Roswell Fanatics

mary mary: Lol… then Andy’s extra thankful you weren’t behind the wheel!

Had to have a little bit of fluffy goodness… ya know the drama-fest isn’t over yet.

Earth2Mama: Because Andrew didn’t believe in involving anyone else in his problems… he felt that he could handle anything and everything without outside help.

Ah, but it wasn’t just a walk… it was Sam and Andy hanging out together without supervision after he had already made it clear that he didn’t want them doing that.

Maternal senses… is that anything like “spidey-senses”? We’ll see…

killjoy: You’re right – Alex is a father and his daughter’s safety and well-being is his priority. Andy has gotten himself into a position that is going to take time to correct. No, he’s not a bad kid, but his behavior and actions recently say something different… and Alex has no prior knowledge of this boy. Andy’s new to town and as you said, first thing he and Sam really did was get into trouble.

keepsmiling7: We’ll get more glimpses as we go on.

Yeah, Mrs. Givens is a busybody who thinks she’s entitled to dig up everyone’s dirt and spread it around. Liz was glad too!

Nah… not until it’s due the next day, lol.

dreambeliever: Thanks! Hmm… you too?

Natalie36: Max definitely gets extra points for that!

Alien_Friend: No question about that – on either count!

No, poor Mr. Grant. But, his advice was definitely sound and hopefully Max will remember it.

Definitely a trait with this stubborn Evans clan. Shocked, huh? Excellent. Being around his cousins who are now dealing with an absent father and seeing the way that it’s affecting their family is giving him a bit of a different view on his own past situation with his parents. No, he isn’t ready to know that much about what was going on between his parents… but most of us aren’t privy to everything that goes on between our parents.

Alex is definitely a protective papa bear. Andy… lol, well, dealing with his first case of puppy love in addition to the girl’s father… he’s gonna have his work cut out for him.

30 parts… we can’t believe it either! But, this fic has been so much fun (painful at times too) to write and we’re still quite a ways from it reaching completion so hold onto your ticket ‘cause this train has more track to cover!

Eva: Hmm… and yet another vote for Liz being pregnant.

True, as a single parent Alex has had to be both mother and father for his little girl. Holding the reins too tight could lead to Sam rebelling, but Alex is right to be cautious where Andy is concerned. He doesn’t know the boy, his daughter’s already gotten into trouble with him, and Andy’s going to have to prove himself.

Realizing that a parent you idolized was less than perfect is never easy. In the back of your mind of course, you know he or she isn’t perfect, but it’s easy to overlook things that detract from the perfect picture you’ve painted in your head. But when the day comes that you truly see that parent as a flawed human being it can be quite an eye-opener.

sarammlover: Lol, she was glad too… and considering where she was when they arrived, she was more than happy to pay no attention to the clock.

Communication is the key… for all of them.

begonia9508: Yes, someone needed to shut Mrs. Givens up… she was just looking for something new to gossip about. Some people just aren’t happy unless they’re stirring things up for others.


Part 31

Kyle walked through the breezeway and stepped out onto the lower level of the high school stadium. He glanced around, nodding at the good-sized crowd as he looked for his group. It looked like high school football was still the big deal it had been when he had played in this very same stadium, and most of the towns’ residents had turned out for the big game.

“Untel Tyle!”

The distinctive pronunciation of his name spoken in Kara’s voice made him smile and he turned his head to follow the sound. He finally spotted his extended family sitting a few rows down when Kara jumped up and down on her daddy’s leg and waved her arms excitedly.

“Untel Tyle, you tame!” she greeted with a big smile when he sat down in the seat next to her and Daddy.

Kyle shook Max’s hand and reached out to steady the little girl when she shifted over to sit in his lap. He touched the little tiara she was wearing with a pair of blue jeans and a pink sweatshirt that was proudly imprinted with ‘West Roswell High’ across the chest. “Didn’t know I was in the presence of royalty, Mi Lady,” he said and bowed his head, making the little girl giggle.

Several seats down Tess sat between Liz and Maria as they talked about Max’s last-minute arrival the night before. Her brother had made major points with his wife by arriving at the banquet hall with all three of their children in tow. She turned her head when she heard her niece loudly announcing Kyle’s arrival and she watched him as he teased the little girl and made her laugh.

“He’s gonna make a great father one day, ya know,” Liz teased as she gave Tess a gentle nudge.

“Don’t you two start with that again,” Tess hissed. If Kyle heard them talking like that he’d realize that he had new allies and before she knew what had happened he’d have them working for him, setting up dates and convincing her that she needed to go out with him.

“Evenin’, ladies,” Kyle drawled with a lazy grin. He winked at Tess and laughed when she rolled her eyes and turned to look out at the band marching on the field.

“So, what’s the story with you and Tess?” Max asked.

“Well, right now I’m just tryin’ to convince her to give me a second chance. Your sister is one damn stubborn woman and she’s got a very long memory.”

“Holds a grudge like no one else, too.”

“She’s not alone there, is she? Seems to me you two are a lot alike in that area as well as a few others.”

“You’re wrong,” Max denied.

Kyle lifted Kara up so that she was standing on his knees. “Hey, short stuff, you wanna do me a favor?”

She smiled and nodded. “Otay.”

He carefully held her in place as he reached into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. “Would you take this over to Aunt Tess and tell her that Uncle Kyle would appreciate it if she’d go get him a hot dog and a soda?”

“Me too?”

He glanced at Max.

“Hot dog, yes… soda, no. Too much sugar; you’d keep Mommy and Daddy up half the night.”

“Otay, Daddy.”

“Oh, and short stuff?”

Kara looked up at him when he handed her a couple of bills.

“Tell her to treat herself too.”

The little girl wrinkled her nose. What did that mean? “Otay, Untel Tyle.”

He waited patiently until the little girl had left with the three women in tow before he spoke again. “You an’ Tess, you guys used to be close, and I know a lot of that had to do with Andrew because he provided both of you with stability. You started to drift apart in high school and then you got into sports and that created more distance, but when she turned you guys down and said she didn’t really wanna go into business together you shut her out, man. Your parents were older when you guys were born and it’s not exactly a state secret that Tess wasn’t planned, expected, or even really wanted. They thought they were finished after you were born and then a few years later along comes Tess. Man, when you were younger she looked up to you the same way you looked up to Andrew. You were her hero; you stood up for her, you defended her, and you used to make her feel better about herself when your parents took no interest in anything she did.” He shook his head. “You took all of that away from her when you just shut her out like that.”

“Why’re we talkin’ about this?” Max asked.

“Ya know, back in high school, I made a very big mistake when I messed around with Stacy Portman in the eraser room… I didn’t start it, but I didn’t stop it as soon as I should’ve either… and you should’ve kicked my ass for hurtin’ your sister like that. I have to live with that mistake and the knowledge that if I hadn’t fucked up there’s a very good chance I’d already be married to that woman and we’d have a couple of kids by now. I can’t go back and change the past anymore than you can, but it’s past time to stop punishin’ yourself and her. Man, she wants to be a part of your life, a part of your family’s lives… and you both need it. Stop bein’ so fuckin’ stubborn and let go of that old grudge. Hell, Max, you followed in Andrew’s footsteps in so many other areas, take his lead here, too.”

“Yeah, I should’ve kicked your ass over that Stacy Portman thing,” Max said after a few minutes of silence. “I may still do that.”

“Nope.” Kyle slouched down in his seat and leaned back as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Statute of limitations is up on that one.”

“Tess doesn’t seem to think so.”

“Well, Tess also doesn’t seem to think she’s gonna give me a second chance… I happen to think she’s wrong. She’s just makin’ me work for it this time around.” He shrugged. “And she should. She needs to know that I’m not just after her for a fling, that I’m lookin’ for somethin’ with more stability.”

Max looked at him. “Are you?”

He just grinned. “I’m lookin for forever.”

The older man snorted. “That’s the corniest thing I think I’ve ever heard.”

“It was pretty corny,” Kyle agreed and shrugged. “But it’s true.”

“And maybe you should really think about that. She’s lookin’ at startin’ a business here… she’s doin’ her best to reconnect with her family… that means she wants to put down roots here in Roswell. You live and work in Atlanta, Kyle. You can’t have forever with almost 1,500 miles between you.”

“There’re always options, Max.”

“What, Albuquerque? Still three and a half hours away, Kyle. That’s a helluva commute.”

Kyle just smiled. “Gotta keep your options open, Max. See, what your sister hasn’t quite gotten through her thick head just yet is that I’m not goin’ away. And when she sees the truth for what it is we’ll discuss what those options are.”

“You’re playin’ your cards close to the vest.”

“Best way to walk away with a win. And I always play to win.”

“I bringed the hot dog, Untel Tyle,” Kara announced as she came up beside him.

“Yes, you did.” He grimaced at the jalapenos piled high on top of it. “And I see Aunt Tess remembered how much Uncle Kyle LOVES jalapenos,” he said through gritted teeth.

Kara nodded as she climbed up in Daddy’s lap and leaned back against his chest. “Auntie Tess said for me to put lots on there ‘cause she said you like that.” She smiled and took a bite of her own hot dog, smothered in ketchup. “I putted lots on there,” she mumbled.

“No talkin’ with your mouth full,” Max chastised gently as he made a face at the big blob of ketchup that landed on his arm. He glanced up when the women walked past him to go back to their seats and Liz paused to lean over and clean the mess up. “Thanks.”

Liz smiled and kissed him over Kara’s head before slipping into the seat beside him. “I got us a Philly cheese steak to share.”

“Sounds a lot better than what Kyle’s got,” he whispered, conscious of the fact that Kara thought she had brought Kyle something he really liked.

“I didn’t know he doesn’t like jalapenos,” she whispered back.

“Untel Tyle, you not eating,” Kara complained. “You don’t like it?”

Kyle was on the verge of just admitting the truth and telling her that no, he didn’t like jalapenos and in fact hated them when he looked at her and realized that it would hurt her feelings. “No, short stuff, it’s perfect!” Perfectly revolting, he thought, trying to keep his expression neutral as he bit into it.

“It’s yummy?” the little girl asked and then frowned. “How tome you’re cryin’, Untel Tyle? Are you sad?”

“Hmm-umm,” he mumbled as he looked around for the drink he had asked for. The jalapenos were so hot that his mouth felt like it was on fire and his eyes were watering like crazy and he couldn’t stop it. “Oh, my God,” he shouted hoarsely, “that’s good, short stuff, but I’ve gotta have a drink.” He needed to put out the fire in his intestines!

“Auntie Tess taked your drink.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet she did.” He patted her head as he stood and walked down their row, motioning for Maria to move over and let him sit down next to Tess. He snatched the drink out of her hands and glared at her as he drank three-quarters of the bottle of water down. Tears were still streaming from his eyes and he used his shirtsleeve to wipe them away.

“Mmmm, bet that was good, huh?” Tess asked, her blue eyes lit with humor.

“Oh, yeah, so good,” he agreed. “Hey, short stuff?”

Kara looked up from picking her hot dog bun apart and her feet paused their incessant tapping as she gave him her full attention.

“Aunt Tess would really like a bite of my hot dog… you think it’d be okay if I share?”

“Otay,” she said with a smile.

Tess’ gaze was murderous but she refused to back down when he held the hot dog up in front of her face. Damn, just the scent of the jalapenos was already making her eyes water! Maybe she had gone a little overboard with her suggestion that Kara pile them on.

“Auntie Tess, aren’t you gonna bite it?”

Kyle propped his left elbow on the armrest and rested his chin in his hand as he watched her, his eyes challenging. “Yeah, Aunt Tess, aren’t ya gonna bite it?”

“You do realize her question was all innocent and yours came out totally filthy,” she hissed.

“Well, I kinda prefer a little sucking… licking isn’t bad… and while the occasional nibble is acceptable, I draw the line at biting,” he growled under his breath.

Tess nearly choked on the bite of hot dog she had taken and it wasn’t because it felt like someone had lit a fire in her mouth. “You are so wrong for that!” she rasped as she forced the hot dog down. She was certain her esophagus would never forgive her for the abuse she had just put it through.

Kyle grinned and leaned back in his seat. “Probably,” he conceded, “but, since I’m the one who has to eat this gastro-intestinal firebomb you instigated I think it’s only fair.”

“Looky, looky!” Kara shouted as she lurched forward to point at the football team as the boys ran out onto the field.

Max scrambled to hold onto her and grab the hot dog before someone in the row in front of them ended up wearing it. He made a face at the ketchup dripping over his hand.

“Daddy, you smooshed it,” she complained.

“Sorry, baby girl. You wanna go get another one?”

“Nicky an’ Justin still be here?”

“Yeah, the boys aren’t goin’ anywhere.” He helped her down and then took her hand with the one that wasn’t covered in ketchup and clutching the ruined hot dog. “Um, Liz, we’re gonna run get another hot dog.”

She smiled. “Y’all have fun.”

Kyle glanced at Tess. “Hold my seat… I’ll be back.”

She rolled her eyes. “That was like the worst Terminator impression I’ve ever heard.”

“Whatever.” He changed seats and sat next to Liz once Max and Kara were out of earshot. “Hey, I wanted to talk to you… I’ve got the report you asked for. It’s in my car if you still want it.”

“You really don’t think I should read it, do you?”

“I think it’s gonna be difficult because of your relationship with everyone concerned and it could do more harm than good. You obviously know Max a lot better than I do, so you’ll have to trust your instincts.”

Liz nodded. “I do want the report, Kyle.”

“You want it tonight or should I just drop it by the school tomorrow? I’ll be out runnin’ around so it wouldn’t be any trouble.”

“Alright, if you’re sure it’s not an inconvenience then dropping it off tomorrow would be great.”

“No problem at all. And we’re still on for Saturday, right?”

Liz smiled. “We’re still on. If you and Tess are absolutely positive you don’t mind an entire afternoon of insanity…”

He patted her hand. “You and Max just kick back and enjoy a day of peace, okay?”

“Thanks, Kyle.”

He nodded and moved back to his seat, turning to look at his sister when he realized that his hot dog was gone. “Did you eat that thing?”

She shrugged. “Guilty.”

“No, no, thank you! I don’t know how you can eat anything that hot, but thank you! Where’s Andy hidin’?”

She pointed to the next section over. “He’s with some of the guys from the basketball team.”

“Looks like he’s startin’ to make some friends, that’s good.”

“That’s very good,” she said, smiling.

“Do you mind?” Tess asked, poking him.

“Huh?”

“The three of us were in the middle of a conversation before you came over here and just took up space like you belonged here. Go back to your own seat.”

Kyle looked at each of the women in turn. “Oh, really?”

Maria grinned. “Bye, Kyle.”

“Fine,” he grumbled and got up to go back to his seat at the end of the aisle.

*****

Kyle walked along the corridor on Friday afternoon, footsteps echoing off of the walls, and he smiled at the familiar scents of crayons, paint, and chalk intermingled with the smell of cafeteria food. Ah, some things just never changed, he thought. His gaze wandered over the pictures that lined the walls, painted and colored by the children who filled the classrooms on a daily basis. Some of them definitely showed artistic abilities and some of them… he moved closer to the wall to look at one of the pictures… well, some of them should probably consider expressing themselves through a different medium.

“Can I help you with something, sir?”

Sir, he grumbled silently. He turned and smiled at the young woman in her early to mid-20’s approaching him. When had he gotten old enough that anyone her age felt that he should be addressed as ‘sir’? “I’m lookin’ for Mrs. Evans’ classroom.”

“Oh, you must be her brother-in-law.” She smiled. “Or maybe it was her husband’s brother’s brother-in-law? I’m Jeanie Lassiter, I teach one of the first grade classes.”

“Special Agent Kyle Valenti,” he introduced himself out of habit as he shook her hand. “And I think that second one would be closest to bein’ right.”

“Her classroom is the last door on the left at the end of this hall.”

He nodded. “Thanks, I appreciate it.” He continued down the hall when she went back to her classroom or the office or wherever she had come from. He paused in the open doorway and leaned his right shoulder against the doorframe as he looked around the classroom. Liz was sitting at the desk at the front of the room, her head bent as she sorted through a stack of papers.

“Looks pretty important,” he commented, drawing her attention.

“Hi, Kyle.” Liz looked up and smiled tightly at the man walking towards her. Her gaze strayed to the large manila envelope he carried in his left hand and she felt a moment of indecision.

“I was browsing the art section out there… you’ve got some nice pieces on display.”

“Some of the kids do show a remarkable talent for art,” she said with a genuine smile.

He grabbed the chair sitting against the wall, relieved to see an adult-sized chair available, and he placed it next to her desk, facing her. He sat down as he placed the envelope in front of her and he laid his hand down on it before she could pick it up. “I already know what’s in this folder, Liz; it’s very raw and written in a way that you may feel lacks any sensitivity – “

“Will it tell me what my husband saw on that mountain?” she interrupted.

“It’ll get you as close as you can get without hearin’ it from him. I just want you to be prepared because this stuff isn’t gonna be easy to read or look at.” He sighed when her shocked gaze shot up to lock on him. “There are photos from the scene of the accident… some of them are pretty bad, Liz… knowin’ what kinda shape Andrew was in when first responders got there is a lot different from what you saw when you arrived at the hospital and saw him in the ICU. They’re very graphic and you’re gonna see the true extent of the injuries he suffered from that fall. I can remove the photos from the folder first if you want me to… matter of fact, I’d recommend it.”

She shook her head stubbornly. “No, I need to know what Max saw, Kyle. I don’t… he won’t tell me about that day and until I know what happened, what he saw, what he experienced or at least as much as I can put together from the available information, I’m not gonna be able to help him.”

“I’m just worried that this might push him too far, Liz. If you confront him with this before he’s ready to deal with it you could do so much more harm in spite of your desire to help him. I know you’re desperate to find a way to reach him, but you have to face the fact that this may not be the way to do it.”

“I won’t know until I’ve looked at the file, will I?”

“You can’t go back once you’ve seen this stuff… images like this haunt people who see scenes like this all the time.”

“Kyle, please,” she begged. “I understand what you’re saying, I do, but…”

He nodded and lifted his hand. “Do you want me to stay with you?”

“No, I’m gonna be here for a while.” She reached over to rest her hand over his. “Thank you. I know you didn’t wanna do this.”

He sighed as he stood up and moved the chair back to its original position. “No, I didn’t, but part of me understands where you’re comin’ from.” He pulled his wallet out and slid out one of his business cards from the sleeve. “My number’s on there… if you change your mind and you want some company while you go through that or if ya maybe just need someone to talk to when you can’t get those images out of your head, call me.”

She nodded and waited until he had left before she stood and closed the door, locking it before going back over to her desk and sitting down. She stared at the envelope for several minutes and then turned it over to unclasp the flap. She took a deep breath and reached inside, pulling the thick folder out and letting it sit there, unopened.

keepsmiling7: Oh, we’ll get her initial reaction here pretty soon.

Kara is a sweetheart… and she feels like Daddy’s little princess with her tiara.

Kyle’s still learning how to deal with Tess. He knows he’s made some mistakes in the past and he wants to find a way to get past that… question is, will Tess let that happen?

Earth2Mama: Neither would we! Under normal circumstances, Liz wouldn’t either, but she’s desperate to find a way to help Max.

Lol, it was mean… but Kyle got her back.

We expect to see some changes between Max and Tess as the story progresses.

killjoy: Lol, we kinda thought you’d enjoy that!

You just never know. A bit of competition would definitely have her attention.

mary mary: Well, for Kyle it’s a hate/hate relationship when it comes to jalapenos. Lol… us? Jeez, not just a mess, but a “big fat mess”. Well, alright, it’s not like we can exactly deny that. And no flipping to the end allowed. Which would actually be kinda hard to do since the end is unwritten as of yet, lol. Your patience shall now be rewarded…

Alien_Friend: Lol, Kyle and Tess are crazy and Kara just unintentionally added to it.

We’ll see more of this side of Kyle as the story progresses. We’re hoping Max takes some of those things to heart and really listens to Kyle as well.

Yes, he is. With Tess, he’d better know how to give as good as he gets because that woman is gonna keep him on his toes! He knows what he wants and he’ll go to whatever lengths he has to go to in order to prove it to her. You just never know what Tess will come up with next.

Max would definitely be pissed about the file. Something has to happen to make him face what happened so he can begin to deal with it though and Liz desperately hopes what she learns from the file will allow her to help him.

begonia9508: Poor Liz, she’s in a very tough spot. We’ll find out why Max feels like it’s his fault as we go.

Your guess would be correct!

Must be, lol! Kara knows how to wrap Untel Tyle around her little finger.

Eva: We totally agree… and it probably would’ve been a dead giveaway if Liz had been the one eating that thing! However, Maria? She just loves hot food, the hotter it is, the better she likes it.

It won’t be easy, but Liz is desperate to find a way to help her husband. Despite having moments of closeness she can still feel him slipping away from her and their children and she’s gonna fight to hold them together.

dreambeliever: Oh, he’s got more work to do, lol. But, he’s very determined that he’s not gonna let her get away again. Kara… we have to agree, she is just too cute!

sarammlover: You know what they say… desperate times call for desperate measures. Liz is doing the only thing she can think of to get answers. Max won’t talk to her, she wasn’t there, and there is no one else who can really tell her what happened that day. We’re not sure we’d be brave enough to get as far as opening the cover of that report! Liz will take precautions to make sure no one else finds that folder by mistake. That would be beyond awful! Kyle… yeah, he’s great! Tess is getting closer to being convinced.


Part 32

Michael was walking out to his car after school on Friday when someone called him and he stopped to turn and look at the owner of the voice. “Oh, hey, Kyle, what’re you doin’ here?”

“Flyin’ solo tonight so I thought I’d see if you might be interested in getting together for dinner.”

“Not interested in another blind date,” he said.

“Yeah, me either.” He shrugged his shoulders and grinned. “Wasn’t really interested in that last one; just kinda needed a smokescreen. Hey, where’s Iz? She still hangin’ around here?”

“She’s in the office. She’s comin’ over to my place for dinner a little later, so why don’t you just come on over and we can all hang out and catch up.”

“Cool, I’ll bring the beer. She still drinkin’ that imported crap?”

“Yeah, but I’m makin’ spaghetti, so…”

“Red wine got it. I’ll pick it up on my way over. What time’s dinner?”

“About seven.”

“See ya then.”

“Hey, Kyle?” Michael called before he had taken more than half a dozen steps.

The other man turned to look at him. “Yeah?”

He motioned at the small bandage at the side of his head. “What happened to you?”

“I’ll tell ya later.”

Michael shrugged and tossed his laptop case inside. “Okay.” He had learned over the years that Kyle would talk when he was ready although he suspected the other man just liked to let the suspense build before he told whatever story he was holding onto.

*****

What if he was right? What if she only caused more damage by confronting Max with what she learned from this report? Liz was scared to open it and scared not to, and there was no one she could call to help her do this. Kyle was willing to help out and she appreciated that, but she couldn’t involve him anymore than she already had.

She took a deep breath as she ran her fingers over the edge of the folder and after nearly 15 minutes of staring at it she carefully opened it and rested the front cover on the desk. The transcript of the initial 9-1-1 call was short and Justin’s name leapt off of the page as the caller. The notes off to the side indicated that he had been upset, panicked, and her heart broke as she read the broken information he had provided to the dispatcher.

The boys had both been seen by counselors to help them deal with the accident and she had been grateful at the time that neither of them had seen their uncle between his fall and their first visit to the hospital after he had been moved from the ICU.

She flipped to the next page and read over the report form, shaking her head after a few minutes and moving on to the next page. She began to formulate a visualization of that afternoon between the interviews and the written report. Andrew had fallen and Max had managed to grab his hand, Andrew’s weight had started to pull Max down, and Max had sent the boys to get help while he searched for a way to reach his brother… she knew that much of the story. The rest began to unfold as her eyes moved over the neatly typed lines of the report.

The springs in the chair creaked in protest when she leaned back and tapped her fingers against the still-open folder. She had finished reading the report and she sighed as stared at the divider that separated the photograph section from the rest of the report.

She stared down at the handwritten sheet when an officer had taken Andy’s statement and her heart ached for the boy as well as her husband. Their nephew had blamed Max from the very beginning, telling officers that his father wouldn’t have let go, that his uncle had later refused to let him go to his father when he had finally found a way to reach him.

The investigating officers had found nothing to support Andy’s claims and had determined the fall to be accidental. Max’s interview had been almost emotionless and the officer had noted to the side that he had been cooperative and insistent about answering their questions before he forgot any of the details, but that the officer believed that he was exhibiting symptoms of the onset of shock.

Max had stated that the ground beneath his brother’s feet had just suddenly disintegrated and that he had caught his brother’s hand as he had fallen, stopping his descent. He had struggled to hold onto Andrew despite having a grasp that wasn’t solid and without regard for his own safety as he was pulled closer and closer to the edge himself. He had also stated that Andrew had spoken to him before he had lost his grip but he hadn’t been able to recall what had been said.

It was further into the investigation that officers had reported that Andrew had been the one to let go and not Max. Wounds on Andrew’s wrist had been determined to have been inflicted during Max’ struggle to hold onto him and the laceration Max had suffered to the back of his wrist on his right arm had been consistent with the blade of the hunting knife Andrew had carried on his belt. The officers had come to the conclusion that he had wounded his brother in an effort to make him release him and when Max had refused and he had continued to be pulled down, Andrew had completely loosened his own grip and sacrificed himself to save his brother.

