The Memoirs

Lex leaned back in the bed, head on the pillow, and glared at his cock. "Who asked you to put in an appearance?" he muttered at the hard shaft rising under his towel. This is why he never fought anymore; his body was hardwired to respond to adrenaline with the need to fuck or be fucked, and he grunted as he got back up and padded back across the hall. He sat down on the side of the bed behind Clark, and slid his arms around his lover's waist. "If you want to sleep with him tonight, I'll understand," he said softly, stroking Clark's silky hair.

Clark had felt his lovers arousal from here, so in tuned to one another as they were, and he gently shook his head as he lifted his arms for Lex to see. Whitney was completely asleep in his embrace, breathing softly, whistling through a slightly mushed nose. He kissed his forehead, his nose, his jaw and cheek, and gently swept the blond hair off his forehead as he turned his head to gaze at his lover. "I'm coming. He's so beautiful, Lex...we're so lucky."

"He is beautiful," Lex said softly, sliding his hand over Whitney's hip. "He's lucky, to have you and Chloe. We're lucky to have him." Lex leaned over, and gave a small kiss to Whitney's cheek. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, Whitney." He squeezed Clark's waist gently as he did it.

"He's lucky to have you, too, even if he won't acknowledge it." Clark murmured quietly, and gently kissed his lover softly. "Come on...let me take care of you. We were... kind of in the middle of stuff." A little smile as he rose, bringing the blankets up over Whitney's shoulders a little more, and turned out the light as he took his lovers hand.

"Yeah, we were." Lex returned the kiss gently and wrapped his fingers around Clark's. "But I'll understand if you're not in the mood."

Clark brought their intertwined fingers and pressed them against his crotch, which was hard and tense. "When you get hard... I feel a rush of excitement through me, wherever I am. In school, at work, whatever. I've had to hide erections more times than you could imagine."

Lex grinned softly. "I'm sorry about that, baby." He wrapped his fingers around Clark's erection and stroked. "Thanks to my misspent youth, my body associates adrenaline and fights with the need for sex." He squeezed his lover's shaft firmly as they walked across the hall. "I tend to get... excited over the strangest things."

Clark smiled back. "Don't be sorry. I know you have to wear your long coats on purpose now. I can't help it… over active body here." He gently let go of his lovers hand and instead lifted him up, around the hips, so Lex could wind his legs around his waist. "I love it… Lex... when you're aroused. You smell... so good." He leaned in and took a hard, sucking kiss from a long throat.

Lex's legs wrapped tightly around his lover's waist and his towel fell to the floor of their bedroom as they crossed the threshold to it. "Not just a fashion statement," he muttered softly, arching his throat back so Clark could have access to his throat. "Didn't know... had a smell."

Jor-El was floating in darkness. Conscious inside the ship, awake and aware since the first activation and his first linking with his son, Jor-El was aware of what happened beyond the confines of his matrix through the link to his son Kal, and his chosen mate, Kenep.

He even retained a bit of his sense of humor, and so raised the volume on the vocal transmitter so that it would boom out across the room. "I am glad to see you have reconciled yourself to your mistakes, Kenep."

Clark had just hitched Lex's thighs up higher around his waist, arms around Lex's slender waist, and had a mouthful of his nipple when he screamed on top of his lungs at the words. He nearly dropped his lover and instead toppled over himself, grasping Lex to his chest with wide eyes.

Realization. Dad.

He burst into shaky laughter, peaking up over the edge of the mattress with wide eyes. "Now that was funny."

Lex's first instinct had been to ignore the words, as he thought they were spoke in his head again, but then when Clark reacted to him, the instinct turned to panic when Clark toppled them over the bed. His arms stayed tight around Clark, and his forehead rested on Clark's shoulder. His erection had wilted to nothing, and he glared. "What the hell was that?"

Jor-El's vocal transmitter returned to it's normal volume. "I am glad to see you retain your sense of humor, Kal-El."

Clark grinned over the mattress, gazing at his lover for a moment to gently kiss the soft pout away, and rose his eyes to the ship. "Dad. I guess one sex romp was one sex romp too many." He rose his voice to ask something... stopped. How could his father talk to him if the ship was closed? "Dad? What... huh? How... huh?"

Jor-El gave a little chuckle. "I suspect that I've given away a bit of a secret, Kenep?" A pause. "Ever since you opened the ship, Kal, I have been aware. Conscious and aware, though my projection doesn't appear."

Lex's eyes darted up to his lover. "It was supposed to be a surprise, Jor!" He glared at the covered ship, and then back at his lover. "We built the vocal transmitter into an interface matrix, so that he can use it to talk, as he is now, even when the ship isn't open. It's the first step to full interface."

"That's..." Amazing, wonderful, completely COOL? Clark gently climbed to his feet and zipped up again, because being naked in front of his father was definitely not a good thing to be, and glanced once at the door to make sure Whitney hadn't been frightened awake. He gently wrapped Lex in the blanket on the end of their bed, and sat on the edge of the mattress, staring, transfixed, at the covered ship. He hated not having the fun sex, but this... was incredible, and his eyes widened. "Full interface...what does that mean? You can.... stay here?"

"Full interface would mean that I would be an active part of the household. With the energy culled from the ship's internal source and the matter drawn from my surroundings, I would be a fully-interactive, fully tangible individual with access to the memories in the ship's computer bank as well as the other information stored there."

His throat locked up, tight, and he squared his jaw, biting it tightly, so much that the muscles in his face ticked. His father would be here, with him, all the time? Walking around, doing things? "Father...you'll be able to talk to me? And read, and eat, and do normal things?"

"Yes, I would. I would not be able to leave the house, because Kenep and I have discovered it is past the distance that the interface would be able to support. I would be able to eat and drink, in fact I would need to, in order to draw more substance to me. I would not require sleep, only brief periods of regeneration."

Lex spoke up then. "There's one big thing standing in the way right now, and it's why I haven't said anything to you yet." Lex waited until Clark looked at him again. "The ship? Would have to transform itself into the actual interface. Jor-El and I have figured out that it's possible. But it's a permanent transmutation."

Clark looked up at Lex, and his thoughts raced. The ship, this very ship, that had been the annex of all his dreams, thoughts, hopes of the future... it all had centered on this hunk of metal that had brought him from Krypton so many years ago.

He reached over to the desk drawer and took out the key and the energy plate. "Can I see him?"

Lex nodded. "Of course. Nothing's changed yet. Everything is still the same, except the vocal circuitry is connected to an external projector circuit."

