How had they gotten to the police station in one piece? And how had they not been found out yet? Luke counted both as the good fortune mumbo-jumbo Laura was always mumbling about. The call had come in twenty minutes ago and they had gotten across town without passing a single car; it made sense all of the noise around Holscomb Prison tonight. Neither of them had been watching when the notorious Jason Morgan and his youngest sister Emily were killed by a cop with a lucky shot when a shootout started in the prison yard. Luke hated to give the cops credit for anything, it disturbed his view of the world, but, he had to give this one points. Now that Morgan was dead, he bet all the danger involving him would dissipate just as quickly. He was, of course, going on instinct since there hadn't been a direct link to Jason Morgan and the kidnapping; he just thought it was rather convenient that Emily should make herself front and center on the same night her brother's release was demanded.

Laura had wanted to drive, but he had been smart enough not to let her. Officer DiMero had assured them that the kids were fine as far as she could see, but that she was having them checked out at General just in case. They had promised to meet her in the waiting room. He couldn't contain his excitement—or was it shock? It could have been a mixture, he supposed. He hadn't been able to ignore the memories all of this had brought back for him, for Laura, and for Lucky. He didn't have to talk to his son to know when something affected him; the boy wore his heart on his sleeve.

His wife was totally silent in the seat next to him and, for once, he wished she would start jabbering about this or that so he wouldn't feel inclined to grip the steering wheel. He reached for the dial on the radio, but it was all talk this time of night and none of their voices were welcome. He wasn't used to stillness surrounding his wife and it left him incredibly squirmy in his seat. If it weren't a pitch black and moderate temperate night he could have commented on the weather. She reached for his hand and he almost lost control of the car. In just a few short miles they would have the kids back and then it was back to worrying about the ordinary things, like when Lucky and Elizabeth would settle down and get married. He was betting on right after the baby was born, but he had been wrong before…just once, but it counted.

"How did she say the children seemed to her?" Laura asked for the millionth time since they listened to the call on speakerphone.

"She said that they were fine, no bumps or bruises." Luke repeated patiently.

"What if it's internal?" Laura wanted to know.

"Then I'm sure the doctor will tell us when we get there." Luke promised with a ghost of a smile.

"I'm just worried you know. No, scared. I'm not sure what I am." Laura admitted sheepishly.

"We're getting them back Angel." Luke reiterated. "Pretty soon it's back to family dinners and my motorcycle."

"What about your motorcycle? You haven't ridden it in months. You're worse than the kids with a new toy." Laura teased him.

Luke parked in the only remaining spot near the Emergency Room doors and they rushed inside. A million and one decisions rushed past his eyes like where would Lulu be living now?—because he somehow doubted Laura would let her out of their sight—would the family dinners be a mandatory thing now and be held five days a week?—they had a few holidays to make up for he supposed—were they going the right direction?—the officer had spoken too fast—and how had this experience changed the children? He could still remember the nightmares Lucky had had once they got him back and he wouldn't have been too surprised to know that his son still had them sometimes. Luke worried about how Elizabeth would handle them, because they were brought on by little things that no one but Lucky seemed to pick up and there were times when his son had been violent. Cameron had calmed his son dramatically and he was thankful for that.

In case anyone didn't know who they were looking for Laura dashing across the hallway toward their only daughter cleared up any and all confusion. If they hadn't known her name, Laura made certain to cry it out and throw her arms around Lulu's middle. His wife was not a large woman by any means, but her hugs were more like human death traps and he was a little worried when he couldn't even see his daughter anymore.

"Can't breathe." Lulu protested weakly as she lightly slapped Laura's shoulders.

"I'm sorry." Laura backed away from Lulu, but not so far that she couldn't push her bangs behind her ears and stare at her for a long while.

"It's okay Mom. Really. I missed you." Lulu must have caught her mother's tears, because in a moment's time Luke was dealing with two sobbing women.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked conversationally.

"Not a scratch on me." Lulu held out her arms for closer inspection. She had reacted the same way after falling off of her bike and slamming into a tree. She had been three at the time. Spencers didn't wait for age appropriate things. She had a full vocabulary by her second birthday. She had all A's in school and only her procrastination kept her from receiving a full scholarship to anywhere in the country. Selfishly, he was glad.

"They didn't hurt you?" Laura asked warily.

"Mom? Dad?" Lucky's voice came down the hallway as he rushed toward them. "Lulu?"

"Lucky!" Like a moth to a flame, his little Goldilocks leapt into her brother's arms.

"Lu." Lucky closed his eyes, trying to keep the tears back as he squeezed her tight. When his mother had called a few minutes ago, he hadn't fully believed it was over and Lulu was home. Now seeing her, it felt real. Maybe now he could put it all behind him. "I told you no scaring me to death." He whispered in a strangled voice

"I'm sorry." Lulu hiccupped. "Is Cameron okay?"

