[10 years later...June 2015]

        The house was bustling with activity--mostly because there were so many children in it. Over the past ten years, the reunion idea had never died, though the periods of time separating each meeting had been slowly lengthened. Four months had turned into six, and from there, slowly to an annual gathering. Everyone saw each other at other times, of course, but any official get-together was now about once a year. However, the meeting place never changed. Though everyone was around the country, the house was still there; it was Sarah's and Kevin's home.
        Back to the children: at this reunion, there were a total of eleven little bodies running around the premises. (How twenty-three human beings fit into the house was a miracle.) Julie's and Nick's family was like the Family Circus comic strip.  They had four kids: Branden, age 6, twins Jessica and Laura, 3, and a 1-year-old named James. Lance and Hannah were the proud parents of three: Lois, age 6, Tim, 5, and Tyler, 4. Howie and Cathy had two: Oliver aged 6, and a baby girl Jordan, 2. Brian and Jenny had a 2-year-old William as well as one on the way [she was seven months pregnant]. Chin and AJ had one sweet little girl, aged 4, named Alaena.
        The reunion had been a month early actually, on accounts of Sarah's and Kevin's insistence. They had used the excuse that they didn't want to have Jenny travel once she had reached 8 months, but everyone felt that there was a different reason...

        "I'll never get sick of this house," Chin sighed, sinking happily into one of the living room couches. AJ had promised that he'd take care of the baggage, and had headed upstairs to her old room, accompanied by their daughter. She closed her eyes for a moment, reveling in the peace she had managed to find--
        "MOMMY!!!!!"
        Chin sighed and opened her eyes to see her four-year-old jump into her lap. "Yes, hon?" she hugged the child.
        "Daddy's being silly again," the little one giggled, nuzzling into her neck. Chin laughed and shook her head, noticing AJ peep around the corner with a wacky face. It returned to its normal sate when he saw their child in her arms. The little girl saw her father, and dragged a couch pillow over her face, trying to hide.
        "Chin?" he whispered.
        "Yes, Alex?"
        "Have you seen a little gurlie, about yay high?" AJ asked innocently. The pillow giggled. Chin shrugged.
        "I dunno, I guess you have to go searching somewhere else. Try the kitchen, maybe?" she laughed.
        "Hmm, I guess so..." he winked and walked away. Their daughter stuck her head out from under the pillow.
        "We sure fooled Daddy, didn’t we, Mommy?" she grinned.
        "We sure did, Alaena" she smiled back. The little girl slowly slid off her lap and crept out of the living room. Chin laughed when she heard her daughter scream from shock and then fall onto the floor in a fit of giggles; AJ had been hiding around the corner.
        "AJ, stop tormenting Alaena!" Julie reprimanded him as she walked around the corner, one of her own toddling along, hanging onto her pinkie. She was holding James in the other arm. She then heard Branden scream as his father picked him up from out of nowhere. "Nick!"
        "What, AJ gets to have all the fun?" he laughed, swinging his giggling six-year-old in the air.
        "Daddy, wud about meee?" Jessica tugged at her father's pant leg. Nick put Branden down and grabbed the three-year-old.
        "Daddy, me too!" Jessica's twin sister Laura appeared on the scene. James even reached out from Julie's body towards his father.
        "Julie, I can't swing all of them!" Nick looked to his wife for help. Julie shrugged and grinned.
        "Didn't you want to have 'all the fun?'"
        "You've got yourself a handful, Carter," AJ chuckled, patting the blond man on the back.

