Ben looked himself over in the mirror and patted down his cowlick carefully before taking his glasses off to clean them. He looked pretty good if he did say so himself, and he grinned at his reflection, giving his bowtie one more adjustment before turning the light off and leaving the bathroom.

"Wow Ben, you look great!" Avery noted as he walked by. "I hope you have a fun time with mama."

"I will. I hope you have a fun time with daddy. What are y'all gonna do?"

"Well he said that we could get any dinner I wanted, an' then we could watch movies."

"Sounds like fun. What kind of dinner are you getting?"

"Fondue! You get to dip everything in cheese an' chocolate. What in the world could be better?"

"I don't know, that sounds pretty great. Will you tell me about it when me and mama get back from our double date?"

"Sure! I will wait until tomorrow, when Coley comes back from that party he is at, then I can tell you both at the same time."

"It's a plan! See ya later sissy!"

He thumped down the stairs and into the living room, finding his parents canoodling on the couch. He sighed and placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head gently.

"Really mama? You're about to go out on a date with me and you're kissin' daddy?"

She laughed and he grinned at his joke.

"Our date doesn't start for two more minutes, I'm still allowed to kiss daddy for a bit."

"Oh gag," Ben sighed covering his eyes. "Get it over with."

Adam and Lindsay said their goodbyes, taking their time while Ben sighed dramatically.

"Mama, we got a reservation," he said finally, holding out his hand. "Daddy will be here to kiss on when you get back, now let's get going."

"Fine, fine. You have not even complimented me on how I look."

"But you're pretty all the time, why do you need me to tell you again?"

"I can't argue with that logic I suppose."

"You do look spectacular tonight, mama. Let's go."

She held back a laugh as they went out to the car, the late summer breeze floating over them. Ben opened the car door for her, determined to be a gentleman. He was, after all, on a date with a lady.

"Are we picking up Junior and Austin on the way?"

"Nah, they're meeting us at the place. You know, when I called them, the lady laughed when I asked 'bout reservations. But I think when I did not laugh back she heard that I was serious, so she set us all up. There will be drinks on the table when we get there so we don't even have to worry about that."

"Sounds great," Lindsay smiled, picking the best route to the restaurant. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course!"

"Why did you and Junior decide to take us old ladies out for dinner?"

"Well, one day many months ago, we were talking 'bout y'all and how you do so much stuff for us. And we decided to save up some money to buy you two something real nice. Well when we were on our big family vacation we had a lot of fun, but we came to the idea that both of you ladies still had to do the un-fun mothering stuff, like taking care of our dirty clothes and making food and such. We decided that instead of a present, we would give you two ladies a night out, where me and Junior foot the bill and you don't even have to do the dishes! So we been saving up our allowances for a long time, so we can go out to a nice meal with y'all. We figured you might like to just go out on your own, but the two of us boys are pretty cute and dashing, and you might like to go out with us too."

Lindsay laughed and reached over to squeeze his hand.

"Ben, you have no idea how much this means to me."

"I'm glad you like it, mama. Just wait until we have food!"

"Aw ma, you could get a milkshake if you want," Junior assured, pointing at the menu. "Money is no object here, okay?"

Austin chuckled and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"I don't want a milkshake, but why don't you get one."

"Well, maybe. Are you getting one Ben?"

"I dunno. I think I will just have glass of coke. Iced, without ice, so it's cold. Hey, did you bring the quarters for the juke-box?"

"Yep, they're in my pocket. After we order we could go pick some songs."

"Great! Mama, did you decide what you want? They got cheeseburgers!"

"Yeah, I'm ready when you are."

Soon they'd all placed their menus on the table and the waitress came over, trying to hide her amusement. She'd been the one to take Ben's call about reservations, and she'd been waiting for three days to meet the boys who just wanted to take their moms out for dinner. She tried to keep a straight face while they ordered and managed to not even crack a smile when Ben asked her to be careful when bringing the bills, as he didn't want the ladies to see how much they'd spent because that wasn't good manners.

"So boys, are you looking forward to school starting?"

