Archive of Our Own

01.

“Look,” Genny says to Lucy over the phone, “it’s not my fault you two decided to run off and elope.”

“We didn’t elope,” Lucy counters, a debate about the definition of the word she’s had to have with so many people lately. “We had a small, private ceremony. That you were at, by the way.”

“Yes, but you did decide to do it pretty quickly, which did not allow us time to throw you a bachelorette party.”

“I think being kidnapped was adventure enough,” Lucy retorts. “I didn’t need a bachelorette.”

“And, this isn’t going to be that. It’s just two sisters-in-law going for a night out. But drinks are on me. What do you say? Come on, one night away from the hubby, you’ll survive.”

Lucy smiles a little at the terms sisters-in-law and hubby reminding her how very real it is now that she and Tim are married; Genny is family. “Okay. Okay, sure, why not?”

“Great!” Genny’s practically giddy. “Meet me at Father’s Office at 8?”

So that’s how Lucy finds herself in a bar with Genny on a random Thursday night.

She’d almost not made it out of the house. When Tim saw her in his favorite jeans, he ran his hands over her, sliding them into her back pockets and gave her a squeeze, and she had to wiggle away from him with a promise of later as she grinned and whisked herself out the door.

The newlywed phase is no joke.

“Okay. So. Tell me. Now that you two are married – and have been living together for a year - what is one thing Tim does that you absolutely cannot stand?”

Lucy thinks – honestly thinks – and her mind is blank. “Nothing.”

“Oh, come on!” Genny says, downing the last of her gin and tonic. “Lucy, I lived with him for many years. I know he can drive you crazy, even if you love him.”

Lucy laughs because yeah, she can see that but… “Honestly, Genny, he’s easier to live with than I ever imagined. He makes me coffee, he does our laundry, and when it’s cold in the morning he warms up my towel for me in the dryer while I shower.”

“But…?” Genny prompts.

“But nothing!” Lucy insists.

“Okay, fine.” Lucy rolls her eyes and takes a sip of her drink. “You’re loyal,” Genny notes. “I know there’s something, but you would never say a bad word about Tim, even to his sister. Or maybe, especially to his sister.” Lucy smirks and takes another sip of her drink, shrugging. “I respect that. Even if I do want the gossip.”

Lucy laughs. “So, tell me about that new teacher at your school. Any updates?”

“Oh god, Lucy. He’s so hot,” Genny says, dramatically fanning herself. “And I found out he’s single – also divorced, but, I don’t know. It might be weird to date someone I work with.”

Lucy nearly spits out her drink. “Uh, hello? At least he’s not your boss.”

Genny starts laughing, realizing. “You’re right.” She thinks it over. “But if it doesn’t work out and then we still have to work together-“

Lucy raises her eyebrows and points at herself. “Hello, again.”

Genny snorts. “Okay, but - everyone knew you two would work it out, it wasn’t a real breakup.” Genny insists.

“No, they didn’t!” Lucy says with a laugh. “I mean, I didn’t. At least, not at first. It felt very real at the beginning there.”

“But after a while, you had to know it would work out. Didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” she agrees, thinking about the time during their breakup when she started to realize it was only a matter of time before they got back together. “You know, ironically – the time I panicked most was Valentine’s Day that year. He told me he was bringing a date.”

“A date?” Genny asks, aghast.

“Well, he meant you,” Lucy replies with a chuckle.

“Idiot.”

“Yeah,” Lucy agrees this time and Genny laughs in delight. “But, back to you – at least he’s not your supervisor. And if it does work out, then you can carpool to work every day and gossip about the same co-workers which is a major plus. And have the same time off!”

“Okay, okay, I’ve got one you don’t have. The students will gossip about us so bad.”

“Well, we have Smitty,” Lucy points out and they both laugh.

“This is fun,” Genny says. “It’s nice to just be able to sit here and chat, like actual sisters. I mean, I’ve never had a sister before.”

“You had Isabel,” Lucy points out carefully, taking a sip of her tequila. She’s always careful in how she brings up the name – she never wants it to look like a comparison or that she has an issue with her husband having an ex-wife.

And she doesn’t. She has zero issues with Isabel. In fact, she knows that despite the fact that Tim loved Isabel and she put him through absolute hell because he loved her so much, she doesn’t feel threatened by her or the ghost of her. She knows that Tim loves her in a way that he’s never loved anyone before, and that she loves him in a way no one has ever loved him before. Isabel included. And that’s enough for her to not have to feel threatened by his ex-wife.

Her empathy tends to win out when she thinks of Isabel, simply saddened for what she went through.

