There was a lot happening in the Hawaii setting, so I am not sure how many chapters we're gonna spend in Hawaii, but here is the first part, at least.

The Reunion

Quinn and her girls arrived on Saturday, the 16th. While the Evans were still mixing it up in Ohio and Cooper wasn't going to be coming until later, she decided that she and Tina and their girls could get themselves a little sisters-nieces time before everybody else got in. It wasn't a secret that even with the distance, Tina and Quinn had gotten much closer and nobody else was closer to either of them, and their children were always happy to see each other, every trip. Kalama and Beth were "favorite cousins," Rose and Oliana were attached at the hip any time that they were all together. The older girls usually babysat their youngest sisters, too, when Leinani didn't go off to enjoy her private time. But, the first weekend was a Girls' Weekend, because Mike had work all weekend and most of the other guests weren't arriving until Monday or late Sunday.

.

Mercedes was extremely excited to go on the trip, despite the fact that she typically hated traveling, certainly hated flying and was even more averse to having to have the children fly. But, she took some advice from Cheri, to get them some headphones for the noise of the plane, and to let them have safe, non messy things to play with for the ride, to keep them entertained when they were awake. Cheri and her children had been raised flying in planes to different events. All this really did was reinforce Mercedes' gladness that Sam was no longer a touring celebrity.

She did lowkey wonder if him being on the road and in front of people a lot had been something that made his personality and presentation more pleasant… Not that he was unpleasant right now - but he was less pleasant than he seemed to be when he was always in front of a camera. She was still a little bit timid about setting him off, though she knew that would fade with time and with his continuous gentleness. He had allowed her to do the things that she was interested in doing and just decided to back her up where he could. It was honestly turning out perfectly. She became more brave about issues, again and he was just really into juggling helping her, starting up the spiritual wellness center, and winning Stevie back, from a distance.

Mercedes was relieved that Stevie would not be there for the entire trip. She didn't want Sam uncomfortable, or feeling like he had to jump through hoops to avoid his own brother or whatever. She was sick of it, but she understood to a certain degree. She had witnessed family members estranged for perceived injury many times. It was just a different feeling for her when one of those people was her beloved husband and the other was his (her) little brother! She wanted to respect his wishes and helped convince Sam that it was best to, but it hurt her that her husband was dejected by his flesh and blood. He loved Stevie so much…

.

Whenever they got off of the plane, on Monday, the 18th, Mercedes was so glad that they had left the dogs with Artie and Lauren, even though she called them as soon as she could turn her phone back on to check on them. Of course, all was well. She told herself not to keep calling about that. Meanwhile, they flew first class, on the same flight that Stacie and Joe flew coach, but they were going to different lodging. Dwight and Nisha were already at the beach house rental that Stacie, Joe, Stevie and his family would be bunking. Dwight was coming to pick them up in the rental truck, but Tina was getting Mercedes and household. Of course, everything was hectic in the airport, but child leashes were in effect and Sam had Mercedes cuffed to him in crowds now, just so they didn't get split up.

While Stacie and Joe went to their home for the week with Dwight, Tina brought Sam, Mercedes and their children to her place, then left Sam to get settled in with the kids while she and Quinn whisked Mercedes away. Mike peeked in and wondered, "Did you plan on seeing your wife at all this week? I just went ahead and determined that it might not happen for me." Sam laughed and gave Mike a handshake-hug combo. "We've got six girls here that are dying to spend at least a short time with your adorable kids, so if you need to let ours and Quinn's come collect what Beth apparently calls "the little Mercies," just let them know.

Sam smiled as he unlatched the children. "The place has been tot-proofed, right?"

"Definitely that. We have all 8 Evans kids here and Quinn's smallest. Mine aren't toddlers, but one is definitely a clutz. I won't put her on blast…"

"It's that middle one. I've watched them before, remember? I watched her trip over nothing but floor and land on top of a dog…" Mike laughed out loud. "Yes, the dog and the child were unharmed, Dr. Chang!" Mike just laughed harder. Sam shook his head.

Now, Beth peeked in and squealed, "BLESSING! BLISS! HEEEEEEAAAVVEEEN!" Blessing cheerfully rushed over to her cousin and was immediately collected by her. With Blessing in tow, she also gave hugs to Bliss and Heaven, said, "I've got them, Uncle Sammy," threw him a salute and walked away with his kids.

"Is it weird that I trust her with my children more than I even trust myself with them?" Sam asked. Mike just laughed again.

.

