It was just an ordinary day in the life of Steve Rogers - or at least, as ordinary a day as he was accustomed to these days, now that he and his family were permanent residents in Rhy'Din. That morning, amidst the organized chaos that always accompanied the start of a day in the Rogers' household, he had kissed his wife good-bye and headed off to work at the school they had opened on the grounds of Maple Grove for those children who were gifted with various talents beyond their understanding or ability for control. He knew Lucy was due to give birth to their sixth child - the fourth by birth - but he was only a phone call and a short distance away.

There were contingency plans upon contingency plans, though everyone hoped none of them would be needed. Lucy could be a little difficult in the last month of her pregnancy, however, so it was just as well they had those plans in place. But she was keeping in contact, and as such, Steve knew that his wife had left the twins with her sister and headed into the city to pick up a few groceries while she had the energy and headspace for it. That left him at least mostly free to focus on the children in his classes, which was just as well, really. A loud crunch sounded from by the lockers, the small group parting to show a lad of no more than eight years old staring in horror at the indented handprint he had left in the edge of his locker door.

It was almost like Moses parting the Dead Sea, children moving out of their headmaster's way as he stepped into view, but they did not fear him the way some children feared their elders. Steve's gaze swept the scene, taking it all in, especially that of the small boy who looked as frightened by what he'd done as by what the consequences might be.

"Hey, Ryan," Steve said, lowering himself onto a knee so that he wasn't looming over the boy. "What's going on?"

Ryan hesitated for a moment, clenching his fists before coming up with his answer. "I squeezed too hard, Mr. Steve," he said apologetically. "I'm sorry I broke the locker."

"It's okay, son. Lockers can be replaced," he assured the boy, reaching out to give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "But how did it happen?" he asked, and more importantly, why. Meantime, other teachers were dispersing the crowd of students around them, sending them on to the classrooms.

The little boy looked conflicted, which suggested he didn't want to get anyone else in trouble for something he had done.

A small, familiar hand tugged on Steve's sleeve, drawing his attention to Maria. She smiled, raising her hands to flicker the answer to his question quickly.

"Ron was teasing him and he got angry and he doesn't want Ron to get in trouble because Ron will tease him more."

Steve turned to find little Maria there - Johnny and Liv's adopted daughter who they had rescued some years ago from a remote Hydra base, where she'd been one several children being kept there. He furrowed his brows at what she was telling him. If there was one thing he wouldn't tolerate here or anywhere else, it was bullies.

"Okay, Maria. Thanks for telling me. You can go to class now," he told his niece, smiling reassuringly.

She nodded happily, patting Ryan's arm as she skipped past toward her own classroom. The boy watched her for a moment, looking back to Steve with wide eyes. "What did she say?"

Steve chuckled a little at the question. "I guess we'll have to start teaching you all sign language," he said, which wasn't a bad idea, at least for those who weren't telepathic. "She told me someone was teasing you and you got angry. Is that right?" he asked, not bothering to mention any names. He'd deal with the bully later.

Ryan frowned, looking down at his feet. "I'm sorry I got angry, Mr. Steve," he apologized again. "I won't do it again, I promise. Soft hands, like you told me."

"It's okay to get angry, Ryan," Steve assured the boy. "Everyone gets angry sometimes. But you have to learn to control your anger so you don't hurt anyone. There are always going to be people in the world who think they're better than you are, or who tease other people because it makes them feel better about themselves. More powerful. But you know what? Deep down, they're cowards."

"I don't want to hurt people, Mr. Steve," the boy said quietly, looking up at him. "I will try harder. And ....and maybe if I give you my 'llowance, it'll pay for the locker?"

Steve smiled, giving the boy's shoulder another gentle squeeze. "That won't be necessary, Ryan. You keep your allowance. Tell you what, though' Mr. Zachary is putting together an after school session in self defense. Is that something you might be interested in?"

"But won't I hurt them if I go?" It hardly seemed fair that a boy as gentle-hearted as Ryan should have found himself with a mutation that gave him super strength. Worry was in danger of becoming paranoia.

"Not if you learn how to control your anger and your powers. There's nothing wrong with getting angry, Ryan. It's what you do when you get angry that matters. Zach can help you with that," Steve explained.

"Okay, Mr. Steve." Ryan seemed to brighten up, smiling a little at the reassurance. "I'm late for Mrs. Dani's class. We're doing art today," he added shyly.

"Okay, you run along and have fun," Steve told the boy, reaching over to tousle his hair. "And if you have any more problems, don't be afraid to come to me or to tell one of your teachers. That's what we're here for. Okay?"

"Yes, sir!" Nodding, clearly relieved not to be in trouble or to have given up the name of his bully, Ryan hurried away down the hallway just as the bell rang for the start of class. Within seconds, the hallway was quiet, all sounds of the children settling to their lessons muffled behind doors.

