Hi all! Good morning! This idea came to me literally at 3:30am as I was trying to sleep so I wrote it down, and now here it is! I know I'm supposed to be writing my other story (oops) but this is a product of my break!

This is a glimpse of the Averys life five years in the future after their night in Montana! Enjoy!

Good Life - OneRepublic

When you're happy like a fool

Let it take you over

When everything is out

You gotta take it in

Oh this has gotta be the good life

The house was very quiet with everyone else already in bed for the night. April had managed to get all her paperwork done without any disturbances and she was ready to get in bed and call it a night herself. Her phone buzzed from the nightstand and she got up from her desk to check it before she changed into her nightgown. Once she had gone through her nightly routine, she pulled back the covers on the bed and situated herself on her side. She laid in the silence with her eyes closed waiting for sleep to overtake her.

"Momma?" A little voice sniffled from the other side of the bedroom door. April had just found a comfy position and slipped into a light sleep when she heard a tiny knock.

She had only been on the brink of sleep, so the slight noise caught her attention instantly. She sat up in bed to see her daughter's small form cladded in pink footy pajamas in the doorway, "Hattie? Are you ok baby?"

"Momma, is daddy back yet?" Tears streamed down the little girl's face as she made her way to the bed in the middle of the room. She crawled up from the foot of the bed to sit next to her mom.

"He will be back soon. I know you miss him. Did you have a bad dream?" April pulled her daughter close and twirled with her curly ringlets around her finger. She soothingly rubbed Harriet's back in a circular motion. Harriet nodded against April's chest in response while rubbing her eyes.

"Do you want to tell me what it was about? Maybe that will make you feel better." April asked as Harriet sat back up to face her mom.

She caressed her daughter's cheek and Harriet sniffled again, "Um, while Daddy was visit Grandma Cat in Boston, he was trying to-to get home but the snow storm made him not get to." More tears rolled down her face and April moved her thumb to brush them away.

"Oh, baby, that was just a dream," she reassured her and kissed her forehead, "Daddy will be home soon, in fact, he called me a few hours ago and told me that he was getting on the plane right now. No snowstorm to worry about, ok?"

"Ok."

"I could use some snuggles while I wait for him. Do you know someone I could find to snuggle with me?" April pretended to think as she tapped her chin with a small smile on her face.

"Me, Mommy! Can I snuggle here?" The little girl giggled as her mom wrapped her arms around her tightly and squeezed her to her chest. They both closed their eyes and settled under the covers. They both laid on the bed wrapped in each other's arms. April loved having her daughter to cuddle with while her husband was away.

"Mommy," Harriet spoke softly into the dark room, "the bed smells like daddy."

"I know, baby." April replied as she ran her hand through her hair to sooth her once more.

"Does it make you sad when he has to leave?" Harriet peeked up at her mother and yawned.

"Yeah, it does. But I know he will be back.," April told her truthfully, "Go to sleep, baby. I will wake you up when daddy gets here."

They huddled together on one side in the king sized bed and April stroked her daughter's back to coax her to sleep. When April heard Harriet's breath even out, she relaxed and drifted off to sleep herself. About an hour later, April woke up to a faint cry drifting down the hall. She slowly untangled herself from her sleeping daughter, careful not to wake her up, even though she knew it wouldn't bother her since she was a heavy sleeper anyway. Once she managed to free herself from her daughter's grip, she made her way next door to her one year old son's room. She walked over to his crib and lifted him. She smoothed his wild hair down and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet to calm him down. After a few minutes, his crying reduced to whimpering and then he was silent, signalling his loss to the sleep he had been fighting. She placed him back in his crib and tucked his fuzzy blanket around him, making sure to leave room for his stuffed elephant under his arm. She gave him one last glance before she exited the room and left the door open a sliver behind her.

Next, she walked down to the very end of the hallway to the last door that was slightly ajar. She pushed on it lightly and peered inside her 4 year old son's room, just to make sure the unusual commotion of the night hadn't disturbed his sleep. His light, curly brown hair fell over his eyes and his arm was slung over his head. He was laying on his back and his covers were tangled at his feet. April guessed that his winter pajamas had been too hot for him to sleep comfortably, but all her children had the habit of moving too much in their sleep. Most of the time, their covers ended up in the floor and Harriet even kicked sometimes. She smiled at him sleeping soundly before she backed out of the room and closed the door back, leaving it open just a crack.

