Nora lay back in bed, but she was miles away from restful sleep. She looked up at her bedroom ceiling, the kitchen floor, and reevaluated her skills as a mother.

Did she just do that? Did she just move her teenage daughter into a room next to her stepson who was a known player, then move herself to a room two floors down? After she had witnessed that fight, the one where the air crackled and she was sure her hair was on end from all the sparks flying between her children? No wonder she couldn't sleep, and no wonder her husband was vibrating like a cellphone beside her.

"I can't believe we agreed to this," she said to him, "I mean, how many things could possibly go wrong with this scenario?"

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," George reassured, though she could see he needed reassuring himself, "I have Edwin on the walkie-talkie and he's camped out in front of their rooms. Anything happens, he'll tell me," he waved the walkie talkie at her, and Nora had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Georgie, you know this won't work. We can't have Edwin camped out in front of their rooms for the next however many years. He has school."

"He can alternate with Lizzie and Marti," George said, as if that solved all their problems.

Nora loved the man, but right now, he was failing the Parenting Test even worse than she was.

"What we need to do is sit them down and talk to them. Drill into them the importance of family, and why anything they do is going to have negative effects. I know Casey is reasonable, and I'm sure Derek is too."

"When he needs to be. And he knows how to put family first," George admitted, "Don't tell him I said so, but he's the one who held us all together after Abi left."

Nora snuggled closer to him. She knew the whole story by now, about the divorce and the confusion of especially the younger kids. She had been hurt by Dennis, but it had been different. She had seen the end coming from a mile away.

"We'll talk to them tomorrow," she planned, "Tell Edwin to go to bed."

So the next morning, George and Nora sat their two eldest children down and went over everything; the boundaries that should not cross, the importance of family and the need for no grandbabies at this present time. There was also the emphasis on family and how it was important that both of them maintain the status quo.

Nora felt good at least that their faces reflected disgust the entire time their parents were talking.

….

It was frustrating.

And a little bit creepy.

But mostly frustrating.

Nora watched Casey and Derek fight for dominance, get overly involved with each other, bad mouth each other and become each other's best friend over the years. And she came to realize that out of all the boyfriends and girlfriends they trucked in and out, the best person for each of them was each other.

Yes, she knew that she was the one who told them not to look sideways at the other for too long, and she had meant it, but watching them fight and curse and obsess and worry lead her to only one conclusion.

They were in love.

This morning, as she stirred her tea, watching her daughter wipe ketchup off her stepson's face, she wondered if the only thing stopping them from being together was her.

"Thank you, faithful servant," Derek grinned, causing Casey to fling the paper napkin at his face.

That had nothing to do with her.

"Remember the presentation for Mrs. Brooks this morning!" Derek shouted at her as she ran up the stairs.

"And you remember to avoid pranking Max!" Casey yelled back.

Nora saw the satisfied smile on Derek's face as he took his plate to the sink and hated having to be the parent in this situation.

"Since when do you care if Casey brings in her assignments?"

Derek looked at her as if he forgot she was there, "Since Mrs. Brooks has been picking on Casey. Not anything to worry about," he said, predicting the Mommy-rant that was about to come out, "Just Casey being her Keener self and Mrs. Brooks trying to push her limits. Brooks hates Keeners."

Nora nodded. It was Big Brother stuff. But not really.

"And what is this about you playing pranks on Max?"

"Max is an idiot, he plays football and he thinks he can walk on water. He deserves it." Derek smiled.

She watched him walk up the stairs, then head back down behind Casey, both of them armed for school and arguing about absolutely nothing. Derek was flicking Casey's ear.

"Ow! Stop, you idiot! Bye, Mom!"

"Bye, Nora!"

Nora wiggled her fingers at them. "Denial isn't a river in Africa, you know," she muttered.

….

The family stood there while Casey and Derek argued.

Nora felt like this was the summary of her life for the last four years. Lizzie and Edwin's eyes were doing cartwheels, Marti was scoffing at the floor, George was sighing every few seconds. And what was Nora doing?

She was folding her arms and trying her best not to enjoy this too much.

They were in university now. They were in an apartment together. They had no other familiar people for miles and miles to interact with. They were free of the family. Whatever 'this' was, it had to be fleshed out sometime in the next four years.

When she couldn't take the looks of distress on her family's faces anymore, she stepped in.