He nodded and pulled the table carefully off of the ship, setting it aside. He crouched low, on his knees, and inserted the key, doing the voice recognition with a few simple words in his native tongue, before sliding in the plate and sitting back. He needed to see his father, to make his voice, even as he gently ran his fingers over the metal.

A second later, Jor-El flickered into view, and he sat on the prow of the ship, situating himself carefully and holding his hands out to his son. "Hello, Kal."

Clark took them, tightly in his, feeling the weight, the rough skin of his fathers hands, and sat before him on the ground, looking up at him. He had been given this precious, wonderful gift in his father, this gift he never thought he'd ever have, something that connected him to a place he'd lost a long time ago, and he squeezed the hands, that were hands, real and alive, gently. "Father, I can't lose you again. If something were to go wrong... I don't know what I would do. I love my aushna', and my parents, and the planet earth, but I love you too. And if I lost you, I don't know what I'd do."

Jor-El squeezed Clark's hands tightly. "You would survive, my son. Just as you always have. If you had not been a strong child, your body would not have been able to physically withstand the trip across the galaxy. You are a survivor, Kal-El. You will always survive, whether I am with you here or not."

He couldn't think about having been given his father, then having him ripped away again. Just... couldn't. "Father, you have to tell me... how much of a chance is there that this won't work?"

Jor-El's shoulders rippled in a shrug. "There is always the unexpected chance at failure. But the calculated odds? There is a one in one thousand chance that this will be unsuccessful."

He swallowed, hard. "I suck at having that last chance be me. Father... I want you in my life, to see me, talk to me. I want you to be a part of my life, to meet my sha'nauch, to converse with my father in laws. I want you to meet my family, and walk through life with both Lex and myself. I want that, more than I can bear. If you feel that it will be successful, than I want you to do it. I want to have a piece of what I never got to experience."

"Kal-El. Listen to me." Jor-El moved to sit on the floor, so that he was level with his son, speaking to him as an equal. "I do not claim to know all things in this universe. But I do know that even if this fails, I will always be a part of your life. Because I will be in here." His hand raised, to press the palm of it against Clark's forehead. "And I will be in here." The same hand moved down, to press over Clark's heart.

"I know. I've always known that, father, because I have you and my mother in my heart. I always have, I always will. But I need you, you most of all, to guide me in my mistakes, to make sure that when the time comes for me to have more children, they won't leave Kenep and I. I need you in my life, not just because I'm an alien on this world, but because I love you. You're my birthing parent, father. You are everything to me."

Jor-El leaned forward and kissed Clark's forehead gently. "The choice is yours, Kal."

Clark closed his eyes for a long moment, because the lips on his forehead had been real. And if they did this, and went through with this, he could have them there whenever he asked for it. He could have hugs, and he could listen to him talk about the old world, and he could be what Clark needed badly, what his earth bound dad couldn't understand. His dad was wonderful, and Clark adored him, but this man, Jor-El, was what he needed in his life.

He opened his eyes and looked up. "My choice is yes. Yes, father...I want you to be with me in our home."

Jor-El nodded softly. "Then do I have your permission to begin configuring the ship for the final transformation?"

"Yes." He looked across the ship, but moreso over the dreams it had held. And the dreams, everything Clark had ever wished for when it was cold and dark and just him, touching the ship in the cellar, looking at it, thinking about where he came from...every single one of those dreams had come true. And it was time to move on, to change, to become something new and different. "Yes, father. I don't need it anymore."

Jor-El gave him a smile. "Thank you, Kal-El. I could not change the ship without your permission, but Kenep and I have worked out the design. It will be completed within seven of your days."

"The time it took God to create the earth." Clark murmured softly, but he looked up, and grinned. "You're really be able to eat? Really? And taste everything?"

"Yes, really," Jor-El answered with a grin. "I've been assured that I'll like the taste of something called... organic produce."

"Food is the great love of my life." Clark heaved a dramatic, lusty sigh, though his dimples had winked and he was wriggling where he sat. "You'll get to meet the other people in our life, father. And read... Lionel has thousands of books. You could learn anything you wanted of the earth and its history in that library."

"So I have been told." Jor-El flashed a grin to Kenep. "I have been told that you are able to demolish an entire chocolate cake in mere seconds."

Clark gasped and glared at his lover, scandalized. "I never! Not in seconds anyway. It takes me the better part of an hour." He smiled, broadly, and gazed at his father with excitement in his eyes. "I can show you all the things we have, father. The internet, TV, movies."

"I can't wait to see these things, Kal. I can't wait to be with you when you need me." He reached out, and stroked a hand over Clark's cheek. "It will be soon, my son. I promise."

Clark cupped the hand over his face and pulled it closer, he himself leaning forward to hug his father tightly. "Thank you, father. I love you so."

Jor-El wrapped his arms around his son and hugged him in return. "No, Kal, thank you. For giving me this opportunity to be with you." He looked over Clark's shoulder at Lex. "Thank you as well, Kenep-El. Without your knowledge, I would not be able to make my son this happy."

Clark smiled, straining not to get a little misty eyed, and rubbed his fathers shoulder gently before letting go. "You have made me unbelievably happy. You have made my aushna' happy, you have made me ecstatic. My sha'nauch will adore you. I can't wait for you to meet them. It will take seven days, you said? Take more time if you need it."

Jor-El laughed, deeply. "Kal, do not worry. Seven days is excessive; I will not need more than four to complete the transfigurations but I will need the extra time for final checks."

He smiled a little right back, nervously, but he was wriggling with the excess energy. "Really? But take your time. Really."

"Yes, really. I want to take all the precautions I can, to make sure that this is successful."

"Okay." Another big beam, and he bit his lip as he reached out for his aushna's hand. "Thank you, father. As you work, we'll set up a room for your very own."

"Thank you, Kal." Jor-El stroked his son's face again. "There is much joy in you, my son."

Lex reached out quietly and squeezed Clark's hand in his own. "Don't worry, Clark. Between your father and I? Everything will be fine."

"After the last few days, we need a little happiness and a lot of good news." Clark smiled at him and touched his hand again, relishing in the feeling of being held in this simple way by the man who bore him. There were no words to express to his aushna' how this felt... the honor, the pride, and the joy. Because the man before him was the man who had given his life for him, and Clark swallowed down the hot gush of heat in his throat, as he squeezed. "You must love me so much, father, to give yourself in every way to me."

Lex moved behind his lover and quietly wrapped his arms around Clark's waist, his cheek resting on Clark's neck.

