Being a 26-year-old was hard, but being a 26-year-old with two very active three-year-olds was even harder. Charlie and Jay were running all over the two-story house, doing whatever they possibly could do to avoid their parents. With their small stature and their ability to hide just about anywhere they saw fit, the twins had an advantage over their parents, but Marlena and Bucky had an advantage over the two of them as well. Their enhanced abilities assisted them in regards to speed and the ability to sift through their small minds in order to locate their exact whereabouts. It was more or less a game between the four family members, at least it was any other day. Now it was merely a situation that threatened their arrival to a certain uncle's football game.

"Charlie," Marlena called as she slowly inched her way down the long hallway. "Uncle Mason is gonna be really sad if we don't show up at his game on time."

Marlena heard tiny, rushed footsteps in hers and Bucky's bedroom and stopped in the middle of the hallway. She turned towards the door and pushed it open. Before she could head inside the room, her daughter rushed past her and headed down the hallway towards the stairs. Marlena was more than ready to head after her until Bucky, who quickly released a pouting Jay from his arms, grabbed her, eliciting a squeal from the small child.

"I don't wanna wear them, daddy," Charlie whined as Bucky placed her sandals onto her feet.

"You can't run around without shoes, Charlie," Bucky replied.

Bucky placed Charlie back down on the floor once he had the small shoes placed securely on her feet and she crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at the carpeted floor with a frown on her face. "You guys are mean," Charlie huffed.

Marlena shook her head at the three-year-old and moved towards the stairs. "No McDonald's for you then," she remarked as she started down the staircase.

Charlie let out a squeal and followed after her mother, while Jay and Bucky followed behind her. "Mommy, wait," the young girl called out.

Jay tugged at Bucky's hand as the two continued down the stairs after the two females. "Charlie screams a lot, daddy," he said to Bucky.

Bucky chuckled and nodded his head slightly, glancing down at his son. "She really does."

Despite the fact that Charlie and Jay were twins, the two of them were opposites to some extent or another. Charlie was very exuberant and loud; she was a troublemaker, much like Bucky could remember being when he was younger. Jay was much more quiet and reserved, though sometimes he could be a little bit out there, just as Marlena had been when she was younger. Regardless of the fact of it all, the twins still loved each other very much; they were each others' best friends.

"I want chicken nuggets," Charlie said to Marlena.

Marlena laughed at her and headed into the living room to grab her bag, as well as her keys. "Then maybe you should try being nice," she said to her.

"Unfortunately for us, Miss Charlotte doesn't know what that word means," Bucky remarked as he walked into the living room with Jay.

Marlena giggled and handed Bucky the keys, while Charlie simply glared up at her father.

"I know what being nice means," she huffed out and placed her hands on her hips. "It's the opposite of being mean."

Bucky smiled and shook his head, lightly pushing Charlie and Jay towards the front door. He grabbed Marlena's hand in his own and intertwined their fingers together. "It would be nice if you two could head to the car so we can get a move on."

"Do we still have to sit in our seats?" Jay asked curiously as Bucky pulled the front door open for them, allowing a cool breeze into the house.

"Yes," Marlena answered.

Jay grunted in displeasure and stomped out of the house with Charlie.

"I'nna sit behind mommy this time," Charlie exclaimed as she started running towards the black 2019 Jeep sitting in the driveway.

"That's not fair! You always sit behind mommy!" Jay retorted and ran after her, leaving Bucky and Marlena to stare after them with amused expressions on their faces. The two would never be able to understand how they got so lucky with the twins.

Bucky stopped in the middle of the walkway as the twins continued their attempts at opening the back door. He looked down at Marlena with a raised brow, wondering exactly why she hadn't unlocked the door for them yet. "You gotta unlock the door for them, Mar," he chuckled slightly.

Marlena shook her head and looked up at him. "Last time I did that when the two of them were having their little argument about their seating arrangements, Charlie was standing on the stepstool and she yanked the door open so hard it hit her in the face and she fell back to the ground."

