Silent as always, Maria claimed the spot next to Liv, her eyes fixed on the new puppy in her mother's lap, holding her hands tightly together to keep herself from reaching out to touch.

"Oh, wow, can I really hold him?" Fliss asked in amazement, her hands open to gather the little pup into her grasp so she could show him to Alex.

Liv chuckled gently, stretching out for the scales and her scrap of paper. "Having puppies is a lot of hard work," she explained to the children and Johnny. "And dogs need calcium to be able to do it safely. Vanilla ice cream is something she likes, and it has a lot of calcium in it, so that's what she's getting. It means she won't get thirsty, and she won't hurt herself on the inside having her babies. And it's just this once, because it's a special occasion."

Johnny's expression turned serious, and he reached out to gently stroke Bella's fur. She had clearly chosen Fliss as her "human", but it was Johnny who had fallen in love with the pretty Beauceron first. "She deserves a good rest after this," he said quietly.

Alex looking questioningly at his sister as he reached out to touch the tiny pup. "Can I?" he asked, hopefully.

"Just gently," Fliss told her brother, settling close to him so they could bond over the newborn pup.

With Maria bent low over her lap, Liv couldn't really move to reassure Johnny when she saw his expression change, making a note to do that when there was time and leisure to do it in. "We'll make sure she gets a good rest," she promised him. "Would you like to weigh this one" We need to know how heavy they are, and we'll weigh them every day for a while."

"Me?" Johnny asked, a little surprised by her question, though he was supposed to be one of two responsible adults in the room. "Is it a boy or a girl?" he asked curiously, letting Liv do the honors there. It had been hard enough trying to sort out the gender of a wriggling puppy once already.

"Oh, good point." Chuckling, Liv gently turned the little puppy over, making sure Maria could see what she was doing. "What do you think, Mo?" she asked the little girl. "I think this is a girl, but I could be wrong."

Maria considered what she was being shown, and what she could feel, and eventually lifted her hands. "I think it's a girl, too."

"One boy and one girl, so far," Johnny announced. He wasn't sure what they were going to do with a trio of puppies yet, but maybe with any luck, they could find homes for them at the Grove. "Do you think we should name them?" he asked curiously.

"No, because we can't keep them," Liv told him gently, handing the female pup over to him to be weighed. "If we name them, we'll get too attached to them, and speaking as the person who is at home with a dog, a cat, and a dragon most of the day, we cannot add another three dogs to our menagerie."

Maria huffed her silent giggle from beside Liv, sensing as much amusement as determination from her mother as this law was laid down.

Fliss looked up as this was debated. "Okay, you know what?" the teen announced, leaning over to put the first puppy back in Liv's lap, since that was apparently where Bella was keeping her pups for now. "We should get washed and dressed and do breakfast. Mom and Dad have got this, and we can prove that we can do it sometimes if they need us to, right?"

It was Alex who pouted at the news that they couldn't keep one of them. Sure, he had a dragon for a pet, but what little boy didn't want a dog of their own" "Can't we keep just one, Mama?" he asked, timidly, leaning his cheek against his mother's arm as he gazed longingly at the puppies, even as Fliss was trying to pull him and Maria away.

Liv smiled gently down at her son. "And what would Lir do, with you spending all your time with a new puppy?" she asked her son softly. "He loves you, and he depends on you. Surely you wouldn't rather have a dog than have Lir?"

"No, I love Lir," Alex replied with a frown, as she seemed to be telling him he could only have one or the other, not both.

"Alex, you're the only kid at Maple Grove with a dragon for a pet!" Johnny reminded him with a warm smile, knowing their son was a little too soft-hearted sometimes.

"I know, Papa," Alex replied with a sigh as he moved to his feet to get washed and dressed, like his big sister had suggested.

Liv watched him go, smiling as Maria took her brother's hand on the way. "Something tells me I'm going to have to have that talk with him again," she sighed softly, glancing down at the puppy in her lap. Bella seemed to be gearing up for her one last birth, and none too soon, in Liv's opinion. "Hopefully one of them will remember to get Bess up while they're at it."

"Well, one more addition to the menagerie wouldn't be all that bad, would it?" Johnny asked, always the softie when it came to their children, though he'd stand by whatever decision Liv made. He moved to his feet to wash his hands and start the coffee going, but it wouldn't take long before he was back.

"Johnny ..." She laughed softly, shaking her head. "If - if - we kept one, it would only be one, and it would have to be because it made a special connection with one of us. Keeping a puppy just because it's a puppy and cute is not a good enough reason. Is it, Bells?" Bella whined, licking her cheek as she tensed. "Oh, sweetheart, not long now."

