Morning came with freshness, bright sunlight and two sleepy children adamant to not wake up.

"Come on, wake up - Sammy Sarah..."

Emma Chuckled looking at the way they were sleeping on their stomachs, their butts up in the air. She tapped both of their behinds gaining annoyed whines.

"Piku. Pokemmm..." Sammy was rambling in sleep. Emma chuckled again and patted them once more. This boy was a die hard fan of pokemon.

"Now, this is the last time I am calling you both. You better get up or else..."

Emma huffed a breath when no replies came.

Emma continued after a pause,"... or else I am not going to let you help paint Ross's new doghouse."

That was the magic words. Within a matter of seconds the siblings sat up straight on their beds as if they were suddenly charged with electricity.

"We - we paint Ross's new house, mommy?" Sarah mumbled rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Really?" Sammy had already kicked away the sheets and was looking up at Emma squinting his eyes, trying to adjust them with the bright daylight.

They were bubbling in excitement.

Emma tried hiding the smile of adoration from his lips. " Not if you don't brush your teeth and have your breakfast in the next 20 minutes. " She said with a serious face while wiping off the dried drool from the corner of Sarah's lips trailing down her chin.

The children gobbled up their breakfast in a speed similar to a tornado. Their excitement couldn't be controlled no matter how much Emma tried as they sprung off their chairs squealing and ran upstairs to grab their shoes.

Emma was already dressed for office. When the kids came down hurriedly Emma grabbed both of their hands and the children almost dragged her out of the house making Emma giggle all the way.

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Keeping the color buckets, brushes and other necessary equipments beside him on the ground... Brandan stood leaning against the tree in Savanah's lawn. The doghouse behind him screaming to get painted. Or maybe those were the kids squealing from Emma's house.

Brandan smiled. Last night after returning home from office he went over to Emma's house for two reasons, one was to see the kids and another - to see Emma. It was increasingly getting difficult day by day to lead a life without her, to live in a different house without them.

The kids - though warmed up after they played basketball for a long hour, weren't still completely comfortable in his company and Brandan realized that... it wasn't going to be a walk in the park in a sunny morning to make them free around him. Winning his children's hearts was something he had to do with dedication. He had to show them that he really cared. He had to prove to them that he wasn't that bad like they were earlier thinking him to be... or was he? Considering how Sammy was still scowling at his direction - but thankfully the little boy wasn't screaming bloody murder anymore every time he came in front of him. Brandan shook his head clearing the thoughts away.

No time to think anymore, Emma was coming down with the kids. After brain- storming the whole night Brandan came up with this idea to bond with the kids. The sun had barely decided to rise.. when Brandan called Emma to let her know about the plan. Brandan was about to almost jumped off his balcony holding the phone in excitement... when Emma agreed that it was indeed a good plan. At least Emma agreed in something with him. He looked at it as a plus point.

Emma stopped in front of Brandan. While Sammy immediately went back to his usual scowling mood in front of Brandan - Sarah smiled shyly as she wringed her little fingers.

Brandan put on his best smile hoping to warm up the kids. what he didn't know was that... that smile of his made Emma's heart warm up too - maybe a little or maybe a lot.

"Mornin' little angels." He greeted the kids with affection.

"But I'm a princess."

"Don't call me an angel."

Were the replies as both of the kids protested with pouts.

Emma bit back her laughter when Brandan scratched his head - a little dumbfounded.

"Uhhh... Alright." He paused for a second before adding while looking at Sarah and then at Sammy, "Princess - and not an angel... I guess."

Sammy seemed just as confused as Brandan when Sarah just grinned in satisfaction.

Then they looked at the doghouse and stared longingly at the color buckets beside Brandan.

Emma then bent down to the kids level. "Listen, mommy has to go now and Brandan here is going to paint the doghouse, do you want to paint it with him? If not, it's quite alright, Jenny is back in the house and you can pass your day with her inside the house watching from the window - while Brandan paints it."

Emma knew she had hit the right cord and it was proved the next second when the kids both glanced back and forth from Emma to Brandan and shook their heads desperately in negative.

