Chapter Sixty-three

Whenever time difference worked out for them, Sarah and Richie talked over the phone. Only once they wee lucky enough Daniel was still awake to videochat. Of course the baby didn't understand the concept but Richie was happy enough to see his son all the way from Germany.

Tomorrow he'd be home again. The short European promotional tour was over and everything was set for next summer. He was looking forward to it all but in another way he wasn't. He hoped Ava would be alright with it but he also didn't want to miss all the milestones Daniel was about to make in his life. There'd be a ton more later in life but watching him roll, sit, crawl, walk and even talk were very important steps to a parent.

In the evening, the band boarded the plane back to the US. They'd only fly as far as New York City and Richie would get connection to Los Angeles on his own. He was used to that and didn't mind the few hours flight by himself. It also gave him some peace and quiet away from everybody.

A few hours later, he arrived back home. It was only afternoon, he'd have time to spend with his family. He'd drop off his luggage, say hi to everybody and then go see Ava. He was determined to spend all the time he could with her while he was still home for another month.

He walked into the house quietly, being sure Daniel was having a nap at this time.

Sarah heard him from the living room and got up to meet him by the door.

"You're home." She said with a brilliant smile.
He put his bags down and wrapped his arms around his wife. "Missed you."
"I missed you too, I'm so glad you're home now." She hugged him back, then reached up to kiss him.

Richie kissed back passionately, it had only been a few days but he had missed his wife a lot. Returning to her always felt good.

"So what's that idea you got?" He asked as their kiss ended.
Sarah smiled. "I'll show you." She took his hand and pulled him to the living room where she made him sit down. "I know you gave me a laptop so I could use it for school but then I didn't go to school so what if I do that now?"
"Go to school? But Daniel?"
"Not go to school, distance learning. I'd get all the books at home or online and then I can study on my own in my own time."
"Really?" Richie asked interested.
"I could study while Daniel's napping or in the evening when everyone is home and looking after him too."
Richie nodded, understanding how she was about to take everything on. "What are you going to study?" He knew she had wanted to be a doctor but medical studies on her own would be very hard.
"Early childhood development." Sarah answered with a bright smile. "I'd learn everything about children til the age of twelve. I'd be learning how Daniel develops, what he should be able to do at a certain age, how to encourage him to learn things, when to know he's behind on the guidelines."
Richie frowned. "He's behind on things?"
Sarah shook her head and smiled again. "No, he's even early on starting to roll and he's finally getting used to your mom."
"And you're sure you don't want to take this course just because you're worried about him." Richie asked skeptical.
Sarah shrugged a little. "Maybe but if I do go back to work when he's older or something, I could work with other children too. I could work at a playschool or a toddler group."
"Okay." Richie nodded. "If that's what you want to do, go ahead. Even if you're just worried about Daniel, nothing wrong with learning something new."
Reaching over to her husband, Sarah smiled again and kissed him. "Thanks, course money is only like ten grand."
Money wasn't an issue for him but that did seem a lot. "Seriously?"
"No. Just wanted to see your reaction to that. Was funny." She kissed him again, then snuggled into him.
"Now if only Caleb would make up his mind about college."
That reminded Sarah of something they talked about earlier. "Few days ago he found the Academy of Arts."
"What's that?"
"Seemed really neat, he was considering studying to make music for movies but he's not sure if he really wants to make music his job or keep it as a hobby." Sarah explained, she knew what her son loved to do but also understood that it was a very hard choice to make. It would be the base of his entire life.
Richie frowned. "Music? Last week he was thinking about social work."
Sarah looked up at him. "Social work?"
"Yeah, said he wanted to work for child welfare. Help kids that are in difficult situations at home." He explained. When Caleb had told him, he had encouraged it, thinking that was what Sarah would want and it would be a very nice career to help children.
"That's something I'd expect from Noah. I know Caleb cares a lot, he just likes to act though around everyone but that would be a very nice to make a career out of."
Richie agreed and cuddled his wife again. "He'll make his mind up. Whatever he picks, he can study as long as it's what he really wants to do. He can always do music later."
"Very true." Sarah agreed.

