A/N: I am glad everyone liked the last chapter. Took me a long time to write it. Mainly because I kept getting stuck on the actual assembly part. But now it's senior year for the quints. Everyone is still pretty much the same. College accpetance letters are pouring in, Danny and Lindsay panic about sending five kids to college. Ah, the life of parents. Happiness abounds on a great big stick! Sorry about the wait. Took a long time get this written, mainly because the muse was on vacation in Angel Grove.

Graduation or How Danny Managed to Have Seven Nervous Breakdowns About College and Losing His Kids to the Cold Cruel Heartless World of Pain and Hardship

A scream came from the mailbox. The scream got louder as the person doing the screaming got inside the house. The screaming and jumping around centered in the living room, driving a certain mother to her last nerve.

"ISABELLA LOUISE MESSER YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO STOP THAT SCREAMING OR YOU'RE GOING TO BE LOCKED IN THE FILE ROOM AT THE LAB FOR THREE DAYS!" Lindsay yelled from the kitchen. "What on earth is going on?"

"IT CAME! OH MY GOD!" Bella was jumping up and down waving a large envelope around. "THE LETTER FROM YALE!"

Ignoring the scolding and threat Lindsay joined her daughter in her jumping and screaming. They hadn't even opened the envelope yet but they were still excited. Yale was the only school that Bella had her heart set on attending. She had her back up schools but she wanted to attend Yale more than anything. Everyone knew that the large envelope from a college meant yes and a regualr business one meant no.

The rest of the household who happened to be home that spring afternoon came into the living room to investigate the ungodly noise Bella was making. With trembling fingers and hands Bella broke the seal on the envelope and pulled out the letter.

"Dear Isabella Messer," Bella read from the letter. "It gives the administraion of Eli Yale University great pleasure to grant you acceptance!"

And the screaming and the jumping began again. Bella hugged her mother and brother and then took off out of the house. Lindsay didn't even need to ask where she was going. Bella was headed for the lab to give her father the good news. Bella clutched the letter in her hand, terrified she was going to lose it. She boarded the subway, barely keeping her cool. She was driving the older woman next to her crazy with all her fidgeting. Bella couldn't help it, she was so excited to tell her father that if she didn't get to the lab soon, she would very well implode.

She blew into the lab so fast that it dawned on Stella five minutes later that she had arrived. She wasn't sure where her father would be so she just searched. She checked her father's office he now shared with Adam, her mother's office, Stella's, the layout room, the Trace and DNA labs, no sign of her father anywhere. Now she was frustrated. It dawned on her that the lab had an intercom system. She went into her mother's office and turned it on.

"Umm, greetings to all the lab workers," Bella said. "This is Isabella Messer and I'm looking for my dad. I think he's here somewhere and I have really great news that I can't keep a secret any more. I got into Yale!"

She hung up the phone and sat at her mother's desk and waited for her father to come running. It only took him thirty seconds to get from the morgue to the 35th floor. He rushed into Lindsay's office and scooped her into his arms hugging Bella tightly.

"I am so proud of you," Danny whispered, tears catching in his voice.

In the following weeks more and more acceptance letters came in. DJ got baseball rides from UCLA, Pepperdine, NYU and Georgetown. Evan got accepted to Oxford, Harvard, Columbia and Princeton. PJ was forgoing college for a few years to work with her relief organization in Africa and Miracle had already accepted to Julliard.

Danny and Lindsay hated the fact that most of their children wanted to get half a world awa from them. DJ wanted to go to California, Evan to London and PJ to the most Godforsaken regions of the world. At least Miracle was staying in the city. As soon as all the kids made their school choices they all sat down for a family meeting.

"All right guys," Danny said, starting the Messer Family Meeting. "I want to start out by congratulating all of you for getting accepted into the schools of your choice. Now the hard part. DJ, you received a full ride to Pepperdine and NYU. As much as your mother and I would like you to stay in the city, we are allowing you, all of to make your own choice of where you go to college."

"To be honest kids," Lindsay said. "We don't have the money to send all of you to the schools you want to go to."

"Mom, money is not an issue for me," DJ stated. "I got a full ride."

"But that doesn't cover the living expenses you're going to have," Lindsay said. "Room and board, car and insurance."

