Tai sat in his office thinking about the last month. Today marked exactly one month since Mimi moved in with him. She hadn't touched the subject of being a support for each other and raising their kids together but Tai knew better than to think she had given up on the idea. It was Mimi after all and if there is one thing that anyone that knows anything about her is that, what Mimi wants Mimi gets. She had been silently trying to prove to him that it could work out. She'd watch over Kira when he was busy and would have a clean house and an eatable meal waiting for him when he got back from work. They even went out when ever Tai had the time. Having her around really did make life easier for him, so much in fact, that he had actually began considering to take her up on that offer. That thought terrified Tai. He knew that he had created a comfort zone for Mimi. One in which she didn't have to put herself out there. Being with Tai was safe for her, safe from getting hurt or failing. Accepting her offer would only keep her weak and vulnerable to getting hurt again. Mimi was strong and she was smiling like she used to which meant that she was ready to be out in the world again. It was time for tough love. First thing was to get her a job. Something to keep her busy and remind her of what she really loved: cooking for others. As much as he loved having her as his personal chef, he knew he had to share her with the rest of the world. He had assigned his secretary to look for any job available for a professional chef. All he had to do was remind her of the independent woman that she has always been. She wouldn't be happy when she found out though, she would pull a tantrum, kick, pout, hell she might even cry, but she would go through with it because that's how Mimi was. When push comes to shove she always comes through. He smiled at the thought of how much she had grown.

"So it must really be true, then." Tai turned to the door and was surprised to see his best friend there.

"Matt, what are you doing here and what are you talking about?"

"That last mission I had was my last before I took a long overdue vacation and Sora's mother came for a visit so I take any excuse to leave the house." Matt then smirked which worried Tai, he was up to something. "As to why I'm here… funny story actually. You remember the promise I made to Yumi on her birthday?" Matt waited for Tai to answer.

"Yeah you would take her ice skating, right?" Tai answered vaguely remembering.

"Yeah well she had a little accident-"

Tai pushed himself off his seat when he heard the word accident associated to Yumi. "Is she okay? She's not hospitalized, is she?" Tai knew Yumi was accident prone and would get scrapes and bruises all the time without knowing where they came from. Going ice skating was practically a death trap for her which was why Sora hadn't allowed her to go.

Matt was taken aback by Tai's reaction. His tone had been casual enough to suggest that nothing serious had happened so why had Tai reacted that way? "She's fine just fractured her ankle." He answered.

He watched with calculating eyes how Tai's expression relaxed as he sat back in his chair. Maybe he should spend more time at home like Sora often suggested. He had noticed since he had taken Yumi ice skating that his family had grown attached to Tai, a little too attached, and apparently the feeling was mutual. His own daughter couldn't stop talking about how awesome Uncle Tai was, when it should have been, how awesome her father was. Yuki had also talked non-stop about Tai when he tried to show his son how to play the harmonica. It seemed that in almost every conversation they had, Tai's name would come up. How uncle Tai would always bring souvenirs when he came back from a trip. What did they expect him to bring, a moon rock? Yeah that would make their day alright. It seemed even Sora was in on the conspiracy. She hadn't said anything but she had worn that damn perfume every single day, constantly reminding him of Tai.

"Matt, are you listening to me?"

Tai's words broke his train of thought. "Sorry what was that?"

"I said, so what brings you here?"

Matt felt his smirk return, "When I took Yumi to the hospital I bumped into Jim, you know Joe's brother. He told me you had just left and how a woman you took with you made a scene over how Kira wasn't being properly tended. So do you have anything you have to say for yourself?"

Tai panicked for a moment. Jim. Couldn't the man have kept his mouth shut? By the look Matt was giving him though it was safe to assume he didn't have the slightest suspicion the woman in question was Mimi. He just thought he had a woman in his life. Great just what I needed. He thought sarcastically.

"It was nothing Matt, let it go." Tai dismissed the issue and returned to his work. He couldn't afford Matt to get involved; it could cause Mimi to draw back.

"Come on Tai. How come you haven't told me you found someone? I had to hear it from Jim. Do you know what an insult that is? And she's met Kira so it's not something casual." Matt persisted while he sat comfortably in a chair.

