Something to Hide **Complete**

[Ally3772]

Come Home to Me

"Aria! What are you doing you cutie?!" I asked.

"Fly!" She squealed.

"Yeah? Is your toy flying?"



She laughed and bounced up and down. I smiled and watched her go back and forth with her toy.

"Mommy is going to be in the other room, okay?" I said.

"Okay!"

I smiled and walked into the living room. Griffin was sitting on the couch working on homework.

"How's it going bud?" I asked.

"Fine, this is easy stuff." He said.

"That's good."

I smiled and watched him work.

"Dad leaves tomorrow." He sighed.

"I know, I'm going to miss him too." I told him.

"I'll be here for you though, and I will take over being the man of the house."

"I appreciate that, but you just need to focus on being a kid. Okay?"

"Okay."

I stroked the back of his head lightly.

Morning came and I woke up with a heavy heart. Adam and I got dressed in silence, and it was the worst kind of silence because neither one of us wanted to be apart this long. It was good for his career though and it would go by fast.

"Should we wake the kids?" I asked.

"No, it's still early. I said my goodbyes last night." He said.

I nodded.

"It's going to be okay, alright?" He said.

"I know, I just don't want to say goodbye." I said, starting to tear up.

"I know baby."

He grabbed his things and walked out of the bedroom. He set them down by the door and walked back over to me.

"I'm going to go kiss the kids." He said.

I nodded.




I was standing in the kitchen with my arms crossed trying to hold myself together.

"Okay, well. The longer we wait the harder it'll be." He sighed.

"I can't do this." I cried.

"Hey, hey."

He pulled me in his arms.



"You are the strongest person I know, okay? You are a wonderful mother and they are lucky to have you!" He told me.

"They need you too." I cried.

"They have me, I'll just be gone two weeks."

I nodded and cried into his shoulder.

"I'm a phone call away, anything happens and I'm right back here." He said, his own voice shaking.

"Promise?"

"Promise."



He looked at the clock.

"I have to go baby. I love you so much." He said.

"I love you so much too."

He kissed me once more before I grabbed his hands.



"You come home to me, you hear me?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Always." He smiled.

With that, I watched the love of my life walk out the doors.

...

"Daddy gone?" Aria asked.

I spent most of the morning trying to keep myself together for the kids. I was currently bathing Aria because she had an accident overnight. We have been working with her on potty training but she was struggling with it.

"Yeah baby, daddy is gone. But he is coming home soon!" I told her.

"I miss him." She said.

"I do too."

She splashed the water and giggled.

"You like the bubbles?" I asked.

"Bubb!" She squealed.



"I would be lost without you princess."

Once bath time was over I relinquished her back into the wild. I watched her toddle out of the room and find her next adventure to cause mayhem. Griffin was already at school so it was just Aria and I and the quietness of the house. Griffin hardly talked before leaving for school and I could tell he was taking it hard. Adam and him had a strong bond together, you always hear the term "mama's boy" but not with Griffin. He wanted to grow up to be just like his dad and he was so proud of him.

Later that day I walked into living room. Aria wanted a pajama day so I allowed her to be in her pajamas. She was holding on to her green sippy cup which was her favorite one even though she had twenty more in the cabinet. She insisted on that one though which meant we were cleaning it a million times a day. She babbled to herself while I sat there and wondered went on in her little mind of hers.



She was something else that was for sure.

Three Days Later

RING! RING!

"I got it!" Griffin said.

I was in the kitchen making dinner. It was nothing Adam could make, but it was something. The kids didn't seem to run away yet from my cooking so I must be doing something right.

"Mama, it's for you." Griffin said.

He walked over and handed the phone to me.

"Thanks bud, go back to your room and I'll call you when dinner is ready." I told him.

He nodded before leaving the room.

"This is Sierra." I answered.

"Hello Sierra, my name is Anthony and I'm calling from Johnsonville Culinary School. We're calling to inquire about your husband, Adam's whereabouts. Do you know where he might be?" He asked.

"I-I'm sorry but you must be mistaken. He left for there three days ago." I told him.

I heard papers flipping.

"I'm sorry ma'am but my records say that he hasn't checked in."

I grabbed onto the counter.

"When was the last time you heard from him?"

"Uh- Um, I don't understand."

"I know this is alarming, but I need to know when the last time you heard from him is."

"Just a little after he left he dropped his p-phone and he said he would get another one as soon as he could. I-I just assumed that he hadn't gotten around to it."

"Don't be alarm-"

"I'm sorry but you're telling me that my husband is missing and not to be alarmed?!"

"We're going to get to the bottom of this ma'am, I'm sure he is fine we just needed to make sure he wasn't at home."

After informing me that they would notify the police and get back to me when they had more information I hung up the phone. I just stood there staring blankly at the wall feeling as if I could just puke everywhere. I ran to the bathroom and threw up everything that I had eaten that day. I sat on the floor wiping my mouth, I covered my mouth and cried into my palms.

Where was he?

Was he safe?

Bum bum bummm

[Ally3772]

Numb

Three days later I was standing in the same spot where I got the first phone call. Only this time I was sobbing in my hands as the phone laid on the floor.

"Mom?" Griffin asked.

My eyes shot open and I quickly turned around and wiped the tears from my face.

"What's up bud?" I asked.

He walked over to me.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing, nothing. I was just having a moment." I told him.

"You're lying." He said, calling me out.

I sighed, he was right. We were always upfront with him.

"Come here." I said.

I led him to the living room and sat him down. I took a deep breath to gather myself before taking one of his hands and holding it.

"Three days ago, the school your dad was going to called. They said that he wasn't there yet and were wondering where he was. I told him that he should have been there already and they looked further into it. Bud, they just called. The police found his car on the side of the road..."

I saw his face fall.

"He's gone bud. I am so sorry," I cried, "It looks as if he tried to swerve to miss a deer in the road and lost control of the car and hit a tree head on. They found the deer dead on the other side of the road."

