A/N: I'm sorry for such random updates here and there, but with college and work my schedule can get kind of hectic, but now that midterm grades are in and my classes are settling down and I have my ducks in a row, I should be able to get on a regular updating schedule! Enjoy :) xx Mariah

Ages:

Jim - 34
Melinda - 30
Katie - 5
Aaron - 1


"Mommy? Where are we going?" Katie's hair bounced as she twirled around her mother, her pirouettes still needing a bit more work.

"I told you, it's a surprise." Melinda felt her daughter's warm hand slide into hers as she caught up to her.

They had just gotten to the lake house a few hours earlier and Melinda couldn't wait any longer to show Katie what she'd gotten for her. She'd made a big sale on some furniture earlier this week, her first big profit since the end of the tourist season last fall and she'd spent some of it on the people she loved most.

Her kids.

"Is it a chicken?" The five-year-old gasped, her little legs shaking with excitement as her mother stopped in front of the shed.

"No. It's not a chicken, Katherine." She laughed, kissing her daughter's forehead as she bent down to pull up the door.

Katie's favorite thing right now was farm animals. She always was talking about the different ways a farm works since her school field trip to the Old Nelson farm last week. Kindergarten always did have fond memories when Melinda thought about it.

Melinda pulled on the shed door and it barely lifted halfway.

"Should I go get daddy?" Katie asked, spinning around again. "He's a very strong man, mommy."

"No, mommy is okay." She huffed, holding the sliding door up with her hip. "Just a little heavier than I thought it was."

"Need some help?" Jim asked, walking out the front door, just zipping up his plaid vest.

"I'm fine," she eyed him, shoving it up the rest of the way. "See?"

"Oh, I do." He grinned, pulling his wife in for a kiss. "You're very fine."

"Oh, quit it." She giggled as his left hand swept over her hips and down to squeeze her butt. "Where's Aaron?"

"Down for his nap in his crib," he said, showing her the baby monitor clipped to his jeans. "You've got time to teach her how to ride before he wakes up. And even if he does, I'm here."

"Okay," she nodded, kissing him. "Cover your eyes Katie and count to three."

Katie giggled and covered her eyes as Melinda walked inside the shed.

"Okay," Katie waited outside near her father, who held her hand as Melinda rolled out a covered object for her. "One."

"Two," she said next and grabbed the cloth with her fingers.

"Three!" Katie spread her fingers so she could peek before uncovering her eyes and Melinda pulled the sheet off. "A bike!" Katie spun excitedly in the air before she ran to the brand new pink bike with white and purple streamers off the sides. "Where are the other wheels, mommy?"

"The training wheels? I thought it was time to try a bike without some... what do you think Katie?" Melinda kneeled beside her, rubbing her back. "Are you ready?"

"I don't know how to by myself," Katie whispered, looking to her for the question with a concerned look on her face. "What if I fall off? I could die, mommy."

"That's what this is for! Plus you have the best doctor in the whole wide world as your daddy. I don't think he would let you die, right dad?" She explained and grabbed the bag nearby with a helmet and elbow pads.

"Right," Jim kneeled beside her and smiled at Katie. "And if you wear these on your elbows and this on your head you'll be extra safe. Want mommy to teach you how to ride a bike?"

Katie nodded immediately and grabbed for the helmet, putting it on. There was nothing too scary that Katie wouldn't try if her mother was on her side. The next she knew Melinda was holding the seat as she peddled down the dirt road. Jim had gone back inside when Aaron's cries came through the monitor.

"Mommy, I want to stop," Katie muttered, peddling had started to make her legs become squishy and she didn't like that.

"If you stop, you'll never learn sweetie." She encouraged, her hands firmly guiding her down the path.

"I don't wanna learn anymore," Katie squeezed the handlebars tighter, her hands sweaty.

"Yes, you do." She reassured her. "You've been begging me for weeks to help you."

"I can't do it." Katie sighed and stopped peddling, looking up at her mother as she stopped the bike.

"Katie, just peddle for me, okay?" She whispered, winking at her. "I'm not gonna let you get hurt."

Katie nodded, sighing, but continuing to peddle down the road. Melinda was beside her, one hand on her back to keep her steady. "I'm gonna fall mommy!" Katie said as the wheel on her bike shook under her.

"You can't. I'm holding you up lovebug," she kissed her cheek. "See? I'm right here."

"I'm scared!" Katie huffed, peddling a little harder. "I want my other wheels back on. I'm just not ready."

"Just think of Dory for Finding Nemo baby." She giggled. "What does she always say?"

"You're silly mommy," Katie snickered. "This isn't swimming."

"Just keep pedaling. Just keep pedaling." She sang softly in her ear.

"Don't let go, mommy," Katie said.

"I won't," she smiled, moving her hand a little bit away from her back. "Not until you're ready."

"Don't let go. I'm not ready." Katie breathed, squeezing the handlebars. "I'm not ready."

"Okay, I won't." She said, walking alongside Katie.

"I'm not ready. Don't let go." Katie said again.

"Yes, you are." Melinda had already let go at this time, her hands moving to her jean pockets. Smiling, she watched as Katie kept peddling down the road. "Look at you! You're pedaling all by yourself!" She exclaimed and Katie looked around.

"I am!" Katie giggled. "Look at me, mommy."

"I see you, Katiebug. I see you!" Melinda felt Jim's arms wrap around her and his lips touch her neck. "Hey, you... is he back down?"

"After two terribly sung lullabies, yes, he's back down." He whispered, moving his arm to wrap around her shoulder as he stood beside her. "How is she so big?"

