The morning after Keizer's visit, the Fernandez house woke slowly.
Sunlight streamed through the windows. Birds chirped outside. Somewhere in the kitchen, Tita Gema was already clanging pots.
Normal sounds.
Peaceful sounds.
Jay opened her eyes slowly, warm and comfortable. Keifer's arm was still around her, his breathing deep and even.
Grazel Jay had been moved to Grace and Denzel's room during the night—Jay vaguely remembered Keifer carrying her upstairs, tucking her in, pressing a kiss to her tiny forehead.
Our future.
The words echoed in her mind.
She turned slightly, studying Keifer's face in the morning light.
Relaxed. Peaceful. Younger somehow, without the weight of everything on his shoulders.
She reached up, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead.
His eyes opened immediately.
"Sorry," she whispered. "Didn't mean to wake you."
He smiled—sleepy, soft, just for her. "Yes, you did."
"Maybe."
He pulled her closer. "Hi."
"Hi."
They lay there for a moment, just breathing together.
Then—
"JAY! KEIFER! BREAKFAST!" Tita Gema's voice shattered the peace.
Keifer groaned. "Every single morning."
Jay laughed. "You'd think you'd be used to it by now."
"I'll never be used to it."
"Come on. She made food."
"She always makes food. That's not special, that's TERRORISM."
Jay kissed his cheek and slipped out of bed. "Coming, Tita Gema!"
Keifer watched her go—hair messy, wearing one of his old shirts, looking like everything he'd ever wanted.
Our future.
He smiled and followed.
Breakfast was chaos, as always.
Tita Gema had somehow produced enough food to feed a small army. Eman was beside her, looking proud of the spread. Jasfer was already eating, despite Tita Gema's attempts to hit his hand with a wooden spoon.
"WAIT FOR EVERYONE!"
"I'm HUNGRY!"
"YOU'RE ALWAYS HUNGRY!"
"THAT'S A SIGN OF GOOD HEALTH!"
"THAT'S A SIGN OF BAD MANNERS!"
Jay's grandma cackled from her rocking chair. "LET HIM EAT! IF HE DIES OF HUNGER, WHO WILL ANNOY ME?"
Jasfer: "Thank you, Ma!"
"I DIDN'T SAY IT WAS A COMPLIMENT!"
Serina sat gracefully at the table, looking elegant even in a simple morning robe. She caught Jay's eye and smiled warmly.
"Good morning, anak. Sleep well?"
Jay nodded, sliding into the seat beside Keifer. "Yeah. Really well."
Serina's knowing gaze flicked between them. "Good. You both needed it."
Percy entered dramatically, throwing his arms wide. "GOOD MORNING, FAMILY! BEHOLD—MY FACE! RESTED! HYDRATED! FLAWLESS!"
Aries, already seated: "No one cares."
Percy: "You care. You're just in denial."
Aries: "I'm in DENIAL about being related to you."
Percy: "Step-related. Important distinction."
Aries: "Not important enough."
Ella appeared beside Aries, sliding into his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Morning, everyone. Aries, your coffee."
Aries took it gratefully. "You're my favorite person."
Ella: "I know."
Aries: "Don't let it go to your head."
Ella: "Too late."
Keigan and Keiren came running down the stairs, sliding into their seats with the grace of small hurricanes.
Keigan: "Is there PANCAKES?"
Keiren: "I want ALL the pancakes!"
Tita Gema: "THERE ARE ENOUGH PANCAKES FOR EVERYONE. CALM DOWN."
Keiren: "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CALM DOWN!"
Keigan: "Same."
Jay laughed, watching them.
Keifer's hand found hers under the table.
She squeezed.
Grazel Jay appeared in the doorway, rubbing her eyes, bunny clutched in one hand. "Tita Jay?"
Jay's heart melted instantly. "Come here, baby."
Grazel Jay toddled over, and Jay lifted her onto her lap. "Sleep well?"
Grazel Jay nodded, snuggling against her. "Missed you."
"I missed you too. But now we have pancakes."
Grazel Jay perked up. "Pancakes?"
