Hello.
This is it...the moment you've been waiting for. Here is the final chapter of Reconnected.
Enjoy.
Epilogue – 1 Year Later
Darkness, that what surrounds her at this moment. It's not surprising really since it has just passes 2am. Mitchie Torres lay wide awake in her bed, alone, anxiously waiting for daylight to rise so she can leap into the next chapter of her life. She was restless to say the least. Her thoughts were consumed by memories of this past year and what waits in her future.
Shifting to her side she ran a hand up the space that was usually occupied by her love, Shane Gray. Oh how she wishes she could curl up beside him and have him lull her to sleep. But, much to the dismay of the young couple, both her mother and soon to be sister in law made it their mission to stick to the old tradition of separating the bride and groom before the big day. Therefore, Shane was currently hauled up in some cabin with his uncle.
Accepting that sleep was not about to consume her anytime soon, Mitchie switched on the bedside lamp and roamed the cabin for something to occupy herself.
Gazing over the guitar she relinquished the idea of writing a song at this hour because she knows that if she starts writing she'll be up until dawn to finish it. Instead she grabbed the notebook that rested on the desk next to her laptop.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed she flicked through each page chuckling at the amount of ridiculous doodles that plastered some of the pages until she came face to face with the "diary" entry she'd written just over a year ago. Reading over the entry she marvelled at how things had changed within that year and on a whim she pulled out a pen and decided that reflection was the best thing for her to do.
I meant what I said that the chances of me writing something like this again was slim but sometimes I find it necessary to write something like this to free the mind.
Now where to begin?
I guess I should explain why I'm writing this at 2am, just hours before the biggest day of my life. In simple terms I can't sleep. Why? Because my mind is going into overdrive at the moment and the one person that can relinquish these jumbled thoughts has been exiled to the other side of camp.
Yes, you heard right, we are back at Camp Rock.
Who'd have thought right? I honestly thought that it'd be another three years before we came back here again but Shane kept true to his word and made sure that we came back soon.
Camp actually ended two weeks ago but in those weeks we've been rushed off our feet trying to get everything ready for tomorrow aka our wedding day. I know it's cliché to get married at the place we first met but honestly I can't picture having my wedding anywhere else. Not only did Camp Rock start my career, it also brought me to the love of my life and has been a place of solace when I needed it the most. So what better way to start this next journey at the place that started it all?
Truthfully Shane and I also wanted to get away from the public eye once again as this year alone has been a crazy rollercoaster.
From the moment we left camp last summer we were thrown into the dog house. Shane and I announced our engagement three days after camp and well as we assumed most people insinuated that it was an act to divert the negativity of our so called indiscretions.
The interviews following the announcement only wanted to know one thing...are we virgins or not? I mean seriously? I've said time and time again that all I want to be recognised as is a musician and yet instead of focusing on my passion for music they feel the need to dissect every inch of my personal life. It sickens me.
Anyways we got passed that and even though we lost a handful of fans, those loyal to us have been nothing but supportive. Both Shane and I knew the backlash of the articles wouldn't be good but if one good thing came out of it was that we were finally able to make the distinction between the fans that love us for our music and those that care about the superficial aspect of this lifestyle.
I was relieved to discover who the true fans were because instead of having a large fan base that picked on every little thing we did we have a smaller fan base that dedicate their time to supporting our music without kissing our asses.
So there's the summary on that incident.
Now onto the next dilemma which is the tension between Shane and his family.
For obvious reasons this was an issue that was highly emotional for us. You see 2 months or so after camp marked the anniversary of Shane's father's death and as a community they decided to honour him by holding a memorial service. Shane was hesitant to go at first because asides from visiting his family every now and then he's never had to dive headfirst into the memory he's been trying to forget.
The service therefore forced Shane and his mother to confront the demons his death caused. It was mentally and emotionally draining for all of us. After bottling up his emotions for over a decade Shane finally let go and confessed all of his thoughts and feelings to myself and his mother.
The best thing to come from the memorial is the fact that Shane has finally gotten the closure he needed to forgive himself for that night and lay those demons to rest.
Next up on the list is the reconnection...well the on-going road to Connect 3 reconnecting.
