Garden lodge 

Monica stood at the large master bedroom window, "I don't think I will ever tire of this place."

"You had the same look on your face when I took you into my home for the first time." Freddie giggled in the background, folding an extra blanket into the hamper at the foot of their bed.

"Oh yes," she continued putting another plastic hook onto the curtain. "It was the first time I'd ever been in the home of a true star."

"And the best bit is that I don't need an interior designer." He remarked, stepping over a few unpacked boxes here and there.

She giggled, "That is true. Look at this place."

"Tell me that it screams my name." He grinned, grabbing her arm.

"Hey!" She laughed as he pulled her into his grip.

He tried to pull her further, but she leaned on her heels to slow him down.

"Come on, you. We've got unpacking to do." She pecked his lips and pushed him away gently.

He groaned and returned to a box at random, "Alright."

"Well, we need a roof over our heads, don't we?" She started plumping the pillows.

"This is our place now." He sat on the bed and lifted the cardboard onto his lap.

She giggled, then glanced at the engagement ring on her left hand.

She felt herself sit down, and exhaled sadly as she thought about how her mum kept asking her over the phone why she and Freddie hadn't arranged anything yet, and all the others who were waiting for a wedding. She too really wanted something to mark their relationship, and it wasn't until she saw the ring on her hand that she was reminded. She didn't want to happen to her what had happened to Mary.

"Oh love, I promise you it'll happen one day." He took her ring hand.

"Have you had any time to think about it at all?" She murmured.

It took him time to hesitantly reply, "Well, I've been so tied up with the two of them... and the album-"

"It won't be called off, will it? I know that you bought it before I knew we were expecting them, and we didn't predict your success after News of the World either... we will keep the option open, won't we?" Her fingers grazed the diamond that symbolised his promise.

"I love you too much to turn back now... so much has gone on since then. We've seen the world together, started a family, found a home..."

"I don't want anything big or extravagant, I just want it down on paper." She laced her hand with his.

He kissed her knuckles, "It'll happen one day, I mean it."

"...I suppose we should continue settling in. Shouldn't we?" She finally said.

"That'd be a good idea." He kissed her head.

He sat up and started rummaging though the box at his feet, and she took a deep breath of relief.

She saw him gently lift out an unusual looking wooden, unvarnished box nestled amongst his clothes.

"Love? What's that in your hands?"

Startled, he dropped it, "Aghhh! Shit!"

He scrambled onto his knees and grabbed the contents scattered at his feet.

She reached down beside him, "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to scare you..."

She trailed off when she saw a lock of brown hair tied together with a familiar beaded detail and ribbon.

"Is-Is that my hair?! That's off of my old nightgown!" She tried to stop his hands that were grabbing the small mementoes and tokens.

He looked down, cheeks burning.

"Are these... memories and treasures?" She picked up a small tooth and guitar pick.

"Well, do you think I use it for voodoo or something?" He shot back up and went to sit on the bed.

She giggled softly and gathered up what she could, "Oh love... why didn't you show me this before?"

He rolled away from her, "Because anyone would think it's a silly idea!"

"It's not silly! It's sweet and sentimental." She sat down and tapped his shoulder to try make him budge.

"Monica, what kind of man cuts hair off of the girl he loves when she's sleeping?!" He crossed his arms as she put each thing back in a compartment at random.

"You did it when I was asleep? Awww, Freddie!!" She giggled and swung the lid closed.

"Well, would you like to wake up next to a man looming above you with scissors? I think not." He murmured.

"Why did you do it?" She asked gently, rubbing his back.

"...I wanted something to remember you by... it was the first time I was going to be away from you." He rolled back over and faced her.

"How do you smuggle it past customs?"

"I only take it to Europe, not America or Australia."

"But those are geographically further away from me," She gently set the box down beside him and rolled onto his chest, "You're going to have to tell me the fascinating story behind each object in this box."

He sat up and took it off her, "Alright, just let me arrange it in its original chronological order."

She watched as he took out each object and placed them as he'd wanted, and Phoebe interrupted with a knock on the bedroom door.

"This was in the twins' nursery box. Where do you want to stick it?" He held up their animal themed bed mobile

"Oh, I'll put it up, Feebs." Monica sat up and took it out of his hands.

"Hey, don't you want to see what's in my box?" Freddie stopped her arm.

She simply patted his head and nodded, "Maybe tonight when we're a bit more settled."

He grumbled and opened his bedside drawer, "I suppose you're right."

She made her way to their nursery as they played with a crumpled sheet of bubble wrap on the corridor carpet with such fascination.

"Phoebe, please watch that they don't suffocate on that." She instructed as she lifted the stepladder off the wall.

He nodded and gently pried it away as they both looked up confused, "Alright you two, you can play with smaller amounts of that later."

"Don't give them any of that dreadful stuff. The noise will do our heads in." Freddie appeared, then rummaged through an open box of their toys and handed them each something to play with.

Monica propped the ladder in the centre of the room, in between their cots, the part of the room where she thought the bed mobile would be perfect from above, "How about around here, Freddie?"

"Whatever, dearie. I'm leaving the little things primarily up to you." Freddie sighed and sat down in the nursery chair at the corner of the room. Rushing up and down, back and forth around the new house was making him exhausted, and he needed to take a breather.

