Chapter 15.5: Trust


Will you go for the knife or the gun?

Gun Knife

But that's not what happened. It was as though Pidge had watched the biggest "what if" scenario of a lifetime. When she would think back to this time, she would've said that it resembled the flashing of her life just moments before she died. The risk was too great that instead—almost as if reactionary—Pidge shouted, "Keith!"

The moment Lee lunged for where the gun landed by the door, Keith moved faster than her words could've. Once more, he tackled Lee into the door and right into the rain. Pidge shifted her attention from Rick to Keith, fighting in the rain and hissed when she spotted the glint of metal.

"Go," Rick gasped, gesturing with his head to help them.

The rain was heavy, slicking everything outside that Pidge couldn't help but hold her breath. She pressed a hand to her arm as she watched Keith struggle in the rain.

Keith struggled with the knife, held against him that the initial attack sliced through his right cheek to his neck. It looked like it hurt, and he flexed his arms to grip and push against the other. Using some of his momentum, he slid out from underneath and the knife was sent flying in the surprising lurch.

There was a curse and Keith quickly rose to stand. He panted, briefly pressed a hand to his neck and cheek, pulling it away to find it covered in blood. He winced but looked back when Lee angrily roared.

He took off into a run the moment they stood. Lee grabbed the knife and tackled them to the ground, forcing them to roll. Keith was victorious this time, straddling him as he grabbed the hand that held the knife again, and slammed it into the ground repeatedly until Lee was forced to let go. It fell away with a clatter amid the rain.

"Stop!" Keith shouted.

There was a strangled noise, mixed between a sob and a frustrated grunt.

"Please, Lee, stop," Rick begged from his place in the shed.

Lee covered his face, sobbing, and Keith sighed, his hold on him loosening.

"Keith!" Pidge shouted.

Keith reacted faster than Lee did, the swing of his arm flashing by where his head was moments ago. Rolling off, Keith kicked away the knife and braced for impact. But, it never came. Instead, he glanced back to see Pidge holding up the gun, pointing it straight at Lee.

"Lee, stop," Pidge warned. The rain didn't make it easy to see that she was holding the gun, but Pidge gritted her teeth, bracing herself. "Don't make this harder than it is."

"You don't understand—you'll never understand." Lee raised his hands, his eyes on her, but it continued to bounce between her and Keith.

She opened her mouth to say something, but he moved again before they could react. Keith was too far and missed Lee by mere inches when he made a dash for Pidge. "No!"

She side-stepped, loosening her grip of the gun in surprise. It was enough for him to yank the gun out of her hands and escaped to a good distance away. Without a word, he pointed it at her. As though everything was in slow motion, Pidge tried to turn to run inside the shed for cover.

Bang!

The sound of the gun firing in the night echoed despite the pouring rain. It wasn't as deafening Pidge expected, but she looked down to find that she wasn't shot. She turned around to find Rick laying in the rain. Slowly, she moved to kneel beside him, turning him to find he was shot again.

"Rick, you-you didn't have to," Pidge whispered hoarsely.

If there were any sounds that came after, it was muffled through the dull ringing from the gunshot and the rain. Rick already looked pale, and now he looked as though he lost all life. Seeing a ghost was one thing, she thought, but with how he looked then, she realized that it was terrifying to see someone so ashen.

He merely smiled as if he didn't have the strength to say anything and closed his eyes. After a moment, he wheezed, "I-I'll be fine…"

"Wait, no!" Keith shouted and Pidge lifted her gaze in time to see the flurry of movement from Keith and the sound of a gunshot. Both Lee and Keith fell and Pidge rose to stand. The flashing red and blue lights pierced through the murky darkness of rain and she didn't dare go forward, fearful of where that gun was pointing and of where it went.

But, they were painfully still.

She opened her mouth, and nothing came out.

The voices and shouting that came with the opening of car doors kicked her into action. "Keith!" she shouted. "Keith!"

