Enjoy :)

Charlotte's sitting on the couch, her laptop open across her legs. She hears keys jiggle in the lock, so she turns her head just as the door opens. She smiles. "Hey, Mase, how was school?"

Mason pulls on his backpack and disappears up the steps, slamming the door slightly.

"Is he talkin' to you," she asks Cooper.

Cooper shakes his head. "He was silent the whole ride back from the school."

She sighs. "This has gotta be tough on 'im." She closes her laptop and sets it down on the couch cushion.

Cooper rests his hands on his wife's shoulders and rubs gently, squeezing her upper arms. He kisses the top of her head and smiles. "Hey, do you think you can take off a few days from work?"

"Depends why."

"Erica told me he wanted to go to the Grand Canyon for his ninth birthday, but everything was so crazy then that we didn't really celebrate it. He's off from school the week of his birthday, so I think we should go this year. It'll cheer him up, and it'll make his birthday a day he'll remember forever. Plus, it'll be good for us to take a family vacation."

She smiles. "I'll see what I can do." She pauses. "Run it by Mason, see what he thinks."

"That's the thing. I kinda want this to be a surprise."

"Coop, that's not a good idea. He's had enough surprises. I know it's been a year since his momma died, but it's better if you tell him what we're plannin'. I don't wanna spring this on 'im."

Cooper nods. "You should ask him."

"Me? Why me?"

Cooper shrugs. "He responds to you more. He always has, especially when he's in one of his moods."

She stands up and walks around the couch. "I'll ask him right now."

Cooper leans down and presses his lips against hers. He reaches his hand up and slowly moves it through her wavy tresses. He breaks the kiss and smiles. "You're worried about him."

She sighs. "Is it that obvious?"

Cooper slowly pulls her into a hug, wrapping his arms snuggly around her.

She lets out a breath against his chest and stands there in his arms for a couple minutes, letting the sound and feel of his beating heart calm her. She drops her arms and steps back. She blinks back a thin layer of tears and swallows. "I hate when he gets like this. To this day, it still kills me to see him hurtin' like this. No little kid should have to bury their parent."

"I'm glad he has you."

She smiles. "That means a lot."

He brushes his thumb across her flushed cheeks and lowers his head, his lips skimming against the bridge of her nose. "I love you."

"I love you too." She takes in a shaky breath and walks towards the staircase. She looks back at Cooper before heading up the steps and into her son's bedroom.

Charlotte knocks on Mason's bedroom door and lets herself in. She finds Mason sitting in his window, staring out over the ocean, his hand pressed against the glass. She walks over to him and sits by his feet. She smiles. "Whatcha lookin' at, sweetie?"

Mason shrugs. "The waves."

"You miss your momma?"

He nods, a small tear rolling down his cheek.

Her heart falls into her stomach and she feels herself tearing up. "Do you wanna go down to the beach? Skip rocks or somethin' in the ocean?"

He just shrugs, his eyes still glued to the window.

She nudges him. "Come on. It'll be fun."

He looks at her and smiles. "Ok." He gets up out of the window, jumping onto the floor.

"Put your bathin' suit on and meet me downstairs in the kitchen." She smiles and stands up. She messes up his hair and leaves the room.

Charlotte's standing behind Mason, holding his wrist. "Like this." She flicks his wrist and the stone he's holding flies out of his hand, skipping three times across the water.

Mason smiles. "That's cool."

"Now you try."

He grabs another stone from his pile and throws the stone. "Oops."

She laughs. "They can't be perfect all the time. Just try again." She hands him a stone and grabs one for herself. She flicks her wrist and lets go of the rock, it skidding across the water five times.

"You're really good at this, momma."

"I've had a lot of practice. I'm still a little rusty, haven't skipped a rock in years."

He attempts to skip three more stones and just throws the fourth one out of frustration. "I give up. I can't do this." He plops down in the sand and crosses his arms over his chest.

She sighs. "It takes some practice. Just relax and we can try again later." She pauses. "I wanna ask ya somethin', sweetie."

"If you can catch me." He hops up and takes off down the beach.

She takes off her sandals and chases after him. She tackles him to the sand carefully, and tickles him until he's begging her to stop.

