters. It also had a 2 car garage attached.
Inside, the house was 4 levels - it had a basement where the laundry room was, along with the bedroom where Loretta would stay.
On the main floor, there was 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, mud room, kitchen, living room, dining room and a wrap-around porch that looked over a small backyard.
On the second floor, there were 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
The third floor was a playroom/storage room.
Sara put Alex in the nursery, which was Hamilton themed and laid him in his crib, turning on the mobile which played 'Dear Theodosia.' She turned on the monitor and quietly closed the door to the nursery.
Barney and the kids were bringing in the overnight bag and the diaper bag.
Loretta grabbed the overnight bag, "I'll do laundry and fix dinner for you guys."
"Okay" Barney said, handing Sara the diaper bag and kissed her cheek, "how's he doing?"
"He's asleep" Sara said, looking at her other children, "please go do something quiet for a while - your dad, Alex and I are going to be napping. G-maw is here if you need something. Do not wake daddy or I up unless it's an emergency. Understand?"
All three kids nodded and scurried up the 2 flights of stairs to their bedrooms, while Sara and Barney walked to the master bedroom.
Sara must've fallen asleep because she felt someone gently shaking her shoulder, "mmmm" she mumbled, opening her eyes and smiled sleepily at Barney.
"Dinner's ready my angel" Barney said, kissing Sara's cheek and helped her sit up.
Sara nodded and followed Barney to the kitchen, after putting on her Wicked slippers, "something smells really good."
"I made homemade chicken pot pies" Loretta said.
"Yum!" Sara and Barney said in unison as they sat down at the table.
Sara was halfway done with dinner when she heard Alex fussing over the monitor. She wiped her face with her napkin and went to the nursery, turning off the monitor and picked Alex up, "what's wrong sweet boy?"
Alex pawed at Sara's breast, whining.
Sara sat in the large squishy gold armchair and nursed Alex, singing her favorite part of Satisfied.
"I know my sister
Like I know my own mind
You will never find
Anyone as trusting or as kind
If I tell her that I love him
She'd be silently resigned
He'd be mine
She would say, "I'm fine"
She'd be lying" Sara sang softly to Alex as he nursed.
Alex continued nursing. He was now in a red Hamilton onesie that said 'JUST LIKE MY COUNTRY, I'M YOUNG, SCRAPPY AND HUNGRY' in white letters.
Sara looked around the nursery as Alex continued nursing.
The walls were painted yellow with different scenes from the musical painted on the walls - The Schuyler Sisters, King George, the end of My Shot and of course, the logo painted over the changing table.
There was a soft yellow carpet that was between the changing table and crib.
Under the logo was 'DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR SHOT' painted in black letters.
Above the crib was Alex's name in stencils 'ALEXANDER JAMES.'
Sara and Barney had been to see Hamilton when they found out that Sara was pregnant with a little boy. Both of them loved the name Alexander and the name James seemed to go along with it.
Barney had hired a professional artist to paint the walls and do the stencils of the characters on the walls.
Sara was snapped back to reality when the door to the nursery opened and Barney came in, "hey" Sara whispered, smiling as Barney entered the nursery.
"Mom's about to put the kids to bed, so I thought I would check on you two" Barney said, watching Alex nurse before meeting Sara's eyes.
Sara nodded, "he's almost done."
Barney nodded and kissed Sara's temple, "have you pumped at all?"
Sara shook her head, "I'll do that before I go to bed."
"Okay" Barney said, smiling at his beautiful wife, "you're so beautiful."
Sara playfully rolled her eyes, "oh please."
"You really are" Barney said, hearing footsteps and saw the kids standing at the door to the nursery, "you guys coming to say goodnight to mommy and Alex?"
The three of them nodded and entered the nursery, followed by Loretta.
"Night mommy, night Alex" the three of them chorused before carefully going back up the stairs.
"Sara, you get some sleep - Barney and I will take care of Alex tonight" Loretta said.
"That sounds great, but I haven't pumped yet" Sara said, feeling Alex finish nursing. She handed him to Barney so she could write in her nursing journal.
Barney and Loretta gave Sara some privacy so she could pump.
The two of them sat in the kitchen drinking coffee and talking for a while.
Sara played endless games on her phone while she pumped. She then got a text message from Hannah.
'I saw on the news that there was a string of break-ins not far from where you're living. Be safe and careful' Hannah texted.
'Thank you for telling us' Sara replied, then went back to her game.
Sara ended up making 6 bottles. She labeled them with today's date and when they would go bad. She put her nightshirt back on and put the bottles in the fridge.
"How many did you make?" Barney asked.
"Six" Sara said, "um, my friend Hannah texted me and let me know there was a string of break-ins not far from us."
Barney rushed over and hugged Sara, having her sit in a chair, "what?"
Sara showed Barney the text message she got from Hannah, her hands slightly shaking.