"I loved you more than the world, Kal-El. The council would not listen to your mother and I, when we warned them that Krypton was about to destruct. I risked everything to make sure your ship was ready to leave. The kol'mana, the..."

"Police," Lex supplied softly, his mind filling in the blank for the missing word.

"Yes, thank you, Kenep." A pause. "The police were on their way to apprehend your mother and I for sending you away when the destruction of the planet began."

"Why?" The words shocked him, and he held his fathers hand tightly as he listened to him. "You saved my life... why would they come apprehend you, father?"

"Because the Council didn't believe. Your mother and I were ordered not to speak of our findings, because they knew it would cause a panic and a mass exodus from the planet. I find a bitter irony in the fact that the only people who survived our destruction were criminals, and you, my child."

"Because of raw stupidity, so many had to perish, so many lives extinguished, so much history and beauty gone for stupidity." His voice was full of darkness for a moment before... his eyes widened, and his head tilted, quietly, to lay his cheek on his lovers head for a moment... then he blinked, and straightened, and blinked again. "Father? There are others like me? There are other... other places, like what Krypton was?"

"Other places, yes, but not like Krypton. The only other survivors of Krypton inhabit the Phantom Zone, a hellish dimension reserved for the worst of our criminals."

His eyebrows knit. "No other worlds? No other civilizations?"

"None others, my son. Krypton only colonized one other world, a moon of our planet, that was destroyed when the planet exploded and the star went nova soon after."

"No... I mean..." He swallowed, and looked down, quietly, for a moment. "I mean...are there other worlds where civilization thrives? Aside from earth, and Krypton... are there other places, father? Where others flourish?" He swallowed again. "You do not understand now, but you will... space travel on earth is hardly possible. We can go to Mars, a reddish planet in the suns orbit, and we can get to our own moon. But we have no... idea what lies beyond our little nine planet solar system."

Jor-El's expression was one of tender disgust. "Again, my son, I must apologize for the primitive place you were sent to. There are thriving cultures and civilizations all throughout the galaxy. For many years, Krypton had thriving trade and contact with others, but the great Isolation occurred, and nearly all contact with outside races were cut off."

Other races? Clarks heart and mind opened up to a whole new level of thinking, and he all but literally hung on his fathers every word. "Is there? There are other people out there? Are they people, like us? Lex... he doesn't understand how we, as Kryptonians, look so similar to human beings, with few differences. Its been something that... its been one of the great questions of my life."

"Some do look like you, yes, others do not. Some are in the same shape as you, only with different skin colors. The Oa, they are humanoid in appearance, yet they have hair that is white and skin that is blue, and their faces are creased greatly with age and worry. Atlanteans, who have colonized the oceans of this very world, are humanoid much as you are. Bipedal evolution is not the great mystery that the world perceives it to be; it is merely the common thread that links all people together."

Clark was all but glued to his father as he spoke, his eyes wide. There were creatures that lived here? "But how.. .father, where did we all begin? How are we all the same? How is it that I have the same hands and feet, and so does Lex? Didn't we all come from one place?" Clark asked softly, his eyes wide as he spoke. "And if we all came from the same place, is that why I can mate with Lex and bear his children, but at the same time I have powers unique to this suns rays? How is that even possible?"

"We all began on our own planets, Kal. Some of us have advanced further than others; humans are more advanced, for example, than the Czarnians, who are wild, animalistic people. We did not come from one place, merely evolved our intelligences and our bi-pedal natures similarly. Your powers come through benefit of the yellow sun, which is far different than the red sun of Krypton that you were born under. How your biology is compatible I believe has more to do with the meteorite chunks of our planet that have affected the people of your home."

And for some reason, Clarks deep, deep faith kept coming back to creation, God creating man, and he tipped his head, listening quietly. "We too were once wild, father. Humans developed in the last five hundred thousand years, from cave dwelling ape like creatures, to who we are today, with many changes in between. Its said we came from monkeys, a specific species of them." He was quiet for a moment. "I don't know, father." He looked at Lex. "I don't know how it happened... perhaps because we are aushna?"

Jor-El nodded. "You will find that most species evolved from a lesser one. Although you will not find an Almerican that will agree with you. They believe themselves to be the supreme beings in the universe, and yet are no more advanced than Kryptonians, Oa, or any other race."

"Are they far away, father?" Clark asked, very softly. "The... these people. Aside from those... you said... Atlanteans? Are they as far away as Krypton was?"

"Yes, they are," he answered, just as softly. "But, as of two decades ago, many of them had perfected star travel, an I am sure that more have since that time." He squeezed Clark's hands tightly. "You do not need to worry about what is beyond these stars, my son. This is your home now, and this is what you must concern yourself with."

"I know. I just wanted...to know." He squeezed his fathers hand right back, and smiled softly. "The earth, I think, though I don't have any experience, is the most original, beautiful place there is. We have things like pyramids, father, thousands of years old built with stone slabs that no amount of men could carry, in a time when no technology existed to create such masterpieces. We have enormous waterfalls, vast oceans, millions of species of animals, birds, and insects. Perhaps I am naive... but there's nothing lacking here, nothing we want. We're safe, protected here by our sun." He smiled at his father. "I love this planet."

"And well you should. Protect it, Kal-El, because there are threats from within as well as without. There were with Krypton, and this plant will be no different. You cannot police, I believe is the word, the entire world by yourself. This I know. But you must do your utmost to protect this world that you care about, before it is destroyed from within."

"I know." He smiled at his father again, softly, shyly. "Father, it grows late, and there will be much time to speak of these things. Tell me… when will you begin the changes in the ship?"

"As soon as the ship is closed again, and I can situate myself in a position to rework the circuitry." Jor-El returned the smile.

"Okay." He grinned again, the same shy look at him, and hugged him again. "Thank you. Rest. I'll see you when you're through… Lex and I will begin preparations for your bedroom. I love you, dad."

Jor-El hugged his only son tightly, and caressed his cheek. "Daphstemlin'aq, Kal-El."

"Daphstemlin'aq, jurn-aie." Clark whispered back, and smiled at him softly as he turned to the ship, letting go finally of the man he wouldn't ever have to again. He took the plate out of the slot and the key as well, watching his father fade, and heaved a quiet, shaky little sigh.

"Do not be sad, Kal," came Jor-El's voice. I am always with you."

"Thank you, father." He whispered back. "Good night, and good rest to you."

"Good rest, Kal-El."

Lex tugged his lover around, so that they both could lay down on the bed. "Don't be angry with me for keeping the surprise; I wasn't sure when it would be ready or if the vocal transmitter would work."

