New story! Hooray! I am so excited to delve into this story line. Thank you for sticking it out with me. New readers, welcome! Please note that this is the third installment of the Like You Need it to Survive universe and not a stand alone work. I can't wait to see what you think.

I stood in the door frame, watching John, crouched down talking to Philip, "alright, Pips, you're sleeping with papi tonight, me and aunt Patsy are going out, but we'll be back late tonight while you're asleep, okay?" he tucked a piece of hair behind Philip's ear.

"You'll come back?" he worried, tangling his fingers together.

"Don't daddies and papis always come back?"

Philip nodded slowly, his lips scrunched up to one side.

"Sure do, so that means I'll be back, right?"

Philip smiled a little more, and laced his fingers behind John's neck and giggled, "yeah! Te amo, love you, love you lots."

"Te amo, love you, love you more." John squeezed our boy and kissed the tip of his nose.

Martha - looking lovely as ever, dressed for their night out - sighed, "I'm sorry about the sleeping arrangements, I should just get a bigger bed up there for when you guys come down."

"It's fine, really, Martha."

"You're sure you don't mind watching both kids tonight?"

"You know I love Ellie, don't worry for a minute… and I have Polly. I'm sure the two of us will be able to manage."

"I hate that David still overnights at the clinic." she rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry about it." I reassured her.

John closed the distance between us and kissed me, "thanks again, I love you."

I squeezed his hand, "love you, too. Go have fun."

John and Martha left and Philip clung to my side, arms around my waist, pensive look on his face.

"It's okay, hijo." I squeezed his little shoulder.

"Can we go play with Ellie?"

"Of course, petit lion, let's go."

Ellie and Polly were in Ellie's room playing with her Barbies, Philip sat on the floor with her and started to brush one of the doll's hair. I sat on the bed with Polly and we watched the kids play.

"How are things? Haven't gotten to talk to you yet." she watched the kids play.

"Pretty good. Pip's first year of school is in the books, he's so smart, John's just absolutely killing it at work, I've got a steady stream of clients. We're doing alright."

"I can't believe he's going to be in first grade!" Polly pouted.

"Tell me about it. You still dating that Charles guy?"

She beamed, "yeah, we've been together for a year now."

"He's a… poli sci major?"

Polly nodded, "yeah, he's interning this summer with one of the congressmen."

"Good for him. What about you?"

"I'm alright… kind of floating. I don't really know what I want to do."

"Never too late, kid. You can still become a lawyer at thirty." I winked at her.

She grinned, "guess you're right."

"Alright, little people it's eight o'clock, so we've got fifteen minutes until bedtime. We're going to play for five more minutes and then we get to clean up our toys, okay?"

"Okay." Ellie started putting the toys away.

"We still have five minutes, don't put them away yet." Philip countered, still playing.

"But we don't want to get in trouble, Pip."

"We can't get in trouble, Ellie," he rolled his eyes as though it were obvious, "my papi a'plit-citly said, we can play for five minutes, there's no backsies on the law, and the people in charge make the law, and my papi's in charge of us."

Polly doubled over giggling, "'no backsies on the law!' Oh, my God, he's gonna be a lawyer!"

"It's 'explicit,' Pip, but good job."

Ellie came over to her bed and put her hands on my knees, "Uncle Alex, what's 'explicit' mean?"

"It means to make something very clear."

"Oh, so we can keep playing?"

"For about two more minutes, then put toys away and get ready for bed and we can go watch a movie downstairs."

The kids put their toys away when asked and I put Philip through the paces of getting ready for bed, while on the other side of the estate house Polly did the same with Ellie. We reconvened in the basement game room where the pullout sofa was still made up from last night when we'd gotten into town.

Polly started the movie and sat in the recliner. I situated myself in the middle of the sofa bed and Philip curled in under my arm, Ellie seated herself on the other side. I held my book low enough that Philip could still see the movie.

The kids eventually lost interest and started poking each other over top of me, poking turned to playfully slapping, which turned into rougher slapping. Without my eyes ever leaving the page I restrained Philip's hands, he kicked his feet over me to add a new level to the game. Ellie kicked back. I slid my foot up the bed, my knee partitioning them and let go of Philip's hands, the poking resumed and I held my book between them to block their hands, Philip crawled over me to reach Ellie better, I shoved him back over.

