"Alright, Dude, you conquered the night," Ricky gave Rusty props.

"I sent them all to bed when they were supposed to go," Rusty said, standing straighter and taller in front of Adam.

"You did a fine job, Rusty. I never doubted it."

"Okay everyone, time for our group on the generation scale to have some serious down-time," Lizzie came out with towels, and looked at the guys. "Bathing suits, now! Move!"

Rusty looked confused, "Wha... what's going on?"

Lizzie just smiled "Hot tub time. Oh yeah..."

"Hot tub?" Rusty felt a little nervous, "with you guys?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"It's just... I don't know... I thought I was one of the kids."

Ricky put his arm around Rusty, "Buddy, you're almost 18, right?"

"Yeah."

"And that makes you one of us."

Rusty still wasn't sure, "Sharon always says I'm a child."

Lizzie started snickering.

Nicole shook her head, "Unless you've missed it, Rusty, she thinks we're all children. Didn't you hear her about the text from Montana? She just wanted to text the 'kids', that's you, me, Liz and Rick. As far as we're concerned, you're about to cross over, so that makes you one of us for the evening. So less talking, more getting ready. Scoot!"

Rusty didn't need to be told twice, and in a state of bewilderment he went to get his suit for the hot tub.

When the five of them were nestled in the hot tub, Rusty started to feel extremely uncomfortable. "I'm still not sure I'm old enough to be out here."

Rick had his head leaning against the back of the tub and replied, "Don't worry, it's doctor's orders."

Laughter followed.

"Oh," Nicole looked at the house, "could Krista here us from here? I don't want to wake her."

Liz shook her head, "Nah, she's on the other side of the room anyway, and the windows are pretty thick."

"Good..."

"How..." Rusty started, "How was dinner?"

"It was fine," Nicole shrugged.

"I dare say we were hardly acknowledged," Adam offered, which also received a laugh.

Rusty was confused, "I don't understand. Weren't you all together?"

"That's a matter of perspective," Liz snickered.

"Sharon was there for Dad, and Dad was there for Sharon. I don't think they even knew we were in the room half the time." Nicole explained.

"What? Really? No way." Rusty couldn't believe what they were telling him.

"And Grannie and Granddad kept trying to bring them into the conversation," Liz continued the story. "They'd say like, two sentences, and then smile at each other and they'd be gone. If I was 13 I would have been so embarrassed."

Nicole nodded, "Me too."

"Are they like that back in LA?" Ricky asked, capturing everyone's curiosity.

Rusty looked at the four sets of eyes looking at him. "I... I don't know what you mean."

Liz rolled her eyes, "Oh come on. Tell us what you know. You're the one who lives with Mom, we don't anymore. Are they always like this together?"

"What my sister, in her convoluted way, is asking, is how long have Mom and Andy been together?"

"Sharon and Lt. Flynn work together, that's all."

Snickering ensured, as Rusty looked from one to the other.

"Oh come on, Rusty, you've got to give us something. They're in bed for hours longer than Mom would be on her own."

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Rusty practically squeaked out.

Rick took pity on him, "Okay, here's an easy one. Where do they sleep when you are home?"

"Where do they sleep? In their own beds."

"Own beds," Liz nodded, "okay, where do you think they're sleeping here?"

"Um... um..."

"Mmmhmm," Nicole hummed.

Rusty put his hands over his ears, "No... don't do that to me. I can't even think about that."

The other four laughed.

"Come on Rusty, Mom doesn't have any late night visitors, or go for long meals and maybe work late?"

Rusty looked absolutely horrified. "I think Sharon's right. I am a child. I don't want to be having this conversation."

Adam took pity on him, "Okay girls, back off. Rusty obviously doesn't want to think about Sharon's bedroom activities."

"Don't call it that!" Rusty squawked again.

"Sorry," Adam feigned an apology, "but the girls are concerned about their parents and want to know what you can tell them. A more solid couple I've never seen, so when did they start dating?"

"Dating? Sharon and Lt. Flynn aren't dating."

"You mean they don't go out to dinner or work late. I know for a fact they've seen the ballet together because I was there," Adam continued.

Rusty shrugged, "Well yeah... they have dinner sometimes and they work a lot. It's the job they do."

