Growling Spot stalked back down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"What's the matter?" Rae asked when he returned.

"Andy," he said, dropping into the chair beside her.

"Acting up again?" she said.

"Yes."

She shook her head. "I wonder what's gotten into him."

"I don't know."

Molly stood and began grabbing bowls. "I'll clean the kitchen."

"Thank you Molly," Spot said.

"I'll help," North volunteered.

"You don't have too..." Molly started.

"It will give us a chance to get to know each other," North said.

"Um... okay." She nodded and led North into the kitchen.

Blank turned to the other Wayne children. "Why don't you go play outside while there is still some light." They glanced at one another uncertainly before filing away from the table and out the door.

Spot turned to Rae. "You are going to bed."

"We have company!" she protested.

"It doesn't matter. Trent said you need rest, so you're going to at least get a little."

"Spot..." she whined.

He gave her a little smile. "That didn't work when Andy tried it, and it's not going to work now."

She huffed and attempted to stand. Slipping his arm around her waist, he helped her along. "Thanks," she murmured.

"Anytime sweetheart."

She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. "Feel."

He paused and a small grin appeared on his lips when he felt the thumps of little feet.

"He sure his an active little guy," Rae said.

"Who said it was a boy?" he asked.

"Just a feeling."

"We'll just see about that."

"Yes... we will." She smiled.

He led her into their room and grabbed one of her nightgowns. "Why don't we move our room downstairs..."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," she said, wheezing slightly from the strain of the climb upstairs.

"At least we have plenty of help."

She nodded. "Nearly too much."

He helped her change and tucked her into bed. "Get some rest."

She kissed him softly. "I'll try."

There was a soft knock on the door. "Yes?" they called simultaneously. Kendra and Sam peeked their heads into the room.

Rae smiled faintly seeing them. "What do you two need?"

"We wanted a bedtime story," Kendra said. Sam nodded.

"All right, come in. Spot, are there any books around here that I can read them?"

He grabbed a book off the table beside the bed. "I left it right here."

"All right." She opened the book of fairytales. "Which one do you want to hear?"

"Sno' White!" Kendra said, jumping on the bed.

Turning the page to Snow White, she began to read.

Spot stood and left the room.  When he came back half an hour later all three of them were sound asleep.

Smiling to himself, he gently scooped up Kendra and carried her to her room. When he returned, he put Sam in his bed as well and, kissing both him and Rae on their foreheads, quietly left the room.

* * *

"Andrew told me about Kendra," North said softly as she and Molly cleaned the kitchen. Molly dropped a glass and turned quickly from her. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I... it's okay... just... just... how come he told you?"

"He's worried about you, Molly."

She sighed, crouching down and cleaning up the broken glass. "He always is...."

"Can we talk, Molly?"

She was quiet for a long time before she nodded. "I... I guess."

"I went through the same feelings that you're going through, Molly."

".... I don't understand..."

"Molly...my father forced me to...sell myself..."

She stared at North wide-eyed. "Your own father," she gasped.

North nodded. "Yes. My own father."

"But... how could he do such a thing?"

"He's a horrible man, Molly. The only thing he loved about me was the fact that I made him money."

She frowned, looking shocked.

"When your brother first showed interest in my I thought I wasn't worthy of his affection."

"My brother doesn't do things lightly," she assured North.

"It took months for me to tell him...Do you know what he told me when I finally told him?"

She shook her head. She thought she might be able to guess, but she hadn't seen him in a while.

"He said that as far as he was concerned none of that ever happened. And it wasn't going to change the way he felt about me."

"Now I'd never expect my brother to say that... He'd think it, but he was always too shy to say it." Molly smiled a bit.

North smiled. "That's what makes it mean so much more."

She gave a small laugh.

"I don't know Chris...but I've seen the way he looks at you...It's alright to trust him, Molly."

Glancing away, she didn't reply as she put away the clean dishes.

North took a deep breath. "I'm not sorry if I upset you, Molly."

She sighed. "I figured...."

"I know that you're hurting Molly...but there are people here who want to help you.  They only want what's best for you."

"But EVERYONE thinks they know what's best for me..."

"We're thinking about Kendra too," Spot said from the doorway.

Molly's head whipped around. "I.... didn't know you were listening."

"I just walked in."

She looked down.

"Rae and I both grew up on the streets.  We knew our parents didn't want us.  We don't want Kendra to have to know that her mother didn't want her."

Looking up, she said, " Where did you get that? We weren't talking about her..."

"You said that everyone thinks they KNOW what's best for you.  We don't, but we do WANT what's best for you...and Kendra..."

"I know..." She leaned against the counter and sighed.

Spot nodded. "I'll leave you two girls to finish your talk then," he said, leaving the room.

Molly didn't answer.

"The longer you wait to tell her the more confusing it will be for her," North said, putting away the last of the clean dishes.

"I don't know how to.... tell her, that is."

"The words will come."

"I don't know..."

"I can't tell you what to say, Molly."

"I know.. I know..." She murmured.

"Just think about it," North said, leaving the room.

"I HAVE been thinking about it," she said to herself.

Blank was waiting in the hallway when North left the kitchen. "Well?"

North frowned a little. "Well... she's having a hard time with it..."

He sighed. "She can be so stubborn."

"You and her are the same that way."

He pulled her close. "It's a good thing in my case."

She smiled a bit shyly. "Yes... yes it is."

"Is your brother really that mad at me for forgetting to think about where we all were going to stay?"

