The Sins of Our Fathers

@ Jaguar's Heart

Mariah
It was Mariah’s turn to turn a little green. He hated pickles. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He handed her a waiting toothbrush and helped her to the sink. “Woman needs cooking lessons. Maybe we can talk Mark into springing some for her. Maybe an early Christmas gift or something. I don’t want pickles in my food.”

---

Maverick
“Oh?” Maverick looked over the spread. Most of the items looked good, but a few were… “I see what you mean.” Leaving the two of them together, he moved around, doing his best to fix the mistakes. Some were unsalvageable, -who put pickles in the cranberry sauce?- but most he could fix. “This is definitely going to be an interesting dinner!”

---

Mark and Adam
Adam looked down, hugging Caesar. He still felt bad about hurting Tony. He didn’t want his parents to know about that, Daddy would be mad and give him a spanking. “Mama, Daddy! Lemme show you my room!” He said instead. “I got a racecar bed!”
“Maybe later,” Peter said. “We have to be going. You don’t want to be late to Grandma’s, do you? Go put your toy away and let’s go.” He didn’t like the fact that Adam seemed so attached to such a silly thing. Especially the way he hugged it tighter at the command.
Mark smiled at Peter, hiding the steel. “He’s gotten quite attached to Caesar, I recommend you let him take him. I promise, it’ll be better for everyone.”
Peter frowned even deeper. “We’re going to a family dinner. Not a play date. Toys only get in the way.”
“Peter,” Abigail said, worried. “Why don’t we let him keep the toy, just this once?”

@ Aikofox
Faye
Faye laughed a little at Mariah's suggestion as she brushed her teeth. She hated that this had become routine for them... But she was so glad that she had him there with her. She'd have hated being on her own through this. When she was done and her mouth clean she turned to him once more, pressing her face to his chest, "I'm thinking that pregnant Faye doesn't like pickles either..."

Edna
Edna laughed, a true smile on her face now, "I just... How could she think that any of her choices were okay? Its just.... Common sense. At least I thought it had been." She continued to pet the fog, "I just hope that I don't bite into any thing strange and hurt Tony's feelings."

Tony
Tony blinked at Peter's reaction and she felt her own momma Bear protectiveness build. She tried to keep calm, but she only ended up shaking her head and talking at step to Adam, "You don't seem to understand. Your dinner will go a lot smoothly if you let Adam keep Cesar."

@ Jaguar's Heart

Mariah
“And that’s sensible,” Mariah said, “Pickles are nasty and disgusting and whoever thought they were meant to be eaten ought to be strung up.” He stuck out his tongue. Even as a child, the taste of pickles had been enough to make him barf. But Faye didn’t need to know that, it might set her off again. “Come on, let’s go downstairs and through the horrors in the trash.”

---

Maverick
“Just pretend it’s something else. Or search through the flavors. That’s what I did. Also, did you know smelling something makes you taste what you smell? Like, when you smell an orange but you’re eating an apple, you taste an orange. It’s a handy little trick. I don’t know why, but it works.” He’d made use of that trick a lot growing up. They didn’t always get to eat the tastiest things.

---

Mark and Adam
Adam looked down unhappily, hiding his face in his toy. Daddy didn’t like Caesar. His lower lip began to tremble and he sniffed back tears. “I like Caesar,” he whined, “I don’t wanna leave him here.”
Mark moved to him and leaned down to put a hand on his shoulder. “I won’t let him make you leave Caesar, Adam, so don’t cry.” To Peter, he said, “Caesar keeps him from having tantrums. Trust me, he’s much calmer when he has something to hug.”
Peter crossed his arms. “Adam is five, old enough that he doesn’t need things like that. I have raised this boy since he was a baby, you’ve known him what, a few days? I know him and his needs better than you do. He doesn’t need a toy. Just a firm hand.”
Mark had to work to keep his tone mild. “In this, I know him better than you. He has my temper, he inherited a lot from me. Trust me, he needs the toy.”
“Peter,” Abigail said, worried, “please, I don’t want any fighting. It’s Thanksgiving. Just this once.”

