Harvest time at the Brambles Orchard relied greatly on the crops themselves. This year, the berries had ripened during the height of August, already gathered in and stored, ready to be used when the apples came to be pressed themselves. But for now, the Brambles was quiet once again, with only the family and the regular hands in residence. Marin sat in the middle of one of the orchards closer to the house, laughing as Caleb toddled around with his hobby horse - the only horse she was letting Evan get for him until he could manage to walk more than a few paces without falling over. At twenty months, her little boy was growing up faster every day, but she wouldn't have changed anything for the world. Her only wish was that someday Evan's daughter might join them.

Blonde haired and blue eyed, Caleb was as strong and fearless as his father, and, just like his mother, inclined to think he was indestructible, too. Thus, when the hobby horse got caught in the grass and he planted himself face first on the ground, it was something of a shock. His wail broke the silence and sent birds scrambling for flight as the toddler rolled onto his back and bemoaned his accident at the top of his lungs.

As it happened, Evan was just heading back to the house for lunch after completing the first round of morning chores when he sauntered on into the cool shade of the orchard to relax for a few minutes with his wife and son, drawn onward by the unmistakable wail of his nearly two-year-old son. "Oh, now, that ain't how you ride a horse," he said as he scooped the small boy up off the ground, checking him over for bumps and bruises, but not finding anything.

Tearful blue eyes focused on his father as Caleb sobbed, more surprised by the fall than hurt by it, wrapping his little arms around Evan's neck to pour his little heart out to his beloved papa. Beneath the shade of the largest apple tree nearby, Marin just about managed to keep herself from laughing. Caleb was almost as clumsy as she'd been when she was pregnant with him these days, and heart-rending though his tears were, they were often over within moments. Especially if Papa was there to make him feel better. "Maybe the horse should be put to bed without his lunch," she suggested with an impish grin.

"Maybe he should learn to ride proper on a horse that won't throw him," Evan remarked, though he knew he wasn't going to win that battle. They'd been debating it for months, and Marin wouldn't budge, not even for a pony. "Oh, you're fine," Evan drawled as he brushed the tears from his young son's face with a rough but gentle hand. That done, he rubbed the boy's back to offer some comfort and consolation. "Nothing hurt but your pride."

"Feet first, then hooves," Marin insisted cheerfully, pulling a small pot of raspberries from the basket that sat beside her on the blanket. If in doubt, bribery always worked on Caleb - and his father, too, for that matter. "Cal, look what I've found. Can you think of anyone who might want to eat some berries?"

The tiny boy's head rose from Evan's shoulder, one pudgy hand rubbing at his wet face as he looked down at his mother. "B'rries," he repeated, tugging on Evan's collar.

Evan rolled his eyes but couldn't help grinning. "Mother's gonna spoil you, boy," he declared, though he did his own share of spoiling, and why shouldn't he" He'd been robbed of raising a daughter, and intended to make the most of every moment he had with Caleb while he was still small. He lowered himself down onto the blanket to join his wife, settling Caleb in his lap where he was free to do as he pleased, one pudgy hand reaching out for some berries. Evan shoved his hat back from his forehead to look on his pretty flower of a wife. "Well, ain't this a pleasant surprise," he said, leaning over to brush a soft kiss against her lips.

"You can't say I never give you anything," she teased her husband, planting a couple of raspberries into Caleb's hands before returning the kiss she'd been given to Evan with a smile. "Jodie is no doubt wondering where her picnic basket went, but she'll notice that our lunch is missing soon enough," she told Evan happily, nuzzling close. Food always bought them a few minutes of quiet - Caleb was very focused when it came to eating, no doubt a product of Jodie's continual insistence that there was no playing at the dinner table.

"What makes you think I'd ever say that?" he asked with a gentle caress of her cheek. The truth was she'd given him more than she could ever know. She'd not only given him her heart, but she'd given him a son and a home and a reason to live again. It was more than a man like him could have ever hoped for. As fond as he was of Jodie and the others back at the house, it was quiet moments like these that really made life worth living.

"I am an incorrigible tease," she reminded him fondly, her cheek tilting into his touch and spilling bright red hair over his fingers. On his lap, Caleb gurgled happily, mouth and hands covered in berry stains, helping himself from the pot in his mama's hand.

