Jessica's POV

"... and I have a puppy called Benjie... and my room looks like it has Lego walls and floor!" Duncan beams. As he tells me for the millionth time how PERFECT Ocean and Michael's house is. "if you want a Lego themed bedroom. I can do that for you" I smile and he shakes his head. "my new rooms bigger and Benjie will sleep there too!"

"trying to bribe a child with a puppy, that's typical" Sherri scoffs "well there's more to parenting than just gifts" I frown annoyed. "exactly! and the courts will see that" she tries to reassure me. Which she's been trying to do alot since I got that letter. I know there's still a chance they won't be granted custody, they've tried before and failed, but it worries me that this time they WILL get him back especially now their taking it to court. And by the sounds of things they are doing really well for themselves and I have to admit for them to own their own home at 18 and 20 is actually pretty impressive. but they already have a child and this supposedly perfect life. I'm not asking for the perfect life just the chance to be a mother again and Duncan is my final chance at that and I'm now at risk them taking him away from me.

"and we're gonna get a new baby!" Duncan says excitedly eating his breakfast, still talking about Ocean and Michael. "your mommy's having another baby!?" I turn to him wide eyed. "not yet... one day though" he smiles "it's gonna be called princess Ocean or Prince Michael" he says excitedly.

"them two have serious ego problems!" Sherri scoffs "who names their children after themselves and gives them the title princess and prince"

"so they'll have THREE children" I mumble. "no.. They'll have two. Thats if they have another. their not going to win. I can feel it and all their doing is giving the poor boy false hope"

"no three!" Duncan cuts in counting their names with his fingers. "me, Veah and one day new baby"

"sweetie, I don't think the stalk is bringing your mommy and daddy another baby" Sherri tells him then turns back to me. "even the stork wouldn't be that cruel on a child" she chuckles slightly. "storks don't bring babies... stupid" Duncan frowns. "Duncan! Apologise to your aunt right now!" I snap at him "but they don't YOU just telling lies again" he folds his arms in protest "if it's not the stalk. then where do you think YOU came from smartie pants" sherri turns to him "mommy's vajay"

"what!? Who said that to you!?" I gasp "daddy. He said storks don't bring a baby. The daddy does and it grows In the mommy's belly"

"did he say how they put it in the mommy's belly?" I frown annoyed Michael and Ocean would tell a child this. "yup! Did it with his peepee"

"Carson! Have you heard this!?" I frown as he walks into the room and I tell him what Michael and Ocean said to Duncan. "well he'll have to learn sometime" he shrugs "not a TWO! They shouldn't be teaching him stuff like that"

"well pretty soon it won't be our problem" he shrugs "maybe in the mean time they could teach him how to wipe his own butt properly"

"I'll be speaking to Abby about this. It's not acceptable and it's terrible parenting!" I shake my head. "so they told him where babies come from big deal! Maybe if you'd talked to Ocean she wouldn't have got knocked up in the first place" he shrugs uninterested. "I did talk to her!"

"clearly you forgot the part about contraception" he chuckles slightly. "I shouldn't have had too! She knew full well she shouldn't have been doing those things until she was married. It's not my fault she became a shameless little tramp!" I snap. "their here!!!" DJ squeals hearing a car pull up in the drive and rushes over to the front door.

***

Ocean's POV

It's been over a week since what happened and neither of us have mentioned it since Michael flushed that stuff down the toilet. Not because it's something we don't want to discuss, but because it's something we don't need to. What happened in the past is a distant memory and in some ways feels like it wasn't real, like a terrible nightmare that you wake up from that feels so real at first then you realise it was all just a dream.

We're on our way to pick DJ up for his first over night visit and we're so excited about it. Just like Nevaeh we've been there to see all his major milestones like walking and talking an stuff, but it's all the little things we get to do with her and not with DJ that we miss. Like tucking him in at night and waking up to him in the morning and just being a normal family without having to keep checking the time and worrying about him being back on time.

"DJ?" Nevaeh babbles from the back seat. As soon as told her we were going to to pick him up DJ is the only word that's come out of her mouth. "we're almost there princess. I promise" Michael chuckles to her, still keeping his eyes on the road. "DJ!" She squeals happily clapping her hands together. "I think someone's excited about seeing her brother" I giggle at her reaction.

