A/N: Well hey! I updated a little faster this time! Woooot. It would've been up even faster if my darn Internet would work properly.  Anywayyyyz…enjoy (and review!).

In the dark of the night, Nick awoke to the somewhat unfamiliar sound of a baby crying. His eyes slowly opened as it registered in his mind it was his baby. The twins were finally here. This is what he and his wife had been dreaming about for years – having their own children. But instead of the elation inside he expected to experience, his heart immediately dropped and he felt that familiar kick in his gut. While his babies were here, his wife was not. It had been two weeks since his daughters' birth and his wife's death, and he was still locked into a surreal, horrifying trance.

He'd imagined, before the girls were born, they'd wake up in the night to one of the girls crying. He'd lean over in the bed and kiss his wife's temple, and tell her he'd go this time. He wanted to let her sleep; wanted to take care of her and let her rest. Then she would smile appreciatively and turn onto her side to slip back into sleep.

Nick turned over and took in the heart wrenching sight of the empty half of the bed next to him. He thought if he stared at the void for long enough, it would finally hit him. Maybe he would finally understand his wife wasn't coming back. His life would never be perfect again because she wasn't with him anymore.

Was it horrible that he seemed to possess almost no desire to care for his new daughters? Somehow, it was overwhelmingly daunting to try to look after two screaming babies, and without his wife by his side, Nick felt he couldn't do it. What did he know about taking care of two little girls? Everyone knew babies need their mothers. Nothing he could do would bring her back, so these two precious babies would have to grow up without her. What could he possibly do to substitute their mother? Sure, he was patient and caring, and he could probably be nurturing if he tried, but Nick didn't consider himself motherly.

Plenty of family members, coworkers, and neighbors offered their help, and he immediately accepted. Nick knew he needed all the help he could get, and he was so caught up in his own sorrow, he felt he was neglecting the girls. During the day, at least two people were always in his house, responding to the girls' every need. They fed them, changed them, bathed them, and did everything he couldn't, or wouldn't do himself. Though he fought the feeling, he couldn't help but being a little angry with his daughters. He loved them dearly, but it was simply a fact that if they hadn't been born, his wife would still be here. His scientific mind knew things like this just happened, and there was no way to control that, but he still held a bit of a grudge. Nick had three loves of his life, and they couldn't exist simultaneously? He couldn't have all three? His sorrow was so great he felt it brooding into anger, and that disgusted him. How could he be angry at the two beautiful, helpless little girls down the hall?

Almost every day, he considered giving the girls up. How in the world could he raise them by himself? Sure, people were willing to lend their time now, in the wake of his sorrow. But what would happen six months from now? Five years from now? He'd be alone with the children and would be at a loss for what to do. He'd watched his brother and brother in laws with their kids. When they came up crying, or had a tantrum, or asked tough questions, they seemed to know exactly what to do. How did they know? He didn't know how to do any of that. Before he even tried, Nick knew he would be a failure as a father. He could solve crimes, but calm a screaming child? Nick wasn't sure he'd ever know what to do.

After laying in bed for a good ten minutes listening to one of his daughters cry, Nick finally found the strength to pull himself out of bed. It was the nights, when everyone had gone home and he was left by himself, that his sorrow was the most intense. It was literally paralyzing, and his daughters deserved better than that. What parent would let his kid cry for ten minutes before getting his ass out of bed to go comfort her? Nick just kept adding to the list of how he'd make a crappy parent. It was funny, how during the pregnancy, his wife went on and on about what a great dad he'd be. She was so sure about that, but look at him now. He could only be a good father if she was here with him.

Nick wandered down the hallway, to the nursery he and his wife had furnished together. Memories of painting the walls pale yellow together, jokingly painting stripes on each other's faces, and her giggles, filled his mind. Shopping together at Target for the perfect furniture, and hearing her gasp at the near perfection of the set they'd selected (even though it went over budget). It churned up that awful feeling of regret and loss he just couldn't shake. He finally pushed the door open and determined the baby on the left was the one crying. Alexis. She so wanted to name one of the girls Alexis so they could call her Lexi for short. She'd thought that was the most adorable name for a little girl.

Nick walked over to the bassinet and looked down at the screaming girl. On the adjacent wall, her sister was still fast asleep, undisturbed by her sister's wailing. For several long moments, he just looked down at Alexis, who was so caught up in her own problems to even notice him. She was still so tiny and vulnerable. She couldn't survive without the help of adults; totally dependent on them. Instinctively, she probably expected to be taken care of, to be comforted. Too bad she didn't know her own father was a failure at this sort of thing. Though they'd been around for two weeks, he still hadn't really mastered diaper changing. During the day, someone else always did it, so the only time he had to was at night. He was happy to let other people do all that so he could just wallow in his own pity.

