The guys sighed, each one of them going their own ways to get ready and leave for the day. Nick run over the chairs on the sides, taking his jacket out of his backpack and putting it on.

Brian started going through the pockets of his small backpack. Kevin, looking at his younger cousin, sat besides Brian. "What ya looking for?"

"I remember," Brian said, not stopping his search, "hiding a chocolate somewhere in here." He sighed. "I can't find it."

Kevin gave Brian a small smile, picking up his old sports jacket from behind the seat. Getting something out of the inside pocket, Kevin opened his palm so Brian could see it. A Milky Way chocolate bar.

"Oh!" Brian picked it up, opening it right away. "You found it." He turned puzzled eyes towards Kevin. "How?"

"Last night. I was doing laundry and I remembered you had packed your green jacket and it needed to be washed." Kevin shrugged. "I saw the candy inside and it was almost melting, so I placed it in my pocket, hoping it'd be cold enough for it."

Brian started at the still uneaten candy for a moment. He showed it to Kevin. "Want some?"

Kevin shook his head, glad Brian had asked. He knew Brian was a gentleman to core, but when it came down to candies, it was always the quicker who got them. "Nah, but thanks B."

The younger man turned around, grinning at Nick. "Nicky, want some chocolate?"

"Sure," Nick took the candy from Brian's hands, taking a small bite. "Thanks." The blond looked at his Garfield watch while Brian took a bite on his own. "It's twenty to eight. My mom should be arriving any minute now."

Brian nodded, sitting by Kevin's side. Nick, deciding that waiting for her mom standing wasn't going to get her there any faster, sat down by Brian's side. "I can't wait for mom to get here!" Nick said happily, turning around and folding his legs under him. "We're gonna have a blast at my house."

"Do you think she'll let us stay till late watching movies?"

Nick thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure. She doesn't like it when I'm up past my bedtime, but since Kevin is going too, I don't think she'll have a problem with it." Out of the blue, Nick started clapping amicably. "We're gonna have a sleepover! How cool is that?!"

Kevin chuckled at the boys' enthusiasm. It had been a surprise for him to hear Nick inviting Brian -- and him as well -- to spend the night at his house. That night after practice, about three days ago, he had asked Jane if Nick had run the whole sleepover by her. She had nodded, telling Kevin that the invitation was for him as well, if Nicky hadn't said so already. So now, friday night, Kevin prepared himself to spend the night along his eighteen year old cousin and his thirteen year old friend. It was going to be a night to remember that was for sure.

"Boys?"

Mrs. Carter's voice attracted the attention of three of them. Nick hopped out of his seat, running to where his mother was standing. He hugged her tightly, burring his face in her chest. Jane chuckled at Nick's show of affection. "Oh Nicky, I'm sorry I'm late."

Kevin stood up, picking up both Brian's backpack along with Nick's while Brian trotted over to where mother and son were standing.

"Kevin, Brian, it's good to see you," Jane nodded at them -- smiling.

"Good night Mrs. Carter."

"Jane," he slung Brian's red and black backpack over his shoulder, handing Nick his dark blue one. "Just here, hanging out with the boys."

Jane took the backpack from Nick's hands. "How was practice?" She started the way over to the parking lot, walking side by side with Kevin while the boys started running around in front of them.

"Fine, at least the week is off and we do get two days for ourselves."

"Yeah, I know what you mean-- Nick! Don't run too fast!"

"Brian! Be careful!"

Jane and Kevin chuckled at the kids not listening to them. Jane shook her head, trying to come back to her train of thought. "Oh, yes. Nick's been getting home so very tired."

Kevin nodded. "With our practice schedule as we have it, we don't get time to do anything." Not to say that he didn't even had time to hold a job that actually paid, but that was beyond the question.

Jane eyed the bag on Kevin's hands, frowning slightly. "That's all you've brought? I thought you'll be packing a lot more, being you and Brian for the night."

"Nah," Kevin shook his head, "I didn't want to have to bring two bags when Brian's clothes fit in one. I'm fine with this," Kevin said, motioning for his clothes. Thinking about not wanting to pack anything else, Kevin had gone to practice in sweats and a shirt. They were comfortable and baggy enough he could sleep in them with no problem whatsoever. If the night was to get as cold as Kevin was predicting, his sports jacket would be more than enough.

