Author's Note: I have no idea what I'm doing anymore. HA!

For Lynn...

Kevin walked in the door from the garage, into his husband's pristine kitchen, and was met with the drool inducing smell of Eddward's famous crockpot stew and coffee?

He took a curious glance at his husband who was bent over their Peach Creek High coffee tumblers that Eddward bought from the basketball team's booster club at the beginning of the school year. Eddward was pouring careful amounts of coffee from his French Press coffee maker into each tumbler and Kevin snickered when Eddward grabbed Kevin's bottle of Jamison that wasn't in his line of sight when he walked in.

Eddward turned his head at the sound and cracked a grin at him as he poured a healthy Irish amount of the whiskey into each tumbler never once taking his devious ice blue eyes off of Kevin's mischievous green.

"Got the cream?" Kevin asked as he unlaced then toed off his work boots and walked into the kitchen for his welcome home hug and kiss.

"Yes, Dear," Eddward snorted as Kevin kissed his temple, knowing full well that the calories in the sweet cream would blow Kevin's daily caloric intake out of the sky but the redhead's sweet tooth demanded the treat in his coffee so Eddward obliged him and Kevin obliged his weight rack in the basement to make up for the tiny Cheat Day treat.

"Awesome," Kevin sighed happily as he kissed the top of his husband's near ever present beanie before stretching and walking away. "I'm gonna take a shower," he called back over his shoulder.

"Dinner is ready whenever you are!" Eddward yelled back before taste testing the coffee to be sure he had his mix down right.

Satisfied with what he had done, he set the coffee to the side and made a bowl of stew for his son who was the reason he was eating dinner at 430 on a Friday like he was some senior citizen trying to catch an Early Bird Special at Denny's and not a damn near middle aged father of two busy teenagers, and a worried husband to an overworked, underpaid union man.

And just like clockwork, he heard his mother's voice in his head for the umpteenth time whenever he would get stressed out about how his life got this way.

"This life beats the alternative."

He sighed and grabbed his cell phone and walked into the living room so he could sit comfortably and have this conversation in peace. As he dialed a number he'd never forget, he chuckled as he heard Kevin trying to give Anthony a pep talk.

"You gotta remember that your PawPaw played for them so they're gonna be running their old shit like idiots. Just remember what your Daddy told you."

"Got it, Da."

"And make sure you stay above the paint. I know Rolf likes to throw y'all in the mix, but you stay out of it and you'll have a better chance of making your shots like I showed you."

"Got it, Da."

"Don't you Da me, Tony," Kevin huffed. "I ain't having that old man talking shit when he hasn't seen y'all since...fuck...Easter?"

"Something like that," Anthony sighed and in the ensuing silence, Marion Vincent answered the phone.

"Hello? Eddward?"

"Yes, Mother, it's me," he said as a bit of static cut in and then out over the line and he heard her shuffle to turn her television down.

"Yes, Dear? What do you need?"

"Nothing really," he sighed sheepishly and her happy hum made him blush. "Just called to check on ya before we headed out."

"Oh, does Anthony have a game tonight?"

"Yes, they're playing Cherry Hill."

"That was your father's school. Hmm..."

Eddward outright laughed as she then said, "Well, I'll be sure to say a quick prayer for them. Is he going to be there tonight?"

"That's what he told us," Eddward huffed, not honestly believing that his father would actually make it to a game on a Friday as that was his time.

"Well, I'll ask him about it later, ok?"

Eddward laughed again, holding his phone against his chest to muffle the sound a bit, knowing that not only would she call her ex-husband, she'd ask him about the game in great detail knowing that he wouldn't be able to answer her if he didn't show up and damn near shaming the man for bragging about his family when he knew next to nothing about them beyond what was in the papers and on the news.

Which was a lot considering Anthony's now stellar career at point guard at his Da's alma mater, Marisa's academic awards, he and Kevin's own political activism, and Kevin's own work at the candy factory that kept the doors open that brought its own set of issues that set not only their family apart from any other in Peach Creek, but set them apart as individuals in the small community as well.

But the news didn't show the love and Marion Vincent (no one dared call her Mrs Rockwell anymore, mostly at Eddward's insistence because he knew she'd rather not be associated with his father and the pain his family name caused her) loved nothing more than to tell people about how much Eddward and Kevin truly loved each other, their kids, and their family.