[later that night, around 10pm]
        "They're all asleep...phew..." Julie sighed as she and Nick quietly emerged from the downstairs guestroom. They collapsed into one of the family room couches.
        "Your circus crew or all of the munchkins in the house?" Hannah asked, giggling.
        "Well, ours are out cold," Lance stated.
        "I could never handle FOUR. I applaud you two," Chin smiled at Julie and Nick.
        "Yeah, who would have thought it would be our baby Backstreet Boy who would have the most kids?" AJ snickered, and ducked as a pillow came flying past his head. "I'm just saying, you know, age-wise, you'd think it should be Kevin, no?" he laughed. "Where are Kevin and Sarah, by the way? Our first night here and they won't watch a movie?"
        "They're coming down in a bit. They said they had something to tell us, " Chin muttered, resting her head on his shoulder. She had a feeling she already knew what the couple was going to say...
        "They'd better tell us something. Why ARE we here a month early? They were so freaking quiet at dinner, too, you know? Usually they're up helping out with all the Little Terrors that are running around--"
        "Shhh...give us peace. This quiet time is SACRED," Jenny interrupted AJ's rambling, putting a finger to her mouth.
        "Seriously, Age...put a sock in it," Brian laughed, snuggling up with his wife in the loveseat.
        "It wasn't just me talking!" AJ protested.
        "Can it, AJ," Howie spoke up.
        "Yeah, let us watch our TV movie," Cathy giggled.
        "I didn't start it!" AJ exclaimed. Everyone ignored him. He gave a grunt and sank more into his section of the couch. Chin made a pity face for him and patted his head.
[upstairs]
        Sarah looked at herself in the mirror. She tried to look serious but she couldn’t keep a grin from creeping onto her face.
        "Sarah?" she heard Kevin's voice from the bedroom.
        "Bathroom..." she replied. Moments later her husband showed up behind her. He rested his chin on her right shoulder and rubbed the sides of her arms with his hands.
        "You don't have to be nervous," he whispered into her ear, nibbling it a bit. She giggled and cocked her head to the side slightly.
        "If you keep doing that, we're gonna end up like Julie and Nick," she laughed quietly, looking into his eyes through the reflection in the mirror.
        "Those two are like rabbits," Kevin smiled. "But we can try for more than we have, of course..." Shivers went up and down her spine as he kissed her neck.
        "Kevin...c'mon...we said we'd be down there 15 minutes ago..."
        "So what's another 15 minutes?"
        "Kev..."
        "Ok," he gave a dramatic sigh, pulling away from her neck. "Fine...let's go be good hosts," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "We'll just have to finish this later," he promised, as they made their way down stairs.

        "Hey, guys--"
        "AJ, shut up."
        "But I--"
        "Alex, shh."
        "I just--"
        "Will you let us watch the movie, Age?"
        "Just--"
        "AJ, quiet down."
        "But--"
        "AJ, you're acting like the twins. What IS it??" Julie laughed, finally looking at him. She followed his eyes and noticed Kevin and Sarah standing behind the couches, amusement on their faces as they observed the quiet scene.
        "Oh, hey, you guys," Nick sat up a bit, trying to figure out where there could be room on the couches for the two newcomers.
        'Finally," Chin gave an exasperated sigh. She wished Kevin and Sarah would just say IT already...
        "You've missed a good chunk of the movie," Lance yawned.
        "As you can tell, it's extremely riveting," Hannah laughed at her sleepy husband.
        "Very..." Howie stretched as Cathy readjusted her sitting position next to him.
        "So, where have you two been?" Jenny asked; no one was really watching the movie anyway.
        "Yeah, lovebirds, what took you so long?" Brian raised an eyebrow. Kevin grinned and nudged Sarah. She gave him a pleading look and he just nodded. She sighed.
        "We thought this would be nicer if we told you guys all together instead of it being impersonal or something over the phone and email....but I didn't know it would be so...I don't know...hard? to tell you this..." she slowly began
        "Oh, finally the all-so-importanto-reason for this meeting to be a whole month early, huh?" Cathy grinned.
        "Yeah, stop letting worst-case scenarios fester in our head..." Chin grinned. She caught Sarah's gaze and winked.
        "Yeah...well...Kevin and I wanted to tell you--" Sarah continued.
        "YOU ARE NOT GETTING A DIVORCE!" Hannah jumped up. Everyone looked at her, many eyebrows raised.
        "SHH!!!" Julie winced, hoping the kids hadn't woken up. Hannah put a hand over her mouth.
       "Sorry...like Chin said...err...worst-case secnario?" she apologized and meekly sat back down next to Lance. Kevin laughed and shook his head.
        "It took me forever to get this girl, Hannah...do you think I'd ever let her get away?" he smiled, wrapping an arm around Sarah, who blushed and looked at her feet.
        "Anyway..." Sarah began again.
        "DON'T SELL THE HOUSE!!" Jenny screamed.
        "SHH!!!!" Julie smacked her.
        "Oh...sorry..." It was Jenny's turn to meekly sit back down by her husband. There was silence for a moment, everyone hoping that the children were still asleep.
        "We're not selling the house. Are you crazy?" Kevin shook his head, laughing.
        "Any more outbursts?" Sarah smirked. She was kind of grateful for them; she wasn't so nervous anymore.
        "No, no...tell, tell!" Lance gave her a thumbs-up.
        "Well...in about 8 months...there'll be a new addition to our family," Sarah slowly stated, before looking at her feet to hide her enormous smile.
        "AHHH!!!!!!" Julie jumped up and tackled both Kevin and Sarah with a hug.
        "SHHHH!!!!!!!" the whole room shushed her. Nick heard James wailing and rushed off before the one-year-old could wake up the rest of the house.

