"Ok, and now stretch up towards the sky," Carl had not only come up with the idea of the Mommy and Me play group, he was now also leading it. He'd talked the girls into doing some yoga with the dolls and had even brought yoga mats for the occasion. They were at the park, Carl insisting the air would be good for the dolls. Cindy's point that the dolls didn't even have lungs had apparently been lost on him.

"Carl, did you really just have these lying around?" Cindy asked as she followed his lead, stretching the doll's hands towards the sky.

Carl nodded. "I have to have extra, so I can rotate the washing. These things trap all sorts of dirt," he counted each thing on a finger, "skin cells, hair...that stuff." Cindy and Libby both eyed their mats apprehensively before taking a step off of them. "Oh, don't worry, I cleaned both of those this morning."

Libby and Cindy both hopped back onto their mats. "How's everything going with you guys?" Libby asked as they changed poses – a back stretch with the baby doll on their back. "I can't say Jimmy's exactly a dream to work with. No offense, Cindy."

Cindy rolled her eyes. "None taken. Nerdtron's being a total jerk about this assignment. I mean, when Sheen's a more attentive dad then you, you're probably failing."

"So things are going better with Sheen?"

"They're not going terribly," Cindy refused to admit that Sheen was actually doing quite well. "That's all I'll say."

"How about Nick, Carl?" Libby asked, taking the doll off her back before assuming a sitting position.

"He lets me do all the work. It's okay with me," Carl cuddled his doll closer. "Brad and I can get by without him!"

"You're supposed to let him do half the work," Cindy pointed out. Carl considered monetarily.

"I thought I'd write my paper as the experiences of a single dad."

"That wasn't an option!" Cindy was starting to get concerned. She liked Carl well enough and didn't want to see him fail.

"I don't see why not," Carl put his glasses back on (he'd taken them off when the yoga had started so as not to break them). "Single parents exist. Plus I don't want Nick to get all the credit for my work." He looked suddenly worried. "Is that not being fair? Am I tearing our family apart?! What if Brad never gets over his father leaving!"

"Breathe, Carl," Libby patted him on the back. "But it's not a terrible idea. I mean, if you're doing all the work you should get all the credit. It's like the story of the Little Red Hen."

"Mom says I shouldn't eat chicken if it's not white throughout. I might get some sort of infection."

"That was not her point," Cindy explained. "It means that Nick..like Jimmy," she muttered the last part under her breath, "Is not making any effort to help you. You told me he's answering questions but mostly letting you take the lead. How is that helpful? I'd say you both should write your papers with the assumption the dad hasn't done any of the work."

"We should give them another chance," Libby said softly. "Maybe they don't realize what they're doing is wrong?"

"Puh-lease," Cindy crossed her arms. "When have you known Neutron to admit he's wrong about something?"

"Libby!" came a call from across the park. Cindy, Carl and Libby all whipped around to see Jimmy dashing their way. He doubled over when he reached them, panting with the effort. "I'm sorry I haven't been putting in enough effort. I'll try to do better."

"Maybe she thinks it's too late," Cindy scowled at him. "do you honestly think that coming here makes any difference after you kept trying to blow her off?"

Libby put one hand on Cindy's shoulder and then one on Jimmy's. "Cindy, he's trying. Jimmy, we can keep working together but only if you actually put in more effort. I'm not doing this alone. Kids are a big responsibility."

"Do any of you understand that these are just dolls?" Jimmy asked, grabbing Hedy from Libby and studying the doll.

"Is Goddard?" Libby asked.

"What? This thing is nothing like Goddard! It's not nearly as complex, I mean it's just a small microchip that imitates crying and needs."

Even if it was lost on Jimmy, Cindy could see Libby's point. "Couldn't someone theorize that Goddard is just a simulacrum of a real dog? Of course you'd disagree, because you love him. But the whole point of this is that you're supposed to treat the doll like a child. And if you can't love your kid, Jimmy..." Cindy trailed off.

"I guess you're right," Jimmy extended a hand to Libby. "I promise I'll put in more effort. I know it's not a real baby, but I guess I have to start treating it like one. Maybe we should stop spending time separately and work on the assignment together?"

Libby grabbed his hand and shook firmly. He winced but tried to pretend it hadn't hurt. "Agreed. But if you mess it up, Jimmy, I'm letting Cindy be the one to take care of you. Get it?"

"Got it."

"Good. I'll meet you at your place in an hour."

"An hour?" Jimmy looked bewildered. "Why don't we just go now?"

"Because it's the baby's snackie time, that's why!" Carl interrupted. "I made fruit chewies for the girls and blended spinach for the babies."

"Yeaaah, I'm just gonna go now. See you later, Libby."

Libby and Cindy watched Jimmy go, Libby with a smile and Cindy with a look of apprehension. "You're worried about this because you're scared he won't be a good dad." Libby paused but didn't give Cindy a chance for rebuttal. "Don't you think you're looking too far ahead in the future?"

"Hey, you never know. Plus I need to know now if Jimmy's worth it in the long run. I mean, if he can't handle a doll, how's he going to handle a colicky five month old?!"

"I've said it before and I'll say it again – you are ill, girl."

"I am out of my mind," Cindy said mostly to herself as she knocked on the Estevez's door. Sheen answered but before she even came in, Cindy launched herself into the spiel she'd practiced. "Okay, I'm not your favorite person and you're not mine, but you've actually done a good job – though I really hate admitting that – and maybe we should start working together instead of doing everything by halves. Well?"

"Okay."

"Okay?! I spend all that time explaining everything and you just answer with okay?!"

Sheen considered for a moment. "Is all right better?"

"Oh, just point me in the direction of the baby."

"Dad's watching him. In the kitchen." Sheen pointed the way and then indicated for her to follow him. She was about to get on Sheen's case about pushing the assignment off to someone else when she actually saw Mr. Estevez with the doll. He was holding it close and rocking it.

"Mi bebe, mi amor," Mr. Estevez sang softly, "I hold you now until the morn. And if you wake, mi corazon, know I will be here, siempre..."

Cindy stopped in her tracks. She had been about to insist on giving the doll back, explaining that he wasn't Mr. Estevez's responsibility. But he looked so happy right now. "He used to sing that song to me when I was a baby. He stopped when I was four...until mom died. Then he started it again when I couldn't sleep."

Cindy was taken aback at Sheen's bluntness, but also moved by the scene. "Should we just leave Eric with him? I mean...he looks pretty happy."

"We'll give him a few more minutes. Let's work on the questions."

Cindy nodded her agreement, then pulled the questionnaire out of her backpack. "Question six, is nature or nurture more important? Explain your answer." She considered for a moment. "Nurture"

"Nurture," Sheen had answered at the exact same moment as Cindy.

"Okay," Cindy said, more than a little surprised she and Sheen were on the same page. "Let's get through more of these." She fired off question after question, and strangely realized that most of the questions that were legitimately about child care and had nothing to do with Sheen or Cindy's outside rolls they actually agreed on. They blazed through most questions, until they reached the final one. "Do you think your partner would make a good parent? Why or why not?"

Mr. Estevez came into the living room, finally ready to return the doll. "Is everything all right kids? You suddenly got very quiet."

"I have some thinking to do, Mr. Estevez," Cindy got up and pulled Eric gently towards her. "Thank you for watching him."

Cindy practically ran for the door, but paused on the front step after she'd closed the door behind her. She knew her answer for whether or not Sheen was a good dad – it was a resounding yes. Her concern right now was that she had no idea how Sheen would answer the same question about her.