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.
Al called Tim the next morning around 10am. He picked up the phone, half-expecting to hear that Billy hadn't shown up for work.
"Everything okay?" he asked before Al had a chance to say anything.
"Yep. Just wanted to let you know that Billy came to work early and he made coffee so that it was waiting for me when I got in."
"For real?" Tim was relieved and pleased. He knew it was just the first day, but still, it felt good to know that Billy was making an effort.
"For real. The coffee was good too."
"I see. So what you're saying is my brother makes better coffee than I do. Should I be worried?" asked Tim jokingly.
"Nope. I'm keeping you. I should get back to work."
"Can you please pick up some diapers on your way home?"
"For Nicky or Cody?"
"Well....both actually. I meant to ask you yesterday when you went to the store, but I forgot."
"That's fine. You going to be okay until after work or do you need me to bring them over at lunch?"
Tim smiled. "Well, you know....I wouldn't mind seeing you during the day."
"You wouldn't mind, huh? You'd make time in your busy schedule? Send your girlfriends home early?"
Hearing the gently teasing tone in her voice, Tim closed his eyes and pictured her at work, leaning against the counter and grinning. He loved staying home with the kids, but he was surprised by how much he missed being able to see Al during the day. He'd gotten used to having these sorts of teasing exchanges with her whenever he wanted.
"I miss seeing you during the day, is all," he said softly.
"You better watch out, Tim Riggins, people hear that, they're going to think you've gone completely soft in your old age."
Tim laughed. "OK, would it be better for my manliness if I insisted you come home for a nooner while the kids are napping?"
"Much better," she laughed.
"So, naptime's at 1," he said, voice deep and suggestive.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear a question there, Timmy."
"That's because it's not a question. I'm insisting."
"Oh, well, then, if you're insisting. See you at 1.15," she said in a flirty, throaty voice that made Tim look at the clock and start counting the hours.
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Wednesday evening was Billy's second dinner with his family. When Jay dropped Amber and TJ off at 5pm, Billy and Al had not yet arrived. Amber skipped into the kitchen, TJ sulking behind her.
"Is Daddy here yet? He's coming over tonight, right?" she asked, bouncing around Tim in a way that made him worry she was going to accidently trip over Cody in his walker.
"Yeah, watch your brother there, please," said Tim, who was up to his elbows in three different kinds of lettuce. Before he met Al, he had no idea there were so many different kinds of vegetables.
Amber turned to TJ and stuck out her tongue. "Told you tonight was his night."
TJ rolled his eyes. "I never said it wasn't. I said I thought he wasn't going to show up, not that I thought it wasn't his night. Uncle Timmy, can I have some cookies?"
"No, you'll ruin your appetite."
"Can we watch TV?" asked Amber, pausing in front of Nicky's swing to make faces at him.
"No, it's too nice out and you've been watching too much tv. Go on in the backyard and take Jack with you."
Tim breathed a sigh of relief after Amber and TJ left the kitchen. It had been a rough day, with both babies teething and fussy and Hurricane Jack careening around at full-force all day.
Al arrived before Billy, picked up on Tim's foul mood immediately and sent him to their room with a couple of beers.
"Hey Al," he asked, pausing in the kitchen doorway, "why is it that when you're a kid, it's a punishment to get sent to your room and when you're an adult, it's like a gift?"
She smiled and shook her head. "I don't know, Timmy. One of the mysteries of aging, I guess. I'll let you know when dinner's ready."
Tim nodded and headed off to their room, relishing the quiet and solitude. He was half-way through his second beer when he heard the doorbell ring, followed by Amber's squeal. He smiled to himself and closed his eyes, intending to rest them for a second before going out to greet Billy.
Next thing he knew, TJ was poking him in the arm. "Uncle Timmy, c'mon. Al says dinner is ready."
Tim sat up, groggy and confused. It felt like he'd been asleep for an entire night instead of only 20 minutes. Tim waved TJ off, mumbling that he'd be there soon. TJ shrugged and left the room.
