Title: The Unexpected IV (The 1st Year)
Chapter 1
Word Count: 11727
Rating: G (for this chapter)
Fandom: FAKE
Pairings: Ryo/Dee
Warnings: Yaoi, Male/male, MPREG, AU If you don't like, don't read!
Disclaimer: FAKE is not mine. We have Sanami Matoh for giving us Dee, Ryo and the rest of the 27th precinct characters. Any OCs appearing in this fic are mine.
Summary: The 1st year of the newly expanded Laytner-MacLean family.
Betas: aphonicbabel & Milady Dragon
Notes: This is not a joke. A couple of months ago I started to outline this. The idea is to do one chapter per month of the 1st year with Darin and Ryoko (meaning I'm looking at 12 chapter).
I'm not going to give a posting schedule, but I do have the next chapter almost done. I was going to hold off until I was completely done, but I have high hopes that I can get at least a chapter a month done, so I'm posting now. Hopefully not everyone lost interest or forgot about The Unexpected series by now.

July 21, 2006

Laytner-MacLean Residence

It was still dark when Ryo woke up to discover he was alone in the bed. His eyes fell on the alarm on his bedside table, noticing the blue digits reading 3:22. From behind him, he heard a baby gurgle and a quiet chuckle.

Ryo turned in the bed to face Dee's side of the room to find his husband bending over Darin's bassinette, lifting the baby.

"I didn't hear any crying for feeding time," Ryo said softly and then yawned.

Dee froze for a moment before straightening, cuddling Darin in his arms. He glanced down at the baby with a smile. "Not yet," he replied as he sat down on the bed. "This one was fretting and wouldn't stop." He lifted the baby to blow a raspberry on the tiny belly. Darin started to kick his feet, cooing, which made Dee laugh.

"You heard fretting?" Ryo asked. He sat up and scooted behind Dee. "Dee, were you awake?"

"Not mostly," he cryptically replied, his attention on Darin. "We might have to get a bigger bassinette or drag the cot in here. They really don't like sleeping alone."

"Not mostly?" Ryo asked. He did not get a chance to go further when Ryoko let out a whimper. "Dee, leave her," he said instead of what he wanted to say when Dee turned to place their infant son in his arms.

"Why?" Dee asked as he got up. "It's almost their feeding time anyway, so might as well get prepared."

Ryo watched as Dee took Ryoko from her bassinette and came back to the bed. "Easy there, sweetheart. You can hang out next to your brother on the bed." He kissed the baby's nose and set her on the bed, immediately reaching to take Darin from Ryo and placing the baby down on the bed next to his sister. "There? Better? Can we all sleep now until you munchkins get hungry?" Dee tickled each baby and settled himself back in the bed. He turned on his side to play with the babies and grinned at Ryo. "C'mon Ryo, this is your chance to grab a few more z's until feeding time."

Ryo was unable to stop himself from joining Dee with his attention on their twins but he let out a silent sigh. Dee was too intent on the infants to notice.

After a few minutes of watching the babies kick and wiggle while they were being tickled and kissed, Ryo pulled his hands away and grabbed onto Dee's. With a laugh he said, "Dee, how are we all going to get a little more sleep if we keep them awake by playing with them?"

Dee looked down at the hands holding his and then looked at Ryo with a laugh. "You're right, I guess." He pulled his hands away to settle the two babies better between them. He got up and pulled the baby blanket from the bassinette and came back to the bed to cover the twins. "Now you two are cozy as two peas in a pod. Now get some sleep."

Ryo had to laugh as he watched as the two tiny forms wiggled to cuddle closer. He watched Ryoko's hand make the blanket ripple. "And Koko's arm is on Darin again. As long as he doesn't mind it."

"He likes it," Dee replied, settling in the bed again, careful not to disturb the twins. Once again he was turned to face the babies and Ryo. Reaching over, he caressed Ryo's cheek. "Now how are you going to get a little more sleep if you keep sitting up like that?"

"Well, you got me there," Ryo said ruefully and slid back down on the bed, still facing Dee. "Good night, everyone."

"Night Papa," Dee said in a squeaky voice.

"Nutcase," Ryo remarked as he reached over to caress Dee.

As much as he was amused since he woke up, Ryo had to wonder just how true what he had just said was true.

Every night since Dee and the twins came home, the babies found their way into the bed between Dee and Ryo. Dee claimed the same thing every night; that they didn't like being in separate beds and the bassinettes were big enough to hold only one baby.

Ryo could understand that. He noticed that when the twins were being held by someone, they did seem to prefer being together, and if left long enough they would end up huddled together. Considering what Ryo had imagined happening inside of Dee's belly until they were born, he got why they were like that. Dee had shared his theory that Ryoko had caused Dee to go into labor eight days before his scheduled C-Section to save her brother, and Ryo found he was inclined to believe it, especially after watching the two since they were born.

What Ryo did not get was Dee's solution to the problem, which was bringing the babies into the bed with them. He decided that when they were up for the day, he would suggest bringing the crib into their room for a couple of weeks and slowly wean them off needing to sleep together. It was cute, and he did not have the heart to stop it so soon after their birth, but Ryo also knew it would be healthier to eventually get them in their own cribs. The day before Dee was released from the hospital Doctor Needleman had expressed his concerns and given them an outline of what should be done. He felt no harm in allowing them to bed together for a few more weeks, adding that they were still watching Darin for any side effects from his dramatic entrance into the world, but then they needed to work on getting the twins to sleep in their own beds. Dee was attentive and full of questions that Ryo didn't think of, even if he had his own questions. Once both of them asked the doctor enough questions to cover all their concerns, they agreed on the plan Needleman had outlined. Dee had accepted the plan and even discussed it alone with Ryo, showing concern for the twin's mental health.

A few days after the twins were born, it was decided between the two men that Needleman would continue to be their pediatrician. He was highly recommended by Vince when they were working on the birth plan to have Needleman on hand after the birth so he was able to concentrate on Dee while Needleman took care of the baby. At the time they had made the birth plan, they were thinking there was only one baby, Ryoko. It was a good thing they had the highly reputable, and very expensive pediatrician on hand when it was discovered that Dee was actually carrying twins and that the baby boy had his cord wrapped around his neck. It was touch and go, and both Ryo and Dee felt that it was because of Needleman that Darin had survived. He continued to thrive as the days went on. Accepting that they had no pride when it came to wanting the best for their children and would accept any money from Ryo's family to cover expenses was easy for Ryo and Dee. Their family came first, above anything else. Before Dee was released from the hospital, Ryo's grandparents gave them a few more gifts in the form of shares for family holdings and their own Carrier-friendly hotel chain, L-M International Hotels. They still planned to mostly live off the money they made as detectives, but knew they had their own money for any expensive incidentals that might come up for their family without having to ask the MacLeans.