[8 months later; February 2016 ]
        "I can't believe it," Sarah whispered, staring at the tiny creature in her arms.
        "Believe it. She's ours," Kevin quietly replied, stroking the baby's dark hair. Her skin was a deep brown like her mother's, but she had green eyes like her father. Sarah smiled as the baby grabbed her finger and held on tightly. Asha. Their little Asha.

[1 month later]
        "I'm so glad the guys took over for this morning. I need to unwind...." Chin gave a sigh, stretching out on the couch. Cathy nodded in agreement as she sat on the same couch, dodging Chin's feet, and reaching for the remote control.
        "You said it...now all I need is a foot massage..." Hannah sighed dreamily. "Aw, but there's no Lance here to order around!"
        "He's in charge of your three angels, remember?" Jenny laughed, as she sat nursing her 7-month-old, Kaitlyn, on a loveseat.
        "How could any of us forget that? The males, alone in Disneyland, with all the children, well, minus a few," Julie giggled, looking down at James, who sat sleeping soundly in her lap.
        "I can just imagine it. I bet they're ready to pull out their hair cuz a lot have spilled food, some are whining, the guys can't go on most of the rides cuz the kids are so small, and maybe they've lost some and they're chasing after the others," Cathy joked.
        "You would think the kids woulda settled down. It IS our second day..." Jenny shook her head, smiling.
        "Are you kidding? They've finally had a taste of the kiddie rides...they are so gonna want to go on every single one AGAIN! Well, those that can..." Chin laughed, watching the TV screen as Cathy flipped channels.
        "Well, our husbands asked for it," Hannah stated a-matter-o-factly.
        "Indeed they did," Sarah finally spoke up, rocking Asha in her arms, smiling at the idea of Kevin, who had offered to help, running around the park, trying to catch little Backstreet and NS kids.
        "So our girl-time is running low. The guys will be back in a few hours. I say we make the most of this again-early reunion and swap labor and birthing stories, now that everyone can tell them," Hannah grinned, winking at Sarah.
        "What??" Julie laughed.
        "You know, whose husband fainted, who didn't put the camera down, who ran around like a madman forgetting everything, who cried, who patiently listened to you cuss at him in your delirium, who drove off to the hospital so quickly that he forgot you, who yelled at the doctors to speed things up, who held out like a trooper and held your hand though you were squeezing his tight enough to break it...especially first-time-round stories. You know, since those are the best," Cathy said, also winked at Sarah. She rolled her eyes.

