Epilogue

The country was well on its way to being what it used to be.  Any and all Utopian document was destroyed.  President Richardson was elected to office for a full term as President of the United States.  The American people knew of the hard work she’d put into ending the war in the short time she was the Director of the Agency.  She’d received heat over asking David to serve as her Vice- President, but she and David both made very public statements stating that he was not only uninterested, but he was focusing on raising his family and writing music.  “Though the band and I understand that we owe everything that we are to the people, our fans, at this time, I feel that it’s more important for me to focus on being a father first and a rock star second.  I don’t have the time or the desire to run the nation.  I did what I could during the Utopian regime to give the people of this nation hope that the Utopians would fall, and they did.  Now that the war is over, I need to be with me wife and children.  My wife and I are expecting two more children within the next couple of weeks for a total of ten; five boys and five girls.  My focus needs to be there instead of on what the state of the Union is...” David said at a press conference.  The President offered the same explanation as to why David was NOT her vice- president.  “David Draiman has far more important things on his plate then helping me run the new incarnation of the Untied States of America.  He has eight children and two on the way.  The last thing he needs to worry about is running the country.”

The last couple months of the pregnancy, Karyn was having a rough time of it.  She’d gone into Braxton- Hicks several times over the last couple weeks.  Finally, during the last massage Brie gave her before she delivered, Brie made sure that she hit a few of the points that she had been cautioned to stay away from unless it was the last month of the pregnancy.

That afternoon after the massage, David and Brie sat and looked through a book of baby names and trying to secede if they should stick with the naming convention that they already had.  “I don’t see the harm in it, David”, Brie said.  “There are plenty of boy names that being with ‘M’ and girl names that begin with ‘J’ left.”

He laughed.  “Ok, you’ve convinced me.  ‘Patrick’ didn’t feel right anyway.”  He looked at the names girl names that were in the book that sat in his wife’s lap.  “How about Jessica?” he said.

“I like it, but I don’t want to spell it conventionally.”

“How would you spell it then?”

“J-E-S-S-Y-K-A-H.”

“And the poor girl is going to be spelling it for everyone but us for the rest of her life, but I like it.  Jessykah Danyelle spelled D-A-N-Y-E-L-L-E”.

She smiled.  “Perfect!  Now, to name our son.”  She flipped to the ‘M’ section of the book.

David stopped her on the first page.  “Marc.  His name is going to be Marc. M-A-R-C.”

“Marc what, David?”

“Marc Christopher.”

Brie laughed.  “I had a cousin named Christopher on my dad’s side.  He died as a teenager, but he was a good guy.  I think you and he would have gotten along.”

He chuckled.  “Is there a member of your family that I wouldn’t get along with?”

She smiled.  “No, not really.  Most of my family is a lot like me.”

“Kinda like Jordan is a LOT like you?”

“Yeah, pretty much”, she said with a laugh.

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That night as they lay sleeping with Brie spooned against the front of David’s body, there was a loud cry coming from outside the house.  “Hold on, Karyn, I’m going to go get David and Brie”, Morbus said.

David’s eyes popped open.  “Brie, baby, I think Karyn’s in labor”, he said sleepily.

Brie stretched and climbed slowly out of bed.  “Well, let’s get up and get her ready to go to the hospital.”   She pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and slipped her house shoes on.

Morbus knocked on the door.  “David, Brie, Karyn’s in labor.”

“We know, Morbus.  Just get her in the house and well take care of it”, David called after he pulled on a pair of shorts and grabbed a shirt.  “Baby, I’ll get the car.  You go down and time the contractions”, he said to Brie as he grabbed the keys to one of the new SUV’s that he’d just purchased.

She grabbed her watch off the bedside table and headed for the door with David on her heels.  When they got downstairs, he went out the front door and she went to the couch where Morbus sat with Karyn holding her hand and gently brushing her hair out of her face.  Brie knelt in front of her.  “Karyn, focus on me and breathe.  When the next contraction hits, let me know and I’ll time it.  Let me know when it stops so that I can get the time between.  Ok?”

Karyn nodded.  “Yeah”, she said breathlessly.  “Where’d David go?”

“He went to go move one of the vehicle’s around to the front so that we can get you loaded up and to the hospital.  Once you’re having contractions that are about a minute long and about five minutes apart, you go in the back seat of the SUV and you, David and I go to the hospital.  Morbus, David and I need you to stay here and keep an eye on the kids.  If we’re not here when the kids get up, tell Malachai to make breakfast.”

Morbus nodded and kissed Karyn’s forehead.  “It’s going to be okay.  I know that David and Brie will take care of you”, he whispered to her.

