He didn't answer right away, taking the time to look around the table, to consider each of those who were there...and those who weren't. He thought of his sister, holding together a city barely learning to stand again. Last Winter's Crest had changed everything. He'd been given the greatest gift he could imagine. He thought of standing in the snowy woods, saying--and not saying--things that he'd honestly believed that he could never be allowed to say.

For years, he'd refused to use the word family. His family was gone, eradicated from the earth. This last year had proven that family could continue to grow.

"I'm happy," he replied quietly. "I'm happy to be here with you."