By the time Carly woke up the early the next morning, Jason had already left the cottage to return to the penthouse. She smiled at the hand written note he had left on her pillow telling her that he was going to stop by the penthouse to pick up a few things before heading over to Elizabeth's to pick up Jake. She was determined to make this day perfect as it was the first one Jason had as the recognized father of his son. The only time that he had spent with his son had been behind closed doors. In fact, most of the world still believed that Lucky was his biological father. She wasn't going to be the one to change that, though she was sure that was what Elizabeth expected. It didn't matter what the rest of the world thought; this was about Jason and his son.

"Hey, Mom, can I come it?" Michael asked from the other side of the closed door. Carly sat up and adjusted the strap of her tank top before calling back her permission. Michael, now closer to being a young man than a little boy, padded across the floor and flopped onto his mother's bed. She reached up automatically to smooth his flame red hair. "I thought I would come see what I could do to help you get the house ready. I know that Jake is coming today, so there's probably a lot to do."

Smiling at her oldest son, she was proud of the person he was growing to be. So much of who he was now she attributed to Jason. He had been there all throughout that first year and every single day since. "I think that sounds like a great idea. We need to run over to Wyndham's to pick up a few things to make sure we can take care of Jake when he stays with us. Max is going to bring down some of Morgan's baby things from the attic, so we have a crib."

Leaning across his mother, Michael pulled a notepad off the nightstand and handed her a pen. "We need to make a list. Otherwise, we'll get to the store, and you'll go crazy," he informed her knowingly. He had witnessed his mother's shopping talents many times first hand, and it never seemed to fail that she walked away with more than she needed in the first place. Now that she had the opportunity to spoil another baby, he ventured that their trip would turn into a multi-hour affair if they didn't have a game plan. "Spinelli and Morgan are downstairs making breakfast. I thought he'd be as bad as you, but he's actually pretty good."

"It's probably all those hours hanging out at Kelly's," Carly muttered as she crawled out of the bed. Following Michael downstairs, she expected to find her kitchen disheveled. Instead, she found her youngest son sitting on the counter, patiently stirring a bowl of banana pancake batter. Beside him, Spinelli was routinely pouring the batter on the skillet while they sang along together to the classic rock song on the radio. "What is going on here?"

"Good morning, Valkyrie!" Spinelli called as he flipped a hotcake. "The Stone Cold Namesake and I were just making breakfast for my new family. Since Stone Cold ran by to pick up some of our things, I wanted to do something to thank you for your hospitality."

"See, Mommy!" Morgan chirped, pointing excitedly to the platter of steaming pancakes. Carly nodded gingerly as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Michael wandered over to help his youngest brother set the table. "When is Jason going to be here? I want to see the baby."

"He should be here in a few hours," she answered patiently. "I was going to see if you wanted to stay here with Spinelli while your brother and I go pick up a few things for Jake. If you're good, I'll bring back one of Grandpa's apple pies from Kelly's that you love so much. Is that okay with you, Spinelli?"

Morgan clapped happily, excited about hanging out with Spinelli just as much as the promise of dessert. Spinelli slapped the boy's palm in a sign of brotherly camaraderie, easily falling into his new role as the oldest brother. When Lulu and Jason had chased him to Tennessee, he had no idea how his life would turn out. He hadn't expected to find a best friend in the Blonde One or a mentor in Stone Cold. Now, thanks to both of them, he had a bonafide life and family. He had people that actually cared if he lived or died. The Valkyrie had welcomed him into her home with little question. She had simply said if Jason belonged here, so did he. "That would be lovely. The Jackal and the Stone Cold Namesake will help get things ready here in anticipation of Baby Jake's arrival."

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Carly deadpanned. It was going to take just a little more time to get used to his erratic and strange pattern of conversation. "If you need any help, Mercedes will be here most of the morning before she takes the afternoon off. There should be a few guards outside as well, but I guess you know that. Anything you need while I'm out? Jason already made me a grocery list of the necessities – frozen pizza, BBQ chips and orange soda."

"Wow, you're going to get along with my mom just fine," Michael grinned. "You guys like the same foods except she likes sour cream and cheddar chips."

Spinelli laughed as Carly playfully swatted her son's shoulder. "No, I'm sure any other sustenance you offer will be very much delicious. If you need anyone to help cook, you can just let me know. My granny taught me how to cook all the basics and always said that as long as you can read a cookbook, you can make anything."