"At least we know she takes after you in the clumsy department," Bucky laughed.

"And unfortunately she takes after you in everything else," Marlena retorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Marlena only winked in response and took off for the Jeep, leaving Bucky to stare after her. Even after so many years of being with her, Marlena was still the light of Bucky's life. She'd given him everything he could've wanted and more: a second chance at life, a love, a home, a family, and a lifetime of happiness when he only ever thought he could feel pain. He loved her more than anything in the world, just as he loved Charlotte and James. There was absolutely nothing he wouldn't do for the three of them. They were his entire world and more.

"Bucky, come help me buckle them in," Marlena called out to him from her spot by the car.

The sound of Marlena's voice removed him from his thoughts and he hurried over to the opposite side of the car. Both of the twins were sitting soundly in their seats just waiting to be buckled in. Bucky approached Charlie and he grinned, moving quickly to buckle her into her seat. Charlie swung her feet and tilted her head at her father, watching very intently as his metal hand worked the straps on her seat. She had always been curious about it, as had her brother, but she was the only one that ever spoke up about it.

"Am I gonna get one too?" Charlie asked him.

Bucky furrowed his brows in question and finished strapping her in. "Get what?"

"A shiny arm like yours."

Marlena snorted from her side of the car and quickly shut the back door before hopping into the passenger's seat and starting the car. Jay looked over at the two of them, his eyes brightening as well when he took notice of his father's arm.

"Yeah," he squeaked excitedly. "Are we gonna get a shiny arm like you, too, daddy?"

Bucky pursed his lips and glanced down at his metallic hand. He then fixed his gaze back on his children, both of whom were much more enthralled by the appendage than they should have been. At first, Bucky had been fearful of what the two of them would think of it when they grew old enough to understand what it was, but that fear had been stripped away long before the two could even speak. They'd shown a very early interest in the metallic limb.

"It's a possibility, but I hope neither one of you ever have to get one," Bucky said to the two of them.

"Why not?" Jay questioned curiously.

"They're not that much fun," Bucky shrugged.

Charlie frowned and shook her head. "Don't lie, daddy. Mommy always talks about how much fun it is."

Marlena nearly choked on the air in her lungs and Bucky's eyes widened slightly.

"What? With who?" Bucky forced out.

"Auntie Wan," Jay giggled.

"Oh god," Bucky muttered under his breath. He shut the back door quickly and hopped into the driver's seat. He looked over at Marlena with a chastising expression on his face, something of which she smiled innocently in response to. "You are the bane of my existence, Marlena Barnes."

"What does that mean?"

"And where's Auntie Wan at?"

Marlena turned to look at the two as Bucky started down the streets. "It means that daddy doesn't like me, and Aunt Wanda is meeting us at McDonald's."

"Is Greyson still coming, too?" Bucky asked Marlena.

"Pawpaw Grey is coming?" Charlie squealed excitedly.

Marlena rolled her eyes and glanced over at Bucky. "Thank you for ruining the surprise."

"Sorry," Bucky laughed.

Marlena only shook her head at him.

About five minutes later, Bucky pulled into the McDonald's parking lot. The moment he took notice of Wanda's car parked beside Greyson's, he pulled in beside her. He turned the car off and hopped out to deal with one of his squealing three-year-olds, while Marlena did the same. He pulled Charlie out of the car and Marlena pulled Jay out, and together the four of them headed towards the entrance, only stopping and releasing their holds on the twins when Wanda and Greyson came into view.

"Pawpaw Grey!"

"Auntie Wan!"

The twins ran to the two, wrapping their small arms around them as tightly as they could manage.

"Took you guys long enough," Greyson remarked as he pulled Jay up and into his arms.

"Charlie and Jay didn't want to get ready," Marlena said with a shrug.

