Author's Note: I really don't like endings. (really, Karin? Is that why your works are SO LONG?) Maybe, but there's just something about finishing a story. Especially one I've put so much time into. I always wonder if it will be ok. If the end is truly the end and if I did it well. Obviously, I had just as much trouble finishing up this one as I have in the past (maybe more trouble), so you get an epilogue that's almost double what my chapters usually were.

I just wanted to show a little of what their life became. The happiness in it. I could probably continue writing little stories about Lance and the lives he touches forever, but I think it's time to move on now. So here it is, the very end. Enjoy.

Chapter Fifty-One: Epilogue – Ten Years Later

Fritz hummed leftover Christmas carols as he hefted the suitcase into the trunk of his car. His new-ish car. His car that wasn't a patrol car so his backseat passengers could open the doors by themselves car that he had grown far more attached to than he ever expected to be to a vehicle. He may have lost the freedom of flipping on his siren and lights to zip through traffic, but that was a meager sacrifice compared to the freedom of his recent retirement and all the rich rewards it had brought him.

This has got to be the best day of the year, Fritz thought contentedly to himself as he pulled the trunk lid closed and patted it fondly. He paused with his hands still on the car, shaking his head, because he'd thought that exact thing so many times this year already, and honestly, many years before that. There had been so many days that had been the best, starting when Angelique had first agreed to a date with him and improving steadily from that day forward, continuing to grow in love, memories, and family members. He never got tired of being astonished about it, especially when he compared where he was now to when it all began.

Fritz had no reason to believe that when he'd been assigned to locate Keith Kogane to deliver him a court summons that the task would not only bring him face to face with his future wife but also deliver into his life two young men he'd grow to love like his own sons. In fact, if someone had even hinted that anything good might happen as a result of Fritz dragging himself to work that day, the same as all the other days, he would have laughed bitterly in their face and then tried to spit on their shoes. That day had not been a best day; in fact, back when Fritz was a lonely, divorced man who smoked too much and hated his job, he didn't think he had any good days left to look forward to. Tracking Keith down was a small inconvenience in the overwhelming disappointment that his life had become. Fritz didn't know how wrong he could be about that. Didn't know how happy it would make him to be wrong.

Fritz shook his head again, breaking away from the car to head into the house for one final look around. Make sure he'd unplugged the coffeemaker and turned on the back porch light. Check on Angie; she was likely ready by now and wondering what was taking him so long to load the car.

"Ang," he called as he trotted up the stairs to their bedroom. "All set?"

His wife was standing at the foot of the bed, head bowed as if she were going through her own memories and protocol. But she stood straight as she registered Fritz coming into the room.

"I think so," she replied, speaking slowly because she was still thinking of anything she might have forgotten, drawing the straps of her bag over her shoulder. Fritz took the opportunity in the pause to embrace her, kissing her on the forehead, then the tip of her nose, continuing to move downward to her lips, chin, throat and . . .

"Any lower and we'll be late," Angie teased, pushing him gently off her. He knew she only half meant it, but how could he help himself? Even after over a decade of marriage, he couldn't get over her. Couldn't get enough of her. Every part of her was precious to him, including the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and the smile lines along her mouth. The new gray that had joined the gold in her hair. Every day she redefined what perfection meant to him, and he created a new image of what it looked, sounded, and felt like.

"No one's late until dinner starts," Fritz reminded her, running his fingers along her face before dramatically checking his wristwatch. Seven thirty in the morning on New Year's Eve. The day of the gathering. Traditionally, this was an arrival day, where all of the "family" traveled from wherever they'd spent their Christmas to the Castle where Alfor and Melenor Lyons hosted a dinner and celebration that started promptly at six on New Year's Eve and continued through whenever the children were supposed to go back to school. That meant this year, thanks to the weekend, they'd be together with everyone in Oak Brook for three nights. "If you're interested, we've got plenty of time."

He was mostly joking with her. Not that he'd be opposed to a small delay before they left the quiet comfort of their home for the jubilant crazy of the New Year's festivities, but he also knew that Keith was waiting for them.

"Later," Angie promised, removing his hand from her hip and holding it tightly, pulling Fritz toward the door and away from their bed. "We promised to rescue our son."

"The man is a decorated veteran, Ang," Fritz pointed out, even though he wasn't as disappointed as he made himself sound. "He can handle another hour." Angie just smiled at him, continuing to tug him down the stairs. They both knew that even though Keith could face the complexities of a cockpit with a deadly calm and precision, the stress of getting his four excited and eager children dressed, fed, and packed for the trip by himself was likely getting to him by now.

It wasn't planned that way, originally, but Lance had been called in to work at the ER at the last minute because staffing on the holidays was always an issue. And Lance, because he was Lance, accepted the shift, citing that he'd taken Christmas off and that he should be finished before the celebration started. Keith had gone quiet as he folded up his disappointment, and Fritz and Angelique had quickly volunteered to come over early in the morning to help Keith get the kids ready. Fritz didn't mind because he adored spending time with his adopted sons and grandchildren, and Angelique had a soft spot for Keith, especially when Lance was gone and he was parenting solo.

Not that Keith didn't love his kids. Any stranger taking one look at them together would be able to tell instantly that he treasured them, but his own insecurities regarding relationships made him a cautious father who usually ran out of emotional energy long before they did. That's where Fritz liked to step in, especially now that he could be a grandpa full-time and do all those bonding things he'd been waiting his whole life to do. Fishing. Camping. Backyard barbeques. The children loved it just as much as he did, and though Lance and Keith were sometimes confused about Fritz and his traditions, since one had spent his childhood out of the country and the other hadn't had much of a childhood at all, they seemed to enjoy it anyway.

"How late is Lance going to be, you think?" Fritz asked as he locked up the house. They'd all said it was fine, but no one had been very happy about Lance working today. New Year's was a big deal in this family, and everyone knew that Lance was the focal point. The reason that the family was a family at all.

Angie shrugged, though it seemed to be more in dismal acceptance than actually not knowing. "The shift ends at five," she said, factually. "But that doesn't mean much," she added in a tangle of long experience.

Fritz opened the car door for her, understanding the answer even if he didn't like it. There could be a thousand things that would keep Lance from leaving the hospital when he was supposed to. Another doctor calling in sick. An unexpected emergency in the hospital or outside of it. A report, a last-minute question or procedure or . . whatever. Even if everything in the ER went exactly as planned, and Lance did step out the door at exactly five, the weather or the traffic to get out to Oak Brook could just as easily put his arrival way past six. Fritz felt the irritation of not knowing itch between his shoulder blades. He scrubbed his back against the driver's seat as he buckled himself in.

"I'm glad you're not working those shifts anymore," Fritz admitted as he drove away from their home. "But did it have to be Lance?"

"That was the plan from the beginning, before I knew any of you. I hand-picked him to replace me, remember?" Angie's voice was clear and firm, but her fingers knotted on the straps of the bag. Fritz could just see it at the corner of his field of vision. He reached over with one hand to hold hers.

"I guess it's what he always wanted," Fritz allowed.

"It is," Angie insisted, with an earnestness that made Fritz squeeze her hand a little tighter. He knew how much she'd loved that job, as challenging as it was, as heart-breaking as it was. She would have never traded any part of it, the nights she got off late, the patients that hadn't been able to go home so they followed her to hers and haunted her dreams. The tears and the exhaustion, the risks both known and unknown. He knew that draining though it had been, it had also fulfilled her in plenty of the ways that mattered most. Her spirit hadn't been quite ready to leave it behind, but her body had made the decision for her. She'd had no interest in retiring completely, so now she spent her time teaching classes and guiding lab work. Fritz thought she might have fought the transition to the more instructional role harder if the hospital board of directors hadn't decided that Lance would be hired on to replace her. Having him guard the ER, a continuation of her legacy just as she'd intended, seemed to ease her a little, even though it worried her too. Not that Lance wouldn't do her proud, of course, he was more than capable, always had been, but she couldn't ignore that the job was demanding, and she loved Lance enough to wish that his life be free from any suffering. Of all the pain that Angelique had seen in her life, Lance's cut her deepest.

"Well, he'll make it work somehow," Fritz finally said, breaking the silence of memory. "It wouldn't be the first time he pulled a miracle out of his pocket, and he wouldn't miss New Year's for anything."

Angie made a humphing sound of agreement and let go of Fritz's hand so he could have both available for driving. The roads were clear for the moment, but it was a temporary situation. The weathermen couldn't decide if it would snow or rain, but they all concurred that something was falling from the sky today, starting in the late afternoon, and they urged caution on all travelers, especially ones out late due to the holiday. Fritz hadn't thought too much about it, knowing everyone he cared about would be safely snuggled in tight on the Lyons estate. But that was before they'd learned about Lance's schedule. Fritz eyed the gathering clouds warily as he drove.

The house that Keith and Lance bought together after Keith officially left the Air Force sat on South Ellis Ave almost exactly halfway between Fritz and Angie's house and the hospital. Like most residences in the area, it was older, made of red brick and concrete, and included a partially enclosed front porch. Keith and Lance asked Fritz to come with them to take a look at it, and he remembered being surprised that a house that large would be in their price range until Keith reminded him that Lance was transitioning into a higher salary range and he'd been awarded a court settlement. One that had been cleverly invested by Tamsyn Krolia's financial advisor to the point where six bedrooms, three bathrooms, and over three thousand square feet in a convenient location was completely affordable. Keith admitted it was way too big for them at the time, but he also knew that Lance had always wanted a big family, so he was just thinking ahead to a future where they were fostering or adopting a house full of children. Lance had momentarily short circuited as he stared at all the space, imagining its potential and the idea of it being full of their kids, then stared at Keith with such unmasked gratitude and adoration that Fritz had suddenly been overwhelmed with the desire to check out the back garden and leave them alone in what was to become their kitchen. They hadn't come outside to find him for twenty minutes.

The house had seemed enormous that day, when it was empty, but now as Fritz pulled up at the snowy curb, he could tell it was just the right kind of full of all the very best things. Of bicycles and laughter, of baking sheets and books and blanket forts. Healing and homemade Christmas decorations and an entire wall to showcase all the elementary school artwork. There were snowmen in various stages of disintegration piled randomly around the front yard, the melting effort of the last snowstorm.

Out of habit, Fritz walked around to the passenger side door and opened it for his wife, reaching down to help her out of the car and past the hard, irregular clumps of ice-crusted snow at the curb, practically lifting her over the shards of it to the semi-shoveled sidewalk. That was as far as they got before Fritz heard the front screen door bang open. He kept his hold on Angie but turned just in time to see Kade vault over the front porch wall instead of using the stairs in a very typically Kade maneuver, his teriyaki-colored curls flying up as he came down, his arms outstretched like he was part flying squirrel. He landed off balance in the snow, almost going to one knee, but he transitioned the momentum of pushing himself upright to start sprinting across the yard, dodging around snowmen, rushing to meet them, a streak of canine midnight in his wake.

Angie gasped involuntarily; she never liked watching Kade throw himself off things. Fritz knew she could see the X-rays of his broken bones in her brain every time he landed funny. And while she was ok with Cosmo, the wolf-sized, deep-space-black German Shepherd, it still made her nervous when he was running straight at her. Fritz knew the dog was perfectly trained and would stop just shy of touching them without barking or jumping, but Fritz shifted to stand in front of her protectively anyway, taking a couple steps forward to catch his eight-year-old cannonball of a grandson and swing him around, as much to tame his speed as anything else. Cosmo stopped short, just as predicted, standing politely to the side with his tail wagging, waiting to be acknowledged.

"You're here; you're here; you're here; you're here!" Kade cried jubilantly, hugging Fritz around the neck. "Now we can finally go to Bella Lion's house. Come on!"

