Epilogue- Five years later
AN: FINAL CHAPTER OMG. I'm going to miss this story so much. I want to thank each and every one of my readers- reviewers, followers, favourite(r's?). I have been writing this story for over a year and I would have given up without your support! This was originally just a fluffy story as a break from the drama of All The Things I Lost which I was writing at the same time, but it really became a special story to me.
I hope you enjoy this final chapter (it finishes with the POV it started with)
Check out my next story (New New Directions) when I post it. It's another one about the next generation :)
5th August 2031
Amelia's POV:
I lean back against the sofa (creasing my perfect purple dress in the process) as I jog eighteen month old Stephanie Ariana Hudson-Stevenson up and down on my knee, casting a glance over to Chloe as I speak.
"Even though she doesn't share any Hudson or Berry blood; Steph definitely has our energy, she won't go to sleep!"
Chloe holds her arms out and I hand Steph over with a warning to be careful- her gorgeous dress will stain easily.
"I want a baby," Macey complains as she smooths her own purple dress down and sits next to me. "Well, you know, just the good parts- not the vomit and crying and late nights and stuff." Chloe and I both giggle.
"Well, you can't just get some of it, Mace," Says Chloe. "It's all or nothing."
"I didn't expect Alex to want a baby so early," Macey observes.
"Well," Chloe shifts Steph onto her hip. "It wasn't exactly her idea, but she could see I really wanted one, so she eventually gave in." Jack donated the sperm for them- he became quite good friends with her and Alex after we graduated high school seeing as he went to the same college as Chloe, and they were in quite a few of the same classes, so they got to know each other. "Before I knew it, I gave birth. I was in so much pain but I clearly remember looking up and seeing Alex holding her, her face lit up. She's a great mama."
"Ma-Ma?" Steph looks up when her Mommy mentions Alex.
"Mama's not here," Chloe says, letting Steph grab onto one of her fingers with her tiny baby hand, "we'll see her in a little bit. Be patient, baby, I wanna see her too!"
I smile at Chloe, she's such a good mom. I have to admit that I was a bit worried when they decided that they wanted a kid when they were both only twenty, but my parents said that if they were both certain that they wanted a baby then everything would turn out fine- and it has, in fact it's turned out better than fine. Stephanie is a beautiful, healthy brunette toddler with all three of her parents in her life (Alex and Chloe didn't want Steph to grow up wondering about her dad, and we're all friends with Jack anyway, so he comes to see his daughter lots), a tonne of family, and then her extended New Directions family which by now has enough members (current and alumni) to fill a village! My dad is still the coach of New Directions as well so we often go and help out if we can. Of course, it's harder for me living in New York, and for Aaron in New Haven, but Alex still lives in Ohio and Aaron and I try to come down as often as possible to help out or just to see our family and friends anyway.
"So," Chloe declares as she sits down on the chair opposite Macey and I after handing Steph to Macey. I can see Chloe's nervous (her left finger is twirling a piece of loose hair from her elaborate updo) because she's been working so hard for this and she thinks something's going to go wrong. So she's trying to distract herself. "We know that Macey can't have a baby because she hasn't found the right guy yet, as she keeps reminding us on FaceTime." I giggle a little and so does Macey because she knows Chloe's only teasing. "But Amy," I fall silent. "You and Harry have been together for like ten years,"
"Seven," I correct her.
She sticks her tongue out, "Seven. So have you guys talked about starting a family yet?"
I fiddle with my hands and finally look up. "Well, yeah. The thing is I want to be able to devote my time to my family, and I'm not trying to be selfish here, but I also want to follow my dreams first,"
"That's not selfish, Amy." Macey interrupts. "You're like, the best singer ever."
"Thanks," I say. "So, Harry and I have talked about it, and we're going to wait until I've finished my Broadway career. I've had some chorus jobs, and my run as Anita in West Side Story has finished. As you know, I've got the role of Cinderella in Into The Woods, that starts next year, and we're hoping it'll go on for at least a year or two. I might want to do another show after that, or that might feel like the right time to stop. I mean, I don't want to be looking after a child, AND doing eight shows a week. Harry wants to stick with his job as manager at NY TSI though, so we'll stay in New York, and we'll just improvise from there."
Macey and Chloe nod.
"Speaking of Harry, do you mind if I go and see him quickly, I'll be like five minutes and I'll take Stephanie as well so she can get some fresh air?"
Chloe says that of course I can go see my fiancé, so I hoist Steph up onto my hip and head outside- where the ceremony is going to be held. There seems to be thousands of guests, but I finally spot Harry with some of the other guys who used to be in New Directions.
"Hey beautiful." He says when he sees me and Steph, and then adds, "oh, and hi Amelia." I fake pout and he kisses me as an apology.
"Not much going on?" I ask as I get on my tiptoes and look out at the guests, all standing up and chatting.