He squirms and laughs. "Momma, stop." He's out breath and rolling from side to side, trying to dodge her hands.

She smiles and stops tickling him.

He catches his breath and continues to lie on his back in the sand.

"Can I ask you what I need to ask you now?"

"You caught me, so yeah."

She pulls him up to a sitting position and buries her toes in the sand. "Your birthday's comin' up, as you know, and your daddy and I were wonderin' if you wanted to go and check out the Grand Canyon."

His smile fades and tears gather in his eyes. He looks down at his feet and claws at the sand.

"Is that somethin' you might wanna do? We can have a pool party for all your friends at the house too."

He stays silent and closes his eyes.

"What's on your mind, sweetie?"

He shrugs.

"Mase, talk to me."

"My mom was supposed to take me."

"So you don't want to go with me and your daddy?"

He shrugs again.

"Tell ya what. You think about it and get back to me. How's that?"

He nods.

She smiles. "You wanna try skippin' rocks again?"

He nods. "Uh-huh." He stands up and walks down the beach to his pile of stones. He picks one up and takes a deep breath before flicking his wrist. The stone skips three times before sinking to the bottom. He squeals and jumps up and down. "Momma, I did it! I actually did it! Did you see it? Please tell me you saw that!"

She laughs. "I saw it."

"I skipped a rock!"

"Yeah you did." She hugs him and smiles wider. "You think you can do it again?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe." He grabs another stone and lets go of it. He karate chops the air, and jumps. "Take that. I'm unstoppable."

She messes up his hair and feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. She takes it out and looks down at the text message: You cheered him up. Who needs the Grand Canyon? She turns her head and smiles at Cooper, who's watching them from the living room window. She looks back at Mason. "You hungry, Mase?"

He nods. "A little."

"Let's go back inside. We can skip rocks later. You and your daddy can have a competition to see who can skip a rock the farthest."

He smiles. "Ok." He pauses. "And momma?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanna go to the Grand Canyon for my birthday. My Nana talked about it a lot when I was little before she died. She showed me pictures and it looked really cool. I wish my mom was here to take me, or at least go with us, but I still really wanna go."

"When we get back, I'll take ya to your momma's grave, and you can show her the pictures and tell her all about it."

"Ok. I'd like that."

"Come on. Let's go inside and get a snack." She pauses. "Are you feelin' better?"

He nods.

"I'm glad." She drapes her arm around his shoulders and they walk back to the house.

Two weeks later, Charlotte's sitting at the island counter, sipping her coffee, both hands clasped around the porcelain mug. She's taking small, controlled sips, staring at the clock as it changes. There are three helium balloons tied to a chair at the kitchen table, blowing in the air-conditioning.

Cooper stumbles into the kitchen, looking like a zombie. "Coffee?"

She nods. "In the pot. You might need to warm it up a little in the microwave." Her voice is soft, barely above a whisper.

"What time's our flight?"

"6:10."

He glances at his watch and blinks. "So we have to leave in about forty-five minutes."

"Mmhmm. I'm gonna take a quick shower and then I'll get Mason up."

"How was he when you tucked him in last night?"

"I was in his room until midnight, so how do you think it went?"

He sighs. "That bad, huh?"

"He'd fall asleep and then wake up screaming about his momma."

"Maybe taking this trip isn't a good idea after all."

"He wants to go. He just wishes his momma was goin' with him. Once we get there, he'll be ok."

Mason walks into the kitchen, looking just like his dad, right down to the plaid pajama bottoms.

She turns her head and smiles. "Good mornin', sweetie. I was gonna wake you up, but you beat me to it."

"Morning, momma."

"How're you feelin' this mornin'?"

"I'm excited."

"You are?"

"Yep."

"Go get ready and then you can have some breakfast."

"You'll still take me to my mom's grave when we get back?"

"You bet, kiddo. We can go straight from the airport since we don't get in too late."

Mason smiles and disappears up the steps again.

Charlotte lets out a breath. "Well, that's a relief."

"I told you he wanted to go, Char. You were worrying for nothing."