@ Aikofox
Victoria
For the night Victoria decided to play it safe and let Matt cool off for a few hours. While she did want to see him Victoria did not want to push him. He was upset after the dinner party and to her that was understandable. Though when she did wake in the morning Victoria sent him a little text message, hoping that he would respond to it. 'Good Morning. How are you feeling?' it wasn't much but Victoria wanted to make sure he knew he was on her mind. Plus she wanted to know if he was any happier after yesterday. Maybe he got over it? Maybe they would have to talk?

---

Kyra
Kyra leaned back into the seat of the car, attempting to relax as Maddock drove them. She was a little nervous about meeting his family on thanksgiving day and she couldn't help but feel like she was intruding a bit. Plus she was concerned with what Maddock was going to tell them. What was her reasoning for being there again? Her fingers tightened around the pie that she had made. While no one asked her to Kyra knew she shouldn't show up empty handed.

@ Aikofox
Faye
Faye giggled, then took his hand hand lead him downstairs. She noticed a group of people standing at the doorway and sighed "It's sad that Mark can't spend Thanksgiving with Adam," she said softly, stopping to look up at Mariah, then frowned at the look on Adam's fave, "I wonder why he's upset..."

Edna
Edna smiled at Maverick, "You know... Normally that would work but I'm thinking that when it comes to Tony's cooking we're just out of luck." She looked at the assortment of dishes set out, "She definitely has some.... Imagination that's for sure."

Tony
Tony glared at Peter, completely done with controlling her own temper. She stepped up in front of Adam and glared at Peter, "You take that toy away," she said, tone pleasant while her eyes tossed daggars at the man, "And you'll have more than a broken arm to interrupt your night." She didn't move her glare off of Peter's gaze, "And if I hear you've ever hit this child - I don't care if it was just a disciplinary spanking - I will drop this polite act and show you just how people like you should be treated." By now she was having problems keeping a polite mask on this. She didn't want to upset Adam more, but like hell she'd let Peter continue his abuse, "You have no idea how this child thinks or learns. With his time here he's already begun to grasp how to work through his anger. You take that toy away and all that will change. He will revert to how he handled his temper before... Only this time it will probably be worse."

@ Aikofox
Faye
Faye giggled, then took his hand hand lead him downstairs. She noticed a group of people standing at the doorway and sighed "It's sad that Mark can't spend Thanksgiving with Adam," she said softly, stopping to look up at Mariah, then frowned at the look on Adam's fave, "I wonder why he's upset..."

Edna
Edna smiled at Maverick, "You know... Normally that would work but I'm thinking that when it comes to Tony's cooking we're just out of luck." She looked at the assortment of dishes set out, "She definitely has some.... Imagination that's for sure."

Tony
Tony glared at Peter, completely done with controlling her own temper. She stepped up in front of Adam and glared at Peter, "You take that toy away," she said, tone pleasant while her eyes tossed daggars at the man, "And you'll have more than a broken arm to interrupt your night." She didn't move her glare off of Peter's gaze, "And if I hear you've ever hit this child - I don't care if it was just a disciplinary spanking - I will drop this polite act and show you just how people like you should be treated." By now she was having problems keeping a polite mask on this. She didn't want to upset Adam more, but like hell she'd let Peter continue his abuse, "You have no idea how this child thinks or learns. With his time here he's already begun to grasp how to work through his anger. You take that toy away and all that will change. He will revert to how he handled his temper before... Only this time it will probably be worse."

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

Matt
Matt had gone to bed lonely, missing having Victoria in his arms. As such he was in poor spirits the next morning, though they lifted immediately when he received her text. ’Lonely. Missed you last night. I’m sorry.’ He fired back, then headed to shower and dress. He was anxious to see how rehearsals would go, and worried about Azana. He wanted to stay friends with her, but could he?

---

Maddock
It was a long drive from Astoria to Portland, but after getting to know Kyra for the last few days he wasn’t dreading it as much as he had been. He’d put an old country CD in for background noise, though he’d told Kyra she was welcome to change it, to be polite. Not everyone liked the same music as he did, after all. The pie in her lap smelled delicious, and he had no doubt that there wouldn’t be any leftovers.

