"Okay, someone needs to get the clingy cat off Mom so she can get up."

Fliss grinned at her little brother and sisters, handing the hospital bag to her father.

After the disaster that had been Bess being born in a car in a side alley in New York, they were taking no chances this time around - Liv had gone into labor this morning, and no one was going to let the hospital send her home before she produced the babies this time. On the couch, Liv smiled, glancing down at Jasper, who was draped over her enormous bump and purring through every contraction.

Though this was going to numbers five and six for Johnny and Liv, it was, in fact, only the second time Liv had been pregnant and was going to have to go through childbirth. As expected, Johnny was a nervous wreck. Thank the Gods for Fliss, who seemed to have a calmer head than he did at times like this.

"He's just trying to help," Alexei pointed out, as he carefully removed Jasper from his mother's bump.

"Have we got everything?" Johnny asked to no one in particular as he frantically paced the room.

"Relax, Dad, you've got everything," Fliss promised her father affectionately, lifting Bess up out of the way as Beast and Bella trotted through, both dogs infected by the nervous energy to the point of running down the three-year-old in their midst.

As Liv grinned at Alexei, easing herself to the edge of the couch to start standing up, a little hand inserted itself into Johnny's, bringing with it a wave of reassuring calm. Maria was doing double duty being excited and calm for her parents.

Johnny blinked out of his worries to find Maria at his side, drawing him by the hand toward her mother, as if to wordlessly tell him what he needed to do. "Oh, yeah ..." he muttered, sheepishly, struggling to keep a lid on his panic so he didn't turn to flame at an inconvenient time. "Maybe you should drive, just in case," he told Fliss as he helped Liv to her feet, worried Liv might give birth in the car again, leaving him to supervise the twins' birth.

Fliss bit down on her smile. "Yeah," she drawled, drawing out the word for a long moment. "I'm staying here with the rest of the under sixteens, remember?"

Liv chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Someone really should help me stand up," she pointed out. "Pregnant woman who hasn't seen her own feet in two months, right here."

Johnny was working on doing just that, letting go of Maria's little hand to help his wife off the couch, a worried expression evident on his face. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay," he said, more to himself than anyone else.

"You can do it, Papa!" Alex cheered his father on, his face bright with pride and happiness.

"He can!" Liv agreed as Johnny helped her to stand up from the couch, swallowing the desire to groan at the ache in her back. The sooner she was only carrying her own weight, the better - thank goodness they had already arranged for a healer to be part of the birth, so she wouldn't have to deal with the lingering aches and pains afterward. "So, does everyone remember their jobs while we're away?" she added, stroking her hand over Alexei's hair even as she smiled at Maria's worried little face.

Johnny was glad someone believed in him, but he just didn't want to repeat Bess' delivery, even though, all had gone well.

"It will be okay, Papa. You'll see," Alexei assured his father, though it was his mother he was smiling up at. As far as they knew, the boy wasn't capable of predicting the future; he just had faith in his father's ability to take good care of his mother. "I have to help with Bess and the pets!" he told his mother.

"Most especially Lir and the dogs," Liv agreed with her son, hugging him close. It said a lot for how determined she was not to worry the children that she didn't even offer a peep during the contraction that made itself known as she spoke. "And you're in charge of Jasper, Mo, and making sure Bess enjoys her bath tonight."

Maria giggled her silent giggle, raising her hands to sign back. "And you are in charge of having babies!"

"And I am in charge of driving!" Johnny said. "We should probably get going so we don't have a repeat of last time!" he added, trying hard to keep his panic in check for Liv's sake.

"Love you, Mama!" Alex declared, surging forward to hug his mother around her waist, despite her bulging waistline.

Maria was quick to join him, both children wrapped around the bump as Liv hugged them close. "I love you too, darlings," she promised them, bending uncomfortably to kiss both blonde heads. "And I will see you tomorrow, just like last time. Have fun with Fliss, okay?"

"Yes, Mama," Alex obediently agreed. He settled a hand against her bump a moment, quietly communing with the babies who were waiting to be born inside her. "They are ready, Mama! I told them we love them and are excited to meet them!"

