Author's Note: I'm really happy to finally be able to get an update out.
Long story short, I ended up going through a major burnout because of too much schoolwork to do and I have not had the motivation, energy or time to write anything for fun.
I have recovered from it now and I finally managed to start writing again and I hope that I won't take too long to get another update together.

Thanks for all the favourite/follow and positive comments I've gotten during my little unvoluntary hiatus, it's really what motivated me to start writing as soon as I could.
I really appreciate every single notification I get.

I was struggling with an idea for an one-shot but eventually I landed on visiting grandparents which I believe was suggested in a comment when I asked for ideas.
So a big thanks to the one who suggested it (and I am still open for ideas if someone's got something)
I decided to go with this idea and base it on visiting my grandparents on the countryside when I was a kid.
Also since half the fun came from playing with my uncle and older brothers and because I always wanted cousins to play with I decided to give cousins to Neal.
I also plan on writing about Elizabeth's parents but since they're in the show I do want to rewatch the episode beforehand.
This chapter did also become longer than my usual chapters but I do hope that's just viewed as a pro :)

VISITING THE GRANDPARENTS

Neal walked with slumped shoulders to the car and got into the car, buckling up his car seat before he let out an audible sigh, clearly showing that he was not in a good mood.
It was quite surprising to Elizabeth since Neal had spent the entire week being excited, not being able to wait for today since it was the last school day before they had an entire week off.

"What's wrong?"

Elizabeth asked as she started the car and started the drive home.

"Sara's gonna go to stupid London next week."

Neal muttered, and Elizabeth understood his disappointment.
Sara and Neal had spent the week making plans for playdates next week but now all those plans were ruined by the Ellis family's change of plans.

"I'm so sorry, honey. We'll find something else fun for you to do."

Elizabeth answered and looked at the boy in the mirror.
She felt bad for him since he had been so excited.
The original plan was for Peter to stay home with Neal next week, they were low on cases at the moment, but Elizabeth could easily take the week off and work from home.
Maybe they could go somewhere too.

It was a pure coincidence that Peter mentioned having talked to his parents when they were cooking dinner later that day.
He was updating her about how they were doing but also mentioned that his brother were going to leave his two kids at their parents next week since none of the parents had been able to get time off from work and hadn't wanted to leave their children alone at home, even if they were 13 and 8.

"You know, that gives me an idea."

Elizabeth said before proposing that they visited his parents as well, which would give Neal a chance to meet his cousins.
Peter's parents had both decided to retire a couple of years back and had decided to leave the big city and had bought a big, beautiful farm a few hours away.
It was always nice to stay there and Elizabeth was sure that Neal would love the change of scenery and it was also great for Satchmo who loved having the freedom to run around the farm.

"El, you always come up with the best ideas."

He told her, and Elizabeth smiled proudly as Peter gave her a quick kiss.
Peter decided to call his parents and discuss the plans before they talked the idea over with Neal.
When dinner was done and they sat down to eat, it was evident that Neal was still feeling a bit low over the whole situation which they could tell from how quiet he was.
Normally he used to be pretty chatty when they sat down for dinner, but now he just ate his food without saying a word.

"Hey, Neal."

Elizabeth said to get his attention and the boy slowly looked up at them.

"Peter and I have been discussing and we thought that maybe we could go and stay with grandma and grandpa during the break?"

They immediately noticed Neal's usual energy returning at the suggestion.

"Really?"

He said, now with a smile on his face caused by the idea of travelling somewhere as well.

"Yeah, and you know they live on a big farm and there's cows there."

Neal's eyes widened at the mention of cows, he had never seen one in real life before.
After all he had lived in New York City his entire life and his parents had never taken him to any petting zoo or other place a cow could be found.

"I wanna see the cows!"

He exclaimed happily, and the parents smiled at each other.

"You will also be able to meet your cousins."

Peter added, and Neal's energy faded slightly.
Neal knew he had cousins since both Elizabeth and Peter had told him about their families but the thought of actually meeting them felt both exciting and scary.
He had never had any cousins before since both of his biological parent were only children.

"They're nice kids, you will like them."

Peter said as if he could read Neal's mind.

"Okay."

Neal said and grabbed his fork to continue eating.
It was hard to get the food down now though since his stomach was bubbling from all the excitement.

It felt like it took years before Monday morning arrived, but it finally did.
Elizabeth had helped Neal pack a suitcase the night before and Peter had carried it downstairs and placed it by the front door.
Neal was downstairs, standing by his suitcase and ready to go before the adults had even made their coffee.
Both Satchmo and Neal were unable to wait, both of them ready for the change of scenery.
Elizabeth decided to make sandwiches and bring them in the car, since none of them felt up for trying to get the impatient kid to sit down and eat breakfast.

"Come on, come on, come on!"

