Author's note: hi everyone, I never should have given myself the task to post a chapter a week. That is just impossible with a work in progress, especially once you get further into the story and you need to remember all the little things you started that also need finishing. So the frequency will probably go down, but I hope no one will really mind. Don't worry, I'm not losing interest, just need the time to write this right.

On with the story!

Chapter 15

"Boy, does this look bright!" Adam looked shocked as he looked at the house. Even though it wasn't completely dark yet, it was easy to predict how bright the lights would be once she sun had fully set.

"Hey, you okay-ed it," Brian grinned wickedly.

"I got to help, Adam!" Guthrie said proudly as he looked up at his biggest brother.

Immediately alarmed Adam looked over at Brian, "You didn't let him up on the roof, did you?"

"What do you think I am? An idiot?" Before Adam could confirm or deny, Brian added, "I had a much more important job for Guthrie, didn't I, champ?"

"You bet! I had to make sure all the lights were straight and working."

Adam had swallowed away his worry and managed a proud smile, "That really is important. The house would look really weird if it was crooked."

"That's what Brian said!" It helped Guthrie to hear Adam confirm Brian's earlier words.

"You got it, buddy," Brian ruffled Guthrie's hair.

"And I got to help on the roof, Adam!" Ford was quite excited about that.

"I'm so glad I didn't see that, kid," Adam shuddered a little. "I don't like any of you up on the roof."

"Not even Brian?" Evan sort of chuckled, but Adam looked serious.

"Not even Brian. I mean it. He's still my little brother too."

Brian laughed, "You're such a mother hen."

"Yeah, you are, Adam," Evan fully agreed.

"Well, this mother hen wants you all to go and get washed up, do the chores, while Brian gets supper ready and I….relax."

"Nice try!" Brian winked at the rest, "I think I can come up with a few chores you can do, brother."

"Yeah! Make Adam peel the potatoes," Ford grinned, in full knowledge that Adam hated that with a passion.

"Hmm you want me to peel potatoes?" Adam kept a straight face and at Ford's nod he suddenly advanced on the boy and grabbed him, throwing him over his shoulders. "Wanna take that back?"

"Nooooo," Ford was giggling like mad and Adam was glad he could at least make one of them laugh today.

"Maybe I should throw you in the horse trough to clean you up," Adam started to walk towards the trough, causing some sounds of protest through the giggles.

"That's not very clean, Adam," Guthrie pointed out with a very serious expression. But Brian had a more well founded and serious objection.

"It may not be freezing, but it's definitely too cold for that, bro. Come on, better get these rug rats inside."

"Okay, okay…saved by Brian, champ!" but Adam didn't put Ford on his feet yet. Instead, he carried him through the front door over his shoulder and then dropped the 12-year-old on the sofa. Ford pretended to protest, but his laughter made it clear that he was enjoying every minute of it. Adam rubbed his shoulder. "You're getting big, kid. Won't be long now and I won't be able to do this anymore."

"Like me, right, Adam?" Evan kept his distance, just in case.

"If I really wanted to, I could still do it, boy, so beware!"

"Okay, no more throwing kids around," Brian crossed his arms, "Or no dessert!"

"Hmm dessert…what's for dessert?" Adam loved dessert, but not everything.

"Certainly didn't have time to bake anything new today, so you already know the choices. There are some muffins left and there's apple pie with ice cream."

"Then you already know what I'll choose, as well," Adam made a grab for Guthrie but the boy was too quick.

"Yeah, apple pie and ice cream!" The youngest giggled. "Your favorite."

That made Brian laugh, "Yeah and yours too. Along with chocolate cake, blueberry pie, lemon meringue…pretty much everything except cherry pie. Now, go and do those chores or we won't get to supper at all."

As soon as the youngest three were scattered all over the house to do their respective chores Brian looked at Adam, "You okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm not the one who got spanked, remember?"

"Oh I know who got spanked, but I also know how much you hate doing it."

"It's not like you don't hate it."

