"Are you kidding?" he asked with a chuckle. "My mother is always pestering my brother and me to bring a nice girl home with us," he assured her, taking up his cup of coffee to take a sip.

Tia laughed softly around her mouthful, ingrained manners holding her hand in front of her mouths until she could swallow. "Specifically a nice girl, hmm?" she teased, taking a sip of her own coffee. "This is delicious, by the way. What happens if you bring a bad girl home to meet your parents" And how do they know" Come to think of it, how do you know I'm not bad" I could be a demon in the sheets."

"I don't think I'd mind so much if you were a demon in the sheets," he told her, with a grin. Though they hadn't been to bed together yet, that event was presumably looming somewhere in their future, as soon as he was feeling confident enough to let her see him completely as he was. "Anyway, they're probably going to be so charmed by your accent, they won't even care if you're a nice girl or not."

"Yes, explain to me the preoccupation with my accent," she challenged him as they breakfasted together. "I don't sound like the Queen, Mary Poppins, or Eliza Doolittle, and yet everyone I've met so far has asked me if I know the one English person they've met, or told me that my accent is either adorable or sexy. According to that persistent idiot yesterday, even swearing at him was sexy. Thank you for that, by the way - I really don't usually need rescuing from people who try to follow me home."

"Yeah, well, last time I checked you're ..." He trailed off, unsure if he should finish that thought. "I've never commented on your accent, I don't think," he said, though he had obviously noticed it, even going back to when they'd only been texting.

"I'm ...?" She wasn't going to let him off that easily, her smile more inviting than teasing as he trailed off. "You have, you know," she corrected him. "In text, I'm very English, and in life, according to you, I'm adorable."

"Would you rather be something other than adorable?" he asked, unable to wipe that smirk from his face, even as he took up a forkful of omelette. He didn't deny that breakfast was delicious - he knew he was a good cook when he put his mind to it. There were a lot of things he was good at, for that matter, but he wasn't the type to brag about them.

"Well, adorable does rather bring to mind the image of a two year old with ringlets, wearing a frilly dress and knickerbockers," she pointed out in amusement, pausing as she chewed and swallowed once again. "I'm really not the Shirley Temple type, I don't think. Am I?"

"Mmm, not when you put it that way," he admitted, chewing and swallowing his omelette. "Let's see ....How are these for adjectives" Smart, gorgeous, compassionate, and sexy."

"Oh ..." She stilled, blinking as she stared at him, wide-eyed in the face of compliments she really hadn't been expecting. A soft flush spread over her cheeks as she smiled at him, biting her lips together before she could giggle insanely. "All of those apply to you, you know," she countered softly.

He blinked back at her, just as surprised by her estimations of him as she was of him. Smart, maybe. Gorgeous, compassionate, and sexy' He wasn't sure about those. "I don't know about that," he replied, washing that mouthful of omelette down with a swallow of coffee.

"Are you going to argue with me?" she asked impishly. "Because we have already established that I cheat to win arguments, and your brain stops working when I get handsy."

"There's not much point in that," he admitted. It was the compassionate part that was confusing him most. He'd heard the other three words in reference to himself before, even if he didn't put much belief in them. "You're good for my ego, you know."

"Everyone needs a boost now and then," she shrugged, wiping her mouth clean as she set her cutlery down on her empty plate. "Besides, it's not flattery if it's true, and I try not to lie. As you may have discovered from the deluge of embarrassing stories about my checkered past that keep dropping from my mouth."

"There's still a lot you don't know about me, Tia," he told her, though he hoped none of it would tarnish her estimation of him at all. It said a lot that he was taking her to meet his family, who were likely to share all his carefully-kept secrets before the evening was done.

"I'm enjoying learning about you," she assured him warmly. She didn't mind that he wasn't as forthcoming with all his secrets as she was; it meant everything he told her was precious, worth remembering. A snore reverberated from her lap, making her glance down at Solo with a snort of laughter.

"He really is an old man, isn't he?" Aaron remarked with a chuckle at the snore coming from her lap. It made him a little bit sad in a way, knowing Solo wasn't going to live forever and they'd only just met.

She smiled fondly, stroking her fingers over the old Mastiff's head. "He really is," she mused affectionately. "He'll enjoy the outing, but he's going to be asleep as soon as we get back in the car. Getting him out should be a challenge and a half."

"Seems you've got yourself stuck with a couple of cripples," he said, not the first time he'd said it, though both he and Solo got around well enough, all things considered.

"Aaron ..." Just his name was a warning that she didn't like to hear him refer to himself that way, never mind her dog. "You know how I feel about that word."

"I know, sorry," he said, apologizing for what seemed like the hundredth time since they'd met. How many times had he been told that he wasn't a cripple" He wasn't even disabled, not really. Men just like him were going back to active duty; some even claimed to be fitter than they'd been before they'd been wounded, but he wasn't one of them.