The three ladies went to their favorite spots on the island, and laughed about many of the various things that they already spoke about, but didn't have the face to face aura to really experience. But, on a more serious note, Tina wondered, "Did you and Sam fix… you know… things?"

Mercedes sighed and finished chewing her food before replying. "We have been working on things. He hasn't done anything to make me think that he isn't on board, now. But, the fact that everything that happened even happened makes me nervous, mostly because it was so unexpected. I would proudly tell anyone, anytime, anywhere that I know my husband. I would tell someone what he would and wouldn't do. I would swear by my familiarity with him, inside out. But, then - suddenly, this Sam that I didn't really know showed up. It wasn't even just that he started fighting. He's always been a fighter and he just hasn't had any reason to be fighting lately. But, this felt different. It was like he was angry with Matt, angry with me… I don't know. There is no thought process that I have that can justify what happened, but to admit that nobody's perfect. But, "nobody's perfect" sounds superficial when faced with a situation of this magnitude…"

"'Nobody's perfect' is superficial in this instance," Quinn said. "'Nobody's perfect' is a response to Beth binge watching Pretty Little Liars instead of studying for a test. 'Nobody's perfect' is a response to having three cheat days a week when you're on a diet. 'Nobody's perfect' is NOT a response to permanently altering someone's face over a disagreement, in particular, someone whose family you killed."

"He didn't…"

"Let's not do it," Quinn said. "The semantics associated with this murder is so stupid. We all know Sam and we've known him for years. We know the things that he has done and we know why he was there that night. Maybe he simply held a camera, but he also held murderous intent and did not hold remorse. He and his friends killed the family. Moving on, right back to my point. Even if he had never been there and had simply known. Even if he was standing outside - there should be a level of guilt and shame that provides a safety net for Matt and for Aphasia. He gets to hold the camera to both of the worst days of both of their lives and go on about his life. What could bring him to such a level of comfort with the things that he did to them for him to ever even let his hands attack either of them?"

"Why do you sound like old Quinn right now?" Mercedes asked.

"Because Sam was acting like old Sam. When we re-introduced ourselves, it was under the assumption that changes had been made, from both of our standpoints. The reason that Stevie feels like he does is because he sees what happened as a sign that the demon within never left - just went to sleep. Coming up in the environments of the people that molded them, I have to agree with that assessment and since you can't explain it, either… I'm not sure what your argument is?"

Tina cleared her throat and waved the server over to order another drink. "Mercedes, you know how I feel about Sam. But, you should also know how I feel about you. I want you safe and I want you happy. If Sam were to ever step out of line and do something that hurt you, I'd end him, no thoughts, no pauses. What's concerning is that if even you are on the fence about whether or not he is capable of something, what do the rest of us do?"

Mercedes shrugged her shoulders, "Trust me, I suppose?"

"We do," Tina said. Quinn raised an eyebrow and rubbed Mercedes' hand. "The call from you was frightening, for both of us. Because, we knew that the two of you were having a fight, and that was surprising, but we weren't worried until you confessed that it erupted into violence and seriously shocked and a bit horrified that it was violence on Matt, of all people. Our upbringing taught us that it is extremely rare that a monster changes. We all agreed, he was a monster. You told us he changed. He told us he changed. We saw some change. We believed in the change. Then, you tell us this thing and you attach the addendum that you're worried that you don't really know what is inside of him."

Quinn added, "Tina and I grew up with fathers in the lifestyle that Sam belonged to. Men were such performers in the limelight, but outside of it - I don't know any that weren't abusive in some way. We don't want to have been wrong about Sam. He's family, but… So was our family."

Mercedes shook her head, "He isn't Russell Fabray or Paul Karofsky! I may not know what is going on with him, but I know it isn't that. I know that what happened had nothing to do with Matt's skin."

"You know it isn't his nature being stirred, you just don't know what did get stirred?" Quinn asked.

"You're oversimplifying. Just… Why don't each of you spend some solo time with Sam and interrogate and assess him yourselves, since you both know so much about 'men from that lifestyle.'"

Tina sighed, "Thank goodness! We thought we would have to do it without your blessing, and that was just going to be a stressful situation."

Quinn got a drink refill too now, and picked up her glass while stressing, "We both love both of you, but we support YOU, first - and Sam just as an addendum. Now… What the hell happened at the parade? Beth was losing her mind! She insisted that her Uncle Stevie had gotten beaten up."

