The Houstons made it back to their home while Rex did what any puppy would do. As they neared the house, Jeff and Heather spotted a police car stopping in front of the house.

“I can’t believe that old hag has done it again,” Heather moaned as Jeff parked the car.

Once the police car parked, police Lt. Jung left his vehicle as a man in his forties exited the black SUV behind the police car. He approached them quietly as the Houstons left their vehicle. “Mr. Houston, Mrs. Houston, can I have a word with you, please?” Lt. Jung asked, taking off his hat.

Jeff turned to George immediately. “George, take your sister in the house,” Jeff instructed. Whatever Lt. Jung was going to say, he didn’t want his kids to hear it.

George immediately nodded before gently pushing Erinna towards the house as she held Rex in her arms.

Lt. Jung and the man in the black suit waited until the kids were inside the house, then Lt. Jung started talking. “This is the director of the FBI field office for the state, Clark Butler,” Lt. Jung introduced before the man reached to shake Jeff’s hand.

“It’s an honor to meet the son of Howard Houston,” the man said, shaking Jeff’s hand.

“I don’t want to sound rude, and I would love to welcome you at any time in my house, but what is the purpose of your visit, if you don’t mind?” Jeff already had a bad feeling about the reason for their visit, yet, he wanted to disbelieve his intuition. He didn’t even want to think about the possibility of it happening.

“I would rather if we talk inside, if you don’t mind, Mr. Houston. The matter is serious,” the man announced. It didn’t seem he wanted to talk outside, so Jeff and Heather decided to guide them inside their house.

Erinna and George walked into the house. Once inside, Erinna let Rex down, leaving him to discover the place. Rex remained beside her, so they walked towards the living room. Entering the living room, Erinna saw Angelo running with his mom chasing after him holding a plate in her hand.

“Angelo, come back here,” Hattie called, chasing after him. Angelo ignored her and kept running. She couldn’t find it in her heart to shout at him. After many failed attempts to give birth, he was her only child, and she had grown desperate before Angelo came.

“Angelo Sheldon Gavin, what are you doing?” Erinna scolded sternly. Her scolding immediately affected Angelo. He froze in his place before turning to look at Erinna. “You’re being naughty again?” Erinna raised her eyebrow, making Angelo look down in shame.

“It’s alright, sweetheart. Angelo was full of energy, and it was hard to catch up to him. He didn’t want to finish his breakfast,” Hattie said, trying to catch her breath.

“Is that so?” Erinna watched as George carried Rex and sneaked upstairs. Erinna decided to chase after him once she finished with Angelo. “Should Rin stop talking to Angelo?”

“Noooo,” Angelo protested, running to hug Erinna, although he could only reach her legs. “Rin, talk to Angelo,” Angelo said, sniffling.

“Be a good boy, and I will make your cookies today, ok?” Angelo nodded as Erinna reached down to wipe the tear from his eye. “Go and eat your breakfast, alright?” Angelo nodded again before walking to his mom.

“Thank you, sweetie,” Hattie thanked Erinna before walking away with Angelo to feed him his breakfast.

Erinna walked out of the room with a mission in mind since she couldn’t let George keep Rex to himself. That wasn’t fair. And she wouldn’t let it happen.

While walking upstairs, Erinna saw Alex entering her dad’s office. At first, she didn’t give it much thought and just went upstairs. Erinna noticed the police were with her parents. She hoped that Alex wasn’t in trouble, but she couldn’t think of any other reason they would want to talk to him unless it was about Uncle Robert. No, it couldn’t be, even though she had a bad feeling that something had happened.

Alex entered the office, and he immediately noticed the grim atmosphere. “Uncle, you called for me?” Alex asked. Seeing Jeff’s face, he didn’t look happy; this confused Alex.

“Yes, Alex, have a seat,” Jeff replied, pointing to the chair beside him. Alex took his seat beside Jeff and found that he was sitting between Jeff and Heather as Heather reached to hold his hand immediately. Jeff took a deep breath and started to talk. “Alex, this is Mr. Butler; he’s the director of the FBI state field office, and this is police Lt. Jung,” Jeff introduced both gentlemen sitting in the seat opposite him.