"No, of course not. I'm just not the one who usually has to do it."

"I'm the oldest."

"We're in this together, Adam," Brian's voice was soft but insistent, "You don't have to carry that burden alone."

"I know I don't, it's just…" Adam's voice trailed off and Brian finished his sentence.

"You still feel the need to protect me from that as much as you can."

"Yeah, I know, you're an adult, a big guy, but you're also my younger brother."

Brian shook his head, "How often do I have to tell you to stop looking at me like that?"

"You can say it till the cows come home, but it won't change my feeling, Brian. You'll always be my little brother."

Brian rolled his eyes, "Well, if you want to torture yourself, be my guest. I'll rephrase my question: is Daniel ok?"

"I wish I knew. I wish I knew how to talk to him like Crane can."

"I bet dad felt the same with you." As Adam gave him a wry smile Brian went into the pantry and returned with arms full of ground beef, canned corn, onions and beans. "Would you cut some tomatoes and lettuce?"

"Mexican?"

"Figured something easy would be best. I'll cook the ground beef and the rest just needs cutting. Salsa's ready in the fridge. There's cheese. Only thing we don't have is avocados, but we can do without guacamole, right?"

"Sure we can. As long as we have lots of wraps."

"No, but we've got lots of taco shells."

"Even better."

Keeping an eye on the beef, Brian started cutting the onions. "Hope there's enough meat."

"Could add chicken."

"Could….if we had chicken…"

"We're having chicken?" Evan was the first to come back down and immediately made a grab for a piece of tomato only to have his hand slapped by Adam.

"Wash your hands. And we wait until everyone's here." Adam waited until Evan did as he was told.

"And we're not having chicken," Brian answered the question.

"Too bad. I like chicken taco's."

"You like taco's period." Adam laughed and Evan shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Why don't you go and get your brothers," Brian put the pan with chilly-seasoned ground beef on the table, "Dinner's ready."

"DINNER'S READY! COME AND GET IT!"

"Thanks, buddy," As Evan passed Brian, the older brother landed a mild swat on the boy's backside, "If I'd wanted it yelled, I could have done it myself."

"Sorry," Evan grinned and slipped into his seat, "This was quicker." And he was right, because the sound of footsteps down the stairs was already heard.

"Maybe, but next time, go and find them."

"Sure, Brian." Evan still wasn't too phased by it. He loved taco's and couldn't wait for everyone to sit down.

"Adam?" Ford appeared in the doorway with Guthrie on his heels, "Daniel says he's not hungry."

"I said he had to be," Guthrie added, "But he said he had too much for lunch."

"He did have a big lunch," Brian said softly watching Adam. It wasn't common for them to let one of the boys miss dinner because they'd been in trouble. Of course, with an all-boys household it was rare for any of them wanting to miss dinner. Trouble or not, they'd eat.

Adam slowly nodded, "He did. I'll go up and check on him later. You boys go and wash your hands before Evan starts without us."

Taco's was something they all enjoyed and part of the fun was making them yourself. Guthrie liked lots of tomatoes, whereas Ford preferred more cheese on them than the rest of them. And then there was Evan. Evan usually ended up in the pantry or the fridge getting things out no one would think of, so no one was surprised when all of a sudden Evan got up only to return a few moments later carrying a bag of raisins and chocolate syrup.

"What? It's good!" Evan defended himself when he saw the wrinkled noses. "You don't have to eat it."

"You put it on your taco, you're eating it, that's all I'm saying," Brian remained perfectly calm and enjoyed his own regular taco with extra jalapeno peppers.

"Oh don't worry," And eat it, Evan did.

