The Peters

Ms. Lippy

>ANOTHER SKIP GUYS I'M SO SORRY! I need to find a grounding time, because I keep saying I'll stop but oh well. This was another large skip so we can stay for awhile - and shit is going to get real guys. Again I'm sorry. Thank you - Quinton's now 18 (*sniff*), Tessa's 15, and Olivia is 10.<

*4 years later*

[Evan's POV]

"Daddy, look at this." Olivia smiles, her thin blonde wisps of hair tickling my face when she crawled onto my lap. I groan slightly, bearing her weight. She was almost the same height as Tessa but refused to think about growing out of childish habits yet. I didn't want her to though, she was the only one left. I take the lined paper in my hands and examine her drawing, which was seriously amazing.

"You drew that?" I didn't sound convinced, but that made her even prouder. She nods, pointing to the sunset with her finger, the nail painted messily with a light blue.

"I mixed the colours with water colours, see!?" She exclaims, and I chuckle.

"Of course! How could I miss it?" Her hands snatch the notebook from my grasp, and she runs off shouting for Taissa to come see it. I push myself off the old couch and it was still in pretty good condition, considering we'd had it since Quinton was born.

"Where's mom?" He asks as if on cue. Now he was almost my height - 5'9". His hair was a spitting image of mine, except a tad lighter that my natural hair colour. Quinn's face was Taissa's though, large but swollen eyes, long narrow head and he even had a small mole beside his nose that had only grown in the last year or two. All three of our kid's had her eye shape, and I loved it - they were mesmerizing.

"With Olive," I nod my head to the left, where she had run to. He holds out a fist as I walk past, and I meet it with a bump. He was in his last year of school, the thought pained me. The plans were already made, he was going to get a bachelors degree in language arts - he enjoy'd writing. I just couldn't stand that he'd be gone in less than a year. I stoop into the kitchen, Tessa in her spot at the kitchen table. "What are you up to Tess?" She whips her head around, glancing at me. Then her attention is brought back to the phone in her hands. "Who ya talkin' to?"

"No one." She mumbles, turning it off as I rest my arms on the back of the chair, her hair was curled today. "What are you doing?" She retorts, sassily. I eye, her from behind. Usually she never had an attitude toward me.

"Nothing, Ms. Lippy." I ruffle her hair, and she swats at my hand, half pissed of and half jokingly. "What would you like for supper?"

"I won't be here." She hums, averting her eyes from me.

"Oh really?" I skid over to the fridge, scratching my arm on the way there. "What are your plans?"

"I'm going to the theatre," Tessa's voice retreated as I pressed on casually. "at around 5."

"With who?" I tilt my head slightly at the question, whilst pulling a jug of orange juice from the fridge.

"My boyfriend." She murmurs, and I see a small smile on her thin lips. I wanted to ask more questions but I figured I'd let it go for now, before she got angry. I hadn't known she even had one; it's not that I didn't listen, she just hadn't said anything.

"You have a boyfriend?" A deeper voice cuts in, sounding amused at the statement. Quinton pulls a chair and sits beside his sister, who he enjoyed to tease but then again he was good at being the older brother. Her eyes widen embarrassed, as she glances at him. Her hair was a dark golden brown, whilst his was a deeper shade. Olivia's had to be the lightest - not matching any of ours. "Come on, tell me," He laughs, nudging her roughly. After no reply he continues. "Sheldon? Timmy? Little quirky glasses and braces?"

"Quinn" I warn, my voice firm, but I couldn't stop myself from smiling.