Johnny sighed heavily as he let himself into the house. A busy shift with little downtime, coupled with the ever-present nagging pain in his hip had left him completely exhausted. A hot soak followed by a few hours of sleep sounded like the best thing in the world.

But first things first. He could hear Diane in the kitchen, singing along with the radio. That, along with the smell of fresh coffee, lured him in.

He slipped in behind her, resting a hand on her waist and kissing the back of her neck. "Morning, beautiful."

Diane turned her head with a smile, greeting him with a quick kiss on the lips. "Morning. How was your shift?"

Johnny huffed, resting his head on her shoulder. "Busy. Had an old lady that drove her car into the second story of a house, then got called out for a trash fire at three this morning."

"I saw that on the news last night." Diane replied, turning her attention to the stove. "Did everyone make it out okay?"

"Oh, sure." Johnny answered casually, pulling away to pour himself some coffee. "She thought I was her husband. Told me in the ambulance that I was a real looker."

"She's right." Diane laughed.

"Hmm." Johnny responded as he put bread in the toaster. "So, I guess you won't be trading me in any time soon?"

"Wouldn't dream of it." Diane told him.

It occurred to Johnny's tired brain that someone was missing. "Where's Katie?"

"My mom picked her up first thing this morning." Diane answered. "They're going to go school shopping and have some lunch."

"School shopping?" Johnny questioned. "She's going into kindergarten. How much school stuff can she possibly need? Besides, school doesn't start for months."

Diane merely looked amused. "Don't tell me you're complaining about us having a little time to ourselves."

"Not at all." Johnny took in the figure of his wife, dressed simply in jeans and a T-shirt, one of his, if he wasn't mistaken. Taking her to bed for a few hours while Katie was gone was an appealing prospect despite his bone-deep exhaustion. He couldn't remember the last time they'd had the luxury of that kind of time together.

Diane caught him checking her out, that amused expression never leaving her face, and Johnny thought he detected just a hint of color in her cheeks. There was something thrilling about the idea that he still had that power after all these years.

He moved closer, caressing her and leaning down to kiss her temple. "You know, we could put breakfast on hold for a while."

"Hmm." Diane murmured. "It'll get cold, just so you're aware."

"I'm aware." Johnny replied quietly, moving to kiss her neck. "And we can always heat it back up."

Diane laughed softly and turned off the stove before turning toward him, draping her arms around his neck. Johnny immediately leaned in, capturing her mouth with his own, letting it linger and deepen as his hands slid under her T-shirt, the feel of soft skin and the curve of her back causing his own body to react.

God, she still held that power over him, too, after all these years.

He could feel her tugging on his polo shirt, pulling it loose and running her hands up his back, and he let out a little involuntary growl at the move. The thought occurred to him that he could take Diane right here, right now. It wouldn't be the first time they'd done so.

Johnny pulled back just enough to finish taking off his shirt, tossing it aside as Diane smoothed her hands up his stomach and chest. It was almost more than he could take. He let his hands rest on her rear, pressing a kiss into her jaw near her ear. "Ah, I want you right here. What do you say?"

"Hmm." Diane responded, tilting her head back as Johnny continued leaving little kisses down her neck. "I'd say yes, but…you're going to want to pass out afterwards, and I'm not carrying you to bed."

Johnny huffed at that, pulling back to look down at her. "Dammit, you know me so well."

It was a short trip to the bedroom, both of them stripping off their remaining clothing before crawling into the bed, and Johnny immediately pulled Diane in close, kissing her all over and running a hand over her body. "Mmm, you're right. This is much better."

"Told you." Diane responded softly.

Johnny didn't answer that, his hand traveling further downward, finding the spot that he knew would drive her wild, lightly stroking at first before pressing in more firmly. He was rewarded with the familiar soft sighs and quiet gasps he'd come to know over their years together, and there was something about that intimate knowledge that fueled his desire all the more.

Diane kissed him hard, pushing Johnny over to his back, and he winced at the twinge he felt, even as he pushed it aside in favor of concentrating on what Diane was doing to him.

Their bodies were connected now, moving in steady rhythm, and it wasn't long before the sensation overtook Johnny, and he could only let out a rough sigh before relaxing his hold on Diane and all but melting into the bed.

He closed his eyes for a moment as Diane rested her head on his chest, letting his hand smooth down her back. "How do you do it?" He murmured.

"Hmm. Do what?"

Johnny waved his other hand around vaguely. "You know. That."

"Well, someone told me I knew him very well." Diane replied.