By the time the horses and other barn animals had been bedded down and taken care of, and the youngest boys were in bed, Adam was beat. After saying goodnight to Evan and Ford, he did stop at Daniel's door. It was not completely closed and he pushed it open to find the moonlit room very quiet except for Daniel's slow breathing. Adam walked over to the window and quietly closed the blinds before walking over to Daniel's bed. The boy was sleeping on his stomach, hugging his pillow with his face towards the room (or was that towards Crane's bed, Adam wondered). It was clear the youngster had cried himself to sleep and Adam felt that familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach knowing he had caused those tears. He couldn't help pulling the blanket up a little bit more, to cover his brother and tucked it in lightly. He was careful enough not to wake Daniel. He looked down on him for a few moments before leaning over and placing a kiss on Daniel's forehead, or rather, the side of it. "I love you more than you'll ever know, kiddo," he whispered before straightening up. "Sleep tight."

He met Brian on the landing before going down. Showered, changed, and wearing the cologne Adam disliked so much, Brian was definitely ready to go and pick up his date, even if it was still a bit early. "You spoke to Daniel?"

"He was asleep," Adam left out the part about having cried himself to sleep, partly because he hated the thought that he'd caused it, but also because he knew it would upset Brian. Of course, Brian knew, but didn't comment on it either. Because he knew it would upset Adam. Neither wanted to see the other one upset. "You ready to go?"

"Pretty much, but still have a bit before I have to leave." While talking the two had made their way down the stairs. "So what are you making for lunch tomorrow?"

Adam laughed, "I was hoping you'd have some ideas." Even though Brian was usually the cook, Adam did cook. And Brian didn't have to point out that if Adam was bringing his girlfriend home, he'd better be prepared to do the cooking.

"I'd suggest something you can make now and just put in the oven tomorrow. You don't want to spend your time in the kitchen while she's here."

"Hmm might get her to help," Adam joked.

"Maybe not the first time, bro," Brian opened a few cupboard and checked the fridge, "Are you sure this is wise? Bringing her home already?"

"Why not? Better let her get used to the idea that I have all these brothers here before we get too far into this." Adam thought it made perfect sense. After all, the fact that he was raising his little brothers was the reason his high school sweetheart had broken up with him.

Brian rolled his eyes, "It's not like you to just think about yourself, bud. Usually, you think about the boys first. Do you think it's wise to expose them to your girlfriend in this stage of your relationship already? What if they get all attached to her and it doesn't work out? Not to mention what it will do to Daniel."

Adam sighed, "Sorry, I know. But come on, Brian, they already know. They were there when I asked her out. I'm already in over my head. And…I really like this girl. I really do. I've never felt this way about anyone before. She…she could be the one."

That last bit took all the wind out of Brian's sails. For Adam to admit he had strong feelings for someone outside their family was big. For a moment the 23 year old was lost for words. "I'm happy for you, bro, really. Well, you'll be happy to hear that while you were in the barn earlier, I made a blueberry pie. Girls love something sweet after a meal." It was the best he could offer that didn't delve into conversations he wasn't ready for. "All you have to do is put it in the oven now."

"You're the best! I thought I'd have to pick up something after church."

"Girls love homemade things. You can even claim you made it yourself. I won't mind. Well.." Brian glanced at the clock, "I guess I'd better head out. Girls may be allowed to keep you waiting, for a man it's definitely not acceptable to be late."

"This looks just incredible, Adam."

Evan and Ford dared to exchange a mocking glance as Emily praised Adam's cooking for the third time. And she hadn't even tasted it yet.

"Bet you never thought us guys could really cook," Brian teased.

"Well, I have to admit I had my doubts, but I already know how seriously Adam takes his role in the family so I knew he'd also take care to cook proper meals," Emily sent a smile Adam's way.

"Brian does most of the cooking," Adam made sure to give credit where credit was due.

"Really?" She looked surprised at the other man, "I guess it makes sense. I'm sure Adam's too busy doing all the ranch work."

Brian gave Adam a look, wondering what kind of picture Adam had painted of their home life and Adam's part in it. "Yeah he's a busy man." He looked over at Ford, who was about to set the table, "Better get the good china out. Adam will want to impress."

"Oh please, not on my account!"

