Come Home

By: Lexxie Sparrow

Summery: How one family copes when the one that binds them together isn't there.

Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi. All characters belong to the original creators. I do own Shane, Katie, and Zack though.

Dedicatied to all of the soldiers that have been deployed and haven't come home yet.

She opened up the trunk of her car and picked up the bag of groceries before walking past the tall oak tree in her front yard with a yellow ribbon tied around it and into the two story house in which she lived with her three children.

She put away the groceries before looking up at the clock. It was almost three thirty. She had to go pick up Shane and Katie from school and get Zack from day care. She quickly grabbed her keys and walked back out of the door.

"Mommy!" Katie yelled rushing over to her mother as she got out of the car and bent down to wrap her arms around her five year old daughter as her seven year old son walked over to them.

"Hey! Are you ready to go?" she asked as they got into the car and put their seatbeats on. They both nodded and she kissed Katie on the forehead and ruffled Shane's hair. Most days it was hard to look at Shane as he resembled his father so much. Her youngest son had gotten more of his father's genes than hers too but with Shane it was sometimes hard to see herself in him. He looked and acted so much like his father.

"Did you have fun at school?" she asked the two of them keeping her eyes on the road. Katie was quick to answer with her story but Shane was hestiant to share. "Shane baby?"

"They made fun of me because we were supposed to bring our dads in today and I didn't bring Dad. I just brought a stupid necklace." Shane pouted slightly tickering with the chain around his neck as they pulled into Zack's daycare center.

She sighed quietly and looked back at her eldest child. "You know your dad would have been there if he could. Uncle Jay said he would go if you wanted him to."

Shane shook his head. "But he's not my dad, he's my uncle." he said befure muttering, "I hope Dad never comes home." That caused tears to come to his sister's eyes and his mother to look at him sharply.

"Shane Logan Cameron! Never, ever speak of your dad that way again you hear me. You know it's not his fault that he's not here." she told him before getting out of the car and going around to let them out. "Let's go get your brother." she said leading them into the daycare center to pick up her three year old little boy.

Of the three children Zachery was the only one that their father hadn't been there for their birth. She had written him not too long after she found out she was pregnant again and told him that he would have another child waiting for him. It was about three months after she had mailed the letter that she received one back telling her how excited he was to have another child and couldn't wait to come home to see him.

That had been almost four years ago and so far he had yet to come home and Zack had yet to meet his father. Luckily she had her friend Manny along with Manny's husband Jay who were always willing to share a story about their father with them. Wheither or not Jay always told the truth was a whole other thing. Most of the time he wound up streching the truth a lot.

Most days it was easy to cope with out her own husband around except on days like today. The days where the kids expressed their dislike for the situiation or how bad they missed their dad were the hardest. She had learned that those were the days she had to be her strongest. Not to show how bad being away from him was killing her and take care of her children.

When they arrived back at the house they found Manny and Jay out back putting burgers on the grill. The kids hugged them before going into the house to put away their backpacks and change ino their play clothes.

"Hey. We figured we would come over for dinner that way you wouldn't be alone tonight." Manny said hugging her best friend as they sat down around the table on the deck.

"Thanks guys." she said smiling slightly. "Jay would you mind talking to Shane? He had some problems today at school."

Jay furrowed his brow. "Was it about Cam again?" he asked flipping the burgers on the grill.

She sighed as she nodded. "They made fun of him because he brought in his dog tag that Sean gave him."

"I'll talk to him." Jay told her as the three kids came back outside. "Hey how's my favorite little nephews and niece?" he asked passing the spatula to his wife as he sat down in one of the chairs. As soon as he sat down Zack climbed up into his lap.

"Can you tell us the story about Daddy again?" Zack asked him as his older brother rolled his eyes. Jay and his mother both saw him.

"Keep rolling your eyes like that boy they'll get stuck that way." Jay told him sternly.

"Whatever. I just don't want to hear another stupid story about Dad." Shane said sinking down in his chair. "Dad's never coming home so why should I care about him."

Jay sat Zack on his feet before standing up towering over Shane by at least three feet and glared down at his oldest nephew. "If your father was here to hear that come out of your mouth it would kill him. Your father loves you more than anything in this world boy. The only thing he probably loves more is your mother. I don't care what those brats at your school told you but get over it." Shane glared up at him before storming back into the house.

"That wasn't what I meant when I told you to talk to him." she said before following Shane into the house. She found him upstairs in his room staring up at the ceiling. She knocked softly on the door before walking into his room. "Hey." she said sitting down on his bed next to him.

"Why hasn't he come home yet Mom?" Shane asked her quietly. She sighed not knowing how to explain it to her young son.

"Honestly baby I don't know." she told him.

Shane sighed and sat up on his bed. "The kids at school say that he left because he didn't want us anymore. Are they right Mom?" he asked looking up at her with his bright blue eyes filled with tears.

She wrapped her arms around her son and hugged him to her. "It's not true. Your dad left to fight for his country, to keep us and everyone safe. Your dad will always want you in his life no matter what okay." she said holding Shane in her arms.

They sat there like that for a few moments with her just holding him. "Are you ready to go back outside?" she asked him softly. He nodded and they both went back outside where Manny and Jay had finished up dinner on the grill.

