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Nick spent the next two days in a state of constant panic. Not only was there barely a week left until Christmas, but the social worker would be there that morning to inspect the house and meet with the children. He was on edge, cranky and every little thing seemed to set him off. He'd yelled at Odin for messing up his room after Nick had just cleaned it and when Saoirse had thrown the diapers all over her bedroom for the third time Nick had to walk away before he completely lost it. That's where Kevin found him, pacing the floor of the hallway, angrily mumbling to himself and looking like a bear ready to attack.

Kevin had heard Nick yelling from upstairs and knew something had to be really upsetting him for him to react that way, especially with one of his children. Kevin frowned as he got closer and could really see just how affected the younger man was. He knew Nick hadn't seen him come downstairs, so he waited until the other man turned around before coming up behind him and wrapping his arms securely around his lover. Nick stopped pacing instantly and melted back against him. Kevin’s grip around him tightened, pressing his chest back against Kevin's own and securing his arms at his side. All Nick could do was lean against him, completely unable to get away, exactly how Kevin wanted him. They stood like that for several moments in the hallway, rocking gently back and forth while Kevin held him. "You calming down?" Kevin asked softly, his breath tickling the side of Nick's neck as he whispered against his skin. Nick shivered in his arms and nodded. Kevin dropped a kiss against the place where Nick's neck and collarbone connected, eliciting a soft moan from the other man.

Kevin smiled. How many times over the years had he had to hold Nick in this very fashion. All the times before had been without the kisses or touches that now meant so much more, to both of them. All the other times had been completely platonic, but Kevin had learned early on, all those many years ago that the best way to get the younger man to calm down and relax had been to gather him in his arms to hold him as tightly as possible. It worked like a charm every single time.

When they were first forming the group and Nick would get overwhelmed by it all, Kevin and the other guys had tried desperately to get the young boy to calm down and focus. It seemed like everything they tried had only served as kindling for Nick's raging anxiety. Out of sheer desperation one afternoon in Germany with Nick almost trembling with anger over something AJ had said to him they had tried everything to get him to calm down and focus. Kevin had been afraid at the time that they were going to come to blows and even though Nick had been younger than AJ at the time, he'd also always been stronger. Kevin knew if Nick got a hold of him in his current state that there was the possibility of AJ being seriously injured. So Kevin had come up behind Nick, gathered him in his arms, much like he was doing now, and squeezed him as hard as possible. The rest of the guys watched in amazement as the fight drained out if the other man and his small body had sagged against Kevin. Even after he'd stopped thrashing about Kevin had continued to hold on to him. Giving him a couple of minutes more to calm down Kevin released him. After that Nick was fine and they continued the recording session without another incident. Kevin had to use this tactic more times than even the other guys knew over the years when Nick's emotions or anxiety got to be too great for him to be able to control on his own. Now that they were together, Kevin was pleased to see it still had the same desired effect. Nick went slack against him, but this time he rolled his head to the side and buried his face against Kevin's neck, inhaling the scent of the older man only helped to further calm him. "How do you do that?" Nick mumbled against the flesh of Kevin's neck.

The older man chuckled as Nick's breath tickled against him. "Do what?"

"Always know exactly what I need." Nick whispered softly.

Kevin squeezed him even tighter. "Mmm, that my dear boy is because I love you so. I made it my job to know what you need and when so I can be your own personal slave." Kevin winked at him and wiggled his eyebrows.

Nick laughed and placed a kiss against Kevin's neck before moving and placing several more along his jaw line. He twisted in Kevin's arms until he could lean in and brush his lips across the older man's before sighing with contentment. "Mmm, don't give me any ideas. If I have to think about you being my slave we'll never get through this interview."

Kevin threw his head back in laughter. "Baby, if you don't chill out we're not going to get through it anyway. Everything is going to be fine. You're stressing yourself out to the point it's not going to go well if you're this upset. I understand how much is riding on this and I'm beside you every step of the way. But, for everyone's sanity why don't you take a walk outside. Go down to the stables or the lake. We have two hours before she's supposed to be here so go let me take care of the kids and everything else here. Relax, clear your head and come back in a little bit."

Nick started to shake his head but Kevin kissed him to silence him. Nick smiled into the kiss and hugged the other man tightly. Kevin hugged him back and then released him. Turning Nick towards the stairs he slapped his ass and said "Go! Seriously, we'll see you in a little bit." Nick gave him one last look and then bounded down the stairs and out of sight. Kevin sighed and shook his head. They were going to have to replace all of the carpeting in this damn house with the worried pacing Nick seemed to do in almost every single room Kevin thought as he went to examine the mess Saoirse had made.

