Nick had been reclining in bed on a Saturday with absolutely nothing to do when the phone rang. He answered, "Hello?"

A voice he didn't think to hear replied, " Hi. It's um Bea."

He sat up straight in bed, a pleased smirk on his face. "Hi, I didn't think you had my number."

"Wasn't hard to get, how are you?"

"I'm good, you?" he asked her, scratching the back of his neck. His brain still trying to process the fact that she'd initiated contact with him this time.

"Can't really complain."

"Cool," he said, "Color Guard going well?"

"Yep, how about your Flute Section? Is it up to spec yet?"

Nick grinned,he'd just had an evil thought," Yeah, yeah it is." he replied nonchalantly. "Will you go out with me?" He asked before she'd had time to let the words process.

Her "Yeah" was probably the best thing he'd heard in a while and it took all of his willpower not to scream, "YES!" at the top of his lungs and dance gleefully in his boxers and socks. "So when then? I'm not doing anything right now, do you want to go see if anything good is playing?"

"Wait...no...wait," her voice came over the line slightly confused and frustrated, "I'm not...we're not..."

"Yes we are," He interjected, "I asked and you accepted and that means we are."

"I hate you," she replied without any real heat in her voice. "Yeah a movie sounds great. Give me an hour?"

"Sure!" he remarked enthusiastically, " and you may hate all you like, but you're still going out with me and that can only indicate that you don't hate me as much as you think you do."

"That's what you think, Piccolo Boy. See you in a hour."

"Bye," Nick whistled to himself as he hung up the phone and started to hastily get ready for his date.

"Mom! Where are my black jeans?" He yelled after a moment of frantic searching around his room, ignoring the phone ringing a second time. His mother, Kaya Teiwes (O'Brien) poked her head in, "In the pile of folded laundry that is on the washer, where it has been for the past three days, Nick." She made a silly face at her son, walking in to grab the phone and answer it. Nick booked it out to the laundry and came back with his pile of clothes. He grabbed one of his nicer looking t-shirts and pulled in on. "Mom, how does this look?" he asked her.

She turned around, one hand over the reciever. "Looks good to me, boyo." she replied quietly. Nick looked at her strangely for a minute, "What's up, Mom?" She held out the phone to him, "Your father wants to talk to you." Nick scowled, but took the phone from her. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly into the phone.

"Now is that any way to talk to your old man?" the voice on the other end asked. "Could have sworn you knew better than that."

"What do you want?" Nick repeated, already feeling his good mood from ten seconds earlier go out the window. "Maybe I do and just don't feel like using it on people who aren't worth my time."

"I see your mother hasn't taught you any more respect than you had the last time, son."

"You don't get to talk about her, sir. You left us high and dry and didn't even care about what happened to us." Nick gritted out.

"I.. I don't want to get into this with you, son. It's between your mother and I. I want to see you."

"No," Nick replied, "I'm busy. All week, every week, from now until the Apocalypse."

Kaya made a face at her son, mouthing the word 'behave' at him. Nick ignored her.

"Look, I know you think I screwed up. But you listen here, son, things are going to be changing. I have a new job, one that's going to have me stateside for a while. Long term sort of thing. It's near DC, so I expect to get a place around there soon. I want to see you and your mother. I'm doing this for you."

"Great, thanks, you're only about thirteen years too late. I have to go. My girlfriend's expecting me." Nick handed the phone back to his mother who mouthed, "We need to talk, bud." He nodded and mouthed back, "Later tonight, please." She nodded at him and motioned for him to go.

Nick left his house, even more eager than before to see Bea.