"And you say I apologize too much," she countered with a smile, gently shifting Solo off her leg. The big dog yawned, sloping off to find his bed and finish his nap. She rose from her seat, gathering the plates together, and leaned down to kiss Aaron fondly. "Any requests while I'm in the shower?" Because her most annoying habit thus far had been revealed to be singing loudly in the shower - usually several Disney hits.

"So long as it isn't anything from Frozen again," he replied with a faint smile as he pushed to his feet to help her clear the table. "Go on. I'll take care of the mess," he told her, reaching to take the plates away from her.

She giggled, gently bumping her shoulder to his arm as he got up. "All right, no Elsa or Anna this morning," she promised. "I won't be long, I hope." Nervous or not, she wasn't the sort to drag out getting ready for anything.

If he was bolder and more confident in himself, he might have joined her in the shower, but he wasn't quite that comfortable yet. Maybe once she got used to the sight of him without his prosthesis, but not yet. "Take your time," he told her, smiling at the arm bump before turning to fill the sink so he could scrub the dishes clean. So far, it seemed there was little he couldn't do, despite his supposed disability.

She might not have taken her time, as such, but she was certainly in there long enough to regale him with enthusiastic renditions of A Whole New World, Beauty and the Beast, and an extended version of Gaston, involving lyrics not even the composers could have come up with. Ten minutes with a hair dryer ended the whole thing, and a few minutes later, she wandered out, sliding earrings into place.

He'd suggested the girl-next-door look, and she'd done her best with a white shirt and pink skirt, hunting for flats in her bag by the couch. "Will I do?"

He'd finished the dishes before she'd finished with the shower, adding a lightweight jacket to his 49ers t-shirt and jeans. She found him gathering up the paraphernalia most women carried in their purses - wallet, keys, cellphone - and shoving them into various pockets in his jacket. He turned at the sound of her voice, a smile curling his lips as he looked her over. "Wow, nice. You clean up good, Yoga Girl," he teased.

"Oh, wonderful," she drawled, rolling her eyes as she unbuckled her belt. "You're nervous, too. That's perfect, that is." Grinning sheepishly, she slithered out of the car, turning to open up the back seat and coax Solo out, feeding him a treat in exchange for his not barking excitedly at the older couple moving toward them.

He was nervous for an entirely different reason than Tia was, but he wasn't about to share what that reason was. The woman seemed especially excited to see them, squeeing joyously at the sight of her son, and perhaps even more so because he had brought a female friend home with him.

"Welcome home, sweetheart!" she told him, practically tackling him with a hug as he climbed out of the car.

"Mom, I only live a few miles away!" he reminded her with a chuckle.

"I know, darling, but you can't blame a mother for missing her baby, can you?" she said, affectionately pinching his cheek, not expecting an answer. "Are you going to introduce us to your friend?" she asked, smiling over at Tia and laughing to see Solo. "Sorry, friends!" she said, emphasizing the plural form of the word.

"Lieutenant," his father greeted Aaron fondly, unable to keep from teasing him a little with his rank before offering his son a hand and a hug. "Is that a giant dog or a midget woman?" he murmured against his son's ear.

Behind them, Tia was clinging to Solo's leash, watching with envious eyes as Aaron's parents welcomed him home.

"Hey, Dad," Aaron greeted his father, returning both the handshake and the man-hug, before turning to regard the woman and the dog beside him. "Both, I guess," he replied with a chuckle. "This is Tia and Solo," he introduced them both with the wave of a hand. "Tia, my parents, Mike and Sandra."

"Hello, Tia! It's a pleasure to meet you," his mother said, not wasting any time in greeting her with a hug before turning that same affection on Solo.

"Hello, Mrs - oh! Okay, we're hugging ..." Tia's grin flickered into view over Sandra's shoulder as she answered that hug one-handed, laughing when the same hug was bestowed on her dog. And Solo, of course, lapped up the attention, laying his head on the woman's shoulder in answer.

"Welcome to Frisco, Tia," Mike nodded to her warmly, not quite as effusive in his greeting. "Sandy, let the dog alone. You can spoil him inside the house."

"Oh, can't you see how he loves the attention?" Sandra pointed out, giving the dog another hug, giggling like a girl at the dog's trusting show of affection. "He's adorable," she said, before straightening and smiling at both her son and his "friend" with a sigh. "Aaron, why don't you show Tia around, while your father and I get some refreshments. We'll meet you on the patio."

"Is it all right to let Solo off the leash in your yard, Mrs Murphy?" Tia asked quickly. She didn't think this display of good behavior would last long if her elderly dog had to stay inside all the time - he'd missed having grass to roll in.

"Please, dear ....Call me Sandy," Mrs. Murphy told her, with a smile and a pat of Tia's hand. "And yes, of course, you can let him off the leash. Just make sure he stays out of the roses or he might hurt himself," she warned, due to the thorns.

"Thank you." Relieved that Solo wasn't going to be a bother, Tia stepped closer to Aaron, wondering why his parents were so ready to abandon them as soon as they arrived. Her own parents would have sent her to get drinks and immediately cornered Aaron to find out all about him in his own words. Another difference, it seemed.

