The family-- aside from the children's mom, Emily-- are all gathered at Bonham and Abilene's house for a game night.

Bonham rolls the dice and groans while everybody else, excluding Cordell cheers.

"I've been in prison three times now." Bonham says, moving his game piece.

"H-how-- you get a six and a five..." Cordell trails off, confused.

"Just watch, just watch." August tells his dad, picking the dice up.

"Okay." Cordell agrees as his son rolls the dice. Everybody exclaims while he moves his game piece.

"Okay, wait, wait, wait." Cordell exclaims.

"What?" The twins ask.

"Okay, okay, okay. What's happening?" Cordell questions.

"What's happening is your son is mopping the floor with you." Bonham says.

"Yeah, I-- yeah, I know he is, clearly. But I don't understand the rules, so it's-it's not fair." Cordell says.

"Oh! I knew it!" Stella exclaims.

"You knew-- what?" Cordell asks, confused, as everybody else is laughing. "What's going on?"

"We all get a bonus turn when someone says it isn't fair, and Stella knew you would crack." Abilene explains. She and her oldest granddaughter high five.

"Stella. Your own dad?" Cordell asks as Stella high fives her siblings.

"This is a very serious game. No loyalties." Stella states.

"All right, well, I..." Cordell trails off, looking at his phone.

"Excuse me, we're playing a game." Bonham tells his son.

"Yeah. Uh-- hey, just a sec." Cordell says, standing up, walking away on the phone.

"See, he can't even handle it." Stella says.

"I know." August says.

"Sore loser!" Janie jokingly accuses.

"What a sad state of affairs. Okay, come on. It's my turn." Stella says, rolling the dice.

They continue playing the game while Cordell is on the phone and he soon walks back.

"Dad, it's your turn." August tells him.

"Hey, uh... Augie, why don't you, uh, why don't you take my turn?" He suggests.

"Cordell?" Abilene asks, seeing the troubled look on her son's face.

"Just, uh, just work stuff." Cordell tells them. "It's-It's, uh-- got my turn, bud?" He asks his son.

"Yeah." August nods.

"Okay. Be right back." Cordell tells them before walking outside.

+++

It's been 11 months since Emily Walker died.

Cordell went on an undercover case and has been gone since then. The kids moved in with their grandparents and are now going to a different school than before. Cordell's brother, Liam, also now lives close by.

Janie quit dancing for a few months, but returned to it about one month ago, missing the activity and her dance friends.

Now, the siblings wait outside of their grandparents' house at night, waiting for their dad to finally return home. Their uncle and the new captain, Larry James sit on the porch in a couple of rocking chairs.

Stella sits on the steps leading to the house while August stands on the side of the driveway and Janie is sitting on a step below Stella, anxiously messing with the charm bracelet her parents gifted her on her and August's 13th birthday.

"Let's just go inside." Stella tells her younger siblings.

"He'll be here." August insists.

"Oh, absolutely. Neither hell nor high water could keep him away." Stella says sarcastically, getting on her phone.

They look up as a car drives up and the sisters stand up, Janie walking down to her brother.

"Told you he'd be here." August says, smiling.

The vehicle pulls only to reveal it's not their father's truck.

"Hello, good people!" The driver, Stan, greets.

"Young dude, how are ya?" Stan asks August.

"I'm good. How are you?" August asks.

"Yeah?" Stan asks.

"Yeah." August mutters, him and Stan bumping wrists.

"How you doing, sweetie pie?" Stan asks Janie, rubbing her back.

"Good." She smiles.

"Baby girl." He greets Stella.

"Hey." Stella greets.

"How are you, sweet pea?" He asks.

"Good." She answers as Liam and Larry walk halfway down the walkway as Stan meets them there.

"Where's the hero?" Stan asks.

"Making history, I'm sure. Stan, why don't you had inside? I'm sure my folks would love to share a drink with you." Liam says as the siblings go in the house.

+++

The next morning, the twins are still getting ready for school while Stella already left.

They're about done when they hear their grandmother greet their father.

"Wait, dad's home?" Janie asks.

