Through the Years

by charmony

NPH21 - Join our extended BAU gang on a family vacation of epic proportions. Share the laughter, tears, drama and fluff with each of our families as life happens and as we watch the children grow up on the way to the finale, live in the moments as they happen through the years. Rating is just to be on the safe side.

5. 5 The Scott's

A/N: Apologies for the gap in posting; life happened for both myself and my beta. And knowing what I am like, I make no predictions for when I will next post, though hopefully the gap will be reasonable.

I would love to thank Hippiechic81, Daisyangel, CrazyPainter and the wonderful zhangxinna, who posted not once but twice and made me feel all warm and fuzzy with their very encouraging words. You all inspire me to keep going, even though the going may be slow sometimes. I do this for all of you.

My beta is the most amazing woman I know outside of Australia and encourages and inspires me daily to be better than I am. I couldn't have done this without you, wtiger5, and I look forward to continuing this series with you on my side.

Note: The gift from Kaylee in one of the birthday scenes is totally made up and quite likely doesn't exist. But if it does even remotely mirror my description, I am not trying to rip anyone off. I did loosely base the description on a scene written by the amazing Tamora Pierce in her book The Realms of the Gods, but that is all.

WARNING: This chapter is filled with dramatic moments and lots of sweet family fun.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me. And the list of those I do own is getting so incredibly long that I am just going to say that I own anyone who does not come directly from Criminal Minds.

Chapter 5 – The Scott's

April 2022

"Happy two-days-early-birthday Ari."

Ariana looked at the gift Jack was holding out to her in surprise. "Don't you want to wait until Saturday to give that to me?"

Jack blushed as he smiled sheepishly. "I ah, couldn't decide between several gifts that I was looking at for you, so I just kind of, um, boughtallthree," he finished in a mumbled rush.

Ariana took a moment to deduce what he had just said, then laughed softly. "You're the absolute sweetest Jack, thank you. Shall I open it now?"

Jack shook his head. "Could we talk out here for a few minutes before you open that and we go in?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course," she said softly. She led him to the porch swing seat and settled down beside him as he wiped his hands on his thighs. She turned as the front door opened, acknowledged her mum's ten minutes to dinner advice and waited until they were alone again before speaking. "Whatever it is that has you so nervous, just say it. You know you can tell me anything."

"I do know that." He went silent again for a minute, his hands fidgeting nervously as he obviously tried to gather his thoughts together. She set her unopened gift down beside her and reached out to place a hand on his, earning a small smile before he sighed heavily. "Do you remember the conversation Mum had with us four years ago when your dad caught us kissing?"

"How could I forget? It is the only time I can ever remember being scared of my father."

He nodded agreement, hesitated another moment and then blurted out, "I don't know about kissing." He stopped as abruptly as he'd started and closed his eyes. "That didn't come out right."

"Yes it did," she assured him as she squeezed his hands. "That came out just right. Because I think we should hold off longer too before we start kissing on the mouth."

She almost laughed as his eyes opened to their widest and his mouth opened in shock. "Really?"

"Really." She pushed her foot lightly against the ground and set them to gently rocking. "I've been thinking a lot about your mum's story over the last four years, and a lot more than a lot over the last few months as my birthday approached. I love you Jack, and more than that I love being with you and being held by you and I think if we weren't really, really careful we could easily get carried away and potentially end up where she was. And as much as I love you, I don't want that. I would rather wait until we're older, or even if you were okay with it until we were married, before we go any further than we already have."

Jack's sigh of relief was so noisy it would have made her laugh if it hadn't been so heartfelt. "Mum was watching Danielle, Nicola and Josiah for Kelly and Brad the other day and Danielle was talking about how there was this couple in her class that were always getting into trouble because they kept disappearing to have sex with each other. Chloe started peppering her with questions about it and Mum shut the conversation down at the time but later sat Chloe and India down and told them the story. Hearing it again got me thinking about how when I was with you I sometimes forget everything I know or was ever told because I am so wrapped up in how beautiful you are and how lucky I am that you are with me. And the last thing I ever want to do is dishonour you in that way; you mean far too much to me."

Ariana knew her smile was huge, but she couldn't help it knowing that Jack loved her that much. "So we wait. Maybe talk again on my eighteenth birthday and see how we are feeling about everything. But otherwise we continue on as we have been. It doesn't mean we love each other any less; rather that we love each other enough to want to do things correctly. What do you think?"

"I think that is perfect and so are you. And it leads beautifully into my gift for you, so you can open it now."

Her smile turned soft and she knew she was blushing but she couldn't help it; he did that to her without even trying. She carefully unwrapped the gift to find a smallish box. She blinked to see the logo from a specialist jewellery shop looking up at her and then gasped in shock to see what was inside. A ring with a silver band nestled in the slot. Tiny silver hands rose out of the band to cup a heart shaped, vibrant green gemstone.

"Wow Jack, this is gorgeous," she breathed, totally in awe at the beauty of the ring.

"It's a promise ring. The stone is a tourmaline, which is one of my birthstones."

Ariana's eyes lit up with understanding. "The ring symbolises that I have your heart, doesn't it?"

