As Lin worked on his computer on the couch, his cell phone rang and the caller ID showed the lawyer's office.  His heart leapt and he immediately picked up.

"This is Lin," he said, his hearing heightened.

"Lin, this is Jim down from Keller & Franklin," he began.  "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he said.  "Have you heard anything?"

"Yes," he said.  "I'm happy to report you passed with flying colors."

Lin did a fist pump in the air and got up from the couch.  They were one step closer to adopting the girls.

"Thank you!" he said.  "What do we do next?"

"Well, now we have to sit and wait," he reported.  "Which I know is frustrating.  We're waiting to hear more from the Romanos' lawyer.  They'll also have to go through a home interview."

"Would the girls have to be interviewed again?"

"Yes, they would," he said.  "It's a separate case."

"Well, the girls won't really be able to answer much, other than that they don't want to go," Lin pointed out.

"I know.  I'm not sure how that's going to work.  I'm hoping to get in touch with their lawyer again today to see if there's any updates."

Lin nodded and they wrapped up the phone call.  He pressed end and then tucked his phone in his back pocket.  "Hey!  Everyone out here!" He yelled.

Sebastian was playing nearby, and quickly ran over to hug his dad's leg.  Lin smiled and picked up his son, tickling his belly a bit.  Vanessa and the girls soon came out, wondering why Lin needed everybody.

"What is it, Lin?" Vanessa asked her husband.

"I just got a call from our lawyer, and..." he paused dramatically.  "We passed!"

Everyone let out a cheer and they exchanged lots of hugs.  Lexi started doing a silly dance, causing everyone to laugh.  Lin pulled out his cell phone and chose a hip-hop song to blast, then set it on the kitchen counter.  Soon, all of them, including Sebastian, were busting out ridiculous dance moves.  Lin started twerking against Vanessa, causing the girls to look away in disgust.

"I think this calls for some pizza," Vanessa suggested, not in the mood to cook.

"Yes!!" The girls celebrated, and started arguing over which pizza place they should order from.  They managed to compromise, and put together an online order.  The night was spent joking around and laughing as they munched on pizza and drank too much soda.  As they all climbed into bed, they were left with a warm feeling and a hope that everything would work out.

___

The next day, Lin again received a phone call, this time from an unidentified number with a ton of digits.  He realized this was because it was coming from outside the country.  He breathed out, prepping himself for a tough phone call.

"Hello, this is Lin," he answered calmly.

"Lin-Manuel Miranda?" I heavy Italian accent confirmed from thousands of miles away.

"Yes, who am I speaking with?" He asked formally.

"This is Sofia Romano," she said.  "We spoke before about Emma and Alexis."

Lin breathed out and set his laptop to the side, feeling himself tense up.  "Yes, hello Mrs. Romano.  How are you today?"

"Just fine, just fine," she said.  "I am calling to say that my husband and I will be flying to New York next week to visit with the girls."

Lin held back a grumble.  He doubted the girls would be happy to see them.  "Oh, great," he lied.  "What day are you flying in?"

"Thursday the 22nd," she reported.  "We fly into LaGuardia.  We have already booked a hotel."

"Okay, great," he said.  "Would you like to see the girls that weekend?"

"Yes," she said.  "Our lawyer is setting up an interview for us the following week.  They'll be asking us questions about our lifestyle and home.  The girls will need to come as well."

"Yes, we just went through that here last week," and couldn't help but report the results.  "We passed with flying colors, so we're approved to adopt the girls."

That didn't seem to phase her.  "Well done," she congratulated him.  "Our lawyer should be in contact with yours."

"Alright, well you have our number," he said, hoping to wrap things up.  "When you arrive next Thursday, give us a call and we'll arrange a time for you to meet with the kids."

They hung up and Lin breathed out, trying to relax.  He immediately pulled up Vanessa's number and began texting her the update.  A few minutes later, she called him when she had a free moment.

