JC adjusted the sleeping six-year-old in his arms and smiled to Abby as she opened the door for him. "Thanks, babe," he whispered, stepping past her and into their house.

She had insisted that they fly home immediately after the lawsuit was closed. Ben was staying the nights in a holding cell until his trial for child abuse and Abby just wanted to get out of the state of Kansas and try to reassemble their somewhat 'normal' life.

JC had been more than happy to oblige and the group quickly said goodbye to Abby's family and flew back to Orlando while JC's parents made their way back to Bowie.

He smiled as they carried their sons up the stairs to their respective rooms. Placing Braeden down in his bed, JC stared at the boy's peaceful features with a soft sigh. "You're almost mine," he whispered to himself.

He jumped slightly when her arms came around his waist, moving their way up to his chest. He had to fight his laughter when she pressed her stomach against his back. "Soon he will be," she whispered against his skin. "Now can we go to bed? I'm exhausted."

JC placed his hands over hers and turned in her arms. "I think that is a novel idea, my love."

Abby smiled and braided her fingers through her husband's. "Let's go then." Abby quickly changed Braeden into some more comfortable sleeping clothes, and they made their way into their bedroom and changed into their own sleeping attire for the evening. She smiled at JC as she pulled the blankets back on the bed. "What you did in the courtroom today was... Gosh Josh, I don't know what that was."

He settled down into the bed and opened his arms to her, smiling as she crawled in beside him, quickly taking her place within them. "What? Punching Ben?"

Abby nodded and snuggled close to his side. "Yeah. I...I personally was too shocked and angry to think, much less actually tell Ben what I was thinking…or show him.”

JC’s jaw tightened as he thought about the look on the man’s face as he had glared at that innocent boy. “If I ever see him again…so help me Abby, you’ll be attending my murder trial. I’ll kill him.”

Abby dug her nails into his side and shook her head. “Don’t you dare say that, Joshua. Ben will never be in Braeden’s life again and the judge has seen to that. We owe her a lot for ensuring us that security.” She brushed her hair out of her face and watched JC lean over to turn off the light.

“Well…let’s forget about it all right now,” he whispered against the top of her head. “Braeden’s back in our lives, we’re still together and happy, Chance is getting bigger everyday, and we’re having two more babies.” He brushed her hair away and then dropped a kiss to her forehead. “Life is perfect.”

~*~

The previous month of sleepless nights and stress finally took its toll on the couple. Abby and JC slept well through the morning…through breakfast…through several phone calls from people checking in. The sunlight peeked through the curtains and warmed their sleeping bodies…along with the smaller body that had crawled in beside them.

JC stirred when he felt the warm rays cover his face and he rubbed his eyes before opening them. Sighing contentedly after his full night of rest, he looked over at Abby with a grin. It was February 15th; he had missed Valentines Day…again.

It was okay though…they had both been entirely too focused on the lawsuit and keeping Braeden safe that neither one really cared too much about remembering the romantic holiday. The previous year hadn’t been much more exciting. He and the guys had been in California for the week and they had both had to settle with a phone call and several ‘I love you’s.’

He had plans for tonight, though.

JC had anticipated that Braeden would be coming home with them the previous day. He had also foreseen Abby wanting to get him home that evening instead of staying with her parents for another day.

JC had made big plans.

Reaching his arm out to pull Abby closer to his chest, he stiffened when he felt warm breath against his back. Pausing in mid-reach, he rolled over gently and a warm smile crossed his face when he saw that Braeden had joined them in the middle of the night. Looking at the clock, he corrected himself with a wince…or sometime that morning. It had been the first restful night for his son as well.

He took this moment to scan the boy’s body, since Braeden had gone to bed in flannel pajama pants the evening before and no shirt. The bruises on the child’s back were plainly visible now to his eyes and he wondered what Braeden could have done to cause Ben to go off on him like that.

The more he looked at his son’s blemished skin, the more he hated the man that was his biological father. Granted, he had always held a resentment deep down inside for him due to the things that Abby and her son had gone through to survive together, but now that he had met the man and seen firsthand what a threat he was, JC hated him. He closed his eyes as the thoughts raced through his head.

He had never hated anyone.

JC hadn’t wanted to think about what he would have done to the man had there not been so many people around to witness. He knew for a fact that given the chance, he would have killed that man. He hated admitting that to himself, that he had actually thought of killing someone.

