The following day Rip and Carter were at work already by the time Beth got up and poured herself a cup of coffee.

She caught a glimpse of carters backpack by the door. Then she remembered the paper he was supposed to write. She went and looked through his messy, typical teenage boy looking backpack. When she found it, she sat down at the table to read it.

"Should parents be a child's disciplinarian, or their best friend? My answer…both. I grew up without knowing my mom, my dad died from drugs. So I never really had either. Now I live with 2 people that I'm not allowed to call mom and dad. But they really seem to care about me, at least most days. And that's why I said both. Because some days they talk to me, we laugh together, eat dinner together, and we are best friends. But other days, I really piss them off and they yell at me."

Beth stopped, she started crying. This kid really knew how to pull at her heart strings. She had to stop, put it away and go get home before he was late for school.

She got down to the barn and stood beside Rip at the fence, watching the guys run the horses around.

"Mornin baby." He said and kissed her forhead.

"Everything okay?" he asked catching a glance of her eyes, she looked like she'd been crying.

"Might've snuck a peak at that paper he had to write last night…" she said.

"Alright?" He was confused. Then he saw her eyes got cloudy.

"That good huh?" He said smiling and rubbed her back.

"Yeah…" she wiped her tears and then looked Rip in the eyes.

"I think he deserves to call us his parents Rip."

"Ha…tell me you're joking." He said laughing. Beth's eyes full of tears, full of emotion, she just stopped and looked at him. He knew he fucked up laughing.

"Fuck you." She said, punched him in the arm and walked away.

"Carter! Let's go!" She yelled walking back to her car.

"Beth…! Hey!" Rip tried to stop her but she was too pissed.

"Looks like you're in the dog house tonight?" Lloyd asked.

"You're fucking telling me." He said shaking his head watching them drive off.

——

On their way to school and work, he wasn't very talkative.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked him.

"Nothing." He said.

"Yeah then why you look like that?" She asked.

"This is just my face." He said.

"No shit, why you look like you're sad as hell?" She asked.

"If I tell you, you can't do anything about it." He said as she pulled up to the school, there were kids out and about waiting for the bell to ring.

"Says who?" She said.

"See that group of guys over there?" He said and pointed.

"Mhm" she said.

"They call me Reject Roy" Carter said. Beth took a look at them, definitely older and bigger then Carter.

"Why the fuck they calling you Roy?" She asked.

"I don't know, said that's what I looked like. And now the teacher thinks that's my name too." He said.

"Which teacher?" She asked.

"history." He said.

"Those boys in that class with you?"

"Yeah."

"Alright well don't worry about the teacher, I'll take care of it." Beth said.

"but please don't say anything about the guys…" Carter begged. Then a moment of silence as Beth was thinking.

"Your father will-…I mean…Rip…huh, damn." She sighed, this was hard. Carter wasn't there's but he was to them.

"Will what?" Carter asked looking at her.

"He'll kick their fucking ass if you want."

"I don't think there 18…"

"Alright then you can kick their fucking asses how bout that?" She suggested.

"I don't…-"

"Stop. Carter, look at me." Beth said.

"You stand up to them, you're only here for couple more months, mine as well make it worth it." She said.

"Your giving me permission to fight them?" Carter asked confused.

"Hell yeah. Cause in 4 months when schools over your not coming back so who gives a flying fuck. You'll be on the ranch the rest of your life. No one cares about school detentions." She said.

"Sweet." He said smiling and started to get his stuff and get out.

"Hey, one condition." Beth called out before he shut the door.

"What?" He asked.

"You better fucking win."

"Yes ma'am." He nodded and left.

——

2 hours later Beth was in the middle of a leading a meeting when she saw the school calling her. She couldn't answer it and kept talking. Soon after Rip was calling her.

"Excuse me, this is important." She answered the phone and left the room.

"Hey baby." She said.

"Why the hells the school calling me?" He asked.

"Don't worry bout it, I'll take care of it." She said.

"Beth you gotta tell me what you mean when you say that shit."

"It's nothing, just go back to work." She told him.

"Is it something with his grades or that paper?"

"No it's not that, who the fuck cares about grades." She told him.

"Not me that's for damn sure. Do you think he got in trouble?"

"Considering the conversation I had with him this morning most likely."

"Beth what the hell did you tell him?"

"Oh you'd be proud baby, told him to stand the hell up for himself." She replied.

"Oh for fucks sake Beth…!" Rip was actually worried. This kid was a spitting image of himself, that was a little scary.

"We'll deal with it later. Love ya" she said and hung up.

——

At the end of the day Beth headed to the school to pick up Carter and deal with whatever it was they wanted to talk to her about. Carter was sitting in the office with ice on his face.

