Erin opened the front door of Sam and Emily's house and looked around, confused to find the kitchen empty for once and no noise anywhere.
"Hello?" she called uncertainly.
"Living room." Sam's voice called. Relaxing, Erin walked through the kitchen and stopped in the doorway to the living room. She was surprised to see Sam sitting on the floor with Nick lying on his back on the floor between Sam's legs as the wolf changed his diaper. "Hey." Sam looked up and greeted her with a smile.
"Hi. How's it going?" Erin smiled, dropping her bag on the floor by the wall.
"It's going fine. If you're wondering where Emily is, something came up with her sister so she had to rush off to the Makah rez. Nothing serious. Anyway, I hope you don't mind me watching Nick in her place."
"Of course not. He's your brother, too." Erin told him, moving to sit on the floor next to Sam. She greeted Nick with a big, goofy smile and he returned it with a drooly smile of his own. "If you didn't want to you could've called me. I can miss a class once in a while if I need to."
"Yeah, but it's fine. I don't really mind it, he's just been chilling on the floor and playing with his toys. Well, until this happened." Sam scrunched up his nose as he wiped Nick's butt with a wet wipe.
Erin covered her mouth to stifle her giggle. "Yeah, I can imagine. Jake keeps a stash of clothes pins under our changing table at home to plug his nose with."
Sam actually laughed. "Not a bad idea. I'll remember that for future reference."
Erin watched as he wrestled to get a new diaper out. "So, you really didn't mind watching Nick? How long ago did Emily leave?"
"She left about three hours ago." Sam glanced at the clock on the living room wall. "And no, I don't mind watching Nick. Like you said, he's my little brother. And he's part of the pack. Besides, it gives me practice for the future." he added with a small, playful grin.
Erin's eyes narrowed even as she smiled. "Future as in within the next nine months?" she asked suspiciously.
Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "I wish. But no, Emily's not pregnant, if that's what you're getting at. We're trying, but it hasn't quite happened yet."
"And you want it to?" she asked, a little surprised. The tough, stern Sam Uley didn't strike her as a person who wanted to be a 'daddy'.
"Yeah. I mean, Emily wants it, too, but if I had my way we'd already have a baby. Heck, we would've had a honeymoon baby if I had a choice. But Emily wanted to enjoy being newlyweds for a bit before we actually started trying."
"Understandable. I mean, from a woman's perspective, I doubt you get much sleep when you have a giant belly, and then a baby crying every few hours of the night. Might want to get some 'Z's in before all that."
Sam laughed again. "I suppose that's tr-"
He was cut off by a long, yellow stream shooting straight into his face. Sam froze, lips pursed shut and eyes closed as pee dripped down his face. Nick giggled and Erin snorted, quickly covering her mouth. Unable to hold it in, she got up and laughed her way into the kitchen where she grabbed a dishtowel off the counter. She hurried back into the living room and tossed the towel onto Sam's lap.
"Thanks." he said, wiping his face with the towel. "Well, that was…interesting."
Erin laughed again, plopping back down on the floor. "No offense, Sam…but that was hilarious!"
Sam glared at her before getting rid of the new diaper that Nick got pee all over and grabbed another new diaper. "I don't suppose that's happened to Jake, yet, huh?"
"Nope, I can't say it has. Unless he just didn't tell me." Erin answered with a huge smile, trying not to laugh.
"Wouldn't surprise me." Sam mumbled.
They were silent for a few minutes as Sam finished changing Nick's diaper.
"Well, we'll get out of your hair now, I suppose." Erin told him as she stood up. "Off to eating dinner just the two of us, huh, Nicky?" she told her little brother, who laughed at her baby voice.
"Just the two of you?" Sam repeated as he gathered the things he needed to throw away.
"Yeah, Billy's eating at Charlie's and Jake's got a patrol shift during dinner." Erin admitted.
"Well, I think I'm eating alone tonight since Emily's at her sister's. I'm not sure when she'll be home, but she put a casserole in the oven in case she didn't get back in time to cook dinner. And you never know, pack members always stop in around meal times. You're welcome to stay if you'd like."
"You're sure?" Erin checked.
"Of course. How would it be any different from a pack dinner?" he asked rhetorically, "We're family, why should we all eat alone? What do you think, Nick?" he asked, standing over the ten month old baby. Nick squealed and waved his arms and legs around, looking like he was trying to sit up again.
"Alright, then." Erin smiled, "Who am I to pass up Emily's casserole?"