Milantha stopped so suddenly that Estelle bumped into her from behind. Flash frowned and peered over his mother, trying to see what had startled her so much.

Tam was standing there, a hand cupped against Jayla's face, kissing her gently.

Milantha tried to say something, but all she got out was a strangled cry. Jayla started and looked up, her eyes widening as she saw her parents, her brothers, and Estelle standing openmouthed in the doorway. Confusion passed over Tam's face for an instant, then he followed her gaze and froze as well.

Jayla knew her mother better--She grabbed Tam's hand and darted past, dragging him with her. She winced as she heard the scream echo down the hallway. "JAYLA ESTELLE FEATHERSTONE, COME BACK HERE!!"

She, for once, ignored the call, and kept going. She could hear feet pounding behind her but after years of fleeing the aftermath of Flash's schemes, she easily recognized the strides as belonging to her brothers and not her parents. Flash and Lawler she could deal with. Her mother's temper, on the other hand, was far more dangerous.

Finally she stopped, and the two tried to catch their breath, Tam leaning against the wall, and Jayla leaning against him. She smiled up at him weakly. *Sorry--* she started to sign, but he covered her hands with his and shook his head.

Flash caught up to them and folded his arms, scowling. Jayla beat him before he could even open his mouth. "Flash Featherstone don't you dare say one word, I am not a child and I don't need you to tell me what I should and shouldn't do, so for once in your life keep your beak out of other people's business!" Flash's mouth did open then--his jaw dropped almost to his knees. His shy, quiet little sister *never* talked to him like that!

Tam looked as surprised as Flash at the sudden change, but he had to grin. Flash glared at him in response, and he shrugged.

"You could have told me," Flash groused, more angry at being left out than anything else, and more than a little hurt. Jayla was his baby sister, she was supposed to look up to him, and here she'd gone behind his back. Lawler just watched the whole thing, wide-eyed and shuffling his feet a little.

"It wasn't any of your business," Jayla shot back, folding her arms. Flash couldn't think of anything to say to that, and neither, it seemed, could any of the other boys as Jayla turned and started toward her parent's room with a determined stride. "It's not anyone's business but ours, and no one's going to tell me otherwise!"

***

"She's too young!!"

"Lanny..." Shockwave sighed as his furious wife paced the room, "Lanny, she's older than we were." Milantha fumed.

"But he's too old for her!!"

"He's a good kid--"

"He's *not* a kid, he's a man, and she's still just a little girl." She stopped and her eyes filled with tears. "*My* little girl..." Shockwave went to her and she buried her face in his chest. "I'm not *ready* for this..."

"She's growing up," he sighed, a little misty himself. "She's not our baby anymore. If she wants to see Tam, we'll only make her mad at us if we try and stop her."

Milantha sighed and nodded. "I know."

The door suddenly burst open and they both looked up, startled, as Jayla marched in and folded her arms, looking strikingly like her mother had at that age. The expression, at least, was an exact match. "I'm not a child anymore, I'm old enough to make my own decisions, and you can't stop me from growing up! Who I date is my own business, and I'm not going to come running to you for approval anytime I want to do something!!"

Milantha sighed. "I know, sweetie, and I'm sorry for overreacting."

Jayla blinked. "Huh?"

"If you want to see Tam, go ahead."

"But tell him I'd like to talk to him later," Shockwave put in.

"Uh...okay...um...I'll see you later then..." Jayla backed out, looking as if she couldn't believe her luck.