One Life to Live

Destiny was at the Buena's Dias nibbling on a banana chocolate chip muffin with her laptop as she worked on a case. She was finally getting to work. This was her first very own case. She helped Téa with a few but this was all her. Excitement hadn't really been in her vocabulary lately but she felt accomplished.

Vina just finished her shift so she came over.

"Are you busy?" Vina asked.

"I could use a break." Destiny said.

"How are you?" Vina asked. There was a long pause before the answer but anyone who knew Destiny well enough knew she ate banana chocolate chip muffins when she was unhappy.

"I'm managing. I'm not depressed like before... I'm not really happy either but I'm ok." Vina looked like she was starting to feel sorry for her so Destiny cracked a fake smile. "How's your life?"

"Better without Zane. I should've realized that a long time ago. I just kept trying to save him."

"You can't save everyone. They might mess around and bring you down."

"That's a good point. I was so much happier and bubbly before him. I hear Hanna is back and she and Matthew have a daughter."

"That's true. She thought the baby was Zane's, that's why she never told him."

"Ex-Excuse me? That would mean Zane had sex with Hanna when he was with me."

"Yeah, before she left."

"I was pregnant then."

"Yeah."

"So we're all hanging out together and she's having sex with my man?"

"It was just that one time... You know he was cheating the whole time you were together."

"I didn't know that. I thought it was just this year."

"Oh honey." What planet was she living on? "I thought you knew."

"How many women has he slept with?"

"Girl, I'm guessing more than a few. If it makes you feel any better she says he chose you over her."

"It doesn't but what is wrong with him. I don't understand. I know he craves attention. He feels like his parents sent him to boarding school so they wouldn't have to deal with him. He feels neglected. Though that may not be true, I can understand how he feels abandoned. I was always there for him and he just kept hurting me... I'm being nosy but are Hanna and Matt back together?"

"No."

-v-

Matthew was at his desk in his bedroom when he heard a knock on the door. He knew it was Hanna because Monica took Grey and Val to the park.

"Come in." Matthew then rolled away from the computer and faced the door. Hanna entered. "What's up?"

"Can we talk?" Hanna asked with a smile.

"Sure. I was looking for an excuse to take a break. Have a seat." Matthew replied and Hanna sat Indian style on his king sized bed.

"... Remember when you said you would love me no matter what, fat, skinny, hair, no hair?"

"Yeah."

"That really meant a lot to me."

"I meant it."

Hanna smiled. "Despite our relationship issues, you would always look at me like I was the prettiest girl in the world and every time you did, for a moment I saw myself that way too."

"I always thought you were one of the most gorgeous, beautiful, prettiest woman I've ever seen. I still do. To top that off, you were intelligent, mysterious, low key but bold and you always had my back. I was always trying to figure you out. It was intriguing."

"Well, I was always trying to figure me out too." She laughed a little. "Something wonderful happened after I became a mother. I started to see me. I started to realize who I was. I saw what you saw in me. I spent so many years trying to figure out who is Hanna Marin? As I was being a mother and learning my daughter, I started learning myself and nothing ever felt better. Nothing feels better than being secure with who you are and knowing who that is. That's why I can really be at peace now."

"I concur."

"You've been wonderful, letting me stay here and being here for me and Val. I so appreciate it. I feel good knowing that she'll be in good hands."

"I'll take great care of her. I promise. I love her already. You've done an amazing job. I don't know if I can continue to dress her like mini Cher though."

"I do not dress like Cher!" Hanna laughed.

"In my world, this is Clueless and you're Cher."

"You're ridiculous." Hanna laughed.

"How do you feel?"

"It's one of my better days... Listen, I'm going to go back to Rosewood before... the day comes. I don't want Val to see me at my worst. I've already made up my mind. Thank you for recording everything, like you said it'll mean so much to her and it has meant so much to me, the time that we've spent."

"Don't you hate Rosewood?" Matthew moved to the bed.

"I don't hate it... I just have a lot of unpleasant memories there. I just went back before because I wanted my mom to help me raise Val. I would have preferred to graduate from LU with the rest of you but it was my own fault... Anyway, this time I need her for something different." Now they were holding hands.

"Can't she come here?" They were looking into each others eyes, less than a foot away.