Neal called from the door, bouncing up and down unable to stand still while Satchmo energetically wagged his tail and added a bark.

"Where on earth does he get all that energy from? And how do I get it?"

Peter muttered as he poured coffee into two travelling mugs.
They were finally done, and Peter had barely opened the front door before Neal and Satch ran out to the car.
Neal got in his car seat while Elizabeth placed a big blanket on the backseat where Satchmo could be without spreading his fur all over the seats.
Peter decided to drive so that Elizabeth could look over some things for work during the ride.
They started the car and drove off on their little vacation.
Neal was quietly singing On the Open Road which he had learned after watching A Goofy Movie that weekend and Satchmo was looking out the window, wagging his tail.
Elizabeth soon distributed the sandwiches and Neal had just finished his when Peter decided to open the plastic wrap to his sandwich.
Neal made gagging noises as the smell filled the car.

"Open the window!"

He demanded, and Peter rolled his eyes.

"You're being overdramatic"

Peter said before taking a big bite from his devilled ham sandwich.
Elizabeth however took pity on the kid and rolled down both of the back windows so that both the kid and dog could breathe some fresh air while Peter ate his smelly sandwich.

Despite the fact that Neal had been given all kinds of stuff, everything from books and colouring pads to toys and had even been allowed to watch videos on Peter's phone, he still eventually found himself restless and bored.
He had never been in a car for this long before and he just wanted to move.

"Are we theeeree yeeeet?"

He asked in a whining tone for probably the 20th time and both adults sighed.

"Not yet, bud. There's two hours left."

Peter replied, and Neal groaned loudly.
By now Satchmo was slumbering on the seat next to him and Neal was jealous that the dog could sleep this boring car ride away.

"I'm booored."

He whined and received even louder sighs from the front of the car, none of the adults had thought about this aspect of their little road trip.

"How about we play a game?"

Elizabeth asked, putting her work away for now.
For a while she managed to keep Neal entertained by playing 20 questions and I spy but eventually even those games failed to entertain the restless six-year-old.
Eventually Peter couldn't stand the whining anymore and stopped at the next good spot.
They let Satchmo out to do his business while they allowed Neal to run around, making sure that he stayed at the side of the road.
After ten minutes they continued their trip and Neal was happier for a bit but thirty minutes before their arrival the whining started again.
When they finally pulled up into the big gravel covered courtyard, both Neal the parents couldn't be more relieved that their ride was over.
Peter's parents were waiting for them on the porch and they greeted them happily and hugged Neal tightly before they decided to show him around their house.
It was an old, creaky house but it was the cozy kind of old.
They started downstairs which had the kitchen, a small bathroom, a door to the basement where the laundry machines were, a big home office and finally a dining room, usually used for parties and for holidays.
The grandparents explained that Peter and Elizabeth would be sleeping in the guest bedroom across from their bedroom.
The second guest bedroom, down the hall, had a bunked that were normally used by the cousins but this time Neal and the younger cousin would sleep in the bunkbed while the older would get an air mattress downstairs in the home office.

"I wanna sleep up there!"

Neal exclaimed and pointed to the upper bunk; he had always thought bunkbeds are cool.

"I'm sure that's fine."

His grandmother said while Peter placed Neal's bag by the bed.
They then went downstairs and sat down on the porch to talk while they waited for the cousins.

It didn't take too long before another car pulled up and parked next to Peter's car.
Neal felt his fear of them not liking him return and he went quiet, looking down at his shoes.

"Come on, let's say hello."

Peter prompted and took Neal's hand and got him to get out of his chair.
Neal pressed tightly against Peter's leg while the family of four approached them.
Peter's brother Tim and his wife both waved at them, while the eight-year-old girl skipped along, and her thirteen-year-old brother had his nose buried in his tablet.
Tim and Peter hugged while Elizabeth hugged Tim's wife.

"Hi, I'm Sabrina!"

The girl greeted and excitedly shook Neal's hand.

"Neal"

He mumbled.
Tim looked down at his son but when his kid just continued to look at his tablet he sighed.

"Shouldn't you greet your cousin, Nate?"

The older boy mumbled a hi, not even looking up from his tablet, before he walked off.

"Teenagers."

Tim muttered before he and his wife greeted Neal.
They sat down and had some cookies their grandma had baked, and the adults drank coffee while the kids were treated with some soda.
Neal felt his nervousness slowly disappear, Nate seemed totally uninterested in him, but the adults seemed nice and he immediately liked Sabrina who was talkative and had many similar interests with Neal.
Sabrina reminded him a bit of Sara, even if she was also different in a good way.
After eating their grandmother told the cousins about their changed sleeping arrangements.
Neal was worried that the grumpy teenager would be angry over having to sleep on an air mattress in a different room, but the older boy just seemed happy to not have to deal with the younger kids.
Sabrina was happy to give Neal the top bunk since she had slept up there before and Neal felt relieved knowing that his presence hadn't caused any ill feelings with his cousins.
That relief was however short-lived.
Sabrina was happy to play with Neal but before they went outside, they stopped by the home office where Nate was currently unpacking some of his things.

