Babies 17&18: Silence.

On the last episode of the Vanderbilt Family Drama, we learned that there are definitely going to be some troubles in paradise between Ryder and Anastasia. You see, he never knew that she was attempting the complete the 100 baby challenge - whoops. Caspian spilled the beans, and threw his own mommy under the bus. What a little rat. The children, Charlie, Bellatrix, and now Shane, are oblivious to these issues because, well, Ana and Ryder are good parents, and that comes first, no matter what.

*~*

While mom and dad were at the hospital, and the babysitter wasn't doing his job a.k.a. feeding them dinner, Charlie and Bella decided to dress up and play pretend, because hey, they're creative kids.

 Charlie became a terrifying green dinosaur.

He seemed to be unable to speak while in this get up - he would only roar.

 At first, Bella dressed up as a beautiful princess.

However, once she saw Charlie in his dino suit, she changed her mind.

 Apparently, being a dinosaur is much more fun than being a princess.

 The two did some twin bonding and chased each other around roaring.

It was terrifyingly adorable.

*~*

 No matter how much Ryder despised Ana right now, he loved his babies as always.

Shane was no different. Even though he was conceived out of lies, according to Ryder, he was still his.

His flesh and blood, his son, an owner of a tiny little chunk of his heart.

 However, Ana still wasn't off the hook.

The only communication between Ana and Ryder was solely for the children.

Other than that... nothing.

The days dragged on, melting into weeks of fake smiles, for the sake of the children
Ryder felt betrayed not because he thought Ana would cheat on him - he just wanted the respect and dignity of knowing who she was.
He now felt like he proposed to a stranger.

 Ana's routine never changed. Mail every morning. Well, except Sundays.

One day, there was a curious package in the mail.

It was from a long lost twice removed Aunt Bernice.

It apparently contained a doll for Shane. Interesting.

Ana set it in his crib unenthusiastically.

She thought it was pretty fugly.

-It is...

I agree. o3o

Ana spent her days at the Chemistry table, hoping to concoct something to make Ryder even look at her the same way he did before. Or, you know, at all.

 She was out of luck on that one.

 She loved Shane, undoubtedly.

But it was just so hard looking at this little boy - Ryder's little boy - without feeling a pang of guilt for what she did. How she ruined this little boy's life without him even knowing it.

 But she kept up the smiles anyway.

If there's anything Ana's a pro at, it's faking.

... You can deduce from that what you want... xD

*~*

 "So. Dad. I have a question." Charlie approached Ryder near 9 one night.

"Shoot."
"Can you read me a bedtime story? It just... you know, makes it easier to fall asleep."
"You know, you're not too old for bedtime stories, Charlie. No need to be ashamed."
Ryder ruffled Charlie's hair and grabbed his favorite book.

Charlie just smiled and thought, Dad always knows what to say.

 "And so then, the prince and the princess and their pet dinosaur lived happily ever after."
So true in fairy tales... not so true in real life.

 Ana merely looked on as Ryder offered a bedtime story to Bella, as well.

He ignored her, but his face did soften just a bit as she walked by.

 "And you add two newt tails, plus a bit of turtle eye juice, and you've got the perfect stew!"
You can tell what a natural cook Ryder is...

*~*

The next day was Shane's birthday.

 Charlie and Bella were excited, can't you tell?

 And Shane... well, he's a little Ryder mini-me.

The hair, the eyes...

Oh jeez.

 Shane was immediately drawn to the little toy Bernice gave him.

He named her Cara and sang to her all the time.

Well, all the time he wasn't beating her up, that is.

 The fact that Shane was mini-Ryder drew Ana to be with him even more.

She spent a whole day trying to teach him to walk, just because Shane looks at her with the same cool green eyes Ryder used to.

 *~*

 The twins bonded further over homework.

Even though Bella is a genius and finishes much faster than Charlie,

she stays around to help him until he finishes too.

 Ryder spent a lot of time playing Chess, since it's necessary to be logical to be a good doctor.
Oh yeah, didn't I tell you?
Ryder is doing very well in the medical career.

Anyway, Charlie was a very worthy opponent - he won three times in a row.

 Spring riders are still a favorite of Charlie.

Bella can't stand them, but you can't separate Charlie from his pirate ship.

 Or his tree house, for that matter.

 Ana seesawed with Charlie until it was time for him to go to bed.

 From there, she took on the bedtime story.

As much as Charlie hated to admit it, he still loved the one about the prince, princess, and the happy ending.

After Ana read him that very same story, he asked,
"Is that what it's like for you and dad?"

I don't know.

Ana didn't answer him out loud, but put on a smile and kissed his 

forehead before telling him to go to sleep.

