"Why is this house so crazy this mornin'?" Colton hollered, dumping his empty oatmeal bowl into the sink and running his sleeve across his nose. "It's so loud in here!"

"You're not exactly helping much with your yelling," Adam commented, trying to clip Avery's hair back with one hand and hold her with the other. She kept squirming and giggling like it was a game, but he was starting to get frustrated.

"Well then I will help somehow else. Ben, let's get our coats on us so we can leave soon."

Ben jumped down the last three stairs and spun in a circle excitedly, his hands clenched in anticipation.

"I'm so happy today Cole! You know why?"

"Because you're Ben and you're always happy?"

"Yep! And also because today daddy is going to preschool with me!"

Colton laughed and shook his head.

"That's not exactly what's goin' on, Ben."

"Yep it is! Today is a field trip and we're goin' to check out my new kindergarten. Dunner's comin' with us and there will be lots of mama's and daddies going too. And you don't get to hang out with daddy or Dunner today Cole, so my day is better than yours."

"Yeah maybe so. Let's get ready to go anyways."

They sat right in the entryway to put their shoes on and Adam had to navigate around them while he tried to get into the other room for Avery's coat.

"Babe, you're gonna be late," he shouted up the stairs. "You have fifteen minutes to get to work."

"Bah, lemon zesters!" came the reply as Lindsay flew down the stairs. Avery and Ben had both woken up in the night, which meant she woke up too, then overslept when the alarm went off this morning. She kissed the kids and threw her coat on, not bothering to check her hair one last time.

"See you tonight," Adam said as he kissed her.

"I gotta pick up a pregnancy test on the way home," she whispered hurriedly, without any other explanation. He stood there slack-jawed and she gave him a shrug of apology before heading out the door.

"Daddy?" Avery asked, pushing his chin up to close his mouth.

"Your mama had better be pullin' my leg, that's all. C'mon boys we gotta get going."

He made sure he had his keys and the boys both had their backpacks, then they headed outside and down the street to the bus stop. The Messers were already waiting there and Colton and Isa wrapped each other in hugs, as if they'd been apart for days.

"Hey Dunner are you stoked 'bout comin' with us to the kindergarten and preschool today?" Ben asked, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Yep I am! Except I think I will not like school. They don't got enough sports."

"That could be a issue," Ben said with nod. "Maybe you can say that at the school today and then they will make more sports."

Junior agreed enthusiastically as the bus pulled up and the older kids boarded, feeling quite important in light of Ben and Junior's perception of school.

"Alright Tink, you ready to go with Austin?"

Avery clapped her hands and nodded, her legs kicking with happiness.

"Au'tin! Avery Au'tin!" she shouted as Adam handed her over.

"Yep, just us today kiddo. You ready to go grocery shopping with me?"

"Yes!"

Austin laughed and leaned down to kiss her son goodbye, even though he wiped it off his cheek.

"I'll see you later this afternoon, okay? You be good for Adam."

"I will ma. I am always good. Sissy Aves, you be good for my ma okay?"

"Okay! Au'tin, we go!"

Austin obliged and they headed down the street, Avery babbling incoherently the entire way. She didn't know that she was going to spend the entire day with Austin and she was beside herself with excitement.

"I need to go get my shopping list," Austin said as they entered the apartment. "Will you stay here and wait for me?"

Avery nodded and walked over to the couch, patting her legs.

"Elbis!" she called, peeking around for the dog. "Elbis, here! I Avery!"

"Honey Elvis is probably sleeping."

"It day."

"I know it's day, but Elvis is getting pretty old so he sleeps a lot."

"I see Elbis," she clarified, looking all over again. "Elbis out to me!"

"Maybe later he'll wake up for you. Come on, let's go."

"Bye-bye Elbis," Avery said, waving at nothing in particular. "See later."

The small bodega was completely packed with bodies and it took Austin and Avery almost an hour to navigate the store. By the time they were done Avery had lost the barrette that had been in her hair and Austin was convinced that it was time to hire a personal shopper.

"Well kiddo, what do you think about putting these groceries away and taking Elvis to the park?"

"Um, okay."

"Just okay? Do you want to do something else?"

"No. Park with Elbis."

"Maybe later you can help me pick out something for your mama's birthday."

Avery gave her a confused look, her forehead scrunching up.

"I know, I'm shopping kind of early and it's very out of character, but I thought I would seize the day."

"Seize the day," Avery repeated with a nod as they walked down the street. Her boots clacked against the sidewalk as she held Austin's free hand and enjoyed being allowed to walk on her own. Usually she was carried places because she walked too slowly and she loved being held but it was nice to be able to move at her own speed sometimes.