"No! NO! You're lying!" He cried.

"I wish I was Griffin! I wish I was!"

He collapsed into my arms, his whole body shaking as the sobs echoed from his mouth.

"So, I'm going to call the school tomorrow and we're going to take some time to come to grasp with all of this, okay?"

He nodded.

...

"Hi Ellie." I greeted.

She squeaked at me.

"It's been a while. I have some bad news." I told her.

I held up a fish for her.



"Adam is gone, he got into an accident on the way to the culinary school." I said, choking up again.

She nuzzled me.

"It's just me and the kids now and I don't know how I'm going to do this all alone."

I had no family, and no friends because I could never get close enough to anyone in case they found my secret out. So it was just the kids and I and my coworkers who I never spoke too outside of work. My boss gave me a week paid time off to get everything together. Griffin was off school for a few days, I wanted him to have longer but he didn't want to get behind.

"I have to go back in now Ellie. Thank you for being here."

She made a happy noise as I softly brushed her.



"Mama!" Aria cheered.

"Hey princess!" I said.

"Wrong?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Nothing is wrong sweetie."

I bent down and hugged her.

"Daddy still gone?"

I looked at the floor as I rubbed her back and held her in my arms.

"Daddy died princess, remember? I told you he isn't coming home?"

"Yeah." She said sadly.

"I know."



"I'm going to go check on bubba okay?" I asked.

She nodded.

She insisted on caling Griffin bubba, and we had no idea where she had came up with it either. He loved the nickname and it eventually stuck.

"Griffin?" I asked.

"He didn't fix it!" He cried.

"Bud!"

I rushed over to him.

"He didn't fix it! He said he would fix it! He didn't do it!"



I rushed over to him and hugged him.

"Your castle? I can fix it." I told him.

"He said he would do it! This isn't fair!" He sobbed.

"I know, and I wish I could change what happened."

My heart was breaking, but I had to remain strong for him and Aria. They were so young and didn't understand what was going on fully.

"Can I be alone?" He asked, after a while.

"Of course, I'm here if you need me." I told him.

I kissed his forehead and left the room, closing the door behind me.

A Week Later

I felt empty.

The house was quiet and in the worst way possible. I woke up alone, I got the kids where they needed to be alone, I was just alone. He would've been back in a few days, and he would tell me about all of the things that he learned while at the school. I blamed myself a lot and it got so bad that I went to see a therapist. Of course she told me that it wasn't my fault, and that it was just his time. I ended up walking out because what an insensitive thing to say. It was his time?! Time to leave his two kids and wife?! The nerve of her. Most days I had to force myself to get out of bed, and then force myself to eat. Because of on top of everything I wasn't feeling the best.



The cake was a mistake.

I darted from my chair and ran into the bathroom. I had just made it to the toilet before everything came up.



I stood up and walked to the sink. I brushed my teeth and looked at myself in the mirror. Something in my brain clicked and my stomach sank. I went in the cabinet we had in the bathroom and pulled out a box. I stared at it like it was a bomb.

I couldn't be.

Could I?

Five minutes later I was staring at a pink plus sign.

I was pregnant.

I hope you all had your tissues </3 RIP Adam, I miss him already!

[Shewolf13]

No! Not Adam! --cries--

[Ally3772]

Finding the New Normal

"Hey mom?" Griffin asked.

"Yes bud?" I asked.

"My homework is done, is there anything you need help with?"

"Umm, I don't think so."

He nodded.

"You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I miss him still." He told me.

"That won't go away, but it'll get easier as time goes by."

"I just wish he could be here for the new baby."

"Me too bud."

"I have name ideas if you need them!"

"Hit me!"

"Andrew for a boy, we could call him Drew for short. Then for a girl Vanessa, Nessa for short!"

I thought about them for a moment.

"I actually love both of those!" I told him.

He grinned proudly.

...

"I thought you said that your homework was finished?" I asked later that night.

He was sitting on Aria's bed.

"I'm just doing some extra credit questions." He said softly.

"Ah, okay."



"Bed time is soon bud." I reminded him.

"I know! I have my alarm on my phone set!"

"Good idea."

"I just wanted to check on Aria and see if she was okay."

"That's sweet of you."

"I'm the man of the house now, I need to make sure everyone is taken care of."

I felt a twang of pain in my heart. He meant well and it was cute, but I didn't want to have to grow up this fast.

"Griffin, I appreciate you wanting to do that. But you need to be a kid to and have fun."

"I know, and I will, but dad would have wanted me to look out for things. So that is what I am going to do."

I just smiled and headed out of the room.

I walked out do the deck where there was a plate of toast sitting on the table with a note.

I know your tummy is upset still, but you need to eat!

-Griffin

I smiled and sat down.



He really was a great kid.

"I miss you Adam." I whispered.

It was hard to grasp still that he was gone, but having the kids to focus on made it a bit easier. I walked back inside and checked on Griffin, he was already asleep. I bent down and made sure his blanket was high enough.

"Goodnight sweet boy."




My stomach turned as I heard Aria's laugh as she ran down the hallway.

"Get back here little one! Why are you up?" I asked as I scooped her up.

"Play!" She said.

"No, no! Play time is tomorrow! Now it is sleep time!"

I carried her back to her room and tucked her in.

"Where is bubba?"

"Bubba is sleeping."

She fiddled around with her fingers.

"Goodnight princess."

I kissed her forehead and walked out of the room.

...

The third trimester came quickly, and work tried to give me time off for the new baby but I needed my hours. So I was going to work until I physically couldn't anymore. This one seemed a little easier for some reason and I wasn't trusting it one bit. I fully expected him or her to be a difficult child because of it.

"Can I feel?!" Griffin asked.

"Of course!"



"I think it's a girl!" He told me.

"You think so?"

He nodded and patted my belly again.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked.

"I'm okay mama." He told me.

"Good."

I went and got dressed for the day. I walked into Griffin's room to find Aria standing and looking around.

