This is a bloody long one; exactly 6,500 words. I think it's worth the extra time though, so don't be discouraged by the length! Plus there's a bloody long A/N at the end :L So, for the last time; enjoy! xXx
Epilogue – Saturday 6th February 2022
The years passed by like days. Life flashed by, full of happy memories, sad memories, joyous memories and proud memories. I graduated UCL in 2015 with a Maths and Drama Honours degree and now I teach A Level Maths at Epsom and Ewell High School. I'm also heavily involved in the drama clubs and sixth form productions, which means I am making the most of my joint degree and I get the best of both worlds. The boys have gone on to have massive success; they released three more albums in the last ten years which all reached number one in the UK, US, Australia and various other places in the world. They've successfully toured nearly every country in the world and their boyband status is right up there with Take That and Boyzone, but now they're going on a hiatus so they can spend time with their families. All of us live in the Epsom area for several reasons; I teach Maths at the school and Chloe teaches guitar and drums and helps with the productions; the boys are closer than ever and want to stay close; and there's another but I'll tell you later.
Harry is coming home to his wife of six years, Bethanie Styles, and their eighteen month old daughter, Darcy May Styles. Niall is coming home to his wife of nine years, my Twin Chloe Horan, and their two children: nine year old James Oliver Horan and three year old Alexandria "Alex" Maura Horan. But that's not as bad as Zayn and Liam; they are coming home to their twins Jessica and Jason (Jay), who are nearly four (and, due to a wonderful surrogate mother, Zayn is their biological father). That's the other reason why the boys live so close; I look after the twins when Zayn and Liam are away. It sounds strange, I know, but the boys have only been away for the last six months; they were here for the first three years of the twins' lives, but now Jess and Jay are staying with Auntie JJ for a while. They're a little too young to understand, but at least they know that Zayn is still "Dad" and Liam is still "Daddy". Zayn and Liam have been married since 2014 when gay marriage was finally legalized and accepted in the UK.
"What about Louis?" I hear you ask. Well, he's got a family to come back to; me and our seven year old daughter, Caroline "Carrie" Alice Tomlinson. "Caroline" because of my mother and "Alice" because that's my Twin's middle name too. We call her "Carrie" because that's what my mum liked to be called, and it's a pretty nickname.
But now, for the first time since they were formed in July 2010, One Direction can finally come home and spend time with their families without worrying about when they're leaving again…
"Jason Craig Malik-Payne, you get your butt back here now!" I laugh as I chase the little rascal through mine and Lou's house.
"No!" Jay giggles and keeps on running away from me, T.V remote clutched tightly in his little hands. I catch up to him and gather him up in my arms.
"Where d'you think you're going with them, ey?" I ask him, still grinning, and balance him on my hip as I head back to the family room.
"I want to watch SpongeBob but Alex won't let me!" He cries, the spitting image of Zayn when he doesn't get his own way.
"They still show that?" I mutter to myself. "Okay, monster, but you have to promise to be nice and quiet whilst Auntie Chloe and I sort dinner out, okay?" He nods solemnly and I ruffle his chocolate hair before placing him on the couch next to his sister. I put SpongeBob on and then put the remote out of everybody's reach.
"When is my Daddy back?" Alex asks me quietly, tugging on my hand. Her blue eyes, which remind me of her father so much, are full of tears.
"Aww sweetie, he'll be home soon, I promise!" I pick her up and hold her tight. "C'mon, let's go and see Mummy, yeah?" She nods and plays with her dark brown hair whilst I carry her into the kitchen.
"What's up, Alex?" Chloe asks her daughter when she sees how upset she is. I pass Alex to her mum and then turn to the oven where a huge hunk of pork is roasting ready for the boys' welcome home dinner; its mouth-watering smell filling the kitchen like smoke.
"You said Daddy was going to be back soon." She says sadly and Chloe and I share a look; we've had this conversation with all of the children at some point. All of them, except for Carrie and Chloe's son James, are too young to understand why their Dads haven't been around for a while.
"He'll be back soon, I promise." Chloe kisses her daughter's brown hair, exactly the same shade as hers, and then places her back down onto the floor. "Why don't you go back and watch T.V with Jess and Jay and I'll come and get you as soon as Daddy's back, okay?" Alex nods and then runs back to the front room. Chloe sighs regretfully and takes a sip of her coffee.
