Chapter 4

Rosa smiled as she watched the five boys tumble off the school bus on Friday through the large picture window in the front of the house in the dining room. Max stood at her side, wagging his tail, being just tall enough to see through the window as well. The weather had turned bitterly cold as predicted so the boys didn't fool around getting up the driveway. Max bolted to the backdoor.

They plowed in, pulling off shoes, dumping their bookbags and sleepover bags. Rosa chased Max out of the entry way and helped them put their stocking caps and mittens into their coats sleeves so the boys could hang them up on the coathooks. "My Niños," she smiled. "Leave you bookbags along the wall," she pointed around the corner. "Take your sleepover bags downstairs and then come back up here. I've got an after school treat for you." The boys compiled with Jack racing his bookbag to the steps leading upstairs.

"Come on guys," Jack waved at them. "Follow me; ya gotta check this out," he beamed. Rosa laughed as the boys took off for the basement, their bags in hand, with Max following them, wagging his tail.

The five of them got to the bottom of the steps. "Whoa," Keegan said, looking around.

"This is awesome!" Micah added.

"Dump your bags there guys," Jack pointed, "and let me give you the tour."

Aaron and Dave walked in the door five minutes later. They listened for a second and heard the basketball hoop getting a workout. "They passed on treats?" Dave asked Rosa walking in, dumping his briefcase in one of the lunch counter chairs.

"Boys will be boys," Rosa smiled.

Aaron shook his head. "They have the attention span of a mouse," he smiled, giving Rosa a hug. He looked at Dave. "I'm getting out of my FBI suit; you get the boys back up here for treats."

"That I can handle Aaron," Dave smiled. Aaron headed for the steps to go their bedroom.

Dave ambled down the steps and then let out his shrill whistle, putting two fingers to his mouth as he opened the door between the home theater and the playroom. "No one wants Rosa's treats?" He smiled as five boys made a mad dash towards the door. He barely beat them up the steps and took his briefcase to his study as Rosa got the boys servings of the M&M bars she had made that afternoon.

He and Aaron walked back in to the boys polishing off their treats with their glasses of milk. "Guys," Aaron smiled. "Give Rosa hugs; it's time for her to go home." The five simultaneously whipped their milk mustache off on the sleeves of their shirt. Aaron and Dave just shook their head as Rosa laughed at the two of them. He and Dave beamed at the heartfelt hugs she received.

Jack was last and gave her a mighty hug. "Thank you Rosa; I love you."

"I love you too my Niño," she smiled, rubbing his head.

Manny looked at Aaron. "Can we go back downstairs and shoot some more hoops?"

Aaron smiled. "Have fun."

The boys took off, all shouting, "Adios Rosa!"

Dave took Rosa's coat off the hook and helped her into it. "Your car should be warm by now," he smiled.

Rosa smiled back. "Thanks to the automatic starter you and Aaron had installed for me."

Dave kissed her cheek. "That's how much you are loved and deeply appreciated around here."

Aaron pulled her into a hug. "Thanks for making the M&M bars for the boys. That's their favorite."

Rosa smiled. "I know Keegan's nut allergies; my chocolate chip cookies aren't an option with you two liking the chopped walnuts in them."

"You're the best Rosa," Dave smiled. "Thanks sweetheart." He hugged her as well.

Rosa smiled. "See you both Tuesday." She pulled up the hood of her winter coat she had received as a Christmas present from the family a year ago. Max barked his good-bye. Rosa rubbed his head, pulled on her gloves and headed out the door.

Aaron and Dave walked into the kitchen. Dave looked at Max. "You're not down there with the boys?" Max barked at him.

Aaron laughed. "He's smarter than you."

Two hours later, Aaron walked into the playroom with the basketball court to see five, sweaty smelling bare-chested boys. Their shirts were strewn around the perimeter of the room. "Dinner is in ten minutes guys; get some shirts on and get your hands washed." Aaron walked to the steps and then paused, leaving the door open. He gave the boys another minute. "Now!" he barked with his own sharp whistle.

He smiled and headed up the steps as the game basketball game stopped and the sink in the bathroom downstairs got a workout. Dave was in the kitchen. "Aaron, can you keep an eye on the garlic bread sticks in the oven. They're almost ready."

"Got it Dave," he smiled walking past him, rubbing his shoulder.

The two heard the boys coming down the hall. "What's for dinner Jack?" Manny asked. "I'm starving."

Jack smiled at him. "Spaghetti; the real kind; not the fake, out of the jar stuff."