"Matthew. It's for the best but it's alright. Everything is alright." They kissed softly, it was sensual but yet so very innocent.

In this very moment, Monica came to the door which had been left open. She saw this kiss between the man she loved for years and his ex-girlfriend. Despite the situation, right then she decided she couldn't continue to be around Matthew all the time without him knowing how she felt so it was time to say adidos. This was a sight she never wanted to see again.

"I can't do this anymore." Monica walked away.

Matthew and Hanna's heads quickly turned toward the door.

"Oh no! You can't let her go. Go get her Matthew!" Hanna said with sincere urgency because while she'd been staying there, she'd been observing and she saw something that Monica was oblivious too. Since life was too short for messy errors, she knew he better act now but so did Matthew. He didn't waste any time. He leaped over the bed like Spider-Man and ran after Monica.

-v-

Takoda died and the urn with his ashes came back. Since he had no family, Char kept them. Takoda was a big part of her life and learned so much from him. For fifteen years, it was just the two of them. She owed a lot to him for finally getting back to her family and having the opportunity to live the life that she has now, the one she always wanted. Losing him was a reminder to make the best of life and to never take anything or anyone for granted. So with everything that had been going on, Char and Shaun decided the family needed some lighthearted fun, so they took the kids, including Drew to an amusement park. Drew long since recovered from the mild concussion so he was feeling better.

-v-

Téa and Victor were having lunch at Dani and Ty's.

"I'm so excited you two are back together, finally." Dani said.

"It was time." Téa said.

"How is parenthood?" Victor asked.

"It was pretty scary at first but now we're getting to really enjoy it." Ty replied.

"I never knew I could love someone so much. I'm so sorry for all the times I was a pain in the butt, mom." Dani said.

"It's all good. I'm proud of the woman you've become." Téa responded.

"I went to see James today. No change." Dani said.

"Greg is getting his license back so hopefully he can help." Téa said.

"You knew about that?" Ty asked.

"Of course." Téa replied.

"How do you feel about that?" Victor asked.

"I think James has the best chance if Greg is his doctor. I'm not angry with Greg, you know."

-v-

Evangeline and Greg went for a walk in the park.

"Why haven't you gotten your license reinstated before now?" Evangeline asked.

"I didn't think I deserved it. It's not about me though. I should use my gift to help people. I got caught up before. I lost track of what was important and I put money and other things before my family. I'll never do that again. What they say is true, material things are can come and go. One day you can look up and it can all be gone. The only thing you have left is love. I lost everything and all that was left was my family. Foolish of me to put anything else before them. What good is a man to gain the world and lose his soul?"

-v-

Matthew ran after Monica like he was in a marathon and followed her all the way downstairs to the front door. He kept calling her but she wouldn't stop.

"I know this is a bad time to quit and I love the kids but I have to for my sanity and my heart." Monica said.

Matthew ran in front of the door to block her from getting out.

"First of all, I would lose mind if you quit. I can't handle these kids all by myself." Matthew said seriously.

"I can't keep working for you... I love you Matthew and right now I want to gouge my eyes out." After all this time, she finally told the man how she felt. Now this could go either way.

"I know. I love you too."

"I'm not talking about a friend/brother kind of love. I'm in love with you."

"I know. Me too!"

Monica paused for a moment. "What?" She responded in a high pitched voice, confused as hell. "You realize when I say love, I mean on a Snow White, Prince Charming type of thing, not you're my homeboy type of thing."

"You and Destiny need to stop watching Once Upon A Time but yeah I know what you mean. I'm in love with you too. I've been in love with you. I could've hired anybody to be my nanny. I hired you so I could be around you all the time."

"But I suggested it first."

"So?"

"You just don't want me to quit." Monica moved toward the door though Matthew was blocking it.

"No! I've been in love with you the whole time but I never said anything because I knew I had a lot of growing up to do. I had a lot of baggage and you're younger than me. You didn't need to get caught up in my mess. Plus, I totally had to get over Destiny. Dating while I was in love with her, too messy. I wasn't ready for any serious relationship anyway. I didn't want to get hurt and I didn't want to hurt you. I figured I'd keep you around and when we were both ready I'd make my move."

"So why are you telling me this now?"

