13.

The tissue paper crinkled as Emerson dug his hand into the extra-large gift bag fishing around for the present. It was a gift from Francis so anything was to be expected. Emerson pulled his hand out, holding a regular-sized jar filled with, Hayes leaned forward to get a better look, money? She didn't get it. But apparently her brothers did as laughter broke out amongst the guys as they pieced together the present. "Wow, thanks Fran." Emerson chuckled, shaking the jar a little.

"Happy birthday! You are now 21 dollars richer!" Francis exclaimed with excessive enthusiasm.

"Not even an extra dollar for good luck?"

"Sorry, the Bank of Austin doesn't work that way." Francis grinned, making Austin roll his eyes.

"Look at all those dolla dolla bills," Drew teased. "You're going to be the catch of the night."

"They'll be looking at you like fresh meat." Francis added.

"Can I come?" Glen asked semi-jokingly.

"No way, you look like a fucking baby," Dakota said.

"Yeah, no one will let you even get close to the door." Colton added.

"Fake ID?" Francis casually suggested, making Dakota scoff. Speaking as if the toddler himself would be allowed to get pass the bouncer.

"Don't even think about it," Austin warned. He knew it was all fun and games, but every now and then his younger brothers liked to keep life interesting by doing stupid stuff so he had to make sure to lay down the law. It kept Austin and Baker on their toes.

As the brothers continued to tease Emerson, the room became muffled when hands covered Hayes' ears. Completely lost on what was happening, she tilted her head back to look up at Baker. She had been sitting on the floor using his legs as a backrest this whole time so she could pet Chubba. He winked at her and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead, while offering no explanation for his actions.

"I'll go get the cake out," Peyton excused herself, getting off the rocking chair she claimed. It was slowly getting late and she knew the brothers tended to lose the concept of time when they all were together. It wasn't a bad thing, in fact she wished her own siblings had as close a relationship as this family. She was glad the Powers brothers had welcomed her with open arms. But tomorrow was Monday, a big day for the littlest Powers siblings and a work-day for the eldest siblings. Someone had to be sensible.

"Thanks Peyton," Austin appreciated her. He had to commend Baker for picking such a priceless addition to their family. It often seemed that they were the only responsible ones in the family, though Baker was known to have his moments.

"Oh hey, Peyton" Dakota called her over to where he was sitting and whispered something into her ear. It was imperative she did as he requested otherwise the birthday would be ruined. Laughter threatened to escape her but nonetheless, she nodded and went to fulfil the task.

Hayes pouted and tried to remove Baker's hands but she was nothing against his strength. Even if she didn't understand what they were talking about, she still wanted to hear! Baker chuckled at her attempts, refusing to let her innocent ears listen in to the boys' R-rated banter. But with Hayes distracted for the time being, that meant Chubba wasn't getting any attention and he was a very needy dog. So to fix that, Chubba got up, did a big stretch, and proceeded to wiggle his way in between Baker and Hayes, positioning himself so his tail kept wacking Hayes in the face while he attacked Baker's face with kisses. "Chubba, stop!" Baker laughed, trying to block his face. In the effort to protect himself from the onslaught of dog slobber, Hayes' ears were released so she caught the last bits of the conversation.

"-no fucking strippers."

Oh my God.

"Ewwww," Hayes complained, immediately recovering her ears with her own hands. But it just so happened that she spoke up when the room had fallen silent, managing to catch everyone's attention. Her cheeks warmed when all eyes turned to her, causing Glen to laugh at her. I dislike you, Glennard. To make matters worse, Baker also managed to push Chubba off of himself and onto Colton who was sitting next to him. He focused back on his sister, slipping his hands under her armpits and lifted her onto his lap like a rag doll, trapping her in a hug so she couldn't escape. She didn't think it was possible, but her cheeks burned even more at her brothers' snickers. Stupid brothers, stop looking at me.

"Dude, watch your fucking mouth in front of my sister." Emerson slapped the back of Drew's head.

"Sorry," He apologized.

"Not to me, to her, you dim-whit."

"Sorry Hayes," Drew shot her a smile. He wasn't use to having such younger siblings around, considering he was the youngest in his family.

Hayes graced him with a small smile before turning her head against Baker's chest trying to hide herself from the onlookers.

"The cake is ready when you are," Peyton provided the much-needed interruption, taking the attention away from the young girl. Cheers came from the younger boys as they all began to rise from their seated positions.

