Hello to my beautiful readers! I'm very happy you are still reading. I sincerely hope that you enjoy this story.

Okay, cut the crap. Ahem. Hi, brilliantly minded person sitting behind the screen! Obviously you have taken time, precious time, to read this. So I will thank you with... ANOTHER CHAPTER! Wow. What a great present. Congratulations. 

You may have noticed I took out the Biana pregnancy thing. Sorry. I didn't feel comfortable with writing a pregnant character. Apologies. (You might want to go back and reread that part. I changed it a little)

I also took out the swearing. I don't want this to be rated Mature. Sorry.

~Anna

P.S. Only 300 reads away from the 1k bonus! 

July 20th, Present Day, Alternate Universe, Late Morning

Sophie POV

"What, you aren't gonna say hi?" asked Biana jokingly. 

"Oh, no," I said hesitantly. I waved my hands around in the air for a few seconds, searching for the right words. "It's just... you're married to-"

Keefe cut me off swiftly before I could finish my sentence. "Biana! Uhhhh... I love your shoes?" He gestured towards Biana's ugly vomit green sweater boots.

Wait.

Ugly boots?! Ugly and Biana didn't belong in the same dictionary, let alone the same sentence.

"Oh, these old things?" Biana pulled up her fraying dress to show off her ankle boots and mismatched rainbow socks. "I found them at a thrift store. Cheapest things I could find."

I watched Keefe do a double take. "I... um... you..." he stuttered, helplessly gaping like a fish, before I interrupted.

"That's great!" I exclaimed with a false cheery smile. "Should we come in? Keefe and I were having a bit of an off day, so the kids suggested we come to your house for breakfast. I hope you don't mind!"

"Oh, no, of course not! We could always use a bit of help with the girls. What a load of trouble they are," confessed Biana. A loud crash and bang rang out from above our heads. 

"Xanthe!" hollered a girl's voice. "Stop all that ruckus! I'm trying to study!"

"So what, Edlyn? You hardly ever take a break!" someone yelled back.

"Shut UP!" screamed another girl. 

The shouts intensified until they were incomprehensible, just a load of gibberish with a little more kick. I was fairly certain I heard a load of unprintable words thrown into the mix. Keefe, Favian, and Naomi all winced at the amount of noise. Biana and Malik seemed not to hear it. 

Biana finally let loose an earsplitting shriek, causing my to clap my hands over Naomi's ears. "Will all of you just be QUIET?!?" she complained. "We have guests!"

There was only beautiful silence remaining when she finished her sentence. I uncovered Naomi's ears slowly and let her cling to my shirt. Her little fists were slightly sweaty, but not so much that it would leave a stain. She shoved her head into my stomach, burying her face in the soft cotton.

"Hey there, sweetie," I soothed, patting her head and smoothing down her hair. "It's okay. It's okay."

Naomi pulled back to look at me. "What are you talking about?" she huffed. "I'm perfectly fine."

I smiled at her stubbornness. "Of course you are," I told her. "I never doubted you."

She looked at me sideways. "Suuuuureeee you didn't," she said, drawing out her words.

I almost laughed. Who knew that a five-year-old could have such a big personality? I opened my mouth, about to reply, but loud footsteps clomped down the stairs. A sweaty head stuck over the staircase railing, breathing heavily.

"Mommm," the girl complained, her brown hair sticking to her forehead. "Edlyn's being so 'nnoying..."

"I heard that!" shrieked a voice from upstairs. "And that's not true!" 

Biana rubbed her temples, her forehead creased slightly. "Xanthe, apologize to your sister," she told the girl. "And Edlyn," she hollered, "get out of your room for once! Foxfire isn't everything!"

More loud groans and footsteps. "Honestly, Mother," grumbled a girl, all prim and neat in her freshly pressed tunic and leggings. She swept some of her dirty blonde hair out of her face. 

"Yes, Edlyn?" mocked Xanthe in a baby voice. Her shirt was crumpled and her bare feet were covered in dirt.

"Stop it!" said Edlyn sharply. "Mother, tell her to stop it!"

"Don't you mother me," snapped Biana. "You're only eleven."

"Shut up, you two," grumbled a girl, suddenly stepping into existence out of thin air. She flickered as she clomped over to our group. "You're always at it, arguing and arguing and arguing. I'm sick of it."

"Alethea!" cheered Xanthe, suddenly brightening. "You're here!"

"And why wouldn't I be?" said Alethea dryly. "I'm always here."

"Not when you're in school!" Xanthe reminded her. "I missed you, Thee!"

"Don't call me that," groaned Alethea. She looked up, surveying our group, then ducked her head and blushed. "Hi... Malik," she whispered shyly. 