"Mom, are you trying to talk me out of going to Pepperdine?" DJ questioned.

"The reason for this meeting is for all of us to make a pro/con list."

PJ raised her hand. "May I be excused from this meeting, seeing how all my funds for the next three years are already in the bank and I'm not really going to college thus I don't need to be here."

"No you may not," Danny replied. "This is a family meeting and you are a member of this family. So yes, you do need to be here."

The conversation continued. Evan decided that Columbia had a better genetics undergrad program than Oxford did. So far, they had one kid sticking around. That still didn't help Danny's nerves any. He didn't want any of his kids leaving him. He wanted to make a time machine and bring them all back to the age of five, when all they wanted to do was play with Dad and Uncle Don.

Don. That was still a touchy subject for everyone. Even with all the work PJ and Bella did on the award was still not enough for the family to get over the loss of one of the greatest people in their life. It would take them a long time to get back to normal.

That night Danny sat on the edge of his and Lindsay's bed staring at the Christmas photo of that year and the one of the quints' first Christmas photo. Lindsay came in from the bathroom and watched her husband stare at the two framed pictures.

"What are you thinking about, baby?" Lindsay asked, drawing Danny out of his thoughts.

"Even when she was a baby Bella was a little diva," Danny said, a laugh in his voice. "DJ was always a walking disaster. The roles they created for themselves carried with them to the young men and women they are now. I can't believe that they're going to be graduating in a month. Yesterday we brought them all home from the hospital, to that tiny closet of an apartment we had."

Lindsay moved across the room to sit down next to her husband and share in the memory lane. She locked her arms around his and laid her head on his shoulder like she always did.

"You remember the looks on everyone's faces when we told them we were having quints?" Lindsay asked.

"You could have knocked Flack over with a marshmallow," Danny laughed.

Danny and Lindsay came into work the day after having the first ultrasound. They were still having trouble digesting the fact that in seven months, two weeks and 27 days, give or take an emergency, they would have five babies. They ran into Stella first. Danny said that they would tell everyone at the same time to save having to say the same information more than once.

The team was gathered in the break room. Danny and Lindsay walked in hand in hand. They went about their normal activities before Stella finally said something.

"So, what did you find out?" Stella asked.

"Twins," Danny started. "Times two plus one."

Flack being the smart-ass that he was counted it out on his fingers, while the rest computed what Danny had just said.

"Twins times two, plus one," Flack muttered. "Five? Are you shitting me Messer?"

"No Don," Lindsay said, pulling the ultrasound picture. "There really is five in there."

The two laughed at the memory. So much of their lives had been filled with craziness and laughter. When they first got married they didn't think they could ever get the chance to have kids. Now to have five of the most amazing kids one could hope for.

"Did Bella tell you that she got Mrs. Jansen to issue an honorary diploma to Miracle so she can walk across the stage with her brothers and sisters?" Lindsay asked.

"No she didn't!" Danny exclaimed. "I guess with all the excitement over the last few days it must have slipped her mind. But that is just great that Mira will get to graduate with the rest of them."

Saturday was a bustle of activity. Bella was gone most of the day getting her hair and nails done for prom. She was going with Peter Centrelli, track star and senior class president. PJ was going with Jesse Carmichael, the kid who was given the award. Evan was going with his lab partner Camille Harris and DJ, Mr. Heartbreaker was going with his girlfriend of two years, Jennifer Mullins. Jennifer wasn't what the popular girls would call the class beauty. She wasn't the class anything. She was just Jennifer Mullins. And Daniel Jay Messer was head over heels in love with her. Nothing anyone could say would change his mind about her.

Jennifer made DJ happy and that was enough for the Messer family. Jenni was there for DJ in the days that followed Don's death. She held him close when he finally broke down and cried. She was there when the Bulldogs won state. There was another place set at the table for dinner almost every night of the week.

PJ, Bella and Miracle adopted Jenni as another sister. The four of them would hang out together, go shopping, go to the movies DJ and Evan would refuse to see. For Bella it was a chance to help Jenni break out of the shell she had herself locked in, until DJ came along. Jenni told Bella, she had always liked DJ but thought that he'd never notice the shy, quiet girl in the middle row. But notice her DJ did. He thought she was the most beautiful girl in the entire school. Jennifer Mullins was the only girl for him.