"How are the boys?" A deep voice asked from the dark hallway behind her, causing her to jump. She gripped her chest in panic as she turned around to face the shadowy figure. She let out a breath of relief as she saw Jackson standing behind her. Even though she had instantly recognized his voice, she hadn't heard him come in, so she had been startled nonetheless.

"They're fine. Lucas was crying, but he has calmed down. Michael is still asleep in his bed." April answered. Jackson peeked in both his sons room's before he went to check on his daughter.

"Where's Harriet?" He asked when he noticed the door to his daughter's room was wide open. Usually, they left all of their children's doors open only a crack, so it wasn't normal for her to leave it open.

"She's in our room. She's been waiting for you to get back."

Jackson reached out to her in dark hallway and wrapped his arms around her back. He bent down to greet her with a slow, gentle kiss on the lips and then he pecked both her cheeks. They exchanged greetings and a few words about his trip before they pulled away. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her into their master bedroom. There he saw his 5 year old daughter curled up on his side of the bed, her mop of brown curls spread across his pillow. April walked over to the side of the bed and gently shook her to wake her up, "Hattie, daddy is here." she whispered softly in her ear.

Harriet stirred from sleep and rubbed her eyes, blinking in confusion.

"Hey, sweetheart." He whispered as she slowly woke up.

As soon as she realized who was there, she shouted with joy, "Daddy! You're home!" she leapt up from the bed and into his arms, "I missed you so so much daddy."

"I missed you so so much, too, Hattie." Jackson held her tightly to his chest and kissed her cheek. He ran his fingers through her tangled hair and attempted to tame the mess they surely were going to have to deal with in the morning.

"Luke missed you too. He cried and cried last night when you weren't here. Mommy and I sang your song to him though, and he went to sleep. But he was sad that you weren't here daddy. So was I." Harriet held Jackson's face in her hands and sadness flooded her voice as she spoke.

"Hattie, you know daddy has to go to Boston sometimes to see Grandma." April stood up from the bed and reminded her daughter of the conversation they have every time Jackson has to leave for a business trip.

"I know. Can I go with you next time, daddy? I promise I will be good and I can go see Grandma Cat." The little girl's eyes lit up at her idea and she looked at her father with hopeful eyes.

"Maybe." Jackson responded as he rubbed his nose against hers. He loved being with his family again and he was going to cherish this little moment with his daughter because he knew that she wouldn't be his baby girl for much longer. There was something about being away from his family that made him appreciate the little things so much more and it made coming home that much sweeter.

"I love you, daddy." Harriet murmured as she returned his eskimo kiss and rubbed his slightly stubbly chin. She giggled at the scratchy feeling against her hand. Watching the scene made April's heart so full of love. Her body was so overcome by emotion that it brought tears to her eyes.

"I love you too, bug." He responded and gave her little body a tight squeeze, bringing her closer to him.

April watched them embrace for a few more seconds before she decided that she had no choice but to break it up, "Ok, let daddy change into his pajamas, baby. He's tired too, and you have school tomorrow. You need to go to sleep." She plucked her from her father's arms and settled the young girl on her hip.

"Can I sleep here Momma? Please?" Harriet begged her mom stuck out her bottom lip for emphasis. April looked over at Jackson to see if he agreed. She normally let the kids sleep in their room when he was gone. Jackson, on the other hand, believed in making them sleep in their own beds. He always said that it was important that they did, but she guessed he was making an exception tonight. He missed his baby a lot, and this trip made him realize how much time work and the Foundation consumed. His mother even talked to the board into relieving him of some of his duties so he could be more involved at home again. That meant fewer trips to Boston, and Jackson was glad. Harriet's reaction to his return made him even more grateful for what his mom did. So, if snuggling with her is what his daughter wanted, then snuggling is what she was going to get. Jackson changed out of his business clothes and threw on some sweatpants and a light t-shirt before he climbed into bed. He scooped Harriet up into his arms and reached out for April to join them. April placed her arm over his waist and he squeezed them all together, "Harriet sandwich!"

"Daddy! Mommy! You're squishing me!" Harriet giggled at his antics and squirmed in between their arms in attempt to free herself.

"I just missed you so much, Nugget. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, daddy."

Please review and let me know what you think of this little snapshot story! It means a lot to me! Also, my friend and I were SWOONING last night over the name Lucas Avery... Just think about it... Lucas Avery *heart eyes* the little heartbreaker...
I usually don't write things that are this parallel to the show, so I hope you enjoyed it and little Harriet! Some cute Japriet fluff, I'm all about that! xoxo