“Pffft,” Genny waves her hand. “I hardly ever got to know her. Y’know how Tim was, he avoided visiting me and mom at all costs if he could, so they didn’t come around much. And I was in Ohio then. They spent most of their holidays with Isabel’s family. And then when she started working undercover not long after they got married, I know sometimes he pretended he was with her family when really, she was on assignment and he was just working through the holidays.” Lucy frowns at how sad that is, at how much has changed. “And anyway, I don’t think she ever really liked me.”

“Huh,” Lucy says simply.

“You on the other hand,” Genny says, holding up her glass to clink it with Lucy’s, “you are fun. Tim really upgraded.”

“Genny!” Lucy bursts out laughing in surprise, almost spewing her drink out.

“What? It’s true,” she says with a shrug and then gives Lucy a smirk before sipping her own drink.

The evening goes on, and Lucy finds herself relaxed, enjoying the evening – so maybe she has one or two drinks too many. Genny follows suit, but stays the responsible side of tipsy, because she’d promised Tim she would look out for Lucy.

“I’m calling Tim to come get you,” Genny decides as they pay their bar tab, as neither of them had driven to the bar.

“What? Noooo. I’m fine. I can take a rideshare,” Lucy insists even as she downs the last of her final drink.

“Be that as it may, sis, you’ve already been kidnapped twice and I don’t think my brother will appreciate it if I let it happen a third time.”

Lucy lets out a laugh at that. “That’s hilarious.”

“Yeah. I’m in stitches,” Genny deadpans, steadying Lucy as she starts to stand up.

“Another tequila!” Lucy asks the bartender. “For while we wait,” she tells Genny.

Genny is just tipsy enough to laugh and not stop her, but sober enough to know not to join her in one last drink.

Tim arrives not long after that, striding into the place and Genny notices how he spots them – well, Lucy, probably – immediately and makes his way over to them instantly, not noticing the stray looks he’s catching from the single women at the bar.

“Hey,” Tim says, letting his hand come down on Lucy’s back and she jumps in surprise, but gives him a smile when she sees him. “You ready to go?”

Now her smile turns to a frown. “No, I don’t want to go. I want one more tequila.”

“I think that’s the last thing you need,” Tim retorts. “3am already isn’t looking pretty.”

“I’m out with my sister,” Lucy demands. “And I don’t want to go.”

“Sir,” the bartender quirks an eyebrow at Tim. “Do these ladies know you?”

Both Genny and Lucy start giggling, Lucy falling into his side, and he rolls his eyes. “She’s my sister,” he says about Genny, and then gestures at Lucy. “And that’s my wife.”

“I can prove it,” Lucy hums. “I can describe his-”

“No!” both Tim and Genny shout.

“How would that prove it, anyway?” Genny wonders, the alcohol dulling her filters. “Not like the bartender can confirm or deny. Unless Tim shows him his…”

“Genny!” Tim hisses. He holds up his phone to the bartender, his lock screen a picture of him and Lucy on their wedding day.

“Aww,” Genny melts at the fact her brother has put a wedding photo on the lock screen of his phone.

Lucy then adds, “Oh. That was a much better idea.”

The bartender nods. “Best of luck to you tonight, sir,” he says with a knowing raise of his eyebrows and a small smile tugging at his lips as he can clearly anticipate the night ahead of him.

Tim nods his thanks to the bartender. “Appreciate it.” Then he turns to Genny as he steadies Lucy with an arm around her waist. “Come on, we’re taking you home.”

“I’m fine!”

“You’re also tipsy. Come on.”

Lucy snorts a laugh. “He’s so overprotective,” she declares and she and Genny both dissolve into giggles.

“You two are trouble,” Tim mutters, but he can’t help the smile on his face. Then, he turns to Genny, guiding her out with a hand on the small of her back while Lucy clings to his other arm.

02.

ding

Lucy, sitting in bed scrolling on her phone, lets out a laugh.

ding

She laughs again. Tim side-eyes her before going back to his book.

ding

ding

“Oh my god,” she mutters, giggling and then letting out an aww.

“Okay, what is going on?” Tim finally asks, putting down his book and removing his reading glasses to look at her.

“Nothing. Why?”

“Who keeps texting you?”

“Jealous?” she teases with a playful smirk.

“No,” Tim replies. “I just want to know who’s making my wife laugh at 11pm while she’s in bed with me.”

“Sounds like jealousy,” Lucy teases and Tim rolls his eyes. She holds her phone up and shows him a picture of him at eight or nine in his baseball uniform.

Tim narrows his eyes in suspicion immediately. “Who is sending you those?”