"You're gonna sleep on that?" Jane frowned deeper. "Oh Kevin, you can't--"

Kevin dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "You don't have to worry Jane, I've slept in jeans when the situation called for it." He remembered arriving home so beat after working in Disney and the few times he had two jobs. He'd just lie down on his bed on top of the covers with jeans and shirt.

She wanted to say something, to complain more about it, but knew Kevin wouldn't bend. After all, sweats weren't that uncomfortable to sleep on, was it?

When they reached the car, Jane unlocked the door of her old Toyota while Kevin called for the kids. Brian and Nick got in the back seat, letting Kevin had the passenger's side. Laugher and movement in the back was heard all the way to the house.

*****

"Leslie, don't play with your food."

Not even lifting her eyes from her plate, her hand continuing its circular movement as she pushed her fork along the plate, she sighed. "I'm not hungry mom. Can't I be excused?"

"No honey, you can't," Jane shook her head, looking hard at the eight year old. "We've got company darling, you gotta stay."

Leslie sighed softly. She wasn't hungry and the company, to her, was more than boring. It was Nick who wanted to finish dinner right away so he, along with Brian and Kevin, could go to his room to watch movies.

Nick chuckled slightly. He turned around to look at Brian, who had been whispering to him something he had done last week when he was back home. Brian chuckled as well, grinning from ear to ear. Brian had so much to tell him about his trip home.

"Nick," Jane said, looking at his laughing son who turned around and stared at her. "Finish your dinner honey."

Nick pouted. "I don't want to mom. And the meat it's too hard. I can't cut it."

Kevin smiled at the young boy. "Don't worry Nicky." He leaned over and, taking his own fork and knife in his hands, Kevin started cutting Nick's stake in small teeny bitsy pieces.

Nick turned around, looking at Kevin with wide-open eyes. "Thanks," the boy said. Kevin returned the smile with one of his own.

Jane looked at the two of them. It was looking at Kevin handling Nick like that when she could tell Kevin would make a good parent one day and that he'll be a great influence on the guys whenever they got to tour. Because she knew they'll get to tour eventually. They just had to.

"Can I be excuse?"

Jane groaned. "Leslie..."

The girl turned around and stared at her plate, a frown on her face. She was bored. She was more than bored and her mother didn't even let her go to her bedroom to watch cartoons.

Jane looked at the table: her five children having dinner together and two guests as well. She smiled softly.

"Momma... me't r'ock."

Jane tuned around to look at her younger child. Angel was starting at her with big blue eyes, looking thoughtfully at her piece of meat. She should have remembered to put some chicken to boil for the twins, but with the hurry of going to pick up Nick and having Brian and Kevin over, she had totally forgotten.

"It's all right Jane," Kevin said, standing up and going the three seats that separated him from the twins. "I'll do it." He picked up Brian's silverware, since his were by his plate, and started cutting Angel's meat. The little girl turned around and gave the older man a big toothy grin.

"Thand's." The five-year-old girl said. She gave her plate a quick look. How did the big man do that with those weird looking pieces when hers were all white and his were all gray? She wondered. She knew she wouldn't get an answer anytime soon, as her mother always told her she'd understood when she grow up. She shook her head. It didn't matter. Once again, the big hairy man seemed really nice to her.

Angel picked the meat up with her hand, chewing it happily. If there was something the little girl really enjoyed, was this dark kinda hard thing that was now in her hand. She liked biting at it, stretching until it got back to her hand and the dark liquid that was now going down her lips and onto her chin.

Kevin chuckled slightly as he saw the girl enjoying a piece of meat more than he enjoyed dancing. It was really interesting looking at the twins. They would do something totally out of the blue, totally spontaneous and so naturally to the both of them that would take the breath away from him. He smiled at her. He wished he could see her grow up. If the group actually worked out, he knew he'd be able to see her growing up along with her older brother, young and boyish Nicky.

Taking one last glance at the little girl, Kevin turned around and walked over to his seat. He sat down, finishing his own plate.

