'Dad? Where's my tie?'

His face rinsed from the morning routine of shaving, Ryan furrowed his brow as he patted his cheeks with a towel. Normally the 'where's my tie' came from Mallory, for no matter how many times she laid it out with her kilt and sweater vest it was forever running away.

This morning however, it was Dell asking where his blue-and-white striped tie had been misplaced which was very unusual indeed. Ryan came out of the bathroom and went to his son's room to see Dell frantically rifling through drawers to try and find it.

'Dell, relax, this isn't like you,' he commented.

'Yeah, but we're getting our school pictures done today, remember? And Tessi gave me that super-cool dino-egg pin for my birthday, and my teacher said I could wear it in my picture? I have my pin but not my tie, and I promised Tessi.'

Ryan went to Dell's closet and found his spare school sweater-vest, then lifted out Dell's tie with a single finger. 'This what you're looking for?'

'Oh, thanks Dad.' Dell pulled his tie over his head, fixed his collar. 'Disaster avoided.'

Ryan watched Dell go to his mirror and carefully put on his dino pin, and he realized something - his son was nervous about disappointing a girl, and not just any girl, his Tessi. He was growing up so fast. 'So, you excited for the back-to-school carnival to night?'

'Uh-huh, what time are we picking up Tessi and the twins and Max?'

'They're meeting us there.'

'Cool. Will I have time to come back here and change so I don't lose my dino pin?'

'Of course,' Ryan laughed, then sat down on his son's bed. 'Dell, can I ask you something, buddy?'

'Sure, Dad.'

'You know that your friends at school might be a little bit upset at your if Tessi is the only person getting your attention tonight at the carnival, right?'

'But she won't be, Daddy.' Dell picked up his backpack, checked that he had all his homework sheets and his math textbook. 'I signed us up to play the four-on-four soccer game, and she said she wants to play with one of my friends against me in the ring-toss.'

'That's good.'

'They've been teasing me that I spent all my summer-time vacation with my girlfriend,' Dell went on as the Ryan men left his room. 'And now they get to see what the fuss is about. My Tessi is the bestest ever sweetheart. You think she'd like me to win her a stuffed animal?'

'I'm sure she would, Dell.'

He frowned, thought it over. 'She loves stuffed turtles but frog pond is really hard to win. You think she would be okay if it was a bag of sour gummis from Sugar Shack Attack?'

'Son, I'll let you in on a little secret.' Ryan went into the kitchen where he poured Dell a bowl of cereal, got out the milk pitcher. He loved how naturally the man-to-man talks with his son came. 'Women love a gift whether it is a special piece of jewelery like a diamond ring or a chocolate bar you bought to make her smile.'

'So no matter what I get my Tessi, she will smile and be happy because I thought of her?'

'Exactly.'

'Well, now I really want to win a stuffed turtle for her.'

'Eat your cereal,' Ryan told him as his phone rang. 'Ryan.'

'It's Espo. We caught one on West Seventy-Fifth at Ninth Avenue, I'll meet you in fifteen.'

'Got it.' He hung up the call, and went into his bedroom to his gun safe to put his badge and weapon along with his communicator and his cuffs onto his belt. When his tools were assembled and he was ready to go, Ryan went across the hall to Mallory's room where he smiled at Honey-Milk putting the finishing touches on Mallory's French braid.

'There we are, snowflake, all ready for picture day today.'

'Woo-hoo, and then party time to-night!' Mallory jumped up, did a little wiggling dance. 'I am so excited for RJ and Violet and the twins and everyone to come to the carnival, it's going to be so much fun!'

'Dell's got cereal in the kitchen, ask him to pour you a bowl,' Ryan instructed his daughter and watched with a little sigh as she too grabbed her back-pack and headed out in her school uniform.

'Aw, don't cry Daddy,' Honey-Milk teased her husband. She saw the look in his eyes and nodded. 'Espo's on his way?'

'Yep, we caught one not too far from here'

'Did you mention the carnival to Dell?'

'Yep, and not to worry, Mama, Dell has his date night with Tessi all organized.'