It was because of the circumstances of the twin's births that Ryo had to question Dee's real motives. It was not that Ryo minded having the babies in the bed with them. Not too much anyway. He liked having them between them, but he also liked to be able to hold onto Dee or have his husband hold him when they slept and that wasn't possible with two newborns in the bed with them. Ryo had read during Dee's pregnancy about how important it was for new parents to continue some form of intimacy once a baby was born, and having babies in the bed was not conducive to it. Dr. Needleman and Vince had mentioned it too, Vince adding that it was tempting and that he had given into the temptation at times, but knew it was best to keep babies out of the bed for sleeping.

Ryo found that he could not sleep when the babies were in the bed because he was afraid of rolling onto one of them.

Even more important was that Dee was not fooling him into believing his husband actually slept when the babies were in the bed. At the moment Ryo was aware that once again Dee was staring at the two tiny forms huddled under their blanket between them.

What concerned Ryo was that he knew Dee was not sleeping well at nights, even when the babies were in their own bassinettes. Sleep was a precious commodity whenever they had the chance with two babies waking up hungry every two or three hours. At least they were lucky that when one started to fret and cry the other would wake and join in. If on the rare occasion, one would continue to sleep, Dee and Ryo made it a habit to wake that one to feed as well. Then the two babies would settle down to sleep more or less around the same time.

It was supposed to be the prime time for Dee and Ryo to get some sleep. Ryo would during the intervals when the babies were in their bassinettes, but he knew Dee wasn't, which explained Dee's earlier response of "Not mostly."

Ryo knew Dee would be listening for any sign that one of the babies were in danger. Even if he slept, part of Dee's mind was listening. Any sound from a bassinette would have him up and picking up that newborn.

Ryo was yet to get Dee out of the house for more than an hour or so unless they had the twins with them. At least Dee still had the excuse of still recovering, but he did enjoy going out for a walk around the block with Ryo, Obaasan and the twins, especially after his time in the hospital. It was also for the approved exercise Vince allowed Dee until after his healing period. Even worse, Dee started to seem anxious whenever Bikky was away for too long. It was as if the scare at the beginning of Darin's life had shaken Dee and the other man was now afraid of losing any of his children, teenager included. Thankfully he didn't stifle Bikky, allowing the boy to go out with his friends, but if Bikky was away from them too long, Dee started to act anxious, going constantly to the windows and looking out as if hoping to see their son coming home. When Bikky would come home, Dee would pull him in a hug and kiss his head, stating he was glad Bikky made it home safe.

Bikky seemed to endure it but he did give Ryo a few odd glances, but he was yet to pull Ryo to the side and inquire about it. Ryo was certain if this continued over the next week or so, Bikky would be questioning it.

Ryo was glad they were both on baby leave so no one was in jeopardy of injury on the job due to the lack of sleep. And Ryo was starting to feel very tired since Dee came home. He suspected he was more tired than normal for a parent of newborn twins, and it had to do more with Dee's actions than the twins themselves. He was also thankful that during the day he was able to grab a nap at a time that the twins were sleeping. So did Dee. It was as if he trusted nothing would happen to their precious babies when Obaasan was there with them. It was a little sleep but not enough for Ryo and not good for Dee.

Ryo decided to continue to watch and take notes of Dee's behavior until his next appointment with Vince. If Dee continued by then as he was, Ryo would make mention of it. He knew he would definitely bring it up with his counselor, Tim, at his next appointment in a few days.

OoOoOoO

July 22, 2006

Dee was settled in the nursery, relaxing in the rocker that he had pulled up next to the crib. He had been watching the twins as they slept. He only intended to sit for a few minutes longer after their feeding. That's what he had said to Ryo when his husband was leaving the room to join his grandmother, Akira Aoki, otherwise known to their family as Obaasan. Akira had arrived from Japan the day after the twins were born. Originally she was supposed to be there for the birth, but Dee had gone into labor before she was to leave for New York City. It was thanks to Ryo's other grandparents that Akira was able to get there the next day instead of waiting several days for the next available flight from Tokyo.

Dee found it peaceful watching the two newborns. It was serene and beautiful as the twins slept and found he could not get enough of it. He did not dare examine that there were other motives. He dared to close his eyes for a few seconds.

He opened them with a start some time later as someone entered the room.

"Dei," Obaasan announced. "Your Honorable Mayor is here. She's in the living room talking to Ryo, but I believe both her and the young man with her would like to see the little chibis." She smiled tenderly as her attention went to the crib.

Dee smiled at her as he nodded in agreement. "They never come to see me and Ryo anymore," he replied with a chuckle. He ran a hand across his face and stretched, noting on the Hello Kitty wall clock that a half hour had passed. "That would be Tony with her," he added. "He would have been her son-in-law if her son wasn't murdered."

"That was a most unfortunate and horrific experience," Obaasan stated. "And we almost lost you and the chibis as well." A haunted look shadowed her face. "I know the pain she is going through. It's hard to lose a child."

Dee stood up to wrap his arm protectively around the tiny, fragile woman who still managed to have an aura around her making her seem taller and younger than her 80-something years. Dee realized he understood that the pain was better now because of Darin's birth. His own anguish was bad enough and yet his newborn son was still with him. He hoped he would never fully understand the pain with any of his children.

"I'm all right now, Dei," she said warmly after Dee kissed her forehead. She turned to look again in the crib. "I have Ryo and these two beautiful babies to carry on my Raina's bloodline."

"I'm surprised I didn't hear our guests come in," Dee remarked.

Obaasan studied Dee. "Perhaps it was because you were sleeping in the chair again." She guided him toward the door, assuring the baby monitor was on. "If you must sleep in the nursery, it will do you better to use the daybed."

Dee still made sure the baby monitor was on even if he knew Obaasan had already checked. He also knew it was merely a gesture for Dee's sake, because there was one of the smaller video and audio displays with an adult wherever they were in the apartment and one permanently set up in the living room and another in the master bedroom. "I don't want to take over your bed."

Obaasan laughed. "When I'm using it, you'll know. It's open and has my bedding. Otherwise it's a couch."

As they entered the den from the hallway, she added, "Of course, if you are really that tired, I am fully capable of handling the twins while both you and Ryo take a nap." She managed to give him a pointed look even if it was a side glance. "Especially when you don't sleep at night."

Dee flushed slightly as he realized that the elder woman knew much more than he thought. He also knew her enough that if she had said that much, if she did not see any improvement, she would have more to say.

He knew Ryo was most probably onto him too, but like his grandmother, was waiting for the right moment to directly confront him.