The harder problem for Steve wasn't teaching Ryan how to defend himself without hurting anyone, but teaching Ron not to be a bully. He didn't want to have to kick the kid out of school, but he wouldn't tolerate bullies either. He sighed, contemplating all that while he made his way back to his office.

He encountered Nat in the hallway, apparently escorting one of the smallest of their students to her lesson. The little girl in question was taking each step very carefully, as though making sure her foot would stay on the ground before lifting the other one, holding tightly to Nat's hand as she went.

"Yeah, half a dozen is enough!" Nat laughed cheerfully, shaking her head. "I cannot believe Lucy's had four babies. I'm still on the fence about having one more."

"It is a lot," Steve replied, smiling at last. "You'll know when you're ready," he told her, confident she and Colin would have one more, given time.

"Unlike you two, with your indecisiveness over whether it's time or not to have another one," she teased, glancing at the desk as the phone began to ring.

"Who you calling indecisive?" Steve quipped with a grin. "I'm not indecisive." He glanced at the desk, wondering who'd be calling him there, and reaching to answer the phone. "Rogers here. How can I help you?"

"Steve, it's Libby. Lucy's in labor in the middle of the market and being stubborn about calling you." Thank gods for a midwife who routinely overruled her patients when they were being idiots. "I'm on my way to pick her up and get her to the General. You should get here soon."

"What"!" Steve exclaimed, worry written all over his face. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Thanks!" he said, cutting the call short and hanging up. He'd heard all he needed to hear. "I gotta go," he told Nat. "Lucy's in labor and being stubborn about going to the hospital."

The abrupt change in his energy was all she needed to guess what had happened, but Nat let him get the words out before answering. "I'll let Liv and Johnny know, and we'll work out what's happening with the kids between us," she told him, waving a hand. "Go. She'll kill you if you're late."

"I'm going!" he told her, grabbing his jacket and heading for the door. "I'll call as soon as I know something," he assured her, wasting no time in leaving, knowing he was leaving everything in good hands.

"You'll call when it's over, shoo," she countered, rising from her own seat as she waved him out through the door, laughing at his sudden outpouring of nervous energy.

Though he wasn't able to call up fire to speed him on his way, the super soldier serum enabled him to move at incredible speed, and it was times like this when he took advantage of it. Moving faster on foot than he would by any other means, he arrived at Rhy'Din General in record time, searching the lobby for the information desk.

The girl on the desk looked slightly alarmed by the sight of a large man, only slightly breathless, looking wind-swept and panicked and looming over her. "Um ....can I help you, sir?"

"Yeah, my wife is supposed to be here somewhere ....Lucy Rogers" She's gonna have a baby," Steve explained, knowing he could probably explain himself better, but the normally calm and cool-headed soldier was a bit rattled. He had enough sense to know she was probably in the labor ward, but he couldn't very well just barge in there without checking in. "I mean ....she's in labor!" he quickly corrected himself.

"Well, she'll be on the labor ward then, sir," the girl told him, typing quickly to confirm that. "Yes, here we are - Lucy Rogers, admitted twenty minutes ago. You should probably just go on up. Do you know the way?"

"I know the way!" Steve called back, already halfway to the elevator. "Thanks!"

He punched the button three times, as if that might help the elevator get there faster, before finally deciding to take the stairs, easily beating the elevator to the labor ward. Once there, he realized he'd forgot to ask what room.

"Excuse me," he said, as he approached the nurse's station. "Lucy Rogers" She's my wife."

"Oh, you made it! She's in Delivery Suite 4, Captain Rogers," the nurse told him with a grin. "Seems like your baby wants out as soon as possible."

"Good thing I got here in time then! Thanks!" he said, turning and quickly searching the hall for the room numbers before heading in the right direction. He knocked only once on the door before pushing his way inside. "Luce?" he asked, as if to make sure he hadn't wandered into the wrong room.

"It's about time!" Lying on the bed, legs akimbo, Lucy waved a hand toward her husband. "Get over here!"

At the end of the bed, apparently as calm as ever, Libby was waiting to play catch.

"Yes, ma'am!" Steve replied, moving into place beside Lucy and taking her hand. "I got here as fast as I could," he told her, both of them knowing that was true. The only way he could have gotten there any faster was if he could have teleported there.

"I broke the milk," she whimpered, gripping his hand tightly. It said a fair amount about Lucy that the thing she was most distressed about while giving birth was the fact that she had dropped the milk on the cobbles during that first strong contraction.

"Shh," he said, brushing her hair back from her face, a reassuring and adoring smile on his face. "Don't worry about that now. Just worry about having the baby." Now that he was there, he hoped she would focus her energy on just that and not worry about anything else.