Another of the officers had noted in the file that Andy’s accusations were unfounded and the result of a boy suffering from grief and anger. Further investigation had revealed that when Max had reached his brother he had stopped his nephew from approaching the fallen man, forcing him to climb back up in order to show rescue workers how to reach them. Andy had fought him at first, taking several swings at his uncle and trying to physically overpower him, and according to the interviewing officer’s notes Max had requested that the information be kept out of the official report.

She slowly reached for that last divider, turning it over and staring at the first photo. Her eyes widened when she realized that she was looking at the impressions in the ground where her husband’s body had been dragged as he fought to hold onto his brother. So close… he had come so close to the edge. Her fingertips pressed against her lips as she bit back a sob at the realization that he had been inches from going over that edge. Did he even realize how close he had been to dying with his brother?

The next few photos were of the hunting knife, the laceration to the back of Max’s right wrist, and the deep bruises and cuts on Andrew’s wrist where Max had been desperately clawing at his brother’s arm in an attempt to hold onto him. The next couple of photos had her swallowing hard as she tried to control the urge to throw up. Andrew’s body lay twisted and broken, a direct contrast to the beautiful foliage that surrounded him. She stared at the position his body was in, bent at an unnatural angle that meant his spine had been broken. Broken bones protruded from the skin in several different places and there were places where his body must have impacted with the mountain or trees during his fall because his flesh was ripped open around his chest and abdomen.

She lost the battle with her stomach when she flipped the page over and she just barely made it to the trash can before throwing up. Max was kneeling next to his brother, right hand flat against the ground above Andrew’s shoulder and his left hand carefully cradling the older man’s head. Andrew’s right hand had been loosely wrapped around his brother’s wrist and his eyes open, indicating that he had been conscious at some point. Max was covered in blood and his anguished features were awash with pain and helplessness as he looked at his brother.

She glanced at the folder, daring to flip to the next photo before feeling relief when she saw that it wasn’t a photo but a map of the area with notations that determined Andrew’s descent and the point of impact. The last page was a list of Andrew’s injuries, comments about multiple broken bones, damage to his internal organs, sluggish brain activity, irreversible spinal damage, and of course, the coma. She stood on shaky legs and closed the folder before cleaning up and making a trip to the ladies’ room.

When she came back she sat down at her desk and carefully slid the folder back into the manila envelope. She leaned over and unlocked the bottom drawer, placing it inside and locking the drawer once more. Maybe Kyle had been right and she shouldn’t have looked at the photographs because she knew she wouldn’t be able to forget them. It was no wonder Max was having such a hard time dealing with his brother’s death. His memories weren’t from photos of an accident scene, he had lived every single painful moment of them and after seeing what he had seen and reading the report she had an even better understanding of why he hadn’t been able to let it go.

God, how was she going to help him?

*****

Isabel was sitting at the dinner table watching Michael as he moved around the kitchen, at ease with his surroundings. Mojo was curled up on the oversized pillow in one corner, big head hanging off of one end as he slept noisily. She had offered to help with dinner preparations but Michael had just waved her off and told her to stay away from the ‘cooking zone’.

“So, how’re things going with Andy?”

“Good. We’re makin’ some progress and I think we’re getting closer to actually dealin’ with the real issues behind his anger.” He held up the cutting board and scraped the fresh vegetables he had been chopping into the meat. “Kid’s in a lot of pain but he’s startin’ to understand that it can’t just be ignored or buried if he’s ever gonna move past it.”

She nodded, sensing that there was more and knowing better than to push him before he was ready to talk about it.

“He and Kyle share the same birthday,” he said after several minutes of fussing with the meat mixture.

Isabel knew right away where he was going with that statement and she shook her head negatively. “Huh-uh, Michael, no.”

“He needs to remember the good things in life, Iz, and hell, Kyle’s his uncle so it’s not like it’d be unheard of for them to be in the same – “

“You’re justifying yourself and this insane idea!” She shook her head. “No, Michael. If you wanna pursue something with Mrs. Evans then you’re gonna have to turn Andy over to another counselor, that’s all there is to it.”

“I’m talkin’ about invitin’ them over to take part – “

“No! Damn it, Michael, you’re not just crossing lines here, you’re trampling them blindly! I know you’ve somehow formed an attachment to that boy’s mother, but you can’t use him to get close to her.”

“Damn it, Iz, I think you know me a helluva lot better than that!” he yelled. “I would never use my position as leverage.”

“That’s not what I’m sayin’ and you know it!” she shouted as she shot to her feet and faced him. “You’re jeopardizing the trust you’ve built with him and if that happens, if you gain that trust and then turn around and lose it, you’re gonna do more harm than good in the end!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Kyle said loudly as he stepped in between them, hands raised in a bid for silence. “What is goin’ on in here? I could hear you guys all the way out in the driveway.” He pointed at the large dog now cowering under the table. “And look what you’ve done to that poor animal.”

“Iz seems to have gotten it in her head that I’m usin’ Andy to bed your sister,” Michael grated out.

“Are you?” Kyle asked, his tone indicating that he wasn’t joking.

“Is that what the two of you think of me?” he demanded angrily. “No, that’s not what I’m doin’ and if neither of you know me any better than to think that I’d use a scared, hurt, and angry kid just to get laid then the two of you can just get the hell out of my house.”

“I never said that’s what you were doin’, Michael,” Isabel denied. “What I’m sayin’ is that if you pursue her while counseling Andy then you’re putting his trust and his recovery at risk – and you know that!”

“It’s a friggin’ birthday party, Iz, not a plot to get into anyone’s panties! I just thought since the kid shares the same birthday as Kyle and we’re all getting together over here anyway then they could come over and hang out.”

“Alright, you two calm down,” Kyle said, hiding a smile when he realized how the argument had gotten started. “Iz, this’s the first time I’ve been home for my birthday in I don’t even know how long and my family knows that you an’ Michael are plannin’ somethin’ so it’s not exactly a stretch that you guys would invite them over. You’re gonna make a big deal of it anyway, so just invite my whole family over. We’ll barbeque, we’ll eat cake, and we’ll hang out and play stupid games… it’ll be good for all of us.”

Isabel took a step back and inhaled deeply. “I’m sorry, Michael. I don’t think that’s what you’re doing. This’s just very risky for so many reasons, especially since you’re his counselor. That right there makes all the difference. You’re not just a counselor who happens to work at the school he attends… you’re his counselor.”

“Look, I know what you’re sayin’, Iz; regardless of my intentions there’s the perception of what I’m doin’.”

“I don’t want to see you put yourself or your job at risk, Michael, but even more than that I don’t want to see Andy’s progress disappear because he thinks you’re using him to get to his mother.” She shook her head and held her hands up. “Regardless of intent, you have to realize that if you pursue something with her he could end up feeling that way.”

Michael nodded. He knew what she was saying was true and he thought about it all the time. He and Andy still had a lot of work to do and as things stood with Maria, there wasn’t really anything going on between them. He spoke with her when he could and he tried to make her smile, but he wasn’t pushing himself on her or being too forward.

“Are you burnin’ dinner?” Kyle asked.

“Damn it!” Michael growled as he hurried over to check the food. Thankfully it wasn’t burnt but he turned the heat down just to be safe.

“So, Iz, what’s with all the concern over Michael’s interest in my sister?” Kyle asked as he put the wine in the refrigerator and grabbed a beer for himself.

“I’m just being cautious,” she said, reaching for the stack of napkins sitting in the center of the table and starting to fold them.

“Yeah, because she’s interested in the father of one of the students.”

Kyle raised his eyebrows in interest. “Really?”

“Not that I’m saying you’re right, but how would you even know that?”

Michael grinned. “Because Mrs. Walker loves me… and she thinks I can give you a nudge in the right direction since a nice young lady such as yourself is over 30 and still single.”

Isabel sighed. “You’ve just gotta love small towns.”

“She’s assured me that Alex Whitman is a good solid citizen, a good provider, a great father, and a man any woman would be proud to have as a husband.”

“Oh, so she’s already got me married to the man? That’s just great,” she huffed indignantly.

“Well, she is concerned that you’re just wastin’ your child-bearing years,” he said with a laugh.

“So, did this guy ask you out or somethin’?” Kyle asked, confused.

“No. Well, maybe he did… kinda.”

The guys exchanged a look. “Been a while since she’s been out on a date, huh?”

Michael shrugged. “You know how picky she is.”

“Excuse me, still in the room with you,” Isabel said. “For your information, he asked if I was married and then asked what I would say if he asked me out to dinner. At which point I informed him that he would not ask me out during an official discussion at school.” She focused on the napkins once more. “And he said he’d look for me outside of school.”

Kyle slapped his palm down against the table and then pointed at her. “She’s blushing! You like him!”

“I’m not blushing,” she denied. “It’s just hot in here.”

“She’s not denyin’ she likes the guy,” Michael observed as he slid a pan of garlic bread into the oven.

“I really like that shirt, Kyle,” Isabel said in an attempt to take the focus off of her. “It really brings your eyes out.” She shook her head as she looked at the shirt again. “It’s not one that I’d expect you to pick out for yourself though. Anything outside of the suits you wear at work lacks any sense of style or taste.”

Kyle just grinned as he reached up unconsciously and brushed his fingertips over the edge of the bandage at his temple. “It does look pretty good, huh?”

Michael glanced at Kyle and decided to take the heat off of Isabel for a minute. “Hey, so what happened to you?” he asked, motioning to the bandage. “You said you’d spill when you came over, so start talkin’.”

“Tess tried to knock me unconscious,” he answered with a grin.

“Obviously she knocked something loose if you’re smiling about it,” Isabel said with a shake of her head.

“I was watchin’ her measure windows the other day and she didn’t know I was there until she tried to fall off the kitchen sink and I caught her. And since she didn’t know I was there I also scared the shit out of her and she smacked me upside the head with the tape measure she was usin’.”

“The woman tried to take your head off and you’re grinnin’ like a big fool,” Michael said, shaking his head at his friend.

“You should’ve heard the way she was goin’ on and fussin’ over me when she realized I was hurt. She can deny it but she still cares.”

Isabel smiled at the happiness in Kyle’s voice. She had been hearing about Tess for years and she hoped the two of them could work things out. “So, we’ll need to invite her over for your birthday party then?”

“Uh-huh, and that works out well for all of us. See, Tess is related to Andy, her brother and his wife are the parents of his cousins, so it wouldn’t be weird for all of them to be invited over for the party. Matter of fact, seems like Andy’s got a little crush on a Sam Whitman… I’m guessin’ she’s probably the daughter of this guy you seem to like… we could invite them over as well. My parents can come over… see, lots of people, and nothin’ weird about it because it’s a birthday party with friends and family.”

“It’s your birthday so we’ll invite whoever you wanna invite, but do not invite Alex over because you think you’re gonna make something happen.”

Kyle snorted and got up to grab the plates Michael had just pulled down out of a cabinet. “Now it’s ‘Alex’,” he muttered just loud enough for the other man to hear.

Michael laughed and dumped the spaghetti noodles into a serving bowl. It was nice to have his two best friends to hang out with again. They spent the next hour planning Kyle’s birthday party and enjoying dinner together, lingering over the desert Isabel had brought and finally settling down in the living room to watch a movie.

Alien_Friend: They make great friends, don’t they?

No, and Isabel and Kyle don’t either… sometimes you just have to give a friend a reality check though. The birthday party should be lots of fun and it’ll get everyone together.

We’ll start to see more of Iz when we reach the birthday party. Lol, we think Alex is gonna be persistent too.

Nope, nothing Max could’ve done would’ve changed the outcome of that day… but he can’t see that just yet. Andrew made the ultimate sacrifice to save his brother and unfortunately Max feels as if he’s the ultimate failure because he couldn’t do the same. Liz now has a lot more information to work with… she has a clearer picture of what happened that day and she now knows just how close she came to losing her own husband. There’s also the information about Andy and how Max tried his best to protect the boy, knowing full well just how damaging and traumatic it would be for him to see his dad in that condition. That shines new light on Andy’s obvious anger and resentment towards his uncle… from his point of view, Max took away his last chance to talk to his dad. Liz has her work cut out for her, but at least now she’s armed with the knowledge of what took place on that awful day.

mary mary: Lol, yes, the other two were definitely much lighter.

Time may heal old wounds, but unfortunately it can’t erase those memories. It can help him to move forward with his life and help him learn to deal with the tragedy of losing his brother, but before any of that can happen he has to admit he needs help.

We’re glad… ‘cause we’ve got more. We’re gonna toss a little fluff out there this week… how’s that?

Maiqu: She’s a lot of fun, isn’t she?

Such a ‘mom’ thing to do, Liz!

Oh, the boys aren’t done with the teasing, lol.

We don’t think anyone knows the answer to that question. Maybe it’s because if it was normal food people would eat a lot more of it!

Andy’s having a hard time and even though his dad’s gone he doesn’t want to do anything that would disappoint him.

Ya like take-charge Max, huh? He pulled that off very well, didn’t he?

Maria and Andy are beginning to make some solid progress!

Hmm… whatever could that feeling about Liz be?

Yup, that’s Kyle… a bit corny, but romantic too.

Good friends will give their friends reality checks when they need them.

The guys will probably mess with Isabel more about Alex as time goes on.

Lol, we’re glad you’re all caught up!

Eva: Lol, it happens to the best of us!

Liz will have to deal with what she learned and saw in that report, but it will help her with Max.

That’s definitely what friends are for – and when a friend is doing something that could cause potential harm either to themselves or someone else, it’s your job to stand up and let ‘em know!

Natalie36: Liz will try to act as normal as possible, but she won’t be able to keep that information to herself for long. The three friends… they’re a lot of fun.

Earth2Mama: Liz is wondering the same thing… how does she help Max? She knows a lot more than she did prior to reading the report. Max is definitely suffering from survivor’s guilt and it’s blinded him to the reality of what his own family would be facing if his brother had not made that sacrifice.

Isabel has a very good point… but the lines tend to blur when our hearts get involved and Michael will have to be careful.

begonia9508: That’s exactly why she put herself through that painful experience. Max did everything he could do to save his brother, but in the end, he had no control over the situation and there wasn’t anything else he could do.

Mountain climbing and hiking can both be very dangerous and you brought up a very good point – the danger to the rescue workers!

The birthday scene should be fun.

killjoy: People get into positions where the heart overrides the mind and Michael is no different. He was interested in Maria before Andy entered the picture and he put the two together. Michael isn’t trying to do anything devious or underhanded and he isn’t using Andy as a tool to get to know Maria. Yes, it does come across that way and that was what Isabel was trying to get him to see, but it never was and never will be his intent to use Andy that way. Should he step back as Andy’s counsellor? Yes, at this point, he probably should; he has gotten more involved than even he thought he would, but he’s not perfect and like anyone else, he’s bound to make mistakes.

Small towns can be a pain to put up with at times! And anything and everything if grist for the ol’ rumor mill!

keepsmiling7: Liz knows so much more now than she did before reading that report. Max still has a ways to go and until he actually faces what happened that day and admits that he can’t do everything on his own he won’t begin to heal or let go of the past.

sarammlover: Isabel has a very good point and Michael’s gotten himself into a difficult position. Should be interesting to see how he works himself out of this one, lol. Liz needed to know what happened that day… getting Max to open up will probably be even harder than reading that report. But at least now she’s better armed for that confrontation when it happens.

Ti88: Welcome back! We would never complain about anyone’s feedback being too long, lol! We hope to see growth with all of them and we’re glad Andy sticks out there. Sam definitely knows how to pull him back in line, doesn’t she? Ah, Alex is a dad and he’s gotta protect his little girl. No, there wasn’t anything going on between the kids, but it all boils down to him telling her he didn’t want them together without adult supervision. We’ll see more with Kyle and he’ll have more to say about Tess as we go along. Max will get there, don’t worry. What will Liz do? We’ll find out in the next few parts. Like a good party, huh? Well, we might just have one in store for you then. Andy is definitely facing a few hard facts… like his parents not having the perfect marriage or the perfect life. But, we all face these truths at some point. Michael, Kyle and Isabel… the three amigos! They can be quite funny when they’re all together!



Part 33

Maria walked around her childhood home on Saturday afternoon, searching for anything she could do. Her gaze roamed over furniture, walls, and pictures, but there was nothing she could get herself motivated to do.

Amy walked through the door that connected the kitchen and the living room. “Oh, you’re here.”

Maria frowned. “Where else would I be?”

Her mother shrugged. “I thought you’d probably be at your soon to be new home or something.” She walked in front of the wardrobe and checked herself in the large mirror, brushing her short, brown hair behind one ear.

“We don’t get the keys for it until sometime next week, Mom.”

“Where’s Andy?”

“He’s out with the twins, Kara, Kyle and Tess.”

It was Amy’s turn to frown now. “So why didn’t ya go with them? I can see that you’re bored.”

Maria snorted. “Because Andy thinks hanging out with his Mom is uncool and well, remembering my time in Roswell around his age… I think I can understand.”

“But Kyle’s with him…” Amy protested.

“Yeah. But somehow the teenage boys and girls think Uncle Kyle is cool and Aunt Tess is cool, but Moms and Dads? Nope, don’t think so.”

“Well... I think I know where you’re coming from. So why don’t ya join me this afternoon then?” her mom asked excitedly.

Maria plopped down on the couch. “Where’re you goin’?”

“There’s a little festival for the kids in the park. We’ll do some sports and games. And there’ll be some clowns, a magician, games…”

“I guess I’ll stay here then,” Maria said. Her mother organized these little events with some of the other women from Roswell and she could already imagine the ones who would start asking weird questions and talking about her and her history behind her back.

“Come on, Maria. It’s fun; the weather’s nice and you could use some sun. You look so pale. Nobody would think you had lived in Miami.”

“Thanks! And I know your friends, Mom. They’re nosy.”

“They are not,” Amy denied. “They just care and they’re interested.”

Maria rolled her eyes when Amy just described nosy in a nicer way.

“Think about it, okay? Michael Guerin will be there, too. He coaches the little basketball games and plays in some of them too.”

That got Maria’s attention, but she tried to hide it as much as possible. “He does a lot of stuff with kids, huh?”

“Oh yeah, he is sooooo great with them. No matter what age they are, he always seems to get through to them.” Amy pulled her thin jacket out of the closet next to the door.

Maria nodded. “He’s done a great job with Andy so far, I think.”

“I need to go sweetie, time is already running against me. And think about stopping by, okay?” The older woman didn’t wait for a reply as she made her way outside.

Maria stared at the closed front door for several long seconds before she got to her feet again and started to walk around the room. She stopped in front of the mirror and glanced at herself.

She was pale, no doubt about it.

Maybe she should grab a quick shower and then go to the park as well, see if she could help out with something. Maybe the afternoon would pass by faster then. Maybe there would also be a chance to ask Michael what he thought about her newest business plans. He could give her some advice about how to tell Andy.

*****

Max opened the door for his sister and Kyle early on Saturday afternoon and he reached up to scratch the back of his head as he motioned for them to come inside. He could see Andy sitting in the backseat and he swallowed down the feeling of failure when the kid shot him an angry look before turning his head to look in a different direction. He really wasn’t sure what to say to either of them but he was saved from trying to figure it out when the kids ran down the stairs in response to the doorbell. Ari made a loud howling sound as he scrambled up from where he had been sunning himself in a patch of sunlight at the bottom of the stairs, barely getting out of the way before being trampled.

The kids greeted their aunt and uncle enthusiastically and a moment later Liz joined them and started issuing last minute orders. She sent Justin to change his shirt when she saw that he was wearing one with a rip in it, told Nick to find their jackets in case the warm weather didn’t last, and fussed over the little barrettes in Kara’s hair.

“Liz, relax, they’re goin’ out to spend an afternoon goofin’ off,” Kyle said, amused by the woman’s actions. “I can assure you we’re not goin’ out to some fancy restaurant.”

“He’s right, Liz,” Tess said and then turned to shoot a warning glare at him. “Don’t get used to hearing those two words because it’s obviously a fluke.”

Max shook his head at the couple as Justin trampled back down the steps. Nick was seconds behind him with several jackets in his hands.

“Hey, is Andy with you guys?” Justin asked.

“He’s waitin’ in the car,” Kyle answered.

“Mom, I can’t find my jacket,” Nick complained. He threw Justin’s jacket at him and pushed Kara’s jacket into her hands, ignoring her when she stuck her tongue out at him. He held up the last article of clothing he held with a frown. “I found this one, but… I kinda want my other one.”

“Yeah, ‘cause he doesn’t wanna look like a total dork if we run into Sarah.”

He shoved his brother. “Shut up.”

“Look in the hall closet,” Liz said before the two of them ended up in an argument. “I may have hung it in there by accident the other day when I was picking up some things you guys had left layin’ around the living room.”

“Got it!” Nick yelled after rummaging through the closet. “You’re a lifesaver, Mom,” he said, kissing her cheek before slipping into his jacket.

“You guys ready to go have some fun?” Kyle asked.

“Noooo,” Kara said slowly, drawing the word out. She ran back over to her parents, hugging and kissing them before going back to Kyle and Tess, smiling as she took their hands. “Otay, we go now, Untel Tyle.”

“You guys have fun,” Liz called after them.

Justin paused in the doorway as he followed the others out and after a few moments of indecision he turned around and hugged his mom tightly. “You guys have fun today, too, okay?” he whispered before moving to hug his dad. He kept his voice hushed as he said, “Don’t fight with ‘er, Dad… please.” He hurried to follow the others when Nick shouted for him to hurry up and he gave his brother a shove as they started to argue over who was sitting where.

*****

Maria arrived at the park where the festival was being held, dressed in a mint green dress and matching flip flops. She could already hear children’s laughter and screams from afar. There were some pavilions built up on the grass and a big clown was walking through a group of kids running around him.

Her mother was talking to another woman at the hot dog stand and when Maria neared them she realized that it was Mrs. Miller. Her eyes widened and she considered turning on her heel and walking away again, but unfortunately her mother had already seen her.

“Maria,” Amy cheered in delight, “you came. Come over here, sweetie.”

Maria inwardly rolled her eyes, but smiled as she approached the two older women. “Hey, Mom, Mrs. Miller.”

The other woman smiled politely. “Hello, I can’t believe that I haven’t seen you sooner. Your mother was just telling me that you moved back here a few weeks ago.”

Maria nodded and tried not to look at the woman’s ugly feet that she didn’t even bother trying to hide. No, she wore a pair of open-toe sandals that showed every single ugly stooped toe. “Well, I’ve been busy.”

“Margaret just told me she needs some help over at the makeup stand for the kids. I know you were always into cosmetics.” She turned to Mrs. Miller. “Maria took some classes in Miami as well and I think she’d be glad to help ya over there.”

Maria forced a smile onto her face one more time and nodded. “Sure, why not? I was looking for something I could do anyway.”

Mrs. Miller nodded happily. “The kids will love you, Maria. Come along.” She grabbed the younger woman’s hand to drag her to the booth. Maria shot an annoyed glare in her mother’s direction, but Amy was already busy with someone else.

*****

Liz stood at the window next to the front door as she watched her kids get into Uncle Kyle’s car. They seemed to be excited about their day with their aunt and uncle. She smiled sadly. No wonder, after all the bad moods Max and her had them put through in the last few months.

“They’ll be back in no time,” Max said softly as he came up behind her and wrapped his tanned arms around her waist. His chin rested on his wife’s shoulder as they both watched Kyle pulling out of the driveway. He hoped spending the day together would help. She had been distracted when she had come home the evening before and he hadn’t had time to really talk to her because work had interrupted. Their plans to spend some time alone had been ruined when he had been called out for a stranded motorist with a blown head gasket and by the time he had gotten back home it had been late and she had been asleep.

“Yeah, I know.” She rested her hands on his arms and turned her head slightly to look at him. “They looked pretty happy, didn’t they?”

He frowned. “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Liz nodded. “Yeah, yeah, of course. It just kinda occurred to me again what they’ve been through lately.”

He shook his head. “Liz, don’t go there now. There’s no denying that the last few months have been tough for all of us, but for today… Can’t we just be together and forget about that?” He wasn’t sure he could really forget about it, but at least he could try and pretend in front of her. She deserved a good time.

Liz forced a smile as she remembered the pics of the accident she had seen. It was all too obvious that Max wasn’t able to do what he had just said, but for now she wanted to play along. Maybe today should really be just about the two of them. Tomorrow she had to face him with the fact that she had seen the record.

Max looked at her softly and turned her in his arms to wrap his arms fully around her. He buried his face against her neck and inhaled her scent deeply, realizing just how much he missed being near her lately.

The comfortable silence was disturbed when the phone suddenly started to ring loudly. Liz frowned at it. Why did it have to ring just now and who could it be anyway?

“I’ll answer it,” Max said and rushed to pick up. “Hello?” He listened for a moment. “Um-hmm…”

Liz watched him as he frowned into the phone.

“Can’t someone else do it? I had plans to spend the day with Liz.”

Liz could already feel the anger rising up in her throat.

Max sighed. “Fine, I’ll come get you. Where are you exactly?”

Liz crossed her arms over her chest and turned to look out the window again. He’s going to leave again, her mind screamed at her. They were supposed to be together all day and now he was going away. She forced the upcoming tears away as she heard him hang up the phone.

“Um, Liz,” Max said carefully.

She raised one hand and waved him off. “It’s okay. Whatever it is you have to do, I’m sure it’s more important than what we had planned for the day.”

