Kenny rejoined the trio on the couch, and didn't know what to say as Max looked up expectantly at him. I want her to be happy, he thought, if I could give her one thing that would be it. For more then five minutes. He shook his head slightly at her, before finally saying. "I'm so sorry. Her heart gave out."

Max swallowed quickly, and vowed not to fall apart in front of Samantha and Nathan. "Oh god. Caroline."

"My Mom is dead," Samantha whispered, as Nate began to sob. "My Mom can't be dead! She's my Mom!"

"Oh, Sweetie," Max whispered hoarsely. "I'm so sorry."

"No! I don't believe you," Samantha cried, jumping up from the couch. "You're lying!"

Nate buried his head in Max's chest and continued to cry, as she tried to find something to say to her hysterical niece. "I wish it was a lie."

"No," Samantha screamed. "She's not dead! She's not!"

Turning on her heel, she sprinted out in the hall with her vision blurred by tears.

"I'll find her," Kenny said softly, squeezing Max's hand in his. "You two will be okay here?"

"Go," Max answered, smoothing back Nathan's hair, and gulping back her tears. "We'll be fine."

Kenny stepped out in the direction that Samantha disappeared in, and heard sobbing coming from down the hall. Walking quickly toward the sound, he paused before knocking softly on the door to his right. "Uh, Samantha?"

"Go away," she whispered. "You probably killed my Mom. I don't know you."

Kenny ignored her insult, as he took a few steps closer. "We don't know each other, you're right about that. And I'm sorry for that. Your aunt only says good things about you."

Samantha wiped her nose. "Aunt Maxie is cool. She never took any of Grandfather's crap. You're not going to tell my Dad I said crap?"

"I've said worse," Kenny replied. "I'm sorry about your mom, Samantha, but I think your brother probably needs you right now."

"Where is my Dad?"

"I'm not sure," Kenny lied, not wanting to traumatize her any more today. "We can probably find out though. What do you say we take a walk?"

Samantha shook her head. "I don't want to go back yet. Are you a police officer too?"

Kenny nodded. "That's how I met your aunt. We work together."

"I heard Dad and grandfather say that Aunt Maxie was wasting her life," Samantha said quietly. "And that they wanted her to move back here and marry Richard Barrington. My mom hated him. He's gross. Do you catch people who kill other people?"

Kenny nodded. "All of the time."

"Can you catch the person who killed my Mom?"

"I'll do my best."

"I want to go see Nate now."

17171717171717

"They're both asleep," Kenny said a few hours later, joining Max back in their room. "Samantha reminds me of you. That same fiery temperament . . . How are you doing, Honey?"

"I don't know what you said to her," Max trailed off, rubbing her temples. "Caro was worried about that. She always had a mouth on her, and I know Dad didn't like that."

"She's a scared kid, Max," Kenny said softly. "Who just lost her Mom. She looks up to you though. She says you're cool."

Max smiled wistfully. "Why Caro? Of everyone there . . . why her?"

"These things happen," Kenny replied, joining her on the bed. "It hurts, I know that. We'll never know why, and remember the good times you had. Keep her alive in your memories, and in the lives of her kids."

"And you think you never say the right thing," Max replied, laying her head on his shoulder. "What do we tell them?"

"Don't worry about it yet," Kenny said, stroking her hair. "Get some rest. It'll all seem better in the morning."

"I'm not so sure," Max argued without much vigor. "I'm tired of burying people, Kenny. Tired of funerals, mourning, and this ache in my chest. Do you still think the good times outweigh the bad?"

He tilted her head up, so he could look into her eyes. "Yeah, I do. The little things add up. You know one of the things I like best about being married to you? I love watching you wake up in the morning, the way you scrunch up your nose and bury your face in the pillow. Or the way you'll do something totally unexpected, and catch me off guard. Whether it's dropping your towel at my feet after you get out of the shower, or try to cook something. The way you say my name. The way you kiss me. There's so much good between us, Max. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love you, damn it. You and Em are the two most important people in the world to me."

Max stroked his cheek softly before responding. "I love you too. I love the way you'll have a tea party with Emily. The way you look at me like I'm the only person in the room. The way you hold me."

"The way we christened every room in our house," he said softly. "And the lake."

Max smiled. "That was fun. I pulled muscles I didn't know I had. You always make me feel better about myself. I wish I could do the same."

"You do," he replied. "And you might call me a chauvinist for this, but I like taking care of you and Em. Call it macho if you want to, and I know you can take care of yourself. It makes me feel good to know that you need me."

Max nodded, and tried to stifle a yawn. "It's nice to know that there is someone who cares that much about me."

He pulled the covers back. "I always have . . . It's getting late. How about going to bed now?"