"She'll be okay, Clo. Niall will be back soon and they're not going away for a while." I say brightly and Chloe just nods. I decide to change the subject. "You know what; you can definitely tell that Jay is Zayn's. He's a right pain in the arse!"
"He's not that bad!" Chloe chuckles and shakes her head. I just raise my eyebrow in response and then check on the meat that's in the oven. She's about to say something else when I hear the familiar "ding dong ding dong" of the doorbell. I hold my hand up to her and then head towards the front door. Just as I reach it I see Chloe's son James about to open the door.
"Have you looked to see who it is?" I ask him. We've all said to the kids that they always have to check just on the off chance that it's paparazzi. Most of them have gotten the picture (no pun intended!) that we don't want them around and have gradually stopped trying but sometimes someone does and we don't want the children exposed to it like that.
"Yes, it's Auntie Beth and Darcy." He nods.
"Well what are you waiting for; open the door!" I tease. He rolls his eyes and then opens it.
"Hi, Auntie Beth!" James greets Beth with his Dad's signature smile and I can't help but laugh.
"Hello James." She greets him as she crosses the threshold with little Darcy balanced on her hip. Jamie pulls a face at Darcy, making her laugh, and then runs back up the stairs. I gesture for Beth to go into the kitchen and then close the front door behind her.
"I take it the boys aren't back yet?" She calls back as she walks into the kitchen. "Hey Chloe!"
"Hey Beth." Chloe smiles back and takes another sip of her coffee.
"No, sorry." I sigh as I grab the highchair from underneath the stairs and carry it into the kitchen. "Louis text me this morning… hang on…" I reach for my iPhone and open "Siri" (it's an old feature from and older iPhone but more developed). "Siri, what did Louis text me this morning about their flight times today?"
"Louis said that his flight arrives at twelve thirty and that he would hopefully be home by half past one at the latest." says the automated woman's voice.
"Thank you Siri." I place my phone back on the counter and put the last few things in the oven. "That means that their flight got in forty-five minutes ago, so they should be home any minute now depending on how long they got stuck in the airport. It's only a twenty minute drive from Heathrow." I only know that because I've had to make the journey so many bloody times to say goodbye…
"Good. I'm so excited." Chloe smiles. She has not changed one little bit in the past ten years; she still gets just as hyper and excited when Niall gets home nowadays as she did the first time he left when they first got together. "Do you want help laying the table?"
"Uh yeah, if that's okay? Gemma was round here earlier and she helped me carry the extra table and chairs in, so we just have to put the cutlery and stuff out." I buzz around the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on dinner and making sure that all I have to do is serve it when the boys get back.
"Which Gemma?" Beth asks. "Oh and can I use your microwave to heat up Darcy's dinner?"
"Yeah of course, you should know by now that you don't have to ask!" I smile. Chloe grabs the cutlery from the drawer and walks through to the dining room, which is through an open doorway which means she can still hear us. "And it was Gemma Dance… Well, it's Mora now. I keep forgetting, even though it's been nearly five years. She'll always be Gemma Dance to me."
"Is that the guy that she met at university ages ago? Christian, was it?" Beth asks as she sorts Darcy's dinner out.
"Yeah. She met him through a friend at university who was doing Music with him. They dated for about a year and then kinda grew apart. He joined a band, two years later she met him at one of his gigs and voila; they were married within six months. She brought their two year old daughter Amy Rose with her."
"Aw, I'm so happy for her. I hardly ever speak to her anymore." Beth sighs. "Are things still strange between her and Zayn?"
"No not really. I mean, he and Liam were invited to the wedding, and she used to come and see them when they got back… That stopped after she got married. I think they do still meet up and chat sometimes, especially more since Christian found out that Zayn really only swings one way." I sigh regretfully. "I do still speak to her a lot but this is the first time I've seen her since Amy's christening."
"That's a shame." Chloe calls from the dining room. She walks back into the kitchen and grabs the salt and pepper. I grab the sauces and follow her back to the tables. "I'd say about the same; I never see her either. So much has changed in the last ten years, hasn't it?"
