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One of the happiest days of my life had become one of the worse. I had been sleeping at the time, but the sound of my babies crying for me awoke me from my slumber. I was tired. I was so tired, but my babies needed me more. So I persevered.

I persevered even when my legs gave out from underneath me. I persevered when they were gone out of my sight. I persevered as all I could do was cry. Cry and mourn the absence of my twin babies. I may not have given birth to them, but it had felt as if someone had forcefully ripped them from my wound.

And all that she did was stand there watching with a smug look upon her ugly face. She stood tall with pride as she ripped my heart from my chest. She stood tall as she tore my family apart. That bitch took them away from us. She stole our babies.

Now I am left to deal with the aftermath. Every time that I look into Anya's face I want to cry. It has been weeks since I have seen their little faces in person or heard their voices. I have called nearly every day trying to get in contact with someone that will bring my babies home to me. No-one will.

'You have to wait until your court date, ma'am.'

Is what they all say. I have to wait. There is nothing that they can do. The only bright side is that she does not have them either. They are being fostered by the state. It makes my stomach queasy.

I do not know if they are safe. I do not know if they are eating regularly. I do not know if their foster parents are being kind to them. I do not know if they are mentally fine wherever they are. I just do not know and that scares me more than anything. I do not want to think the worse, but the worse has already pretty much happened. They were taken from us.

Letting out a sigh I tossed my phone aside. Yet, again, I was told that I would have to wait for our court date.

"Omi, it's okay", Nathaniel said with a sigh, coming to sit beside me on the couch.

I shook my head in denial, tears blurring my vision. "No, it's not. It won't be until they are home, Neil. They took our babies away from us. Why? It's not fair. It's not right", I said in exasperation, tears of frustration spilling from my eyes.

I was upset. I was angry. I was hurt. Most of all, I was vengeful. Usually, I would stay away from this. I do not allow for my anger to rule me. However, this is an exception.

"We will get them back, Omi. I promise you this", Neil said lowly, pulling me into an embrace.

I embraced him back, burying my face into his clothed chest letting out the on I had fought to keep inside. I was tired of crying. I was tired of stressing because of the situation. I have not been able to enjoy being a mother again due to this. I am just tired.

"Do you think that they are alright? Do you think that they are being cared for?", I murmured after a while when my sobs died down to whimpers.

He cooed placing a kiss to my forehead.

"I don't know, babe. I wish that I could give you the answer that you need to hear, but I can't. I don't know, but I would like to think that for once the system will not fail. That there is still hope for them to actually keep children safe", he paused letting out a sigh. "You know that I love you guys, right?", he asked.

I hummed nuzzling his chest.

"I know", I whispered.

"Then know that I will move heaven and hell for the four of you. We will get our babies back and nothing will stop us from being the family that we were. I wish that this had never happened. I wish that we had never allowed that bitch into our home a year ago. We should have slammed the door in her face that day. Maybe then none of this would be happening. I am tired of this shit, Omi. I just want us to be happy. Why is it so hard for us to be happy together without others trying to interfere? Is us being together so bad? I love you and I can't picture my life without you in it. I can't picture our lives any differently than it should be now. So why is it so hard for everyone else to see what we see? Why won't the world leave us alone? Why?".

The tables have turned. I was the one coddling him now. Nathaniel cried in the crook of my neck as we embraced one another tightly. Being so self-consumed I had forgotten that Neil was there too. I had forgotten that I had not been the only one hurt in all of this. I was not alone. He was right there beside me.

I held him. That was all I could do for the time being. They seemed to be all he needed of me. I held him until he fell asleep in my arms clinging to me like a lost child. I held him afterward for a while until Anya's cries were heard from the baby monitor alerting me of her need for our attention.

Careful not to wake my sleeping husband I tossed a throw over his sleeping form before placing a kiss to his forehead then rushing to Anya's aide. When I entered her nursery she was cooing angrily and gargling. She was a fussy baby girl. Taking her into my arms from her bed, I cradled her against my chest carrying her over to the changing table where I changed her diaper before carrying her off to the living room where Nathaniel laid on the couch fast asleep. I smiled softly glancing at him as I took a seat on the loveseat before adjusting Anya in my arms into a position that would be comfortable for the both of us before breastfeeding her.

Life went on. Though I missed our babies more every single day that passed without being home, I persevered. I held my head high and I was a mother to the child I was still able to hold closely. The court date drew nearer and my patience had worn thin. I ignored the hate on social media we were receiving for 'keeping a mother from her children'. I ignored the snide comments about how Madison and Ishmel would be better parents to Aiden and Aryan.

But the one thing that I could not ignore was the comments coming from the horses mouth. It had been enough of a bombshell to find out that their biological father had been my ex. It would was another to find out that this was all a get-back scheme that they conspired to concoct to tear our happy family apart. Ishmel could not take that the 'fat girl' would no longer bow at his feet and Madison had simply wanted them back for the money. I was smart enough to record this all on camera. However, I found myself walking briskly up to the duo in the store before letting my fist connect with Madison's nose with over a dozen witnesses to see.

I had just earned myself an assault charge on my record, but I will gladly do it again for my children.

"You fat pig! You broke your nose!", Madison screeched.