17171717171717

"Oh Jimmy," Jill said quietly, as he filled her in on yesterday's events. "Those poor kids, losing their Mom like that. How are they? What's going to happen to them?"

"I'm not sure," he sighed. "They looked like they had cried a lot when they got back from the hospital yesterday, and Max stayed with them until they went to bed."

"How is she doing?"

"She looks like she's ready to drop," Jimmy replied. "But is trying to hold it together for them. And she's pregnant, Jill. Through all of this she has been, and had no idea."

"She is? How far along is she Jimmy? Is the baby okay?"

"Four months, and yes," Jimmy replied, nodding toward a sleeping Emily. "Someone is going to have a sibling again soon."

17171717171717

"Hmm," Max groaned, burying her face in the pillow, at the knock on the door. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine," Kenny muttered, glancing at the clock and at her.

"I want to ignore it," she replied sleepily. "Kenny?"

"Aunt Maxie," they heard faintly. "Are you awake?"

"You can't ignore that," he countered, tossing the covers off. "Time to wake up."

She glared at him, as he went to open the door. "You're such a morning person."

"Stop being so grumpy," he called back, as he opened the door. "You two are up early."

Samantha smiled shyly up at him, "It's not early."

"You want to go wake your aunt up? I've had enough stuff thrown at me over the last few years. She's got a good arm."

"Like what?" Nate asked.

"You're hysterical," Max called, hauling herself out of bed, and joining them. "Good morning. How are you two?"

"I'm hungry," Nate piped up. "I want Carla's pancakes."

"Carla isn't here dummy," Samantha said. "She's back at the house. Can we go back there? Is that where Dad is?"

"He's not there," Max said carefully. "Nate, we can order you some pancakes though."

"What's going on? I want to know," Samantha demanded. "My Mom is dead, and no one will tell me anything!"

"What do you want to know?," Max asked. "A lot has happened, and it hasn't been good. I don't want either of you to have to suffer any more then you have too."

"Everything!"

"Hey, slow down," Kenny cut in, not too sure what to say to a 14 year old, "There's still stuff we don't know, and I we don't want to tell you anything that isn't true. The last thing your aunt and I want to do is lie to you."

Samantha took a deep breath. "Did my Dad kill my Mom? Is that what you don't want to tell me?"

"No, he didn't," Max replied truthfully, although your grandmother did. "Your father . . . he's with the police right now. They're talking, and trying to work some stuff out. I know it's hard and confusing, but it's all going to get sorted out."

"Is Dad going to jail?" Nate whispered.

"What about Grandfather? He's not a nice person," Samantha added.

They're smart kids, Max thought sadly, and they've seen a lot more then I ever did, as Samantha continued. "He's there too? He sounded so mad when he talked about you and Mom."

"He's there too," Kenny finally answered. "And they wouldn't want both of you to worry about them. Your father and grandfather care about you, and they wouldn't want you to worry. We'll let you know what is going to happen with them, when we know."

"Okay," Samantha agreed softly. "Thank you."

17171717171717

"It's so good to see you," Jill said, pulling Max into a hug a few hours later. "Congratulations too. I want to do a full examination of you when you get home."

"Thanks," Max replied with a small smile, "I'm fine. So is the baby. Don't worry about me."

"I'm sure you're more glad to see Emily," Jill countered, nodding toward the happy and laughing little girl in Kenny's arms. "She's missed you, both of you."

"I missed her too," Max said, thinking about how she almost balled when Jill brought her in. "I didn't think it was possible to miss someone that much."

Jill smiled at her young friend. "Oh it is. And how are you doing? And your niece and nephew?"

"They're confused, and I don't know what to tell them. Kenny's been wonderful with them though. And me."

"Are you going to tell them everything?"

"At some point," Max trailed off. "It's all so awful, and they're so young. Do they really need to hear it?"

"It would be better coming from you, then them finding out some other way," Jill answered wisely. "What's going to happen to them? With their mother gone and their father . . . where are they going?"

Max paused. I haven't thought about that she realized. Michael's family is gone, and mine is all going to prison. There isn't anybody else . . . She shot her husband a thoughtful glance before replying. "I don't know. With everything else that's been going on . . . I don't know."

"You should probably figure that out," Jill said softly. "They're going to need a home, and family to support them."

"Max," she heard Kenny call from the other side of the room. "Phone."

17171717171717

"Where's Aunt Maxie?" Samantha asked.

"Did she go away too?" Nate continued, "Is everyone going to go away?"

"She had to go and run some errands," Kenny said truthfully, as Emily crawled into his lap. "She's coming back."

Samantha studied the younger girl. "Is she my cousin? She's so little. What's her name? How old is she?"