Mike chuckled at his wife's enthusiasm, nodding to the younger couple. "She started on the wine early," he informed his son with teasing good humor, patting Sandy's shoulder.

Just for that, "Mike" got a whack in the arm from his good-natured wife and a look that wordlessly warned him to behave himself before she was dragging him away to help with "refreshments".

In the meantime, Aaron couldn't help but chuckle a little at his parents' obvious attempt to give Tia a little more time to get acclimated before they deluged her with questions. "Sorry, they're a little weird," he apologized, but then weren't all parents a little weird as far as their children were concerned"

"They're lovely," Tia hastened to assure him, her shy smile warming as they were left to their own devices a little longer. "Truly. It's wonderful to see what a loving family you have." She squeezed his hand, hoping her envy didn't show too badly.

"You haven't met my brother yet," Aaron warned her quietly, before leading her toward the gate that led to the backyard patio.

"I'm sure he isn't as bad as you're warning me," she countered in a soft tone, letting him lead her and Solo out of the street. "Do I need to make that point again? It's your hands I like on my arse, you know."

"You may need to keep reminding me of that," he replied, only half joking. While some might consider a white picket fence to be a cliche, Aaron's parents apparently found them charming as the backyard was fenced in by exactly that. The perimeter of the yard was lined with various bushes and flower beds, a few trees scattered here and there. A table and chairs took center stage on the patio, which was covered by an awning to provide shade.

As soon as the gate was shut, Tia bent to let Solo off the leash, laughing at the sight of her elderly dog bounding out onto the lawn to roll around in the green grass with every sign of deep and poignant delight. Shaking her head, she turned back to Aaron, crooking a finger. "You need to bend down, or we're both going to fall over," she pointed out with a teasing smile.

"Bend down?" he echoed, unsure what she meant by that. Did she want him to roll around on the grass like the dog was doing, or did she just want a kiss? Either way, it made him smile to see Solo having so much fun.

"Mmhmm ....I have no heels, that means you're further away than usual," she clarified. "Either you bend down, or I stand on the steps where your family will be able to see me snogging you into insensibility. Your choice."

"Oh, I see," he replied with a grin, sliding his arms around her waist and dipping his head enough to just about meet her lips. He wasn't overly concerned about his parents catching them "snogging", so long as his brother didn't walk in on them.

Giggling, she curled her arms about his shoulders, lifting up onto her toes to close that distance more comfortably and follow through on her promise of a proper "snog". She was certainly thorough about it, needing that moment of contact to balance herself out for the afternoon to come.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted that kiss from somewhere behind them, and Aaron looked up to find a familiar face standing there with a big grin on his face. The man was close enough in looks to almost be his double, and obviously must be the often spoken of brother.

Tia countered the big grin with a raised brow above her own smile, tucking her arm about Aaron's waist. "You know, if you managed to bring a nice girl home, you wouldn't be reduced to watching your brother enjoying his nice girl," she said in a sweet tone, offering her free hand to shake. "I'm Tia."

Swallowing hastily, Tia took a sip of her tea. "Well, I'm not from London," she told them. "I'm from the south coast, near Portsmouth. And please, I'd really rather be called Tia."

"Relax, Tia," Sandy reassured her. "This isn't the Spanish Inquisition. We're just curious about the woman who seems to have captured our son's heart," she said, with a glance at Aaron. Whether Tia and Aaron had admitted it to themselves or each other yet, Sandy could see how much they already meant to each other.

"No pressure there, Mom!" Ben said with a chuckle.

"You couldn't be the Spanish Inquisition," Tia heard herself blurt, nerves overriding her attempt to keep the babbling under control. "Because no one expects the Spanish Inquisition, and I was expecting you to be curious about me. Who wouldn't be curious about the strange woman and her elderly dog who showed up in the middle of the week and moved in with their son three days later" I certainly would be, and I don't have a son ..."

As the young woman continued on, her eyes exhibiting a certain amount of panic as she failed to stop her mouth from running, Mike glanced at his wife and sons in vague concern. "I think we broke her."

Aaron reached over to give Tia's hand a reassuring squeeze, while Ben chuckled at the talkative and obviously nervous girl, and Sandy only smiled. "I just remembered, I left something in the kitchen. I wonder, Tia, if you could come help me with it?" she asked, obviously hoping to rescue the girl from her husband and eldest son until she was able to gather her wits and relax.

Stuttering into silence at the squeeze to her hand, Tia blushed to the tips of her ears, mortified with herself. She murmured an apology for letting her mouth run away with her, deeply grateful when Sandy offered her an out. "Of course, Mrs. Murphy," she agreed, squeezing Aaron's hand once again as she rose to her feet, leaving the poo bags and treats for Solo on the table, just in case he needed them.

Sandy led Tia inside the house, to the kitchen, far enough away from the men that they weren't likely to overhear. "I'm sorry about that, Tia. I'm afraid the men in the family can be a little overwhelming. I've been outnumbered by them for years!" she added with a chuckle as she drew a bag of chips from the cupboard - a poor excuse for their retreat.