She tried to run forward, only to find arms holding her down so that she couldn't get closer. And then she watched him stand, looking tired, but alive. There wasn't anything red on him, no injuries, and the corners of his mouth quirked in her direction. And then her gaze lifted to see the police officers looking down at her with a reassuring smile. Their uniforms brought a sense of familiarity, of relief, and a reminder that this nightmare was over.

And then, she watched Shiro stepped out of the car and look over in both of their directions. All she could do was smile with tears streaming down her face. Her legs gave out from underneath and then everything went black.

— x —

"For the last time, I'm fine! So let me see Pidge!"

Shiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in weariness. He had been up for the last forty-eight hours since Keith's disappearance that he'd like nothing better than to go home and sleep. Sitting across from him in a hospital bed was Keith, an IV still in his arm with a few bandages here and there.

The biggest bandage was the one that was stitched on his cheek and down to his neck. It would not go away anytime soon, and he was sure it was going to leave behind a scar. A scar that's reminiscent of the one he had across the bridge of his nose.

"As much as I'm willing to believe you, the doctor wants you to have one more night under observation before you're cleared for release," Shiro said, crossing his arms.

Keith lifted his hands up in resignation and plopped back into the pillows. With his hands on his face, he ran them down before dropping them at his sides. "At least tell me she's doing okay."

"I can tell you that Pidge and the baby are fine and that while she's been sleeping, she's expected for release next week."

Keith turned to face Shiro. "Next week? Why?"

Shiro pressed his lips into a thin line. "Brace yourself, Keith, and listen to what I have to say before you do anything drastic."

The male sighed, aggravated, and ran another hand down his face. He'd been in this room for two whole days and wasn't given permission to leave the hospital until all the tests and his injuries were checked out. Finally, he was cleared for release for tomorrow, much to Shiro's relief, and would be able to go home. However, the entire time Keith was hospitalized, Keith didn't receive a word on Pidge's condition.

Sure, the police officers came and visited him with questions about what happened, but they avoided talking about Pidge.

Unfortunately, his retelling of the events led to the revelation that Lee shot himself and Keith lunged to stop him. But it was too late and the suicide went through. Keith was informed that Rick suffered severe injuries and continued to bleed out on the way to the hospital. Miraculously, they found a donor for Rick and he received a blood transfusion. He was currently under a coma with no signs of waking up.

And nothing of Pidge.

When Keith said nothing, Shiro continued, "Pidge has been cleared of the more severe injuries and she just needs time to recover. She hasn't woken up since she's been brought in. But she's healthy and the baby is healthy."

Keith slowly nodded. He supposed that was as good news as any. "How's Matt? How are Mr. and Mrs. Holt doing?"

"As well as they can be, given the circumstances," Shiro said with a wince, indicating he's met with them already. "They're happy she's alive and well, but not so happy with how injured and beat up she looks."

He tried not to grimace.

"They'll be fine once she wakes up." Shiro held a hand to his chin in thought.

He nodded and closed his eyes.

"Sorry, Shiro—I-I just thought—I thought I might've lost her."

"But you didn't—you fought to protect her."

Keith turned his head and reopened his eyes to find Shiro smiling at him.

"Did I hear wrong?"

"It wasn't so much as fighting as I was just trying to protect Pidge and Rick. They were both so beaten up and…" He trailed off, remembering how pale and malnourished Rick looked. No one deserved that. And even after the ambulance came and picked him up, Keith thought he was a goner with how much blood he'd lost.

Shiro leaned forward on his knees. "Rick's fine as he can be so don't worry too much—he's in capable hands."

Reflecting on how close to death he was and having to watch Lee… No matter what Keith did, the image wouldn't leave his mind. While it was unfortunate that Lee felt as though he was driven to such drastic measures, in the end, his feelings—whatever they might've been—weren't expressed. It was melancholic and he wondered if there might've been a different way. If Shiro had been there, what would he have done?

"Keith, you alright?"

Keith sighed. "Just… tired, I guess."