"Yeah it-"
"Mummy! Uncle Harry's car just pulled up!" Alex runs into the room and grabs her mother's hand. I feel my heart soar with anticipation and I rush to the bottom of the stairs.
"Carrie? They're home!" I shout upstairs to my daughter where she's no doubt hidden in her room reading. She's an early learner, just like me, and I taught her to read at an early age just like my mother did in the hopes that she'd be as into reading as I was when I had the time. I was right.
"Yay! I'm coming!" She yells back. Chloe reaches the front door first and swings it open, squealing like a teenager when she sees that all of the boys are slowly making their way out of the car. Chloe picks Alex up and looks around for James but she's too late; he has already run past her towards his Dad.
"Hey buddy!" Niall grins as his son runs at him. James jumps into his father's arms and Niall catches him. "I missed you buddy! You been good for your Mam?"
"Yeah!" James grins, the exact copy of his father. "Look; I lost another two teeth, Dad!"
"Wow!" Niall says enthusiastically, balancing his son on his hip as if he was three, not nine. Chloe reaches him with their daughter in her arms and the family embrace. Whilst this is happening Zayn and Liam rush towards me, hand in hand, and I bring Jay and Jess out to see them. They run towards their dads and as Jay runs into Zayn's arms, Liam picks Jess up and twirls her around. Harry jogs up to me and kisses my cheek.
"Hey babe." He smiles and embraces me quickly yet lovingly, almost like a brother in a rush. "Beth?"
"Kitchen with Darcy. She's on her way." I gesture for him to go into the house and he smiles gratefully. I hear Beth's squeal of delight as she spots him and then I hear Harry say softly "I missed my girls so much. How have you been?" I don't hear her reply though; I'm too focussed on those silvery blue eyes that have kept me sane all these years, no matter where in the world they are.
"Louis." I sigh. Now, all these greeting may seem a little dramatic but us girls haven't seen the boys (well, they're all men now but everybody shall continue to call them "the boys" forever!) we're in love with for six months, save a few weekend trips over to America. They haven't been home and seen their children for six months, so we're allowed to be a little dramatic! Carrie slips her delicate hand into mine and tugs me over to where her father is waiting by the car. The smile on his face is enough to make my heart tremble and I gently pull my hand away from my daughter's. She looks up at me in question and I gesture for her to go over to her father. Without a moment's hesitation, she smiles at me gratefully before running over to where Louis is now crouched, arms open and waiting for her.
"Daddy!" Carrie laughs, jumping into his arms. I watch fondly as she tells him all about the fantastic things she has done while he was away, like winning her school's talent contest (her voice clearly comes from her father, and her Uncle Niall has been teaching her guitar ever since she was old enough to hold one; she's been learning for two years now and she's a natural born musician). He showers her with praise, kisses and cuddles, making sure she realises how proud he is and how much he has missed her. Then the wait becomes too unbearable and I gradually make my way over to where my family are stood. Louis kisses Carrie's light brown hair one more time before she jumps down and goes in search of her favourite Uncle; Liam. Lou and I just look at each other for a while, drinking in the sight of each other; memorizing each other's features and checking that everything is the same.
"Come here." Louis grins fondly and holds out his arms. I fall into them without hesitation and sigh, finally feeling whole again. He looks around to check that everybody has gone inside and then spins me around and pushes me against the car. He leans in and kisses me roughly and I relish in the familiar taste of his lips. My fingers hook into his belt-loops and I pull him closer.
"I missed you." I whisper softly when we come up for air. He rests his forehead against mine in a familiar gesture, one that has become a definitive feature in our relationship.
"You'd think we'd been off to war for a year, not working abroad for six months." He teases. "I missed you too, angel." Angel. Another definitive feature; a nickname that has not changed nor left since Louis wrote that song, nearly ten years ago.
"Good." I grin and peck him on the lips. "And just so you know, you're never leaving again."
"I can live with that." Lou whispers fondly and pulls me into an embrace. I rest my head on his chest and surround myself with his familiar warmth and love.
After everybody has hugged, kissed and greeted each other, we sit the children down at the dining table and then set about plating up everybody's dinner. I go into the kitchen, followed by Liam, Chloe and Zayn; Liam and Chloe plate up their daughters' dinners whilst Zayn does Jay's. Niall sits and watches the kids at the table with Beth whilst Harry finishes feeding Darcy.