"Almost two," Kenny replied, bouncing the squealing little girl. "And she's your cousin Emily."

"Is she your only kid?"

Kenny paused before replying, as he thought of Josh. Then of Max's pregnancy, "We had another one, but he died a few months ago. You want to know a secret?"

The both nodded quickly, as he continued. "Your aunt is pregnant, so you'll have another cousin soon."

17171717171717

"So that's it? It can happen that quickly," Max replied surprised to Morell's statement. "I can't believe it."

"We're the FBI," he replied with a shrug. "And you did one hell of a job with this, and we want for you to be able to put all of this behind you. Your father and Richard Barrington are going to prison for life," Morell repeated, "For all of the murders they committed. Michael cut a deal that shortens his sentence to 15 years for aiding and abetting and embezzling. And your mother is getting 12 for manslaughter. I am sorry, Maxine. For all of this."

"Me too," she replied, as she let the events replay over in her mind. "It just doesn't seem real to me yet. How could so much happen in such a short time?"

Morell shrugged again. "Good question. When is your sister's funeral going to be?"

"On Saturday. It'll give Samantha and Nate a chance to say good bye," Max trailed off. "They were asking about Michael . . . does he want to see them? They probably shouldn't, but . . . should they? They didn't get to say good bye to their mom, and it's got to be tough to not say good bye to both parents. "

"It's up to you," Morell replied. "What about you? Do you want to see your parents before we ship them off?"

Max felt an involuntary shudder go through her. "No, not really. At least not yet. It's all too raw. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive them for this, and I don't know what I'll say or do if I'm in a room alone with them. Not now, maybe not ever."

17171717171717

"Aunt Maxie is having a baby?" Samantha repeated. "When?"

"It's August now, so sometime around the end of December, or beginning of January," Kenny replied.

"Oh," she replied. "So Emily will have a new brother or sister?"

"Yeah," Kenny agreed. "We're both getting excited about it, even if it was a shock."

"I guess you're both going to be busy with Emily and a new baby," Samantha added.

Kenny shrugged. "Em's pretty easy going, most of the time. She's stubborn like her mom, and it'll be different having a baby in the house."

"Come on Nate, lets go back to our room," Samantha said standing.

"Hey, I thought you wanted to go down to the pool," Kenny asked. "And get out of these rooms for awhile."

"Yeah," Nate cried, jumping off of the bed. "Can we, Samantha? Please?"

"Fine," she agreed flatly. "That'll be good."

17171717171717

"You look exhausted," Kenny commented later that night. "You want to fill me in on what happened with Morell?"

Max sighed, as she slid her feet out of her shoes. "The short version is that they're all going to prison for awhile, some longer then others. Various deals were cut through their attorneys, so it won't drag out in court."

"That's good at least for Samantha and Nate."

"Yeah," she agreed softly. "Kenny? Should they see Michael before he's put in jail? They're so young, but shouldn't they get to say good bye to at least one of their parents?"

"They've been through a lot, and despite your need for closure on everything, Honey . . . they're kids. I'd give them some time before they do anything like that," Kenny replied, joining her on the bed. "What about you? Are you going to see them?"

"No."

Kenny sat back surprised by her curt response. "Really? Why?"

Max shook her head. "I don't want to ever see them again. Ever. I want him dead Kenny for what he did. I won't ever be able to forgive him for this. No matter how he felt about me, he should have never killed Josh. What was he thinking?"

He pulled her close to his side before responding, hating how hurt she still was. "It made sense to him, but we'll never know. Maybe it's better that way."

"Yeah," she agreed softly. "What about Samantha and Nate?"

"What about them?"

Max glanced up at him, not sure how to approach the subject. "After I talked to Morell, Tom Graham came to see me. He is the third partner in the firm, and he had a copy of Michael and Caro's will. Um, he went through the basics, and Michael's family is all dead. And Caro's and mine is all going to prison. Mom and Dad were going to have custody if something happened to them, but well you know. So that leaves us."

Kenny regarded her silently for a minute. "Max . . . We need to think about it. It's a big responsibility you're talking about. Plus, you're pregnant. That's four kids instead of two."

"You wanted six at one point."

"That was before we had any, and I didn't know any better," he countered. "They're good kids, and I had fun with them today at the pool. Could I sleep on it at least? We don't need to decide today."

Max bit her tongue before replying, not knowing what she had hoped he would say. "Okay. I know it's a lot to deal with."

"Is it what you want?"

She shook her head. "I hardly know them, Kenny, and that sounds horrible. Samantha is a teenager, and Nate's seven. If they're going to be put with strangers, I'd rather it be us then in some foster home."

