The lock turned in the Miranda apartment and Lexi immediately pushed herself up and ran to the door. Her sister was home. She practically pummeled her big sister before she could even set her bags down.

"Wooaaaah!!" Emma laughed as she dropped her bag, sinking into the hug. Lin smiled from behind her, dragging her heavy suitcase. The door closed and the girls laughed as they hugged. Emma had been gone almost two months, and Lexi had missed her terribly.

Lexi couldn't stop smiling, and just kept looking at her sister. She knew Emma was a little disappointed that SFB hadn't worked out, but Lexi was personally thrilled. Emma didn't need to be moving across the country when she was only seventeen. She needed to be home.

"I'm so glad you're back!" Lexi said, taking her sister's hand. "Come look what I did to my room."

"Or maybe she'd like to sit down and have a drink or something," Lin suggested as he took off his shoes. Lexi laughed and relented.

"Fine, fine," she said. "Sit down. Relax a little. But then you're mine for the next couple hours."

Emma laughed as she got a Gatorade from the fridge. Vanessa soon appeared, along with the three little kids. Francisco and Sebastian were all over her, wanting to hug her. It felt so nice to be home. Why had she decided that ballet was more important than family?

Vanessa tried to carry on a conversation with her oldest daughter amidst the screeching and laughing, but eventually gave up. Once the kids had gone to bed that night, they'd have some more one-on-one time. She knew Emma was disappointed and was well-known for being too hard on herself. Vanessa wanted to make sure she wasn't beating herself up and wouldn't get depressed over the whole situation.

Emma drank in the attention from her siblings. She held Emilia in her arms for almost an hour as she slept, looking so peaceful. She'd grown so much in the two months she'd been gone. Emma felt a pang of regret that she'd missed so much of her sister's short life.

Lexi soon dragged her away, carrying the baby, to show her all the DIY decorations she'd done for her room. The three sisters hung out together in Lexi's room, chatting and laughing, glad to be with each other. Emilia was in a great mood, cooing at her big sisters.

___

The next Monday, Emma walked back into Hunter College High School with her younger sister, glad to be back. She smiled as she walked in, surrounded by teenagers like her. Now she got to be a kid again. Ballet would be part of her life instead of her whole life; her job.

The other students were glad to see her back. Lin had agreed to let her rejoin the student government, which she was thrilled about. She got through her school day and then made her way to ABT, where she was greeted warmly. They wanted to know all about her time at SFB. Emma had been worried that they'd be judgmental that she'd decided to leave. Most of them would kill to get a professional position. Or maybe not...maybe they wanted to be teenagers while they could.

Emma joined in the warmups. Her time at SFB had definitely upped her game. She'd always felt challenged at ABT, but it seemed a little easier now. The expectations weren't quite as insane. They were still insane, but to a lesser degree. She stayed behind to chat with her friends and teachers a little while, then walked home, smiling.

When she arrived home, Lin was cooking dinner while holding Emilia. She'd been fussy all afternoon and cried whenever she was put down.

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted her, noticing that her face looked relaxed and unstressed, unlike how she'd been while in San Francisco.

"Hi Lin," she said, walking to him. She kissed Emilia's head and gave Lin a quick hug.

"Can you take her for a minute?" Lin asked. Emma gladly took her sister and walked over to the couch, talking quietly to her. Lin took the opportunity to use the restroom, then stretch his arms a bit. Emilia was still tiny, but holding her for an hour got tiring. It was nice to have Emma around to help out again with the little kids.

Emma laid down on the couch, setting her sister on her chest. Emilia cooed as Emma rubbed her back gently in circles. She must have been exhausted, because she fell asleep on the couch. Emilia followed suit.

When it was time for dinner, Lin gently picked Emilia up from Emma's chest and took her to her crib to finish her nap. Lin came back and leaned over the back of the couch, gently stroking Emma's upper arm.

"Em," he called gently. Her eyes fluttered open. "Dinner's ready."

She yawned and sat up, smelling the wonderful smell of Lin's famous enchiladas. Emma had missed his cooking. She had her appetite back now that she wasn't constantly stressed.

As they all sat down, the family felt complete. Lin and Vanessa never dreamed they'd end up with five children, but they wouldn't have it any other way. The table was filled with conversation and laughter. A happy family of seven.

___

A year and a half later, Emma looked at her reflection in her bedroom mirror. She adjusted her graduation cap. Her gown was adorned with tassels for honors, like National Honor Society. Her graduation day was finally here, and she was valedictorian.

Vanessa had helped her with her makeup, and she was looking pretty amazing, she thought. She stared at her reflection for a minute, thinking over her life. Her parents had been amazing. She grew up in a house full of love and support. Her mom and dad had been amazing parents and she missed them every day.

Emma thought back to the day her parents had died in the car accident. Lin and Vanessa had been by her side constantly. They'd been so supportive and understanding of her and Lexi, even when she had been difficult. It had been a confusing time, on top of being a teenager and having to move to a new city. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she'd been terrified at that time. Now, looking at her eighteen year old reflection, she could say she'd turned out okay.

