I was inspired by puresthope125's drawing animatic of Balan singing the Disney Encanto song "Waiting On A Miracle" on Deviantart with the cover of the song done by Stephen Scaccia on YouTube. If you haven't seen his rendition of the song, you should. It's amazing! :)

Balan Wonderworld belongs to Square Enix. I only own Rachel. Takes place one year after "Take My Hand, To A Better World", which can be found on my page. :)

I know I'm a tad late, but Happy Balanniversary! :)

A Family's Miracle

Balan lifted his head up as he came out of the bow, smiling at his audience. "Thank you all for attending. It has been a pleasure to see you all here today," he said.

The audience clapped, having appreciated and enjoyed the show that Balan and his children had put on. Rachel, who was in training to be a maestro, came out from behind the curtain with her siblings, Emma and Leo. Seeing them, Balan motioned them closer and turned to the audience. "But I couldn't have done this show without my wonderful cast and crew, along with my three children: Rachel, Emma, and Leo."

The three bowed to the audience as the applause grew louder before the curtains closed, signaling the end of the show.

As the cleanup crew began straightening things out and the costumes saw the audience to the door and into the calm, beautiful night, Balan stood in a nearby dressing room, looking in the mirror as he reflected on what day it was.

"It seems like only yesterday that I adopted them," he said to himself, removing his signature hat, which made his false form fade away, his black skin turning pale white, his dreadlocks settling down, and his smile becoming more human-like.

He gazed into the mirror again, his golden-ringed eyes looking back at him as he recalled the first time he saw Emma, Leo, and Rachel. They had been so frightened after having been orphans for so long that when they met him, they had run away, but he had found where they lived thanks to a friend and had adopted them. And though the three had been very wary to trust him, he had stuck with them, helping them through their worries and fears.

Rachel's fears and worries had been the most concerning because of her PTSD, but Balan had refused to give up on her or cast aside her problems. To her surprise, he had helped her and now, she was doing so much better. She still needed reassurance at times, but he was more than willing to give that to her.

Leo had come out of his shell more too. He had actually been shy about a lot of people knowing that he loved to dance and when Balan had found out by accident one day, he had shown the boy that he didn't have to be ashamed that he loved dance. He even worked with him on some routines, which helped the boy to overcome his worries about what people would think about his dancing.

Emma had been wanting to do more dancing and when Leo asked her to be his dancing partner, she agreed and Balan was so proud of them for working so well together.

And then, when Rachel decided she wanted to be a maestro like her father, he had been so happy he could have cried. Cal's friend was currently still working on the building behind the theater, but allowed Rachel to decide on the designs and that, designs that she would run by her father and uncle Lance, who were both happy to help out with it.

Balan then smiled as he remembered that when he told his children he wanted to do a show with them, they had been excited and Rachel had wanted to surprise him with her costume. When she walked out in a suit that was much like his own, with a color scheme matching both him and Lance, he almost cried in pride. Even Lance had been surprised while Emma and Leo had donned on acrobat outfits that had the same color scheme as Rachel's costume.

And though Lance had declined joining the performance, he was there to watch and give them his support.

"Dad, you okay?"

Balan blinked and turned to find Rachel there, still in her maestro outfit and she looked concerned, to which he smiled. "Yes, my dear," he said reassuringly. "I was just lost in thought."

Smiling, she removed her purple-and-red top hat. "Today is the day," she said softly, referring to the fact that exactly one year ago, he had adopted her and her siblings.

He nodded and hugged her, to which she snuggled into his hug. Emma and Leo came up to them and hugged their father too. He smiled at all three of them. "You children are special to me," he said. "My little miracles."

"And you're our miracle, Dad," Leo said truthfully. "We wouldn't be where we are today if you hadn't taken us in and proven to us that we deserved to have a family who loved us."

"Guess we're all miracles for our family," Emma said.

"I agree," Rachel said.

Ladderman and Air Unicorn came up to them with smiles. "The show completely sold out," said the former.

"Some people were even talking about booking the next showing in advance for some of their relatives," the latter said.

"That's awesome," Leo said.

"And it's going to be summer break soon, which means Leo and I can do more shows with you all," Emma said.

Rachel noticed Lance come in and smiled. "And maybe we can convince Uncle Lance to join us too?" She said.

The Maestro of Negativity chuckled at his niece. "You're not going to give that a rest, are you?" He asked playfully.

"Nope," she said with a smile. "You're a big part of the family too, Uncle Lance." She then looked away for a moment before taking a deep breath and turning back to him. "You're also one of the biggest reasons that I decided to stay after Dad had adopted the three of us."

"I was?" He asked, surprised as he hadn't know that.

She nodded. "You gave me closure about my birth's father passing, helped me to escape my vengeful grandmother, and were there for me when I was afraid that I would be taken away," she said. "You turned out to be a big part of the miracle that I, Leo, and Emma needed to find a family."

"I agree with her, Lance," Balan said.

Leo and Emma nodded. "And you're one of the best uncles ever," the latter said, smiling.

"And just as cool as Dad," the boy said.

Lance smiled at the three of them. "Alright, enough buttering me up," he protested lightly, though his smile proved that he didn't truly mind.

Balan chuckled before noticing the time. "It's getting late, my dears," he said, scooping all three of them up into a hug.

Rachel giggled. "Dad, don't you think we're a little old for this?" She asked.

"Not at all, my little miracles," he said as he carried all three of his children to their rooms, gently setting them down when they arrived. Moments later, the three were ready for bed and Lance came in too, wishing his nieces and nephew a good night as Balan tucked them in. As the three fell asleep, Balan and Lance watched them for a moment before heading out to let them sleep.

The Maestro of Negativity looked at his counterpart. "They really are a miracle," he said. "I can't remember the last time the theater felt alive like this."

"They are a blessing," Balan replied before looking at Lance. "And I hope one day you'll get your miracle, Lance. You deserve one too."

Lance gently waved a hand in a gesture of 'forget about it'. "It's okay, Balan," he said.

The Maestro of Positivity smiled. "Don't count yourself out yet," he said.

Little did they know that Lance would get his miracle a few years later, but for now, they were both happy and satisfied. Life had been good and they hoped it would continue to be that way.

For them and for the three children that were the greatest miracles of all.

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GoldGuardian2418