She nodded and looked at Brie.  “A contraction just started”, she groaned in pain.

Brie made note of it on a scratch sheet of paper with a crayon that Jeremiah had left out.  Not too long later, Karyn’s breathing normalized and Brie noted it.  David came in just then.  “What’s going on?” he asked.

“I don’t have the time between contractions yet, but they’re about a minute long”, she said looking up at him.

“OWW!” Karyn groaned. 

Brie made another note.  “After this contraction we need to get her into the car and to the hospital.  Contractions are about a minute long with about five minutes in between.”

“You got it, honey.  I’ve got the truck sitting out front”, David said.  After Karyn’s contraction was over, they helped her to her feet and got her out to the truck.  They helped the young woman into the back seat where Brie climbed in with her to give her a hand to hold while David drove them to the hospital.  Morbus made sure that they had all of the necessary to check her into the hospital and David took off to witness the miracle his new son and daughter.

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When the doctor made his appearance, Karyn was 10cm dilated and fully effaced.  She was ready to push.  David and Brie were both in the room and were asked to help in the delivery and did so gladly.  They held her feet when she pushed and Brie counted to ten as she pushed.  It took three pushes for the first baby, little Marc, to come into the world and four more for little Jessykah.  The babes were handed to Karyn just after birth so that she could see the two little miracles she’d been carrying for nine months.  She couldn’t have been happier.

After they were cleaned, weighed and measured, David and Brie finally got to hold the newest additions to their family.  “This is a miracle that never ceases to amaze me”, David said with a smile as he walked around the room holding his new daughter.

Brie laughed.  “Just wait until Malachai tells us, ‘Mom, Dad, I got my girlfriend/ wife pregnant.  You’re going to be grandparents.’  What are you going to do when that happens?” she asked as she sat in the rocking chair and rocked Marc.

“I’ll pat him on the back, give him a cigar and a glass of whiskey and tell him what fatherhood is like.”

“What about when Jordan comes to us and says, ‘Mom, Dad, I’m pregnant.’?”

“If she’s not in a stable, serious relationship, I’ll hunt the little son of a bitch down and cut his nuts off.”

She laughed.  “Dear God, David.  Are you going to be like that with all of our girls?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I’m going to be like that with all of the girls from Jordan down to little Jessykah here.”

“And what if our boys disrespect a woman?”

“Then they’d better be big enough to whip my ass because I’m going to beat the hell out of them, and I mean that for all of the boys from Malachai to Marc.”

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Three days later, the twins and Karyn were allowed to come home.  David had received packages from Dan with disks of new riffs and drum beats for him to write to.  He called Dan and told him that he wasn’t working until the twins were sleeping through the night.  Dan understood, and let the newlyweds enjoy their new children.

And enjoy them they did.  

The end!

Chapter 252

David stood under the pavilion trying to remember to breathe.  He was staring down the walk way that his wife and children were going to be walking down.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. God damn it, David Michael, pull yourself together.  It’s not the end of the world; it’s your fucking wedding.  What the hell is the matter with you, he thought to himself.  Then he spotted his three youngest daughters coming down the aisle, dropping flower petals as they walked, followed by his youngest sons who carried the rings he and their mother would wear the rest of their lives.   He smiled at the girls, a lump forming in his throat.  Good Lord, my girls look beautiful.  Just like their mother.  And the boys are handsome devils.  Too bad they look NOTHING like me.  He was attempting to make a joke to himself.

Jacob and Jordan were the next to appear.  David choked on his pulse when he laid eyes on his Jordan.   She was the spitting image of her mother.  Holy fuck!  Who knew that my smart assed little Jordan, my little tom boy, cleaned up so well?  And Jacob… I know I’ve seen the boy in his tux before, but damn!  Put him next to his twin sister, and the boy is devilishly handsome and they look so much alike.

Malachai and Maya came out and David smiled.  Malachai had let his hair grow out enough to be able to spike it up all over the top of his head.  He was having a hard time believing that Maya, the little girl that he’d sat on his knee and read stories to before he and Brie met, was now walking down the aisle at his wedding.  There were no words for what he was seeing.

