Two things: I am very sorry about the delay. My goal is to have no longer than two weeks between updates but unfortunately sometimes work and life get in the way of that. (How rude of them, lol.) And two, even though the story is focused on Angela/Eric, I am working with a rather large cast of characters here and am going to try to keep everyone...if not included regularly than at least mentioned. But with so many characters it's only natural one or two can get away from me occasionally. As I'm going through and making edits (this story is pretty much written already, just needs final editing and to be broken into chapters) I noticed sometimes they disappear for a while. Hopefully I've caught it all and can keep everyone regularly involved, but if you notice a few chapters go by and so-and-so hasn't been given even a passing mention, don't be afraid to pm me or poke me with a stick. Chances are they just got lost in the mass of characters.

Thank you so much for all of the feedback to the previous chapter. You guys are awesome. Thank you for sticking with me through slight delays. :-)

"Alan, are you all right?" Silence. There was not a peep coming from the other side of the bed. "I know you're not asleep. If you were you'd be snoring."

"I don't snore," he said as he turned over to face his wife. "I have a deviated septum. It happened during all those boxing matches when I was in the navy, the last match actually. Yep, if I had just been able to duck Freddie Johnson's left hook I'd have won the golden gloves instead of the silver…not to mention I wouldn't have this deviated septum that is apparently keeping me from trying to fall asleep in peace." There, that should be just cranky enough to get her to leave him alone.

"Why are you awake?"

Or not. "Because I haven't fallen asleep yet."

"Thank you, Mr. Obvious. What are you thinking?"

He rolled his eyes. "You know I hate when you ask that in bed."

"It's the only time I have you alone long enough to get a real, honest answer." She sat up and turned on a lamp. "Something is obviously on your mind. Talk to me."

Alan weighed his options and realized Amy could drag this out all night if she really wanted to. She has in the past. He had to go to work in the morning. "Why didn't Eric call me when he thought Georgia was in trouble? Why did he call you?"

"Really? This is what you've been brooding over for the past couple days?"

"I don't brood."

"Tell that to your crossed arms and the pout on your face."

"Is it wrong that it bothers me?"

"I suppose that depends on why it bothers you. He called me. What's wrong with that? We've always let the kids know that if they need us we will be there."

"Yeah, I know, but…it's not like he called the house phone and you happened to answer. He called your cell. That means he was specifically looking for you."

"Maybe he remembered that you were already at the store because you get early deliveries on Wednesdays."

"Amy, please, that would require rational thought. Rational thought goes flying out the window when you think your kid is in trouble. You act on instinct. Eric's instincts told him to reach out to you."

"So his first thought was to call his mother. How terrible."

"That's not what I mean. It's just...I'm a father, Eric's a father now…I'm his father."

"Those are all accurate statements."

"So wouldn't you think if he had any questions about being a parent- being a father- that he'd come to me?"

"I don't-"

"This thing with Georgia bumping her head, it's not the first time he's reached out to you instead of me since she was born. Has he said anything? Did I do anything to upset him?"

"Not that I know of."

He shook his head. "Maybe I'm overreacting, but for so many years me and Eric…we were buddies. We were on the same wavelength. If he needed something he came to me with zero hesitation because chances were you'd say no or want him to do it himself. And yes, I know I let him rely on me too much, but we got past that. I just thought with Georgia he'd start needing me a little more again. Babies can be tricky to figure out and I thought I'd get to dole out all these anecdotes and things I've learned when he needed it, but it turns out you're the one he's decided he needs."

"I'm sorry, honey." She wasn't sure why she was apologizing, but Amy didn't know what else to say.

"It's not your fault."

"Do you want me to talk to him when he gets home?"

"Where is he?"

"On the day of the bump he and Georgia met up with Angela in New York. She's going to show the baby off to her friends at Fashion Week. I'll talk to him if you want me to."

"No, it's okay. I'm sure I'm making more out of it than is really there."

