A/N: I love how Avery uses the word most.
Also, you may have seen that I started a whole brand new story. This one is still my first priority, the other one is just when I get writers block with this one.

"Hello mama. Hello! Wake you up!"

"No sweetie. Back to sleep."

"Mama, there so much to do! Much to see! Food to eat! Oh mama, up, up!"

Lindsay groaned and rolled over, finding the sky that special shade of dawn blue that only happened in the spring before the sun came up. Avery bounced around on the bed, her curly hair sticking up in every direction and her nightgown hanging off her shoulder. She'd started the evening out in the other twin bed but had soon cried and insisted that she sleep right next to her mama. It wasn't the most comfortable night for either of them, but Lindsay didn't mind sacrificing a little sleep to make her daughter happy. Of course, at the moment she was rethinking that.

"Baby, can you go back to sleep for a little bit?"

"Nope! I seen papa outside! He go in the barn. Please let's wake up!"

"Okay we'll wake up. Can you get yourself dressed while I take a shower?"

"Sure mama!"

"Okay. Don't get into anything. Just wait for me to get back."

Avery nodded and Lindsay found herself an outfit, then went downstairs for a quick shower. Avery looked through the clothes in the suitcase and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt and put them on. She wandered around the bedroom for a while, remembering that it had been mama's room when she was little. There weren't any toys in it, but that was okay. She walked over to the closet and opened it, finding a few old coats and a big cardboard box. She looked around to make sure no one was watching, then she pulled the box out of the closet, carefully opening the flaps and peering inside.

"Oh wow," she whispered finding the box full of all sorts of stuff. There was a teacup with horses on it that she admired for a moment before setting it carefully aside. Next she found a cowboy hat that was just her size and after examining it for a moment, she plunked it down on her head. Underneath that there were several ribbons and medals that she ooh'ed and ahh'ed over before placing them in her lap. There were some more little trinkets and keepsakes in the box, but what Avery got the most excited about was a baby doll wearing a gingham dress, whose eyes opened and closed. She pulled it out of the box and held it tightly to her chest, rocking it back and forth happily. She didn't have a baby doll at home that she liked very much. None of them were very cuddly and she had a hard time dressing them and they were plastic and cold. This doll only had plastic arms and legs, but a soft body and a kind face and she couldn't imagine putting the doll back into the box.

"Averylin, I told you not to get into anything."

"Box open, mama."

"Well I mean… honey what did you find?"

"This baby! She precious!"

"That was my very first baby doll. Her name is Aurora, like the Sleeping Beauty princess."

"Aurora," Avery said with a nod.

"I got her when I was two years old and I took her everywhere with me until I was about ten."

"Everywhere?"

"Well not to school or church, but she was with me when I was home."

"Why she not live at our house?"

"I didn't have room to take her with me when I moved to New York and I didn't want her to get lost, so I left her in the attic. Granna moved all my stuff back into my room after Taylor married Josh and moved out of the house."

"Mama, the baby Aurora come and live with us now?"

"Sure. Would you like her to live in your room?"

"Oh yes! She be my friend. I take care, like Sarah do with her dollies. Aurora, I Avery. We be friends."

"I think she's very happy about that," Lindsay said softly reaching over to touch the doll's dress. She'd always planned on giving this doll to her little girl someday, but last time she was in Montana she'd been certain she was having a boy, so the doll had slipped her mind.

"Mama, why baby Aurora's hand so rough?"

"Because I used to chew on her fingers when I was scared or nervous."

"Oh mama, that so mean!"

"I know. I wish I didn't do it, but it doesn't look so bad does it?"

"No. Aurora's so pretty. You like the hat?"

"It looks very good on you. Should we take that home with us too?"

"Okay! It time go see Tater now?"

"No, not for a few hours. Why don't we go and see papa outside?"

"Okay! I bring the hat and Aurora."

"Alright."

They made their way downstairs into the quiet house and Avery giggled as if they were tip-toeing into a place where they shouldn't be.

"Where granna?"

"She's probably getting ready to come and make breakfast. Let's go outside and help papa."

Avery skipped along happily and Lindsay grinned. She'd never seen Avery so happy for such a long time. It seemed like it had been months since they'd had a consistently good day with her. There was always something that happened that made her upset or something they had to discipline her for and it was disheartening because it had never been like this with the boys. Preschool had helped some with the misbehavior, but there was no breaking her of her penchant for making mountains out of molehills.

"Mornin' papa! What'cha doin'?"

"I'm milkin' the cows. Want to help me?"

"I don't know. It yucky?"

