Ten minutes later, and the distant sound of wailing sirens caused Annie to lift her head up hopefully.

"Here come the cavalry." She almost sang, which sent her into a fit of coughing. Teo shot her a concerned look, but forced a smile.

"It would seem so." He agreed, throat scratchy. Before the sirens got closer, however, there was the sound of another car driving up and stopping a little way away, causing Teo to tense alertly.

"For gods sake Auggie, just stay in the car!" They heard an irritated voice snap. Annie grinned at Teo.

"Arthur." She coughed slightly.

"Calm down, Arthur. Auggie, I'm having trouble walking on this ground and I can see, so just stay where you are, ok?" Joan's voice drifted towards them. There was a mumbled reply, and then the sound of crunching footsteps.

"Joan?" Annie called out, her voice cracking as she tried to shout. It broke and she cut off, wincing, but Joan heard her anyway. Teo shot a concerned look in Annie's direction.

"Annie?!" footsteps crunched as Joan jogged in their direction, picking her way through the rubble and closely followed by Arthur. They appeared around the corner of the slab, Arthur holding Joan's hand to keep her steady. They both paused when they saw Annie and Teo sitting there, Joan dropping Arthur's hand in surprise as she stared at them, while he was gazing open mouthed at Teo.

"Teo?" he asked. Joan looked from one man to the other uncertainly, before her gaze became fixed on Summer, who was still sleeping in Teo's arms. Teo untangled himself from Annie and stood gracefully, holding the baby out to Joan.

"I think she belongs to you." He told her with a smile. Joan glanced from his face to Summer's in quick succession, breathing rapidly as she slowly held out her arms and gently took her. She shuddered slightly as she cradled Summer to her, closing her eyes briefly as she inhaled her scent.

"Thank you. Both of you. So much." She told Annie and Teo seriously, tears choking her as Arthur stood silently, eyes torn between both his children.

"Thank Annie. She is the one who called me and told me what and who to look for."

"Yea for me." Annie said dryly from her spot on the floor. "I'm still not entirely sure I want to know where you get your information from."

"Probably not." Teo agreed, pulling her up to her feet and steadying her when her injured leg gave out.

"What happened?" Joan asked, alarmed, stepping forward.

"Lyra happened." Annie winced, hopping slightly. "Stupid blonde."

Arthur and Joan both raised a pointed eyebrow at that, but Teo just shrugged in reply to their inquisitive looks. Annie was watching the building, which was still burning with a frown.

"Who invented the colour grey for hospitals?" she wondered. "It's so dreary."

Joan and Arthur looked at Teo, concerned, so he mouthed that she had concussion. They both frowned.

"Hello!? Joan, Arthur?" Auggie called, tentatively probing the ground in front of him with his cane.

"Sorry Auggie. Annie's fine, she's right here" Joan shouted back guiltily. Arthur pressed a kiss to Summer's forehead before crossing to Annie's side and helping Teo take her weight so the four of them could cross back to where a concerned Auggie waited.

"Auggie!" Annie cried happily. Auggie looked relieved.

"Annie. Are you ok?" he asked, reaching out and catching her as she fell into his arms.

"No. she shot me, Auggie!" Annie told him indignantly. Auggie looked panicked.

"Where?" he skimmed his hands over her as if searching for the wound.

"Her thigh. I wrapped my shirt around it but she needs to go to hospital." Teo informed him. Auggie turned his head towards him.

"Teo? What're you doing here?"

"Annie called me." Teo explained again. Auggie frowned.

"And you didn't tell me?" He asked, his tone hurt. Annie mumbled into his neck.

"Annie...?"

"She has concussion. She drifts in and out of coherency." Teo supplied, raising his head as he heard the sirens approaching closer. "Sounds like they should be here soon."

"Teo, you're still a fugitive. You should probably disappear." Auggie told him. Teo made a sound of agreement, beginning to walk away.

"Teo, wait!" Joan called. She passed Summer to Arthur and quickly scribbled on a piece of paper, holding it out to him. "That's our address- please come for dinner tomorrow."

Teo hesitated, glancing uncertainly between all four of them.

"Please come Teo." Arthur said softly. Annie shot him a pleading look, and he relented.

"Ok." A squad car drew up, sirens blaring and Teo took off with a final nod, disappearing into the morning.

"Auggie?" Annie whispered as more of the emergency services arrived.

"Yeah?"

"You'll catch me if I fall, right?" Annie asked him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Every time." He promised. She smiled.

"Good." She said as her knees buckled and she fell unconscious. As promised, he caught her and lifted her into his arms, not letting go until the paramedics pulled her onto a stretcher.

The next evening Teo arrived apprehensively at the address Joan had given him. He knocked sharply, waiting until it was opened by his father.

"Teo." Arthur smiled. Teo nodded at him in greeting, carefully schooling his expression into one of indifference. Arthur seemed to understand as he invited him in, pointing him in the direction of the living room.

"Teo!" Annie beamed as she looked up and saw him standing hesitantly by the entrance.

"Buenas dias everyone." He greeted. Auggie shot him a smile while Joan stood from her spot on the floor, Summer in her arms.

"Teo. I wasn't sure you'd come." She smiled warmly. Teo shrugged slightly.

"Neither was I. How is Summer?"