"And here I would've thought something else was going on," Wanda retorted. She smirked at the couple before quickly making her way inside with Charlie in her arms, leaving Greyson to follow after her with Jay.

Marlena turned her head to look at Bucky, who seemed rather amused.

"She's half right, though," Bucky mused.

Marlena swatted at his chest.

Bucky threw his hands up in defeat. "What?" he chuckled. "At least I don't talk to my best friends about how much fun I have with your 'special blue hand.'"

"I don't talk to my best friends about how much fun I have with your 'special hand,'" Marlena said to him with an innocent grin on her face.

"Right, I forgot Wanda was your sister of sorts." Bucky pressed his metal hand to Marlena's lower back and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "But if you want something to talk about, I can sure as hell give you something."

Bucky pressed a kiss to the side of her head and gave her behind a gentle smack before heading into the fast food restaurant. Marlena sucked in a breath and shook her head, ridding herself of the thoughts inside her mind as she hurriedly made her way into the restaurant. She made her way past Bucky, who stood in line with Greyson and the twins, and walked to the table Wanda was sitting at.

Wanda chuckled upon seeing Marlena. She appeared to be very flustered, and Wanda was sure Bucky had something to do with it.

"Goodness, what happened to you?" Wanda teased.

Marlena sat down in the booth across from Wanda and let out a breath, running a hand through her medium-length brown hair. "My husband happened," she answered.

"If you two wanna get in a quick one before the football game, Greyson and I would be more than happy to watch the kids for you," Wanda teased her again, the smirk on her face growing wider. "I'm sure being intimate is harder for you two with the twins running around all the time."

"Shut up, Wan," Marlena chuckled, though her expression grew serious the longer she looked at her cousin. "Are you still leaving tonight?"

Wanda nodded and ran a hand through her blondish-brown hair. The hair color was still so hard for Marlena to get used to, but as a group of people trying to remain lowkey even after so many years, Marlena knew a change was inevitable. It was the reason she decided on a darker hair color paired with fringe.

"They know, right?"

"Yes," she answered with a sigh. "I promised them I'd check in at least once a day to make sure things are okay, and don't worry, I'm still keeping my promise to you to check in twice a day."

"All we want is to keep you both safe," Marlena reminded her younger cousin.

Wanda smiled and grabbed Marlena's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze with her own. "I know, and I appreciate it, but you do know Vis and I can take care of ourselves, don't you?"

"Just because you can doesn't mean you have to," Marlena replied with a playful roll of her eyes. "You know the number to call if something goes wrong."

"That I do."

Moments later, Jay and Charlie ran up to the table with their drinks and squeezed into the booth beside Marlena. Bucky placed a tray of food down in front of them and sat down beside Wanda, while Greyson pulled up a chair to sit at the head of the table. Marlena raised a brow in confusion as she noticed that the twins were the only two at the table who had food, but her confusion soon disappeared when she realized they had plans to eat after Mason's game was over.

"Where are we eating after the game?" Marlena questioned no one in particular.

"Can we have McDonald's again?" Charlie chimed happily as she stuck a chicken nugget into her mouth.

Greyson's face contorted and he shook his head, wiping the barbecue sauce from Jay's face. "Do you kids know just how unhealthy this shit is?"

"You shouldn't say bad words, Pawpaw," Jay scolded him with a frown, earning a laugh from the remaining adults sitting at the table.

"I'm just saying," Greyson shrugged. "Keep eating this stuff and you'll explode before you turn five."

Marlena shook her head at Greyson and helped Charlie with her drink. "Why must you bait my children, Greyson?"

"It's okay, mommy," Charlie spoke nonchalantly after swallowing her juice. "We're only in our threes, so we have plenty of time before we explode."

"You're about to be in your fours, Charlie, so you really don't have that much time left at all," Bucky told her.

Wanda's eyes lit up at the sound of his words and she leaned forward, her gaze falling upon the twins. "What do you guys want for your birthday?" she questioned them.

