Erika was tense. She was sitting up super straight in the back seat, hands under her legs. Idina had meticulously chosen her outfit. Everything from the moment they stepped out of the van to when they got back home would be judged. Idina had picked out a sundress that was a light pastel green and went down past the knees, covering her scabs. She had brushed make-up over the scabs on her palms to reduce the redness. She made Erika wear the same sandals with lace straps she had worn to the movie premiere because they were a brand name. Erika did not wear them a lot because of it, but Idina had a particular image she needed to paint. Yes, they were spending money on her. No, she was not spoiled. Not to mention she was hoping the judge still had the wraith-like girl image still seared into her brain, that way she would see the difference when Erika walked into the room.

The girl's cheeks had filled out, her skin had a natural glow, and she was growing. Both Elvira and Elija were taller than Idina and she head meant to make an appointment to see if Erika's growth was stunted or if she was just a late bloomer. She had a feeling it was a bit of both as the girl now stood even with her. Erika was also getting toned in her arms and legs from her work. She looked like a happy healthy teenager and no one could say it was not Idina and Aaron's fault. They had done all of it, slowly, but they had done it. They would watch her try and act like she was not going to swat at the next thing that moved to close to her plate and slowly get more and more accustomed and comfortable eating with them. They clued in almost instantly to feed her more as she would always stop short of licking her plate clean and they had figured out the food she liked and disliked. There was an entire profile on her that they had created.

There was a solid case in their favour. It was frustrating that they had to fight for it, fight to prove it when the evidence was just there. She just wanted to finally be a family and forget about everything from the blackmailing to Taye's nutty parents to anything that was not normal bliss.

Looking in the rear-view mirror, Idina reminded herself to remain calm. If Erika noticed how antsy she was, the girl might panic too. On top of everything she had to do today, it would not help. She needed to stay calm and collected and try her best to keep it together.

Walker tagging along would help. Maybe people would see how close the two of them are and decide against separating them if it came down to it. Everything had to be considered.

The four of them walked into the courthouse arm in arm. Snow came up to speak to Erika and they whispered before she said hi to Walker and directed the two children to the front bench where they could sit and told them she'd meet them soon.

"How is she?" Snow asked them once the kids were out of earshot.

"Nervous, but she wants to be here," Aaron replied.

"I just want to warn you that you might hear things you don't want to hear," she replied. "I know you're doing an amazing job, but anything you hear here, just ignore it."

"What do you mean?" Idina asked. "What's she planning on saying? She knows she shouldn't try to fabricate anything right?"

"No, nothing like that," Snow reassured them. "It's just, as you know, she had a rough life and I think it's going to come up. It's very likely to you're going to hear things you don't want to hear about before." Snow knew more than they did, or at least they think she did. There were a lot of things Erika never talked to them about and they never pushed, only asking that she talked to Snow and worked it out with Snow.

Idina nodded. "I know," she replied. "We both know it was bad." Aaron took her hand. "And we know not to push her."

Snow gave them a half-smile. "Just be prepared," she replied. "I'm not sure what might come up, but I just want to tell you."

"We know," Aaron said with a friendly smile. "We love her so much and we just want what's best for her."

"And that's why you're going to win this case or prologue it till she turns eighteen. Adult adoption is a thing for insurance, wills, and inheritance reasons and there will be nothing the Riveras can do about it then."

"We want to do it now," Idina muttered. "We're not waiting this out. We are doing it now. She needs someone to fight for her and win."

"I know," Snow replied.

The room was settling down and Aaron and Idina met up with Carlyle who was talking to the kids, then took their places at the defendant's bench in front of their children who were looking at something on Walker's phone.

Everyone rose as the judge came in. Then they took their seat. The proceedings started. Erika was called to the stand. She walked straight with a stiff posture trying not to appear nervous. Idina was squeezing's Aaron's hand again. He was squeezing hers.

The Rivera's lawyer went up to question her. They started simple.

"What is your name?"

"Erika Rivera."

"And you are claiming that you want to stay with Mrs. Menzel and Mr. Lohr?"

"Yes."

"Voluntarily?"

"Yes."

"Are they bribing you to say this with money?"

"No," Erika replied, looking slightly confused.

