This hopefully is going to be a long ass chapter with all of the Blackbourne Team's POVs.

Owen

Shock.

That is the only thing to describe how I am feeling. Just a couple minutes ago, Dr. Roberts was briefing on our next mission, but was interrupted by a nurse reporting that some children were here to see him.

We had waited patiently for Dr. Roberts to return, but he didn't. Suspicious, we went out fully armed to see a bunch of children with guns. My team and I had focused only on the guns, not on the children.

Ever since Sang disappeared, the Team nearly broke apart. No one could find her and Dr. Roberts refused to talk to us. So, instead of leaving, there were some changes. I became less formal because I could hear Sang in my ear every time I called Luke Mr. Taylor. We drowned ourselves in our work or we took long breaks for non reason.

The shock really set it when we stormed the room and the Toma Team did too. It was only then did I see a mini version of Sang. It hurt much more than I thought it would. I thought after ten years, I had moved on. Most of us have been in relationships separately after Sang, but they never worked out. 

When Mini-Sang spoke up, it was like a bullet to the chest. She revealed everything that Sang had told her. The one thing that was stable throughout the years was my belief in the Academy. Apparently, I was wrong to believe in them.

They were the ones to take our Sang. They were the ones to deny us the right to raise our children. They were the ones who threatened to kill one of our family. They were the ones that broke my team.

Now, we are in the car heading over to our house to meet our children. I never thought the day would come.

Kota

"One . . . Two . . . Three . . . Four . . . Five . . . Six . . . Seven . . . Eight . . . Nine . . . Ten . . . One . . . Two . . ," I repeated.

I cannot believe this is happening. My Sang, my ten . . .

I have children. My Team has children. The Academy betrayed us the moment they threatened our center, our Sang.

Now, we have grown children. Ten of them, ten children whose innocence was ruined because of the need to survive. I would have spoiled them so much. The entire Team had piled into one van. It had been the easier option this morning when we came to the meeting. 

Since Sang left, everyone has been on edge. Sometimes even I am shocked that the Team hasn't split up. Anytime someone brought it up, I could hear Sang berating me for giving up. Hence the reason the Blackbourne Team was going strong.

The Academy was wrong Sang would never had torn us apart, she kept us together.

The car ride was silent with everyone lost in their own thoughts. When I first saw our sons and daughter, it was like seeing a reflection of myself. Each of the boys resembled one of us clearly with our daughter like Sang.

We quickly arrived at our shared home, the home we wanted to share with Sang. I was the first one out of the car. I wanted, no needed to see our children.

Their words have been us all on edge. We had searched for Sang for years. The only hint we had was a business card we found. Dr. Roberts refused to talk and everyone claimed to never have seen her. Even Raven lied straight to our faces.

It seems that the Toma team had been in contact with Sang and the children ever since she left. I mean according to the story, Sang even stayed at Raven's for a month. 

I opened the door of one of the Toma Team's vans and helped my children out. They didn't look at me, but seemed to talk with looks. It reminded me so much of us, it hurt. It was clear that Owen's son was the leader, but our daughter was the one who they listened too.

I cannot believe what was happened.

North

Kids, we have kids. My team settled on the couches in the living room. The Toma team were standing near the doors while our children sat on the floor. The boys were in a protective circle around their sister and none of them took their hands off their guns. It was obvious that they were extremely tense.

I was scowling, but that is nothing out of the ordinary. These children just show up out of nowhere, accuse the Academy and shock us all. They look too much like us to be fake, but that doesn't mean I trust them.

Silas discreetly asked me in Greek, so no one understands, "Λες να λένε την αλήθεια, αδερφέ?" (Do you think they are telling the truth, brother?)

I nod my head, "Ναι, αλλά δεν τους εμπιστεύομαι." (Yes, but I don't trust them)

One of the boys who is scowling spoke up, "Πρέπει να βεβαιωθείς ότι κάποιος δεν μιλάει αυτή τη γλώσσα πριν μιλήσει γι ' αυτούς μπροστά τους. Είναι αγένεια." (You should make sure that someone doesn't speak that language before talking about them in front of them. It is rude.)

I was open-mouthed, but Silas recovered quickly, "Μιλάς Ελληνικά?" (You speak Greek?) 

