Alright, here's the latest. Forgive me for taking liberties with a certain someone's timeline here too. :/ Thanks muchly Bookworm for the feedback. More to come soon! :)

After the picnic clean up started, Farrah was reading her book but glancing up from it, saw J.J standing by the library door. Checking his Batman watch and pacing.

Frowning, Farrah set her book down and approached him. "J.J? You okay?"

"I just thought my grandma would be here by now."

"It okay. I thought Pete be here now too.", Farrah grumbled, not pleased her friend hadn't made his promised appearance yet.

"Who's Pete?"

"He's my friend!"

"Is he older than us?"

"Yes. He grown up. But he nice. Silly too."

Shrugging, J.J checked his watch again.

"You think they're in the hallway waiting for us?"

"I don't know.", Farrah shrugged. "We look?"

Nodding, J.J was set to open the door when he heard footsteps, a throat clearing behind him.

"Guys I thought we talked about this. No more-"

"Scaring Nicks.", Farrah muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Right. Thank you, brat.", Brody smirked as she smirked back.

"You brat."

"Thank you again. Anyway, J.J your grandma wanted to run some errands, and she just called Zahira to say she's running late. She wanted to know if you'd be okay going back to the house for pizza with Farrah and me. She knows the address and she'll be there as soon as she can."

Frowning, the boy bit his lip, looked up curiously.

"Will there be pepperoni on the pizza?"

"I think we can make that happen.", Brody smiled.

"Okay, it's cool. My grandma knows though where..."

"Yeah, she does. And hey, speaking of which. C'mere for a second."

Walking over, J.J leaned close enough to hear Brody whisper something to him. Nodding he smiled, pulled back.

"Yeah. That's the word."

"What word?", Farrah asked.

"Just a word J.J's grandma told him and told me so that I could repeat it back to him. Let him know it's safe to go somewhere with us."

"Ah. Like croissant!", Farrah blurted out before covering her mouth. "Oops."

"What's wrong with the word croissant?", J.J asked.

"It's my and Carrie's secret word,", she answered as he grinned.

"Well it's not a secret anymore! Croissant! CROISSANT!", J.J yelled as Farrah took off running after him. Muttering in Arabic about wanting to hit him. Much to Brody's amusement.

...

Once getting all their things together and packing up the car with the leftover food and picnic blankets, Brody let Farrah and J.J flip a coin for who got to ride shotgun. Farrah lost but J.J, per Brody's advice, let her sit up front anyway. Soon though him and Brody lived to regret it.

"No! Turn it off! My ears!", the boy whined from the backseat as Farrah blared "Let It Go", loudly sang along with Idina Menzel.

"Okay Farrah, three times in a row hearing this is a bit much. Time to put on another song."

"Why? We here!", she laughed, jumping out of the car.

Running up the driveway they impatiently waited for Brody to unlock the door before barreling inside.

"Nick, you call Pete, yes?", Farrah asked, pulling off her shoes.

"I was just about to.", Brody said, hanging up his jacket.

"What about the pizza guy?", J.J asked, getting an exasperated sigh.

"C'mon? Do I look like a personal assistant for you two?", Brody snorted as Farrah giggled.

"I dunno. Kind of.", J.J shrugged, getting a hair tousle in return.

"Kind of. Oh that's great. Fine, I'll make the calls, you guys go play."

"Play what?", Farrah asked.

"I don't know. A board game? Hide and seek?", Brody suggested as she wrinkled her nose, shook her head before turning to J.J.

"You like Mario Kart?"

"Sure."

"Okay! Nick you play too after you make calls."

"As you wish, mi'lady.", Brody said, taking a low bow as J.J laughed.

"You're a weird guy."

"Well, thanks!", he huffed, stomping away as Farrah giggled, dragged J.J over to the living room.

Watching, impressed that she was pulling him around by the nose already, Brody was about to order the pizza when his phone went off.

"Hello?"

"Brody?!"

"What the...Carrie?! Maggie told me you couldn't get phone privileges for a month!"

"Well I don't technically have them yet, but..."

"Jesus Christ..."

"Goddammit will you just let me talk! I played up my morning sickness to get out of group and I snuck into my friend Abby's office."

"You have a friend at the fucking psych ward?"

"She's one of the few people here that could pass for a decent human being, Brody. If she catches me she'll let me off with just a warning. I'm sure of it."