He also knew he was worrying Ryo and Obaasan, and he also was concerned himself but he could not stop himself either. When he was pregnant, he did not see himself with a dependency to have his children in sight all the time. It was a problem and he knew it.

He came to a decision and stopped them before they entered dining room. "When Sheila and Tony leave, I'll grab Ryo so we can take a nap. If you don't mind watching the chibis?"

"That's what I'm here for, Dei," she stated with a smile.

"Oh, I thought you were here to visit your new expanded family," he replied slyly.

"Of course I'm here to spend time with you, Ryo and Bikky, as well as the chibis because who knows when I'll see you all again, but I'm also here to help as you adjust to life with two newborns. I also came with my own assistants, who love spending time with everyone. So don't you worry, Dei."

Dee hugged and kissed her again. "I love you, Obaasan."

"And I too, Dei."

Dee was all smiles when he entered the living room to find Ryo serving coffee and pastries to Mayor Blum and Tony. "Good afternoon my most lovely Lady Mayor," he greeted. "And to you too, Tony. I'm glad you're both able to visit."

Sheila stood up to hug Dee. "I'm glad to find time to be here, you big charmer."

"Of course they really didn't come to see us," Ryo stated, amused as Tony stood up to hug Dee.

"Chibis!" Dee exclaimed. "It's always about the chibis!"

Everyone laughed as Dee and Obaasan found a place to sit, while Ryo poured coffee for the new newcomers.

"Speaking of the chibis, I know they have enough plush toys but Tony saw these and couldn't resist," Sheila said.

Tony picked up the colorful shopping bag he had entered with and had placed by his chair. "Twin Little Stars," he exclaimed, pulling out two plush dolls. "I saw them and thought of your twins."

"Oh, how did we miss that?" Obaasan exclaimed. "It's so obvious!"

Dee and Ryo laughed. "Considering we were focused on Hello Kitty before we found out there were two of them," Ryo stated, reaching out to take the little boy plushie dressed like a bear including a knitted hat with bear ears. "He's younger than his sister too, isn't he? Just like Darin."

"That is Kiki," Obaasan stated smiling at the dolls. "And the older sister is Lala."

Dee had the Lala plushie, who was dressed like a cat and also included a knitted hat with ears. "Well, we know which one will get which," he said with a laugh. "Thank you, Tony. And you too, Sheila. Even if we expanded from just Hello Kitty to anything in the Sanrio world, no one thought of these little ones. They are perfect for our little angels."

"That they are," Ryo said, leaning over so he could exchange the dolls with Dee. "It's so thoughtful of you. We'll keep them near our chibis," he said with a smile as he examined Lala. "Besides, you got something the Japanese relatives didn't think of."

Dee smiled at Obaasan. "They did slip in their popularity lately but I think Tony and Sheila have started something."

Ryo nodded in agreement. "Oh yes. We need more Twin Little Stars for our twin little stars."

"I'm so glad you like them," Tony said, with a wide grin.

Sheila put her arm around Tony's shoulder. "You know, we were talking about your little surprise the other day. I can't help but feel that Darin is here because our little one couldn't be. I'm so happy that he's doing so well now."

"We're still so sorry that our twins can't grow up with your grandchild, but we'll always remember Gilbert," Ryo said.

"Definitely," Dee agreed. "And I'm really glad that Tony doesn't feel like he has to be a stranger."

"I don't want to be a stranger," Tony replied. "Especially if we get to work together on improving laws to protect other Carrier families from suffering as we did."

"Not to mention you also became a friend of ours and you're still around," Ryo pointed out. "Like from what I can see with Sheila, you don't have to go away."

"That's exactly what I've been telling Tony, but he's been afraid to reach out on his own. So I have to make sure he's with me whenever I pay you boys a visit," Sheila stated.

"Since I don't have much of a family anymore, she's practically adopted me," Tony stated, smiling at Sheila. "Both her and her husband."

"Speaking of, how is New York's First Man doing lately?" Dee asked.

"He's been keeping himself busy, like me. Unfortunately, unlike me, a lot of his dealings have him out of town. He's hoping to get Congress to make sure they notice any new examples New York makes in protecting Carriers. He's still angry. I guess so am I a little, but I just mostly miss my son these days. If he was a younger man, I fear he would have gone vigilante after anti-Carriers." Sheila sighed. "I told him he needs to get things done the right way or else what we do here could end up for nothing. So he went off to Washington to do whatever he can. As long as it helps him work off the anger, and can even do a little good, then let him do what he must."

She looked around the room and gave them a small rueful grin. "I'm sorry. We didn't come here to hold a pity party for me. We came here to see friends and celebrate the lives of those two darling babies of yours."

"They're still sleeping but it should be feeding time soon," Ryo said. "If you don't mind waiting a bit longer, we'll wake them up a little ahead of time so you can fuss over them." He started to grin like the proud Papa that he was.

Dee reached out to grasp Ryo's hand. "What about if we let our esteemed guests feed the chibis. And give them their gifts?"

Ryo looked at Dee slightly surprised, but only for a moment before he nodded his head. "Yes, that's a great idea."

"We couldn't," Sheila exclaimed and then in a softer tone asked, "Could we?"

"You could and you will," Ryo said with a laugh.

"I would love it," the mayor replied. She glanced over at Obaasan who had been sitting quietly. "So how are you enjoying your visit this time, Akira?"

"Wonderful, but how could it not be?" Obaasan exclaimed. "I almost don't want to leave. I really enjoy having Ryo around, but I'm hoping when the twins are a little older, I can convince him and his family to come visit us in Japan."

"If I go to Japan, I'm not gonna want to come back," Dee stated, making everyone laugh.

OoOoOoO

July 23, 2006

Ryo turned when he heard the front door open and smiled as Bikky entered the apartment. "Hey bud, you're home earlier than I expected," he said as Bikky came up to him where he sat on the window seat.

"Hi Pops," Bikky said and sat down next to Ryo.

The teen seemed distracted and somewhat nervous. Ryo knew his son enough to know something was on Bikky's mind and he would find out soon enough, just as soon as the teen worked out how to say it. Ryo also knew that no matter how long Bikky took to figure out what to say, he'd most likely finally talk the same way – direct and to the point, and possibly even go onto to remind Ryo of Dee whenever his husband was faced with something he felt was difficult to talk about.

"Where's Dee and the chibis?" Bikky asked.

"In the bedroom. Dee had another difficult night."

"When doesn't Dee have a difficult night?" Bikky asked, looking concerned.

"Do we wake you up, Bikky?" Ryo asked, alarmed that Dee's issues could also be affecting their son.