Finally, he reached down and picked the crying child up. He just held her up for a few moments, examining her, though he made sure to support her little head. He did a little sniff, and didn't smell anything foul, and determined she didn't need changing. She just needed her mother. So did he. Join the club, he thought.

Nick sighed as he brought his child to his chest. His arm rested against her bottom, the other hand cradling her head. He walked over to the rocking chair on the opposite side of the room and sat down. "Sssshhh, Lexi. It's alright," he said, slightly robotically. Immediately, she let out a tiny sob as one of her little arms reached out and rested on his chest. Her crying died down almost instantly as he leaned back and rocked her gently. She let out a little coo as his large hand stroked her tiny back. Her eyes were open, staring off at nothing really, just open. Nick looked down at her little hand, still resting on his chest. Her tiny fingers – the nails barely noticeable. Her hand made its way back to her mouth. She wasn't crying at all now as they just sat there together. Did he do that? She calmed down just because he was holding her? Nick wondered if she knew he was her daddy. He wondered if she knew her mother was gone, and wondered where she was. But she just seemed to lay there, totally in the moment. All she was aware of, he inferred, was the feeling of being cradled against him, the sound of his heart beating. How wonderful, he thought, that even though her mother was dead she wasn't really aware of her loss. She didn't know what she was living wasn't normal. All she knew was her caretakers…and him.

Really, that was all she had. Him. He didn't know if that would ever be enough, but that's the way it was.

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One year after Chapter Six

Gracie Stokes walked down the hallway of her middle school with a stack of fliers in one hand, and a roll of tape in the other. Every few feet, she stopped and taped one of her fliers to the wall, as other students streamed around her, trying to get to their next class. She stopped in front of her Spanish room and stuck a flier to the door. After taping it, she stepped back to make sure it was straight. Gracie was very proud of the fliers she had made. She'd used PhotoShop to help create them on the computer at home, and it was eye-catching and very excellent.

Gracie Stokes for Student Body President it read. She let out a satisfied sigh as she admired her work. Already, she'd put forth so much effort into her campaign, and she could practically taste victory. She had so many good ideas that she couldn't wait to share, and she just knew everyone would agree. Gracie planned to campaign to plant new flowers outside the main entrance, improve the selection of the cafeteria food, and best of all, a plan to get out early for Fall Break by collecting donations for United Way. It was a foolproof plan. And she'd come up with it all by herself.

Just as she was admiring her handiwork, a hand reached out and ripped her flier off the door. Appalled, Gracie turned her head to come face to face with none other than her sister, Alexis.

"You're not allowed to put fliers on classroom doors, dimwit," Alexis told her twin, her arms also full of fliers of her own. They weren't fliers for Gracie. Last night, Alexis had spontaneously decided she was going to run for class president also. Not just so she could prove she was more popular than Gracie, but to show everyone just how easily she could win the election without even trying. And that would really tick Gracie off.

"Since when?" Gracie challenged her. It really boiled her blood that Alexis had entered the competition. Today was the registration for candidates, and while she had planned for weeks how to go about this election, with meticulous detail, her sister had thrown together her campaign and election fliers the night before. An hour before bedtime. Typical Alexis – she put forth the least amount of effort possible, and still managed to pull straight A's and succeed at virtually everything. And it really ticked her off that basically the only reason Alexis had entered was because she knew how much the election meant to her.

"Since forever," Alexis replied, flipping her perfectly groomed brown hair behind her shoulder. "Didn't you read the election rules, since you're so obsessed?" Gracie just stared at her with a look of hate. Why did that damn egg have to split and make two people instead of one? Her life would be so much easier without a twin sister. "It's in there. I'm just trying to save you some trouble."

"That's complete bologna," Gracie replied as the bell rang for class to begin.

"Good one," Alexis told her as she flipped her hair around once again as she entered the classroom. There was only one beginning Spanish class this year at their school, and both of them wanted to take it, so they'd ended up in the same room. They hadn't been in the same classroom since kindergarten, and Gracie hated it.

"Gracie, Alexis, that's a tardy," Mrs. Mead told the twins as they walked in. The entire rest of the class was already seated without their homework out, pencils ready to go. Mrs. Mead was known to be particularly strict, and expected her students to be in their seats, ready to go when the tardy bell rang. Gracie sighed as she took her seat and found her Spanish folder. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, feeling like she was one of the bad kids. She'd never gotten a tardy before, and while she knew the first was just a verbal warning, it still crushed her. Alexis, on the other hand, was used to it. She'd rather socialize with her friends than get to class on time.

"Gracie, it's your first so this is just a warning," Mrs. Mead told her, looking at her attendance book. "Alexis, this is your fourth. See me after class."

