Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who followed, favorite, and reviewed this story! We have finally reached the end. I hope that you'll enjoy the last chapter!

The Runaways (Roxas, Xion, and Axel Side of the Story)

~Epilogue~

16 Years Later…

The apartment began to calm down as it got late into the night. Xion walked back into the living room to see two heads turned toward the television and one playing with their toys. "All right. Time to get ready for bed."

A young, eight-year-old girl leaned back with her hands pressed on her knees as she groaned. "Five more minutes…? It's almost over. Please…"

Xion breathed out with her eyes closed. It wouldn't hurt to let them stay up a little longer. "All right… Only five more. Then you have to go to bed." Afterwards, she turned back toward the sink and finished up the rest of the dishes. As she stood in the kitchen, a smile curved at her lips. In a month, she would return to see the rest of her family. It reminded her that a lot of things had changed over the years and the proof was right in front of her. She turned back toward the living room. "All right… Your five minutes are up. Go brush your teeth." The older two in front of the television stood up and ran toward the bathroom. On the floor, Xion noticed that the youngest didn't move as he began to put away his toys. She bent down beside the six-year-old boy as she looked curious. "Do you need any help?"

"It's all right. I got it." As she watched him, she became concerned. Lately, he seemed quiet. It was then that she made up her mind. She began to help him pick up his toys. "Mom-."

"I know." She smiled toward him. "You can do it on your own, but I want to help. I don't mind." He turned his head back toward the floor. Inside, he was happy to have her beside him. Xion took another good look at her young son. He was smaller in statue with light blue eyes and orange-yellow hair with a few spikes pointed up in the front. A smile curved on her lips once more. To her, he was someone special. After they were done, he took off toward his room.

In the hallway, the first two approached. Xion placed her hands on her eldest daughter's cheeks to pop her lips open and check her teeth. Afterwards, she smiled. "Good!" She rubbed the top of her blonde hair that reached down to her shoulder. "Good night Xenna."

She headed toward her room as she waved. "Night!"

Xion turned her attention to the second oldest. He had short blonde hair that reached down to his neck and blue eyes. He flashed his pearly whites, which she grinned. Afterwards, he ran pass." She chuckled a little. "Good night to you too Daxs!"

"Good night mom!" Daxs shouted.

Xion shook her head as she smiled. They really were growing up fast before her eyes. Then, she looked over at the end of the hall toward the bathroom. The light was still on. She was a little concerned and wondered if she should check on the youngest. Deciding to let Jaxon handle things on his own, she went to Xenna's room instead. She leaned over and placed a kiss against her forehead. Xenna giggled at the sensation. "You don't have to keep doing that mom."

Xion sat down at her bedside as she let out a gentle smile. "I know. I just like to. Soon, you'll be old enough that I can't do it anymore." She went over toward the light and turned it off. Then, she looked back at Xenna. "Good night."

Xenna settled in and closed her eyes. "Good night mom."

Afterwards, Xion went over to the next room and said good night to Daxs as well. In the hall, she looked for Jaxon, but he was nowhere to be found. Eventually, she spotted him sitting in the kitchen. She walked over to him curious and sat down beside him. "Jax?" He continued to stare down. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm…" It seemed silly to say out loud so he wasn't sure if he should.

"It's okay. You can tell me." She stroked his back to soothe him. "What is it?"

Jaxon grabbed the middle of the chair between his knees as he stared down. "It's just that… I don't know if I'm ready to go back to school."

Xion laughed a little and then smiled for comfort. "Why are you thinking about that? It's summer. This is the time to have fun."

"I know…" he moaned slightly.

Curious, she tilted her head to try and meet his gaze. "What's got you down then? Is homework too hard or-?"

"I'm the smallest one in my class," he murmured.

"Oh! It's not a bad thing."

"But…" He pouted. "Everyone picks on me because of it." He looked off toward the side. "Even Xenna and Daxs do sometimes…" Xion looked concerned as he spoke. "I don't understand…"

She wrapped her arm around him. "Oh Jaxon… You're stronger than you know. I've seen it firsthand."

He looked up at her surprised. "Really?"

Xion smiled as she nodded. "Hmm-Hmm…" She thought about what to say to help him. "I never told you this, but when I was younger, I had others who picked on me too."

He stared at her with surprise and wonder. "Really?"

Her eyes traveled down as she thought back. "It wasn't easy, but I had to fight and stand up for myself." Then, she smiled to assure him. "Just let whoever messes with you know to leave you alone and if they don't, I'll be there to help you, okay?" Jaxon still seemed unsure. She embraced him as she closed her eyes. "Don't worry! You'll be fine." Afterwards, she parted from him and smiled for comfort. "I won't anyone hurt you."

Jaxon gave a look of unease. "Okay…"

"Now. It's time to go to bed. I'll tuck you in." Xion followed him to his room and he crawled into his bed underneath the covers. She sat down beside him. "Good night." Then, she noticed that he looked a little worried. "Do you want me to leave the light on for you?" Jaxon nodded a few times. Afterwards, she plugged in a night light. When she was about to leave, she still noticed the worried look on his face. "Do you want me to stay?" He nodded a few more times. Gently she smiled and cuddled in beside him. Both of them fell asleep beside each other.