Loretta went to clean up Sara's pumping supplies.
Sara and Barney went to bed a short while later, as did Loretta.
Before Sara went to bed, she turned on the front porch light and the lamp in the living room, just to indicate that someone was home. She then went to the master bedroom and fell asleep beside Barney.
Around two in the morning, Sara needed to go to the bathroom. She carefully got out of bed and walked to the bathroom down the hall.
As she exited the bathroom, she heard glass shatter and two men speaking in low voices. Sara quickly and quietly walked back to the master bedroom and shook Barney's shoulder - hard.
"Ow" Barney croaked, looking up at Sara, who had a terrified look on her face.
"There's someone in the house" Sara said quietly.
"Get the kids and go downstairs. If I'm not downstairs in 10 minutes, call the cops" Barney whispered, grabbing a baseball bat next to the bed.
Sara went to the nursery and got Alex. She texted Loretta 'possible burglars in the house. Get outside. The kids and I will be right there'
'Okay' Loretta replied a short while later.
Sara snuck up the back stairway to the kids' rooms and knocked on each of the doors, "there's two men in the house, so we need to get out."
The kids quietly exited their rooms and followed Sara outside with Loretta.
Sara handed Alex to Loretta as she went to a neighbor's house, "can we hide out in here? There's a burglar in our house."
The neighbor nodded and ushered Sara and her family inside.
"Thank you. I'm Sara and these are my kids - Annabel, Max, Kathleen - Kat for short and Alex. This is also my mother-in-law Loretta" Sara said.
"I'm Selene and this is my husband, Monty" Selene said, shaking Sara and Loretta's hands, "I have a spare room the kids can sleep in."
"Thank you" Sara said, having the kids follow Monty to the room, "my husband should be coming soon - I hope."
Selene nodded and made tea for the adults while Monty entertained the kids, except for Alex, who was asleep in Sara's arms.
Sara looked out the window and saw police cars in front of their house. She smiled as she saw Barney coming towards them.
Barney entered the house and passionately kissed Sara, "the police will need to process the house, but nothing was taken. The burglars will be taken to jail and questioned. They weren't armed - they were just looking for drugs or jewelry to sell."
Sara nodded and cuddled into Barney.
"You guys are more than welcome to stay here" Selene said, handing a teacup to Barney.
"I can hold him while you have your tea" Monty told Sara.
"Thank you" Sara said, handing Alex to Monty.
The adults chatted while the children slept in Selene & Monty's spare bedroom.
"I don't know how I'll be able to sleep tonight" Sara said, cuddling into Barney. The two of them were on the futon in the living room, while Loretta slept with the kids. Selene and Monty were in their own bedroom.
"Me, either" Barney said, holding Sara close, "if anything happened to you, the kids or my mom, I don't know how I would live with myself."
Sara sniffled and buried her face in Barney's shoulder, starting to cry.
Barney gently rocked her, letting her cry. He knew she was scared, "want me to sing to you?"
Sara nodded, her body shaking with sobs.
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life, you were only waiting
For this moment to arrive" Barney sang softly.
Sara and Barney fell asleep as the sun was starting to rise.
Monty and Selene woke up and made breakfast for everyone.
Everyone was sitting down for breakfast when there was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it" Monty said, going to the door and opened it, "what can I do for you, Officer?"
"Are Barney, Sara, Loretta, Annabel, Maxwell, Kathleen and Alexander Stinson here?" The officer asked.
Barney walked over, "I'm Barney Stinson. What's going on?"
"I just came to say that your house should be ready for you and your family to return to by this afternoon" the officer said.
"Thank you" Barney said, smiling a tiny bit. He turned back to his family, "we can go to our house this afternoon."
Sara hugged Barney and kissed his cheek. She then turned to Monty and Selene, "thank you for hosting us."
"You're welcome" Monty said, putting an arm around Sadie's shoulders, drawing her close.
That afternoon after lunch, Barney and his family headed back to their house.
Sara was in the nursery with Alex for his feeding before bed when Annabel, Max and Kat came into the nursery, carrying a blanket, pillow and stuffed animal, "what are you three up to?"
"We're too scared to sleep in our rooms" Annabel said.
"So, we're gonna sleep in here with Alex" Max said.
"That's very kind of you kids, but that's not necessary. You three have daycare while daddy and I have class. G-maw will be here to take care of Alex" Sara said, stifling a yawn.
Barney came into the nursery, "there you guys are. All of you need to go to your rooms."
"What if the bad guys come back?" Max asked, making himself comfortable near the changing table.
"They won't. The campus is installing security systems" Barney said, picking up Max, "let's leave mommy and Alex alone."
The three kids went with their dad to their rooms. Barney read the kids 6 stories before they finally fell asleep.
Barney went to the master bedroom and saw Sara fast asleep. He kissed her temple and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.