Clark shook his head, giving his lover a warm smile, even as his mind worked. He was distracted, thoughts running like water, and he pushed and wriggled out of his jeans, letting them fall to the ground. "Lex, if you didn't love me before, now you do. Thank you... so much. I'm not angry at all... I'm just so happy. I didn't know he would be able to live with us."

"If I didn't?" Lex gave a little smile, but relaxed muchly when Clark said that he wasn't angry at all. "That's what I wanted to surprise you with, but Jor-El apparently programmed himself so that he couldn't alter the ship without your approval."

"That ship... has meant a lot to me, Lex. Its been the center of all my dreams, all my hopes, all my fears. What I was, who I was, where I was going in my life, because that ship brought me here, brought me here for a reason. I was supposed to come here, and do what is in my life to do. But now.... those dreams and hopes are becoming a reality, and if the ship can fulfill some of my loneliness by giving me my father, I'll take it."

"It's going to work, you know. Your father and I have double and triple-checked the fail-safes and the backups."

"I know it is." He smiled at him, as he reached over and turned out the light, tugging the blankets up over their cool bodies. "I know its going to work. I love him as much as I love you, Lex. You both have a piece of me, the two biggest pieces of me." He gently touched his lovers chest, and with the touch, showed him the emotion he felt. "He is my birth father, Lex. He is the person who gave me life."

Lex turned so that he could spoon against Clark's larger body, and kissed Clark's shoulder gently. "I know you love him. That's why I want to give him to you."

Clarks fingers viced on his lovers, which had just came around his waist. "I don't know how to ever thank you, Lex."

"You don't have to thank me," Lex said softly. "You love me. And that's enough."

"I love you, so much." Clark whispered back, and brought his hands up to kiss them, gently. "I love you beyond words."

But he set the hands on his waist again, and got a little more comfortable, eyes like lead. He was exhausted, emotionally spent, and he let his body relax all at once, the muscles going lose as he sighed quietly.

Lex just hugged his lover's waist tightly and pressed his lips to the back of Clark's shoulder again. "Go, sleep. You need to rest."

"I'm tired." He answered, quietly. "Really tired."

"I know you are." He kissed again. "Sleep, love."

- = - = -

Shane loved his new Toneeeee mommy. She was cool. He had toys, and he had games and candies and stuff, and she watched Blue's Cues with him!!! SHE WAS AWESOME! Then today, they had said bye bye to the big brown horsey and gone in the big toy to the place where all the food was. Mmmm, it smelled good, too! But the Toneeee mommy had given him a big red thingy that tasted GOOD, and he could HOLD it!!!

Plus, all the tickles and attention from his annie and the other girl was cool too! They had lots of hair to pull, and lots of ticklies to get tickled!!! They gave him kisses!!!!!! And stuff!!! YEAH!!!!

But then his Toneeee mommy had put him in the big stroller to go around the store and he licked his red thing happily. Mmmmm, red thingie. It tasted like yummy chocate!!!! But… not. But it made his tongue tickle!! He touched it to make sure. Yeah! Tickly! COOL!

Shayla walked between the two grocery carts, one belonging to Chloe and one belonging to Shane. "What you got there, munchkin-butt?" she asked, tickling the chubby fist that held his sucker. "Gonna let me have a lick?" she asked, nibbling on his fingers. "Gonna let me try it, butt?"

"Chocate!!!!!!!" Yeah. Definitely tasted like chocate!!! He beamed at his annie and squealed, letting her have some. Mmm! Chocate!

Toni chuckled, rolling her eyes as she set her purse on the edge of the cart. They'd just stepped into the store, the empty store thankfully, and with Easter dinner on the brain she'd been a little distracted. But having her little Shane with her helped, and she grinned down at him as she pushed the cart. "He's been at it for an hour. I'm going to have to take him out and hose him down in the yard when we get home." Another grin as she swept the few curls on her forehead off of it. "Alright. Game plan."

"Always fun." Chloe offered, her dimples winking. "I'm going to go get the stuff I know I'll need… I'll find you guys in a minute. You guys concentrate on feeding a bunch of Irish people."

Shayla beamed. "You need help with the cart, Chloe? Cause otherwise, I'm gonna stick with Toni and Graham's checkbook." Wolfish grin. "I'm used to helpin' Mama shop," she confided to Toni. "I know what we need." She picked Shane up out of the cart and put him on her hip. "And we're gonna need all the cart space and then some.

Chloe grinned. "I'm good. Seriously, stick with Toni... she's looking lost." Chloe giggled up at her.

Toni, horrified by the prospect of feeding all these people, schooled her features, her own grin shining as she rolled her eyes. "I'm scared out of my mind, tell the truth. Here... Shayla, do you want to put him up here in the little seat? He can sit in it until we get it full, can't you, big boy?"

Mmm mmmm mmmmm, CHOCATE!

Shayla took another chocolate-flavored kiss from her nephew. "Okay. yeah, he can go in the seat, but I tell you, we may need two carts." She had a list in her head of everything that they were going to need, and everything that Graham had on hand but needed more of. "Okay." She flashed a smile at Toni. "Don't be scared, Doc."

"I've had car accident pileups less scary than this, Shay." Toni muttered, and fit Shaney's legs through the holes until he was seated well, and sighed as she ruffled his sticky hair. "I'll follow you, hun." She started in the first aisle as Chloe went down the middle of the store, and heaved a sigh as she got a bottle of juice on the sales side of the aisle, then another bottle of apple for Shaney, and a box of fruit loops because Arnie had ate them all after Shane left the box on the floor.

Shayla was humming softly to herself as she started piling things into the cart. A canister of uncooked oats, a can of tomato juice, a small bag of dry granola flakes, and a box of grape Pop Tarts. "That's for me, while I'm cooking," she said with a little smile as she bopped further down the aisle, picking out another bottle of juice.

Toni grinned at her and opened her purse, pulling out a list she'd compiled that morning. "Here's what Graham needs. The man doesn't have much in the way of spices and sauces and stuff, or fruit and vegetables, so we need to stack up on all of those. I was thinking about making a sweet peppercorn salad for the pre-dinner entree too… what do you think? And some finger foods... I just don't know what. Pigs in a blanket, maybe."

