Several weeks later, Lin laid on the couch in the evening, Francisco asleep on his chest. The weight of him always felt so good. Sometimes it was hard to wrap his head around how much he loved this tiny thing. It was strange, but after only 6 weeks, he was feeling the same about Emma and Alexis. They'd since slipped into a bit of a routine. There was a new normal, and having two daughters was part of that new normal.

Slowly, Emma and Alexis were starting to feel more at home as well. At first, they could be a bit distant and hesitant to show affection or join in. Sebastian and Francisco certainly helped with that – it was so easy to show them both affection. They'd known Lin and Vanessa they were babies, so it was nice to be with people they knew and cared about.

Vanessa, already in sweatpants and a t-shirt walked over to the couch where Lin sat. She gently stroked her son's head, feeling the warmth. "I'm going to bed," she whispered to him.

"I'll put him down in a minute," he told her, and she leaned down to kiss him gently on the lips. On her way out, she grabbed the video monitor from the coffee table, which currently showed Sebastian fast asleep.

Lin relaxed with his youngest for a few more minutes before very carefully extracting himself from the couch. Careful not to disturb him, he made his way down the hall. As he passed by the girls' bedroom, he noticed the light was still on. It was nearly 10 p.m. He gently knocked and pushed the door open.

Alexis was already tucked into bed with an eye pillow on. This was beginning to become a regular occurrence. Lexi went to bed around 9:30 and her older sister stayed up later into the night doing homework. Emma had her work spread out over the floor and she sat cross-legged, sans cast, with her hair in a messy bun and her glasses on.

"Hey," Lin said gently. "You almost done?"

Emma made a mark on her paper with the pencil. "Nope. I'm swamped."

Lin rubbed the back of his head. "Well, take it out to the living room if you'd like. I'm heading to bed. Don't stay up too much longer. You need your sleep."

"Okay. Night," she told him, tucking the pencil behind her ear. Lin admired her commitment. She'd said she could handle three AP classes and she seemed to be knocking it out of the park. She currently had straight A's and seemed to be excelling in her new environment.

Lin gently tucked Francisco into the bassinet at the bottom of the bed. Now that he was getting up only once in the night, he was about ready to move out of the room. Over the weekend, they would move him into a bigger crib in Sebastian's room. They worried about Sebastian disturbing his younger brother and vice versa. As a family, they were outgrowing their space. They'd started to look for bigger apartments and had just made an offer on a 5 bedroom.

Vanessa was already cozily tucked into the bed, laying on her side. Lin climbed in, settling in behind her. He kissed her cheek and gently stroked her hair. "My turn to get up with Francisco tonight," he told her. They'd done their best to take turns getting up with him. That way they both got nearly a full night's sleep every other night. They both always awoke when he cried – it was the instinct of both parents.

Sure enough, a few hours later, Francisco started wailing. Lin pushed himself out of bed to see what was the matter. He needed a diaper change, and then they went out to the kitchen to get a bottle. As he walked down the hallway, he could see the girls' light was still on.

He heated up the bottle and settled into the recliner in the living room to feed his son. Before he got through the bottle, Francisco had fallen asleep again in his father's arms. Setting the bottle on the table, he stood up again and took the boy back to his crib. He then went back into the hallway and stopped in front of the girls' room. He put his ear to the doorway and didn't hear anything. He slowly pushed the door open and found Emma propped up against the side of her bed, eyes closed. Her work was still laid out all over the floor. Lin let out a sigh and carefully stepped over her notebooks and books.

He knelt down next to her and gently stroked her head. "Emma? Sweetheart?"

Emma slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the light, and looked at Lin in bewilderment. "What time is it?"

"It's 2:30 in the morning," he told her. "You fell asleep working."

"Shit, I've still got to get this done," he said, reaching for her pencil. Lin gently took the pencil from her hand and set it back on the floor.

"No, Em," he told her. "You need to sleep. Into bed."

