It was a picturesque winter day.

Ice clung to the snow laden trees in thin icicles, the streets were cleared and despite a thin layer of ice on the sidewalks, he hadn't slipped up yet. The air was so crisp and clean it was like breathing in alertness and awakening itself instead of city air. He pulled his suitcase along behind him as he got out of the car, his social worker ahead of him. He had yet to get used to the winter season as it existed here. The way the light played off the snow dazzled him. He felt as if he had stepped into an unreal world, a place where everything was possible and he could start over anew. As he adjusted his tinted blue sunglasses, he barely gave the giant, strange structure in front of him a glance.

His eyes were blue, sharp and focused, eyes a bit on the narrow side, almond shaped. But when the door opened, he didn't feign a smile. His faith in the ability of this plan to work was minimal at best. Sure, he'd contacted Social Services, he'd had DNA tests done, he'd managed not to trip any of the alarms yet. But one wrong move and this tentative security he hoped to build would crash down all around him, shatter like a wall of ice in the spring. Or however ice was destroyed; he still hadn't seen it before the past two weeks and the mechanics of it were still lost on him.

The woman at the door was pretty, with bobbed auburn hair and purple eyes, slightly tanned skin, and a warm if confused smile. The confusion made her scrunch up her face and then, then she got a look at him and her eyes went wide. He knew why. He may have had a little variance, but he was identical to Danny in facial structure, eye color, hair color. He was for all intents and purposes a paler version of her son, one with his hair slicked back and a thinner, taller body. He held her gaze and felt his own face betray his uncertainty. This plan was so uncertain already, and now it seemed destined to fail right out of the gate.

But she stepped forward and took his suitcase from him, her touch gentle, and invited both the boy and his social worker into the house. For a fleeting moment he felt comforted by her presence.

Then she called for Jack, and his apprehension came running back.

The results of the DNA test were undeniable facts.

They both seemed to be in shock, but there was nothing they could do or say in response other than decide whether to keep him or send him to a foster home. He laced his black gloved hands together and prayed silently that they would pick the latter. If they didn't, he would surely be found out. It would be a set of dominos falling, a disaster after another after another if he didn't find a place to live permanently soon. He needed legal sanctity in order to keep himself afloat. He hadn't intended to involve them, it just happened that every plan had failed but this and he needed to resort to it, unethical as it was to drop this bombshell on them. He'd run out of lies and resources, so he'd run to them.

"Of course we'll be looking after him," the woman said firmly, looking at her heavyset husband for confirmation.

In his dark, dull blue eyes there was confusion still, but his smile and nod was genuine enough. "He's our son. We're not throwing him out on the street.

Everything in him relaxed at those words. He let out a sigh, visibly losing tension at their words. He looked at them and found them both looking back with an emotion he couldn't identify in their eyes. He'd seen a similar look in a few eyes in his life, usually when he was taking advantage of someone and they hadn't yet realized it. He wondered how long he would be able to keep things up this time. He hoped against rational thought this would be permanent. He hoped against everything that he knew to be true that for once, he could stay somewhere for more than a few weeks, live somewhere with steady food, have a bed to sleep on that wasn't practically falling apart if it existed at all.

But the lack of luxury had been worth the freedom. The work to get here was all worth it if he could be free and safe for once. That was all he wanted from these people.

When the social worker left them with a stack of paperwork a mile high to get them started, he looked up at them, sitting uncertainly and looking a touch lost at the table. "So, I suppose you two want me to explain where I've been up until now."

He had prepped for this, devised a story to cover his tracks as best he could. But when he opened his mouth to start, his 'mother' shook her head. She stepped closer, eyes softening, and then suddenly her arms were around him. He sat as shocked as if she'd slapped him. More stunned, actually, since he'd been slapped before but never embraced in his life. He sat ramrod still in his chair, breathing in the scent of her coconut conditioner, too paralyzed to move all of a sudden. Emotions twisted in him he couldn't identify, had never had before. They were clouding him in such a haze he almost missed her words.

"However this happened, sweetie, we're just glad to have you back." Her grip tightened around his shoulders. "You can tell us everything later. Right now, we just need you to know it'll be okay."

Behind her, Jack Fenton (father, this was technically his father) smiled at him. "I'll get you some fudge. You look like I could see your ribs, kiddo. Don't worry, we'll have all the paperwork sorted out in no time."

He hadn't expected this reaction, hadn't known it was possible. She was warm and sweet, and Jack was accepting and almost joyous in his happiness, and everything seemed too good to be true, a perfect beginning he was certain would come crashing down around him. He never was an optimist, afraid that optimism would burn him. He'd given himself over wholly to someone once, blind in his optimism he was a good son, a loved one, one that had a good life and always would. The scars it had left to be plunged into darkness before still kept him wary of people in general, aware that they could turn on a dime, that they weren't often who they presented themselves as. And he didn't want to attach to theses two.

But as he tentatively hugged Maddie back, he realized he already was.