Brand New Start

After a while, all the guys left, claiming they'll 'be back tomorrow'. I looked down at Chase, seeing he was deep in slumber. I smiled as I moved enough to allow him to fall lightly on the couch. I arranged him so I could pick him up easily and without jostling him too much. I slowly and steadily made my way for the stairs. Pausing at the foot of the stairs, I saw Greg and Angel signing in the kitchen. I walked to the kitchen and they both looked up at me.

"Boys, I have no problem with you staying up late. Just make sure to not make too much noise, alright?" I asked and Angel gave me a weird look, then signed something to me.

"He says you don't have to worry about him. He's the good ... wait, since when are you the good kid?" They went at it like mad in sign language, and it made me smile. I looked at Angel for a moment longer.

"Angel?" I said, not breaking my gaze from him. He looked at me, a smile playing on his lips. "You're a mute?" I asked bluntly, not sure how to put it any nicer. He nodded and gave a sheepish grin. "It's nothing to be ashamed of around here. My curiosity just get's the best of me. Have a good night, boys," I said, earning nods from both of them.

Walking back to the stairs, I started up. When I got to the top of the stairs, I headed for our room, pausing only to make sure Anna and Aurianna were still okay. I noticed that they had sippy cups on the nightstand, so I didn't have to worry about them getting up and getting thirsty in the middle of the night.

I started walking again, finally reaching the door leading to our room. Going in, I laid Chase on the bed, carefully removing his new shoes and setting them in the closet. I put the fire out -- Chase must have lit it earlier today -- and opened the windows for a better escape for the smoke. I removed my shirt and my pants, walking back over to the bed in just my boxers and got it, making sure to move the littlest bit.

Wrapping my arms around Chase, slumber came for me quickly, my final thought being Angel and Greg.

Time Elapse

I woke up from something -- or someone -- bouncing on the bed. When the giggles exploded, I automatically new it was the A-Twins. Whoa, that was corny. I looked up to the big brown eyes of Aurianna, who's smile got bigger when I looked at her. "Morning, Daddy!" she said, wrapping her little arms around my neck as best she could. I hugged her back. She pulled away and said, "Daddy Chase is cooking breakfast. He told us to tell you that you had to get you're big butt downstairs." I laughed and nodded.

"Okay, sweetheart. Tell him I said I will be down after a shower," I replied, tickling her. She giggled and tried to pry my hands away.

"He said you need to forget the shower and get downstairs," Anna said with a straight face, though there was a smile trying to break free. I sighed and got up, both my pinkies being grabbed by the girls almost immediately. When we got to the hallway, the started running as fast as they could with me. I laughed as I jogged a little with them, watching their curls bounce. Once we got to the stairs, they attached themselves to my legs and I started to descend.

"Oh, what a precious sight I'm seeing!" Fred exclaimed, his eyes sparkling as he watched me walk down with the girls. "Dean, you fit the role perfectly of a father." I smiled at him as I paused at the doorway to the living room.

"Yeah, well. I was always wanting to be a father since I was about 21, so I'm glad I got the chance to start out with a couple of little ones," I replied, looking down at Anna and Aurianna who were looking up at me all bright-eyed. I smiled down at them and they returned with their own ear-to-ear grins. I continued into the kitchen and walked over to the coffee pot, noticing there was a cup waiting for me. I made a noise as I picked up the pot and started pouring.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Chase said, walking over to me and kissing me lightly on the lips. He grinned at me and went back to cooking. "Where's Angel and Greg?" he asked, not removing his eyes from the stove.

"No clue, probably still asleep," I replied, putting the pot down and taking a long, slow sip from my cup. "Girls, go attack Uncle Fred. I got to talk to Chase for a few minutes alone, okay?" They nodded and detached themselves from me and dashed for the living room. "You're parents coming today?" I asked once I heard Fred's squeals of delight when the girls started on him.

"Yeah. I gave them the address this morning so they'll be here within the next twenty minutes or so," he replied, casting a quick glance in my direction. I leaned against the counter and continued to drink my coffee.

As I thought about what we were going to do today, I heard a slight thunk! from upstairs. I thought it might be one of the boys hitting something. But as I continued to listen, I swear I could hear, ever so slightly, someone moaning.