A New Beginning
(Revised Version)
by Leslie

After lying his baby girl down in her crib, Isaac sat himself down in a chair next to the bedroom window, burying his face in his hands.
He felt the tears swell up and stream down his cheeks and onto his fingers.
After a few minutes of finally letting his emotions take over, Isaac straightened himself up… just in time to see his wife walk through the door.
"Ike? Honey, are you ok?"
He stood up, and just as she came close enough, threw his arms around her and held her body close to his own.
"Kellie. I missed you so much, baby."
He was still crying a little, but as soon as she was in his arms again, his tears stopped, only leaving wet streaks from where they had fallen.
"Oh, sweetie… I'm so sorry. But that's why I came home early."
He pulled away, his arms still wrapped around her.
"What?"
She laughed, tossing her purse onto the bed as soon as they stepped into their master bedroom.
"I got fired." She said with a grin.
Isaac glanced at his wife with a confused look.
"And how is that a good thing?"
Kellie laughed again.
"Because my boss was an asshole, ok. And I finally just got sick of him being a completely disrespectful jerk and told him to either show me some respect or I won't be working for him anymore…and he fired me before I had a chance to quit."
He nodded.
"And?"
She smiled.
"And I have the same job, different office and a different boss. I asked him if he was flexible as far as times scheduling goes because I have a family to look after."
"And what did he say?"
She grinned at him.
"He said that would be fine just as long as I was on time. So coming home late won't be a problem anymore."
They hugged again.
"Did you want me kick his ass?"
They both laughed.
"Yeah, sure." She said with a grin.
Isaac glanced at her with a suspicious look.
"What's the catch?"
She giggled and turned to leave the room.
"You get to pay the lawyer."
Isaac laughed and followed his wife down the hallway.

"Morning, sunshine."
Zac smiled, but didn't open his eyes.
"Hi, baby."
Hailey smiled, replying with a soft kiss on his lips.
"Mm. You do know that Ike, Taylor and I have to go over some things before we can release this next album, right?"
She nodded.
Zac had thought about releasing an album of his own under 3CG, but decided that he couldn't do it without his brothers. They weren't just family, they were a band too, and if even one of them was missing, Hanson would be non-existent.
Running his fingers through Hailey's long, light brown hair, Zac smiled, pulling her close to him again.
"Yeah, I know. So, go do whatever it is you need to do and..."
He interrupted.
"And I want you to come with me… please?"
She nodded.
"Ok."
He smiled, kissing her back; but after only a few seconds, she pulled away.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Hailey shook her head, but still sat beside him, staring out the window. Zac could tell something wasn't right.
"Damn it."
"Hailey…what's the matter?"
She sat up next to him, but still didn't take her eyes off the wall.
"I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle this on my own."
Now Zac was confused.
"Handle what? Hailey is there… something you want to talk to me about?"
She shook her head.
"No. Nothing, never mind."
Wiping a tear from her eye, Hailey stood up and left the room.
Zac threw the covers off and swung his legs over the edge of the mattress.
"Hailey!"
Throwing a pair of sweats on, he followed his wife downstairs to the laundry room, piled with dark clothes that he watched her toss into the washing machine.
"I'm fine, Zac. Just go do whatever it is you need to do."
Walking up behind her, Zac gently slides his arms around her body.
"Sweetie, talk to me. That's what I'm here for."
Hailey wanted to tell him what she had been going through, but she didn't want to bother him with it.
"I can't."
"Hailey! Please… is this about us?"
She laughed and turned to face him, caressing his cheek with the back of her hand.
"No. This isn't about us… it's about me and… my sister."
Zac looked puzzled.
"Alleeya? What about her?"
Hailey took in a deep breathe before telling him about her sister's situation.
"She's pregnant, Zac."
He was left speechless for a minute.
"What?"
She nodded.
"Yeah… and, damn her, she has no idea who this baby's dad is."
Trying to calm herself, Hailey slowly let out another breath.
"Does she even know the names of who it could be?"
"I don't know… she wouldn't tell me."
She couldn't take it anymore, letting the tears stream down her cheeks, Hailey buried her face in his shirt.
"Oh, my God."
"I didn't find out until last week."
Zac kept his arms around her, gently running his fingers through her blonde-streaked hair.
"How far along is she?"
"She's due next week. I promised her I'd go with her to the last ultra sound appointment today."
Zac sighed.
"Ok. Is she having a boy or a girl?"

Hailey finally smiled. The thought of being an aunt made her happy, but at the same time, she felt bad for Alleeya.
"It's a girl. Angela-Marie Rose."
He nodded.
"Hmm. Is she named after anybody?"
Hailey pulled away, wiping her tears for the last time.
"Well, Angela I think she just liked the name, Marie is her middle name and Rose is her mom's middle name… so she's named after at least two people in this family."
"It'll be ok."
She kissed him again before turning to leave the room.
"Thanks, baby."
He smiled.
"You're welcome… Hailey…"
She turned back.
"Yeah?"
"She'd better not try to pin this baby on you."
She smiled.
"Zac, this is my niece. I'll watch her whenever Allee needs me to, but I'm not going to let her pin her on me. She's going to have to learn to become a mother on her own."

Walking out to the mail had become a daily chore for Natalie as soon as she got used to living with her husband three years ago.

Today was no different; but the letters were.

Addressed to:
Jordan Taylor Hanson
31500 Northeast Drive
Brooklyn, New York 91260

The return address looked suspicious to her, so letting her curiosity get the best of her, Natalie opened the envelope… only to find out what Hailey's sister was really up to.

Dear Taylor,

My love. I miss you. Remember how much fun we had that night at Michelle's party? I couldn't have had a better time. You know you had fun, too, Taylor… without your wife following you around the entire time. See? I told you it would be a good idea to take a break from her. She can take care of your kids. You told me that you were happy with your wife… if you were, then why did you come to me that night at the club? I’ll be here if you need to talk.

Walking inside, his arm around her, Taylor disappeared down the hall to check on his 3-year-old son and 9-month-old daughter who were peacefully sleeping in their room.
"Are they still asleep?"
He reappeared in the doorway with Natalia's blanket in hand.
"Yeah. They're asleep… I need to call Hailey."
"I thought she and Alleeya weren't talking. Does she know about this?"
Picking up the phone, Taylor dialed Zac's number.
"Well, if she doesn't already, she'll find out soon enough."

Kellie sighed. She knew he was right, but deep inside, she still felt a little twinge of jealousy.
"Some things just never change, Kell. I'm sorry."
She smiled and kissed him one last time.
"It's ok. I know it's not you're fault, baby… but even if we hadn’t met there, I still would’ve married you anyway."
"You're telling me you would've married me even if I hadn't been a musician?"
She nodded and laughed.
"Sweetie, I would've married you even if you'd been a… bartender… so the fact that you're a musician instead… just makes you even more sexy."
He gave her a suspicious look.
"Really?"
A gentle kiss on his lips was her reply.
"Mm. You know bartending sounds kind of fun, actually."
Kellie laughed.
"Why? Because you know you're going to get all the attention from the pretty ladies dancing on the bar?"
"Hey, did I say anything about it being in Vegas? No."
She grinned.
"You wouldn't do the job unless it was me dancing on the bar, would ya? Huh?"
He says nothing, but laughs along with her.
"I never said that!"
"No, but you were about to." She said with a laugh.