Kenny smoothed her hair back, mulling over what she was saying. "They like you, Honey. Samantha even said that you were cool. That's a big compliment coming from a teen. We need to talk about this, but not now. Pregnant women need their rest, and you get cranky."

Max sighed, before she smiled at him. He hovered when I was pregnant the first time, I'm sure he's going to be worse this time. "Could I get a goodnight kiss at least?"

"Happily."

17171717171717

"There isn't anyone here," Jill whispered, glancing around the empty church. "Is this the right place? How could no one show up?"

Jimmy shrugged. "It's the right place. Short notice for a funeral I guess."

"Still there should be someone at least. Didn't she have any friends?"

"It's a complicated situation," Jimmy replied, waving Kenny and Max over as they came in. "Here are a few more."

"Where is everyone?" Samantha asked. "I saw the announcement in the newspaper. I thought some of my friends from school would be here. And Mom's."

They were probably afraid of the bad press, thinking of the scathing articles in the newspaper lately about my family and what they did, Max thought before replying. "It's still early. They're probably on their way."

Samantha nodded, as her eyes traveled to the urn silently as Nate asked. "My Mom's in there? Can I see her?"

Shit, how do I answer that, Max thought, knowing that Caro would of had the perfect response, as Kenny cut I., "It's not really her in there Nate. It's more of a, uh, symbol, of who she was."

Jimmy stepped back and observed his two deputies closely for a moment without saying anything. Max, still too thin to be four, almost five, months pregnant, with her hair all grown out, and with Nathan pressing close to her side. Kenny holding Emily, and Samantha looking up at him in awe. They way Kenny kept looking at Max, his fingers grazing hers. The way that she turned to him to meet his gaze and smiled. They're a family, Jimmy realized then, looking at the two children that he bet would soon be a part of it. Or at least he assumed that they would be.

Jill nudged him with her elbow. "They do look cute, but they both have some big decisions to make. Soon."

Jimmy nodded. "That they do."

"Excuse me," the minister cut in softly, "Do you all wish to start?"

17171717171717

"You would think some more people would've shown up," Kenny said later that afternoon after the burial. "It just doesn't seem right somehow."

Jimmy nodded thoughtfully. "The people the mattered to her were there. That's what is important."

Kenny shot a glance over at his wife before responding. "Yeah. It just seems so final now, and neither of us are too sure of what comes next. Life has been so strange lately . . . It's gonna be weird to go home again."

"Have the two of you talked about what you're going to do?"

Kenny shrugged. "Sort of. The pregnancy was a shock, although a good one. She's still healing from all of this, but we're both moving on."

"It just takes time," Jimmy replied, nodding. "What about Caroline's kids? Where are they going?"

"That's complicated," Kenny replied, not sure he wanted to delve into it right now, "There isn't anyone else to take them. With Max pregnant and Emily, it's a lot to take on. She wants to, but even she said that she hardly knows them. I don't know."

"What do you want to do?"

"We can't just leave them here. They need a place to live, and some stability after all that has happened. We could make it work. Somehow. Max is too stubborn to have it any other way."

Samantha took a deep breath, and sunk out of the room. They don't really want us, she thought, but why would they? We're not their kids, and Nate and me don't even know Aunt Maxie that well. But they've been so nice to us. If they don't want us, we don't want them. Slipping back into her room, she crawled back into bed with Nate and tried not to cry.

17171717171717

"Hey," Kenny said softly, after Jimmy and Jill left. "We need to talk."

Max glanced up at him curiously, before nodding. "Okay."

"You up to it? It's been a long day," he asked. "And I felt you tossing and turning all last night."

She shot him a mock glare, touched and annoyed at how well he knew her. "I'm good, I promise. Talk to me, Kenny. Is it Nate and Samantha?"

"Yeah," he agreed, not surprised that she could read him so easily. "You want to take them with us."

"And you don't?"

"That's not what I said, and you know it. Don't pick a fight now, Max, I'm way too tired," he countered. "They're good kids, I know that. I don't know if we know what we'd be getting ourselves into with this. In few months that'll be four kids, one being a newborn. We both work, a lot."

Max nodded slowly. "It would be a change, and probably not an easy one."

"They're your family," Kenny replied. "Mine too now."

"Are you sure? I know it's asking a lot."

"I'm sure, Max," he replied, joining her on the bed. "You know what I keep thinking about?"

She shook her head, as he continued. "That story you told me about your eighth birthday the other day. You, in pink ruffles jumping in a mud puddle, and then being thrown around like that. Let's give these two a chance to get messy and be kids."

Max looked at him thoughtfully before nodding. "You're wonderful, do you know that? I don't know many people who would take in someone else's children. Especially in a situation like this."

He cupped her face in his hands. "What do we have to do to make this happen?"