"So, they're just expecting the girls to hang out with them all weekend?" She asked.  "I'm pretty sure they're not going to like that.  And I think Lexi has two softball games that weekend."

"I'll check her schedule," he said.  "She won't want to miss those.  Do you think they'd want to come watch?"

"They should be," Vanessa quipped, thinking the Romanos didn't really get the kids.  They seemed pretty old school, and not really into watching "American" sports like baseball or softball.  However, even if they had no interest, they should take interest in what their granddaughters were doing.  Especially if they wanted any chance of the girls choosing to live with them.

"We'll need to let the girls know tonight," he told her, no looking forward to it.

"Yeah," Vanessa agreed.  "I should be home by 6 tonight, if you could start dinner."

The parents talked about a few more details about the day and then hung up.

Later that night, the family enjoyed a lighthearted meal around the dining room table.  Emma was in high spirits because she'd gotten her splint off that day after school.   She was told to take things easy for a couple weeks, so Lin and Vanessa decided she would start dancing at school first, and then as long as the week went okay, she could go back to the studio the next week.  Emma, of course, thought she was ready to jump right back in, but Lin reminded her that she needed to be more careful with her health.  She reluctantly agreed.

As they began to clear up the dishes, Lin told the girls to sit back down at the table.  Emma and Alexis looked at each other, knowing it probably had to do with the adoption in some way.  Lin set Sebastian up with his iPad on the couch as Vanessa put Francisco down.  Soon, they were all four sitting around the table.

"Girls, we wanted to let you know we heard from your grandparents again today," Vanessa began.  "They're planning on coming over next week."

"They're not staying with us are they?" Alexis asked immediately.

"No, no," Lin said quickly.  "They have a hotel.  They're flying in on Thursday, and they're hoping to spend the weekend with you."

"The whole weekend?" Emma asked, exasperated.  Lin nodded.  "They do realize we have lives, right?"

"I have softball that weekend!" Lexi complained.  "I'm not missing."

"We would not expect you to miss your softball games," Vanessa clarified.  "We'll let them know that we don't want your regular routine disrupted.  You'll still go to school and do all your extra curricular activities like normal.  They'll need to work around your schedules."

That reassured the girls, knowing Lin and Vanessa were looking out for them.  "Are you guys gonna be with us?" Lexi asked hopefully.

"No, sweetheart," Vanessa told her, putting a hand on top of hers.  "I don't think that would be appropriate.  They want to get to know you more, and they're hoping you'll want to go to Italy."

"In their God damn dreams," Emma muttered, crossing her arms.

"Watch your language, please," Lin gently admonished her.  "You need to be treating them with respect.  They are your grandparents.  Even if you know you don't want to go with them, you need to hear them out and give them a chance."

"But why should we even pretend?" Emma asked.  "It's bullshit that they just suddenly show up in our lives and expect us drop everything and move in with them?  When we don't even know them?"

"They're family," Vanessa pointed out.  "And family is important.  Maybe this is the chance you need to reconnect with them.  You might actually love spending time with them."

"Fat chance," Emma said, looking away.  Alexis was silent.  She'd never had grandparents close by.  She wasn't ready to completely dismiss her grandparents like her older sister was.  There was a part of her that wanted to have grandparents like the other kids.  Grandparents who sent them money on their birthdays and spoiled them with presents.

"Do either of you have any questions?" Lin asked them.

"What if I refuse to go?" Emma asked, sitting back in her chair, her arms still crossed in defiance.

"I don't think that would be a wise choice," Lin told her honestly.

"Why not?"

"The courts need to see that you've considered both options," he explained.  "If you're being uncooperative, they might not be as willing to listen to your opinion."

"Let's be real," Emma said.  "It's going to take something massive for the court system to uproot us from our home country, away from the family we've lived with for 5 months, and who were written into our parents' will as our legal guardians.  Why do I have to waste my time jumping through their hoops?"

Lin and Vanessa didn't realize how upset Emma was about the whole situation.  She seemed genuinely opposed to even considering the option of going with her grandparents.

