"But mama I don't want itttttttt" Cat whined leaning towards Ava raising her voice with each passing moment as she pushed the brussel sprouts around her on plate. Normally when she was faced with such a violation of her palate anywhere near her grandparents she would simply bat her eyes at the nearest grandma or abuela and the situation would be swiftly rectified however Ashlee had known the meal's menu and had purposely moved the girl away from any of the grandmothers in question. Cat knew from much experience that Ashlee wasn't the parent to plead her case to and tried her hand at her mama. Alone Ava would have caved as soon she saw the pout forming on Cat's mouth when she first saw the green balls of grossness on her plate. Ava probably wouldn't have even put the vegetables on the plate in the first place but Ashlee was keeping a close eye on the drama unfolding and quickly said "Stop it. You know the rules you eat at least one before you leave the table. Now calm down before you don't get cake" Rolling her eyes in Wolf fashion Cat tried to decide if cake was worth the pain.

Unless there was prolonged sickness or out of town business everyone in the Spencer, Rivera, Wolf, and Mahler families was around the dinner table each Sunday laughing, exclaiming, and sometimes even cursing late into the evening. Each of the older women sat around each time still amazed at how full and wonderful her life was. At one time in the not too distant past each had been alone and caste aside by their family and friends wondering if she would ever have the opportunity to love again but now she had children and grandchildren surrounding and loving her. Living so near to each other now it wasn't such a huge deal where the grandchildren spent their weekends. Throughout the week one of the grandmothers picked at least two of the four up to shuttle them to different appointments and obligations and then drop them back off at home so it wasn't uncommon for them to see their babies each day of the week. In addition the grandchildren now were so comfortable with each grandmother and having their own schedule apart from their siblings that Cat might spend the weekend with Blake and Doris while the boys spent theirs with Olivia and Natalia and then switched the following week. The kids even spent a few nights a month at Reva's to the utter but silent disapproval of Olivia. Only Ally refused to budge from her parents bed for longer than one night at a time. She loved her grandma's and abuela but hadn't gotten over her lingering fear that they could disappear completely if she strayed away too long or too far.

In Ally Doris had finally gotten her wish of being the favored grandmother. Ally went to her first when she entered a room and sought her out whenever Doris wandered away for any length of time. It helped that Ally was the only grandchild with even a spark of interest in the law. When she first joined the family she would sleep only a few minutes at a time here and there and then be up for long stretches during the night. Stories, warm milk, rocking and singing did nothing to wear the kid down. Doris had even decided to read her from some of the chapters of her law books hoping to bore the kid but Ally had been a trooper and sat still rapt with interest. Whenever Doris had any text to go over for an upcoming exam she and Ally spent hours holed up in her office going over justice minutia. Doris had vowed to make Ally the first Wolf to sit on the bench.

Of all the children Ally was the only one who needed the most personal attention which was normal considering her history in the foster care system. She was fine as long as someone in her immediate circle was within her sight every time she thought to look up and take in her surroundings. They didn't even have to be watching her for the girl to feel at ease. Often her busy caretakers were either on the phone or busy on any number of projects but if Ally could see them or even hear their voice as they walked through the house everything was fine. Once when the grandchildren were spending the weekend with Doris and Blake the little girl fell asleep just before a trip to the grocery store and it was decided to leave the girl with Clarissa. Toddler duty wasn't a big deal but too bad for the teen she'd put the girl in bed alone and then went downstairs to complete some choirs. In less than five minutes Clarissa was scared to death by this blood curdling screech that kept rising in pitch and volume with each passing second. The teen was sure she was going to find Ally covered in blood or in the throes of convulsive fits. Fifteen minutes later when Doris and Blake opened their car doors they immediately unbuckled the children and sprinted into the home expecting the worst. It took thirty minutes of soft words and warm hugs from Blake, Doris and Clarissa before the girl stopped wailing. In an hour when Ally was still shaking Blake was seriously considering taking the girl into the ER just to have her checked for illness. Since that time everyone knew to keep the girl close by no matter what was going on around her.

"How is it possible that Spence manages to get most of his food everywhere except his mouth and still doesn't loose weight?" Olivia asked wiping up another one of his messes from the wooden floor. Before the grandchildren were so prevalent she and Natalia had plush carpet under the drafty floors but after a few years scrubbing at stains had gotten old fast. Even the other children's messes combined together weren't as bad as Spence's in terms of number and complexity of stains produced. Getting tired of having to recarpet twice and deep clean twice a month Olivia just decided it would be easier just to go bare floors.

"Not a problem for you have if your increasing pant size is any indicator" Doris cackled clearly pleased to have gotten such an easy set up. Turning her head a neck breaking speed Olivia just shot her best friend a Spencer patented stare and nodded her head signaling the commencement of bitchfest as soon the mess was cleared.

