A/N: Okay, so I have changed it up a bit. I have added all four sections into this one ending chapter. So there is a look at a week, a month, six months, and one year in L.A. This means, this is the end, the epilogue, the finish. I just couldn't see dragging it out any more, it was getting painful to write, I couldn't concentrate on it and feel like I have not been able to give it the attention or the quality I wanted so I figured this would wrap it up well and everyone still reading could get a concise finish and I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore and can move on to other stories, probably one shots for a while, that have been dancing around in my head for months. I apologize again for the length of time it took me to update this, I hate that it took me two months to get the creative juice flowing enough to get this written in two hours in one night! But anyway, I hope whoever is still here enjoys this ending and feels as though it feels complete, I think it does. This is unbeta'd because I just wanted to get it out and up and over with. Thank you to all who are still with me and read this. I thank you for the feedback, the reviews, the favorites and the follows. I hope I didn't disappoint to badly.

One week in L.A.

After they landed, life seemed to take over quickly. There were people for Liz to meet, work for Darren to get to, and decisions for Liz to make about what she would do from this point forward. She spent much of that first week just trying to adjust and acclimate herself with this new environment. She spent time talking with Darren, with Joey, and with Dylan, settling into a routine with her new roommates. She settled into her new room, getting used to sleeping on her own again, without Darren and his body heat to cuddle up to at night. It was strange at first, for both of them, but she wanted to make herself be able to handle these little moments on her own. Plus, living together permanently, there were going to be moments when she wanted a break, even from Darren, and so she wanted her bedroom to be that safe haven she could turn to, to be alone.

Darren was gone much of that first week, working twelve to sixteen hours at a time on the Glee set or recording music. He felt bad leaving Liz alone for so long when she had just gotten here. He wanted to be able to be there to help her adjust, but thought maybe her being alone could help too because she would be required to do some things on her own. It wasn't like she was entirely alone either, Joey would be around, or Dylan, or both of them at any given time. She wasn't being pressured to find work or to go to school or to do anything, not by anyone except herself.

Liz wanted to feel like she had a reason to be there, like she wasn't there being a drain on Darren or anyone else. She talked to Dylan about this a lot in that first week. They had a lot of time together while Darren was working and they spent it talking about things that she hadn't trusted herself to talk about with anyone else. She felt very comfortable with him and found herself opening up to him more and more. She also found that if she took a double dose of her medication when she woke up, she had an easier day. She didn't pressure herself so harshly, she was able to open up more freely, and was able to see the world in not such a harsh and difficult light. This wasn't a big deal because when she moved out here, she had a full prescription from her original doctor and when she transferred and got a new therapist set up within the first couple of days of moving to L.A., he had given her another set of prescriptions, so she had both. She thought it was better this way, it's not like she was purposely abusing the medication she was on, it just made things easier, and wasn't that the point of it to begin with? Once she ran out of the original prescription she would just continue with the new one and not worry, by then she would be more settled and confident in herself and what she was doing.

One month in L.A.

The past few weeks had brought about a few more changes, a little more comfort to the situation, to the people she was with, and life in general. Liz had made a definite decision to begin school and was looking into programs at a few small community colleges to get her high school requirements out of the way and then begin the general education requirements needed to move forward. After much talk with Dylan and some with Darren and Joey as well, she had decided counseling was what she wanted to go into, helping kids who had it rough like she did. With Dylan's assistance and accompaniment she also began volunteering a few hours a week at a shelter in a rougher part of the city, and she this helped her make a few contacts who may eventually be able to help her once she got a degree under her belt.

Dylan spent a lot of time watching Liz over the course of the past few weeks after she had arrived as well. He noticed the days she was happier than usual, sadder than usual, when she seemed a bit strung out with life, or over excited for a while. He noticed when she would get a bit withdrawn for a while, go to her room for a short amount of time, and return minutes later, and how over the course of the next hour would become happier and more interactive with everyone in the house. He thought he knew what was going on and spoke to Darren about it. He had noticed too, but wasn't sure what to say about it and wasn't sure he wanted to admit that he thought he knew what the problem was. It brought itself to the forefront on its own when he heard Liz on the phone with the new therapist telling him she had lost her prescription and asking if he would write her a new one. She was clearly fighting a losing battle because she was getting more and more agitated by the minute. When she saw Darren standing in the entry way to the living room where she was, she quickly said she would call back later and hung up the phone.

