"Ready to go Mikkel?" asked Shari. It was Friday after school and they were heading for the airport to fly to Chicago for a Fourth of July weekend. Technically, it was July the fifth, but with Mikkel in school it was only time Marcus and Shari could come and bring Mikkel with them. As soon as the other children were that age they would have to do the same so they might as well start now.

"Just about," said Mikkel closing his duffle bag. In it was a teddy bear that Rachel had given him for Christmas. He carried it everywhere with him, but also a game boy that Jack had given him with several games and several books. His reading was improving to the point that he had begun to enjoy reading. Shari had packed his clothes while he had been at school, but his responsibility was to pack his toys and what he wanted to take with him.

"Let's go," Marcus called. "We don't want to miss our flight."

Mikkel zipped his duffle bag and slung the bag over his shoulder. He headed downstairs and met Marcus and Shari at the door. Rosie the nanny was going to see her own children so the house was being closed up for a few days.

"Come on," said Marcus ruffling the boy's hair affectionately. They headed out to the car Marcus locking the door behind them.

~~~Beyond the Future~~~

A few hours later, they were landing and going down the ramp to find Kate waiting for them. "Marcus," said Kate giving her brother a hug. "It's good to see you."

"You to Kate," said Marcus. "Motherhood agrees with you I see."

Kate blushed and turned her attention to Shari and her nephews Davey and Mikkel. "It's good to see you Shari."

"Kate," said Shari giving her a hug.

"Aunt Kate," said Davey wanting to be picked up.

"Davey you're growing up real fast on me," said Kate ruffling the boy's dark hair. "Mikkel it's good to see you to," said Kate hugging her soon to be adopted nephew. Mikkel hugged her back for he was a very affectionate boy once the fear of his older brother was past.

They exited the airport after picking up their luggage from the baggage claim. "How's Dave?" asked Shari.

"He's fine, fatherhood agrees with him and he absolutely dotes on Holly and Anna."

"In other words, he spoils them rotten," Marcus chuckled.

"And you don't?" asked Kate with a chuckle. "Between you and the rest of the family. . ."

"What is family for, but to spoil their nieces and nephews a little?" asked Marcus interrupting Kate with a grin. "And don't tell me you don't do the same, because it wouldn't be true and you know it."

"Well—" Kate finally conceded trying to remain solemn, but a grin kept quirking the corners of her mouth, "Maybe a little."

"Maybe we go a tab overboard sometimes, but I think it's because we didn't have families to spoil us when we were kids and so with our kids we spoil them more then we probably should," Marcus said.

"Yeah, well, the other side of the coin is, that Dave and the others are just as bad," said Kate with a smile. "Here we are." They drove up to her and Dave's estate and Kate drove through the gates once the guard let them in.

"Where is Dave by the way?" asked Shari.

"He had a few errands to run," said Kate. "He promised to be home when I got in from picking you guys up so he should be here unless he got caught in traffic."

The front door opened before they had even gotten out of the car and Dave stepped out. "Marcus, Shari," said Dave giving each of them a hug. "It's good to see you both."

"You to Dave," said Shari.

"Come on munchkin," Dave told Davey. "I'll give you a ride on my shoulders."

"Yeah," Davey yelled all excited. Marcus chuckled and watched Dave swing his son into the air with Davey yelling in delight unafraid that his namesake was going to drop him.

"There you go munchkin," said Dave placing him on his shoulders. He started walking towards the house Davey's arms around his neck his legs on either side.

"Anybody else here yet?" asked Marcus to Kate, as they walked toward the house leaving there baggage in the car for the ride to the hotel later.

"Jack and Cole are coming tomorrow. They both took the day off. Of course, Cole couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be called to investigate an arson."

"At least he's coming," said Marcus. "And hopefully, he won't get called."

"Rachel is flying in from Miami, tomorrow. She should be here around 9 am. Cole is picking her up and then coming straight here."

"She couldn't get an earlier flight?" Marcus asked.

Kate shook her head. "She said every flight for today was packed and that she barely managed to get an early morning flight for tomorrow because somebody canceled at the last minute. She sounded really anxious to see her husband. She mentioned him at least every other sentence."

Marcus chuckled. "It's nice to see her happy. You know what kind of bitter home she came from before she came to Trevor House. She was always afraid of getting married."

"Until she met Cole you mean," said Kate. "They make a good couple."

"Cole is sturdy, dependable and honest. And he loves Rae probably as much as I love Shari. What about Tom?" Marcus asked. "Is he going to make it this year?"

"He should be here sometime later today," Kate said.

"And Stephen and Meghan?" asked Marcus.

"They're already here. Stephen is playing with Holly and Anna and keeping them distracted. Meghan is in the kitchen helping prepare food. Lizzy and Quinn are here as well. They drove up yesterday."

"Well, I'm glad everybody could make it. Oh, that reminds me are Adam and Sara coming?"

"There'll be here for the cookout, but weren't sure if they were going to stay for the activities afterwards."

"I'll beg out of those activities if you don't mind," said Shari. "I'll volunteer to look after the kids."

"You're sure?" asked Marcus.

"Yes, as you well know athletics has never been my strong suit," said Shari cheerfully.

"But the only way you improve is to keep practicing," Marcus reminded his wife.

"My mind is made up. I'll just sit on the sidelines and cheer you on. Besides, especially when it comes to basketball you guys play to rough for me."

"This will be Mikkel's first basketball game," Kate said.

"Do I get to play?" asked Mikkel.

Shari started to protest that she didn't want him hurt when Marcus said, "Maybe it's better if you watch a game first, then if you still want to play we'll try to tone it down so you don't get hurt. As Shari said, we play rough—elbows in your face, knocking somebody on their butt kind of rough."

"Jack even managed to break my nose once," said Kate. "And Stephen tried not to laugh as he packed it in ice."

"I remember that game," said Marcus with a chuckle. "The only one where any one of us ended up with more than bruises."

They walked in the front door and Marcus and Shari were immediately almost knocked over, by two adorable little girls.

Unca Marcus, Auntie Shari," cried Holly the oldest. Marcus bent down and they ran into his arms. Marcus hugged them and then kissed each of them on the cheek. Shari also gave them a hug and kissed their foreheads. "Bring us anything?"

"Holly, Annabelle, you know better to then to ask such a thing," Kate scolded. "See I told you they were spoiled."

"Am not," Holly protested.

"Are to and you know it," said Dave teasingly coming back from a different part of the house with Davey at his side.

"Why don't you take a seat and relax for a few minutes," Dave suggested. "You want to go spend some time with Anna and Holly, Mikkel?"

Mikkel nodded, he knew when he was being told to get lost because the adults wanted to talk about something they didn't want the children to overhear.

"So how are plans coming?" Marcus asked quietly once Mikkel was out of earshot.

"How do you want to play this?" asked Lisa who had come to join the group along with Quinn, Stephen and Meghan.

"And do you have the adoption papers on you?" asked Stephen.

"Yes," said Marcus. "Thanks to that judge owing me a favor the request went though relatively fast—as fast as bureaucracy ever is at any rate. As to how I want to play this I want to make sure he knows we're doing this because we love about him, not because we felt an obligation."

"We all love him," Meghan committed. "Under that tough exterior is a very insecure little boy who hasn't had anybody to love or care about him since his mother's death."

"He might act tough but he's really not," said Kate. "I used to be the same way when I was a kid. Underneath that facade is a scared and lonely little boy who fears we will reject him because of his past."

"We won't let that happen will we guys?" asked Stephen.

"We will make sure he knows he is loved and he will grow out of this fear eventually. It just might take awhile," Shari agreed.

"What he doesn't realize is that everybody has a past," said Marcus. "Some more violent than most and we as a group are able to uniquely understand what he's been through."

"And after he sees the papers he will be an official O'Malley and I'll have another nephew to spoil," said Stephen.

"And me," said Kate.

"And us," Lisa added for Quinn and her.

