Guests, Welcome and Otherwise

It was a night to celebrate. The twins had become children, and in honor of the occasion Destry and Naenae had come over, and Katherine Menon had brought the gang of neighborhood children to the Lansbury house. Michael was grilling burgers outside in the cool Fall air, wondering how his family had grown so quickly.

The grown-ups got a chance to eat in the kitchen while the kids played in the living room.


The children talked for quite awhile about various games and clubs they could start now that they had two new additions to the group.

Eventually even the adults joined in the fun!

Sarah had already made a new friend.

Katherine and Brendan had become fast friends over the past years, and it escaped no-one's notice when they danced around the livingroom.


Brendan, Sean and Sarah managed to sit still long enough for a picture:

After the party it seemed everyone at the Lansbury house had a project. The kids were busy with schoolwork.

Anna had taken to restoring an old car.

Michael had planted an orchard tree in the yard and, though winter was near, was intent on keeping it alive.

As Fall drew to a close, the Lansburies had a scare. Their house was broken into. Nothing the thief took was as valuable as the sense of security they lost that night.

"Michael, how could we let this happen? Our kids were sleeping upstairs!" Anna broke into a sob.

"It was nobody's fault but the scum who did it, Anna. We'll get an alarm installed first thing tomorrow."

"I don't know if I can ever feel safe again," Anna lamented, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Anna, look at me. I will never let anything happen to this family. I promise you."

The couple embraced, their fears melting with the comfort of each other's presence. "I love you, Michael," Anna whispered.

Sleeping Soundly

The Lansburys, like most families, had settled into a sort of routine.
Anna was setting Brendan's dinner down on his tray when Michael returned from work.

They were fortunate enough to have jobs which allowed them to coordinate their schedules so one of them was always home with the kids.
"Hey darling," Michael smiled and kissed Anna. "How are my munchkins?"

"They were a handful today but they're just starting to settle down."
"How's Brendan doing?"

"Struggling with his homework a bit. Maybe you could help him while I make dinner?"
The homework was finished...

The dinner was made...

The cats were cuddled...

The toddlers were put down to sleep...


The friend had left after a few rousing games of cops and robbers...

The family sat down to dinner.

"How was school, Brendan?" Anna asked her son.
"Fine. Soccer tryouts are coming soon."
"Soccer? This is new," Anna replied.
"I wanna make the team, but I don't think I'm very good," Brendan admitted dejectedly.

"You can't get better without practice. I bet your dad will take you to Park Verde tomorrow."

"Really? Dad is that true?" Brendan perked up instantly.

"Sure, I'll take you, Little Guy," Michael agreed.

"Dad. You know I don't like to be called that anymore."
Michael winced. It was hard to believe how fast his boy was growing up. He better keep an eye on Sean and Sarah so they didn't pull the same trick.

"Alright, go for it!" Michael shouted.

Brendan's foot connected with the ball and it soared...right into Michael's stationary hands.

Brendan sighed.
"Try again, and aim for the goal, but not for me, okay champ?"
Michael threw the ball back to his son and watched as Brendan kicked the ball hard.

An hour later the skies let loose their heavy load and it began to rain.
"I had fun today, Dad."
"Me too, Little---er---Me too, Son."


That night the Lansburys slept soundly.

Michael and Anna curled up together, with the same love as they had for each other the day they said "I do".

Brendan sprawled out, exhausted and happy from his day at the park.


Sean and Sarah were securely in their cribs, dreaming of teddy bears and new advenutres.
Even Tibby was purring contentedly.

Sibling Rivalry

Brendan sat at the kitchen table eating a leftover piece of cake from his birthday.

This would have been a good part of his day, except that the twins were on the floor near him playing with Tibby.

Ever since he started going to school Brendan noticed that he wasn't getting nearly as much attention as he used to. The twins were the center of everything, and he hated it. They were noisy and demanding and yet everyone thought they were "just adorable". When did he stop being adorable?
Right now they were getting on his last nerve. "Moooom! Mom!" Brendan yelled.
"What is it?" Anna asked as she strolled in from the living room.
"They won't be quiet!"
"They're just having fun, sweetheart," Anna reasoned as she scooped Sarah up onto her hip.
"How come they always get to do whatever they want?" Brendan stormed away in a huff and shut himself inside his room.

Anna sighed and tickled Sarah. "Don't mind him, he's just grumpy."

A few hours later Naenae was over and playing catch with Brendan.