"But they do spend money on you?"

"Yes."

"And if you moved in with your parents that situation might change?"

"Um, maybe?" she said, looking around for help.

"So, there is a financial motivation for you to stay with them?"

"I guess so," she replied.

"Yes or no," the lawyer snapped.

"Yes."

Idina sighed. This was not going their way. She reminded herself that she had to wait for Carlyle to go up. His job was to clear up whatever mess was created.

"So, there is an incentive for you to stay with them," the lawyer clarified.

"Yeah," Erika said.

"So, is this your unpressured choice?"

"Yes."

"But the money will go away. Are you sure it's not being held over you?"

"Yes." Erika was started to get flustered. "I don't understand what you're asking," she said.

"Ms. Rivera, it's been brought to my attention that due to your past experiences you are an emotionally venerable individual. My goal is to make sure that you are being taken care of properly and I believe that it will be in my client's care. I am on your side. I am trying to determine if you are being manipulated in your decision."

"I'm not," she said, crossing her arms.

"You might not know it," she replied. "Are they offering to pay for your continued education if you stay with them?"

"No," she replied firmly.

"So, they are not paying for your continued education?" the lawyer asked in shock.

"Yes, they are."

"Then why did you say no before?"

"Because they told me they've put money away and I can access it for university on the condition that I go, not whether or not I stay with them."

"Oh," the lawyer said, disappointed. This clearly was not what she was looking for. Erika smirked. She knew it too. "And you trust them to stick to this?"

"They haven't broken a promise yet," she replied. It was the most honest answer she could give. She did not trust anyone to do anything.

"Do you think they might back out?"

"Not really."

"Yes or no?"

"I trust them more than those people who abandoned me when I was a few months old," she snapped. "I don't trust anyone. I don't trust you, I certainly don't trust them," she exclaimed, "I do however trust Aaron and Idina whole lot more than anyone else I've ever met."

"I understand that you may feel that way."

"There's no may about it," she huffed, crossing her arms once more and leaning back.

"I understand that you feel that way," their lawyer said. She started on a long spiel, lecturing her about how she could very much be wrong.

"Objection: relevance," Carlyle said within a few minutes. "Your honour, this is irrelevant to her statement. We are trying to assess what she feels of her own free will, not manipulate her. Erika clearly feels strongly about this and as you know from doctor Snow's report, she does have trust issues."

"Then it should not matter who she trusts and doesn't trust if she doesn't trust anyone," their lawyer argued.

Snow stood up. "Your honour, Erika has been making progress in forming connections and building trust with Mrs. Menzel and Mr. Lohr. All of her issues stem from the action taken by Mr. and Mrs. Rivera and the situation they placed her in. In my professional opinion, she should not be removed from their care for her emotional well-being."

"Yes, Your Honour, no one is saying that her physical wellbeing will change; however, we are most concerned for her emotional well being especially in how it may affect her physical well being."

"Order," the judge said as the Rivera's practically leapt down Carlyle's and Snow's throats.

"They're paying her to say that!" Elvira yelled. "We can't afford Snow's rates and she knows she'll lose a lot of money. How many days a week are they sending her there, how many hours? They're paying her and making my daughter think she's crazy!"

Erika flinched in her seat and Idina wanted to run to her. This was exactly what they did not want to happen. At least this outburst would make Erika less likely to want to stay with them, but at the same time, no child should hate their parents.

Elvira and Elija were not Erika's parents. She and Aaron were in all but blood.

"Oder," the judge said again, banging the hammer. "Objection granted Mr. Carlyle," the turning to Erika: "Are you alright Ms. Rivera?" Erika looked like a deer in the headlight. She nodded her head, but it was not convincing. "We will take a twenty-minute recess," the judge decided. "Everyone needs to calm down right now. This is a trial to determine your fitness to be a parent and would like to remind all parties that you have children at home who can be affected if you are deemed not a fit parent. The court dismissed."

Erika stood up slowly. Idina ran to her, pushing some people out of the way.

"Are you okay?" she asked, holding onto the girl, pulling her into a quick hug, then looking her over again. "I'm sorry I never should have asked you to come this was a bad idea I'm so sorry Erika."