"Ugh. He did. A picket sign actually punctured his skin! He got stabbed right in the ribs with it! It didn't go deep, but he had some pretty painful blows, it sounded like. Those supremacists were there and I guess what happened was one of them swung at a pregnant woman, so Stevie attacked him…"

"We need to watch out for that one too. He loves the violence. It doesn't matter whether it's POC or Nazis - if he can fight, he will. I'd be more worried about him than I am about Sam," Quinn said. "Of course, Beth has loved him every since she was able to have a sit down with him to hold him accountable and hear out his declaration of giving up the life or whatever. We still have that footage."

"That was one hell of an interview," Tina said. "I understand where Stevie comes from, though. He was shown and taught violence and never how to fight responsibly. Now, he probably feels like the fight is in his DNA. He needs to take a martial arts class or something, harness that energy in a healthy way."

Quinn stated, "I think punching Nazis attacking pregnant women is healthy, but I think that Stevie looks for those opportunities. It's surprising that he didn't physically attack Sam when Sam attacked Matt. I might try to get a one on one with him, too… Just to get a feel for how he's been lately."

Tina wondered, "Want me to go with you?"

"No. I think it's fine." It had been many years since what happened between them. She knew that he was very friendly with Aphasia - which always perplexed her, because Quinn was extremely uncomfortable with him, in general. He usually kept his distance from her, despite the fact that they had talked everything out and decided that what he did to her was "no worse" than what she intended to do to Sam… But, that didn't not stop her memory from associating him with one of her worst nights. Losing Mercy and Tina to her own betrayal, the physical fight, the emotional pain, then being kidnapped and not knowing whether or not she would live to see another day, or be able to earn her sisters back… Beth adored Stevie. Quinn heard her refer to herself as a Stevie stan before and she bought merchandise from his website with her own money - even though all she'd have to do is ask him for it and he'd send it for free! For that reason, Quinn tolerated Stevie, but even after letting Beth ask him about why he did all of the things that he did; Quinn certainly did not trust him.

.

Sam and Mike had decided to do the cooking tonight, as the ladies had been gone all day and nobody spoke of any other plans. Sam… Was not much of a cook, but Mike in his somehow endless talents had plenty of cooking skills and enough to "teach" Sam how to assist him in the meal. It had been awhile since Sam even tasted authentic Chinese food (he only really had it when Mike made it, or at a restaurant that he found while traveling), so helping with it, he felt a little bit overwhelmed. Mike was Chinese American and grew up pretty Americanized, but his family always felt it was important to hold onto some of the things from their home country. His grandmother, in particular shared food and customs. He didn't practice many customs, but he never let go of the food.

Whenever he met Tina, she didn't have many Korean customs from her mother. The woman had literally been beaten down by the obligation to assimilate. She tried to find other people who might be willing to share with her, but it wasn't very fruitful. Mike introduced her to an Asian American Alliance of Ohio, where she did find just that community that she had been seeking out to connect her more to her mother's roots. Since coming to Hawaii, she met various other Korean-Americans. They didn't really (a lot of them) consider themselves "Americans" in the way that she was, but they seemed very open to allowing her some space within theirs. And she found that she learned to be an even better cook!

Honestly, Tina loved her family and old friends that she made in Ohio after all of the years of abuse, but she loved that she didn't ever feel like she had to constantly be on guard or ready to fight every single day. She had not only found her people, but she had found her place. She was happy to let her friends come into it and share it with them, to a certain degree, but she was at peace without having them around, too.

The ladies returned to the house as Beth and Rose were setting the kids' tables and Mike and Sam were setting the big folks.' "Well, well, well… What is happening in here, Mr. Chang?" Tina asked.

"A Chinese-Korean feast for our extended family."

"I helped!" Sam cheered, causing the room to laugh.

"That give me zero confidence," Kurt's voice said. Mercedes, Quinn and Tina all turned to see he and Blaine walking up with bags and they all screamed.

Mike laughed and said, "Oh yeah, and by the way - I managed to get Kurt and Blaine to attend." Kurt, Tina, Mercedes and Quinn were all talking at the exact same time and not taking any breaths, yet all still seemed able to carry on the various conversations. Business, as usual.

.

Sam and Mercedes spent a day on the beach with the kids - just them. It was a nice little getaway for the family, since there were children running around through the entire house. Beth would have a break and be able to hang out with her cousins and sisters without worrying about pottying and stuff too much. Dwight and Mama T were going to meet them later - they translated that to mean after they were all sexed out.

