Julie, Zac and Friday
Julie was enjoying her lunch when she felt a pain.
"Damn indigestion," she muttered.
"I agree. Indisgestion sucks," Friday said.
"Really?" asked Zac. "I thought got stuck?"
"Very funny."
"Of course it's funny. I said it."
"Blow it out your ear."
Julie groaned.
"Are you sure it's indigestion?" Zac asked suspisciously.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Because I -"
"Uhh... on second thoughts..."
Friday and Zac looked at each other, and the others at their table, then back at Julie.
"I'm calling Lora," Zac said.
"Thank you..."
Soon thereafter Julie was in one of the back rooms, most assuredly in labour.
Julie and Zac
"It's a girl!" Lora announced.
She passed the baby to a nurse, who wrapped her up.
"Can... can I hold her?" asked Zac.
The nurse smiled and gave the baby to him.
"Oh wow... she so small..." he smiled at the baby then at Julie. "Julie she's... Julie?"
Julie was frowning.
"I'm not done..."
"What?" asked Lora, looking up.
"I'm telling you... I'm not done!"
It wasn't too much longer before a twin boy was born. Zac passed the girl on to Julie before taking the boy into his arms.
"Oh... oh she's so beautiful," Julie sniffed.
"Yeah," Zac agreed. "And he's not bad looking himself. Must get it from you."
Julie let out a sound that was somewhere in between a laugh and a sob.
"It's so... umm..." Zac was going to say 'weird', but decided against it, "quiet. Neither of them are making a sound."
Lora was frowning, and looked up at this point.
"Would you two mind if I brought someone in to look at them? One of them is a Stealth baby, and we need to know which."
"Up to Julie," Zac said.
Julie nodded. A few moments later a gentleman enetered the room.
"Julie, Zac, this is Ron. He's the only other one with Stealth," Lora said.
"Greetings, and congratulations," Ron replied.
He cocked his head to the side.
"Ron should be able to determine which one -"
"They both have it."
"What?"
"Both of them have Stealth."
"That's impossible! Stealth is rare, and these are boy/girl twins."
"Well, I'm telling you, they both have it."
Lora pursed her lips.
"Can I talk to you outside?"
Ron shrugged and followed Lora out. Julie gave Zac a puzzled look.
"From what I understand... fraternal twins usually only ever have the same power if the power is common. Otherwise they usually have related powers. Only identical twins have the same power," he replied.
"Oh."
Julie, Zac and Friday
"So have you decided on names yet?" Zac asked sometime later.
"Yep," Julie smiled. "This little lady is going to be B'Elanna Tacita. And her brother will be Thomas Yoshi."
Zac stared at her and she laughed.
"I went through a lot of name books and stuff, but basically, B'Elanna is from Star Trek - and funnily enough, she's a human/Klingon hybrid. Tactia means 'silent'. Thomas... well I realise now that that's a double whammy. Tom is B'Elanna's partner in Star Trek, and it also means 'twin'. Yoshi is also the last name of a character in Star Trek and it means 'quiet'."
"You are so obsessed with Star Trek."
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Julie giggled.
"Hmm. Better than TWAIN or BWAIN I suppose."
"Heh."
There was a tentative knock on the door.
"Hey..." Friday said. "Mind if I come in?"
"Not at all," Julie smiled. "This is B'Elanna and Tom."
"Oooh! They're so cute!"
"Yep."
"They get it from their mother," Zac put in.
"I know," Friday agreed with a grin.
Julie giggled.
"What last name they're getting?" asked Friday. "Williams? Hanson?"
"Well... I was thinking maybe Williams-Hanson," Julie replied. "But then... B'Elanna Tactia Williams-Hanson. How's that for a mouthful? Then I thought, maybe I should cross-bred them, like 'Wilson' or 'Hansiams' or something. But finally I decided no, I'll just stick with 'Williams'."
"Hansiams?" Zac repeated. "You... I'm glad you decided against that."
Julie giggled.
"They both have Stealth too," Julie went on. "Apparently that's impossible because it's rare and only identical twins have the same power if it's rare."
"Well, you can have identical boy/girl twins," Friday said. "But the girl always has Turners Syndrome."
"What's that?"
"It's when one of the X gene's is missing or messed up."
"Oh!" Julie eyed B'Elanna worriedly.
"Unless..." Friday breathed. "Oh man..."
"What?" Zac asked.
"I... you know I've told you that I... even though I mostly have control of my power... sometimes I do have..." Friday gulped. "I'm sorry Julie!"
"Sorry? Whatever for?"
"It must have been me... I didn't mean to... I didn't know!"
"Day, Day, it's okay!" Julie assured her. "Why, I always wanted at least one boy and one girl. I just didn't expect them both at once. Believe me, it's fine. And besides... if I had had two boys or two girls I would have had to try and think up more names. And it took me long enough just deciding on these!"
Taylor
Taylor knocked on the door and stuck his head through.
"Hey," he began with a smile as he entered the room.
"I came as soon as I - oh!" he spotted the twins.
A confused look crossed his face.
