Reunion: Goodbyes and New Beginnings

Disclaimer:

I don't own Peter, Sophie, etc. I'm not using this for money. Yatsa, Yatsa, and Yatsa.

Claimer:

I own Xan, Nick, Cameron, and all the children. I own Malin as well.

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Reunion: Goodbyes and New Beginnings

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Xan stood in the middle of the Cliffhanger Girls cabin. She could remember every moment of her days at Horizon. Especially the first time she met Shelby…

"Hi."
Xan looked up. One of the other girls stood there.
- Hi. – Xan wrote on a piece of paper.
"Are You Xan?"
- Yes. -
"I'm Shelby." She said, sitting down.
- Pretty name. I had a friend named Shelby once. -
"So, umm, what are you in for?"
- My foster mom caught me & Nick getting high at school about four months ago. u? -
"My dad made a deal with a judge – Here, instead of Juvie."
- Oh. -
"Look. Sophie is going to take me and Juliette down to see some horses tomorrow and Sophie thought maybe you'd like to come with us."
Xan thought for a moment, - sure.

Xan smiled. She could remember meeting the rest of the Cliffhangers too. "So many memories." She whispered.

"That's true. There's a lot from here." Shelby said, looking up at Xan. Daisy was behind Shelby's wheelchair, smiling with tears coming down her face.

"What was it like after you left?" Daisy asked.

Xan sighed and closed her eyes, "Hard. I wanted to come back so badly, but I thought you guys would be disappointed. Cameron hadn't even wanted to run. He wanted to stay. It was more Nicky's idea. How stupid was that. Running away two days after graduation. We didn't even have a place to go. Mostly we lived on the streets, in shelters. We pawned a couple of things we stole from stores for money for food. We finally made it back to Syracuse. I was looking for Emily and Sadie and Zillah, but they moved away. I couldn't even find some old friends. John pasted away two years after our visit, and Claire died about a month before we got there. We went to see Sammy though. After that, we moved around. Spent a lot of time in Baton Rouge, looking for a few friends who used to take care of us. When we didn't find any of them, we went back to Washington. By that time Nicky was in Prison for manslaughter or something like that. I didn't really listen when the charges were read."

"Sounds like you guys spent a lot of time trying to dig up the past."

"We did. We also looked up old students, like Kat, to see if we couldn't get told about you guys. Something told me that I had to talk to you guys, but I never got anyone with a current phone number or an address."
"What about Sophie and Peter? You knew their phone number."

Daisy looked at her, curiously, "And you called my house a couple times."

"I couldn't call Peter and Sophie. That would've been like begging for them to take me back. And I know I called your house, Daze, but it was only like three or four times before I wrote the letter to Sophie and Peter. Besides, your son kept telling me that you weren't there."

"Yeah, well, Adam was in trouble for lying. Little squirt."

Xan sighed again, "Any more questions?"

"When you left, you were pregnant. And that was eleven years ago on the 30th. There's no way CJ is eleven."

Xan smiled, "Do you remember when we were choosing names for our future children on that hike just before you two graduated?"

Shelby and Daisy nodded.

"Do you remember the ones I chose?"

A look of surprise crossed over Shelby's eyes, "Sandra Maureen or Sandra Maura."

"Sandy is yours?" Sophie asked, walking in to the room, "No wonder the social worker said it was someone we knew."

"Yeah. The social worker was the same one that got me and Nicky our first foster home. She was willing to take the flight to you and Peter if it was going to make me happy."

"So why'd you pick us?"
"Well, I knew you and the husband had being looking for a sibling for J.D. and I knew you wanted a girl. I knew Sandy wouldn't be the age you wanted, but big brothers always protect their little sibs." Xan smiled, remembering Sammy, "Renee said she'd take Sandy to you and deliver a message. I told her what I wanted to say, but keep it anonymous."

"I should've known that Sandy was your baby when Renee told me that the mother wanted the name to be Sandra Maura or Sandra Maureen, even though it didn't matter because you'd see her again someday."

"Well, I knew I'd come home eventually. It didn't really matter what she was named, just as long as she was loved, and I knew you'd love her as much as you could. I would've given her to Daze, but I knew that you guys wanted boys."

Daisy smiled.

All of a sudden, a huge commotion began, and Xan could hear Auggie's voice.

The four women looked at each other, and then in unison said, "That's not possible!" Xan grabbed Shelby's chair, and they followed Daisy and Sophie outside.

And there stood Auggie, smiling as if nothing had ever happened.

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"You're dead."

Auggie laughed, "Scott, you can stop saying that now."

"But…But…You died, man. We were there when Curtis called Peter. Well, we were listening in on the phone, but Curtis said you were dead."