Shiro frowned and then became impassive. "Well, then, get some rest—we can talk more tomorrow."

Keith nodded. As long as everyone (most of them) were okay, then he shouldn't worry too much. Soon, he'll get to see Pidge—the moment he can see Pidge, he'll know everything will be fine.

The next morning, Keith was released from the hospital and was allowed to visit Pidge. However, with her still in critical condition, as she had yet to wake from her injuries, they could only visit her from a view through a window. Upon his approach, he found himself face to face with Allura and Lance, who were talking about something that looked heated.

"Uh, should I come back?" Keith asked, coughing to interrupt their exchange and gesturing with a hand if he should leave.

Lance sighed. "Keith! Please, please, please tell Allura we should throw a party for when you and Pidge get out of the hospital for the baby."

He blinked.

Allura sighed, holding a hand to her temple. "Lance, I told you—we can't—not yet. We have to let her recover—"

Lance came over to his side, dropping an arm around his shoulders so he could whisper. "Glad you're okay, man. We weren't allowed to visit since we're not family, but, I'm really glad to see you're okay."

The corner of Keith's lips twitched into a small smile.

"Keith would be glad to have a party for him and Pidge, Allura! See, what I'd tell you?" Lance said in a louder voice that made Allura's expression turn into skepticism.

"Somehow, I seriously doubt that, based on Keith's face."

Keith wasn't sure he was making a face, but he made one and helplessly shrugged when Lance shot an accusatory glare. He removed his arm and in exasperation, "Oh, come on! It's going to be just us!"

"Lance, please."

Keith couldn't help chuckling, feeling a sense of normalcy he wasn't expecting. Both Allura and Lance looked over and exchanged glances. Keith ventured over to the window where Pidge could be seen through and placed a hand on it.

Seeing the various tubes and machines hooked up to her was heart-wrenching. Pidge looked so small compared to the machine and the size of the room, but the steady rhythmic pulse of her heartbeat on the monitor next to her was the only thing reassuring him that she was doing well. Well, at least as well as she could be doing.

"They said that she suffered traumatic injuries to her body, so she needs time to recover," Allura said, standing beside him. "Don't worry, Keith, Pidge will be okay—she'll wake up before you know it."

Keith nodded.

Lance clapped a hand on Keith's shoulder to face a sleeping Pidge.

After a moment, the familiar sound of Matt's voice echoed down the halls with a girl that looked an awful lot like his neighbor.

He gave a wave when he spotted their small group of friends. "Hey, how is she?" Matt asked on his approach.

Allura gestured with a hand toward the window. "Sleeping peacefully, I'd imagine—I'd hope."

Keith dropped his hand from the window to regard the girl who hung back, her hand holding her elbow as her gaze flitted between the unfamiliar faces. "Jazz?"

Her gaze finally settled on him and she nodded with an airy smile. "Sorry for the intrusion."

Matt scratched at his cheek and an awkward, but helpless shrug when Lance and Allura gave a questioning glance in his direction. "We're partners in class, okay?"

Lance crossed his arms across his chest. "Right, and I'm supposed to believe that."

"Look, I brought her here to show that Pidge is okay and that we found her," Matt said with a shake of his head.

Jazz nodded. She moved forward to the window to see the sleeping girl and breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good—I was worried that I had been too late."

Keith, Allura, and Lance exchanged glances and Matt excused himself to go find the doctor.

"What do you mean?" Keith asked, taking a step closer in her direction.

Without looking at them, she placed a hand on the window, seemingly grateful. She was contemplative, quiet for a moment before she dropped her hand. "I heard weird noises coming from outside my apartment and got my mace, ready to spray someone if they were doing something funny." She wrapped her arms around herself.

Keith clenched his jaw.

"I peeked out of my door to see someone slinking around outside of your apartment and I started dialing 911 when I saw Pidge come running." She lifted her hands to the back of her neck, pulling her hair away from her face.

"You were a witness," Allura stated in disbelief.