It was barely ten minutes later that, the plates finished as much as she knew her kids would, she decided dinner was through and through. "Ok kids, you can leave if you wish."

That was enough for the girls to stand up and go to their shared room. The twins didn't understand the meaning of leaving at free will yet, but she knew they would soon enough. Besides, they were really entertained trying to chew at that weird looking piece of meat. She knew they enjoyed just biting them, but they had never really eaten it. She wondered if they'd ever actually like meat more than they liked chicken.

Nick turned around to look at Brian. It was time for the sleepover to begin.

Kevin shook his head incredulously. It was going to be a long night.

"Lets get going," Nick said in one breath, standing up and rushing up stairs to his room, Brian right on his tail.

Kevin laughed heartily, looking over at Jane. She smiled and laughed with him.

"Boys will always be boys, don't you think Kev?"

Kevin nodded. "Yeah. It's really fun to see Brian and Nick. Gosh, you should have seen Brian back home," Kevin said, shaking his head as he remembered the two days they had gone back to Kentucky.

"What happened?"

"He kept saying I gotta tell Nick about this and I gotta remember to talk to Nick about that. He was like that ninety percent of the trip. He had a blast, of course, since he could spend his birthday at home with the family, but I think he would have done a riot if Nick would have been with him."

"Nick missed him too. That's one of the reason he asked me to do this sleepover. He missed you and Brian."

If Kevin noticed the fact that she included him in the comment, he didn't acknowledge it. "I'll help you pick up the plates."

Jane shook her head. "You don't need to. You're a guest here; do you forget? Let me do it."

"Don't worry, I can do it. I'm already used to doing this at the apartment."

Jane didn't say anything. It was surprising how good Kevin could take care of Brian. The boy was twenty-one, sure, but at the same time Kevin had every single right to enjoy his young years, doing what he wanted and parting every night. However, he got home with a seventeen year old who wanted dinner and was too tired to do the laundry. And so, she was sure Kevin did most of the housework. He probably felt like he had to. He was, after all, the grown up among the two of them.

"Thanks," was all she said. She smiled lightly. "Thanks."

He smiled back at her.

"Momma?" 

Jane turned around to look at Aaron looking at her with big blue eyes. She walked over to her son, picking him up in her arms. It was obvious the little boy wasn't planning on finishing what was left of his mashed potatoes and meat, and so she decided to give up on the idea of an empty plate. Balancing three plates and silverware on one hand and his child on the other against her hip, she made her way to the kitchen where she placed the plates on the sink.

Kevin picked up Angel, who had her arms raised up in the air, waiting for him to pick her up from the boring little chair she had been sitting on. He scooped her up in his arms, swooning her from side to side, pretending to be dancing with the toddler. She started giggling madly, waving her arms on the air, and enjoying the man who was holding her. He, too, picked up some plates and danced his way over to the kitchen. He placed the dirty dishes on the sink as Jane started washing the one she had brought.

"Thanks," she said, Aaron already on the floor, pulling at her jeans. She gazed down at her child. "Yes dear?"

"Play?"

She shook her head. "Sorry honey, but right now mommy gotta do this. I can't play with you. What about you play with your sister? I'm sure she'll love to play with you." 

Aaron frowned at her and turned to stare at his twin sister. She was still in Kevin's arms, giggling loudly. He frowned deeper. "Me 'anna play too."

"You wanna play?" Kevin asked, pausing his dance for a second. "Alright, then you shall dance with us as well." Very efficiently, he picked the boy up in his other arm, placed him close to his chest, and started swooning the three of them to the rhythm of a music only Kevin could hear.

The chuckles of the twins were heard all over the kitchen and probably even the upper floor. Kevin continued his dance until the kids were laughing too hard for them to be able to breath. He put them down, kneeled by their side, and started tickling the living life out of them. They fell to the ground, rolling all over the parquet, their cheeks flushed and their eyes closed.

Jane witnessed the scene with unbeknownst eyes, and a serene smile on her lips. Her children would always be safe in Kevin's hands.