Fritz lowered the boy back to the sidewalk, though he didn't allow Kade to drag him toward the house. Keith and Lance had introduced Melenor as Abuela Lyons, to differentiate her from Abuela Angelique, but somewhere, Fritz couldn't remember how long ago now nor which child had started it, but somewhere long ago one of them couldn't quite say abuela, so both grandmothers now went by Bella instead. Bella Lion for Allura's mother and Bella Angel for Angie. Fritz suspected that both women preferred Bella to whatever else grandmothers went by. For himself, he secretly loved being called Grandpa Fritz, a title he'd long hoped for.

"Kade! Hurry up and get in here; you aren't done packing yet. Dad says you have to find your glasses." Twelve-year-old Jonah yelled across the yard from the porch, probably because he didn't have any shoes on and didn't want to cross the snow. He'd been the first adopted into the family, and he'd been the oldest when it happened. It made him rather somber, but steady.

"I don't know where they are!" Kade yelled back, dropping Fritz's wrist and running toward the house.

"Well then look," Jonah replied, as though that were the most obvious thing in the world. Kade darted up the porch steps and into the house, and it was only after he was out of sight that Jonah acknowledged Angie and Fritz walking towards him up the driveway, Cosmo treading alongside Angelique as though he meant to prevent her from slipping. "Hi Grandpa Fritz. Bella Angel." He looked torn, as though he regretted not putting shoes on and was debating braving the cold anyway so he could come greet them. Angelique sped up slightly to reach the porch before he decided to leave it. Fritz didn't think that she had a favorite grandchild, but if she did, Jonah probably came the closest.

"Morning, Jonah," Fritz greeted as they met on the steps, giving hugs all around before Jonah let them inside. "How's your dad doing?"

"Which one?" Jonah asked, closing the door behind them, but by then Fritz could hear the answer for himself. He heard the clink and bustle of breakfast dishes, the pound of Kade's feet on the stairs as he ran up to check for his glasses in his bedroom, and the inconsolable wailing of Desmond, the family's newest child, who was three years old and apparently not having the best of days. And over it all, there was Keith, navigating the chaos.

"Check under your pillow, Kade!" Keith yelled up the stairs, coming into view with the crying Desmond on his hip. Cosmo went immediately to Keith's side, though it didn't seem Desmond appreciated the huge dog's attention. Keith reached down with a gloved hand to scratch Cosmo's ear for a second before patting Desmond comfortingly on the back. "Yeah, buddy, I know. He's my favorite too, but he had to work today so we'll have to put up with each other for a while."

And even though Fritz could see the stress hanging on Keith, he couldn't help but smile about it. How homey and normal it all was. The small mountain of boots and coats by the front door. The backpacks that probably hadn't been touched since school ended before Christmas. The new Lego sets in various stages of completeness on the living room floor. The house smelled faintly of bacon and syrup.

Jonah went to his father and took Desmond from him, cradling the toddler in his arms and talking to him quietly, using his rather tragic talent of making very small children be rapidly silent. Desmond didn't look all the way soothed, but at least he stopped crying, lowering his head to rest it against Jonah's shoulder.

"Thanks, Jonah," Keith expressed, slumping as more than one burden was taken from him. He was wearing his favorite University of Chicago sweatshirt that no one could convince him to replace. The one he wore most when Lance was gone. "Would you mind checking on Kade up there?" Jonah nodded solemnly, lugging Desmond with him up the stairs so he could join in the search for Kade's missing glasses. Cosmo nudged Keith in the hip, at about the same time that Keith finally noticed Fritz and Angelique standing in the entryway.

"Oh, hi," he said, breaking eye contact with them quickly and scanning the state of the house. Keith and Lance normally kept it somewhere between military neat and lived in, but school had been out for over a week now and there really was only so much a person could do. "We aren't ready yet."

"That's why we're here, love," Angie responded gently. She always approached Keith as if he were a lit fuse, though he'd never given her a reason to believe he'd do anything violently unexpected. Though Fritz thought it had more to do with how Angie was still repenting for how she'd doubted Keith's loyalty to Lance at the beginning. She'd softened up considerably the first time she'd seen them together, officially apologized when they got engaged, and now even though they'd been married for years, she seemed as though she'd never finish making it up to him. "How can we help?"

Keith looked at a loss as to what to assign them, as if he didn't really know himself what was left that needed doing. Angie was just opening her mouth to make a suggestion when they were interrupted.

"Bella?" Came the disembodied voice of yet another McClain child and suddenly a bright-eyed, beaming face tipped from around the entryway to the kitchen. Ten-year-old Melody, hanging onto the edge of the wall with one hand and leaning out to see if she'd really heard them. "Bella!"

"Hello, darling," Angie welcomed, spreading her arms out for a hug while Fritz started shepherding them all back into the kitchen where Melody had been before. Cleaning up after breakfast seemed to be as good a place to start helping as any. Keith looked once up the stairs, but then followed them, Cosmo at his heels.

The dog wasn't an officially trained service dog, but he'd certainly pass for one. Keith and Lance had chosen him for the emotional support he loaned the children, particularly the foster kids that came and went without warning and were far more suspicious of adults than animals. Cosmo eased into the transition and proved his worth almost constantly. He patiently endured hugs and always seemed to know who needed him to sleep in their bed. He'd prevented more than one runaway from sneaking out of the house, alerted Keith and Lance to illnesses, panic attacks, and when someone might be hoarding food in a closet, and just in general took his job as a guardian with all the seriousness of his breed. However, even though he was aware of the children and their needs, Fritz couldn't help but notice that the person Cosmo watched the most was actually Keith.

"Papa's at work," Melody chattered, pulling out a chair at the deserted table for Angie, leaving Fritz and Keith to fend for themselves. "But he braided my hair last night so tight that it stayed in the whole time I was sleeping, so I didn't have to brush it today, see?" She spun around to let them inspect the dark brown French braids, though she didn't stop talking for a second. "And he told me that Tía Pidge and Tía Allura will be there this year; is that true, Bella Angel?"

"If that's what your papa said, then I'm sure it's true," Angie assured, and Melody brightened even more, bringing her arms around to hug herself. Though the house she lived in was full of safety, it was also full of boys, and so she eagerly anticipated these weekends where she could be surrounded with female family members.

Angie ignored the chair that had been pulled out for her and instead began helping Melody gather the dirty breakfast dishes, offering to wash them if Melody would dry and put them away.

"Who is all coming this year, Keith?" Fritz asked, leaving the girls to the washing and following Keith to the little mudroom off the kitchen where Cosmo's food and water bowls were.

"Um," Keith said to let Fritz know he heard even though he needed a minute to think before answering. He unscrewed the lid off a pest-proof container, checking the level of food inside to see if he needed more to last all weekend. "Hunk and Pidge are driving in today from Pidge's parents' place in Wisconsin. They aren't on the road yet, but said they'd be there before three. They're bringing the foreign exchange student that's been staying with them."

"Oh, that's right," Fritz remembered. He hadn't met her yet but had heard this was something Hunk and Pidge had started doing. They didn't have any kids of their own and couldn't bring themselves to foster like Keith and Lance did, so they opened their home to an exchange student for a school year instead. "What's her name again?"

"Yuka," Keith supplied readily as he measured huge cups of kibble into Cosmo's container as the dog watched him with an expression that read clearly that he wouldn't mind if Keith spilled even just one piece. "Well, Yukako, but she goes by Yuka."

Fritz nodded, adding up totals in his mind, but Keith was far from finished with the guest list.

"Allura's already there," Keith continued, digging one final handful of food from the bag and holding it out for Cosmo, who took it delicately from Keith's palm. "With Peter and Muriel, of course."

Muriel had been a surprise. Allura was deep into her political career, on her way to being a senator for New York, and Peter was exactly the type of lawyer that mothers wanted their sons to grow up to be and their daughters to grow up to marry. Both Allura and Peter were busy and successful and not at all interested in having children. Allura hadn't even considered she might be pregnant until Lance carefully suggested it to her after yet another call with her asking him about fatigue, nausea, and why they weren't going away.

At first, they were panicked, scared to death of what a baby would mean to their life and work schedule. But when Muriel was born, she quickly took center stage and everything else fell into place around her. Allura and Peter went from apprehensive, hesitant parents to proclaiming that Muriel was the best thing that ever happened to them.

"Of course," Fritz echoed, notching the count to sixteen. "What about Takashi?"

Keith's face darkened for a second as he secured the dog food bag into a corner. "No," he said, as lightly as possible. "He couldn't get away."

Takashi hadn't retired yet from the military, and Fritz knew how much Keith worried about him. Keith remained Takashi's only family, but even though they remained close, it seemed he wanted to give Keith and Lance their space. Too much space, really, spending too much time alone or on base or volunteering for extra work when he didn't have to. Fritz didn't know what to do about it either except keep inviting him as often as possible.

"I'm sorry, son," Fritz empathized, and Keith shrugged, absently petting Cosmo.

"He promised to visit sometime in January," Keith said, making the best of it. "I'll go get him myself if I have to. Oh!"

Keith suddenly grabbed on to Fritz's elbow to prevent him from going back into the kitchen. He'd thought they were finished out here and was about to heft the dog food container to take it to the van, but Keith stopped him. At first, Fritz was concerned, but then he saw Keith's face – the sudden excitement in it, which made him instantly curious. Keith didn't look like this very often.

"I talked Veronica into coming," Keith almost whispered, as if it were a secret for only Fritz. "No one knows yet because we weren't sure it was happening, and now I want it to be a surprise. Can you keep the kids distracted so I can slip over to O'Hare? The flight gets in at three-fifteen. I'll be gone an hour at most."

"Veronica?" Fritz automatically whispered back. "I never want to see snow in my entire life Veronica? How'd you manage that?"

The question prompted Keith to grin. "I have my ways," he said mysteriously. "Her husband and kids are coming with her. Mateo too."

"Lance doesn't know?" Fritz clarified, unable to believe that Keith could bring Lance's sister, her entire family, and Mateo to Chicago from Florida without anyone knowing about it. Keith raised a guilty eyebrow and shook his head.

"The only people I've told are you and Mrs. Lyons," Keith said, and Fritz knew that Keith had only told him because he wanted his trip to the airport to go unnoticed. And because he was practically bursting with the secret. They hadn't seen Veronica since Keith and Lance's wedding. She'd been the only McClain ok with the idea of Lance marrying Keith. Well, her and Lance's nephew, Mateo. Fritz didn't know all of what happened with that, only that Lance's relationship with his mom and brothers was never the same after they found out. Fritz thought that the middle brother, Marco, had just started talking to Lance again, a little bit, but the eldest boy was stone cold on the subject, and it hit Lance hard when he found out that his mother had passed away two years ago without forgiving or accepting him. Fritz suspected that it was Keith's tender support of Lance's grief that might have brought Marco around, but he couldn't be sure. He was sure; however, that no one looking at Keith and Lance together for even a minute could ever doubt that they were in love. Fritz had known it even before the boys had figured it out for themselves, and they had only grown since then.

"That's going to be some surprise," Fritz told Keith, who looked as though he weren't sure if it was going to be a good surprise or a maybe he should have let Lance know kind of surprise. Sometimes surprises made Lance nervous and overwhelmed. "How many kids do they have now?"

"Two," Keith answered. "Briana's seven and Martín is maybe five now. Mateo almost brought his girlfriend too, but she ended up not able to come."

"Still – it's quite a house full," Fritz mused, and Keith took the opportunity of Fritz making the final count to lift the dog food. Fritz should have known that Keith wouldn't let him carry it, even though he could have.

"Would you grab the bowls?" Keith asked on his way to the van, so Fritz scooped them up and followed. On the way he noticed that Angie and Melody had the kitchen wrapped up and gleaming. The boys were still out of sight, but Fritz could hear Kade arguing with Jonah as he passed the bottom of the staircase.

"Dad said no," Jonah was repeating, firmly.

"Said no to what?" Keith called up, pausing at the stairs to resolve the conflict.