Gritting her teeth, she let her head fall back, pushing as hard as she dared through the contraction that was gripping her body.

"Beautiful, Lucy," Libby encouraged her. "A gentle long push next time, and it'll be almost over."

Steve glanced in Libby's direction a moment, as if he looking for her reassurance as to whether things were going well or not. A simple nod was all he needed.

A simple nod was all he got, but Libby knew he'd be reassured. She had delivered their twins, after all - she knew them well enough not to be too concerned by the focus this couple had on each other during times of stress.

Lucy gasped for breath, tilting her head into Steve's shoulder as she took the opportunity to rest briefly before another contraction hit. "I love you, I'm a bitch, but I love you so much," she muttered, silencing herself abruptly to give Libby that long, gentle push she wanted.

"Adam, maybe," she said softly, settling herself more comfortably in the bed to look over at her husband and son. "I keep coming back to Daniel. What do you think, darling" Any ideas?"

"Joseph was my father's name," he admitted, now that they were alone. "But ....We weren't very close." As a matter of fact, his father had died when Steve was just a boy, and sadly, he hardly remembered the man. "Why Daniel?" he asked, curiously. "Any reason or just like the sound of it?"

"I'm sorry, darling," Lucy apologised. "I wouldn't have suggested it if I'd known that." She reached over, gently touching his knee. "I don't know Daniel keeps coming to me. I don't know anyone called Daniel, but I like the name. And it fits with the others - Martin, James, Daniel."

He reassured her with a smile. Whatever sadness he'd felt at the mention of his father was already gone. It was hard to miss someone you couldn't even remember. "What do you think, little man?" he asked, looking back at the little bundle in his arms. "Are you a Daniel Jonathan?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Are you happy with that, Steve?" Lucy asked, her expression just a little worried. "I'm the one who named Jamie, after all. You should say whether you have another name in mind for your son."

"He's not my son, Luce. He's our son," Steve pointed out, and as far as he was concerned, they'd named Jamie together. "I like it, Luce. It's a good name," he told her, unable to offer any alternatives.

"Daniel Jonathan it is, then," she agreed with a smile. "Does the doting daddy want to wash him up and dress him?" she suggested. "I've been carrying around the hospital bag as my handbag for a week, so we have everything."

"It's the least I can do, after you carried him around for nine months," he said, not to mention giving birth, but from the look on his face, he was just teasing. "What do you say, Danny Boy' Are you ready for your first bath?"

"Oh god," Lucy muttered, realizing she was going to have that sung at her at least twice in the coming days before she made it perfectly clear it was not allowed. She was laughing, though, watching as the newly named Daniel Jonathan Rogers waved a fist in answer to his father's suggestion.

"There you go! Brave boy," Steve remarked with a grin as the baby waved a fist around, though it was unlikely to have anything to do with his father's question. He knew the newborn was probably going to protest at being undressed, but Steve was experienced enough at bathing and diapering and swaddling that it would all be over soon.

As Steve set about making their son presentable, Lucy rummaged for her phone, calling her sister's house phone to pass on the news and find out what was going on there."

There was a cumulative chorus of excited voices on the other end of the phone that Steve could hear, even from across the room. He chuckled at the sound of it, as he rewrapped the little one in a blanket and swept him up onto a shoulder.

"Tell them we'll be home tomorrow," he told Lucy as he rejoined her.

Putting the phone on speaker, Lucy didn't need to relay that for the small cheer to resound happily from the other end.

Jamie turned out to be the loudest, declaring into the receiver at the other end, "You did me a baby brother! Thank you, thank you!"

"His name is Daniel ....Danny for short," Steve told them, laughing a little at Jamie's remark. "Three girls and three boys," he added, mostly to himself. "I'm the luckiest man in the ....well, in the whole multiverse, I guess!" he said, laughing again.

"Uncle Johnny said you runned all the way, Papa," Lianne interjected. "Did your shoes break?"

Lucy grinned over at Steve, enjoying this ridiculous conversation a little too much.

Steve chuckled again. "Yeah, I did, and no, they didn't. But I might need a new pair soon," he admitted.

"Papa can run faster than anyone," Martin interjected. "Isn't that right, Papa?"

Steve smiled. "I don't know about that, but I can run pretty fast. Not as fast as your Uncle Johnny can fly though."

"He got here just in time," Lucy told the children, her grin widening at the sudden peal of giggles. "I had to hold my legs together so he wouldn't miss it!"

Steve winced, unsure he wanted to field the questions that might follow Lucy's remark. "Would you like to see what your new brother looks like?" he asked, instead.

"Yes, please! Does he have a scrunchy nose" Is he all red" Is he pretty?" It was hard to tell who was asking what question, especially when you added the burbles from Sarah and Natalia in the background as well.