Jack nodded nervously. "It might seem like a bit much, but mum and dad saved the jeweller's daughter years ago when they were on a case. I was explaining what I wanted but instead of looking at my designs, he was looking at me. When he asked if I knew Aaron Hotchner and I said I was his son, he nodded, looked at my designs, made a few suggestions and…"

"Jack! Please stop rambling." He closed his mouth quickly. "This is the sweetest gift I have ever been given. Did you run it past Dad?"

Jack grinned, his eyes crinkling with laughter. "I ran it past both your parents and mine, just to be sure. They said they were happy for me to get it for you, but I should give it to you today, along with the other more fancy and expensive items you're getting from your family. That way none of your friends feel put out or out done by any of us when you open your gifts on Saturday."

She laughed happily and nodded her agreement as she slid the ring out of the box. He took the ring from her and slid it on her left ring finger before squeezing her hand. After taking a moment to admire the ring on her finger, they stood up from the seat, hugged and moved inside to join her family for dinner.

The Next Day

Ariana followed Jack out of the light of the multiple torches set throughout the backyard of his home and peered back to shoot a mischievous smile at Georgia and Toby as they followed along behind her. The second celebration for her birthday, the one with the big extended family dinner, was slowly beginning to wind down. Some of the families had left, though there were still a lot of people about, and a lot of younger kids too. And while she loved everyone in this big, crazy family, the almost sixteen-year-old had decided that she needed some quiet time to herself before she returned to the energy of the main group, and had convinced her three best friends in the whole world to come enjoy the quiet with her.

Jack shook out the blanket he had grabbed on the way out of the house and they sat down quietly to enjoy the moment while they could. There was no need for conversation to fill in the gaps; they were all just content in each other's company. They had been sitting like that for several long minutes, though Ariana was considering lying down to look up at the sky through the leaves of the trees when two figures headed down towards them. She sighed internally, figuring the quiet was already over when they stopped nearby and started talking. She could tell immediately that it was Esther and Sean, and from the topic of their conversation she could also tell that they had absolutely no idea that the four of them were sitting just meters away from them. The four of them stared at each other in shock as their words reached them.

"Why did you say that to Emily?" Sean demanded of his wife.

Esther's sigh was heavy. "I said it because I am still holding out hope that we can have a baby the natural way."

Sean threw his hands up in the air and paced back and forth a few times, obviously anxious about something. He finally stopped in front of her.

"Do you know what was going through my head on New Year's Eve while I waited for the doctor to come in and tell me what was going on? I was thinking that no baby was worth your life. And when he walked out and told me that not only had you miscarried, but that you had almost bled to death and could still leave me, I thought my life was over because I love you so much. I was so scared, being there all alone while I waited to see if you lived or died because you didn't want anyone to know what was going on. And that felt like Hannah all over again."

"Oh Sean," she said on a sob, stepping in to him and holding him tight. Ariana and Georgia lifted their hands to the mouths to stifle their gasps of shock.

"I knew it would be different this time around, because obviously there is Isaac now, but the thought of raising him by myself, of living my life without you in it…"

Esther tipped her head back to look up at him. "I get it now and I'm sorry. I've been so selfish, so focused on having another baby that I forget at times that when things are falling apart within my body, this is affecting you too. I'm not the only one grieving but with the blinders my grief puts up, I'm just not seeing it." She put her head back on his shoulder with a soft sigh. "I'm going to make an appointment to see my doctor on Monday and ask about going on the pill. I'm going to be grateful for my life, for my beautiful son and wonderful husband and I'm going to stop actively putting myself in a position of harm. Yes, I want a large family, but there are other, safer ways of seeing that become a reality. I should be looking to Teresa and Dave and taking my cues from them and the wonderful family they managed to create despite not being able to do that the way they had initially planned to. Can you forgive me for being so self-centred over the last few years?"

"Only if you can forgive me for being selfish enough to demand you give up your dream so that I can have you in my life forever," he responded softly as he looked down at her. Georgia turned her head into Toby's shoulder as he lifted an arm to hold her, but not before Ariana saw the tears now coursing down her face. She too was fighting back tears and a glance at Jack showed that he had a couple of tears sliding down his cheeks also, and she gently lifted a hand to wipe them away.

Esther's smile trembled but held as she peered back up at Sean. "I forgive you, because I love you more than I love my dream."

Sean smiled at his wife with so much love showing on his face that Ariana blushed and looked away. "I forgive you also because I love you more than life."

All four of them looked away as the older couple kissed passionately for a few minutes before walking back towards the house. Long moments passed in silence before Georgia whispered, "What just happened?"

No one had an answer for her, but they were all in agreement that they would be keeping this one very much to themselves.

The Next Day – Ariana's Actual Birthday

"Hello?"

Ariana swallowed her stolen mouthful of one of the treats her mother had made for her party and squealed as she ran out of the kitchen toward the front door.

"Kaylee!" she shouted happily as she hugged her brother's girlfriend tightly. She could hear Gavin laughing somewhere behind her as Kaylee returned her hug just as excitedly.

"Happy sixteenth birthday beautiful," Kaylee gushed warmly as she pulled back and held up a gold gift bag.

"Aww, thank you!" she replied excitedly as she took it, stepping to the side as Gavin moved in to greet his girl. Not needing to watch them kiss, she set about trying to figure out what Kaylee had bought for her without actually moving the tissue paper she could see at the top of the small bag.