"I want a new Moana doll," Charlie answered happily.

"What about you, Jay?"

"I want some books so I can finish learning how to read," he answered her.

"Is that all?" Bucky asked them.

Jay nodded, but Charlie was quick to add yet another item to her list.

"I want a baby sister," she said.

Marlena, who had stolen a fry from her daughter's tray, nearly choked on it. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Charlie looked up at Marlena with hopeful blue eyes. "A baby sister. Mackenna at school said her mommy is giving her a baby sister for Christmas and I want one for my birthday," she giggled.

"It doesn't work like that, Charlie," Bucky told her with a quiet chuckle.

It was Jay's turn to speak next.

"Then how does it work, daddy?" he asked.

Greyson laughed as he noticed the color drain from Bucky's and Marlena's face, and when neither one of them answered, he saw an opportunity to further educate the twins on what exactly their parents had done to bring them into the world.

"You see, the thing is," Greyson began, attracting Bucky and Marlena's attention. "When a mommy and daddy love each other and want to have babies together, they play a special game with each other."

Bucky shook his head and ran a hand over his face. Wanda laughed under her breath. Marlena looked absolutely ready to slaughter Greyson. The twins, on the other hand, were very curious as to what this special game was.

"What game?" Jay exclaimed curiously.

"A very, very special game that can be played absolutely anywhere." Greyson was having far too much fun with the situation, and Marlena and Bucky would've stopped him had they assumed he would go into detail about what exactly the game he spoke about consisted of. "You can play it on the couch, in the kitchen, in the car, in the shower, or even in the bedroom. Everyone has their favorite place to play; my favorite place to play is in the shower."

"Oh my god," Marlena muttered.

Charlie's blue eyes lit up ever so slightly at the sound of Greyson's words. To her, the game he spoke about sounded like a lot of fun, but she was far from understanding the true concept of it all. "Can I play?"

"No," Bucky answered quickly.

"But then I could make my own sister," Charlie suggested.

Wanda laughed and sat back in her seat, unable to further deal with whatever it was happening at the table. "I can't take this anymore," she breathed out.

"Neither can I," Marlena followed. "Mason's game starts in like fifteen minutes and we're going to be late to it...again."

Bucky gathered up all of the twins' trash and piled it onto a single tray. "This is his last game, right?" he asked, glancing over to Marlena.

She nodded and worked on cleaning off both of the twins' faces. "He's gonna be really pissed if we're late to it," she replied.

"I couldn't care less," Greyson said as he removed himself from his seat. "I'm only going for the afterparty."

"What afterparty?" Charlie asked.

"Mason's friends Peter and Ned are coming to stay with us for the weekend, Charlie," Bucky told her. "It's not really an afterparty, to be honest." He took off to throw away the trash without waiting on a response. The moment he returned back to the table, he grabbed Jay by the hand and pulled him from his spot, doing the same to Charlie just after.

"Those boys could definitely make it an afterparty, though," Wanda said to Bucky with a smirk on her face. It seemed as if she knew something he didn't, and she did, but she would never reveal that, of course.

Bucky glanced back at her and Marlena, both of whom were now following after him, the twins, and Greyson. "I'm well aware of this, but I refuse to spend my night babysitting college students when I have my own to deal with."

Wanda only chuckled and headed out the doors. "I don't think you'll have to worry about many college kids.

"She's right." Greyson grinned and threw his sunglasses on his face, turning around long enough to look at his family. "You guys have got a good night ahead of you. I hope these kids of yours are well-rested, because it's gonna be a long one, too."

Wanda hummed in response and headed towards her car. "Let's hope you haven't just jinxed them," she teased.

"Knowing him, he probably did," Marlena retorted.

"No, no." Greyson looked at Marlena with a small smirk on his face. "I may be many things, but I am not a jinx."

"Guess we'll find out then, won't we?"

"Guess we will."