Stevie sat a glass of Ovaltine chocolate milk in front of Summer, kissing the top of her head.

"Eat up, sweet girl," she said with a smile. Lindsey sat down at the dinner table as his girlfriend placed a plate in front of him.

"Looks good," he told her. He could smell the delicious aroma of herbed chicken, green beans and buttery mashed potatoes. He squeezed her hip lovingly and she ruffled his hair.

"You should eat too. You'll need your strength." She winked at him and he emitted a low growl.

"Stop that," she scolded, her cheeks flushing.

"Ew! Well, I guess there's no point in trying a new diet when I won't have an appetite with you two in the house." Robin said, joining the little family at the table. "All I want to do when I get home is relax and unwind. You guys are always sucking face on my sofa or groping at the counter. You're ruining my flow."

"I'm so sorry about your 'flow'," Lindsey said sarcastically. "I told you I'd pay rent."

"Yeah, with what job?" Robin flashed a victorious smile and Lindsey clenched his fist.

"Hey, enough! Don't fight, it will give you indigestion."

"Yes, mom!" The feuding twosome said in unison, each rolling their eyes dramatically and crossing their arms.

Stevie chuffed out an unenthused huff, taking her seat next to Summer. "Looks like you're not the only child at this table, Summer-sweetheart."

The little girl giggled, growing used to the bickering between her father and her aunt. It wasn't daunting, more entertaining. She watched it like it was a tennis ball match, each of them serving up well aimed insults that were usually more comical than hurtful. If either crossed the line, her mother would always referee. Sometimes they would even be adults about it and call a truce.

Lindsey smiled at his daughter, glancing back as his girlfriend. "Got anymore of that Ovaltine left, babe?"

"Nope, Summer had the last spoonful."

"Aw man!" Lindsey whined. "I've been looking forward to that with dinner."

"Oh yes, because you've had such a hard day! Laying around, picking a few notes on your guitar and smoking grass," Robin chided, leaning back in her chair like a queen on her throne.

"Daddy, why would you smoke grass? You're not supposed to do that."

"Ahh...uh...."

"Mommy said the sprinklers in our neighborhood keep it green. She doesn't like brown grass."

Lindsey chuckled at his child's innocence. "It's not that kind of—"

"You're right," Stevie said, shaking her head at Lindsey as she cut off his unnecessary lesson about recreational drugs. "It's very silly for daddy to smoke grass, don't you think?" Lindsey nodded dumbly, keeping his mouth shut.

Everyone began eating, passing around a plate of warm, soft dinner rolls.

"Great dinner, Stevie," Robin complimented.

"Thanks, Rob. Like you said, when you come home it's nice to be able to relax. I didn't want you to have to worry about dinner. Besides, I like cooking."

"I was just joking about that. You know how I love to get a rise out of Lindsey."

"I do." Stevie nodded, playing with her mashed potatoes with the tines of her fork.

"I'm happy you moved back, even if you ended up bringing a curly-haired weirdo with you."

"Hey!" Summer exclaimed, puckering her lips and narrowing her eyes in irritation.

"I don't mean you, silly." Robin clarified, nudging her niece.

Her anger subsided quickly, and her eyes widened to their usual, moon-like appearance. "Oh...good!" Summer said. "Then who are you talking about?"

Lindsey was thoughtful a moment. "Hey!" he shouted, making Summer giggle.

"You're the curly-haired weirdo!" she teased, pointing at her father.

"I wouldn't be laughing, you're half me."

"So?" Summer's tawny eyebrows creased in confusion, wondering what his point was.

"That means you could grow up to be a curly haired weirdo just like me."

Her mouth fell open and this time Lindsey laughed at her. "Enough. Eat your dinner. After dinner is a bath and bedtime, Summer." Stevie said, trying to focus her child.

"Can't I stay up a little later, mommy? Robin said I could watch an alien movie with her tonight."

"What time is it on?"

"8:30," Robin answered, swallowing a large mouthful of food.

"That's already past your bedtime, honey bee." Stevie looked to Lindsey who shrugged.

"Up to you, mama," he told her. He still wasn't great at laying down ground rules. He felt like that was Stevie's domain.

"What- so I can be the bad guy?" Stevie asked.

"Then don't be the bad guy. What's the harm?"

