He calls her Sarah.

She calls him Jimmy.

They have a five year old daughter. She has eyes as blue as the ocean and soft golden curls. Dimples dent her cheeks when she smiles, and she always smiles. She has her daddy's sense of humor and her mommy's generous heart.

Jimmy and Sarah and their sweet little girl live on the third floor of a building that housed a button factory during the Great Depression. These days it serves as the one and only homeless shelter in Bradbury, Idaho – the town they call home.

It's been almost six years since the magician named Nora Clayton had placed them here and helped them build new identities. They were here for two years before receiving word that the bounties were officially clear and their lives were no longer in danger.

They talked about going back to being Bass and Charlie. They talked about moving and starting over again, but the idea did not appeal to them at all. They have built a life here, and it is a life they love. Once they'd told Nora their decision, she'd finally allowed them to reach out to Miles and share their location.

Miles, who had retired shortly after he'd said goodbye to Bass and Charlie all those years ago, has been living in Vegas with Duncan ever since. The two had flown to Idaho the day after hearing from their old friends. The reunion had been sweet, and the look on Miles's face as he held his grandniece had been purely beautiful.

Miles and Duncan had caught them up on all the news they'd missed. There was a lot of it...

Jason Neville had eventually been captured and charged with the murder of Connor Bennett as well as treason for selling military secrets. He'll be in prison for the rest of his life. He has given up ever finding his dad. He assumes Frank Blanchard killed him.

Randall Flynn's suicide was a surprise to all who knew him, as was the fact that he died with two framed photographs clutched to his chest. One was of his dead son, Eddie. The second was of the recently incarcerated Jason Neville.

Not quite two years into his sentence, Frank Blanchard was found dead in his cell. His hands and ankles were bound and his back was criss-crossed with angry red welts. It wasn't the whipping that had killed him though. Nobody knows who snapped Frank's neck while he was trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey, and the truth is, nobody cares.

The Summer day is warm, but box fans are situated at all the windows in the dining hall, stirring enough air to make the space comfortable. Jimmy and Sara and their two employees are handing out apples and peanut butter sandwiches and little cartons of yogurt. Their daughter sits at a corner table under a big window with a box of crayons and a coloring book. She hums happily to herself, surrounded by familiar faces and sounds and smells.

Sometimes she takes a break from coloring to deliver juice boxes to young children who are visiting with their parents.

On this particular day, Charlie is helping an older gentleman by taking his tray to his table. "Here you go, Ed."

Bass walks up behind his wife, and taps her on the shoulder before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "Good day today. Just gave out the last of the sandwiches. Oh, and I think Betty found a lead on a job."

Charlie beams up at him. "That's great! I have news too. Arnold has agreed to go to AA meetings."

He laughs. "He's taken his sweet time, but I'm glad he's finally coming around." Bass squeezes her shoulders. "It was a good day, huh?"

"Yeah. A great day." Charlie leans up and kisses his cheek. "Hey, where's our little princess? She was just here."

Bass smiles, nodding toward a far table. "She's over in her usual spot. No worries."

Charlie feels a sense of peace like she's never felt before. Wrapped in Bass's arms and watching their precious little girl makes her feel complete. "Thank you," she whispers to her husband. Her voice is husky with emotion.

"Thanks for what?"

"For everything. For loving me. For trusting me. For our baby girl. For taking me in the first place."

Bass feels a swell of love surge into his heart. After all he's been through and all he's lost; he never thought he'd ever feel so content again. "Pretty sure I'm the one who should be thanking you. For not running when you had the chance and for giving me a second one."

Ed looks up, smiling around a mouthful of apple. "Oh, get a room you two."

Bass grins down at Charlie. "He has a point. You try to convince her to put away her crayons. I'll make sure the others have everything under control with clean up. Meet you back here in fifteen?"

"Deal."

The little girl is feeling sleepy, but she isn't ready to take a nap - at least not till she's done with the picture she's coloring. She hums to herself as she colors, loving her spot at this table where the sunlight streams in, warming her. This location also provides a good view of the entire dining hall and she likes to see what's going on.