Her beautiful face lit up the moment he stepped inside the room. Seeing her look so innocent, so much like her father in every expression seemed to grip him around the heart every time he saw her. She stood on shaky legs and ran to him at the door, thrusting her little arms up in the air for him to lift her. Not making her wait a beat, Kevin leaned down and scooped her tiny frame up into his arms. She leaned her head against his cheek and proceeded to try to give him several sloppy baby kisses. Kevin chuckled as he tickled her tummy. Yep, definitely her father's daughter. While he held her he examined the room more closely, double and triple checking that all outlets were covered and all furniture was secured to the wall. Satisfied he held her close to his body as he began picking up the diapers all over the floor. They made a swoop motion together every time he leaned over and she giggled with excitement with every lean. Kevin’s smile only grew as her giggles increased.

God help him he loved this little girl, Odin too. He never imagined himself having more kids after Maxwell, and definitely never a daughter. Getting pregnant with Kristin had been a trying experience and the thought of putting her through that again hadn't even been a question. But now, everything was different now. Not only had his relationship with Nick brought two wonderful additional children into his life, but he wrestled with the possibility of more all the time. He loved this life. He loved all of them and nothing would separate them, he was sure of it.

--

This was not going well. Kevin kept one eye on the elderly social worker and the other eye in his lover who was wringing his hands at every turn. They started in the foyer and followed the woman around from room to room as she checked outlets, smoke detectors, door locks and more. She scribbled notes on her clipboard and scowled at them every time they went anywhere near each other. He knew they made her uncomfortable, knew she was not acceptable of their relationship, but he hoped that she would at least be able to remain objective in her report. As they followed her up the stairs to the second floor Nick shot him a worried look. Kevin pushed down his own anxiety and gave Nick a comforting smile. He hoped his expression was confident enough to ease some of the other man's fears, even though on the inside he felt like screaming. Mason and Maxwell had been instructed to keep the younger two kids occupied while he and Nick had met her at the door. As they rounded the corner his heart grew two sizes as his eyes fell on the kids in the room. They were all four huddled in the center of Odin's room, Saoirse in Mason's lap and Odin and Maxwell curled up together as Mason read to them from the storybook on the floor. He shot a glance at Nick and smiled softly as he saw the tears well up in the corners of his eyes. These kids continued to amaze him.

He looked at the social worker and was pleased to see a small smile graced her lips. Maybe they were making progress. She watched the children for several moments as they seemed oblivious to whatever was going on in the room. As she moved to leave the room Saoirse's head shot up from the story, her eyes fixed solely on Kevin. She pushed herself off of Mason and toddled over to where the adults were standing in the doorway. She stopped in front of Kevin and fell on her butt. "Da." she said as she lifted her arms in the air. Kevin was momentarily speechless. This was the first he'd heard her say anything and wasn't sure exactly what to do. When no one made a move to pick her up, she got louder. "Da. DA." she yelled as she waved her arms up at Kevin.

Smiling softly he reached down and picked her up. She smiled and tried to do her baby kisses again against his cheek. Nick laughed for the first time since the social worker arrived. The sound filled Kevin with happiness as he smiled, enjoying the happiness from his lover and the slobbering mess the baby was making on his face. He glanced at the boys and was relieved to see smiles in their faces as well before Mason continued with the story. The social worker hid a small smile and nodded as she bustled out of the room. Kevin and Nick followed, still holding onto the baby as they went. She inspected Saoirse's room, the bathrooms and even went to the third floor and examined Mason and Maxwell's rooms. Once the inspection process was complete she sent Kevin and Nick back downstairs with Saoirse so she could talk to each of the kids alone.

Once they entered the living room Nick fell back into the couch and dropped his head in his hands. Kevin, still carrying the baby, grabbed a couple of soft books and stuffies from her bin by the window and sat her down on the rug before taking a seat beside Nick on the couch. He placed his hand on Nick's knee and squeezed, letting the other man know he was there but not risking any other kind of contact with the social worker in the house. The last thing they needed was for her to find them doing something inappropriate.

