Spring was now blossoming outside with the cherry tree on the lawn of Garden Lodge. A few passed on since the Lenny incident (the Garden Lodge household's new name for what happened on Monica's birthday) and everyone returned to their previous way of life. When they were able to attend school the twins were learning more and more each day, Monica was kept busy working on Theo's commissioned projects, and with a new year came new album concepts for Freddie and the boys to write. They agreed early on that even though pop was very much a part of Queen by now, they decided that after the poor reception for Hot Space it'd be best to return to their origins this time round as well.

Monica's injury from the morning after her birthday when she aggressively smashed a glass in her right hand had left its scar dashed across her palm, but as time went by it healed and became less problematic and noticable.

Today was mothering Sunday, Freddie was having his parents over to Garden Lodge for dinner to thank his mother Jer. Monica was in the kitchen that morning preparing a roast ham to be slow cooked by the time evening rolled around. Phoebe was given permission for a day off, for he was visiting his own mother.

"You two, stop it and go play! The kitchen is a dangerous place to be running!"  She pointed to the door as Johnny and Roshni ran around the island as she was manoeuvring equipment and ingredients back and forth.

They groaned and reluctantly marched out, looking for fun elsewhere, and Monica  went to the sink to wash the wooden spoon, muttering, "Some Mother's Day for me this is turning out to be"

They slipped past Freddie in the hallway as he headed for the kitchen, still in his bed robe, their small chatter as he passed them making his heart flutter.

What he didn't know is that they were plotting something.

He stopped at the kitchen doorway, watching Monica at the sink in front of the window with her back to him. The sunlight silhouetted her figure as she hummed to herself the very melancholy tune he'd been working on with Brian and playing on the piano in recent days. They hadn't thought of a title for it yet, nor the lyrics. All they knew is that it was going to be about the scary news reports of poverty Africa, where Freddie partially grew up, that were spilling in on television.

"My sweet girl" he went over and slipped his arms around her from behind, taking her by surprise.

"Oh! Hello, trouble." She smirked.

"What's new, pussycat?" He said, kissing the side of her face.

She giggled, placing the wooden spoon on the dryer, "Just preparing the dinner. What about yourself, Tom Jones?"

He giggled, "not much," then his tone turned suggestive, "I was about to have a shower."

She looked around. Phoebe wasn't here yet, and there was a lot of work to be done.

"Okay. I'll be here peeling the potatoes."

"Oh do please join me..." he pressed his lips on the back of her neck.

She felt a shiver run down her spine, but looked around the kitchen once more.

"No... no no no" she protested as she felt his kisses, prying his hands off of her. "Phoebe isn't here so someone needs to start getting the place ready."

"Mmm please?" he murmured, pouting and making his eyes pleading.

She laughed, hiding the fact that she found it rather sexy, "Stop it, you!"

He melodramatically sulked and crossed his arms.

"Up," she pointed towards the doorway. "Go have your shower."

He humphed and turned away, and as he was about to leave she slapped his bum.

"OOH!" He let out, and she laughed and shook her head as he stomped out and into the hallway.

"God, I love that man" she whispered to herself as she filled a saucepan with water, thinking that she saw something in the corner of her eye but dismissing it.

Freddie shuddered as he stepped over one of Roshni's headless dolls laying on the bottom step at the hall way, a result of a new game she and her twin brother made up involving switching the heads of their toys around.

"Bloody weird" he muttered.

Meanwhile Johnny was waiting on the stairwell corner as he was passing.

"You alright, my boy?" Freddie bent down to him and ruffled his hair. "What's that you have in your hands?"

"Mummy's sound recorder," he squeaked. "Just looking at it."

Freddie cocked a brow at him, knowing he was plotting something, and the boy just held back a sly grin.

"Does she know you have it?"

He nodded, "She says as long as I'm careful with it."

"Well, alright then. I don't see why not." Freddie shrugged and continued going up the stairs.

He strolled into the sleek en suite bathroom with the black tiles, neglecting to close and lock the door after him before pushing his boxers down to his ankles.