[the same time, at the park]
        "This is disgusting. I didn't bring any wipes. Tim, Tyler, what did I tell you about food fights?" Lance tried to reprimand his sons. The boys blamed each other, each pointing to his brother silently, the food stains clinging to their clothes. Lois popped up, tugging on her father's shirt, screaming that her 'stoopid liddle broders' had gotten her food on her. Lance tried to keep calm. How did Hannah handle this alone when he wasn't around??
        "Omigod, WHERE is James??" Nick almost screamed. How did Julie keep track of all four kids?
        "That's YOUR problem, man," AJ said as he whizzed past the blond one, trying to catch Alaena as she ran after Mickey Mouse.
        "He's with Julie," Howie reassured him, before he himself freaked out. "I don’t think my kid is allowed to attack Snow White like that, huh?" he weakly stated, before rushing off to save the character from his six-year old, trying also to hold his two-year-old safely in his arms.
        "Yes, James is with Julie," Nick breathed, before dive bombing to save Branden's shirt from the six-year-old's melting ice cream.
        "Got it," Brian shot out a hand with a napkin under the boy's chin. Nick sighed and thanked him. "Nick, where are the twins?" Brian asked him, holding his two-year-old.
        "They're right there sitting with The Little Mermaid..." Nick's trailed off as he turned around, seeing Ariel sitting in her enlarged shell, but neither Jessica or Laura were in sight. "AHH!!" He screamed, bounding off to find his daughters. Brian laughed and kept Branden beside him so Nick wouldn't have to look for the little boy later.
        "Well, here you go..." Kevin showed up with a handful of lemonades, his voice trailing off noticing that he only found Brian and Branden, when he had expected to find all five guys and their respective children. He was grateful for a moment that Asha was too young to even walk just yet.
   
[That night]
        The evening's fireworks were right on schedule. The group lined the sidewalks of Mainstreet, trying to get a good glimpse of the castle. The guys propped the older kids on their shoulders; Lance and Nick had to keep alternating every few minutes, afraid of a kid-mutiny among their children for equal Daddy-shoulders-viewing-time.
        "I can't believe you guys thought you lost the kids when they were right under your noses," Sarah laughed, only so Kevin would hear.
        "It's not my fault. Don't look at me that way," he smiled back, taking a peek at the baby in the stroller they were pushing. "But I have a feeling this little girl won't be that much trouble."
        "My mom said I wasn't a bad baby. Were you? If so, let's hope she got my genes..." Sarah giggled, playfully hitting Kevin.
        More and more people were gathering to watch the fireworks...a little too many for Sarah's comfort. She normally didn't mind crowds, but around her baby, she had a new form of paranoia.
        "You wanna walk down the street a bit? On the other side of the barrier ropes?" Kevin suggested, feeling her tense up.
        "Sure..." She guided the stroller under the rope as Kevin held it up. She tapped Chin and Julie who were the closest, pointing down the street. They nodded, and returned their gazes to the fireworks display. Sarah and Kevin slowly headed down the street, passing the shops that she knew by memory. Asha made some gurgling noses, having been awakened by the movement. They were by the Penny Arcade, so they decided to pull into it instead of walking further down the street. Asha sounded like she was about to cry, so as soon as they stopped walking, Sarah bent down and scooped up her baby girl into her arms. She rocked the little one back and forth.
        "Shhhhh..." she walked about the arcade. Kevin followed her with the empty stroller. Just when Sarah thought the rocking and bouncing was being done to no avail and that Asha was indeed going to cry, the baby's eyes fixed on a machine they were passing. Asha made a noise as a little arm reached out in the machine's direction.
        "What is it?" Kevin asked, following his daughter's gaze.
        "Put a quarter in it," Sarah breathed. Kevin raised an eyebrow but fished in his pocket for some change. He plopped some money in and the machine turned on, making noises. Asha giggled. Her parents smiled; they could never get enough of the little baby's laugh. "What does it say?" Sarah asked, seeing a piece of paper come out of the machine.
        "'Disneyland: The Happiest Place On Earth...Where all your wishes and dreams come true.'" Kevin read the slip of paper. He raised an eyebrow. "What the hell...it's just an ad for this place?!"
        17 years ago, Sarah had read a fortune from that very same machine. Then, 10 years ago, she had found herself standing by the same machine again. And now...Sarah looked down at the baby in her arms. Her sweet little Asha. She looked up at Kevin, who was shaking his head at the paper. She took the paper from his hands and put it into her pocket. He looked at her quizzically for a moment. She wrapped her free arm around his waist and pulled him close to her.
    "No, it means much more than that," she whispered.