Eventually he finally turned off the highway and headed towards Mark’s house. He’d been told Adam wouldn’t be there, so there were no little outbursts to worry about Kyra seeing. That was, unless Mariah lost his shaky control. Though with Faye there, he didn’t anticipate anything happening.

---

Murel
“Come on, Ben!” Murel huffed, waiting for him to find his keys. “I’m hungry!” She’d never had a Thanksgiving dinner, though she sometimes helped Max out if they were short staffed, which happened just about every year. But not this year. Max was closing a little early for once, just for this. She was still a little sore from her fight, and her eye had faded to a sickly yellow-green color, but at least she wasn’t limping anymore.

@ Jaguar's Heart

Mariah
“I dunno, but I think we should stay out of it,” Mariah replied in the same low tone. “Things look tense, and two more people mixing in will only make things harder on Adam.” He stayed where he was, watching, just in case. He doubted Mark needed any help, not with Tony to back him up, but he wasn’t sure about the strange man with Abigail. Must be her husband.

---

Maverick
“True.” Maverick sighed, then paused as he heard a commotion out in the foyer. “Wonder what’s going on?” He wandered to the door, Angel on his heels, and peeked out. Like he’d guessed, Adam’s mom was there, with a man that must have been her husband. Adam was crying. That wasn’t good. “Come on, Angel,” he said softly, “let’s see what’s up. You coming, Edna? Or are you gonna watch the food cook?”

---

Mark and Adam
“Are you saying Adam’s responsible for that?” Peter exclaimed, then rounded on the boy, who hid his face.
“It was an accident,” he whimpered, unable to stop the tears. “I didn’t mean to! Honest!”
“That is no excuse, Adam! How-“
“That’s enough,” Mark said firmly, picking up the boy and holding him close as he soothed him. “Adam knows what happened was wrong, and it won’t happen again. Isn’t that right?” Adam nodded in his arms, sniffling, pressing closer.
Abigail blinked in surprise. They’d bonded so quickly in just a few short days! She’d expected Adam to still be afraid, but this…how had this happened? “Peter, enough,” she said, bouncing Evelyn, who was starting to fuss. “We don’t have time for this, we’re going to be late. Just let him keep the toy. Just for now.” She looked at Tony apologetically, appalled that the other woman had been hurt.
Peter, outnumbered, was forced to back down. Besides, Abigail was right, they were going to be late, and his father hated tardiness. At least it was a small family dinner this year and not a big reunion like Christmas. “Fine. Come on, Adam, let’s go.”
Adam peeked at him warily. “Can I say bye to Angel first?”

@ Aikofox
Victoria
A little smile came over her lips once she received his text message. She felt a lot better knowing that he had missed her and that Matt was no longer upset. Instead of replying back though Victoria got ready for the day and then headed to rehearsal early. Victoria hoped that Matt would show up before the others but she could not guarantee that. In the least she would see him there and hopefully have a good day together.

---

Kyra
Once Maddock pulled up to the mansion Kyra looked over at him, taking a small breath. "I'll hold the pie and you take the kittens?" Kyra said before slipping out of the car. She really hoped that everything was going to go over well. "Is there anything I need to know before going inside?" Kyra asked him. It was clear that she was a little nervous. But Kyra was sure that she would be okay once it was over.

---

Ben
Ben grabbed his keys, closing the door to his apartment quickly. "Man it's cold in there." He said with a small breath and he shook himself out. "Damn heater went out again." Ben said before heading out of the building with her. Though he moved slowly so that Murel could keep up. She was getting better but she still had a bit of a limp. "Is the food going to be done when we get there?"

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

Matt
Mat was just getting out of his cab when Victoria arrived. A huge smile blossomed on his face as he jogged over to get her door. “Hey you,” he said, holding the door wide. “How are you this morning? Can I help with anything? Get your guitar?” He desperately did not want to talk about the night before, rather wanting to forget about it for now and just enjoy being with her.

