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A/N: For those trying to figure out the math: Carly got pregnant during summer break, so late June/early July. Aiden was born the following April. He's seven at present and will turn eight during opi season.

After parking the truck at the dock in Dutch, Andy pulled his duffel out of the cab and slowly made his way to where the Time Bandit was tied up. With a grunt he hoisted the sack over the side then himself, both landing with a dull thud. On deck Mike, Scotty, and Eddy were readying pots.

"Hey boss!" called Mike amicably, looking up from the net he was repairing. "Have a good trip"

Andy nodded, "Yeah, I did."

~DC~

Flashback

After the funeral Carly and Aiden had returned home to their Tacoma suburb. When his business in Homer was finished Andy had gone for a visit as promised. That set the course for the next few months, Andy would head out to do meet and greets, The Captain's Tour, and boat race appearances then head back to Tacoma to get to know his nephew. Their bond was flourishing and Andy knew he always looked forward to his next trip as much as Aiden did. He was also enjoying the time he spent with Carly. He really didn't remember her from their younger days, and just briefly from her summer affair with John. It was clear she was a fantastic mother and watching she and Aiden together always made him smile.

During a weeklong camping trip the two of them had spent a lot of time talking about the past and future. Seeing the relationship her son was forming gladdened her heart. Andy learned Carly was in a constant fight with the school system about her son, his impulsiveness and energy often causing problems in the classroom. The school insisted he needed behavior altering medication, and Carly was adamant that he did not. Aiden was an "outside the box" kid, all around and did not conform to only being allowed to do something a specific way. He was creative, brilliant, and quick…throw in the Hillstrand genes and what you had was a deadly combination.

The start of school for Aiden marked a bittersweet time, Aiden and Andy each hating the time spent away from the other. Andy was especially saddened as the summer ended, knowing as he did that the crab seasons were just around the bend and then his visits would be infrequent and short until the summertime.

"But why do you have to go away?" sobbed Aiden, his arms wrapped tightly around Andy's neck, tears soaking Andy's shirt. "Uncle Andy, I don't want you to go!"

Andy sat him down on the ground and dropped to a knee. He ruffled the boy's hair, "I know buddy. But I have to. That's my job. But don't worry, I'll be back just before Christmas."

"But that's forever!" he wailed throwing his hands in the air dramatically. "You can stay here! I'll let you sleep in my room. Can't he mom?"

Carly hugged Aiden, "Uncle Andy would get awful bored while you were at school."

"He could play with all my toys!"

"That's a great offer, and I'd love to stay here with you guys. But my brothers are depending on me. I have to go help them." As of right now, Aiden knew that Andy was his Uncle. Carly wasn't ready to introduce "Andy is your dad's brother" yet into the equation. They would cross that bridge when the time was right.

~DC~

Andy entered his stateroom and began stowing his gear. Reaching into the bag he encountered something hard and was puzzled as to what it was. Pulling it out he smiled as he recognized a big wheel truck that he and Aiden played monster trucks with. Inside the cab was a piece of paper that had been folded in on itself until it was a little bundle. It was sealed with half a roll of scotch tape to make it extra secure. Carefully opening the note Andy's eyes misted over as he read the childish scrawl:

Dear Uncle Andy,

Here is a truck so you can have fun. I miss you. Come play with me.

Love

Aiden

Andy wiped the tears away and tucked the note and truck safely away along with several photographs of the two of them. There was also one of them and Carly taken from the lookout point near the spot where they had spent a week camping by a lake. Andy's thumb caressed Carly's picture and he sighed. His thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt arrival of Johnathan. "HEY ANDY! THE COASTIES NEED YOU TO SIGN OFF ON THIS!" he bellowed from the wheelhouse.

~DC~

"You sure you're ok?" asked Johnathan with concern for the twentieth time in four hours.

"Yeah. Why do you keep asking me that?" replied Andy.

"Cause you've been staring out that window for the last five days. If you stared any harder laser bolts would shoot from your eyes."

"Maybe I've got x-ray vision. Trying to find the crabs since you can't seem too," smirked Andy propping his feet on the console.

Johnathan flipped his brother off "Fuck you. It's not my fault."

"Yeah it is, who fishes the same spot four years in a row?" muttered Andy shooting back his own obscene gesture.

John rolled his eyes, "Whatever. You've been weird since you got back. Something happen?"

Andy glared and John, screaming to himself "Yeah. Let's see. You've got a son and I wish they were mine!" The image of Aiden, Carly, and himself as a family knifed through his heart and he sucked in a breath. Hurling himself to his feet he stomped down the stairs to the galley shoving past Mike who was on his way up. Mike glanced over his shoulder, "What's up with him? He's been off for since we started this trip."