"Sweetheart, sometimes with the court system, that's what you have to do," Vanessa explained, knowing the courts well.  "There are formalities, and as much as we'd like to skip over them, it's part of the process.  If we want this to go our way, which – you're right – there's no reason to believe it won't, we need to follow their procedures."

Emma let her tongue rake over her teeth, clearly not feeling better about things.  "I've got homework," she announced, and got up.

Lin and Vanessa sighed as she stormed off, slamming the door behind her.  Lexi took advantage of her sister's absence to speak up.

"I want to get to know Nonna and Nonno," she admitted boldly.

Lin reached out and squeezed her hand.  "I'm glad, baby," he told her.  "I think that's the right thing to do."

Lexi nodded and they could tell she had something else to say.  "But...what if I really do love them?  What if...what if I have to pick between you both and I can't decide?"

Lin breathed out and tucked his hand into his hoodie, leaning back in his chair, looking towards his wife.

"Well, Lex," she began.  "You can't control the way you feel.  If you spend time with your Nonna and Nonna and decide you really love them, then you need to choose what feels right for you."

It pained her to say it, but it was the right thing to do.  She had no place standing between grandparents and their grandchildren, no matter how much she loved the girls.

"Do Emma and I have to choose the same thing?" She asked, knowing Emma seemed very opposed to Italy.

"Not necessarily," Vanessa admitted.  "You could choose different things.  Plus, you could live for part of the year in Italy, and part of the year in New York."

"Like, stay here during school and go to Italy for breaks?" She asked, and they could tell she was interested.  Vanessa nodded. 

"Sure," Vanessa said.  "That could all be arranged.  But first, let's worry about you meeting them next weekend and spending time together.  We'll go from there."

Alexis nodded and excused herself to her room.  Lin linked his hands and ran them over his forehead and to the top of his head.  "Emma seems a bit...venomous."

"That's an understatement," Vanessa said as she stood up to pour herself a glass of wine.  "I just hope she doesn't bite their heads off."

"I have a feeling when they show up, she'll be glad to see them," Lin said.  When they'd arrived for the funeral, the girls had both been happy to see them.  "I'll go check on Em in a few minutes."

Lin and Vanessa finished cleaning up the kitchen.  Vanessa wrangled Sebastian away from his iPad to give him a bath, and Lin wandered down the hallway to see if he could crack Emma.  He knocked on her door gently and he heard a terse reply to come in.  She was on her bedroom floor, her homework spread out all over the place.

Lin stepped over her piles and took a seat on her desk chair, leaning forward on his elbows.  "How's the homework coming?"

"Fine," she said, writing in her notebook. 

"Listen," he began gently.  "I think you need to give your grandparents a chance when they come next week.  They are your family."

Emma huffed out and erased something on her paper.  "I don't want to see them.  I'm not going to see them."

"Why not?"

"Because they're assholes!" She said, getting frustrated. She dropped her notebook harshly on the floor and then put her head in her hands.

Lin sighed out, seeing she was struggling.  "Hey, let's sit," he suggested, standing up and patting her on the shoulder.  Lin sat down on her bed and Emma slowly joined him.

"Where's all this anger coming from?" He asked her.

Emma examined her fingernails, her eyebrows furrowed.  "I just think it's bullshit that they wanted nothing to do with us for a long time and all of a sudden they expect us to be thrilled that they want to adopt us.  Why would they think we'd want to move out of the country we've lived in all our lives?"

"They may have made some mistakes," Lin agreed.  "I don't think your mother had the greatest relationship with her parents, so maybe that's part of why you don't know them well."

"Yeah, and she probably didn't have a great relationship with them because they're terrible people."

"They can't be all that terrible if they raised someone as amazing as your mother," he pointed out.  Lin hadn't meant to upset her, but Emma started crying.  She put her hands up to her face, wanting to hide her tears.