"Nah. Not really. Sometimes when I get up to use the bathroom, I can hear you two. Also sometimes when the babies cry, it wakes me up. But I expected that," Bikky said with a shrug. "I know it's normal crying and I can go back to sleep."

"What about when you hear me and Dee? Does it worry you?" Ryo had to ask.

Bikky started to shake his head but then slowly nodded. "You're my dads," was his answer.

Ryo reached over to hug Bikky. "We're okay. Or we will be. You know Dee's taking the drama with Darin's birth really hard."

"But Darin's going to be okay now, isn't he?" Bikky asked.

"He should be. We still need to watch him a little carefully for a while, but we shouldn't treat him like glass. Well, not any more than how a newborn should be handled. That's what Dr. Needleman said. But Dee almost lost a child he had Carried for all those months that night. It's still hard on me too, but I'm coping better because I didn't Carry him, or so Tim said."

"Dee's more bonded to the twins because they lived inside him for those months," Bikky stated.

"Exactly," Ryo replied with an approving smile. "Dee took advantage of the chibis sleeping to get some sleep himself. I did manage to get more sleep than Dee. I think I'm getting used to his fussing."

"Or you're just that exhausted," Bikky pointed out.

Ryo stared at Bikky, surprised at his son's insight and then decided he should not be surprised. In the matters that were important, especially with family, Bikky was much smarter than he normally acted. The boy knew he was luckier than the kids in the orphanage because despite being orphaned at a young age, he had a family who loved him, and Bikky loved them back in return. Bikky also had friends who had both of their natural parents but were in broken homes or having to listen to their parents always fighting, sometimes turning physical. Bikky was known to point that out to Dee and Ryo constantly.

"You might be right. Anyway, while Dee is sleeping, I called Tim to speak to him for a while. I have an appointment with him. Vince is trying to find a new counselor for Dee, one that Dee would actually talk to."

"He's a stubborn bastard."

"Bikky, language," Ryo warned.

"Why? You agree, don't you?"

Ryo rolled his eyes.

"Don't say 'cause you're an adult, 'cause that's a crap excuse. You have to admitDad and I are getting better about not cursing around people we shouldn't. Right?"

Ryo let out a sigh. "Yes. I'm just trying to figure out which one is being the example." He grinned at Bikky. "Well, at least you apologize to people you shouldn't talk like that to." He shook his finger at Bikky. "But that doesn't mean you can cuss all you want around here. Besides, at some point we'll all have to start watching our language around the twins. The last thing I want is their first word to be fuck."

Bikky laughed. "That would be funny, but it wouldn't be good."

"It would serve Dee right," Ryo stated with a wicked grin, "but they're my kids too and that would also reflect on me."

Bikky's head turned sharply to stare at Ryo. "Oh."

"I see you finally caught on," Ryo said and winked at Bikky. "Just try to tone it down. Okay?"

"'Kay."

"So I get the feeling that Dee's anxiety wasn't what was on your mind when you got home. So what gives, bud?"

Bikky sighed. "I was hoping to get an increase in my allowance. I mean I help a lot more around here, and I'm home on time. My grades were good and I promise I'll keep them up when I go back to school. I haven't been in any fights since that thing with Mark's gang. And besides, we have more money now."

"What is it you want, Bikky?" Ryo asked. "You know that if you ask, if we feel it's reasonable, we'll get it for you. Okay, before it was also if it wasn't too expensive, but now depending on what it is, I'll admit that isn't a factor anymore."

"I just want to be able to get things sometimes without having to ask you or Dad to buy it," Bikky replied uneasily.

"One thing I want to make clear, even if we can afford it, I refuse to pay over $100 for a pair of jeans that you'll just tear up. You're also starting to grow. You're much taller than you were even when Dee found out he was pregnant. I think you're still growing. So yes, we'll spend a little more for some clothes for you if that's what you want, but not that much until we know you've hit your full height."

"It's not clothes," Bikky said. "I really don't care much for labels and stuff. And it's not like I don't have any because your family got me stuff so I don't feel left out with all the things for the chibis. But I do want things and it would be cool to treat Lai when we go out to eat instead of him always paying for Carol and me. He still thinks he's all that because his family is super rich."

"And now that your family is super rich too, you want to flaunt it like Lai?"

"Well, something like that."

"We don't flaunt it, Bikky. Dee and I decided that when my grandparents gave us their latest gifts when Koko and Darin were born."

"I know. And most times, I understand. It's not that we're for want for anything anymore," Bikky said.

"We never were," Ryo pointed out. "Not for normal living. We were always able to splurge. Dee was making well enough with him having a gold shield and his years on the job. And I almost matched him when I made gold around the time we became a couple. And ever since we became supervisors, we made more. We were doing okay."

"We still had to watch it though," Bikky pointed out.

"And we still do," Ryo stated. "Just because we're worth millions now doesn't mean we'll always be rich. We have to hope the airline will keep doing okay with business, and that the hotel chain will be successful. It's still too early to see how that will do."

"Anything Carrier-friendly should do good, right?"

"As long as those against Carriers don't start too much trouble, then yes."

"I overheard Dee talking to Grandpa MacLean the other day about investing."

"Yes. We're going to sit down with Grandfather and figure out some investing options, but again it's never guaranteed. We want to make sure we always have a nice amount of money to fall back on, so we just can't go apeshit because we have it now."

"Language Pops," Bikky said with a grin.

"Crap. I mean crud."

Bikky started to laugh with Ryo joining in. "I guess we're all too much street people to ever be like those fancy rich people, huh?"

"True. Biks, Dee and I had already started to talk about raising your allowance. We just haven't figured out to what yet. I'll sit down with him later today and we'll let you know what we decide. Deal?"

Bikky nodded his head. "Yeah. Sounds good. Thanks, Pops." He looked around toward the dining room and the other side of the apartment. "Where's Obaasan?"

"She went to visit Mother at the orphanage. Mother will be coming here for dinner tonight."

"Cool!"

"Now speaking of spending some of our new money, there is something I wanted to ask you," Ryo said.

"What's that?"

"Carol's birthday is coming up soon," Ryo started.

"I know. That's part of why I asked about my allowance. I want to get her something nice but I want to pick it out and buy it myself. No offense, Pops, but I don't want my daddies buying her gift for me."

Ryo studied Bikky for a few moments. "That's fair. You're old enough now. You should be able to buy gifts for anyone on your own, but you know what else? That doesn't mean you should overspend, and part of your increase in allowance will be to teach you how to manage your money. You should save from what we give you to get things too."

"Save for what? I'm getting a trust fund eventually, right?"

Ryo rolled his eyes. "And this is exactly why Dee and I decided you need to learn money management. You won't be seeing that trust fund until you're 21, maybe sooner depending on if you go to college and where. Until then, if you want to get something that's more than your allowance and we won't get it for you, then you have to learn how to put away some of your allowance until you can afford to buy it. That also means no shoplifting until then."

