As much as Vicki loved her family, she was deeply relieved when the main visiting hours were over the day after she'd given birth. She'd been seen by a healer that morning, but the hospital wanted to keep her and the twins in for another night, just to be sure they were all adjusting properly. A trundle bed had been set up for Jon in case he wanted to stay overnight himself, and once he returned from dinner and bedtime with Emily and Ben, Vicki was finally able to indulge in a hot shower, no longer so shaky on her feet after the magic touch that had done an incredibly thorough job on her that morning. Elle had been positively green with envy at the sight of her friend's trim waistline and lack of any aches and pains at all; Vicki had a feeling Dom might well have won that particular battle over the birth-plan they had yet to finalize.

Still, with Jon able to keep an eye on the terrible twosome, she allowed herself to have a very thorough shower, wiping away every last vestige of ickiness to emerge damp but smiling. "Oh, you have no idea how good that feels."

"I have a small inkling," Jon replied, holding one of the twins in his arms, slowly lulling the baby to sleep. Of course, he had never actually given birth himself, but he had seen her give birth three times now and had a pretty good inkling what she'd been through. He was glad she'd had a healer this time around and wasn't sure why they hadn't thought of it when Emily and Ben had been born.

"Well, at least this time you won't have to put up with me complaining about my wobbly bits," she chuckled softly, folding herself comfortably onto the bed. There was glitter all over the blankets, evidence of the hard work Emily and Ben had put into the cards they'd made to decorate the nightstand while she had to stay put, but she didn't even blink at it, leaning over to check on Chris in the bassinet. The tiny boy was hugging Emily's monster in lieu of having his twin sister beside him, making Vicki smile. "I thought Elle was going to bite me for being thin again so soon."

"Dom said she's considering a healer, too. Seems they had a long talk the other night after we left." That wasn't so surprising really, all things considered. After all, they were expecting their own little bundle of joy in a couple of months. "At least, they didn't have to take Emily and Ben home kicking and screaming tonight."

"For once, I'm a walking example of making the right decision there," Vicki chuckled, wincing a little at the description of their toddlers. "God, I hope they behave themselves overnight," she said quietly. "I really wasn't expecting to be kept in for two nights, but I suppose with twins, they want to keep an eye for a little longer."

"It's just one more night, and from what Dom tells me, he and Elle are having fun spoiling them. Anyway, it gives them good practice," Jon remarked as he pushed the rocker back and forth with a foot. It was no secret that Dom had never had a child of his own, though he was a natural with children.

"They're both going to be a mess when it's their turn, you know," Vicki commented, drawing her fingertip down Chris' cheek as the baby boy sighed in his sleep. She eyed Maddy in Jon's arms. "I have a horrible feeling we might have another Emily there, taking this long to settle down."

"They're only having one," Jon pointed out, a slightly sheepish smile on his face at his wife's observation. "Speaking of spoiling, I guess I'm guilty of doing my fair share of that," he said, though he made no move to put her down. "So, just how are we gonna juggle two newborns and two toddlers at the same time?" he asked, though he knew they'd have plenty of help if they needed it.

"By being terrifyingly organized, I think," his redhead suggested, lying on her side on the bed with one hand in the bassinet. Jon might be spoiling Maddy with cuddles, but having Mummy's hand to hold onto for Chris was no less of a spoil. "We need to get these two onto a routine that won't interfere with breakfast or bedtime for the others. Those are the important times of day."

Jon frowned thoughtfully, knowing how hard it could be to get newborns to abide by a routine, but they'd been through this twice already. They should be pros at this by now, shouldn't they' "Let's just hope neither of them is colicky," he mused aloud.

"Don't jinx us so soon," she laughed warningly. "God, Emily's colic was bad enough. We got so lucky with Ben." Her eyes fell on the purple monster Emily had smuggled into her bag, a soft smile touching her face. "I can't believe that this time next year she'll be in school."

"Our little girl is growing up," Jon said, unsure how he felt about that. He was in no hurry for his children to grow up and go off to school, but he knew it had to happen sometime. "What did your Dad have to say?" he asked, looking from Vicki back to the small bundle in his arms all wrapped up in a pink blanket.

"He started crying," Vicki snorted with laughter. "Ever since we got together, he's been so emotional! He was laughing at the same time, though. Said something about bringing that brandy he bought last year with him when he visits us and bathing you in it, so I'm guessing he's happy about the names."

Jon arched a brow over at her, obviously surprised at her father's reaction to the birth of his third and fourth grandchild, but then one of them was named after him, after all. He laughed a little at her remark about the brandy. "I can think of better things to do with it. He should visit more often."

"I think he will," she said, a faint frown touching her brows. "Things don't sound good with Maria, so chances are he'll be single soon. I was going to ask if it's okay to invite him to stay over Christmas - it's a bad time to be alone."

Jon frowned at little at that news, though he wasn't too surprised by it. "Who were you going to ask" Me or Humphrey?" Jon asked, knowing neither of them would deny her request. In fact, it was usually a case of the more the merrier at that time of year.

"You and Humphrey," she clarified with a smile. "Doesn't do to invite a house guest for a couple of weeks without clearing it with both my fellas, does it?" And they were lucky in that Christopher Marshall got on very well with Humphrey Granger; it was Maria who had made putting the two sides of the portal together a nightmare for the last few years.

Jon knew Vicki had never been very fond of Maria, hence, he was smart enough to know not to ask too many questions about that, but the thought of her father becoming a more frequent visitor at Maple Grove made him smile. "You don't really need it, but you have my permission," he told her, knowing Humphrey would concur.

