There is something uniquely peaceful about the end of the harvesting season; the calm week or two on the Brambles when there was nothing extra to do, before the storm that was pressing, storing, and packaging arrived. Even with a new baby on the property, officially adopted and growing like a weed, the harvest had gone off without a hitch. Now it was a case of just breathing in and preparing for the two weeks of absolute organized chaos that was looming. But it was times like this when Marin got to show off her skills with music to good effect, playing whatever instrument she fancied on any particular day to provide a welcome home for husband and son as they made their way back from the orchards together. Caleb would be back to school any day now, but he was determined to fill his time until then glued to his father's side.

There was nothing like an honest day's work to make a man hungry and longing for home. Thankfully, home was only a short walk from the orchard where Evan and Caleb had been working to prepare the trees for the coming winter. Even in winter, there was always something that needed doing on the farm. The work never stopped, but it was a good, honest way to make a living, and Evan was thankful for it. He ruffled the blond curls on his son's head as they stomped up the porch stairs, the sounds of Marin's music welcoming them home.

"You did good work today, Cal. Go wash up, and we'll have something to eat," he praised the boy, who beamed a proud smile back at his father.

The smell of Jodie's cooking greeted them as they entered, together with the sound of Jodie cackling along with Maggie, who was apparently helping with dinner tonight. In the main room, Marin was sitting at the piano, baby Jack propped on her lap as she played classical music from Earth.

It was soothing music, pretty music, happy music - the kind of music that made one feel good - just the kind of music that Evan needed after a hard day's work. It was Caleb who hurried over to greet his mother, flinging his arms around her neck and smooching her cheek, even as she continued to play.

"Oh!" A faintly discordant clang accompanied the unexpected tackle and kiss, Marin's quiet laughter covering the odd sound as she took one hand from the keyboard to hug her little boy fondly. "Look at you," she exclaimed affectionately. "You look like you've had a hard day's work!"

On her lap, Jack clapped his hands together, beaming at his big brother in delight.

"He's earned his keep," Evan remarked, with obvious paternal pride as he joined Caleb near the piano.

"We trimmed branches and raked leaves and did lots of other stuff!" Caleb told his mother, with a slight lisp they were confident he'd grow out of.

"Oh, goodness," Marin said through a bright smile. "You'll be running this place in next to no time, the speed you're learning all this!" She tilted her head back to offer Evan a softer smile of welcome, somehow managing not to laugh as Jack added an extremely wet raspberry to the greeting.

"Go on and get washed up, Cal. Dinner's almost ready," Evan urged the boy. No one had to tell him that. There was a routine in the house that everyone was aware of and abided by, or they'd answer to Jodie.

"'Kay, Papa!" Caleb replied, giving his mother another hug and tickling his brother before stomping off to find his hands for dinner. A shout of some sort went up in the kitchen as Jodie reminded the boy to take his shoes off. Like father, like son, after all.

"And how's my little man?" Evan said, rescuing Marin from her little bundle.

Jack went happily into Evan's arms, cuddling in with a burbling gabble of nonsense words and sounds from which only the words "papa" and "mama" were easily discernible. He was a little slow with his language development, but they had been warned he might be. There was no need to be too concerned just yet. Marin chuckled, carefully closing the lid of the piano and putting the sheet music away in the stool as she stood up.

"He's been an angel today," she told Evan. "Although it's time to get the baby gates out again - he got halfway up the stairs before I realized where he was earlier."

"That's my boy," Evan said, with a proud grin. It hardly mattered whether the little boy had been adopted or not; he was theirs now and just as much one of his children as Maggie and Caleb. "I'll get the gates out after dinner," Evan promised. It was one more thing to have to do before he could relax for the night, but he didn't mind so much.

"We can do it in the morning," she said. "It isn't as though he's going to be crawling around much after dinner, after all." The sacredness of the couch cuddles after dinner, complete with books and music and just being with each other, was something that the children had very much embraced. Even Maggie tried to make sure she was part of it, and for a teenager, that was something, indeed.