"What are you doing in bubba's room?" I asked her.

"Noffin." She said.

"She's okay mama." Griffin said, walking in with a glass of orange juice.

"Come here kids." I told them.

I sat on the floor.

"I just want you both to know how proud of you I am. I know Aria doesn't understand what that means, or probably half of what I am even saying. I know it's been rough losing your dad and that pain will stay with you forever. But he would be proud of you guys as well and I believe that he is watching you grow. I love you guys."

"We love you mama." Griffin smiled.

"Lob mama!" Aria said.

Griffin and I just laughed.



Later that night I went outside and was struck by a sudden pain. I knew this pain.

"OW!" I hissed.

I grabbed my stomach and waited patiently for the pain to go away.



A few hours later I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

"Welcome to the world Vanessa." I cooed.

She was so pretty.



I put her bassinet in Aria's room.

We didn't have a spare room for each kid so she would have to share with her sister.

"It'll be okay Aria." I told her.

"My room!" She cried.

"You have to share with your sister!"

She huffed.



It didn't take long for Griffin to go into protective brother mode and want to help out.

"I'm going to go make her a bottle, will you stay with her?" I asked.

"I have her!" He told me.

I smiled and watched him for a moment.

"Don't cry little one!" He cooed.



I walked into the kitchen feeling very tired, but very blessed. I was a mom of three now, and I wished Adam could be here, but I'm sure he was watching over us.

Another girl! Welcome to the world Vanessa!

[Ally3772]

Three Little Monsters

"And up!" I said.

"WEEE!" Aria laughed.

"Are you flying?!" I asked.

"I am!"

I smiled as I spun her in the air.



I laughed as I spun her once more before putting her back on the ground.

"More!" Aria cheered.

"Mommy is tired." I told her.

"Pwease!" She said.

I heard Nessa start to cry.

"Your sister is crying, I have to go see what she needs."

"But play time." Aria cried.

"Later sweetie!"

I kissed her forehead before heading to their room.



"Don't cry little one." I soothed.

I bounced her from side to side while humming.

"It's going to be okay." I told her.

She eventually calmed down after rocking her for a bit.

"That's it." I cooed.



I placed her in her bassinet before going to the back on the balcony.

"Hey bud! You okay?" I called.

Griffin was in the water practicing his back floats.

"Yeah!" He said.

"Okay, but ten more minutes and I want you inside!"

"Okay mom!"

I smiled.



I walked back inside.

The house was a complete mess. It's like three little monsters came in and tore everything off the shelves. I began to pick up toys, miscellaneous clothes, books, and whatever was lying around. I had today off so I guess I was going to spend it cleaning up. Adam would usually be the one to clean up the most because he enjoyed things like that. We were coming up to the first birthdays he would miss, first was Aria's in a few days and then after that was Griffin's almost right after. I would be an adult in a few days as well but that was nothing compared to the kids.

"How was the swim?" I asked.

Griffin was wrapped in a towel.

"The water is really nice!" He said.

"That's good."

"Why don't you swim anymore mama?"

"Just not as much time these days bud. Nothing bad about it, but I just would rather be with you guys."

"Oh." He said sadly.

"Hey, no being sad. I'm not placing the blame on you guys, okay?"

"Alright."

I kissed his forehead.

"CRY!" I heard Aria yelling.

Sure enough, Vanessa was crying.

I walked into their room and she was standing there in front of the bassinet.

"Cry mama!" She said, pointing at the bassinet.



"Thank you Aria!" I said.

She watched as I picked Nessa up.

"What's wrong now sweetie?" I asked.

I rocked her back and forth.



"I have her bottle mama!" Griffin said.

"How did you heat it?" I asked.

"The microwave! I didn't use the stove."

"Well thank you!"

I took the bottle and started to feed her.

"I'm tired." Aria whined.

"Nap time?" I questioned.

She just nodded her head and crawled into bed.

"Night Aria." Griffin said, hugging her.

"Night bubba!"




...

"Happy birthday dear Aria! Happy birthday to you!" Griffin and I sang.

We watched as she blew out her candles.

"Is it time now?!" Griffin asked.

He had been excited for the cake all day and was constantly asking me about it.

I giggled, "Yes, it is time for cake!"

"Me first! It's my birthday!" Aria demanded.

"Hey, manners birthday girl." I warned.

My baby girl was now a child!



Next on the list was Griffin and I and then Vanessa! Where was the time going?

Anyone else HATE the toddler stage only because they seem to have low EVERYTHING all at once?! Ugh.

[Ally3772]

Growing Pains

My name is Sierra, I am a single mother of three children, I am also a widow. Added to my list was at the top of the Conservation career, and now an adult. I didn't want to make a big deal about my birthday because I wasn't too excited about being older. Also who knew that getting older brought so much random pain along for the ride. My joints ached more and more along with being tired easily, but that could just be having three kids.

"This fruit salad is good mom!" Aria told me.

"That's good!" I smiled.

"Now that I'm older, can I have my own room?" She asked.

"Honey, I wish that was possible but this house only had three bedrooms."

"Oh."

She sadly played with her food.

"I can see what I can work out though."

"Okay!"



Next in line for the birthday train was Vanessa!

"She has black hair." Griffin said sadly.

"She has your hair!" Adam grinned.

"Griffin has my hair too." I pointed out.

"Time for a third one." He shrugged.

I laughed.

Adam looked at me and kissed me softly.

I looked at Vanessa, "Yeah, she does."

It was one of those bittersweet moments where I was sad that Adam wasn't here to rub it in my face that he was right about the third one having his hair, but I was happy to see her grow up.



"Come here big girl!" I said.

I scooped her up and threw her into the air. She giggled as I spun her around.

"You're beautiful!" I told her.

She giggled at me.



...

"How is the homework coming guys?" I asked.

"Fine!" They answered.

Griffin and Aria were outside working on homework.

"Hey mom! Guess what!" Griffin said.

