Chapter 51: Epilogue

The day of the Kingmaker's show in Boston, Lauren got an unexpected FaceTime call from her sister. Twelve hours after leaving the after party in New York, Carolyn went into labor and had a healthy, eight-pound baby girl. Lauren's shriek of joy when she saw Carolyn holding the baby startled everyone else in the room, and Augie and the others crowded around the screen to congratulate the new parents.

"She's beautiful," said Lauren. "I'm so happy for you guys. Have you picked a name yet?"

"We have," smiled Carolyn. "Lauren Elizabeth Allen… After you and Aunt Beth."

"What?" Lauren was stunned.

"I hope you don't mind…"

"Mind? Oh, Carolyn, no, I don't mind. I don't know what to say…" She started to cry as Augie hugged her, but they were tears of happiness.

That night, Lauren announced the arrival of little Lauren Elizabeth to the sold out crowed at the TD Garden in Boston to thunderous applause, and she had the crew tape it so that someday she could give it to little Laurel. From Boston, the Stone Heart World Tour swung into high gear. They did 100 shows in 11 months across the globe, and nearly every one was sold out.

The tour didn't go off without it shares of rough patches. Equipment issues in Las Vegas delayed the show for two hours. A monsoon in Malaysia cancelled their flights, causing a major reschedule of Asia dates. DJ had a run in with two police officers in Atlanta, but fortunately it was only a misunderstanding and no one had to bail him out of jail. And it was not lost on the entertainment media that Dave Navarro showed up at several shows to hang out with the band, fueling rumors that he and Lauren were together as a couple.

The first single went platinum within three months, and four other singles hit gold and were on their way to platinum before the band took a break from touring so that they could be in Los Angeles for the GRAMMY Awards. The Kingmakers were nominated in nearly every category where they were eligible. After sweeping the Rock Category—Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Album, and Best Rock Song—they did a group performance with several other artists, and were joined onstage by Pink, Steven Tyler, and Mary J. Blige. It was an eclectic group to say the least, but they got a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd.

When it came down to Album of the Year, the Kingmakers faced some stiff competition, and they looked legitimately stunned when their name was called. As they clambered out of their seats and high-fived each other and the way to the stage, they passed the row where Dave Navarro was sitting with two other members of Jane's Addiction: Perry Farrell and Chris Chaney. Dave reached out and grabbed Lauren's hand. She stopped for just a moment and smiled at him. He mouthed the word "congratulations" before kissing her hand. The cameras captured it as part of the broadcast, inflaming all of the rumors that had been swirling about the two of them being an item.

Once she was on the stage, Lauren hung back and let the guys have the spotlight to thank everyone who'd helped make Stone Heart such a success. Just before the music started to pipe them off, Lauren managed to get up to the microphone. She stood there for a moment and looked at the gold gramophone award in her hands. When she looked up, her eyes were shiny. Holding the award up in the air, she looked directly into the camera.

"I think the guys have covered thanking just about everyone, but…" she paused and then a wistful smile came across her face. "Thank you, Danny. Without you, none of this would have ever happened for me."

- FINI -


Author's Note - Author's Note - Author's Note

Well, everyone. That's it. That's all she wrote. Thank you so much for reading "Stone Heart." I think this is one of my fanfic stories that I am most proud of. It isn't perfect, I'll be the first to admit that, but I did some things with characters in this story that I hadn't tried before and sometimes trying new things (and publishing them!) can be a little intimidating. I also deliberately left some questions unanswered so readers can wonder for themselves: Did Danny and Linda make their marriage work? Did Danny and Lauren ever see each other again? Did Lauren move on to a new relationship? Or did she continue to carry a torch for Danny?

I'd be curious to know what you think.

So, I'll make one last request: I'd love to get your feedback. So, if you're so inclined, please leave a review and let me know what you liked about the story and what you didn't. I always appreciate useful and constructive ideas and opinions from readers.

Thank you again for taking the time to read Stone Heart. I really do hope you enjoyed it.