"Because now you were going to leave and you really shouldn't let a good one get away. Now I am ready to be in a relationship. You're twenty-one, I'm twenty-four. That's good. You know everything about me and you love me anyway and on my worst days you can make me smile. Your smile alone, makes me smile. When I wake up in the morning, I look forward to seeing your face."

"You're really in love with me." Monica said with amazement. "I thought you were Matthewing me."

"What?" Matthew questioned with this confused yet hilarious look on his face. "What does that even mean?"

"It means, someone's obviously in love with you but you're too blind to see it, or it's obvious both people are in love but one tries to downplay, not appreciate or ignore the feelings for the other person." After a moment of silence, Matthew bussed out in laughter as if he just heard the funniest comedian tell a joke. "Why are you laughing? You know that's not a good thing, right?"

"How long have you called it that?"

"Destiny and Dani were calling it that when I met them."

"That explains it. That's hilarious. That's the funniest thing I ever heard. Matthewed." Matthew laughed.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes but I can understand why they would call it that. I used to be a real idiot at times but that was old Matthew. You tell your girls you've been New-Matthewed. That means, after falling madly in love, you wait until you're the best person you can be before you decide to start a relationship with the person you know is the one."

"I can't believe this. You got me. You got me good. I had no idea this entire time. So how long have you felt this way?" Monica was totally blushing and smiling so hard.

"Dani's wedding."

"No way!"

"Way."

"And you knew that I loved you?"

"Totally. I'm not that oblivious anymore. Come on, a wedding full of basketball players in nice suits, having fun; Jason Derulo singing Marry Me and you come flirt and cheer up the pitiful, twenty year old with two kids. Why? Then you go speak in Spanish."

"What does speaking in Spanish have to do with anything?"

"It's the sexiest thing ever. You don't know how much I have to keep my composure when you do that."

"¿Cree que es sexy?" Monica asked.

"Don't do that." Matthew smiled. He loved when she spoke Spanish. The first thing she said to him at the wedding was in Spanish. He was pretty much hooked from there but like he said, that was horrible timing. If Monica could blush anymore, she would be but...

"What about Hanna?"

"That's not what it looked like."

Monica folded her arms and looked at him in disbelief.

"We kissed. Yes. But it was just in the moment. We were talking, we had a heartfelt conversation and it led to a sweet innocent kiss between two friends who care deeply about each other. That's it. We don't want each other like that. That's old and completely over."

"Even if circumstances were different, if she was fine and here to stay?"

"Even if. You know why? Because I am so completely in love with you and I think Hanna sees that... So will you stay? I'll lose my mind if you quit. I need you, the kids need you and I love you."

"Alright. Alright. I'll stay."

"Thank you!" They shared a long hug. Then they finally shared their first kiss which was a passionate one, one that would never be forgotten.

There was a lot of mess going on around Matthew. Hanna was dying, James was in rocky territory and Destiny wasn't at her best emotionally or even physically since she was virtually still healing and since they all were substantial to him and he cared for them all deeply it hurt him that they were hurt but though that was wearing on his heart, Matthew finally had a piece of real joy and happiness of his own and that much felt so good. That joy and happiness had to do with his own attitude. People told him for years, let go of the past, stop focusing on the negative and what you don't have and focus on the good and what you do have. When he would be told that, he always considered, maybe it was a good idea but in the moment of consideration he'd think, 'No, this life sucks and is not what I planned.' But hey, plans change and once he started to see all that he realized, there really was a light at the end of the tunnel as Dani once told him. He heard all that stuff from so many people he loved and cared about like, his parents, his uncle, his brother, Jeffery, Destiny and they probably weren't the only ones but who actually made him see what they were telling him? Grey. When he had to buckle down and really be a full time single parent and he spent every free moment with him, there were so many quiet nights they were alone. In every night they were alone together and Grey would safely rest on his chest, little by little he saw what they all were talking about.

Now that he knew Grey wasn't his biological son, it didn't change anything. He didn't regret a moment because Grey and Drew were the best things that ever happened to him. Grey just happened to be the one who really changed him and turned him into this responsible, selfless man everyone is so proud of.