The next day

"Allee!"
Hailey stepped inside of her sister's tiny apartment that was going to have to fit her and little Angela soon.
"Alleeya!"
Her sister appeared in the hallway, glaring at her with cold eyes.
"Finally, Hailey. What took you so damn long?"
She stared at the ground before glaring back at Allee.
"I have a life, too, Alleeya. And you know what, you're damn lucky I'm even here right now after what you pulled on Taylor."
Alleeya glanced up and smirked.
"Oh, please. How do you know this isn't his kid? He could be fooling around on her… he's not that perfect."
"Well, then you obviously don't know him as well as you think. He loves Natalie, Al. He would never do anything to hurt her…"
"Yeah, sure."
"Plus, I know he's not so stupid as to sleep with someone who lost her virginity and contracted syphilis form a 33-year-old guy both at the age of 12!"
Allee scoffed and headed out to the car, with Hailey not far behind.
"Yeah, whatever… and he wasn't 33, damn it. He was 19. Come on. Let's just get this over with."
Hailey sighed and followed her sister out to the car, locking the apartment door behind her.
"Fine."
She wasn't sure if there was anything she could do for Allee anymore. Maybe Zac was right.

"Daddy."
Taylor smiled at his little girl, watching her crawl toward him from the other side of the room.
"She's been working on trying to stand while she's here. Does she have any siblings, Mr. Hanson?"
He nodded.
"Yeah. She has one older brother, Ezra. He's three."
Maya nodded.
"Oh, that's right. You told me before…"
She paused before staring back at him, still crouched near the floor, this time with Natalia in his arms.
"Hi, sweetie. Did you miss me?"
She giggled and reached for his chokers.
"Oh, no, no, baby… you can't chew on those, silly. They'll make you sick."
"Oh, my God. You're Taylor Hanson!"
Oh, great. Here we go again. It's been three years and all people still know me as is "Taylor Hanson".
"Mm-hmm. And we have to get home to my wife and son… so I'll see you next week."
Maya was still in shock, but kept waving and screaming.
"Oh, I hope so Tay... I mean Mr. Hanson! Bye!"
Poor Natalia! She looked up at her Daddy with wondering eyes, and smiled, as if to say, "What was that all about?"
Taylor just laughed and softly kissed the top of her head before gently sitting her down in the baby pink car seat in the back of his car.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
He laughed again, watching through the rearview mirror, as his daughter continued squirm and giggle in the backseat.
"Natty, what are you doing? Huh? Are you being goofy?"
Her crystal blue eyes lit up as she watched her Daddy from her car seat.
Taylor reached back to tickle her tiny foot, making her laugh even more, reaching for his hand.
The stoplight changed to yellow… then green and Taylor pulled his hand away.
"Ok, baby. I need my hand back now."
Understanding him, she let go and leaned back again, nibbling on her pacifier as she stared out the window at the buildings and trees slowly drifting by.
"Da da, da da…"
Taylor continued laughing.
"You're so cute… just like you're mother."

Staring out the window from the kitchen, Natalie finally saw the blue car pull into the driveway.
Rushing out the front door, she came face to face with her husband and little girl, who continued reaching her tiny arms out towards her.
"Hi, baby! Did you have fun?"
Natty giggled.
Taylor shook his head and smiled, leaving a soft kiss on his wife's cheek.
"Apparently we did."
Natalie gave him a sympathetic look.
"It doesn't look like Daddy had the best time."
Walking into the house and shutting the door behind him, Taylor plunked down on the sofa beside his family.
"Well, that depends on what you call running into an over-obsessed fan that keeps on eye on your child for the majority of the day."
Leaning her head on his shoulder, Natalie sighed.
"Oh. I'm sorry, hon."
Sliding his arm around her, Taylor softly kissed her hair.
"It's ok. I was half-expecting it anyway."
"Daddy?"
Taylor glanced up just in time to see his 3-year-old son running toward him.
"Hey, buddy! Were you being good for Mom while I was gone?"
Ezra smiled.
"He was ok."
"I didn't do anything. Can I hold sister?"
Natalie smiled at her son.
"I guess so. You have to sit on Dad's lap though, sweetie."
Ezra did his best to climb up onto the sofa next to Taylor.
"Come here, you."
Holding his arms out, Ezra smiled as Natalie gently lay his baby sister down in his arms.
"Hold her head up… there you go."
Little Natty smiled, reaching up towards her big brother.
"She's trying to put her finger up my nose!"
Taylor laughed.
"Well, don't let her, silly!"
Natalie just laughed, watching her son and husband cuddle with little Natalia.

"Hey, sweetie."
Kellie smiled, pulling off to the side of the road before continuing her conversation.
"Mommy!"
"Hi! Hey, can you go find Daddy for me, please?"
She heard little Davie giggle.
"Ok!"
There was a moment of silence on both ends before she heard Isaac's gentle voice through the receiver.
"Hey, babe."
"Hi. I have a question."
He laughed.
"Fire away."
"Are you guys planning to release the new album this year or in 2030?"
"Aww, honey, not you, too!"
Kellie laughed.
"Well, you know, I'm just asking. You're fans aren't the only ones anxious for new music here."
"It's coming out next spring… for sure."
Kellie nodded.
"Ok. Just checking."
"I can't believe you don't trust me!"
"I never said I didn't trust you, Isaac! Your fans are the ones you should be worried about having a trust issue with, not me."
"Why are we having this conversation? Shouldn't you be at work right now?"
Kellie laughed again.
"Where do you think I'm going? Brooklyn to see Tay, Nat and the kids?"
Now Ike laughed, too.
"Well, it is close, since we live in New York, but no."
She smiled.
"Ok. Well, I have to go, so I'll talk to you later."
Isaac nodded.
"Ok. I love you, Kell."
"I love you, too, Ike."
"Bye."
"See ya."