Maria turned to squeeze Johnny's waist too, trying to siphon off some of his panic so he would be calmer for the ride to the hospital.

"Well, it won't take them long to come out and say hello then!" Liv exclaimed fondly, squeezing his hand. She paused to kiss Bess and Fliss, knowing better than to remind the eldest that she could call on anyone for help if need be.

"You've really gotta go, Mom," Fliss reminded her pointedly.

Johnny hugged Maria to him, not really noticing that the little girl was helping to calm him, though he did feel a little more clear-headed suddenly. "Yes, we really do, Liv," he said, kissing the top of Maria's head, before making the rounds to give each of his children a hug and ending with a warm kiss to little Bess' cheek. "I'll call from the hospital as soon as we have babies, okay?"

The toddler nodded, still a little at sea with what was actually happening. "Gunna make babies," she informed her father with a firm nod.

"And no blinking to the hospital, young lady," Liv added, tweaking Bess' nose. Their youngest's ability to teleport almost instantaneously was a slight concern, but since she only blinked herself to people she knew, it wasn't that bad just yet.

The officer lifted her finger to silence him.

Biting down on a smile at the way Johnny was shut down, Liv squeezed his arm reassuringly as she answered the officer. "We've just hit five minutes," she said. "It's twins, and I have a history of fast labor."

"If you can get us there faster, I promise to name one of them after you," Johnny said, smiling sweetly up at the officer, who either smiled or snarled back.

"That is a lovely thought, but I do not think you can pronounce it." She looked back at Liv, completely ignoring Johnny now, though her instructions were mostly for him. "Follow my car, and we'll get you there in time, ma'am."

Liv snorted with laughter at her husband's offer, glad the police officer recognised it for the bravado that it was. "Thank you, officer." She smiled gratefully, still rubbing circles over her bump.

"Not a word," the officer warned Johnny with another raised fingers, muttering to herself and shaking her head as she started back toward her car, "Flyboy."

"Did she ....did she just insult me?" Johnny asked, as he rolled the window back up.

"Rise above it, love," Liv suggested, relieved that the little interaction was apparently going to get them to the hospital that much faster. "And try not to ram into the back of her."

Johnny grumbled to himself, but at least, they'd get to the hospital that much faster. Within minutes, they were back on the road, the officer leading the way, siren blaring and lights flashing, clearing the other cars off the road, like the parting of the Red Sea. The escort cut their drive time to the hospital by at least half.

It was certainly the fastest Johnny had ever been allowed to drive when he had his wife in the car with him, though thankfully Liv was too distracted with contractions to worry too much about the speed they were going. Still, it was a relief when they reached the hospital ....especially since those contractions were much closer together now.

"God, Johnny, my water's going to break any moment now," she fretted worriedly.

"It's okay. We're here. It's gonna be okay," he assured her and himself, pulling up to the emergency room door right behind the Watch officer. He shut the car down, pocketed the keys, and hurried around to the other side to open the door for Liv. "Somebody get a doctor! My wife's about to have a baby!" he shouted to anyone within range of hearing.

"Oh, good grief ..." Liv grimaced; she hated to be the center of attention, even when it was warranted. She gripped Johnny's hand to get up and out of the car, unable to help laughing in helpless relief when an orderly came rushing out of the main doors with a wheelchair. "Don't forget to thank the police officer," she reminded Johnny as she sank into the security of the chair.

Johnny helped her from the car as best he could, but it was mostly the orderly that got her into the wheelchair. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Officer!" he said, waving to the half-orc now that they'd arrived.

"You can't park here," the officer was quick to remind him as she approached. "It's just for drop offs." She glanced at Liv, noticing that the birth seemed imminent, and extended her hand to Johnny, palm upward. "Keys. I'll park it for you and drop off the keys at the maternity ward," she volunteered.

"Uh ..." Johnny muttered uncertainly, looking between Liv and the officer and the car.

"It's just a car," Liv reminded him through clenched teeth. "Do you really need to decide between witnessing the birth of your children and parking your car" I'm sitting in a puddle, darling." In other words ....remember how quickly it happened last time" We just hit that point.

