"Juli," Jack groaned, trying his hardest to please the pregnant woman, but feeling defeated. "I'm doing this out of the kindness in my heart. Is it even yet?"

Jules giggled, sending a wink in my direction. She and Jasmin were curled up on the couch with baby Jack, who had grown so much over the past few months, watching us closely. The two, or should I say three of them, had grown close over the random trips Jack and I had to take for shows. I'd never been more thankful over Jack being in a serious relationship before.

"Jack, it's only December third," Juli smiled. "I don't understand why you're trying to decorate my house for Christmas."

"It's not just for Christmas, it's for Alex, too."

This time, I laughed, watching Juli now take over the role of feeling defeated. She sighed and told Jack that the picture frame he'd selected was finally even on the wall. It wasn't that big of a gift, but Jack and Jasmin had put a lot of work into it. A simple, wooden frame now hung above the fire place. In gold writing, however, it said: Our First Christmas Together. Beside the writing were two pairs of baby feet, which of course, Jules had a fit over because it was so cute. Jack had decided until we had the twins and could put our own picture in the frame, he'd leave a picture of him and baby Jack inside. Baby Jack was crying, big Jack was mocking him.

Jack clapped happily and stepped away from the wall. Finally finishing up in the kitchen, Zack, Rian and Micah appeared in the doorway. They each had their hands full of snacks and drinks. It was tradition for us guys to hang out around the Holidays and have one last get together before we parted ways to go see our families. With Jules C-Section coming up so quickly, however, we decided we wanted to go ahead and bring everyone together before the twins arrived. We knew the holidays would be hetic once they were born, and we'd have to run all over the place to show them off out my family and our friends.

"Movie time!" Jack beamed, running over to the television, flicking it on and hitting play on the DVD player. "Everyone, shush!"

Doing as they were told, everyone became quiet. I curled up on the couch next to Jules and slowly rubbed her belly. I knew she was exhausted, so I'd hoped she make this her time to relax. About an hour into Home Alone, my own eyes grew heavy and my body welcomed a much needed sleep. I probably would have stayed on that couch all night, had it not been for Jules shaking me roughly to wake up. My eyes fluttered opened, confused for a moment as to where I was. Everyone had left, the lights were turned out, and the DVD player had cut off, leaving nothing but a black, dimly lit screen to help me see Juli's face.

"Alex," she breathed, clutching her stomach and wincing in pain. "Something isn't right. I think the babies are coming."

"What?" I sat up quickly, all signs of sleep leaving my body. "No, that can't be right. You're not even supposed to go in for the C-Section until next week!"

"Alex, please," she looked up at me, her eyes framed by tears. "I need to go to the hospital."

"Okay, okay," I nodded. "Just wait here for one sec!"

I ran as fast as my feet would carry me. First, I went into the bedroom and grabbed the hospital bag Juli had packed earlier this week. It had everything she would need, including the clothes to bring the twins home in. I also grabbed the messenger bag Micah had gotten for me to pack my own things in, moving as quickly as I could to toss in a pair of slippers for Jules to wear, since it was so cold outside, my camera, a cell phone chager and Juli's phone. I told myself that was everything and darted back downstairs. Jules was sitting on the edge of the couch, holding her stomach and taking deep breaths. I wasn't moving fast enough.

I'd left my keys by the door earlier that day, so I ripped them off the holder and ran outside. Unlocking the car, I tossed the bags in the back, only leaving the shoes in the front seat for Jules. I started the car and came back inside, leaning down beside Juli. I couldn't move her until she rode out the contraction she was currently having.

"Now," Juli mumbled, holding her hands up for me to grab. "Let's go."

Doing as I was told, I helped lift my wife off the couch. I kept my arm wrapped around her hip in case another contraction hit on our way to the car. Thankfully, it didn't. I made sure she was secure in the passenger seat before I put the slippers on her feet and put myself in the car. Jules let out another cry of pain and I knew she wouldn't last long enough to go through the paper work at the hospital. My cell phone was easy enough to pull out of my jeans as I drove, dialing the number for our local hospital, cursing at how long it took them to answer.

"This is Alex Gaskarth. My wife Julia Gaskarth was scheduled to have a C-Section in one week, but we think she's in labor now. Can you please have someone waiting for her at the emergency door with a wheel-chair?" The lady on the other line asked me a handful of questions, each of them I just mumbled a response to until she agreed to have someone wait for us. "Thank you. Bye-bye."

