Henrik adjusted his tie a little as he walked into the auditorium. He hoped that his suit looked all right, since he hadn't had much time to iron it, as his flight had arrived later than he had anticipated, and then had completely forgotten to hang it up, as he had spent too long talking to David and Roxanna. He wished that he had been with them, since he knew they would have gotten along so well, but he also knew that life sometimes led to unfortunate outcomes. Stepping inside, he looked around for a good seat, but found that there wouldn't really be anywhere that she could easily see him.

And then, a seat in the front row appeared, and he hurried over and took it before anyone else could claim it. Glancing at his watch, he saw there was still a little bit of time to go before the ceremony began, and he pulled a well-worn copy of The Prophet out of his coat pocket. Roxanna had mentioned it in passing sometime last year, and he had purchased a copy without her knowing. After the first readthrough, he felt like he knew her that much better, and by the third readthrough, it had become an old friend to him as well.

He had just finished reading the meditation "On Family" when the band started to play, and he slipped the volume back into his pocket before training his eyes on the empty chairs. The students began to file in, and he scanned the similarly dressed people for her familiar form. And then, his eyes lighted upon her pink tipped hair and he relaxed a little in his seat. David was right behind her, and he was glad that they were together in that moment.

The ceremony moved quickly, and he was amazed at how much different it seemed from his own, just a year ago. Though the adrenaline had been coursing through his veins back then, without John there, like had been the plan, even though he knew Roxanna was watching him. Clearing his throat quietly, he returned his focus back to the present, turning his attention to the stage. There were only about three hundred students present, so he knew that the ceremony would be short, since that had been approximately his class size.

The names started shortly after a small speech from the dean of Rigden, and Henrik sat up a little straighter, watching the students traipse across the stage, receiving their diplomas. And then, she was straightening her shoulders and climbing the three steps to reach the stage, handing over the small card with her name to the reader as she took a few deep breaths.

"Roxanna MacMillan." Henrik watched her stride across the stage, a wide grin on her lips as she paused to have her picture taken with the president of the college before descending the few steps and making her way back to her seat. Their eyes met, and he watched her wink at him before she sat down. The commencement speech was short, but humorous, and Henrik listened attentively, trying to keep from glancing at Roxanna too much, since he didn't want to be disrespectful.

Following the conclusion of the ceremony, Henrik followed the stream of people out into the entryway and waited for Roxanna and David in the place they had decided on the previous day. Leaning against the wall, he looked around for their familiar faces, only to hear Roxanna before he saw her. "Henrik!" Turning his head towards the sound of his name, he saw the beautiful smile on her lips before she ran over to his side, David ambling on a behind her, a bemused grin on his lips. "I did it!"

"I know you, did, darling. Was there ever any doubt?" She shook her head before wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly. He bent his head, letting his cheek rest against the top of her motorboard cap as they continued to embrace. He could feel her tears start to soak through his shirt, and he knew that she wouldn't want David to see her cry like that. Extending his left hand towards the man, they shook hands firmly as he nodded a little. "Good work, David."

"Thank you. So, Roxanna has talked about nothing other than her research and the fact that you're going to New York City for two days before you leave for Sweden. It was hard to tell which excited her more, honestly." David reached out and rubbed Roxanna's shoulder softly, and though there was a moment of jealousy that ran through Henrik's brain, he knew that the man was just being friendly. Roxanna giggled a little as she rubbed her face against his shirt before looking up and turning a little.

"I can be excited for more than one thing, boys," she said as she reached up to pull the cap off her head. "But now that it's all over, and I can breathe, I can be really excited about heading to Sweden and seeing my little Fredrik once more. It's hard to think about how much he's grown since we saw him last year! I mean, I've shown you the pictures Henrik's sent, and he's so big! But he has his Papa's hair, and eyes, and…"

"And you're in love with your family, I know." David chuckled a little as he turned his gaze to Henrik. "You're lucky to have found someone who desires to be a happy, blended, family. There aren't many people out there so willing to do that."

He nodded a little as he thought about David's words. He did have a point, but he didn't really want to think of it as being that odd. Family was family, after all, no matter what shape it took. But he knew that there were people out in the world who wouldn't view it that way, and that was clearly David's experience. "I am so lucky," he murmured as Roxanna cuddled in closer to him. "And once you're settled into your F1 training, you are more than welcome to come visit us. We're going to need our friends around us as much as possible as we grow into our careers."

"I would really enjoy that, thank you. I should probably go join my parents now, since they wanted to take me out to a celebratory lunch. Until we meet again?" Roxanna nodded before stepping away from Henrik to hug David tightly. Henrik held out his hand, shaking David's firmly before they watched him disappear into the crowd.

"I finally did it, Henrik."

"You did, and I am so proud of you, even if I will miss coming back to Rigden. I have some pretty good memories tied to this place, after all," he said as he pecked her cheek. She chuckled softly before wrapping her arm around his waist and guiding him over to the doors. "You don't want to change out of your robe?"

"No, I'll just take it off in the car, I'm wearing a pretty dress beneath, after all. I chose something that would make my Mum proud of me. And you need to take a few pictures of me, too, so that Dad can see them. He wanted to come, but…"

"I know. Sometimes jobs get in the way of what we want to do." He patted her hand tenderly as they made their way to the rental car, wanting to commiserate with her as best he could. After all, his father hadn't even bothered to come to his own graduation last year, and Roxanna had been there for him. It was the least that he could do, as they started their life journey together.