Hello! I had this idea for a one-shot, and even though I probably should be working on my Kane Chronicles fanfic, I decided, 'What the heck, I'm gonna post this!'. I feel like this isn't one of my best, but here ya go! :)

Sammy and Hazel were walking down the street after school. It was a bright Thursday afternoon and both young people were excited at the prospect of the weekend, especially since Christmas vacation was coming.

"My house is insane!" Sammy exclaimed, looking mournfully at the amount of books in his arms. "I'm never going to get peace and quiet."

"I wish I had a big family." Hazel said, looking mournfully at a passing family, the mother and father laughing and talking together and an aunt chasing down four children who were frolicking in the December snow. Sammy looked at Hazel.

"Well, you can take mine anytime you want." He joked. "I've got an aunt, a grandmother, a sister-in-law, two nieces, and my mom at home." Hazel laughed. They reached the corner where they parted ways towards their homes, and Sammy got an idea. Grabbing her wrist, he yanked her away from the French Quarter, pulling her along to his house.

"Where are we going?" Hazel asked. Sammy grinned at her.

"You wanted to have a big family, so I'm lending you mine! Your mom's not expecting you home, is she?" Hazel shook her head, her gold eyes sad, and Sammy squeezed her arm reassuringly. "Well, come on, then!"

Sammy drug Hazel through many twists and turns and they finally came to a stop in front of a small two-story house. The white paint was chipped and dingy, and the blue trim was faded, but Hazel felt the warmth and happiness emanating from the house. She allowed Sammy to drag her to the front door (although she did stop to wipe her feet, brush her hair out of her eyes and smooth her dress).

"Rosa, I'm home!" Sammy shouted into the kitchen. He and Hazel slipped off their shoes and padded into the small kitchen. "I brought a friend." A tall, slim woman in her twenties was standing at the stove, her curly brown hair pulled into a bun. She smiled over her shoulder at the pair.

"Hola, Sammy. Como se llamo tu amiga?" Sammy tossed his hat on the countertop, motioning for Hazel to take a seat at a wooden table sitting in the kitchen's corner.

"Su nombre es Hazel. Ella no habla espanol." Her eyes widened.

"iLo siento!" She exclaimed, dropping her spoon on a plate and wiping her hands on her apron. "I'm Rosa, Sammy's aunt." Hazel stood up and Rosa enveloped her in a hug. "Sammy's told us so much about his pequeño enamoramiento!" Sammy looked embarrassed and Hazel was glad that she couldn't understand Spanish, since Sammy looked rather uncomfortable.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Hazel said politely. Rosa ruffled Sammy's hair, crossing the kitchen to the cupboards.

"You two hungry?" Rosa asked, piling bread and ham slices on a plate and setting it on the table. "Did you bring your books home?" Sammy rolled his eyes, taking some ham and nibbling on it.

"We don't have any work. We did it all at school." Sammy said as heavy footfalls were heard on the stairs. Two squealing kids ran into the kitchen and jumped on Sammy's lap. Hazel giggled as Sammy hugged his two little nieces.

"Ella, Marisol, this is my friend Hazel," Sammy said, pointing to her across the table. Identical pairs of brown eyes blinked at her and Hazel offered a small smile.

"Hi." She said shyly. Marisol jumped off Sammy's lap and climbed onto Hazel's. The little girl pulled on a strand of Hazel's curly hair, giggling when it bounced back. "Why are you so dark? Did you get a sunburn?" Sammy and Rosa both looked mortified.

"Mari, why don't you and Ella go upstairs and wake your abuela." Rosa suggested to her daughters. The two girls scampered up the staircase and Sammy looked at Hazel in apology.

"It's fine, Sammy." Hazel said.

"They don't leave the house much… Ever, really." Sammy said by way of an explanation. "There's no one to take them to the playground, so they play in the yard." Hazel felt sorry for the girls. She knew how it felt to be a young child, alone and not having anyone to play with.

"Samuel, novio, how was your day?" An elderly woman came into the kitchen and hugged Sammy. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Mi día era bueno, abuela. Me llevé a mi amigo Hazel para visitar." Sammy's grandmother released him and then hugged Hazel (who had just decided to remain standing due to the hugging nature of this family).

"It's good to meet you, dear." Abuela Valdez said in heavily-accented English. "Are you hungry?" Rosa pointed to the plate of meat and bread by Sammy's elbow and Abuela shook her head.