In the doorway Daniel's face suddenly turned pale, "Mom's good china?"

"I know, kiddo," Brian said softly, "But she would have wanted it out for an occasion like this."

"Please," Emily spoke up, realizing that things could easily escalate over this. " I would love to feel right at home and not be treated like some royal guest."

"See, Brian," Daniel said with an almost pleading tone, "She doesn't want so herself."

Adam and Brian exchanged a look, reading each other's minds and Brian nodded, "Alright, like family it is. Be careful what you wish for, Emily."

Emily grinned, "I think I'm used to it. I'm from a big family myself, remember?"

In the meantime Ford had gotten the regular plates out of the cupboard and was finishing setting the table. "You're Daniel's teacher right?"

Emily smiled at him, "Yes, I am. And you are…Ford, I bet."

Ford grinned, "Yeah, you have a good memory."

"I have to as a teacher. Do you like to read?"

"Sometimes," Ford admitted carefully. He liked to read, but he was very particular about what he read and when he didn't like something, no one could make him read. At least, no one had managed so far.

"Maybe you'll like my class when you're Daniel's age."

"I don't know…I like science better."

"Ah…."

Brian appeared behind Ford and wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders, "At least this one loves school. Evan over there would rather spend all day on the ranch working with the horses."

"School's a waste of time," The 13-year-old agreed. "But Adam and Brian don't think so, so I gotta go."

"Well," Emily tried to think quickly, "if you want to work with horses you'll also want to know about things that could be wrong with them and how to help them get better."

Evan rolled his eyes, "I know lots about that already. Our vet lets me help him all the time. And our brother Crane's at college to learn all about it too."

"Crane's studying to become a veterinarian?" Emily wondered.

"No," Adam answered for Evan, "He's going to major in business and husbandry, probably. He's only just started, so who knows what he'll end up doing."

"He'll choose whatever's best for the ranch," Ford piped up, "He wants the ranch to do well."

"You all love this place very much, don't you?"

"Of course," Brian had let go of Ford to allow the boy to finish his chore, "this is our home. And our legacy. We have to take care of it."

"Why don't we sit down and start lunch, so we can talk while our stomachs are being taken care of as well?" Adam suggested, pointed at the now set table. Two big casserole dishes and baskets with biscuits along with corn on the cob on plates sat on the table. "I hope you'll like it."

"Oh I'm sure I will," Emily allowed Adam to pull back her chair for her while the boys giggled.

Guthrie leaned over to Brian, "Why's he doing that, Brian?"

Brian couldn't help a chuckle, "That's what men do when they want to make a good impression. Show a girl you're raised right."

"You didn't teach me that," Guthrie looked worried, "Didn't you raise me right?"

"We're not finished with you just yet, Guth," Adam said after pushing Emily's chair to the table. "We'll get to this soon enough."

"I'm sure you're doing a great job raising these kids, Adam," Emily looked around. They were all in their Sunday best and relatively well behaved, considering their young ages. Daniel was positively quiet, but she couldn't blame the boy. Who'd want to have their teacher in their home?! One of her school friends had been the science teacher's daughter, but Emily had never liked being over at her house and when the girl had to be picked up she'd always prayed it would be her mom and not her dad. So she could sympathize with Daniel. She'd made a promise to herself not to bring up Daniel's class or school work.

"Brian raises us too," Evan hadn't liked Emily's last statement.

"I'm sure he does, Evan," Emily immediately regretted the way she'd make that sound. "I'm sorry, Brian, I didn't mean to make it sound like Adam told me he's doing it all on his own. On the contrary."

"It's okay," despite his words of warning earlier he kept a close eye on the boys to make sure they left her enough of everything and to ensure they weren't throwing food around. "I know Adam would never do that."

"Of course not," Adam agreed, "If it weren't for Brian I couldn't have done it. We're a team."

"So how many brothers and sisters do you have, Emily?" Evan had just picked up his corn and bit into the buttered vegetable not caring about spraying its juices around.