Lucy just shrugs.

“Is it my mom? Or Genny?”

ding

Lucy laughs again. “Oh, my god.” She holds the phone out to Tim again. “You were so adorable as a baby.”

“What the…” Tim frowns as he takes in the photo. “I’m naked in this.”

“You were a baby.” Lucy shrugs. “And anyway, I’ve seen you naked before.”

ding

“Oh!” She holds up another photo, of Tim dressed up for Halloween at maybe two or three years old. “God. We’re going to have such cute babies.”

Tim lets out a laugh of surprise at that. “Well, I was hoping they’d look like you.”

Lucy tilts her head up to look at him and gives him a warm smile.

ding

ding

ding

“Okay, that has to be Genny. As much as my mom loves technology, she cannot text that fast,” Tim decides, grabbing the phone out of Lucy’s hand and she scoffs.

“Hey!”

“Oh, god,” Tim groans, looking at the photo on Lucy’s phone screen. “She sent you this one?”

“I didn’t even get to see!” Lucy exclaims, trying to snatch the phone back before Tim holds it out of her reach. She leans across his chest to grab it from him and then lies across him as she looks at the message. “Oh my god, are you wearing a neon nylon track suit?”

“Shut up. It was the 80s.”

Lucy laughs and shoves at his chest playfully as she takes in the photo.

ding

“Seriously, why does my sister hate me?”

Lucy just chuckles and goes back to her phone, while still draped across his chest, the click click click of the keyboard sounds moving fast as she types something to Genny.

Tim grabs for his own phone, and she spares him a glance as he clicks out his own message.

Suddenly, Lucy’s phone goes silent.

She turns to glare at him, sitting up. “What did you do?”

“Me?” he asks, putting his phone down on the nightstand, shrugging as he puts his reading glasses back on and picks up his book again. “Nothing.”

“Tiiiim,” she whines. “Genny stopped answering me.”

“Well, I just reminded her I have a photo of her in her prom dress that I’m sure the boys would love to see.”

“No fair,” Lucy teases, tossing her phone down, but then bursts into laughter when Tim tosses his book aside again and turns to her, hovering over her before tickling her ribs.

03.

Genny wants a tattoo.

She’s been talking about it for months now, and she’s finally committed to it and asks Lucy to go with her to get it while she’s on summer break from teaching. She’s a little nervous about it, and she knows that Lucy’s had them done before.

After the artist gets her settled in her chair, and pulls up a seat for Lucy, she disappears into the back and Lucy glances at the tattoo designs showcased on the wall. “They do nice work,” Lucy notes.

Genny nods. “I think so. I researched them thoroughly, to help calm my nerves.” She thinks about something and has a sudden epiphany. “Oh, you should get a tattoo, too!”

“I don’t know,” Lucy muses, though the idea is tempting. She’s been considering another tattoo for a while now, but hasn’t really had the time or motivation to put the wheels into motion to make it happen. But here, in the shop, it seems like the opportunity is right at her fingertips.

“Weren’t you thinking of getting another? Genny recalls. “Or, was that the tequila talking?” she teases with a knowing grin.

“No! I… do want another. It’s just, you know I’m a planner. I can’t just walk in here and get a tattoo on a whim.”

Genny hums. “Okay. But think how cool it would be cool if we did it together.”

“Well…” Lucy thinks.

Genny raises her eyebrows, encouraging her to continue. “Well?”

“No. I…” Lucy ponders the idea for a moment. “Tim would lose his mind.”

Genny tilts her head and studies her sister-in-law, trying to decipher if she means he would hate it or he would love it. “In a good way,” Genny finally notes.

Lucy bites her lip knowingly. “Yes.”

“Well, think about it. And maybe if I survive this one-“

Lucy rolls her eyes. “You’re being dramatic.”

“if I survive this one,” Genny repeats, “maybe you can get one with me next time.”

“So you’re already planning another?” Lucy teases.

She knows the tattoo she wants, has been thinking about this for a while. She’s decided that she wants to get Tim’s name in Chinese characters, with their wedding anniversary date beneath it. She thinks it would be especially meaningful because it will serve as a counterbalance to her day of death tattoo. The day that was supposed to be her day of death, but wasn’t, allowed her to experience the day that began the rest of her life.

“I know that look,” Genny accuses, raising her eyebrows. “You do want to get one.”

“I just… no, this would be crazy, right?” Genny raises an eyebrow. “I’m a planner. I can’t do this spur of the moment. They probably don’t even take walk ins.”

“We do!” one of the artists calls out.

Lucy frowns at that. “Okay, so I do know what I want. The thing is, I just don’t know for sure where.”