Steve laughed, exchanging smiles with Lucy before tapping the video chat button so that the children could not only hear them, but see them, too. "There, how's that?" he asked as he shifted the phone so that the children could see what their new little brother looked like.

There was a round of cooing from the other end, all three faces crammed into view to stare at their new baby brother. "His nose is like yours, Jamie!" Lianne declared, resulting in a delighted cheer from the brother in question.

"He's all red and wrinkly, but he won't be for long," Martin remarked, old enough to remember Jamie's birth, as well as the twins. "When are you coming home?" he asked further, missing them both more than he cared to say.

"Probably tomorrow, petit," Lucy answered, although she had a quiet idea that she wanted to talk to Steve about first. Martin was the one who struggled the most when they were both unavailable.

"Okay, Luce. You can count on me!" Johnny said, grinning. He was one of those people who needed to be needed, and he'd do just about anything for his family, even if it was something as simple as this. "What time?"

She considered this for a moment, checking her watch. "The ward is open to visitors in private rooms pretty much all the time," she mused. "Let him have a late night - bring him over when Lianne and Jamie have gone to bed. I'll be washed and presentable by then, too."

"Okay, see you in a few hours! Do you wanna talk to Liv?" he asked, unsure if he should hang up or not.

"I'll call her later," Lucy told him with a smile. "We had a quick chat before the kids commandeered her phone. Thanks, Johnny. Looking forward to seeing you meet your namesake." She had to get that in there, if only to be the first one to experience Johnny's reaction.

"Okay, sounds good! Wait ....My namesake" What do you mean?" Johnny asked, looking confused and just a little suspicious again. He wasn't sure if he trusted Lucy not to be teasing him.

"His name's Daniel Jonathan," she told him, and her smile assured him that she wasn't teasing this time. "For his uncle, who is pretty much the reason why we're all in such a good place."

"Really?" Johnny said, eyes widening in disbelief. "You named him after me" Seriously?" he asked, still not sure she was being honest with him, despite her smile.

"I wouldn't joke about that, Johnny," she promised. "Of course we named him after you. You're a big part of our lives, you know."

"No one's ever named anyone after me," he said, swallowing past a strange lump that was forming in his throat.

"You're family, Everlast," she reminded him affectionately. "It was gonna happen sometime. And, yanno, he was in such a rush to get out into the world, it fits."

"I don't know what to say," he replied. For once in his life, it seemed Johnny Storm had been rendered speechless.

"Say thanks and see you in a few hours," Steve was heard replying, amusement apparent in his voice. "Your namesake is working himself up into a hissy fit. I think he's hungry."

"That's good advice," Lucy agreed with a grin. "I have to pop a tit out, Uncle Johnny. See you later!" She chuckled, handing the phone over to Steve in exchange for the fussy Daniel.

Steve exchanged a few more words with the baby's namesake before finally hanging up. He chuckled as he set the phone aside and settled himself beside Lucy. "I think you made his day. Heck, I think you made his year!"

Laughing with him, she relaxed, Daniel already latched on for his first meal. "I think we did," she agreed, tilting her head to rest against Steve's shoulder. "Don't worry about the other kids, Steve. I'll explain to them why Martin got dibs on a first visit."

"I know, and I doubt they'll hold it against him," Steve said, leaning close enough to kiss her. "Love you, Mrs. Rogers," he whispered, brushing a kiss to her lips, looking like he didn't have a worry in the world.

"Mmm." She smiled against his lips, nuzzling close. "Love you back, oh captain, my captain," she murmured impishly. "I'm sorry I swore at you in the heat of the moment. It was nothing personal."

"Swore at me?" he echoed, pulling away just a little from her kisses. "When did you swear at me?" he asked, either not recalling it or having ignored it or both.

"Oh, you don't remember" All right, never mind." She laughed once again, wincing a little as the boy at her breast chewed for a moment before going back to suckling. "I think we might need to transition to bottles quicker with this little one, you know."

It wasn't like Steve to forget much, but for some reason, he chose to pretend he hadn't heard a thing. "Oh' Why's that?" he asked, turning a curious glance to the newborn. He couldn't feel what she was feeling, but it was likely the little one was stronger than he looked. He was his father's son, after all.

"He's a chewer," she said in amusement. "It isn't the most comfortable experience, and I am not risking him doing it while he's teething."

Steve chuckled, thankful newborns weren't born with teeth. "Okay, we'll switch to bottles. Besides, you'll get more rest that way," he told her, perfectly happy to share baby duties with her. In fact, he could go longer on less sleep, so it made sense that he take the middle of the night feedings.

"As soon as my milk comes in, I'm going to start pumping," she nodded. "So in a couple of days, we should be able to get onto a workable routine."