"It's okay," Erika said quietly. "I'm okay."

Idina hugged her again as Aaron came up behind them. Erika hugged him too.

"You did good," he told her. "I know this hard, but it'll be worth it. Promise, okay?"

"Okay," Erika said.

He smiled and kissed her brow. "Hungry?"

"She shook her head. "I have to go to the bathroom," she replied.

"It's over there," Idina said then gave her the directions.

She nodded and walked off. They went back over to the bench where Walker was sitting, playing on his phone.

"Bored yet?" Idina asked.

"A bit," he replied. "I don't know what's happening."

"Me neither," she replied. "I got snacks in the car."

"Fruit by the foot?" he asked, his face lighting up.

"Yep," she replied with a chuckle, "but you have to save some for Erika."

"I will!" he said excitedly. "Do you want one? Can I have the keys?"

"I'm good," Idina said, then she looked to Aaron who did want one. She handed her son the keys then sat down on the bench as the world wandered around her.

Aaron said he would stay here in the room so that Idina could go out and get some air. She was starting to feel muddled again. What is she was having the warning signs for an episode? No, she could not think like that. Then she would psyche herself and have one. She needed to walk around the building and clear her head. She took an anxiety pill. It was supposed to help and was a low enough dosage that it would not affect the triplet's food supply. Was it strong enough to work? She would find out.

She put some music on, some unfinished piano tracks for her album. She had completely sidelined it. Her life was more important now. Maybe that had been a good thing, it really sucked. It sounded like a four-year-old smashing on the keys. She was smelling pizza from somewhere. Her post-pregnancy cravings were everything unhealthy and greasy and defiantly not on her nursing diet. One-piece would not be that bad though...

Screw it, they were stopping there on the way home.

Finishing her lap around the building, Idina pulled her earbuds out of her ears and slipped her phone back into her pocket. She met back up with Aaron who had a very content Walker sitting on his lap, snaking on their fruit-by-the-foots. She smiled and gave both her boys a kiss on the head, then sat down beside them as Aaron put his arm around her.

"Where's Erika?" she asked after a few moments. The girl should have been back by now.

"I'm not sure," Aaron said, moving Walker off of him so that he could stand up.

They walked back out of the courtroom to look for her in the crowd of people.

"I SAID LET GO OF ME!" someone shouted.

Erika!

They rushed towards the noise to see that Elija was holding onto her wrist while Elvira was talking to her. She was trying to pull away but looked like she would be more successful in dislocating her shoulder than breaking free. Everyone was staring at them now.

Aaron was quickly beside Erika, prying her wrist free from Elija's grip, doing everything in his power not to yell at the grey-haired man, Finally free, Erika retreated behind Aaron, holding onto his shirt, visibly shaking.

Aaron took a few steps backward and Idina a few steps forward. She put a hand on Erika's shoulder, hoping it would help her relax a bit. Every muscle in her body was tense. Walker hugged her from behind and looked around with his head under her arm, watching what was about to happen next. Idina could still feel her shaking.

They stood there for a few moments in an intense staring match, not knowing what to do. Idina rubbed Erika's back. She was her first priority. What to about whatever was going on here came next.

Aaron broke the game by turning around and asking Erika if she was all right. She nodded even though she did not look alright. They hugged and held each other for a moment with Walker still latched onto Erika's waist and Idina was still glaring at the Rivera's who seemed done with everything. They were rolling their eyes.

"What's your problem?" Idina snapped. "You don't grab people, period."

"We're allowed to discipline our daughter," Elija said.

"She was ignoring us. She was being rude. If you are claiming you raised her, you have done a horrible job. She'll be better off when she's with us," Elvia added. God, she looked a lot like an old Erika. She even had the same cadence when she spoke. Idina was just noticing it now that they were in the same room together. "We're going to help her grow up."

Idina took Aaron's hand and squeezed it, making sure she remember that everyone was here. He hated this type of talk, he heard it all the time from parents who thought their children were misbehaved or faking it. He saw the damage it caused and now some were saying the same thing about Erika. His Erika. Idina squeezed his hand again.

"Don't worry," Elija said, "we're going to help you, Erika."

"No," Erika said firmly.

"No?" You can't say no to me, I'm your father."