Genny nods. “Hit me with it. Where are you thinking?”

“Well, somewhere where it can be covered when I’m at work, so I was thinking either upper ribcage or lower back.”

“Hmm. Those don’t just sound like hidden places, those sound like sexy places.” Lucy rolls her eyes at her sister-in-law. “What is it you want to get?”

“You probably don’t want to know.”

Genny snorts. “God, it has something to do with my brother.” She takes a deep breath, preparing herself. “Okay. It’s okay, I can take it.”

“Tim’s name, in Chinese characters.”

“That’s not bad.” She thinks for a minute. “No, but wait, so, you’re going to get my brother’s name on your boob or your ass.”

“No!” Lucy blushes, glancing around the shop to see if anyone overheard her sister-in-law. “On the side of my boob, or above my ass,” she adds with a laugh and Genny cracks up with her.

“Kinky.”

“Genny!”

“I’m joking, relax.”

“This is a bad idea.”

“No, no it’s not. That’s actually a really sweet idea. If you want my opinion, pretending that this is not my brother we’re talking about, woman to woman: upper ribcage is the way to go. I think it’s intimate, but classy, and will be more often seen in a way that he would appreciate.”

Lucy lets out a sly smile. “I think so too.”

“So?” the tattoo artist ready to tattoo Genny appears, and turns to Lucy. “You decide to do it? Michael is free,” she informs her, and nods her head towards another artist with an empty work station.

Genny raises her eyebrows at Lucy in question, and Lucy bites her lip.

“Yeah. Yeah, let’s do it.”

“Are you sure?” Genny confirms.

Lucy nods. “Yes! Yes, I’ve been wanting to do this I just needed the push to actually make it happen.”

She manages to keep the tattoo hidden from Tim until, after she’s unwrapped it and it looks prettier and less raw, so she can show it to him as a surprise.

She’s excited to show him – she thinks he’ll enjoy it – but for some reason, she also feels nervous. She corners him in their bedroom just after he showers and is rooting around in the drawers, pulling a t-shirt over his head.

“Okay, I need to show you something.”

“That sounds… alarming,” Tim notes.

“No!” Lucy laughs, though her nerves clearly come through.

“Then why are you acting all nervous with your nervous blinking?”

“God, I hate that you can read me so well.”

“What is it?” Tim prompts again, closing the dresser drawer.

“Well, you know I went with Genny to get her tattoo-”

Tim’s eyes narrow suspiciously. “You got a tattoo.”

“How do you-”

“Lucy, really, where else was this story going?” Lucy lets out a laugh because, yeah, he’s right. “Where is it?” he asks instantly.

She can see the interest in his eyes, his curiosity piqued. “You want to know where it is before what it is?” she asks with a raise of her eyebrows.

“Yes,” he hums stepping closer to her, “because it’s clearly somewhere that can’t be seen to just anyone and that’s extremely hot.”

“Oh, is it?” she says with a chuckle.

“Where is it?” he repeats, whispering softly in her ear while his hands tickle the skin exposed at her waist as her shirt rides up.

Lucy pulls her shirt up and turns to the side, allowing him a view. He’s momentarily distracted by her body because she has no bra on in order to avoid irritating the tattoo, but his distraction is interrupted when he spots the tattoo on her upper ribcage, just to the side of her right breast.

“What does it mean?” he asks softly.

“It’s your name,” she says, and Tim freezes instantly. Suddenly, she momentarily worries: should she have asked him before permanently putting his name on her body?

But then she hears his intake of breath and he looks simultaneously turned on and emotional all at once. “And our wedding date,” he realizes the meaning of the numbers, as she’d only opted for the month and the day to keep it proportionate.

“Yes,” she confirms. She watches as he processes.

“That is the sexiest thing I have ever seen in my life.”

Lucy lets out a laugh. “Really?”

“God, yes,” he says. She’s just about to open her mouth and tease him to ask him if he’s sure it’s sexier than the green lingerie she wore on their honeymoon which he really seemed to like, but he’s ever so gently letting his fingertips run over it, barely a whisper of a touch. “Can we…”

Lucy laughs. “Yes, we just have to be careful not to irritate it or it can get infected.”

“That wouldn’t be sexy,” Tim agrees and Lucy laughs as he leans in to kiss her.

“No,” she agrees with a laugh, and then squeals in surprise when he lifts her with urgency, carrying her towards the bed, placing her down with such tenderness as to make sure that he doesn’t bother the tattoo.

“This means you’re mine,” he growls against her lips, and Lucy laughs.

