Surprised Yet? (C.L. Stone, The Academy) #watty2016

OUTTAKES:Ever The Expanding Family

The final chapter to a two year project. I am in tears seeing this completed thank you to those who stuck with me from the forum and to those who started reading on here. Thank you!

I looked around my boys and saw more faces than there should be, definitely more scents. There was one that I did recognize; I searched the sea of faces for the one that matched the scent. The smile that took over my face couldn't be helped, because leaning up against the entry to the living room is the older gentleman from the trolley and in his arms is an older version of the woman from his faded photograph. Fanning out from those two are several faces that I had never seen before, all older like the first but each had a different demeanor.

"Leroy, I see what you meant when you said they were our exact copies, just a little more.... Defused." Her guys chuckled at my boys' scowls. I couldn't help but add my giggles to the mix, which I regretted almost instantly with pain shooting across my middle.

"Pookie, don't make me administer my cure for those giggles." My flirty doctor reprimanded, as he walked back into the room with Silas, no babies in sight. I furrowed my brows at Superman.
He answered my silently posed question, "They fell asleep, so we put them in your room in their basinet."

I smiled once more before my grumbling stomach interrupted the happy mood.

North and his mold in unison say, "She needs to eat but NO junk food." They looked at their culprits Luke and one that had the same twinkle in his eye.

I, along with the older woman, moved towards the kitchen to prepare lunch, out of habit. But we were stopped by none other than our grumpy bears. I huffed but adjusted my destination to the couch instead.

Sitting took some doing, I was moving around better but not back to normal yet. I sat between Kota and Nathan, snuggled quite nicely between them. Everyone settled around us, Victor on the other side of Nathan followed by the grump Gus and their bird in the chair and the rest of the older group on the couch opposite us, with my boys filling in the bare spots.

I waited, wondering why the team was here. I figured if it was about the picture Owen would have already sent it back. But since they were here, there must be more to the visit.
One of the dogs stood up and delivered his introduction like a pro. With his white hair sprinkled with darker gray and his stern face with dancing eyes as he talked with his eyes only on me he remind me so much of Kota and Owen. "Hello I'm Ralph, the leader of the Henderson group. From what I understand from Leroy, y'all met on the trolley and he read you like an open book, even though you were spread out. Am I correct?"

I slowly nodded as I processed his words.

"Well good, because maybe now we can get him to shut up about them," the grumpy bear from the chair stated loudly.

"Oh hush, Edward, let Leroy be. You agreed to this just as much as everyone else did."

"Only because of you Izzy Grace. Only for you my star shine."

I smiled at their exchange before focusing back on Ralph and his mission.

"He showed a real interest in your group and asked our resident genius, George, to do some digging on your team. What we found was even more interesting. There are only nine registered members on the Blackbourne team. And anyone connected with this team makes no mention of a bird that acts as a chameleon. Even the Toma and Anderson teams refused to answer any questions having to do with your bird. They did have some very....colorful words to say about us, even if they weren't in English, even for a very generous compensation. Phil, well he only let on that your team was looking for our Leroy rather reluctantly. So you can see how your family looks to us...."