Kevin leaned back against the back of the couch and tried to relax. He was confident they had secured the house well enough to pass an inspection, he was also confident that his own boys understood enough about what was going on to answer her questions honestly and accurately. Odin was still so young and was easily confused, but he was still confident in all the kids' ability to handle their portions of the interview. Next she would talk to each of them individually before sitting down with them as a couple and going through her recommendations. According to the lawyer, once this part of the process was finished all they were waiting on was a court date to go before a judge. With the holidays coming so quickly that wouldn't happen until sometime after the first of the year, leaving them completely intact through Christmas and New Years.

He smiled softly to himself thinking about Christmas. As much as he was excited for the kids and the presents they had bought for the kids, he was even more excited for the surprise he had planned for Nick. He bit his lip from giggling it was going to be a Merry Christmas indeed. He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of someone coming down the stairs. The social worker made her way down the stairs slowly. Once she was on the landing she glanced towards the two men. "Who wants to go first?" She asked briskly.

Nick stood and gave Kevin a look of fear. "I might as well get this over with." he turned and followed the woman into the foyer and towards the kitchen.

Kevin sat back down on the couch and watched Saoirse chewing on her stuffy. She was perfectly content chewing and twisting it in her hands, not even bothering to look over at him. He smiled as he watched her. He wanted to go upstairs and grill the boys over what had been said but he knew it would be of no use until after she left and if it had gone badly, he didn't want to know about it yet. He tried breathing in and out slowly to settle his nerves. He was worried about Nick and how he was handling his portion of the interview. He knew how nervous the younger man was and only wished they could have done this part together instead of being split up. In what felt like no time at all he felt the couch shift and Nick settle in beside him. Nick grasped his hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

"Your turn baby." Nick said softy, his voice heavy with tears.

Kevin squeezed back. "What happened?"

Nick shook his head and looked across the room, his eyes focusing on the fireplace to keep from crying. Kevin watched him for several moments before Nick spoke. "You'd better go, don't keep her waiting."

Kevin felt his anger begin to build. "What did she say to you?"

Nick still refused to look at him. "She asked me what would posses me to put these babies through the stigma and scrutiny of not having a mother, of me being gay. I.. I didn't even know what to say. I wasn't expecting something so mean Kev. She made it sound like I was doing something wrong, doing something to hurt my kids. But I'm not. Just look at them, they've never been happier than since we got here, since you. Jesus Saoirse called you Da, she's never even said a word before. How could this be wrong? How could I be hurting them by loving you, by you loving us?" Nick's blue eyes filled with tears and Kevin pulled him close before dropping several kisses against his soft hair.

As he pulled back he grabbed Nick by the chin to make sure his eyes were focused only on him. Once their eyes met Kevin finally spoke. "You are doing nothing wrong. I love you baby, I love these kids. We are a family, all six of us. She's not going to tell us otherwise." he dropped a kiss softly against Nick's lips before releasing him and getting up off the couch. He had to take several deep breaths as the left the living room so he wouldn't be tempted to slap the homophobic social worker off the kitchen chair.

As he entered the kitchen he tried really hard to keep a neutral look on his face, but the anger bubbling underneath the surface was hard for him to mask. He'd never been good at controlling his temper and could go from zero to sixty in no time. This was not one of those times he could let his anger get the better of him however. Too much was riding on this to let that happen. He took a seat across from the woman and tried not to shoot daggers at her with his eyes. She didn't even look up at him, just flipped to another page in her notebook and began asking basic questions about his past, his financial situation and the custody arrangement he had with his ex-wife. After several minutes of her questioning and her refusal to actually look at him he'd had enough.

"Let's stop this here."

She looked up at him confused. "We're not done here Mr. Richardson."

"I understand that, but you and I need to get something straight or I'll call the lawyer and ask them to send a social worker who can actually do her job and handle working with a homosexual couple without judgment and discrimination. The entire time you've been in our home you've done nothing but show your disgust for us and our family. I understand you may have personal feelings about gay couples and you are entitled to your opinion. What you are legally not allowed to do is let your prejudice come into play when you are evaluating my home and my family. I will not allow your own discrimination about our family to affect the facts here. We have a very clean, safe and loving home. Nick and I together make more money than a good half of the entire state of Kentucky. Then if you want to add into the other elements here that we've managed to blend two families into one, four kids that act and treat each other like siblings, we have a wonderful relationship with my ex-wife and have plenty of family and friends who love and support us. There is no alcohol or drugs in this home and it's fully stocked with more food than even necessary for six people. That's all semantics. What's the most important here, what really matters in the grand scheme of a happy home is how much I love him and how much he loves me. We've been each other's lives for almost 29 years now and I've loved him for almost every single one. You will not find another house to visit that has more love or determination to be together than this one right here. So we will play by your rules and we will jump through your hoops, but I will not allow you to stand in my home and make him feel bad, or make me feel bad for the love we share just because we are both men." After he finished he sat back in the kitchen chair and studied her face. She was shocked, a look of… Well Kevin wasn't really sure what that look was, crossed her features.

