A/N: Okay, folks! Yet another fic! Woo hoo…I should be finishing Lainey Stokes and Nobody's Home and my West Wing fic, but oh well. This will be a similar series to "Single Daddy'. It will be a series of one shots about Nick and Sara's relationships with their three…and later four…children. So, I guess it kind of takes place before and during Diff'rent Stokes, and Stoked Fo Shizzle, and in between, if that makes any sense at all. Basically, the twins' birth onward. Yep. Anways…please enjoy (and review!).

It was Nick's day off from work and his day on with the kids. Mally was off at college, finishing off her freshman year at Western Texas University. His baby was hundreds of miles away and he missed her terribly. Nowadays, Nick engrossed himself in the raising of the twins, not that he didn't before hand. But now he took it even more seriously. Well…not seriously. He joked around a lot more with the twins now, determined that they love him as much as he adored them. Today, he decided, he would teach them phone manners.

Nick had employed their Fisher Price Friendly Phone and an old telephone from the basement for the project. Better to start with toys so they didn't make total fools of themselves on the phone with an adult. He'd let them make their cute, adorable mistakes safe in the living room with him.

Four year old Bailey and Aidan Stokes sat pretzel-style on the floor like their father had instructed. They were doing some shifting around and rocking, but that could be expected. Nick placed the Fisher Price phone on the floor in front of them, and Bailey immediately pounced for it.

"Up, up, up," He warned, high pitched and a little jubilant, dare he say, as he swooped the phone away from her reaching hands. "Don't touch it yet. You need to listen to what daddy has to say."

"But I wanna pway!" She complained. That's what phones were for, anyhow. Mally was always laughing and giggling on the phone, so something funny must be going on. She wanted to hear all the jokes the adults were hearing.

"In a minute, sweetheart, but first you need to listen." Nick explained patiently. Bailey smooched her lips around a little and leaned back on her hands, waiting to hear what was so important. That silly daddy guy.

"Okay." He started. "Sometimes, when you want to talk to someone or ask them a question, we call them on the te-le-phone." He said slowly. "Can you both say te-le-phone?"

Bailey and Aidan looked at him like he was an idiot, but repeated.

"Te-phe-lone." Bailey said.

"Te-we-phoa." Aidan tried.

"Te-le-phone." Nick enunciated.

The twins tried again, but couldn't get it right. Nick decided to move on.

"Anyways, we use the te-le-phone to talk to people who are far away."

"But sometimes momma caws Mrs. Bwadwey." Aidan pointed out. She was the next door neighbor who Sara summoned once in a while for babysitting duties or to borrow things.

"Well, momma doesn't want to leave you by yourselves, so she calls Mrs. Bradley."

"Coudn't she just yeww?" He wondered.

"No, Aidan. Adults don't yell across the yard at neighbors, unless it's an emergency."

"As I was saying, we call to talk to people. Now, when we want to talk to someone, we have to dial their number."

"Number?" Bailey asked.

"Yes, a number. Every house, and sometimes every person has their very own telephone number. For example, our telephone number is 538-2984."

The twins looked at him, not really caring. Aidan picked his nose.

"Uncle Gil and Aunt Catherine have their own number, and mommy and daddy's work has a special number." Nick took Aidan's wrist, retrieving the boogery finger from his nose. He handed him a tissue and helped him blow while continuing to talk.

"So first, you pick up the phone and put it to your ear to see if there's a dial tone." Nick demonstrated, putting the old phone to his ear, remembering it wasn't plugged in, and they wouldn't hear a dial tone.

"Now, this phone isn't plugged in, so you won't hear a dial tone, but you get the idea."

Nick handed the receiver to Aidan, who lifted it to his ear curiously. The phone was bigger than his head. He then held it in front of his face and yelled into it.

"Hewwwoooooooo!" He greeted the phone.

"But don't do that when you're talking to someone, because it might hurt their ears."

"Daddy, why there no die tone?"