"Hey," he said gently, pulling her into a hug.  She rested her head on his shoulder and allowed herself to sob.  Lin gently rubbed circles on her back.  "It's okay."

"I'm just..." she started after a while.  "I'm so confused right now."

"It's okay to be confused," he assured her.  "There's a lot of weird stuff going on right now.  You don't need to be ashamed of that."

Emma began to pull herself together.  She pulled out of the hug and began wiping her eyes with her hoodie sleeve.  Lin took her hands in his.

"Hey," he whispered.  "Look at me."

Emma complied.  "You're allowed to feel what you want to feel," he told her.  "I just want you to make sure you're not letting your anger get in the way.  Give them a chance.  Can you do that?"

Emma sniffled a little, looking away.  Finally, she nodded.

"Good girl," he told her, giving her a kiss on the forehead.  "And you know you can talk to me or Vanessa any time, right?"

Emma nodded, wiping at her face again.  She hated crying, and she hated other people witnessing her crying.  Somehow she knew it was okay to cry in front of Lin.

"Do you have much more to do?" He asked her.

"No, just some English," she told him, easing herself back onto the floor as he stood up.

"Good," he said.  "Why don't you try to get an early night sleep?"

Lin gave her a wink as he opened the door and closed it gently behind him.  He joined his wife in the living room on the couch.  On his way, he poured himself a glass of wine.  He and his wife seemed to be drinking a bit more than usual in the evenings.

"How's she doing?" Vanessa asked, scrolling through her phone.

"She's better," Lin reported.  "She got pretty upset, but I think I convinced her to give them a chance."

"Don't you think it's a little weird we're trying to convince them to give their grandparents a chance when they're trying to take them away from us?"

"Yeah, it's kind of weird," Lin admitted, swishing his wine around, then taking a sip.  "But it's the right thing to do."

Vanessa nodded in agreement.  "Sometimes the right thing to do hurts."

___

Thursday came around quickly.  Lin got a phone call in the mid-afternoon to announce they had arrived.  They were staying at a hotel in Washington Heights nearby.  At least they'd be close by if they were needed.  Lin invited them to go out for dinner as a big family Friday night, and they complied.  He figured the girls would appreciate going out together first before handing them over for the weekend.

Emma was noticeably silent as the family of 6 prepared to meet up with the Romanos for dinner.  It was a nice seafood restaurant that was a favorite of the family.  They all dressed up a little bit, which Alexis in particular didn't enjoy.  She never wore dresses unless she was forced to.  You could tell she was uncomfortable, as she kept pulling at the fabric.

"Okay, let's go," Vanessa announced as she packed Sebastian's sippy cup in the diaper bag.  The family made their way downstairs into their SUV, which barely fit them all.  They got valet parking at the restaurant so they wouldn't have to deal with juggling the boys.

Lin told the hostess their names, and confirmed their table for 8 was ready.  They were lead to the table, and two tables were left open right next to Emma and Alexis.  After they'd had a few minutes to look at the menu, Sofia and her husband Lorenzo appeared, dressed up and looking surprisingly fresh having just flown from across the ocean.

"Go give them a hug," Vanessa quietly urged the girls.  They reluctantly got up and kissed and hugged their grandparents hello, giving them a weak smile.  Lin and Vanessa both stood up as well and shook their hands.

"How was your flight?" Vanessa asked politely.

"It was great," Lorenzo commented.  "We fly first class."

"He had wine in his hand the moment we boarded," Sofia said, sighing as she opened the menu.

"And you're all checked into your hotel?" Vanessa asked.

"Yes," Sofia said.  "We have two bedrooms.  One for us and one for the girls."

Emma sighed out, rubbing her fingers over her forehead as she tried to drown herself in the menu.  As little she had to say as possible was just fine with her.  The thought of spending an entire weekend with her grandparents was overwhelming.

The waiter arrived and offered the adults some wine, which everyone gladly accepted to help ease the tension.  After they'd all ordered, the questions came.

