A/N: Shorter chapter, sorry! It's fun as usual though.

It had been a bad morning from the start, from the moment the alarm went off ten minutes late to arriving at work and realizing his shoes didn't match. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, not even Lindsay, but it was really freaking him out to not be matching. As Ben would say, he was very distressed.

"Hey Adam, we've got a scene to get to," Jo said, joining him in his walk down the hallway. "Get that nice shiny new kit of yours and meet me at the elevator in two minutes."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, wishing he could just spend the day with microscopes and computers. He was glad for the opportunity to get more field experience and most of the time he enjoyed it, but he had really wanted just a quiet day by himself.

He went down to his locker and grabbed his kit, then met Jo at the elevator as requested. She was on the phone with Ellie, so he had a little while to get himself together while they loaded up the SUV. He started the car and headed to the address she indicated, finding himself more frustrated with traffic than normal.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Jo asked, pulling the visor down to protect her eyes from the late autumn sun.

"Nothing. Long day."

She tipped her head to the side and looked at him for a second before letting a wry smile creep across her face.

"I don't think I've ever seen you in a bad mood before. What's going on?"

He sighed and gripped the wheel, trying to figure out how to explain what was wrong without revealing things that should remain private.

"Lindsay and I argued this morning. It wasn't a huge thing but it bugs me."

"What did you argue about?"

"We always have a small Christmas. Just us. We like it that way, we've always done it that way, we don't have to plan for anything, we don't have to travel, it's nice. My mom called last night and she wanted to come out for Christmas. I told her okay, I didn't even think about it. Lindsay was upset that I didn't talk to her about it first. I started asking if it was because she didn't like my mom or something and it just turned into an argument that we never should have had."

"Did you guys fix it?"

"Not really but it was implied. I was running late and I had to leave. I was taking Ben to school and he all the sudden goes "Why the long face little buckaroo?" So I had to tell Lindsay about that and I think we're okay. I just tend to stew on it and think she's still mad at me."

"That's not good."

"No. It's alright, everything will be fine soon. It's just kind of a downer."

"Well," she said on a sigh. "Are you going to be sulky all day?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Because if you are, that's fine, I just have to adjust to the alternate universe."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"Okay, you're right. I'm fine."

"Now, do we need to talk about your shoes?"

"No one else is going to notice right?"

"Adam, we're paid to notice the small details. You have one blue shoe and one black one."

"But at least it's dark blue!"

She tipped her head back and laughed, whether at him or with him, he wasn't sure.

"Adam you sound just like Ben."

"I would like to think that Ben sounds like me."

"Well, same difference. Lindsay needs to stop asking where she got kids like she got. She married the answer."

"Hey, I'm proud of my kids. They stand out."

"Speaking of standing out, what is Avery's deal with stripping down to nothing but her diaper every time she gets the chance?"

"Did she do that while you guys were watching them the other night?"

"Yeah. I went in the other room for two minutes and when I came back out she was sitting there in her diaper and she just waved at me with the biggest smile on her face."

"Avery's something else, that's for sure. I think she's like Lindsay but Lindsay won't claim her when she's performing some of her antics."

"Such as?"

"She's taken to putting things on her head and saying it's her hat. Things that don't even resemble a hat. Couch cushions, the phone, an ice cube tray."

"Is that what she means when she says "myatt" and gives you that defiant face?"

"Yes."

"Do you guys ever stop laughing at the stuff your kids come up with?"

"No, not really."

"I love having the kids around. They make me feel younger."

"They make me feel older. Colton legitimately beat me in a wrestling match last night because my hip started to hurt."

"Don't mention that to Austin, she'll never let you forget it."

"Lindsay already told her."

"You live in a battlefield my friend."

"Hey Dum. Out in the field today?" Austin asked, looking up from the body as he set his case down on the ground.

"Nope, just thought I would come out here and stare at a homicide vic," he retorted.