"Oh yeah! This year I can try out for football!" Junior announced with a nod. "It ain't baseball, but I do like to play all the sports I can get my hands on."

"I'm excited for fourth grade because we get a ton of field trips to museums and stuff. I love doing that. Cole told me all about some of the places they got to go."

"Yeah, those are okay, but I still think sports are better."

"Maybe there will be a museum of sports," Ben shrugged, playing with his straw wrapper. "Then we could both enjoy it."

"Yeah, maybe. Hey ma, what was your favorite field trip?"

"Oh I don't know. I kind of liked the art museums, but I think the trip to the zoo was the best."

"Hmm. What about you aunt Lin?"

"We used to go to the river and collect water samples to test to see if it was healthy for the fish to live in."

"That explains so much," Austin chuckled. "Did you wear a lab coat and goggles?"

"Actually yes, if you must know."

"Well that might be fun mama, but not real practical for city kids."

"So what is practical for city kids?"

"Takin' a trip on the subway without gettin' lost," Junior supplied.

"Oh, how to properly order a hotdog off the street."

"How to get a cab in the rain."

"How to beat up a RedSox fan."

"Ma! We can't learn violence! Besides, you and dad already taught us kids that."

"Oh okay."

"Whoop! Look, here come our onion rings!" Ben said, pointing at the large tray of food the waitress was bringing their way. "Holy cow, that is one big burger!"

"Ben, you don't have to holler," Lindsay chuckled, handing him the ketchup and mustard so he could create his own mixture for his food.

"Sorry. I'm just stunned about the amount of food we can get for our money. Being an adult is going to be a snap!"

He and Junior high-fived over the table while Lindsay and Austin rolled their eyes.

"Oh, something that happened that I forgot to tell ya, ma!" Junior said suddenly, cramming a fry into his mouth. "The other day at baseball, that one jerky kid was making fun of me and Ben."

"What for?"

"He said we was mama's boys. I didn't know what was wrong with lovin' my ma, and he told us that it's like being a baby. 'Course, we didn't want that, but he just wouldn't stop saying all those things."

"Yeah, and he kept bringin' up how you both give us good luck hugs and kisses before we hit the field," Ben added with a nod. He wasn't a player, he was basically just a ball boy, which he enjoyed because of the social aspect of it. "I bet even Baby Ruther's mama kissed him before games."

"So I told that kid, I said to him that I would rather give up all the sports so I could love my ma, than not have one at all. And he got real quiet and said that he didn't know I was so serious about it."

"Yep. And that's our story."

"Aw, thanks for going to bat for me buddy," Austin grinned.

"Hey Austin that was a great pun!"

"High praise from the pun master."

Ben chuckled and they finished dinner, then looked at the menu to find dessert. The boys hemmed and hawed over the type of pie they wanted and finally decided on apple because "we're all-American boys after all."

"Well mama, care to take a twirl?" Ben asked after a while, sliding from the booth and holding his hand out for her, bowing just slightly.

"What?"

"A twirl! This is a great song, don't you want to dance with me?"

Lindsay glanced around the diner, seeing that despite the close quarters, a few people were dancing off to the side. Exchanging a look with Austin, she nodded and got up.

"Ma?"

"Messers don't dance. They stumble around and trod on each other's feet."

"Okay, then you wanna take a clumsy with me?"

"Absolutely."

They all moved onto what was supposed to be the dance floor, trying not to bump into anyone. Ben chattered away as per usual, while Junior concentrated on standing up straight and looking like he knew what he was doing. Having finesse while playing sports was like second nature, but this? No way he could ever pull this off the way Ben could. He'd try for his ma, of course.

"Hey mama?" Ben started, tipping his head slightly as he looked up at her.

"What's up Ben Ry?"

"Do you think I'm growing up to be a good man?"

"I think you're growing up to be a better man than daddy and I ever dreamed."

"Really? Because that's so important, you know. The most important thing there is, in fact. I really hope I do well at this. Someday when I get married, I want to marry a lady who is very smart like you, and she is strong on her own, and she knows she can do great and mighty things. But I would like her to know that when she feels sad or when she wants a break from being strong, she's got me."

