Lin pulled into the parking lot at LaGuardia High School and they got out of the car.  Immediately, Emma became aware they were being watched.  Lin had never dropped her off at school before.  She hadn't exactly advertised that she was living with Lin-Manuel Miranda, the king of broadway.  LaGuardia was a performing arts school, so at least half the student body were probably fans of his.  Keeping her head down, she followed him inside and into the main office.

Lin introduced himself to the receptionist and asked if Ms. Foster was available.  She was, and they were told to head back to her office.  He knocked on the door and Ms. Foster looked up and smiled.

"Mr. Miranda!" she stood up and shook his hand.  "Nice to see you today.  Hi, Emma."

"Hi," Emma said quietly, taking her backpack off her shoulder as they both sat down.

"What can I do for you this morning?  Did you have a chance to think over your options?"

Lin looked over at Emma and nodded.  "Yea, we have," he told her.  "Mrs. Phillips' offer was very kind.  We'd like to go ahead and switch her to regular history and do the independent study 2nd period."

Ms. Foster nodded, pulling up the website she needed to make schedule changes.  "Great choice," she commented.  "Your new history teacher will be Mr. Jackson.  He's wonderful.  All your work from AP will transfer into his class, so you'll go in with..." she checked her computer.  "A 95.6%.  An A."

Lin whistled, impressed.  She was definitely a hard worker.  "Great," Lin said, relieved it was all taken care of.  Emma looked disappointed, but she seemed to be accepting the situation.  They stood up and he thanked Ms. Foster again.  Emma followed Lin out to the front of the main office.  Students were milling around, getting ready for 1st period.  Quite a few heads turned.

"Alright, I'll probably be home late tonight," Lin said.  "But so will you.  Ballet after school?"

Emma nodded, feeling uncomfortable with all the eyes on her.  Lin gave her a quick shoulder squeeze.  "Alright, have a good day, kiddo."

With that, he left, and Emma began to walk to her locker.  Sighing, she put in her combination and opened up her locker.  Inside, she had pictures of her friends in Danbury; her mom and dad.  She wished she had Kelsey around so she could decompress.

Second period rolled around, and she made her way to Mr. Jackson's room.  She walked up and introduced herself, and he directed her to an empty seat.  As she settled herself in, a kid nearby turned to her.

"Hey," he whispered.  "Was that Lin-Manuel Miranda you were with this morning?"

Emma sighed, not wanting the attention.  "Yep," she said simply.

"Cool!" he said.  "Is he your dad?"

"No," she said, and didn't feel like filling him in on the details.

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a flyer for the Spring musical.  "Do you do theatre?"

Emma shook her head.  The kid seemed confused.

"Oh," he said.  "Well, do you think Lin would be interested in helping us out?"

Emma rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sound.  "No," she told him, clearly annoyed.  "Leave me alone."

Throughout the day, at least 5 kids asked her about Lin.  They all wanted access to him.  Lin was incredibly busy, and she wanted to scream at them all that, no, he had no interest in listening to a song sampling or doing a guest performance.  She wished Lin had never come into school.  In a way, it was her own fault, though.

When the final bell rang for the day, she was relieved.  She made a beeline for the door and caught the subway to her ballet studio.  Dance was always a great escape.  She could get away from the stress of school; from the stress of being everyone's focus today.  She could forget about being in trouble with Lin and just let the stress melt away by being physically active.  At the end of class, she was sweaty as usual and feeling exhausted, but in a very satisfying way.

She quickly pulled on her track pants and hoodie.  Home was a quick subway ride away.  On the subway, no one cared about her and paid her no mind.  She put in her earbuds and let some hip hop from her iPod envelop her senses.

At home, Vanessa was already busy cooking dinner.  Emma told her a quick hello and headed straight for the shower.  She washed the day away, and dressed herself in a pair of sweats and a tank top.  Her feet were bothering her quite a bit, so she found a tub.  She went to the kitchen and filled it up with ice cubes, then freezing water.  Sighing, she sat at the kitchen table, rolled up her sweatpants, and eased her worn feet inside.  She set her head on the table and tried to relax, with the sounds of Sebastian and Francisco in the background.

About 15 minutes later, she picked up her head.  "Vanessa, could you bring me a towel, please?"

Vanessa wiped her hands on a towel and went to the hallway closet.  She handed Emma a towel, taking a moment to glance down at the teenager's feet.  "Ouch, girl," she said.  "Do you need some bandaids for that?"

