Tricky Measures Chapter 1, a ncis: los angeles fanfic

"What were you thinking?!" Kira shrieked at her parents. "You're too old to have another baby!"

Callen frowned at her. "Excuse me?" He was appalled by her rudeness.

"You may not speak to us like that, no matter what you think," Anna said.

Kira pulled herself together. She did know better. "Sorry, Mama. Sorry, Papa," she said. "Cajn't we get rid of Nikolai? All he does is mess everything up or destroy it."

"He's still a baby," replied her mother. "He's not even three yet."

Hurt showed in Callen's eyes, and Anna put her arm around him.

"Kira, what's really going on?" her father asked.

"Well, he isn't a baby! He's nearly three!" she shouted. "And he is a nightmare to have around!"

Callen looked at Anna, and shook his head imperceptibly.

"Kira," her mother said sharply. "All you're doing is hurting our feelings. None of you were planned. You were all accidents, and we wouldn't change a thing. We love all four of you very much, but that is neither here nor there. What is bothering you?"

"Nothing is," Kira replied saucily. "Unless you count Nikolai," she added with an extra touch of snark to her tone.

Callen took umbrage. His voice was low and even, so Anna knew how angry he was. "Here's the deal, Kira. Your next two weekends will be spent right here."

"No-o-o-o-o!"

Anna glared at her oldest child. "Yes. If you say anything else, we'll make it the entire month."

Kira's mouth opened and closed. Then she added, "You can't do that! I'm fourteen now, so I can do what I want!"

"You mean like an adult?" Callen asked.

"Yes!" she screamed at him, storming off to go to her room.

Callen looked at Anna. "You game?"

"I am indeed. When?" She pushed him into the wall and kissed him passionately.

He returned the kiss with as much feeling.

"Ewwwww!"

They popped apart.

"What gives, little girl?"

"Papa, Anya is mean," Raisa said.

Anna raised her eyebrow. "How about you stay in your own room, and not hers?" said her wise mother.

"Oh, man," the eight-year-old replied, clomping away, and trying to look like Quasimodo.

"Pizza?" Anna asked.

"NO!"

Anna's eyes opened wide. "Oww?"

"Oh, God! I'm so sorry, baby," Callen said. He hugged her close, and then nuzzled her. "We are having Chinese tonight, and the adults are in charge of tonight's dinner."

Several minutes later, Anya breezed over to the couch where her parents were now cuddling.

"Don't you two ever stop?!" she said, using her eleven-year-old wisdom, and gawking at her parents as they kissed each other hard. "Isn't that how you get babies? We sure as hell don't need another one in this house!"

"Oh, boy," said Callen with a smirk.

"Chetverg," Anna replied. (Thursday.)

Anya's eyes opened very wide. "Pochemu, Mama?" (Why, Mama?)

"Anya, don't go there," her father replied in English. "You know exactly why, and it's not open for discussion."

"Yes, Papa."

Anna clarified it. "You may speak only at school."

"Yes, Mama." She stomped off.

Callen stood up, and held out his hand. "Come on, baby. I think we should go up to our room."

Anna took his hand, and then hugged him. "Ya tebya lyublyu."

Callen decided to sit on the big blue chair. He drew Anna down onto his lap and cuddled her because he felt like it. She melted into her favorite niche with her face buried in his neck.

"I want to sleep here and stay here forever," she said softly.

"Not a problem," he replied, snuggling her.

Anna was just about asleep when Nikolai exploded into their room.

"Mama! Ice cream!" the little boy demanded, while he jumped on his bed. "Ice cream! Now!" He got off the bed and shook her leg roughly.

"Nikolai! Stop it!" she said.

"No, Mama!" the thirty-four-month-old yelled. "Ice cream! Now!" he repeated, hitting his mother as hard as he could.

Callen became very angry. "Nikolai! We do not hit in this family, and I will not tolerate you hitting Mama!" He glanced at Anna, and saw that she was trying to hide her tears from him. "No videos for you for two days, Nikolai."

"Yes!" Nikolai screamed.

"Three days. Not until Thursday," Callen added. "Don't make a sound. If you do, I will put you to bed right now."

Nikolai looked at his father's face, and did not like what he saw. He left the room feeling sorry for himself.

"Oh, boy," Callen muttered. He tapped Anna, and she moved just enough for him to fit on the chair with her. He shook his head in amusement. "Cute. Get up, bat baby."

But she wouldn't move, and sat with a smirk on her face.

Callen wedged himself under her, and then lifted her onto his lap. He kissed her forehead.

"You okay now?"

In response, Anna flipped onto her knees, and tucked her arms in. "No, Callen. I'm not all right. None of the kids have ever hit me before, and it hurts worse than the hit itself." She started to cry again.

Callen felt horrible. "I wish I could make you feel better," he said softly, wrapping his arms around her.

"You are, just by holding me, my love," she answered.

He sat holding her for a little while, until he had to get up. He kissed her, and then carried her to their bed. She was very amenable to taking a real nap. Anna put her arms up, so Callen leaned over and gave her a hasty kiss before he dove into the bathroom. Anna chuckled, and then burrowed into her bed. She fell asleep very quickly.

Callen finished up, and left the bathroom. En route to the bedroom door, he tripped over Nikolai's toddler bed, and stumbled, landing flat on his face. He was winded, but okay. When he stood up, Callen got growlingly angry. On the spur of the moment, he decided to call a family meeting.

He banged on all of the bedroom doors, and insisted that the girls meet him in the dining room. Then he fished Nikolai out of the downstairs bathroom where he was clogging the toilet with the roll of toilet paper that was on the spool.

He put Nikolai in his tall chair, and sat down. The girls squabbled over who was sitting where…until their father corrected the situation.

"Hear me," he said, "as I am saying this only once: Get in your own places right now!"

All three got up, and shuffled around. They grumped and slouched.

"Why do we have to do this?" Kira asked.

Callen glared at her. "Because I said so!"

Anya raised her hand.

"Okay, baby, but only for this meeting," her intuitive father said.

"Thank you, Papa," Anya said.

Kira's eyes opened wide. "It's true?"

Anya frowned. "Really, Kira? You live here, too, you dumbass!"

Callen gave her the eye. "Pyatnitsa?" (Friday?)

"No, Papa!"

He glanced at each of his children, and became upset at the dark looks on all of their faces. He put his head in his hands for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. Then he looked up at his children.

"Guys, what's going on? Almost overnight, you have changed from a very loving family to one filled with a lot of hatred and disrespect for everyone including yourselves, and your mom and I don't understand it. It's hurting both of us, but especially her.

"Where did Nikolai learn to hit? Better yet, why has he learned to hit? Anya…what's with the potty mouth? We don't talk like that here. Kira, both Mama and I understand you better than you think. Our job is to help you learn to deal with all of it. Raisa, Mama and I have noticed that you're trying to behave badly like your sisters, but we are not totally clear on why." He paused for a breath.

"Papa, what did Nikolai hit?" asked Anya.

Looking her square in the eye, he replied, "He hit Mama when he wasn't able to have some ice cream."

Anya was rendered speechless, and she was very upset by the mere idea of hitting her mother.

Kira's face blanched, and Callen realized that she was involved. He was pretty sure that she had been hitting her baby brother when he became too irritating.

Raisa was horrified. "Nikolai, you cannot hit Mama. You're supposed to hug and kiss Mama, and not hurt her!"

"Guys, Mama and I are very upset by all of these things, so there will be no popcorn for the movie tonight."

"That's not fair!" Kira complained.

"That's fine," Callen said congenially. "You will be upstairs during the movie."

Their favorite night during the week was Monday because it was Movie Night. Homework, dinner, clean up, and bedtime rituals had to be completely finished and put away in order to watch the movie. It was rare when anyone missed it.

"Here's what else: Mama and I are going out for dinner tonight. We may or may not make it back in time for the movie, but don't worry. I am asking Bubbie to stay with you."

"What about Dedushka?" Raisa asked. She adored her grandfather.

Callen smirked in spite of himself. "Not on a school night, baby."

Raisa laughed. "Okay, Papa."

Anya stared at her father. "Papa, why do you have a black and red thing on your face?" She pointed to her own jaw.

He looked very surprised. "I do?"

Anna walked up behind him, and snaked her arms around his neck. She nibbled on him for a moment.

"Mama, are you a vampire?" Raisa laughed.

"She sure is!" Callen replied quickly.

"Oh, ewww," Anya said.

Anna looked at her namesake. "Not ewww. You aren't old enough, baby. When you are, it won't be ewww anymore." She moved in front of her man, and examined his face. Then she kissed his bruise. "What happened, my love?"

Callen shook his head. "I'll tell you later, baby."

Anna surveyed the group. "What's going on?"

Anya made a face. "We're all grounded."

"Oh, boy," their mother sympathized.

"Why do you talk like Papa?" groused Kira.

"Why not?" Anna replied.

Callen intervened quickly. "Never mind, both of you!"

Anya and Raisa laughed. They thought it was funny that their father had busted their mother, too.

He pulled out his phone and poked Roberta's number. When she answered, he explained what was going on. She was very agreeable to babysitting for a few hours.

Kira spoke up. "Why'd you tell her I have to stay in my room?"

Anna looked startled, but she stayed quiet.

Callen looked his eldest daughter straight in the eye. "Would you have been truthful?"

Kira made a face.

"I thought so," her father replied.

When Roberta arrived, Anna and Callen kissed most of their children good bye, and then left.

Roberta looked at Kira. "It's a shame you're too old for such things now," she observed.

Kira glared at her.

Raisa said, "Bubbie, she thinks she's a grown up."

"Shut up, brat!"

"Oh, yeah?" Roberta scanned the motley crew in front of her, and made a quick decision. "Okay, people. We are eating in the kitchen tonight, so let's go, all of you."

"Why?" whined Kira.

Roberta lifted Nikolai into his high chair.

"No, no, no, no, Bubbie!" Nikolai screamed, standing up so he could climb down.

Roberta snatched him and dangled him in front of her. Then she looked him in the eye. "Do you want to go to bed right now and miss the movie, or do you want to have some pizza with us?"

Nikolai made a face, and then spat at her.

"Oh, boy," Roberta said, and the younger girls laughed. She glanced sternly at them. "What's so funny?"

"You talk like Papa, too," Raisa answered, and Anya nodded in agreement.

Roberta smiled. "Thanks for the compliment," she said. "Okay. What would Papa do about the spitting?"

Anya hastily wrote an answer on a sheet of paper. She gave it to Raisa to read aloud.

"'When Papa gets mad at us for spitting, he flicks water on us.'"

Roberta's eyes opened real wide. "You spat at your papa?"

"Oh, no!" Raisa replied. "I spitted on Mama when I was four, and I got in really big trouble, too."

Kira burst out laughing. "She did, Bubbie. Papa flicked the water on her face, and Mama did, too. Then she got grounded for a whole week!"

"And I never, ever spitted again!" Raisa concluded.

"Everybody, take a seat," Roberta directed. She waited until the girls were settled. "Here's the deal. We are having pizza, but we are not ordering it. The adult will be making it from scratch."

"Bubbie, you're the adult," Kira pointed out.

"No, I'm not. I'm the babysitter," Roberta shot back. She was very happy that Callen had briefed her before she arrived. "Babysitters don't do the cooking. Just nannies do, and we don't have a nanny here."

Anya laughed, but didn't say a word.

Roberta silenced Raisa with a stern glance, and the little girl nodded. She looked at Kira. "What's it going to be? The movie will be on in less than an hour and a half. If you guys don't get organized, you're all going to starve because there is no popcorn tonight."

Both Anya and Raisa shot dirty looks at their big sister. Nikolai banged the tray on his high chair.

"Why should I do this? I'm not even allowed to go to the movie tonight," Kira complained loudly.

"That's fine," Roberta said. "If you go upstairs now, you won't have to deal with it at all."

"Really, Bubbie? Oh, thank you!" Kira squeaked excitedly as she tore upstairs to her room. She slammed the door.

"She's not s'posed to do that, Bubbie," tattled Raisa.

"I know," Roberta replied. "Look, kids. There won't be any pizza tonight, but we will have sandwiches and things. Anya, please pull out every single cold cut you have, and Raisa, find all of the condiments and trimmings, please."

"Okay, Bubbie," Raisa said. In a flash, both girls had piled everything on the counter.

Roberta took Nikolai out of his chair. "You go get the paper plates, please."

The little boy knew exactly where to find the plates, and he pulled the entire package from the cabinet.

"Bubbie!" he shouted.

Roberta laughed. She took the package and put it on the counter. Then she dragged a chair over, and told Nikolai to climb up.

"Bubbie," said Raisa, "he's not allowed up there."

"Raisa, are you watching the movie tonight?" She pointed to the breads, and Nikolai chose the plain whole wheat bread.

"Yes, Bubbie," Raisa said. "Sorry, Bubbie." She sat quietly while Anya giggled. In a few minutes, Nikolai was happily eating his self-made sandwich.

Raisa didn't want the chair, so Roberta put it back. She dawdled slightly and didn't have time to make a second sandwich.

In contrast, Anya pulled out six slices of mini bread, and put her sandwiches together as if they were part of an assembly line.

Then Roberta made a pair of sandwiches for herself. She cleaned up the entire production, and then chased the three kids upstairs to the bathroom to get washed up. When they were finished, they herded down to the living room with their blankies and dove onto the couch. Nikolai began to cry.

"Is he okay?" Roberta asked.

Anya shook her head and held up her blanket.

"Oh, no! My bad!" Roberta said. "'I'll go get it myself."

"Hey, Bubbie," Raisa called. "He likes the blue one."

In a moment, she returned with the prized blanket. Nikolai was so excited that he got up to give her a hug.

"Thank you, Bubbie!" he said.

Several days later, Anna was painting Callen's jaw with her hide-it makeup.

"You know you never did tell me what happened," Anna commented. She finished up, and then kissed his hidden bruise.

"I tripped over his bed."

Anna's jaw dropped. "But…"

"Right on my face, and that's why we are rearranging all of the kids' bedrooms this weekend. I want him out of here!"

"He's only a baby," she objected.

He stood up in front of her, and cupped her face in his hands. "Anna, baby, I know he's your youngest child and only son, but he really needs his own space now…please."

She buried her face in his groin, and put her arms around him. "Callen, no-o-o-o…"

He sat down again and clasped her to him. "I'm sorry, Anna, but I really feel he is old enough to have his own room. To be honest, I want my space back, too."

She nodded, afraid to speak. She didn't want to cry.

"Please?"

Then she looked up at him. "Callen, I do understand you way better than you think. I just don't like hearing it out loud."

He studied her face, and by instinct, he sensed that she was more than ready to reclaim her room.

"Anna…"

"Callen…"

"You know we are not going to fight over this," he added, hoping he wasn't pushing her too hard.

She rubbed her face on him. "I know. It's just going to be weird."

He smushed her. "Yes, it is, but seriously, I think it'll be fun, too. For all of us, not just Nikolai."

"Get out! Get out of my room!" Kira screamed at Nikolai. "Stop touching my things!" She swung at him, and missed.

The little boy grabbed a handful of her makeup and threw it. Then he picked up her pencil kit and hurled it across the room.

"I play, too," he said, snatching her shoes and holding his hands up in the air.

"Drop them right now!" Kira commanded. "Ow!" she yelped as one grazed her face. "Get out!" She whacked him repeatedly. "GET OUT!"

