When he woke up again, he was in a bed. Twenty years worth of memories hit him. Among those memories, three things stood out. First of all, Wren was alive and asleep in his arms. Secondly, they had been married for nearly thirteen years. And they had five kids. Alyssa, who was eleven; Alex, who was eight; Destiny, who was five; Gavin, who was three; and Caleb, who was just eight months old.

Wren is alive. And... we got married. I'm a dad. He was still trying to process all of it when Wren woke up. She stared at him blankly for a moment, then smiled, and curled into him. "We did it."

"Yeah. We did," he answered, hugging her tighter.

"I thought I was dead. I was sure I was dead," she murmured.

"You should have been dead twice over. It's a miracle you lived." But you're here. Somehow, you're here- alive and well.

"Had to keep my promise somehow."

He laughed. "I'm glad you did."

She nodded, and there was silence for a moment. When he looked down at her again, he realized she was asleep. Her face was calm, and she was still smiling. She looked so peaceful lying there. Finally safe. He wasn't sure he could describe how that made him felt, but it was the best feeling in the world.

Eventually, he fell asleep too, still amazed by how well things had turned out. Somehow, he had been given everything he could ever want. There was nothing more he could possibly ask for in life.

***

Wren was already downstairs making breakfast when he got up. Alyssa was busy putting plates on the table and keeping an eye on Caleb. Alex, Destiny, and Gavin were busy taking advantage of Wren's distraction and using sticks as swords to fight in the dining room. Or, more accurately, Alex was fighting Destiny while Gavin ran around with a blanket around his shoulders shouting random orders to his 'knights'.

Dylan watched them for a moment, grinning. They were so energetic and happy. But if they kept playing like they were, something was going to get broken. He walked the rest of the way down the stairs and into the living room. "You three know the rules," he scolded. "We have a yard for your dueling."

"Breakfast is ready," Wren announced.

With that, the kids dropped their swords and headed to the kitchen. Dylan plucked the blanket off of Gavin's shoulders and joined them, setting Gavin in his highchair.

"What's for breakfast?" Dylan asked.

Alyssa handed Caleb off to him and went to help Wren serve the food. "Pancakes!" Destiny reported happily.

Caleb stirred in Dylan's arms, and Dylan rocked him gently, hoping to keep him asleep long enough for Wren to eat. She finished dishing out the food and came over to where Dylan was. "I can take him," she said. "You need to eat before you go, and he'll want to be fed."

Dylan stared down at Caleb's happy, sleeping face. He was reluctant to let go, but Wren was right. He only had fifteen minutes before he needed to head to the station. "Alright," he agreed, and allowed Wren to take Caleb.

She smiled down at Caleb, who woke, and stared up at her with bright blue eyes. He let out a happy gurgle, and her smile widened. "Hey," she whispered. "How about some breakfast?"

Caleb grinned, and wrapped his hand around her finger. She glanced up. "You can eat without me. I'll take care of him. Can you make sure Alex and Destiny to their chores?"

"Of course," Dylan promised.

"Great. Thank you." She glanced at the kitchen, and, satisfied that everything was in order, headed down the hall.

***

Dylan found her in the nursery after breakfast, with Caleb fast asleep in her arms. She looked up as he entered the room. "I never thought I'd get this life," she told him. "After Akram took over, things were crazy for a while. Then the rebellion formed, and I was so focused on leading it that I forgot about having a normal life."

"I'm glad I was the one who got to give it to you," Dylan answered.

"You saved my life so many times. It took me a while to realize all that worry you had for me was because you loved me." She glanced at her watch. "Anyway, we can talk later. You need to leave or you'll be late. The murders aren't going to solve themselves," she said, and stood, carefully putting Caleb down to sleep in his crib.

She turned, and Dylan kissed her gently. "I'll text you later, after I figure out how late the Captain's gonna keep me," he promised.

"Good. I'll save you dinner."

He turned to leave, and she caught his shoulder. "Come back safe," she ordered.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Of course."