Another author's note thingy: No swearing in this one, but I just thought I should tell you guys that I'm going to let the actual show writers write what happens with Colin. I just know if I wrote one thing, the next week's episode would have the complete opposite happen, and then where would I be? So, if the whole Colin story takes a side step, that's why. Okay, enjoy! There are a few cute scenes in this one. (aren't there always?)

~Lady Jenna ^_-

"Okay, there is to be no drinking, sneaking out, tattooing, piercing, setting things of fire, swearing, drugs, and, you smoke?" Dr. Brown asked Cory as Cory placed a newly lit cigarette into his mouth. The two were standing out in front of the Brown's house. Cory had a duffel bag at his feet. Dr. Brown ripped the cigarette from his nephew's lips and threw it into the snow. Cory frowned.

"I try to," Cory said. Dr. Brown took pack from Cory's hands.

"These are bad for you! I have charts, would you like to see them?" Dr. Brown asked him. Cory sighed.

"You smoked."

"And I quit."

"And things just got better after that, didn't they?" Cory asked him. Dr. Brown fell silent and glared at the boy. Cory didn't look him in the eyes, in fear the widowed man might give him such a stare that Cory would apologize.

"Buffalo…" Dr. Brown reminded him. Cory sighed and nodded. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a lighter. He handed it to Dr. Brown, picked up his duffel bag, and walked over to the house. Dr. Brown looked down at the lighter. It was adorned with a picture of Homer Simpson. Dr. Brown sighed, placed the lighter safely into his pocket, and followed the boy into the house.

Delia had led Cory up the stairs and into his room. He peeked through the doorframe before actually entering the room. It was monochromatic, bare, and half the size of his room on the other side of town. Cory frowned but walked inside of the room. Delia left him there but Cory didn't notice or care. An entire weekend here. Cory would be happier on the streets, even if it was snowing. But, Cory's uncle had a point, if this went well, Cory's mom might see Dr. Brown was okay here by himself, and they could all go back to Buffalo where they belonged. Cory kind of was the ultimate test of parenting. Ephram was a pansy compared to him. Of course, though, Dr. Brown would know he didn't actually pass the test. He cheated. He had Cory on his side. But, his uncle could worry about that later, after he was done celebrating their leaving.

Mack walked into the living room casually taking a bite from the carrot he held in his hand. Edna and Irv were busy at Monopoly again. Mack walked over and sat in a chair and watched them. Ein jumped up onto the armrest and sat there. He was staring at Mack, knowing ever since the shaving incident, Mack was a bit unnerved by the small creature's presence. In hopes of appeasing the creature, Mack forfeited the carrot. Ein took it and jumped off of the armrest and trotted off. Mack sighed in relief and turned to his grandfather and step-grandmother.

"You know people usually go out on Friday nights…" Mack pointed out, in case the two had forgotten.

"Not when they have a kid to take care of," Edna responded.

"I can take care of myself," Mack told her. Edna turned her head to look at him.

"I meant Jig…" Edna told him. Mack paused.

"I knew that. So, do you really trust her with that guy?" Mack asked, looking backward at Jig's closed door.

"Who, Orrie? He's a nice guy, despite everything…" Edna told him. Mack turned back around to face them, an eyebrow raised.

"Despite what?" he asked curiously. Irv answered him this time, it being Edna's move.

"Have you heard about Dr. Star Cather?" Irv asked him. Mack nodded.

"Yea, a fruit who tries to cure fruits…"

"Yes, well, she's Orrie's mother," Irv told him. Mack's mouth dropped open.

"Jig's dating a nut?"

"They're not dating," Edna said. Irv looked up at her, but ultimately decided to let it slide.

"He's also Dr. Brown's nephew," Irv added. Mack sighed and leaned back in the chair.

"Jesus, they're moving in as families now… What else have I missed?"

"Colin Hart was in a coma," Edna told him. Mack nodded.

"Yea, Bright told me. I'm going to swing by and see him on my way outta here."

"He might not recognize you, Mack, he's a little out of it…" Irv told him. Mack nodded.

"Yea, Bright told me that too. Hey, someone will call me when he's fully recovered right? I'd like to see him."

"Consider it done," Irv reassured him. Mack nodded, smiling.

"Good. He's a nice guy. It wouldn't be right if something irreversibly bad happened to him."

"Some times bad things just happen to good people, kid," Edna told him. Mack turned his eyes away from her and looked at the ground. It was hard to find a person who knew that better than Mack.

Mack stood up and walked over to the hallway leading to his room. As he passed Jig's room he noticed her door had opened slightly. The space between the door and the doorframe seemed just large enough to fit a raccoon through it. Curious and hidden by the darkness of the hallway Mack looked inside of the room. Jig and Orrie were standing and searching over Jig's great wall of pictures. Mack didn't like Jig. But he knew her. They were the same, him and her. They had both lived through the same things. She never met her father, neither did he. Her mother was dead, so was his. She was being raised (at least in part) by Irv, and so had he. It hadn't been hard for Mack to find out about Jig's parents. She frequently talked in her sleep, she told him everything. Not that she knew it.

There was something about her he admired, though, among the things he hated. She had been old enough, situated enough, to realize exactly what had happened in her life. Mack was two. All he figured was his mother was on vacation leaving him with his grandparents. He had been positive she would return someday. He even made things for her, for when she came to pick him up. Then years went by, Mack grew up, and finally he understood. But Jig always knew. When she was told her mother had been killed, she knew enough about all of the hate and stupidity that led to it. Yet, some how, she smiled everyday. She got up, dressed, laughed, and went on like no such horrible things existed. At night, though, at night, she would scream. She would yell and cry, no doubt reliving the night over in her mind. No doubt imagining her mother's last moments. Mack's mother died in her sleep. No horrible thing, nothing to keep him awake at night, just cancer. His mom was sick. Death came as a great relief to her, it was her time. Jig's mom was taken. Mack's left.