"Everything okay?" he hesitated a bit, not sure where to take this conversation.

Liz nodded slowly, looking a little dear in the headlights and a little sad at the same time. It made Darren's heart hurt for her a bit.

"Are you sure? You seemed pretty, umm, upset there on the phone" he pointed lamely at the device in the girls hand.

"Yeah, just, I lost my script for my meds and I think they don't believe me and I only have enough for a day or two more so I was hoping they would refill it for me, they said they don't really do that so…" she trailed off.

"You still had a lot of your meds from before right? And then we filled the new scripts when you started the doc here?" he was trying to lead her, trying to get her to see that he got it. She nodded.

"So if we filled the ones you got here and you still had the ones from before…." He fell silent trying to give her time to say something about the situation. She didn't take advantage of it, she stood there, looking at the floor not saying anything for a while, finally she looked up, fear in her eyes and admitted that she had taken all of the pills. Darren didn't let his face change. He just nodded at her, thankful that she trusted him enough to tell him.

"Dyl and I thought maybe" he said quietly as he sat her on the couch next to him. "So, what are we going to do about it?" he asked, hoping she wanted to stop herself from the new addiction before it got even harder.

Dylan had been in the kitchen and slowly made his way to the living room, coughing lightly as he entered, letting them know he was there and hoping he didn't come across as an eavesdropper. They both looked up, Darren looking concerned, Liz looking sad, and embarrassed more than anything else.

"So, you heard? You knew?" she asked softly looking up at him. For some reason, seeing the concern and sadness in his eyes hurt almost worse than the look Darren had. She knew neither one of them wanted her to hurt or to be harmed by herself or anyone else, but seeing the look in Dylan's eyes, she saw it as disappointment, and she really hated the idea of having had disappointed him. They had gotten really close over the past month and she didn't want to lose that closeness.

"I,ummm, I actually got a few phone numbers if you want, some people, places, that might be able to help. I was concerned, I don't think less of you, I don't want you to feel bad or sad or anything else. Don't be mad at me, I just wanted to help." He pulled out his wallet and handed her a list of counselors, therapists, and even a couple of outpatient drug rehabilitation centers. She didn't know what to think of that. She kind of wanted to be really mad because they had made assumptions about her and talked to each other, but not to her, about those assumptions to begin with. She wanted to be sad that they had felt the need to get her help for drug addiction as if she was a crack whore or something. What she was, was grateful. She gave them both a small smile, took the paper from Dylan and gave a teary eyed thank you to both of them. They all sat in the living while she started making calls.

Six months in L.A.

Life changes again over the next months that Liz found herself in Los Angeles. She had put behind her old life a lot better than she thought she would have. It helped having Darren, Dylan, and Joey by her side. It also helped that she had started seeing her counselor a few days a week, evaluating her life, her past, her future. Now that six months had passed since the move, she was seeing the person once a week and was able to maintain her life and her priorities in a more positive way. She also had friends at school since she had begun to go to community college, and working quickly to finish off her GED requirements and would be starting her actual college freshman year when the next semester began. When the GED was completed, the boys took her out to dinner to celebrate. She was happy. Things were good.

Over those six months Darren and Liz drifted apart a little bit and it made them both a little sad. It wasn't that anything in particular had caused a riff between the two. They still very much loved the company and friendship of the other. Darren was still happy he had met the girl and happy that he had convinced her to come to L.A. with him. Each one of her accomplishments, no matter how big or small, still made him proud of Liz. Liz was still grateful for having met him on the beach that night, which felt so far behind her now, glad that she made the decision to follow him to L.A. and to give in and let him help her in all the ways she needed but hadn't known she had needed until he showed up there that night. It was simply a matter of timing. Liz was going to school daily, Darren was going to work on set or in the recording studio, not to mention appearances he had to make and all the things that went along with him being back in reality. They decided to make every other Saturday, a day for the two of them to spend together, to just be who they were back at the hotel. They would watch movies and eat junk and wander the streets or malls or go see a movie, do whatever they wanted, and they both loved those days.