"Come on Nate, play with us!"

Sabrina whined but the older boy didn't even react.

"We finally have a cousin to play with!"

She added which caused Nate to look up from his bag and scoff.

"He's not our real cousin dummy."

He muttered.

"Uncle Peter and Elizabeth are not your real parents."

He told Neal before going back to unpacking.
Neal felt like Nate had just punched him in the stomach and he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Ugh you're a big meanie!"

Sabrina said, grabbing Nate's pillow and throwing it at his face.
She then grabbed Neal's hand and led him out of the room.
"He's stupid, don't listen to him!"
She said, and Neal nodded, even if the older cousin's words were still echoing in his head.

It didn't take too long, however, for Sabrina to help him forget what Nate said.
She showed him a bunch of fun places to play and she showed him how much more fun it was to play hide and seek in a bigger area.
Eventually they even let Satchmo play with them, even if it didn't take too long for the dog to find them.
They played some fetch with Satchmo as well, and the dog was happy to run around in the big yard.
Eventually their grandpa showed up and asked if they wanted to say hello to the cows and both kids excitedly said yes.
Neal had been so busy thinking about his cousins that he had forgot the cows and now he could barely contain his excitement as he ran towards the big pasture located behind the big, red barn that was located on the other side of the courtyard, opposite where the cars were parked.
He reached the pasture before Sabrina and his grandfather but came to a sudden halt once he got close to the fence.
Neal paled as he looked at the cows walking around in the pasture, they were so much bigger than he had imagined and he instinctively took a step back.
Sabrina skipped by him and stopped by the fence, reaching out her hand.
A few of the cows instantly got curious and walked over to Sabrina and she petted one of them on the forehead.
The cow let out a loud moo before it licked Sabrina's hand, which caused the girl to giggle.

"Didn't you want to say hello to the cows?"

His grandpa asked as he too reached in his hand and petted one of the cows.
Neal slowly shook his head, staring at the big cows and their horns.
A big, warm hand grabbed Neal's and he looked up at his grandfather who looked back with a comforting smile.

"They're not dangerous."

He promise and slowly he managed to get Neal to walk over to the fence, the cows looking at the new human approaching.

"Try petting one, it's just like petting Satchmo."

Sabrina said and Neal carefully reached his hand up to one of the cows.
He ran his hand along the brown fur and he almost calmed down but then the cow did what it had done with Sabrina, it reached out a long tongue and licked his hand.
Neal shrieked at the long, slimy tongue touching his hand and jumped back.

"Can I go inside and pet them?"

Sabrina asked, and their grandfather nodded, walking towards the gate.
The thoughts of being next to the cows, without any fence in between them scared Neal and before his grandfather opened the gate Neal turned around and bolted back to the porch where the rest of the adults were still talking.
He practically jumped into Peter's lap and hugged him tightly.

"What happened?"

Elizabeth asked, worried.

"I don't like the cows. They're very big and their tongues are slimy and gross!"

Neal answered, his words slightly muffled from his pressing his face to Peter's chest.
The adults laughed while Peter rubbed a comforting hand on Neal's back.

"Nate was scared of the cows when he was younger too."
Tim informed Neal which helped Neal to feel a little less embarrassed over his fear.

The cousins' parents soon left and then the rest of the day passed by pretty quickly.
Nate spent most of the day on his tablet while Sabrina and Neal spent their time getting to know each other and playing.
They had a nice dinner that their grandparents had cooked and then they all watched TV together.
Sabrina and Neal were allowed to stay up for a little longer than usual but eventually they had to go to bed.
Neal was excited as he climbed up in the top bunk, thinking that it was so cool to sleep in a bed higher up than normally.
Both Neal's parents and their grandparents said goodnight and then they left the room.
They were both pretty tired after their eventful day and they had both gotten up early that morning, so it only took minutes before they were both asleep.

Sabrina and Neal woke up just in time for breakfast.
They had toast and hot chocolate while they chatted with the adults.
Sabrina had a lot of plans for the day and their grandfather even offered to take them out for a ride in the tractor, which they both happily said yes to.
They were just about to go outside when Nate walked out of the home office.

"Nate we're going in the tractor later, wanna come?"

Sabrina asked but her brother just said no before he sat down to eat his breakfast.
The boy seemed to be a sour mood today as well.
When they were outside Sabrina muttered over her brother.

"Mom says he's grumpy because he's a teenager now."

