.° ☀️₊˚ෆ ❝ LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE ❞
๋࣭ ⭑𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 ₊˚﹟📷' 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 ˚‧｡⋆🫧⋆｡‧˚
⊹ ࣪ ˖  𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘻𝘯𝘪𝘵 ‧₊˚ 🌻⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ "MADDIE." Marcus warned, his eyes wide as he shifted in his seat and the girl rolled her eyes. She sat behind the wheel of his mustang following the Lamonsoff's caddy and although she wasn't going fast at all, Marcus was just the slightest bit scared. Not that she wasn't a decent driver, she was, but she didn't exactly have her license just yet.

"Stop." She rolled her eyes as she tapped her fingers against the steering wheel with the beat of the song that played. "I'm a decent driver, and there's at least a car length between us. Why does my driving scare you?"

"Last time I let you drive you drove into a ditch."

"There was a dog in the road! I wasn't going to hit it." She told him as she pulled the mustang into the spot next to the McKenzie's minivan. "See? We made it here alive."

"Thank, God." He mumbled as he opened the door and stepped out. The girl laughed as she cut the car off and got out.

"Hey, dad, Rob's car is an Oompa Loompa too." She pointed at the guy's blue car and everyone laughed as Marcus gave her an approving nod.

"I have never been more proud." He held his hand over his heart and the girl laughed as they started towards the house.

"This place is awesome." She mumbled with a wide smile as Josh walked up beside her. "Don't you think?"

"I guess."

"Oh, my bad, I forgot I was talking to Hollywood jr."

"Come on. All I meant was. . ."

"Is it not up to your usual standards?" She smirked, cutting her eyes at him and he let out a sigh as a smile pulled at his lips.

"Oh, haha, you're so funny."

"I gotta tease you. It's a Higgins thing."

"Ah, makes sense." He hummed and she flashed a bright smile at him, making him laugh a little as they neared the porch, the others close behind them.

"Pretty boy catches on quick." She mumbled and he stopped, turning to face her as his eyebrows pinched, a smile playing on his lips. The blonde stopped next to him, her eyebrows raised as she waited for what he might say - she had to admit he was cute when he was a little flustered. He parted his lips but before he could say anything the bug zapper went off and Becky spoke.

"Daddy, what is that machine doing?" She asked, her eyes on the neon blue of the bug zapper.

"It's getting rid of the moths, honey." He told her as the machine claimed another victim.

"Where's it taking them?"

"Hell." Marcus answered and Maddie sighed, rolling her eyes a little.

"He's an idiot." The mumbled under her breath as she turned to follow the other, Josh following her.

"Don't say that, Higgins." Lenny told him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Not hell, Mexico." He corrected and Maddie shook her head.

"No, i-i-it's giving them electricity so the moths fall asleep electrically." Lenny tried to lie.

"It's electrocuting them?" She asked, her voice rising to an almost cry.

"No, no, no."

"But, daddy, they're dying."

"It's killing them?" Donna and Charlotte questioned at the same time.

"No." Lenny shook his head, only to have the zapper go off again.

"Daddy, no!" Becky cried.

"No. No, it's not." He made his way up onto the porch. "Let me just adjust it." He mumbled as he unplugged it. "Look, they're all all right, I promise you." He picked up one of the dead moths. "See? Look at this guy." He tossed it into the air only to have it fall. "He's still sleeping."

"It's dead, dad." Greg told him, getting a pinch from his mom and a slap on the head from Josh. "Ow!"

"Oh! A porch swing!" Mama Ronzoni shoved Keithie to the side and made her way up the steps. "I know what I'm doing this weekend." She made her way across the porch with a delighted cackle, stepping on the moth in the process.

"Now, it's dead." Maddie added, pointing to the bug. "You know, I think he went to Heaven. He looked like a nice moth."She sent a smile to the younger kids, who seemed to accept that that was indeed the case. "Now, are we just gonna stand here staring at a dead bug or are we gonna go inside?"

"Well, come on." Lenny waved them forward and they piled onto the porch, Maddie making it up the steps first, then the doors were pulled open and Rob smiled.

"Welcome back 1978, everybody." He told them.

"So the Oompa Loompa teleports, cool." Maddie mumbled jokingly, her having not seen the small man enter the house beforehand. "Ooh, a couch." She mumbled, making her way towards the couch as the others looked around. Most amazed by it, a few, not so much. But Maddie smiled, resting her head back against the couch as she let her eyes fall closed. From across the room, Josh smiled, his eyes on the blonde.

"So, listen, guys, who's getting what room?" Lenny asked, cutting off the chatter.

"Actually, I made a map of who gets which room." Rob spoke from his seat at the table as he held up a piece of paper. "I took the liberty of reserving the room with the waterbed for Gloria and myself."

"Stop there, please." Maddie's nose scrunched up in disgust.

"Ohh, you're gonna do the backstock tonight."

"So gross." Maddie's eyes flew open. "Never closing my eyes again."

"Ooh, I wanna go swimming with you guys tonight." Donna grinned, jumping up from where she sat on the bench in front of the organ.

"Oh, honey, we're not really going swimming." Gloria told her. "What I meant was-"

"Oh, no that's okay." Sally was quick to cover her daughter's ears. "She doesn't need to know what you mean. I don't even know what you mean."

"Oh, I know what she meant." Marcus pointed to himself then pretended to vomit.

"Someone change the subject, please." Maddie rushed out, trying to shake the image from her head.

"Let's get back to the room picking." Sally spoke up, getting a grateful look from the little blonde. "Rob, would you like to take us on a tour, perhaps."

"Yeah, I'd love to show you a tour." Rob nodded and they all followed him up the stairs and down the hall.

"Okay, here's the big daddy." Rob said as he pushed the door open. "The master bedroom."

"You know what, Lenny should have that." Eric spoke up and Roxanna made her way to the room.

"Oh, no, no, no. Honey, honey, honey." He stopped her and she turned to face him. "Come on, let the kids have it. It's a fun time for the kids to be together and they can do kids' things. Come on, come on, go share the master bedroom." Maddie was quick to run into the room and jump on the bed.

"Dibs!" She shouted as it squeaked under her weight as the others made their way into the room, all looking around. Then Greg and Keithie walked over to the tv, the older boy knocking on the back of it.

"Hey, dad. What's the big box attached to the back of the tv?"

"Um, that's the rest of the TV. They didn't always have flat screens there, sport."

"Wow, that is some Stone Age shiznit." Keithie added and Maddie watched as Josh dropped his head into his hands.

"Yeah, that's whack." Lenny mumbled sarcastically and Maddie looked over at Josh as he sat next to her.

"They've really never seen a tv like that?"

"Never." He shook his head.

"What a life you live." She mumbled, shifting on the bed to get a look out the window and she smiled at the view of the lake.