"No," she repeated.

Elvira looked up at them triumphantly. "She needs a behaviour correction, Mrs. Menzel. I do not think you have the mental fortitude to do it. How often does she say 'no' to you? Do you just let her say it whenever she likes? She does realize she can't have everything she wants, right?"

This time Aaron squeezed Idina's hand. "We're not having this discussion with you," Idina said. "You lost any right to that when you abandoned her."

"We will see about that," Elvira said. "That's what the court's here to decide. Besides, you've got four other brats, why do you need our child too? It is free childcare, isn't it? I bet you've got her all wound up that those triplets are going to be neglected and left alone if she doesn't do something and feeding into her delusion that no one cared about her and that it was circumstantial and not her fault."

"The only reason they're being left alone is because you make mom come to this stupid trial," Walker said.

"Oh!" Elvira said ready to finish her statement but through better of it.

The circle around them parted and the judge came through.

"What is going on here?" she asked.

"Those people were grabbing and yelling at Erika," Walker said, pointing an accusatory finger at the Riveras.

"We were not yelling at her," Elvira said. "The little liar didn't even see what happened. We asked her some questions and she was rude. Elija just tried to remind her that we are her parents and even if we were not, she needs to respect her elders. She is like a wild animal. Those people think that because they have sent her to a good school they are done. They need to discipline her."

The judge looked over to Erika. "What happened?"

"It's okay," Aaron told Erika.

She looked up at him, then turned to the judge. "They asked me to come home with them and I said no, then he grabbed me and said I had to come with them and she went on about how much better things would be with them. I kept on telling him to let me go, but he wouldn't, and he was pulling me towards the door, so I screamed." Idina hugged her possessively, not taking her eyes off of the Riveras.

"They tried to kidnap you?" she asked, making it a bit more exaggerated than it needed to be, but just enough.

The judge turned back to the Riveras. "That does sound like an attempted kidnapping."

"She's our daughter," Elvira said. "And we were not going to take her, we were just trying to talk to her and stop her from causing a scene just to pin us as the villains. She needs to be controlled."

"No," Aaron said. "She does not. And you have no understanding of her mental health or her needs. We are going to fight with everything we have to keep her safe from you."

"Needs?" Elvira echoed, looking mortified. "What type of needs are you taking care of? Your Honour, he did admit that he loves her, how do we know there is nothing illegal going on here? Erika, love, it's okay, we're going to get you away from this crazy man."

"No," she said again, hugging Aaron from behind him.

"See, they've manipulated her. She thinks she loves him."

"Enough," the judge said. "These are serious accusations. I have seen nothing to believe that anything of the sort is going on, but nor can I ignore them. We will investigate further.'

Idina stiffened. They were not going to arrest him, surely, not just because some crazy woman was throwing around accusations. Still holding her husband's hand, she used her free one to hold Erika's arm. The three of them were surrounding her.

"Good," Elvira said. "Arrest him."

"No," Idina whispered.

"No," the judge said. "We will investigate their house. We will question Erika. We will ask that everyone surrender their phones, now. Failure to comply will not aid your case."

Idina swallowed, pulling out her phone. Walker and Erika handed theirs in too, just to be compliant. Walker was holding his older sister's hand the entire time. There were texts about her brain injury medication on her phone. There was the long cray text from Taye. There were so many things people could use against her. If that is what was on the phone, what could be on the Riveras' phones? There had to be something just as damning, if not more. They were delusional. Bloody delusional.

Elvira and Elija were brought to a different side of the courthouse. Erika was still glued to Idina and Aaron and did not want to go with the witness officer who wanted to talk to her, but they eventually managed to convince her that they would be right here, waiting for her. It broke Idina's heart watching her leave. Her mind started reeling. They could be trying to separate them under false pretences for a million reasons. She pulled Walker close and held onto him for dear life because he was the only child she currently had. Everyone was just ignoring the attempted kidnapping! She sighed when she saw someone dismantling the security camera. They were going to be here a while; she needed to call her mom and tell her to ask Jane to stay later. Her hand went to her pocket, and, right, she had given up her phone. Shit.

