Lindsay moved quickly around the kitchen, putting dishes away and trying to get the food off the counter. Her parents were flying into town today and would be staying through the weekend. She had totally forgotten about it until the call from her mom this morning. She had raced home from work and tried to clean up the apartment, which had become a pigsty in the last week, due to so much overtime. She loved her parents, but they had raised her to keep a house clean and if they walked in to find laundry on the couch, she'd have a lecture to sit through. Sighing, she brushed her hair back from her forehead and wiped her hands on her jeans, heading for the bedroom. She changed the sheets and fluffed the pillows quickly before giving the bathroom a once-over.

She passed back through the kitchen where Adam was sitting at the table, trying to order something for dinner that didn't feel like take-out. There was no way Chinese or pizza could be homemade, so he was ordering lasagna from the shop down the street. He was on hold, however, and his impatience was increasing.

"Hon, slow down and take a breath," he said, reaching out for her hand as she walked by with a basket of laundry.

"I can't. I've still got to put this away and find decent towels and vacuum the floor and make sure I have stuff for breakfast in the morning."

"I know but you're making yourself crazy and as much as I enjoy you crazy, it's not good for you."

"Adam, don't flirt with me right now, I'm not in a good mood."

"Geez, chill out," he muttered, crossing his arms.

"Are you really going to be four years old today?" she huffed, switching the basket to her other hip.

"In the time it took you to insult me, you could have put that laundry away."

She glared at him, then stalked into the other room while he finished ordering dinner. When she came back she still looked flustered and mad, and he stood from the table, drawing her into his arms.

"I don't want to fight with you," he said, kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm just tired and I wasn't ready for company and I just… I don't want to fight with you either."

"Okay, what can I do to help you?"

"Vacuum the floor?"

"Done," he said, letting go of her. "And I'm sorry."

"Me too. Fight over."

He headed for the closet to get the vacuum, realizing how close they had come to an actual fight. He could safely say that he was not a fan.

They worked for a while longer, getting the apartment up to her parents standards and flopping onto the couch with a while to spare. She snuggled up next to him with a sigh and closed her eyes.

"I'm kind of dreading this," she muttered with a sigh.

"How come?"

"I don't know. I'm sure they're going to be fine, I just… I have this fear of disappointing them. I work too much or I don't work enough, I should live in a safer neighborhood, why am I wasting money on having cable."

"Couldn't you date someone better?"

"No, I'm not worried about that. They'll like you just fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Daddy will size you up and not talk to you at all for a while, but don't take it personally."

"You're a daddy's girl and he wants me to know it."

"Basically."

"My stomach is in knots."

"It'll be fine. Uncle Freddie will be here. He likes you so he'll be a good buffer."

"He likes me, but he makes fun of my fantasy football choices."

"That's because you suck at fantasy football."

"Thanks baby."

She chuckled as he kissed her, wishing that her parents weren't on their way. They'd been working so much that they hadn't been spending much time together, and it had been over a week since he'd kissed her, much less even looked her in the eye.

"Hey let's not go that long again," he said after a moment.

"I'll pencil you in for tomorrow afternoon."

"Ooh, a rendezvous."

Her chuckle was interrupted by a knock on the door and he opened it to find that dinner had arrived. He paid the delivery guy and took the food into the kitchen, turning the oven on low and setting the bread and lasagna inside. He pulled plates down from the cupboard and set them around the table, then returned to the couch.

"Adam?"

"Yeah?"

"If for some out of this world, insane reason my parents don't like you… we'll still be okay, right?"

He framed her face with his hands and looked deep into her eyes, making very clear that he was serious about what he was going to say.

"I'm not going anywhere. Nothing and no one can make me. Got it?"

"I got it."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips then pulled back and looked at her again.

"And if I have to spend the rest of my life proving it to you, then so be it."

"You don't have to prove it. Though I do enjoy the ways you do."

There was another knock on the door and she answered it this time to find her parents and Uncle Freddie. She was swallowed into hugs from her parents, and Adam smiled to himself as she laughed. He loved even the short moments of her in her element.

She introduced him to her parents, her dad shaking his hand, looking directly in his eye, and not smiling even the smallest bit. It was intimidating, but he wasn't going to let it get to him.

"Mama, should I be worried about that in there?" Lindsay asked as she filled the sink with water. She was staring out into the other room where her dad and Adam were deep in conversation. Freddie had left an hour ago, removing the buffer from the room.

"Only if he starts making that face," Anne answered. "Don't worry honey."

"But daddy always does that "she's my little girl, you hurt her heart I hurt your face" macho shot gun thing and it's really annoying."

"Yes, it is."

"Is he doing that?"
"Maybe a little."

"Mama."

"Honey, your dad and I haven't seen you this happy in a long, long time. And yeah, it could just be the city and the new life, but we're both pretty sure it's because of that man that's been making you laugh all night. So while you are still your daddy's baby girl, and while he's never going to want to give you away, he's over the moon that you're so happy. Whatever lecture he has is going to be very short. Adam will survive."

She smiled and scrubbed a plate clean.

"Okay. I'll stop thinking about it then."

"Good. That means we can girl talk."

"Mama, you really should have had more girls."

"I regret that every day."

"What do you want to know?"

"Whatever happened with Danny?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nope. He's dating someone else who is way better for him than I ever would have been, and I am with someone who is way better for me than he ever would have been, so I think we both got the good end of the deal."