"I never did that!" Bikky exclaimed. "That was Carol, and it wasn't even shoplifting. Besides she had a good reason."

"She did, which is why I gave her the money so she could bail her dad out so he could be home when he passed," Ryo agreed. "You never? Not even when you lived with your real dad?"

"My father did okay doing what he did. We didn't have a great place, but he said he did what he did for me. He did his best to make sure I got whatever I wanted. He never caught a break because of some mistakes he made when he was young and then when we lost my mom, it got really rough. Mom made the better money. So Poppa went into drug dealing. He did it for us."

"I know, Bikky. It sucks that most of the time people who have a record but want to change can't get a break. I've always thought that does contribute to more crime. If someone gave your dad a better job he might never had gone into dealing drugs. For some people it's about greed, but never for the smaller players like your father. Yes, there are some people who are just bad and are so just because they enjoy it, but so many others end up that way because it's the way life left them. I'm not saying your father might not have had other options, but I guess with his situation having a young son, no job and just losing his wife, pushed him to take the easiest way out for your sake."

"I know. I can't say I agree with his choices, but I do know it was because of me and I can't help but love him for that," Bikky said sadly. He lifted his head to meet Ryo's eyes. "Is it bad of me to be glad at times on what had happened, because otherwise I would never have ended up living with you?"

"I just never want you to deny your real parents or stop loving them, Bikky. The way your dad went, what happened was eventual. Ask Dee because of Jess, but I know he also understands how you feel about your father."

"I know sometimes he feels bad that his parents abandoned him as a baby in an alley, but he says that if that didn't happen, he wouldn't have Mother and never would have had Jess."

"That's about the same as you feel, isn't it?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah it is. Thanks, Pops."

"And you know you can talk to Dee if your guilt gets too bad, right?"

"I know. I have before." Bikky then surprised Ryo by suddenly hugging him. "You and Dad are the bestest."

"I'm glad," Ryo replied, hugging Bikky back. "Cause you're the bestest too. We're glad you're our son now, Bikky."

"Me too, Pops." As Bikky pulled away, he asked, "What about Carol's birthday?"

"Dee and I want to ask Elina if we can throw her a birthday party."

"Here?" Bikky asked.

"Not exactly. One of the things we discussed once Dee and I realized just how much money we have now is to do nice things for our loved ones. Carol is as good as family, so we want to have a really nice party for her. I know she's not expecting much but she deserves something nice."

"Yeah, she does. She said her aunt said it's okay to have some friends over to the house and Elina made sure she has the day off, but she's so busy with her job that she can't really do much except pick up some platters somewhere and order a cake. I know Carol is happy with that, but you're right, if you want to, you can do better."

"It's her 18th birthday," Ryo said. "It's an important birthday. Dee and I pitched in to make sure she had a Sweet Sixteen that she'll remember the rest of her life. We want to do the same for this birthday. Only we might go a little over the top about it because we can. I just want to check with you if it's okay. I mean when it's your birthday we'll do something just as nice if you want it, but her birthday is coming up next."

"Carol is my best friend," Bikky replied. "She's been through almost all the important things that happened to me, and I've been there for her too. If you want to throw her a big fancy party, I know she'll love it."

"So it's good with you?" Ryo asked.

"It's very good with me. But I really want to buy her something that she saw but it's expensive."

"We'll help you get something nice for her and we'll also have a very nice family gift from us, but I can't say we'll cover the costs for something extremely expensive from you alone. Now what do you have in mind to give her from you?"

"Something she saw in a store over in Greenwich Village. I caught her staring at something like she really wished she could have it. She said that she's happy to just look at it but one day someone will buy it and Carol won't be able to look at it anymore. But she'll always be able to look at it if she had it."

"Tell me what it is. If it's too expensive to come from just you, Dee and I will consider making it a family gift. Then she'll get it."

Bikky shrugged. "I don't know."

"Tell you what. We'll discuss this more later tonight along with how much we're going to increase your allowance. Think about it until then. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Pops."

OoOoOoO

July 24, 2006

With a sigh, Bikky sat back against the headboard of his bed, staring at the figures on the sheet in the notebook on his lap. He didn't have to be a genius at math to know that even with the increase in allowance his dads had agreed on, he'd still never have enough money to buy the ring Carol was looking at the other day in time for her birthday.

He briefly considered telling Ryo and Dee about the ring, knowing they wanted to get a very nice gift for her from all of them. At least then she would have it, but he knew he wanted her to have it as a special gift from him.

He had to admit that it was very generous of Dee and Ryo to up his weekly allowance from $15 to $50 along with a reevaluation after his first semester in whatever new school he ended up in. They were looking at the New Millennium School, which from what they saw so far fit all the points on their list and the one school all three agreed on. They had an appointment on Friday for an interview, and if all worked out, Dee and Ryo would be able to register him for the next semester for his grade.

Even if it was generous and he was happy with the increase, he was hoping for something that would cover the ring. He knew it was impossible hoping for $200 or $300 but he had to try.

There was only one thing he could do now. Earn the amount that he would be short from his allowance somehow. He picked up his cell phone and called Lai to ask if there would be anything he could do for some money. He knew a couple of other people he could ask if he could do some odd jobs.

He was going to give Carol that ring on her birthday, and he was not accepting any other option.

OoOoOoO

July 27, 2006

"Dee, last chance," Ryo announced as he entered the living room from the master bedroom. "Are you sure you don't want to go with us?"

Dee looked up from cooing at Ryoko who he had in his lap and started to shake his head.

"I can stay here and watch the chibis," Obaasan said from her spot next to Dee where she was playing with Darin. Her and Dee were attempting to get the twins ready for their nap by playing with them, as the babies were showing no sign of sleeping anytime soon despite their having been fed not long ago. Other than the practical reasons including they were both using exercises that helped strengthen and develop the infants' motor skills, it was just enjoyable playing with the adorable twins whenever they were up.

Seeing the sudden look on Dee's face, Ryo immediately added, "Or we could take the chibis with us. There's room for us all, which is why we chose the vehicle we did." He went over to the dining room and called out, "Bikky, c'mon. Time to hit the road."

"Coming Pop," Bikky replied entering the small foyer between the dining room and den. He held his cell phone and spoke into it. "We're getting ready to leave, Carol. We'll see you soon" He walked through the dining room as he spoke to Carol.

As he entered the living room, Ryo lightly rapped Bikky on his head.

"Ow!" Bikky exclaimed, looking at Ryo while rubbing his head. "Whatcha do that for?"