He pranced in front of the mirror above the sink as usual, turning slightly to admire his muscular physique from head to toe... and shuddered at the sight of his stomach, pinching his body rolls in his hands with a huff before strolling into the shower stall and switching the radio on the wall.

Moments after Freddie disappeared, Roshi came running to her brother up the steps with a camera in her hand.

"Did you get it?" Johnny asked, and she nodded, holding Monica's super 8 up for him to see.

"It was in the kitchen, but I snatched it when she wasn't looking. Here..." she connected the sound recorder to the camera just like mummy showed her, and pressed record. "Sound running?'

"Sound running," he replied, just like mummy used to say at work, putting it on his shoulder. "I have a idea. Follow me."

"Okay." She followed him as he quickly rushed up the steps.

He ran into their parent's bedroom, looking right and left.

"Are we supposed to be going in there?" Roshni grabbed his sleeve.

"I know the perfect specimen that we can take!" he stopped outside the en suite bathroom when he heard running water and the sound of the radio on behind the door.

"Johnny?! We will get caught!" Roshni hissed.

"Just come in!" He pushed the door open and went into the steamed-up room. "See? It's unlocked!"

Freddie didn't hear them come in as he lathered suds on his chest, Radio 1 blaring The Pointer Sisters' new single from the speaker on the wall.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

"Hooold me," He sang along, back to the glass and facing the black tile wall. "I'll giiive you all that youuu need"

Luckily the shower screen was steamed up enough, and the slider was frosted glass in the middle. All they needed was his voice and the outline of his figure.

"Listen..." Johnny whispered, signalling Roshni to be quiet.

"We should get out!" She pleaded.

"No! Wait!" He ordered.

He signalled his sister to move closer into the room with the camera, and they cautiously approached.

"Then JUMP!!" Freddie sang his heart out, shuffling his feet and swinging his arms. "For my love! Jump in! And feel my touch!"

He swung his hips and slid his hands down his body in a sensual manner as he continued singing the chorus, and they struggled to keep composed.

They began to giggle as he spun around on his feet, rotating and thrusting his pelvis charismatically, arms behind his head and eyes closed.

"I can't wait to show this to mummy!" Johnny bent over to see, and Roshni allowed him to rest his head on the eyepiece.

The boy let out a loud cackle.

Freddie's heart stopped, arms slowly lowering to his sides when he heard laughter.

He slid the glass panel back slightly to find his two small children, one with a camera, the other with its sound recorder, standing across from him in stitches.

"HEY!!" He barked.

They giggled and backed away.

"Ohhh, you two little... you..." he muttered, eyes darting around for a nearby towel so that he could run out and get his hands on them.

He pushed the door aside and rushed out in the direction of the towel rack, but lost balance and slipped on the moist tile floor as one of his hands was covering his crotch.

They laughed and slipped through the door before he had time to get back up and catch them.

"Switch it off!" Roshni hissed as they scrambled down the stairwell, and her brother did so.

"YOU LITTLE SHITS!" Freddie fumed, belly down on the tiles.

Monica shook her head at the sound of the commotion taking place upstairs as she tidied up the kitchen. Any minute now she was going to hear Freddie scream.

But there was no scream. A minute later, she instead got a dripping wet man, towel around his waist and eyes like daggers as he stormed in.

"What the-" she looked up and down. "Freddie, why are you wet, naked and angry?"

"Where are they hiding?" He huffed.

"Wait, what did they do?" She asked.

He scanned around, "Roshni was holding your camera! And Johnny had the bloody sound recorder hanging off his shoulder. I should have known they were plotting something!"

"But I was here the whole time. Roshni couldn't possibly..." she went to the counter to find her super 8 case had been opened. "Oh my... okay, they have it..."

"Why did you have to teach them how to use that bloody thing!" He groaned.

"I thought that it'd be a fun new hobby for them providing that they were careful with it!" She went to switch the oven on, "Theo said he taught his kids how to use cameras when they were Johnny and Roshni's age"

"Why didn't you think of something else?! Like music?" He followed, looking in the kitchen cupboards and slamming them closed, "I would give anything to have piano lessons at their age"

"Freddie, stop that! They aren't in here!" She protested, throwing the dishcloth into the sink.