"Wait, fuck, open my gift first." Dakota held out his nicely wrapped present to Emerson who eagerly grabbed it. Emerson wasn't the only one excited though. Every brother would unanimously vote that Dakota gave the best gifts. Unfairly using his photography skills to his advantage, he gave the gift of immortal memories and the boys absolutely loved them.

Emerson gingerly unwrapped it, revealing a 3-photo picture frame. "Woah," he whispered, looking at the pictures. "Thanks, Kota. I love it." Drew and Glen leaned over so they could see as well. Emerson hooked his arm around Glen's neck pulling him closer to ruffle his fresh hair cut. He loved his siblings.

"Whatever," Dakota muttered, slouching against the couch with his arms crossed. He watched with hidden satisfaction as his brothers took turns passing around the picture frame.

"I want to see," Francis whined, trying to peek over Colton's shoulder.

"Back off, I'm looking," Colton hugged the picture frame against his chest. Francis didn't like that answer and jumped onto Colton's back trying to get it out of his grip. "Fran, you asshole, get off."

"I'll take that," Austin chose to ignore the childish behavior and plucked the picture frame out of Colton's hands before it could get broken. He glanced at the pictures, looked up at Dakota, before glancing back down. "Wow Dakota, these are beautiful."

"Pass it over here, Austin," Baker requested, sticking his hand out. Austin complied, handing it over. He held it in a way so Hayes could look as well.

"Woah," she murmured, afraid to blink as if it would erase the memory. Dakota had captured the exact moments when Emerson met Glen and Hayes after the baseball game as well as a group shot of the three of them from the pizza parlor. Nothing but love, affection, and laughter in their eyes. And maybe a little bit of fearfulness from Hayes. But who wouldn't be slightly afraid of a strange blonde Jolly Green Giant suddenly embracing you.

"Woah is right," Baker held her tight, "We love you, baby." She snuggled back against his chest. She loved them, too.

————

"What did he do?" Austin muttered, having read the cake. He rubbed his forehead in a feeble attempt to rid himself of the stress headache. That boy had one job.

"What doesn't Dakota do?" Colton answered back easily, a tiny grin playing on his face. From across the table, he made eye-contact with Hayes, who was biting her lip to stop herself from laughing. Colton winked at her in conspiracy.

Austin slapped Colton's chest with the back of his hand. "You know how sensitive Emerson can be."

"Oh calm down, there's another cake in the freezer." retorted Colton.

Sitting on one end of the table, now lit with 22 candles was the ice cream cake, Happy Birthday Emily! 21 candles for the birthday plus 1 for good luck. Hayes deemed it looked like one giant fire hazard and took a big step back from the table before deciding to walk around to the other side and stand with Austin where it was safer. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her lean back against his chest.

It suddenly got a whole lot louder in the house as the rest of the group filed in around the dinner table. Declaring that the youngest boys, including Drew, were getting too rowdy this late at night, Baker forced them outside for some burpees before they could have cake. It took them long enough, Hayes thought. She wanted cake. "You bastard," Emerson thankfully laughed when he saw the cake. His eyes immediately darted across the room to Dakota who was hanging over a chair flipping through his camera film. When he saw Emerson glaring at him, he grinned and stuck up his middle fingers in a gesture of brotherly love.

"Yo, quit it." Baker broke up their staring contest, knocking Dakota's hands down. "Smiley, turn off the lights for us, Bud."

"Dude, you messed up my settings." Dakota cursed, fixing his camera. Peyton stepped between the two before another argument could break out. No one would dare touch Peyton or they'd meet the wrath of her foot going up their ass, and then they'd have to face Baker.

The room darkened, the glowing candles providing the only light in the room.

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Emerson, Happy birthday to you!" they all sang, not sounding half bad for a bunch of rowdy guys.

"Make a wish, Sonny!"

Emerson closed his eyes, blowing out the candles. Everyone cheered and clapped their hands, Hayes being the most enthusiastic, making Austin laugh. He knew she had been patiently waiting all evening for this exact moment. The eating of the ice cream cake.

"What'd you wish for?" Drew nudged Emerson jokingly. Austin let go of Hayes to take the cake away into the kitchen to cut the slices. He certainly didn't trust his youngest brothers with a knife so he was in charge of cutting. With everyone's attention elsewhere, the conversation between the best friends remained private. If he'd had asked it a week ago, Emerson would have said for his baby siblings to be found safe and sound, no brainer. But now that they are here, in the flesh...