Nikolai burst into tears. He did not understand his biggest sister. All he wanted to do was play with her, but she consistently rejected him. He ran out of the room, looking for his mother.

"Mama!" he yelled. "Mama!" He burst into his parents' room and threw himself down on his bed and cried. He felt horrible.

Raisa and Anya looked at each other.

"You think she hit him again?" Raisa asked.

"Oh, yes. A lot, too. She isn't going to like it when Papa and Mama catch up to her," replied Anya.

"Anya, why does she hit him? She never hit us."

"I don't know. He is a lot younger than you. Maybe that's why."

Raisa had had enough. She changed the subject. "What's eight times nine?"

Anya flopped over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "It's seventy-two," she said. She had very vivid memories of learning her multiplication tables.

Raisa transposed the digits and wrote twenty-seven on her paper. "Okay. How about four times nine?"

"Raisa! You got to learn them by yourself! I had to!" Anya said, sitting up. "Thirty-six."

The little girl wrote sixty-six on her paper. "Hey! I'm done!" She gathered up her papers and stuffed them haphazardly into her backpack.

"Thank God," said the older sister. "Raisa, do you think that Kira will cook dinner tonight like Papa and Mama said?"

"Oh, hell, no!"

Anna stopped in her tracks. Raisa was using bad words, too? She couldn't believe her ears. She dropped the laundry basket on the floor outside the closed door. Then she knocked on it.

"Girls, what's going on?" she asked through the door.

"Nothing, Mama," Anya replied hurriedly. "We finished our homework." She opened the door to let her mother in.

"Are you sure? I heard some bad words just now, and both of you need to stop!" Anna looked at her girls. "We don't talk like that in our family, and you are not starting now."

"But the other kids do it," argued Anya.

Anna frowned. "You mean your friends? I really don't care. We taught you to have respect for other people, and potty mouths aren't respectful. Why do you want to behave like that?"

"Because it's cool," Anya said.

"No, it isn't," her mother said. "Not at all. Being cool is being yourself, without being phony."

"Ewww," said Raisa.

"I beg your pardon?!"

"Mama, I am not cool. I'm not anything," Raisa said. "Everybody thinks I'm dumb."

"Oh, boy," Anna said. "Look. Get this room straightened up, and then do Raisa's room, okay? We'll talk more about this, but not right now." She turned around and picked up the laundry basket.

"Yes, Mama," both girls replied.

Anna carried the basket into her own room, only to find Nikolai crying his heart out. She threw down the basket and picked him up, sitting on the blue chair to cuddle him.

Nikolai was beyond upset. He was shaking and red-faced. Seeing him like that upset his mother to no end.

She clutched him to her, holding him as tightly as she could. "What happened, baby?"

"Her…her keeped hitting me."

"What?" Anna moved him away from her so she could see his face.

"Her hitted me, Mama." He wiggled a bit, and buried his face in her shoulder as he began to cry again.

Anna felt sick to her stomach. She had been struggling with hearing about Kira hitting Nikolai, and having it confirmed by her baby himself made her sick. She rocked him as slow, hot tears trickled down her face.

Callen entered the room carrying another laundry basket. He dumped its contents onto his bed, and set the basket inside the bathroom door. Then he saw Anna sitting with Nikolai. He squatted beside them and rubbed Anna's arm.

"What happened, baby?"

"She has been hitting him. He told me just now!"

"Okay, okay. We'll talk to her later," Callen replied. He rubbed his son's back. "Are you okay now, baby?" he asked him.

Nikolai looked at his father. "Yes, Papa. Mama helped me."

Callen chuckled. "Yes. That's what Mama does," he agreed. "She's good at it, too."

The little boy stared at his father. He was in complete agreement, but he couldn't figure out how his father knew how comforting his mother was. He reached out to hug his father, and Callen hugged him.

After a minute, Nikolai wanted to get down. Before he did, he turned back so he could kiss his mother.

"Bye, Mama! I go play now!" And he climbed off his mother's lap and ran out of the room.

Callen laughed. "Hi, Mama! I go kiss now!" He wrapped Anna in his arms and hugged her first, and then he kissed her. "Are you okay, baby?"

She laid her head on his shoulder. "I'll be okay, Callen. But she really is hitting him."

"I know, Anna. We will talk to her, but not until after we get the rooms sorted out."

She nodded. "I know we have to do it." She caught sight of their bed. "But not until after you put the laundry away!"

Down in the kitchen, Anna pulled out the fixings for sandwiches. She laid out the bread, and then piled up on each piece cold cuts and trimmings. After she topped them, she cut them in half, and put them on a platter. She also brought a large bag of chips with her into the dining room. Then Anna returned for the plates and a few condiments and sides, and put them on the table as well. She skipped the drinks completely.

Raisa came rip-roaring through.

"Hold on!" said her mother. "Please go get the other kids and Papa. It's time for lunch."

"Okay, Mama," Raisa replied, and she tore off.

A few moments later, the entire family burst into the dining room and sat in their seats.

Kira glanced at her mother. She thought something was off, and she frowned. She took a sandwich from the platter.

Callen glared at her.

"What? I'm hungry!"

"There is nothing wrong with waiting until the platter is passed around," he said. "Kira, it isn't all about you. You are only one member of this family. We're all in this together, and you need to remember this."

"Oh, no," the teenager growled. "I hate this!"

A soft voice cut through the flying anger. "What do you hate, Kira? The family, or yourself?"

Kira stared at her mother. She was at a loss for words.

Anna continued, "This goes for all of you. Papa and I love you all very much. The bad attitudes and nastiness toward each other are not what this family is about. If you see your friends behaving like that, leave it at school. Do not bring their ugly behavior to our family. It will not be tolerated."

"Most of you are grounded this week anyway," Callen put in. "That isn't going to change. We have rules in this family, and if you choose to break them, then expect consequences."

"Why?"

He frowned at Kira. "Why not? You keep saying you're an adult. Well, when adults break the law, they get consequences. Some even go to jail."

"Hmmph!" she snorted. "I'm already in jail!"

"If you say so," Callen answered, "but we are not discussing that now."

"No, we are not," Anna said. "We have something very important to discuss…even though there are no choices involved with this."

Anya frowned. She didn't like what she was hearing. "What are you doing to us, Mama?"

Anna shook her head. "Nothing at all. Papa and I don't 'do' anything to any of you, and you all know this."

"How come you never beat us?" Kira asked.

Callen looked sad. He glanced at Anna, who nodded imperceptibly. "Look, guys. We don't believe in it. There is no reason to beat kids. Nobody knows that better than the both of us."

"Why, Papa?" Raisa asked.

"We were not raised at home by our parents," Callen said. "I had no parents, and Mama was raised in a boarding school."

"The people did not treat us properly," Anna said. "We were hurt."

Their daughters stared at them, open-mouthed. What were they saying, all three wondered.

"Mama, were you beaten?" Anya asked.

"Sometimes," Anna replied.

Anya looked at her father.

"All the time," he said. "There is no way on God's green earth that we will beat you, no matter how rotten your behavior is.

"Kira, you've been excessively mean toward Nikolai, and Mama and I know this. Nobody told us, but we do know. All you had to do was tell us that he was bothering you, and not hit him. We do not hit in this family, and you will not be the one starting it. Not ever. Ty ponimayesh' menya?"

She was so shocked that she could do nothing except agree with him. "Da, Papa."

Anna surveyed her family. "Okay. That was one thing. The next is the flux of bad words. What's with that, Anya? Papa and I know you are the source, and you said you do it to be cool. Well, it isn't cool. It makes you look uneducated. You want to be cool? Then be yourself. You can't get better than that."

Then she directed her attention to her son. "Nikolai, you need to stop annoying your sisters. Kira has no business hitting you, but that is a consequence from bothering her. Stay away from her when she is in her room. Okay?"

Nikolai made a face. "Mama, her not like me."

Callen's eyes opened wide. "Why are you saying that, Nikolai?"

"'Cause her don't. Her mean."

Anna focused on her first-born, and felt something akin to a knife being plunged into her heart. "Kira, why not? He is your brother. All he wants is some time to play with you."

"I don't play with babies!" she shot back.

"Oh, boy," said Callen. "It's going to be a while before you play with anyone again."

Anna cut her off. "Don't even say it, Kira," she said as Kira opened her mouth to rebut. "You are very grounded for now. Do you have any idea how badly you are making me feel? Nikolai is my baby, not yours. You cannot discipline him."

Callen supported her. "He is my baby, too, Kira. Your treatment of him is hurting us very badly. We know why you hit him, but we don't understand it. Other than messing with your stuff, which is what any toddler would do, what does he do that is so bad?"

Anna squinted at her daughter. "Don't answer that, Kira! Papa and I both know what you're going to say, and to be honest, we don't want to hear it.

"We said this the other day: None of you were planned. You just happened. Nikolai was a great surprise for Papa, and for me as well, since we already had a lot of girls. But, he just happened, too."

Feeling brazen, Kira dared to ask, "Are you getting any more babies? I swear to God if you do, I will run away!"

Anna ran out of the room.

Callen looked at his eldest daughter without saying a word. The younger girls sat in the uncomfortable silence as well, and it was a long minute before he could speak.

"Why would you hurt us like that, Kira?" he asked. "Mama and I love having babies, and the kids that they grow into. Nikolai is no different.

"It's a shame you feel like that, Kira. Neither Mama nor I was raised at home, and we promised ourselves that we would do our level best to raise our children ourselves. We do not want any kids to go through what we went through. In addition to being beaten, I was raised in thirty-seven foster homes. No kid should have to deal with that."

Raisa was confused. "Papa, doesn't foster home mean that you lived with somebody else instead of your own mama and papa?"

"Yes, baby, it does," he answered truthfully. "I lost my mom when I was five, and I never knew my dad, and there is no way that Mama or I would let that happen to any of you! No way at all."

Raisa got up and hugged her father. "Are you okay, Papa?"

Callen scrunched his eyes closed. "Yes. I am now, baby," he replied, returning the hug.

"You're the best papa!" she declared, giving him a kiss on his cheek.

"Papa, where is Mama?" Anya asked.

"I don't know, baby. She was very upset when she ran out of here," he replied. "We're not quite finished, though."

The three girls groaned loudly.

"Never mind," said their father. "The last thing is bedrooms."

"Bedrooms?!" said Anya.

"Yep," said her father.

"But, later," he continued. "Right now, I have to tend to Mama."

"Why?" Kira asked.

He gave her a look that would freeze the sun. "Because that's what I do. Kira, she is my wife, and somebody I love more than anyone else in the world. She is my friend, my lover, and my wife. More importantly, she is the mother of my children, and that makes her very special."

"Don't you get it, Kira?" Raisa asked. "He's s'posed to take care of her. He is married to her!"

"Papa, what's lover?" Anya asked.

"Oh, boy," he said. He felt Anna's arms surround his neck, and he rubbed them.

"It's when mamas and papas make out," she said.

Raisa and Anya looked at each other. "Ewwww!" they said in unison, and then they giggled.

"It won't be ewwww when you grow up, girls," Anna repeated. "In the meantime, we need to talk bedrooms."

"Why?" all three asked, very worried.

"Because there are going to be huge changes in this family," Callen said. "Everything is all mixed up and Mama and I have figured a way to fix it."

"Are we going to like it?" Anya asked.

"Probably not," her mother replied, "but that's too bad. You will learn to deal with it."

"Oh, boy," Kira said.

Her family laughed.

"Mama, what are you going to do?" Raisa was worried.

"For starters, Nikolai is getting his own room," Anna said. She scanned her children's faces for reactions.

Kira reacted first. "Say what?! How? We don't have enough rooms!"

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Callen said, with a smirk.

Anya slumped. "This does not sound promising."

"Only time will tell," said her mother.

The doorbell rang, and Anya went to answer it.

"Uncle Sam!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, baby," Sam greeted her, giving her a fist bump. "Where is everybody?"

"In here, Sam," Anna called. "Come and join us."

Several minutes later, the doorbell rang again. Nikolai ran to answer it; his mother was hot on his tail.

"No, baby. You're not old enough yet," she cautioned, lifting him into her arms. She opened the door to admit Deeks. "Hey…"

"Heya, Anna," Deeks said.

"The boys are in the dining room," Anna said, following him.

Raisa looked at her mother. "Why is Uncle Marty here?"

"Because he is going to help Papa and Uncle Sam," Anna replied, "and you guys are all going to go into the living room to watch a movie. Let's go!"

"Can we have popcorn?" Kira asked.

"I don't know. None of you finished your lunch!"

While Anna herded the kids into the living room, Callen took his friends upstairs, and explained what was going on. Both men thought the entire project was a great idea.

The first thing they did was to move Raisa's furniture out into the hallway. After Callen vacuumed it, they moved Nikolai's bed into that room. With a little ingenuity, they figured out where his dresser and toybox were, so they moved those items, too.

Next, they pulled Anya's belongings from her room, and stacked everything in the hallway. Callen ran the vacuum cleaner, and then Sam and Deeks moved Kira's things into that room.

Last, Callen vacuumed that room, and Sam and Deeks moved Anya's and Raisa's things into Kira's room, and arranged the furniture accordingly with Callen's help. They were exhausted when they were finished.

"Guys, thank you," Callen said gratefully. "We totally appreciate this," he added.

"Not a problem," Sam said. "Are you painting anything?"

Callen shook his head. "Not right now."

Deeks laughed. "Won't they hate everything?"

"Probably," Callen replied, "and at the moment, I really don't care. Let's count it as part of their not-quite-permanent grounding."

Sam's eyes opened wide. "Say what?"

"You don't want to know!"

Sam smirked. "You're probably right, although I get it."

"You guys up for some pizza and beer?" Callen asked.

"For sure!" said Deeks.

Callen called, and had three pizzas and two sixes of beer delivered. He brought it all to the kitchen, and the three men, along with Anna, sat out there and had an impromptu party with a lot of laughter and nonsense. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Their raucous party piqued the interest of the nosy girls, and they wanted to know what was so funny. Anya and Kira went to snoop, and they saw nothing.

"Raisa, they weren't doing anything except talking and eating, and drinking beer," Anya said.

"Boring," said Kira.

"But they keep laughing," Raisa observed.

"Maybe it is better being a kid," Kira concluded.

"Oh, dear God!" Kira yelped when she ran up to her room that night. "Where's my stuff, and why is theirs in here? It's my room!"

"Not anymore," her father explained. "Your room is here." He stood by the door to Anya's room.

"That's not my room!"

"Not a problem," Anna said. "You can bring your sleeping bag out here, and sleep in the hallway, or even in the bathroom."

"No-o-o-o!" Kira objected.

"Then pull yourself together," Callen commanded. "The only other solution is to have you share with Raisa."

Kira shook her head wildly. "Nope!"

Anna made a face that Callen thought was a smirk. "If not Raisa, then Nikolai."

Kira became apoplectic.

Callen put her in her new room, and sat her down on the bed. Then Anna joined them.

"You can stay in here by yourself, or you can share with Nikolai. You decide," he said.

Raisa and Anya ran down the hall to what had been Raisa's room. They were shocked to find Nikolai's belongings in it.

"Where's your stuff?" Anya asked.

"I don't know!"

Then they heard loud voices coming from Anya's room, so they avoided it completely. Cautiously, they went down the hall to Kira's room, and peeked in.

"Oh, my gosh!" Anya said. "My stuff is in here, and so is yours!"

They turned on the light, and stood dumbfounded for a few minutes.