Richie knew the difficult choice Caleb had to make. At that age he also wanted to play music for the rest of his life but it's a though field to breakthrough from and he also had picked another road at first. After two years of college, he took a chance to be world famous. Who knows, maybe Caleb would do so too. As a father, he'd be supportive to his son no matter what decision he made.

Chapter Sixty-two

Gently, Sarah laid her son in his small baby bed. He had fallen asleep a while ago but to her it seemed he'd be more comfortable in his own bed.

As she watched him sleep in his bed, it became obvious how much he had grown in the past few months. He was even starting to move on his own now.

Just as she expected when she walked out of Daniel's room, she received a phone call. Quickly she grabbed it out of her pocket and answered it as she walked back to her bedroom.

"Did you get to watch?" Richie opened with.
"Yeah. Danny loved it." Sarah answered him, sitting down on their bed.
"Danny? We're shortening it now?"
"It's cute."
"Okay. You let him watch?"
"He was watching with me and your mom. He was down on his play mat while we watched, turned up the volume and he loved it."
Richie smiled, picturing his son.
"He really knows it's you."

Sarah went on to describe how she was watching her husband on a laptop with Joan. They sat on the couch in the living room with the laptop on the coffee table, the volume turned up load. Daniel laid on a soft playing mat. With every guitar solo Richie made, Daniel tried to turn to his side, then fell to his belly. Sarah had turned him back to his back every time he did so but Daniel continued to try to get closer to where the music was coming from. After a few tries, Sarah had picked him up and held him in her lap as she watched her husband perform at a promotional concert in London. It was amazing to see how her 3 month old son was reacting to music and mostly music his father played.

"He's gonna be a musical talent." Richie predicted.
"You think so? Babies might just like music."
"Maybe."

A few hours later Sarah was back to being busy with her little boy.

She loved to watch him grow and her parenting books told her all about what he should be doing. Even with those books, she had a feeling she should know more about her child's development. It gave her a few ideas but right now Daniel was awake and would need attention for the next few hours.

While preparing dinner, Sarah made sure her older boys were babysitting the smallest one. Her idea that started in the living room, kept on rolling in her mind. It developed a way it could become reality. After all, she always wanted to go back to college and learn something. College wouldn't be a place for that now, that's what Caleb was going to do in the fall. She'd feel out of place at a college at this age but she also only wanted to learn for her own. Starting a career wasn't what she wanted to do anymore. Being a mother was all she wanted right now and a little more knowledge about children.

For now she kept her idea quiet, talking to Richie about it would help a lot. She could learn something entirely new that would benefit all of them even if she didn't put it into practice. She had already proven that she could maintain a good job and be a responsible employee. That part in her life was over now.

Now was time for family.

Chapter Sixty-one

"You'll be gone almost all week?" Ava asked astonished by what she had just been told by her father.
"It's just a little promo and you'll be staying with your mom anyway."

The family was having dinner only a week since new year's. Their vacation in Hawaii was over and everyone had gone back to school.

Ava looked up at her father sitting opposite of her. How couldn't he know? She was going to say it. He needed to know. "But you never spend time with me anymore!" She said in a quivering voice. Before she could let on how upset she was, she rose from her chair and left the dining room.

Richie looked at the empty chair, taken aback. He didn't spend time with her? What was he trying to do right now then?

He turned his head to face Sarah, a confused look on his face. What just happened? He only said he needed to go to Europe next week. The tour wasn't starting yet, it was just a week.

"I guess I should go talk to her."
Sarah nodded. "Yes, you probably should." She had a feeling about what was wrong. Even though it seemed a bit late to feel that way. They had been married for over a year now, Ava should be used to that by now.
Richie put his cutlery down and got up to walk to Ava's room.

The two boys at the table had started talking again. Sarah had never noticed them feeling unhappy about their family situation. Maybe boys took it differently.

Softly he knocked on the white painted door at the end of the hallway.

"Go away." Ava's voice said from inside the room.
"Come on Ava, we obviously need to talk about this." He knew his daughter well and could already imagine the seat she was sitting in. The chair had been one of her silly ideas, at least to him, when he had bought the house. He still didn't understand what was so comfortable about a ball shaped chair that hung safely from the ceiling. Except that it might give a surrounded feeling.