But now, looking at the sleeping boy beside him, he knew he would have done it for him. He had envisioned himself slamming his fists against the man’s face over and over until Ben couldn’t even feel it anymore. He could imagine the bastard falling to the ground weakly, only to give JC the opportunity to kick him until his ribs broke.

He would have beaten him until his heart stopped beating. He would have made the man feel exactly what Braeden had felt when he had turned his anger upon an innocent, defenseless child such as he.

He would have gone to jail for the rest of his life for his son.

Running a hand over his exhausted face, he reached an arm out on each side, pulling Abby close to his left, and Braeden close to his right. He was half tempted to go get Chance and make this moment perfect, but he didn’t want to move.

Abby stirred at the motion and opened her eyes to look up into her husband’s face. “Morning,” she whispered with a groan.

JC chuckled and reached his hand up to brush her hair out of her face. “Afternoon, baby.”

Her eyes opened wider at his words and she yawned against his bare chest before speaking again. “Excuse me?”

“It’s twelve-thirty, hon,” he replied with a laugh. He motioned with his head for her to lean over him and look on the other side of his body. She did so and couldn’t stop the smile that came to her face when she saw her son sleeping contentedly against his father’s side.

Crossing her arms over his chest and leaning her chin on them, she stared at him with a soft sigh. “I’m so happy he’s back with us again,” she whispered.

JC sighed a deep sigh, causing her to rise with his chest. “Me too.” He stared at her for a moment before running his fingers through her hair. “Hey,” he whispered, causing her to look up at him. “Yesterday was Valentine’s Day…and I wanted to do something special for us missing it again.”

Abby shook her head. “No…we were together, and we got Braeden back in our lives. I don’t want anything else.”

It was her husband’s turn to disagree. “No…no…no, no, no. Baby, I’ve already made plans for us. We’re going to go out and have a good time…we’re going to forget that this last month ever happened.”

She shook her head again. “Josh…I can’t leave him here with a babysitter when I just got him back!”

JC smiled. “We’re taking the boys with us,” he replied. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving either of them here when we’ve spent the last month in agony worrying about Braeden. I’ve made arrangements for four…to have a good time…get some dinner…and make up for this last month.” He pulled out from under both of them and crawled over Abby to get out of bed. “Besides, since you’re already pregnant, with the boys around, I’ll definitely keep my hands off you…since otherwise I wouldn’t want to.”

Abby rolled her eyes and pulled Braeden in close to her arms. “He’s been through so much. I just want to hold him and protect him from the world.”

JC smiled as he pulled a shirt on over his head. Heading to the door, preparing to check on Chance, he winked back at his wife. “We will.”

~*~

They spent the evening eating dinner at Pizza Hut before making their way to a nearby putt-putt course where they played a quick round. At every stop, JC presented Abby with a rose of a different color, proving that even as a father, he could still be romantic in the tiniest of ways.

He laughed as Braeden managed to smear more pizza sauce on his face than what remained on the slice. “Hey pal, how about you get it in your mouth?” He reached over and handed his son a napkin. “Clean up, okay buddy? It’s almost time to go.”

“Where are we goin’ now, Daddy?” Braeden asked as he finished wiping the sauce off his face.

JC smiled and stood up, handing some cash to the waitress and grabbing Chance from his highchair. “You and your brother are going to go to Justin’s house. Your mom and I are going to stay out a little longer.”

Abby smiled and looked at him curiously. “Oh we are, are we?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “What if I don’t want to go out with you anymore tonight?” she asked.

JC stuck his tongue out and they stepped out of the restaurant where Justin was waiting, leaning against his car with a grin. “Ready for me to take the brats?” he asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

Abby punched the younger man in the chest with a disapproving glare. “Why am I letting you take my kids tonight if you call them names all the time?”

Justin shrugged and took Chance from JC’s arms. “I dunno…that’s your call, babe.”

She rolled her eyes and grabbed their overnight bags, handing them to him. “Be good to my boys,” she said, kissing Justin’s cheek as he moved Chance’s car seat into the back of his Mercedes SUV.

JC lifted Braeden into the backseat and buckled his belt around him before brushing his hair out of his face and kissing his forehead. “Be good for Justin, okay? We’ll come by to get you sometime tomorrow.”

Braeden smiled. “Okay, Daddy.” JC smiled and closed the door before walking back around the vehicle. As Justin finished strapping Chance into the car seat, he closed the door and looked at the couple before him.

“Don’t worry, you two…I watched them before. Besides, it’s just for one night.” He smiled in assurance.

