Ten Years Later.
Jax and Josie watched the television with a gaze of pure concentration, completely unaware of any of presence in the room. Their eyes followed the figures on the screen as their mouths hung open.
"Kids, get your shoes on and grab your bags, we're leaving." Rory yelled as she walked down the stairs, her hands holding three over night bags.
The twins tore their gaze away from the screen and looked at their mother, her hair pulled into a high ponytail, her glasses slowly falling down her nose and her chest rising and falling rapidly as she raced down the stairs.
Josie nudged her older brother (who was only five minutes older but he never let her forget that) and gave him a confused look. Jax shrugged and turned around to face Rory.
"Where are we going?" Rory huffed as she reached the bottom of the stairs, dropping the bags at her feet as she did. "We're leaving." Josie stood up and ran over to her mom.
"Why? Is dad coming?" Josie's bottom lip trembled as Rory pulled Josie into her chest, Jax saw his mothers state and jumped over the back off the sofa and joined his sister in hugging Rory.
Rory held her twins and sighed, holding back tears as they clung onto her, "You know that I love you two, more than anything and anyone, right?" Rory whimpered as she felt her children nod.
"And that your dad loves you more than anything in this world?" The twins nodded again and looked up at Rory with confusion.
"Mommy, what's happening?" A small voice asked from the top of the stairs.
Rory bit down on her lower lip and let go of the twins, telling them to get their stuff and get into the car. Once the twins had left the house, Rory made her way up the stairs and sat on the top step next to her middle child.
"You're going to stay at Grandma's for the night," She smiled weakly as her six year old daughter nodded. "Are you and daddy going to be there?" Rory shook her head and pulled the small girl onto her lap.
"Mommy and daddy are going to stay at home, we need to talk about some grown up things." Rory sniffed quietly. The girl looked up at her mother and nodded.
"Is daddy leaving?" The small girl asked as her bottom lip trembled, her large green eyes filling with tears as she looked up at her mother. She was a spitting image of Michael. "Why do you ask that, Vi?" The little girl wiped her nose on the back of her hand.
"Because, Jamie said that his mommy made him stay at his grandmas, and when he came home, his daddy was gone." Violet cried as she clung into her mother.
Rory held her baby girl to her chest, "Violet Athena Clifford, you know that your daddy loves you more than life, daddy would never leave you." Rory cried as she held her daughter.
Her heart was already half way to broken and seeing her children cry over their parents, broke it into two. "I don't want you and daddy to not love each other anymore, you are his Princess!" Violet sniffled as Rory gently stroked her hair.
"Where did you hear that?" Rory was beyond confused, Michael had not called her Princess in so long. Violet moved off of her mothers lap and sat on the step next to her.
"Daddy said that I can be a princess but you'll always be his first princess," The small girl abruptly stood up and kissed her moms cheek.
"I love you, I'll go get Benji." Violet smiled before running off to her younger brothers room.
~
After a small commotion getting all four of the Clifford children into the car and eventually getting them to Michael's parents house, Rory returned home. She was beyond anxious, her fingers picking at the skin around her nails as she watched the hands on the clock slowly get closer to seven pm.
Rory looked around her living room and sighed as her sight landed on a picture of herself and Michael on their wedding day, their eyes filled with love and their hands clasped together as if nothing could ever pull them apart.
Rory and Michael had been married for seven years, their wedding was everything the couple wanted. Rory walked down the aisle to the opening guitar solo of 'Sweet Child O' Mine' and Michael swore that he had never seen someone look so beautiful.
With their three year old twins sitting beside them and their family and friends surrounding them, Rory announced her pregnancy with the third Clifford child, Violet Athena Clifford.
It was hard for Michael and Rory, three children and not a lot of money, but they made it work and eventually Michael got promoted when the twins were seven and Violet was three; which, was when life started to become tricky.
Michael began working long hours and was always 'too tired' to help Rory out around the house, Rory began to feel helpless. Of course, Luke, Calum, Ashton and their wives helped Rory out with the three Clifford children but Rory needed her husband.
When the twins turned eight and just after Violet turned one, Rory fell pregnant again. After confronting Michael and telling him how she felt neglected, Michael fell to his knees and cried. He cried because he was letting his wife struggle, he was never spending time with his children, he cried because he was slowly breaking Rory's heart.
Michael held Rory tighter than he had in months and after a night together after months of being emotionally apart, Benjamin Axel Clifford was conceived.
The birth of Benji brought the husband and wife together again but two years on, they were crumbling apart.
Rory tore her eyes away from the picture of their wedding day and looked to the front door to see her husband entering. Michael gently shut the door behind him, dropped his bag, kicked his shoes off and loosened his tie before walking to sit on the sofa next to Rory.
"Where are the kids?" Michael asked, he was used to coming home from work and being jumped on and shown drawings by all four of his children.
Rory's hands trembled slightly as she ran them over her face, "They're at your mums." Michael nodded, too tired to question why.
"Michael, we need to talk." Rory sighed, watching her husband as he ran his hands through his hair as he nodded. "I'm going to take the kids and stay with my mum for a while," Michael immediately stood up, his eyes wide and his breathing starting to grow erratic.
"Your mum lives in London! Why do you want to take my kids to London?" Michael yelled, he did not even try to conceal his anger or hurt.
Rory pushed herself up so she was standing in front of Michael, "We're not the same anymore, Michael!" Rory yelled back as a few tears ran down her cheeks. Michael's heart shattered at Rory's confession.
"Ana, please." Michael pleaded as Rory shook her head, "Don't you dare, don't you dare bring out the 'Ana' card and expect me to fall at your feet! You're never here Michael, you're breaking my fücking heart!" Rory yelled, her hands pushing against Michaels chest as the words tumbled from her lips.
"I love you, I gave everything to be with you, I lost my best friend for two years, I gave up my job to raise our kids!" Rory cried as the pushes against Michael's chest became fists pounding against his chest.
Michael wrapped his arms around Rory and held her to his chest with a tight grip. "I don't blame you for wanting to leave," He whispered as Rory crumbled in his grasp.
"I've been a lousy excuse for a father, I've been a shitty husband and you don't deserve that, the kids don't deserve a father who's never here," Michael whimpered.
"But, Rory, I love you. I need you, I need you to hit me upside the head and tell me to not swear in front of Vi and Benji, I need you to put me into my place, I need you more than anything." Rory's fingers gripped onto Michaels shirt as his words broke her down.
"I don't want to leave, I don't want to leave you." She sobbed as the couple slowly sank to the floor, Michaels arms remaining around Rory. "I don't want you to go," Michael whimpered as he held Rory against him.
"You're my everything, all I have." Michael pulled away from Rory and held her face in his hands. "I'm not leaving, the only time I'll leave you, Jax, Josie, Vi and Benji is when I'm dead."
Rory cracked a small smile and gently nudged her nose against her husbands, "More than anything and anyone?" Michael nodded, "More than anything and anyone."