Sometime later, the door to the apartment opened. Everything around sounded quiet. First, the blonde-haired man headed to his bathroom and noticed it was empty. If Xion wasn't there, he wondered where she could be. Then, he thought of the one place where he found her before. He stepped inside of the boys' room. The room was lit by a shaded lamp and the night light by Jaxon's bed. He moved over toward the side where she was and pressed his lips on the side of her head. "Hey…" he whispered.

Xion closed her eyes tight before she looked over. "Roxas…?" He stood up straight and headed out of the room. Lightly, she brushed Jaxon's hair. It didn't seem to wake him. Tired, she let out a faint smile and then cut off the lamp. Afterwards, she walked into the kitchen where he sat at the counter. She smiled, happy to see him back. "Welcome home."

He popped open a can of beer. "You're sleeping in Jax's room again?"

Xion sat down beside him. "He feels better when I sleep next to him. He was really sad today."

"What's wrong?" he asked curious.

She looked concerned. "Jax told me that some kids have been picking on him because he's the smallest one in his class."

Roxas arched his eyebrow. "What did you say to him?"

She turned her head to him. "I told him that he should stand up for himself and I told him how I was picked on too."

A part of him was worried about how much detail she went into. "Did you tell him everything that happened?"

She shook her head. "No. I think he's too young to know about that. I'm just worried because I don't want him to get hurt."

His finger lightly brushed against her arm, which she became curious. "They disappeared a long time ago."

She grabbed onto his arm where she saw a faint line. "I just wished yours had to."

"It's mostly gone." He stood up. "Don't worry about Jax. I'll teach him how to defend himself."

Xion smiled a little through her worry. "I keep thinking back to when he was born…"

Roxas sighed with his eyes closed as he sat back beside her. "It was a tough time back then."

"He was born prematurely. Earlier than Xenna and Daxs… I didn't think he was going to survive and I couldn't bear it if I lost another child…" Even now, the thought still made her sad. "…but I knew that he was a fighter and he proved it. I kept thinking about what I could've done differently, so that he wouldn't have to struggle."

He didn't want her to blame herself in any way. "You didn't do anything wrong. That's just how things turned out. Jax's not different from anyone else."

Her eyes traveled down as she let out a gentle smile. "I know you're right. Still… I just want to be there to help him whenever I can."

Roxas smiled a little and placed his hand against her back to comfort her. "I know."

Afterwards, another thought came to mind that she wanted to bring up. Afraid of what he would say, she looked at him. "Someday...if it's all right with you...I want to tell them about the brother or sister they could've had..."

He stared at her for a moment before he stood up. He understood that Xion didn't want to keep anything from their children, but inside, he was worried how the story would affect them. Still, they couldn't hide that part of themselves. "If you think they can handle it... then we'll talk to them about it...someday..." Then, he began to head to their room.

Xion watched him, surprised. "Where are you going?"

Tired, he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm going to bed."

She stood up concerned. "At least let me fix you something to eat. I don't want you to go to bed on an empty stomach."

He looked back toward her. "You don't have to go through the trouble."

She smiled to assure him. "Really…I don't mind." After some time, Roxas ate as Xion stood across from him. It made her happy to see him taking care of himself. "You've been working really hard. I hope that you can take it easy soon. The kids are old enough now that I can go back to work."

"Don't worry about it. This is what you really wanted to do, right? To be a mom?" Words didn't leave her lips. It seemed he could already tell. He stood up. "I know you like to stay home and take care of them, so it's okay."

She looked concerned. "But what about-?"

Roxas stopped before he headed to their room and put his fingers to his chin. "I do like living here in Twilight Town, but let's face it…" He turned toward her. "This place is too small for us. We need to move."

She became curious. It seemed like he already had an idea in mind. "Where would you want to go?"

"Maybe…" He had the same thought for a while, but wasn't sure what she would think of it. "Maybe we should go home." Right away, he noticed the stunned look on her face. "It's just a thought."

Xion looked a little concerned. "We have a lot of memories there."

"But there's good ones too," he pointed out.

"Hmm…" She still had her concerns about moving back to the islands. Then, she followed him into their room. Roxas sat down on the bed as he breathed out. He still seemed tense. As she stared at him, a thoughtful idea came to mind. "I know what will help. Let me run you a warm bath."

A few minutes, he sat in soothing, warm water. Xion massaged his back as she sat on the edge of the tub. As he relaxed, his eyes lowered to a close. "That feels really good."

She smiled. "You really need to relax. You feel tense."

Later that night, the two lied in bed beside each other. Roxas leaned his head against her chest as he slept. As she stared up at the ceiling, Xion wondered again if they should move back home…

The next month had passed by quickly. They traveled by boat and made it in a few hours to the island. They went to the spot on the beach where they met with the rest of their family that were already there. Roxas leaned back against his chair with his hands behind his head. He began to relax now that he was back. "Yo!" He looked over to spot the fire red-haired man wave toward him.

