1.42

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be helping me in the kitchen remember?"
"As if you need my help. You can cook circles around me," Kaylee said lightly as Ty wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"True, but I like looking at your ass when you bend down to put something in the oven."
Laughing she reached up and lightly pinched his forearm before leaning back against him. "I've known that for years," she said slyly. Her smile widened when his laugh vibrated through her.
"And I was watching your dad."
"What are you looking at?"
"His ass in those swimming trunks!" She shrieked with laughter when he tickled her sides in retaliation.
"Uncle! Uncle!"
She closed her eyes when he wrapped his arms around her again and pressed a kiss to her neck. "I love you."
"I love you too but that's not going to help you get out of KP duty."
"Slave driver. Your parents still love each other after all their years together. They like being around each other."
"Yeah, it still stumps me sometimes. They're so different but at the same time I think that's what draws them together. What's going on in your head?" he asked as he brushed a strand of hair off of her face.
Shrugging, she turned around in his arms and inhaled his familiar scent. "Nothing. Come on, let's go make your mom her birthday cake. Those two should be busy for awhile."
"Yeah," Ty said as he threaded his fingers through hers. "Dad said he'd keep her busy." He winked down at her when she looked up at him. When she looked away a worried look crossed his face as he allowed her to tug him down the hall.




"Hold that pose right there. Riiight there!" He grinned when she crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. "Perfect!"
"You're a fool!" she said with a laugh as she trailed her hand in the sand.
"A fool in love. And you'll want to keep this portrait somewhere you can look at and tell Gabe and the twins how hot you used to be. You'll need proof 'cause they won't believe you when you start sagging!"
"Oh!"
He ducked behind the canvas with a chuckle when she flung sand in his direction. "I'll have you know that I will not be sagging anytime soon."
"Not soon, no."
"You're looking to get punched!"
"Yeah, yeah! I should have this finished today...in time to give to you for a birthday present."
"Perish the thought. You know I hate celebrating my birthday."
"You say that every year but you always ask what I got you," he said absently as he painted the curve of her breast.
"Giving me presents isn't the same as celebrating." Reaching up Fran wiped at a bead of sweat on her upper lip then fanned her face.
"Damon, it's getting hot out here. And you know how much I dislike the heat."
"I know, I know," he mumbled and she grinned.
Damon shared his love of art with Ty and the two of them had spent countless hours in front of canvases drawing silly pictures or pictures so stunning they made her catch her breath and brought tears to her eyes. But for them it was just a past time. Damon was more interested in corporate things and Ty was into sports. Damon had tried to teach her one time but they ended up with more paint on them than on the canvas.
"And what's that smile for?"
Opening her eyes to looked up to see Damon leaning over her. "I was just thinking of something."
"Yeah? What?" Reaching down he swept her into his arms. Grinning she placed her hands on his broad shoulders.
"You and Ty. When you used to paint together."
"Yeah, that boy has talent."
"So do you. You'll have to paint a portrait of all of them together. You know, before things get too hectic."
Damon slowly put her down and steady her as she found her footing in the sand. Placing a huge hand under her chin he tilted her her head up until she was looking at him. "What are you talking about?"
Fran gnawed on her lip then shrugged. "This is just the calm before the storm. With Kaylee deciding that she's going to stay and fight Hannah is going to throw everything she has at her. And-"
"And Kaylee's not alone."
"I know and that's eating the girl up. I think she'd rather face this alone then have us with her."
"She doesn't want to see us get hurt."
"I know. I know. And I know that we won't come out of this unscathed."
Bending down Damon pressed a kiss to her lips then pressed his forehead to hers. "Those are dreary thoughts to have on your birthday. Don't think about the future. The present-"
"Is a gift. Who came up with that corny shit?"
Laughing Damon swung her back up into her arms and cradled her to his chest. "There's my woman. Now, how about I help you wash your back?"
Fran slanted a look up at him and then grinned when she felt his heart rate speed up against her arm. She tugged at the short hairs near his nape.
"Only if I get to help you wash your front."