Her words hurt and he rushed to her side. “No, darlin’, it’s not. But that was Matt Morgan; he’s out on Highway 380 with a flat tire and no spare, so he asked me to pick him up.”

“Matt? He has a huge family, why can’t they pick him up?”

“They’re in Graham for his mother’s birthday. He was on his way back because he has an appointment tonight.”

She rolled her eyes. “Where on 380 is he right now?”

“A little ways past Brownfield.”

“Brownfield?” she asked in disbelief. “Max, that’s a two or three hour drive just to get there.”

He rubbed his eyes. “I know. But he doesn’t have anyone else to ask. You know he doesn’t really have many friends in town, nobody accepted him when his family moved here 5 years ago, and we both know he can’t afford a tow service to come out and get him.”

She knew that Max would never leave a friend hanging, but she was still annoyed.

“Hey, come with me, please? I know that’s not the way we had planned today, but at least we’ll be together.

She was about to say no, but she bit her lip. Did she have any interest in spending half of the day in a car on the highway? No. Would she like to spend the day with her husband? Yes. She sighed. “Fine, I’ll go with you. But you’d better make up for this tonight with a long massage. I can already feel my muscles getting stiff from the long drive.”

He smiled, relieved that she had agreed to go with him. “I’ll do whatever ya want, darling.”

*****

“Okay, look at me, Sophie,” Maria said and placed the brown lipstick she had used on the table next to her. She was straddling a bench and she looked at the four year old girl in front of her, smiling. “Like a real tiger, ya wanna see?”

Sophie nodded. “YES!”

Maria chuckled and grabbed the mirror from the table. “Here,” she held it out in front of the girl’s face. “What do ya say?”

Sophie giggled. “I’m a tiger.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Thank you, M’ria.” The girl jumped up from her seat to run away in the direction of her mother. “Mommy, Mommy. Look!”

Maria smiled to herself as she watched her and remembered when Andy had been four years old. It seemed like it was yesterday.

“They grow up too fast,” someone said from behind her.

A shiver ran down her spine, but she tried to ignore it as she turned around with her upper body and held her right hand over her eyes to protect them from the sun. “Yes, they do.”

Michael smirked. “Coffee?” He was holding two Styrofoam cups and he held one out to her, hoping that she would accept it. He had watched her for the past hour from afar, fighting an inner battle as he debated if he should go to her or not. Isabel had set him straight about Maria the night before and it made him wonder what he should do.

Maria smiled to herself as she accepted the coffee. “Thanks.”

“I can get sugar or milk…” he suggested.

She shook her head. “No, black is just fine.”

“Mitel,” a little boy appeared next to them and plucked at his jeans to get his attention.

“Hey, Tim, what’s up?” He rubbed the boy’s head.

“Are you playing wif me?” He gestured to a little basketball a few feet away from them.

“Timmie, come on. Give Uncle Michael a break,” a woman said as she took the boy’s hand.

Michael saw the sad expression on the kid’s face. “I’ll be there in a few minutes, okay?”

The black-haired woman smiled at him. “Ya know, ya don’t have to, Michael.”

“I’m not gonna miss a chance to play with my buddy,” he replied and pinched the boy’s side playfully until he giggled. “Go ahead, I’ll be there soon.”

Maria had watched the scene quietly and wondered what role the woman and her little boy played in Andy’s counselor’s life. They seemed to be very familiar with each other.

Michael noticed the questioning look on her face. “She and Tim live next to me. She baked me a cake when I moved here. After her son put a dent in my car with his basketball my second day here.”

Maria wasn’t sure why he was telling her this, it wasn’t any of her business at all, but it was kind of sweet that he tried to explain it.

Damn Guerin! Could you be anymore obvious? Think of something to talk about.

“You’re pretty good with kids,” Maria said when he stayed quiet.

“Well, that’s my job, right?” he said and took a seat next to her on the bench. His clothes were more casual than those he wore in school and she had to admit that both looks fit him very well.

“True. But you obviously spend a lot of your free time with them as well.”

He nodded. “I do.”

She looked at him and frowned. “Did I ever ask if you have kids of your own?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I mean, I don’t recall if ya asked before or not, but I don’t have any kids of my own.” He placed his cup on the table and ran his thumb over the edge. “Yet.”

Maria knew from the very few moments she had watched him interacting with kids that he would be a great father. She could also tell that he wanted to have kids in his life, his own kids, but for some reason he hadn’t yet. “Sometimes I think I was too young when I got pregnant with Andy,” she admitted, “but I wouldn’t change it now if I could.” Why am I telling him this?

“He’s a good kid, Maria.” Michael glanced at her. “Did ya get a chance to talk to him about the birthday party for Kyle over at my place?”

She nodded. “Yeah, and I was really surprised that I actually convinced him to come. I just had to promise him no party hats and all that stuff.”

Michael chuckled. “I think we can manage that. And we don’t have to make a big deal out of this.”

She nodded. “Okay, I think Andy would appreciate that; he’s not very comfortable with the situation.”

Michael took a sip of his drink. “I guess I can understand that. I’m still his counsellor,” he paused and glanced at her again. “But I’m also trying to be his friend.”

“He won’t admit it, but I don’t think he’s as bugged by you as he pretends to be.”

“He’s with Kyle now, right?”

“Yeah,” Maria said, surprised.

“Kyle was over at my place last night and he told me,” Michael explained and glanced around the table at all the different cosmetics and stuff. “You did a very good job with little Sophie. Did ya go to school to learn this stuff?”

“I took several classes back in Miami in my free time. It was just as a pastime, ya know?”

“It looked good. Ever thought about doing this professionally?”

How was it that he always seemed to know her so well? she wondered. Maria sipped on her coffee and watched some kids playing in the sandpit. “Actually, I have to admit that I’ve been thinking about it lately.”

He nodded. “Not that I really pay much attention, but I don’t think that Roswell has a good shop here. I also think I’ve heard Shelly, that’s Tim’s mom, complaining about that.”

Maria glanced around to see if Amy could hear them talking before she turned to Michael again. “Tess and I… we have this idea about a combined beauty and hair shop.” She sighed. “I’m just not sure how Andy will react to that. So far, I haven’t told him about it. Ya think he’d be okay with it? I haven’t had a job since Andy was born. He’s kinda used to me being home when he gets back from school.”

Michael scratched his eyebrow as he let the information sink in for a moment. “Well, if this idea is serious and you really wanna do it, then my advice would be to tell him soon. I won’t lie to you; chances are good that he won’t like it at first. He’s still struggling when it comes to dealin’ with changes in his life.” He placed his cup on the table and looked at her directly. “But he’s not the only one who needs to heal, right? And if ya think this job would make you happy in your life, then Andy can’t be the reason for it to not happen. He’ll accept it eventually.”

“I just don’t want us to drift apart even more. Especially now when things are just starting to get better.”

“From my experience, sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better, Maria. And I think I know Andy well enough by now to say that he wants his Mom to be happy again.”

“So you don’t think I’m rushing things?”

He shook his head. “Not if it feels right to you. Andy’s still too young to really see the whole picture at first, but he’s also a smart boy and he’ll figure out that whatever makes his Mom happy, will also be good for him in the end. His life has changed a lot lately and it’s probably better to do this now, before things here in Roswell settle into that same old routine pattern again. ”

Maria smiled sadly. “It sounds so easy when you say it.”

He chuckled. “I know it’s a lot harder than it sounds. But I’m gonna help as much as I can.”

She nodded. “I know I was sceptical at first, but you’ve really gotten through to Andy.

He smiled, proud of himself and his work.

“Mitel, when are ya comin’?” the little boy screamed across the park.

Maria and Michael both chuckled. “Sounds like you’re in high demand today.”

He sighed. “Yeah.”

“It’s okay. I guess I just got my next customer as well,” she said and gestured to a little girl next to them and winked at her.

“I guess I’ll see you later then,” he said as he got up and tossed his cup into a trash can.

She nodded. “Probably.” She watched him walk away and smiled as she turned back around to get started on her next customer.

*****

A/N: The voting fic is up, you can find it in the AU With Alien Thread!

Earth2Mama: M&L will definitely make the best out of this situation…

mary mary: Max definitely has to deal with a lot. We can only imagine how it feels to lose a family member in the way he did.

We are glad ya like Michael!

begonia9508: Michael IS nice and one day the Candy storyline will start to develop as well, lol.

We will see how the M&L drive will go!

keepsmiling7: Michael is helping Andy a lot, everyone can already see the change in the teenager.

M&L have a lot of things to discuss. Maybe they can start this right now?

Alien_Friend: Michael is a great counselor and friend for Andy and Maria. Ya can already see a change in the teenager.

M&L need to deal with a lot of pain and grief. It has to be hard to lose a brother in the way Max did.

Tyle and Tess are so good with the kids.

sarammlover: Yep, definitely slowly, lol. But it will happen!

M&L will try to make the best out of this car trip.

Maiqu: Seems like someone is against M&L alone time, huh? But maybe the car trip won’t turn out as bad as Liz expects it to be.

Kyle / Tess and kids will just get some airtime today. 

rosyrosy2882: Again, we are glad ya like Michael! 

One day just M&L? Hm, maybe not a whole day, but a car trip, that won’t be as bad as expected. We know the Dreamer hearts are bleeding (so are the Candy hearts) right now and it will still take a while for them to settle things.

Thanks! Updates are every Sunday!




Part 34

Michael used the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow as he walked to the table where Amy had set up refreshments. He accepted a bottle of water from her and nodded in thanks as he raised it to his lips. After downing almost half of it he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and motioned to Kyle, who was still out on the court doing his best to show off for Tess.

“Think he’s ever gonna get her to go out with him?”

Amy smiled. “Only time will tell.” She nodded at her grandson. Andy was standing on the other side of the court, his eyes glued to the game. “He still won’t get out there, huh?”

“Not yet.” He grinned. “I’ll get him out there before the day’s over.”

“Of course you will,” she said, and her tone indicated that she didn’t believe him.

“Tell ya what, if I get him to play you owe me a plate of those homemade chocolate chip cherry cookies you made for the Labor Day picnic.”

“You get my grandson to play and you’ll have a batch of those cookies fresh out of the oven tomorrow afternoon.”

He smiled and tossed the empty bottle in the recycle barrel next to the table. “Can’t wait.” He jogged back out onto the court, getting back into the game and shooting a quick glance at Andy. He had tried to get the boy to play a couple of times that morning, but he hadn’t had any luck so far. He’d figure it out though, he thought. He was certain of it.

*****

Kara propped her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in her cupped hands as she sighed loudly. “This’s boring, Aunt Tessie. When we’re gonna go play the games?”

“Hmm?” Tess mumbled, distracted by Kyle’s display of athletic ability. He had played sports back in high school but he was still at the top of his game.

Kara watched her uncle and brothers play for a little bit longer before her gaze started to wander and she looked at her cousin. “Why come Andy don’t play?”

“He’s just not ready,” she answered, hoping it would be enough to satisfy her niece. She glanced at Kara when she sighed loudly and started kicking the bleacher in front of her. “You know, I heard someone say they were gonna have someone here to paint faces…”

“Wha’s that?” Kara asked, scrunching her nose up in confusion.

“Why don’t we go check it out?”

“Otay. I’m hungry too, Aunt Tessie.”

Tess checked her watch as she took her niece’s hand and they walked down out of the bleachers. “Let’s stop and see if we can get Uncle Kyle’s attention.”

Kyle motioned for a timeout when he saw Tess waving and calling his name from the sidelines. He jogged over to join them, wiping his face with his left sleeve. “What’s up, girls?” he asked breathlessly.

“Eww, Untel Tyle, you’re all icky!” Kara said, making a face at him.

He grinned at her before turning his attention to Tess. “What’s goin’ on?”

“We’re gonna go walk around for a bit and Kara’s hungry so I was wondering when you guys wanted to stop for lunch? If you guys are gonna be playing much longer we’ll just get somethin’ to snack on.”

Kyle bit his lip as he glanced back at the other players. “How’s half an hour sound?”

“Snack,” Kara insisted as she sat on the ground to tie her shoe.

“You sure? It won’t be that long, short stuff.”

The little girl held onto her shoestrings as she glanced up at them. “Huh-uh, you gotta take a baf.” She made a face as she tried to loop one of the shoestrings over the other. “Is Aunt Tessie gonna hafta help you?”

Kyle’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

“Mommy always makes Daddy take a baf when he’s all icky an’ if he’s really icky Mommy has to help him and it takes for forever!” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “An’ you’re really icky, Untel Tyle.”

“Hmm,” he said, pretending to think about it. “I guess I’ll try extra hard all by myself since it’ll take sooo long if Aunt Tess helps me.” He winked at Tess and grinned when he noticed the mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes.

“Otay, ‘cause I’m real hungry an’ I don’t wanna wait for forever!”

Kyle was trying hard not to laugh at her dramatic tone. “Alright, you girls go grab a snack and once this game’s over we’ll get cleaned up and meet you… where?”

“We’re gonna be over by the booths where they’re doing the face painting and stuff.”

“Untel Tyle, when we’re gonna play the games?” Kara asked as she stood up again.

He leaned over to brush her clothes off where she’d been sitting in the grass. “Patience, short stuff. We’re gonna hit the games a little later.”

“But it’s gonna be dark later.”

“Yeah, but that’s when the fun really starts. All the lights will be on around the game booths and me an’ you, we’re gonna win us some really cool stuff, right?”

She smiled. “For Mommy and Daddy?”

“Yeah, we’ll win somethin’ just for them.”

“Otay.”

“C’mon, Uncle Kyle!” Nick yelled. “No more timeouts to talk to your girlfriend!”

“Yeah!” Justin chimed in. “Kiss her or get back in the game!”

“Aww, man, he’s not gonna kiss her!” Andy hollered, joining in. “Aunt Tess is makin’ him work for it!”

“Oh, right, I forgot… they’re old!”

Michael laughed at the razzing the boys were giving their aunt and uncle and he shook his head when he saw old Mrs. Miller hanging onto every word. Anyone who didn’t know Kyle and Tess were dancing around each other would surely know by morning, he thought with a smirk. “You know the rumor’s are gonna be flyin’ after that, don’t you?” he asked when Kyle ran back out on the court.

“No big deal.” He shrugged with a big grin. “Tess doesn’t care about that anymore than I do.” He turned and pointed at his nephews. “You three are in for it.”

They just rolled their eyes at his warning.

“C’mon, let’s get this game rollin’ so I can feed the little antagonists.” He motioned for the kid with the ball to toss it to him. “I’d hate for ‘em to run outta those little smartass comments before I take ‘em back home.” He bounced the ball on the concrete and shot one more quick glance at Tess before getting back in the game.

*****

Maria looked up when she heard her name being called and she smiled when she saw Kara dragging Tess through the crowd. She had taken a break to grab something for lunch but she was still wandering past the stands, debating what she was in the mood for.

“Hi, Aunt M’ria!” Kara greeted when Tess released her hand and she could run up and hug her aunt. “Why come you wasn’t at the game?”

“Hey, Kara. Well, I was helping my mom out over here for a little while and then I got hungry so I thought I’d get something to eat.”

“Us too! Untel Tyle don’t need no help with his baf so we can eat now.” She pointed at one of the vendors. “Look, pizza!”

Maria’s eyebrows lifted and she glanced at her sister-in-law as they dutifully followed their niece. “So, it’s good to know Kyle can bathe by himself… what’s up with that?”

“Kara informed Kyle that he’s all icky ‘cause he’s been playin’ basketball and he’s been sweatin’. And then she wanted to know if I was gonna have to help him with his bath since her mommy helps daddy when he’s really dirty.” She rolled her eyes and grinned. “The rumors should really be interesting by morning.”

Maria shook her head. “You are so bad, girl.”

Tess shrugged. “Why should I care what the gossips say about me? Truth, lies, good, bad, it doesn’t matter; they’re gonna say what they wanna say because their lives are that sad.”

Maria chuckled. “I suppose that’s true.”

“It is true,” Tess insisted. Her stomach rumbled as they stood in line at the pizza stand. “Damn, that does smell good.”

“Um-hmm. Hey, how was the game goin’?”

“No idea. I wasn’t really paying much attention to it.”

“Focused on just one of the players?” Maria teased.

“Is it my fault if Kyle’s hot? He’s still so athletic and I swear there’s a lack of oxygen whenever he’s around.” She rolled her eyes. “And it’s not just the physical stuff either… he’s genuinely a good guy.”

“Hell, Tess, you’ve known that all along.”

“I know what I wanted to believe, Maria, but I won’t go blindly into another relationship, not even with Kyle.”

“I can respect that decision. There’s no need to rush things.”

“Exactly.”

“Hey, has anyone been able to get Andy out on the basketball court?”

Tess nodded at Kara when they moved to the head of the line and the little girl asked if she could order for all of them. “Not yet. Kyle, the twins, Michael, and some of the other players have all tried, but so far he’s hangin’ at the sidelines.”

Once they had their slices of pizza and a drink they walked over to one of the picnic tables and sat down.

“Has he played at all since Andrew…?” she trailed off, not wanting to talk about her brother’s death around her niece.

Maria shook her head. “Sometimes, back in Miami, his best friend would get him to play a little one-on-one in the driveway, but he wouldn’t play at school or with any of the local clubs or teams for his age group.”

“I feel really bad for him. God, you can see how much he loves the game. I was watching him while the others were playing and you can see him shift and move almost like he’s the one out there with the ball.”

“I know.” Maria bit back a smile when she noticed that Kara was picking the sausage off of her slice of pizza and stacking it on the side of the plate.

“Um, what’re you doin’, Kara?” Tess asked.

“I don’t like them… it’s not like Mommy makes it.”

“Okay, well, you wanna get somethin’ else to eat?”

“Huh-uh.”

“Alright,” she said slowly. She looked at Maria and shrugged.

“You think this’s bad? When Andy was four he refused to eat anything orange or yellow for almost a year.”

Tess shook her head. “Kids can be so strange sometimes. Hey, you wanna join us for lunch? The boys should be getting done with their game soon.”

“No, I promised my mom I’d help out this afternoon.” She rolled her eyes. “And besides that, it’ll probably be good for Andy to hang out without having to worry about Mom doing anything that might embarrass him.”

They talked for a little while longer before Maria left them to go back to her afternoon post. Tess watched her niece for a few minutes when she realized that Kara had stopped eating and was just picking at the crust now. “Hey, sweetie, what’s the matter?”

“I miss Mommy an’ Daddy. Why they didn’t come too?”

“Your mommy and daddy just needed some time alone, Kara.”

“Why?”

“Er… um… why?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Oh, well, um… sometimes grownups just need some time alone,” she said, fumbling for an explanation that the little girl would understand.

“Why?”

“Well, sometimes people just need to get away from everything and just kinda relax.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” Kyle asked as he and the boys came up behind them.

“I wanna go home, Untel Tyle,” Kara said, her voice trembling as she tried not to cry. “I miss Mommy and Daddy an’ Aunt Tessie said they don’t want us no more.”

Tess’ mouth dropped open in shock. “I didn’t say that!” she denied as she looked at Kyle. “All I said was their parents needed some time alone.”

“Hey, hey, hey, baby girl,” Nick soothed as he scooped her up in his arms. “Mom an’ Dad just needed some time to hang out… kinda like we’re doin’.”

“Yeah, squirt, besides, I thought you wanted to show us how to win somethin’ later on?” Justin said as he reached out and tugged on her leg. “Mom an’ Dad still want us. Aunt Tess didn’t mean anything bad when she said they wanted some time alone… it’s kinda like when we’re all playin’ a video game or watchin’ a movie an’ you wanna go to your room and play with your dolls an’ stuff.”

“It’s otay then?”

“Yep. And ya know what?”

She shook her head.

“We’re gonna go have a picnic now and then we’re gonna play a couple more games, and after that it’s gonna be getting close to dark an’ we can start playin’ all those games you’ve been waitin’ to play.”

“What games are you guys gonna play?” Sam asked as she joined them.

Andy straightened up. “Hey, Sam.” He glanced around, looking for her father.

“Don’t worry, Dad’s wandering around checking to see if they’ve got any new games this year. So, what games did ya wanna play, Kara?”

“She likes the ring toss,” Justin answered. “We’re gonna play the one where you shoot the moving targets,” he said, pointing as his brother and cousin.

“I’m a better shot,” Andy said.

Nick snorted. “Whatever.”

“I’m sensing some major competition here,” Sam laughed. “Which is great because I’ve got my eye on this really awesome purple tiger over at that booth, and as much as I love my dad, shooting at moving targets really isn’t his thing.”

“Good to know,” Andy muttered.

“So, which one of you guys is gonna win my tiger tonight?”

“Me.”

She grinned when all three of them answered at the same time. “I’d better get back to my dad. What time will you guys be headin’ over to the games?”

“Right around 6pm,” Kyle answered when they all looked at him expectantly. “Alright, you guys, let’s go get lunch and settle down for a bit.” He accepted Kara from Nick when the boy handed her over and he rubbed her back as she rested her head on his shoulder and hugged his neck.

Sam took off in one direction and Kyle and Tess followed the boys as they led the way to the car while debating who was going to win the purple tiger.

“I didn’t mean to upset her,” Tess said.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Kids have their own way of interpreting things and sometimes you upset them without ever knowin’ what you said to set them off.” He reached out and collared her with his right arm, pulling her against his side and letting his arm rest loosely around her shoulders. “It’ll be okay, Tess, don’t worry about it.”

“Easy for you to say,” she grumbled as she slid her arm around his waist and hooked her thumb in one of his belt loops. “You’re not the one who’s traumatized a four-year-old today.”

“She’ll be fine, Tess, I promise. Before long she’ll completely forget what you said and things will be right back to normal.”

She nodded. “You’d better be right.” She sighed contentedly as she leaned against his solid frame and she wondered what the rest of the day held in store for them.

Earth2Mama: That is a very difficult age to explain things in a way that can be understood and poor Tess was just stepping in it left and right, lol. We’re pretty sure Kyle’s right.

Hopefully he won’t give her too much of a hard time.

Hmm… what could those two be getting up to?

begonia9508: Nope, it just wasn’t quite as simple for Kara. Who can resist FBI Special Agent Kyle Valenti? We think Tess might just be realizing she can’t resist him as well as she thought she could.

killjoy: Yeah, we’re suspicious that Tess has just about let go of being mad at Kyle… she just hasn’t told herself yet.

mary mary: Kids are like little sponges, absorbing everything around them! And yes, they share the most embarrassing things at the most inappropriate times!

dreambeliever: Kara… yeah, we can’t deny that she’s a little sweetheart. Hopefully some time alone will do our Dreamer couple some good.

rosyrosy2882: Yeah, poor Tess, she walked right into that one.

Ungh, kids can drive ya nuts with all the “whys” and “what ifs”!

Don’t worry, our counsellor hasn’t given up on Andy.

And he will get better.

sarammlover: Glad you’re lovin’ Kyle and Tess here! It’s gonna take some work, but they’re eventually gonna get together.

Eva: Yeah, Kara’s translation of what Aunt Tess said… poor Tess, lol!

Well, they couldn’t as of that last update… we’ll see what happens today. Michael won’t give up on him. Andy’s holding himself back, but eventually he’s gonna see that it’ll be okay for him to start moving on.

Alien_Friend: One step at a time, but they are getting closer. She’s cute, huh? Ya gotta love it when kids just share things that just shock you because they’re so unexpected.

Yes, she does. Andy was quite relieved to learn that Papa Bear Alex isn’t very good at taking out moving targets, lol.



Part 35

Maria found a seat further back from the basketball court as Michael and Kyle divided the group of teenage boys into two teams. She held her breath when the counselor approached her son where he was still hanging out on the sidelines. She had watched him try to encourage Andy to play on several occasions throughout the day and so far the teenager had stubbornly refused.

“Last game,” Michael said as he leaned against the lamp post and crossed his arms over his chest.

Andy was leaning against the other side of the same lamp post and he nodded as he watched his uncle messing around on the court. He was itching to get out there and play but he still wasn’t sure if he should. Mom had assured him many times that it was okay if he wanted to play and he found himself scanning the sizeable crowd that had gathered as the afternoon wore on.

Michael pretended not to notice when the boy started to search the spectators, knowing he was seeking his mother’s approval. “I wouldn’t mind winnin’ this one just so I don’t have to listen to Kyle braggin’ it up for the next week.”

“Yeah, that’d suck for you.”

“Ya think? So, whatcha say?”

Andy finally located his mom and he saw her nod of encouragement. “Well, you wanna win… I want these stupid counseling sessions to be over.”

“You wanna negotiate, huh?”

The teenager straightened up when he realized the counselor hadn’t just said no.

Michael kept his expression neutral when he saw the interest in the boy’s face. He and Isabel had decided the day before to drop Andy down to one session per week.

“Hell yeah!”

“What if we agree to a compromise?”

“Like what?”

Michael shrugged. “I’ll tell ya somethin’ now instead of waitin’ until Tuesday.”

“Guess that means I’m not getting rid of you.”

“Not entirely.”

“Wait, what’s that mean?”

“What would you say to just one session per week?”

“Really?” He grinned slowly before he realized it. “Why not just let me think I had negotiated my way down to one session per week?”

“Would you really rather me lie to you?”

Andy glanced out at the court and then at his mom once more. “Well, alright, I guess one game’ll be okay.”

Tears blurred Maria’s vision when Andy took several halting steps out onto the court and Kyle collared him for a brief guy hug. Andy and the twins shoved each other around the way teenage boys tended to do while Michael and Kyle sorted the teams and got the game started.