"Sorry, Livvie," he murmured, feeling properly chastised. He dropped his keys into the officer's hand, warning her with his eyes not to so much as scratch it.

The officer gave him a tusk-filled grin, as her fingers closed around his keys. "Don't worry. I'll treat her just like she belonged to me," she assured him.

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," Johnny murmured, as he rejoined Liv, surrendering his keys and his car to the Watch officer.

And not a moment too soon, it seemed. Apparently Liv was just one of those women who, once labor had begun, was over and done with much faster than should be possible. It was barely two hours later when Johnny was pushed down into a seat in his wife's hospital room, arms full of twin girls, while the healer finished up with Liv.

It was all a whirlwind to Johnny, his mind swirling in confusion and excitement with everything that had happened since he'd had his first morning cup of coffee. Had Livvie really just given birth to a pair of girls" Identical twin girls, no less. He was beside himself with delight, but feeling a little bit in a state of shock, too.

"Livvie" I think ....I think they're identical," he said, as he tried to compare their tiny faces. It shouldn't really come as any surprise, considering his wife was one half of a pair of identical twins, as well.

On the bed, Liv turned her head to look at him, smiling tiredly as the healer drew back from dealing with her. "One of them should have nail polish on so we know she's the oldest," she commented. She had a vague memory of the midwife asking her what color to use, and deciding on purple.

"They're ....amazing," he whispered, clearly in awe. It was one thing to be married to a twin or be an uncle to twins, but quite another to be their father, especially a pair who were like little carbon copies of each other. "They're beautiful."

There was a pause as Liv thanked the healer gratefully, pulling herself to sit up in the bed. Magic was a wonderful thing at times. "They were almost as impatient as Bess was to be born," she said, weary but deeply amused. "What are we going to name them?"

"I suppose Thing One and Thing Two is out," he said, with a grin as he glanced over at Liv, one twin cradled in each arm. "Do you wanna say hello?" he asked her, eager to introduce the newest additions to the Storm family to their mother.

She laughed quietly. "Which one do you want to give up for the time being?" she asked, turning the question around onto him fondly. "I was wondering if we could use Stephanie and Susannah as middle names."

"Good idea!" he replied, tapping his phone to dial home and setting it to speaker. "Wanna bet who answers first?" he asked, smirking over at Liv.

"You would lose that bet, because it is always Alex," she laughed, rolling her eyes as she gently shifted Marnie in her arms. "He's faster than Fliss these days."

"That's because he usually knows someone's calling before the ..."

"Hullo, Papa!" a voice on the phone interrupted - that of a young boy, proving Liv right. "Did Mama have the new babies yet?" he asked.

"Well, if they're not babies, they're certainly very animated potatoes," Liv said in a cheerful tone, grinning at Johnny. Alex was definitely the custodian of the phone in their house.

Johnny stuck his tongue out at Liv, as he set the phone on the bedside table between them so they could both talk to their son. "Yes, Mama had the new babies. You probably know that already!"

There was a slight pause while Alex seemed to consider his response. "I cannot see the future, Papa," he reminded his father.

"But you can touch our minds, sweetheart," Liv pointed out, her smile audible in her voice. "Papa will come home in the morning to have breakfast and bring you all to visit us, just like last time. Are you having fun with Fliss?"

"Da, but ..." Alex turned quiet again, almost as if he had second thoughts about admitting what he'd been about to say.

Johnny was no telepath, but it wasn't that hard to figure out what was on his son's mind. "It's okay, Alex. You mother is fine, and the babies are perfectly healthy. Why don't you put us on speaker so we can share the news?"

"Okay, Papa!" Alex replied, sounding relieved. "Papa is on the phone! Mama had the babies!" he was heard calling to his sisters on the other end of the phone.

Bess' familiar burbling greeting made itself known as footsteps betrayed the arrival of the others.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Fliss asked. "That was really fast!"

"Yeah, everything's fine. Mom's right here. We're on speaker," Johnny told them, in case they hadn't figured that out by now. "Say hello, Livvie!" he encouraged her.