Jazz slowly nodded. "I watched her fight him and she almost won, but I think he used chloroform and…"

"No, you don't have to keep going," Lance said, shaking his head.

"So you're the one who called it in." Keith was in disbelief. That would explain how the cops managed to find them so quickly, but how? How did they know where they were?

"I'm sorry I didn't do anything—I was scared when I saw it happening," Jazz said, bowing her head as she clasped her hands together at her chest. Keith could see her knuckles turning white. "I thought I'd be that person that would be able to jump in and help but I froze—I froze and didn't do anything."

Allura shook her head. "No, it's probably better that you didn't—Pidge knew krav maga and probably gave him a fight of his life. She would've managed to get away, had he… well, not used underhanded methods." She placed a hand on Jazz's shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it—you did the best you could."

Keith nodded. "I'd rather you be safe than get involved and get hurt." Then he smiled in reassurance. "Thanks for looking out for her though. You didn't have to, but you did."

Jazz gave a watery smile in return. "It's no problem—I think I did what any neighbor ought to have done in that situation."

"I think we were lucky you were home," Lance pointed out.

Still, Keith didn't miss the fleeting look on her face that her guilt hadn't entirely left her. He averted his gaze, knowing all too well the feeling. While his guilt wasn't the same as hers, the fact stuck that he hadn't been able to help Lee. He closed his eyes in thought, running a hand down his face.

Lance, Allura, and Jazz fell into a short and small conversation that had them trying their best in reassuring her before the subject changed into trying to convince Allura about a little get-together.

Keith's gaze returned to Pidge's sleeping form through the glass, immensely relieved that she's alive and that their baby survived.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted Matt making his return to the group.

"How's Pidge?" Keith asked the moment Matt was in range.

"Doctor said her condition is stable and that she should wake up soon." Matt clasped a hand to Keith's shoulder and squeezed. "I know, I want her awake as soon as possible too. But don't worry, Keith—she's a fighter like you and I always have been."

Keith couldn't help the tightly drawn smile, and Matt dropped his hand from his shoulder.

Pidge, he thought in quiet prayer, please, come back to me.

— x —

"And that's what Lance did today, can you believe that?" Keith sighed, aggravated. "We can't do much while you're here, but everyone's excited to have you come back to us soon. We all miss you."

It's been another two days, and Pidge had shown no signs of waking. But, her condition had vastly improved and she was no longer in the intensive care unit as she ought to have been. Keith had been coming by, checking in, and leaving her gifts of the friends who were unable to visit.

He sat chairside, his hand holding hers as he recounted his day's events. Her hand was so much smaller than his, something he'd never quite get over, but bore some strength in them, some warmth, that he could only recognize as her own. Calluses he's long since recognized, memorized, from her time working with the various tools for her work and research, are soft now. They were gone from Allura's ministrations of making sure Pidge stayed as pretty as she always had been.

"But, that's it for today, I think," Keith said, his thumb rubbing her palm. His gaze fell to the bandages on her wrists, remembering how bloodied they had become from rubbing on the plastic handcuffs.

Standing up, he pulled his hand away and bent over to press a kiss to her head. "Good night, Pidge." He moved, tucking in the chair to the side for when Mr. and Mrs. Holt come in the next day.

Keith was cleaning up the flowers, taking away the petals that had fallen when there was movement. His heart leaped to his throat when he rose to her side, his gaze fell on the fluttering of Pidge's lashes.

"Keith?" she croaked.

"Pidge?" He sat down on the bed, grasping her hand in his as he reached over and pressed for the attending nurse.

Her gaze looked him over, her fingers tightening around his with what strength she had and faintly smiled. "Hi."

He choked back a sob, smiling back. "Hey."

"Keith, you're aware visitor hours are—oh." The nurse, Jackie, gasped and moved over to Pidge's other side and began the procedures that came with a patient waking up. "Hello, Katelyn—my name is Jackie, your attending nurse. Can you understand me?"

