I'm sorry for the long wait. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Two more minutes and dinner would be finished, Brooke thought as she stirred the macaroni and cheese.

"Good evening," Ridge greeted her as he walked into the kitchen.

"Good evening," she paused, "How did you get in?"

"The key under the flower pot," he replied casually, as he washed his hands and opened the oven.

"I wasn't expecting you- - what are you doing?" she asked as he turned off the oven and moved the pots to the back burners. "I'm trying to finish diner."

"This will be fine for tomorrow night."

"What?" she asked thoroughly confused.

"Unc- - Papa, we're ready," Ricky announced from the doorway of the kitchen with his coat on and Hope by his side.

"Ridge, what's going on? Where do they think we're going?"

"Go get your coat, the kids and I will meet you in the car," he commanded as he ignored her question and ushered the kids out the door.

Something strange was going on and she intended to find out what.

"Ridge, where are we going for dinner?" she asked, as the Range Rover took off.

"Ricky, Hope, how would you like to watch The Lion King?" Ridge asked.

"Yippee," they cried and eagerly reached for the headphones in the pockets in front of them. Ricky helped Hope put her earphones correctly.

Once Ridge was assured the kids were engrossed in the movie, he answered her question. "Dad called a family dinner."

"What?" She stared at Ridge in disbelief. "You are not seriously taking us over there."

Ridge continued to drive.

"Ridge Forrester, turn this car around now."

"No, you and the kids are part of my family so you have to be there."

"For the millionth time- -"

"'I'm not a member of your family,' yes I know and what do I say in response, you're the mother of six of my children which automatically makes you a member of the family."

She wanted to throttle him. Arrogant Ridge was rearing his ugly head again. "Will the mother of your other children be there?" she questioned angrily.

"No, I didn't think it would be appropriate to invite the woman I'm currently divorcing to a family dinner."

Her anger evaporated. "What are you talking about? You were- - are in therapy together?"

"Not anymore. To be truthful, after the second session I knew there was no hope."

"Ridge, I'm- -"

"Save it. It's okay. But you could have told me that she could be a bit self-righteous at times."

"I thought you knew and loved that about her."

Glancing at Brooke, he made sure she saw him rolling his eyes. "Sure you did. Nothing's hotter than a woman who criticizes every decision you make and 90 of the time thinks you're making the wrong ones. Hell, sometimes when Doc was talking, I swear I thought Mother was talking except in Doc speak."

Brooke started laughing so hard tears fell from her eyes.

"It's not funny," Ridge said, trying hard not to laugh.

"Yes, it is."

"It was creepy. Am I crazy or is Doc like my mother in some ways?"

Brooke nodded.

"Oh, that's great. How did I miss that?"

She shrugged.

"You were in love and they say every boy wants to marry his mom."

"That's a lie!"

"You did."

"So I did," he said contemplatively, "so I did."

"What are you going to tell your mother when she asks why I'm here?"

"I'm telling the family tonight."

"You promised you wouldn't."

"No, I said, 'I wouldn't tell until the time is right.'
The time is right. I'm free from Taylor- -"

"Barely- -"

"And I don't think it's fair for the kids to keep this secret any longer."

"Stephie, Phoebe, and Thomas know?"

"Yes, the six of us have been spending time together, not just at your house. Thomas, Phoebe, and Stephie were happy to have new siblings and I think it help take your minds off of the separation and divorce."

Sometimes this therapy going Ridge still shocked her. She never knew what he would do or say next. But she could still see the old Ridge peek through like now; he was deceiving himself to think Stephanie was going to meekly accept this. She sighed and mentally geared herself for the battle that was about to come.

Brooke couldn't enjoy the meal because she was waiting for Stephanie to bounce. She could feel the deadly gazes of her ex-mother-in-law and the curious ones of the rest of the family. She met all glances head on. She showed them she wasn't intimated or scared, although she could kill Ridge for interupting the quiet, peaceful evening she had planned at home, instead of putting up with this. Dr. Evans hadn't gotten rid of his stubbornness or bullheadness.

As soon as the kids left the table, the bell rang and round one began.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Stephanie asked her point blank.

Opening her mouth to speak, Ridge cut her off before she could say a word. "You should direct that question at me. I invited her."

"This was supposed to be a family," Stephanie emphasized the word "family", "dinner, the local tra- -"

"I think you should watch what you say, Mother."

Felicia openly gasped. Did Ridge just stand up to their mother? She looked to Thorne for verification. Thorne nodded.

Stephanie was taken aback by her eldest's statement but she refused to let it show, so she plowed on. "Where is your wife? Does she know that you invited her?" she asked, nodding her head towards Brooke.

"I no longer have a wife, but if you mean my ex, Taylor, she's leaving the Dominican heading for Aruba as we speak for a little R & R."

