Post Traumatic

(Mike's POV)

The following morning I woke up for first time in months without a nightmare and could actually say that I had slept for a whole six hours. I'm sure it would have been more if I could, but the smell of food cooking and the sounds of laughter had kept me awake. "Good morning, Mike! Kelsey's outside with the girls, I'm making breakfast. Help yourself to some coffee." Tali smiles at me sweetly, motioning to the pot on the coffeemaker. I yawn while rubbing my eyes slightly, suddenly remembering that I was at Chester's house. I gratefully accept her offer and make myself a good sized cup with a ton of sugar before sitting down at the kitchen table. I still couldn't fathom the fact that I actually had gotten arrested last night thanks to Anna, I still couldn't believe that Kelsey had gotten dragged into all of this mess as well. "Uncle Mike!!!" I looked up swiftly from my phone, only to be tackled into tight hugs by the girls. "Hey guys, are you having fun with Auntie Kelsey already?" They nod their heads eagerly before then rushing over to Talinda and hugging onto her as well while she stood at the stove, flipping pancakes. "Good morning, Mike." I look to the side now, seeing Kelsey appear next.

She had a wicker basket full of flowers in her hands which she set down on the floor before taking the spot beside me at the table. "Good morning Kels. How did you sleep last night?" I say warmly as I pass her over a cup of coffee. She smiles with a light chuckle, motioning over to the twins. "As good as they let me. We stayed up watching Barbie Dream house for who knows how long until Tali came and told us to go to bed. You knocked out pretty fast though, did you sleep good?" I nod with a content sigh. "Yeah, actually I did. I'm surprised I didn't stay asleep for longer." She gives me a knowing grin before turning her attention back on the girls and Talinda. "It was about two in the morning by the time I had come back down here and caught the three of you still eating ice cream. I'm surprised these two even woke up at all, you little party monsters." The twins giggle heartily at their mom, putting the blame fully on Auntie Kelsey which in return made Kelsey gasp in shock. "Me? No way! It was all those two, they tricked me into staying awake! They said the boogie man was going to eat me if I fell asleep."

Talinda then turns and looks at the twins sternly, making their eyes go wide with slight fear. "What did I tell you two about that? There's no boogie man here, the only person whose here is-" They cut her off with a sudden yell, which catches all of us off guard. "Daddy!!!" She sighs deeply, just shaking her head and giving them both a kiss on the cheek. "Yes my loves, only daddy is here. And you know daddy will never let nothing bad come inside this house." They agree with her before taking their places at the larger table and then thank her for their food. "Are you two hungry?" I look to Kelsey who anxiously insists she could eat a horse. "You can only survive off of ice cream for so long until the real hunger takes over. Plus, this looks delicious, Tali." We all laugh now as she hands us our plates next before shouting for the rest of the brood to come down and eat their breakfast. One by one, the rest take their own respective places at the larger table with Talinda who sits besides the twins, leaving the last seat empty. It was Chester's place, at the head of the dinner table. I knew it must be hard for them having to have that extra empty space and be reminded constantly of what's missing. But Talinda reassured me that it's cathartic for them, symbolizing that he'll always have a spot at the table waiting for him when the time comes they're all together again.

A few tears slip out of my eyes after she says that and for the rest of the time, it's completely silent besides when she asks what the plans are for Kelsey and I for the rest of the day ahead. "Well I don't have to work today, I'm the owner anyhow. What about you, Mike?" I contemplate for a minute before answering them, truly thinking of what the answer could possibly be. I didn't have any definite plans, I didn't have anywhere that I needed to go or anything that I needed to do. Sure, I should be working on more of my music. But all that could wait, my family needed me more. "I'm free too. I don't have anything to do until tomorrow, when Kelsey and I have to go to the courthouse." The older kids stifle a laugh which ultimately makes Tali and Kelsey laugh as well. Once everyone was finished eating, I opted for helping clean up all the mess while Kelsey kept the kids occupied. "Well if you guys want to, or can, I was thinking maybe we can go on a family outing? Chester always promised the kids we would go to Disneyland for my birthday and I know it's super short notice, but I really think it would be a good surprise for them. What do you think?"

I stayed quiet for a minute as I thought deeply about what I was going to say. As soon as she mentioned Chazzy's name, I was pretty much already sold. There was no way I could say no, especially if it meant getting to spend more time with Kelsey and his family. And not to mention, she did bail all of us out of jail last night and invite us over for a sleepover. It was the least thing I could do. "Sure Tali, whatever you guys wanna do I'm up for it." She squeals excitedly before hugging onto me tightly. I hug her back and wipe away the stray tear that fell from my eye, seeing a hopeful grin spread across her face. "Oh thank you! Now you go tell Kelsey, I'm gonna go round up the kiddos." Without another word she practically flies across the house to gather up the entire family but to keep the location of our Disney outing a secret. I do as instructed, only to bump into Kels on my way out of the kitchen. "Hey, I was just looking for you." She smiles at me once she looks up from her phone. "Everything okay?" I ask before motioning for her to follow me into the den. "Yeah, I just had to check on my kitty. What's up?" I then explain to her about Talinda's plan to go Disneyland.

