Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 38th cycle. Now cycle 39!

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"Bridge the Gap"
Shelby & Beth, Emmett & Joanie (OC), Shelby/Emmett
Sequel to 'The Family Stone'

He'd come to her with the project one day, a secret project. In this case, the secret was to be kept from Joanie, the secret being that Emmett would finally fix up her tree house as he'd promised on and on. She was spending the weekend at a friend's house, so the timing was perfect. Of course he wasn't going to go at it alone, not if he could benefit from the assistance of his favorite helper that wasn't his daughter…

"I'm not exactly handy with a hammer," she pointed out, showing difficulty in resisting his smile.

"Oh, you're not going to do any hammering," he promised.

"What am I going to be doing then?" she asked, 'curious.'

"I'll think of something," he spoke after a moment, nodding to her.

"So, basically, what you're saying is you're looking for a reason to have me around," she smirked, and he was caught. "Alright, count me in then."

On Saturday morning, after placing Beth's playpen in the shade of Emmett's yard, she joined him to begin in the 'renovations.' "I thought she would have grown out of this place by now."

"Physically or psychologically?" Shelby smiled.

"Bit of both. But Joanie, she loves this place… It's all her though… Now I can't see her without it."

Shelby thought back at those words. She thought of so many conversations with Joanie, in particular the one where they had raised the possibility of ever living together. She thought of that whole 'which house' dilemma, and now the tree house…

"Shelby? Did I lose you already?" she was brought back to reality, finding Emmett staring.

"No, no, sorry, I just…" she hesitated, and he climbed down the ladder to her. She sighed, nodding to herself. "Okay, I'm going to ask you something."

"Ask away," he nodded.

"And don't think of this as me… suggesting anything, or forcing, or…"

"Shelby, Shelby," he stopped her, laughing. "I'm going to be a hundred percent open-minded, just ask."

"This is ridiculous, I'm acting like a fifteen-year-old," she shook her head.

"I'd point out, it is adorable, I feel I should mention that," he interrupted, lightening the mood.

"Okay, I…" she stood up straight, regaining control of herself. "Do you ever think of us living together… someday," she still felt she needed to add, to remove pressure.

"Honestly?" he asked, with that damn grin of his again.

"Honestly," she confirmed.

"And… without suggesting anything?" he teased her previous statement, getting smacked for it. "Come up here," he went back for the ladder. She stared up at him.

"Is that structurally sound?"

"Just get up here," he looked down. She stared back at Beth in the shade for a second before taking her climb. Emmett helped her get on the platform and she let out a breath before turning to look to the houses again.

"I've never actually been up here," she shook her head. "But I definitely see why she likes it up here." They were silent for a moment, taking in the view. "You haven't answered my question," she pointed out. He just smiled, then pointed to his house, to the back door.

"So from here, to there," he let his finger trace the path from his back door over to hers in the air, like it was a map. "How long does it take?"

"About twenty seconds?" she guessed.

"I'd say that, too… lately though it's felt like an eternity." She bowed her head, smiling.

"Basically what you're saying…"

"Yes…" he went on nodding.

"All I wanted to know," she let out a breath.

"Alright…" She looked back to him. "I'll let you hammer something," he spoke diligently, and she smirked. He had to be this sweet… She wouldn't change it.

"I'd advise against it. There might be blood."

"Yours or mine?"

"Let's just get to it, if we want to finish before Joanie gets back."

"The job's not that big," he shrugged.

"Only if you stop flirting," she patted his arm before going down the ladder.

"Good point," he admitted.

So they got to work. Every so often she would go down to check on Beth. Then, if there was ever a task she decided to take over then it would be him who went and held Beth, walked her around. It was hard not to lose herself in staring.

By dinner time, where they shared a pizza in his yard overlooking the tree house, they had done a lot, more than anticipated. "You know if we keep going we could be done by tonight," she told him, bouncing Beth on her knee, getting her laughing.

"We could… on one condition."

"What's that?" she asked.

"We have our own sleepover." She laughed.

"Not up there," she pointed to the tree house. He shook his head. "Alright, then you're on."

They'd worked until midnight, but they had finished. At some point they must have taken the tools in, taken Beth – who was sleeping – and the playpen inside, and then gone and crashed into bed. The next thing they knew though, it was morning, sun pouring in from the windows. Shelby woke up, warm, with Emmett's arm around her.

"Hey…" his half-asleep voice drew her attention and she turned over to see his face. He leaned in to kiss her, opening his eyes to look at her. "Did we finish the tree house? I remember finishing."

"Yes," she laughed. "Go back to sleep," she moved to get up and he pulled her back.

"Wait, where are you going?" he mumbled.

"Just going to check on Beth, close your eyes," she instructed. She got up, closing the curtains to block the sun, then went out to find Beth, standing in her playpen. "Morning, princess," she smirked, picking her up. After changing and feeding her she had taken her back to the room, sitting up in bed with her daughter in her lap.

"I hear someone…" Emmett was still awake. Beth squealed, and he reached out for her hand. "Hey there…"

She had done it the week after… He'd come and picked her up and she'd said it… Dada… It had caught them all, not so much by surprise but something close to it. Now more and more it was becoming clear, the four of them, Shelby, Emmett, Beth, Joanie… They were family. And now with the conversation from the week before, about possibly living together, it was looking more and more like eventuality. She looked forward to it.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!