~If you can't get someone
out of your head,
maybe they are supposed to be there.
-Unknown Author

"So do you know when your mother is coming back?" Venice shook her head, taking a bite of her waffle. Vince looked at the food and at me. I chuckled, remembering the first night when Laura and I ate together for the first time. "Venice if you fall dead, then" he sighs, playing with his food. I smirked, taking a bite of my waffle, eyeing him. I could see him holding his stomach squirming. "Son, if you don't take that fork up, I'll tie you to a chair and forcefully feed you myself," he took up the fork with shaking hands and ate it.

"It's like your mother hasn't fed you much information about me," I said, gazing at him. He gave me a death glare and cleared his throat. "Our mother shouldn't be the one to tell us anything about you. You should've been there instead of pushing her out when she was pregnant with us." He slammed his fists down onto the table so hard the dishes jumped. He gained my attention with his outburst, his nostrils flaring as he stood at the table, fists clenched at his sides.

I felt a rising in my chest as I headed towards him. I would not do any sort of harm to him, but he needs to know that I'm not just anybody.

"What sort of satisfaction does it give you to speak to me like that?" His eyes were locked with mine, and I saw the younger version of myself.

"It doesn't, but I think you all but know you owe mother an apology for treating her the way you did. It was all your loss when you thought she died." He mocked me by folding his arms over his chest, trying to intimidate me.

"In two days, it'll be Venice and my eighth birthday, and eight years since you missed out on Mom's life, and you wouldn't imagine how much time I watched her cry over someone like you. You don't deserve her, but I wouldn't say the same for you. I had to look at you twice to actually begin to utter the word 'father' out of my mouth. You got married when you were already wedded," he spat, his eyes growing a darker shade of blue. It's true that I got married over something I wish I hadn't done.

I pinched his cheeks and glared at him, "Boy, if I didn't meet your mother, she'd probably be dead, so shut your mouth or I'll hold you locked away where your mother nor anyone else will be able to free you from the torture that I'll be doing to you." I saw fear washed over his eyes, but he quickly masked it, his eyes averting to the side of me. The tears started to well up in his eyes. In a matter of seconds, he was hugging my waist sobbing and I was astounded why he was crying. It couldn't be what I said.

I pulled him away and knelt down. He was fighting with himself by the look on his face, but the tears kept falling uncontrollably down his face. "What's wrong?" he wiped his tears and took deep breaths, controlling his heartbeat. "I'm sorry that I acted but- but mom- mom," he stutters. "Mom is not well. I'm not stupid enough to not know my own mother is not well. I visualized how she looked at you," he gulped, shaking his head. I squeezed his shoulders reassuringly to go on. "Dad, I've seen that face. She never looks at any man the way she does with you. I saw it when I watched her look at the photograph," he walked to the living room while he left. Venice kept looking at me and my mind wasn't at ease. Could it be that sh- my mind came to a stop when Vince walked back with his backpack in hand.

He unzips the bag and hands me a photo of Laura and me. It was our first night together going out as a married couple. She had on a long silk black dress with a slit that showed her long brown legs and the chain that I had given her a long time ago. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, her arms were outstretched for me to take, but I remember that I was too caught up in one of my fantasies to have noticed. She looked wonderful that night. I gazed into her eyes and there was something that I never once saw in them. Adoration. She felt all that towards something that I have never gotten from a significant other.

"What I did to your mother I admit was not in my intentions. I really adore your mother. She's one of the strongest women I know and I wouldn't have done it if I didn't have a valid reason." I talked truthfully, my eyes piercing through his. He nodded in understanding, engulfing me in a hug. I felt another body joining in our hug and at that time, I wished Laura was here.

"Dad," I hummed, my arms still around my kids. "You're killing us!" they said in unison. I pulled away, scratching the back of my head, embarrassed by my actions.

"Father, are you a King?" My head snapped to Venice. Her eyes twinkled at the mention. A smile made its way to my lips. I gave a simple nod of my head in a yes. My heart melts at the smiling girl. "So I'm a princess and Vince is a prince?" I stood up, outstretching my arms for both of them to take while we ascend the stairs. "To answer your question, then yes, you are both born royalty." She jumped at the mention, while we stood at an all but familiar door. Flowers were engraved on the double french doors with gold handles.

I held on to the door handles, pushing the door open. The scent of lavender hit my nose, making me close my eyes. When I reopened them, the twins were doing the exact same thing. "It smells like mother," Venice exhaled. Vince stepped closer, his eyes scanning every bit of the room."Yeah, it does."