"Alright, alright, we're done." I looked over my book at each of them.

"But, Papi!"

"Awh," Ellie whined.

"El, let's get to bed." Polly stood up.

"But, aunt Polly!"

"Nope, let's go," Ellie leaned over me and hugged Philip.

"Night, Ellie." I ruffled her hair.

"Alexander, do you want the lights off?" Polly offered.

"Yes, please. Thanks, good night."

The lights went out and Philip snuggled up against me.

"Can we call daddy?" he asked in a tiny voice.

"No, baby. He's at a show with aunt Patsy."

"But I really miss him."

"I know baby, but he'll be home soon."

He got closer to my ear, "I don't like aunt Patsy's house… it's too quiet here. Not enough car noise and people noise."

"I agree, I've always thought that."

"Can you play some music? I can't sleep when it's this quiet and 'cause I miss daddy."

"It's hard for me to sleep when I miss your daddy, too."

"And when it's too quiet." He reminded me.

"That, too."

"So can you, papi? Can your phone make it louder so I can go to sleep?"

I found a city sound machine app and turned it on, Philip tucked up against me and his little body thrummed with the manufactured sounds of the city. I slept easier with the sounds of car horns and trains filling the air in the quiet room of the South Carolinian estate.

In the morning, John came downstairs and woke us both up, Philip launched himself at John, his legs swinging as John picked him up.

"Daddy! I missed you.

John snuggled into Philip's hair and kissed his cheek. He set him down and leaned in to kiss my.

"Hey, Philip, why don't you go up and see in there's a movie on."

"Okay, bye, dad!" he scrambled away, "bye, papi!"

John crawled into the pull out bed next to me and found his place under my arm. I wrapped my arms around him.

"So weird sleeping alone." He mused.

"I know, I missed you."

"You really don't think we could still get Pip in between us on the bed upstairs?"

"Have you never slept with your boy? He sleeps sideways."

John giggled, "I know, it was easier when he was littler."

"He's a real kid now, not just our baby." I sighed against the nostalgia.

"Think maybe he'd do alright on his own? He's doing better sleeping alone at home."

I pulled a face, "I don't know, John, he could barely get to sleep last night without you here."

"No… he wasn't too upset, was he?"

I shrugged, "no tears, but he had a rough time falling asleep."

John pouted and traced lazy lines over my chest, "my poor baby."

"We managed, I'm glad you got to go out. Did you guys have a good time?"

"It was a blast. We really did have fun."

"Good, that's the point, it's your vacation, too."

He put his forehead against mine and pulled my face closer to his before kissing me, just kisses, loving, soft, tender."

From the top of the stairs we heard Philip's feet pattering down to us, "papi, daddy, cuddles are incoming!"

He appeared at the foot of the stairs, arms stretched to the sides and he made a plane sound and jumped into bed with us, settling in the middle, he pet both of our cheeks and smiled to himself. John squeezed him and I took the opportunity to blow a raspberry on his belly where his shirt had ridden up.

Philip squealed, "no, no, no, papi! Daddy, help!"

"Sorry, buddy, daddy can't help you… because I'm Daddy Tickle Monster!" John tickled Philip while I held his kicking feet.

"I. Can't. Breathe!" Philip gasped between giggles.

We let him up and he spun sideways, his head on John's hip, legs kicked over my hip.

"See, there's no way to all fit in the double upstairs." I pointed out.

This went over Philip's head and he looked at us very seriously, "guys, aunt Patsy is making… wait for it… pancakes!"

"Oh, my God! No way?" John grabbed Philip in mock shock.

Philip never lost his composure, "yes, way, daddy, I would not lie to you."

"If I know anything about your aunt Patsy, does that mean there's chocolate chips involved?"

Philip's eyes became saucers and he looked between us wide eyed.

"Better go find out, hijo. Daddy and I will be right there."

Philip bounded out of bed, granting bladder a swift kick as he did so.

"You ready to get up?" John asked.

I stretched and found my glasses on the side table, "I suppose so."

John squeezed me again, "I love you, babe."

"I love you, querido. I'm so glad you two had a great time."

I pulled myself out of the sofa bed and padded to the bathroom. Upstairs I found Philip sitting eagerly at the breakfast bar on his knees, leaning over the counter, fork in his hand while Martha attended the griddle.

"Are you being patient, hijo?" I asked him.