"No, this is due tomorrow!" she argued, pushing his hand away as he tried to help her up.

"It's not worth you staying up all night," he told her. "Bed."

"But it'll be marked late!"

"And the world will not end," he assured her, pulling her up by the upper arm. "It's high school, not brain surgery. Is this for one of your AP classes?"

"Yes," she told him, giving in and allowing him to guide her onto the bed. Lin pulled back the covers and she climbed in. "I just got a bit behind."

"Well, maybe we need to think about taking less AP classes in the future."

"Fewer," she corrected him, yawning. Lin gave her a look.

"Goodnight, smart ass," he told her. Emma grinned and closed her eyes, snuggling in. On the way out, Lin turned off the light and closed the door.

___

The next day at school, Emma was yawning and struggling to make it through class. She'd had to explain to her teacher 2nd period that she needed an extension on her paper that was due that day. She wasn't sure when she would get it done. She'd begun taking ballet classes at a studio after school 4 days a week. Every night, she had hours of homework.

It was time for her back-to-back ballet class. She changed into her leo and short shorts, finding her pointe shoes. Life had gotten much better now that she could do ballet again. Her strength was still not what it had been before the accident, but she was slowly gaining it back.

Emma had started to become the dancer everyone was trying to catch up to. Her technique was excellent and her flexibility was the envy of everyone. It felt nice to have others watching her, admiring her dancing. Most of the other girls were friendly, but there could definitely be some mean girl drama. Emma was never on the giving end.

"Alright, ladies, let's try that pass one more time," the ballet instructor told the group of about 10 girls. They were rehearsing a number that would be featured in the spring production. Most of them were also working on solos or small group numbers.

They worked the pass again. There was one particular part that Emma still struggled with due to her knee. She didn't have the same flexibility as before. Twice a week, she went to physical therapy, along with her sister, to work on weakened muscles. She knew she'd get it eventually, but it irked her.

As class ended, her teacher called her over to the side of the room. "Emma, how is your leg feeling these days?" she asked.

"Better," she told her, not wanting to elaborate too much. She didn't want her teacher to think she wasn't capable.

"I noticed you struggle with the allonge arabesque," she said. "Would you like to work on it with me?"

"Uh, sure," Emma nodded. Usually, she had a 5 minute break between this class and her conditioning class that followed, but today that wouldn't happen.

"Great," she said. "Let's go to the barre."

They walked over together. "Go ahead and come up into your arabesque."

Emma obeyed, trying to focus on her form, chin up. The instructor placed a hand under her knee. Your leg needs to come up a bit higher, like this."

When she removed her hand, Emma's leg fell back down to where it had been before. Concentrating, she willed her muscles to move more. She managed to get it up a bit higher.

"Good," the instructor commented. "But don't shrug up your shoulders. You're looking tense."

She tried to relax them, but then her knee slipped back down. "Keep working on it," she said. "I know you're still working on gaining your strength back. I've been very impressed with your progress."

"Thanks, Mrs. Phillips," Emma smiled, bringing her leg down.

"Take a quick break before we start on conditioning."

Emma let out a sigh, hoping she'd be able to get her strength back to normal.

___

Back at the Miranda household, Alexis laid backwards on the couch, her legs propped up on the back of the chair, her laptop resting on her belly. Her school days were much more comfortable in sweats and a t-shirt. She loved not having to live by bells and passing periods.

Lin walked by with Francisco in his arms. "Does that help you concentrate better?"

"Yep," she told him, blowing a bubble with her bubble gum.

"Are you close to being finished?" He asked. "You've got volleyball in an hour."

Now that the girls were physically healed, they were able to get back into their favorite activities. Alexis was in volleyball and softball, and otherwise outside as much as she could be. She was happiest with a bit of dirt on her skin.

"Yay!" she exclaimed.

"Vanessa has a request that you watch it with your knees," he told her. "The grass and dirt stains are getting difficult."