She laughs. "We can pretend I was the one worryin'." She finishes her coffee and stands up. She walks over to the sink and puts the mug in the dishwasher. She gives Cooper a kiss on his lips and smiles. "I'll be in the shower if ya need me—please try not to need me." She leaves the kitchen and heads upstairs.

He pours himself a cup of coffee and sticks it in the microwave. He sets it for thirty seconds and leans back against the counter. He yawns and rubs his face. He's tired. It's way too early for him to be awake.

Mason comes back into the kitchen, dressed and with his hair combed.

"Looking sharp, son."

Mason heads into the pantry and grabs the Lucky Charms from the shelf. "Is momma in the shower?"

"She is."

"Can I sit with her on the plane?"

"Any reason?"

"No. I just wanna sit with her. You don't mind, do you, dad?"

"Not at all."

Mason yawns as he pours his cereal. "It's too early."

Cooper laughs. "That's exactly what I was thinking, Mase." He takes his coffee out of the microwave and blows on the hot liquid. He takes a sip and ends up burning his tongue anyway. "Ouch."

Mason bobs his head and almost falls asleep while eating his breakfast. He yawns again and blinks his eyes open.

"You can sleep on the plane. That's what I plan on doing. It's a short flight, though."

Mason nods and another yawn escape. "How does momma do this every morning?"

"She doesn't get up this early, but if you do it enough, you get used to it. Oh, and coffee, lots and lots and lots of coffee—that's her secret."

Charlotte walks into the kitchen about ten minutes later, in a pair of jeans and a sweater, her hair with just a tiny bit of wave in it. "You clean up nice, Mase." She laughs and pats Cooper on the stomach. "Now it's your turn."

"You like my just-out-of-bed look, don't lie."

"Not if we're goin' out in public, so please shave that animal off your face. I like a little bit of facial hair, but you look like a sewer rat crawled on your face and died."

Mason laughs.

Cooper grunts and sets his coffee on the counter. He presses a kiss to her lips and then gives her a quick peck on the cheek. "It does not." He pouts and walks out of the kitchen.

"Don't dillydally, Coop. We've got a plane to catch."

"Yeah, yeah," he calls out to her before disappearing upstairs.

"Dad says I can sit next to you on the plane."

"Does he not want to sit next to me? I took a shower."

Mason giggles. "I want to sit next to you."

"Oh. So you were both fightin' over me. I like that better." She smiles and pops a few pieces of bread in the toaster. "You want some toast or eggs?"

"I'm good." Mason hops off the stool and puts his bowl in the dishwasher.

"Are you all packed?"

"Almost."

"Go finish. We're leaving soon."

Mason nods and goes upstairs to pack.

She finishes her breakfast and cleans up the kitchen a little.

Cooper walks down into the living room with the suitcases, putting them by the front door. "Everyone ready to go?"

Charlotte walks out of the kitchen and nods. "Do you have the boarding passes?"

"In my pocket."

"Don't lose 'em."

"They're safe and we can always print them at the airport."

Mason runs down the stairs and jumps off the bottom step, right through the gap between Charlotte and Cooper.

"Careful, sweetie."

Mason yawns. "Are we leaving?"

"Are you ready?"

"Yep. I got my Nintendo 3DS and my Ipod."

"Do you have to go to the bathroom before we leave?"

"I already went when I brushed my teeth, momma. Duh."

She laughs. "Then we're leavin'." She pauses. "You're almost ten, which means you get to carry you own suitcase."

Mason sighs. "Aw, man." He grabs his suitcase and pulls up the handle. "Let's go."

Cooper opens the door and they all file out of the house. He locks the door when Charlotte clears the doorway and follows his wife and son to the car.

Charlotte's standing at the edge of the canyon, watching the sun set. She takes a deep breath in and lets it out a slowly. She feels Cooper slide up beside her and hook his arm around her waist.

Cooper kisses the side of her head and smiles. "It's incredible, isn't it?"

She turns her head. "It is." She leans into him and blinks slowly. "It's beautiful." She looks over at Mason, who is taking full advantage of the birthday gift he got from his dad and momma.

"I can't wait to see the pictures he took."

"Me either." She pauses. "You think he had fun today?"

He nods. "He had a blast. That bicycle tour was tiring, but I know he loved it. He was smiling the entire time."