“Nice to meet you, Alex. I am not sure if you remember me, but I worked with your dad and his partner a couple of times,” Lt. Jung spoke, being the one with the most experience on how to break the news to young kids. Alex nodded; although he was confused, he did recognize Lt. Jung. “Alex, what am I about to tell you is hard, but it must be said. Yesterday, your father was shot and taken to the hospital. I am sorry to say, but he didn’t make it.”

Alex was shocked and terrified at once, and the shock was so great that he couldn’t even process what was happening. “But he promised me,” Alex said as tears started to fill his eyes. Heather immediately hugged him, rubbing his back as he exploded crying. “He promised me he will always come back.”

After Alex finally calmed down, Lt. Jung and Mr. Butler decided to leave, and Jeff went to see them off. “I will also visit your father and inform him, Mr. Houston. The man I admired for years, and to think the first time I meet him, I have to inform him of his son’s death,” Mr. Butler said, sighing.

Jeff’s father, Howard Houston, had a remarkable career in the FBI. At first, he led many cases as an FBI agent, and his computer skills helped him immensely in his career. His career saw even more success as a senior agent and later as the one in charge of the state’s FBI field office. He was known for driving organized crime bosses mad when they tried to increase their influence again in the state. He almost wiped them out completely.

Jeff walked back into the house as the two men got into the car and drove off. Jeff faced a tough situation; he had to explain this to the kids, his brother, and his sister. He worried about breaking the news to both George and Erinna since Uncle Robert was close to them.

It would be natural to worry about Erinna more, she was the more delicate and sensitive one, but he worried more about George. He would never let anyone see him cry; with the desire to look strong for his sister and young cousin, Jeff was worried about the burden George may carry on his shoulders. That boy reminded him of himself more and more, and he understood George the most.

Jeff returned to his office with a sigh, where he left Heather, trying to calm Alex. Alex now had become their responsibility, and they will make sure to take good care of him as they had always done. Walking into the office, Jeff could see that Alex was still in Heather’s arms, sniffling a bit.

Since Alex never knew his mom, he looked to Heather as his mom, and her presence meant a lot to him. Right now, she meant even more to him than ever before.

“I will go look for the kids; I will then have to leave for the hospital and prepare for the funeral tomorrow,” Jeff announced before walking out of the office again.

Heather knew that he was devastated by the news of the death of his brother. However, she knew Jeff very well. He would never show weakness in front of his family, and she would need to be with him today and tomorrow as a family. They stand together.

Jeff walked around the house looking for Erinna and George. He found Erinna; first, as the door was open to her room. Maria was on Erinna, tickling her before she managed to flip Maria over and tickle her as an act of revenge. Jeff knocked on the door, making his presence, causing the girls to jump in surprise. “Rin, could you find your brother and come to my office with him? There’s something serious I need to talk with you about.”

Although Jeff used her nickname that everyone seems to use now, he called her princess more than anything. Jeff’s tone surprised Erinna. He didn’t look that good. When Jeff turned and was about to leave, Erinna surprised him with a hug.

“Are you ok, daddy?” Erinna asked with concern.

Jeff couldn’t help but smile as he turned to face Erinna. Just like her mom, she could always lighten his darkest days. “Get your brother and meet me in the office, princess. I will tell you there, alright?” Jeff said, kissing Erinna’s forehead.

Once Erinna found George, they walked to her father’s office. Upon entering, they felt the grim atmosphere in the office. They also noticed how Heather was hugging Alex tightly.

“Take a seat,” Jeff instructed as George and Erinna took their seats. Not wanting to delay things anymore, Jeff went straight to the point. “Last night, your uncle was shot while on a mission. He was taken to a hospital but died during surgery.”

Both George and Erinna were shell-shocked. Erinna was first to move as she ran out of the room, with tears filling her eyes. They could hear Erinna slamming the door to her bedroom a few seconds later. George stood up with a pained expression and eyes that refused to shed tears. “I am going to talk to her, and I will stay with her; you don’t have to worry,” George announced before walking out of the office.

