A/N: Go listen to/ look up the lyrics to Chase this Light from the album Chase this Light by Jimmy Eat World. I am just begging you right now, there is a moment that will be better if you do.

"We thank you for flying with us today. Please take care in removing your luggage from the overhead compartment as items may have shifted during the flight. Welcome to Phoenix and enjoy your day."

Adam and Lindsay looked at each other, completely exhausted, overheated and unamused. Colton has slept the first leg of the flight from New York to Denver. But once the plane took off again, he had decided to pass the time by crying. Not loud screams, but constant tears and whimpering. They had tried everything to calm him down, but he was content to be discontent. Luckily they had been able to keep his cries fairly quiet and the plane wasn't crowded so they didn't disturb too many people, but they still stayed sitting down while everyone else deplaned.

"Please, please tell me this is not an omen of that this vacation is going to be like," Lindsay sighed.

"Okay, so he's not going to be an aviator. We'll just keep him awake the night before we leave to go home and he'll sleep the whole time."

"Alright. Can we get out of here and get something to eat? I think I might shrivel up and die."

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

They gathered up their things and their now sleeping child and made their way off the plane, through the sympathetic glances of the flight attendants. Adam slung the bags over his shoulder while Lindsay carried Colton and his carseat and they actually looked like a pair of exhausted nomads, trudging through the airport.

"Hey sweetie, let's sit for a second," Adam suggested, setting their bags on the floor near some chairs. She sat down carefully, then leaned down to strap Colton into the carseat.

"You stressed out?"

"No, just… that was bad."

"I know," he said, reaching over to rub her shoulders.

"Mm, thanks. How did you know?"

"You said that the airplane seats always give you horrible pains in your neck and shoulders which turns to burning, then a headache, then nausea. Where are you sitting right now?"

"Headache. A little nausea. This is helping though."

"Good. I'm going to go and get some water, because we're going to need it going outside. Be right back."

She nodded and leaned back against the chair, grabbing her cell phone out of her pocket to check her messages. There was just one from Austin, asking how the flight was. She sent a quick "Urgh" back, figuring that was enough of a description.

"Here, cold water," Adam said, holding the bottle out to her. She took it gratefully and popped the top off, taking a long swig.

"Thanks hon."

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah. How long of a drive is it to you mom's house?"

"Depends on traffic. About an hour. You gonna sleep?"

"Nah."

He picked up the bags again and they made their way downstairs to the car rental agency. His mom had offered to pick them up, but they thought that it was easier to just rent a car and have a little more freedom of mobility.

They process was fairly fast and they were soon on the road, air conditioner blasting and music playing.

"I think I like this album better than the other one," Lindsay said, propping her feet up on the dashboard and settling the iPod back into the cup holder.

"Really? It's good, but it's so… young."

"Well, that's because they were young as a band when they made this one."

"But there's so many things they could have done to make it better."

"Are you saying this one sucks?"

"Not at all. I'm just saying… Okay, Chase This Light is complete. It's fuller and richer, has better lyrics and it sounds like they had fun making it. Bleed American is really good, but they sound hesitant, like they weren't sure what they were doing and where they were going. It's like a collection of songs while the other album is more like a medley. It just all flows together."

"I agree. But Bleed American came out when I was still in college and me and my friends used to turn it up really loud and it just reminds me of how happy I was and how… big the world was."

"Okay, but Chase This Light should have some sentimental value for you. Remember how it came out while we were on our honeymoon and I downloaded it and we sat on the deck of the boat-"

"Under that big blanket with an ear bud each while the sun went down."

"And there was that last little sliver of sun just as the title track broke into the chorus and I said that it would be our song."

"Okay," she said, reaching over and placing her hand over his on the console. "You win."

"I thought I might when I whipped out the big guns."

"I love you."

"I love you too babe."

When they reached the house an hour later, Hannah was standing on the front porch, holding onto the railing and jumping up and down as if she had just won the lottery.

"Mom, Dad, they're here!" she shouted before jumping down the porch steps and running out to the car. She slammed into Adam just as he got out of the car, almost causing him to topple over. He grinned and picked her up kissing her cheek while she practically strangled him with a hug.

"I missed you so much!" she exclaimed. "Did you miss me?"

"My favorite little sister in all the world? Of course I missed you!"

She giggled and squirmed back down to the ground, going around the other side of the car to throw her arms around Lindsay.