"What?" I asked.

"My teacher is bringing cupcakes in for my birthday tomorrow!" He cheered.

"That's good!"

"You should bring me one!" Aria said.

"You aren't in my class silly."



I laughed as I walked back inside.

"How are you doing with that Vanessa?" I asked.

She was trying her first solid food which was something easy like a banana. She had it all mushed into her fingers but she seemed to be eating it okay.

"Mmm!" She said.

She held her mushy hands up.

"Yeah? I'm glad you are enjoying them baby." I said smiling.

Tomorrow came faster than I thought it would and after school had ended my little boy grew up to be a teenager.



"You look handsome!" I gushed.

"Mooooom." He groaned.

"What, are you gonna turn into a moody teen on me?"

He sighed.

I laughed at him.

"Who wants cake?!" I called.

We sat at the table and enjoyed some chocolate cake.

"Can we go swimming?!" Aria suggested.

"It is a nice night for it!" I agreed.

"Let's go!"

I put Vanessa down for the night and thankfully she went to bed right away.

"MOM!"

I snapped my head up as I realized it was Griffin yelling.

"GRIFFIN?!" I screamed back.

I darted outside and ran to the back of the house.

"What is happening?!" He cried.

He was laying half in the water and half on the sand, my eyes traveled down to his mermaid fin.

"Well, there is our answer." I sighed.

"Am I a mermaid?!" He gasped.

"You are in fact a mermaid." I told him.

"I wanna be one!" Aria gasped.



"Since both of you are old enough for this talk, come here." I said.

Both of them came out of the water and sat down by me.

"Griffin, we already touched on this subject. However, Aria you need to know this. Mommy is also a mermaid." I told them.

"You are?!" She gasped excitedly.

"Yes, and as cool as it may be, we can't tell anyone that me or your brother are mermaids, got it?"

"I got it, but why not?! It's so cool!"

"Because, the science lab wants to find mermaids and complete horribly painful tests on them. So if they were to find out then we would be taken from you."

"Oh." She said sadly.

"There is a chance that you are a mermaid too, but we won't know until apparently teen years. When you do develop your fin you also have to look completely different from your normal self to cloak your normal identity from your mermaid one."

"I understand."

"Do you understand? Even though you already knew?" I asked Griffin.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now how about a swim?!"




It was weird having someone else in the family be a mermaid. I couldn't wait for him to see Ellie!

Just one more toddler stage... Just one more...

[Shewolf13]

D'awww XD I love the toddler stage lol but yeah it can be rough. Loving this ^^

[Ally3772]

Making the Team

"Griff, you've been out here working out for hours." I told him.

"I need to make the team mom." He grunted.

"You're overworking yourself, you won't be making any team if you're dead."

He laughed, "I can handle this."

I sighed.

"At least take this bottle of water."

I walked over and handed him a bottle of water.



I stood and watched him run on the treadmill. Ever since he started High School all he had talked about was the football team and how he wanted to make it. He took it hard when the couch said he was to scrawny to be on the team. He came home and went directly into his room and slammed the door. I hated seeing him so beat up, but the next day I surprised him by setting up one of the decks with a treadmill and a weight lifter machine. He was so excited and has been on them every single day since.

"Well, if you don't mind I think I will join you." I told him.

"You're going to work out?" He asked.

"No, meditate."

He chuckled.

He laughed, but it was relaxing and it helped clear my mind.



...

"What are you up too Vanessa?" I asked.

"I got her some lunch!" Aria said proudly.

"You did?"

Aria nodded.

"Cheese!" Nessa said holding up a part of a grilled cheese.



"I'm jealous!" I giggled.

"Momma?" Aria asked.

"Yeah?"

"How are we gonna explain to her about dad? She'll never meet him."

I wasn't expecting that question.

"Well, we have pictures and stories. Like how we did with you, and you can be a big help since you were only her age when dad passed." I told her.

"Yeah." She said sadly.

I brushed her cheek softly.

"He would have loved you so much, he would call you his princess." I told her.

"He did?"

"Yeah! He was so excited when you were born."

She smiled.

Griffin's POV

I was exhausted.

Between keeping up with school, trying to make the football team, and helping with the girls I was wiped. Mom told me that I didn't have to carry so much on my shoulders, but I was the man of the house now. I was thankful to that we had a library down the street but not for the reasons that one would think. Mom wouldn't be happy if she found out but I told her I was going to the library for a few hours when I was really going to work. I picked up a job at the local coffee shop to bring in some extra cash. I haven't figured out how to tell her yet so I've been keeping the money in a little box under my bed. I just didn't want her to struggle with dad being gone. It was my job to step it up.

"You know mom is going to kill you right?" I asked.

Aria jumped.

"Don't scare me like that!" She hissed.

"You're not even suppose to be in here." I scolded.

"I'm not breaking anything."

"That's not the point."

I sat down to work on my homework.




"It's just a little bit of makeup."

"Why do you even need that? You're still a kid."

"I just wanna see what the fascination it about."

"Make up is grown up stuff, and Aria trust me, you don't want to grow up too fast."

"What do you know about being a grown up?" She asked.

"Who do you think has been helping with you guys?" I asked.

"I don't need watching."

I laughed.

She got up and walked past me.

"Looks scary." I told her.

"Like your face!" She retorted.



After my homework I told Aria to wash off the disaster on her face.

"Nessa!" I said.

She was sitting on the floor in the living room.

"Bubba!" She giggled.

"I see Aria taught you my nickname." I grinned.

I picked her up and spun her around.

"How about a bath?"

"Baff!"



As much as I was not suppose to admit it, I did love my little sisters.

I would just never admit it out loud.

Kinda a blah chapter, but wanted to get one out!

[Ally3772]

Making Changes

"I got it!!" Griffin screamed as he walked into the house.

"Jesus! Griff! Got what?" I gasped, startled.

"The team! Coach picked ME!" He announced.

"That's great!"

