Posting early because tomorrow is Mother's Day, and I'll be busy.

Civil War was awesome wasn't it? Who else saw it? Let me know what your thoughts about the movie were as well as the chapter!

Additional note, if anyone would like to have an idea of what the house looks like here's what I imagined in my brain: pamdiemer 217-randolph-square-lane/

Brazilwolf – Of course! Thanks for the review!

Peoplers – You think that chapter was worth a rating change? Nothing happened…..explicitly anyway. I can assure you that that's the worst that's gonna happen.

Megan – That's all right, thank you for taking the time to review. You're welcome. I decided it was about time to let Mady and Steve have some fun. I will not be bumping the rating up to M. I'm good at implying, but when it comes to the explicit stuff, I do not think I write it well.

Supesfan18 – Thanks, buddy!

Emp305beta – Another one who thinks I should bump huh? You really think I should? I'm not the best at being descriptive. I'll think about it. No promises though.

Love. Fiction. 2016 – Thank you so much!

Frankiewella – She and Jared are two of my favorite characters to write. I'm glad you enjoy her.

Chapter 14

"Steve, you look like you're about to pass out," Mady chuckled, driving through the back roads to her childhood home. "Everything is going to be fine."

"I don't want to give off a bad impression," he replied, watching the beautiful homes roll by. "Aren't I allowed to be nervous? This is kind of a big deal!"

"You've met my parents before you know," she pointed out. "And you have Jared to keep you company if everything goes to hell. Right Jared?"

"Yeah, man, you have me," Mady's brother commented from the back seat.

"That was only for a few hours, not an entire weekend," Steve announced. "It's not going to be just your parents either. Your other relatives are coming. The house is going to be full of people!"

"You're right, there are going to be a lot of people," Mady smiled thinking about how long it had been since she had seen some of her relatives. "It'll be fine. Think positive. Remind me again, Jared, why you're spending a week? You're going to be sick of them after two days. Three tops."

"It's been forever since I have been here! I think I'm going to enjoy it," he said. "I'm not you, sister. I actually like spending time outdoors."

"Whatever floats your boat," Mady continued. "Just a heads up, Steve; our nieces and nephews are fans of yours, Marty being your biggest fan. I already told Jake and Mark that they can't bring any memorabilia along with them, but there will be hugs, tears, and most likely some shouting. Prepare yourself."

"But that's not until tomorrow morning," Jared chimed in. "You get to relax with the normal people for a bit so you can get comfy. Breaking you in easy and all that."

"How kind of you," Steve jaw dropped as Mady pulled into the long driveway. "This is your house?"

"We were fortunate children growing up," Mady nodded. "Everyone in high school wanted us to throw crazy parties, but that never happened. Welcome to our lovely abode."

"Wow," was the only word that could escape his mouth when they exited the vehicle. "Yeah, it's a good thing you brought me up a day early."

"Good call, bro," Mady punched Jared's shoulder, unpacking the bags from the trunk. "Do you know if the dogs are coming up with Mark and Jake?"

"Haven't heard a thing," he replied, hoisting the bag onto his shoulder. "Probably. Those crazy mutts love running around and splashing in the pond."

"There's a pond on the property?" Steve asked, taking one of the heavier bags.

"It's more like a tiny lake, but yes," she answered. "Come on let's get the good bedrooms. Another reason why we came early."

"Is there going to be enough room for everyone?" Jared questioned as he opened the front door. "How many people are staying over?"

"I don't know. Hey mom!" Mady shouted from the foyer. "Who all is staying over tomorrow night?"

"There is no need to shout, darling," Linda appeared from the dining room to their left. "I see you made it all right. Welcome to our home, Steve. It's nice to see you again."

"Thank you for having me, ma'am. Your house is beautiful," he said, surveying the rooms that he could see on the first floor.

"Call me Linda, dear. Ma'am makes me feel old," the woman turned to her daughter. "And to answer your question it's just you three and the rest of your siblings. So what is that? Nine? Ten? I've lost track. Come into the kitchen, all of you must be starving."

"You're damn right," Jared dropped his bag by the door, running towards the back to what Steve believed to be the kitchen.

