Note: The joys of parenthood are many ... and sometimes not really joyful at all, as Tommy and Jason find out. Read and find out how they deal with their misbehaving offspring ... and please don't forget to leave feedback on your way out, okay? DB/CR
Seasons To Remember
Chapter 21: Sibling Rivalry
"Hey, when was that?" Rachel wanted to know as a picture of Jay, Oliver, Lynne and Trini fell into her hands. They had skimmed over quite a number of years in the albums as they were all familiar with the photos from their childhoods. All four were of grade school age and wearing their gis, standing in front of the Red Dragon dojo's back wall in a group of maybe a dozen youngsters. The girls were smiling broadly, proudly displaying certificates which she knew were handed out after a successful belt testing, whereas the two boys were looking rather glum, their certificates rolled up (for Jay) or held carelessly at the side (for Oliver).
"This looks as if you four had just taken a belt test together," she continued. "And why are you guys so bummed? Did you fail?"
That was hardly likely; all the Scott and Oliver children had been taught well by their fathers, and had inherited their talent, even if only Jay and Lynne had chosen to make martial arts their careers; they were managing the Angel Grove dojo now, while Ramon was partners with Rocky in Stone Canyon.
"Of course not," Oliver protested. "I've never failed a belt test in my life!"
"Neither have I," Jay added. Both men were scowling as they glanced briefly at the picture. When it was passed on to Lynne, she started to smirk.
"Oh, I remember this! It was when you guys were both ten, I was eight and Trini seven."
"Ah, that test," Trini grinned. "Oh yeah, it was … memorable, all right!"
"Don't gloat," Kat admonished, remembering as well. "It's as unattractive now as it was then." She shared a tiny smile with Tommy, who was having a hard time controlling his mirth.
"And you can't even say Jason and I didn't warn you guys well ahead of time," he chortled. "It's not something I like to say, but in that case … it served you right!"
Jay and Oliver glowered while their sisters snickered and Ramon's shoulders shook with silent laughter. After all, he'd been there, too … and had mercilessly teased his friends about it for months.
"Okay, color me suitably intrigued," Jasmine declared. "Now I have to know what happened!"
~*~
"There they come," Kat called from the kitchen. She'd just looked out the window and seen Jason's car turn into their street. Quickly, she readied a tray with glasses and two pitchers of iced tea and lemonade, knowing that Jason and Tommy would be as thirsty as the kids.
"About time, too," Kim commented, scooping up Kat's youngest from under the table. Jared complained at being whisked from whatever fascinating discovery he'd made, but a tickle and coo soon had him giggling again. "Attaboy," Kim told him approvingly. "This is one happy child, Kat."
"I know," the blonde smiled. "Much easier to handle than either Oliver or Lynne."
"I'd settle for another hellion," Kimberly sighed a bit sadly. After her daughter's birth, she'd learned that another pregnancy was out of the question for her. But at least she could still share in Kat and Jason's baby … Shaking off the melancholy thought, she smiled and pressed a kiss to Jared's dark-blond hair, then set the small boy down again, watching him toddle off outside to his toy car. Clambering onto the seat, he started scooting around the tiled patio, making 'vroom-vrooming' sounds to himself.
"Looking at him, he should be Tommy's son," Kim laughed. "Racing cars already!"
"Oh, Jason's had his hot-rodding days, too," Kat said dryly. "When I think of how long it took me to make him sell that motorcycle of his … and I bet you anything that Tommy never ruined as many shoes as Jared does with that thing!" Indeed, the small sneakers were extremely scuffed and scratched around the toes.
"Well, no," Kim admitted. "What about those plastic caps …" Whatever else she might have said, though, was cut off by the noisy entrance of their daughters, who rushed into the kitchen, cornered their mothers and excitedly began to babble about their afternoon.
"…and then I did a roundhouse kick, and I hit Liza at the waist, and she kinda stumbled, and then …"
"Mommy, I really, really did well on my kata! Sensei said I did it almost perfectly, and …"
"… then Bobby lost his sparring glove, and can you believe that Nikki actually showed up with a rumpled gi? She got chewed out for that, too, so she lost points, and …"
Over the heads of the girls, Kat and Kim exchanged laughing looks.
"That's very nice, Lynne." Kat tousled the shiny dark curls fondly.
