Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Ned's.

Author's Notes: Well, I am super super sorry that I haven't updated in a really really long time. I've been really busy with finals and papers and the like. Sorry. Well, as a treat,this chapter is pretty long. When I was working on this chapter, I heard the song "You wanna make a memory" by Bon Jovi (not my musical taste, my mom's) But funnily enough, I think it kinda fits with this chapter. So if you want a little glimpse into what I was thinking about when I wrote this...

From the Notebook of Ned Bigby

Last year, when I was doing a book tour , my publisher scheduled a press conference. A nosy reporter by the name of Marcy Tremaine was there. Marcy, with a hair flip and a chemically brightened smile asked"Mr. Bigby...Ned" She fluttered her mascara laden eyes at me. "Ned, why don't you write a book about love?" With a sultry smile and a seductive tone, she added "Everyone needs advice on love"

I nervously gripped the microphone , the sweat on my hands making it slick. "Well, I'm probably the worst person to give advice on love" I said with a sigh.

I wonder if she heard that?I wonder what she thought?

"I guess it's not a good day to bring her to the park, huh?" Moze stands at the window, watching the rain pour in sheetsfrom the sky. She pulls the flowered curtains back so the windows are covered and she turns back to Ned.

"Yup" Ned sighs and slumps back into Cookie's over sized recliner in the living room.

"Ah, well the best laid plans often go awry" Moze flops on the sofa across the room.

"Only problem is..." Ned sighs as he taps a button on the high-tech recliner, causing a massager hidden in the back of the chair to come alive. "Wow, this is an awesome chair"

Moze gives him a befuddled look. "What?"

"Now we have to keep Lissy entertained. Indoors" Ned glances at his watch. "By my calculations, she'll be up in..."

"Two seconds" Moze follows the speeding flannel-clad ball known as Lisette. "Any other observations, Mr Bigby?"

"Actually, I saw her door opening slowly" Ned replies as he looks at the clinging child.

"Guess what?" Lissy bounces slightly.

"What?" Ned leans forward slightly in his chair.

"I'm hungry" Lissy grumbles.

"Eggs okay?" Moze gets up and starts to walk over to the kitchen on the other side of the house.

"I don't know, do I like eggs?" Lissy gets a perplexed look on her face. They arrive in the kitchen in a few seconds, and Lissy tries to hoist herself onto one of the kitchen chairs. She falters a little, but luckily Ned picks her up and places her into the chair. She swings her legs back and forth and stares at the floor.

Moze yawns mightily. "I don't know, sweetie"

"Mommy would know" Lissy pouts.

"Yes, Mommy would. But Mommy's not here right now." Moze picks up the kitchen phone and tosses it at Ned. "Call Lisa and ask her if Lissy likes eggs"

Ned wisely nods and takes the phone out of her hand. Ned's fingers tap out the number written on the message center next to him.

"Hey...Lisa"

"Ned...Hey." Lisa picks up after only one ring. "Is there.. Is there a problem..?" She fiddles with the hem of her skirt.

"Well, I..Lissy.. has a problem" Ned says as serenely as possible. Well, I do too..YOU LEFT ME HERE WITH MOZE! But that's not a problem...none at all. He scrunches up his face a little.

"OH NO!" Lisa screeches so loud, that across the restaurant table, Cookie flinches.

"What! What!" Cookie stretches over the table trying to take the cell phone away from her.

"Does she like eggs?" Ned holds the phone a few inches away from his head. He can hear them fighting over phone dominance.

"Oh, just that?" Lisa takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. "She does, but only if they're scrambled"

Moze looks at him questionably. "So? Is it a yes or no?"

"Yes, but only if they're scrambled." Ned puts the phone back up to his ear. "Hey, thanks..." Before they can say anything, he presses the end button and hangs up.

"Well, that's good, because that's the only kind I know how to..." Moze turns back from the refrigerator with the egg carton to look at Lissy, who has fallen asleep on the table.

"Should we...wake her up?"Ned tentatively asks.

"Wait until I'm done cooking" Moze cracks three eggs and whips them in a bowl with a fork. Then she picks up a carton of milk off the counter and splashes a bit of it in.

"Am I allowed to have one?" Ned stands behind her and looks at the pan. Moze picks up the bowl and pours it slowly into the sizzling hot pan. As she does that, Ned unconsciously puts his hand on the small of her back.

She does not stiffen, or move away. She turns around so that her back is to the stove and Moze is facing him. They stand there for a space in time, unmeasurable. They are so close that Ned can feel her breath mingling with his.

"I smell something funny" Lissy yawns and covers her mouth.

"That's just..Uncle Ned" Moze says, suddenly turning around and stirring the eggs around in the pan. "He needs to remember to shower more than once a year"

"Really? Eww, thats gross Un'ca Ned!" Lissy holds her nose.

"I'll eat the burned part." Ned whispers in her ear so that Lissy won't know.

Moze twitches for a moment, like she too, is having a tingle go up her spine.

"Thanks" She finally answers

"What are you whispering about!" Lissy gets a Dora The Explorer plate and fork from the the dishwasher.