"Pancakes."
Grace smiled from across the table. "She's been asking for you since she woke up."
Denzel nodded. "You're her favorite person."
Jay kissed Grazel Jay's head. "She's MY favorite person."
Keifer watched—that soft look on his face again.
Percy noticed. "Oh my god, Keifer, you're doing the FACE again."
Keifer: "What face?"
Percy: "The 'I'm imagining our future children' face. It's VERY obvious."
Keifer's ears reddened. "I don't have a face."
"You ABSOLUTELY have a face. Jay, look at him. He's doing it RIGHT NOW."
Jay glanced at Keifer, then smiled softly. "Let him dream."
Keifer: "Traitor."
Jay: "Your traitor."
Percy: "JAYFER IS DISGUSTING AND I LOVE IT."
After breakfast, the house settled into a comfortable rhythm.
Keigan and Keiren had claimed the living room for a video game marathon, Grazel Jay "supervising" from between them. She wasn't playing, but she was VERY invested, cheering and booing at appropriate moments.
Keigan: "KEIREN, GO LEFT!"
Keiren: "I'M GOING LEFT!"
Grazel Jay: "GO LEFT!"
Keiren: "I'M GOING LEFT!"
Keigan: "NO, THE OTHER LEFT!"
Keiren: "THERE'S ONLY ONE LEFT!"
Grazel Jay: "LEFT IS CONFUSING!"
Grace watched from the couch, smiling. "She's going to be a gamer, I can tell."
Denzel: "She gets it from me."
Grace: "She gets everything from you."
Denzel: "Including her beauty?"
Grace: "That's from me."
Denzel: "…Fair."
Tita Gema was in the kitchen, already planning lunch. Eman had stayed to help, the two of them bonding over their shared love of cooking.
Eman: "If you add a little bit of calamansi, it brightens the whole dish."
Tita Gema: "You're RIGHT. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?"
Eman: "Section E."
Tita Gema: "I'M ADOPTING YOU."
Eman: "I have parents."
Tita Gema: "I'M ADOPTING YOU EMOTIONALLY."
Eman: "…I'll allow it."
Jasfer had found a karaoke machine somewhere and was attempting to set it up in the corner.
Jasfer: "Every family needs karaoke. It's the LAW."
Percy: "Whose law?"
Jasfer: "MINE."
Percy: "That's not how laws work."
Jasfer: "IN THIS HOUSE, IT IS."
Serina sat beside Jay on the patio, watching the morning unfold.
"You know," Serina said quietly, "I never thought I'd have this again."
Jay looked at her. "What?"
"Family. Peace. A home." Serina's eyes were soft, distant. "For so long, I was just surviving. Hiding. Waiting. I didn't let myself hope for more."
Jay reached for her hand. "But now?"
Serina smiled—warm, real, full of light. "Now I have more than I ever dreamed. You. Keifer. The boys. This chaotic, wonderful family." She squeezed Jay's hand. "Thank you, anak. For everything."
Jay's throat tightened. "I didn't do anything."
"You did everything. You kept Keifer going when I couldn't. You protected my boys. You gave me a reason to come back." Serina's eyes glistened. "You're not just my future daughter-in-law. You're my daughter. In every way that matters."
Jay leaned against her shoulder. "Mom…"
Serina kissed her hair. "I know. I feel it too."
They sat there for a long moment—mother and daughter, bound not by blood but by choice.
Inside, Keifer watched them through the window.
Jasfer appeared beside him. "They're good together."
Keifer nodded. "Yeah."
"You know Serina and I are just friends, right? Best friends since childhood. Nothing more."
Keifer raised an eyebrow. "I know?"
Jasfer shrugged. "Just making sure. Percy started a rumor that we were secretly together."
Keifer snorted. "Percy starts a lot of rumors."
"True. Last week he told Tita Gema that I was secretly a spy. She believed him for THREE DAYS."
"Was she mad when she found out?"
"She was DISAPPOINTED. Said spies were more interesting than businessmen."
Keifer laughed.
