Beth had been thinking about Katie's birthday cake for the past few nights. Rip and Beth were lying in bed one night when Beth said to Rip that she thought she would make Katie's cake and ask Gator for some help.

"Are you sure?" Rip said, he knew Beth didn't enjoy cooking all the much and didn't think baking would be much different.

"How hard could it be." Rip couldn't help but chuckle.

"Have you bought any gifts yet?" Rip asked, he had been thinking what to get Katie.

"Only a couple of things that she needed."

"What did she need?"

"Don't worry, I haven't gone overboard. Just some new jeans and another pair of boots." Rip rolled his eyes at Beth but nodded.
"I was thinking we could get a slide for outside to go with the cubby house and I saw these kids binoculars when we were in town last." Rip told Beth.

She loved that he had noticed that for Katie and told him that was a great idea.

Kayce had offered to take Katie to Tate's school as they were having a lunch event for the students with some activities and food. Beth thought it would be good for Katie to socialise with other kids. Kayce stopped at the cabin mid-morning to pick Katie up who was playing outside.

"Hey Katie!" Kayce yelled out and waved to her. She looked over before running inside surprising Kayce.

"Mama, Uncle Kayce is here but I came here first." She told Beth trying to catch her breath. Beth looked out the window and saw Kayce coming up the porch steps.

"Good girl, you can say hi to Uncle Kayce though." Katie nodded before running out the door.

"Mama said I can say hi to you." She held her arms up to Kayce who picked her up easily.

"Did she? I'm glad I got the ok, huh. Hey Beth, is she ready?" Beth looked up from the work she was doing on the kitchen table.

"Hey little brother. Yeah she's good to go. Watch her will ya." Kayce nodded and crossed his heart.

"We go see Tate and Auntie Monica now?"

"Better say bye to your mom first." Kayce lent over towards Beth with Katie in his arms. Katie hugged Beth's neck and left a sloppy kiss on her face.

"You be good now, Katie." Beth told her. Katie nodded in response very seriously, before leaving with Kayce.

"Hungry, kid?" Kayce asked, lifting Katie out of the truck arriving at the school. They could hear kids laughing and lots of noise on the grounds.

"Uh-huh." Katie was looking around at all the people. "Lots of people here."

Kayce looked down and noticed that Katie was wide eyed looking at everyone around as kids ran by. He remembered that Rip had mentioned Katie sometimes got a bit shy in new situations.

"Hold my hand, I'll be right here." Katie held Kayce's hand as they went looking for Monica and Tate. They found Monica with some other teachers, Katie pulled on Kayce's hand pointing her out.

"You can go over there, I'll be behind you." Katie ran towards where Monica was chatting slamming in to her knees.

"Hi Katie." Monica bent down to Katie's height.

"Hi Auntie Monica, Uncle Kayce brought me."

"Hey baby. Where's Tate?" Kayce greeted Monica.

"Last I saw him, he was waiting to get his face painted. We could go over there and see how he is going. Katie might like her face painted too?" Monica said.

"I like face paint." Monica said her goodbyes to her colleagues and the three walked over to the face painter.

"Hey buddy." Kayce greeted Tate.

"I'm a wolf Dad."

"I see that, looks very cool."

"Can I have a bear please." Katie looked at Monica who nodded.

They all waited for Katie to get her face painted. Monica took a photo of Tate and Katie and sent it to Beth.

"Why don't you two go and play over there? We'll get some food." Kayce pointed to the play equipment where lots of kids were playing. "Just watch out for her, son."

"I will Dad." Tate and Katie walked off to the play equipment.

"Wanna go on the slide Katie?" She nodded at Tate looking at the big yellow slide kids were lining up for.

Both of them were waiting in line when another kid came up behind Tate and pushed him.

"What are you doing you weirdo." Katie saw that the boy was much bigger than them both but didn't understand why he was hurting Tate.

"Leave us alone Mike." Tate told the kid, getting up off the ground.

"Us huh? Who is this anyway? Aren't you too old to be hanging out with babies?" Kids were starting to gather around. Tate pushed the kid telling him to go away. Another kid came up and pushed Katie so he could get to the slide first.

"Hey! Don't touch her." Tate yelled. Katie scrapped her knee when she was knocked over but go up. The other kids started chanting 'fight fight fight', some nearby parents starting walking over including Monica.