With the slow separation of Darren and Liz, came the closer relationship of Liz and Dylan. It just happened. They became friends, they spent time together when Darren and Joey were both gone, they shared so many aspects of their daily lives that getting closer just seemed to happen seamlessly. After a few nightmares occurring for Liz and Dylan coming in to wake her up, he ended up staying in her room more often than not, holding her shaking form until she fell back asleep. He would drift off once he knew she was asleep but slept lightly, ready to be there again at the drop of a hat if she needed him. He went to counseling appointments with her from the very beginning so that she didn't feel alone. At first he felt a little guilty, thought he was maybe honing in on her relationship with Darren and didn't want either to think that. He talked to both of them separately about those feelings and fears and they both assured him that he was fine, that they were all happy with the relationship developing and that there was a close friendship between the two. Darren also let him know that he and Liz had talked once upon a time about the potential for falling in love someday, that they weren't in that moment but were leaving themselves open to that possibility. However, also let him know that those feelings had not progressed either, he saw Liz as a friend and didn't have romantic feelings for her, he loved her unconditionally but didn't feel in love with her. Liz assured Dylan of the same things and let him know that he was a good friend to both of them to want to discuss it but that everyone in the situation was comfortable with where they were in respect to their relationships with each other.

Somewhere in that six month time, Dylan basically moved into Liz's room, using her nightmares as an excuse, yet she had only had a few. It was a good enough excuse to assuage the majority of the ribbing he was taking from both Darren and Joey. When they would happen to give each other a goofy smile or giggle when their hands brushed, one of the other two picked up on it, filed it away, and gave them both hell about it when given the opportunity.

One Year in L.A.

Liz woke the morning of her one year Los Angeles anniversary excited. It was a Saturday and instead of just being a day for Darren and Liz, like usual, all the boys, Liz, and some of her friends from school were going out to celebrate in style. Darren was doing a set at a small club and they were all going to watch. Liz couldn't wait. She spent the whole day relaxing, watching tv, talking to 'her boys' and just really going through the past year of her life and being in total awe of the way things had turned out, compared to what they were supposed to be one year ago.

Darren took a moment to get her alone and talk about the night they met. They both teared up considering how they had saved each other. They clung to each other for comfort and in thanks for the help the other had provided. It was so weird to think it had only been a year, some days it felt like it had been years, some days they feel like it had only been a few days ago. After a long hug, a few tears, and lots of encouraging words from both of them, they separated with smiles. Darren telling Liz they needed to go get ready to leave.

They get to the club and have a drink in celebration, waiting for the rest of her friends to show up. Darren takes the stage rather quickly offering a round on the house, and raising his glass and saying a short toast to Liz and to the friendship he had found in her. She smiled with a little tear in her eye as she raised her glass and mouthed an 'I love you' back to him on the stage. After a few songs, the rest of Liz's friends had showed up, and they were talking and singing along and having a good time. Darren finished his set, bought another round for everyone, and introduced a friend who would be joining him on stage. Everyone looked to Liz to find out who it would be but she could do nothing but shrug, she had no idea. She pointed at the stage as Darren drew out the waiting with a dramatic drum roll.

Dylan finally made it onto the stage with a shy smile on his face and a high five for Darren. He really needed no introduction, pretty much anyone who knew Darren, knew of Dylan, and Joey, and all the other Starkids as well. The room fell quiet as Dylan came forward and grabbed a microphone.