Tai dropped the papers he had been looking at and stared at his friend, "I didn't know I had to inform you about my personal life. And if you want to talk about insults then let me remind you I found out about your engagement to Sora through a television broadcast." Tai shot at his friend accusingly.

Matt rolled his eyes, this was an old argument between the two. "You're never gonna let go of that, are you? I told you it was unexpected. Not even T.K. knew about it."

"You could have told me you were thinking of marriage." Tai stated indicating the subject was closed.

"So now let's talk about the present and your new girlfriend."

Tai knew he had to give Matt something if he wanted him to back off. "She's not my girlfriend. She's just an old friend I hadn't met in a while. We're both single parents and we decided to take the boys out. That's it, there's nothing special about it." Hopefully that was enough information to keep Matt satisfied.

"Aww come on, give me details. How old of a friend? Are we talking soccer profession, college, high school, what? Do I know her? Does Sora? You have to give me more than the basics." Matt complained.

"That's all you're getting because some of us actually need to work and have deadlines to meet. So if you don't mind…" Tai trailed.

"Fine, we'll continue this some other time. Besides I eventually have to get home. By the way Sora wanted me to ask you if Kira was okay. You haven't taken him over in a while and she's worried." This time Matt showed concern.

"Oh…um…yeah. He's fine, it's just that I know you guys don't spend too much time together as a family so I got my mom to watch him these last couple of weeks." Tai explained. It wasn't a complete lie either, this was something that he had been thinking about even before Mimi showed up and it was what Tai had intended to do after he arrived from Paris.

"What are you talking about Tai we love having Kira over. Don't worry about those things."

"It's not just that Matt. I've realized I've depended too much on Sora for the well being of Kira and…"

"And…" Matt urged Tai to continue.

"Forget it. It's nothing."

"When you say that, it means that it's definitely something. Just spit it out Tai."

Tai smiled at how easily his friends could see through him. "Fine, I don't want to be the reason why you guys are having problems in your marriage." Tai stated casually as he continued looking through the paper work in front of him.

"What do you mean? We are not having problems in our marriage." Matt stated defensively.

Tai stopped what he was doing and stated at his friend. "Who are you trying to kid, me or you? It's fine, I understand." He continued with a shrug.

"You understand what?" Matt asked with a hostile voice.

Tai raised his hands , "Calm down man. All I'm saying is I know you don't like having me over so often. I understand your…insecurities."

"Insecurities? I am not insecure. Come on you're my best friend." Matt's tone grew more hostile by the second.

"Yeah I'm your best friend and Sora is your wife but we are still man and woman and you don't feel comfortable with me spending time with either her or your children while you're away. It happens to all of us. So don't-"

"Did it happen to you?" Matt asked purposely avoiding Tai's gaze.

"Are you kidding me? She would get hit at all the time, even when I was by her side. We were both insecure. I was always away and we didn't get to see each other for months at a time. I wasn't trying to get between you two. I was trying to help by not leaving them alone. I'm sorry if things somehow got mixed up…I swear I didn't-"

"I know I'm sorry for doubting you. It's just that every time I come back it's like I don't know them anymore and they seem to not need me."

"They do need you. You should hear how they're always asking me to tell them about the times you saved me from my rash behavior. I've had to embarrass myself in front of your kids and mine in order to make you look good. You owe me for that."

Matt let out a snort, "Thanks man but I'm serious about Kira. We don't mind having him over."

"I know but I do." Tai admitted.

"Wha-why?"

" He's having a hard time realizing he doesn't have a mom and I don't want him to feel bad by seeing you guys as a "real family" compared to just me and him."

"Yeah I understand how that feels." Matt knew better than anyone the hollow feeling of seeing other children with both parents while he only had one.

There was a knock at the door that caused both men turned to see Tai's secretary. "I apologize for disturbing you but I got the information you requested." She informed Tai.

"Right…I…um…I'll look at it right away."

"Well Tai I'll take my leave then. And we still have a pending talk. Don't think I'll forget." Matt excused himself and left the office.

"Sorry sir I didn't mean to interrupt." Tai's secretary apologized.