Another boy nods, "Ναι, όλοι μας." (Yes, we all do)

Gabriel interrupted, "What the fuck are all of you talking about? I already told you not to talk about me."

With the usual joke, Gabriel relieves some of the tension which is in the room. I cannot believe that all of them speak Greek.

Another one explained, "We were just informing them that it is rude to talk about someone in front of said person. They should have checked if we spoke Greek before doing so."

Regaining my composure, I asked, "What languages do you speak then?"

A fourth boy told me, "We speak Russian, English, French, Japanese, Greek, and German."

Sean asked them in Japanese, "なぜあなたは非常に多くの言語を知っていますか?" (Why do you know so many languages?)

A boy who looks a lot like Sean answered, "ママは、私たちが次にどこに行くのかわからなかったので、私たちに多くの言語を学びたいと言って、父の母国語を知る必要がありました" (Mom told us she wanted us to learn a lot of languages because we never knew where we were going next and we should know our father's mother language.)

Gabriel added, "Can someone tell me what the hell they are talking about? I only speak one language called English and that is the only one I need."

He startled a laugh from our children and they all shared the same laugh as their mother. 

Maybe, having kids might fix what broke in our team when Sang left.

Silas

I looked on with pride on our children, the prodigies.

The girl translated, "He had asked us why we learned so many languages and we told him that mom said she wanted us to learn a lot of languages because we never knew where we were going next and we should know our father's mother language."

I asked them next, "Could you introduce yourselves? We don't know your names. I would like to know more about our children."

After a silent conversation between the ten of them, all of them stood up. I could mostly tell which son belonged to which father. Mostly because of body-type, but I could be wrong.

The boy dressed pretty nicely started, "I am Oliver, Mom said that my father was Owen. I play the violon and according to my uncle, I am a prodigy at chess. I am the one who keeps all of them in line and alive."

The next boy wore glasses, "I am Dallas, and Mom said that Dakota was my father. I am the one to make sure that everyone is happy in the family and plan our attacks."

This one packed a lot of muscle for a ten year old and looked older than his age. He was always scowling, "I am Noah, Mom said that North was my father. I make sure that Leif doesn't prank the wrong people and doesn't get diabetes."

Luke roared with laughter, "That is North's son right there."

The fourth boy had blond hair and a perpetual smile, "I am Leif, Mom said that Luke is my father. My job is to make sure all the boys have some fun and get sweets."

Noah glared at him and muttered, "Yes, pranking the visiting mafia leader was just the way to have fun."

I chuckled. This child wanted to prank a visiting mafia leader. He is so much like Luke.

Leif defended himself, "Mel stopped me though. No harm, no foul."

The next boy continued, "I am Samuel, Mom said that Silas was my father. I keep a level-head in this family and drag Leif away from trouble."

He did look like me. Sam even had the same relationship with Noah than I did with North. Even without knowing us, they were just like us. Sang must have seen it too.

Luke

These past years without Sang were hard. Apparently, I was lost in my own head more than usual. At least there, Sang was still with us. Our children were hilarious. I already know that Leif and I are going to get along well. I can show him where I hide my sweets.

The sixth boy presented himself, "I am Vincent, Mom said that my dad was Victor. I play piano and enjoy hacking into different things."

The next one went, "I am Sebastian, but you can call me Seb. Mom said that Sean was my father. I am a nurse-in-training and love helping Mom with her missions."

Like father like son, both are doctors from an early age. How does he help Sang with missions though? A ten year old isn't much help.

Suddenly, Noah exploded, "Leif hand it over."

I look at my son and I see that he has just removed a chocolate from his pocket. He was in the process of putting it in his mouth when Noah yelled. Leif froze and made eye contact with me. He smiles and stuffs it into his mouth.

Noah lunges forward and grabs Leif, "Idiot! That is your tenth sweet in the last two hours. I saw the others, but I let you have them. Hand the rest over!"

Leif does reluctantly and only after Noah points a gun to his head. Everyone is chuckling or laughing, but North who is looking at Leif the same way he looks at me.

The seventh boy made himself be known, "Oy fuckers! Pay attention to me, we need to get this show on the road. I am Gale and Mom says that my father is Gabriel. I love fashion and hair-styling. I do my Mel and Mom's hair. I also make sure that all these other fuckers are dressed appropriately.