"Mommy, Peggy Miller – you know, one of the big girls – had her hair in a really fancy braid! It was sort of a lot of little braids all took together, and it didn't fall into her eyes at all, and she had purple pearls tied at the ends! It looked so awesome! Can you do my hair like that, too? Pleeeeeeeeaze???" Trini was tugging at her mother's hand.
"I can certainly try, Sweetie," Kim smiled. "But girls – you haven't told us the most important thing yet; did you pass?"
"Of COURSE!" both girls chorused, fairly bouncing with excitement.
"We even jumped a grade!" Lynne shouted, escaping from Kat's reach and doing a little dance around the kitchen table.
"Yeah – Uncle Rocky said Sensei said we were the best karateka he's ever seen!"
"Really?" Kim tried to arrange her face into suitably awed lines; it was hard, when all she wanted was to hug her daughter to pieces. She so loved to see her happy and excited like this, her brown eyes sparkling and her delicate features aglow with pride at her accomplishment. Trini nodded eagerly.
"Uh huh. Lynne and I got to show how we spar together, and that's why we got promoted!"
"That's terrific! Congratulations! And I think it's only fair that for such a success you two get double scoops of Rocky Road for dessert, isn't that right, Kim?"
"Absolutely."
"YAY!!"
Both girls hugged each other with glee.
"Rocky Road is my top favorite ice cream ever!" Lynne beamed. "Wait till the guys hear that!"
"Speaking of the boys, where are they?" Kat wanted to know, having missed the usual sounds of homecoming over the girls' chatter.
"Dunno," Trini shrugged, trying not very hard to conceal a smirk, which was shared by Lynne – who suddenly had a positively unholy gleam in her blue eyes.
"They are such slowpokes!"
"Lynne!" Kat admonished gently. "You know you're not supposed to call your brother names!"
"Sorry," the eight-year-old said, not sounding terribly sincere. Her mother had to hide a grin when she could clearly hear her daughter mutter to her friend. "They are, though."
Kimberly, too, had trouble controlling her laughter. The four really were the best of friends, despite appearances, and woe to any outsider who dared diss the boys' sisters. That chivalry, however, did not extend to their private dealings. Better to distract them before things devolved into shouting matches or tantrums. Or a quadruple fit of the sullens. "Have some lemonade, girls. Surely you must be thirsty?"
"Am I ever!"
"Thanks, Aunt Kim!"
Eagerly, the two scampered to the table and watched her pour the cool drinks. Just then, the kitchen door opened to admit Jason and Tommy, trailed by their rather sulky-looking sons. Both men made beelines for their wives, greeting them with hugs and unhurried kisses.
"How did things go? We already heard from the girls that they passed the test," Kat smiled into Jason's dark eyes.
"It was hard to miss, they were practically shouting it from the rooftop," Kimberly grinned, snuggling into Tommy's arms. "Did they really skip a grade?"
"They sure did – both of them," the proud father confirmed. "For their age, they're exceptionally good."
Jason nodded. "Even the independent tester from the California Karate Association said so."
"Wow."
"They had good teachers – the best," Kat said loyally, complimenting Jason, Tommy and the absent Rocky. "Then again, they come by their talent honestly – and I know it's not from me."
"Hey, you used to be a pretty good fighter, considering you started at a pretty old age," Tommy soothed.
"Gee, thanks, Mr. Gallant. Seventeen is 'old'?"
Jason snickered when his best bud blushed and barely managed to dodge his wife's sharp elbow.
"Sorry, Kat," he apologized. "I didn't mean it like that."
She was about to answer him, when her attention was diverted by a scuffle at the table. The two boys, who had said nothing but mumbled greetings since entering the kitchen, were both trying to get the pitcher of lemonade away from Lynne, who was in the process of refilling Trini's and her glass. Naturally, the sweet liquid sloshed over and made a mess on the wooden surface and floor.
"Mom! Look what Oliver made me do," she exclaimed, rightfully indignant, then whirled on her older brother. "You jerk!"
"Lynne!"
"Well, he is! Jay, too! I didn't make that mess on purpose!"
"Yeah, it's all their fault, Aunt Kat," Trini added with a holier-than-thou expression that had both mothers instantly suspicious.