"Mmm...." She gave him an impish smile. "Perhaps."

"He'll just have to get over it," he said, poking her in the ribs. "We'll be related soon."

"HIS worst  nightmare," she teased playfully. He poked her again. She giggled.

"Let's go for a walk," he said, winking at her.

She nodded, slipping her hand in his, and they headed out the door. "Where are we going?"

"There's a little lake in the woods behind the house."

"Sounds simply lovely."

Sippi and Jackson came back in as they were leaving.  "Where are you two going?" Sippi asked.

"For a walk," North replied.

"Behave," he said, giving Blank and pointed look.

Blank held up his hands defensively. "I had no intentions of being anything short of a gentleman."

"Good!"

He grinned. "Nice seeing you too, 'Sip."

"Oh, just get out of here," he said, grinning in return.

"Going."

Sippi turned to Jackson, "Go find your sister"

He nodded glumly and went inside.

Sippi followed him and met up with Spot in the hallway. They both stopped and nodded briefly at one another.

"You don't want me here, do you?" Sippi asked after a moment.

"It's nothing against you, 'Sippi... well... not completely anyway..."

"I'll find us a new place to stay first thing in the morning."

"Where will you stay? These people here don't take to strangers..."

Sippi shrugged. "We can always camp out in the woods. Wouldn't be the first time."

"Rae would kill me and then kill you. Me for letting you, and you for thinking of it..." He shrugged.

"I think I'll go look around in town tomorrow anyway...wouldn't hurt."

Again, Spot shrugged. "Fine by me. But you might want to let Rae know what you're up to..."

Sippi snorted.

Rolling his eyes, he continued past him. Spot found Annie and several of Sippi's youngest siblings in the playroom. "Bedtime, Annie," he said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Just five more minutes?" she whined, giving him a wide-eyed puppy look. "Please?"

"No. To Bed."

"Please, Daddy, please?"

"Annie..." he said with a warning tone in his voice. With a sigh, she grudgingly climbed to her feet and left the playroom. "Want me to come tuck you in?" he asked as she trudged down the hall.

She nodded, stopping in her tracks, and waited for him to catch up. "Are they gonna live with us too, Daddy?"

"No! They are only going to be here for a few days...maybe not even that long."

She frowned a little. "I wish they could... It's fun playing with girls and not just Andy all the time."

"I know, sweetheart."

She didn't say much else as they headed back to the room that she was sharing now with Molly.

"Do you not like that man, Daddy?" she finally asked.

"Not... not particularly..."

"Why?"

"Well.. it's hard to explain..."

She sighed deeply. "Is this somethin' else that I'll know when I'm older?"

He smiled and picked her up. "No... not quite... It's just... he loves your momma too... He wanted to marry her before she married me."

"Does she love him too?"

"No... well, not in the way that she and I love each other."

"Why does he love her?"

"I don't know specifically why... everyone loves people differently."

"I don't understand."

He smiled, kissing the top of her head. "That's something you'll definitely have to wait until your older to understand, because you can't really explain it."

She sighed. "Can I hug and kiss Momma goodnight?"

He nodded. "Go ahead."

She ran across the hall and poked her head into Rae's room.

Rae looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. "Hello Ann."

Ann skipped into the room. "Daddy said I could come tell you goodnight."

She smiled, setting the book aside. "Well, I'm glad you came."

Ann crawled onto the bed.

"Night, Momma," she said, giving her a ginger hug so she wouldn't squish Rae's round belly.

Rae took her hand and placed it on her belly. "Feel this."

She was quiet a moment. "What is it?"

"That's the baby telling you goodnight too."

"Goodnight baby!" she said

Rae and Spot grinned at each other.

Giving Rae another hug, she slid off the bed and scampered after Spot. "You can tuck me in now, Daddy."

He smiled and lifted her up into bed. "Sleep tight, sweetheart," he said, kissing the top of her head as he pulled her blankets up around her chin.

She grinned at him and rolled onto her side. "Night Daddy," she murmured, snuggling deeper under her blankets.

"Good night, Annie," he said as he left the room.

He then headed towards Andy and Chris' room. Opening the door, he peered in. "Andy? Are you still awake?"

Andy sighed. "Yes, sir."

He opened the door a little further and stepped in. "Care to talk to me?"

"I guess."

He pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed Andy was seated on. "So talk to me."

"Why did Julie have to die?"

He sighed a little. "I'm not sure..."

"She never did anything bad...and there's all these bad people..."

"I know... I didn't want her to die either... But there always is a reason."

"Can I say goodnight to Momma?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yes, you may."

Andy walked across the hall and knocked on the door.

Stifling a yawn, she said, "Come in."

He poked his head in the door. "Night, Momma."

She smiled. "Come give me a hug?"

He crept over to the bed and gave her a hug and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Andy." She kissed his forehead. "Sleep well, okay?" He nodded and ran from the room. With another sleepy smile, she snuggled down under her blankets and fell asleep.

Spot walked back downstairs to find Chris and Molly.

"You two okay?"

Chris looked up from where he was kneeling in front of Molly who was sitting on the kitchen floor. "She won't talk to me."

Spot frowned. "Molly? What's the matter?"

"Why can't everyone just leave me alone," she cried, bursting into tears and burying her face in her hands.

Chris looked at her worriedly, uncertain whether or not he ought to try and comfort her or just leave her alone. He looked at Spot as if he could tell him the answer.

"Go to bed, Molly," Spot said.

Standing, she ran to her room, sobbing.