"Alright, it's picture time!" Christine said excitedly as her family followed her outside along with their adorable dogs for family photos.

"Mum, we have enough photos from last year. Can we sit this year out?" Emily questioned.

"No, because I want more pictures of all my darling loves." Christine said.

"How long is this going to take?" Emily asked as she tugged at the maroon cashmere sweater she was wearing.

"I think these pictures are a wonderful idea darling, now the sooner we take as many pictures your mum wants to take, the sooner we can come in and enjoy our traditions we used to have." John said.

"Those traditions are over daddy. We haven't made pumpkin strudel and hot apple cider in forever." Olivia said.

"We can enjoy all these traditions again and we'll have fun making them true again." John said.

"We're not kids anymore dad. I don't want to trace a pumpkin on construction paper and color it." Henry said as Christine looked at her family and wished for her kids to be little again, she craved the old days when her kids would get excited over crafting while her and John made dinner and their traditional Fall treats with little ones wondering when they could have them.

"Is too much for me to ask for some quality time with my family or is this going to be like every day I ask for one day to have my kids, who I went through many hours of hell and unbearable pain to bring you three into this world." Christine said as she walked into the kitchen, facing the cupboards to keep from crying but the tears came like a flood.

John walked into the kitchen, wrapping her in comforting hug to soothe his wife as she cried into chest, feeling his warmth radiate her from the cold.

"I'm all for the pictures and activities we planned out sweetheart. We'll go and pick out pumpkins and drink hot chocolate." John said.

"They'd rather go out with their friends then be here with us. Face it darling, we don't have our old McVie Fall traditions anymore and I want my little babies back." Christine said as John kissed her forehead, an action that soothed her from when situations are too much to handle.

"Hey, why don't we make our favorite English dessert like we used to?" John questioned.

"I don't know, I'm just down because I look around and realize that my kids are no longer interested in the traditions that I have tried my best to uphold." Christine said as she sat on the stairs as John put his arms around her while Christine laid her head on his shoulder.

"They'll come around darling." John said.

...

Later on that day, Christine was in the kitchen while John just stared at her while she was on the phone with Mick, talking about old English traditions they used to do when they were younger.

"I have an excellent idea that would work but it does takes a while to make but it's worth a shot." Christine said as John looked at her.

"We used to make it back in the days of when we had nothing better to do, so why not." Mick said.

"I remember, not a whole lot due to the fact that I was either drunk or high due to the demands of our executives for an album." Christine said.

"How are John and the kids?" Mick asked.

"John's doing well, just sitting at the table on his iPad and the kids are out and about, doing something." Christine said.

"It's weird not seeing or hearing you telling them to stay out of things while you are doing multiple tasks." Mick said.

"I know, I miss it. I was just telling that to John the other day how I missed when the kids were little and all the traditions we used to do as a family." Christine said as she really did miss her kids being babies and their constant demand for attention.

The motherly yearning for another child was a great longing for her and the way she felt as a baby commercial came on every time she was doing a simple task.

"Alright darling, I have to get going but I'll talk to you later, tell John and the kids I said hi and maybe we can plan for a holiday real soon." Mick said.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later and I'll them." Christine said as she hung up the phone.

"What's he up to?" John asked her.

"Preparing for the holidays at his restaurant in Maui and just taking a break like we are." Christine said as the baby monitor picked up a noise as John went to get up.

"Let me prepare her bottle and I'll pack her diaper bag because we have to go drop her off with Julie." John said.

"No love, I'll get it. It's nothing I can't handle and honestly, I need something to take my mind off of  this." Christine said.

Christine went on to make Molly a bottle as John packed her diaper bag, just glancing at his wife as Molly started crying.

"I'll get her darling." Christine said as she walked into the living room to see Molly cooing at her as Christine scooped her up in her arms and gave her the bottle.

"Here darling, I've got her from here. Go take a break and I'll clean up the kitchen." John said as Christine didn't want to let go.

"I've got her, she's happy right here with me and I can take it from here." Christine said.

"I'll go see what the kids are up to and see if I can hurry them along." John said as he walked out of the kitchen while Christine soaked up the few moments of peace she has with Molly.

"Now, it's just you and me. Let's see what kind of fun we can manage without daddy, your brother and sisters around." Christine said as she looked in the cabinets as Molly let out a laugh.

"We have everything we need but I'm not seeing the icing for our pumpkin cookies, looks like daddy and I have to go to the store." Christine said as she held Molly close to her, kissing her head as Molly finished her bottle.

John got his kids to go into the kitchen and they did not like the scene of their mum holding baby Molly while she looked for ingredients.

"Why are you holding Molly, isn't that dad's job?" Henry asked his mum.

"I was feeding her while your dad was going to get you three." Christine said.

"Mum, it isn't your job to care for her, it's dad's job." Olivia said.

"Listen, I'm the mother of this house and I love the idea of having a baby around again, it makes me go back to a time where your father and I were happy and you three were happy too, I love Molly too and I just want all of us to be happy." Christine said.

"Well, it doesn't make us happy." Emily said.

"Nothing makes you happy anymore and I am tired of bending over backwards just to please you." Christine said.

"Mum, a baby that isn't even yours won't make you happy, it'll make you miserable." Emily said.

"I disagree with you on that, I love having this little angel in my arms and she makes me happy, even if she's not mine. I'm the mum of this house and if you three don't stop what you are doing then, I guess you can look for your own place to live because I'm not going through this everyday." Christine said.

"Mum, we're just trying to state the facts." Henry said.

"You already have and I'm putting my foot down, if you don't like the living situation, then go ahead and find a place to live, it's every day you three think you're going to change my mind when I'm fact, I'm happy and this is happiest I've been in a long time." Christine said as she walked out of the kitchen to go relax with her husband.

"Is she serious?" Emily asked her oldest two siblings.

"She is and you know how mum is, once she puts her foot down, that's it." Olivia said.

"We just have to accept this now and I want what's best for mum, if this is what she wants, then, let's be happy for her." Henry said.

"Fine." Olivia said.

"Okay." Emily said

Later on that evening, The McVie's did their traditional ritual of cooking, baking and their fall traditions of what they have done every year.

John walked into the living room to see Christine sitting beside Molly while Molly looked at all the toys on the floor.

"Tummy time?" John asked his wife.

"She seems to like it and it helps with her motor skills, even though she gets mad because the toy she wants isn't in front of her." Christine said.

"She likes her walker more than tummy time." John said.

"Her baby doll is upstairs and I'm not going to get it." Christine said.

"The kids need to learn that we're not dealing with this everyday, it's like they'll hold that grudge against me forever." John said.

"Well, I put my foot down today and from now on, I don't want to hear anything other than positive things from them and I have them an ultimatum." Christine said.

"This is why colleges have dorm rooms and apartments close to campus." John said.

"If they keep this charade up, they'll have no choice but to live in the dorms or get an apartment because I'm sick and tired of this." Christine said.

"I know darling." John said as he kissed his wife's head.

"Fall is officially in the air and I'm ready to enjoy it." Christine said.

"I am too darling." John said as he kissed her head.

Author's Note: I've had this written for a year before Christine passed but I have received a couple of comments to update both stories and I hope you enjoy both.

I'll try to update when I can on both stories and I have another chapter on both stories and I hope you enjoy them, it's bittersweet for me.

Remember to be kind when you write a comment because negative comments will be deleted because I don't tolerate negativity on my page or my stories.