The only girl in the group reminded him, "Gale, you know how mom feels about cursing."

Gale shrugs, "I don't give two shits. It's her fault for letting Alec and Aleksandr take me out one two many times."

The girl sighs like this is not the first time they had this argument. This boy was exactly like Gabriel.

That thought is confirmed by Gabe with his next words, "What color do you think Sang has?"

Gale gives him a look, "It isn't one color. Mom always says it is just dirty blond, but no it is 'chamelon hair', damn it!"

Gabe claps his hand, "It is confirmed, this is my son!"

Everyone lets out a chuckle. Using this as a distraction, I discreetly pass Leif a chocolate. His eyes light up when he sees it and grabs it out of my hand quickly. I turn back towards my brother, but North is looking at me.

He stands up, "What are you doing, Luke?"

I innocently answer, "Nothing."

North takes a step forward, "I saw you give the chocolate to Leif."

This attracts Noah's attention who looks at Leif. Leif still has the chocolate in his hand.

We are caught, but this time there are two Norths to avoid.

Victor

I laugh as I watch Luke and Leif be cornered by North and Noah. It was quite funny to see. Luke is forced to hand over his chocolate to North while Noah took Leif's chocolate away.

The last boy cleared his throat, "I am Neal, Mom said my father is Nathan. I am the extra muscle for Mel when she wants something done."

Now, all of our attention is on the only girl, "I am Melody, you can call me Mel if you want. That is everyone."

Gabe whistles, "That is a lot of kids."

Mel rolls her eyes, "Yeah, Mom nearly died giving birth to us. Anyway, can you introduce yourselves? I am pretty sure I can recognize everyone from Mom's descriptions."

I smile, "Why don't you try to guess everyone's names?"

Melody nods, "Sure."

She walks up to Owen and says, "This is Owen Blackbourne. I see you have dropped the formalities that Mom said you treasured."

Uncomfortable with his daughter, Owen adjusts his tie, "I have dropped it with my family, Melody." 

She harrumphs and walks up to Dakota, "You must be Dakota or also called Kota."

Mel continues to North, "You are Mom's North Star. She said you always scowled." Instead of answering North just grunts.

The next one she walks up to is Silas, "You are Silas, you look too much like Sam not to be."

Melody quickly goes to Luke, "Ah, hello Luke. So it's your fault I am always saving Leif from his own pranks. I see your relationship with North reflects Noah and Leif's."

Luke smiles, "Does Sang talk about us?"

Mel looks up at him, "Yes, we grew up on stories about you."

She waltzes over to me next, "Victor Morgan, famous pianist. Mom always hoped your parents died a long time ago."

I chuckle a little, Sang always hated my parents, "They died about a year after Sang left."

Mel gives a little nod, "Good. Mom was this close to going to kill them the day she hacked into their computer. According to Uncle Alec, there were plans to put a life insurance claim on you and then kill you."

I gasp, "How did you find out?"

She looks at me, "Mom told us. I have half sure that Uncle Aleksandr sent assassins for them."

I tell her, "They were murdered."

Vincent jumps in, "They were despicable people anyway."

I am not entirely sure that our children are sane. It takes a certain upbringing to look at death like the way they do.

Sean

 Little Melody came up to me next, "This is Sean Green. I think you might want to take off your doctor's coat. It's a dead giveaway."

I look down and sure enough I am still in my scrubs. I had just finished a shift when the meeting with Dr. Roberts was going down. To think that my most-trusted mentor betrayed like that by sending Snag away and threatening our children. I guess just like other organizations the Academy is corrupt at the top. 

Mel went on to Gabriel, "Well, you are definitely Gabriel. Mom said to tell you that only herself and Gale have done her hair and mine."

Gabriel smiles, "Good, because I fucking claimed that hair. It's mine."

She chuckles like an angel and skips over to Nathan, "You look like Neal, so that make you Nathan. Was I right?"

I nod my head, "You guessed everyone. What about the people on the Toma Team? Do you know them?"

Melody walks up to Raven and says, "This is Raven. I have never met them face to face, but the others don't look Russian."

Raven grunts, "I am only professional Russian."

Mel walks up to Axel, "You look Native American. That makes you Axel."

She skips over to Brandon and Corey, "You are Brandon and you are Corey."

