Now, a week later, Rachel was having another birthday party. All of her friends were invited, ad her kids only friends were their half-siblings, and their half-siblings' half-siblings. It was all very confusing.
"Smile!" Rachel ordered as Clint posed with his sons.
Zac and Saku
"Mmm... two birthday cakes in one week," Saku sighed, practically purring. "Auntie Rach? You're a peach."
"We haven't even gotten to the cake part yet," Zac pointed out.
"But it is forthcoming."
Rachel, Kate and Frankie
"Actually, it's three cakes," Rachel said with a teasing grin. "They each get their own cake. One's chocolate and one's vanilla with rainbow chips," she said.
Clint was looking happy as a clam sporting around with his two kids. Not that clams are really that happy. Or maybe they are, when they're burrowed in the sand, nice and safe and comfy. Anyways, you get the point.
Bob was trying to ignore all the little kids who wanted cake and wanted it now.
"There are entirely way too many kids in this group of friends," Kate remarked.
"Yes, but that means lots of parties and lots of cake," Frankie pointed out.
"True."
Zac and Saku
"Ahh," Saku sighed. "You're my favourite Auntie, Auntie Rach."
"And I suppose the next Aunt who comes along and give you food will be your favourite?" Zac asked.
"Umm, yep."
"Typical cat."
"Got it in one."
Rachel and Frankie
"Well, cake and ice cream come after present," Rachel said, "But there are chips and cookies over there on that table if you want them, Saku," Rachel said, pointing.
"Kate and I have come to a conclusion," Frankie said, plopping down next to Zac. "We need to get some friends who aren't sex maniacs," he said, gesturing to all the sugar-crazed toddlers.
Zac and Julie
"I'm a retred sex maniac, does that count?" Zac asked.
"Retired, for how long?" Julie asked. "Until you go on tour again, hmm?"
"Ner to you too."
Kate
"Zac can't settle down," Kate said, flipping her hair to look at him. "It's against his nature. He'll always be a sex-crazed maniac."
Zac and Julie
"Hey, I'll have you know I haven't had sex in months."
"Wow, you must be really itching to explode. I think the next girl you have sex with won't be able to avoid getting pregnant," Julie teased. "Whoo hoo, another member for the IGP2ZH Club."
"Yeah, you must have trouble getting memberships since I stopped getting women pregnant, huh?" Zac mused. "Day would have been the last one, huh? And that's only honourary, because I carried Elektra."
He smiled down at his baby girl.
Kate
"Daddy!" Annie said, running over to hug Zac.
"I guess it's worth it, though, eh?" Kate said at pure look of joy on Zac's face as he looked at his children.
Zac
"I don't regret having any of my kids," Zac said. "I might regret having so many so soon, and to so many different women, but I don't wish any of them weren't born."
He hugged Annie back and kissed the top of her head.
Kate
"My daddy rocks!" Annie declared.
"Yes, yes he does," Kate agreed. "That's what he has in head too," she told the toddler, who didn't really understand her at all.
Zac and Saku
Zac poked his tongue out at her.
"You're just jealous because I never blessed you with my baby juice."
"Baby juice," Saku snorted.
Kate
"I don't even know how to respond to that except to say 'Ew'," Kate replied. "That's kind of a gross description of what I thought was supposed to be a beautiful thing."
Zac and Annika
Zac chuckled evilly.
"I have a few other names for it," he began.
"Don't even go there," Annika said, warning in her voice.
Rachel and Jessica
"Anyway," Rachel said, shooting Zac a Look. 'We're going to open the presents now, then we'll bring out the cake," she said, looking at Saku. Rachel and Clint started helping the boys open their gifts.
"Why do everyone give little boys blue clothes?" Jessi asked, wrinking her nose. "Whatever happened to green, yellow, orange, red or purple? And if anyone sayd 'blue is for boys and pink is for girls' I will strangle them with my tape measure."
Saku, Julie and Zac
"Well, you just answered your own question, didn't ya?" Saku pointed out. "That's exactly why boys get blue clothes. So maybe you need to strangle yourself with your tape measure, Auntie Jessi. Or alternatively, society. Yeah! Blame society! It's all society's fault."
"I agree," Julie replied. "From now on, I'm going to blame society for everything."
Zac looked up and eyed the two.
"Why does you two agreeing on anything disturb me so much?"
Jessi
"It's all society's fault," Jess agreed. "Which is why I'm making you pink clothes," she said, teasing Saku.
Saku
Saku shrugged and snapped his fingers. A bright flame appeared and started dancing on his fingertips.
"That's okay. I can turn 'em black anytime," he replied. "Speaking of which... these are our presents for Krit and Anikan."
He and Zac handed Rachel a pair of identical presents.