John replied with an exasperated huff, "Beats me! Somethin's up his ass though."

~DC~

That King crab season turned out to be a long, brutal one. Andy and John fought constantly. Something not entirely uncommon, but Andy's animosity towards his brother surprising them both. As soon as they docked in Dutch, Andy was the first man off the boat.

"HEY! You coming home for Christmas?" called Johnathan.

Andy turned around backwards but continued walking, "No. I got plans."

"The girls spending Christmas with you?" nodded John assuming this to be true. Andy and his wife Sabrina had ended their twenty plus years marriage two years ago. She had gotten tired of being a fishing widow and had found someone else.

"Nah," Andy made quotation marks with his fingers, "Steve is taking her, the girls and their boyfriends to the Caribbean for the holidays."

John was confused, "So what are you doin'?"

"Plans, bratha, plans. See you for opis." Andy hurried down the dock and was on the first flight back to the mainland.

~DC~

"Andy I can't let you do that," whispered Carly, trying to keep Aiden from overhearing their discussion, "It's too much."

"It's not. I've missed seven birthdays and Christmas'," pushed Andy.

"A week at Disneyland? It is!" hissed Carly. Like most children his age Aiden had been begging to go there since he was four and saw it on TV. As much as she desired to take him, an administrative assistants salary only went so far. They had everything they needed, but vacations such as that were not in the budget.

"Look, if I weren't spending the holidays here, I'd be in Vegas and would blow that much at the poker tables. This would mean a lot more." After nearly an hour of convincing, Andy finally was able to get Carly to come around to his side. Later that night at dinner Aiden started pestering his mom about buying a Christmas tree to decorate.

Carly paused while taking a bite of her noodles, "No, I think we'll just put up the old tree this year."

Aiden huffed and threw himself back against the seat while Andy watched in amusement. "Aw mom. That old tree?"

She chewed the bite she had just taken, "Mmhmm. We won't be here to enjoy a live tree anyways."

That comment worried Aiden, "Why aren't we having Christmas?"

Carly arched and eyebrow at Andy and jerked her head. He leaned over to Aiden and whispered in his ear. Aiden's eyes grew huge, "SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!"

Andy laughed, "What?"

Carly rolled her eyes at him, "That's seven year old swearing for shut the f up." She gave Aiden a hard look, "And you young man know better than to talk like that."

Aiden stared at the floor and muttered, "Sorry mom."

"It's alright." She couldn't stand the sad look on his face, "Seriously, We're going to Disney…you can be happy."

Aiden shot up out of his chair and began racing around the kitchen, "WOOHOO! I'M GOING TO DISNEY!" He launched himself into Andy's arms, "Uncle Andy you're the BEST!"

~DC~

Disney was everything Aiden had ever dreamed of. A huge Hilllstrand smile never left his face. Even when Carly insisted he eat his vegetable at dinner he did, they were "Disney Vegetables" after all. Andy had pulled out all the stops for this vacation. They were staying on the property in a fantastic family suite. He had graciously given the master over to Carly since, as he whispered conspiratorly to Aiden, "It's got the girly bathroom." Well that and the fact that there was a balcony attached and neither he nor Carly were comfortable with Aiden and a ten-story drop. He and Aiden shared the inner bedroom, their "man cave".

The second day there Andy had a proposition for Carly, the hotel had a "babysitting" service available. Children could come to "Mickey's Slumber Party" and qualified and licensed staff would supervise and entertain the children while their parents had a grown up evening. Andy wanted the opportunity to take Carly out for a quiet dinner, something unheard of with "Hillstrand spawn" in the house. Carly agreed providing Aiden wanted to go, which of course was met with uber-enthusiastic approval.

While the boys entertained themselves playing video games, Carly took full advantage of the girly bathroom. On the off chance they had decided to do dinner at a nicer restaurant, Carly had packed a cute little black dress and heels to match. As she showered she decided on a whim to 'really' shave her legs, not just to the knee, but the whole leg. She was dressing up; why not go all the way? Finished with her hair and makeup she walked into the sitting area. Aiden smiled and tried to wolf whistle, "Looking good mom! Two thumbs up!"

Andy was awestruck at the vision before him; "good" and "two thumbs up" was the tip of the iceberg. Her long brown hair cascaded around shoulders. The dress clung in all the right places, sexy without being slutty. The heels accentuating her long legs. Andy forced himself to look away before his primary southern brain overrode his secondary northern one. He groaned inwardly, this was going to be a long night…