Ty started prepping the pork chops as soon as he heard the bedroom door close. He knew his mom and and dad would be in there for awhile. When he was growing up he used to wonder what kept them in their bedroom so often and now...he glanced over as Kaylee grabbed a slice of cheesecake from the fridge. Now he knew. Sure, they didn't have sex as often as they had before the kids came along but sometimes just cuddling with his wife got him through the day.
"What are you doing?" he demanded as he went to the sink and started to rinse off the veggies.
"Umm...what does it look like? Oh god! This is delicious!" she moaned as she slipped the fork out of her mouth. Closing his eyes Ty swallowed dryly and counted backward from ten. Then did it again when Kaylee let out an even longer moan on her second mouthful.
"She's killin' me!" Between work, practice and taking care of the kids they had sex once a day. ONCE a day!
"What are you over there muttering?"
"Nothing. Why are you eating when we're getting ready to eat in a few hours?"
"Because I was hungry now."
He couldn't tell if she was being a smart ass or not. Shaking his head he turned the water back on and started to scrub at the broccoli.
"I'll get that. You make the chops." Leaning up she pressed a sticky kiss to his cheek before nudging him out of the way. "I checked on Nana and the kids a little while ago. The twins are asleep, Gabe's playing with the jack-in-the box your mom had laying around and Nana is having a field day peeking into all the rooms."
"I know. It's insane how many rooms they have in the house that they don't use."
"Did you see the rooms they converted for Dani and Isaac?"
"Yeah, dad was telling me about them a few weeks back."
They worked around each other effortlessly and in a way that showed how well each knew the other and by the time they heard Damon's voice everything was all set up.



"Yeah, I threw on some pork chops when I got out of the shower. I figured you'd be famished from all the lovin'!" Damon said loudly as he walked around the corner. He winked at them.
"They smell good! I just wish Ty were here! He really knows how to make the perfect pork chop," Fran yelled from the bedroom.
Damon popped Ty lightly on the back of the head when Ty did a funky little dance in front of the oven.
"Well, maybe I'll just put these up and we can go out and get something to eat."
"No, no! It's fine."
At hearing Fran's voice Kiki came into the kitchen with Gabe following after her. He headed straight for Damon who quickly scooped him up before Gabe screeched for him.
"How's my grandson?" Damon asked in a whisper.
"Fine," Gabe said in the same tones. He'd taken to imitating people recently and everyone was flabbergasted at how well he did it.
"No, I want to eat in. All that rich food makes me have to work out and you know I hate working out."
Fran's voice was coming down the hall and everyone scurried to get into position.
"Besides, I don' want any sagging before-oh!"




"What's all this?" Fran asked as she looked wide eyed around the small kitchen.



"Surprise!!!!" everyone shouted.
"OPRISE!!!!" Gabe screeched as he wiggled his little butt on the floor.
"Oh! Oh!" Fran blinked rapidly then cleared her throat. "I wasn't expecting this."
"Which is why it's called a surprise mom," Ty said as he went and gave her a kiss. She tugged at his ear before she grinned.
"You always were a smart one."
"Don't tell Dad," Ty said in a fake whisper, "But I think I get that from you."
"Cake! Cake!"
Laughing Fran bent down and ruffled Gabe's hair. "First food then cake, little man"
"Okay!"
"But first you have to blow out your candles Fran!" Kaylee exclaimed as she finished lighting the candles.
Fran's eyes widened when she saw all the flickering lights. "Seriously? Is there any cake under all those candles?"
"Uhh...I guess I did get carried away."
"Yeah, just a little." Laughing Fran gave Kaylee a quick hug.



"Kaylee, you toot that horn any louder and I'm going to be deaf."
"Oh! Sorry! I just get all excited. I love celebrating birthdays and everything."
"I can tell," Fran said with a grin as she studied her cake before closing her eyes, whispering something beneath her breath and then blew out the candles.
"First time and with no help!" she said as she watched the smoke curl upward then then disappear. She was surprised that it didn't start the fire alarm. No lie Kaylee had probably put, at least, twenty five candles on the cake.
"We brought that cake and then made another. I know Damon doesn't do chocolate and you don't really do vanilla but that cake was just too pretty to pass up."
Turning Fran studied Kaylee. She looked so nervous. Most of her birthdays had passed with her and Damon being out of the country but she had opted to just stay at home this year.
"Everything is perfect except..."
"What? What's wrong?"
Fran shrugged and tried to look serious but she couldn't. "Where are my presents?"




"So, just how old are you Fran?" Kiki asked as they sat down to eat.
"Twenty-two!" Ty called from the kitchen.
"Nineteen," Damon said.
"Twenty-five," Fran said at the same time. There was a beat of silence and then everyone broke into laughter.
"When I used to ask mom how old she was," Ty explained as he came to the table, "she always used to say twenty-two."
"I met Fran when she was nineteen. She still looks the same to me."
"Says the man who was talking about me sagging earlier."
"Oh please! None of you know a thing about sagging!" Kiki waved her hand dismissively then grinned when everyone else chuckled.
Fran was just tearing into her presents when the doorbell rang. Damon stood. "I'll get it. Wait for me for the ice cream and cake though."
"You butter hurry your butt up-oh Kaylee! A Dooney and Burke purse! Oh my god! Oh my god!!"
Damon rolled his eyes. As if the woman didn't have enough purses.