He then watched his brother in the band walk their wives down the aisle, then his younger brother walk Angela down the aisle and he took a deep breath.  Here she comes, he thought to himself as he stared down the walk way.  He hadn’t seen her since the night before when they laid down for bed the night before.  He had no idea what her dress looked like or what she looked like in it.  His pulse was racing as he waited for her to appear.  Breathe, David, breathe.  In through your nose, out through your nose; nice and slow.  When she came out on her brother’s arm, his heart skipped a few beats.  A slow smile spread across his face.  For the love of all that’s holy, can she look anymore beautiful?  She slowly approached the altar where he was standing.  When she and Matt reached him at the altar David held his hand out to her and Matt placed her hand in David’s and went to sit down.  When they were standing in front of the preacher, he folded her veil back so that he could see her face.  Tears welled up in her eyes, but she made herself be still.    He resisted the urge to reach up and wipe the tears from her eyes.

“Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to witness the union of Hannah Brielle Tuchman to David Michael Draiman.  If there be any amongst you that have objections or reasons that this man and woman should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace”, the man said.  No one said anything.  The preacher continued.  “May we please have e the rings?”  James and Jeremiah handed the rings to their parents.  “Do you, Hannah Brielle, take this man, David Michael, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, as long as you both shall live?”

She smiled brightly as the first of the tears that had welled up in her eyes rolled down her cheek.  “I do”, she said as she slid David’s ring on his finger.

The preacher turned to David.  “Do you, David Michael, take this woman, Hannah Brielle, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, as long as you both shall live?”

He slid the ring on her finger with a smile.  “I do.”

“Then, by the power vested in my by the states of Illinois and Colorado, I now pronounce you husband and wife.  David, kiss your bride.”

David’s hands came up to gently hold her face.  “I love you”, he whispered to her before pressing his lips to hers.

Chapter 251

The seasons passed.  Summer became fall.  Fall became winter.  Winter gave way to spring.  Birthdays came and went.  Malachai was now 13.  The twins were 8. 

David and Brie counted down the days till the day that they would finally say “I do”.  The guys started finding David’s anxiousness annoying.  The day of the wedding, he spent more time pacing than anything else.  “David, it’s nothing to be nervous about”, Dan said as they waited in the dressing room for the time to pass.  David was checking his watch every two or three minutes.

“It’s not that I’m nervous, Danny.  I want to get this done.  I want her to finally actually BE my wife instead of just saying that she is.  This has been too long in the making.”

“Brother, we know”, John said, “but you pacing like this isn’t going to make the time pass any faster.”

“Just think of the torture that she and the girls are undergoing”, Mike said with a laugh.  “All the makeup artists in her face and the hair dressers fussing over her nonstop.  Not to mention the dress not wanting to fit the way it’s supposed to.  She’s going through hell right now, brother.  I guarantee it.”

David flew for the door, trying to open it.  His path was blocked by Dan.  “Move Danny, I need to go check on my wife and children.”

“No, David.  You’re being irrational and Mikey’s being an ass.  Remember, she’s not only getting ready, but she’s having to wrangle four girls and get them ready too.  If I move, you’re checking on the boys to see if they’re ready.  The boys need to be wrangled too.”

“Malachai and Jacob have got them under control.”

“No, YOU need to check on the boys.  You need the distraction of seeing what the boys are up to so that you don’t pace yourself into insanity.”

“I’m fine, Danny.”

“No, David, you’re not.  You’re freaking out.  I know you better than you think I do.  We’ve been brothers for about twenty years now.  We lived together for about half of that.  I know you like a book, David.  You need a distraction.  Let’s go check on the boys and see if they’re ready.  Anyway, we need to give James and Jeremiah the rings.”

David sighed.  “Fine.  Let’s go make sure the boys are ready.”

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Brie, on the other hand was cool as a cucumber.  They girls were all on their best behavior.  All of them took to the fussing and pampering, including the little tomboy that was Jordan.  She found that she was enjoying the primping.  “Mom, after this is over, I want to do this more often.  You know, get my nails done and my hair done.  I’m not too wild about the makeup, but I’m loving this.”

Brie smiled at her oldest daughter.  “I’m glad you’re liking it.”

Maddie wandered over, her hair pulled back and full of flowers.  “Mama, when are we going to get to sprinkle the flowers?”

“Here soon, baby girl.”

Nicole came into the room with Meagan and Makayla, the two of them looking the mirror images of their older sisters.  “How do we look, Mama?” Makayla asked.

“Like angels, Kayla bear.  Daddy’s gonna freak out when he sees how beautiful his girls are.”

“Why would Daddy freak out, Mama?” Meagan asked.

“He’s gonna be surprised at how grown up his babies look.”

“Will Dad be happy?” Jordan asked.

“I’m sure he will be.  He’s probably a little nervous right now because the wait is the hardest part.”

“Are you sure he’s even dressed?”

“Jordan, you know your father.  He’s been dressed since he woke up this morning.”

Jordan laughed.  “You know, Mom, I hate to admit it, but you’re right.”