"Why do you even let her bother you. You of all people know she's in need of treatment" Blake laughed bending over help Natalia clear the plates from the table. Looking around her house Olivia noticed her daughters in living room erasing most traces of the babies play at the farmhouse. Ava was vacuuming, Emma was rearranging, and Fancy was removing the toys to their rooms upstairs. On the upper level Ashlee and Clarissa were trying their best to wash the four children without soaking themselves in the process. Natalia and Blake were putting away food and washing up and she was picking up the dinning room.

"How the hell is it that everyone else in the house is busy doing something and you're sitting on your ass eating my last slice of cheesecake?"

"That's because I'm academically trained and certified to supervisor, instruct, and inspect and I have a semesters worth of student evaluations to support my defense" Doris said taking a break to sip her wine as she moved the cake in question from the server onto her personal plate.

"You're going to need a brace to support your neck if you take one more move towards that desert Wolf"

"Well I haven't ever"

"And you won't ever again if you take another bite of my wife's cheesecake" Walking towards the doorway Natalia and Blake stood with their hands on their hips looking pointedly at their respective spouses. "How is this my fault I'm helping. She's the one being a lazy son of a"

"That's quite enough Olivia" Natalia shook her head laughing in exasperation.

"Thank you Natalia. At least someone here knows how to treat company"

"I'll treat you to"

"Doris step away from the table and start getting Spence's bags together remember he's spending the night with us tonight so I can take him to the doctor's tomorrow." Blake instructed walking back to the kitchen.

"But"

"No buts. Just do it sweetheart" Blake retorted not bothering to turn around.

"This is the reason no one likes you" Doris shot towards her laughing best friend in what she thought was a quiet voice but when Blake turned back around and cocked her head at her wife Doris was quick to straighten the situation. "Not you baby" but as she was explaining she made sure to do it as she was backing towards the living room.

"Ha ha scareddy cat" Olivia teased just before Doris was totally out of the room.

"Olivia"

"Sorry dear"

With all the different children settled on which home they were spending the night the adults sat in the living room going over the new weeks upcoming events. What meetings had to be attended, which games would be watched, and what practices met at what time and who was to be the driver. "You know this would be so much easier if you and ma would get me my own car" Emma reasoned as she watched the adults consulting their smart phones and pda's. "I could take Spence to his practices and I could drop off dry cleaning and whatever else you needed" Whether that would be true once the said car was delivered was another thing. Most likely when she was given the freedom to explore the world at leisure with her girlfriend the babies and her parents would be the last thing on her mind but they didn't have to know that. "I'm sixteen. I get good grades. I'm responsible and I deserve a car" Emma added feeling that the situation was the perfect platform for her demands.

Having heard the arguments almost everyday since the girl had turned fifteen Natalia was in no mood for a continuance "Emma not now"

"But ma"

"No buts Emma and that's the last I want to hear about this tonight. We told you we would think about it and get back to you by the time you took spring break next week so that's enough" Olivia added more sharply than maybe she should have but she was in no rush to have her little baby moving further and further down the path towards independence and adulthood.

They hadn't said no out right and as far as Clarissa was concerned and that was as good as they were going to get with the parentals. She was several months older than her girlfriend and had almost had her own car and had even gone out and picked the one she wanted when the bottom dropped out. Driving Doris and mom to the store she had stupidly answered her ringing phone without even considering its impact and proceeded to drive almost a entire block before her mother reached from the backseat and snatched the device from her ears. That was almost a semester ago and they warned her a car wouldn't be back on the table until she was ready to go back for her senior year. Taking Emma's hands in her own Clarissa tried to send her girlfriend positive vibes.

"So everybody clear on their assigned tasks for the week?"

"Clear as paint" Doris laughed ticking Spencer as Blake held him in her arms. The kids were so used to doing their own thing that Cat didn't even wave goodbye to her brother as she pulled her parents towards the car. It was past eight pm and there was a bed with her name on it but she was pulled up short when her abuela ran into the kitchen to answer a ringing phone. When it seemed that Natalia would be gone for a while everyone again moved towards the door but stopped when Natalia came back in kiss her babies goodnight a bit breathless but sporting a huge grin. "Better watch out Spencer your woman's seems awful happy after that secret phone call" Doris whispered.

Ignoring her sometime nemesis and in law Olivia took Natalia in her arms and asked "What's up baby?"

"That was Rafe. He called and asked for a good time to come see everyone while he was on leave. I told him anytime would be wonderful."

"So all the brats home at once. That'll be a first in a long while" Olivia said as she kissed her wife's forehead. Seeing the tears beginning to form in her best friends eyes Blake hugged her tight and then reasoned "Sounds like a perfect reason for a Spencer-Rivera, Wolf-Mahler, Wolf-Peralta bash"

"Don't forget the Spaulding-Mahlers" Clarissa whispered in her girlfriend's ear.