I walked over to him and hugged him.



"I cannot believe all my hard work paid off!" He admitted.

"I'm proud of you Griffin!" I smiled.

"Thanks mom."

My heart grew twice it's size as I watched him get excited about making the football team. I struggled a lot with being a single mother and I was unsure a lot of the times if I was making the right choices. Some days I still woke up thinking that Adam was still alive, that he was just out grabbing groceries, or simply at work. I tend to let my mind drift to wondering if I had said no to the school trip if would still be alive, or would it have happened another way? It killed me that the kids were growing up and he wasn't here to see them.

"I'm home!" Aria announced.

"Good, you both are here!" I told them.

"What's going on?" Griffin asked.

"While you were gone some of my coworkers came by and helped me with a few things." I began.

"Like what?" Aria asked.

"Well, you had brought up your interest in your own room-"

"AM I GETTING MY OWN ROOM?!"

I laughed.

"Calm down and listen." Griffin told her.

"To answer your question, yes. You are getting your own room. You are now in the room Griffin was in." I told her.

"Wait, what?!" He gasped.

"Relax, I'm not throwing you to the curb just yet. You have your own little space where the hot tub used to be. I figured since no one ever used it I would turn it into a little room just for you."

"Awesome!"

"Can we see?!" Aria asked.

"Of course!"





"I got a hedgehog?!?!" She screamed.

"Yes, but if you don't take care of it then it's going to the shelter." I told her.

"Thank you! Thank you mama!"

She hugged me.

"Do you like it?" I asked.

"I love it!!!"

I walked into Griffin's room.

"I see you found the new video game system and television." I giggled.

"This really is great mom." He told me.

"I just wanted you all to have your space. That's important to have, so on bad days you can just relax by yourself."

"Thank you mom."

"I'm here for you guys kiddo."



I walked back into Aria's room.

"I see after all the hard work of getting her room set up she sleeps on your pillows." I laughed.

"She just crawled on them and fell asleep." Aria told me.

Vanessa was sleeping on the pillows next to Aria's bookshelves.



"It's crazy to think that she will be a kid soon." I told her.

"She better not touch my stuff." Aria told me.

"Now, now. She is your sister."

"I suppose."

I just giggled.

"Are you happy baby?"

"I love my new room mama!"

"Have you picked a name out for him yet?"

"Sampson!"

I smiled as she fed him a treat.



"Well, welcome to your new home Sampson!" I told him.

...

"Not too high Griffin!" I warned.

I was sun bathing in the back with the kids. Griffin was pushing Aria on the swing while Nessa played in the sand. It was a beautiful day out and the sun was just beginning to set.

"Higher! Higher!" Aria giggled.

"No!" I warned.



I closed my eyes and laid my head back down.

"Shell!" Nessa announced.

I lifted my head back up.

"Good job Nessa! Put it in your pile!" I told her.

She toddled over and carefully placed her new shell in the pile she had going by my towel.

"Thanks for pushing me on the swing." Aria said.

"Anytime sis." Griffin told me.



All was right with the world. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I'm actually really happy with how Griffin's room turned out!!!

[Ally3772]

Birthday Cakes and Bad Endings

"Mama!" Vanessa said.

"Hey sweet girl!" I smiled.

"What doin?" She asked.

"I am making your birthday cake! Mama found a cheeseburger cake to make."

"Birfday."

"That's right."

It was Vanessa's birthday! No more toddlers and no more tantrums. I was more excited than sad to see her grow up. She was going to be a character when she grew up, but she was going places.



"STOP IT!" Aria screamed.

"Hey! What is going on?!" I scolded.

"He won't stop touching me!"

"Really guys?"

Aria ran in the kitchen with Griffin behind her.

"Griffin, must you pick on your little sister?" I asked.

"It's only for fun." He shrugged.

I sighed.

"Get cleaned up, cake is going to be ready soon."

An hour later we stood around Vanessa's birthday cake.

"It looks great mom!" Aria said.

"Thank you!" I smiled.

I lifted Vanessa up and counted to three.

"One... Two... Three!"

I helped a little, but we leaned over and blew the candles out.



From toddler to child Vanessa was now ready to take on the world!



"Is it time for the talk mama?" Aria asked.

"What talk?" I asked.

"You know, the mermaid talk?"

"Mermaid?" Nessa asked.

"Well, I tend to wait until it's a little farther down the line, but sure."

I led Vanessa to the couch and explained to her about me being a mermaid, and how Griffin was a mermaid, and how there was a chance that Aria and her would also be mermaids.

"But we can't tell anyone?" She asked.

"No, because there are bad people wanting to hurt us." I told her.

"What's the point then? If you can't enjoy it?"

"You can enjoy it, but you can't openly swim near people."

She looked sad.

"I know, but for right now this is how it has to be."

"Wanna meet Sampson?!" Aria asked.

"Sure!" Nessa said.



"Griffin?" I asked.

"In here!" He called.

I walked into my room where he was lounging in the tub.

"Where are you off to tonight? The library?" I asked.

"Yeah, and then maybe with some friends." He told me.

"Okay, well you know the rule-"

"Home by ten." He said, finishing my sentence.

I smiled and kissed the top of his head.



...

"Aria?"

I walked into her room, she was laying on her stomach reading a book.

"Yes mama?" She said.

"Have you seen Griffin?" I asked her.

"No, why?"

"Hmm, it's ten thirty and he is still not home."

"Sometimes he gets tied up at work-"

The way she cut the sentence off I knew that she was not suppose to say that.

"What do you mean, tied up at work?" I asked.

"Oops, I wasn't suppose to tell you..."

"Aria..."

"He has a job, to earn some extra cash to help out around the house."

"I told him not to do that."

"I know, but he didn't want you to get mad."

I finally convinced her to give me where he worked. So I called and he had already left a while ago, so my next step was to call his friends but they hadn't seen him for at least an hour. My next move after that? Worry.

