A/N: Uncooperative muse. I spent days on this and just… well anyway, shorter chapters for a while I think.

Sarah and Avery were absolutely in heaven. From the moment they discovered that their surprise for the day was to visit the American Girl store they'd been giggling and scheming and dreaming of all the dolls and outfits they could look at. Sarah had money left over from Christmas that she was going to use for accessories for her doll Paisley and Avery was just happy to be going along. She wasn't aware that she was going to get to pick out her very own doll too, for if she had known, they probably would have had to peel her off the floor because she would be a dramatic, emotional mess.

Austin and Isa were having their own morning, visiting the batting cages and something else that Austin had kept a secret, even from Lindsay. They were all going to meet up for lunch and then Austin and Sarah would have some time together while Lindsay took Isa and Avery to the science museum. The girls had been up since the crack of dawn in anticipation and it was almost a foregone conclusion that Avery was going to need a nap at some point, or she was going to get cranky.

"Ooh, Averylin, look at this! It's a ballet outfit!"

"That's pretty Sarah. You gonna get that for Paisley?"

"I don't know. I need to look at all my options first."

Avery nodded and happily scanned the displayed outfits, wanting to be the one to find the perfect one for Sarah's beloved doll. She glanced at the sports themed outfits, the dance inspired looks and was looking at the jeans when Sarah gasped delightedly.

"Oh Averylin look at this beautiful dress! And it comes with shoes! I think I'll get this one for Paisley."

"She will love it, Sarah," Avery said seriously, adjusting the doll on her hip. "I wish there was doggie clothes. For Thomas."

"Maybe you could tell one of the workers that. Maybe then the company will make dog clothes. Thomas could be their first customer."

"Oh yeah!"

"Did you find something, Sarah?" Lindsay asked, crouching down to see what she had.

"Yep. Do I have enough money?"

"Yes you do. And you're sure this is the one you want?"

"Oh yes auntie, it is. It's so pretty."

"Alright. Now Avery, do you want to pick out a doll?"

"What?"

"Well daddy and I decided that you've been doing such a good job taking care of Thomas and being a good girl that if you would like to, you can use the birthday money you saved up to get yourself a doll."

Avery's eyes filled with happy tears and she tossed Paisley to Sarah and rushed to Lindsay, throwing her arms around her neck.

"Oh mama! I am so happy! I wanted a doll since Sarah getted one! This is my dream come true! I am a most lucky girl!"

"Now if we do this honey, you have to remember that your doll is expensive and you need to take very good care of her. Daddy and I are going to give you a little money to use too, but after this doll, we can't do any more presents for a long time."

"Okay mama, okay!"

"Are you ready to pick one out?"

"Oh yes! She needs to have fluffy hair like me!"

She grabbed Lindsay's hand and pulled her in the direction of the custom dolls while Sarah trailed behind them giggling. She'd sat at the computer and created her doll online, then waited for three weeks until it was delivered, but this was exciting as well.

"Oh mama I so like the little baby ones! An' I could get a baby an' it could be a sister for Sarah's doll! Oh look, one with orange hair like me!"

She pulled the box off the shelf and hugged it tightly to her chest.

"I want this girl. I will name her something most pretty. Can I get this one mama?"

"Sure honey."

"I will sing to her a song and she will sleep. I will rock her and tell her things. She an' me will love each other so most."

"Averylin, I can't wait to play with our dolls together. You will really enjoy being a mommy."

"I think so too Sarah! Mama could I get a dress for my baby?"

"That would be okay. Want me to help you pick one?"

"Yes please. I would like something blue."

They perused the outfits for quite a while before they found something that was to Avery's liking, then went to the register to pay. The girls chattered happily about what Avery was going to name her baby as they made their way over to the restaurant. The dolls were propped up in the booth between the girls and they sat quietly, coloring their menus while they waited for Austin and Isa.

"Auntie thank you for taking us here," Sarah said suddenly. "It was really fun."

"You're welcome sweetie."

