Tom and Stella were growing like weeds. Even when they were born, I never expected time to fly so quickly, despite how many times I'd ben warned that it would. It was just one of those things you had to live through to fully understand.

My small babies, who now I could technically call 'toddlers' since they were walking like champs, would be turning one-year-old in three short weeks. Juli was losing her mind, trying to make plans for their birthday, pick out a theme that would not only suit both genders, but both personalities, and though I tried to help her with these things, I spent most of my time reflecting on my life and how much it changed.

"Alex, please," Jules grunted from across the room. The stress of having the twins on the go constantly, on top of planning their birthday, had put a weight on our love life. She was frustrated, as was I. "Just help me with this one, little thing. It's kind of a big deal."

"You really want to know what I think?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. Lately, whenever she'd asked my opinion, she'd dismiss it the moment I spoke. "Because I'm not going to keep wasting my breath."

"Alex..." That was her angry voice.

"Give me two seconds. I'm going to make sure the twins are asleep."

"What? They haven't made a peep!"

Admittedly, it wasn't just the stress of everyday life that'd been bringing us down. It was the fact that, our children were almost one-year of age, and yet they hadn't spoken a single word. They often engaged in baby babble, going on and on, but that wasn't enough. Their doctor told us that, if by one year they weren't speaking, they would have to go to a therapist, where they would determine whether or not our kids were lagging behind. We were worried, we were exhausted, we were a mess.

Juli, having not been satisfied by answer, followed me into the nursery. I was at least relieved by this, knowing we wouldn't argue in front of Stella and Tom. I lingered by the door, watching the kids stand up in the cribs, sending baby talk to one another. They seemed so content, so connected, that I felt guilty for worrying about them. In my eyes, they were perfect.

It was Juli's sigh in the doorway that caught their attention. Tom and Stella turned to look at us, both of them smiling and happy. Looking into their eyes, seeing pieces of Jules throughout their flesh, I missed their Mother. I missed holding her, kissing her, feeling her; but she was standing right behind me. I kept telling myself things were just hard, that they would get better and we'd be happier. I could only hope I was right.

I started to walk towards my twins, Juli coming in the room behind me. It wasn't likely that they'd fall asleep anytime soon. Juli was also aware of this, so as I went to grab Stella, she held her arms out to Tom. In a sudden moment, they both grew extremely excited. They were sending faces to one another, bouncing on their mattresses and giggling. Something I'd seen them do a few times, but never so happy. The love between these two was one I had never seen before. Deep, to put it bluntly.

"Why are you guys so happy?" Juli cooed. "I'm gonna get you!"

We were so close that our fingers had almost touched their little bodies, and that's when it happened. Jules and I both took a step back, staring at one another to make sure we'd heard correctly. Stella blurted out 'dada' while Tom was screaming for 'mama.' I laughed, one of those 'holey shit' laughts, while Juli brought hand to her face. Both of them, now, were mumbling away, making mine and their Mother's heart burst.

"Mama, dada, baba!"

Over and over again. Without even thinking about it, Juli flung herself into my arms. I pulled her into a hug and spun her small body around the room. With each millstone, we grew more proud, maybe even more in love.

"Neverland," I whispered, setting Jules down and pushing the hair out of her face. "Their party theme: Neverland."

She nodded, a look of sadness clouding her eyes. Neither of us had been the best we could be in this relationship, and with the twins speaking clearly after months of worry, the weight was gone. My vision was clear. My love was stronger than ever before. Knowing that my kids were safe and happy in their cribs, I pulled Juli into a lustful kiss. She returned the passion, her fingers tugging at my hair. No more words needed to be said. I carried her, bridal style, into our bedroom, where we rekindled our fire.

　

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The house was decorated and full of people who loved our twins almost as much as we did. It seemed that Neverland had taken over our house, in a 'tasteful' way, as Juli liked to put it. I found it to be fitting, the theme. They were growing older, but still filled with childhood wonder, while we were begging them to stay small.

"Congratulations," Cassadee broke my thoughts. She pulled Jules into a hug, her large belly very obvious. "You guys survived the first year."

"It was hard, I'm not even gonna lie," Jules giggled. "Thanks. your time is coming."

"Oh, but I can't wait," Cass sighed, leaning into Rian. "We're just thankful to have people like you, Jack and Jasmin to help us out when we need it."

"You know we got your back," I smiled. "In not time, that little angel will be a part of this large, unstable family."

"Don't I know," Rian grinned. "Little Aubree will have the best group of people to protect her growing up, too. Can you imagine how protective Tom and little Jack will be of her and Stella? Lord help the boys who break their hearts."

"I think they should be more concerned with the Daddy's."

We shared in a laugh before the two disappeared into the sea of bodies in our house. Jules and I were proud of the turnout, proud of the twins for being on the best behavoir, and proud of our lives as a whole. Since the night the twins started speaking, I felt like I was a teenager again, falling in love with the prettiest girl in school. She was the center of my every thought.

"I love you, Alex," Juli whispered, standing up to kiss my toes. "You've been such a wonderful father. I'm so proud of you."

"You've been a better mother. Think of all the times I was away, he well you did, how strong you were. I love you more, Jules. So much more."

With that, it was time to light the candles. We had a large cakes for the guests, and two smaller smash cakes for the kids. Everyone sung, me being the loudest, until it was time to blow out the candles. Juli held Tom's smash cake close, but not too close, to his face. Tom clearly did not like the flame, and stuck out his tonuge in such a way that he sent enough drool in the air to put out the flame. The entire room broke out in a laugh. Juli sat the cake down on his high chair, letting the little man go to town. He pulled, licked and literally smashed until he and his mother were both covered in cake.

Stella was a bit different. Her outgoing personality had been put on hold, because she was so amazed by the flame that she wouldn't even listen to me. Not a movement. Knowing that she wouldn't do it on her own, I blew out the candle, bringing little Stella back down to earth. She giggled, hitting her high chair, waiting for her own cake. Sitting it down in front of her, Stella dug in, much slower than her brother. She picked at the icing, licking it off her small fingers, savoring the taste.

As Cassadee had stated: We survived the first year. All the struggles seemed to make more sense. Just as quickly as the new parent feeling had struck us when the twins were born, it disappeared as we brought their first birthday to an end. Juli and I both seemed to know that the next seventeen years (and more) would be nothing more than the next great adventure. The hard part was over, now we would simply have to see them as human beings, instead of our tiny, fragile babies.

Notes

I'm am so excited to write the Sequel to this. Before this story comes an end, let me just say that the wonderful miss Courtney created this story with an amazing vision, and I have been happy to help bring it to life! Thank you to everyone who has read! <3.