Colton stretched as he woke up, glancing over at the space next to him in the bed, which Ben was fully occupying, sprawled over most of the mattress and snoring. Rubbing at his eyes, Colton checked the time and got up from the bed, taking a trip to the bathroom before walking to look out the window. It was rare that he was up this early, much less that he was the only one up. They'd spent the evening at the arcade and by it was late before they'd finally decided to go leave and get some sleep.

Carefully, so he wouldn't disturb anyone, he walked back over to the beds and took Lindsay's phone, unlocking it and calling Austin, wondering when he and Isa would get their own phones so they didn't have to do this anymore.

"Why so early?"

"It's just Colt. Can I talk to Isa please?"

"Hey dude. Why are you up so early?"

"I dunno. Can I please talk to Isa?"

"Yeah, hold on."

He waited a few minutes and was rewarded with the scratchy, annoyed voice of his best friend.

"Colt. Seriously? It's barely even morning."

"I know."

"Why are you calling me?"

"Go outside and look at the sun coming up."

She grumbled but went to her window, throwing it open to breathe in the air.

"Isn't it cool that we're in different places and we can still watch the sun come up together?"

"I would rather be sleeping but okay."

He laughed and scratched his head watching the cars pass by on the road below.

"So guess what Colt?"

"Hmm?"

"After school gets out, I get to go to California to stay with my uncle Andy for a week."

"California is all the way on the other side of the country."

"Yep. Ma says all us kids will get to go when we're eleven. She said it's a better milestone than thirteen anyway."

"What will you do there? Go to Disneyland?"

"Nah. Ma says probably the beach and hanging out with Dallas and Mikey, my bigger cousins."

"Oh. Well I hope you have fun but it will be weird if you're not here for a while."

"Just a week, Colt. And I will get to skype with you. Plus, I'll bring you something back."

"Okay. Maybe I can send you a real letter."

"Hey, yeah, like they used to do hundreds of years ago."

He chuckled as Avery wandered out onto the deck with him, yawning and hugging him.

"I want to talk to who you are talking to Coley."

"Okay, it's Isa."

He handed the phone to her and she smiled.

"Hello Isa. What are you doing?"

"Talking to your crazy big brother. How about you?"

"I just waked up. Had a great dream an' now I'm gonna go snuggle with someone an' watch cartoons."

"That sounds great."

"I wish you was here, with the whole family. All of us crazies. It would be most fun, but this is fun too. Did Coley tell ya I barfed on the way here?"

"My ma told me."

"Yeah, it was a experience. Oh no! I forgotted to change my baby doll's diaper! Excuse me please, she cannot sit in her own yuck."

She handed the phone back to Colton and dashed inside while Isa laughed.

"Colt, your sister is some kind of crazy."

"I know. Last night mama and daddy were trying to get her to go to bed and she just kept jumping from one bed to the other singing really loud. Daddy said it was because she was too tired. They finally had to tuck her into the couch so tight that she couldn't move. She was out like a light."
"She's a weirdo."

"Yeah. I'd better go inside and keep her from being too loud while everyone else tries to sleep."

"Okay. I love you Colt."

"I love you too, for all the days."

"Hey Colt? What do you mean when you say that? All the days?"

He shrugged and ran his foot gently over the old wooden deck.

"Just means that I love you for always. Most people say forever but they don't know what it means, not really."

"What does it mean?"

"It means every day before and every day now and every day later. It means that my soul loved you before we were born and it will love you even after we die. That's what best friends do."

She giggled and nodded, raking her hair out of her face.

"I love you for all the days too, Colt. Every single one."

"I'll talk to you later, Sweet Thing."

"Bye Colt."

They ended the call and he went back inside, putting the phone away and finding Avery changing her doll's clothes while Ben stirred from his sleep.

"Hey guys, let's watch cartoons!"

"Okay Ben, I will," Avery said, clambering onto the bed. "I want to sit by you."

"Okay! But you just sitted on the remote."

"Whoops! My butt wants to watch the news!"

Ben hooted with laughter, falling over and burying his face in his pillow while Avery chuckled beside him.

"Guys, don't wake up mama and daddy," Colton admonished, trying not to laugh.

"We're already awake," Adam mumbled, rolling over.

"Oh great! Now we call all watch cartoons together!"

"No way. You kids can watch. We need more sleep."

"They is like bears in the winter," Avery muttered, shaking her head. "Like sleepin' too much."