"You said not to bring any pillows or blankets," Jonah said.

"Right," Keith backed up his oldest son. "No pillows, no blankets, you know Bella Lion has all that stuff already, and only one stuffed animal to sleep with, Kade. The van is going to be too full for anything more than that."

Fritz almost opened his mouth to offer some space in his vehicle before he remembered that it wasn't his place to be that helpful. Melenor really would have everything they needed at her place already, including extra toothbrushes and the traditional new pajamas. Melenor really loved being a grandmother.

"Aww, Daddy, just one?" Melody echoed from somewhere behind them. Fritz half turned to see her straightening out the coats and winter things with Angie, draping them over the couches in the living room to make sure everyone had both boots, both mittens, and a pair of snow pants each. New Year's visits usually involved plenty of outdoor play, so everyone needed all their gear, especially if it was going to snow as much as they said it was going to. "But what about Hector and Rupert?"

Fritz watched Keith melt a little and knew he'd given in just that easy. Fritz couldn't blame him. He'd been where these kids came from. It made it harder for him to say no. That's what Lance was for. "You can bring them," he told her quietly, and she broke into a smile of triumph.

"Who are Hector and Rupert?" Fritz wondered as they went to the van together.

"Hmm? Oh, these little . . I think they're supposed to be a rhinoceros and a hippo . . . Lance made them for her. They're her favorites; she's always got them in her pockets. They're small."

"You know," Fritz chuckled. "If she's bringing two . . ."

"Yeah, I know. It means they're all bringing two." Except Jonah, probably, who had just about grown out of sleeping with stuffed animals. Though Fritz knew that Lance bought him a wolf when he first arrived in the house, before Cosmo, and Jonah used to carry it everywhere he went and still had the shabby thing on his bed somewhere. "Whatever. Mrs. Lyons has the space."

Once back inside, Fritz went with Keith to the basement where they quickly went through some older bins of winter things, knowing that Veronica and her family were likely not equipped for the temperatures of Chicago. Fritz held a big black garbage bag as Keith tossed in some coats, boots, hats, and mittens that might fit Veronica's children. They stuffed it in the back next to Cosmo's food. Next came a small parade of McClains with their little suitcases; Kade wearing his glasses victoriously.

"They were in the hamper," he said, handing Keith his bag. Keith shook his head.

"Glad you found them," he replied casually, like hunting for Kade's glasses happened all the time. Knowing Kade, it probably did.

Keith did one last run through the house, just like Fritz had, to check for lights left on and make sure the back door was locked. When he came out, he had the handles of one of Lance's knitting bags looped over his wrist. He gave the front doorknob one last twist for good measure and then told Cosmo to load up in the van.

"Ready for this?" Keith asked them, mostly Angie.

"We'll follow you," Fritz confirmed before taking his wife's hand and leading her back to the car, once again opening her door for her. He didn't think he'd ever fully get out of that habit.

"Bet you're glad you're riding with me," Fritz joked as they watched the full van pass them, Kade and Melody pushed up against the window and waving at them as they went by. Angie had her head back against the seat, her eyes already closed. A vision of loveliness.

"It's quieter," she allowed, but then reached over to squeeze his bicep. "But yes, if I have my preferences, I will always choose you."

Fritz knew that, had heard her say it so many times, but it never got old. That phrase still sent a wash of warmth over his spirit, better than liquor and longer lasting. She chose him. Could have had anyone in the world or been fine with no one at all and she was with him.

"You going to come sledding with us when we get there?" Fritz offered, even though he already knew the answer.

"Someone's got to stay inside to have the hot chocolate ready for when you come in," she denied. "And I'll make sure the first aid kit is handy."

"Duct tape and paper towels ought to work just fine," Fritz needled her, and she opened one eye to half glare at him. He didn't tell her how many times he'd bandaged a wound that probably needed stitches in just that way. That was before he met her, so it didn't count.

"I was thinking more the Icy Hot when you overdo it," she countered, and he laughed even though he knew she was right. Sledding all morning was starting to have consequences now that he'd turned sixty.

He let her rest after that, concentrating on keeping a steady distance behind Keith's van. Sometimes it seemed to him that Angie had put off all the breaks she should have taken during her career until after it was over. And now that she didn't have to be ready every second for an emergency, her body was taking full advantage of it. He knew she'd be asleep five minutes into the drive and wouldn't wake up until they got there. Just as well. Angie liked New Year's just as much as anyone, but three whole days in someone else's house would wear her out no matter how much she loved the company. He wasn't sure if she'd always been like that or if it had something to do with living by herself for almost half a century. Either way, he did what he could to conserve her energy.

The drive to Oak Brook took a good forty minutes, and Fritz spent most of it imagining what was ahead of him this weekend. Melenor would have the guest rooms all done up, especially the kids' room. She'd redone an entire section of her house specifically so all the cousins could sleep in the same room like one big camping trip. There were bunk beds built into the walls, with ladders and chests and curtains like something out of Harry Potter, and enough room that twelve adults could sleep in there comfortably. Melenor herself would probably spend at least one night in there with them, telling stories and turning on that special lamp that projected all the constellations onto the ceiling. Hunk and Pidge had brought it to her one year as a hostess gift.

The kids had already requested that sledding be the first activity as soon as they arrived. The grounds had ample space and hillsides for it. After that, there would be lunch and the two littlest, Desmond and Muriel, would take naps while the bigger kids and grownups would take out some of Alfor's snow machines.

There would be more snowmen, probably a bonfire on New Year's Day or Sunday, and cooking and stories. Pidge usually put together some kind of picture slideshow, complete with a music playlist from Hunk, constructed of all those random photos that got passed around as they all spoke to each other in text and email so they could see what they'd done and how they'd grown and changed in the past year. Angie loved that part of the festivities especially well.

Alfor probably had sparklers, champagne, and cider for whoever managed to stay awake until midnight. Hunk would take the kids and make a traditional New Year's cake. Somehow, he'd always manage to sneak a coin into the batter without them noticing, and the person who found it in their slice was promised good fortune in the coming year. Last year, it was in Alfor's piece, but he'd switched at the last second so that Melody could get it instead. They all had their specialties and things they loved best, but Fritz was looking forward to all of it. It was just the sort of big family traditional gathering that he'd loved himself as a child growing up, and it didn't matter how old he got, it still filled him with joy. Especially since he'd almost given up on the idea that he'd ever have a family to enjoy these days with him.

Daydreaming about all the traditions surrounding the holiday, it didn't seem very long before Fritz was following Keith past the front gates of the estate, the monstrous alabaster lions standing guard. When Melenor gave larger parties than this, all the guests would pull through the circle drive and a valet would park all the cars, but since this was an intimate family gathering, they would all park on the east side of the house to use the side entrance by the kitchen. It was a favorite door for the kids as it gave them easy access to the seemingly never-ending backyard, but they could still stop in frequently for a cookie or sandwich without having to take their boots and coats off. And even though Melenor called that space small there would still be plenty of room for half a dozen cars.

The kids were just popping out of the van one by one, and Fritz was gently waking Angie, when the welcoming committee began to flood out of the place. Melenor came out first holding Muriel wrapped in a blanket in her arms with Alfor a step behind her. They both looked exactly the same as they had a year ago, straight and elegant; they never seemed to change or age at all.

There was a frenzy of welcomes and hugs and unloading of bags as the Lyons ushered them into their home where Peter and Allura were just finishing up breakfast in the kitchen. Melody quickly took custody of Muriel, who had no objections to leaping into her cousin's arms, while Jonah led Desmond off by the hand, and they all disappeared quickly into the maze-like expanse of the Castle.

"Don't forget to put your bags in the guest room!" Keith called after them, but Melenor shushed him.

"Oh, they've got all day to get their things settled," she soothed him. "They've been cooped up in car seats for an hour; let them play." This was her house, so of course she handled everything that happened inside of it with familiar grace, but it seemed no matter how many years Keith came here, the splendor of the place overwhelmed him, especially the idea of one of the kids damaging something within these walls. Fritz couldn't blame him; they'd both grown up in humble circumstances, and this house seemed more like a fancy hotel to him than a house. It would be easier to loosen up once they'd been here for a while, as more people started showing up.

Fritz's attention was pulled away from the disappearing kids and back to the kitchen table as Angie elbowed him gently in the side. He couldn't really see why she'd done it until she pulled his head down to whisper in his ear. "Look at Allura."

He obeyed, watching Allura hug Keith tight and then bend down to massage her hands into the mane of fur around Cosmo's neck, greeting them both warmly and asking about Lance. She was lovely as always, her white hair braided back from her face. She wore a festive, maroon-colored sweater dress over cream-colored leggings, and Fritz wasn't sure why Angie had told him to look at her until she finally stood straight and still for a second and Peter came up behind her to put his hands around waist. Or what would have been her waist if there wasn't a very conspicuous bump.

"Is she pregnant?" Fritz whispered to Angie, because nowadays you couldn't be too careful about guessing that kind of thing. Ang gave him a look before gliding to fuss over Allura.

"Congratulations, honey," Angie said immediately, and Keith met Fritz's eyes behind Angie's back, looking confused. Fritz just smiled at him, knowing he'd figure it out in a minute, secretly grateful that he wasn't the only man in the house who had missed something so obvious, though Keith maybe should have noticed a little faster. He'd hugged her after all. "A March baby by the looks of things, yes?"

"The twentieth," Allura confirmed, her eyes sparkling with pleasure as her hands covered her husband's on top of her belly. Fritz was happy to see her so happy to be a mother again. She'd spent most of her last pregnancy absolutely terrified.

"A boy this time," Peter said, his voice full of love and pride. Keith made a disbelieving noise but hurried to congratulate them both. He mentioned how excited Lance would be to learn of the newest member of the family, which was so accurate. Lance was second only to Peter when it came to guarding Allura when she was expecting.

"That's fantastic," Fritz added his congratulations, shaking Peter's hand and carefully embracing Allura. To him, she would always be the sharp and fierce woman in Lance's old apartment, hauling out the packed boxes of his things and shaming Lance's pathetic roommate into tears. Fritz's respect for her began in Lance's abandoned bedroom and had only continued to grow the longer he knew her. When she looked him in the eye after they hugged, he could see the memories of their first meeting mirrored back at him. They both remembered very clearly the day they'd decided to be allies, to be part of Lance's family forever. Seemed they both still agreed it was the best choice.

After that, the day started to blur together with things happening and rapidly changing with various groups of people. Breakfast was offered and declined, things tidied, bags brought in from cars and divided into guest rooms. As the oldest couple in the house, Fritz and Angie had a room on the bottom floor with their own bathroom, tucked into a quiet wing in case they needed a break from all the rowdiness that was sure to happen. Keith and Lance were upstairs, closer to the children's room, with Allura and Peter down the hall to the other side, close to Melenor and Alfor's master bedroom. Hunk and Pidge would take the room they had last year, with their exchange student having her pick to either stay in the kids' room on a bunk bed or she could take a pull-out bed in Alfor's study. Mateo had a daybed near the kitchen that one of Melenor's staff would sometimes use if she needed them to stay extra late or start freakishly early. That would give Veronica and her husband, Solomon, the last guest room on the ground floor. Amazingly, Fritz thought that there were parts of the Castle that he still hadn't seen yet, and he did take some time to appreciate how Melenor had decorated for the event, sprays of silver and gold, candles and lace, everything draped and sparkling to welcome the New Year.

It wasn't long before the kids were back from roaming the house, begging to go outside. Keith, Fritz, and Peter bundled them up to go sledding, as promised. It was cold and clouds were gathering, but the children were undeterred. They rolled large balls of snow and constructed snow lions to mimic the ones at the gates, as well as several families of snowmen. Fritz caught Keith checking his phone several times, but when he asked about Lance, he learned that Keith was getting updates from Hunk and Pidge as they made their way the two and a half hours drive south from Madison. Nothing from Lance, which was normal and yet there was disappointment on Keith's face.

