The next few months passed uneventfully for the Mirandas. Alexis chose to go to a regular, public school so she could be with Amber more often. The two girls were almost too good of friends. They frequently got called out for talking during the classes they had together and were constant companions. Lin and Vanessa joked that Amber was their third daughter.

Emma was continuing to excel at school at ballet. She took the offer to attend ABT's Pre-Professional Program and was quickly a star. Because of the demanding 6 hour a day schedule, she did online school. Most days, she was done with ballet by 3:00 and would spend the late afternoon doing school work. She, of course stayed on top of it. She and Alex were still dating exclusively and life seemed to be going well for the now 17 year old.

It was December, and Lin was very busy preparing for his run of Hamilton in Puerto Rico. He was flying back and forth several times a month to work logistics and practice with the company, all of who were new to the production. He'd had to brush up on the demanding lyrics and had grown out his hair to fit the part.

Alexis had somehow managed to keep the fact she was Lin-Manuel Miranda's daughter from her classmates until recently when she was photographed with him shopping in Manhattan. All her classmates started begging her for autographs, so she decided to take advantage of the situation. He had to sign a permission slip for a field trip, and she decided to make photocopies of his signature. She then sold them for a dollar out of her locker. The administration soon found out, and Lin and Vanessa forced her to donate the money she'd made to the school. They had to give her credit for the effort, though.

One Saturday, Lin sat on the couch typing on his computer as Alexis sat behind him, braiding his hair. He'd long ago given up fighting it. Lin had begun to grow it out about two months ago, and she took pleasure in trying out different hairstyles on him. The rule was no pictures.

"Just a little longer and you're going to look fantastic," the now 12-year-old commented.

"No barrettes this time," he told her as he kept his eyes on the screen. "And don't you have a volleyball game in an hour?"

"Yep," she said as she carefully braided his dark brown hair. "So pretty," she whispered.

"Mmmhmmm," he agreed dismissively.

"Can I do your nails too?"

"Absolutely not," he told her unequivocally.

"Oh my God," she complained. "Red would look great on your toenails."

The sound of Vanessa's heels clicking on the hardwood floor sounded through the living room and kitchen. She was carrying Francisco and gently put him down on the floor at the coffee table. He was starting to walk now, so they had to be more and more careful with the things they left out. Francisco looked over at his father and babbled, making his way towards him.

"Hi, little man!" He exclaimed as he reached down to pick his son up. Lin set him on his lap, putting his laptop to the side. With Lexi behind him, it seemed like a typical day – kids crawling all over him. But, he wouldn't have it any other way. Lexi giggled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and talked to her little brother.

"Lexi, you better go get ready," Vanessa said as she picked up her purse. "I can drop you off at the gym if you can be ready in ten."

Lexi reluctantly rolled to the side and extracted herself from behind Lin. She ran to her bedroom and found her volleyball uniform and pads. "Lin, I'm meeting a defense attorney for lunch," she reminded her husband. "Emma's at Saturday practice and Sebastian will need to get picked up at 2:00 from Sammy's house."

"Got it," he assured her as he snuggled in with Francisco. It was nice to be able to have some one on one time with his youngest child.

Emma was in the middle of intense time in her life. She'd won the part of the Sugarplum Fairy in this year's production of The Nutcracker. Opening night was next Friday, so the director had scheduled in an extra Saturday practice for the day. Like most performances, she was getting more and more nervous as the opening night neared.

At about 5:00, she arrived home after taking the subway as usual. She dropped her bag on the floor and immediately went to the pantry for a snack.

"Hi, sweetheart," Lin greeted her.

"Hey," she said as she dug around for some cookies.

"How was rehearsal?"

"Okay, I guess," she said as she found what she was looking for. "I think a couple girls are going to have a nervous breakdown."

"Yikes," he said, standing up to walk over and talk to her. "How are your nerves?"

She breathed out as she took a big bite of cookie. "Not good."

Lin pulled her into a hug, resting his head on top of hers. "I don't know why you get so nervous," he told her. "You're so talented and your work your butt off."

She sighed as she relaxed into the hug. "I wish I knew why too," she said. Lin pulled back and planted a kiss on her head.

"Lexi's at Amber's for the night," he said as she pulled off her hoodie. "We could have a movie and popcorn night."

Her eyes lit up. "Sounds good! I'm gonna go change."

Lin was glad she still saved some time for him. Most Saturday nights she spent with Alex, but he had other plans this particular evening. After showering, Emma came out in some cozy yoga pants and a hoodie. They heated up leftovers for dinner and began a movie marathon on the couch.