"Then where could they be?!" He whined.

Giggles sounded from the door way, two small heads peeping into the kitchen.

"AHA!" He spun around.

They squealed and dashed away.

"GET BACK HERE!" He roared, awkwardly manoeuvring himself around the island and running after them.

He couldn't run fast enough in fear of his towel dropping and exposing himself again, and they managed to escape up the stairs.

Monica sighed, "just... dry yourself off and get dressed."

"I'm not done with them, they deserve a rightful bollocking" he gritted his teeth.

"They were only playing," she answered back, heading up after them. "Seeing as Phoebe is late you're helping me prepare downstairs."

He rolled his eyes, "Fine!"

She nodded approvingly and called for them in a gentle manner, and he scoffed and headed for the bedroom.

She found them in one of the guest bedrooms, sitting on the bed and suppressing giggles.

"You two..." she bent down to them and shook her head. "Daddy is stressed about the dinner, and Phoebe hasn't arrived so we need you both to be on your best behaviour and not get in the way this morning, understand?"

"Alright" they murmured, and she smiled and held her hands out as they reluctantly handed her camera equipment back.

"Now, why don't you both look for all the cats around the house, and bring them outside onto the grass to play?" She suggested, and they sprang up and ran out.

She giggled and gently fixed the sheets that they'd wrinkled on the bed, then picked her equipment back up.

"Well?" Freddie stepped out of the master bedroom suite, buttoning his shirt up.

"I managed to get them out of the way." She said.

"No apology?" He asked hopefully.

"Freddie, would you leave it be?" She sighed, heading downstairs. "They're little!"

"But it isn't fair!" He complained playfully behind her. "They bloody-well caught my co-" he stopped himself, "me, they caught me on camera!"

"What's not fair?" She giggled as she set the equipment onto the office desk. "Knowing them they aren't the greatest camera people in the world, I'm sure it's just candid stock!"

"Oh but you wouldn't take a shower with meeeeee!" He suddenly grabbed her, taking her by surprise.

She shook her head, prying his arms off her, "Well, looks like I have three children to take care of. As if two weren't bad enough!"

"You'll end up with only one if that helps." He muttered.

"Oh really?" She said. "Which one are you going to kill off?"

"I can't decide which one is more irritating: the camera lady for capturing my arse, or sound operator for recording the... infectious little giggles." He trailed off as he went to the landing window.

"See? You're getting over it already!" She cheered.

He scoffed, looking out intently below at the garden as she joined him.

"You know why they like annoying you so much?" She whispered, and he nodded as pointed at them both playing on the lawn in the sunshine, the cats pouncing around their feet.

"Why?" He pressed, exasperated.

"Because they miss you, they want attention from you when you're at home."

"...would you just look at them," a smile appeared on his face. "why do they have to be so cute?"

"Yes, Freddie, it isn't a secret that you find the cats cute." she chuckled.

"No, I mean our children!" He said irritably. "The cats don't walk in while I am naked- well, they do at times, but never have they wandered in with a camera in their paws!"

She giggled, "Fred, you knew when you were signing up for fatherhood that there would be mischief-"

"Not the double trouble, we were initially expecting one..." he said. "...Oh Monica, what happened? They used to be so cute! I mean, they still are when they want to be, but often it's a disguise!"

"They'll grow out of it, Freddie!" She started to rub his bare shoulders. "Your making their behaviour sound like a conspiracy theory"

"Mmmmmmph..." he sighed in content as her hands worked heir magic. "Well, sometimes I do actually wonder if they're possessed... do you see what Roshni does to her dolls? And Johnny wears his underpants on his head going to sleep!"

"You're overreacting!" She kissed the back of his neck, "And that underpants trick is to ward off bad dreams. I told him to do that, but clean!"

"I can't wait to get back into the studio again" he thought, but refrained as he saw them now sitting under the cherry tree, petting his beloved felines ever so gently.

The longer he watched them on the lawn, the more his adoration grew.

But he hoped that Monica was right about  them growing out of it.