Emma winced as she very gently began to dry her frozen feet.  "Will you get my ballet bag by the door?"

Vanessa retrieved it and brought it over.  Emma pulled out a kit for just this problem.  Inside, there were bandages, tape, and a few other items.  Carefully, she began to snip the bandages into the right sizes to fit over her blisters and sores.  Lin walked in, exhausted after a long day.

"Daddy!" Sebastian yelled, running straight for his father.  Lin smiled and scooped his son up in his arms.

"Hey, buddy, how are you?"  He kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm good," he said.  "I went to the park with mommy."

"Did you?  That sounds like fun," Lin set his son down on the kitchen counter as he put down his messenger bag and set down his keys.  "What else did you do?"

Sebastian went into a long-winded account of his day, which included pre-school, dinosaur-shaped PB&J sandwiches, a heartfelt description of a butterfly he'd found dead in the grass, and his adventures with Spider-Man.  He swung his feet as Lin walked around and grabbed himself a glass of water.

Soon, he got antsy, and Lin gently set him back on the floor.  Lin noticed Emma sitting at the table, wincing a bit.  "How was your day, Em?"

"Fine," she said.  He walked over to see what was causing her so much pain.  "Don't look, it's disgusting."

Lin looked away to give her some privacy.  He'd never realized how much pain ballerinas had to put up with.  "Alexis!" she called.

Her 11 year old sister looked up from where she was reading in the living room.  "Come give me a foot massage."

"And what do I get for doing that?"

"My undying love," she told her.  Alexis rolled her eyes.  She had long been her sister's foot masseuse. 

"Come here," she told her older sister.

Emma settled back on the couch, swinging her legs over as her sister took a seat next to her.  "Watch the bandages," she reminded her.

"Now that's love," Vanessa commented as she opened some mail.  Sebastian decided to come help.  Instead of helping, it felt more like tickling.  She began to laugh, which egged Sebastian on.

"Sebby, stop!" She told him, throwing her head back.  He tickled up her leg and all the way up to her armpit.  When he reached her chin, she grabbed him and tickled him until he fell down.

"Alright, kids, time for dinner," Vanessa announced, getting the plates from the cabinet.  "Lexi, will you set the table please?"

Dinner that night was much less tense than the night before.  Emma was able to join in the joking around and seemed to have her appetite back.  Lin still made her do the dishes.  He was going to make sure that kid never did anything like that again.

After she'd finished, she walked over to where he was working on his computer.  "Anything else?"

He looked up at her.  "Nope," he said, typing away.  "You have homework I assume?"

"Of course," she said.  "I actually need to use a computer for my homework tonight."

He sighed and thought for a moment.  "V's about to put the kids to bed.  If you work out here, you can use your computer for homework only.  Can you do that?"

Emma nodded.  She was not about to push things with Lin.  Lin got up and went to his bedroom.  He pulled Emma's computer and charger out of the drawer and handed it to her.  "Thanks," she said, setting it on the kitchen table.  She grabbed her backpack from her bedroom and started to spread her stuff out.  Every once in a while, Lin looked over her shoulder, not expecting her to be trying anything sneaky, but letting her know he was watching.

Later that night, everyone was getting ready to head to bed.  For some reason, Lin felt the urge to go into the girls' room to talk before bed.  He knocked gently and then came in.  Emma was sitting up in bed reading with her eyeglasses on, her hair swept to the side in a braid.  Alexis was curled up next to her, just cuddling.  It was nice to see them in a moment of bonding.  He realized they were all each other had of their previous lives.  Lin was glad they got along for the most part.

Lin took a seat on the bed and gave a weak smile.  "How are you girls doing?" He asked.

"Fine," Emma said, turning the page.

"Whatcha reading?" he asked.  She showed him the cover.  "Rainbow Rowell.  Nice name."

"Listen, girls," he started, putting his hand on someone's leg under the covers.  "I just wanted to say I'm really proud of how you're adjusting.  I know it hasn't been easy moving here and adjusting to our family.  There's been some growing pains, but you're both handling it so well."

They were both a little surprised by what he said.  It seemed that it was just expected they adjust.  It wasn't a choice.  It's not like they could choose differently if they wanted to.  Still, it was nice to hear.  It was nice that someone was noticing.

Both girls gave him a weak smile.  "Anyways," he said, giving the leg a quick pat.  "Just wanted to come say good night."

"Night," they both said softly.  He gave them both a quick kiss on top of the head and then left, gently closing the door.