Adam and Lindsay pulled the blankets over their heads, trying to get some more sleep, while the kids settled on something to watch. The boys overruled Avery and ended up watching a "boy-ish" cartoon, which meant that the redhead had to come up with her own entertainment. Recalling to mind an old episode of her favorite sit-com, she began to gather all the pillows and blankets she could lay her hands on, taking them into the bathroom to complete her project.

She hadn't been done long when the door swung open and her parents stood there, eyebrows raised at the bed she'd made for herself in the bathtub.

"Avery, what are you doing?"

"I am Stephanie Tanner an' this is my new room!" she said, reaching over to close the shower curtain.

"But mama and I need to take showers."

"Nah, you can just not, like us kids."

"I don't think so."

"I could sleep in here tonight?"

"We'll see. Bath time is over."

Sighing, Avery stood up and allowed her project to be undone.

"Well this is not a swell start to my day. It must get better soon."

"This place is great!" Ben shouted, surveying things from his spot next to the car. "What is it?"

"It's called Fort Adams. It was a military base many years ago and now it's a place to explore."

"Oh that's cool! Will we learn stuff here?"

"Sure will."

Ben nodded and took Avery's hand as they walked across the parking lot to buy their tour tickets. It was true that all three kids found great joy in museums and hands-on experiences, and in planning the trip, Adam and Lindsay had tried to make it as educational as possible, on top of being fun. Even when they tried things out that ended up being failures, they could count on Ben's enthusiasm to carry the mood.

Tickets were purchased for the next tour, which would start in an hour. For now, the kids were free to run around the grassy area while Adam and Lindsay set up a picnic lunch.

"I'm glad our children are easily pleased," Adam commented, watching as their trio started up a game of tag with a few other kids that were visiting the fort as well. "It makes vacation a lot more stress free."

The words were hardly out of his mouth when Avery came running towards them, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I cannot play!" she whined, falling down to the picnic blanket and rubbing her eyes. "I am not fast an' I keep getting tagged!"

"That doesn't mean you can't play."

"Daddy, it does! Everyone runs from me! I got short legs!"

"All that means is that you have to work harder-"

"I don't want to play anymore," she whined. "I will sit here with y'all, okay? Alright."

She began to pick clovers out of the grass, humming to herself.

"Nothing gets you down for long, does it Miss Aves?"

"Nope daddy, not much. Ooh, can I eat lunch now?"

"It's a little early but I guess if you want to."

"Of course. You know how most I love food," Avery explained, peeking into the basket. "An' I see cheese!"

"You're a cheese-head."

"Yep, I am! Mama is a cereal-head for her loves that a lot."

"Yes I do," Lindsay chuckled. "Honey let me make you a plate instead of just eating out of the basket."

"This is a grab an' growl, mama."

Lindsay laughed and grabbed Avery around the waist, covering her cheeks in kisses.

"You are the greatest daughter I could have ever had."

"Thanks! I really much appreciate that. You are the greatest mama I could have gotted too. An' daddy, you is the greatest daddy even when you tease me."

"You don't want me to tease you anymore, Tink?"

"Oh, you can tease. But don't push it, bub."

He laughed as she started in on her lunch, making happy sounds as she devoured the fried chicken.

"Hey, we seen sissy eating over here," Ben announced as the boys approached. "Figured it was high time that we had something too!"

"High time, huh?"

"Yep, that's what it's called when something is urgent. Right Cole?"

"Well, sort of."

"Sort of is close enough for a cigar. Or for chicken! Thanks for this lunch mama, it's got all my favorite stuff to eat outside."

"Mine too," Colton agreed. "This is a really good vacation so far. I can't wait to go on the tour."

"Me neither!" Ben agreed, taking a huge bite of his lunch.

"Will it have scary parts?" Avery asked warily, peeling a grape.

"Well, we're going to go down into some tunnels so it might be dark, but it won't be scary."

"Okay. I like to be prepared. You know what? I think that someday we will come back here with Becca and she will play tag with us kids. And maybe she will be slow at running like me. And it will be okay, right?"

"Right."

"That will be a fun day. Promise us we can show her this place? With its pretty ocean views?"

"We'll do our best."

"Fabulous."

Satisfied with the future plans, the kids finished their lunches and set out to play again, the boys promising Avery that they would play something where she would be more equally matched.

"You know what I think?" Adam asked, watching the kids play together.

"Hmm?"

"I think that we're pretty lucky to get the three best kids in the world. To get a fourth now is just… I can't imagine life getting any better, can you?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Sissy, lemme, 'splain something to you. You cannot be the banker because you cannot do math."

"It is not math, Benjamin Ross! It is money!"

"But sissy-"

"I am the banker and I say that I get all the pink money!"

