Chapter 33

Groaning, the purple haired man walks up the large incline, which he should be used to by now, especially with the elevation levels in Blackthorn City. After leaving Dawn with Drew and telling Gary Leaf is dead, Paul had packed a bag from his home. He then quickly left the city that night, and eventually ended up in Johto because it's the furthest away from Sinnoh. It's the furthest he could get from those painful memories while also providing him a fresh start.

He owns a small cabin in the mountains north of the city where he hunts and traps animals for food. Every quarter, Paul makes his way into the city for supplies, but other than that, he remains off the grid. He knows May can find him with technology, and with Drew around her, they're going to be searching for Paul. Thus, Paul avoids any technology at all, though Paul doesn't need technology anyway. He's fine with his simple quiet life.

Sighing, Paul looks up at the sunset, which reminds him of the sunrise. He tries to stay inside until the sun is high enough in the sky, else the dawn reminds him of her… Shaking his head, Paul continues walking. Him leaving her is the best thing for her because she's only been in trouble once she met him. Wherever she is, he knows she'll be happy since she finds joy in everything.

When Paul finally reaches his cabin with his quarterly supplies in hand, he's surprised to see a luxurious car out front, making him wary of the situation. Has someone from the Hayden Family come after him? He thought they were all still in jail and held no power anymore. Tensing up, Paul sets down his bags as he prepares for a fight.

"Relax, dude." the voice comes from behind, making Paul mentally curse himself for not noticing the guy's presence. Has Paul really lost his senses after all of this time? He half expected that hunting would keep him sharp, but how did Drew manage to sneak up on him. Unless Drew's gotten better at that, even though the green haired man doesn't need to sneak around anymore.

Sighing because Paul at least senses the presence of the person following Drew, Paul turns to face them with a scowl. "How'd you find me?"

May grins as she finally catches up to Drew. "C'mon, Paul. You visit the city every few months. Of course I can find you." When Drew and May had arrived, they decided to look around the woods in case Paul was out there. Since they couldn't find him, they chose to come wait at their car, but they didn't expect to run into him in front of his fence.

"Well, leave." Paul walks up to his cabin while ignoring them. There's a reason he cut everyone out of his life. There's a reason he was alone once Reggie died, so he needs to stay alone. Everyone close to him always ends up hurt, and he can't take that heartache anymore.

Unfortunately for him, Drew rushes over to block Paul's path. "We're getting married." The green haired man hands a white envelope to Paul who just frowns at it rather than grab it. Rolling his eyes, Drew waves it in Paul's face, and May is soon next to them. "I would like you to be there, Paul. I'd like you to be one of my best man, but I already know that's asking a lot from you." The green haired man chuckles before giving the annoyed Paul a smile. "So I'm asking you to at least attend my wedding."

"Yeah!" May pipes in. "You don't have to stay for the reception, but it'd be nice to have you at the ceremony."

"Not interested." Paul mutters as he tries to sidestep them; however, Drew won't let him.

"How long are you gonna hide out here, man?"

"Forever, so don't come back or I'll move again." Moving is such a hassle, and Paul isn't sure if there's another nice secluded place like this. Although, he will move if he has to.

"Dawn already RSVPed." May tells the scowling man, which just aches Paul's heart.

He's already reminded of that troublesome woman every morning, but now he has to actually hear her name? Soon, his deep scowl returns as he pushes past the couple while making a mental note to move to an even more secluded area. Maybe he'll switch regions?

"She has a kid!" the brunette shouts before Paul can disappear inside his cabin.

Drew sighs because he didn't want to scare off Paul, but this is probably what's going to happen. Then they're going to spend years searching for him again; though, Drew believes it'll be even harder to find Paul this time.

When they see Paul hesitate at the door, May continues, "He's 3 and a half and he has your eyes."

Paul finally steps inside the cabin and closes the door, making May sigh. Drew slips the wedding invitation in Paul's mailbox before the couple leave. They've already done what they came here to do, even if Dawn doesn't want Paul to know about Liam. Being an orphan, Drew knows what it's like to miss a parent, so he won't let Liam grow up without Paul. Paul should at least know he has a son, and Dawn should understand what it was like growing up without a father.

Once Drew's and May's car had left, Paul sat in his kitchen with his head in his hands. The math adds up if this kid is his. Gosh, why wasn't he more careful? He should've known May can find him in the city. He really wishes they hadn't told him this information because how can he leave his own child? When Paul's parents died, he was devastated, and life got worse once Reggie was gone too.

