7 years later;

Stevie and Lindsey woke up to the sound of their children playing loudly in one of the rooms. Lindsey groaned, turning over and Stevie smiled, pulling on her robe and tip toeing down the hall. She popped her head through the doorway.

"Boo!" Stevie shouted and their children squealed.

"Mommy!" Her six year old daughter Mabel exclaimed, giggling.

"Morning mom" Noah said.

She hugged them and kissed the tops of their heads. "Daddy has a work meeting this afternoon so it's just going to be us. They both groaned and  Stevie chuckled. "Oh thanks, guys. I didn't know I was so uncool. I thought I had a few years at least!"

"You're cool, mommy" Mabel assured her.

"Yeah, still cool" Noah said. Stevie ruffled his hair and he smirked.

"Even at seven, you're just like your daddy"

"And he says I'm just like my mommy." Noah giggled, flashing a smile that definitely came from Lindsey

"Cheeky! Right, get your slippers and robes on and let's go have some breakfast before daddy needs to go!"

Both the kids did as they were asked and made their way to the kitchen, Lindsey was making toast as Stevie was scrambling some eggs

"Hands washed and to the table." Lindsey smiled

"Are we going to have unburned toast this morning?" Mabel giggled into her orange juice

"I've had enough of your cheek missy! Tickle monster needs to come out!" Lindsey made his way over to his daughter

"No daddy!" She laughed running away but her caught her, tickling her until she was squirming. "Enough daddy!" She smiled and hugged him, him letting her get back to the table with a kiss on the head

"I love you, princess."

"I love you too, daddy!"

Breakfast was eaten with happy chatter about school coming up in the Fall and dreams they had the night before. The children were giggling when Stevie noticed a shadow passing out of the corner of her eye. Her mind automatically went back to when they first moved into their house. Shadows and strange happenings were a normal occurrence then. She smiled to herself, tuning back into the conversation.

"Did you hear me, baby?"

"Hmm?" Stevie hummed.

"I was telling you that after this meeting, I'm all yours and the kids for three weeks. I was thinking about taking you all to the beach. Maybe we can get a little bungalow and just enjoy each other for a while."

"That sounds lovely" she said, pushing her food around her plate.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I think that's great. Doesn't that sound fun, Mabel, Noah?"

The kids began talking all about what they're going to do once they get to the beach and what their rooms at the bungalow may be like.

"Steph, are you sure nothing's wrong?" Lindsey asked her again.

"No, I'm fine. I just feel a little...I don't know, my stomach is a little upset."

"Is it? Why honey?" He asked concerned

"I don't know...I just saw a shadow a minute ago..." she turned to the door, a hopeful tone to her voice

"Baby...they've gone, we haven't seen them for almost seven years..." He pushed her hair from her face

"I know...it's probably just wishful thinking, I miss them..." she said, starting to cry, Lindsey wrapping his arms around her

"I miss them too, sweetheart, but they are still in our memories. Look, I'll cancel the meeting today and stay with you."

"No, no, I'll be alright, just one of those days, go to work, I'll be fine with the kids."

"Alright, but you call me and I'll come straight home." He kissed her before picking up his stuff off the counter

"I will, I love you."

"I love you, too." He gave her a final kiss and one each for the kids, before he quickly jogged out the door

Stevie sighed and wiped her eyes. "Mommy, who do you miss?" Noah asked innocently.

"No one in particular, sweetheart. Finish up here then you both can go play upstairs."

"Okay" Noah said, nodding, finishing his food in record time. "Come on, sis, wanna play?"

"I wanna stay with mommy" Mabel said, especially sensitive to emotions. She was always such a comforting, cuddly child.

"No, you should play with your brother. Mommy is perfectly fine."

"Promise?" Mabel asked with a slight whimper. She herself had tears welling up in her eyes.

"Promise, sweet girl."

"Okay" Mabel said, taking her brother's hand and running upstairs.

"Careful, babies! Don't get hurt on the--" She was cut off by giggling.

"Sorry, mommy!" they said in unison.

"Sometimes I think it would have been easier to just have twins." Stevie said to herself, shaking her head.

"Be careful what you wish for" a voice said softly but Stevie didn't hear.

"I guess I should be careful what I wish for." Stevie echoed as she smiled to herself. She began work cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast, hand washing the dishes and staring out the window.

She stared at the pool for what felt like forever, willing herself to see something, even a shadow

Going outside, she sat down on the side of the pool, dangling her legs in, suddenly she saw something move, gasping excitedly she really stared into the water, it was only one of the kids toys that had fallen in and sank to the bottom

"They've gone Stevie, stop wishing for something that won't happen." She said to herself sternly, someone watching her but unable to make themselves known

Walking back inside she grabbed the washing and took it to the line outside, hanging it out she saw the kids playing in their attic room, smiling to herself she squinted her eyes

"What the..." She said, sure she'd seen a third figure running around, looking a little longer she only saw Noah and Mabel, shaking her head she finished up and went back inside the house

She looked at the time and was shocked. It was half past two. The time must have gotten away from her. Lindsey would be home soon and she knew the kids must be getting hungry. She made herself and the children a quick lunch. Plating the food, she felt arms around her waist.

"I couldn't wait to see you. I skipped out early" Lips pressed against her neck and Stevie smiled, turning around in her husband's arms.

"Hey stranger"

"Hey. Kids give you a hard time while I was gone?"

"Not at all. They were angels. I was just gonna call them down for lunch."

"You do that. I'm going to go upstairs and shower."

"Alright, babe. After lunch, can we talk?"

