Wow, it's been a while. I've been busy with other projects and life in general, but I'll always find my way back to a Skyffrey one-shot eventually. Enjoy!

(Camping)

There was an old saying, though I wasn't really sure how old it was. Something about life getting in the way. I never really saw the connection when I was a kid, but now…I got it. All the disasters big and small had a way of getting in the way of everything you'd rather be doing. Granted, I assumed it was just a part of the adult experience, but that didn't mean I couldn't wish it were different.

Usually, when people said life got in the way, it just meant they'd miss out on time to relax or pursue a hobby, but life could also take you away from spending time with the people you loved the most. That was the dark side of being an adult, just finding time.

I closed my eyes as I let the sounds of the forest calm me. This weekend was about taking time, finally.

When I opened my eyes I was met with a barrage of reds and gold. The sight of the forest in autumn never stopped taking my breath away. And the chill in the air always felt more invigorating than harsh, if you asked me.

The twins would be starting school soon, which didn't even seem real. Time was moving so quickly, that it made me think about that old saying. I couldn't let life get in the way of what really mattered.

My thoughts were verging on the downright serious until I heard a familiar voice scream in pain. Then I just smiled. Glancing over my shoulder I saw a Jeffrey shaped lump lying under our fallen tent.

"You okay?"

He grumbled before crawling out from under the mess of fabric. "I hit my finger while hammering in the tent pen if you must know, m'lady."

"Oh," I said simply before turning back to the view.

"And you're not going to kiss it and make it better?" he teased, pretending to be frustrated.

Tucking my hands deeper into my jacket pockets I didn't even look back. "Nope, definitely not."

"Such abuse…" he mumbled before going back to wrestle with the tent again.

Just up ahead, I watched as the twins played around in a patch of fallen leaves. Tim preferred to just jump in them, while Astra rathered examine a single leaf up close. The older they got, the more their personalities seemed to stand out in stark contrast. But I couldn't blame them, just look at their parents.

The weekend was supposed to be about reconnecting with each other as much as possible. Which meant our phones were off and I'd banned Jeffrey from bringing the French horn. The infamous French horn…

I'd tried to reason with him it might mimic the mating call of a moose or something, though secretly, I thought a dying moose was a better description. In reality, we weren't that far away from town, but Jeffrey had insisted on buying a ridiculous amount of survival gear in case we were "trapped in the wilderness" as he put it.

After another half hour of wrestling with the tent he'd managed it keep it standing at least. It was a little lopsided, but I wasn't going to point it out. I guess I was in a good mood overall… Mostly, I didn't want to rain on his parade entirely.

As soon as he was done he cleared his throat loudly to get our attention. "Attention, Tifton clan, this is an important announcement from your fearless leader."

I was tempted not to respond to that, but I decided to cut him a break after the tent fiasco. So I reluctantly turned while Tim and Astra did the same.

"Well, as you can see, I've secured shelter for the night, which means the next thing we have to focus on is fire!" With all the horrible finesse of a cheap horror movie, he quickly pulled a hatchet from the holster on his side. "But fear not, I'm prepared to take care of that too!"

"Wow, can I help, Daddy?!" Tim beamed excitedly.

"Well, Tim, you're a bit small to handle this manly tool, but you can help by picking up any little sticks lying around."

Tim was more than thrilled with that assignment, while Astra sensibly decided to watch the spectacle from a safe distance. As soon as Tim was out of earshot I pulled Jeffrey aside. "I brought a fire log, you don't have to go hacking up the forest."

He frowned at me like I'd just swatted the ice cream off his cone. "Skye, where's your sense of authentic adventure? This is the way they used to do it in the old days."

I sighed. "A lot of people died in the old days, too. You're a concert pianist, not a lumberjack, you're going to chop your hand off with that thing."

He put an arm around my shoulders. "I know women can be a little squeamish around blades, but don't worry, M'lady, your Jeffrey has this!"

"I'm not squeamish around blades, but you're squeamish around blood, especially your own."

"Come on, Skye, I watched a couple of videos about this, I can totally handle it."

I shook my head. "The guys in those videos had biceps the size of tree stumps and beards down to their knees, I think it's a different skill set."

"Are you trying to give me a complex or is this just a subtle way of you saying you wished I'd grow a beard?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, definitely not. What I'm saying is, I didn't marry any of those guys, so apparently they're not that great." I didn't want to get sappy, but if it would take a little emotional manipulation to keep all of Jeffrey's limbs intact then so be it.

His face softened somewhere between beaming with pride and being touched. "And no supermodels could ever hold a candle to you either."

I folded my arms a little awkwardly under the praise before I frowned. "Wait, what supermodels?"

"It's purely hypothetical, sweetheart. Now, I know it was my boyish charm that first attracted you, but the fact still remains that it's my job to protect and provide. Which in this case means, I've got to hack a tree to pieces to ward off the bitter cold of the approaching night!"

I facepalmed. "What if we started a bit smaller than that? How about just a fallen log or something, there's plenty of those around."

