It's fifteen years before Connor utters the word "retirement" again, and this time, he really does. After eighteen seasons in the major leagues, all with the Padres, Connor has the kind of numbers that pretty much everyone thinks will guarantee him a place in Cooperstown.

- .323 career batting average (which puts him in the top 50 all-time for career average and 2nd in Padres history)
- 567 home runs (13th all-time and the Padres franchise record)
- 1923 RBIs (9th all-time and also a Padres franchise record)
- 15 All-Star selections
- 7 Silver Sluggers
- 5 Gold Gloves (3 at catcher, 2 at first base)
- 3 World Series titles

Five years after Connor retires, he is indeed a first ballot hall of famer.

"Juuuuuuuude," Connor whines loudly.

Jude is in the bathroom, fixing his hair for Connor's hall of fame induction ceremony, while Connor is just outside in their hotel room, attempting to wrangle their four year old son, Cody, into his suit.

"Be out in a minute," Jude shouts back.

Just then, Cody comes tearing into the bathroom, completely naked, showing that Connor has been totally unsuccessful in getting any clothing on Cody (he's currently in the stage where he hates any and all clothing).

"Sorry Jude," Connor says, darting in behind Jude. Cody, now backed into a corner, is powerless to resist as Connor scoops him up.

"You're going into the baseball hall of fame, and yet you can't corral a four year old," Jude laughs, shaking his head.

"Baseballs are predictable. This one is not, and plus he's super agile," Connor protests, plopping down a giggling Cody onto one of the beds.

"And you're getting old," Jude says, trailing out after Connor.

"Har har," Connor laughs humorlessly. "Just remember that you're getting old too."

Jude giggles in response, watching as Connor struggles to keep Cody in place and grab his shirt to get it on him. Connor stops after a moment, looking up at Jude with an unimpressed look on his face. "A little help please?"

"You keep him still, I'll get him dressed."

10 minutes later, Cody is finally dressed—and already trying to take everything back off. But once they're done, he and Jude sit down together on the bed and Connor picks up Cody, plopping him down on his lap so he can't.

"Daddy, I don't like wearing this," Cody complains, squirming violently.

"I know buddy," Connor says, placing a kiss on the top of Cody's bright red hair. "But you're just going to have to deal with it while Daddy gives his speech."

"Ugh!" Cody says, letting out a long, exaggerated groan.

Jude ruffles Cody's hair. "You'll survive."

"No I won't," Cody mumbles into his arms.

"Alright then." Jude shrugs, and then turns to Connor. "Are you nervous?"

"No, not at all," Connor chuckles as Cody suddenly pushes at his hands, trying to get free. "It's just another speech. I've been doing this all my life."

"Not all your life—"

"Shush, you knew what I meant!"

They sit quietly for a minute, before Connor adds, "There's only been one speech I remember being nervous for."

"When you came out?"

Connor nods. "Yeah…do you ever think about where we would be if I hadn't done that?"

"Not really," Jude answers. "But I suppose…we both probably would've moved on."

Connor shudders. "That would mean that I quit baseball and would've never made it to the hall of fame. And I—well, I just couldn't imagine what my life would be like without you."

"You don't have to," Jude says, cupping his cheek. "The ring I have on my finger says that you're stuck with me."

Connor grins before leaning in and planting a kiss on Jude's lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," Jude answers.

"EWWWW!" Cody shrieks, causing both of them to break down laughing.

"Many years ago, I joined the Padres organization with a dream. A dream that's been shared by thousands of players at many different ages and in all different places: to be one of the best to ever play the game. And standing here, on this stage in Cooperstown, being inducted into the hall of fame—it's a confirmation that I was one of the privileged ones who was able to achieve that dream, and that's very thrilling and humbling."

"But twenty years ago, I had reached a point in my life where I wasn't sure that that dream was what I wanted anymore. I knew I was right on the cusp of realizing it; a few more seasons and I would've had numbers that likely were good enough to get me here. Except that I wasn't in a good place. Time has likely softened some of the worst edges of my memories of that time, but I do remember feeling lower than I had at any other point in my life."