*****

Liz smiled sleepily when she heard Max singing along with the radio and after a few minutes she realized she had fallen asleep on him.

“Well, look who decided to wake up,” he teased when she shifted next to him and stretched lazily. He reached out to turn the volume down before sitting back and draping his arm around her shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Max.”

“Nothin’ to be sorry about, darlin’,” he denied, giving her a quick kiss.

“You didn’t ask me to come with you so I could sleep.” She glanced at the landscape around them when she realized they were no longer on the highway. “Jeez, Max, I thought you said he was on 380?”

He pulled her back against his side and dropped a kiss on her head as he turned onto a small dirt road. “I may have told a little lie,” he admitted with a grin.

She looked around, feeling familiarity settle over her. She knew the area… she recognized it… but she couldn’t place it. Until he turned one more time and parked near a small river that they had discovered by accident years ago. “Max, we haven’t been here in…”

“Too long,” he finished for her. “I know. I thought today would be the perfect day to get away; the kids are out of the house, the weather’s ridiculously nice for this time of year, and neither of us have a thing to do all afternoon.”

“It has been a while since we just got out of the house without the kids.”

He hooked the keys on his belt and tipped her chin up. “No talkin’ about the kids this afternoon. No kids, no work, no family stuff… nothin’ but us today, Liz.”

She nodded and waited when he opened his door and hurried around the other side to open her door for her. He helped her down and held her hand as they walked to the back of the truck and he unhooked the cooler he had strapped down up against the back of the cab. He reached in behind the seat and grabbed a large blanket that he handed to her and then he motioned for her to lead the way.

They found a nice shady spot near the river and spread the blanket out before sitting down and opening the cooler up.

“It’s probably tacky to chill a good bottle of wine in a beer cooler, but it’ll have to do,” he said with a smile.

“Max…”

He lifted his head when he recognized the playful tone in her voice and his eyebrows rose when he realized she had unbuttoned her top and was pulling it off. Years ago when they had first opened the shop he had been so busy with work that they had started to sneak away to be together whenever the opportunity arose and they had often driven out to the country for an hour or two of stolen time. When the weather had been right they had taken a dip in the river or lake, wherever they were, and now he realized he couldn’t remember the last time they had done this.

He shoved the bottle of wine back into the ice and jerked his own shirt over his head as he kicked his boots off. She was free of her clothes and walking backwards toward the water as he stood and hopped on one foot and then the other as he fought to get his jeans and boxers off. She laughed at him when he tripped and nearly fell on his ass, but as soon as he was free of the entrapments she saw the intent in his dark eyes and she turned and ran to the river.

Water splashed as he dove in after her, their familiarity with the river allowing them to know where it was safe to jump in. They played in the water for a while, splashing each other, trying to push each other under the water, and just enjoyed horsing around.

“Did you really think you could get away from me?” he growled when he finally caught her.

Liz loved the carefree smile on his face and she reached up to let her fingertips trace over his lips. “There’s nothin’ I’ve ever wanted less,” she breathed.

“In spite of my recent behavior I don’t wanna push you away, Liz. You, our family… I swear to you, nothin’ is more important to me.”

She stopped herself from slipping into lecture mode and telling him what he needed to do or how he needed to change. Today wasn’t about that and she didn’t want to ruin it. They were together, trying to reconnect, and she didn’t want to jeopardize any forward movement they might make. “I love you, Max.”

He had seen the momentary hesitation and he was relieved when she let the moment pass without bringing up their problems. “Do you remember the first time we ever made love outdoors?” he asked, grinning at the memory even though it was kind of embarrassing.

Liz laughed as she thought back. “Oh, my God, I haven’t thought about that in a long time! That freak storm came up outta nowhere and while we were tryin’ to get outta the water my shirt and your pants were blown into the river… never to be seen again.”

He grinned and shook his head. The articles of clothing had been carried away by the fast-moving current and there had been no way to get them back. He had given her his shirt to cover up with and he’d only had a pair of soaking wet boxers to cover himself with. They had been stopped by the sheriff for a burnt-out taillight on their way back into town and Max had somehow managed to keep a straight face and carry on a serious conversation with the older man.

To this day he wasn’t sure how the sheriff had kept his expression so serious as he had asked if Max wanted to step out and take a look at the light for himself.

“I just knew he was gonna give us a citation.”

Max snorted. “I was more worried that he was gonna make me get out and take a look at that damn light. It’s not bad enough that wet boxers are practically see-through, but that storm brought all that cold air with it…” he shook his head. “Ya know how embarrassing that would’ve been?”

She wiggled free of his grasp, intentionally brushing her fingertips against him as she swam back toward the bank. “Nothin’ to be embarrassed about now,” she said and tossed a grin over her shoulder.

He chuckled and swam after her, hauling himself up on the bank and taking up the chase as she ran over to the blanket, ducking out of his reach several times. She dodged his grasp once more and turned the tables on him, tripping him up and knocking him over on his back on the blanket. He let out a quiet “oof” when she landed on top of him and her fingertips lovingly traced over his features as she watched him.

Max felt her slight weight pressing down against him and his teeth sank into his bottom lip when she shifted to take him inside of her. Not a word was spoken as she braced her hands on his chest, her body rising and falling as she rode him slowly. There were times when they talked as they made love, times when they were rushed and there wasn’t time to really talk, and other times when words simply weren’t necessary.

His hands moved over her body slowly as he let her set the pace. He knew her moods so well that all it took was a look or a touch to let him know what she wanted. She would take things slow for a while in this mood, take her time with the build-up, and when she was ready to come she would tighten her grip on his hips and he would know to take over.

Liz loved the way it felt when he was inside of her. The intimate connection, the pure sexuality of the moment, and of course the wild feelings it set loose in her were all things she loved about being with him like this. He had always been a generous and caring lover, but he could also be spontaneous and completely in the moment too.

She could feel the erotic tension coiling tighter and tighter and she gave him the signal, silently telling him to take control. He rolled them over and felt her legs lock around him, keeping him close as he thrust hard and deep to give her the release she was reaching for. It wasn’t until afterwards while they were lying there, drawing in lungfuls of oxygen and allowing their bodies to recover, that either of them spoke.

Max came up on one elbow to look down into her flushed face and he smiled at the expression of satisfaction there. He captured her hand when it settled against his cheek and he held it there, turning his head to press a kiss into her palm.

“Thank you for this, Max,” she said quietly. “We really needed it.”

He nodded and wished he’d taken the time to do it sooner. They had always made the time for each other, time without the kids and away from their jobs. But the past few months they had let it slide and their relationship was hurting from that lack of connection between them. He knew he carried the majority of the responsibility for that and he wanted to do so much better than what he had been doing.

Liz could see the struggle in him and she increased the pressure of her palm against his cheek to bring his gaze back to hers. “Max, let yourself off the hook today… we’ll figure things out between us, but for today, let’s just be together.”

Max smiled at her and nodded, grateful for the temporary reprieve from his own thoughts. He lay down beside her again held her close as he looked up at the late afternoon sky. They had several hours before they had to even think about heading back home and he wanted them to enjoy their time away while it lasted.

*****

Tess walked along between the twins and Andy and Kyle as they headed for the games set up on either side of the walkway past the little concession stands and booths selling crafts and other goods. She didn’t even know when Kyle had taken her hand but it felt so right enclosed in his warm grasp that she just left it there.

“Hey, Uncle Kyle?” Nick asked as he switched places with Justin. “Would you be interested in goin’ campin’ maybe one weekend?”

“I could probably be talked into it without too much work,” Kyle answered. “What about your dad?”

“Well…”

“We don’t wanna ask Dad,” Justin spoke up. “We don’t wanna upset him or anything, so we thought maybe you’d wanna go.” He shrugged. “It’s just, we used to go campin’ an’ fishin’ a lot an’ now we just don’t go anymore.”

Kyle glanced at Andy, wondering what he would say about it. The boy had been in a very good mood since playing basketball with them a while ago and he didn’t want to ruin that. “What about you, bud? Would you wanna go campin’ or would you rather not?”

Andy shrugged. “I’d be okay with it, I guess. I haven’t been since… ya know… but it’d be okay if you were goin’.” He stopped himself before he said anything that would hurt the twins. He could care less about going camping with Uncle Max, but as long as Uncle Kyle was there he wouldn’t mind it so much.

“Tell you guys what… I’ll talk to Max and see how he feels about it. If he’s okay either with goin’ an’ takin’ you guys or with me takin’ you guys, maybe we can make a weekend of it. My partner’s comin’ out for a few days pretty soon and you guys would enjoy hangin’ out with him.”

“He’s like your FBI partner?” Andy asked. He raised an eyebrow in interest when his uncle nodded. “Is he on vacation like you right now?”

“Well, he hasn’t taken a leave of absence, but he is on vacation for a few weeks. He comes from a family of cattle ranchers up north.”

Justin looked at his uncle. “Does he know anything about the rodeo?”

“I’d imagine so. He used to compete in college, back before he joined the FBI.”

“Really?”

“Um-hmm. So, I’ll talk to your dad and see how he feels about us getting together for a weekend out in the woods. You guys just leave it alone and leave the talkin’ to me.”

“Untel Tyle,” Kara said as she tugged on his collar to get his attention. “Untel Tyle, looky!” She pointed at a booth not far away and she nearly jerked a button off of his shirt in her enthusiasm to make him see what she was looking at.

“He sees it, sweetie,” Tess assured her as she reached up to remove Kara’s hand from his collar.

“Aww, man, I thought we were headin’ for the shootin’ gallery,” Andy complained, making a face at the ring toss Kara was interested in.

“You guys go ahead,” Kyle told the boys. “Do not go wanderin’ off so that I have to walk all over the place to find you when we’re finished here.”

The boys agreed and took off running, nearly knocking each other over in their haste to be the first one at the counter. The ring toss was a game that was nowhere near as easy as it was made to sound but it was the game Kara had her heart set on because it was the one with the stuffed toy she had her eyes on and nothing else was going to do.

“You’re sure this’s the one, short stuff?” Kyle asked.

Tess giggled because she knew how difficult the game was and she knew before the night was over he would have paid a small fortune for the prize Kara had decided on.

“It gots to be that one, Untel Tyle,” the little girl insisted as she pointed at the prize.

“Alright.” He pulled a large bill out of his wallet and set it on the counter, shaking his head at the pimply-faced kid on the other side. “Don’t ask, just keep us supplied with rings.”

“Dude, for that kinda money I could just hand that toy over to you.”

“You could, but it’s important to her that she win it fair an’ square.” He nodded in appreciation with the kid placed a pile of the colorful rubber rings on the counter. “You care if she stands up here?”

“Whatever, dude.”

Tess bit her bottom lip when Kyle rolled his eyes and set Kara down on the counter and grabbed a handful of the rings. He held the first one out to her and she grabbed it, gripping it with both hands and crouching down before she threw it… and smacked pimple-face in the back of his head.

“Oh, my God,” Kyle muttered, “she throws like a girl. She’s worse than Maria.”

“What’s that, Kyle?”

He cringed when he heard his sister’s voice coming from behind him and he turned his head to look at her. “Um, I was just sayin’ that you and Kara could both use some help in the area of throwin’.”

Maria glanced down at the pile of rings sitting on the counter next to Kara’s feet. “Um-hmm, well, it looks like you’ve got everything under control over here. Where’s my son gotten off to?”

“The boys were headin’ over to the shootin’ gallery… apparently the purple tiger or somethin’ is in high demand by teenage girls.”

Tess snorted. “That’d be one teenage girl and unless I miss my guess I think Andy and Justin both like her.”

“Great, nothing like a little rivalry to get things started,” Maria said, rolling her eyes.

*****

Andy knocked down several more of the tin ducks moving past them and he paused to grin at Nick. “What’s that you were sayin’ about bein’ such a good shot?” he taunted good-naturedly.

His cousin lined up the sight on his rifle and knocked down several of the tin ducks. “I think my record speaks for itself,” he answered as the guy behind the counter pulled down another of the small purple tigers and placed it in front of him. “Looks to me like I’ve got four and you’ve only got three.”

Justin ignored them as he focused on the targets, not even bothering to look down when another little tiger was added to his pile. Five more and he could trade ten small tigers for a bigger one.

“Boys, boys, boys,” Sam murmured as she joined them. “What have you been doin’ while I’ve been busy with my dad?”

“Oh, hey, Sam,” Andy greeted.

Nick’s self-assured grin froze on his face when he turned and realized that Sarah Lambert was with her. “What’s up?” he asked, mentally kicking himself before the words were completely out of his mouth.

“Hi, Nicky,” Sarah said with a shy smile. “Wanna go with me to get some cotton candy?”

“Okay.” His grin shifted from self-assured to goofy and he shoved his winnings over to his cousin as he walked off with the girl.

Andy knocked off a few more shots, adding another small tiger to his collection. He nodded when the attendant asked if he wanted to trade his winnings in for a larger tiger and as soon as he had it in his hands he turned to offer it to Sam. “So, this’s the one ya wanted, right?”

She smiled and accepted the soft, plush purple tiger. “That’s so sweet, Andy.” She gave him a hug and took a step back when someone cleared their throat behind her. “Look, Daddy,” she said, knowing it was him before she ever turned around. “Look what Andy won for me.”

“He didn’t technically win it,” Justin muttered. “Cheater!” he hissed at his cousin.

Alex watched the teenager as he stood his ground and he could see the effort it was taking for the boy to stand still and not turn and run the opposite direction. Not that it really helped his case any, but he could respect him for trying.

“I didn’t realize you were such a good shot, Mr. Whitman.”

The denial froze on his tongue when he turned and saw Principal Russell standing nearby and his gaze traveled over her quickly and without being rude. Crisp jeans and a white blouse were a direct contrast to what she wore at school, but they looked just as good on her. “I didn’t realize you’d be here,” he said, hoping it didn’t sound as nervous as he felt like it did.

Isabel smiled as she glanced around. “I think pretty much the whole town turns out for these events.”

“Oh, right. Well, yeah…”

Sam’s gaze moved between her father and the principal of the high school and she rolled her eyes. No way her dad was flirting – badly – with the principal… that was just wrong to the power of infinity! “Um, Dad, weren’t we about to leave?” she asked as she tugged on his arm.

“Hmm?”

“Leavin’, ya know?”

“Oh, right.” He nodded apologetically to Isabel. “We were just leavin’ but perhaps I could walk you somewhere first?”

She smiled. “I’m actually on my way to meet a friend but maybe next time?”

“Sure, next time.”

Sam rolled her eyes and grabbed her dad’s arm. “Okay, gotta go, guys. Andy, thanks for the awesome purple tiger. Justin…” she glanced at the small tigers next to him. “Aww, tiger cubs!”

He slowly smiled as he gathered them up. “You want ‘em to go with your tiger?”

“Really? You don’t mind?”

“Huh-uh.”

“Aww, Justin, you’re the best! That is just sooo sweet!”

Alex looked down when his daughter started stuffing little purple tigers in his arms and he frowned. “Sam… what’s all this?”

“Aren’t they just so sweet, Daddy? Justin and Andy won all of them for me!”

He sighed as he looked between the two boys. Great, one wasn’t bad enough, now he had two hormone-driven teenage boys interested in his daughter. “Yeah, that’s very sweet,” he agreed.

Isabel smiled when the poor man suddenly realized that his daughter had two admirers and he looked like he had no idea what to do now. “Is that offer to walk me somewhere still open?” she asked, drawing his attention.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure.”

“It’s not far, but it is in the direction of the parking area and I’m assuming that’s where you’re headed?”

“Daddy, we should really get going,” Sam insisted, frowning at the principal.

Alex didn’t get the chance to enjoy walking with Isabel because Sam managed to move between them and talk a mile a minute the entire time. He barely had the opportunity to say goodnight to the woman as they parted ways but before he could say anything to Sam she was talking about an upcoming assignment and he lost himself in helping her figure out what she was doing and forgot all about his intention to question her about her behavior.

keepsmiling7: Yep, that time alone is very important and these two definitely needed it.

Lol, stories like that are great, aren’t they? It’s those little moments in life that we remember so well.

mary mary: We think Tess might just be getting much closer to realizing that.

Everyone needs time to decompress… looks like they were able to do that.

Eva: Thanks!

Andy’s definitely making some good progress… let’s just hope he stays on that path.

We’re glad Max surprised ya. Liz needed that, and so did he.

Natalie36: Thanks! They all needed a good time and looks like they were able to have that.

Alien_Friend: Sam’s not quite ready to share her dad… and with the principal of all people? Lol, we’ll see how that goes.

The boys were definitely focused on winning that purple tiger. We’ll see what happens with that particular triangle as we move forward.

A camping trip would be good for the boys. Max, well, we’ll find out how he takes it. It took some unconscious teamwork to get Andy back out on the basketball court. Look for more forward movement from him.

The two of them really needed some time away from everyone and everything. Max knew they seriously needed some time together and he did a good job getting Liz away for the day.

begonia9508: Yup, time together away from the kids and everything else is important and right now it’s crucial for these two.

Nope, not Max’s sister in this one… he has Tess as his sister this time ‘round.

Earth2Mama: Apologies are never necessary! Hope your weekend was at least good since it had stressful in the mix, lol.

Sam’s not quite sure she likes her dad mixing business and pleasure with the high school principal.

sarammlover: Nah, it’s not easy, but they’re gonna get there. Max did well with getting Liz away for the day. It took some work, but it’s a good thing for Andy. Ah, we’ll see what happens there… Justin’s still trying to figure out what his feelings for his pal Sam really are. Oh, chances are that things won’t progress without a bump or two where Alex and Isabel are concerned. Sam isn’t that excited about Dad expressing interest in the principal.

rosyrosy2882: Alex has his work cut out for him.

Hopefully things won’t get too ugly between the boys. Ya know how boys are – they’ve always gotta prove who’s better. Big fight, huh?

Max and Liz sooo needed time away from everyone and everything.

Lol, great story, right? That would’ve been totally embarrassing!

Yup, Michael’s a pretty awesome counsellor and between his encouragement and Maria’s encouragement, they managed to get Andy back out on the court.

No worries, it’ll happen!

Cardinal: Wow… um, thanks!

Awesome compliment! We’ve been writing together since oh, about October 2008 and our joint effort’s resulted in six fics and counting, lol. We’re really glad you’re enjoying our fics! 

killjoy: Lol, oh, she will. No promises about her hurrying up though. We’ve found the more we prod her the more resistant she becomes, so for now we’re just letting her take it at her own pace.

Yup, Sam’s not exactly thrilled that the high school principal is interested in her dad… or that her dad is obviously interested in her!



Part 36

Michael took a sip of his coffee as he leaned against a tree a little bit away from everyone else in the park. People had started to head home again since it was getting late and the younger kids needed to be in bed soon. A smirk settled over his lips as he recalled seeing Isabel and Mr. Whitman walking around together a little while ago. He had always wondered why a woman like Isabel wasn’t already married or at least engaged. But on the other hand, a lot of people had told him that he was a good looking guy and yet he was alone too.

“Seems like our principal is finally loosening up a bit, huh?” Kyle approached him and stood on the opposite side of the tree to lean against it as well.

Michael snorted. “Yeah, who’d have thought that our ice queen would finally admit that she doesn’t wanna be alone for the rest of her life?”

Kyle and Michael had been friends for a long time now and he recognized the hint of bitterness in the other man’s voice. He watched Michael intensely as his friend’s gaze would wander to his stepsister every once in a while. “Ya got it bad for her, huh?”

Michael frowned at Kyle. “Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” he grumbled into his cup, but his gaze was still locked on Maria. She was sitting at a wooden picnic table nearby, feet resting on the bench in front of her. She was talking to Tess and laughing while Kara sat in her lap and played with a toy.

“I know you well enough to know you won’t go after her as long as you’re Andy’s counsellor, but I can see the look in your eyes, Guerin!”

Michael lifted his eyebrows when he turned to look at his friend.

“Hey,” Kyle lifted his hand in defeat, “I know you’d be good for her an’ all… just not sure, if she’s ready for that. I don’t want you to focus on her and get your hopes up, because chances are good that she’s not the one who’s gonna make ya happy… not right now anyway.”

Michael threw the empty coffee cup into a nearby trash can. “I know that.” He glanced at the woman in question again before deciding to change the subject. He didn’t want to talk about his non-existent love life. “What about you, Valenti? Any luck with Tess?”

Kyle smiled goofily. “She’s comin’ over for dinner tomorrow night.”

“I hope you’re not the one cooking.”

“Hey, I can cook!”

Michael made a face as he remembered the last time he had eaten something Kyle had cooked. “Huh-uh.”

“Fine, I’m not a gourmet, okay?”

“Understatement of the year,” Michael mumbled with a grin.

“Hey, Valenti,” Tess called before he could respond, “let’s collect the kids, it’s almost time to get them back home.”

He nodded and started to walk in her direction, but glanced back at Michael again. “Hey, how about goin’ jogging together tomorrow morning?”

“Sure,” Michael straightened up as well. “Come over at 9am. I’ll even make ya breakfast afterwards.” He watched his friend leaving and wished that his life could be as easy right now. True, Tess was still giving him a hard time, but they both seemed to know that they would end up together someday. Something he had also hoped for when he had moved to Roswell. Buy a nice little house, find a nice woman and marry her, have a couple kids. And yet, here he was. Interested in a still-grieving widow and counselling her son.

Maria watched Kyle and Tess as they walked through the park with Kara to go and collect the twins and Andy. She smiled sadly when the little girl took Tess’ left hand and Kyle’s right, making them look like a happy little family and reminding her that something vital and important was missing in her own life. She knew she should be thankful that things were starting to work out better for her and Andy again. She had a family that loved her. Friends who cared about her. Was it wrong to want more? she wondered. To want someone who was like a Max for Liz or a Kyle for Tess – even if her blonde sister-in-law wouldn’t admit it yet.

“Penny for your thoughts?” someone said right next to her.

She glanced up, surprised to see Michael standing there. Why hadn’t she noticed him coming over? She smiled and turned her head again to look at her son and the others. “I am too young to deal with teenage love again,” she complained playfully. She had noticed earlier that Andy had been talking to Sam for a while and he and his cousin seemed to be in competition for the girl’s affections.

Michael laughed and placed one foot on the bench, resting his elbows on his knee as he leaned forward. “Not ready for that, huh?”

She shook her head. “I doubt any parent is ever ready for it.”

He wouldn’t know, he thought sadly. Not yet anyway. Michael watched her and wondered if she had ever wanted more than just one kid, but who was he to ask her personal questions like that? “Sam’s a good girl. She might even be good for him.” He was actually pretty sure of the girl’s positive influence, he mused as he remembered the talk between the teenagers, where she had set him straight about his behaviour towards the twins.

“I have no doubt that she’s a good girl. I’m just worried that it might cause a problem between his cousin and him.”

Michael nodded. “They have to experiences things and make their own mistakes though. And it’s nothin’ you can prevent if he really likes her.”

Maria laughed a little. “Where did the time go when he actually listened to what adults had to say?”

Michael made a face. “I think they lose that ability somewhere around the 5th grade or so. It’s like babies, ya know? When they’re born they can swim and then at some point, they just can’t anymore.”

She laughed even more, making him painfully aware of just how beautiful she was. “I never thought about it, but you’re probably right.”

“Andy’s a good boy though. His father’s death might have pushed him to a place where he’s made some wrong choices and taken the wrong path, but he’s already realized that this isn’t where he wants to be.”

She watched him as he said those things about her son, things that were obvious to her since she knew her son, but strangers had often thought lately that Andy was every mother’s worst nightmare. “You’re very good at your job.”

He nodded. “Thanks. I do my best to understand what’s goin’ on with the kids. Ya know, we were all their age not that long ago.” He glanced at her and grinned. “Okay, maybe it’s been a while. But fact is, we were their age once and we should be able to remember how we felt and thought, but we seem to forget sometimes that it’s normal for teenagers to act stupid or weird or carelessly.”

They both spent a few minutes in silence, just watching everyone around them. Michael was greeted by a lot of people and it was obvious that everyone liked him, so why wasn’t he settled down with some woman? Maria wondered.

“How’d ya get Andy out on the basketball court?” She glanced at Andy, remembering how happy he had looked out there. “I’ve tried to encourage him to play so often, but other than playing with one of his friends back home he’s always held back.”

Michael shrugged. “It was just a matter of time, I think. Everything’s different here in Roswell and his life’s changing too, some of it’s probably even happening completely unnoticed. Michael grinned at her. “Besides that, we made a little deal.

“A deal?” she asked curiously.

“We agreed to drop down to one counselling session per week,” Michael told her.

“You think he’s already that far?”

Michael nodded. “I talked to Isabel, um, Principal Russell, yesterday. We both agreed that he’s ready. I was gonna tell Andy next week but this worked out better. I didn’t lie to him about it though,” he said with a wink.

Maria felt her stomach react to his gesture, but she ignored it. “I’ll bet he liked that.”

“Not as much as he likes to play basketball.”

She glanced at Andy where he was standing on the empty court, throwing some baskets on his own and she nodded. “No doubt about that. Promise me you’ll do your best to get him to play regularly.”

“I will,” he promised and looked at her. “I’m trying to be his friend too, Maria.” Michael scratched his eyebrow nervously. “He reminds me a lot of myself at his age.”

