Over the last few days as Cassie had been gone, it had become almost common place for Jack to come by and distract the kids while Greg tried to work. So, when the big F-250 truck pulled up to the Fletcher home around nine the next morning, Greg didn't think much of it. Just let the boys race out to the vehicle while he cleaned up after Addy's breakfast which she'd splattered all over the high chair. All while Addy gurgled in the bouncy seat and chewed on her toes.
His back was turned when the front door opened, and he called over his shoulder. "Be right there, Jack. I've got to clean up this mess, and then you can fill me in on how things are going over there."
"What if I filled you in myself?"
Greg whipped around, not trusting his ears until he could see his wife's gentle smile for himself. "Cassandra..."
She looked better than she had in months, but he couldn't tell if that was just his own relief or if the rest she'd needed had contributed to the change.
Though filled with the urge to sweep her off her feet like she saw in those romantic comedies she watched every now and again, he gestured to the rag in one hand. "I'd hug you, but—"
She didn't let that deter her. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her closer.
He could feel the moisture on her cheeks as he pulled away, and he brushed the tears away with the pad of his thumb. "I missed you."
She almost laughed as Addy fussed from the baby swing. "You, too, sweetheart?"
She picked the infant up and snuggled her close. Then, she turned her attention back to Greg. "Thank you for understanding that I needed to go."
Greg didn't know quite how to explain what he was feeling with his wife back. All he knew was that he was glad she had come back. That she was almost back to her normal self. "You look good. Better."
Cassie turned a bright smile to him. "I feel good."
"What changed?" The last Greg had heard, she was thinking of coming back even though she hadn't really found whatever peace she was looking for.
She straightened. Like she had something she wanted to tell him but that she wasn't sure how he'd respond.
His heart clenched. He'd never suspected that this was a prelude to divorce, but with the way she paused before letting him in on her mental health, he was starting to doubt his own read of the situation.
Then, she sighed. "This is going to sound a bit strange, maybe. But probably only if you don't remember that I am literally an alien."
Greg squinted at his wife. "With a start like that, how can I be nervous?"
Cassie chewed on her bottom lip as the baby grabbed a fistful of her chestnut-colored hair. Like nearly everything these days, the luxurious locks found their way into the infant's mouth, wrapped around the baby's pudgy hand.
Greg dropped the kitchen rag and faced his wife. "Just tell me."
"Sam and Jack asked me if they could adopt me."
Greg's eyebrows shot up. "Can they do that?"
"Apparently."
He let that tidbit of information roll around in his brain. It wasn't like he didn't treat the O'Neills like his in-laws to begin with. He'd called Sam and Jack when Cassie had her little breakdown last week. And when Cassie had told him that Sam had been diagnosed with COVID earlier this year, he'd seen the same kind of fear and pain that always accompanied talking about losing her birth family or Janet Fraiser.
Hell, they'd named their daughter after Sam. Had entrusted their children to Sam and Jack if anything happened to them.
"What did you say?"
Cassie seemed uncharacteristically timid. "I know it doesn't make sense. I know it's just a piece of paper, and I shouldn't care one way or the other—"
Greg frowned, unsure what direction she was leaning. "What?"
She sighed. "I said yes. That anyone would be lucky to have them as parents."
Confident that his wife wasn't looking depressed because she was less than enthused about the decision but that she wasn't sure how he'd respond to it, he folded his arms. "Good."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Good?"
He nodded. "You look more like yourself, and if that's because you needed parents, then I'm all for it."
"It's not really that our relationship is going to change between us. It's more like if something happens to them, I'll get the phone call from the authorities, or be allowed to visit the hospital... You know, stuff like that." She chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I didn't realize how much that was weighing on me after Sam got sick. That even without COVID restrictions, they wouldn't have let me in to see her in the ICU because I wasn't considered family."
Greg nodded. "Makes sense."
"And..."
Greg raised an eyebrow. "And what?"
"And it sounds like it wasn't their choice not to have kids."
That didn't surprise Greg given how often Jack, in particular, had come to hang out with the kids since they'd come to DC. And frankly, Sam would likely have come more often herself if she hadn't still been recovering from her battle with COVID.
Still...
"Are you doing this for you? Or for them?"
Cassie pondered the question for a long moment, her fingers playing with Addy's curls. "Honestly, as much as I loved Janet, I always wondered why Sam didn't adopt me, and I had a few questions about Jack that I needed answered, too. I can't explain it, but this was the right road. For all three of us. Hopefully, it's good for you and the kids, too."