2 weeks later

"Taylor?"
He turned around to face his wife with a smile.
"Yeah? Who was that on the phone?"
Natalie wasn't sure how else to say what she had to.
"Hailey. Alleeya had the baby… and I guess she got a blood test done."
He nodded and stepped closer to her.
"And?"
"She belongs to some guy named Angelo."
"I guess now we know she named her Angela-Marie."
She nodded back, wrapping her arms around his body as he did the same.
"I guess so."
Taylor sighed, holding his wife close.
"You know, I always knew Allee was jealous, but I never thought she'd go so far as to accuse me of getting her pregnant. I mean for God sakes, the girl knows we're married!"
Natalie glanced down at the floor, but didn't loosen her grip on Taylor.
"Really? I half-expected she would… I just wasn't prepared for it to happen when it did."
He smiled again and kissed her hair.
"Hmm. So which guy is Angelo, again?"
"Some creep in his mid-twenties that she met at bar or something."
"Does he know he's a dad?"
Natalie buried her face into Taylor's stark white shirt, inhaling his scent of cologne and black coffee.
"Mm. Somebody was up early… but yeah he knows."
He laughed to himself.
"Yeah. I couldn't go back to sleep. What does he want to do?"
"He wants absolutely nothing to do with Allee or their daughter."
Taylor shook his head.
"When the hell are teenagers going to figure out that if it takes two to make a baby, it takes two to raise one?"
She sighed.
"I don't know, babe. I don't know."
"I mean, why not? We did."
She glanced up at him.
"Yeah, and we were a lot more mature than teens are now… even most of the people that were the same age as we were then."
He laughed.
"Now who sounds like they're 50? 'Cause it's not me!"
She laughed to herself, her arms still wrapped around him.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, ok… you know what?"
Taylor sighed.
"What?"
"I kind of miss having a baby around the house."
"That's because you've gotten so used to it… but I do, too, sometimes."
She nodded.
"Yeah. I'm mean, look at Natalia. She's almost a year old now, Ezra's three, almost four…"
She grinned and kissed his lips, her fingers slowly unbuttoning his white shirt.
"What do you say… we make it an uneven three?"
He smiled back, but glanced around.
"Now?"
Now she was gently stroking his chest with her hands.
"No one's home besides us… and you don't have to be at the studio for another… four hours. Natty and Ezra are at daycare… and Ike's not supposed to be here until six o'clock."
Taylor thought for a moment.
"Hmm. What do I say? What do I say? Well, what do you say?"
"Mm. You're supposed to say "yes."
Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, Natalie pulled him into the den downstairs, both of them laughing, slamming the door behind them.

"Kellie!"
She glanced up from the developing pictures in the tray.
"Hey, Jack. I just thought I'd get here early so I could finish these."
He stood behind her, glancing over her shoulder at the pictures of her family.
"Oh, wow. Kell, these are great shots! Who are they of?"
Pointing to each, Kellie smiled.
"That's my husband, Isaac. He's…"
"A musician, right?"
"Yeah. And there's my niece and nephew, they're Ike's brother's kids. And then… there's our Davie and Madeline. And then on the left there is Ike's younger brother, Zac. I think you've met Isaac and Taylor before, right?"
Shawn thought for a moment.
"Oh, you know what, I think I have. Natalie is Taylor's wife, right? They got married and had their first child really young?"
She nodded.
"Right."
Jack and Kellie were long-time neighbors as well as good friends. He still lived in Boston, where they had grown up together.
"How old were you when you and Ike got married?"
She gave him a strange look.
"Twenty-two… and he was a year older. Why?"
"Just curious. Taylor and Natalie were… 19 and 18 when they married, right?"
"Yeah…"
She paused.
"Jack, I should really get to work."
He nodded.
"Oh, yeah, sure."
She smiled back.
"Ok. Thanks."
Before she could get back to what she'd been doing, Jack interrupted again.
"Do you remember when we used to go out? I do. I think you told me that I was your first love. And that night..."
Now she couldn't stand it anymore.
"Didn't you say there was a couple coming in today about their wedding photos or something?"
He nodded again and finally left Kellie alone to finish her pictures.
Oh, man! I don't want to deal with this again! I need to get outta here!
After a few minutes, Kellie's cell phone vibrated in her pocket.
"Hello?"
She was relieved to hear Ike's voice on the other end.
"Hey. It's just me."
She sighed with a smile.
"Oh, good. I was hoping it was you, actually."
He could hear the irritation in her voice as she spoke. He knew something wasn't right.
"Hey. You sound upset, babe. What's wrong?"
Kellie immediately changed the subject.
"Where are you?"
"At the studio with Zac and the kids. Why?"
"I think I'm gonna close up here really quick and meet you guys over there."
Before Isaac could get another word out, he heard the phone click… then a dial tone.

"What was that all about?"
Ike shook his head.
"I don't know. She sounded pissed."
"Ike, Kellie doesn't get pissed. You know that better than any of us."
He nodded.
"You're right. She doesn't just get pissed, she gets cranky."
Zac laughed.
"Ok. You haven't seen cranky until you've seen Hailey deal with her sister."
Leaning back against the sofa, softly strumming his guitar, Isaac glanced at his brother with a confused look.
"Yeah… didn't her sister have a baby here not too long ago? Claiming that it was Taylor's kid?"
Zac squinted at the thought.
"Uhh, yeah. I don't need any more reminders, please. Hailey's been stressed out about that for the last two weeks."

1 Month Later

Allee hid herself behind the dumpster, the only barrier that stood between her and Taylor at the moment.
He, Isaac and Zac were getting ready to do another show, this one in New York starting off another world tour following the last one they had done in 2004.
She watched quietly from her spot on the cold cement and listened in on his conversation, trying to figure out whom it was he was talking to.
"Hi, hon... yeah, I'm standing outside the theatre right now."
Oh great. She thought. It's his wife.
"Yeah, it's a little chilly, but not too bad. Are you three keeping warm until I come home?"
She heard him laugh. Taylor always laughed when he chatted to people on the phone, especially with Natalie. He loved her and Allee knew it, but she couldn't have cared less.
"Hi, Ez! Are you being good for Mom?"
She heard him laugh again.
"What is he doing up?"
Then as he turned the volume on his cell phone up, she could hear Natalie's voice on the other end of the line.
"Tay, relax. It's not even 8:00 yet."
He glanced at his watch, the gold reflecting the glare from the street light overhead.
"Oh, I guess so."
She heard Natalie laugh this time.
"Are you guys almost done with the sound check?"
He leaned up against the icy brick wall, glancing around before heading to his car, making sure he wasn't being followed.
"Yeah, we've been done for about twenty minutes or so. I just thought I'd stay and make sure everything was locked up before I left."
They were both quiet, as Allee cowered back behind the dumpster, with nothing but the clothes on her back: a pair of worn jeans, a white tee shirt and thinning jacket.
She had run away from home and left Angela-Marie in the care of her father and grandmother.
She hadn't wanted to have a baby, but her family didn't believe in abortion or adoption, so she'd had no other choice.
"Yeah… yeah. I'm leaving right now. I'll see you when I get home… Yeah. Love you too, babe. Bye."
Allee heard the phone beep and watched as Taylor slipped it into his back pocket before climbing into his range rover and slamming the door.
After waiting a few minutes, she snuck out from behind the dumpster and ran to her car, following Taylor onto a deserted back road.

Before long, Natalie came creeping down the stairs cradling Natalia in her arms.
"Who was that?"
He glanced up from dialing a number.
"Guess."
She could only think of one person… Alleeya.