"Oh? And you're absolutely sure you two had nothing to do with it?" Kim asked, fixing her daughter with a glare. "Boys? What happened here?"
Jay scowled at his sister, but only shrugged. Oliver looked mutinous, but grudgingly accepted the sponge and cloth Kat handed him and started to mop up the dripping lemonade. As he hunkered down to wipe the puddle on the floor, he mumbled something mostly unintelligible, but clearly uncomplimentary about his sister. The word 'pest' featured strongly in it.
"What was that, young man? Repeat that, please," Kat asked, deceptively gently. The boy blushed as he straightened; he knew better than to disobey that particular tone.
"I said, Lynne is being a pest again."
Which of course was heavily edited, but Oliver knew exactly what would happen to him if he quoted himself verbatim. To avert the worst consequences, he busied himself with putting the cleaning utensils away again into their proper place under the sink – something he rarely did without being told. Much to his relief, his mother let it slide … mostly.
"You know you are not to call your sister names. Please apologize."
"Yes'm," he muttered. Then, he turned to Lynne, a wicked gleam suddenly appearing in his dark eyes. "I'm sorry you're a pest."
"MOM!" Lynne howled in outraged protest.
"Oliver William Scott …!!!" Kat took a step closer, hand raised in warning, but the boy had already dashed out of the kitchen, his best friend in tow. In the doorway, Jay paused, looked over his shoulder and stuck out his tongue at Trini.
"You're a pest, too, and I'm totally sorry about that!" Then, he prudently vanished after Oliver.
Trini stared after him, then at her mother, lips trembling, but a soothing pat on her head and a smile stopped the threatening tears before they could overflow. She leaned briefly against Kim's waist, enjoying the loving caress. Kim opened her mouth, but couldn't produce a single coherent sound. Clearly torn between laughter and exasperation, she shook her head. "Really, those two are too much sometimes! It's moments like this I'm glad I have only two kids, not a whole bunch like Rocky!"
Jason laughed. "Sarah, and most of all Mama DeSantos, would read Ramon the riot act but good if he ever dared talk to his sisters like that!"
"I think the girls can handle their baby brother quite well on their own," Tommy remarked dryly, mouth quivering with suppressed mirth. "There are certain disadvantages to being the youngest, and the only boy in the family."
"I guess," Kat said somewhat dubiously, sending the girls out into the garden with napkins and plastic plates. "But today they seem worse than usual; did something happen at the dojo?"
"The boys didn't fail their test, did they?" Kimberly asked.
"No, they passed alright," Tommy said. "If I had to take a guess, I'd say they're pis- uh, miffed that their baby sisters jumped a grade and they didn't."
"Ah," Katherine nodded sagely. "That would explain a lot." She opened the refrigerator and took out a bowl of potato salad and some pickles, handing them to her husband. "Take these out onto the patio, please?"
"Sure."
Tommy's hands were filled with a basket of warmed buns and several bottles of condiments while Kim and Kat quickly put a small mountain of hot dogs onto a serving platter. Within minutes, the foursome had everything arranged on the table, and everybody sat down to enjoy their meal. Even the children were quiet as they hungrily devoured their food. Naturally, the boys got double scoops of dessert as well, to honor their accomplishment. However, when the adults sat back with satisfied sighs to enjoy a wine cooler in peace now that the baby was safely abed and the sun was slowly setting, the kids retreated to the back of the garden … and the bickering started again.
Jason listened with half an ear to the children while trying to follow the story Kat was telling about her advanced ballet class. He chuckled dutifully in all the right places, but it was obvious that his attention was mainly engaged elsewhere. Tommy had to call his name twice before he reacted.
"Hey Bro, are you listening?"
"Huh?" Jason started, recollected himself, then smiled apologetically at his wife and guests. "I'm sorry, guys, but I think I need to prevent World War Three before we continue." He gestured towards the lawn, where the girls' voices were getting progressively louder and their older brothers had adopted rather aggressive postures.
"Uh-oh," Tommy murmured, preparing to intervene. He knew the danger signs only too well. Both men slowly got to their feet.
The two couples inhaled a collective shocked breath when Oliver shoved his sister, making her stumble backwards a little. Lynne, whose temper was generally more even than her brother's but who wouldn't take guff from anyone, raised her hands in a classic fighting stance, glaring belligerently at Oliver.
