Chapter 54: Stepford Family

Dinner was awkward for Q he sat and watched as everyone around him interacted. He had never had such a peaceful dinner in his life, it unnerved him. Everyone was talking and laughing and just enjoying each other's company. Even the kids were quiet and respectful. Nobody yelled or threw food or nagged at one another. He truly felt like an outsider just watching this perfect little family.

"After dinner the boys and Randy are getting a haircut" Ashley announced.

"Why me?" Randy asked.

"Cause your hair is too long" she remarked making a face.

"Baby?" Randy turned to his girlfriend. She nodded in agreement with her cousin.

Randy sighed a little bit and returned his attention to his food. He was sulking slightly but he didn't say anything further. The men cleared the table and cleaned the kitchen while the women, who cooked the dinner relaxed. Finally when they were done Ashley brought out her hair cutting kit.

"Randy you are first up" Ashley said.

He reluctantly walked over and had a seat in the vacant chair in the middle of the kitchen floor. She winked at both boys as she began to buzz his hair away.

"Try not to nick me as much this time" he complained.

"Don't piss me off and I won't"

She hummed to herself as she buzzed the sides and back of his head. She left the top long so she could spike it up into a Mohawk. The boys giggled quietly as they watched Randy, who was completely unaware that he was getting anything other than his normal haircut. After about 15 minutes she was all done.

"Ok big guy you are free to go" she grinned at him.

"Daddy I like your haircut I want one just like it" Dean managed to say between fits of giggles.

Randy had a nervous feeling as he took the little hand mirror she had left on the counter. His eyes went wide as he took in his hair.

"What did you do!" he exclaimed.

"Oh come on Randy it looks cool"

"Yeah daddy you are the coolest guy ever with your new haircut" Dean piped up and Phinnigan nodded.

Dommy walked into the kitchen and tried her hardest not to laugh. But she couldn't help it and began to laugh hysterically.

"Very rocker baby" she gasped .

"My turn" Dean hopped up into the chair "make me look like daddy"

Ashley gave both boys their own Mohawks. It looked cuter on them then it did Randy. Faith watched them and once Ashley was all done cutting Phinnigan's hair she began to whine and point to her own head. Ashley rolled her eyes and relented but instead of cutting Faith's beautiful dirty blonde curls she simply jelled her hair up.

"Now all 4 of you look like rock stars and you know what I think we need some rock music" Ashley went into the parlor and turned on the huge sound system. She cranked the volume up and the whole room practically shook as P!nk's So What began to play. The boys began jumping around and Ashley pulled John up and wrapped her arms around his neck as she moved her body against his. John smirked as he let her dance against him. Dommy grabbed a still pouting Randy's hand and brought him to dance with her too. Dean ran over and turned the lights down so it felt more like a club. He then picked Faith up and danced with her for a little bit. Phinnigan was still jumping around bobbing his head to the loud music. Keegan , Chris, Lilian and Q watched from the sidelines.

"So what do you think of them?" Lilian asked him as they watched.

Keegan joined in, he picked his nephew up and began playfully spinning him around and dancing crazily with him.

"Well they are interesting" was all he could reply.

"Believe me they grow on you after a while" Lilian assured him "they amazing thing about all of them is how they've all come together to take care of each other"

"What do you mean?"

"Follow me into the other room" he did as he was told. They went into a more quiet room, a library as a matter of fact.

"You'd think that Ashley and Randy were siblings the way those two fight" she laughed.

"What's their deal?"

"Ashley and Randy have been best friends for years and then John was added into the picture and then they adopted Phinnigan and Faith and Dean"

"All three kids were adopted?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, Ashley and John found Phinnigan in a parking lot" Lilian explained.

"You can't be serious who leaves their kid in a parking lot?"

"People who were really young and confused"

"Something in Ashley's past compelled her to adopt Phinnigan and she enlisted John's help to make it look better in the adoption process and let me tell you the journey those two have been on just to get engaged would make your head spin. While going to get Phinnigan from the orphanage he was staying in Randy fell in love with Dean and adopted him and then two years later Ashley and John got a call saying Phinnigan had a sister and they took her home too. So you can see when I tell you that I meant when I said our family has more than enough room in their hearts for someone who has nobody else" she smiled at him.

"What happened to Ashley that made her adopt Phinnigan?" Q asked.

"That you will need to ask her about … that's her story not mine"

"Do you think she'll tell me?" he asked.

"I don't see why she wouldn't … but let me tell you this Ashley is an amazing person and I think you'll really be able to relate to her so let her in. She'll understand anything you tell her and probably will be able to relate to it"

"Yeah sure what could she possibly know about my life" he scoffed.

"You'd be surprised" Lilian wore a knowing smile. "now go and have some fun"

She shooed him from the room. Oh Ashley knew more than she would ever admit to what this young man was going through. She was the reason he was here now. Because of what she had said to Chris about children out there needing homes and loving parents. Q owed Ashley more than he could ever know and knowing her she'd let him know it too.

A/N: Damn I hate filler chapters. The next one will be up soon. Just to throw this out there for those of you who want to know what their favorite Ride characters look like they have their very own folder deidcated to them on my myspace. Like I said just throwing that out there. Also I know Tiff you were supposed to write this chapter but I was incredibly bored and P!nk inspired me so I was like what the hell. Thank you for the dinner idea tho. Of couse you could have written it a million times better than I did. Luv ya ... don't kill me.