"Okay, I'm a reasonable man, I can see you're obviously deeply worried about me. I can respect that, M'lady." He shot me a goofy smile. "I know you care…"

I punched his shoulder. "Don't let it go to your head. If you're seeing too many stars you really will chop your hand off."

"Not stars, just one drop-dead gorgeous astrophysicist."

I rolled my eyes again. "Focus on the log."

It was a miracle, but we managed to get a campfire going without irreversible injury. Not that I didn't secretly have the first aid kit nearby just in case…

Astra crawled into my lap as I sat staring into the flames. Glancing up at me she smiled thoughtfully. "It's pretty…"

I nodded. "Yeah…"

Undoubtedly, there was something entrancing about an open flame. I guess we were both a lot alike in thinking that. So many times I wondered what Astra was thinking. For someone so young, she seemed to already be so deep. Still, it was the times when I saw her open up and laugh at Jeffrey that made me the happiest. And he certainly didn't give a shortage of opportunities to laugh at…

"Whose hungry?" he asked as we turned to see him standing in what I could only describe as a full tactical grill apron.

"Is that molle webbing…" I asked, somewhat in disbelief.

"It certainly is! I'm so glad you asked. You know all those bearded guys who aren't nearly as handsome as I am, Skye?"

"Uh, yeah, I think…"

"Well, they recommended this! It's equipped with the latest in bulletproof fabric combined with twenty full tactical-sized cargo pockets, a built-in flint fire striker, and titanium titanium-reinforced bottle opener. The perfect companion when you're grilling in a-"

"War zone?" I guessed.

"Well, let's not get carried away, but I think it was a great bargain at just under $200 bucks!"

I choked. "200 dollars for an…apron?"

Right on cue Astra laughed, I only wished I could, I was a little too sick from contemplating the price. Though I had to give him credit, I thought it must have been hard to find a tactical patch that said "kiss the musician." But of course, he'd managed to, somehow…

Tim was the first to demand a marshmallow to attempt roasting. All in all, I felt a little worn out from trying to supervise them all, Jeffrey included… But the night wasn't over yet, Jeffrey had a whole evening planned for telling creepy stories around the campfire. I was a little worried the twins might be scared from hearing Jeffrey recount eyewitness accounts of people seeing Sasquatch and apparently some sort of dog person. But as it turns out they only seemed entertained. It was when Jeffrey thought he heard a twig snap in the distance that he gave up the stories and pulled out the mini ukulele he'd smuggled in.

It was hilarious to see him sweating nervous bullets while he tried to strum a carefree tune on that tiny thing. After another hour or so, the twins were both fast asleep on my lap, and Jeffrey had mostly forgotten about his fear that a cryptid was about to come and rip us all to shreds.

It was then that he finally set the ukulele aside and just looked at me. It was the kind of look I'd seen countless times before, the instant when the bravado finally ran out of steam.

"Skye…I never have impressed you, have I? I mean legitimately? Ever?"

I pretended to think hard about it. "I wouldn't say never, just never when you actually tried."

"How does that work?" he asked seeming confused. "If I don't try I'll impress you, but if I do I don't?"

I nodded, finding it hilarious how hard it was for men to understand. "Yeah, that's it. It's pretty much like that with all women I think."

He crossed his arms in amazement. "You know how revolutionary that knowledge would be to the entire male world, Skye?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, I always thought it was obvious."

He tugged on a lock of his messy brown hair. "It's madness, M'lady. The counterintuitive nature of it is wholly incompatible with the male brain." He suddenly looked at me more seriously, as his voice softened. "But it must be true, how else could I have ended up with someone as amazing as you…"

I glanced back at the fire, the flames flickering low. "You know, you're not a horrible person yourself, or anything."

"I know…" he whispered. "But I also know that I fall into the fully ordinary league."

I grinned. "Ordinary isn't the word I'd use, but eccentric, that kinda fits."

He smiled back at me. "So even after so many years swirling in our little pool of madness you still have no regrets?"

I paused for effect, poking the dying fire with a stick. "Let me think…"

"Skye…?" he whined, not expecting that.

But that just made me chuckle harder. In fact, I considered leaving him hanging, but I had too much mercy. "No regrets, just crazy memories," I finally said.

"Which are the best kind," he added, relieved.

Honestly, I couldn't argue with that.

Before too much longer we put out the fire and crawled into the tent to get some sleep. The twins were still out cold, and I was tired enough to join them without much problem. But Jeffrey on the other hand, was a whole different story. Sometime during the night, I felt his hand shove my shoulder.

"Skye…?" he frantically whispered. "Did you hear that?"

"Nope…" I mumbled back half asleep.

"I-It sounded like something walking…" he said in a shaking voice. "Something with big feet."

He looked at me, his green eyes wild in the darkness. "Do you think it's a Sasquatch?"

I thought for a second before I leaned to leave a small kiss on his cheek. "Maybe," I said nonchalantly as I rolled back over onto my other side. "Might be cool if it is."

"R-Right…" he whispered through the darkness. "That's what I thought too…"

It was all I could do to stop myself from laughing at him.

It was true that life could get in the way. But mostly, it was these moments, no matter how rare, that really made life worth it anyway.