Gavin had started talking about Kaylee shortly before his sixteenth birthday almost two years ago. He was straight up nervous about approaching her because in his words she was gorgeous and talented and he was not. The whole family, even four-year-old Evan, had snorted at that comment; Gavin was the fastest track athlete at his school and had taken after his father in looks. Gavin had obviously felt a little better about the compliments that followed, but was still too nervous to say anything. Then, at a track meet three weeks after his birthday, Kaylee had shocked the life out of him by walking up to him and striking up a conversation. As it turned out, she had been watching him for a little over a year by that point and had finally come up with the courage to walk up to him and tell him so. After the awkwardness of the initial conversation, numbers had been exchanged, a date for their first date had been set and the rest was history.

The family had met Kaylee three months after that first conversation over a family dinner. Kaylee's obvious nervousness around Cameron had been greater than was warranted and so she had explained at Lydia's gentle prodding that she had been placed in foster care after her parents' death when she was seven. Her first foster family had been on the verge of adopting her when the mother had died suddenly and the father fell apart. Then in her second family she had been abused by the father and while he was in jail and she was now with another really great foster family who was helping her to heal, she still got nervous around large, athletic men. Cameron had seen this many times and had eased back, letting her get used to him gradually.

But with the same strength and courage it had taken the teenager to trust again after what had been done to her, it hadn't taken her longer than that first meeting to feel comfortable around the whole family. The younger boys adored her, and despite the slight age gap, Kaylee and Ariana became close; Ariana had come to see her as the sister she had never had. Gavin had his parents' approval from the beginning and Kaylee had become a regular fixture around the house as their relationship had grown.

"Aren't you going to open it?" The amused voice interrupted her musing and Ariana blushed as she carefully moved the tissue paper out of the way to reveal a stone-shaped object inside. She lifted it up and frowned as she tried to figure out what it was. It looked like a large stone covered over in glass; the bottom was flat, rounding up and into the stone shape to a height of about three inches. This confused her greatly because everyone who knew her knew that she didn't particularly like stones.

Then the magic started.

As she watched, the black space inside the glass casing faded into a white mist. Out of the mist, a tiny image appeared in the centre and spiralled slowly up towards the glass, steadily growing bigger until it looked like a bird with a long body and drab grey feathers. Running out of room, the bird turned belly up and opened up its wings, showing a bright yellow belly surrounded by a wide wingspan in shades of red, blue, green, pink and purple. Brightly coloured lights in similar shades exploded all through the white mist, radiating outward, until the bird closed its wings and the white mist closed over it again.

Ariana exhaled heavily. "Oh, this is so beautiful," she breathed softly as the bird began the upward spiral again.

Kaylee smiled warmly and greeted Jack as he stepped inside the front door. Ariana turned just enough to give him her cheek, but couldn't quite take her eyes off the brilliant display in her hand.

"Wow!" Jack stated emphatically as the display began for the third time. "Where did you get that?"

"It was on the school excursion to Japan back in March. I was looking at row upon row of these stones, just trying to figure out why they were so very pricey when the owner walked up, studied me a moment and then picked up one of them and offered it to me. He told me to 'watch closely' and placed it in the palm of my hand."

"Wait," Ariana interrupted. "That makes it sound like there were other scenes to be found."

"There were," Kaylee said in amused tone of voice. "The scene in mine was of a warrior princess in battle. He said that I had the look of a survivor that had come out the other side stronger than ever. I fell in love with that stone and his description of me and said that I would take it. Then while he was wrapping it up for me, I picked up another one; imagine my shock when this rather raunchy love scene appeared in the mist. That was about the point where I realised they all showed different scenes. I think I was there for about four hours just picking them up to see what they did. After about the fifth one, I had the sudden thought that your birthday was coming up and this could make an amazing gift if I could just find the right one."

Ariana finally tore her gaze from the stone in her hand and gently placed it back into the bag. "Well this is perfect, Kaylee, thank you so much," she said as she hugged the older teen.

"You're very welcome honey."

"I'm kind of jealous now," Gavin admitted.

"Don't be babe," Kaylee said as she lightly patted his cheek and stepped around him. "You're getting one for your eighteenth birthday."

"But that's ages away," Gavin called out as he hurried after them. Ariana, Kaylee and Jack all started laughing at him as they entered the kitchen and Ariana pulled out the stone to show her mother the beautiful gift that Kaylee had gotten for her.

July 2022

Cameron shifted his stance as the sands under his feet moved yet again and just stared at the mangled remains of the jeep lying upside down at the bottom of the massive dune it had just rolled down. He held his left arm close to his chest, fairly certain that it was broken after having rolled as many times as he had. The three guys with him were fairly lucky, walking away with bruises, scrapes, a few fractured ribs and a broken ankle. The jeep had definitely not faired as well; two of the tires were flat, one wheel had folded in on itself, what little glass there was had shattered, the frames at the top were bent completely out of shape and one of the doors was sticking out of the dune about 100 meters away. The only good thing for them was that it didn't appear to be leaking or sparking in any way that was immediately dangerous to them.

"Do you know, every time I see you I seem to need to rescue you."

All four men turned, guns just suddenly in their hands and pointed at the man standing several meters behind him and holding on to the reins of a camel even as his hands were in the air. At a gesture from Cameron, the men lowered their weapons, though Dean was already grinning as Cameron walked forward with his hand outstretched.

