A/N: Our little guy Aaron is the star of this one, having aged to full on pre-preschooler. First days are bittersweet days.

Shot No. 1: Aaron's First Day

"Noooo!" Aaron cried to his parents. He had intentionally hung back from the brightly decorated and age-ready space where the sand table was, an inviting area for most any child, and now he was clutching his father's leg as he had done so many times before. When they'd taken his little jacket off and hung it up in a wooden cubby with his name over it, he knew. He knew exactly what his parents had in mind for him.

They had stayed with him for a little while, talking with Miss Nancy, reading him a story from the book corner, and drawing a few pictures with him at the activity table. That was wonderful. Just like home. But when it was time to go, and his jacket had come off, the panic that only a two year old could know set in, like a rising storm out of the darkness. So what if he'd met his teachers and liked them very much on his pre-visits? So what if the idea of a room full of toys, books, fingerpaint, pictures, and other little guys and gals his age was a nice idea? He wasn't born yesterday. All of that would happen without the two most important people in his world—and he wanted no part of it.

"Wan' go, Daddy," he protested, his big eyes filling with tears.

John, having been prepared for this possibility by Joss and Aaron's teachers, knelt down on the large ABC carpet square to give his son a reassuring hug and a few soothing words that he hoped might do the trick. He was only enrolled in the half-morning program, just enough time for him to have his lunch there before dismissal, but to John it might as well been him going off to college. To a little boy with no real concept of time, his parents were simply abandoning him.

"Aaron, son, it's okay. Mommy and Daddy will be back soon to pick you up, all right? Now, you be my sweet boy and have fun. Hey, you get to meet new friends and paint and go trike riding. And you're a pro at that. Maybe show some of the other kids the ropes, huh?"

"Nooooo...wan' go," he cried more, his head tucked into the crook of his father's neck. "No wan' go here. I wan' Mommy. I wan' Mommy...I goo' boy..."

"Oh, Aaron. Of course, you're my good boy," his father said softly.

John sighed and swallowed back a lump in his throat. The indulgence was only partly for Aaron. It was just shy of the two years since he was born, and in most of that time, Aaron had been raised at home, first with Joss and Corinne, and then with John on board. They had a tremendous bond. And John could see, that even as his little man pulled and cried in his arms, he was indeed growing up.

Joss, for her own part, pushed the stroller carrying Cedilla, their baby daughter, into a small waiting corner, near the block area, and also joined her husband and son on the carpet. She ran her fingers through his hair, freshly cut, parted on the side—just like Daddy's.

"Aaron, come here. Guess what? We love you. Mommy and Daddy love you so much. And you're going to have a wonderful day. You know why?"

"Why?" Aaron responded in his wee voice.

"Because Miss Nancy and Miss Joan will take good care of you. And you'll have lots and lots of fun. And guess what? Lissie goes here! She's in the class next door!"

Aaron lifted his head from Daddy's neck. "Where Lissie, Mommy?"

"Well, she's not here yet. You're the first one here today, on your first day. But she's coming. Her mommy told me she was coming. She'll be glad to see you."

"Noooo...nooo, I wan' go hoooooommme...go wi' baby Cedeee..."

"I know, Aaron, baby. But you can't just now. You'll be fine. In a few hours, Mommy will come and get you."

But he was not to be consoled, now seeking solace in her arms instead of John's. "Nooooooo!"

At that point, Miss Nancy, who reminded Joss a lot of her mother, gently intervened, the helpless expressions on John and Joss' faces her cue to move.

"Come, Aaron. Let's have your morning snack and then well see what we can play with first. You're early, so that's more time to get acquainted with the classroom!" To John and Joss, "He'll be okay. First days, as you know, are always tough."

John, nearly in silent tears himself, managed to get on his feet, careful to not let his boy, now in full on hysterics, see him in such a state. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Okay, Aaron. Come here and give Daddy a kiss. Come on, son."

Aaron clutched Daddy's body close, his little nails digging into his shoulders. Joss decided to catch her own kiss from the side as her boy cried and wailed at their impending separation. She rubbed and cooed to him, but nothing helped their little guy, his face reddened and spotted with tears. Finally, they just had to be resigned to letting him cry it out. Hopefully, he'd calm down eventually.

"Nancy, you have our numbers. You have my mother-in-law's number. If you need anything, anything, one or the three of us is right here," John said, making a point of his point with his forefinger. "Take good care of our little boy."

"Oh, we will, Mr. Reese, don't you worry. And this is, of course, very normal. We're sure Aaron will be very happy here. Aaron, say bye-bye Mommy! Bye-bye, Daddy!"

Aaron had no such message for his parents. As their backs retreated away from him to drop off his little backpack and small lunchbag in his cubby, he wailed even more, wiggling as best he could in Miss Nancy's grasp. But Miss Nancy was a seasoned professional with kids Aaron's age—and she held fast to him, while walking him over to the waving window, the place where the children could go and say a last farewell until pickup time.

Once outside, John, Joss, and Cedilla greeted Aaron at the window, blowing kisses and giving waves, while Aaron continued to scream and howl. Miss Nancy and the rest of the ladies of Brooklyn Magnet's Pee Wee Tots Program were troopers. Even though John loved his young kids dearly, the two he had were quite the handful. They managed upwards of ten at a time. He had no idea how they did it.

"Did we do the right thing, Joss?" he asked, his voice suddenly shaken.

"Yes, John. If we want our boy to be ready for school, then he needs to be here."

"I guess you're right. Not that we couldn't give him what he needed to be ready for school, but-"

"I am right," she interrupted. "He's fine. And this will pass. You'll see. Besides, it's just for a few hours. I wouldn't have him here all day. That's part of the reason I left the force. But the interactions and relationships with children his age are important."

"Well, I don't have anything going on this afternoon. I suppose I could just hang out at the park across the street, I mean. Just until he stops crying."

"Oh, yes, you do. Dr. Nichol's office at 10:15, remember? And if Aaron knows you're around the place, he'll never get the hang of it. We have to let him spread his wings a little, baby. And being with the other kids is the best thing for his growth. He'll learn so much," she said, clearing her throat with a light caress to his belly.

He snorted. "Well, let's just hope he doesn't pick up any bad habits we wouldn't want him to. He's already saying 'no' left and right. I read that kids start biting at this age."

"John," Joss laughed. "We still have to let him go. And yes, that's a thing, but we'll deal with it."

"Mmm hmm, I know," he agreed. "It's just that, not too long ago, he was but the size of our sweetie here. Pretty soon, he'll be going out on dates. He won't need us for anything but money." He smirked back at her. Cedillia was still asleep, miraculously, even with all of Aaron's distress.

"Yes," she sighed. "They do grow up so fast. But watching it happen is worth everything."

John pulled back the blankets to see his little angel snoozing away, her binky bobbing up and down.

"Hey, little girl," he said softly. "Don't grow up so fast, okay?"

Joss grinned. After blowing a few more kisses at the window, where Aaron, now out of Miss Nancy's lap, stood, still crying, though not as forcefully as just a few moments before, she turned towards the Volvo.

It would have been nice to get some pictures, but that would have to keep for another, less weepy day.

A/N: Aaron's a trooper. He'll get over it once he's used to it (and will probably not want to leave school once he does). Now, if John will, that's another story, haha!

And on that note, Happy Mother's Day to all of you!