The Final chapter, you guys, enjoy it!

Rating and Disclaimer in first chapter.

Warning: None!

The Perfect Family

Epilogue

"When are they going to stop hounding us for an interview?" Stephanie asked Carlos as she deleted another message from a national news station, "It's been four months, it's not big news anymore, they can stop now."

Carlos chuckled and walked over to his irritated wife, bouncing their son in his arms. He leaned over and kissed her lips saying, "You're still big news, you survived being held prisoner to a man who's killed hundreds of women and got away with it. You got close with the woman said man kept locked away and she saved you from being fatally wounded. You're still a hot topic."

"I wonder what that makes Heidi?" Stephanie asked Carlos earning a chuckle, as he sat down beside her.

"That makes Heidi the woman of the year, I bet reporters have found where Diesel I hiding her and are trying to knock down the door as we speak."

"I hope she's alright," Stephanie said taking Ricardo from Carlos's arms, to feed him, "I called Diesel the other night, and Heidi's still going through intense therapy, I hope she's able to come to the party that you want to throw for Ricardo and I."

"She's an honored guest, she'll come, it's on one of her off days," Carlos said watching Stephanie feed Ricardo, "It's amazing this tiny creature is our child, he's so beautiful."

"And we're never leaving your line of vision again," Stephanie said with a smile, thinking about the last time she went out to the store. Carlos held her tightly to his side and they had four shadows behind them.

"Don't worry, you won't," Carlos said as Stephanie burped the baby, "Let's put him to sleep so we can have some cuddling time."

"I love how you think." Stephanie said, giving Ricardo to his father.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Hey Heidi," Diesel said walking into the living room, where his wife sat, looking at their old wedding album, "Are you hungry? I made some dinner."

Heidi looked up from the photo album and said, in a soft voice, "Thank you,Liam-Diesel! Please I'm sorry!"

Diesel rushed over to Heidi who began to have a panic attack. He grabbed her arms and said, hugging the woman, "Just breath, Heidi, it's okay, you're fine, you don't need to apologize, it's fine, it's fine."

"Please don't beat me! I'm sorry, so sorry, I didn't mean to!" Heidi sobbed, trying to push out of Diesel's grasp.

Diesel held onto Heidi as she sobbed and wheezed, murmuring calming words into her ear, until she went lax, sobbing softly into his neck. Diesel let go of Heidi and asked, "Better," wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yes, thank you," Heidi said, closing her eyes, breathing deeply, "I'm sorry that I had a panic attack, I-"

"Hey, there's nothing to be sorry for," Diesel said rubbing her shoulders, "It's alright, Kitten, are you still hungry, do you want to go to bed, the doctor said for you to lie down and to take it easy, stress is bad for the baby and you."

"Baby," Heidi said rubbing her swollen abdomen, "How...can you stand to look at me, I've been with another man for 20 years! I'm pregnant with his child, I thought you were dead, I'm such an awful person."

"No," Diesel, said firmly, grabbing Heidi's chin, "No you're not awful, this man blew up a building, and held you captive under the idea that it was you who blew up the building, you were his victim."

Heidi grabbed one of Diesel's hand and whispered, "I was never allowed to mourn your death, Liam told me to get over it, I don't know how to feel….Diesel….I don't know what to do anymore, everything seems so wrong, it's like my world is upside down."

"It's okay, Heidi," Diesel said hugging the woman again, inhaling her scent, "I thought you were dead as well, I've mourned you for 20 years, Heidi, and I wasn't a good man, I slept with many women, I was drunk all the time, I didn't care, all I wanted to do was to forget you, I wanted to forget that you were dead, but I couldn't, you were everything to me."

Heidi let out a sob and hugged Diesel tightly, "Diesel…you're my everything as well, I love you, I love you," letting go of her husband, and cupping his cheek, "Please, never leave me again."

"Never," Diesel said as a tear fell down his eye, "Never again, Kitten, as for the child you're carrying, don't worry, I'll be there for you both, this will be my child as well, I don't care Heidi, it's a part of you, and anything that's a part of you will be taken care of by me."

Heidi nodded her head and said, "You're a kind man, Thaddeus," leaning down to kiss her husband's cheek, "So kind to me."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Carlos," Diesel said, hugging the man tightly and shaking his hand, "It's been a bit, how are you and Stephanie?"

"Great, the baby's been keeping us up, but that's to be expected," Carlos said, looking over to Heidi, who stood in the doorway, looking around, "Heidi, it's good to see you again, how are you today?"

"Good, I'm a 4 today," Heidi said rubbing her arms, looking unsure of herself, "I'm a 4….."