"They don't care about me anymore! All they do is play with Sarah and Sean and take care of them."
Naenae frowned as she tossed the ball to Brendan. "I don't think that's it at all, B. Toddlers need a lot of care and attention. Your mom and dad love you just the same but you're a bigger boy now, so they trust you to take care of yourself a little more."
Brendan shook his head angrily. "I wish my parents hadn't had them. We were fine before."
Naenae was concerned. Did Michael and Anna know how angry their son was?

Brendan's jealousy grew worse as the days passed. He had taken to scaring his siblings when his parents weren't aware.
"And if you don't be careful, they'll creep out of your closet and snatch you in your sleep!"

Sean's eyes grew wide and he cried out in panic. "Tell'm no Bren! Tell'm leave me awone!"
Despite Brendan's horrid treatment of the twins, his little brother and sister thought he was the greatest thing since milk and cookies. This, perhaps, bothered Brendan even more.

"I can't do that Sean. You're just going to have to watch out when you're sleeping."
"BRENDAN! Are you telling Sean another one of your awful stories?! How many times do I have to tell you to stop? You scare him half to death!" Anna towered over Brendan, her eyes scolding. "Come into the kitchen, we need to talk."
Brendan sullenly followed Anna into the kitchen.
"What has gotten into you, Brendan?"

Brendan couldn't take it anymore. "You don't care about me anymore! Not since I grew up! You only care about Sean and Sarah!"
Anna's mouth dropped and her eyebrows furrowed. "Is that what you really think?"
Brendan glared at his mother.
"Sweetie, I will ALWAYS love you. Your father and I have enough love for you and Sarah and Sean and Tibby, all together. Have I not been spending enough time with you?"
Brendan tried to choke back the tears that were coming up.
"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. Forgive me?"
Brendan nodded and Anna hugged him tight.

Anna had underestimated the difficulty of being a good mother, but she loved her husband and her children, and she was doing the best she could. That would be enough, wouldn't it?

Okay Little Guy?

Michael breathed a sigh of relief as he set his keys down on the kitchen counter after work. The top of the law enforcement career was taxing, but he had been able to provide for his growing family and the financial security was worth the long hours.
He crept up the stairs as quietly as possible to not wake the now very pregnant Anna.
Brendan immediately lit up at the sight of his father and toddled over.
Michael's heart filled as he sat cross-legged by his son.

"Hey little guy. How was your day?"
Brendan cooed enthusiastically.
"Glad to hear it. So I have some news for you, okay little guy? You might not be the only little guy around here soon. Your mommy is due any day now, and that means you will be a big brother."

Brendan looked intently at his dad.
"But I want you to know that your mommy and I have enough love for a lot of babies, and we will always love you no matter how many little guys are in the house."
Brendan's eyes trailed off as he looked for other, more exciting avenues of entertainment.
It was then that Anna's wail sounded from the first floor.

When they got home that night, they returned with not one, but two pink babies. Another "little guy", Sean, and one little girl, Sarah.

Anna and Michael spent the night in the new nursery holding Sarah and Sean while Brendan inspected the new arrivals and Tibby inspected the new furniture.

Spring Grows

Many things grew that spring besides the flowers. Their house grew as they built an addition for the expected baby.

Michael's salary grew as he achieved his dream of being a captain hero.
Tibby grew.

Anna's belly grew, and, along with it, her apprehension. As much as she and Michael were excited, she was equally anxious about motherhood.

But when little Brendan Lansbury came into the world, all her worries melted away. They were a family, and they had never been happier.

And before Brendan could even have his first birthday, and to the couple's immense joy, Anna became pregnant again.
The couple was good at dividing the responsibilities of raising a baby, and the frequent tense moments they used to have seemed to disappear with parenthood.


For Brendan's birthday, Michael had the people he cared about most in one room: his wife Anna, his baby Brendan, his best friends Destry and Naenae, and his old friend Blake the cafeteria worker.


Brendan grew into an adorable toddler. He bore a striking resemblance to his father.

Destry simply couldn't put him down!

Anna couldn't believe how far they had come together. From two nervous college freshman to a very blessed married couple with a family.
As long as she had her family around her, she knew everything would work out.


Note: Sorry, not much dialogue or plot in this update. I didn't really have it in me to create a big update. I think once the babies grow into children there will be more of a story to work with. Anyway, I'm having fun, and that's all that I wanted out of this :)Oh, and I have started replying to comments.

Warmth in the Winter

Anna had been turning it over in her mind for months. She knew what she wanted, but she didn't want to scare Michael. Last time she had voiced her want Michael had married her right away. She knew he loved her, but she had often wondered since if he had only done it to appease her.
She didn't want him to act under pressure again. Not this time. She wanted--needed--him to want this decision as much as she did.
Even now she hesitated. They weren't the best at communication. Both of them tended to keep things inside.
But now was her moment. They had had a good dinner and Michael had just gotten a promotion at his recently acquired job in the security career.
He had really found his niche there, she mused. They both poked fun at his biology major now that all he wanted was to become captain of the neighborhood's police force. He was well on his way, rapidly getting promotions.