Yes you heard right, things are slowly being pieced back together of this broken band. First and foremost I want to say that it's has not been an easy journey. We took things one day at a time when it came to reconnecting.
The biggest issue we had to deal with was obviously Nate and our lack of trust in him. While we've forgiven him for the things he said and did there is still a slight barrier between us and him, one that we can hopefully diminish in the near future.
After many conversations and speculation Shane, Jason and Nate have decided to reunite Connect 3. At the moment they're taking baby steps and are simply hanging out and writing music for the fun of it. They've also decided that when the time comes too actually recording and releasing new music it will be by their own rules.
In related news Shane and I are no longer with our former record label. Once our contract came to an end in the spring we amicably went our separate ways. Instead we, by we, I mean Shane, Nate, Jason our manager Jeff and I are currently working on establishing our own record label to which we will work to our own schedule and won't have to deal with the pressure of releasing new music to a certain deadline.
Like I said, our friendship with Nate still has a long way to go but we are confident that in time we will reach that point where we can trust him again.
As for my friendship with Caitlyn well I've accepted that things can never get back to the way things were. It's best for both of us if we just went our separate ways and lived our own lives. Her level of betrayal is one that I can never recover from but I'm not going to hold a grudge. Instead I've chosen to let go and move on with my life.
I feel like I've written an essay right now and believe it or not I'm actually feeling a little drowsy. I guess releasing all these thoughts has soothed my mind.
On a final note I think it's time I get rest since tomorrow marks the next chapter of my life with Shane.
So goodnight and by this time tomorrow I will no longer be Mitchie Torres...instead I'll be Mitchie Grey aka Mrs. Shane Grey. God I love the sound of that.
Peace out ~ Mitchie (almost) Grey.
Tucking the notebook safely into the nightstand drawer, Mitchie fell into a blissful sleep as images of her brown eyed husband penetrated her mind.
Muffled voices and occasional giggles are what drew out of her dream filled slumber. Groggily opening her eyes Mitchie came face to face with her mother, Sophia, her grandmother, Lily, Shane's grandmother (on his father's side), Kayla, Tess and Denise. Each woman adorned matching mega watt smiles as they gazed at the bride.
"Good morning." Mitchie said stifling a yawn following a chorus of good mornings replied.
"So, how's our blushing bride feeling on this glorious day?" Kayla, Shane's younger sister asked as she flung herself next to Mitchie on the bed.
"Tired, excited and a little bit nervous…is that normal?" She asked.
Chuckling her grandmother, Sofia, sat down on her other side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder while saying "it's perfectly normal to be nervous darling, just remember that one you lock eyes with your groom all of those nerves will vanish into thin air."
"Exactly, when I saw Shane earlier he was literally being a paranoid freak and asking Brown to check on things ever five minutes. Boy has he got it bad for you." Tess added making everyone laugh.
"That's good to know…what time is it anyway?" Mitchie asked glancing at the clock to see that it's only 10. The ceremony doesn't start until three so she has plenty of time to get ready. "And what are you all doing in here anyway?" she added as an afterthought.
"Well for starter we thought we'd treat you to breakfast in bed." Connie stated placing a tray containing yummy goodness on it onto her lap.
"After that we have to start getting ready and well we have a few gifts we want to give." Tess added cheerfully.
"Plus we have to make sure you don't go running off to find your husband-to-be…or that he doesn't turn up here on some desire to see you before the wedding." Lily commented making everyone laugh as Mitchie's face reddened at the fact she was currently plotting to find a way to see Shane.
The giggles echoed through the cabin and they didn't go unheard by the man passing by. Steve chuckled at the elated sounds coming for the cabin his daughter was situated in.
He knows without a doubt that today is going to be a day no one will ever forget. Of course for any father, a daughter's wedding day is always bittersweet. Obviously Steve could not be happier to watch his baby girl enter this next journey of her life with the man she loves. But at the same time the realization that his baby girl is no longer a baby anymore is hard to accept. Steve knows that he's not the number one man in her life anymore and that today marks the day he finally has to let her go and embark this journey without him. He'll always be there for her when she needs him. Steve knows he and Connie raised her well and now it's time to let his baby fly.