"Come now, Mother," Eddward half pleaded. "You know you don't have to do that!"

"When was the last time he came to a game?" She huffed and Eddward sighed sadly.

His father had always come to the first preseason game and then the first game of the season, which was six weeks ago.

He would always say he couldn't promise more than that because the weather was just too cold for him these days, but between global warming and West Virginia's mild fall weather in general, and the fact that the basketball team played in doors, Eddward and his mother knew it was just an excuse.

Thankfully, Anthony was resilient against his grandfather's lack of any real involvement in his life. Didn't mean the lack of attention didn't sting or scream loudly to anyone paying attention, especially when compared to Eddward's mother.

Or Kevin's parents.

Especially Kevin's parents.

"Well, you have fun with that conversation," he snickered only to give a loud admonishment of "MOM!," as she said, "I most certainly will."

"Is that MaeMaw?"

Eddward turned to the soft whisper and nodded.

"She coming?"

"That my baby girl?"

"Yeah," Eddward sighed as he handed the phone to his daughter and went into the kitchen to stir the stew and give his two favorite ladies a moment to chat.

He heard a screech of laughter a few moments later and then a tumble from the couch to the floor as his mother's distant voice said, "You tell that heifer that I said that she better mind her business before I mind it for her!"

"Yes, ma'am!," Marisa chuckled as strong arms wrapped around his waist.

"Hmm," he said as he turned around and held his tasting spoon to Kevin's lips and cocked a brow that meant that Kevin had better tell him what he really thought about his stew and not give him his usual stellar praises.

Kevin ran the tip of his tongue over his upper lip as he swallowed and a thoughtful look settled into his eyes. A moment later he was reaching over Eddward's head and into the spice cabinet above the stove for the chili pepper powder.

"Just a dash or two," he said gently as he handed the shaker to him and Eddward rolled his eyes.

"I'll put it on yours because you know the kids hate spicy stuff."

"Fiiiine," Kevin whined before he tossed his head back and yelled, "Dinner's ready!"

"Must you be so loud?" Eddward asked as he popped his arm and Marisa came skipping into the kitchen, his still live phone in her hand.

"MaeMaw wants to know if you've got time to take her to the craft's store tomorrow," she said as she handed him the phone and then hopped to the cabinet where the bowls were kept and got down her favorite before side stepping her fathers to get some stew before gasping in horror at the shaker of chili pepper next to the CrockPot.

"Mother?"

"What's wrong?" She asked as Marisa started to pitch a bit of a fit and Kevin hushed her with reassurances that the food was still fine and ready for her "bland ass tastebuds."

"Nothing," Eddward snorted. "Marisa is just being a bit of a crybaby is all."

"Don't you do my baby, Eddward," she admonished and Eddward rolled his eyes so hard he gave himself a slight headache.

"I won't," he sighed as he squeezed his eyes tight to soothe the pain Marisa's fit and his mother's concern over her granddaughter brought on. "Why do you need me to take you to the store tomorrow?"

"Well," she began a bit sheepishly. "I need to borrow your truck. You see, I ordered a new craft table, but I didn't realize that I had it sent to the store for free pickup and not here to me."

"Oh!" He gasped quickly as he thought of his mother's predicament.

She had been waiting for weeks for her new craft table as the current one she had was just too old and wobbly to do much with and as the kids got older, her crafts for them and their friends got a bit extensive and heavier. A new table was well in order.

Except she ordered wrong and needed help.

"What time are you getting up?"

"Well, I have a breakfast meeting, but that should be done by eleven, so after that? I'll call you when I get home, how about that?"

"That sounds good," Eddward sighed, happy that there was a plan in place to solve this small problem.

"Don't worry about it, Son," she chuckled, recognizing his relieved tone all too well. "Go enjoy the game and tell my Anthony I'm rooting for him."

"I will," Eddward smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok, goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Mother," Eddward said before opening his mouth and getting a spicy bite of stew as Kevin was standing right in front of him, spoon and bowl in hand. "Oooh, this is good," he all but moaned after he swallowed and Kevin side eyed Marisa who made a face at him.