Thankfully, Evan wasn't too worried about berry stains, chuckling a little at the mess their son was making with the berries and just happy he was enjoying them. He'd learned over the last few years since settling down at Brambles Orchard that it really was the simple things that made life worth living. "No argument there," he replied, popping one of those berries into his own mouth, followed by a grin. It was a beautiful day - one of those days that made one thankful to be alive - and Evan couldn't have been happier. The only thing missing that would have made his life complete was his Maggie.

"Mucky pup," Marin tweaked Caleb's nose fondly, offering the gurgling boy a sandwich instead. "Here, try that out for size." Charmed by the grin that sank itself into the bread without complaint, she set the plate with the rest of the sandwiches on the blanket between them, smiling at Evan. "For the bigger boy, too," she assured him laughingly. "How is the estate looking today?"

Evan plucked up a sandwich from the plate and devoured it in almost as much time as it took for Marin to ask him a question. He chewed and swallowed before offering an answer, obviously famished from the morning's chores. "Orchard's in good shape. Apples are just about ready. Gonna be a good harvest," he told her, at least, so long as nothing unexpected happened to ruin this year's harvest of apples.

"Good, I'm very glad to hear it," Marin smiled, taking her time eating her own sandwich. The men in life seemed to inhale their food when they were hungry, something she was never going to understand. "We're making a good profit on last year's brewing as well, so we're in no danger." That, in itself, was wonderful. Two years ago, the Brambles had been in imminent danger of being swallowed up by their troublesome neighbor in his bid to own all the land in this area.

Evan was full of questions and confusion, but thankfully, Marin thought like a woman and it was her maternal instincts that pulled him out of his state of shock and turned his attention back to the immediate needs of the little girl in his arms. No matter how she'd managed to arrive her, there was no denying who she was or her presence, and Evan wondered if he wasn't just dreaming. "It's all right, Maggie. Everything's gonna be all right," he assured the little girl quietly as he carried her toward the blanket where his little family sat waiting. He smoothed her hair back from her face as he sat himself down on the blanket, crossing his long legs beneath him.

Wrapped up safe in her father's arms, the little girl quieted slowly, still holding on as tightly as she could, her face pressed against his chest. She didn't say a word, hugged in close, barely aware as Marin handed Evan the cup and pulled a second blanket out of the basket for him to wrap about his shocked daughter.

Evan was well aware of his son's presence as well as his daughter's and didn't want him to feel left out. He knew he must be curious about the sudden appearance of another child, especially one with whom he had a blood bond, though he could have no way of knowing that yet. Evan gratefully took the cup of juice from Marin and offered his daughter a small sip. "Take a drink, Maggie. It's just apple juice. Are you hungry, darlin'" Would you like something to eat?" These seemed like such ordinary questions, and yet, Evan thought it might be the best way for Maggie to realize she really was safe from harm.

"M'ggie," a garbled little voice said from Marin's lap, but Caleb was at least not trying to climb into his father's lap as well. He still had a pot of berries to finish, after all.

"Shh, sweetheart," Marin murmured to their little boy, watching worriedly as Maggie hesitantly took a drink from the cup Evan offered her, coughing as it hurt her throat for a moment.

Swallowing again, the little girl seemed to relax, green eyes so like her father's lifting to look around in confusion. "Papa?" she whispered, her gaze fixed on Marin and Caleb sitting not so far away from them.

Evan glanced at Caleb a moment, but Marin seemed to have the precocious little boy well in hand, and he turned back to look at Maggie, flooded with relief when she stopped coughing and took that little sip of juice. He forced a reassuring smile for her, though his heart was full of confusion. He had to assume the Nexus-gods had somehow seen fit to open a portal and lead her to the one person in all of creation who loved her and would keep her safe. Whatever had happened to her aunt and uncle was still a mystery, but it was too soon to question her about it just yet. "Yes, Mags. It's me. And this is Marin and Caleb. They're part of your family, too."

"Family?" she repeated, clearly unconvinced, but given that she seemed to have only just escaped some appalling incident on the homestead where she had spent the last three years of her life, that was understandable.

Marin smiled gently at the little girl. "Hello, Maggie," she said, her voice as soft as it would have been were she approaching a skittish horse. "Caleb, say hello to Maggie." The little boy blinked, looking up from his raspberries to offer Maggie a wide grin without saying a word.

How was Evan ever going to explain to her that he had a new wife and a new son, that he had left her behind and started over" But maybe none of that mattered right now. He drew his sleeve down and wiped at the smudges of soot mixed with tears that stained her pale cheeks. "Would you like some raspberries?" he asked, glancing to Caleb. "Cal, would you like to share your raspberries with Maggie?"