"He's fine. He's perfect." Lucky pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "Thanks to you Little Sister."

"And Cruz?" Lulu could still so very clearly see him crumpled on the ground.

"Fine. Aunt Bobbie is giving him nine kinds of hell for scaring her and missing Majandra's birth."

"Birth?" Lulu parroted. "But she's not due for..." She started to do some mental counting.

"Two months? Tell that to Majandra. Apparently she's a bit of a drama queen. Wonder who she gets that from?" Lucky teased gently.

"Clearly Aunt Bobbie." Lulu smiled. It felt good to smile with her brother and have him mirror the expression without a bit of hesitation. She had worried after Cameron's accident that her brother would never forgive him. Of course, accident or not, she still would have lunged for the gun.

"Lulu!" Morgan and Kristina screamed in unison, their voices following the sound of the elevator doors separating. There didn't seem to be anyone in the elevator with them.

"Children!" An out of breath brunette nurse called after them, holding onto the fire door. She must have climbed four flights of stairs after them.

"What? What? What's going on?" Lulu asked skeptically when they rushed her. It took her a minute to fully catch her breath.

"We got scared." Kristina explained with tears in her eyes.

"Why'd you get scared?" Lulu wondered, bending down so that they were all eye level with one another. "I told you I wouldn't leave you guys longer than I had to."

"But we got our stickers and they said you left." Morgan nodded hastily.

"No. No." Lulu hugged them to her and closed her eyes.

"Like either one of your mothers would let us leave you guys here." Lucky spoke quietly. "We're under strict orders to bring you to them."

"Where are they?" Kristina wanted to know, noticing Lucky for the first time.

"Well your mom is finishing up the mess people made at the prison." Lucky said to the little girl. "She and Mac are almost done. And your mom Morgan, your mom is making everything you love to eat at your house. And Patrick swears he's not helping."

"We'll know if we smell smoke." Luke muttered good-naturedly.

"Should we get you home to them then?" Laura suggested. The nurse smiled.

Both kids nodded enthusiastically. Morgan tugged on Laura's pearl-white sweater, "Can Lulu come too?"

"Try and stop me." Lulu smiled.

Alexis walked from one side of the too-small living room to the other, oftentimes tripping over a forgotten toy or the couch. Mac had attempted to get her to sit down, but it was a lost cause. She wouldn't be able to sit still, or at all, until the Spencers came through that door with Kristina. It had taken a lot longer than he had wanted to devote to "cleaning up the mess" at the prison. Only one of the requested prisoners had survived the shootout and he would be sure to inform Epiphany Johnson if she didn't encounter him at the hospital first, but right now he had only one thing on his mind and that was getting Kristina back. He hadn't been ignorant to the anger she had felt toward him; he vowed to do better. He had made a lot of promises lately and as soon as she was home he would start making them realities.

Due to the details of the ransom as well as her own failing health, Alexis had resigned as District Attorney, leaving the position open for someone else. Even though she had complained about having to do it because she had suspicions about the little twit under her getting the job, Mac was silently relieved that she had stepped down. He would rather have her here at home where he could take care of her, where they could take care of the kids together. He hadn't said any of this aloud because he didn't want to hurt her pride.

Alexis suddenly pushed back the dreary maroon drapes and placed her palms on the foggy window. "They're here!" She announced, making a dash for the door. Mac pulled her back slightly, holding her to him. "Let me go, I want to see my daughter!" She countered, trying to break free of his protective hold.

"It's below freezing and they'll come to the door. Please Alexis." Mac pleaded.

"No." Alexis pushed away from him, taking the slippery porch a little too fast. She caught herself and screamed for Kristina. Her daughter emerged from the backseat suddenly and slid around Lucky's arms as he released the lap belt around her tiny waist. "Kristina, baby." Alexis dropped to her knees in the middle of the driveway; Kristina launched herself into her mother's arms.

"Mommy." Kristina sobbed into the purple wool of Alexis' sleeve. "I was good, Mommy. I was good."

"Oh, baby, I know you were." Alexis sniffed back her tears and ran a shaking hand through Kristina's soft hair. "I missed you so much." She was only now beginning to register the moisture seeping through her sweatpants. Apparently Mac noticed too because he was there helping her to her feet as she cradled Kristina in the same way she had when the child was a newborn.

Mac got them inside and then turned to Lucky. He could clearly see Morgan in the backseat even though his nephew hadn't moved or looked in his direction. "How is Lulu? And your parents?"

"They're good. Lulu's…well Lulu." Lucky laughed. "I think right now Mom is forcing her to move back home."

