Hey guys! Look! I updated again!

Anyways, this chapter is the climax of the story. Funny that I was two chapters away from it when I stopped. It's the dramatic climax, by the way. Not the Austin and Ally climax. That comes later (if it comes at all) ;)

So…thank you to anyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, or silent read this. Really. Thank you. And especially to any followers that read this when I was first posting MONTHS ago and still continued after they saw last night's update: THANK YOU! I mean it with all my heart. I can almost guarantee that if the situation were in reverse I wouldn't be reading this anymore, which is kind of what breaks my heart.

Okay. Story. Don't own anything but Arynn or characters you don't recognize that might or might not be in this chapter or the following.

Last Time:

I was finally done with all my phone calls and it was about the time Arynn and I would be falling asleep. I would have tucked her in a couple of minutes ago, and now I'd be inching out the door, turning off the light and retreating to my bedroom.

I knew it would be hard for me to sleep, so I tidied up her room a little bit, picking up the baby dolls and the tutus and the costumes littering the floor. Her room was pink and green, her two favorite colors, and most everything in her closet matched.

I retreated to my bedroom after I was done, laying down and trying to fall asleep.

That morning, after a fitful night of very little sleep, I woke up and made myself an extra strong pot of coffee. I didn't normally need it. I just liked it. But today, the caffeine would be a welcome boost. I knew that I was in for something today. I could feel it. That pressure inside you that warns you something is going to happen, whether good or bad, nobody can tell. But still, the pressure was there and it was kind of freaking me out.

I called Trish, who told me that Dez had called her, completely ecstatic, an hour ago (and it was currently seven in the morning), and told her that he would be meeting Arynn this afternoon. Apparently he had turned frantic halfway through the phone call, asking what one was supposed to wear when meeting his best friend's four year old daughter.

This discussion had, apparently, led to him begging her to go shopping with him. So, Trish was waiting at the mall for him to show up and begging me to come and save her.

There was one problem with her idea: I hadn't seen Dez since I'd left. And I had no idea how he would react.

After a lot of pestering, I finally agreed, if only because it would get me out of the quiet house without Arynn. Obviously Trish would be alone with him while I was driving there, but then I would be there and all attention would be focused on me. Which, normally, both Trish and I wouldn't like, but it was Dez's attention, so Trish would love it being directed anywhere else.

I drove the familiar route to the mall, wondering, in the two hours that it took to get there, how I hadn't run into anyone when I went to visit my dad. Maybe I had and I was just too out of it to notice. Or maybe they all moved and I just didn't know it. I knew Austin had moved, though he still visited often from what I'd heard. I tried to make sure I avoided him when he returned.

Which led me to the question, how did I not know about the signing? I didn't stalk Austin, but I certainly kept my tabs on him, just making sure he didn't go killing himself doing something stupid or something. And if he ever did do something stupid, then I had always planned on telling Trish to pass an anonymous message to Dez to give to Austin. I never planned out what that message would be, but at least I had a plan right?

Anyway, my dad knew about the signing. But he had tried to keep it from me. Trish obviously knew about it, because she was freaking out about me leaving the store and tried to distract me. But why hadn't I noticed it in social media? What about the magazines? I was completely clueless and that was almost impossible these days.

I arrived at the mall just after nine o'clock. There were fewer cars than normal, mostly the mall walkers and older shoppers that didn't like the crowds. I ended up parking next to Trish's car, which was easy to find, considering it was a bright blue colored VW.

I pulled out my phone and texted Trish to let her know I was there. I never even look at my phone while I'm driving. I'm terrified of what might happen if I do. So, I wait by the entrance of the mall until Trish texts me back with a "Thank god! We're at Mini's!" and I hurry to the familiar restaurant.

Their backs are to me when I walk in, but soon enough Dez turns to get a package of ketchup for his mini hotdog and sees me standing there. He drops everything, including his jaw and comes bolting toward me. I'm wrapped up in a hug so tight that I can hardly breathe.