"No need for you guys to fight about this. Casey, you get the room to the back since more sunlight comes into that one and you like to get up early and plus it is closer to the bathroom. Derek, you get the room to the front since you're less likely to disturb Casey when you get in late from your dates, it's closer to the kitchen and if you angle the TV properly, you'll be able to watch it in bed."

The teens looked at her, then each other. And in their own way agreed.

"Casey can't put any of her frou-frou girly stuff in the bathroom though!"

"Derek it's bathroom soap. Where else will it go but the bathroom?"

Now it was Nora's turn to roll her eyes.

By the time they had gotten the two of them settled and given the little ones dinner, Nora and George were only coherent enough to drive to the nearest Holiday Inn.

"They're exhausting!" George exhaled as he joined her under the clean sheets.

"And they're all alone. For the first time ever," Nora said, switching off the TV.

George frowned, "It's slightly weird how you keep picturing our children ending up together."

"Don't act like you don't see it too," she tapped his nose with a finger.

"Yeah, and I worry. You… you're completely for it."

Nora shrugged, "I just know they're in love."

George shook his head, looked down at her tummy, "You hear that? She just knows they're in love. Hope she doesn't screw you up too."

"Shut up!" Nora hit him playfully.

….

The baby was screaming in one ear and Casey was ranting in the other.

"Wait, wait, lemme put Simon down," she placed the baby in Edwin's lap and walked out of the living room, "What did Derek do?"

"Mom, it wasn't Derek," Casey sighed, "It was Mark, and his idea of a first date. He decided that ruining my new top and thrusting his tongue into my mouth was the best ice-breaker."

"Ew," was all Nora could come up with, "Where was Derek all this time?"

"Who do you think punched him out cold? We had to dunk him with a bucket of water to revive him."

Pride surged through Nora. That was her son.

"Thank you."

"What?" Nora said.

"Not you mom, I mean Derek. Thank you so much."

Nora heard Derek's non committal answer and beamed.

"Tell him to put some ice on that hand and give him a big kiss from me," she told Casey.

"I'm icing," Casey reported, "And I'm kissing, on the forehead."

Nora heard the smack, then giggled when Derek said, "Ugh! Casey germs!"

They hung up, and Nora turned to George who was sipping coffee in the kitchen.

"I love your son," she declared.

"Does that mean you'll change him?" asked Edwin, his arms full of stinky baby.

Nora took pity on him and took Simon back. Ruffling the eight-month-old's soft blonde hair, she couldn't help grinning.

"Sounds like they're finally getting along."

….

They fought endlessly.

They fought over who could carry the kids to the mall for Christmas shopping. They fought over the thermostat. They fought over dinner. They fought over the decorations. They fought over the Christmas movies. They fought over Simon. They fought over Lizzie, Edwin and Marti. They fought over George and Nora.

When they finally packed up the car at the end of the Christmas break and headed back to Kingston, everybody was relieved.

"I can't wait till they get married and get it over with," Edwin muttered as he climbed the stairs.

"You said it," said Marti and Lizzie as they climbed the stairs after him.

Nora looked at Simon, who was on the living room carpet playing with his new toy truck, "Amen?"

The baby babbled.

"Amen."

…..

Emily handed over the tiny baby to Casey, "I haven't even named her yet."

"Any ideas?" Nora asked.

Emily blanked, then shook her head, "None. But isn't she just a sweetie? I wanna call her Marshmallow Puff, because that's what she reminds me of."

Nora and Casey laughed.

Noticing the bags under Emily's eyes, Nora took pity, "Maybe you should go upstairs and lie down, Em. We'll take care of the baby."

Em looked relieved, worried and grateful at the same time, "Are you sure?"

Nora smiled. Young mothers.

"We're sure," Casey smiled at her friend, adjusting the little baby so she could lead Emily to the stairs, "We'll holler if we need you."

"Okay," Emily trudged up the stairs tiredly.

Nora tickled little M.P's tummy, "I remember when you were this tiny."

"That was a long time ago," Casey laughed, "You should say you remember when Simon was this tiny."

"He is getting big, isn't he?" Nora quipped as Simon came down the stairs in front of Derek.

"Is that a baby?" the little four year old asked.

Casey smiled, "Yes, it is! Do you want to hold her?"

Simon shook his head, "Nah!"

Casey narrowed her eyes as she watched Simon run into the kitchen, "That's all Venturi, you know that, right?"

"It's Derek's fault," Nora looked at him for his reaction.

But he was standing on the stairs, staring at Casey and not moving. His mouth hung open a little.

"Derek?" Casey hit him on the side of the face.

He jumped, "Ow!"

