For those of you who read my one-shot "Homebound," the little flashback in this chapter is a continuation of that piece. ;) Happy Friday everyone!

xx

Elliot sat in the middle of both of his sisters, old photo album in hand. After the outburst that erupted during dinner, he thought it was best to keep their minds off of everything. In order to do that, he'd chosen to look at family photos. Or more like, they'd asked him to.

Like most people he knew, their photo collection was slim. But unlike them, his family did have more than most. When he was young, he could only recall seeing a camera a handful of times, but by the time Cora was six or so, things started to pick up.

For a reason Elliot wasn't quite sure, his sisters had suddenly become intrigued with the idea of looking at older photos and other moments from their lives. He hadn't been around for the fort story telling incident earlier that afternoon.

Flipping open the tattered album, the trio all eyed the first picture. It was by far the oldest of the bunch, having been taken in shortly after Jack and Rose's wedding. They'd paid so much in order to get the shot, but something so timeless had proved to be worth it.

"Mama looks so young," Cora whispered, her finger grazing along the length of Rose's simple but sweet dress.

Elizabeth piped up, her eyes meeting Cora's as she pointed to the picture, "I think she looks the same."

At this, the older girl just rolled her eyes, turning to the page. Elizabeth liked to argue just for the sake of arguing.

The next thing they saw was the first picture containing the two eldest children. Rose sat on a picnic blanket, Cora cradled in her arms, and Elliot behind her, hands wrapped around her neck. It looked to be shortly after Jack had felt for the war, based off of how big the infant looked.

Rose looked stressed, drained, scared. But even though the colorless photo, her hope and happiness radiated through the page. A smile tugged on Elliot's face as they continued to skim through the various pictures that were taken during the years of the war. Their neighbor was an older woman, one who'd promised to lend a camera whenever needed so that Jack could see as much as possible.

The older of the kids narrated the stories for Elizabeth, who'd missed all the action by nearly ten years. After a time though, Elliot felt a weight drop into his side, and he realized then that she'd fallen asleep against him.

Passing the book to Cora, he slowly slid his arms under her, carrying her bridal style to the bed across the room. As he tucked her under the covers, he couldn't help but admire the innocence she held toward the whole situation. For a boy of only sixteen, he already somewhat missed the bliss that came with childhood ignorance.

Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, he couldn't help but think just how alike they truly were. Getting to watch her grow was certainly a different experience than growing up with Cora so close in age to him, and he couldn't feel more honored to get to experience both.

With a grunt, he plopped back down next to Cora, and found that she was staring at something particular, barely even noticing his presence next to her. Only when he noticed a tear rolling down her cheek did he shift the album into his lap and place a concerned hand on her shoulder and ask what was wrong.

She only shook her head to indicate she was okay, and he followed her gaze back down to the album, where she was looking at the picture their neighbor had taken the day that Jack came back from the war.

Elliot was resting in one of his father's arms, a big smile across their identical faces. Rose stood beside him, Jack's other hand around her waist and Cora in her arms, who was more interested at looking into his face than she was the camera.

Behind Jack's eyes, the fresh pain he and trauma he'd gone through was surely shining through, and in Rose's face a beaten down and exhausted look. Somehow, even through the hurt, their happiness and glee for the fresh reunion was able to mask it.

Of course it was a day that Cora herself couldn't remember, seeing as she was only a year and a half at the time, but she knew just how impactful that day had been on the whole Dawson name. It was something that wouldn't nearly have as much of an impact on Elizabeth as it did the whole rest of the family.

Elizabeth had grown up in a post war world, while the other children had experienced most of their young childhood during the repair of the world and all the broken hearts.

Without looking up, Cora spoke, coming out in a soft whisper. "What do you remember from this day, Elliot?"

He sighed, a hand running through his hair, "Everything."

Whether her emotions were high because of the dinner's commotion or the picture itself, Cora wasn't sure. But she knew that for whatever reason, she felt far too impacted by everything that night, and needed to hear something comforting.

Finally, she looked up at him, her voice shaking as she did. "Sometimes I wish I could remember." Elliot rubbed her back, feeling for her. "Can you tell me? Please?"

That day had meant more to him than anyone could really understand. It was unlike any other day in his life; it was truly life changing and made him see that no matter what, there was something out there looking out for his family.

It made him think back to the day himself, a day that he was sure he'd never forget. As he remembered it, he spoke aloud…

Moments earlier, Elliot had been woken up by some commotion going on outside his room. He knew by the light peeking through his window that it was time for him to wake up, but the sound seemed to glue him to the covers, fear stronger than his curiosity.

After all, what if one of the monsters from his storybooks was waiting for him right beyond the threshold?

When he heard a muffled male voice, though, he knew that a monster wasn't the answer he was searching for. His sister's cooing in the crib beside him finally encouraged him to uncover his face and sit up.

His bare feet hitting against the wood sent chills up his spine, and he was thankful for the long sleeved pajama set he'd received for Christamas a few days prior. Once she spotted him coming her way, Cora stood up in the crib, holding the bars with one hand and the other sticking out to him.

