Julie Johnston and Morgan Brian walk into the dining room for breakfast laughing and goofing off. "Oooh pancakes!" squeals Moe excitedly. "I haven't had pancakes in forever!" she exclaims picking up a plate.

"Me either!" agrees JJ going to grab one too before being stopped by a trainer.

"You've already been checked off kid." he says looking at the list confused. "Have you already come through or...?"

"I just-" she starts before being interrupted by Ali.

"Car beat you down here sweetie. She's sitting over there." she says pointing. Julie's face falls at this and Ali notices. "Don't worry, I made sure she got you a few." she says motioning over to  Morgan's tower of pancakes and winking.

"Thanks Kriegs!" smiles Julie giving her a big hug before jumping over to her mama's table. "Good morning!"

"Morning love bug." chuckles Carli pausing her conversation with Ashlyn. "You're wide awake today." she smiles kissing her daughter's cheek and handing her her plate.

"There's pancakes Mama!" beams the younger girl sitting down next to her.

"Yeah Mama! There's pancakes!" teases Ash. Julie blushes and looks down embarrassed so Carli gives the blonde across the table a glare while consoling JJ.

"She's just being mean baby. Don't worry about her." says Carli putting the butter and syrup on the younger girl's pancakes. "Here princess. Eat up."

"Where's Mom?" ask Julie taking a bite.

"She's sitting with Cap."

"Why's she with Cap?"

"Because she wants to baby."

"Why doesn't she want to sit with us?" wonders  JJ continuing to eat.

"She does babe."

"Then why isn't she?"

"Because." sighs Carli turning from her breakfast to look at her. "Mom and I are in a little arguement."

"You're fighting?" pesters Julie. "Why are you fighting?"

"You don't need to worry about that." says Car starting to become frustrated with the constant questions. "Stop talking and eat please."

"Yes ma'am." frowns Julie. She continues to eat her pancakes in silence as Carli goes back to her conversation with Ashlyn.

"JJ!" calls Ali coming over to the table with her coffee. "When you finish, make sure you go talk to your Mom alright?"

"Alright." responds the younger defender with a smile and a mouth full of pancakes. As she talks some spew onto Carli's shirt.

"Julie Beth!" snaps Carli looking for a napkin to clean herself up. "What did I just tell you to do?"

"To eat." she mumbles looking anywhere but her mother who is fuming and to be honest a little grossed out.

"Yes I told you to eat, but I also told you to stop talking." she says still wiping off her hoodie. "I'm about to send you to the corner."

"No Mama!" says Julie quickly. "I was answering Ali! She asked me a question! I promise!" Carli grabs her arm and squeezes to quiet her.

"Hey! Hush!"she scolds lowley. "Stop all that yelling." she whispers staring her in the eyes and making her whimper. "I'm not going to make you go right now, but if you don't straighten up I will. You know better than to talk with your mouth full." Julie nods so she lets her go.

Ali's POV

I bite my lip as I watch Carli get on to JJ. She didn't do anything wrong, and Car's all over her! I feel Ash's hand on my thigh so I turn to look at her.

"Are you alright?" she mouths. I nod and turn back to the scene in front of me. Julie whimpers as Carli's grib gets tighter around her arm. She finally let's go and starts to talk to Ashlyn. I watch as JJ's eyes fill with tears and her desperately try to blink them away. My heart shatters.

"Hey Jules?" I ask standing up. "Why don't we go see Hope? Are you done eating?"

"Yeah." she says grinning up at me. She gets up and picks up all her trash before following me to the trash can. We both throw away our stuff and then head to the other side of the room where Hope is sitting. "Mom!" smiles my fellow defender jumping onto our keeper's lap making me laugh.

"Hey Julie Bean!" Hope kisses her cheek and hugs her tight. "How was your breakfast? Mama got you what you like right?"

"Yes ma'am, she did. She got me pancakes Mom!" says JJ excitedly turning around and straddling her lap.

"Oh she did?" ask Hope raising her eyebrows. Carli's never the one to give Julie stuff like that. She probably thought she got her the oatmeal. Which probably sounds absurd, like who would give someone oatmeal over pancakes, Carli, Carli Lloyd would. She literally would have if I hadn't had been behind her.

"With a little help from Kriegs over there!" smiles Julie with a wink.

"Thanks Ali." says Hope with a nod.

"It was nothing. I wasn't going to let that poor baby watch everyone else eat them and her not get to have any." I say reaching over to ruffle JJ's hair. Hope laughs before noticing something on Julie's arm.

"Hey baby?" ask Hope rolling up her sleeve. "What's this?" I look over to see what she's referring to. Carli left big red mark on her arm.

"Nothing." mumbles Julie pulling her shirt down. Hope looks at her skeptically. "Mama got onto me."

"Carli did this?" Hope's bitch face comes out. "Your Mama did that to your arm?" Julie nods nervously.

"Hope, I don't think she meant it." I say stepping in. "She was just trying to get her attention and she squeezed a little too hard."

Hope sighs and kisses Julie's forehead, "Hop up princess. Mom needs to go talk to Mama." Julie pouts but gets up. I smile and put my arm around her shoulder.

As Hope leaves I tell JJ, "Why don't you go see what Moe's up to?"

Hope's POV

I'm going to kill Carli Anne Lloyd. I cannot believe she left a mark on our daughter. I grab her arm and drag her into the hallway. "Hope! What are you doing?" she says struggling. "Ow Hope! This hurts!"

"Like you hurt Jule's?" I ask angrily. "You left a damn bruise Carli!"

"I did?" she ask confused. "I didn't think I grabbed her too hard."

"Why the hell did you grab her in the first place?"

"I don't know! I was getting her to listen!" explains Car.

"You didn't have to bruise her!" I yell.

"Hey!" snaps Carli before looking around. "You can't yell like that here." she warns quietly. "You'll make a scene." I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and nod. She's right. "I didn't mean to mark up her arm. I'm sorry for that. I was only trying to get her to not talk with her mouth full. She spit her pancakes all over me."

I start to laugh, "You got mad at her because she spit pancakes on you!" Carli glares at me.

"Yes!" she says stomping her foot and pouting. "She got them all over my favorite jacket!"

"That's not even yours!" I say with a smile as I look at it. "That's mine. I bought it a few weeks ago."

"Oh." she mumbles blushing. "Either way it now has little Julie sized pieces of pancakes all over it." I chuckle and soon she joins in. After about five minutes of us just laughing she speaks up, "Lauren and Jrue are flying in today."

"They are? I thought they weren't coming in until tomorrow for the game?" I ask tilting my head to the side.

"Lauren changed their flight last night after talking to Tobin." she explains. "Anyways, the New Kids and Jrue want us all to have a talk with the kids tonight about them staying up too late. Apparently what Morgan told Tobin doesn't really add up."

"They're not coming early because of that are they?" This is exactly why I didn't want to tell on her. I knew Lauren would find out and she'd freak out.

"No no no." assures Carli. "Moe's been having an attitude and Jrue's going to handle it. I'm not real sure what he's going to do to her, but whatever it is it's not good because-"

"Alright, alright." I say putting my hands on her shoulders to get her to shut up. "We'll talk to them."

"Thank you." smiles Car looking up at me. "I'm sorry for going behind your back."

"It's fine. I shouldn't have freaked out." I say smiling back. "Friends?"

"Friends." she nods.

I give her a hug, "I love you Carls."

"Love you too Hopey." she jokes.

I shove her away and laugh as we walk back into the dining room, "Whatever princess."