Her response? She jumped up and down excitedly, before announcing that she had in fact never been there before, that she only had went to Disney world in Florida, so that this would be her very first time going to the one here at home. Instantly I knew that I was going to have to go out of my way and make this the best day of her life, it was an absolute must. In a matter of what felt like minutes, all ten of us were somehow squeezed into one large van that shuttled us from the Bennington household all the way to Disneyland in Anaheim which was thankfully only an hour and a half long car ride thanks to the unavoidable traffic. Talinda didn't mention to the kids where it was we were going, seeing as the twin's hadn't been before except when they were too young to remember, so she wanted to surprise them. Only the secret was out the minute we had pulled into the parking structures and images of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy were literally everywhere. "Disneyland?! We're going to Disneyland!!!!!" They screamed and cheered happily which brought smiles to everyone's faces as we then parked and attempted to all get out at once, clearly too excited to get a head start on our trip.

Talinda took a hold of the girls and the youngest, Tyler, while the older three had stuck together in the middle, leaving Kelsey and I to bring up the rear. I felt my hands shaking tremendously as we walked through the main entrance, being escorted by our own personal guide. People were obviously starting to recognize all of us and that was the only thing I was truly worried about. I didn't want nosy photographers and reporters trying to take pictures of all of us and then make up some stupid story about it later on because it would only end up hurting the kids in the long run anyways. So of course I kept my guard up the entire time and held onto Kelsey's hand tightly as we navigated through the thick crowds. That was one of the perks about being famous though thankfully, you didn't have to wait in line and deal with people when it came to getting on rides and attractions. "Oh look!! Uncle Mike is holding Auntie Kelsey's hand!!" Lily points out with a giggle as we attempt to get onto the Haunted Mansion ride which in return makes everyone else stare at us. "Shh, leave them alone Lil, he's protecting her from the monsters." Talinda says in a hushed whisper to try and keep the attention to a minimum but it's clear that everyone had already heard.

No matter if it's dark or light, I can still tell that a blush has crept onto Kelsey's face. I wait until we're situated on our own separate buggy car before I put an arm over her shoulders and proceed to kiss her softly on the lips. "I don't think we're going to be able to keep this a secret much longer." I agree, sighing some. It was pointless even trying to deny that the feelings between her and I weren't there, because everyone and anyone knew it was plain to see. We kiss multiple times, some longer than others, throughout the entire ride. It had been so long, since I had felt an actual sense of wanting, an actual sense of being loved and cared for. Kelsey had only been back into my life for a total of a week now and already things had been moving at an incredibly skyrocketing pace. First we told each other how we felt, second we admitted our love that was always there, and third of all, we went to jail together over my ex wife. If that doesn't describe a fairy tale rock star romance, then I don't know what will. "I love you, Kelsey Desmond." I whisper in her ear once we get off and rejoin the rest of the family. She beams up at me before kissing the side of my face. "I love you too, Michael Shinoda."

"Eww, Uncle Mike kissed Auntie Kelsey like how Daddy kisses Mommy!!" Lily teases once more as she catches me give Kels a swift kiss on the lips which of course results in everyone staring at us as we proceed to walk through the darkened tunnels now to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Both Kelsey and I turn to hide our faces away in embarrassment, which only makes the kids laugh harder. "Lily Bennington, what did I tell you? Stop teasing them!" Talinda warns the tiny girl again, who only grins deviously in response to her. This was going to be one long, exhausting day. Thankfully when we get onto the large boat, Kelsey sits in between the twins and next to Talinda so she has a chance at distracting them from poking fun at us while I sit in the back with the older kids. I'm grateful they don't bring it up the entire time but afterwards Chester's niece, Alyssa, has only one simple thing to ask of me once we make our way to the exit.

She pulls me to the side and I can tell it's something that must be important. "Do you love Kelsey like Chester loves Talinda? Do you really think that she's the one this time? I know you thought that about Anna, but time is running out, Uncle Mike. So if Kelsey really is the only one who you want, don't be afraid to show it. Who cares about what anyone thinks, as long as you know that you're happy. Kiss her in public, hold her hand proudly. Uncle C wouldn't want to see you like this. We all want you to be you again and I honestly believe that Kelsey is the only one who can bring you back. Don't lose her, she's your only hope." Her words strike a chord and I'm brought to tears as I bug onto her tight.

It doesn't take long for everyone to realize that we had disappeared from the group and soon we're joined in by Kelsey, Tali, and the rest of the kids. "Everything okay you guys? We got worried." Alyssa flashes me a knowing wink and insisted that everything was fine so I can sneak a minute in alone with Kelsey. We're standing just outside the magic castle now and the sun is.shining perfectly on her beautiful face. "I love you, so much. I don't want to hide anything about my feelings for you from anyone. I want to show you off to.the world Kels. I don't care about anything or anyone else. I just care about you." And cue to the very cheesy yet romantic kiss in front of Mickey and Minnie with the woman who I wanted to.share the rest of my life with.