Sam took a multitude of photos of the kids playing in the water and building sandcastles and such. Mercedes was sick and tired of the sand. It was everywhere, got into everything and honestly, she couldn't tell when she had dusted it or shaken it out of her things. If her drink hadn't been ruined, her accidental finding of Bliss trying to eat a handful while his daddy wasn't looking would have been enough. "Sam! Sam! Bliss has sand in his mouth!" She said, when he squirmed away from her. Sam rushed to try to collect him, which simply resulted in a "Don't let Daddy catch you" chase that all three children felt obligated to participate in. "Do you have him yet?" She wondered, trying to listen to the laughter and screams of the kids as they ran all around, getting into Sam's way as to not let him get to Bliss. He finally reached him, had to force him to spit out the sand and rinse his mouth out with a bottle of water.

"Don't eat this. This is not to eat, BearBear."

"That's dirt!" Blessing declared.

"Right. That's dirt. We don't eat dirt," Sam said.

"God made dirt, dirt don't hurt," Bliss said (though not that clearly).

Mercedes' nostrils flared, "I TOLD YOU not to tell them that mess!"

"That's about the food when it hits the ground, not a handful of actual dirt!" Sam defended.

"How does a 2 year old rationalize that, Sam?" Mercedes asked, reaching for Bliss. "Who knows how much sand he ate when you and Heaven were building a castle?"

Sam said in a small voice, "Not a lot, I'm sure. He looks fine." It took her a moment longer to be okay, then things were back to good, but ugh. Sand. And she'd soon remember how it stayed with you, so much longer after you left it than anything should!

But, things got easier to maintain once Papa D and Mama T showed up. Sam unconsciously eyeballed Nisha, honestly… She looked AMAZING for her age, not that she was old, just… He didn't imagine that a parental in a bikini was ever something that could be pulled off so wonderfully by everyday folks. She swooped in, took over playing with the kids and let Dwight and the others sit down and soak up the sun. "At my first grandchild, I didn't know if I was going to enjoy being a grandfather, but it's definitely one of the best things, today." He smiled at Nisha, running with a ribbon wand, making the kids chase her to try to catch the end of it. "When I was your age, I never imagined that I'd come to be this lucky in life."

"When you were my age, you had a good job, a perfect son and a beautiful wife…" Sam said.

"I had a decent job, a perfect son and a beautiful, bitter wife," Dwight corrected. "We did alright, but we weren't happy together and nothing either of us did changed that. You were the one thing that we could always agree on and be excited about. Fast forward a few more years to me having a not so decent job, a perfect son, two new mouths to feed that Mary didn't even want, and a wife who could hardly stand to look at me, probably rightfully so. I wasn't very considerate of how she felt about anything. I just took on what I thought that I could and was determined to run the show."

Sam uncomfortably shifted and Mercedes bit her lip. "Why are we talking about this, Dad?"

"I just want you to remember that your wife's job isn't to just do what you say, when you say it and if she wants to do other things, you oughtta let her know that you're cool with it."

"Where is this coming from?" Sam wondered.

"Was just thinking last night."

"You mean that you were talking to Stacie at the beach house. Dad, me and Babydoll have patched up all of that mess."

"Okay, good. But, that also applies to Stevie. He don't make the same kinds of decisions that you and me do. He's a different kind of man than I was or am right now and a different kind of man than you are. Just because we're often right, doesn't mean that we always know what's best."

"I'm giving him space. You're super late on like everything, Dude."

"Don't nobody ever tell me nothing!" Dwight complained. And they still weren't. Dwight didn't know a thing about Jesse St. James. He would have been supported, but Sam never wanted that at his father's feet. When it first happened, it was the same year that they lost Mary. And eventually, too much time passed for him to just… be told about it. Sam sometimes wondered if Jake or Stevie had ever told Mama T, but if they had, she had kept it from Dwight, as well. Because he never brought it up and when someone did, the context of his conversations proved that he had no idea of the truth. Now, Sam was thinking about that. How would Dwight feel learning that, after all of this time?

He forced a smile and told him, "We try to let you enjoy your life, Daddy. You just said it yourself - you're the happiest that you've ever been. We might not agree on anything else, but I know all three of us want you to stay that way."

.

Stevie and Cheri weren't leaving for Hawaii yet. They were taking the children Tuesday to the Juneteenth Convention that Matt and Aphasia arranged at the community center. It would have various workshops on the system, racism, oppression, privilege, allyship, and other important topics, geared towards all ages, with several professionals to speak and some handouts. Stevie tried to ensure that the kids were always aware of all the things in their society, but he never turned down resources that probably did a better job of it.

