Star Date 12106.28-0800- Star Fleet Headquarters

Transports were moving around them in their chaotic ballet, but preparations were all necessary for the shuttles to be on their way. Over the loudspeaker, the computer announced, "Shuttle T7824 will be departing in 10 minutes."

"I guess this is it," Grace said nervously to the group around her.

"You are going to do great, sweetheart." Alan hugged and kissed Grace's cheek.

"Take good care of yourself, Jack, and this new baby." Lynn hugged Grace tightly.

Grace blushed slightly, "Can you truly keep Jack out of trouble?" Grace hugged her aunt back tightly.

"I don't think you truly can, but you do a good job of it." Richard nudged Lynn to let go enough for him to give her hugs. "Just keep us updated on how the two of you are doing."

"I will." Grace hugged Richard. "Just remember that just because we are away doesn't mean we don't want to hear from you too."

"Will do." He kissed Grace's cheek and let her go to her parents. Richard went over to Lynn and wrapped his arms around her.

Robin and Alan stepped up to her, "Do you have all of your things ready?" Grace nodded. "The gifts from the family?"

"I've got the Skyler quilt, your blanket along with the things from the girls and Sam," Grace assured her mother.

"We are going to miss you around here, Gracie girl." Alan squeezed his daughter tight and kissed her cheek. "Just remember that your husband is waiting for you on the other side of this trip."

"He is eagerly awaiting you on the station." Before Grace could ask how her mother continued, "I talked to him yesterday. He wanted to thank all of us for taking such good care of you like we would do nothing else." Robin placed a hand on her cheek.

"Work has been keeping him busy, but his workload is now at manageable levels." Then, Gracie started to get teary.

"Oh no, you don't. No tears or you are going to get all of us." Robin wiped the corner of her eye with a thumb.

"I'm blaming pregnancy hormones." Grace lightly chuckled.

"Make sure you take care of yourself and your baby. You have 18-weeks until that kiddo gets here. Use that time wisely." Alan rubbed his hands on Grace's back.

Grace leaned into a group hug from her parents. However, it was not long until the computer announced the 5-minute boarding alert, causing Grace to step away.

"Thank you, and love you all..." Grace started stepping away from the group.

"Go get them, Gracie Girl!" Richard shouted over Lynn's head as he held her.

Blushing, Grace blew kisses to her family, then hurried through the gate to her shuttle.

The two couples stayed there until she was out of sight. Robin was the one who broke the silence. "Anyone else wants to get out of here before we all make a scene?"

"I volunteer our place," Richard commented and took Lynn's hand.

"We will see you there." Alan took Robin's hand and led the sad group away from the gate.

StarDate 12106.28-1000- Ravenswood, Douglas, Illinois, Earth

"Well, they are ALL out of the nest." Robin Scott stated as she flopped down on Richard and Lynn's couch.

"For now," Richard reminded her as he took a seat in his chair. "Katie is just on her 16-week tour, and Sam has his final year of school this year. Christine often likes to spend her days off here as a breath of fresh air and to get away from the stress."

"Way to break a mom's bubble," Alan said as he handed Robin her tea and sat next to her.

"I'm just being realistic." Richard shrugged.

"For now…" Lynn glared at Richard as she sat down with her tea, "Jack and Grace are off on their first long-term assignments. Christine will continue living at the Academy in her dorm while continuing her studies. Katie is working off-planet for a few months, and Sam is engulfed in his studies. So the nest is at least temporarily empty." She sighed, catching her breath.

"Ok, I'll give you that." Richard sighed.

"It amazes me that Jack is now an officer in Star Fleet." Robin smiled into her tea. "I remember when he was running around the Comanche getting into trouble."

"And as the child welfare officer on the ship, I had to deal with him." Lynn grinned.

"Technically, you transferred aboard as a junior medical officer with a specialty in pediatric care to assist with the number of children that were now on the ship." Robin gestured to Lynn. "The fact that we had Captain Sea's twins, and we also had Jack. More officers were bringing their families aboard, and we needed someone who could focus on the children's welfare."

"How did you know that specifically?" Richard leaned forward in curiosity.

Alan chuckled; "I would think it would be obvious, Skyler."

"Then what am I missing?" Richard looked to the others in the room.

"Robin is the one that created the position," Lynn smirked.

"Pardon?" Richard looked to Lynn, confused. Robin sat up and leaned forward,

"Richard, as Executive Officer, we were having a problem with children interfering in ship operations. An example of this was Jack going to Stellar Cartography unattended. Add in that Captain Sea was about to have twins. Sickbay was staffed with specialists in trauma, general surgery, and research. None of them had specific training in children. We needed an extra pair of hands who could help with the children. I put the proposal before the captain, and he agreed. It happened that a very qualified officer had just become available, and I requested their transfer to the Comanche."

"You hired Lynn."

"One of the last things I did as XO was to accept her transfer aboard." Robin leaned back to snuggle up with Alan. "About a week later, I accepted my transfer to command my ship, and my replacement took over as Executive Officer. The rest is history." Robin smirked.