"A new roommate," Emerson joked, before turning serious. "No but honestly, everything I could have wanted has just come true." Drew watched him glance over to where his baby siblings were hanging out. Emerson smiled, seeing Hayes attempt to negotiate with Austin to give her a bigger slice as she fended off Colton's poking attack. On the other end of the table from where Emerson and Drew were seated, Glen was engaged in a very animated conversation with Francis about some video game they wanted to play tonight. Jokes on them, Emerson chuckled, he claimed the TV for the night. Beside them, Baker was embracing Peyton in a hug, being all lovey-dovey. He figured the two of them were tired and very much appreciated that they were still here.

"I'm happy for you, man. Glad I got to meet them." Drew patted Emerson on the shoulder. After declining Emerson's original invitation to join the family for the whole trip stating previous plans, Drew had surprised him by driving down to party for the night. When the news first broke last weekend that the youngest Power siblings had been found and were coming home, Drew thought it'd be best to let Emerson reunite with his family. But he wouldn't be his best friend if he didn't come to at least celebrate his birthday with him. It was a quick trip, he'd spend the night and return to their college apartment in the morning.

"They're fucking amazing." Emerson proudly stated.

"Here you go, Emerson" Hayes interrupted them, "and if you don't finish it, I'll help," she added more quietly. Drew and Emerson looked at the piece of cake in her hand and tried their hardest not to laugh. As such was the final birthday tradition, the celebrant got the biggest slice. Emerson took the plate she offered him and placed it on the table. He cupped the back of her neck and bent down so their foreheads were touching.

"I'll do you one better. If you bring me your slice, I'll trade you." Emerson whispered. He watched her eyes brighten as a smile started to appear. He was definitely a sucker for his sister.

"Okay," she whispered in agreement before hurrying back to Austin with a pep in her step. Victory was hers!

————

"99 bottles of beer on the wall,

99 bottles of beer,

take one down,

pass it around,

98 bottles of beer on the wall.

And this is so stupid," Hayes groaned, rubbing her eyes. She was exhausted but yet nothing was helping her fall asleep. Too much on her mind. She rolled onto her left side and stared at Colton's bookshelf. She and Glen had been pleasantly surprised to find out the Colton was an avid book reader like themselves. Come to find out that all their brothers liked to read, the only outlier being Francis. Even Emerson, who had the attention span of a fly, could pick up a book and read for hours. It was currently too dark in the room for her to make out any names on the book spines so she made a mental reminder to check out the books in the morning. Which, if she had to guess, was only 6 hours from now. She filled her cheeks with air before blowing it out.

Well this stinks.

Hayes' room brightened for a moment as her bedroom door was pushed open, then closed again. Muffled footsteps made their way to her bed. "Hay Hay, you awake?" Glen asked, helping himself onto her bed.

"No," Hayes muttered. Dumb brother, of course she was awake, otherwise she wouldn't have answered him.

"I can't sleep either," Glen whispered, "I think I heard something I wasn't suppose to."

That instantly got Hayes' attention. She turned over so now she was laying on her right side, facing Glen. "Are we in trouble?" she asked, fear evident on her face as she automatically assumed the worst.

"No, nothing like that." Relief flooded through her body as Glen rushed to reassure her, "I'm still trying to decipher what it was exactly that I wasn't suppose to hear." He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration, replaying the scene in his head.

"If you don't know what you heard, then how do you know you weren't suppose to hear it?" Hayes scrunched her nose. He was definitely not as good a court reporter as she was.

"If you were there, the look on Austin's face when he saw me. Hayes, I'm not even joking, he looked so panicked."

She did not like the sound of that. The relief was gone and her anxiety was notched back up. "What did Austin say?"

"Nothing, Colton walked me back inside."

"Colton was there?"

"Yeah, Cole, Austin, and Emerson. They were out back, talking on the phone I think."

"Emerson too?" Hayes didn't know what to make of this. What did the three of them have in common?

"Yep."

"Weird."

"Extremely." Silence settled over them as they pondered their thoughts.

"Wait, so why'd you even go outside?" Hayes asked. She must have already been upstairs getting ready for bed when this happened. Much good that did seeing how she was still wide awake.

"I was looking for Colton to ask him if we could leave our bags in the car tomorrow." Glen responded.

"Oh. What'd he say?" That reminded Hayes that she had to pack her basketball bag for practice. Colton told them to do it before they went to bed but then she got distracted because Baker and Peyton were heading back to their house and she was sad that Chubba was leaving.

