Skylar was finishing yet another pile of laundry, a seeming-less thankless and never ending chore. True, Flynn helped out around the house, but lately, ever since Walt's funeral, she hadn't asked much of him. He seemed to be really into his new friend Lindsay; in fact, she was there now, helping Flynn with his homework. She didn't know this girl too well, but the fact that her son had a smile on his face these days carried a lot of weight with Skylar.

Finally putting the last pair of rolled up socks into the basket, she headed towards Flynn's room, where she would ask him to put them away. Yes, maybe it seemed uncool for her to ask him to do chores when he had company, but lately she'd been so exhausted that she knew that she had to delegate tasks around the house if she wanted anything accomplished.

Skylar opened the door, and immediately dropped the basket at the sight before her. There, sitting on the bed, were Lindsay and Flynn, holding hands and even more shockingly, to her, were engaged in a kiss. Not the simple nice-to-see you kind, but a real, honest-to-goodness kiss. She gasped, causing Flynn and Lindsay to break away from each other and turn to her.

"Mom!...Mom, don't you...don't you ever knock?" Flynn cried out in frustration.

"Flynn, might I have a word with you for a moment?" Skylar tried to keep her cool, but something about this just really, really didn't sit right with her. She hadn't even given Flynn the normal parental order of keeping a room's door opened when alone with a member of the opposite sex, but then again, he'd never given her any indication that there was a necessity for this.

"Mom, you're..you're embarrassing me! Can't you just..leave me alone?" He started to stand, grabbing for his braces. Skylar attempted to help him, but to her dismay he pulled back abruptly. "I can do this myself!"

Skylar looked puzzled, hurt and confused. All of this was happening too much too soon. Her son...what had he been thinking?

"Flynn...I need to see you in the kitchen. Now," she said quietly but firmly.

Flynn looked helplessly back at Lindsay, offered a quick "I'm sorry", then followed his mother.

"What do you want?"

"Young man..."

"Flynn. My name is Flynn."

Skylar sighed. "Okay, Flynn, do you mind explaining yourself to me?"

"Explain what? I'm almost 18! I am not a baby anymore. Lindsay sees...she sees that. Why can't you?" he looked at her.

"I know that, but this is my house and as long as you live in my house you will follow my rules. And rule number one- no make-out sessions with your girlfriend!"

"Mom, you don't understand."

"What, what don't I understand?"

Flynn looked away, not wanting his mother to see him getting emotional. "Mom...please. Lindsay- she's so nice! So...nice! She doesn't make fun of me the way the others do..."

Instantly she raised an eyebrow. "They are still making fun of you? Why didn't you come to me? Why I'm going to..."

He put his hand on his mother's arm. "Mom. It's okay. It's okay. As long...as long as I have Lindsay I don't mind...I don't mind too much what they say. She doesn't make me feel bad for who...for who I am or who he was. She stands up for me, and I know she...she really likes me. Can't you get that, Mom? Someone...a girl...likes me for who I am, not for what's happened to me in..in my life!"

Now it was Skylar's turn to get a little teary eyed. Her baby was growing up, and there wasn't much she could do about it. Every instinct in her wanted to go and settle things with those little nasty brats at the school, but seeing how happy her son was to have a friend- and a girlfriend on top of that! That didn't put her at ease any, but it kind of made her happy to see that someone cared for her boy the way she did.

"Mom.." Flynn started. "Please...please don't cry. I don't want to see anyone cry anymore. I hate everything that's happened...but you have me and Holly and we ..we love you. Okay?" he smiled, and she couldn't help but return the affection.

She walked over to him, kissed the top of his head, and motioned him to go on. "Doors open, all right?"

Flynn shouted out an "okay, Mom," and returned to his friend.

Part of her immediately thought of Walt, what he would have said, how he would have handled this situation. Not the Heisenberg monster that he'd become, but the man she once knew, once loved, once shared a life with. Knowing Walt (as best as anyone could have, she supposed) he probably would have gotten a little kick out of seeing his son get some attention from a girl. If only he hadn't gotten his cancer, would he have turned into the monster that he was at the end, or would he have stood there in the hallway with her, his hand around her waist, smiling at the sight of his son and his first taste of love?