He grabbed her pudgy hand once he reached her, the voice momentarily forgotten. "Do you want out?"

"Out," she repeated, letting go of his hand.

Sometimes in the mornings, Rose was too preoccupied with household chores, having a hard time adjusting to life as a single parent. As a result, she'd taught Elliot how to drop the front part of the crib for easy access.

She felt bad for placing such a parental role on a child so young, but with his personality, she knew that if she didn't give him these jobs, he would've figured it out on his own one way or another.

All he had to say was a simple "back up, please," for her to give him the space to help her down.

Pulling over their small toy chest, he stood atop it and unlatched the hook of the crib, causing the front to fall. With a clap, she dropped to her knees and slid down on her stomach, joining him on the floor.

This time, her mother's voice echoed into the room, an intense cry coming along with it. He could tell by the sound in her voice that it wasn't a cry of anguish, but of happiness. His mind went back to the strange male in their home, and wondered who it could be. Briefly, he thought of his mother and what she'd told him about Jack the day before when he asked when his father would return home.

"We'll have to wait and see."

It had been the answer he'd heard time and time again, and he didn't want to get his hopes up this time around. He'd been let down one too many times.

Walking over to the door, he opened it ever so slightly, listening carefully to see if he could hear any of the conversation better without making himself known. It was something he'd become rather good at over the years, and he prided himself on being the perfect self proclaimed spy.

All he was able to hear (through a lot of crying and other emotions) was this voice saying, "My sweet Rose, I've missed you."

At those words, everything seemed to click in his mind. Turning to Cora, who'd preoccupied herself with her handcrafted doll, he exclaimed, "Daddy's home!" Running over to her, he grabbed her hand, not even taking another moment to register the confused look on her face before making his way to the door.

Because Jack had left when Cora was only three months old, she had no memory of him at all. Of course, Rose always showed her the one photo she had of him at their wedding, trying to imprint the image of him into her mind. They also discussed him a lot, whenever Rose felt emotionally stable enough to, but she still knew nothing different than only having a mother.

A little annoyed by the sudden jolt away from her toy, Cora almost pulled her hand away. But quickly, she picked up on Elliot's excitement, and it radiated over to her. A lot of the time, their emotions were in tune with each other's, her always waiting for her older brother to make the first move to decide how she should act herself.

And based on his current appearance, she knew she should be excited for whatever he was talking about.

Elliot swung the bedroom door opening, not caring when it hit the wall. It was something he knew he'd usually be scolded for, but in this case he knew he had some sort of pass which voided that rule.

Rounding the corner, he was practically dragging Cora along, who's legs couldn't move fast enough to keep up with his speedy pace.

By the front door, the two were met with the sight of their parents in one piece on the floor, both crying and latched to one another. Though Jack's face was hidden against Rose's neck, Elliot could tell that it was him. He was scared that he'd almost forgotten his face, but even only being able to see his hair, he was sure that he hadn't.

"Daddy?" Elliot crept forward, his hand coming to touch his father's hair. It was something that he remembered Jack doing to him often before he'd been taken from them, and it only felt right to do in the moment.

The pressure immediately caused Jack's head to snap up. At first, the sudden touch almost made him recoil, but once he realized who it was (and where he was), his face softened.

Elliot smiled, and Rose was able to reluctantly pull herself back to let the two have their own moment. She took a few moments to turn herself around on the floor and pull her daughter into her lap. She could tell that Cora was confused, but the toddler didn't dare move or make a fuss over anything.

If there was one thing she was good at, it was picking up on people's emotions to find out when the appropriate time to respond was.

Jack's hand reached forward slowly, almost like he was apprehensive to touch his own son. He was having a hard time accepting everything in front of him as truth. Hadn't he died at war? The war really was over, but even with the evidence in front of him, he couldn't bring himself to believe any of it.

Unlike his father, Elliot sensed none of this agitation, slamming himself against Jack. He wrapped his arms around his neck, and this finally led Jack to do the same, hugging his son against his chest.

"Elliot," he whispered, the name sounding too foreign on his tongue for his liking. All he could do to ease the pain of having missed so much of his son's life was hold him tight, rocking back and forth as he felt the tears continue to flow.

If things kept going on like this, he was certain that the tears would continue to come for years.

Jack could feel Elliot sniffling against his shirt, and he was glad that his son was finally allowing himself to bring down these barriers. In Rose's letters, she often wrote about how she was concerned with their son's lack of emotion. Ever since he took on the role of the only male in the house, he refused to let any sadness show. It was a lot for such a young boy to deal with.

"I missed you," was all he was able to get out.

"I missed you too, Elliot. I've missed you more than you'll ever know." Jack only held onto him tighter, not daring to let go. Not even when his legs cried out from beneath him, begging to get off the hard floor. Nothing would break this moment. Nothing.

Rose scooted herself and Cora closer to the pair, and Jack's eyes landed on the girl he could hardly recognize. When he'd left, she was an infant who could hardly hold her head up without some support. And now, before him was a girl who so similarly resembled her mother that it nearly shocked him.