"Twins? Wow."
Mouse
Mouse stuck her head round Taylor's shoudlers and waggled her fingers in greeting. "Didn't I tell you Fafnir sensed it? I really should've. Thought I did. So, happy to have them out now?" She grinned at Julie.
Julie, Zac and Friday
"Yes," Julie replied with a grin.
"A boy and a girl," Zac added. "Thomas Yoshi and B'Elanna Ta- Ta-"
"Tacita."
"Tacita."
"B'Elanna Tacita? Sounds excotic," Friday grinned.
"Does, doesn't it?"
"I still think Zac sounds better than Tom," Zac said with a silly grin.
"I so knew you'd say something like that eventually," Julie replied.
Taylor
"Ok," Taylor raised his eyebrows, "interesting..."
He made for Zac.
"Congradulations bro. You're a daddy," he grinned, shaking his hand.
Zac
"Yay me," Zac replied with a grin.
"You say that now," Friday said malicously. "Just you wait."
Zac poked his tongue out at her.
"That's hardly a comfort. To think that someone so... juvinile could be a father. I think you should be worried, Julie."
Julie giggled.
"Well, hopefully he'll grow up by the time what's-her-name's baby is born."
"Desiree," Zac supplied. "Man... are you sure you want to move to New York? I wanna be with these kiddlywinkles."
"It's much better for the twins to have a more stable enviroment," Julie replied. "You wanna try raising a couple of Stealth babies while we're on tour? I don't think so."
Zac sighed.
Mouse
"Cool names," Mouse commented to Julie. "Unusual, but cool." She kept the thought that the children, especially the girl, may come to hate their mother in the years to come for their names deeply buried behind all the shields she could throw up. She walked over to Zac and beeped his nose, before grinning. "And how does the father feel?" She teased, even though she knew already.
Julie and Zac
"Thank you," Julie replied.
"Delighted," Zac grinned. "I didn't think I'd be this excited."
Zac then winced as Tom started crying.
"Wow... for kids who can choose not to be heard... he sure can make a lot of noise."
Julie giggled and reach for him.
"Here, let's swap, he probably wants a feed."
Zac nodded and they switched babies.
Taylor
Taylor grinned at his brother's enthusiasm.
"So... where's Ike? He should probably know, but I haven't seen him for hours... Then again, everyone should know," he chuckled.
Zac, Isaac and Julie
"I don't know -" Zac began.
Then the door opened and in came more visitors.
"Speak of the devil," he finsihed.
"Hey!" Isaac said. "I hear I'm an uncle?"
"You hear right," Julie smiled. "I have Tom, Zac has B'Elanna."
"Twins?" Diana gasped.
"Yep."
"Oh my... may I hold her?"
"Sure," Zac replied, passing B'Elanna to her.
Mouse
"Aren't they cute?" Mouse cooed. One of her hands went to her own stomach. Please, let them look mostly normal, she prayed to herself. *Please*, God. "So tiny..."
Taylor
Taylor hugged Mouse as he looked up.
"Uncle Ike. Hm... And Uncle Tay. Kinda has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" he grinned.
"Or Uncle Mac. Now that's scary. Makes him sound like a farmer."
Mouse
Mouse laughed. "That's not nice. Be nice, Tay. I'm sure they'll appreciate Mackie as an uncle."
Zac, Isaac and Julie
"Yeah, it does huh?" Zac laughed. "Uncle Mackie had a farm. E I E I O!"
"Oh man..." Isaac groaned.
Julie giggled.
"It's okay. I can only hope they get his talent for music and not mine."
"Aww, I've heard you sing."
"You have not."
"Well... you were drunk at the time."
"Err loser!"
"That's a nice thing to call the father of your children."
Taylor
"Or 'Old Mackenzie' had a farm... well, more like 'Young Mackenzie'," Taylor grinned.
"And I am being nice," he hugged Mouse again, "nothing like a little brotherly teasing."
Mouse
"You people are...really, really odd." Mouse shook her head slightly. "And I'm not going to comment on your sense of humour. Is that just a guy thing? Or a Hanson guy thing? 'Young Mackenzie had a farm'...I mean, honestly..."
Taylor
"What?" Taylor tried to look innocent.
"It rhymes, it works. 'Young Mackenzie had a farm, E I E I O'."
Then he chuckled.
"Really, the right amount of syllables is all you need."
Mouse
Mouse banged her head lightly against his shoulder. "Parfois, je m'inquiète vraiment de vous, mon cher."
Zac and Julie
"Umm, okay," Julie replied.
"I think it's the songs we come up with when ahh... we're not in polite company that you should be worried about," Zac commented slyly.
"Zac!" Diana exclaimed.
"Careful Mom, don't drop B'Elanna."
"As if I wo- Zac, you are such a tease."
Zac grinned.
Taylor and Walker
Taylor chuckled as he squeezed Mouse a little.
"You have nothing to worry about, trust me," he insisted, before kissing her again, "...yet."
Then Walker stuck his head through the door.
"Hey..." he began softly, heading for his wife.
