Instead of taking his usual morning run the following morning, Kevin woke Edd up with a plan: spend the whole day at the waterfall before dinner with Aunt Deb.

The next morning would be spent on the road as they needed to be back home Saturday so Edd could finish putting the fine touches to his summer school lesson plans for when he headed back to work on Monday and Kevin could check over his Little League and Tee Ball coaching schedule before jumping into his personal trainer classes on Sunday.

Edd packed a lunch and snacks, covered them both in sunscreen and mosquito repellant, and helped Kevin row the boat to the hideaway.

In the daylight, they saw that there was a small deer path from elsewhere in the woods, but the tiny paradise was otherwise untouched.

After beaching the boat, they ventured out into the center of the pond and figured out it was a good ten feet in the deepest part, which made it easy to swim in.

Well, Kevin swam.

Edd just floated lazily as he blocked the fact out of his mind that they would have to leave this glorious place and return to the real world all too soon.

They heard a fish jump before another large splash followed by a familiar squeak a few moments later.

Edd raised his head a bit to see their wolverine swim away with her fish and Kevin just shook his head as he dog paddled around his husband.

"I'ma name it Honey," Edd said thoughtfully.

"Honey?"

"Honey badgers don't care, but I do," Edd said as he folded his hands behind his head and floated away.

They had lunch on the shore and took a nap under the shade of the oak trees that lined the bank of the beach.

Edd woke up first to see Honey sunning herself on a nearby boulder, a mother otter floating with her baby in the pond, and a deer with her fawn stepping out of the woods to take a drink from the pond not more than two feet from where Edd was laying.

But a loud hiss woke Kevin up and sent the other animals scattering as Edd panicked.

Tiny baby Honey was up and on her hindquarters, hissing at a honey badger.

Kevin wrapped his arms around Edd and pleaded with him in a low whisper to be quiet as the badger waddled past Honey to get a drink and then dive into the pond for a swim and maybe catch a bite.

Once the badger was in the water, Honey settled down, but never took her eyes off the other creature, who eventually swam away to the cove and then the lake itself.

When the badger was out of sight and thus out of mind, Honey stretched herself out on her boulder and closed her eyes.

Edd's groan of relief that the situation had passed without much incident made her crack an eye and she gave him a little squeak before settling down for a nap.

"Honey badgers don't care, Dear."

Edd turned to give him a his best stink eye and Kevin shrugged.

"But I do, and Honey do, too," Edd snipped and Kevin just chuckled.

"Meh."

"Whatever happened to that cabin the Robinson's used to rent out?," Kevin asked his aunt over dinner that night and the woman nearly choked on her coffee as she laughed at the memory.

Edd shot Kevin an annoyed look, but even he was curious as to how the place became inhabitable.

"Ok, I know you remember Austin, right?," the woman grinned and Kevin blushed crimson as he nodded.

Edd maintained a poker face, though.

Which is why Kevin only plays the game with him on deer skin rugs.

"Well, he was up there with his cousins a few years ago, and they dared him to light his cigarette with one of the logs from the fireplace. When he picked the log up, it created a bit of a back draft and he tossed it when the fire kicked up. Log landed on the coffee table , bounced and just started rolling around and setting everything on fire. They all ran out and then down to our place so I could call for help because they didn't have any service at all up there. But by the time the fire department got there it was a goner."

Kevin and Edd just stared at her after she finished her monologue.

But then the wheels in Edd's head started to turn and he face palmed.

"Ok, you said the Robinson's owned that place. Is this Austin the Austin Robinson aka ARob prankster that hangs out with those daredevils The Crazy M8's?"

"Yeah, how did you know?," Aunt Debbie asked and then realization hit Kevin like a ton of bricks.

"One of my best friends loves them," Edd sighed. "Even got Big Bob and JT to come to his comic book store for April Fool's Day one year."

"Cool!"

"Not really, Aunt Deb," Kevin scoffed and Edd nodded. "The place as a mess when they left and they have it in their contract that as long as the building is still standing when they leave, they don't have to help clean up or pay for the cleanup when they're done pranking for the day."

"Took damn near a week and a half to get things back in order and all Ed got was a few signed posters and a couple of tshirts," Edd sighed. "But he still thinks it was the best day ever…"

"So y'know Moni, right?," Aunt Deb said as she tossed a glance to Kevin who nodded.

"Austin's sister, right?"

"The very one!," Aunt Deb said as she shook her head, "She still likes the brag about that fire when they come to ski at the resort for New Year's."

Edd shuddered and Kevin shrugged, other people's crazy ways of amusing themselves not much phasing him after a childhood with Edd and his friends.

"Takes all kinds," he said as he handed the waiter their dinner plates in exchange for the slices of peach pie they all got for dessert.

"Keep this kind by your side, Kevin," Aunt Deb said with a knowing nod to Edd. "Wolverine's will keep the vermin and squatters away and Edd here seems like a damn smart one."

Kevin rolled his eyes as Edd sang his own I told ya so song to him, because he knew that Edd may not have his sense of adventure, or the good sense to let Mother Nature be, but with him he'd always have someone to share the old with, and discover something new with, too.

Which is what love is all about.

His questions had been finally answered.

The only thing he ever dared to do now was to love the man next to him, and stay the hell out of Honey's way.

And it was a dare he'd always take.