Jenni, Bella, and PJ sat under the dryer hoods of a posh Manhattan salon. Stella through her network of friends managed to get the three girls an all-inclusive package for very little money. Bella had her blonde hair pulled up in a fancy updo while PJ wore hers down and had it curled. It took three stylists to get PJ's waist length hair up in the curlers. Jenni was a combanation of the two.

"Jenni, where is our darling brother taking you for dinner tonight?" Bella asked, from behind her Cosmo magazine.

"Bouley," Jenni said. "He made the reservation seven months ago. I looked online and it's supposed to be an amazing place. Where are you and Peter going?"

"No where near as posh but a little hole in the wall place that Mom and Dad used to go to in Little Italy," Bella answered. "What about you Peej? Where are you and Jesse going?"

"We're doing a picnic in the park with a group of friends. We'll probably play softball or something in our formal wear before heading to the dance. I still can't believe you talked Esex House to let us have our prom at their place."

"We had so many places to choose from that it was so hard to pick," Bella explained. "I mean we live in the greatest city in the world. Where else can you see the things we see, go to the places we go?"

"Jersey," Jenni joked.

In the history of prom at Guliani High School, no prom had outshone this one. Bella and her prom committee had pulled every penny alotted and created in the Grand Salon of the Essex House a magic paradise. The coolest part of the entire night was that PJ was crowned Prom Queen over Bella. It was a cold few days in the Messer house.

Graduation day had arrived. The Messer house was a bustle of activity. Becasue the venue for the actual ceremony was small, each graduating senior was alotted five tickets. For the Messers' that meant twenty tickets for friends and family. For them it meant having Danny and Lindsay, Grandma and Poppa Monroe, Nonna and Papi Messer, Uncle Louie and Aunt Jamie, Uncle Steven and Aunt Claire, Mac and Peyton, Stella, Hawkes, Adam and Kendall and the Hammerbacks. Quite a large group of well wishers.

"DADDY! BELLA'S LOCKED ME OUT OF THE BATHROOM AGAIN!" a very pissed off PJ yelled down the stairs.

Danny sighed, went to the junk drawer and pulled out his drill. He was actually smiling as he took the bathroom door off it's hinges for the five hundred thousandth time.

"Countdown three hours and fifty-seven seconds," he teased as he walked away. He laughed at the sight of his oldest daughter with her hair in hot rollers and a white clay mask on her face. Somethings would never get old. He would never get tired of having to make four or five trips to the Walgreens on the corner because he bought the wrong face cleanser. He would never get tired of taking the bathroom door off it's hinges becasue his girls couldn't share a mirror. He would never get tired of being a father.

As soon as everyone was dressed and polished, Lindsay gathered her babies into the living room for pictures. She stood her two boys behind the couch with her three girls sitting on the couch. Then she got one of just the girls and one of just Evan and DJ. Then it was Danny and the boys, Danny and the girlsand them all together. Danny took over for two to get Lindsay with the girls and with the boys and them all together.

Family members poured into the house. Jackie and Peter Monroe arrived from their hotel with Lindsay's brother Steven and sister in law Claire. More pictures. The kids blinked and all they saw were spots. They knew better than to complain because as Lindsay had told them that morning: You're only going to graduate from high school once. I plan on getting in all on film. Deal with it.

When they arrived at the school the five Messer kids took off in search of their friends. Bella met up with Courtney, Kellie and Sarah and got pictures with them. DJ posed with Jenni for her mom. Evan and the Physics club posed for pictures. Even Miracle, who had never even taken a single class with the others were pulled into group shots.

Soon it was time for them all to line up and take their seats. Principal Jansen took the podium to annouce the class.

"Parents, friends, and factulty of Rudolph Guliani High School, it is my esstemed honor to present to you the class of 2025."

Pomp and Circumstance played as the 200 or so graduates filed in. Because the kids were listed in alphabetical order the Messers were seated DJ, Evan, Bella, Miracle and PJ. Unknown to everyone, PJ was the class elected speaker. After Principal Jansen finshed her talk she introduced the class of 2025's class elected speaker.