They all stayed outside to eat dinner and talk. Eventually the kids when down into the yard to play as the three adults watched. Manny and Jay left the house about nine o'clock that night and she took the kids back in to get them ready for bed.

As soon as all three of them were in bed she went downstairs and poured herself a glass of wine before going back upstairs to her own room. She took a sip of her wine before laying down on the bed. Sometimes if she closed her eyes she could almost feel his arms wrapped around her as she slept.

She rolled over and looked at the picture of him she kept on the night stand next to the bed. "Happy aniversery baby. Please come home soon." she said quietly before closing her eyes.

She slept sounding for about three hours until she heard the phone next to the bed ring. "Hello?" she answered tiredly.

"Happy aniversery." the person on the other end of the line said making her smile.

She yawned as she sat up in bed. "Happy aniversery to you too."

"Did I wake you up?" he asked worried.

She smiled again at the concern in his voice. "It's alright. It's good to hear your voice. Even if it is three in the morning." she said jokingly.

He chuckled slightly before getting serious again. "I miss you." he told her softly.

She sighed quietly. "I miss you too." she said as she heard the door bell ring. "Hold on." she said getting out of bed and putting on her robe before going downstairs to see who would be ringing her door bell at three in the morning.

When she opened the door she gasped when she saw who it was. She threw the cordless phone to the side and wrapped her arms tightly around her husband.

"What are you doing here?" she asked not believing that after all this time he was finally home.

"They finally decided to send my troop home. We left early this morning." Sean said holding her tight in his arms as three pairs of footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. He kissed her and brushed a stray strand of blond hair from her eyes. "I missed you so much, Em." he whispered.

"Daddy!" he heard Katie shriek as she ran towards him. Sean bent down so he could wrap his arms around his daughter.

"There's my little angel. You've gotten so big." he said hugging his little girl before turning to his oldest son. "What? No hug for your dad?" he asked opening up one of his arms for Shane to run into.

Emma stood off to the side as her husband held two of their children in his arms as though his life depended on them. She felt something tug on her robe and looked down to see their youngest standing behind her rubbing his eyes with one hand and holding his stuffed bear tight again his small chest with the other.

"Sean?" she called his name softly to get his attention and motioned to the little boy behind her.

Sean looked over when his wife called his name and looked down to see the little boy peeking out from behind her. He took in the boy's small blue eyes and short blond hair that was ruffled from sleeping on it. Unlike Shane who had taken after himself Zack was the perfect mix of both himself and his wife.

"Zack?" he called to him softly remembering the name his wife had given the boy. He heard Sean call his name and hid behind his mother again.

She smiled down at the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay baby. That's your daddy." she told him gently.

Zack peeked out from behind her again. "Daddy?" he said shyly. Sean nodded and Zack walked over to him and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"I've been waiting a long time to meet you little guy." he said hugging his youngest son for the first time.

"Me too Daddy." Zack said causing them all to chuckle slightly.

She let them all stay up for a few minutes to spend time with their dad before telling Shane and Katie to go back to bed. "Go on guys. You have school tomorrow."

Shane and Katie pouted and looked up at Sean. "It's four o'clock in the morning and I just got home after being gone for four years. Can't they stay home for the day?" he asked her wanting to spend more time with his children.

"Please Mom?" they begged looking up at her with puppy dog eyes.

She sighed and leaned back in the chair she was sitting in. "Fine just this once." she caved. All of them stayed up for another hour or so before falling asleep together in the living room.

Not too long after they fell asleep Sean was woken up to the sunlight coming through the window and someone banging on the front door. He muttered to himself before getting up and laying Zachery back down where he had been laying before going to answer the door.

The shriek from his best friend's wife woke up the rest of them. "What are you doing here?!" Manny shrieked happily as wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"They finally sent my troop home. I got in about three hours ago." he said slightly glaring at the two them. "What are you doing banging on my door at seven in the morning?"

Manny's eyes widened as she looked in the living room to see the rest of the family just waking up. "We came to take Shane and Katie to school." Jay told him as Manny let go of Sean.

"We decided to keep them home today." Emma said coming into the foyer. "Since he just got home." she said wrapping her arm around Sean's waist.

"Oh well we'll leave you guys alone then." Manny said tugging on Jay's arm.

Sean sighed. "Why don't you guys stay? We're all up anyways." he said yawning. "Give me time to take a shower and I'll take you all out for breakfast."

She stood outside the house underneath the tree watching as her family got situtated into the mini van now having to make room for not only Manny and Jay but for Sean also. She grabbed one end of the yellow ribbon to take it off when she felt someone put a hand over hers.

"Leave it there, Em, please. There's still a lot of soldiers over there that haven't come home yet and there's a lot more that won't." She could see the haunted look in his eyes as he spoke.

She nodded and went to join the rest of the family over by the van. Sean took something out of his pocket and wrote something down on the wide ribbon. He smiled to himself before going over to the van, taking the keys from Jay and getting in the driver's seat. They drove off to get breakfast as the wind blew the ribbon on the tree with the words he wrote proudly displayed.

All gave some, some gave all. Honor the fallen and never forget.

The End