WE WERE MADE TO NEVER FALL AWAY

[NATALIE ROSALINE FLINT]

shiloh was the sort of person who could be a morning person, if they woke up on their own and climbed out of bed when they were good and ready to. most mornings, however, this was not the case. most mornings being eighty percent of mornings. this saturday morning joined that eighty percent.

the sounds of bed springs and laughter and the sound of cereal being poured into ceramic bowls first woke shiloh, but she managed to shove the mother within her away and sleep for a little while longer. she could have slept for another minute or another hour, she was sure, but she woke again to the feel of a shaking mattress. no, she whined into blaze's shoulder. they were up. she could see them in the room without even opening her eyes. bandit was the one hopping at the end of the bed and ryder and sterling sat beside her. she could smell cereal breath and feel it on her bare arm. no no, she whined again into blaze's shoulder, but he didn't budge.

damn you and your heavy sleeping, she muttered, rolling away from blaze and sitting up in bed. mommy said a bad word, ryder pointed an accusing finger at her. she had a horrible habit of swearing and even the children didn't help to break it. yes, mommy said a bad word, but you know better than to, don't you? she asked, leaning over the side of the bed and placing her forehead on his. he giggled and sterling laughed along, not knowing why. bandit, not wanting to be left out, laughed to, hopping up and canon balling onto the mattress. she ran her fingers through her tousled and tangled locks, analyzing the scene before her tired eyes.

ryder had tied a blanket around his waist and sterling had sat himself on the back, catching a ride right on in. bandit wore one of blaze's old hats - which shiloh had given her during fussy nights while blaze was on tour. each child had a milk mustache which shiloh couldn't help but laugh at. here, she muttered, standing up. she bent down to pick sterling up and balance the eight month old on her hip and held the covers up high. keep daddy warm while mommy cleans up and then we'll head out to the park. once bandit and ryder curled close to blaze's back, she placed sterling carefully in the curve of his chest. she smiled at the view from the door, before heading out to explore the vast jungle that was the october family home.

they weren't all that messy for children and with her years of training, the cleaning wasn't all that hard anyway. a few bounty paper towel sheets and a little warm water went a long way. putting toys away was pointless, seeing as they dug them right back out of the toy chest minutes after being put away. showering was the hardest part of the morning. the bar of soap she'd reached for had turned out to be a rubber duck and when she actually managed to find the actual bar of soap, sterling's teeth marks were visible at its corner. she furrowed her brows and shook her head in disbelief. she'd blame his father for his unusual tastes later.

once groomed and dressed for the public eye, shiloh dug through dresser drawers and pulled things off of closet hangers, taking turns on dressing children. she scribbled a note onto a post it and stuck it to blaze's forehead before heading out, ryder and bandit sharing a wagon and sterling occupied his favorite spot on shiloh's hip. don't talk to strangers. don't leave the playground. they were the usual rules and she trusted bandit and ryder to do so, but kept sterling with her. she took a seat on a bench, sterling in her lap. she rested her head on his and closed her heavy lids.

you're shiloh october, right? blaze october's wife? she opened her eyes. just what she needed a fan or the press. no, she muttered against sterling's soft brown hair. really? i wasn't aware the october's found themselves a nanny that looked so much like the woman of the house. 'cause i'm certain that's their baby and that those two, shiloh followed his finger, which pointed toward bandit and ryder on the jungle gym. are his children as well. shiloh groaned against sterling's head. she wanted to warn this poor man. she'd been woken too early by three children and she was not the type to sit on her hands. she'd snap and he'd end up crying. she kept quiet, but he didn't.

so where is blaze? trouble in paradise? she glared at him. we're married, not conjoined at the ass, she snapped. bad word! sterling pointed an accusing finger at her, a replay of what ryder had done that morning. yes, mommy said a bad word. mommy's sorry. she kissed the top of his head and looked back to the man at the other end of the bench. what do you want? she'd rather give him a little secret than to deal with him right now. just a little update on the band or your marriage or your children - anymore anytime soon? she adjusted sterling in her lap. if you want to know about the band, get your nose out of my business and find a phone book, call the record label and see what they tell you. our marriage is just fine - sorry to disappoint your saddistic readers. we're not planning on anymore children for awhile, no. there, i answered your questions, now get lost.

she sighed and watched him walk away, chuckling. she was too tired to care how he twisted his words or who had witnessed her outburst. she glanced up to make sure her eldest children were fine, before resting her head on sterling's once more.