"No, it's not yucky. Your mama used to help me all the time. Come here, I'll show you."

She took his hand and followed him across the barn while Lindsay stayed near the door and reached out to pet the cow closest to her.

"Mornin' Ladybird. How are you doin'?"

The cow gave a little nod and continued to chew her cud while Lindsay swatted a fly away. Ladybird was getting close to twenty years old and it probably wouldn't be much longer before she was gone, but she was doing her best to remain queen of the barn.

"Mama! See me!"

"Did you milk a cow, baby?"

"Yes! I want tell the boys! They be so 'cited for me!"

"We can call in a little while. Should we help papa gather eggs?"

"Eggs? Eggs from the store."

"Well before they're from the store, they're from chickens."

"Oh! Let's go! We get eggs from chickens!"

She followed her grandpa out of the barn and across the dirt path to the henhouse. All the chickens were inside, but one of the roosters was out, pecking the ground and eyeing her warily.

"Hi Mr. Chicken!" she greeted, waving a chubby hand at him. "I Avery. I here to take your eggs!"

"Sweetie, don't yell so loud-"

"Ahh! Mama!" Avery tore out of the enclosure with the rooster hot on her heels, flapping its wings and squawking. "Save me!"

Laughing, Lindsay picked Avery up and shooed the rooster away.

"Maybe farm life isn't for you after all."

"I not eat no nuggets 'gain."

"Sure you will, baby. Look, papa put the rooster away. Want to get some eggs?"

Avery nodded and they went into the coop, being careful where they stepped. Avery was fascinated by the chickens, but kept her distance just in case they decided to attack too.

"Hey daddy, are these eggs all edible for sure?"

"Yeah. That rooster hasn't been allowed to make his rounds in here in a while."

"Okay. Because we know what happens when you're not sure."

"I'm sure."

"Mama, how we get the eggs? I want 'em."

Lindsay showed Avery how to gather the eggs carefully and put them in the basket, counting as they went along.

"Oh my, this different! Mama, it brown."

"Yep, that's right."

"Oh wow. Seven."

"And one more is how many?"

"Um… seven… eight! It eight mama! Eight eggs!"

"That's right. Should we go take them inside to granna?"

"Oh yes! I hold your hand so chicken don't get me and dolly Aurora."

Lindsay chuckled and held her free hand out, smiling when Avery took it.

"Daddy, you comin' in?"

He gave a little nod and dropped his arm around her shoulders as they walked across the grass and around the house to the back porch.

"Wipe your feet off, Averylin."

"Okay. Scuffy, scuffy, wipe, wipe, this how we clean our feet," she sang, obviously something she'd learned in preschool. "Granna, we brung eggs. Good mornin'!"

"Good morning sweetie. Are you hungry for breakfast?"

"Oh yes!"

"I have cinnamon rolls and bacon and-"

"Oh boy, I love Montana so most!"

"Alright Avery, what did we talk about?"

"Be polite girl. Not too noisy. Sit nicely."

"Are you ready to go inside?"

"Oh yes, I see auntie Tater please!"

Lindsay smiled and got Avery out of the car, holding her and kissing her cheek for a moment before she put her down. It was so nice to just be able to focus on one kid for a while and she'd found Avery to be more of a kindred spirit than she'd once thought.

They made their way to the front door and knocked and Avery giggled happily, jumping from one foot to the other. The door opened and she ran inside, hugging Taylor around the legs.

"Hi Tater! I love you!"

"I love you too sweetie," Taylor laughed, leaning down and picking Avery up. "You're getting so big. How did you do that?"

"I eat food and play hard."

"Avery, you are so precious."

"This I know."

Taylor chuckled and put Avery down, then let Lindsay into the house.

"Hi little girl," Lindsay said, wrapping her in a hug that seemed to chase away every parenting fear she'd been worrying about for the last four months.

"Hey."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm good. Kind of tired and nervous and all the stuff that's apparently normal."

"Good, right on track."

"Wait, keep hugging please."

Lindsay laughed and obliged for a few minutes before Avery tugged on her hand.

"Mama, I try to sit an' be polite. The couch too big for me get up on."

"Okay I'll help."

"Do you guys want anything to drink?"

"I'm good. Sit down and talk to me."

Taylor smiled and sat down, leaning on Lindsay's shoulder and sighing.

"So?"

"It's a boy."

"Oh boys are so much fun," Lindsay chuckled. "I had two because I liked the first one so much."

"I have no idea what to do with a boy so I am thinking it's going to be an adventure."

"Is Josh happy?"

