This started out as a short and sweet wrap-up epilogue of the whole story. But it managed to grow until it became two chapter length parts. :)

Epilogue- Part 1

Six Months Later. . .

Grimmjow stood on the balcony looking down on the open interior of Ilfort's art gallery and tried to make sense of everything he was seeing. There were floating dividers that hung from the three-story ceiling with lighting that showcased painted canvases. A few tall sculptures dotted the floor with a handful of smaller pieces that sat on simple pedestals. His eyes settled on a sandy-haired young man down below that was straightening a painting that looked like someone had spilled a can of orange paint on it.

"Tell me again what that blobby thingy is."

Kon whirled with as his face twisted with in angry scowl. "It told you it was a lion, you idiot!"

The painting was a mix of almost cartoonish colors and shapes that didn't seem to come together to make any sort of picture Grimmjow recognized. The only thing that looked remotely like a lion was the artist's signature down in the corner in the shape of a stylized paw print. "Looks like a blob to me," he said with a smug grin.

Kon's lip curled and he looked like he was about ready to leap up onto the balcony and throttle him. Which just made Grimmjow laugh. When he'd first seen Kon from a distance, he'd been startled at how much he looked like Ichigo. It was only when he saw him up close that he realized his hair was sandy auburn instead of red and his eyes were more hazel than brown. The line of his jaw was also a little more square and he was a couple of inches shorter. But the overall resemblance was still striking.

"Stop antagonizing my artist," Ilfort admonished as he came out of the office behind Grimmjow. "His work sells surprisingly well."

"Eh. I'm just yanking his chain." Kon was really easy to rile up and pissing him off had become one of his favorite pastimes. It also irritated Ilfort which was an amusing bonus.

It had been nearly six months since they'd started over. After a month of moving around and never staying anywhere for more than a few days, they'd finally settled in a new city halfway across the world. Along with their past, they'd left their old identities behind. Ichigo had used his skills to give them new names and credentials. Grimmjow had been surprised at the amount of detail he'd put into their backgrounds. Ogichi Zangetsu, Nico Grimshaw, and Lyle Torres were fully fleshed out people that had suddenly burst into existence but it seemed like they'd been around for a lifetime. Ilfort had contributed by creating workable ID's to go with their new names.

Once settling here, Ilfort finally had a chance to explore his dream of becoming a painter. But after a few frustrating weeks, he'd realized that he had no immediate talent or patience to learn how to create art himself. It had taken several trashed canvases and a lot things getting thrown across the room for him to realize it. He still loved art and enjoyed watching others paint so he'd decided to open a gallery instead. He'd found a building downtown and set up large, modern space in front that showcased a mix of several artists. The rear was broken up into individual studio spaces that were rented out. Kon had been one of Ilfort's first renters and his biggest money maker as an artist so far.

"Did you come over here just to make stupid comments?" Ilfort asked him.

"Nah, that's just a bonus. I was picking up parts in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop in to see what you were doing."

"How's the bike coming?"

"It's still in pieces but I've got almost everything I need to finish putting it together. You got anybody that can do decent airbrushing? I need some flash for the tank." After puttering around with a couple of different automotive projects, Grimmjow had gone back to doing what he'd always enjoyed. He was building a custom bike in the shop below the apartment he shared with Ichigo. Grimmjow sighed happily. Just thinking about the redhead spread a warm feeling of contentment through him.

"Nobody comes to mind but I'll do some asking around." Ilfort headed back into the office and gestured for him to follow. "C'mere for a minute. I want to talk to you."

The warm feeling evaporated immediately and Grimmjow felt himself stiffen. Everything had been going so well and Ichigo was finally starting to seem relaxed and happy. Grimmjow would hate to uproot him again. They'd only had one close call since leaving their hometown and they'd immediately picked up and moved which had been incredibly stressful on all of them. It might have turned out to be nothing but it was better to be safe than sorry. Months had passed since then and everything had been fine.

When the office door closed behind him, Grimmjow stayed standing. "What is it?" He was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Relax, it's okay. We're not going anywhere." Ilfort took in his rigid posture. "Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you or anything. I just wanted to talk in private."

Grimmjow hadn't realized how much tension had tightened his shoulders until he forced himself to relax. Taking a deep breath, he sank down into one of the comfortable chairs in front of the desk. "I thought you were going to tell me we'd have to go."