"Dial tone. It's not plugged in."

"So how can I caw?"

"You can't on this one, bud."

"Then why we use it?"

"It's just to show you an example."

"Wa's it sound wike?"

"Ummm…uh…I guess a little like…oooooooooooooooooo." Nick demonstrated, trying his best to sound like a dial tone.

"Daddy's nuts." Bailey said, who'd been quiet for a while. She'd heard her mother say it a few times.

"Yes, daddy's a little nuts, but aren't we all. Okay. When you hear the dial tone, then you dial the special phone number. Remember talking about the special phone number?"

"Yeeeeees." They chimed together.

"Good. So let's practice dialing a number. How about, 1-2-3-4-5." Nick thought of, thinking of the humorous scene from Spaceballs. It was the same combination an idiot would have on his luggage.

Nick let Aidan use the old phone, and Bailey used the Fisher Price one. He counted out loud with them as they punched the buttons with their tiny fingers.

"Good job! You dialed your first number. Now daddy's gonna say a number out loud, and you dial it. Okay?"

Bailey and Aidan were already pounding the keys randomly, so Nick had to still their hands momentarily before they could start. Nick said random numbers for a while, then short combinations. The twins seemed to take really well to it, and Nick was feeling confident in his teaching abilities.

"Alright, let's move on to talking!" He said excitedly. "When someone answers on the other end, they say hello. Have you heard mommy and Mally and I say hello when we pick up the phone?"

"Yep."

"That's what other people do too. So after they say hello, you ask to speak to someone."

"Wike who?" Aidan inquired.

"Well, like Mally for instance. You could call her dorm and ask to speak to Mally. So, put the phone up to your ear and pretend someone just said hello. What do you say?"

"May I speak to someone?" Bailey tried.

"N-n-no." Nick chuckled. "You have to say someone's name. Like Mally. Say may I speak to Mally."

"But Mawwy's not on the phone."

"I know. Just pretend."

Bailey sighed and gave her father an odd look, putting the phone up to her ear.

"May I speak to Mawwy?" She asked politely.

"Good. Then if Mally's there, the person will get Mally to come to the phone, but you have to wait a few seconds. Then, Mally will say hello, and you can start saying whatever you want. Bailey scrunched her face.

"Mawwy, daddy's gone cwazy! Come home quick!"

Nick rolled his eyes and laughed out loud. They must think he'd gone psycho or something, with all they'd been telling him about these being fake phones, and what to do with a real phone. But they were doing pretty well.

"I know, sweetheart. You're doing good, though. Aidan you try."

Aidan put the phone up to his ear and tried.

"Is Mawwy there?"

"Say, May I speak to Mally." Nick corrected him.

"May I speak to Mawwy?" He said, upbeat.

"Way to go! You're already a pro. Good! Now, when you're done, you have to say goodbye. Will you do that?"

"Goodbye!" They both said happily.

"Then put the phone back down in the cradle."

"In the baby's cwadle?" Aidan asked. They'd just learned that their mommy was going to have another baby. Nick and Sara had already started getting its room ready, complete with…a cradle.

"No, baby. Put it back down on the other part of the phone." Nick gently put his hand over Aidan's and guiding it back down to sit in the cradle until it clicked. "Good. You just made your first phone call!"

"Yay!"

Nick's cell phone rang and he checked the caller ID. It was Sara. Since she was pregnant (and since she was his wife!), he immediately answered. He could see the twins were playing quietly, so he decided to walk into the dining room, because she sounded a little stressed.

The house phone rang moments later, and Bailey and Aidan looked at each other in fascination. It was that phone thing their daddy was talking about! And it was ringing! That must mean they needed to call someone.

The twins waddled over to the living room table where the real phone sat.

"I forget what to do." Aidan confessed, leaning on the chair and studying his sister. She seemed to know a lot about these things.

"I'w answer." She said, rather adultly. Bailey picked up the phone and put it to her ear.