After he'd left, Emma rested the side of her head on top of her sister's.  "You're alright," she told her.

Alexis laughed.  "You'll be a lot more alright when I don't have to share a bed with you," she joked.

Emma laughed in agreement, stroking her sister's hair.  "Agreed," she said.  "Are you doing okay?  I mean...with everything that's gone on, it's been hard.  I haven't really been checking in."

Lexi sighed and nodded.  "I guess," she said.  "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to be doing."

"I know what you mean," Emma commented.  There were days that were awful; that the grief was unbearable.  But for the most part, she was going on.  There wasn't much choice.  "I think therapy's helping."

The girls had been going to see a counselor every Saturday.  The therapists were helping them work through the grief and the adjustment of living with a new family.  Lin and Vanessa insisted that they go, knowing the issues that would come up needed to be addressed by a professional.

Emma squeezed her little sister a bit closer to her.  "If you ever need to talk, let me know," she told her.

"Okay," Lexi whispered, closing her eyes.  Emma tucked her bookmark into her book and settled down, her sister falling asleep on her shoulder.

___

About a week later, it was moving day.  With all the hustle and bustle, Lin's parents had agreed to take Sebastian and Francisco.  Vanessa was running around, putting together a diaper bag and a backpack for her two sons.  The day would go much smoother without having to worry about the boys.

"Thank you so much guys," she told her in-laws, passing the bags to them.  Sebastian was thrilled to be spending the day with his abuela and abuelo.  And, of course, he was promised a brand new bedroom at the end of the day.

The girls were finishing packing up their few belongings in their bedroom.  It was odd to leave this space; it had been theirs together for about two months of the hardest time in their young lives.  It was in this room they clung together and tried their best to adjust.  They were both looking forward to having their own rooms again, but it had actually worked out nicely to have to share during this time.  They'd needed each other.  Now that they were through the worst, they would be back in their own space.

The movers arrived soon after and first began moving out the large furniture.  Vanessa seemed a bit flustered, trying to remember this and that and to make sure the delicate items were paid special attention to.  Sensing his wife's anxiety, Lin pulled her into the now empty master bedroom and closed the door.  He put his hands on her hips and drew her close.

"You okay?" He asked, looking into her eyes.

She sighed, rubbing his upper arms.  "Just a stressful day."

Lin nodded in understanding.  "It's all going to work out," he assured her.  "The boys are out of our hair.  Just relax a little."

He kissed her forehead and pulled her in for a hug.  They took a moment to just embrace as they heard the sounds of 4 movers working their way around the apartment.  After a minute or so, Lin pulled back and kissed his wife gently for several moments.  They stuck their foreheads together and she smiled.  She needed this moment, and loved that her husband knew her so well.

"Alright, let's go," he whispered, and they went out to face the day.

Later in the day, they were at their new house several blocks away.  It was more of a condo, with several floors, including a basement.  Lin and Vanessa had a surprise for Emma in the basement.  The girls were busy sorting their boxes into the correct room.  Movers were putting their new furniture together.

Lin knocked on Emma's door.  Her room was filled with sunshine, with a beautiful view of the city out of the windows.  "There's a surprise for you in the basement," he told her.  Emma smirked in curiosity, wondering what he had managed to pull off.  She wasn't sure she was deserving of a surprise.  Eagerly, she put down the stack of clothes she'd been unpacking and made her way to the stairs.  When she reached the bottom, she looked around.  As she made her way to the back of the apartment, her eyes lit up and she gasped.

"A barre?!" She exclaimed, rushing over to the small wooden dance floor, with a ballet barre attached to the wall.  Lin smiled as she immediately propped a leg up on to the barre in display of her flexibility.

"Do you like it?" He asked her.

"I love it!" she told him, so excited.  She'd never had her own ballet barre at home before.  She walked over to him and gave him a big hug.  "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," he said into her hair.  "Now you can do ballet 7 hours a day!" he joked.  Lin knew it would be well used.  It would probably also be used by Sebastian as a climbing apparatus.  Alexis had wandered downstairs as well.

"Look what Lin and Vanessa got me!" Emma told her sister, demonstrating an arabesque with the barre to balance.

"Cool," she commented.  "So do I get a volleyball court somewhere?"

Lin laughed.  "There's actually a YMCA just down the road.  You're even closer than before."

"I guess that will suffice," she said.  Lexi knew how much her sister loved ballet.  It was pretty cool that Lin and Vanessa had thought of this.