Since Ava didn't answer, he carefully opened the door. He had been right, there she sat, all cudfled up in a ball shaped chair.

"You're not supposed to come in 'til I say you can."
"You didn't answer me anymore." He took the desk chair and put it down in front of her. As he sat down, he could see tearstains on his daughter's lovely face. It stung, it hurt him.
"What's wrong?" He asked to start their conversation.
Ava shrugged.
"If it's bad enough to cry about, you need to tell me." Richie tried to get an answer but didn't succeed. She obviously didn't want to talk about it. "Why do you think I dont spend enough time with you?"
"Because you don't."
Her accusing voice, almost hurt as much as seeing the tearstains, if not more.
"We spend time together." Richie defended.
"Not like we used to."
Richie frowned. "Honey, I've been married for over a year now. It's a bit late to feel jealous of Noah and Caleb."
"I'm not jealous." Ava answered annoyed.
"Is it because I adopted them?"
"No."
Almost afraid to ask, he asked anyway. "Daniel?"
"No. I love Daniel."
"Then what is it?" Richie asked clueless.
Ava's eyes filled with tears.
"You can tell me anything." He reminded her. "What are you missing?"
"When I was little."
"When you were little?" He repeated confused.
"When you were home." Ava clarified, the tears escaped from her eyes.
"I am home."
"But you're leaving again." She said accusingly.

Richie leaned back in the chair as he thought back. The last year he had been busy with his solo album, two years before that he was busy touring and writing more songs. That was all he could remember about the last few years. Music and touring. Sure Ava had been there but he couldn't remember the last time he had been home with her for an entire month. With shared custody, that wasn't even possible.

As the realisation sunk in, he got up from his chair and walked out of the room.

"Dad!"

In his own bedroom he found a photo album, a little older than Ava was herself. He picked it up and carried it back to Ava's room.

She had moved from the chair to her bed, where she layed on her stomach, her head sunk in the pillow she was holding on to.

He sat down on the bed and stroked her back. "Honey, I wasn't leaving you." He clarified.
Ava wiped her eyes before looking up. "You still have that?" She sounded surprised.
Richie frowned. "Of course I do, it's got your whole life in it, until digital photographs took over the world." He opened it to the first page, where Ava's life had started. A blurry black and white picture. The first time they had found out about Ava. The picture was so blurry, he had pointed out with a pen where embryo Ava exactly was.

She sat up and leaned against the wall.

Richied moved on the bed until he was right next to her. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close until she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I thought we could remember all the time we had together. I can't change the tour anymore now but I'd do anything for you and if that's what you want me to do, I'll do it."
Ava didn't answer but pointed at the picture. "You really had to point me out?"
Richie chuckled, "Your mom was getting annoyed that I had to ask everytime." He paused not sure if he should continue or not. "I couldnt see Daniel either on those first pictures."
Ava smiled a little.
He hoped that made her feel less left out.

They sat together as they leafed through Ava's baby pictures. A lot had changed since then but his daughter was still just as beautiful as she was on her first day. That first day was the first day she amazed him and she had never stopped doing that.

"That's my favorite picture." Ava pointed out.
Richie smiled, "Of all of these?"
"No, just of when I was that age."
"I like it too. You really were still my baby girl then."
"I'll always be your baby girl."
"Forever." Richie confirmed. "Nothing could ever change that."
He looked at the picture. He could remember the moment but was sure Ava couldn't. "Why's that your favorite?"
"Cause you're really being a daddy there. You took the time for something moms usually do."
The words stung again but he could also understand them. She was sort of right.
Ava looked up at her dad. "I love you daddy."
He smiled at her tender words, the days that she still called him daddy seemed far away but right now it felt just like then. "I love you so much baby girl." He let go of the photo album and wrapped both arms around his daughter as he hugged and held her.
"I'm sorry." He added softly.

Chapter Sixty

"Happy new year honey." Richie said as he reached in to kiss his beautiful wife.

Their kiss was sweet, yet passionate enough to celebrate the new year that had started a few seconds ago.