She explained before she showed him a tree in the yard where they could climb.
They spent the day playing, Satchmo joining them in many of their games.
Their grandfather took them out in the tractor which was very exciting, and Neal couldn't wait until the day he was old enough to drive a tractor himself, it seemed really fun.
Their grandfather said that Nate loved riding the tractor and he had promised Nate that he could try driving it soon, which Nate was apparently just counting down the days to.
Neal wanted to believe that Nate was in fact just grumpy because he was a teenager but when he was informed about Nate's interest in riding the tractor, it felt like Nate simply disliked Neal.
This feeling grew stronger when they sat down for dinner and when Nate put his tablet away he seemed happy.
He was eagerly chatting away, talking to everyone except Neal.
The older boy seemed to completely ignore Neal's existence.
After dinner Neal asked both Peter and Sabrina about why Nate didn't like him, but both assured him that Nate was a kind kid and that he was just grumpy.
Neal wasn't sure if Nate disliked him or if he simply disliked having a cousin, either way it made Neal feel insecure.
It felt like something was wrong with him.

That evening after Neal's parents and their grandparents had said goodnight and left the room, the kids felt less tired than the night before.
Neal quietly climbed down the ladder and sat down on the lower bunk bed so that they could whisper with each other, since the living room was next to their room, and Neal thought that this felt like his sleepover with Sara, except it was less scary because his parents were closer.
Sabrina, just like Sara, liked scary stories and as soon as they heard the adults go to bed, she started to tell him about things that she, allegedly, had experienced herself.
She told him that she wanted to become a ghost hunter when she grew up.

"Do you know that there's a ghost in the barn?"

She asked

"He's one of the old workers on this farm that died hundred of years ago and at night he still goes into the barn to look after the animals."

Sabrina giggled excitedly, while Neal just shivered at the thought, and jumped out of her bed and looked out the window, which had a perfect view of the barn.
She suddenly gasped loudly.

"Neal come here, quick!"

Neal hesitated for a second before he got out of the bed and walked over to the window.

"Look!"

She exclaimed and pointed at the barndoor where it looked like a dark figure was standing, moving slightly.
Neal tensed up in fear as he saw the dark figure.

"We should go outside and see the ghost! Then we would be like ghosthunters!"

Sabrina turned to Neal with an excited grin on her round face but when she saw the fear in Neal's eyes the grin disappeared.

"Hey"

She said and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think it's a ghost it's probably just a weird shadow but I just wanna pretend that it's a ghost anyway. We can bring grandpa's strong flashlight and Satchmo with us."

The reassurance that it was probably not a ghost out there and the safety of bringing Satchmo made Neal feel less scared.

"Okay"

He answered, and the two children snuck out of the room.
Luckily Satchmo was already downstairs, drinking some water, so they could easily bring him without them making too much noise.
They put their shoes on and Sabrina grabbed a big flashlight placed on the windowsill next to the door.
They walked outside and Satchmo instinctively stayed close to Neal, as if he sensed that his small human needed his support.
A chilly wind was blowing and they both shivered, regretting that they hadn't brough jackets or even some sweaters.
They got closer to the barn and they both noticed that the previously closed barndoor was now wide open.
Sabrina's face lit up while Neal's paled.
A bang was heard from inside the barn and then a distant laughter, without a doubt belonging to a human, followed.
Neal whimpered and grabbed Satchmo's collar.
Sabrina started to go inside the barn and Neal's legs betrayed him and followed, even if his mind was screaming at him to run back inside to his parents.

"I bet it's the ghost!"

Sabrina whispered and it was obvious that she was beyond excited for this experience.
Neal just nodded at her, unable to speak a single word.
The flashlight lit up the barn and they heard a cow let out a loud moo in protest of the sudden, bright light.
They didn't see anything but the cows.

"See? It must be a ghost! It just disappeared."

Sabrina exclaimed, and Neal got ready to turn back when they heard a shuffling sound and they both froze.
A figure shuffled into the beam of light, looking like a human covered in mud.
They stared at it for what felt like forever before Satchmo suddenly let out a loud bark at the figure and the dog's noise woke Neal from his frozen state.
Neal started to scream in fear while Sabrina remained frozen, her face showing a mixture of fear and excitement.
The figure suddenly stopped, blinked, and then stared back at them.

"Sabrina? Neal?"

Neal's scream ceased as he recognized the voice as that of the grumpy Nate.
The three kids stared at each other for a few seconds before Sabrina burst into laughter.

"Nate sleepwalks sometimes."

She got out in-between the laughter.

"Stop"

Nate mumbled, casting his eyes downwards, before he noticed that he was covered in something gooey.
He sniffed it and violently recoiled from it, scrunching up his nose in disgust.
Both of the younger kids started to laugh as they realized that Neal wasn't covered in mud, he was covered in the gooey cow poop.

"Stop laughing!"