"Go ahead and go back to bed… I’ll be up in a minute."
Natalie stood at the bottom of the staircase, trying to keep their little girl quiet.
"Why in the hell would Allee do something like this?"
"Because she's a self-centered brat, that's why."

Same evening

"Doesn't the chorus sound a little off to you?"
Isaac turned to face his brother, bouncing little Madeline on his knee.
"Yeah, it does… we can change the chords around and then see how it sounds."
Zac paused for a moment.
"I think we should talk to Tay first… he might have some more ideas."
Ike nodded.
"True. But let's just see what we can do with it now and then when Taylor comes in next time, we can go over it again together."
"That's cool."

Just lay down
And let your worries sleep
Don't think now
the water's dark and deep

CHORUS:
'Cause you know
That I'll love you
And never let go
And you know
That I'll love you forever
I'll love you
And never let go
Yes, I'll love you and never let go…

Rock n’ roll razorblade

Rock n’ Roll slipped away
On a bus to L.A.
He found a band; he had to play
Cause there’s nothing left
In this town…

As Zac ended the song with one last hit on his drums, Isaac leaned down over the front of the stage shaking the hands of a group of girls that had been waiting all night to see their favorite band perform live. Taylor did the same with a group of girls on his side of the stage; but when he reached out to grab another's hand, someone's shirt flew up right in his face. Before long Taylor was back to his spot on the piano bench, ready to start playing again.

This time his son was with Natalie, smiling and waving at his Daddy, but his little girl was backstage with Grandma, hidden from view.

"Alright, well…" Ike began and Taylor finished his sentence.
"This is our last song… I know this is one you guys know, so I want to see everybody up and clapping, come on!"

I see you walkin' out that door
And you know you can hide no more
If I asked you now, I know you
Wouldn't give it up
If I asked you how
You'd give that look to kill

Oh it gives you a chill
But it gives me the thrill to say

CHORUS:
Do you love me?
Do you love me, little pretty, yeah?
Oh, can you tell me?
Can you tell me ?
What's goin' on in the city?
Oh, in the city, yeah…

By the time they ended the song, bowed and ran offstage, the crowd was still screaming.
"I feel so much better, now!"
Ike laughed at Zac's sarcasm before turning to his other brother who was standing in the corner, panting.
"Tay, are you ok?"
He nodded.
"Yeah, I'm just out of breath, that's all."
He glanced up just in time to see Natalie and Ezra walking toward him.
"Hey… you did great."
She smiled and put her arm around him before letting her son run to his Uncle Ike.
"Hey, Ez! Did you have fun?"
Ezra smiled.
"Yeah!"
Taylor laughed before hugging his wife again.
"Thanks, babe… I'm sorry… you weren't supposed to cry!"
Now she was laughing.
"It's ok… Ez and I still had fun… thank you."
He smiled back and kissed her forehead.
"You're welcome… where's Mom and Natty?"
"We're right here, Tay."
Diana approached them, holding her granddaughter against her side.
"Daddy!"
Taylor laughed, taking her in his arms and kissing her cheek.
"Hi, baby."

"Alleeya Marie Parker-Jamison! Get in here now!"
Allee crept out from behind her bedroom door, knowing she was in trouble.
"Yeah?"
Her father glared at her with cold eyes.
"Where the hell have you been? And what is Angel doing with Celina and Angelo?"
She tried to prevent her hands from shaking, but couldn't.
"I... I panicked and ran and… left her where I knew she'd be safe."
He looked shocked and even more upset.
"You thought she'd be safe with someone who didn't even want her from the beginning?!"
"Well, you know what, Dad, I didn't want her either! I wanted to get an abortion when I found out I was only 2 weeks along and you wouldn't let me, damn it! You wouldn't even let me give her up for adoption after she was born so that she could at least be with a family that wanted her!"
He tried to say something, but Allee continued. She was crying now and on her knees, practically begging that Louis let her go do what she needed to.
"I'm 19-years-old, I'm a mother and I don't want to be! I never did! Angela-Marie was an accident, Dad; you know that! Why won't you just let me give her to someone who I know will love her and take care of her like she's their own?"
He shook his head.
"Because you need to learn to take care of your own responsibilities and Angel is one of them! You made the mistake, so now you're going to be the one to deal with it!"
"Damn it, Dad! I'm trying to and you're not letting me! I'm an adult I can do what I want!"
He stood up from his chair and ran to her room.
Grabbing Allee's duffel bag, Louis stuffed all he could into it: socks, jeans, shirts, underclothes, her CDs, cassettes and a blanket.
"Fine! If you want to leave, go! Here's a plane ticket to wherever, go get Angela and get out of my sight!"
Still crying, Allee took the bag and her daughter's things, and then headed out the door.
When she arrived at his house, Angelo was on the porch, cradling little Angel in his arms, waiting for her mother to come pick her up.
As she approached, they made eye contact, but said nothing to each other.
Alleeya knew what she was doing was the right thing: If she didn't want Angela-Marie, then she needed to find someone who did.

"Zac, Zac, wait."
He pulled away after one more kiss, brushing a strand of Hailey's chocolate colored hair out of her eyes.
"What?"
She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder.
"We're going too fast… this is too rushed."
Caressing her cheek with is thumb, Zac smiled back at his wife.
"Ok… we don't have to, Hailey. You know that… I'll just..."
She smirked.
"Get lucky with the dresser?"
They both laughed.
"Yeah… exactly."
She continued laughing, pushing her husband off of his side of the bed.
"Hey! Baby… no!"
Clunk!
"Oww! Jeez! Nice goin', Hailey!"
He sat up, now sitting on the floor, and grabbed Hailey by the waist, tickling her sides as he pulled her down with him.
"Zac, no! Don't!"

The next Evening

"Natty?"
Natalie poked her head around the corner from where she stood in the kitchen.
"Yeah? What do you need?" She shouted back.
It was getting hard to hear over the loud chords of Stevie Wonder's piano and the conversations going on between the costumers just on the other side of the counter.
"Order up!"
"There's someone here to see you!"
"Well, who is it?!"
Natalie made her way out of the kitchen and out to the employee’s dining area where she could hear better.
"Who is it, Jenna?"
Jen shook her head.
"I don't know… some really hot blonde guy… you'd better get in there before I do."
Natalie smiled to herself.
"Ohhh… I know who it is…"
"You do? Who?"
"Yeah! I married him!"
They both burst out laughing.
"Well, get outta here then! Go!"
Throwing her apron and jacket into the dirty laundry, Natalie headed out to the front desk where she knew her husband was waiting.
"Hey, you."
Taylor spun around and saw only the shape of his wife's figure in the shadows.
"Hey… I wondered where you were."
"Working."
She slowly made her way to where he stood by the wall, running her fingers along the shape of his back.
"So how was it?"
"Okay… you had me scared for a minute there."
"Why?"
"Well, Jenna told me there was a hot blonde guy out here waiting for me, so I figured that could only be you."
"Well, I don't know if I'd say hot, but blonde yeah."
Natalie couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah, okay. Did you still want to go out tonight or what?"
Taylor shook his head.
"Hey, whatever you want to do is fine with me. I don't care."
She smiled at him.
"Okay… Let's go."

