Disclaimer: I do not own any of the cast nor do I own any of the crew of DC, nor do I own the show. This is purely fictional and for entertainment purposes. However, I do own the original character.

THE NEXT DAY

Jake left to go to Home Depot with McKenzie's stepdad, Jim. He told Jim that he would help him build a back deck. He knew that Matt would be over to help, and that is when he would bring up what happened at Thanksgiving and see if Matt wanted to talk about it. He didn't want to, but he told Mac he would.

"What I do for that girl is unreal." He said as he pulled up at Mac's mom's house.

Jim was already outside and at his truck and Aubree was in the back bouncing up and down. She seen Jake's car and got excited. Jake chuckled at his daughter and got out.

"Daddy!" She said clapping her little hands.

"Hi, Princess." He said with a smile picking her up.

"I figured we could take her with us." Jim said.

"Yeah."

Matt pulled up in his Camaro and got out.

"I'm ready to start banging and sawing." He said with a silly grin.

"Well we only have to get a few things since I have all the wood." Jim told the boys.

Jake strapped Aubree in her car seat and climbed into the back with her. They headed to Home Depot and Jim sent them one way and he went another.

"So…" Jake said awkwardly. "What was that at dinner the other day, bro?"

"What are you talking about?" Matt asked looking at his friend.

"When your mom questioned you about kids."

"Dude, she got to you too?" Matt asked with a groan.

"What?" Jake asked confused.

"Mac." Matt said. "She put you up to this. I'm going to kill her."

"Chill." Jake told him. "She just wants the best for you."

"The best for me is her staying out of my love life and not putting her fiancé up to it either." Matt said putting several boxes of nails in the cart.

"We noticed how Chelsea seemed a little hurt. It wasn't only Mac, I seen it too."

He made a mental note to himself to never do this again and make it clear to Mac he was never doing this again.

"She was?" Matt asked totally clueless. "No, Chel…we already talked about this. Marriage and kids are not in our future any time soon."

"Dude, you know I'm not the best at relationships." Jake told him. "What I do know is that women tell you one thing and think another, especially when it comes to the next step in our relationships. Women can tell you that they don't want to get married but they're full of shit."

"Daddy, bad." The little girl spoke up.

"Sorry, princess." Jake said apologizing.

"You really think she wants to get married and have kids?"

Jake just nodded.

"I know." Matt finally said. "I know she does. Ever since Mac came back with Aubree, she has been really weird lately. Every time she sees a kid a big smile is on her face. Then you had to go and propose to my sister, thanks asshole."

Aubree whipped her head and looked at her uncle.

"Sha…sha." The toddler said trying to say shame, shame.

"We have to stop cussing in front of her or she'll have a mouth worse than Pops." Jake chuckled.

"I don't want to lose Chelsea." Matt said finally opening up. "I love her. We've been together for 6 years. I just don't want to get married and everything change."

"Well you can either do it or hope it works out or you don't and she walks out." Jake told his friend.

Matt nodded.

Glad I got that out of the way.

"Ok, enough of this sentimental guy talks." Matt said. "Let's get the things we need and get outta here. We have a lot of work to do."

Jake agreed.

McKenzie pulled up to her mom's house and went inside.

"Hey, honey." Her mom greeted her when she walked into the kitchen.

"Smells good…what are you making?"

"Chili." She told her closing the lid on the crock pot.

"Where's everyone?"

"Jim, Jake, Matt and Aubree went to Home Depot to pick up the last few things before making a mess in my back yard."

McKenzie laughed.

"Chel didn't come with Matt?"

"No, she had to work half a day today but she will be by later." She told her daughter.

"I can't wait to watch the guys trying to build the deck." McKenzie said with a smile looking out at all the wood in the yard. "Especially Matt. If it isn't a car, he's clueless."

"Well if he watched your father anytime growing up, he could know how to build a deck."

McKenzie nodded.

"Dad coming over too?"

"Probably." Missy giggled. "I bet they'll call him within an hour of them being back."

"How do you feel about Judith?" McKenzie asked curious.

"She's really nice. I like her." Her mom said pouring herself and her daughter a cup of coffee. "I'm glad that you and Matt like her."

"She's good for dad; I haven't seen him happy in a long time." McKenzie told her mother. "Not like that, anyway. Besides, she's a RN so incase Dad decides to have another stroke, she's right there."

Missy agreed with a nod.

"How was Christmas shopping yesterday?"

"Jake argued with a man over a play kitchen set." McKenzie told her mom with a giggle. "It was cute and sexy as hell."

Missy shook her head with a smile.

"You are not my daughter." Missy giggle. "I didn't raise you like that."

"C'mon, mom. When a guy is determined, its sexy."

"Jim's kids are going to fly in for Christmas."

"That's great. I haven't seen Sandra, David, and Brandon in a long time."

"Yeah." She said. "Sandra's pregnant again. She's due in June."

"This would be her…..?"

"Fourth."

"Geez, I want more kids but not four."

Missy giggled.

"Brandon's back from Iraq?"

"Yeah, he went back to South Carolina last week." She said.

They heard Jim's truck pull up and then the guys were laughing. They came through the back and Jake was holding a sleeping Aubree.

"She fell out after we left Home Depot."

"Aww, she was just so excited about being in a hardware store." McKenzie said taking her from Jake. "Mom, can I put her in your bed?"

"Sure, honey."

"Hi, Mis." Jake said kissing his mother-in-law on the cheek.

"Hello, Jacob."

"Smells good, mom." Matt said lifting the lid of the crock pot.

"Stop it, Matthew." She said smacking his hand. "It's for lunch."

"Ok, ok." Matt chuckled.

McKenzie put Aubree in her mother's bed and they sat at the kitchen table watching the guys.

An hour later, just like Missy predicted they called Mark to come over to help.