Untitled & Unfinished

"Ryan Jacob Brown! You stop jumping on that couch right now!" Chloe yelled.1

"No!" He yelled back.2

"Ryan Jacob! If you tell me no one more time, I'm going to save your butt busting for your father."3

"Nooo..." He whined, and flopped down off the couch and sat on his bottom in front of it, where he proceeded to cross his arms and pout.4

Chloe remained in her chair and again began to fold the laundry.5

"Mommy! Mommy!"6

"Yes, baby girl?" Chloe asked, without looking up.7

"Mommy...D wrote on me."8

"Hailey Marie." Chloe looked up at her daughter, struggling not to laugh.9

"I didn't do it mommy!" Hailey objected as her little chin began to tremble and her eyes filled with tears.10

"Awh, baby. You're not in trouble." Chloe told her, and managed to push herself out of the chair. "Damien! Come in here please!" Chloe yelled. Blue eyes and a headful of blonde hair sauntered into the living room with an angelic smile.11

"Why did you color on your sister?"12

"I did not." Damien smiled.13

"Don't lie to me young man."14

"Fine. But it's her fault." Damien glared hatefully at his sister, and Hailey crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him...this was a little trick she had picked up from the Olsen Twins on Full House.15

"And you tell me just how it is her fault."16

"She wouldn't share the paper."17

"Hailey...is that true?" Chloe looked at her daughter and Hailey shifted uncomfortably under her mother's gaze. "Alright." Chloe decided that was all the answer she needed. "Hailey, it's time for you to get a bath. Damien, please go pick up the markers and the paper, and Ryan..." Chloe turned to look at her other son, just to see him asleep on the floor infront of the couch. Chloe smiled then turned to look back at her other two children. She leaned and lifted her daughter into her arms, cautious of her swollen belly. At eight months, she wasn't supposed to be lifting anything more than a plateful of food, according to her husband.18

"Lets get busy you two. I'd like to have everything finished before your father gets home." Chloe told them as she headed down the hall.19

"Okay. Momma, can we watch Shrek tonight?" Damien asked as he followed his mother down the hall. 20

"Actually, Mommy thought you would want to go see the new Shrek movie."21

"We're going to the movies?" Hailey squeeled.22

"Maybe, but you have to be good until then or we won't go." Chloe warned as she took Hailey into the bathroom.23

"Alright, baby. Down you go." Chloe set her daughter on her feet and straitened again. "Why don't you run and get yourself on outfit to wear tonight while mommy gets your bath ready?"24

"Can I wear Princess Fona, mommy?"25

"You sure can, baby."26

"Yay!" Hailey exclaimed and rushed out of the bathroom to retrieve her clothes.27

"Hailey Marie, don't you forget your panties either!"28

            Two hours later, Chloe was nearly finished folding the last load of laundry, the house was clean, save for a few dishes in the sink, and all three children had bathed and changed, and were now watching Shrek 2. Damien claimed that he couldn't remember what had happened in the first two movies, and he would have to know in order to watch the third one, though they watched both Shrek movies nearly every day.29

"Mommy...when is daddy going to be home?" Ryan asked.30

"Soon, darling." Chloe stood, and bent to pick up the laundry basket. The front door opened just as she straightened.31

"Damn it's good to be...Chloe! What the hell are you doing?"32

"Putting the laundry away."33

"You're not supposed to be carrying anything that heavy."34

"Oh, Jake...honestly. It's not that heavy." Chloe objected, but Jake took the basket from her anyway.35

"I don't care what you think is too heavy, i'm going by what the doctor said, Chloe. And you should listen to him at least half as well as I have been. He said you were supposed to be taking it easy."36

"But Jake...just how easy can I take it with three kids to look after?"37

"Then I'll start taking them to a sitter durring the day." Jake replied, and put the basket on top of the drier.38

"And how have my three muskateers been today?" Jake asked, turning to the kids.39

"Daddy...I am a giiirl...so I can NOT be a muskateer." Hailey told him, with her small hands on her tiny hips.40

"I'm sorry, how's my angel been?"41

"Good." Hailey said, beaming as he lifted her in his arms. Chloe watched with a smile as his muscles rippled when he lifted her in his arms.42

"Mommy yelled at me today." Ryan told his father.43

"She did?"44

"Yes."45

"Why would she do that?"46

"I don't know." Ryan replied innocently.47

"Well, maybe mommy should get in trouble for being mean to you. What do you think about that?" Jake asked and leaned to place Hailey back on her feet and lift Ryan into his arms for a kiss.48

"Yeah, she should get a whippin!" Ryan suggested.49

"Nu-uh, daddy! Mommy said we could go see Shrek three if we were good, huh mom?" Damien argued.50

"Well, I'm glad someone is on my side." Chloe laughed.51

"Mommy said that, did she?" Jake asked.52

"Yup. So can we go now?"53

"Well...would you rather see one movie...or two?"54

"Two movies?" Hailey gasped in amazement.55

"Yeah! Two movies!" Ryan cried, throwing his arms in the air as if in victory.56

"What else are we going to see, daddy?" Damien asked.57

"Meet The Robinsons."58

"Awesome." Ryan breathed.59

"Le's go! Le's go!" Hailey tugged excitedly on Jake's hand, her face was practically glowing with excitement.60

"Daddy has to take a shower first. Why don't you three help mommy put some pillows and blankets in the truck while I take a shower and then we can go, okay?" Jake replied.61

"Why do we need blankets and stuff to go to the movies?" Damien asked curiously.62

"Ask mommy, she can tell you while I take a shower." Jake bent and set Ryan back on his feet, then moved to put his arms around his wife. "It's no wonder I keep making you pregnant." Jake chuckled.63