"Whatever you want, Luce," he told her. It wasn't the first time they'd gone through this, and dealing with one newborn at a time should be a lot easier than two. The other five at home were probably going to prove the challenge.

Thankfully, Martin and Lianne would be only too happy to help with keeping Jamie and the twins entertained, and there was always the wide support network in case of emergencies.

"We're in this together, you know," she pointed out with a smile. "It's not all about me."

"I know," he replied, his smile fading a little at something he and Nat had discussed earlier that day. "I think maybe we should stop at six though, or we're in danger of becoming the Von Trapps," he said, with a hint of teasing in his voice.

She bit her lip. "What would you say if I were to suggest having my tubes tied?" she asked carefully. They'd never discussed his feelings about birth control, really.

"It's not something we have to decide today, but we should probably start thinking about it, or we're gonna end up with another half dozen," he told her. It was a hard thing to admit out loud and even to himself. He adored their children - every one of them, even the ones who weren't theirs by birth - but they had to stop sometime.

"I don't think we can cope with more than six," she said quietly. It had never been the plan to have so many children, but since when had any of her plans ever come to fruition' "I can talk to Libby about getting a magical block placed. We've conclusively proved that super sperm laughs in the face of birth control."

"He's small, but not as small as the girls were," he observed aloud.

"Well, there was only one of him in there," Lucy pointed out, waiting for him to get settled. Then she leaned over, carefully setting Daniel into his big brother's arms. "He's much quieter than they were, too."

"They used to cry a lot," Martin said, though they didn't cry so much anymore. From what he'd observed, babies cried a lot in general and needed a lot of attention. But then, that was because they were so helpless and could do nothing for themselves. He looked his youngest brother over as his mother laid him in his arms, noting the color of his hair and his eyes and the fact that he had all his fingers. He looked perfectly normal and perfectly healthy, and he found himself filled with a strange sense of relief. "Do you think he'll like me?" he asked, for some reason.

"Petit, I know he will," his mother promised him. "You're his big brother. There's a very special place in people's hearts for their oldest siblings." Her smile warmed as Daniel stirred, blinking open his eyes to stare blankly up at Martin.

"But ..." Martin started, blinking back at the little wriggling bundle that was staring up at him. "But I am older than all my ....siblings," he said, awkwardly repeating the word he mother had used for his brothers and sisters. He looked from her back to his brother. "He's looking at me, Mama."

"Of course he is," she said. "He knows your voice, petit. He's been listening to you for months, and now he finally gets to see you. Who wouldn't want to look at your handsome face?" She smiled once again, reaching out to stroke his sandy hair. "And you don't need to worry about not having any older brothers or sisters," she added. "You will love your little brothers and sisters the way they love you. That's what family is."

He said nothing, but listened silently to her explanation while he looked back at his brother, cradling him carefully in his arms.

"Can I teach him to speak French?" he asked, as abruptly as his previous question. He wasn't sure why it was so important to him, but for some reason, he was afraid of forgetting that language - the language of the country he'd been born into.

"I see no reason why not," was her answer. "We can teach everyone French, can't we" It is always a good idea to know more than one language and to be comfortable in it."

"Like we all learned sign language so we can understand Maria," Martin reasoned, though he hardly needed to speak French anymore when everyone around him spoke some form of English. "Bonjour, petit frère," he said to his little brother, leaning close so he could whisper something else. "Je promets que je te protegerai toujours." I promise I will always protect you. No one was ever going to hurt any of his siblings again - not if he had anything to say about it.

"Nous vous protégerons toujours," Lucy corrected him softly, tucking her arm about his back and hugging him as he hugged his baby brother. We will always protect you. "Aucun de vous ne sera jamais mal aimé." None of you will ever be unloved.

Martin lifted his head to smile up at his mother, tears of happiness shining in his young eyes. "Merci, Mama. Je t'aime," he told her, leaning into her embrace, with his little brother in his arms.

She kissed his hair, resting her cheek on his head as Daniel gurgled, as though the newborn had understood what was being said to them. "Je t'aime, petit," she murmured, deeply proud of her eldest little boy. He had come such a long way from the shy, quiet, traumatized child he had been when she had first met him.

He turned quiet for a moment, content just to be close to his mother and to hold his littlest brother, safe in his arms. "Can we teach him to play baseball?" he asked, out of the blue once again. "When he is older, I mean. And Jamie and Lianne and the twins, too." If they added in the Storm kids, they'd easily have a whole team.

"I think your father would love that," Lucy told him easily. She knew Steve desperately wanted to take his little family to a baseball game at some point, but she kept getting pregnant. "He wants to take us to a game sometime, you know."

"In New York?" Martin asked, eyes wide. It was his dream to go to a baseball game with his father someday - not so much because he loved the game, but because he knew his father did.