"Over the moon. He's already talking about what he wants the baby's room to look like. He's so intense about it, like he knows that he wants gray walls and anchors and sailboats and I said I wanted a jungle theme and he looked at me like I had three heads and said "He won't like that when he's ten!" We're going with sailboats."

"You guys are going to have fun with this, I can tell already."

"I'm really scared but mostly I can't wait. And I can't believe I'm actually old enough to do this. I feel like I'm still a high schooler sometimes."

"Wait until the baby drops and you start waddling. You'll feel old enough then."

Taylor chuckled a little and shook her head, rubbing her hand over her stomach.

"So, any advice?"

"Be patient," Lindsay replied automatically. "With the pregnancy, with Josh, with sleepless nights and potty training and tantrums. Just be patient."

"Okay."

"And enjoy the little moments. The days are long but the years are short. They grow up fast. I mean, look at this one," she said gesturing to Avery who was curled up on the couch humming to herself and examining her hands. "She was just a baby yesterday."

"It does go fast. It's already going fast."

"You're going to be a good mom honey."

"I'm actually beginning to believe that. I think back to how it was with my mom and I just can't imagine being like her. It's not me at all. I see myself being more like you."

"Well honey, you learn from my mistakes, okay?"

"You'll tell me about them?"

"Whatever you want to know. You've got the golden ticket now."

"Is labor really the worst thing in the world?"

"At the time you're going through it, yeah. After that it just kind of doesn't matter anymore."

"What's it like?"

"Scary. With Colton it was terrifying because we didn't know what was going on with him being early and everything. With Ben… I was so overdue and exhausted and I just wanted it over with but it was a pretty short labor. It's painful honey, no matter how many drugs you get, but once they hand you this tiny, slimy, squealing baby there's really just nothing else you can think about. It's yours and you made it and the whole world feels so small in comparison. I can't really explain it, but believe me, if you look forward to that moment instead of worrying about labor, you're going to go into the whole thing in a much better state of mind."

"What if I don't know what I'm doing when we bring him home?"

"Then you ask for help. No one expects you to know everything right away. A lot of it will come naturally, and some if it you'll need help. You are more in tune with your baby than anyone else is. Trust that instinct."

"I feel like that's a lesson you didn't learn for quite a while."

"I had to learn it again with every kid. There were times with Ben that he felt so foreign to me, like he didn't come from me and I didn't know him. And there were other times, more often, where I felt so connected to him, even more than I did to Colton. Like Ben was this extension of me, and Colton had grown past that point. Both of those feelings are okay."

"So I can call you at four in the morning when I am at my wits end and can't figure out which side of the diaper is the back and which is the front?"

"Absolutely. I'd rather you call me than worry yourself."

"An' call me, Tater," Avery piped up, climbing into her lap. "I help you. I smart."

"What do you think I should know about bein' a mama?"

"Oh goodness! Do snugglin' a lot. And give candy."

"I think I could do that."

"An'… con'quences. I not like them, but we need lessons."

"So if this kid does something wrong I need to teach them the right thing?"

"Yes. An' they be happy later."

"Are you a happy girl?"

"Oh yes. I happy like my mama."

"That's good."

"You be a fun mama Tater. Like you talk to us on the 'puter and read us books! You be most good."

"Thank you sweetie."

Avery gave her a little smile and a nod, as if the compliment hadn't been a big deal at all.

The house was packed top to bottom and side to side with people and Avery was getting overwhelmed at the noise and unfamiliar faces. When mama had said they were having a family dinner, for one fleeting moment she'd pictured family dinners like they had at home. She wasn't prepared for this.

"Mama," she whined, wrapping herself around Lindsay's leg and tugging on her hand.

"What do you need sweetie?"

"Mama I not like this. Who these peoples?"

"Remember I told you," Lindsay started, crouching down to talk to her. "This is your family. My brothers are your uncles and their wives are your aunts and their kids are your cousins."

"They all so big!"

"Well you are the youngest grandchild by a lot."

"Mama, I wanna go home!"

"We can't go home right now. Why don't you go right over there and have a snuggle with Taylor?"

"No! I wanna go home! I want daddy! I want my boys! I want my Sarah!"

"I'm sorry you're not happy honey. Let me hold you until you feel better."

"No please I want daddy! And the boys please, and Sarah!" she cried, rubbing at her eyes and wondering how she'd become such a sad mess in the middle of the living room in a matter of seconds. "Mama, I want my fam'ly!"

"Sweetheart, I need you to listen to me-"

"Daddy an' Coley an' Ben an' Sarah," she whined, the words coming faster and faster the harder she cried. "Danny an' Au'tin! Isa an' Dan-yo. Mac an' Jo-Jo! Now!"

