Walking Fragile Lines

Celebrations & Tribulations

It was their son's 4th birthday and Liv had been up since the crack of dawn placing the finishing touches in the living room and kitchen ready for the party they would be throwing later that day. Following in the footsteps of his parents and older sister, Zac Quinn was obsessed with superheroes and had begged for an Avengers themed party. Liv had just finished hanging up a custom made Avengers party banner that read 'Happy Birthday Zac' and she glanced at the clock to see that it read 7am. Brian had wanted to help with decorating but he and the guys had just returned from their European tour and he was still terribly jet lagged, so Liv left him to sleep in a little longer.

She decided to enjoy a cup of coffee before her excited son would wake up his sister to go downstairs with him - a usual occurrence for the Quinn siblings who were incredibly close, and Liv was also grateful for the extra pair of hands. Right on schedule, Maci held her little brother's hand as she lead him down the stairs, his little face lighting up to see all the decorations as he scurried over to his mother.

"Morning guys", Liv said nonchalantly.

"Mommy it's my birthday!", Zac declared excitedly as he bounced up and down in his Superman pyjamas. He was Brian's son through and through - his dark brunette hair was shoulder length and a little shaggy and he had a smile that had the power to melt anyone's heart.

"No it isn't", Liv furrowed her brow.

"Yes it is!", her son argued as he giggled.

"Nooooo, you already had a birthday", Liv shrugged as she got up to pour herself another cup of coffee.

"Mommy!", Zac wailed dramatically. Liv spun around on her heel, grinning brightly as she ran towards him before lifting him up into the air.

"Happy birthday my baby bear!", she told him before smothering his face in kisses, causing him to giggle before putting him back down.

"Presents?", Zac asked shyly.

"You've gotta wait for your daddy to wake up first! Go on and watch some cartoons and I'll get your breakfast ready", she told him before watching him scurry into the living room. Liv poured some readymade batter into the waffle iron before grabbing her coffee and heading back over to the dining room table, kissing the top of her daughter's head on her way past.

Maci, now 11, had unsurprisingly become wise beyond her years. Although she still loved to read comics, you would often find her nose deep in one of her favourite books, which was usually either a Harry Potter book or The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Her hair was much longer now, flowing down her back, and she resembled Liv more and more everyday, according to Brian.

"How'd you sleep bunny?", Liv asked as she poured her a glass of orange juice.

"Okay", Maci sighed. Liv was not convinced by her answer.

"Just okay?", she dared to probe.

"I had a nightmare. It's nothing", Maci shrugged her off. Clearly she didn't want to talk about it, but Liv wasn't going to be in a hurry to forget. Maci had had trouble sleeping for a while now and had been very secretive about why, but Liv wasn't going to push her, she knew that'd only make whatever was going on worse and knew that her daughter would come to her or her father in her own time. "What time is everyone coming over?", she asked, changing the subject.

"Around noon. Shall we have breakfast and then go and wake up your dad?", Liv suggested.

"Sure", Maci smiled warmly at her. Liv smiled back at her before getting up and finishing the waffles. Calling Zac in, Liv and her children enjoyed their breakfast before making up some more waffles and taking them upstairs to a sleeping Brian.