Disclaimer: I still don't own 'em and sadly never will.

A/N: This is set 5 years after Samantha was shot and her oldest set of twins were found and rescued by Scott and Alan.

Celestial Reunion

"Samantha? C'mon, it's time for you to wake up." The voice is close but muffled by the multiple layers of fog and darkness that seemed to surround me. The dark is cold and void of feeling, a place where there is no pain, just a vast emptiness. At once, the loneliness of this dark, cold place is not where I wanted to be, so I chose to fight against the pitch black and struggle for the light that promised warmth.

"That's it, Sammie, wake up."

"I'm trying. I'm trying." The light has gotten brighter and the noises around me were increasing in volume. The pain, unfortunately for me, also increased and a pitiful whimper forced its way past my lips.

"Can't you give her anything else for the pain, Brains?"

"N-n-no, it's t-t-too s-soon." Whimpering again, I tried to force my eyes open before the fog drew me back into the blackness that I'd struggled to escape.

"A-Al-Alex?" A shift in the brightness of the room and I was able to glimpse my husband. Suddenly, his large hand tightly grasped mine and I felt safe even though the pain was relentless and centered on my lower back. "Wh-where?" My thoughts are muddled and confused but I should know something but all rational thoughts elude me.

"We're at the hospital in San Diego," he said. "Brains and Dr. Malloy finished your surgery about two hours ago. Can you remember anything?" Swallowing thickly, Samantha slowly pieced together what she knew.

"B-Brains was trying…to repair my spinal cord?" Determined to stay awake, she squinted up at her husband who was nodding. "D-did it…work?" Alex lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed her fingers.

"It's too soon to know for sure, Sammie," he answered. "We'll have to wait for the swelling to go down first." Crestfallen, she blinked back her tears. Five years had gone by since she had been shot in her back. A bullet fired by an unbalanced woman had robbed her of the ability to run with her children, to walk at her husband's side, and had condemned her to spend her days in a wheelchair. An outcast in a family who remained active while she sat on the sidelines and watched, her participation limited with the exception of swimming. Johnny, now nine-years-old, had been her swimming buddy while under the watchful eye of Alex. More so since the Murphy family had moved back to their home in San Diego three years prior when Johnny and Lucy started elementary school. Johnny, Lucy, Mikey, and Benny all took turns being her 'buddy' around their extra-curricular activities at school and outside of school but Johnny enjoyed the time with their mother the most since they were in his element. Gordon had shown him special exercises that would help Samantha the most and Johnny was relentless in ensuring that she followed the regimen.

"Samantha?" Shifting her gaze, Samantha looked towards the door in shocked disbelief. John and Catie were suddenly by her bedside, grinning down at her though their eyes held a trace of worry. "How are you feeling?"

"Hurts, Johnny," she admitted. "Uncomfortable." Brains and Dr. Malloy heard her complaints and gently pushed their way through to her bed.

"Ex-excuse m-m-me, John," Brains said.

"I need you to tell us where it hurts, Samantha?" Dr. Malloy asked. Taking a deep breath, Samantha gazed up at them, eyes sparkling with tears.

"It feels like my back is burning and like something is scraping along my spine," she whimpered, drowsily. "I can't get comfortable, Brains." Eyeing the bed and the position that had to be maintained to protect the sensitive tissue and spinal repairs that had been done to try and correct the damage to her spinal cord, Brains quickly came up with a solution that would alleviate some of her discomfort. When he had finished implementing his idea, Samantha wearily smiled up at him. "Thanks, Brains." Nodding slightly, he backed away from her bed to confer with Dr. Malloy. John and Catie were quickly back at her side.

"Is there anything we can do to help you and Alex?" Catie asked.

"I can't think of anything, Catie," she answered, her voice growing thick as she struggled to remain awake. Between the after-affects of the anesthesia and the pain that was slowly intensifying, Sam lost her battle to remain awake. Tenderly, Alex straightened her blankets and brushed her hair back from her face.

"Sleep well, Sammie," he said, quietly. John kept his gaze on his twin's face and sighed.

"I can't believe that she'd let herself be the guinea pig for this," he muttered. "What if it doesn't work and she sinks back into that depression that seemed to grip her?" Catie wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned her head against his arm. Automatically, he held her close and draped his arm over her shoulders, pulling her even closer.

"We can only hope that it will work and if not then we'll help her deal with it," Catie said. "But let's not borrow trouble, okay, Honey?" Grinning down at his petite wife, John relaxed and knew that regardless of the outcome, his sister had a huge support network. Alex heard their exchange and it was a very real possibility that this procedure would not be able to correct the damage done to her spinal cord. Even if it was successful, she had monumental hurdles to overcome before she could walk. Five years spent in a wheelchair even with daily exercises and therapy will have taken toll on the muscles in her lower extremities.

"God, Lucy, someone, if you're listening, please, don't let this surgery be in vain," he prayed. "So much good can come from this if allowed."