Abby looked at the younger man seriously. “Justin, I’m not kidding you. Braeden didn’t sleep well last night. It was a practical war just trying to get him to go to bed, and he was in our bed with us by the morning.” She looked very nervous as she glanced into the vehicle. “Just keep an eye on him, okay? Chance hasn’t really been affected by any of this too much from what we can tell, but Braeden’s just…I don’t know…somewhat reserved, I guess.”

Justin nodded and hugged her gently. “Don’t worry about anything. If the kid wants to sleep in my bed, he can…it’s not a problem.”

Abby hugged him and let JC help her into the front seat of his car. JC gave his friend a smile before climbing behind the wheel and pulling out of the parking lot.

Justin nodded as he climbed into the SUV. “Have fun,” he muttered, glancing at the two boys in his backseat.

~*~

JC produced a single white rose from the backseat of the car and leaned over to kiss Abby’s lips gently. “Happy The Day After Valentine’s Day, baby. I know this doesn’t compare to the things I could do for you, but I just want you to know how much I love you, and how grateful I am that our true Valentine’s Day ended the way it did.”

Abby smiled as he pulled away. “I love you too, and I don’t need anything from you to know that you love me.” She took the rose and smelled it, adding it to the pink, red, yellow, and lavender he had already presented her with.

Her husband winked as he opened his door and walked around the front of the car to open her door for her. Offering her his hand, he helped her up out of the seat and offered her his arm to escort her down the sidewalk to a waiting carriage. Patting the side of one of the white horse’s heads, he nodded to the driver.

“Joshua,” she said, expelling a breath. “This is perfect,” she added, raising herself up on her tiptoes to kiss his lips. “You are perfect.”

JC laughed and pulled away, offering his hand to help her up into the carriage. “Now, now…let’s not get carried away here.”

Abby giggled and carefully stepped up into the carriage, taking a seat on the plush cushion. She smiled as he settled in beside her, putting one arm around her as the other pulled a blanket up over their legs since the air was cool. Kissing the side of her neck gently, he leaned down and pulled a picnic basket closer to them. Producing a chilled bottle of sparkling white grape juice and a bowl of strawberries, he winked and poured them each a glass. "Since you're pregnant..." he said, tipping the bottle into her glass.

They sipped the juice, delighted on the strawberries and kissed the other’s lips for the majority of the quiet ride through the large park. Several times, his hands found her large stomach, running his fingers over it lightly, amazed at the wonder of the lives inside her. The lives they had created.

As the carriage ride came to an end beneath a single street light, JC took Abby’s hand within his and kissed the back of it gently. “Baby…I know I probably shouldn’t bring this up now, but there’s something that’s been weighing on my mind lately that I just feel that I can’t ignore anymore. What with finally getting the opportunity to legally adopt Braeden, I just…I-”

Abby moved a hand to the side of his face and smiled. “Is everything okay?” she asked, leaning forward to kiss his lips.

JC sighed and pulled away from her, looking around nervously before gazing into her eyes again. “You’re probably not going to like hearing this, but I…I…” He sighed and squeezed her hands. “I want to take the paternity test that Shaina offered me. I have to know.”

Abby pulled her hand away at his words and took a moment to compose herself. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she spoke quietly as her chin trembled. "You want to know?"

JC sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I can't explain to you the reasons why...I just...I have this deep need to know. I-I don't think he is, but for some reason, I feel that I have to know for sure."

Abby nodded and turned to look at him, a slight smile on her face. Moving her hand up to his cheek, she leaned forward to kiss his lips gently. "I understand, sweetie. I kind of want to know for sure too and...maybe it's for the best."

He let out a nervous breath and smiled. "I think it is. I just...I think it was this last month without Brady. It made me realize how precious it is to be with someone that loves you and to have some sort of security in your life if you're that young." He sighed. "And I realized that the best security that Quentin could have is to know his father...to know me...if I am that man." He rubbed the bridge of his nose nervously and shrugged. "I just...I have to know. It's killing me thinking that that could be my son and I pushed him away much in the same way that Ben gave Brady the cold shoulder." He stared off into the night as he spoke his last words. "I see myself being like Ben...I don't want to be like Ben, Abby."

The pain was obvious in his voice...the fear that he was turning into the man he hated so much at this point. Abby reached out and turned his face to hers. "Baby, you could never be like Ben. You are ten million times better than Ben." She leaned forward and kissed his lips gently. "Joshua, I'm proud of you for wanting to know. I'm proud of you for pushing all your past feelings about that woman and what she did to you aside to possibly give her son a better life. I really am."