"Carrie I don't care if she's Mother Teresa! The last thing you should be doing in a mental hospital is breaking and entering!"

"What do you call you sneaking in here dressed as a goddamn doctor then?", Carrie snapped, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Look, I just wanted to hear Farrah's voice, okay?", she said, her voice cracking.
"Is she there? Can you put her on?"

Calling for her, when Carrie thanked him Brody felt a lump form in his throat.

"It's okay. Look, how are you holding up? Do you have a better room now? When can I visit you?"

"I'm okay. My room is much better now, I...oh shit."

"Carrie?!"

"Look, Abby. I was just about to go to group. I just...I needed to talk to my daughter. It was an emergency, I..."

"Honey go downstairs. Now. You're lucky I'm the one who found you in here. Say goodbye, go on now."

"Brody, I..."

"I know, love. Good bye."

Swearing, Brody hung up right as Farrah came bounding in the kitchen.

"It Carrie? She call?!"

"She couldn't stay on the line, brat.", Brody said sadly.

"Oh."

"But she told me to tell you she loves you and she'll try and call again as soon as she can."

Watching her face fall even more, Brody knelt to her level, smoothed her headscarf.

"Look, go on and play Mario Kart while I call Quinn, okay? And tell J.J I'm getting extra pepperoni on the pizza for him."

"And more cheese. For me.", Farrah reminded.

"Well what other way is there to eat a pizza, right?", Brody grinned, getting a smile and a quick nod before she ran off.

Tempted to call the hospital back and try to get a hold of Carrie again, but knowing he'd probably just make things worse, Brody leaned against the counter. Ordered pizza and cheesy bread right as the doorbell rang.

"Pizza!"

"No, brat. I just called ten seconds ago. Farrah!"

Jogging over to the foyer, he saw Quinn standing in the doorway holding a pizza box.

"Pete!", Farrah cheered as Brody rolled his eyes.

"You know I just ordered one of those thirty seconds ago. And cheesy bread to go with it."

"So you'll have leftovers.", Quinn shrugged, shoving the box at him as Farrah tugged on his coat.

"Pete, you play Mario Kart with us?"

"Okay, sure.", he said, hanging up his jacket in the closet. Looking forward to the prospect of kicking Brody's ass in this game, he stopped short in the living room, seeing who his actual opponent was.

"Hi." J.J said setting down the controller.

"This is Pete. My friend.", Farrah introduced, looking between the two of them and hoping they'd get along.

"It's uh, nice to meet you.", J.J said nervously, extending his hand.

After a beat, Quinn shook it, found his voice.

"Nice to meet you too."

"Here. You guys can get started on this."

Brody said, walking in with plates, napkins, some water bottles and the pizza box. Setting it all on the coffee table.
"There's leftover picnic salad too if you guys are interested."

Not getting an enthusiastic response to that he shrugged. "Eh, was worth a shot."

Sitting quietly in the corner arm chair Quinn uncapped a water bottle, caught a look from Brody who tossed him a paper plate.

"Have a piece, Quinn. You bought the thing after all.", he reminded. Sitting on the sofa next to J.J who handed him his controller.
"Hey, if there's only two of those don't let me keep you from playing. I can just watch, it's fine."

"It's okay. I play this game all the time anyway. You guys don't have Kumba War do you?"

"Mmmm, yes." Farrah said, setting her pizza down and opening the drawer underneath the TV. Retrieving the game she switched out the discs in the console.

"Jeez. Virgil really set you up, didn't he."

"Kumba is Max's.", she corrected, as Brody muttered about not being surprised.

Taking a slice of pizza, J.J barely took a bite before sauce dribbled onto and down his hoodie. "Oh, shoot!"

"Here, bud. Hand that over.", Brody said, taking the sweatshirt from the boy, revealing a Phillies tee underneath.

"You're a Phillies fan?", Quinn asked, finishing his crust as J.J nodded, smiled.

"My mom took me to to games all the time.", he said as Brody left with the sweatshirt, hoping to get the sauce stain out. Seeing the freed up couch space Farrah patted the empty cushion.

"Pete? You play?"

"Yeah, why not."

Crossing the room he sat down, took the controller from her before sitting.

"So what am I doing exactly.", he asked as J.J leaned over. "In this level you're a sniper trying to get into the fortress. So you have to take out the outside guards."