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The time came for Brie to put her dress on.  It was the last thing to be done before she made her walk down the aisle.  She was fighting to keep a hold of her emotions.  She was already starting to tear up and that was the last thing she wanted to do.  She didn’t want to ruin her makeup.  Jordan hugged her mother around the waist.  “Mama, it’s gonna be ok.  Dad’s gonna be standing at the end of the aisle waiting to profess to the world his love for you.”

“It’s not that, Jordan.  I’m not nervous.  I’m actually very happy.  I’m so happy it wants to spill out my eyes.”

“Please don’t cry, Mama.  You’re gonna make me cry and ruin my makeup too.”

Brie smiled.  “I’m trying to not cry, baby.  Once I’m at the altar facing your father, all bets are off.  Got it?”

Jordan smiled her father’s smile.  “Well, I understand that, Mom.  That’s the only time it’s okay for you to cry.”

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Matt knocked on the door and Jordan answered it.  “Hey, Jordan!  You look beautiful.”

She smiled.  “Hi, Uncle Matt.  Thank you.  You look handsome in your uniform.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.  Now, you need to go line up with your brothers and I need to get your Mom.”

She laughed.  “Yes, sir, Master Guns sir.”  She gave him a mock salute before grabbing her bouquet and heading out the door past him.

Matt walked into the room where his little sister was getting ready for her wedding.  “You look beautiful, baby sister.”

She stood in the mirror and fussed over her dress.  “It’s fitting funny, Matty.”

He laughed.  “Stop fucking with it, Ri ri.  You look beautiful.  David’s jaw is going to hit the ground when he sees you.  Now, come on.  It’s about time for everyone else to start walking.  David’s already at the altar.  Good news, he’s NOT wearing his yamicha.”  He was trying to make a joke.

It worked.  She laughed as she fought with dress.  Matt took a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at her eyes.  “Don’t cry just yet, little sister.  Wait until you’re standing in front of your husband and he’s telling the world that he’s chosen YOU to be the only woman he’ll ever want.”

“I’m trying, Matt, but they just keep trying to flood out my eyes.”

He kissed his little sister’s cheek and pulled her veil over her face.  “I’m so proud of you, Brie.  And I’m happy for you too.  He’s a good man and a good father.  I don’t think you could have picked a better man to take as your husband.”  He held out an arm to her.  “Now, let’s get you down that aisle so that you can renew your wedding vows to Mr. Prefect.”  The music came up for them to start down the aisle, and they did just that.

Chapter 250

Over the next few weeks, everyone got settled into the new house.  Morbus and Karyn had taken over the pool house with David and Brie’s blessing.  They were even talking about starting a family of their own after Karyn had the last two of the Draiman children.  Of course, she’d allow her body to heal, but she wanted to have little ones of her own.

Morbus agreed to stay on as the band’s bodyguard.  He thought it would be a great opportunity to hang out with some cool people and still get to use his skills.  He thought of it as a win- win.

A month after moving into the house, David and Brie set the initial appointment for the surrogacy.  The doctor wanted to give Karyn a check up in order to see if she could carry the pregnancy to term.  After that was done, Brie was given an exam to see if she had any eggs that could be fertilized left after going through menopause.  Thankfully, there were a few left.  David did his part with Brie’s assistance, and the appointment was set to implant the fertilized eggs for the following week.  After that was done and it had been determined that the procedure took, Brie started giving Karyn a massage every week. 

Plans for the wedding were coming along wonderfully.  David and Brie were trying to find a way for each of their children to be involved.  Jordan was going to be one of the bride’s maids. Maddie, Meagan, and Makayla were going to be flower girls.  Malachai and Jacob would be groom’s men.  Maya had asked if she could be involved in the ceremony.  Malachai was going to accompany Maya; Jacob was going to accompany Jordan.  James and Jeremiah were to be the ring bearers.  It hadn’t been decided which of the boys would carry which ring, but it had been decided that they would carry the rings.

Brie, of course, wanted Nicole, Kristen, and Tina to be Bride’s maids but couldn’t decide which of them should be her matron of honor.  Finally, she decided that NONE of them would be.  She called Angela and asked her.  Angela, of course, accepted the honor.

David was making his little brother fly over from Israel to be his best man.  Danny, Mikey, and John were all going to be groom’s men, but NOT the best man.  That was an honor that David was only going to give to Ben.

They had decided on an outdoor spring wedding.  They’d been bouncing from site to site, trying to find the perfect location for the wedding.  It took a couple of months, but they finally found the perfect location for the ceremony in a quaint little park outside Chicago.  David felt it necessary to have the wedding in the city that the band started in.  Brie agreed.