"As everyone now knows, the long-term relationship I had been in with my soulmate and love of life had just ended, and I found myself feeling empty without him. I found out that I couldn't trust the people who I expected to look out for me. And I found myself feeling trapped, suffocating in the closet that had held me for so long, because I thought the league would never be accepting of an openly gay player. I was tired, broken, and burned-out."

"So I made the decision to come clean about who I was, and then quit. So I did, and I figured that would be the end of it. But of course, it wasn't, because I found out something I had always suspected, but never had proof of: I was not alone. On the day I came out, 256 other professional athletes came out as well. And to this day when I think about it, the impact my decision made moves me deeply. By stepping forward, I changed so many people's lives."

"And I changed my own life as well. When I came home from my press conference, I found my ex at the time, and my now-husband, Jude, sitting outside my apartment, waiting for me…at which point he promptly called me an idiot. It was a well-deserved statement, and I think if you asked him today, he'd still say I'm an idiot. But I don't regret my actions for one second, idiotic or otherwise, because if I hadn't done what I did, Jude and I likely would've never repaired our relationship and be where we are today, and I would have never returned to the game of baseball."

"I'm thankful to everyone that has been a part of my journey, but a few have been particularly important, and I'd like to take a moment to thank them. First, and I've already mentioned him, my husband Jude, who stood beside me for every step since I came out. Then I need to mention our son Cody, because even though I was not part of our family when I was playing, he's become such an important part of my life. I love you buddy."

"And I have to thank my best friend and teammate Steve. He supported me through my lowest points and has been the best teammate and friend I could ever ask for. I even will thank my late father, because even though he was a despicable man, he was the first person to see my talent for this game, and pushed me to pursue it."

"And thank you to the fans that filled the stadium and cheered me on as I played. Without you, this game doesn't mean a thing. Nobody would play in an empty stadium. There's not much joy in that. So thank you for filling the ballpark. I hope that over the years, I gave you a few things to cheer about and celebrate."

"I'm one of the luckiest people on the planet. That much I know for sure, because somehow I am so loved by my family, I've been successful in my career, and I've touched lives, changing them for the better. I've received so many letters, tweets, and messages over the years from young men and women, telling me that my courage gave them the courage to come out and be honest to others about who they are. And that's just incredible to me. Even though I no longer play, I hope to still be able to impact others by becoming the first openly gay player inducted into the hall of fame."

"I thank you all. I'm so grateful to be standing on this stage. Thank you to the Writer's Association for voting me into the hall of fame. It is truly an honor. Thank you very much."

The End

Well folks, here we are, at the very end of this fic. It took almost a year and two writers to complete, but we got it done :) G8rguy deserves a lot of love and cookies for having worked so hard on this fic, because as I said in my note for the last chapter, without his effort this fic would've never been finished. He was really great to work with (this is technically the second project we worked on together), and again I especially thank him for being willing to let me write the ending.

I really hope y'all enjoyed this fic. I got this as a tumblr prompt a long time ago, and my original intention had been to write it as a oneshot fic, but someone, when they read what I had started on, suggested that I do it as a multi-chapter fic. When I started writing chapter 1, I didn't really know where I was going with it, but by the time I got to chapter 3, I had a sudden spark of inspiration and wrote the entire outline to the end, and that outline didn't really change at any point in this process. So the fic you read is pretty much exactly as I had planned it. And G8rguy was honestly great with taking the outline and sticking to it but being sure to add his own flair and style to the story.

A couple times I've said that I was done writing fics for Jonnor, and every time I've said that, I've ended up writing something else. I think maybe because Jonnor was the first ship I got really into, they hold a special place in heart and I think I'll always feel a little drawn to writing for them. So this time, I won't go so far to say that I'll never write Jonnor fic again, cause the evidence suggests I probably will (let me note though that I don't have intentions to start working on something soon, I'm just saying that some time in the future I might).

Anyway, thanks y'all for reading! 3