Chapter 21

Beginning

The next month flew by. The show had been a major success for the Paris Circus and Monsieur Baldon couldn't have been more thrilled. With each day, Leon and Sora had slowly grown closer as well.

After that first night, they made an effort to spend time together and reconnect. Leon had told her how he took a break from Kaleido Stage as soon as he realized that she had ran away. He told her of all of his stories and how he had met Tia in England. He had laughed about it, telling her that he could have sworn Tia had been Sora when he ran up to her in Chinatown. Every day, he would reiterate how much he regretted his mistake and asked for her forgiveness again. Sora always laughed it off, stating that she had made some dumb decisions as well.

Sora let Leon in on the beginning stages of the pregnancy: how she found out, how she thought of the name, and how she had disobeyed the doctor's orders and started practicing soon after the birth. Leon winced at her last statement, but he knew she always did whatever it took to perform.

With the show coming to a close, it was finally time for them to return back to Cape Mary. Leon had called Kalos after the first couple of performances, letting him know where they were and what the situation had been. Though Kalos remained calm and collected on the phone, Leon knew he had probably been worried about whether either of his top performers was going to return. Leon smirked when he heard Kalos exhale at the very end of the phone call.

Kaleido Stage had still been running. Rosetta had a lot of leading roles with May as her partner. It had been doing well; however, Mia was running out of ideas that showcased the pair.

000

Leon turned to Sora as they walked down the back hallway after the last show. He was glad that everything had fallen back into place. Sora had been the only light in his life; she had been the only thing that had kept him going. His hand reached out to grab hers. He looked down at her as she grabbed his hand and smiled up at him. He smiled back.

They both changed out of their costumes and met back up in the hallway. Sora was carrying Layla when she knocked on his door to see if he was ready. They always walked home together after shows.

When they would reach their apartment building, he would always offer to hold Layla as Sora opened the door to her apartment. Layla visibly grew each week. Her hair was starting to grow faster than ever and she always had her signature flower in her hair. Leon was starting feel whole again.

He knew that they still weren't where they were before. He wasn't sure if they could ever be the same, but with each day, they were growing closer to it. Sora turned back around and retrieved Layla from his arms. She gave him a light smile before retreating to her apartment.

Leon stopped her, "Sora, wait."

She paused, her foot holding the door open. Leon continued, "Can I take you and Layla somewhere tomorrow?"

"Okay." Sora smiled.

Leon smiled back, "Good," and turned back to his own apartment.

000

Sora was starting to become her old self again. She had matured a lot over the last year, but her energy got its shine back. She had grown more comfortable with having Leon around again. He had always seemed willing to help with Layla. She never thought he'd make a good father, but so far, he's been more than willing to put in the effort.

She found herself excited again. She put Layla to bed and retreated back to the living room. Layla Hamilton had gotten back and she was sitting on the couch, drinking some tea.

"My flight leaves tomorrow," Layla stated as she sipped her tea.

Sora's eyes widened, "So soon?"

Layla chuckled, "Sora, I've been her for almost a year. Cathy's going to kill me if I stay any longer. Besides, the show is over and my job here is done." Layla smirked as she sipped again.

Sora knew what Layla meant when she said job. She shook her head. "Thank you for all that you've done by the way."

Layla looked at her and smiled.

"I can't wait to see what you're next production will be in New York."

"I look forward to seeing what you and Leon will do when you get back as well." Layla finished her tea and moved back to the kitchen.

Sora stayed on the couch and was lost in thought.

"Well, well, a fresh start, Ms. Naegino." Sora looked up at the spirit floating above her coffee table.

"Fool!" she whispered.

He only smirked at her.

000

Leon knocked on Sora's apartment mid-morning. She had woken up late, so she wasn't ready yet. Figures.

She invited him in as she made some coffee and toast. She offered him some, but he declined, having already gone throughout most of his morning by then. He went over to Layla's playpen and picked her up. He offered to get Layla ready since Sora hadn't been ready herself. She looked at him, eyes widened at first. But then smiled. "That'd be great!"

Leon carefully looked at the selection of clothes. He settled on a ruffled, white dress and a white and pink flower headband. He quickly changed her diaper and put her in her clothes for the day.

Sora came out of her room. She was wearing a nice, pink top and some nice shorts and sandals. She wore a cross-body purse and held a cardigan around her arm as well.

It was the perfect day in Paris. The sun was out and it wasn't extremely hot to the point that they would be sweating after five minutes outside. The air was dry and crisp as the sounds of the city hit their ears once they stepped out of the apartment complex.

Sora turned to Leon, "Where are you taking us?"

"You'll see." He was pushing Layla's stroller down the small streets of their neighborhood. Leon had guided them throughout some of the old streets that Sora deemed familiar. It's nice to spend time as a family.

Sora's eyes widened when they got to the end of the alley. The gate...

Leon looked down at her. "Leon…" she whispered.

"Come on."

They walked up to the gate as he carefully opened it. No one else had been inside at the time. He parked the stroller on a spot off of the path that didn't hinder any of the other graves. He picked Layla up and they walked to the three graves underneath one of the trees in the cemetery.

"I wanted to introduce my family to my daughter before we left." He whispered.

Sora smiled, "Oh Leon."

They kneeled as Leon held Layla up on his leg. He leaned his head in as he softly spoke to his daughter, "Layla, this is your grandmother, your grandfather, and your aunt. I know that they are somewhere up above watching over you," his eyes looked at his daughter, "they are your guardian angels."

Sora watched as Leon spoke. Layla just giggled and looked up at her dad. Sora couldn't help but smile.

000

They had booked a flight for the next day. Sora stretched her arms out, taking in all that Paris had to offer. She truly loved the city.

They were sitting in a small café off one of the side roads. Leon was looking down at Layla as she lay in her stroller. He looked up at Sora as she smiled at him.

"So we're really leaving tomorrow, huh?" She placed her elbows on the small table and rested her chin on her hands.

Leon nodded, "For now, yes."

She smiled, "Paris is a wonderful city, Leon. I'm glad that I got to spend so much time here." Her eyes crinkled as she smiled.

"It is," Leon looked out onto the little street, "I may not have had the best experiences here when I was younger, but I've grown to enjoy it more in these past couple of years. Going back brings back so many memories," he looked at her, "good and bad."

Sora reached her hand out to him. He looked at it as he let her hand rest on his. "I'm glad you ran after me."

Leon lifted up his glass of wine. "To a fresh start."

Sora giggled as she raised hers as well. "To a fresh start and a new beginning."

A/N: It only took me 6 or so years, but I finally finished this story. I apologize if some parts don't flow and there are a couple misspellings or format errors. I hopefully fixed the majority of the format errors. The documents on here are giving me some trouble. I've never been all that tech savvy. For anyone who read this story way back when, I hope this gives you closure. It gave me some. While I'm not interested in any of this kind of stuff any more, it was a cherished memory of mine and I was glad to revisit it. Happy 2015 everyone!