"You know, Eric probably doesn't even realize he's been calling on me more than you. His brain probably thinks, 'call the parents,' and he scrolls through the contact list on his phone and just picks the number he sees first."

He gave her a kiss before lying back down. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it. Goodnight."

/

/

"Have you noticed anything odd about the kids lately?"

Jack set his laptop aside. He used to stay up late reading a book or watching a movie, doing work, or something more fun with Rachel. Tonight he'd been researching sign language DVDs and classes and reading up on how babies adapt to hearing aids. Calum was going to be fitted with his first hearing aid soon. They were excited, anxious, nervous, and every emotion in between. It was a challenge not to get their hopes too far up when there was a real possibility it might not work and he may never hear. "You'll need to be more specific. How odd and which kid?"

"I'm serious." Rachel checked on the baby one more time before getting into bed. "Evan and Nina have been so nice and agreeable the past couple of days. They don't fight going to bed, they put their toys away, dirty clothes are winding up in the correct baskets, dishes make it to the sink, and Evan is doing his homework without putting up a stink- even the math. If he needs help he asks instead of trying to hide it and lie that he already completed it. And the past two nights Nina hasn't begged for extra bedtime stories. Something is wrong."

"Or maybe we got lucky and stumbled onto some sort of secret kid spell. If that's the case, why are you questioning it? You know what they say about a gift horse. Don't even look at it. Just let it be."

"That's not quite how the saying goes."

"You know what I mean."

"Think about when you were a kid- all those many years ago."

"Hey. You know you're marching up that hill to the old folks' home only about six months behind me, right?"

"I'm sorry I implied you were old. It will be an injustice if you're not carded when we go out to dinner with my brother and his latest true love tomorrow night."

"Now you're laying it on a little too thick." He did roll his eyes at the mention of her brother. Jack liked David just fine. He was a decent guy- a good brother and uncle- but it seemed every other week he met the love of his life and he and Rachel got stuck going out to dinner with them. "What's this one's name?"

"Tiffany."

"Ah, so he's reverting back to high school and dating a head cheerleader?"

"She's a nuclear physicist."

"Oh. Sorry. Do we think since this one's smart and obviously has a solid career plan there's a chance he'll stick with her longer than it takes to eat dinner? Then again, David doesn't seem to like them with brains."

"Let's stick to our current family crisis, please, and leave my brother alone." She kissed his cheek. "What did it mean when you did everything your parents wanted without question?"

"I usually wanted something."

"Me, too. Either I wanted something or I did something wrong and I was trying to build up good karma before I was busted."

"I haven't noticed anything broken or missing and we'd know by now if something happened at school."

"Okay, so what do they want?"

"Candy?"

She shot him an incredulous look. "Do you really think there'd be days of weirdness if it was just building to a couple candy bars?"

"Probably not. You know what concerns me the most," he asked.

"What?"

"It's not just Evan that's been quiet and agreeable, but Nina, too. The only other time she's been quiet for this long was when she dropped your phone, cracked the screen, and then tried to hide it."

"My phone's intact."

"Mine, too. All of the electronic devices are fine. The portable DVD player is busted, but that's my fault. I dropped it."

Rachel yawned and glanced at the alarm clock. "How about we sleep on it and start subtly questioning them tomorrow? Calum's going to wake up for a bottle in less than three hours and you know Milo will get up at some point for the middle of the night stuffed lion hunt. And, as much as it sucks for you to get up, he always cries for his da to help him. When I go in there it wakes him up more."

"I still say we should tie that thing to his wrist so he doesn't lose it in the crib bars night after night."

"We can't do that."

He turned off the lamp and tossed the extra pillows on the floor before lying down. "Then how long before we can train him to look around the crib for the lion before he cries for us…me?"

"He'll be two in May. Who knows, maybe he'll learn to look around for what he wants before he cries for us by then."

/

/

"Which room number is theirs' again?"

Topanga scanned the room guides when they approached a corner. "We need to turn right. Cory, are you sure my clothes look okay."

"Of course, Topanga, you look beautiful."