"If you don't mind waiting," Evan replied, willing to help in whatever way he could. "Reckon I should wash up for dinner," he admitted, touching a tender kiss to the little boy's cheek before handing him back to his mother.

"Yes, you filthy man," she teased, tucking Jack onto her hip with a grin. "You have to set a good example, or you'll risk a spanking from Jodie and her wooden spoon."

Evan laughed, leaning close to touch a kiss to his petite wife's lips. "I'd like to see her try," he said, though he wouldn't put it past the woman if he irked her enough.

"Oh, please do push your luck," Marin giggled as he kissed her. "I think we would all enjoy watching that." From the kitchen came the sound of Bill making his way in through the back door and Jodie immediately pushing her husband toward the sink to wash up.

"Speak for yourself, woman," Evan remarked with a smirk. He knew better than to push his luck where Jodie was concerned. And with a final peck to her cheek, he went to go wash up, making sure to first leave his boots on the mat by the front door.

The evening meal was, as usual, mildly chaotic but very enjoyable, ended with Jodie and Bill taking their leave for the day to go back to their own little cottage on the orchard, leaving the Lassiters to settle in for the evening. Maggie, as usual, took control of her brothers while Marin and Evan finished up the evening chores, and all too soon, they were gathered into the living room to while away an hour or so before the boys needed to be put to bed.

Bath time was finished, at least as far as the boys were concerned, and all the chores were done, so it was definitely time for the Lassiters to relax after a long, but productive day's work.

Evan exchanged a glance with Marin, before turning back to their son. "Is someone bein' a bully at school, Cal?" he asked his son.

Caleb shrugged, as he went back to his coloring. "Not no more."

To be fair, they knew that, even if Caleb had thrown a punch, he hadn't been caught, or they would have been informed. Marin rolled her eyes over a faint smile, promising herself she would talk to Cal about this another time. In her lap, Jack lolled, cuddling his stuffed horse as he watched his siblings at their disparate tasks.

Evan frowned, secretly proud of his son for standing up to a bully, but also worried the boy didn't become a bully himself. "I was thinkin'," he started, looking around at his small family, "since Maggie is goin' to school for theater, maybe we should go to a show sometime."

"Really?" Maggie lit up hopefully at this suggestion, her expression echoed in the hopeful smile that brightened Marin's face as well.

"Sure, why not?" Evan replied, beaming at his family, pleased to see the hopeful smiles on their faces. "What do you think we'd like to see?" he asked, the question directed at Maggie, as she was the most likely among them to know something what shows were coming up.

"They're doin' The Wizard of Oz soon," Maggie said, rummaging through her mind for the hints Rob had given her. "And at Christmas, they're doing How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Evan furrowed his brows. He'd heard of both Oz and the Grinch, but only because Maggie had read both those books. "The Grinch?" he echoed, unable to imagine just how that might be adapted for the stage.

"It's a musical on stage," Marin offered. "The Shanachie are very good at putting on shows like that. But the Wizard of Oz would be a good one as well."

"Which one would you like to see, Caleb?" Evan asked, attempting to draw the boy into their conversation.

Caleb shrugged. "We can't we see both?" he asked, never taking his eyes off his drawing.

Marin glanced at Evan, not entirely sure how to answer that one. It wasn't as though they couldn't afford it, but it felt strange to go to the theater regularly when, for both of them, anything even slightly similar had been a rare treat.

Maggie grinned at their faces. "How's it gonna be special, Cal, if you go see everything?"

Caleb lifted his head from his drawing, wrinkling his nose as he seemed to think that over. "Can we see the Grinch then?" he asked hopefully. "That's a funny one."

"That sounds like a very good idea," Marin agreed, reaching over to stroke his hair out of his face fondly. "We can make it our Christmas treat."

"Okay, Mama," Caleb beamed a smile back at his  mother, happy she'd agreed with him. "Is that okay with you, Mags?" Evan asked, wanting to make sure they were all in agreement before he asked her to buy some tickets.

Maggie grinned, nodding. She already had an invitation to go and see The Nutcracker with Rob and his family, too. "Sure," she agreed. "Can we invite someone to come along with us?"

