Lets Add Three

"Can I hold Angel-la Now?"

A/N: This one goes out to Rene for being the second person to get all the questions right on the 'Our Little Secret' Quiz :)

Chapter 8:

"How do we even go about finding a lawyer?" Kirstie asks after a while of silence, and calm, her head against his chest.
     "I don't know honey," he sighs, running his fingers through her hair.
     "Do we have anyone we can ask? Someone must know something about lawyers."
     "You're starting to stress again. The whole point was for you to calm down for when the kids are home."
     "But they're not home, we have to go get them," she speaks reasonably, trying to prove she was in fact calm, he had 'calmed' her despite his lack of movement due to his back.
     "I'll walk to get Marcia and you can go pick up the other three?" he suggests.
     "Can you even walk that far old man?" she jokes.
     "Excuse you. It's not even 10 minutes, and at this moment my back feels fine, you might have clicked it back into place," he smirks.
     She rolls her eyes. "What time is it mega-dork?"
     Avi turns his head to look at the clock, "About two."
     "So we still have an hour until we have to pick Martian up?"
     "Yeah."
     "Well I think that maybe I need to be calmed some more," she looks up at him with a smirk.
     "Do you really think I have that kind of energy?"

...

Kirstie must have reminded Avi a hundred times not to forget Jake when he went to get Marcia. It's not like they'd been picking him up for a month or so now. It was just because the circumstances were different today and would be for the rest of the year.
     Avi was waiting outside the school with the other parents, mostly moms, so he was a few looks. The looks weren't bad looks exactly, more like the kind of looks that made Avi want to re-adjust how his arms were folded so that his wedding ring was on display.
     It seemed like he was waiting there forever before the bell rung. And of course all the older kids were out first, running. He spots Jake first coming down the steps, again a handful of drawings clutched to him. The young boy walks straight up to Avi.
     "Is Marshar sick today?"
     "Did you not see her at lunch?" Avi asks with a frown.
     Jake shakes his head.
     "Oh well no, she's not, she's-" he stops, he didn't know how to explain it to a five year old. Could he just tell him that he doesn't like Mr Lewis? Or does he need to think of a more clever excuse. He doesn't have to answer though because Marcia arrives pulling her best friend into a hug before her dad.
     "It's been since forever that I seen you," she tells Jake.
     "Where were ya?" he asks.
     "I'm in Mrs Alice's class now. She's better than Mr Lewis," she smiles.
     "Aww man. I want ta go there too!" The boy frowns.
      And that was that, they didn't ask why again.

...

Avi opens the door to Esther, Kevin and Angela. "I almost forgot you guys were coming over tonight," he chuckles then without looking puts his leg out to stop Aurelia crawling out the door. It was instinct now, four times last week, that baby was trying to escape.
     "Every Monday night Avriel," she smirks, "Just couldn't the last couple of weeks because baby," she gestures over her shoulder at Angela in the car seat Kevin was carrying.
     "But we have to come to you because you have four of them to organise," Kevin jokes.
     Esther squats down and Avi lets Aurelia crawl to her. The aunt picks her up and kisses the top of her head as Avi lets them in.
     Marcia comes tearing around the corner, "Can I hold Angel-la now?" Jake comes running after her, but stops dead in his tracks when he sees two people he doesn't know.
     "Later sweet-pea," Esther smiles.
     Marcia turns away, back to Jake. "This just my Auntie Estaa and Uncle Kev," she points. "They're nice." She takes his hand and pulls him over. "This is my hus-a-band, Jake," she grins.
     "Oh my gosh, you got married and you didn't even invite me?" Esther feigns shock.
     "Don't worry, me and Kirst weren't there either," Avi laughs.
     Marcia smiles at them, "Can you come low Uncle Kev so we can sees Angel-la," she asks, gesturing at the ground.
     Kevin crouches down, placing the carry-case on the ground in front of him. Marcia places her hands on the handle, looking in on her cousin. "She's so cute."
      "And small," Jake adds peering over Marcia's shoulder, nervously, he didn't want to get too close, he hadn't seen many babies before.
     "I still get to hold her later right?" Marcia asks, not looking away from Angela.
Kevin nods, "After dinner."
     "Okay, we're gonna go play now," she announces and drags Jake back off to where they came from.
     "How's the situation?" Esther asks as soon as the kids are gone.
     Kirstie walks into the room with Bella and Giselle, one in each arm, both squirming, "Avi, Avi, Avi," she calls as Giselle arches backwards in her arm. She could carry two of them easy enough now that they could reach for her and hold on themselves. Avi had an easier time though, not only were his arms bigger, and he was stronger than his wife, but the girls never arched away from him because they would rather pull his beard, painfully enough.
     Avi strides over and takes Giselle from her arms and as expected she goes straight for his beard, he knows this so he catches her hand before she can, causing her to whine a little. "The situation is still a situation and we don't know where to start to fix it."
     "Well we do," Kirstie starts, "But we don't know how to get a lawyer, a good one," she puts Bella down on the play mat where Avi puts Giselle and Esther moves to put Aurelia.
     "I don't know any that work in custody, I know one who deals in Criminal Law, I can ask him if he knows anyone?" Kevin suggests.
     "Did you meet him at Yale too?" Kirstie asks.
     Kevin nods, "Even though Yale isn't necessarily the school for Law you know," he shrugs.
     "Doesn't matter, he's a good lawyer though?" Avi asks.
     Kevin nods again. "Top of his class, super successful now, his wife is a teacher and they're very into Charity work and all that, they're good people."
     "What's his name?" Kirstie asks.
     "Jasper Whitlock."
     Avi laughs, "I wonder if he's related to Alice, Marcia's new teacher." He pauses as his words sink in.
     "What you mean Marcia's new teacher Mrs Whitlock?" Kirstie raises an eyebrow.
     Avi looks between the other three adults in the room, "That wouldn't be a coincidence right?"

A/N: Oooo things are starting to come together :o

Also expect another update of this story very soon, not #soon, just soon so it's only half swearing XD 

Hannah :)