Groaning, Paul glares at the table because he remembers Dawn also grew up without her father. Although the two never talked about this, Paul knew she was hurt by the abandonment. Since Paul didn't know about this kid, is it considered abandonment in this case? Shaking his head, Paul knows it is. He knows now, and his family would kill him for not stepping up.

Damn. He had left her to protect her, but now he'll have to enter her life again. Maybe everything will be okay now? Nothing has happened these past 3 years, else May and Drew would've mentioned it, right?

What if she doesn't want to see him? What if she wants nothing to do with him? What if she's in a new relationship? What if they're not the same anymore? Paul's heart hasn't ached this bad since the day he left her, so he wants to stop thinking about everything. He wants to forget the past 10 minutes of his life, even though he can't.

May just told him he has a child! And with the woman he loves too. Shouldn't he be happy about this? However, Paul is terrified. Chuckling sadly to himself, he realizes that Dawn continues to make him feel emotions despite not being around him. Gosh, she's so troublesome. With a final sigh, Paul heads out to his mailbox where he knows Drew put in the wedding invitation.

Forget usual Paul Shinji. The troublesome woman always brings out the best in him, so he'll have to follow his heart on this one rather than his usual head. He owes it to too many people to be involved in his kid's life. As much as Paul believes it's better for him to stay away from them, he's tired of being selfless. He's tired of hurting and hiding. It's about time he's happy again, or at least try to be. Reggie always wanted him to be happy.

Unova

Groaning, the auburn haired man walks through the streets of Nimbasa City. He's spent the past four years exploring every nook and cranny of Sinnoh and Kalos, and now he's almost halfway through the Unova region. Because Gary knows Leaf can be anywhere, he has been looking throughout the whole area by foot, which is taking him a while. However, Gary already decided to dedicate his life to finding her.

After not finding her remains at the Hayden Corporation, Gary searched Sinnoh for Leaf. Even though the Veilstone City captain had told him that Leaf's body may have burned to ash, Gary won't believe it. If her body really is gone, he'll find out when he dies. For now, Gary won't give up until he finds her.

Leaf is the only person who's made him feel whole again after his family died, even if she did kill his last remaining member. However, Gary has never felt this way about another person before, so he won't quit. He won't move on. Leaf is different, and he needs her. This hope from not finding her body is what has kept him going these past four years.

Walking into his hotel room, Gary sets his backpack down. Being extremely rich, he has the funds to travel full time, which he's grateful for as he can just focus on finding Leaf. Most of the time, though, Gary camps out because he'll be in the wilderness. He sits in the desk chair to cross off another place on the map on his laptop. Leaf wasn't on the east side of the city.

Leaning back in the chair, he lets out a very loud groan. Where is she? Why did she leave? Granted, the Hayden Family was finally taken down, so she had no reason to stick around, but did she really think to not at least say goodbye? She's not only worried him but everyone else too, even if they all deem her dead.

Gary feels his heart ache while he thinks about the woman he realizes he must love. It has to be love. Else why would he spend his life searching for her when everyone believes she's dead. Paul even saw her die. Apparently Dawn did too. Though, Gary needs to see it for himself. With his eyes still closed in exhaustion and frustration, Gary exclaims, "Where are you?"

"Who?"

He chuckles to himself because he's hearing things again. Occasionally, Gary will talk to himself out loud like he's speaking with Leaf. In the beginning, he could imagine her voice clearly responding in a Leaf-like way. However, it's been so long that he doesn't remember what her voice sounds like anymore. He only spent barely a month with her anyway. Although, now, he really must be going mad or dying because that voice sounds so clear. Maybe he'll just entertain his unconsciousness since he misses Leaf a lot. "You know."

"Enlighten me, Oak."

Grinning with his eyes still closed, Gary responds, "Leaf."

"Well, I'm right here."

"No you're not." Gary knows better than to go mad with his imagination. He's come close a few times, but that'll just hinder his search for her.

"Just open your eyes." comes the flirtatious voice, but Gary shakes his head.

"Nah. I like this better." with his eyes closed, he can picture a faint image of the brunette woman. If he opens them, he'll lose the image as well as her clear voice in his head. Right now, he really needs this break to motivate him for tomorrow's search.

"Fine." Before Gary can react, his chair is quickly spun around and he feels warmth in front of him as his eyes shoot open. There is the woman he's been searching for, and she looks more beautiful than he remembers. With her tan sun hat, light blue tank top, and long white skirt, she smirks at him. "I'm right here, Gare."

