"Who are they if they're not mine? Where did they come from, and why did the organization send them to me? If they are mine..." Alexander looked at Mike and Austin. "What's the organization up to?"

Mike responded, "Do you think they plan to use the babies to blackmail you?"

"Could it be..." Austin trailed off.

"Yes?" Alexander raised his brows.

Austin shook his head. "Nothing. Just a wild guess."

Alexander dropped the subject, but noticed Austin's grave expression. "Whatever it is," he said, "we must take good care of the children now." He knew the others were tired. "You two should get some rest. Leave the babies to me."

Mike disagreed. "No, you need to handle much more. Let me watch over them."

"Why don't you two go to sleep? I'm a doctor. Let me do it," Austin offered.

"Cut it out," Alexander sighed. "They're likely my children, so I should take care of them. I owe it to them."

Austin and Mike exchanged a look and fell silent.

Later that night, Alexander sat beside the twins. A nearby table held urgently purchased baby formula and diapers. When Galen was a baby, he'd hired a nanny. He'd never had to worry about feeding or changing diapers. Although he could hire help now, he wanted to do this alone.

If they were his children, he owed them this. Even if they weren't, they were there because of him. For now, he could only hope Lily and the twins were safe.

Meanwhile, Lily sat in the attic, the phone screen dimming. Her eyes flickered with a complex mix of relief and sadness. She stared longingly at the screen, yearning for reunion with her family.

"All right," Fred smiled smugly. "I've fulfilled my promise. It's your turn now." He was pleased everything had gone as planned.

He knew people were waiting to arrest him, but he was too clever to reveal himself or use his men. He'd arranged for a delivery man. If the opportunity arose, he'd relish laughing in their faces.

Though he couldn't do so now, he anticipated ample opportunity once the experiment succeeded. He looked expectantly at Lily.