Bringing her back to reality was the sound of the doorbell. Wiping her eyes, Skylar answered it. Today was full of surprises. In front of her was her sister, and if Skylar didn't know any better, she'd say that Marie had a little gleam in her eyes.

"Marie...I'm so glad you came. Come in...we have so much to talk about..."

Marie placed her hand in the air. "I don't want to talk...not about all the crap that we've been through...not yet. I'm still angry with you, just so you know. But I have something...some news...and I..I guess I just needed my sister to talk to," she said quietly.

"Okay. Okay. Whatever you want."

So they sat down on the sofa and before saying another word, Marie started digging through her purse.

Skylar's curiosity got the best of her as Marie presented her with what appeared to be a small photo. Upon further inspection, she saw what it was that her sister wanted to see...it was Marie's baby. Skylar smiled, for this was the first time in any shape or form that she'd seen her sister acknowledge the child at all.

"Oh, Marie..."Skylar sighed happily. This brought back so many memories, especially since her own daughter Holly was still so young.

"Look...look," Marie pointed out to an image while Skylar strained to see what her sister was pointing at. Frustrated, Marie continued. "Don't you see...there are his cheeks. He has Hank's cheeks!"

"So he doe...wait a minute," Skylar looked up at Marie, stunned at the smile that had spread across Marie's face. "A he...does this mean..."

Marie tearfully nodded. "it's a boy. A boy! Hank would be so..."

Skylar nodded. "He would be so happy. And so proud of you."

"For what? I've been a terrible mother, or mother-to-be, or whatever. I haven't bought a single thing for the baby, not a diaper or a bottle or anything," Marie replied, the smile starting to fade.

"It's okay," Skylar took her hands ."You have time. You have us..Flynn and Holly and I would do anything to help you, I want you to know that. I know you're mad at me, but please...let me help you. I just want you to be happy, even if it only lasts a few seconds or minutes or whatever. I really just want to help you..."

Sensing a change in Marie's mood, Skylar apologized. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to upset you. I just..."

"It's okay. I know. I know," Marie sighed. "It's just that I've always depended on everyone around me to take care of me. First Daddy, then you, then Hank...and now...and now...I have someone that needs me to take care of him! And I have no idea how to take care of myself, let alone another life. What am I going to do?"

"You're going to be fine. You're going to be all right- I promise. Even better than all right. You'll see that, maybe not now, but trust me, the first time you hold your son..." Skylar waited for a response from her sister, but got nothing. So instead she changed to a different approach.

We're going to get you some things for the baby, a crib, some clothes, maybe some books. What about...I feel bad for bringing this up..."

"What?" Marie answered anxiously. "I really need any suggestions I can get at this point...:"

"What about your therapist? Have you talked to him lately?"

Marie shook her head.

"Just a thought," Skylar patted Marie's hand. "Now how about we go shopping for a frame for this beautiful little boy of yours? We can get a coffee or something..."

"I'd like that. I really would."

For the first time in months, Marie had found herself actually looking forward to taking care of business for the day. It felt strange, but she actually was looking forward to anything that helped to get her mind off of the terrible pain that had become her life. She patted her stomach for the first time, smiled, then looked up at Skylar.

"You ready?" Skylar grabbed her keys. "let me just..I have to tell Flynn we're leaving. And then I have to get Holly ready. Just give me a few, okay?"

Marie smiled and nodded. Just for the moment, before Walt had taken away her life, she was feeling somewhat like herself. Not just her old self. But a mother, a sister, an aunt. As she looked at the set of wedding bands worn on a chain around her neck (her fingers had long since swelled up a bit, and there was no place better for Hank's band to have been than close to her heart), she closed her eyes and just thought about Hank. Not about the way he died, or the bad things...only about the man that she had loved. And it was kind of a nice thought.

TBC