"Wow!" breathed Raisa. "I like this. Do you?" She climbed up on her bed and began jumping on it.

Anya glanced around, and then began checking things. Even though their furniture was in the wrong room, nothing was disturbed. She climbed up on her own bed and began to jump.

"Yes! This is going to be fun!" Anya shouted.

Momentarily, their sharp-eared mother came to stand inside the doorway. She watched them jump, but did not say a word.

Raisa saw her first. "Oh, shoot!" she exclaimed, bringing her jumping to an abrupt halt. She sat cross-legged on her bed.

Then Anya's eyes almost jumped out of her head. She sat down very quickly.

"Pochemu?" (Why?)

"Potomu chto my schastlivy," Anya said. "Mama, we like our new room." (Because we are happy.)

"Thank you!" Raisa squeaked. She got up and hugged her mother.

Callen entered the room. He noticed his daughters' flushed faces. "Really?"

"Yes, Papa," Anya admitted. "Mama already told us to stop."

"That's fine," he said, joining them. He held his arms out, and Anna went right to him, and he hugged her.

"Papa, why do you do that?" Anya asked.

He squeezed Anna. "Because I love her, and I like to hold her."

Anna smiled at her children. "When you grow up, I hope you both find someone like your papa to love."

"Guys, a word of caution," Callen offered. "You know you won't be able to stay up all night talking, right?"

Raisa made a face. "Right."

Anna smirked. "We have decided to give you a few minutes to talk before you have to settle down. Both of you will go to bed at eight-thirty, and be allowed to whisper until nine o'clock."

Anya frowned. "So early?"

"Well, you can keep your current bedtimes, but there will be no time for talking. Raisa will already be in bed, so, Anya, you will not be able to make a sound or turn on the light. How's that?"

"Papa, it sucks!"

Anna shot her a dirty look. "Then use your common sense, please."

Raisa burst out laughing. "Anya, I told you a long time ago that they are tricky!"

Both parents laughed, and left the room.

"I like the talk period," Anya said.

Anna and Callen wandered down the hallway to Raisa's room that was now Nikolai's. They knocked on the door, and then opened it. A humongous mess met their eyes, but they were glad to see it.

"Mama! Toys! Her put toys for me!"

"Oh!" Anna reacted.

"Oh, wow," Callen said. "That was nice of her. Nikolai, is that your Cars bed?"

The little boy raced over to his bed, and climbed up on it so he could jump on it.

"Yes, Papa!" he shouted.

"That's very nice," Anna praised. "Baby, your clean up time is seven-thirty, like usual. Okay?"

"Yes, Mama," he replied without really grasping what she was saying. He was too excited to concentrate.

They left, and Callen brought Anna to their own room. He was very happy that he had thought to restore it to what it had been when they first moved into the house. He turned on the overhead light.

"Callen!" Anna gasped when she saw her bistro table. "I think I need to jump on my bed!"

A few days later, Anna was sorting and folding the laundry, and she had it scattered all over her bed.

"Mama! Mama!" cried Raisa. "Mama!" She burst into her mother's room.

Anna stopped and turned to her youngest daughter. "What on earth happened, baby?"

"They keep saying I'm dumb and stupid," she cried.

Anna put her arms around her. "Who does?" She brought her over to the blue chair and sat down.

"No, Mama! I'm not a baby!"

"What? You think this chair is only to comfort babies?"

"Yah," Raisa moaned.

"Oh, boy," said Anna. "If that's the case, then I must be the biggest baby of all!"

"What?"

Anna picked up Raisa and put her on her lap. "Baby, you aren't too big. Papa sits here with me, too. I love when he comforts me here. But you need to tell me what's going on."

Raisa leaned on her mother. "The kids all think I'm stupid because I got a ten on my test today."

"Oh, dear. Math?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Ten isn't good, but I understand you. I was terrible in Math as a kid. I used to cheat off the kid next to me."

Raisa laughed. "You did? Oooh! What did Papa say?" To her, her father was the be-all and end-all of everything.

Anna laughed in response. "I don't think I ever told him."

"Oooh! Maybe we shouldn't tell him I got a ten?"

The mother shook her head. "It's not that simple, baby. He already knows you're not doing well."

"Oh."

Anna hugged her child for long time. Knowing that her classmates were making fun of her daughter upset her a great deal.

Not too much later, her father came home. He was a little banged up, but otherwise, he was okay.

"You got shot at?"

"I did, but I'm all right, baby. What happened?"

"She flunked her Math test today."

"That's too bad," Callen said. "We can ground her for Saturday."

"No, Callen! Not at all," Anna replied.

He frowned. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, Callen, but she should not be grounded. She is off somehow, and has been since first grade. Math isn't her thing." She kissed Raisa. "Come on, baby. You need to get up now."

Raisa did open her eyes, and the first thing she saw was her father. "Papa!" She put her arms out, and he picked her up.

"Are you okay now, baby?" he asked, hugging her closely.

Raisa locked her legs around his middle. "Yes, Papa. Will you help me with my homework tonight?" She hugged his neck.

"Sure, baby," he said, putting her down. "Up, bat."

Anna laughed and got up. He sat down, and then drew her down onto his lap. She put her head on his shoulder.

"Look, Raisa. Like this," she explained, smiling happily.

The eight-year-old gawked. "Are you going to feel better, too, Mama?"

Callen laughed outright, and Anna grinned.

"Yes, baby," she said. "I am." She kissed his neck.

"How come you do that?"

"Because we love each other," Callen replied simply. "When you grow up, your partner will take care of you this way, too."

Raisa danced over to the big chair, and then kissed both of her parents. Then she bounced out of the room.

"Help me?" Anna asked, getting up.

He looked at the mound of laundry on the bed. "Sure, but let me get washed up first."

Later that evening, Callen did sit with Raisa whille she did her homework. She zipped through everything except the Math. Even the most basic word problems were difficult for her.

Callen read the first one to her, and asked her to draw some circles to represent the numbers in the little story. As he looked at her work, he saw that the drawings did not match the numbers. He helped her work through several of the problems, but nothing changed. She either misquantified, or transposed the numbers. Even though it was painful for him, he let her to her own thing as it was less stressful.

"Papa, I'm done! Can I go watch TV now?" She hugged him.

He patted her back. "Put your stuff away first, please, baby."

"Okay, Papa!" Raisa shouted, and then she stuffed her papers into her bag. She ran off, leaving her bag on her chair, although she knew she had to put it by the front door.

Callen was very concerned about her Math papers, and made a mental note to talk to Anna about it. The more he thought about it, the more curious he became. He opened Raisa's bag and was appalled to see the haphazard mess within. He dumped it out on the table, shaking it to make sure nothing was left inside. He even checked the zippered pockets, and emptied them out as well.

"Anna!" he called.

A moment later, Anya came to him. "Mama says to tell you that she is putting Nikolai to bed and she'll be down shortly."

"Oh, boy," he answered. "Thank you, Anya. I can wait."

But he was surprised.

"You're ready?"

"Yes," Anna drawled. "He got into his bed with no problems tonight."

He put his arm around her and drew her close. "I guess he's getting used to his new room."

"I think he is," she agreed. Then she sat down. "What is all this?"

"It's the inside of Raisa's backpack."

Anna's jaw dropped. "This crazy mess?" She looked at him, incredulous.

"Yep."

"Damn," said the mother.

They both sat quiety for several minutes, processing the mess in front of them. After a while, Callen spoke.

"She isn't organized."

"I can see that." She stood up, and began to rifle through the entire stack of papers. "Help me find all of the pencils and crayons."

"Not a problem," he responded. The mound of broken crayons grew and grew, and so did the mountain of stubby pencils. "Um…no. This cannot continue!" He got up and brought the kitchen wastebasket over, and then scooped all of the crayons and pencils into it.

"All?"

"Anna, there is no way she can work comfortably with all of her things in such disarray," Callen replied. "Do you have any file folders in your Art drawer?"

"Not any more. I actually need some."

He retrieved a pencil from the wastebasket, and wrote on the back of a crumpled paper a list of supplies that Raisa needed. He looked at Anna.

"Oh, boy," he said.

She slumped onto the table. "Oh, boy for sure." She stood up and stretched. "Let me get some paper clips." She went to the console table by the front door, and grabbed two boxes of paper clips, one of which she handed to Callen. "We need to sort the papers by subject. After we do that, we can go through each clump." She pulled her glasses from her pocket and put them on.

"Sounds good," he said.

Together they went through the entire mess of wrinkled and crumpled papers, and sorted them according to their subject matter. The most consistent thing they discovered was how good all of her papers were except for the Math. Those did not make sense.

Callen studied a few of the papers. "Anna, is she dyslexic?"

"No. She can read very well, and aces most of her work in everything except Math. I think her strongest subjects are Science and Social Studies. Look." Anna handed him a stack of papers.

"Wow. These are really good. So, what's with the Math, or the lack thereof?"

"Callen, I don't know, but I do know that I want her to be tested," Anna said firmly, moving her glasses to the top of her head.

"Okay. We'll do that," he agreed. "Anna, what is she going to use for pencils and crayons tomorrow? It's too late to go to the store tonight."

She snatched his wrist, and peered at his watch. "Ten-thirty? It's ten-thirty?" she said, glancing up at him.

He looked at his watch. "I guess so," he said. "Holy cow! Do you want to check the kids, and I'll do the dishes?"

"Yes, please," she said, very glad of his offer. She gave him a kiss, and then went upstairs.

Anna went up quietly, and was dismayed to find the light on in Raisa's and Anya's room. She pushed the door open, and saw that they had both fallen asleep with the light on. She settled the covers over each of her children, kissed them, and then turned off the light.

She made her way to Kira's room, and opened the door. Kira was sound asleep in her clothes, across her bed. She had her books and papers strewn all over. Anna picked up the heavier books and put them on Kira's chair; the remainder she piled up on the floor. Then she tried to pull the blankets out from under the teenager, but it was impossible. So, Anna pulled them out from the foot of the bed, and then covered Kira as best she could. Then she kissed her, and went to check on Nikolai.

He was sound asleep, half off his bed. She picked up his legs and centered him, and then covered him with his blankets. She gave her little boy a kiss, and then stood staring at him for a few minutes. He was perfectly fine in his new room, and it made her both happy and sad at the same time. He was growing up.

Anna went down to the kitchen where she found Callen neck deep in suds.

"What happened?"

"Wrong detergent," he said with a smirk. "I'm good, but I can see that you're not. What's wrong, baby?" He rinsed off his arms and dried them. Then he hugged her. "What happened?"

Anna laid her head on his shoulder. "He's a kid now, and not a baby. I miss my baby," she mourned.

Callen leaned his head on hers. "My poor bat," he sympathized. "I know this is hard for you, but you'll be okay, Anna. I promise."

She smiled into his neck. "Spasibo, moya lyubov'," she said, hugging him with all her strength.

Callen patted and rubbed her back, soothing her. Then he released her, and tilted her head back just enough so that he could kiss her softly. "Help me?"

She grinned broadly at him. "Sure, but let me put my sleeves up."

The following week, Anna brought Raisa to an independent testing center. She explained what was happening with Raisa's school work, and wanted simple answers for the problems she was encountering. The psychologist reminded Anna that there are no easy fixes, but that there were a multitude of ways to bring the confusions under control. With a hug and a kiss, she left Raisa with the examiner.

Just over two hours later, Raisa emerged from the testing looking no worse for wear.

"That was fun, Mama," she said. "I didn't have to do any Math work!"

Anna glanced at the psychologist who shook her head. "Is it bad?"

"Not at all. Just enough to confuse her in some skills. With some training, she should be fine by the time she is in sixth grade."

"Sixth?!"

"Yes, Ms. Kolcheck. It's better to over-estimate than to under-estimate the length of time needed. It is detrimental to both the students and the parents when, or if, we under-estimate the length of time that is necessary to teach the students the skills they need."

"I see," Anna replied. "How long before we get the results?"

"Within ten days."

"Thank you, Dr. Morgan. We appreciate it."

About a week later, a mysterious-looking manila envelope arrived. In it was the report from the psychologist, and it described each testing component, and what the outcomes were.

After Callen read it, he commented, "It could be worse."

"Don't say that!" Anna objected.

"Baby, she isn't as messed up as we have been thinking. The papers say that she has trouble with place value, mathematical language, inverse operations, and even the mathematical symbols themselves. Otherwise, she is fine."

Anna leaned on him. "This is so hard for me," she said. "It's too much. First Nikolai, and now Raisa? No! Just no."

He didn't dare laugh or smirk. "My poor baby," he said softly. "I will help you deal with all of it, okay?" He put his arms around her and hugged her.

But, Anna wanted to be cuddled, so she pulled herself up, and locked her legs around him. Then she laid her head on his shoulder.

Callen made himself comfortable by leaning against a wall. He knew he wasn't going to make it upstairs to the blue chair, so he did the next best thing. He just stood there holding her.

"Oh, my God!"

He frowned at Kira. Over Anna he said, "We all need to talk, but not right now."

"No," she sassed.

"That's fine," he replied. "You'll be home every day this week until your mom and I talk to you. When is entirely up to you." He studied his eldest daughter. "Kira, why don't you like it when I take care of your mom when she is upset? What am I supposed to do with her?"

"I don't know!" Kira said. "My friends' parents don't do that!"

Callen frowned. "Do what? Fuss over their spouses?"

The teenager shrugged. "I don't know. I just know they don't."

He gently kissed Anna, and then set her down. "Go lie down upstairs, baby," he said to her.

"I will," Anna agreed, giving him a hasty kiss on the mouth before she went upstairs.

"Sit in here, Kira," Callen said, going into the dining room. He sat own and waited for her to join him. To his surprise, she did. "Please tell me how to take care of Mama when she is upset."

"I don't know, Papa," she said. "I just know that mothers and fathers don't do stuff like what you and Mama do."

"Ohhhh," he said as he achieved great clarity with her reasoning.

"Kira, baby, what you just said couldn't be farther from the truth as far as Mama and I are concerned. We don't care what other families do or don't do. When Mama is hurting, it is my job to take care of her and make her feel better."

"Why?"

He was a little startled by her question, but he also knew that she wasn't being rude.

"Why not?" he said. "Baby, it's only one aspect of adult love. We love all of you a great deal; it cannot be measured. But, loving children is different from loving your partner."

"Why?" she persisted.

"I don't know," he answered. "It just is, I guess.

"Kira, your mother is the most special person in the world to me. That has nothing to do with the relationships I have with you kids. Mama is an adult, and I have adult feelings for her, and I wouldn't trade them for anything!"

"Why?" she asked a third time.

"Okay. Kira, what's really bugging you? Normally, you show no interest in what Mama and I do, so why now, all of a sudden? Are your friends talking about it?"

She had the grace to look ashamed. "A little, I guess."

"Oh, boy. Kira, baby. You do not discuss our private lives with anyone. It's nobody's busines but ours. Do you understand that?"

"Yes."

"Then why would you do such a thing?"

She started to cry. "My friends don't get it," she explained. "They think it's a joke."

He frowned. "My relationship with your mother is not a joke, no matter how you look at it. We went through hell to get where we are now, and I wouldn't change a thing. Your mom is a very special woman, Kira, and she's a damn good mother to all of you, too."

Kira looked at her father, but didn't speak. She was having a hard time with what he had just told her. She has spent so much of the past few months wanting to be an adult, but now, she wasn't so sure. Not if you have to fuss over someone the way her parents fussed over each other. There had to be a better way.