"Okay, so what if one of them made a connection with, oh, let's say Alex" What if he promised to take care of Lir and the puppy both' What if we all helped? Bella isn't much trouble, and neither is Jasper. Hell ....I mean, heck, Bess if more work than all the animals together," Johnny said, making an argument for his son while he put the coffee pot on, but knowing the decision was ultimately up to Liv.

"Well, it's not a decision any of us can make until they're at least twelve weeks old," she said, not prepared to have this conversation after a night of very little sleep and a lot of quiet worry. "Let's just see what happens, all right' I'm not saying no, but I'm not going to say yes definitively without finding out how determined our little man is to have a dog as well as Lir."

Speaking of the dragon, a snuffling heralded the creature's arrival in the kitchen. Lir crawled carefully over to the whelping box, touching his nose to Bella's affectionately before inspecting the pair of pups in Liv's lap.

"Fair enough," Johnny replied, satisfied with her answer. She'd left the door open to the possibility without making any promises. They would just see how things went. And there was Lir, right on time, as if he knew they'd been talking about him. He chuckled as the little dragon greeted Bella and inspected the puppies, as curious as the rest of them. "Better be careful or Lir might want to adopt one, too," Johnny teased as he looked on.

Martin looked to Steve and Lucy, as if for permission, allowing Lianne to have first dibs. Right about, footsteps sounded on the stairs as the stampede that was the Storm children returned to the kitchen.

Which was how the first thing they saw when they got into the kitchen was Lianne running a single finger down the youngest pup's back where he lay in Johnny's hand. Maria beamed happily at the sight of their whole family in the kitchen, foregoing looking at the puppies again to wrap her arms around Steve's leg in hello.

Fliss chuckled, almost bent double with Bess holding onto her hands as the newly walking baby of the family staggered toward Liv. "Morning," the teen greeted the newcomers, grinning at Jamie, still half-asleep in his father's arms.

"Morning! Hello, sweetheart," Steve said, smiling down at Maria, though he was unable to greet her properly as he literally had his hands full with Jamie. "Sorry to barge in. Martin insisted Bella was having her puppies, and they wouldn't stop begging until we promised we'd come see them," he explained, apologetically.

"It's fine, Steve," Liv assured him, glancing around the kitchen as she added, "Everyone who is going to school and has not had breakfast needs to be sitting at this table, or they will be going to school hungry. Mummy has been up all night and is defending her right to be heartless."

Maria laughed her silent laugh as she let go of Steve to clamber up onto a chair obediently, echoing Fliss' snort of laughter.

"Is it okay if I feed my baby sister first?" the teen asked impishly, earning herself a fond swat from Liv.

"I'll feed the baby," Lucy volunteered, lifting her hands to take Bess. "You eat, or you'll have hunger-induced grumps all day."

"Coffee's on! Help yourself!" Johnny announced from his spot on the floor, the invitation open to any of the family over the age of sixteen. Johnny looked to the three faces gathered near him - that of Martin, Lianne, and Alex - and smiled. "Can you do me a favor" Can one of you put this one into the box with his mother?" he asked, curious to see which one came forward.

Alex and Martin exchanged glances before Alex spoke for them both. "Lianne can do it," he told his father, knowing they'd all have plenty of chances to handle the pups in the coming days and weeks.

Lianne's face lit up in surprise. "I can?" she asked, obviously touched by this offer. She was the only one of the four children rescued from the Arctic facility not to display some form of mental connection with the others, and to be allowed to do something that everyone so obviously wanted to do themselves was a privilege. Beaming, she shuffled closer to help Johnny set the little pup down and help him latch on.

Liv's hand gently stroked Alex's hair, meeting his eyes with silent approval for that selfless offer of his. "Cereal for breakfast, pizza for dinner," she told the children, setting the boxes and milk down on the table together with bowls and spoons. "And good morning." She kissed Maria's cheek in hello as she poured out a bowl for the little girl.

Alex beamed a smile up at his mother, basking in her unspoken praise and obvious affection. He might have asked to stay home today, if he didn't already know how tired his mother was and that his father had already offered. It was difficult to keep much a secret from a child who was a telepath. "Yes, Mama," he replied obediently as he took a seat at the table. Martin crouched down beside Johnny so he could watch as Lianne set the puppy to rest with his mother, while Steve just tried to stay out of the way.

"You need any help?" he asked, since he hadn't been summoned back to New York just yet.

"Juice in cups would help," Liv smiled at her brother-in-law. It had been a long time since she'd been shy of Steve, and she knew he'd feel better to have something to do. "Johnny, can you get Bella's special food out' She should eat something proper before she drops off to sleep."

Lucy chuckled from where she was sitting, keeping an eye on Maria and Bess attacking their cereal enthusiastically. "I honestly have no idea how you manage your mad house," she complimented the Storms cheerfully. "I'm still wearing my pajamas here, and I've been up for an hour."