It took Tim several minutes to pull himself together enough to roll out of bed. He went into the bathroom and washed his hands and face, which went a long way toward waking him sufficiently. He shook his hair out of his eyes and headed out to the kitchen, where dinner was already in progress. Amber was practically sitting in Billy's lap while TJ sat as far away as he could get and still be at the same table.
Tim greeted his brother and then went to get a plate of spaghetti and sauce. He sat down at his place and tried to follow Amber's story, although he quickly gave up.
TJ was slumped over his plate, elbows on his table, picking up each individual strand of spaghetti and slurping it off the fork. Tim looked up at Al, who had her Angry Mom look directed right at TJ.
"TJ, you weren't raised in a barn. Use your good table manners or you're going to have to go to your room. Do you hear me?"
TJ rolled his eyes and shrugged. Then, he looked directly at Al and slurped up another strand of spaghetti, just daring her to follow through with the threat.
"Go to your room," said Tim and Al at the same time. TJ pushed his chair back from the table and left without another word, but Tim thought he saw a look of triumph in the boy's eyes.
After TJ left, the mood in the kitchen lightened immeasurably. Billy relaxed and seemed more at home. Amber and Jack both laughed and talked a lot. Only Al and Tim shared troubled looks across the table.
When it was time for Billy to go, he again looked at Al and Tim to confirm when his next visit would be. Al selected Saturday. Then Billy was gone and it was time to clean up, read stories, and put the kids to bed.
Tim finished the bed time duties second and went into the living room where Al was reading a book. He stood behind her and rested a hand gently on her shoulder.
"I'm going to bed," he said.
"Really? It's only 9." She set her book down and bent her neck back to look straight up at him, her expression equal parts concern and confusion.
"I know, but I'm wrecked." He felt it, too, felt every minute of the long day, every power struggle and difficulty that had come up.
"OK. I'll go with you," she said, standing up and walking around the couch, taking his hand as she walked past him toward their room.
"Um, you know, I'm pretty serious when I say I'm wrecked. You understand that, right?" he asked softly as she pulled them into their dark room.
"Yes, but we need to talk about TJ first," she said as she pulled out her pajamas and got changed. Tim stripped down to his boxer shorts and climbed into bed, pulling back the covers on Al's side and leaving his arm stretched out across her pillow so she could curl up against him when she finally crawled into bed.
Al rested her head on Tim's chest, just below his shoulder. Her pajamas were the silky tank top and shorts combination that Tim liked best. They felt cool against his skin and he loved running his hands over the fabric. He wrapped his arm around her, holding her close, and put his other hand in the middle of back. She put a hand on the center of his chest and the warm weight of it was comforting.
"So, TJ," he began, his voice a whisper so he wouldn't disturb Nicky. "You noticed it too."
"You'd have to be blind not to notice it. He's totally acting out on purpose so he can get sent to his room and not have to spend time with Billy."
Tim sighed. "Damn, I'd hoped I'd been imagining things."
"Nope, Timmy, I think in this case, twice qualifies as a pattern and we need to stop it – quick – so he doesn't learn that being a jerk is the way to get out of things he doesn't want to do."
Tim sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "So, we change the rules?"
Al nodded. "Yeah, what were you thinking?"
Tim closed his eyes and tried to think about what he would have found most oft-putting when he was TJ's age. "No more getting sent to your room – instead, you lose tv time for the night and you have to write an apology."
Al lifted herself up onto her elbow so she could look at Tim. "Wow. Nice. Genius. The apology is a great touch, Timmy. I'm impressed."
"Just tried to think about what I woulda hated doing when I was that age," said Tim with a grin.
Al pressed a kiss on his chest before settling back down. "Better go to sleep then. We'll tell them about the new rules at breakfast tomorrow."
Tim mumbled in agreement, already dropping off to sleep despite his best efforts to keep his eyes open.