"I have a feeling this will be an even better year." He smiled at her.
Sarah smiled back, it was impossible not to when she saw his smile. "I'm sure it will be."
"I can't wait. It'll be very busy."
Sarah nodded, seeing the prospect of this year. "You'll be gone a lot."
"But I'll be home every few weeks to see everyone."
"I'll still miss you."
"I'm not going anywhere yet. No need to miss me." He kissed her again.

"Why don't you get a room already?" Ava teased. She was glad her father had found love again but did he really need to show it off around everyone. Still?
"We will later." Richie assured her.

Half an hour later, everyone was going upstairs and to bed. They had celebrated all night but now that the new year had started, they were eager to go to bed. Tomorrow, they'd go down to the beach.

Together with Sarah, Richie went to check on baby Daniel again. He had missed the celebrations but his parents both agreed that his sleeping pattern was more important than celebrating something he wouldn't remember.

Daniel slept comfortably in his crib, surrounded by stuffed animals. He was growing and learning new things every day. He could even reach out and grab one to stick in his mouth. Sarah had made sure all the toys in his bed were safe for him in every possible way.

"Do we make a new one next year?" Richie asked quietly to not wake up Daniel.
Sarah smiled. "Not yet, a few more months."
"Yeah, that's probably better."
"In the second half of the year."
Richie nodded, agreeing. Now would be too soon.

They both gently stroked his growing hair, then quietly left the room.

"How should we celebrate the new year?" Richie asked, walking over to the bed while he took his shirt off.
"I'm sure you can think of a way." Sarah teased him back. Unlike Richie, she didn't undress and gently sat down on the large bed.
"Yeah?" Richie sat down on the other end after taking his pants off. "I'm sure." He moved on the bed towards Sarah. Settling behind her, he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck.
Sarah leaned her head back, fully enjoying the feeling of his soft kisses on her skin.

Richie reached down to the edge of Sarah's top and pulled it up, exposing her to him. He had a perfect view of her cleavage from the top.

Sarah pulled away from his grasp and stood up to take off her own pants, then pulled back the covers on the bed. In a minute, she was back in bed, kissing Richie.

"I love you." She whispered, keeping focus on his beautiful eyes.
A gentle smile formed on his lips once again, then kissed her gently. "I love you too."

He was glad they finally started having sex again but for him it was never enough. The few kisses, soft touches and exposed skin, was enough to turn him on.

"You're always ready." Sarah chuckled.
"Cause you look so beautiful. Can't help myself." Richie ended his explanation with another kiss.

He wrapped his arms around Sarah and pulled her closer against him, letting her feel how turned on he was. With the same action, he could feel Sarah's breasts pressed against him.

Stroking Sarah's back, he could feel her soft skin. The skin he had missed to touch so often.

Gently, he made her lay on her back. He didn't want to waste another minute before he lost control of himself. He wanted that moment with Sarah.

Carefully, he settled on top of her. Looking down into her beautiful shining green eyes, he couldn't resist another passionate kiss.

A moment later he was moving slowly with Sarah. He was sure Sarah couldn't handle anything too rough just yet and kept the pace slow and steady, enjoying every inch of movement he made.

It wasn't long before he could feel the fire in his groin. Leaning down, he kissed Sarah again, getting every little bit of excitement before he let go of himself.

Only a second later, he felt Sarah reach her ultimate pleasure too. He smiled, "That's a happy new year."
Sarah chuckled. "It is."

Chapter Fifty-nine

On Christmas day, Daniel was the first to wake up which resulted in Richie and Sarah waking up earlier than they had expected too.

With a sigh, Sarah turned to face her husband. "Morning." She said, looking up into his eyes.
"Morning dear." He reached in for a soft kiss. "Merry Christmas."
Sarah smiled. "Merry Christmas to you too honey."

As they shared another kiss, Daniel made himself heard again.

"Better go get him." Sarah said, pulling away from Richie.

In the bedroom, she first reached down into the crib to sooth Daniel before picking him up. She laid his head on her shoulder and stroked his back gently so he would know she was there for him.