Ilfort shook his head. "No. I'll never stop keeping watch but we're safe." He picked up a pen and twirled it in his fingers absently. "How's Ichigo doing? I haven't been downstairs in more than a week."

Together they'd purchased a townhouse that had been split into two decent sized apartments with a spacious garage on the ground floor. Ilfort had the apartment above theirs and he came down to hang out all the time. But recently he'd been setting up for a new show and spent most of his time at the gallery.

"Good, I guess. The web design thing is going pretty well. He's been really busy." And relatively content. Ichigo was a wizard with computers and his new firm let him put his skills to good use without having to see anyone in person. Getsuga Design had a whole bunch of clients lined up who needed help with websites and tech support, all of which could be handled online or over the phone. But Grimmjow could tell that Ichigo wasn't completely happy. He sighed. "Something's missing and I can't quite figure out what it is. I asked him once but he just shrugged it off." Trying to prod an answer out of him had lead to an argument that had lasted all afternoon.

Ilfort nodded like he knew exactly what he was talking about. Pulling out a pad of paper from the teetering pile on his desk, he wrote something down and ripped off the page before handing it to Grimmjow. "Convince him to take a break and bring him there."

"Is this the place you keep talking about?" It was an address for a small café called the Blossom Bakery. He remembered Ilfort mentioning it a couple of times in passing. "What makes it so special?"

"There's a reason I chose this place when we decided to stay in one location. Part of the reason we shifted around for so long is because it took me a while to find it." Ilfort sat back and sighed. "I don't know who my parents were," he said wistfully in a sudden change of subject.

When they were younger, Ilfort had fantasized and made up stories about who his family might have been and where they were. Grimmjow knew the truth about his own and wished he didn't know. He'd been really young when child services had intervened and put him in foster care but he could still remember how bad it had been. He wasn't quite sure why it was coming up now.

"Ichigo has always had a very strong connection to his family," Ilfort continued. "When he was at the University, he talked about them all the time. He made a huge sacrifice when he chose not to leave with them and he shouldn't be punished for it." He paused for a moment and gave Grimmjow and incredibly serious, level look. "Take him to the café."

Grimmjow didn't quite follow at first. He hated it when Ilfort was vague but he hated asking him to explain even more because it made him feel stupid. So he slumped in his chair and struggled to figure out what he was trying to tell him. Ilfort said he'd searched for this place and chose it for a reason. When that reason finally registered, Grimmjow felt a nasty quaver of nerves. Ichigo's family was here.

"You look terrified." Ilfort's words snapped Grimmjow out of his thoughts.

"Just surprised I guess," he muttered. He knew Ichigo loved him and accepted him for who he was but he wasn't entire sure his family would feel the same way. Grimmjow never imagined that he'd ever have to gain their approval. "What if his dad knows who I am? What if he knows what I've done?"

"I've never seen you so worried about what somebody else thinks before."

Grimmjow blinked. He hadn't really meant to say that last part out loud. Gritting his teeth, he kept his mouth shut so he wouldn't blurt out anything else. He usually didn't give a damn about what other people thought of him. But this was so different.

"They love him," Ilfort said softly.

Of course they did. Ichigo had something about him that made you want to put your faith in him; something that made you want to care. But while Ichigo's family would most likely welcome the redhead back gladly, Grimmjow wasn't so sure he'd get the same kind of reception. If they didn't like him, that would create some serious stress between him and Ichigo and he wasn't sure how they'd deal with it. The thought of losing him for any reason was absolutely terrifying.

"Take a deep breath," Ilfort told him. "Ichigo loves you. That will matter to them."

He wasn't so sure. This was something he'd never even considered. On a certain level, he was aware that part of his fear was actually tinged with a certain amount of jealousy. He'd never thought he'd have to share Ichigo's affections. But as soon as he had the thought, he felt guilty fore even contemplating keeping it from him. It was wrong in a way that made his middle swirl uncomfortably.

"I'll talk to him about it," he said finally. And he would. But Grimmjow was wary about springing this on the redhead as a surprise. Ichigo was carrying some serious guilt about sending his family away and staying behind. On one of the rare occasions when they'd talked about it, he'd told Grimmjow that he really regretted some of the things he'd said.

Kon opened the door suddenly and popped his head into the office, startling them both. "Do we have any spackle?"