She shoved his shoulder and he shoved her back and they would have broken out into a childish slap fight if Jo hadn't cleared her throat and shot them a look.

"Deceased is Ricky Winstead," Jess started, while Adam started to take pictures of the body. "He was found about an hour ago."

They all continued to talk and posit theories while Adam documented the scene through photos, then started to set out markers and take samples. The initial sweep of a crime scene took several hours and he was glad this one was inside and contained as opposed to just somewhere out on the street.

He hadn't set out to really get field experience when he started this job so long ago; he'd mostly seen himself in the lab, maybe becoming a lead technician one day. After Lindsay cut down her hours to tend to the kids more he'd found it boring to be in the lab if she wasn't there too. He figured that branching out wouldn't hurt, so he'd been slowly getting some field training. He liked it fairly well, it was different from being in the lab but he was still doing the same job, so the learning curve hadn't given him a headache so far.

It was past lunchtime when they finally packed everything up and headed back, the SUV full to the brim with trace and other evidence that they would probably spend the rest of the day sorting through and logging into the files.

"I didn't know about the heavy lifting part of the gig," Adam groaned, picking up a particularly heavy box to place on the cart that they were using to haul everything inside.

"Would it have deterred you at all?"

"Yeah, probably."

She laughed and pressed the button on the elevator, then leaned against the wall and waited until the bell dinged and deposited them on their floor.

"After we log all this we can get lunch."

"I kind of hate the chain of custody when I have leftover roast chicken for lunch."

She laughed and was just opening the door to one of the larger layout rooms when they heard the pitter-patter of little feet and an excited squeal.

"Daddy! I Avery!"

"Oh, I didn't even recognize you," he laughed, scooping her up into his arms.

"Avery an' mama here. Shoes! Daddy shoes!"

"You brought me shoes?" he asked with a laugh as Lindsay caught up to them.

"I saw you had one of each left at home so I figured we'd come and rescue you."

"Thank you very much honey," he said, taking the shoes and leaning down to kiss her.

"You're welcome," she replied with a little twinkle in her eye.

"Where's Ben?"

"He had a playdate after school. We're on our way to pick him up now."

"Okay. Be safe."

"We will. Avery, let's go get Ben."

"NO! Stay daddy! Please?"

"You can't stay with daddy at work honey."

Avery dropped her head and started to cry softly but didn't fight the inevitable.

"She needs a nap. Avery say bye to daddy."

"Bye daddy. Love you."

"I love you too sweetie. Be good for your mama."

Adam drew Lindsay into his arms again and kissed her softly, whispering a promise to her that he was going to make up for their earlier argument. She gave him a smile and a wink, then she and Avery made their way to the elevator, Avery holding her hand out towards Adam and giving him the most pathetic face she could muster. He smiled and waved at her, then ducked back into the layout room to join Jo.

"That girl's pretty attached to you."

"Avery?"

"Yeah, she is but I was referring to Lindsay. You guys really had a fight this morning? I wouldn't have guessed if I didn't already know."

"Yeah, we're pretty mature like that."

"Okay, we'll go with that."

The house was quiet and all that could be heard was the rain on the roof and the dishwasher running downstairs. It was a peaceful night if not a little chilly and Adam and Lindsay sat snuggled in bed talking about nothing important, just enjoying the rare moment when it could be just them.

That was short lived however, when they heard the boys coming up the stairs. They'd been put to bed two hours ago and if they were still up now, it was going to be a long night.

"Hello you two," Ben said, bounding through the doorway. "We can't fall asleep!"

"We're not scared or nothing. We just aren't that tired. We tried to fall asleep, didn't we Ben?"

"Yep, we really tried. I counted sheeps in my head but then I got to wonderin' if sheep go into business just to be counted. And then I asked Cole and he was already awake still, recitin' the Pledge of the 'Merican United States to try and sleep. And both of us haved no luck."

"Well what did you want us to do about it?"