"You wanna fight? Come on! I'm not afraid of you!"
"Yeah, me, too!" Loyal as always, Trini stood next to her best friend, challenging Jay with much the same expression.
Jay scowled and raised his own fists.
Before things got any more out of hand, though, the impending scuffle was broken up by two pairs of strong hands on narrow shoulders.
"That's quite enough," Tommy said sternly. "Stop it, all four of you!"
Lynne reluctantly relaxed under Jason's firm grip. "He started it," she muttered angrily, jerking her chin at Oliver.
"Did not!"
"Did, too!"
"I said, enough!" Tommy repeated, slightly louder. Sharing a look, the two friends marched their offspring towards their disapproving-looking mothers. The girls would have fled into their embrace, but identical glances from crystal blue and doe brown eyes showed them that this time, they wouldn't find shelter there from paternal wrath. Sullenly they stood before their parents, heads lowered. The boys also kept quiet, but were fidgeting badly, their guilty consciences plain to see on the youthful faces.
Jason sat down next to Kat again. Taking his time, he sipped from his glass, letting the kids stew a little. When all four looked about ready to erupt into tears, he spoke at last.
"Okay, I guess I don't need to tell you that behaviour like that is unacceptable, right?"
A chorus of "No sirs" answered him.
"Well – then what happened out there? Why were you about to fight?"
The kids looked at each other from under lowered lids, shuffling their feet, but would only offer embarrassed shrugs.
"Nuthin'," Oliver mumbled at last.
"That's not what I saw," Jason said sternly. "You don't push your sister for 'nothing'."
The boy blushed.
"Again, what happened? Speak up, son." While said quietly, there was a note in his father's voice Oliver didn't dare disobey. Swallowing hard, he began to talk.
"I … I didn't mean to fight with Lynne, Dad, but … but she was teasing me something awful. Said I was a dunce for not jumping a grade like she did, and that she was much better at karate than I am."
Jason looked at his daughter. "Lynne? Is that true?"
She nodded reluctantly. "But Oliver said that Sensei Tsukuba only promoted us 'cause we're smaller than him and Jay, and 'cause we're girls, not because we really were that good, and that's just not true! Or is it?" she wanted to know in a very small voice.
"Of course not," Tommy answered. "You earned your belt colors fair and square. And I assume that something similar happened between you and Trini?" he addressed his own son.
"Yes, Dad." Jay hung his head. Now that the heat of the moment had passed, and under the disapproving eyes of his parents, he was beginning to see how badly they'd behaved – all four of them. "I'm sorry," he murmured at Trini, sounding as if he really meant it. "You're not really a stinky shrimp."
"Me, too," his petite sister replied promptly, reaching for his hand and giving it a squeeze. For all her fierceness when roused she was too soft-hearted to want to see her big brother in trouble. "I'm sorry, Jay. I promise I won't call you an eegertissical twerp again," she said earnestly.
"Guess you're not a stupid airhead, either," Oliver offered his sister grudgingly.
"Okay, then I'll take back the show-off jerk," Lynne said, perfectly amiably.
Kat almost choked on her drink and hid her spontaneous laughter behind a small cough. Kim covered her face with both hands, shoulders shaking. Jason closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over his chin, conveniently obscuring his twitching lips while Tommy leaned back in his chair, raised his face to the sky and counted silently to twenty. When he had his features under control again, he fixed the four youngsters with what he hoped was a suitably stern glance.
"I do not want any one of you to use such language towards each other again, you hear me?"
"Yes, Dad," the Oliver children said in unison. That tone and look were quite familiar to them; both meant they better shape up, or else.
Even Lynne and Oliver chimed in with "Yes, Uncle Tommy." They knew from experience that in certain matters, like good manners, general behaviour and schoolwork, it made no difference who took them to task – their own parents, or Uncle Tommy and Aunt Kim.
"Apart from your fighting skills, what is it that karate teaches us?"
As if he were in class, Jay's hand shot up. On receiving an encouraging nod, he rattled off: "Courage, kindness, loyalty, discipline, fitness and integrity."
Kim had to grin at a sudden memory. "He sounds like Billy in the first karate lesson he took from Jase," she whispered to Kat. "He didn't do awfully well at the exercises, but he had the theory down pat!" Her friend smiled back.