"Thank you." She blew him a soft kiss, glancing down at Chris as he pulled her finger to his mouth to suck on it. "I sometimes wish Dad would just move here, but he doesn't want to leave the house he shared with Mum, and I'd never ask him to. But it would be lovely to spend a whole Christmas season with him."

"Why don't you ask him?" Jon suggested. "About Christmas, I mean. If things aren't going well with Maria, he might as well be here with us, and we have plenty of room. Besides, it would give Humphrey another chess partner to beat."

Nestling close, Vicki felt herself relax. The only part about being pregnant and its aftermath she truly disliked was the way it made embracing Jon so uncomfortable after a while. Now, thanks to the healer, she was back to her normal self, and she fitted perfectly once again. Smiling into his kiss, she rubbed the tip of her nose to his. "Love you back," she promised him. "But no more babies until we are definitively out of the diaper cycle this time, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jon replied with a smirk again. Thankfully, she was using birth control or their love life was going to suffer, and even with children, they'd always managed to find time for each other. "I didn't really expect us to have this many," he admitted, even though he'd once claimed he wanted half a dozen.

"To be honest, neither did I," she confessed in amusement. "And certainly not in such quick succession. But it's a good thing. We get to get the diapers and the incoherence out of the way sooner, and they all get to grow up together. I have to admit, I envy them that."

"I wonder sometimes if I have any other siblings out there somewhere," Jon mused aloud, now that she'd alluded to siblings. It had only been him and Lena growing up, and though they'd been close, he sometimes wondered what would have happened if they'd known about Des and Dru. There wasn't much point in what ifs though, especially when he didn't even remember his own childhood.

She smiled to herself, nestling closer. He always seemed to wander back to this subject whenever they discussed family. All she could do was try to reassure him. "I know, sweetheart," she murmured softly. "But if there are any more out there, they'll make themselves known in their own time and their own way. Nothing you do or say will change that."

The other thing that always seemed to come to mind when they discussed family was the fact that her mother had died too soon to give her any siblings, and traveling to her past, he'd been there to see it happen. He'd always feel a little guilty about that, no matter how much she tried to reassure him, but the past was the past, and at least they were making up for it now with a family of their own. "I'm sorry about your Mom, Vicki, but for what it's worth, my family is your family."

"Jon ..." She rose up to lean over him, brushing her lips to his. "Sweetheart, you need to let go of that," she told him quietly. "I don't blame you. No one could possibly blame you for what happened to my mother. If you hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here. Just being with you, knowing you love me ....that's more than enough. I'm blessed to be a part of your family."

"I know. Sometimes I just wish ..." He sighed, knowing there wasn't much point in wishing things could have been different because if they were, she might not be here with him and they might not have brought their four little angels into the world. Everything would have been different, and not necessarily for the better.

"Shh." Laying her fingertips against his lips, Vicki held his gaze. "My life would have been very different if my mum had lived," she reminded him in a gentle voice. "I never would have met you. We wouldn't have this wonderful little family we have now. I'm happy, Jon. Try not to wish that away."

Jon kissed her fingertips before drawing them away from his lips. "I'm happy, too, Vicki," he said, in a hushed voice, a soft smile on his face. How could he not be happy, when she'd given him so much, including the twins" He couldn't even begin to thank her for everything she'd done for him, for everything she'd been to him, for loving him just the way he was. He touched a kiss to her lips, soft and tender, the only way he knew to say what words couldn't come close to saying.

"Good," she smiled against his lips, easing back into that comfortable tuck against his side. One foot caught the sheet to cover them both with, determined not to let him leave the bed, however unsuitable it was for two people. "So let's stop wondering how things might have been, okay' We've got everything we need."

"If we keep going like this, we're going to end up taking up the whole second floor," he warned with a bit of a smirk. They'd already had to expand on their suite of rooms to accommodate a growing family, but they didn't call it the "big house" at Maple Grove for nothing.

She laughed, tucking the sheet over their waists. "Well, Humphrey might not mind that, but I think my body would start to protest if I'm pregnant every two years for the rest of my life."

He grabbed hold of the covers and helped tuck them both in, secretly hoping neither of them fell out of bed while they were sleeping. "We could have our own reality show," he teased, that smirk still in place. "How many kids do you have to have before they give you your own reality show?" he mused, brushing a strand of her hair back from her face, just because he could.

"Too many to be able to raise them all in a healthy way," was Vicki's murmured response to that, drawing in a slow, deep breath. "Or just the one who is exceptional in some insane way. Neither of which we are ever going to have or exploit."

"I don't want to be on a reality show, Vicki. I like my privacy too much for that. I was just curious. To be honest, I don't know why anyone would want to be on a reality show, except for the money," he admitted, and money was one thing neither of them had to worry much about. "You should get some rest," he told her, noticing how tired she was - how tired they both were. Taking care of one newborn baby was hard enough, but they had two.

"So should you," she smiled, squeezing him gently. "Looks like Christmas is going to be a bit of a blur this year." She kissed his shirt affectionately, stifling a yawn as she settled down to sleep.

"Christmas isn't for another two months," he reminded her as she nestled close. He touched a kiss to the top of her head, one arm going around her. Maybe, if they were lucky, the twins would be sleeping through the night by then anyway. "Love you," he told her, quietly listening to her breathing and that of the babies before letting himself give in to much-needed sleep, too.

Sleep would be in short supply for the next few weeks, that much was certain, but it would be worth it. Two boys and two girls, who would all grow up together as the years went by, surely couldn't be too much for their parents to handle. Could they"