In any other class, the students would probably let out an "oooooooh!", but not in Mrs. Mead's room. She was a hard-ass, and no one wanted to get on her bad side. Pop quizzes were frequent deterrents for that sort of behavior.

After class, Gracie packed up her things slowly so she could possibly eavesdrop on Alexis's conversation with Mrs. Mead. If she was going to ruin her election, Gracie was going to take every chance to make her life harder. She knew four tardies meant another detention, and that would not make their dad happy. Alexis had a detention last week, and their dad was not pleased with her at all. Not that it fazed Alexis. She had a way of doing what she wanted.

"Alexis, this is the second detention I've given you in two weeks," Mrs. Mead reminded her as she filled out a detention slip. "Is there a reason you can't get to class on time?"

Alexis just shrugged, not really bothered with trying to kiss ass. Despite her best efforts, Gracie could not understand how her sister could be so laissez-faire with pretty much everything in her life. She didn't get nervous about tests and speeches, she put off her homework and chores until the last minute, and didn't seem to care when she got in trouble with teachers. How could she stand to have someone disappointed in her?

"Well, it needs to stop, or I'll be contacting your dad again," Mrs. Mead threatened. As with all the girls' teachers, they were aware that Nick always supported them 100%, especially when it involved Alexis. He knew her ways, and definitely didn't take trouble at school lightly. Mrs. Mead tore off the slip and handed it to Alexis. "After school today. Don't be late."

"Thank you, Mrs. Mead," Alexis told her, slightly sarcastically. She turned and slung her backpack over her shoulder and saw her twin sister watching her. The little brat was such a goody two shoes. As she passed her sister, she gave her a glare. "You tell Dad, you're dead."

Gracie followed after her, rolling her eyes. "How do you expect him not to find out? He knows everything, not to mention Miss Coleman works here."

Miss Coleman working at their school was definitely a complication in several aspects of the girls' lives. Almost a year ago, their father and Miss Coleman had officially begun dating. They both liked Miss Coleman as a teacher, and they enjoyed getting to know her more as she dated their dad. But, as to almost any middle schooler, it was weird.

For one, pretty much everyone - the students and the teachers – knew Miss Coleman was dating their dad. It wasn't exactly a big deal, but obviously it wasn't really happening to anyone else's family. The students all just thought it was a little odd. Teachers weren't supposed to have lives outside of school, and certainly not with their students' families. At least now, Miss Coleman wasn't their teacher anymore. They were eighth graders now, so they didn't have to worry about that unease. Neither girl was totally happy with their former teacher dating their dad, but they knew she made him happy. They hadn't seen him this happy, ever.

"Just keep your mouth shut," Alexis told her as they made their way down the hall towards their next classes. "If he finds out, he finds out, but I don't need you advertising it."

Alexis hurried off towards her locker just down the hall, leaving Gracie behind her. Gracie watched as she stuck up a few more fliers for her candidacy. She really wasn't in the mood to do her sister any favors.

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At the end of the school day, Gracie was definitely ready for a break. She'd spent every free moment she could find putting up fliers for her candidacy. It felt like she hadn't stopped going all day. For most of the school year, the after school routine was to go to Miss Coleman's room and get a ride home from her. They usually had about an hour to kill while she finished up making copies and making sure her lessons were set for the next day, so Gracie usually got a snack and then started on her homework. Usually, Alexis disappeared to go spy on whatever boys' sports team was in season while they practiced. This month, it was football.

Gracie walked into Miss Coleman's room to find her sorting some papers at her desk. She looked up and smiled at Gracie when she came in. Miss Coleman was so pretty. She had the most perfect hair, and the coolest clothes (for a teacher). When she came over to their house to hang out or go on a date, she wore really nice jeans and had some cool tops. Alexis always oogled over her shoes and purses. Miss Coleman, whom she was trying to get better at calling Stacey, didn't live with them. Gracie wasn't sure if they'd even talked about it, but she knew her father would think it was too much. She'd only move in if they got married, and with the way things were heading, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Gracie suspected Miss Coleman had stayed over a few times, though they tried to be very careful about it. She would come over after she and her sister had gone to bed. But that didn't mean they were asleep. Having been taught by Miss Coleman herself about human growth and development, and receiving a highly abridged version of "the talk" from her father, Gracie could suspect what they were doing. And that was just nasty. It made her paranoid, thinking everyone knew her dad and Miss Coleman were doing it, and how disgusting that sounded.

"Hi, Gracie," she greeted her warmly, setting aside some papers. "How was your day?"

Gracie plopped down in one of the desks in the front row and let her backpack fall to the floor. "Okay," she said. "I was putting up fliers all day."

"Yeah?" she opened a drawer and pulled out a bag of pretzels. "I've been seeing quite a few around school. And for Lexi too. I didn't know she was running."