It was after 11:00 and the middle of Step Brothers that Emma finally fell asleep, curled up with Lin. He heard her snoring from where her head rested on his leg. As Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly interviewed as a team, Lin carefully extracted himself from underneath his daughter. She was still light as a feather, so he picked her up and carefully carried her to bed. He'd missed getting to do this for them as little girls, and he secretly loved doing it. Lin pulled the covers over her legs and turned out the light before going to bed.

____

The next Friday, the house was far from quiet. Amber was over for a sleepover and they were all planning to go to opening night of The Nutcracker. Emma was nervous with nausea as usual, trying to relax a little in her room, but it really wasn't going well. Now that Sebastian had a mobile brother, you could often hear the sounds of them chasing each other through the house.

Vanessa was cooking a quick dinner of spaghetti for everyone before they had to head to the ballet. Afterwards, they had to wrangle Sebastian and Francisco into some more formal wear, which was a two person job. Emma headed to the auditorium early on the subway so she could get her hair and make up done.

Once they were finally in their seats, the theatre was buzzing with excitement. Sebastian kept asking when they were going to see Emma, and his parents had to keep reassuring she'd be on later. Her solo wasn't until near the end of the production.

The company she was performing with was Russian-based, so the audience was encouraged to hoot and holler any time they saw something they liked. Lin and Alexis, in particular, planned to cheer and shout the loudest. When she finally took the stage, looking amazing in her white tutu, flawless, everyone was momentarily mesmerized. She moved with such ease, which they all knew took an incredible amount of practice. When she performed particularly difficult moves, including lifts with her partner, Lin, Vanessa, Lexi and Amber all shouted and clapped as hard as they could. Emma would admit later that she could hear them.

At the end of the production, they all went up to the stage to throw flowers at her. She was practically pelted with flowers from her family. She gave them a mock annoyed look as Lin aimed to smack her in the head. Afterwards, they all went out to celebrate with ice cream. It was an incredible end to the year – one that had begun with heartbreak, but had ended with a strong family bond between the six Mirandas.

Once the holidays had passed and the beginning of the new year came, the Mirandas all prepared to go to Puerto Rico for three weeks. Emma would continue with her online school and do a guest workshop at the Ballets de San Juan, where Lin was making a generous donation. Since he was in Puerto Rico specifically to help amp up the arts funding and his own daughter was in ballet, it seemed like a perfect opportunity

The Mirandas touched down in Puerto Rico on a Saturday. Lin had already gone down a few days earlier to get ready for the production. The family had rented a house on the beach for the three week stay. They were incredibly excited to get out of the New York City winter and into the sunshine.

Unbeknownst to Lin and Vanessa, Emma had secured a fake ID before she'd left, showing her age to be 18 so she could legally drink in Puerto Rico. Once they'd arrived at the house, Emma and Alexis put their bathing suits on right away and headed to the beach. They spent the afternoon splashing in the waves and laying out in the sand. Both were hoping to return with a tan. As they laid out in the mid afternoon, Emma's phone dinged with a text message.

Hey

It was Alex. She rolled her eyes at his text. She hated when he texted her something as simple as "hey".

What's up? I'm in PR on the beach 😊

She texted him a picture of her manicured toes in the sand.

Cool. Hey I think we should take a break.

Emma's heart dropped and she read the text again. What? This was coming out of left field. Her thumbs typed out a response quickly.

Are you kidding me?!

You're in PR for 3 weeks.

So? I'll be back. I'm not moving here.

Still, I think we should take a break.

Next to her sister, Lexi could tell something wasn't right.

Asshole. Breaking up with me over a text?

I'm not breaking up with you. I'm just saying we should take a break.

Forget it. Enjoy the cold weather.

She powered off her phone, not wanting to hear anything else from her. Emma sat up and curled up, putting her head on her knees. Lexi sat up as well, putting her hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Emma, what's going on?" She asked softly.

"Alex just broke up with me," she said, on the verge of tears. "By text message."

Lexi winced. That was a pretty shitty way to break up with someone.

"Wow, that's awful," she sympathized. "I guess he's not such a great guy."

"But he has been!" She told her sister. "We've been together for six months and things have been going great!"

"I'm sorry," Lexi said, not sure what to say. Emma stood up and grabbed her towel and her things angrily and started to march back to the house. Lin was finally home and he hadn't seen his family in almost a week, but Emma marched right past him and slammed the door to her room.

Lexi came in a few moments later, wrapping her towel around her waist.

"What's going on?" Vanessa asked her.

"Alex broke up with her over a text message," she reported sadly.

"What a jerk!" Vanessa said. "I'll go talk to her."