"No mommy, we don't want to stay in the house." Sammy spoke first.

Sarah took a few steps closer to Brandan. "We paint Ross's house so that Ross loves his new home." She said excited looking quite impatient now.

Brandan was smiling the whole time, he was himself excited for the time he was going to spend with his children.

"Are you guys sure?" Emma asked with a small smile.

"Yes... yes." Sammy and Sarah both said together, no way they were going to sit inside the house looking through the window while Brandan would be happily painting their favorite dog Ross's new house. No way.

Then Sammy added meekly. "But mommy we are big now, we're even going to school now and the teacher who asked me so many questions also said that I am a big boy and Sarah is a big girl now."

At this point Sarah raised her chin proudly.

Sammy continued, "So why can't we paint by ourselves, we can do just fine mommy."

Emma raised her brows at Sammy's attempts to avoid Brandan. "Okay big boy and big girl, do you want to stay in the house with Jenny or do you want to paint here with YOUR DADDY instead?"

The answer obviously was what Emma knew it would be. The kids stayed back while Emma slid behind the wheel of her car and ignited the engine. Sarah, Sammy and Brandan waved her goodbye. Emma smiled broadly at her kids but left a scorching glare at Brandan.. a silent warning of slitting his throat apart if any chaos followed with the kids.

Brandan now turned to the awkward looking children.

"So are you guys ready?" He motioned at the paints and finally there were massive grins on the little cute faces.

Without giving Sarah and Sammy any chance to think, Brandan shouted out with enthusiasm. "Let's see who makes it first to the paint brushes over there."

The children glanced at each other, their eyes sparkling in excitement. It was a race.

An hour later, it was a scene to watch. Brandan, Sarah, Sammy - the group of three covered in multicolor paints from head to toe. Sarah pointed a finger at Brandan and giggling rolled upon the ground, Sammy had a massive grin on his face too but he was staring like a fool at the dog house. It looked like he was way too much proud of his artwork - their artwork.

Brandan looked at all the colors painted on Ross's house and then at the kids who were happy beyond limits. He shared a few little talks with them. Even Sammy smiled a few times at him forgetting everything and each time they smiled at him - talked to him, everytime they painted his shirt instead of the doghouse and giggled in their sweet voices, Brandan's heart skipped a beat. Sammy was however a little toughed up but he was almost always like that - Brandan guessed, besides he knew that it wasn't possible to win someone's heart overnight.

He was gazing lovingly at his over the hill excited colorful kids when he heard loud barking sounds coming straight at their direction. He turned his head to see Ross running towards them in full speed.

"Look - look Ross." Sammy said wiping his hands on his shorts.

Jumping up and down Sarah squealed. "Ross! We paint your house."

Like the obedient dog it was, waving tail Ross paced towards his new house. The kids were playing with his fur running their hands on his back and head. Wearily Ross tilted his head sideways - crinkled his snout and took a sniff of the colors. A whimper escaped Ross's throat as he backed away from his house quickly.

Brandan cleared his throat and patted both Sarah and Sammy's heads, then looked at Ross and said thoughtfully. "I know - I know, it's a little - too much color but you will gradually grow to like it."

"You think so? But Ross look like he not like his house." Frowning Sarah looked up at Brandan and asked seriously.

Brandan scratched the back of his neck and looked at his nail, at the corner of his eyes he saw Sammy copying his action. A smirk played on his lips, so his little boy had started copying him. That's interesting.

"Ohh! He likes it alright, just the smell of all the paint is annoying him... right Ross?"

Ross barked in reply. That could mean a yes or that could mean a no. But since human beings don't know dog's language, the three of them took it as - a yes.

Someone's yelling could be heard from a bit far.

"Ross! Ross - you crazy dog. Broke out of my hold and ran away, it's getting too much trouble trying to walk you in the park. Ross..."

Savanah - it was. Brandan looked at the old woman who seemed to now spot her dog and at the same time the renovated doghouse.