"Will do!" Steve said, dropping Jamie off in his mother's arms before going in search of glasses and juice, stepping around the maze that was adults and children and animals.

"Our house isn't that much more crowded than yours!" Johnny pointed out as he got to his feet to fetch Bella's breakfast. The Rogers' family was well on their way to catching up with the madness that was the Storms'.

"We like our mad house just the way it is," Liv added with a low chuckle, rescuing Lucy from Bess to put the infant in the high chair instead.

Fliss nodded in agreement as she chewed a mouthful, reaching down to scratch Jasper's head as Maria's cat wandered through the kitchen to inspect everyone. Lir was lurking in the doorway, waiting for the movement to die down so he could come in without knocking anyone over.

Johnny made sure all the assorted animals had breakfast and fresh water while Liv was busy feeding the kids.

"Are you going to keep them?" Martin asked as he reached out a gentle hand to stroke Bella's fur. Steve poured and passed out the juice glasses, glad they'd already fed their troops before coming over.

"We have to for a while," Fliss answered him, tossing a napkin over at Alex with a grin. Milk stains on school uniform was never a good look, and he was bound to drop something, given how often he kept straining around to look at the puppies. "How long is it, Mom?"

Liv paused, leaning against the counter as she claimed her coffee once again. "Twelve weeks," she eventually came up with. "So they'll be here until the beginning of February, at least."

"Then what?" Martin asked further, practically echo Alex's earlier concerns, though Martin's concerns were a little different than his cousin's.

"Then, we'll find them good homes," Johnny replied, going to pour himself a cup of coffee once he was finished greeting and feeding their little menagerie of pets. "Anyone else want a cup?"

"I'd love one, but I'm not allowed," Lucy immediately piped up, toasting him with her teacup. She could spot the evasive answer as easily as any parent could. "I am, however, allowed to drive the car, so I am volunteering to do the school run today. How does that sound, midgets?"

"Not allowed to have a cup of coffee or a puppy?" Johnny teased, returning Lucy's toast with his own cup before turning to pour Steve a cup. "Liv's been up all night with Bella, so I'm taking the day off." That got a bit of a whine from Alex, who would have liked to have played hookey, too, just this once.

With the departure of the Rogers' clan, the kitchen calmed down. Fliss grinned at the look on Matt's face. "We finish up at midday," she reminded him. "You can come back with me and get a proper look at them then, before the mayhem starts up again." Looking at her brother and sister, she held out their bags. "Coats, shoes, bags, we're all going to be late!"

Alex and Maria scuttled off to grab their things so they weren't late for school. "Who's driving?" Matt asked.

"Lucy," Johnny replied before going off to make sure Alex and Maria didn't forget anything.

"Who is the mother in this house again?" Liv asked in bemusement, laughing as she was sat down at the table beside Bess in the highchair, and had a refilled cup of tea handed to her.

"You've been up all night," Fliss reminded her. "You gotta wind down and sleep, or we're gonna drive you nuts later. So there." She stuck her tongue out at her mother, and nudged Matt. "Lucas already at the station, huh?"

"I guess it's pretty handy to have wings," Matt replied with a shrug. "He's been pretty busy training lately. You see him more than I do," he complained mildly, though Matt had been busy himself juggling school and the aquarium and an official girlfriend.

Fliss blushed at Matt's complaint, as the words rearranged themselves into something a little less innocent and perhaps a little more honest in her mind. "Well, dude, I can fly, but I'd rather have someone else do the driving," she pointed out. "Being up there is really not all it's cracked up to be."

Liv snorted with laughter, raising her brow at the blush on her eldest's face. "Better not let your father hear you say that."

"Say what?" Johnny asked as he corralled Alex and Maria back into the kitchen, now that they had their shoes and coats and bags.

"Time to go!" Matt declared, ushering the kids and Fliss toward the door before Johnny could ask anything more. "See you later, Mr. and Mrs. Storm!"

"Bye!" Fliss called, snatching up her bag to follow the group out of the house. In the quiet that followed, they were audible as they got into Lucy's car, leaving Liv smiling over her teacup at Johnny.

"Your daughter prefers being driven around to flying," she told him fondly.

"Oh," Johnny replied with a frown, looking just a little disappointed. He supposed she had her reasons, though, chiefly that flying was a mostly solitary mode of transportation. "Don't Fliss and Lucas ever fly anywhere together?" he asked curiously, as he finished gathering up the last of the dishes, if Donnan had left any behind.

"I think he carries her when they fly together," Liv shrugged. "I can't say I blame her, really. It's an excuse to get close to him without embarrassing either of them." She smiled at her husband. "It doesn't mean she won't ever fly solo, love. Just that she's a pretty social creature and she prefers to travel in company when she has the choice."