She pulled on his arm so he wouldn't get too far ahead. "Are you saying that because you really think I look beautiful or are you just saying that because you love me?"

"What are you talking about? I love you. You're always beautiful to me- even when you had that nasty head cold and flu with gross stuff coming out of every-"

"Oh, Cory, that's disgusting! And you've just proven that you cannot possibly be a fair judge. You're a biased boy with no fashion sense. I'll ask Angela."

"I don't see what the big deal is. You're going to look at clothes and shoes. You see clothes and shoes everyday- in your own closet even!"

"I'm going to a fashion show with big name designers. There are going to be celebrities and cameras everywhere. I want to look like I belong."

"What happened to the woman who doesn't care about fitting in? The one who is proud to march to the beat of her own drum? You'll stand out and wow them because you're you, Topanga, not because you're wearing the latest trends."

She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you, that's very sweet. But is it okay if I do what I can to make sure I don't end up on some random worst dressed list?"

"You won't end up on that list."

"Thank you," she replied, kissing him again.

"They only put celebrities on those. No one is going to care who you are."

"Seriously?" She pushed past him and continued down the hall.

"Um…I mean you're so wow, breathtaking everyone will want to know you!"

"Too late, Cory." She approached the door. "Now remember, do not say anything about Georgia's head."

"Why did Angela give that weirdly specific warning again?"

"I have no idea, but do what she says." Topanga knocked again after her first one went unanswered. "Odd. I'm sure this is the time Angela told me to meet…" She stopped talking when Angela opened the door, half dressed and half awake. "Hi. Am I too early?"

She yawned and leaned against the door, waving the couple inside. "No, you're on time."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you look…well, you've looked better." When she didn't respond and he didn't see her standing with them, Cory turned around and found Angela still leaning against the open hotel room door. Her eyes were closed. "Angela?"

She jumped. When she saw Cory and Topanga she was confused. "When did you guys get here?"

"About forty-five seconds ago. You let us in."

That was vaguely familiar. "Right. At least standing at the door makes sense." She went to the couch and stared at the various blouses she'd laid out the night before. They looked so different last night, but now they all seemed to blur together. "Topanga, which of these goes best with my skirt?"

She eyed Angela's black and white floral print pencil skirt before checking out the white tops on the couch. "The wrap style blouse, definitely that one."

"Okay. Cory, turn around."

"Huh, why?"

"I'm changing my shirt. Either turn around or go into the hall. I'm beyond the point of caring who sees me, but you, my friend, are a prude. And before you ask, I'm not going to risk going into the bedroom because Georgia is sleeping…finally. She's got two bottom teeth coming in and was up all night screaming. She crashed about an hour and a half ago. Eric fell asleep not long after. With my luck Georgia will hear me take in a little too much oxygen and start crying again."

"I'll turn around and uh-" He scanned the room and picked up something from the coffee table before turning around to face the door. "- I'll just peruse the room service menu here. Now, explain this to me: why would you come all the way to a nice hotel like this and order a bowl of Raisin Bran or Cheerios? Who can't make that at home? You pour cereal and add milk."

"Sweetie, did you sleep at all," Topanga asked Angela, tuning out her husband.

"Some." Eric tried to take over with Georgia, but the baby wanted her mother.

"Did you want to reschedule or-"

She laughed. "Reschedule Fashion Week because my six month old kept me up all night? Cute, Topanga."

"She's six months old already?"

"On Friday she will be."

"Wow."

"I know. It's going way too fast. Okay, are my clothes in more or less the right place? I won't get arrested for indecent exposure?"

"If you did, I'd defend you."

"That's not a helpful answer right now."

"You look great."

Angela took out her compact and checked her make-up. "I look like a freaking zombie," she said through a yawn.

"Don't you mean Mombie?"

She turned around and saw Eric standing in the doorway with Georgia in his arms. "She's awake again?"

"I heard her before she reached air raid siren levels."

"I should get out of here before she decides the two of us need to be conjoined like last night. That will only cause more waterworks."

