A/N: Whoa! Sorry it took me so long to write a second chapter! I was really busy with life and some personal business but now I'm back on track! I posted this fic on Ao3 recently, so if you prefer that site it is now available to read there. Enjoy! :)

"So, how was the hike with Casey?" John asks from the kitchen just as you finish falling onto the couch in his living room.

"Fucking...tiring..." you wheeze out over-dramatically.

"Dude, how are you still out of breath? The car ride back from the nature reserve is like 20 minutes." John shoots back sarcastically, walking into the doorway of the living room.

"Fuck you! John, you of all people should know that I have lungs of steel." you say with a smirk. Your shades are off and you wink at John. He just rolls his eyes.

"Dave, don't talk about our sex life while Casey's awake." John says, strolling over and plopping himself down next to you.

"How do you know I was talking about sex? Maybe I was just pointing out how good my health is. Who said anything about my stamina?"

"You did, you little shit." John laughs, wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

"Love you too, babe,"

"Really, though, did Casey behave for you on the hike?"

"Does trying to shove me into a ravine and then sacrificing my shades to the sun goddess count as her behaving?"

"The fuck happened while you were with her?!" John turns to look at you, his brows arched in surprise, "You can't be serious."

"Oh, I'm quite serious. The whole sun goddess thing was for real. Why do you think I'm not wearing my shades right now? Just for shits and giggles?"

"But what about the thing you said about shoving?"

"Oh, that." you say, tilting your head back into the crook of John's arm, "Well, let's thank the sun goddess that my balance is about as steely as my lungs."

"Jesus, Casey sure did give you a hard time," John says apologetically, planting a kiss on your cheek.

"No shit, Egbert."

"Hey, what did I say about you calling me that?" he says in annoyance.

"Hm, let me think here..." you say, pretending to ponder the question, "you said that it turns you on to no end and you wish I'd say it more."

"Wrong." John deadpans, but leans in closer to you and kisses you on the mouth this time.

"Rrrmphph," you say, annoyed when John pulls back from you.

"I'm afraid Casey'll come in!" John whispers to you nervously, "And judging by the day she's had, I don't think this is what she wants to see." You can't deny that. Walking in on your dad making out with the enemy would be a pretty bad way to end the day if you were six.

"Fine," you grumble, "but you owe me."

"I don't owe you anything. Greedy." John closes his eyes and turns up his nose, feigning sophistication.

You just shake your head at him, and you both fall into a comfortable silence. Casey can be heard playing in her room, and you let your mind wander to her mother.

God, it's got to have been at least two years now, and John still doesn't like to talk about it much. He simply calls it "The Incident". You'd think it was a fucking lame thing to call it if the situation weren't so depressing. Some days you feel like a real piece of crap, coming in here and trying to make yourself a part of John and Casey's life. You knew that they were functioning well enough when you came into the picture, but now you're so far in you can't back out. You literally can't. Despite being a Strider and having to hold up the family reputation of stone coldness and general bad-assery, you can't help but admit that it'd hurt to have John out of your life. All sappiness admitted, you really love him. It's like you've gotten to that point that's crucial in all romance novels- you've fallen so head over heels that you would do anything for John. You take a moment to grit your teeth at the gooeyness of it all. Then it hits you- what if doing anything for John entails taking a break so Casey can become more emotionally stable? No, you won't think about that. No sir, not today. You push that thought back to the farthest reaches of your mind.

"Babe," John says, breaking the silence and your train of thought.

"Yeah?" you respond nonchalantly, trying to sound like you totally weren't just thinking about John breaking up with you.

"I was just thinking, it's only 5 pm, it's Sunday, and we have nothing to do." You don't even bother to respond, you know John will just keep talking, "So I was wondering, what if we went out on a limb here and went on a... family walk?"

You let his words sink in. First of all, he said "family", second of all, you've just spent the better part of your day traipsing around and are not looking forward to more movement. Your heart pumps with reassurance that John isn't going to end things. He just said family, didn't he? Yeah, he did. Take that.

"I hate to break it to ya, darlin', but I think I've had my fill of walkin' fer today. " you take extra care to make sure your Texas accent comes through to try and get a giggle out of John, which it does (Swish).

"Ahh, I guess I wasn't really thinking about that. You know, my memory works in mysterious ways."

"I'm not even going to try and figure out what the hell that's supposed to mean." You quirk one eyebrow while John just sits there and laughs like a maniac at his own nonsensical joke.

"Whatever," you chuckle- John's laugh is infectious, "maybe we should just stay in tonight."

"Works for me," John shrugs his shoulders and turns on the television. The laugh track of some random show fills the room and you fall back into that comfortable silence.

After about 15 minutes the calm is interrupted when John's phone starts to vibrate in his pocket.

"W...what?" John whispers to himself as he pulls out the phone and stares at the number, "No... this isn't... no."

"John, what the fuck?" you try and peer to see the number, but John has his hands clenched so tightly around the phone you can't see a thing. And John still hasn't answered it, "Who is it?" you ask more gently. He doesn't answer until long after the phone has stopped vibrating.

"It... it's Casey's mom."