Papa set the plate of extra bacon on the table while Echo poured Declan a glass of orange juice. "How is it?"

"Perfect Daddy!" Ana frowned, "Papa." She corrected herself, looking disappointed and affronted.

Dad looked amused.

Papa shook his head, "You guys are usually so good about that." He sat down, he looked more surprised that it didn't happen more.

"We learned that it's an important distinction." Rory had the same zombie-like look that Papa had when he first woke up. "If we didn't enforce the distinction…no one wwould ever know who was talking to who and we'd end up having to call you by your first names just to keep you straight."

"As long as we're all agreed that Father is still what we call them when aggravated with either of them." Ana clarified.

"Of course." Rory and Echo chimed at the same time.

Dad just shook his head, "I love how communicative you guys are." He sounded like he was only partially joking.

Papa looked between us girls, "What?"

"Oh come on, Papa, it's called attitude or sass, or you know, any other form of trying to aggravate the crap out of our parents." Aurora said, shrugging, "I mean, you can't honestly tell me that you never pulled the father crap on your father."

"I…what do you guys have to like agree about this kind of thing. Can't you all sass us in different ways?"

"You want us to sass you?" Declan asked, looking a little confused.

Echo was right there with him, but she hopping on the train her sisters were driving, "Okay, Papa, just remember that you asked for it." She a bite of her omelet.

Dad was staring at Papa with a look that clearly stated, "You idiot. Why did you challenge our daughters? They outnumber us, you know!" But all he said was, "Remember that he asked for it, would you please."

"Sure, Daddy."

"Yes, sir."

"No problemo, senor." Aurora saluted him.

Papa sighed, "You guys are getting smarter."

"That's what happens when you send us to school and raise us bilingually." Echo said in an undertone.

Dad made a little sound and covered his mouth.

Papa stared at her like she had dropped from Mars. "No…not you, Echo. No, you're the sweet one. You're not supposed to be snarky, your Dad doesn't have the snarky gene!"

"Yeah, I'm also the best archer in the Apollo cabin. What?" Dad shook his head at his husband.

"You know what I mean!"

"Father," Rory started, her eyes narrowed and staring at Papa, "Why would it matter that Dad doesn't have the snarky gene if you're also her father?"

Echo thought she would burst out laughing at the look of sheer terror on her Papa's face.

Her Dad did, "Oh, I am SO gone for this." He got up, laughing, "Come on, Dec, we'll go watch some Road Runner."

Declan gladly left his empty plate to follow Dad, "Girls are weird, Daddy."

"Oh," Dad nodded but obviously didn't know how to continue, "Yeah."

Echo slowly pushed back her chair as Ana and Rory stared at Papa.

"So gone for what?"

Papa slumped in his seat, "Oh this is going to…"

Echo kissed his cheek, "Good luck." Then she skipped out.

"You support is appreciated." He said sarcastically, stabbing at his omelet.

Echo giggled and sat with her Dad, watching cartoons her parents had been showing her since she was…born?

"What duet are we doing later, Larky?" Dad asked in a whisper so that they didn't disturb Declan.

Echo shrugged, "I don't know. I forgot to be thinking about it this week. Too much going on."

"Hmm," Dad grabbed the rarely used laptop from it's drawer and opening it.

Her teachers were always concerned when she said that her house didn't have Internet. It actually did, but it was so dangerous to use that most of the time they just went to the library, did their research in about ten minutes and then made themselves scarce. She still wasn't good navigating computers. She just told people that her family was a little old-fashioned. Which confused people when she also told them that she had two fathers. She wasn't sure why. Her Papa was technically from the forties. Of course, she also expected to be endlessly questioned when her Papa comes in for career day on…

"Uh, Daddy…I know Declan's tests are on Monday…"

"Yes," He urged her on.

"Monday is also Career day." She said quietly, not wanting to seem like it was a big day.

He made a clicking sound with his teeth, "Right, your Papa was presenting for you. Forgot about that.I'll remind him later." He put his feet on the coffee table. He seemed to be looking up music. He started printing something.

Echo rested her head on his arm, turning her attention to the cartoon, but distracted by Declan.

He was looking around, slowly looking more confused.

"Declan? You okay?" She asked.

He focused on her and Dad, blinked a couple times, "We're home, right?"

Echo nodded and gave him a smile, "Yeah, it's Saturday."

He blinked again, then nodded, "Right, I had orange juice with my omelet, and you cut the bacon in it into stars."

She grinned, "Right."

"Because it's the first Saturday of the month." He finished, nodding firmly and going back to his cartoons.

Echo felt her Dad relax, and realized she hadn't felt him tense up. She glanced up and could see that familiar guilt and fear that she had seen for the past two years. He had looked at her a couple times like that when she had had the cast on her leg for a few weeks after the accident. And she caught him with that look often around Declan. She remembered how she caught her Dad crying in her Papa's arms in guilt, and her Papa telling him that it wasn't his fault. That he couldn't have prevented it. Everyone was okay.

"So, why does Papa have to cover the whole…surrogate thing?"

Dad made a face, "Because it was either that or explaining the whole…puberty thing. Believe it or not, I drew the short straw."

"I believe it." Echo whispered, shaking her head a bit. That had been awful. But she could imagine it being worse if Papa had explained it all. At least Dad could put on a professional front, Papa probably would have made things even more awkward. "So, which one of you plays the overprotective parent when we start dating?"

"Um, both."

"No supportive parent?"

"Sorry, you're too important for us to risk it."

"It's not like anyone is going to try and steal me." She got up and grabbed the music Dad had printed off. "This isn't a duet."

"No, it's a song I want you to learn and play and sing for us." Dad gave her a grin.

"It's kind of ambitious."

"You'll do fine." He was printing off more music. "Besides your piano teacher said you needed some new material to learn."

Something else started printing.

"And as for the stealing you, your grandfather stole a girl. We were told not to let that happen to you. And we aren't going to let it happen to you."

She nodded a bit, "Yes, Daddy."