He was choking on his emotions...on his tears. "I don't want you to feel inferior. I don't want you to feel like you're not satisfying me or fulfilling my needs, because you are. I just want you to understand that I will never be able to quench this feeling that I need to know this...if I don't find out, I'm always going to wonder...just like she said I would."

Abby smiled. "I know, baby. And I support you one-hundred percent."

"Most women wouldn't be so open to thi-"

Abby's hand tightned on his thigh. "Joshua, you should know by now that I am not most women."

He smiled and instructed the driver to take them back to their car. "No you certainly are not."

~*~

His hands shook as he dialed the unfamiliar number. He wasn't exactly sure how his manager found it, but he had supplied him with the eleven digits and left the rest up to the nervous man.

"Daddy?" Braeden peeked around the corner at his father, wondering why he was staring at the phone as if it would bite him.

JC slammed the phone down in the cradle and turned to look at the young boy, glad for the distraction. "Yeah, pal?"

Braeden crossed the room and dramatically presented the man with the large piece of construction paper he had held hidden behind his back. "For you!"

JC smiled and took the paper from his son, turning it around so it wasn't upside down. A warm smile crossed his face and he winked. "Who is this, Brady?"

A huge grin spread across the boy's cherubic face. "*N Sync! And you're singin'!"

JC laughed and stood up, taking the picture into the kitchen to hang it with various other crayon, pencil and paint masterpieces the child had presented them with through the years. "I've got a space for this right...here." He smiled triumphantly as he placed it beside Braeden's very first painting of Chance...consisting of a huge yellow blob with black dots for eyes.

Braeden hugged JC around the legs and scampered out of the room. The man shook his head at his son's enthusiasm and made his way back to the living room. Sitting on the couch again, he took the cordless phone into this hand, dialing the numbers before he had a chance to talk himself out of it.

"Hello?"

He took a deep breath and tightened his hold on the phone. "Shaina? It's Josh. I wanted to talk to you about something."

It took her a moment to reply, but her soft voice came back across the line. "Um...okay. What's up?" She sounded confused and unsure of what he had to say, but JC really couldn't blame her.

"Shai..." He sighed. "I want to take the paternity test."

This time, the silence on the other end was longer before she found the words to reply. "Joshua, I found someone. Someone wonderful...just like you said. He loves Quentin like his own and he loves me too. I-I don't need you anymore."

It was his turn to have no clue what to say. "Um...Shai...I don't want to be in your life as a boyfriend or anything. I mean, I'm married, obviously...so I'm not looking for romance here. I'm just looking for closure...that's all. And if...if Quentin is my son, I want to be a part of his life. I understand that there's someone in the fatherly position now, and I'm thrilled to hear that, I just...I want the chance to know. That's all. Please."

He could hear Shaina sigh at the other end and wondered if she would grant his request after he had been so rude to her before.

"Joshua, just because you aren't the only one who is dying to know, I will allow you to take the test. I want to know too. When can you come to LA?"

"L...LA?" he stammered, not wanting to leave his family.

"I live in LA, Joshua. Ya know...I work here?"

"Oh yeah...um...as soon as you want me to. We're on hiatus right now, so I'm free at the moment."

"Okay," she replied. "On Friday? That's three days...short notice, I know, but I have an extended weeked from filming. The results will take four or five weeks."

He nodded, making a mental note to get on the phone with the airport as soon as he hung up with Shaina. "Okay. I'll be there," he whispered.

Hanging up the phone after they said their goodbyes, he looked up at Abby where she sat on the opposite side of the room in the recliner with her feet up. "All set," he said quietly.

She looked up from her magazine. "So I hear," she replied. She eyed him over the top and winked. "It's okay...you don't have to feel wierd around me. Like I said, I completely understand." She glanced back down at her magazine again and sighed. "How old is Quentin now?"

JC ran a hand through his hair. "Uhh...I think he's about a year or so younger than Brady, so he's probably around four."

Abby nodded. "Okay."

He sighed. "Baby...if I could take you with me, I would. I just...I don't want it to be awkward, well...any more awkward than it'll already be. I just...I want to know before I try and...add them on to our family. If that's what's gonna happen."

She smiled and rubbed her stomach lightly. "I definitely think that's what is going to happen if the results are positive."

JC nodded. "One step at a time, okay?" He stood up and walked past her, his hand running lightly over her stomach as he passed. Leaning down beside the recliner, he placed a soft kiss to her forehead and inhaled the scent of her hair. "I'm going to go pack."

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