"No, it's fine, Mrs. Murphy, honestly," Tia tried to insist. "I-I talk too much anyway, and when I'm nervous, I can't stop. It just keeps coming out of my mouth like word vomit." She winced at her own words. "That didn't sound right. I do apologize."

Sandy frowned a little as she regarded the young woman, deciding something on a whim and reaching into the cupboard for a bottle of something that looked suspiciously like brandy. "What you need is something to help you relax," she told her, taking down a couple of glasses from the cupboard before unscrewing the cap and pouring them each a small portion.

"If I relax too much, I might really embarrass myself," Tia admitted, "although I'm doing pretty good job of that without any ....Okay, 'll stop." She physically put a hand over her own mouth, taking a deep breath.

"We're not going to have enough to get drunk," Sandy assured her. "Just enough to calm your nerves a little," she said, handing the young woman one of the two glasses. "You should have seen me the first time I met Michael's parents," she said, touching her glass to Tia's before declaring, "Bottom's up!" and taking a long swallow of the brandy.

Tia couldn't help giggling a little at this display of feminine solidarity, her throat just a little thick as she considered how much her own mother would have liked Aaron's. "Mud in your eye," she answered the toast, raising her own glass and swallowing half in one gulp. "Oh ....goodness, that's good stuff."

"Mother's little helper," Sandy said, patting the bottle affectionately. Despite how that sounded, she wasn't an alcoholic by any means, but she knew when a little extra help was needed to calm a case of nervous jitters. "Now, there's nothing to be afraid of. We really aren't as scary as we seem."

Smiling in appreciation of this reassurance, Tia felt the truth well up before she could stop it. "It's been a long time since I've been around a family," she admitted quietly. "It's a little ....bittersweet. But I like it."

Sandy frowned, sensing something sad in Tia's admission, but she wasn't sure quite it was. There was obviously some lack of family in the girl's life, but whether it was because of death or distance, she couldn't say. It seemed obvious enough that the young woman had come here on her own, for whatever reason, and she sympathized with that loneliness. "I'm going to be honest with you, Tia. My Aaron has been through a lot. You probably know that already. We just don't want to see him get hurt, but I have a feeling you don't want that either."

The younger woman bit her lip, understanding that she was being warned in the gentlest way possible. "If you want to know the truth, Mrs. Murphy, I ....I misdialed a number. That's how we met. I bombarded what I thought was my cousin with a number of text messages, and Aaron answered. And we shared texts for two days before we met up on Thursday. I've only been in the country since Tuesday, and I count myself incredibly fortunate to have met your son. He's ..." A shy smile lit up her face. "He's wonderful. The last thing I want to do is hurt him."

Sandy smiled. It wasn't so much a warning as it was an explanation of why her family felt so protective toward their youngest member. She reached over to pat Tia's hand. "I know my son, and I'm pretty sure he thinks you're wonderful, too." How she knew that from the small interaction she'd witnessed so far was a mystery, but mothers were notorious for knowing things about their children that no one else did.

"Thank you." Swallowing what was left in her glass, Tia automatically turned to rinse it out in the sink. "Actually, I never intended to impose on his hospitality, but the longer we're in the same apartment, the less I want to leave. It sounds so strange to say it out loud." She laughed, shaking her head. "It is a little small for the three of us, though."

"Hmm," Sandy murmured thoughtfully. "I don't mean to shock you, Tia, but it sounds like you might be falling in love with my son," she told her, as gently as she could. But was Aaron feeling the same"

"I think you're right, Mrs. Murphy," Tia agreed softly, wiping her hands dry. "I feel ....safe, with Aaron." She tilted her head, considering Sandy with worried eyes. "You don't think it's too fast to have a future, do you?" she asked in concern.

Sandy finished off her brandy and set the glass aside, a soft smile for the woman whose heart had been captured by her son. "I think maybe you didn't dial my son's number by accident," she told her, echoing something Aaron had said himself.

Tia felt herself laugh just a little. "You think it's Fate, too?" she asked, not really surprised to hear his mother say it. "He hasn't told me how he lost his leg, and I'd really rather only hear it from him. But ....he seems comfortable with me. And Solo." She shook her head with a faint chuckle for the relationship Aaron was building with her dog.

"I might use a different word for it than Fate, but yes," she said, not putting a name on whatever higher power it was that had guided this woman to finding her son and vice versa. Sandy smiled, a little bit sadly, and laid a hand against Tia's arm. It wasn't hard to see how much this woman loved her son and how it hurt her to have seen him in pain, but she was confident he would survive even the loss of a limb. "I agree it's his story to tell, if and when he's ready to tell it, but let me show you something," she said, drawing her away from the kitchen into another room that seemed to serve as a study.

Tia wasn't sure why she'd brought it up at all. She was just a little worried that perhaps the story would come up this afternoon, and if Aaron wasn't ready for her to know, it would hurt him and make the gathering awkward for everyone. At least Sandy could keep her boys under control. Drawn out of the kitchen, she looked around curiously as she was lead into what seemed to be a study. "I really do hope I'm not intruding."