"Hey Hannie."

"Lindsay guess what?"

"What?"

"Yesterday I won a blue ribbon for jumping my horse! I did the best out of all the other kids."

"Are you serious? That's awesome kiddo."

"Did you ever get any ribbons for your horse?"

"Yeah, but never a blue one."

"Maybe when you're here you can come and see my horse. Mommy goes riding with me sometimes but maybe you can go with me once."

"I'd like that. We'll see if we can go some morning when it's not so hot."

"Excellent!"

"Speaking of hot," Adam said, unlatching Colton's carseat from its base. "Let's get inside where it's not so."

Hannah skipped in front of them and held the door open.

"Toast, get back," Hannah said, picking up the small dog and turning him in the other direction. "We don't sniff people when they're trying to come inside!"

The dog looked at her then wagged his tail and took off across the room, finding a chew toy half buried under the couch.

"I'm glad you're here," Sharon said coming out of the kitchen and giving each of them a hug. "Little Miss has been waiting by the window since she woke up this morning."

"Not the whole day!" Hannah argued. "Just most of it."

"Go get your dad, he's in the backyard."

Hannah wandered off, the dog following her closely.

"How was your flight?"

Adam and Lindsay gave her the same look and she smiled.

"Guess that answers that question. Are you guys hungry? Dinner is almost ready."

"We're starving," Adam confirmed as Lindsay took Colton out of the carseat. He chewed on his hand and smiled up at her, as if the last few hours hadn't happened.

"Why don't you go and see your grandma? I'm sure she won't mind that you're such a stinker."

"Hey little boy. I think you're a clone of your daddy," she said with a little chuckle.

"Everyone keeps sayin' that," Adam commented, sitting down on the couch. "I'm not sure it's a good thing."

"It's a good thing," Lindsay and Sharon assured in unison.

"Hey, I wanted to hold the baby!" Hannah said as she came back into the room.

"You'll get to in just a second. Go sit by your brother."

She hopped onto the couch happily and held her arms out.

"He's so heavy," she commented. "And his cheeks are fat."

"They're supposed to be," Adam laughed. "You were the queen of fat cheeks when you were a baby."

"I was not!"

"Why do you think we called you Chubbles?" Sharon asked.

Hannah grimaced while Colton tugged on her pigtail.

"Hey, you can't do that!" she said, taking her hair out of his hand. "You have to be nice to me. Cuz I'm your aunt and those are the rules."

"I was afraid she was going to get out the baby pictures," Adam muttered, setting a glass of lemonade on the coffee table then sliding his arm around Lindsay's shoulders while she looked through an old picture album.

"Look how cute you were," she answered with a smile.

"I was not."

"You were too!"

"I was an awkward child."

"Why, because you wore highwaters and suspenders?"

"Because I had a bubble sword stuck down the leg of my pants. I was a total geek."

"You still are. But you're my geek and I love you."

"You're a sweet woman."'

"I try."

They kept looking through the book and Adam told her the stories that went along with the pictures, leaving out any anecdotes about his father. They went from birth all the way to his college graduation, giggling together about some of the scrapes he had gotten into.

"Do you think Colton is going to be like you?" she asked, tracing her finger over the embossed watermark on the last picture.

"Do we want him to be?"

"Not exactly like you; I don't want to be cleaning melted wax out of the carpet for the better part of his elementary career."

"Ha ha."

"What do you think he'll be when he grows up? Do you think he'll have a job like ours or he'll do something more creative? Or maybe he'll be a lawyer or a paramedic? A therapist? A farmer?"

"I don't know, hon. I'm pretty sure we'll be proud of him no matter what he does."

"Yeah. I just hope he's happy. I don't want him to grow up discontent, you know? I want him to find something that he loves and jump in with both feet."

"Linds, I think he's going to be just fine. He's got you and he's got me and I think he is going to grow up very happy with his life."

"I just want him to have everything. I don't want him to be spoiled, but I want him to have every opportunity."

"He will. We'll make sure."

"I can't believe we get to watch it though. Be a part of who he becomes and what he does."

"It's kind of scary."

"A little bit."

"Hey, thanks for coming out here. We could have gone to Montana or done something really vacationy and I know you might have liked that better, but-"

"Hey. This is my family too."

He smiled and kissed her.

"Thanks for being my better half and going through this crazy life with me."

"Right back at you."