"How come you never said much about Adam before all this?"

Lindsay sighed and dried a glass.

"I guess it was because we were just friends. Then it happened and it was like "Why didn't we think of this before?" Curveball."

There was a long pause as her mom nodded, contemplating her next question. She had that look on her face that Lindsay had seen so many times growing up, but she wasn't exactly sure what kind of question was going to come out. She knew for sure it was going to be blunt, cut to the chase and personal, but she didn't know if it would be a question she would be comfortable answering.

"Just spit it out, the anticipation is killing me."

"Forgive me for wanting to word it in a gentle manner."

"Oh since when have we ever tried to be gentle in this family?"

"So are you sleeping with Adam?"

"MOTHER!"

"What?"

"I just… you… we… you've never asked that before."

"Is that yes or no?"

"Mom, I'm not 16 anymore. You can't just ask that and expect me to answer."

"Yeah. But I want to know."

"Why?"

"I don't know! Why are you avoiding answering the question?"

"Fine. No. I'm not."

"You're not?"

"No. Yes, I understand it's strange and prude but… we're just not."

"Why?"

Lindsay took a deep breath and dried her hands on the dishtowel for a long time before formulating even a little bit of the answer.

"Remember when I was twelve and you told me that you can only give it away once and you had better make sure that you gave it to the right person because you can't get it back and then when you do find the right person, you'll have nothing for them?"

"Yes."

"You were right. As hokey as it sounded then, and as silly as it sounds now, it's really true. He's the right person and I don't have that to give him. And that hurts. Because I love him. I love him more than I can even understand and I have nothing for him. When I was younger it didn't matter as much. It was just something parents said to keep their kids from getting pregnant. But the older I get, the more I realize how true it is. It really does bond you to someone for life, no matter where you are. Not to mention it adds a whole new set of issues to a relationship that is already full of two flawed people."

"Yes, it does."

"Both of us have had others. Not many, mind you, but they still exist. And we both just feel like it wouldn't be as special as it should be right now. I can't really explain it. It's like if we both just gave it away to people who really didn't matter, then what are we saying to each other? We're saying that we're just like the ones who have come before. It makes more sense in my head and it made more sense when we talked about it. And it's not like we don't want it. Believe me, we both do. But it's so much more emotional than physical. It has so much more depth and power than people realize. And we want it to be right and special and just… does this even make sense?"

"Yes, but I never thought I would hear anyone outside my generation saying it."

"Well call me old fashioned and buy me a chastity belt."

"Oh honey."

Anne laughed and hugged her daughter tightly.

"You two really talked about this?"

"A few times. And believe me, it's easier to tell him than it is to tell you."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Well, I could speculate on what that means, but I'll save that for another day. And I would also like to revel in the feeling of being right and having my stubborn daughter admit it."

"You're welcome, mama."

"So are you going to wait forever?"

She sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know. It just has to be right. It has to be different than it ever has been. And that may be a long ways off. That may be a night when there are rings on both of our fingers. I don't know that. I just don't want to mess this up and I don't want it to become less special than it really is. And I suppose that is that."

"Daughter of mine, you leave me speechless."

"Thank you for making me say all that."

"You always did need to take your thoughts out and reorganize them every once in a while."

"Some things never change."

The clock ticked quietly while Adam's stomach did flips. He had said he wouldn't worry, Lindsay had told him it would be fine, but he just couldn't feel truly comfortable with her dad staring him down.

"So," Dale started, crossing his arms. "You like my daughter."

"Yes, sir," Adam said with a gulp, feeling very much like the unworthy boyfriend in a bad made for TV movie.

"She's the only daughter I got, you know."

"I know."

"I think I love her more than I love the boys. You can imagine how I might feel if her heart got broken."

"Yes, sir."

"And as a crime scene investigator, I am pretty sure you could imagine some of the things I might do to you."

"Yes."

"So you would be well advised to keep yourself in check."

Adam nodded.

"I won't hurt her, sir. I love her. And I know you may need more reassurance than that, but that's all I've got."

"You'll take care of her?"

"As much as she'll let me."

"You'll protect her?"

"As much as she needs."

"You'll make sure she's happy."

"Everyday."

"I'm never going to think you're good enough for her."

"I wouldn't expect you to. But I would also hope that you don't let her know that."

"I suppose we have a deal then, Ross. But it doesn't mean I'm not watching you."

"That's fair."

They shook hands, more as a way to end the conversation than anything.

"Adam, Lindsay can't find the ice-cream," Anne said as she came into the room and sat down next to her husband. "She's accusing you of stealing it."

"I didn't steal it," he said, standing from the chair. "She's a sleep eater."

He went into the kitchen and found her looking in the freezer.

"Baby, the ice-cream is right-"

He was cut off when she spun around and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him for all she was worth.

"What got into you?" he asked once she had pulled away.

"I just like you. And I'm still sorry about the argument before."

"So you didn't really lose the ice-cream?"

"I'm wily."

He chuckled and reached past her, taking the tub of Rocky Road out of the freezer.

"Wanna tell me what my dad said to you?"

"Only if you wanna tell me what your mom said that made you screech "MOTHER!""

"I've had enough of the conversation for today, but I'll tell you later."

"It's a deal."

They shared another quick kiss before getting bowls out and scooping the ice-cream into them.

"Hey Adam?"

"Yeah?"

"You make me really, really happy."

"You make me really, really happy too."