"I didn't ask. I was so confused that I just forgot."

"Oh."

"Yep." Silence again.

Hayes shuffled around so she was flat on her back, staring at the ceiling. She held her squishable tight to her chest as if seeking protection from it. "So, what did you hear?" Hayes asked, almost regretfully. She trusted her brothers, but also, she was too curious for her own good. That's why cats had nine lives and she figured her life count restarted when they moved in. New home, new chances, right?

"Some woman's voice. It sounded vaguely familiar which is strange because who do we know, that they know, but I couldn't place it. I think she was telling Emerson 'happy birthday.' Which it is his birthday so that's not weird." Glen frowned.

"That's it?"

"That's it." Glen sighed, running a hand through his hair. There was something obvious that he was missing and it was killing him.

"Glen?" From the sound of her voice, Glen knew he wasn't going to like what she was going to ask. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself. "you don't think it could have been mommy, do you?"

"We talked about this, Hayes," Glen sighed. The thought had briefly crossed his mind too before he knew it was impossible.

"I know, but Stephen never actually, I just thought maybe..." Hayes quieted down when Glen sat up and faced her.

"Mom is dead." Glen bluntly stated.

"I know," she whispered, sniffling a little. She wasn't sad about it by any means, so she wasn't sure why her nose was acting up. Maybe she reached her tiredness point for the night. It wouldn't be the first time Glen told her she got emotional when she was tired.

"How about this," Glen didn't mean to upset his sister, "we'll call Stephen tomorrow when we get home." He wanted an update on his elusive grandfather as well.

"Okay," Hayes nodded. Glen gave a small smile and squeezed her hand. Sometimes he forgot how sensitive Hayes could be and the rabbit holes her mind went down. Plus, she was right. Nobody ever officially made a statement to them that their mother had died, so it was a valid question.

"Oh!" Hayes gasped, sitting up like Glen. "That reminds me. Remember when we had dinner at Baker's house?"

"Sure, that was literally only a couple days ago."

"Shut up." Hayes hit his leg with her squishable, "This is serious. I saw this picture on the wall when we were leaving and," she had to stop talking when Glen covered her mouth. He could have sworn he heard footsteps in the hallway.  Hayes' eyes widened when she heard them, too. They were heading towards her room.

They'd been too loud. As if thrown into the past, their eyes reflected panic with the idea of the Bear being in the house. Glen and Hayes watched the bedroom door with trepidation, waiting for it to be pushed open. Only when it revealed Austin in the doorway, did the kids let out their breaths. He had turned the hallway light on, creating shadows on the walls. Somebody didn't look so thrilled to see them awake.

"Excuse me, Chatty Cathys, shouldn't you two be asleep?" He questioned, cocking his head to the side. What was so important that they were gossiping at 1 o'clock in the morning?

"Oh, yeah sorry Austin," Glen said, getting off the bed and walking over towards Austin. He recovered quickly from the shock. "We must have just lost track of time. I got a little nervous about starting school tomorrow that I couldn't sleep."

"Anything you want to talk about?" Austin asked. Glen shook his head no. "Alright, well you know you can always talk to me about anything, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Thanks Austin." Glen hugged him briefly before sliding past him. "Night Hay Hay," He waved to his sister. As soon as Austin turned back around to look at Hayes, he gave her a thumbs up of encouragement.

"Night G," Hayes returned with a yawn. Talking to Glen helped settle her mind for the night.

"Hey Smiley, leave your door open, I'll come say goodnight in a second." Austin glanced at the boy as he tried to make his escape.

"Okay." Glen muttered. He was so close to being in the clear.

Hayes observed Austin as he walked over to the bed. "That goes for you too, Sunshine," He sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair off her face. "I'll never be too busy for you guys. If you're happy, sad, mad, nervous, angry at your brothers for doing something stupid, anything. I'm here for you."

"That means a lot. Thank you, Austin," She replied quietly. Austin nodded, turning his attention to the comforter, making sure Hayes was comfy in bed.

"Think you'll be able to go to bed? It is pretty late." Austin asked, cupping her cheek. He could see the exhaustion on her face. She yawned again, making the answer clear. Austin stood up and bent over to kiss her forehead. "Good night my sweet Sunshine. I love you so, so much." He whispered against her head. Brushing his thumb over her cheek one last time, he gave her another kiss before walking to the door.

