Hey Everyone! Been a very long time, I know. However, I have been dealing with some stuff, the most important thing of that is finding another job. So stuff has taken precedent over this story. Not to mention my SEVERE case of writer's block. I'd think of an idea, but then throw it out the door because I didn't like it and it wasn't the muse talking.

Anyway, this is one of 3 final chapters to this story. Hope you enjoy the long awaited return of Fate and Destiny.

In order to pull her plan off perfectly, Lela spent a lot of time with Mack and Struts; often causing Mack to miss her lessons with Brady and the three of them hanging out with the group. Brady would've grown concern, if it wasn't for the fact that Mack never canceled on their dates. The past few times they surfed and had picnics on the beach, watching sunsets. Sometimes Mack's grandfather would come out and chat with them. Eventually, Brady began to notice something didn't quite add up with Mack's situation. She'd been with them for a couple months now and he worried about her life back in the city she had to return to. He felt unsure about how to ask her about it; of course, Lela brushed him off when he asked her about it, given that they seem to share everything. This didn't seem to help the depressed mood that the thoughts brought the blond haired surfer. Though what bothered him even more was the fact that despite all their time together, Mack still could not remember him; yet she remembered everyone else. Butchy thought he was over reacting to this and told him so when they were hanging out at his garage.

"So what if she can't remember you yet?"

"We've been spending a lot of time together lately and yet she can't seem to get one memory of me." Brady pointed out.

"Geez Brady, lighten up!" Struts told him. "Girl's been back 2 months."

"Yet she remembers you guys but not me."

"Hey, no one ever said she remembered me completely; or Butchy and Seacat for that matter. Point is: that she didn't remember Lela right away. It took them shopping together. Certain memories can be associated with certain people. Just lay off the girl. And I thought you were cool with it."

"I am…or was until I realized something. How can I be alright with all this when she's going back to the city soon and I'll never see her again? Not even sure why she's here. I mean she said 'vacation', but no one from the city has a vacation this long. That's one thing I'm sure of."

"Brady, just deal with it. Who knows? Maybe she had a ton of vacation time saved up or is taking a sabbatical. I hear some people do that. From what I've got from talking to her, she was a bit of a workaholic. Believe me, I used to be one, if I hadn't almost burnt out and had been saved by Butchy here." Struts defended, giving Butchy a small smile.

"So here's a question: If it turns out that Mack is like that chick in that chick flick with that guy, who was in that dancer chick flick Lela tricked us into watching that one time, and she never regains her memories of you, do you love her enough to stick around? I know you say you do, but there's a difference between saying and doing, you know." Butchy shot at him.

That night as they strolled down along the beach, their bodies close to each other, holding hands. Mack as always enjoyed spending her nights like this. For the first time in her life being with a guy felt right, and despite everything that people had told her the past two months, she still felt unsure why. Yes, she remembered some of them, Lela mostly. But there was always that blond boy in the picture she left back in the city that she could not fit into all of this; and she was sure he did. She knew eventually Brady's patience with her will disappear and he might not want anything more to do with her.

"So, when do you head back?" Brady asked, without thinking. "I'm sure your friends are missing you. But Mack didn't mind, and just smiled at the notion that some of the air between them was about to be cleared.

"I'm not, actually."

This sort of surprised Brady. "Really? I mean it's evident the beach life is coming back to you, but...really? Why?"

"There's no life for me there. My aunt has passed and I was in a dead end job anyway. Plus, I didn't really fit into the social classes that flocked around." Mack admitted. "Why, you tired of me already?" She teased.

"No." Brady replied quickly, before realizing the teasing tone of her voice. "I waited 10 years to see you again, wondering what had happened and why you never came back. Pretty miserable 10 years."

Mack noticed something in Brady. "So, 10 years ago you were really into me, huh?"

"Never stopped being 'into' you." He said, somberly. "Was really hoping you'd stay, so you could eventually remember me."

"And if I never do?"

"Then I'll have to live with that, I guess."

"Guess you will." Mack smiled. "Cause you want to know something? Kinda into you to the point where I'd fight girls off you. And I don't mean that figuratively."

Suddenly, any doubt Brady had disappeared and he felt as happy as he did the first time he saw her a couple months ago. He did the only thing he could do at that point, kiss her. Much to his satisfaction, Mack didn't pull away and kissed him back. As they pulled away from the kiss, he noticed the satisfactory smile on Mack's face and gave her a questioning look.

"What?"

"Just wishing I'd known years earlier that surfers are better kissers."

"What?"

"Long story short, I was under mistletoe. First, and last, time I was kissed, until now."

"So, I don't have fight any guy for your affections?" He asked, as they began walking back to Mack's grandfather's place.

"Oh, did Butchy teach you how to fight?"

"I happen to know Karate."

"And about a couple other Japanese words? Or did you actually go and learn Karate?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, stopping the young couple in their tracks. Realization dawned on Mack.

"Oh my god. The boy in the picture. That's you!"

"What boy? What picture?"

"There's a picture of me and this blond boy that I've had for as long as I can remember."

"And you just now figured out it was me?" Brady's mind was having trouble unscrambling the situation.

"Well, I did loose a bunch of memory." Mack spouted back. "Holy shit! The movie...we were in Wet Side Story. The evil guy and his stupid henchman had tied us up so we couldn't foil his plan and...and that's when I realized I'd fallen for my best...my best friend." Mack said, looking up into Brady's eyes. "I..." After the admission, Mack couldn't form any concrete thoughts.

"Is that all you remember?" Brady asked, still grappling the situation.

"Yeah, sorry." Mack replied, after thinking for a second, feeling sad she couldn't remember more. But those thoughts disappeared as Brady picked her up and spun her around, laughing a contagious laugh.

"You know how cliché this is right?" He told her as he put her down.

Nodding her head as she smiled, she agreed, continuing to laugh at the situation.

Thanks for taking time to read this. Hope it was worth the wait. I promise that in the next few days I'll have the final 2 chapters up. Typing them as we speak.

Thanks to everyone who stuck with it, despite the HUGE gap. And a BIG THANKS to DynamicGiraffe for messaging me and thus in a way kick starting the creative juices again for this , almost abandoned story.

WildGypsyWoman12