Squaring my shoulders I reached forward grasping a handful of her hair harshly. Bringing her blossomed face close to mine I whispered so that only the two of us would hear what I was saying to her. Once I was finished I mushed her by the face shoving her into the shelves of produce behind her. Casting Ishmel a glare that would cause Satan to cower, I left the store leaving my basket of groceries abandoned in my wake. I needed to get away from them. I have never felt so violent in my life than I did looking into their smug faces.

They were smug while we were heartbroken. Our children were ripped away from the only home they have ever known. All because of their shitty excuses of biological parents. For a quick buck and grade school pettiness that should have been extinguished a long time. I drove home, anger coursing through my veins. Nathaniel was watching TV with Anya sitting on his lap with her back leaned against his stomach facing towards the baby friendly program on the television.

I must have closed the door harder than I intended to. Anya's startled cries resonated through the house. Running a hand through my hair in utter frustration I tossed my keys onto the table before plopping down beside the pair while Neil soothed our wailing daughter. He casted next a look but did not comment on my dramatic entrance as he cooed to our baby girl while soothingly caressing her back while gently rocking her in his arms. Within a few moments her cries had died down to an occasional whimper as she fisted her daddy's shirt in her tiny fists.

"So, you gonna tell me what that was about?", he asked a moment later.

I bit my lip so hard that it bled. I was getting angrier at the thought of them. I was drifting away in my thoughts.

"Hey, Naomi. Talk to me", he called sternly, anchoring me to reality.

Releasing my lip from between my teeth I let out a sigh.

"I broke her nose", I murmured.

His eyes seemed to dull a bit at my admittance.

"Madison?", he said uttering her name as if there was a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Yeah", I sighed not feeling an ounce of regret nor remorse for my actions.

He hummed in acknowledgement. Nathaniel had not seemed bothered by my actions.

"Ishmel is their father, baby", I said dropping the bomb.

"WHAT!?", he bellowed startling Anya again who burst out in tears wailing even louder than before.

"Just give her here. I need to hold my baby. I need to comfort her", I muttered gently taking Anya from his arms embracing her in mine.

I rocked her while softly singing the nursery rhyme I sung to Aiden and Aryan when they were younger. Nathaniel had fallen silent beside me.

"You know that this means war for them, right?", he said.

"I know", I stated.

"We will get them back", he told me.

"I know. And when we do I am going to kiss their little faces and hug them so tightly. I won't ever let them go again so much that death himself will have to pry my cold fingers from their bodies first. Nathaniel, I want them handled. Either you do it, or I will. I am tired of people fucking with our family and I think that it's time for us to set an example for everyone", I declared coldly.

He let out a chuckle before placing a kiss to my cheek.

"Welcome to the dark side, baby", he said dropping his voice an octave deeper.

Despite myself I giggled still gently rocking a whimpering Anya in my arms.

"Thank you, Neil. I needed that", I chuckled before letting out a wistful sigh.

"Of course. You're my OG baby and I have to take care of all of my babies. Don't worry, babe. They'll be home soon and our family will be complete once again. Since you didn't bring in any bags I can assume that you forgot the groceries", he drawled.

I hummed with a shrug of my shoulders. I was so mad at the time that I literally said 'fuck them groceries' before leaving the store.

He chuckled again, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't know if I should be happy or afraid that you are slowly turning into me", he wistfully commented, a smirk forming on his lips like the Grinch's.

I rolled my eyes.

"You're very happy, mister. Now lie Anya down while I go whip up something for us to eat", I retorted placing our sleeping baby in her daddy's arms.

"Whip it!", Nathaniel exclaimed not being able to help himself.

I face palmed myself mentally. Anya awoke wailing again. I casted Nathaniel a withering stare that made him recoil with a nervous smile upon his face.

"Get to work daddy, baby girl is crying again. She needs attention pronto. Now comfort my baby before I get my belt", I chided standing from the couch.

He huffed.

"No, fair. You know I like that kinky shi-stuff. Babyyyyy?", he retorted groaning at the end like a child.

"Sucks to be you then. We have another five to wait before I breakout the fuzzy cuffs again, honey. You might wanna get to comforting the baby before you have a bit of problem to deal with too", I cooed before sauntering to the kitchen with a bit of extra sway in my hips.

He groaned loudly.

"Mama is evil, Anya. Don't be like the Evil Sea Hag. You be like Ariel-never mind. She was a fast heifer, you be like Snow White. She didn't even have her first kiss until she was damn near 80 or 100 something. Point is, be a baby all your life so daddy can squish your cheeks and love and coddle you forever and you can sleep on daddy's chest with your head lying just above my heart and I can protect you more easily. I don't want to lose you like we had to lose your brother and sister. I hope that we never lose any of you again. I love you, Anya. We named you after your brother and sister that is just how much mama and I love the three of you. We will get them back, princess", Nathaniel quietly said while gently bouncing Anya who rested on his chest in his arms.

I felt my eyes sting with tears. I felt so hard not to let them fall, but I couldn't stop them. They fell. I had not gone directly to the kitchen. Instead, I had wanted to hear another one of Nathaniel's 'Any and me talks'. He has been talking to Anya since she was in my wound and I found it to be endearing and soothing not just to her, but myself included.

A whimper slipped passed my lips. My hands instantly going to my mouth as I turned and briskly walked into the kitchen. Tears spilled from my eyes controllably obscuring my vision. I crumbled again. I cried.

"We will get them back, princess. We will get you back, babies", I declared softly to myself, slowly but surely pulling myself together again.

We would be okay.