That Wednesday afternoon, when Babsie walked into the room, she turned heads. Or maybe it was the fact that she was accompanied by Carmen and Esme, Duke, Cosmo and Matt, Cyke and Lockie, Libby and Joy, Wolverine and Gambit, and Audrey and Zeke. Still in shock, the group leaders, Jim and Tim, walked up to Babsie.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but are all these children yours?"
"Yep, and this is nothing. I have seven more at home, includibng another set of twins. Well, technically my other set of twins aren't at home, and neither is my oldest son, but that's beside the point. In addition to this lot, my cousin Rita- our mothers were identical twins -has eight children, including one set of twins and a set of triplets. Plus my twin sister is pregnant with quads. Oh, and my father's a twin as well." Babsie laughed at the stunned group leaders, and then offered her hand. "My name's Babsie, by the way, Babsie Hanson. Maybe someday I can get the rest of the family here as well." She grinned. It was going to an interesting day, no doubt about it.
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At the end of the summer, the Four Amigos were still on tour. Adam and Scott weren't technically a couple, but they talked both online and on the phone whenever possible. Whatever doubt that Adam had about being attracted to guys was completely washed away. The only thing he wondered now was whether or not he would ever be attracted to a girl. He knew how wary Taylor was of gay men. It seemed to Adam that Taylor was living a double standard. He wasn't afraid of lesbians, but when he was around any gay man, he became completely homophobic. Adam couldn't figure it out at all, until Scott told him that according to the women of the DAE, when Taylor was a teenager, he was hit on all the time by men, and became easily intimidated by gay guys who just assumed that Taylor's "pretty-boy" exterior meant that he was gay. After absorbing the information, Adam began to wonder why these women had spent over twenty years discussing his father's sexuality. Wouldn't they ever get over it?
A few days after Adam's informative discussion with Scott, 4A put on yet another concert. After the concert was over, Adam decided to make small talk with some of the male fans that had come backstage. Unfortunately, not many of them spoke much English. Adam briefly considered using the willing groupies just for somebody to fool around with, but then admonished himself for even thinking such thoughts. That very night, Adam decided to make a promise to himself. Whether or not he was gay, he was not going to live the typical gay stereotype and go from boyfriend to boyfriend and lover to lover. If and when he got into a relationship, it would be monogamous until it ended.
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Before anyone wanted to realize it, summer vacation had ended and it was time to go back to school again. This year Libby and Joy would be starting public school. There were still only 10 of them in school, however, because Rogue and Storm were being homeschooled, since they were away on tour with the Four Amigos. Over the summer Carmen and Esme had lost even more weight, and were both wearing a size zero. Still, with all the craziness, nobody had stopped to question them. However, the compliments weren't as frequent, meaning that some people were starting to notice that the girls didn't looks quite as healthy as they used to.
About a week into the new school year, Matt walked up to his older sisters.
"Hey, Carm, Es, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure," they agreed.
"Listen, I've been watching you two since I've gotten home, and you remind me of somebody. In fact, you both remind me of Dayna, an anorexic girl I got to know at the hospital. I mean, come on. Yeah, you've both lost a lot of weight, but Esme, your hair's gotten a bit thinner, and your cheekbones are starting to jut out more, making your eyes look sunken and your whole face look gaunt. And Carmen, you don't look all that much better, and the way you excuse yourself to the bathroom after every meal can't be healthy. Do you realize that you're killing yourselves? Listen, I don't want to be a tattle-tale, but you two really need help. And I'm saying this because I'm your brother and I love you. You're my big sisters, I can't lose you now, you're not done looking out for me yet." The girls looked stunned at first, and then shook it all off as if nothing had ever happen.
"Listen," Carmen said cooly, "even if what you're saying was true, which it isn't, we can take care of ourselves. Just mind your own business, little brother."
"Besides, " Esme added, "who are you to be judging us? You think we need help? We didn't slit our wrists just because we were dumped. No, little brother, the only head case in this house is you." And with that, they stormed off.