"Rosa, Rosa, you don't feed cold cuts and bread to children. They should have something sweet!" Abuela and Rosa began to bustle around the kitchen, and Sammy, deciding they would be underfoot, drug Hazel to the sitting room.

A young woman sat on the couch with her mending basket, listening to the radio report. Jazz music came on the radio just as Hazel and Sammy entered and Sammy offered her his hand.

"Shall we?" Sammy asked. Hazel giggled, but Sammy took her hand and spun her around anyway. The music's volume was raised and Sammy spun Hazel again, drawing on his limited knowledge of dance steps to waltz his best friend around the room. As the song ended, Hazel curtsied and Sammy bowed as Sammy's second aunt applauded.

"Hazel, this is Auntie Elizabeth." The slender red-head stood to her feet and offered Hazel her hand.

"It's so nice to meet you, Hazel. Sammy's told us a lot about you." Hazel took her hand and shook it. Sammy teasingly elbowed her.

"Hazel's never seen someone this pasty, huh?" He asked. Hazel flushed red as Elizabeth laughed.

"Yes, yes, I get that a lot in this family. I'm the only gringo, after all." Sammy hugged her.

"We love you anyway, tia." The front door banged open and Sammy's mother entered with her arms full of brown paper bags. "Hang on, Mom!" Sammy shouted, bounding into the entryway and taking two bags from Mrs. Valdez's arms and walking them into the kitchen. There was clattering as Rosa and Mrs. Valdez exchanged greetings and put away groceries, and Hazel smiled at the sight of Sammy working alongside his aunt, grandmother and mother to put away the food and tidy up the kitchen. She tried to insert herself into the picture, but Elizabeth pulled her onto a couch.

"Let them. It's too crowded in there, anyway." She said, folding up her mending and putting it aside. She picked up a picture from the end table and handed it to Hazel. "This is the family. That's Sammy, Ella, Rosa, Marisol." She pointed out. "That's Carlos, Sammy's older brother. He's Ella and Marisol's father. And that's Roberto, my husband." She showed Hazel two men in uniform. "They're both overseas right now. And of course, Sammy's mother."

"You have a lovely family." Hazel said to Sammy's mother, who had just entered the room. She smiled warmly at Hazel.

"Gracias. You know, it's been a while since you've been over, Hazel. How is your mother?" Hazel's eyes clouded over at the thought of her mother sitting all alone in the apartment with only The Voice for company. Then she remembered why she didn't want to go home.

"She's doing fine." Hazel hedged. Sammy's grandmother poked her head into the room.

"Isadora," she addressed Sammy's mother. "Tu hijo está comiendo toda la comida. Dile al pequeño a venir y comer. Ella es muy delgada."

"Sí, sí, vamos a estar allí en un momento." Mrs. Valdez stood up and motioned for Hazel to come into the kitchen. The family members sat around the wooden table, which was laden with a roast, rolls, carrots and mashed potatoes. They saw Hazel approach and immediately Sammy and Ella slid their chairs to make room for her. Abuela Valdez loaded up a plate for Hazel and they all dug in. Hazel looked around the table at the blended family that was smiling, talking and laughing together as food was shared, stories were exchanged and lives were discussed. She touched Sammy's elbow.

"Thanks for bringing me here. It's wonderful." Sammy grinned around a mouthful of food.

"You're welcome."

Sammy walked Hazel up to her front door after a full meal, much conversation and yes, some homework. They stood under a flickering light in the hallway as Hazel fished in her pocket for her key.

"Do you want me to come in?" Sammy asked. Hazel shook her head.

"It's fine." She inserted her key into the lock. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Sammy offered her a small smile, noting the strained look in his best friend's eyes. "See you tomorrow, Hazel. My mom wanted you to come over for dinner on Sunday, too." Hazel smiled, though her eyes were sad.

"I'll be there. Thanks." She opened the door and stepped into the apartment, carefully closing the door so as not to wake Queen Marie. She hung her coat on the hook and placed her book bag by the door. Scurrying to her room, she undressed and climbed into bed. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about her night. Having a large family, even for one night, was wonderful. At least for one night, she was glad to have escaped her lonely life.

When Hazel moved to Alaska three days later, that one evening with Sammy and his family was one of the few things that made her happy.