Wide green eyes considered Marin for a moment, before Maggie finally came out with a small, "H'lo," in reply, more shy than nervous.

Caleb's grin made a tiny smile flicker onto her soot-stained face, a smile that disappeared quickly but had made an appearance nonetheless. Looking up at Evan as he wiped her face, she seemed to relax, leaning against her papa's chest as once again Caleb came to the fore. "B'rries," he said importantly, sliding down off Marin's lap and moving to sit next to Evan. Very careful fingers removed precisely one raspberry from the pot and put it into Maggie's hand.

Evan actually chuckled as his young son chose to share exactly one berry. "One berry, Cal" That's not very generous," Evan admonished his son gently, but then there were plenty more berries where those had come from. Evan leaned toward the basket to rummage for something else. Finding the other half of a wrapped sandwich, he handed Marin the cup of juice and withdrew that half sandwich from the basket and handed it to Maggie. "It's all right, Maggie. You're safe here."

It was difficult to stay frightened in the warm sunshine, with her papa, and the nice lady who had sent all those letters, and a silly little boy who'd given her a berry. Maggie chewed the raspberry, summoning up a little smile for Caleb once again, which apparently earned her one more before the toddler came over all shy and crawled back into Marin's lap. "S'all green," she said finally, looking up at Evan as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Ain't it?" Evan replied with a small smile as he followed the little girl's glance around at their surroundings. Green was a good word to describe this place. Another was peaceful. Safe. It was home. "This is where we live," he explained. "Would you like to take a look around?" he asked as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Can I?" This was offered through a mouthful, but Maggie clearly didn't care about being muffled. The longer she was away from the unpleasantness she had run from, the more she relaxed, certain that her papa wouldn't let anything happen to her. One hand pointed upward to the branches above them. "Is them apples" She's got pretty hair."

Marin smiled, charmed by how quickly the little girl switched from one topic to the next.

"Yes, those are apples," Evan replied, the shock of her sudden appearance still with him, wondering when he was going to wake and realize this was all just a dream. "Would you like to try one?" he asked, gazing up at the myriad of apples above their heads that were nearly ready for harvest.

"M'I 'lowed?" Maggie's grasp on coherent speech wasn't the best, but Marin couldn't help smiling at how similar the girl's speech patterns were to Evan's. Even without his presence for two years, she was still more like him than not. Maggie tilted her head back to look up at the apples, though her hand didn't relax its grip on Evan's vest at all, squinting as the sunshine dappled through to illuminate her face. "Them's big apples."

Finally, Marin ventured to suggest something that probably wouldn't have occurred to Evan just yet. "Would you like to have a bath and then cuddle up with Caleb for a sleep, Maggie?" she asked softly. She didn't know from experience, but she had a feeling the little girl probably had a couple of burns beneath the layer of soot on her skin. And besides, having a wash would help her relax a little bit more.

Maggie looked at her father for a moment before offering a shy answer. "That'd be real nice, ma'am," she said quietly, looking down at her dress and dirty feet, her left shoe missing entirely. "And, and y'all still be here when I wake up?" This was addressed to her father, hopeful and afraid all at once.

Evan met Marin's gaze, knowing they had a lot to talk about, and grateful for her maternal instincts, before looking back at his daughter. "Course we will. Ain't goin' nowhere. Be here when you wake up an' for as long as you need me," he said, forgetting to say us, rather than me.

"Yes, Papa." Cuddling into Evan, Maggie watched with perhaps a little jealousy of her own as Marin single-handedly repacked the basket and rose to her feet, Caleb settled on her hip. The little girl stared for a long moment, poking at her father's chest. "She's real small, Papa."

"Yeah, but she's gotta big heart," Evan replied back, as if he and Maggie were sharing a private conversation of their own, which wasn't all that far from the truth. He rose to his full height once again, with Maggie settled snugly against his hip, careful to make sure the blanket stayed tucked around her. "Let's get you a bath and some clean clothes." He reckoned Jodie would have something lying around that the little girl could wear.

Given that the Richards family had never seemed to throw anything away, Maggie was probably going to end up in something that had once belonged to Marin. Mother and son followed father and daughter through the orchard, approaching the big house that served as the beating heart of the Brambles. Jodie was audible singing as she went about whatever she was putting together for dinner that evening in the kitchen, but she was the only one in the house right now - Bill, Daniel, and Carla were all out and about on the farm itself, attending to their usual responsibilities.

