Disclaimer: I've run out of ways to say it's not mine.

A/N: Last chapter! Whoo, I finished. And it's been a long time coming. Thanks to all those who stuck it out during the ridiculously long hiatus. It's un-beta'd and I didn't proofread so expect some mistakes. Hopefully it won't suck too bad.

Kessie

I'm working on my English project and eating a slice of of mushroom pepperoni in the DJ booth when Mom and Brooke emerge from the office, took them long enough. They're holding hands and looking at each other all lovey-dovey and I think my mom is actually giggling.

"Mom?" And they jump apart so fast, they knock a chair off the table next to them. Yeah, that's not suspicious. "Can you help me with my poster?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." She walks over with Brooke trailing behind her like they're trying not to touch. "How did you pay for the pizza?"

"Cracked open the register. You should realy get a new one." She glares at me but I tell her that she wasn't around and I couldn't find her purse. She glances at Brooke quickly and doesn't argue because she knows I'm right. She has to go to the storage locker to find me more root beer and Brooke looks like she doesn't want to left alone with me, but she doesn't follow.

"So, you're...eight. How's that working for you?"

"Best year ever."

"Really?"

"No."

Brooke struggles to make conversation until my mom gets back. It's actually pretty amusing. Watching her try and make small talk and not look as uncomfortable as she obviously is. And she knows a lot of funny stories about my mom, more than Grampa. Mom comes back when Brooke is telling me about the time Mom fell off the pyramid at cheerleading practice and brought the whole thing down with her.

"What are you working on, baby?" she says, taking the stool next to me.

"English thing. Can you help me draw a train?"

"What's this for?" she says, grabbing a pencil. Brooke is helping herslf to the pizza.

"I have to draw a scene from this week's chapter of 'The Boxcar Children.' But my train just looks like boxes with wheels. I suck."

"You do not suck," Mom says. She's already got the engine done. She always makes something beautiful out of nothing and she makes it look so easy. "You just need practice."

"And maybe skill or even a little thing called talent." Mom groans. She doesn't like it when I'm self-deprocating, even when it's true. She puts the pencil in my hand and guides it with deliberate strokes, trying to walk me through it. I suck a lot less when she does the drawing for me. "So, can I rent a movie or something if you're going to be busy with Brooke all night?"

She actually gasps and her hand spazzes so hard she makes a dark line across the paper. Oh yeah, not suspicious at all. "What?"

"Well, you guys are gonna be like catching up or whatever, and I'm gonna get bored so can I get a movie?" I try to erase the big black line from Violet's face.

"Oh, yeah. Of course that's what you meant."

"Why, Mom?" I say in my best innocent voice. "What did you think I meant?"

"Uh, nothing. Sure, we can swing by the video store in a bit."

"Okay. Then you and Brooke can get back to whatever you were doing in the office." This time Brooke chokes on her pizza and nearly spits it out. That's real attractive. "Unless of course you were finished."

"What--What..."

"The walls are sound-dampening not sound-proof." She seriously could not be redder. "And you have wild-crazy-sex hair."

"I do not!"

"You're right. It's more like moderately-exciting-sex hair." Mom looks like she can't decide if she's more angry or embarassed and Brooke looks like she's trying not to laugh.

"We were--we were just..."

"Fooling around in your office?" Wow, looks like Mom actually can get redder.

"No! No..."

"Then you were having sex?" And now Brooke is laughing.

"Brooke?" Mom says.

"Yeah," she manages.

"You wanna give us a minute?"

"Hell no, I wanna watch this."

Mom tries to give me a whole birds and bees speech, or bees and bees, and Brooke tries not to crack up while she's doing it. She sits patiently as my mom stumbles through this incredibly awkward conversation. Hmm, I like Brooke. There are worse people for my mom to be shacking up with. And she has shacked up with worse. Eventually Mom, gets to the part pf the conversation that actually concerns me. She tells me what I already know or have assumed by this point. She and Brooke are in love. They're gonna be together. Do I have a problem with this? Would be alright if Brooke crashed with us for a little while? Would it be alright if she crashed with us a little longer than that? A lot longer? Was I sure I didn't have a problem with this?

Of course I don't have a problem with this. I didn't have a problem when she was with Anna and I pretended I didn't know because she never told me. I didn't have a problem an hour ago when I came down for help with my project and could hear them in the office. No, I just grabbed my record and went to the DJ booth. I've adjusted. And yeah, my mom having sex at all is weird, but like I said, there are worse things. If she's happy, I'm happy. And Brooke is pretty cool. Yeah, I don't have a problem with this.

A/N: Well, there it is. I'm not entirely happy with it but it's done and I don't think there's much more I can do with it. Now, kindly hit that little button to your bottom left and leave me a review. Please and thank you.