Chapter 36: Revealing the Engagement.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fosters.

AN: Okay, wow. I got seven reviews on the previous chapter. Thank you all so much for the reviews. Every one of them means a lot to me.

Connor's POV:

It's November now. Things are going good again, for everybody in the extended family.

As Jude and I stand side by side, about to reveal our engagement to our large extended family, it strikes me just how much has happened in the last couple of months.

Jude had turned nineteen, and we celebrated his 19th birthday with dinner, a movie, and a surprise party in the backyard at the Fosters house. It didn't start out the best, since I forgot that Jude still reacts badly to shocks and surprises since the shooting. So when everybody jumped out and screamed SUPRISE, Jude yelped and dove behind the picnic table. After he realized what was really going on though, he was ecstatic, and thoroughly enjoyed the party.

Uncle Evan was released from the hospital and the plan for the record contract went forward. The night it was signed, it came as a surprise. Uncle Evan, wheelchair bound until he could get his prosthetic fitted, took us all out to a restaurant for dinner. When we arrived at our table to find James and Lars waiting for us, Castor fainted. Jeremy and Austin stood stock still in shock. Jude and I both stared at them in awe. Jax shook both of their hands furiously, babbling away about how much he loved their work. It was a fun night, and by the end of the night, we had signed a contract or seven albums, to be recorded and released over a period of a maximum of ten years.

We began recording the next day, using the state of the art equipment that Evan has assembled in his basement recording studio. We're a month into recording, and we've got four out of eight songs completely finished, with Jude and I splitting lead vocal duties 50/50 on each song. We had recorded Jax's monstrously long "Demon's Charm" first, which took us the longest, since it's thirteen minutes long. After, we recorded a short three minute filler song that I wrote one night with Jude called "Headbanger". After that we recorded "Waterfall of Tears", the first song I ever wrote. It turned out to be six minutes long, because Jax and Austin had wrote a really complex guitar solo that was put at the end of the song. The last song we recorded so far was "Loss", the second song I ever wrote. It was the only piece on the album that was entirely acoustic, straying from the doom, groove and thrash metal style of the rest of the songs.

We've still got to finish and record four more songs that we have cued up. "Born to Be" was the next song we were going to record. It was the song Jude wrote, that described a gay mans fight to escape a conversion camp. After that we had Evan's "Memories (All My Love)". Jax and Castor wrote the music for it, and it had a really haunting tone to it. The song after that was called "Suicide" which was a doomy seven minute long thing that the whole band wrote together, that described a man's suicidal thoughts. The final song that we were going to work on was called "Flattened". It was another group effort, that everybody but Jude and I had a hand in writing. It described a man getting his revenge on his cheating significant other and the person she cheated with. After we get all the songs recorded, the mixing and mastering begins. We didn't expect to actually release the album until around June of next year at the latest, April at the earliest.

Anyway, on to the rest of the family.

Brandon had moved out of the Fosters house, and had a steady girlfriend named Jenna. She was a beautiful girl, with strawberry blonde hair who spoke with a soft Scottish brogue. She was a feisty woman, more than capable of keeping Brandon in line. She also adores Jude and I. Brandon had introduced her to Jude and I before any of the other siblings, because we ran into them at the mall one day. She ended up defending us later that day at the mall when some old guys called Jude and I a few less than appropriated names. It was the most epic dressing down I have ever seen. Jude and I both told Brandon that he better not screw it up, because she was a gem.

Jesus surprised the entire family by dropping an enormous bombshell by bringing home his own significant other. He had been in a relationship with somebody since the middle of my junior year. The relationship had been kept a quasi secret. The entire family knew of its existence, but Jesus was keeping his cards extremely close to his chest. He offered no details, and refused to tell anybody anything about who his significant other was. His only response was that he wasn't ready to introduce them yet.

We discovered why on Halloween.

The whole family had been assembled at the Fosters house for a party. Everybody was in costumes. Jude was dressed as the Terminator, while I was dressed as a secret agent with a lightsaber. Jesus arrived a half hour into the party, looking extremely nervous, and shaking like a leaf. When asked why he looked like he was about to have a heart attack, he said he had somebody to introduce to everybody.

Mariana started squealing, and asked if he was finally introducing his girlfriend. Jesus turned really red and said she was close. Everybody gathered in a group as Jesus went back into the house to retrieve his significant other. He came back five minutes later, tugging somebody behind him. The person had chocolate brown hair, green eyes, and was a whole foot shorter than Jesus.

It was also not a girl. It was a boy.

Nobody expected that, and everybody stared in barefaced shock as Jesus introduced him to all of us. His name was Cody. He was soft-spoken, and incredibly shy, and spent the first half hour of the night practically hiding behind Jesus. After Jude and I introduced ourselves, he started to open up a little. Apparently Cody and Jesus met on campus during freshman orientation on their first day of college and had become quick friends.

They both started developing feelings for each other after about a month of friendship, each other thought the other was straight and had no chance. They stayed best friends until one day, when Cody was jumped on campus. Jesus saw it, and rushed in to help, and decimated the attacker with skills he had picked up from wrestling. During the ensuing talk, Cody kissed Jesus. It only lasted a second, and Cody pulled away and started apologizing profusely, tearfully begging for forgiveness. Jesus responded by simply kissing him again.

We asked Jesus later if that meant he was bi, but he told us he was pansexual. Neither Jude or I had ever heard of that before. He explained it that he saw gender or sex irrelevant when he was looking for a significant other. When asked how long he had identified as such by Stef and Lena, he said he had always identified as that, but had never stated it because he felt it was nobody's business but his, and how he likes to keep things very private. Jude hugged his older brother, and told him he was glad he found somebody.

