A/N: I totally forgot to unabashedly pimp out a few new stories. First is "I'll be" by rachelandjuliabwsc. That would be me and Piper and it's a Lindsay/Austin story and it's amazing and it took us six months and you should read it. You should also read "Like you" by me if you want to see some pre-dating Adam and Lindsay. Just for grins and giggles.

Lindsay watched Adam closely, the way his hands pressed against the Formica tabletop, how he chewed the inside of his cheek, the way he couldn't keep his leg from shaking up and down. She reached across the table and took his hands in hers, squeezing them gently and making him look up at her.

"It's alright. Nothing bad is going to happen. He has nothing over you."

"I know."

"I'll be right here."

"No."

"What?"

He shook his head and sighed, looking around the room before he met her eyes.

"I don't want him to know who you are. I don't want him to follow you or find the kids-"

"Okay. I get it. I'll go sit over there."

He nodded and she leaned down to kiss him.

"Give me the high sign if you need me."

"I will. Thanks for understanding."

"Always. I love you."

"Love you too."

She left the table and walked across the small coffee shop to a single overstuffed chair, knowing that even if it hurt a little that he didn't want her right next to him, he was probably right in what he said.

It had been increasingly frequent phone calls, late at night, early in the morning, random times during the day, and Adam had finally decided to confront his dad in person. He wasn't planning on giving him any ins, and wanted to tell him very firmly to leave him alone. She could tell he was scared about it, knew he thought he didn't have the strength, but he was wrong. All he had to do was think about what happened, think about their kids and tell himself again that this was worth it, that he had to do it for his family.

She sipped her coffee and caught his eye, giving him a look before he smiled back. She knew he needed a moment to himself so she broke the gaze and found her phone, hitting the second speed dial.

"Hey, so what's going on? Is he there yet? Can we kill him?"

Lindsay gave a wry chuckle at Austin's enthusiasm.

"No, he's not here yet. Adam shooed me into a corner."

"Trying to protect your identity? Call WITSEC."

"Exactly."

"Is he freaking out?"

"A little but I think he'll be fine. It's stuff he needed to say for a very long time."

"I'm going to hug him when I see him."

"He'll need that."

"Are you guys coming to dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, I have court this afternoon but we'll be there. Did Stella make it in okay?"

"Yeah, she flew in early this morning."

"So tell me what you know about this man of hers."

Austin chuckled and moved to a more comfortable position on the couch, patting Avery's back and kissing the top of her head.

"His name is Jesse. He works on an oil rig so he'll be gone for weeks at a time occasionally, which kinda works for Stella."

"I can see that."

"He's a little younger than her and he has a daughter, Savannah. She's seven and practically worships Stella who basically worships her right back."

"I love that."

"Savannah came with her so we'll get to meet her too. Jesse's out on the rig and normally Savannah stays with his parents but she begged to go with Stella this time."

"That's precious."

"I know. I can't wait to meet her."

"Are they staying with Jo?"

"Yeah, so I guess that's why we're all having dinner over there tonight."

"It's going to be loud."

"I really hope Mac and Stella get in another argument than ends with her sticking her tongue out at him. That was great."

Lindsay smiled and shook her head, then took in a breath as the door opened. It was Adam's father, she was sure of it. Looks ran in the family, but she would never tell Adam he looked a little like his father. Timothy was shorter than his son by an inch or two and probably seventy pounds heavier. Just from the way he walked, Lindsay would have felt sorry for the man, had she not known who he was and what he'd done. She wanted to jump out of her chair and ram a fork into his neck, but she restrained herself, observing from afar.

"Linds? You went radio silent."

"He's here."

"He is? Do you want to jump out of your chair and ram a fork into his neck?"

"How did you know?"

"Well? What's going on?"

"They're sitting. He's talking, Adam's giving him the "You've got to be kidding me" face."

"Getting any vibes?"

"I don't know. It's just all around uncomfortable. Adam's crossing his arms and shaking his head, but he's leaning back in his chair. He's not scared. He's mad. I've never seen him this mad. This might be inappropriate but it's kind of hot."