When he had quieted down, she held him up and looked at him. He looked as adorable as ever.

She changed his diaper and dressed him in his Christmas outfit. It was still early but at least he'd be dressed then. After she had put him his red socks with white snowflakes on, Sarah picked up her son and walked back to her bedroom.

"Morning." Richie sat up and held the sheets up for Sarah.
She gently laid Daniel between them.
"That's cute. Baby's first Christmas." He read the text on Daniel's shirt, seeing the Christmas tree print underneath it.
"I got it last week, thought it would be cute."
"Very cute." Richie agreed.
"It'll be cute until he drooled all over it."
"He's growing a lot." Richie agreed again. "His blue eyes have even gone."
Sarah smiled, looking at her son's bright eyes. "Knew he'd have your eyes."


Two hours later, the whole family sat in the living room. Daniel's shirt had been covered up by a seasonal bib and three teenagers sat waiting for the go sign to unwrap their presents.

A large christmas tree stood decorated by the window. This year a new ornament had been added. Each child had their own letter as an ornament in the tree. Daniel got his very own to add this year.

"Because it's Daniel's first Christmas. He should have his presents first." Richie decided for all of them and secretly teasing the older children.
"Mine first!" Ava said excitedly, hurrying over to the Christmas tree and picking out a red wrapped gift with a big bow.

In the end Daniel had a bunch of new toys, clothes and stuffed animals.

Afterwards, they all exchanged their own gifts with each other.

Joan had the joy of celebrating Christmas morning with all her grandchildren.

For lunch, Abbey joined the family too. Altogether they had a large lunch together in the dining room.

Afterwards, Daniel took a nap in his bed upstairs.

The rest of the afternoon was spend by enjoying their presents.

Richie loved seeing his family so happy. His mother here with them for Daniel's first Christmas, made it even better. His daughter was happy with every gift she got. She was always happy with everything she got, even the smallest thing. He was glad to know that his sons were exactly the same.

Quietly, he got up from the couch.

Sarah looked up at him questiongly but Richie only smiled. The smile told her everything as he went upstairs. She watched her family, just like Richie had.

A few minutes later, he returned with a brown manila file. He cleared his throat so everyone looked at him. He showed the file, trying to find words.

"I think this is the perfect moment to share this information."

Everyone frowned him.

Richie shook his head and took out two pieces of paper and handed one to Noah and the other to Caleb.

Ava couldn't wait another minute and looked over Noah's shoulder as he read it.

"Birth certificates?" Ava asked confused.
"Yeah." Richie smiled as he sat down with Sarah again. "Amended birth certificates." He clarified.

The boys weren't his stepchildren anymore, they were officially his children now.

Both boys didn't know what to say at the moment but everyone felt the same thing. Their family was finally complete in an official way.

Chapter Fifty-eight

A month later Richie was playing at the Craig Ferguson show for an entire week. He often watched it at home but now he could really make part of it.

It was the most fun he had had in a while except for not being home with his baby son. Daniel had grown a lot in the last month but he still saw him during the rest of the dag.

The baby still hadn't grown used to Joan and continued to cry whenever she picked him up. By now it was starting to worry them all. The same happened when friends came around and wanted to hold the baby.

Arriving home later after the show, Richie went straight up to Daniel'd bedroom but found the little bed empty in the dark room.

Turning around, he walked back to his own bedroom. Sarah must have taken him to eat not so long ago.

It was one of his favorite things to see, his wife and son together.

He walked into the room quietly. The lights were all turned off except for a small table lamp.

Sarah was laying down in bed, snuggled into the sheets.

Because she didn't react, Richie figured she was asleep already and started undressing for bed.

As he sat down on the bed, Sarah looked up at him.

"Thought you were sleeping?" Richie asked, wondering.
"I was. Thought it might have been Daniel who moved. He just wouldn't sleep earlier."
Richie frowned as he moved closer. "He didn't? Why not?"
"I don't know but I finally turned on the show and you were playing, that's when he started to calm down. He must have regocnized your voice on tv."
Richie smiled, looking down at his little boy laying in between them. "He must have."
"He fell asleep when the show finished."
"That's so sweet." He reached out to stroke Daniel's blond hairs. "Should take him to his own bed though."
Sarah agreed. "You can take him then."