Wow. He's really gone crazy. So what? Gary Oak deserves this. He sits up neater and brings a hand out to cup her face, which feels really realistic. Yup. He's definitely gone crazy, so Gary inches his lips forward to capture the ones he's always dreamed of. However, Leaf easily avoids him as she places a hand between their faces.

"The only men I kiss, I kill." winks the woman.

Now confused, Gary slowly moves his hand to hers in front of their faces. He hesitantly touches it with a finger where he feels how warm and soft it is, like when Leaf would hold his hand while they were on the run. This can't be real, right? Gary then gently palms her hand with his own until he slides his fingers in between hers. Gripping the hand, he hopes this is real. It's too good to be a dream, even if he is exhausted from searching all day.

Praying to himself that this is reality, Gary looks into her deep green eyes and asks, "Am I dreaming?"

Rolling her eyes, she smiles warmly at him. "You tell me, Oak."

Gary slowly stands up from the chair so that he's towering over her, though his hand never releases hers. Uncontrollable tears slip out of his eyes, tears he's been trying to keep in ever since the night of Hayden Mansion. Even if this is a dream, he's fine with it. "I missed you, Leaf."

Her own eyes gloss over at this man in front of her. He looks a lot more rough than she last remembers due to his unshaven face and disheveled long hair. After getting shot by Junior, Leaf had managed to regain some strength to flee. She hoped Dawn and Paul had escaped because the building was already up in too many flames for Leaf to search for them. Therefore, with the last of her energy, she escaped.

When she reached an abandoned area she knows, Leaf had patched herself up before passing out from the pain and blood loss. The past two days had put a huge strain on her body, so she was out for days. By the time she woke up, her body ached immensely, but she needed to know what happened with the Hayden Family in case they're still running the city. Luckily, the news about the Family is everywhere, so Leaf quickly learned about her and her colleagues' plan succeeding.

Deciding that she is now free from the grasps of the family, and other gangs must believe she died in the flames, then Leaf opted to start a new life elsewhere. Where exactly? She doesn't know, but she will stowaway on a ship and decide once it docks somewhere that's not Sinnoh.

Although Leaf was upset that she'd have to leave behind a certain former police officer, it's for the best. Many gangs still want her skills, so they will use him to get to her. She can't afford to risk his life like that anymore, and she also doesn't deserve to be around him. She killed his sister! Seeing Leaf everyday will only remind Gary of his last relative's death, and it will also just guilt Leaf more.

Despite leaving this man, Leaf found herself occasionally checking up on him. With him being famous, it's not hard finding Gary Oak. She tracked him a few times when he was in Kalos and now that he's here in Unova. When she learned that he's been searching for her, it made Leaf feel more guilty. Why is he looking for her? Does he want to kill her?

However, eventually, Leaf heard that he misses her. She would overhear him mumbling in his sleep or talking to himself about how he forgives her and wants her back. He'd pray that she's alive and well. Over time, Leaf has found it harder to stay away from him, so she'd visit him while he's sleeping. Being a former assassin, Leaf is very good at sneaking around. Today, though, she's just really missed him too much to stay away much longer.

It's been over four years, so they must be safe now, right? Leaf doesn't care anymore, though, because she knows she will protect this man again if it means she gets to be with him once more. They can spend the rest of their lives on the run from a large gang. She doesn't care. All Leaf seems to have cared about her whole life is this man whose viridian eyes are gazing down at her lovingly. "I've missed you too, Gary."

This time, when he lowers his face to close the space between them, she lets him. Leaf has planted a few kisses on sleeping Gary before, but this one with him actively kissing her is her favorite. His tongue snakes its way into her mouth while he passionately kisses her due to his euphoria. The once tired man is reenergized at finally finding this woman he loves. Well, she found him, but Gary doesn't care about the details as they make their way to the bed.

Twinleaf Town

The purple haired man nervously walks through the streets of the small town. He had gotten Dawn's location from May after calling the number on the wedding invitation, which involved him having to promise to come to the wedding if May gave him the address. Although it was a hard fought verbal battle, May had won, so now Paul needs to attend their wedding as Drew's best man.

Taking a deep breath in front of the bakery, Paul mentally prepares himself for the woman he hasn't seen in four years, and the potential kid he has. Maybe this was a mistake? Maybe he should just go back into hiding? It's a lot easier than this right now. However, before Paul can bail, a voice speaks to him.

"Are you okay, sir?"

Paul looks up at the now open door where he sees an older woman with dark blue hair. This must be the mother Dawn would tell him about, which now makes the man even more nervous.