"He'll be here, son," Fritz promised, knowing that Lance's shift wasn't even over yet, and it was too early to expect any news from him.

"I know," Keith answered, with a weariness of someone who has suffered through waits like this many times. He looked at his phone once more before replacing it in his back pocket. Fritz stopped asking about Lance, but he was the only one.

Melenor asked when they came back inside for a hot chocolate break. Alfor asked when they were getting the snowmobiles up and running for a long tour of the grounds. Hunk and Pidge asked almost immediately when they arrived sometime after lunch.

"He had to take a last-minute shift," Keith responded, patiently for a man who had to say this nineteen times already today. Fritz saw his hands clench, though, his thumbs running along the edges of his fingerless gloves. "He'll be here in time for dinner, he said."

"Sure, he will," Pidge said dubiously as Hunk led Yuka into the Lyons home. She wore a long wool poncho-type thing instead of a coat, and did what most people did when they entered the house for the first time – stopped dead in her tracks and stared with her mouth partly open. Hunk pulled her out of it by making rounds of introductions.

"Yuka, this is Mr. and Mrs. Lyons – it's their house, and um, well looks like we've got some of the kids. I'll go over their names when they're standing still." Fritz didn't blame Hunk for giving up on trying to name the kids as they went in and out of the rooms. They were inside warming themselves for a minute with a game of hide-and-seek so it really was impossible. Hunk moved on, allowing Yuka to learn everyone's name. "And this is Dr. Delacroix and her husband, Fritz." Fritz always found it humorous how no one had a problem saying his name, but when it came to his wife, most of the young adults couldn't bring themselves to address her by anything except her full title. Her bearing still commanded a level of respect, and he found it fitting that she got it.

Yuka held out her hand as though she'd practiced it a hundred times. Fritz took it, shaking it formally. "My name is Yukako," the girl said with a heavy Japanese accent. "But you can call me Yuka." She then presented him with a tiny, origami star folded from glittery red paper. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year," Fritz echoed, matching her slower speech. She smiled in a way that said she was pleased that she'd done an American greeting correctly and then went back to everyone she'd already met to also give them origami stars and good wishes for the new year.

"And this is Keith," Hunk continued after she'd finished. "Most of the little ones you see running around are his."

As he said his name, Hunk put a brotherly arm around Keith, who leaned into him in automatic, peaceful trust. Fritz loved watching that, how Hunk, Pidge, Keith, and Lance interacted with each other. The ease and trust of those particular four was an honor to witness. True friendship, tested and tried over so many years. Such a rare and precious thing that they'd managed to keep so close, despite living two time zones apart.

"Good to see you, man," Hunk told Keith, who wordlessly nodded, taking comfort from Hunk just being next to him.

Keith let go of Hunk's shoulder after a minute to turn toward Yuka, giving her a practiced bow. "Yoroshiku," he said. Fritz had no idea what it meant, but Yuka certainly seemed to. She automatically bowed back and asked Keith a very quick question that Fritz also didn't understand.

Keith held up his hands and breathed out something that sounded like, "Iie." But then thought about it a little more and said, "Sukoshi."

"Keith lived in Japan for a while," Pidge told Yuka, who seemed extremely pleased with the whole encounter. A little bit of familiarity for her that helped ease her into the space. Keith could be surprisingly good at that. "When he was in the Air Force."

"Honto, desu ka?" Yuka exclaimed at Keith, and he nodded. Fritz had forgotten that, forgotten those years when Keith's location wasn't always clear or even known. The years he and Lance were trying to protect each other.

Jonah came running past then, but he jerked to a stop at the sight of the newcomers. "Uncle Hunk!" He cried and his face split into the biggest smile Fritz had seen from him yet today, reminding him that Jonah was still twelve, even though he acted so much older most of the time. "Don't move! Hey guys; I'm not playing anymore!" Then he dashed off to where he'd left his bag upstairs.

"Oh, yeah, hi, Jonah, nice to see you, too; wow, it's been a whole year, hasn't it, look how tall you are," Pidge muttered quickly after he left. Keith brought the back of his hand to his mouth to stifle any laughter while Yuka looked back and forth between them, confused.

"He's happy to see you too," Keith vouched for his son. "I think he has an engineering question is all."

Pidge pouted, but only until Jonah came rushing back with his sketchbook and hugged her too. "Hi, Aunt Pidge . . oh, and . ." Jonah looked at Yuka with confusion, not used to there being a third person with Hunk and Pidge.

"Yuka," the older teenager supplied her name, and Fritz watched Jonah swallow.

"Yuka," he repeated, but moved on again quickly. "Uncle Hunk, could you look over my plans? I want to make, you know, one of those set ups where you push over a domino or something and it starts all these reactions –"

"A Rube Goldberg machine," Pidge gave him the name for what he was talking about.

"Sure," Jonah accepted readily, though Pidge could have told him literally anything and he would have agreed with it. "Can you look?"

"I can if Mrs. Lyons doesn't need me in the kitchen," Hunk said, turning toward Melenor, who was checking in on the arrival from upstairs, looking over the banister. In the beginning, Hunk had prepared dinner for New Year's Eve, but now that there were so many of them, Melenor had started having it mostly catered to prevent Hunk being trapped in the kitchen any longer than he wanted to be. He still cooked plenty, usually with a troop of enthusiastic family members as assistant chefs.

"Not for a while yet," their hostess replied magnanimously, and Jonah did a small "yes" gesture with his arm.

"All right, bro," Hunk invited. "Let me say hello to everyone and then show me what you're thinking."

Jonah led Hunk and Pidge away, with Yuka looking torn on whether she wanted to follow them or stay with Keith, but in the end, she followed Pidge. Fritz pointed out to Angie that both Yuka and Jonah were taller than Pidge.

"We all knew Jonah would be tall," Angie replied, watching them go. "He'll probably be taller than even you, love," she said to Keith, who stood still and spacey where Hunk had left him.

"What? Oh, yeah, probably," he said, as Cosmo leaned against his legs and Angie met Fritz's eyes, hers brimming with sympathy. Fritz didn't understand completely, but it seemed that the more people who arrived in the house, the emptier it became for Keith. As pieces came together, it just made it more obvious what was still missing.

"Keith?" Fritz said his name, waking him up a little.

"Yeah," he responded automatically, tucking his gift from Yuka into his pocket. "I'd . . better get going to the airport."

Fritz stopped himself from pointing out that it was still a little early. "Did you want me to go with you, son?" He asked instead, knowing that Keith probably needed some time to himself but wanting to offer anyway.

"No, I got it. The van will be crowded enough with the five of them and their luggage." Keith knelt down to let Cosmo lick his face. "You stay here too, boy. Watch the kids for me." Cosmo whined as Keith stood up, not wanting to be left behind. "Watch." Keith gave the command again, firmer this time, and Cosmo stalwartly trotted away after Jonah.

"Good dog," Keith whispered, then seemed to realize that Fritz and Angie were still standing next to him. "Thanks. I'll be back soon."

He turned toward the kitchen, already fishing his keys out of his pocket when Allura called down the stairs to him.

"Keith? Are you on your way to pick up Lance?"

Keith flinched slightly before pausing to answer her. "No. His shift's not over yet."

"Oh," Allura's face fell. "I just thought you might be since it started snowing. Lance isn't the best. . . but wait, if you're not picking him up, where are you going?"

"Airport," Keith clipped, keeping his answers short. "I'm picking up Veronica and her family."

"Veronica?" Allura seemed confused for half a second before her eyes widened in realization. "How did you convince her to . . . oh, never mind, that's wonderful! I'd better let Mother know." And before Keith could mention that Melenor already did know, that Keith had made sure that she knew so there would be enough space at the table and enough beds made, Allura had disappeared down the upstairs hall in search of her mother. Keith shrugged and continued toward the door.

"Keith," Angie called, grabbing his arm on the way out. He turned to consider her, and Fritz hoped that Angie could read his expression better than he could, that she could say something to comfort him the way Fritz could see he obviously needed it. Maybe she could, but the only thing she said was, "be safe."

Keith smiled at her, the way he did sometimes that let Fritz know that Keith cared about Angelique almost as much as Lance did. That she might as well have been their mother; it's just that Keith had been without one so long that he wasn't always sure how to handle their interactions. He took her hand in both of his and squeezed it gently.

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "See you soon."

He passed her off to Fritz and disappeared, leaving both of them standing there watching him go.

"Do you think he's all right?" Angie asked quietly. "He met that girl and . . . changed. Do you suppose she triggered some kind of bad memory for him?"

Fritz nuzzled into Angie's neck, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "Who knows?" He said, knowing he didn't have enough information to even guess at an answer. Keith got weird sometimes. He'd go silent; space out. Stare at his hands. Lance was obviously best in knowing how to pull him out of it, but sometimes Cosmo or Jonah could do it. "He'll get himself settled before he gets back. He just needs a break."

"Hmm," Angie hummed thoughtfully, leaning against Fritz's chest.

"How about you?" Fritz asked. "Do you need a break?"

She turned in his arms, holding him around the waist. "Not yet," she answered. "Let's go see what the others are up to."

They made a round of the house together to check in on everyone. Alfor and Peter had Kade in the garage, working on one of the snowmobile engines that needed some work after being run hard all afternoon. Melenor and Allura were with Melody, Muriel, and Desmond. Melody held up her newly painted nails for them to admire. Meanwhile, downstairs in the den next to the fireplace, Hunk, Pidge, Yuka, and Jonah had their heads together over Jonah's notebook, deep into a discussion about the laws of motion and the mathematics of angles, force, and exertion. Angie took a seat near the fire and Fritz sat down next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders as Cosmo came to rest his head in Fritz's lap. It was all so very comfortable and comforting that before Fritz knew it, Angie was shaking him a little, smiling at him fondly.

He sat up, noticing that they were alone in the den all of a sudden, and then pieced together what must have happened.

"I think I fell asleep," he admitted, and Angie raised an eyebrow at him.

"You did," she let him know, standing from the couch. "Come on. It sounds like Keith's back."

Fritz stretched himself up from the couch, twisting his back to see if it would crack. Falling asleep sitting up on couches might be getting more common for him these days, but it wasn't his favorite way to nap. Out in the huge entryway, he could hear the echoes of excitement as everyone gathered to greet Veronica and the others. By the time Fritz and Angie got there, he could hardly see them, so he made his way around the clump of people to get to Keith, who stood a little apart, smiling softly and petting Cosmo, who had returned to his side like a magnet.

"No trouble?" Fritz asked, checking his watch.

"No," Keith answered, though there was something in his voice.

"How are the roads?" Was Fritz's next question, which got more of a reaction out of Keith.

"Not great. It's coming down hard enough I'm surprised the flight wasn't canceled."

Fritz wasn't sure what to do about that. Wind, snow, and sunset was a bad combination. He'd told himself he wasn't going to ask about Lance anymore, but if the weather was turning, they might have to make some plans. "Have you heard from Lance?"

"Not yet," Keith said. "But I need to get ahold of him. No one should be driving in this, not that far." He said no one, but they all knew that Lance wasn't the best driver, especially after dark, in the snow, after a very long day.

"Are you going to go get him?" Angie asked worriedly, knowing what it would mean for Lance to be alone, especially tonight. Keith looked toward the main French doors as if he could see outside, could see all the way to where Lance was still working, gauging what the best decision would be for this.

"Yeah," Keith finally said, as though he'd just decided. "But I don't think we should come back. If I go get him, we'll end up at the house until at least tomorrow morning."

"That's better than him being alone," Angie agreed, some tension leaving her shoulders. "And it isn't supposed to snow all weekend, is it?"