Shayla tried really, really hard not to giggle, but one escaped her. "What I think? Is that you've never had dinner with the Senatori clan before. We... don't exactly do the pre-dinner thing. We just make a shitload of food, somebody says a blessing, and you line up like it's a buffet. The typical menu is something like... ham, turkey, rice and gravy, macaroni and cheese, Mama's sweet potato casserole, homemade potato bread, Irish Corned Beef, Guinness stew if Morgan's eating with us, oyster or mussel dressing, my Gran's recipe, asparagus, squash, sage dressing, yeast rolls to go with the potato bread, and for dessert, Bailey's cheesecake, strawberry pretzel delight, pecan pie and a toll house pie."

Toni blinked. Twice.

"Sometimes we have green beans, or something like that, and Lindy makes Kahlua cookies sometimes, too." Shayla continued blithely on until she noticed Toni's bewildered expression. "What?"

"Jesus Christ, Shayla." Was all she said, shaking her head with a sort of bewildered expression. "At my house, we ate ham, mashed potatoes, and rolls. Then again its jsut me and my mom, after my dad passed away a few years ago." She still grinned and rolled her eyes. "I'm not making all that. Your mom better help me."

"Iiiiiiiiiiiiii'm not sure you really wanna be cramped up in a kitchen with Rosalyn Senatori all week," Shayla said thoughtfully. "I can do some of it, and I'll call Marie to help with the rest of it, since she's not pregnant this go round."

"Good." Toni's smile broke through. "Cause I don't know how to cook. I am a doctor, after all." She took the lollipop from Shane, took a lick of the strawberry gooeyness to get the drool off of it, and handed it back to him.

"Eeee!" Shaney squealed and giggled. She licked it! YAY! And now yummy mouth tinglyness and kisses! HEEE!

Couldn't help the giggle from her throat as she nuzzled the little baby's nose. "You are sticky Shane. Oh, Shayla, lets get some melon. If we're eating at my house this year, we're gonna do this right. With china, and everything."

"Melon, check. Just remember, you're going to have a herd of kids, plus a French guy coming." She peered over the end of the aisle at the produce section. "Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, or all of the above?"

"The last. The first two won't be in season for another month." Toni answered, as she bagged a bag of grapes, and picked out a few heads of lettuce. She got some cucumber, onions, parsley, radish and peppers as well. "Hmm. Shayla... get me two bags of potatoes and some fresh mushrooms, okay?"

"Right!" Shayla went over and thumped several melons until she found two that she was happy with, and bagged them carefully, then put them in the cart. "Five or ten pound bags?" she asked and while she was waiting for the answer, she picked up four little cartons of shrooms.

"One of each." Toni answered after a moments thought, and bagged a few heads of broccoli, setting them along with the other vegetables on one end of the cart. "And.... some tomatoes. About… six." She did the math in mind, stopped, and shook her head. "Get eight just in case."

Shayla left the potatoes for just a minute, and bagged the tomatoes in question, packing in a round dozen into the bag. Then she hefted, for all of being a little thing, and lifted the ten pound bag onto the bottom of the cart, and then added a five pound bag along with it. "Okay. Nothing else is going on the bottom, except the fabric softener that Shaney likes and Arnie's dog food, right? Cause there's not much more room down there."

"Right." Toni smiled at her and nuzzled Shaney's nose again as they walked. "That's all the veggies we need. Lets get.." She reached out and picked a bag of red apples, setting it in the basket as well, and a few tangerines. "Any other fruit you like, honey?"

"Nah, I'm good with what we got." She grinned. "I'm sorry that Graham didn't warn you before hand."

"The oaf." Toni muttered, but she winked at her young friend as she began to push the cart again. "He's an idiot, but you've known him longer than I have. You had to have already figured that out."

She snorted. "I came outta Mama knowin' that the whole family are idiots." She reached over the side and tickled Shaney's cheek as they pushed. "But yeah, I knew that. Has he been keepin' you up on the family news?"

"Not particularly. Only that he hates Dominic with a fire breathing passion and wishes death and pestilence on him." Toni rolled her eyes into her head as they pushed, keeping an eye on her list as she selected the things she needed from the shelves. And yes, she'd be able to talk to herself into knowing that Gushers were a necessary part of her food palette by the time they went to pay.

"Oooh, okay. Then we gotta catch you up. First of all, Riley and Marie and all the kids have moved to Smallville. They've got one of the big houses, and Marie got her tubes tied after Ariel--not a big surprise there. Lindy's renting one of the townhouse apartments for her and Ellie, but the family rumor mill has it that Dogwood Ross has been spendin' a lot of time over there. Morgan's in Ireland with big Daddy, and Meggie's lookin' for office space here in Smallville, and might be convertin' one of the warehouses for her photography studio with Philippe."

"And Philippe is?" Toni asked, eyebrow raised in bemusement as she watched the girl speak.

"Meggie's fiancee, and the father of her baby. They might have gotten married already, cause Meggie was talking about a little civil thing, but I think between Big Daddy, Morg and Philly, they talked her out of it."

Groan. "No one needs any more huge ass weddings around here, cupcake. We've still got Fellie's half planned. And speakin' of, do you want to come into the city with us next Saturday, to pick up a dress for the wedding? You and Chloe can come with us, and help us pick out flowers and a veil."

"Oooh, that'd be so great." She rocked on her heels, and grabbed things off the shelves as they passed by things they needed. "Hell yes. But let Chloe do the flower-picking-out, because she's got an eye for colors, and my choice will be, pink."

Toni smiled gently and shook her head, as she took a bottle of ketchup and mustard off the shelf, setting it in the basket as well. "Not pink. The maids dresses are blue velvet with gold trim… and I know that sounds like something out of the eighties, but they're truly exquisite. Like, old world cut, from Scotland. We're thinking white roses and midnight blue roses."

"Yeah, that sounds like Chloe-territory to me. And oh, just... um, just a tip? Don't let Morgan near the color choices, cause... he's my brother, I love him, but he can't coordinate for shite. There's a reason all of his suits are black."

"They're not all black." Toni teased, glancing at the sweet girl and shaking her head. "Grab the purple jam there." She motioned. "Lionel is all black. Dominic has some color. Not that I've ever seen him in a suit. Ever."

"No, Big Daddy has black, charcoal, gray, light gray, and twilight," Shayla corrected. "I heard AJ and him talking about it. Morgan's suits are all black coats, all black pants, all black socks and shoes, and his shirts and ties are the only thing that are different colors."

Maybe he's mourned for a long time. "Well, doesn't he look absolutely handsome in them?"

"Ewww, no, he looks like a BROTHER."

Toni grinned sideways at her, as she ruffled Shaney's hair, and unstuck his incredibly sticky fingers from one another. "Then I can vouch for it. He's a hunk. But then again, all the Senatori brothers are Prime A."

