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He digested that one, enjoying himself immensely, but not forgetting where he was completely. "So, what's Danny doing right at this moment?"

Tracy opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them. She was standing at the net, which was behind where she'd been hitting the ball to herself against the wall. Danny was still there, his racket in his hands, he was using it to bounce the tennis balls up in the air, and then stack them on it and flip it so they all fell off. She described the scene to Richard who laughed heartily, and then asked about the girls. Tracy described them, dressed in pink and green onesies, white hats and sunglasses on, shading them as they toddled around the court after the balls Danny dropped. Megan only had one sandal on.

"They have curly hair?"

"It's so soft. It barely stays in ponytail holders. But they're starting to thicken up. Red heads, all of them. Steven wouldn't have been a red head. His was blonde.... Very light...." She trailed off, that terrible longing ripping desperately at her control. She took a deep breath and looked up through her own sun glasses at the beautiful, cloudless expanse of firmament. "It's really beautiful here." She commented. "Let's take a cruise after...."

"Okay." He breathed, seeing the children in his mind's eye, the brilliant sunshine, the heated sky, the sound of gulls, and waves and hum of engine. "You will hang up and call your dad, right?"

He heard her resigned sigh. "It's one thing to be found, it's another to have to report in like a lost child. Can't I just be me? Make my own decisions to be... out of contact?"

He thought about that. She did need to be able to make those decisions. She needed to feel confidant, and that others had the confidence in her to take care of herself and her children. He had heard about Paris though. She'd kind of bombed there.

"You're not just a single mom, babe."

"I'm a single celebrity mom." She snapped. "I just want to be normal."

"This is your normal." He laughed.

"Okay then, will you call Dad back and tell him I'm okay? I'm delegating."

He roared with mirth now. "Certainly." He agreed. "You delegated. Good job!"

"Will you call me on.... Mother's day?" she asked innocently.

"For more against the rules flirting with my bride to be?"

"There are other girls waiting for their guys to come home. They probably hang out at the Mom's house on Mother's Day and hog all the time."

"Then why don't you go to my Mom's house and I'll call you there?"

"Fine." She said, hearing the challenge and meeting it easily. "I'm not scared of your mom. I like your mom."

"So, another, what, six, seven weeks? Okay then."

"Unless they can't find me again." She quipped. "And next time I won't have a cell phone you can triangulate easily."

"You think I can't find you?" he said smoothly.

"I think you got off easy, that's all."

"Easy..." he scoffed. But it had been easy. "Well, to be honest, I'd rather you just went to Mom's on Mother's Day, and didn't do the disappearing act anymore. You are a fairly valuable commodity and you do have a fairly rare and unpredictable condition. It's understandable why they might be worried about you, and the last thing I need is to finish the last year of my mission, worrying about you."

"Okay." She stated calmly. "For your sake and yours alone. I won't do the run off thing anymore."

"Now, actually..." Richard laughed. "That's comforting." And they got off the phone this time laughing.

****