The three of them stood outside the house nervously. Stephen Saunders' daughter was the last person they expected to have Elliott. It seemed too unlikely to be simply coincidental. It appeared Jane had kept under the radar since that day. She had no criminal record or anything of note in her file other than her name change. Jack recalled how shocked Jane had been by her father's actions that day, so it was unlikely she was working with his associates or doing anything malicious. But they couldn't be sure. And if she had, in fact, done a DNA test on the baby and found Tony and Michelle's names on file, she wouldn't exactly have considered them strangers. There was a good chance she knew whose child she had.

Jack knocked on the door, having already decided she was home judging by the car in the driveway. Jane opened the door, still wearing scrubs from her shift, the fatigue evident on her face. That fatigue soon became surprise. Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell agape.

"It's… it's you." She said to Jack. The voice was slightly more mature than the last time they heard it. She then looked at Tony and Michelle. "Oh my God. You're both alive." She breathed.

Michelle and Tony looked between them, realising she'd clearly seen their files.

"Where's the boy? Where's Elliott, Jane?" Jack asked worriedly, still trying to discern her reaction, afraid that something was wrong.

"H-He's asleep. He's safe. Oh… you probably think I kidnapped him. I-I…" Jane placed a hand on her forehead, looking beside herself, her voice full of panic. "Come in, please. Let me explain."

She seemed desperate to convey that everything was fine. More importantly, she seemed pleased that they were all there. As Jane led them into the living room, Jack confirmed what he'd read in her file: she lived alone. She wasn't married or in a de facto relationship. It was just her and Elliott.

They sat down at her kitchen table, and Jane took a deep breath before she spoke.

"I-I had wanted a child for a long time. I wanted to be a single parent. I didn't want to force myself into a relationship that I didn't want. I also didn't want my child to have a bad relationship with their father the way I did. I didn't want to rely on someone else to be there for them. I'd been kept on waiting lists at clinics and adoption agencies, and I began to think it was hopeless. Then, one day, I found a baby abandoned in one of the waiting areas at the hospital. I was so worried. He was in so much distress." She bit her lip. "We checked cameras. The man who left him had gone in and out. Nobody had any idea who he was. We put out notices, asked patients, and did everything we could. But we didn't turn up anything. So I took it upon myself to do the DNA test."

She looked between Tony and Michelle.

"As soon as I learned who his parents were, I remembered you both, of course, but it confused me because you were both listed as deceased and had been for nearly a year. I couldn't understand how that was possible. He was a newborn. I-I had tried so hard to block that day from my mind. The hostage exchange, the interrogation, watching my father do those horrible things." She glanced at Tony now. "Then, when I heard you were arrested, I felt so guilty, like I should have testified or done something to help. I understood why you did what you had to do. I always thought you being charged with treason was so harsh when you were trying to protect someone you love. Something that anyone in your position would have done."

"I remember the lawyer suggesting you testify, but we never found you, Jane. You'd disappeared." Michelle recalled.

She looked away. "I was scared. To find out that my father was a terrorist kind of flipped my world upside-down. The police suggested Witness Protection or, at least, changing my name, so I did. 'Saunders' was pretty common, but I couldn't risk it. I moved colleges. I quit my arts degree to start nursing. I felt like I needed to do something good with my life. I felt like with all the destruction my father had caused, I could at least try to make up for it somehow."

The three of them could see how much anguish was on her face. They couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for her to have been sucked into that whirlwind of chaos the virus outbreak had caused by her own father, of all people. It was honourable that she was trying to do something good with her life. They were relieved that it hadn't gone the other way. It would have been so tempting, so easy for her to follow in his footsteps, but she hadn't.

"So when I found out who Elliott's biological parents were, I felt like it was a sign."

"Why didn't you list Tony and Michelle's names on file?" Jack asked calmly. He remembered with a pang of guilt how brutally he'd interrogated her that day. He'd been exhausted with all that was happening, on edge from heroin withdrawal. Now that they knew she meant no harm to any of them or Elliott, Jack just wanted to understand the facts. Elliott was nearly a year old now. Tony and Michelle had missed such a critical time in their son's life. But ultimately, it was likely that she'd done the right thing. Having their names exposed could have put them at greater risk, Tony in particular, since he'd been on the run.

"Something felt wrong. Like I'd be putting Elliott in danger. I just lied and told the other staff there were no results. We were at capacity. We couldn't keep him there. But I didn't want him to be taken into foster care. I offered to take care of him. It was established that I'd been preparing to adopt a child anyway, right down to having an ever-growing list of baby names, so nobody was too concerned. So I took him home." There was something very fond in her expression, and Jack felt assured that Elliott had been in safe hands. "And as time went on, it became pretty clear that nobody was looking for him. No missing persons files had gone up. And since I knew the truth, I felt like it was my job to keep him safe."

Michelle sniffled. "Well… thank you for doing that. You have no idea what we've been through. The fact that you've kept him safe and care about him means a lot."

Jane could see how wearied and troubled both of them looked. She remembered how much they'd been through on the day of the virus outbreak, how her father had taken Michelle hostage, how afraid both of them had been when the exchange had happened. It sent a chill down her spine to think of what had happened since. Tony's prison sentence, for a start. And seeing the three of them today had scared her, too. But she was so happy now that she'd had the chance to explain herself. More than that, she was happy that Elliott could be reunited with them.

Suddenly, the sound of a baby crying interrupted the silence. Instinctively, Jane got up to go to his room. She watched the demeanour change in Tony and Michelle's expressions immediately. Tears had welled in their eyes, but they seemed too shocked to move.

Jane offered a small smile. "Well, don't you want to see him?"

They were speechless but nodded, and she encouraged them to follow her. Tony helped Michelle stand, not letting go of her hand as they walked to the small nursery. The walls were a soft mint green, and the way the furniture was set up reminded Michelle and Tony so poignantly of the little yellow nursery they'd left behind in their home all that time ago. Jane cooed to the baby as she picked him up. Jack thought for a moment about Kim, wondering if she had a family of her own now, wondering where she was. He just prayed she was safe and happy.

Michelle let out a shaky breath as Jane passed Elliott to her. All the features she'd identified on the computer screen were now in front of her. Elliott, their son, was real. She was still riddled with anxiety, so afraid that her son wouldn't recognise her. She was worried that too much time had passed. Holding her son hadn't been something she'd anticipated today. Getting him back, yes, but she hadn't clicked that today would be the day she'd hold him, look into his eyes, and feel that overwhelming adoration for him surge in her chest. Elliott stilled for a moment, his deep brown eyes scrutinising her and Tony. Michelle felt a lump in her throat when the expression Elliott finally settled on was one of recognition.

He knew who he was looking at.

Michelle started murmuring to him, and Tony ran his hand down the length of his body, no longer able to suppress his tears. Everything Michelle had said was true. They had him back. He was safe. He was healthy. Their family was whole again. When Michelle let him hold Elliott, he thought his heart might stop. It was the most overwhelming but wonderful feeling, and it thrilled Tony to realise that this was only the beginning. They might have missed the first year of his life, but they would have many more to come.

It didn't take long for them to realise that Jane's role in Elliott's life was no longer what she'd thought it'd be. Michelle turned to her, still in tears, wanting to speak but unable to find the words. Tony found it in himself to try.

"I-If you need more time with him, then that's okay. You deserve to stay in his life. You've done so much for him and for us." Tony said earnestly. "I-I don't think we're going to be able to handle this on our own just yet. Please, Jane."

Jane smiled wetly. "I-I'd be honoured. My father was one of the people who took away your happiness. I'm glad I could be the one to bring it back."