Late in the morning on her birthday, Emily awoke to gentle fingers touching her face. She blinked open her eyes and found Derek staring at her, the sun shining brightly behind him, not a cloud in the sky.

"What time is it?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"Almost eleven. We slept for about ten hours," he said in amazement.

"No nightmares?" she asked him.

"I had one, but it wasn't as bad. I woke up and I knew where I was and you were here. Touching you is better than a shower."

Emily smiled again at him. Almost there, she thought. She wanted to ask him to come home, she wanted to get on a plane that very instant. She knew he'd say yes, but she felt strongly that that decision needed to come from him without her asking, and he wasn't quite there yet.

"Maybe we'll see some lights tonight," said Derek, gesturing behind him to the clear skies outside.

"Maybe we will. Do you want me to check my phone and see?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn't be surprised if Aurora Borealis made an appearance on this date every year since they day you were born, Em. We'll just wait and see."

She reached out and touched his cheek, then leaned forward and brushed a quick, gentle kiss against his lips. It wasn't quite as easy as it was before, but it was close; she felt a bit of a stiffness in him, but she didn't have to ask permission and he smiled at her after.

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They went for a run on that clear, cold afternoon and Derek took them on a route along the ocean front. After a few miles he slowed down and came to a stop, leaning against a sea wall. Emily leaned next to him and they looked out on the water for several silent minutes.

"Everyone knows," said Derek sadly.

Emily linked her fingers with his. "The team knows. Your mom knows. Other people who know you suspect that something went horribly wrong when you were with Foster and probably assume, but they don't know the details. When you come back, it's going to feel uncomfortable for you for awhile, but I'll be right there beside you, and we have good people in our lives who care about you. In time, it won't feel uncomfortable anymore."

Derek lapsed into several more minutes of silence, thinking about that. He moved away from the wall, kept his hand linked with hers and started walking back towards the cottage.

"The blood work results?" he asked quietly.

"You're clear, everything's fine. I'm sorry, I should have told you right away. I wasn't thinking about that; I was just focused on getting inside, getting you talking, connecting with you again. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Em. I figured everything was fine or you would have told me by now. But it's good to hear it for certain." He paused and turned his head to glance at her. "Emily, how do you do it? How did you let go of the hurt I must have caused you when I left? How do you take all of this in and still look at me the same as you always have?"

Emily stopped walking and turned to face him, reaching for his other hand and looking him in the eye. "I was angry sometimes that you left without telling me where you were going. The inside of my car was subject to some pretty colorful words in several different languages some days when I was driving to or from Quantico. But then I read the crime scene report and the team's reports and I let go of that anger because I would have wanted to disappear, too. Your entire support network and the people you cared about most in the world knew the details and it was too much for you to face at first."

Derek nodded his head, a pained look on his face. She squeezed his hands to get him to refocus on her. "As far as taking all of this in and still looking at you the same as always, no one and nothing could ever take away even an ounce of my love for you, Derek. It's just not possible." She smiled at him, "How did you do it?"

He raised his eyebrows at her, a curious smile on his face now, too. "Do what?"

"Make me love you this much."

He laughed a true, genuine, Derek laugh, and said, "It started with a dance."

And the sparkle was back in his eyes, and Emily was certain in that moment that three hours in hell could not ruin twelve years of their love. It would take time and there would be ups and downs, but they were going to be wonderful again.

She laughed joyfully and released his one hand, resuming their walk. They were quiet for a few minutes, but they were both smiling. Then she sensed Derek getting serious again.

"I can't go back to the BAU, Em."

Emily knew this was probably coming and was prepared. "What do you want to do? You have a world full of choices."

Derek shook his head, "I don't want any of that darkness to be part of my life anymore. I don't want to carry a gun. I don't want to get inside people's heads. I don't want to train other people for a life of that either. I still want to help people, but that's about all I know."

"You can do anything you want, Derek. I'll be there to support you. I want you to do what makes you happy. We have the trust fund and plenty to keep us going while you decide. Michelle Stone has been after me for years to come work for her full-time, so I can do that and we'd have that security and health insurance would be taken care of for all of us. We'll make whatever work."

"That would mean you giving up the BAU, too. I don't want to do that to you. I know you love it the few hours a week you're there."

"I do love it, but when I first came back from London, it was important because I still wanted to feel connected to the team. I really don't think staying connected with that bunch is going to be a problem, do you? Most of them practically live at our house. I'm actually surprised JJ isn't here stalking us right now."

Derek laughed again and stopped walking. He pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her and she rested her cheek against his chest. She felt the vibrations of his voice as he talked. "Just the baseboards in the living room left to do. They're already measured, painted and cut, out in the shed. It shouldn't take us long at all."