"No, it's not," Fritz said, as if that settled everything. Then he pushed forward to shake hands with Solomon, Veronica's husband, greeting him and reminding him who Fritz was since it had been such a long time since they'd seen each other. Sol was built like a bear, the cuddly kind, with dark curly hair and large, strong hands. He owned a mechanic shop in Florida, and dealt in racecars on the side, and Fritz had only seen him once before this. Same with Veronica, and he hadn't met their children at all. At the moment, they were joking with Allura about how cold it was here and how they'd been coerced into coming.

Allura embraced Veronica as if they really were sisters, with Veronica keeping a hand on Allura's back when they separated and whispering in her ear, obviously congratulating her on her pregnancy. Allura leaned her head against Veronica's shoulder. Fritz felt a wave of contentment at the sight. It looked almost familiar to him because even though she wore glasses and had her hair in one long braid halfway down her back, Veronica looked very much like Lance. Her skin was the same shade of brown, and her eyes were also blue. But even she had nothing on Mateo, Lance's nephew, who looked exactly the way Lance used to when he was twenty-two – tall, gangly, and a little out of place. Mateo had come to live with Veronica shortly after Eva died. Lance said he'd always wanted to come to the US, and even though his father wasn't happy about it, no one could deny that it was an opportunity that shouldn't be dismissed. He was taking classes at a community college and helped his uncle Sol in his shop.

Once Alfor learned that Solomon and Mateo were mechanics, he invited them into the garage to help him and Peter with the snowmobile motor and take a look at some of his classic cars. They looked only too happy to be included in something that they understood.

Meanwhile, the McClain children were over the moon, excitedly surrounding Briana and Martín to welcome them. Imagine! New cousins that they weren't even expecting to be here! Melody latched on to Briana immediately while Kade began asking Martín questions about where he lived and how the trip was and were they staying the entire time and how did he feel about cake because Kade thought it was about time to start making the New Year's cake with Hunk.

"Now wait," Allura cut into Kade's chatter, laughing at his enthusiasm. "They've had a long day; why don't you show them their rooms first?"

"Right!" Kade readily agreed, holding out his hand to Martín. "Come on and see! Bella Lion built beds into the wall and there's . . there's this light that shines stars all over the ceiling." And just like that, all the kids were gone again. Fritz wondered at how it always seemed that the more children you gathered into a place, the less you saw them.

"Guess I'd better get started on the cake," Hunk mused, smiling at Pidge, who was rolling her eyes. "They'll be back in five minutes."

"We haven't even had dinner yet," she pointed out, but Hunk just shrugged. He never needed much excuse for baking. She followed him into the kitchen, along with Melenor, who decided that it probably was time to get dinner going.

"Please, bring your notebook," Yuka told Jonah as she gestured for him to come with her. "I have some more ideas."

Veronica blinked as the swarm of people who had been all around her dissipated just as quickly. Allura laughed quietly at the expression on her face and patted her arm. "You get used to it," she said.

Allura looped her hand through Veronica's elbow and steered her toward the kitchen, saying they'd take care of getting luggage put away soon. Angie touched Fritz on the shoulder.

"I'm going to see if they need me in the kitchen," she told him. The dinner was catered, but since Melenor didn't want to keep any staff away from their families during the holiday, it was brought over early and then Melenor, Allura, and whoever else wanted to help, would unpack it and do the finishing touches like baking or prepping a salad dressing. Fritz usually helped the children with setting the table, but they wouldn't be ready for that until later.

He turned to say something to Keith, only to find that he'd disappeared as quickly and quietly as the kids, and Fritz was standing alone in the entryway.

"Ok," he said to himself, deciding which direction he wanted to go. He thought he'd better find Keith first, but before he could move, there was a sharp crackle of static that fractured through the entire house, startling him just as effectively as gunfire. He heard several surprised screams from the kitchen and two quick barks from Cosmo upstairs. There was one last shriek of feedback that resolved quickly into the soft strum of a ukulele and then Israel Kamakawiwoʻole started singing "What a Wonderful World." That's when Fritz understood what happened. Hunk had plugged into the Castle's PA system and converted it to his playlist, filling the house with music. Looks like the party was really starting now that they were almost all here. Only one person missing.

Judging from where Cosmo's bark had come from, Fritz now knew exactly where Keith had gone – upstairs to his room. On his way there, Fritz poked his head in on the children, who were rearranging the bedding situation to accommodate Briana and Martín. Or maybe they were making a very large blanket fort. Either way, they were occupied, and the room was full of the bubbling glee of small children having a good time with each other.

Keith's room, on the other hand, was completely dark. To the point that Fritz didn't see Cosmo come over to greet him until the black dog touched his hand with his cold nose. As his eyes adjusted, Fritz could make out Keith, standing at the window, one hand holding the curtains out of the way so he could check on the weather outside, the other pushing buttons on his phone.

"The kids seem to be getting along," Fritz said, making his way into the room. He stayed by the door until he knew he had Keith's attention.

"Yeah," Keith agreed. "I just checked on them."

Fritz took more steps inside, wanting to also check out the window. Keith's room had a view of the backyard, which would have been completely black had it not been for the golden decorative lights that lit up all the trees and captured the snowfall in miniature essence all over the yard. Sure enough, the snow was piling up quick. Already the lions they'd made that morning were shrouded into lumpy mounds. Fritz stopped himself from whistling; the tension was already high enough in here.

Meanwhile, Keith was still dialing numbers. The drive time to get to the hospital would get him there after five, so he had to tell Lance to stay put and wait for him to get there. But it looked as though Lance wasn't answering his cell phone, which was common while he was on the floor. Having had no luck getting Lance on his cell, Keith dialed the hospital operator, knowing at least that way he'd have a live person who could help find him.

"UChicago Medicine, how may I direct your call?"

Keith leaned against the window frame and wasted no time getting to his point. "I need to speak to Dr. Lance McClain in the emergency room."

"Hold, please, while I transfer you."

Fritz sat on the bed, watching a memory of how his own life used to be. Waiting for Angelique, wondering if she'd be ok to drive herself home, wondering if she'd be done on time or called away early. Prepping himself for the possibility that she may be too exhausted upon arrival to do anything but collapse into bed, no matter what sort of plans they'd made beforehand. Remembering times when he'd been pulled away from her to respond to a situation himself. Is this how he'd looked? Maybe, but somehow, he doubted it. Keith had always been hyper-alert in his protectiveness.

Keith had to repeat Lance's name twice more before the transfers passed him to the nurse's desk at the ER. "Yes," he said again. "Dr. Lance McClain, could you please page him for me? This is his husband; I need to talk to him."

There was a shuffle on the line, some murmurings on the other side, conversations happening outside of Keith. Fritz could hear short phrases like, "can you check?" and "I don't think so," before the nurse who was talking to Keith passed the phone to someone else.

"Dr. McClain left about ten minutes ago," the new nurse informed Keith, and Fritz saw his hand clench against the window frame.

"Are you sure?" Keith questioned. "He's not in a triage room or a break room or something? I thought his shift didn't end until five."

"It didn't, but we did some last-minute rescheduling due to the weather. I promise, Dr. McClain is gone for the day. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Keith stared at the phone with the same expression he would have given the nurse had he been standing in front of her. Fritz was glad she couldn't see him. "No," he said simply. "Thank you."

They both hung up quickly. The nurse had other things to do, certainly, and Keith was in a hurry to call Lance again, hoping to catch him somehow. Except the call went straight to voicemail.

"Damn it, Lance," Keith hissed after the third attempt.

"Calm down, son," Fritz instructed. So Lance had left early before Keith could go get him. So what? Nothing was wrong, not really, not yet. But Fritz could feel it, sinking in the depths of the snow outside, setting like the sun. Nothing was wrong, but the potential of what could happen was breathing on the back of Keith's neck, and the lack of control over it was ratcheting his muscles tense. Cosmo jumped up, putting his front paws on Keith's chest, but Keith stepped away from the animal, on his way downstairs.

"Now, wait a minute, Keith," Fritz said, following him. "Where do you think you're going?" It wasn't like Keith could go after Lance now, not if he'd already left. There wasn't really anything to do except go back to the original plan, which was to just continue with the festivities as normal until Lance arrived.

The truth was it didn't look like Keith really knew where he wanted to go; he just had to move. He paused by the kids' room one more time, listening instead of interrupting them by looking in. Then he continued rushing downstairs and into the kitchen, surprising everyone with the intensity of his entrance.

"Whoa, Keith, where's the fire?" Pidge asked from the table near Yuka and Jonah. Melenor jumped and Veronica dropped the spoon she was holding. Only Allura and Angelique seemed unruffled by his arrival.

"Oh," Angie said as she noticed Fritz coming in right behind Keith. "Are you going with him now?" She asked him curiously.

"Who's going where?" Pidge asked, her pitch a little sharper since no one had answered her first question yet. "What are we talking about?"

"Keith's picking up Lance," Allura supplied while Veronica gathered her spoon off the floor. She looked immediately excited that she wouldn't have to wait too much longer to surprise her brother. Keith looked like he'd made a mistake coming into the kitchen at all. With every question, Fritz could see more of his shoulder blades outlined in the fabric of his shirt. "And you're coming back here after, right?"

"Really, Dad?" Jonah piped in. "Can I come with you?"

"Hold up," Fritz commanded, using his officer voice for efficient silence to work through this and calm Keith down. "Relax, everyone, no one's going anywhere."

"No?" Angie checked, looking at them both. "When did the plan change?"

"When Lance decided to leave work early and not say a word about it," Keith said vehemently, obviously taking it personally. Angie softened, smiling tenderly at Keith.

"Ah, well," she said, trying to ease him. "He probably wanted to surprise you by arriving earlier than expected. You can't fault him for that."

Keith gave her the kind of stare that might have withered a weaker person, but Fritz didn't think anyone could outglare his wife. Not even Keith.

"He should have waited for me," Keith insisted as the others in the room began exchanging glances. Fritz heard Allura talking softly to Veronica in Spanish, hopefully explaining why Keith was so upset but that there wasn't any reason for everyone to get anxious. "He shouldn't be driving in this."

"You would have done the same thing," Pidge reminded him. "You know nothing would keep him from getting here."

It was obvious from Keith's expression that he did know all of this. Knew Lance would do anything to be with them tonight. He knew that he wouldn't have let a snowstorm stop him. But still, Keith had been a fighter pilot. And now he flew the Life Flight helicopter for the hospital. He was highly trained and heavily experienced to handle driving several varieties of vehicle in this kind of weather. But that wasn't the issue. The biggest difference was that Keith would rather put himself into danger a million times over rather than even think about Lance being in the slightest trouble.

"We could call him?" Veronica suggested. "Make sure he's all right?"

"No," Keith almost snapped the response, shutting her down immediately. "No one call him. I already tried. He isn't answering; he's driving. No one give him any reason to be distracted on the road."

"What if we tracked him?" Jonah chimed in, and several heads turned to look at him. He shrank slightly under the attention, focusing on Pidge. "Aunt Pidge, you can track his phone, can't you? Then we could see where he is all the way until he gets here."

"That's a great idea, Jonah," Angie complimented, causing several people to echo her and Jonah to bow under the praise. There were still some things he wasn't used to. Pidge looked so proud of him she might burst.

"You're a genius," she told him, and coming from her that meant everything. She dropped off her chair. "I'll be right back with my laptop."

"There," Angie said, mostly for Keith's benefit. "Now we can keep an eye on him."

Keith didn't look very comforted. He still looked like he wanted to dash out into the snow, or something. Hunk wisely guided him to the table, setting him up with a cutting board, some salad vegetables, and a sharp knife. Keith sighed, resigned, and took off his gloves so he could wash his hands, a gesture that meant he was giving in and exposing all his vulnerability.

