+++

"C'mon, baby." Liz says under her breath, picking her son up out of his car seat. She slings his bag and her purse over his shoulder after she sets him on his little cowboy boot clad feet. He does the little stomping run that turns into a walk as the two start toward the front door of Big Loud, hand in hand.

Liz and Mikey make their way down the hallway. They're here to surprise Michael since he's been working so damn hard on Michael's new album. She pops him on her hip as she opens the door quietly.

The boys, Morgan, Cliff and Michael are sitting in a triangle, brainstorming some new song ideas and they're totally engrossed in their conversation. Mikey lets out a soft squeal when he sees his dad and his Uncle Morgan.

"Mikey!" Morgan grins, picking him up when he comes running to them. "You've gotten so big. Stop growin'!" He bounces him slightly, grinning even more when he starts squealing.

"Okay, okay! Lemme see my son." Michael says, taking him from his best friend. "Hey Bubba." Liz's heart swells at the sight of these hillbillies cooing over this little boy. "What're y'all doin' here?"

Liz grins at the words swirling in her brain. "I just wanted to see my baby daddy. Is that a crime?" She sits on the couch next to Morgan. "Terrible Two's have made their presence known." She yawns, rubbing her eyes. "He's been in a pissy mood all day."

"He seems fine now." Morgan says, giving his unofficial sister-in-law a shoulder squeeze. As soon as he says that, Mikey starts throwing a fit over the fact that Michael won't let him chew on a guitar pick.

Michael gets him to calm down in a few minutes and Liz scoffs under her breath. "Guess we know who is favorite is."

"Aw, c'mon baby." Michael chuckles. "I just haven't seen him that much over the past few days." He adjusts his son on his lap.

"Why don't y'all get goin'." Cliff says, setting his laptop on the table in front of them. "We're pretty much done anyways."

"You sure?" Michael asks.

"Yeah, man. Go be with your family." Cliff smiles at the little family in front of him.

Michael passes their boy back to Liz and she adjusts his little Hail State t-shirt. He picks up the baby bag and his guitar case then walks his wife and son out the door.

"We'll see you at home." Liz says, buckling Mikey up in his seat.

"Okay." He leans over and kisses her. "Hey, what do you think about goin' away for a few days?"

"A few days? Away from my baby boy?"

"It don't gotta be a few days. It can be overnight or two."

"Who- who would look after Mikey?"

"Morgan and Haley? They can stay at our house while we're gone?"

"Sure."

"Really?" She nods. "I'll talk to them when we get home." He leans down and kisses her again. "You drive safe, okay?"

"You too." She says, patting his chest.

+++

"Okay, I have the emergency numbers on the fridge. I have some meals in Tupperware in the fridge for Mikey and I made y'all some food and stuck it in the freezer. Uh, he gets nightmares sometimes and I usually just bring him back to our bed but-"

"Liz," Michael says, his hands on her shoulder. "Calm down."

"I just want to make sure they know what they're gettin' 'emselves into." She says, clutching her son's favorite stuffed cow to her chest while Morgan is sitting on the floor with Mikey.

Haley gives Liz a comforting smile. "We're gonna take real good care of your boy, okay?" She takes a deep breath and nods. "You're just gonna be gone for two days. We can handle this."

"I got the guest room set up for y'all, figured you wouldn't want to sleep in our bed." Liz takes a deep breath.

"We gotta hit the road, babe." Michael says quietly. "We're gonna be okay. They're gonna be okay. He's gonna do great, okay?"

"Okay." She nods. "Okay, say bye-bye to your Mama." Liz picks Mikey up and holds him close, kissing all over his face and he giggles. "You be good for Aunt Haley and Uncle Morgan, okay?"

"Okay." He says back in his little voice, his little hands holding the sides of her face. Michael says his goodbyes then they're out the door to his truck.

As soon as they pull out of the gravel driveway, tears start to swell in Liz's eyes. "What- why are you cryin'?"

"I'm just gonna miss him. It's our first time away from him since he was born."

"It'll be nice." Michael reassures her, his hand going to her knee. "It's our five year anniversary, too. So, it'll be nice to actually celebrate." She giggles and blushes. "You okay now?"

"Yeah, I trust those two so much. Our boy is in good hands."

+++

After a romantic dinner, Liz and Michael are on their way back to their booked hotel room in Hendersonville. They're both feeling great with the alcohol in their systems but they're not drunk just a past tipsy.

She shuts the door and deadbolts it for extra privacy before turning to her husband with an ornery smile. "Whatcha thinkin'?" He asks as he sits back on the bed, watching with amusement on his face at what his wife has in store.

She says nothing as she pulls the dress she got married in off, slipping the straps off her tattooed shoulders before she lets it drop to the floor. He grins as he leans forward, his hands running over her hips. Michael grabs her and pulls her down to straddle his lap, grabbing her ass as they start to make out.

This would be their first time in years that they're uninterrupted. It's like their son knows when they're gettin busy. Who would've known that Michael and his romantic getaway for their anniversary would be the answers to their prayers?

