Disclaimer: I don't own anything here (except for Al and TJ) and am just doing this for fun and to pass the long months until Season 4.

Author's Note – Thanks again for reading and reviewing. I hope you're enjoying the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. You'll see, it's one of those summarizing-catching-up chapters that always slow me down.

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Over the next few days, Tim and Al fell into a comfortable routine for taking care of the kids. Al handled the mornings and Tim picked up the slack for the rest of the day. They split the bedtime duties, switching off the kids between them. Nicky slept a bit more than he used to, but Tim still woke up with him if it was before 4am.

It all worked, although there were some minor hiccups along the way. Al warned Tim that Amber and TJ might start to act out, to try to test the limits, but so far, their misbehavior had amounted only to run-of-the-mill things, like bickering over television programs or whining at bedtime. Noah and TJ were spending a lot of time together, with Amber trailing after them, a situation that TJ disliked, but there seemed to be no stopping her.

Tim and Al still hadn't quite figured out what they were going to do regarding work and childcare. The garage was meant to open on Monday and they still hadn't heard from Billy. Tim called him every day and went over to the house, but it seemed like he was well and truly gone.

In the short term, Tim had agreed that they should both go into work, for at least the first week. There would be a lot to do, especially if Billy didn't show up. Al arranged for Celia to watch Jack and the babies for that week.

The first week back at the garage was rocky, since Al discovered many mistakes and issues that Billy had left behind. Unpaid invoices, missed tax payments, messy books. At the end of one long day that she said had felt like it had been spent trying to put toothpaste back into a tube, Al had asked Tim what had been going on the last several months. Tim had shrugged.

He thought he'd kept a good enough eye on things, but apparently there was much more to running a business than he understood. He was glad Al was back at work; the garage needed her and she needed it. Even though she was tired at the end of most days, she seemed happier.

Tim was also relieved that Al was there to manage D'Andre and the interns. D'Andre had been nervous to see her, afraid that it meant he no longer had a job there. While Al had told the interns that Billy was taking some time off and it was none of their business, Tim suspected that she'd been more forthcoming with D'Andre, since they'd had a long chat in Billy's office that first morning.

Tim had some hope that Billy would return to work the first day, but that hope steadily receded throughout the week. By Friday, Tim was no longer looking up every time the door opened. If he let himself think about things, Tim got angry, so he didn't think about it. He just focused on whatever was in front of him, whether at home or at work.

At bedtime on Friday night, Al was responsible for TJ and Cody while Tim took care of Amber and Jack. Whoever got done first then took care of Nicky. Tim was glad they traded off each night, since if you were putting Amber to sleep, it was pretty much guaranteed to take half a lifetime. Or at least that's how it felt. Al found the whole 'puppy love' thing sweet, but Tim would be happier if he never had to hear about how cute Noah Street was.

After finally escaping from Amber's room, Tim grabbed a beer from the kitchen and collapsed on the couch. He'd no sooner sat down before he could hear fussy cries from Cody's baby monitor. Since he shared a room with Jack, Tim was less inclined to let him cry it out, but it was hard to summon the activation energy to peel himself off the couch and drag his tired body back there.

He smiled when he heard Al's voice over the monitor as she whispered, "Don't worry, Timmy, I've got it." A few minutes later, Al came in with Cody, who had worked himself up from fussy cries to red-faced screaming. As much as she tried to soothe him, Cody wasn't having it.

"Another tooth?" asked Tim.

"Yeah, that's what it looks like," replied Al.

Tim excused himself from the room and washed his hands, then came back and took Cody from Al. She shot him a look that clearly said Do you really think you can do any better? Tim just smiled at her. If you'd told Tim a year ago that he would think nothing of sticking his finger in a baby's mouth to rub the child's gums, he'd have laughed at you.

But he'd learned that it worked, especially if he walked around and talked to the baby at the same time. Tim kept his voice low, in both tone and volume, his words barely audible to anyone but Cody. In a few minutes, the baby was settled and a few minutes after that, he was sleeping. Tim grinned at Al and left to return Cody to his crib. When he got back to the living room, Al still had a dazed look on her face.

