Moving On

Chapter One

It was morning and I had a long night before when I felt the air shift around me. Next came the tiny patter of feet. By that time I was already awake. I waited until they reached the side of my bed before I sprung out from under my covers.

"Raaawr!" I yelled and picked them up. My little girl laughed and pleaded for me to release her from my hold as I tickled her sides.

"Mommy stop! It tickles." She shrieked. I relented and sat her up. I looked at the clock on my night table and saw that it was 6 am. She was only 4 so she still didn't quite understand time and that 6 was too early.

"Let's go make breakfast and wake up the others." I told her. She hopped out of bed and began to make her way to the other rooms. 

"Be careful when you wake up Raven okay sweetie." I got a soft okay in return.

It had been 5 years since the guys broke my heart and I left. When I reached Texas I made my way to the apartment complex that Dr. Roberts got for me. A couple days later I met the Toma team. I've never met them before or any other Academy for that matter but I had heard stories about them. They knew the Blackborne team and the bird that they had shared. They had also tried their hands at sharing a single girl but that girl left them in pieces when she became to selfish and left. They managed to stay together though, they were family and needed each other.  Phil had called in a favor and asked them to watch out for me. I told them what had happened and to say they were mad would have been an understatement. The Toma team was ready to go back to South Carolina and give them a piece of their minds but I begged them not to. Ever since then we have been inseparable. They helped me through my pregnancy and the bad times. I'm sure I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for them.

I got up and brushed my teeth before heading out and starting breakfast. Knowing Autumn she would wake up Corey first so he could help make breakfast and then Axel so he could help her wake up the others. And by help he stands at the door as she wakes up the others. Sure enough Corey comes out of his room followed by Axel. Corey makes his way over to me and gives me a kiss while Axel follows Autumn as she continues on her quest but not before giving me a smoldering wink. I blush but not as bad as it was before when I was younger. Corey turns on some music to aid in waking up the others and we proceed to make breakfast. Marc and Brandon came out minutes later bedhead and all. Marc began making his famous brew of coffee after giving me a peck on the cheek and Brandon came up behind me while I was making coffee and hugged me refusing to let go affectively stopping me from cooking. I giggled but struggled to get out of his hold.

"B! I have to finish cooking, the eggs are going to burn." I laughed.

"Let Corey finish up." He mumbled. "We can go back to your room and I can have my breakfast in there."

"As fun as that sounds there is no way we'd get away with it." Brandon sighed and let go knowing I was right. Raven would be waking up any time now and would hog all my attention.

Sure enough a tiny squeal rang through the apartment signaling that Raven was now awake. Axel came out first and kissed my forehead and helped Brandon set out the plates. Raven and Autumn came out last with Autumn hanging on to Raven's head as she was sitting on his shoulders.

"Mommy look how tall I am! Papa medved' was naked but Papa Axie got mad and yelled at him again." she said.

"Well Papa medved' needs to learn to wear clothes at night." I said in a mock scold as Raven sets her down in her seat.

"Moy malen'kiy voin, it is easier to get down to business when one of us is already ready to go." he grinned. Axel slapped him up side the head.

"After 5 years you'd think that he would learn to not make those kinds of comments around Autumn." Brandon grumbled next to me.

"It's Raven, I'm surprised that he hasn't slipped up more. He's trying and thats all that matters." I pat his cheek. "Okay, food's done. Everyone in your seats and let's eat."

"Sang beautiful, go sit down. We'll bring out the food." Axel said guiding me out of the kitchen. "This happens every morning, I don't know why you're still being stubborn about this."

"I don't know why you don't just let me help." I complained but sat down next to Autumn not putting up a fight.

"Papa says it's because you and Papa Cor make the food so everyone else has to do the rest." Autumn chimed in.

"That's right squirt." chuckled Brandon as he brought in the rest of the food.

Breakfast went by like usual. Like always Marc and Raven argued over something trivial and the rest of us have to do damage control and break them up while Autumn just giggles at us. It was a Sunday but the guys and I took the day off for some well deserved rest. They had been getting a lot of small missions lately from the Academy and the diner I owned had been getting a lot of buzz as of late. I opened up my own diner after I moved to Texas because I loved the atmosphere of Bob's diner in Charleston and cooking has always been an outlet for me. On the guys' off days they would come in and help out when we were short staff or just busy. If it wasn't for them I don't think the construction would've been completed when it was. They really helped me out back then.

We had planned on going to the park after breakfast and hanging out there before we had a picnic later on that day. Marc took Autumn to go get ready while Brandon and I made sandwiches and little snacks for lunch. After we were done I went and got changed in my room. I put on a pair of simple jeans and a white button down shirt. Next I applied minimal makeup filling in my eye brows, mascara and a light layer of lip gloss. Anything else would just be heavy for this kind of day and I typically wore something more when I had events to go to. By the time I got done everyone was already in the living room waiting on me. Autumn grabbed my hand and we made our way down to the main floor to head on out.

The drive to the park was fairly long drive. It was away from the city and a more rural area but had beautiful scenery. Brandon and I found it one day during my pregnancy while we were driving and had gotten lost. He had refused to ask for directions and the cell service was awful. We continued up this winding road before stumbling upon this little park area. Somehow we gotten back on to a main road and told the others about the little sanctuary. After Autumn was born we took her there all the time and it has been our go to spot on our days off.

I got Autumn out from her seat when we got there and journeyed our way up the small hill and laid out the blanket that we had brought with us while the other brought the food and games we bring along with us. Here we can truly be a family in the open. It was Texas and was more conservative towards monogamous relationships. Which is why we typically keep it as one person having more physical contact with me than another, but we made sure that it changed on the day and location so that no one had more time than another.

We stayed there for the rest of the day until the sun began to go down and set. The seven of us made our way back down the hill and into the cars and headed back home. For the rest of the night we ate dinner and watched a movie before getting ready to go to bed and to start a new day. It was truly a perfect day, and I couldn't have ask for anything more.