Chapter 36

Epilogue: Coffee & Happiness

"I'll be home in about two hours. I just have to cool out Abby and let her back out. She was such a good girl today," Orihime said to Ulquiorra on the phone, giving the light gray mare she kept at Highland Park a scratch between the ears. "Do you need me to pick anything up on my way?"

Ulquiorra sighed and scratched the back of his head. He was outside, smoking on his break. It had been two years and some months since that Christmas when they solidified their relationship. Orihime and he were still going strong. "Not that I can think of at the moment. Isn't your book signing in Chicago this weekend? I have to go down to Coffee & Sadness down there and see how Rangiku is doing running her own store. I thought I would tag along with you. I was also thinking of calling Grimmjow and seeing if he wanted to do lunch."

There was a pause from him as he went over the different thoughts in his head. "OH! Sometime this week, I have to get details, but Starrk's Pub is opening this week, so we will have a party for that. And uh, I did find out some good news today while you were gone," Ulquiorra finished his rambling.

"Oh? What is it?" she asked with a smile.

"Nnoitra was sentenced to life in prison for murdering one of his side hustle clients. I guess he really did a number on her and did some other awful things before they found parts of her in the lake," Ulquiorra said. He took a drag from the cigarette and then exhaled. He had been wondering if he should have told Orihime this news or not. Ultimately he decided it might lighten her heart a bit to know it. "You'll be free to visit Starrk's bar without that asshole leering at you."

"Oh my god," Orihime said in a horrified tone. "That's awful. That poor woman…" She shook her head and released her breath. "But I'm glad he's out of the public realm for good. It's been over three years. I miss Starrk's. I wonder if I can handle absinthe anymore."

There was a snort from her horse. "Not you, Abby. The drink, Absinthe. And I only call you by your full name when you're being naughty," she teased the animal for Ulquiorra's amusement.

He gave a chuckle. Suggesting that Orihime actually use the stable and barn on his property had been a good idea. It gave her something to do when she wasn't writing books or working on something else. "So I'll see you in a couple hours? I need to do some product testing tonight if you're interested," he said in a slightly suggestive tone. Ulquiorra shook his head at himself. He was a dork sometimes. "And then we can plan out things for this weekend and next week."

"You are full of good ideas, my dear," Orihime replied. "I would be lost without you and your ability to structure time. I'll need a shower before I do any blind taste tests, though. I smell like a sweaty beast." She was a dork, too.

Orihime arrived back at the apartment over Coffee & Sadness promptly two hours later. They spent long weekends, especially in summer, at the Highland Park property, but Ulquiorra's apartment was where she called home, ever since she came back from the last book tour for "The Perfect Cup".

It had not been the last. Each year she and Byakuya worked on developing a new book and each had been successful. Orihime still was on the Rotten Brand Management payroll. She still did design for them. She got her nails done with Karen and Susan. She went out for drinks with Julie sometimes. She and Ulquiorra went out on Byakuya's yacht with him and his girlfriend last summer. It was a surprisingly good fit for her. It was not a nine-to-five gig. She worked from home as often as she worked in the office, which was funny because they were right across the street from each other.

Orihime just wasn't cut out for corporate life. She could take it in small doses. In fact, she found that it was good for her mental well-being to switch it up from time to time, and kept her from falling too deeply into her fantasy worlds.

It was just last summer when she had been out on a tour for her third book that she had heard a familiar voice.

"Can you say hi to Miss Orihime, Brady? You met her when you were littler."

Orihime had looked up to see Lucy, and she was surprised at how happy it made her. The two women had exchanged contact information after she signed a copy of her book for Grimmjow and Lucy's second child, Caitlin.

It turned out that she and Lucy got along really, really well. They became friends quickly, and despite a bit of awkwardness in the beginning, Ulquiorra and Orihime had met up with the Jeagerjaques', socially, several times since then, and it hadn't been bad.