Tai shook his head. "It's okay he was leaving already. Were you able to find any-"

"Yes sir. There are three positions all nearby your…your apartment" Tai noticed how she blushed at the mention of his address and chose to ignore it, "One in particular offers a flexible schedule. I'll leave you the information here sir. Please let me know if I can help you in anything else." She finished once again with a blush.

"Thank you Suki, that's all for now." Tai dismissed her with a flashy smile. Suki was a sweet girl. She had started as an intern but the input that she put to work quickly had her escalate into a payable position. She was Kari's age, still in college and had a huge crush on him. He tried not to lead her on but he found it hard not to tease her. He restrained a laugh as she stumbled on her way out. Once gone he drowned himself in work so he could make it back by six. Mimi had been strict on the fact that he shouldn't over work himself and be back to tend his son. Easy for her to say. She didn't have to come up with a treaty between this world and the digital one so humans and digimon alike could live together in peace. Right now though he'd rather do that than think of the pending talk he has with Mimi.

Mimi had taken the task of becoming a friend, house keeper, and a mother rather quickly. She was used to this job and found it easier to handle compared to running her own business. Rei had also gotten used to living with Tai and Kira. She could see he enjoyed having Kira's company. Rei's shy nature had always made it hard for him to make friends. Kira's outgoing and friendly character made it easier for their friendship to form. Rei had even warmed up to Tai. Tai had been attemptive to all three of them these last couple of weeks. She figured it was due to the incident at the ramps. He wanted to be there more for his son and admittedly Mimi felt guilty because her presence had been the cause of Kira's pain. Not to mention it had also added to Tai's worries. She remembered how devastated she had been when she first arrived at his front door. After those first days Mimi realized how much the boys needed her, Rei, Kira, even Tai. Especially after Rei told her what happened the night of their trip to the park the next morning.

Mimi was preparing breakfast when Rei approached her in the kitchen. She smiled at his habit of silently following her into the kitchen when he had something to tell her.

"Yes Rei? What is it?" She asked as she set the dish in the oven.

"Mom can I tell you something but you promise not to tell anyone?" He asked as he sat in the table.

"Does it have to do with why Tai and Kira aren't here at the moment?" She asked concern that the other two were gone when she woke up.

Hesitently he answered, "Yes"

"Okay then I promise to not tell anyone."

"Last night after we came from the hospital…did you know that…that man carried us all inside to his house?"

Mimi looked at her son disapprovingly. First he had called Tai 'that man' and second that was not what he wanted to say. She could tell by his hesitation.

"Yes Rei I know Tai carried us all inside. I don't think you and Kira put together could have done so. What's wrong honey? What is it you really want to tell me? And why do you have to call Tai 'that man'? Don't you like him?" She asked as she sat across from him in the table.

Rei shook his head "It's not that mom. I do like him but…can I really call him U-Uncle Tai?" Rei asked notably embarrassed.

So that's what it was, Rei was shy and confused about how to call Tai. She smiled at her naïve child, "Of course you can. He said so himself didn't he?"

"Okay then. That night Kira and me woke up when we got here but he said if we stayed quiet his dad would carry us down and he did. We thought we had fooled him but then he came into the room and he said…"

Rei got up from his chair in attempt to imitate Tai. "Kira, I know you're awake we need to talk. Come to the living room."

Rei's went back to used his usual voice "But Kira didn't want to so then he came to the bed and picked him up. I thought he was going to take him but instead he carried him like a baby and laid on the bed with Kira resting in his chest. He patted Kira as he said, "Kira you're mom isn't with us anymore but she really did love you. I'm sorry she's not here with you and I'm sorry I didn't realize how sad you had been all this time. I promise I'll do everything in my power to make you happy. I'll love you for both your mom and me. But you have to realize that neither Mimi, nor Sora, or anyone else for that matter can replace your mom." Then Kira asked while crying, "Dad do you miss mom too?"

