It wasn't just ice cream, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between her children and Jr. So beautiful a beginning in fact, that they asked him to read them a bedtime story once they brushed their teeth.

" We should let the nice man go home," Thalia interjected. They had kept him for a while, and he had been pretty good with the children, but still.

" Can you stay and read us a story, uncle Jr, please?" Thad asked, looking up at Jr with those big puppy eyes of his.

Uncle Jr? When had that happened, Thalia wondered to herself.

Jr looked up at Thalia silently asking for permission, and she sighed and nodded. She was banished from the room, by the children, because they didn't want him to be shy reading in front of her.

" How considerate of you," Thalia muttered under her breath and she left them and returned to the kitchen where she did the dishes while he read them a story.

When he came back he found Thalia sitting at the table nursing a cup of tea. 

" They're asleep, " he said standing by the table. 

" Thank you, i'm sorry if we disturbed you're evening." Thalia said smiling .

" No it's fine, I wasn't doing anything anyway, can I sit?"

Thalia nodded, " would you like some tea?" she asked. He nodded so she got up and made him a cup. He was more  a coffee person, but he wasn't about to pass up the chance to spend a little more time with Thalia so he'd make do with tea.

" So lizards?" he asked smiling. And Thalia giggled in response.

" Yes, all scaly, slimy amphibious or reptilian creatures actually, but the liklihood of finding a snake or crocodile in my apartment is slim, so.. oh and rats and mice. Hate them, " she shivered here, " with a passion."

Jr laughed, " well no mice or rats that I know of in the building, but i'd be more than happy to help with those as well, if you do happen to come across any," he offered kindly.

"My hero, " Thalia replied. They fell into amicable conversation after that. And he found out that she had moved up here because she had recieved a job offer from a library here in the city. The job paid better and had better hours and that gave her more time to spend with her children.

He found out she was a widow, that her husband the father of her children had died five years ago, two weeks after the children were born. He found out she hadn't made any friends here yet. 

Thalia found out that Jr had lived in the building for three years now, she found out that he and his friend JB run a business together and had been doing quite well for themselves and she found out that she kind of enjoyed his company.

He stayed for about an hour before he finaly decided it was late and he should leave.

Thalia thanked him one more time for saving them from the lizard, and he smiled and again told her anytime. He had half a mind to slip a lizard into her apartment himself, if it would guarantee that he could spend some time with them.

He slept better than he had in a long time that night. 

Jr was smiling the next morning when he got to work, smiling a little too hard, in Jb's opinion, and Jb made mention of it.

" What's with you,? You are a little too happy," Jb asked, as he and Jr walked into the buidling that housed their offices.

Jr grinned, " met a woman,"

" Oh thank God, " Jb muttered, " we were beginning to worry, I mean Soo even offered to date you herself if you didn't bresk free of this gloomy mood you've been in."

Jr frowned, he hadn't been that bad, had he?. He had broken up with a girl he'd been seeing for a while about a year ago. It had been a pretty seriuos relationship and he had honestly thought that they might maybe eventually mak a go of it. But Mei had told him she wanted to further her education and she'd been accepted to a university abroad, she'd be gone for three years. Jr had been more than willing to do a long distance relationship, or at least give it a go, but Mei said she couldn't commit and she'd ended it. He'd been a little depressed after that, but only a little, that was understandable though. Wasn't it.

" So what's her name?" jb asked and Jr brightened up immediately.

He told his best friend about Thalia and her three children, and about the lizard, he was practically buzzing as he spoke. Jb was amused and made a mental note to tell the others about this. It was too good not to.

Yura did come back the next day and the children promised they would be on their best behaviour, " misbehave and i'll tell Yura to leave a lizard on your bed," Thalia threatened. Maybe not good parenting to threaten ones own children, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. Then she left for work. She might have maybe thought about Jr while she was at work, but she chalked it up to him being a sweet gentleman that got along with her kids, nothing more. She wasn't attracted to him, she couldn't be, she absolutely just could not let herself be attracted to him. At least that's what she told herself.

Thalia and the kids did not see nice uncle Jr again until two days later. She took them to the park to reward them for their good behavior that week and they run into Jr there. 

" Hey mama, look it's uncle Jr!" Thad called out. The children were playing with a football, kicking it around to each other when Thad saw " uncle Jr". Thalia looked where Thad was pointing and saw that it was indeed uncle Jr, he was with a few other men and he saw them at the same time they saw him. He waved and ran over.

" Hey !" he said runing up to them.

" Hi uncle Jr" Thad said. 

