Chapter 14: Quite the Handful...

Tanya had her hands full, there was no doubt about it.  The triplets took up the majority of her day and left her with little to no time to write. By the time the girls had run out of energy it was time to read Brent and Chase a bed time story. Once that was done, Tanya was just too exhausted to do anything but head to bed herself. Anderson had the brilliant idea to open an at home day care to help with some of the bills, so during the day the house was filled with toddlers.

Not that Tanya was complaining. She loved spending time with the girls. They were so adorable and she would sit there watching them play for as long as possible. The other toddlers from the daycare didn't seem to care for them much though. Maybe they sensed the girls were different. Anderson tried to get them to play in the living room with the girls, but they always found their way back to the nursery when given the chance.

Brent and Chase found a new love: chess. The boys would come home from school and do their homework together. As soon as schoolwork was finished they would race over to the chess table Tanya had bought them. They could play for hours, and sometimes even play until bedtime with just a quick break for dinner. Chase had at one point even wanted to become a Chess Grand Master and started asking to compete in ranked matches.

Tanya was afraid that as Brent got closer to his teenage years that the boys were growing apart. As time passed, it became apparent that Brent didn't enjoy chess as much as his brother. He would leave Chase playing by himself more and more often. Brent wasn't as good at it and the more Chase beat him, the less enthused he was at playing. Brent also seemed to be missing his father, while he knew his dad was doing important work he couldn't help but miss him.

And then as if to answer his prayers, Anderson set up a chemistry table for him. If only he could create a potion to make two of his father, then he could have him around all the time and his dad could still save the world! Brent seemed to be at the chemistry set more often than not. Tanya couldn't bear to break his heart by telling him that such a potion just wasn't possible. She hoped it was just a phase and that it would pass just as his love of chess had.

When her next set of royalty checks came in, Tanya bought the boys a tree house, pirate flag and all. She hoped it would be just the thing to get Brent over his obsession with potions, but it seemed to just add to it.  He would create little smoke bombs to set off during the 'pirate invasions'. But at least he was having fun while doing it! And it seemed to bring the boys together again, at least for part of the day.

Tanya found her way out to Grady's memorial quite often. She was no longer sure if his ghost had ever really visited her or if it was just her mind's way of dealing with things. She'd spend a few minutes out there each night talking to him. Tanya tried to fill him in on the day's events, especially on how Chase was doing and what he had been up to, just in case his spirit could hear her somehow. He would be so proud of his son and she just wished he could see him growing up.

As for the father of the triplets, Tanya still hadn't seen him other than the occasional dream. She could feel him watching though, at times it felt as if he was in the room with her but there'd be no one there. Her research had hit a dead end. There were a few rumors and such posted online but nothing factual. Tanya pretty much gave up trying to figure the puzzle out. She figured one day things would make sense, and maybe it was better she didn't know right now.

Besides, whoever he was, he couldn't be all that bad. He had given her the triplets after all. The girls had been a huge blessing, they had kept her busy and full of love during what could have been the darkest days of her life. They had been the light at the end of the tunnel after losing Grady in the fire. Tanya couldn't shut down the way she wanted to when they arrived, they needed her, and so she had to keep going.

Tanya was beginning to think that Ansley would become the musician she had once wanted to be. That girl loved to play the xylophone and would create songs of her own on it. She would even remember them later and could play them over and over. Ansley seemed to have quite the musical ear too and could tell when she hit the wrong note. The xylophone was the one place Ansley would be still. If one of the other girls was playing it, she would be all over the house, or climbing on furniture.

Briannah was such a loving child. Often times Tanya would find her caring for her doll as if it were her child. Tanya was surprised at just how sweet and selfless Bri could be at her age. She was always willing to give up her favorite toys to one of the other girls if they wanted to play with it. She would also play nurse to her sisters if one of them fell while playing. Bri was so adorable to watch.  Tanya thought that out of the three girls, Bri would be the one to grow up and have a huge family.

Callie was a whole other story. Tanya was quickly becoming concerned for the youngest. Callie had taken to trying to destroy her mysterious doll. She was either biting its neck or trying to rip its head off. She also had no problem with taking a toy from the other girls, even if they were in the middle of playing with it. She was becoming quite the little hellion who cared only for her own wants and needs. She continued to prefer time by herself rather than playing with her sisters.

Tanya hoped that if she spent a little more time with Callie she could stop the problems before they got worse. She would read to Callie everyday, play attack of the claw, and just try to make her happy. Tanya was worried that if she didn't change soon, she would become quite the sociopath. She had never seen a child be so violent and wondered if it had anything to do with the glowing eyes and whoever her father was. She was at a loss as to what to do if her nurturing didn't work.

Anderson went to a party at his girlfriend's house shortly after becoming an adult. Tanya encouraged him to go. He needed a break from all the kids. When Anderson got to Kay's he was surprised to find his father, Connor, there. The two had a few drinks together and talked about life and just caught up in general. Kay was glad to see the two getting along and knew it had been quite a while since they had seen each other. Overall, life was going good for the Rock family.