One Hour Later

"Still no sign of him?"

I turned around to see Aria and Vanessa standing in the door.

"What are you guys doing up?" I asked.

"We're worried about Griffin." Nessa said.

"Come here."

The came and sat on my bed with me.

"I know you are scared, but we will find him."

"What if the bad men have him?" Aria asked.

"I don't know sweetie."

If I said it hadn't crossed my mind that would be a lie because that was my first thought. Had I let my guard down too much since the move here? They could have easily tracked us and watched from the sidelines. If they had him then I would never forgive myself because I should have kept on my toes. I let the girls sleep in my bed, but I stayed up by the phone.

He would call, right?

He would come home.

He had too...

Oh no! Where is Griffin?!

[Ally3772]

No News is Good News

"What do you mean you can't find him!" I screamed.

"Listen, I understand you're worried but my officers are looking around the clock." The officer told me.

"Well not hard enough!" I hissed.

"I won't stop until your son is safe."

I sighed.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry for snapping."

"No need to apologize ma'am. You go home and look after those girls and let my team do our jobs, okay?"

"Thank you."

I walked into the house and paid the nanny who sat with the kids. Aria was on the deck watching a movie, I walked over and sat down next to her.

"Did they find him?" She asked.

"Not yet." I told her.

I fought with myself on if I should be straight forward with the girls or if I should try to hid it from them. In the end I decided that they were old enough to understand the majority of the situation and if they didn't I would explain it to them. I knew Aria would take it harder because she had more time with him growing up. Of course Nessa was upset, but she hadn't had a chance to get as close to him as Aria was. I sat with Aria while we tried to watch a movie.

"Are they going to find him?" She asked.

"I hope so baby." I told her, stroking her hair.



After the movie we went inside.

"Go wash up, I'm going to order some pizza for dinner. Get your sister as well." I said.

"Yes mama." She said.

I placed an order for pizza. I walked into Aria's bedroom and checked on Sampson.

"How are you doing today Sampson?"

I was honestly shocked that Sampson had made it. There had been a few times that Griffin and I have had to feed him because she has forgotten.

"Mama, can I go swimming?" Nessa asked.

"Yes, but be careful." I told her.

"I will!"

I watched Sampson sniff around.

"Alright buddy, time to go back in." I told him.



Every time my phone would make the littlest bit of noise I would jump. But every time I would be disappointed, I think the thing that confused me the most was why. Why was this happening? He had no reason to run away and he wasn't the type to do that anyway. He also didn't have anyone that I knew of that hated him that would want to do something bad to him. So where was he? I walked out on the deck to watch Vanessa swim around. I was keeping the girls close by me in case this was some sick person that would go after them too.

"Look mama!" Nessa said.

"Yeah! You're doing well!" I told her.

She laughed and kicked as she practiced swimming.

I zoned out as I continued to come up with millions of different scenarios.



I told Nessa five more minutes as I headed inside.

"NO! No no no!"

"Aria?" I called out.

I walked into Griffin's room.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"He's going to be behind!" She yelled.

"Behind on what sweetie?"

"Homework! He's also got this paper to write and I don't know how to write papers!"

"Why are you worrying about that?"

"Mom we both know he struggles already sometimes! They'll kick him off the team!"

"No one is going to kick him off of anything baby. The school knows what is going on! They will understand."

She was at his desk flipping through a book.

"This doesn't make sense. I can't find this answer in the book!"

"Sweetie, sweetie it's okay!"

I walked over to her and she burst out crying.

"He has to come home mom! He has too!" She sobbed.

I bent down and hugged her. She cried in my shoulder for a while, I couldn't even say how long we sat there. Eventually the crying stopped and she went limp in my arms which means she had fallen asleep. I gently picked her up and carried her into her room. I laid her down and covered her up bending over and kissing her forehead.



I walked into Vanessa's room.

"Ready for bed?" I asked.

"Yeah, is Aria okay?" She asked.

"Yeah she will be fine."

She climbed into bed and laid down. I pulled the cover over her and bent down to kiss her on the forehead.

"He's coming home mama, I know it." She told me.

I smiled, "I know baby."

I walked over and shut her light off before heading into the bedroom myself.

I laid down, but it was hours before I finally was able to fall asleep. I welcomed it though because in my dreams Griffin was home and nothing bad happened.

I hope that everyone had a happy thanksgiving!! Can you believe it's December already?! Crazy.

[Ally3772]

Worst Nightmare

One Week Later

I yawned as I shuffled over to Aria's room.

"Ten minutes and you need to be up." I said.

She groaned and rolled over.

I walked over to Vanessa's room and knocked before entering.

"Ten and up Nessa!" I told her.

"Okay." She groaned.

I closed her door. Every morning started out the same, I would get up and get the girls up, go get the mail, and then start their breakfast. The police still haven't been able to find anything, but they were hopeful. I just felt numb. I've lost Adam and now Griffin was just missing. I even searched the internet for whatever lab that lady was talking about and came up with nothing after hours of looking. I opened the front door and went to step out on the deck but almost tripped.

"Oh!" I gasped.

I looked down and gasped louder.

"Griffin!"

Griffin was laying on the deck unconscious. His clothes were down and he had bruises and cuts all over. I bent down and stroked his cheek, it took a lot of energy but I was able to get him up and into his bed. The girls saw me carry him in which I was hoping to avoid but they were excited to see him.

"Is he going to be okay?!" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know sweetie. We have to see if he wakes up." I told her.

Aria stood anxiously at the door.

"Tell you what, how about a sick day? Yeah? I'll call the school."

"Okay!"

I nodded, "Go hang out in Nessa's room and I'll come let you know how he is."

They nodded and headed into her room.



It was another hour before Griffin finally came around.

"Mmmm" He groaned.

"Griffin?" I said softly.

"M-Mom?" He questioned.

"I'm here baby." I cried out.

"W-What happened? H-How did I get here?"

"I was hoping you'd be able to tell me."