"We didn't have specifics," Colton said with a small sigh. "Ben just reminded me how you guys always have solutions to our little problems."

"Well guys I was going to go and get a late night snack. You want to go on a Taco Bell run with me?" Adam asked, hoping that if he got the kids on board, Lindsay wouldn't talk him out of it.

"Yeah!" they both agreed excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Let's go get your coats and shoes."

"And I'll go make sure you didn't just wake Avery up with all the racket."

"And the mention of food," Ben added as they all started down the stairs.

The boys went and found their coats and shoes while Lindsay replaced Avery's kicked off blankets and rescued the teddy bear that was stuck in the slats of the crib.

"You guys need coats too," Adam reminded them while Lindsay laughed at the sight of them in pajamas and boots.

"Y'all look like you're goin' to the privy."

"What's a privy?" Ben asked curiously, wrinkling his nose at the word.

"An outhouse."
"A house what's outside? All houses is outside!"

"No, it's an outside bathroom," Colton explained with a shake of his head. "For when you're gonna stink so much you might run everyone out of the whole house."

"We've gotta get these kids back to Montana," Adam chuckled. "They don't know nothin' 'bout theys ancestry."

"Adam we're from Montana, not Kentucky. Fix your accent if you're going to mock me."

"Okay. Come on boys, let's make like Mexico and get some tacos."

They headed downstairs and got into the car, the boys giggling at this adventure. They had never thought that they would get to leave the house much less take an adventure to get junk food. It was a rare occurrence, being allowed to eat something that didn't provide nutritional value, and even more rare to be allowed to eat something that was so terribly bad for the body. But once in a while was okay and the boys chattered excitedly about what they were going to get.

"Boys, we're just getting a few tacos, okay?"

"But daddy, what about those chips with cheese what we got last time? The ones what sissy just licked up all the cheese sauce and leaved her chips?"

"No, just tacos tonight."

"Okay daddy," Colton said with a nod, knowing if he was on board, Ben was less likely to argue. "What were you and mama talkin' about when we came upstairs?"

"It was just grown up stuff that stays between me and mama."

"Like secrets?"

"I got top secret stuffs what only Dunner knows stuff about, on account of he's my most trusted 'visor," Ben piped up. "I would never tell you and mama some of that stuffs."

"Yeah, and me and Isa share secrets too that I would never say to no one else out loud."

"Well it's good to know you guys don't want to tell me important stuff," Adam said with a sad little sigh.

"It's not 'portant stuffs daddy!" Ben said. "Just stuffs like how I don't always wash my hands after I pee!"

"Hey, me too!" Colton laughed. "If I don't get anything on them, why should I wash my hands?"

"That's what I think too. Waste of water," Ben nodded.

"You guys should wash your hands every time," Adam told them, wrinkling his nose. "Germs are invisible."

"But… nothing gets on my hands!"

"You go ahead and tell your mama that and see what she says."

"No daddy, we can't tell mama! It's a secret."

"Promise me you'll wash your hands?"

"Okay, we'll wash our hands."

Adam shuddered thinking about all the cookies and other things he'd eaten that they'd helped to make, all the times he'd kissed the palms of their little hands when he put them to bed. Kids were gross, plain and simple.

The line at the drive-thru was very long and by the time Adam ordered, the boys were both asleep in their seats. He'd kind of been picturing the three of them sitting at the table in the semi-darkness, eating tacos and laughing together, but maybe he would just have to wait for another night for that father/son bonding moment.

They were still asleep when he parked the car in their driveway and he thought for a second about how he was going to get both kids inside without waking them up. It took a lot of finagling but he finally managed to lift both boys into his arms and shut the car door, then, with the food bag clamped between his teeth, he navigated into the house and up the stairs, settling them into their beds. Colton grunted a little at the movement, but neither one of them woke up and Adam mentally patted himself on the back as he went upstairs.

"Hey babe, want some tacos?"