"Dad, could I go talk to Mrs. Hayward?" Cowboy asked, quietly. Stevie looked up and saw Jane's mother, posted a a station, discussing something, pretty in depth with a small crowd of people behind her and a laser pointer in her hand.

"Actually, Cowboy… Daddy really upset that family with his anger problems. And, even though I made a mistake, I know that if somebody scared you or did something to you, whether or not they made a mistake, I wouldn't be very nice or understanding about it. So, let's not do that today, okay? Maybe in the future. Sorry for this."

"It's okay Daddy. You're still working on your anger and Mommy always tells me that if I do my best, she's proud of me. So, I'm proud of you, too." Cowboy gave Stevie a hug and held his hand while they visited different booths. Stevie had forgotten how involved with the community, particularly the black community that Jane's family had always been, but seeing them now, twice in the past week; he remembered. They were probably pissed at him for running their daughter off. If they even knew what went down. He wasn't even sure and there was no way he'd be bold enough to just go over to the woman.

.

By Wednesday night, when Stevie and Cheri did get in, they went to Dwight's rental beach house and settled in while everyone else in the family was at Tina and Mike's, or on the beach. Cheri brought Bree along with her (as Bree and she were getting close again, after Jake and Bree's breakup and the baby thing, etc - Cheri felt like it would be nice to treat her classmate/fellow cheerleader to a trip. Also, Bree seemed to be helping her out with tasks and beauty work. She'd been at theirs since the parade, but Stevie hadn't expected for Cheri to get her a ticket and bring her with them. He was bothered, but trying his best not to complain, as Cheri had been through enough already, especially with how she was feeling about not being enough, and the whole parade fight thing… She could use the extra help since he was still in pain. But, Bree, though. Stevie felt a way about having her around so much, and honestly, Cheri seemed to want her around because of that. He couldn't tell if he was imagining it or not, but she was definitely up to something and he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

They gathered up the kids and made the short trip to Tina's, was greeted with hugs, kisses, cheers from the kids that the rest of their cousins were now present, and a few surprised looks from Evanses of Bree's presence. "Hello, Bree…" Tanisha said, confused.

Bree told her, "Cheri insisted that I come. I honestly have every intention of just staying out of the way and trying to enjoy Hawaii."

Dwight offered, "Don't be silly. We're glad to see you." He gave her the first hug anybody there offered and asked her if she wanted anything to eat. Tanisha forced a smile and returned to a conversation with Blaine and Mike. Cheri and Bree followed Dwight to where the food was and he explained, "We've all been taking turns on different nights to try to contribute to cooking. Some of it is leftovers and some of it is current, but we're warming up everything and setting it out so nothing goes to waste."

"It's like a buffet," Bree noted. She asked Cheri more quietly, "Anything here that'll be okay for you, or do I need to run out and get you something?"

Dwight pointed out some things, "Nisha was very vocal about what kinda stuff she could have." Cheri just smiled. Mama T was always the GOAT.

Sam was staring at Stevie. Stevie uncomfortably put his hands in his back pockets and went outside, where he saw some chairs on the patio. Tina and Kurt were out there, talking, so he just went to a different table, saying hi as he passed by them.

"Didn't realize you had arrived," Tina said. "How was the trip?"

"It was fine. Thank you for having us."

"Nonsense. You're family. There are very few people in this world closer to me than Sam is." Kurt rolled his eyes. Sam lowkey stole his spot as Tina's brother, though she did credit both of them, and she and Kurt were still, to this day talked to each other more, about more and worked together as much as they could, Sam and her had something else. They didn't need to talk as much. They didn't have to see each other as much. And still, somehow, that blond bastard had his spot. "I heard that you got into a pretty bad fight. You need anything? Considering that you've been on a plane for hours and probably not yet healed up from the beatdown."

"No, thank you. I like a little bit of pain. I often need it to remind me that I'm still human," Stevie told her.

"On that note, I'm going back inside," Kurt said.

When he left, Tina joined Stevie at the table. "I know how that can be. I also know how it can be to get so used to feeling pain that you convince yourself that you like it, just so it can't hurt you the way that it used to. At any rate, whatever your story… I know that technically I'm Sam's friend… But, know that if you need someone, I'll be here." She gave him a squeeze on his shoulder. "I should get back inside. Kurt and I were planning a little mini reunion post this one for another side of the family." She got up, stretched, then said, "They deserved it, you know. I mourned, only whatever sliver of my soul I lost, but every single one of them deserved it. We're not less human for being strong enough to rid this world of them. None of us. Not me, not you, and not Sam." She went inside. But, if we can't stop… Then, are we still human?