"Yes, he would've had no trouble memorizing that." Both women then turned their attention back to the others, watching with interest how the fathers handled their wayward offspring.
Without being asked, Oliver piped up next. "We also learn dedication, honor and respect."
"Exactly," Tommy said approvingly. Then, he looked serious again. "But can you also tell me which of these things you guys haven't shown towards each other today?"
There was a brief silence as the kids thought hard about the question. To the adults' satisfaction, cheeks began to redden with embarrassment as the answer occurred to them one after the other.
"I … I guess we weren't very kind," Lynne admitted timidly. "Or respectful."
"No, you weren't. Not you girls when you gloated over your brothers, nor you boys when you tried to get back at them by using your greater strength, size and experience," Jason said evenly. "That's what bullies do – and that's not something I ever want to think of you two." He paused, then spoke to the girls again. "Lynne, Trini … you have every right to be proud of your accomplishments, because you did show great dedication and discipline in your belt test, but to boast of it the way you did … that wasn't very nice at all. I expected much better of you."
A big, fat tear rolled down from Trini's eyes. As the youngest, she was very sensitive to getting scolded – especially when it came from her Dad or her Uncle Jason, both of whom she fairly idolized.
"I'm s-sorry," she sniffled.
"Me, too, Dad," Lynne gulped. The girl very much wanted to climb on her adored father's lap, to cuddle in his arms and feel safe and loved, but right now she didn't dare – not before she wasn't officially forgiven. "I won't do it ever again," she promised fervently.
Jason and Tommy shared a glance over their daughters' heads. "No, I don't think you will," Jason murmured gently, reaching out and drawing both girls towards him. Giving them simultaneous one-armed hugs and a kiss on each smooth brow, he raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to see you behave like that again, you hear me?"
"We won't, Uncle Jason," Trini smiled through her tears, and Lynne finally gave in to her need and burrowed into her father's broad chest for a few seconds, relishing the warmth of his embrace.
"Don't be mad anymore, Daddy," she whispered, suddenly feeling very small.
Jason tousled his daughter's dark curls. Tommy beckoned Trini over for her own hug, and the two men held the little girls securely for several moments.
"I'm not mad, baby," Jason murmured. "Just a little disappointed in you. But I know you've learned your lesson, haven't you?"
Lynne nodded, scrubbing at her cheeks. "Yes, Dad." She was about to say more, but all of a sudden the day's excitement caught up with her, and her words turned into a huge yawn. She felt more than heard her father's chuckle rumble through him.
"I think it's bedtime for you, Miss," Jason smiled, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. The blue pools, so like Kat's, looked mutinous for a second, but it was more on general principle than anything else. He winked at his daughter, kissed her cheek and sent her off to Kat with a playful swat to her jeans-clad bottom that didn't hurt at all.
"Say goodnight to everybody, get ready for bed and I'll be up to tuck you in," he ordered.
"Yes, Dad," Lynne sighed, letting herself be drawn into a gentle hug by Kat. Her mother kissed her, too.
"Would it be nicer for you to go to bed now if Trini stayed over tonight?" Kat asked, communicating with Kim via a quick, silent glance. The couples had discussed a sleepover as a reward for the children earlier that day.
The little girl brightened, even though she had to yawn again. "Yes, please!"
"Then off you go." Quick goodnights and thank-yous were exchanged all round, and two weary children trudged off to Lynne's bedroom on the first floor.
When they were out of earshot, Tommy cleared his throat and summoned the fidgeting boys who'd been waiting a little ways off towards him with a single gesture. He knew they'd secretly hoped that they'd be forgotten or let off the hook at least, but their behaviour had been as unacceptable as their sisters', and needed to be dealt with. He hid a grin as he watched them scuffle forward, not looking up, hands twitching to be hidden in pockets.
"Well?" Tommy said evenly.
The boys exchanged a puzzled look, then snuck a peek at Tommy's face. Oliver mouthed a silent "huh?" towards his best buddy, who answered with a minute shrug and headshake. At last, Jay raised confused eyes towards his father. "Um, well what, Dad?"
"Your sisters just admitted that they've broken the rules of kindness and respect. What have you got to say for yourselves?"
Oliver gulped. "I … I guess we did, too," he mumbled. "The not being kind and respectful thing, I mean."