Ulquiorra heard Orihime enter the apartment and left the computer desk to greet her. "Woman, I cancelled my lunch with Grimmjow this weekend. Instead I invited him and his family to stay with us during the fourth of July. I figured we can have a week-long vacation up at Highland Park. It would do some good to get those kids out of the city. How does that sound?" he asked after giving her a kiss.

Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands twice. "Ooh! Ooh! Yes! Oh, I can give the kids pony rides on Peanut and Cocoa! Then after that me and Lucy can ditch them with you and Grimmjow and go shopping," she teased. She had gotten the two little ponies to keep Abby company.

His eyes rolled and he smiled. "We can take them swimming in the pool and down to the beach. You ladies can live it up shopping in bougie stores," he replied. "How is my Peanut Butter Cup?" Ulquiorra had a soft spot for the pony Orihime had named Peanut.

"He is naughty as usual. He got himself out of his stall and into the grain bin. Luckily Maggie was home and saw him or he'd be sick. He's too smart for his own good. Cocoa, on the other hand, is still as dumb as a box of rocks. Sweet, though," she said, then gave him a kiss. "Okay, unless you like the smell of sweaty horse, I have to go wash up. Give me ten minutes?"

Ulquiorra nodded, and when she disappeared into the bathroom, he went to the kitchen to pull out his newest creation. They were mini muffin sized cheesecakes with matcha and white chocolate drizzle. With a swift and careful hand, he plated the mini treats onto some plates and added some whipped cream. He also had some strawberry cheesecakes with dark chocolate drizzle.

Orihime came out of the shower in the same bathrobe that had been designated as hers since that Christmas Eve she had first worn it. "Ooh, what is this?" she asked, spying the sweets on her way to the bedroom.

"I told you I had to test products. Will you be my guinea pig?"

"Always," she said, turning towards the kitchen island and not bothering with clothes. She was much too interested in tasting his new creations.

A smile adorned his face as he slid two plates over to his girlfriend. He liked watching her face and how she reacted to what his brain put together. "So, I'm still going to Chicago with you this weekend, do you want to come with me to see how Rangiku is holding up down there?"

Her eyebrow twitched slightly at the sound of the other woman's name. She would rather not ever have to acknowledge her existence, but it wasn't like it had been when she first returned to Evanston. Now she was just a mildly unpleasant memory for Orihime. "Sure, I'd like to see how the place looks, now, for sure."

After Ulquiorra and Orihime made their arrangement official, Rangiku had become incredibly salty towards Orihime. It came to a head about a year ago when Ulquiorra had put his foot down, telling the woman off for her rudeness. He opened up a new Coffee & Sadness location down in Chicago and practically gave it to Rangiku. The place was successful. Occasionally he checked in to see how Rangiku was faring.

He had also opened up a third location in Milwaukee and sent Izuru up there to run that place. The only part of Ulquiorra's original crew that was left in the Evanston store was Ethan, who became his afternoon and evening manager. "I saw that," he stated with a smirk before he gave Orihime a fork and then cut into his own mini cheesecakes.

"Yeah, well…" she let the thought trail off and put a bite of the strawberry cheesecake into her mouth and nearly wept. It was a dramatic overreaction for Ulquiorra's benefit, but she had yet to have anything he made that she didn't like, pumpkin spice lattes notwithstanding. After she swallowed the morsel she opened her eyes and said, "If I had not already claimed you as my own, I would have after that. Holy crap, that is good. Was that a hint of basil I tasted?"

Ulquiorra was impressed. He gave her a nod. "There is a bit in the strawberry topping. I thought it would give it a nice touch. I'm surprised you detected it with your junk food palate."

"Hey!" she said to her own defense, "I will have you know that I am in my junior year of the Cifer Culinary Institute tasting course. I will not let my education go to waste."

"Ha!" Ulquiorra laughed at his girlfriend. She was cute and dorky. "So I think the strawberry one is good but maybe use semi-sweet chocolate instead of dark. This is too bitter. For the matcha one, I think some lemon zest in the cheesecake might brighten it up a bit."

