2 on 2

It took a total of two days to drive everyone and all their stuff back to Greenwich, Connecticut but when Michael pulled into their driveway on North Street, Caroline smiled. "Home." She kissed Michael as Brendan yawned and tried to stretch his six foot two body with two babies in car seats flanking him. "I need out of this car. Now." He crawled over Patrick, opened the right side door and got out, falling to the ground and kissing the concrete. "Home." He got up and walked into the house, across the street from the house they grew up in September through June. "Let's get Kaner and Tazer tucked in." It was about 6 in the morning and everyone was tired but she knew Patrick and Jack were wired. "Come on Boys." She turned around and unbuckled their carseats and picked up Patrick. "I've got Jacky boy." Michael replied as he got out of the drivers seat and stretched. She opened the passenger side door and walked for the first time in what seemed like days. "Here we are buddy, your new home. No more Philadelphia or New Jersey for my boys. Connecticut forever." She whispered hoping Michael heard. She hated their apartment in Philadelphia, and their home in New Jersey. But they did still have one place to call home in New York City, the soho apartment. Where now Derrick Brassard, Carl Hagelin, John Moore, Mats Zuccerallo, Chris Kreider, Dominic Moore, Matt Hunwick, Michael Kostka, Anthony Duclair, Kevin Hayes and Brendan. She knew the apartment was in good hands, and the boys always said they were welcomed, and the boys would babysit. But she would never trust her babies with them it would be like trusting children with children.

"Open the door Care." Caroline looked back at Michael she was standing still in front of their new grand front door. "Right, sorry." She opened the door and she heard the TV on in the den, the TV on in the kitchen and once blasting from the upstairs. "Brendan pick a room and stick in it!" She walked upstairs and into the nursery that her mother and her decorated in the early summer. "Welcome home to the Rivalry boys." The room was painted a pale blue, with posters of the Islanders and Rangers everywhere. Their jerseys hung on the wall. A banner wrapped at the top of the walls and around the room of the thirty NHL teams. "You did such a great job babe." Michael kissed the top of her head. On each side of the room was a white painted crib with their monograms on it. PSD and JMD. Patrick's middle name was Steven a homage to Michael's father, and Jack's was Marcus a homage to her father. "Alright boys, sleep!" The pair changed them as Brendan walked into the twin's room. "Gross! Couples!" He made a throw up sound as he walked past them and down the stairs to the kitchen. "He needs a girlfriend." She nodded, he seriously did. Caroline heard a knock, and the doorbell ringing. "Let Brends get it, they need to go down." She nodded then she heard the door open and someone's voice. A smile erupted on her face. "Go down, I'll be there in a second." She grinned, Caroline put down Patrick and kissed him. "See you soon buddy."

She quietly walked out of the room and down the stairs practically jumping into Derek Stepan's arms. "Hey there squirt." She wrapped her arms around his neck. He was comfy, he was her Derek. "I missed you Steps." He kissed her forehead. "I missed you too Thomy. Now where are those adorable twins." She motioned to their bedroom. "Sleeping! So we're not waking them up." He looked disappointed. "I'll see them another time, I guess..." She smirked at him. "Are you still pissed your not a godfather?" He laughed. "Fuck yes, bullshit. I call being godfather of the third Del Zaster child and I mean it!" Brendan went into the kitchen to get Steps a bottle of water, Michael following him. "How are you doing squirt?" He wrapped her in a hug. "Good, it's difficult dealing with the two twins and Michael and Brendan and everyone but I am doing well. I've never loved someone more then I love those little guys."

He looked at her with a smiley smirk. "What is it?" She hit his shoulder. "Steph is pregnant! A little Stephanie and Derek is on her way to a town near you this spring!" She squealed. "AHHH Patrick and Jack have a new girlfriend coming!" Michael and Brendan came back into the foyer to all the squealing. "What is going on?" She let Derek tell them. "Steph is preggers." Michael and Brendan both freaked out. "I actually came over here to ask Caroline if she would be the godmother, Mac is going to the godfather." Caroline got choked up. She remembered meeting Derek at her brother's hockey camp in Minnesota, they had grown up together, became best friends, got married the same summer, and now they were going to have kids together. This was the good life. "I would love to the godmother of Baby Steps, I wouldn't want anything else." She hugged Derek, they were really growing up. She was turning 21 in a couple months, Derek and Michael had just turned 25 a couple months ago and Brendan had just turned 26 a couple days ago. An Era was coming to an end. They weren't kids anymore, they were grown ups.