"She's fine." Joan stroked a finger down her cheek. "A little cranky, perhaps, but otherwise fine."

"I was wondering... how did you find us yesterday? Lyra took our phones." Teo asked suddenly. Auggie grinned.

"Oh, please. Missing Annie and unexplained exploding building? Obviously connected."

"Hey!" Annie protested, smiling widely. Joan chuckled at them, until Arthur called for her from the kitchen, causing the woman to sigh slightly.

"Men." She pushed Summer into a surprised Teo's arms and left the room. Teo stood awkwardly, bouncing Summer gently on his hip.

"She's not a bomb Teo, you don't have to look so scared." Annie told him wryly. Auggie's resulting wince didn't go unnoticed by her. "Too soon?"

"How is your leg Annie?" Teo changed the subject quickly, sitting across from the pair as he spoke.

"It's fine. They stitched me up and gave me antibiotics... I think they were more concerned about the concussion.' she laughed. "They kept me in all night!"

"Probably because you were mostly incoherent and babbling about government secrets." Auggie pointed out. Annie gasped.

"I was not!" She leaned over and thumped him on the arm.

"Ow! Not nice, Annie!" He protested, rubbing the spot with a dramatic wounded expression. "Teo, tell her to be nice to the blind guy."

"Annie, be nice to the blind guy." Teo intoned.

"You're lucky you're holding the baby.' Annie told him.

Joan watched them from the doorway, a small smile on her face. She pushed away from the frame and went back to Arthur.

"You ever wonder how we seem to have ended up with four kids instead of just the one?" He gave a laugh at that, wrapping an arm around her.

"It's your fault. Such a bleeding heart." He teased. She poked him in the side, giggling at his incredulous expression.

"Seriously? How old are you?" she smiled slyly, and poked him again. He blinked, and them smirked.

"Oh, that's it." He lunged at Joan, who yelped and bolted back into the other room.

"Arthur..." She warned, backing away from him as the three in there laughed. Arthur payed her no attention, ducking under her outstretched arms and digging his fingers into her sides. She shrieked with laughter, knees buckling almost instantly.

"Arthur stop!" She demanded through laughs. He ignored her, continuing to dig his fingers in.

"Do you surrender?" He asked, laughing himself.

"Never!" She rolled, pinning him under her and poking him again. He responded by bringing his knees up and pushing her so she fell sideways onto the floor. He reached towards again but she scrambled up and pulled Auggie to his feet, hiding behind him and still laughing breathlessly.

"Hiding behind the blind guy? Really Joan? No offence Anderson."

"None taken." Auggie assured him amusedly. Joan peeked out from behind him just as the doorbell rang.

"Saved by the pizza guy." Arthur went to answer it as Joan fetched the plates from the kitchen. Her mind wandered to the conversation she and Arthur had had out here earlier while he was trying to find the number for the pizza place.

"He hates me."

"No he doesn't Arthur." Joan stopped digging through the drawer to look at him. He shook his head.

"He does. And he has every right to."

"Arthur, he's human. He's in a strange country, with mostly strange people around him. He's a fugitive any law enforcement officer would give their right arm to arrest. He has a family he's never met before and a father who has no more idea on how to act than he himself does. Give it time, honey. It's not going to happen overnight."

"It should have to happen at all. I should have fought harder to gain custody all those years ago." Joan sighed, standing from her crouched position and coming over to where he sat with his head in his hands. She knelt beside him and took his hands in hers.

"Tell him that, Arthur. He needs to hear it more than I do." She told him gently. He looked up at her, and attempted a smile.

"How did I ever manage to marry you?"

"With blackmail while lying in a hospital bed if I remember correctly." She stood and kissed him softly, before going to check on the three in other room as she heard laughter.

"Joan?" Joan blinked as she heard her name called, turning to see Annie on crutches standing in the doorway, a concerned look on her face.

"Sorry, what?" Joan smiled.

"Are you ok?" Annie came further into the room.

"Yeah, I was just lost in thought. What was it you wanted?"

"Summer's hungry, and I asked if you needed any help." Annie answered, eyeing her with worry.

"Er... Nothing you can do with no arms available. Could you send Teo in though?" Joan asked, which received a nod.

Joan turned and grabbed the plates from the cupboard, along with cutlery from the drawer.

"Annie said you needed me?" Teo hovered in the doorway. Joan smiled.

"Could you reach and grab the glasses from the top shelf? Arthur thinks it's funny to put them where I can't reach them." Teo complied while she warmed a bottle for Summer.

"Food's ready." Arthur poked his head in, groaning when he saw Teo had gotten the glasses for Joan.

"Teo! It's more fun when Joan has to climb to get them." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively as Joan rolled her eyes.

"Pervert."

"Yuck. She's my step-mother!" Teo protested as they entered the living room.

"That sounded really teenager-ish!. Annie laughed. Teo sat cross legged on the floor next to her, taking Summer when she reached out to him from Auggie's lap. Arthur sat across from him, smiling fondly as he watched his son make faces at his sister, laughing at the banter Annie had going with the other two men. Joan watched them with a faint smile, leaning back against the sofa behind her. Her eyes met Annie's briefly, and the younger woman grinned happily at her before being distracted by a babbling Summer.

Joan watched her family chatter and laugh together and for the first time in weeks, she breathed.