Shayla raised an eyebrow at that. "You've seen my brothers, right?"

"I've seen them. I'm dating one, even." Her lips twitched as she picked a box of croutons up, crossed it off from her list, and set the box in the cart, before coming around and going into the next aisle. She stopped short, came back a step, and looked at what was on sale at the end of the aisle, peering at the boxes of fruity pebbles, then at little Shane, and selected a box. "The same of whom is at home sleeping, after working all night on the lights at the new Wal-Mart."

"Yeah, he sucks like that. He's always working the strangest hours, and there was a time for about six months a few years ago that I barely saw him, or he was just comin' home as I was goin' out to school."

She sighed, quietly. She'd figured. And after having him in her bed for three weeks straight, it had been weird not to roll over and find solid man. But she didn't tell this young girl such a thing, just picking up a jar of olives and grinning saucily. "I won't let that last too long. Mama gotta get some love, you know, and if I burn another of his pots he's for sure going to kick me out."

"You want me to come and help you out? I mean, after Easter and everything. I'm used to it, I used to live with him and Mama, remember? Thank God she's letting me stay with Morgan instead, because I'd be upside Graham's head every day because he won't shut UP about Pete."

Toni smiled across at her as they walked. "Still with him? That's good, Shay, make it six months or so, right?" She winked. "Let me let you in on a secret. Graham's just weirded out because he and the topic of sex are like water and oil, vinegar and mosquitos, Shane and a stick free lollipop. He doesn't get it, doesn't want to get it, and refuses to let anyone around him have it."

She clapped her hand over her mouth at that, and muffled the giggles. "Oh my God," she managed out, around her hand. "You are so mean!!!!"

Her brows wriggled. "Its the damn truth, and may God strike me down for saying less." But her dimples winked. "Can't speak for him, cupcake, but he's just shy about it, and he's a right to it--he's a guy after all, ain't he? Poor papa bear. He can't help it. Oooo! Prego's on sale!! I can make spaghetti, get three jars."

Shayla was still giggling as she pulled the jars of sauce off the shelf, and added in other things she knew they'd need for the Easter menu. "Poor Graham. I think you're going to be great for him."

"I know." She smiled at her. "I think maybe we might be family 'fore to long. Another six months. Cause ain't no way I'm lettin' this big boy go, Shay." She winked at the tiny girl and snatched just ooone more jar of Prego for rotini later in the week.

"Before too long? Honey, you're already family, in case you didn't realize. You became family about the time you saved Morgan's life and he just kind of adopted you. You became family then, and now? You're stuck with every bloody one of us."

Toni smiled sideways at her, and did her god damndest to hide the rush of emotion that came both to her heart and her eyes. Didn't say anything, just shaking her head and rolling her eyes, and hid how good that made her feel.

Until Shane tipped his head and stared at her, and she let out a little weepy laugh and kissed him smack on his sticky mouth.

Heeee! Toneeee mommy kisses!!!! YAY!! Shaney squealed and clapped his hands, lollipop getting stuck to both hands.

Shayla sighed. "Munchkin-butt, I think it's time for the sticky sucker to go bye-bye and say hello to the baby wipes."

"So anyway, like I told you," Toni picked up the bags of rotini, and boxes of spaghetti, setting it in the cart as well, "I talked to your brother this morning. He's having a great time... he and Lionel, apparently, have been running around nonstop. He bought your brother a sea chest from like, the seventeen hundreds, and you know how Dominic is about antiques. They're going to furnish the cottage, make it a summer home." She tipped her head sideways. "Do you remember much about Ireland?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Only that there's lots and lots of green, and lots of people who look like me, what with the blond and the blue eyes and the everything."

"Really?" She smiled, a little. "Graham never talks about it... just once. He said he doesn't want to go back, at all."

She frowned. "Yeah, I've heard him and Mama yelling over it. I think he's afraid that if he goes back, he'll end up like Da, dyin' young with a family left behind."

"Lemme tell you somethin', Shay. Its gotta be the male gene, cause both Graham and Dominic have the same fear. Idiots. Got me some magic hands here, and ain't nobody dying on my clock." She stopped, and looked into the cart, heaped with food, and heaved a heavy sigh.

Shayla petted Toni on the back. "I think it's because Da' left them both, and they're the oldest, especially Graham. I yell at him sometimes, but he was my Da growin' up, even more than Morgan, because Morgan left too." She was quiet for a minute. "I don't know why Graham's so set against this, but he's got his reasons." Then she looked at the cart. "Come on, we're not even halfway done."

"Dominic's got a lot behind him, Shay." Toni answered, quietly, and looked down at her. "We sure do. But? We've got all week to shop. I've written down my list...we can make one together, so we can come back with a game plan. Sound good?"

Shayla laughed, and gave Toni a pitying little look. "All week to shop? No. You've got till like, Tuesday to shop. Because from about Wednesday on? The cooking shall commence."

Toni looked at her in horror. "Holy crap. Okay...tomorrow, I have work from 4 till about two. I'll come get you from the mansion after school, and we'll come back? You make our list sometime tomorrow, okay?"

"I'll make the list in study hall tomorrow," she nodded. "And I'll be waiting for you outside, or I can hitch a ride with Clark to the Talon and meet you there, cause he's working after school on Monday, so you don't have to come out to the Ass-End of Smallville."

"I don't mind, but if you wanna ride with Clark, its all good." She grinned sideways at her, and raised a hand as she saw Chloe. "There's that girl. Come on, lets get on home. You think its warm enough to fill Shaney's kiddie pool for the backyard?"

"Yeah, should be, if you don't mind gettin' splashed yourself." She waved at Chloe, who's cart wasn't half as full as Toni's was. "Hey, girl!!"

"Hey!" Chloe beamed as she stopped beside them. "Im ready! Got everything." A little giggle, as she ruffled Shane's hair. "Wow, you guys got stocked up! Are you finished?"

"For now." Toni smiled back at her and turned the cart around, pointing towards the cash registers. "Come on girls, let's pay and head on home."

=-=-=

Toni had laughed herself hoarse. She couldn't help it, but she was cracking the fuck up even *now*.

She'd packed her little Honda up with groceries and baby, after grabbing cheese, milk, ice cream, bread, and a few other things she'd forgotten, into the car, Shaney in his car seat, and had put in her old Disney tape she usually played at the ER for the kids.

And had nearly fallen on the pavement when the opening bars of Circle of Life had been yodeled by Shane.