"Time will do that to a little person," she looked over at him. "I can't believe she'll be six this July."

"Soon she'll be solving ghost mysteries alongside you," he laughed, kissing her cheek then. "Speaking of, how is the little visitor I saw you talking to in the kitchen earlier?"

"She'll be out of our hair soon. I'm gonna take a trip over to her sister's house and see what kind of information I can get. I didn't find much in my online search. Nothing more than her name and birthday and that's not getting me anywhere." She sighed, turning to face him. "I know I said I'd try and ignore this trip, but I can't always keep those promises."

"You know, after ten years... I'm used to it." He shrugged. "Just don't be too long?"

"I'm not leaving quite yet." She laughed. "I have time to spend with you."

Katie had looped around on the dirt road and was on her way back as she kissed Jim, letting his hands travel to where they always did. Her ass.

"Daddy!" Katie gasped when she saw that her favorite guy had returned. "Look at me! I'm riding all by myself daddy!"

"I see!" He cheered. "Way to go Katie! I'm so proud of you." Melinda laid her head on his chest and rubbed his back as they watched her ride her bike together. Jim kissed her forehead and Aaron made a small noise on the baby monitor but was soon quiet again. "I was thinking about going to get some groceries. Would you be fine alone for like an hour?"

"Yeah, and once you get back I'll go to the sister's house." She nodded and looked up at him. "It'll cost you though."

"Cost me what?" He knew that look in his wife's eyes and he loved it.

"Three kisses," she smiled at him.

"That's nothin' baby," he laughed and kissed her.

One.

Picking her up into his arms, made his lips slip to her neck, and when he set her back down, she kissed him.

Two.

Katie's laughter was near when he kissed her again. This one was different. They didn't break apart, they only kissed deeper. His tongue worked with hers as she moaned, ruffling his hair.

Three.

She pulled away and smiled at him, almost wishing she hadn't agreed on letting him leave. She didn't want to pull away from him just yet.

"I'll be right back," he winked. "And we have the next week to not pull away, you know?"

"I know," she laughed, kissing him again. "I just wanted one more. Now go. Before I don't let you."

His hands shot up and he tossed her the baby monitor, which she caught and clipped to her jeans. He turned and hustled over to the jeep as she turned back around to watch Katie. She waved her over, knowing that Jim would need the whole road to get out.

"Come on baby. Daddy's leaving," She called.

"Where's he going?" Katie asked, turning around.

"To the store," she smiled. "He'll be right back. Wanna go start some hot cocoa?"

"Sure!" Katie giggled, peddling over and Melinda knew before Katie finished her turn that she'd wipe out.

There was something about the way the handlebars shook that made her run to grab the first aid kit.

Katie wiped out a second later and she whipped back out of the cabin with the first aid kit. Katie was a ball of tears by the time she'd gotten there. It wasn't that bad of a wipeout but she'd still scraped her leg up pretty bad.

"Okay. I've got bandaids, wipes and we can call the ambulance if we need to." She whispered, pulling Katie into her lap.

"You're making fun of me," Katie sniffled, wiping her tears away.

"No. I'm making fun of me," she kissed her cheek. "There is no greater feeling than watching you ride your bike all by yourself and when you fell, well, I haven't run that fast in a long time."

Melinda cleaned the cut on her leg first, wiping the blood quickly and saw that cut was a bit of a doozy, picking a pebble out of it.

"Ow," Katie whispered, looking up at her with a huff and furrowed brow.

"Sorry," she said, pressing the big bandaid to the cut, covering it. "There. How's that feel?"

"Better," Katie sighed. "Thank you."

She kissed the bandaid like she always did and turned to Katie's hands next, which were scuffed and bloodied up from trying to brace herself. They took less time and didn't need band-aids at all.

"There, all finished." She said closing the kit. "Let's go get that hot cocoa started."

"Mommy?" Katie's little voice cracked and Melinda looked at her.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Am I gonna die?" Katie's brow furrowed again and she instantly looked like her father, almost making her laugh.

"I would say that your chances of survival are one hundred percent, lovebug." She said. "But will it make you feel better if your daddy gave you a check-up when he got home?"

"Maybe," Katie shrugged. "Are you gonna die?"

There it was.

The big question that Melinda hoped Katie would never ask. Mostly because she could never lie to her. And the other reason was that the answer was yes. Everyone dies, Katie knew that.

"Well, you know that you and I share our gift and how we see all those people that others can't?" She explained, feeling her daughter's head nod. "You see those people we see, they are no longer living. They are dead and everyone dies eventually, even mommy and daddy, but, I want to let you know that, that won't happen for a very long long time."

They were quiet for a moment and she knew there was going to be another question. She could feel it.

Katie turned around in her arms and looked at her mother. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes filled with determination. There was no way she was getting out of whatever this question was. She was staring right at her own stubbornness and determination in her own child.

"But what if when you die one day and I'm still here?" Katie asked, looking.

"Well," she paused. "Then you'll be all grown up and won't need me anymore."

"I think I'll always need you, mommy," Katie sniffled and hugged her mom.

Melinda squeezed her as tight as she could, her tears falling down her cheeks now. There was nothing better than a hug with her little girl.

Katie snuggled in, "I love you."

"Well, lovebug, you know I love you so much. More than anything," she whispered into a kiss she pressed into her daughter's hair.

"I know," Katie whispered.

At that moment her daughter's little arms squeezed a fraction tighter and Katie breathed more slowly, her body melting into her mom's as every bit of pain she'd felt when she fell washed away.