Fitting for the dresses and tuxes was hell.  It wasn’t a matter of what looked good or the dresses being hideous.  It was a matter of getting everyone in the same city to get them all fitted.  Brie had picked some simple pastel pink dresses for the women that looked marvelous when you could get the women in Chicago to be fitted.  Brie’s dress was simple and white.  The bodice was modestly beaded and embroidered with flowers.

The tuxes were simple black and white with black vests and black silk ties.  Mike, being ever the jokester, spent a good portion of time trying to get David to agree to bowties, but David was adamant with the “no bowties allowed” decision.  The discussion was one for the record books.  “Brother, you should really give bowties a little bit of thought”, Mike said as he stood on the box and let the tailor take in the pant leg for his slacks.

“No.  Bowties are hideous.  They’re fucking ugly”, David said from where he leaned against the wall, watching the whole thing with a neutral face.

“Aw, come on, David.  Bow ties aren’t that bad.  They’re classics.”

“What about Brie and I is classic?”

 “That’s just it, David.  You two are a rather classic couple.  I think I can speak for the other guys when I say 

that we’ve never seen you two fight.  You two are the perfect complement to each other.  Why not keep with the classic?”  Mike laughed, and then got stick with one of the pins.

David laughed.  “And THAT, my brother, is what you get for trying to convince me to wear a fucking bowtie for my wedding.”

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The fittings for the women weren’t much better.  Brie’s problem was that she couldn’t get Jordan to stand still so that the tailor could hem her dress.  “Jordan Hannah, stand still, child.”

“Mom, this dress is uncomfortable.  I don’t like it”, she complained.

“I don’t care, you’re wearing it.  Now, get still, or I’ll have your father deal with you when we get home.”  Jordan huffed, but she stood still and let the tailor do what he had to do.  The hem of the dress was pinned up as Maddie, Meagan, and Makayla came into the fitting room.  Brie smiled.  “Don’t you three look adorable?  I’ve got to send pictures of this to your Daddy.”  She pulled her phone out of her purse and snapped a picture of them and sent it to David with the message, “Isn’t this the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen?”  The response she got back was, “Holy fuck!  Are those OUR girls? LOL.”

“Just wait until the big day when they have flowers woven into those brown curls ;)”

“Can’t wait!”

“What did Daddy think?” Maddie asked her mother.

“He thought you three were too cute.”

Jordan turned to her mother and showed the dress to her mother.  Brie held up her phone and snapped a picture and sent it to David as well.  David was shocked at how beautiful his oldest daughter looked in her dress.  Seeing as the tux fitting was done, he went to the fitting room where the women had been getting their dresses tailored so that he could see what the girls looked like with his own two eyes.  When he opened the door he looked from Jordan to Maddie, Meagan and Makayla and smiled.  “My God, my God.  What the hell did a guy like me do to deserve having five beautiful women in my life?” 

The girls all blushed.  Brie just smiled as she slid her arms around his waist and hugged him.  “How do the boys look in their tuxes?”

“Nothing like me, that’s for sure”, he chuckled as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed her the pictures he took of the boys.

She smiled.  “What did a girl like me do to deserve five handsome men in my life?” she asked, laying her head on his chest.

He smiled.  “Girls, get out of those dresses so that we can go home and I can make dinner.”

“You’re cooking tonight, Dad?” Jordan asked.

“Yes, Jordan, I’m cooking tonight.  Your Mom needs a break, don’t you think?”

She smiled at her dad.  “Can I help you tonight, Dad?”

He shrugged.  “I don’t see why not.”

Chapter 249

Once Morbus and Karyn arrived, Morbus helped David bring in the boxes and suitcases from the van and separated into the different rooms.  Malachai, Jacob, and Jordan all got to choose their rooms because they were the oldest.  David and Brie were sure that Maddie would end up sleeping with her big sister until she got used to the thought of having her own room.

Brie made a big southern style dinner.  Beef ribs, salad, mac ‘n cheese, deviled eggs- you name it and it was pretty much on the spread.   Everyone in the house enjoyed the meal.  It was first time that Brie had gotten to let go in the Kitchen in eight years.  David was happy to see her enjoy herself in the kitchen again.

After dinner, the older children washed dishes and put away the leftover food.   Morbus, Karyn, David, and Brie sat in the living room and discussed the surrogacy.  Karyn was excited to have the eggs implanted.  She was bouncing up and down while she discussed everything with David and Brie.  Morbus couldn’t help but laugh as he tried to get her to settle down.  David whispered to Brie, “Does that look familiar?” he asked with a laugh.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about”, she laughed.