Talk began around him, people telling stories that began with the words "remember that time?" Pidge came back with her computer, already tuned to Lance's phone. She placed it on the table, close to Keith, where he could watch the blinking red dot that was Lance coming steadily closer to them. And they all told Keith about the times when he'd been gone, when it was Lance sitting at the table, waiting for him to get back from a flight, or a tour, or anything at all, missing him every moment. They were so similar in their worry, in the way that they hated to be apart from each other. Keith kept his head bowed over the cutting board, listening but not responding. Cosmo folded himself under the table with his head protectively on Keith's boots.

Jonah kept the chatter up best, asking questions from his aunts, uncles, and grandparents about his parents, about what they were like and what happened to them before they were his parents, soaking it all in, asking for repeats of stories he'd already heard dozens of times. Fritz could tell that they would never get old. He remembered when Keith and Lance first made the decision to adopt Jonah. They'd been fostering him for several months, a clever, sweet boy who would remain in the foster system until he aged out of it like Keith had unless they stepped in and made him part of their family forever. They were scared and uncertain. He was the first child they couldn't bear to let go, but thought that maybe he might not want to be kept.

When they came to Jonah with the proposition, it was clear that they were worried about it. They didn't want to pressure Jonah into being their son, and they made sure that Jonah knew what kind of life he might have if it became known not only that he was adopted but that he had two fathers. Fritz and Angie had been there that day, so had Shiro, watching the proposal and acceptance, bearing witness to the moment they became a family. Jonah had looked amazed that they would even worry about something so strange. He didn't even know his biological father. Suddenly having two who loved and wanted him was his only wish and dream. And even now, years later, it seemed he still couldn't get enough of watching what loving, supportive relationships looked like or listening to stories of how they worked, endured, and thrived.

The rhythm of New Year's picked up, the way it was supposed to be. Hunk's music in the background, people weaving in and out of each other's way as dinner came together. Fingers, adult and children, stealing pieces off plates and trays, an olive, a cherry tomato, and being playfully batted away. Laughter and casual, fond touches. Veronica and Allura talking about the new baby. Alfor and the boys coming in from the garage. Fritz called in the children to start setting the long dining room table that could seat twenty-four, lined from one end to the other with candles, roses, and multiple sets of crystal salt and pepper shakers. It was almost perfect.

Until Keith pulled Pidge over to the laptop, asking her why the dot was no longer moving. It drew immediate attention, pausing almost everything else. Pidge blinked at the frozen screen, then reset the program. Then did it again.

"Why isn't it moving, Pidge?" Keith asked again, needing this to be some glitch in the tracking.

"I don't know," Pidge responded, not succeeding in keeping her voice as calm as she probably thought she had. "Could be anything. Heavy traffic. Maybe he stopped at a store or something."

"There's no store there," Keith returned, challenge heavy in his tone, even though none of this was anyone's fault. "There's nothing there. No reason to stop."

"Dad?" Jonah asked, but Angie hugged him from behind, whispering a shush in his ear. Hunk quickly gathered all the children to him so they could start on the New Year's cake.

"Pidge," Keith said her name again, as if she had any control over anything.

"Call him," she suggested, but she did it over her shoulder on her way out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Keith called after her, though he was pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"I'm getting my scanner!" She yelled back, and Fritz felt something like unease ruffle across the hair on his arms. He turned his attention to Keith, who dialed Lance's number. Then dialed it again.

"Come on," Keith muttered. "Pick up."

Something heavy and dark began to creep into the kitchen. Everyone could feel it. Cosmo sat at attention at Keith's feet, his sharp face turned up to watch Keith closely. The music lowered, so did everyone's eyes. Smiles slipped from their faces and talk was shut down to the most basic of instructions to put the rest of dinner on the table. Fritz wondered, after all that work and preparation, if anyone was going to eat after all.

After half a dozen tries to reach Lance, Pidge returned with one of her and Hunk's handmade radios that she never seemed to be without. She looked uncertain, a strange expression on her face that Fritz didn't understand. Probably because he'd never seen it on her. Pidge was always certain.

"It's an accident," Pidge spoke the sentence, knowing the damage it was going to do but also knowing she had to say it. Fritz unconsciously got closer to Keith, as if he might have to hold him down or back, as if he could. "A semi went into a skid and flipped over – took out another eight cars and blocked three lanes coming this way."

"Lance?" Keith asked, but Pidge shook her head.

"I don't know, Keith," she said, but gently. "He could be one of the eight, or he could just be stuck behind everyone in the bottleneck or . . ." She stopped herself, unable to continue with potential outcomes. "I just don't know."

"Is Papa ok?" Melody asked, and Fritz noticed that the McClain children had edged ever closer to the conversation once Pidge had come back, listening to maybe more than they should. They knew better than most that the stability of their life could never be taken for granted; that everything could change in an instant. Melody sounded scared. "Shouldn't he be here by now? Where is he?"

To his credit, Keith smiled at her calmly, cupping her face in his hand and kissing her forehead. "He's a little stuck," Keith said, as if it were nothing. As if he knew it was nothing. "But I'm going to go get him. I'll bring him home."

"Now, Keith, wait." It seemed Angelique, Allura, and Melenor all said a variation of the same thing at the same time. Fritz also interrupted.

"You know they won't let you even get close, boy," Fritz told Keith, hoping to speak some sense into him. "There's no point putting yourself at risk by leaving."

Keith turned to look at him, eyes sharp and dangerous. He didn't look like a father of four who sentimentally clung to his old university sweatshirt and made pancakes on Saturday mornings. With his eyes on fire and his jaw set so his scar jumped prominently into focus, he looked more like the Keith Fritz remembered from when they met, the angry boy with no hope and nothing to lose.

"He probably stopped to help," Angie said, and that made so much sense that it eased just about everyone except Keith. "He wouldn't have been able to pass something like that without at least trying to do something."

"She's right," Fritz emphasized.

Keith didn't look convinced or deterred. He looked two seconds from heading out the door anyway. He might have, if Desmond hadn't started crying, an emotional breakdown from all the pent-up tension in the room. Jonah went to him first, holding out his hands in an invitation to pick him up, but Desmond shook his head. Instead, he darted over to Keith, almost jumping at him. Keith scooped him up instinctually, looking dazed, looking as though he just had the wind knocked out of him.

"What's up, Desi," Keith soothed, rubbing the little boy's back as Desmond clutched Keith around the neck. Fritz was surprised; Desmond strongly preferred Lance to Keith right now, which was pretty typical for most of the kids, especially at first. With his scars and bearing, Keith was just scarier. That's why Jonah usually took over when Desmond needed cuddling when Lance wasn't around. This was a first.

"Don't go," Desmond whimpered, pushing his tiny body as close to Keith as possible. "Daddy, don't go."

"Oh God," Keith breathed and folded himself around Desmond. Unconsciously, everyone else made a tighter circle around them. Hunk reached out to grip Keith's shoulder. Angie burrowed into Fritz's side. Everyone was worried. Everyone was now holding back more than one kind of emotion. No one wanted to lose Lance, but no one wanted to see Keith leave either. Fritz wondered if maybe he should volunteer to go instead. He wasn't on the force anymore, but he still knew some people. He might be able to namedrop his way past the barrier.

"Turn the scanner on, Pidge," Keith instructed, still curled around his son.

"Um," Pidge hesitated only a second. "Ok." It seemed a better option to try and figure things out from the radio than have Keith or anyone else go out looking.

Meanwhile, Melenor clapped her hands. "Come on, everyone," she said authoritatively. "Into the dining room. It's time to eat."

Keith lifted his head slightly to stare at her, daring her to make him move out of hearing range of the scanner. But from the look on her face, she obviously didn't mean to make him do anything. "Take your time," she told him, then started ushering everyone else out of the room. "Kade, Melody – come on now." Fritz understood what she was doing. Trying to keep everyone as routine and normal as possible, trying to distract everyone from thinking about all they didn't know. Giving Keith some privacy if the news turned out to be bad.

One by one, adults and children left the kitchen, some more reluctantly than others. Pidge didn't move, though, and neither did Keith. Fritz slowly took one step toward the dining room, but his movement brought Keith's attention over to him.

"Fritz, will you stay?" Keith asked, and Fritz was only too relieved to honor the request. "You know the codes better than we do."

"Of course," Fritz agreed readily as Pidge tuned the scanner. They took seats at the kitchen table again, Desmond tucked up against Keith on his lap, quiet so long as he was in Keith's arms. Before too long, Hunk returned, along with Allura, Angelique, and Veronica. They had plates and cutlery in their hands, for themselves and also extra ones for Fritz, Keith, Pidge, and Desmond.

"Here," Hunk said the word almost like a command, even though Keith showed no sign of touching the food. He did pick up Desmond's fork, though, and gave him a couple of bites to get him started on his own. Fritz put food into his mouth automatically, not really tasting it even though this was a meal he normally looked forward to all year. All his focus was on the radio, listening through the characteristic static of the device for the clipped and distorted scraps of information, listening for clues on the make and model of any of the crashed vehicles. Listening for the code words the Highway Patrol used for casualties.

Information began stacking up as communication began between the officers arriving on scene and the medical teams coming behind them. Ages and genders of the victims along with some details of their injuries. Requests for additional assistance to clear the road – tow trucks, sweepers, plows. A mother with two minors in the backseat was mentioned. An older couple – presumed dead on impact. The semi driver seemed unhurt. A group of teenagers, including one who had been sitting squished in the middle of the back seat without a seatbelt who was now halfway sprawled across the hood. It was a triage nightmare. One man driving alone that was pinned behind his steering column. Keith made a strange sound hearing that detail, and Angelique grabbed onto Fritz hard. Fritz patted her hand, though he didn't feel any reassurance. He was hoping just like the rest of them. Don't be Lance. Not Lance.

Ambulances were racing to the mile marker as quickly as possible given the poor weather conditions. From several directions at once. Fritz listened hard for something, anything that would tell him about Lance. About why his tracking dot had still not moved from this place. It just couldn't happen. His life – it was so full. He'd already overcome so much. It wouldn't be fair; it wouldn't be right, for Lance to leave his family now. Leave all these people who loved him so fully and so well. To leave Angie – who had cared for him and accepted him better than his own mother. His real sister, Veronica, who he didn't even know was here waiting for him, and his adopted sister, Allura, who couldn't wait to tell him about the new baby. His children. And Keith – Fritz couldn't even think about what it would do to them. It would shatter the family; Lance was the heart of it. Had always been the heart of it. Fritz didn't speak Spanish, but he understood that word. Understood that Keith called Lance "my heart" all the time.

If Lance were pulled away, there was so much here at risk of dying. Nothing would ever be the same again. Fritz wasn't sure he wanted to listen to anymore, but since none of them seemed to be able to move, there wasn't much choice in it.

One on-scene officer came on the radio - prepping the medical teams rushing to join them with as much information as he could give. He rattled off the constantly changing counts and totals of what he knew thus far and directed the ambulance to where they were needed most. He mentioned that there was a team of four EMTs on scene already on the east side of the accident working on extracting the teenagers from where they'd slammed into the semi. Four EMTs, he said, and one off-duty ER doctor who had pulled over to assist.

Angelique burst into relieved tears, and Fritz almost melted onto the table. Hunk had his hands covering his face, and Pidge had sucked her lips tightly inside her mouth to try and keep everyone from seeing them tremble. It only lasted a few seconds before she just let her head hang, tears falling into her lap.

"It's got to be him," Pidge repeated, her voice constricted. "It just has to be."

Keith sat like a statue, dazed, breathing hard. Desmond looked around at everyone before twisting to look at Keith's face.

"Daddy?" He questioned, waiting for Keith to translate what was going on into what Desmond should be feeling about it.

"It's ok, Desi," Keith said hoarsely. "Eat your vegetables."

They sat quietly another few minutes, only Desmond moving, just basking in the relief. Allura was the first to break out of it, shaking herself slightly and standing up. Several pairs of eyes followed her questioningly.