Jasfer clapped his shoulder. "Serina's like a sister to me. Always has been. And you—" he looked at Keifer seriously "—you're already my son. Have been since you were a kid pining after my daughter."
Keifer's ears reddened. "I wasn't pining."
"Son, you wrote her name in your notebook. WITH HEARTS."
"I was TWELVE."
"And forty, probably. Some things don't change."
Keifer couldn't argue with that.
The afternoon passed in comfortable chaos.
Rory and Edrix had returned to do another security sweep, both muttering about "vulnerabilities" and "encryption protocols" and "who designed this system, a toddler?"
Angelo supervised, looking satisfied with their work.
Ci-n had convinced Rakki to bring him back, claiming he "forgot his emotional support pillow." Rakki had seen through this immediately but came anyway.
Mica and Calix arrived with snacks. ("We figured Tita Gema could use reinforcements." Tita Gema immediately added them to her "favorite children" list.)
Mayo and Kit came to "evaluate the post-drama aesthetic." They deemed it "acceptable but needing more plants."
Drew arrived with money, ready for new bets. David came with him, already looking for a place to nap.
Josh appeared silently, sat in a corner, and radiated calm.
Baster brought a small keyboard and was composing something in the corner.
Freya showed up last, pretending she was just passing by. No one believed her, especially when she immediately sat near Edrix.
Freya: "I'm not here for you."
Edrix: "I didn't say anything."
Freya: "Your face said something."
Edrix: "My face is neutral."
Freya: "Your face is ANNOYING."
Edrix: "You keep saying that."
Freya: "Because it's TRUE."
Edrix smiled. "Sure."
Freya: "Stop smiling."
Edrix: "I can't. It's my face."
Freya: "Change your face."
Edrix: "Can't do that either."
Freya: "You're impossible."
Edrix: "And yet here you are."
Freya opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
Nothing came out.
Percy, watching from across the room: "THEY'RE HAPPENING. IT'S HAPPENING."
Rakki: "Percy, SHH."
Percy: "I CAN'T BE QUIET. THIS IS HISTORY."
Eren wandered in late, immediately spotted Freya, and walked toward her.
Edrix's expression flickered.
Freya saw it.
Eren: "Hey, Freya, right? I was thinking—"
Freya: "No."
Eren: "I didn't even ask—"
Freya: "Still no."
Eren: "But—"
Freya: "Walk away."
Eren walked away.
Edrix: "Smooth."
Freya: "Shut up."
But she was almost smiling.
As evening fell, the chaos mellowed.
People found spots around the house—couches, chairs, floor cushions. Tita Gema passed out snacks. Jasfer finally got the karaoke machine working and was belting out a ballad. Percy joined him, turning it into a duet that was either terrible or brilliant—no one could decide.
Jay's grandma had woken from her nap and was tapping her cane to the beat.
Keigan and Keiren had finally paused their game and were sprawled on the floor, Grazel Jay asleep between them, bunny clutched tightly.
Grace took a photo. "For posterity."
Denzel: "For blackmail when she's older."
Grace: "Same thing."
Jay sat on the patio steps, watching the stars appear.
Keifer found her there.
"Hey."
"Hey."
He sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched.
"Big day tomorrow," he said quietly.
Jay nodded. "J&S has that meeting with the investors. The ones Keizer tried to poach."
"You ready?"
"With you beside me? Always."
He smiled—soft, private, just for her.
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment.
Then Jay spoke. "Keifer?"
"Yeah?"
"When this is over—when Keizer is finally gone—what do you want?"
He considered the question seriously.
"You. A house." He paused. "Kids. Someday. When we're ready."
Jay's heart swelled. "How many?"
"How many do you want?"
"I'm asking you first."
He thought. "Two. Maybe three. Enough for chaos, but not enough for a sports team."
Jay laughed. "That's very specific."
"I've had time to think about it."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I want that too. All of it."
He kissed her hair. "Then that's what we'll have."
They sat there, wrapped in each other, surrounded by the warm chaos of family behind them.
The future was uncertain. Keizer was still out there. The fight wasn't over.
But tonight—
Tonight, they had this.
And it was enough.