"Kira, what's going on? Have your friends hurt you in any way?"

She shook her head, although she knew she wasn't telling the truth. "We don't like all the mushy stuff," she said at last.

"I see," said her wise father. He stood up, and held out his arms. She got up, and let him hug her. "Kira, hugging doesn't hurt. It's just one way of showing someone you love them. That's all."

In spite of herself, Kira sank into his embrace. She always felt better after her father tended to her. She just didn't want to admit it to anyone.

"Papa, is it okay if I go to bed early?"

"Sure, if that's what you want to do."

Kira lay down on her bed, but she did not sleep. She was having a very hard time with what her father had said. All her life, she knew her own family to be loving and happy. Yet, when she started junior high school, she learned that not everyone has a life like hers. After a while she began to believe that all of the violence and abuse was normal. As a result, she became very confused. She didn't know anyone who accepted their parents as the way things should be. Her friends were very distant and distrustful of their parents, and Kira wanted something similar. She didn't realize that it was her normal teenage growth that was preventing her from seeing the reality in front of her.

Soon after she lay down, her mother joined her, and she was very surprised.

"Did Papa send you?" she said begrudgingly.

Anna frowned. "He did not." She sat on the bed beside her daughter. "Kira, what is going on? You're constantly crabby. You've taken a deliberate dislike toward Nikolai. You're rude to Papa and me. You don't seem to like yourself either."

Kira gawked at her mother. How does she know all that stuff?!

Her mother continued. "Kira, you're a teenager now. That means you're going to be all mixed up about everything in life for a few years. I know I was. I was way older than a teenager when I realized that I was in love with Papa. I used to dream of meeting someone like him, and then, one day I did."

"Really? I thought you were going to shoot him and Uncle Sam."

Anna smirked. "Yes…well…let's just say I wasn't too smart back then."

"How come your mom didn't teach you?"

"I didn't live with her, Kira. I was in boarding school from when I was five, and I was there until I was twenty."

"Twenty? How come?"

"That's how it was. I don't know about now."

"What about Dedushka?"

Anna tapped Kira, who repositioned herself so she could lie against her mother. "Dedushka was too busy being a spy, and I only saw him once or twice per year, if that."

Kira sat up straight and stared at her mother. She could not envision her life without both of her parents. Yet, her mother was telling her that her parents didn't raise her anymore than her father's had raised him. But, her friends had two parents each, and couldn't stand having them around. What was happening?!

She lay down again, with her head on her mother's shoulder, and Anna put her arm around her.

"Mama, how come everything's all messed up?"

"I don't know, baby. You're a teenager now, so you're learning about life and the world, and sometimes things just don't match. Some things might even be scary or upsetting, so it's important that you have your family to take care of you. Kira, do you understand that?"

"I don't know, Mama. Maybe. Papa said almost the same thing."

Anna smiled. "He did?"

"Yes. How come?"

Her mother laughed. "Probably because we know each other so well. Kira, baby, Papa is my best friend in the whole world. I love him more than anything else. In fact, I would be lost without him."

"Mama, I know Papa said the same thing this time. How can you love each other more than anyone else, and still say you love us kids?"

"Oh, baby, it's a different kind of love. Love for your children is so powerful. When you were born, I had never felt anything like it before. I loved Papa so, so much by the time you were born, but both of us felt it. There is nothing like the love you have for your child."

"All of them?"

"Kira! That is not nice. You are hurting my feelings when you talk like that. Getting pregnant with Nikolai was a huge surprise, but we loved every minute of it."

"Why do you keep saying we? Papa wasn't pregnant."

"Oh, but he was. He might not carry the baby in his body, but he absolutely was pregnant. With all of you, in fact. With you, he insisted on eating the most bizarre, repulsive foods imaginable. Pregnant ladies are known for eating strange things, but Papa outdid every woman who'd ever been pregnant!"

"Like what?"

"The most tame was putting honey on pizza."

"Ewww. Really?"

"Oh, yes!" Anna laughed at the memory. "We had fun—"

Kira turned onto her back. "Mama, you said it again. Why do you always say we?"

"Because Papa and I are one unit. He is my partner, my soulmate, my lover, my husband. We are one. Being together with someone isn't about Me, it's about We. He and I work together to raise you kids. Neither of us had parents, so we are making sure that we are there for you, and that we take care of you. When you grow up and find a partner, then that person will take care of you."

Kira crawled over her mother and put her head on her chest, over her heart. Anna held her close.

"Mama, what about me? Will I ever find someone to love?"

"Of course you will. Just not yet. You're only fourteen. You have many, many years to find someone. I was thirty when I met Papa."

"Thirty. Isn't that old?"

Anna laughed. "It can be, I guess. For me, it was just right."

Kira lay quietly for a little while, thinking things over. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to be an adult or a kid, since both had their pitfalls.

"Mama, will you sleep with me tonight?"

Anna's eyes flew open. "Sure, baby. Are you okay?"

Kira resettled herself, once again making sure her head was over her mother's heart.

"I don't know, Mama. I think I'm all mixed up!" She began to cry.

"Maybe," Anna agreed. "But, yes, I'll stay with you tonight." She sat up slightly, and tapped her daughter, who in turn slid up, although she continued to lean on her mother.

"You know I'm mixed up, Mama!"

"Okay. I do know, and that's why Papa and I are going to help you get through all of it."

"But why?"

"Kira, why not? It's our job. Papa's and mine. We are your parents, and this is what parents do for their children. They help them with things whether they are easy or difficult."

"My friends' parents don't, and they are not mixed up like me."

"Oh, dear God, Kira! Your friends are more mixed up than you are. They do not have a support system to keep them safe when things go wrong. All of you kids have our support for any situation, and your friends do not have their parents' support at all. The kids have to wing it, and without the support, they can feel very lost."

Kira sat up and frowned. How on earth did her mother know these things?

"Is Papa supporting you when he hugs you?"

"In a word, Yes. I wouldn't have it any other way. I can take care of things by myself, but sometimes, things hurt me, and I need his help to feel better." She shifted until she was lying flat on her side. "Come on, baby. Lie down."

The girl lay down in front of her mother. She cuddled as close to Anna as she could get, causing Anna to smile as memories of nursing Kira came flooding back. She held Kira tightly.

"I love you very much, Kira," she said, locking her daughter in her arms. She wanted to protect her from all things that were hurting her.

About an hour later, Callen came looking for Anna. He had not found her in their room nor in the rooms of their other children. He was very surprised to find her sleeping with Kira.

He stood watching them both. He saw that Kira was melded into her mother, and that the mother had her arms around her child in a steel grip. Finally, he leaned over and kissed Kira good night, and then he kissed Anna, who woke briefly.

She smiled at him, and put her arm up. She drew him close and kissed him soundly. "Good night, my love," she said softly. Then she settled down, and tightened her grip on Kira.

"Good night, baby," Callen replied, pulling the blankets out from underneath them. He covered them up to their chins, and kissed Anna one more time before he went to bed.

The following morning, Callen had the task of waking all of the kids for school. He saved Kira for last because he wanted her to spend as much time as possible with her mother.

Anya bounced right up. "Papa, can I wear my new outfit today?"

"Sure," he said. "What's up, Anya? Did Mama say no?"

She made a face. How does he figure these things out?

"Anya," he said. "Please do not trick me, okay? When you do that, you and I will both be in big trouble!"

His preteen daughter laughed. "Why you?"

He laughed. "Because I listened to you after Mama told you no."

Anya frowned. "Are you telling on us?"

"Nope. She just knows these things."

She put her outfit away, and chose her favorite one instead. "Papa, you need to go away so I can get dressed."

"What?" He was shocked. He was so used to helping his children that he didn't always remember that they were growing up. "Let me get Raisa first."

"Okay, but she better hurry up!"

Callen shook his youngest daughter. "Baby, it's time for school."

"No, Papa! I'm not going!" And Raisa turned over onto her stomach and closed her eyes.

Callen looked at Anya. "What happened to her?"

"She doesn't want to go because the kids make fun of her."

"Thank you, Anya. I'll keep her home anyway," he said, closing the door behind him. En route to Kira's room, he pinged his phone to let Hetty know that he wouldn't be at NCIS today.

Kira and Anna were still bundled together, and he hated waking them up. Instead, he called Hetty back, and told her that Anna wouldn't be in either.

Then he knocked on Anya's door. She opened it a crack, and he laughed. "Baby, don't bother getting dressed. We're all staying home today."

Anya looked startled, but she did manage to thank her father.

Then Callen went down to Nikolai's room. The little boy was already playing with his trucks and cars. He couldn't resist his son so he picked him up, and carried him to his own room. Then he put Nikolai on his bed, and joined him.

"Papa, we play dinosaurs?"

"Sure, baby. Let me get them for you." Callen flew off the bed and hurriedly snatched the box of dinosaurs off the shelf, and returned in a flash. Then dumped it upside down on his bed.

He crawled under the covers with Nikolai, and they turned the space into a cave. They had fun chasing each other's dinosaurs and jumping them off each other. Eventually, they both fell asleep.

Anna woke up before Kira did. She made her way down to her own bedroom, and closed the door behind her. She was very surprised by the huge lump in her bed. She zipped into the bathroom instead of standing and admiring her big boy and her little boy. She was thrilled that they were hanging out together in the bed.

Once she was in the bathroom, she took off her shirt and tossed it into the basket by the door. She removed her panties and saw that she had to rinse them out, and she hoped upon hope that she hadn't ruined Kira's bed. When she finished rinsing them out, she draped them over the edge of the tub. Then she went to her dresser for another pair of panties.

Abruptly her bedroom door burst open, and Kira streamlined to the bathroom.

"Why are you naked?"

Callen's eyes shot open. He peeked out from his dinosaur cave, and was unhappy with what he saw. He slid out of the bed.

"That is none of your business, Kira!" he growled, standing between his wife and daughter. "Please go use the regular bathroom," he added. "Go!" Then he crossed over to his dresser and tossed a t-shirt to Anna, who put it on immediately.

Then she stuffed herself into her panties. "Kira, if my spending the night with you is going to make you disrespectful, it might be a long time before I do it again. There is no need for you to behave like this."

"Isn't this bathroom for grown ups?"

"Yes. For grown ups. Not teenagers or kids, and not even for houseguests," Callen said. "This bathroom is private, for Mama and me only."

Kira grumbled and groused, but she did leave the room.

"What was that all about?"

"I have no idea," Anna replied. "I see you have a small lump in the bed with you."

He couldn't resist smiling. "Yes. We played dinosaurs. And Anna. You know what? I miss him as much as you do."

Smiling, Anna rummaged through her drawer, and found a pair of sweatpants. She put them on, and then went in search of Kira.

After checking her bedroom, Anna concluded that she was in the bathroom.

"What is going on, Kira? There was no reason for you to walk in on me."

"But…"

Anna sat on the edge of the tub. "You know damn well you're not allowed in my bathroom. Why did you invade my privacy?"

"You're mad at me?"

"Yes, I am! I'm very angry, and I'm upset with you, too. Kira, it's all about respect. Respect is you keeping out of my bathroom, and out of my bedroom. Respect is being nice to your family, and in return, they will be nice to you.

"You did not respect my privacy just now, and your consequence is that I got angry. It is not your business what I do or don't do in my own room. What's the proper way to enter a room if the door is closed?"

Kira frowned. "You knock."

"Right! So, why didn't you?"

Kira glared at her family who were gathered around the dining room table.

"Why are we doing this again?"

"Why not?" said her mother with some snark to her tone. "Kira, we weren't finished the other day. Other things happened that had to be taken care of."

Callen surveyed his family, too. He could still see some dark looks on their faces. He did not like it, and he found it to be upsetting. Anna could see the hurt in his eyes.

"Kira, what are you so angry about? Are you annoyed because everyone stayed home today?" he asked. "Are you mad because Mama caught you when you burst in on her this morning? Are you pissed off because we won't let you behave as badly as your friends do? Tell us what is going on."

Kira's expression turned growly. "You're supposed to let me do what I want now since I'm old enough!" she barked at him. "I'm not a baby like the other kids!"

Anya shot her a glance that was full of daggers. "I beg your pardon!" she said. "I am no more a baby than you are. Raisa isn't a baby either. None of us are, including Nikolai!"

Anna glanced at Callen. She did not like the way the conversation was going.

"Okay, Kira," she said. "A few weeks ago, we told you that you would have the chance to be the adult in this family. Well, we've decided to let you be so this weekend—"

Kira stood up so that she was towering over her family. "Oh, no!" she roared. "I have plans this weekend!"

Her father shook his head. "No, you don't. You persist in fighting with us, so you're grounded from that. And you're grounded from arguing with Mama this morning. So, no. You do not have plans."

"That's not fair!" she screamed.

"You're damn right it isn't fair," Anna said. "Kira, what did we do to you? You're the oldest child which makes you very special, but you are not different from anyone else."

"Her hates me," put in Nikolai, who was becoming increasingly upset by the loud voices.

Raisa jumped in, too. "Yes, you do, Kira. You hate all of us, but none of us knows why."

"Aren't you in this family anymore?" Anya asked plaintively. "You're the biggest sister. Who's going to teach me and Raisa how to put on makeup, or put on nail polish? Or even dress pretty so the boys can see us?"

Anna's eyes opened very wide as she glanced at Callen who was just as shocked. Both remained quiet.

"Mama, why does her hate me? Her gived me toys," Nikolai added.

Callen was speechless. His son truly believed that it had been Kira who had put the toys in his room for him.

"Guys, go to your rooms," Callen said. "Mama and I need to think about all of this. The only thing you need to remember is that Kira has to come back downstairs to fix lunch for all of us."

Kira's mouth opened and closed with no sounds coming out.

"Don't say it, Kira," said Anna. "We are very unhappy with your behavior, but we will not be letting you shirk your responsibilities. Today, you will be fixing lunch and dinner for all of us because you want to be an adult. Tomorrow, we will give you other adult responsibilities."

Before anyone could react, Raisa said, "Does that mean we can have hotdogs?"

"No! I want pizza!" put in Nikolai.

"Nuh-uh!" said Anya. "I want tunafish sandwiches!"

"I want grilled cheese and tomato soup!"

"Mama!" reacted Raisa, quite shocked.

"How about pulled pork and mashed potatoes?"

Raisa looked agog at her father. "Papa!"

Kira glanced at her entire family. "No, no, no, no, and no! Not happening!" She ran up to her room and slammed the door.

"Mama, why is Kira so mean to us?" Raisa asked.

"I really don't know, baby," her mother replied. "She is growing up, and I think she doesn't like it."

"Maybe she doesn't want to," Callen said with a smirk.

Anna growled at him. "I'm not in the mood for your nonsense!"

"Oww!" he replied. "I feel as rotten as you do, Anna."

She put her face in her hands. "Mne zhal', moya lyubov'. Vse eto bolit." (I'm sorry, my love. It all hurts.)

"Da," he agreed. "Kak my eto ispravim?" (Yes. How do we fix it?)

"Ya ne znayu," she said sadly, hiding her eyes from him. (I don't know.) Ya chestno ne znayu. (I honestly don't know.)

"Papa, what's wrong with Mama?" asked the ever-observant Raisa.

Callen stood up. "She's very upset by all of this mess with Kira," he said. He tapped Anna on her shoulder, and she rose into his arms. He squeezed her tightly. "I am, too, but it's worse for the mothers, I think. Guys, go upstairs until we calm down, please."