Nate said but when they didn't he ran towards them, ready to get poop on them as well.
Sabrina shrieked and the younger kids ran out of the barn, Satchmo close behind, as Nate chased after them.
It didn't take long before it turned into a game and even Nate giggled as he chased after them.

"What are you kids doing?"

They suddenly heard, and they all stopped and saw the adults standing on the porch looking at them.

"Uhm…playing?"

Nate answered.

"Go back to bed."

Their grandpa said, and Sabrina giggled as she was the first one to move, running over to the adults.
Neal was about to follow her when Nate stopped him.

"I'm sorry for what I said."

Nate said.

"It's okay"

Neal said.
Sure, his words had hurt but Neal was happy that Nate finally talked to him.

"Friends?"

Nate asked and held out his hand, but Neal quickly stepped back.

"No thanks"
He said, and Nate looked sad for a second before he realized that Neal was only declining to shake his hand, and they both laughed.

The change in Nate's attitude was evident in the next morning.
He was not playing his game or sulking, instead he was actually talking to the rest of them, including Neal.
After breakfast Peter and their grandfather got in the truck and went to pick up some supplies that was needed for a renovation on the barn.
Their grandfather was happy for the help since his wife had problems with her wrists and had a problem carrying heavier things.
The kids sat on the porch and the cousins taught Neal to play Uno.

"We're going to the store"

Their grandmother announced just as they finished up their second round.
Sabrina happily got out of her chair since she, according to Nate, always went with the adults to the store in hope of being treated with something sweet.

"Can we just stay here? I want to show Neal my treehouse"

Neal asked.
Elizabeth looked uncertain which made Neal put on his famous puppy eyes.
He would rather spend time with Nate, now that the boy seemed to accept him, than to be dragged around in a store.

"Nate's old enough to look after Neal"

Their grandmother assured Elizabeth, who sighed.

"Okay fine. But call me if anything happens okay?"

She said before kissing Neal on top of his head.
When the adults left Nate showed Neal the treehouse that was built in a big oak in the yard.
Neal felt a little unsure at first, wondering if it was safe, but once inside the treehouse he noticed that it was securely built, and he wouldn't have to worry about something breaking.
It was a simple treehouse, but Nate had made it cozy by putting a few pillows and blankets up there as well as having a big stack of comic books.

"I was, well am, jealous"

Nate suddenly mumbled and Neal looked confused.

"Peter helped me build this treehouse you know; my dad didn't have the time"

Nate sighed and looked over at Neal.

"I'm jealous because I always wished Peter was my dad and now, you're lucky enough to have him as your dad. I was jealous because you showed up and got what I wanted"

He admitted, and Neal finally understood why Nate had been in such a sour mood.

"He's the best daddy"

Neal confirmed before he looked around the treehouse.
It was very well-built, and it was noticeable that Peter and Nate had spent a lot of time and energy into building it.

"He's the best uncle too. He can be both."

Neal continued, trying to comfort Nate despite feeling that he couldn't really help Nate with his feelings.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken my jealousy out on you, kid."
"Tell your daddy how you feel"

Neal suggested, and Nate sighed.

"It's not that easy"
"Why?"

Nate sighed.
Even if Neal was bright for a six-year-old, it was still hard for the thirteen-year-old to properly explain his problem and feelings to him.

"Forget it"

He said and got up.

"Let's go check out the creek instead. I bet there might be some frogs there"

The thought of seeing some frogs made Neal excited and he followed the older boy into the woods where they eventually found a creek.
Neal looked around the creek, trying to spot any frogs.

"They're usually awake at night"

Nate informed before suddenly spotted a big frog sitting on a rock.

"Look!"

He exclaimed happily, and Neal watched the green creature.
He had never seen an actual frog before.
Without showing even a hint of fear Nate suddenly scooped up the frog, who didn't even get the chance to escape.
Nate held it in a careful grip and examined it closely.

"They're so cool. Want to touch it?"

Neal hesitantly made his way over to Nate and reached out his hand.
The frog's skin was not slimy and gross as he had expected.

"Wanna kiss it and see if it turns into a prince or a princess?"
"Ew no!"

Neal backed away, the frog might be cool but he was not going to put his mouth anywhere near it.
Nate laughed while he gently placed the frog back on the ground.
The frog quickly leaped away from them, disappearing to wherever its hideout was.

"I got Sabrina to kiss several frogs when she was your age. I told her she just needed to find the right one."
Neal laughed and kind of wished that he had been there to see it.

When the others returned from the store, Sabrina held up a big bag of marshmallows.
"We're gonna go camping tonight and barbeque some marshmallows!"
She announced which made both the boys happy.
Neal had never been camping before.
Elizabeth informed Neal that there was a clearing in the woods, not too far from the farm, where they used to have a campfire and sleep in tents.
It was a way to get a fun camping experience without going too far away from the home.
Neal couldn't wait until the evening and when Peter and their grandfather returned, he ran over to Peter.