We pull up at my mothers and see DJ rushing out "Mommy!!!" He squeals "hey! Buddy!" I smile picking him up and I see my mother come storming out of the house. "what did we do now?" Michael sighs, rolling his eyes as she storms over towards us. "do you think it's appropriate to talk to a child about... It?" She says that last part awkwardly and we both look at her confused. "SEX!" She snaps at us "he's two years old he shouldn't be hearing stuff about you filthy sins"

"no we didn't" I frown "so how does he know where babies come from huh?" She raises an eyebrow at us. "because, he was going on about some stalk and we sat him down and told him the truth" Michael shrugs. "we have this little thing called honesty in our house. It's not like we were discussing techniques"

"well we all know YOUR techniques for getting young girls pregnant!" she frowns "you call protecting a pedophile and calling your daughter a slut honesty!? DJs OUR son and pretty soon, how we raise him and what we tell him won't concern you anymore" Michael smirks as we see Abby pulling up in the drive. And as always her attitude quickly changes. "is everything ok?" Abby asks sensing the tension"

"everything great" my mother smiles a fake smile at her. "well we best be going now. We'll drop him back off and 11am as agreed" I fake smile at her and we leave.

****

Jessica's POV

After they leave I invite Abby inside to tell her what has happened this morning and to discus the custody case with her some more.

"I think it was completely inappropriate to say things like that to a child" I shake my head after explaining what Duncan had said this morning. "If Michael and Ocean chose to explain these things to their son, there's not alot I can do about that. There's no set age that a parent should have this conversation with their child"

"but he's two!" I frown. "and clearly they feel he's mature enough to understand. It may seem inappropriate to you, but they haven't actually done anything wrong. They were very young themselves when they had him and..."

"15!" I frown cutting her off. "which is probably why they'd choose to have this conversation with him at a young age"

"Duncan's told me other things too... He told me that Michael admitted that the reason he was taken from them was because he was hitting Ocean and they were both taking drugs. That's proof their not able to care for him. Just like I've been saying all along" she doesn't say anything for a moment then sighs taking a breath. "I'm fully aware of Michael and Ocean's past problems and..."

"you know!? And your STILL going to make me hand him over!?" I cut her off. "Michael and Ocean have been very honest with me and have also shown me alot of evidence to show their in a stable place and even show me weekly drug test results, which they offered to do themselves and they've proven that other than medication prescribed to them which I have a letter from their doctor confirming this there's no signs of any drug use"

"until they get Duncan back! Then they'll just go back to the same thing. They were living in a drug house with their daughter for months for Christ sake! You really think either of them will be safe!?" I snap at her. Shocked at what I'm listening to. "i've been told that their daughter was in the care of another family member at the time. Which has been confirmed by that family member and the fact they willing handed her over and requested their visitations with Duncan be stopped while they got professional help, shows that they were responsible enough to admit when they had a problem and couldn't care for their children at that moment in time and wouldn't put them in harms way and that they have a huge support system from their family"

"and the courts will see it that way?" I frown. "it will definitely go in their favour. Like I said before. our main goal is to have Duncan placed back in his parents care and I have no reason to doubt that they won't be properly cared for, which is why I've sent my report to the courts telling them that I believe the best place for Duncan is with his parents and now it's down to the courts to decide not me. I know this is hard for you, but you were made fully aware from the start you having custody would only be temporary and unless I see some kind of evidence showing that Duncan or even their daughter would be put in harms way Michael and Ocean WILL be allowed Duncan back with them"

"and then what? They just pack him up and take him away from his whole life and his grandmother. The woman that's raised him!"

"if they do gain custody back which they most likely will. You can always request they allow you visitation, but as a grandparent you won't have any legal rights, so that would be entirely the parents decision"

****

Michael's POV

I know how much of pisses Jessica off knowing we're gonna be getting DJ back soon and I know that she's going to do anything to try and stop us. Even though we were worried about telling Abby everything that's happened since we lost custody, she said us telling her the truth really helps us and we've also proved to both her and the courts that we're no longer in that place. We haven't gotten the courts decision yet, but Jason and Abby both said that it can take a few weeks and we've had people come over to the house a few times to check the environment that DJ would be living in so now its just a case of waiting and it's this part that's driving us crazy and every time the mail comes we immediately rush over hoping that today is the day we get that letter with their decision, which should be any day now.

We normally have DJ Saturday's but, Jessica changed it to Friday this week for some reason. Most likely because she knows I work all day on Fridays. But my dad covered for me so I didn't miss any time with DJ and my girls. We normally take the kids out somewhere special for the day when we have him, but today DJ just wanted to go to the park because he felt Benjie would feel left out if we made him stay home alone.

We're sitting at the park and DJ has been running around playing fetch with Benjie ever since we got here. "he's not running as fast anymore and keeps lying down" DJ pouts coming over to us. "well he has been running all over sweetie. He just needs a little rest" Ocean giggles at him. "can we go home now so he can nap?"

"sure! I think your sister needs a nap too" I smile "how come you carry Veah all the time?" He asks as I pick her up of the grass. "because she can't walk very well yet"

"I'll help her... Your sposed to not fall on your butt" he turns to her. "no butt" she babbles at him and Ocean and I chuckle listening to them trying to have a conversation, which continues the same way between them all the way home.