"I ain't trying to get bubble guts on the court, thank you very much," she snipped as she took a big bite of stew and pouted, her cheeks as full as a chipmunk's.

Eddward laughed at her and Kevin tutted and rolled his eyes.

"Weak," Kevin growled into the bowl in his hands as he stirred for another bite for Eddward.

"I ain't weak!" Marisa retorted.

"Lame."

"I ain't lame!"

"Ok, both of you stop," Eddward said firmly as he took the bowl Kevin had been feeding him from out of his rough hands. "ANTHONY! GET IN HERE!"

"Geeze, and you say I'm loud," Kevin groaned as he dug in his ear.

Eddward cocked a very knowing brow and Kevin's cheeks went red as Anthony finally trudged into the kitchen.

"What's his problem?" He asked as he casts worried looks between his fathers.

Kevin was glaring at Eddward who was smirking as he ate his stew.

"Apparently, they're having a contest over who's louder," Marisa answered as she tapped away on her phone.

The tall blond rolled his hazel eyes and shook his head as he walked to the CrockPot and then gave the same horrified gasp as his sister once he saw the chili pepper shaker next to it.

"That's for them," Marisa said again as she held her phone at arm's length and took a selfie.

"Thank God," the boy muttered before serving himself a double portion of stew.

"Lame."

"Kevin."

"Well, they are!" Kevin protested and Eddward gave him a pleading sigh. "Fiiine," he pouted as he made his own bowl. "Just let our children be sad Muppet's who can't handle the spice of life."

"I can handle life," Marisa said as she fluffed her Afro puffs. "I just don't want it to handle me."

Kevin and Eddward stared at her, dumbfounded and slightly impressed.

"Just keep living, kid," Kevin snorted as he walked to his place at the table, Eddward, next to Marisa, and Anthony across from his sister. "Tony, say grace," he ordered as the clock struck five o'clock. "You've got about twenty minutes before you have to go."

Eddward breathed out a sigh as he shut his GMC Terrain off and Peach Creek High's dance team tumbled out, all high pitched laughs and giggles, talking a mile a minute about things Eddward couldn't begin to understand, but yet, he felt like he had some how lived through it all before.

When looked out the front window, he saw why he felt this way.

His old friend, Angela Jackson, now Kelamis, was surrounded by the dance team as she gave them a pep talk, answered a few questions and fixed hair and makeup as needed or requested.

When he was in high school, Angela was the captain of the dance squad for nearly half their time there so when she married Kevin's old friend, Rolf, after college and moved to Peach Creek, it was a no brainer for her to become the dance team's coach and head sponsor once Nazz saw that her old rival was going to be on their side.

He just didn't pull it all together til just now because Marisa had only made the team this year, having spent the previous year as a freshman just trying to keep her head above water.

Anthony was two years ahead of her and tried his best to help, but sometimes he'd just toss his hands up and walk away, not knowing how to handle mean girls.

But Double Dee did.

He was their second cousin on Eddward's mother's side and had had his own crazy issues with one of the craziest girls in Peach Creek. But somehow, high school had tamed the girl a bit.

Or maybe it was the attention from some other boys who were more than willing to give her the time that Eddward's namesake couldn't.

Either way, Double Dee knew that Marie would help Marisa in ways her brother couldn't and she did.

Having the tough girl on her side got the bitches to stand down, and more people started to step up once they realized that Marie was only trying to help out the girl. Plus, they were more than happy to put in a good word for the bluenette if it meant that Double Dee would be free from her red tipped clutches.

With her cousin and Marie by her side, she slowly came into her own sense of self.

And her moves on the dance floor impressed the journalism teacher who encouraged her to try out for the dance team as soon as they had an opening.

Kevin wasn't one to wish ill on anyone, not even Eddward's dopey ass best friends, but when one of the dancers got pregnant by her rugby boyfriend, Kevin was more than happy to drive Marisa back and forth to try outs for a week and then every early morning practice after she made the squad.

He told Eddward it would be easier as he always had to be in early for work, but between Eddward, his mother, and Marisa's new dance shoes, it was well known that Da loved nothing more than to see his baby girl dance because it made her happy.

Eddward was just happy that Marisa found herself, her circle, and her place on the raucous dance floor that is teenagedom.