Richie sat up and carefully picked up his boy. Daniel stirred but didn't wake up as he was carried to his own bed to sleep.

As a good father, Richie made sure he was tucked in and his stuffed animals were sitting on the edge, far enough from Daniel's head. That way Daniel had enough breathing space.

The small light on the cupboard was left on. As Richie walked out of the room, he left the door open so they could hear Daniel even though the baby monitor would make sure of that too.

Quietly, Richie got back in bed with his wife.

"Tired?" He asked gently.
Sarah moved closer to him, laying her hand on his bare chest as she looked up at him. "Maybe."
"Maybe?" The answer was too unclear for him.
"Maybe not." Sarah said, moving her hand lower over his chest and belly.
"Really?" He asked his third question unsure.

They hadn't been intimite since before Daniel was born. Thinking back quickly, he was sure it had at least been 3 months ago. If Sarah was ready, he definitely wasn't complaining.

When he felt Sarah's hand go inside his boxers, he knew she was sure.

He reached over to kiss his wife, then pulled her closer against him as they shared a romantic kiss.

"Missed you." He said, pulling up the sheets to move even closer and take a good look at his wife.
"Tell me about it." Sarah said as she reached in to kiss again.

Soon their minimul clothes had gone scattered to the floor.

His wife looked just as beautiful as she always had, making him very eager. He held her close as they shared another sweet kiss.

After three months of nothing, Richie was ready to burst but he was going to make it worth a three month wait for both of them.

Chapter Fifty-seven

Saturday morning, Richie was glad it was finally Saturday. He'd been busy all day Friday with interviews on TV and radio. It had kept him busy the entire day. Now he was glad the weekend was there.

During the rest of the week he had been able to contact some contractors to fix up his mother's house. He also got a hold of her in England and tonight she would fly over to Los Angeles instead of going home to New Jersey.

Even though his week had been pretty busy, the weekend would be busy too. Tonight his mother would fly in and move into the house for a while until they were able to fix up her house. Tomorrow they were having a party for everyone to come meet Daniel.

During his busy week, Richie also got a very nice surprise. A call from his agents made him go down to the office to pick up a big book.

He had been absolutely surprised when she handed it over to him. Confused at the moment, Richie had leafed through it, noticing all the kind words and pictures from his fans. It instantly made his day great to read messages from all of his appreciative fans.

Today being his day off, he sat down on the couch with the book and was determined to read each note carefully and really look at all the pictures.

"What do you have there?" Sarah asked, seeing her husband reading a large book.
"A fan book."
Sarah frowned. "A fan book?"
Richie nodded. "Yeah, my fans sent a book with messages and pictures. I'm just reading it now."
"Oh right." Sarah sat down next to him. "That's so nice of them."
Richie agreed.
"Anyway, I got your mom's room ready for tonight."
Richie looked up from the book. "You didn't have to do that."
"I know but Daniel was sleeping so quietly, I thought I'd just do it quickly."
"He's got a big day tomorrow."
Sarah chuckled. "He's looking forward to it."

The day went bye quietly until the older kids has to get ready for the halloween party they were attending that evening.

Dealing with two things at once, Richie was supposed to bring them to the party and then drive to the airport to be in time to pick up his mother. Then around midnight he'd had to go out again to pick everybody up from the party. That wasn't hard to do.

Ava was the first to go get ready, she instisted on having dinner early so she would have more time to get ready and prepare.

Even though Ava took the most time into getting ready for the party, Caleb had put the most time into his own costume. He hadn't had a haircut since the summer, making his hair grow out until it was long enough to look like a glam rock star.

"Dad!"

Richie looked back to the hallway. His son was right next to him, having his dinner. He didn't talk yet.

"That was Caleb." Sarah clarified for him.
"I know but, they don't call me dad yet."
Sarah shrugged. "Maybe they do now."

Richie got up and went upstairs, going to Calebs room. He knocked on the door, waiting for Caleb to tell him to come in before going into the room.