She was about to say something when Andy interrupted them. “Hey, Mom, ya wanna ride home? The others are leavin’ an’ Uncle Kyle said they could drop us off first.” He had watched his Mom and counsellor for a while now and he was pretty sure that they had been talking about him the whole time.

Maria nodded. “Sure.” She turned to look at Michael. “Alright, well it was nice to talk to you again, Michael. I guess I’ll see you around.”

She started to walk off in Andy’s direction. “I’ll see you around?” Andy said, his tone one of disbelief as he made a face.

She glanced at him. “What?”

“Mom, nobody says stuff like that anymore.” He shook his head.

She laughed and bumped him with her shoulder. “I know, I am sooo uncool.”

He grinned and sped up his pace a little to be a few steps ahead as he turned around to walk backwards while talking to his Mom. “Hey, why don’t we have a very unhealthy dinner tonight? Ya know, that’d be the COOL thing to do.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s what I wanna do… have you loaded down with junk food before bed.”

“Moooom,” he complained.

“Alright, just this once… junk food and no complaints.” She caught up with him and collared him, kissing her son’s cheek and smiling when he squirmed away after a moment.

*****

Max came in from feeding Lucky and he walked up behind Liz when he noticed her bent over the cat’s bowl as she tried to convince Ari that he liked whatever she had given him. The cat had always been a finicky eater and once he decided he was bored with whatever they were feeding him at the moment he would simply refuse to eat it anymore.

“I don’t know why you don’t just give that damn cat dry food and be done with it.”

“Do I feed you the same thing night after night?” she countered as she straightened up and looked at him. “Just because Ari’s a cat doesn’t mean he’s satisfied with eating the exact same thing every single day.”

He shrugged. “Lucky doesn’t seem to care.”

“That’s a good thing considering how much food that animal eats.” She glanced behind Max when Lucky moved past the screen door, his bowl scraping against the deck annoyingly as he wolfed his food down. “You’d think he hadn’t been fed in a week the way he’s inhaling his dinner.”

“You’re the one who just had to have that dog.”

Liz stared at the dog as she was suddenly hit with the memory of how Lucky had come into their lives. She was the one who had opened her mouth and insisted they make the puppy a part of their family. One look into those big brown eyes and she hadn’t been able to let him be sent off to some other family. He had been a few months old, fat and fluffy, and completely incorrigible when she had seen him for the first time.

They had been visiting Andrew and Maria over the Fourth of July weekend and he and Max had gotten into a discussion about the new puppy he had purchased. Andrew had been disappointed that the animal seemed to lack any qualities associated with a good hunting dog and when the eight-year-old twins had clamored to see the puppy Andrew had sent Andy to get him from his kennel.

“So, what’re you gonna do with him?”

“Hell, Max, he’s worthless as a huntin’ dog,” Andrew muttered, shaking his head. “The guy I bought him from assured me he came from a long line of champion huntin’ dogs but it’s the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen… he has absolutely no interest in goin’ out there with me. He’d rather lay around the house and let Maria baby him all day.”

“I do not baby that dog, Andrew,” Maria denied as she stepped out on the back deck. “I’ve been tryin’ to teach him to stay in one place while he eats.” She rolled her eyes as she looked at her sister-in-law. “He pushes the bowl all around the kitchen and it makes the most god-awful noise!”

He grinned unrepentantly and hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her down in his lap and kissing her. “I love you, but you’re full of crap,” he said, his tone teasing.

Maria just shook her head. “I told you when we went and looked at that puppy that he wasn’t gonna be any good for hunting… he’s a big baby and he wants to lay around the house and be the center of attention.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and glared at him playfully. “The only reason you got that dog was to prove me wrong.” She grinned triumphantly. “See how well that worked out for you?”

“Mom, Mom, look!” Justin practically screamed as the boys ran around the house.

Liz felt her heart jump into her throat when she heard his raised voice and it had taken a moment to register that he was just excited about something.

“I wanna hold him,” Nick insisted, elbowing his brother and trying to get to the dog.

“Quit it, Nicky!”

“Hey, you two cut it out,” Max said as he watched the boys arguing over who wanted to hold the puppy more. “Let your mom see the dog.”

Justin climbed up the steps onto the deck and reluctantly handed the puppy over to Mom, biting his bottom lip as he kept a watchful eye to make sure he was the one she gave it back to. “He’s cool, huh, Mom?”

“Aww, Max, isn’t he just the sweetest thing?” she breathed, smiling when the puppy snuggled closer and yawned widely.

“You see that?” Andrew complained. “That right there… that’s what he does when I take him out with me!”

“He just wants some love and attention,” Maria said as she unconsciously teased the back of his neck with her fingertips.

“I paid good money for a huntin’ dog and he’s worthless.”

“No, he’s not worthless,” Liz disagreed.

Andrew’s right eyebrow shot up as he sensed an opportunity to unload the little freeloader. “He’d probably make a great pet, Liz.”

“Boys, why don’t you go inside and see if we have any popsicles,” Maria suggested as she gave Andrew’s hair a warning tug.

“What the hell was that for, Maria?” he grumbled when the boys ran inside.

“Did Liz tell you she wanted something else to feed and clean up after? You don’t make a suggestion like that when the kids are around so they can guilt their mom into agreeing to take on another responsibility.”

“Dogs actually help teach responsibility,” Max said as he leaned back and closed his eyes, fingers linked over his stomach.

Maria snorted. “I think we all know who gets the responsibility for a new pet.”

“Max, look at him,” Liz said as she turned the puppy to face her husband. “Doesn’t he just have the sweetest face?”

Max opened one eye to look at his wife and he shook his head when he saw her expression. “Liz, don’t get attached to that animal.”

Liz looked at her brother-in-law. “What’re you gonna do with the puppy, Andrew?”

“Find some family who wants a lazy dog that’s gonna lay around the house all day.”

Max just shook his head when he saw her gaze move to the puppy once more and when the baby talk started he knew he would be forking out money to fly the animal home with them. He reached over and stroked the puppy’s soft head and he looked up at his wife when she called his name softly.

“We can take him home, right?”

They had been going through the process to be approved to become adoptive parents and he knew how badly she wanted another baby. They had been told by so many people that they shouldn’t get their hopes up about adopting an infant and each time she found a way to get past that disappointment, but he knew she was having a hard time with it. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing to take the puppy home, let her baby the animal and be distracted by loving and caring for it.

He looked at his brother. “How much are you gonna charge me for the dog, Drew? And remember that I’m gonna have to pay to fly him back to New Mexico too.”

Andrew just smiled and shook his head when he saw the way Liz was cradling the puppy and rocking him. He knew why Max was caving and agreeing to take the dog. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, little bro. Matter of fact, I’ll even pay for the dog’s transportation.”

Liz smiled affectionately at the big lump of fur pressing his nose against the screen door and wagging his tail. For a while the dog had helped ease that ache inside of her that was just screaming for another baby and even though he was a nuisance at times she would always love him. “Alright, I’ll give you that one,” she said after a few minutes. “I am the one who wanted to bring him home.”

Max grinned. “I still can’t believe my tight-ass brother paid to ship the dog back here.” The smile slipped when he caught what he had just said and he reached up to stroke his goatee.

“Max – “

“I don’t wanna talk about it, Liz.”

She sighed in frustration when he shut her down before she could even bring the topic up for discussion. “I just want you to talk to me, Max. Like you used to.”

“There’s nothin’ to talk about.”

“There’s a lot to talk about,” she snapped. “I want you to explain your comment the other night. You left here after saying that you had killed your brother… we both know that’s not true, so I want to know why you said it.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, Liz! All that matters is that I feel like that’s what happened! You weren’t there, you don’t know what it was like… I couldn’t save him and now he’s… he’s…”

“Max, you did everything humanly possible! Why can’t you see that?” She moved around the island and grabbed his right hand, lifting his arm up and pointing at the scar that ran across the back of his wrist. “He knew how close he was to pulling you over that cliff and he did what he had to do to stop you from dying with him!”

He paled as his gaze moved from the scar to his wife and back again. “You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.” He jerked his hand free and moved away from her as he rubbed his scarred wrist and paced restlessly.

“I know I could’ve easily lost you that day… you were so close to the edge of that cliff, Max.”

He shook his head as he tried to block the memories of that day and it took several minutes before he realized what she had said. He lifted his head slowly, fingers of his left hand rubbing his temple as he stared at her. “What’d you say?”

Liz bit her lip as she caught the slip too late to take it back.

“Who’ve you been talkin’ to?” he demanded angrily.

She shook her head in denial. “No one. I… I requested a copy of the police report – “

“No! Have you received it yet?” It was an unnecessary question and he knew it.

“I’ve already read the report, Max. I know you’re gonna be mad about it, but if that’s what it takes to get you to talk to me then I’ll deal with it.”

“You had no right!” he yelled, angry that she had gone behind his back and requested the report. “That had nothin’ to do with you!”

“This right here has something to do with me!” she screamed back at him. “That accident took your brother’s life, and Max, I pray to God you know how much I wish it had never happened, but that accident also took you away from everyone who loves you. And every damn day I watch it take you a little bit further away from me, our children, and our family.”

“I’m done talkin’ about this.” He grabbed his keys off of the counter. “I’m goin’ out.”

“No! Damn it, Max, we’re never gonna get anywhere if you keep running every time this subject comes up.”

His fist slammed down on the countertop. “Then stop bringin’ it up! I don’t wanna talk about it! You had no fuckin’ right to go behind my back and request that report! Andrew’s death is not somethin’ I need to be reminded of, Liz! God, I live with it every day… I relive it every damn night…” he tapped his temple. “It’s up here… I can’t forget a single second of that day no matter how hard I try!”

There was a part of her that regretted ever coming up with the idea of requesting that damn report, but the other part, the part that knew he was never going to face that day on his own knew it had been the right thing to do. She wished she could erase the images of those photographs from her mind but not as much as she wanted to be able to rid him of the memories of that day. “Even after looking at that report I can’t really imagine what you’ve been dealing with but if you’d just talk to me – “

“If you’ve read it then you don’t need my input, do you?”

“Max, I just want to help – “

He cut her off again. “Then let me deal with it my way!”

“You’re not dealing with it!”

“I’m not gonna argue about this,” he muttered, but before he could stop himself he was speaking again. “What exactly did you think readin’ that report was gonna tell you? It’s a bunch of words on paper – it can’t adequately express what happened that day and I would never want you to know what it was like.” He shook his head and looked away for a moment as he realized that there must have been photographs in the report. Nausea boiled up from the pit of his stomach even as he shoved the memories to the back of his mind.

“Max, you’ve been blaming yourself for Andrew’s accident since it happened and it’s only gotten worse since he passed away. It’s called survivor’s guilt and it’s eating you alive.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” he snorted as he opened the refrigerator just to be doing something. “Why would I feel guilty for bein’ alive?” He shook his head and closed the refrigerator when he heard the front door open along with the kid’s voices. “You’re wrong and we’re not talkin’ about it anymore.”

“Mom, Dad, we’re home!” Nick shouted.

“They know we’re home, stupid – “

“Justin, don’t call your brother stupid,” Max called and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly.

Kara barreled into the kitchen ahead of the twins, running over to Daddy and holding up a small stuffed gorilla. “I winned it for you.” She gave him a big smile when he accepted it and she grabbed his free hand, pulling him along with her as she walked over to Mommy. “I winned one for you too, Mommy. Untel Tyle helped me.” She shoved the second gorilla, complete with a tiny pink bow on its head into Mommy’s hand and then looked up at Daddy expectantly.

Max dropped his keys on the counter and picked her up, settling her against his side. He held onto her when she leaned over and pulled on the stuffed toy.

She shook her head and patted his arm when he let it go. “You hafta hold him, Daddy. Like this,” she said as she arranged the little gorilla in his hand to her satisfaction. “You too, Mommy.” She motioned for Mommy to bring her present closer and she fussed with it for a moment. “Watch,” she whispered as she guided their hands closer together. “It’s magic.”

They had both figured out what was going to happen but they pretended to be surprised when the gorillas’ lips suddenly came together courtesy of the magnets sewn under the fake fur.

“See?” Kara clapped her hands together in delight. “It’s magic, like you an’ Daddy.” She was blissfully ignorant of the undercurrent of tension between her parents as she pulled the gorillas apart and watched them snap right back together for another ‘kiss’.

“That’s very sweet, Kara, thank you,” Liz said as she fought back her tears.

Max could see that she was overwhelmed and even though he wasn’t happy with her he let that go for a moment. He kissed Kara’s cheek as he looked at her. “It is really sweet, baby girl. Would you mind findin’ a good place to show ‘em off?”

“Yours too, Mommy? ‘Cause they hafta be together or they’ll be sad.”

Liz nodded and released the toy when Kara tugged on it.

“Hey, why don’t you guys give short stuff a hand while we fill your mom an’ dad in on your day,” Kyle suggested as he gave the twins a gentle shove.

Tess glanced between her brother and sister-in-law, easily identifying that something was wrong. She saw the boys exchange a look before they followed Kara out of the kitchen and she had a bad feeling that the report was somehow involved.

“You’ve looked at that report,” Max said quietly, his voice vibrating with anger. “There’s nothin’ I can do to change that, but don’t think it changes anything.” He snatched his keys up and pushed away from the counter.

“Where’re you going?”

“Out,” he snapped. “Don’t wait up for me.”

Tess glanced at Kyle as Max headed for the door and he nodded in response to her unspoken question.

“Go on. I’ll wait here for you… or you call me if you need a ride.”

“Hey, wanna go grab a beer?” she blurted out before her brother could get out of the room.

“Suit yourself,” he muttered.

“Take your jacket,” Liz called after him.

Max jerked around so fast he nearly knocked his sister over and his hands shot out to steady her. The momentary disruption was enough for him to control the urge to say something hurtful and he nodded curtly before continuing on his way.

“So, you hangin’ anywhere fun these days?”

He looked at his sister and sighed as he shook his head. “I need to let the kids know I’m goin’ out.”

She leaned around him. “Hey, kids!”

Nick peered over the railing on the second floor. “What’s up, Aunt Tess?”

“You guys mind if I take off with your dad for a while? We’re gonna hang out.”

“Do old people hang out?” Justin asked, his voice muffled because he was trying to hide his laughter as he teased his aunt.

“I wouldn’t know, smart-butt,” she tossed right back.

“Guess that makes sense… they say memory’s the first thing to go, huh?” Nick said, grinning as he high-fived his brother.

“Wow, you two are sooo funny,” she said, rolling her eyes at them. “That’s okay, keep makin’ jokes… your turn will come.” She followed Max outside, barely keeping up with him as he stalked down the driveway to climb into his truck.

dreambeliever: Excellent timing!

Thanks! All we can say is it will happen. She’s trying.

begonia9508: Max’s actions here are less than perfect, lol, and it’s still gonna take time, but he will eventually deal with things. Kara is a sweetheart and kids definitely have a sensitivity to these situations even though they register them differently than adults do.

Earth2Mama: Yeah, he seems to be pissing a lot of people off!

We’re really hoping Max will begin to deal with things. He is being stubborn right now, but we’re working on him.

At one time Maria and Andrew had a very strong relationship and in spite of loving each other, over time they realized that while they loved each other they were no longer in love with each other.

Natalie36: It was difficult, but maybe the next one will be a bit easier.

mary mary: Aww, we’re glad this part made ya remember Fred and laugh!

We loved the story about Fred – thanks for sharing it!

Thanks! We’re glad you’re enjoying them!

sarammlover: True, at least it would be communication in some form. You just never know what’ll bring that brother/sister bond back into focus. Sometimes it only takes the right nudge to get it back on the tracks.

keepsmiling7: Maybe he’ll pull himself up out of that rut just a bit.

We’ve got our fingers crossed that it doesn’t come to that.

Alien_Friend: We’ll catch more glimpses of Andrew and what he was like over time. We’ll kinda get to know him through the memories of those who loved him.

Oh, they could… and we suspect they will, given enough time.

It’s not easy and they’re struggling to get through this. Kara’s trying so hard.

Cardinal: True, but before he can ask something has to give in regard to his position as Andy’s counsellor.

Not sure about that one. Max does need to deal with what happened with Andrew, but as far as the report is concerned, that’s probably something Liz needs to deal with. The family business thing will come up eventually. They share that trait and they’re gonna have to learn to let go.

rosyrosy2882: Ah, it’s not easy, but he knows that while he’s Andy’s counsellor he can’t pursue a relationship with Maria.

Yeah, it’s a difficult situation and it’s going to take a lot of work for them to work it out. Maybe spending some time with his sister will help Max calm down… it won’t solve all of their problems, but maybe she’ll have something to say that will help ease things for a bit.

Aren’t dogs great?

killjoy: No, it’s not easy to get over with or deal with and Liz and Tess aren’t trying to suggest that it is (and neither are we ). Liz especially isn’t trying to rush him, but she knows her husband well and she knows that he’s gonna push himself to the breaking point if he doesn’t begin to release some of the pressure that’s building inside of him.

He will get to that point in time… it’s going to take time before he can deal with it and begin to move on.



Part 37

Kyle watched Liz for a few minutes before he finally spoke up. “So…”

“Yeah, the report thing didn’t go over so well,” she muttered as she started wiping the counters down.

“Okay, well, you knew he wasn’t gonna like you readin’ it. Did it help you at all?”

She nodded. “I found out what I needed to know but I still don’t know how to help him.”

“You’re not gonna wanna hear this, Liz, but you may not be the one who’s gonna be able to help him.”

“That’s just it, Kyle! I know that he may never be able to talk to me about what happened, and as much as I want him to do that, I can accept it if he can’t come to me. What I can’t accept is that he’s just bottling it up inside because eventually it’s gonna build up inside of him so badly that he’s not gonna be able to hold it in any longer. He’s trying to contain it, to control it, and he thinks he has a handle on it, but he doesn’t. It’s just an illusion.”

“I know.” He had seen plenty of agents go through similar situations emotionally and it was only a matter of time before something happened to throw Max into a tailspin.

“I assume you’ve tried to get him to see a therapist?”

“Yes, and I won’t bother repeating his response to that suggestion.” She threw the sponge into the sink and turned to lean against the counter. “He wanted the boys in therapy, he encouraged it, but he won’t do the same thing for himself. And after reading that report I have a much better idea of how much he’s really repressing from that day… what he went through… at some point though he’s not gonna be able to keep pushing it down and eventually, when he breaks…” She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know, Kyle, maybe that’s the only way he’s gonna be able to deal with it. By having the choice taken completely out of his hands, but I don’t know how much damage that’ll do to him.” She shook her head and sighed before looking at him again. “How were the kids today?”

“The kids were great. We had a lot of fun, tried not to feed ‘em too much junk food, and kept anything sugary to a minimum after about 6pm.”

Liz smiled appreciatively. “So, just how many games of Ring Toss did you have to play before winning the toys?”

“Too many,” he groaned. “And you know I love your kids, but Liz, your daughter throws like a girl!”

She laughed and nodded. “Yeah, she definitely doesn’t have Max’s arm. But for some reason the ring toss is her favorite game. We took the kids to a carnival last year and she and Max spent about two hours at that booth just to win some hideous stuffed toy that she carried around for months… I was secretly very happy when she traded it in for something new.” She smiled. “And even happier when Lucky got a hold of it and buried it in the backyard.”

“I can imagine… some of the prizes are downright scary. She knew exactly what she wanted though. We walked by and scouted it out earlier in the day and she spotted the gorillas.” He held his hand up. “Oh, but the highlight of my day had to be when she asked Tess if she needed to help me with a bath.” He nodded. “Um-hmm, asked right there in front of God and everyone if I needed a hand since Mommy always helps Daddy with his bath when he’s really icky.”

Liz groaned. “Oh my God, really?”

“Um-hmm… and then she proceeded to share how it takes for forever.” He grinned. “Her ability to dramatize is really quite impressive. Although if she never again publicly suggests that Tess help me with a bath I think I’ll live.”

“I am sooo sorry.”

He laughed and shook his head. “No harm done. But if you get a strange look or two next time you pass folks on the streets, you’ll know why.” He sat down on one of the barstools and rested his weight on his elbows. “The boys asked me somethin’ tonight and I wanted to ask your opinion, Liz.”

“Okay.”

“They asked if I’d take them campin’.”

“Oh, Kyle… I don’t know if Max would agree to that. It has nothing to do with you,” she hurried to assure him. “But, he hasn’t taken the boys camping since the accident. He can’t even bring himself to take them out for a day trip to go fishing.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I know… and they haven’t asked him because they’re afraid it’ll upset him. And I’m not tryin’ to tell you how to raise your kids or anything ‘cause you obviously know a helluva lot more about that than I do, but it’d probably be good for them to get back out there. I realize Max may say no, but I wanted to know if you think it’d be okay for me to ask him about it.”

“You’d ask him to go?”

“Hell, I’m not tryin’ to take his place or anything. I’ve got a buddy comin’ into town in the next week or so, my partner, and he’s the kinda guy who loves to go out and camp an’ fish, so I thought it’d be the perfect chance to see if Max wanted to go an’ hang with the guys, take the kids out. Even Andy wants to go, Liz, and that right there is major progress.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “You should ask him, Kyle, but if he says no I want you to promise me you’ll respect his decision and not push it. Whether he agrees to go or simply agrees to let you take the boys out, it needs to be something he’s comfortable with.”

“I don’t know him well enough to nag him like that and besides, that’s a wife’s job, isn’t it?”

“You’re funny. I hope you’re not expecting Tess to fall for you for your sense of humor.”

“No need to be rude,” he muttered and grinned.

“Hey, Mom!” Nick called from the top of the stairs.

“I’ll be right back.” Liz rolled her eyes. “I need to go find out what they want.”

“Wasn’t that just Nick?”

“Yeah, but it was the tone that indicates they all need or want something and if I don’t hurry up I’ll have all three of them yelling for me.”

He smiled and watched her go, wondering if she and Max would be able to fix the cracks in their marriage before the damage became irreparable.

*****

He didn’t have much to say as they drove through the quiet downtown streets and she waited in the cab when he stopped at a gas station to run inside and purchase a six-pack. “You could’ve at least asked me what I drink these days,” she complained when he climbed in behind the wheel once more.

He snorted and drove to the shop, pulling around back and parking next to the tow truck. “You drink the same thing you used to drink when you’d sneak outta the house and I’d use my fake ID to buy our beer back when you were still in high school. I don’t know who you think you’re foolin’, you little smartass.” He unlocked the back door and stepped inside, leading the way to the office and motioning for her to have a seat as he dropped down in the chair behind the desk.

“Hey, you remember sneakin’ out to go to that party at old man Turner’s farm?”

Max pulled a couple of bottles out and handed her one before he leaned over to stick the rest in the mini fridge next to his desk. “I remember you getting shit-faced at that party!” He laughed as he took a swallow of his beer and leaned back in his chair to prop his feet up on the corner of his desk. “Girl, you were tryin’ so hard to impress that football player… damn, what was his name?”

Tess grimaced. “Carson Travers.”

He snapped his fingers. “That’s right! God, and you drank like a fish that night!”

“My first and last night spent with Mad Dog 20/20,” she groaned.

“I tried to tell you,” he said, grinning as he recalled his efforts to dissuade her from her big three dollar purchase. “That had to be one of the worst hangovers in the history of drinking.”

“Damn, I don’t even like anything that has a grape flavor now. You probably should’ve gotten a medal or somethin’ for takin’ care of me… jeez, I was pukin’ that stuff up for two days after that party.”

He made a face. “Good practice for havin’ kids,” he joked.

“How’s business?” she asked, glancing through the plate glass window that looked out into the shop.

“Tess,” he warned, “I don’t wanna discuss my problems.”

“What problems? I’m just askin’ how business is… it’s been a while since I’ve even seen the shop, much less talked to you about how things are going with it.”

He watched her for a moment, trying to decide if there was more to it than that before he finally shrugged. “Business is good for the most part. Office is a little disorganized and if it wasn’t for Alex the records would be a mess, but… I’m holdin’ it together.”

She could hear the stubborn determination in his voice and she nodded as she looked around at the stacks of files piled up on the file cabinets and on the desk. “You do look a little swamped.”

He shrugged. “Business really picked up over the summer and the office stuff just kinda got pushed to the side.”

“Have you considered hiring someone to handle the office?” She saw the wariness enter his eyes and she shrugged as she picked at the label on her bottle. “I’m not tryin’ to get all up in your business or tell you how to run things, Max… I know you used to have someone who handled the office for you and now you obviously don’t.”

“She quit a few months back.” He scratched the side of his head with his thumb. “Said she needed a change.”

“How many of your mechanics have quit?”

He sighed and stared out into the shop. “Two, but I’ve managed to replace one of them.”

“But you haven’t replaced the person who handled the office. Why?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know… didn’t make a conscious decision not to do it, just haven’t done it.”

“Okay, well, you should definitely do that, Max. Actually, I might know someone who’d be interested in the job. She’s a little… hmm, different, but she loves a good challenge.”

“A little different?” he asked, his tone suspicious. He snorted and rolled his eyes. “She’s some friend of yours from California, right? Orange or green hair… pierced and tattooed everywhere imaginable, and probably plans her days by her horoscope?”

Tess giggled. “Well, she did change her name when she turned 18…”

“To what? Saturn? Aquarius? I know there’s gotta be somethin’ weird about her.”

Her parents’ last name was Christmas… I swear, it’s true!”

“Don’t tell me they named her Mary.”

She grinned. “Merry… like Merry Christmas.”

He rolled his eyes. “How do people do that to their kids?”