She studied him for several moments and then nodded. "Duly noted Mr. Richardson. I do apologize. I am uncomfortable with this. I've been doing this job for a very long time and you are the first couple...of this…type that I've had to interview and I admit I've been very uncomfortable with the whole thing. I don't not understand your lifestyle or your choices, but as you have clearly pointed out, it's not my job to understand, but to make sure the home is safe for the children. I have to admit there's nothing here that would warrant any further investigation. Let's get Nick and be finished. " she shoved her papers back inside her binder and rose from her seat. Kevin stood as well and waited for her to pass before following towards the living room.

Nick's eager eyes locked on his as soon as they came into view. He sent the younger man a small smile, hoping to ease his nerves. The woman settled herself in the armchair as she laid down her bag and binder. Kevin took his place beside Nick, lacing their fingers together as he took the other man's hand in his.

"Nick I'd like to apologize for the way I spoke with you. I fully admit that I'm uncomfortable with your situation and I let it cloud my judgment. As I have stated to Kevin here, I see no issues with the home or environment you've created for the children and I will make sure my report includes that. "

Nick's eyes glistened as he tried not to allow the emotions he was feeling her the better of him. "Thank you. I can't tell you how much this means to me." he said as he squeezed Kevin's hand.

She nodded and rose to her feet, gathering her belongings as she went. "Let me walk you out," Kevin offered, always the southern gentlemen.

Nick smiled at both of them as they left the room before collapsing on the floor with Saoirse. It has been a very emotional week. Who the hell was he kidding. Most weeks since he and Kevin had gotten together had been one crisis, one problem after another. He hoped and prayed that they could just celebrate Christmas together without any catastrophe or anything else happening. All he wanted was a very quiet holiday and time with his loves.

Kevin held open the front door as the social worker slipped her coat on. Stepping out in the chilly air Kevin wished he'd grabbed his own jacket. She turned to face him, a small smile on her face. "Anyone would be a fool not to see how much you love and care for him." she said softly.

Kevin nodded. "I do. More than anything. Do you have a second to answer a couple of questions."

She glanced at her watch and then nodded up at him. "Sure, my next appointment isn't for another hour."

He crossed his arms from the cold and debated how to phrase his question. "You might not be the right one to ask or have any idea, but if in the future, we wanted to explore adoption, is this the same kind of thing we would have to go through?"

The woman's face relaxed, a surprised look crossing her features. "Actually, depending on how far out you are thinking, this visit right here covers you for two years. There wouldn't have to be another visit like this done unless something had changed, relationship, financial or if you switched homes. To get started with the adoption process you would need to submit a formal adoption application through the department of social services or through a private agency if that's the route you choose to go. Are you thinking of adopting a child together?"

Kevin shrugged. "It's an idea I've been tossing around. Nothing we've really spent time talking about we've had more pressing matters to deal with first obviously, but it's something I think I want to consider down the road. I just wasn't even sure how to begin the conversation or the process. We have a lot of love between us and a lot to offer. We love kids and we love our family, if there is a child out there that can benefit from the love and security we can provide then it's something I want to explore."

She nodded and patted his cheek. Digging around in her bag she produced two business cards. She handed them both to him. "One is my office card. If I can do anything to help you or answer any questions then give me a call. The other is for a private adoption agency. I'm assuming that would be more your style." she winked at him. "Either way, it would be easier for you in the long run to wait until at least the custody hearing is finished and custody of these two children have been established. Then once that's settled then I would begin the process of adopting. I won't lie to you, it's not an easy process, no matter how much celebrity or wealth you have and being a gay couple may play a factor depending on if your trying to adopt a baby where the mother decides or an older child where the courts decide. Just be prepared, that's my advice to you. "

He thanked her and watched her walk to her car. Once he was sure she was safely inside and her car started he turned and went back inside the house. He suddenly had a lot to think about.