Maggie's head lifted from Evan's shoulder curiously as they approached the house. "Y'all live in there?" she asked in astonishment. "That big old house?"

"This is home," Evan confirmed, as he climbed the stairs to the porch, boots scraping across the wooden planks. He could hear Jodie singing and wondered what she'd think about the newest arrival to the Brambles. He swung a glance over his shoulder at Marin as he pushed his way past the door, unsure how they were going to explain.

Marin caught his eye, smiling as reassuringly as she could. "You two go on up, I need to drop this off in the kitchen anyway," she said, gesturing with the basket in her hand. Jodie could be relied upon to spread the word, once she understood what was happening.

Evan nodded gratefully, happy to leave the explaining to Marin who was far better at those things than he was. He wasn't even quite sure how he was going to explain things to Maggie, much less Jodie and everyone else. Marin seemed to be taking things well, but then he would have expected no less from her, and he knew once the two small ones were settled in for a nap, they'd have time to talk. "All right, little miss..." he said as he started up the stairs to the bathroom. "Time for your bath."

"Yes, Papa." The answer was appropriate, even if Maggie was craning her head to look all around them as Evan carried her up the stairs. Brambles House was a big place, at least to her; it smelt of bread and baking and soap and leather, and all the things a living house should smell of. "Is Marin a good mama?"

"She is," Evan confirmed. That and much more, but it was too early for Maggie to understand all that. She was too young to remember much about her own mother, but Evan knew she and Emma had been close. "You want her to give you a bath?" he asked, uncertainly. She'd grown some since he'd last seen her and might not feel comfortable with her father helping her with such things anymore, like she used to. His memory drifted back to simpler times, times when there'd been much love and laughter in their lives, before Ellie had died, and Evan had been consumed with the need for revenge.

She shook her head, wrapping her arms more tightly around his neck. Marin was pretty and had really nice hair, but she was still a stranger of a sort. "I'm all dirty and I can't go in a bed all dirty," she informed her father, yawning loudly at the tail end of her pronouncement.

It was only a little past noon, but from what little he'd seen and been told, she'd been through a lot and was probably still in a mild state of shock. He wasn't quite sure what bed she was going to sleep in just yet, but he was sure Marin and Jodie would sort all that out soon enough. "No, I reckon not," he replied, holding her close as he rounded the turn into the bathroom. "I'm gonna set you down for a minute, darlin', so I can get your bath ready. All right?"

She nodded, a small, scruffy looking urchin standing by the sink in the bathroom that was exclusively for Evan and Marin's little family to use. "There's no pump," Maggie pointed out, fidgeting awkwardly as she waited, fully expecting her father to leave the room and come back with steaming kettles to fill the bath with.

"Indoor plumbing," Evan explained briefly, glancing over his shoulder at his daughter before leaning over the porcelain tub and turning on the faucets that would fill the tub with warm water. Once that was done, he turned on his heels to face the little scruffy urchin that was his daughter, feeling awkward and even a little bit shy in her presence. Two years was a long time for father and daughter to be apart, and he wasn't sure how she felt about his being away. "Maggie, I-I want you to know that I always meant to come back."

She nodded, her green eyes utterly without blame or guile as she inched forward to him trustingly. "Aunt Emma said you'd've come back if it was safe, and I knew you was safe, 'cos Aunt Emma said you were, and we had letters," she assured him. "The purdy lady with the red hair said you was gonna come back some time."

"Letters?" Evan echoed, a puzzled look on his face. He didn't know about any letters. Who'd been sending her letters" From what Maggie was saying it sounded like it had to have been Marin. "Marin wrote you letters?" he asked, brows arching, a questioning expression on his face.

With Caleb already fast asleep in his crib behind Evan, Maggie settled easily to sleep herself, lulled away from any fear or nightmare by the soft sound of her father's voice. She relaxed onto the pillow, one hand wrapped into his until finally she sighed softly, blissfully lost in slumber.

He sang to her a little bit longer, just until she drifted off to sleep. He had a feeling the worst was yet to come, but he didn't want to think about that right now. Right now, the only thing that was important was that his Maggie was here with them and she was safe. He leaned close to press a protective kiss against her forehead, lingering for a moment to make sure she was asleep, before carefully moving to his feet. He did the same with Caleb, pausing in the doorway to watch his two children peacefully and safely at rest, and both together in the same house that had become their home.