Rocking Walker back and forth, Idina counted the hour that passed with every second. Maybe there was a payphone. But that would require standing up, leaving Aaron, disturbing Walker. It was not like she had changed on her anyway. Who did nowadays? Smart folk, that's who. Not idiots with a brain injury. Or maybe she was just an idiot. She had a plethora of stupid things that she had done before her brain got all messed up.

"Mom?" Walker asked.

"Yes, Pumpkin?"

"I'm hungry."

"I know baby, but there's nothing we can do right now. We have to stay here. I told you it would be more fun to stay with Grandma and the triplets."

"When's Erika coming back?" he asked. "She still hasn't taken her fruit-by-the-foot."

"I don't know Walk," she said.

"She is coming back, right?"

"Yes," Idina lied. She had no idea. Aaron rubbed her back and she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Erika did come back, seeming very upset and saying nothing. This had been a terrible idea. She should have known Elvira would have had a public freak-out seeing how determined she had been. Idina just hoped it was enough to make everyone see Erika belonged with her.

They were eventually given their phones back and told they were allowed to leave and given the rescheduled date a few days from now where the court would resume without theatrics.

"How are you holding up?" she asked Erika for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I don't know," she replied, slightly agitated.

"That's fine," Idina said. Her emotions were always valid, even if they were the wrong ones for the situation. She needed to know that. And also that she was justified in being slightly agitated today.

"Who's up for ice cream?" Aaron asked.

"ME!" Walker exclaimed, jumping up and down and raising his hand in the air. He ran to the van. "Me, me, me!"

Everyone chuckled. They needed ice cream. They pulled into the Dairy Queen drive-through and got both Erika and Walker the biggest orders they could think of. Idina got a small cone for herself while Aaron ordered a Peanut Buster Parfait. Idina was going to tease him endlessly tonight about it, the thought just made her smile.

Later that night, after she had destressed by taken the triplets into the backyard and playing with them (and by that she meant stressing over every little thing they did whether it spends one second too long in the sun or a bug that got too close to them). She made sure they were sleeping soundly before she went to Erika's room.

"I'm so sorry about that," she said.

The girl was laying on her bed, staring into space. "It's not your fault," she said.

"I know," she admitted, "but I am supposed to be protecting you and taking care of you and I didn't today."

"You're not a failure," she muttered. "Stop acting like it." Idina blinked in shock. "It's out of your control and you are doing the best you can, and I get that," she continued, still staring at the ceiling. "You've done more than anyone else ever has and honestly you could quit now, and I'd still be grateful."

"I'm not quitting!" she exclaimed.

"I know," the girl said.

"Oh." The world stopped for a minute. Of course, Erika knew. She was not blind. She knew where they went every day, now she knew exactly what they were putting up with. For her.

"Just stop acting like your bad or whatever," Erika said, "because you're not."

Idina laid down on her stomach beside her daughter. "I just always feel like I'm doing everything wrong."

"Well it's not you and you're making me think it's me so stop," she said with a bit of tone. This was something that had been knowing away at Erika for a while. If Idina was doing everything right and it was still going wrong, she was the only other person she could blame.

"It's not you."

"And it's not you."

Idina sighed. "Aaron always says I need to stop second-guessing myself," she admitted.

"He's probably right."

"Only probably?"

"No one's right that often," she said.

Idina chuckled. "He's always right, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Are you sure he's human?"

"Well, the triplets seem human," she said. "But maybe it's just their skin."

Erika snorted. "What's underneath then?"

"I dunno!" Idina said.

"How can you not know?"

"I dunno," she repeated, rolling over onto her back to laugh. Erika swatted at her with a pillow as she got too close and cuddly. "I bet they're green though," she added. "And superhuman strength."

"What's going on over here?" Aaron asked in amusement form the doorframe.

"We figured it out," Idina said.

"Figured what out?" he asked, coming in a sitting by the foot of the bed.

"You're an alien," Erika told him with a straight face.

He looked confused. "Really?"

"That's what an alien would say!" Idina exclaimed, tackling him backwards and pinning him down. "I got him!" she said through giggles.

Erika was sitting up and looking at them.

"Come on," Idina urged. "Can't keep him down forever, help me."

"Doing what?"

She paused for a moment. "Hit him with your pillow."