Lin opened up his arms to hug Lexi. "I've missed my hair styling sessions," he teased her.

"Of course you have," she smiled into the hug. Lin planted a kiss to her hair and then released her.

"We're going out to eat in half an hour, so go get dressed," he told her. "We're meeting a couple of my aunts and uncles and cousins."

Lin had tried to prep the girls on his family tree before they went. He was a first generation American with a lot of family still living in Puerto Rico. As a child, he'd come for about a month every summer to spend time with family. As a result, he'd become fluent in Spanish. He hoped all the kids would be able to pick up a bit more Spanish during their stay.

"All my clothes are in me and Emma's room," she said. Vanessa had already gone inside to try to console her.

"You can just pop in and out," he assured her. "You can change in the bathroom."

Lexi nodded and gently knocked on the door. When she entered, Vanessa was holding Emma, stroking her head, as she cried. This was supposed to be three weeks of fun, and it was starting off on a very sour note. Lexi quickly picked out some clothes and disappeared.

During dinner, they had a large table and the girls quickly found out the Miranda family was loud and boisterous. They had to talk loudly to be heard. Emma tried to make polite conversation, but she really wasn't in the mood to be out. She just wanted to hole up in her room for a few days and cry her eyes out. Alexis marveled at the way many of the family members, including Lin, could switch back and forth from Spanish to English effortlessly. She was in awe of Sebastian, who was able to be silly with a little cousin, all in Spanish.

They finished with dinner around 9:00, and Emma asked if she could be excused to go walk on the beach. Lin and Vanessa agreed as long as she had her phone. She pulled it out of her pocket and showed them, though she still hadn't turned it back on. Emma gladly left and headed to the beach.

It was almost like a lullaby, the sound of the waves rushing up into the sand as she walked. She let the water tickle her toes as she looked out towards the horizon. Emma walked by herself for a good half hour before happening upon a night club. She could hear the bass pounding from the beach, and the faint sound of people laughing, talking, having a good time. Emma checked her back pocket and located her ID – the one that showed she was eighteen. She sighed and walked towards the club. She'd just been broken up with over a text while she was a thousand miles away from home. She deserved to have a good time.

Emma showed her ID to the bouncer and was let in. She didn't know a whole lot about drinks yet, so she just ordered a bottled Smirnoff drink she saw in the fridge. She drank the bottle quickly, wanting to not think any more about Alex. She was now on her second when she was approached by a guy probably a few years older than her. He had dark features, like most people in Puerto Rico. He greeted her in English, assuming she was American.

"Can I buy you another?" He asked, pointing to her Smirnoff, which was now almost empty.

"Sure," she smiled, tipping the bottle up to finish it off.

"I'm Andres," he introduced himself, holding out his hand.

"Emma," she told him, smiling. "Do you come here often?"

He nodded. "This is the place to come if you are in San Juan. What brings you here?"

Emma really didn't want to talk about Lin, so she just evasively said she was vacationing. They began to hit it off, and he invited her to dance.

Before long, Emma felt her head reeling from all the alcohol. She wasn't used to it, so it hadn't taken much to make her tipsy. She felt herself relaxing, dancing and laughing. Andres was obviously into her, dancing closely to her and letting his hands wander. It was close to midnight when they decided to take a walk outside. They held hands as they stood on a wooden walkway, away from all the music and noise. When Andres leaned in to kiss her, she readily accepted, the kiss quickly becoming hot and heavy. She felt him grab her butt roughly and then he began feeling up her chest. Emma pulled back, her head dizzy.

"Uggghh, I don't feel so good," she admitted, taking a step back.

"You okay?" He asked. "Let's sit down."

He walked her over to a nearby bench and sat her down. Emma put a hand up to her head and felt herself sweating. She knew she had overdone it.

"What time is it?"

"12:30," Andres reported.

"Shit," she said, shaking her head. She hadn't planned on staying out that long.

"You need a ride home?" He offered. Emma may have been drunk, but she knew better than to let a strange man walk or drive her home. She shook her head and said she'd call for a ride. Emma took out her phone and pressed the power button, but it wouldn't turn on. Her battery had been low earlier and it must have died.

"Shit," she said again. Emma realized she didn't know her own address on the island and of course didn't know Lin or Vanessa's number. She was about to walk back into the club when a flashlight started to shine on her face. Emma instinctively shielded her eyes, and the person lowered it slightly.

"Emma Miranda?" The person said. Emma realized it was a police officer.

"Uhh...yeah?" She said hesitantly.

"I need you to come with me," he told her, clicking his flashlight off. "Your parents have been looking for you."

