Time had been slowly passing by, birthdays and holidays coming and going as our lives started to find a new feeling of normality. Unlike before, I now found an equal but different love for my children as I had always held for my husband and cherished the time I spent with them. I would spend time with my family whenever I could have them all together, bonding as close as a family could.

When the children napped during the day or fell asleep for the night, I would spend time with my Eli, whether it was spent watching movies, reading books, just talking to each other or more... romantic moments. It was all time we spent nurturing the love we had for each other.

Whenever Elijah had to leave for one reason or another, me and the twins would find out way out into the vast garden and spend the time together, a time I had come to cherish more than I had ever thought possible.

Deep inside my heart, I regretted not having tried harder to be close to my children sooner, while promising I would never let myself drift away from them again. I would work hard to become the mother they needed, the mother they deserved.

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"Happy Birthday!!!" We all shouted loudly to the twins, the garden decorated with streamers and balloons as our now five year old children ran around chasing the bubbles that filled the air. Me and Eli watched as Anthony finished filling yet another of the bubble blowing machines before turning it on, coming back to stand nearby as we smiled at the playful twins.

"Mommy! Come play with us!" I laughed happily as I allowed Matthew and Emily to pull me into the giant wall of bubbles before they let go and told me to catch them. I spent the next 20 minutes running about the garden taking turns chasing, and being chased by, our wonderful children as Eli and Anthony watched on with smiles.

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Several hours later the presents had been opened, cake and ice cream eaten, and the children had finally been sent to bed for the night. Now came the part I was dreading. Now it was time for The Talk with Elijah.

I knew it had been coming but it was only the past year or so that I had started realizing how much I didn't want it to happen. I'd wanted to ignore that my time was running out. That my children were growing up so fast.

"Shina, we need to talk about where the children will be going for their schooling."

A/N - I am so sorry for not publishing something sooner. My personal Muse is gone for a while and without her to talk to about this story, I am having a hard time trying to write for it. But I promise this story is NOT abandoned, it will just be slower updates for a while until either she gets back or I find a different source of inspiration for writing Shina's chapters.