Greg kissed her forehead. "Anything that's good for you will be good for the rest of us, Cass. We love you, and we would do anything to support you. If having an official reason to call Sam and Jack family is what you need, then I say go for it."
There was something else in her eyes as they leaned in close to one another. She cleared her throat and glanced down at the baby. "Well, that's not really the only thing that happened."
Greg studied his wife. "You can tell me."
She kissed Addy, who had started squirming, and set her on the floor to crawl away. Then, she wrapped her arms around Greg's middle and leaned her cheek against his chest. "When they lift the COVID restrictions, I'd like us to go through the gate."
Greg stiffened. "The gate. As in..."
She nodded. "Sam and Jack think it's doable. Especially since I never did bring you to see where I was from when we started dating."
"Yeah, but the kids..."
Cassie bit her lip, and he could see the niggle of doubt sneak into her features. "Maybe your parents will be willing to stay with them while we're gone? After all the time in quarantine, I think they'd really enjoy the time together."
Greg couldn't deny how much he was ready for the world to get back to normal. "Time together. I think that sounds really good."
Cassie leaned in for another kiss, her fingers brushing against his cheek and her forehead leaning against his. "To me, too."
They made the rounds a few times that night before the kids actually went to sleep. Cassie made a point to hug and kiss each of the kids as many times as they needed before she came to bed for the night. Only after Addy had curled up in the pack-and-play did Cassie snuggle in close to him in the bed. "I'm so glad to be home."
"I'm glad you're home, too." Greg cleared his throat, surprised at the emotion that had sprung up now that it was just the two of them. In their makeshift master bedroom.
Cassie ran a hand over his cheek. "It hasn't escaped my notice how lucky I am to have you as my husband. It's not everyone who would be comfortable enough in their relationship to endure what I've put you through in the last few weeks."
Greg brought her fingers to his lips. Then, entwined his fingers with hers. "It wasn't the same without you. I think I got an idea of what things were like when I used to go on business trips before COVID."
"You say that like it was a big imposition." Cassie looked down. "You had to go on those trips for business, and you took that job so that I'd have the freedom to paint."
"Maybe so, but these last few days have shown me that even one business trip can be hard on the family. Parents and kids, included. I'll try to make sure I'm mindful of that when the COVID restrictions start easing up."
Cassie ran a finger along his jaw, then covered his mouth with hers.
Every ounce of longing that had come over him since she'd first started feeling out of sorts burst with her kiss, and he pulled her closer. She was back. She was really back.
"Have you thought more about my proposal?" he whispered as he brushed the hair back from her face.
"To move here?"
He nodded.
Cassie was quiet for a long moment, and he was afraid he'd ruined her homecoming by bringing up one of their oldest, most recurring arguments.
"I don't want to get rid of Mom's house."
He shook his head and kissed her forehead. "Of course not. I shouldn't have—"
She put a finger on his lips. "But you're right. Our family's outgrowing it."
Greg bowed his head so he could get a better look at his wife. "Wait... You want to move?"
She chewed on her bottom lip. "More like I'm willing to look at all our options. You're right. It's been good for the kids to be close to Sam and Jack, but we could live closer to your parents, too. Or we could stay in Colorado. I'm just ready to talk about it. That's all."
"But if we don't get rid of your mom's house..."
Cassie inhaled, deeply. "We can rent it out. Find some cute family who's gotten transferred to NORAD who could use it."
Greg pulled back from his wife, shocked by the way she'd just changed positions on this particular topic. "And you're okay with that?"
"You've been so patient with me, Greg. I don't know how you knew, but I needed to work through this stuff at my own pace." Tears shone in her eyes. "I'm ready to talk about living somewhere else."
The love he felt for this woman just grew stronger. "You're amazing, you know that. After everything you've been through, after everything you've lost, you still think it's miraculous that I give you time to sort through things. I don't know what that says about the world—or even about me, frankly—but I think you're incredible. Kind and generous. Strong and resilient. And even more wonderful and beautiful the longer I'm married to you."
Cassie blushed at the compliment before she looked up at him with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "And just how long will it be before you give this kind, generous, strong, resilient, wonderful, and beautiful wife of yours a proper homecoming?"
He shifted his weight until he was poised above her. "I thought you'd never ask."