"Oh, my, god," Cory exclaimed, catching a glimpse of the bruise, "what happened to her hea…I mean how about I distract her with this cool new toy I bought her so you can leave in peace?" He dug through his messenger bag. "I know it's in here somewhere."

"Cory, how many times have we gone over this? You don't need to have a present for Georgia every time you see her."

"Shh, don't ruin a good thing," Eric whispered to his girlfriend. "The more crap he buys, the less we have to. If we play our cards right, maybe we can get him to pay for a car when she turns sixteen."

"You'd get a kid car for their sixteenth birthday? That doesn't seem risky to you?"

"It doesn't have to be a car. She could get a pony."

"On second thought, a car doesn't sound so bad. Luckily we have fifteen years to make this decision."

"I found it!" He raised the toy triumphantly. "Check this out, Georgia. It may look like your ordinary stuffed octopus, but it's got all of these activities attached to each tentacle. This one has a mirror, ooh and there's a squeaker on-"

"Activities attached to what?!"

"Tentacle, Eric," Angela said, doing her best not to laugh. "An octopus has tentacles."

"Oh, okay. I was going to say that sounded like a really warped toy for a baby. And plus she's a girl so she doesn't even have the other things."

Cory hit his brother's shoulder. "What the hell's the matter with you? Why would you think I'd buy her an inappropriate toy?" He looked to his niece when she chimed in with some rather harsh sounding babbles of her own. "What was that?"

"I believe that was my kid's way of saying don't ever hit my daddy again." He hit brother with his free hand. "Or if you do, be prepared to pay the price."

"Ow! That's way harder than I hit you." He frowned. "No, munchkin, this isn't funny. Don't laugh at that."

"Sorry, she's on team daddy."

/

/

"So, how bad do you think fries rank on a list of a baby's first foods? I know they're not the best, but they can't be on the bottom of the list, right?"

After giving Georgia a bottle and getting her to take another short nap- he tried to squeeze one in, too, but she didn't seem to want to settle with her uncle- Eric and Cory decided to go out for lunch. They spent most of their meal laughing at Georgia. She was really interested in their food and tried to make a grab for something every chance she got. Eventually they had to take turns eating while the other held and played with her to keep her distracted. She still managed to get her hands on a fry and shoved it into her mouth. To say she was not happy when Eric promptly took it from her would be a severe understatement. The entire diner became aware of how upset this made her.

"They were sweet potato fries. Those are healthier," Cory reminded him.

"I guess." He laughed when Georgia squirmed around in the wrap. "There are a lot of things to look at, huh? People, dogs, and cars- "

"Oh, my."

"Funny, Cor. I think we're still a little bit off from the lions, and tigers, and bears stage of her childhood."

"Yeah, you don't want to show The Wizard of Oz too early. Those flying monkeys can scar a kid."

"Topanga told me you still find an excuse to leave the room whenever the monkeys come on."

"Because I was shown the movie too early and was scarred for life! It's really your fault when you think about it."

"How do you figure that?"

"You told me flying monkeys were real and not just in the movie. You said the reason dad built the treehouse was to protect us from-" Cory realized his brother was no longer walking beside him. He turned around and found him several feet back staring at a storefront display…a jewelry display. "What are you doing? I'm not so upset I need a gift to make things better."

Eric rolled his eyes. "I'm certainly not looking for you. You can be bought off with tacos and pudding."

"Hey! Then what are you looking…oh," he gasped, realization dawning on him. "We're standing in front of a jewelry store, a jewelry store window showing lots of rings!"

"Will you be quiet?"

"What, afraid Georgia will rat you out? One: she's a baby, and two: she's asleep." Cory admired the way the diamonds caught the sunlight, it was like watching dozens of stars. "How long have you been thinking about proposing?"

"Seriously thinking about it? A little bit," he admitted.

"Why haven't you asked her yet? You and Angela…you guys have been together for a while, you have a baby, own a home, and-"

"That's exactly why I haven't."