"What, no," she said.

Aaron took the opportunity to flip Idina over. "Now I've got you." He turned to Erika. "Now, Erika, tell me what's going on or you don't get this bed back tonight. I'm going to leave Idina here."

"No human can be right as often as you are so, therefore, you're an alien and the triplets are actually green under their human skin."

"Alright then," Aaron said, still not getting it.

"You snitch," Idina chuckled, trying to get up but Aaron was doing a marvellous job keeping her down. She called for Walker knowing he would be on her side.

Walker came over, took one look at them, and jump tackled his mother, overshooting and nearly tackling Erika.

"Nope, not today mom, you never help me," he whined. "I'm getting you back," he said as he bounced up and down.

"No, you have to get Aaron, he's the alien," Idina argued through giggles. She looked over to Erika who helps who had brought her knees up to her chest to give them room but was chuckling with amusement. The girl shook her head with a grin. "Is no one going to help me?" she exclaimed as the boys tickled her.

"Nope," Walker said.

Suddenly they heard a wail from the nursery. Idina swore. They were being too loud. Somewhere below them, Louie started barking.

"Yes Louie, we know, thank you," Idina said to no one.

They heard dog footsteps leap un the stairs and into the room. He jumped up on the bed and his under the covers to muffle the noise. Erika rubbed him with the blanket and covered his hears for him. His little tail was wagging profusely.

Another wail drifted in. All three were definitely awake now. Tried babies were the hardest. The cried because they wanted to go the sleep but did not have the understanding that they could sleep if they just stopped crying. They needed their large humans to fix it for them. At least someone needed them. Idina missed that most about Walker. When he had needed her all the time. Now he was getting his own fruit-by-the-foots from the car and in a few years, he would be old enough to walk a few blocks to his friends' houses on his own. He was growing up so fast. And Erika was already grown up.

Idina freed herself from her boys and was flanked by her family as she made her way down to the nursery. Why did they have to have her lungs and breath capacity? She had spent years training and here they were crying up a storm three months out of the womb. Why was everything always for effortless for everyone else?

She picked up the nearest baby, who happened to be Soren while Aaron ended up with Cindy and Erika grabbed Zephyr. Idina watched her. She was gradually getting more comfortable around the triplets and knew how to them correctly. Walker was in the room too, asking what he could do with his hands over his ears. She told him to take Louie into to basement for the sake of his sensitive dog ears. He disappeared down the hallway.

All three babies were crying, and Lucinda kept on reaching out a little fist towards Idina. She and Aaron swapped babies again and Lucinda clamped down on Idina's hair and started yanking.

"Aw, baby, no," she said as she tried to open her daughter's fist. It was clamped down tightly and there was no way she was getting it done onehanded. Every attempt was making Lucinda wail louder.

It was well past midnight before the triplets started tiring themselves out. Let them cry people said, they will cry themselves to sleep in twenty minutes the mom books said. Not these babies. Two hours later and they were still going strong, only slightly exhausted and crying more because of it. Nothing worked, not pacifiers dipped in milk, silly faces, quiet time, separation. Nothing.

Idina had a headache. Aaron had somehow managed to fall asleep in the chair holding a wailing baby. Walker and Erika were tired but trying to help.

"Just go to bed," Idina told them.

"Can't mommy," Walker huffed. He looked over her shoulder at Lucinda. "Are you sure they're okay?" he asked. "They cry a lot, are they sad?"

"They're fine Pumpkin," she said. At least she hoped they were. Maybe she should be bringing them to the doctors more. Maybe she should get them vaccinated earlier, or maybe later? Idina had no idea anymore. Opinions and information were coming in from every angle every time she dared to open up her phone. All she could do was think about right now and remind herself that strangers on the internet who had only seen two official pictures and some blurry paparazzi images did not know what was up with her children. They could not comment on her parenting skills. They were not pushing fifty and caring for three newborns. "Babies don't cry because they're sad like you and I do. They cannot speak and they need stuff all the time. Cindy cannot walk to the refrigerator to get herself some milk as you can, we have to bring it to her, and she only has one way of telling us she wants some. Or that is she tired, or scared, or bored, or just wants her mommy."

"Can I hold her?" he asked.