Austin snickered and shook her head.

"Linds."

"Um, they're still just talking. Adam's leaned forward now. He's talking with his hands. He just said "absolutely not." And his dad looks like he's begging for something."

"To meet you guys huh?"

"Yeah, probably. Uh-oh."

"What? What's the matter?"

"He's stuttering. Running his fingers through his hair. Oh Adam, you're okay."

"Can you get his attention?"

"Yeah, yeah, I think so."

She stood up and discreetly made her way across the room to a place where Adam could see her but Timothy couldn't. She stood there silently for a moment until he looked up and saw her. She could see how his demeanor changed, relaxed and he got control over his stuttering. She gave him an encouraging smile and went back to her seat, tucking her legs underneath her and sighing.

"Okay, he's better now."

"And you?"

"Remember that fork from before?"

"Oh Linds."

"I hate this. It shouldn't be this way. He shouldn't have to…"

"I know."

"You never should have had to either."

"Is he doing okay?"

"Yeah, he seems a little better. I wish you were here, this is nerve wracking."

"Plus it would be fun to kick the crap out of his dad together."

"Oh, no doubt. Okay, now he's leaving. He looks really mad but he's leaving and that's all that matters."

"Good. Now go hug your husband because he really needs you."

"I will. Thanks for the talk."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

They hung up and Lindsay made her way over to the table, running her fingers gently over Adam's hand. He sighed and looked up at her, his expression somewhere between frightened child and relieved adult.

"How'd it go?"

"It went," he sighed, turning his hand over to squeeze hers. "Let's walk."

She nodded and they left the coffee shop, donning light sweaters and joining hands as they started to walk through the neighborhood. She didn't ask him what was said; she'd gotten enough of the gist that if he never offered it she would still know the important parts.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm good. It was easier than I expected. Thanks for getting in my line of vision."

"Always."

They fell quiet for a while, just strolling and breathing the fresh air and early spring sunshine.

"He wanted to make amends. He says he accepts what he did and he knows it was wrong. He wants to have a relationship with me. I realize that people can change, but you saw what it did to me, just being around him. You know how it is when he calls. I couldn't let him in my life again. Not if that's what it does to me. I can't be a good father to the kids if I'm like that. They come first, not me, not him or his feelings. They're the only ones that matter in this and if it would hurt them in any way… I just couldn't do it."

She stopped walking and stood in front of him, her eyes shining with tears as she gripped his hands.

"I am absolutely, exceedingly proud of you, Adam."

"Thanks babe."

She smiled and hugged him tightly, unable to express just how proud of him she really was. It was so intense it almost hurt.

"Let's go home," she said after a moment, taking his hand again and pulling him down the street.

"Don't we have to go get the kids?"

"We will. Later."

He just nodded and they walked quickly home.

"Stop running!" Lindsay and Austin hollered in unison as the kids thundered by, lost in their own make believe world.

"Jo lets us run," Colton said, winded. "It's okay."

"Well I said no, so you're going to stop running now. There's too many people here."

He sighed and looked for Jo, spotting her across the kitchen talking to Stella.

"Hey Jo! Can we go play in the backyard? We wanna run!"

"We're going to eat in a few minutes but if it's okay, you can go outside after that."

His shoulders slumped and she chuckled, crouching down to pull him into her arms.

"I'm sorry, cowboy. You'll have to think of something else to do."

"I'll ask Isa."

She grinned and kissed his head and he walked away to report back to the other kids.

"We gotta think of a different game," he said with a sigh. "And then we gotta eat soon."

"I'll think of something," Isa said, leading the kids into the other room.

"Nothing changes," Stella chuckled. "I could be gone for two weeks or twenty years."

"Stell, don't you dare be gone for twenty years," Austin warned with a grimace.

"I'm just teasing."

"Don't tease."

Stella chuckled and walked over to wrap Austin in a hug.

"There are such things as airplanes, kiddo."