"Your little sisters were just too impatient," Liv told them in amusement. "They simply had to join us when it looked like your dad was going to get arrested for speeding."

On the other end of the line, Fliss laughed, and then said, "Wait - what?"

"I used to be a race car driver, you know. I knew what I was doing," Johnny insisted more than a little defensively. There was nothing more important than Liv and their children, and it didn't matter much to him if he had to break a few rules to keep them safe. Of course, it never occurred to him that speeding itself was unsafe, so long as he was behind the wheel.

"So what?s that about getting arrested?" Fliss pressed, sounding as though she was an inch from laughing. Somewhere in the background, a familiar bark made itself known - Bella's welcome home bark, which probably meant that Lucas was arriving to help out with the kids.

"You raced cars, Papa?" Alexei was heard asking. This was a part of his father's past that he was unaware of.

"I did a lot of silly things, Alex," Johnny replied, almost chagrined to admit to the man he had once been.

"Your Papa used to perform on his motorcycle at the Wonderplex," Liv piped up, glancing down at the little bundle in her arms as Marnie started to fuss a little. At a loss, she inserted her own fingertip between the baby girl's lips, which seemed to work for now.

"The babies are healthy, Mama?" Alex asked further, though it was probably safe to assume that if they weren't, either he or Maria would have sensed something wrong by now.

"Yes, they're healthy, Alex," Johnny replied, relieved the conversation had turned away from the subject of his driving. "You have two new little sisters. Identical twins. But you knew that already, didn't you?" he asked, a smile in his voice.

"Would you like to know their names, sweethearts?" Liv asked, grinning over at Johnny.

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Fliss spoke again. "Mo says are they pretty, and when are you coming home?"

"They are very pretty, but sort of like shriveled up grapes right now. Remember what Bess looked like when she was born?" Johnny replied, not waiting for an answer to that question, as he could not see Maria signing to know what she was saying. "They look a little like that, but there are two of them, and they look almost exactly alike."

"They're like Sarah and Natalia, and me and Auntie Lucy," Liv explained. "They're identical." She paused briefly before answering. "I think I will probably be home tomorrow afternoon, darling, but it depends on what the doctors say tomorrow morning."

"And if not, you can come visit," Johnny was quick to add. "But I don't think we'll be here very long," he assured the children. There had been no problems with the birth, and so far, both mother and daughters seemed to be doing fine. "I can't wait for you to see them. They're really amazing," he added, clearly in awe of the miracle of birth yet again.

"What did you call them?" Fliss asked, the query accompanied by Bess' quiet burbling. The three-year-old was due for bed at any moment, but none of them would have let her miss this phone call.

"Bessie is tired. She should go to bed," Johnny said, hearing the toddler on the other end of the phone and knowing the little sounds she made when she was sleepy. He exchanged a glance with Liv, unsure which of them should reveal the names they had only just decided on a short while ago.

Liv sighed softly, her smile gentle. "Their names are Isabel and Marnie," she told their children. "And you'll see them tomorrow. But for now, say goodnight, Bessie. Sweet dreams!"

She looked up in surprise. "Why would I be disappointed?" she asked him in turn. "I, um ....I am actually a little worried that you might be disappointed. I know most men would want a son of their own blood, but I also know you. Alexei is more your son than any other boy could be."

Johnny smiled, more relieved to hear that she wasn't disappointed than feeling any disappointment himself. She was right - it didn't matter to him whether their children were theirs by blood or not. He loved them all equally, whether they were male or female, infant or teenager, adopted or theirs by birth. "I'm not disappointed, Liv," he assured her. "I'm the happiest man in Rhy'Din right now!"

"Happier than Colin?" she asked teasingly. The last time they'd seen Colin Prescott, he had been standing out on the porch in his pajamas, grinning like an idiot and juggling his new daughter and a very large mug of coffee.

Johnny chuckled. "I'm not sure anyone can be as happy as Colin, but yeah ..." His smile softened as he looked over at his wife. He didn't need to tell her how much he adored her; it was there in his eyes and his smile every time he looked at her. "I'm not looking forward to sleepless nights again, but I'm happy, Liv." And the sleepless nights wouldn't last forever.