"We're gonna go camping tonight!"

He informed Peter, not able to contain his excitement.

"And we're gonna sleep in tents and eat hot dogs and marshmallows"

Neal told Peter everything that his cousins had told him.
He was just so happy to do things that he had never even dreamt about doing with his biological parents and he was kind of happy that Sara's family changed their plans.
Sure, Sara got to go on a plane and visit another country, but Neal was still way happier with this vacation.
Peter and their grandfather started repairing the barn while the kids went into the woods again where Nate could show all the fun places, since the younger kids hadn't been allowed to go that far on their own.
Nate showed the clearing where they would be camping but he also showed them trees and big rocks they could climb.
It was a lot more fun to play hide and seek in the woods where one could hide in so many places.
Eventually it was finally time for them to start their camping in the clearing.
The adults put up the three tents, one for the kids, one for Peter and Elizabeth and finally one tent for the grandparents.
They were given a sleeping bag each and Neal and Sabrina went into their tent to put down their sleeping bags.
The tent was a two people tent but the three kids could easily fit in there.

"Have you ever tried this before?"
Nate asked him, and Neal shook his head.
He hadn't even tried marshmallows until he had some at Sara's house a while back.

"It's really good!"

Sabrina exclaimed.
Neal was given a stick with a marshmallow on and put it over the fire, Peter yet again hovering worryingly over him.
He was instructed by the other kids when to turn it and to sometimes bring it closer or farther away from the fire.
He was finally told it was done and by then it had taken on a bit of a golden-brown colour.
Peter made sure he properly blew on it so it wouldn't be too hot before he carefully took a bite.
There was a crispier sort of skin on the marshmallow while the insides were sweet and gooey.

"Amazing, right?"

Sabrina asked before taking another bite of hers.
Neal agreed and ate the rest of his.
They were allowed to roast a few more before the adults stopped them, not wanting the kids to bounce off the walls from a sugar high.
Neal and Sabrina managed to sneak two marshmallows on their sticks after being told this was the last one and they smiled conspiratorially at each other.

They all sat down around the campfire and their grandfather started to tell them some interesting stories from when he was young.
He avoided the usual scary stories for Neal's sake and instead told some other stories.
Their grandfather told some funny ones about when Peter was a kid.
One of the stories were about how Tim convinced Peter that all babies came from snails which had made Peter cry for hours since he had absolutely hated snails.

"They're slimy and gross!"

Peter defended himself as the kids laughed.
Eventually the cozy evening came to an end and it was time to kill the campfire and get inside their tents.
Neal followed his cousins into their tent where he could be in the middle, which made him feel safer.
Despite their previous avoidance Sabrina simply couldn't avoid to start telling scary stories.
She said that it was simply an essential part of camping.
When Sabrina was done telling her stories, she convinced Nate to take his tablet out and find some scary videos on YouTube that they watched on a low volume, so that the adults wouldn't hear them.
Many videos claimed that it was real ghosts caught on camera.
To Neal every single video looked real and scary, but Sabrina was quick to point out any video she thought were fake.
Therefore, the scariest videos were the ones that even Sabrina seemed convinced were real.
Eventually they were all yawning and the tablet was put aside.
Nate decided to tell some more mundane stories, about things that had happened in school or with his friends, in order to take Neal's mind of the scary stuff.
Neal appreciated it and it didn't take long before the soft whispering about something a teacher had done managed to lull him to sleep.

In his dreams Neal walked into the barn, alone this time, and all the cows looked up at him.
They were huge and dark with glowing red eyes and huge sharp horns.
He wanted to run but his legs started to walk through the barn while the huge cows let out loud scary sounds.
Then he heard a shuffling sound and he came to a halt.
He half expected to see Nate come shuffling like last time but instead his mother appeared.
She looked at him with big, vacant eyes and her body was transparent just like a ghost in one of the videos.

"Hello, baby. I've missed you."

She said, in a sing-song voice.
Two thin arms lifted her arms and started to shuffle towards him as to hug him.
Even if he would have wanted to hug his mom, he did not want to hug a ghost.
He tried to run but his legs were like frozen to the floor and the ghostly figure just came closer and closer.
Neal let out a scream and closed his eyes before he jolted awake.
He opened his eyes and realized that he was in the tent with his cousins.
A relief washed over him as he realized that it had just been a nightmare.
Just a nightmare, nothing else.
Neal tried to calm himself down in order to go back to sleep but then he heard a noise from outside the tent.
He knew that he was in the woods, a place with a lot of noise and animals moving around.
However, his brain decided to remind him of the videos they had watched and suddenly Neal imagined that there was a ghost out there, sneaking around.
Neal looked over at his cousins but they both appeared to be asleep.

