I quietly watched as my kids were dragging suitcases out of their rooms, the pang hit me gain as they prepared for a long summer to spend with their other set of grandparents. The pang of a mother's little ones going away for an extended amount of time. Not that they were so little anymore. Dennis was now 16 and Amy 15 but they always would be my little ones.

School had just let out for the summer the week before and they had been looking forward to this trip since my Father-in-law and I talked about it a few months back. It was kind of ironic really, my ex and I rarely spoke to each other anymore, and he still rarely calls the kids and hasn't came to visit them since he moved out of state, nor offered to bring them to where he was. But my inlaws were always there. I loved them as much as I did my own parents, just didn't get to see them as much because they lived in Louisiana and we resided in Kansas.

But they were always calling, visiting when they could, sending them birthday and Christmas presents, even brought me and the kids down a few times if they could afford to do so. I never asked them to do that, they just took it upon themselves. "You let us be the grandparents we've always dreamed of wanting to be." My father-in-law, Peter, told me once. "And we love you so much just for that."

After my ex and I split, I had made them a promise. Just because I wasn't with their son anymore, didn't mean I would take these kids from them. They were still related to these children, shared the same blood, and I had no right to take them away, even if I wanted too. As long as they wanted to be in my children's lives, they were welcome in it.

That didn't mean we didn't have our own first breakup misunderstandings. David had told them things that had almost turned them from me, had twisted it all around to where the burden was laid squarely at my feet. I admit, I wasn't perfect, who was really? But it wasn't all my fault. Finally my Mother-in-law, Ellen, had just reached out to me, probably in fear of losing her grandchildren because things were turning very bitter between her son and I very rapidly. It was then that I quickly reassured her, I wasn't going to do that to her. The quarrel was between David and I, not them. They never did anything to even make me want to consider pulling that stunt so many ex wives did. The kids just lost their dad, I wasn't about to add the grandparents to the list.

The relationship I shared with them was an honest one. For the most part. They talk to me about certains things they want to do and take the kids to go see and if the plans fall through on either side, which has happened a few time, then so be it. There was no hostility between us if life just happened to get in the way. We just made up for the loss of fun on the next trip or visit. I tell them how things are going here and they tell me what's going on down there so we can take the time to explain to the kids exactly why certain mishaps happened. But over the years, they never missed more than one or two trips, which was a way better track record than the man who sired them. Overall, they made a wonderful set of grandparents, and I wasn't going to rob my children of that.

There was only one real big thing I kept from them, and my children fully understood why. I felt awful for it, but really didn't have a choice. That reason now came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist as we watched the kids struggle with their large bags, banging the awkward things against my walls as they came down the hallway with them. "Missing them already?" Leo's quiet voice said into my ear as he kissed my hair. "They haven't even left yet."

"I know. But it's always so hard to let them go."

What ever he was going to reply to that was lost in the sudden commotion that happened. Mikey and Raph came barging in the house from where they had already loaded a couple of bags. "More?" Mikey asked incredulously. "Jeez, you think you were planning to just move down there." He walked over and took the bag Amy was struggling with and easily lifted it up over his shoulder, managing to smack Raph in the head with it who had come up behind him to help.

"Watch it you clutz!" Raph snapped at him.

"Well, don't walk up my ass then!"

"About to put a foot in it!"

"Lord..." Leo sighed as he moved in to break up the fight before Raph threw Mikey through my wall, suitcase and all.

I just chuckled at their antics as the last few bags finally made it out of the house and into my waiting jeep.

"You behave for your grandparents." Mikey was telling the teens in his best fake mommy voice as he shook a finger at them. "I don't want to hear about you tearing up the town down there."

Dennis just rolled his eyes. "Oh please..."

Amy was just finishing giving Leo a hug. "Don't forget to train." He told her as he held her. "Don't feel like whipping you back into shape when you get back."

"I won't." She replied before hugging Lavi who had just walked up. "Gonna miss you little squirt."

"I am not a squirt!" She said back to her and my older daughter laughed.

Once the mandatory tell everyone bye round had been completed, I slipped behind the wheel of my Jeep and fired it up. Beginning a long day of driving for me, I pulled out of my driveway and onto the road and the house quickly was lost behind us as we headed to the airport.