Idina was always cautions of Lucinda. She had let Walker hold the boys since they were bigger, but she had not let anyone other than Jane, Aaron, and her mother hold little Cindy. Sometimes it felt like Lucinda had been her little birthday present and she wanted to keep her all to herself. She was trying to get more accustomed to other people around her, like Erika, but it was hard even if she did want Erika and Lucinda to form some sort of bond as the younger got older. They might not be close sisters like her and Cara because of the age gap, but it did not mean that they could not get along or that Erika could not be a cool aunt figure to Cindy as she grew.

"I'm not sure Walk," she said.

"Please?" he asked.

"She doesn't like other people holding her," Idina warned him. "And you have to sit down." She got up from the chair and let him take a seat. Once he was calm, she put the girl in his arms, still holding onto her.

"By myself," he begged.

"Take what you can get," she told him.

Lucinda was still crying, but she paused for a second to look up at Walker before starting to wail again. Then she looked over to her mom and stopped.

"God, I wish I knew what was going on inside that brain of yours," she said as the baby yawned, making her yawn. "Mommy's tired, can you go to bed now?"

"She can't understand you," Walker said.

"Maybe she can," Idina argued. "Dogs can understand us."

"Maybe," Walker said. He looked back down at the baby.

Lucinda started fussing again, wiggling around, and grabbing at things.

"Sorry," she told Walker as she picked Lucinda up. Then she suggested that Erika give him Zephyr if he really wanted to hold one of them since she had been rocking him in the corner for a while.

"They just never stop," Walker whined again.

"That what a baby does," Idina reminded him. "You never stopped either when you were this little." She turned to Erika and asked the girl to get some bottles and warm them in the microwave. Maybe something to eat would tire them out just enough. Or at the very least settle them for a bit.

Aaron woke up, slightly dazed, and confused. He still had Soren in his arms. "What time is it?"

"Nearing midnight."

"I'm sorry I fell asleep, how long?"

"Don't worry about it. One of us needs to get sleep."

"You need it more."

"I'm a human milk machine, I can't get that much sleep anymore. Not with all three of them."

Erika came back up with two bottles. "These are the last two," she said.

"Really?" Idina asked. She could have sworn they had more. She was pumping as much as ever, maybe a bit more now that she was out more often so that all three could eat together.

"That's what was in the fridge," she said as she handed one to Aaron and Walker asked for the second one for Zephyr. She yawned.

Idina looked down in concern. How was that it? Maybe Helen had slit some, though she would have said something if she had. Idina made a mental note to bring it up tomorrow as she unbuttoned her blouse to try and nurse Lucinda.

Zephyr was hungry and suckling away with his wide vampire eyes in her son's arms while Aaron was still trying to convince Soren to eat something. Erika was sitting beside Walker and he was talking to her about Pokémon. He had made her download Pokémon Go on her phone sometime this summer and planned out all of Louie's walks to go by areas that he could interact in the game with. Idina wasn't quite sure when this had happened or who had told him he was allowed to download the game, but it had happened, and she did not feel like putting a stop to it.

Lucinda was throwing even more of a fit as her brothers quieted down, meaning they were being taken care of and she was not. "I'm trying to help you," Idina pleaded. "Look, yummy milk inside mommy all for you, special girl. Yummy milk inside mommy," she singsonged. She was a literal human milk machine in her youngest eyes. It was not working, and Lucinda just continued crying. She had to quiet down before her brothers finished or else they would start crying again, too, and none of them would fall asleep again.

It took a good ten minutes of coaxing, but just as Aaron was getting the boys ready to lay down, Lucinda finally started suckling. And once she had started, she did not stop and when Idina was dry she wanted more.

Right, they were growing. They would eat more. Her body was probably making just a bit too much food for one growing baby, but not enough for three. She looked down and Lucinda in apology as she switched the baby. If she could not do her basic biological duties, how was she supposed to care for these three kids?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Aaron asked.

Idina looked around. The boys were in their cribs and Erika and Walker had left. She looked back up at her husband.

"You seemed really concentrated on something," he explained. "Mind sharing."

