Two thousand and three is coming to an end. I'm fifty-two. Lindsey is fifty-one, Sara is twenty-six, Mason is twenty-two, Joshua is sixteen and my sweet Emmeline is four years old. She's just started school, and it's sad. She's my last baby going through school. Which is why I've decided to become a semi-stay at home parent. I'll still tour, but only in the summer or when she can go with me, and I will NOT be doing any more albums for a long time. Trouble in Shangri-La did really well. Say you will, not so much. I need to pick my battles and Emmeline is the battle.

It's Thanksgiving and everyone is at our Pacific Palisades home to celebrate. Mason won't be with us because of his deployment. It's sad but we've gotten used to it. I'm making the stuffing, and Lindsey is playing bartender when we hear Sara.

"Mom, Daddy, where are you?"

"Kitchen." We bellow at the same time, laughing afterward.

"Can Nick and I talk to you?" Sara peeps her head in.

"Of course," Lindsey says wrapping his arms around my waist.

Nick is the son and impending owner of the Jackson Construction Company, who just so happens to be one of the builders we had on this house. They've been dating for two years now.

"What do you need sweetheart?" I question.

"Well, Nick asked me to move into his apartment with him." Sara is biting her thumbnail, a habit she picked up from me, almost like a nervous tick. Emmeline has picked it up to.

"Where's Nick's apartment?" Lindsey asks.

"It's ten minutes from Cedars Sinai. Where' I'm starting my residency on the first. It's twenty-minutes from UCLA for when I have classes. But that's closer to UCLA than our other house is." Sara explains.

"Baby, you're twenty-six. You can do whatever you want." I say pulling away from Lindsey and wrapping my arms around her.

"Thank You." She cheers squeezing me tightly.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Buckingham." Nick shakes Lindsey's hand.

"Please, Lindsey and Stevie. As long as you take care of our little girl you won't have to worry about me." Lindsey warns.

"Don't worry about me." Nick holds his hands up.

"Aren't you going to lecture about how we're too young. That's what Nick's mom and dad did." Sara crosses her arms.

"Sara, I was twenty-one, your mom was twenty-two when we got our first place together. It's been thirty years and we're still holding on." Lindsey chuckles.

"And besides, we have complete faith in you and you have a good head on your shoulders," I tell her.

***

While we're eating dinner a warm tight grasp encompasses my shoulders and I let out a loud scream clawing at the arm to remove it.

"Lindsey!" I yell fighting with the arm, as my mother start's crying.

"Hi, son." Lindsey laughs standing up and walking over to me.

I slowly turn my head upwards and I let out a sob. My Mason was home. I immediately broke free and spun around to hug him tightly.

"Room for one more?" He asks.

"Always baby." I smile into his chest. He's tall like Lindsey, standing at his full height of five-eleven. An inch taller than his father.

"What are you doing here?" Lindsey asks, coming around the table to greet his son.

"I've been discharged." He shrugs.

"How?" Lindsey asks.

"I don't want to talk about it, but just to let you know, I'm okay. My best friend and I were the only ones that made it out. He's at Walter Reed. I was lucky enough to walk away with a concussion, bruised ribs, and my lungs filled with smoke and debris. I did have to have emergency surgery but I'm okay. I'm home for good unless in like ten, or twenty years down the line they call me back." Mason explains.

"I'm just glad that you're okay," I say hugging him tears in my eyes.

"Mom, my best friend Vincent, is a big fan of yours. He's the one in Walter Reed. I was wondering if we could go see him." Mason looks down at his hands.

"Of course, absolutely. We can go whenever you want." I look at him. Am I fond of going out to Walter Reed, no not in the slightest. I'm terrified. I don't like the idea of war or death but I want to spend time with my son. And if going to an army hospital is what's going to let me do that then, by all means, I am going to do that.

"Great, let's talk about it more tomorrow." Mason smiles.

"Fine, now sit and eat," I demand. He takes a seat next to Nick and Sara sits up slightly straighter.

"Nick, this is my little brother Mason. Mason this is my boyfriend, Nick Jackson." Sara introduces.

"Nice to meet you, I may be younger than her but if you hurt her, I will hurt you," Mason growls towards the young man.

"Mason," I warn.

"No, Mrs. Buckingham...Stevie, He's alright." Nick sighs.

"Mason, I've started playing dad's guitar and writing songs." Joshua jumps in.

"Oh bud, that's great! You'll have to play me something later." Mason beams at his little brother.

Joshua beams back, and Mason starts grabbing at his plate and piling his food high.

"Are you hungry Mace?" Meredith asks eyeing her nephew.

"Mom's food is way better than mess hall food." Mason pouts.

"I don't care how much he eats. I'm just glad that he's home and he's okay." Lindsey states placing his hands on his son's shoulder.