"Jesus Christ.", Quinn muttered, but figured if he couldn't kick ass at this game he had no business working in his profession. Knowing though for the sake of the kids he couldn't play too well, he misfired the gun a few times and missed most of his targets. But succeeded in being noticed and soon was under enemy fire.

"Oh man, give me that. I'll get you out of this.", J.J said, taking the controller and fending off the guards on the ground. But he was unable to avoid an aerial assault. "Oh c'mon! No! Shoot!"

"Christ, let me see it."
Taking back the controls Quinn started shooting rapid fire at the enemy airplane, then switched views so he could see through the scope of the rifle.

"Wait, why did you-"

"Just watch."

Pressing a button or two he got the rifle in position, just in time to take out an onslaught of guards on his left.

"Whoa!", J.J marveled.
"How..."

"You use your peripherals and see where they're coming from. Let your eyes do the work before you start shooting."

"I never used that view before."

"I have. Too many times.", Quinn sighed. "You have some skills though."

"Yeah, I've played this a lot before.", J.J said, only to see Farrah's player about to be gunned down by guards.

"Shoot!", he yelped, sending his player in to help her's.

"What you doing?!"

"Watching your back.", the boy said, fending off the guards. "I was afraid you were gonna get yourself hurt."

Smiling shyly, once her player was out of danger Farrah had him keep running, going against the order at the top of the screen.

"What are you doing?!"

"I want to run this way!"

"Damn it, be careful!", J.J yelled, having his player jump in again to protect Farrah's. Only to look down sheepishly realizing what word he'd let slip.

"I'm sorry. I know not supposed to say that.", he apologized as Quinn smiled.

"It's alright. I won't say a damn thing."

Smiling back, J.J looked on the coffee table and saw his mostly untouched pizza, looked longingly at it.

"Go ahead, eat. I'll take over for awhile."

Quinn offered. Seeing as they'd unlocked an option to upgrade weapons he smiled, opened the menu. Not seeing Farrah's face fall as she took her pizza and her book off the coffee table, sat in the corner arm chair.

"Farrah?"

"I no like this part of the game."

Pausing it, Quinn looked at her guiltily.

"It's okay, we can stop playing it if you want.", J.J offered.

"No. I read. You play.", she said. Pleased that the two of them were getting along.

Seeing as she was okay with it J.J picked up his controller again. "So is this a good upgrade?"

"You kidding? You'll get eaten alive by those fuc...fudgeheads."

"So you're picking that one!", the boy gasped as he selected a souped up looking rifle.

"You want to get past the damn guards or not?"

Nodding, J.J grinned. "Yeah, let's do it."

After they advanced a few more levels, finally Brody returned armed with the sweatshirt.

"Okay J.J, I did the best I could.", he said, handing it back.

"J.J.", Quinn frowned, looking between him and Brody.

"Yeah. That's what my friends call me anyway."

"Well what about those guards you just destroyed? What would they call you?", Brody asked with a laugh, grabbing some pizza as Quinn looked intently at J.J.

"Guess they'd call me John Jr.", he said softly. Focusing more on the game as Farrah focused more on her book. Both not noticing the shellshocked look on Quinn's face.

Eating his pizza, Brody frowned curiously seeing the sniper looking more twitchy and on edge than usual.

"Quinn? Is everything-"

Before he could finish the sentence, Quinn set his controller down and excusing them, took a grip on Brody's arm and brought him to the foyer, up the staircase.

"Jesus! I was just showing concern, not trying to get you alone!", Brody huffed.

"Brody."

"I'm just saying at least buy a guy a drink first.", he joked but Quinn was stone cold serious.

"How do you know that kid?"

"I don't. Not really."

"How many times has he been here?"

"None. This is his first time. For Christ's sake, Farrah and him just met today at the picnic."

"Who brought him here? His mother?"

"No. She didn't.", Brody said, eyes narrowed.
"Quinn, what the fuck is going on? I haven't seen you this worked up since you gave me this.", he scoffed, holding up his scarred hand as Quinn shot him an icy glare.

"I'd rather John not know about that.", he said softly, sitting on the step.

"You mean J.J.", Brody corrected.

"No, I mean John."

Catching on after a beat, Brody braced himself on the railing.

"Hang on a second. You don't think-"

"No. I know. I fucking know.", Quinn sighed, running a hand over his face as he shook his head.

"That kid in there is my goddamn son."