Arriving at Brown's cabin, Steve came face to face with a very anxious Shane pacing back and forth barking orders at his uncle every few minutes or so.
"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet Shane." He commented semi-seriously.
"What?" he replied distractedly "No-no, I'd never get cold feet, I just need someone to go find out where the reverend is. He said he'd be here by 9 and it's now after 10. I knew we should've had him stay here instead take a two hour dive back to his home." He rambled, continuously pacing the floor which was beginning to get on everyone's nerves.
"Shane" Steve said placing both hands on his shoulders halting his movements. "You need to calm down ok. Reverend Walsh called a few minutes ago. There was a car crash on his way but he'll be here in half an hour max. Quite frankly all this pacing is really starting to get on everyone's nerves and you have no reason to be nervous anyway. Mitchie is with the girls giggling away like a little school girl. She's ready for this, just as you are." Shane stared at his soon to be father in law, his expression unreadable. "Don't make me beat you to a pulp on your wedding day. Mitchie would never forgive me." Steve teased causing Shane to breath out a chuckle. His shoulders relaxed so Steve let him go.
"Okay. I'm okay. Thanks Steve." Shane replied gratefully. "Did anyone bring me breakfast cause I'm starving?" he added as an afterthought. To which Brown motioned him to go to the Mess Hall, which had been made up for the reception since Mitchie was currently occupied in her cabin for the next couple of hours.
Sitting down on the table nearest to the window, Shane was joined shortly by Jason and Nate. Jason was talking a mile a minute about how excited he is whilst profoundly apologizing for not being able to get the doves for his master plan which ended up being an attempt to train two doves to carry their wedding rings. Knowing Jason's passion for birds he'd even gone so far to contact his bird sanctuary community to make an attempt at training them himself.
"So, are you nervous?" Nate pondered taking a bite out of his pancakes.
"Not really." Shane shrugged. Nate's eyebrows rose suspiciously. "Right, so that's why you were running around the place at 6am making sure everything was in place?"
Blushing Shane replied "How'd you know about that?"
"Your constant muttering and Jason's snoring woke me up. Dude you have nothing to worry about. Even a blind man can see that Mitchie is crazy about you."
"I just want this day to be perfect. She deserves this." Shane explained.
"Mitchie would be just as happy if you eloped to Vegas. She doesn't need a fancy wedding, she just wants to be your wife." Jason remarked.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this but Jason is right. You could be wearing a bin bag and she'd still say that this is the best day of her life." Nate added
"You really think so?" Shane asked to which Jason replied "we know so and you're a fool for thinking otherwise."
"Thanks guys."
For the rest of the morning the guys busied themselves with last minute preparations, greeting the family members that arrived earlier than intended.
Meanwhile, the girls were still in the cabin getting pampered. Their hair and makeup was done so each female retreated to their cabins to get dressed, leaving Mitchie alone for the first time today.
Grabbing her wedding dress she headed into the bathroom. Unraveling her bathrobe she unhooked the garment. It was a beautiful strapless tulle and lace mermaid dress. Carefully running her hand over the crystal brooch accenting the waist of it she slipped it over her head making sure it didn't catch one of the many hairpins placed to keep her luscious curls into place.
Just as she was about to zip up the back a timid knock on the door caught her attention. Connie peeked through the door and Mitchie smiled at her. She wore a mint green midi dress. She had a white box in her hand as she gazed at her daughter.
"Mind zipping me up?" Mitchie asked.
Placing the box on the counter she strolled over to her only daughter and carefully zipped the back of her dress all the while keeping her eyes locked on Mitchie.
"There we go." Connie commented afterwards.
Turning to face her mother she took a deep breath and asked. "What do you think?"
Holding back the tears that threatened to surface she said. "I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful bride."
"I'm sure you're being a little bit biased there mom."
"You look exquisite sweetheart…Shane's a lucky man."
"I'm the lucky one here mom. What's in the box?" She pondered.
"Well, you already have your something new so I thought I could provide the something old. Here" she passed the box to Mitchie who delicately opened the lid to reveal a wedding veil.
"This was your grandmothers. She gave it to me on my wedding day and well there's no one else I'd want to see wear it other than you." Taking it out of the box, Connie slipped the veil onto Mitchie's head.