" Hey little guy, you guys came out to play some football?" he asked and Thad nodded. Thad and Terry were the more talkative of the triplets, it usually took Theo a little longer to open up to people, he was like his father that way.

Jrs' friends caught up with them a few moments later and he introduced them to Thalia.

" This is my new neighbour, and these are her children, Theo, Terry and Thad. These are my friends, Jackson and Mark." he said by qay of introduction. 

Thalia smiled and the kids smiled at the men too, and then Thad asked if Jr wanted to play football with them, " mama tries to play with us, but she doesn't know the rules so it isn't as much fun" Thad explained and Jr's lip twitched in amusement,. It seemed to be a thing, Thad making Jr smile, or twitch his lip in amusement.

" Sweety, I think uncle Jr wants to hang out with his friends, we should let him go," Thalia said.

" They can play with us if they want," Terry offered smiling sweetly at the men.

" We can play, " Jackson said, " we're waiting for the others anyway,."

He was already taking his jacket off as was Jr. The others showed up not too long after Thad had split them into teams,. The others were, as they introduced themselves, Jb, Lina, Tj and her son Matt who was toddling on his two chubby feet and immediately tried to run up to his father Mark as soon as he saw him. Soo, Mika, Yugyeom Youngjae and Bambam showed up last.

" Mama, you can't play, you don't know the rules," Terry patiently explained. Thalia wished to explain that neither did they, so it didn't really matter, but she bit her tongue and banished herself to the sideines to play cheerleader.

" I think i'm offended," she muttered to herself. Tj heard her and laughed. She was holding her little boy in her hands, and he was happily squealing and clapping his chubby little hands together.

" They seem like good kids" she offered.

Thalia smiled, " they are, most of the time, sometimes though.." she left the sentence hanging and Tj laughed again completely understanding.

Soon the other women all except for Soo who was playing with the boys and the kids came and joined Tj and Thalia by the sidelines.

" Now I know that I don't know the rules, but I am pretty sure that is not how you play the game," Thalia commented. One of the men, Yugyeom if she remembered correctly, had picked Terry up and was running with her in his arms, while he dribbled the ball, and then when they were in front of the goal, he set her down while Jackson went and held the goalie Jb, so Terry could get a clear shot. Which of course with all that interference, she did.

They played for a while before Thalia finally called time. 

" But mama, " all three children whined.

" Nope, one hour break then maybe you can go back." Thalia stood firm.

" Five more minutes, pleeease" Thad wheedled.

" Pleeeaaase" Soo and Yugyeom joined in.

" Pleeeease," Jr added.

Thalia smiled and almost caved, but then she saw that Theo was a little too quiet so she stood firm.

" No, one hour break then you can go back. Terry will you please get Theo's case from bag."

" Yes mama," Terry said, then immediately latched onto Yugyeoms hand and dragged him to where their bags were. 

" Theo, in through your nose, out through your mouth " Thalia instructed quietly, " remember like we talked about, there you go, you're doing good."

Jr turned to the little boy and saw that he did seem to be having a little trouble breathing.

" Is he ok?" he asked Thalia quietly. Everybody else was quiet because they were wondering the same thing.

" He probably just pushed himself a little too hard," she explained just as Terry and Yugyeom returned with a small case.

" Do you need it sweety?" she asked Theo. His doctor had said to ask him first,because sometimes he might not need the pump, he might just need to slow down and get some air, and this would help so that he didn't become dependant on the pump. Theo shook his head, and quietly continued to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth.

" Ok well time for lunch, or snack and then one hour break and then we can play a little longer ok." Thalia said. Terry was still holding onto Yugyeoms hand, and she looked up at him and smiled.

" You should sit with us," Lina offered. 

" Can we mama? Pleeease" Terry asked. Thalia smiled and nodded.

" You two go on ahead, Theo and I will join you in a bit. Thad please get your snacks from the bag," Thalia replied.

" I'm sorry mama," Thad said quietly, once he and his mother were alone.

" For what sweety?" she asked.

" For not paying attention and running too much," he said quietly and it broke Thalia's heart that he  felt he needed to apologise for that. He was a child he shouldn't feel bad about running too much.

She sighed and pulled him into her for a hug, " sweety you don't have t be sorry for that."

" But I ruined the game for Thad and Terry," he explained, " if I wasn't sick they could play some more."

Thalia wanted to cry, " but look at them, do they look sad? no. And it's not you're fault I cut playtime ok, it's not your fault at all." She hugged him a little longer then she let him go and took his hand and together they joined the others.