A knock to the SUV's window brought him out of his reverie and he looked up to see his husband grinning at him.

"Yes?" he said as he cracked the window.

"Edd."

Eddward flashed him a grin and then picked up his coffee and took a sip.

"Eddward," Kevin groaned.

"Here," Eddward said as he rolled the window down all the way and handed Kevin his own tumbler. "Get in. We've got time."

Kevin shrugged as he walked around the front of the car, tumbler in hand, but he nearly dropped it and and choked on his coffee a bit because Eddward honked the horn at him.

"You punk!" Kevin screamed and Eddward just threw his head back and laughed. "I'm telling Mom on you!" He huffed as he got in the still warm SUV, but Eddward turned it on to blast a bit of warm air into the cabin to keep things at a regular temperature before they went inside the steamy gym.

"Tell her!" Eddward giggled as he sipped his coffee. "I ain't scared!"

Kevin groaned and sipped his coffee again knowing full well that tattling wouldn't do him any good because Marion told him when they first started dating in college that her son have no shit, damns, or fucks about anyone but her and his chosen family.

Her side of the family, Angela, and his other like named friends were all he had.

The bitter, tumultuous divorce between she and her husband put a rift the size of the Grand Canyon through most of Lemon Brook. Despite his affairs, most everyone chose his side because Eddward was gay and didn't care what people thought about it.

Kevin had only heard the rumors from his own parents and most of the gossip mongers at school that the kick ass swimmer from the high school across town had thrown his father out of the house after walking in to see him there with some lady who was obviously younger than his mother and them both telling her that she either give up the house and Eddward, or face them down in court.

Between Eddward's rage, then Ed's brute strength once he figured out what was going on with the noise down the street, Robert Rockwell, his mistress, and all of his things had to be picked up off the front lawn in pieces.

Eddy called his brother, who called a lawyer or two or five, and six months later, one of the most prestigious doctors in the county lost his medical license, his mistress, wife, son, and home.

The man held on as a business consultant of sorts thanks to well connected friends and family, but the damage was done.

It took a week after Kevin met him during the athlete's student orientation their freshman year of college to piece it all together.

Then he had to break Eddward's walls down, brick by brick.

What had intrigued him the most about the man was the fact that despite how rough his coming of age years were, he held on to hope that he'd get what he needed out of life to fill the holes the punches of those hard years had put in him.

Didn't make it easy to get close to him, though.

He stuck close to his friends, called his mother every week, study hard, and swam fast.

Kevin held out a friendship olive branch of sorts, but Eddward stayed back as he didn't think that someone like Kevin would understand him.

Despite also being gay, Kevin had it relatively easy growing up.

He had friends, his family, got dates, and lived his life pretty much unbothered.

So pretty much the exact opposite of Eddward's.

But what they did have in common was a sense to succeed and be accepted on their own merits and for who they were, not as some special case because they were gay.

When Eddward saw how people would chide him over a play going bad and the outright meanness that would crop up when their team lost, and how it affected him, he couldn't help but feel empathy.

And it helped him understand Kevin's unwavering support.

Everyone needs a cheerleader.

It took some time and a lot of help from their friends, but they found their place in each other's lives.

And by the time they were juniors, they didn't want to give it up.

Their relationship's start was even more tentative than their friendship's, but when Kevin brought Eddward home for Spring Break during Eddward's first year of grad school, he knew that the wall was down as he cheered for Peach Creek.

Kevin wanted to blame his dad for insisting on a few shots of Jameson with Guinness chasers before the game, a tradition he and his wife part took in ever since Kevin started playing football in middle school, but seeing Eddward actually look happy to be on his high school rival's side had Kevin feeling some kind of way.

"What gives, Dork?" Kevin had asked, knowing Eddward was probably the proudest alum Lemon Brook would ever have.

"Your team is my team. Unless they're playing my actual team and then all bets are off and I hate your soul stealing ginger ass," Eddward had retorted before giving a high whistle of cheer as Peach Creek pulled ahead to beat his mother's alma mater, Pear City, by a good twenty points.

She didn't speak to her son for two weeks.

Kevin told Eddward he loved him that night and he's been saying it every night since.