“What is he talking about?” Karyn asked when she saw David whispering to Brie.

“He’s joking with me about the surrogate we had with the quads”, Brie laughed.  “Every time we took her to an appointment, I bounced up and down like you’re doing now.  It was exciting for me.”

“I can’t wait until we go in for the procedure.  I’m so excited.”  Karyn was still bouncing up and down on the couch.

“We can see that”, David said with a smile.

“David, can I ask you a personal question?” Karyn asked.

“Go on ahead.”

“Why is ten the magic number?”

He laughed.  “It’s a nice, big round number.”

“Eight’s not enough?” Morbus asked with a chuckle.  “Are you really that big a glutton for punishment?”

David laughed out loud.  “NO, GOD DAMNIT!  Eight is not enough.”

Brie stretched up from where her head rested on his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his cheek.  “Well, you’ve got me convinced that eight’s not enough anymore either.  I hope that my opinion is the only one that matters.”

He pressed a kiss to his wife’s lips.  “Of course it is.  Convincing you was half the battle.  Getting this young woman pregnant with our children is the rest of it.”

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That night as they lay in their own bed for the first time in years, Brie couldn’t stop smiling.  She was full of joy; happy to finally be in her own home in her own bed with her husband.  Her nimble fingers played gently with the hair on his chest.

He held her close and grinned from ear to ear.  His hand played up and down her spine; his eyes half closed as his fingers traced over her skin.

She sighed in content.  “Hmm, it’s good to finally be in our own bed, in our own house.  I can’t believe this is actually happening.”

He chuckled quietly.  “You’re still trying to get over the shock of being in our own house?”

“I keep expecting Danny, or John, or someone to come knocking on the door to tell us that one of the kids have done something crazy.”

“Is there anything that I can do to help you believe that we’re actually in our own house and the guys aren’t going to knock on the door and tell us that Jordan’s gone off on someone and put them in their place, or that Maddie broke something?”

She sat up just enough to scoot to where she could press her lips to his without having to strain.  After her lips brushed against his, she whispered, “Make love to me.”

His free hand came up and caressed her face; his fingers entwining in her hair.  His lips moved with hers, keeping with the slow mood and pace that she had set.  God, he’d been looking forward to this for eight years; the first time he got to make love to her in their home after the war was over. 

She melted against his lips as she snaked a leg hips to straddle his waist.  She was hungry from him.  She needed him.  She moved her body slowly against his to let him know what she had in mind.

Yes, he wanted her, but he wanted every inch of her.  There was no way in hell that he wasn’t going to love every millimeter of her body on their first night in their house in eight years.  He flipped her onto her back and moved down her body, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake.  She moaned softly for him as he moved, her breath catching when he came to her most sensitive parts.  He wrapped his arms around her thighs as her feet came up to rest on his shoulders.  As he lowered mouth to her, he kept his eyes on her face and chest.  He watched her breathing quicken the closer his mouth got to her.

Once his tongue touched her, her back arched and she moaned softly.   Her eyes rolled into the back of her head.  She was anxious for what he was doing to her.  She’d been wanting this for eight years.  Granted, they’d been together like this over the course of their relationship, and the eight years that they had been in hiding, but there was nothing like what he was doing to her at that moment.

With every flick of his tongue, her hips  moved with him.  She was lost to the sensation of what he was doing to her and that’s just what he wanted.  He didn’t necessarily want her to scream for him, but he wanted her lost to the abandon of being with him.

The more he pleasured her with his mouth, the harder she had to fight not to get incredibly loud.  Her cries were soft and for that she was thankful.  She could feel her body tightening with every flick of his tongue.  He flicked his tongue one final time over the little pearl just in front of her opening, she came for him; her body spilling her pleasure out and into his mouth.

He licked every drop of the sweet honey of her body and wiped his chin with his forearm before moving back up her body and thrusting his hips forward to slide into her passage.  Everything in him screamed to quicken the pace and be rough, but that’s not what she’d asked for.  She’d asked him to make love to her and that’s what he’d give her.

She could feel what he wanted to do to her and she let him know that she was okay with him doing it the next time she reached her blissful plateau.  Her body convulsed and she raked nails across his shoulders.

He got the message loud and clear.  He sat back on his knees and put her feet over his shoulders before slamming into her as hard and fast as he could.  She was giving him what he wanted and he was going to show her just how much he appreciated it.  He braced himself against the headboard, putting her knees against her chest and drilled into her with everything he had.