Gracie sighed at the reminder of her twin trying to show her up. "She decided last night. She's just doing it to upset me."

Stacey threw the bag of pretzels towards Gracie for a snack. She was getting more and more concerned about Alexis's effect on Gracie. As a teacher, she knew how cold and mean middle school girls could be, and felt badly for Gracie. Even at home, she couldn't escape the catty girl issue. She discussed it with Nick frequently, and both tried to keep Alexis in check, but it wasn't always easy.

"Is it?" She asked Gracie as she opened up the bag of pretzels.

"Bothering me?" She shrugged and popped a pretzel in her mouth. "I don't know. I'm used to her trying to annoy me. But it bothers me she's doing this just because she knows how much I want it."

Stacey nodded in agreement, concern all over her face. "And where is that sister of yours?"

Gracie had considered covering for her sister, but her conversation with Miss Coleman reminded her of how Alexis was wronging her. Why should she do her any favors when she seemed to enjoy making her life hell?

"She's in detention," she told Miss Coleman. "She was tardy to Spanish again. She made me tardy, too, but it was my first one so I just got a warning."

"That little punk," Stacey commented, shaking her head. She'd really enjoyed having Alexis in class, and still thought she was wonderful. But being part of her life outside of school gave her a glimpse into what a little heathen Alexis really could be. Even Nick had a hard time controlling her, and she hadn't even reached high school yet. She was a real challenge, and unfortunately Gracie was somewhat caught in the middle. It was all making Stacey rather uncomfortable, not knowing her place. She was no longer her teacher. She was their father's girlfriend, but not an authority role. It was hard to just sit back and not say anything when there were problems with the girls, which was what she tried to do. Stacey was afraid the girls would start to resent her if she inserted herself in their lives too deeply. If she and Nick eventually got married, that might change, but they'd only been dating for a year.

"She's gonna try to hide it from our dad," Gracie reported, trying to feel out how Miss Coleman would feel about that. She was a teacher, after all, and therefore highly concerned with kids behaving well. She wouldn't help Alexis keep her detention from their dad, would she?

"Oh," Stacey said, feeling uncomfortable. She sometimes felt like all members of the family were feeling her out to see how she reacted to certain things and what stance she'd take. They were testing her to see where she stood, and on whose side she was on. She didn't like interfering with family problems, but more and more, she felt herself getting reeled in.

"Are you gonna tell him?" Gracie asked curiously.

Stacey sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Well, I hope not. I'd hope Alexis can be honest with him."

Gracie snorted a little bit in laughter. "She's a lying sack," she told her former teacher.

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A little later, Stacey pulled into the Stokes' driveway with the two girls in tow. She liked being able to take the kids home after school, allowing for Nick to catch up on some much-needed sleep. He worked hard, and deserved a little peace during the day. Stacey parked the car in the driveway and turned off the ignition.

"I think your dad's still sleeping. He had a late morning, so try to keep it down," she reminded them. The girls picked up their backpacks and they all headed inside to do some relaxing. Gracie was first through the door, and surprisingly found her dad on the living room couch, laying down watching a movie. He sat up when he saw everyone coming in, and turned the TV off.

"Hey, guys," he greeted them scrubbing his hands over his face.

"Hey," Stacey told him, shutting the door behind her. "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep," he said as he stood up. The girls set their bags down by the kitchen table as Stacey walked over to give him a hug. They exchanged a brief kiss as Nick linked his hands with hers. "You look nice."

She smiled and touched foreheads with him. "Thanks. So do you," she said of his athletic pants and old t-shirt. Though it sounded like she was joking, she really wasn't. After dating him for a year, she'd come to the conclusion he looked good in anything. And he looked even better in absolutely nothing. They shared another brief kiss before they pulled away from each other. Alexis was starving, having not being able to get a snack right after school. She made her way into the kitchen to grab something out of the cupboard.

"Lex, don't eat too much," Nick told her. "We're having an early dinner in about an hour."

"Fine," she told him as she grabbed a granola bar. "Nice to see you too."

He smirked and put her in a headlock as she tried to walk past him. "Daaaaad!" She protested as he messed up her hair and tickled her sides.

"Daaaaad" He mocked her as he released her. "How was your day?"

"It was school," she told him. "No offense, Miss Coleman."

"None taken," she said as both girls took a seat in the living room.

"Gracie?" Nick asked his other daughter. "How was campaigning?"

"Good," she replied, taking off her shoes. "I got a lot of fliers up. I think I have a lot better plan than most people." Gracie looked at her twin sister. She knew that Alexis didn't have a plan at all. Like a lot of kids at school, they just thought of it as a popularity contest. Which, it kind of was, and that's what ticked Gracie off the most. So she wasn't the coolest girl in school, and didn't dress like she was ready to go star in a movie. But she had really good ideas, and she cared about her school. And there was her sister, fresh out of detention, threatening to take away something important from her.