1 month later

"I just came to see how she was doing."
Alleeya stood on the front porch of the Carter family, waiting to see her little girl.
"Of course. Come in."
She stepped inside and looked around. There was a large patterned carpet that covered the living room floor. China plates sat on the dining room table… and her 2-month-old daughter was asleep in her new crib, dressed in footed pajamas covered in little teddy bears.
Leaning down to softly kiss her cheek, Allee smiled, knowing Angela-Marie was safe now; wanted and loved.
"Bye, Angel. Mommy loves you."

"Hailey?"
Isaac stepped into his brother's over-sized loft apartment; identical to the one he and Kellie shared back in Manhattan.
His sister-in-law, Natalie, peered at him from around the corner.
"Hey, Ike. Hailey and Zac went out for the night, so Tay and I are house sitting until tomorrow afternoon."
Isaac nodded.
"Oh, that's right. He told me about this just last week. I don't know how I could've forgotten!"
Natalie smiled, stepping out from behind the wall, holding now 11 ½ month old Natalia, who was still squirmy because she hadn't had a nap yet.
Isaac smiled back, closing the door behind him before kissing his niece on her forehead.
"God, I can't believe she's going to be a year old."
Natalie stared at the floor.
"Tell me about it. Seems like I had her just yesterday… but she and Ezra might have another brother or sister on the way. Who knows?"
Now he was curious.
"Do they?"
She smiled, but shook her head.
"No… we're waiting a while."
Ike pulled his sister into a hug, smiling.
"So… what about you and Kellie?"
"What... oh, we don't know yet… I mean Madeline's only 8 months old now, so…. I don't know… it's still a maybe. Why?"
She gave him a funny look.
"What do you mean ‘why'? You know."
"Yeah, I guess so. I just hope none of us ends up with as many as Mom did."
She cringed and grabbed her stomach.
"Uhh! Yeah, really! I honestly don't know how in the world your mother could've handled seven of you. I'm having a hard enough time as it is with two!"
"I think that's why they invented condoms, Natalie."
She laughed.
"Hey! You should learn to take your own advice."
"Hey, did I become a father at 18? No. I was 23 when my son was born."
"So I was still a teenager. Big deal. It's not like I left him or Taylor left me to raise Ezra on my own… he's not that kind of person… you should know that better than me."
"Sweetie, relax. I'm not saying he would and I'm not saying he did… I'm just telling you."
She nodded once more before turning to leave the room.
"Ok."
She thought for a moment. She and Taylor had talked about having more children in the future, but after Natalia was born… it just seemed right to wait.
She smiled again before finally heading back into the living room.

The sun was finally setting on the East side of Albany as Zac and Hailey stepped inside the club. Admiral Twin was performing and they'd both been anxious to go for the last few weeks… although she herself was anxious to see her husband perform again.
"Finally… we get to see these guys in concert."
Zac smiled.
"I know. It's been a while since I've seen them, too."
She grinned.
"Ok, well, I've never seen them live, so don't you dare give away any details."
They both laughed.
"Ok, fine… I'll try… but I can't promise you anything."
After a few minutes, music began playing, loud and clear.
The entire crowd broke into a roar and Zac and Hailey applauded and cheered along with them.

After the show, Hailey followed her husband backstage to meet the band.
"Hey, guys! Long time, no see."
One of them, the lead singer, Hailey thought, shook Zac's hand.
"Hey, Zacman! And who's the lucky lady?"
Hailey smiled shyly, but still clung on to Zac's shirt.
"This is my wife, Hailey," Zac said, winking in her direction.
"Hi, nice to meet you."
"You, too. We heard about the wedding, but I honestly wasn't sure if it was another rumor or what…"
"Yeah, you never know these days." Zac told him.

"Mommy!"
Davie ran towards his mother with open arms and a huge smile on his face.
"Hi sweetie!"
Kellie laughed, kneeling down to hug her now 3-year-old son.
"Where's Daddy?"
"You know what, Daddy's at work right now and you, me and sister are going to see him in a few minutes."
Davie's bright green eyes lit up.
"Yay!"
Kellie laughed again.
"Ok. Go get your coat, baby."
She watched as her son disappeared into his room to search for his blue sweatshirt.
Standing up from her spot on the floor, Kellie headed upstairs to wake her daughter; after she had come back down with little Maddie in her arms, the phone rang.
"Hello?"
It was her husband.
"Hi, Kell."
She smiled, holding Madeline, who seemed to enjoy pulling on Mom's shirt, against her hip, while keeping the telephone balanced between her ear and other shoulder.
"Hey. We're just getting ready to go see you."
Isaac sounded surprised.
"Oh. I was just in the middle of shutting down here, but I can meet you and the kids at the park in a few minutes. How about that?"
"That works, too."
She heard Isaac laugh.
"What?"
"Nothing… anyway, I'll see you guys in a few minutes."
She grinned.
"Ok… I love you."
Now it was his turn to smile.
"I love you, too… bye."
"Bye."

"Daddy!"
Madeline smiled, her little arms outstretched towards her father.
"Hey, you! Come here…" Ike placed a sloppy, wet kiss on his daughter's cheek. "I missed you guys."
Kellie smiled and slid her arm around his neck, while holding their son in the other.
"Daddy. Can we go swing?"
Isaac smiled and nodded.
"Sure… but I think Mom wants to go eat first and then we'll come back and swing, ok?"
Davie smiled back.
"Ok!"
"Where do you want to eat?"
Kellie smiled again, this time putting her arm around Isaac's waist.
"I don't care… whatever you guys want, it's fine with me."
He nodded and kissed her forehead.
"Ok."

"Hello?"
Taylor paused for moment before stepping inside the apartment, watching as his wife sat on the floor in front of the television, bouncing Natalia on her knee and Ezra next to her playing with his stuffed bear.
"Hi, baby."
He smiled, setting the grocery bags down on the floor next to the kitchen counter.
"Long line?"
Taylor shook his head.
"Nah. I just went for a drive afterwards… since I didn't have ice cream in the back seat this time."
She smiled.
"Come here and sit with us."
He smiled again, joining the three of them a few feet away from the large TV screen.
"How was your day, baby?"
Natalie sighed, resting her head up against his shoulder.
"Ok… we went to Dairy Queen and bought some ice cream."
Taylor did his best to put on his sad puppy face.
"You went without me? Natalie Anne!"
She laughed and smacked his arm.
"Shut-up, Tay."
"I'm just kidding… how's my baby doing?"
He smiled, placing a kiss on his little girl's forehead.
"Daddy."
Natalie laughed.
"I think somebody missed you."
He smiled back.
"I know you did, kiddo."

