The family spread out across the deck and the yard once their plates had been filled. Goren and Eames sat in the yard beneath the tree with Chris and Mark. Hannah joined them, sitting on her father's lap. Kerri toddled over to them and stood in front of Bobby, looking from him to his plate. He moved the plate and she climbed into his lap. Eames smiled. "Looks like you have a friend."

"Seems so," he replied with a smile.

Holly came across the yard with a plate and a bottle. "There you are, you little monkey. I turned around and she was gone." She laughed. "You need to finish eating, Kerri."

Bobby shrugged. "I'll feed her, if you want."

"Are you sure? It's not a bother?"

"Not at all."

Holly's face lit into a smile as she handed him the plate and bottle. "I can have a hot meal for a change," she said happily, hurrying toward the deck to fix herself a plate.

Alex laughed and watched as he set his plate down and fed the baby, who was happily content sitting in his lap and eating. When she'd finished the food on her plate, she grabbed her bottle and started drinking. He settled her comfortably in the crook of his right arm and picked up his burger. Mark tapped his knee. "I'm getting another beer. Want one?"

"Sure, thanks."

Alex slipped her empty plate beneath Bobby's and said, "Look at that. Kerri's asleep. Holly just may take you home with her."

He laughed quietly. "I didn't do anything."

"You didn't have to. Here, I'll take her inside so the other kids won't wake her up. Give them another ten minutes and they'll be charging around like a herd of elephants."

Squatting beside him, she slipped her arms around the baby, brushing her hand along his side. She looked at him. He just smiled and slid his arm from beneath the sleeping toddler. Mark came back as she stood up and finally broke eye contact. He handed Bobby a beer. "Thanks," he said as he watched her cross the yard toward the house with the sleeping baby.

Mark sat down. "She's something else, isn't she?"

"Who?"

"My sister."

"Yeah, she is."

Hannah jumped off her father's lap when the other kids charged off the deck into the yard with Kevin and Jeff. Chris slid closer to his brother and Bobby. "Can I tell you something, Bobby?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

"You're good for the family."

He looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Mark answered, "There are no secrets in cop families. Not when four of us are cops and Dad's still well connected."

"I-I don't understand."

"We know how you watch out for our sister. We really weren't too sure about you when she first became your partner. I'm sure you know about all the rumors that float around about you."

He did, only too well. He just nodded. Chris took over. "After Al became your partner, we paid more attention. She seemed to be happy with you, so we left well enough alone. Then, about nine months after you became partners..."

"Do you remember what happened?" Mark interrupted.

"Not specifically."

"You guys had a suspect go nuts in interrogation," Chris explained. "We heard what happened."

"We heard how you protected Alex," Mark finished.

He remembered the incident. He'd gotten a concussion and a twisted knee from it. "I remember."

"That was when we quit worrying about her," Chris explained.

Mark added. "That was when Mom started sleeping at night again without worrying the phone was gonna ring. She really hated it when Alex worked Vice. But you...Mom doesn't give that kind of trust to just anyone."

Chris laughed. "She told my partner off when he wrecked our patrol car on a chase. Now I drive, and she still doesn't trust him."

Bobby laughed with the two brothers. "I let Alex do the driving. She doesn't like how I drive."

"See? You even let her have her way."

"Smart man," Chris laughed, clapping him on the shoulder.

"What are you three laughing about?" Alex asked as she approached them.

"I was just telling them you don't like the way I drive."

"No, I don't. It's like being in a dogfight with a drunk pilot."

"Hey, I've never had an accident."

"That's a miracle." She sat down on the grass in front of Mark and playfully hit her partner's knee. He smiled at her.

Mark leaned in. "Do you let him do anything, Al?"

"Of course I do."

Chris laughed, "It's amazing she trusts you with anything."

"Yeah," Mark put in. "Alex prefers to do things herself."

"That's so they get done right," she said. "And I don't have to do them over."

Jeff came running over to them, tossing the ball in his hands to Chris. "Come on, you guys. Kev and I are getting creamed here. Give us a hand."

John watched from the deck as Kevin ran back to the game with his recruits and Jeff came bounding up the stairs. He looked at the three women sitting at the table with his mother. "Where'd Gina and Aaron go?"

"Aaron is inside with Jake. Regina went to lay down," his mother answered. "She's getting a migraine."

"That sucks. You girls come and join the game. Alex is playing. Kevin and I are tired of getting steamrolled by munchkins and we want to share the glory."

Wendy laughed. "Kids against the adults again?"

"That's the way the kids like it."

Amiably, the three wives got up from the table and joined the game in the yard. John watched them play while he cleaned the grill. Helen got busy putting the food away. Aaron came out of the house with his son and, holding the baby in one arm, helped Helen clear the table with the other. When they had finished, she took Jake and ushered Aaron to join the game. "They need all the help they can get," she said with a laugh.

Finished with the grill, John stood at the rail, watching the game. Helen went inside to check on Reggie, then came back out and joined him. Every adult who got the ball disappeared under a mass of giggling children. Helen looked at her husband. "You're watching Alex."

"Not entirely."

"You're watching her with Bobby."

"Actually, I'm watching Bobby with her."

"Is anything wrong?"

"On the contrary. Watch him."

They watched as the ball sailed through the air, landing in Jeff's arms. He tried to get rid of it before the mass of children hit him without success. Alex stopped running halfway across the yard and shoved Mark when he ran into her. Laughing, he pulled his petite sister into a bear hug before he ran back toward the pile. Bobby came to a halt nearby, and she turned to him, walking to his side. She placed a hand on his arm and said something to him. He leaned in closer to hear her over the kids, then laughed. Smiling, she headed back toward her brothers, but Bobby hung back for a minute and watched her. Softly, John said to his wife, "As long as he's her partner, we won't have to worry about Alex."