Pidge turned her head away, reluctantly, to the nurse and nodded sluggishly. "Ye-Yeah, I can."

"Good, now, I'm going to grab the doctor and we will get you all checked out, okay? How're you feeling?"

"Exhausted," Pidge said.

The nurse began the normal procedures and promptly left to grab the doctor. Pidge turned back to Keith. "You look like you haven't slept at all."

He couldn't help laughing. "Kinda hard when you're here by yourself," Keith remarked.

"And kinda hard to sleep in those chairs, I imagine," Pidge said, glancing in the chair's direction before flicking her gaze back to him. "Is our baby okay?"

"They're fine," Keith murmured. "Healthy and strong, just like you."

Pidge tried to smile but seemed worn from the effort. "I'm used to seeing Matt when I woke up, but it's nice—having you here when I wake up."

"And it's nice to see you smiling again, Pidge." Keith couldn't help the compliments, the sincerity of heartfelt words that have no way of stopping. He swore that his heart was overflowing with relief, with happiness, and with inexpressible feelings that she was alive and awake that he tried to stem the burning in his eyes.

"Keith." She grasped his hand.

Leaning forward, he lightly pressed his forehead against hers. "I missed you."

She couldn't help the sigh of happiness of being close to him again. "I'm home."

— x —

Quite frankly, Pidge hated hospital food. Worse still, because she was pregnant, she was forced to eat a better diet with vitamins and whatever else that Pidge was left exasperated at the end of it all.

Well, it's not all bad, but, the days that followed weren't terrible. Full of things to do as she recovered, rehabilitation, and adjusting to the injuries that now covered her body. She wasn't going to say that the injuries on her chest didn't hurt—it did, and it sucked.

But, with her friends visiting as often as they do, it was easy to forget all the pain. It was perhaps a week of rehabilitation, coupled with lots of sleep and rest, and some good old medicine that Pidge was starting to feel like herself again. Today, she was resting in the room with Keith sitting next to her, sharing the details of what they ought to plan for when she was released.

"So Lance decided that it was a good idea to surprise Matt with a visit and that's how he finds out that Matt is dating Jazz," Keith said with a shake of his head.

Pidge couldn't help the snickers. Partially, she felt bad since that must've been embarrassing, and partially because she found it hilarious. Either way, she put away the book she was reading instead of the story that Keith was sharing with her, finding it a nice change of pace from the monotonous silence of the hospital.

Keith shrugged. "Anyway, that's Lance for you, I guess. So when we all got there, Lance and Matt were having some kind of argument that Allura had to step in."

"RIP Lance," Pidge snickered.

"Well, he's fine now, just a little salty," Keith said with another shake of his head. "Anyway, enough of him, how are you feeling? Doing okay?"

Pidge knew this was coming, but at least she had good news to share. Examining the faint bruising that was a remnant of the zip ties, her wrists were no longer bandaged as she was swiftly recovering. The boost in vitamins definitely helped and she was sure she was healthier than she had ever been in a long time. A good portion of her severe injuries were minor inconveniences that she looked at Keith with a confident grin.

"You're looking at the girl that's going to be discharged tomorrow from the hospital," she said, smirking when Keith blinked.

"Really?"

"Yep!" Pidge grinned, happy to be free of the place. While the hospital wasn't her favorite place in the world, it wasn't the least favorite.

"That's great!" Keith pumped his fist in the air, unable to contain his excitement. "Oh man, Lance and Allura are going to be so psyched to see you—hell, I'm going to be so excited to show you all the things that we have to do together before—"

"Wait, Keith—" Pidge tried to stop him.

"—and that's not including the fact that we have to prepare for the baby." Keith continued, rambling.

She huffed. "Keith."

"Yeah?"

"Come here," she said, patting the spot on the bed next to her.

Keith blinked and she got to watch the red in his cheeks spread to his ears. He rubbed the back of his neck, as if uncertain, and raised a brow in question. "Pidge?"