"Okay," Rick got back into the game, "and what kinds of hours do they keep? Twenty-four/seven, on call, nine-to-five?"

"Um, the phone can ring at any time. Sharon tries to keep to a schedule so she can be there for me when I come home from school, but sometimes she has to go out in the middle of the night."

"And what happens to you?"

Rusty shrugged, "I don't know. When I first went to live with Sharon, she had to take me with her all the time. Then she started trusting me and would leave me notes that she had to go to a crime scene and she'd see me in the morning. And after I started getting threats, she was there all the time or I had my security with me. Why?"

"We just want to understand when Sharon and Dad got together, that's all. It's great that they are, but it's been a surprise to all of us."

"Yeah... well this conversation is a surprise to me. Sharon at Lt. Flynn work together, and they're friends, that's all.

Rick put his head on the edge of the tub again, "And we're back to that."

"Look, I don't know what you guys think is going on, but they've always been professional around me."

"Touching," Liz looked at him with renewed vigor, "Mom touches people. How does she touch Andy at work?"

Rusty's eyes widened, "Touching?"

"Yeah, Mom has different touches depending on what's going on. I've seen her do it with you. If she touches your back around your shoulders, that means she's supporting you."

"I've even seen her do that with Dad. You must have, Rusty."

"Well yeah, especially if he's upset."

"Mmmhmm... go on," Liz encouraged, "what else."

Rusty shrugged, "I dunno... she pat's his arm sometimes."

"The arm pat!" Rick and Liz looked at each other, then laughed.

Adam looked from one to the other, "What did we just miss?"

Liz kept giggling, so Rick explained, "It's a thing Mom and Grannie do. It's kind of a cross between comforting a person and letting them know it's time to back off, that Mom or Grannie is in charge. That's so funny that she does that to Andy. Lizzie, you've started doing it too."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Oh, I've seen that too... Dad's getting worked up about something, and Sharon just pats him gently on the arm, and it's like a switch goes off. Interesting... What else? Does Dad touch her?"

"I don't know... sometimes, I guess. When they go into the elevator or through a door he sometimes puts his hand on her back."

"Upper back or lower back?"

"What does it matter?" Rusty looked at them.

"Trust us, it matters."

"Ah, lower, I guess."

"What else?"

Rusty still wasn't understanding what was so interesting about the way Sharon and Lt. Flynn behaved at work, but he kept talking. "Umm... they walk a lot and talk things out. Sharon is usually in front and Lt. Flynn is behind her shoulder."

"What a good consort," Adam said to the rest, which garnered more snickering.

"What's... what's a 'consort'?" Rusty asked.

Rick didn't move his head from it's resting place as he answered, "A consort is the name given to the person who is romantically involved with the person in charge. They are usually a subordinate... like Queen and Prince, or Captain and Lieutenant."

"Sharon and Lt. Flynn are NOT in a romantic relationship!" Rusty said emphatically. "In fact... in fact, she treats him the same way she treats Lt. Provenza. She will hit both of them when they say something stupid. I've seen that."

"And who is this Lt. Provenza?" Liz asked.

"He's... he's the second in command, and Sharon isn't in a relationship with him any more than she's in a relationship with Lt. Flynn. And I would know, because Lt. Provenza takes me to dinner and ball games a lot."

"So..." Nicole smiled, "you spend a lot of time with Provenza, and Dad could be with Sharon, right?" Rusty squirmed and tried to mount a protest. "I think I should also tell the rest of you that Provenza is Dad's best friend and they've been partners for years."

"Ah, keeping it all in the family," Adam smiled.

"I don't know what you're saying. I should go." Rusty made moves to get out of the hot tub, but Liz grabbed his arm.

"Don't leave, Rusty. We'll back off the questions, okay? Stay. We're just really curious about Mom and Andy, that's all. We're sorry we made you feel so uncomfortable."

Nicole nodded, "Yeah, sorry Rusty. You've never had big sisters and brothers, have you."

"No. It was me and my mom and now it's me and Sharon, and that's all. No one else stays at our condo."

"Well dude, you've just been schooled in the fine art of sisters," Rick announced.

"It's just weird, that's all."