"Are you awake?"

He whispered just in case one of them was awake but he was met by silence.
Neal swallowed hard before he closed his eyes again.
The other kids were next to him and he was safe.
He reminded himself that they were in the woods and it was not a ghost out there, it was just the wind or a mouse or something.
The calming thoughts worked and he had almost managed to fall asleep when he heard something again.
It sounded like someone stepping on a stick that snapped and it sounded very close.
He immediately opened his eyes and looked at the side of the tent expecting to see a shadow of someone.
No shadow appeared though but that didn't mean that Neal wasn't still terrified.
His brain reminded him of the video where a supposed ghost lifted the blanket of a sleeping person and he thought that if a ghost could do that then surely it could open the tent or open his sleeping bag.
He regretted letting Nate show the videos and Sabrina tell her stories, even if it hadn't felt as scary at the time.
Neal tried to remember Sabrina's comments on how fake most videos were, but it did nothing to cease his fear.
There was only one place he wanted to be right now, and it wasn't with his cousins.
Carefully he crawled out of his sleeping bag and grabbed the flashlight.
He felt bad for taking their only flashlight, but he definitely did not walk through the dark, even if it was a short walk.
Neal then grabbed his sleeping bag and got out of the tent, as silently as he could.
It was hard trying to walk with the big sleeping bag in his arms and the flashlight in his hand, but he somehow made it without tripping.
He opened the zipper on the tent and heard Satchmo growl.
The growl must have woken up the tent's sleeping occupants because he heard a tired voice telling the dog to be quiet.
Neal got the zipper up and crawled into the tent, shining the flashlight in front of him.
Both Peter and Elizabeth looked up towards the opening, but quickly put their hands in front of their eyes at the bright light.

"Sorry"

Neal said when he realized that he was shining the light right at them and quickly lowered the flashlight.

"Hey sweetheart"

Elizabeth greeted as she heard his voice.
Satchmo had realized that it was Neal and not a threat and licked his hand in a greeting.

"I'm scared…can I sleep in your tent?"
"Of course"

Elizabeth answered and the adults both scooted over to make room for Neal in the middle of them.
Neal zipped the tent up before putting his sleeping bag in the middle and crawling into it.

"Are you scared because you're sleeping in the woods?"

Peter asked, and Neal nodded.

"There's a lot of noises"

He answered before he added

"Nate showed scary videos of ghosts."
"Oh honey, you shouldn't watch stuff like that."

Elizabeth said, pulling her fingers through his hair.

"Those videos aren't real, buddy."

Peter assured him.
Neal felt comforted by Peter's words and his parents' presence.
All his thoughts about ghosts disappeared and his mind became occupied with other thoughts.
It went quiet in the tent and the adults had almost gone back to sleep when Neal spoke again.

"Mommy?"
"Yes, honey?"

Elizabeth mumbled, sounding like she was mere seconds away from falling asleep.

"Where does babies come from?"

Elizabeth shuffled next to him and suddenly both of the adults were looking at him, now wide awake.

"Eh…why do you want to know?"

Peter asked when Elizabeth remained silent.

"I want a sibling and make them kiss frogs"

Neal answered, his mind had replayed the day and had thought of when he and Nate were by the creek and that Peter was tricked into believing that babies came from snails.
The adults shared a confused look at Neal's answer.

"Can't we get a baby or something?"

Neal asked when the adults didn't say anything.

"Well even if we would, it would take a couple of years before they could play with you."

Elizabeth answered.

"Or kiss frogs"

Peter added, unsure why Neal was thinking about that.
Neal grimaced.

"Well that's boring"

He muttered before yawning and closing his eyes, ready to sleep.
The adults looked at each other, happy that they for now narrowly avoided to answer the famous question.
They had not planned any answer in case Neal started asking.
They hadn't planned anything for the sibling question either, sure both of them were open to potentially having another child in the future but for now they were busy and happy with the one they had.

Apart from the nightmare and fear, camping was a fun experience for Neal and he couldn't wait until he could do it next time.
The cousins had realized why they woke up missing one person in their tent and had decided that they would lay low with Sabrina's interest for the supernatural for now.
The rest of the time of their visit the kids focused on exploring and playing all kind of games.
The cousins also did their best to get Neal less scared of the cows and eventually he managed to walk through the barn when the cows were in there, even if their size and their horns still made him tremble, and he managed to pet them through the fence without wanting to run away.
In the future Sabrina promised that she was going to get him to walk into the pasture with the cows and pet them just as easily as he petted Satch.
The adults also brought them along for some hiking in the woods which Neal thought was amazing.
Even if he felt more suited for the big city, he did enjoy running around in the woods and just enjoying nature.
They even ended up seeing two foxes as well as a few deer, which made Neal stare at them in awe since he had never seen wild animals like these in real life before.

