January 15th, Present Day

"What about this?"

"Trash."

"Trash?! Dude, it's in perfect condition!"

"I don't need it anymore, therefore, it's trash."

"Like me."

Cindy's voice came from behind him. A playful laugh escaping into the air. Jimmy turned around to see her hands snaking around the strange invention Sheen had, now stupidly, placed on his head. He just folded his arms disapprovingly.

"Hey, hey, hey! I found it first!" Sheen argued as Cindy wrestled her hands around the invention. It was shaped like some sort of hat. Kind of like those hats you would make as a kid. The ones that formed to your head but came up to a large point. Woven into the foil, was all different types of wires of various different colors. To say it looked strange, and somewhat dangerous, would be an understatement.

"What are you even going to do with this?" Cindy cocked her head to the side.

"I don't know! But I'm sure I'll figure something out."

"That means he wants to sell it." Carl called over his shoulder, currently stuffing more trash and other various items into the black plastic bag in his hands.

"Sheen!" Now Libby was marching over, her hands already on her hips. Her braids whipping violently behind her. "We're supposed to be cleaning, not pocketing trash."

"What! It's cool!"

"Hey, at one point, that was actually a really helpful invention." Jimmy defended.

"Helpful how? To catch aliens?" Libby shot back.

"Alright, alright, enough." Cindy interveiened. "It's been 2 hours and this place is still atrocious. We need to finish today. We don't have time to be arguing over little things."

Sheen pouted his lips, overdramatic. Narrowing his eyes at Libby, before finally sighing in defeat, placing the tin hat into the black trash bag, slightly aggressively. "Fine."

Cindy turned to Jimmy. "Not only that but we have to be at the restaurant for 5. And we can't be late."

Jimmy took a breath, apprehensive. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Cindy paused, her hands shaking just ever so slightly. The fluorescent light from the high lab ceilings made her hair look like fine strands of silver. Her green eyes shifting back and forth between the trash bag between her fingers and Jimmy's unsure expression.

"It's too late to back out now." She breathed.

"Wait," Libby piped up. "So, it's really happening?"

Cindy looked over to her best friend. Her chocolate eyes wide with surprise. It had been two weeks since Cindy called her father. Two weeks since she finally dialed those numbers, she had held on to for so long. It was...intense. Their voices were soft, but the words were harsh. Bitter. After an hour of passive aggressive conversation, her father proposed they sit down, face to face. He asked that Jimmy be there as well. Although reluctant at first, when Cindy brought the idea to Jimmy, he eventually agreed this would be the best thing to do. And although a part of him was terrified to face Liam Vortex again, he was happy that Cindy was finally making progress with the biggest demon she's ever had.

"Yeah." Cindy nodded, still dumbfounded that it was indeed, happening. "Yeah, it's really...fucking...happening."

Libby's eyes went to Jimmy. "Are you nervous?"

Jimmy chuckled. His laugh answering for him. "I'm probably not going to live to see tomorrow, so yeah."

"Oh stop it." Cindy placed a hand on his arm as she walked by, making her way over to more piles of trash. "My dad is all talk. He's not gonna do anything."

Jimmy shook his head, unconvinced. "Did you see the way he looked at me on Christmas Eve?"

"Was it the death look?" Carl called out, nosy.

"Worse."

Carl grimaced. "Oof. Shit. Yeah, sorry Jim, but you're fucked."

Cindy narrowed her eyes. "Don't listen to him. You're gonna be fine."

"And what if I'm not?"

She smirked, playfully. "Well then I guess I'll just have to get another boyfriend."

Carl and Sheen both burst into laughter, while Jimmy just shot Cindy a look.

"Ha ha, very funny." Jimmy snaked and arm around her waist and pulled her into him. She laughed the whole way as her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Don't worry, if you die, I promise to live on and tell stories to our daughter about all of the stupid and ridiculous things her father did."

"You're one to talk."

"Shut up." Cindy snickered as she reached up to give him a kiss.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Libby called out, causing the two of them to break apart. "Less fucking, more cleaning. Or else the lab is never going to get the transformation it needs."

Jimmy and Cindy both just laughed, pulling apart reluctantly, Jimmy's hand lingering on the bump that put a permanent smile on his lips.

