Hello all! Just wanted to say yet again thanks for reading! Hope you'll continue to do so! Glad your enjoying it so far!

Back inside, Stephanie sat at the kitchen table snacking on the cookies she and Edith had made the day before. Suddenly Archie's head appeared through the backdoor's window and Edith's soon followed. Both of them watched Stephanie, then exchanged looks and before anyone knew it Archie opened the door was at Stephanie's right side holding onto her arm.

"Alright kid, we're gonna let youse tell us why youse don't wanna move over to California and then I'm gonna tell youse, you're coming to California whether you like it or not." He told her sternly.

Stephanie just stared at him while Edith, who stood at the young girl's left side, frowned and shook her head.

"What are youse giving me that look for? You should be giving her that look." Archie said while pointing to the child who sat between them.

"Steaphy," Edith began, taking a seat "Why don't you wanna move to California with us?" she asked softly while Archie took a seat himself, knowing they'd be here for awhile.

Stephanie looked down at the table and then up and over at Edith, "I don't wanna leave my friends. Like I had to when my dad brought me over here."

Edith looked over at Archie with a face that seemed to say, "What are you gonna do?" to see his face that seemed to simply say, "Ah geeze" There was silence for quite some time, until finally Archie spoke breaking it.

"Listen Kid, friends ain't gonna matter out there. Not with all them great things."

"Like what?"

"Well… like the movies and TV shows. Dat sunny weather, movie stars…sure it's got them fruits but nothin's perfect."

Stephanie smiled, "It sounds great."

"Yeah you see… "

"Why don't you go and me and Aunt Edith will stay here." She went on her smile dropping as she became serious.

"Now listen here Rosemarie…" Archie told her frowning away.

"Stephanie!" the two corrected.

"Whatever. Where ever I go your Aunt Edith goes. Cause a wife's place is beside her husband. Ain't that right Edith?"

Edith opened her mouth but before anything was said Stephanie cut in.

"But a woman has the same rights as a man, so she doesn't have to, right Aunt Edith?"

Once again before Edith could get a word in Archie and Stephanie began to speak well more like argue. Right a way Edith tried to quite them down as she tried, when Gloria and Archie used to argue or even when Mike and Archie used to argue. However history repeated itself and she was unable to quite them. Soon she came up with an idea, she stood up and grabbed a pan from the dish wrack and a wooden spoon from the same place. She then began to hit the pot with the wooden spoon.

"Quite!" she yelled while doing so and it didn't take long for Archie and Stephanie to notice.

"Edith, Edith." Archie said softly while getting up from his seat "Calm down there." he went on, fearing two things: Edith's health and Edith's temper.

"I'm sorry Archie…I just couldn't get your attention and…"

"It's alright there Edith." Archie said as he helped her to her seat. "The kid didn't know no better."

Edith looked up at Archie somewhat confused, but shook it off as Archie went back to his own seat.

"Steaphy you know you can make new friends over in California and still keep in touch with the ones from here right?" Edith asked her niece, "It's like the song, Da da da ta da one is sliver and the other's gold…"

"Edith get to the point huh?" Archie winced

"Oh right, you know Steaphy I could help you write back and forth to your friends here. Me and Kimberly are gonna be doing that. And me and your Uncle Archie used to write back and forth all the time when he was in the service. So I know how to stay in touch with letters."

"And how to write 'em. She once sent me a letter five pages long front and back." Archie shared and all three smiled.

"The point is Steaphy, is we want youse to move to California with us. Gloria even found a place for us out there and there's even a room for you. But if you don't wanna go you don't have to. I want you to know though, that room will always be there waiting for you." Edith said in a very comforting voice.

"Yeah, Hey maybe we could turn dat there room into that den I've always wanted." Archie stated grinning.

Stephanie quickly looked up at her uncle and grinned almost devilishly, "I'm going."

Not a second passed for Archie's smile to drop and Edith to throw her arms around Stephanie. Stephanie, keeping up the good sprits, smiled at her aunt, "I'm going to go start packing now!" she announced and then left the room.

Edith smiled as she watched her leave and then realized what the young girl was doing home in the first place. "Oh I'll get your sandwich ready!" she called after Steaphy, as she got up and began gathering the ingredients, Archie remained sitting watching her.

"You know, you did a pretty good job talking to the kid, Edith." Edith smiled and he went on, "It's kinda a shame youse didn't get to do that too many times. Well 'sides to Gloria when she was little and the meathead when, well ever since he moved in till they left." He continued.

"Yeah." Edith agreed giving him a shy smile.

"It's kinda a shame we only did a lot like dat thing only once."

"Like what?" Edith questioned while working on Stephanie's sandwich.

"Well you know picking out names, first steps, and first words."

Edith thought, "Yea, but that just made our first firsts even better." She said looking on the bright side, and Archie had to smile at that before continuing.

"That's true. But what about trying to have a baby you know, and knowing we could have one and wanted one."

"Oh no Archie. We didn't even get to do that last one remember? Gloria was our little surprise." She said smiling as she recalled how surprised happy they had been.

Archie tried to look annoyed but couldn't help but smirk as he thought back as well. "But that didn't mean we didn't you know…"

"Oh yeah." Edith said blushing some as she finished with Stephanie's lunch. Archie then unexpectedly wrapped his arms around his wife's waist.

Edith was shocked, "Oh Archie, you ain't done this since…Gloria was a baby." She said smiling still and Archie smirked.

"Well youse know I don't like to repeat myself." He said still smirking "Hey what do youse say we finish what we was doing before?"

"Oh Archie, no we can't." she said her smile shirking some, "Not with Steaphy upstairs."

"Edith she's packing, she won't notice. Just leave her food out here and she'll be fine won't bother us at all. Hey like what we did with Author the cat."

Edith shook her head, "Oh no Archie we can't."

"But…"

"Maybe later." She said as she got out of the embrace, and quickly but lovingly kissed him, before leaving the kitchen with the sandwich in her hands.

"Geeze." Archie said to himself, "times like these I gotta be thankful we only had Gloria." Archie went before taking a bit of the half pickle his spouse had left behind, and pushed open the swinging door to go to the living room.

Well there you go! Chapter 13 of As Time Goes By! Thanks for Reading! Hope you liked! Please review! Until Next week! Have a Nice Day!