---

Maddock
“Sure,” Maddock said, moving to get her door for her. He was glad she didn’t seem intimidated by the big house. He’d warned her beforehand, but still. It was a lot to take in. “Mark said Mav’s got a stray dog he’s fostering, though, not sure how that’ll go.” He grabbed the cat carrier and the little playpen that he’d borrowed from Penny, then led the way to the door.

---

Murel
“Really?” She asked, all innocence. “You just picked a crap apartment, didn’t you? Still say you should move in completely.” She took the stairs two at a time, sticking her tongue out at him over her shoulder. She didn’t need to be pampered or treated like an invalid. She was fine! “There better be food, or I might just eat the walls!”

@ Aikofox
Faye
Faye leaned against Mariah as she watched. She knew that it probably wasn't smart to join in, but she didn't like to see Adam cry. "Mariah? I don't... This doesn't look good..." Already she was getting a little nervous, her tummy turning. She placed a hand over her abdomen, "How could he be so rude to Adam? So mean?"

Edna
Edna followed Maverick, surprised to see so many people by the door. She noticed Adam in Mark's arms crying and figured something had gone wrong...

Tony
Tony stepped up to Peter, "No. Adam isn't responsible for my arm. You are. If you had just been open to Mark at the beginning, had raised Adam in a more understanding way, then this wouldn't have happened. An I'll promise you right now that if Caesar stays... then Adam stays." She glared at the man, Poking a finger in his chest, "if you listen to what Mark says, if you work with Adam the right way, then this can be salvaged."

@ Aikofox
Victoria
"Good morning." Victoria set her guitar down and then threw her arms around him, giving Matt a large hug. "I am good. Especially since you seem happy this morning." She told him with a little smile as she pulled back to look at Matt's face. Victoria wanted to just stay with Matt and kiss him all over the place but they were still in public a bit. At least a hug was acceptable. Though before they hugged for too long Victoria pulled back with a little sigh. "You're not doing anything after practice are you?"

---

Kyra
Closely she followed Maddock to the door. Though her eyes stayed on the house in front of her rather than him. Maddock had told her a bit before they drove up but still she was surprised by all of this. They had a very large- and lovely- home. For some reason it still surprised her even though she was told. Her hands wrapped around the pie tin tighter as he lead her inside. "Well it might be fine. Some dogs and kittens get along quite well and these kittens have not learned to hate dogs yet. They should be open to meeting other animals still."

---

Ben
"I am sure that there will be food, but who knows if it will be done when we get there." Ben said with a light laugh. "Worse comes to worse you can eat something uncooked." He teased as he got into the car with her. If Murel was sure she could handle running around he was not going to stop her. Well at least he was not going to until he was sure it was causing her more problems. "Should we be bringing anything? Or rather should I be bringing anything?"

@ Aikofox
Victoria
"Good morning." Victoria set her guitar down and then threw her arms around him, giving Matt a large hug. "I am good. Especially since you seem happy this morning." She told him with a little smile as she pulled back to look at Matt's face. Victoria wanted to just stay with Matt and kiss him all over the place but they were still in public a bit. At least a hug was acceptable. Though before they hugged for too long Victoria pulled back with a little sigh. "You're not doing anything after practice are you?"

---

Kyra
Closely she followed Maddock to the door. Though her eyes stayed on the house in front of her rather than him. Maddock had told her a bit before they drove up but still she was surprised by all of this. They had a very large- and lovely- home. For some reason it still surprised her even though she was told. Her hands wrapped around the pie tin tighter as he lead her inside. "Well it might be fine. Some dogs and kittens get along quite well and these kittens have not learned to hate dogs yet. They should be open to meeting other animals still."

---

Ben
"I am sure that there will be food, but who knows if it will be done when we get there." Ben said with a light laugh. "Worse comes to worse you can eat something uncooked." He teased as he got into the car with her. If Murel was sure she could handle running around he was not going to stop her. Well at least he was not going to until he was sure it was causing her more problems. "Should we be bringing anything? Or rather should I be bringing anything?"