Vanessa was patiently putting a cute little dress on Emilia, who was now 18 months old. She was fully mobile and was starting to grow beautiful dark hair, just like her mother's. Her temperament had mellowed out a bit, but she was still feisty. It was hard to make her do anything she didn't want to do. Vanessa found a cute little headband that matched her green dress, but Emilia immediately pushed it off.

"Oh, Emilia," Vanessa sighed, but wasn't surprised. She gave up for now and let Emilia run off to play in the living room.

"Sebby! Franky! Are you almost ready?" she called to her sons. Now that Franky was older, the brothers were best buddies. They were very similar in personality. Both loved an audience, like their father, and were full of fun and energy. Vanessa caught sight of her two sons chasing each other from one room to another. A moment later, she saw Lin chase after them, and he managed to catch Franky in his arms.

"Come here, you little worm," he said, walking his son to his bedroom. Franky was half-dressed with a plaid button-up shirt and a Pull-Up. "Seb, go find your tie."

"I don't wanna wear a tie!" he protested.

"Tough luck," he told his son. "We're all gonna look dapper for Emma's graduation."

"What's dapper?" he asked, following his father and brother into their shared bedroom.

"Handsome," Lin told him.

"But I'm already handsome," Sebastian pointed out, causing his father to laugh.

In her own bedroom, Lexi was placing a metal headband onto her head. She had just finished her freshman year of high school and was doing wonderfully. Hunter was turning out to be a great place for her. It was small, so she didn't get lost in the shuffle, and it was challenging enough to keep her busy and focused. Her best friends were still Emily and Savi. They did the talent show together every year.

As a lot of 14 year olds were, she was a little self-conscious of her changing body. Luckily, her older sister had been around to give her advice. It was nice to have a big sister who'd just been through these things. She was going to miss Emma when she went off to University of Michigan in the fall to study ballet. It wasn't as far as San Francisco, but it was still a plane ride away.

Vanessa knocked on Lexi's room. "You ready to go?"

Lexi nodded. "I just need to put on my shoes."

Vanessa leaned against the door frame for a few moments and just looked at her daughter. She was quickly sprouting up, becoming a young woman. Vanessa knew Lexi felt awkward about herself, but she carried herself well. Give her a few years, and she'd be unstoppable, like Emma.

"You're getting more and more beautiful every day," Vanessa told her, smiling.

"Don't be corny," Lexi said, but smiled at the compliment. Vanessa turned and went to grab her daughter from the living room and saw Lin coming down the hallway with one boy in each arm. They were dressed, but without a tie yet. That would be the hardest part. They decided they'd do it on the subway where they couldn't exactly run away.

Emma walked out in her cap and down and Lin felt his eyes start to tear up a little. He'd known Emma since she was a baby, and here she was, eighteen years old, a fully capable young woman. He was so proud of her. She was an amazing student and ballerina, and he was so proud that she'd gotten a scholarship to U of M for ballet. He thought she'd be happy there.

"Sweetheart, you look so grown up," he told her, holding out his arms for a hug. Emma smiled as she walked into his arms, her heels clicking on the floor. They'd butted heads plenty of times over the three years they'd been together, but he couldn't be more proud of the way she'd turned out. She was confident and well spoken, and very talented. He was sure she'd make it far in the world.

"I'm so proud of you," I said softly, closing his eyes as he hugged her tight. He was also dreading this day a little bit. She was officially an adult. Not a high school kid, but a college student. Really, she didn't need him anymore. In a way, she always would, but she was fully capable of leading her own independent life. Lin bit his lip to stop himself from crying.

"I've gotta run," she told them. "I'm gonna take a cab cause I'm running late."

"Do you need money?" Lin asked, reaching for his wallet.

"No, I'm good," she said, grabbing her purse. Her valedictorian speech was tucked inside. "See you there!"

The rest of the family got themselves together and ready, and they were out the door ten minutes later. Lin and Lexi both took one of the boys and Vanessa carried Emilia as they took the subway to Hunter College High School. The campus was swarming with families as they made their way to the gymnasium. All the graduates were clustered in one of the hallways as they got ready to march in.

Francisco was whining and pulling at his little clip-on tie. Lin decided it wasn't worth the fuss, so he took it off and tucked it in his pocket. The kids were being pretty well-behaved, but he imagined they'd have some trouble sitting through the whole ceremony. He and Vanessa would take turns walking the kids out for a break. They just needed to time it so they wouldn't miss Emma's speech or her walk across the stage.

The principal began the ceremony with a typical speech about how proud he was of the graduates. Emma sat nervously on stage, her feet crossed, next to the salutatorian. He was to go first. After some more ceremony, the principal called him to the stage. He was a bit of a nervous speaker. Emma took deep breaths, trying to keep herself calm. She'd given speeches before and performed in front of hundreds of people, but this was pretty intimidating. Everyone was expecting her to be perfectly well-spoken, as the kid with the highest G.P.A.

As the salutatorian finished his speech, she closed her eyes and thought of her mother's face. She and her dad would have been so proud of her. Maybe they were looking down on her right now. The principal called her name and the audience applauded. Lin, Vanessa, and Lexi scooted forward a bit on the edges of their seats as she stepped up to the mic. Lin, of course, was recording the whole thing with his phone.