"Mama, sissy has no idea what she's doing and she won't admit it!" Ben hollered, trying to set up the game board while Avery rearranged it to her liking.

"I do know! I am collecting the money. I am the IRS and the bank. You are that one that don't know!"

A small scuffle broke out, in which Avery threw a plastic hotel at him and he tossed her carefully organized money on the floor. Adam's musings about their perfect family seemed laughable as the kids were sent to their own corners to calm down. Ben took his punishment valiantly his only movement being to take his glasses off and clean them on his shirt. Avery was less inclined to fall in with the state of things and turned around in her chair, facing the room and pouting dramatically.

"It all started because I wanted the dog piece," she explained. "Because I miss my Thomas. This is all because of heart-ache."

"Averylin."

"I know, I know. I must not talk. But you need to hear my side!"

"Averylin, I'll tack five more minutes on your time out if you don't be quiet."

Wrinkling her nose, Avery turned back to the wall, crossing her arms over her chest and groaning when Ben was released from his prison before she was.

"Mama, don't clean up that money," Ben said, shaking his head. "I will do it. It is my fault it is there in the first place."

"Thank you honey."

"I didn't mean to fight with sissy," he confessed quietly, glancing over at his sister. "I love her a lot but sometimes she just makes me so mad!"

"The people we love the most can often make us the most upset," Lindsay assured, sitting down in the chair and pulling him into her lap, even though he was getting too big. "It doesn't seem right."

"Why does it happen then?"

"Because when it's someone you love, it matters more."

"Give me an analogy."

She chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

"Alright. Let's say that you gave a kid in your class a piece of candy. And let's say that this kid just threw it away."

"Well that would be obnoxious."

"Now let's say that you gave Avery an entire bag of candy and she threw it away."

"That would make me real mad!"

"Why?"

"Because I gave her that candy from love!"

"Exactly. When we love people, we give them little parts of our hearts. The people who have the most parts can also hurt our hearts the most."

"Well then why would we love anyone?"

"Because Ben, the chances that you'll get hurt don't seem to matter much when you look at what you get from love."

"What do you get?"

"Look at me and daddy. We loved each other and we got you kids out of it. I think that's worth more than all the little fights we've had over the years."

"That's sweet, mama. Okay, I will go patch things up with sissy because I love her."

He slid off her lap and walked over to Avery, crouching down in front of her and reaching up to take her hand. He didn't say anything but she softened a little, reaching down to hug him, the fight forgotten.

"We're all fine now, mama."

"Yes, may I come out of time out now?"

"You can come out."

"Finally!"

She hopped off the chair and ran to the other side of the room and back, as if her energy had been bottled up for weeks. Next she climbed on one bed and jumped to the other, stumbling at her landing and running into Colton.

"Sorry Coley. Did you lose your place?"

"A little but I got it back," he said, turning the page in his book. "Want me to read some to you?"

"Yes, sure. I like this girl Scout. Me an' her would be friends."

"I bet you would," Colton chuckled before starting to read to her from the last chapter. Ben climbed up with them and sat back against the pillows, tossing his arms behind his head as he listened. Lindsay smiled took a picture of the three of them, then finished setting up the game. It had been a long day of walking and hundreds of questions from the kids before spending the evening at the beach, and she'd been hoping that it would be early to bed for all of them, but Adam had decided that family game night was in order, and was currently out getting snacks. Part of her wanted to decline and crawl into bed while the rest of them played, but she knew the guilt would keep her awake anyway.

"Hey, I hope you guys like popcorn!"

"Yahoo!" Avery shouted, jumping off the bed to help Adam with the grocery bags. "I love it a lot. Thanks daddy!"

"Did you get cookies?" Ben and Colton asked in unison, before dissolving into laughter.

"Yeah, I got cookies. Are you ready to play?"

They all gathered around the table, choosing their preferred snacks and settling in the play the game. Avery wasn't allowed to be the banker, but they agreed that she could be the ATM, handing out the money that Adam was keeping track of. Satisfied with that, but losing interest in the rest of the game, she sat back in her seat and watched everyone else play, munching on her popcorn and wishing she had all the money.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when mama went to prison," Ben chuckled as Lindsay scooted her thimble over to the far corner. "It's okay. I'll come visit you in the clink."

"Very funny."

"Ben, make sure you bring her a cake with a nail file in it so she can saw her way outta there."

"You two watch too many movies."

"You'll be grateful for that when we break you out of the slammer."

"How did we end up with you three weirdos?"

"Because of love, like you told me, mama. Because of love."