The act of intimacy that they had together was probably going to take some getting used to, she noted. But, still, she wanted him close. Close, and being able to touch him. After all, that dream—of a time without him—had her on more than one occasion left her awake at odd hours of the night.

Still, he obliged her request and shifted to laying down next to her on the bed. She nuzzled close to his chest, inhaling his scent and cologne that she felt a sense of unease dissipate. Somehow, this couldn't be real life—it might very well be a dream, but she would live each day with everything she had.

His hand came to rest on her arm, skimming her forearm to her elbow, his lips brushing by the top of her head. Despite her injuries, she couldn't help the sigh, heat trickling from his touch. She hadn't been able to really touch Keith since... well, it felt like forever ago.

She felt him tug on her hair, lightly, and she sighed, this time from mourning the loss.

"I think I like you with short hair as much as I like you with your long hair," Keith remarked.

"I wish I had my long hair back, but hey, what can you do when you get attacked and they chop off half of your hair?" Pidge rolled her eyes. Her mom helped her fix her hair, cleaning up the odd ends from the encounter with a clean haircut. She suddenly felt more boyish than the girlish-ness she had grown accustomed to. It was a short bob now, pixie-like that her odd curls and wispy bits of hair curled at her nape.

"It'll grow back—I'm sure it will," Keith reassured, running a hand down her back and then back to the curve of her hip.

With a sigh, Pidge rolled onto her back with Keith's hand on her stomach. "Maybe—short hair does have perks." She shrugged again. And for a moment, they fell into a companionable silence, comforted by simply being near one another. She turned her head to face Keith, closing her eyes when he continued tracing patterns on her arms.

The even sounds of their breathing, coupled with the beeping from the heart monitor, comforted her. She shifted, pressing as close as she could against him that he reciprocated her efforts and his chin resting on the top of her head.

"Pidge."

"Mmm?"

He moved that when she opened her eyes, he was sitting on the bed. Curious, she tilted her head. Keith looked serious despite the casual way he sat cross-legged on the bed. Rubbing his neck, he sighed as he briefly averted his gaze. "Since you're leaving the hospital tomorrow, have you told your parents yet?"

Pidge shook her head. "No, I haven't. They went to get some lunch and—wait, why?" She squinted.

Keith smiled, taking her hand into his. His thumb ran over the back of her hand, smoothing it and his fingers curled under hers so that his thumb ran over her knuckles. "Lately, I've been finding it really hard to do things without wanting to share them with you and sometimes, I can't wait to come here and tell you about them."

Pidge smiled, unable to help the fluttering in the pit of her stomach. "Yeah, it's the same for me."

Keith looked up, chuckled. "Yep, and we always end up in trouble together."

"Of course—nothing better than getting in trouble with your partner in crime."

"Then, will you want to be my partner in crime?" he asked, his voice softening.

"Always," Pidge immediately replied, without blinking. And then she paused.

Keith gave her a look, bewildered and astonished.

There was a long moment of silence that followed, and Pidge couldn't even hear it beyond the rapid rush of blood in her ears, her pounding chest, and the dark blush that burned her cheeks.

"Wh-wh-wh-what did—?! Did you just—?!" Pidge stammered, waving her hands out in front of her in disbelief.

Shifting so that Keith slipped off the bed with a sincere smile on his face, he took a knee to the ground and pulled out a small velvet box.

Pidge felt like she was going to die.

"Katie Holt," he began, pulling open the lid to reveal the beautiful diamond ring, "I've known you for as long as your brother and mine have known each other. We've been to the edge of death and back again, and this time, we're better than ever to face it—together. And I want us to be together—forever, if you'll have me. So, Katie Holt, will you marry me?"

Her head was spinning, happiness and giddiness skipping her heart, and a flood of overwhelming tears pricked her eyes. No, actually, she was crying.

"Pidge, you—"

"Yes, stupid," she cried, wiping the tears away from her face.