"That's right. Can you also tell me how?"
Jay sighed. He knew why his dad was insisting on having them figure out what they'd done wrong – that way, they'd remember it better – but it was still a total pain. Of course he couldn't ever say that … then he'd be in real trouble! He tried to wrap his mind around the question.
"Um … we shouldn't have called the girls names?" he ventured at last. "That wasn't kind."
"That's only part of it, Jay," Jason interjected. "But there's more to it than that."
"If they hadn't rubbed it in so much that they jumped a grade and we didn't, we wouldn't have," Oliver grumbled, unable to hold the comment back.
"Ah. I think now we're getting closer to what's really bothering you," Tommy said, nodding knowledgeably. He'd suspected something like this from the start. "It's not really the fact that Lynne and Trini were proud of what they did and let you know it, but …?"
"Why did they move ahead and we didn't? It's not fair," Jay blurted. "We performed our katas as well as they did, and we sparred well, too! I know we didn't make any mistakes!"
"That's not the point, boys," Jason sighed. "Yes, you did everything right, and there's no question that you earned your new belts. But, your sisters took that extra step, worked a little harder, put just a little more into their efforts than you two did – and that is why Sensei Tsukuba awarded them the higher belt. It's a reward for them, not a slight against you."
"Yeah, but … I want to jump a grade, too," Oliver muttered. He knew, deep down, that he was simply jealous, but he'd rather die before admitting it to his father.
"Oh? Then why didn't you train as hard as your sister? I seem to remember a time or two when Lynne and Trini would practice at the dojo when you guys preferred to hang out in the park instead … you could easily have come with them, couldn't you? In fact, I'm pretty sure I invited you explicitly to come along, to train with the older kids."
"Er, uh … yeah, I guess," the dark-haired boy, a spitting image of Jason at the same age, mumbled. He lowered his head to hide his embarrassed blush. His best buddy did the same.
"Is that all there is to it? You are jealous of your sisters?" Tommy wanted to know. "Because if it is, I'm very disappointed in you guys. I'd have thought you'd be proud of them instead!"
Two dark heads jerked up at that notion, eyes wide with surprise. Clearly, that hadn't occurred to either boy. "Huh?" they chorused.
"Think about it," Jason suggested. "How many kids do you know whose younger sisters are so good at karate – or any sport, for that matter? And it should be a relief for you to know that both Lynne and Trini can take care of themselves if someone should try and bully them."
Jay bit his lip reflectively, chewing that over. Then he addressed Oliver. "Yeah … remember how Bobby Parkinson's little sister always comes whining to him when an older kid tells her to bug off during recess? He always has to go help her … "
"And we never have to," Oliver nodded. "I guess they do know how to handle stuff."
"And isn't that something to be proud of?" Tommy asked. "Or would you prefer it differently?"
"No!" Jay exclaimed, horrified at the mere thought. "It's enough that the other kids always tell us what they are up to …"
"Yeah. I can't wait to go to Junior High – no more baby sisters for two years," Oliver added innocently. "It's such a pain when all the teachers compare you to her, how her homework is always so much neater than mine … oops!" He swallowed hard. That hadn't been supposed to slip out!
Jason bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. Even so, he hoped the kids wouldn't catch the amused wobble in his voice. "It sounds to me as if we'll have to have a talk soon about your attitude towards schoolwork in general, young man."
"Yes, sir," the boy sighed.
"Not tonight, though; tomorrow's time enough. Now off to bed with you two."
"But Dad, it's Saturday," Oliver protested. "And only half past eight! We always stay up longer!"
"Yeah, going to bed now is for babies," Jay scoffed indignantly. "We're ten!"
"You think you have deserved a later curfew today, after the way you behaved?"
Jay gulped and darted a quick glance at his father. "Uh …"
"Don't push it, Jay," Tommy warned. "Or I'll rethink my decision not to punish you any further."
Oliver nudged his friend. "C'mon. I'll show you this neat new game I got." It wasn't the energetic fun they were used to having on sleepovers, but right now it was better than nothing – and it certainly beat a harsher punishment!
"Lights out in half an hour. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Dad."
"Sure, Uncle Jase."
Jason grinned and ruffled both boys' hair. "Good night then. Sleep well."