She couldn’t contain it anymore.  She screamed his name at the ceiling as he pounded into her; her body convulsing around his with every stroke.

Her cries undid him.  He slammed into her one final time as he spilled into her.  He laid his head against the head board  as he caught his breath.  “Oh, dear God”, he panted .

“You can say that again, David”, she said breathlessly.

He looked down at her.  “So do you believe we’re home now?”

She laughed.  “Yeah, for the most part.  I think it will really hit home for me once we wake up in the morning and I can make the world’s best breakfast.”

He pulled out and collapsed beside her on the bed.  “The world’s best breakfast?  Which would be what?”

“I’m going to the store and buying fucking doughnuts”, she said with a laugh.  “Malachai’s been wanting doughnuts for the last several years.”

He laughed.  “I can handle that.  I’ve been craving doughnuts for a while now myself.”  He laid down next to her and pulled her into his arms.  “Now, why don’t we go the hell to sleep?”

She laughed.  “You took the words right out of my mouth.”  She snuggled into him and her fingers started playing in the hair of his chest again.

He sighed and relaxed as he held her, letting his eyes slowly droop as he fell to sleep.  He was ready to sleep in his own bed for the first time in eight years. 

She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath to fall asleep.  She remember this bed, the way the mattress molded to her body.  It was nice to feel the comfort and familiarity of the mattress that she and David conceived the twins on.  She almost regretted that she couldn’t give him anymore herself and that they had to resort to surrogates, but she’d accepted it  a long time ago.  She looked up just once more at the peaceful face of her on whose chest she lay her head every night and fell in love with him all over again.

Chapter 248

The next morning went the same as usual.  David and Brie were the first ones up and everyone else trickled in as they woke up.  But, that morning, everyone was excited.  They were finally going home.  It was about time.  There was no conversation at the breakfast table from the adults that morning.  The children however were saying their good- byes.  They’d all become close during the eight years that they’d been stuck together, especially the older kids. 

Finally, after breakfast, Mike and Dan loaded up their families.  Brie, Nicole, and Tina talked briefly as they said their good- byes.  “Be sure to include us in the planning for your second wedding”, Nicole said to Brie.

“Of course I will Nikki.  Like I could exclude the three of you from that.  You’re my sisters”, Brie said with a smile.

“I never thought I’d hear you say that”, Tina said, fighting back tears.

“Look, ladies, we may have had our differences, but we’re family.  It happens.  I still love you both and I can’t imagine leaving you guys out of the planning for my second wedding.”  She gave each of them a hug in turn.  “Now, get in your trucks and go see what your houses look like now.  I’ll call or text you as soon as we get back to the house in the Springs and start planning everything.”  Nicole and Tina got in the trucks given to them and waited on their husbands.  After they said their good- byes to David they went to Brie and did the same as David said good- bye to the wives and his nieces and nephews.  Brie did that same, giving all of the kids each a hug and telling them to be good, then she held onto David as they waved and watched Dan and Mike pull away.

About an hour later, the scene replayed with John and Kristen’s family.  The adults said good bye to each other, then said their good- byes to the kids, and finally David and Brie watched as they drove away.

Finally, David and Brie loaded up the kids in the van.  Once the kids were settled in their seats, Brie put in a movie for the kids, and David pulled out of the driveway, looking over his shoulder one last time at the safe house that he, his family, and his brothers had called home for the last four months.  He smiled and looked at his wife.  “It’s finally over”, he said.  “We’re going home.”

She looked at him and reached across the space the separated them to take his hand.  “I know.  It seems so surreal, doesn’t it?”

“It does.  But, we can finally go home and not have to worry about some ignorant fucking government trying to take us out.  It’s over.”  He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

“That it is.”  She smiled and brought his hand up to her face and pressed a soft kiss into his palm.  “I love you, David”, she whispered against his palm.

“I love you too, Brie”, he said and couldn’t help but smile.

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Three hours after taking off, David pulled into the driveway of the house in Colorado Springs.  He looked at the house and smiled.  Good God it’s good to be home, he thought.  He looked over at Brie, who had dosed off about an hour into the trip, then looked over his shoulder at his children.  All but the oldest three were asleep.  Malachai, Jacob, and Jordan were engrossed in the movie they were watching.  He chuckled to himself before gently waking Brie.  “Brie, baby, we’re home”, he said, as he gently rocked her.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.  “Whoa, that’s a sight for sore eyes”, she said with a smile.

“It is.  We need to get the younger ones in and settled into their rooms  so that we can get dinner started.”

She laughed.  “Wow, I get to cook dinner in my own kitchen and I don’t have to cook to accommodate a bunch of other people.  It’s amazing.”