"Nobody cares about your ideas," Alexis countered rather cruelly. "No one knows who you are. You'll just end up getting embarrassed."

Nick and Stacey both shot her a look as Gracie looked away, hurt. She'd suspected all along that her sister was against her, but she hadn't said anything up until that point. Weren't twins supposed to be, like, best friends? Well, two could play at that game.

"Yeah, I bet you had lots of time to think about your campaign in detention today," Gracie quipped, ratting her sister out. Alexis turned to glare at Gracie.

"I hate you," she whispered. "Shut up."

"Detention?" Nick questioned. He hated to give in the middle of the twins' quarrels, but when it involved detention, he couldn't stay out. Nick had warned Alexis so many times about not getting any more detentions. "What's going on Alexis?"

After glaring at her sister one more time, Alexis looked up to face her father, his hands on his hips. "Nothing, Dad. It was stupid. I was in my classroom when the bell rang, and Mrs. Mead counted me as tardy just because I wasn't sitting in my seat. Now, come on. That's not fair. That's ridiculous."

"You know Mrs. Mead's rules about tardies," Nick reminded her. "Everyone else manages to get to class on time. Why are you having such a hard time?"

"Idk. Unlike some people, I like to have a social life and talk to my friends during passing period. So sorry if I was a little late. Gracie was late too. She got a tardy," she said, trying to steer the conversation away from herself.

"My first tardy ever, because she was talking to me," Gracie pointed out. Inside, she was still disappointed in herself for getting a tardy, but she knew her dad wouldn't care. One tardy wasn't the end of the world. Four, however, was.

"We're not talking about Gracie. We're talking about you," Nick reminded her. "I warned you when you got your third tardy what would happen if you got a fourth."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Dad, grounding me is a little extreme, don't you think?" She asked, trying to reason with him. "Miss Coleman? Don't you think that's crazy? I served my detention."

"Lex, I warned you," Nick pointed out before his daughter could drag Stacey into the argument. That wasn't fair, and she'd tried it several times in the last few months. "It's not that hard to get to class on time. And if you get one more tardy, they'll put you in In-School Suspension for a day."

"But Dad, you're just gonna make the problem worse if you ground me," she argued, standing up. "Cause I won't get to talk to my friends, so then at school I'll have to squeeze all my socializing into the school day and I might get even more tardies. You don't want that, do you?"

Nick was amused by her argument, but he didn't dare show it. "Enough," he told her. "Get up to your room, and I'll be up in a while to talk to you."

Alexis could see her argument wasn't working, and to push it any further would be unwise. She sighed and picked up her backpack and headed towards the stairs. She shouted, "Tattletale!" over her shoulder at her sister before disappearing.

Nick shook his head and headed back over to the couch, where Gracie was still sitting. "Sorry I got a tardy," Gracie told him. "It won't happen again."

Nick smiled and patted her shoulder warmly. "Oh, I know. I'm sure you've been beating yourself up about it, which is why I don't worry."

Gracie smiled at his comment. He knew her very well, and was aware she was her own worst critic. Nick rarely had to lecture her or reason with her why something was wrong because she usually already felt awful. He thought this was one of the reasons Alexis resented her sister sometimes. While Alexis often required some sort of lecture or consequence when she made a mistake, Gracie was really the opposite. He didn't think it was fair to treat them the same when their personalities were so different. Nick could see why Alexis didn't think it was fair, but he was the parent so he got to make the call. Gracie kept herself in check far better than he ever could, and he liked that. Nick figured she was well on her way to being a good adult.

"So, why are we having dinner so early?" Gracie asked him, glad to change the subject.

"I got called into work early," he said, leaning forward on his elbows. "All the days people are stuck in court, so they need some of us in early. You have much to do tonight?"

"Yeah," she reported sadly. "I have a test in Social Studies tomorrow."

Nick knew how worried and uptight she got about tests. He usually helped her study after dinner for any tests, after she looked over the material after school. "Well, I bet if you ask nicely Stacey will quiz you. Unless she has to get home."

Stacey cleared her throat and sat on the recliner. "No, I don't have to be anywhere. I can quiz you, Gracie."

Nick looked at her appreciatively. She was a real catch, he knew. He didn't think it was possible after losing his wife, but he'd found it in his heart to care deeply about someone again and it felt good. For the first time in years, he felt alive and thriving. Not that the twins didn't make him happy, but this was a new level of happiness. Nick was completely head over heels in love with Stacey Coleman.

"Great," he said. "Thanks baby."