True, Stevie thought to herself. She huffed. "Alright, just this once."

Summer hopped off her chair, hugging her mother tightly. "Oh, mama! You're one in a million!," she praised, kissing Stevie's cheek.

"That kid needs to be in pictures," Lindsey said, putting on an old-timey radio voice and miming smoking a cigar.

"She sure has a flair for the dramatic," Stevie agreed.

After the extension on her bedtime was settled, Summer wolfed down her dinner, guzzled her glass of Ovaltine and went upstairs to pick out her pajamas for after her bath.

"So, Robin, I saw on the calendar that you're off for the next couple nights. What are your plans besides hanging out with kindergarteners?" Lindsey asked. "Shaving your back?"

She had never been so confused in her life, giving him an odd look. "What?"

"You're a werewolf. I figured that's why you're never out after dark."

"That was so stupid...I hope Stevie isn't with you for your brains."

"That would make her a zombie." Lindsey said, groaning like the undead and lunging toward Robin with his arms stretched out in front of him. He laughed at his joke but neither of the women did.

"Anyway, if you must know, I have a date."

"Oh really? With who?"

"You don't know him so why does it matter?" Robin countered, curtailing Lindsey's extensive line of questioning. She knew he was just being nosy.

"Are you doing anything fun?" Stevie asked, in an attempt to lighten the mood. She had no idea why the two of them fought like cats and dogs. In fact, she knew cats and dogs who got along much better than Robin and Lindsey.

"We're going out for drinks and dancing. I didn't want to have to make small talk. You know how much I hate that. It's enough I have to try with Mr Chuckles over here." Robin got up from the table and went to the cabinet for cling film to cover her plate. She wrapped it carefully, putting it in the fridge. "If you want, I can bathe Summer since you made dinner."

"Or you could do dishes?" Stevie asked. "Please?" She hated doing dishes and prayed her friend would be willing to do them for her.

"Fine. I'll do them."

"You're one in a million!" Stevie echoed, remembering what Summer has said.

Robin laughed. "I really don't know where she gets this stuff. Orphan Annie? She's a pretty precocious kid, right?"

Stevie shrugged. "She keeps me on my toes, that's for sure."

"Me too," Robin agreed.

"Me three!" Lindsey chimed in.

"You just have to butt in, don't you?" Robin gave him a shit-eating grin and Lindsey returned it.

"Always."

"You're impossible."

"Some might call me, irresistible." He waggled his eyebrows at Stevie and Robin grimaced.

"On that note, if you're both finished, I will wash up."

"I'm done." Lindsey said, placing his plate in her hand.

"Did you lick it clean?" the brunette asked, inspecting the plate and finding not even a speck of food left behind.

"Just wash it, galley wench." He shoulder checked her and Robin had to bite her tongue to stop herself from unleashing the few choice words she had for her newest houseguest.

Stevie wrapped her plate as Robin had done and put it in the refrigerator as well. Lindsey put his hand on the small of her back and she went upstairs with him. Stevie could hear the water running in the kitchen sink and she sighed.

"Do you have to be so mean to her?"

"She's mean to me too," Lindsey argued.

"Alright, let me rephrase. Do you have to be mean to each other?"

"Are you mad at me?" he asked, his blue grey eyes making her efforts to maintain her stance that much harder. It was often too easy to forgive him.

"No, I'm not mad." She told him, though it was a half-truth. "Just go easy on her, okay? Summer and I moved in and then you...you two are constantly fighting and though sometimes it's good natured, it doesn't always seem like that."

"I don't feel like a man, Stevie. I'm supposed to be able to provide for my family. I was supposed to be house shopping right now so I could bring you guys to a great house in a picture-perfect neighborhood in a stellar school district because Summer starts this fall. I'm not supposed to be couch-surfing with my girlfriend and her roommate."

"You're not couch-surfing." Stevie pat his shoulders and kissed his lips softly. "You are in bed with me every night and will be for the rest of our lives if you play your cards right."

He chuckled, knowing she was right and he didn't have to worry - for now, at least.

"Help me wrangle Summer?" she asked.

"Sure, then while you're bathing the little monster, I will apologize to Robin. Hell, I might even help her dry the dishes."

She rose onto her tiptoes and kissed him one last time. "Thank you, Prince Charming."