"How many times do we have to tell you to text if you're going to see someone soon? You're wasting your minutes."

Bikky gazed up at Ryo. "Then you can get me more. We can afford it now."

"Bikky," Ryo sighed.

Dee laughed from his place on the couch. "Doesn't mean we will, brat. The twins are born now." He suddenly had a look of awe on his face. "Even if we thought it was one baby then."

"You'll still want to be able to get in touch with me for something, Dad," Bikky replied. "You got used to having me so close."

"Still hasn't kept you completely out of trouble," Dee replied.

"Bikky," Ryo stepped in before Dee and Bikky started another verbal sparring match. While the relationship between Dee and Bikky had altered during Dee's pregnancy and they still were more open about how they felt, one thing had gone back to normal once Dee got home from the hospital. As much as there were wonderful and fuzzy father and son moments between the two, they also went back to the verbal matches they enjoyed before. "It's not a matter of us being able to afford it. We were always able to afford adding an unlimited line to our account for you. We're giving you minutes so you could learn responsibility and how to manage things."

Bikky folded his arms. "You still will give me more minutes if I need."

"No go, bud," Ryo replied. "Now Dee, are you sure you don't want to get the chibis ready and go with us?"

"Everyone go ahead," Dee replied. "I could be alone with the twins for a few hours. Besides, they're almost asleep now, and that means I could take a nap. Or I'll take them for a stroll if they don't go to sleep. I'm just not up to running around yet."

"You're recovering from your C-section well, Dei," Obaasan stated. "You do need to start getting around more than to the park or around the block."

"I know. I just need a couple of more days," Dee admitted. "I'm still not up to big shopping trips at the moment even if I do miss Mitsuwa. Or any shopping trip. Next week, I promise I'll be up for it, with or without chibis."

Obaasan leaned over to kiss Dee's cheek. "We'll hold you to it." She started to stand up, still holding Darin. Ryo came over to take his infant son from her. "Do you think me too old to be able to stand up holding my tiny great-grandson?" she asked.

"No Obaasan. Never," Ryo replied, but took the baby from her anyway. "I just want to settle my son in before we go running off for a few hours. I would do the same with Koko, but she looks very settled there with Dee. Ryo smiled tenderly at Ryoko snuggled up on Dee's lap. He went over to the bassinette and kissed Darin's nose. "I love you, little guy," he said and then settled his sleepy son. As he straightened up, he took out his cell phone and snapped a couple of pictures of Dee and Ryoko.

"We need to keep the actual camera close at hand, huh?" Dee replied.

"We should," Ryo agreed. "Okay we're off. The good news is that we'll bring you back some sushi."

"You really do love me," Dee stated. "Don't forget to pick up a variety of fish for Saturday."

"Drake and JJ are coming over for dinner, right?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah. And we promised JJ fresh norimaki." He smiled as Ryo leaned over to kiss Dee.

"Gotcha. If you think of something not on the list give us a call," Ryo said as he pulled away and started to guide Obaasan toward the door with Bikky in tow.

"Bye Dad! We'll get you some new magazines too," Bikky called out before he followed Ryo and Obaasan through the door and closed it.

"Bye everyone!" Dee called out and then muttered a curse under his breath when Ryoko started to fret, no longer content to just snuggle and was now awake. He lifted her and, putting her close to him, he made a face. "Shush now, baby girl. It's supposed to be nap time for us."

Instead Ryoko went from fretting to full out crying. Dee got up with her and looked around the living room. "Now where did we put your binky? Crap, don't tell me they're all in the nursery." He glanced down in the bassinette with Darin, reassured that the baby boy was still sleeping. "Okay, we'll take a quick trip to your room and get you settled in your real bed. Then I'll go get your brother. And Koko, we are all going to take a nap."

OoOoOoO

After finally getting Ryoko and Darin settled down and finally sleeping, Dee stretched out on the daybed. He managed to sleep for about a half hour before he woke up, hearing Darin fretting. Quickly he sat up and was off the daybed and over by the crib. He stood over it and realized Ryoko's little hand was on his face as they slept. He gently scooted them apart enough so the infant girl's hand rested on Darin's arm and then continued to watch as Darin seemed to calm down and go back to sleeping peacefully. During the time, Dee carefully studied Darin until he was assured the baby was breathing normally. He stood for another five minutes watching the two babies as they slept, still marveling that they came from him and were his and Ryo's. It was definitely a miracle to Dee, and he felt it would always be.

Hunger finally pulled Dee away from the crib and with the baby monitor in hand, he headed to the kitchen to fix himself something for lunch. He was almost finished with his chicken salad sandwich and fresh cut fruit when his cell started to ring.

Checking the caller ID, he smiled and answered, "Hey Jack. What's up?"

"I'm bored and needing someone to speak adult to," Jack, who was Dee's current partner's husband, replied in a tone close to a whine.

Dee chuckled as he leaned back in his seat. "Hell dude, sounding like that, I would say you do."

"Exactly my point, Dee," Jack replied.

"Didn't anyone tell you that you should talk normal to babies and less of the cutesy stuff?" Dee asked.

"So do you?" Jack asked. "Talk normal to the twins?"

"Well, it is attempted," Dee replied ruefully. "But the chibis are just so friggin' adorable. They really are chibis." He laughed a little and smiled.

"Gee, no modesty coming from you," Jack stated, sounding amused.

"That has never been a strong point of mine, but when it comes to these two, definitely not. Now you shouldn't be modest about Jack Jr, you know."

"I'm not."

Dee laughed more. "Dana's not either," he stated.

"No reason for either of us to be. So I'm currently in that park near your place and hoping for some company."

"That's a long way from Brooklyn, dude."

"I know. I met Dana for lunch over near 1PP and decided to make a stop here and see if you were free. She had to go back to the precinct."

"Yeah, I am. Ryo tried to get me to go shopping over in New Jersey, but I don't feel up to it even with a car. But I can do the park. I was thinking of taking the chibis out for a walk anyway. I just have to clean up here and get the chibis dressed for an outing."

"Get them dolled up in some expensive designer baby clothes so everyone will coo louder over them?" Jack asked with a laugh.

"At least until they get to the age where they can run around and not keep anything clean," Dee replied.

"Might as well. Okay then. You go get ready and I'll be here waiting."

"See you soon, Jack."

OoOoOoO

Dee met up with Jack in the park. The two men talked as well as puffed up with pride whenever someone came over to look at the babies. Jack received several compliments because of his situation. Whenever he mentioned that when he had learned that his wife was unable to conceive, since he was a Carrier, he had stepped up to Carry their child in vitro. Dee had also received his share of amazement from those familiar with Carriers when they realized he had given birth to twins, which was extremely rare for Carriers.