Marin bit down on her smile, knowing exactly who Maggie would invite. Caleb was a wild card there, though.

"She wants to invite Rob," Caleb interjected. "'Cause they're all googly eyed around each other."

Evan coughed to hide a chuckle at his son's remark.

"I did say we, Cal," Maggie pointed out, her eyes sparkling teasingly. "Or do you want me to pick someone to come and be your guest on the night' What about that Nina girl you gave all your cookies to last year?"

"Girls are gross," Caleb replied, without missing a beat. "'Cept you an' Ma an' Jodie," he was quick to add, just in case. He made no mention of Nina, but whether it was because he didn't like her anymore or was just trying to keep it a secret was hard to say.

"Who would you like to invite, darling?" Marin said quickly, cutting off whatever it was Maggie might have been about to say. The teenager loved to tease her little brother, but sometimes she went too far, and at this time of night, that was a temper tantrum no one wanted.

Caleb kept coloring, his crayon making a scratching sound on the paper, even as he shrugged. "Dunno, but I like Rob. I don't mind if he goes." He glanced up again as another thought came to mind. "Can Jack go, too?" he asked, curiously. It was no secret he adored his baby brother. Then again, he adored his big sister, too, except when she was teasing him.

"Jack's a little bit too young to go to a theater yet," Marin told him gently. "But maybe we can bring something close to a theater to the house sometime soon, so you guys can watch some things together."

Caleb furrowed his brows, unsure what his mother meant by that.

"Close to a theater?" Evan asked, curiously. He'd remained silent throughout the exchange, but now Marin's comment had piqued his curiosity.

Marin grinned over at her husband. "Oh, that purchase we made a couple of days ago," she said, hoping to remind him without telling the children outright. "Not quite theater, but definitely something close."

"Oh," Evan murmured, mirroring the look on Caleb's face. He still wasn't sure how he felt about that purchase, but he was slowly getting more comfortable with modern amenities. "It's a surprise," he added, for Maggie and Caleb's sake.

"Sounds like it's a good one, too," Maggie said cheerfully, glancing over at Jack lolling on Marin's lap. "Want me to put him to bed?" she offered.

"A surprise?" Caleb echoed, looking surprised. It wasn't even Christmas or anyone's birthday yet.

Evan reached over to ruffle his son's blond hair. "Yep," he replied simply, the hint of a smirk on his face. "I can take him," he said, regarding Jack. "Unless you really want to."

"That's probably a good idea," she agreed. "The kids around here all tend to work on the farms with their parents, so they don't hang out much during the vacation."

"No reason he can't have some friends over sometimes," Evan reasoned. "He likes helpin' with the farm, but he should spend more time havin' fun with his friends."

She nodded in agreement. "We can work it," she assured her husband. "We're allowed to make mistakes, you know. Perfection is overrated."

"Good thing 'cause I'm far from it," Evan said, smiling and leaning close to brush a kiss against her lips. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?" he asked her quietly.

"Not since I fell out of the attic yesterday, I think," she teased fondly, answering his kiss with her own smiling lips. "And I think that was more along the lines of bribery to stop me from going back up there."

"Bribery?" he echoed. "I would never," he added, though he couldn't hide the grin from his face that told her otherwise. "You never told me what you were after in there."

"And I'm not going to," she laughed, kissing the tip of his nose. "It's a see-krit." Her eyes sparkled with impish delight at keeping a secret from a husband who was ridiculously good at reading her no matter what she did.

He arched a brow at her, even as she kissed his nose. "A secret or a surprise?" he asked, knowing there was a slight difference between the two, though they could be one and the same thing.

"Could be one, could be both," she answered impishly. "Who knows?" Laughing, she cuddled into him with warm affection. "Nothing bad, anyway."

From above, they heard the quiet sound of Maggie and Caleb laughing over something as they came out of Jack's nursery.

Evan furrowed his brows at his wife, suspiciously. It wasn't often she had both a secret and a surprise to share. "You ain't ....you know?" he asked with a pointed look at her mid-section.