Emily's heart started that fast thrumming again. "And then?"

He exhaled a deep breath. "And then I'll take you out to dinner for your birthday, and we'll give the lights one last chance to make an appearance tonight, and tomorrow we'll go home."

Emily squeezed her arms around him and started laughing and crying at the same time. He was coming home. Of all of the times she felt she'd accomplished something miraculous, she realized in that moment she didn't even know what a miracle was before.

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Emily called JJ while Derek was getting the baseboards from the shed.

"Em?" JJ asked, her voice hopeful.

"We're coming home. Tomorrow we're coming home."

And JJ laughed and cried at the news, too.

"How is he?" she asked.

"Good. It's still going to be a long road, but he's ready to walk that path with us instead of on his own."

"I still can't believe you found him, Emily."

"I actually can," Emily said with a quiet laugh. "Where's Serena?"

"Spencer and Penelope took her and Henry out to breakfast early and then he's driving them to the middle of nowhere for some supposedly amazing pumpkin patch. You know how he is about Halloween. Caleb's with Fran at your house. She's taking him to the zoo today. We've been trying to keep them busy."

Emily smiled at the thought of their beautiful children and Fran and what it was going to be like when they saw Derek.

"Can you do me a favor JJ? Can you look up some flights for us? We can make the drive to Glasgow if that's easier than getting a flight out of Heathrow via Aberdeen. I don't care how we get home, but it's hard to research on my phone."

"I'm on it. I'm so happy, Emily! I'll be in touch!"

Derek came into the living room a few minutes later and smiled at Emily. "JJ's finding us a flight?"

"Yes." Emily was quiet for a minute, thinking. She didn't want to overwhelm Derek before he got on that plane home. Caleb, who didn't have a totally clear grasp of time yet, would probably be better just seeing Derek than getting a call and having to figure out how to wait until tomorrow. But Emily had a promise to keep and it was important. "I know calling people probably feels more overwhelming than seeing them, because you won't be able to communicate with anything besides your voice and that can be hard. JJ will spread the word to your mom and Caleb. But do you think you'd be up for calling Serena with me?"

Derek took a deep breath. "Yes. But let's wait until we know about a flight so we can tell her a time for sure."

He walked over to the side table and put his wedding ring back on, "I almost always wear it, you know. I just take it off when I'm painting."

She smiled brightly at him, "It still is the best love story ever."

Tears brimmed in his eyes. "I know," he whispered.

Emily's phone beeped with the sound of an incoming text message. She looked at the screen and laughed through tears. It was from Hotch.

"The jet will be in Aberdeen at noon tomorrow to bring you home, my friends."

She turned the screen around so Derek could see the message and Derek laughed through his tears as well. "One last flight on that plane," he said.

"Together. We'll be home by 4:00 local time at the latest." She passed Derek her phone and said, "Serena's with Penelope and Spencer."

His fingers trembled as he took the phone and sat next to her on the bed. But before he could dial, the phone started ringing. "Penelope Garcia," read the caller ID.

Derek hit the answer button and put the phone on speaker.

"Mommy?" came Serena's voice on the line.

"Serena," sighed Derek, a happy smile and fresh tears in his eyes.

"Daddy! I knew she'd find you. You love each other too much for her not to have found you. JJ called Penelope and said you were coming home. I knew you'd come home. I knew it. You just needed help. And we'll keep helping you, Daddy. We will. And one day you won't be sad anymore at all. I know that, too. Daddy...My Daddy. You're coming home," Serena happily cried through the speaker.

Derek let a few breaths in an out trying to control his tears and ragged breathing. "Serena," he finally managed, "I love you. Your drawings were unbelievable. I can't wait to put them in frames and hang them in the house to remind me to choose to remember the important things."

"They're all I see when I think of you, Daddy," said Serena in a serious whisper, making Emily feel like Serena understood the scope of all of this far more than Emily had hoped. But she also still sounded like their little girl.

Derek trembled slightly at Serena's statement, but recovered quickly, "We'll start making more memories tomorrow, Serena."

"Penelope and Spencer are both crying and smiling, and Henry is smiling. We can't wait until you get home."

"Tomorrow around four o'clock. I'll be there."

"Mommy? Are you there?" asked Serena.

"I'm here, my sweet girl," said Emily while wiping away her tears.

Serena laughed happily again. "Happy Birthday, Mommy. I knew you could do it. I told you. Your love is worth more than a million stars."

"Did you know, Serena, that I used to ask your Daddy where in the world he came from because the things he did for me were so magnificent. And now I want to ask the same of you because you're unbelievably magnificent, too?"

"We're all magnificent, Mommy. But we're best when we're together. I can't wait until tomorrow."

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