So the title for the last chapter was taken from the children's nursery rhyme To Market, To Market. Thank you to ancilla89, YaleAceBella12, decadenceofmysoul, and Daisyangel for your reviews on the last chapter. Unfortunately the fight will last a little while longer. You guys wanted tension between the pair.

Danny took his kids home after the skating rink to find that his wife was still at work and it was getting to dinner time. The boys plopped down to play video games and Danny watched his daughter look through the fridge, freezer, and pantry. "Do you think Mom would mind if I made dinner?" Anna asked not quite looking at him.

"I think she'd like that," he said, sitting down at the table.

When Linda entered the house, she was shocked not to be assaulted with questions about what was for dinner or the smell of take out. As she removed her coat, she could just smell the scent of beef and pasta coming from the kitchen. She sniffed and could also smell baking cheese.

"Jack, set the table!" Anna called from the kitchen.

"No fair, I've almost got him beat!" Jack answered.

"Okay, beat his butt then set the table," Anna answered.

"Thank you," Jack said. Sure enough as soon as he beat his brother, Jack got up, washed his hands, and then went to set the table. Sean cleaned up the mess in the living room and went to wash up.

"How was today?" Linda asked, sitting at the table with her husband.

"Fine," Danny said.

"Just fine?" Linda asked.

"Yep," Danny said.

"Danny," Linda said.

"It was fine, Mom," Anna said. She sat the casserole pan on the table. "Dinner's ready."

"What do you call this?" Sean asked halfway through the meal.

"Cheddar Beefaroni, however my friend Riley calls it cheesy beefy mac."

"Cheesy beefy mac?" Danny asked.

"Mac and cheese with beef and a few other things to make it taste good. She gave me the recipe. I've been dying to try it but I don't have an oven."

"It's really good," Jack said.

"Thanks," Anna said.

"So how was skating, boys?" Linda said.

"Fine," Jack said.

"Yeah, it was great," Sean said.

"And your dad?"

"It was great. We went skating, Dad was there, what more could you ask for?" Anna asked.

"Really?" Linda looked around the table at her family. Anna grinned at her mom and Linda dropped it after a few moments.

At the end of the night, Anna curled upon her air mattress and tried to get comfortable. Unfortunately, because it was an air mattress, it shifted every time she moved. She had only been home for a few days and knew that if she was going to enjoy the rest of her time at home, she had to get some better sleep. However, if she were to ask her grandfather if she could stay with him before Christmas, she knew her mom wouldn't be happy. She only needed one parent mad at her at a time and she could handle it better if it was her dad over her mom. The minute she thought that, she realized how guilty that made her feel. She used to be a big daddy's girl, no matter what had happened to her, she had always wanted her dad there, but now it was almost like him being there would mess everything up.

Christmas Eve after Midnight Mass, Anna, Jack, and Sean curled up together in Jack's bed and Anna read them The Night Before Christmas as per tradition. Anna had reached the part about a clatter arising when Sean stopped her. "Anna, is everything okay between you and Dad?" he asked softly.

"Everything is fine, Sean," Anna said. "There arose such a clatter that—"

"But, Anna, we can tell it's not," Sean pressed.

"Why won't you two believe me? When you were little you did," she muttered. "Could you just drop it, please?"

Sean looked at his brother for help. "We know you're hiding your pain for our sake and we admire how strong and sweet that is, but we're your brothers and it's a two way street. Let us help, please," Jack added.

"There's nothing to help with, boys." Anna marked the spot in the book with her finger and looked at them. "Dad and I have just had a little misunderstanding and it's no big deal."

"Then how come the two of you can't be alone in the same room for five minutes without fighting?"

"Because Dad doesn't trust me the way he should and we don't want to get into it with each other."

"Have you tried talking to him?" Sean asked.

"Has he tried apologizing?" she snapped. "I mean, I tried talking to him but you know how Dad is. He's just like the rest of the male Reagans. They don't like talking about things especially if those things that need to be talked about involve feelings. It's fine, I promise. You let me worry about Dad and you can just concentrate on Christmas tomorrow. I'm pretty sure I know two little boys who were really good and are going to get what they want tomorrow as long as they let me finish this story then go to sleep tonight like good, little boys. You are good boys, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but we're not so little anymore," Jack said.

"Maybe not but you still believe in Santa, don't you?" The boys shared a look but nodded. "Good, now where was I?" Anna asked, opening the book again.

Linda finished putting the presents under the tree and shut off the lights, and crept down the stairs to check on her oldest. She was slightly surprised to find the basement empty. The same was true of her youngest's room. Then she remembered what night it was and peaked into her middle child's room. There they were, all three of her little ones, curled up like puppies on Jack's bed. Her mind instantly flashed back to every Christmas Eve in the past. She smiled as she watched them. It was moments like this that she thanked God for her family. The older her kids got, the rarer these moments got. That's what made them so special. She pulled out her cell phone and snapped a photo of her babies. She felt an arm slip around her shoulders and leaned back into her husband's embrace. "Remember when they were little? You used to be in the middle of that puppy pile. You hated waking them," Linda said.