Johnny kissed the top of Diane's head. "Well, when you find this someone, I want a word with him."

Diane laughed and shifted ever so slightly, sending a sharp twinge through Johnny's hip, and he let out an involuntary hiss. He felt Diane move off him and curl up against him.

"Why didn't you tell me I was hurting you?" She asked.

"What are you talking about?" Johnny really didn't want to talk about this right now.

Diane's hand came to rest right on that tender spot. "This."

Johnny huffed in annoyance. "It's nothing. Really."

"Mm-hmm." Diane responded skeptically. "It certainly explains how we went through that bottle of ibuprofen so quickly."

"I was going to pick some up on my way home." Johnny replied. "Just forgot."

"Not the point." Diane answered firmly. "If you do nothing else while you're off, please make a doctor's appointment, okay? At least let someone else tell you it's nothing."

And there it was again, the stab of fear, the worry that he'd have to quit the job he'd come to love, the uncertainty of what might come next. "What if it's not? What then?"

Diane shifted again, and Johnny opened his eyes to see her concerned expression. "Then…we'll figure it out. Honey, we've talked about this."

"Yeah, but that was then." Johnny argued. "Before we got married, before Katie came along. Things have changed."

"All the more reason for you to find out what's going on." Diane countered. "And what was true then is true now. There are other things you'd be good at."

Johnny sighed. "Right. Teaching. Adam said the same damn thing."

"He's right."

"Do you know what that would take?" Johnny wasn't ready to give in just yet. "Hell, I'd have to go to school myself, and you know I'm no good at that. All that stuff you're studying? It goes right over my head."

"That's because I'm doing masters' level work." Diane pointed out. "And you really do underestimate yourself. You're one of the smartest people I know. And you'd be an amazing instructor. The program would be lucky to have you. Think of all that real world experience you'd bring. That's worth something."

Johnny had to admit that Diane was making a good argument. He just hated the idea of having to leave his current job, not if he could still handle the work. But even he was questioning whether he still could.

"I'll make the call." He finally told her. "But not right now."

"Okay." Diane replied, seemingly mollified by Johnny's response. "Do you still want breakfast?"

"In a while." Johnny answered absently. "Nap sounds better."

Diane laughed softly at that. "Told you."

"Yeah, you did." Johnny replied as he closed his eyes. "You did."

# # #

Roy laid down after Joanne went to the grocery store, trying to unwind from the busy shift while trying to figure out exactly how the hell he was going to talk to Chris.

After a while, he gave up, rolling out of bed and starting on his list of home projects. There was always something that needed his attention, and he couldn't help noticing that Joanne had added a couple of things to the list. Just as well, Roy figured. He could use the distraction.

He heard Joanne pull in, and he immediately went out to help her bring in groceries. She seemed surprised, but not displeased at his assistance. "I thought you'd still be sleeping."

"Couldn't." Roy answered. "Too much on my mind, I guess."

"You mean Chris."

"Not just Chris." Roy told her. "A lot happening at the station, too."

As they unpacked groceries, Roy brought Joanne up to speed on everything that was going on around the station. He stopped just before mentioning Isaac. There was no sense worrying Joanne more than she already was.

"Well, I think a fire station wedding sounds romantic." Joanne told him. "Do you think Chet will actually follow through?"

"Oh, he will, eventually, once he quits being a chicken about it." Roy replied.

Joanne looked slightly alarmed. "You don't suppose Samantha will turn him down, do you?"

"Who knows?" Roy huffed as he folded the last paper grocery bag. "It would be something, having a married couple working out of the same station. Not sure that's ever happened before."

"And probably won't be the last time." Joanne pointed out. "I've got to hand it to her. She's a tough girl. I don't think I could put up with all of you for a full shift."

Roy couldn't help laughing at that. "Trust me, she holds her own and then some. And those guys don't let anyone mess with her."

"That's good." Joanne replied, giving Roy a quick kiss.

"Hey, not so fast." Roy pulled her back in nearly as soon as she pulled away. "You know, we've got some time before the kids get home…"

Joanne laid a hand on Roy's chest, that familiar spark in her eyes. "I like the way you think, Captain."

They didn't do this nearly as often as they used to, but that fire still burned between them, even after so many years together. It bred a sense of familiarity that Roy couldn't imagine with anyone else. After all, they had practically grown up together, and had stuck it out through thick and thin. In Roy's eyes, Joanne was still as bright and beautiful as she had been the day they married, and his desire for her had never waned, even as they had gone through long periods without that physical contact.