"I know, but when they got me to the hospital they revived me. I think they said something about a high blood loss and it was a miracle I was alive at all. Hey, even I was freaked! But I was more worried about Juliette and Shelby. When I asked about you guys, I was told you two were alright, and not to worry because the Scarbrows were heading to them, and that they'd come see me later. You guys never came, and they called my parents. They took me home and I never got a hold of my fiancée again. I thought maybe you would call me, but, well, you know."

"That's why there was never a funeral announcement." Peter said, "We obviously wouldn't have been told if he wasn't…passed on."

Xan smiled, "Juliette, I believe it's time that your engagement came to a close."

Juliette smiled, as both Britty-Angel and Bonnie-Ale flew into the lodge. Britty-Angel held an antique wooden jewelry box, one Hal had given Juliette, which he had told her to hold only the most important of objects in. And she had.

"Mama!" Bonnie-Ale exclaimed, "Look what we found!"

Juliette took it, "How did you find this?"

"It was in your room."

"The cabin? How…" Then she remembered. After Auggie 'died', she'd taken it into the cabin. Behind her bed, cut into the wall was a spot she had carved for razors. Instead, she'd put the box, covered it back up with a piece of wall, and then left. She'd never come back for it.

Auggie looked at her, "What's in it?"

"The wedding rings." She opened the box, and a note flittered out. She picked it up, "I remember this."

"Read it, Jules." Xan spoke.

"Okay." She took a deep breath, sat down, and passed the box to Auggie. She began, "To anyone who finds this, By now it's probably been a long time since anyone's even heard the names Juliette Elizabeth-Anne Waybourne or Auggust Cristos Ciceros. But know that they were in love, that they would have been married, and these are the rings that would have bound them together as one. But because of love for family, Auggust is dead. We will never be married, but he will live in my children. And I will always love him. With the greatest of love, Juliette Elizabeth-Anne Waybourne."

Auggie looked at the rings, "We have rings, we have witnesses, and we have the wedding party."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's do it, Jules! We've waited ten years for this, let's get married. I love you so much, and we've been waiting so long."

At that moment, the love Jules had stored with in her heart for ten years poured into her words, but she was speechless. Finally she gained back the power to speak, "Auggust Cristos Ciceros, I have been waiting ten years to hear you say this is the day we'll get married. Ten years, for you to say you still loved me. Of course, I'll marry you. I'd marry you even if it was my last day of life and I could only speak the words 'I Do'."

Nick smiled, "Alright, we've got a wedding to do, and we've got to do it in…"He looked at his watch, "six hours!"

"We need a paster, reverand, one of those!"
"Flowers!"

"Where are the other kids?"

Xan just stood there and laughed, "Guys, this is just like a certain wedding!"

Shelby looked at Scott and burst out laughing.

Nick looked between the group of people, who were all laughing now, "What's so funny?"

"Don't you remember Shel and Scott's wedding?"

"No."

That caused everyone to laugh harder, "They decided to get married about six hours after their graduation. Everyone went rushing around for flowers, a dress, chairs, a minister, and everything. You were the best man, but someone had snuck in some alcohol to celebrate and you were zonked! It was the funniest wedding I'd ever seen!" Ezra told him.

Everyone collapsed on to chairs and laughed.

From outside, Xan could hear someone calling her name.

"Xan! Hey Xan, wake up!"

"XAN ALEEZA NOELLESEN, GET UP!"

-*-*-

"Xan, come on!" Daisy whined.

Xan opened her eyes and looked around, "Where am I?"

"The infirmary. You had a fever of a hundred and ten." Shelby told her, matter-of-factly, "You've been delirious for about two weeks. Peter was worried that you were gonna die."

"I was out for two weeks?"

"Yeah. You had all of us worried. Even Queenie was worried."

With the mention of Juliette, Xan sat straight up and looked at the two, "What year is it? Where's Auggie? You can walk, right Shel? Nicky's not in jail, right?"

"Calm down!" Shelby said, confused, "It's January 31st, 2001. Auggie's in the art room painting something for Sophie and Peter. As far as I know I can walk just fine. And no, Nick's in the lodge talking to Peter about something relating to a new girl."

"And speak of the devil." Daisy said, as Auggie walked into the room.

"Hey, Xan. Peter wanted to know how you were. Guess you're feeling better."

"I guess so." She shrugged, and Auggie smiled.

"I'll see you later." He walked away.

Xan sat back, "There's no way that was a dream."

"What?"

"I said there's no…Nevermind." She sat back and smiled. 'Maybe one day I'll tell them…"

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The End

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Cassie Jamie

noahXfiles@aol.com

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