Stacey smiled back at him and Gracie suppressed her desire to gag. She still wasn't sure about all this. Gracie wondered what her mother would think.

"I'm gonna go finish my homework upstairs," Gracie decided, standing up. She could kind of sense they wanted to be alone, and didn't want to be witness to any more kissing. "Tell me when dinner's ready."

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A while later after dinner, Stacey sat on the couch next to Nick, her legs sprawled out over his as they exchanged a series of slow, sweet kisses. He was such a great kisser, and it made her feel like a teenager again, sitting here making out with him. His hand slowly inched up underneath her shirt as their lips meshed and their tongues mingled. Nick had just taken a shower, making him smell of soap, aftershave, and just pure Nick. Easily, it was pure heaven. It was a scent she couldn't get enough of. As things were getting hot and heavy, they heard a door open upstairs and heard someone enter the bathroom. It felt like they were rarely alone.

They broke the kiss, and Stacey rested her head against his shoulder. "I've missed you," she whispered to him.

Nick gently kissed her forehead, just enjoying the feeling of being near her. "I've missed you too," he admitted. "I've been working a lot lately, but I should have the whole weekend off. Maybe we could catch a show?"

"Yeah, that would be nice," Stacey agreed just as his alarm clock went off, telling him it was time to go into work. Nick kissed her softly one more time before she moved her legs off his so he could get up. She took the opportunity to admire his butt as he walked to his office to gather his things. He emerged with his messenger bag slung over his shoulder and a jacket in hand. Nick pulled his work boots out of the closet and worked them onto his feet.

"Do you wanna stay over, or are you gonna head out after the girls go to bed?" He asked. She was always welcome to stay over, though he feared it made the girls a bit uncomfortable. Truth be told, he always felt a little better about leaving the girls home alone when she was there. Up until they were in middle school, they had a babysitter who would stay with them. Once they turned twelve, they convinced him they were too old to have a babysitter. Since Nick had a security system in place, and the girls had proven themselves reasonably responsible, he allowed it. It was nice having a little extra piece of mind with Stacey around though.

"I think I'll stay," she told him, giving him a wave of relief. "Gracie needs help with her Social Studies anyway."

"You know how she gets with tests," Nick reminisced about her meticulous nature. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem," she smiled up at him, and they began to kiss one last time. It was exhilarating to Nick to once again feel that need for someone. He hadn't felt it since his wife died, but it was amazing how the feeling just came rushing back. Nick ached for Stacey when she was away, and when she was with him, he just wanted to be closer. As his hand reached up under her shirt again, she giggled. "You better get going, Stokes, or you'll get in trouble for being late."

Nick kissed the tip of her nose and managed to pull himself away from her. He always took the time to say goodbye to his kids, so he wandered up the stairs. After reminding Gracie that Stacey was there to help with her homework, he went to check on Alexis, who was still upset with him. He told her to behave for Stacey, and he'd see her in the morning.

A few minutes later, Nick was gone.

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About an hour later, Stacey sat with Gracie on the living room couch, a Social Studies textbook open on her lap. Gracie was in the accelerated class, which meant they covered two chapters a month, and had one large test after each pair. Eighth grade focused on American history, and most of the material they were being tested on covered the American Revolution.

"Alright, tell me about taxation without representation," Stacey threw out a new question. So far, Gracie had answered every question above and beyond what Stacey would expect. And yet, the kid still worried.

Gracie took in a deep breath, peeling some of the nail polish off her nails out of nervousness. "It was when Britain was still taxing the colonists for things, but they didn't have any representatives for the colonies in the British government. And then one time, the colonists got so mad they had the Boston Tea Party, where they threw all the British tea into the ocean to protest."

Stacey nodded and smirked. "Great job," she flipped to the next page and found the end of the second chapter. "Gracie, you really know this material. Why do you think you get so nervous?"

Gracie bit a couple of her fingernails. She'd just painted them purple the night before, and now they were practically bare. She cursed herself for messing up her brand new paint job, and then cursed Mr. Matthews for planning a test. "I dunno. I guess I'm just afraid I'll forget to study something, or I won't have enough time to answer the essays."

"Well, you're doing the right thing taking studying seriously. In my class, you were always really prepared and did very well. But, once you go over it, you should just stop and take a break from it. You're beating it into your head when all the material's already there," Stacey suggested. Gracie was just a kid, and didn't need to be spending hours studying for school. At least, not yet.

Gracie shrugged. "Eh. I'd rather beat it into me some more. Just in case." Gracie reached for the textbook to look over some more of the material, but Stacey closed it on her. She looked up at her former teacher quizzically.

"You're a kid, Gracie," she pointed out. "You need to have some fun, too. Why don't we watch a movie, or I could help you repaint your fingernails since you peeled all the polish off."