"Is Mawwy there?" She said, like her daddy had taught her.

"Huh?" Said the other voice. "This is Mally. Who's this?"

"Can I speak to someone?" She tried again.

"Bailey, is that you?" Mally thought she recognized her little sister's voice. They weren't allowed to answer the phone yet, though, because they didn't know what to do, which was being made quite clear at the moment.

"Yes, this is Baiwey. Who is this?"

"It's Mally, your sister." She said, emotion in her voice. Mally had had a rough day, and was calling to talk to her father and get cheered up. This was almost better, though. Mally tried not to cry, putting a hand up to her eyes. She tried to stay strong for Bailey.

"How are you?"

"I'm okay, Bails. I had a bad day at school."

"Was the teacher mean?"

"Yeah, kind of. It's good to talk to you, Bailey. Did momma or daddy teach you how to use the phone?"

"Daddy twied, but he's a wittle nuts."

Mally laughed out loud, amazed that her little sister could cheer her up so much right now. Her freshman year had been rough so far. She still missed home a lot and it was hard adjusting to college classes and the workload.

Mally heard a scuffle on the other end, and assumed Aidan must be there too, fighting for the phone.

"I wann tawk to Mawwy!" She heard him say.

"She cawed me, not you!"

Aidan finally seemed to get a turn when she heard his voice come on the receiver.

"Hi, Mawwy!" He said cheerily.

"Hi, Aidan! Did you have a good day?" She smiled even wider. Her little brother was such a ham.

"It was okay, but Baiwey is a poophead!"

"A poophead? It's not nice to call people names, bud."

"Sowwy."

"It's okay. Hey, is daddy there?"

"Yep."

"Can I talk to him?"

"He's on the phone."

Nick had just walked back into the room to see the twins huddled by the real telephone, and Aidan was talking to someone.

"Okay, well will you tell him too…"

"Sweetheart?" Her father's deep, gentle, familiar voice swept into her frustrated ears. Mally immediately started crying at the comfort his voice provided. "Mally, are you okay?" He asked, his voice concerned and patient.

"Nooo…." She struggled, now full-out crying again.

Nick realized he may need to talk to his daughter for a while, so he told the twins to go play in the backyard, opening the door for them as they bolted out.

"It's okay, darlin'. I'm here." He assured her, as he sat down on the couch. She was hundreds of miles away, and just wanted to give her a big hug and a kiss and rock her until she stopped crying, but he couldn't. That was probably one of the hardest things about her being away. Sometimes she would call all upset over school and missing home, but all he could do was talk to her and reassure her everything would turn out okay. "Just calm down a minute, okay?"

"Okay." She sobbed. Nick shushed her gently as her crying slowed a little. "Can you just talk to me, daddy?" She requested.

"Sure, baby." He was surprised at the request. "Do you know what happened today? I taught the twins phone manners. Well, I tried anyway. They've been real curious lately about what we are doing on the phone, so I finally decided to show them today. I got out the Fisher Price phone and the old one from the basement, and I taught them to listen for the dial tone, and when someone says hello, you ask to speak to someone. Then you talk, and say your goodbyes at the end. They were a little confused to say the least, but I think they're learning." Nick paused and listened. Mally was breathing a little more shallow now, and she was just sniffling. "Are you doing better now, sweetheart? Or do you want me to keep talking?"

"I'm better now, daddy. Thanks." She smiled weakly on her end. "When I called, Bailey answered and asked to speak to Mally." She laughed a little bit at the incident replaying in her head.

"She did?" He chuckled, glancing outside at his two youngest. "Sounds like something she would do. I guess I on taught them how to make calls, not answer them."

"You'll have to leave that to mom tomorrow." Mally smiled.

"I guess so." He changed to subject to find out what was bothering her. "How's school going? Are you getting a little stressed out?"

"Yeah." She sighed tiredly. "I just…I studied really hard for my history exam and found out I got a C- today."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know you're working hard. You'll get the hang of it, don't worry."