Christmas, 2005

"Did you want a cookie, sweetie?"
Ezra nodded.
"Yeah… can Natty have one, too?"
Natalie smiled at her little boy.
"Yes, she can… here."
Ezra smiled back, took the cookie and handed it to his little sister, who had turned a year old just two months before.
"Little bites, Ez."
Natalie turned to see her husband, behind her, leaning up against the wall.
"Looks like somebody's having a good time."
She laughed.
"I guess so… when are Ike and Zac going to be here?"
Taylor smiled, now standing behind his wife; he slid his arms around her body.
"About another 20 minutes or so."
She smiled back and kissed him.
"Oh… I guess that means I should probably go check on the turkey, huh?"
He stepped back.
"No. I'll do it… you'd better keep an eye on these two."
He smiled at his little girl.
"Yeah, you, silly."
Natalia giggled, hiding her face behind her tiny hands.

Their parents had divorced when Kellie was just six, leaving her and 11-month-old Samantha in the total custody of their father, Patrick K. Reynolds. Their mother, Marina-Lynn Tanner, moved to L.A. to become a make-up artist, and being that she was only 17 at the time of Kellie's birth, she chose not to give that information to her fellow artists or the actors and actresses she worked for.

"I came to see you guys… and… to tell you something."
Kellie sat herself down on the large sofa next to Sam.
"What?"
She took a deep breath.
"Mom's back… and… she wants to see you."
Kellie stood up, backing away from her sister.
"What? After she left us, now twenty years later she wants to come back and make up? No! She wasn't there for us, she wasn't there when you turned 18, she wasn't there when Isaac and I got married, and she wasn't there when my kids were born! Why should she care now?!"
Sam didn't know what to say. But she knew Kellie was right. Marina had left without a care in the world and disappeared until now. Now she wanted her girls back, but to them, it just didn't seem fair.
"I know how you feel… and I don't blame you. Mom called me this morning…I don't know how she got my number…unless Dad gave it to her."
"What did she want?"
Sammie paused for moment.
"She..."
"She called to tell us… that we have… a younger brother… and sister."
Kellie's jaw dropped to floor.
"We what… she waited all that time to tell us?"
Sammie shook her head.
"They're not very old, Kell."
"Well, how old are they?"
"They're twins. John is five minutes older. He and Marina just turned 16."
"So they were born when you were…"
"Three."
"Are they Dad's?"
She shook her head.
"No… I guess right after the divorce was final, mom got married again…"
"So who is their father, then?"
Sam looked irritated.
"Oh, you mean who's been our step father for more than half of our lives now?"
Kellie nodded.
"I guess that's what I meant."
"Some guy named Mitchell… Carson."

Kellie stared at the floor and sighed.
"I half-expected that… Where do they live?"
"Actually, I've convinced both of them to move in with me… since Mom doesn't seem to care anymore and she just wants them to be like her… She forced both of them into private schools when they turned four, I guess."
"And decided not to tell us they existed?"
"I guess so."
"Where are they now?"
"Let's go, they're staying at my place. It's just downtown."
Kellie gently reached for her sister's arm.
"Sam, wait… do they know… about me? About Ike… Madeline and Davie?"
She nodded.
"Yeah… I told them, they had a niece and a nephew… and when I told them about you and Ike, Marina… well, let's just say she went a little loopy."
"Hanson fan?"
Samantha laughed.
"Oh, yeah!"
"Oh, God."
Sam laughed.
"Yeah, great isn't it? Married to a famous rock star, one who your little sister just happens to… should we say, adore? Good luck, Kell. You're gonna need it, I think."
"Yeah, yeah. Shut-up, Sam."

"Daddy?"
Natalia peeked through a crack in the door, clinging to her pacifier.
"Oh, hi, baby. Did you wanna come in?"
She looked scared; her bright, blue eyes glistened as if she'd been crying.
All I heard is a tiny, ‘yeah.' Before she smiled and wobbled toward me, her small, blonde curls of a ponytail going every which way as she moved.
"Hi, sweetheart."
Natalia smiled again as I pulled her up into my lap and cover her cute little face with kisses.
"Mmm… I love you, Natty."
"Yeah."
"Yeah!"
My daughter glanced at me again, but this time, she pointed to the door.
"Mommy mad?"
I nodded, kissing her forehead.
"Yeah… Mommy's just a little upset, baby."

"Marina? John?"
Kellie and I slowly entered the house, setting our purses down on mulberry checkered the sofa.
"Hey, Sam. Do you think this will be ok for the dinner tonight?"
Marina brought out short, lavender dress, holding it up for me to see.
Kellie glares in my direction and raises an eyebrow.
"What dinner tonight, Mar?"
Marina stared at both of us, standing close to the doorframe with her hands on her hips.
"Duh."
"Oh… the dinner at Ike and Kellie's. Yeah. We're going."
"So I'll get to meet your hottie of a husband?"
"Marina Lanaé!"

Kellie laughed before burying her beet-red face in her hands.
"Sorry… I was just… curious."
"No, it's ok… and yes, you'll get to meet him… and your niece and nephew, too."
"Kellie!"
My sister turned to face me from where she sat on the couch.
"What?"
"Well… it was just a question. It doesn't mean she absolutely has to answer… besides… she's my big sister too, ya' know."
"Yeah… well… plus I can't blame you… I mean… he is hot, you're right."

Samantha looked as if she was about ready to lose it.
"OK! ENOUGH, MARINA! You've had your say. Now why don't you go pack your stuff and we'll go in a few minutes, ok?"
Marina finally disappeared into her bedroom, leaving Sam and I to plan for the night.
"Sam, don't get so upset. It's ok."
Her jaw almost dropped to the floor.
"Oh, so you're just gonna let our little sister harass you about your love life?"
I couldn't help but laugh at her now. Sam's always been the one who gets upset too easily.
"Ok, For one, she's not harassing me, two, she deserves to know and three…it's my choice weather to tell her or not, ok? You're my little sister, too."
She nodded, but still looked ticked off at me.
"Yes, but I don't need someone to watch my every move to keep me out of trouble."

Marina came out of her room, dragging a rolling suitcase behind her with our only brother, John, following.

"Kellie, right?"
He glanced at me from across the room.
"You… married Isaac Hanson?"
"Yeah… why? You're a Hanson fan, too?"
He shook his head.
"No… I just know who they are… or were, I guess."
I nodded and smiled at my brother.
"Are."
Marina gasped, looking up from fixing her dress.
"ARE? You mean they're back on tour with another CD?"
"No, I mean they're about ready to release another album."
"OOHH, When? When?"
"Next month… with a tour starting in May to follow."
"COOL!!"