Gracie laughed a little. It would be nice to watch a movie and get her nails painted by someone else. Her dad sure never helped with her nails. Gracie wondered if this was the kind of thing she'd do with her mother. Is that why Stacey was volunteering to do her nails for her? So she'd start thinking about her as her mother? "Ummm, I guess that would be nice."

"Good," Stacey was thrilled she'd accepted. More studying certainly wouldn't help her out any more. "Why don't you pick out a movie, and I'll go get the nail polish from upstairs. You want the same color?"

"Yeah," Gracie agreed, standing up to go pick a movie from the DVD collection. Stacey walked towards the stairs, up to the girls' bathroom, where they kept all their "girly crap" as Nick called it sometimes. She found the same color purple Gracie had on her nails, grabbed some nail polish remover and cotton balls, and stepped out. As she walked out into the hallway, she heard some giggling coming from Alexis's bedroom. As she inched closer, she could hear the sound of more laughter, and it didn't sound like it came from a female. Stacey's mouth dropped in shock. She wouldn't have a boy in her room without permission, would she?

Knowing Alexis was rather sneaky, Stacey decided to go with the shock and awe approach. She quietly approached the door, and in one swift movement, opened it and stepped in. To say Alexis looked shocked was an understatement. She was sitting on her bed, thankfully fully clothed, with another student Stacey recognized, Michael Rawlings. Ladies' man for sure. They had a CD player up on the bed, with many discs strewn about, having a music sharing session. That better have been all they were sharing, Stacey thought to herself.

"And just what do you think you're doing Alexis?" She asked, digging out her teacher voice, which she tried not to use outside the school's walls.

Both kids were red-faced, embarrassed. "Uhhhh…just listening to some music?" She answered as a question instead of a statement. Alexis pushed pause on her CD player and swallowed. She didn't know Stacey was staying. She thought she and Gracie were alone in the house.

"With a boy in your room with the door closed when you're supposed to be grounded?" Stacey filled in all those pesky details. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited to see if Alexis would come up with some other elaborate excuse.

"Ummm, yea," she uncrossed her legs and let them fall over the edge of the bed. "It's for a project at school. We're supposed to compare and contrast music."

"You think I was born yesterday?" Stacey asked her, noticing how Michael said nothing. She quickly crossed the room and picked up a couple of the albums they'd been 'studying'. "What teacher would assign you to compare and contrast the Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift?"

Both children swallowed and looked at each other. Michael slowly stood up from the bed and looked at Stacey apologetically. "Well, I better be going. I've got other homework to finish," he told Stacey, eyeing her curiously. He'd never seen a teacher outside school, and to see one in Alexis's house? It was just weird.

"Yeah, you better be going," she reiterated. "I'll be contacting your parents, Michael. How did you get in here anyway?"

Michael scratched the back of his head nervously and wordlessly pointed to the window. "That's just great," Stacey commented. "You have five seconds to get out of this house. Go."

Michael didn't have to be told twice. He raced down the stairs, glad to be free of the situation. He passed Gracie on the way out, who was more than shocked to see a boy from school in her house. Michael waved at her, and she couldn't suppress the giggle that followed. Michael Rawlings...he was a dream boat. And he'd been in her house! Gracie was glad she hadn't already changed into her Spongebob Squarepants pajamas.

Upstairs, Alexis was quickly learning that having a teacher for a babysitter meant bad news. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Alexis shrugged as she absentmindedly cleaned up the dozen CD's sprawled out on her bed. "Sorry. But we really were just studying. It's not like we were making out."

Stacey sighed and paced the room for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say. She'd of course dealt with discipline problems at her job, but this was different. This was her boyfriend's kid, and she'd just caught her doing something she knew he wouldn't approve of. "You better not have been doing anything. And studying? Lexi, give me a break."

Alexis sighed as she put the stack of CD's back down on her bedside table. "Fine. We weren't studying. But we were just hanging out. No reason to get your panties in a bunch."

"Hey!" Stacey snapped a little, surprised at her own tone. "Watch how you talk to me. On top of everything you just did, you lied to me too. How could you do all that, Alexis? You know the rules, and you also knew you were grounded. And you do this while I'm here? You just think you can pull one over on me because I'm just babysitting you?"

Alexis furrowed her eyebrows. She'd been used to Stacey as 'Miss Coleman' the teacher, and behaved pretty well in her class. She didn't like to cause her any problems because she liked her and thought she was cool. But now she was trying to lecture her in her own house? In her own bedroom, which she had no right doing? Stacey was not her mother, and Lexi thought she was stepping way over her boundaries.

"Just because you're my dad's girlfriend doesn't mean you can tell me what to do!" Lexi snapped at full force, standing up from her bed.