"Food's ready" Moze dodges the question. She scoops a little up with the spatula and puts it on the plate.

The kitchen is silent as everyone chews and digests their breakfast, each engrossed in their own thoughts. Lissy, Do I really like eggs? Moze; Was that tingle a normal reaction?. And..I should never have taken the burned part. Ned gags a little.

-db-

"I'm bored" Lissy says in a slightly nasal whine.

"What do you want to do?" Ned lies back in the recliner he was sitting in before.

"I don't know"

"Well, I don't know, then" Ned replies as he sighs.

"Liss, how about we read a story." Moze offers. "Go and get a book from your room and I'll read to you?"

Lissy skips away.

"Guess you've got this mothering thing down pat" Ned dryly says. "I need to ignore Lissy and go bald, and I can get the fathering thing down pat"

As quickly as it had began, the moment of peace between them ended.

Even before Moze has any reaction to him, Ned's only thought is...Oh shit...

At that moment, Lissy bounds in with a well worn Dr. Seuss book.

"Okay, come over here" Moze pats her lap as she starts to lower herself onto the couch.

"I'na read" Lissy cracks open the book.

"Okay" Moze smiles and lets Lissy slowly and and clumsily stumble over the words.

But it still sounds perfect.

After a few moments, Ned walks over from the armchair and sits next to Lissy on her other side.

Like a happy family. The thought flickers through his mind.

-db-

It's late at night. Ned blearily notes as he wakes up suddenly. Maybe I can get a glass of water and everything will be okay. I can sleep. He lies there for a few moments, then gets up. Some part of his body pops. Ugh, I am getting so old.

On his way down to the kitchen, he sees a glow spilling out of Cookie's office. Intrigued, He twists the door knob, careful not to let it squeak like he used to. To his surprise, it doesn't Guess this must have been fixed.

The room, which is painted a muted light green color, has mahogany furniture. Clearly, it wasn't designed by Cookie, because of the absence of blinking lights. The bookshelves are stuffed with tomes ranging from technology manuals to detective novels. There is a copy of every book Ned has written so far, which he notes with a slight grin. The source of light comes from a floor lamp near the desk. There is a figure curled up in the swivel leather chair pushing it slightly with its foot. The figure has brown hair, and Ned assumes, brown eyes.

"Hello again" Moze says.

"What'cha doing?" Ned sits on top of Cookie's desk.

"Looking at Cookie's photos" Moze lifts a wine glass that is dangerously close to being knocked over and moves it closer. She lifts the flask of dark liquid to her lips and sips slowly.

"I don't even remember some of this stuff" Ned squints as he tries to look at the pictures upside down.

"Look at this!" Remember when we were Juniors in college and you had that really shaggy mop like hair?" Moze points to a picture in the heavy brown scrapbook.

"That wasn't a hairstyle by choice. I literally didn't have enough money to even tip the beauticians in the school next door."

"Huh. And all this time, I thought that you were rebelling against the whole short hair thing" Moze smiles sleepily at him. She drinks another little bit carefully, then stretches out her muscles like a cat.

"I was saving for something a bit more expensive than a haircut." The implication in the sentence remains unsaid.

A silence settles over the pair. Moze slides open Cookie's bottom right drawer and takes out another glass. She hands it to him without saying a word.

"Isn't Cookie going to get angry that we're drinking all of his wine?" Ned says faintly after a few sips.

"Cookie..." Moze says after she pours herself a little more. "Gave this to me...us...for Christmas 3 or so years ago."

Ned ignores the hesitation in her voice as she had said "Us"

She starts to giggle a little, sweetly. "I think I'm a little bit tipsy." She whispers to him like a secret between children.

"I think I am too" Ned responds as he swallows a little more.

Moze is leaning forward. Ned realizes in his slightly impaired state. Was she doing that before? If she was, would I have noticed?

"Oh..." Ned starts chuckling. It sounds loud to him, but he is actually nearly impossible to hear.

"What?"

"We are drunk, Mozey."

"Yeah. Little Bit"

"We have to stop" Ned takes a little more out of his cup.

"Yeah. I know." She traces the rim of her cup with the tip of her finger.

Moze's face is even closer to him now.

"Hey" Ned lays a hand on her cheek. His hand feels cool against her hot cheeks. Her eyes are closed.

"Ned" She opens her eyes slowly.

"Moze"

Like something out of a romantic comedy, They are close together, almost about to kiss. Ned can smell the wine on her breath, can count every fleck of color in her eyes. The two of them are frozen there. In that place. Her lips brush his, slight, almost nonexistent in terms of other kisses. But it means everything. With it, a sudden memory floods his brain.

"Hey, sleepyhead"

"I wasn't sleeping"

"Sure you weren't"

They both pull back at the same time.

Moze's cell phone starts buzzing slightly on the table. She stares at it for a few moments. Then she picks up the phone and walks out.

Somehow that's how it always is Ned hazily notes to himself. She's always leaving me.

Then he walks to the other side of the room, and leaves through the other door.