"I think everyone in the other room would appreciate an update too," she explained, going to Keith's side and reaching down for Desmond.

"You're right," Angie agreed. "Maybe we should all go in." Chairs moved, the crushingly normal sounds returning as they stood to rejoin the rest of their family. Heart rates slowed, a fragile peace drifting around them like the scent of Hunk's baking.

Desmond wouldn't go with Allura, and Keith protested her carrying him anyway in her condition, but he went to Veronica easily enough, probably because of her resemblance to Lance. Fritz hesitated before leaving, he and Angie both keeping an eye on Keith, who didn't seem capable of getting up yet.

"Come on, love," Angie encouraged, holding out her hand to him as if to help him from the table. "It won't help to sit here waiting alone in the dark, and with a situation like that, he's going to be gone a long while yet."

Fritz encircled his wife's waist to lead her out, appreciating the attempt, but knowing that Keith was far away for a second, somewhere neither of them could reach. Hunk came around the table, though, and physically pulled Keith to his feet. He put a large hand against Keith's chest and the other on his back, leaning into him and talking low close to his ear. Keith nodded several times as he spoke, his eyes closing. Whatever Hunk was saying, it was getting through. When Fritz and Angie started walking to the dining room, Hunk and Keith followed.

They finished dinner, and the ones who hadn't put it on the table volunteered quickly enough to clean up afterward. Hunk chased the kids away from the cooling cake, telling them to go get ready for bed and then maybe it would be ready to frost. Melenor brought out new matching sets of pajamas for all the children, just like she did every year. The music continued; the lights were dimmed in all the corners of the house, giving it a wholesome warmth and glow.

Melenor asked about the slide show, but Pidge wouldn't put it on until Lance got there. They'd done enough without him. Instead, they pulled out some board games. Jonah and Yuka played chess while Hunk and Keith settled the other kids into a large circle on the floor in the den to start a large game of Uno, followed by Exploding Kittens. Fritz pulled Angie to where they had been near the fire while Melenor and Veronica made round after round of hot chocolate, bringing trays of it into the den in large mugs with peaks of whipped cream on top.

Hours went by. Anyone going into the kitchen would take a look at the dot registering the location of Lance's phone on Pidge's laptop. It was still there. No one suggested moving the computer to where they were. Muriel and Desmond fell asleep on the floor near the fire, so Keith and Peter paused in their respective games to carry them up to bed. Kade, Martín, Briana, and Melody followed, not because they were tired, no, not at all, but because they wanted to tell stories under the starlight. When Keith returned, he dropped cross-legged onto the floor, his back against the couch, and Cosmo pushed into him so hard he almost managed to crawl all the way onto his lap. Keith bowed over him, hiding his face in his fur, rubbing his sides in a self-soothing rhythm.

"I don't understand," whispered a quiet, accented voice near Fritz. He turned to see Mateo sitting next to him, his elbows on his knees, watching the chess game, watching Peter with his arm around Allura, who had curled her whole body up into him. But mostly, Mateo was looking at Keith.

"What's that, son?" Fritz invited. It was like talking to Lance over a decade ago. It almost hurt.

"My dad," Mateo said, then seemed to lose his drive, as though he wished he hadn't said anything. But then kept going anyway. "Abuela too. They always said . . . I don't understand." Fritz wasn't sure if Mateo was having trouble communicating because he was speaking English or if it was just that difficult to find words for his emotions regardless of language.

"Is this about your Uncle Lance?" Fritz guessed, and Mateo nodded.

"Abuela cried every day," he said, though why he wanted to reveal all these things to Fritz was a mystery to him. "My parents were so mad. They wouldn't even talk about him anymore; it was like he died. They told my brother and me to stop asking about him, and we stopped doing the phone calls. If he sent us anything like a letter or something, they kept it a secret from us. They said he'd done something unforgiveable."

"Honey," Angie spoke up from around Fritz, leaning across his lap to pat Mateo. She looked about ready to bridge some sort of gap, try to make sense about how these things sometimes turn out for families.

"I didn't even know what it was he'd done until Abuela died and I went to live with Tía Veronica's family," Mateo went on. "When she told me all of that was because he'd married Keith, I just couldn't believe it. Why something like that would matter so much. Especially since . . I mean. . . look how much Keith loves him." He gestured slightly to where Keith sat on the floor with his dog, worried and patient, waiting for Lance to come back. Fritz realized that Mateo had still been in Cuba when his uncles were married. He'd never once seen them together. He didn't know. "And all of you – you all love them." Mateo looked so innocent and confused. "The children and . . and Allura. We all thought Lance was going to marry Allura, but he didn't and she's forgiven him and they're closer now than . . . . So why?"

Fritz sighed. He didn't know why. Or at least not completely. He just knew that some things run so deep it doesn't seem like there is any way to get over it. Some decisions feel like betrayals even when they're not. And sometimes the choices that are made take people unintentionally far away from where they thought they'd be.

"Everyone gets to make their own choices," Angie answered softly. "And we don't get to force anyone to feel a certain way. Which means that your uncles can't make your family understand or accept them, but it also means that your family can't tell you how you should feel about it either."

"I always wanted to be like him," Mateo confessed. "My dad is great, but Lance . . . he broke free. Did something not one of us had ever done before. I just can't believe that he's a bad person. I can't look at someone who loves so much and so completely, who saves lives every single day, and always sent us part of everything he worked for to make sure we had everything we needed all that time. I can't look at my uncle and his life and believe that he's doing something wrong. I wish . . . I wish my parents could see where I am right now. See all these people brought together because Lance is the way he is, just the way he is."

"I don't know if even that would change their minds," Angelique said sadly. "But I'm sure it would mean the world to Lance if you told him how you feel."

"You think he's ok?" Mateo wondered. "He's been gone so long."

"He, well," Angelique didn't seem sure about what to say here. Was he ok? No, in all honesty, he probably wasn't right this second. He'd been up since four that morning and no one can pull bodies out of cars in a snowstorm and not have that tear into their soul a little. Fritz and Angie knew, probably better than most, what it would be like when Lance finally did make it home, hungry, exhausted, and emotionally battered. It might take some time to transition from the triage disaster of the car accident, and whatever had happened before that, to the quiet safety of the den.

"He'll be ok," Fritz said. "Because he's coming home to this, but he'll probably need to catch his breath a minute before we all jump on him."

Cosmo suddenly jerked in Keith's arms, tossing his head around with a small yelp and clambering off Keith's legs so he could rush toward the kitchen. It only took Keith a second to vault himself off the floor after him, his soldier's reflexes still sharp, all his tension releasing in one push. Their unexpected intensity caused Yuka to jump so hard she scattered half the chess set onto the floor.

"Oh, thank God," Angie breathed. Mateo looked confused.

"Lance is here," Fritz said, then hurried to grab onto Mateo to keep him in his spot on the couch, reminding him with the touch that he'd just said Lance would need a minute. Many of the others were getting up too, congregating to go after Keith, eager to welcome Lance the second he came in the door. Fritz couldn't blame them; they'd been waiting just as long, but he knew from experience it wouldn't be a good idea to all gang up on Lance at once.

"Hold on," Fritz instructed, raising his voice so everyone would pause and pay attention. "Leave him to Keith for a second." Because Fritz didn't know what kind of shape Lance would be in, coming from an all-day shift at the hospital and then spending the last few hours out in the snowstorm cleaning up after such a bad accident.

But despite the looks on everyone's faces that said they knew they should let Keith be with Lance alone first, they began inching toward the kitchen anyway, as if Lance were drawing them over. Fritz found that he was moving with them, curiosity and affection getting the better of him. He wanted to see Lance too. Wanted to make sure he was all right.

Fritz wasn't sure who opened the door, probably Jonah, but when it was pushed aside, Fritz was in a good position in the crowd to see Keith and Lance together in the kitchen. Lance's bag was on the floor by his feet, and they held each other tightly. Fritz could see Lance tremble slightly in Keith's arms and noticed the growing puddle at his feet. Absolutely soaked to the bone.

"Excuse me," Angie pushed through the waiting relatives to get into the kitchen next, a mother on her way to scold her son. Fritz knew to just get out of her way. Jonah grabbed on to her shirt and used her to also get through. They all might have followed then, but Fritz held out his arm.

"Back up," he said, though it earned him some hard looks, especially from Pidge and Allura. "One surprise at a time," he requested, hoping it would be taken the right way. He knew. You don't walk away from the scene of an accident and make the switch immediately to your family's holiday gathering. There was a process, a debriefing protocol, and Fritz intended to have everyone follow it for Lance's sake.

Lance needed Keith first – forever and always. Fritz had already seen how they were holding each other, hands on each other's hearts and rocking gently in that particular embrace that seemed unique to them. Takashi had tried to explain it to him once. Fritz thought he said that he'd been there the first time they'd done it, and he knew that Pidge had published a paper about it. Still didn't make much sense to Fritz, something about synching heartbeats, but the only thing he truly understood was that it did something for his boys. Calibrated and calmed them. And once that happened, Angie would check Lance – make sure he was whole and unhurt. Then Jonah would breathe more life into him and then, probably, he'd be ready to meet the rest of the family.

Fritz had managed to usher everyone back to the den when Angie joined them, seeking Fritz out and hurrying over to him. Keith and Lance weren't with her, but Jonah was tagging along like a shadow.

"Everything all right?" Fritz asked, nominating himself as the speaker of the group. Angie looked around at all the expectant, worried faces.

"Yes," she said quickly, putting them at ease. "Not a scratch on him."

"Then where is he?" Pidge wanted to know.

"Can we see him?" Veronica asked at almost the same time.

"He'll be down soon; he wants to see everyone too," Angie assured. "But he's soaking wet and freezing, so I sent him upstairs to get dry and changed first."

"We'll get ready for him then," Pidge offered, and there was a murmuring of approval.

"Is he hungry?" Hunk asked. "Should I warm up some food for him?"

Angie's mouth pulled as she considered that. "He says he's not, but that might change when he warms up. Ask him when he comes down."

Hunk nodded, accepting that, and then joined Pidge to get ready for the slideshow. Solomon and Mateo shifted some of the seating around so everyone could face the big screen TV at one end of the room. Jonah asked about popcorn and the cider that Alfor was saving for midnight, so Melenor and Allura went to make it. Yuka picked up the chess set and the other board games, and everyone else did what they could to make things cozy for when Lance came back down, talking quietly amongst themselves, arranging what order Lance should be introduced to all he didn't know about. The baby. His sister. Her family.

Meanwhile, Fritz pulled his wife aside. "He's really all right?" He asked, because there were things you shared with everyone and then there were things that you didn't say out loud. Angie smiled, that sad smile that spoke to her own experience and memory.

"He's exhausted," she admitted. "If I had my way, I'd give him a muscle relaxant and put him straight to bed."

"I saw him shaking," Fritz pointed out, and Angie shook her head. Lance had a delayed panic response, which meant he could do incredible things in the heat of the moment – quick, sure hands and decisions, but then afterward it would catch up to him all at once. It could be debilitating, or it used to be in the beginning of his career. It happened less and less now, but it had been a long time since Lance had been the first on scene like he had today.

"Oh, he's shaking all right," Angie returned. "Plunged his core temperature down further than he probably should have, but that's all, I think."

Fritz let himself relax then, knowing that Lance was upstairs, home safe and sound, and that Keith was tending to him. Their family – as complete as it could be tonight. Everyone accounted for. And now that it was true, Fritz found himself looking forward to the rest of the evening. Even though midnight was coming up quickly, he was still going to get to watch Lance see his sister, and Allura, and it wasn't just Melenor who loved that year's end slideshow.