She hoped his most recent promotion would put him in a happy mood for her proposition.

"Michael, I've been thinking a lot lately." No turning back now, she thought. Michael was waiting patiently. "It's just us in this house, you know..." Anna trailed off, wondering if that was the right way to start.
"No, it's not. You forgot Tibby," Michael corrected, smiling.

Anna had found Tibby outside their home on a cold winter night, and as she had no collar, Anna and Michael had happily taken her in. The kitten had grown on both of them, and was now a content member of the family.


Anna smiled nervously. "You're right, there's Tibby. But, I mean, you've been pulling in a lot more money, and so have I." Anna had also recieved a promotion, and taken over as principal of the local school. They were both not only securely working but pulling in nice sums of money.
"Mhm," Michael nodded.
"Well, it's just, have you ever thought about---" Anna stopped. She needed to pull herself together and do this right. "I want to have a baby." Anna gasped quietly. She hadn't thought she would say it that fast!
To her surprise, Michael broke out into a grin and pulled her close. "I couldn't think of anything I want more than to have a baby with you."

"What?" Anna said weakly. "I mean--that's great!" she exclaimed, recovering herself. "Should we start trying soon?"
Michael smiled and kissed her, leaning over her.

"So, we're really going to do this?" Anna asked breathlessly.
"Yes. We're going to have a baby."

Anna shook her head unbelievingly at the little plus sign. She had never imagined that a baby could go from a proposition to her belly so quickly. Michael would be overjoyed.
She grabbed her coat and ran outside to where he stood, putting the top on the garbage can.
Her face was lit with excitement. Michael's eyebrows went up and his eyes grew big as it dawned on him. "We're..."

Anna nodded happily. Suddenly Michael jumped at her and wrapped his arms around her neck "I can't believe it!" he shouted.

She put him down gently. She had never felt this warm in the middle of winter.

A Modest Start

Michael and Anna pulled their resources together and put a down-payment on a small house in Arbor Greene. It was a modest start, but they were content.

That was when their trouble started.
Anna quickly took up a job as a teacher at the neighborhood school, but though he searched every morning, Michael could not find work.

Anna pulled in enough money to cover their bills, but the couple was living paycheck to paycheck.
They were in love, that was certain, but each day of Anna leaving early in the morning for work and returning in the evening to an unemployed Michael was taking its toll on their relationship. Suddenly a load of responsibility had been set on their young lives and the stress showed.
Michael wanted to wait for a wedding until they could afford to have a nice ceremony. This was another sore spot between them. Until they would be married, Michael slept on the couch and Anna in the bedroom. Anna was restless to fully start their lives together.
Things came to a head one fall night over dinner. Anna put her fork down and sighed.

"Michael...do you really want to live this way? I said I would marry you, and I meant it. Now it's almost two years later and we're still acting like we're just a young couple."
Michael kept his eyes on his plate but his chewing slowed.

"Anna, I thought we agreed that we would wait until we could afford a real wedding."
"No, Michael. We didn't. I could care less about the ceremony." Anna's tone softened. "I love you. I want to marry you. That's all I want." Michael could see tears welling in her eyes. She quickly got up under the pretense of taking her plate to the dishwasher.

Michael just wanted to do right by his fiancee, the woman he loved. He wanted to give her all she deserved.
But maybe what she deserved was to be given what she wanted most. He could hear her breathing catch and he guessed she was crying silently. His heart broke at the sound of her weeping. In trying to do right by her he had wronged her more than he ever thought he could.
Michael came behind Anna and wrapped his arms around her slender frame, kissing her soft hair. "I'm sorry. I love you. I want you to be happy." Anna's body loosened and she leaned into him, tears still rolling down her cheeks.
"I can't take this anymore," she whispered.
"And I can't stand to see you this way. We'll get married this weekend."
Anna gasped and turned to meet his eyes. "You're sure?"
"It won't be much, but yes. I'm sure."
Anna smiled and kissed his lips. "I love you, Michael Lansbury."
"I love you too, Mrs. Lansbury."

They were married under a trellis in their yard on the last day of fall, with Naenae and Destry standing a few yards away.


"Man, I can't believe it. You're hitched!" Destry clapped Michael on the back. "I'm glad, man. I always knew you two would end up together."

In the kitchen, Naenae congratulated Anna. "I'm SO happy for you!" she gushed.

Anna beamed back. She was finally Mrs. Lansbury.