"I'm glad we did this." She pauses. "I still think Mason was more excited about sittin' in first class than he was about the actual Grand Canyon."

He laughs. "He did like that part, but what ten year-old kid wouldn't?"

Mason walks over to his parents and looks over the edge. "That's a long way down."

"Yeah, it is," Charlotte says, running her hand over the top of his head. "Was the Grand Canyon as cool as you thought it would be?"

"It was cooler."

"So you had fun?"

"Uh-huh."

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"My mom would have loved it too."

She sighs and drapes her arm over his shoulders. "Well, you took plenty of pictures, so she'll get to see it through your eyes. That's even better than seein' it herself."

Mason wraps his arm around her and sighs. "Can we go back to the hotel? I wanna upload the pictures and pick the best ones to show my mom when we get home."

"I've got my fill of the Grand Canyon. Cooper?"

"I'm good if you two are good." He pauses. "Ice cream sundaes anyone?"

"I'm in," Mason says, a huge smile on his face.

"I could go for some ice cream too. It's hot." She takes a sip of her water and hands it to Mason. "You want the rest, kiddo?"

Mason finishes off the water and hands it back to her. "Thanks, momma."

"You're welcome." She pauses. "Let's go. I'm tired. That five mile bike ride did me in."

Mason nods. "My legs feel like jelly."

"Mine too," Cooper adds as they walks towards the parking lot.

On Friday afternoon, Mason's kneeling by his mother's grave, a stack of pictures in his hand.

Cooper and Charlotte are standing back, their arms hooked around each other's backs, watching their son.

Mason smiles. "Mom—dad, momma, and I went to the Grand Canyon for my birthday. They got me a new camera, so I was able to take a ton of pictures. Momma printed them for me. I hope you're paying attention 'cause there are a lot." He pauses and picks up the first picture. He laughs. "This is dad pretending to fall over the edge. Momma wasn't too happy about that, but it was hilarious." He puts the picture at the end of the pile and grabs the next one. "This is all three of us together. A random man took the picture for us. Dad didn't like him 'cause he flirted with momma."

Charlotte glares at Cooper. "He wasn't flirting with me, Coop. He was bein' nice."

"You call it being nice. I call it flirting. I know what I saw."

Mason shuffles the pictures and grabs another one. "This is me and momma after the bike tour. It was five miles around the rim of the canyon. It was really tiring, but it was fun. I learned a lot." He smiles. "I wish you coulda been there, mom." He sighs and shows her the next picture. "This is dad pretending to throw me over the edge. Momma said to pose, so he picked me up and held me over the edge a little. She wasn't happy about that either, but dad was just kidding. I was safe. He wasn't gonna drop me." He picks up another picture and laughs. "Momma took this one. I was really tired after the bike tour so I lied down on the ground." He finishes the stack of pictures and set them beside him. "I had a lot of fun. It was a pretty cool birthday. My friends from school are coming over tomorrow for a pool party. Momma said we could have pizza."

Charlotte sighs and leans into Cooper. She's on the verge of tears, listening to her son.

"I love you, mom, and I still miss you. I eat all my green beans like I promised. I wish you were here. The Grand Canyon was fun, but it would have been even more fun if you were there." He stands up and runs his hand over the top of his mother's grave. "I love so much, mommy," he whispers. He grabs the pictures off the ground and walks over to Charlotte and Cooper. "I'm ready to go."

"You sure?"

"Do you think my mom heard me?"

"I know she did, Mase, and I bet she's up there smilin' and tellin' all her friends that her son had a great time in Arizona."

"I forgot to show her my shirt."

"Go show it to her."

Mason goes back to the headstone and stretches out the T-shirt. "Mom, it says that I biked around the Grand Canyon. It has a picture of it and they even put my picture on it. It's pretty awesome. It's blue." He smiles. "Bye, mom." He walks back over to his parents and nods. "Ok, now I'm ready."

"Let's go home. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a nap." Charlotte messes up Mason's hair and they walk towards the car.

Let me know what you think...

A/N: Right now this is just a one-shot, but I would consider doing a series of one-shots focusing on the King-Freedman-Warner family vacations. Let me know and if you want me to continue, I'll also take location suggestions as well.