The drive took about three hours, but it was a pleasant three hours. I didn't get to spend much time with these two alone anymore, and I was enjoying their company. We talked, laughed and sang along to the songs on the radio as we made the long trip fun. Stupid jokes were told as well as the "Hey, you remember when Mikey did this?" stories. We stopped for lunch and laughed so hard our drinks were snorted up out of our noses. Ever had soda go up your nose? Burns a little. We had all kinds of folks staring at us like we were crazy, but we didn't care. I wasn't going to see them the whole summer so I was determined to ham it up with them while I still could.

With a heavy heart I finally pulled into the parking area of the airport, it was one of those where you had to catch a shuttle bus to take you to the terminal, and looked somewhat in dismay at all the crap in the back of my Jeep. This was going to be fun getting all of this crud to the check in terminal. I sighed as I pulled the first bag out.

Somehow we managed to get all the bags checked in besides their carry ons and we still had some time to kill before they had to tackle the security to get to the gates so we wandered the airport a bit. Walking around and laughing at the various airport stupidity you always seem to come across.

That last little bit of time seemed to go by way to fast for my liking and I found myself giving them hugs in front of the security area. I really wished things could be like back in a day when you could wait at the terminal with your family, but I had to settle for this. "I love you." I told them as I held them close. "Have fun and remember-"

"Don't tell Memaw and Pawpaw about the turtles." They chimed together. Not the first time we've been through this.

I stood there a little lost as I watched them navigate the security lines before they disappeared from my sight. Finally with a sigh, I turned and left. The drive home was long, and very quiet. They just left and I missed them already. I tried to sing along with the radio as we did on the way out here, but it wasn't the same so I just ended up turning the music off and drove in silence.

I was tired and still a bit quiet as I finally pulled into the driveway of my home. I had just turned the Jeep off when the door opened and Leo took my hand to help me out. "Rough drive?" He reached back in to grab my purse for me before he closed the door.

"Not really, just a long one." I replied as we began to walk towards the house. I sighed again as I realised that I still had two other kids to feed. "I guess I better get supper started." I said as we entered the house and I turned towards the kitchen, and stopped.

Supper had already been made, for two, and was placed on the dining table that had a table cloth and a single lit candle. "Mikey already took care of it." Leo told me as I felt his arms snake around my waist from behind. "You've had a busy enough day, I think it's time you relaxed a little." Well, now...I certainly wasn't going to argue with that, not when he was nuzzling my neck anyway. I knew he knew he had me when he pulled back and led me to the table, then held the chair for me as I sat down. Lord, he had even scrounged up some wine for christ's sake...

"What brought all this on?" I asked him as he sat across from me.

"You deserve it." Was his simple answer. "And when you are done eating I think there might be a bubble bath with your name on it."

Oooooh a bubble bath sounded just...heavenly. "I love you." I told him with a smile and he winked at me.

We talked quietly as we ate the simple meal I soon found out Leo had made himself. He could cook, just didn't do it often, mainly because Mikey had a bad habit of trying to stick his beak in and offer helpful advice while Leo was trying, as he was dumping his own ingredients in. I found out after a few of those attempts that Leo could wield cooking spoons with the same deadly precision he wielded his katanas. Never seen someone get smacked with those wooden spoons so fast numerous times in rapid succession.

Then I spent about an hour immersed up to my eyeballs in soap suds as I relaxed in the warm water. The stiffness from the long drive slowly draining out of me as I laid there, eyes closed, in my private little heaven. I finally forced myself out when the water went from almost hot to slightly chilly and the bubbles had all long since popped down to a soap mush. I reluctantly drug myself out of the water and wrapped my bathrobe around me as I wandered into my room, and was quickly ambushed by the ninja master waiting for me. I suddenly found myself in his strong, well muscled arms with his head lowered, once again kissing my neck, and this time there was no supper to pull his attention away. I still missed my kids, but here was a being who would make them being gone a bit more bearable for me. I had a feeling he was going to make sure I didn't have time to miss them too much. As he laid me down onto the bed, I found myself not really minding that at all. The only interruption was the quick phone call I got from Ellen to tell me that they had all made it home safe, then I was all his.