He'd ayuummaaa ayichi ya'd his way through the entire beginning, singing along with the song like a pro, and she had tears in her eyes from laughter as she sang along with him.

Graham was sitting out on the front porch in the large wood-and-wicker rocking chair that he'd brought from Canada with him, and he had an unlit pipe sitting on the small table beside him.

A woodcarving awl and a piece of sanded oak sat on his lap, and he was beginning to whittle off little pieces of the wood stick and shaping it to it's final form, which would be, he hoped, a horse.

They'd moved on to Jungle Book. "Look for the baareee necessities, the simple bare neccesssiiitttiiees!"

"Asesemeee's!!!!" Shane sang, loudly, clapping his hands and squealing as he kicked his legs in his car seat and wriggled.

"The bare necessities will come to you!" Toni laughed as she stopped the car in front of the lovely garage, hugging the curb for a moment as she backed up onto the driveway. "Here we are! We're hooome Shaney bear. We're going to have fun!"

"Asssesssmeee's!" More wriggling, more clapping, and definitely more squealing.

Graham blinked as the car pulled up. the only thing he could see in the back window? Grocery bags. He came down off the front porch, and the back seat? Grocery bags. Floor board? More grocery bags. Front floorboards? Even more bags. "Did you buy out the whole store?" Graham called out, hurrying across the driveway to help.

Toni glanced out the window and grinned, as she put the car into park and pulled the parking break, making sure the car was stopped as she glanced back at Shane. Caught between bags, eating Cheetos. "Uh huh, I'm great. You needed food. Come on, get Shane before he eats everything." Toni smiled and shouldered her purse, pulling the keys out of the ignition and getting a bag of eggs from the seat beside her.

Graham leaned over and gave her a kiss as he skillfully maneuvered the bag of eggs out of her hands, and then inserted his bulk between the car and her. "Inside with ye, darlin'."

She rolled her eyes, snorted, and nimbly went around him to retrieve more bags. "Please. Who do you think loaded half this stuff? Little Ms. Rubenstein? Come on, lets get these in, and Shane around the house. There's a little pool I bought him that we're going to play with." She looked up at the sky... it had gotten warm, almost uncomfortably so, and she made a face at the heat as she grabbed another bag.

"Toni Braxton, I'm no' goin' t'have ye liftin' all these things!" he roared. He went around to the other side of the car and took Shaney out of the car seat and grimaced at the stickiness of his baby boy. "Aye, th' pool is goin' t'be the only way of gettin' the boyo unsticked."

Shane beamed. Just… beamed. He loveded his Toneeeee mommy. She had given him tingly mouth things, and bought him CHEEEEtohs, and a new toy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He squealed and clapped his hands again, beaming at his daddy and trying to give him kisses.

Yeah right. Toni wasn't even listening, she was already walking in the front door of the house with four bags in her arms.

Graham was avoiding the sticky kisses as best he could as he carried Shaney into the house behind his girlfriend. "Yer no' listenin' t'me, y'infuriatin' woman!!"

She was flat out ignoring him actually, and just smiled, brightly, and walked around him and back down the porch steps to retrieve more bags.

"Enfurftatin erman!!!" Shane mimicked, and gave the same pout his daddy had.

Graham blinked down at his son, and made a mental reminder to himself to not say anything objectionable while Shaney was in his repeating mode. "Dammit, Toni!!"

"Ammeet Toneeeee!" Shane bellowed.

Said damned Toni snorted at the both of them and walked in with more bags under her arms. "Set him in the high chair, sugar bear, we'll get him outside in a sec."

Graham was in the process of doing exactly that, strapping him in six ways from Sunday so the intrepid little explorer couldn't wiggle his way out of it. "Yer goin' t'kill me, woman."

"Give me ten minutes. I can't do two things at once." Came the sly response, eyebrows wriggling as she reached up, planted a kiss on his cheek, and stepped back out for more groceries.

"A'right!" he bellowed, stalking out after her for another handful of grocery bags. "Yer no' gonna drop that baby here on the driveway! Get yer little arse in th'bloody 'ouse!!"

Toni didn't listen to him, just heaving another four bags in her arms, and flounced back out of his grasp, and back up the steps, her little tennis shoes bopping.

Graham reached in and swiped up six more bags, and stomped back up the stairs, and put the bags down, and then blocked the front door with his bulk. "NO MORE!"

And she just melted into helpless laughter, leaning a hand on the counter as she giggled. "Graham, I swear , Sugar Bear, you're like a big ole' papa bear. Okay, no more. I'm gonna go find some swim shorts for Shaney and sunblock. Go, go. Get the ice cream in the freezer sugar, there's two tubs of it, okay?"

He glared. Deeply. "A'right. Th'shorts should be in the hall closet, b'fore y'get to his room." He went through the bags and pulled out the ice cream, sticking it in the freezer before going back out to the car and bringing in the last handful of bags.

Toni disappeared upstairs, smiling at Grahams back as she did it. She found the swim trunks easily, as well as the sun block and a t-shirt, and went into the bedroom she shared with Graham to find her own swim suit. She found her black one piece, gazing down at her slightly distended tummy and sighed, before shucking out of her clothes and slipping the suit, and little red shorts, on. She pinned her hair up as high as it would go and went back downstairs, to find Shaney squealing and reaching for his daddy.

She plucked him up after undoing his safety harness and put him on her hip, nuzzling his nose gently and giggling. "We'll be outside, papa bear."

A huge growl from the papa bear in question as he sat the last bags on the counter and started to unpack them. "A'right, an I'l be ou'there as soon as I'm done in here."

"Alright." Broad smile at him and she set Shane down to toddle after her, and walked out the back sliding door. She'd bought Shane an inflatable kiddy pool the week prior, sensing the oncoming heat, and was glad for it now as she opened the shed door and pulled it out. It was inflated already, after much pumping on her part, and she set it down right on the grass in front of the porch steps, before unwinding the hose. "Stay there, Shaney, okay?"

"Okay." Shaney answered his favoritest word back, and plunked down on the steps, wriggling his diaper on it.

Graham rolled his eyes as he went through the bag, stowing the vegetables in the crisper and the potatoes in the cool closet. The melons and such went into the fruit bowl on the counter, and the canned and boxed goods went up in the pantry. "Good Christ on his cross, darlin', ye really did buy out th'store!"

Before too long she had the little kiddy pool filling, tons of floaty toys dropped in, and Shaney stripped out of his very, very sticky clothes. She put the shorts on him, and the shirt, in case he got cold, and smiled as she pulled him into her arms. "Okay, little man. Lets see about this." She walked around the bushes and peered at the pool... figuring it was full enough, and cut the water off.

