"Mommy!" Yuri hollers, rushing to greet me as I emerge from the car. "I missed you!"

I smile, enjoying the moment as I allow her to wrap her little arms around my neck and hoist her up.

"Did you behave for auntie Jo?"

"Mhm!" She enthuses, "I even got to have dessert!"

"That's great!" I croon, happy to have her back in my arms.

"Did you know that Jun's name isn't Jun?" She asks, suddenly so comically serious that I have a hard time holding back my laughter at her expense.

"Well, yes, " I reply, smiling and amused by the confusion that spreads across her face. "Jun is the only part of his name that you could say when he was born. It just kind of stuck."

I put her down, and take her tiny hand in my own just as Jo makes her way out the door with an extremely fussy Namjoon, Namjoon in tow.

"Say goodbye Jun, it's time for Yuri to go home!" She takes his arm, trying to convince him to wave goodbye.

But Jun doesn't seem to be having any of it.

"No!" He shrieks, tears already pouring down his face, and snot in equal measure. "Yuri not go!"

I smile, and Jo gives me that look, the one that says don't you dare say it. And yet, I do anyway.

"I told you he was fully capable of speaking, given the right motivation."

She frowns, and then sticks her tongue out at me causing Yuri to giggle, even as Namjoon continues to scream and wail in the background.

"Honey, " his mother coos, squatting down to be at eye level for him, "Yuri has to go home. Auntie Anna missed little Yuri so much, you see, so it wouldn't be right to keep Yuri here."

He sniffles, calming just a bit as he looks towards Yuri with large, shiny and doe-like eyes.

"Yuri come back?" He mumbles around the thumb he has suddenly stuck in his mouth for comfort, reaching for Yuri with the other hand.

"I promise I'll bring Yuri back real soon, " I tell him kindly.

His resulting smile is radiant, the dimples nestled in each cheek on full display. Jo laughs, as do I, as I buckle Yuri into her booster seat.

"Just let me know when you're coming over, " she says, eying me expectantly as I prepare to hop into my own seat, keys in hand. "And I expect you to call me tonight with juicy details about the date!"

I laugh nervously, shutting the car door and waving abruptly. Then, hands on the wheel, eyes drawn and focused, I reverse out of her driveway. When I come to a stop upon the street, I wave, and Jo waves frantically back.

To me, it's an image of family, though to other's we are, on the surface, nothing alike.

Little Jun cries, clinging to his mother's jeans as I drive away, and even Yuri sniffles quietly in the backseat.

"Awww, honey..." I croon, "tell mommy what's wrong."

She sniffles just a little louder, voice wavering as she answers.

"I miss Jun!"

"Honey, I know. But we'll seen Jun again real soon!" I promise.

In the rearview mirror, I can see her drying her eyes, brave little light shining through as she calms herself.

A part of me feels terrible, and wishes I could just stop the car and gather her into my arms. But I also know that she wouldn't let me, even if I could in this bumper to bumper traffic.

Though a bright and cheerful girl, Yuri has had trouble leaning on others even at this tender age. A lot of it has to do with her father, I think, but also, I think that she wants to be brave and strong for mommy and it breaks my heart. I try never to cry in front of Yuri, but I think she knows anyway.

Knows how stressed I am, so much more often than I would like. Knows how much hurt I felt over her fathers betrayal, though I tried my hardest to keep that from her too.

And my girl is so thoughtful.

I don't know what I did to deserve her, but she's my shining beacon in the darkness, and my reason to keep going.

"Okay mommy, " she says, smiling calmly now. "I'll be a big girl and be patient."

"Thank you Yuri, " I praise. "I love you, and I'm so proud of you. You know that right?"

She nods her little head, smiling just a little brighter as we finally reach our own driveway.

I pull in, weariness tugging at me relentlessly as I park the car and I unbuckle my seat belt. Yuri waits patiently in the backseat, watching as I close my eyes for a moment, allowing myself to take a deep breath.

I am a sudden flurry of activity, starting with the moment I step out of the car. Yuri unbuckles herself, yawning quietly as I open the door for her. I get her inside, and get her into her pajamas as the worlds last bit of light is snuffed out if the sky.

We brush our teeth together, as we always have, and then we brush each other's hair. I laugh, knowing I'll have to go through mine again later. It's just so sweet to watch her, and to see how proud she is of helping her mommy.

"I'm such a big girl mommy! I can brush your hair! Are you proud of me?"

"So proud, " I muzzle her cheek with my own, and she giggles happily.

"That tickles!" She laughs.

Before long, she is in her bed and I am tucking her in. Storybook in hand, we begin our nightly bedtime ritual, and Yuri sighs in contentment. The story is one of princesses, and towers, and handsome princes with a hearts of gold.

Yuri absolutely loves this story, but I am not sure that I feel the same way. I'm also not sure that I should be allowing such stories to be entirely honest, as I don't wish Yuri to grow up relying on any man to save her. But she loves it, and I don't have the heart to shatter her innocence by pushing my hurts and experiences upon her.

I won't claim to be the most pious, and I would be the first to admit that I am probably a little too bitter to make certain decisions. It's a daily battle, especially for a woman diagnosed with manic depression, but I simply refuse to taint Yuri's world with my shortcomings.

I refuse to darken the little light that shines inside her.