Once he finally sets me down again he just won't stop rambling. "Why didn't you tell us you were pregnant? What have you been up to? What's Arynn like? Who does she look like? Did you know that a fear of long words is called hippopotomonstrosisquipedaleophobia? (A/N no joke. Look it up) What did Austin say when he found out? What was it like to have a baby? When's her birthday?"

And as I laughed, grabbing his hand and leading him to the table, he continued until Trish told him to shut up. I tried to answer a few of his questions. Her birthday was April 15th, it was painful but worth it to have a kid, she looks just like Austin, and no, I didn't know that fact about long words. He smiled triumphantly at that and I felt a little happiness, being with him and Trish again. I'd missed this. I told him he'd have to wait until later to ask Arynn questions, which brought us back to the shopping dilemma.

We ended up shopping for about two hours because Dez couldn't decide what he wanted. He bought three different shirts (crazy patterns, of course) and new suspenders and bright pink and green pants (because I'd told him those were Arynn's favorite colors).

We made our way out to our cars and I pulled out of the parking lot before I heard Dez's call to Austin about bringing Trish and I along.

I pulled into Mimi's driveway just before Dez and Trish pulled in, which allowed me to get to the door first. I knocked, anxious to see my baby girl.

I didn't really get to see her before she slammed into me.

Austin had opened the door, only to be shoved aside by a flash of blonde hair. My breath was knocked out of me as her little arms wrapped around me. It only lasted about two seconds, but my heart was about 10 times warmer than it had been. She was safe.

She pulled away, not noticing her Auntie Trish and the strange man behind me. Grabbing my hand and Austin's she pulled us all the way up the stairs while laughing. Austin kept glancing at me from the corner of his eye, I noticed, but I was trying not to show it. I kept my focus on Arynn. At the top of the stairs, she turned and said, "Mama I had so much fun with grandma and daddy! We need to come back every day! They're so fun, Mama!" and I smiled in response, but inside I was breaking. We need to come back every day. I couldn't just snatch her away. She loved it here and Austin loved her and Mimi loved her and I couldn't take that away from them again.

Suddenly, Trish made a coughing noise at the bottom of the stairs and Arynn looked around me. "Auntie Trish!" she squealed, running back down the stairs and hugging her. Dez looked mildly frightened in the background, but he didn't have much to worry about.

I saw Austin's gaze harden ever so slightly as he looked from me to Arynn to Trish, knowing that Trish had known before he had. He took a deep breath, focused on Arynn and smiled again. There was no denying he would make a good father.

Arynn had finally noticed Dez. Her eyes were wide and staring and if I hadn't noticed the smile spreading on her face I would have thought she was scared. Instead she looked up at him without any of her usual shyness and said, "You're my uncle Dez right? I love your pants!" and she walked up to him and gave him a slightly less dangerous hug. Dez smiled wide just like her and said, "Really? I knew you would!" and with that, Arynn dragged her aunt and uncle up the stairs to meet me and Austin.

I was completely shocked that she hadn't been shy around Dez. I made a mental note to ask Austin about it later. But for now, I was told to wait in the hallway while Arynn ran into a bedroom. Trish, Dez, and I looked at Austin curiously, but I looked away, remembering all the old times exactly like this.

He looked back at us (or rather, Trish and Dez), "I have no idea. I haven't been allowed in that room for an hour now. Arynn and my mom are planning a surprise or something," he said, shrugging.

We waited for about 15 more minutes in an extremely awkward silence before one of Austin's very old songs (and Arynn's favorite) started playing. I tried to hide the blush swiftly creeping across my cheeks as I realized Steal Your Heart was playing. Shit. Why had I even let her listen to this one?

I felt Austin's gaze on me, but before he could say anything about my sudden embarrassment, Arynn came whipping out of the bedroom with a microphone and makeup on, her bright pink tutu glittering in the sun filtering through the open windows, and started singing.