"I'll come in and dress the chicken," Mike said, pushing him to stand with a kiss to Sandy's hair. "Let's see if we can dry out your poor little slipper, shall we?" He chuckled, clapping his eldest son on his shoulder fondly as he passed out of sight.

That only left Sandy to decide whether to remain where she was, with Aaron and Tia, or join her husband and eldest son inside, leaving the couple alone for a little while. She looked from one to the other, as if debating what to do before deciding to duck back inside, if only briefly. "You're not going to touch the chicken without my supervision, Michael!" she warned her husband, leaving the bag of chips on the table. "I'll be right back," she said before turning to follow the other two back inside.

Aaron's brows arched upwards as he watched his family retreat back inside the house, leaving him alone with Tia again. "Why do I get the feeling they keep doing that on purpose?"

Rising from her crouch beside Solo, Tia laughed a little. "Because they lack subtlety?" she suggested, sliding into her seat beside Aaron once again. "I'm sorry I lost it a little there. I will try and keep the babbling under control - I suppose I'm just not very good at being in the spotlight."

"There's nothing wrong with your babbling, Tia. It's better than saying nothing at all," he assured her. He had always been too quiet for his own good, he supposed. Maybe that was because he'd always felt a little over-shadowed by his eldest brother.

"I compared your family to the Spanish Inquisition," she pointed out in mild amusement, curling her fingers through his. "Although your mum did dose me with brandy, which seems to have helped. How did Solo get hold of Ben's shoe, anyway?"

It had actually been Sandy who'd made that comparison, but Aaron didn't mention that. He only lifted his brows higher, wondering what had been said between his mother and Tia. Her question distracted him from those thoughts and he glanced at Solo with a smile. "Oh, Ben had his shoes off and Solo stole one, and it became a game of tug of war," Aaron replied with a grin.

Tia laughed, glancing over at her dog, who was padding over to them to lay his head adoringly in Aaron's lap. "See" He's on your side, too," she pointed out with a smile. She understood sibling rivalry entirely too well herself. "Does your dad always ask such blunt questions?"

Aaron's hand strayed to the dog's head, fingers affectionately smoothing the fur between his ears. "My father doesn't believe in beating around the bush," Aaron replied. Michael Murphy was honest to a flaw and demanded that same honesty from his sons, but he wasn't sure if that included Tia. "I'm sorry if he upset you, but he means well," he apologized for his father, though he doubted that apology meant much coming from him.

"He didn't upset me," she assured him gently. "I just wasn't expecting to be asked my background as soon as I arrived. I should have, I suppose." She drew her hand gently against his cheek. "I'll try not to evade any more of the questions."

He frowned, worried his parents had made a bad first impression on her, especially that of his father and brother. "I know this sounds crazy, but you should probably be more worried if they don't ask you any questions," he told her, though that seemed to be precisely what she might prefer.

His frown made her own brow furrow worriedly. "I'm not trying to avoid answering the questions," she promised. "I just ....I don't think it's appropriate to mention just why I'm here - my parents, my brother, you know" It seems terribly self-centered to draw that kind of attention, and I know they want to see you. I'm not making much sense, am I?"

Aaron frowned, understanding what she was trying to say. He didn't think his family was trying to be nosy, but she was the first woman he'd brought home to meet them in years. "You don't have to tell them anything you don't want to, Tia," he assured her, and he'd support her in that.

"I'm not hiding from them," she said, hoping that was clear enough. "Honestly, I'm not. Stop worrying so much, love." She leaned close, brushing her lips to his. "Or I'll make Solo run away with your shoe this time."

"I just want you to like them," he told her with a frown. He didn't seem quite so worried about the other way around, confident his family would like her, once they got to know her, just as he did.

"I do like them," she promised him fondly. "It's only been half an hour, Aaron, but I think if I was going to dislike your family, I would have made it very clear by now." She pinched the end of his nose softly. "Please stop worrying so much, love. I'm enjoying myself."

"My mom likes you anyway," Aaron pointed out, batting her hand away from his nose with a chuckle. That much was obvious, but it didn't really surprise him.

"I'm glad she does," Tia smiled her bright smile in answer. "She's lovely." She wanted to mention the medal, or at least that she now knew he'd been in the military, but she wasn't sure how. Perhaps it would be better served leaving that subject until later, when they were alone.

If asked, he would have admitted that he'd assumed she already knew that, though he hadn't come right out and said so, in so many words. He'd told her he'd been wounded in Afghanistan and figured she'd sort the rest out for herself, but until she asked, it was a subject he was reluctant to discuss. "How much did she tell you about me?" he asked, knowing his mother well enough to know she hadn't dragged Tia inside to help fetch a bag of chips.

"Not that much, really," Tia assured him. "The usual warning not to hurt you, which I was expecting." She flashed him a warmer smile, and took the opportunity he'd offered her. "She, um ....she showed me your medal, too."