"So who are we looking for?" Orrie asked as he and Jig searched her wall. She had been in Everwood only about two months or so now, and the wall was almost filled. She needed maybe five more pictures to fill it. A wall made entirely out of smiling men. It was weird, but not totally unbelievable.

"Isaac. He's up here a few times. I want to tell you about him," Jig told Orrie. Orrie smiled and shook his head.

"I already know," he confessed. She turned to him sharply.

"What!" she demanded.

"When you first told me about him I was a little, curious. So I did a cross check on 'Juliet Green' and 'Isaac' online," he explained. Jig was staring at him in awe. Not anger, simply awe. He was expecting to get hit, considering he had gone behind her back like that. But in all fairness, he hadn't kissed her then. Jig sighed and turned back to the wall, some how immediately finding a picture of Isaac.

"So, what do you think?"

"Isaac De La Vega, Jig. Wow…" he said, still looking over the wall. He found a picture of himself. Jig chuckled slightly.

"For the record, he was just Isaac Graham growing up. He changed to Isaac De La Vega when, well, you know," Jig said with a smile. Orrie nodded.

"But still, that has to be neat…" Orrie said. Jig scoffed.

"What? Neat? Having a friend you never see? Getting letters and gifts, but never seeing his face? He only calls me in the middle of the night, because he's in London or somewhere and keeps forgetting about the time change!" Jig complained and Orrie laughed.

"You miss him, that's cute…"

"I miss who he was. I miss being his equal…" Jig corrected him with a solemn look on her face. Orrie frowned slightly.

"You're still his equal, Jig. He's still the same, I'm sure."

"It's hard to be the same when the entire world thinks you've changed," she said and they both fell silent.

"The world doesn't know who he was, they can't judge. You can…"

"No I can't. I haven't even seen him since the fu-" Jig said but cut herself short. Orrie didn't press. Quickly he remembered something and walked over to his bag. He pulled out a five by seven photograph and taped it to one of the few open spaces. Curious Jig walked over and looked at it. The picture was of Ein, only he had a Cheshire Cat grin cut out and placed on his snout. Jig laughed and hugged Orrie's arm.

"I thought you would like that," he told her. She hugged his arm tighter.

"I do. But we better move it up so he can't see it," Jig said moving it. The two of them gave a look over their shoulders to see Ein laying on his back on Jig's bed, asleep.

Ephram and Desi were walking down one of Everwood's streets. It was one of the streets closest to Ephram's house, because, despite living there for now four months, Ephram still got very lost at times. Desi had lived in Everwood all of her life but rarely walked its streets. She had actually lived much of her life in that huge mansion. It was certainly large enough to live in forever and never be bored. When she went out she was chauffeured. So now Ephram actually had a better idea of where they were then Desi did. Actually they were walking pretty near the town limits, close to the woods' edge. Every sidewalk had been shoveled clean of snow and ice so there was no worry of slipping, and a soft, gentle snow was falling. Winter break would begin next Friday, Christmas not falling far behind it. Desi said it was always white for Christmas, and Ephram believed her. It was quiet for them, no loud cars honking, no sirens, they barely even said two words to each other. They just stole glances at the other when they didn't notice. But, suddenly, there was a loud burst of noise and a red flare flew up from the tall trees far in front of them. Worried they both took off into a careful run to the forest's edge. It was soon when they heard two people arguing, a man and a woman. After a few moments the two stepped out into the light of the lamppost. Harold and Rose Abbott let out sighs of relief and joy upon once again encountering civilization. They both looked tired and worn, with sweat holding a few strands of hair to their foreheads. Ephram and Desi watched unseen in surprised wonder. The married couple sat in a snow bank in exhaustion.

"Are you okay?" Desi asked worriedly walking over to them. The two jumped upon seeing her, and Dr. Abbott cringed slightly seeing her companion.

"We're fine, aren't we Rose?" Dr. Abbott standing up and straightening to his full height. The only thing to make this evening worse than it was, was for Dr. Andrew Brown to hear about it. Which, his son being there, was more than certain.

"Oh shut up Harold!" Rose yelled at him, too tired to put up with his inflamed ego. Dr. Abbott frowned and strained himself not to turn to look at his wife. Desi walked over to Rose and offered her a hand up.

"Oh, no, no. But, do either of you have a cell phone I can use?" Rose asked them. Ephram offered her the one he had brought, in case they got lost and needed directions. Rose thanked him and dialed a number. She held it to her ear.

"Hi, Bright? It's Mom. Can you come pick us up, your father got us lost," Rose explained to her son.

"I did no suc-!" Dr. Abbott started but his wife waved it off, signaling she was too tired to fight about it now.

"Where are we? Well we're on, uh…" Rose started.

"Berry Street," Desi told her.

"Oh, thank you dear. We're at the end of Berry Street. Okay, how long? Five minutes, we'll be sitting here. Okay. Good bye dear, and be careful," Rose said hanging up and giving Ephram the phone back.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Desi asked Rose who shook her head. Dr. Abbott walked slowly over to Ephram and led him away from Desi and Rose.

"This whole thing, about us getting lost. I would appreciate it if you didn't tell your father, okay?" Dr. Abbott asked him, actually forcing a smile. Ephram looked at him a little confused for awhile.

"Yea, okay, sure…" he said. Dr. Abbott nodded his head.

"Good boy," he said patting Ephram's shoulder. Slowly Desi and Dr. Abbott changed places, Desi joining Ephram and Dr. Abbott joining his wife. Ephram and Desi watched the married couple for a few moments before starting back the way they had come. Neither of them ever laughed at the two, but it was impossible for them to suppress grins.