~~~Beyond the Future~~~

The next day the cookout began around 11 o'clock. Mikkel watched in fascination as they allowed Jack to do the cooking. "Stephen, Jack has the matches," said Kate.

"I'm on him," said Stephen following Jack out to the back patio where the cooking was taking place. "I, for one, like my steak unburned."

"Give Jack the matches he's happy," Kate commented, coming to sit beside him.

"But why if he burns them?" asked Mikkel.

"That's why Stephen's out there watching the food," said Kate. "When it's done Stephen signals us and Lisa distracts him while I go and steal the food. We have it down to a science."

"It all has to do with not hurting Jack's feelings," Rachel coming to join them. "Give him a match he's happy."

Mikkel shook his head. Would he ever understand this family? All the subterfuge just not to hurt Jack's feelings?—Amazing, but when you thought about it, it said O'Malley all over.

~~~Beyond the Future~~~

A little later, Mikkel was playing horseshoes with the other O'Malleys and having the time of his life. He wasn't doing to bad considering that the others had been playing for years and had a longer reach them him. There had been a baseball game a little earlier and he hadn't done to bad at that either, considering his height and the fact his legs weren't as long as the adults. Besides, it didn't matter if he won, just that he was having fun for he feared that it would end up with him being sent to an orphanage he would go despite all the O'Malleys trying to assure him. Somewhere, in his subconscious was the fear that it was all a dream and it would end like all dreams eventually must to leave him with reality.

"Mikkel could you come inside for a minute please?" asked Marcus.

Mikkel got up from where he was sitting and walked back inside the house wondering what Marcus wanted. He found the whole family assembled those that weren't behind him coming in with him were in front of him. Mikkel tried to relax, but as a group the O'Malleys could be a bit overwhelming.

"Mikkel we have something for you," said Marcus, took some papers out of his jacket pocket. Mikkel could see the official ribbons hanging off the bottom. His heart quickened a little—here it came. "The adoption papers came through as of a few days ago you've been an official O'Malley for the last week and didn't even know it." The last was said with humor.

"We wanted to wait for all of us to be together, before we told you," said Shari. "To let you know you had family who cared about you—who loved you." He was too stunned to respond for the moment.

Everybody cheered and surrounded him, until he felt as if he was caught in the middle of a tidal wave. Mikkel smiled and hugged Marcus and Shari and the worries just seemed to fade as if they had never been. He was now a part of the O'Malley family and it felt good. It was nice to feel loved, needed and useful.

~~~Beyond the Future~~~