-v-

Greg got his medical license back and the first thing on the to-do list was to see if there was anything he could do for James. If you want a second opinion or expert opinion about neurology you go to Greg. His past doesn't change the fact that he's the best at what he does and she was tired of these second rate doctors telling her she shouldn't look for a miracle. Every time she heard any such thing, she wanted to knock them into next week.

After taking a good look at James' brain, Greg's expert opinion was going to come in handy. He explained to Destiny, Inez and Bobby what was going on.

"There's major swelling in this area of the brain." Greg pointed to the photo of the brain. "If we can reduce the swelling, James has a good chance of waking up."

"Really? So what do you need to do?" Destiny asked.

"He needs surgery. The sooner the better."

Greg went on to explain what would be entailed in the surgery and the risks. The surgery seemed like his best shot so they had to go for it.

A few days later, James had the surgery and thankfully, it went well. Now they were just waiting... and waiting to see if he would wake up. They all constantly prayed that he would wake up soon. Destiny especially missed him so much. It was like only having half her heart. She was keeping busy by focusing on Drew and work. After living together the last four years her days just didn't seem complete. Char had her meditating which did help, though she preferred to punch and kick the punching dummy. She kept it together but she still wouldn't go home. She couldn't bring herself to stay in the house without James. She figured she'd get there eventually, she just wasn't ready.

It was time for her next OB appointment and Phylicia went with her. This was the day she could find out the sex of the baby but she decided not to find out if she was having Davonna or James Jr. She was keeping hope alive that she and James might actually be able to find out together. She went to see him after her appointment, sat by his bed and held his hand.

"I need you to wake up now. Don't make me go another minute without you. I miss you so much it hurts. I never felt like this before. I'm usually tough, you know but it's hard to do that right now. I'm trying. I really am. Our whole lives have been thrown off track. It's mind boggling how one day everything is going up then all of a sudden we're on a different path. We were the ones who always had it together. What? Was everything going too well so it was time for Destiny and James to have their own tragedy?" James' hand began to move. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. "Jay!" His eyes opened. "Baby! You're awake." She hugged him. "Greg!" She called.

"Tragedies don't have happily ever after. We do." James managed to say. Destiny just started crying, overwhelmed but so happy.

Greg ran in and checked on James. Once he checked everything...

"Looking good." Greg said.

"My entire left side hurts." James said.

"You're still healing. You got hurt pretty badly in the accident."

"Pain is better than no feeling at all." Destiny said.

"That's true because then we'd have a whole new problem. You're going to be fine." Greg said. Destiny stood up. When he went into the coma, Destiny's stomach was still flat, now she was very obviously showing.

"Whoa. How long have I been out?" James asked groggily.

"Two months."

"Wow. Do you know what we're having?" James touched her belly.

"I was supposed to find out today but I wanted us to find out together."

"So is our savings all gone because of these medical bills?"

"Oh no. We got a nice settlement to cover all that and then some."

"Good... Call the doctor, let's find out what we're having together."

"Ok!" Destiny said excitedly. "But first let me send this mass text to tell everyone to tell you're awake." She kissed him then sent the text, called Vivian and put her on speaker.

"Destiny, what's going on?" Vivian asked.

"James is awake!"

"Yes! That's such good news." Vivian said.

"I'm with him now and we want to know the sex of baby."

"Well... Drum roll. It's a girl!"

"Thanks you!" They ended the call.

"Davonna." They both said in unison then kissed.

"Davonna Shani Ford. Do you like it? My mom put all that thought into naming me and I never used it." Destiny said.

"Beautiful name for our princess."

"You came back to me."

"I'm not going anywhere. What have I missed?"

"Matthew has another kid with Hanna. Veta is home. Téa and Victor are back together. Greg is with Evangeline. Zane got a year in prison for hitting us. I considered killing him but my sanity came back to me once the concussion wore off. My head still hurts from time to time."

"Ok... So how have you been?"

"I was a little crazy at first, then I was an emotional wreck but lately I've been... managing."

"What does that mean?"

"I've been getting things done and I haven't fell apart."

"Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"Yes." James looked at her. "I have! I promise! I've been staying with my parents, they've been making sure."

"You haven't been home?"

"I wasn't ready."

"We'll do it together." James took her hand.