"So am I," she promised softly, her smile bright with tenderness. A comical look touched her expression as she raised Marnie to her shoulder to burp the baby girl. "Although maybe we should wait a little longer this time before making more."

"You don't think three years between babies is enough?" Johnny asked, his expression partly teasing and partly curious. Little Bess had turned three in November and could hardly be considered a baby anymore. In fact, he was probably going to have to stop thinking of her as "Little Bess".

"I think twins need a little more recovery time." She laughed quietly, easing Marnie down from her shoulder to wipe the baby girl's mouth. A little rearranging and covering up later, and she was just cuddling the youngest once more. "I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the children with them."

"You don't think Bess will be jealous, do you?" he asked, revealing one of only a few worries regarding the newest additions to the family. None of the other children seemed even the slightest bit jealous of their siblings, but Bess was the baby and she had only just turned three.

"She might be," Liv admitted uncomfortably. "But we can work with her on that. Keep her involved, and make sure she gets time that belongs to her."

"She's a good girl," Johnny said, though he thought that of all their children. None of them gave them much trouble, though he knew they weren't perfect. "I just hope none of them are like me as a kid," he remarked, offhandedly.

"Why not?" Liv asked him curiously, tilting her head with a smile. "Don't forget, I've chatted to Sue. You really weren't all that terrible, you know."

"I was a spoiled brat," Johnny said, judging himself perhaps a little too harshly. He had not had the happiest of childhoods, though he was grateful to his sister for everything she'd done for him growing up. "After Mom died ..." He just shrugged.

"Johnny ....that, right there, is the difference," Liv told him gently. "Even if our children show signs of your kind of rebellion, they have both their parents, and a wide extended family. They have support that you did not."

"Support that you didn't have either," he pointed out. It was one of the chief reasons the two of them were so adamant about raising a family that included a trio of orphans.

"Exactly," she agreed. "We both dealt with being very alone in different ways, but our children won't have to. Ever."

So long as nothing happened to them anyway, but he didn't want to think about that right now. He was practically indestructible, and he'd do everything in his power to make sure nothing ever happened to Liv. "I want to spoil them, Liv, but I don't want them to be spoiled, if that makes sense," he admitted.

They had already had one scare in that arena, and everyone was determined to make sure it never happened again. She smiled at him fondly. "It's called parenting, and I'm pretty sure you've got a handle on it by now," she assured him firmly.

"Think so?" he asked with a smile, as he somehow managed to pry the bottle from the newborn's mouth, as if he'd almost forgotten it was there. "That's enough now, Miss Piggy. It's time for your burp," he told the infant as he set the bottle aside and carefully propped her onto his shoulder.

"Absolutely." Liv nodded. It didn't surprise her that Marnie hadn't taken as much as Isabel seemed to have; all babies were different, and there was a distinct difference between what they were receiving, too.

"You should try to get some rest, Liv," Johnny told her, glad she thought him a good father, even if he knew he wasn't perfect.

Unlike her sister, Liv knew when not to argue. "You are probably right," she conceded with a quiet sigh. "So should you, once you've eaten."

"Yes, dear," he agreed, with an amused smirk. "Do you want anything?" he asked, as he was going to have to go to the cafeteria for food, so he thought he'd ask. He chuckled as he elicited a healthy burp from the eldest twin. "Well, this one's not going to go hungry anyway."

"A sandwich or something for when I wake up, maybe?" she suggested, leaning over to gently set Marnie down in the bassinet. Her fingers lingered against the baby girl's brow before she retreated, drawing a light blanket over her.

Johnny frowned over at Liv a moment, seeing how tired she looked. Healer or not, he knew by now that childbirth was hard work, and this time Liv had not only birthed one child, but two. He moved over to settle the eldest twin down next to her sister and tuck her in, as well, before turning to Liv. "You should really get some rest," he told her, his voice quiet and loving, reaching over to push a strand of hair away from her face.

"I will," she promised, reaching up to return his caress affectionately. "I love you, you know, very much. I promise not to throw your daughters out of the window if they wake me up before you get back."