Jeff parked the car in front of the hospital and stopped the engine. He looked in the mirror at Alex sitting in the back seat. Alex was still devastated, but he was not showing it anymore. Jeff sighed, Alex was born a Houston, and he behaved like one, refusing to let anyone see his tears. “Let’s go,” Jeff said before opening the car’s door and walking out.

Jeff entered the hospital while Heather walked behind him, holding Alex’s hand to comfort him. When they entered the hospital, an officer in his suit approached them.

“Mr. Houston?” the officer inquired, to which Jeff nodded. “This way, please. We were worried that someone may try to mess with the agent’s body before the funeral, so officers were assigned to ensure that would not happen.” The officer guided them to the morgue, where two officers stood at the door.

Upon seeing his dad’s body, Alex’s tears flooded his eyes as he couldn’t hold them back. He has faced enough trauma for now. Heather looked to Jeff, who nodded as he led Alex out.

Erinna sat down in the living room in George’s arms at home. George could tell that Erinna was pleased to have a very caring big brother, he knew she was as sad as he was, but George still took care of her without hesitation.

“George, Rin, time for dinner,” Aunt Leslie called from the dining room. They were about to leave, but they all decided to stay when they heard the news. Although Liam had to go since Angelo had an appointment with his doctor, he promised to come to the funeral. They couldn’t just leave the Houstons at a time like this.

“Let’s go; you need to eat something,” George exclaimed softly. Erinna had refused to eat anything since breakfast almost 10 hours ago. He knew how both of their active bodies consumed a lot of food, so their mom always cooked them more than average kids eat, knowing they needed it.

Erinna didn’t feel like eating, but the look in her brother’s eyes made her give in. Her big brother was worried about her, and she couldn’t let him worry even more. She followed George to the dining room, where everyone sat waiting for them.

At the same time, they heard the front door being opened and closed again. Not soon after, Heather entered the dining room with Alex, and he looked devastated.

“Alex, you’re just in time, have a seat, sweetie,” Leslie said, pulling a seat out for him.

Alex looked up at Heather, who nodded, encouraging him to eat something. Never one to refuse Heather’s requests, Alex took a seat as Leslie and Lynn filled his plate with food. They all knew Alex as a sweet and shy boy. Alex had the same eyes as George and Jeff but had much darker brown hair. Alex was tall and strong for a kid his age. If Heather now regards Alex as her son, he can’t be less than a nephew for both of them. Nonetheless, he was a Houston; everyone was sure he was strong enough to get past this and live his life.

“Mommy, where’s daddy?” Erinna asked, looking towards Heather.

Heather smiled and walked to her daughter, kissing her forehead. She could see her daughter’s red puffy eyes, which pained her greatly. “He’s making arrangements for your uncle, sweetie. Dad will be late today,” Heather informed Erinna before taking a seat beside Erinna and taking her into a hug.

Heather knew Robert was a good man and a great father; he died a hero. He was someone Alex could be proud to call his dad. He was also a loving uncle, and her kids enjoyed spending time with him.

After dinner, Erinna tried her best to stay awake. She wanted to see her daddy before going off to bed, and she ended up staying up late until the front door finally opened. Jeff entered, and Erinna almost ran to the door when Jeff spotted her.

“Princess, you’re still up?” Jeff asked, lifting her in his arms.

“She didn’t want to sleep until she saw you,” Heather explained, walking to Jeff. They both shared a kiss before hearing Erinna’s soft snores. “I kept dinner warm for you in the oven. I can put Erinna in her bed and set a plate for you.”

“No, it’s alright, let’s just leave her be,” Jeff disagreed, holding tightly onto his daughter. Heather smiled as Jeff walked to the living room. He sat on the sofa before allowing Erinna to lay on his lap. Jeff stroked her cheek and listened to her soft snores. She was what he needed the most right now, his little angel. After dinner, Jeff carried Erinna to their room before placing her in their bed. “I think we can let her sleep between us tonight,” Jeff suggested, to which Heather agreed. That night they both slept while Erinna slept between them.