"Avery-"

"Mama, we go home!"

"No, not yet."

"Yes! I say yes! I not like here! Want my daddy!"

"Honey, I miss daddy too, but that is no reason to act like this."

"Mama you mean for not take me home! I want my Au'tin! She love me most!"

"Averylin Grace."

"No, go 'way!"

There was a moment when they looked into each other's eyes and Avery regretted everything she'd just said. She'd been such a good girl the whole time and now suddenly she saw that look of disappointment again. This was terrible. Daddy would be so upset.

"Go upstairs into the room and lay on the bed," Lindsay said softly. "Don't get up until I come get you."

"Mama, I-"

"Go upstairs right now."

Avery didn't like being interrupted and she didn't want to go upstairs all alone and she felt like stomping her foot, but that was one of the things that daddy had warned her not to do. Her small hands balled into angry fists and stayed clenched at her sides all the way up the stairs.

"What was that?"

Slowly, Lindsay realized that the reason she'd been able to hear Avery so clearly through the tears was because everyone in the room had fallen silent and were watching the entire thing. The fact that half of her family had just witnessed her disciplining her child didn't sit well with her; in fact she wanted to crawl under a rock and not come out for a long time, until they all forgot the antics of her misbehaving daughter. Even worse was the fact that her dad's question was still dangling in the air and everyone was waiting for her to answer.

"That would be the Monroe genes coming out," she said finally, defeated.

"Reminds me of someone else I know."

"Yeah, she's just like me."

"Not just like you. You never would have gone obediently up to your room. You probably would have stomped to the top of the stairs then turned around and stuck your tongue out at us for good measure."

"Oh she's done that. Back when she was throwing tantrums over everything, she stood at the top of the stairs and mooned us when we had people over because we told her she couldn't have two desserts."

"So she's Lindsay 2.0," Jake chuckled, shaking his head. "Always knew it would come back to bite you."

"Anyway, you all have a good chortle over the fact that your kids were perfect, but I am going to go have a discussion with my little Hell's Angel."

She made her way up the stairs, then turned at the top of them and stuck her tongue out before walking down the hallway. So many times she'd been sent to her room while something exciting went on downstairs, so many times she'd walked slowly down this dark hallway, punished for expressing herself just a little louder than was appropriate. So many times she'd felt unwanted.

A giant pit settled itself in her stomach and she shook her head, refusing to give in to the guilt. She was doing the right thing by disciplining Avery, even if Avery didn't always feel good about it. Sighing, she opened the door to her bedroom, finding her little girl sitting on the bed and staring out the window at the stars. She turned around when the door opened and her lips parted as if she was on the cusp of saying something, but changed her mind.

Lindsay didn't say a word either, just toed her shoes off and walked over to the bed, laying down and pulling Avery into her arms. They laid there for a while together, quietly breathing and thinking, holding hands as if the last ten minutes hadn't happened.

"Mama?"

"Yes?"

"I so sorry I naughty. I sorry I hurt your feelin's."

"I forgive you. I understand that you were overwhelmed and shy and you miss daddy and the boys. I understand that you made the wrong decision and I forgive you for that."

"Mama?"

"Yes baby?"

"Ready for my con'quence."

"We won't be going to get special ice-cream tomorrow."

"Okay mama," Avery whispered, rolling over. "I love you."

"I love you too sweetheart. Very, very much."

"We cuddle now?"

"For a little bit. But you do need to go down and apologize to everyone for the way you acted."

"It not lady-like an' polite. I need say sorry."

"Would you like to go now or wait a few minutes?"

"I go now."

"After that it will be bedtime."

"You go sleep with me? It scary in here."

"Why don't we put your jammies on and then you can come downstairs and sit in my lap and when everyone leaves we can go to bed."

"Okay mama, it a deal."

They sat up from the bed and picked a cozy pair of pajamas, and Avery cooperated while she was dressed and her hair was braided so it wouldn't be so tangled in the morning. Soon they were headed back downstairs and Avery trembled slightly in Lindsay's arms, hating to have to apologize, especially to so many people.

When they got to the bottom of the stairs, everyone glanced over and Avery took a deep breath.

"I sorry I be so bad," she said, her voice quivering. "It not proper. I have a con'quence an' I not do again. You can be happy an' talk again now."

She buried her face in Lindsay's hair and didn't look up until the noise level in the room was high again.

"I'm very proud of you sweetie," Lindsay whispered, rubbing her back.

"Oh mama. Life most hard."