"That is certainly true Mohammed, though at least I don't believe I'm going to die this time around."

"That is most certainly a good thing, friend Cameron." He inclined his head to the two guys that were hanging back before greeting Dean with equal warmth and familiarity. "We are settled about a kilometer from here, an easy walk, but your man with the broken ankle will obviously find this difficult. I would be happy to allow him to ride the camel while I walk with you. Unless you need to be somewhere in a hurry?"

Cameron shook his head. "We've finished our mission here and were on our way back to the city when the jeep started rolling as the road disappeared. That was unexpected."

"There was a sandstorm through here two nights ago; the road is up there somewhere, but the winds have yet to clear the way. Come, we can at least feed you and patch up your injuries while a message is sent to the city requesting assistance on your behalf."

Cameron agreed and performed the introductions. When he was questioned about how he knew Mohammed, he and Dean took turns explaining how Mohammed and his tribe had saved their lives when they were captured and nearly killed seven years before.

"And now we get rescued again. But at least I'm in a better position to insist on some way to thank you. Do you need supplies or information?"

As they walked toward where Mohammed's tribe was encamped and the bargaining began, Cameron sent up silent thanks that the desert nomads he had once spent half a year with had so willingly taken them in yet again.

September 2022

Lydia narrowed her eyes as she turned onto the street where her home was located, searching the cars parked along both sides carefully in case her husband was trying to sneak a surprise birthday party in for her, even though she had stressed firmly that she just wanted to celebrate quietly with her family. But the street appeared as it normally did to her, and as she pulled into the driveway, the only additional car she could see was Kaylee's, though she had no doubt that Jack would also be there.

She wasn't unrealistic; she knew they would probably do something. After all, she was turning the big 4-0 this year. And it was quite possible that one of her many friends would sneak the surprise party in when she was least expecting it (though she was certain she had extracted promises not to from the most likely culprits). But what she had really just wanted for this year was something quiet, low-key and family oriented.

Hopefully that was the plan for the night.

She spotted Evan at the window, clearly watching for her, though instead of pretending he hadn't been there, he waved madly at her. As she got out of the car, she heard him shouting, "She's here, Mum's home! Do you need me to stall her?"

She laughed softly and walked slowly, waiting to see if she was on time or early. But just as she was reaching for the doorknob, the door opened and Cameron stepped out.

Oh my!

She loved herself a good-looking man, and her husband was hands down the best-looking man she had ever laid eyes on. But put the man in a tuxedo and all she wanted to do was tear it off him as fast as she could because man alive, he made her want!

Swallowing hard against the desire sliding through her veins, she murmured softly, "I suddenly feel very underdressed."

Cameron grinned down at her, the lust in his eyes a background for the spark of knowledge that suddenly appeared. The sneak knew he had her at his mercy and wasn't going to do a thing about it and yet somehow she wasn't upset. She just knew that the undressing later would be so much more in every way if she could just wait.

"Well, if my lady will step into the garage with me, we shall do something about that."

It took her a moment to remember her comment about her clothes before she accepted the hand held out to her and followed Cameron into the large double garage. His 4WD was parked in its usual place, but the spot that she normally parked in had been transformed. A square of red carpet had been placed on the concrete, a clothes rack and small stand beside it. A gorgeous, emerald green evening gown hung from the rack beside a small underwear bag from Victoria's Secret, with matching shoes and accessories on the stand.

"I chose the dress and underwear, my birthday gift to you, and Ariana and Gavin bought the jewellery and shoes together for you. The gifts from the boys are inside. Unless the house is suddenly burning down, that door to the kitchen will remain shut while you change."

"That dress looks pretty snug. Are you going to help me into it?"

He stepped right into her and slid a hand seductively down her spine while the other hand light brushed over her cheek and hair. She melted in against him as his lips hovered over hers.

"Not only am I going to help you into this gown, but I'm going to take a great deal of pleasure later on in getting you out of it."

Her breath caught in her throat as his mouth finally met hers and the world around her fell away. The kiss was light but intimate, and somehow touched her from the top of her head through to the points of her toes before he pulled back and smiled tenderly down at her.

"Let's get you dressed baby."

She quickly realised that Cameron intended to do most of the work himself and allowed him to do it at his pace, letting her mind drift with his hands as her body relaxed. Her clothing came off and he took his time rubbing her favourite lotion all over her skin before he assisted her into the underwear and dress. The act of doing up the zipper at the back was as intimate as it got and she admitted to some disappointment that all her husband did was lightly kiss the base of her neck as he swept her hair up into a chignon. Jewellery was added to the look and then he sat her on the stand as he went down on one knee to put the beautiful strappy sandals on her feet.

Several moments later, she stood in front of the mirror that had been leaned against the wall for just this purpose and stared.

"Oh wow."

"Wow doesn't even come close," he murmured softly, lifting her hand to place a light kiss on the back of it. "Shall we head inside?"

She nodded silently, overcome with emotion that her family would still go to such lengths to make a quiet meal something special for her, and followed him to the door. It opened at his knock and she was faced with Evan and Rhys in their best suits. Taking the hands they offered, she allowed them to escort her to the table, where Gavin pulled her chair out for her. Seeing Ariana already at the table, and that the table was only set for five, she faltered slightly.