"It honors me greatly to present this year's student speaker. Over the past four years I have watched this young lady grow from an awkward freshman to the amazing young woman that she is now. A four point student, graduating valecdictorian, with the choice of any college in the country, ladies and gentlemen, Miss Parker Jane Messer."

PJ made her way up the steps to the stage. She pulled the notecards out of her pocket and set them on the podium.

"It's PJ, Miss Jansen," PJ teased. "Family, friends and those who can't be here with us today, welcome to the start of the rest of our lives. I grew up in a very different household than most of the students here. I have two older brothers, an older sister and a younger one. My brother DJ is ten minutes older than I am, Bella three, Evan one and Miracle three minutes behind me. Yes, I am Parker Jane Messer of the Messer quints. My house was never normal. When I was four I thought it was normal to have five brothers and sisters all the same age. As my parents would attest, rasing five kids all the same age was never easy, not even for two seasoned NYPD detectives. It took a villiage, more a crime lab to raise us. I take the lessons that they taught my siblings and I and have applied them on my travels to the poorest regions of the world. With my family's encouragements behind me I was able to make a difference in the lives of many African children. Thank you Mom and Dad for all the lessons, be them the proper way to drop a water balloon on Aunt Peyton from the seventh floor of the lab, to the proper way to prepare a DNA sample, but most of all they taught us that we could be whatever we put our minds to. So I challange you, my friends and classmates, take each day and learn what you can from it. Because I know better than everyone that we are not gaurenteed a tomorrow. Go out and make something of yourselves. Thank you."

PJ stepped down and took her seat next to Miracle. Then they waited until it was time to cross the stage and accept their diplomas.

"Daniel Jay 'DJ' Messer," Bradley Whitford, the junior class president, read. "Evan Travis Messer. Isabella Louise 'Bella' Messer. Honorary graduate, Miracle Faith Messer. Parker Jane 'PJ' Messer."

The two rows that held the Messer family and friends cheered wildly. Adam and Hawkes blew an airhorn. Stella clapped loudly, not only for herself but for Flack as well. He would have been so proud of all of his kids. Stella just knew he was up in heaven shouting for all to hear that his kids had graduated from high school.

Lindsay laid her head on Danny's shoulder as her babies walked across the stage. They gathered together in front of the photographer making the funniest faces. They went back to their seats.

"Yahtzee," she whispered in his ear.

Epilouge: Daniel Jay Messer graduated from New York University with a degree in commercial engineering. He was scouted by the Cubs, Yankees and Red Sox. Much to his father's disdain and pleasure DJ Messer played pro baseball for Boston. He and Jenni drifted apart in college but found each other a few years after he started playing baseball. The pair were wed over the home plate with their family and friends surrounding them. They have three girls; Hannah, Kaitlin and Honor.

Isabella Louise Messer graduated from Yale and went on to Yale Law. She got a job with the DA's office in New York. She met Archie Hendrix during her thrid year at Yale Law and the pair were married after she closed her first big case. They have two boys; Donald (named after Flack) and Court.

Evan Travis Messer graduated from Columbia with a degree in genetics. He went on to grad school at Oxford. He came back to the states and went through the police academy and joined the crime lab. He remained the hot single geek in the lab until Randi Jacobs was hired. The two reminded Danny and Lindsay of Adam and Kendall. They were married in Nonna Messer's church. They have two boys and a girl; Evan Squared, Oliver and Dannielle.

Parker Jane Messer disappeared in Africa shortly after she arrived after high school. Danny and Lindsay feared the worst until she resurfaced. PJ came home with seven orphans and opened her own refugee center. She married Mosi Obambi and worked to help get as many orphaned children homes in the US. Between the two of them PJ and Mosi had adopted 14 kids.

Miracle Faith Messer became a famous composer after graduating from Julliard. Her first opera was preformed at Lincoln Center when she was 22 years old. Her entire family was in attendance at the opening. It ran for seven seasons. She used a majority of her profits from the opera to fund autisim reasearch. She never married.

Danny and Lindsay retired from the lab after DJ and Jenni got married. The pair moved to Danny's parents' house on Staten Island and loved not having kids around until the day PJ dropped by with her brood. Since then, they have been the greatest grandparents in the world.

The End