"Okay, Papa," Anya said. "Come on, guys!" She took Nikolai by his hand, and pulled him off his chair.

"Easy, Anya!" cautioned her mother.

"Hey!"

"Anya, I'm telling you…Mama is tricky, and so is Papa!"

"Damn," Anna said with her face muffled in Callen's shoulder.

"Big damn," he agreed, rubbing her back. "We really need to get this crap under control."

She wiped her face on him. "I know. Do you have any ideas how?" She sat down.

He sat next to her. "No better than you do, Anna. We have the meals covered for today. We need some stuff for both Saturday and Sunday."

Anna slumped, putting her head in her hand. "Um. How about some bill-paying?"

"Is that smart?"

"Probably not," she replied. "You got a better idea?"

"No, not really. How? Online with real bills?"

Anna shrugged. "Why not? As long as she doesn't have to sign anything, we should be okay. And…we must remember to change all of our passwords after."

"Damn straight!" Callen sat up and then slouched in his chair. "How the hell do we do Sunday?"

Anna frowned, deep in thought. "How about checking backpacks and school clothes? She'll have to make sure everyone chooses two outfits on Sunday night.

"Callen, I have a very scary question for you."

He turned toward her. "What's that, baby?"

"Do you think we could put Nikolai in a half-day program somewhere?"

He sat bolt upright. "What brought this on, my baby?"

Anna sat up, too. "I think he's getting bored. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep going through the girls' things."

He studied her face. "You know…I think you're right. But only for a half day. How many days?"

Anna shook her head. "All five, please."

"Okay…Wow! Anna, this is huge. Thank you!"

She leaned over and hugged him. "How about I call Ms. Leslie on Monday?"

"I think that would be perfect!"

At twelve-thirty, Kira was called downstairs to fix lunch for everyone. She grumbled and griped and cursed and complained throughout the entire process. But, her noise fell on deaf ears as there was no one in the kitchen with her; her parents had gone upstairs to their room.

She sat for a few minutes, staring at the little recipe box, and then put it away. In the end, she chose the easiest meal she could think of: Spaghetti and meatballs, but without the meatballs since there weren't any to be had.

Kira broke the spaghetti in half, and then added it to her big pot of boiling water. She stirred it frequently so the strands wouldn't stick together in boulder-sized clumps. Picking up the pot of boiling water was very difficult, so she called her father for help. He did drain it for her, but then went back upstairs.

Then Kira looked for the big tureen and poured the spaghetti into it. She added a jar of sauce and stirred it together. It was a little light on the sauce, but she didn't care. Then she took out the plates and silverware, and set the dining room table. Last, she carried the tureen and put it in front of her father's place.

She rattled off items in her head, ticking them off on her fingers. She did not want to forget anything and be seen as a failure. She fetched the parmesan cheese and salt and pepper from their locations, and added them to the table. Then she called her family down to eat.

"This looks wonderful," praised her mother, who noticed that she had forgotten the spaghetti tongs. Quietly, she brought them to the dining room and put them in the tureen while Kira was distracted.

Callen's sharp eyes noticed, and he caught Anna's glance. "Kira, I think you outdid yourself," he commended her. "Guys, sit down."

Everyone sat down, and Callen began serving the spaghetti. He handed the plates around the table, serving himself last. Then he spied the condiments, and sprinkled his plate liberally with the parmesan cheese. It made the rounds. Anna helped Nikolai add a bit to his plate, too. They ate, mostly in silence, and thoroughly enjoyed their meal. There were no leftovers.

"Papa, can we watch a movie today, please?" Raisa asked.

He shrugged. "You'll have to ask Kira," he replied.

Raisa's eyes opened wide, as did Anya's. They both looked at their big sister expectantly. Finally, Kira agreed, but she retained the choice of movie. Both girls were very surprised at what she chose, and Nikolai had fun, too. The parents sat together and dozed off, amusing the middle girls to no end.

By five-thirty, Kira was struggling with dinner. Outdoing the spaghetti was going to be impossible, and she knew it. With more grumbling and grousing, she managed to create a menu. She chose all of her own favorite foods and made huge pizzas with them.

She found the dough recipe in her mother's little box, and made enough for three pizzas. The kitchen looked like a snowstorm had blown through.

Pulling the largest platters from the closets, Kira stretched out the clumps of dough on each one. She laughed at them because they were all big ovals.

Then she cut up every single thing she could think of: Black olives, mushrooms, pepperoni, green peppers, and sausages. She even threw a pack of frozen hamburger into a pan and put it in the oven to bake, hoping it would cook faster.

The mozzarella was also frozen, but she zapped it in the microwave, and then sliced it into a billion little pieces. She sloshed sauce on the doughs, and then sprinkled the tiny mozzarella bits on them all. They were quickly followed by all of her cut-ups. By the time she was finished, the pizzas were very colorful.

Picking up the doughs was nearly impossible, so she called for her mother to help her. A huge grin crossed Anna's face, but she didn't dare react out loud. She simply took the burned loaf of hamburger out of the oven and then, with Kira's help, she transferred one pizza to the pizza stone. She stayed quiet while Kira figured out what to do with the edges that were hanging off.

Happily, Kira put the stone into the oven while her mother returned upstairs. When the cheese was singed to the proper shade, she called for her father to help her put the pizza back onto its platter. Then he helped her move the second pie to the pizza stone. Once again, the edges hung off, but this time, Kira knew how to fix it. Her father helped her put it into the oven, and then returned upstairs.

About fifteen minutes later, she called her mother to help with the second pie. Anna came down, and they put it on its platter. Anna helped with the third pie, staying downstairs until it was ready. She helped Kira take the pie from the oven, and then took it off the stone. She then returned upstairs.

Kira glanced from pizza to pizza to pizza, and was very happy with her creations. She turned the utensil drawer upside down while she looked for the pizza wheel. Then she cut the first pizza into way more than eight slices. She repeated the same cut on the second pizza. With the third pizza, Kira planned extra wide pieces; she had six altogether, compared to the dozen plus of the other two. When the third pie had cooled enough, she sliced it into the six pieces, and then she called her family.

Even though she had outdone herself with the pizzas, she had forgotten to set the table this time. Callen pulled out the paper plates, and Anna brought in the paper towels.

Everyone sat down and waited for Kira to serve them. Nobody said a word. Finally, her father asked for a slice, and she realized that she had to serve the pizza to them all. Kira served her family, but she did not ask them what size they wanted. As a result, they all received a few skinny pieces while she served herself a pair of wide slices. Both Anna and Callen frowned at that rudeness, but they kept quiet. They waited to see who would ask for what.

Sure enough, Raisa asked for a wide slice. Kira didn't want to serve any of the wide slices to her, or anyone else, but, in the end, she did. Anya also asked for a wide slice, as did their parents. Nikolai wanted more, too, but he was given several skinny slices. Since the wide slices were finished, Kira did not take any extra pieces, even though she was still hungry, and quite selfish.

Except for the deliberate rudeness, the meal passed without a hitch, and both parents were very generous with their praise. Kira was shocked. Then she was sent upstairs, and Raisa and Anya were commandeered to clear the table. The parents did the dishes and straightened up the kitchen.

The next day, a few hours after breakfast, Callen took out his laptop. He pulled up his accounts, checking to see how much was owed on each one. Anna checked hers as well, and they both made sure to pay the mortgage and their loan before letting Kira work on any of it.

They called her down to the dining room, and explained that part of what adults do besides feed their family is pay the bills. Callen painstakingly showed her how to pull up an account, as well as his bank account. He showed her how to find the pay buttons on both. Then he went to sit in the living room with Anna.

Kira sat for a while, unsure if she could even do her task. She looked toward her parents, but saw that she wouldn't be getting any help from them; they were too snuggly. At long last, she chose an account, and gawked when she saw the total amount owed on her father's credit card. Numbers could be that big?! She then scrolled down to a small amount owed, and then clicked the pay button. After she found that, she clicked on the bank button, and after answering a pair of questions, the credit card deducted the amount from her father's account. Kira was shocked at how easy it was. She zipped through the others he had given her, and then closed down all of the open tabs.

As Kira was about to get up, Anna brought over her own computer. She also showed her how to activate the accounts and the bank account. Then she left Kira to her own devices. She stared hard at her mother when she came across an account that her father would never have. The money owed on that also shocked Kira. With a little manipulation, Kira paid her mother's bills, and then collapsed from mental exhaustion. She promised herself that she would never have any bills in her entire life.

Kira slogged upstairs to her room, and her parents let her go.

"You think she learned anything?"

"Not really, but I'll bet you that she is planning on having no bills in her entire life!"

"Callen, I'm sure you're right," Anna answered. "We need to double check everything anyway, and change our passwords as well!" She stood up, and pulled him up. "Let's get done!"

Seeing that Anna was in her no-nonsense mode, Callen got right up and joined her in the dining room. They went through every account they had given Kira, and adjusted some of the amounts to meet the minimum payments due. Otherwise, they were very pleased with her.

Then they each got a sheet of paper and a pencil. They wrote down their account numbers and names, including passwords, and then created new passwords for each one. They also created new entry passwords for their computers.

It took more than an hour, but they were finally finished. Their computers went immediately into their go-bags, and the bags were put by the front door.

"Um," said Callen.

Anna nodded. She called Kira downstairs and reminded her to check all of the kids' schoolbags, and to fill in whatever was missing from each one, including her own. She cursed and complained and made faces, but she got done, hating every minute of it.

Callen shook his shirt, hoping that Kira would take the hint.

"This sucks!"

He shrugged, and so did Anna.

"I really hate both of you!"

"Not yet," Callen said as she headed for the stairs. He dragged his laundry basket over to her. "You know I do my clothes on Sundays," he said, "so here is my stuff." He put the basket so it was directly in front of her.

"Oh, come on, Papa!" Kira cried. "This is insane!"

"No, it isn't. It's being an adult. This is what we do every single day and every single week."

"Kira, there's no point in complaining," said her mother. "You wanted to be the adult, so here you go." She added the kids' laundry basket.

"No, no, no!" Kira cried, sinking to the floor, and bursting into tears. "I can't do this! It is too much for me!"

Anna and Callen sat on the floor beside her, facing her.

"Then perhaps you need to rethink a few things, Kira," her mother said softly. "Do you really want to be an adult, or do you really want to be a teenager?"

"Mama, I don't want to be an adult! It's too hard for me!"

Anna stood up, and drew Kira up with her. Then she hugged her child close to her heart. "That's okay, baby. We like you as you, and not somebody you're not."

"And how!" agreed her father, standing up, and hugging them both.

The burden of being an adult was too much for Kira, and she began to cry from the heart. Anna backed off, and let Callen comfort her. She pointed toward their bedroom, and he escorted his oldest child to his room, where he sat with her on the big blue chair.

He let her cry until she had no more cry in her. Then he soothed her by rubbing her back until her sobs reduced to soft whimpers.

"Are you okay now, baby?" he asked her.

Kira sat up a little. "I don't know. Maybe?"

"Oh, boy," said her father as he clasped her to his breast. She shuffled around until she found his heartbeat. "Oh, my gosh!" he exclaimed softly. "Baby, Mama does the same thing when she is hurting. This is what it's all about, Kira. We love you and we hate seeing you hurting. Understand, too, that we love you so much. We both do!" he repeated, making sure she understood him.

Kira lay cuddled in her father's arms, and until just now, she didn't realize how much she needed it. When she was younger, she loved sitting with him, listening to his heartbeat. Today, she automatically put her ear on his chest to hear that magical rhythm. She found it to be very soothing, and her bruised ego was in dire need of its special comfort. In his arms, she felt that nothing could hurt her, and that he would keep her safe forever.

Kira joined her siblings on the couch and watched the movie. She even was able to have some of the popcorn.

Raisa noticed her tear-streaked face. "Are you still grounded?"

"Nope," she answered. "Raisa, I don't want to talk about it, okay? Just leave me alone and watch the movie."

"Okay," said the confused littlest sister. She silently wondered how Kira got out of being grounded, and wondered if she should try something similar.

Kira got up and went to sit in the corner of the couch. She lay down with her head on its arm. Then she pulled the afghan over and shook it out. It fluttered down, covering her completely up to her ears. She shuffled a little, and then closed her eyes. She was completely worn out from everything, yet she was able to feel the peace that she had gained from sitting with her father. She slept.

While their children watched the movie, Callen and Anna hauled the laundry baskets down to the basement. They diligently sorted everything, and then loaded the washer with the whites. Then they restocked the bathrooms with towels and washcloths, and made sure they picked out their children's outfits. Backpacks were gone through again, and then lined up by the front door.

In the kitchen, Anna took the burned hamburger and chopped it up. Then she put it in a frying pan so that its insides would become well done. She boiled a few eggs, and then chopped them up as well. Next, Anna boiled a bag of wide noodles, and drained them. In that pot, she created a white sauce, and added the noodles, eggs, and hamburger to it. She also threw in some minced mushrooms and shaved carrots, and a handful of peas. Then she stirred it altogether, and then poured it into a casserole dish. After she sprinkled some breadcrumbs on top, she put it into the oven to bake for a little while.

Callen snuck up behind her and stole a few kisses. Anna smiled, and then told him to set the table.

"You're no fun," he complained as he took the stack of plates she handed him. After he placed them on the dining table, he tried stealing more kisses, but was handed the silverware and napkins instead.

Anna was dying to hang out with him, but she wanted all of the chores and tasks completed first. She saw that the breadcrumbs had browned, so she took the casserole out of the oven and put it on the stove to cool.

At long last, she was able to sit with Callen. He made no bones about letting his hand wander inside her shirt. His gentle, loving touches made her tingle all over, and she hated not being able to react the way she wanted to.

"Stop!" she hissed.

He grinned at her, and began to trace designs on her back.

"Callen, stop!" she hissed again. "I don't want the kids to see!"

He laughed, and pulled his hand out. "Not a problem."

Then Nikolai climbed up on top of him so he could talk to his mother. He patted her shirt several times.

Anna lifted him onto her lap, and pulled her shirt up. Then she opened her flap, and Nikolai immediately latched onto her breast.

"When?" Callen began.

She gave him the eye. "Don't go there, Callen. It's not going to hurt him, or me," she said. "He'll stop on his own. All of the kids did."

The five years between Nikolai and Raisa made it hard for Callen to remember that she had nursed all of their children right up until they were almost four. He had stopped bottle feeding them by the time they were three because they would no longer sit with him. They preferred to walk around with their bottles dangling from their mouths. After he stopped, he put away every bottle he had found in an odd place, until all of the bottles were "gone."

Anna took hold of his hand and squeezed it. "Please don't be jealous, my love."

He nodded, and squeezed her hand in return. "I'm good."

Nikolai then patted her other breast, and she opened the flap for him. He settled against his mother, feeling very loved. Anna closed the first flap, and then rubbed her son's back. She knew he was coming to the end of his nursing journey because he was becoming infrequent, even though she didn't want to admit it. By instinct, she knew he would stop at a younger age than his sisters had.

Anna stood up holding Nikolai as he nursed. "Guys, come on. The movie is over, and we need to eat dinner before it freezes on its own," she said.

"Oh, God, Mama!" said Anya as she caught sight of her brother.

"Never mind, Anya," Callen said. "Let's get inside, okay?"

After they all sat down, he served his family.

"What did you do, Mama?" asked Kira.

"I fixed the hamburger from the other night," Anna said. She ate over Nikolai.

