Stacey skipped downstairs, a delighted grin on her face. "They're asleep," she announced to Debra, who was already smiling.

Debra's smile widened. "Good. At this rate, Becky and Hayden will get some time alone." She sighed, a touch of restlessness in her eyes. "Patrick and I shouldn't be third wheels. We should give them space, especially since Hayden went to so much trouble to be here." Her thoughts jumped to Adrian. "I'm going to move into Adrian’s house temporarily," she declared, pulling out her phone. "Better than being a third wheel here. It’ll let me see Isabella and Damian more often."

She shot off a quick text to Adrian: "We need to visit Isabella and Damian more often. It'll look bad if we don't. Think about it – wouldn't it seem strange to future in-laws and grandparents if we ignored their son's child?"

Adrian, trailing behind Isabella in the market with Damian, stared at his phone. He replied anxiously: "Are you sure you won't get exposed?"

Debra shot back: "Of course not! How could we possibly get exposed?"

"Are you certain?" Adrian texted.

"I won't ruin things, I promise I'll be careful!"

"I don't believe it."

"You troublesome child! Do you really trust me so little?"

"I trust you with other things. Pretending to be ordinary? My trust level is at negative one hundred."

Stacey, mid-sip of water, watched Debra's face harden as she typed. "Mom looks intense," Stacey mused. "Who's she texting?"

Debra slammed her phone down. "Adrian! Can you believe him? It’s just pretending to be ordinary! It’s a little challenging, but I’ll be careful! Why doesn’t he trust me?!"

"You were texting Adrian?" Stacey asked, stunned.

Debra shoved her phone at Stacey. "He’s driving me crazy!"

Stacey scanned the messages. Adrian's concerns seemed reasonable. "Mom…"

"Even you don’t believe me? Do you think I can’t pull this off?" Debra demanded.

Stacey sighed. "It's not that we don't trust you. It's just… your temperament isn't exactly… ordinary."

"But we should visit Isabella and Damian," Debra conceded.

"Exactly!" Stacey agreed. "Practice being ordinary at home first, like you used to practice acting."

Debra’s eyes lit up. Lillian and Kevin followed as she rushed upstairs to begin her transformation. Stacey, intrigued, followed close behind.

Hayden emerged from Jeremy’s room, finding Debra’s new “ordinary” look quite a surprise. Stacey explained about Isabella and Damian. Hayden chuckled.

Debra, after some intense home practice, dragged Patrick into the act. They practiced, packed a suitcase, and left. Stacey and Hayden watched them go, bewildered.

Hayden quickly understood. He found it amusing. Stacey, worried he thought her parents were cold, explained, "My parents are worried about Adrian and Isabella. They didn't mean to neglect you."

"It's fine," Hayden reassured her. "They're just giving us space."

"It's late. Let's get groceries. I'll cook dinner," Hayden offered.

Stacey gasped. "You'll cook?"

Hayden smiled. "Yes. Sometimes, ordinary life is pretty nice."

Stacey grinned, remembering her parents' earlier antics. "Yes, it is."

"Let's go," Hayden said.

"Okay, I'll get my bag," Stacey replied, turning towards the stairs. Both she and Hayden stopped. Jeremy stood at the top of the stairs, wide awake. Hayden stared, dumbfounded. Jeremy toddled down and clung to them both.