A/N: I saw a picture the other day of Trisha's version of this snack and it cracked me. Hopefully I did it justice!

When Adults Are Away…The Children Will Play

It was the rare occasion that Harm and Mac had to be out of town at the same time, so Trisha and Matthew were spending a few days with the Roberts. Mac was down at Naval Air Station (NAS) Norfolk filling in for a judge who had to take emergency leave and Harm was down at NAS Whiting Field in Pensacola investigating a flight mishap by a student in the T-6B Texan II during primary flight training. Harriet and Bud had definitely had their hands full with six children, most of the under the age of five, under one roof.

Since Trisha and AJ were slightly older than the rest of the brood, Harriet had leaned on them to help out with Jimmy and Matthew when she had to tend to the needs of the twins, who were still breastfeeding. Harriet had just finished burping Nicky and was settling her in the crib when she heard a loud crash emanating from the kitchen. She comes running out of the nursery, and bounding down the stairs, thankful that she doesn't hear any crying or screaming from any of the four children down there.

Arriving at the kitchen, Harriet finds her normally immaculate space in quite a state of disarray. Three of the munchkins are all giggling, and moving about, not one of them realizing that they are now being watched. The refrigerator in hanging open, there are chips and cookie crumbles dispersed across the floor, and various packages are strewn all over her cupboards. She thinks to herself, 'How in the world did four kids accomplish this in ten minutes?' They must of had the chips and cookies quickly as all of them currently have healthier choices in front of them. The only one who doesn't seem to be involved in the mess is Matthew, who is sitting quietly at the table munching on a plate of carrots.

Jimmy is the first to notice her standing in the doorway, with her mouth wide open and her hands on her hips. He lowly says, "Uh-oh."

Harriet sternly stares at her son, "Uh-oh in right young man. Go sit at the table with Matthew." Jimmy dutifully does as he is told, taking his cup of applesauce with him. Looking to her oldest, she scolds, "AJ Roberts, would you care to explain?"

AJ replies, "Sorry, Mom. We just wanted a snack."

Harriet waves her hands across the kitchen, gesturing to the mess, "You needed all of this for a snack? And what fell on the floor?"

AJ shrugs his shoulders, "We wanted different things. I don't know what fell."

Harriet walks in glancing around the side of the island and notices a metal skillet that used to hang on the wall now laying prone in the middle of the floor. She points down to her son, "That would be what fell. Why didn't you wait for me to come down here? I could have prepared all of you a snack."

AJ whines, "Mom, we were hungry and you were busy being with the babies!"

Harriet raises her eyebrows clear to her hairline, "That is not an appropriate response young man. You know better. You can go up to your room and I will bring you something later."

AJ trudges off sulking, "That's not fair. I didn't make the mess by myself!"

Harriet, red in the face, points her finger in the direction of the stairs, "Now, Mister!"

She looks over at Trisha who is trying to put the tie back on the bread, "Trisha, do you care to explain?"

Her lower lip starts to tremble, "I'm sorry, Aunt Harriet. Everyone was hungry, and I was just trying to help like you asked me too. I thought I could do it myself." A tear streaks down her face, "I didn't mean to make a mess, and I didn't mean to make you angry. I'll go up to my room too."

Harriet sighs. She really needs to ask Harm and Mac their secret to raising kids who are willing to take responsibility for their actions. All her own children do is argue and blame one another whenever anything goes wrong. She replies, "That's not necessary. If you will help me clean up this mess, you can sit at the table with Matthew and Jimmy."

Trisha nods, thankful she isn't as much trouble as AJ. She timidly asks, "Can you help me put this thingy on the bread first? I don't know how it works."

Harriet walks over and shows Trisha how to twist the tie to seal the loaf of bread back up. It's then that Harriet notices what Trisha chose for herself, a peeled banana lying of top of a slice of plain white bread, wrapped up like you would put a hot dog in a bun. She laughs, "Trisha, what are you having for a snack?"

Trisha answers, "I was trying to make banana bread, but that doesn't look like the one my dad makes at all!"

Harriet smiles, "Honey that isn't how you make banana bread."

Trisha asks, "How do you make it?"

Harriet patiently tells her, "It takes a bunch of different ingredients, that you have to mix up in a bowl, and then you have to cook it in the oven. I will be happy to show you how to do it, but not until after Uncle Bud gets home tonight."

Trisha smiles for the first time since Harriet came in the kitchen, "Okay, you can have the bread back then and I will just have the banana. What do you need my help with?"

Harriet explains, and together her and Trisha wipe the counters down, sweep the floor, and return the kitchen to its former level of cleanliness. When they have finished, Harriet peels a couple of clementine's, AJ's normal afternoon snack, and places the slices into a bowl and asks Trisha to let AJ know that he can come back down.

Trisha returns a few minutes later, without AJ in tow. Harriet asks, "Where's AJ?"

Trisha quietly replies, "He didn't believe me. He said I lied about being able to get everyone a snack so I must be lying now."

Harriet looks at the two young boys drawing quietly at the table, and decides to risk leaving them unsupervised, again, for just a moment. She walks out to the foyer and yells up the stairs, "AJ, you can come back down now. I have your snack ready."

AJ, hearing his mother's voice, comes out of his room and stands at the top of the stairs for a moment to make sure that she means it. Harriet waits until he reaches the bottom and places her hands on his shoulders, whispering, "Go tell Trisha that you are sorry young man. I asked her to come and get you. If you can manage to behave for the next couple of hours, I will let you help me teach her how to make banana bread."

AJ nods his head and is walking into the kitchen when Bud comes in the front door. He cheerfully replies, "Hi honey, how was your day?"

Harriet shakes her head, "Tomorrow, I'm going to work for you, and you can stay home with the kids."

She walks back into the kitchen, leaving her very befuddled husband standing by the door.