"So who are these handsome young men?" Lorenzo asked, looking at the boys.  Francisco was occupied with a plastic giraffe to chew on and Sebastian was scribbling on his menu.

"These are our sons, Sebastian and Francisco," Lin said, stroking Sebastian's head.  "Sebastian is 3 and Francisco is about 5 months old now.  Can you say hi, Sebby?"

"Hello," the boy said quietly.

"They're darling," Sofia commented.  "How do you handle four children?"

"The girls are very helpful," Vanessa told them.  "Lexi loves to help cook, and Emma helps out a lot with the boys."

"Emma, what are your activities?" Sofia asked her granddaughter.

Emma pushed the ice cubes around in her drink with her straw.  "I do ballet," she said.  "That takes us most of my time.  That and school."

"She's very good," Lin told them.  "She's hoping to do a summer intensive at ABT this summer."

"ABT?" Lorenzo asked.

"American Ballet Theatre," he clarified.  "It's a very prestigious company.  They're very selective about who they let in."

"And Alexis?" Sofia asked, looking at the younger girl.

"I do softball and volleyball, and pretty much any sport," she said.

Sofia and Lorenzo continued to prod the girls with questions.  Lexi was more forthcoming with her answers, but Emma gave as short answers as possible, wanting to be anywhere but here.  She was both looking forward to and dreading the end of the meal.  The whole situation was uncomfortable, but when they finished they'd be going with their grandparents.

Lin picked up the check when it arrived, and they were soon packing things up.  Sebastian was getting cranky, so his parents were ready to take him home to get to bed.  The Romanos were planning on getting a taxi back to the hotel, so they waited at the curb while the Mirandas' car was pulling up to the front.  The girls' overnight bags were in the back.  Lin got them out and transferred them in to the taxi cab's trunk.  Emma looked absolutely forlorn, standing back away from everyone with her arms crossed. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, turning her around.

"Remember what we talked about?" He reminded her.

"I don't wanna do this," she sighed, on the verge of tears.

"It's only for the weekend," he reminded her.  "We'll pick you up Sunday afternoon.  Come on, give them a chance.  You might have fun."

"I doubt it," she muttered.

"You'll be fine," he told her, giving her shoulder a squeeze.  "Now give me a big hug."

Emma wrapped her arms around Lin and rested her head on his shoulder, wishing she could stay with them.  Reluctantly, she pulled away and gave Vanessa a quick hug, then kissed Sebastian and Francisco goodbye.

The Romanos and the girls climbed into the taxi cab for their short ride to the hotel.  Vanessa and Lin sighed as they watched them go.  It would be strange having them gone for two whole days.

Back in the taxi, Sofia and Lorenzo were talking excitedly about their plans for the weekend.  They were going to take the girls to the Guggenheim, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island.  They replied with one or two word answers, noticeably less thrilled about the plans than they were.  The Romanos had never been to New York City.

Once they reached the hotel, Lorenzo carried the girls' bags up to their room.  The two rooms they'd rented were attached by an inside door.  They left the girls to get settled in for a few minutes.

"This blows," Emma commented as she unpacked her toiletries.  "I don't wanna be here."

"Remember what Vanessa and Lin said," Lexi reminded her older sister.  "We need to give them a chance."

"They've had a chance for 16 years and they blew it," Emma said, angrily putting out her items on the sink.

"Mom wasn't close to them and they lived across an ocean," Lexi pointed out.  "How much of a chance did they have?"

"They could have at least called," she said.  "Or sent a birthday card."

There was a knock at the conjoined door.  Lexi opened it up to find their grandparents.  "Who's up for ice cream?"

"Me!!" Lexi said excitedly, still very much a child.  Earlier, the Romanos had spotted a cute little ice cream shop across the street.  They all got their shoes on and headed across the street.  The group of 4 found a little table where they all enjoyed their desserts.  The grandparents tried to make conversation as best they could.  Lexi was definitely more forthcoming.  After they were done, the Romanos announced they were tired from all the travelling and they were going to bed.  They said the girls could order a movie on their account if they'd like since it was only 8:00.