"Alex," Juli grabbed my arm, squeezing so hard that I was certain she'd leave a bruise. "I'm scared. What if-" another groan of pain. "What if we don't get there in time?"

"Shh, we will."

I floored it. The car was moving quickly, weaving in and out of traffic until the hospital came into view. Jules was crying at this point, the pain and fear getting into her head. I couldn't allow myself to be worried right now, I had to be supportive. She needed me to be strong, but damnit, it was hard. The car came to a screeching hault in front of the glass double-doors. A nurse was waiting with the chair, a gentle smile on her face.

"Can you take my car and park it?" I asked, not really caring that it wasn't part of her job description. There was no way I'd leave Jules right now. "I know that's a lot to ask, but I'm not leaving her. So you can either tow my car or you can park it."

"I'll park it," a young security officer came up beside me. "Do you have everything you need out of it?"

"No, there are some bags in the back. Just leave them with reception and I'll get them later."

He nodded and climbed in the car as I helped Juli out of it. The nurse held tightly so it wouldn't roll as I sat her down. Her brown eyes were full of pain and her cheeks were turning pink. The nurse seemed to catch on to the fact that Jules couldn't hold out much longer and started wheeling her quickly inside. I almost had to run to keep up with her. I followed her and Jules into the elevator, clinging to Juli's hand the entire time. We reached the thirteenth floor- Labor and Delivery.

"Emergency C-Section!" The nurse cried, a crew of doctor's around her in two seconds. "She needs to be cleaned and drugged. Get on it."

"Thank you so much," I whispered to the woman. "I owe you."

"No time for that. We need to get you ready, too."

I was forced to leave Juli's side. I was taken into another room, where they made me strip off my clothes and scrub my body for a solid ten minutes. Then, they gave me some sterile clothes to wear, mask included. By the time I got back to where Juli was, they already had the curtain up and IV's hooked up to my wife. I ran to be by her side, but remained where I could still see around the curtain as well. Juli pulled the oxygen mask off her face long enough to speak to me.

"I love you, Alex. If anything goes wrong, you let them know how much Mommy loved them."

"I love you, Jules. But don't worry. Nothing will go wrong. Everything is going to be fine."

Juli nodded, not convinced, and laid her head back on the table. She put the oxygen mask back on her face and tried to steady her breathing, her eyes staying closed the entire time. When we planned the C-Section, I don't think either of us realized how much work would have to go into it, or even paid much mind to the fact that it was major surgery and there could be complications. The only thing we could do now was trust the room full of people who would help bring our children into the world.

Jules let her hand cling to mine as the doctor's annoucned that they were about to make the incision. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, while I allowed mine to trail to her large stomach. The blade touched her skin; the flesh melted away below the metal. The smell that took over the room was one I would never forget- The smell of burning flesh. There are no words I could use to express how thankful I was that Juli was drugged. Just watching it put me in pain.

It wasn't a pretty sight, but I tried to pay no mind to the fact that they were ripping through Juli's flesh. I kept my head focused on the fact that in a few short minutes, my children would be here, alive and well. Juli was doing pretty good, too, under the cirumstances. She'd open her eyes for a moment, only a moment, before the fear washed over her again and her lids shut. I winced, almost wishing I had followed her actions, as the leading doctor slid his hands into my wife. She tighted her grip on me, most likely from the pressure she felt, and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Almost, almost," the doctor whispered to himself.

A nurse came to his side, holding a pair of scissors in one hand and a blanket in the other. My eyes grew wide as the man pulled out a tiny, blood-stained butt. Excitement began to flood me. There, right in front of me, was my first child. The nurse cut the cord, sending me a sad, but understanding look that I wouldn't let go of my wife's hand to do the job myself. They placed the baby inside of the blanket, roughing it up until loud cries were heard throughout the room. Juli's eyes snapped open, a smile formed on those perfect lips as she tried to peek around the curtain. We both wanted to see our child's face, to know which gender had come out first.

"It's a girl!" The nurse called, smiling brightly with the child in her arms. "She's beautiful."