"Need some help angel?" Louis asks me whilst I start plating up James' dinner. He places his hands on my hips and kisses my cheek.
"Yeah, please; can you do Carrie's?" I ask. He nods and I take James' plate into the dining room. I place it in front of him and then ruffle his hair.
"Thank you, Auntie JJ." He says and I smile brightly. "Can I start eating now?"
"Yea, of course you can mate." I go back into the kitchen and laugh when I see Louis stood in front of the oven, unsure of what to put on Carrie's plate. He's put some pork on it and that's it. "Oh, give it here." I take the plate off of him and he smiles sheepishly.
"Sorry, angel." I shake my head but can't help smiling. "I'll do my own, shall I?"
"Yup." I carry the plate into the dining room and place it in front of my daughter, who is waiting patiently. "Here you go, baby." She thanks me and then gratefully tucks in. I see that everybody except Louis, Chloe and I are sat down, eating and conversing with each other. I gesture for Chloe to follow me into the kitchen and then smile at Louis as he passes me.
"Want me to wait for you?" He asks.
"No, go and eat; you've had a long journey, and we'll be in in a minute anyway." He nods, kisses my forehead and then goes into the dining room to sit with the rest of his extended family. As soon as we get into the kitchen I sit on a stool and put my head in my hands.
"Okay, what the fuck is up? You've been acting weird all day but there have been too many children around to ask you." She chuckles lightly but when I don't answer, she stops. "What's going on, Jordan?"
"Will you come with me a minute?" I jump up and when she looks confused, I take her hand in mine. "It'll be quite quick, I promise." She nods and I pull her out of the room, past the dining room and up to my bedroom. I gesture for her to sit on the bed and then rummage through my draws until I find the box I'm looking for. I'll give her credit, she doesn't interrupt once; she just sits and waits until I have found what I'm looking for. I open the box and then dump the contents on the bed. She looks up at me in shock.
"What is this?" She asks, gesturing at the ten pregnancy tests that are laid out on the bed next to her.
"What does it look like?" I fling my arms out in gesture and she raises her eyebrows at my sarcastic reply but doesn't comment. She goes through the tests, her enthusiasm growing with every one.
"Oh my God." She says finally when she reaches the last test. "Nine out of ten of them are positive, JJ."
"I know." I sigh. I gather up the tests, put them back in the box and then put the box away. Then I collapse onto the bed next to her and sigh again.
"Isn't this a good thing?" She asks me. "Louis has been going on about having another kid for ages."
"I know… I just… It wasn't planned." I shake my head. Then a thought strikes her and she grabs my chin and gently tilts my head towards her.
"How?" She asks me, her eyes piercing mine. I obviously look confused because she frowns and says "He's been away for six months. How?"
"Oh… you know when I went over just before Christmas so I could see him for his birthday and exchange Christmas presents?" She nods and lets go of my chin. "Well, we went out for a meal, had a little too much to drink and must have gotten too caught up in the moment when we got back to the hotel to… think." I shake my head and she laughs.
"So what's the problem? You'll be a mum again, Lou will be a daddy again and you know Carrie's been wishing for a younger sibling every time she blows her candles out on her birthday for the past four years." We both smile fondly and then I sigh again. "And don't even say you're worried about the pregnancy 'cause you'll be lying; we both know that you had an extremely easy pregnancy and you bloody loved it. So what's the problem?"
"I don't want him to leave again and miss everything." I confess softly. When Carrie was born in September 2014 it was when the boys were on holiday, which meant that luckily Lou was still in London. But after that it seemed like the odds were never in our favour. "Carrie's first steps, first words, the first time she ate on her own, the first time she read a word, her first day of school; he missed them all. And it killed him inside. I don't want him, or me, to go through that again."
"What part of "hiatus" don't you understand, Jordan?" She says exasperatedly. "They're not going to be working for quite a while now, honey. Heck, it might even be ten years, like Take That. But this is exactly why they're doing it; because the rest of the boys saw what Niall and Louis went through and don't wanna do it themselves. And you know what, the fanbase is the same as it was ten years ago, except they're more mature now; they understand why the boys are disappearing and ninety-nine per cent of them are supportive. So stop moping, go downstairs and eat with the family and then tell Louis. Or pull him out, tell him on his own, then tell everyone else. But please don't beat yourself up over this because Louis isn't going anywhere." She finishes her speech, her eyes ablaze with passion and her hands clutching mine, and I start to cry. She sighs fondly and embraces me in a sisterly hug. I sob quietly, cursing myself for being so foolish, and then pull myself out of her arms and stand up.