She snorted with laughter, shaking her head. "No," she assured him. "I wouldn't do that to you, not after what happened last time."

"I just worry," he said, still frowning, despite her laughter. As much as he adored their children, he had almost lost her when Caleb had been born. It was why they'd chosen to adopt Jack instead.

"Trust me, love," she said gently. "I'm not pregnant, and I'm not going to get pregnant again. I'm happy with our family as it is."

"So am I," he said, touching another soft kiss to her lips. He seemed to relax a little at her reassurance. It wasn't that he didn't want more children, if that's what she wanted, but he didn't want to take a chance on losing her either.

She smiled into his kiss, relaxing as he relaxed. "I love you, you do know that," she reminded him affectionately. "So trust me when I say that this secret surprise is a good one."

"I know, and course I trust you," he assured her, brushing her hair back from her face just because. Why wouldn't he trust her" She'd saved his life once upon a time and she hadn't even known him from Adam then.

"Good." She grinned, brushing the tip of her nose to his once again. "I solemnly swear I will try very hard not to fall out of the attic again."

"Good, 'cause I can't follow you around all day long to make sure you're okay," Evan said, smiling as she brushed her nose against his. As much as he might like to, he had too much work to do. A farmer's work was never done - not even on the weekend.

"No one on this farm will let me anywhere near even a hammer, so I think you can lay your mind to rest on that point," Marin said with a low giggle.

"That's only 'cause you hit everything except the nails with hammers, Ma," Maggie interjected from the stairs, where she and Caleb were on their way back down.

Caleb was a few steps behind Maggie - literally - and jumping down them, one step at a time with a thump. Evan smirked at both his son's antics and his wife's remark. "She's right. You're all thumbs with a hammer."

"I hit myself in the forehead once," Marin protested, but there was a smile on her face. Not everyone was suited to tool work, after all.

Evan winced at his wife's remark, unsure how she had managed that. "Remind me to keep you away from farm tools," he told her.

"Keep me away from farm tools," she said with a cheerful grin, straightening up to open one arm toward Caleb. "So what are we reading tonight, sweetheart?"

"Pooh!" Caleb announced enthusiastically, as he settled into his mother's embrace, thankfully easier on her than he was on the stairs. The book was a little above his reading level, but he knew his mother would help him along the way.

"Oh, wonderful!" Marin's enthusiasm was not feigned - she held a deep love for the books of her childhood, and Winnie the Pooh had been one of those. Hugging Caleb into her side, she let him wriggle to get comfortable, happy to wait until he was ready before they started to read together.

In the meantime, Evan rose to his feet,  nodding his head at Maggie to follow him in to the kitchen. He didn't want to interrupt Caleb's reading time, but thought he'd fetch them some lemonade.

The teenager grinned as she followed her father. Caleb's reading time was practically sacred. Maggie leaned back against the counter, looking at her father thoughtfully. "Say, Pa" Are you gonna learn to drive?"

"Learn to drive?" Evan echoed as he gathered the items he'd need to make lemonade. "You mean, like a truck?" he asked curiously. "What's to learn?" He knew how to ride a horse; driving a truck couldn't be much harder than that, could it?

"Yeah, well, you don't get an opinion, you are the Pop," was his daughter's logical answer as she drew back, turning to pull out cups for the lemonade once it was done.

He chuckled as he grabbed a wooden spoon to stir the lemonade mixture while she grabbed the cups. "I can't very well argue with that," he said. "You know I just want the best for you, Mags. I want you to be happy."

"I know, Pa," she assured him. "Like you know that's what I want for you, right' I love you, 'course I want you happy. It's like, I might not like everything you do, but I know you got reasons for it. Right?"

"Right," he murmured. He furrowed his brows again, unsure if he understood what she was saying. Had he done something she didn't like lately' Was this her way of telling him that"

Seeing his frown, Maggie rolled her eyes. "I'm not making hints, Pa," she told him. "You're doing good, okay' Stop freakin' out over every little thing."

