𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚢𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚋.

𝐗𝐗𝐕

Ali woke up on the couch alone. Lyla laughed.

"Sorry to wake you," she giggled. "It was either that or—" Abel jumped on Ali right before Lyla could finish her sentence.

"Holy Jesus, kid," Ali laughed, standing and picking him up. "Where's your mom?"

"She had to work," he replied with his usual slow voice. "Daddy said you have to watch us."

"I'll watch Thomas." Lyla said. Ali nodded and knelt down to Abel's height.

"So what do you wanna do, little man?" Ali asked. He took her hand and led her out to the swingset. Tig was out by the garage with Kozik, arguing as usual.

"Why are they fighting, Ali?" Abel asked.

"I don't quite know," she answered. Lyla ran over with Thomas in her arms.

"You need to go stop them, nobody else is here." She said quickly.

"Watch Abel." Lyla nodded and Ali took off over to the two guys.

"That's fucking ridiculous!" Kozik yelled. Tig rolled his eyes.

"You're ridiculous!" Tig retorted. Kozik threw a punch at Tig and he punched back.

"Knock it off!" Ali snapped. Kozik looked at her and took a step back. He was extremely attracted to her, and hadn't thoroughly met her yet.

"Wow," Kozik mumbled to himself. Tig shoved him. "What?"

"Don't."

Ali laughed and set her head against tig's arm, "So protective."

"You're like my daughter!"

"I know," she smiled. "What's the fuss over here? I'm trying to care for a young boy."

"Well, uh, he, um-" Kozik was stumbling over his words as he looked at her.

"He's using my shit." Tig said, pressing his lips to a straight line.

"Don't use his shit." Ali told Kozik simply.

"Un, okay, sorry Tig." He said quickly. Ali was having way too much fun with this.

Tig laughed, "Just give me my shit."

Ali ran over to Abel, picking him up and swinging him over her shoulder, then lowering him to her hip. She walked over to Tig and Kozik.

"Alison, you highly distract Kozik." Tig stated. She giggled and Kozik snapped his head up to look at her.

"Where did all of them go?"

"Shit with Clay," Tig said softly. Ali set Abel down. "Hey, little man," Tig held out his hand and Abel gave him a crisp high five. "Go in there and sit with Chucky, throw stuff at him."

Ali laughed softly as Abel sprinted to the clubhouse, "Small stuff, Abel." He giggled and stepped on his toes to open the knob.

"They're with the Irish," Tig said. "They told us to stay behind for you two." She ran her fingers through her hair stressfully.

"You just got out of jail." She said, unamused.

"That's what I said," Kozik interrupted. "But they—"

"Only care about money." Ali said. "Why was I not informed about this?"

"They didn't want you there, too dangerous." Tig said.

She scoffed, "Okay, whatever. What do you need me to do around here?"

"Nothing really," Tig shrugged. Kozik was just gawking at Ali. "Kozik, stop."

"What?" he laughed.

"She's got a fiancé." Ali was laughing so hard. Abel ran out to her, laughing and screaming because Chucky was running after him. Ali picked him up and looked at Tig and Kozik.

"Soccer's got a goalie, doesn't mean I can't score." Kozik said with a shrug. Ali covered her mouth, still laughing. Tig high fived him.

"Giving you credit for that."

"Good." Kozik laughed. Abel poked and played with Ali's hair.

"That's bad," Ali said. "So bad, but so good." Tig's mouth formed an O shape as Ali put Abel down. "Race ya over there." She pointed to the clubhouse and he took off running as Allie followed.