"Can you imagine my kids on a plane?"

"Okay, granted."

"Anyone want to help me carry the food to the table?" Jo asked, grabbing the plate of perfectly carved roast beef that Mac had spent a half hour slicing.

They all grabbed plates and bowls and set them around the table, which had been pulled out to its full size to accommodate the number of people that were sitting around it. Everyone found spots around the table, the kids sitting in laps or sharing chairs. Savannah was shy, especially with all the new people around, and snuggled herself into Stella's lap. The two of them had a hushed conversation and Savannah giggled quietly, gently pulling one of Stella's curls and watching it spring back.

"But I don't like green beans, Mana," she said softly, using a Greek word for mother. "I want corn instead."

"Well how about I'll eat the green beans and you can eat the potatoes."

"You don't want your potatoes?"

"Well we need to get some kind of vegetable in you, Savvy Sue. Otherwise your dad will be upset when he calls tonight and finds out you didn't hit all five food groups."

"Sugar is in the food groups Mana. Don't forget."

Stella chuckled and kissed the little girls hair.

"I won't forget."

"I have an announcement to make," Mac said, clearing his throat. Everyone quieted and snapped to attention. He hadn't been expecting such a fast reaction and he cleared his throat again, suddenly overtaken by nerves. Jo giggled from the seat next to him and he looked at her and glared a little.

"You know, you could make them guess," she suggested with a flick of her eyebrows. His expression didn't change and she giggled again, while he cleared his throat once more.

"You okay there Mac?" Danny asked. "You need a cough drop?"

Mac smiled but otherwise ignored him.

"Oh just tell them Mac," Jo encouraged. "Or I will."

"Or I will," Stella echoed with a smile.

"Or me," Ellie offered.

"Okay what the heck does everyone else know about?" Austin said finally, half exasperated, staring Mac and Jo down. "Did you two like, elope or something?"

Everyone's laughter was silenced within seconds at the look that Mac had on his face.

"Well at least you didn't have to tell them, Mac," Jo chuckled.

"You got married without us?" Austin and Lindsay exclaimed, both slamming hands down on the table.

"The Justice of the Peace has a pretty small office," Mac said, grinning. "Couldn't fit the whole family in there."

"So that's why you suddenly came to town," Flack deduced, looking over at Stella and narrowing his eyes playfully. "You didn't miss us kids."

"You could argue that either way," Stella said, her face scrunching up into her truly happy smile.

No one quite knew what to say, but laughing congratulations were passed around anyway, along with jokes about the curse of the NYPD crime lab, and getting a ring by spring or your money back. It was happy news, if slightly unexpected. They'd never been obvious about their relationship, but it wasn't a secret either.

Pretty soon the kids got bored with the conversation and the food, and began to beg to go outside. They were starting to get irritating and Adam finally agreed to take them out. He stopped down and kissed the top of Lindsay's head before he went. She patted his hand and gave him a little smile.

"Is he doing okay?" Austin whispered so only Lindsay could hear.

"I think so, but I don't know for sure."

"It's never really over."

"No, it's not."

"I'm going to go talk to him."

She stood from the table and made her way into the backyard. The older kids were running around shrieking while Liam and Teagan wrestled in the grass. Adam was sitting on the porch, and Austin leaned one hand on his shoulder while she lowered herself to the deck next to him. They stayed quiet for a few minutes, just watching the kids play.

"Linds told you?"

"Yeah. How do you feel?"

"Honestly? Pretty pathetic."

"Why?"

"I'm a grown man that finally just stood up to his father. Most guys do that when they're eighteen."

"Well you're not most guys, Adam."

"You know what I mean. And then I feel guilty."

"Guilty about what?"

"All he wanted was a family, you know? He really could have changed. He said he knows what he did to me was wrong. He was sorry. He's alone, wanted me to forgive him, start fresh so we cold all be a family. That's all he wanted and I said no."

"You had a pretty good reason to say no."