“I don’t know, but they did. So, anyway, she did change her name, but it’s fairly normal. Missy Lawson, and yes, she does have a few quirks. She does have this bright purple streak that runs through her hair on the right side, she keeps crystals all around her… something to do with… well, okay, I’m really not sure what that’s all about, but that’s not the point.”

Max smirked. “You had a point?”

“Yeah, I actually have a point and if you’d shut up I’d get to it.” She smiled as they fell into their old behavior patterns with each other. “Missy’s in Albuquerque; she moved there with a boyfriend and they ended up breaking up, so now she’s kinda stuck there in a dead-end job.”

“Uh, Tess, I hate to be the one to disappoint you, but handling the office at a small repair shop isn’t exactly a job that’s goin’ anywhere. We live in a small town, remember? This’s the kinda job people take when they don’t really see themselves moving anywhere else or bein’ promoted to another position… there is no other position.”

“So, maybe she could stay long enough to at least get you organized and get the office running smoothly again… maybe she’d like it and after a while she’d wanna transfer to one of your other shops in a bigger city. She’s very organized, Max. I wouldn’t recommend her if I didn’t think she could do the job.”

He shrugged. “Call her and find out when she can come down for an interview and I’ll talk to her. No promises though… if she’s crazy, she’s outta here.”

Tess laughed. “Fair enough.” She looked around the office for several minutes as silence fell over them. “How’re the other shops doin’?”

“Some better than others.”

“You thinkin’ about closin’ any of them?”

“No.”

“Max, if you have shops that’re puttin’ a drain on the business you have to at least consider it.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Because you think Andrew wouldn’t have done it?”

“I think it’s time for you to go home.”

“Max, listen to me, please!” she said, moving to sit on the edge of her chair as she tried to catch his gaze. “I know you’re havin’ a tough time and I know you don’t wanna talk about it with anyone, least of all me, but… he wouldn’t have expected you to risk everything just to avoid closing a few of the shops. I know he made sure Maria and Andy were taken care of, but I assume the controlling interest of the business was left to you… Andrew wouldn’t want you to jeopardize your future or your family’s futures by letting the shops that are putting a drain on the business remain open.” She finished off her beer and set the empty on the desk. “Can I have another one please?”

He leaned over to pull a fresh beer out of the mini fridge and handed it to her.

“Hey, Kyle was talking earlier about getting together with you and seeing if you’d wanna go camping one weekend… take the boys, go fishing… do whatever it is you guys do when you go out and commune with Mother Nature.”

Max was relieved when she dropped the subject of the shop and moved on to something else. “I don’t know… the boys haven’t been campin’ since… I don’t know if they’d even wanna go out and do anything like that.”

“The boys brought it up, Max,” she said quietly. “They haven’t talked to you about it because they’re afraid it’ll upset you.”

He sighed as he grabbed another beer for himself and he slouched further down in his seat. “I’m not sure I can do that… go back out there. I don’t know if I’d react quickly enough if somethin’ happened and I won’t risk my kids’ lives like that.”

She nodded, not really knowing what to say in response to his confession. He was opening up and talking to her a little bit and she didn’t want to do anything to make him fall silent again or refuse to talk. She switched gears and moved to something easier to talk about. “Kyle and Andy’s birthdays are coming up here pretty soon… his friends are gonna throw a party and we thought maybe you guys would like to come too. Maybe?”

“We thought?” he asked, his tone teasing. “Does this mean you’ve decided to get off his ass about his past mistakes?”

“It means I’m considering things… and that’s all it means.”

He rolled his eyes. “Stacy Portman’s still around, ya know.” He hid a grin behind his beer, knowing the information would get a rise out of her.

“What?”

“She’s left a few times but she always winds up back here after whatever guy she was chasin’ after turns her loose again. She’s always in the market for a ticket outta town.”

“Do you think she’d go after Kyle again?”

“No clue. I think all that matters is he won’t make that mistake twice, Tess. I could be wrong, but I think he’s in this for the long haul.”

“Is that what he told you?”

He shrugged. “Take the risk, girl.”

“Easier said than done.”

He fell silent. “Yeah, I suppose that’s true.”

“I’m about to ask a question that will most likely put an end to our little truce,” she warned as she met his gaze directly.

He tensed up because he knew what was coming and he didn’t want to deal with it.

“Why won’t you talk to Liz about the accident? And I’m not trying to be insensitive or come across as uncaring because I’m not either of those things, but it seems to me like you’re risking your marriage and that’s not who you are.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know all of what happened up on that mountain and I don’t need to know everything, but what I do know is that you did everything you could to save Andrew’s life.”

“You can’t know that, Tess.”

“I can know that,” she argued. “I know you… I know the man you are, and I know without ever looking at some report that you would’ve pushed yourself well past the limits of common sense to save him.”

“We should get back to the house before you lose your ride.”

“Kyle won’t leave without me.”

He forced a smile at her confident tone. “Maybe not, but if we don’t go now I’m gonna leave you sittin’ here in the office while I go home. I’m tired and I’ve got things to do tomorrow so I need to get some sleep.”

She controlled the urge to push him for more because she knew she had already won a great victory just by sitting down with him and having a civil conversation. “Right, I forget that you’re old and you need your sleep.”

“I have three very active kids… that necessitates the need for sleep beyond what a normal person my age needs.”

“Alright, fine… I’ll let you slide with that this time.”

Max carried the empty bottles outside and tossed them in the dumpster behind the building before locking up. It had been a strange night and even though he wasn’t looking forward to going home, he wasn’t lying about being tired.

*****

Max entered the house ahead of his sister and he could hear the chaos upstairs as Liz tried to get the kids settled for the night. He walked into the kitchen and glanced at Kyle where he was sitting at the center island, drinking a cup of coffee.

“Well, we’re gonna get goin’, Max,” Tess said as she moved to stand next to Kyle. “I’ve got a few things to do in the morning because I’ve got dinner plans for tomorrow night.”

“Dinner plans… with…?”

“With me,” Kyle said as he stood and carried his mug over to the sink to rinse it out.

“With his family,” Tess corrected.

He shrugged and grinned. “Let me at least hold onto the illusion that we’re havin’ dinner together, would ya?”

“Whatever makes you happy.”

Max was locking up after they left and he turned to go upstairs when he found himself facing his youngest son. Justin was standing at the foot of the stairs, left shoulder leaning against the wall as he stared at his dad. “You have a good time while you were out with your aunt and uncle?”

“Yeah.” Justin shrugged. “You an’ Mom have a good day?”

He nodded. “We had a good day.”

“Yeah? ‘Cause it didn’t seem like things were goin’ all that great when we got home.” He shook his head when Dad looked like he was trying to come up with an answer. “No, we didn’t hear anything, but we’re not stupid either, Dad.”

“Justin, your mom and I have – “

“What you have is excuse after excuse… you run off on these so-called business trips, you’re always at work, and you don’t wanna do anything with us anymore.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then go campin’ with us.”

Liz paused at the top of the stairs, out of sight of her husband and son, when she heard the challenge in Justin’s voice. She glanced at Max and she winced sympathetically when she saw how pale he had gone at their son’s words.

Max shook his head. “Maybe next spring, but the time’s not right, the weather’s – “

“There’s nothin’ wrong with the weather, Dad! It feels like late spring or early summer outside.”

“Yeah, and the weather could change at a moment’s notice and turn cold like it should be this time of year.”

“Whatever, Dad, it doesn’t matter. Uncle Kyle said he’d take us so just say it’s okay and we’ll go with him.”

“We’ll talk about this later, Justin. It’s late and you need to get to bed.”

“Yeah, it’s always later.” He turned and went back upstairs to go to his room.

Max sighed deeply and looked away when Liz stepped into view and he realized she had heard the entire conversation. He shook his head and walked into the kitchen when she began to descend the stairs, not ready to deal with another argument so soon after their last one. He made a fresh pot of coffee since Kyle had emptied the last one and braced his hands on the counter while he waited for it to brew.

“Max, we need to talk,” Liz said as she leaned against the island behind him. It hurt when she saw the way he tensed up at the very suggestion but she pushed that down so she could deal with the subject at hand.

“They can go campin’ next year,” he said before she could say anything.

“And next year you’ll find more reasons why it needs to be put off until the following year. They’re 15 years old, Max. You’re not gonna have that many more opportunities to do this kinda stuff with them while they’re teenagers. Before long they’ll be off in college and we’ll be lucky if we get to see them on holidays.” She moved to lean against the counter next to him, studying his body language to see if he would be receptive to being touched. He wasn’t relaxed but his shoulders were starting to lose some of their rigidness and she reached out to place a hand on his arm. “I understand if you can’t do this, if you can’t take them out like that, but they’re ready to try it… to remember that it’s about more than bad memories. You need to let them go, Max. If they’re ready to let it go and move past it then we can’t hold them back.”

“You mean I can’t hold them back.”

“No, I meant both of us. Do you think it doesn’t scare me to turn them loose out there again? It terrifies me, Max, but we can’t cripple them with our fears. It’s not right and it’s not fair.”

He filled two mugs with coffee and slid hers across the counter. “I just… I can’t shake that day, Liz. I won’t go campin’ with them.” He swallowed hard and looked away, not wanting to see the disappointment in her eyes at his next admission. “I don’t trust myself to protect them.”

“God, Max, you’d protect them with your life,” she whispered fiercely as she squeezed between him and the counter to take his face in her hands. “I don’t have a single doubt in my mind about that.”

“But I do,” he choked out. “And I can’t risk their lives like that, Liz. You have to understand that. Until it’s right up here,” he tapped his temple, “I can’t be in a situation with them that could turn dangerous in a heartbeat.”

Liz bit her lip to keep from pointing out that any situation could turn dangerous given the right circumstances. He was still fighting the memories of that day and nothing she could say was going to change his mind until he faced it and dealt with it. “Then let them go with Kyle and his friend. You know Frasier Woods like the back of your hand; map out the area you feel is safest and then show him where he can take the boys.”

“Yeah, I guess that might be okay.”

“He could take the boys for the weekend and maybe we could get your sister to take Kara… we could spend two days together without any kids underfoot. Two days of not havin’ to get up and make breakfast… answer a thousand ‘why’ questions… no explanations for why dinner should always include a vegetable… no yellin’ at the kids to take the dog for a walk or stop fighting over what they’re gonna watch on TV…”

Two whole days of peace and quiet, he thought. “That would be nice,” he agreed. He fell silent for several minutes and he looked down at her. “Can you understand why I can’t take the boys out there?”

“I think so. As well as I can anyway.”

He nodded. “Tess and I were talkin’ while we were out… she’s got a friend she thinks might be interested in handlin’ the office at the shop.”

“That’s good news. Tess wouldn’t recommend her if she didn’t have a good work ethic.”

“Yeah, just not sure how weird she’s gonna be.”

“So, you and Tess had a nice talk?” Liz asked as she levered herself up to sit on the counter in front of him.

He shrugged. “Probably the easiest conversation we’ve had in years. Kinda felt like it did before everything got so screwed up.” He sighed and shook her head. “I shouldn’t have made such a big deal of it when she didn’t wanna get into the business.”

“You can’t live in the past, Max.” Her hands came up to cradle his jaw as she lifted his gaze to hers. “And I know I can’t expect you to just let go of everything all at once… that’s not the way it works, but maybe you can start with this? Spend some time with your sister, get to know her again, and reestablish that relationship.”

He nodded.

“And…” she bit her bottom lip, “I’m sorry, Max. Not for requesting the report, but for approaching it the way I did.”

He nodded again. “Just kinda felt like you went behind my back to find out somethin’ I didn’t want you to know.”

She sighed and her right hand slid down to rest over his heart. “This’s the first time something’s come between us like this and I don’t know how to deal with you shutting me out. And I don’t mean to harp on it or nag you about it… it just hurts to see you in so much pain.”

“I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same thing if our roles were reversed,” he admitted as he reached up to cover her hand on his chest. “What I can tell you is that I’m not ready to look back at that day and I don’t wanna end a day that’s been good for the most part with another argument.”

Liz nodded and forced down any objections she had. Maybe she should give it a little time and see how things played out before she brought it up again. “Why don’t you go tell the boys you’re gonna let them go camping with Kyle and then you meet me in our room?”

Max lifted his head to meet her gaze and he smiled slowly. “Yeah?”

“I’ll try to give you some space, Max.”

“That’s all I’m askin’.”

She leaned in to kiss him, taking her time and smiling against his lips when his arms came around her to hold her tightly against him. “Go talk to the boys,” she said as she slid off of the counter and wiggled out of his grasp. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

He groaned at her teasing tone and drew in several deep breaths to get himself under control before going upstairs.

Earth2Mama: It was past time for the two of them to sit down and simply talk to one another.

Hopefully, Max sticks with his decision where the boys are concerned.

You could be right, we’ll see.

keepsmiling7: It’s just a little opening, but it’s enough to give them a place to start from. No, Liz for the moment, is taking a step back and reassessing the situation.

killjoy: Ah, yes… the Dog is no one’s friend, lol! It does!

Liz and Kyle are forming a good friendship and having someone else to talk to about the situation, someone who can understand, is a very good thing.

Yeah, Max knew that would get a rise out of Tess.

begonia9508: Max will get a chance to meet this friend of Tess’ sometime in the upcoming week and we’ve got our fingers crossed that the interview goes well. Nope, Tess is following her own path and she’s smart enough to know where and how to help out. He’s making some progress at home.

mary mary: Ah, there’s still time to warn him about Kara’s information sharing, lol. Yep, chances are good that he’s gonna hear about that from others as well.

Alien_Friend: Sometimes taking a step back and cooling off is just what ya need. He knows that Liz is right and he’s trying not to cripple the kids with his fears, he’s just having a hard time letting go.

We’ll look in on his interview with Missy pretty soon and we’ll see how that goes. Each small step is connected, so they’re all leading somewhere.

Nope, no such thing as secrets, lol. We’re glad you enjoyed Kara’s scene!

sarammlover: Let’s just hope they can keep that forward motion going. Tess and Kyle are definitely great here! Nope, they’re far from having everything between them on track, but as they work towards that they’re supporting their family and friends and helping them sort things out… and in the process they’re getting closer and closer.

rosyrosy2882: Thanks!

Yup, that brother/sister relationship is important and especially so in a situation such as this one. These two need each other but they’re heading in the right direction… finally.

It’s been about 15 months since Andrew’s accident and seven months since he passed away. Max can’t bring himself to go camping, but the kids were spared seeing the accident the way that he saw it, so they don’t have that crippling fear weighing them down. He’s making a huge step by agreeing to let Kyle take the boys out. It will take time, but each incident is bringing Max to a better understanding of what is happening to his family.

Liz is taking a step back and reassessing the situation. You’re right, something will happen that will make Max reach a point where he realizes that he has to deal with what happened, that he can’t continue to bury it and expect to go on with his life day after day.


Part 38

Nick stepped out into the hall on Sunday morning and frowned when he didn’t smell breakfast cooking. He turned around and bumped into Justin as he stumbled through the doorway, his hair standing up and going in several different directions.

“No breakfast?” he mumbled, squinting against the sunlight streaming through the windows.

“I don’t think they’re up yet,” Nick muttered.

“Not up yet? But it’s breakfast time.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that Mom an’ Dad aren’t up yet.”

“You think they’re still fightin’?”

Nick leaned back and looked toward the other end of the hallway. “Guest room door’s open so Dad’s not in there.”

Justin glanced at the door to their parents’ bedroom. “You think they’re… ya know?”

“I don’t know.” Nick made a face and shuddered at the thought. “Gross, man, I don’t wanna know.”

“Me either.” Justin scratched his head. “I want breakfast, I’m hungry.”

They both jumped when Kara came out of her room carrying Ari like a baby. The cat’s tail flicked in annoyance as he waited for the moment of escape to present itself. She paused when she saw her brothers and she turned her head to look at the stairs as she inhaled deeply. “No brefkast?”

“Think Mom an’ Dad are still sleepin’, baby girl.”

Kara frowned at that as she bent over to put Ari on the floor. She walked over to Mommy and Daddy’s door and gave it an experimental push, glancing back at the boys when it opened.

Justin and Nick scrambled after her when she entered the room and Nick caught her, scooping her up and covering her mouth with his right hand so she wouldn’t holler and wake their sleeping parents up.

“So, this’s a good thing,” Justin mused, his voice hushed.

They slept soundly, Dad’s arm wrapped around Mom’s waist as he held her close to his body.

Nick nodded. “Maybe we should make breakfast, whatcha think?”

“Good idea.”

Or at least it was until they dressed and met up in the kitchen 15 minutes later. Kara stood between the boys as they glanced around the room and then at each other. She reached up and tugged on Justin’s shirt. “Hungry,” she complained.

Nick walked over to the refrigerator and pulled the door open so he could look inside. “What should we make?”

“Pancakes!” Kara insisted.

“That’s easy enough, right?” They glanced at each other doubtfully. “Maybe we should call Aunt Tess.”

Justin snorted. “You remember when we went to visit her? We went out to eat… a LOT.”

“Good point, so…?”

“Aunt Maria,” they said at the same time.

Nick grabbed the phone and dialed the number while Justin took his place at the refrigerator. “Hey, Kara, feed the cat,” he said as he leaned on the island and drummed his fingers on the surface. “Hey, Aunt Maria,” he greeted when she answered the phone.

“You’re up early on a Sunday morning,” Maria said with a laugh. “How’re you doing, Nick?”

“Well, I’ll be doin’ a lot better if you can walk me through makin’ pancakes.” He nodded at his brother when Justin filled Lucky’s food dish and motioned to the back door.

“Uh-huh, where’s your mom?”

“Her an’ Dad are sleepin’ and since they’re actually together instead of in separate rooms for once we didn’t wanna disturb ‘em.” He shrugged even though she couldn’t see it. “They just looked really peaceful so…”

Maria heard the note of sadness in her nephew’s voice and knew how desperately he wanted his family to be the way it was before the accident. She had known things were strained between Max and Liz but hadn’t known that things had started to deteriorate to the place where they were sleeping in separate rooms.

“Aunt Maria, you still there?”

She swallowed hard. “Sorry, Nick, I was just trying to remember what all you’ll need,” she said, forcing a smile into her voice. She walked him through the process and disconnected when he was sure he was ready to handle the preparations on his own.

“So, ya know what we’re doin’?” Justin asked when he walked back inside.

“Yeah, it’ll be easy enough. Ya wanna have sausage or bacon?”

“Sausage, it’s easier to cook.” He pulled it out of the refrigerator. “I’ll get started on that.”

Nick gathered the ingredients from the pantry and set them on the island as Kara clambered up to sit on one of the barstools. “Okay,” he filled a measuring cup with flour and dumped it in the bowl and Kara laughed when a plume of white dust rose into the air. “What’re you laughin’ at?” he asked as he waved the dust away and handed her a wire whisk. “Hold that.”

Kara leaned over the bowl to watch as he added another cup of flour and more dry ingredients before grabbing another bowl and cracking a couple of eggs and then adding milk. He took the whisk back from her and mixed it before pouring it into the other bowl and beating it for several minutes.

“I don’t think this looks right,” he muttered finally. “Aunt Maria said it was supposed to be smooth an’ this… well, half of it’s still dry.”

“Are you sure you used enough milk?” Justin asked as he turned the sausage over that was probably a little bit more burnt than anyone really wanted it to be.

“Well, yeah, I know how to follow directions.”

Justin looked over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. “Apparently not. Just add more milk. She said to mix it until it was smooth, right? So, just add more milk and another egg and then stir it again and eventually it’ll come out right.”

“Alright, yeah, that makes sense.”

*****

“Where’s Andy?” Maria asked when she came back from taking Theo out for his morning walk.

Kyle glanced up from where he was sitting on the couch, dressed in a ratty tee shirt and an old pair of jogging pants. “I think he’s still sleepin’. At least I haven’t seen him downstairs this mornin’.”

Maria lifted her eyebrows at his appearance. “I sure hope you’re gonna clean yourself up and dress nice tonight. I doubt Tess would be impressed with this,” she pointed at his scruffy look and shook her head.

“Hey, I’m goin’ joggin’ with Michael in a few minutes, okay?” he defended himself. Yeah, as if he would face Tess looking like this.

Maria tensed up at the mention of Andy’s counselor. “He’s picking you up from here?” she asked, trying to sound as uninterested as possible as she put Theo’s leash back on the little desk next to the door.

Kyle smirked to himself as she tried to play it cool, but her question about his friend was obvious. “No, I’ll walk over to his place in a few minutes. Soon as the news is over.” He pointed at the TV.

She carefully hid her disappointment. “Have fun then!”

He snorted. “It’s not about fun; it’s about bein’ in shape for the ladies.”

“Uh-huh,” Maria said, smirking as she sat down next to him. “Hope ya mean Tess and only Tess this time.”

He groaned. “C’mon, I’m not in high school anymore.”

“Really?” she asked, pretending to be shocked. “Hadn’t noticed that!”

He bumped her side playfully and they both fell silent to watch the news for a few minutes before Kyle got to his feet. “Alright, I gotta go. Tell Mom I’ll be back for lunch.”

“Will do.” Maria took the remote from the coffee table and started to switch through the programs after Kyle left. It didn’t take long before she was bored with it again and she glanced at her watch. Almost 10am. Andy should be up soon and she still needed to talk to him. All week she had thought about possible ways to tell her son about her plans with Tess. So far she hadn’t come up with anything. Time was running out though. Tess would be at their house for dinner that night and it was too much of a risk that she might slip up and say something about the shop idea. She didn’t want Andy to hear about it from anyone but her.

“Mornin’,” came a mumbled greeting from behind her.

She turned around quickly, pulled out of her thoughts. “Hey, sleepyhead.”

He glanced at his watch. “It’s only like 10am, Mom.”

She smiled. “I know, we agreed that you can sleep as long as you want on the weekends.” He was pretty busy at school what with all the homework he had, counseling sessions, studying and helping with the basketball team, so it was only fair that he got some time off on the weekends.

He glanced at her. “Did ya already take Theo out?”

“Already done. I was up early this morning.”

Damn, he thought. He had planned to use Theo as an excuse to walk over and see if Sam could slip away from her overprotective dad.

“You want breakfast?”

He shook his head. “Grandma’s makin’ pizza for lunch so I’m savin’ my appetite for that.”

Maria chuckled, knowing that her son loved the homemade pizza her mother made more than anything. She took a deep breath before patting the couch next to her. “Can we talk for a moment?”

He glanced at her doubtfully. “That doesn’t sound like a conversation ya wanna have right after getting up. Did I do somethin’?”

She shook her head and tried to make her expression encouraging. “No, no, it’s nothing you’ve done wrong or anything like that.”

“Okay,” he sighed in relief and took a seat next to her. “So, what is it? Oh, is it about the house? Can we finally start movin’ in?”

“I have to make some calls tomorrow morning, but we might be able to start moving in at the end of the week, I don’t know for sure yet.”

“Cool.” He couldn’t wait to have his own floor in the new house. There would be so much more space for him and his things.

“But that doesn’t have anything to do with what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“It’s about yesterday, right?” he asked, certain that was it. He slouched down on the couch and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yesterday?” she asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, about me…” he glanced at her meaningfully, “…playing basketball. You saw it, right?”

“Oh,” she said, remembering that moment and she smiled. “Yeah, I saw you. How’d it feel?”

He avoided looking at her and stared at the floor instead. “It felt good, but wrong at the same time.”

Her heart clenched painfully when his tone let her know he was disappointed in himself for giving in to Michael’s encouraging words about playing. She hated the fact that Andrew had never held back when it came to expressing his opinion about the sport that their son liked the most. She took his chin between her thumb and index finger of her left hand to make him look at her again. “You don’t have to feel bad about it, Andy.”

“But Dad…”

She shook her head. “Your dad always wanted you to be happy and if he had ever seen you playing on the court then he would’ve realized how much fun you have playing basketball. He never would’ve forbidden you to play just because he didn’t like the sport himself.”

She was probably right, Andy thought. His dad hadn’t had a very good opinion of basketball, but on the other hand he had never really told his dad that he wanted to play on the team. What if I had told him? he wondered. He was pretty sure that it would’ve shocked his father, but would he have forbidden him to play. No. “It’s just,” he shrugged, “I would’ve liked to have had his support.”

“All you need to know is that your dad would’ve supported you no matter what your decision was in the end.”

He nodded. “I try to tell myself that every day.” He took a deep breath to shake the weird feeling that was always there when they talked about Dad. “But that’s probably not what ya wanted to talk to me about, huh?”

“No,” she admitted.

“Is it…”

Maria stopped him by putting her hand over his mouth. “Andy, I’d appreciate it if you’d stop guessing so I can get it out, okay?”

He smirked softly. “Okay, shutting up now.”

“Alright,” she wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. “Remember when we talked about the possibility of me getting a job?”

“Uh-huh,” he answered, already not liking where this was going.

“Well, your aunt Tess is moving into a new apartment, which you already know. What you don’t know is that there’s an empty one on the first floor and Tess and I had an idea about opening a small beauty shop for haircuts and cosmetics.” She took a break to see if he had anything to say, but when he stayed silent she continued. “The space would be perfect for it, so we’ve rented it.”

He tensed up. “You already rented it?”

“Yeah, we – “

“So why’re we even talkin’ about it?” he yelled as he jumped to his feet. “I mean, you obviously already made your decision without me. Why bother tellin’ me now?” He paced around the living room restlessly.