He frowned at that, but he didn't look too surprised. He'd been half expecting it, knowing his mother the way he did. "I don't deserve it," he told her quietly, bitterly even. He didn't think he'd done anything anyone wouldn't have done in his place.

Tia's expression softened as she looked at him, curling her fingers through his own. "Perhaps you don't," she agreed softly. "I don't know what happened, and even if you told me, I'd never be able to truly understand. But medals aren't given because you deserve them. Sometimes they're given for exceptional bravery, yes, but most of time" They're given because the people in charge know that what they asked you to do was brutal and bloody, and even if you're victorious, it's not a win." She inched closer. "How's that for a bleak view of the system?"

Ever since he'd come home, everyone had called him a hero, even those who'd known him for years, but he didn't feel like a hero. It was survivor's guilt - he'd had enough therapy to know that - but she was the first person he'd met who hadn't called him a hero. And how could she when she didn't even know what had happened there" "Bleak but probably pretty accurate," he replied. "I lost a leg and got a medal in return," he murmured bitterly, but he didn't really want to talk about that. He didn't want to be bitter, and he didn't want her to see him that way.

"You came back," she said softly. "And it's going to take a long time for you to recognize that it isn't your fault that others didn't. So the medal means nothing to you, right now." Her hands left his, cupping his face to make him meet her eyes. "But that doesn't mean you're less of man. It's harder to survive, and believe me, I do know how it feels. But that doesn't mean that you don't deserve to live your life and find some happiness. It just means it's more precious, because you know how quickly it could all be taken away."

"She could be right," Mike mused thoughtfully, glancing through the window to take a look at the younger couple smiling together in the shade. His eyes flickered to his eldest with gentle understanding. "Look at it this way, Ben ....new woman in his life means a new social circle opening up for you," he suggested with a fond smile. "One of her friends might be the right girl for you, you never know."

"Not a chance, Dad!" Ben replied with grin. "Better pin your hopes on Aaron because I don't plan on settling down for a while." If ever, he thought, though in reality, he probably just hadn't met the right girl yet.

"I'm sure Aaron wasn't expecting it either, Ben," his mother pointed out.

"Planning on being the cool uncle forever more, huh?" Mike chuckled. He could understand not wanting to force it, but he was, frankly, baffled as to how both his sons had made it to their mid-thirties without having a relationship become truly serious yet.

"Uncle?" Ben echoed. "Counting your chickens before they're hatched a bit, aren't you?" Yes, he'd admitted his brother looked like he was in love, but that didn't mean he was getting married and having kids just yet. "How long do you give them?" he asked curiously, before taking a swig of his beer.

Mike considered this for a moment. "Couple of months, maybe," he suggested, tilting his head down to meet Sandy's eyes. She probably had a better idea of how long it might take Aaron to pop the question to a young woman he was clearly deeply enamored of. It all depended on how they got over the initial bumps in the road, after all.

Sandy smiled up at her husband, eyes shining with happiness for her youngest son. "She's a nice girl. I like her," she told him, reaching up to touch a kiss to her husband's lips, just because. "Which one of you wants to interrupt their romantic interlude?" she teased.

Snorting with laughter, Mike patted her backside. "I'll make that sacrifice," he accepted the challenge. "What am I doing, inviting them in, or just sitting down and generally being intrusive?"

"Aaron brought her here so we can meet her and get to know her," Sandy explained, though she thought her husband should know this already. "Just be friendly, and don't ask too many questions," she instructed him. "And you ..." she said, pointing at their eldest. "Be nice."

Laughing at the instructions laid down by his wife, Mike gave her a swift squeeze, moving to lay a hand on Ben's shoulder. "C'mon, kid, let's play nice with your new sister."

"Yes, sir," Ben replied obediently. Grown or not, he knew better than to disobey his father in his own house.

"Yes, ma'am!" Sandy called, correcting her son with a grin, as the two of them marched back toward the patio. "Just make her feel welcome!"

"I thought we were," Mike muttered to his eldest as they headed out onto the patio, raising his voice as they came into proper view of the younger couple. "So, Tia, a bookstore?" he asked curiously, taking his seat once again. "What sort of books do you enjoy?"

Surprised out of her soft little interlude with Aaron, Tia looked up with a smile. "I like reading just about anything, sir," she admitted easily enough. "But I am very fond of sci-fi and fantasy."

"Star Trek or Star Wars?" Ben inquired, straddling a chair to face Aaron and Tia.

"Are we talking movies or books, Ben?" Aaron replied with a grin, knowing his brother preferred one over the other.

Ben shrugged. "Either or," he replied, knowing his question could apply to either form of media.

"Well, Trek is sci-fi, and Wars is fantasy, so both," Tia answered easily. "Although Trek is a harder question. For future reference, original series but Captain Picard or Janeway over Kirk."

Mike grinned, tilting his head toward Ben curiously. "Sounds like the ball's in your court, kid."

"You consider Star Wars to be fantasy?" Ben asked. "Lord of the Rings is fantasy. Harry Potter is fantasy. Star Wars is sci-fi," he argued, though he didn't bother to offer any proof to back up his argument. "And what?s the matter with Kirk anyway?"