"Yeah, Jack's Papa is Italian," Micah said. "I'm sorta getting this profiling stuff you talk about Jack," he added looking at Jack. Dave looked at Aaron and rolled his eyes as the boys got to the kitchen dining room. Aaron softly laughed.

"It smells good," Carter said, slipping into a chair.

"I'm starving more," Manny giggled, sliding into his.

Dave, knowing how much Jack ate, had planned for the boys' appetites. Yet, when the boys finished, there was barely a plate full of spaghetti and sauce left for him and Aaron and two garlic sticks out of the original dozen. Dave sadly shook his head as the boys came into the kitchen to clean the spaghetti sauce off their faces with the rag Aaron "highly suggested" they use.

"Who wants to play more hoops?" Manny asked.

Keegan shook his head. "As stuffed as I am, I'll puke." Dave looked at Aaron who smiled back at him.

"There's the foosball and air hockey tables," Carter suggested.

Jack looked at his parents. "That's fine guys," Aaron smiled. "But I need to come down with you to check on something."

"Dad," Jack asked.

"You all stink to high heaven being as sweaty as you are. I want all of you to check your bags," he said looking at the other four boys, "to see if you have a change of underwear."

"How come Aaron," Carter asked.

"Because Carter, Dave and I will not put you five to bed smelling like you do."

"A shower," Micah asked.

Aaron softly shook his head with a smile, kneeling down in front of the boy. "Micah, I know about your leg. Honestly, Dave and I don't want you hopping around on one leg trying to take a shower." He rubbed his shoulder. "That's why Dave and I are going to use the Jacuzzi upstairs to get you all cleaned up. It will be easier on you pal," he smiled at Micah.

Micah shied a bit. "Guess I'm not the profiler I thought."

"Micah," Aaron asked.

"I don't get the underwear connection."

"Pal, Dave and I are going to get you all in the tub together. But for your privacy, we're going to let you wear your underwear. After you get out, you can put on your clean ones." He and Dave both knew that ten year old boys had out grown the "run around naked; catch me if you can phase". But they weren't at the teenager stage of "look at me".

"And you and Dave have a dryer here to take care of the wet ones," Keegan added. Aaron pointed at him with a smile.

Jack laughed. "Keegan just out profiled you Micah." The other boys joined in the laughter as they headed towards the steps. Micah hung back a bit, looking at Aaron, still looking at him at his eye level.

"Micah," Aaron softly said, "We've got you; Dave or I will help you get in and out of the tub."

"You're good Micah at being able to stand on one leg," Dave smiled. "We saw it all summer with you guys in the pool."

Micah looked at them with his bright smile. "Thanks guys; Jack is right. You're the best." He took off running to catch up with the rest. Max followed him down the steps.

"Well done Aaron," Dave smiled.

"Thanks Dave," he smiled back. "Just get me a plate of that spaghetti ready while I make an underwear check. It'll taste better when it doesn't stink so bad in here."

"Agreed," Dave smiled, already pulling out the air fresher bottle from under the sink.

Aaron went down the steps and saw four boys each pulling out a clean pair of underwear from their bags. "You pass," he smiled. "Have fun." The boys threw the underwear back in their bags and headed through the door open from the home theater to the game room and flew in. Max snaked around their legs to join them.

An hour later, Dave chased the boys upstairs with their pajamas and clean underwear. "This way guys," Jack said, leading them to the steps to the second level of the home, grabbing his bookbag.

Carter stopped them all when they got to the top of the steps. "Jack, we've never been up here before. Can we look around?" He looked at Dave joining them.

"Sure guys," he smiled. "Check out Jack's bedroom."

They entered Jack's room and looked around as Jack put his bag down. Carter pointed to a picture Jack had on his desk. "That your mom?" Jack nodded with a smile. "She's really pretty," Carter softly said. The other boys agreed.

"Thanks guys," Jack said. "That means a lot to me. I still miss her every day."

"She's your mom," Keegan said, rubbing Jack's shoulder.

Moving out of his room, Jack proudly showed them the bedroom suite Jessica had in the home. Walking out of Jess' room, Jack led them down the hall and then opened a door. "This is my favorite," Jack smiled. The boys walked in and gaped. "This is Papa's private library," he proudly smiled at the room that was the space above the formal living room downstairs. "He's got some great books in here." The boys looked around at the titles and shook their heads.

Jack nodded them over to his favorite section. "Here's Papa's Sherlock Holmes novels; he and dad are reading me the first one," he smiled. "They're really good."