James needed physical therapy but it was a joyous day when he was well enough to go home. He still had a cane and wasn't his strongest but he was getting there. He worked hard all these years to get as pumped up as his brother Bobby. He couldn't wait to get back in the gym.

Destiny, James and Drew who was so ecstatic to have James back he wouldn't let him out of his sight, all finally walked into their new house together but they were all in for a surprise.

Their family threw them the wedding reception they never got to have/welcome home/house warming party.

"Aww! This is so nice!" Destiny exclaimed.

"I'm glad you like it. I started planning as soon as you told me James was awake." Dani said then hugged James. "I've missed you man."

"Thank you! This means everything." Destiny said.

"You both mean everything to all of us. We love you guys and we all need you both in some way. We want both of you to be happy." Dani said then they shared a group hug before Dani went back over to Ty.

"You want something to drink baby?" Destiny asked.

"I am a bit parched." James replied.

"I got you. Sit. Relax. Don't overexert yourself." They shared a peck on the lips. "Drew, come help mommy." She took Drew's hand and went to the kitchen while James went to sit down on the couch. He was soon joined by Matthew.

"Matthew!" James exclaimed.

"Hey. I'm glad you're doing well. Drew and G love you and missed you crazy. Drew stayed with me for a few weeks after Des got out of the hospital and everyday all he talked about was mommy and James, when is James coming back? And G was all, I want to go to Destiny and James' house."

"When G is with us, all he talks about is you and Drew lights up whenever you come in the room."

"The thing is, I'm glad they have all of us and I really appreciate you being there for Drew and G the way you are."

"I love them like they're my own. I hear you have daughter now too."

"Yeah. She's adorable. I wasn't prepared for a girl. I'm not looking forward to fighting those boys off in the teen years so I hope they come slowly."

James laughed. "I feel you there. Des and I are having a girl. I'm not prepared for that either."

"James... I've always felt guilty about what I did to your da-."

James stopped him. "Don't mention it. We all thought about it. I came close but I couldn't do it. We've all done things we're not proud of. He wasn't exactly father of the year. The problem lied in the way the situation was handled but it's in the past. The truth will remain with the few people who know."

"... Jay, I'm glad you make Destiny happy and I'm glad you're here. It wouldn't have been fair if she had to go through this pregnancy without you like she did before without me."

"Yeah. I'm glad I'm here for this."

"Talking about me?" Destiny asked with a smile as she stood there with the punch for her and James. "Here you go Charming." Destiny handed James the cup then he took her free hand.

"Sit on my good leg." James said and Destiny sat on his right lap. "Where's Drew?"

"Playing with Ryder, Leon and Tori." Destiny replied.

"He actually let you two out of his sight?" Matthew asked.

"For a moment." Destiny replied.

"He's still shaken up about everything. We're really going to have to make him feel secure again." Matthew said.

"I know." Destiny agreed then Monica came over and sat next to Matthew. "Aww! The happy couple! Y'all are so cute together!"

"Yeah, since I stopped Matthewing her." Matthew said.

Destiny giggled. "My bad. Perhaps I'm responsible for that phrase."

"It's cool. I find it hilarious." Matthew said.

"He laughed so hard when I told him that. He says I've been New-Matthewed." Monica said.

"New-Matthewed." Destiny nodded. "I guess that makes sense. This a new Matthew. How's Hanna?"

"Not so well. She's going back to Rosewood to spend her last days but Aria is with her right now, that's why she couldn't make but she said, she'll visit you." Mathew informed.

Jack was holding Veta as he sat with Dani.

"Who's your favorite uncle? Uncle Jack!" Jack played with Veta.

"It's totally Uncle Sam." Dani joked.

"Hey Jack." Jamie said after coming over.

"Hey." Jack said simply. She stood there waiting for more.

"No flowers, no chocolate or anything? Just hey?" Jaime asked.

"Now who's the spoiled one?" Jack asked.

"But- but you always..."

"I always look crazy. I've been chasing you, trying to win your heart for four years. It's time I move on."

"Move on? No."

"As many boyfriends as you've had and you're telling me no?" Jack handed Veta to Dani.

"I'm sorry but I like you. Do we still have a chance?"

"You like me now? After I stopped spoiling you with gifts and embarrassing myself with stupid poems? I don't even like poetry."