A friendly looking man approaches her sunny table and stands close, watching her. The little girl looks up through golden curls, taking him in. Her blue eyes shine with welcome as she smiles at the stranger. "Hello."

He smiles back. "May I sit with you?"

She nods and her curls bounce as she sets down her green crayon. "Of course. My mommy always says our house is your house."

"You live here?"

"Upstairs with my mommy and daddy. We like to help people. That's what we do here."

"It looks like you help a lot of people. I think that's great."

She scoots over. "Do you need help?"

"I just wanted to visit. Is that okay?"

"Sure. Would you like to color with me?"

"Not right now, but thank you for asking." The man slides into the seat beside her. "What's your name?"

"I'm Ciera King. I'm in Kindergarten. Did you know I was named after a car?" The little girl scrunches her nose in distaste. "I wish they'd named me Elsa or Ana."

"It could be worse. They could have named you Cadillac or Honda or Ford." The man's eyes twinkle as he teases the little girl. "I think Ciera is a lovely name and it is perfect for you."

She tilts her head curiously, reaching up to tug on a tendril of the man's longish hair. "I guess it's okay. Sure wouldn't want to be called Honda." She giggles before yawning. "I like your hair. It's kind of like mine." Ciera rubs at her eyes tiredly, but asks her new friend, "Are you hungry?"

He shakes his head no, laughing at the way she switches topics so quickly. "Not right now, but thank you for asking. You are a very kind little girl."

She looks up with wide solemn eyes. "Nobody should be hungry. Not ever."

"Is that also something your mommy and daddy always say?"

She nods but can't contain another big yawn.

"You look sleepy. Maybe it's time for a nap?"

"Maybe." She gets up and starts to walk away but turns quickly to face her new friend again. "I almost forgot. What's your name?" she asks. "Will you stay here very long?"

The man smiles, his brown eyes twinkling. "My name is… well, you can call me Hermano."

Ciera giggles. "That's a silly name. Were you named after a car too?"

"Nope." His grin is wide and his brown eyes sparkle with joy. "I think we're going to be great friends, Ciera. As for how long I stay - well, that all depends on you. I'll stay as long as you'll have me."

"Our house is your house," she says again. "So, I guess - welcome home!" Her tired little smile fades into another yawn. "I think I gotta go take that nap now. I really am sleepy. Good bye, Hermano."

"Happy dreams, Ciera. I'll see you again soon."

Charlie is waiting for Bass when Ciera walks up with arms raised. "Pick me up?"

"You are far too big for -"

Ciera tilts her head and looks at her mom with exhausted blue eyes. Charlie sighs with a smile, and picks up her daughter. Ciera nestles her face against her mommy's neck. "Love you, mommy."

"Love you too, sleepy head."

"I have a new friend," the little girl mumbles tiredly.

Bass joins them as they near the stairwell that will take them upstairs. "Oh yeah? Who was it this time?" he asks. "Cinderella? Rapunzel? That snowman that talks?"

"Be nice to her," Charlie scolds with a smile. "Imaginary friends can be an important part of growing up."

Ciera is almost out, her long lashes shadowing plump cheeks. "Wasn't Olaf. Was Hermano."

Bass stops short and looks back at the empty table where Ciera had been sitting by herself for the last hour. The afternoon light is warm and casts the space in a soft amber glow where small dust particles dance through the air like fairy dust.

Charlie kisses Ciera's head. "Hermano is a funny name. Are you sure he wasn't named Herman?"

"Nope. Name was Hermano."

"Well, that's nice." Charlie pats her daughter absently and turns to Bass, "Hey, you coming?"

"Yeah. Of course." Bass feels a lightness in his chest and he takes a deep breath before falling in behind them and patting his daughter on the back. "Hermano, huh? Do you know what that word means?"

Ciera's mouth has fallen slack in sleep. Charlie looks at Bass oddly. "Is it Spanish for friend?"

Bass's voice is low and raspy with emotion when he answers. "Not friend, Charlie. Hermano is the Spanish word for brother."

*** End ***

A/N One huge final thank you to all who stuck around. Leave a comment if you have a moment.