"Stress levels, one through ten, ten being stressed out, one being calm," Diesel said to Carlos, before walking over to Heidi, "Hey now, let's go find Stephanie before more guest arrive, alright, yeah?"

"Okay," Heidi said, letting Diesel wrap his arms around her shoulders and lead into the large hall that the party was being held at.

Stephanie was sitting in a back room, holding Ricardo who was crying loudly. Stephanie let out a sigh and said, "You poor dear, you must be starving, don't worry, I'm going to feed you now."

Stephanie looked up as the door opened and Carlos walked in with Diesel and Heidi. Heidi's eyes lit up and she said, "Stephanie, you're alright!"

Heidi walked over to Stephanie, who got up to hug the woman. They hugged each tightly and Carlos had to grab the crying baby so that Stephanie could wrap her other arm around Heidi. Stephanie let out a tiny sob and said, "You're alive, Heidi, I thought you were dead when you took that bullet for me."

Heidi held Stephanie's hands and said, "I'm so happy for you, you're back with your husband…"

"I'm happy for you, as well, Heidi," Stephanie said, wiping a tear from her eye, "You have your husband back as well, you have your life back, and you have 20 years to catch up."

"I know I do, Thaddeus bought me every electronic known to man, he told me that I have so much to catch up on," Heidi said her eyes bright as Stephanie grabbed the baby, "He's gotten so big now."

"I know, he's hungry now, I have to feed him, stay with me, and we'll chat while the men can go and greet the guests," Stephanie said, shooing Diesel and Carlos out the back room, "Come on and sit, we have so much to talk about!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"You told me that Heidi had problems talking to people, yet, when she saw Stephanie, you could see her face light up," Carlos said leaning against the wall, watching people talk over the music.

"Well, let me tell you something, Liam, may he be rotting in the depths of Hades, kidnapped and killed 175 women in the span of 20 years," Diesel said, drinking deeply from his cup, "175 pregnant women that Heidi had to take care of, and out of all of those women, Stephanie was the only one to treat her like human being."

Carlos turned to Diesel and echoed, "Human being? What does that mean, Diesel?"

"In therapy, Heidi told us that when she took care of the pregnant women, they would yell at her, curse at her and throw food at to try to escape, of course it's only natural for them to feel like that, but they equated her to Liam, they called her a kidnapper that she would die, they were really awful to her, no matter what Heidi told them, they never saw Heidi as a victim herself, they only saw her as a jailer. Stephanie saw more than that, she was the only one to try to connect to Heidi. Heidi told us that it broke her heart that she couldn't become friends with the women, so she started to plant cherry trees for each woman, as a way to connect to them, and to keep them alive, in spirit, once they were killed by Liam," Diesel said, looking over to Carlos.

"You told me she suffered from Stockholm Syndrome and from severe abuse, I guess Stephanie was the only light in her dark world," Carlos said watching as Heidi and Stephanie talked softly to each other, "Stephanie told me that Heidi was the reason why she wasn't injured or had been abused. Heidi took all the abuse, she dealt with Liam's wrath so that Stephanie would have a safe pregnancy. Diesel, your wife has a heart of gold, keep her close."

"I am, though we have a problem, all of Liam's assets and properties have been willed to Heidi, and she doesn't know what to do with them," Diesel said turning to Carlos, "I told her to sell them off, to place the money in an account for the baby, but she told me she wanted to keep the house she had been held prisoner in."

"For what?" Carlos asked, looking over at Heidi, who was holding the baby close to her chest, "Why would she want to keep that piece of property."

"I don't know…she said something about creating a cherry farm or something…" Diesel shrugged just as Heidi and Stephanie appeared, "Hello ladies."

"Hello Diesel, Carlos," Stephanie said with a smile, holding the baby to chest and hugging her husband, "Heidi and I want to have a huge family vacation somewhere just the five of us."

"Anywhere in the world, all you have to do is say where," Carlos said kissing Stephanie and then the top of his child's head, "We'll leave now, if you want to."

"Good…" Stephanie said with a smile.

"Thaddeus," Heidi said looking up at her husband, "Thank you, for your time and your patience during all of this, I…I feel almost normal again."

"You were always normal," Diesel said with a smile kissing Heidi's head, "Don't worry about it, being calm and waiting for you to heal is what a husband should do."

Heidi let out a sound of contentment as Diesel placed a hand on her baby bump, "We'll be a family soon, I don't want a perfect family, what we have now is perfect for me…I have you and Stephanie and Carlos, Ricardo and a baby on the way, and that's all I need."

Heidi looked over to Stephanie and Carlos and then back to Diesel, "I've never felt so happy before…"

THE END.

(That's the end of the show! Hope you enjoyed it! ]:U Please leave a review, thank you!)