"You're right. I need to do this. Don't get me wrong; I want this baby. I want him or her so much. And I need to realise that Louis isn't going anywhere." I take a deep breath and wipe my eyes and Chloe watches me with pride in her eyes.
"Glad to see that I'm still the first person you come to." She grins.
"Don't be stupid; fifty years from now we'll be sitting in a home and I'll be asking you what colour Zimmer frame to get." I wink at her and she laughs loudly. "Come on, they'll be wondering where we are." Just as I'm about to walk out of the room I crash into somebody and fall on my bum. Chloe instantly rushes to my side and tries to help me but I resist, squeezing my eyes shut and hoping beyond hope that it's not who I think it is. Unfortunately, the odds are not in my favour today either.
"Come on, angel, up you get." Louis says softly and gently pulls me to my feet. I gradually open my eyes and see the concern carefully, yet not successfully, hidden in his crystal blues. He knows how much I hate being treated like an invalid when I'm pregnant. This only confirms my fears that he just heard our conversation.
"Okay, I'm gonna go downstairs and… check that the food isn't cold. I'll plate you up some, Twin." Chloe says into the awkward silence and then hastily makes her way downstairs and into the kitchen. Louis looks into my eyes for a moment, his hands still gripping my waist, and then a previously well-concealed grin breaks out on his face.
"You're pregnant?" He asks quietly, his grin now infectious. I nod and smile back at him. "And you're definitely okay with this? I mean, I heard your conversation… sorry about that, by the way, but considering what the topic was, I couldn't not listen, could I? But you seemed happier towards the end so I thought-" I put an end to his babbling by clamping my hand over his mouth. When I'm sure that he's not going to speak I pull my hand away from him.
"Yes, I am sure." I place my hands on his cheeks and kiss him softly. He gently spins me around, pulls me right back against him and then places both hands over where he estimates the baby to be. I reach one hand behind me and run it through his brown locks and place the other on top of his.
"This couldn't have come at a more perfect time." He whispers into my ear. "And I agree with everything Chloe said. Well, except once thing; I didn't miss everything. I did get to see videos and stuff. I know that's not the same, but its close. And I know Niall feels the same about James. But now I… we have a chance to do it all again. And do it right this time." He kisses my neck gently and I turn my head towards him so that he can kiss my lips instead. We kiss for a while, just short and sweet kisses, and then he pulls away slightly. He rests his head on my shoulder and we sway slightly, his hands still not leaving their spot on my stomach.
"They're definitely gonna be wondering where we are." I sigh after a while and I feel Louis jaw move on my shoulder as he smiles. "Shall we go and tell them?"
"Already? Are you sure?" I turn around in his arms and place my hands on his cheeks again. He grabs my bum and pulls me closer.
"Yes, I am absolutely sure. But can we eat first? I'm starving. And if you say that I'm eating for two ever during this pregnancy then I will have to kill you. Got it?" I glare at him playfully and he chuckles.
"Got it. And no treating you like an invalid either; you're pregnant, not broken." He says before I can say anything.
"You are well trained." I laugh. I kiss him once more and then entwine my hand with his before leading him downstairs and into the kitchen. There's a plate of food there covered with a tea towel and with a note on the top saying "Twin, we're waiting for you. Clo xx". I take the tea towel off and grab the plate before Louis can try and carry it in for me, and then take it into the dining room. There I see Beth, Zayn, Niall, Harry and Chloe sat at the table waiting for me. Chloe is still eating and Harry is sat with Darcy on his lap. He gestures for me to sit by him and I carefully place the plate down on the table before seating myself in the chair. Louis slides into the one on my other side and through the open door I see Liam sat on the floor playing with his old Toy Story figurines (which are in surprisingly good condition!) with the twins. James and Carrie are sat on the sofa watching T.V and Alex is squashed in between them, leaning her head on Carrie's chest. I smile fondly at the sight and then Louis clears his throat. I look up at him and take a few mouthfuls of my food before emptying my mouth and taking a deep breath. Louis takes my hand that's not occupied by cutlery and entwines his fingers with mine. I see that everybody has started conversations and I seize the opportunity.
