That evening was unlike any other Emily had spent with Derek; they'd had their very memorable and joyful moments over the years, but they paled in comparison to all of the pure joy that filled their home that night. Though Emily knew Derek still felt some guilt when it came to the kids and his leaving, the unending exuberance of Caleb and Serena of just having him home helped him forget that.

Derek set the kids down on the front porch and quickly wiped his eyes on his shirt sleeve. He held Serena's and Caleb's hands as they walked in the front door, Fran, with her arm around Emily's waist, following right behind them. Serena's face was radiant and she couldn't stop looking up at Derek and smiling.

"Come see the cake!" Caleb excitedly said. Emily, Fran and Derek laughed. Caleb was three and he was in the moment. His Daddy was home, and there was cake.

Fran had indeed helped the kids bake a birthday cake for Emily, "Happy Birthday Mommy," written in white frosting on the top. There was also the unmistakable smell of Fran's chili cooking on the stove top.

"You know what I think?" asked Derek. Both Caleb and Serena looked at him with wide eyes as he continued, "I think Mommy's birthday was yesterday and we've waited long enough. I think we should do dessert first, then dinner."

Serena giggled and said, "Yes!"

Caleb looked at Derek in wonder, "Cake first?" Then he looked at Emily wanting confirmation that this was even possible.

Emily, who was still having trouble containing her tears, laughed and nodded at Caleb. "Cake first. Sounds great to me!"

Fran, who hadn't said a word at all yet and seemed content to just take all of this in, brought the cake and some candles to the kitchen table. Emily took a seat while Fran put several candles in the cake, and Caleb and Serena drew themselves away from Derek and to Emily's lap. Derek stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

Fran lit the candles and Emily said, "For my birthday, and Daddy's welcome home, and Caleb's birthday and Serena's adoption day, and Nana, who has been amazing these past couple of months. Let's blow these out together." And with happy wishes in their hearts, the Morgan family blew out the candles together.

Serena kissed Emily's cheek and said, "I have a present. I'll be right back!"

They heard her feet on the stairs and she was back down in a flash, with a rolled piece of thick parchment in her hand. "It's for you and Daddy. For your birthday, Mommy, and for Daddy coming home. JJ told me about why you thought Daddy was in Scotland, and I thought it would be a pretty picture, to always remember."

Serena handed the rolled parchment to Emily, who stood and spread it open, Derek right beside her. And their eyes filled with tears again. On a large sheet of paper, Serena had drawn the picture of Emily and Derek on the dance floor taken so many years ago, but she'd taken out the bar in the background. Instead, they were dancing, floating, in the night sky, with the swirling, amazing colors of Aurora Borealis behind them. It was the most breathtaking piece of artwork they'd ever seen. Serena had managed to capture the feelings between the two of them that even the camera couldn't contain in that moment.

Derek turned to lift Serena up in his arms again and she rested her head on his shoulder. Emily wrapped her arms around both of them and Derek whispered, "Thank you, Serena. It's a beautiful picture. I shouldn't have left like I did and I'm sorry."

Serena reached her hand up, placed it gently on Derek's cheek and whispered, "It's okay, Daddy. I still felt your love even when you were gone. You're home now and that's all that matters."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the cake, Derek and Serena built train tracks with Caleb while Emily and Fran stayed in the kitchen, cleaning the cake plates and finishing preparing dinner, happily listening to the voices coming from the living room.

"How is he really?" asked Fran quietly.

Emily put her hand on Fran's back. "Right now, what you're seeing is how he is. Ecstatic. I don't think he believed he could ever come home to this after he left like he did, which was why he stayed away so long. He still has things to talk about and work through, and seeing people besides you and JJ is going to be hard for awhile, but he's here and he loves his family and he's staying."

Fran turned to give Emily a hug, then stepped back to look at her. "How did you get him home?"

"He got himself home because I was the same as I always was with him."

Fran laughed quietly and shook her head.

"What?" asked Emily.

"You make what you did sound so simplistic, when in reality it's what writers for centuries have dreamed their heroines could be."

Emily smiled. "Maybe those writers didn't know what love really was. We do. Derek just needed to be reminded."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fran left for home shortly after dinner with hugs and kisses for all and a smile on her face. It was a dinner where neither Caleb or Serena could quite contain themselves long enough to stay seated. In the end, Derek ended up sharing his food with Caleb, who sat on his lap. Serena brought her chair right next to Derek's and ate her dinner there.

Derek gave Caleb his bath that night, both of their voices and laughter ringing through the house. Serena leaned into Emily in the reading nook, smiles on both of their faces, while they listened.

Emily gave Serena a squeeze and said, "My sweet girl, sometimes we can't make sense of this world. But I know that really good things can come from really bad things. I've seen it over and over again. And your Daddy and I have lived it several times. I still can't make sense of what happened to Daddy and I wish it away every single day, but I know good things are going to come. And you helped so much with your pictures. They helped bring Daddy home, Serena. You have a wonderful, pure heart. We're lucky to have you in our lives to share your heart with us."

Serena twisted her body to sit on Emily's lap, facing her, leaning her forehead against Emily's. "I think the same thing about you, Mommy."

And that night, when Caleb had fallen asleep after several books were read to him by his real-life Daddy, Emily watched Derek look at the bookshelves in the reading nook. He selected a well-read, lavender-covered book. He went into Serena's room and asked, "Have you read this one, yet?"

"No," replied Serena, "It wasn't on my shelves yet. Mommy said maybe when I was nine or ten."

Serena was right, it wasn't on her shelves yet, the ones where Derek and Emily moved books that she could choose from freely. It wasn't there because they didn't feel quite ready to explain rape to an eight year old. But it was rather a moot issue now.

"Well," Emily heard Derek say, "I'm going to move it on there because I think you'll love the story and I want to read it with you. Did you know when Mommy was living in London and I was living here, we read this book to each other over the computer? It's a very special book. It's why there are mockingbirds on Caleb's wall. And it's why that picture you made a drawing of means so much to us."

At first it was all Emily could do to slide down against the wall outside Serena's bedroom, with tears and a smile on her face, and listen to the sound of Derek's voice reading To Kill a Mockingbird again. She had read and heard it so much, she could practically recite it word-for-word with him. But as he delved deeper into the story, she wiped her tears and stood and walked into Serena's room, too.

Derek was laying in bed next to Serena, who had her head on his shoulder. Emily squeezed herself in next to Serena, wrapping her arms around both of them, and Derek smiled at her and continued to read. Serena closed her eyes, not sleeping, just listening, with a content smile on her face. After several chapters, Derek closed the book for the night.

"More tomorrow, my sweet Serena," he said before pressing a gentle kiss to Serena's forehead.

Serena smiled at him with sleepy eyes. "OK. I love the story. You're home."

"I am. And I love you."

"I love you, too, Daddy."

Emily kissed Serena's cheek and tucked her in. She and Derek left the bedroom together and as soon as they were in the landing of their upstairs, Derek wrapped Emily in a tight hug and whispered, "I'm still sorry, but I don't think I would have remembered it all as well if I hadn't left first."

"No apologies, Derek. And, I know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: Still more. I gotta get that sweet man a job. ;-)