Both men were feeling pretty good. They had spent time together, but usually either Dana or Ryo, sometimes both were with them. They did form a bond with both of them having recently given birth and gone through pregnancy. As they talked in the park, they realized it made sense to hang out together while their spouses and friends were at work while they were still on a leave of absence while recovering from giving birth. Jack was taking longer to recover because he was also still recovering from his injuries. They talked about getting together more often whenever they didn't have anything else going on. When they got hungry they grabbed hot dogs from a cart.

Their time sitting in the park on a warm and sunny day came to an end when Dee was starting to feel the heat a little too much for his comfort. They decided to go back to Dee's place and sit in the air conditioning until the rest of Dee's family came home.

When Jack Jr started to cry, Dee realized he had found another reason to bond with his new friend when Jack looked at Dee, while holding his crying son. "Dee, would you mind if I feed him?"

"Of course you can, do you need me to warm up his bottle?"

"I prefer not to unless I have to," Jack replied.

Dee looked up from his seat at the other man. "Oh you mean feed him." He started to grin. "Sure, no problem. Maybe you want to use the rocker in the nursery?"

"I think I'd like that. I keep telling Dana we need to get one like that. I just don't find that traditional rocker very comfortable."

"I find the one we have to be most comfortable. C'mon and use it while you feed little Jackie boy there." Dee got up and headed for the dining room with Jack following. "I'll get you set up and then move the chibis into the nursery. We might as well hang out there for a while."

OoOoOoO

When Ryo, Bikky and Obaasan returned from Mitsuwa Marketplace, they found Dee and Jack in the nursery, both men dozing off. Dee was in the rocker, pulled close to the crib where Ryoko and Darin slept, while Jack was lounging on the daybed with Jack Jr. sleeping in his stroller.

Both men sat up with a start. "Wha?" Dee asked, and then blinked. "Ryo? You're home already?" He ran his hand through his hair.

"Already?" Ryo laughed. "I take it you both had a nice nap while we were gone?" He grinned at Dee. "We've been gone longer than usual. It's almost dinner time."

Dee sat up more and looked in the crib. "They had a good sleep too."

"I would guess so. What time do you remember last?"

"It was after 2. I just fed the chibis and we just settled down and relaxed some. I met Jack at the park and we hung out there for a while."

"Holy shit, Dana will be out of work by now and expecting dinner. Shit!" Jack jumped up and started to gather his things."

"Hey Jack, I have an idea. Why don't you call Dana and have her come over here for dinner?" Ryo suggested. "We're having Japanese. My grandmother is already in the kitchen getting dinner on. We're having ginger pork as the main dish, and we also have some sushi."

"I couldn't. You probably already have a full house already," Jack said.

"You could. We've had more around here since Dee came home," Ryo insisted. "Call her."

"Go ahead, dude," Dee said. "Call my partner and tell her to get over here."

"If you both insist. If your grandmother doesn't mind," Jack said.

Ryo laughed and turned to the crib. "She always makes more than we need. Obaasan loves to cook for people. She should have opened a restaurant. Hey there little girl. Are you up now for a while?" With a smile, he lifted Ryoko from the crib as Jack took out his cell phone and called Dana. "It's probably almost dinner time for you and your brother, huh Koko?"

"It's Koko's turn for the bottle," Dee replied. "They ate twice since you left."

"That's okay," Ryo replied, as the baby grabbed one of his fingers and stared up at him. "Growing babies need to eat. Isn't the right, sweetheart." He moved her so he could kiss her nose.

Jack laughed as he spoke to Dana. "Hey Dee, I see someone didn't tell Ryo to talk normal to babies."

"He tries too," Dee replied with a laugh.

Later after the Johnsens left shortly after dinner, Dee proved he still tired easily because he was exhausted from his trip to the park and went to bed not long after. Ryo took note that Dee actually slept through until Ryoko started to cry, alerting them to the next feeding time almost five and half hours later because Ryo and Obaasan had fed them an hour after Dee went to bed. Once the twins were settled in their bassinettes, Ryo had taken advantage of a quiet house because Bikky had gone out to meet some friends when they got back from Mitsuwa, and went to bed himself and managed to get some sleep until it was feeding time. Obaasan had offered to keep the twins in the nursery and she would handle the feedings, but Ryo knew Dee would still hear the crying and be up, so it would be better to have them in the room and be able to settle back to sleep sooner than after Dee insisted on barging into Obaasan's sleeping space. Ryo also knew that most likely once the twins were fed, Ryoko and Darin would have ended up in the master bedroom with them again because Ryo could not see Dee leaving the twins in the nursery even with Obaasan there.

Ryo was glad he got the sleep he had because after the first feeding that night, they went back to normal patterns since Dee got home. Ryo tried to get what sleep he could before Dee's restlessness woke him before it was feeding time.

Ryo was glad they had no plans for guests the next day and only one thing to do which hopefully wouldn't take too long. Then again, Ryo reconsidered keeping Dee out a bit longer, even if with the car in hopes it would tire him out again and they could both get more than four hours sleep at one stretch.

OoOoOoO

July 28, 2006

Dee and Ryo sat at the dining room table with Obaasan for dinner. Bikky was out playing basketball with his friends and then was to spend the night at Lai's house. At Obaasan's request, Dee had made chicken parmesan while the older woman watched and assisted, while Ryo made the pasta.

The three shared laughs and small talk, occasionally checking in on the twins who were settled in living room. The twins were fed while Obaasan plated their dinner and were currently sleeping.

In the last few days the influx of well-wishing guests wanting to see the babies diminished significantly.

Dee was able to get around with walks around the neighborhood and car rides, but he still tired easily. Ryo and his grandmother believed it to be more from a lack of a decent night's sleep than recovering from the C-section, but knew that also contributed to his preferring to stay home from the shopping excursion. Dee promised in another week or two to give it a go and was actually looking forward to it.

That day had been productive. Ryo and Dee did some local grocery shopping while taking the twins for a stroll. When they went out together they would have the twins in separate strollers. They did have a double stroller that Ryo had bought while Dee was still in the hospital for whenever one of them had both babies. When they got home, both Ryo and Dee managed to take a nap while the twins slept. When they woke up, Bikky was home from visiting the orphanage and they all went to get Bikky registered in his new school.

When they were almost done with dinner, Obaasan asked them, "How did registration go?

Dee nodded as he chewed his food. He sat at the table facing the living room with the two bassinettes in view. So far the twins were still sleeping.

Ryo and Obaasan had noticed that Dee's attention would constantly go to the sleeping twins, but said nothing. It was the first day that Dee had gone out without the babies when they went to register Bikky.

"We're set for 10th grade for Bikky, but I'm not sure he's very happy right now," Ryo replied.