"Me and Averylin don't get to do very many things like this together that are special."

"It will get easier as you get older."

"Yeah, maybe so. Oh hey, it's my ma and Isa! Hey Isa, what did you do today?"

Isa grinned and skipped over to the table, sliding in next to the girls and giving Sarah a hug.

"Me and ma went to the batting cages. I'm getting really good. Then we just walked around some and bought music. Oh Avery did you get a new doll?"

"Yeah! Her don't got a name yet. I still need to think 'bout it."

"She's real pretty."

"Thanks! I am gonna teach her patty-cake later."

"That sounds like fun," Isa giggled, reaching over to pat Avery's shoulder. "Are you excited about going to the science museum with me?"

"Yep! I wanna take pictures for the boys to see what we done."

"Okay. I wonder what we will see there."

"Such fun things, Isa. Such fun things."

Avery's nap came soon after lunchtime. They made it back to the hotel just before she melted down, and she climbed into bed with Thomas, who was happy to see her after spending the morning on a leash with Austin and Isa. She kept mumbling something about missing her boys but was soon deeply asleep, sprawled out in the middle of the California King bed and looking positively minuscule.

"Are we still gonna have time for stuff this afternoon, Indy?" Isa asked, sitting down on the couch. "I mean, I know she needs her sleep but how long is this going to take?"

"She won't sleep for more than an hour. Besides your mom and sister are going to be tied up until dinnertime at least."

"Where are they going?"

"To the ballet."

"Oh yawn. I'm glad I didn't have to do that. Don't get me wrong, I love Sarah and I like how much she loves to dance, but I watched a ballet with her on TV and it wasn't even fun until Daniel came in and we made farting noises when the dancers were spinning. But then Sarah cried and I felt kind of bad. So it's probably not good for me to go to the ballet, that's all."

"Maybe not. Want to watch some TV while we wait for Avery?"

"Sure. I like those old shows that you like. The ones without color."

Lindsay chuckled a little as they snuggled into the couch, flipping through the channels until they found an old episode of Perry Mason. Isa sighed and pulled a blanket around herself, not sleepy but definitely needing to slow down a little. She used to move so fast and be so crazy but sometimes all she wanted was for the world to pause.

"Indy?"

"Yeah baby?"

"Don't let me forget to get some Boston dirt. I like it here."

"Okay."

"I got a little when we went to Salem this mornin'. I wonder if it has witch ashes in it."

"You're morbid, kiddo."

Isa smiled and yawned, reluctant to admit how tired she actually was. It was so cozy sitting here listening to the drone of Raymond Burr's deep voice and the muffled street sounds from outside. For one fleeting moment she had a strong desire to slide her thumb into her mouth like when she was a little girl, but it passed before she could commit to it. There was just something so nice about a slightly overcast day, snuggling up with her Indy and not worrying about anything in the world. She would give anything to have days like this all the time.

"Could we get hot chocolate later?"

"Sure."

"Could I have coffee?"

"Maybe."

"You're my favorite, did you know?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"Are you sure about that? It's always worked before."

"Child, you are something else."

"Yeah maybe. Could I call Colt?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Can I ask what you have to talk about?"

"Everything of course. He's still my best friend, even if we have friends besides each other."

"Alright well just remember, you're too young to elope."

"Ew! I could never kiss him. Not for real."

"Okay good."

Isa rolled her eyes and Lindsay handed off the phone, reminding her that Danny had all the boys for the day while Adam worked.

"Hey daddy it's me, can I talk to Colt please?"

"You don't want to talk to me?"

"Well later I do but right now could I talk to him?"

"Fine, fine."

Isa and Colton slipped into an easy conversation, almost picking up where they had left off last time they'd talked and Lindsay smiled to herself, finding it interesting that all of the kids seemed to mimic their mothers as far as friendships went. She wondered briefly how many other habits the kids had picked up and how many they were going to have to be broken of.

"Uncle Cupcake! Come quick! You gotta see what we found!"