Corey is shocked, "How can you tell us apart? You have never met us before."

Mel smiles sadly, "Mom said that she could tell you apart by your eyes. Brandon has demons in his while yours sparkle with joy."

With that deep observation, she walks over to Marc, "That makes you Marc."

She went back to her brothers who immediately form a protective circle around her. I am not even sure they notice what they are doing. It is just instinct to protect Melody with her petite figure and big, green eyes.

I say, "Now that the introductions are done, I would like to know more about your past. Maybe we could see how Volto found Sang.

Gabriel

I cannot fucking believe that my brothers and I have kids from Sang no less. I can't believe that the fucking Academy would betray us like this. Damn them to hell! 

Noah volunteered to start explaining, "As you know, Mom met Auntie Agatha at a secure facility and went home to Russia with her. We were raised along side the Russian mafia heir, Alexei."

Raven fucking chocked on the water he was drinking, "You met Alexei and lived?"

Oliver answered, "Of course. There was even a point in time where Melody might have married him."

My team explodes at the idea of Melody getting married to the Russian mafia heir. Raven was the loudest, "He killed someone at five years old."

Mel shrugged, "He did it for me."

Everyone paused and looked at her. I asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Melody explained, "The guy tried to take me and touch me. I was only five and I was freaking out. Alexei was only five too, so he got his father's gun and shot him. Oliver was being entirely serious at the idea of Alexei marrying me. It was an idea Aleksandr got into his head one time, but Mom made sure he forgot about it."

I sighed in relief, "Thank fuck that the little fucker is far, far away."

Sam continued, "We aren't that innocent either. Most of us have killed someone or nearly killed someone before."

I yell, "What the fuck!"

Neal tells us, "It was usually to protect Melody. A lot of men thought she was just a maid at the mansion and wanted her. It is sick, but it has been happening since she was five. I don't regret their deaths."

I growl, "They are lucky that they are dead because I would have killed the fuckers themselves."

Mel smiles at me, "They mostly stopped after I shot Aleksandr's third-in-command. Everyone thought he would kill me instead he gave me a hug and stayed at my side."

I snicker, "Melody has the head of the Russian mafia around her little finger."

Raven seems really shocked too. I think that our kids are going to be interesting to have around.

Nathan 

Our kids were certainly interesting. Being raised under the Russian mafia had some interesting effects on how they work. 

Neal continued the story of their past, "Volto must have gotten mom when she went out shopping for our birthday. She had sent her guards back with our presents in order to avoid people trying to rob her. Mom had enough time to red-line us about Volto, so I think that there were two of them. Even if someone did see something, no one will say anything."

Luke was confused, "Why not?"

Raven gave him a look, "Mother Russia ruled by strongest. If you weak, you do not offend strong."

Marc corrected him, "You mean if you are weak, you do not offend people who are stronger."

Raven dismissed it, "Da. Same."

I asked, "How did Sang expect us to help you find her?"

Mel turned towards me, "No, us finding you is just mom trying to keep us out of the mess. She wants you to convince us not to be involved in any rescue attempt. Of course, we will be involved. If you do not choose to involve us, we will be heading back to Russia."

I sigh, "I am sure that you will be involved to a certain extent, but not anything dangerous."

Sam stood up once more and grabbed his gun, "You will need support because you have pulled out of the Academy. We will help and no one can stop us."

I already feel a headache coming. I know that no matter what we do they will be there. As much as I want to keep them out of it, we have no choice.

I know Owen has come to the same conclusion, "Fine, we will work together, but right now, we all need to rest."

Melody nods, "Okay, where will we be staying?"

I look at Kota who answers, "We don't have enough guest bedrooms."

Mel dismisses his worries, "Don't worry about it! We usually sleep together anyway."

I guess if that is what they are used to. I get up and motion for them to follow me. I lead them into our biggest guest bedroom. There is even a couch and a huge bed.

I see them run in and finally behave like children, not like mini-adults. They were forced to grow up too fast and I blame the Academy or at least the Council. 

Mel claims the couch with Leif while the others collapse on the bed. It is like a huge puppy pile and just as adorable. 

I leave the room as they change into pajamas. They really did come prepared. Sang raised our children beautifully and I hope once we have her back, we will show that we are still worth her time.

***

Word Count : 3652