“Andy, we had to make a very quick decision. There were other people who wanted to rent it. I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you.”

“But you did,” he accused. “You could’ve called or whatever.”

She remained sitting on the couch, trying to remember the advice Michael had given her. “I don’t need your permission for this, Andy. I am your mother and I am still the adult here. We talked about why I have to make some changes and we talked about me wanting to try something new, so don’t look at me like I’m the worst mother in the world.” She reached out to stop his movements. “I want you to be a part of everything I do and I’m not hiding anything from you, but there are things I need to decide alone just like there are things that you need to decide alone. Playing basketball for example; it’s your decision and I’ll support you no matter what you decide to do because you’re my son and I love you. And now I’m asking you to support me with this here.”

He wiped his hands over his face. It was a gesture that reminded Maria a lot of Andrew; he had always done the exact same thing when they had been arguing and he had taken a moment to collect himself. “I need to be alone,” he mumbled and ran to the wardrobe to get his jacket.

“Andy,” Maria said desperately as she got up from the couch. She knew what had happened back in Miami when he had said he wanted to be alone. He had disappeared for hours on end, coming home only when the police had found him and brought him back to her.

The teenager turned around and looked at his mom, feeling bad when he noticed the fear in her expression. Fear that everything would just go back to the way it was before when they had been living in Florida. “Don’t… don’t worry about me,” he stuttered. “I’ll be back before the day’s over.”

She knew that asking or telling him to stay weren’t options so she just nodded dumbly and watched him as he slipped out the door. She turned around when Amy came through the swinging door that separated the living room from the kitchen. “How much did you hear?”

Amy chuckled. “Almost everything. It was hard to concentrate on anything else.”

Maria sighed. “Do you think I was too… I don’t know.”

Her mother shook her head. “No.” She walked up to Maria and laid a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “He needs to know that you’re still the adult and you’re making the decisions for the family, not him. It’s okay and necessary to remind him that he’s still your son and he’s supposed to listen to you.”

Maria nodded, but didn’t feel much better. “Still, I wasn’t able to stop him from leaving.”

“He’s a teenager,” Amy reminded her. “Give him some time to think about it and then talk to him again later.”

“I really hope he meant it when he said he’d be back today.”

“C’mon,” her mom said, leading her into the kitchen. “Let’s make coffee and then you can tell me all about Tess’ and your business plans.”

*****

Liz rolled over and wrinkled her nose as the scent of burning food wafted through the house and her eyes shot open when she realized that if she and Max were still in bed that only left one other possibility. She was just about to roll out of bed when her husband’s arm tightened around her waist, holding her against him.

“Leave ‘em alone,” he rasped. “They’re burnin’ breakfast, not turnin’ the house into a pile of ash.”

“You’ve already checked on them,” she realized in relief.

“Um-hmm, just peeked around the corner to make sure the house wasn’t on fire or anything. It looked like they had everything under control. I thought we could go down and give ‘em a hand in a little bit… ” He pressed teasing kisses to her neck. “Maybe after a nice long shower?”

She giggled suddenly and turned in his arms as she remembered what Kyle had told her the night before. “Do you know what your daughter did yesterday?”

“Uh-oh, my daughter, huh?”

“Um-hmm, all yours. Kyle told me that she asked him while they were out yesterday if Tess needed to help him with a bath since he was all sweaty from playing basketball.”

He chuckled. “That’s not the worst thing she’s ever said.”

“Oh, that’s not all she had to say. Then she told him that when you’re really icky I have to help you with your bath. That announcement was apparently followed by a comment about how that takes forever.”

“Lemme guess, it wasn’t somethin’ she said just to Kyle?”

“Oh, no… no, she shared that bit of information with everyone within earshot.”

“Well, there’s somethin’ to look forward to,” he muttered. “Last time she made one of those little public announcements the guys at the shop razzed me about it for a solid week.”

Liz snickered. “Bet they’ll get more than a week outta this one. And trust me, you won’t be alone. Sometimes I think women are worse than men about stuff like this…”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

She rolled her eyes at his doubtful tone but before she could respond they heard something clatter to the floor loudly downstairs. “Okay, we’d better get down there while the house is still standing.”

The kitchen and the kids were a mess… flour was everywhere, a stack of what was presumably pancakes, but was hard to say for certain since they looked like crispy black discs, sat on a plate near the stove, a pile of overcooked sausage sat on another plate, and all three kids were smiling proudly.

“We tried,” Nick said with a shrug. “They don’t look like yours, Mom.”

Justin shook his head. “No, and Lucky wouldn’t even eat one of the pancakes.”

Max just barely stopped himself from reaching out and tapping on one of the charred pancakes just to see if it was as hard as it looked. There wasn’t enough syrup in the world for him to force one of them down. How were they gonna get out of this one?

“I’m sure they’re just fine,” Liz assured them.

Kara’s face fell. “They’re yucky.”

“Aww, it’ll be alright, baby girl,” Max said as he picked her up and kissed her cheek.

“Huh-uh,” she denied, shaking her head. “Fix it, Daddy.”

Liz controlled the urge to laugh in relief. “You guys wanna go get cleaned up and your dad and I will fix breakfast?”

“Really?” Justin asked. He had been worried that Mom and Dad might feel obligated to eat what they had made, which meant they’d have to eat it too. “’Cause, we’d be okay with that.” He glanced at his brother and sister. “Right, guys?”

“Go do what your mom said and we’ll call you when breakfast is ready,” Max said as he put Kara down and he chuckled when the kids hurried out of the room. “That didn’t take long.”

“Would you look at this mess?”

“I’ll start cleanin’ up while you get breakfast goin’,” he offered. “First though,” he walked over to the counter and picked up one of the pancakes, tapping it against the plate. “Damn, you’d probably break a tooth on these things. What the hell did they do to them?”

“No idea.”

“Hey, Mom?”

They looked up when Justin poked his head around the doorframe.

“We were talkin’ an’ we were wonderin’ if you’d make some scrambled eggs too?”

She bit back a smile. “No problem.”

“Cool, thanks, Mom!”

She shook her head. “You’d better get to work, Max,” she said with a teasing smile. “I think I definitely got the better end of this deal.”

He made a face as he looked around at the mess. “Yeah, that makes two of us.”

*****

Kyle dropped down in one of the chairs on Michael’s back deck and drew in a deep breath. “I really miss hangin’ out like we used to, ya know?”

“Yeah,” Michael tossed him a bottle of water as he sat down nearby. He wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel and took a long drink of water. “I like it here though. It’s a lot different than livin’ in the big city and it’s a much more relaxed pace.”

“Do you miss counseling more kids? I know there are several counselors on staff at the high school and the student body isn’t as large as what you’re used to.”

He shook his head. “No, because you’re really able to focus more on each individual kid this way and I don’t like that fast-food mentality when it comes to helpin’ kids. Just like anyone else they react differently to tragedies, ya know? There’s no single method of reaching them or getting them to open up…” He ran his thumb through the condensation on the bottle. “It sucks that you can’t reach all of them.”

Kyle sighed, knowing where his mind was going when his mood suddenly took a nosedive. Everyone had something in their past that haunted them, something that drove them to put everything they had into doing the best that they could do. He knew what it was that drove Michael, knew the tragic turn of events that wouldn’t let him rest when he was trying to help the kids in his care. He also knew that until his friend found a way to forgive himself for something that had been out of his control he would never be able to let it go. “How’s Chris doin’?” he asked, switching to a success to get Michael’s mind off of what he perceived to be a failure.

“Good. Lovin’ the college life. Didn’t think I’d ever see the day, but the kid’s finally adjusted to livin’ away from home.” He scratched his jaw as he watched Mojo following a frog across the yard.

He nodded. “That’s good.” He shrugged. “Hell, some kids never adjust to bein’ away from home.” He stretched his legs out and tipped his head back to look up at the sky. “There’s a chance I might be takin’ Andy and the twins campin’ over the weekend here pretty soon.”

“Really? He agreed to that?”

“Yeah, surprised me too. You think that’ll be okay?”

“I don’t see any problems with it if he wants to take that step. It’ll probably be good for him and the twins to be out there again. What about the uncle?” he asked, concerned that the man’s presence could create a negative response in the boy. Andy’s level of hostility towards the uncle he blamed for the loss of his father hadn’t decreased since he had been in counseling and Michael wished he had the opportunity to see the two of them interact.

“I doubt that Max will go. Right now I’m not sure he’ll allow the twins to go, but if by some stroke of luck he says yes, I don’t really see him goin’. He’s had a rough time with this and he just can’t or won’t deal with it.”

Michael nodded. “Rumor has it it’s puttin’ quite a strain on their marriage.”

“Rumor would be correct.” He shook his head. “So, Tess is comin’ over for dinner tonight.”

“Dinner with your family?” Michael asked.

“Well, she won’t agree to go out with just me yet. Personally I think havin’ dinner with my family might just be a bigger step than goin’ to dinner with just me but I’m not gonna tell her that.”

“Smart move.” He stood and stretched. “Well, I owe you breakfast and then I’ve gotta head over to Isabel’s.” He made a face. “She’s decided to wallpaper the bedroom and somehow I got elected to help.”

“Well, if one, or preferably both of you would get out and start seein’ people you might just get out of projects like this. Oh, speakin’ of that, how do we go about invitin’ that guy over to your place for my birthday? Ya know, the one Isabel likes?”

“I don’t know him and you don’t know him so wouldn’t that be kinda weird for one of us to invite him over? I think we’re gonna have to rely on Andy or the twins to get that particular ball rollin’.”

“Alright, well, let’s hope Andy doesn’t drag his feet.”

Michael shoved Kyle as he passed him on his way into the house. “I’m gonna get breakfast started.”

“I’m gonna laze around on your deck and do nothin’.” He grinned when his old friend just rolled his eyes and went inside. He propped his feet up on the railing and let his thoughts wander to the evening ahead of him, hoping that things went the way he wanted them to go.

_________


A/N: This day is kinda important to us, since we are posting the last part of our "baby" Double Trouble. It's been a long ride and we are kinda sad that it is over now.

But well, the end of something is also the beginning of something new, right?

So here is a short trailer for our new fic: "TIC TAC"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kzg7MIFya4

keepsmiling7: They know Mom and Dad need to be together so they were tying to help them along.

Yup, we’re sure we haven’t heard the last of that one!

Andy’s still got some growing to do.

Natalie36: Thanks for the review!

Earth2Mama: They certainly gave it their best shot!

Oh, he’s gonna hear about that in this next part.

begonia9508: Yes, thanks, Mom!

They did have the best of intentions at heart.

mary mary: The ‘mom’ card is only good if you’re the mom, lol. Being on the other side of that card, while often necessary, is usually not fun.

It’s very good!

killjoy: Well… at least you tried.

Andy’s just holding on the only way he knows how to… but he’ll get some feedback on his behavior in this next part.

twinflame: Thanks for reading!

Alien_Friend: The kids gave it their best shot and in the process Mom and Dad did get to enjoy sleeping in on a lazy Sunday morning. Yeah, maybe waking up to the scent of charbroiled pancakes wasn’t that great, but the kids had the best of intentions at heart.

Andy definitely would’ve reacted even worse a few weeks ago, so we can see some progress here. Yup, if he ran off here he wouldn’t have too many places to hide, lol. Sam, well… she could make an appearance.

The guys are fun and we enjoy it when they hang out too.

We look forward to your return. Have a safe trip!

sarammlover: Just a tad? Lol. Someone’s gonna set him straight and very soon. He’s made progress since the beginning, so don’t give up on him. Aww, they gave it their best shot.

Eva: Lol, it’s so true! None of us ever wants to imagine that possibility!



Part 39

Michael stayed several feet back, his big body bent over the shopping cart as he rested his weight on it and waited for Isabel to finish her interrogation of the clerk in the interior decorating department of the local hardware store. She hadn’t told him that hanging wallpaper was going to include a joyous shopping excursion with her and that was most likely because she knew he would’ve refused to show up or cancelled on her at the last second. From what he could hear hanging wallpaper wasn’t even close to what they were going to be doing; the guy had been talking about some sort of adhesive, cutting x-number of inches over, a squeegee, working air bubbles out of the paper, and then more cutting… this was already sounding like a lot more work than he wanted to do.

He checked his watch for the tenth time in a matter of minutes. At this rate he was going to miss the game. His Sunday afternoon wasn’t supposed to be spent learning to wallpaper. He was supposed to be popping the top on a cold one, getting the grill ready, and tuning in for the pre-game show in less than an hour and they hadn’t even made it out of the store yet! He cleared his throat to get Isabel’s attention and he held his hands up in a can-we-go-now gesture when she turned to look at him.

“We’re almost finished, Michael. Just let,” she glanced at the guy’s nametag, “Clay finish explaining this.”

“Clay’s not doin’ anything but starin’ down your shirt,” he muttered under his breath as he shook his head. He shifted to look behind him when he heard someone drop something followed by a quiet curse. His eyebrows lifted in surprise and he straightened up to his full height when he saw Sam Whitman’s father crouching down to pick up a couple small plastic boxes of what looked like hinges.

Michael smiled to himself when the guy finished picking his things up and wandered over to the next aisle and out of his sight. “Hey, Iz, gotta go check somethin’, I’ll be right back.” She waved him away without ever looking at him and he hurried after the guy.

Alex frowned at the little plastic boxes as he tried to figure out where they went. He was in the right area and he knew he had grabbed them off of one of the hooks, but since they had been on the hanger for the item he had intended to purchase he had no idea where they really went. Some days nothing was simple, he thought to himself. He looked at the hinges again and tried to find their slot unsuccessfully.

“Mr. Whitman?”

He turned his head to look at the man who had spoken, recognizing him as one of the counselors at the high school but uncertain as to why the man had stopped to speak to him. “Yeah, hi.”

“I don’t think we’ve ever been properly introduced,” Michael said and held his hand out to the man. “Michael Guerin.”

“Right, from the high school, yeah, I recognize you. Alex Whitman,” Alex introduced himself and shook the man’s hand. “Was there somethin’ you needed?”

“Just wonderin’ what you know about wallpapering?”

“Oh, you need to wallpaper a room? Well, I don’t actually work here.” He glanced down at the odd assortment of things he held cradled in his left arm and chuckled. “Kinda looks like I do, but no.”

“Right, um, no, I know you don’t work here. No, see, the reason I was wonderin’ is I have a friend who needs to wallpaper a room and she’s getting some advice from Mr. Handyman over there, but he’s gonna start droolin’ on her or humpin’ her leg here pretty soon, I’m not sure which, and…”

“Must be talkin’ about Clay.” Alex rolled his eyes. “He knows his stuff but he does have a tendency to let his eyes wander inappropriately. And to answer your question, yes, I do know how to hang wallpaper.”

“Really?” Okay, he hadn’t actually thought the guy would know what to do with wallpaper, so this was just a bonus.

Alex laughed. “I should, I’ve redone my daughter’s bedroom several times over the years.”

“You watchin’ the 3 o’clock game today?”

“No, just enjoying the day.”

*****

Isabel looked up when Michael called her and her comment to Clay was momentarily forgotten when she saw who her friend had found wandering around the store. She was going to kill him for this, she thought as she forced a smile. Yes, she was interested in the guy but that did not mean she needed one or both of her friends to play matchmaker for her. No, her life was not that sad… not yet anyway.

“Yes, Michael, what can I do for you?”

He grinned mischievously. “Oh, it’s what I can do for you, Iz.” He rested a hand on Alex’s shoulder and shook it. “This fella here knows how to wallpaper! What’re the chances, huh?”

She gritted her teeth and turned back to Clay. “Thank you so much for all of your help, Clay; I’m sure I’ll be able to get the job done now.”

“Hey, so, Clay,” Michael said, insinuating himself between them before the guy started trying to keep her from leaving, “I was wonderin’ what you can tell me about fencin’ a yard. I’ve got a Rottweiller…”

Alex couldn’t stop the grin when he saw Isabel’s expression as she watched her friend steer Clay in the opposite direction. “Meddling friends can be annoying, but in this case I’d say he did you a favor.”

“I’m well aware of Clay’s penchant for staring,” Isabel informed him. “Beyond that he’s harmless.”

“That much is true,” he agreed. “So, can I give you a hand with that wallpaper job?”

She shook her head negatively. “Oh, no, I couldn’t impose.”

“Would it help if I told you I know what I’m doin’ in the bedroom?” His eyes widened when he realized what he had just said and he cleared his throat. “Okay, that um,” he cleared his throat again, “that didn’t exactly come out the way I meant for it to…”

It was Isabel’s turn to grin and she couldn’t help teasing him. “So, you don’t know what you’re doin’ in the bedroom?” She let the tip of her forefinger trail across his chest as she walked past him to collect the cart Michael had abandoned. “That’s a shame.”

Alex was enjoying this unexpected teasing, playful side of the principal. “Well, no,” he corrected as he followed her, “I know what I’m doin’ it’s just not somethin’ I usually brag about, especially before I can even convince a woman to go out to dinner with me. What I was tryin’ so badly to say was that I’ve wallpapered my daughter’s bedroom three times and I’ve finally mastered it, so I’d be happy to give you a hand in your bedroom…” he grinned sheepishly and shrugged. “Maybe I’d better just quit while I’m ahead.”

“I think that was several slips back, Mr. Whitman,” she said with a grin. “However, since I know that Michael is trying to get out of this because he has a date with a football game, a steak, and a beer… and I really would like to get this finished today...” She looked at Alex when he chuckled. “What?”

“Well, depending on the size of your room and how much space we have to work…”

“It’s a large room and we were just gonna move the furniture as we…” she trailed off, shaking her head and unintentionally mimicking him. “No?”

“You really need to get started early in the mornin’ otherwise it’s gonna be late by the time you finish. Is it somethin’ you just need to get finished today?”

“No, I suppose not. I just wanted to get it finished before next weekend. See, my friend Kyle, we’re having his birthday party then, so…”

“I’ve got a couple evenings free this week. Why don’t I take you out for a coffee this afternoon? We can get to know each other a little bit and if our schedules mesh maybe we could knock that out before the weekend,” he suggested.

*****

Maria glanced at her watch. It was shortly after 2pm and Andy wasn’t back yet. She knew she probably shouldn’t worry as much as she did since it was only early afternoon, but she couldn’t help it. Liz had told her that he wasn’t with the twins and the phone hadn’t been answered at the Whitman house. What if he ran away again? Where should she start to look for him if he wasn’t with his friends?

“No sign of him yet, huh?” Kyle asked as he entered the living room, dressed in a pair of black jeans and a blue shirt. He looked definitely better than he had that morning.

“No, his cell is turned off.”

Kyle sighed. “You know, I don’t think we should worry too much just yet. I’m sure he’ll be back soon, but if ya want I can drive around and look for him.”

Maria thought about it for a while. “Aren’t you supposed to pick Tess up to watch the game together?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, well… I could call her and tell her I’ll catch up with her later. I’m sure she’d understand. She’d probably wanna help look for him.”

Maria finally shook her head. “No, not yet anyway. Go and get Tess and watch the game and if he isn’t back after that, then maybe we could look for him around town?” She didn’t want Andy to feel like she didn’t trust him.

“Okay, we can do that.” He looked around the living room until he found his car keys on the coffee table. “I’ll be back soon.”

Maria watched him leave and started to walk in the kitchen to see if her mother needed any help with preparing anything for dinner. “Hey. Can I help you out in here?”

Amy smiled and shook her head. “No, I’m all prepared.”

“Okay,” her daughter said, disappointed. She had hoped for something to distract her for a while. “Then I guess I’m gonna take Theo for another walk since we won’t have the time tonight.”

“Do that,” Amy answered, knowing that Maria was just looking for an excuse to get out of the house to look for her son. She was pretty sure Andy would be back for dinner, the boy had changed during the last few weeks, but she could understand the worries of a mother all too well.

Maria used the back door to get out to the yard, calling Theo twice before he finally ran towards her. “Easy, boy,” she told him when he almost knocked her off of her feet because he was so happy to see her. “What ya think about another walk out in the park, huh?”

Theo barked twice in response, running around her in circles. She chuckled and grabbed the leash that hung right next to the back door. “Come here.”

*****

She unhooked the leash from the dog’s collar as soon as they reached the park. Maria glanced after Theo when he took off, covering her eyes from the sun. “Don’t go too far,” she yelled at him.

She walked along the small path between all the grass, bushes and trees, trying to enjoy the quiet and comfortably warm day, while everyone else seemed to be in their houses to prepare for another football game. She smiled at a pair of cats, which lay around lazily in the sunny park, stretching their paws towards each other. They seemed satisfied, without caring about the world around them. “Theo, no!” she told her dog firmly and gestured with her hands in the other direction when he neared the two cats carefully. He seemed as if he wanted to protest, but suddenly he took off again when some birds on the path caught his attention. She chuckled at his behavior. He was so easy to please.

Michael crossed through the park on his way back to his house and his stride increased when he realized that there wasn’t much time left before the football game would start. He silently congratulated himself for his awesome idea to hook Isabel up with Mr. Whitman. Kill two birds with one stone, he thought, amused. Not only did he get time to watch the game now, he was also sure Isabel would have a date with this guy very soon. And a happy Isabel was always a good Isabel.

He slowed his pace when some blonde hair, swaying in the wind got his attention. The woman was too far away to recognize her, but the dog belonging to her was unmistakable. He glanced at his watch. If he stopped to say hi he would miss the first few minutes of the game. She hadn’t seen him yet and she wouldn’t if he just kept going to his house directly. Ah, fuck, the first minutes of the game weren’t THAT interesting, he decided and headed in her direction.

“Enjoying a quiet Sunday?” he asked from behind her when only a few feet separated them.

She turned around quickly. “Good grief, Michael, ya really startled me,” her face lit up though.

He smirked at her mischievously. “Sorry.”

Maria glanced around the park. “Well, it is quiet here, huh? I was expecting more people.”

“Nah, everyone in Roswell seems to like football, so if there’s a game on, then they’re all at home.”

“So, what’re you doin’ out here then?” she asked, surprised. He had to like football, right? Every man did.

Yeah, now what’re ya gonna tell her, Guerin? He shrugged coolly. “None of my favorite teams are playing so I don’t care about it that much today.” He almost snorted at his own reply. “I was out to give Isabel a hand with wallpapering.”

Maria made a face. “Ungh, don’t remind me. Once we finally start to move that project is waiting for me as well.”

He bit his lip before he could offer to help. How weird would it be – especially for Andy – if he would come to their house to help out? Besides that, Michael was pretty sure she would say no anyway. “Ya already know when you’re gonna move in?”

“Not for sure yet. But I think we’ll be able to get started by the end of the upcoming week. Or at least I hope so.” She glanced around to make sure Theo was still in sight. “It’s makin’ me crazy to just sit around at home, ya know? I need something to focus on.”

He nodded knowingly. “That’s understandable. Did ya tell Andy about the job idea, by the way?”

She looked at him, her expression puzzled as if she was surprised he still remembered that. Hell, if she only knew that he practically remembered every small detail about everything that included her. What she wore the first day they met, how she had smelled when they had met in his office for the first time, how she drank her coffee…

“I did tell him,” she said, her eyes sad all of the sudden.

“Didn’t go too well?” he guessed, his eyes using the opportunity to roam over her body when she turned around to look for her dog again. She was just wearing a simple pair of jeans, but they brought out her curves perfectly.

Maria shivered when she glanced back at Michael just as his eyes met hers again. She was pretty sure his gaze had been travelling elsewhere before. “Um, no… no, I guess not,” she sighed to shake the weird feeling in her stomach. “He was pretty mad and he left the house. I haven’t seen him since this morning and I can’t reach him on the cell.”

“He’s probably with that girl… Sam Whitman,” Michael said, pretty sure that was where Andy was.

“You think so? I called her house but the phone wasn’t answered.

“I met her dad in the store just a few minutes ago and he was alone.”

Maria nodded, feeling a little better. Yeah, that girl had something that attracted Andy, maybe Michael was right.

“Why is Andy reacting so badly about me getting a job?” she wondered aloud.

“He lost his dad, so he’s trying to hold onto the only parent he has left tightly.”

She snorted. “Believe me, he isn’t really looking forward to any time that he has to spend with his Mom. He thinks I’m embarrassing, ya know?”

Michael laughed. “Well, he is a teenager, right?” His eyes locked with hers as he got serious again. “He’s holding onto you the only way he knows how to. He wants to decide when he wants to spend time with you and he wants to be able to come to you whenever he wants and he expects you to be there whenever he needs you to be there.”

“But I am there for him,” she defended herself.

He lifted his hand. “I know, I know. I wasn’t trying to blame you for anything. I’m just saying that Andy still has to learn again that there will be times when you’re gonna be busy with something that doesn’t include him directly. Right now he’s trying to have you all to himself, with no distractions or anything.” His own words made him realize how seemingly impossible his own situation was since Andy would react the same way if he found out he was interested in his mother. Damn it!

Maria nodded slowly. “I think I understand what you mean.”

“Give him more time. Once he finds out that a job makes you happy, he’ll start to realize that it’s for his own good as well.”

“Do you think I have to worry about him? That he won’t come back home today?”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure he won’t do that. But if so, you can call me and I’ll help you look for him.”

She nodded, smiling. “Thanks. I hope he’ll be back home soon. Kyle and Tess have their big family dinner this evening and I would hate myself for ruining this.”

“Oh, right, tell Kyle to lay off the onions and garlic for once if he’s hoping for a good night kiss.”

