Omigod guys! There is a marathon of Cheers all day long today on WGN! Best way to start the new year! Happy 2013!

Apov

We returned to the table and sat down just as the food was being served.

"Sorry, Frasier." I said as I sat down. I didn't try too hard to make it seem like I meant it. "I prefer to order for myself."

"My apologies, Analeigh." He said genuinely.

"Analeigh's always been pretty independant." My mother said. "She always hated it when she had to ask me for help on anything."

She continued to talk like that. Like I wasn't there.

"I remember one time," She started. "Her school was out so I brought her to work with me. I was trying to find a way to entertain her because she seemed so bored with the toys I had in my office.

"So, I was looking through a few of my files and found a list of hundreds of phobias and their meanings. She loved it."

"Mom," I groaned. "You really don't have to tell this story. Again."

"But it was so cute!" She smiled. "The whole day she went through the list, naming all of he phobias that she, Frederick, and I had."

"That's adorable." Frasier smiled.

"You put that in your book?" I asked, pushing my rice around with my fork. I raised my right eyebrow ever so slightly.

"I did actually." She responded with a smirk, her eyebrow also raised.

"So that's where Analeigh gets it from." Chris chuckled.

"What book?" Frasier asked.

"Mom wrote a book about me." I said, keeping eye contact with my mother.

"It's a book about raising an introverted child." She rolled her eyes. "Especially in comparison to simultaneously raising an extroverted child."

"I.E. Frederick and me." I said simply.

"What made you want to write a book about the subject?" Frasier asked.

"I actually had no intentions of it being published. It really just started out as notes of behavior patterns differences I noticed between her and Frederick's reactions to certain things."

They started talking in their strange psychologist language that I didn't understand. I realized how much I missed Adam, and how much I missed being able to talk to him through sign language. And the confused looks on my parents' faces when they couldn't understand what we were saying.

"You know, perhaps you guys should throw a little get together in celebration of the book's publication." Frasier suggested.

"I had been thinking about hat actually." Chris added.

"Don't you think that's a bit much?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Frasier returned.

"What I mean is," I started. "It's just another book. Mom's written lots of books and articles and papers before. We never throw a big party."

"Maybe we should start throwing a party every time Lilith writes a book." Chris smiled. "I think it would be a great thing to celebrate."

"Hey," my mom said with a smile. "Didn't Mrs. Culver want you to write a short story for the school literary magazine?"

"Yeah." I said sowly.

"Oh, really?" Frasier smiled with delight. "What's it about?"

"Yeah," My mom said. "You never told me what you decided on."

"I was trying to think of something original." I said. "I've been spending some time with Adam and he gave me some inspiration."

"Who's Adam?" Frasier asked.

"That's Analeigh's little boyfriend." Chris joked.

"No." I said pointedly. "He's Sam's nephew. He's gonna be living with him for a while. He's deaf."

"Really?" Frasier asked.

"Yeah." I said. "I really enjoy talking to him. It also helps me practice my signing. Anyway, I was thinking about doing a piece through the point of view of a deaf person."

"Interesting." My mom said. "You'll have to let me read it when your done."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours." I laughed.

"Deal." She smiled.

We finished up dinner and left the restaurant.

"Mom, do you think I could stay with Frasier for one more night?" I asked.

"Well, I guess so, since your stuff's still over there." She shrugged. "But, if you need anything, you have both mine and Chris' numbers. Here is the name of the hotel we're staying at."

She wrote down the information down on a scratch peice of paper from her purse.

"Okay, I got it." I smiled and gave her a hug. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

"Bye, Chris." I smiled as I followed Frasier.

"Bye, Ana."

Frasier and I walked down the sidewalk and he pulled me close to him and put his arm around me. I appreciated it this time. It felt comforting. And it was really cold. He hailed a taxi and I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, we were back at the Montana.

I walked into the apartment behind Frasier.

"Frasier, Analeigh," Daphne greeted. "Frasier, guess who I have in the kitchen."

"Who?"

"Hi Frasier." Claire came into the livingroom.

"Claire," He looked surprised, but happy. "What are you doing here?"

"Daphne and I were just talking. We ran into each other today."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Frasier turned to me.

"I didn't think it was important." I shrugged. He sighed.

"I'll just go upstairs and check on David." Daphne said.

"I'm gonna go change." I said. "Oh, Daphne, here are your shoes."

I took them off and handed them to her.

"Thank you, dear."

I grabbed my bag and went into the bathroom. I took my time changing and taking off my makeup. I brushed out my hair and pulled it back in a bun. Quite frankly, I looked like I had just stepped out of a meth lab. I slipped out of the bathroom and saw that Frasier and Claire and left, presumably to the kitchen.

I pressed my ear against the door gently and listened in.

"I was really surprised to see that you had a daughter." She said. "You never mentioned her."

"Because I didn't know." He laughed.

"How?"

"My ex wife and I had a regrettable night." He laughed. I wasn't laughing. "It was all a big mistake."

Suddenly I felt tears in my eyes. Mistake? A big mistake? A regrettable night?

I bit back the tears and silently slipped out the front door o he apartment. I slipped on my sneakers and hailed taxi. I gave the driver the name of the hotel my mom and Chris were staying at.

I walked past the front desk and found the room. I had lost control of the tears in the cab. I wiped the tears from my face as I knocked on the door. I had to knock multiple tmes before I heard someone unlocking the door.

"Yes? Oh my God, Analeigh!" She said, when her eyes adjusted to the light in the hallway. "Are you okay? Come in, baby."

"I'm sorry I woke you." I said.

"It's fine." She said, sitting down on the couch. I sat down next to her. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Was I a mistake?" I asked through the tears. "You know, Frederick told me that a couple of times-"

"No, no, no." She pulled me close and I buried my face in her hair. She pulled her feet up started stroking my hair. "Why would you think that?"

"I heard Frasier talking to someone and he said that you guys had a - and I quote- 'regrettable night' and that the whole thing was a 'big mistake'."

"You were not a mistake. An accident, maybe. A surprise, absolutely." She looked me in the eyes. "But not a mistake."

"What's the difference?" I sobbed.

"An accident is just something you didn't expect to happen. But, a mistake is something you regret doing." She hugged me tighter. "And I never regret having you."

"Really, Mom?"

"Really." She said. "You have made me a better person, in my opinion."

"How?"

"I've definitely become more patient." She laughed. "And, before you, I never was one to do a lot of hugging."

"Why do you think that is?"

"Because you can be a real pain in the-"

"No," I laughed. "I mean, why do you think I changed your position on physical affection?"

"Well, you seemed to yearn for it more." She laid her cheek on top of my head. "Frederick liked it, but you were always running and hugging me when I got home from work. You would just lay in my lap on the couch while you watched TV and I looked over some files.

"I remember when you would climb in my bed for no reason but to be there."

"Yeah," I said. "I remember that."

"It's been quite the experience to raise you so far," She smiled. "But, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, Analeigh."