"I'm home!" I yelled as I ran in from the rain. "Got the milk!"

"Good!" Aunt Liz yelled. "Now get your ass in here and help me with your mom's cake." I walked slowly into the kitchen and laughed at Liz. She was covered in cake batter.

"Need some help with that?" I asked, catching my breath.

"Never mind. Thanks for the milk, though. You're a lifesaver." She smiled at me and I grinned.

"You let me stay here rent-free. It's the least I can do."

"Sam, you're family. Jack's proud of who you've become these last three years." She turned to the oven. "Now go away."

I walked away from her and found my cousin Matt watching Spongebob. "Hey Hank," the midget grinned. "How're you today?"

"Good. You're gonna be happy when I start work, aren't you Wiz?" The kid was 13 and extremely short for his age and by our family's standards. Plus, he was blonde like his mom.

"Duh. You're gonna be a CSI like your mom."

"That's my job."

"Hey José," I called, walking up the stairs. My 26 year old cousin, Luke, grinned. He was a tall, good looking Army Sargeant. His dark hair was always in a buzz-cut and he had the family grin. He was heading back to Iraq in two weeks. I hoped to God that he wouldn't die. He was too good of a guy to get shot for some dumb president's war.

I continued up the stairs and found my middle cousin, Alyssa. She was an inch shorter than me and very blonde. "Hey Hank."

"Hey Razz," I called her by her nickname. "You gonna tell me if Syd called?"

"Yeah. She's gonna be late. She pulled a double shift at the hospital."

"Oh, well, okay. Damn." My wife wasn't gonna make it. Shit. Now I was gonna be stuck in a house with my mom all night. "Will you sit by me tonight? I don't wanna sit by Mère."

"Fine, I'll sit by you." She sighed. "You two need to talk sometime, though."

"Fine. Maybe tonight."

A/N: Reveiw please??? I want to know what you thought. The French is a hint as to which caracter is related to Sam.