"Hey everyone, I'm Dylan, I just wanted to come and steal Darren's thunder for a few" he laughed lightly as Darren rolled his eyes and hit him on the arm. "No, really, I just wanted a chance to come up here and thank Liz for being in my life too. Darren already explained how we all came to know each other and the connection those two have, and how much we all love her and are glad she is here with us, I just want to add my two cents worth to that." He smiled over at Liz while she stared, smiling, at Dylan on stage. The room was silent, waiting for whatever was going to come next. "You guys may know this song, I am not going to claim it to be mine, it is by a band called Safetysuit, but I did take some poetic license and changed some stuff…like the name, since the song is called Annie, I kind of changed it to Lizzie…. Go with it, it works!" he laughed, almost a little nervously and Liz thought it was adorable. She listened intently as the music started, she had never heard of the band or the song, she was excited to hear the lyrics. He looked to Darren, who gave him a reassuring smile, then back to the mic and began to sing.

"There was a girl named Lizzie, she had a very pretty face
And not the way you think so let me see if I can try to explain it
She had a smile that could light up the room and if she moved it'd be moving in you
But she wasn't like a magazine, she was just plain Jane and her name was Lizzie"

He looked to the crowd, spotted Liz immediately and smiled so sincerely at her, giving her a small wink as he proceeded.
"She never looked in the mirror, she never liked what she would see
And even if I tried to tell her, she never listened to a word I'd say
She always wanted what she never had, but never had what she needed so badly
Someone telling her she was fine and that's not right and it's why I'm saying
Lizzie don't be shy here, Lizzie don't just lie there, looks don't make the world go round but it comes around
Lizzie don't be shy here, Lizzie please don't cry here, I always have to stop myself
Cause you're beautiful"

Liz caught herself shaking a little, tears stinging her eyes, this song was more fitting than she could have imagined. She was going to have to get a copy, or hopefully, she could get Dylan to record it for her, because his voice through it, even with the little breaks in it, maybe even because of the little breaks, made it perfect.
"I didn't know if I could tell her, I didn't know if I could make her see
She didn't need to find her beauty, she didn't need to find a way to show me
They took her moments of feeling alive and made them moments of dying inside
She needed someone to scream her name, to take her pain and it's why I'm screaming
Lizzie don't be shy here, Lizzie don't just lie there, looks don't make the world go round but it comes around
Lizzie don't be shy here, Lizzie please don't cry here, I always have to stop myself
Cause you're beautiful

And Lizzie you are the one sight my eyes never tire of, it's like I cannot get enough of you
Lizzie you are the one song left in my symphony, like you were made for me

He looked at her, stared at her it seemed singing these last couple of lines, and the tears flowed harder for both, and the smiles wider. He had a hard time continuing through the emotions of the song and she had a hard time caring because he was singing to heart in a way she never expected anyone ever could or would care to.

Lizzie don't be shy here, Lizzie don't just lie there, looks don't make the world go round but it comes around

Lizzie don't be shy here, Lizzie please don't cry here, I always have to stop myself
Cause you're beautiful

He finished the song, letting the music halt. He smiled quickly around the room as if just realizing or remembering he was on a stage and not in a room alone with Liz. He excused himself quickly and just jumped off the end of the short stage to make his way to Liz. She caught him half way to where she was originally and they caught each other in a bone crushing hug. They held each other like they couldn't function if one didn't hold the other up. They cried and smiled and laughed into each other's shoulders for what felt like forever.

Meanwhile, on the stage Darren had a hard time continuing. He was smiling so hard he thought his face might hurt the next day. He was so happy for his friends. He knew Dylan was planning this but didn't know it would affect everyone in the room. It was like a silence had taken over as everyone watched the display between the two. Finally, Darren gave a little cough, reminding people that there was still someone on stage and drew their attention away from the newly minted couple, or so Darren would assume, and back to himself. He sang a couple of more songs but couldn't keep his eyes off of Dylan and Liz cuddling in a booth on the floor, and he smiled at them the whole time.

After they left the club, Liz and the boys went to a small diner and ate nothing healthy at all, and loved it. All four of them smiled and talked and laughed. Liz and Dylan seemed even more inseparable than ever, but Darren and Joey let them have their moment, didn't tease them or give them too much shit, at least for now.

What a year it had been for her, for Darren. Liz got a new place, a new life, new best friends, and a new love. She looked around, smiled at her friends, at her life, squeezed Dylan's hand, and leaned over to whisper a thank you in Darren's ear.

"I got some life story, huh?" she smiled.

The End