Jessica sat in the room in tears. She knows Danny's right but loving him feels so natural. 

She sat down beside Arabella and held her hand. 

"Your daddy's right, princess.. I guess I just use men as a distraction and that's not okay. All I need to focus on is you and your brothers and sister.."

After a while Danny walked back in.

"I'm gonna head home.. I'll be back in the morning."

"Okay." Jessica said not turning his way.

"Do you need anything?"

"No."

"Okay. Call me if anything changes."

"I will."

"... Jess-"

"No Danny, it's fine. You're right. Just go, we'll be fine."

Danny sighs and walks over to kiss Arabella goodnight.
He then places his hand on Jessica's shoulder and kisses the top of her head.

He walks off and Jessica turns to him. Danny turns back and speaks in his deep raspy voice. "Goodnight."

"Night.."

He shuts the door and Jessica breaks down once again.
There was a mixture of emotions going on. Months of this separation, the stress of her daughter's surgery and just everything else in her life was catching up to her.

**

Two days later.

It was Halloween and also the day Arabella was able to go home.

"Is daddy coming to pick us up?"

"Yep!"

"He's bringing my costume?"

"Yes." Jessica chuckles.

"Good cause I gotta show nurse lady my cute costume!"

Jessica smiles as she scoops her up and holds her in her lap.

"Mommy, uh.. why you hugging me?"

"I can't hug you?" Jessica laughs.

"You can, I just asking why."

"Because I love you so so much and I'm so proud of how well you did."

"Yeah I such a big girl! It was scary, mommy! I never want to do surgery again!"

"Don't you worry about that, baby girl!"

Just then Danny lightly knocks on the door before letting himself in.

"Daddy!" Arabella shouts.

"We can't get too excited, remember?" Jessica says softly patting her back.

"Yeah I member that fat nurse saying that to me but I think it's just dumb! She was a dumb person, mommy!" Arabella makes a face and nods.

Jessica and Danny can't help but laugh a little.

"Bella! That's not nice! It's for your own good, baby."

"Okay!" Arabella sighs.

"Can I change into my costume?"

"Sure. I have it right here!" Danny answers.

"Great! I gonna be so coooool!"

"Yes you will, baby!" Jessica giggles.

"Okay guys! Call them in, I'm ready!"

"Okay, daddy will you tell Bella's nurses she's ready to show them her costume?"

"Of course!"

The nurses that were there to see Arabella were the ones that took care of her when she was a newborn in the NICU.

"Alright Bella! We're coming in!"

Arabella stood there with a straight face.

"Oh my goodness! Haha! You are just about the cutest little Wednesday Adams I have ever ever seen!"

"I am!  And my mommy did my makeup!"

"Well good job, mommy!"

"Thanks!" Jessica laughs and tears fill her eyes.

"Momma, why are you getting sad?  Is it cause I look so good in my costume?"

She chuckles and picks her up. "Because I'm so happy to see you acting like yourself!"

"See?!  I don't need to calm down because my heart is fixed!"

"Well you still need to take it easy, baby. I know that's hard for you but that's what needs to happen, right?"

"Alright!" Arabella rolls her eyes making Jessica chuckle.

**

"Bella, look at mommy!"

Arabella looks at her mother and Jessica can't help but laugh.

"You are too much, miss thang!"

**

"BELLA!!!!" All of her siblings shouted when they walked into the house.  They all missed her terribly.

"Hi guys!"

"Woah!  What the doctors do to Bella?" Joseph asks so confused as to why his sister looks the way she does.

Jessica laughs and says, "It's just a costume, baby.  Now, I know Arabella looks pretty normal BUT we have to let her rest, okay?"

"Yeah cause I getting so tired, mommy."

Jessica kisses her cheek.
"Well why don't I take you up to bed and we can take a little nap?"

"You stay with me?"

"Of course, princess."

While Jessica was upstairs Danny tended to the kids downstairs.  His mother stayed to help with lunch.

"Daddy!"

"Yeah Cole?"

"We staying here tonight?"

"No, we're gonna go home, bud."

"What!  But my sissy is sick and I don't wanna leave her!"

Danny smiled and got down to his level.

"We'll be back first thing in the morning."

"But-"

"We going with you, Cole!" Joshua says.

"Awesome!  Hey we going trick or treating?"

"We are gonna have a fun night in our costumes at home!" Danny smiles.

"Oh man that stinks!"

"Heh!  Well you guys wouldn't want to go without your sister, would you?"

"Boys, daddy's right.  We will Not go without sissy."

"Thank you, Sof." Danny smiles.

"You're welcome, daddy!"

***

A couple weeks pass and Arabella is back to her normal self.  Jessica doesn't need Danny's help as much so they've pretty much have gone back to their old routine.

"Danny, I just want to thank you for helping me so much with the kids."

"Of course!  Even though Team Huston is a bit mangled, that doesn't mean we can't help each other out.. Anything for our little Minions, right?"

"Heh!  Yeah.. Anyway!  Thanks." She smiles softly.