"Twins?"
Isaac, Zac, Friday and Julie
"Twins," Isaac grinned. "See? It's proof that Zac got extra when they were handing out fertility."
"You're just jealous," Zac replied.
"Of what?"
"That I'm a dad before you."
"Zac... let's put things into perspective -"
"Okay, Zac? Ike? Be quiet," Julie said. "I'm not going to listen to another one of these weird arguments."
"But, but, but," Zac began.
"But nothing," Friday put in, "you're not a goat."
Taylor and Walker
"Goats aren't half as fertile," Taylor chuckled.
"Enough, really," Walker insisted.
He looked down on B'Elanna and scratched her chin, cooing.
"So what are their names?"
Julie and Friday
"Diana's holding B'Elanna Tactia, and this is Thomas Yoshi," Julie replied.
"Too much Star Trek," Friday nodded.
"Well, at least they have names," Julie pointed out.
"True."
Mouse
"Don't know what to call mine," Mouse said, shrugging. "They're interesting names. Star Trek? Cool."
Taylor and Walker
"We'll find some names for them," Taylor rubbed his hands over her stomach, "I can make them as interesting as you want."
"B'Elanna and Thomas," Walker nodded, "apart from lack of namesakes..."
"Oh come on, dad," Taylor chuckled, swaying Mouse.
"...They are very nice names," Walker grinned.
Then he leant over to shake Zac's hand.
"Congradulations."
Zac, Julie and Friday
"Thanks," Zac replied, shaking his f'e edge of the desk, making sure ather's hand.
"Ha!" Julie replied with a teasing grin. "Like I was going to name any of them after you guys. You're going to be doting after them every chance you can anyway. And besides, I'm sure there's someone else Zac would rather have namesake children with."
Friday didn't understand the awkward silence that followed.
Mouse
Mouse looked away from Diana. She was still sort of angry at the older woman for treating Faith the way she had. And now Faith was...nowhere to be found. Mouse sighed. She really wanted to talk to her friend again. She didn't have that many of them. She made a mental note to contact the Halliwells and see where Faith was as soon as possible. "Pensez-vous votre mère le voudriez-vous si nous appelions un des bébés après elle?" She bent up to whisper in Taylor's ear.
Avery and Zoe
Avie opened the door slowly, holding Zoe's hand.
"Is it safe, mom's not gushing, is she?" she grinned as she stepped into the room.
"Awww, twins!" Avery cooed, as she and Zoe came closer to everyone.
Taylor and Walker
Taylor considered it for a moment.
"Je doute sérieusement de lui. Principalement parce qu'ils ne sont pas à moi. Il lui donnerait plus de raison de supposer qu'ils sont."
Then he smiled at Avery and Zoe's reactions.
"Mom is gushing, actually."
"Oh, shush."
"There's a boy and a girl," Walker smiled, crouching down to Zoe's level, "you two are finally Aunts. And your father is a grandfather."
He looked up at Diana.
"Boy does that make me feel old."
Mouse
"Je souhaite qu'ils aient été..." Mouse smiled sadly for a moment, then leant up and kissed his cheek. "Je t'aime." She leant into Taylor's side as she watched the family greet its new members, and wished so hard that she was normal...
Zac, Julie and Friday
"Wow... that's right," Zac said. "You, Zoe-Zoe, at five are an Aunt. Go you."
He picked up his little sister.
"There, now you can have a closer look at Tom."
Julie smiled at Zoe and then gave Avery a grin.
"This is Tom, and your mother has B'Elanna. My gosh, how many time have I told people their names today?"
"Isn't that why people send out those cards?" Friday commented.
Avery and Zoe
Zoe bounced and giggled. "I'm an aunty!"
Avery smiled. She looked at the Tom then stood by her mother to see B'Elanna. "How cool. They're so cute."
Mouse
"You sound like you've got it down, Zoe," Mouse smiled at the little girl. "And yeah, they are pretty cute."
Taylor and Walker
"Cute? They have to get that from Julie. Zac's not cute."
Walker just shook his head as Taylor grinned.
"And where will these little guys be staying?" he asked, still cooing to B'Elanna.
Julie, Zac and Isaac
"I'm going to the Xavier Institute," Julie replied. "And they're coming with me. I figure it's probably better for them to grow up somewhere, umm, that isn't mobile? I think it's going to be tough enough as it is to keep track of them."
"At least you know what their powers are," Diana said. "There were time when I really wondered why I had seven kids, only to go through the stress of not knowing everytime. I'm not sure who was the worst... they all had their quirks."
Zac smiled innocently.
"What did you do?"
"Me? Nothing! It's Ike you should ask that."
"Aww, so I was naughty and swiped a few things from under Mom and Dad's noses," Isaac replied with a smile.
"I was thinking more about the car."
"See, everyone likes that story," Isaac said.
"What happened?" asked Julie.
"When I was like, three I tried to stop a car."
"NOt a good thing," Diana put in. "But Zac now... you know trying to get the bath water the right temperature was so hard. Amongst other things."