Pulling Mitchie into her mother's embrace, Mitchie felt her eyes well up at the loving gesture from her mother. Words could never describe the gratitude she felt of having a mother like her. Her parents got Mitchie to this point in her life and it was them who kept Mitchie's belief that true love still exists.
"Mind if we come in?" a voice came from the doorway startling both the mother and daughter. Turning to the source of the voice, they came face to face with Denise and her grandmother.
"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Her grandmother Sofia remarked pulling Mitchie into yet another embrace.
"Shane won't know what hit him when he sees you darling." Denise stated making everyone chuckle.
"We come bearing gifts for you." Sofia stated pulling out a small rectangular box. Handing it to Mitchie, she opened the lid and revealed a delicate silver bracelet with blue topaz stones in it. Slipping it onto her left wrist, Mitchie pulled her grandmother into a loving embrace in thanks.
Once being released from the embrace Sofia stepped back so Denise could approach her. "All you need now is your something borrowed." She said and handed her the final box. In it was a pair of beautiful drop earrings. Each has four diamonds, one at the base, then a gap, then three perfectly spaced diamonds hanging one after the other. "They're gorgeous." Mitchie commented.
Once she put each earring in all three women bid their farewells. Once the women left Mitchie went back into the cabin and waited for the arrival of her father. Not a minute later he came bounding up the steps only to freeze once he sees Mitchie.
"You ready sweetie?" he asked offering her his arm.
"I've been ready for years." She replied lacing her arm through his and made their way to the dock.
~ Reconnected ~
Shane stood anxiously at the head of the dock overlooking the lake. The anticipation was killing him. The guests were all seated and all he wanted to see was his Mitchie.
Jason was stood next to Shane as his best man whilst Nate served as his groomsman. Jason had taken the role of being a best man to heart as he watched his best friend marry the woman he loved and hoped one day he could find a love like theirs.
Nate wore an amused expression as he watched Shane subtly wipe his sweaty hands on his black suit. That was until everyone fell silent.
As Mitchie's maid of honour, Tess came out first in a floor length cerise dress that complemented her figure well as she clutched a bouquet of pale pink roses.
Following Tess was Mitchie's bridesmaid; Kayla who wore bore the same dress as her and took her place next to Tess.
As the familiar sound of the wedding march began, Shane's heart raced. His eyes were fixed upon the entrance as the figure of his future wife appeared. He let out a breath once she came into view and felt tears well up in his eyes. Never in his life had he seen something so beautiful, so elegant and he thanked the heavens that she was his, now and forever.
Their eyes locked as soon as she set foot down the aisle and just as her grandmother predicted all thoughts vanished from her head as Mitchie gazed into the brown orbs that never failed to mesmerise her.
As she reached the end of the aisle, Shane stepped forward. Placing a kiss on his daughter's cheek, Steve passed her hand into Shane's. "You look breathtakingly beautiful." He murmured as they took their places at the end of the dock.
Reverend Walsh began taking them through the traditional beginnings of the ceremony. However, both Shane and Mitchie tuned out his words because all they could think about was each other. It was as if they were the only two occupants of the room as they held each other's gaze throughout the ceremony.
The couple had opted to write their own vows so Reverend Walsh motioned for Shane to say his.
"Mitchie, the day I met you I felt like a shadow of the person I am today. To say that I'd lost myself would be an understatement. For the longest time I never felt like I deserved to feel this kind of love and yet by some miracle God blessed me with you. You're the only person that loves and accepts me for who I am. When I met you I found that the barriers I'd built around myself crumble and I knew that what we have is indeed one of a kind. You see the world in a way that no one else does and you appreciate everything you've been given. You taught me to trust in my heart and most of all you taught me how to love. To spend the rest of my trying to see the world through your eyes, appreciating everything...including you is my biggest and proudest achievement. Nothing can compare to this moment and nothing can compare the way I feel for you, my wonderful, unique and most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes upon. I love you and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life showing how much I love you." Tears ran freely down Mitchie's cheek. Caressing her cheek he wiped away those tears.
"Mitchie, your vows" the reverend spoke softly.