Manny shook his head. "Jack, you read on a level that's way above us."

"No kidding," Keegan added.

Jack smiled at them. "Come on guys, the Jacuzzi is in dad and papa's bathroom." He led the boys into the master bedroom. The other four looked around. "Looks like a normal one to me," Manny whispered to Carter. Carter punched him in the upper arm and followed Jack, shaking his head. "What," Manny asked, rubbing his arm. Carter just kept walking. Dave and Aaron joined the boys.

Aaron looked at Micah. "You tell me how to help you," he softly smiled. Micah pulled off his shirt and pants, put down the toilet seat lid and sat down as Dave got the other boys into the tub, hitting the "bubbles button" as Jack called it. The Jacuzzi churned its goodness the boys sank into.

Micah softly pulled off his limb and looked at Aaron as he stood up. Aaron smiled and lifted him in his arms and put him in the tub. "OK guys," Dave smiled. "You've got fifteen minutes to soak and have fun; then its pass around the soap." The boys smiled dipping under the bubbling warm water goodness getting their hair wet. They played around trying to swim.

Dave walked in looking at his watch. "Time," he smiled, throwing in five wash rags. Aaron tossed in a bar of soap. "The quicker you get cleaned up is the quicker you watch the movie downstairs with the fireplace going."

"I'm down on that," Micah said, grabbing the soap. Aaron and Dave smiled at the boys passed around the bar of soap. Having their own ten year old, they were fully aware of the growing boys sweat glands.

"After your face and armpits," Aaron said, "Dave and I will rotate you around the tub. Dave will wash your hair, get you dunked to rinse it out and then do the conditioner," Aaron said. The boys noticed Dave sitting on the side of the tub. "I'll rinse that out under the faucet and get you out. You're big guys; you get yourselves dried off and into your p.j.'s."

"And put your wet underwear in the sink please," Dave added.

Manny was next to Dave. "I'm up to bat first," he smiled. Dave got his head lathered up. Manny took a dip into the middle where the Jacuzzi was the deepest and rinsed his hair. He came back up and looked at Dave with water dripping off his eyelashes. "I'm ready," he smiled.

Jack was next in line as the boys moved around the outer ring of the tub. While Dave lathered Jack up, Aaron rinsed the conditioner out of Manny's hair and pulled him out. He pointed to the stack of towels on the floor with a smile. He whispered in Manny's ear. "Be ready to help Micah. He's next after Jack." Manny looked at him with a large smile and nodded, grabbing a towel. By doing it one at a time, Aaron and Dave were giving each of the boys a chance to get dried off and changed in privacy.

When Micah got to Dave, he got him lathered up, asking, "You know Aaron and I have got you?"

Micah looked at Dave with his huge smile. "Yup," he said, crashing into the middle of the Jacuzzi.

"That's Micah," Keegan smiled, next in line.

When Aaron got Micah rinsed, he pulled him out of the tub. He put Micah down on his one leg and held him for a second to steady him. "Dad," Jack smiled, "Manny and I have him."

Micah shook his head. "Just hand me a towel please." He looked at Manny, already dressed in his p.j.'s as Jack reached for a towel for him in his underwear. "And a shoulder to hang on to while I get dried off." Manny smiled at him, moving to his buddy.

Twenty minutes later the boys tumbled down the steps to the home theater with the fireplace roaring as Aaron tossed their underwear, washcloths and towels into the washer. Dave followed them down and put in a DVD. "Don't ask and don't tell," he smiled. "I mean that," he lovingly growled at the boys on the cushy couches. The opening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and John Williams' stirring theme music thundered through the surround sound. Aaron came down the steps and glared at Dave as the boys hoot and hollered. "Thanks Papa!" Jack said.

"You're awesome Dave," Keegan added.

"You dah man Dave," Micah said. Dave just shook his head with a huge smile. Nailed that profile.

Aaron looked at Dave and crooked his finger at his partner with a deep scowl, summoning him upstairs. Oh shit Dave thought, here it comes.

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A/N: A very special thank you goes out to my friend Monkeywand for the advice on 10 YO boys in a Jacuzzi together. Being a gymnast coach and swim instructor of all ages, I knew she could give me sound advice. Her words to me are included in this chapter. Thanks Monkster!

And for those of you that do not have 8-10 YO boys (my oldest nephew is now at that age) in your life, their sweat glands kick in; big time. See ladies; it's just not us with hormonal issues! LOL