" And then, and then Uncle Tai stayed quiet for a while and then he said, "Yes Kira I miss her every day." It was quiet after that and I could hear Kira begin to cry. Then Kira said while crying really hard, "Then why don't we visit her during my birthday? Why haven't you ever taken me to her grave? Dad do you hate me because mom died because I was born?" I couldn't see their faces but uncle Tai said, "I loved your mother when she was alive and I still love her. But more than anything I'm grateful to her for not leaving me alone because she left you to my care. Don't be sad Kira because your mom died in peace knowing that you'd be born. She wanted you to be happy. I thought you would get sad if we went to see her. I'm sorry I didn't think you wanted to visit her. You never said anything so…I'm sorry Kira, the truth is that it hurts too much to go see her and I didn't want you to hurt too. I promise we'll go first thing tomorrow. Go to sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

"When he was about to get up Kira clung onto him and asked if he could stay the night there carrying him so Uncle Tai did. I think uncle Tai knew I had been awake the whole time because he patted my head too and told me I needed to go to sleep to be awake and watch over you when he and Kira left in the morning." Rei finished and waited for Mimi's reaction to the eventful night.

"Well what do you think about what happened?" Mimi questioned the boy.

Clearly she had caught the boy off guard because he seemed to concentrate on her question. "I feel bad about what happened but…but I…I wish dad could have been more like Kira's dad."

That was what Mimi was afraid of. After what happened to Kira Mimi feared Rei would feel the same way when he was around Tai. She figured she also had to have a talk with her son. "Rei your dad-"

"also loves me? If he did he would be here! He wouldn't have left us!" Rei closed his small fists at the thought of his father. He was mad at him for leaving both his mom and him. He was also trying desperately not to cry because if he cried then his mom would cry too like last time.

Mimi looked at her son with sympathy, "Rei, it may not look like it but your father does love you. Just like I know he once loved me. Maybe he still does just not the same."

"No he doesn't. He has another kid now. He doesn't need me anymore." He continued to argue.

For some reason this seemed vaguely familiar. She understood that her son was hurt and didn't understand. He needed time to heal his wounds. "I don't believe that Rei. You know Rei I understand what Tai was talking to Kira about. Because even though I'm not with your dad anymore I loved him a lot and I'm grateful for all the happy memories he gave me. Most of all I'm happy because if it weren't for him you wouldn't be here with me and I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you by my side. So Rei, don't be mad at your dad because it's because of him that I can still smile." To prove her point she smiled at her son with all the love she felt towards him.

Rei ran to his mother who was quick to open her arms for him. "You love him too, don't you? Because he left both of us with happy memories of our time together. Even if we don't see him again we know that he loved both of us at some point. Forgive him Rei. It would make us both sad if you carried any darkness in your heart." Rei nodded his head and cried into his mother's arms when the door opened with Tai and Kira at the door. Rei turned to see them and his eyes locked with Kira and they both began crying. Tai and Mimi carried the boys to the living room were they took their time comforting the children.

Thinking back to that day Mimi realized the boys created some sort of special bond. Maybe not just them. She and Tai had been in sync since then too. They're priority was their children of course but they had also found the comfort of someone that understood them. Furthermore proving her point about how she and Tai should continue in this life style of companionship. She wouldn't push it but she knew Tai was beginning to see it her way. Besides she didn't plan to be a free loader during all her stay. She had begun looking for a place where she could open her own bakery shop. She loved her five star restaurant but now that she had spend so much time with Rei and Kira. She discovered she loved to bake. And for the moment that was what she wanted to do. All she was waiting for was to find the right place and finalize all pending transactions.

She heard someone trying to open the door and panicked for a second before dismissing her anxiety. It was obviously Tai so she decided to go and open the door since he was obviously struggling. Before she could even motion to the door, Kira beat her to it and opened it. To both their surprise it wasn't Tai at the door but Kari and TK who shared a look of confusion.

A/N: It's kinda a short chapter (shortest I've written actually) but I felt I should put it up. Actually it was suppose to be longer but my computer crashed so everything I had saved in it went bye-bye. And the USB I had saved it on broke (don't ask and don't judge) I got most of what I originally had written down. I got so mad about what happened because I had almost completed the latest chapter for all my stories plus 3 side stories. Anyway due to all that I don't think the next update will take a while. Since I didn't add any of the good stuff in this one I guess this chapter is considered a filler but most likely I will change a couple a things later on like i did on the previous chapter. I think I added a scene towards the end...Now that that's over with all I have to say is: REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE PROGRESS THAT IS PAINFULLY SLOW AT THIS TIME. I'll try to speed up the events but I don't promise anything.