"You're awfully quiet honey. What's the matter?"

"My mama."

"You miss your mama?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry baby girl. You'll get to see her tonight."

"Yes. Get Elbis?"

"Alright we can go get Elvis."

They made their way back to the apartment and inside where Elvis was laying by the couch. He glanced up at them as they entered and Avery ran to him, patting him softly and kissing his face.

"Hello Elbis," she greeted excitedly. "Puppy Elbis."

"He's not quite a puppy anymore."

"Old. Mac."

"I will tell Mac that you said that. He'll be overjoyed."

Avery grinned and walked over to the front door where the dog leash was rolled up in a basket. She pulled it out and examined it closely for a moment before sliding her wrist through the end and taking it over to Elvis. He sniffed at her and yawned as she tried to get the leash hooked onto his collar. Her little fingers were no match for the metal attachments and she groaned unhappily.

"Au'tin. Help."

"I'll help you in a little bit."

Avery dropped the leash and walked into the kitchen, fixing her jean skirt as she stood there and waited for Austin to put the groceries away.

"What's up honey?"

"Au'tin. Love you."

"I love you too Averylin."

Avery smiled to herself while Austin finished with the groceries, then raced into the other room and tried to convince Elvis to get up and go to the park.

"Elbis, come. Park now! With Avery!"

The dog gave her a look and dropped his head back down to his paws tiredly. He was getting old, and keeping up with three Messer children wasn't an easy task.

"Come on Elv," Austin said, clucking her tongue at him. "Want to go for a walk?"

He just sat there and she chuckled, rubbing his ears.

"Well Avery, looks like it's just going to be you and me."

"Oh Elbis sleepy," she said with a nod. "Avery Au'tin go bye. Find mama's bir'day?"

"Sure, we can do that."

"Mama be old?"

"Your mama's going to be thirty-seven this year."

"Oh. Daddy?"

"Daddy's old. He's almost forty-one."

"Oh my! Old, old. Avery two. See? One, two," she said, holding up two pudgy fingers.

"You're so smart honey," Austin chuckled, crouching down and taking the little girl in her arms. "Did you know that you say my name just like Colton did when he was your age?"

"Uh-huh."

"You're so sweet. Could I just hug you and kiss you all day long?"

"Nope. Lunch time."

Austin laughed and shook her head, then straightened Avery's plaid shirt.

"Oh my darling, you are always going to be an eating champion aren't you?"

"Yes. We go out?"

"Yeah, let's go. I think I have an idea of something we can get for your mama."

Avery smiled and slid her hand into Austin's as they headed out the door again.

"You want to do some painting, baby girl?"

"Oh yes! Ben paint. Avery watch. Not do. Much messy."

"I see. Well I think you might be alright today. We'll paint together, how about that?"

"Happy."

They had to take the bus because the place Austin had in mind would be a very long walk for Avery's little legs.

"Oh wow," she whispered as they entered the little shop and she saw all the pottery sitting on shelves. "What this?"

"We're going to pick out some things to paint for your mama's birthday," Austin said after the clerk had greeted them. "I think I'll make her a coffee mug. What about you?"

"Not know."

"Do you want to make her a plate maybe?"

"No. This! Pig! Mama say Avery piggie."

"You are kind of a little piggie. Alright, you can paint that one."

They chose a table and Austin gathered their paint colors, trying to decide what she wanted to paint while watching Avery out of the corner of her eye to make sure she wasn't getting the paint everywhere.

"See? Piggie pink. This tail?"

"Yeah, pigs have tails."

"Pig in mud huh?"

"You're right sweetie."

"You make?"

"Just pretty colors for now. I think if I can use one of those paint pens I might write something on it too."

"Write? What?"

"Just somethin' your mama and I say to each other a lot."

"Oh. Mama coffee in'ere?"

"Yes, I bet she will have lots of coffee in here."

"Avery like this," she said with a little smile. "Relax."

"You like to relax like this?"

"Mm-hmm. Like Sarah do."

"Oh, I see."

"Au'tin?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"I chubby."

"Yeah, I know you're chubby. That's okay, you're still little."

"No Au'tin," she clarified, pinching her thigh. "I chubby."

Austin snickered and leaned over to kiss Avery's cheek.

"I love you Averylin Grace, no matter how chubby you might be. I still think you're beautiful."

"Aw shucks."

Austin laughed and finished up with the mug then helped Avery to cover the rest of the pig with paint.

"There. Should we be done now honey?"

"Uh-huh. Lunch and nap?"

"That sounds like the most wonderful day that could ever be had by two carefree ladies."