"Let me see." She said, Carter pulled the ice off his face, he had a decent black eye

"You throw the first punch?"

"No ma'am." Carter responded.

"Then what the fucks the problem?" She asked looking at the principal who was standing in the office too.

"Miss. Dutton that's not the point, the point is-"

"What the hell did you just call me?"

"Uh…miss Du-"

"For one, It's Mrs. Wheeler to you bitch. Second, My son said he didn't throw the first punch…that's self defense!. Now if you see a fucking problem with that, my guess is you live in some fairytale fucking land and don't know how the real world works, and that…that is fucking scary." Beth intimidatingly told her with her attitude, straight face.

"Mrs. Wheeler, we don't tolerate the act of violence here, both parties will be penalized. Carter may have not thrown the first punch but he still threw a punch, initiating to keep fighting." The women said.

"As he fucking should, you don't tolerate violence but you tolerate bullying? Did you ask him what the fight was about?" Beth asked.

"Well no-"

"Unfucking believable, Carter let's go baby. I'm proud of you. He'll be back Monday. And if you so much even try to sit him in detention for this, I will make your life a living hell. So don't get me fucking started. You don't wanna have to meet my husband." Beth said and they left.

——

On the way home it was quiet until Carter started talking.

"You called me your son." He said.

"Yes I did."

"I thought we weren't calling each-other that stuff…and this morning you accidentally called Rip my father."

"Well kid…I hate to admit it but I'm for damn sure not perfect, definitely no fucking mother Theresa."

"Who the hell's Theresa?" He asked confused. Beth couldn't help but sorta smile

"The complete opposite as me."

"Oh. So we're not changing what we call eachother?" Carter sounded sad, Beth looked at him and it tugged on her heartstrings. Remembering what he'd written in that paper certainly didn't help either. They adopted him, technically it was there son, their only child they'd ever have.

"How bout I talk to Rip and maybe we can change that." Beth said, hoping maybe he'd change his mind since she brought it up this morning.

"Sounds good to me."

——

When they got home Beth made him a fresh ice pack. She just got a sock and stuffed it full of ice.

"Here. How's your head feel?" She asked.

"Hurts like hell."

"I'll get you some advil." She went to find some. Then Rip came in the door. Must've saw they were home and was still wondering what was going on.

"What the fuck happened?" He saw carters face.

"Just a stupid fight."

"Who." Rip asked.

"Doesn't matter babe." Beth said coming back with the advil.

"Here, take 3." She instructed.

"Did you win?" Rip asked.

"Didn't stop until I did."

"Good." He replied and looked at Beth.

"I'll be in the bath." She wanted to get out of the conversation Rip was fixing to bring. But he went upstairs to talk to her anyway.

"Can you tell me what the hell's going on around here?" Rip asked, finding Beth filling the bath upstairs.

"Carter had some assholes bullying him at school, I told him to stand up for himself, so that's what he fucking did."

"Okay, why couldn't you tell me that earlier?" He asked.

"Cause I didn't want to." She answered and started to take off her jewelry.

"Alright…so what he's expelled now or what?"

"Fuck no, he's finishing this year whether they like it or not. I handled it don't worry."

"Ha…alright…" Rip said going to leave, as Beth was getting undressed to get in the bath.

"I really think he should be able to call us mom and dad now." Beth called out before he left. She was hesitant on bringing it up again.

"Huh" he stared down at the floor, in thought.

"I wish you could've read his paper for yourself." She said.

"I don't need to…If that would make you happy, it would make me happy."

"Really?" She questioned.

"Yes Beth."

"Then you can go tell him."

"Oh Beth I don't know…I'm not really good at-" she cut him off.

"I told him it was going to be your final call. So go break the news…daddy." Beth said acting flirtatious. Rip scrunched his face, not liking her calling him that in a sexual way. Beth didn't either, she laughed afterwards so he knew she was joking, and he laughed with her.

——

He went back downstairs and got a beer.

"So I hear you wanna change what we all call each other round here?" He said. He didn't like this moment, he felt uncomfortable. He was a tough guy and he's been having to be a big soft teddy bear sometimes. He just needed to get used to it.

"Yes sir…" Carter was embarrassed and a little scared.

"You can call me whatever as long as it's not foul, or pops. I'm not old enough for that shit." He said.

"Ha…thank you." He said, Rip smiled and hit him on the back.

"Now I wanna hear about that fight." He said changing the subject.

———

Big stuff happening over here! Looks like Beth and Rip finally came around almost full circle to the fact they have a child that's theirs. Leave your thoughts/comments/reviews/suggestions! Thanks!