"I think we're going to like having you here," Carly retorted before heading back upstairs to get ready for the day. She had so much to do in such a little time, and the day was already slipping away from her. As she drifted toward her bathroom to shower, she basked in the sounds of laughter coming up the stairs. She might be outnumbered by the number of males now inhabiting her home, but she wouldn't have it any other way. With Jason at her side to love her, she knew that her life was finally falling into place. She had always dreamt of a home filled with children, and now that dream was coming true. Michael, Morgan, Jake and even Spinelli were her family.

Across town, Jason was looking around the penthouse, trying to remember everything that Spinelli had rattled off when he had asked if there was anything he needed. A few of the guards were going to stay behind to pack up the rest of their belongings. The penthouse had been good to him over the years, but it wasn't his home anymore. His home was with his family, and his family was at the cottage. He had spent twenty minutes alone in the pink bedroom, trying to find a computer game that Spinelli had asked for. Eventually, he managed to find it under a pile of dirty sweatshirts. Throwing it in a satchel with a few other belongings, he tossed it to the bottom of the stairs before going to his own bedroom.

Jason grabbed a suitcase from the top shelf of his closet and began throwing jeans and solid t-shirts inside. Glancing at the clock at the bedside, he decided to check in with Elizabeth while he finished packing. "Hey, I just wanted to make sure that we were still on for this morning," he said as he emptied the contents of his top drawer into the suitcase. "I'll be by in about an hour to pick him up. If there is anything we need to talk about, we can do it then."

"That's fine," Elizabeth replied shortly. "Lucky is going to pick Cameron up in about a half-hour. I will tell him everything then. If I need more time, I'll call to let you know."

"Okay," he agreed. He knew that he should say something to reassure her or apologize for any pain he had caused. However, he couldn't help but hear Carly's voice in his head, constantly reminding him that this wasn't his fault. Elizabeth had done this to herself. The only person he needed to apologize to was his son, and eight months into his son's life, he had a lot of time to make up for. "Well, I'll see you," he promised before hanging up the phone.

After a few more minutes, he was satisfied with what he had packed. He had always believed in traveling light, and knowing Carly, she would buy him more than he needed. She had always loved buying him shirts, preferring soft blue button-ups that brought out his eyes. It had become their ritual each time he went to court, and over the course of ten times, they had gotten to practice it many times. He also knew that she loved him in his faded jeans and tees because it was the only time he ever felt truly like himself. She had once said that he was sexiest in jeans, a black tee shirt and bare feet, though she did like him in the leather coat on the back of a motorcycle.

"Take these things to the car," Jason ordered as he pointed to the luggage now sitting in the living room. Two guards carried the bags out of the apartment and headed for the elevators, leaving him alone to say goodbye. The only furniture coming to the cottage with him was the pool table, the perfect addition to the empty game room in the basement. There weren't many things that held sentimental value for him, but he loved that pool table. It was the first big thing he bought for himself when he moved into the penthouse. It reminded him of those first nights in Jake's. Scanning the room, he felt like he was forgetting something important. However, when anything failed to catch his eye, he shrugged it off and headed for the front door. Just as he was about to lock the apartment behind him, he passed the hall closet.

Throwing the door open, he couldn't believe that he almost forgot. Reaching up, he retrieved the shoebox that held all his most important memories. In the beginning, it had only contained a few photographs of Michael right after he was born. Now, it was brimming with images of the people that he loved. There were photographs of Carly with the boys at the park, Spinelli and Lulu hanging out in the living room, Elizabeth and Jake in front of their new fireplace and Emily on her college graduation. These were the people that he loved, the people that defined him. When he reached the bottom of the box, he allowed himself to look at the one photograph that he didn't remember. There was Jason Quartermaine, reindeer sweater and all on his last Christmas. Flanked by a beaming Monica and proud Alan, it was the picture of perfection that so many people had told him about. Emily and A.J. were there too. It was the only "family" picture he allowed himself to have because it somehow justified the love he felt for those people, even A.J.

Putting the box back on the lid, he finally felt ready to take charge of his life. This time, he wanted everything to be different. He needed to make amends with a mother who loved him more than life but hated him for the choices that he had made and the repercussions they had. He needed to salvage a relationship with a demanding grandfather because there time was becoming more limited than either of them would have ever liked. He needed to take care of the young man who had came into his life and reminded him how much he wanted to be a father again. He needed to make each day special for the first son that he had ever been blessed with and make sure that the second born knew just how special he was. He needed to be the best father he could be to his youngest child and finally be the man he needs him to be. And he needed to love his best friend in every way possible because she deserved to have everything in the world.