AN: New week, gimme those powerstones.
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[Hospital room]
Max lay on the examination bed with her shirt pushed up beneath her ribs, her tummy exposed under the bright ceiling lights. She had one hand behind her head like she was trying to look casual, although the way her fingers kept tapping against the pillow gave her away. Alex sat beside her, his hand resting near her wrist, quiet in that focused way he got when something mattered too much for jokes.
Angelina stood near the foot of the bed with her arms folded, watching Max with a soft smile that made the whole room feel steadier. Evangeline leaned against the wall beside her, trying to hide her excitement and failing badly every time she glanced at the ultrasound monitor.
The doctor, a gentle woman in her forties with kind eyes and a practiced smile, squeezed clear gel onto Max's stomach.
Max flinched and shot her a betrayed look. "Wow, Doc, maybe warn a girl before you slap her with ghost slime from the refrigerator."
Alex laughed under his breath and brushed his thumb across Max's wrist. "You survived New York diners, Max. I believe in your strength."
Max turned her head toward him, narrowing her eyes. "You put a baby in me, Moneybags. Your motivational speech privileges are currently under review."
Angelina covered her mouth, her shoulders lifting with silent laughter.
Evangeline pointed at Max with a grin. "I swear, pregnancy made you even more dangerous."
Max looked over at her, completely serious. "Pregnancy made me sober, emotional, and hungry every twenty minutes. Dangerous is the cute version."
The doctor chuckled as she pressed the probe gently against Max's stomach, moving it through the gel in slow circles. The screen flickered with gray shapes that looked like moon dust and shadows at first. Alex leaned closer without realizing it, his entire attention locking onto the monitor as the room seemed to quiet around him.
Max noticed his face and softened for half a second before she ruined it on purpose. "Don't stare too hard, billionaire Batman. You're gonna burn a hole through the baby TV."
Alex kept his eyes on the screen, a smile tugging at his mouth. "I'm just trying to understand what I'm looking at."
The doctor adjusted the angle, her gaze sharpening slightly as the image became clearer. "That is completely normal at this stage. Everything looks a little abstract until we find the right position."
A faint rhythmic sound filled the room, fast and delicate, like tiny wings fluttering behind static. Max froze instantly. Her fingers stopped tapping. Her eyes widened a little, and all her jokes suddenly lost their place in line.
Alex's grip around her hand tightened gently. "That's the heartbeat?"
The doctor smiled as she kept the probe steady. "That is one heartbeat, yes."
Max blinked, then turned her head slowly toward the doctor. "I'm sorry, did you say one heartbeat like there's a subscription package I didn't approve?"
Angelina's smile faded into pure attention.
Evangeline pushed away from the wall and stepped closer. "Wait, does that mean?"
The doctor moved the probe again, watching the monitor carefully. Her expression stayed calm, which somehow made everyone else more nervous. Another flicker appeared on the screen, another shape nestled close to the first. Then a second rhythm joined the sound, fast and alive, overlapping the first in a way that made the air leave Max's lungs.
The doctor looked from the monitor to Max, her smile growing warmer. "There are two heartbeats."
For a moment, nobody moved.
Max stared at the monitor like it had personally attacked her. Alex did the same, except his face had gone completely still, that powerful calm of his cracking under something much bigger than strategy. Angelina lifted one hand to her lips. Evangeline's eyes filled before she even tried to stop them.
Max finally swallowed and pointed weakly at the screen. "You're telling me there are two tiny freeloaders in there?"
The doctor nodded, still smiling. "You are having twins."
Max's mouth opened, closed, then opened again as she looked at Alex with wild disbelief. "Twins, Alex. Twins. Your super sperm showed up with a plus-one."
Alex stared at her for half a second, then broke into the kind of laugh that sounded half shocked and half helpless. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Max's hand, and for once the richest man alive looked like he had been hit by a truck made entirely of feelings.
Angelina moved closer to the bed, her voice soft with wonder. "Max, that is beautiful."
Max looked at her with watery eyes and a face full of panic. "Beautiful is one baby. Two babies is a hostile takeover of my uterus."
Evangeline laughed through her tears and came to Max's other side. "You're going to be amazing."
Max shook her head quickly. "Nope, absolutely do not start with the inspirational forest fairy routine. I am processing. I am spiraling with style."
Alex lifted his head and kissed her knuckles, his smile still stunned. "You're having twins."
Max stared at him, and her expression trembled between sarcasm and something painfully tender. "We are having twins, Mister. You are not leaving me alone with two tiny Maxes unless you want civilization to collapse before kindergarten."
Alex reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere."
The words landed differently than his jokes had. Max looked at him, really looked at him, and the room seemed to settle around that promise. Her eyes shone, and she tried to roll them before the emotion could win.
"Good," Max said, her voice rougher than usual. "Because I already gave up sushi, caffeine, my special cookies, and alcohol. If you also make me give up emotional stability, I'm suing you in every court Rachel controls."
Angelina laughed softly and rested a hand on Max's ankle through the blanket. "I think Rachel would still find a way to blame Alex."
Alex nodded without looking away from Max. "Rachel would absolutely prosecute me for excessive fertility."
Evangeline leaned toward the monitor, smiling so wide it hurt to look at. "Can we see them again?"
The doctor adjusted the probe and pointed toward the screen. "This one is baby A, and this one is baby B. They are both measuring well so far, and both heartbeats are strong."