Marin waited patiently, understanding that it would take him some time to tear himself away from the room where his children slept. She had a feeling she had a lot of explaining to do, hoping that he wouldn't be too angry with her for disregarding his insistence that he was no longer a part of Maggie's life in the first place. She didn't want to consider what might have happened if she hadn't sent that portal stone to Emma, glad that the woman had at least trusted her enough to try it and get Maggie to safety, even if she couldn't save herself.

He lingered in the doorway for a few minutes, thankful his back was to Marin so she couldn't see the tears on his face before getting his emotions under control enough that he could leave them there together to rest. He slid an arm around his wife's shoulders as he stepped out of the room and into the hallway. He didn't say a word, his heart grieving for those who'd more than likely died, but grateful for the life that had been saved.

Twisting, Marin curled her arms about her husband, aching for the confusion of grief and deep gratitude he must be feeling, wishing - not for the first time - that she was tall enough to at least draw his head to her shoulder without putting his back out. All she could do was stroke his back, murmuring softly reassuring nonsense, and hope that it was enough.

It was the tenderness of her embrace that did it, and despite his reluctance at letting her openly see his emotions, something in him broke as she held him close and he let the tears fall, as quietly as a gentle rainstorm.

Very gently, she drew him to the couch, urging him to sit down as he wept so that she could hold him the way he needed to be held, the way she couldn't hold him unless he sat and she stood. Gently stroking her fingers through his hair, she let him cry himself out, wrapped as protectively around her strong, quiet husband as he would allow.

He wasn't one who was given to emotional outbursts, so he didn't cry long, just long enough to give release to some of the mingled grief and confusion and even joy he was feeling deep inside. "They didn't deserve to die," he murmured, his face buried against her shirt.

Swallowing to rid herself of the lump in her throat, Marin shook her head, gently brushing a kiss to his hair. "No, sweetheart, they didn't," she agreed softly. "And we'll find out who did it and why. If it is something we can take revenge for, then we will. No one hurts our family and gets away scot-free."

"Justice, Mare," Evan corrected, lifting his tear-stained face to meet her gaze. "Not revenge. I had enough of revenge already. What I want is justice."

"Justice," she agreed, gently wiping his cheeks dry as she looked down at him. "But before everything, family." Reasonably sure he wasn't going to give into his tears again, she sank down onto the couch beside him, still tenderly drying the tears from his face. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

"Not your fault," he replied, letting her dry his tears all she wanted. It seemed to bring her comfort, and he couldn't deny that it eased his pain to feel her gentle, caring touch. "I know what you tried to do for me and my girl. I just wish I hadn't been so stubborn. Don't seem to matter much now though." He glanced toward the bedroom where his son and daughter were resting. "Don't know what I would've done if something happened to her." He turned back to Marin with grateful tears in his eyes. "Thank you."

"It isn't your fault, either," she told him, gentle but firm. He had a tendency to take everything onto himself, and she didn't want him to even begin this time. She smiled at his thanks, her fingers stroking against his cheek. "I'm just as stubborn as you are," she reminded him gently. "I would have told you, but you never wanted to talk about it. I am very glad I sent Emma a portal stone, though. Without it, we wouldn't even have known they'd been attacked."

He was only just starting to get an understanding of what had happened. The more she told him, the more he understood, but one thing stood out more than any other. "You saved her life, Mare," he told her, realizing suddenly how very true that was. "I can never repay you for that."

"I didn't want them to be left without an escape if they desperately needed one," she told him quietly. "I just wish they'd used it before there was no chance to send anyone through but Maggie." She shook her head, frowning unhappily at that knowledge. "It took a lot for Emma to believe me, I'm sure, but she used it in the end. Maggie's safe now."

Maggie was safe, thank God, but they couldn't say the same for Jake and Emma. He'd had a hard time wrapping his head around the whole Nexus multidimensional realities thing, but from what he understood of it, he'd come from an Earth of the past, just like Maggie. If that was possible, if Marin had been able to send her letters, was it possible to alter the past somehow in order to save them, or was it better to leave well enough alone?

"I ain't losing her again," he told her, knowing she'd likely agree with him. Maggie was his daughter, and she was part of this family now.