Emma and Alexis collapsed on their beds and began flipping through the channels.  Emma had a bit of money, so they raided the vending machine down the hall.  They finally found a movie they both agreed on, and spent the night pigging out on soda and candy.  This part was kind of nice; no adults telling them to go easy on the junk food.

The next day, the girls were woken at 8 a.m. for a day full of sight seeing.  It was a relatively hot day, so that didn't help Emma's mood any.  Neither girls had ever been to Ellis Island, so they both found that interesting.  The day was tolerable, as they had things to do to keep them occupied.

That night, after dinner, the Romanos invited the girls into their room, where they had several folders waiting on the little dinette table.  Emma got a sick feeling in her stomach, wondering what they were up to.

"Girls, sit down," Sofia told them.  "Make yourselves comfortable.  We must talk."

"We hope you don't mind," Lorenzo began, "But we put together a folder with information about our town."

He passed both girls a folder filled with paper.  Inside, there were color pictures of their town, their house, and the schools where they might attend.  It was like a color catalog, advertising a life they could choose.  They both talked excitedly about their home – the food, the sights, the people.

"So girls,"  Sofia continued seriously, folding her hands.  "We'd like to talk to you about living with us.  We know your parents asked for you to be with the Mirandas in their will.  But the Mirandas are not your family.  We are your own family left.  Wouldn't you rather stay with your grandparents?"

Lexi looked to her older sister for guidance about how to answer, but Emma had no idea.  She didn't want to hurt them, but they seemed oblivious as to the magnitude of what they were asking them to do.

"We have great ballet studios and sports for girls," Lorenzo pointed out.  Emma felt her blood boiling over.  She had tried to be polite up until now, but she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"So, where have you been the last 16 years of my life?" She asked them bluntly, folding her arms.  "I mean, you just show up out of the blue and expect us to move across the Atlantic Ocean with you?  We don't even know you!"

The grandparents sighed, thinking this might be coming.  "Emma, we are sorry we weren't able to be involved in your lives.  Our relationship with your mother...it has been strained for many years."

"And why is that?" Emma challenged.

"She made some choices we weren't very happy about," she admitted.  "She got pregnant with you very young and she had to settle marrying your father."

"Settle?" Emma looked disgusting.  "Our dad was an amazing man."

"We didn't want her to limit her options," Lorenzo jumped in.  "There were so many wealthy men in Italy who were interested in her.  She met your father on her study abroad semester, and she decided she didn't want to come back."

"So, once she'd made the choice to marry our father, why couldn't you support her?" Emma asked.

"It wasn't that simple," Sofia told her.  "Our relationship was already strained.  Every time we talked, we fought.  And soon, she stopped calling, and she stopped answering our calls.  We lost touch for years."

The room was silent for several long moments.  Sofia reached out and grabbed one of each girl's hands.  "But I don't want that for us.  I want us to have a strong relationship.  Family is the most important thing."

Emma took her hand back.  "Then why are you trying to take us away from the only people we've had since our parents died?  The Mirandas have helped us through the worst time in our life, and now you're just swooping in, expecting us to be all excited.  We're not."

"Emma, just try-"

"No!" She snapped, standing up from her chair.  "I'm so done with this!  I don't want to live with you, and I never will!  So why don't you just get back on your plane leave us alone!"

With that, she stormed back to her room, grabbed her purse, and walked out.  She wasn't sure where she was going yet, but all she knew was that she needed to get out of there.

____

Lin and Vanessa were having a quiet night home with the boys.  They were relaxing on the couch, cuddling, when Lin's phone rang.  He recognized the number as Sofia's and quickly picked up.

"This is Lin," he said.

"Lin, it's Sofia," the Italian voice sounded frantic.  "Emma – she's gone.  She walked out and we don't know where she is."