"Not particularly." Harry shrugs. "I've been catching up with some of the alumni members of Glee Club I haven't seen in a decade. It's weird, though, it feels like yesterday." I nod in agreement and shift Steph to my right hip as I lean against Harry on my left side. He gently strokes my hair but stops when I complain that the stylist will murder him and I need a date to this wedding. "So no tantrums or drama of any sort in the brides' room?"
"No. Chlo and Mace were talking about baby strollers when I left, and Alex and Iz were quiet next door, I could only hear calm quiet conversation."
"That's disappointing!"
"Hey!" I smack him lightly and then kiss his forehead.
He chuckles, before pointing a little way off. "Is that Aaron's new girlfriend?"
The pretty girl with caramel blonde hair that Harry is talking about grabs two cups of something and brings them over to Aaron, who kisses her on the lips quickly.
"Yeah," I say. "She seems nice." Then I glance at the time. "Steph and I need to go back now. See you in a bit."
When I get back, Chloe and Macey are talking about where Chloe and Alex are going on honeymoon- Greece! Lucky!
"Girls," Mom's voice follows a knock on the door and then she opens it and pops her head around the door, "it's time."
Finn's POV:
Because Chloe's parents kicked her out when she was fifteen, and Rachel and I were officially her legal guardians until she was eighteen and she sees our house as home like the triplets do, I didn't know who I was going to give away!, but we've planned the ceremony in a non-traditional sort of way.
Chloe arrives first. "Oh, you look beautiful!" I say to my to-be-daughter-in-law.
And then I find myself tearing up as I see Alex, her eyes locked to Chloe's. Their dresses are different designs but both white and cream, and both with flowers as part of the design. They also each have flowery bangles, and pink rose bouquets. I offer both girls an arm and we head over to the back of the crowd. All the past girl New Directions that were there whilst the triplets and Chloe were there are the bridesmaids (as well as some of Chloe's college friends) and the boys partner them as the best men. They sit down in the pews right at the front after they have finished their walks.
There's a pause and then Amelia and Macey (Chloe couldn't choose between them and so had two maids of honour and no best man) and Izzy and Aaron (Alex's maid of honour and best man) with the flower girl, Steph, walk down the aisle, Amelia holding her niece. Another long pause as the music swells and then the three of us are walking down the aisle together.
At the altar, I give each girl a kiss on the cheek and then go sit down with Rachel. Rachel smirks at me as I wipe my eyes, but she leans into me. Alex and Chloe stare across at each other, eyes locked. They say their vows. When it's time for the rings to be exchanged I quickly hand them to Amelia, who 'helps' Steph give her mothers the matching rings, ie. Does it for her! It's Rachel's turn to cry now as she clings onto my hand.
I smile, remembering our special day. It was just after the triplets were born and the only people invited were our family- biological and Glee. Rachel always looks beautiful, but the short ivory dress and the flowers in her hair seemed to make her even more so that day. She finished her walk up the aisle, the service began, we said our vows, and as we started to kiss, three babies began to scream at the tops of their voices!
"I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may-" before the officiate even finishes talking, Alex joins hers and Chloe's lips as they wrap their arms around each other in a long kiss.
Oh my god, my first born baby's married!
Aaron's POV:
I wink at Lilly as I stand next to Izzy, who's in her purple maid of honour dress. My girlfriend rolls her eyes at me and giggles.
Alex and Chloe link arms and slowly walk down the aisle, carrying their daughter Stephanie between them. Amelia and Macey walk behind them, and then it's me and Izzy. The organ music gets less harsh as we escape out into the sunlight. It's a great day. The gazebos look magnificent as the sunlight sparkles off of them. The photographer takes the wedding party around to a space around the back with bushes and beautiful flowers. He works for Alex's company, which she is in charge of, so she's paying him for this, but we know it's going to be a great job.
After the photos have been taken, we head back around to the gazebos. Suddenly I'm hit by a force as Lilly crashes into me.
"Miss me?" I ask. She nods.
"The old woman next to me kept glaring at me when you were making me laugh," She pokes me.
I really like Lilly. I met her five years ago on my college's campus, when I was hiding from the frat party going on. Her friends had dragged her there but she was hiding too. We introduced ourselves and got to talking about all kinds of stuff, like Harry Potter. It took me four years to ask her out, luckily she was doing a bachelor's degree too. Now we live in a tiny apartment together, although we're hoping to get a bigger one soon. I have a job as a psychologist, and Lilly's still finishing her bachelor's degree.
"Wanna head to the reception?" She asks.
"Sure," I answer.
My parents head into the gazebo, followed by the wedding party, and then the DJ announces Alex and Chloe.
We all sit down in the first gazebo at the family and wedding party table. Lilly introduces herself to my family, unfortunately we couldn't fit the whole Glee Club on the table so it's just the newly-weds, their daughter, my parents, Amelia and Harry, Maeve and her boyfriend, Macey, Izzy, and my two sets of grandparents. The two tables closest to us house our closer Glee Club friends and Chloe and Alex's college friends.