It took thirty minutes for Keith to get Lance clean, dry, dressed and ready to come out of their room. By that time, the den had transformed into the pinnacle of New Year's comfort, with bowls of popcorn and flutes of sparkling cider. Melenor had brought a blanket in case Lance might be chilled, and the lighting was warm, golden, and low. When he came down, Fritz saw that Lance had changed into Keith's sweatshirt, and he leaned on Keith as they came in, but it had more to do with physical exhaustion than anything else. He'd almost been awake for twenty hours straight now and it hadn't been the easiest of days for him.

"Hey guys," he said casually, though there was a bit of guilt in his voice, the words coming out rough. "Sorry I'm late."

"So long as you come home safe, no one cares if you're late," Pidge reminded him. "We're good at waiting."

Fritz could tell everyone wanted to jump up and rush him, but they held back, probably to prove what Pidge had just said. They kept still, waiting for him to come to them. Which he did eagerly, because he truly wanted to. Lance reached out to Jonah first, who stood up to hug his father, all the pieces of his world come together again just like they were supposed to. A trust that had been hard earned but now stood solid.

"You waited up for me, huh?" Lance asked him, his voice tender and worn. "Aren't you tired?"

"It's New Year's Eve," Jonah pointed out, with twelve-year-old sass and charm. "Dad said I could stay up until midnight. The little kids fell asleep though."

"I figured," Lance said, looking around at the room full of people, actually seeing them this time. He did a double take when his eyes passed Veronica, and Keith hurriedly folded around him since it looked as though Lance might fall over from the shock of her being there. "Veronica?"

"Hola, hermanito," she said, smiling broadly and coming to hug her brother. She'd been waiting for this all day. Lance gripped her tight, but then held her out at arms' length to stare at her, dumbfounded.

"I didn't know you were . . but it's so cold; I thought you never . . . when did you get here?"

Keith quickly made a spot on one of the couches for Lance to sit down, carefully easing him onto the cushions while he still clung to Veronica's hands.

"We came this afternoon. Keith talked us into it and arranged everything, but we thought we'd surprise you."

"We?" Lance repeated, his accent automatically matching his sister's like it always did when they spoke, and Mateo and Solomon took his question as a summons to come closer, with Lance staring at them with his mouth open and his eyes welling up. "Sol," he whispered to his brother-in-law, "I'm so glad you could come." And then he continued even more adoringly. "Mateo . . . holy crow, you look like your dad."

"Forget that; he looks just like you," Pidge called out from where she stood by the screen, her arms folded tight against her chest as if to keep her emotions constrained.

"Hey Tío," Mateo choked out, trying to be tough and failing.

"It's so good to see you," Lance murmured, overcome. "It's been so long." He turned back to Veronica. "Are Briana and Martín here too?"

"Upstairs sleeping and best of friends already with your boy and girl," Veronica answered, smiling. Lance turned toward the door, as if considering going to the children's room right that second. "You can see them tomorrow; they'll be happy to finally meet you."

Lance didn't seem to be able to let Veronica go, and Mateo somehow tucked his entire six-foot frame up against the couch on the floor as if he were five so he could lean his head against Lance's leg. Which is probably why when Lance greeted Hunk and Pidge, they didn't crowd him by coming over, just waved from where they were across the room. They would have time later to touch him, to be with him alone. They knew how long it had been. He did get tripped up when he saw Yuka, though, not recognizing her. Jonah introduced her, and she did come forward, but only because she had something in her hands to give him, another little origami star.

"Hey, Pidge, Hunk, look," Lance said after he'd thanked her, staring reverently at the gift. "A star."

"Yeah, buddy," Hunk said indulgently. "Star forever."

"I think you should have just put him to bed, Keith," Pidge commented, but she was smiling.

"No," Lance denied quickly. "I can't go to bed yet; it's New Year's."

With that, Lance somehow extricated himself from his sister and nephew, promising that he'd be right back so they could stay where they were. Then he made his way around the room, shaking hands with Alfor and allowing Melenor to kiss his cheek, thanking them sincerely for always hosting this party. Melenor waved him off. They all knew it was her favorite event too. Lance bear hugged Solomon and respectfully embraced Peter – the men he trusted to take care of his sisters.

He ruffled Pidge's hair and relaxed into Hunk for a second. Then took Angelique into his arms with all the tender devotion of a son, standing protectively tall over her. Fritz took his turn too, squeezing Lance, feeling him rest against him, a peaceful homecoming. He wasn't sure if he was taking too long, but couldn't really care about it. He hugged Lance the way he couldn't hug Aaron, reminding himself that he wasn't replacing one boy with the other. Fritz was never sure if having Lance or Keith in his arms made the empty place in his soul that belonged to Aaron more or less prominent, but as usual decided it didn't matter. They were all their own men and special to him for different reasons. And he was allowed to love them all.

But eventually he remembered that Lance wasn't quite finished. That others were still waiting, one in particular. "I think you missed someone," Fritz told Lance, letting him go and turning him around to where Allura stood pressed against her husband.

"Allura," Lance called her. "What are you hiding in the corner for? Come here."

She wiped her eyes quickly and did what he asked, stepping away from Peter, who grinned, waiting for Lance to notice. Fritz watched as Lance did what he always did before touching Allura – he sent a quick, silent look to Peter for permission. A gesture that was more formality than anything else, as it was more Allura's decision than anything, but still, Fritz knew that Peter appreciated the respect. And he always nodded Lance on.

The low lights and the dark maroon of Allura's sweater dress allowed her to come right up to Lance before he could tell what was different about her. Fritz saw the revelation hit him all at once, the same sort of expression returning to his face as when he'd recognized Veronica in the sea of loving faces all turned toward him.

"What's this?" He whispered, and the only reason Fritz could hear was because the room was so quiet, everyone watching. Smiling.

"Your newest nephew," she answered coolly, as if she'd been practicing how she'd say it. Something broke for Lance, not harshly, but something twinged in his soul enough that he went to one knee so he could be closer to the newest family member, still growing. Lance spoke something, but this time no one could hear. Except maybe Allura.

Lance stood up and wiped her eyes for her. "Is it better this time?" He asked her, seriously. Because Allura's first pregnancy had been hard and frightening. She'd called Lance almost every day, terrified about becoming a mother.

"So much better," she assured, and Lance eased. He took her hands and brought her back to Peter – offering his congratulations to them. Then he turned and finally hugged Cosmo, who was tired of being ignored and had started pawing gently at Lance's leg.

"All right," Pidge cut through the high emotion of the room. "If we want to get through this thing before midnight, we'd better get started."

They began to settle in. Keith came forward immediately, and Lance went to him readily. Keith settled onto the couch and pulled Lance in to rest against him. Veronica sat on the other end and pulled his feet into her lap while Mateo curled up on the floor at his side again. Lance rested his hand on his head. Jonah squished in between Hunk and Pidge.

Fritz put his arm around his wife, leading her to a different spot where he could watch the slideshow and keep an eye on Keith and Lance too. Because sometimes watching them was better than watching the pictures. Seeing their faces light up at the memories, the experiences they'd shared that year. Lance snuggled in tight to Keith, pulling his hand around to a comfortable position so he could massage it, while Keith leaned against the couch as if it were the first time he'd been able to relax all day.

Alfor dimmed the lights even more until only a few candles were left and the screen. Hunk hit a button, and the first pictures appeared – of last year's gathering. And they just kept coming at regularly timed intervals. Solomon and Mateo at the Daytona 500. Muriel with her cousins playing in the snow. The Memorial Day camping trip. The fireworks show over the lake. Fishing trips. The formal family pictures that Melenor insisted on as soon as the leaves started to turn. Photos of them in kitchens, at school plays, in the snow or leaves, hiking or making s'mores. Fritz couldn't believe that all of this could be contained in one year. No wonder there were so many best days.

The pictures were accompanied by laughter, sighs of longing, promises to return to some of these places, or take other family members the next time. There were questions because it wasn't always clear where a picture had been taken. The thing that was clear was that they were close. Even though they lived in Florida and New York and California and Chicago, the actual distance didn't matter. Everyone was tightly knit.

Fritz could have immediately started the slideshow over again once it concluded, but didn't say anything about his wish. There would be next year. And the year after that. New places, new children. Never ending.

They switched from the presentation briefly to the news, where they watched recycled footage of the ball dropping in Times Square and did their own countdown to midnight. There were cheers when the count hit zero, and toasts of cider. And then, after such a long day, they began to separate for their rooms. Alfor and Melenor took Jonah with them up the stairs to bed. Allura and Peter escorted Yuka on their way out. Veronica rubbed her brother's legs, exchanging some final words with him in Spanish before taking her family out of the room. Angie and Fritz gathered up the cider glasses, taking them to the kitchen to be washed in the morning.

"Are you as ready for bed as I am?" Fritz asked his wife, stretching. It had been a long, worrying, yet fulfilling day.

"Past ready," Angie admitted, but then she didn't go toward their room after leaving the kitchen. Instead she crept back to the entrance to the den, peeking in. Fritz leaned in to see over her head. Hunk and Pidge sat on their couch together, while Keith sat across from them with Lance curled up in his lap. Fritz could tell all the way from here that Lance was asleep, that he'd drifted off while massaging Keith's hands. It was a cozy sight, peaceful and nostalgic. The four of them together, taking care of each other, as they had from the beginning, and as they would as long as it was possible.

Gently, Fritz pulled Angie away, letting them have the space to themselves to reminisce however they pleased. "They're fine," he told her, even though he knew she could see that.

"They really are, aren't they?" She asked as they walked hand in hand to their room. "We're so fortunate."

Fritz couldn't respond to that, so instead he just kissed his wife. The magnificent woman that Lance had brought into his life. And he marveled again at all that had happened because of one boy and his dedication and strength. Fritz wasn't sure if Lance would ever truly be convinced of how special he was, how important. How much he was loved, wanted, and needed. If only he could have seen them all today, how often they'd asked about him, how they'd all waited for him. Fritz didn't know if it would be possible for Lance to see that he stood at the center, love and acceptance radiating from him in ripples of influence that never stopped. Lives changed forever because of him.

But really, it might not matter for Lance to understand his place in the grand scheme of life. Because if Fritz understood one thing about it, he knew that it was the little things that mean the most. The feel of a hand in yours. The sound of a heart beating under your ear. A familiar touch or scent. And for Lance, who was so humble, it was likely enough that he was sleeping safe and supported in the arms of a pilot. The one who understood him better than anyone, supported him better than anyone.

Fritz led his wife into their room, watching the familiar motions of her getting ready for bed, full of pride and love and wonder. The snow glittered bright and clean out the window, creating a glow that spread over their bed. He pulled down the blankets and gathered her against him, whispering an I love you into her ear as they both settled. An I love you that was being repeated all over the house. Peter and Allura. Alfor and Melenor. Hunk and Pidge. Veronica and Solomon.

And even though he couldn't see it, Fritz knew that at some point, Keith would assist a half-asleep Lance up the stairs to their room. They'd take a moment to look in on their children, smiling at their sleeping faces. Then Keith would tuck Lance into the bed, cuddle in next to him, and whisper words that Lance would hear even if he was asleep. And he'd know the truth of them.

"Te amo, mi corazón. Duerma bien."

Author's Note: Well, here we are. The last moments of our time together. I'm not sure how long this story will stay on this forum before I have to take it down. I'll try to give you some notice if I can. But in the meantime, can I ask a favor? We've spent over two years of our lives working through this together. I've given you over 550,000 words (that's longer than Atlas Shrugged).

Now that we're here, at the end, could you let me know? Give me some words? Even if you've never left a review before. What touched you? What message did you take from this? If you were to recommend that someone read this, what would you say to convince them?

To those who have been writing me from the beginning, you have all my thanks. It's you who have kept me going. You who I look back to when I'm writing and thinking that it's not worth it. Every time my fear has told me to quit on this, I look at what you've given me and remember that this story is worth telling. And I will continue to work to put it out into the world in a different way. I appreciate that more than I could ever tell you (not even in 550,000 words).

Many hugs and all the thanks.
Yours ever,

Karin