By the time they finally left the hospital, neither Ethan nor Leanne felt like cooking, so, when Ariel said she felt like celebrating, they let her talk them into picking up pizza for dinner and ice cream for dessert. After dinner, Leanne sent Ariel upstairs to do her homework while she and Ethan cleaned up the kitchen. As they washed the dishes, Ethan said, "I hope we're not turning into one of those families that celebrates every little thing."

Leanne smirked. "Tonight was a special occasion. Ariel helped save two lives and you survived another near-death experience."

"It's not my fault that I was abducted at gun point by a crazy man."

"Great," Leanne scoffed as she handed Ethan a clean plate to dry and picked up a dirty bowl to wash. "One time out of the last one hundred wasn't your fault. Between you and Ariel it's a miracle I ever get any peace."

"What did Ariel do?"

"Nothing. I'm just worried that she's spending too much time at Angels. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have her work there."

"I thought things were going better." Ethan finished drying the plate and set it aside, then slung the damp towel over his shoulder. He crossed his arms over his chest and braced one hip against the counter. Slouching slightly so that he was eye level with Leanne, he asked, "Isn't she listening to Jesse?"

"Yes."

"And isn't she doing better in school?"

"She is."

"So, what's the problem?"

With a heavy sigh, Leanne turned off the faucet and set the rest of the dirty dishes into the sink to soak in the soapy water. Facing him, she mirrored his posture and explained, "Part of it is what happened today. She never should have been in that position. What if things hadn't worked out for Ruby and Elizabeth? How would Ariel have felt? She's too young to be dealing with these types of situations."

Ethan pushed away from the counter to take a small step closer to Leanne and rest his hands on her hips. "Ariel's not shy. She would have told you if she couldn't handle it."

"She shouldn't have to," Leanne protested. "I'm supposed to protect her."

"You worry too much. She did good today. You should be proud of her."

"I am."

"Besides, what are the odds of something like this happening again?"

"True. It's not like she's going out with you and Rox. By the way, she is never allowed to go out with you and Rox."

"Deal," Ethan replied immediately. "Now, what's the other part of the problem?"

"Her new friend, Max."

Ethan's brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought you wanted her to make friends."

"I do, but Max has cancer."

"So? He probably needs a friend as much as Ariel does."

"I know," groaned Leanne. She leaned forward slightly and let her hands fall to Ethan's waist as she dropped her head to his chest. "I just don't want Ariel to get hurt."

Using one hand to rub Leanne's back, Ethan struggled to think of something that would make her feel better. Eventually, he said, "Max could be fine. Do you know his prognosis?"

"No, but either way, he's got a hard road ahead of him. Ariel's life has already been so hard."

"But this time it's her choice. You have to let her make it. If you don't, she'll resent you."

"I could live with that."

"No, you couldn't."

Leanne pulled away from Ethan and took a step backwards to put some space between them. "I hate it when you're right," she complained. When she saw Ethan smile, she added, "I hate it even more when you know you're right.

"Sorry."

"No, you're not. You're still smiling."

"I can't help it. You never say I'm right."

"You're impossible. Go away. Take the pizza boxes out to the trash."

Ethan was still smiling as he brushed past her to pick up the pizza boxes. On his way out of the kitchen, he stopped to kiss her cheek. "I'll try to be less right when I get back.