"Papi, this is not the time to be patient. This is the time for pancakes."

"It can be both." I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Morning, Alex, fresh pot of coffee for you." Martha added another pancake to the stack.

"You're the greatest." I retrieved a mug and poured myself a cup of coffee.

Philip continued to wait for his breakfast, "hijo, sit properly, please, no busted heads on vacation please."

He giggled, "I won't bust my head, papi, I'm being super super careful."

John walked into the kitchen and started setting the table, "Pip, what did papi just ask you?"

"To sit like I'm 'posed to." He groaned and pulled his legs out from under himself.

"Thank you," John and I said in stereo.

I nursed my coffee and sat on the barstool next to Philip who leaned his head on me.

"Look, papi, my fork is a motorcycle." He zoomed his fork over the counter.

"Pretty cool, Pip."

"So, where are the boys again?" John asked.

"Jem's out… doing the Jem thing, he's on some fishing trip. Harry's at that, what's it called, the video game conference?"

"E3." Polly reminded her, walking into the kitchen with Ellie.

"Yeah, that one. He might get back before you guys leave, though."

"Uncle Jem is fishing? ...Like a bear?" Philip looked horrified.

I chuckled, "not quite, he's probably out with some friends in a cabin or tent spending days out fishing, like with poles."

Philip screwed up his face, "why?"

"He thinks it's fun."

"That does not sound like fun."

.

"Your daddy used to go fishing."

"What?" he dropped his fork with a clatter.

"Yup, sure did." John agreed.

"Show him the picture!" I laughed.

Heat coloured John's cheeks, "after breakfast."

"Come on," I pushed him.

"Alright, alright." He retreated and returned with his scrapbook and flipped it to my favourite picture of him and Lafayette from their teen years, out fishing.

He showed it to Philip, who covered his face, giggling, "daddy, that's really you?"

"Sure is. You know who that is?" he pointed to Lafayette in the picture.

Philip studied it for a moment and gasped, "uncle Laf!"

John nodded, "sure is,"

"And that's a dead fish." Philip pointed at the fish in the picture."

"That's true, too."

"Alright, guys, pancake time." Martha brought the plate stacked high with pancakes to the table and Philip eagerly took his seat next to Ellie.

John helped Philip make his plate, a pancake, some cut up fruit, a scoop of scrambled eggs.

"You want syrup?" John asked him.

"Yeah, yeah, lots of syrup." Philip licked his lips.

John poured an acceptable amount of syrup onto the pancake and Philip complained about not having enough.

"We'll get you more if you need it."

We tucked in to breakfast, and Philip poked his fruit with his fork and took a bite, "es un guineo, une banane," he stabbed his orange, "mi china, l'orange."

Ellie watched Philip as he picked up a strawberry, "mi stróbery, ma fraise, mmm, mmm."

Martha shook her head, "he's so smart."

"That's all Alex." John smiled at me.

"What are you talking about?" Ellie poked her own fruit with a fork.

"It's what them fruits is called." Philip told her.

"'What those fruits are called,' hijo." I corrected his grammar.

"But this is a banana." Ellie pointed out.

"Not in Spanish and French."

"I don't know those."

"I feel bad not teaching her Spanish, mine's just so bad." Martha sighed.

"Oh, God, mine's awful," John agreed, "Alex can learn any language, though, and he just speaks it like it's no problem."

I looked pointedly at my own pancakes, feeling heat rise in my cheeks.

"Mama, what are we gonna do today with uncle Jack, and Pip, and uncle Alex?"

"Maybe we should go to the beach?" Martha acted like the plans we'd already made were a surprise.

"Yeah! Yeah!" the kids chanted in unison.

"Can we, can we go?" Philip cheered.

"Finish breakfast." John encouraged.

Philip started to shovel in his pancakes.

"Slowly, calm down, hijo."

"I'm just excited, I've never been in the Pacific Ocean!"

"This is still the Atlantic, baby. Pacific is California." John clarified.

"Same one we have at home." I added.

"Oh, but I've never been to this beach." He said around a mouthful of pancake.

"That's true, but please don't talk with your mouth full." I rubbed his back.

"Mama, have I been to this beach before?" Ellie asked.

"Yes, baby." Martha answered her daughter.

"Alright, guys, eat up." I told the kids.

We cleared the plates and went to our respective quarters of the house to start the production of getting everyone ready.