Although Johanna thinks this guy looks scary, she knows not to judge anyone by their appearances. She's been wrong many times about Dawn's exes who seemed nice but weren't, so Johanna is nice to everyone, especially potential customers. "Please come in, sir." She smiles at the nervous man who gratefully nods before entering the small bakery.

When Paul walks in, his nostrils are hit with a pleasantly sweet smell of all the pastries. Since it is morning, many people are working, so the bakery is empty, except for a small blue haired boy coloring at a table. Paul feels his heart pounding as he watches this little boy who is most likely his.

Fortunately, Johanna speaks again to interrupt his thoughts. "I'll be right back! Just let me grab something from the back first." She smiles before disappearing, and Paul finds himself approaching the boy.

The boy looks up at him with a cute grin, which makes Paul surprised that this kid isn't scared of him. Kids and people usually find the ex-gangster scary, especially with all of his tattoos and scars. "Hi!" the boy giggles, and Paul's breath hitches as his coal grey eyes match with this boy's.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Paul asks, "What's your name?"

Still giggling, which reminds Paul of the bubbly troublesome woman, the boy replies, "Liam! Liam Reggie Berlitz!"

Damn. Paul thinks to himself as he hangs onto the counter for support. He never told anyone his brother's name except for Dawn. This kid is really his. As Paul tries to catch his breath and clear his head, Johanna soon returns where she spots the very pale man and her confused grandson.

"Granny!" the boy worriedly runs over to hug her.

Picking up Liam, Johanna approaches the man who she now notices is struggling to breath as he sweats. Even though it's early spring, it's not hot enough for someone to sweat that much, so she's concerned. "Are you okay, sir?"

Is he okay? Paul shuts his eyes tightly because he knows he's not okay. This kid is his, and he abandoned Liam and Dawn! He was such a coward thinking he was protecting her, but really, he was protecting himself. He was protecting himself from getting hurt again, from feeling emotions, from himself. Mentally cursing himself, Paul doesn't hear the door to the bakery open.

"This is all they had, mom." the young woman speaks while ignoring the customer. She's gotten used to seeing customers constantly, so she's unfazed until he looks up from her voice.

That voice. Paul recognizes that voice anywhere, and he's not ready to face it. However, his body just naturally looks over at the woman he hasn't seen in years. Grey meets blue as Dawn drops the bag of groceries with a gasp. Johanna looks between the two with confusion while Liam happily extends his arms to Dawn.

"Mommy!"

His shout shakes Dawn from Paul's gaze, causing her to continue ignoring the man who left her. She trusted his words, but why is it that the only lie he had to tell her was that he'd never leave her? He left her, and if he thinks he can waltz back into her life, well he's wrong.

Before Dawn can take Liam from her mother, Paul quickly grabs her wrist, making Johanna glare at him. "Do not put your hands on my daughter! I will call the police!" She exclaims in fear.

However, Paul doesn't notice anyone except for the woman in front of him avoiding his gaze. He can't help but let a few tears fall as he chokes out, "Troublesome." That voice and that nickname. They're all it takes for Dawn to break down in tears while Johanna and Liam watch the two with worry.

"Mommy…" Liam sniffles because he hates seeing his loved ones cry, but just like Paul, Dawn doesn't notice anyone except for the man holding onto her arm.

Gosh, she's missed his touch and his scent and him! However, he doesn't deserve these tears, so she faces him and glares into his glossy grey eyes. "Leave."

Although Paul loves the intensity she still has, especially towards him, he just shakes his head. "I can't."

"You did it before. You can do it again."

If Paul flinched, he would have from her cold tone. Despite that glare she's giving him, he just gives her an adoring look back. She has every right to hate him right now, and he doesn't know what to say to fix anything, but then again, Paul Shinji isn't one to speak. Letting out a shaky breath, he steps closer to her where he envelopes her in a tight hug. Paul can't help but cry more as he smells her scent again, and she still uses the same shampoo.

Even though Dawn would like to fight from his embrace, she's missed it too much. Paul has always had this way of getting her to calm down without saying anything. He can always reach her heart. She really shouldn't let him back in since this already seems like her past relationships where the guy would screw up and then apologize and she'd forgive them like the idiot she is. She can't do that anymore, especially with Liam involved.

Liam! Much to Paul's dismay, Dawn quickly pulls away from him to tearfully look at her son who has his face buried in Johanna's shoulder. Johanna, though, is glaring at the young adults. "What is going on, Dawn?" She narrows her eyes at her daughter.

