*How's this going to work?* he asked himself. *Are they going to want to see me? After all these years?*

That question had plagued him constantly in his trip across the country. This was going to be even more awkward than visiting his parents in Oklahoma had been. He'd been afraid that his father would still refuse to talk to him when he pulled up outside the family farm. There had been a few rough days, but in the end it had gone well. His mother was glad to see him, at least, and even his father had seemed happy after awhile. Leaving home again had been hard, but he'd felt drawn even further east, to where he found himself now.

*I haven't been here in, what, twenty years? Not since we moved to Oklahoma. And I haven't talked to any of them in at least fifteen years. Just why the hell did I think this is where I want to be?*

But he knew. This was the last place he'd felt truly accepted, felt like he could really make a difference. He loved his mother and father, but this was where he had to be. This is where he'd grown up. Even though there was no blood relation, these people were his real family. Or at least they had been. He hoped they could be again.

He sighed. *Nothing for it but to go up and knock, I guess.* He got out of the truck and stood on the packed earth of the driveway. Before he could approach the shack, the front door opened and a woman his age emerged.

She was as beautiful as he remembered, and the sight of her took his breath away. She seemed just as startled as he was, but recovered faster.

"Lindsey?" she asked in wonder. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's me."

For several long seconds, he wasn't sure how she'd react, but then the smile he still saw in his dreams erupted onto her face and she ran to embrace him. Holding him tight, she whispered, "I always knew you'd come back to me."

Lindsey couldn't reply. His voice had deserted him. He had her in his arms again. All was right with the world. He could feel years worth of fatigue and stress sloughing off of his soul.

After an eternity that felt like mere moments, she drew back to look at him. "Welcome home," she said.

He smiled. "It's good to be home."

She nodded. Taking his hand, she drew him towards the shack. "Come on in, say hello to everyone. We've all missed you. Bo and Luke are gonna bust something, they'll be smiling so hard! And Uncle Jesse's gonna love that truck."

Laughing along with her, Lindsey let Daisy lead him inside.