He chuckled.  “I know.  You can cook for just us.”

“Well, let’s get the kids into the house and then we can think about dinner.”  She leaned across the space between them and pressed her lips to his, then opened her door.

He followed suit and got of the younger kids out of the van, letting Malachai get one of his little sisters after turning off the movie and putting it back in its case.  Jacob, always wanting to help, carried one of his younger brothers.

Once the five younger kids were in bed, David let the three older kids put their movie on the large flat screen TV while he took Brie up to their room.  After opening the door, he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her from behind.  “Brings back memories, doesn’t it?”

She giggled.  “It does.  You want to make some more memories in this room?”

He laughed.  “Maybe later.  We’ve got eight kids to feed, Morbus and Karyn on the way and they’re gonna be hungry, and we’ve got to unpack all our shit from the safe house.”

She turned in his arms and pressed a kiss to his lips.  “Then why don’t I get started on dinner and after Morbus and Karyn get here, you and Morbus can start bringing in all the stuff from the van?  Doesn’t that sound like a plan?”

He laughed.  “Yeah, that sounds good.  I might have Malachai and Jake help me with all that as well.”

“They’re old enough and strong enough to help bring in the stuff from the move.”

“And if I have my way about it, this is going to be the last move we ever make.”

Chapter 247

David walked into the house grumbling under his breath as the Director followed him.  “He did it!  He fucking did it!” she called.

“Who did what Aunt Gail?” Brie asked.

“Your husband called me what you just called me.”

Brie looked at David.  “How did it feel, baby?” she asked cautiously.

“Like eating glass”, he grumbled.

“Baby, it’s not that bad.”  She wrapped her arms around his neck.  “I’m proud of you, sweetie”, she whispered in his ear.

“You need to get used to it, anyway, David.  Seeing as the war is over, you and the rest of the band are no longer employed by the Agency.”

David looked at the woman from over his wife’s shoulder.  “Did I hear you right?  We’re no longer bound to the Agency?”

She nodded.  “That is correct.  Your ass no longer belongs to me.”

David hid his face in Brie’s shoulder and laughed.  “FINALLY!!    FREE AT LAST!  FREE AT LAST!  THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, I’M FREE AT LAST!” he laughed.

“Quoting the late great Dr. Martin Luther King, my dear?”

“More like paraphrasing.”

She laughed.  “Oh, my bad.”  She pressed her lips to his temple.  She then looked at her aunt.  “So, when the hell can we get the hell out of here, Aunt Gail?  I’d like to get my children settled into their new home rather quickly.”

“You could leave now if you like.  I just wanted to come in and gloat that I got him to call me Aunt Gail.”

He looked up from where he had his face buried in Brie’s shoulder.  “It won’t happen again, so don’t get used to it.”

She smiled.  “You’ll do it again when you want something because if you don’t say it then you won’t get anything.”

David couldn’t help it.  He laughed.  “Damn it.”

--------------

The men started packing their stuff into the vehicles after the Director left.  David shared the good news with the guys.  “THAT news warrants a fucking party”, Mike said.

“Everything warrants a party to you, Mikey”, Dan said.

“These days, you’re damn right everything warrants a party.  The War is over, we’re going home, we’re no longer employed by David’s aunt in law… life is good and we fucking deserve to party one more time before we go our separate ways until we go back out on the road.”

“I kinda like that idea”, John said.  “We should have one hell of a party and trash the safe house like we used to when we were on the road.”

“Um, what about the fact that I have seven children under the age of 12 that still have pretty early bed times?” David asked.

“FUCK!  I wanted to trash the safe house”, Mike said with a laugh, faking disappointment.  John pouted like David had just hurt his feelings.

“John, seriously?  I have four daughters, none of which get away with the pouty puppy dog face.  What makes you think you can get away with it?” David laughed.

“The fact that I’m not a girl and my last name isn’t Draiman”, John laughed.

“Sorry, brother, that gets you NO points with me”, David laughed as he leaned against the van.

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Instead of the guys trashing the house, they had a nice quiet party for their last night in the house.  They kids all played together as the adults talked and cooked.  After the children were in bed, the women drank a little as well.  The men had been drinking since dinner.  David and Brie went to bed early.  “Not to wreck the party, but we should all be getting to bed soon.  Danny, you have to drive back to Chicago.  Mikey, Milwaukee is quite a drive from here.  John, isn’t home in Austin?” Brie pointed out with a yawn.  The guys all acknowledged what she said with a nod and a yawn.  Brie took David’s hand and went to their bedroom for the last time.