Adam sighed and glanced down at the dinner dishes, wondering how long this was going to take. If it was a game the boys had made up he was sure he would get sucked in so quickly that he would forget that he was supposed to be cleaning the kitchen.

"Can it wait a minute?"

"No!"
Wiping his hands off he went to the back door, finding all three boys with mud all over their clothes, Colton holding what looked like a wet shirt.

"It's a cat daddy!" Ben shouted. "We finded it under the bushes. It was just meow-ing a lot! Can we keep it?"

"Let's get it inside and warmed up and then we'll see what we can do."

"My daddy gots a soft spot for animals, Dunner," Ben said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Even if we can't keep the cat, we can find it a good home! C'mon let's go get a box and some blankets so the cat will be comfy."

The boys trooped up the stairs while Adam took the cat from Colton, finding it limp and cold but alert. He found a towel in the laundry room and started to dry the cat off, hoping he wasn't hurting it. It was small, probably a young kitten, and it didn't have a collar.

"Think it will be okay daddy?"

"We'll do our best. I think what we should do first is see if there's a veterinarian that's still open."

"Can we keep it?"

"I don't know, son. Let's just worry about getting it cleaned up for now."

Colton nodded and reached over to rub the cat's back.

"Maybe we could give it some warmed up milk?"

"Yeah, but not too warm, okay?"

"Alright."

They went into the kitchen and Colton got the milk ready while Adam continued to warm and dry the cat, who was perking up a little.

"We got a box daddy! Think we could put that little kitty in there?"

"Let's see if we can get its belly full first."

"Maybe we should look on the computer to see how to take care of it," Junior suggested with a shrug.

"I can do that," Colton said, setting the small bowl of milk on the floor and going for the computer. Adam moved down to the floor to offer the cat a drink and Ben joined them, rocking back and forth excitedly.

"I feel real good 'bout this daddy! Helpin' this kitty out is kinda nice. And maybe we will get a reward for our good deed! A reward of keepin' the cat!"

"I don't know. We'll have to see what happens."

"Well I'd like to keep it."

"I know you would."

Ben nodded and stood up, going to the computer where Colton had two tabs open, the first for tips on how to take care of the cat and the second on vet clinics that were open late at night.

"Find some good stuff Cole?"

"Yeah. Daddy will have to map it, but there's a vet that's open that we can take the cat to."

"It would be cool if we could keep it. Or if Dunner could."

"We're a dog family," Junior supplied. "That's what my ma says. If we had a cat it would always hide under Sarah's bed because that's the quietest place in the whole place."

"I bet daddy will talk mama into it," Ben decided.

"Ben, I said we'll see."

"I know that. I ain't countin' my ducks or nothin'. I'm just dreamin'."

"Why don't you guys get your shoes on and we'll go to the vet."

Two hours later they were back home with the cat, who seemed a little better after some food. Ben hadn't mentioned keeping the cat but he was sticking very close to it, checking every few minutes to make sure it was okay. Another fort had been constructed in the living room and the boys were engrossed in a movie while Adam sat at the table and talked to Avery.

"An' daddy I name my baby doll Cleopatra!" she announced with a delighted giggle.

"When you get married make sure you husband has better taste in names than you do."

"And I call her Clover for shortsies," she continued, not hearing him. "She is beautiful daddy. We can play dolls when I get home."

"Okay Tink. I miss you."

"I miss you too! I think I would like a big, big squeeze hug."

"You got it dudette."

"Do you love me oh so most daddy?"

"So most honey."

"Good! You did not forget me."

"Never. Are you being good for mama?"

"Oh yes. We haved much fun today. Me an' mama an' Isa goed to a place and played some games and stuff! An' Isa gived me a piggy-back ride! And even she skipped too! I was like a roller coaster! She is fun daddy."

"I know. Do you have pictures to show me when you get home?"

"Yep! Mama taked a precious picture of me an' Thomas an' Clover havin' a rest. It's me an' my whole world in a picture daddy! Like how mama says 'bout that picture on our wall of family."