"Mmhmm, in New York," she confirmed with a smile. "Maybe you and I could arrange it for his birthday next year, what do you think?" Danny would be big enough to handle a long day out by then, though Sarah and Natalie might not want to do it.

"Really?" Martin asked, eyes wide and bright with hope. "New York is not too dangerous anymore?" he asked tentatively. He was observant and bright enough to know that was why they'd made the move to Rhy'Din.

"It's not as dangerous anymore," she told him gently. "And we will have people keeping an eye on us, just in case something happens. I don't think anything will happen, but our friends will be there to make sure of it."

Martin nodded, trusting his mother's judgment in all things. She'd never lied to him, and he trusted not to start lying to him now. "Will people recognize Papa?" he asked, knowing that was the true danger - if his father's enemies knew where he was.

"Probably, but most people don't make a big deal out of it," she assured him with a smile. "And as I said, we will have our friends around us to keep us safe, but I don't think we'll need them."

"Papa really loves baseball, doesn't he?" the boy asked, looking up at his mother with adoring eyes. "It would be a good surprise," he added with a smile, regarding her suggestion.

"He really does," she agreed with a laugh. "So will you help me make it happen" We can start planning after Christmas." It would make Steve's year just to go to a game in New York, but to add his family into the mix might just reduce him to tears again.

Martin nodded enthusiastically. "Oui, Mama. I would like that very much," he told her. And it would give him some time to explain the game to his siblings, though he wasn't sure they'd much care.

"Wonderful!" She kissed his hair, still hugging him with that one arm wrapped about his shoulders. In his arms, Danny was still blinking up at his big brother, wriggling in his blankets with sleepy good humor.

"Oh," he murmured, furrowing his brows as he considered that a moment. "It will be our secret, Mama," he told her at last. He wouldn't want his brothers to feel bad, just because he had a special bond with his mother that they couldn't share.

"It will," she agreed, wrapping herself around him for a last hug. Steve and Johnny would be back at any moment - no doubt Uncle Johnny wanted to get his hands on his namesake.

Almost as if on cue, his father and uncle could be heard returning - mostly his uncle who was being shushed by nurses for talking too loud, but he was excited, not only to be an uncle but to finally have someone named after him.

"Oncle Johnny est tres fort," Martin whispered to his mother with a giggle.

"He's like a big kid on Christmas morning, every day," she whispered back, laughing with him. If she and Johnny had made a go of their relationship years before, their home would be a complete chaotic disaster by now.

"He is happy," Martin remarked with a shrug, unwrapping himself from his mother's embrace - because he wasn't a baby - but remaining close. There was nothing wrong with being happy, but did he have to be so loud"

"I'm glad he is," she answered. "I think we're all pretty happy, aren't we?" She smiled at her son, letting him ease just a little away. There was a time and place for hugs, and though she was sad he was growing out of them, she was always happy to follow his lead.

"Shh, Johnny ....You'll wake the baby," Steve was overheard telling his brother-in-law in a hushed tone of voice before he knocked on the door. He had a feeling Lucy had wanted some time alone with Martin for a reason, and he didn't want to interrupt.

Overhearing his father scolding his uncle, Martin clapped a hand over his mouth so neither would overhear him laughing as he nodded in response to his mother.

Lucky for Johnny that the baby was already awake, waving his fists around and watching them in fascination in his bassinet. "Everlast, are you done waking up every baby and new mother on the ward yet?" Lucy asked in amusement.

"Sorry," Johnny murmured, looking just slightly sheepish as he wandered into the room. He gestured toward said baby with a wave of one hand. "May I?"

Steve tossed Martin a wink, an amused smirk on his face at Johnny's scolding.

"You know you can, Johnny," Lucy assured him with a smile. "He's even awake for you." In the bassinet, little Danny gurgled to himself, sucking on his fingers.

Being a father of six children, ages 10 months to 18 years, Johnny was well acquainted with how to handle babies. The fact that his body radiated warmth didn't hurt. He carefully scooped the newborn up and cradled him in his arms. "Hullo there, little one. Your mama taking good care of you?"

"He's the one who decided to take a leaf out of your book and do everything at twice the normal speed," Lucy protested laughingly.

Johnny chuckled, as he looked to the small bundle in his arms. Had it really been almost a year since his own twins had been born" "Are you sure he doesn't get that from his old man?" he asked, with a smirk.

"Nope, I have decided that it's all you, Everlast," Lucy informed him cheerfully, absently reaching for her glass to take a sip of water. She glanced at Martin and Steve, knowing that her boy would have to get home sooner rather than later but happy to have him there for a little while longer.

Johnny furrowed his brows at her. "Do you know something I don't because I'm pretty sure he's not part of my gene pool," he teased her back.