Max looked at the screen again, and her sharp little mask slipped further. Two small lives flickered there in gray and white, unreal and undeniable. She pressed her lips together, breathing through her nose like she was trying to stop the entire room from seeing her fall apart.
Alex saw it anyway, because Alex always saw too much when it came to the people he loved.
He leaned closer, his voice gentle. "Are you okay?"
Max nodded too fast, then shook her head, then laughed at herself while wiping one eye with the heel of her hand. "I have no idea. I'm happy, terrified, hungry, sticky, and apparently running a duplex."
Angelina squeezed her ankle gently. "That sounds reasonable."
Evangeline nodded with complete seriousness. "Honestly, that may be the healthiest reaction anyone could have."
Max pointed at both of them. "Do not team up and validate my mental breakdown. I'm still deciding whether to cry or demand pancakes."
Alex smiled and rubbed his thumb along her hand again. "You can do both."
Max looked at him with fresh suspicion. "That sounded supportive, which means you're trying to avoid responsibility for this twin situation. Wait! Are you?"
Alex's expression turned innocent in a way that fooled nobody. "I accept full responsibility."
Max lifted her chin, still lying there with gel on her stomach and chaos in her eyes. "Good. Full responsibility includes midnight snacks, foot rubs, weird cravings, emotional outbursts, and giving me whatever mansion wing I decide the babies need."
Alex nodded solemnly. "Done."
Max narrowed her eyes further. "That was too fast, Moneybags."
Angelina smiled toward Alex. "He is learning survival at this point."
Evangeline glanced between them, amused and emotional at the same time. "He has fought criminals, CEOs, studio heads, half of Hollywood, and Halle's situation too. This may be the second fight he cannot win."
Max gave a small sniff and pointed at Evangeline. "Exactly. Finally, someone respects the scale of my power."
The doctor handed Max a tissue, then clicked a few buttons on the machine. "I will print some images for you. We will also schedule more monitoring because twin pregnancies need a little more attention."
Max's eyes snapped back to the doctor. "More appointments?"
The doctor nodded kindly. "More appointments, more scans, and more rest."
Max groaned and dropped her head back against the pillow. "Great. My social calendar is now naps, pee breaks, and people telling me not to eat suspicious cheese."
Alex smiled and glanced at the doctor. "We'll follow everything you recommend."
Max turned her head slowly toward him. "Look at you, acting all responsible and hot. That is extremely inconvenient for my anger."
Alex leaned down and kissed her forehead, ignoring the way she pretended to glare at him. "You can be angry while I take care of you."
Max's voice softened despite her best effort. "Yeah, well, you better take care of all three of us."
Angelina looked down for a moment, blinking away her emotion. Evangeline wrapped her arms around herself, smiling at the monitor like the whole future had suddenly walked into the room wearing tiny socks. At that moment, both of them made a mental note to create plans for their future babies.
Alex pressed his palm lightly beside the doctor's probe, careful and reverent. "Hi, babies."
Max stared at him, then groaned as her eyes filled again. "Oh, screw you, that was unfairly cute."
Angelina laughed softly. "You are allowed to be happy, Max."
Max breathed out slowly, looking at the blurry shapes on the screen. "I am happy. I'm also scared out of my mind, which is rude because I had a whole sarcastic brand to maintain."
Evangeline moved closer and brushed Max's hair back from her forehead. "Your brand is safe."
Max sniffed and looked between the three of them. "Good, because if these babies come out polite, I'm asking for a refund."
...
[Meanwhile] [Back at the mansion]
Halle and Caroline were making cookies at the kitchen island, though Caroline had spent more time checking the hallway than checking the oven timer. Halle kept mixing the dough slowly, smiling whenever Asher made happy little sounds from the living room.
Chloe was playing with Asher on the carpet, gently bouncing a soft toy in front of him while he kicked his tiny legs and grabbed at the air. She had moved in with Trixie last week, and the mansion still felt new in ways she had not fully processed. She had decided to take a break from all work and just live her life for a bit, which felt strange after years of running from one problem to the next.
Trixie was playing with Nacho as usual near the sofa, trying to get him to chase a ribbon while the orange cat looked deeply offended by the concept of exercise. The school change had been hard for her, even though she tried to act brave whenever Chloe and Alex asked. They knew she would adjust with enough time, because Trixie was strong.
Rachel and Scarlett were playing cards at the coffee table, though Rachel had already won so many rounds that Scarlett looked personally betrayed by mathematics.
"Ah, c'mon. How are you winning so many rounds?" Scarlett complained.
"Noob," Rachel smirked.
Scarlett narrowed her eyes. "You're on, girl."
Caroline glanced toward the hallway again while dusting flour from her fingers. "They should have been back by now, and I hate waiting."
The front door opened.
Everyone looked toward the door as soon as Alex, Max, and Angelina entered.
Halle stepped out from behind the kitchen island, wiping her hands on a towel while worry flashed across her face. "Everything good, right?"
Max stopped near the entrance, placed one hand on her stomach, and pointed at Alex like she had brought home evidence from a crime scene. "He put twins in me. Now, I'm gonna get fat... 2X."
Caroline froze, her eyes going wide as the words sank in. "Twins as in two babies, two cribs, two wardrobes, and two times the shopping?" She said, looking really excited.
And so, the house became more chaotic once again as everyone congratulated Max and Alex, while secretly planning to have babies.
Even Nacho walked up to Max's feet and said, "Meow!"
--[POWERSTONES & REVIEWS]--
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[5 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] + [Streamer in Modern Family> 14 chs]