"Class of 2019," she began, smiling down at her classmates. "We made it. Throughout years of hard work, of staying up past midnight doing homework, and giving our all, we are met with the reward of graduation. Surrounded by our family and friends, who have supported us over the years, we are now ready to move on to whatever comes next in our lives."

Emma continued with her speech, glancing down at her notecards occasionally. She'd practiced at least half a dozen times in front of her mirror at home. She loved the way her tassel moved a bit when she looked up from her cards.

She paused before she continued on to the next part. This part was deeply personal, and she knew it would mean a lot to Lin and Vanessa. She hadn't let them have a sneak peek of her speech.

"Three years ago, my parents were killed in a car accident," she told the audience. Most of the students already knew this. "I was devastated, of course, along with my younger sister Alexis. We weren't sure what was going to happen to us. Luckily, our parents were planners. They knew exactly what they wanted to happen if they were to pass away before we were grown. Their lifelong friends, Lin-Manuel and Vanessa Miranda, were our godparents. We'd grown up around them constantly, and were like the fun aunt and uncle. Despite the heartache I was feeling, I knew I would be in good hands with them.

"Life with the Mirandas wasn't always easy," she went on. "Like most teenagers and parents, we had disagreements, about curfew, boys, classes. Even when I was annoyed with them, I knew deep down they loved me. They wanted what was best for me, and they had the responsibility of thinking about what my parents would want for me. As I stand before you today, I can say that I'm so grateful for the life they've given me. Thanks to them, I'm a happy, well-adjusted young lady who's ready for college. Except for my own parents, I couldn't think of two people I'd rather have had raising me."

Vanessa was a tough cookie to crack, but she had to wipe away the tears that started to fall. Lin put his arm around her, squeezing her shoulder as his vision became a bit blurry. Emma moved on with her speech, being articulate and well-spoken, but Lin and Vanessa weren't sure what else she'd said. Her words stuck with them.

When they'd agreed to be Emma's, then Lexi's godparents, they never dreamed they'd actually have to assume the responsibility of parenting them. At the time they'd taken them in, Sebastian was three and Francisco was an infant. They knew nothing about parenting tween and teen girls. Despite that, they followed their instincts, making sure both Emma and Lexi knew how to carry themselves, and to reinforce the strong work ethic Phil and Melissa had already instilled in them. It hadn't always been roses, but they'd loved being Emma's parent.

After the speeches were done, it was finally time to pass out the diplomas. There was a photographer taking professional pictures of each kid, but Lin zoomed in with his phone and took about ten shots of her walking across the stage. She was beaming as she extended her hand and shook hands with the principal. He handed Emma her diploma. After all the students had received their diplomas, the band played and everyone milled around outside taking pictures.

Emma laughed with her friends as they took group photos, some serious and some silly. She hung out with her friends during the afternoon, celebrating, and then the family had reservations for dinner. They chose Emma's favorite Mexican restaurant and pigged out. They all raised their glasses (and sippy cups) to Emma's success.

"I just want to say how proud I am of our favorite graduate, Emma Miranda," Lin began, looking around the table at his family. His parents and Vanessa's parents had also joined them so there was a full table of eleven.

"Sometimes, she could be a mouthy pain in the butt," he teased her, causing Emma to laugh and roll her eyes. "But I always knew she was a smart cookie and she'd go far in life. We're going to miss her terribly, but we're so proud that she'll be going to U of M with a full ride scholarship to study ballet. Look out, world."

The adults called out, "To Emma!" and the glasses clinked together.

Emma basked in the attention of all her adoptive relatives. They all asked about her plans for the summer. She and Lexi were actually going to take a trip to Italy for the first time to spend time with their maternal grandparents. They were leaving in a week and would be gone for two. It would be strange for everyone not having the older two girls around.

After dinner, they all walked through the streets to go celebrate some more at home. Lin had stocked the fridge up with alcohol and Vanessa had baked some desserts. Emma and Lexi walked ahead of the group, arms around each other as they laughed. Lexi had recently gone through a growth spurt and was almost as tall as her sister. It was making her a big asset on the school's volleyball team.

Lin took his wife's hand in his as they walked. With four grandparents, all the little kids were being taken care of. Lin looked over at him, then kissed the back of her hand sweetly.

"You doing okay?" Vanessa asked her husband, knowing it had been an emotional day for her.

He nodded and gave a bit of a forced smile. He was elated for Emma, but he dreaded her leaving. They'd been without her for fifteen years, but life without her now seemed unimaginable.

"I'll be fine," he said quietly. "It'll be hard to see her go."

Vanessa squeezed his hand as they walked. Emma tipped her head back with laughter at something her little sister had said.

"Melissa and Phil would be proud," Vanessa told him, knowing they were probably on his mind. It was true. Lin had been having imaginary conversations with Phil all day. Had Emma turned out the way he'd wanted her to? Had he made the right choices with his daughters? Did he regret making him their godfather?

He could never be sure, but as Lin watched the girls run through the lobby to race each other to the elevator, he was pretty sure Phil and Melissa would approve.

THE END

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