"Jack and Kaylee offered to cook and wait on us so that we could all enjoy a stress-free celebration with you. I did suggest that they join us, but they were adamant on remaining behind the scenes."

She frowned slightly at that, but Gavin and Ariana both rolled their eyes with indulgent smiles, so she let it go as the door opened and Kaylee stepped through. She wore black heels, stockings and a knee-length slim and sleeveless dress over a long-sleeved white shirt. Her hair was swept into a neat up-do. After wishing Lydia a happy birthday she explained the menu, which had apparently been a surprise for all of them, and noted down the small changes they made to their individual meals. Assuring them that dinner wasn't far off, she walked back into the kitchen.

They talked and laughed while they waited. Compliments flowed around the table, starting with how everyone looked and then shifting to compliments about recent accomplishments. Jack was dressed similarly to Kaylee with black pants and a vest over a white shirt, and assisted Kaylee in bringing out the three courses, staggered so that the meal wasn't rushed. Additional gifts were produced for her to open as they waited on dessert. Evan had bought her a book she had been thinking a lot about lately, and Rhys had bought her a favourite, extremely rare movie that she had been trying to find for a while. There were also a couple of small gifts from Kaylee and Jack, which was extremely sweet of them, and she told them this as they reappeared with an elaborately decorated cake. Finding out that Kaylee and Jack had been working on the cake all day with the assistance of the whole family really touched her, and she insisted that they stay and have a piece with the rest of them.

Then the family portion of the evening was over and she said goodnight to everyone with a hug and a kiss before accepting the arm Cameron held out to her. Lifting the bottom of her dress just enough not to trip on it as they climbed the stairs, her anticipation of the night ahead climbed as they did and by the time the bedroom door closed behind them and Cameron took her in his arms, she knew she was up for anything.

"Happy birthday beautiful," he murmured against her lips.

Oh yes, happy birthday to me.

October 2022

"This is Lydia," she said cheerfully after pulling over at the tones from her phone. She knew she could have the conversation through the Bluetooth with the car moving, but traffic was heavy around her and she'd felt safer in pulling to the side to take the incoming call.

"Mrs Scott, this is Denise Walker at your son Evan's school. As you know, they were on a school excursion today. I'm sorry to inform you that there was a head-on collision between the school bus and a truck and Evan has been gravely injured. I don't have all the specifics, but he is being airlifted to the children's hospital as we speak."

Lydia felt the world around her imploding. Somehow she managed to conclude the call, but inside she was screaming as she imagined what must be happening to her seven-year-old son. She desperately wanted to call Cameron and get him to tell her what to do, but he was overseas on a mission that she knew was extremely time sensitive and somehow more dangerous than normal so she was on her own.

No, Lydia. You are never on your own. You know who to call.

A moment later, a familiar voice filled the car. "Hey Lydia."

She started crying as the rambling started. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her words to come out in the correct order. But this was her closest friend Emily that they were talking about. Emily had worked for nearly twenty years with bad guys and serial killers and had seven children. So, even as the crying eased and the confusion of words continued, Emily pieced together what was going on and took over.

"Okay, first things first, take several deep breaths for me. Good. I will contact Gavin and ask him to pick Rhys up from school. Ariana is already with Jack at my place studying, so I'll bring her with me. But I need you to contact Cameron's boss to get him to pass the information on as soon as it is safe to do so. Can you do that?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice as she finally got her emotions under better control.

"Good. Honey, it'll be alright, I'm sure of it. I'll call Brad while I am en-route; he will have a contact at the children's hospital who can give us more information. I'll meet you in the emergency room as soon as I can get there. Are you going to be okay to drive?"

She laughed, a sound more like a sob escaping her lips. "I have to be okay driving; I'm still on the freeway on my way to pick up Evan…" her voice petered out as she thought of how scared her baby boy must be.

"Stop," Emily said firmly. Lydia focused in on the steady breathing she could hear through the handset. "Call Cameron's boss from where you are and pull the car as far over to the side as you can. I'll swing past you to pick you up, it will be safer that way. Make that call and I'll see you shortly."

Lydia did as she was told because she couldn't quite wrap her head around anything that didn't involve her panicking over Evan's unknown condition. With the car safely off to the side against the guardrail and the call made to Cameron's boss, she sat and waited and prayed.

Forty minutes later, Emily's vehicle pulled up behind her and then the woman was pulling her into a tight hug. She clung for several minutes before pulling back and wiping her leaky eyes.

"So if I'm not allowed to drive, how are we moving both cars?"

"Jack has his driver's licence, so he'll drive my car while I drive yours. Ariana can jump in our car or she can stay with Jack. For the record, Jack is an excellent driver, but as you are already having a traumatic day, the kids are happy to agree with whichever solution works best for you."

Lydia decided to leave the arrangement as it was, but watched closely as Jack merged with traffic behind them before turning back around.

"Did you get a hold of Brad?"

Emily shot her a compassionate smile. "I did. Things aren't looking great, but the battle has only just started to save his life and they are far from giving up. He received information stating that the bus rolled on impact, tossing everyone about. Evan has multiple broken bones and internal bleeding, and a severe concussion. He's in surgery as we speak, but apparently they are far more concerned about a crush injury he sustained to his lower left leg than any of his other injuries. They are doing their best, but unfortunately the outcome is looking like he might require an amputation in order to save his life."