"You don't have to thank me, Jess."

Jessica nods and looks down.
"So um.. The holidays are.. well they're here so.."

"Ah yes.. who gets who when and where?   Well my family is meeting for Thanksgiving brunch.  I could have them back before things start at your parents' house."

"That works.  What about Christmas?"

Danny and Jessica both get a tight feeling in their chests.
This was their first Christmas separated.  Last Christmas Eve Danny and Jessica stayed in with the kids.  they watched Christmas movies, drank hot chocolate and ate cookies.  It was so much fun and so so perfect.  Little did they know what the next year would bring them.

"Well we could split up Christmas Day like Thanksgiving, or we could do Christmas Eve my family and Christmas Day your family.. but then.."

"What?"

Danny takes a deep breath and nods his head.

"Nothing it's just.. it's nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yeah.  Uhm.. just think about it and let me know."

"Alright."

"I uh.. I'll see you later."

"Okay.. bye."

Danny left and as he drove off tears rolled down his cheeks.  Not seeing his kids on Christmas morning was something that really upset him.  A few years back when he and Jessica were separated Jessica had Christmas morning with them and Danny came shortly after to take Sofia and Jackson to his side.  It was a horrible feeling not being with his children first thing on Christmas morning to see the excitement in their faces, and he was not looking forward to that feeling again.  This year Christmas morning would be insanely different than any before.  It would be him and Coltan.  Nothing at all against Coltan, but to go from Christmas morning with five kids to Christmas morning to with one other person seemed so sad to him.  In a perfect world Danny and Coltan would spend it with Jessica and the kids.  Obviously that was entirely out of the question.

***

When Jackson's birthday came Jessica made him a big breakfast then took him and the kids to Main Event.  They had cake and presents there and after they were finished Danny came but to pick them up.  He was going to take the kids home and give them even more cake and give Jackson his gifts.  The next morning Danny took the twins to the park for their birthday and had a mini party at home before Jessica came to pick them up for her part of the celebration. 
It pained Jessica not to see the twins first thing in the morning on their birthday, but that was the deal she and Danny made.

Thanksgiving came and Jessica got the kids ready to be picked up.

"Momma, I wanna stay with you!" Arabella fused.

"Baby, you'll see me later!  Besides, you'll have so much fun with daddy!  You'll get to see grandma and grandpa Huston, and all of your cousins!  That sounds fun, doesn't it?"

"But I miss you!"

"Awe Princess!"

"Please let me stay!"

"You'll only be there for a few hours, Princess.  Then you'll come home to mommy and we'll head over to grandma and grandpa Lange's house."

"What!  Mommy, when in the world am I going to take my nap?!"

"Heh!  They'll be plenty of time for you to nap, Princess."

"Okayyy.." Arabella sighs.

**

The kids all had a nice time with Danny, so nice it was hard for them to say goodbye for the day.

"Daddy pleeeeasssse come with us to grandma's!" Arabella begs holing his hand in hers.

"Awe precious.. I'll see you in a couple days, alright?  You're gonna have so much fun with mommy and all of your family!"

"I just want you and mommy to like each other.."

"Hey, look at me.  I love your mommy."

"Then why you two not going places?  Why do you not live with us?"

"Because I love your mommy."

Arabella gives him a confused look.

"What daddy?  You're making no sense!"

Danny chuckles.
"You'll understand when you're older."

"But I a big girl!  I almost four!" Arabella holds her fingers up.

"That old already?!" Danny widens his eyes.

"Yeah can you believe it!"

"I can't!" Danny laughs.

**

"Bella, why do you keep messing with your dress, baby?" Jessica asks.

Arabella looks down and pouts.

"What's wrong, princess?"

She rubs her eyes so Jessica gets down to her level and gives her a hug.

"Baby girl, what's the matter?"

"I have an ugly chest!"

"Honey, you do not!"

"Yes I do!  No one else has these dumb things!" She says rubbing her eyes.

"Don't say that word, baby."

"But they are!  I don't like them!"

"Well you know what?  I love them!"

"Why?  They're ugly!"

"No." Jessica nods.

"They're beautiful."

"Mommy-"

"They are, Bella!  They are your battle scars, and that is so so cool!  You have those because you are a strong and because you are a fighter!"

"I am?"

"Of course you are!
..Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah.."

"Mommy has battle scars too."

"No you don't!"

"Yes I do!  I have marks on my tummy from when you, sissy, Jackson and the twins were in there.  And you know what?"

"What?"

"I love them because it shows just how strong my body is.  Maybe when I first got them I didn't love them so much.. but now I do.  I'm proud of them and you should be proud of yours too."

Arabella gives her mother a small smile.

"There's your beautiful smile!"

"I love you, mommy!" Arabella hugs her tight.

"Oh baby girl I love you more!"

"Momma?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Can I please nap now?  Two Thanksgiving's is hard!"

Jessica chuckles.
"Sure baby girl.  You can nap in grandma and grandpa's room."

"Thank goodness!"