Fortunately, Paul steps in as Dawn is at a loss for words. She never told her mother about Liam's father; although, Johanna half expected it to be that Paul guy she once spoke on the phone with because Liam looks nothing like any of Dawn's exes. "I'm Paul." comes the gruff voice, and Paul prays he doesn't sound nervous.

Johanna now shoots him the glare. So this is Paul. Now everything makes sense. That phone call years ago from Kenny about Dawn hanging out with a gangster. And then Dawn calling her, and Paul being on the phone. The voice and physical description match now that Johanna thinks about it. As she glares into Paul's grey eyes, she instantly recognizes them as the same ones her grandson shares. Did this man just abandon her pregnant daughter and now he wants to come back into their lives? Johanna will not allow this!

Dawn notices her mother's rage, and quickly comes to Paul's rescue. "He didn't know, mom!"

"But he still left you, and now he wants to come back?" exclaims the older woman, which makes Paul give her an apologetic look.

"Ma'am-"

"I don't want to hear anything from you!"

"Whatever, mom!" Dawn snaps before grabbing Paul's arm and dragging him out of the bakery.

The man can't help but smile as it reminds him of all the times Dawn would drag him around years ago. When they're outside, she's still holding onto his arm while they walk down the street in silence. Everything just feels as natural as it used to be, even though the two only knew each other for three short months. Gosh, had they really fallen in love in that short amount of time?

"I love you." Paul says, which makes Dawn stop walking as she looks up at him in shock. She's missed hearing him say those words to her because, as much as she wants to deny it, she still feels the same way for him.

Paul sees the surprised look on her face, so he grabs her hand. These past 4 years have made him realize he never cherished her enough. At first, he felt like that was okay because they were both less hurt once he left. However, he's recently started hating himself for not loving her enough. For not telling her and showing her. She deserves way more than what he had given her, so he wants to give everything to her now.

Turning away, Dawn continues walking as they hold hands. She's rarely held his hand before because they were usually just grabbing each other's arms, but she likes the way their hands fit. His is large and rough while hers is small and soft, though they fit perfectly. However, she can't fall for his words. Dawn has grown from the person she used to be, and she won't put herself back into a toxic relationship again.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Paul's blush has cooled. Even though he is curious as to why Dawn hasn't said anything to his confession yet, he doesn't mind the silence. Well, a part of him does because the Dawn he remembers doesn't shut up. This thought makes him smirk. Gosh, he's really missed her.

When he spots a bench, he pulls her over so they sit down. Dawn preferred the mindless walking so that they could avoid any conversation, and she liked holding his hand. Nonetheless, they really need to talk. Luckily for her, he hasn't let go of her hand yet. Mostly it's due to his fear that she will run away, and he will lose her for good this time. They sit in silence for some time until Paul finally says, "Sorry."

Knowing he's not one for many words, Dawn just nods. The two still aren't looking at each other, but with this apology, Dawn decides to at least look at his hand she's holding. On that arm, she spots the three dates that are his family's birthdays. On the area where the Hayden Crest used to be, it is replaced by a large sunset with a new date below. That date…

Paul felt Dawn's gaze on him, so he looked over to see her studying his tattoos again. When he catches her eyes resting on the tattoo replacing the Hayden Crest, he says, "It's the last time I saw dawn." That night he rescued her and left her in Drew's care, that was the last time he saw the sunrise. The last time he saw Dawn and the dawn in the sky. None of the other mornings he's seen after have felt the same since that one.

Soon, her midnight blue eyes meet his sad grey ones, and she finds herself forgiving him. Is she an idiot? Maybe. But she really finds it hard to believe this man would intentionally hurt her. He also wouldn't hurt her again. Why get a large tattoo that reminds him of her when he doesn't care for her? And these eyes of his that only she can ever read. They tell her everything. That he really is sorry. That he's missed her. That he loves her. Since he's saved her life plenty of times, she should at least allow him another chance to break her heart again, right? Before Dawn can tell herself otherwise, Paul's enticing eyes clear her thoughts as she closes in for those lips she's missed.

Although surprised, Paul welcomes the kiss he's dreamed of. He can't help but be amused that she hadn't spoken this whole time while he was the one speaking. Have they really traded personalities? It doesn't matter, though, because he won't leave her. He never wants to be without her again.

When they finally break away for air, Dawn's glossy eyes meet his happy ones again. "I love you too, Paul." That's all it takes for Paul to recapture her lips in his.