"Evan!" Adam warned, "For one, we do not speak with our mouths full and secondly, be careful when you bite into those."

"I can't help it that it goes everywhere!"

"Yes, you can and you know it. You have to eat more carefully." Adam gave him a firm look, "Now finish that bite and then you can ask Miss Morgan the question again." He emphasized the name and Evan sighed as he swallowed the corn.

"Sorry…Miss Morgan…"

"It's perfectly fine, Adam, they can say Emily here. As long as I'm Miss Morgan in school."

Adam looked hesitant, but finally nodded, "I guess that's okay."

"If you marry her she'd be our sister anyway, so we gotta," Evan's reasoning made Emily blush and Adam nearly choke on his food.

"It's not polite to say things like that," Brian explained.

"How come?" Guthrie's innocent eyes looked up at his brother.

"Cause it puts them on the spot."

"I don't understand, Brian."

"What he means, Guth," It was the first thing Daniel said since sitting down at the table, "is that it's too early for them for that question. You need to get to know each other first. But bringing it up now makes Adam think about whether or not he wants to get married. And it makes Emily think about it. And it gets all awkward."

"I still don't get it," Guthrie insisted.

"It's a good question, Guthrie," Emily helped him out. "grownups can get really silly over things like this. Your brother's right. It made me feel all flustered and embarrassed, but it shouldn't. Because all Evan did was point out the obvious reason for you guys calling me by my first name: I'm dating your brother. And your brother's dates are not 'miss', no matter the age difference. Right?"

"So how come Adam almost choked?" Guthrie still wasn't satisfied.

"A pea just went in the wrong way, buddy," Adam had no intention of going into the whole marriage question yet. It really was too early for that. "It happens."

"Okay." And with that Guthrie went back to his lunch.

"You haven't answered my question yet, Emily."

"You're right, Evan, I haven't," Emily agreed. "I am one of 6 and there's 5 girls and 1 boy."

Ford's eyes grew wide. "You have 5 sisters?"

"Count, dummy," Evan rolled his eyes, "She's one of those girls, so she's got 4 sisters."

"We don't call each other dummy in this family, Evan!" Adam's voice was strict now.

"Sorry, but geesh, an idiot wouldn't make that mistake."

Ford's eyes were slowly filling with tears. "I just…"

"It's an easy mistake to make, nothing to do with math skills," Daniel comforted him. "Evan's a dummy himself."

"Daniel!" Adam was nervous enough having Emily there, he didn't need them fighting and calling each other names. "Evan, you were warned. You can go up to your room."

Evan's eyes grew as wide as the Atlantic Ocean, "Over a silly word? We're just kidding. I'm just kidding, Ford."

"Ford clearly didn't see it as kidding and you were warned." Adam put his fork down as he spoke.

"But….but you only said not to call him dummy anymore. And Daniel said it too."

"Daniel can go up to his room as well."

"ME?" Daniel couldn't help raising his voice a little. He'd tried so hard to stay out of trouble and be polite. "I was comforting Ford."

"You heard me say it to Evan, didn't you think I meant everyone when I said 'this family'?"

"But…Adam…."

"Move it! You too, Evan. You know perfectly well what I meant. So you're done eating."

"That's not fair!" Evan got to his feet, but he sure as hell wasn't giving in that easily. Daniel on the other hand quietly put his knife and fork down and got up to leave.

"Evan, do you need me to take you there?" Adam's tone was very low and all the boys knew that being taken to your room was a very, very bad thing.

"Adam…" Brian said softly. He knew Adam was right in telling them off for the name calling, but the oldest brother was overreacting slightly now and it was clear why.

"You stay out of this, Brian. They know better than this." Adam had gotten to his feet and although Daniel was gone, Evan was still holding his ground. "Evan, last chance. You can go up to your room yourself or I'll take you there and I promise you I won't wait till Emily's gone before I spank you!"