Time really seemed to fly by and soon it was Friday afternoon and soon Tim and his wife would show up to pick up their kids and the Burke family would return to the big city.
The kids were playing Monopoly together while their grandmother was baking some cookies.
The Burkes tried to help Peter's mother but she tended to not want people to interfere when she was busy cooking or baking, which meant that the Burkes were almost thrown out of the kitchen.
They stood off to the side, giving the baker her space, and watched the intense game of Monopoly taking place on the kitchen table.

"That kid's got no impulse control"

Peter said in an amused voice as he watched Neal stealthily slip some extra money from the bank.

"Imagine what we're going to have to deal with when he's a teenager"

Elizabeth answered, just as amused.
If Neal was this good at the age of six, then there would be no telling how skilled he could be at sixteen.

"We should really keep Mozzie away from him"

Peter muttered, probably for the millionth time, even if he knew he wouldn't.
No matter how unamused he was by the weird man who had become a big part of their life, he could clearly see that Neal and Mozzie had built up a strong bond that was simply invaluable.
Despite the age difference, they had definitely formed a unique friendship that only a monster would want to break up.
They heard a loud groan as Nate lost the rest of his money landing on Neal's expensive street and it didn't take too long before Sabrina fell as well, which wasn't really a surprise.
They decided that they had the time to start another round and Nate started to distribute their money.
Neal looked up from the game and met Peter's gaze.

"Play fair"

He mouthed and Neal gave him a deer-in-headlights look for a second when he realized he had been watched but then he flashed a grin before he looked back at the game.

"He's probably going to be cocky about his skills as well"
Peter muttered, not at all looking forward to Neal's teenage years.

The kids had just finished their round, without Neal's cheating Sabrina had managed to take home the win, when they heard a car pull up.
The cousins ran outside to greet their parents while Neal's energy ceased.
It really hit him that the fun week was definitely over now, and it felt like it ended way too soon.

"I don't wanna go home!"

Neal whined to his parents.

"We have to, buddy"

Peter answered, they had decided to leave today as well since Elizabeth was going to meet a friend on Sunday and Peter wanted some time to catch up with Jones and Diana before a new week began.
Neal didn't care about the answer, instead he just pouted and crossed his arms which really just made him look adorable.

"Sabrina and Nate are going home too, so it wouldn't be as fun even if we stayed"

Elizabeth tried to reason but Neal kept sulking.
As soon as the cousins returned Neal pretended to not be sulking and they had a nice time, eating the freshly baked cookies and telling the cousins' parents about their week.
Sabrina could barely tell the story of how Nate had sleepwalked and fallen into the cow poop because she was laughing so hard.
Soon Tim insisted that they had to leave, and they waved them off.
The Burkes stayed for a while longer, finishing up their coffee and the conversation but soon it was getting time for them to leave.
They didn't want to arrive home too late after all.
However, Neal did still not want to leave and stubbornly informed his parents that he would not leave his chair.
The grandparents laughed, amused by the situation while the parents tried to reason with their kid, but Neal could be stubborn when he wanted.

"Okay fine, then we'll leave you here"

Elizabeth eventually announced.
Neal didn't budge so they got their bags and Satchmo and walked over to the car, hoping that pretending to leave would work.
Neal stayed in his chair even if a separation anxiety kicked in as he saw his parents getting ready to leave without him.

"It's going to be fun to have you with us Neal"

His grandfather said and Neal smiled.

"But if you're going to stay here I do expect you to help me take care of the cows."

The thought of having to take care of the cows and be that close to them caused him to squeak and literally jump out of the chair.
He ran as fast as he could to his parents.

"Don't leave me!"
He said, and the parents chuckled at the sudden urge, understanding what had made him change his mind.

The trip home went pretty much like the trip there.
Neal stayed occupied for a while, watching videos, colouring, and looking through his books but then he got bored and restless again.
They yet again tried to occupy him with different games but just like last time it only lasted for a while.
The whining soon began again.

"I'm boooored"

Neal whined.

"Are we home yeeeeeet?"

The adults sighed and updated him about how far they had to go, and Neal let out a dissatisfied grunt at their answer.
He whined and whined until the adults felt like they wanted to remove their ears.
Maybe they should have left him at the farm after all.
They were just five minutes away from their home when Neal finally went silent.
Peter glanced back and sighed.

"Of course, he falls asleep now"

He muttered.
They soon got home and parked the car.
Elizabeth handled the luggage while Peter carefully got the boy out of his car seat and carried him up to his bed.
Peter removed his shoes but didn't bother changing any other clothes, he did not want to risk waking the kid up since it was past his bedtime after all.

"Sleep tight, bud"

Peter whispered as he tucked Neal in.
He placed a kiss on his son's forehead before he left the room and walked down to help his wife.