"I think I might have the same talk with my girls." Mac considered with a smile. "Thank you." He was a little ashamed that Lucky should see him cry, but he didn't think there was anything he could do about it.

"No problem." Lucky made his way back to the driver's side. "I better get Morgan back before Robin calls another seventeen times."

"I should get in there." Mac nodded toward the house. "Thank your sister for us."

"I will."

Patrick had given up trying to get Robin to relax; he was keeping a safe distance from kitchen. Robin had come up with the idea two seconds after Luke called and told them about Lulu literally walking into the PCPD with both children, not a scratch on them. She had told him if she didn't have the right treat in the house, she would go out and find it; nothing was too good for Morgan. He had nodded mutely and watched in wonder as she flew from cabinet to cabinet. He had made the mistake of offering to help and she had given him a look he recognized all too well as the rays of death.

Robin's right hand had started to go numb somewhere between the fifth and sixth batch of blueberry muffins. Morgan was too much like her to want too many sugary treats, so she had provided him with a variety of foods and drinks. She had gotten at least halfway through her big cookbook and tried all of the unfamiliar recipes, delighted when they turned out just right. Patrick didn't think she could do it, so she had told him to take his negative energy to the living room where it wouldn't influence her cooking. She wasn't blind to the fact that she was overcompensating. Once Morgan was home, she was taking him out of school and spending the week just holding him in her arms.

Instead of the knock Patrick was expecting, Lucky turned the knob and let himself and Morgan into the apartment. He knew Robin was aware of the change because the metal spatula slapped hard against the tile floor. She was a blur as she ran past him, losing her apron on the way, and sweeping Morgan into her arms. At first, she wasn't even talking. Her words were nothing more than mumbles and desperate cries, but eventually flowed into some murmured phrases. Morgan didn't say anything; he didn't even move. He was limp in her arms. Patrick moved closer to see if maybe he was missing something. His cousin's features were expressionless and there was very little life in his eyes.

Patrick and Lucky acknowledged the other's presence, but their focus was on the mother and son crouched in the doorway. When Robin went to stand up, Morgan suddenly clung to her as if some part of his brain recognized her as his mother and he felt safe enough to do so. His dark eyes closed and tears slipped beneath his thick lashes.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Robin wanted to know, leaning her head back so she could see Morgan's face.

"I'm okay." Morgan assured her.

"Doctor said he'd be fine. No scratches. No bumps. No bruises." Lucky chimed in quickly.

"I know I'm probably being crazy, but let me hold you for a little while longer, okay?" Robin pleaded, burying her face in Morgan's shoulder.

"It's okay." Morgan whispered.

Patrick was trapped in his spot, uncertain of what he should say or do. He hadn't forgotten his last exchange with his cousin and told himself that he was going to have to try and do better where Morgan was concerned. Lucky must have noticed his discomfort, because he motioned him into the hallway.

"What are you thinking?" Lucky asked bluntly.

"That I'm in the way." Patrick answered honestly.

"Physically Morgan is fine. But he will need you. He'll need both of you."

"I don't know how to be there for him. Things are so weird between us on a normal day. I don't want him to think that I'm going to take Robin away from him." Patrick hadn't realized just how overwhelmed he was until this moment. Suddenly, it was all crashing down on top of him and he had no idea how to do anything but close his eyes and wait for the inevitable.

"Show him you aren't. Let him cling to Robin right now. Don't freak out when he freaks out. Even if you can't, don't let him see you might not be able to handle it. Don't let either of them see it."

Patrick ran a shaky hand down his face and peeked through his fingertips before letting his arm fall to his side. This wasn't about whether or not he wanted to do it; he had no choice in the matter. From this point on—from the moment he had found out he was going to be a father—he had known that Robin and Morgan were his family. He might have known before, but logically he had waited for a moment such as this one to accept his responsibilities. Of course, he couldn't call them that out loud because they lost their drive, their purpose, and most of all their importance if he did. Saying so to Robin would hurt her, because he knew she often wondered if her parents would still be together if it hadn't been for her. "All I remember about my father is how much he didn't want me. To make Morgan feel that too...to know that he's felt that way about me…"

Lucky raised an eyebrow at Patrick's response. It was rare for his cousin to admit any insecurity, rarer still to talk about his father. Something was clearly rattling him, something larger than the kidnapping. If he was a betting man, he would have put money on Patrick being more at ease once Morgan was returned, not more tense than he was. "The difference is you are aware of how that feels. Your dad wasn't. Make the effort."

"Thanks." Patrick hated how bland his response sounded, but what else could he say. He had uncovered a buried vulnerability, but experience told him not to expose it for too long. "I better get in there."

"You call if you need anything. Robin too."

"We will. Drive safe." Patrick said before going inside.