"Yes." August grins, running to the living room while Janie finishes doing her hair, now struggling with the bobby pins in anticipation to see her dad, before rushing to the living room.

"August, grab your lunch. William Edison, get your butt in the shower. I did not press that suit for my own amusement." Abilene states.

"I-- I know, mama." Liam says. "I'm-- I got to go."

"Dad!" Janie grins, rushing up to him.

"Oh! My baby!" Cordell grins, hugging her tightly, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around once before setting her down. "You grew, too. When'd you two get so big?" He asks, referring to her and August before pulling her in for another hug.

"Janie, lunch!" Abilene calls from the kitchen.

Janie kisses her dad on the cheek before running to the kitchen to retrieve her lunch.

+++

"Dad, can you pass the salt?" Liam asks as they eat dinner.

"Mawline, this is so good." August compliments.

"Want some more wine, dear?" Bonham asks his wife as Cordell walks in.

"Hey." He greets. "Caught up at work. Don't wait up."

"Never do." Abilene says as Cordell sits between Janie and Liam.

"Where's, uh, where's Stella?" Cordell asks, not spotting his first child anywhere.

"Well, she was prepared to greet you last night at your homecoming, but you failed to show, so..."

"She's out with a friend." Abilene cuts her husband off.

"Isabel. Some Mexican girl." Bonham says.

"Mexican American, dad." Liam says.

"Okay, stop it, Bonham." Abilene chides. "She's out with a friend from school. I've got Stella, Augie, and Janie over at Sacred Heart."

"Yeah, I know, I know, I-I still can't believe we're doing that." Cordell says. "I-- we, uh, we-we didn't want that for 'em."

"You should be thanking your mother for enrolling your children in a respectable Catholic school." Bonham says. ""We didn't want that for them"? To what are you referring? A decent education?"

"Feel free to take your children back out of it." Janie says, grinning hopefully and Cordell actually chuckles instead of the forced chuckles he gave his parents.

"Yeah, well, at least she still has basketball." Cordell says, referring to Stella.

"Oh, no, soccer now." Liam says.

"I thought she quit." Cordell says.

"Oh, I guess she missed it." Liam says.

"You have so many questions that we can't answer to your satisfaction, maybe it's time you put in the work yourself." Abilene says.

"Um..." August starts, wanting to get rid of the tension. "I've been messing around with mom's old camera. Just trying to figure it out."

"That's great, pal. That's-- that's great." Cordell smiles. "Mom would've liked that."

"More roast?" Liam asks. "Augie, help me carve." Liam says, the two going into the kitchen.

"I'm still dancing." Janie says, also not liking the tension. "I mean, I took a break, but I started up again a month or so ago."

"That's great." Cordell smiles. "You still doing ballet and two step?" He asks.

"Uh, no, I-I quit those and switched to hip hop." Janie tells him.

"Yeah, all that crap music." Bonham grumbles.

The father and daughter share an awkward smile before she takes a sip of her drink to not say anything.

"We did right by Stella." Abilene tells her son.

"Yep. Uh, yeah, I know, I know." Cordell says. His phone goes off making him look at it. "It's work." He answers it. "Walker. Yeah. What? Yeah, okay, got it. On my way." He hangs up. "I got to go." He tells them making Janie frown. "Um, I got to go pick up Stella."

"From where?" Abilene asks.

"From the police station." Cordell says, sarcastically smiling. Janie chokes on her drink, not expecting that answer. "Thanks for dinner, mama." Cordell stands up and ruffles Janie's hair before leaving.

+++

Stella and Cordell returned home after about an hour or so. Janie let her sister be alone before walking into her room.

"What?" Stella asks, not in the mood to deal with anybody.

"You okay?" Janie asks.

"I'm fine, Jane." Stella assures, sighing.

"You know, maybe you could give dad a chance." Janie suggests.

"Like he deserves it." Stella scoffs.

"At least he finally came back." Janie tries to defend.

"Key word there is finally. Not to mention he left right after mom died. There is no second chance. He lost the first chance." Stella says.