Lydia stared at her friend in horror, taking the hand that was offered to her but not really being aware of the contact. She spent the rest of the trip trying to wrap her mind around the decisions that she might need to make without her husband by her side and found that she just couldn't.

"I know I need to be strong for the kids, but I'm not sure I can do this without Cameron. Not like this."

Emily parked the car and watched critically as Jack parked beside her before she turned back.

"When we first met, you had been held at the hands of monsters for months, and yet you still risked your life to save mine. Years later, when Cameron went missing for six months, you held it together despite being so very sick while you were pregnant with Evan. That woman is strong in ways that most will never understand; she just keeps getting up when life knocks her down. This is scary, probably the scariest thing you have ever had to face, but you are stronger than that and you can do this. I'll be here, you have the support of the whole group to draw on, and Cameron will be home before you know it."

Lydia closed her eyes as peace flowed through her at Emily's words. Hearing how this massively courageous woman saw her gave her the courage she needed to get out of the car, gather up her family and head in to see how her world was going to change.

Christmas Eve 2022

Lydia's POV

She watched the kids decorate the tree and sighed softly. They'd tried pushing the tree decorating back as much as they could to allow time for Cameron to return and join in the tradition, but it was Christmas Eve and he was still away and they were out of time.

She watched as Evan shifted, losing his balance slightly. Luckily Kaylee was right behind him, the bubbly redhead joining them for their Christmas celebrations this year so that her foster parents could go to the bedside of a dying relative. She gently placed a supportive hand at his back, giving him the few seconds he needed to find his centre of gravity again while she said something that made him laugh as they went back to their decorating.

Evan's bones had healed, his internal injuries repaired and the concussion only keeping him out of it for a few days. The damage to the lower part of his left leg hadn't resulted in amputation, though the doctors had come close to having to resort to that option. But severe damage had been done to the muscles, nerves and ligaments, and the bone itself had been crushed so badly that he now had adjustable plates holding the bone together. A special brace had been fitted to his leg, with forearm crutches provided to support him and assist with his balance.

Cameron had returned two days after the accident, just as Evan was beginning to comprehend and react emotionally to what the doctors had told him; that he would never walk normally again. Finally knowing that she didn't have to be the strong one on her own anymore, she had just about collapsed in his arms for almost an hour. He'd grieved with her, apologised for not being there and set about making the changes that were going to be needed.

With Evan hospital bound due to his extensive breaks, he had plenty of time to get the house modified to be more mobility friendly. Derek had been a huge help there, especially when it came to converting the downstairs guest bedroom into a proper bedroom for a young boy and connecting it to the downstairs bathroom to make a suite for him. JJ knew a woman who assessed homes for mobility for a living and connected them with her; she had picked up on things they hadn't even thought of. By the time Evan came home a week before Christmas, the only part of the house he could no longer easily access was the upstairs rooms.

She watched the children laughing over something and looked at the clock. Time was ticking away and it got her thinking. During the twenty years of her marriage to Cameron, he had somehow only been away from them for one Christmas during their second year. That had been tough for her to handle, still getting used to being a wife as she had been. She clearly remembered crying on her dad's shoulder about how alone she felt when Cameron was away, telling him that she wasn't sure she could cope with it, and he had asked her if she thought she would cope if he was completely out of her life, either through divorce or death. He'd then gently kissed the top of her head and walked away to allow her the time she needed to sort everything out in her head. It had taken a couple of hours, but in the end the decision had been clear and easy. Yes, it was difficult when Cameron left her alone for weeks on end, but knowing that he was coming home to her was the only reason she was able to keep going.

After that, there were no doubts. She treasured the times he was home, living life with her and their growing family. When he was gone, she paid extra attention to everything so that she could catch him up on what he'd missed on his return. And she always did her very best to forget that one day her phone might ring or her doorbell might sound and her world might collapse completely around her. Because she loved him more than she loved her fear and her loneliness and in the end, the joy they had when they were together was enough to sustain her through the long moments where he wasn't by her side.

Cameron's POV

He studied the latest photo of his family and smiled sadly. Just six short hours from now, Christmas Day would begin without him. The only Christmas he had ever missed was that second one with his wife, when he was so in love but so very panicky over losing her because he kept being sent out of the country. He'd been certain that he would come home to find himself one of the many statistics with a broken marriage. Instead his wife had brought to the table more courage and strength than he had ever seen before in his life. She'd stuck it out with him through the last twenty years and he couldn't be more grateful to have her in his life.

He generally didn't mind his missions. After all, he had chosen patriotism to his country and had trained hard to both join and stay in the Green Berets all this time, even after most men either retired outright or were cycled out to less demanding units. But there were some moments, like right now, where he wished fervently that he had chosen another field to become an expert in.