He saw her mouth fall open and jaw almost dropping to the ground. The color clad group of three standing stiff in their places watching her reactions carefully.

"What have you guys done to the doghouse!"

Uh-oh! Brandan just remembered that he might have forgotten to take Savanah's permission to paint the doghouse.

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"You forgot!"

Exasperated, Emma yelled at the phone. "What do you mean by you forgot! That was someone else's property Brandan, a senior citizen in that case. What the kids are going to learn from this stunt you played huh?"

Emma couldn't believe Brandan could be such irresponsible. While she didn't object the kids bonding with their father, she surely didn't want them going astray and learn all the bad things.

"What! Neither Savanah nor am I over-reacting you understand!"

Emma waved a hand in the air maddeningly. "Listen to me carefully Brandan, drop the kids to jenny."

Brandan was saying something from the other side but Emma interrupted. "Well you will spend more time with them later okay, right now just let them stay with jenny. She will take care of them. Yeah. Bye."

Hanging up, Emma dropped her head in her hands. Her nerves were on edge, she started counting from hundred backwards. As she calmed down slowly - it dawned upon her that Brandan forgetting to ask Savanahs permission wasn't actually what she was mad about. It was just that - it felt like everyting in her life was going out of her control, like she was falling and falling into a bottomless pit.

She felt like she was loosing herself, in the past it was all centered around Brandan and even now it was again centered around that same freaking person Brandan. How long would she be able to hold back those old feelings for this wrecked man and how? His little touches, his changed behavior, those sneak peeks of his emotions through his eyes... all these things had put her to a place of absolute confusion.

And then there was Jo...

"Emma. Sweetheart, you again feeling sick today?"

Emma shot up her head towards the source of the charming voice.

" Jon, I was just thinking about you." She tried to smile while Jonathon sat on the chair across her desk.

"Really? Thinking about me makes you sick!" Emma laughed at that for real now, this was what she liked so much about him, always making her laugh when her brain tended to cook miserable thoughts and possibilities.

"Well, I guess so Jon. Just thinking about the outlines of your face makes me sick." Her voice dipped with sarcasm. They both chuckled together. A long minute of silence, Jonathon's face changed into a serious expression brushing away all the humors.

Emma knew he wanted to know what was going on, he wasn't a fool. She was aware that he could sense something big was going on in her life. It was the proof of his generous heart that he never pushed her to open up to him. And Emma now decided that she had had enough. Enough keeping him in the darkness.

"I need to tell you something Jon. Something huge." Emma paused while Jonathon straightened his back as if he was waiting for this moment, which he really was.

"You can tell me Emma, just remember that no matter what I am always here. I will be always here for you." His words smoothed her tensed nerves and encouraged her to speak up.

"Actually Jon, Sarah and Sammy's - their father... he... he found us."

Jonathon's face suddenly went blank, in shock. Emma thought she saw his eyes burn with anger but that was just for a flicker of moment. Maybe it was just her imagination.

She waited for him to say something - anything but he was painfully quite. "Jon say som..."

Before she could complete her sentence Jonathon grabbed her hands and held them in his, there was a slight frown on his forehead, his eyes anxiously searching her's. Jonathon nodded, asking silently for her to continue.

Emma closed her eyes for a brief second at his gesture, then she focused only on their joined hands saying everything happened between her and Brandan from their past till now - all the while thinking secretly in her mind -

Why the hell there weren't those electric sparks and butterflies in her tummy when Jonathon was holding her hands, they always were there when Brandan did so.

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Not an extraordinary chapter, I know. But it was needed, the father and the children needs this time to bond and I don't want everything to happen suddenly. I hope you guys understand.

Thanks to all the lovely readers and friends for your love and support. I love you guys. :)

And check out these awesome stories written by @Lov1ngShahrukh - "My Heart Is Calling Out To You" and by @heartmeltinglov... - "Untamed Feelings". Both are such wonderful stories. :)

Ohh... I totally forgot to do this, how could I! Happy Easter everyone. :D

Don't forget to vote and comment if you've enjoyed reading this chapter.

Lots of love.

- Lara.