Emma groaned as the officer pushed a button on his radio, rattling off a code to the dispatcher. She followed him over to his police car, lit up with flashing lights. Emma climbed into the back, feeling like a criminal. It was a short ride back to the rental house. The car pulled into the driveway and the front door opened. Lin and Vanessa both stepped out, looking relieved but disappointed. Emma sighed as she pushed the door open, stumbling out. The officer walked with her up the front steps.

"Is this your daughter?" He asked.

"Yes," Lin answered, not even looking at Emma. "Thank you for finding her and bringing her home. Emma, inside," he ordered simply.

Emma pushed past them, angry that her night had ended up the way it had. This whole 'vacation' was in shambles. It was only her first day on the island and she'd been broken up with and brought home by a police officer.

Lin and Vanessa chatted with the police officer for a few more moments as Emma went inside and found a drink of water. The front door closed and she was met with two angry parents.

"Emma, come sit down," Lin told her, his tone leaving no room for argument. Emma reluctantly brought her glass of water into the living room and sat on the couch. Lin and Vanessa both had their arms crossed. Somehow, Lin looked more intimidating with his long hair in a ponytail.

"What the hell happened?" He asked her. "You asked to go walk on the beach at 9:00 and it's almost 1."

"I was practicing my Spanish," she told them.

"Don't sass," he told her. "Where were you?"

"I was at a club, being a regular teenager," she told them.

Vanessa sat down on another chair. "Emma, I know you're upset from breaking up with Alex, but this was incredibly irresponsible. This is your first night in a place you've never been. You don't speak the language, and you weren't answering your phone. Do you know how worried we've been?"

Emma said something incoherent and rubbed at her eyes. "Have you been drinking?" Lin asked her, narrowing his eyes.

"Maybe," she told him.

Lin sighed. "How'd you get into a bar?"

"They just let me in," she lied. "They're not good at checking ID's in San Juan," she spoke the name of the city with an accent.

Lin rubbed his goatee, not believing her. "Do you have a fake ID?" he asked, remembering her questions about the legal drinking age when he'd first mentioned going to Puerto Rico. She didn't answer him.

"Can I just go to bed? Please?" She asked, exhausted.

"Not until you answer my question," Lin told her. Emma put her head in her hands and breathed deeply.

"Emma," Vanessa spoke softly. "If you have a fake ID, you need to hand it over."

"I'm seventeen!" She told them as if they didn't already know. "What's the big deal? I'll be 18 in a few months."

"But you're not 18 yet, and if you're caught you could get arrested," Lin explained.

"Alright, I think it's time we all went to bed," Vanessa said. "We can talk about this more in the morning."

"Consider yourself grounded," Lin told her as he turned to go to his bedroom.

Vanessa pushed Emma along to her bedroom and turned on the bedside light, trying not to disturb Alexis, to no avail. Vanessa led her to the bed and sat her down as Emma began to cry in her drunken stupor. She knelt down in front of the teenager, cupping her face in one of her hands.

"Emma, I need you to take some deep breaths," she told her. "You're getting upset."

"This vacation sucks," she complained.

"You've had a rough day," Vanessa reasoned. "Come on, let me help you get into bed."

She reached down and unstrapped her sandals, tossing them to the side. Vanessa helped her strip down to her top and undies, and then guided her to lay down. Emma was still sniffling as Vanessa pulled out a make up removing wipe and began to gently wipe her face. Her mascara had long since been smudged.

"We'll talk in the morning," Vanessa told her. "Get some sleep."

Emma's eyes closed almost immediately and Vanessa took the opportunity to pick up her shorts and go through her pockets. She found the fake ID and took it as she left the room.

___

The next morning was Sunday, so no one had to rush around to do anything. Lin had the day off of rehearsals. Opening night was Monday, so they'd be rehearsing all day. Lin and Vanessa decided to let Emma sleep, knowing she'd be grumpy if they made her get up. At close to noon, she finally emerged from her bedroom, looking disheveled.

"Where's my ID?" She immediately asked.

Vanessa sighed from where she was playing with Sebastian on the floor. "I took it."

"Why?"

"Because it's a fake," she told her. "You're not 18, Emma, and you proved last night you can't handle the responsibility."

"I did what every other 17 year old kid does," she argued. "And I paid $100 for that ID, so give it back."

Lin emerged from the kitchen, where he'd overheard their conversation. "Emma, are you trying to order Vanessa around?"

"She went through my stuff!" Her voice was raised now. "I want it back!"

"Well, it's in pieces in the trash," he informed her. That morning, he'd personally taken scissors to the fake ID. Emma went to the trash and saw her ID scattered. She was angry.