"What's wrong?" Richie asked.
Caleb stood infront of a mirror, wearing an old t-shirt and hold a pair of scissors. "How many cuts should I put into it to look like a real 80s rockstar?"
Richie laughed, then realized Caleb was being serious. "Well, you gotta show off what you got. That was the point of it." He shrugged. "You could always go shirtless."
"No." Said Caleb quickly.
"Then I guess you can cut a deep V-neck or cut open the sides or something."
Caleb laughed. "Thought you were the 80s rock star here."
Richie ignored it. "What pants are you wearing."
"Skinny jeans?" Caleb asked.
"Not even leather pants or spandex? You need spandex if you're gonna be an 80s rock star." He put the emphasis on needing it.
"I don't have spandex. Nobody does anymore."
"You could have asked. Just wait here." Richie left the room and went into his bedroom.

Somewhere in the back of the closet he found clothes had been untoched for years. He had to look for a while but finally found what he needed, black spandex, white stars on the sides of the legs. They might be a bit big for Caleb but it should work anyway. That was the great thing about spandex.

Carrying the pants, he walked back to Caleb's room.

"This is what you need."
Caleb looked, his eyes widening with surprise. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, you need it. If you're gonna dress up you better do it right." He laid the pants down on the bed.
"Thanks." Caleb said. "You don't still have make-up do you?"
Richie shook his head. "You'll have to ask Ava if you can borrow some stuff."

On his way back downstairs, Richie checked on both Noah and Ava too.


Before leaving to bring everyone to the party, they said goodbye to Daniel and Sarah.

Richie took a look at all four kids dressed up for halloween. A few days late but for parties it still worked.
Caleb looked pretty good as an 80s rock star, Noah had dressed up as Doctor Who. The eleventh Doctor Who, as Noah had pointed out a few times. Ava was wearing shorts and a top, finishing off with bunny ears. Last but definitely cutest, Daniel was wearing a Batman onesie.

Richie said goodbye to his youngest son and kissed Sarah goodbye. He'd be back in only an hour or so.

He drove to the address Ava had given him, where the party would be. He knew a lot of people at Ava's school and knew where the party would be. Before letting everyone out of the car, he reminded them again that he would pick them up around midnight. They all complained as he had expected but they had to be part of Daniel's day tomorrow too.

At the airport he was very happy to see his mother. It had been a while and it was always great to see her. They hugged a few minutes before letting go and get the luggage.

The drive home was fairly short, the traffic was calmer than usual. In less than an hour they arrived at home.

Joan got out of the car as Richie was getting her luggage from the trunk. She was going to stay for a while but had only brought her suitcases from England. She hadn't stopped at home. Richie had changed her ticket to Los Angeles instead of New Jersey.

"Can't wait to see my grandson." Joan said as Richie finally opened the door.
"He's probably in the living room with Sarah. Go ahead." He put down the suitcases by the stairs, then followed his mother into the living room.

Sarah sat on the couch, holding Daniel in her arms. "You're back." She looked up.
Richie came over and kissed her quickly, then sat down in his chair.
Joan sat down next to Sarah. "What a beautiful boy. Dressed up for Halloween even."
Sarah chuckled. "Richie's idea but it's cute. Wanna hold the superhero?"
"Of course."
Sarah carefully moved her son and Joan picked him up, immediately craddling him but Daniel didn't agree and started crying immediately.

All three looked at the baby worriedly. He was fine a second ago, why would he start crying all of a sudden?

Joan tried to calm him down, gently rock him, rub his back but nothing helped to calm him down.

"I don't know what's wrong." Sarah said.
"He probably just wants his mommy." Joan said, not thinking too much of it and passed Daniel back.
As soon as Sarah held him, Daniel stopped crying. "I'm sorry. I really don't know."
"It's fine."

The rest of the evening Sarah held Daniel until it was time for him to go to bed. Being tired, Sarah decided to go to bed early too.

In the end Richie was up alone, Joan had gone to bed too. With time difference it was very early morning in England by now.

Richie got comfortable in his chair and turned on the TV, trying to find a good movie. He wasn't lucky until he found a Halloween special horror movie. That would keep him busy for a while.