Meanwhile, Martin tugged on his father's sleeve. "Papa, can I have a soda?" he asked his father hopefully, merely because he was thirsty. Thankfully, he was distracted enough by his thirst not to ask what a gene pool is.

"You've infected my gene pool by - no, I can't finish that one." Lucy laughed at her terrible humor even though she couldn't share it, adding a nod over Martin's head to Steve so he could answer that polite request.

Steve rolled his eyes at the pair of them, as he slid his arm around his son's shoulders. "And on that note, we're gonna go get a soda," he said, hoping Martin didn't ask any questions about his so-called gene pool as they slipped out the door.

"Don't blame me for that!" Johnny said with a smirk, once he was left alone with Lucy and the newborn.

Tucking her knees comfortably up to her chest, Lucy smiled at Johnny. "Thank you for bringing him, Johnny," she said softly. "He needed to come."

"What, bringing Martin?" Johnny asked, as if he'd almost forgotten that fact in all the excitement. "Don't mention it. He's a good kid, and I got to a sneak peek at Baby DJ before his Auntie Liv," he added with a grin.

She snorted with laughter. "If you ever call him DJ again, I am going to tie your penis in a knot," she informed him affectionately. "Danny, I will take. How are the other kids doing?"

"What's the matter with DJ?" Johnny asked, looked a little bewildered. "And you're not getting anywhere near my penis! You already had your chance," he teased back, claiming a chair and crossing his legs in an attempt to protect his private parts. "The other kids are fine. Excited," he added.

"DJ" Disc Jockey Rogers?" She grinned, watching him sit down and try to protect his crotch from her threats. "Good. No trouble with the twins, then" Sarah's a bit of a troublemaker if left to her own devices."

"What are you kidding me" When was the last time you spent time with Marnabel" Do you know what those two are going to be like once they get mobile? But Bess thinks they're a hoot, and Maria and Alex are trying to teach them to sign before they can talk," he said, proud of his own little family, as crazy as it was.

"Which is most of the reason she's not like that anymore. You're good for her, Johnny. I couldn't ask for a better brother-in-law." She smiled over at him encouragingly. "So what do you think of your namesake?"

"Thanks, Luce. You're pretty awesome yourself," he replied, smiling at last. They might not have made a very good couple, but as family, there were pretty tight. Johnny chuckled a little at her question. "I think he takes after his Dad," he said, which meant the boy did have a slight resemblance to his uncle, as well. "You ever wonder why Steve and I look so much alike?" he asked, out of the blue.

"You know, I never really thought about it," she admitted. "You're both so different, it never occurred to me to consider why you have so many similarities. At least with AJ, we know that it's because he's distantly related to Steve, but with you? No idea."

"You're the doctor," he said, with a shrug, all the science of it a little over his head. "Could just be the Nexus' idea of a practical joke," he suggested. Stranger things had been known to happen. Twin sons of different mothers falling in love with identical twins. That couldn't just be a coincidence, could it"

"I never pretended to understand the why, just the what and the how to fix it," she said, leaning back against her pillows again. "We should be home sometime in the morning, so we'll be able to take our collection of small nutcases off your hands relatively soon."

Johnny frowned as he looked over at her, remembering she'd just given birth and all that entailed. "You must be tired. I should get going and let you rest." And that meant, taking Martin with him. There'd be plenty of time to visit when she got home. "Luce, I want you to know ....Everything happens for a reason, and I wouldn't change a damned thing."

"Neither would I," she agreed softly. "We made a mess together, but Liv fixed it. And without you, I wouldn't have gone to New York to find Steve. So, like I said, you're the reason all this happened for us, Johnny."

Johnny smiled, a little shyly, despite his usual brashness. "I wouldn't go that far, but I'm happy, Luce, and you are, too, and I can't argue with that." He got up off the chair and moved over to set the little man in her arms and brush a rare kiss against her cheek. "You're my favorite sister in law," he told her. She was, in fact, his only sister in law.

"Cutest brother in law ever," she countered, returning that kiss with one of her own to his cheek. "So what do you think, should we keep him, or wait for the stork to come check on us and return him to sender?"

Johnny might have remarked that he was her only brother in law, but instead he only chuckled and drew back a little to give her space, his gaze shifting to the bundle he'd returned to her arms. "If you don't want him, we'll take him. He is my namesake, after all," he teased.

"Yeah, I think Liv might have something to say about that," Lucy chuckled, absently tucking the blanket just a little closer about Danny as he wriggled to get comfortable.

"Steve, too," Johnny added, knowing Lucy wouldn't dream of giving away her newborn son. "Anyway, he's happy and healthy and adorable. What more could you ask for?"