"Benjamin Ross, I think whoever marries you is going to be the luckiest lady in the entire world."

"Even luckier than you?"

"Well, maybe just as lucky as me."

"Wow!"

"Daddy and I are so proud of you."

"Aw shucks, now you're makin' me blush!"

She smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of his head as the song ended, and he led her back to the table.

"Austin," he started, adjusting his bowtie. "Want to take a spin?"

"I don't think I can say no to that face."

"Well good because this is the face I got all day!"

She laughed and followed him, letting him lead the dance.

"I don't s'pose you want me to dance with you, right aunt Lin?"

"Nah, we don't have to."

"I mean, I would, if you wanted."

"That's okay. We can sit here and laugh at your ma instead."

"Phew. That sounds much more up my alley. You look real pretty tonight aunt Lin."

"Aw, thanks guy. You look pretty good yourself."

"Ben made me borrow this tie. I don't know why that kid has to go and dress himself all fancy all the time. He'd probably wear royal underpants if he could find some."

Lindsay giggled.

"Don't mention that to him, he'll make me try and find them."

"He's my best buddy in the world and I wouldn't trade him for nothin' but boy are we different dudes."

"That's probably why you get along so well."

"That's how you are with my ma, huh? She wouldn't be caught dead milkin' a cow or havin' a red neck or none of that."

"She calls me a redneck?"

"Yep. And you definitely don't listen to the same music as her and I never, never heard you cussin'."

"Yeah, we are different."

"I was thinking something the other day."

"What's that?"

"I was thinking that I would like to just go by Daniel."

"How come?"

"Because I was talking to my dad and he was saying that he always wanted to have a son that was a Junior and then when he had me and I grew up he realized that he didn't want just another one of him. And I got to thinking, I already got some of his name. And most people just call me Junior because they always have. But I can't be a forty year old guy named Junior. That's like calling a fat guy Tiny."

Lindsay laughed.

"Well I guess we'd better start calling you Daniel then."

"Except you could still call me guy. I like that name from you."

"Good, I like giving it to you."

"Sweet. Could me and Ben have a sleepover tonight?"

"If it's okay with your ma. Adam and the kids are going camping in the backyard tonight."

"Awesome! That would give me a chance to get more mosquito bites than Isa. She has me beat by two. Well, she says they're mosquito bites. I asked if they were zits and then she socked me."

"Did you learn your lesson?"

"What lesson?"

"Never mind."

"You always have the best junk food," Austin commented, finishing the last bite of what she'd picked out of the kids snack cupboard. "I should live here."

"Want to know a secret?"

"Sure."

"You just ingested a fake Twinkie."

"What?"

"It was sugar free, gluten free, vegan, and organic."

"I hate you very much."

"You liked it. You were willing to leave your family for it."

Austin wrinkled her nose and stole the remote control back from Lindsay.

"Rude. I'm making you watch Behind the Music."

"I don't mind. I could watch the Kurt Cobain one over and over and over again."

"You're a hippie."

"Huh?"

"Organic non-food, adopting a stance of peace and tranquility when faced with a TV choice you don't like. What's next Sunflower?"

"I do it because it makes you so mad," Lindsay grinned, too happy with her teasing to notice the rogue fingers that reached over and pinched her arm. "Ow!"

"I feel better now."

"Okay Waffle, your TV choosing days are over," Lindsay warned, crawling across the sofa-bed to grab the remote.

"Ow, we're too old to wrestle."

"Give up?"

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"Ow stop pinching me!"

"I'm protecting the remote from whatever harm may come to it. Like having to turn on a Lifetime movie."

"Hey, those are the greatest. Annie Baxter's identity is stolen and she seeks bloody revenge with a curtain rod."

"I am NOT watching that!"

"Gimme the remote!"

"No!"

"Austin!"

"No way."

"OW! You punched me in the boob!"

"I told you I was getting old Linds. My aim is just off, I meant to hit your arm. I think it's glaucoma."

"Geez dude. Stop laughing."