"They've been together long enough that they shouldn't get embarrassed, should they?" he asked, curiously, not really wanting to think about what his teenage daughter did with her boyfriend when they weren't around. "You have talked to her about ....you know ....right?" he asked, not coming right out and saying what he was referring to, though it seemed obvious enough.

Her face lit up in a very giggly grin. "Oh, I did," she nodded, and exploded into laughter, hastily shushing herself before Bella objected. "We had, um, a very informative sit down with Auntie Lucy, who deeply embarrassed and educated both of us with the various ways to put a condom on. It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't insisted on telling us what she's named her sex toys."

Johnny spluttered with laughter, until he realized that Lucy had been talking to his daughter about S-E-X. "Wait ....Lucy educated both of you? Baby, we don't need to use a condom!" he pointed out, though he wasn't too sure how he felt about the possibility of Fliss using one. Er, Lucas.

She laughed, shaking her head. "I'd never even seen a condom until Lucy got the packets out," she shrugged, her tired smile wide as she considered him for a moment. "They've been together for over a year," she reminded Johnny gently. "And Fliss is sixteen now. I'm not saying they're going to suddenly leap into bed together, but the sooner she knows just how in control she can be, and what she should be doing to protect herself and him, the better prepared she'll be when they reach that point together. I didn't think you'd want her to get pregnant at sixteen, and I'm not going to recommend that she start taking pills that effect her hormone balance unless I absolutely have to."

"Well, no ....of course, I don't want her getting pregnant at sixteen!" He topped off his cup of coffee and took a seat at the table, with a sigh. "I'm not ready for her to grow up yet," he admitted quietly, as he stared into his mug. He'd often wished they'd found her sooner, but it couldn't be helped. What was done was done.

Liv leaned toward him, curling her hand about his wrist gently. "She's not that grown up," she said in a soft voice. "She still needs us. She'll always need us, in some way. We're her parents, Johnny. We chose her, and she chose us. Why would she want to give up that relationship, just because she's turning into a young woman?"

Johnny shrugged, unsure how to answer that. "Do you think she'll still need us when she's married?" he asked, though that wasn't likely to happen for at least a few years yet, maybe more. He wasn't even sure if Fliss would end up with Lucas, though if he had to choose anyone for his daughter, it would be him.

She didn't quite know how to answer that one, deciding to go for the honest approach once again. "Johnny, how many times since we got together have I confided in Lucy and asked for her advice?" she asked him. "Not because she's my sister, but because she's the closest thing to a parent I have. You and Fliss share a bond through your abilities, and she trusts you over everyone else in the world. She's never going to not need her father, I guarantee it."

Well, what did he know about parents" His mom had died when he was a boy, and his father ....Well, he'd rather not think or talk about his father. His sister Sue had mostly raised him after that; it was something he and Liv had in common, though he rarely asked Sue's advice about anything anymore. "I guess," he replied, turning to wiggle a finger at little Bess. "You're not gonna grow up and leave us for a long time, are you, Bessie?" he asked her.

His answer was an enthusiastic bout of raspberry blowing. Bess was unusually well behaved this morning - normally by this time, she had regaled whoever would listen with her own version of her favorite song many, many times, regardless of what she was actually supposed to be doing.

Liv laughed, tweaking her youngest's nose fondly. "Cheeky mare," she said in an affectionate tone. Then she sighed, leaning over to kiss Johnny's cheek. "I should get some sleep. I won't sleep all day, just a few hours."

Johnny smiled as she kissed his cheek. "It's okay, Liv. Sleep as long as you want. We've got this, don't we, Bessie Boo?" he asked their daughter again. The kids wouldn't be back from school for hours, and with only Bess to keep track of, it should be a piece of cake. "I'll wake you if I need you," he promised, though he doubted that would be necessary with just him and Bess and Bella and the puppies to worry about. And Donnan was there to help with any messes. The little brownie had been a godsend to the Storm household, and though they knew better than to say thank you, they were grateful.

"Mmm, I love my husband." She smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips as she moved to stand up, bending once again to blow a raspberry on Bess' cheek as the baby girl erupted into giggles. "You be good for your dad, okay' I won't be more than a few hours." Her fingers passed fondly through Johnny's hair as she passed him, heading for the stairs. No sooner had she left the room than Lir scrabbled into sight, the only member of the family not to have been fed yet.

Johnny laughed as Lir made his presence known, now that the chaos that usually accompanied their mornings had calmed. "Okay, okay! I haven't forgotten about you," he said, as he got to this feet to get the dragon's breakfast. He didn't think Alex had either, but there had been a lot more confusion than usual this morning. For once, Johnny was in charge of the house while Liv slept. What could go wrong?