"Get that out of your system now, boy," Marcus exclaimed from a room Steve couldn't see. "You know your grandmother hates that kind of language."

"Kind of like someone I know," Mady joked pulling at Steve's hand. "Eat first, tour later. If I'm starving then you're practically dying."

"I'm not dying," he followed her, passing through a living room with very, very high ceilings and into a spacious kitchen. "Whatever is cooking, it smells delicious."

"Thank you, Steve," Linda smiled from the stove. "Help yourself to whatever is on the table. I made chicken, ribs, a little tester for tomorrow if you will. I need feedback, so don't hold back."

"We never do," Mady spoke getting the two of them plates from the cabinet. "Jared, why am I not surprised?"

"Waa?" he asked mouth full of food. "I'm hungry, woman!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Mady rolled her eyes, handing one of the plates to Steve. "Definitely steal some corn bread. Mom makes it best."

"Don't lie to the man, Madalyn," Linda responded.

"I swear you are the only one who calls me that anymore," she said piling on the barbequed chicken. "I'm not lying, Mom. Everyone knows it's true. Why isn't dad joining us?"

"He's just finishing up some work. He'll be here in a moment or two."

"Dad's never one to miss out on some good food," Jared explained to Steve as he joined him at the table. "Especially food that's as good as Mom's."

"You too just love to humor me don't you?"

"It's true, Linda," Marcus joined them. "Don't deny it. Now where are my hugs children? I haven't seen you since Christmas."

"Oh yeah, dad," Mady rolled her eyes. "Five months is such a long time."

"It is when you're old like me," he laughed, engulfing his only daughter into a giant bear hug. "I think you need to visit me more. It's lonely when it's just your mom and me."

"Mom, I think that's a que for you to get him a dog or something," Mady laughed.

"Oh no, we have enough of those when your siblings come over," Linda chuckled, joining the rest of them at the table. "Marcus just needs to find something to do with his time. Don't you, honey?"

"Oh, I have a lot of things to do to occupy my time, just not when the children are here," Marcus winked at his wife. "Good to see you again, Steve. Glad you could join us for the holiday."

"Thank you for including me," he replied. "I'm looking forward to it."

"It should be a great weekend," Marcus dug into his plate. "Linda, my darling, you did it again! I hope you made a lot of food. All of this is going to go within the first hour."

"It's a good thing I made double of everything," Linda took the last seat. "I can't wait to have everyone together. It's been so long."

"Most of us were here at Christmas, mom," Jared said. "Are you losing it in your old age too?"

"I am not that old, Jared," Linda scolded her youngest. "Your aunts and uncles weren't here for Christmas."

"Technicalities," Jared waved her off. "So, ten of us, four bedrooms; how is this going to work?"

"The little ones will take the media room, so that's three, but you can use that room tonight. Jacob and Lisa get one room, Mark and Jessica get one, and Mady and Steve get one. What's so hard about that?"

"I just wanted to know," he shrugged. "Won't those sleeping arrangements cause some problems?"

"It shouldn't," Marcus glanced over to his little girl and her boyfriend. "Right?"

"Not at all, sir," Steve answered.

"Good man, although, those kids in that media room," Marcus shook his head. "We might need to put timers on the television."

"Might be a smart idea," Linda nodded. "Madalyn, why don't you take Steve up to one of the rooms then give him a tour. I'll clean up and then we can-"

"You know the rules, mom," Mady stacked the empty plates together. "Whoever cooks doesn't clean. We can do it. Steve and I do the dishes all the time."

"You don't have to do that."

"It's no trouble at all, Linda," Steve replied. "You shouldn't have to clean up after you made this wonderful meal."

"Yeah, what he said," Mady added from the sink. "Go and relax. Do you want to wash or dry?"

"I'll dry this time."

Since Steve had woken up from the ice he had never been somewhere so nice and quiet. There were no cars, no sirens, no hordes of people. It was nice. After he and Mady had finished with the dishes, she led him up to the second floor, which was just as nice as the first, to the room they would be using for the next two nights. He could get used to this. She then took him through every room of the house to get a good lay of the land so to speak. He was pretty sure that he knew where almost everything was. But his favorite spot had to be the porch branching just off of the back room on the first floor. It was the perfect place to relax and look at the stars.