Ryder bonded with little Shane, not that Shane took it that way.

He just wondered why Ryder was so scary, until he started tickling him.

Then he wasn't so bad anymore.

Every morning before school, Bellatrix would go out in the sand box and build amazing creations, such as this one. She called this particular sandman Phil.

She then built Phil a best friend she called Patrick.

They hung out together until Charlie came along and murdered them.

Oops.

Ryder carried on the tradition of teaching his babies to talk.

He didn't quite finish before he had to go to work, though, so Ana took over.

"Love... well that's a really important word. If you ever find it, never ever let it go, okay?"

*~*

When Ryder got home from work, in his sexy pink scrubs, he lingered for a second at the bottom of the stairs.

From here, he could hear Ana talking to Shane, trying to get him to use the potty chair.

"Yeah, you got it... maybe if you concentrate a little harder..."
No matter how much he didn't want to, Ryder ended up cracking a smile.

Maybe a hundred babies wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

As long as they're all mine.

Charlie, at the same time, was having quite the adventure in his parents' bathtub.

He had such a creative mind; he thought up mermaids and starfish and SHARKS and reacted accordingly to each, respectively: OOOH! ;D , Aaaaaaah.... , OHMYSWEETLORDIE.

"GO AWAY SHARK! I'D LIKE TO KEEP MY LIMBS TODAY!"

When he wasn't having bathroom adventures, Charlie was spying on the neighbors from his treehouse.

"Really Miss Johnson? No one wants to see that..."

"Seriously Charlie, maybe if you weren't looking at her... Creeper!" 

Bella laughed from the other room in the treehouse.

Ryder called the two down from the tree not too long after.

 Charlie thought for sure he was going to get yelled at for spying.
"Yeah Dad?" Charlie said sheepishly.

"Just wanted to tell you I love you, bud."

Bella already ran to the house for fear of punishment.

But Ryder just chased her down to tell her the same thing.

Since she was now aware she wasn't in trouble, Bella asked,
"Hey Daddy, will you listen to this reaaaaally scary story I made up?"

Of course he said yes. What good dad wouldn't?
"Just don't scare me too much!" he said, shuddering.

Ryder was in a trance listening to Bella's story.
"And a HUUUUUGE viper just came out of the jungle, and wrapped its 18 foot long body around the guy... he had no chance, and his friends could only look on..."

Ryder sure was scared, right.

But Shane was just like, uh, kay. Cool.

And he proceeded to play with Cara, who wasn't phased by the story either.

Charlie neglected his bedtime story that night, and spent his last night as a child sleeping in his treehouse.

Charlie is really cute.
He's quite the popular kid, which isn't surprising considering his face.

Bellatrix is also a beauty - they might be the most gorgeous set of twins yet.

See, Ana? Here's another reason to stay with Ryder... look at these kids!

- I know right. They're beautiful. T_T

*~*

Now that the kids were teens, Ryder felt it was time to confront Ana.

"I just don't get why you didn't tell me," were the first words to leave his lips.

He didn't look too impressed, raising his eyebrow like that.

"I didn't think you could handle it..." was all Ana could think to say.

"Please forgive me. Please. There's nothing I want more than to be with you... you gotta believe me on that one." Ana had never been more sincere in her life.

And, well, Ryder thought about it, long and hard.

But he had some questions.

"I can forgive you." Ana's face lit up.

"For now."

"I was just... SO ANGRY... that I didn't know what to say to you after Shane was born."
Even thinking about this was making Ryder himself a bit mad.

"I just... wanted to rip my HAIR out, knowing you LIED to me, you DECEIVED me... I didn't... maybe still don't... even know who you really are."

WELL, he gets pretty emotional when he talks, doesn't he.

- I know! It's like, uh, personal space, please...

"But I want to. I want to know everything about you, from the day you were born to the day we met."

And what could she do but tell him?
She told him about her parents: they happened to be Gregory and Ruth Vanderbilt.

They had the perfect love story that Ana never thought would come true.

How Ana was born nine months to the day after they were married.

How when her younger sister, Grace, was born, she thought she was a toy - Ana was only two, give her a break.

How carefree and easy her childhood was, until her grandparents died.

How she grew into a rebellious teen and dated way too much for her own good.

Her goth phase, her two days of cheerleading.

All of the dating - too much for her own good.

How that led to every heart break that led her to not want a commitment, but how her babysitting gig made her want kids - and a whole bunch of them at that.

Why she wanted to do the 100 baby challenge.

And why she wants to bend the rules and change her course.

Why she wants him.

How ever since he came along, she's been a different person, it's true - different for the better.