"We're grown up now. We're both eighteen. We've matured and you're not the jerk you once were. We're both going to NYU so it's perfect. Can we have a chance?"

"Do you really like me or is this some kind of joke?"

"I really like you." Jaime kissed his cheek. He smiled and turned red at an instant.

"We definitely have a chance." Jack cheesed. "Dani, I thought you said Shane was here."

"He is." Dani replied.

"Where?" Jack asked then Dani shot her eyes in Shane's direction. "All I see over there is a big muscular guy."

"That would be Shane." Dani informed.

"But he could whoop my ass." Jack said.

"Watch your language in front of the baby. But yes. He sure could."

"He is fine!" Jaime exclaimed.

"Hey!" Jack frowned.

"Well he is but that doesn't mean I'm trying to get with a brother."

"Is Shaun around? I may need a bodyguard." Jack went over to Shane. "Uh, excuse me. Shane?" Shane turned around to face Jack. "Wow. You seem huger up close. Remember me? I'm-"

"Jack Manning." Shane said.

"Yeah. I just- just wanted to apologize sincerely for the things I did to you all those years ago. I deeply regret it but I want you to know I'm different now. I've changed and grown. I've been wanting to say this to you for a long time now."

"... Thank you. It takes a big man to admit that and apologize."

"Not as big as you. Wow. What have you been eating?"

Shane laughed. "Sure I could snap you in two like a tooth pick but underneath it all, I'm still the same old Shane."

Evangeline and Greg stood together watching Destiny and James together.

"Look at them. You made that happen. This is what your gift does for people. It brings people together, gives them second chances. That's what you should always remember. God knows we all need a second chance sometimes." Evangeline said to Greg and they hugged.

The rest of the Evans and the Fords all migrated to one area together and they looked around and saw the beauty of everyone coming together in celebration. Though, in the past their families had been kind of broken, now they were more united than ever.

"This is all beautiful and amazing. It's one love, one family and we're all here together." Char said.

-v-

Téa, Victor, Dani and Sam were playing Money Hungry as a family. It was like old times with the addition of Téa's dad, Senior, playing with Leon, Tori and Angel a few feet away.

Téa looked at Victor and Senior and remembered the wish she made on a shooting star in the hospital after Leon and Tori were born. Her wish was that she could have the both of them back. Though when she did get them, it wasn't exactly ideal, the journey was worth it after seeing where they are now but she got even more than she wished for.

Ty walked in the room with Veta.

"Look who's awake." Ty said.

"Aww. Let me hold my beautiful great-granddaughter." Senior said and Ty handed Veta to him.

"Who's winning?" Ty asked about the game.

"I am." Sam said.

"The kid's a genius. I'm telling you, I've got good genes." Victor said.

Soon enough, Starr and Hope who were in town temporarily, Jack, Del and Tomas came to join the party. It was a wonderful Lord/Delgado occasion.

-v-

At Matthew's, Hanna was saying goodbye to Val as she put her to bed for the very last time. Though it was the hardest thing for either of them, Matthew, Monica and Aria were there for support.

"Valley Bear, we've talked about this for awhile now and it's time for me to leave. I want you to always remember that I love you more than all the stars in the sky. That'll never change and I will always be here in your heart." Hanna put her hand over Val's heart. "Be a good girl. Always remember who you are. You're brave, strong, smart, the prettiest girl in the world. Your daddy and Monica, they are going to take great care of you and you're surrounded by so much love you won't even know what to do with it. Just remember never to take it for granted. Now I know you may not understand everything right now but-" Hanna pulled out an old tape recorder. "I recorded it and you can listen to it whenever you want and one day, it will all make sense. Your daddy has so many videos for you to watch and like a stack of photo albums for you so you won't forget me. Your grandma from Rosewood, she's going to visit you sometimes, okay? I love you." Hanna hugged her.

"I love you too mommy." Val said.

Hanna kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodbye Valley Bear." Hanna was thinking, don't cry, don't cry before she headed out the door. As soon as she got out of the room the tears fell. Val was crying in her bed holding her teddy bear. Matthew and Monica went over to comfort Val the best they could and Aria was outside the room comforting Hanna then finally Aria took Hanna back home to Rosewood.

Matthew and Monica stayed with Val until she fell asleep then they went to bed.