Ilfort's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why?"

Kon's eyes flicked away as he tucked the hammer he was holding behind his back. It was dripping a suspicious amount of plaster dust. "Uh, no reason. Never mind," he said quickly before ducking out again.

Ilfort took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go make sure the gallery is still in one piece."

Grimmjow couldn't help it. He laughed out loud and felt some of his apprehension ease. This was not the first time Kon had left mild disasters in his wake and he was surprised Ilfort had left him alone with tools in the gallery. "I told you that you should keep him locked up in his studio where he won't break anything."

"Eh. He'd whine too much and expect to be fed on a regular basis."

Laughing again, Grimmjow stood. "You need any help with the installation?" He'd helped out with show prep before. The last one used an elaborate setup that involved some serious heavy metal construction.

"Thanks but not this time. As long as I don't have to redo all the walls downstairs, I've got it. Go home and think about what I said."

Grimmjow nodded and headed out. He had a couple more errands to run before going home and he went down to his car. It was the fist vehicle he'd ever actually bought instead of boosted. Ilfort had surprised them on the plane with a gym bag full of cash. Nobody asked any questions as to where it came from but Grimmjow could guess. Under his alias Del Toro, Ilfort had done his fair share of illegal fund transfers and electronic theft when they were younger. He usually stole from people with so much money they wouldn't even miss it. But he'd been straight, legally speaking, for years and the money probably came from a nest egg that he'd been building up all that time. It gave them enough to get started and that was all that mattered.

When he finally got home, Grimmjow left the car parts he'd bought in the garage and carried the groceries upstairs. As he set the everything on the island, he looked around the apartment. The main room was one large, open space with a counter separating the kitchen from the living room. He hadn't really cared much about decorating and left the choices mostly to Ichigo, especially in the kitchen. They had high end appliances all around and gleaming countertops. It turned out that the redhead actually liked to cook. Now that they weren't on the run, he'd taken over most meal preparation which Grimmjow was thankful for. When he'd been on his own, he'd eaten a lot of takeout just because it was easier.

The living room was a little more lived-in looking and less sleek but that made it more comfortable in Grimmjow's opinion. The big couch sitting in front of the television was dark and cushy but the big entertainment center was fully equipped with a big flat screen. Right now, Ichigo was sprawled on the cushions with his laptop and a white lump of fur draped over his long legs. He was on the phone but he nodded in greeting when Grimmjow came in. Sensing a potential meal opportunity, Pantera hopped down to the floor so he could trot over to rub against Grimmjow's ankles. Ichigo's watched him go until his attention was drawn back to the phone.

"No, Kon. It's not a retractable cup holder." He sounded both exasperated and amused like he was trying not to laugh. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ichigo sighed heavily. "Don't shove the tray back into the computer. No, you can't hide it. Just leave it. . .no don't-" Lowering the phone to his chest he looked up at the ceiling like he was praying for patience.

Grimmjow smirked as he finished putting the groceries away. "Tell him to come clean. Hiding it will only make things worse." Kon had taken his life in his hands the moment he touched Ilfort's computer.

Ichigo raised the phone again and listened for a minute. "No, I'm not coming over there and fixing it. It's not about money. What are you even doing in his office? Go back down to the studio and paint something." Ending the call, he tossed the phone onto the coffee table. "I swear." The irritated huff turned into a laugh.

"When I was over there earlier he'd managed to bang a hole in the gallery wall with a hammer."

Ichigo laughed again and set the laptop aside so he could stand up and stretch. When Pantera realized that Grimmjow wasn't going to feed him anything, he stalked back over to the couch and hopped up to settle in the warm spot the redhead had left behind. Ichigo watched him snuggle down into the cushion and smiled. It lit up his face in a way that made Grimmjow's chest tighten with a warmth that always took him by surprise. He fingered the ring on his left hand and felt a slow smile spread across his own face.

His entire life, he'd never really committed to anything. As a kid, he'd had no direction other than wanting things to be better and when he'd been with Aizen, he'd never really given it his all. He'd been more concerned about survival and trying to salvage what little was left of his morality. But three weeks after he'd settled here with Ilfort and Ichigo, he'd made the biggest commitment of his life. He asked Ichigo to marry him.