@ Jaguar's Heart

Mark, Maverick, Mariah and Adam
“Tony, please,” Mark said softly, trying to calm her down. She was only trying to help, he knew, but the atmosphere was so charged already. Adam needed out of it. He wiped the boy’s cheeks and set him down. “Angel’s in the kitchen looking for food, so why don’t you, ah, there she is.” He saw Maverick standing at the door with his dog, Edna behind him. “Go on.” He sent the boy running off, only to have Abigail practically shriek at his to get back here.
“A pit bull!?” Abigail cried in horror at the sight of the animal. “You brought a pit bull into a house with a child? Are you crazy, Mark! Adam, get away from it before it bites you!”

---

Maverick
Maverick frowned, hand on Angel’s head. “Angel’s not going to bite, she really likes Adam, and he likes her too.” He felt bad for his nephew, who had stopped and was now looking back and forth in confusion. “He’s the one who named her. She’s really sweet, not a mean bone in her body.”

---

Mariah
Mariah decided it was time to step in. He walked down the stairs, calling, “You know pits used to be used as nannies, right, Abigail? They’re great with kids. It’s the owners that make them mean and got them that reputation.” He’d been doing some research, having had the same concerns at first. The only pits he’d known in the past had been fighting dogs. He’d been surprised to learn their history. Suddenly the door opened behind everyone and Maddock walked in, a woman that had to be Kyra in tow. Joy, great first impression.

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

Matt
Matt hugged her back, relaxing immediately at the contact. He didn’t want to let her go, releasing her reluctantly when she pulled back. “My schedule’s completely free until the concert,” he said brightly. “Wanna come back to my hotel until then?” So much had happened this week, it seemed time had flown by. Hard to believe they were leaving in the morning at last.

---

Maddock
Maddock gave another of his customary nods and opened the door, walking in on quite the little crowd. This just seemed to keep happening to him, didn’t it. Mark looked to be trying to control the situation but wasn’t having much success. His ex, Abigail was there with a man he guessed was her husband, new baby in tow. The man looked to be about ready to exchange blows with Tony, while Abigail was freaking out, telling Adam to get back here. The five year old was halfway across the room, clinging to a stuffed panther toy as he looked between his mother and the scrawny looking pit bull cowering between Maverick and Edna. Mariah was getting in on things, and Faye, looking much less terrified, was over by the stairs. Lovely. Just what he needed, a confrontation. And Max and Murel weren’t even there yet.

---

Murel
“Why would we bring anything? We’ve got a professional chef who gets insulted when he isn’t allowed to cook, and Mark to take care of anything he isn’t.” Murel hopped up into her seat, hiding the way she favored her knee. “Besides, if he wanted us to bring anything, Mark would have asked. We’re good.”

@ Aikofox
Tony, Edna, and Faye
Tony backed off when Abigail started shrieking. She frowned at the situation, then sighed, "Abigail, it's okay. Look at the dog. Look past her breed... she loves Adam."

Edna knelt beside Angel and rubbed her fur between her ears. The dog seemed nervous with all this tension... and it bothered Edna. The poor dog shouldn't have to go through this.

Faye bit her lip and stepped up with Mariah, her hand lightly touching the back of his shirt. She didn't know who this man was... and she didn't like him. She didn't want to be anywhere near him.

@ Aikofox
Victoria
A bright smile came over her face and at this point she was completely relaxed. "Or we could go to my apartment. There I could make us dinner and everything." She just thought staying at someone's house would be better than going to his hotel room. After all they would have to be in a hotel for the rest of the tour. At this point Victoria took another step away and then grabbed her guitar to head to the practice room. Now they had plans that would hopefully not get ruined.

---

Kyra
Her eyes widen a bit as she looked at the chaos around them. Kyra's moved closer to Maddock. Whatever was going on she did not want to be a part of it. "What should I do?" She whispered to him. Hopefully whatever was going on Maddock would be able to calm them down.

---

Ben
"Alright I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to get skinned alive." Ben said with a grin. He rolled his shoulders a few times before starting the car and making his way to the house. While they seemed to be a bit eccentric Ben liked going to see her family. They had been interesting the first time so why wouldn't they be this time?