Soon, the two are making out on the bench, but the weird stares they get makes Dawn quickly pull away as she realizes their surroundings. Paul, who is used to unwanted stares, frowns until Dawn smiles awkwardly at him. "Uh. Let's go back to the bakery. My mom should be calmed down by now."

Oh yeah. The bakery. It's where his son apparently is too. With his hand still in hers, Dawn leads Paul back to the bakery. Along the way, he asks, "Are you gonna tell me about Liam?"

Dawn knew this was coming, so she's not shocked by his question. Shrugging, she nonchalantly replies, "There's not much to tell. We both know that's why you're here."

Paul rolls his eyes at her hurt tone even though he just told her he loves her. Stopping as he tugs on her hand to make her face him, coal meets midnight once more as he says, "I came for both of you. I love you, and I owe it to you to be a father."

That serious gaze of his makes Dawn's heart skip a beat. Gosh, she really does love him, so she pecks his cheek, much to his surprise. "I'm glad Liam can at least grow up with a father now." she warmly smiles while continuing to lead him down the street.

Once Paul's flush disappears and his heart calms down, he questions, "Why'd you name him Liam Reggie?" Although Paul is pretty sure he knows her reason for Liam's middle name, he wants to hear it from her. He wants to hear her say she was thinking about him.

"You know why I named him Reggie." she knowingly responds, which makes Paul smirk. That's close enough to what he's gonna get. "And I named him Liam because...of Leaf."

She feels Paul squeeze her hand while they think about the former assassin who sacrificed her life to save them all. Everyone has so many demons in their closet, but that doesn't mean they deserve to die. Paul realized this after Dawn told him how much she cares about him. After she made him promise to never wish he'd die again.

Once they arrive inside the small bakery, Johanna's concerned look turns into pure rage, especially since she sees the two adults holding hands. She will not allow her daughter to get into another toxic relationship where the man is in and out of her life. Plus, with Liam involved, it isn't fair, which is partly why Johanna stopped searching for Dawn's father.

However, before Johanna can speak, Liam comes running from behind the counter where he tackles his mother in a tearful hug because he was very scared when she was crying. "Mommy!" he cries into her chest while holding onto her tightly, making Dawn smile. Her son is always so caring.

"Hey, Liam! I have someone I want you to meet!"

But Liam just shakes his head since he prefers to keep it near his mother's heartbeat when he's crying. Paul playfully scowls at Dawn, which makes her raise a confused eyebrow at him. "I didn't know you raised my son to cry so much."

Sticking her tongue out at him, Dawn retorts, "Crying is healthy! Sorry we're all not robots like you."

He smirks at her while replying, "Good thing you love this robot, huh?"

When Dawn blushes, Paul chuckles at her reaction and Johanna finds herself sighing. Maybe this Paul guy isn't so bad? He's not the type she ever expected her daughter to be involved with, but he does seem to genuinely care about her, and Dawn seems to really care about him too. In the past, Dawn would be too insecure about her relationships to ever playfully argue like this. Johanna now sees how much fun the two adults are having, especially her daughter. Maybe she'll give Paul a chance just for Dawn and Liam; however, Johanna will be keeping a close eye on this man.

Soon, Liam stops crying and he looks over at the tall stoic Paul who nervously makes eye contact with Dawn. Paul doesn't know what to do, so his eyes plead with her; however, now Dawn smirks at him. Whispering in her son's ear, Dawn says, "He's your daddy."

Liam's eyes open wide as he looks Paul up and down. He had always questioned his mother about his father, and she would never tell him anything. So this man is him? Coal grey meets coal grey as Paul shyly extends a slightly shaky hand to Liam. "Hey, Liam."

Dawn can't help but giggle at his nervousness, but Paul is too focused on the little boy in her arms to care. When Liam smiles and extends his arms to Paul, Dawn holds him out to the confused man. "Hold him, prunehead."

Ignoring the nickname, Paul grabs Liam from Dawn where the boy tightly hangs onto him, and Paul can't help but tear up. Burying his face in Liam's shoulder, Paul closes his eyes. This little boy is his. And he shares him with the woman he loves. Gosh, Paul can never leave her again. Now, he'll be protecting her and Liam, but Paul is fine with this. He's fine with everything he does for this woman and now this boy.

I had to give Gary and Leaf a happy ending. Their past is too sad not to! But I did want to kill Leaf when I was first writing this story. I thought about killing only Leaf. And then I thought about killing Leaf and Gary so the group honors them in an epilogue. But nah. Let's make everyone happy and alive! Last chapter is the epilogue!~