"Yeah, but it had to be done."

"No. Let them sleep; it's only few more hours. They're safe, they're comfortable, and it's Christmas. Let them have this one. Your kids will thank you for it. I'll thank you for it."

Danny turned her around and looked at her carefully. "Okay. Let them sleep."

Christmas was Anna's third favorite holiday, sometimes fourth; right behind Independence Day, Halloween, and Labor Day when it fell on her birthday. The presents and bright lights had made it great when she was a little kid but now she loved watching her parents and brothers, capturing most of it through the lens of her camera phone. Her mom wasn't too thrilled with that, mostly because she felt like Anna wasn't being in the moment but also because she could still feel the tension between Danny and Anna and wanted them to fix it. Anna wanted to but the only way for her to fix it was to let go of the issue and let Danny get away with it again so she left it to Danny to fix that. Danny had to apologize but he'd never do that unless forced so she didn't see the point of acting like everything was fine and like she was having a blast with her dad. Instead, she let him hang out with his boys so at least they'd enjoy Christmas. Besides that, she knew she'd see the rest of her family in a few hours and that would cheer her up.

Once all the gifts were unwrapped and some toys were opened, Linda stood up. "Who wants breakfast?" she asked.

"First to the table gets first dibs," Anna said.

"No running in my house," Linda instantly responded. The boys extracted themselves the excess wrapping paper scraps and to their credit didn't run but still rushed to the table. Anna reached the table first and as such, got first dibs on the French toast.

Dinner with the family was great and it definitely diverted attention from the fight. It was a good time all around. Anna wanted to ask her grandfather for a favor after dinner but didn't want it to come off the wrong way, especially on Christmas, so she held off until the following Sunday.

Dinner seemed to take forever that Sunday, especially since she spent most of it talking about her first semester of college. After that, she got to sit down with her grandfather. "What's on your mind?" Frank asked.

"I need to ask you something but I'm not sure you'll agree."

"How about you explain and let me decide?"

"Okay. I love my dad, I really do. He means the world to me but right now, it's hard to stay in the stay in the same house with him. I know that you and my mom and Uncle Jamie all want the tension between him and I to end, but he's a Reagan and they don't like talking about things. Because of that he's not going to fix this and that means there's this immeasurable tension that's not going to go away. You know how violent ... uh ... agonistic or adversarial our confrontations can get and the last thing I want to do is cause yet another fight before I go back to school."

"Perhaps you should ask him to talk about it."

"Again, Reagans don't talk about anything. Grampa ... I want my kid brothers to enjoy what's left of their winter break and I don't want to be the one to push it so far it's going to affect my brothers. What I'm really asking is, starting tomorrow night, can I stay here instead?"

"You're always welcome here, Anna. However know that dragging things out isn't going to make anything better."

"You should have this conversation with my dad. I appreciate the advice and thank you for letting me stay here. I won't get in the way."

"You will never be in the way."

"Thanks, Grampa."

"There is one condition. This has to be okay with your parents."

Of course it did. The whole family had learned that lesson. Both Reagan mothers could be fiercely overprotective of their offspring. Not that the Reagan men were any different. "Oh, no problem. Be right back." Anna left the room to find her mom in the kitchen. "Hi, Mama."

"Oh, no. What do you want now?"

"Who says I want something?"

"That charming smile, the word 'Mama', and you're twisting your fingers. Clear signs. Plus I've been married to your dad for 20 years. Where do you think you get it from?"

"I love visiting the house and I can get used to the air mattress but I don't like putting you and the boys through the tension you can already feel. I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I spent the rest of my vacation over here. Maybe it will make Dad easier to be around."

Linda stared at her daughter. "I'm not going to fight with you. You want to stay here then alright. You promised your brothers time with them so don't let them down and don't be a burden to your grandfathers."

"Of course, Mom. Thanks, love you."

"You love me because I said yes."

"I love you because you're my mom."

The following day Anna returned to stay with her grandfathers at the Reagan homestead. Once there, she spent time with Henry. She loved hearing his old cop stories but was hoping for more on her father's teenage years so she could figure out how to get him to apologize. Unfortunately, he didn't give her any. He did however approach the elephant.

"What's going on between you and your dad?" he asked as they took a break from their poker tournament to have lunch.

"Nothing," Anna answered.

"Bluffing is ok in poker but not when I ask you a question."

"Really. Right now there is nothing going on. Perhaps you should worry about what happened six months ago."

"Six months ago?" Henry asked.

"Yeah."

"Tell me about it."

"Dad's been super overprotective about me going to college. First, he doesn't want me going out of state, then he doesn't want me going to Hudson, and when I finally decide on a school he gets mad that I didn't talk it over with him before deciding on a school. Finally, right before I leave at the end of summer he acts like I'm going to Miami just to spite him and that I should be more considerate of other people's feelings and that making my own decisions without consulting anyone is a bad idea. I'm sorry, he's your grandson and I shouldn't speak harshly of him." Anna stared down at her sandwich and waited for Henry to defend Danny.