Now Evan's face turned a bright red. He was old enough to feel embarrassed having people know how he was punished. He wanted to refuse, but the thought of Emily hearing him being spanked, and worse: his reaction to it (and he knew he had no hopes of remaining quiet), made his feet move. He hated himself for being a wimp like this but he didn't want to end up over Adam's knee bawling his eyes out with a woman downstairs who might be his English teacher next year, no matter how unfair he thought Adam was being. So the teenager stomped out of the room and up the stairs. As he stepped into his room he wasn't able to resist slamming the door with a satisfyingly loud bang before plopping down on his bed.

Hearing the door slam Adam was about to run after him, but Brian stopped him. "You don't want to do that, bro, believe me."

"Maybe you're right," Adam conceded and Brian released his arm. "I just don't know why they have to keep pushing. You'd think Daniel's still feeling yesterday's spanking."

Brian didn't say anything, but he thought it was a good thing Daniel was upstairs right now or the boy would have been extremely embarrassed. As it was, Brian was embarrassed for him. They never discussed specifics about punishments with outsiders. He could tell the youngest two were a little taken aback by the whole thing too. So Brian slipped back into his seat next to Guthrie and tousled the boy's hair. "Hey kiddo, don't let it get cold. You know you love corn and casserole. Adam did a good job, didn't he? Maybe we should let him cook more often."

It made Guthrie giggle a little, but not wholeheartedly. And good natured Ford simply hated bad feelings, so he had his head bend over his plate and focused on eating.

"I'm sorry about all that, Emily," Adam sat back down and placed his hand over hers. "I'm sure with a big family you know how easily these things can escalate."

"Oh don't worry, Adam, I know only too well. It's a shame though, because lunch is just so lovely." Emily's heart went out to the two upstairs and the two young boys still at the table. The atmosphere was tense and awkward, but Adam kept trying. She thought it was commendable and tried to help him by asking all sorts of questions about the ranch hoping to engage the kids as well. She was skilled enough to manage that quite well and soon the youngest two were chattering away with her, much to Adam's delight. She was telling them about the antics she and her siblings had gotten into as kids. And the boys were telling her about all the things they did on a ranch.

"Goodness, you really chop your own firewood?" Emily couldn't help glancing at Adam's biceps. Just looking at him made her feel all flustered.

"Uh huh!" Guthrie said enthusiastically. "It's fun!"

That made her forget all about Adam's biceps and her head made a sharp turn in Ford's and Guthrie's direction. "I thought you meant in general. As in you guys. You're allowed to use an axe?" The mere thought of that sweet little boy using an axe made her sick to her stomach with fear.

"Sure," Ford said proudly, "I do it all the time." In fact, since turning 12 it was one of his main weekly chores to make sure there was enough firewood for the fireplace. Now that it was winter and they started using the fireplace again at night, that was becoming more important. Guthrie didn't do it unsupervised and was still not strong enough to really do it himself, but he was being taught a bit.

"He's been taught well," Adam noticed her fearful, not to mention disapproving, eyes and felt the need to speak up, "Don't worry. We've all been taught safety on the ranch from a very young age."

"But still…." She still couldn't imagine.

"You weren't raised in the country, right?" Brian guessed as he collected the plates.

"No…no, I've always lived in the city. But why should that matter? Something is safe or it isn't!"

Now all boys laughed. "It is safe," Adam explained. "Boys Ford's age do it on every ranch or farm. "We teach things early on, so by the time the kids are old enough they know exactly what to do and how to do it safely."

"Same with alcohol. Dad always said that it was better to have a sip of beer now and then as a teenager, than not knowing what it is and wanting it badly by the time you're 21. It teaches responsibility and normality."

"Drinking shouldn't be normal!" Emily exclaimed, "You shouldn't teach kids that drinking alcohol is normal!"

"So you make it more attractive by prohibiting it? That's never worked. How many college students go on these binges? I know Crane won't because of how he's been raised." Of course, Brian knew that part of the reason Crane wouldn't, was that Crane was Crane. And still, the guy had smoked dope. That had been unexpected. So you never really knew as a parent. Brian and Adam knew not to rely on such certainties, despite their young age.