"When did you become the Baby Whisperer? That was amazing." she said as Tim sat down next to her. She curled up against him and he rested a hand on her knee.

"I don't know. Guess I've just had a lot of practice recently."

Al grinned. "You've come a long way from when you were afraid of TJ's soft head and wobbly neck.....unless you were just using that as an excuse to get me to babysit with you."

"It wasn't an excuse. I was terrified then. The rest was just a happy side effect."

"So...." began Al, leaning back and looking up at Tim. "I called the day care place. They can take both the babies and Jack, starting on Wednesday."

Tim sighed and brushed the hair off his face. "I gotta tell you, I'm not all that thrilled with the idea of day care. It's like baby jail or something."

"It is not. That's a really good place. Their baby-worker ratios are really good and they have qualified pre-school teachers. Tami speaks very highly of the place and, you know, if was good enough for Baby Gracie...." Al let her sentence trail off.

"I just think Nicky belongs at home," said Tim in a firm, level voice.

Al slid a tiny bit away from him, like she was preparing for an argument. "Careful there. Are you saying Nicky belongs at home and implying that I do as well?"

Tim shook his head. "No. I didn't say that. Didn't even think it. We need you at the garage now."

"Well, the trouble is Celia can't watch them all the time and it would be very unnerving and difficult to try to find a babysitter we could trust. Day care is the best option."

"I'd like to stay home with the kids. I could even pick Amber and TJ up when school let out, get them out of the afterschool program."

"Are you joking?"

Tim fought the urge to roll his eyes. "No, I'm not joking."

Al looked at him, one eyebrow raised and her mouth twisted up to the side.

"What are you giving me the skeptical look for?" protested Tim. "You think I can't handle it?"

"No-"

"Then what? Do you think I'm going to sit on the couch all day and drink beer while they run wild?"

"No. You're more responsible than that."

"Then what's the problem?" Tim looked at her intently as she appeared to be choosing her words carefully. When she finally spoke, the words came out slowly.

"I just have a hard time believing it's something that you'd want to do."

"I just said that I did and I'm not really in the habit of saying things I don't mean."

Al was quiet for a few minutes and Tim couldn't quite read her face. He thought he saw maybe some regret or guilt there but wasn't sure why that would be. Al sighed and reached out for Tim's hand, taking and holding it in both of her small hands.

"It's just....I'm afraid that you're doing this out of some misguided sense of responsibility and that ultimately, you'll grow to regret your decision and maybe even resent the kids and me."

Tim reached over with his free hand and brushed back Al's curls so he could rub the back of her neck. "It's not like that at all."

"I just don't think you understand what this means," Al said, looking up at Tim with sad, earnest eyes. "How your world shrinks down to just this house. How you never get to talk to grown-ups. How every second, of every day, you've got someone needing something from you. I couldn't do it."

"I know you love Nicky and Cody and Jack. But I also know you need more in your life. Problems to solve, people to talk to, stuff like that. You love fixing cars. For me, it was just a job. Better than working at a desk or inside a store, but still just a job."

"You've thought about this? Really, really thought about it?" asked Al.

Tim nodded. "Pretty much constantly for the last week or two."

Al thought in silence for a bit, then slowly nodded her head. "Okay, but you have to promise me something."

"What?"

"If, after a few days or weeks or whatever, anytime, really, you realize it's not what you want to do or you're unhappy, you'll tell me so we can think of something else."

"Not baby jail, though," said Tim.

Al sighed. "I can't promise you that day care wouldn't be part of Plan B. But I can promise you that it wouldn't be full-time. We could figure out a creative solution, maybe part time at day care and then we could split the rest of the time between us."

Tim pulled her into his lap and held her close, breathing in the coconut smell of her hair and enjoying the soft, warm feel of her cheek against his neck. Having gotten her to agree to his plan, Tim felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. A sense of purpose.