"Shane, the day I met you I was an insecure little girl that was terrified of letting my voice be heard. You brought out a side of me I'd hidden and for that I am truly grateful. With you by my side I feel invincible because I know that no matter what we go through your strength will always guide us through it. I love everything about you. I love the way you challenged me like no one ever has. I love the way you look at me like no one ever has, and I love the way you love me like no one ever has. My biggest dream all centered with you. The only man I see as my husband, as the father of my children...as the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. I love you now and I'll love you forever."
"The rings please," Reverend Walsh asked looking at Jason and Tess as they stepped forward.
As Shane and Mitchie slid the rings onto each other fingers they spoke the words that will unite them as husband and wife. "This ring I give to you as a token of my love and devotion to you. I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your husband/wife. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours."
Reverend Walsh then spoke the final words of that marked the beginning of the rest of their lives together. "Throughout this ceremony, Mitchie and Shane have vowed, in our presence, to be loyal and loving towards each other. They have formalized the existence of the bond between them with words spoken and with the giving and receiving of rings. Therefore, it is my pleasure to now pronounce them husband and wife...You may now kiss your bride!"
Pulling her into his arms as her wrapped around his Shane needed no encouragement as he kissed her with every ounce of sentiment he was feeling.
"God I've wanted to do that for so long." Shane revealed once they pulled away causing Mitchie to giggle.
Holding up his hands the reverend motioned for the guests to quite everyone and made the announcement everyone wanted to hear.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you for the first time, Shane and Mitchie Grey."
~ Reconnected ~
The reception took place at the Mess Hall which had been transformed specifically for today. Upon entering the crowd roared with blessings as Shane pulled his bride in for another lingering kiss.
Leading Mitchie to the middle of the dance floor the familiar sound of 'When you Got a Good Thing' by Lady Antebellum blasted through the speakers as he wrapped his arms around her waist so that her body was flushed against his.
Twisting her arms around his neck her fingers played with the hairs at the nape of his neck. Connecting their foreheads Mitchie sighed blissfully and said. "Being in your arms is where I call home."
"Being with you is the best feeling in the world, Mrs Grey." Shane replied pecking her lips.
"My husband, forever" she stated.
"Forever and always...I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." He replied.
"Ditto" she said making him laugh as he placed another passionate kiss to her lips, dipping her backwards as the guests cheered on.
Several hours later the married couple found themselves in the back seat of a limo on their way to the airport for two weeks in the Caribbean.
Resting her head on his chest Mitchie let out a content sigh as he continuously ran a hand up and down her spine. No words were needed as the basked in the glory of finally being husband and wife.
Kissing the underside of his chin she said "I love you, you cookie cutter popstar."
Gazing lovingly at her he said "and I love you, girl with the voice" before lowering his head and heatedly connected their lips as they began their lives as husband and wife...forever connected as one.
THE END
So there you have it. The end of Reconnected.
So what do you guys think? Do you like it/love it/hate it? Let me know.
For those interested I have a list of the one shots I plan on writing in the events that took place before the epilogue.
Here they are;
- Smitchie's first public interview after the scandals. (Haven't quite decided if it's gonna be a separate interviews or a couples one)
- Shane and Nate's first meet up following camp rock.
- A memorial for Shane's deceased father shortly after Camp Rock. Including a flashback of how he died. It'll lead to Shane and his mum to talk about the period following his death.
- A Smitchie family one shot (A request by NverSayNver taking place after the epilogue...YAAY)
I might do a one shot on Connect 3's first performance together and a tell all interview with Connect 3 & Mitchie. Let me know what you think of it fist.
If you have any other ideas PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO MENTION THEM TO ME.
Also I just want to point out that it might be a while when I post these because I'm heading to university on Saturday and I won't have time to write.
Finally I just want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that has shown an interest in this story. I honestly never thought so many people would like it and I am truly touched by your feedback.
So please feel free to REVIEW and let me know what you thought and if you want request a one shot on something you'd like to see.
Until then hasta la vista
Much love xxx
P.S. if you're looking for a good book to read I suggest you read the Divergent trilogy (3rd book not release yet) by Veronica Roth. They are amazing!