"He left me in charge, Alexis," Stacey pointed out. "So yes, I do get to tell you what to do. I'm sorry if you don't like that, but that's the way it is."

Alexis could see that arguing with Stacey was just going to make her more defensive, and she wouldn't be on her side. She knew she had to take a different approach to avoid getting in trouble. She sighed and let tears well up in her eyes. "Miss Coleman, I'm sorry," she said, her voice full of emotion. "I won't do it again. It's just that I promised Michael he could come over and listen to music with me, and I thought my dad was gonna be home, but then he got called into work and I got in trouble, so it didn't work out exactly how I planned it. I just figured you'd understand, Miss Coleman. Don't you understand what it's like to have a crush on someone?"

Stacey didn't like to admit it, but Alexis was tugging on her heartstrings a little. But she also knew Alexis could be manipulative, and was probably just trying to get out of being in trouble with her father. And with what she'd done, it would be big trouble. Stacey couldn't just look the other way and not tell Nick about this.

"I do, but that doesn't mean you can go sneaking around behind my back, and undermine your dad," she pointed out. "What you did tonight was totally unacceptable, and you know it."

Alexis little fresh wave of tears escape, and wiped them off her face. "Miss Coleman, please," she begged her. "Don't tell my dad. He'll freak out and he'll kill me."

Stacey felt badly for her, just a little bit. Obviously she needed a little guidance, and Stacey knew Nick was fully capable of handling that. She didn't know how lucky she was to have a father who cared about her so much, and wouldn't let things like this slide.

"I'm not gonna tell your dad," Stacey said, seeing Alexis's eyes momentarily fill with hope. "You are."

Stacey pulled out her cell phone from her back pocket and flipped it open, much to Alexis's horror. "You wouldn't," Alexis dared her. Stacey scrolled through her phonebook and quickly found Nick's number and pressed dial. She heard it ring, and a few moments later, he picked up.

"Hey, babe," Nick answered, happy to receive a call from his girlfriend. "What's up?"

Stacey cleared her throat in regret. She hoped he wouldn't think she was doing a bad job sitting the girls. Deep down, she knew he'd understand. They both knew Alexis quite well. "Well, unfortunately, I caught Alexis doing something she shouldn't and she'd like to tell you about it."

Stacey held out the phone for Alexis to take it. The girl gave her a look of pure hate and malice. Stacey thought a hole might be burned through her skull. Still, she didn't waver as Alexis took the phone from her and held it to her ear. She didn't say anything for a few moments.

"Alexis? You there?" Nick asked on the other end, preparing himself for the worst.

"Yes," she grumbled reluctantly, still glaring at Stacey.

Nick sighed and touched his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," she answered, hating being treated like a child.

"Alexis," Nick said sternly.

Stacey wasn't going anywhere until she heard Alexis tell her father everything. She stood by, listening, in case she left out any detail. "I had a friend over to listen to CD's and Miss Coleman had a cow over it."

Nick knew with Alexis he needed to keep probing. That wasn't the whole story. "Which friend was this?"

After a pause she answered, "Michael."

"Michael who?"

"Michael Rawlings," Nick could tell she was pissed for getting discovered.

"Well, seeing as you're not allowed to have boys in the house without me there on top of the fact you're grounded, I can see why she had a cow. Where were you listening to music?"

"In my room," she told him reluctantly, making him pry for every detail.

Nick sighed loudly and scrubbed a hand over his face. He was so glad Stacey had actually been home. There was no telling what could've happened if the girls had been left alone all night. "Alexis Michelle, what were you thinking?" His tone low and foreboding. She didn't answer him.

"I'm really disappointed in you," he told her. "Did you do anything with him, Alexis? Tell me the truth."

"Daaad!" She complained, embarrassed.

"Answer me," he demanded.

"No!" She yelled. "We didn't! What's the big deal? We were just listening to music and nothing happened."

Nick was relieved their encounter had been purely platonic. However, that didn't make it okay. "It is a big deal, Lexi. Boys are certainly not allowed in your room. You're thirteen years old. You're just a child."

"I'm not a child!" She protested, seething. "Would you stop treating me like one?"

"You are," he told her. "You broke several house rules on top of doing it while you're already grounded, and you gave Stacey problems. You were totally in the wrong, Alexis Michelle, and you're in a world of trouble. You better get to bed because when I get home in the morning, we'll be having a long conversation."

"I can't wait," Lexi told him sarcastically.

"Get your butt in bed now, and I better not hear about you causing Stacey any more problems. You understand?"

"Yes," she grumbled.

"Great. Good night."

Alexis turned off the phone and set it in Stacey's waiting hand roughly. "There, are you happy?" She asked her loudly. "You've ruined my life!"

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