"I wonder who that replacement was?" Lynn teased.

"Some hot-headed flyboy, if I remember correctly." Robin looked over to Richard.

Richard rolled his eyes. Everyone laughed. "That does remind me. Why the heck did you recommend me for a command position?"

"I won't deny that when Captain Sea asked for my opinion on who of the ship officers would be a good Executive Officer, I gave you a good recommendation. You had taken on several command positions for away teams and had done extremely well. You led your team well and completed the mission. There was no reason why you shouldn't have the position." Robin sipped her tea.

"Thank you for that, but I meant why did you put me on the command track? You still have not let me live down my disastrous first day at the helm. What made you think I would one day be a good command officer?"

"Sometimes, you know. It is something that you cannot explain, but I'm glad that I trusted my gut." Robin looked at him seriously, "There was some spark there. You were willing to listen to constructive criticism to improve your performance. You were coachable." Robin got up and began to pace about, "When Jack joined you, you had more of a purpose. You had the drive to make sure the ship ran smoothly and that people did their job properly."

"You were no longer simply a hotshot pilot. Sure, you were an amazing pilot, but you now had someone that counted on you."

"Then you added me to your life," Lynn walked over and slid her arms around his waist.

"Which brought in Crissy, and then Katie." Robin noted, "You went from being an officer to a father figure."

"And now all my "cadets" are out of the house." Richard chuckled.

"Think of how little your grocery bill will be." Alan teased. That got a chuckle out of everyone.

"Look, we can either cry or laugh," Robin smirked. "I think a messy brunch cooked by all of us, and we can reminisce about our kids, then many bury our sorrows in chocolate."

"That sounds like fun." Lynn smiled. "At least this time, the kids can't steal our goodies."

StarDate 12106.28-2110- Ravenswood, Douglas, Illinois, Earth

They reached the top of the rolling hill about 100 meters from the back porch just before sunset. The hectic pace of the past couple of weeks is now behind them.

Jack off to his new assignment, Christine back at her dorm preparing for exams, and Katie at a wrap-up party with her production company. Aside from the distant sound of Sam playing with power tools across the property, they had the whole place to themselves for the first time in a while. Just them. No distractions.

A blanket was placed gently on the ground, between a large oak tree and a landscape stone that read; "Winchester and Cinder, together forever" on it. The tree had been planted by Lilly as a symbol of their marriage some 22 years ago. In that time, much like the tree, the family had grown deep roots and had solid footings and flourished into something truly magnificent. This tree witnessed so many family memories. Sam's first concussion, Katie's broken collarbone, Christie's first pony ride. Jack and Grace's first kiss.

"So, this is where it all began." He said as he motioned towards the stone as he led his wife to the ground on the blanket. She snuggled into his arms and felt the warmth of her husband and a good, oversized sweater.

"This is where it all began." She echoed. "It's hard to believe that this all started with a babysitting job and a horny dog." She mused.

"It's so fascinating how much of the better part of our lives comes from unplanned adventures. First, a kid brother getting dropped into my lap, then Winchester and Cinder and then Christine's unplanned conception and equally unexpected arrival, and now the beginnings of Jack and Grace's adventure. It's a good reminder of how things can drastically change at a moment's notice." He finished.

"Well, some of those unplanned moments are some of my favorite ones." She countered, "And as hectic and chaotic those times have been, they have definitely at least helped define who I am today. As a mother, as a wife, as a doctor, as an officer." She spoke.

"It's almost like life is like one non-stop Bridge Officer's test with the Kobayashi Maru thrown in for good measure." He quipped.

"Must you keep reminding me of that stupid Bridge Officer's Test!?" She snapped as he grinned and laughed.

"And the look on Captain Goran's face when you threw up all over him on the first attempt almost made the whole thing with while." He chuckled.

"I had a heightened sense of smell!" She rebuffed, "I may have failed the first two tries, but may I remind you that you weren't six months pregnant when you took yours!"

"Excuses, excuses..." he laughed as she playfully punched his chest.

"But seriously, as much of a cluster thing can seem to be at times, I wouldn't have it any other way." She said as a lone tear started to run down her cheek.

"What is it?" He asked his wife.

"Well, it's just that the new reality is setting in." Richard looked confused and stroked her hair.

"New reality?" He asked.

"Jack now married and shipping out, Christine getting ready to start her medical career, Katie tromping all over the galaxy with her career in the theatre, which means that soon enough we'll have an empty nest." She solemnly stated.

"And that means that the mother goose has done a good enough job that allowed her goslings to take flight. But don't worry, I have a feeling that they will always come home when they need us."

"I sure hope so." She sighed and continued, "When there's a smile in your heart, There's no better time to start. Think of all the joy you'll find When you leave the world behind..." she trailed off, but to her surprise, her husband continued the statement.

"And bid your cares goodbye You can fly You can fly You can fly..." she beamed. Richard remembered. She completely melted into him as the last rays of sun tucked under the horizon.

"To unplanned adventures?" She looked up as she took a sip of hot cocoa.

"To unplanned adventures."