"Someone owes me $100," she said, feeling angrier and bolder by the minute.

"We owe you nothing," Lin told her, his voice firm. "Now, you can start to talk to Vanessa and me civilly, or you can go back to your room."

Emma was not at all feeling civil and knew she shouldn't push things any farther, so she went to her room and slammed the door. The air seemed to be let out of the room, ruined by Emma's foul mood. Alexis sighed from where she was reading on the couch.

"So disrespectful," she commented.

___

Lin and Vanessa gave Emma her space for an hour or so. She hadn't eaten when she'd come out, so after the family had finished their meal of sandwiches and chips, Vanessa took a plate into Emma's room. The teenager seemed to have calmed down a bit, her headphones on as she sat up in bed.

Emma took off her headphones and let them rest around her neck as Vanessa set the plate down on the table.

"You should eat," she told her daughter. "We're all going down to the beach in half an hour or so if you want to come."

"No thanks," she mumbled as she picked up half the sandwich and took a bite. She was ravenous, but hadn't wanted to face the family.

"How are you feeling?" Vanessa asked.

"Like crap," she admitted, chewing slowly.

"How much did you drink last night?"

"Three or four bottles of Smirnoff," Emma admitted.

Vanessa sighed. "I know it seems like being an adult brings you lots of freedom, but you don't have to be in such a hurry to grow up," she advised. "You'll have the rest of your life to be an adult."

"I don't see what's wrong with drinking a little after your boyfriend of 6 months breaks up with you in a text message," she explained. "I needed to let off some steam."

"You're allowed to be upset, sweetheart, but you're not allowed to put your safety at risk," she said. "The legal drinking age is 18 for a reason. And we were worried sick that you weren't answering your phone."

"It died," she reminded her.

"You were irresponsible," Vanessa told her firmly. "Your family would like to spend time with you, so when you're done moping, you should come join us."

She stood up, leaving the teenager to have some space. Emma immediately put her headphones back on, listening to angsty music.

____

A few hours later, the family returned from the beach. Emma had never joined them. Lin decided to go check on her. He knocked on the door and didn't hear an answer, so he pushed the door open. Emma was asleep on her bed, still in pajamas. It was past 4:00.

"Emma, wake up," he told her, giving her leg a pat. She mumbled and turned over in bed. "Come on. You've been lazing around all day."

Emma finally rolled onto her back and rubbed at her eyes. "Are you still mad at me?"

Lin looked away for a moment. "I'm disappointed, Em," he told her. "You're usually more responsible than this."

"Alex broke my heart," she told him.

"Well, you shouldn't be destroying yourself over some idiot guy," he told her. "It's his loss. Sebastian's been asking where you are all day. Why don't you hit the shower and come join us?"

Reluctantly, Emma pushed herself up and stretched. She went to her suitcase and pulled out some clean clothes as Lin left the room. The hot shower felt good. Really good. After she emerged and put on some fresh clothes, she clipped her wet hair up and almost felt like a new woman. When she walked into the living room, Sebastian greeted her warmly. Soon, she was pulled into a game of superheroes.

Emma began to feel better, spending some quality time with her family. Sebastian and Francisco both adored her, and helped pull her out of her bad mood. As the sun set that night, she joined Lin on the porch swing at the back of the house. He was enjoying a beer, watching the sun go down.

"Hey, kid," he greeted her, putting his arm around her.

"Hey," she said, cuddling into his side. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"You ready for ballet tomorrow?" He asked her. Emma nodded, looking forward to getting back into her craft and meeting some new people. "Good."

"Are you ready for Hamilton tomorrow?" She asked, looking up at him.

Lin nodded. "I think so," he said. "It's weird coming back after being away for so long."

"I bet," she said. "Lin, I'm sorry I worried you guys last night. That was really shitty of me."

Lin planted a kiss on the top of her head. "It's okay," he told her. "You're still grounded, but I understand you needed to let off steam. You just need to be more responsible about it."

Emma sighed as she settled in a little more. How could she have imagined, almost a year after her parents had passed, that she'd be sitting on the beach in Puerto Rico, about to guest workshop at a local ballet company, adopted by Lin and his wife? Emma realized she was pretty lucky. As the sun continued to set, Lin and Emma didn't talk. They didn't need to.

A/N: Hey hey hey!  Thanks for 1K reads and 100 votes!  I feel the story might be coming to a natural ending point.  Should I continue?  Send me ideas!  I'm kind of selfishly enjoying being #6 in #adoptedbyhamilton.  I do have an idea for another Lin with a daughter fic that I could start.  Let me know what I should do!