A/N: Thank you all for your warm wishes on my engagement and expectant bundle of joy. I gotten a PM or two asking the sex of my baby and I am proud to announce that I will be having a baby girl. Names are still undecided but the fiancée would like her to have a Korean first name but I want an African first name. We'll see how this will pan out. I am excited and very thankful though. A few of you asked if I endured similar instances with my fiancée's family seeing as how he was Asian and I was African-American and truth be told, I have; however, the man I am engaged to loves me beyond the end of time and stood his ground in my defense against his grandparents and his mother. Our families are not exactly a big, happy community but we respect each other for the sake of our relationship and growing family. Now, the moment has come and we are FINALLY at the end of this journey. Some of your questions may be answered, some of them may not. But fret not my dear kittens; I will do my best to tie up any loose ends. Enjoy my twisted, dark fantasies.

Phoebe

"You sure you want to go, Phoebes? I mean, it's not too late to back out from hoping on that airplane and coming back home with me."

I smiled at Helga, giving her a warm, tender hug. She was avoiding all eye-contact with me, finding the airport stadium seating much more appealing and less emotionally provoking than me standing with a few carry-ons. She had her hands nestled deep within her jean pockets as she swung lightly back and forth on the heels of her sneakers, kicking imaginary leaves for good measure. Though Helga would never tell me to my face, I could tell she was fighting back the urge to shed tears. Ever since I told her about my father's promotion, she had been conflicted with her emotions. She genuinely wanted to be happy for me and allow herself to put my desires before her own but she also wanted to be incredibly selfish and tell me not to go. My father told me of the news of his promotion two days after the fiasco with Gerald. He had given me the option of staying in the states to graduate and go onto college in Boston like I had originally planned; moving in with my aunt on my mother's side, Bethany, and her two sons on the uptown of Hillwood if I had chosen to stay behind. I would have to visit during the summers and major holidays but I would be practically living on my own. My father even offered to lease out a small studio for me to have once I started college and would help me pay the rent if I needed the extra finances. I knew leaving Hillwood on such an unexpected notice would be a sudden change and cause a heap of gossip to swirl around the halls of my old high-school, but, surprisingly, I told my father I would be moving to Japan along with my family. It took Helga a few weeks to give me her blessings, but she caved in a week before over coffee, telling me she really wouldn't be my best friend if she held me back from living my life instead of hers. I wasn't expecting something so profound to come from Helga but then again, nothing truly surprised me from her anymore. She was slowly becoming a woman and maturing into a less-abrasive, more loving compassionate person with the selfless thoughts of others before her own-slowly but surely.

I wiped away a stray tear, sniffling. "I would love to go with you Helga, but my flight leaves in twenty-minutes and if I leave now, my father would be rather hurt."

"What about me?" her voice cracked a bit. She cleared her throat. "I mean, who is going to take my notes when I play hooky with Arnold for an all-day make out session, or help me tease princess Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd, or plan the demise of Mrs. Perfect Lila, or- "

I watched Helga stop mid-sentence, biting her lower lip. We remained quiet for some time, careful to avoid interaction with the other, before I heard one of the stewardess call out that my flight was beginning to board. Helga and I watched both my mother and father get up from their seats and call out to me. They both gave Helga their last farewells as my mother embraced Helga a last time for a hug. I could see a few of those tears Helga had tried so hard to hold back begin to trickle down her cheeks, but she wiped them away as quickly as they fell. My mother told me to hurry and not dally. It gave Helga and I five minutes before I was forced to leave. "I'm going to miss you, Phoebes."

"Me too, Helga." I could feel my voice beginning to fade out as everything began to suddenly hit me. I was about to leave my best-friend, my family, my friends, my home, my life in Hillwood all behind to start a new one in a foreign country that may or may not be indefinite. It was uncertain as to how long my family and I would be in Japan but it was for well over a year I knew that much. I was susceptible to change and open to new experiences, but I was not suddenly so certain that this was the one I truly wanted to accept. "You know my father said he would pay for you to visit anytime you felt like."

Helga laughed, lightening the mood. "He better had. I'm going to hold him to that. I may feel like having sushi and them little dumplings with the pork for Christmas dinner instead of the cliché honey ham and Miriam's string bean casserole." She made a disgusted face at the thought. Her mother was not the best cook and often times would produce burnt food or alcohol-laced desserts in fits of panic; which happened more than quite often.

I giggled. "Of course, Helga."

"Don't you forget it, Phoebes."

"Not forgetting." I chirped. Helga and I took one last glance at each other before we huddled in our own last emotional embrace. This time, Helga did not bother wiping away her stray tears and allowed them to fall against the wool of my sweater as I shed my own, not wanting to pull away. "Take care, Helga."