@ Jaguar's Heart

Mark, Maverick, Mariah and Adam
Maverick knelt down, comforting the confused and worried dog. “Adam’s been playing with Angel since Edna found her, they-“
“Found her?! It’s a stray!?” Abigail nearly screeched, though she had to stop when little Evelyn started to wail. “It could be diseased, or rabid, or…!”
Peter put a hand on his wife’s shoulder, shooting a look at Mark. “I was told you were taking care of him, but I see you’re putting Adam at risk instead! Come on, Adam, let’s go. And we aren’t coming back.”
Mark straightened to his full height and looked down on the other man. “I have not put Adam at risk. Maverick’s taken the dog to a respectable vet and she’s already had her first round of shots. We’ve never left them alone unsupervised. Abigail, calm down! Remember what happened last time. Do you really want to undo everything I’ve done?”
Mariah slipped an arm around Faye, holding her close. “Why don’t you take Maddock and Kyra to the other room.” He said in a low voice. “It looks like he brought the kittens again. Try and get Adam to go too, the less people here for this the better, we need to diffuse this quick.”

@ Mother.Of.Dragons

Matt
“Even better!” He vaguely remembered where it was after what he considered their first date, though he’d only seen the building, not her apartment. He was curious, and this was a good way to learn more about her. He followed her inside to the practice hall. Good thing practice wasn’t that long today. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

---

Maddock and Mariah
“Just stick with me,” Maddock whispered back, edging his way into the room and over towards a scowling Mariah. “Do I want to know?” He asked, nodding his head at the chaos.
His youngest brother grimaced, tightening his hold on his rather diminutive soulmate. “Abigail’s freaking about Mav’s dog, her hubby’s freaking about Adam’s toy and is a general asshole, Adam’s confused, Tony’s gone all Mama bear on them and Mark’s trying to diffuse it. Welcome home, bro.”
Maddock grunted, shifting his hold on the mewling kittens. There wasn’t anything he could do, it sounded like. “Gonna go set these guys up.”

---

Murel
“Pff! Like they’d waste time skinning you.” Murel laughed. “Well, Mark might, he’s got the whole patience and creativity thing going for him. But he wouldn’t. I’ve got the lot of them wrapped around my little finger.” She held up her pinky to demonstrate. “They wouldn’t dare piss me off!”

@ Aikofox
Tony, Edna, and Faye
Faye blinked up at Mariah, not really wanting to leave his side, but she nodded. She smiled at Maddock and the woman he brought, "The kitchen is right through that door. I'll grab Adam really quick and follow you in..." She made her way to Mark who still held Adam. She held her arms out for the boy, "Come on, Adam. I'm craving a little bit of ice cream and thought you might like some as well."

Edna was so confused. Why would they all be so upset? Sure, so Adam had a temper... but they were acting like he turned into the Hulk... back when the Hulk was thought of as bad. She continued to pet Angel and turned to Maverick ,"Why is everyone so upset?"

Tony had had enough. She stepped straight up to Peter and pointed to the door, "Get out. I want you out of my house. Then you're going to stand there and this of what you just said, of what you've caused. And then you're going to think of Adam. If you actually opened your eyes and looked you'd see that he's dealing with this like a child normally would. He's upset. He's crying. He's clinging to his father... but he's not breaking anything. Nothing is flying around this room and no one is getting hurt." She pointed at him, "So you better think long and hard on what your next decisions are going to be. Because if you don't allow Adam and Mark their time... your own time could be severely limited."
Then she turned to Abigail, "And you, take a chill pill. Adam is completely fine and, deep down, you know that. You're only letting your own fears control your. If you're going to do that then I want you to get out, think of the situation, then come back in." She look at husband and wife, "In fact... why don't you both do that now."

@ Jaguar's Heart

Adam
Adam looked up at Faye, then back at his parents. He didn’t like seeing them fighting, it was scary. He held his hands up to Faye, silently begging to be picked up. He looked over her shoulder at the two new people, a big, scary looking man and a nice looking lady. “Who are they?” He asked, clinging to his toy.