"I'm just saying... maybe he'll really try." Janie says.

"Stop being such a sweetheart. You're just as hurt as I am and you know it." Stella says.

Janie's shoulders slump a bit, knowing her sister is right on how she feels hurt by their father leaving for the year, not even talking to them the past three months.

+++

Cordell walks into the room where his dad has his journal and his mom is working on something.

"I hope you came to put a bell on that girl." Bonham says. Abilene slams a piece of wood on the table getting his attention and she gives him a look to cut it out.

"Well..." Bonham stands up and looks at his son who sat down. "She'll settle now." He walks out.

"She's exhausted. I'd let her be." Abilene says as Cordell walks over and sits across from her. "Can I give you some advice?"

"Not like you ask." Cordell says.

"Parenting isn't something that necessarily happens automatically. Of course, you're their father, but you've got to take a minute to get to know them again." Abilene tells him.

"Yeah." Cordell agrees.

"She's feisty and smart as hell. It's the best revenge I can think of, you having to raise yourself." Abilene says, the two chuckling.

"August, though. And Janie. They-they-they're good." Cordell says.

"Oh, yeah." Abilene nods. "They sure are. Like his life depended on it."

"How do you mean?" Cordell asks.

"That boy is working so hard to keep anyone from worrying about him, he's twisted into bits. Don't take him for granted. Not for a second." Abilene tells her son who nods.

"You got anything about Janie?" He asks.

"That girl has always been hard to read. Disneyland barely gets her to show excitement and that's supposed to excite everybody. She hides her emotions and deals with them herself. That's why she got back into dance... otherwise I don't think she'd be doing it. It makes her sane. Now, she may be hard to read, but I can just tell that girl is still broken. She's still going through everything and dealing with it all. Still processing it. She just doesn't confide in anybody. Maybe her siblings sometimes, but they're not gonna say anything. Kid knows how to fake a smile."

Cordell nods.

"You need to be here." Abilene states. "And I don't just mean Austin. I mean... here. That house in town, it is not a home anymore. Not with her gone. But here, it could be. That farmhouse at the edge of the property? You know, your father's been out there, fooling around with his leather tools. But it's big enough, and... I think it's better suited for you."

"You've already arranged the whole thing, haven't you?"

"Well, I wanted, uh, you to put your own personal touches on it, of course."

"Mama, it's a tricky time for me. I mean, th-there's a task force I've been recommended for. It's down south, but it's... really important, and..." He's cut off by August clearing his throat, walking in. "Hey, kiddo."

"Hey." August greets.

"Well, love, I trust you to make the right decision." Abilene says.

Cordell smiles at her before getting up.

"Hey, pal." He smiles at his son before they hug.

+++

Cordell and August walk into the farmhouse that Abilene told him about.

"Oh, I, uh, I refinished this table." August says, grazing his fingers over the table in the middle of the room.

"Look at that." Cordell mutters, running his hand over it. "Good job."

"Thank you." August says, chuckling.

"You've shouldered a lot." Cordell says and puts his hand on the side of his son's neck. "You know, I, uh... I never meant to make you grow up so fast." He tells him. He rubs his hand over his hair down his back and arm.

"Can we, um... sleep out here tonight?" August asks.

Cordell chuckles and agrees.

"You wanna go get your sister? Or both?" Cordell asks.

"Stella won't come, but I'll go get Janie." August says. Cordell nods as August rushes out. He jogs to Janie's room and opens her door.

"Wanna sleep in the farmhouse with me and dad?" August asks, hopefully.

"You mean before he leaves again?" Janie asks, having heard the conversation between their dad and grandma earlier, as did August and Stella.

"Don't be like that." August sighs. "Come on, Janie." He pleads.

"Fine." She says, grabbing her hoodie and putting it on. August tells Stella what they're doing, getting the expected answer, and then meets Janie at the front door and they go to the farmhouse.

Janie slightly smiles at her dad who smiles back, having just made the fire.

August sits on the couch before Janie sits next to him and Cordell sits next to her. They talk for a bit before the twins fall asleep.