"Hey, I thought I'd find you here," Mady announced, joining him on the couch. "It's much different from the city isn't it?"

"Very different," he nodded. "But I like it. I like it a lot."

"I used to spend many nights out here," Mady told him. "My favorite thing was when it was raining. It was so easy to get lost in my thoughts."

"I bet," he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Thank you for bringing me. I'm looking forward to tomorrow now."

"Wow, that was a quick 180," she giggled, leaning her head against his side. "Just make sure I'm around with my camera when my nieces, nephews, and grandfather get ahold of you. I might even put it on YouTube. Can you say one million views in less than an hour?"

"How about you don't," Steve suggested. "Where's this pond you told me about in the car? You showed me everything but that. I'm starting to think it doesn't exist."

"Come with me," she sighed grabbing his forearms, out to the backyard and taking two towels along the way. Maybe her mom was on to something with keeping the pile by the door. "Trust me, I'm not going to take you out to the middle of nowhere and kill you."

"That's reassuring," he couldn't help but smile as she laughed, leading her towards the path lined by dozens of trees. They hadn't gone far, but it was a long enough walk away from the house which surprised him, but when Mady and he stumbled upon their destination; it was worth it. "Forget the back porch; this is my favorite spot."

"The porch is still be the best place when it's raining," Mady said, taking a seat on the swing hanging over the edge of the water. "The lake is pretty wonderful though. Join me?"

"Will it be able to hold me?" he asked, hesitantly occupying the surprisingly soft pillows and blankets.

"If it can handle my Uncle Jimmy, it can handle you," she giggled, tossing her shoes into the grass behind them, sighing loudly. "I used to fall asleep out here all the time. Once or twice I stayed out here all night."

"I don't see why not. It's as big as a bed with pillows and blankets," Steve took the blanket, covering the both of them up. "This is pretty comfortable."

"Yeah it is," she snuggled into his chest. "You can see the stars much better from out here too."

"It's beautiful," he replied after a few moments, running his fingers through her hair.

"Have you ever gone swimming in a lake?"

"Can't say that I have."

"Would you like to?"

"We don't have anything to go swimming in," he noted.

"You're so cute," she laughed, rising to her knees, pulling off her shirt and shimming out of her pants. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

Steve watched as she jumped into the water, causing the swing to sway back and forth. If he wasn't at her family home Steve would have jumped in right away, but what if they were seen? He didn't want her parents to think badly of him.

"No one can see us," she broke through his thoughts as she resurfaced. "I know that's what you're thinking about. We won't get caught. I'm the only crazy one who comes out here at this time of night anyway."

"Well when you put it that way," The water was cool against Steve's skin when he joined Mady in the water. Not freezing like he had expected. "So I can take this off the list."

"What's that?"

"Swimming in a lake."

"You can take skinny dipping off too you know," she wiggled her eyebrows childishly at him.

"Yeah, I guess I can do that too," he said. "I think you're becoming a bad influence on me. Maybe I should leave before it's too late."

"Yet here you are," she countered, floating around in the murky water.

"For some strange reason, here I am," he joked "I'm glad I am. It's nice being out here with nothing to worry about. Not having to look over my shoulder. Being with you out here, I could get used to this."

"Do you ever think about what your life could have been like?" Mady asked, swimming over to him. "If you didn't get stuck in the ice I mean?"

"What I first woke up I did," he sighed, wondering why she had never asked him this before. "Every day for a little while, but then I wouldn't have you in my life would I?"

"You would have been happy," she pressed her forehead against his. "Don't tell me you wouldn't have. You would have had the life you wanted. Peggy. A family."

"I might have," he relied not really sure if he liked where this conversation was going. "Who knows, maybe Peg and I wouldn't have been the right people for each other. I can't dwell on the past anymore. I have you in my life, and you make me happy."

"Oh I do, do I?"

"Quite a bit actually," he grinned, giving her a passionate kiss. "I think you knew that already."

"I might have," she replied. "We could mark off a third item on your list."

"What's that?" even the darkness around them couldn't hide his blush. "Oh."