Mike and Tate started fighting each other throwing kicks and punches at each other, another kid joined in trying to hurt Tate. Katie didn't like Tate being hurt so started to kick at the other two kids shins as hard as she could causing them to go to the ground and then stand on their fingers, they cried out in pain.

"Katie! What did you do?" Tate was shocked.

"We're Dutton's. Always the bigger bear."

"Our dad's are gonna kill us." Katie paled hearing Tate say that. Monica cleared her throat behind them before walking them away from the equipment.

"In the car both of you."

"But Mom, he was being a bully."

"I don't care." Kayce got in the driver's seat saying nothing. Tate looked at Katie worriedly.

"Am I in trouble?" Katie asked in a soft voice.

"Yes." Kayce said.

"But he was hurting Tate."

"I don't care. Your dad can deal with you." Katie started to cry in the backseat.

"You dad will talk to you later Tate Dutton." Monica told him, Tate gulped and kept his eyes down. They pulled up to the cabin and Beth was waiting on the porch enjoying the afternoon sun.

"You guys are home early." Kayce nodded but said nothing, Katie walking behind him. "What happened Kayce?"

"There was a fight. Rip home?"

"Is she alright?" Kayce nodded.

"Rip home?" Beth told him that he was inside grabbing a beer.

"Won't be long Beth." Kayce went inside looking for Rip whilst Katie waited at the steps to the porch.

"Hey baby. What happened?" Beth could tell she had been crying and the face paint was washed away from her tears.

"Boys tried to hurt Tate but you said we are always the bigger bear so I had to stop it." Katie finished her sentence sobbing. Beth noticed a fresh graze on her knee and a bump on her head, she went down to the grass where she was still standing. Beth notice Katie wince as she reached for her.

"Come here."

"Am I in trouble with Daddy? Uncle Kayce said I was."

Inside Kayce found Rip.

"Hey Kayce."

"Hey Rip."

"Everything alright?"

"There was a fight at the school event. A parent filled me in, some kids pushed Tate, they started fight and Katie kicked them hard in the shins and then stood on their fingers stopping it."

"She did what? Is Tate ok?"

"Oh he will be, after I deal with it."

"She's been warned to not fight once."

"Don't worry so has Tate. She's out with Beth now." Rip was furious he didn't want his daughter to be fighting and he had warned her not to do it and she had done the opposite.

"I've got to go, see you later." Kayce left the cabin waving at Beth who was looking at the bump on Katie's head.

Rip took a swig of his beer before going out on the the porch to deal with the situation.

"Oi, I warned you!" Rip said sternly pointing at Katie who stepped backwards. She had never seen Rip so angry.

"Calm the fuck down Rip, you are scaring her." Beth hissed standing between them.

"No Beth, I told her I didn't want her fighting. She's three for damn sake."

"Oh so now you listen to everything Kayce says? Jesus Christ. Ask her what happened for fucks sake." Rip looked at Beth and then over to Katie who was standing a few meters away from them both, tears down her face. Rip noticed the growing bump on her head and freshly scrapped knees. He turned and went inside. Beth grabbed a porch chair and put it on the grass near Katie, waiting for her to approach.

"It's ok Katie, come here."

"Daddy is mad."

"He will be fine." Rip heard their conversation inside and felt awful, he immediately jumped to the conclusion that Katie was doing the wrong thing based of what someone had told Kayce. He went back on to the porch at sat on the top step. Katie stopped moving towards Beth before realising Rip wasn't going any further. She lent against Beth's legs as Beth wiped her tears.

"What happened Katie?" Rip asked, Katie stayed quiet until Beth gave her a nudge.

"Sorry Daddy!" Katie wailed.

Beth picked her up, rubbing her back as she walked around trying to calm her down. "Shhh, just tell us what happened."

Katie began telling them how they were lining up for the slide as a boy pushed Tate and wasn't nice before everyone yelled fight between hiccups. "…then I kicked them hard so they would stop and stood on their hands." Rip rubbed his forehead not knowing how to handle this one.

"Cowgirl, I'm not angry but I don't want you to fight. Why didn't you get an adult?"

"The big kids were all around us." Beth shrugged her shoulders, she had been in plenty of fights growing up.

"All right here is the deal. From now on, you don't fight. You get an adult and if you have to well I better teach you how to throw a good hook. Maybe Mama can."

"Damn right baby."

"I'm not in trouble?"

"Only because you defended your family." Rip told her.