"Absolutely nothing." Her answer was soft, given as she looked down at her newborn son, stroking his cheek with one finger tenderly. Who would have thought, five years ago, that Lucy would ever have been so happy to be a mum"

"Then I think you should probably keep him," Johnny remarked, knowing Lucy wasn't serious about giving him back to the stork anyway. Never mind that there was no such thing as the stork. "Seriously, Luce ....I'm really happy for you."

"We did good, didn't we" All of us." She smiled up at Johnny, cocking her head at the sound of Steve and Martin outside the door.

"Yeah, we did," Johnny agreed with a soft smile in return. Sometimes he thought it was nothing short of a miracle, but it was Liv he really credited with his own happiness, and maybe Steve for Lucy's. "We were a disaster as a couple," he added with a chuckle, just in time for Steve and Martin to overhear part of it.

"Who's a disaster?" Steve asked, as he and Martin rejoined the pair.

"We really were," Lucy laughed in agreement, reaching out to hug Martin as he came within range once again. "You about ready to fly home, petit" I think we all need to get some sleep about now."

Martin frowned a little at the mention of flying. He wasn't afraid of heights exactly, and he trusted his uncle to keep him safe, but the thought of being that high in the air and so close to fire made him a little nervous.

Johnny saw the look on Martin's face and chuckled. "Don't worry, kid. I'll call a cab," he said, ruffling Martin's hair and stepping back so the boy could bid his mother farewell.

Handing off Danny to Steve, Lucy slithered to the edge of the bed to hug her boy more fully, kissing his hair. "Thank you for coming to see me," she murmured to him, choosing to speak in French now she knew he wanted to hear more of it in his day to day. "We'll be home tomorrow."

"Thank you for letting me see him first," Martin replied, also in French, before throwing his arms around his mother's neck. "Je t'aime, Mama! Come home soon!"

"Sleep sweet, darling!" She hugged him tight for a moment, letting him go so he could say goodnight to his father as well.

Martin hugged her tight for a moment before very gently kissing his new brother on the forehead and whispering a good night. There wasn't much he needed to say to his father, as they had talked together while they'd been getting their soda.

"Bonsoir, Papa!" he told his father, as Steve turned to hug his son close.

"Bonsoir, Martin," Steve replied in return. "Tell your siblings we'll see them tomorrow, okay?"

Martin nodded obediently, trying hard not to yawn.

"You look after our boy on the way home, Everlast," Lucy told Johnny with a grin, giving him a salute since they had already said goodnight in their way.

"Yes, ma'am," Johnny replied, returning her salute. "Don't you worry. I'll get him home safe and sound."

Martin gave his father one last hug before turning to Johnny, who slid an arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Get some rest, Mama! We'll see you tomorrow!" Johnny called back as he led Martin out the door.

"Are we really flying or driving home, Oncle Johnny?" Martin was overheard asking as they started down the hall, but Johnny's reply was too quiet for them to hear.

Lucy smiled, leaning back against the pillows again, a vast amount of tension gone from her body. "Well, I feel better for that," she told Steve cheerfully. "What about you?"

"So long as Martin feels better for it," Steve remarked, reclaiming his place beside her. "You want me to take him for a while?" he asked of their son. "And don't worry about Martin. Johnny will keep him safe," he assured her.

"He seems happier for it," she mused, tipping her head onto his shoulder affectionately. "Johnny's got a few issues he needs to talk to a more experienced parent about, though."

"Oh?" Steve mused, casting a sidelong look at her from where he sat with the newborn in his arms. "Why's that?" he asked, more curious than concerned about Johnny's issues.

"He's having trouble with the whole concept of Fliss getting married," she said quietly. "I'm not sure quite what's giving him trouble, but I think he's feeling guilty about feeling sad that she's growing up. He keeps talking about how she belongs to Lucas now. I told him to talk to Miranda or Humphrey."

"She's probably grown up a little too fast for him," Steve reasoned. "I mean, what if we'd adopted Lianne as a teenager?" he asked. Then they'd be in Liv and Johnny's shoes. "I'm sure he'll get used to it in time. It's not like she's going anywhere."

"I know," she agreed. "He's just struggling with it. I told him I'm probably going to be in the same state when Martin eventually moves out." She chuckled.

"I don't think we have to worry about that for a while yet," Steve remarked, carefully turning so that he could face his wife. "Is everything okay between you and Martin?" he asked.

"Yes," she assured him with a smile. "He's a worrier, love, just like me, but hopefully he knows he can talk to us about whatever's worrying him. He needed to see us, that was all. Oh, and he'd like everyone to speak French more often. I think he's afraid of forgetting how to."

"Speak French?" Steve echoed, brows arching upwards. That was an easy enough thing to fix. "We can do that. We can be bi-lingual. Jamie already understands a little," he said, though Jamie probably understood more than he let on.

"It'd be good for all of them to have another language they can speak fluently," she nodded. "As well as signing, which we all know as a matter of course by now."