Author's Note: Looks like interest in this story has ceased again…but here's a small chapter for anyone who might still be interested…

Susan slowly made her way to the curbside pickup at the airport. She looked at the various gates, trying to find the one where her father and Sydney should have been. It wasn't long before she ignored the signs altogether. Why? Because she saw the couple she was looking for barely hanging onto their luggage as they all but made out with one another in front of anyone who cared to glance in their direction. It was a late flight and there was hardly anyone else there, but it was still a little risky. Susan beeped and they parted, embarrassed grins on their faces.

"Hey, Susie Q!" Nathan said, walking around to the drivers' side window. "Miss me?"

Susan rolled her eyes in a true teenager fashion. "Sure, Dad."

Nathan loaded the luggage into the trunk of the car, then opened the front passenger side door for Sydney. "I bet you did…just a little hm?"

Susan smiled. "Yeah, well…I wasn't relieved or anything like I would have been a few months ago."

"Good enough for me. Want me to drive, honey?"

Susan thought for a moment. If she drove, Nathan would be in the back seat…he wouldn't yell too much if she was in charge of their lives and… "Nope, I will gladly be your chauffeur this evening."

"Okay." Nathan slid into the backseat, buckling himself in.

Susan pulled away from the curb and decided to ease into things. "So, by the looks of it, you two…went at it like rabbits while you were away, didn't you?"

Nathan's eyes went wide and Sydney tried not to laugh. "Susan Gardner!"

"What, am I wrong?" she asked.

Sydney cleared her throat and answered before Nathan had the chance. "Your father and I actually got a lot closer over the last few days." Knowing what Susan thought was important, she quickly added, "We talked about a lot of things that we just couldn't get to here…with all sorts of distractions." It was heartfelt, her tone sincere, and Nathan was happy with that answer…until she added, "Of course we were at it like rabbits too." She and Susan both burst into a fit of the giggles.

"Syd, you too?"

"Oh, Nathan, you can always tell when a couple has been a bit…over-intimate with one another. Why deny it?"

Nathan put his hand to his head and tried to cover up the fact that he had begun to snicker. "Honey, can you find a drive thru? The micro bag of pretzels isn't cutting it and I'm in desperate need of a cheeseburger."

"Sure. Syd, are you staying tonight?"

Sydney turned in her seat to look at Nathan. "Tired of me yet?"

"That wouldn't bode well for you moving in, would it?"

She looked back at Susan. "That would be two cheeseburgers."

While Susan took them to the closest burger joint, they talked about her time with Rodine, the non sexual exploits of their trip, and a few other little odds and ends. Once cheeseburgers were safely in hand, Susan decided to tell her father what she had been dreading for days.

"So, Gram-ma called while you were gone." She almost cringed.

"Oh? Oh! I told her I cancelled the trip…"

"Yeah, but forgot to tell her you were still going out of town. She wanted to make sure you weren't in any kind of, uh, trouble or anything."

"Right," the word left Nathan's lips slowly and rather drawn out. "And you told her that I was…?"

The next words flew from Susan's mouth so fast that she almost tripped over them. "To be fair, Dad, I totally thought you would have told her! I mean, she doesn't have anything to do with school and she only ever wants to see you happy and where was I supposed to say you were and I did throw in how good you guys are together and…"

Nathan groaned in the backseat, stuffing his cheeseburger into his mouth. "Su..pmh…tol…an…"

"Oh, honey, swallow first," Sydney said, fussing with her wrapper.

Nathan did swallow, then clearly said. "How many days ago?"

"Two," Susan said, cringing.

"So, you've been dreading telling me for two days straight?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

He sighed. "Well, I don't need to punish you anymore than that…"

"There's kinda more."

"Or I spoke too soon…"

"She wants us all to have dinner together…soon…and…"

"You didn't give her an answer about that, did you?"

"No." She turned onto their street. "Dad, I'm sorry, I really thought…"

A small laugh floated up from the back seat. "She would have found out. She would have known if you were lying to her." They pulled into the garage and Susan felt relived. "You get to cook breakfast in the morning."

Susan exhaled. "Fair enough. And I'll wear headphones all night."

"No need, Susan," Sydney said, yawning. "This rabbit just wants to cuddle."

"At some point you guys will stop being grossly in love right?"

"I really hope not," Nathan said, his voice turning back into the mush it was at the airport. "C'mon, little bunny," he said sweetly. "We'll unpack in the morning." With everyone out of the car, he took Sydney's hand and they went upstairs. Nathan called down from the hallway, "Pancakes, Susie Q!"