"Oh!" Kira said. "It's pretty good!"

"Thank you, Kira," Anna said. "I like it, too."

Dinner was finished fairly quickly, and then all of the kids had to get ready for the next school day. The girls took their showers and then went straight to bed. Anna put Nikolai to bed right from her breast, and he never woke up from being moved.

She fixed her bra and shirt, and then went to help Callen clean up the dining room and kitchen. They jammed the dishes into the dishwasher, and turned it on. Then they turned off all of the downstairs lights and went up to their room.

As soon as the door was closed, Anna grabbed Callen and kissed him until his ears wiggled. She fussed over him and loved him, driving him crazy with her super light touches. She kept him at bay all while she stimulated him, until he couldn't take any more.

Callen was very gentle with her, and she loved the sensations he created within her. Anna couldn't get enough of him, and he met her each time. At last, they were sated, and they collapsed with their bodies entwined. Gradually they fell asleep, and they slept through the night.

Over the next few weeks, Raisa was given packets of Math skill-builder worksheets. She hated doing them, and finally threw a packet down on the floor.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not doing it, Papa!" she shouted. "I hate Math, and I'm not doing it!"

"Oh, boy," he said. "How about we use some of your crayons to count with?"

"No, Papa," she replied calmly. "No. I am not doing it."

"Raisa, you might have to attend summer school if you don't pass," he explained, looking at her sheets again.

"I don't care, Papa. I'm not doing it."

He nodded. "Okay. Put your stuff away, and then put your bag by the door."

Anna listened to the entire exchange from the kitchen. The whole conversation upset her. She had sensed that Raisa wouldn't want to complete the skill-builders, and she didn't. They were too hard for her daughter. So, what was the problem? Anna instinctively knew there was more to it than what was learned during the testing, and she was determined to find out what it was.

After both Callen and Raisa went upstairs for the night, Anna took out the work packets from the little girl's backpack. She put on her glasses and studied the multitude of worksheets that reviewed basic skills that Raisa had to know in order to get to fourth grade.

Anna laid all of the papers out, side-by-side, and studied each one with a fine-toothed comb. The skills were all different, but the mistakes were all very similar. Why hadn't the teachers or the examiner noticed that discrepancy? She called for Callen to come downstairs.

"What's wrong, baby?" he asked, very concerned because Anna's voice was tremulous.

"I need you to look at these carefully," she said, pointing to the worksheets spread out in front of her.

He sat down, and began to go through them one at a time. After nearly an hour, Callen saw what Anna was seeing.

"What's going on, Anna?"

"I don't know, Callen, but we are fixing this ourselves. The school can't or might not know how—"

"What's to say that we do? We aren't educators!"

"Oh, yes, we are!" she contradicted. "I will do this myself, and next week, you can look to see if anything has changed."

"Okay. Challenge accepted," he said.

She squinted at him. "It's not a contest, Callen. Our daughter's school career is being affected by this."

"I'm sorry, baby," he said. "I know how serious it is, too. I am at a loss, though."

Anna put her arms around him and hugged him. "I know you are. I heard the whole thing between the two of you. I'll handle her Math homework from now on, as long as you supervise the rest of it."

"Yes, please, Anna. I would appreciate that."

The next afternoon, Anna was as good as her word. She had decided to test Raisa herself, and made up a series of worksheets at the preschool and kindergarten levels. Raisa completed them quickly, but not accurately. Her counting was off, too, which surprised her mother to no end.

"Damn," Anna muttered to herself. She cleared away the papers, and placed one crayon on the table. "How many crayons?"

Raisa looked at her mother funny. "There's only one."

Anna nodded. "Okay. Close your eyes for a minute." She laid out a set of seven crayons. "Open your eyes and tell me how many there are."

"Nine?"

"Nope. Try again. Count them if you have to."

"I'm not a baby, Mama. There's ten."

"Raisa, baby, please don't guess. Count them one-by-one."

"But, Mama, we're supposed to just say the number," Raisa objected.

"I understand that, Raisa, but you need to count things sometimes. If you don't, you run the risk of not getting it right."

Anna was becoming frustrated. "This time, you are going to count them with me." She scooped up the crayons, and then laid one on the table. "How many?"

"One," Raisa said again. "This is dumb."

"I beg your pardon, Raisa. It is not dumb, and neither are you." She laid another crayon on the table. "How many?"

"Two," came the response.

Anna laid out the crayons one-by-one, and Raisa did well until they were an amount above five. Her mother was very startled. She decided to retest her quantifying to five, and she handed her daughter a pencil and a paper.

"I'm going to put some crayons on the table, and I want you to write down how many there are."

"Okay, Mama."

The first time she laid the crayons on the table, Anna put them in chronological order, although she did one group at a time. Raisa aced them. The second batch was out-of-order, and Raisa struggled with some of them. Her mother gave her a second chance, and insisted that Raisa count each object. When she physically counted the crayons, Raisa had no trouble with accuracy.

"Good job, baby!" Anna said, giving her a hug. "We'll stop for now."

"Thank goodness, Mama! I really hate Math."

In spite of Raisa's difficulties, Anna worked diligently with her, testing her with material objects, or manipulatives, and again on paper in an abstract manner. Although it took some convincing, once Raisa learned that it was really okay and acceptable to count each object, her accuracy improved by leaps and bounds.

One day, Anna gave her a different kind of quiz. On one worksheet, she drew a grid of boxes that she filled with the numerals up to ten, and on the other, she filled the grid with the number words. On both, Raisa had to write in the correct amount.

Anna sat with her fingers crossed and her eyes closed. She wanted Raisa to ace her worksheets.

"Mama, I'm done!"

Anna opened her eyes and glanced at the sheets. "These look very good." She saw that the number words were matched accurately. "Baby, how did you do this sheet?"

"I know how to read the words, Mama. Why?"

Her mother looked at her seriously. "Raisa, sometimes, you get mixed up, and things don't come out right. Do you ever just put something down so you can get done?"

Raisa was shocked that her mother had figured out her game. "Of course," she confessed.

"Raisa Elizabeth! Please do not do that ever again! It does not help you!"

"But, Mama, I don't want to do Math. I don't even want to learn it because it is too hard for me."

Anna glared at her youngest daughter. "No, it is not," she said firmly. "You have a lazy streak in you, I think. You need to focus on your lessons in class, and here with me, too!"

"But, why, Mama? I don't want to learn it at all."

"Oh, boy," Anna grumped. "You know what? Go up to your room for now."

"Why? I wasn't bad!"

"Excuse me?"

"I wasn't bad."

"Go. Upstairs. Now."

"I don't want to!"

Anna became so irritated by Raisa's poor attitude that she took her by the hand and escorted her up the stairs to her room. "You stay put until dinner time!"

Raisa went into her room and slammed the door closed.

Her mother accepted it quietly, although Raisa had broken a house rule. She didn't realize just how grounded she was going to be.

Anna was so angry and hurt that she went out to the backyard and settled into her chaise lounge. She hoped upon hope that Callen would fix dinner as she had lost her appetite.

"Guys, where's Mama?" Callen asked as he served the dinner to his children.

"I don't know," said Anya, accepting her plate. "Thank you, Papa."

"You're welcome, baby," he responded, handing out the other plates. He asked for Anna's plate, and Kira handed it to him. "Guys?"

"We don't know, Papa. She helped Raisa and then disappeared," Kira said.

"I see. Okay. She can eat later." He got up and wrapped her plate, and put it away. Then he returned to the table, and had fun hanging out with his children.

"When we get finished, everyone is going to help clean up," he added.

"Okay, Papa," said Raisa.

Soon after, the girls cleared the table, and Nikolai helped his father put the dishes into the dishwasher.

"Good job, everybody," he said. "It's not too late, so go hang out for a while. If you behave, you can go to bed a little later."

"Thank you, Papa!" the four said happily, and they scattered.

"Okay, bat baby," he said to no one. "Where did you go?"

He did check upstairs, but she wasn't in their room. He went back downstairs and double-checked for her, and finally found her outside on the patio.

She smiled at him as he came out the door.

Callen sat on his own chaise. "What happened, baby?"

Anna held nothing back. "Raisa is playing games. She doesn't want to learn Math at all. She fills in the answers just to get done. She does not focus. But she does have legitimate problems. Don't think she doesn't. Callen, she refuses to count anything, claiming the teacher told them not to."

"Really?" he said. "I think I can fix her. Do you know if any of the kids can count money?"

"I have no clue. What are you up to?" She sat up straight, and put her feet on the ground.

"Baby, I'll show you tomorrow." He stood up and brought her up with him, and then hugged her closely. "Come and eat your dinner now."

She broke free. "Dinner?!"

"Yep!" He kissed her quickly. "It's so late now that Nikolai helped me stack the dishes in the dishwasher!"

"Papa, why do we keep having these crazy family meetings?" Kira wanted to know.

"Because Mama and I keep discovering problems that need immediate fixes," he replied. He got up and took a huge jar of coins off the top of the refrigerator. Then he dumped it upside down on the dining room table. "Guys, what is all this?"

"A big mess?" suggested Kira.

"Coins?" Anya wondered.

"Toys!" Nikolai shouted.

"I don't know," said Raisa.

Callen looked at her squarely. "What do you mean you don't know, Raisa? You should have learned basic money skills in first grade, and you're almost done with third grade."

"Yes, but, Papa, it's MATH. I do not do Math."

Anna felt like banging her head on the table, and she did, to the shock of her children.

"Mama! What are you doing?!" Kira asked, freaking out.

Callen grabbed Nikolai. "Don't even think about it!" He put him back into his chair. "If you're not going to behave, I am putting you in your baby high chair."

Nikolai's eyes opened real wide. "Oh, no, Papa!"

Then he went over to Anna, and put his hand on the nape of her neck. "Come on, baby. Sit up."

She did, but she turned right into him, and put her arms around him. He rubbed her back.

"Papa, is she okay?" Anya asked.

"Yes and No," he said. "Anya, switch places with me, please. I need to sit on your chair."

The preteen nodded, and moved directly into his chair at the head of the table.

Sitting closer to Anna gave him the opportunity to continue comforting her while he spoke to their children.

"Guys, Mama found out why Raisa doesn't do well with her Math lessons, and she is very upset by her discoveries. I don't like it either, but I'm okay from it.

"I'm not going into detail because it really isn't your business, but the problem will be fixed to our satisfaction. Today, you're all going to learn to count and sort out the coins on the table. What else are they known as?"

"Is it money?" Raisa asked.

"Yes, it is, and you all need to learn how to count it accurately."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't, somebody might rip you off, Raisa."

Both Anya and Kira laughed, but they both suddenly realized the importance of what their father was telling them.

"Damn," muttered Anya.

Anna shot her a dirty look.

"Sorry, Mama!"

That night, the girls hung out in Kira's room.

"I can't believe he is giving us an allowance!" Kira said. She shook her little coin box.

Anya shook hers, too. "It's crazy!"

Kira frowned at her. "Nuh-uh, Anya. It's cool! I like the idea of having my own money."

"I wish we could get the same amount," Anya griped.

Her older sister shook her head. "I get it, but it wouldn't be fair, and you know it, Anya," she said. "Even Nikolai is getting his own money."

"How much money did you get, Kira?" Anya asked.

Kira shook her box of quarters again. "I got thirty quarters," she announced with a smirk.

Anya made a face. "I got only twenty-two quarters," she said.

"I got thirty-six quarters," Raisa said as she shook her box.

Kira shook her head. "No, you didn't, Raisa. You're younger so you will get fewer quarters than we did."

A sharp knock sounded on the door.

Kira made a face. She couldn't believe her mother's timing. "Come in, Mama," she said.

With a sour look on her face, Anna entered the room and sat on the bed. "You know if you're going to fight over this, nobody will have any money to call their own."

Anya grimaced. "We know, Mama. Mama, why can't Raisa say her money right?"

"I think it's because she is beginning to grow up and become a wiseguy," her mother replied. "Raisa, how many quarters did Papa give you?"

"Fourteen," she answered.

"Then why did you tell the girls he gave you thirty-six? Was that fair?"

"No, Mama," Raisa said sadly. "When can I get more than Kira?"

"Not right now. Maybe after you all become grown-ups and have to budget your paychecks."

"Say what?!" Kira gasped.

"Guys, look. If you can't handle your allowances as we have given them to you, we will take the money back, and you will have nothing. Ty ponimayesh' menya?"

"Da, Mama," they said in unison.

"Mama, how can we go shopping with all of these quarters?" Kira asked.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Anna replied mysteriously.

"Mama!" cried Anya and Kira.

"I'm telling you…she is very tricky!" Raisa added.

Raisa got her come-uppance the following week. Callen told the girls that he was going to take them shopping after he paid them their current allowance.

"Oh, my goodness!" Kira said as he handed her thirty more quarters. She sat down at the opposite end of the table and counted all of her coins. She put them in stacks of four and was speechless when she learned that she had fifteen dollars that was all her own.

"Baby, how many quarters am I supposed to give you in all?" Callen asked Anya.

"Dvadtsat' dva, Papa," she replied.

He smiled at her. "Good job, baby!" He handed her a small bag of twenty-two quarters. "Go find out how much money you have now."

"Okay, Papa," she crowed, skipping to the other end of the table. She was very excited.

"Raisa, now it's your turn," Callen said.

She dumped her box onto the table. "Eight!" she chirped.

"Okay," said her father. He very slowly counted out eight quarters and put them into a bag for her. "Now count what you have and tell me how much money there is."

Anya and Kira froze in their tracks. They knew that Raisa was going to mess up, although they both hoped that she wouldn't.

Raisa spread her quarters out on the table. She counted them very quickly. "Papa, I got six four nine cents."

"That's fine," he said, taking her coins from her. He counted out exactly what she had said and gave her the proper amount.

"Why do I got pennies?"

Without batting an eye, her father replied, "Because you said you have six four nine cents, and that is nineteen cents. It's easier to count in pennies."

"But I want quarters like the other girls," Raisa objected.

Callen grew very stern. "Raisa, you cannot have quarters like the other girls because you did not count them. You did not count them at all. Instead, you made up some other amount, and said that was your total." He picked up a huge handful of the quarters.

"Last week, I gave you fourteen quarters." He stacked them very slowly. "This week, you're supposed to get fourteen more quarters. Together, that would be twenty-eight quarters. But you do not have twenty-eight quarters, Raisa. You have no quarters at all because you did not want to count them.

"Your allowance is three dollars and fifty cents. When you add the nineteen cents to that, your total is three dollars and sixty-nine cents. Your money was supposed to double, Raisa. Three dollars and fifty cents times two is seven dollars. You do not have anywhere near seven dollars."

"Oh, my God," breathed Kira.

Callen shot her a look, and she subsided. "Raisa, baby, you messed up big time, and you won't be able to go shopping with us this week."

Raisa burst into tears. "I want to, Papa!" she shrieked. "I want to go shopping with you this week!"

"You do not speak to Papa like that, ever," Anna said quietly.

"And, no, Raisa, you will not be shopping this week, or next week either," Callen continued.

Raisa almost choked.

Anya and Kira looked at each other. They understood very clearly now that Raisa was right about their parents. They were very tricky.

Anna glanced at the bigger sisters. "Girls, how much money has Papa given you altogether?"

"I have eleven dollars," said Anya.

"Nice," said Anna. "Kira?"

"Papa gave me fifteen dollars."