"That was difficult." Matthew stated. "Now I feel like we're just waiting for a phone call to find out that Hanna is gone."

"This situation isn't easy for anyone involved and we don't know what lies ahead of the road but whatever it is, we're going to get through it together." They held hands. "All of us, as a family." Monica said. They moved closer and Monica laid her head on his shoulder.

-v-

Destiny and James were finally in their bed together, in their new room, in their nice new house. It felt good like things were as they should be. James was massaging Destiny's feet.

"I said I was going to give you a massage. How did you end up giving me a massage?"

"I've got three months of spoiling my queen to catch up on."

"Yeah well, the queen needs to get the king back to his healthiest state. Come on, your leg is still messed up, your back still hurts."

"I'll be fine. One step at a time. I'm healing little by little. I'm just glad we're all alive. This whole thing could've turned out completely different. All four of us could have lost our lives. We already know Vonny's a tough cookie." James rubbed Destiny's belly then the baby kicked. "She's very active."

"Tell me about it. She keeps me up all night already. I swear she's in there doing gymnastics."

"Aww. You've got to let mommy sleep." They kissed. "So about the honeymoon we never got to go on."

"I guess we have to put it on hold for longer. I really want to go to Barcelona and India. It would be such a fun adventure together."

"Maybe we can still do it. Or at least just do Barcelona for now. "

"James, you're still hurting and Drew will hardly let us out of the room without him, let alone the country."

"We can figure something out and I'm good. Give me a few weeks and I'll be as good as new." James said. Destiny folded her arms and looked at him seriously. "I'll be well enough to travel so we can enjoy our honeymoon. We've been planning this trip for years. I just feel like if we keep pushing it back waiting for the best time, we'll never get there. There's no time like the present, tomorrow may never come."

"Ok but only if you're well enough and we can work out this situation with Drew."

"That's fair. So we'll plan for a month from now, stay a couple weeks then we'll be back before your eighth month. I love you."

"Love you too." They kissed.

Drew came in the room and climbed on the bed.

"What are you doing up little Prince?" Destiny asked but she knew he wouldn't stay in his room all night.

"I can't sleep." Drew replied.

"Let's get under the covers. We'll tell you a story." James said then they got under the covers and began making up some elaborate action filled bedtime story that began with 'Once upon a time' and ended with 'and they lived happily ever after.'

A month later, though not completely well but well enough, James and Destiny made it on their beautiful honeymoon to Barcelona but there was a catch with that considering Drew wouldn't let them out of his sight for too long. Drew, Matthew, Monica, Grey and Val had to come along too in order for them to go. This way, they could go but Drew could come and not be worried about them being away from him. It was nice anyway, even though having your ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend come along isn't the most appealing idea for a honeymoon no matter how close you all may be. Think about it though, it's a very mature relationship between adults. All that aside, everyone enjoyed themselves and it still turned out to be everything Destiny and James had hoped for. Maybe even better because they had the family moments too.

... And they lived happily ever...

No. Just kidding. It's a SOAP opera, not a fairy tale. It wasn't exactly happily ever after but there were good times and bad. People grew, learned, matured, loved and loved hard. Everyone kept moving forward and never let the past hold them back. With everything they all went through, it was all worth it to get where they are and where they were going. They took everything they learned and passed it on to the next generation... But that's it's own SOAP opera.


Ok. So this has been my favorite fanfic that I've written. It' s also been the longest with the most reviews. There's a couple things I'd probably do differently but that aside I love it because since I had most of it figured out by the second chapter it was easy to build up to stuff from the start and have things unfold little by little as the story went on.

Secondly, yeah I know Des and Matt didn't end up together and I thought about it until the "Rescue Me" chapter but I just felt like there's so many stories about them ending up together, including my "Llanview Lives 3" story where they are together through the whole thing so check that out if you would like to read such a story. I wanted something different. Plus, you don't always end up with your first love. Sometimes you grow up and move on and that's cool but I like the growth between them and all the characters and that Matthew got a happy ending because I always give him a hard time but I really wanted him to be happy and mature by the end no matter who he ended up with. So I hoped everyone enjoyed.

Thirdly, I really want to write a next generation sequel from this if you guys would read it. What do you think?