"Oh?"64

"Yeah, I love seein' you with a big belly like this, you...sparkle." He added, and kissed her softly.65

"Ewww." The three children groaned in unison, making Jake and Chloe laugh.66

"And I do not glow." Chloe argued.67

"Do so." He whispered and gently kissed the tip of her nose. Nearly ten years, they had been together; though they had only been married for four of them. Yet, she still lost her breath when he kissed her, and her whole body would tingle with just a simple glance from his pale blue eyes.68

 69

          Twenty minutes later, the five of them were cruising down the interstate toward the nearest drive-in theatre. From Loveland, Ohio the nearest drive-in theatre was clear out in Vandalia, Ohio.70

"What do you three want for dinner?" Jake asked, throwing a quick glance to the back seat. In response, they received three answers all at once.71

"I want one answer, I'm only going to one place." Jake told them, and they began bickering between themselves about what kind of food they wanted to get.72

"You three better decide soon, or I'm going to let mommy decide." Jake threatened.73

"McDonald's!" They shouted in unison. Chloe laughed and Jake grinned. Through McDonald's drive thru, and then Chloe began handing out the food. Three chicken nugget happy meals with three sprites, everything the same so that no one could argue about one having something different than the other. One double cheeseburger for her husband who said he would eat the fries last, and she pulled out her own large fry.74

                       By the time they finished eating, they were pulling up to the ticket booth at the drive-in. Jake found a parking spot three rows back, and backed into it.75

"Daddy...are we going to watch two movies at once?"76

"No, Damien. There will be different movies on the other screen." Jake laughed.77

"Oh, why did you park so far away?"78

"I didn't, son. We're watching this screen." Jake replied, indicating the screen behind them. "We're going to watch the movies from the back of the truck."79

"Coooool." Ryan gasped. Jake hopped out of the truck, and one at a time, helped all three children out as well, refusing to let Chloe help any of the children out, asking her to simply hold the pillows and the blankets.80

"This really is silly, Jake." Chloe complained as she handed him the pillows and blankets so that he could lay them out in the bed of the truck for the kids.81

"Chloe, I know you hate feeling like you can't do anything, but you've had more problems with this pregnancy than you did with the other three." Jake responded. "And besides, I'm kind of enjoying spoiling you." He added with a boyish grin, making Chloe blush, but she smiled.82

"Alright. I'll try not to complain so much." She told him, seriously.83

"Okay, good. Mommy's get in first." Jake said, and held out his hands to help her up into the bed of the truck. "Now all the little girls...are there any little girls out there...? Calling all little girls! No...I don't see any little girls. Okay..."84

"Daddy! Down here!" Hailey cried, jumping up and down, her small arms flailing over her head.85

"Oh, there you are!" He leaned down with a smile and lifted her swiftly into the bed of the truck. Chloe watched as he helped their children into the truck.86

"Oh...Jake."87

"What's wrong?"88

"What? Nothing, I just realized that we forgot to bring juice and snacks for the kids."89

"I'll go get them something from the concession stand. You want anything baby?" Jake asked, looking at his wife.90

"Mmm...twizzlers!"91

"I figured as much. What do you want to drink?"92

"Dr. Pepper."93

"I know you too well." Jake said, with a laugh.94

"And Jake..."95

"Yeah, baby?"96

"Something...with little or no caffeine for the kids, please? And you might as well go ahead and get some popcorn."97

"Okay. Damien, why don't you come with daddy and help me carry the snacks."98

"Okay!" He agreed with enthusiasm, and hopped off the back of the truck. As they headed for the concession building. Hailey crawled up and curled against her mother's side. Chloe looked down at her daughter, and slid her arm around her. With long, fiery red hair and brown eyes, she was the spitting image of her father. Though both Jake and Chloe had brown eyes, Chloe's hair was also brown. Where as Jake's hair carried the fiery red that he had passed down to their daughter.99

"Mommy...is dis movie gun' be scary?" Hailey asked, with a hint of the 'whining' tone in his voice.100

"No, baby doll. It's like the Shrek movies we have at home."101

"Yeah. Jeeze, ya big baby." Ryan taunted.102

"Ryan Jacob."103

"Sorry mommy." Ryan replied softly, and lay back down on his pillow, and Chloe couldn't bite back the smile. He had his father's face, but his brown hair was all his mother's, curls and all...and heaven help him he had his uncle's attitude. Chloe's brother had always been a little trouble maker as a kid.104

 105

           Ryan and Hailey were both asleep by the time Shrek three was over, but Damien was determined to prove that he was old enough to stay up late. And so he was fighting to stay awake for both movies, but lost the battle durring the intermission between the first and second movie.106

"You ready to head home, baby?"107

"Yeah." Chloe replied, and stifled a yawn. Jake smiled and softly kissed the tip of her nose. Jake helped her out of the back of the truck and then began to load the kids into the back seat, and finally the blankets. As Jake drove down the interstate again, this time driving towards home, he reached over and took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. Chloe began to smile, then sucked in her breath and gripped his hand tightly while her other hand rushed to her stomach. Jake's gaze was on her as his heart rate went through the roof.108

"Chloe? Is it time?"109

"No...it's too early...still have a little over a month." She breathed.110

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked cautiously, her grip on his hand had loosened slightly. She waited a minute, and then leaned forward in the seat, her arm protectively over her stomach while she again began to squeeze Jake's hand.111

"Alright, we're going to the hospital." Jake said, and when she released his hand to place both hands on her stomach, he put both hands on the wheel and pushed the gas pedal down closer to the floor. "Don't worry, baby...we'll be there before you know it." He crooned, and spotted a sign for a hospital at the next exit and cut the wheel to the left, cutting off at least two cars in his rush to get to the exit lane.112