Hours later Derek had left and Brendan and Michael were making dinner as the twins and her played together. Patrick and Jack had started crawling and they weren't stopping. "Look at these gremlins." Brendan came into the living room and picked up Jack bouncing him on his hip. "One day Brend you will be a fantastic father, you know that right?" He laid down on the couch with Jack as Michael finished Taco Night. "Yeah I know, I know. I just wish I could find a girl who isn't it for my title, my job, my name and my handsome good looks." The two of them laughed at the last part of his comment. "I just want someone to love me for me, all of me. Which includes Hockey and the Rangers and being a face for the NHL. And the good girls don't want that, they don't want me on the road for days on end, and I live with 11 other guys which is off putting." They were unconventional. But they were a family and those boys loved living together, they were a big family who was always there for each other, it was there support system. "Alright, Alright, Alright folks Dinner is ready! Come and get it!" Brendan and Caroline started cracking up. "Who do you think you are Matthew McConaughey?" Brendan still held Jack as Caroline picked up Patrick, he stuck to her hip. He was a momma's boy, and Jack was so his father's son. She already knew Jack would grow up to be a defenseman and Patrick a Center. They walked into the kitchen, put the boys in their high chairs and sat down at the island. "I am so hungry." Caroline took a bite of the tacos. "Thank god you could cook. Because then we wouldn't eat." Brendan and Caroline were ordering in nazi's. They knew every delivery place in Greenwich's number by heart. "This family would starve." Brendan's phone went off and he showed her the number "Jacqueline Messier"

There were only two girls ever that had Brendan Thomas's heart. Paulina Gretzky, and Jacqueline Messier. Ironic huh? "Answer." He answered and put the phone on speaker. "Hello?" "Brend?" "Yeah?" "It's J" "Yeah I know what's up?" "I am back in Greenwich, I moved back home with my dad and the stepmother, me and Lyon wanted to know if you and Caroline wanted to do dinner this week?." "Yeah we can do that." "Perfect! Brendan?" "Yeah J?" "I missed you, really missed you. Texas was well, I just missed you. I can't wait to see you." Caroline could see Brendan's heart sinking, he loved Jacqueline, they had the wedding planned from age 3. But she left to move to Texas with Lyon dated a Dallas Star and broke Brendan's heart. "How's Jamie?" Oh god here it came. "Me and Benn are dunzo. You know Brendan you're the guy for me, and I'll prove it to you, don't worry I will." "I gotta go Jack and Patrick are crying, I'll see you later J." He hung up and he looked at Caroline with puppy dog eyes. "You still love her." He nodded. "I just want what you and Michael have C, that's all. And Paulina and Jacqueline broke me. Now Paulina's married with a kid to a fucking pro golfer and Jacqueline, she maybe my last shot at a real love. One that spanned years. I loved her, I still do." They broke up 6 years ago, and Caroline will never forget that summer, Brendan used Thunder Bay as an escape from everything, he also got arrested with Eric and Jordan Staal in Minnesota. "Finish eating in your room, you have a lot to unpack, and think about Brend." He nodded. "Love you guys." He wrapped one arm around her and kissed her, kissing the top of Patrick's and Jack's heads next and walked upstairs. "I am worried about him Care." She nodded. "I am glad I have you Michael, I am nothing without you M." He kissed her, gently and sweetly. "You're my life Care, you and the boys. I love you guys and the game more then you understand. We're in this for, forever. And I can't wait for when the Isles beat the Rangers November 5th with the boys in the stands." She laughed. "Don't worry babe, we'll beat you guys to a pulp."

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