Mally was halfway worried that he'd be mad that she wasn't doing well in school. She wasn't doing badly, per se, but she was currently getting three B's and two C's. Her grades were far from what they were in high school, but she was working harder than she ever had.

"How do you know?"

"Because you're doing far better than I did my first year of college, and look how wonderful I turned out." He teased.

"How did you do your first year?"

"Oh, I was all into the party life, Mal, and I never studied. I skipped classes, which I'm sure you're not doing, right young lady?"

"Of course not, dad." She fibbed. Mally skipped class every once in a while, but that was the beauty of college.

"I failed a class that semester, and got two C's and a D. My parents weren't very pleased with me at all."

"Daddy. You were a slacker!"

"I know, I know. But I learned my lesson. The next year, I was on the Dean's list." He reported. "Are you making more friends?"

"No. Not really. I'm just…scared, you know. They're all from Texas, and everyone seems to know at least someone else. I don't know anyone, dad."

"You'll make some good friends soon, believe me." Nick paused, knowing he needed to get outside to watch the twins, but sensing that his daughter was holding on to every word he said. He didn't want to hang up any more than she did, and it broke his heart into a million pieces.

"Sweetheart, do you want to come home soon to visit?"

Mally started crying again, sensing he was trying to wrap up the call.

"Mally, don't cry, darlin'. Please." He begged her, a tear forming in his own eye.

"I know. I'm sorry" She screeched. "I just miss you guys so much. I don't like college. I don't like it at all. I just wanna quit and come home!"

"Mally, I think you're just a bit upset and stressed right now. If you stick it out, I think you'll end up liking it."

"But I'm so lonely!" She sobbed, hoping the rest of the dorm wasn't hearing her, but betting they could.

"I know. And it's okay to call us. I'm glad you did today, if you were so upset. We love hearing from you."

"But I'm always so sad."

"You're our family, and we love you no matter what. We help each other out when we're going through a rough patch.

Mally blubbered on the other end.

"Do you remember last year, when you got so down? When you went to counseling for a while?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did we give up on you?"

"No." She said a little more calmly.

"That's right. We worked through it, didn't we? And we'll work through your first year away. We miss you so much too, Mal, I can't even tell you. I think about you all the time, and wonder what you're up to. I'd love to think about you out with your new friends, and maybe, dare I say, a few guys." Nick teased a little, hoping it would lighten up the conversation. "Will you try that for me? Try to have dinner with a few girls from your dorm tonight."

Nick had trouble understanding how Mally was such a social butterfly in high school, always out and about, and how she had almost shut down at college. Well, in high school she mainly hung out with Natalie Grissom, and now she was away at Stanford. Her support system was gone, but they were all just a phone call away.

"Will you do that, sweetheart?" Nick whispered, trying to keep his emotions in check He was encouraging his daughter to step away from them. To look on to the future, and not dwell on the home life she missed so much. It was painful to let go for both of them, it seemed. But it was his job as a parent to show her how to do the right thing. It was right to move on and make new friends. It was right to have fun at college. But not too much.

"I'll try."

"Good girl. I need to go make sure the twins don't murder each other, so I need to go now, sweetheart. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, I think I'm okay now." She tried to convince her father and herself at the same time. She knew he wouldn't hang up until he knew she was okay.

"Okay, baby. Call later if you need to, alright?"

"Alright, daddy. I love you."

"I love you too."

The phone clicked off and Nick sadly hung up the phone. He worried so much about Mally lately, almost more than he had the summer before she left. In her absence, she seemed to cause him more worry. She was struggling fitting in with no one she knew around. But by the end of the year, he was pretty sure she'd be fine. She was his daughter. His Mally.

Nick took a deep breath as he went into the backyard, Bailey and Aidan squealing in delight at his presence. As they pounced on him, Nick couldn't help but savor every moment with them, because he knew that one day he'd have to let go of them too, like he was letting go of Mally.