"You too, Phoebes." We finally pulled away at each other, taking a moment to snicker at how much of a mess we looked. I took out a few spare tissues from my purse and handed Helga one, beginning to wipe away some of the running mascara I had trailing down my face. Helga graciously accepted the spare Kleenex. "God, I look like a moron; crying like a little sissy."

"You're not a sissy, Helga." I giggled, "You're just being a normal human-being and reacting to your best friend going away for an extended period of time."

"Don't remind me." She huffed, blowing into her tissue before handing it back to me. I was really going to miss Helga's antics and hearing her loud, aggressive voice in the morning before class. Every day we would go to Dolly's for doughnuts and I would dottily follow behind her, taking notes as she laid out the day's schedule and gave me my assignments. As much as it pained me from time to time with Helga's bossy behavior, I was going to miss her so much. Helga was nowhere close to being perfect, but she was growing and was my best-friend. I neatly folded her used tissue and placed it in a plastic wrapper, making a mental note to wash my hands thoroughly after I sanitized them with immense amounts of alcohol. "Well, you better get on that flight. The white lady with the red-hair has been gawking at us for a few minutes now." she scoffed. "I wouldn't want to break out ol' Betsey."

"You promise to call, text, and video-chat at least every other day? I know the time zones are different but I'll be willing to lose a few hours of sleep if you are."

Helga smiled, pinky-promising. She gave me one last hug before she watched me enter the terminal gate and head down the long corridor that lead to my plane. I had stopped to wave goodbye as I watched her disappear amongst a crowd of people. It took much of my willpower not to start crying again, but I managed to make it to my seat before breaking down. I suddenly began second guessing myself and questioning my decision on leaving. I knew no one in Tokyo and though I was somewhat familiar with the culture and customs of Japan, it was an entirely different thing on actually living there. I took it upon myself to check out a few books from the library and read on the daily life of an average person living in Japan, but I knew once I set foot on their soil I would be forced to make judgments from personal experiences and not from a fifteen year old library book. I was nervous and scared; worried about how I would adjust to life in a new country, make new friends, excel amongst peers within my caliber who vie for the same position I do. I sighed, beginning to look out the window. It was starting to flurry and I watched lazily as small snowflakes danced against the glass, melting almost instantly. I began to think about Gerald. He and I first kissed exactly five years ago to date; standing on his front porch in a similar flurry storm. I remembered I had forgotten to wear a hat that day and did not check the weather forecast to know it was scheduled to snow later that evening. I was dressed in a turquoise dress, sheer, white pantyhose, some kitten heels Helga had stolen from her mother's closet, and a pink pashmina. It began snowing as he and I returned from Slaucen's and my mother was a half hour late in picking me up. Gerald raced in his house and returned with a large, grey wool hat his mother had knitted for him and a matching scarf; wrapping it around my neck as he used his junior-varsity letterman jacket to keep me warm. I thanked him and before I could say much else, he leaned in for the kiss.

I pushed away a small tear as the pilot came onto the intercom and instructed that passengers put on their seatbelts; preparing to take off within the next few minutes. I felt my father place a loving hand on my knee, smiling. I forced a small smile back and took out my music player. Before I could even get comfortable and let my seat back, the pilot had announced a temporary delay due to an unruly passenger that just boarded the plane. I watched my father huff in frustration as he swore under his breath, taking a small sip of his wine provided from one of the waitresses in first-class. Then, I heard my name.

"Phoebe!"

I perked up and turned around, meeting a hoard of TSA security attempting to grab a man. My name was called again, this time much louder over the sounds of Taser guns going off. A few women in coach shrieked out as many of the first-class passengers turned to see what was going on. Then I saw Arnold, being handcuffed by TSA as he yelled out to someone in front of him to run. I watched in awe as a flash of red jump over a few of the seats and over a few officers, my heart beginning to race. Gerald.

"Phoebe!" Gerald called out to me, dashing up to first-class to my seat. He had closed the door that separated my section for all the others and used a small broom as a makeshift lock to keep security out. It was only going to hold for so long. He grasped my hands and kneeled down before me. I tried to say something but he cut me off with a brisk kiss, leaving me stunned and speechless. "Don't go, Phoebe."

It took me a moment to realize he had said something to me before I spoke. I lifted a hand and placed a finger upon my delicate lips, feeling sparks. Though Gerald and I had shared countless of kisses before, this one felt different; it felt right, almost like it was meant to be. "G-Gerald…"

"I'm sorry about Ariel, I'm sorry about the infidelity, I'm sorry about it all. Just don't go, Phoebe." He paused, stroking my hair. I blushed. "I can't do this without you."