He paused when he got to the door and saw a man standing on the porch. His back was toward the door and it looked as if he was scanning the street for something. Damon couldn't make out who it was until the man turned and he saw his profile. Growling deep in his chest he twisted the doorknob hard and yanked open the door. At the last minute he remembered not to slam the door. He didn't want to wake up the kids or alert the family. He stalked out onto the shaded porch.



"What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Damon," Hunter said calmly. "You look well."
Was he fucking kidding him? This son of bitch was standing on his porch trading pleasantries with him as if he was welcome. As if the very thought of him didn't make a red haze cloud Damon's vision.
Damon clenched his fists and took deep breaths. Violence never solved anything. That's the mantra he had taken up when he had left the life behind. Violence only caused you to constantly look over your shoulder for the retaliation. Violence-



The only response he got from Hunter when his fist connected with his face was a stumbling step backward. The man calmly wiped at the blood seeping from the cut and made a motion toward the car sitting at the curb.
Come on you sonofabitch, Damon silently urged. Come on, just hit me one time.
"Alright, I deserved that," Hunter said as he spit blood over the side of the railing.
"You deserve more than that you mother-"
"Let's not bring my mom into this. She's not here to defend herself." Hunter caught Damon's flying fist in his hand.
"I said I deserved that one. I'm not here to fight with you Damon." The men realized they were evenly matched as Damon struggled to release his fist and Hunter struggled to keep hold of it. The breaker came when the door flew open and a fist flew past Damon's face and connected with Hunter's mouth once again.
"Motherfucker!" Hunter snapped as he stumbled once again.



Fran jumped on Hunter's back and wrapping her arms around his neck began to squeeze. "Make one wrong move and not only will I try to choke you I will Mike Tyson the mess out of your ear!"
"Jesus! I didn't come here to fight with you people."
"Then what did you come here for?"
"I was trying to explain-" He coughed when Fran tightened her arms.
"Don't you know people who know how to get rid of a body baby?" Fran asked casually.
Damon leaned against railing. "Sure do."
"I mean, no one would miss this piece of trash would they?"
"Nah, I don't think so," Damon drawled.
"Fiona might have something...to say...about that," Hunter gasped out.
Damon looked behind him then turned around with a grin. "Nah, I think we have that covered...but I am interested in what you think is so important you came here."
"Damn it!" Fran snapped as she loosened her grasp and hopped off of his back.



"Just what do you think you're doing?"
Fiona froze half way out of the car. There had been no one standing there a few seconds ago. Just where had the woman come from? Looking to her left she saw a woman, a R'ouglian from the looks of her, leaning causally against the car with a slight smile curving her lips.
"Just getting some air," Fi said casually as she tucked the gun back into the holster on her leg.
"Really? You could have rolled down your window for that."
"I needed to stretch my legs as well. Mr. Hunter and I have been driving for a long time."
"Is that right? And just why have you been driving for so long little girl?"
Fi stiffened before getting all the way out of the car and slamming the door. "I don't think that's any of your business."
The woman's eyebrows flew up. "Huh. When you bring that man here and have a gun drawn when you're getting out of the vehicle I think that it is my business."
Fi didn't even see the woman move but she felt the pain that burst along her spine as her back met the hood of the car.



"Now, I ask again," the woman said with a pleasant smile on her face, "Just what are you doing here?"



"Hey! What are you guys doing? The ice cream's melting and Gabe's yelling the top of his head off because he was promised cake after he finished eating."
She stopped when she cleared the door. There was a tension on the porch that was almost palpable.
"Umm...guys?"
Suddenly Gabe stopped babbling and tightened his arms around her. She saw a shadow move around the corner of the porch and she took an unconscious step backward when she saw the figure. Damon stepped between her and Hunter. He wiped at the blood on his face before his eyes met hers over Damon's shoulder.



"It's Hannah. Winston was finally able to make what she was after. A fetus for her to feed off of. And not only has she done that she's learned how to clone it. She's making an army Kaylee..."
"W-what? How do you know-?"
"She's coming after you...and you don't have much time."