I was disappointed when they didn't bring her over to us. Instead, they carried her away to run her first test and determine the score. However, as soon as my heart grew heavy over Stella, they began to pull Tom out of the womb. He was much different than Stella had been, his tiny lungs screaming the moment they hit the air. His cord was cut quicker than Stella's had been, and they rushed him away just as they'd done her.

"You can go see them," Juli smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "Tell me how beautiful they are."

"No. I'm staying with you until they're done stitching you up. It'll only take about thirty minutes. Besides, when they're done running the test they'll bring them to us. I promise."

Juli nodded and it became obvious how tired she was. I'm sure that had something to do with the drugs, and the fact that she'd just had two children ripped away from her. Still, I had never loved her more than I did in that moment. It only took an instant for something to click, and me to realize I would be bonded to the beautiful girl in front of me for life. Pride filled my body.

"I love you so much, Jules," I whispered, clinging to her hand and kissing her cheek. "You did great."

"I love you, too, Alex." She mumbled through the mask. "I can't wait to meet them."

I smiled, glancing over my shoulder to see how much of her they'd already stitched up. It was a slow process, but they'd already fixed one layer of her torn flesh. Just a few more to go.

"Do you want to meet her?" A nurse came to Juli's head, holding Stella, who was now wearing a pink hat. I grinned, nodding like a fool. "She weighed in at six pounds, eight ounces. Perfect weight to be as early as she was."

"And her test? How'd she do?"

"She scored a nine."

I beamed, just as proud of my child as I was her mother as they placed her in my arms. She was so small.. So amazing. I bent down so that Jules could see her face. She had my nose, but aside from that, she looked just like her mother. Juli lifted one of her tired arms and touched the pink face, tears pouring down her face. She was happy, so happy.

"She looks just like you," I finally spoke. "She's gorgeous."

Juli simply nodded, too filled with emotions to speak. There was something magical about the way she touched her daughter's skin, the look in her eyes, the love pouring from her heart.

"This one, he's a bit more dramatic than that one," a different nurse appeared, holding Tom against her chest. His hat matched Stella's, only it was blue. "Seven pounds, two ounces. Scored a nine as well."

I managed to juggle Stella in my arms so that Tom could fit as well. Looking down on him, I saw nothing but myself, and my brother. Without meaning to brag, he was just as perfect as Stella was. A small tear fell from my face. My family, my life, was now complete. I bent down with Tom so that Jules could see him. She was crying much heavier now, smiling ten times brighter.

"He looks just like you," she managed to spit out through her sobs, sounding just as I had when I commented on Stella's appearance. "They're so amazing."

"I know," I smiled. "Next to marrying you, this is the best day of my life."

Time seemed to pass by us so quickly, because I could have sworn just as I had both of my children in my arms, they were wheeling over small 'cribs' to put them in. They were just alike, clear with with their names on them. Both of their footprints were on the paper taped to the front, along with the date of birth (December forth, 1:45 A.M. for Stella, 1:47 for Tom) and the room we'd be staying in.

"Mrs. Gaskarth, we're going to take you and the babies to recovery now. This will be your room for the next two days. You can start taking visitors tomorrow at seven. I'll advise you to get as much sleep as possible tonight, though. You'll need your strength and those attending to your care will be in every two to three hours to check your stitches and pain. Okay?"

"Mhm," Juli nodded, not taking her eyes off her newborn babies, who were already being wheeled out of the room. "Are they going straight up with us?"

"Not yet. They're going to be fed first and they also need a bath. They'll probably be brought back to you when you regain feeling in your legs. Until then, like I said, you need to rest."

Jules seemed disappointed, but I was going to use that time to call all of our family and friends to let them know the good news. Not only that, but I wanted a few moments alone with my wife to make sure she really felt okay and that there weren't any complications. I knew for the next few weeks she'd have to take it just as easy, if not easier, than she had when she was pregnant.

"I miss them already," she sighed, wanting to care for them on her own. "They say the first two hours are the most important to bond with them when they're born."

"Yeah, I know," I kissed her forehead. "But don't you worry. You'll have your feeling back within the hour. If need be, I'll simply demand to have them back."

She smiled softly. Just from the look in her eyes, I knew all the doubt she had about being a good mother was fading away. She had survived the C-Section, met her children and remembered what it was like to fall in love. From here, things would only get better.

Notes

Welcome to the world, baby Stella & baby Tom!! <3.