For a four year old, her voice was pretty spot on.

After the initial shock, Austin, Dez, Trish, and I all started laughing. Mimi snuck out of the room, smiling triumphantly. She made her way across the hall without distracting Arynn and stood next to me. Reaching over and rubbing my shoulder, I could tell just how happy she was. And she was trying to tell me without words how much she loved Arynn.

As the song continued, I forgot about my previous embarrassment and enjoyed watching my little girl enjoy herself. Austin was mesmerized, so I took the chance to sneak a few glances at him. He was laughing and his eyes shone with that glint that loving someone always brings out. I wondered if he knew just how much Arynn loved him, even before all of this. Before she even met him.

There was one time, when I was watching some stupid gossip show, that they had come up with a pretty serious sounding scandal surrounding Austin. Arynn overheard a little bit about it, and insisted for weeks that "Austin Moon would never do anything that naughty". I had laughed, and told her that sometimes being famous made people do crazy things, but then they ended up announcing the story was fake. She never really let go of that, constantly reminding me that I was wrong and she was right.

By the time the song ended, Arynn was out of breath and flushed, but she took gulps of air and bowed to her audience, who gave her a standing ovation. She was beaming.

Somehow, in the next bit of time, I ended up going downstairs. Maybe that overwhelming family atmosphere was a bit overwhelming. Being with Trish was no big deal, because I had been friends with her before Dez and Austin came into my life. But being around them reminded me of everything we'd been through, everything we could have done if I hadn't gotten pregnant. Arynn was my life, and I'd rather die than lose her, but sometimes…well, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened. Or maybe, the problem wasn't me getting pregnant, but rather, me leaving that did our friendship in.

There was no way to tell.

Mimi made her way downstairs, presumably to get some snacks, and soon after Austin followed her. I was sitting at the kitchen table, making small talk with Mimi when he came in, looking suddenly serious. He pulled out the chair across from me, making Mimi and I go silent.

"Ally. I think we need to talk," he said. And that was that. I knew what was going to happen. He was going to tell me that he wanted to sue me for never introducing them. Or that he wanted sole custody. Or that he would report me. I took a deep breath and nodded stiffly, letting him know he could continue. He hesitated, waiting until Mimi left to continue.

"Look, I know that you've raised her by yourself until now Ally, but I just…well I want to be there for her. I don't care in what way, I just want to be able to see her. I've been thinking about it and I know that normally people in…similar situations go to court and negotiate custody arrangements and stuff, but I don't want to put Arynn through that. I feel like it would be really stressful…and I don't want to put you through that either."

By this point he was sort of rambling and I was sort of staring and it was all just sort of awkward, but at least we were sort of getting somewhere.

"And I can tell that you get worried and you get jealous when she talks about staying here or when me or my mom talk about her staying here and I want you to know that you're welcome to stay with her. Here. I mean, I know it's awkward and stressful between us but I just want to be in her life and if you don't feel comfortable then I won't get to be in her life and that…I don't think I can handle that Ally. I've already missed four years." He said, emphasizing the last part.

Guilt rushed in through all the walls I'd built up and I found myself looking down at the table again. I nodded and told him, "I know. And I'm sorry for that. I know I told you this, but I want you to know it really was what I thought was best for you. And, I mean, your career was just taking off Austin. What would you have done with a baby? But I won't take her away from you. Even if I could do that to you, I couldn't do that to her. Ever."

And with that, I stood from the table, and I could tell Austin was a little shocked, but he didn't say anything. He stood up as well, following me as I walked stiffly toward the door.

"Look…" I started, "I'm going to go for a drive to help me think this stuff through. You just make sure Arynn's happy and everything for a little while. I just need to clear my head. It's…kind of been a long two days, you know?"

