"Mom, Dad! I hope that I'm not too late. I was stuck in a bad traffic jam."

Aaron looked up from his laptop and gave his son a broad smile. "No, you're just in time. We weren't planning on heading down to the high school for another ten minutes. Was Serena able to get away from work to come with you?"

Jack shook his head as he plopped down on the sofa. "No, she was actually called into an emergency surgery. Though she did make certain to send along our gift to Anna. I think she knows me too well."

Aaron laughed as he nodded, glancing up to see Erin appear in the doorway, a happy smile on her lips. "I thought I heard voices down here. Jack! I'm so glad you're here!"

His son popped to his feet and crossed the room, wrapping his arms around his stepmother as he kissed her cheek soundly. "You know I wouldn't miss my sister's graduation for anything."

"Or did you just want an excuse to come to Manderley?" she teased as she took hold of his hand and guided him over to the sofa once more, pulling him down as she curled up next to Aaron, her head coming to rest on his chest as she started to play with his hand, her fingers tracing the digits carefully.

"I never need an excuse to come home, Mom."

Aaron heard Erin sigh deeply as she rubbed her cheek against his shirt. "Stop trying to make me cry, Jack. I'm going to do enough of that at the graduation ceremony."

His son reached out and patted Erin's knee softly. "I don't have to try very hard to make you cry, even when I never meant to."

"That's what happens when you're a mom, Jack. Now, Karen, Tabitha, and Bruce are going to meet us at the high school, since they all have families to corral there as well. Are you two ready to head out?"

He nodded and Jack sprung up once more, holding out his hand to Erin, who clasped it tightly, letting him pull her to her feet before he slung an arm around her waist and started leading her away. "We're going to take my car, since it will be more comfortable for us all. And I'm assuming that Anna is coming home with us?"

"She actually has her aftergrad party following the ceremony, but I think everyone else is coming back to the house. At least, that was the plan last I heard," Aaron said as he limped after them. Ever since he had been injured on a case, his hip had bothered him, even though his doctors swore that there was nothing truly wrong with him.

"And here I was, looking forward to teasing Anna Banana," Jack chuckled as he opened the passenger door for Erin, helping her inside before going over to the driver's side and clambering in. "Was she nervous?"

"Not too bad," Erin said as she looked at Aaron in the rearview mirror. He smiled as he nodded, reaching forward to cover her shoulder with his hand. "But that could change when all the people are in the auditorium."

"I'm certain that she'll do fine. I just wish that she had given us a preview of her speech," Aaron said as he gave Erin's shoulder a soft squeeze.

"She never was one to give away a surprise," she replied, bending her head down to kiss the back of his hand. Jack made a soft sound of agreement as he started down the drive. "All right, I know that this is going to be weird to announce, especially since this is supposed to be Anna's big day, but…Serena's pregnant. We've tried for so long, and I just couldn't keep the news inside any longer. I promise, I won't say anything around my sister, but you guys needed to know."

"Magical number ten," Erin whispered softly as she turned to look at Aaron, her eyes sparkling with tears. "We are going to have ten grandchildren soon, darling."

He nodded, unable to find words to reply as he watched the first tears rolled down Erin's cheeks. Chuckling a little, he reached out, wanting to swipe them away, when she shook her head. "What?"

"You'll smear my foundation, Aaron. I remembered to wear waterproof mascara and eyeliner, but this foundation can only take so much abuse." She laughed as she blinked rapidly. "I don't think all the setting spray in the world will be able to stand up to my tears once Anna starts to speak."

He nodded, and they settled back in their seats as Jack drove. Erin pulled out her phone, and he read over her shoulder that she was giving Serena their congratulations. The parking lot was already quite full by the time they arrived, and Aaron was glad that the rest of their brood was already there, and they wouldn't have to worry about finding a good place to sit.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Their attention was caught by their oldest granddaughter waving at them as she hurried over to their side. Amanda threw her arms around Erin's waist, hugging her tightly before taking hold of Erin's hand and tugging her towards the doors to the auditorium. "We're really close to the stage, so we should all be able to see Anna just fine. There's even a seat for you, Uncle Jack!"

Aaron smiled at her enthusiasm, knowing that she had definitely inherited that trait from her mother, since Tabitha still seemed to have that boundless energy. They made their way to the front of the room, and he gave a small wave to Bruce as they reached the row that was completely filled by their family. "Thanks for getting here early for us, Bruce," he said as he clapped his son on the back.

"None of us were going to miss this for the world. I can't believe, out of all of us overachievers, Anna was the first to snag the valedictorian honor."

"Don't forget her full ride scholarship to Oxford," Jack interjected as he shook Bruce's hand warmly.

"Please, do not remind me that my baby will more than three thousand miles away from me in just a few short months!" Erin cried softly as she squeezed past them to take a seat in the middle of the row. And before Aaron could follow suit, she was flanked by Amanda and Rebecca, which left him sitting on Amanda's right. "You have to move a little faster, darling," she teased, though her eyes were still shimmering with tears.

He nodded and settled back in his seat, focusing his attention on their grandchildren as they surrounded him and Erin, listening to their stories as they waited for the ceremony to start. As the students filed in, Aaron scanned the crowd for their daughter, watching her laugh and talk with her classmates as the top ten took the stage and sat behind the podium with some of the teachers.

Erin looked over at him as the lights dimmed, and he nodded a little, reaching behind Amanda to rub her shoulder as the principal began to speak. Aaron found that he didn't really pay much attention to what anyone was saying until Anna approached the microphone and set a stack of card on the podium in front of her.

"Good evening. It is so wonderful to see all of you coming out to support us as we transition from being children to adults. Even if some of us are not going directly on to college, from this point forward, we are all on different paths, paths that will lead us to the futures that we have worked to build for the last thirteen years.

"I know that there are so many proud parents out there, but I have to take a moment to acknowledge my parents. I was adopted when I was born, as my birth mother was not in a position to raise me. But I was chosen and loved by two of the finest parents a girl could ask for. They nurtured me and encouraged me every step of the way, until I had fulfilled my dreams of making it into Oxford University. And I know that every one of my classmates has a similar story about their parents, and it makes my heart happy to know that we have this support. Because our lives were molded into this readiness to be a part of the world by you, and you deserve to know that your hard work paid off in spades with us. Thank you for raising us and giving us a beacon of light to follow."

Quickly glancing over at Erin, he saw that his wife was crying just as hard as he was, and he nodded at her before turning his focus back on their daughter, listening to her finish her speech. And he knew that the scars that he and Erin had earned over the years had resulted in something beautiful in their children, and he wouldn't change that for anything in the world.