Liz cries out, her nails scratching down his back before her husband wraps his tattooed arm around her waist, flipping them so she's on top. She's got him letting out the hottest sounds she's ever heard and it helps her to her climax. Liz pulls Michael up with hands on his shoulders, her arms around him and she shutters, coming hard. They laugh breathlessly, flopping back against the messy sheets.

"I love you." She pants, rolling against his side with her head resting on his bicep. "Y'know, you were right. This wasn't a bad idea."

"What? I don't think I heard you right."

"Shut up." She laughs, turning on her front. "You was right, I was wrong. Can you ever forgive me?" She says sarcastically.

Michael laughs, rubbing her arm. Liz suddenly gets up, standing stark nude as she picks up her phone. "What're you doin'?" He asks, leaning on his elbows.

"Just wanna check in on- hey!"

Michael snatches her phone from her hands. "He's fine. If there was any problem, they'd call us, okay?"

"But I just wanna check in on them." She says in that soft voice Michael just can't say no to. He hands her cell back and lays back against the bed, looking up at the ceiling. "Hey Haley, how's it goin'?"

"Real good. We just got Mikey fed and gave him a bath and now Morgan's gettin' him in a pair of jammies." She punctuates her sentence with a laugh. "They're both asleep on his bedroom floor."

"Oh my god, please send me a picture." Haley laughs and does as asked. "Well, glad to hear everythin's goin' good."

"Y'ain't got nothin' to worry 'bout, little mama."

"I know, I know." Liz sighs back. "It's just weird bein' away from him."

"I totally get that." Haley says. "But just know I'm in charge here so you've got nothin' to worry about."

"Thanks. And thank you for doin' this." She bats Michael's hands away when they snake around her bare hips.

"It's no problem, really. No problem at all." Liz smiles as they end their call.

"See? Everything is fine." He says, taking her phone from her hand. "You need to relax."

"Pfft. I'm relaxed." He pulls her to the bed. "Can't you tell I'm relaxed?"

"Your eyebrows say otherwise."

She furrows them without even thinking about it then she laughs. "I'm relaxed." She repeats. "You just fucked the stress right outta me." He blushes and she laughs again. "I know he's fine but I miss him."

"I know, baby. I miss him too."

"Pfft." She snorts, turning to face him when she lays down. "This is nice, though."

Michael smiles as he watches her try to fight the oncoming sleep away. He reaches over and starts brushing him thumb across her face which makes her audibly whine as she starts to fall asleep. Michael's not too far behind.

+++

Liz smiles to herself as she opens the door to her home, her smile widening when she sees Morgan passed out on the couch, a foot kicked up over the back of it while the other is flat on the floor. He has Mikey secured safely in his arms while they both sleep.

There's the sound of running water in the kitchen and Liz pokes her head in. "Hey." She whispers to Haley.

"Hey! How was your vacation?" Haley whispers back, catching Liz off guard with a hug.

"Really good. Just what we needed." She sets her purse on the kitchen table. "How'd things go here?"

"Those boys were attached at the hip the whole time." She smiles. Her grin grows at her thoughts of having her own kids with Morgan one day.

"Thank you so much for doin' this for us." Liz says, looking over at the two boys still asleep on the couch. "How long've they been there?"

Haley walks over to her and leans against the doorway, a dish towel in her hand as she looks at her boyfriend with their unofficial nephew. "Bout an hour. Mikey was bein' real fussy so Morgan laid him down for a nap but he was up there cryin' so he brought him down here and they fell asleep together."

"That's real cute." Liz chuckles. Her head shoots up when she hears Mikey whine. She gently picks him up from his uncle then heads outside to see Michael.

Morgan stirs awake, his hand resting on his belly. His body jerks up when he realizes he's by himself. "Shit- Hales? Where- Do you have Mikey?"

"No."

"Fuck." Panic starts to set in. "Fuck!" He leaps up from the couch and heads to the kitchen for his boots.

"Hey- Hey!" Haley grabs his arm. "Liz and Michael are back. She has him." He visibly relaxes as he takes a deep breath. "What, did you think you lost him?" He nods, looking down at his socks. She smiles, her hand resting on his cheek. "That's cute."

"Oh c'mon." He rolls his eyes, trying to hide a blush that only Haley can cause. She leans up on her toes and kisses him.

The front door opens and in walks the little family. "Hey y'all!" Michael says, elbowing the door shut behind them.

The four do their greets before the supper that Haley has been busy making.

And she's been making a gut-bustin' feast.

Even after they're finished eating, the five are still sat at the table just talking. The married couple imparts some relationship wisdom to the other about what they've learned from marriage and parenthood.

Haley sends Morgan a look and his face splits with a grin. That look tells everyone that they're a forever type deal.

Liz gives Michael's hand a squeeze with her free hand, the other holding onto her son. He grins at his two favorite people, his heart swelling from the love he's feeling.

He can't wait for the years to come.