Fiona had pulled herself together by the time the family had started to arrive that evening. They came in bunches, Bryce and Grace, Laura and Davis, Mave, Beth and Wyatt, and Alistair all came from New York, while Mason and Cassie, Norah and Caleb, Poppy, and Aggie all came from California, and having them around her had taken her mind of Henry.

Finn called her twice a day to give her an update, not that there was an update to give.

She had managed to talk to Kate and Lee a few times, but it had been hard on all of them, so it wasn't something she was looking to repeat regularly, especially if Finn was willing and able to be their go-between.

Her parents showed up a week into the ordeal, and it gave Fiona a sense of relief to know that they were there. The other family that couldn't make it checked in regularly and had long conversations with Fiona at one point or another. The support was strong, making Fiona wish that she had been more honest as a young adult. If she had shared her pregnancy, break-up, and then miscarriage with them, it might have all been easier to deal with.

Clayton had reached out a few times trying to reconnect, but she had ignored his texts and phone calls. That was all behind her, and she had no desire to revisit it.

Fiona was in the kitchen with Beth and Alistair one night after dinner when they heard the piano. It was an instant draw for all of them as Cassie's voice filled the air. It had been a long time since Fiona had taken part in a family sing-along.

Bryce was sitting at the piano while Cassie was picking the songs she wanted to sing. Sometimes, the rest of the family would join in while at other times they would listen to Cassie's voice as it soared.

"You know, I picked a song for all of your aunts and uncles, and I should pick one for you and Henry," Cassie said as she looked through her sheet music.

"What about us!" Beth cried. "You never picked a song for Wyatt and me either." She was snuggling Mary on her shoulder as she spoke.

"No, thank you, Aunt Cassie," Fiona said over Beth's complaint. "Henry and I aren't really the song type. If we did have a song, I would want it to be because it was something we heard at an important moment. Plus, he's not even here right now." Fiona swallowed hard against the tears that she felt at her words.

Fiona's statement killed the fun atmosphere, and shortly after that, everyone started to wander up to bed. Fiona took her time cleaning the kitchen, locking the doors, and turning off lights because all that awaited her was an empty bed and too many what-ifs.

She slowly got ready for bed, changing into her pajamas before she moved to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. She had come a long way in the last year. When she looked at her reflection, she saw a different person looking back at her.

Fiona bowed her head and closed her eyes, she knew Henry would be proud and while the thought made her glad, it also made her miss him all the more.

"Did you fall off your horse again?" a deep voice said from behind her.

Fiona's head snapped up, and she saw Henry reflected in the mirror behind her. He looked exactly as he had a year earlier. She spun around and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Those eyes, Fiona. They get me every time." His voice broke, and Fiona rushed towards him, pulling him close.

There were no words spoken between them as she clung to Henry with tears streaming down her face.

She had so many questions, but for the moment, she only wanted to feel him close. He was thinner than he had been, and she stepped back, letting her hands glide over his body, looking for injury.

"I must say that this is a much warmer reception than the last time we were in this situation, and if I remember correctly, I was checking you for injury." Henry smiled, but despite it, he looked exhausted.

Fiona opened her mouth to say a smart comment, but nothing came out.

"Did you miss me?" Henry asked.

Fiona nodded as the tears started. Henry pulled her close and held her again.

Then the tears turned to anger, and she stepped back. "Where have you been!" she shouted.

"Top secret, I'm afraid." He shook his head as she let his eyes scan her bare legs and arms.

"Are you hurt?" Fiona insisted as she reached for his t-shirt and tried to lift it off of him.

Her door flew open, and Mave stood there with a bat in her hand, ready to defend her cousin from mortal danger.

"I heard you shout! What's going on?"

Alistair stood behind Mave and took in the scene of Fiona with Henry's shirt halfway off.

"I think she's giving Henry a very warm greeting." Alistair grinned

"Henry! Is he here?" Cassie asked, pushing, between the other two. Fiona was frozen in place as if she had gotten stuck with her hand in the cookie jar. She could feel Henry's strong heartbeat below her hand, and she didn't want to move it because it reminded her that he was real.

"Fiona!" Beth hissed. "Your Dad is here! Stop touching Henry like that!"

Fiona jumped and lowered her hand quickly.

"I was just checking to see if he was hurt," Fiona defended herself.

"I understand completely," Mason loudly said from the back. "I always have to check Cassie for injury in the exact same way."

"Ewww, Dad! That's gross," Poppy said before she marched off in the opposite direction.

"You had to get here somehow, girl !" Mason called.

"Yeah, but I don't need the details!" she hollered before a door slammed.

"You'll never learn will you," Cassie lamented with a shake of her head. "Let's go, everyone. It's evident these two need some alone time."

They all turned to look at Mason, who pursed his lips in an attempt to control his outrageous tongue from saying something inappropriate.

"Nope," was all he said before he turned and left.

Dana walked further into the room and gave Henry a brief hug. "We are all so glad you're safe. Do your mother and father know you're all right?"

"I called them on my way here," Henry assured her.

Dana nodded and then ushered everyone out of the room.

"See you in the morning, Finry," Alistair said with a grin as he pulled the door closed behind him.

The sudden silence was deafening.

"How come my sneaking into your room always turns into a group affair?" Henry asked wryly.

"I think it's because our relationship has been a group effort from the moment we met." Fiona smiled. She had accepted that fact at last. "Are you honestly O.K.?"

"I am. Are you O.K.?" Henry sat heavily on the end of the bed as he looked at Fiona.

"I am now that you're here, but I'm not going to lie and say that I was alright before because I wasn't." Fiona sat next to him and took his hand. "I've known you've been busy trying to save the world these past six weeks, but were you able to figure anything out about yourself?"

"Actually, I figured a lot out, but the most important thing is that I cannot live without you." Henry's voice broke. "I need you to feel whole."

Fiona nodded. She had felt like half of herself since he had left.

"I also realized that part of being half of a whole is allowing you to help me. I may always feel like that boy in the tree, but I'll always have you to help me realize I'm not. I don't have to do it all on my own." He squeezed her hand.

"I know, and I was thinking, before you snuck into my room, how much I've changed in the last year. Last year I was frustrated and angry, I felt so alone, but now I don't. I have you and my family. I've learned to allow others into my life, and I wouldn't have been able to do that if it hadn't been for you." Fiona placed her hands on either side of his face. "I have loved you, Henry Mercer, for as long as I can remember."

Henry smiled. "I find it hard to believe sometimes. When I saw you here, in your room a year ago, I wasn't expecting my life to change. All I knew was that it mattered that you were hurt, that you felt alone, and that I could help. I wouldn't allow myself to see you as anything other than a Stevens girl."

"And now?" Fiona asked, still holding his face in her hands.

"And now I cannot picture my life without you in it. Will you marry me, Fiona?" Henry asked.

There was a cheer outside the bedroom door, and Fiona rolled her eyes.

"Now that everyone in the family knows our business," Fiona shouted toward the door and heard the sound of hurrying feet and closing doors, 'yes, I will marry you, Henry."

"It's all good, y'all! She said yes!" Mave reported loudly, before another door slammed.

"You're not only stuck with me but you're also stuck with them!" Fiona warned him.

"I've come a long way from that lonely boy in the tree." Henry grinned before he kissed her into forgetting everything but him.

The End-