Cory made a face. "Care to explain, because I don't understand."

"Angela knew she was pregnant for a week before she told me. She was afraid of, well, a lot of things. But mostly she was afraid that I would propose because of the baby. That's why her parents got married and nothing scares her more than turning into them.

"We made a deal to take things one step at a time. Nothing about our relationship has been normal. We went from zero to Mach 10 in the blink of an eye. I have no regrets and I wouldn't change a thing. What we have…it's been crazy and chaotic and amazing and everything in between. Angela and Georgia are the best things that have ever happened to me and I don't know what I did before them." Eric tucked his daughter a little closer and kissed the hat that covered her head. "But with everything that's gone on sometimes it's hard to keep a handle on who we are as a couple because we didn't get to know each other that way for very long before all the other stuff started coming at us. We had to learn and adapt as we went."

"All couples do that. Or, they're supposed to anyway. Topanga and I failed at it for a few years there and we nearly fell apart."

"Most couples didn't have to adapt as fast as we did though. It doesn't make us better or worse, it's just what makes us us."

"What does that have to do with not asking her to marry you?"

"After all of the big, life changing stuff that happened we deserved a chance to breathe and keep our heads above water, settle into our life together and with Georgia."

"And now you're ready to propose," Cory cheered, clapping his hands together.

"Will you shut up? If you wake up Georgia you're going to take over until she's happy again. She's teething now, so she's a very tough audience."

"I'm sorry. But still, yay."

"I'm not proposing now. It still doesn't feel like the right time, but I think it will be soon. I want to do it right, plan something really special and romantic." No matter how many times Angela insisted she didn't need fancy dinners, flowers, trips, and expensive dates and that she loved their takeout food at one in the morning and sitcom reruns on TV dates when he came home from work, Eric couldn't help but feel guilty. He thought back to all the years and money he wasted wooing countless girls to be in relationships that ultimately wouldn't work.

He never got the chance to woo Angela. He didn't have to. The moment she reappeared in Philadelphia they clicked and that was that. They just knew. Still, when the time came for him to ask her to marry him Eric wanted it to be special. She deserved it.

"Let me know if you need any tips," Cory said, breaking into his brother's thoughts. "Romance is my specialty."

"Yeah, Cor, if I need help picking between a fern or a ficus plant I'll be sure to give you a call."

"Hey!"

"You gave your girlfriend a plant when you were sixteen."

"She still married me."

"Not because of the plant."

He stared out at the vast array of rings. "I never got to do anything for my engagement. Topanga proposed spur of the moment and then mom gave her Nana Boo Boo's engagement ring."

"You made sure the wedding happened even when Topanga had doubts. That's a big something."

"I suppose. Actually, if we're going to be technical you're the one that made our wedding happen."

"And you've still never sent me a thank you gift or paid me for my unofficial role as wedding planner."

"I spent my wedding night in jail because you hijacked someone else's wedding. You're lucky you're still breathing."

"When are you going to get over that?"

"Wedding night…jail…how about never?" Something occurred to him. "Hey, it doesn't bother you, does it?"

"What? That you spent a night in jail? Nah, I got over that years ago."

"No, that mom gave Nana Boo Boo's ring to Topanga instead of saving it for you."

"Why would I care about an old lady's engagement ring?"

"It's a family heirloom and you're the oldest-"

"Heirloom? When did we become rich people? And to be honest, Angela prefers colorful stones. She'd appreciate the meaning behind the ring and the connection to our family, but she's not big on diamonds."

"Then why did you stop in front of a huge window full of diamond rings?"

"I saw them and started to think about the future. The rings are all very nice, but they are very much not Angela. So my ring search continues."

"Continues? You've been looking?"

"I only started looking for real not long ago. I haven't found anything that seems right yet. Please don't tell anyone, not even Shawn and Topanga. Whenever it happens I want to surprise Angela."

"I promise." And he meant it. "And if you need my helping planning anything just let me know. What does the right one look like? Maybe I can help."