Mariana and Mat had got back together, and had moved into a small apartment together. It came as a shock to everybody, since we all remembered that Mariana's relationship with Mat had ended on not so amicable terms. It had ended in a two hour screaming match that Callie had dubbed the "Battle Royale". When Mariana had announced that they were back together, the looks on everybody's faces said the same thing: Da fuq?

Callie was in college studying to become a social worker, living in the dorms, and had met someone as well. His name was Ronnie, and he was basically a male version of Callie personality wise. He was very tall, had short spike hair.

With all the kids moved out of the house, Stef and Lena had the house to themselves for the first time in decades. They were in the process of getting their foster licenses renewed. They found life at home without us to be boring and decided that they wanted to help more kids like they helped Jesus, Mariana, Jude and Callie.

Mom and Dad were still happy together, and focused on raising Andy. Baby Andy was growing, and at three and bit months old, he was crawling around my parents house at quick speed, giggling all the way at his newfound mobility. Jude and I had babysat him at our house a few times when Mom and Dad asked us to, and we found that we enjoyed taking care of him. It gave me a chance to bond with my infant brother, and it also gave me a little glimpse into what the future could potentially hold if Jude and I ever decided to adopt kids.

Things with the members of the Mafia were going well too.

Jax is back to being as close to normal as he's medically capable of being. He no longer has trouble walking, although he does carry a cane around with him just in case. He and Daria are very happy together and are excited for the wedding. Jax, as my best man, is planning a bachelor party for me, while Brandon and Jesus are planning Jude's. I have absolutely no idea what Jax has planned, but knowing his crazy ass, it'll be epic.

Taylor and Castor are still together, although you wouldn't guess it by watching them together. They bicker so much it's a bit ridiculous. I made the mistake of asking them once why they argued all the time.

"This? That's not arguing. This is foreplay."

That's what they said.

Ugh.

Alex was enjoying college. He was going to UCSD with Jude and I, and he was studying to become a politician. He threw himself into his classes with a fervor that surprised many of us.

Carson had come a long way since graduation. He was taking online classes, and he finally started dating. He met his first boyfriend, Danny, at a under 21 bar a week after graduation. They met when Danny nearly knocked Carson over, and bought him a drink while apologizing profusely. Later that night, Danny and Carson exchanged phone numbers with the promise of a date the Saturday after. About a month later, Carson decided that it was time to tell Danny about the fact he was transgender. He told him after they had dinner one night, and Carson couldn't get the words out without sobbing. Danny took him into his arms and hugged him, assuring him the he still wanted to date him, and that Carson being transgender changed nothing.

Jeremy and Austin were still together, and both were going to college with us. Jeremy was going to school to be an attorney. He wanted to put people like his deceased uncle in prison where they deserved to rot for eternity. Austin was going to school to be a teacher.

Castor was the only one of us not going to college. With the record contract signed, he said he wanted to focus most of his time on the band and his relationship with Taylor.

But back to the present.

Today, we were announcing our engagement to the entire family.

We had asked them all to gather at the beach, at what had become our "Mafia's" designated assembly point. Everybody was there.

"Okay, you two. What's going on?" Dad asked.

"Jude and I have an announcement to make." I said.

"Now, Taylor, Daria, Jax, Brandon, and Evan already know about this." Jude continued, "We were waiting until now to tell you all, because we wanted to wait until Evan was well enough again."

"Stop beating around the bush you two." Jesus said, "Just tell us already."

Cody poked Jesus in the side.

"Don't be rude, Zeus." He said.

"What? I'm curious." Jesus said.

"Yeah, but you are being rude." Cody said.

"Sorry." Jesus said.

Cody gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Anyway, we have been planning this for months." I said, "Jude, do you want to say it or should I?"

"Why don't we just show them?"

I nodded in agreement, and Jude and I reached into our pockets and withdrew the rings. We slipped them onto our fingers and displayed them to the family for the first time.

"Holy shit." Dad said.

"Jude and I are going to get married." I said, smiling happily.

A cacophony on noise followed the pronouncement. Mariana and Callie both started squealing. Jesus started clapping, and wolf whistled at us. The entirety of the Mafia were cheering and clapping. Mom, Dad, Stef and Lena all moved forward as one, and wrapped us in a group hug.

"I'm so proud of you two." Dad said, after the embrace was broken.

"Thanks dad." I said, a wide grin splitting my face.

"I'm so happy for you two." Mom said as she hugged me again tightly.

"When's the wedding?" Lena asked.

"We're planning to have it before the album comes out." Jude said, "Probably in May."

"We want something small, just the family and all of our friends." I said.

"That's not that small." Castor pointed out.

"Anyway, we wanted to have it on the beach." I continued, "Casual dress. No tuxedos or anything to serious. We've even picked out the song we're going to have our first dance to."

"That's so romantic." Mariana said, "Where are you guys going on your honeymoon?"

"I've booked them a week at the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island in Michigan." Evan said, "It's where Dave and I had our honeymoon. Beautiful place."

"That must have cost a fortune." Stef said.

Evan rolled his eyes at the underestimation of his wealth.

"I have more money than I will ever be able to spend." He said, "I might as well use it to spoil the people I love."

We spent the rest of the meeting being hugged by everybody and congratulated on our engagement, and eventually it became an impromptu planning session. As I stood there, side by side with the man I loved, surrounded by the people that meant the most to me in this world, I couldn't help but feel blessed.

AN#2: Please leave reviews, and hope you enjoyed the chapter.