"Wow!" said Anna. She turned toward Raisa. "What about you?"

In response, Raisa shoved her money away from her body, and it scattered all over.

Anna ignored her. "What should she have?"

"She should have seven dollars, but she has barely over three," Callen said. "I really do think she thought it was funny that she miscounted her money."

Anna nodded. "How long?"

"Only during the shopping times."

Kira frowned. How on earth did her father understand her mother when she didn't use any information?! She became fascinated by them.

"That's fine, but I am adding the rest of today because of the way she spoke to you."

"Okay, baby. One way or another, she will learn," Callen said, patting Anna's hand. "What's Nikolai's total?"

Anna smirked. "Cute," she said. "Three dollars."

He handed her a bag with twelve quarters in it.

"Thank you, my love. He can get something when I go food shopping this week."

Callen frowned. "I thought he was starting school this week."

Anna shook her head. "Nope. Next week, when the month changes."

"Ahhhh," he said. "Now I remember."

After lunch, Callen took Anya and Kira shopping. He told them that they could go wherever they wanted, and he was very accommodating. Before they left, he converted their quarters into paper bills, and again, both girls were shocked speechless. They had a very hasty discussion about where to go, and Callen cut them short before they argued about it. While they were finishing getting ready, Raisa was put to bed for having a temper tantrum because she couldn't go on the excursion.

He drove downtown, and pulled into the parking lot of a big department store. Anya wanted clothing, and Kira was interested in jewelry. He steered them to the appropriate departments, and they were very happy with their choices. Both were careful to not spend more money than they had, and were thrilled to go home with some change.

At home, Anna gathered up Raisa's coins and put them into her little box. She put the box up high, and then went upstairs to talk to her. She brought Nikolai upstairs with her.

He tapped her shirt, and Anna lifted her shirt and opened her bra for him. He settled himself on her lap, and then latched onto her.

"Mama, why do you have him in my room?"

"Raisa, I have had enough from you! He is my child, in my house, same as you! Please show a little respect," Anna said. "In fact, I think you can be grounded for the entire week, instead of only during the shopping trips."

"No, Mama!"

Anna's glance bored right through her child. "Enough! You can speak for now, but after I leave, that's it until Sunday dinner.

"What's going on, Raisa? Why have you become so disobedient? Are you mad at me because I outsmarted you? Do you want to go to third grade in the fall?"

"I can't do that!"

"Yes, you can. You work very hard to not do your Math, and it is going to catch up to you unless you start cooperating with all of us," Anna said. "You messed up your allowance because of your games. It's nobody's fault except yours."

"Yes, it is! The teacher makes the work too hard for me."

Her mother glared at her. "Raisa, enough already! You must take responsibility for what you do, and that includes the Math!"

"I don't want to, Mama," Raisa said.

"That's fine. You want to stay a baby, and that's fine, too. Just remember that that means you cannot go shopping with the girls, you won't be going to fourth grade, and you'll be restricted on other activities. Why do you want to be a baby?"

"Nikolai is a baby, so I can be a baby, too."

"Oh, I see," said Anna, suddenly realizing her daughter's game. "You stay up here for now. I will come and get you when it's time."

Raisa gave her mother a dirty look.

Anna stood up and switched Nikolai to her other breast. She hugged him and kissed him, and then leaned over to kiss Raisa.

"Please do some serious thinking about everything, Raisa. You're very smart and super cute, and you need to remember that."

Later in the week, Callen had a few minutes to spare, so he stopped by the nursery school and picked up Nikolai.

"Papa!" the little boy shouted as he ran to his father.

Callen scooped him up and hugged him.

"How was your day, baby?"

"Papa, we goed outside!"

"You did?"

"Yah! I goed on a bike!" Nikolai wiggled and wiggled, and finally got down from his father's arms. He ran to the big door. "Look, Papa!"

Ms. Veronika laughed. "Mr. Callen, come this way. I'll show you the entire backyard."

"Thank you, Ms. Veronika," Callen said, after the tour. "How's he doing?"

"He's fine! He's having a blast, if the truth be told. Would you consider putting him in full-time?"

Callen smirked. "Maybe, but not right now. His mom isn't ready yet."

Ms. Veronika chuckled. "I get it. We'll be here."

"Thank you," he replied, picking up his little boy. "Time to go home, buddy."

Nikolai put his arms around his father's neck. "Okay, Papa." As much as he loved going to school, he loved going home to his mother even more.

Some weeks later, Anna got a phone call from the junior high. She learned that Anya had been involved in an altercation. When she arrived at the school, she found her child in the nurse's office.

"What happened, baby?"

Anya was lying on the exam table, holding an ice pack on her chest.

"They kept hitting me with the ball," she said through her tears.

Anna looked up at the nurse.

"The kids were playing kickball, and some of the kicks went wild," the nurse explained.

"Is she the only one who got hurt?"

"As far as I know," the nurse replied.

"Miss, were they playing dodgeball and not kickball?" Anna asked. "I'm wondering if I need to speak to the principal."

The nurse shook her head. "On their schedule, it says kickball, but that doesn't mean that some of the students didn't start tossing the ball around."

"I see," said Anna. "I'm taking her home now. For the next couple of classes, I do not want her playing either game, please."

"That's fine, Ms. Kolcheck. Just be sure to send in a written note stating that you do not want her participating in those games."

"Thank you," Anna said. She took the ice pack from Anya and handed it to the nurse. "Come on, baby."

Anya got up and leaned into her mother. She didn't want her classmates to see her front.

At home, Anna took her upstairs and put her to bed. She helped her take off her shirts, and was appalled by the large discoloration that covered half of her chest. She very gently felt her daughter's ribs and breasts, and Anya cringed when her mother touched her right breast.

"Anya, what happened?" She didn't like that her daughter's breast was bruised.

"They kept hitting me with the ball, and it really hurt."

"Dodgeball?"

"Nope. The boys figured out how to kick the ball so it hit me almost every single time."

"Do they like you?"

"Eww. Mama, no!" She put her hands on her breasts. "Why do I have these squishy lumps? They're almost as big as my hand!"

Anna smiled. "Baby, you're growing up. Your breasts are beginning to grow, and when you get hit there, it hurts like there is no tomorrow."

"You ever get hurt there?"

Her mother nodded. "Too many times to tell. It's why we have to wear the protective gear."

"Mama, Papa has a vest, too," Anya pointed out.

Anna laughed. "Yes, he does. It's also because the vests are bullet-proof."

"People shoot at you?"

"Sometimes," Anna said. "Do you want another ice pack?"

"Yes, please, Mama. It really hurts."

"Not a problem. I'm also going to make a doctor's appointment for you."

"No! I don't want them to see!" She clasped her arms across her chest.

"Oh, boy."

At Dr. Reuben's office, Anya leaned on her mother. She was very embarrassed to let the doctor see her body.

"Baby, the first time I came here, Papa came with me. Do you want me to call him?"

"Oh, God, no, Mama! He's a boy!" Anya was horrified.

Anna refrained from laughing out loud. "Yes. Papa is a boy."

Several minutes later, an aide came to bring them to the exam room. She handed a gown to Anna.

"I'll try," Anna said, knowing full well that Anya would not put on the gown.

"Mama, what's that for?"

"Everybody has to wear them when they go to the doctor," Anna hedged.

"Did you?"

"Oh, yes!" She put her hands on her face. "I used to give Papa such a hard time, too!"

"Papa?! He saw you naked?"

Anna's eyes opened wide, she was so shocked. "The doctor did, too." But she couldn't hide the twinkle in her eyes.

Anya stared at her mother. "Are you playing me?"

"A little," Anna admitted. "Baby, it's not that bad, but Dr. Reuben does have to look at you to determine if you've been hurt worse than we think."

Dr. Reuben entered a moment later. "Ms. Kolcheck! It's been a while."

"Yes. Nikolai is almost three." Anna sat on the chair by the wall.

"Three? My gosh!"

Anya looked confused. "Mama?"

Anna shook her head. "Dr. Reuben was my doctor even back then," she said. "Baby, come on. You need to sit up here, with the gown on."

"I don't want to wear the gown, Mama," Anya replied, hoisting herself up onto the exam table.

Dr. Reuben shook her head. "Don't worry about it this time," she said. "But you do have to take off your shirt and lie back so I can examine you."

Anna got up to help, and Anya leaned against her mother. She let Anna remove her shirts. Giving her a kiss, she helped her to lie down. "It'll be okay, baby. Maybe keep your eyes closed?"

Both Anya and Dr. Reuben laughed.

"Don't kid yourself, Anya," said Dr. Reuben. "Your mom did keep her eyes closed for a while when she came here!"

"Hey!"

Anya studied her mother. She couldn't believe all the little secrets she was learning. It was impossible to believe that her mother was ever afraid of anything. Yet, she couldn't handle a doctor's office. She began to laugh.

"Mama, you were so silly!" she said. She relaxed and let the doctor examine her.

Dr. Reuben was very thorough, as Anna knew she would be. Anya winced when the doctor passed her hand over her right breast.

"Her breast took most of the hits," said Dr. Reuben. "Nothing is broken, just badly bruised."

Anna nodded. "That's a relief. Dr. Reuben, is her size okay? She's not too small?"

"How old is she?"

"Eleven."

"She's fine, and right where she should be. There's no need to worry."

Callen went up to Anya's room. "Hey, baby," he greeted her. "Do you want to eat up here or join us downstairs?"

"Papa, I want only a sandwich, please. Up here."

"That's fine. How are you feeling?"

Anya put her hands on her chest. "It hurts, Papa. Dr. Reuben said I am only bruised."

"That's a good thing," Callen remarked. He sat on the bed alongside her.

"Papa, did Mama really be a pain in the butt at Dr. Reuben's office?"

He laughed, and his eyes twinkled. "Yes," he admitted. "She was a horror. Anya, she had never been to a doctor before I took her."

Anya frowned. "But she was so old!"

"She was a lot older than you, Anya. Mama didn't grow up going to the doctor the way you guys do. She was truly terrified, and I sat with her each time until she got comfortable."

"Ohhhh," Anya said. "Papa, do I have to go to school tomorrow?"

"Why, baby?"

"I don't want the kids to know that I got hurt," Anya replied.

"They already know that, since you went to the Nurse's Office. Do you have a lot of bruising?"

She touched her chest, splaying her fingers over the bruised area.

"Oh, boy!" He put his hand on top of hers. "You okay, though?"

Anya put her other hand on top of his. "Yes, Papa. Can I stay home anyway, please?"

"Sure. I don't see why not." He leaned over and kissed her. "I'll bring your sandwich shortly."

"Thank you, Papa."

Anna took the plastic tumblers from the cabinet a few days later. She laid them out on the counter; she was thrilled with the new yellow cup for Nikolai. She filled them with apple juice, and attached the lid and straw to the orange cup.

"Guys, come down for breakfast now!" she called.

Anna's entire family thundered down the stairs and settled in the dining room.

"Mama, what are we eating?"

"Raisa, that's rude," Anna replied. "We are having pancakes and bacon."

Callen smiled at her, and his eyes twinkled. "Can I have jelly with mine, please?"

His smirk wasn't lost on her. "Yes, my love," she said.

She finished taking the pancakes off the griddle, and added them to the huge stack on the platter. She surrounded them with the strips of bacon, and carried it over to the table. Then she returned for the syrup, jellies, and toothpicks.

Raisa looked at her orange cup. "Mama, how come mine has a straw and nobody else's does?"

"Probably because you told Mama you still want to be a baby," Callen replied with a bit of sass to his tone. He was very tired of Raisa's behavior.

"But I'm not a baby! Nikolai is!"

"Raisa, don't be obnoxious," her mother said.

She picked up the platter and speared several pancakes, putting them on Nikolai's plate. Then she held it out and Anya took several pancakes. After, Anya passed the platter to her father, and he took a small stack of pancakes. Then Kira and Raisa followed suit. When the others had theirs, Anna took some for herself.

She then took the strawberry jam and put some on each of her pancakes, and then she rolled them up, anchoring them with toothpicks. Callen opted for the grape jelly and did the same thing.

Kira looked at him funny. "You don't want syrup?"

"Not today, baby," he replied. He began to cut up Nikolai's pancakes.

"No, Papa! No cut!" he said. He pointed to the jellies. "I want!"

"Okay," Callen said, "but you have to ask politely. Say please to Mama."

"Mama, yes?"

A smile flashed across Anna's face. "Nikolai, no. Use your manners, please."

"But he's a baby!" Raisa contradicted. "Babies don't know manners."

Nikolai took umbrage before his parents could react. "Raisa, you baby! Not Nikolai!" he growled at her.

"Oh, boy," said Anna and Callen together.

Anna continued to follow Raisa's lead. She was so convinced that she wanted to be a baby that her mother followed along. She couldn't wait until Raisa got tired of it.

The little girl did get very upset when she couldn't join in on the shopping excursions, yet she still was not counting her money properly.

Roberta offered to help out, and she brought Arkady with her one weekend. They carried in a flat of chips, and a pair of bags filled with trinkets that Raisa and the other girls would like.

"We going to play store," Arkady announced as he dumped the toy bags onto the dining room table. He arranged them in neat rows, and Roberta laid out her chips.

"Dedushka, what are we doing with all of this stuff?" Kira asked.

He looked at her, and his eyes twinkled. "You going to buy it."

Raisa frowned. "But it's not a real store."

"Ouch," said Arkady. "Why you hurt Dedushka's feelings? This is very good store!"

Raisa was shocked.

"You better stop!" warned Anya. "There is nothing wrong with this store!"

"That's for sure," Roberta said. "Okay, girls. How about it? Kira would you like to go first?"

"Sure, Bubbie, but how do we pay for our stuff?"

"With your allowance," said their father. He handed them each their bags of coins. "Make sure you count the quarters before you spend them. Put the extras into your boxes."

"Okay, Papa," said Anya, who was laying out her coins. "Papa, did I do this right? I have eight dollars and seventy-five cents."

Callen scanned her coins quickly. "You did just fine, baby."

Anya was so excited that she clapped her hands, much to the amusement of her family.

"What about you, Kira?"

"Papa, I have nineteen dollars and twenty-five cents," she replied, quite surprised. "Papa, why do I have so much?"

Callen grinned. "Because you haven't been spending all of it all at once when we go out."

"Oh, my goodness!" Kira reacted.

"Where are my quarters?" asked Raisa.

Both Arkady and Roberta looked at her.

"Why you so rude, Raisa?" Arkady asked. "My vnuchki are not rude like this."

"Neither are my devushki," Anna said. "Papa, Raisa cannot buy anything today. She says she is a baby."

"What going on?"

"Arkady, don't worry about it," Callen said. "We have her, and she will learn to take responsibility. Let it slide, please."

"Okay, my boy," Arkady said. "Now, who going to buy beautiful trinkets?"

"I will! I will!" squeaked Anya. She saw many trinkets in his shop that would look so pretty as charms for her backpack. She also wanted some chips. "Please can I go first, Dedushka?"

"Absolutely!" Roberta said.

Anya was thrilled. She chose three bags of chips, and four trinkets for her backpack. "Oh, dear! Do I have enough money?" she mourned.

"Sure you do, honey," Roberta said. "All your stuff together costs only six dollars and twenty-five cents. How much do you have?"

Anya laid out her money again, and then counted out the required amount. She looked at Callen. "Papa, look!" She was amazed that she still had some quarters left.

"Good job, baby!" he replied. "Put the extra money into your little box, please."