“I am. And you’re mine. So, you wanna get my name on you?”

“I love you, but not a chance,” Tim mutters before he leans down to kiss her.

04.

They’re only supposed to drop off donations at the animal shelter.

A bag of food that Kojo refused to eat, some of his old leashes they no longer use, old towels and blankets for the kennels. There’s a bin right inside the lobby for the items people donate, so they shouldn’t even have stepped foot into the animal area.

But leave it to Genny and Tyler to wander right over to the lonely dog in a kennel, the one who is hiding and shaking in fear.

“Looking to adopt?” one of the shelter workers asks her, hopeful.

“Yeah!” Tyler says.

“No,” Genny corrects. “Just looking.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Because unfortunately, this one’s scheduled to be put down in the morning.”

“What?” Genny asks, aghast. “Why? He’s so young, and you have so much space left.”

“He has a cold,” the worker says with a sad sigh.

“Are you serious?” Lucy jumps in. “That’s a reason to put them down?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” The worker shrugs, clearly not impressed with the rules but having come to accept them. “The shelter doesn’t want to invest in vet care for that, or have it spread to other animals.”

“You have to take it home!” Genny declares, looking at Lucy.

“Yeah, Aunt Lucy!” Tyler agrees, putting his hands into a praying position.

“Me? Why me?” Lucy asks.

“Because. We can’t leave this poor thing here to meet that fate,” Genny explains.

“Why don’t you and the boys take it?” Lucy retorts. “We already have a dog.”

Genny shakes her head despite Tyler’s vigorous nodding. “No. I told them no pets until they prove they’re responsible which, they certainly have not,” Genny informs her. “I can’t go back on that.”

“We are!” Tyler insists. “Mom, come on!”

“Come on yourself, when you and your brother fight over cleaning up after a dog the way you do over the PS5 controller, then we’ll talk. Leave this to Aunt Lucy and Uncle Tim.”

“Bruh,” Tyler grumbles and Genny directs a look at him.

“Speaking of, I think Uncle Tim would have something to say about this,” Lucy notes.

“Please. You got him to take Kojo in. And that was before he was in love with you. Well, at least before he admitted he was, anyway. Now you’re his wife.”

Lucy rolls her eyes playfully. “This is… not the same thing as Kojo.”

“Sure it is.”

“What about Kojo?”

“Kojo would love a friend!”

“How do you know that?”

“That’s what you’re going to tell Tim when he asks you the same thing.”

“No, but seriously, what if Kojo doesn’t like this dog?” Lucy asks, and she’s wondering how on earth Genny has got her this far in considering this.

“Kojo befriended the bunny in our backyard last time he was there.” Genny thinks. “Hey, besides – maybe if he has a friend, he won’t tear up the house and Tim will give in on getting a dogwalker instead of doggy daycare?”

Lucy pauses, considering. “Okay, yeah… that actually makes sense.” Lucy sighs and then shakes her head. “No, but I can’t just bring a dog home and spring it on Tim without talking to him about it.”

“You could foster it,” Tyler pipes up. “At least, that will get it out of here. Take it home and find a home for it.”

“Oh, good idea,” Genny agrees with an eager nod. “And if… if you two decide you want to keep it, then you can.”

“Hmm,” Lucy muses, considering. “I guess there’s no harm in fostering. Right?” Tyler and Genny nod at her eagerly. “Oh, what am I asking you two for. You’re bad influences.”

“You guys taking the dog or not?” the worker asks. “We’re closing in fifteen minutes.”

“Now, don’t get mad,” Lucy says carefully when she arrives home and Tim narrows his eyes at her in suspicion as he sees her standing on their front porch with a dog on a leash.

“Did my sister put you up to this?” He doesn’t seem to be as surprised as she expected.

“No!”

“So, this text from Tyler that says, Mom is trying to convince Aunt Lucy to bring home a dog is…?”

“Okay, well. Look, honey. This dog was about to be put down in the morning if I didn’t take him home.”

“Okay.”

“And, I know it’s not fair to bring a dog home and make that commitment without deciding with you.”

“Right.”

“So, I took him as a foster.”

“A foster?”

“Yes! No commitment, it’s just until we can find it a home, you know? We’ll be doing a good thing, saving a life.”

“Fostering still means the dog is going to be here with us. What about Kojo?”

“Kojo wants a friend!”

Tim blinks at her. “Genny told you to say that.”

“Okay, fine, she did. But she might be right. Maybe Kojo just needs a friend. Maybe that’s why he tears up your things when he’s home alone.”

“Our things,” Tim corrects.