---

Maverick
“Bad blood,” he whispered back. “Come on, let’s let them duke it out, the more hands in the pot, the more it’ll boil. Angel, let’s go, love, back in the kitchen.” He shooed the dog back through the door, then held it for the others. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Mariah staying in the middle of this, especially without Faye there to moderate him.

---

Mark and Mariah
“Mariah, you go too,” Mark said, grateful that the crowd was starting to thin. “Stay with Faye, I don’t want you stressed.” Murel should be arriving any minute, and he wanted to get this over with before then. “Tony’s got a point, why don’t we all step outside, hmm?” He held out his arms, ushering all of them out the door, overriding the protests. Once they were safely out of earshot, he closed the door and turned to Abigail. “How much does he know?”
“How much do I know about what?” Peter demanded, ignoring Tony as just a hotblooded woman once more. The man really needed to get a hold on her, it was shameful!
Abigail shot Mark a warning look. “Nothing, Peter. Please, I don’t like it, but I told you, Adam needs to stay here for a while, it’s what’s best.”
“No, what the boy needs is a counselor. Not some no-show father that suddenly decided he wanted to make up for five years of not being there! It doesn’t work like that!”

@ Aikofox
Faye
Faye lifted Adam into her arms... though she knew she probably shouldn't have. The poor boy was just so upset, "They're friends," She said softly, "Your uncle and his friend." She carried him into the kitchen, sitting down on a stool with him in her lap, "Now, dry those tears. Everything will be fine." She pressed a light kiss on his forehead, then sighed in relief when she saw Mariah.

Edna
Edna followed Maverick and Angel into the kitchen, shaking her head, "I think Tony's about to blow," She said softly, "Did you see her face? She's definitely not happy." She knelt back down to Angel, petting the dog. She wasn't any closer to finding angel a home yet... and she was getting worried.

Tony
Tony broke into rapid, angry spanish. She pointed at Peter, furious. Eventually the spanish turned to english, though she was still yell, "Mark's always wanted to be in Adam's life, but was forced not to. The only problem I see here is you. You can't get your head far enough out your own ass to see what's really happening here. Adam is happy! Which is more than I can say about the time he was with you!" She poked her finger in his chest again, "You're the one who's going to get others hurt because your pride won't let you be anything other than the controlling person you are! That's not what Adam needs!"

@ Jaguar's Heart

Adam, Maverick, and Mariah
Mariah was last to enter the kitchen, walking up to hug Faye. “Well, that was fun,” he said sarcastically. “Just what I wanted.” He went to the freezer and pulled out a pint of Faye’s favorite ice cream and passed it to her. “Who wants what?” He asked the others. The other day he’d gone out and stocked up on various flavors. He grabbed a cookies and cream for himself, then handed Adam a mint chocolate chip.
Maverick shrugged. He wasn’t all that hungry, but he doubted he’d be eating much at dinner, if it was even still happening. “I’ll take some rocky road. Edna, you want any?” He sent Angel over to Adam, and she obediently sat beside him, hoping for a treat. It was amazing how sweet she was with the boy. She seemed to understand that she couldn’t jump or be rough with him like she was with the adults.

---

Mark
“Tony, please calm down,” Mark said, inwardly warmed by her defense. “I really don’t want an argument here. That’s an issue for Abigail to explain, not us. Look, Peter, we obviously have different views on how children should be raised, I-“
“And how exactly would you know how to raise a child?” Peter demanded, shooting a glare at Tony. “Your girlfriend doesn’t know a thing she’s talking about! She can’t say these things when she’s never even seen Adam in his real home. He is a bright, happy child just going through a phase!”
“Peter, stop,” Abigail said, putting a hand on his arm. “You’ll upset the baby again. I wouldn’t have let Mark have Adam if I didn’t trust him. Please, he needs to get to know him.” She felt terrible for going behind his back, they’d been arguing over the matter for days and Peter was still hurt. And now he was taking it out on Mark. “Mark raised his siblings, I told you that. He’s good with children. Especially temperamental ones like Adam. Please.”