Malik cleared his throat, staring at her. "Hey, Thee." His cheeks were bright red and he kept darting his eyes around.

Biana looked at me sideways. "They are so dating," she whispered to me. 

"We are not!" they both suddenly yelled, Malik with his fists clenched at his sides, Alethea with her hands on her hips.

I looked straight at Malik. "Yep, definitely dating," I replied cheerily. 

"Motherrrr," he groaned. "Stop embarrassing me!" He shot a glance at Alethea, reddening even more.

Keefe groaned. "Why are we talking about this again? You two have love problems, get over it and start dating already!"

"We do not have love problems!" they said at the same time. 

"Talking at the same time? Check," said Keefe in a bored tone.

"Stop it!" said Malik, blushing to the tips of his ears.

"Unnecessary and prolonged blushing? Check." Keefe inspected a fingernail. "You know, I think I got sparkles underneath one of these, see?" He shoved his hand in my face. I stumbled backwards, blushing and hiding behind my hair.

"Are we still talking about this or not?" Alethea argued hotly.

"More unnecessary arguing? Check."

"Just shut up!" they both screamed in unison, then turned to each other, blushing.

"Definitely in love," I whispered.

"So...," interrupted Dex, who had been standing in the room for a while, it seemed, but I hadn't noticed him. "Do you want breakfast? Or not? I wouldn't mind, this is very interesting."

"Dad," groaned Alethea. "Shut upppp."

"Oh, can my big 13-year-old not handle herself?" Dex joked. "Because you seemed to be handling that argument just fine."

Naomi looked up at me. "Can we eat breakfast, Mama?" she asked innocently, blinking those huge brown eyes. How could I possibly say no? (Never underestimate the power of cute children.)

"Of course, Mimi," I told her, then shook my head and blinked. Mimi? Where had that come from.

"To the kitchen!" Dex crowed, raising his hand in the hair like a knight on a quest. He dropped his hand, turning to Biana. "Before I forget, honey, can you find Neo?" He dropped down for a quick kiss, then turned around before I had the chance to squeal. 

Something delicious was cooking in the kitchen. "What is it?" I asked Dex, leaning in to smell.

"Some sort of orange glop thing," he answered honestly. "Biana's obsessed with it."

A little toddler came dancing into the room. "Mommy!" he shouted, grabbing Dex's leg with his little grimy fists.

Dex looked up at me, embarrassed. "Neo considers me his mother and Biana his father. It's kind of weird, but Biana thinks it's hilarious."

I laughed at him, then squatted down and faced Neo. "Hey buddy," I cooed, tapping his nose. He started to laugh, his chubby cheeks growing wider as his face broke open in a smile. 

"So," said Dex, as Xanthe chased Naomi around the room. "Is anyone hungry?"

"Yes!" screamed Xanthe and Neo as they clamored around the large table. Naomi followed and joined them in banging their fists on the dark brown wood. Malik and Alethea, lost in each other's eyes, drifted towards the table. I sat down gracefully, or at least I would have, if Keefe hadn't tried to sit in the same chair that I was trying to sit in. 

After a few mumbled apologies and heated glares, we took our respective seats across from each other. Biana walked in a few minutes later, carrying a few bottles of what looked like purple liquid. 

"Murcat milk," she explained after seeing my confused expression. "Fresh."

In all honesty, murcat milk tasted like salty milk. Not enjoyable at all. I gulped it down and made a face. Naomi seemed to enjoy it, though. "Tastes like pretzels!" she proclaimed. "Like the ones Aunt Amy brings us!" I made a face at her. She stuck her tongue out right back at me.

The orangle gloppy stuff tasted a lot better. It was a little bit cinnamon, a little bit nutmeg. It tasted like banana bread. I was finally satisfied after three generous helpings, although Keefe had four.

Boys were so weird.

Then again, Dex only had one bowl. So maybe it was just a Keefe thing. I'll add that to the growing list, I thought ruefully.  Out loud, though, I remarked, "Naomi, you have some stuff right here." I gestured to the right side of my mouth. The meal went on in silence.

After Dex and Biana had announced that they were going to take Xanthe on a trip to Atlantis, she practically pushed us out the door. The poor little girl looked so excited to go on her visit that we couldn't help but comply.

"Goodbye!" I called to the slammed door. "Thank you!"

I could almost swear that I had heard Alethea shouting at Xanthe about embarrasing her in front of Malik, but it could have just been my imagination. Who knows?

Hope you enjoyed! (I think Malik and Alethea is my new OTP for this story. Whoops! Anyone got a ship name?)

Thanks for reading!

Always and forever,

Lara Jean

(Ok, not really. But TATBILB is a great movie. You guys should watch it!)

~Anna

WORD COUNT: 1722