Avery chuckled and they paid for their creations, leaving them there to get a final glaze and firing before they would be ready. Avery wasn't too happy about that but Austin appeased her with promises of chicken nuggets. She skipped happily along the street, tripping over her boots a few times but catching herself before she fell. By the time they arrived back at the apartment she was singing at the top of her lungs about nothing in particular.

"Hey look uncle Danny's home!" Austin said as they walked through the door and found Danny on the couch.

"Nanny!" Avery hollered, thundering over to him and jumping into his lap. "Love you!"

"Hey Mimo. Geez, you're gettin' big."

"Chubby," she said with a nod, taking his glasses off and putting them on herself. "I gorgeous."

"You're weird, that's what you are," Austin laughed. "I'm going to go start lunch, you want to stay here with Danny?"

"Yep, my Nanny."

"And there was this part of the classroom what was for Arthurs Crafts! I don't know who Arthur is but he sure got some creative ideas!"

"Binyin," Junior said with a little laugh. "That's arts and crafts."

"Oh!"

"Man, I don't even go to school and I know this stuff."

"I was just thinkin' faster than what that lady was saying. Now it's your turn to say somethin' 'bout that kindergarten Dunner!"

"Well, we get a snack time! That will be the best part for me. And recess!"

"I remember when we got snacks in kindergarten don't you Colt?" Isa asked, her mouth full of spaghetti. "When our teacher used to give us pretzels all the time?"

"Yeah. And the one day you got mad because you were tired of pretzels and asked if we could dip 'em in something exciting like buffalo sauce."

"The look on that teacher's face was so great."

They giggled together as Ben and Junior kept talking about their day and the trip to the kindergarten classroom. Austin was trying not to get too emotional at the thought of her youngest child in school. Her last little baby, striking out on his own.

"I can't wait for us to be in school together," Junior said finally, nodding his head. "I could do all the sports and games and you could do all the homework."

"I don't know 'bout that, Dunner, but I am sure we will have fun anyway. I will teach you how to hold your pencil. It's a complicated process."

"Hmm, okay. Now, when will sissy Aves start school?"

"When she's older. She's just a baby still."

"No Ben! Avery big!"

"I know you're big sissy," Ben started. "I just mean that you're my little sister so sometimes I think of you as a baby because you're littler than me and you're so darn cute."

"Oh. Okay."

The older kids started to chatter about their own kindergarten experiences while Ben and Junior listened intently, excited about what was coming up and anxious for the next several months to be over so they could get on with it.

"Mama," Avery asked after a while, picking a green bean off of her shirt. "I school?"

"No, not yet. In a few years."

"I play?"

"You can play at home."

"No kids home," she whined, wrinkling her nose.

"Well maybe you're going to have to go to preschool too someday."

"Yes!" she hollered pumping her fist in the air happily. She then sat back up in her chair and devoured the rest of her dinner in record time, wiping her face with a napkin and letting out a burp of approval.

"Averylin."

"Yum dinner, Au'tin," she said with a smile.

"Thanks for your endorsement honey," Austin chuckled. "And thanks for helping me make it."

"You helped make dinner?" Lindsay asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Yes. I get beans," she replied, proud of herself for getting the cans of beans out of the cupboard. "I down now."

She shimmied out of her chair and went into the other room, apparently in search of the dog.

"Can all the rest of us be excused too?" Sarah asked after polishing off her glass of milk.

"Yeah, go ahead."

They all clambered out of the room with shouts and giggles, leaving their dirty plates and cups on the table.

"That's our cue, Cupcake," Danny said, standing up and resigning him to the fate that had been established long ago. To keep things even, the dishes were their responsibility.

"Was Avery good for you today?" Lindsay asked once the guys had cleared all the dishes.

"Yeah, she was great. She's hilarious. It takes me a while to get a hang of her accent but she really says funny things sometimes."

"She's weird, that's for sure."

"Every single face she makes is a face I have seen you make at one time or another."

"I know. She is me and I am proud."

"She informs me every time she's gone to the bathroom but she never says anything beforehand. You are never going to get her potty-trained."

"I'm thinking of just sticking her in underwear and letting her be uncomfortable for a day. See how that goes."

"You should get some of those puppy training pads to put around the house for her."

"Adam already suggested newspaper."

"I would tell you to let her run naked all day, but she would enjoy that too much."

"She hasn't been doing her normal disrobing as often lately, but I think it's because she's found other things to do."

"I think you'll have to let me have her more often. I caught her singing "Wock-a-bye Elbis," while she held his head in her lap. She's a kick in the pants."

"I think she knows."

"Oh hey mama!" Ben said as he and Junior ran back into the room. "Somethin' I forgetted to say! There was this one lady at the school what thinked me and Dunner was twins! I had to tell her that we comed out of different mamas."