"Seriously," Libby pushed again. "This place needs to be empty by the time the baby shower comes."

Cindy shook her head, making her way over to where Libby was standing. "Oh, no. I already told you. I'm not having a baby shower."

"But Cindy! You have too!"

"It's too expensive and too much work. And besides, my mom and Judy are already pitching in a ton for supplies. There's no need for a baby shower."

"Come on, Cin, you can't just turn down free shit!" Sheen yelled over from the other side of the lab.

"I second that." Said Carl.

"It wouldn't entirely be a bad thing." Jimmy pointed out. "To get extra stuff...for free…."

Cindy was stubborn. She was full of pride. And although the thought of having a baby shower did cross her mind, she knew it would just cause more trouble in the long run. She would have to plan it. She would have to organize for a place to hold it, decorations, food, games, all things most pregnant women would be thrilled about...But Cindy was tired. She was stressed. She had to worry and focus on school. Studying, applying to what little colleges she could, fixing a resume to try and somehow get a job after her maternity leave was up. She had much more important things to worry about then having a baby shower. And although Libby had offered, time and time again, to throw it for her...Cindy refused.

"No. We are not wasting money on a baby shower. We need every penny to actually prepare for Mel."

"But think of all the things you would get!" Sheen yelled again.

"I think we should do it." Jimmy just gave her a look.

Cindy rolled her eyes. "Look, let's just focus on one thing at a time. And That's making this place not look like a creepy, secret, alien lab."

Jimmy narrowed his eyes. "Hey, this creepy, secret, alien lab holds lots of dear and fond memories."

He wasn't wrong. There were so many memories in the lab. Not just between two them, but between everyone. So many adventures. So many laughs. So many tears. So many breakdowns, I hate you's, I love you's. It was bittersweet, that this change was happening. That this chapter of their life was over. Closed. Like a book no longer needing to be open. A story finished, even if only for the time being. And now, with the renovations, a new story would be born.

"It's sad." Jimmy said, sitting down on one of the steps. "I almost don't want to say goodbye."

Cindy sat down next to him, to the best of her ability. Arching her back as she made herself comfortable next to her boyfriend. Their other three best friends still continuing to clean and talk amongst themselves. The lab was in shambles. Trash and boxes everywhere. So many inventions pushed aside, all different scientific things tucked away for safekeeping.

Cindy placed a hand on top of his. "It's not goodbye, we aren't leaving. Just...upgrading. For the better."

Jimmy laughed, softly smiling as he looked around. "You know, it's funny. This is where it all started." He turned to her, his eyes gleaming underneath the fluorescent light.

Cindy turned towards Jimmy. "Who would have thought, nine years later, we would end up here?"

Jimmy's voice was low when he spoke, but his words were loud with certainty as he looked into her eyes. "I don't know about you, but I think a part of me always knew we'd end up here."

Cindy licked her lips. She could already hear Libby's voice again, sounding throughout the air, but she was far too distracted with the thump in her chest and the man sitting next to her, to even care a little bit about the words she was yelling. She pulled him into a kiss, her eyes closing, reveling in the way this felt. She would never get tired of moments like these.

"Me too." Is what she whispered against his lips as she drew back. This moment she would always remember. The two of them kissing on the laboratory floor, her breath sweet like fresh clementine's on a cold winter's day. Their friends, already scolding them to get back to work, and fluorescent lights that washed them out like an overexposed photograph. This day, the very last day that this place, that held so many memories, would ever be called, the lab.

Soon, it would be home.


Wow. Ok. Hi.

So, I am posting this small portion of Chapter 18 for a few reasons. I have been getting a lot of questions about this fic. And I just want to assure you, yes, I am working on it, and yes, I will be continuing. I finally have received a new laptop, which will make updating a lot easier. I am asking everyone to please, be patient. I will do my best to post the rest of the chapter as soon as I can. But please know, this fic is not abandoned.

I do want you all to know that I am so unbelievably shocked that all of you have stuck by this story as long as you have. Honestly, I did not expect this kind of love at all. The last time I checked the stats we were almost at 19,000 views. That's fucking unfathomable that THAT many people have clicked on this fic and read it. Thank you. You guys are the reason I keep coming back.

Thank you.