“He’s never touched my things.” Lucy’s not sure that Tim is even really listening to her, because he’s reaching down and petting the dog who is head butting into Tim repeatedly, and this is the least scared and most content she has seen the dog. “Tim?”

“I know, Lucy, I get it, but…”

“Just to foster,” she reminds him. “We’ll introduce him to Kojo under supervision, drop him at doggy daycare when we’re not home. And if we get attached then, we can go from there.”

“You’re going to be attached by tomorrow,” Tim points out. “And that’s being generous because you’re probably already attached right now.”

“I’ll let you name it.”

“I thought we were just fostering.”

“Yes, we are! But we can still name him in the meantime.”

He narrows his eyes at her, and shakes his head. “No, I know you. Then you’re going to use that against me as an excuse for you to name our first baby.”

“What? I’m not!” she laughs.

“I can’t believe this.”

“We’re doing a good thing.” Tim looks up at her and grins. “What?” she asks carefully, identifying the mischievous smile on Tim’s face.

“Boot.”

“What?”

“That’ll be his name. Boot.”

“Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have given you that much leeway.”

“Boot.”

“Tim!” Lucy exclaims, but she shakes her head and can’t help but laugh.

“Come on, it’s kind of perfect.”

“It’s kind of triggering.”

“Oh, stop,” Tim says with a laugh. “You don’t have a problem when I call you that in other scenarios.”

She ignores his teasing and blushes. “So, we’re keeping him?”

“We’re fostering Boot. And, you and Genny and Tyler are not allowed to drop off donations anymore.”

Lucy snorts a laugh. “Fine. Deal.”

05.

After the complete surprise of finding out they were having twins, after the bed rest and light duty much earlier on in her pregnancy than she had expected when she thought they were having just one, after the near sleepless nights where she could have grabbed a chunk of sleep except for the fact they have two babies and one was waking up after the other, Lucy and Genny decide to have some fun with the fact there’s two of them.

Tim went out to buy more diapers while Genny was over, because they had been gifted a lot of diapers, but most of them were newborn size and up and too big for their tiny girls.

And they’re going through them faster than they ever imagined.

“Look at these,” Lucy says to Genny, holding up two identical yellow baby onesies that have hoodies on them to make the babies look like little ducks. “Celina gave them to me at the baby shower.”

“Oh my god,” Genny gasps, clutching her hand to her heart at the cuteness. “Let’s put them on.”

“They might be too big,” Lucy laments. “Most of their things are.”

“Oh, they’ll still be cute. You’ll have a really cute picture to show people when they ask about the babies,” Genny adds.

Lucy relents, because yeah, she finds everyone asking to see photos. They each change one of the girls into the outfit, Genny playing photographer and taking several shots with different angles and filters.

Once they’re done and the outfits removed, Lucy looks at the two babies and freezes.

Genny’s happily swiping through her camera roll, grinning at the pics.

“Wait. You took off Isla’s socks?” Lucy realizes.

“Yeah, so?” Genny coos at the baby nearest her. “Wouldn’t be a perfect little duckling with socks on, now, would we?”

Lucy, however, looks panicked. “No, no, no, Genny. I took off Nora’s socks, too.”

“And?”

“The socks are how I tell them apart!”

Genny freezes.

“Wait. That’s okay, you took off Nora’s socks, and you were holding her, then you put her down so that means Nora is…” she turns and looks at the two babies, realizing she has no idea which one is the one she had put down and which one Lucy had. “Okay, well, they’re not identical, right?”

“They’re nine days old, all babies look identical!”

“Alright, alright. Calm down. It’ll be okay. I mean, worse comes to worst, no one ever has to know. One will be Nora and one will be Isla.”

“Genny!” Lucy gasps, aghast.

“Sorry!”

“Oh my god, Tim’s going to kill me.”

“Now, hold on. We can figure this out.”

“Nine days in and I’ve already messed them up.”

“I know! Isla just ate, so Nora should be hungry first.”

Lucy considers that possibility. “Okay. Possibly. But that’s not exactly foolproof. Maybe we should call the hospital? Maybe they can match them with their footprints, or? No, no. Then they might call protective services because I’m a horrible mother.”

“Lucy, you’re not a terrible mother. I’m sure this happens to a lot more twins than you can imagine.”

“God, Tim was right. He said we should keep the hospital bracelets on.”

“We’ll figure it out. Nora has that high-pitched wail-y cry…”

“They both do, Genny!”

“No, no. I swear, Nora’s is different. Let me make her cry.” She turns towards the babies and freezes. “Uh… make one of them cry, because I don’t know which one Nora is.” Genny reaches down towards one of the babies and gently tries to wake her up, hoping the disruption from sleep will cause her to cry.