As they sip their coffee and stare at the brick wall of the building where they first laid the cornerstone to who they were, Kevin's parents walked by in their letterman jackets and stadium seats and Eddward chuckled.

"What?" Kevin asked and Eddward snorted.

"Can you even fit your letterman anymore?"

Kevin frowned as he thought and then shook his head.

"Not now, but Dad hasn't been able to wear his for a good thirty years, either."

"What diet does she have him on?!"

"Sex," Kevin shuddered as his parents loved to brag that him being out of the house gave them more time to themselves.

Sexy time.

"EXPLAIN."

"You're the geneticist!" Kevin exclaimed. "YOU EXPLAIN."

Eddward cocked his head as his father in law walked away and then glanced at his husband.

Seamus Barr was a good two inches shorter than Kevin and slimmer in the shoulders.

When they officially started dating in college, they both had a final growth spurt and Kevin's shoulders spread, a trait he got from his mother's side of the family. He'd never be able to wear his high school letterman jacket comfortably again.

But he got his mother's skinny genes and between his healthy gym rat habit and Eddward's overall sense of keeping them all healthy and alive with a decent diet, Kevin would slimmer than his father for the rest of his life.

So a good diet and a very healthy sex life would give Seamus his letterman back.

"You get it from your mother," he said with a firm nod and Kevin grinned, the green eyes he got from her looking smug as he leaned back in the seat.

Eddward rolled his eyes as he lifted the lid to the center console once he saw an old Mercedes Benz pull into the lot.

"Isn't that your dad?!"

Eddward didn't answer as he pulled out a tiny bottle of Jameson, opened his tumbler, and emptied the contents of the micro sized whiskey bottle inside.

Kevin made a face before opening the glove compartment in front of him and then giving himself a small fist pump once he saw his flask was indeed there.

"What's that?" Eddward asked as he took a hard gulp of his coffee.

"More J," Kevin shrugged.

"Hit me."

Kevin grinned as he opened the flask and Eddward tipped his head back and let Kevin fill his jaw with some of Ireland's finest brew.

He laughed as Eddward's face squished up before he swallowed the hard liquor and exclaimed, "Fuck yes!"

"Good, huh?" He said as took a shot for himself before pouring the rest into his tumbler.

"I love Ireland," Eddward snorted and Kevin giggled.

"I'll be sure to let her know."

Eddward rolled his shoulders and shook his head as he watched his father, who's own letterman still fit him like it always had, and his flavor of the month walked inside to the gym.

"Maaaaaan. I wanna call Mother, but..."

"Let it be," Kevin said as he leaned back in the seat again, all cool confidence with not a care to give. "Tony's got this."

"I can't believe he showed," Eddward said in awe as he shook his head.

"If that's who I think it is," Kevin chuckled, "he's trying to make a good impression."

"Wha?"

Kevin leaned over and snatched Eddward's tumbler away from him before saying, "Marsha Anderson."

"The boutique lady?!" Eddward shrieked as he threw his hands up in the air.

"That's just my guess, Babe," Kevin shrugged as he handed him his tumbler back.

Kevin's mother was a nurse with a keen fashion sense so he'd know Peach Creek's richest lady's boutique owner on sight.

But then another thought popped in his head.

"I think her nephew has a crush on Double Dee."

"That dorky ass Kev kid?!"

Eddward turned slowly towards him and batted his eyes, which made Kevin howl with laughter as he knew exactly what his husband was thinking.

"Dude, I'm gonna need bail money, aren't I?" He snickered as his initial guffaws died away.

"Maaaaaaybe," Eddward cooed. "But maybe not. I dunno..."

"Let it be," Kevin said again as the buzzer rang to sound that the game was about to start, so they chugged their coffee and ran hand in hand inside.

Peach Creek beat Cherry Hill by thirty points.

Marsha littered Robert's lawn with Bi PRIDE flags after he dumped her for supporting her nephew's relationship with Eddward's cousin.

Eddward would always make sure that Kevin's flask was filled with Jameson in the glove compartment of any vehicle he ever drove.

The mini wine set Eddward kept in the BMW Kevin got him for their twentieth anniversary made post game drinks under the stars an indulgence sweeter than any Cheat Day or win because it meant another chance to sit back and enjoy this life with him.