"You're sitting there rubbing your boob like it's a genie in a lamp. It's hilarious."

Lindsay wrinkled her nose and pulled at her shirt, looking down to check for damage. This only made Austin squeal with laughter so hard, she nearly rolled onto the floor, which left the remote unattended.

"HA! Victory. Lifetime channel here we come."

"Why do I always agree to these sleepovers?"

"They keep us sane."

"Sane is relative."

"My relatives are not sane."

Austin snorted and settled back against the mass of pillows, crossing her ankles and sliding one arm behind her head.

"Hey Lin?"

"Hmm?"

"I haven't seen you this happy in a long, long time."

"I know."

"I'm glad you're back."

"Me too."

"No, not America's Next Top Model!" Austin shouted as Lindsay groaned and flipped the channel quickly. "Oooh, now reruns of Hells Kitchen, that sounds perfect."

"We always agree on the food stuff."

"I fantasize about stuffing my face, you fantasize about obscure kitchen appliances."

"We all have our things."

The back door opened and Adam came in, not surprised to see the two women cuddled up together in the middle of the bed with "junk food" wrappers strewn about.

"If you two are going to have an affair, you could at least be discreet about it," he commented, grabbing a bag of marshmallows from the kitchen cupboard.

"You learn to pick up your towels and I won't need a mistress," Lindsay shot back. She received a marshmallow to the face, which Austin promptly saved by eating.

"I'll leave you to it then," he sighed, rolling his eyes before leaning down to kiss Lindsay goodnight. Austin made a gagging noise and Adam reached over to flick her forehead.

"Hey!"

"All's fair in family. Goodnight."

The back door slammed behind him and Austin giggled.

"He looks a lot better too."

"Hate to see him go, love to watch him leave."

"Oh geez, you know that's not what I meant."

"No, but it's what I meant."

Lindsay grinned.

"Yeah, everything does feel pretty normal finally. Except the fact that we now have middle schoolers."

"I'm totally freaked out."

"I looked at Colton the other day and realized that he's probably going to be taller than me in two years."

"Lin, everyone is going to be taller than you in two years."

"Oh shut up!"

Austin laughed and shook her head.

"Thanks for puttin' up with me."

"Ditto."

"Hey, did Adam really teach the kids to dance?"

"Hmm?"

"When Ben was dancing with me tonight he said Adam taught them how because "boys should know how to waltz and girls should know how to lead." He counted my steps for me and everything."

"Yeah, Adam taught them. It was hilarious, he made the boys dance together and it was Ben's turn to lead and he was counting the steps all dramatically and every time they turned in a circle Colton gave me this look like "I will kill you where you stand right now." Avery just clapped and told them how "most good" they did, dancing like a loving pair of gentlemen."

"And you didn't make a video?"

"I was laughing too hard."

"I had to take Isabeth bra shopping the other day."

"Wait, you survived that?"

"It wasn't so bad. She went on a rant about how she could just "tape the ridiculous things down once they sprout up," but then she actually found some bras she didn't think were repulsive or oppressive."

"Alls well that-"

"I didn't say she was wearing them, I said she liked them."

"Well at least she hasn't sprouted much, as it were."

"I figure now she has them, she can wear them when she wants to and if she doesn't want to well, I don't think anyone will be surprised that she goes her own way."

"Very true. You know, I didn't sprout until I was fifteen. I remember being eleven and crying my eyes out because I thought my life was over. I actually asked my mom if I was a boy from the waist up. She laughed so hard she had to leave the room and then she tried to make my dad come in and talk to me. He just stood in the doorway squeezing his cowboy hat in his hands, not saying a word. Puberty sucked."

"Amen sister friend. Just wait until Averylin hits it."

"Oh I know. She's going to be a bucket of fun. She already bawls when she's happy and bawls when she's sad. I can't imagine what it will be like with hormones."

"Most fabulous."

Lindsay giggled and shook her head.

"It'll be an adventure. I'm beginning to think after all this stuff the last year, I can do anything."

"I've always known that."

"Thanks for the faith."

"Anytime Lin. Anytime."