Welcome, to the restart of the Doohickey Legacy, written for the [info]pixel_trade GUCCI challenge! Maudlin Doohickey is provided by [info]brilliantcat . Van Leif is provided by [info]mjo5oh.



Maudlin Doohickey blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright light streaming in through the windows. She rolled over and snuggled deeper into the deep purple covers...

Wait a minute...these aren't my covers! This isn't my bed! Where am I!?

She sat up in bed and looked around her. Nothing looked familiar. Getting up, she wandered out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Spying a desk, she walked over and began looking through the mail piled on top of it. Everything was addressed to her! So this must be her apartment...but why didn't she recognize anything?



Maudlin decided to step outside and see if there was anything out there that triggered her memory. Stepping into the hall she almost ran into someone.

"Good Morning, Miss Doohickey. How are you today?"

The rich, deep voice struck a chord in the back of her mind. She knew this voice...but from where?

"I'm sorry, she replied, but I'm afraid I don't remember you."

The man turned towards her with a concerned expression on his face, "Are you okay? Did you fall and hit your head? We have been neighbors for the past two years, Miss Doohickey."

He must have seen the look of shock on her face, because he led her to his apartment, sat her down on the couch, and brought her a glass of water.

"Two years? I've been living here for two years? I don't even recognize that apartment!"

The gentleman looked concerned, "I'm no doctor, but it sounds to me like you have some form of amnesia. Since there's no cure for that I suggest you just start over again. I'll help you out with anything you need. Oh, and my name is Van...Van Leif."

Maudlin smiled, "Thank you, Van. It's a relief to know that I'm not crazy. Thank you for your offer!"

"Anytime, Miss Doohickey."

"Please, call me Maudlin."



Maudlin soon settled into the routine of her new/old life. Van became a bigger part than it seemed he had been previously. Although, every now a then Maudlin would get the oddest feeling of deja vu...as if the same thing had happened before, in another lifetime.



Like the first time they made love. The experience was wonderful, and Maudlin thoroughly enjoyed herself! Afterwards, while lying in Van's arms, she experienced the most vivid flashback. 



For a few, brief moments, she could see herself and Van entwined...but she couldn't quite place the location. Finally, she gave up and accepted it as a mystery she couldn't solve.



Not long after that experience, Maudlin came down with the flu. She felt awful, and spent much of her time with her head over the toilet bowl throwing up whatever she had tried to eat recently.



When she finally recovered, after several weeks, she began having the oddest cravings. One day she realized that her entire diet consisted of chocolate dishes! She started worrying because she couldn't seem to control her cravings no matter how hard she tried! 



The last straw came when she stepped on her scale and discovered that she had gained ten pounds! This was unacceptable! She made a doctor's appointment for that very day. 

As she sat in the examination room, her heart began pounding...what if she was seriously ill? What if she was dying!? Just as she began to get herself really worked up, the door opened and the doctor came in.

"What is it?"

"Now, Miss Doohickey, there's nothing to get too worked up over. You're pregnant."

Maudlin sat there in stunned silence for a moment. Pregnant? I can't be pregnant! I just started my new job! I don't have enough money for a baby. I don't have enough room. I...oh! What is Van going to say?

The doctor was shaking her hand, "Congratulations, Miss Doohickey."

She murmured something in return, rose, and left the building. The whole walk home she worried about how to break the news to Van.



As it turned out, all of Maudlin's worrying was for naught. Van was overjoyed to hear that he was going to be a Daddy! He immediately proposed to her and within a week they were standing before a justice of the peace. Neither of them had any family left, so they didn't see the need for a big ceremony.



Maudlin's fears about money and space also proved groundless. Van had quite the nest egg saved up for when he got married, and the happy couple soon purchased a lot on Lake Wakeeum. A rush order with the contractors resulted in a new house in a matter of weeks!



A few months passed, and they settled into a routine. Maudlin kept working, right up until her last trimester, and Van got a job in construction. One night, Maudlin woke up confused. Something was wrong, but she wasn't sure what! Then she realized that the sheets she was lying on her soaked. As she slipped out of bed, embarrased that her pregnant bladder had let her down, she was hit with the worst pain of her life! It rippled across her entire belly and she screamed aloud! 

Van woke up and jumped out of bed, "Honey, what's wrong?"

"The baby...it's coming!"

Van stood in shock for a moment, "Okay...I'll call the hospital and the cab service."

Another pain tore through her body and she cried out. "There's no time, Van! The baby is coming, now!"

She collapsed to the floor and Van helped her undress. The baby's head was crowning. The pain came again and this time the flashback came as well...



"Push!" There were two Vans. They were telling her to push. She tried, but she was so tired! A baby cried and she wanted to relax, but the pains kept coming.

"Hold on, sweetie. You're doing great! Keep pushing!" the Vans encouraged her. It seemed like eternity. The pain, the pushing, the voice of both Van's. She felt like she was giving birth in stereo!

Finally, the pain subsided. Maudlin lapsed into unconsciousness.



Once Van had cleaned the babies up, he called the local doctor and had him come out to check on the babies and Maudlin. Dallas Doohickey weighed 7 lbs 3 oz.



Brooklyn Doohickey (the only one to get her mom's skin tone) weighed in at 6 lbs 14 oz.



Phoenix Doohickey weighed in at 7 lbs 5 oz.

All three babies were healthy, and Maudlin was fine after a good night's sleep.



Three babies was a lot to handle, and Maudlin had to put her career on hold while she cared for them. Van helped out a lot. Even after a long day at a job site, he would spend hours feeding, burping, and changing the babies. Maudlin couldn't wait until they grew big enough to feed themselves...



Despite this wish, the triplets seemed to be growing up too fast. The next thing Van and Maudlin knew, they were crawling around getting into everything! 

Dallas began looking more and more like his daddy!



Pheonix had his mommy's eyes...



...and Brooklyn never would hold still long enough to get a good picture! She was the peacemaker in the family. She was always trying to get the boys to play together and be nice to each other!



...but she wasn't always successful. Sibling rivalry started early, and Maudlin often had to pry the boys apart!



Life moved along. Maudlin was kept busy with the triplets and Van was busy with work. They tried to sneak time alone whenever they could. It was rare, but occasionally they found a moment. Soon, Maudlin realized that they hadn't been careful enough during those moments...and she was pregnant again!



The pregnancy took its toll on her. With three toddlers and a rapidly growing belly, Maudlin soon gave up trying to keep the family photo albums straight! Finally, she gave birth (in the local hospital this time) to Austin Doohickey, who weighed 8 lbs 2 oz!



Soon after Austin was born, the triplets had another birthday. Dallas still looked like Van, but some of his features had become reminiscent of Maudlin.



Brooklyn was an adorable child.



and Phoenix, once you looked under his hair, was a bit odd looking, as if his features didn't quite go together.



That night, as Maudlin snuggled in Van's arms, she realized that it had been years since her last flashback. Perhaps my life has diverged so far from the life I remembered that there are no more triggers. Although, I think that I shall always wonder what would have happened if I had stayed in that other life.