"We're having a baby." I say, quietly and abruptly, but it's loud enough; everybody goes silent and stares at me in shock, including Chloe and Louis. Liam doesn't look up so I assume that the kids didn't hear either, which is good; I want Louis and I to tell Carrie on our own later.
"Wow, you wasted no time in dropping that." Beth smiles, still shocked by my random outburst.
"So? I thought it would be easier to just come out and say it." I shrug and carry on eating my dinner. Everybody just stares at me for a while longer and then Harry breaks the silence.
"I am so, unbelievably happy for you mate." Harry smiles; reaching behind me to shake Lou's hand. Then it's like he's broken the ice; everybody starts congratulating us but keeping their voices low. Zayn gets up and goes over to where Liam is sat on the floor with their kids and whispers in his ear. Liam looks up at me and grins brightly, and when Zayn whispers in his ear again he comes over to me and wraps his arms around my shoulders from behind, ignoring the fact that I'm trying to eat.
"I'm so happy for you, babe!" Liam whispers and kisses my cheek. I pat his hand gratefully and then Beth asks the question that everyone's been thinking.
"Erm… how?" She asks, puzzled. "You're so not showing enough to be over six months…"
"Remember when I flew over just before Christmas?" I say and everybody except Lou and Chloe says "oh." and nod.
"So that makes you about two months along. Have you been to the doctor?" Liam asks quietly, still stood behind me. "No, not yet. I was waiting until Lou got back to tell anybody and then I was going to go on Monday. I didn't want to go without him and I only found out last week." I finish the last of my food and then push the plate away from me.
"Right, shall we put a film on for the kids?" Harry asks louder and everybody murmurs their agreement, including Zayn, who is sat with the children. "Oh, that's a point; when do we tell the kids?"
"We'll tell Carrie when you go home, so just do it when you get home I suppose. Everyone's gonna find out eventually." I shrug. Harry nods thoughtfully and then Jess runs into the room.
"Daddy?" She asks, holding her arms out. Liam picks her up and balances her on his hip. "Dad says come and choose a film. But not Toy Story." She looks so sweet and innocent and everybody laughs.
"You're nearly thirty years old and your husband still tells you off for picking old Disney films. Ridiculous." I tease him. He just flicks me on the back of the head and then carries his daughter back into the family room. Everybody gradually disperses back into that room, all offering to clear up and being told to go away by me, until eventually it's only Lou and I left.
"I am so happy right now." He says, absent-mindedly tracing patterns over the small and delicate tattoo on my wrist that says "He'll look after me". I reach over and lightly run my finger over his one that says "I'll look after her" which is on the same hand that still bears the ring he bought me ten Christmases ago.
"So am I." I lean in and kiss his lips lightly and it's the same kiss we shared when he gave me the rings; it's a promise of love, a promise of safety, a promise of protection, but more importantly; a promise of a future.
"So I'm going to have a little sister?" Carrie asks me. We're sat on the couch in the family room, just after the rest of our family have left. Carrie is sat on Louis' lap facing me and my legs are tucked beneath me.
"Or a little brother." I say, squeezing her hand in mine, and she smiles beautifully.
"I really hope it's a sister. I don't want a brother. Boys are stupid." She says matter-of-factly. Then she hops off of Lou's lap and runs to the DVD cupboard.
"Do you remember when Daisy and Phoebe were about that age?" Louis asks fondly, running his fingertips up and down my arm.
"Yeah! That was when they told me that they liked me more than "smelly Eleanor." I still have that picture in my purse, you know." I smile fondly as I reminisce.
"Do you? That's so sweet! They're off to Uni this year, you know? Phoebe's doing Law and Daisy is doing a degree in Music Tech. I never knew they'd end up so different." He sighs.