"This was your mom's room when she first came here. I also spent a few nights here with her." Her nightmares took a toll on her around this time of year. I will never forget that night when she crawled into my bed clutching my T-shirt, tears streaming down her face while she begged me to take it away. It was totally my fault. Everything that had happened in her life was all on me. God had punished me over the years to help the pain grow and there was nothing I could do other than try to make it right.

This room gathers elements from different artists and styles to create a welcoming atmosphere. "Hey, Vince Look, there are a lot of pictures of Mom and Dad. Oh look at this one they're kissing." Vince rolled his eyes, walking over to where she was suggesting. It was pictures all over the walls from eight years ago. I was a happy man from the first day she entered this house. I was happy, but being that cold to her was all an act. I never wanted to lose her again as I did. A shiver ran down my spine as the thought ran through my mind.

"Dad, did you love Mom?" This time the question wasn't Vince but Venice. He was in bed wrapped up under a blanket. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was a little bit after seven and wondered how long we had been up here talking about our lives and getting to know each other.

"How can I not love the woman that brought wonders to this world?" she was now in bed, huddled beside her brother, a yawn leaving her mouth, "You know Papa?" That was the first time she called me that. "Mama said the same thing-" she yawned again and tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Will you be here when I wake?" My heart panged and I felt a bitter taste in the back of my throat that I couldn't seem to get rid of. With a quick nod, I pulled the blankets over her and kissed them both and waited, waited for her to come home to us. What if she left me, left us? I shook those thoughts out of my head.

I stood at the window where I had a full view of the outside. While looking up at the sky, while staring at a sense of eternity took over my mind, a rare rapture that few people would experience. Clouds blanketed the sky, almost hiding the full moon in its full glory behind them.

"How long" I breathed out, my eyes still trained on the outside. How long was I supposed to wait? I was growing eager to see her.

I was in agony. Waves of pain, unfathomable, shot down my spine, causing every muscle in my body to contract as if I'd been shocked with 20,000 volts of electricity. My back arched up at an unnatural angle. My arms and legs began to shake while I watched her step out of the car.

She looked up at the window and I stared down at her. Though she couldn't see me through the tinted windows, she acted as though she could see me. She didn't change at all but her hair- she changed her hair. I. Don't. Like. It. Her gaze was fixed on the window and I struggled to shift my eyes. They were locked on hers. Her body disappeared as she emerged from the front door.

"Vince, Venice, let's go." She was leaving without meeting me. She was leaving with my kids and I wasn't having it. I wasn't going to let her leave this time.

I stood at the top of the stairs looking down at her, though she didn't come to know that I was there because I was covered by the darkness. The kids were sleeping in her room but she was unaware of that. She came back at ten o'clock in the night and expected them to be up this late. The thought of her seeing someone made of anger ran through me. "Where were you?" my voice came out loud echoing through the house. She was nervous, I could sense it by the way she looked around and swallowed, wiping her sweaty hands on the jeans she had on. "Wh-who goes there?" Terror sucked the very breath from her mouth while she stumbles over her words, her back hitting the doors.

"I said where were you?" This time, my voice came out louder than before. She reached out to open the door, but it was locked. She tugged at her hair in anger, as if she remembered that the doors were locked at exactly ten. "I said who's there?" She clenched her teeth this time, walking up to the stairs. It was there that I made myself known, walking out of the darkness.

"Ah, Mr. Johnson. It is nice to see you agin," She said it sarcastically, but the way she said it made my eyes twitch. If she's playing at it, then why shouldn't I.

"Little Laura has risen from the dead, blessed messenger" I bowed. A smirk made its way to my lips when I saw the clenching of her fist.

"Fallen angel" She was about to kneel and I quickly held her jaw that was now fixated on my face.

"Don't. Ever. Please stop this mockery" She was tempting. She was doing all this to get the reaction she wanted.

"You're right about one thing. That ver bow to anyone, and I'm not doing any sort of play." I felt the pain shoot up my leg and I groan, letting my hold on her loosen, she had a wicked smile to her lips and was about to step away but with one swift movement with my hand I grabbed her in this way she wouldn't escape. A gasp left her lips by our closeness, I missed it all, her touch, her sweet smell of roses, the feeling of being beside her I missed everything.

"I'm not letting you leave this time" Before she could protest, my lips smashed onto hers.