"Hey, sweetheart," Liana greeted Athena as she walked into the kitchen. She was sitting in a chair, relaxing. Her baby bump was still getting progressively larger and she was tired more often. Scott moved around the kitchen, preparing dinner.
"How was work?" Scott asked as he chopped up some tomatoes to add to the pan on the stove.
"Tiring," Athena sighed, plopping down on a chair. "I just wanna eat and then sleep for the rest of my life."
"That's how I've been feeling lately," Liana chuckled. "How's college decisions going?"
"Horrible. I barely even know what I want to study. How am I supposed to choose a college when I can't even choose a major?"
"You'll figure it out," Scott smiled at her. "Alright, dinner is served, ladies."
"No way, Haley! It was my idea! I'm taking this room!" Athena watched in amusement as Alex and Haley tried to convice Luke to take the attic as his room so the two sisters could have seperate rooms.
"Over my dead body!" Haley shouted. "This is going to be my room, and there's nothing you can do about it!"
"Seriously?" Alex asked as she watched Haley over-act.
"What are you guys fighting about?" Luke asked, climbing the latter into the attic.
"They both think this would make an awesome bedroom," Athena said, getting involved in the plan.
"But only one of us can have it," Alex added. "Don't you think it should be me?"
"Oh, so not. It should be me. Right, Luke?" Haley asked.
"Why do you guys wanna move into the attic."
"Oh, you mean 'The Penthouse'?"
"With all the privacy of being on its very own floor?"
"It is kinda cool," Luke said, observing the room.
LUKE
"I'm not an idiot. I knew what they were up to, but I've been wanting to move for a while. There's a line of ants going to a Trick-Or-Treat bag in my closet, and I don't want to still be there when they get tired of candy."
"What's going on?" Claire asked Luke when she watched him walk towards the attic ladder with a backpack.
"Moving into the attic," Luke told her. "Give me a day or two to get settled, then I'll have you up."
"When did all this happen?"
"Depends on who you ask. My plans been in motion for three weeks."
"Honey, this is a terrible idea. You're gonna hate it up there," Claire told him.
"Mom, stay out of this," Alex said as she left, what had previously been, her and Haleys room with a stack of shirts folded over her arm.
"Yeah. We all have our own rooms now. Everybody wins," Haley joined in.
"Nothing to say about this, Thea?" Claire asked, looking towards the usual mediator.
"Nope," Athena shrugged. "This is the only thing they've all agreed on and I think it'll make my job as mediator easier."
"Well, don't get too comfortable in there, girls. Luke, it's cold, and it's scary up there. You're gonna be back in your own room by tomorrow night."
"I don't know, Claire. It's got a lot of potential," Phil said, sticking his head over the hole leading to the attic. "This is a lot nicer than the attic I lived in when we met."
"One night, if that," Claire said. "Trust me on this."
"Oh, yes, because you're always right," Haley said.
"Haley," Athena hissed. "Tread lightly here."
"Sweetheart, I would love to be wrong. I just don't live with the right people for that."
"Let it go, kids. She's not gonna budge," Phil said, coming down the ladder. "Kept me up all night with the--"
"Phil, you did push me!" Claire said.
"Your word against mine. Guess it's one of these things we'll just never know, like what really happend to the Titanic."
"It hit an iceberg," Athena chimed in.
"Maybe," He said.
"Mm, there's no maybe," Claire said.
"Oh, you're right, Claire."
"Again," Haley muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Surprise, surprise," Luke said, sticking his head out of the attic.
"Okay, I-I will see you at Uncle Mitchell's. I'm gonna skip on this meeting of the Pile-On-Claire club," Claire said, handing the stack of towels she had to Phil and leaving.
"Guess I pushed her into that pile, too," Phil said, quietly.
"Hi, guys. Come on in," Mitch said as the remaining Dunphy family and Athena walked in the door. "There's hors d'oeuvres."
"Hey, do you guys have any old furniture?" Luke asked. "I'm moving into the attic."
"The attic?" Mitch asked.
"Hey, at least it's big. Grandpa said you used to live in the closet."
"Hey, I did that, too," Athena laughed.
"Well, you know what? Yeah, we'll absolutely find you something for sure. Okay?" Cam said.
"My daddy!" Lily shouted, pushing Luke away from Cam.
"Lily, no!" Mitch scolded. "I-I'm sorry, Luke."
"This isn't over," Luke said, glaring at Lily.