"Vanessa's ordering pizza," Lexi said.  "Everyone okay with pepperoni?"

Lin and Emma both agreed, and Alexis ran upstairs to tell Vanessa.

"I never asked you," Lin said.  "How's your independent study going with Mrs. Phillips."

Emma beamed as she continued practicing at the barre.  "Great!" she said.  "I'm getting lots of extra attention and I think my technique is improving."

"Good!" Lin told her.  This schedule arrangements seemed to be working out quite well for Emma.  She had more downtime now that she wasn't as swamped with homework, and she was getting one on one lessons from the ballet teacher.  "And don't you have a spring production coming up?"

Emma nodded.  "I think I have a good chance at the lead."

"Awesome," he commented.  "I can't wait to see you.  I've never seen you perform."

Emma smiled, thinking she'd like that.  It was nice that he and Vanessa were so interested and involved in her life, though she'd never admit that.  Lin left Emma to practice a little more at her ballet barre.  He went upstairs and found Vanessa predictably working on Sebastian's room.  She would be getting the boys settled before she even started on her stuff.  As one of the movers put together his bed, Vanessa was unpacking his clothes.

"How's it going in here?" He asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Fine," she said.  "I just want to get Sebastian's room squared away so he feels settled when he gets here."

"Makes sense," he said.  "Should I start on Francisco's room?"

"Yeah, that would be a good idea," she told him.  "The movers won't put the crib together.  Too complicated."

They'd kept Sebastian's old crib in anticipation of more children.  From what he remembered, it was a real bitch to put together.  Hopefully his memory would help him in putting it back together.  "I'll get started," he said.  "I was thinking we might want to keep him in with us the first couple nights since it's a new place."

"I agree," Vanessa said, uber focused on the task at hand.

A half hour later, the pizza arrived and everyone was grateful for a break.  They found paper plates and all collapsed around the kitchen table, ravenous.

"Can I paint my room?" Alexis asked as they all ate their pizza.

"If you want to do it yourself," Vanessa told her.  After moving, she didn't really want to bother much with extra jobs, at least for a little while.  "What color are you thinking?"

"Maybe a pale yellow," she studied an odd shaped piece of pepperoni.

The doorbell rang and Lin walked over to answer it.  It was the cable guys coming to install their service.  The girls were relieved, but Lin and Vanessa were also relieved that they'd have Paw Patron and PJ Masks on demand for Sebastian.

After lunch, the girls worked on their rooms a while longer until they got to a good stopping point.  They decided they'd done enough for the day.  Lin went out to pick up some Subway for everybody, and soon his parents brought the boys back.

Sebastian was always happy to see his father, and hugged his legs immediately.  "Were you a good boy for abuela and abuelo?"

"Yeah," he said, giggling.

"Are you ready to see your new room?"

Sebastian jumped up and down excitedly and Lin took his hand to lead the way.  He walked his young son down the hallway and opened the door to his new bedroom.  Everything was put in its place, thanks to Vanessa's hard work.  It was a little bigger than his last bedroom.  Sebastian ran to his bed and jumped on it, glad to see all his stuff.

"What do you think?" Lin asked.

"It's good," Sebastian said, jumping up and down on the bed.

"No jumping, Sebby," Lin told him, reaching his hand out to take his.  "You wanna see the rest of the house?"

Sebastian spent the next 15 minutes or so running from room to room.  He approved of Francisco's bedroom, which was right next to his.  His room was almost unpacked, but they decided not to rush since he'd be sleeping with Lin and Vanessa for a few nights.  A lot of boxes laid about, but it was definitely starting to feel like home.

After dinner, they all sat around the couch together and watched Moana.  Towards the end, Sebastian fell asleep on top of Emma, who he'd been snuggling with most of the movie.  When the credits started rolling, Lin very carefully lifted him up and carried him to his bed.  He managed to change the boy into his pajamas without waking him, and tucked him into bed.

Everyone else decided to get an early night.  Out of habit, Emma wandered into her younger sister's room.  They'd been ending their days together for two months and it felt odd not to be in the same room at bedtime.  They hung out for a few minutes, laughing, and Emma helped her unpack a few last things.  After giving her a hug, Emma disappeared into her own bedroom.

She laid back on her single bed, a brand new bedspread already made up.  Finally she had her own space again.  Emma soon climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep, as did the rest of the family.  They were all together in their new home, exhausted but happy.