As we're walking I hear someone shout mine and Ocean's name. "oh fuck" Ocean sighs rolling her eyes as we see Mollie smiling walking over to us and I squeeze DJs hand slightly which we made up as a signal not to say anything. "hey! How's it going?" I fake a smile as she comes over. "going great! I haven't seen you guys in so long how's things?"

"things are good"

"wow! she's gotten so big now" she smiles looking and Nevaeh then turns to DJ. "and you must be little DJ I've heard so much about!"

DJ looks at her, but doesn't say anything. "I tried calling you guys to let you know I'd be in the area, but it wouldn't connect"

"yeah, alot of people have been saying that. Must be a problem with our phones" Ocean lies. Truth is we actually changed out numbers after what happened with Ocean at the store, so we can distance ourselves completely from everything and everybody from the past including Mollie, because we know that even though she has been a good friend to us, if we get weak and asked her she won't say no and give us any kind of drugs we want and that's the kind of people we can't have in our lives. Plus she's really annoying at times. "so are you guys on your way home? I'll give you a ride"

"actually we're on our way back to Ocean's mothers to take DJ back. We'll call you soon though" I lie and we turn to leave. "make sure you do" Mollie shouts back as we're leaving "will do!" Ocean fakes a smile and we quickly leave, before she notices which way we go. We still haven't told anybody our address and only a few people and my family members know, which is exactly how we intend to keep it.

"is she one of the bad people?" DJ asks once she's put of site "kind of. She's friends with them though" I explain and he nods understandably "so you and mommy can't be friends with her anymore?"

"that's right. So if you ever see her or anybody else you don't know..." Ocean looks at him sternly. "I don't speak and run away to you or daddy"

"that's right!" She smiles at him and we head home before we run into any more OLD FRIEND'S.

****

Jessica's POV

"and she STILL thinks they should get custody!?" Sherri says wide eyed after I tell her what happened with Abby this morning. "yup! Apparently their main goal is for Michael and Ocean to have Duncan back"

"with two people who admitted to being drug addicts and Michael admitting he beats Ocean!? That's ridiculous! No court would make you hand a child over to them" she shakes her head. "well according to Abby. Them being so honest about their past and showing evidence that their no longer in a violent relationship or using drugs will show the courts that their responsible" I scoff. "what to move them in to a drug house!? Which they will once all this is over! They had no problem doing that with their daughter! Why should Duncan be any different?"

"well their saying they handed her over to a family member willingly so they could get help and claiming she was never there"

"that's bullshit! Excuse my language but, their nothing but lying little heroin addicts and will dump those kids the first chance they get!"

"I can't lose Duncan" I shake my head and begin sobbing. "you won't" Sherri tries to reassure me, putting her arm around my shoulder. "like you said. Abby knows all about their drug use and the violence and she would have had to tell the courts that too. It's their decision now. not Abby's"

"can't we do something? Like mess with their drug test? You work in a hospital. You could switch their samples with.."

"I'm a nurse I can't do that and even if I could it's most likely the courts will have their own testing people for stuff like that. Abby is an Idiot and it's in the courts hands now. They decide where is best for Duncan, not her

"and how long is that going to take!? It's been over a month and nothing!" I croak trying not to cry. "I told you these things takes weeks. They won't just decided there and then. They have to do checks and stuff and make sure that wherever Duncan is, it's in the best place" I don't say anything and she pulls me in close to her. "we just have to try and stay positive and we'll find out soon enough"

**********

Early next morning

Michael's POV

I'm fast asleep and I'm woken by a very short yet very heavy DJ jumping straight on my head. "daddy! Daddy! Are you awake yet!? He squeals bouncing up and down on the bed. "I am now I groan sitting up"

"rough night, huh?" He says pursing his lips "nope.. rough morning!" I chuckle pulling him over to me and giving him a tight cuddle. "where's mommy?" I ask turning to see Ocean isn't their. "with Veah. Pancakes are ready.. And there chocolate!" he smiles. "we better get down there before mommy and Veah eat them all!" I gasp playfully getting out of bed.

**

After breakfast DJ suddenly goes quiet. "what's wrong sweetie?" Ocean asks concerned by his sudden mood change. "do I have to leave now?" He mumbles. "not for a long time yet" she reassures him. "we got three whole hours before all that" I smile "what are we gonna do until then?" He asks "whatever you want, buddy"

"can we all snuggle an watch Lego movie?"

"of course! You guys go get settled and I'll get us all some snacks" Ocean says excitedly and I take DJ and Nevaeh into the living room with me.

I get the kids settled on the sofa and Ocean shouts me from the hall way. "what's wrong?" I asks walking over to her and she looks at me nervously handing me a letter. I look down and see the stamp and look back at Ocean "is this it?" I ask nervously and she nods. I don't say anything and take a deep breath then shakily open the envelope.