Aaron rolled his eyes with a sigh at the way the conversation was going.

"Science fiction, by its definition, is set in the future," Tia pointed out with a smile. "And as the opening crawl in Star Wars states, the events of the story take place a long time ago. Ergo, not sci-fi. And there's nothing wrong with Kirk, he's just nowhere near as good a captain as Picard or Janeway." She leaned comfortably against Aaron's side, waiting to find out what Ben's response to this was going to be.

"Have you ever read 2001" The book starts out at the beginning of time, and it's clearly sci-fi. Ergo, your argument is flawed," Ben pointed out. It didn't much matter that he'd never read 2001 himself; he'd seen the movie it was based on, and that was good enough for him. But it was her estimation of Kirk as a competent starship captain that really got him going. "Are you kidding me" Kirk is the only Starfleet Academy cadet to have beaten the Kobayashi Maru!"

"Because he cheated!" Tia countered laughingly. She wasn't so wedded to either franchise that she was going to get het up about this conversation, but at least she knew enough to hold her own.

"It doesn't matter if he cheated or not!" Ben said, about to argue further when Aaron raised his hand to stop him.

"Must we?" he asked, looking a little exasperated, albeit amused, too. "Can you just agree to disagree before this goes on all night?"

Giggling, Tia reached down to stroke Solo's head. "I can agree to disagree," she assured her boyfriend. "He's wrong, but I can tolerate it."

Mike snorted into his beer. "I like her," he declared. "She can keep both you boys under control."

"I like her, too," Sandy added her two cents with a smile - not because she could keep her sons under control, but because she could see how much Aaron meant to Tia and vice versa. It was a long time since she'd seen a smile on his face, and she was glad he was starting to find his way again.

The easy-going discussion seemed to set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. With her confidence reinstated, Tia was happy to field questions from Mike, Sandy, and Ben, sharing more information about her home, her childhood, and even touching on her family briefly. In turn, they shared a few choice anecdotes about Aaron's childhood, and in the course of that conversation, the beach house came up.

"I'll never forget it," Mike laughed over dessert. "Crack of dawn, and these two come skidding up the beach, hands over their privates, all because they got caught in a rip tide - tide took their shorts, not them!"

Mike caught his eldest in a rough hug, squeezing manfully before releasing him. "You, me, painting your woodwork tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," Ben replied obediently as he returned the hug. He might tease his younger brother, but he knew better than to disrespect his mother or father. He hugged his mother next, and then it was time for his brother.

Aaron pushed himself to his feet, the eldest gracing the younger with a brotherly embrace. "Hang onto that one, Ron. She's a keeper," Ben told his brother.

"I suppose we should probably be going, too," Tia said a little reluctantly. She knew enough about meeting the parents that outstaying her welcome the first time around was a bad idea. "Did anyone see where Solo went?"

"Over here!" Ben called from the living room, where the Mastiff was sprawled on the couch snoring.

"Oh, dear," Sandy murmured as she followed her son inside to find Solo asleep on the couch.

Following the two of them, Tia cringed at the sight of her dog making himself very comfortable on their furniture. "Oh, Solo," she sighed, leaning over the back of the couch to rub his belly. The big Mastiff twitched out of his sleep almost instantly, took one look at Tia's expression, and slithered off the couch, pulling out his most innocent look.

It was a good thing the Murphys liked dogs, or Solo and his owner might be in big trouble. Aaron chuckled, mostly at the expression on the big dog's face. "He's such a big baby," he said, ruffling the dog's ears.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs - Sandy," Tia apologized, embarrassed by her dog's ability to make himself at home anywhere. "Next time, I'll remember to bring a blanket he can curl up on somewhere." Under Aaron's hand, Solo was wuffling happily, leaning against the man's leg affectionately.

Sandy only chuckled. "Don't worry about it! He was enjoying himself," she assured Tia. "Should we come by on Saturday to help you pack and move then?"

Tia looked up at Aaron curiously. She didn't have any problem with that as a plan, but they had rather just rearranged Aaron's life for him, and he'd had only the barest of input into the whole thing. "What do you think, when will we be fit for company on Saturday?"

Whether Tia was worried or not, for some reason, Aaron didn't seem to mind the idea of moving out of his apartment and into the beach house. "Um, after breakfast, I guess. Ten o'clock?" he asked, looking to Tia for her opinion.

"I can be fit for company by then, yes," she agreed with a smile. He knew perfectly well that she'd be up with the dawn, but that didn't necessarily mean she'd be capable of being sociable until later.

"We'll see you at ten, then," Sandy replied, moving in to hug them both, one at a time. "It was so nice to meet you, Tia. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better."

"It's been a pleasure to meet you, Mrs - Sandy," Tia answered, hugging the woman in return. She held on just a little bit too long, hastily pulling back before she could give into the lurking urge to cry. It had been a long time since she'd been hugged by her own mother, after all. "Mr. Murphy, thank you for the dissertation on how to gut fish," she said then, offering Mike her hand.