Roxas sat up a little. "Hey Axel! You made it!"

Axel grinned. "Yup! You did too!" He sat down near the edge of Roxas's lounge chair and looked forward. He noticed the kids playing near the water. "They get bigger every time I see them. I need to stop by more often."

Roxas looked uneasy. He hadn't let Axel in on his plan yet. "We're…actually thinking about moving back here…"

Axel reacted with surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. We could find a bigger place down here and the kids would have more room and we would be near family," Roxas explained.

Axel's eyes traveled down disappointed. "Oh…"

Roxas didn't want him to get the wrong idea. "You're family too you know, but I'm not sure what to do. My brother Sora said that things aren't as bad as when the organization was here."

"Yeah. Some of the members are either locked in prison or they moved far away from this place." Axel smiled a little. "At least this experience brought one of my friends back. Joining the organization had really changed Saix, but now that he's out, he's apologized for what happened."

Roxas looked curious. "The two of you are still living together?"

"Yeah." Axel breathed out. If Roxas wanted to go, it couldn't be helped. "Well…if you move here, I won't stop you."

Concern came to Roxas. "That's the other thing… I can't move here if there's the chance that she-."

"You mean Larxene right?" Axel filled in for him.

"I can't risk anyone else getting hurt, especially them." For a moment, both of them glanced toward the three young children in the distance before they turned their attention back to each other.

"I doubt you'll have to worry. Last I heard, she was still in and I doubt she would want to come back here. Not after what her father did to her… She wants nothing to do with him." Axel scratched the back of his head. "Well…I guess I'll have to visit you guys here then. Won't be as often, but I'll still visit." Roxas wondered if it was really the right move.

Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice. "Hey Axel!" They turned their heads to see Xion stand nearby with a smile.

Axel smiled toward her. "Hey Xion!"

She placed her hands together in front of her. "I'm glad that you could make it."

Axel nodded. "Me too." Afterwards, he stood up. "I'm gonna say hi to the kiddos. I'll be right back."

Xion smiled as she watched him walk away and then sat on the chair beside Roxas. "That looked like it was serious."

"I was just telling Axel about us moving. He thinks that this place has gotten safer since we've been here."

Her eyes traveled down, still concerned. "Hmm…"

He wondered if that made her feel any better about moving back. "Maybe it will be okay for them."

She became curious. "So? Does that mean yes?" Roxas was still unsure himself.

Then, Jaxon ran over and stopped in front of them. "Mommy!" He looked between them. "Are you guys coming in too?"

Xion looked up at him. "Jax? Could you do me a favor? Could you ask your brother and sister to come over here too?"

Jaxon was surprised by her request. "O-Okay." He ran over and then brought the others back over. They sat on the edge of the chair as they stared at their parents curiously.

Roxas and Xion glanced at each other before they turned their attention to them. "Me and your dad were talking and we were thinking about moving to a bigger place."

At first, they were surprised to hear the news, but then Xenna along with her brothers grinned. "Cool!"

Daxs held his fist in the air. "Maybe I could get my own room!"

Roxas and Xion stared at each other before they looked back at them concerned. "We were… thinking about moving here instead. We could find a bigger place and you would be near your cousins." Xion leaned forward toward them. "I know you guys have made friends, but it doesn't mean you can't see them again. So…? What do you think?"

The three looked at each other and then back at them. Daxs grinned. "We could see the beach all the time!"

Jaxon looked a little concerned, but he would trust that his parents knew best. "I don't really mind."

Then, they noticed that Xenna seemed quiet. Xion became concerned. "Xenna? Is it too much?"

Xenna looked over toward the others before she spoke. "I guess it will be fine… as long as I don't have to share a room with these two."

Xion embraced her. "This could be a good change."

"I hope so…" Xenna still sounded unsure.

Xion smiled toward them. "That was all. Go off and play." Xenna and Daxs ran and headed toward the water. Before Jaxon could run off, he heard his mother's voice. "Hold on Jax!" She squeezed some lotion onto her hand. "You're not used to being out in the sun this long. Here." She placed some over his skin.

"Mom… Not in front of the others…" Jaxon groaned. After she was done, he took off running.

Roxas chuckled a little. "You can't keep babying him."

Xion grinned as she placed her finger to her lips. "I know… but I can for just for a little longer."

Both of them stared forward and watched as the children played. Roxas rested his arm against the top of his knee. "Well… that went a little easier than expected."

Xion sat back along with him. "I hope this is the right thing to do."

He turned his head toward her. "We'll never know until we actually move."

She curled up beside him as she wrapped her arm around his. "Yeah… This could be a good thing…For all of us..."

Well that's the end of this story! It was fun to write! I wrote some Roxas x Xion stories in the past, but this one seemed to get the most response.

Side Notes: As far as names for the kids, I wanted something with an 'X' in them just like how the organization members' names are.

If you would like to read more, I've been working on a side story that I plan to release next year called "Life: It's Only Just Begun" It takes place between their last years of college up to the epilogue. If interested, look out for it! Thanks for reading!