"Maybe. But if he's changed…"

"Adam, you don't owe him anything. Whatever he possibly did for you, providing for you or whatever it happened to be, that was all moot the second he hit you. You don't owe him anything."

"I still feel like I do. I guess… I've never been good at not forgiving people. I've been watching Lindsay while she's been working through this whole thing with her mom and I guess, I don't know I thought it might help, to get it all over with. Now I just feel worse."

"So you feel worse because you feel better?"

He gave a wry chuckle.

"Yeah. I guess so. You know, Lindsay keeps telling me that she's proud of me. That I'm doing what I think I need to do to protect our family. I wonder if she's right."

"First of all, I don't think I need to remind you of the futility and risk of questioning your wife," she said, bringing a little levity to their discussion. "And second, what good would it do having him in your life?"

"Probably none. I guess even if he had changed, I wouldn't want to have to explain the truth to the kids someday. Not about a grandfather that they would love. I couldn't do that to them. I couldn't lie either."

She just nodded, the subject and specificity hitting extremely close to home.

"I don't know how to make you feel less guilty, Adam. I don't. All I can say is that you did the right thing, even if it doesn't feel like it now. Your father, he lost his chance with you. He tried to have another family and maybe he improved a little, but it's not like he has a great relationship with your brother either, is it?"

"No. Guess not."

"If he really wanted a family again, why hasn't he tried to fix that? Because he thinks he can still manipulate you. He thinks that you're still that little kid. But you're not. You've caught onto his game and you've counter-moved in a way that he didn't expect. Hold onto that, Adam. Keep that power."

He nodded and she nudged him with her elbow.

"I'm proud of you too, you know. It takes a lot to be able to stand up to your father, especially when just seeing him does what it does to you. You did the right thing. I don't think anyone would disagree with me on that."

"And if they did…"

"They'd soon regret it."

"I think I'll start calling you Xena."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, you wear more clothes than her, but if this was 1811, you would be likely to ride by on a horse with a huge sword, decapitating anyone who set locusts free on your crops."

"I don't even know how to respond to that, Adam."

"I need help!"

The desperate cry shocked everyone into silence, and they turned to find Ben standing in the bathroom doorway, his shirt pulled down over his bare legs. He was looking around desperately, his eyes large behind his glasses.

"What do you need help with?"

"I need daddy!"

"He's outside with the other kids. Do you want me to help you?"

"No! It a boy thing."

"Ben," Lindsay started softly. "Did you have a zipper problem again?"

"No! I need boy help!"

"I'll go," Mac chuckled, standing up from the table while Ben backed into the bathroom. "What did you do, buddy?"

"I almost go in my pants!"

"Did you panic?"

Everyone else could hear the conversation and tried to keep their snickering to a minimum.

"Dunno. Taked my pants off fast. Inside out now."

"Well it's quite a mess you've gotten yourself into."

"Mac, I not make a mess. Got it all in the potty."

"I know that, I just mean that your pants are in a mess."

"Oh. You fix?"

"Yeah, just a second."

"Thanks. I need my pants."

"Yeah buddy, we all do."

"Mama not want me to be free no more."

"Oh really?"

"Not 'propriate."

"I see."

They finished up and came out of the bathroom, Ben immediately turning red as he realized everyone knew what had happened.

"I not wanna have accident!" he hollered before turning and running the other way.

"You have the weirdest kid," Danny commented with a shake of his head.

"We thought he would be the normal one. Yesterday he ran around the house with boxers on his head all day and refused to say a word except for "Tra-La-La.""

"Why?"

"Adam read him Captain Underpants."

"You have a weird husband as well."

"He knows. I think he's kind of proud of it," she said as Adam and Austin herded the kids back inside.

"Daddy said it's too dark outside," Colton said, climbing into Lindsay's lap. "And we smell like air."

"You do smell like air."

"It's the smell of a hard playin' boy."

"You mean the stink of a hard playin' boy."

"I know the difference, mama. That's not very nice."

"Oh how I've missed this," Stella chuckled, shaking her head.

"Hi Jo," Isa whispered, moving Jo's hand out of her lap, then climbing up and snuggling against her.