"Sorry," she said. Knowing she had a deadline, she swung her legs around and sat up on the couch so she could speed through her assignment. About 15 minutes later, she was done and ready to go change into her volleyball gear. She found her team shirt and black volleyball shorts and tennis shoes.

"Have you done your physical therapy stretches yet today?" Lin reminded her.

Alexis groaned, and he took that as a no. To her, they were a drag to do. "Let's see them," he told her. She had a tendency to half-ass them if she thought no one was watching.

Alexis began to make it through her PT stretches, which took about 10 minutes. It was a big of a chore, but she knew they were important. She knew Lin was watching out of the corner of his eye, making sure she did them all correctly.

"Lin, can I get a cell phone?" She asked out of the blue.

"No," he answered quickly.

"Why not?"

"Because you're 11," he told her.

Alexis rolled her eyes. "But a bunch of other kids have cell phones."

"Must be nice for them," he told her.

"How am I supposed to keep up socially with other kids my age? I don't have Snapchat or anything," she pointed out.

"You're too young for social media," he told her. "You don't have any accounts, do you?"

Alexis bit her lip. "No," she lied. "Besides, how can you complain to me about social media when you tweet 15 times a day?"

Lin smiled. "Touche," he said.

"Can I ride the subway by myself?" She asked, ready to go to volleyball.

"No, ma'am," he told her. He and Vanessa both agreed she was too young at the age of 11. "Let me get a bag ready for Francisco and we'll head out."

Lin packed up some diapers, a bottle, and some toys into the diaper bag. He put on the baby sling and tucked Francisco inside. "Alright, kiddo, let's go."

Together, they took the subway down to the gym where her volleyball team practices. He enjoyed watching her. She was definitely happiest when she was being active. It seemed to help her concentration as well, having something physical to do.

Lin was also glad to see that she was bonding with some of the other girls. She'd had a couple of them around the apartment, and had gone over to their houses as well. Slowly, she was making friends and starting to settle into her new life. He thought they'd made the right decision to let her do online school.

___

After dinner that night, Emma heated up the kettle to make herself some coffee. It was going to more caffeine for her to push through her workload for tonight. She added two spoons of sugar.

"Coffee at this time of night?" Vanessa asked as she cleared away the dishes. "Em, you'll never get to sleep."

"That's the plan," she said, taking a sip. "I've got a paper for biology overdue I have to finish tonight, plus math and study guide questions for English."

"I think you're doing too much," Vanessa told her honestly. "Are you able to cut back on an AP class?"

"I'm not gonna do that at this point in the semester," she told her. "I've done it this whole school year so I don't want to miss out on the credit."

"But if you're killing yourself, is it really worth it?" Vanessa asked.

Emma took another big sip. "Like I said, I thrive on pressure."

Vanessa sighed. "Try to get to bed by 10:30, so you get at least 8 hours."

"I'll try," Emma told her, knowing it wasn't likely.

Vanessa walked back to the bathroom, where Lin was starting a bath for the boys. "I've got this, babe," Lin told her as he undressed Francisco. "You go relax."

Vanessa crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. "Emma just made herself a giant cup of coffee," she told him. "I'm kind of worried about her."

Lin nodded, "Last night I found her asleep sitting up with her work."

"I know she's not going to like it, but I think we need to pull her out of an AP class," she told him.

"No, she's not going to like that," he agreed. Emma was very independent and didn't seem to respond well to adults telling her what she could and could not handle. Sure, she could handle three AP classes, but was it worth sacrificing her health? It was great to have a good work ethic, but Emma seemed to be taking it too far. She needed to have time to just be a teenager.

"She hasn't really made any friends besides that Alex kid," Vanessa pointed out. "Maybe if she had a night or two free during the week, she could actually go out and have a bit of fun."

"I'll see if I can bring it up to her," Lin said, knowing they'd developed a pretty good relationship. Vanessa went back to the living room to relax a little and read a book while Alexis channel surfed. She finally settled on some trashy reality TV show.