.

It was the 21st. Stevie and Stacie had went to pick Jake up from the airport. Cheri was all dolled up - wig, sunflowers, a coverall thin enough to breath but patterned enough to cover her bruises, and sitting on the patio with Sam and Dwight while they discussed their surfing lessons with Tina. Sam fussed, "It was like Mother Nature was SOOOOO pissed at me. Every. Single. Wave. Slapped me down like I had stolen the heart of Te'Fiti!" She cackled. "Meanwhile, Daddy gets on the thing and acts like he's just been doing it his entire life! He comes out of the water looking 12 years younger!"

Cheri offered, "It's not Papa D's fault he's in great shape."

Sam scoffed, "I'm in great shape!" Cheri laughed again. "I mean… I look like I'm in great shape!"

"I watched you eat an entire pan of four cheese tuna casserole with a Cool Ranch Doritos crust. I WATCHED you. I sat there the entire time and thought, surely any moment, he will get full and stop eating. You didn't stop until after the whole pan was gone, then you asked if anybody wanted to go get a milkshake, because you wanted one to wash down the casserole!" Cheri recalled. "I wished I had been taping you, because that would have gotten millions of hits!"

"I said I LOOK LIKE I'm in shape! Dang!" Cheri was crying, laughing. "Also… When is Mama T gonna make another one of them casseroles? Because that was honestly the best."

"She made it for you. That was your birthday, I think?" Dwight said.

"Yep. I remember, because I wasn't sure if I should go, since me and Stevie weren't together, but since nobody knew we weren't together, I didn't want to not show up, Got there, and HIS ASS didn't even show up!" Cheri shook her head. Sam looked suddenly sad. "Oh, I'm sorry. You probably don't want to talk about Stevie…"

"It is killing me not to be able to say anything to him, but I guess if it helps him to heal…"

Cheri tried to help, "Stevie used to do this to me all of the time, when we were in the institution. He'd completely not speak to me, not look at me, tell me not to bother him if I so much as looked his way. He could do it for an amazing amount of time. Most of the time, he was the one in the wrong, too! But, I think that it's not only a defense mechanism, but also something that helps him to think clearly. So… I don't know… Hopefully soon, it passes."

Joe found his way to them and Cheri said, "I had almost forgotten that you were here! Where on Earth have you been?"

"Exploring the islands. There's so much more than just the beach and the tourist spots. Stacie and I are going to do some deep sea diving. I found a place…" He gave her a hello hug and took a seat among them to join in the conversation.

Sam was now interested in deep sea diving and Cheri teased, "Hold up… You couldn't hang on top of the water, but you wanna go deep into the water? Te'Fiti gon' mess you up, Bruh." She and Dwight laughed, while Joe needed to be filled in on what had happened.

.

Jake wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that Bree was there. Also, he wanted to be able to hang around Stevie, but Stevie was in pain, medicated and trying to keep out of everyone's way. Jake wanted to enjoy the islands like everyone else. He spent the first day with Stevie, Stacie, and Cheri. They went out and about while everyone else did their own thing. He spent the evening with the parents, went to Tina's for the nightly mass gathering, and slept at Quinn's rental, as planned.

Mercy, Tina, Quinn, Kurt (and sometimes Stacie and Cheri) were doing a lot together. Dwight, Sam, Joe, Jake (and sometimes Stevie) were hanging out. Mike, Blaine, Cooper (who came the day after Jake did), and Stevie were just staying out of the ladies' way.

When Mama T wasn't jumping from her girls to her boys, she was overseeing the kids. She trusted the little Puckerman girl and everything, but she was still a kid, after all. Plus, the rest of these young people were doing the most. Surfing, deep sea diving, mountain climbing, shopping sprees… ALL of that sounded exhausting. She loved the outdoors. Dwight had showed her a side of it that she had never thought to venture into and she always had a great time with him, but all of this additional stuff sounded like a bit much. She was simply trying to sip island drinks and be fly in bikinis all week… Whoa… She just realized that the week was almost over! She was tempted to stay a little longer and just drink in more of this place.

Sam found her on the beach with the kids and rushed over, happily. "Hey, Mama T. How have the kids been?"

"My angels." She waved Beth and the others over so that they could head back to the beach house. Everybody in the reunion party was going to come over to Dwight and Nisha's rental for the night and she wanted to be able to get cleaned up and get the place ready for all of the guests.