Lindsay chuckled as he sat down next to her and opened the bag.

"Remember when we used to eat like this all the time?"

"Yes I do. Those were the days."

He smiled and handed her one of the tightly wrapped packages and she unwrapped it, her eyes lighting up despite herself as she took a bite.

"I love you so much," she said, her mouth full. "Oh my word."

"Isn't it about the best thing you've ever eaten?"

"You have no idea. Give me another one."

He laughed and handed her a second one before he'd even finished his first.

"So I learned something interesting tonight."

"What's that?"

"Colton and Ben keeps secrets from us."

"Important ones?"

"No, just silly things."

"That's okay."

"It is?"

"Yeah. They need to feel like they're independent and grown-up and it's really okay for them to have lives outside of us. As long as they know they could tell us if they wanted to, and as long as it's nothing important, it's okay. Maybe when they get older we'll have to talk more about it, but it's okay for now."

"I guess you're right. I guess I just always thought of the boys and me being best friends, you know? I mean, I'm their dad first, but I wanted us to always be close and it kind of feels like if they have secrets, we're not as tight as I thought we were."

"I'm sorry honey. But part of being a parent is letting them discover their own lives."

"Yeah. Not easy though."

"No, it's not."

"You're a good daddy, Adam. They are always going to love you like they do now, and probably even more as they get older. Maybe they won't tell you everything, but you are the person they measure themselves against. It's not like you don't have any influence over them."

"Did you keep secrets from your parents at that age?"

"Of course. Most of it was stuff they knew already."

"So it's normal? Our kids aren't weird?"

"I wouldn't go that far, Adam."

Meanwhile, Avery was downstairs, having been woken up by the sound of Adam and the boys coming home. She'd watched through the slats of her crib as they came up the stairs, and then she'd watched as her daddy had carried a bag of food up to her mama. She knew that no one ever ate any food around here without letting her join them and it was possible that daddy had just forgot, so she decided to head to the party on her own.

Currently she was holding onto the side of her crib, having scaled it with the plan of climbing over and jumping down, but in the dark she wasn't sure how far it was to the ground, so for now she clung as tightly as she could. She'd found that if she moved too much, the crib moved too, and that made her nervous. Finally her stomach won the battle and she rolled to the side, letting go of the crib and falling to the floor. It hurt a little but she landed mostly on her diaper, so it wasn't horrible. She didn't want to cry out and wake up her brothers because then they would want food too and there would be less for her.

She stood up from the floor and dusted herself off. It was a little cold and she regretted having taken her pajamas off earlier, but there wasn't much time to change it now, so she just headed down the hallway and to the stairs. It took her a long time to get up them and she stopped partway through to catch her breath. She made this trip quite often when she woke up in the mornings, but she was tired right now and it was making things more difficult. Finally she reached the top and toddled over to her parents open bedroom door. "I can't believe we just put away ten tacos," her daddy was saying, with a little laugh in his voice.

"I can't believe you actually went out and bought ten tacos."

"Hey, I was hungry."

Avery walked to their doorway and stood in it, angry that they had eaten all the food, that it had taken her so long to get upstairs, and that they had basically forgotten about her completely. They talked and laughed together for a few minutes before she was spotted in the doorway.

"Hey babe, the warden's here," Adam whispered. "Hi honey. What are you doing?"

"Taco," she said softly, shaking her head and taking a deep breath. "Taco!"

She turned and ran out of the room, leaving Adam and Lindsay to stare at the spot she'd been standing in wonderment.

"She looked like a linebacker standing there," Lindsay giggled.

"A linebacker whose neck ran away."

"We've really got to think about putting her on a diet. She is really very rolly."

"I like her all chunky like that. She wouldn't be Avery if she was skinny."

"Very true. I did like her taco battle cry though," Lindsay commented as they heard Avery thumping down the stairs.

"What was that we were saying earlier about our kids not being weird?"