"Sure, mama, anything for you."

"Noah Christopher, Mabel Vanessa! It's time for lunch!" She called up the stairs, but got no answer

"Kids? I said lunch is ready!" Still nothing

Lindsey came down the stairs, hair dripping wet "You having issues, baby?"

"Yes! You're dripping on my carpet!" She said seriously but ended up smiling "Plus the kids aren't listening to me."

"Kids! Lunch, now!" He called and seconds later they heard footsteps running down the stairs

"See, they like you better than me." Stevie said pouting

"No, they just know you're too nice!" He kissed her before taking her hand and walking to the kitchen, where they sat down and tucked in.

"You said you wanted to talk about something, Steph, before I got in the shower."

"Not now"

"Oooh...is it a secret?" Noah teased.

"Are you really going to send Noah to boarding school?" Mabel asked.

Lindsey nearly spit out his water, laughing. "May, why would Noah be going to boarding school?"

"I heard you talking about it on the phone."

"Lindsey!" Stevie scolded.

"Oh, it was a joke. You went out for your hair appointment and they were being hellions. I told Ed I was going to send the kids off to boarding school with his boy next year"

"Not funny." Stevie told him and Lindsey's smile faded.

"Sorry" The mood instantly changed and the table fell silent. Stevie pat her mouth with her napkin and moved to get up when Lindsey placed his hand over hers. She looked at him and his eyes were so clear and blue, they took her breath away. "I'm really sorry, baby. I won't joke about it again."

"Okay" she said. "Seal it with a kiss?"

"With a million kisses."

She smiled and leaned down to kiss him. He lingered on her lips and she got a little caught up, kissing him again and nibbling on his bottom lip. "Mmmm" she moaned softly and he tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Mommy...can we go back upstairs?" Noah asked.

"Finish your lunch" Lindsey said, pulling away. Stevie's cheeks were flushed as she sat back down, forgetting that she had wanted to get away from him just moments before.

-----

Stevie was clearing all the plates away from lunch, putting them into the sink ready to wash

"Can we go play now?" Mabel asked

"No, sweetheart, you need to let your lunch go down before you start running around."

Stevie turned a little too quickly and held onto the table to steady herself

"Baby! You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..." she breathed, trying to rid herself of the queasy feeling

"Are you sure? You don't look too good..."

"Honestly I'm fine, I've gone through it twice before so I should..."

"Excuse me?" Lindsey said looking at her

"Umm...nothing..." she tried to busy herself but he stood up and came around to her

"Twice before?" He looked at his two kids "Are you...are you pregnant?"

"Ummmm....maybe...." she smiled, nodding her head

"Oh my god! You're pregnant! I'm going to be a dad again! Why didn't you tell me before this?" He hugged her round the middle, touching her flat stomach

"I was going to surprise you with it earlier, romantically, but I had to go and get sick!" She chuckled and kissed him

"This is amazing, baby. God...another baby..." He kissed her again, steadying her against his body. "You are amazing"

"No, you are Linds...you helped me make all of them."

"But you're the one who carried them all. It's early, isn't it?"

"Only about four thirty or so."

"No, I mean..." He couldn't keep his hands off her, running his hands up and down her back.

"Eight weeks but I feel really safe, just sick."

"Not too sick for a little...?"

"There's nothing little about you or what you wanna do, and no, I'm never too sick for that."

Lindsey growled and attacked her neck, nipping and kissing the sensitive skin there. She pushed him into a chair and straddled him, running her hands through his hair. "God, you smell good, you taste good....you look....mmmm"

"Do I feel good too?" she asked, grinding her hips against his. He nodded dumbly, bruising her lips with a passionate kiss. "Is that a yes?"

"Shhh..." he said, his hand roaming her softened curves. How did he not notice how she was blossoming lately? Most likely work, he was slammed lately, but now she was his for the next three weeks and oh how he planned to make the most of their time together!

"Ewwwwwww!" Mabel said coming into the kitchen with Noah, they'd been sat on the sofa watching TV, but they were itching to go upstairs and play

"Busted!" Stevie giggled before getting off Lindsey, smoothing her clothes down, she could do nothing about the blush on her cheeks

"I thought you were watching television?" Stevie questioned

"We want to play mommy! Our friend is waiting!" Mabel jumped up and down excitedly

"What friend?"

"The little girl that lives in our room! Mommy, she's so sweet! She has the same laugh as I do, daddy! She has exactly the same colour hair as mine, and it's a little bouncy too!" Mabel fluffed her lose curls with her hand

"Honestly mom, it's freaky how much she looks like Mabel! She's got the same coloured eyes with super long eyelashes and she's even got the same little button nose, when I first saw her I even thought it was my sister!" He laughed, wanting to go upstairs too

"Baby, what's your friends name?" Lindsey asked his son, but Mabel answered

"Florence! But we call her Flossie! Isn't that a beautiful name?!" She said dreamily

Stevie and Lindsey both looked at each other with wide eyes and huge smiles. Stevie turning back to her children

"Yes, yes you can most definitely go and play!"

The children ran upstairs, giggling as they went to join their friend. Stevie turned to Lindsey, still in shock as tears fell from her eyes.

"Oh my gosh..." she said with a gasp and Lindsey smiled. He kissed her temple, taking her into his arms once more. He held her tightly breathing in the moment, truly savoring it.

They were not alone.

The End

A/N: Thank you for all of your reads, votes and comments. It means the world to us that you would read our story. I hope you have all enjoyed it and we hope to write together again in the future. - RubyMoonSister and Laceandpaperflowers