“Hey.”

Both Lucy and Genny jump, startled at Tim’s voice as he appears in the room, box of diapers under his arm. “What is… are you trying to make my baby cry?” he asks Genny as said baby wakes and starts whimpering.

“No. Well, yes. But for a good reason.”

“You’re going to divorce me,” Lucy interjects.

Tim quirks an eyebrow at her. “I highly doubt that.”

“It’s just that we dressed the girls up in matching outfits,” Genny tells him, hoping to help Lucy into breaking the news. “They looked really cute.”

“That’s why I’m going to divorce you?” Tim wonders, confused, as he sets the box down.

“No, that’s not why!” Lucy interjects.

“I’m easing him into it!” Genny explains. The crying gets louder and Genny points to the baby and mouths ‘Nora’ to Lucy who shakes her head.

Tim raises an eyebrow as he picks up the baby that Genny has successfully awoken.

“Look,” Lucy begins rambling even over the baby’s cries, “We thought it would be cute, you know? To dress them up in matching outfits, like little ducks. In the outfits Celina gave us, the little yellow ones with the duck hoodies? And Nora was in the green socks and Isla was in the yellow, but when we changed them, we both took their socks off and then we weren’t sure who had on which socks and now I don’t know who is who.”

“Lucy--”

“I know, you said we shouldn’t take off their hospital bracelets until we were confident-”

“Lucy.”

“And I should have been more careful…”

“Lucy…”

“They look cute though!” Genny adds with a grin, holding up the photo on her phone for Tim to see.

“Yes, cute at the expense that now I’ve mixed up our children and scarred them for life!” Lucy adds.

“Lucy.” Finally, she lets Tim get a word in and she stops her rant to look at him. He indicates the baby in his arms. “This is Isla.”

Lucy blinks at him. “How do you know?”

“She has this tiny freckle here, just like you,” he says, pointing to the tiny little freckle on her neck.

There’s a momentary pause. “Why didn’t you ever tell me that!”

“I didn’t know I was supposed to!”

“We have twins, Tim. Common courtesy is to point out identifiers.”

“Huh,” Genny notes, peering at the girls. “I could’ve sworn that high pitched cry was Nora’s.”

“Oh, thank god,” Lucy sighs in relief, picking up the yellow socks and putting them on to the baby in Tim’s arms. “You really wouldn’t have divorced me if I’d mixed up our children for life?”

Tim laughs. “No, Lucy.”

“Well,” Genny declares with a grin, picking up her bag. “I’m going to go now. Leave you two and my nieces to it.”

“Sure, Gen. Thanks for mixing up my daughters.”

Genny grins at his sarcasm. “Any time!”

+1

“Happy Birthday!” Lucy greets Austin with a hug as she and Tim step foot into the busy Dave and Buster’s.

“Thanks, Aunt Lucy!” he says while Tim reaches out to give him a fist bump. “Where are my cousins?”

“With Angela,” Lucy tells him. “They’re too little to really enjoy Dave and Buster’s and we figured we could focus more on you if we’re not chasing after two falsely over confident walkers.”

Austin nods, accepting the gift bag Tim hands him. “Cool.”

Genny walks up and greets them both with a hug. “Thanks for coming. I know this isn’t exactly the adult party most parents would opt to go to when they have a rare day with a babysitter.”

Tim waves it off. “Hey, they have beer.”

Lucy nods. “And I can drink because I have stockpiled plenty of breastmilk in the freezer.”

Tim laughs. “There’s not even room for food in there.”

“Well, you’re the one who got me pregnant with two babies. And, guess what? I still only have two breasts. So I have to stockpile as much as possible. I’m working double time here,” Lucy retorts teasingly and Tim shakes his head and rolls his eyes playfully, arm sliding around her waist as he pulls her into him.

“Here, have some tokens,” Genny says, shoving a cup with tokens into his hand. “Have fun.”

“What are we supposed to do with these?” Tim asks Lucy as Genny saunters off.

“Come on. Let’s get some drinks and then I can kick your ass at the NBA hoops.”

Tim raises his eyebrow in mock shock at the challenge. “Oh, really?”

“Yes, really.”

They get their drinks from the bar – a beer for Tim and a margarita for Lucy, and find the NBA hoops game. They challenge each other to the best two out of three, but when that time comes and Tim is winning, Lucy insists on a rematch.

“Can we play?” A preteen girl asks, hands on her hips as she looks at Tim and Lucy.

“In a minute,” Lucy brushes her off as she takes her next shot.