Chloe taps her glass and everyone looks over. "I just want to thank you everyone, for coming. My wife and I," She grins at Alex. "Really appreciate your support and hope you have a fantastic time on this very special day." Chloe looks over to Mom and Dad. "Finn and Rachel, if you would like to do your toasts?"
Dad stands up and points to two projected images, where there are two pictures of five year olds. The scowling brunette is Alex, and the grinning redhead is Chloe. "Here are the compulsory embarrassing baby photos," He says and everyone chuckles. "I knew these two girls in the photos since they were both very young. I knew them when they didn't like each other, and when they didn't talk. I never expected two so different people to end up together, but they did!" The next image is a video. It's a duet Alex and Chloe sung in Glee Club together. "They make each other better people when they're together, and all the great relationships do that." He nods confidently. "That's why I know these two will go the distance. They may be young, but my wife and I married when we were the same age, and we're doing just fine."
Dad sits down and Mom stands up. "I'm the wife he's talking about," Everyone laughs at that too. "And I second that." The projector goes onto Alex and Chloe at prom. "There's a quote by a Chinese poet and philosopher, Lao Tzu, that comes to mind when I think of these two. He said, 'to love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.'" I take Lilly's hand with a smile as my mother continues. "Everyone has fears and worries. These girls, I know, have both been through problems in their lives, but true love saves lives and helps you through the hardest times."
Alex thanks Mom and Dad, then stands up too. "Now it's time for the starter!" There's a cheer around the gazebo and then the waiters bring out the first course.
Chloe's POV:
I can't believe Alex and I are married and have a kid. Finn and Rachel have been especially supportive.
Any other parent, especially mine, would probably freak out and refuse to give us their blessing to marry so early, but they didn't ask if they thought we were too young, they asked if were head over heels in love. It's like Rachel told me a few weeks ago. People who marry young's relationships don't end in heartbreak and divorce because they're young, the reason for those young marriages that do fail is that the couple don't understand each other. Alex and I knew each other well and loved each other deeply when I proposed, but since then we've had five years of living together and getting used to each other's habits and arguing and making up. Enough to know that we can get through anything together.
After our first course, Izzy and Macey make their speeches. They're both quite funny but also very heartfelt. After Alex and I are done feeding Steph, and eating the second course, Aaron and Amelia make their speeches.
Both of the speeches from my siblings in law include videos and photos like their parents' did, and they talk about high school and college and beyond.
"Chloe has always been my soul sister," Amelia finishes up. "And now it's official! I can't think of a better person to look after my sister Alex."
At the end of their speeches, and quite a few hugs, Alex and I go up to cut the cake. It's five layers and on one side it looks/tastes like devil cake and on the other it looks like angel cake. There's a figurine of Alex and I at the top.
Alex's POV:
After we've finished the wedding cake, we swap over to the other gazebo, and our maids of honour and best man start to sing 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perry. The people all around are smiling at us. Mom is holding Steph. I link my arms around the back of Chloe's back and she holds around the back of my neck. I gaze into her eyes, but I do feel grateful when people stop staring at us and start dancing too. It means I can whisper to Chloe how sexy and amazing she is without worrying about people staring at us.
Harry's POV:
The babysitter took Steph back home a little while ago, and the other kids at the party are all gone, so it's gotten a bit more raucous. I finish talking to Nate and grab Amelia's hand when I spot her chatting to Alex and Aaron. "Hey babe," I shout nervously over the pounding music. "Can I talk to you outside?"
Amelia nods and we walk around the back of the gazebo and through the gardens, the music fading as we get further away. There's a few couples out by the fountain or sitting on the benches but it's relatively quiet. "Is everything alright?" She asks.
"Yeah of course," I say. Amelia sits down on a bench and shivers a little. "Cold?"
"A little," She says. I undo my jacket and drape it around her shoulders. Amelia's eyes seem to sparkle in the dim light of evening, more than usual.
"I love you," I say abruptly.
Amelia giggles. "I love you too." She pulls me down to sit beside the bench with her and then she leans into me and we watch the stars in the sky.
Rachel's POV:
Lovingly, Finn places a kiss on my temple. We've been sitting on this bench just watching the sun's last embers for the day, the sky darken and the stars start to appear. I see Amelia and Harry appear, swinging their joined hands. They walk a little further and talk for a moment then revert to the same position Finn and I are in.
We noticed Aaron and his girlfriend Lilly curled up across from us when we sat down here now. I'd expect Alex and Chloe to still be dancing, but they show up to, sitting on the edge of the fountain and whispering.
"Do you remember what your mom said after I gave birth?" I ask Finn, though it's a rhetorical question. "She said that with parents like you and, the Finchel kids' future is bright." I'm proud that my kids have all followed their dreams. Aaron works as a psychologist, Amelia is a Broadway performer, and Alex owns her own photography company. The fact that they've all found some love in their lives is amazing too, not just in partners, but in their friends.
Finn takes my hand and holds it to his chest so I can feel his heartbeat. "Hear that?" He says. "Finchel's future is still bright too."