It had almost been a joke at first. He and Ichigo had been fooling around on the couch and it had just come out. But as soon as he said it, Grimmjow realized that he was completely serious. He hadn't really thought much about marriage growing up. It wasn't something that interested him and he never imagined finding someone he would want to spend his life with. But it felt like the most natural thing in the world when he'd proposed to Ichigo. The redhead was currently wearing a matching ring on his left hand. It was a twisted band of copper and blue steel that had been a wedding present from Ilfort.

Ichigo raised his arms and stretched in one long line as he curled his bare toes against the thick carpet. He wore a slim pair of jeans and a worn t-shirt that rode up as he shifted to expose a strip of tanned skin. Grimmjow never got tired of looking at him. His body was long and lean with a gorgeous face and fiery hair that matched his personality. He'd let his hair grow out so it trailed down the back of his neck and over his forehead into his eyes. He looked a lot more laid back and relaxed which suited him much better than the stressed fatigue he'd been suffering from before they'd escaped.

When Ichigo caught him staring, his cheeks flushed a pale pink and he scowled. "What?"

"Nothing," Grimmjow said as he stalked forward and wrapped his arms around Ichigo's waist. "Just admiring my sexy wife."

Ichigo's expression immediately darkened. "I thought I told you not to mrnph-" He was cut off as Grimmjow's lips covered his own. The redhead fought the kiss and struggled in his grip as he bit at him. But even though it started out with fire and teeth, it slowly changed into a softer, slower burn of heat that made him melt into the kiss with a moan. Ichigo's tongue flicked out and Grimmjow took it as an invitation to delve inside the younger man's mouth. He could taste the tea he'd been drinking and the warmth that was purely Ichigo. When they came up for breath, there was still fire in the redhead's eyes.

"You're such a jerk," he said in a breathless whisper before he started kissing along Grimmjow's jaw and clutched at the back of his shirt. "Not sure why I put up with you."

"Well, you're stuck with me now," Grimmjow murmured into his ear. Ichigo's hands were leaving a trail of fire along his back where they'd snuck up under his shirt. He wanted him. He always wanted him and the intense desire never seemed to fade.

"I think it's the other way around." Ichigo's voice was a low husk that sent shivers down Grimmjow's spine. Making a commitment to each other was never an issue for either of them. After what they'd been through and what they'd faced, it was natural to stay together. It hadn't been a traditional wedding by any means but they'd dressed up for the occasion and treated it like it really meant something. Because it did. What had started out as a joking suggestion had turned into a solemn promise. There had been jokes about who would wear the dress but when it came down to it, Grimmjow refused to let either of them wear white. If he had his way, they'd never wear a piece of white clothing again.

So Grimmjow had worn a classic black tux and waited to see what Ichigo would come up with since the redhead had refused to discuss it with him. He'd wanted it to be a surprise and it really was. Grimmjow was a little speechless when he'd shown up in a sapphire blue tuxedo that hugged the lines of his incredible body. He looked fantastic. Grimmjow enjoyed peeling it off of him later that night even more.

Ichigo was currently working his way back to Grimmjow's mouth so he could suck in his bottom lip to bite it before letting go. The warm brown of his eyes sparkled as he caught Grimmjow's gaze and held it.

"I love you."

That warmth that had settled in Grimmjow's chest burst in a wave of heat. Reaching down to squeeze Ichigo's spectacularly tight ass, he started moving them back toward the bedroom. All the colors here were muted and warm and for the first time in his life, Grimmjow lived in a place that felt like home. A sudden wave of emotion made his throat tight and he covered by rolling them both onto the huge bed. Settling so he was on top, he pressed open mouthed kisses to Ichigo's bared throat until he was composed enough to reply.

"I love you. I will always love you." The strain still must have shown in his voice because Ichigo pulled back a little and cupped his face in his hands. He didn't say anything but he leaned up to kiss him and it was so tender it made Grimmjow ache in all the best ways.

Things didn't always go smoothly and they didn't agree one hundred percent of the time. Their personalities sometimes clashed in arguments that lasted for hours. Grimmjow had even been sentenced to the couch one night after a particularly bitter fight that ended with Ichigo slamming the bedroom door and locking him out. But their connection was too strong for anything to break it completely. It was difficult for either of them to admit they were wrong so the make-up process was almost as difficult as the fight itself. But most of the time, they were so happy to be alive and together that nothing else really mattered.