Focusing back in on the photo, he traced Evan's face. It was the first truly genuine smile he had seen on his son's face since the seven-year-old had woken up and realised he'd almost lost his leg and would always walk with a limp. Rhys stood beside his little brother in the centre of the picture with an arm around his shoulder, almost laughing about something. Gavin and Kaylee stood to their right and Ariana and Jack stood to the left while he stood with his arms around Lydia in the centre at the back. Their family was expanding, thankfully with people that he actually liked. He fully expected to one day call Jack his son, had in fact seen it coming since the pair laid eyes on each other. He was similarly sure about Kaylee, though that had been laced with little moments of doubt over the last couple of years as her relationship with Gavin brought up issues that she was still working through from her abuse. But the fact that she was willing to work through them because she loved Gavin spoke volumes about her own courage, showing that she fit right in with this family that had been through hell multiple times and somehow still came out swinging.

Melancholy rocked him hard as he thought about the traditions he was missing by being in this forsaken part of the world. He loved participating in picking the tree and decorating it. He could cook up to a point, and several of his favourite dishes to prepare were Christmas treats that everyone would miss out on this year. Then there was Christmas Eve, when everyone was sound asleep, when he and Lydia would sneak down the stairs to put out all the presents and in years when the children were younger, put the last gifts together before moving them to their spots around the tree.

"Yo, Cam! We're out of here!"

His head snapped up, a hopeful look on his face. "Really?"

"Really. The powers that be found a plane that'll take us back to the States now. We'll all get home around two-ish, but come Christmas morning we'll be giving our families the best gift of all."

He whooped with glee and moved quickly to gather up the last of his things, racing out to the waiting jeeps as everyone shouted to the stragglers to hurry it up. He was almost bouncing with impatience before they set out for the runway, but he comforted himself with the thought that even though he had missed all the traditions, at least he wouldn't be missing a second Christmas with the family he loved.

February 2023

Rhys watched Candice Wilson talking with her friends and sighed heavily.

"Dude, there's no way she's going to say yes. Apart from being younger than her, you're also shorter and not nearly as close to the popular crowd as she is."

"I know that Trey, but I have to try."

His best friend moved to stand in front of him, blocking his view of the girl of his dreams.

"Why do you have to try Rhys? You're only ten…"

"I'm almost eleven," he reminded Trey firmly.

Trey rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like that changes things when she just turned twelve. Seriously dude, you're about to get your heart shattered into a million pieces in the most painfully embarrassing way possible. The kind of embarrassment that has the potential to stick around forever."

Rhys hesitated, wondering if that kind of embarrassment was worth the risk of not doing anything and then finding out later that she would have said yes. But then if she said no, everyone would know and they would laugh at him and tease him; Trey was right, he'd never hear the end of it.

So why risk it at all…

It wasn't as if he was too young for this; after all, Ariana had gone on her first date with Jack when she was just six. Albeit, their dads had both been there and they had been heavily supervised right through until they were twelve before they were allowed out on their own, but still…

They would make a really cute couple. The dark good looks he got from his dad with her light beauty would be really striking. But still…

"Maybe I should talk to my dad first."

Trey rolled his eyes and smacked him lightly on the back of the head. "Dude, that's only what I've been saying for like the last two hours."

He smoothed his hair back into place as he shot Trey a dirty look; he hated it when anyone messed with his hair. His eyes wandered back to Candice of their own accord and he froze as the most popular boy in the school walked up to her and put an arm around her shoulders. He said something that made Candice and her friends laugh. Then Candice reached up, threaded her fingers through his, and they turned and walked off.

"Dude, I'm sorry, cause that sucks. But seriously, it was bound to happen."

Rhys tore his eyes off their retreating backs and tried not to show how close to tears he was. "You suck with the comfort Trey."

"Hey, better to go with the tough love than the emotional hearts and flowers that girls do." He shuddered. "Honestly though, I'm really glad you didn't go put yourself out there and get embarrassed for all time. Save it up over the next few years and try again when we're older and wiser."

"But I was sure Candice was the one. I mean, Ari knew about Jack when she was six."

"Dude, girls are wired way different to boys, and Jack is just something else," he finished with a touch of the hero worship he held for Jack in his eyes. "Come on, let's get out of here and head home. If we get our homework done quickly, my mum will let us play some video games before dinner and if we play up your heartache enough, you may get a special treat out of her for the both of us."

Rhys rolled his eyes. "Do you ever think about anything other than your stomach and your mum's cooking?"

Trey grinned at him. "Hey, what can I say; I'm a growing boy and my mum just rocks!"

Laughing despite his young heart being broken into more pieces than he knew what to do with, Rhys followed his friend out of the school.

March 2023

Gavin lounged on the picnic blanket and watched Kaylee as she picked flowers in the meadow where they had settled for their first spring outing of the year. The sun turned the red of her hair into fire that danced in the light breeze as she moved. The weight of the small velvet box in his pocket called to him to make his move, but he waited, admiring her grace as she moved about him.

He'd asked her how she wanted to celebrate the actual day of her eighteenth birthday. The party had already been booked in for the Saturday but with the Sunday free for the both of them, he had hoped that she might want to spend the day with him. Her response had been all he had hoped for, with this picnic lunch now and dinner with his family this evening, and hopefully an announcement that he had been dying to make as far back as the moment he'd first laid eyes on her.

She suddenly dropped down beside him, laughter in her eyes as she leaned in to kiss him. He slid his hand up along the side of her face and tunnelled his fingers into her hair as he deepened the kiss for several long moments before she pulled back with a smile.

"You were miles away a few moments ago, and happy if that goofy smile on your face was anything to go by. What were you thinking about?"