"Yep and then that lady said that me and Binyin were in sync."

"And then I said that I don't like Justin Timberlake and then she laughed a lot."

"I asked her if she dances with N'Sync like our ma's do. And she shaked her head. And then uncle Cupcake told us to not embarrass you before school even started."

"We didn't know we was embarrassing yous."

"Oh well. I'm sure you'll do much worse in the next few years."

"Well ain't that the truth," Junior laughed, shaking his head. "C'mon Binyin, let's go play in my room."

They ran off happily as if playing together was a rare treat.

"I think they're going to do just fine in school," Austin chuckled. "At least for the first few days."

"They'll be fine. I think they're better together than apart. Unlike Isa and Colton, who are like fire and gasoline."

"Impressive but dangerous when not controlled."

"Exactly."

"You can't just drop a bomb on me like that and walk out the door," Adam sighed, sitting down on the couch and pulling Lindsay into his arms.

"Hey, if I had said that I was for sure pregnant then walked out the door you would have something to complain about. As it stands it was a false alarm so I guess we don't have anything else to say on the matter."

"You don't sound so happy."

"I'm okay. I dreamed about it for a few hours but it's okay that it's not happening."

"Okay."

"So how do you think Ben did today?"

"He loved it. He was a little worried that he doesn't have long enough legs to be a kindergartener."

"What?"

"I'm not sure either. But I think other than that he's really looking forward to it and he's going to be fine."

"Good. Want to channel surf with me for a while?"

"Yeah, if you let me hold the remote."

"Yes your majesty."

She handed him the remote and leaned into his side, not caring what he landed on.

"They're buying a three hundred thousand dollar house and they're only putting ten thousand down? Are they crazy?"

Lindsay flicked her eyes opened at Adam's exclamation snickering at how fired up he was getting over the Home and Garden channel.

"I think they exaggerate for ratings."

"Ratings? This is the Home and Garden channel!"

She just laughed and sat up, taking his face in her hands and kissing him.

"I don't even know how I manage to keep loving you sometimes."

"Hey!"

"I mean, I can't help myself but sometimes you're just really odd."

"I thought that's why you loved me in the first place."

"Yeah, puppy love."

"Oh phooey."

She laughed and kissed him again, making sure he knew that she was just kidding.

"Goofy or not, I am glad you're mine and no one else's."

"Right back at you."

"Have you thought more about our anniversary trip?"

"Actually, there's something we should talk about."

She sat up and gave him a quizzical look, afraid that he was going to drop something on her that she wasn't ready to handle.

"What."

It came out more as a wary statement than a question and she felt her mouth go dry at the look on his face.

"I got a phone call today. It was a job offer."

"A job offer? Where?"

"Georgetown."

"Doing what? What did you say?"

"They need someone to head up their computer forensics department. It's fairly new, under the computer sciences branch."

"They want you to head it up?"

"Yeah. The undergraduate division."

"So we would move to D.C."

"Yeah."

She sighed and sat there for a minute, taking it all in. She didn't even know he was thinking about a career change.

"Do you want to do it?"

"There's a lot of pros. I would be making more there than both of us make here. Summers off, slightly lower cost of living, a new start."
"Is the job something you want?"

"I don't know. I didn't want to get too set on anything until we talked about it."

"I don't want to move, Adam. The kids are happy here, we live in our dream house, I don't want to leave the people I love again."

"I know."

"But if you really think about this and you come to the conclusion that it's something you would love to do, something you would love more than the job you have now, then I will follow you there."

"Babe-"

"Adam, I would. It wouldn't be easy but if it made you happy, there would be no questions asked."

"But would you be happy too?"

"I would try. I can't say I wouldn't be happy. I just don't want my initial feelings to stand in the way if this is something you really want to do."

"So you're leaving it up to me?"

"I know that you will do what is best for all of us. I have no doubts about that."

"Way to put the pressure on."

She gave a half smile, not wanting to let him know how awful she felt about the entire idea and how much she wanted to beg him to forget all about it. She didn't want to move and she'd thought when they bought the house that they were totally settled.

"Were you looking for another job?"

"No, I wasn't. Remember that money laundering case a while back? That's how they found me I guess."

"I'm proud of you. Getting a job offer that way is not common and if they saw you as someone who could head up a department that's a big deal."

"I might have a slightly inflated ego right now."

She smiled and leaned up to kiss him softly.

"I love you, Adam. Anywhere we are together is home and I will be happy there. I support whatever you decide."

"I love you too babe. Thanks for trusting me."

A/N: Sorry to leave you all hanging right there.