One eyebrow up, the other down. What the hell did he mean by funny business? How could they...? Oh. Her mind was really in the gutter. Mattie blamed the rough kids with which she'd grown up. There had been one day at recess that all of her friends had gathered to tell her every dirty word they knew. She couldn't eat bananas for a week afterward without feeling weird. She blinked. That had been a weird memory to surface at a time like this. It almost made her smile, almost. 

"Good night," she called softly to Jacob, and then she took Nicholas' hand and squeezed gently. 

"You're not going to die," she said, more confidently than she felt. "And," she added, lowering her voice, "I'm done letting people down. Hippie Manor was the last time. Got it?" She held his remaining hand in both of hers, and blew out a sigh. "I can't replace your family. You already know that. But I'm right here, and sure, I'm a little crazy, but I'm here to stay." 

She decided that it was needed to lighten the mood. "And trust me, I'm gonna be pissed if you depart because then who's going to change dirty diapers? Jacob? [i]Me?[/i]"