Kellie stared at the hard wood floor under her feet, running her fingers through her long, dirty blonde hair.
"John, can you go take these out to the car for me, sweetie?"
"Yeah, sure."
I watched as our brother left the room, followed closely by Marina, as they headed out to the car.
"Hey… what's wrong?"
"Nothing… I'm fine, Sammie, really."
My sister pulled away from me, resting her head on a pillow sitting next to her on the sofa.
"Kellie… talk to me here… I'm your sister."
She nodded.
"Mm-hmm… You are… and I'm twenty-five-years-old. Ike and I have had the perfect life together… I mean, we have Davie and Maddie and… now I have two more siblings… and if they go on tour again… I don't know if I'm gonna be able to handle it this time."
"Handle what this time, Kell?"
"Being stuck in that damn bus… for days at a time… stopping for one or two days to play at a venue and then we're back on the road again… and when we're on the road, it's almost like he becomes a different person… and not the person I fell in love with either."

"Hi."
Taylor glanced up from his spot on the bed.
"Hey… she came in last night and fell asleep. I didn't want to wake her."
Natalie shook her head.
"It's ok… we need to talk."
He swallowed hard.
"I know."
Natalia is still sound asleep, curled up on the pillow next to her daddy.
"Aww… my little baby girl."
"She looks just like you."
Taylor smiles, still watching his daughter sleeping peacefully.
"I know… I'm sorry about this whole thing… I wasn't sure what else to do… I mean, you know, you have classes at NYU for another semester, Ike, Zac and I have another record coming out… and I think this is just the best place for all of us to be right now… but I'm definitely not against going home… any time."
Natalie smiles and slides her arms around his neck.
"Thank you… so much, Taylor."
He smiles, kissing her bare shoulder.
"You're welcome."

That afternoon, Isaac and Kellie's apartment

"Hello!"
Hailey and Zac stood on the front steps.
"Hey! Come on in guys."
Greeting each other with handshakes and hugs, Ike and Kellie welcomed their families inside.
"Ok… um… guys… I want you to meet my brother and sister… Marina, John this is my husband, Isaac, our son, Davie…"
Smiling, Kellie made her way over to where Ike stood, holding their little girl.
"This is our baby girl, Madeline…"
"Is she named after the song?"
Isaac laughed.
"Yes, she is."
"These are my brothers-in-law, Taylor and Zac."
Taylor smiled, shaking Marina's hand first, then John's, before Zac did the same.
"Nice to meet you."
"This is my sister-in-law, Natalie…"
Marina smiled, trying not to look embarrassed.
"Hi."
"My niece and nephew, Natalia and Ezra."
Ezra grinned.
"Hi!"
Natalie couldn't help but laugh.
"He always likes to meet new people."
Kellie continued.
"And my sister-in-law, Hailey."
Hailey smiled shyly, still clinging to Zac's arm.
"Marina, right? And John?"
Marina nodded.
"It's Mari, actually."
John put out his hand.
"Nice to meet you… Hailey?"
"Yeah..."

"I told you we should've stuck with sparkling cider."
Isaac glanced around the corner into the dining room, watching as Taylor struggled to keep his balance.
"Kell, it was just one glass. What's the big deal?"
Now she was really irritated.
"Isaac! Your brother is so drunk he can hardly stand up!"
He laughed, glancing at his brother who was laughing non-stop.
"Ok, ok. I'll go get the apple cider."
Kellie smiled, kissing Ike's cheek before he headed into the next room.
"Thank you."

Hailey sat next to her husband on the couch, leaning her head up against a pillow.
"Hey… what's wrong, babe?"
Zac took his wife's hand in his own.
"I'm worried about her, Zac."
"Who?"
"Allee."
He didn't understand. It had been months since Alleeya had even called to let her sister know about Angela-Marie.
"Why? She still hasn't called?"
Hailey shook her head.
"No… she did call… Dad kicked her out when she told him that Angel was being put up for adoption and she never told me where she was going."
The doorbell rang with a loud shrill.
"I'll get it."

"Marina, what are you doing?"
Samantha had been watching her sister, who now seemed to be spying on Kellie.
"Just… listening in."
"Get out of there! They deserve at least some privacy before every person on the planet starts taking snap shots of them again."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah…"
Marina stayed in her spot by their bedroom door, which just happened to be right behind the living room sofa.
"Do you think John and the girls could stay with us for a few days?"
She heard her sister's voice coming from the other side of the door, and Ike's as well.
"Sure… whatever you want to do is fine with me… there's room."
She heard Kellie let out a deep breath… then the sound of soft kissing coming from behind the doors.
"Uuuhh… do they always make out when you're around, Sam?
Samantha raised an eyebrow… hoping she wouldn't have to explain anything.
"Um… well… when they're alone in their bedroom… yeah… they're a married couple Marina, what did you expect?"
"I don't know… a little courtesy towards their guests maybe?"
"We're also family, Mar. I don't think family counts as "guests" because we're always welcome whenever she and Ike have time."
Marina rolled her eyes.
"Ok… what about the kids then? I mean, Davie might only be three, but he can walk. What happens when he walks in on them messing around?"
"Well, he hasn't and I don't think they'd be dumb enough to let that happen and you need to mind your own business."
"Don't tell me what to do, Sam! You're not our mother!"
"Thank God for that! Look… she has NEVER been there for Kellie or me! And even if she had been I don't think it would've made one bit of difference because she's not a very good person anyway!"
Samantha headed for the front door, closing it behind her as she left the apartment building.
Marina continued to eavesdrop.
"What was that?"
Ike sounded worried now.
"I don't know… stay here… I'll go see."
Marina darted from her spot behind the sofa and sat herself down in the closest chair.
"Marina, what was that?"
"Sam's mad at me… she just left."
"What happened?"
Kellie followed her husband out into the living room.
"Was it about Mom?"
Marina nodded.
"Marina! You know better than to talk about our parents with her!"
Marina couldn't understand why Kellie was siding with their sister when she'd been the one that spent the last thirteen years putting up with her.
"Well, don't get mad at me! At least you had somewhere to go when things got bad with Mom! John and I were stuck… in and out of foster care for twelve years, Kellie! You have no idea what that's like!"
Isaac was shocked, too. He glanced at Kellie, then back to her sister.
"What? She didn't know you and John were in foster care all this time…"
"Had I known, I would've done something about it, Mar… I'm sorry."
Quickly brushing her tears away, Marina grabbed her duffel bag and headed upstairs to the guest room.
"Don't be… It's not your fault our mother was ashamed of us."