He laughed as he took one of her hands and slid the beautiful and slender ring onto her ring finger. The silvery band gleamed next to the dazzling diamond, wrapped in a stylish vine-like design. Simplistic, and yet, still so gorgeous. She choked back another sob when she held it up, becoming wrapped in Keith's arms as he sat down behind her.

It was the perfect fit.

And then he cupped his fingers under her chin and tilted her head back for a kiss.

"Did she say yes?" Someone whispered.

They broke apart and she jerked her head to the door, where Lance and Hunk peeked through it with Matt holding his phone to record the video.

"Doesn't it look like—oh, hiya," Hunk greeted with a grin, waving at her as the door was pushed all the way open.

She looked pointedly at her friends as they slowly entered the room. Keith's arms tightened around her waist but they began decorating the room with streamers, decorations, and little things that Pidge's eyes grew wide. What—What were they doing? Heck, even her parents were here and she's never been so emotionally overwhelmed.

Allura and her parents popped one of those confetti poppers with Shiro following suit, and everyone but Keith, shouted, "Congratulations!"

Pidge couldn't help the next wave of tears.

"See! I told you! Perfect!" Lance exclaimed when Pidge continued to cry.

"Hehe, congrats to the both of you!" Allura clapped, grinning that her eyes sparkled.

"And congrats on getting discharged!" Matt beamed, coming to one side of the bed.

They were all here. Keith slid back out from the bed enough to start talking about something with Matt, but his arms never left her. Hunk and Lance were looking at her and talking about all the things she's missed that she had to catch up on being the tie-breaker. Allura and Shiro were organizing the room and glancing in her direction with a smile. Her parents were gushing over the wedding plans and obvious happiness for her that their cheeks were rosy.

It was all of her friends and family.

"Hope you're ready for marriage with this guy over here," Shiro joked, lightly punching Keith in the arm.

She sniffled, nodding.

Keith released her as her parents came over, hugging her from both sides as they said in unison, "Congratulations."

"I can't believe Katie is all grown up now," her dad said, sniffling in exaggeration.

"Dad," Pidge whined playfully, unable to help the grin.

Her heartfelt full and overflowing. She was trying to keep her tears at bay as she watched all of her closest and most beloved friends talk to one another. It was hard to believe that the next time she'd see them brimming with this much happiness was when she was standing at the end of the aisle, saying her vows to her first love, and when she would be holding a baby boy in her arms.

A baby boy that was held by Keith, who had never been so excited to see him, holding the small baby to his cheek that told her he was going to be the perfect dad.

The End


Author's Note:

And there it is! The end! Can't believe I finished this monster of a story. It's funny since this all started as an idea from a short I read and it just got really out of control for me. My first finished fanfic. Sighs happily.

Tbqh, what happened was that I wanted to try to go for a tragic ending since no one seems to do it and I'm a sucker for those. But honestly, kidge would always have a happy ending for me. So this is the original ending I had intended to release. Forgive me if you happened to be my guinea pigs as I was trying out something new. I do it with love.

Thank you, Nary, for going along with my crazy ideas, those long hours we've spent hashing out ideas and consistency in the story and remaining true to character for our cast. I could never ask for a better beta and friend throughout this. You've been my rock and my cheerleader for the story and always reminded me that I'm a good writer for those days when I feel like I wasn't.

For my readers, sorry I was gone for a long time, dropped that previous chapter on you, and then give you this. Emotional rollercoaster? Hehe. I've always wanted to try this sort of ending so I am really sorry that it happened. But, hopefully this will make up for it; after all, this was the true and actual ending I wanted for them. Maybe I can give you an additional epilogue if there's enough of a want for one to make up for it: the life that Pidge and Keith have with their little kid after all of the events that happened.

Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for sticking around and joining me on this story adventure. I promise if you come and find me for the other ones, it won't be as dark or as dramatic. Well, there won't be any deaths, at least.

Thank you again for reading and I hope to catch you all on the flip side. Of course, if you ever have questions, feel free to shoot me messages on Twitter: EraVicis.

See you around!