“You’ve been playing here for a long time,” the girl insists.

“We still have one more game to go,” Lucy informs her.

“Come on, Lucy,” Tim says with a laugh, urging her away from the game. “Let’s go play something else.”

“Of course you’d take her side,” Lucy huffs. “Because you were winning. One more round and I would’ve beaten you.”

“I’ll get you another drink as a peace offering.”

“Okaaay,” Lucy hums as they head to the bar. “But we’re not counting that contest in your favor.”

“Best two out of three at Skee-Ball, then?” Tim challenges.

Lucy’s eyes light up as she sips her new margarita. “Oh, you’re asking for trouble, Bradford. You’ve never seen me play Skee-Ball before.”

“No, but I’ve seen you bowl,” Tim taunts, and Lucy’s eyes light up with playful shock.

“Oh that’s it. Let’s go.”

When Tim wins Skee-Ball, with a whole string of tickets coming out of the machine, Lucy pouts.

“Why aren’t you letting me win?” she demands to know.

Tim gets her another drink to make up for it.

“Hey mister,” a little kid says, tugging on Tim’s jacket. “Can I have your tickets?”

Tim, also a few beers deep, frowns at him. “Of course not.”

The little boy looks shocked. “But other adults are giving out their tickets to the kids!”

“Well, go ask one of them, then,” Tim says, dismissing the boy, and Lucy bursts out laughing.

“Oh my god,” Lucy laughs. “You TO Bradford-ed him.”

Tim frowns, “He was trying to extort me.”

Now, Lucy really can’t stop giggling. “That’s not extortion.”

“Close enough,” Tim mumbles as they wander past the prize booth. “Besides, I need them.”

“For what?” Lucy inquires, Tim steading her as she stumbles momentarily.

He nods his head towards the prize booth. “I’m going to get you a ring.”

“I already have two rings,” Lucy reminds him, holding up her left hand and flashing her engagement and wedding bands.

“This one is for your other hand,” Tim informs her, seriously. The young girl behind the prize booth counter blinks at them, unmoved, smacking her gum.

“A ring is 50 tickets,” she informs him.

“Such a rip-off,” Tim mutters, handing them over. The attendant hands Lucy a red ring, and she shakes her head.

“I want the green one.”

The attendant raises her eyebrows, exchanges the red for green without taking her eyes off of Lucy. Lucy puts it on and swoons, holding her hand out for the attendant to see.

“Congrats?” she says dryly with an I-don’t-get-paid-enough-to-deal-with-this look, as Tim wraps his arm around Lucy and they venture back into the crowd.

One more drink later for each of them, and they’re trying to outdo one another in the virtual soccer game when Genny approaches them.

“Hey, I’ve gotten complaints about you two hogging the NBA hoops game, yelling at each other over air hockey, and, in one case, bribing one of Austin’s friends to go to another game by giving him extra tokens so that you two could play each other.”

Lucy huffs her annoyance. “That kid wasn’t supposed to tell, that was our deal.”

“The runaway skee-ball was Lucy’s fault,” Tim insists.

“Shhh,” Lucy tells him, but can’t hold in a laugh. “She didn’t even mention that!”

“Whoops.”

“And it was Tim’s fault.”

“Lucy, you’re kicking in the opposite direction of where the soccer ball is,” Genny informs her.

Lucy shrugs and waves the game off, hopping off the platform. “I was going to do the human crane game next, anyway.”

She reaches for Tim’s hand, and, as always, he takes it willing to follow her anywhere.

“Uh, no, no,” Genny declares, eyes wide, envisioning the disaster that is bound to come with that game. “Maybe you two should go sober up for a bit. Neither of you can drive at this point and that’s lucky for me, I guess, because then you will have to stay and help me load everything into the car.” Genny nods at a door. “Go hang out in the private party room. We won’t use it until we do the cake in about a half hour.”

“Private room?” Lucy’s eyes light up mischievously, looking to Tim and biting her lip.

“No, no. Nope,” Genny says insistently. “Behave.”

“No promises,” Lucy teases and Tim snorts out a laugh, inhibitions low.

“Remember you’re police officers.”

“Which is why we know how to break the laws without getting caught,” Tim informs his sister, and Lucy snickers.

“You two are trouble,” Genny murmurs, though she has a slight smile on her face.

“Let’s go,” Tim urges, placing his hand on the small of Lucy’s back. “I miss the girls. We can Facetime Angela.”

“Ohh. Yes!” Lucy agrees, excitedly. “My babies,” she laments sadly, hands to her heart.

“Drunk in a Dave and Buster’s,” Genny mutters under her breath.