"No, you're not," Marin agreed vehemently with him. The little girl might never look to her the way she had learned to look to her aunt, but Marin had always been bound and determined that Maggie should be a part of Evan's life again. She wished it could have been under better circumstances, but what mattered now was helping the little girl get through it. She sighed softly, teasing her fingertips against her husband's cheek. "I asked Bill and Daniel to go and see what happened," she confessed quietly. "I don't think you should leave Maggie for a while."

She raised her head, hoping the deep sense of guilt that had settled on her heart for bringing so much pain into his life and his daughter's wasn't too easily seen. "I'll survive," she promised him quietly. "This isn't about me, Evan. It's about you and your daughter, and I will do everything I can to make the transition as easy for her as possible."

"I know you will," he told her quietly, touching her cheek as she lifted her gaze to meet his. A small slightly sad smile touched his lips, not for himself or Marin, but for Maggie, and even more so, for Jake and Emma. "She's part of our family now. It's up to us to make her feel welcome and loved and safe." And in that, he thought, was healing. So long as they loved her, he thought Maggie would be just fine.

"So long as you are a part of her life, she will always feel that way," Marin said softly, certain of it deep in her heart. She smiled a little, setting aside her own nerves about getting to know the little girl who was so important to her beloved husband. Even if she and Maggie were never more than tolerant acquaintances, she'd accept that, for Evan's sake. "There's a place for her here already. She just needs a little time to find it."

"This ain't just about me and Maggie, Marin. It's about us. It's about Jodie and Bill and Daniel. It's about Cal and you and me. If we're gonna be a family - a real family - and Maggie's gonna be part of it, then this ain't just about me. Emma was a good woman. She wasn't Maggie's mama, but she was a good woman. She loved her like a daughter. I love Maggie like crazy, but girl needs a mama. She needs a woman to help her learn how to be a woman. She needs you."

"I'll only do that if she wants me to, Evan," his little wife told him, a little of that fear that Maggie might never want her to be so much a part of her life showing itself through her brave face. "I can only be for her what she wants me to be, no matter how much I may wish for more. She's had so much upheaval, I would hate to confuse her with my presence."

"Godsakes, Marin! She's just a girl. She's just..." He broke off, not wanting to push the issue. "All I'm asking is for you to make a little room in your heart for her. That's all. I ain't asking you to stop loving Caleb. Caleb's our son. I know he's always gonna have a special place in your heart. Mine, too. I just-I just want us to be a family, Mare. That's all. I can't choose. I don't wanna chose. I love you all."

For the first time since they had met, Evan had managed to hurt his wife. She knew he hadn't meant to, but his misunderstanding of her words, his open assumption that she was actively going to withhold her affection from Maggie, cut her deeply. Swiftly, she looked down at her hands, not wanting him to see that feeling, fighting as her throat tightened with the urge to snap back at him, forcing herself not to respond until she had some semblance of calm. "I'm not asking you to choose," she said in a tiny voice. "I would never ask you to choose."

"I know. I know you wouldn't. But I don't want you or Caleb to think I love Maggie any more than I love you. I just loved Maggie first is all. She's my daughter, but that don't mean I love you or Cal any less. I just-I just need you to know that. That's all." He sighed, lowering his gaze and reaching for her hands. "I ain't good with words, Mare, and I know this ain't gonna be easy, but now that she's here, I want us to be a family."

"We are a family," she told him, swallowing her hurt forcibly. She'd cry over it later, when he couldn't see, when she couldn't make him feel worse. "Evan, I'd like nothing better than for Maggie to accept me as a sort of mother, but I don't want to replace the women who have raised her so far. She should never feel as though she has to forget Ellie or Emma. That was all I meant."

"No, course not," he agreed quietly, with a soft sigh, wondering if he'd made more of a mess of things by speaking his mind. He didn't want to force the issue, and Maggie hadn't even been here a day yet. He was confident that, in time, they'd become the family he wanted them to be, but it would take time. "Sorry, I..." He shook his head, not even sure what he was apologizing about.

"Evan, stop it." Marin twisted, capturing his face between her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes. "You expressed yourself poorly, that is all. I understand what you meant, and I am not making excuses or trying to back away from giving her what she needs. But we can't force this, and you are going to have to be prepared to have her attached to your hip for at least a few days. You are the one constant in her life. She won't let go of you easily, no matter what you need to do. We can take things one day at a time."