"I will, Papa, in a minute." She counted her quarters. "I have two dollars and fifty cents left over!" Then she picked up her coins and dropped them into her box.

"Good job, Anya," Anna praised.

"Okay. My turn," Kira said. "How come I wasn't first?"

Roberta shrugged her shoulders. "She was quicker?"

The family laughed.

"Have you decided what you want?" Anna asked.

"Yes, Mama," Kira answered. She chose three bags of chips that were different from Anya's, and then she chose six trinkets. "Bubbie, how much are my things?"

"Eleven dollars and fifty cents," said Arkady, counting on his fingers.

"That's so much!" Kira gasped.

"Baby, yours are more because you bought extra trinkets. Do you want to keep them?" Callen asked.

"Oh, shoot, Papa! I hate having to choose things!" She laid her trinkets out in a row and stared at them. Finally, she said, "I want to keep them all."

"That fine," Arkady said. She handed him her money, and then he handed her five dollars and fifty cents in change.

"I got money back!" she said, shocked.

"Baby, this is what budgeting is all about," said her mother. "I think you did a very good job buying your chips and trinkets."

"Thank you, Mama!" Kira threw her arms around her mother's neck and hugged the life out of her. Anna understood her daughter's intensity, so she said nothing. After a moment, Kira let go, and then put her money away.

"Me, Bubbie!" said Raisa.

"Not this week," Roberta replied. "When you count your money the right way, then you can buy something from our store."

Raisa made a face, and looked like she was going to cry.

"Why you upset, baby?" asked Arkady. "You been scamming yourself for long time. You cheat yourself by baby behavior. Why you do that, Raisa? Nobody do that to you. You do it all yourself."

"If you stop," Roberta added, "then you can buy something from our funny little store, or you can go on the shopping trips with your papa and your sisters. But, if you don't stop cheating yourself, it will never happen."

Anna and Callen looked at each other, and said nothing. They couldn't top what Roberta and Arkady had said. They just continued praying that Raisa would hear THEM.

Roberta began to pack up the trinkets.

"Hey, wait, Roberta!" Callen said. "You forgot Nikkolai!"

"Oh, no!" she replied, laying out the trinkets again. "Will he get anything?"

"Oh, yes," Callen said. "He has quite a bit of money, you know. Nikolai has four dollars and fifty cents." He looked at Anna. "How come he didn't buy anything when you went shopping?"

Anna chuckled. "We got distracted by McDonald's so he forgot all about it."

"Ahh!" said Callen. He laid out eighteen quarters.

"I buy chips?" Nikolai asked.

"Yes, baby. Go right ahead," said his mother.

The little boy stared hard at the selections. At last he chose three bags as well.

"Can I get toy?"

Arkady pulled his hand from his pocket and surreptitiously placed several trucks and cars among the trinkets.

"Sure, baby," he said to the little boy. "What you like?" He held up a glittery bracelet.

"Nyet, Dedushka," he said. "That for girls. I not a girl. I a boy."

"Where'd he learn that?" Callen asked Anna.

"I don't know," she replied with a laugh.

"Oh, I see," Arkady said seriously. He held up a little fire engine.

"Do you like this kind?"

"Da, Dedushka!" Nikolai shouted. "Look, Bubbie! I see more trucks!"

"Good job, Nikolai," Roberta said. She added the fire engine to his pile of chips.

"Mama! More!" Nikolai looked hard, and found the other two trucks. "I buy?"

"Yes, baby," Callen said. "You can buy those."

"Spasibo, Papa!" he shouted, to the amusement of his family.

Callen patted his son's back. "Now you have to pay for your stuff, Nikolai. You have to use your quarters."

"Oh. But I like my quarters," he said.

"That's okay, Nikolai," said his mother. "Which do you want, baby? The quarters or the trucks?"

Nikolai frowned at her. "Mama! I want trucks!" He couldn't believe how silly she was.

"Okay, Nikolai. I'll help you count your money," Roberta said. "You need four dollars to pay for your things." She very carefully counted out sixteen quarters, leaving two on the table. "Be sure you put your extras in your box, Nikolai."

"Okay, Bubbie!" He dropped his change into his box.

"Good job, baby!" Anna said.

Upstairs, the girls compared their purchases. Anya was particularly fond of a pink-beaded, stretchy bracelet, and she immediately clipped her Elmo charm onto her bag.

Kira was happy with her long, blue-beaded necklace, which she put on. "How's it look?"

Anya laughed. "It looks great, Kira!"

Kira continued to go through her goodies. She took her two charms and clipped them onto her bag.

"That store Bubbie brought was so much fun!" she said.

"Right?" Anya replied. "You think they'll do it again?"

"Probably. I hope so!"

The door to Kira's room burst open.

"You have to knock, Raisa!" Kira said. "Otherwise, don't come in here!"

"I want some trinkets!"

"You know what?" Anya said. "Sit down and shut up."

Kira's eyes bugged out.

"Let's not worry about that for now, okay, please?" Anya said, knowing full well that she wasn't allowed to say 'shut up.'

"Raisa, what is your game?" she asked after a minute.

"Better yet," added Kira, "why is your game? Raisa, what is the big deal?"

"I don't do Math," she said, very aware that she wasn't telling the truth.

"So you say all the time. Why not? If I didn't know Math, I would not be able to buy my own things!" Anya said.

"I don't like it," Raisa began.

Kira shook her head. "Nuh-uh. That's complete BS. What is the real reason?"

"Well, I don't like it," Raisa repeated.

"So what?" Anya said. "Mama sucked at Math when she was a kid, but she learned it. Why can't you?"

"I don't like when the kids call me dumb and stupid, so it's better that I don't do Math at all," Raisa confessed at last.

Kira glared at her. "Raisa, not doing Math IS stupid! YOU are NOT stupid. Not by any stretch. Some of your grades are higher than mine!"

Anya stared her down. "Raisa, you aren't stupid. Those kids are probably jealous of you. You are a straight A student, except in Math. Why do you want to mess that up?"

"I don't."

"Then fix it, for God's sake!" Kira exploded. "Fix it, and stop being a jerk about it."

"I'm not a jerk!"

Kira got in her face. "You are when you mess up your Math work on purpose!"

"What's dumber than that?" Anya barked. "Papa and Mama are both smart, so we are all smart, too! You just don't like people to call you smart. Why the hell not?"

Kira stared her down. "Don't even say it, Raisa! Right now, you are trying to convince us that you are a stupid jerk. We don't think you are, and I know Mama and Papa don't either. So, why do you?"

"What's the point?" Anya asked.

Raisa made a face. "I want…I want to be big like you," she said.

The older girls looked at each other.

"Oh, boy," said Anya.

"Oh, brother," said Kira. "Raisa, you are eight years old. Almost nine. You are not a baby. If your school friends find out that you're trying to be a baby, you're going to be in really deep shit. Worse than you already are."

"I want to be a teenager like you."

Kira shook her head. "No, you don't. It's really hard being a teenager. It's better being a regular kid."

Anya looked at her funny. "Really?"

"Yes, but we can talk about it some other day," Kira answered. She turned back to Raisa. "What are you going to do about this mess, Raisa?"

"I saw your last few tests, Raisa," said Anya. "Their average score came out to twenty-four. Your Math average is an F. Mine is a B+, or an eighty-eight."

"Damn," said Kira. "Mine is only seventy-seven, or a C+. I guess I better start listening better, too."

Anya laughed, and gave her sister a thumbs' up. "What about it, Raisa? I would die if Mama and Papa got disappointed in me like they are with you."

"They are not!" Raisa responded with a some zip to her tone.

"Okay. That's fair. They aren't with all your grades. Just the Math," said Kira. "Raisa, why won't you do the Math? It is not hard."

"Yes, it is."

"Oh, baloney!" Anya said. "It got hard because you refused to listen even in kindergarten. Now it's been three more years. I bet you will have to go to summer school. You might even have to go to third grade again!"

"No, I won't!" Raisa screamed at her sisters.

Kira stared her down, and then glared at her. "Then do something about it," she growled.

"Are you a stupid jerk?" Anya asked.

"No!"

"Then stop acting like one! Please! There is no room for stupid jerks in this family, Raisa! Please," Kira added.

Anna chased Callen into their room and slammed the door shut. "Do not say anything to them! Not at all!" she warned.

He was about to retort when he caught sight of her expression. "I won't!" he gasped. Then he pointed to the door.

"Don't even! Callen, sit down," Anna said, pushing him onto their bed. "Look. I heard some of it, too, but we are not doing anything about the bigger girls. We have to let them talk in their own language sometimes, even if it's wrong."

He laid his head on her shoulder. "Anna, when did this get so hard?"

Anna put her arm around him. "I don't know. Maybe because they're getting older?"

He hugged her. "Probably." Then he nipped her neck. "Anna, we'll survive this, too."

She rubbed her neck. "Yes, we will, my love," she said, scritching the top of his head. "Do you have any idea of how much I love you?"

He smiled into her shoulder. "Not at all."

"Funny," she replied, raising his head so she could kiss him. She lay back, and pulled him with her. He snuggled her, laying his head on her breast.

"What about Roberta and Arkady?"

"Nothing," Anna said. "Let them play with Nikolai for a while. I want to take a nap."

"Good plan," he replied, closing his eyes.

Roberta knocked on Kira's door.

"Yes, Bubbie?"

"Where are your parents?"

Kira shrugged. "Probably sleeping. Why?"

"I thought it would be nice if we cooked dinner tonight, and gave them the night off. Maybe we can sneak in a movie, too."

Anya joined them. "Oh, yes, please, Bubbie! That's a great plan!"

"Is Dedushka going to help?" Kira asked.

"He damn well better!" Roberta replied. "Get cleaned up, and we can start early so we have time for the movie."

"What about Raisa?"

"Girls, you did what you could, as did Arkady and I. The rest is up to her."

"Okay, Bubbie."

Roberta went downstairs, and the girls straightened up Kira's room. Then they went looking for Raisa. They found her in her room, and then told her about Roberta's plans. Raisa was all in, so she straightened her room, and joined them downstairs.

Once downstairs, Roberta divided up the jobs and smaller tasks. Everyone had to help. She had Arkady and Nikolai set the table, and asked the girls to cut up various vegetables into chunks. She herself put a roast into the crockpot, and added the cut-up vegetables and the water to it. She put it at a medium-high heat, and calculated that it would be done by six o'clock.

Then she taught them all how to make biscuits from scratch, and the girls laid them out on a cookie sheet. While they were baking, she showed them how to make a cake from scratch, too. Kira tasted the batter, and found it to be sweet. She hoped the cake would be, too.

In a small pot, Roberta melted some bitter chocolate and a stick of butter together. Then she added some vanilla extract, and sugar. She blended it altogether, and then added some eggs. She set it aside to cool.

"Arkady, take the kids outside. I'll be right out," Roberta said, fanning herself.

"Okay, pretty lady. Not a problem," the big Russian replied. "Okay, kids. Let's go." He opened the back door, and they all followed him outside.

"What are we going to do, Dedushka?" Anya asked.

"I truly do not know," he replied, sitting at the picnic table.

A few minutes later, Roberta came out with several decks of cards. She shuffled two decks together, and then taught them how to play War. Even Nikolai was able to guess correctly when it was his turn.

Kira and Anya wondered what Raisa was going to do, but she played properly, to their immense relief. Roberta was just as relieved.

The next game Roberta taught them all was Concentration, which is a game of memory. She laid down a small grid at first, until she was sure all of the players knew what to do. Then, she laid out a five-by-five grid, and they had to find the matching cards. Kira won the first round. Several more hands were played, with Nikolai winning the last one.

"How did he do that?"

"Raisa, stop talking, okay? He listened, and got it," Kira shot back. "He is not stupid, you know."

"Well, he's a baby," she persisted.

"Oh, boy," said Roberta.

Kira shook her head. "I got this, Bubbie," she replied. "Raisa, how do you know that Nikolai is a baby?"

"He wears diapers and sits in a high chair and goes to baby school," she began.

Nikolai got angry. "I not a baby!"

"No, you are not," said Kira, sticking up for her baby brother. "Raisa, babies do not go to school. They go to daycare. So, he isn't a baby."

"I not wear diapers either," he declared with an edge to his voice. "I wear big boy briefs!" He shoved his pants down and showed his new Cars underwear to his family.

"How about it, Raisa?" Anya said. "Bubbie, he hasn't sat in the high chair in months. He uses only the tall chair in the dining room."

Roberta didn't say a word. She let the big girls handle the whole scenario. Arkady stayed silent, too.

"Then who's the baby?" Raisa said, and her three siblings all gave her dirty looks with their daggers showing.

"NOBODY!" they all screamed at her.

"Oh, boy," said Arkady.

Callen woke up, and rubbed his face on Anna's shirt.

"What am I smelling?"

She woke up, too, and sniffed the air.

"I think Roberta cooked dinner for us," she said. She sat up. "I feel very rested."

"I do, too," Callen said as he sat up. He stretched. "How about we find out what she cooked for us?"

"Yes," Anna replied, sliding off the bed quickly. "Race you!"

Callen didn't bother to chase her into the bathroom. He knew she would drive him crazy. Instead, he caught her as she came out, and then wrapped her in his arms and kissed her.

Anna responded with everything she had, and then popped off him.

"That was slick of you, my love!"

"I am nothing if not slick," he sassed. He stole a quick kiss before he took his turn in the bathroom.

Anna caught him on his return, too. She jumped up in his arms and hugged him.

"You okay, baby?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. "I just want to hold you, is all."

He grinned happily. "Thank you, my baby, but I really do think we should go downstairs to eat, if nothing else." He kissed her first, and then hugged her.

"Oh, God!" Kira knocked on the door, and then opened it before her parents gave her permission to do so.

They popped apart.

"Kira!" growled Anna.

"The door wasn't closed?"

"Nope. Don't go there. I know it was closed," Callen replied, holding onto Anna. "What's up?"

"Bubbie wants you to come down to dinner now," Kira said. She couldn't take her eyes off her parents. "Papa, why are you holding her?"

"Because I like to," replied her father, "but I do not need to justify what I do with your mom because it isn't any of your business, Kira."

"And I want him to," came Anna's answer. "It's just something we like to do, and it feels good to us."

"Baby, it still isn't your business, but it is all about that adult love we told you about," Callen said. "It's a shame that your friends' parents can't experience this."

Kira sank down on their bed. "Yeah, I guess it is," she amended. "I think it's as embarrassing as all hell, but it's pretty neat, too."

"Oh, gosh, Kira," said her mother. "It's going to be embarrassing until you get old enough in your head for a partner. Then it won't be embarrassing any more." She draped her arms around Callen's neck and then kissed him.

"Oh," said Kira, who did understand at last. "You guys really do love each other, don't you?"

"Yes, baby, we do," said Anna. "There is nothing I wouldn't do for Papa. I love him to the edge of the Universe and back."

"Cute," muttered Callen, smirking. "Kira, Mama is right. When you love someone the way we do, nothing stops us. It's the most intense feeling you'll ever feel in your life until you have a child."

Anna glanced at her oldest child. "Kira, it will be very exciting when you find someone to love like this, and as long as your partner doesn't hurt you, you'll have our support, no matter who it is." She wiggled down from Callen's arms, and went to hug Kira.

Callen joined them, holding them both very close. He kissed them both, too.

"I love both of you very, very much," he gushed, "but we all really need to go downstairs for dinner. I am starving!"