"Allee."
Hailey stood next to her husband in shock as she stared at the young woman standing before her.
"Come on in… where's Angel?"
Alleeya stepped into the loft apartment, sitting down next to her sister on the sofa.
"Angel's with her family, now. The Carter family… they have three other kids of their own, the youngest son is two, their middle son is eight, and the oldest daughter is 11."
Ike smiled.
"Well… she has siblings she can look up to and parents that love her."
"Thank God."
Hailey put a hand on her sister's shoulder.
"You did the right thing, Al."
Allee stared at the floor.
"Yeah… maybe… now I'm not so sure."
"Did Dad tell you why he made you leave?"
Alleeya shook her head, still crying and wiping the tears from her face.
"No… he just told me to go get Angel and never come back, pretty much... I want my daughter back."
Zac sat down next to Hailey.
"Well... unless that family is abusing her, there's no way you'd get her back, Allee, you know that."
"I'll call the Adoption Agency and see what we can do... legally."
Hailey followed her husband into the other room.
"Zac, there's nothing we can do... Allee's on her own now."
"So, what? You're just going to leave your sister alone in this?"
"No! I'm saying I don't think the adoption agency will let the biological parent that gave a child up take that child back from the family they've already been placed with."
He thought for only a moment, and dialed the number.
"I'm calling anyway... we have to at least try."
"Ok, I don't understand this; first you hate her, now you want to help her get Angel back? What is up with you?!"

"Morning."
Marina sat up in bed, staring at her sister.
"Hi... what are you... doing in here?"
"Ike made breakfast. I thought you might be hungry."
Kellie glanced over to the next bed where John was still sleeping.
"He didn't get home until late last night... was out with his girlfriend, Helene or whatever her name is."
"Helene? That's a pretty name."
Marina rolled her eyes, but Kellie just laughed.
"Yeah... but don't you dare name any more kids you guys have after her, you hear me?"
"Marina... number 1, I don't even know if Ike and I are going to have any more kids, number 2, John cares about her whether you like it or not, and number 3, sweetie, it's none of your business."
"Yeah, whatever."
Kellie stood up and headed downstairs.
"Ok... well... if your hungry I think breakfast is on the table, so come down when you're ready."
Marina nodded.
"Ok... thanks."

"How's the chef doing this morning?"
Isaac smiled as Kellie slid her arms around his body from behind him.

"Fine... and I'm making myself hungry."
She laughed.
"I figured... Marina might not come down, John's still asleep and Davie and Maddie are up already."
"Oh, I know. Those two have been up since seven this morning."
Kellie turned to face her little girl who was now sitting in a highchair at the table next to her brother.
"You were, huh?"
Madeline giggled.
"I'll take that as a "yes, Mommy! I was up at seven!"
Ike laughed.
"Kell, what do you want? There's eggs, bacon, pancakes…?"
"Um... just eggs and pancakes sound good right now."
"You sure? No potatoes with ketchup?"
Kellie smiled and shook her head.
"Nah... Maddie likes them, too."
"Yeah!"
"Yeah, I know you do, baby."
Davie wasn't a huge fan of berries.
"I don't like strawberries."
"I know you don't, kiddo... you're getting pancakes with blueberries today."
"Yummy!"
Kellie laughed and sat down at the table next to Madeline.
"Hi, sweetie."
"Mama."
Ike sat down between his girls.
"Ok... dig in, guys... I am done being cook for the day."
Kellie placed a kiss on her husband's cheek.
"Thanks for breakfast."
"You're welcome."

"Yes... Alleeya Parker-Jamison... yes... my daughter's name is Angela Hernandez; she was placed with the Carter family 4 months ago."
Allee stood by the front door, ready to run for the car if she was able to get her little girl back.
"Yes, I can. When will I be able to... oh... now? Yes! Thank you so much! I'll be right over."
Alleeya hung up the phone and raced out to the car.
She had her baby girl now... she and Angela were going to be a family... even if it meant demanding child support from her much hated ex.

"Hi, sweetie!"
Angela-Marie fussed a little when Mrs. Carter handed her over to her mother, but quieted down, as if she knew she was safe again.
"Mommy loves you so much!"
"She likes her little bear here."
Mrs. Carter handed Allee her daughter's brown bear she had been given for Christmas.
"Thank you so much. I know this must be hard."
"Yes, but we're just happy to see the child with her real mother again... bye, sweetheart."
The lady kissed Angie's forehead and closed the behind her.

"Zac?"
"Yeah?"
"Where are you?"
"Hailey!"
"Zac! Help me!"
"Hailey! Where are you?"
The room was completely black... Hailey was lost in the darkness, searching for him.
"Hailey?"
"Zac! Where are you?"
"Follow my voice, baby."
She did just that... leading her straight to him... she couldn't see a thing in the blackness, but felt his lips kiss her hand.
"I can't see you... Zac?"
"I'm here, babe."
Then he disappeared again.
"Zac? Zac! Zac, help me!"
She felt someone grab her arms, dragging her backwards, slamming her to the floor.
"Zac!!! Please, help me!"

"Zac! Help me, please!"
"Hailey. Hailey! Wake up!"
Zac shook her, not very hard, but hard enough to wake her up.
"Hailey, you're dreaming! Wake up!"
Hailey sat up, the sweat running down her body.
"Zac?"
"Yeah, baby, it's me... it's ok."
Hailey rested her head against Zac's shoulder, taking in deep, long breaths.
"I was trapped... they dragged me away from... you."
"I know babe, I know... It's ok... we can talk about it later."
"Okay..."

4 months later

Taylor and Natalie sat arm in arm in the doctor's clinic, waiting for their turn.
"Are you sure it was positive?"
Natalie glared at her husband.
"Of course I know it was positive, Taylor! How the hell do you think I found out we were going to have Ezra?"
"Ok, ok, just calm down, honey."
Her hands were shaking and her palms were sweaty.
"I can't calm down! Not until I find out if we're having a baby or not!"
"Ok, just take a deep breath, all right. We're gonna be fine."
"Natalie?"
A nurse stood at the door leading back to separate rooms.
"Well... that's us."
She took his hand as they headed back to see the doctor.

"What were the symptoms and when did they start?"
She was still holding Taylor's hand.
"About 5 weeks ago... typical nausea, morning sickness... um... food cravings."
"She also took a pregnancy test here not too long ago." Taylor added.
"And what were the results?"
"It was positive."
"Ok... we'll have you take another one, just to confirm and schedule your next appointment."
She nodded with a smile as the doctor left the room.
"Ok."
He smiled, kissing her hands and holding her close.
"Are you scared?"
Taylor nodded.
"A little... but this kind of thing is always scary no matter how many times you go through it."
"You're telling me."
"I worry about you... the baby... things that could go wrong, which thankfully they haven't, so... I think we'll be ok."
"I hope so."

Natalie sat, resting her head on Taylor's shoulder, still waiting in the lobby. They sat for about 25 minutes until the doctor called them in.
"Mr. And Mrs. Hanson?"
Natalie stood up and headed towards the back room, with Taylor following close behind.

"Hey, Kell!"
Isaac put an arm around his wife and daughter, placing a kiss on Kellie's cheek.
"Daddy!"
Ike pulled away, in shock.
"Did she just say what I think she said?"
Kellie glanced at her husband, just as stunned as he was.
"I think... so."
"You just said your first word, baby!"
"Yes, you did!"
"Maddie said her first word!"
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

MORE TO COME…