Roy was drawing this out for as long as he possibly could, taking full advantage of this day off and this time with both kids out of the house. It brought to mind those times early in their relationship, long before they had married, when they would slip away and find somewhere to be alone, spending untold hours together until they had to go their separate ways, always with the promise of meeting again.

Eventually, Joanne sighed contentedly as she snuggled up to Roy, resting her head on his shoulder, and they laid there for the longest time, just quietly talking.

"Do you really think Johnny will quit?" Joanne asked.

"Not before he's forced to." Roy answered. "Damn fool is really trying to push through it. I don't know. He's been talking to Adam a lot more than he's been talking to me."

"Well, of course he has." Joanne replied. "You're his captain before anything else. You know that."

"Suppose you're right." Roy concurred. "I just wish he'd come to me instead of just sucking it up. He's no good working hurt."

"I know you're worried about him." Joanne told him. "But he's not the same young man you took under your wing. A lot has changed since you two started working together."

Roy had to admit that Joanne was right. Back then, Johnny had looked to Roy for guidance, had even looked up to him. He'd long since grown into himself, even taking Sam under his wing once she started paramedic training. Roy had happened upon more than one late night session between the two of them, Johnny scribbling on the board as he went over some concept Sam seemed to have trouble grasping.

Johnny had the heart and soul of a teacher, and he had poured himself into the paramedic program, even going so far as to argue before the county board in favor of improved practices and procedures.

The station's loss would most certainly be the program's gain, should there come at time when Johnny was faced with that decision.

"Suppose we've all gotten older, haven't we?" Roy commented. "Even Johnny had to grow up eventually."

"And he has." Joanne told him firmly. "I think if any of us had been told back then that Johnny would be such a good husband and father, we would have all had a good laugh."

"Johnny most of all." Roy answered.

Eventually they left the comfort of their bed and got dressed, returning to their normal daytime routines until Roy heard the front door open and close, two voices coming closer. He recognized Jenny's voice, of course, but not the other.

He looked up from the book he was reading to greet the girls. "Hi, Jenny. Who's your friend?"

Jenny let out a sigh that sounded an awful lot like Joanne. "Dad, this is Laura. Laura, this is my dad, Captain DeSoto."

"Roy's just fine." Roy was amused, but rose to meet the girls, extending a hand to Laura. "And it's nice to meet you. Jenny, where's Chris?"

"He said something about staying after to work on one of his art projects." Jenny explained. "We had to ride the bus home."

Roy would have to talk to Chris about that. If he was going to take Jenny to school with him, he had to commit to bringing her home, too, unless they had agreed to other arrangements. "I'll have a word with him."

Joanne came into the living room from the kitchen. "Hello, Laura. Will you be staying for dinner?"

"Oh, no ma'am." Laura replied softly. "My stepdad's going to pick me up in a while. Thanks, though."

"Of course." Joanne nodded before turning to Jenny. "And where's Chris?"

"Still at school." Roy answered on her behalf. "Apparently he made other plans without letting anyone know."

"Oh." Joanne frowned slightly. "Well, if you girls need anything, you just let me know."

With that the girls went on to Jenny's room, chattering the whole time. Joanne let out a sigh and gave Roy a look. "I suppose you'll have more to talk to Chris about."

"Suppose so." Roy replied as he picked up his book again.

It was easy to forget at times that Chris was still a kid, despite the fact that he would be graduating from high school around this time next year. He was nearly as tall as Roy now, though he definitely had his own style that differed greatly from Roy's. Chris had fully embraced the 'New Wave' fashion that was so popular now, which baffled Roy to no end.

But that was part of Chris becoming his own person, wasn't it? Roy had never wanted to discourage Chris from his artistic interests, not the way Roy's father had tried to do with him. Perhaps had Roy been allowed to pursue his own interests, he would have had a very different life than he had now.

Still, there were rules, and rules had to be followed. Surely, Chris would understand.

A couple of hours later, just as Roy was starting to worry about Chris's whereabouts, the door opened and closed, and Chris started toward his room.

"Hold on." Roy set his book aside, his words stopping Chris in his tracks. "We need to talk."

Chris paused, then nodded silently, turning back toward the living room and setting down his backpack before easing himself into a chair. "I know I should have called. I'm sorry."

Roy nodded in response to his son's obvious contrition. "And I'm sure you understand why we made those rules, right?"

"Right." Chris replied. "It was just kind of a last-minute thing and I didn't have time to call. Me and my friend Matthew are working on a couple of pieces for the school art show. I guess I kind of got caught up."