Audible gasps were heard throughout the room.

"Ridge, you and Taylor are divorced?" Eric asked, surprised and concerned.

"I knew it. I knew it. You are having an affair with that tramp again," Stephanie said with righteousness.

Ridge pushed his chair back and stood up. He pulled back Brooke's chair and whispered in her ear, "Go get the kids and I'll meet you at the car."

"Ridge, I can- -"

"No," he said, staring into her green eyes. "I got this."

She saw he was telling the truth and had the conviction and strength to do it. She nodded and stood up. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Never in their history had Ridge ever "handled" anything, much less his mother or anyone else in his family. She couldn't believe it, she thought as she walked out of the dining room.

"Since you can't keep a civil tongue, we're leaving," Ridge announced.

"Ridge, this is ridiculous. Sit down, it's not like I haven't said anything that wasn't true," Stephanie stated, not believing Ridge would take things this far or dare choose that whore over his family.

"So says the woman who passed one man's son off as another's."

Stephanie gasped and her eyes widened.

"Ridge Forrester, you will not talk to your mother in this manner," Eric commanded.

"Well, she will no longer talk to or about Brooke this way any longer," Ridge countered.

Kristen nudged Antonio. He nodded. Both couldn't believe this. Though he thought it was about time that Ridge finally became a man and stood up to his mother about the things he believed in and the people he loved.

The three other Forrester children made eye contact and worked hard at keeping their mouths from falling open again. They had never seen anyone stand up to their mother besides Brooke.

"Dad, next time you call a family dinner, please know that Brooke and all of my kids will be in attendance and if anyone has a problem with that then don't come. Goodnight." Ridge strode to the front door.

"Ridge, what do you mean all your children?" Thorne asked.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to share my good news. I've adopted Ricky and Hope."

"What?" was chorused throughout the dining room.

"Ricky? Where did that come from?" Felicia dared to ask.

"Little Eric decided if he was getting new parents, he should have a new name, a name similar to his first daddy's name."

"How did she trick you into doing that?" Stephanie asked angrily.

"Brooke didn't trick me. Ricky and Hope deserve to have both a mother and a father, and now they do."

"This is why Taylor divorced you. It's this nonsense that drove her away," Stephanie reprimanded. Now everything made sense. She shook her head, poor Taylor. Brooke had gotten her hooks into him again, but not for long. Taylor and Ridge would be back together again as soon as she finally rid her family of Brooke. "Maybe Hope would have a father if her slut of a mother hadn't slept with her sister's husband."

Damn, Felicia thought. The things you miss out on when you didn't leave at home anymore. Deacon was Hope's father.

"We're done, Mother. Don't come within a hundred yards of my children until you can talk decently about Brooke and if you can't learn to do that, then the next time you'll see my children is when they turn eighteen and that goes for everyone else here," Ridge informed his mother and the rest of his family. He walked out and never once turned around, despite his mother's pleas.

Ridge hopped into his SUV, started it, and The Lion King began again. The twins and toddlers happily put on their
headphones.

"Again, dad?" Thomas sighed.

"Your walkman is underneath your seat," Ridge told him.

"You're the best dad," Thomas replied, reaching under the seat and grabbing his walkman.

Glancing at the children to make sure they were occupied, Ridge turned his full attention to Brooke and the questions in her eyes.

"Spill," she demanded.

He smiled. "I believe I got us out of future family dinners or at least dinners that include my mother."

"How did that happen?"

"I simply said it was us or her, they could decide. Oh by the way, she's no longer allowed contact with any of the children."

"You can't do that, Ridge. You can't do that to the kids or to Stephanie; they love each other and would miss each other too much."

He looked at her in disbelief and admiration. "You're defending her?"

Brooke shook her head. "I'm not defending her actions, but I'm defending her right to have a relationship with her grandchildren, even if they have to be supervised visits."

Ridge was silent for a few minutes, contemplating her words. "She can have supervised visits with either you or me in attendance and all the kids have to be included."

"Ridge, I don't want to be put in the middle. My presence would only serve to aggravate her more."

"Hope and Ricky are her grandchildren just like Thomas, Phoebe, and Stephie are. So either she accepts them all or she sees none of them. And I involved you not just because you're Ricky and Hope's mother, but because you're the only person who will stand up to her and not let her manipulate you."

"Ridge," she sighed. Why was she going to agree to this? She wasn't part of this family anymore.

"Logan, from the moment I laid eyes on you at the party, your fate was sealed." Grasping her chin, he turned her head towards his and looked into her eyes. "Forever you're a Forrester. It's an unbreakable bond that you can't shake regardless of how hard you try."

Oh, he could be so irritating. It was like the man was psychic. They had been friends way too long.