Grimmjow put all of his emotion into that kiss before he started to pull Ichigo's clothes off. Raising the hem of his shirt, he shifted downward and nibbled at the muscles of his abdomen, flicking his tongue out occasionally to make the younger man quiver. Grimmjow's thumbs brushed the nubs of his nipples as he worked the fabric up over his head. Kissing him again, his moved back down to start working on his pants. When they were halfway down his thighs, Grimmjow rolled his eyes up to see the redhead watching him with a heated looked that simmered with want. Grimmjow blew a breath of warm air across Ichigo's ready length which made him hum softly in pleasure and arch his back. Every inch of him was gorgeous.

The redhead wiggled on the bed to work the fabric lower down his legs in a sudden show impatience. Grimmjow grinned. He could help him with that. Yanking his pants off completely, he slid his hands down to knead the inside of Ichigo's thighs which made the younger man's breath catch. The exhalation turned into a soft whine when Grimmjow leaned back and took his hands away. Even though his own body was burning, he decided to take his time undressing and enjoy the way Ichigo's breath sped up and his eyes darkened. But it seemed the redhead couldn't wait any longer.

He launched himself up and rolled Grimmjow onto his back, straddling his hips as he leaned down to bite at his mouth. The fire had never left his eyes and they were shining with challenge. Grimmjow loved seeing him like this. Ichigo was competitive and confident and now that he wasn't living in the shadow of his uncle, he was really able to shine. That fire was part of what had attracted Grimmjow when he'd first met him as an adult. The heat grew as he shifted restlessly beneath the younger man. Ichigo tore the rest of his clothes off before tasting him everywhere. Grimmjow would never submit like this to anyone but he let Ichigo take what he wanted as he reached for the bottle on the nightstand and prepped his partner with practiced ease.

Making this kind of connection had always been easy for them. At first Grimmjow had fought what he wanted. He hadn't thought that he could have something like this or be close to anyone. The shambles that he'd made of his life kept getting in the way. But he couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now. As Ichigo lowered himself onto him, Grimmjow's thoughts fuzzed pleasantly as the waves of sensations surged. Sometimes they paced themselves but not today. Ichigo sped up and the wave finally crested and pushed them both over the edge. Grimmjow thrust up one last time with a growl as his whole body tightened. Ichigo cried out before relaxing and practically melting on top of him with a satisfied sigh. They lay there together for a while in a comfortable silence while they basked in the afterglow.

Ichigo sighed again and stretched where he lay. "Are you hungry?"

Grimmjow didn't answer immediately. He was thinking about the café and what he was going to do about it. Taking Ichigo there without giving him a choice would be unfair, but telling him ahead of time might make him over-think the decision. The extreme amount of guilt he was holding onto was affecting him pretty badly. He hid it most of the time but Grimmjow could always tell when it came to the surface. He'd get this sorrowful expression on his face that was hard to see.

Ichigo levered himself up onto his elbow to look down at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Grimmjow sighed. "I'm fine."

Ichigo gave Grimmjow a considering look that said he didn't quite believe him but wasn't going to push the issue. Yet. That look also promised future prodding if the problem didn't go away. The redhead could read him just as well. "I'm going to take a shower and then I'll make something for dinner."

When Grimmjow nodded absently, the redhead crawled over him and headed into the bathroom. Sighing heavily, Grimmjow got up to follow. But as he passed the dresser, something caught his eye and made him pause. Ichigo's wallet was open with its contents spilling out like he'd been looking for something and hadn't bothered to put it all back. There was a photo sticking out from behind a credit card. Grimmjow pulled it out and saw a piece of Ichigo's past.

There were four people in the lovingly worn family photo including two teenage girls, a man Grimmjow recognized as Isshin Kurosaki, and Ichigo who looked several years younger than he was now. Isshin had a foolish expression on his face and one of the girls was yelling at him. The other seemed to be trying to keep the peace and had a look of extreme patience on her face. Ichigo was the only one looking at the camera. He didn't seem overly surprised or bothered by the behavior of the others in the photo. His mouth was curled up slightly in an amused smirk like it was all some private joke that nobody else would get. Despite how it looked at first glance, the image instilled a sense of comfortable familiarity.

There was love in that photo.

Grimmjow didn't have to think about it anymore. He knew what he had to do. "Hey. Let's go out for dinner," he said as he joined Ichigo in the shower.