"Cora," Rose's voice was the only thing that could be heard within a mile of the house, they were sure. Everything seemed to come to a standstill the moment the reunion had begun. "This is your father."

It was hard to know that his own daughter didn't remember his face, but both of them knew that he'd win her heart over within a matter of days. "You've grown so much, sweet girl." Jack smiled at her, and he was almost surprised when she returned the gesture, hiding her embarrassed face against Rose.

The three others in the room let out a laugh, a real laugh. It was something that'd been absent from the home for far too long.

"Mama," Elliot said once their laughter had died down.

"Yes?"

"I'm not afraid anymore." With a smile at his father, Elliot went in for another hug. Everything in the young boy's life seemed to make sense in that moment. Nothing else could come between his family, he was sure.

In fact, he told himself, he'd make it his own personal destiny to make sure that no one would take his father away again, so long as he could help it. No one would hurt his family ever again.

Jack kissed the top of his son's head, and took Rose's hand with one of his. "When I'm here with you, I don't think I'll ever feel afraid again."

Cora smiled as she listened to her brother finish the story, wishing all the more that she could remember it for herself. The corners of her mouth began to sink, though, as she thought of what he'd said at dinner. "Was that what our old family was like?"

Elliot sighed, shutting the photo album and turning on the bed so that he was facing his sister. He hadn't meant to say something so rash, especially not with everything else he knew his parents were dealing with at the moment. But, he was being driven mad by all the constant fighting and tension hanging in the air every second of the day.

Before anything, he knew he had to look out for his sisters; that was always the most important thing to him. He didn't want them thinking the same way he did, so long as he could help it.

"Look, Cora, I didn't mean what I said earlier."

"Then why'd you say it?"

He had to hold back the urge to roll his eyes at her. She was more like their mom than she even realized. Their parents saw her as nothing but the family's angel who could do no wrong, but Elliot knew better than anyone that if you got her riled up enough, her sassy attitude would make her personality as red as her hair.

"I just got a little upset. You've seen how things have been around here, haven't you?"

"I guess," she shrugged. She actually had seen some differences going on, but she knew that if she pretended to be blind to it all, he'd explain better than her own mind ever could. "What have you been seeing differently?"

Elizabeth stirred across the room, and they both looked, hoping she'd go back to sleep. This wasn't a conversation they particularly wanted her to be in, much less hear. When she settled back into her sleep, Elliot spoke. "I know what you're up to."

Cora flashed him a sly looking smile, "How'd you know?"

"You're my sister. I think you're forgetting that I'm older than you, you can't trick me like you do Eliza." When she didn't say anything, he kept going. "Just… don't think there's anything inadequate going on with our family, alright? Grandmother's warming up her role as a mother, and I guess it's just taking longer than I'd like."

"You don't seem to like her very much," she accused, leaning her back against the wall. Sleep was nearing closer by the minute, and she couldn't help wonder what time it was now.

"Of course I like her, it's just…" What was it? It was too many things all in one. Too many to explain, even to himself. "I'm getting there. It's not as easy for me to get used to this as it is for the rest of you."

Now, it was Cora's turn to sigh. "It's taking Mama a long time too."

"Yeah, I know it is, but I'm sure it'll all work out."

"How can you be sure?"

Elliot rubbed a hand through her hair, something she usually hated coming from him, but found comforting in the moment. "Because Ma and Pa just know how to work these things out. That's the thing about getting older, you figure out how to work through your problems to make sure your family thrives."

Cora looked back up at him, he could tell that twinkle in her eye was back. He knew it was his fault it'd even disappeared in the first place, and he felt awful for it. One right was made wrong, but there were still a few to fix before his conscience was cleared.

That is, if they could be fixed.

"Why don't we get to bed now, Cor?"

She wanted to protest (like she often did during this time), but for once she could agree that her body was in need of a break. Before she hopped off Elliot's bed, she wrapped her arms around his middle. "Thank you."

Through his grin, he managed to get out a response. "For what?" To him, it seemed like he'd simply righted a wrong that he'd been the one to make in the first place.

"For making me feel better," she lifted herself off him, sliding off the mattress until her feet hit the floor. "And for telling me that story. I think I needed that."

He watched her get into bed beside Eliza, before shutting off their lamp. Once the room went dark, Elliot settled into his covers, "Anytime."

Not wanting to admit it aloud, he knew he needed to relive that memory just as much as she did.

As the children all began falling asleep in their room, they were oblivious to the couple standing outside their bedroom door, who had been listening in on the end of their conversation.

"We know how to make everything better, huh?" Jack whispered, tugging at Rose's hand, leading her to their bedroom.

Rose chuckled, shutting the door once they were inside. "If only it were as simple as that."

"As long as I can make everything better for them," grabbing onto her waist, he pulled her close, kissing her. "And for you," he whispered, his hands tightened around her hips. He kissed her once more, this time his lips hovering close to her's as he spoke. "Then I think all the struggle's worth it."