"Goofy? I'll have you know that I don't smile in a goofy manner; it's all very masculine and suave."

"Mmm hmm," she murmured as she kissed him again briefly. "So what were you thinking on so happily Mr Masculine and Suave?"

He ran a finger down her nose. "You. And how much joy it gave me that you wanted to spend today with me."

Her smile turned soft, the look in her vivid green eyes taking his breath away. "I love you Gavin; where else would I want to spend my time when I get such a luxury as to have you all to myself."

He kissed her fiercely then, shifting her to straddle his thighs as he cradled her head to him. "I love you too Kaylee, so very much." Realising that now was his moment, he urged her off his lap and reached into his pocket as he shifted up onto one knee. Her soft gasp drew his gaze as he opened the box and turned it to face her. "I can't imagine my life without you in it. I knew, the moment I spotted you out on the track that you were my one, the other half of my soul for the rest of my life. Kaylee, will you marry me?"

The smile that came over her face was more blinding than the sun's light shining down on them in that moment.

"Yes! Gavin yes, I love you so much and it would be my absolute honour to take you as my husband, the other half of my soul for life."

He grinned, and then because the grin wasn't enough, he whooped. Sweeping her up and off her feet, he spun them around until they were giddy and breathless, laughing with joy in between the kisses. Finally remembering that he hadn't placed the ring on her finger yet, he set her down and found the box with the princess cut diamond ring and slid it on her finger as she sighed happily. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her tenderly before resting his forehead against hers.

"Thank you for making me the happiest man alive. I know I'm not perfect, but I fully intend to make you as happy as I can for the rest of our lives together."

"I believe you. And considering my own imperfections, I'd say that just makes us the perfect imperfect pair."

"Agreed," he murmured.

Several Hours Later

Gavin walked through the front door and tugged Kaylee after him, using his foot to nudge it firmly closed before hurrying towards the noise he could hear in the dining room as she laughed at him. He grinned back at her before pulling her around in front of him as they stepped into the room. Everyone turned to look at them, though the boys were scowling.

"Finally!" Rhys said huffily. "We're starving!"

"Hurry up and sit so we can eat."

Ariana and Jack rolled apologetic eyes at them, but his parents were looking at them kind of expectantly and rather than disappoint, he grinned and announced, "I asked Kaylee to marry me and she said yes."

Ariana whooped with glee and bounded to them, hugging them both excitedly as everyone else moved forward to congratulate them. Lydia hugged both girls tight to her as Cameron questioned when they were getting married in a sudden moment of quiet.

"No time soon," Kaylee responded. "Gavin and I both want to graduate college first before we make that much of a commitment. And a long engagement will give us plenty of time to plan everything from the wedding to how we want our first five and ten years together to look."

"So at least four years then," Jack suggested.

Kaylee and Gavin nodded happy agreement as they moved back to each other's side and headed to the chairs they normally sat at during meals. Conversation turned to the proposal and their future together.

June 2023

Cameron watched the kids kick the ball back and forth with half an eye as he kept the other half on Evan where he played chess with Spencer at the nearby tables. He was listening to the Hotchner brothers talking beside him, but his attention kept being pulled away to where the ladies were still congregated around the picnic tables they'd used for lunch. Whatever the women were talking about looked intense. He hadn't realised that he'd said anything aloud until Sean answered him.

"They're talking about China."

That stopped all the conversations around them as everyone zoned in on the joyous expression on Sean's face.

"What's this about China?" Derek asked curiously.

"As you all know by now, Esther and I have stopped trying to have a baby. It's heartbreaking to lose even a life you've never met, and it is terrifying for me to have to witness almost losing my wife to something that is supposed to bring so much joy into our lives. We did explore local adoption and surrogacy, but instead we decided to adopt a child from China."

"Why China?" Dave asked.

Sean shrugged. "We've both travelled there when we were younger and less settled than we are and we fell in love with the country and the people, plus we speak the language which will help while the child learns English. When we started exploring whether international adoption was for us, we kept coming back to that love. The local adoption agency put us in contact with an international one and two weeks ago we were informed that they had a child in mind for us. The paperwork was filled out and the adoption confirmed three days ago. We're flying to China next month to meet our child and bring them home."

Cameron extended his congratulations with everyone else, and felt their frustrations as Sean stayed close-mouthed about the age and sex of the child they were adopting. Half an hour later, everyone met up to pack up for the day, and he pulled Lydia close to his side as they watched Evan converse animatedly with Spencer as they slowly approached. Rhys chatted happily with several of the boys, while Ariana and Gavin put all their dishes back in the box they had arrived in, laughing along with Toby, Jack and Henry at a joke Austin was telling them.

"What do you think about China?" Lydia murmured oh so softly to him as Esther and Sean talked with Aaron and Emily.

"I think they are facing a difficult journey in front of them, adopting a foreign child and integrating that child into the family. My hope is that Isaac will take the changes in his family well, but at four years of age, I'm not sure he has the maturity to fully comprehend what it all means, both in the now and into the future. For all of that though, more power to them and I really do hope it goes well for them."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I agree with you on all of the above. I think we may just have to watch this space."

"Agreed." He turned her into him, kissed her thoroughly and then moved them to say goodbye to the others as they gathered up their brood to head home.

End

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