Stay (The Kids Aren't Alright Sequel)

Thirty-Five (O.M.)

AN: like I said at the end of the last chapter, this chapter is basically the rest of A.J.'s pregnancy. This chapter starts in March, a week after the wedding. A.J. is roughly five months pregnant. Also... The time line for this story is so f ucked up right now, I cry. So yeah, enjoy!

Connie xx

Thirty-Five

And in the end, I'd do it all again.

I think you're my best friend.

Don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright?

"I'm so ready to be home. I've missed my baby boy." Alex says as we get off the plane. I chuckled a little as we walked through the airport to the baggage claim, completely agreeing with him. Our honeymoon had been great, but we missed Eli more than anything. A week without the smiling one year old was too long it seemed. We had called every night of course, but it just wasn't the same.

"I've missed him too. Hopefully he wasn't too much trouble for my parents..."

"I still can't believe you let them watch him. If he's emotionally scared when we get him home, I'm never going to let you live it down." A.J. promises, earning an eye roll from me.

"They never get to watch him and they were starting to take it personally. I'm sure he's fine." I tried to reassure but to be honest I wasn't exactly sure if Eli was going to be fine. I could still remember shit my parents did when I was little... I shook my head a little in hopes of getting the dark thoughts out of my mind, grabbing Alex's hand while we walked out of the airport. The ride to my parents house was a short one, but it still felt like it took forever. I was ready to see my bear, I was ready to be home.

"Five bucks your dad is reading some magazine while your pa chases Olivia around the house in a gorilla mask." Alex says as soon as I pull into my parents driveway. I rolled my eyes at that before climbing out of the car.

"You have no faith in my parents."

"I'm just speaking from experience." A.J. teases, grabbing my hand as we walk towards the front door. We didn't even bother knocking, walking right in to see Pa was indeed running around in a gorilla mask with Olivia screaming at the top of her lungs. Dad on the other hand was standing in the front room with Eli in his arms, making funny faces at the baby as Eli watches Pa. Eli was giggling and clapping his hands, enjoying every second of it while Alex and I just stood in the front door.

"Feels great to be home, doesn't it?"

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April (six months)

"Do we really have to watch your brothers?" I asked Alex as we sit at the kitchen table. Eli was eating his cheerios quite contently, looking at Alex and I every once in a while with a gap tooth smile. I would occasionally pull a face at him, just so he would start giggling. Alex was having on of those days though where he wanted me to listen to everything he said, so he was a little irritated with me.

"Yes, I promised my parents that we would watch them. They've been married for like twenty-three years, Olly. They deserve a chance to go do something besides hanging out at home. It's only for a week, and they'll be at school for most of it. We aren't even really watching Aiden and Jaiden, we're just making sure they don't set the house on fire while my parents are gone. This means a lot to my parents, Oliver... They watch Eli for us."

"I just don't get why Jemma and Jonah can't watch them."

"Because my parents want the house intact when they get back."

"Still failing to see the point here. They're seventeen."

"My dad doesn't want anymore grandchildren for a while."