He carefully sat up in bed and I handed him a glass of water I had sitting by his bed.

"I- I don't know what happened. All I remember was walking home from my friends house when someone came up behind me and the next thing I knew I woke up in this cold room. It looked like a hospital but the bed was metal and cold and I was tied down."

"Oh my god!" I gasped.

"It was the lab mom, everything you warned us about was true. It was horrible!"

"Oh baby! What did they do?"

"They tested me every day for the week, and they were painful mama. They took bits of my fin, my skin even, they tested my blood everyday. I had to run on a treadmill for hours while pumped up with some kind of steroid I think."

"I am so sorry! I never wanted any of this to happen to you!" I cried.

I hugged him close to me tightly.

"Mom, you're squishing me."

"Shhh."

I hugged him for a few more moments before breaking the hug.

"Now, you rest up okay? I'm going to go make a few calls. I need to make something up to tell the police."

I kissed his head and tucked him into his bed before going into my room. It took a while but I was able to convince the police that he was home safe and that it was just some misunderstanding. I couldn't tell them the truth for obvious reasons even though I wanted to bring down that lab for everything they had done to my son. I was furious, but he was safe and that was what I cared about.

...

"I am so glad you are home." I told Griffin.

"Me too mom." He said.



"GRIFFIN!"

Aria came running out of the house.

"Aria! I missed you!" Griffin said bending down to catch her.

She threw herself in his arms.

"Where were you?!" She asked.

"I'll tell you when you're older!"

She grumbled at the answer.



"Griffin!" Nessa yelled.

"Hi!! How are you?" He asked.

"I'm better now!"

"I missed you so much!" He told her.

"I made you something!" She said.

She pulled a present from behind her back.



We celebrated with a movie and popcorn. I sat by Griffin and held onto him like he could blow away at any moment. Later that night I walked into Aria's room and she was sitting at her desk.

"Did you feed Sampson?" I asked.

"Yes mama." She said.

I walked over to her.

"Whatcha writing?"

"Nothing, just writing in my journal about Griffin coming home."

"I didn't know you wrote in a journal."

"Yeah, I kinda like it!"

I smiled, "Maybe you could be a writer when you grow up!"

"I would like that."

I kissed the top of her head.



"I'm going to head to bed, ten more minutes okay?" I told her.

"Got it." She agreed.

I checked on Griffin, but he was already sleeping. I made sure the doors were locked when I noticed Vanessa looking at a picture on the cabinet.

"Hey, bed time in ten, okay?" I said.

"Mama? Who is that?" She asked, pointing at a picture.

I walked over and looked closer at the one she meant.

"That, is your father." I said softly.

"My dad?" She asked.

She looked up at me.

"Yes baby, come here."

I led her over to the couch and sat her down.

"Where is he?" She asked.

"Well, your dad loved cooking. So much that his job offered him further schooling for it to further his career. On his way to the school he had a car accident and he didn't make it."

"Oh."

She looked at the floor sadly. She was quiet for a few moments before looking up at me again.

"How old was I?" She asked.

"You weren't born yet baby, I didn't know I was pregnant with you until after he had passed away." I told her.

"So, he didn't even know about me?"

My heart broke in two.

"No, but I know that if he were here he would love you so much."

"What was he like?"

"A handful," I laughed, "But he was very sweet and kind, and he knew that you would have black hair!"

"He did?" She asked, perking up.

"Yep! He said the third one was bound to have his hair and he was right!"

She smiled.

"He's with you baby girl, every day."

She hugged me.

"Now, off to bed with you!"

She kissed my cheek and walked into her room.

I took a deep breath, she took it better than I thought she would.

I missed him.

Griffin is home safely!

[TheGoat]

Very interested in where this story is going! Keep it up!

[Ally3772]

Mood Swings

"CAN YOU STOP!"

"NO! I WAS HERE FIRST!"

"GOD WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS!"

I walked into Griffin's room.

"What is with all of this yelling!" I scolded.

"She wants to play my games!" Griffin hissed.

"He hogs it!" Aria screamed.

"IT'S MY ROOM!"

"Griffin, enough with the yelling!"

He grumbled.

"Aria, this is his room. You have your own room which I'm sure you would be annoyed as well if he was wanting to use your things." I told her.

She sighed and crossed her arms.

"Now, if it's that important I will buy you your own gaming console for your room."

"No it's fine."

She stormed out of his room.

I was now dealing with not one teenager, but two. Aria celebrated her birthday and it has been an array of mood swings ever since.



Along with the next teenager in the house, we also found out that she was also a mermaid as well.

"I'm so excited!" Aria said.

I smiled.

"Is it hard? Being a mermaid?" She asked.

"Not really. You honestly catch on to it pretty fast."

"Awesome!"



"Done swimming already?" I asked.

"Yeah, I wanted to get some sun time in." She said.

I sat down next to her.

"Sorry I've been so moody lately mom."

"It's fine, being a teenager is hard."

"I don't know what's wrong with me, I just feel so angry at times."

"I was like that too, so you probably got it from me."

"Hey mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, I'm sure it wasn't easy to raise three kids basically on your own."

I smiled, "Thank you baby, it wasn't but you guys were worth it."



Later on that day I walked into Vanessa's room.

"What are you doing sweetie?" I asked.

"Listening to bear's heart." She said.

"Oh yeah? How's it sound?"

"Good! Mama I think I wanna be a doctor when I grow up!"

"That's a great dream to have!"



"Do you think I can do it mama?" She asked.

"Baby girl, you can do whatever you put your heart towards." I told her.

"What do you do again?"

"I work to save the environment from bad things that could harm it."

"That's pretty cool."

"An hour til dinner, okay?"

She nodded.

I walked into the kitchen where Aria was sitting at the island working on homework.

"So, one kid already knows what they want to do, what about you?" I asked.

"Do with what?" She asked.

"Their life, you enjoyed writing at one point."

She thought about it for a moment.