"So you show them it's okay to go out on the town and get drunk every weekend?"

Brian's eyes rested on hers for a moment before moving to Adam. "You been telling stories about me?"

Before Adam could answer Emily did, "He didn't even have to, Brian. You're quite well known in Murphys. You'd think you would be a better role model for your brothers, helping your brother more. I can't imagine what it's like to give up a scholarship to raise six brothers at the age of 18. But drinking so much on a Saturday night that you can't even make it to church doesn't help and neither does undermining his authority when he's disciplining the boys. You really need to…"

She never got any further. Brian had turned completely white. He was hurt. And angry. Angry at her for saying all those things. Angry at Adam, because he suspected Adam had talked about him. And not in a favorable way. Angry at himself for having tried to be nice. But mostly hurt. He didn't even notice that Adam had gotten to his feet, "You need to leave…yes, I think you need to leave."

Suddenly Emily realized what she'd said and how it was affecting these men, "I was just trying to…to help…"

"You were just lecture my brother," Adam said in a voice that those who knew him would call his dangerous voice, "He doesn't need lecturing. He's my right hand man."

"I'm sorry I made it sound like…"

"Oh I know what you meant," Adam glanced at his brother's hurt face. Brian would still not speak up for himself. He never did. "You see a fun-loving care-free guy who likes to go out. Sure, I give him grief over that at times, but that's between him and me. When I wanted to go on a date with you he cancelled all his plans and stayed at home. He stood in this kitchen last night before his date to bake a pie so I could show off. And then, despite being home late, he was up early and spend his morning cleaning just so I could show off our home to you." Fact was that Brian took pride in their home. It was his way of honoring their mother to keep her home neat and tidy. But he never said that out loud. "When the boys are ill, he's the guy who cleans up vomit, brings medicine and glasses of water, makes chicken soup, and sits with them while they're asleep to keep an eye on them."

"You do too," Brian's voice wasn't more than a whisper.

"I know, buddy, but you do so much and I know you sometimes wonder if I see it. I do. And I'd never tell anyone any different."

Brian shrugged. He couldn't really deny it, but admitting it sounded awfully pathetic. "You're the one who gave up a scholarship."

"You still had to start your senior year. You would have had one too. You stopped football to help! What 17 year old gives up his senior prom because his baby brother can't sleep if he's not there?"

While they talked Emily had quietly gotten up and had gotten her coat. She was crying softly, "I'm sorry…I really didn't mean anything bad. I just…I like you too and I thought…I thought…"

Brian turned to her, "It's okay." Suddenly he noticed Ford and Guthrie were still at the table. Both boys were watching the adults with wide, scared eyes. In one step he was behind them and pulled them up and in his arms. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have said all that."

"Did you miss your prom cause of me?" Guthrie had tears in his eyes.

"You're much more important than a stupid dance, kiddo!" Brian nuzzled his hair like he'd done that same prom night. If he was honest, he missed the smell of baby shampoo.

"Then I won't go to mine either," Guthrie promised sincerely.

Brian would have none of it, though, "You'll do no such thing!"

"I will, you'll see."

"Let's leave the prom talk for later, boys," Adam interceded, "no need for that just yet."

Emily would have left already, she wanted to, but she had come with the family and it was too far to walk. She started to wonder if maybe she should just go.

"Adam?" Brian nodded in her direction, "If you don't take her home, I think she's going to walk and she looks too upset to do that. And Mom's raised you better."

"That she did. Come on, I'll take you home." Adam's voice was still curt and not very forthcoming, but Brian was right, he was taught to always be a gentleman.

Emily already dreaded the long ride home. It was going to be even longer if they wouldn't even talk. But what could she say to make this right? She didn't think she could.

T.B.C.

Oops…no hug for Daniel yet. I promise they'll get there, but things just kept happening to prevent it.