Aaron's father laughed and pulled her into a hug of his own. "Wait until he catches some, then you can put it into practice."

"I haven't been fishing in ages!" Aaron remarked, echoing his father's laughter. That didn't mean he wasn't willing to try again. If only he could still surf. He hugged his parents before reaching for Tia's hand, with a glance to Solo. "All ready, Solo?"

The big dog barked happily, nudging his way past Mike to rub his head against Sandy's hip before limping over to Aaron and Tia.

"That dog knows which side his bread is buttered," Mike muttered in amusement, looping his arm about his own wife's shoulders.

There was some irony in the fact that both Solo and Aaron had issues walking, but where Solo was visibly limping, Aaron seemed to be getting around better than his parents had seen in months. It did his mother's heart good to see her son in good spirits and to know he had finally found a nice girl to settle down with. "We'll see you on Saturday!" she assured them again, blowing them both a kiss once they'd walked them to the door.

It wasn't until they were back in the car that Tia visibly relaxed, however. "Well ....that went better than I thought it would," she offered with a perky smile, waving to his parents as they pulled away. "I'm very sorry I called your brother a crabwise-thinking idiot-possum, though."

Aaron chuckled as he pulled out of the driveway to head for home - or at least, the apartment they were calling home for now. "If the shoe fits," he said. "I hope my parents weren't too pushy. I told you they've been pestering me to settle down for a while now."

"I've had a lovely time," she promised him fondly, relaxing properly as the house faded into the distance behind them. "Are you sure you want to move to the beach' I wasn't expecting the idea to, well, not so much run as compete in the Olympics."

He smiled at her question, knowing there must have been some secret scheming going on between her and his mother while he'd been outside with his father and brother. "Would you believe it if I told you I was going to ask them the same thing?"

"Well, given how fast you picked up on the plan - you skipped over a step, by the way - it wouldn't surprise me if it was your idea, too," she admitted with a faint smile. "There I was, trying to be devious and bring you around to it in your own time, and you were already miles ahead of me. You were probably already in the water when I was still pulling my swimsuit out of my back crack."

"Well, I was going to ask my parents if you could rent the beach house, but since you and my mother decided we should both live there rent-free, how can I pass up an offer like that?" he asked, a teasing smirk on his face.

"Seriously?" Tia stared at him with an incredulous quirk to her smile. "You really thought I would happily move out and leave you behind" You're an idiot. I've let you see me in my pajamas - you caught me shaving my armpits. Solo let you wash his balls. You're in far too deep already to get rid of me with grace, Mr. Murphy."

"Oh, I see!" he said with a laugh. "Well, if washing your dog's private parts isn't love, I don't know what is!" Yes, though it had only been a few days, he'd said the word "love", though he was mostly teasing her.

She giggled brightly, reaching back to pat said dog's side as he lounged on the back seat. "So you're really okay with pretty much everyone deciding that you're moving out of the city?" she asked, needing to be sure.

"Oh, I certainly do," she promised, at ease enough with his car and the parking lot to unbuckle her belt and be out of the car almost before it came to a full stop. She was very aware that Aaron didn't have his cane, and out of the direct view of his parents, he might have a little more difficulty getting out than usual. She didn't make it obvious, though, simply going around to his side to open up and cajole Solo out of the back seat - there, in case he needed her to be.

Driving wasn't much of a problem; getting in and out of the car was the hardest part. A little too proud to ask her for help, he was nevertheless relieved she was right there in case he needed it. He struggled a little, but he was too stubborn to give up. "What a pair we are, huh, Solo?" he asked the dog as the two of them hobbled along toward the building with Tia between them.

The big dog yawned up at him, padding along at their side as he was lead into the building. Tia glanced between her two men with a tender smile. "You both have exceptional taste," she pointed out. "You decided on me, after all."

"I have a feeling it was you who decided on us," Aaron pointed out. It was, after all, Tia who'd texted him and had kept texting him, even after she'd known she had the wrong number.

"I'm just stubborn," she shrugged innocently, unlocking the door to the apartment. "You guys are the ones who put up with me. Look at the flaws - I'm short, I talk too much, I'm way too impulsive, I sing badly in the shower, I can't make coffee ..." The list went on and on.

He frowned as she listed what she considered to be her flaws. "Why do you do that, Tia?" he asked. "You have so many good qualities. Why do you only see what you perceive to be flaws" Have you ever considered that those very flaws are what we love about you?"

She looked up at him with a faint smile. "Love?" she asked softly, leaning back against the door as it opened very slightly at her touch. "I thought I was the only one falling fast."

"Don't you think it would be better if we fell together?" he asked, touching his fingers to her cheek and tilting his head down to capture her lips.

"I'll always catch you," she promised, her voice barely more than a whisper as she rose onto her toes, answering his kiss with her own as her arms wrapped about his waist, holding him close. Was love at first sight real? It certainly seemed so for them.

Or maybe in their case, it was text at first sight. Either way, what had started as a simple wrong number was quickly turning into a sweet romance.