"Neither did any of us. I think… I think when your mum died a few years ago it made them realise that life's too short to spend it trying to be somebody else." I clasp Lou's hand and regret mentioning his mum; his eyes fill with tears almost instantly. Jay died on the girls' fourteenth birthday; witnesses said that she was on the way to meet everybody at the restaurant where they were having a meal when a dog ran out into the road. Jay swerved to miss it and at the same time jumped a red light; a truck hit her side of the car and she was dead before the paramedics even got there. Louis was inconsolable; he hid in his room for a whole week straight and refused to come out. He would only let me in and cried himself to sleep in my arms every night. He was so close to his mum; he'd said in countless interviews that she was his best friend, and for her to die so suddenly like that was devastating. Even though he was twenty six at the time, it was like he had become the nineteen year old that nearly cried in a documentary when he talked about leaving her behind. He took a whole week to mourn and then, on the eighth day after she died, he came out of our room, invited his sisters over and promised them that he'd be strong for them. Jay and her boyfriend Dan were married by then and he's raised the girls like his own. But now the last of them are leaving home and the whole family is taking it a little hard.
"Can we watch this please, Mummy?" Carrie runs over to us and shows us the DVD in her hand; our wedding DVD.
"Sure, baby. Can you do put it on or do you want me to?" Lou asks her sweetly. She shakes her head and hands him the DVD, to which he murmurs to me "Thank God we've still got a DVD player." After he's put the disc in and grabbed the remote he collapses down next to me, puts his arm around my waist and then pulls Carrie down onto his lap. She wraps her arms around his neck and sits so that her legs are draped across me and then settles down.
"Happy anniversary angel." Louis whispers into my ear. "Can you believe it's been eight years?"
"Don't, you'll make me feel old." I whisper in reply and he chuckles quietly. "Can you believe it's been exactly ten years since we first met?"
"I know. So much has happened since then." He whispers, his voice filling with nostalgia as he runs his fingers through the tips of Carrie's hair.
"So much drama, tears, pain, laughter, happiness... But we've stayed together through it all."
"Yes we have." He leans in and kisses my forehead, trying to jolt Carrie as little as possible. "But you're still the beautiful broken angel I met ten years ago."
"And you're still the weird and wacky, stripy blur that I met ten years ago." I tease. He's about to say something else when Carrie interrupts.
"You look so pretty Mummy." She smiles, her voice filling with awe as she points at the screen.
"Mummy always looks pretty." Lou says and I still can't help but smile at his corniness.
"Thank you, Lou." I blush and kiss his cheek. Then, as I sit with my family watching the day I became Mrs Tomlinson, I think to myself; what did I do to deserve happiness like this?
But as Carrie's delicate hand clutches mine and Lou traces soothing patterns on my hardly-noticeable baby bump I think to myself; whatever it was, it was worth it.
Well that's it. Over. Done. Finished. Finito. My fic has been strange; it's gone from being so dramatic it's ridiculous to being so cheesy that it's suffocating :L but you know what, I don't care; I've enjoyed every minute of writing it and I'm so thankful to everybody who has stuck with me since the beginning, and everybody who has read it since. Thank you for your reviews, big and small, and thanks to those who read even if they didn't review. This story has given me a purpose for the past few months but now I think that it's time to end it. Who knows; maybe I'll do some oneshots in the future? After my exams I'll have a few months free, so maybe that's what I'll do!
Big thanks to 1dstyle, resistanceisuseless and DreamsOfATeenager; they've really helped me with my story and have been big inspirations. Heck, if it wasn't for DreamsOfATeenager and resistanceisuseless then I wouldn't have even started writing, and if it wasn't for 1dstyle then I wouldn't have made it through the last few chapters with the story, so thank you guys! (go read their stuff; it's so good! :3) So, yeah, thank you. If you're reading this now, or in days, weeks, months, even years after this last chapter is updated; love you guys!
P.S: If any of you want to ask me questions about this fic then PM me, or tweet me (JordanStylinson) [if this doesn't work then I've obviously changed it and forgotten to change it on here, so check my bio on this site if you're unsure!]
DISCLAIMER; I DO NOT OWN ONE DIRECTION, ANY SONGS OR ANY RECOGNISABLE PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS STORY. THEY ARE USED FOR NON-PROFITED FICTIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. IF YOUR NAME IS IN HERE AS AN ORIGINAL CHARACTER THEN THAT MEANS I LOVE YOU.
Thank you all and goodnight :3