She ended with a tasteful story about how the very week before they met, she had a quite embarrassing encounter with a stranger, a rolling pin, and a broken applesauce jar.

Hey, he wanted to know everything.

And Ryder couldn't help but laugh at her.

"So you... you tripped over a rolling pin... while carrying a jar of applesauce... and you... you hurled it at a random guy's head on the way down..." Yeah, he started crying by this point.
"Shut UP!" she whacked him on the shoulder playfully.

"You are such a klutz. And a dork. And a downright pain in the ass, Ana."
Ryder shook his head.
"But I think that's why I'm helplessly and hopelessly in love with you."
"So. Does this mean you forgive me?" Ana's smooth, am I right? "I mean, you know I've only ever really loved you... and I mean, I've been faithfully in a relationship with you for... Jesus, forever now... And I just love you so much..."
"I don't really think I have a choice." He smiled that one sided smile and just clung to her.

"Well, YOU proposed... I think you're stuck with me forever, now, 'cause I'm not going anywhere."

"But... I'm curious, now..." Ana didn't want to stop having kids all together...

She just wanted to stop sleeping around, honestly.

"Do you still want to... ya know, have more kids?"

"And  I don't mean a few more, I mean, like, 84 more..."

"I don't care how many babies you have, as long as they're all mine.

Charlie, Bellatrix, Shane, and you are the best things that have ever happened to me.

And I wouldn't love the next 84 any less."

"You really want to do this with me?"

"Well, duh. But hey, this is so much easier than I understand the regular challenge to be. Maybe we should really test ourselves and say, have 102 or something."
And well, things were cute again.

"I think this is what I missed the most, honestly."

And so, you know, when Ryder got home the next day, Ana jumped all over that.

What kind of girl can resist a ripped dude in pink scrubs? Sexy.

Ooh la la.

Hellooooooo baby.

Ew. o.x
The morning sickness this time around was pretty bad.

Seriously. Her vomit has never been that radioactively green before.

Ew, again... It looks a little blue this time, too.

What have you been eating?
- So much birthday cake. Blue frosting. Makes sense.

And Ana found out she was pregnant next to the chemistry table again.

There's something about that table that just makes her feel oh so pregnant.

Ryder was back to being adorable and completely excited about her pregnancy.

Shane was getting closer and closer to childhood and he was so ready for new babies.

"And this is only the beginning, honey."

Shane wouldn't stop singing to Cara. 

He made her seem so much more like a real person than just a doll.

Ana's bump grew quite large fairly rapidly.

She looked about ready to pop any moment.

But you know, she looked pretty happy about it.

She was feeling especially good that one particular morning.

She hadn't been doing much cooking herself lately, since Ryder enjoys it so much, but Ana ended up making some delicious, not burnt at all waffles.

*~*

Maybe Ana was feeling so good that day because she was excited.

I mean, it WAS time for Charlie and Bellatrix's junior prom!

Prom was obviously a huge deal to Ana. She loved seeing her kids all dressed up.

Look at them!

Charlie was looking sharp, like he was James Bond. 

That's why he looked so serious.

Bella was just so pretty.

She was going with a friend named Larry, 

while Charlie decided to go stag.

Full view of their outfits.

Notice Charlie's sneakers with the tux... xD

The twins went to hug Ana goodbye before getting into their limo, 

but heh, she had other plans.

Like, going to the hospital, for instance.

"Oh my GOD Charlie, what do we DO?"
"Don't look at me! I don't know!" D:

Luckily, being in the medical career toughened Ryder up for instances such as these.

He got home just in time to find Ana in labor and bring her right back to the hospital.

The babysitter that showed up was obviously psycho, or at least took her job too seriously.

She must try to look like all the mothers whose children she babysits.

LOOK AT THAT HAIR. It looks awkward on her.
Seriously, the kid's going to know you're not his mama.

While their mom was birthing their new sibling, Charlie and Bella enjoyed being the only two well dressed kids at prom.

Some other people enjoyed freaking out at Ana's labor.

And Ana and Ryder kinda freaked out, because they had twins again.
Here's a surprise for one of my amazing readers!
Baby #17 is here (held by Ana) and her name is... Lina Vanderbilt! ;D
(Thanks for being awesome, Lina. [: )
And her twin, baby #18, in Ryder's arm, is Annika Vanderbilt.
I promise you guys will learn more about the kids' night at prom in the next post. (:

*~*

Be Ana's Facebook Friend!
See Ana's Wishlist!

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate every comment and follower. It really motivates me to keep cranking out the posts to please you guys. Please leave any names you have in mind in a comment below or on Facebook. I hope you enjoyed this post!