"I don't know, Cory. I think it's one of those things where I'll know it when I see it."

"Well, whenever you find it, whether it's next week or next year, the most important thing is," he paused and threw his arms around his big brother, "you're getting married!" He realized his faux pas milliseconds before the crying began. "Uh-oh."

"You squashed my kid!"

"I'm sorry. It was an accident."

Eric took the baby out of the wrap and quickly looked her over. "Shh, it's okay, Georgia. Uncle Cory was being a dumbbell." He walked down the street ahead of his brother. It was probably best to head back to the hotel now.

"A dumbbell?"

"That's what I said."

"Is she okay," Cory asked as the crying continued.

"Yeah, she just got scared."

"I forgot you were wearing her in your coat. I was excited for you. Do you need help getting her back in?"

"No. Actually, hold her for a second."

He accepted the baby and it killed him to know she was crying because of him. He kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry, munchkin. Uncle Cory didn't mean to squish you."

"Here." Eric held out a thermal receiving blanket he got from the diaper bag. "Wrap her in this and she'll be fine until we get back to the hotel." He'd dressed her in a fleece outfit to prepare for the weather. "You're on baby duty until she stops crying."

"But, I-"

"Or I could tell Angela you almost squashed her precious baby girl and let her go all Mama Bear on you. You may not live through it, but I'd have my entertainment for the evening."

"Does Georgia prefer The Wheels on the Bus or Itsy, Bitsy Spider as a lullaby?"

/

/

"Nina, go to your room. We'll talk about this when mom gets home."

"But, daddy, I-"

"Nina, go."

"You are being a very mean daddy!" The five year old crossed her arms and stomped to her room. She didn't understand why she was in trouble. A couple kids were making fun of her brother and she stuck up for him. That's what you were supposed to do. It was the right thing. To make sure her daddy knew she was upset with him, Nina slammed her bedroom door shut as hard as she could. It was what kids did on television.

Back in the kitchen Jack was getting Milo settled in his booster seat at the table. He game him a few toys and a bowl of cereal to keep him occupied while dinner was prepared. He winced when he heard the door slam.

"Nina bad," the toddler said.

"No, Milo, Nina's not bad."

"What did she do?"

Jack turned around and saw Evan standing there. "That's not really any of your business right now."

"Yes, it is. She's my sister." He'd asked Nina what happened when they were in the car, but she was crying over getting in trouble at school and wouldn't say anything.

"Evan, me and mom will take care of it, okay?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Jack shook his head as the boy left the room. Doors slamming, head shaking, eye rolling? Wasn't this teenage behavior? He thought he had a few more years before they had to deal with this.

/

"Nina, let me in," Evan whispered, knocking. "Nina?" When she still didn't answer he opened the door. His sister wasn't anywhere to be seen. Her sniffles could be heard loud and clear, however. "Nina, are you hiding?"

"No."

He followed the muffled voice and found her under Milo's crib. She was wearing her blue magician's cape and hugging the large My Little Pony Uncle Shawn and Aunt Nomi got her for her birthday. "Why are you hiding?"

"Daddy's mad at me. My teacher was mad, too, and I thought Miss Pilar was my friend. And mommy is going to be mad when she gets home."

"What did you do?"

"I threw my box of crayons at Bella and Madison."

"Why?"

"They made fun of Calum. Miss Pilar wanted us to talk about our families and then color pictures. I said Calum can't hear but soon he's going to get special batteries in his ears to hear us. Bella and Madison starting saying stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Mean stuff so I got mad and threw my crayons." She covered her face with her stuffed pony. "Are you mad at me, too?"

"Why would I be mad at you throwing crayons at dumb girls? I hope you hit them."

"Because you said that we have to be on super good behavior so mommy and daddy adoption us like they did with Calum. I didn't do good behavior today. If mommy and daddy change their minds is it going to be my fault?"

Evan grabbed a pillow from his sister's bed and lay on the floor beside the crib. "I don't know."