"Oh? Why not? I thought he liked that school?" Obaasan said.

Dee chuckled. "He thought since he finished ninth grade that he'll be out of school until the class he's in starts in January. We decided that he's going to do the last semester of ninth year in this school. It was suggested, so he'll adapt to the new ways of the school without falling behind with this studies. It might even put him at an advantage since we think he might remember some of what he had learned this last year."

"So when does he start school?" Obaasan asked. "I know he was looking forward to having the summer off, including helping with his new siblings."

"He'll be out for his year end break soon enough," Ryo replied. "He starts next Monday. He had a month off so far, and the school year ends in October. Then he'll be on break until January."

"They do things differently in this school, but the average grades of their students are pretty high comparing to other schools. Add that it's Carrier and Gay friendly, we don't have to worry about him dealing with idiots like he did in his old school," Dee explained. "The Headmaster has four children between himself and his husband."

"Which means no more dealing with prejudice among the staff like the other school," Obaasan stated approvingly.

"It's not a prep school as in you have to be super smart to get in, but the way they gear their teaching and as long as he pays attention and gets his assignments done, it will be almost like he went to a prep school," Ryo explained further. "They have smaller classes with assistants."

"They have something like 5 classes with 15 students in each class for each grade, more or less, depending on students attending for the year," Dee said. "He'll basically be going with the same classmates until he graduates."

"Or gets himself kicked out," Ryo sighed.

"Hey, he did okay in the last year and only got into fights defending his family," Dee pointed out. "And what almost got him expelled was actually an assault on him. So that doesn't count. Besides, we took him out of school before the year ended."

"By one week," Obaasan said, "and he still did his studies."

"At least maybe he'll finish 9th year to the end this time," Ryo said. "It's not a punishment his going back to 9th grade next week, and he knows it."

"At least this is also a private school that does not require uniforms. I don't think we can talk him into that no matter how much money we wave in front of him," Dee said with a chuckle.

"True," Ryo agreed, also laughing. "The other school on our shortlist wore uniforms and he made it very clear he would not be happy with that."

"We really believe this is the best school for Bikky," Dee said, "and that he will benefit. Or we end up getting more calls to the school 'cause he isn't paying attention."

"He better pay attention," Ryo stated. "We're paying enough for him to attend there."

"Isn't that true?" Dee replied. "At least it didn't make a dent in the new source of income we have now. We got our first pay last week. So we decided to pay for the school year in full."

"One big difference is that they expect parents to be more hands' on with the school," Ryo explained. "They have fundraisers for the school and do community outreach. We tried to tell them that we're both detectives that while we have set hours we can be called out to a scene at any time if it can't wait until we're back on duty."

"I think we managed to get out of community outreach because of our work," Dee added.

"Plus the fact that Dee is high profile in the Carrier community and they seem to be happy having his name to fling around now that he has a son there," Ryo said.

"Yeah that was mentioned," Dee said. "I still ended up as an organizer for the booster club or some silly thing because of experience fundraising for the orphanage."

"If they want to reach out to the community, then I think you should get them to do something for the orphanage. Especially since Maria made it known it will also be a safe house for children affected by Carrier Hate Crimes," Obaasan said. "She already has a child there, doesn't she?"

Dee shrugged. "Mother will take in any child needing a home," he said, pride in his voice. "But it seems like something new because they recently started to document better how a child is orphaned or removed from their home. Carrier never came up as a category before but now we're putting anything pertaining to Carriers in their files so we have better statistics in the future to hopefully help with changing laws for Carrier protection. Children need to also have laws to protect them."

"That's so very true," Obaasan agreed. "I'm glad to see government getting involved, even if it is local. I can see that Mayor Blum will stop at nothing short of new laws and ways to protect Carriers."

"I think she was not going to run for a second term because she wanted to get a bigger house so her family can all be together again, along with Tony and the baby," Ryo said, "but since what happened with Gilbert, even if she's tired and wants to just get out of the spotlight to heal, she's running so she can continue to keep the ball rolling."

"Of course," Obaasan said. "I can understand what drives her. I wanted to just stop when I lost Raina, but I couldn't because I felt I had to live right by her. So I strove on. I was too far to help clear her name, especially since they shut the case. I had to go on in hopes that her name was cleared, along with your father. Your parents were too careful and always played by the books when it came to their business. I also knew they would never be involved with drugs." She smiled as she reached across the table to take Ryo's hand in hers. "I'm so glad you never believed the lies or gave up on proving their innocence, Ryo. You made me even more proud of you than I already was."

Ryo returned the smile. "I guess that also helped when you decided to finally come to New York for our wedding?"

"It helped," Akira replied, "but I would have never missed your wedding. I had promised myself that long ago. Returning was even easier to see you and Dei again, along with my darling great-grandchildren."

"Does that mean we'll see you more often, Obaasan?" Dee asked. "Because just talking to you on the phone is not enough."

Ryo nodded his head in agreement. "What Dee said."

"I feel the same. And yes, I do intend to come here at least once a year, but let me say this. This is my second visit to New York. I expect to see you both in Japan before I come back to New York. I would pay the expenses myself if I didn't know you can now afford it."

Ryo and Dee shared a look. "If we go, I know I don't want it to be for a week or two. It will have to be for a month or two," Ryo replied.

"I will gladly put your family up for that time. We do have a guest house," Akira said.

Ryo looked at Dee. "Well, I might be going back to work sooner than I planned so I can use some of my allotted paternity leave going off to Japan at some point."

"We can work it out, I guess," Dee replied. "It will also have to be during one of Bikky's breaks from school."

"True," Ryo agreed. "Well, now that it's on our minds, we'll figure out something." He looked over to his grandmother. "Obaasan, within a year we'll be coming to visit you in Kamakura."

Akira clapped her hands in delight and laughed. "Wonderful! That makes me so happy!"

Dee clapped too, grinning madly. "Me too. I'm sure my college buds will be happy about it too."

"Oh yeah. Well, I don't see too much being lazy in a house while we're there," Ryo said with a laugh.

"Ryo, even when I lived there I tried to be out and about as much as possible," Dee replied.

"Yeah, I know you did."

"Then after you have a nice long stay after being away for long, then it will be easier to come over for a week or two every year after," Akira replied.

"I do know I want Ryoko and Darin to get to know Japan," Dee replied. "They already are going to be bilingual when they start talking. Ryo and I had decided on that."

"That makes me so happy to hear, Dei," Akira said.

As they finished their meal, there was an excited energy around them. However that did not stop Dee from retiring early, once again exhausted from their day out by 8:30. They managed to feed the twins and Ryo decided to join Dee, intending to get as much sleep as he could get too while he had the chance.