"Freakin' out, right. I'll try to stop freakin' out," he said with a nod of his head. It was a strange way out putting things, but he understood her meaning.

She giggled, rising onto her toes to kiss her father's cheek. "You're never gonna manage that," she predicted. "But it's okay. You're my Pa."

"So, it's okay if I freak out then?" Evan teased, smiling at the display of affection from his daughter. He had missed too much time with her; it was something he'd never stop regretting.

"A little bit," she allowed, flashing him a grin. "No moping, though. Ma gets worried when you mope, and she looks weird with a frown."

"I don't mope," Evan remarked, just a little defensively. At least, he didn't think he did. He just had a tendency to be serious, more often than not.

Maggie's grin didn't fade. "You totally do," she informed him cheerfully. "Practice broodin' more - the girls say that's a whole lot sexier than mopin'."

Evan furrowed his brows at her, a skeptical expression on his face. "I didn't know there was a difference."

His teenaged daughter didn't look at him as she tried to explain. "Mopin' is all depressing and boring, but broodin' means you're thinking masterful thoughts and your lover will totally want in on that."

"Okay, so next time someone accuses me of mopin', should I tell 'em I'm broodin'?" he asked, uncertainly. He wasn't sure who was likely to accuse him of such a thing, other than Maggie though. Not even Marin seemed to mind when he turned quiet and thoughtful.

She snickered. "Nah, just Ma," she said. "Cal won't understand, and you're not supposed to brood at women you're not married to."

"You're just pullin' my leg now," Evan said, moving past her to pick up the pitcher of lemonade and fill the glasses. "Your Ma has never accused me of mopin'. Or broodin' either."

"Would I do that?" his daughter asked innocently, batting her lashes just a little too sweetly to be entirely trustworthy.

"Uh huh. That's what I thought," he said, a smirk on his face. "You wanna help me carry these glasses into the other room?" he asked, hoping to give her something to do.

"Sure!" Grinning now he was more relaxed with the conversation, Maggie picked up a couple of the glasses, stepping back to let Evan go first. After all, he was the one who had made it.

Hopefully, he'd made it right. He hadn't thought to taste it first, distracted as he'd been with the conversation. "Did Jack settle down okay?" he asked, changing the subject as he led the way back into the living room.

"Out like a light as soon as his diaper was clean on," Maggie assured him, nodding toward the baby monitor she had left on the table beside the couch. "Don't tell Ma, but those new jammies are really cute, too."

"Why shouldn't I tell your Ma?" he asked curiously, keeping his voice down to a whisper so Marin wouldn't over hear their conversation.

"Because she'll go and buy more!" Maggie answered, somehow managing to choke down on her laughter. It was fun to tease her father, especially when she could dress it up in teasing her mother via him.

"And why's that a bad thing?" he asked further, unsure where his daughter was going with this. Was she worried Marin would spend too much money on Jack or that she'd buy him too many pajamas he wouldn't have time to wear before he grew out of them' But before she was able to reply, they had reached the living room.

Marin and Caleb were totally engrossed in Winnie the Pooh, curled up together in a corner of the couch as they worked their way through an adventure from the Hundred Acre Wood. Maggie's smile softened, ever so slightly envious of those interactions that she was too big for these days.

Evan glanced toward his wife and son and paused momentarily to whisper at Maggie. "You didn't answer the question," he reminded her.

The teenager's grin resumed its cheeky edge. "No, I didn't," she agreed, giggling impishly to herself as she moved further into the room to set one of the glasses down on the coffee table for her little brother.

He frowned over at her, not moping or brooding, just a little perplexed. He exhaled a sigh, resigned in knowing he'd probably never understand women, no matter their age.

Marin glanced up as he came closer, smiling at the look on his face. "I think your sister has been teasing your papa again," she murmured to Caleb in amusement. "That little dent is back in between his eyebrows."

Thankfully, Evan didn't quite catch that, but Caleb glanced over at his father and smiled, knowing how much his sister enjoyed teasing their father. "That's his worried look," he murmured back to his mother.