Growing Together

Epilogue

10 years later

It was strange at first... Going home to three children, making three school lunches, making sure all of their homework is done, taking them to different places at different times. But as with everything in life, you get used to it. You keep loving all your children equally, adopted or not, and make sure all oft hem feel loves and safe and happy with you.

I remember when we got the whole big apartment designed, giving Emmy her own girly room, each of the boys their own; one loving sport and the other loving art.  I remember how excited they all were to finally sleep the first night at their own rooms and how when we woke up we still found all of them sleeping in Finn's. The kids started loving each other, they started being real siblings.

The first time our families and friends met our new daughter, they were all amazed by how much she was like me, and how she managed to make everyone care for her with less than an hour. She was a true angel, but also she managed to be really bossy and annoyed sometimes.

I still clearly remember the days when me and Jug were fighting. We had huge fights at some point, almost divorcing, but found our way back to each other and grew together, learning from the experiences. The nights we were yelling at each other, fully in tears, usually our daughter found her way out of her room, making us shut up as she flashed us an angry look, and stomped to one of her brothers' rooms, slamming the door after herself. Since all of them were up anyways, one of the boys (usually Dash) would go to the kitchen and take some snacks, knowing we couldn't say no while we were the reasons they were up anyways. Then he would leave with a small wave, murmuring a 'carry on' to us and disappearing to bunk with his siblings.

Sometimes the three were fighting or teasing each other, ending in hits and tears, but they've still managed to stay alive as of now.

"Finn! The breakfast is ready! Get up!" Jug shouts, all the four of us already sitting in the table. Both me and Jughead are journalists now, working from home most of the time and cafes and parks as usual, still crafting our own books along the way as well. Just our income is even bigger. I hate getting up early, but as I'm the mom, it's really unusual if anyone but me or Jug makes the breakfast. Usually it's the both of us.

Finn comes out of his room with a really sleep confused face and drops himself onto a stool between his brother and sister, looking around with a frown. Then he groans, realizing why everyone is up and drops his head onto the table.

"You're hangover," I tell him, shaking my head a bit.

He hums as an answer, agreeing with me. "Write me a note?" he asks hopefully, looking at me and Jug.

"Dream on, you can't get out of the first day of school," Dash murmurs, eating the bacon and eggs and toast.

I look at Emmy for a moment and notice her still glaring at me. I sigh and just keep eating while Jughead next to me snickers. "You. Are. Disgusting," Emily tells me and Jughead.

"You. Need to. Knock," Jug says the same way.

"Or shout when you get home," I offer.

"What happened?" Dash chuckles. Emmy gives him a look and slowly starts eating herself. Both of the boys look at us, but we just shake our heads. "Oh my god, again?" he laughs.

"It wasn't just sex this time... They were role-playing. Kinky bitches," Emily murmurs.

The boys start laughing out loud and I just roll my eyes with a smirk. "That's why there are doors. To knock on."

"That's why there are locks. To lock them," my daughter tells me the same way. I sigh and roll my eyes again, starting to eat.

"You kids ready for the first day of school?" Jug asks, changing the topic.