"Night …"
The boys, too, collected their nightly hugs, although they declined their mothers' kisses, then marched off, already squabbling amicably over who got to sleep on the top bunk. The four friends watched them go, but dared not give in to their laughter until they heard the door to Oliver's room fall into the lock.
"'Stinky shrimp'?" Kim giggled. "Where in the world did Jay pick that up?"
"Beats me," Tommy grinned. "Probably the same place Oliver got 'stupid airhead'!"
"I really liked Trini's word – 'eegertissical'," Jason chuckled. "Even if it took me a second to translate."
~*~
"At least I knew where you'd heard 'show-off jerk'," Kat smiled at her grinning daughter. "It was on that TV show you liked to watch at the time, wasn't it? That teenage sitcom?"
"Oh god, yes," Lynne groaned. "What was it called again … oh, I have it: 'Malory Towers'! One of the main characters was always saying it to the guy she was secretly in love with …"
"It had the most aggravating theme music; whenever it was on TV, I couldn't get rid of the tune for hours," her mother complained, scowling when Lynne cheekily hummed a few bars of the old melody. "Thanks a lot!"
"That's what Jase and I wanted to say to you and Kim that night," Tommy commented, still caught up in the memory. "You two left us pretty much hanging, with stopping this lot from fighting and everything!"
"Oh, but you were both doing so well," Kat said ingeniously, a twinkle in her blue eyes. "Being the stern patriarchs …" She snickered when her fiancé glared at her.
"Hmph."
Through the general laughter, Trini looked up at Tommy. "Actually, Dad, it made a much bigger impression on me that you were the one calling me on the carpet for once – usually it was Mom."
Sounds of agreement came from both her brother and the Oliver siblings.
"You make it sound as if I never disciplined you," Tommy protested. "I know I did …"
"Yeah, for the really big stuff, like that time when we got caught TP'ing the football coach's car," Jay said. "But Trini's right, Mom was the one who dealt with the ordinary, day-to-day stuff, like name-calling, homework not done and so on."
"That's how you and Dad handled things, too, right Mom?" Lynne asked Kat.
"It just worked out that way," she shrugged. "Initially, we'd intended to share the 'bringing up' equally, but …"
"That sounds like something right out of 'Anne of Green Gables', Aunt Kat," Rachel smiled. "Only, I really can't see you as Marilla; you're not stern enough."
The men looked rather puzzled at the reference; they had never read the classic novels. But it was forgotten with Jasmine's next question, directed at her husband.
"So, did you ever jump a grade in karate?"
She got her answer almost immediately in Lynne and Trini's wicked chuckles.
"No, I didn't," Oliver groused, "and neither did Jay. That's one thing you pests always had over us." The look he gave his sister and her friend was supposed to be reproachful, but he couldn't hide the deep affection he held for both. Nor did he really want to; normal sibling spats notwithstanding, the Oliver and Scott children loved each other as much as their parents ever did.
"Aww. Will you ever forgive us?" Trini simpered at her childhood friend with false sweetness, but the laughter changed to good-natured groans when Jay tilted up Lynne's chin and kissed her gently.
"I know I've forgiven you at least," he murmured to his wife. To his sister, he only said, "and if you think I'll ever forget how you continued to rub it in for the next six months at least, you have another think coming! Stinky shrimp," he added, winking merrily.
"Why, you …!" Trini sputtered, but found herself restrained from committing major mayhem on her brother by Ramon, who could barely control his mirth. That was one nickname he'd have to remember; his wife was sometimes so easy to tease … and he so loved the reconciliation part!
"Whoa, easy, easy, you two! Take your fights to the dojo if you must; we can't afford to replace Lynne's furniture!"
"Now I know what I miss about not living at home," Jared commented to Rachel under his breath. "My sibs fighting with the Oliver kids. I feel like I'm in preschool all over again."
Kat and Tommy exchanged a long look and shared a wry smile. Really, in moments like this it was hard to remember that their children were supposedly mature, responsible adults by now. Shaking her head in fond exasperation, Kat reached for her coffee cup to take a sip while Tommy tucked the picture that had started it all back into its proper place. Raising his voice slightly to be heard over the general din, he turned the scrapbook's page.
"Why don't we go on to the next photograph?"
To Be Continued ...