"Go see if Emily's sleeping," she ordered him, adjusting the baby to her shoulder.

"Uh… you mean the thing that muttered at me and passed out on your bed is Emily?" he asked.

"DEREK!"

Casey and Nora winced as Simon called from the kitchen, "Definitely Venturi."

…

"Why are we doing this?" Marti asked, sitting on the porch step and fingering her new purple extensions that were thankfully temporary. Simon punched her in the shoulder and she punched him back.

"Because I don't have a picture of all my children in this decade, Marti, that's why," Nora explained. She fiddled with the camera trying to get them all in the shot. Lizzie was busy showing Edwin her soccer ball tattoo (Nora wasn't touching that one with a ten foot pole), Derek was wheeling Simon around and Casey was on the phone. Nora looked to George for some help. He stepped up, pushed two fingers in his mouth and whistled. They stood at attention like the Von Trapps. Almost.

"Thank you! Your mother would like a picture of all you hooligans. So please comply and you all get cake!"

"Yeah!" as much as five out of six of them were too old for such things, they all cheered for the cake.

As they got prepared, she took a test shot.

Lizzie was still sitting on her bike and Edwin had an arm around her. Marti was exuding fifteen-year-old defiance by half smiling, but still managed to look pretty. Simon was pulling a face.

Casey was smiling up at Derek and he grinned back at her. The look that went from one to the other was of mutual amusement.

She wouldn't tell anybody, but this one was her favourite already.

"Alright, pose like you're actually someone's children and not street bums," she instructed.

….

Nora was nowhere near dreamland. She sighed loud and long.

"I hate her."

George grunted, "You can't say that."

"Why not? She is a terrible person. I preferred all of his girlfriends over her. She is absolutely terrible for him."

"Seeing as your perfect person for Derek is Casey…"

"Well, she is, but that is beside the point."

George grunted again and turned to face her. She almost apologized for keeping him up, but she also knew that he knew that she would not sleep until she got it off her chest.

"Tell me you didn't like her."

George shrugged, "I've only met Kennedy once. Tonight. At dinner. And I'll point out, she cooked the whole thing, carried on an entire conversation with you on your display, and conversed with Lizzie entirely in environment-speak. She tried hard."

"She tried to lull us into a false sense of security. And she didn't cook shit," Nora mumbled, then covered her mouth, forgetting they had moved Simon upstairs three year ago. "Honey Pies on Gordon Street delivers."

"I thought that chicken tasted familiar," George said pensively.

"She just wants the ring… and she got it! Did you see Lizzie and Edwin's faces when she flashed it in their faces? They looked disgusted. Derek always did threaten us with a supermodel/pinup/airhead daughter-in-law!"

"She has a BSc. In Economics and she's the heir to a small airline," George said, "Derek could have done much worse."

Nora rolled her eyes, "You just don't see it. She has the education, the money. All she wants is the attractive filmmaker husband to complete the set."

"Derek's a trophy husband?" George asked in confusion.

Nora sighed, "You know what? Go to bed."

…..

"DER-EK!"

Nora looked up from the blueprints she was looking at, and stared at her daughter as she stomped down the stairs, and wondered if she was experiencing déjà vu. But since Casey was in her maid of honour (best man?) dress, she guessed not.

At least, that was the colour they picked out, but other than that it didn't match the dress in the store at all.

"Mom please tell Derek there is no way I am walking into a church looking like this!" Casey screamed.

The champagne dress was cut so low Nora could almost see Casey's navel. The dress itself hugged her tight and the only reason she could breathe was because there was split all the way to mid thigh.

"She looks great!" Derek declared, "Best looking Best Man I've ever seen."

"You're lucky Sam can't make it to this wedding because the only reason I haven't quit being your Best Woman is to save face!" Casey pushed him hard.

"Ouch! Even when I compliment you, you still abuse me!" Derek complained.

Nora looked from one to the other and wondered if they realized they were grown people. And then she wondered if the resurgence of the childish bickering was because they both knew Derek was marrying the wrong person.

"Derek you know she can't wear that," Nora told him, "That dress takes attention from the bride. You don't want to miss Kennedy's arrival because you're staring at Casey the whole time."

The way they both flinched, she knew she had them wired.

"It-it was just a joke, Case," he muttered, "The real one is upstairs at the back of your closet."

"Thank you!" she spun in her champagne coloured heels and stomped back up.

Derek turned from watching Casey's flight upstairs to see Nora staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

Nora went back to her blueprints, "Nothing."