•It All Started With A Phone Call•

ĖPĮLØGŪĖ

THĮRD PĖRSØN
The whole family was in the Night's backyard, the Nights' themselves plus extended family, the Case-Hicks plus extended family, the twins and Sam with Remy.

It was impossible to get the all around a single table, so if you were under eighteen, you sat at the kiddy table. That had been a joke between Rocket Xander, his brother, Jacob and Jayden Case-Hicks.

Those three men sat around the barbecue, drinking beer and chatting about AFL or Rocket's newest acting gig.

Their husbands talked on the couches on the back deck. They talked over their annoying partners as well as books, music and art.

The twins sat on the side of the pool, shirtless and drinking while the brothers played with their niece, Sam relaxed in the corner of the pool.

Clara sat, painting the whole scene, her husband, Jacob, rubbing at her shoulders, trying to make it as comfortable as possible for his pregnant wife.

Matt and Brendon were returning after getting ice for the esky, all devilish and messy.

The picture was perfect. Two families that previously despised each other, brought back together by two seventeen year old brothers and their horrible birth parents.

It was the afternoon of the trial, Neil Grey had officially been shipped off to Primwood Prison for the rest of his miserable life.

Danny threw Remy at Rory, the young girl shrieking with laughter as her blonde uncle caught her as she hit the water.

"Again! Again!" She cried, slamming her little fists into the water.

"I'm really thirsty, barbie." Rory told the young girl and she pouts. "Maybe auntie KayKay would want to play?"

Rory shoots his boyfriend a mischievous smirk and Remy is yelling at Kay to come and play. Kay sighs but gets in the pool, it's cold since it's the middle of winter but once he's in, the heated water is fine to be in.

Rory passes the child to Kay and kisses him on the lips over the girls shoulder.

"Ewww!" Remy Covers her eyes with her hands and kicks at Kay, trying to squirm out of grip. "Kissing, gross!"

Everyone in the pool laughs at the dramatic five year old and soon she's laughing too.

Rory finds himself overwhelmed with the sense of thankfulness. He was unbelievably thankful that this little girl still got to be a baby and that house chose to take mercy on her.

Rory gets out of the pool and catches Ethan watching Danny with eyes stars in his eyes.

"Shoot your shot, now." Rory whispers too the pining, red haired twin.

Rory walks up onto the deck to grab a coke from the esky but his pa pulls him down to sit next to him.

"Tell them how you are swimming with the UQ next year!" Cold prompted him excitedly.

"Nothings confirmed yet," Rory chuckled, huddling up to his pa even though he was wet from the pool. "Kay sent a video of me swimming to the captain who is his cousin and he liked what he saw so I'm going to the first practice next year and their going to be deciding if they want to give me a scholarship after that."

"That's so cool!" Nate shoves Rory's towel covered shoulder in congratulations. "They'll take you on for sure."

"Let's hope," Ace agrees with a smile.

Rory sits with his pa for awhile until Jayden calls him over to start setting up for dinner.

Rory goes over, his heart beating fast. Rocket Xander was standing there, bellowing our a laugh with Jayden and Matthew and Jax. The same Rocket that Rory has had a crush on for seven year.

"Hey there, RJ!" Rocket greeted him and Rory blushed. "Your dad was just telling me how you have a celebrity crush on me, funny since we're family now."

"Dad!" Rory whined and the older men laugh. "Why'd you have to embarrass me?"

"Because, it's what we do." Jayden slammed a hand on his sons shoulder before telling he to hurry up with the cutlery.

Rory nodded before running down to the pool, he saw that Ethan had replaced Kay in playing with Remy and Danny so he grabs Kay's arm and drags him up to set the table with him.

Dinner was on the tables soon enough and the whole block was filled with joyful noise, laughs and teasing and jokes between new friends and new family.

Sam told Danny and Rory how she was transferring to their school at the end of the month and she would be doing the last year of her studies at real school. The two brothers had been overjoyed at the idea of their best friend joining them at school.

Rocket and Nate announced that they had eloped on the weekend and there was outrage that nobody had been invited but everything soon settled down into congratulations.

Rory looked at the people around him and thought;

This is home...