"Hi sweetie. Did you have fun outside?"

"Yeah. I like that one tree in your backyard. I climbed it."

"How high did you go?"

"Pretty high. Then Uncle Dum got scared so I came down."

"He just didn't want you to get hurt."

"Yeah, I know."

"Are you feeling okay, baby?" Austin asked, stooping down to check her daughter's forehead on her way to get a glass of water for Sarah.

"Yeah ma. I'm fine."

Austin looked a little harder at her then sighed. Isa didn't normally just snuggle into someone's lap. If she ever did, she'd pick Lindsay every time, except the rare occasions when Stella was around. It was curious indeed, but she wasn't going to discourage it.

"Hey Jo," Isa whispered, leaning up and whispering in her ear. "Are you my new grumma?"

"What?"

"'Cuz you're married to my papaw now. That means you're my grumma."

"No, sweetie. Stella's still your grumma."

"Okay. We're all a family right?"

"Yeah we are. Now you should go have a cuddle with that grumma of yours, I think she'd like that."

"Okay."

Isa slid off her lap and made her way over to Stella, stopping part way there to tug on Lindsay's hand.

"I'm gonna come snuggle you in a minute, okay Indy?"

"Okay baby."

"Hey," Colton said, popping his head up from Lindsay's shoulder. "Where's our baby?"

"Ellie and Savannah are playing with her."

"What if they don't do it right?"

"Oh Colton, it'll be fine."

"But mama, I know how to play with her right. I am gonna go make sure."

He wiggled off her lap and she sighed, shaking her head as Austin sat down next to her.

"Hey Linny."

"Oh my word."

"What? I kinda like that."

Lindsay just chuckled and shook her head. She could tell when Austin was in an exceptional mood because she called people all sorts of names that she'd either never called them before, or that weren't even close to their names.

"You doing okay?" Austin asked after a moment.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"It's hard on Adam but it's hard on you too. And everything with your mom…"

"I'm okay. Mom and I have been talking a few times a week. It's hard. I understand now that she didn't have support. She didn't have anyone to turn to. And while I still feel hurt and while I don't think I will ever trust her the way I should, we're repairing what's left. It's not easy but it's worth it."

"I can understand that."

"I know."

"You might never have a normal mother/daughter relationship with her, Lin."

"I know. I just want us to be able to have the best relationship that we can. I know it will probably never be as close as with Stella and Jo, but it's something. I can't just write it off. I don't want Avery to grow up thinking that's okay."

"I think you're going to be fine," she said as Isa ran over and jumped into Lindsay's lap.

"Hi Indy."

"Hi sweetie."

"Saved my best cuddles for you."

"You did?"

"Yup! Know why?"

"Why?" Isa looked at her seriously for a minute, then leaned up to whisper in her ear.

"Cuz you're the only Indy I got."

"Oh Isa. I love you a lot."

"I know."

"Adam?" Lindsay started softly, looking away from her book and drawing her fingers up and down his arm.

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

He looked away from his own book and nodded.

"I think so."

"You know that I support you, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Remember our New Years resolution? Everything better, right? No more junk food, no more take out, no more crappy TV, no more staying up late just because the kids are in bed. We're going to eat natural and organic as much as we can, we're going to walk more often, spend more time outside, grow a garden, read more, go to museums. All the good things. Only the good things, remember?"

"Yeah."

"Your father isn't a good thing, honey. The only good thing that ever came from him was you. We don't need him and we don't want him."

They shared a smile and he caught her hand, kissing her fingertips.

"I love you, Linds."

"I love you too. Thanks for being the best thing."

He smiled and put his book on the bedside table then scooted closer and wrapped his arms around her. He dropped a kiss to her shoulder and ran his fingers over her neck.

"Thank you for being there for me. Especially with this."

She smiled as he leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"I think we make each other better."

"I think we do too. Let's get some sleep."

He kissed her a few more times before they turned off their lamps and snuggled in together. Everything could only get better.