She sighed. "I don't think I'm making enough for them. Those were the last bottles and this one's about to finish up whatever I've got left," she lamented. "What's that going to say about my abilities to care for triplets if they starve to death?"

"They're not going to starve," he said, getting down to her level. "Call up a doctor, they might know why. It also could be the fact that we have triplets and they eat three times the amount of a normal baby."

"There were nursemaids in the middle ages that nursed multiple babies," Idina huffed.

"We'll figure it out," he said, planting a kiss on her head. "Maybe it's stress or something or you're not eating the right food and then before you know it you'll be mad at me again because they aren't eating enough and there are not enough bottles for you to pump and cursing my existence even though I had no control over triplets."

She smirked. "Okay," she said. She looked down and Lucinda who had finally finished and yawned contently.

"I'll clean you up," he said, getting a wipe and cleaning up the leftover dribble on her stomach.

Idina burped Lucinda before putting her down. She took a few steps back tentatively, waiting for the ear-piercing shriek, but nothing happened. Her daughter was fast asleep.

"What are we going to do without my magic knock-out juice when I start the medication?" she asked in amusement.

"Rum on the pacifier?" he joked.

"Aaron!" she exclaimed, swatting him.

"Shhh, Dee, we don't want to do this all over again."

She swatted at him again and they playfully fought their way out of the room, giggling as they made their way to theirs.

Laying down, Idina asked: "Why do you think they're here now?"

"What, who?" he asked.

"Erika's bio parents," she explained. "She asked me earlier why I thought they might be here now. I thought money, but then how come they did not settle? I think they deliberately asked for more money than they know we have. We don't have a quarter billion," she muttered. "If we did, I would have given it to them, and then they'd say we were broke and unable to financially care for her. Catch-22."

He laid down beside her. "I don't know. I think something is going on though. I don't buy it for a second they just suddenly felt guilty after all this time and it just lined up with her being on the news."

"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way. We know nothing about them. Should we get a private investigator?"

"Ask Carlyle, I know he didn't push for it initially because it could be easily turned against us. But I do think there is something fishy going on. All their attacks are ad-hominem to the point of being ad-nauseam. If I were them, I would be looking at the fact that she got kidnapped, got wrapped up in the blackmailer's threats, and how seeing the aftermath of everything on you," he said. "That's what I will be harping on. Sure, she might feel safe, but is she? How can you prove she is? You have to admit none of this stuff happened before you got involved. Do you think looking at your bruised face might be making her night terrors worse? Those are the type of questions their lawyer should be asking, and I think there is a reason she is not. She is clearly competent."

"Do you think what Taye might have been making her night terror worse?" Idina asked in alarm.

"No," he replied. "But it's something as a phycologist on the outside I would question," he explained. "Asking if she thinks she's free labour or if we are financially manipulating her are probably the only good questions she's asked, and even then, she's gone about them in the wrong way. I googled her and she is normally a lot more direct. She is deliberately dancing around something. Either that or she is deliberately trying to mess with Erika, in which case that just helps our case. If someone is willing to mess with her mental state this publicly, what would they do in private? We'll have to talk to Carlyle and see if we can work that in somewhere." He took a deep breath.

"I don't know what's happening either," Idina said. She yawned.

Aaron reached over her and grabbed some melatonin. "Sleep," he said. "I'll get them the next time. We've talked with your mom and you can't keep doing overnights. I know that you are their mother and that you want too, but you've got to take of yourself too."

"How are you going to feed them," she challenged. "Now that we're out of bottles?"

"Just sleep sitting up," he joked. "It'll be fine, Idina, promise, okay? Just get some sleep right now."

"You don't have to handle everything," she told him as the put the tablets in her mouth and they started to dissolve. "We're a team."

"I know, but I want too. I just want to care for everyone," he admitted.

"That's sweet, Aaron, honey, it is," she told him, "but you're going to burn yourself out that way. Trust me. You can't do this all by yourself, it's not going to end well. For any of us."

He nodded and kissed her brow. She turned over and cuddled close to him, smiling. "If we had one, I'd take you up on the offer though," she said through another yawn. "But I'm not heartless enough to leave you with three. I know neither of you would make it through. And you're more important than my pettiness."

"Glad to hear it, 'Dina," he said. Then he turned off the light