Now was as good a time as any to bring up the note. "I don't think I've ever met Matthew. You two are good friends, huh?"

Chris's eyes went a little wide, and he pressed his lips together the way he did when he thought he was about to get in trouble for something. "I mean, kind of? We just met in art class this semester. I got him to join art club. He's really good, Dad. Like, really talented."

Roy smiled a little. "Hard to imagine someone more talented than you."

Chris scoffed. "You have to say that. You're my dad."

"I say it because it's true." Roy asserted, shifting so that he could pull the note out of his pocket. "Speaking of Matthew…I think this belongs to you. Found it on the kitchen table yesterday morning."

Chris looked even more scared now, reaching out and taking the note from Roy's extended hand and curling his fingers around it. There was a long silence between them until Roy broke it.

"Chris." Roy started gently. "Whatever this means, it's okay."

Chris still didn't respond, staring at a spot on the carpet. Roy decided to try again. "This Matthew guy must be pretty special, huh?"

Chris blinked, rubbing at one of his eyes. "I guess."

"I mean, he must be if you wrote this about him." Roy continued. "And I know I shouldn't have read it. I invaded your privacy, and that was wrong."

Chris finally looked Roy in the eye. "I didn't know how to explain it. You know, there's a couple girls that I liked. Matthew's the first boy I've ever liked…you know, that way. And I wasn't even sure that I liked him like that. You know, the same way I like girls."

Roy was really confused now. It hadn't occurred to him that someone could like both. "Yeah, I can see how that would be really confusing."

Chris went on as if he hadn't heard Roy. "But then I kind of realized that, like, I do like him that way. And I think he likes me, too. I don't really know, though. That's why I was just going to leave him a note. I didn't want anyone else finding out about it. You know, in case I was wrong."

Chris let out a short huff, glancing at Roy. "I guess that's kind of it. I was going to tell you and Mom, I swear I was. I just…I didn't know how."

Roy rose from the couch, moving toward Chris. "Come here."

Chris rose from the chair, that scared expression still on his face, even as he stepped toward Roy, and Roy gathered him in a tight hug. That was all it took for Chris to fall apart, shaking in Roy's arms as he unloaded on his shoulder.

God, how long had Chris been carrying this around with him? Roy's heart broke for his son, who must have felt so terribly alone, unable to tell anyone his secret. "It's okay, buddy. It's okay. You're still my son, I still love you, okay? And I won't tell anyone else about this unless you say it's okay."

"Jenny already knows." Chris's response was muffled. "She helped me write the note."

"Of course, she did." Roy couldn't help laughing a little. "And your mom only knows that I was going to talk to you, but she's on your side, too."

Chris took in a deep, shaky breath. "I'll tell her myself."

"Dinner's almost ready—oh." Joanne suddenly appeared. "Is everything okay?"

Chris pulled away, straightening up to face Joanne. "Yeah, Mom. Um…there's this boy at school I really like. But I don't just like boys. I like girls, too."

"Oh." Joanne seemed to absorb the information, her brow wrinkling ever so slightly in apparent confusion. "Well, okay. Does this boy have a name?"

Chris glanced at Roy before looking back at Joanne, nodding. "His name's Matthew. He's in my art class. That's why I got home late, because we were working together on some stuff."

"Well, this sounds like someone we should meet. You should invite him over." Joanne gave Roy a questioning look. "Right?"

"If you want to." Roy told Chris. "And if he wants to come over."

"No sleepovers." Joanne told him firmly. "I'll have none of that going on under this roof."

Chris almost instantly turned red, staring at the floor, and Roy managed to suppress a laugh. "Got it, Mom." He muttered.

"Good." Joanne nodded firmly before going down the hallway to knock on Jenny's door. "Girls? Dinner's nearly ready. Laura, you're still welcome to stay if you want. We have plenty."

Soon both girls emerged, and Jenny stopped short, looking at both Roy and Chris. "Oh my God, did you tell them?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah. It's cool. Right, Dad?"

"Right." Roy agreed. "It's, uh, cool. Hey, who's hungry?"

With that they gathered around the dinner table, Jenny chatting happily about everything that was going on at school, with Laura occasionally chiming in. Chris talked more about the art projects he and Matthew were working on, while Roy once again told the story of the woman who had driven into the second story of that house.

He caught Joanne's eyes at the other end of the table, and they shared a smile. Their family would certainly look a little different from here on out, but that was okay. As long as everyone was happy and healthy, in the end, that's all that mattered.