Maria laughed. “Yeah, I think that’s a pretty good idea.”

“Alright,” Michael said, knowing it was time to go. He had to hold back, at least for a while. “I guess I’m gonna go and watch the football game.”

“Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in today’s game?”

He shrugged. “Oh, well, I’m a man… it’s football…”

She shook her head, amused. “And I almost believed you.” She waved him off. “Go on then, enjoy your game.”

*****

Andy sat on Sam’s back porch, arms looped around his knees as he watched Oscar run around the yard pushing a rubber ball. The little pig squealed and snorted and the teenager assumed that meant the animal was enjoying his game. He hadn’t expected Sam to have a pet pig. A cat maybe, or a dog, but not an actual farm animal.

“So, what’s up?” Sam asked from her perch on the swing behind him. He had arrived more than an hour ago but he hadn’t said much of anything. Her dad had called and said he was stopping for coffee on his way home and not to expect him for about an hour so she knew they were running out of time. “I’m not tryin’ to rush you or anything, but my dad could be home at any time and if he catches you here we’re both gonna be in trouble.”

“Yeah, I guess I should go.” He glanced up at the sky and realized how late it was. Dinner would be on the table soon and he had promised Mom that he’d be back home in time to eat.

“Andy, tell me what happened.”

He shrugged and stared at Oscar. “I went off on my mom.” He grimaced. “I just… I don’t even know why I did it.”

She waited patiently, knowing that he would get it out when he could get it together in his head. She just prayed that whoever Dad was having coffee with was interesting enough to keep him a little late.

“My mom an’ my aunt rented some buildin’ or somethin’ to open up a beauty shop,” he said finally. “I mean, she didn’t even talk to me about it first. If my dad was here she would’ve talked to him first… she wouldn’t have just made a decision that affected the family without consulting him about it.”

“You’re not your dad, Andy. Do you even realize what you’re sayin’? What you’re expectin’ of her? She’s your mom, it’s her job to make the decisions. Your dad might not be here anymore, but she’s still your parent.” She shrugged when he looked at her. “I know you told me she fell apart after your dad died… she was there but she was just shut down or whatever, but she’s tryin’ to come back from that. It’s why she moved you guys here, why she’s tryin’ so hard to get her life back on track… she’s doin’ all of this stuff to be better not just for her, but because she loves you so much.”

Andy looked up when she sat down next to him and leaned against his shoulder. “You don’t think her wantin’ to work is just a way to… I don’t know, not have to deal with me all the time?”

“Jeez, Andy, how bad do you really think you are?”

“It’s not that,” he mumbled, looking away. “I know what she sees when she looks at me. I’ve never shown you a picture of my dad, but I look a lot like him.”

“Okay, I know that’s probably hard for her, but… she loves you so much! Andy, look, I don’t remember anything about my mom, but I do know that my dad’s sacrificed a lot to give me the best life he could provide. He would never tell me what those things are, but it’s a small town and I’ve heard people talk over the years. There were times when I was little that I would find him in his office, so exhausted that he’d be asleep sitting at his desk because he had been up all night working. Sometimes when I was sick I’d wake up after the worst of it was over and he’d be passed out in the chair next to my bed. They’re parents; they sacrifice so that one day, hopefully, we can have it better than they did.”

“My mom doesn’t have to work though. My dad made sure she would never have to do that.”

“She’s not abandoning you by goin’ out and workin’.” She grinned and pushed him with her shoulder when he turned sharply to look at her. “Don’t have to be a shrink to see that one, dumbass,” she said, her tone affectionate. “She probably just needs somethin’ to occupy her time.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Somethin’ besides you. And not because you look like your dad, but because she needs somethin’ to do. Ungh, can you imagine just sitting around the house all day long with nothin’ to do?”

“Okay,” he said grudgingly, “when you put it like that it doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Because it’s not that bad. So go home an’ tell her you’re sorry for goin’ off on her an’ actin’ like a jerk.” She looked at him, her expression serious. “You loved you dad a lot and you don’t have to say it for me to know it’s true. You loved him and you respected him, so you should ask yourself if he’d be proud of the way you’ve been treatin’ your mom.”

Ouch. He didn’t need to even think about that one but he nodded as he stood up. “I’d better go before it gets dark. I’ll see ya at school tomorrow, Sam.”

She smiled when he checked his watch on his way out of the yard and then cautiously peered around the corner of the house before jumping over the gate and hurrying down the sidewalk.

*****

Alex and Isabel were enjoying the opportunity to get to know each other, talking and laughing about things and just relaxing in the back of the little coffee shop. She was telling him about her cats, gifts from her two best friends, and the antics they got up to.

“Caesar likes to hide and jump out at you when you least expect it.” She rolled her eyes. “I think the guys must’ve taught him that. It’s something both of them used to do in college.” She took a sip of her coffee. “What about you, any pets?”

“Just one. Sam picked him out when she was a little girl.” He smiled and shook his head. “He’s a pig.”

“Well, that’s not a nice thing to say,” she laughed.

“No, literally, he’s a pig.” He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled a photo out of one of the sleeves. “That was taken at Christmas last year. You know how you can take your pet down to the local pet store to have a photograph taken with Santa?”

Isabel hid a smirk at the way the girl had dressed the pig up. “Cute.”

He nodded when she handed it back. “She drags me out for that every year and after humiliating the poor pig by dressing him up in that green elf outfit they have their picture taken with Santa.” He sighed and slid it back into his wallet. “As much as I could live without things like that I dread the day when she decides she’s too old to do them.”

“I don’t suppose it’s easy to let them grow up.”

“No, it’s not. You have to, of course, but it’s hard sometimes.” He leaned back and stretched his long legs out under the table. “Knowin’ when to ease up, when to let go…” he shook his head. “She’s 15 and up until a few weeks ago boys were just these other people that she didn’t have that much interest in, ya know? Now all of the sudden she’s all about that little troublemaker Andy and one of her best friends seems to have developed a crush on her. I’m not sure about that one yet. He may just be jealous that his cousin’s suddenly taking up her free time.”

“Justin, right?”

His eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Sam, Justin, and Nick are like the three musketeers in school and around town. I think it’s likely that your assessment of Justin is correct.”

“It’s just… he holds things in with most people but he opens up with her and they’ve been like that since they were little. I think that the situation he’s been dealin’ with at home has been difficult but combined with his best friend suddenly bein’ interested in his cousin… I just don’t know how ugly that could get.”

“I don’t really think it’s a situation you can control, Alex. I hate to say it but you’re probably gonna have to sit back and let it play out.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of.” He smiled and glanced at his watch. “I hate to cut this short but I’m gonna have to leave in a few minutes. It’s nearly dinnertime and a hungry teenager isn’t fun to deal with.”

Isabel chuckled. “I’m sure they can be quite demanding. What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Chicken parmesan. Easy to fix, easy clean up, and my daughter loves it which means no leftovers.” He grinned. “Just don’t tell her I said that ‘cause she probably won’t appreciate me tellin’ anyone that she eats like a small horse.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” she promised with a smile.

“Well, before I go, what evenings would be best for you to hang that wallpaper?”

“I’m free Tuesday and Thursday. I have meetings Monday and Wednesday, and then the game is on Friday this week.”

“Perfect, we should be able to knock it out in a couple of evenings. I could bring dinner over?”

“No, no, you’re helping me, so I’ll take care of dinner.”

“Sounds like a date.”

Isabel was smiling to herself after he had walked her to her car and then climbed into his own and driven away. She was in a very good mood… almost good enough to forgive Michael for his earlier abandonment. Oh, what the hell, she was feeling generous enough to even let that transgression go.

She turned the radio on as she started her car, tuning it to one of the stations that played the goofiest pop music. It didn’t even matter that it wasn’t the type of music she normally listened to… they were the kind of songs that you heard when you were on hold, shopping in the grocery store, or blaring out of some teenage girls’ speakers… it didn’t matter that you hated the songs, they got stuck in your head and she was in such a good mood that she sang along with every single one that came on as she drove home.

Earth2Mama: Lol, Michael definitely used that opportunity to his advantage, didn’t he?

Sam doesn’t hold back when dealing with Andy and that’s exactly what he needs from her. Nope, Andrew wouldn’t appreciate his son’s behavior or his treatment of his mom and it was smart of Sam to point it out and remind him of that. Do any of us really miss those years?

Not necessarily thinking he shouldn’t pursue her, but perhaps re-thinking his approach.

We still miss it too… probably will for a while. It had become a pretty big part of our lives!

Natalie36: Thanks for reading!

begonia9508: Thanks!

Sam’s a good influence on Andy and thankfully he’s listening to her.

killjoy: Thanks… and c’mon, it’s getting close to pre-season, right?

Yeah, wonder why… nah, we think we know why.

Eva: Lol, had Michael known that shopping was involved prior to his agreement to help Isabel out, he would’ve found a way out.

We’re glad you’re lovin’ Sam – we’re pretty fond of her ourselves. She’s not afraid to tell Andy exactly what the score is and call him on his behavior.

mary mary: Thanks! Good point… but Isabel didn’t tell us anything about removing that old wallpaper… hmm… Lol, yes, definitely enlist help!!

keepsmiling7: Oh, Michael was just waiting for a chance to get out of that one, lol. Looks like that one worked out all around.

Yup, Andy’s still got more progress to make… but he’s gonna get there.

Cardinal: Lol, nope, Michael’s abandonment was the last thing on her mind.

He’s doing his best to prevent himself from crossing that line.

Yup, he’s more willing to take advice from Sam and listen when she tells him quite directly what he’s doing wrong.

Hmm… maybe we’ll check in on them this weekend.

sarammlover: So do we! They are pretty adorable. Sam has no qualms about standing up and telling Andy that he’s acting like a jerk. And the fact that he listens to her works out very well.


Part 40

Kyle checked his hair in the rearview mirror again before getting out if his car. Why the hell did he feel so nervous? It was just a family dinner. He had been spending a lot of time with Tess lately and he knew his family wouldn’t do anything to embarrass him but he felt like he had when he had been out on his first date in high school. Should I have chosen a different shirt? he wondered. He shook his head. Nah, Tess would like the way he looked and she would enjoy the evening. And if he was really lucky he’d get a goodnight kiss at the end of the evening. Oh yeah!

He walked up the stairs to her apartment on the second floor and knocked. He heard a muffled voice call out, “Door’s open.” He walked into her apartment, looking around in the living room, but she wasn’t there. “Uh, Tess?”

“Gimme a few more minutes, Kyle. Have a seat and turn on the TV or something.”

He knew better than to complain about the fact that she wasn’t ready yet, so he did what she had suggested and dropped down to the couch.

“Ouch, damn it,” she hissed.

Kyle turned to frown at the closed bathroom door. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Don’t need any help?”

“No,” she said as she finally opened the door and stepped out into the living room.

His mouth opened and closed several times, but he was too shocked to say anything at first. She giggled, amused by his reaction. “Don’t drool on my furniture, Valenti.”

He smirked at her confident tone. “Well, it’s not my fault if I’m drooling.” He got to his feet and walked up to her, letting his heated gaze wander over the cute, colorful, and strapless summer dress she was wearing. Her hair was longer than usual because she had smoothed her curly blonde hair and it now hung loose over her shoulders, touching the edge of her dress. “You look beautiful,” he admitted huskily.

She shivered, as his eyes roamed over her. Was she really as special to him as his eyes said she was? She could only hope because it got harder with every passing day to stay away from him. “Thanks,” she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “You look nice as well.”

“Are you ready to go?”

She nodded. “I think so.”

He reached out and took her hand in his. “C’mon then. Mom can’t wait to talk to you about the business idea you and Maria have.”

She looked at him in surprise. “She already knows?”

“Yeah, it seems like Maria talked to the kid about it this morning and Amy happened to hear a bit of it.”

“How did Andy react?”

He grimaced. “Not so good, I guess. Mom said he went off on Maria a bit and then left the house. He wasn’t back when I left to pick you up.”

“Oh no, think we should look for him?”

“Nah, not yet anyway. He told Maria he’d come back, so we kinda decided to wait a little longer.”

She nodded. “Okay, but just so ya know, I don’t mind if today turns out differently than planned, okay? I mean, well… I do mind, but I understand and I’ll help you look for him.”

He smiled, knowing that she would always help out with her niece or nephews. “Let’s drive over and maybe he’ll already be there when we get there.”

*****

Max wandered into the kitchen when Liz didn’t come back to finish watching the last quarter of the game he and the boys had been glued to for the past couple of hours. He leaned in the doorway and watched her as she dug through the freezer, looking for something and not finding it. He heard her sigh in annoyance before she pulled the refrigerator door open to begin a new search.

She had turned on the radio under one of the cabinets and she was humming along with a song that he didn’t recognize. She was swaying to the music and he smiled when the song changed to something he knew and he walked over to her, taking her hand and shutting the refrigerator door with his hip.

“Max, what’re you doin’?” she asked, laughing when he pulled her into his arms.

“Dance with me,” he whispered against her neck.

Liz melted into his arms, her own sliding around him to hold him close as she pressed her cheek to his chest. “Mmm, this’s nice, but I need to get dinner started.”

“Nah, let’s just stay like this. We can order pizza and take the night off from cookin’ dinner and doin’ dishes.”

“They don’t deliver on Sunday nights,” she murmured.

He nudged her chin up and kissed her slowly. “So, we’ll take the kids out for pizza and then go get an ice cream cone. It’s comfortable out. We can walk and let ‘em burn off any excess energy before we get back home.”

She nipped his earlobe. “Ice cream cone, huh? You just like to watch me lick it.”

He chuckled and shivered in response to her tone. “Hell yeah,” he growled.

Nick was hurrying into the kitchen to grab a bag of chips or something to munch on before the commercials ended when he saw Mom and Dad dancing in the center of the room and he started to quietly back away.

“Hey,” Max called when he noticed Nick moving back out of the room.

“What’s up?” the teenager asked.

“Go get your brother and sister and the three of you get ready to go out for dinner.”

“Yeah?”

“Get a move on, Nick.” Max chuckled when the boy hurried to get the others and they could hear him issuing orders. Justin sounded annoyed at being rushed while a game was on until he realized that the interruption would involve food and suddenly there was a flurry of activity.

*****

Kyle opened the front door for Tess and let her walk inside his parent’s house ahead of him.

“Tess, my dear, look at you! You are so beautiful,” Amy greeted her when she walked out of the kitchen to bring Jim a beer during the football game.

The blonde girl smiled brightly. “Thanks, Mrs. Valenti.”

“Oh,” Amy waved her off. “You know you should call me Amy, girl.” She turned to smack Jim’s back where he was sitting on the couch and watching football as if nothing else in the world existed. “Jim!”

“Huh?” He glanced up and finally noticed the people in the room with him. “Oh,” he got up quickly and walked around the couch to pull Tess into a big warm hug. “It’s good to see you again.”

Tess was surprised by the familiar gesture of the older man, but returned the hug without hesitation. “Thanks, I was happy to be invited.”

“Have a seat,” Amy offered, motioning to the comfortable furniture in the room when her husband sat down again as well. “I’ve made some coffee, it should be ready soon.”

Kyle led her to an armchair next to the couch and gestured for her to sit down while he took a seat on the couch next to his Dad. “You can have a beer if you’d prefer,” he offered.

“Nah, coffee will be fine,” she told him.

“Is Andy back yet?” the younger man asked his father and tapped his shoulder when he didn’t react again.

Jim just brushed his hand away as if it was a disturbing insect or something. Kyle shook his head and turned to Tess. “He’s a total football junkie. He wouldn’t even realize if the house was on fire.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah! Do you insist on watching football every time it’s on TV?”

Kyle smirked. “Depends… If there’s something or someone else who’s keepin’ me occupied then I wouldn’t mind.”

She smiled, not sure if that was really true. Maybe at first, yeah, but after a few month in a relationship? Doubtful! Make that highly doubtful!

Amy walked back into the living room, carrying a tray with some mugs of coffee. “Can I help you with something?” Tess asked politely.

“No, you’re our guest. Just relax and enjoy the game.” The older woman sat down in the other armchair on the opposite side of the coffee table and placed the mugs in front of everyone. “I didn’t know how you like your coffee, so…”

“Just sugar, no cream,” Kyle said.

Tess looked at him, surprised. “How do ya know?”

He shrugged. “Figured some things hadn’t changed over the years.”

She smiled and turned to look at Amy again. “Thanks, and yes, he’s right. Just sugar for me.”

“Is Andy back yet?” Kyle asked again.

Amy shook her head. “No, Maria isn’t here yet either. She went out for a walk with Theo, but I’m sure she’s just looking for him.”

Tess sighed. “Maybe we should help her? We still have plenty of time before dinner.”

Right at that moment they heard noise in the kitchen and a minute later Maria walked into the living room. “Hey, Tess,” she walked over to her friend and gave her a gentle short hug. “Wow, think Kyle’s worth as much work as you put into your looks tonight?” she teased her with a wink.

“Maria,” Amy said, shocked.

Tess chuckled. “We’ll see.”

Kyle grumbled at his stepsister before he cleared his throat. “Did you find Andy?”

“No, not exactly. But he sent me a text message a few minutes ago and said he’ll be back in about an hour,” she told him, relieved.

“Did he say where he is?” Tess asked.

“No, but I’ll bet he’s hanging with his friend from school. Ya know, that girl, Sam? Michael was guessing the same thing.”

“Michael, huh?” Tess teased.

Maria just shrugged. “I kinda ran into him accidentally when I was at the park and we talked for a while.”

Kyle grinned to himself. It seemed to happen a lot that those two accidently met in the park. Well, he wouldn’t complain. Michael was a great guy and he knew he would be a good man for Maria and he would treat her right. The only thing that worried him was Andy’s reaction to a possible relationship developing between Michael and Maria.

“Shhhh!!!” Jim shushed them when he couldn’t hear the game’s commentator.

Amy, Kyle and Maria just glanced at each other before rolling their eyes at him.

*****

After dinner Max and Liz walked along Main Street behind the kids as they made their way to the little ice cream shop near the park. They stopped in and ordered a round of ice cream cones and then continued on their way to the park. The sun was setting and the temperature was slowly starting to drop but the kids were dressed for the weather and their parents didn’t want to rush the evening.

“Feed the duckies, Daddy,” Kara called as she turned and ran back to them.

“Fork it over, Daddy,” Liz said, nudging him with her elbow.

He lowered his arm from around her shoulder so he could dig around in his pocket and he sorted through his change until he found a couple of quarters that he handed to Kara. “Have the boys help you, princess.”

“’Kay, Daddy.” She smiled and ran back over to the boys, holding up the quarters and motioning to the ducks.

Liz wrapped her right arm around his waist and hooked her thumb in one of his belt loops. “You know the first handful’s gonna end up in a pile on the ground,” she said with a smile.

“Yeah, but the ducks will be gathered around her so she won’t care.” He draped his arm around her shoulders again, pressing a kiss to her temple when she leaned against him.

“Do you know when Tess’ friend is coming down to talk to you?”

“Not yet, but she seemed to think it would be pretty soon.” He shrugged. “Guess the girl’s got herself in a situation she wants out of.”

They watched the boys fight over the dispenser and before long the duck food ended up scattered on the ground as their parents had predicted.

She bit her lip before voicing the question that had been on her mind for several days now. “Do you think you’ll have to go out of town this week?”

Max shook his head. “No. I’ll have the interview with Tess’ friend, Kara’s got a ballet thing on Thursday evening and the boys have a game on Friday. The meetings can wait another week.”

“Mommy, Daddy, look!” Kara shouted when several of the ducks flocked around her, searching the ground for the treats.

The couple smiled as they slowly made their way over to their children, enjoying a quiet evening together as a family.

*****

Andy opened the front door and quietly stepped inside, leaning back against the wall and listening to his family where they were gathered in the living room. He could hear his mom laughing at something Uncle Kyle said and a moment later Aunt Tess was joining in on the fun, teasing Grandpa Jim about a play his team had just made.

Hearing his family in the other room reminded him of them all together a couple of years before at Thanksgiving when he had been 13 years old.

Mom, Grandma, and Aunt Liz had been in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner while Dad, Uncle Max, the twins and him had been in the living room watching the football game and cheering their team on. It was right after Kara had been adopted and she had been glued to Uncle Max, refusing to leave his side.

He had been in the middle of arguing a play with his cousins when Mom had called him to come and set the table. “Aww, Mom, I’m watchin’ the game.”

Andrew had been leaning back in his recliner and he rolled his eyes at the call from the kitchen. “Maria, leave the boy alone.”

She had appeared in the doorway moments later and she had been wearing the expression that said she wasn’t happy about something. “Andrew, I have been in the kitchen since before six this morning…”

Dad never argued with that expression or that tone in her voice and Andy had rolled his eyes when he had simply gotten up from his chair and taken her hand, tugging on it and pulling her into the dining room. Several minutes later he had come back and flopped down in his chair with a big grin on his face and he had motioned at the doorway.

“Andy, go give your mom a hand.”

“But, Dad, the game…” he had protested.

“Did your mom just come in here and say she needed some help?”

“Well, why can’t she set the table?”

“She can set the table.” His expression had sobered. “She’s not going to.”

He had known better than to argue with his father and he had grumbled under his breath the whole way to the dining room.

The laughter in the living room caught his attention and brought him back to the present and he smiled when Grandma got in on the teasing and he moved to sit on the stairs as Sam’s words echoed in his head.

“Ask yourself if he’d be proud of the way you’ve been treatin’ your mom.”

He didn’t have to think about that; he knew the answer without giving it a second thought. Dad wouldn’t have put up with his disrespectful attitude, he wouldn’t have allowed him to behave the way he had been behaving, and he would’ve been disappointed in him. It had been rare for him to act out before Dad had been injured and he knew he never would’ve gotten away with half of the things he had gotten away with in the past year.

He could remember getting into a fight with another kid at school when he was 11 years old and Dad had come home early in the afternoon in response to Mom’s call. Andy had been angry that she had called Dad and he had been pacing around the living room, ignoring her when Dad had pulled into the driveway.

“Andy, just tell me what happened,” Maria said, not understanding why he had gotten into the fight. It wasn’t the first fight he had been involved in, but it was the first one that had gotten him suspended for three days.

“Who cares? I don’t gotta talk about it with you or anybody else! It’s just a three-day suspension.”

“Honey, if you’ll just talk to me – “

“No, Mom! I’m not gonna – “ His brain had registered the sound of the front door slamming just in time to bite back the rest of his statement but he had seen the look on Dad’s face and known it was too late.

“Me and you, backyard. Now.”

“Andrew…”

He had ignored his wife and his eyes had remained locked on his son until the boy had turned and walked out of the room. “I’ll take care of this.” His expression had momentarily softened and he had kissed her on his way out to follow their son. When he stepped out on the back deck his expression had once again been stern.

Andy had been at the far end of the deck, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the floor as he avoided Dad’s gaze. His father’s footsteps had fallen heavily as he crossed the deck and even when he sat down in the swing his gaze had remained disapproving.

“There are plenty of things that can be overlooked or explained away, but disrespecting your mom is not one of them. That type of behavior is unacceptable with any adult, but I will not tolerate it when it comes to your mom. That woman is your mother, but she’s my wife, and no one including you has the right to ever disrespect her. Do you understand me?”

Andy nodded and stared at the ground.

“If you can stand in my living room and raise your voice to your mother you’d better be man enough to look me in the eye and answer me, boy!”

“Yes sir,” he mumbled.

“You got into a fight at school, you got suspended… we can deal with that because I’m sure there’s a good reason for the fight. But before we get to any of that you drag your little butt back in this house and you apologize to your mom for your behavior.”

Andy’s eyes stung as he remembered the disappointment in his dad’s gaze as he had stared at him. Dad wouldn’t approve of his behavior and he would’ve been quick to put a stop to it. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and took several deep breaths before standing up and walking into the living room. He rapped his knuckles against the doorframe, drawing everyone’s attention to him and he smiled to let them know he was alright.

Maria fought to stay in her seat and not rush over to hug her son and reassure herself he was alright. She was trying to respect his boundaries and let him know that she trusted him but sometimes that was so hard to do. But he had told her he would be back before dinner and he had kept his word so she was trying to give him his space.

“Hi,” she said with a smile. “Dinner’s just about ready. Are you hungry?”

He nodded and slowly crossed the room to sit on the arm of the chair she was sitting in and he grinned at his uncle when he reached over to squeeze his shoulder before leaning back to watch the next play. He waited until the others had returned their attention to the game and he glanced at his mom, studying her features. He could see the lines of worry and he knew he was the reason for them.

“Hey, Mom?”

Maria looked up and smiled at him. “What’s up, honey?”

“Um… can I talk to you for a sec?” He shrugged. “Ya know, alone?”

“Let’s go into the kitchen.”

Andy followed her and he bit his bottom lip as he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “I was just out talkin’ to Sam. I wasn’t getting into any trouble or anything. I just wanted you to know that.” He cleared his throat. “And I wanted to say that… I’m sorry for actin’ like I did earlier. I’ll try to do better, be more understanding about this job thing.”

Maria smiled, thankful for his efforts. She knew it wasn’t easy for him; she hadn’t worked a day since he had been born and it only made sense that he would see a job as a threat, something that would pull her attention away from him. “I think it’s gonna be a good thing, Andy.”

He forced a smile and nodded. He hoped she was right. He glanced at the stove behind her and leaned to the side. “So, what’s for dinner?”