"I don't know if I can do this, Mare..." he admitted sadly. "Not alone. I ain't seen her in....How long's it been" I left. Jake and Emma....They raised her, they loved her. How am I supposed to take their place when I ain't even seen her since she was little" Gods, Mare....What if I mess it up" What if she hates me?"

Marin eyed him in silence for a moment, wondering if he was even hearing himself. "You don't try to take their place," she told him quietly. "But don't discount your own place in her heart. I saw you in the bathroom; there's no hate in her for you. She was as pleased to see you as you were to see her. You're her father, Evan; nothing will ever take that away from you. And you are an excellent father, whether you believe me or not. This house is full of people who won't us make mistakes. Can you imagine Jodie letting you make a mistake so awful Maggie wouldn't forgive you for it' Because I can't."

He thought that over, knowing she was right, but feeling all out of words. He felt emotionally drained, a confused mix of grief and anger and worry and joy all wrapped up inside him. "Do you..." he started. "Do you mind if I-if I just watch her for a while?" he asked, glancing over his head at the pair of children resting quietly in Caleb's room.

"Oh, love, of course I don't mind," she assured him softly, gently stroking her thumb against his cheek as she lowered her hands from his face. "There are things I need to do, anyway. And I would feel better if you were close to them while I'm not."

He hadn't seen his daughter's pretty face in far too long, and now that she was here, he didn't think he could see enough of her. He just wanted to sit with her quietly, watch her in her sleep, memorize her, and know that she was really here. "I love you, Mare," he told her, tears threatening again as she touched his stubbled cheek. If it wasn't for Marin, there was no telling what might have happened to Maggie. He didn't know how to thank her, except to tell her that he loved her.

Her expression softened, that rare declaration of his feelings doing more than a thousand apologies could have for the hurt she didn't want him to know he had given her. She smiled, leaning close to kiss him tenderly. "I know," she whispered, wrapping her arms about him in a warm embrace. "I love you back."

He loved her more than anything and hadn't meant to give her any pain, but it was too late to take back those words now. He could only hope that she'd understand he'd meant no harm, that he only wanted them to be a family, but for now, he was too full of conflicting emotions to talk about it anymore. He returned her kiss, softly, gently, his arms going around her waist to hold her close.

Curled close, Marin smiled, letting go of the offense she had taken. She knew her husband, better than he realized, understanding he had meant no harm by his words. Eyes closed, she didn't realize they weren't alone until a small body climbed up onto Evan's lap, cuddling in between them. In surprise, she looked down to find Maggie between them, startled to find one small hand holding onto her necklace while the other burrowed around Evan's back. She looked up at Evan, not entirely sure what she should do, and frankly, unable to move given the grip Maggie had on her necklace anyway.

In her innocent wisdom, Maggie had come to them, rather than the other way around. Evan could only imagine what she'd been through that day, somehow knowing that only with their love and support would she be able to heal and move past the loss of the aunt and uncle who'd loved her so. He looked from Maggie to Marin, arching a brow in equal amazement, though he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. "See" She needs us both, love," he whispered.

Caught where she was, Marin laughed a little, realizing that Maggie had just somehow managed to calm both of their fears without realizing it. She eased her arms around them both once again, feeling the grip on her necklace loosen as she laid her head on Evan's shoulder. The only person missing was Caleb, but there would be plenty of opportunity to squeeze both children in their embrace as the days, weeks, months, and years went by. "I think you might be right," she murmured to her husband, charmed by the soft sigh as the little girl fell asleep once again.

For perhaps the first time since Maggie's arrival, Evan finally smiled. Whatever had happened to have brought her here - a blessing in disguise, perhaps - there was no denying she was here and that she needed them. He looked down at his daughter's face while she drifted off to sleep and thought he was looking at an angel, but there was another angel in his life, and she was right beside him. "I'll just tuck her in again," he whispered, brushing a gentle finger against Maggie's cheek.

Marin nodded, easing gently back from the embrace, relieved when Maggie didn't reach out to grab her once again. It would take a little while to be comfortable with the little girl, though she was determined not to show that uncertainty if she could. "Take your time," she told Evan softly, unable to resist stroking Maggie's soft hair before rising to her feet. "I won't be far."

And take his time he did. For the first time in years, he was with Maggie again, and this time, he was never going to let her go.

((Every silver lining has a cloud - Evan has his Maggie back with him, but at what cost' Many thanks to Evan's player!))