"He's also your father and you're his only daughter."

"So I should accept it? Accept the fact that his word is law? That for the last 18 years I've sat at this table and heard story upon story of how truly evil people can be has no bearing on how careful I should be? I was raised by cops and lawyers and I know how to assemble, shoot, and clean six different guns blindfolded. That should mean something. I was 10 the first time I shot a real gun and out-shot most of the first time, beginner, and intermediate shooters at the range. The target is still framed in the basement room at the house."

"But to your dad—"

"I'm still this six-year-old little girl in a puffy, princess dress waiting by the window for him to get home so we can play. Why can't he understand that's only part of who I am?"

"I can't speak to you from experience, but I know Francis struggled a lot with Erin growing up. He doesn't think you're incompetent; he just worries about his little girl. A dad's worst fear is that something bad is going to happen to their kids and they could have prevented it or that they don't find out until it's too late," Henry said.

"Ok, but shouldn't they trust that they raised their kid well enough to handle it or if they can't that they'll call if they need help? Especially in this family?" Anna asked. "You've taught us that family always comes first and that it's okay to ask for help."

"He's just worried."

Anna took a deep breath and slowly let it out. As she thought over her next words she polished off her sandwich. "How do I get him to apologize?"

"For being protective?"

"For thinking that I can't take care of myself when clearly, I can."

"Anna," Henry soothed.

"You're taking his side. I can't believe—" She cut herself off and stood. She took both her plate and glass and set them in the sink and looked out the window for a moment. "I see," she said. She walked to the foyer, grabbed her coat, then left. She got in her car and drove until she came across the old, familiar, apartment building. She circled the block, first looking for his car, then for a place to park. He opened the door on the first knock and seemed almost unsurprised at seeing her standing there.

"What'd Danny say now?" he asked as he let her in.

"Surprisingly it wasn't him. He's at work."

"Then who would drive you all the way over here?"

"Who else steps in it when it comes to family?"

"Pops. What happened?"

Anna stared at her uncle then shook her head and went to take a seat on the couch. Jamie shook his head then went into the kitchen. "He asked about the ... disagreement I've been having with my dad," Anna said.

"Disagreement? Okay, we'll call it that," Jamie said as he rustled around in the kitchen.

"Pops took Dad's side and basically agreed that I'm an incompetent little girl who can't take care of herself."

"I'm sure he didn't say that full out," Jamie said.

"Didn't have to, the implication still hurt. You don't believe them, do you?"

Jamie took his time answering as he walked over to her with a package in his hands. He dropped it in her lap and sat down. Anna looked down and smiled at the Oreos. He always knew how to cheer her up. "I know that even though he's had a granddaughter for close to 40 years and two great-granddaughters for more than 18, he has trouble realizing the boundaries of what line is too far and he most likely crossed it. You also think that your dad shouldn't worry—"

"No, he's fully entitled to worry, both of them are, but they should also trust me. I'm a good kid; I will come to them if and when I need them. Him." It went mostly silent in the small apartment with the exception of Anna's chewing. "I appreciate you being here, but shouldn't you be on duty?" Anna asked.

"I'm off today," Jamie answered.

"Oh. You probably had plans. I should go."

"Nope. No plans here. Relax." Anna stared at the cookies for a moment. Jamie looked at his niece. "I know you don't want to talk about this so how about you and I go to the gun range? I'll pay for everything."

"Okay." Though Anna was 18 and could have gone by herself, she loved going to the range with her uncle, ever since she was 10 and Joe had taken her the first time. She hadn't felt like she was truly at peace anywhere else. Her mom had grounded her for three weeks after that first time even though Danny had been with them. Linda had gotten into a huge fight with Joe and Danny about it but Anna's love of the range had been born and not even her mom's disapproval could squash it.

It was late when they left the range and they stopped for dinner. When Anna asked if she could just stay the night with him, he let her down easy and sent her on her way back to Bay Ridge.

"Where ya been?" Frank asked gently, when she entered through the kitchen back door.

"The range with Uncle Jamie," Anna answered.

"Your grandfather's been worried."

"And now we talk about ourselves in the third person?" Anna asked. He only gave her the look. His PC, I know everything look. Anna did her best not to roll her eyes. "They make this amazing thing nowadays; it's called a cell phone. He only had to call."

Frank sighed heavily. "Are you hungry? What can I make you?"

"It's alright, Uncle Jamie fed me. I think I'm just going to go to bed."

"Ok."

It was silent the next day at breakfast and shortly after Frank left, Danny dropped the boys off. "Pops," Anna said as they made lunch for the boys, "I want to apologize for walking out like that yesterday. I shouldn't have stormed out."

"And I shouldn't have gotten involved. The disagreement is between you and your father and it should have stayed there."

"Doesn't excuse what I did. I know how dangers that was. The least I could do was let you know where I was going or at the very least that I was safe. I didn't and I'm sorry."

"Thank you." They finished making lunch and the subject was dropped.