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Chapter 53: Hide and Seek
When Serena and Logan got back to Logan’s house, Serena was ready to get the kids and head home. She was happy to have
a home again, and happy to get some space from the Alpha. Knowing he was her kids’ father, knowing that another female was
pregnant with his child, it made everything too complicated. She went to the room they’d been staying in. Flo followed her,
wanting to say goodbye. When Serena opened the door, she found the carved wooden wolf toys on the floor, but the twins
weren’t there. “I didn’t hear them come downstairs,” Flo muttered. Serena sighed. “They are just playing a hiding game,” she
assured. Flo and Serena went around the whole house, looking for the kids. They weren’t anywhere! Panic began to rise in
Serena’s chest. “I know they couldn’t have gotten outside,” Flo assured. Serena nodded, but she couldn’t help worry that the kids
had gotten into one of their hiding places and were hurt or trapped! “Olivia, Oliver, where are you?” Serena called. There was no
answer.
“What’s happening?” Logan asked, joining Flo and Serena in the living room. “The twins have done a vanishing act,” Flo said.
Serena winced. “I hope they’re okay,” she said, going to a wall and pressing her ear to it. There wasn’t any sound coming from
inside.
“I’m sure they are fine,” Logan assured. “I know all the hiding places in this house. Trust me, I used to use them too.” Flo
chuckled and tousled her son’s hair, even though he was taller than her. “Yes, you were good at giving your father and I scares,”
she said. “Something the twins are good at too!” Serena stared at Flo for a moment. She worried Flo was implying something
she shouldn’t know! Serena had made sure no one else would see the lab results confirming Logan’s paternity. “Come on, I’ve
got a few ideas of where to look,” Logan said. “Olivia, Oliver,” Serena called as she followed Logan back upstairs. “It is time to go
back to our house!” “We don’t want to go!” Olivia screamed from inside the walls. Logan chuckled, pointing to the closet in his
room. Serena nodded. “Sounds like they’ve gotten quite comfortable here,” he muttered. “I think they like the hiding places,
where they can cause trouble without me seeing.” Hide and Seek she said. Logan smiled at her and opened his closet door. “I’m
probably not going to fit through here, but you are slender enough to get in there enough to talk to them,” Logan said, pushing a
The space was narrow and dark. It smelled musty. Serena wasn’t too keen on crawling in there on her elbows.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be right here and I’ll pull you out if you get stuck,” Logan assured. Serena scoffed and shook her head.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. Serena dropped down on her hands and knees. She lowered onto her stomach and used her elbows to
crawl into the space as far as she could go, until her hips hit the sides.
Olivia and Oliver were in the crawl space, tucked away against the back of the wall. They were hugging each other. Serena
couldn’t quite reach them, even with her arms stretched out all the way. “What are you two doing?” she asked, propping herself
up on her elbows so she could look at them. “We don’t want to leave, Mommy.” Olivia said. “Yea, it is fun here,” Oliver said.
“Don’t you want to go back home?” Serena asked. “Our real home where you have all your toys and you each have your own
room?” “No!” Olivia snapped. “We like it here.” Serena sighed. “I know, baby,” she said. “This is an old house with lots of fun
places to hide and lots of fun toys to play with.” “Yea, so, can we stay?” Olivia asked. “This isn’t our home,” Serena said. “We are
just guests here. We‘ve got to go to our real home.” “But Uncle Logan likes us,” Oliver said. “Yea, we could stay here with him,
and you can go home,” Oliver said. Serena chuckled, though her heart hurt thinking her kids wanted to stay with Logan instead
of her. “As much fun as that sounds,” she said with a note of sarcasm, “Logan has his own life and his own family.” “It’s not fair!”
Olivia wailed. “I want to stay here!” “Just because we are going home doesn’t mean we won’t ever come back,” Serena assured
them, “Logan will come visit you at our home, and I’m sure he’d love to have you visit here. And, I’m sure there will be times
when Flo will take care of you when I can’t or when Dana can’t.” Hide and Seek “Do you promise?” Olivia asked. Serena was
hesitant to promise the kids anything that she couldn’t make complete good on. This was a promise that involved other people,
but knowing Logan and Flo, she didn’t think they would mind. “I promise,” she said. “This won’t be the last time you see them,
and it won’t be the last time you get to play in this house.” “Okay,” the twins said together. They started crawling towards her.
Serena used her elbows to push herself back out of the crawl space. It was slower for her than the twins, and they were getting
antsy. When she made it all the way out, Serena sighed and flopped down on the closet floor on her back. The twins émerged
next, sneezing and stamping their feet to get rid of the dust on their clothes. “Nice work,” Logan said, reaching a hand out for
Serena. She accepted it, and he pulled her to her feet. They stood facing each other for a moment, and then he brushed his
dust she’d pulled from her hair. “You’ll come visit us, right, Uncle Logan?” Olivia asked, stealing his attention. “I’ll come visit,” he
assured. “We always have so much fun together, that’s not going to stop because you aren’t living here anymore.” “Okay!” Olivia
said. “I should get them home and in the tub,” Serena said, grabbing Olivia’s hand before she ran off. “Good idea,” Logan said.
He walked with them down to the front door. “I have to say, I think I will miss having the kids here.” Serena raised an eyebrow at
him. “Well, you’ll have one of your own soon enough,” she reminded him. Logan said, glancing back up the stairs at the door of
his bedroom. “Won’t that be something,” he muttered. “As you said, you’ll come visit and play,” she said. Logan smiled.
“Absolutely,” he said with a nod. Serena held one twin in each hand and headed out of Logan’s house. The walk back to their
house was quick and easy. When she walked through the front door, she sighed with relief. It was nice to be home, and to
actually have a home! “Come on, kids, you need to take a bath,” she said.
“Awe, mom!” Oliver complained. Serena had a feeling Oliver would be a little nervous in the bathroom since that was where they
were when the tree fell on their house. She wanted to make sure that he was safe and comfortable, though. That he had a
positive experience in the bathtub. “Go pick out your jammies,” Serena said. “I’ll fill the bath.” The kids ran to their rooms, and
Serena filled the tub part way with warm water. She
threw in some bubble bath and added some of their favorite bath toys. The twins ran in the bathroom naked, tossing their
pajamas at Serena. “Get in, get in,” she said. Olivia fearlessly plopped into the tub. Oliver was more hesitant, but he climbed in
after his sister. Serena hummed softly, sitting on the toilet as she folded the kids’ pajamas and laid out their robes and towels.
They’d started a game that involved their toys being held at high heights before being dropped into the water, making bubbly
splashes.
“Wash your faces,” please,” Serena said when she noticed the twins were getting pruned. She waited for them to wash their
faces and then she had them stand up so she could dry them quickly and wrap them in their robes.
“I’m so clean!” Olivia said. Serena smiled, handing her daughter her pajamas. It was good to be home! She wasn’t worrying
about taking too long in the bathroom with bathing the kids, or worried about how much noise they were making. Still, she liked
the idea of having a home with a full family one day.
With the kids in bed, Serena took a moment to appreciate being back in her own home. The first night wasn’t as relaxing as she
thought! Every creak and sound made her sit bolt upright in bed, listening for a tree to come crashing through the roof again!
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