Author's Note: The 8th chapter is based on Three Days Grace's song Happiness, subsequently naming it after the chapter. I hope you like and enjoy this chapter. :))

--- *** ---

--- 7 Months Later ---

--- 7th of March, 1966 ---

It has been seven months since the triplets have emerged fortunately in the world perfectly healthy. Seven months of sheer happiness. Seven months of the beginning of their discovery of their small family world. A few months of isolation from the real world by dipping themselves in the depths of the crude, cold world that encircled them.

The former devotional man of the cloth was still working as a Latin teacher in high school, although sometimes he came back at home with mild irritation which quickly petered out, due to Cindy, Jalen Snow, Skyler Autumn and his wife Judy. As usually, he came back from teaching at school with a smile that glimmered thousands of radiant brands. The quantity of time he worked in school as a teacher was sufficiently satisfying by entertaining the students with his own personal stories by teaching them a lesson and giving them abundance of advices, besides teaching them properly even with his small quantity of experience as a teacher. Furthermore, from time to time Jude paid a visit to his classes along with their triplets or she's waiting for him to finish his classes so that to go home altogether. The children really loved him and they quickly became fond of him and vice versa.

Further, the former promiscuous jazz nightclub singer told to Timothy everything about her grim past. From the injured hit-and-run victim little girl with the blue coat up to her former fiancé Casey. Although her prejudices, Timothy embraced the trials she's been through a few decades ago and his love for her grew even more by giving her a prompt to not focus on the past and move on in the present and future.

In spite of the British compatriot having a job and spending a half a day in the week days outside their cottage, anyway the Bostonian preferred to stay at home since she was on fire with looking after the triplets, cooking, gardening and cleaning. Last but not least, they were far from unlucky to be exceedingly wealthy so that either of them being employed.

For seven months, neither Skyler and Cindy, nor Jalen have spoken a single word. They only babbled and cooed even giggled.

Whilst the British aristocrat was having his third class Latin with ninth graders, they pleasantly surprised him since today was his birthday and he was getting along with them and the adolescents especially once he entered in the class room.

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Howard!" All students have already gotten from their seats, factly, they respected their Latin teacher as the giant present they got for him was on the last desk in the middle column, roaring jubilant in a choir as if they chanted an opera.

"Good day, students!" Cheerfully mesmerized smile parted upon his pale-pinkish, soft as satin lips as his cocoa brown orbs, dappled with luxurious patterns of sheer felicity glittered in awe how they're well organized to start their current class. "That's so kind of you, but it wasn't your obligation at all." Although their childlike goodwill and their mutual platonic love as a student-teacher relationship, he was deeply touched by their selfless natures and it was slightly uncomfortable for him. Light, cherry texture powdered his cheeks with mild balmy heat, whilst Chloe and Amber ambled up to the giant present, heaving it from the last hardwood desk by approaching the teacher's bureau, in order to deliver the present to their favorite teacher.

Chloe and Amber were very fond of one another since they're friends since their early childhood. First and foremost, they were donned in strict school uniforms, whereas Chloe had a French braided auburn braid on the left shoulder, framing ideally her round, vaguely chubby profile with her astonishingly childlike innocent emerald green pools and fair skin tone. She wasn't tall at all. She stood only 5'4 unlike her childhood friend Amber.

Amber was a young lady with olive-tanned skin tone and tied in austerely coiffed high chestnut bun with crystalline blue pools, mottled with palish textures of warmness and benevolence. The brunette was taller than Chloe by standing 5'7, ideally matching with her slender structured figure.

"No need to complain, Mr. Howard!" The both young ladies handed the present to Timothy as he laid it on the bureau, unwrapping its envelop by ushering the students to take their seats and he was observed by twenty adolescents' inquisitive eyes, darted to him and eager to survey his reaction once the British aristocrat sees his own birthday gift. "It would be disrespectful if we didn't organize all this before this Latin class."

"I truly appreciate your kindness," All of a sudden, pause tugged his tongue, whilst his chocolate brown irises widened at the folded grandiose pale green tent they gave him by gathering altogether some money. "I'm surprised at your kindness was wonders are doing, kids."

"But you really like the nature and hiking around the nature, don't you, Mister?" The auburn-haired teenager posed the question rhetorically.

"Of course, Chloe! For which I'm grateful to have a present from the entire class right today."

"It's not only this, Mr. Howard! There is also a card for you." His pristinely long as piano keys fingers clumsily fiddled the card along with the folded tent for camping. "It's from the whole class."

"Let me read it." His attention shifted to the card by flipping the page, in order to peruse it attentively, his fingers tipping gingerly the paper.

Happy Birthday Mr. Howard,

Thank you for being with us for almost a whole school year, no matter how noisy and disobedient we could be sometimes or showing your darker side!

You've been among the fewest teachers that have tolerance towards adolescents and taught us many interesting facts not only as an experience from your life, but also curious facts and being the reason for our laughters and smiles every class. You're among the fewest teachers that understand the younger generation what is being through and you know how exactly to motivate the students to study, despite your wee teaching experience. You're amidst the fewest teachers that genuinely teach us with love and treat us as your own children and family even when you're a family man with 3 lovely children and spectacular wife.

