A/N: OK, so this is going to be longer than your average author's note, but I'd appreciate it if you'd read it all the same. I have some things to explain about the last chapter, about John's mother. The first is an apology for slipping up and having her call him 'Bender' – silly of me, and I apologize for it. I did edit, but I'm just so used to him being Bender that I missed it.

The second is to explain why Bender's mother is not how he describes her in the movie. ("You forgot ugly, lazy and disrespectful.") I was running with the idea that, while Bender's father is a complete jackass, he does have someone who loves him. However, picture the idea that he explains how crappy his home life is, and then says "But my mother loves me". Sort of takes away from his whole image, don't you think? So I was using that wonderful thing called a (fanfiction) writer's prerogative and making sure Bender was loved by someone other than his fans.

OK, so sorry that was so long, I just wanted to make sure you understood my reasoning. Also, a quick note about the format: I alternate between perspectives, not just stick to fathers and then mothers like I did for the first two chapters, so please tell me if that's too confusing.

Right, I'm done. Please wake up and actually read and review the third chapter.

When Peggy returned home from shopping on Saturday evening she found Andy seated at the kitchen table, blatantly ignoring his father. Roy was seated in front of the TV, watching a game, and Peggy just knew that he's asked Andy to join him. At the same time, she knew Andy had refused, but she didn't know why. She didn't know how Roy would take it either, because she'd never been in that situation with her family before, and she wasn't sure how to act. She figured, just to be on the safe side, she'd avoid Roy.

She set her shopping bags down on the kitchen table, carefully eyed Andy, and then began unloading the groceries. Two seconds later, Andy was up and helping her, a wide grin on his face.

"Wasn't there a party you wanted to go to tonight?" Peggy asked her question tentatively, because this was her teenage son and she'd pretty much forgotten how to interact with teenage boys.

"Yeah. Stubbie's," Andy replied, still grinning, as he took the cans from her hands and put them on the highest shelf.

"Thank you," she said softly, and stared at him for a few moments. She glanced at her watch. "Shouldn't you be leaving, then, if the party is tonight?"

Andy shrugged indifferently. "Not going."

"Andrew Clark, you have just spent a day in detention, you've refused to watch a football game with your father, you're not going to one of those parties, and you have the biggest grin on your face that I've seen since you were five. Now what is going on?" Peggy's voice was indignant, but it was a playful indignation. Truth be told, it didn't really matter either way why Andy was happy, but Peggy's curiosity was getting the better of her. Andy grinned even wider, though Peggy hadn't thought it possible, and she understood at once. "Oh my…It's a girl, isn't it?"

Andy laughed. "It's a girl, yeah, I guess."

"You guess?" Peggy laughed as well. "Well I'll be. You've finally gotten yourself a girlfriend."

Andy shook his head at her. "She's not really a girlfriend…And besides, I've had girlfriends, Mom."

"Yes, but none of them have made you smile like this." She reached over and tussled his hair, and he let her. Peggy laughed and pulled the cereal boxes out of the bag. Who would have thought that detention could bring about something good? Peggy gave herself a moment to feel for the mother of the boy who Andy had hurt, and then looked over at Andy. If that mother's pain was what it took for Andy to start again, then she was willing to let that woman hurt.

Michelle decided not to let Claire catch them. Michelle decided that she might actually talk to her daughter, figure out what went on in her life. She may have mastered the art of parenting, but it had been a long while since she'd exercised her gift.

As soon as Michelle knocked on Claire's door, she knew Claire was guarded. "Come in," Claire called, voice tentative and confident all at once.

"Hello," Michelle said with a smile, crossing the room and sitting next to her daughter on the bed.

"Hi," Claire said, watching her mother fiercely.

"I just thought I'd ask you how detention was, see if it was really as terrible as you'd thought," Michelle asked, trying to sound sincere without sounding saccharine sweet.

"It wasn't….Too bad," Claire replied, a slight smile gracing her face for a split second.