"Oh, my god. Mitchell, she's getting worse," Cam said. "I have turned her into a pushy, little, entitled monster on her way to a rap sheet and a bracelet on her ankle. Oh, she has a bracelet on her ankle."
"Guys, everybody, come on down to the TV room," Claire annouced later. "I've got something really special to share."
"Okay, how's everybody on drinks?" Cam asked as everyone filed after Claire.
"If this is Alex's graduation again, just leave me the bottle," Gloria told him.
"Okay, everybody. Showtime," Claire said as everyone sat down in front of the tv.
"Oh, my gosh. It's us at the market," Phil said, seeing the security footage Claire started playing.
"Uh-huh. Yeah, it's security camera footage."
"I don't understand. What are we watching?" Mitch asked.
"It ain't 'The Godfather,' I can tell you that much," Jay said.
"Okay, look, I fell yesterday at the market, and Phil and I have been having a little disagreement as to what happened. Just watch, okay right here. I stop to fix my shoe, and then Phil-- Right there. Okay. He makes way for this very attractive woman, whom he conveniently leaves out of his retelling of the story. Now, right here, Phil backs up, pushes his butt into the cart, pushes me into the cans! It's all his fault, just like I said! I was right! Suck it!"
"When did you get this?" Phil asked.
"Oh, my god. That's why you wanted to come seperately," Alex said.
"You went to all that trouble just to prove you were right?" Haley asked.
"It really wasn't that much trouble. I just went to the store, found your friend Jordan the bag boy, who got me the manager. He gave me the address of the off-site security office. I filled out some paperwork. Sally faxed it to corporate. Three minutes later, I'm buying a pack of DVD's and burning a copy," Claire explained.
"It's like a sickness," Luke muttered.
"What? None of you believed me so I got proof. You should all be sucking it right now."
"Hey, please stop with the 'sucking it', Claire," Gloria said. "The children!"
"Yes, children are very impressionable," Cam said. "You'll never know what they'll pick up."
"Okay, Cam, I'm sorry that I blamed it on you, okay?" Mitch said. "But we both need to look at our actions. I mean, if we're thinking about adopting another baby, then we need to--"
"You guys are adopting another baby?" Athena asked.
"Congratulations!" Gloria cheered.
"We're thinking about it. It's not..."
Cam rolled out a banner that said 'It's gonna be a boy!' as he played music and trying to light sparklers.
"What the hells happening here?" Jay asked.
"Really, Mitchell? You couldn't even share telling your family?" Cam asked. "Fine. Fine."
"But why are you upset? This is such good news," Gloria said.
"No, we're a little on edge because Lily has been acting out like she doesn't want a sibling, and--" Mitch was cut off my Cam.
"Yeah, because Mitchell taught her to hate sharing."
"And/or because Cam wears her like a fanny pack."
"Oh, stop blaming each other. No kid wants a sibling," Jay said. "I mean, Claire hated you so much she stuck you in a dryer when you were 2."
"You put me in the dryer?"
"I did, but it wasn't cause I hated you. My friend Marci said that it wouldn't run with a kid inside it, and I knew it would," Claire explained. "I was right."
"Are you not seeing the problem?" Athena asked her.
"This has been going on since you were 5?" Phil added.
"Oh, my god. It is a sickness. What would make me have that need at such a young age?"
"How long was I in that dryer? Because I -- Is this why I'm afraid of tumbling? I had to quit gymnastics, Claire!" Mitch shouted.
"A childhood without tumbling?" Phil asked. "You knew this and just stood by and did nothing?"
"Okay, okay. What's done is done," Jay said. "All you can do is learn from your mistakes. And in that spirit, I would like to propose a toast... To Manny. This week, he did something he wasn't supposed to do, like we all do--"
"Like we all do!" Gloria interrupted. "Salud to Manny!"
"Uh, not yet. But Manny stood up like a man. He admitted he was wrong and he took his licks, and I'm damn proud of him."
"Ah, now we clink!"
"No, we clink when I say we clink. So Manny made a mistake, but he didn't take the easy way out. He's got guts, he's got integrity. As far as I'm concerned, hes the best little b--"
"Okay, stop! Stop!" Manny shouted. "I didn't do any of that. Mom broke into the locker and threw the necklace inside, and then we ran away like cowards. I'm sorry, Jay! I'm sorry!"
"What is happening?" Athena whispered to herself.
"I knew it! I was right! I was right!" Jay exclaimed.
"Ooh," Everyone said, knowing where Claire got it.