"Oh I see. Well maybe we can put that picture on the wall in your room. How about that?"

"That would be good daddy. I wish you was here to kiss me goodnight. On my cheek. And give me a snuggle because I like it bein' warm when you hug me. I like how you tell me stories 'bout faries an' mermaids too."

"Want me to save some up for when you come home?"

"Yeah! Thanks daddy!"

"Anytime Averylin. I love you."

"I love you too. Night daddy. Here is mama to talk to."

The phone clattered to the floor and it was a moment before Lindsay came on, seeming a little irritated.

"She didn't hand me the phone, she tossed it to me and you know how terrible her throwing skills are. It almost went off the balcony."

"Did she apologize?"

"She didn't even see what happened, she just ran back inside to eat popcorn."

"Not surprised."

"I'll talk to her later. I don't feel like getting up right now."

"So I have something to talk to you about."

"Oh no."

"The boys found a kitten."

"I can already hear it in your voice Adam, you big softy."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's not bad, but I know that I can't say no."

"So do we still have the dishes and stuff from the other cats?"

"Might be in the basement."

"You're good with this?"

"As long as the boys take care of it, I don't mind. If Avery can remember to feed and water and clean up after her dog and never be reminded, then the boys need to be able to do that for the cat."

"That's fair."

"However, let's not make a decision until we see the dog and cat together. I don't want to have to be tending to animal injuries all the time."

"Agreed. I'll keep reminding Ben to not count his ducks. His phrase, not mine."

Lindsay laughed softly and leaned back in the chair, missing her boys greatly. They'd be home tomorrow but she couldn't wait to hug and kiss the boys until they protested and tried to get away.

"You have Junior tonight too?"

"Yeah. Have you ever noticed that when we have more kids than just our own, it seems a little easier?"

"I think they entertain each other and there's more voices of reason."

"Must be it. What time will you be home tomorrow?"

"Late afternoon. We're planning on taking our time but we might decide to drive straight through too. I'll let you know tomorrow."

"My mom called today. They're going to be in town next month. Are we busy?"

"Not as far as I know."

"I'll let her know. Maybe while they're here you and I can escape for a date?"

"Let's plan on it. I like you."

"I like you too. Hey, I gotta go. I've got a very dashing young man in here that looks like he needs to have a chat."

"Give Junior a hug for me. I love you."

"Love you too babe."

He hung up the phone and glanced over at Junior who was looking slightly apprehensive and not like his normal self.

"What's up dude?"

"Adam," he started, sighing deeply. "I was just thinkin' 'bout my ma. I really miss her. Is it okay for a guy to miss his ma? Does it mean I am not a man?"

Adam chuckled and lifted Junior onto his lap, giving him a little hug.

"I think every real man misses his ma sometimes. And you happen to have a ma that's pretty awesome so it's okay that you miss her."

"I like just hanging out with my dad you know? Because we eat lots and lots of crap and watch boy movies and burp a lot and sit around in our underwear. I guess we do that when the girls is home too but it's different when it's just me and dad. But there's a little part of me that misses my ma. Not my sisters. I like them but they're girls. My ma isn't really a girl. It's different. She's just a ma. Like how aunt Lin ain't a girl, she's just a aunt Lin. I think it's because they don't have cooties. My sisters have cooties."

"Yeah, that happens."

"I wish I had a brother sometimes. Ben and Colton got each other. I don't got a brother. Do you?"

"I have a brother but we don't see each other very much. We didn't grow up together."

"Oh. I wonder what it's like to share a room and stuff with another dude that looks like you."

Adam suppressed a chuckle.

"Well you can always come over here and be the third brother for a little while if you'd like."

"Okay. Thanks. And my ma will be home tomorrow right?"

"Right."

"Good," he said with a nod, sliding off Adam's lap. "Oh, and I don't think sissy Aves has cooties. She's got too much boy-ness in her."

He took off into the other room and Adam grinned to himself. All those years as an only child, all those years being lonely and just wanting a family, and now he had what he'd always wanted, ten-fold.