"Love you more, Austin," Hayes sleepily replied.

Austin paused at the doorway, his heart beating strong. His little sister loved him. Sparing her one more glance, he watched as her eyes closed, drifting off to sleep.

Closing the door softly behind him, Austin knew he was probably wearing the silliest grin on his face. His little sister loved him! He couldn't imagine a better feeling than this. Ingraining the moment in his mind for when he needed a pick-me-up, he continued on his way into Glen's and Francis' bedroom. In classic Francis form, he was shirtless, sprawled on his stomach, clutching a pillow in his left arm with the comforter barely hanging on the bed. No wonder Francis complained he was so cold at night, the blanket was keeping the floor warm. Chuckling softly, Austin picked up the comforter, covering him once again. "Sleep tight, Francis. I love you," he whispered, kissing Francis' blonde head.

Then there was one.

Glen watched Austin from where he sat on his bed, unsure of Austin's mindset. He felt a tiny bit bad about the white lie he fed him, but it was better than the alternative. Glen didn't think it'd go over well if he straight up asked him who he was on the phone with.

"Hey Smiley," Austin murmured, perching on the edge of his bed. "Did you have fun tonight?"

"Yeah," Glen nodded. It felt so freeing to be able laugh and mess around with his brothers without a care in the world. To finally not be on the constant look out for predators in order to keep Hayes and himself safe. To celebrate his brother's birthday after missing so many. He was worried this was just one long dream of the best week of his life. "Besides the haircut of course," Glen couldn't help but add in.

Austin chuckled, "It'll grow back before you know it, and then it will be time for you to have to get it cut again." Glen scowled, making Austin internally curse himself. What a piss-poor attempt of encouragement. "Sorry," Austin grimaced, "what I meant to say, was how proud I am of you, Glen. You're a fantastic kid and I don't know how I got so lucky to be your older brother."

"You're welcome," Glen replied cheekily as he looked down to hide his red cheeks. He felt Austin's hand tousle his hair before leaving a kiss on the crown of his head.

"And hey, don't sweat over school. I think you'll really like it."

"Sure," Glen shrugged a shoulder, playing the part of the nervous boy.

"On that note, go to bed. Don't make me give you a bedtime," Austin teased as he stood up, making Glen laugh. "I love you, kiddo. Sleep tight."

"Love you." Glen returned. It was one thing to be loved by the Rayon family, another to be showed love by his family. He was still getting used to his brothers' constant affection.

Austin closed the door behind him, sighing as he faced Colton who was leaning against the stair banister.

"Was something wrong?" Colton asked.

"No, they just were feeling nervous about school."

"And you believe them?"

"Not entirely," Austin muttered, walking past Colton, hitting the light switch on his way back into his own room, Colton following behind. They had been talking in his room earlier when Austin had heard the kids. "They are hiding something, I mean obviously with their whole past. And I know there's nothing I can really do about it until they decide to open up to us." Austin sat on his bed. "but it still fucking sucks."

"It'll happen," Colton said confidently, "We can already see the strides their making."

"Just one day at a time," Austin finished. He groaned and rubbed his face. "Fucking Lotte has me so frustrated that I didn't even realize the kids were awake."

"Seriously? They were quiet as a mouse, don't do that to yourself. And Lotte, well, just don't let her get under your skin." Colton shrugged, "I don't."

"She called Emerson." Austin weakly argued.

"It's his birthday." Colton pointed out.

"She's taking advantage of his big heart and will only crush him in the end. You and I both know how important family is to him, even if it's someone who doesn't deserve it."

"Hey," Colton stepped forward, placing a hand on Austin's shoulder. It killed him to see Austin so harsh on himself. There was no bigger critic than one's self. "Nothing bad happened tonight. The kids are safe tucked in their beds. Emerson is happy. We're all happy. No harm, no foul, alright?"

"Yeah," Austin breathed out, shaking his head to clear his mind. "Yeah, I hear you. Tell me, when did you get so wise, little brother?"

Colton laughed, "I get it from you, old man." They shared a chuckle, enjoying the moment with each other.

Austin groaned when he glanced at the time. "Thank God for coffee."

"You can say that again." Colton agreed, "I'm going to bed. Night bro, don't think too hard. Love you."

"Love you too, Cole. See you in the morning."

Ah, yes. Monday morning, the worst day of anyone's week. Also, the kids' first day at their new school. Austin couldn't wait.