He watched his two little children on the carpet. Johnny had scrambled out of sight, and Roshni was on her hands and knees pushing along their wooden toy train.

"Such a joy to have in my life" he thought, a smile appearing on his face.

Monica smiled from her spot on the ladder as she pinned their bed mobile on the ceiling, and their son toddled in soon after, his hands full with an unhappy Tiffany.

"Oh Johnny, put poor Tiff down," she climbed down the steps gently. "She's like us and she needs to explore and get used to our new house."

"What are you doing with her?" Freddie got up off the chair.

He took his pacifier out of his mouth and cheered "Bath!" before running out with the struggling cat who was dangling out of his short chubby arms.

"Johnny, no! You are not to give the cat a bath!" The woman's voice hardened as she rushed out after him.

"Don't let him in the new bath tub!" Freddie followed.

Monica caught the boy as Tiffany managed to wriggle free and dart into the master bedroom wing, and he squealed.

"You are not to wash the cats unless they're very, very messy and mummy and daddy are with you, do you understand?" Monica softly told him, picking the fallen pacifier of the floor.

The boy pouted and nodded, much like his father would too when he wouldn't get his way.

She giggled and kissed his head, "Good boy."

Phoebe came in, "Boss, I'm off to sort out all the utensils in the drawers as you want."

"Oh good! Don't forget to follow my compartment layout." He ordered.

"We must keep the cleaning products out of reach and sight." Monica anxiously headed towards the stairs.

"Relax yourself, I'll put the bottles in an overhead cupboard in the utility room." Phoebe stopped her.

"Oh, you've thought of everything!" She smiled in relief, holding out Johnny's pacifier. "While you're in the kitchen can you do me a favour and sterilise this please?"

"Certainly" he took it and headed for the stairs.

"Dodo!" Johnny reached out and started to wail.

"Shhh... You'll get your dodo back soon once Feebs has cleaned it." Monica started to rock him gently.

But he only cried even louder, and Freddie grit his teeth at the distressing sound. He never got used to the sounds of their screeching.

"Sounds like I'll have to keep him quiet." The woman sighed and started unbuttoning her top button.

Freddie rolled his eyes as he opened their box of clothes, "I'll say, he's lucky that the only way you can get to shut him up is letting him suck on those-"

"Hey! He doesn't see them the way you do, he's a baby!" She spun around, heading towards the master bedroom.

He sighed and looked around him. The corridor was still filled with large boxes. There was so much to be done and unpacked.

"Roshni?" He instinctively called out as went back to the twins' belongings, as he couldn't sense her in his view.

He called her again as he lifted their music box out of their nursery decorations, getting a little more worried.

He rushed to the next box, which was knocked over and scattered with their collection of soft toys. Roshni was curled up amongst the mess on the carpet, rolling around lazily.

She looked so cute with the large pink ribbon tying back her short black curls from her chubby rosy cheeks, and he just couldn't contain himself.

"Oh, you're sleepy!" He cooed and approached her with outstretched arms, and she rubbed her eyes as he pulled her up off the floor and into a loving embrace.

He looked into their nursery. Their cots had no bedding in them yet.

"Not to worry. Daddy will take you somewhere for nap time, darling." He carried her into their master bedroom, amidst the piles of clothes that needed hung up in the walk-in wardrobe.

Monica was nursing their son on the edge of the mattress, and lifted her head from him, "What are you doing in here?"

"Sorry, little one is tired." He patted his baby girl's back as he lowered himself onto his bed.

"I thought you'd get some more unpacking done upstairs."

"What do you think Phoebe is for?" He crossed his les in order to get more comfortable.

"Oh, Fred, honestly. No wonder Roshni's got nowhere to nap yet!" She got up with her boy in her arms.

"Hey, don't leave us." He made a melodramatic sad face.

"Do you want to live here or not? Someone's got to unpack." She ignored Freddie's puppy eyes, cradling Johnny's head as she went to the window.

"Oh alright, just... let me have a break. I'm knackered," he sighed. "and those negligent delivery men stressed me out this morning."

"They aren't negligent, they did their best to keep your collection breakage free. That's just what happens when you don't bubblewrap your Waterford crystal."

"Well... I don't have any Irish pieces in my collection anymore."

"You're hopeless! You have me, and you have your two half-Irish children."

He kissed Roshni's head, "I suppose you're right. My pretty little Irish gems... all three of you."

She smiled from her spot at the sill, "That's the way to think."

Phoebe rushed in slightly flustered, "Mary's just picked up the cats. Their carriers are in her backseat."

Monica always got a daunting feeling when she heard the woman's name, even though she was much more civil towards her than in the past.

"Alright. Give Monica a moment, you know what Johnny is like. Can't say I blame him." Freddie sat up and gently laid Roshni down on his side of the bed before flashing the woman a wink.

She scoffed playfully, "excuse you!"

He giggled and skipped out of the room,"I'M COMING FOR YOU MY KITTIES!!"

She shook her head and looked at Phoebe, "Where did we find him?"

"I don't know, but it looks like you have to live with him now." He joked back, before quickly following Fred out.

"I reckon that shouldn't be too difficult!" She called after him.

She looked back at her son who was suckling contently, then to her now asleep daughter on the bed, "Looks like the three of us are going to have to make-do with your old man."