When Kevin finally stopped the tickling torture, the twins stood up, looked at each other for a split of a second before launching themselves to Kevin's embrace, knocking the older man from his poor balance on his bent legs. The three of them fell down the ground, laughing at the kids' antics.

It was a couple of minutes before the laugher died down. Jane looked at his children, then at the clock by the counter, and decided it was far too late for two five year olds to be still up. "Ok kids," she said, "it's time for you to go to bed."

"No!" Two similar groans were heard from the children. Jane chuckled.

"I'm sorry, but it's late. Go to your room, change and I'll be right there to tuck you in, alright?"

Aaron and Angel nodded, starting running over to the kitchen door when they stopped full force. They turned around and walked over to where Kevin was sitting on the floor crossed legged. They each gave the older man a peck on the cheek, smiling at him. Kevin smiled back, saying his good night. And with that, the twins were off.

"You're a sweet man Kevin." Jane said, not being able to contain his happiness. "You're a very sweet man."

"Thanks," Kevin drawled lowly, looking at the floor as he could feel his cheeks beginning to redden.

She grinned as she dried her hands on a washcloth. "I'm going to put the dynamic duo to bed. You should go to bed yourself. Nick and Brian are already upstairs. You're going to miss the movie."

"Nah," Kevin waved it off, "it's alright. I don't mind catching it already started."

Jane nodded, making her way out of the kitchen. "Good night Kevin."

"Good night Jane."

When he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore, he stood up and went to the living room. He picked up his backpack from where he had placed it on the couch, and went upstairs. As he had guessed, the guys were in Nick's and the twin's bedroom, already in his pjs, sitting in between Nick and Aaron's beds, watching the movie.

The twins were already tucked in, Jane giving the last kiss on Aaron's forehead. "Good night kids," she said, "don't stay up too late."

"Don't worry mom," Nick said, not even turning around to see his mother as his utter attention was drawn into the movie.

Jane shook her head. That was her son all right. She placed a small kiss on Nick's head, then on Brian's, and finally on Kevin's cheek, which surprised the older man. "Don't let them stay up too late," she whispered in his ear. Kevin nodded at her.

With that, she went to the door, closing it softly after her.

Kevin turned around and looked at the bedroom. Two beds were placed closely one towards the other. Aaron was safely tucked in and almost asleep in one of them, Nick and Brian were sitting before the other one. A small color TV and an old VCR were placed on top of the dresser. Brian and Nick were too drawn into the movie to even see Kevin walking over to the space between the beds, sitting down and laying against the side of the bed, trying to catch the interest in Terminator.

***** 

It was two hours later that Nick and Brian had fallen asleep by the bed, Terminator II still playing on the TV. Kevin stood up and walked over to the VCR, turning it off along with the TV. He picked Nick up in his arms first, trying his best not to wake the youth up as he placed him on his bed, tucking him in very carefully and covering him with his thick dark blue comforter. Brian was still sitting down, completely asleep when Kevin walked over to the chair standing by the side and picked up the comforters Jane had brought for them.

It was a blue and gray comforter for Brian, one that Nick used whenever the one he was using right now was washed. He placed it on the floor, in between the beds, looking over to Aaron's bed.

He then picked up the pink comforter he was going to use. Since there were only two boys in the family, dark color comforters were really rare. However, with three girls, pink comforters were at the order of the day. And so, pink was his color for the night. He placed it in between the beds as well, but looking over to Nick's bed.

Picking Brian up, he walked over to his comforter, kneeling down slightly. He placed the sleeping boy down ever so slightly; Brian turned around and hugged his comforter. Kevin covered him with the other side of the clothing, smiling at his sleeping cousin.

With tiredness creeping at his eyes, he lay down on the soft comforter, and covered himself with the other end of the same. He closed his eyes and let his mind relax as he set himself ready to sleep for the night.

"Kevin?"

A soft whisper forced him to open his eyes and found himself gazing at a clear and slightly close pair of blue eyes. "Yes?" He said softly, hoping not to wake the two boys who were already in the arms of Morpheus.

"Good night," Nick whispered, closing his eyes again as his breathing came to a regular rhythm, indicating the boy had fallen asleep again.