"I think I still want to go for that, but do you think it could be a career?"

"Of course it can, and worst comes to worst maybe you could pick up a weekend job."

"Very true."

I gathered everything for dinner.

"Griffin is going for a professional football." She said.

"I figured as much."

"What does Nessa want to do?"

"Doctor, she is in her room practicing on bear." I giggled.

She smiled.



...

"So, professional football?" I asked.

"That is the plan, coach thinks I have a chance at it too!" Griffin told me.

"That's great!"

"Apparently there are going to be scouts at a few games, so I have to be at my best."

"Just don't overwork yourself."



"I won't mom." He groaned.

"Hey, don't you get moody with me now too." I told him.

He laughed.

After I finished eating I decided to go for a night swim.

"Hey!" Aria greeted.

"Hey! I see you have a friend!" I said swimming over.

"Yeah, I named her Pearl."

"Well hello Pearl."

Pearl squealed and did a small dance.



"Do you have a dolphin?" She asked.

"Yeah! Her name is Ellie! She normally isn't around at this time though." I told her.

"What about Griffin?"

"I don't know actually, he's never mentioned it."

"Well if he doesn't then he is missing out."



Aria was beautiful, but she was especially beautiful as a mermaid. I took a deep breath and looked up at the sky wondering if Adam was looking down and seeing this.

ALL of the mermaids!

[Ally3772]

Gotta Start Somewhere

"I'm making the cake!" Aria screamed.

"Okay!" I said.

Today was a special day, why you ask? Well, my baby boy was becoming a young adult. It was crazy to think that in a blink of an eye he went from this tiny baby to an adult. This week has been an intense one because his stress level was through the roof. He played in front of several scouts and we were now waiting to see the results and if anyone wanted to sign him. He spent most of his days pacing in his room and when he wasn't doing that he was compulsively working out.

"Griffin, Aria is making the cake now." I told him.

"I can't do this mom." He said.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Grow up! I can't! No one has gotten back to me and this was my plan! My only plan mom! I can't become some person who works at the local coffee shop forever!"

"Baby, baby come here."

I took him by his shoulders and sat him on his bed.

"You're freaking out! It's understandable, growing up is scary! Especially if you are unsure about your future! But I promise you that everything is going to be okay. They're going to call you, I promise you."

He just looked at me.

"Thanks mom." He said.

I kissed the side of his head gently. I took his hand and we walked into the kitchen where Aria was mixing the cake mix together.

"How is it coming?" I asked.



"Almost ready to go in the oven!" She smiled.

"That's good."

Griffin's phone rang and he just looked up at me.

"Go! Answer it!" I gasped.

He walked out of the room while answering his phone.

"Do you think it's them?" Aria asked.

"I hope so, he is so worried."

"YES! YES!"

He came back into the kitchen screaming.

"THEY WANT ME! THE LOCAL TEAM WANTS ME!" He screamed.

Aria and I screamed and rushed over and hugged him at the same time.

"I told you!" I said.

"I'm so proud of you big brother!" Aria told him.

And with that we celebrated his birthday!



...

"I got my welcome packet!" Griffin said.

Aria, Nessa, and I were sitting outside on the deck.

"What does it say?" Nessa asked.

"Well, this should tell me where I am starting." He said.

He opened the packet and began to read it.

"What?!" He gasped.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm starting as... as the mascot?!"

Aria began to laugh.

"Aria!" I scolded.

"Everyone loves the mascot!" Vanessa said.

He looked so defeated.

"The mascot isn't that bad! Maybe they are just waiting for someone to leave the team!" I told him.

"I knew this wasn't going to work out." He sighed.

He got up and walked into his room.

"Aria, I know this may seem funny but to him it's a big deal." I told her.

"Sorry mom." She apologized.

I got up and walked into his room and found him lying on his bed.

"Griffin, I know this isn't what you pictured but we all gotta start somewhere, right?" I said.

"I want to be a football player mom, not some guy in a sweaty old suit." He huffed.

"What if this is the scouts way of testing you? To see how you handle getting drawn the short end of the stick?"

He looked over his shoulder and sat up.

"I didn't think about it that way." He said.

"Well, this may be their way of testing it."

He sighed, "I'll give it a shot."

So the next morning he was off to work.



I walked into Nessa's room.

"What are you up so early?" I asked.

"I couldn't sleep." She said.

I sat on the bed next to her and hugged her.

"I love you so much, you know that right?"

"I love you too mama."



I tried to give Nessa as much attention as the other two. I didn't want her to feel left out and unwanted and I hoped that I did a good job at that. Speaking of being worried about your career, I had became a little lazy with mine. I was getting better at it though, but I was having more fun being with my children. This week though I was focused on finding solutions for better water around the island and we were about sixty percent of the way to completing it.



"Nessa come on!"

I lifted my head from the screen and sat and listened.

"I just wanna know what you are doing!" She said.

"I'm trying to get some work done!" Aria groaned.

"What work do you have?"

I sighed and pushed my chair back. I walked into Aria's room and she was sitting at her desk on her laptop. When she told me of her dream to write I bought a laptop just for her.

"I'm practicing writing, okay?!"

"You wanna be a writer?"

"Yes."



"Nessa, how about you go for a swim?" I suggested.

"I don't feel like it." She said.

"Well then go play with your toys."

"Finneeee."

She sulked out of the room.

"How goes the writing?" I asked.

"Very slow." She groaned.

"Slow down baby girl, you have plenty of time."

"I know, but I figure if I can get a head start then by the time I can actually start my career I'll have my feet on the ground."

"When did my kids become so career driven?" I giggled.

She laughed.

...

"Hey Nessa?" Aria asked.

"Yeah?" She said.

"I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier."

"Aww, it's okay, I know I can be annoying."

"You aren't annoying, you are my little sister."

My heart warmed.



I was excited to see where the future took them, and I just hoped I had enough time to see it.

Everyone is aging up! Vanessa is next in line!