He nodded enthusiastically, followed me out to my car, and asked me a question. "Ally, are you sure you're alright?" I could see worry in his eyes, which was kind of a shock after everything, but it made me feel a little warm inside and that scared me.

"Yeah, Austin," I answered, trying to ease his worry so that this feeling would fade, "but…being around you for this long. It's a bit like a slap in the face. Not necessarily in the bad way, it's just been a major wakeup call and everything just keeps coming back, you know? And everything that Jimmy said that night is still true Austin. Having Arynn in your life might ruin your career. He might be insanely angry when he finds out that you know." I hadn't looked him in the eye at all, and I went to open my car door before Austin's hand slammed down on it, keeping it closed. I was too shocked to stop myself from looking in his eyes.

And they were angry. He was practically seething, and I wondered exactly what it was that set him off. His voice was low and deeper than normal when he spoke, "what do you mean 'when he finds out that I know'? Did he know about Arynn?" I nod, unsure of what to do. "Are you kidding me, Ally?" he yells, anger directed fully at me, "How many people knew before I did? Dallas and Trish and your dad and Jimmy and not me? How does that make sense?"

I shook my head at him, trying to get in a word before he yelled loud enough for Arynn to hear. We had left the door open, after all. "Austin, Jimmy knew that night. When he was telling you I would ruin your career and you tried to defend me? You weren't listening. He was talking about me, but I think he knew I was in the hallway. I think he knew I'd leave. The only thing he didn't plan on was you finding that note and actually going after me. Hell, I hadn't planned on it either. But after you ran off, I was going to follow you. He stopped me, Austin. He told me that if I stopped you and told you what had happened, then you would never let me leave. And he looked directly at my stomach and told me that I would ruin you. So I left. I don't know how Jimmy found out Austin, but he did."

Austin was standing there, shocked. He was blubbering. "You were going to come after me? Ally, he told me you were cheating on me with Dallas. And then I saw you two hugging and…oh my god." He looked at me with this unreadable expression and it scared me. It looked like the way he used to look at me.

"Ally," he whispered, leaning closer to me, "the only reason we drifted apart…was because of Jimmy. Neither of us made the mistakes he told us we did. And I got to live out my dream Alls. And now I'm moving on to another one." Looking pointedly at me, and then back at the house, he was trying to tell me something but I refused to believe it. Or maybe him calling me Alls had sent my entire brain on some weird Austin-induced high and I just couldn't process anything.

His look and the way he was talking to me were frightening. I wasn't ready to have Austin back in my life like he used to be, and he seemed to be more than ready. I mumbled something about going for that drive, making sure I didn't make eye contact again and he sighed, pulling away.

Pulling out of the driveway was the hardest and easiest thing I'd ever done. I ran. That's what I did every time something crazy came up. But this time, I would have to come back, so what was the point of running in the first place?

I drove around aimlessly wondering about Arynn and Austin and what he was telling her about my leaving. Austin had eased some of my worries. About court. About him taking her from me. Still, I couldn't get that pressure off my chest, like something was going to happen.

I was wondering about our relationship when I stopped at a red light. I was about to head back to Arynn so I was going to take the left hand turn, then make my way back to Mimi's house. The light turned green and I hit the gas gently, easing into the turn.

I wonder if things would have been different if I had waited a few more seconds. If the light had lasted two seconds longer on red, or if it had turned to green two seconds earlier. I guess it's sort of a habit to think of things that way in these situations. To wonder how things might have been different.

All I heard was screeching tires. I looked to my right, halfway through the turn, only to see the blinding headlights of another car. I remember the face of the driver, looking absolutely terrified as he careened into my car, sending it flying. I wonder now if my face mirrored his. If maybe my face haunts his nightmares the way his haunts mine.

There were no more blinding headlights, and there were no more images of spinning trees, and there were no more screams coming from the cars around us.

There was just pain.

Promised drama ;) hope I brought it! Sorry to leave you guys on such a huge cliffhanger!