"Boys?" Michelle asked, smiling genuinely at the identical smile on her daughter's face.

"There were three boys, actually, Mom," Claire replied, rolling her eyes. Michelle wasn't fooled by the eye roll for a second.

"Nice boys?"

Claire considered for a moment. "Two nice boys, one not so nice boy."

"You went for the not-so-nice boy, didn't you?" Michelle asked with a knowing tone.

"I didn't 'go for' anybody," Claire replied, an edge to her voice.

"Don't be silly Claire," Michelle replied with a little laugh. "You're a tease, just like me."

"Please get out," Claire replied a few seconds after Michelle's laugh died away.

Michelle left without another word. She had made a mistake. She'd spent so long making mistakes, really, that when it came to actually trying she wasn't sure if she could stop.

Jerry was surprised to hear his son whistling when he and his mother walked through the door that evening.

"Hey Dad," Brian said cheerfully, the continuing to whistle something that sounded suspiciously like 'The Bridge Over the River Kwai' as he bounded up the stairs to his room.

Diane greeted him with a grin in the living room. "He was like that when he got into the car," Diane said, with a slight shrug. "Then we had a talk about his grades." Jerry tensed up immediately. Diane placed a soothing hand on his arm, and gave him a warm smile. "I said I don't really care about how well he does in shop class."

"Yeah, I never liked shop class either," Jerry replied, visibly relaxing.

Diane rolled her eyes and sighed at him. "That's because that was one of the only classes you didn't have with me."

"True," he replied with a grin. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "I'm going to go talk to him."

"All right," Diane said. She'd done her part. With one short car ride she'd taken a giant step to making things right with her son and her husband, but now it was Jerry's turn to make sure their son was all right with himself.

"Hey Brian," Jerry said as he entered his son's room. It was filled with posters, one of the solar system, one of the periodic table, another with basic calculus equations.

"Hi Dad," Brian said, looking up from whatever it was he was working on at his desk. He was still smiling.

"What're you working on?"

"Oh, uh, it's just this homework for English class that's due, uh…" He looked up quickly at the calendar above his desk (constellations). "Two weeks from Monday, but I just figured 'cause I had the time I'd get it done, you know, so when I have more homework all of a sudden closer to the due date it'll be done."

"Makes sense," Jerry said, smiling at Brian's rambling. He knew Diane found it irritating, occasionally, when Brian rambled because she was a 'Get-to-the-point' sort of person, but Jerry found it endearing. "So, what are you so happy about? Other than your mother having a talk with you?"

"Detention was just…It was okay, it was good, you know? Like, I made a few friends." He paused. "Well, not really a few, four, actually, seeing as how a few is only three…"

"Friends in detention are the best kind," Jerry said, nodding and grinning again.

"Yeah," Brian replied, "Yeah they are."

Jerry was going to ask about the gun but Brian had gone back to whistling, and he figured that, for the time being, it was pretty much resolved. "See ya," Jerry said.

"Bye," Brian replied, giving him one last grin and turning back to his homework.

Dorothy had never seen Bender look so happy before.

"Hello John," she said as he sailed into the kitchen.

"Hey Ma," John said, grabbing and apple and turning to face her.

"Detention was as good as usual then?"

"Ten times better," John said, his smile widening.

"Don't tell me Mr. Vernon has finally died," Dorothy said with a mock gasp.

"Now excuse me, Mrs. Dorothy Bender. How could you say such a thing?"

Dorothy laughed. "Well, Mr. Vernon is changing his ways, so might it be the people in detention?"

"They're a wholesome lot, no matter what the authorities say," Bender agreed.

"I didn't think you made friends, John. You never used to get along with other children in the sandbox," Dorothy teased.

"But they all loved me anyways," John replied.

"Maybe that's what you think…" Dorothy raised her eyebrows at him.

"No, don't worry mother dearest – they all love me anyways." And with that, he leaned over, gave her a kiss on the cheek, a small salute, and he was out the door once again.