Even if there are some students, who don't have a huge enthusiasm to study Latin, you always turn it in a fun class instead of a nightmare as much as Math and Science classes.

We would like to thank from the bottom of our hearts for your tolerance, patience, chaste and love, because we love you too!

Wishing you the best, Mr. Howard

"Aww, that's incredibly sweet of you, kids!" Meantime, he shifted his gaze to the horde of fifteen-year-old students as a few of them chuckled quietly to themselves. Warmness stabbed his chest as a thick rivulet of gore bled from the thickness of the slit, feeling profound touched by their benevolence and platonic love they'd for him as a teacher. "You know how much I love you too!"

--- *** ---

--- Later that Day ---

"Rare bird, I'm home!" In the meantime, the former pious man of the cloth got from school by kicking off his shoes after setting a foot in the corridor and taking off his blazer from his frail skeleton, hanging it on the coat hanger by leaving the suitcase, filled with the folded tent, cards from the classes he had today. Beamingly content smile flexed his jaw line, whereas the blonde was in the kitchen with the triplets, who were sitting in their high chairs after being breastfeed and the middle-aged woman was zapping in the oven their favorite. Coq-au-vin.

No response, no action was followed by his exclaimation by sneaking with his birthday presents in the kitchen, while the former licentious nightclub singer was washing the rich foam that baptized up to her wrists her elvish hands, swaying her hips and humming in soft, mellow voice as her husband's voice was oblivious, due to the running jet water of the kitchen sink.

"Dada!" Jalen and Cindy exclaimed in unison after beholding the younger man tiptoeing in the kitchen until the faucet was turned off and the jet water ebbed out, drawing promptly the both parents' attentions. In the meanwhile, the middle-aged woman turned to face the younger man, giggling girlishly, sheepishly as she was caught off guard.

"Hi sweethearts!" What it was profoundly bizarre was that Skyler hasn't pelt a single word except babbles and cooing escaped her plumpish lips.

"Oh shit! Sorry for not hearing ya a few moments ago, honey!" He left his birthday present and cards on one of the chairs. "I was just washing my hands and humming."

"It's okay, rara avis. You shouldn't be sorry at all." Optimism antagonized her realistic pessimism as two monstrously potent gladiators, fighting for dominance to pass the next round without being defeated. "I think Jalen and Cindy just spoke their first words." Hoarse, mirthful chuckle clicked the roof of his mouth as he was beyond mesmerized how one of his daughters and his sole son spoke their very first word right on the seventh month of their fresh life. In the interval, the middle-aged lady joined him, backing him up in solemn agreement.

"Oh really? What is their first word?"

"Mama!" The both triplets babbled their first word as a smug grin bloomed across her naturally rosy-coloured, cherub lips, building her lotus-eating glee, oozing of her.

"Dada actually!" It was the former holy man, who corrected the brunettes.

"Oh, that's so sweet!" The former sleazy jazz nightclub singer tucked absently a fistful of long stray gilded strands behind her petite, sensitive ear, whereas Timothy peppered the infants' chubby cheeks with affectionate, paternally doting kisses as they molted into them, thereafter stroking gently, dotingly their sparse hairs. "How about miss Skyler Autumn?"

"Skyler?" Wryly dark snicker scratched the end of his throat by sealing his baby pinkish, damp lips with his wife's lips in a hardening, resiliently silencing sultry kiss, cupping her cheeks in the palms of his featherly soft as cotton candy, friendly warm hands, smearing natural warmness. Looking up at one another's eyes with pure love, warmness, desire and lust. "She said nothing."

"Nothing?" Bewilderment contoured exquisitely the quirk of her thin, elegant eyebrow at his utterance, whereas he bobbed in a nod. "Well, it's never too late Miss Skyler Autumn to say anything. She's still young."

"You look so beautiful, Jude!"

"Aw, really? I do look nothing with a greasy hair that I haven't washed for three straight days, without any make-up and wearing all these plain clothes at home." Temporal silence caught them off guard until the blonde girl struggled to babble a syllable of her first ever word. The both adults' attentions were drifted up to the blond triplet.

"S-S."

"Ya still find the greasy hairs, the bareness and plain clothes all beautiful? Have ya completely lost yar mind?"

"I haven't completely lost my mind. No matter if you wear the trashiest clothes or your hairs grow white, I'll still love you and you're still the most beautiful woman into my eyes."

"Ya have been always the sweetest!" At the moment, the both former member of the clergy rested his forehead against hers. "What the kids gave ya for yar birthday, sweetie?"

"A tent for camping and a couple of cards from the classes I had today not only with the 9th graders."

"That's tremendously sweet of them!"

"S-Shit!" All of a sudden, the blond baby girl just pelt a word, earning her parents' mortified looks.

"Who taught you this word, honey?" Meantime, Timothy stroke lovingly Skyler's head with his delicate fingers.

"Mama!" She pointed directly at her mother with a forefinger as the once holy priest shifted his stare to his right hand.

"Jude, is that true?"

"I was just startled when ya came here and," Embarrassingly sardonic giggle floated from her lips. "And I didn't know Miss Skyler Autumn is going to be that sly."