"I'll be in my room if you need me," Emma announced, taking her coffee mug with her. Once again, she spread her notebooks and textbooks out on the floor, ready to plunge in. She was free to be a workaholic. First, she began on her biology paper since it was already overdue. She'd be marked down a full letter grade for each day it was late. Emma rarely settled for a B, so this paper needed to be top notch.

Time flew quickly, and soon it was already 9:30. She still had her math problem set to complete. Alexis walked in yawning and began her bedtime routine. Crawling into bed, she found her eye pillow, knowing her sister would have the lights on for a fair amount of time. She couldn't wait until they moved and she could have her own room again. Emma decided to get up and take a break.

She took her coffee mug into the kitchen and placed it in the sink. Lin was grabbing a quick snack from the pantry, ready for bed in his Adidas athletic pants and a t-shirt. "How's the homework coming?" he asked before biting into a biscuit.

"Fine," she said, "I got my biology essay done."

"The one that was due today?"

"Uh-huh," she told him, grabbing a handful of peanuts from a jar left out on the counter. "I've just got math left to do."

"It's already 9:30," he pointed out.

"I know," she sighed, cracking her neck from side to side a bit.

Lin turned and leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. "Listen, Em," he began delicately. "Vanessa and I are getting worried about how much time you're spending on school. We really think you should cut one of your AP classes."

Emma groaned. "Vanessa already told me that earlier," she said. "I can handle it."

"I know you can handle it, but at what cost?" He asked her. "You're barely getting 6 hours of sleep a night. Teenagers are supposed to get nine."

"I'm getting enough sleep," she told him.

"When you're having to depend on caffeine at 7:30 at night, that doesn't seem to me like it's enough. You've got bags under your eyes, and you're not leaving yourself much time for fun."

"I would be having fun if I was back in Danbury with my friends," she quipped.

"Alexis has started making friends," he told her. "Have you been making an effort?"

"I'm too busy!"

"That's exactly my point," he told her. "All work and no play is totally missing the point."

"Look, I'm trying to focus on my grades and ballet so I can get a scholarship and have some college credits under my belt," she reasoned with him.

"Save college for college," he told her. "You don't need to start as a freshman with a bazillion credits. Having one less AP class on your transcript is not going to make much of a difference."

"Fine," she said dismissively, reaching for the kettle again. "Thank you for your advice."

Lin put a hand on her arm. "No more coffee," he told her.

"But I still have math," she told him.

"Maybe you should go to bed and get up a little early to finish it off," he suggested.

"No thanks, I'll just get it done now."

Emma didn't seem to be responding to reason. "Emma, this can't continue," he told her.

"What? Me excelling at school?"

"You overworking yourself," he told her. "You need to make a decision in the next few days. Which one of your AP classes are you going to drop."

Emma knitted her eyebrows and studied Lin's face. He looked dead serious. "You can't do that to me."

"You haven't left me a choice, Em," he told her. "You're killing yourself, and you don't need to be. You need to let yourself be a teenager."

Emma crossed her arms and her eyes started to well over with tears of frustration. Why didn't he understand how important this was to her? It was her body and her life. She should be able to decide how hard she worked and what she could handle.

"I am not dropping a class," she told him.

"Okay, then give up ballet," he told her, knowing she would never do that.

"Why are you being so unreasonable?!" she raised her voice. "This is my life, and you're not my parent!"

Lin sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He knew he wasn't her father, but he had a responsibility to Phil to keep his kid healthy and safe. He wouldn't want Emma running herself into the ground like this.

"Take a couple days to think this over," Lin kept his voice steady. "If you haven't decided what to do by Monday, I'll call your counselor and choose for myself."

Lin began to walk away, not wanting to leave the subject open for discussion. He could sense she was starting to boil over.

"Why are you doing this to me?!" He turned around and saw that tears were streaming down her face.

It broke his heart that he was upsetting her this much, but it was for her own good. "Because I love you," he told her. "Now get to bed."