I took a small look around as saw that all eyes were glued on me and Gerald, my mother smiling softly as my father, amazingly, did the same. I watched as Gerald reached into his sweatshirt and pulled out a blue, satin box, earning a small gasp from my mother and a few other women. He opened it and revealed a solid gold ring with a heart-shaped diamond nestled within the middle. I was taken aback, clutching my heart as my breathing grew more ragged. From the looks of it, Gerald had spared no expense on the ring. "I used every dollar I had in my checking account and cashed every check I had gotten for my birthday to buy you this from Tiffany's. You deserve the best Phoebe Heyerdahl and I love you."

"Gerald!" I finally breathed, still unable to speak on anything else.

He smiled and placed it on my right ring finger. "It's not an engagement ring but it's a promise ring that leads up to it."

I studied it, marveling at its beauty. I never owned anything from Tiffany's before and the fact that it came from Gerald made it even the more special. I wanted to kiss him and allow him to whisk me into his arms then and there but the harsh banging against the door brought me back to reality; the makeshift 'lock' breaking as TSA began trying to break down the door. "Gerald, are you crazy!?"

"In love, yes." He gripped my hands tighter, bringing himself closer to me. "Please stay in Hillwood, please don't go around the world. I realized I could not live a life without you in it."

"But Ariel-"

"Does not compare to you, Phoebe." He placed another kiss, pulling back to gaze into my eyes. I watched him slowly break down as he knew his time was quickly running out. Arnold served as a distraction long-enough but it was inevitable for him and Gerald to avoid some type of jail time. "Please."

I looked at my mother and father who just kept smiling, leaving the decision entirely up to me. I kept looking back at the ring and at Gerald, flabbergasted. This was the moment any girl would have dreamt of having; a complete scene from the Notebook or The Vow. Here before me, I had the love of my life pledge himself to me and me alone and give me a rather expensive ring that symbolized his eternal commitment to us and our relationship. I fought the urge to cry. "Gerald…."

The bangs on the door grew much louder, TSA beginning to yell out for Gerald to get ready to be detained and prosecuted for 'terrorism' and 'trespassing private property'. I took one last look at Gerald, my heart aching in agony as I removed the ring. I placed it back in his hand end enclosed it with a kiss. As much as I wanted to be with Gerald and start over new, it was best we had some time apart from each other before we could even think about being in a relationship again. I was still heartbroken as to how he had treated me these past few weeks since our breakup and I knew as much as he loved me, he would never be fully accepted into my family with open arms because he was African-American. I watched his mouth slowly part open as small tears cascaded onto my fists. I gave him a final kiss before I whispered that I loved him. It was just not our time yet. As much as it pained him, he accepted my decision; returning my kiss with passion and all the love he had for me in a single swoop. Before I could pull away, TSA had broken into first-class and assaulted Gerald to the ground with full force. I tried to help him but TSA had brought in the SWAT team for extra safety and I was guarded from his arrest by two huge men in all black with shields and batons. They had read him his Miranda rights before handcuffing him and dragging him off the plane to the cheers and delight of a few assholes. I watched diligently from my window as security escorted Gerald and Arnold to a holding facility across the platform, the flurries of snow hitting them softly as gusts of wind moved them back and forth. I saw Gerald turn to me one last time before he was pulled away; my tears not being able to be contained any longer. About ten minutes later, the plane was being geared for takeoff. I clutched onto my arm rests tightly as lights went out. I tried to compose myself but I inevitably failed. My mother tried to console me with a small hug as my father tried to talk to me but I politely nudged them both away, wanting to be alone. I placed my headphones in my ear as I began to grow further and further away from the home and love I once knew. Christina Aguliera's 'You Lost Me' began to course through my ears, the smooth, soulful timbre of her voice bringing my soul to slowly fade away. It was ever so appropriate. Maybe…just maybe…we would meet again.

A/N: Okay, so I hope no one hates me now. I did not want some cliché, Disney movie ending. This is real life and in real life situations, as a woman, I would have left too. HOWEVER, do not fret my dears because I have a sequel in the works! Yes, yes! Try and contain the excitement but it will be up by next week. Since I am starting my last year as an undergraduate the 27th, I will not be updating as frequently. However, I vow for at least one update per week and if I fall behind, do not be afraid to shoot me a PM to get me in gear. Thank you to everyone for reading and I hope you stay tuned for the sequel. Much more turns and twists in store so fasten your seatbelts. You never know what goes in my dark, twisted fantasies.

-SensuallyPassionate