And stepped into the pool.

She gently settled down sitting, the little baby clinging tightly to her, and made little soothing noises to calm him down as she got him used to the water.

OH HECK NO! This was an OUTSIDE BATH! ...but... it was kinda fun. And there were lots of new toys. Hurumph. Fine. No soap in sight... he could get used to this. He let the Toneeeee mommy set him on his butt, and he gave a little splash. Wow!

Graham finished putting the last jars of Prego away along with the pasta that went with it, and wiped his hands on the dishtowel by the sink. Carrying Shaney in and then unpacking the groceries had left him sticky and he wiped off best he could, and stepped out into the backyard, leaning over the little railing that he'd built along the three steps down to the ground. "Aye, an' where be the droolin' terror Arnie? Doesna he like water too?"

Toni grinned up at Graham from her seat behind Shaney in the water, and held the little baby tenderly to make sure he didn't lose his balance and fall face first in the water he was playing in. "Arnie's currently sleeping in the hall upstairs. Nothing, not even pool prospects, will rouse him from his afternoon nap."

"Aye, lazy bum that he be." Graham walked down the steps to crouch on the ground beside Shaney and Toni.

Toni smiled at him, gently, almost shyly...and then stopped, remembered what Shayla had told her in the store, and thunked Graham on the arm. "Shayla told me just what's needing to be cooked for Easter supper, and let me tell you, I am NOT doing all of it. Add that? I'm not having your mom help me. Okay?"

"Ow!" he said for show, rocking back on his heels. "Aye, and I dinna expect ye to. Already spoken to Lindy and she'll be helpin', and she'll be gettin' Marie and I'll put that lazy sister o'mine to work with 'em."

She knew it, but she smirked anyway, and moved her legs a bit. "Come play, papa bear."

OOOOOOOOOOOO! Shane's head snapped up. He knew those words! "PAY! PAY!" He squealed, and reached for his daddy's face hair stuff, yanking on it.

"Ow!" Now that smarted. "Shaney, you're goin' t'grow up to be a linebacker like your da'." He plunked down on his butt by the pool, within grabbing range so his whiskers weren't being yanked out by the roots.

YAY! he beamed and offered a bucket filled with water to his daddy, pounding his shovel on the side of the pool. "PAAAAY!"

Toni smiled at him, broadly, and gently, carefully, without Shane knowing, started cleaning him up. Rubbing the sticky sweetness off his hair, back, cheeks, face, under his neck and off his hands, as he played. She hadn't been around babies all her life, but she knew how to outsmart them, and she gave him kisses and encouraged him with happy words as she got the little tyke unstickafied.

"Graham?" She asked, eyebrow raised up as she looked up at him. "Think he'll go to sleep after this, sugar?"

Graham took the bucket, looked in it, watched what Toni was doing, and dumped the bucket of water over Shaney's head. "Aye, I think he will." He leaned over and smacked a kiss on Shane's cheek as the water fell down and soaked them both, and giggled.

"Think you will?" And she hoped her intent wasn't too obvious, as she raised an eyebrow innocently and caught Shane as he squealed and spluttered, clapping the water and splashing it everywhere.

Graham choked on the mouthful of water he got, but he winked. "I was plannin' on takin' a wee nap m'self, but I think I c'n put it off, if ye've got somethin' better t'suggest." His hand ran up her back and thumbed across her spine carefully.

Her smile turned wicked around the edges as she watched Shaney splash and play, gently helping him stand so he could splash back down on his butt, just to hear him laugh. "Mmm... maybe I do. I just don't know."

"If ye dinna, I c'n help ye think of somethin'," he murmured softly in her ear.

If Toni giggled, she'd never admit it. "I think I like that idea, Graham." She murmured, softly, and leaned up to press her mouth against his as Shane bounced and squealed, jumping up and down.

"Aye, an'I thought ye might."

A broad, wicked grin that had her rolling her eyes, as she squeezed his hand gently, and kissed him again as she held Shane tight. "Why don't you go order a pizza? For all the meat I bought, I don't feel like cooking. Lets go easy."

"Y'know, darlin, yer not th'only chef in th'house. If you want pizza, we'll have pizza, an' if ye want real food, I'll make ye real food."

"Pizza." She repeated, as the tip of her finger traced down his jaw. "Pizza. Fast, quick, hard on the belly, but feels so very good inside."

"Darlin'... that's no' just pizza yer talkin' about there," he admonished softly. "An' my boyo is t'young fer the type o'lesson I'm aboot to give him."

"Yes he is, sugar bear." Toni murmured back just as gently, and bit her lip softly before looking down at Shane. He'd had a long day, she could tell, but she didnt know if he'd fall asleep, after all. "I think...pool time is over. Come on, Shaney, up we go."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! FUN! YAY!

"Aye, I think it is too." He picked Shaney up, wet and all, and pushed himself up to his feet, and then held out his hand to help his girlfriend to her feet.

She took it and climbed up... slinked up, actually, all female limbs, and smiled gently at him as she stepped out of the pool, and wrapped a towel around Shane's little body, to keep him warm. "There we go baby. Come on."

Graham snuggled Shaney against his shoulder, pulling the most unfair trick in the book. He played the Daddy card. He hummed softly to his little boyo, rubbing his back and cuddling the towel in warmly around him, everything he usually did when taking Shaney out of the bath and getting him ready for bed.

Ooohh. Singing. Soft fuzzy, was just wet, is now clean. Ooooh. Oh. He had a long day here, people. So... so it wasn't his fault. At all! When he snuggled in to his daddies arm and sighed softly, yawning and licking his lips with a heaved sigh. Mmmmm. Sleepy.

Toni grinned, broadly, and was just stepping in the door when she heard her pager beeping.

The smile slid off her face and she walked around the kitchen table, dripping a little as she walked and tried to dry herself at the same time. The little LCD display read the hospitals number and a 911 page and she swallowed and rushed around Graham, running up the steps. She threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, quickly thumping down them again, and didn't give him time to ask as she kissed his cheek, grabbed her purse and her cell phone, stuck her shoes on, and raced out the door.

Graham looked down at his little boy and sighed as Toni blew out the door. He'd heard the pager and figured out what that meant all by himself, and he sighed again. "Well, boyo, looks like it's just you and me for dinner tonight." He kissed Shane's forehead and carried him up the stairs.

 

-fin-

go on to the next part