As he spoke she had shoved the entire matcha one into her mouth and just nodded at his words. After she swallowed she said, "Yeah, this one is good but a bit of zing is always welcome. You know what else is welcome?"

"Hmmm?" he said, again impressed by her.

She hopped off the stool she had been sitting on and approached him, loosening the sash on the robe and letting it fall open. "Your hands all over me," she said in her best attempt at a seductive voice as she slid her own hands up his front to rest at the back of his neck.

"Can I help you Miss Inoue?" Ullquiorra said, his hands worming under the fabric. "Perhaps a blind taste test is needed?"

"Mmm, I'll defer to you, Professor," she said with a sly grin, taking slow steps back.

Ulquiorra heard the gate buzz. He heard Maggie talking to someone and the short reply that followed. Grimmjow was here. Glancing over at Orihime, he stood from the table and stretched. "The circus is here," he said.

"Yay!" she cheered, standing and stretching as well. They had been up a bit late the night before trying to get everything perfectly prepared before their guests arrived so that they could all relax and have a nice time. Unfortunately it had left them both a bit tired that morning, and their morning coffee still hadn't taken full effect. Orihime stretched overhead and jogged in place a couple of steps before glancing at her boyfriend. "Last one there is a rotten egg," she challenged him as she began to prance over to the doorway.

He shook his head. He was getting too old to be running after her. Instead Ulquiorra took off at a fast walk over to the front door. "You're slow, Orihime," he said, catching up to and passing her.

"I am not!" she complained before she saw a flash of blue hair. "Hey guys! Glad you could make it!" she called out to the young family coming through the door before Ulquiorra had a chance to say anything.

"Hey guys," Grimmjow said, coming through the door with a toddler in his arms and several bags over his shoulders. "Hey Ulq, hey Orihime. Look Cait, it's Orihime. You like her books, and there's Ulq."

"Hello Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said. He saw the blonde woman behind his friend and nodded at her. "Hello Lucy, welcome."

"Hi Ulquiorra, how are you?" Lucy asked, opening her arms to him for a hug before turning her face towards Orihime and squealing, "We're here!" The blonde was obviously very excited as she let go of Ulquiorra and ran over to Orihime and embraced her.

Grimmjow chuckled and let his daughter down so that he could set the bags he had down. "Where is Brady?" the blue-haired man asked. "C'mon Ulq, help me with the luggage."

"Help yourself with the luggage," Ulquiorra muttered.

Orihime rolled her eyes and tapped her boyfriend on the buttcheek lightly as she went past and grabbed the bags Grimmjow had dropped. "I know you poor, weak, helpless, tall men cannot possibly handle these things. Me and Lucy have it. C'mon, Luce, I'll show you to where you two are staying," she said, grinning at her friend. "Maggie, it's the two on the first floor, right?" she called out to the housekeeper who had made herself scarce.

Maggie popped her head out of the butler's pantry and began to lead the way. "Yes, just follow me," she said as she disappeared down a hallway.

Lucy laughed and smiled at her husband, taking Caitlin's hand and calling out for Brady, who followed her after Orihime and Maggie. "Come on, you guys will probably get a great view of the lake from the rooms we're staying in! Make sure you say thank you to Uncle Ulq when you come back out," she said quietly to her children.

Ulquiorra followed Grimmjow outside, wearing a baseball cap and something that would cover his arms from the sun. He was 29 years old and still burned badly. He looked at Grimmjow, who stood by an SUV. His friend was grinning like a madman. "What?" he asked.

"So you're gonna hit the dirty thirty this year. How does it feel to be old? You need to get a minivan and have a midlife crisis," Grimmjow said as he unloaded bags onto the driveway.

"Who are you calling old? You're older than I am."

"By a year," Grimmjow replied. The amused expression dropped and Grimmjow's tone took a serious turn. "Uh, look, I need to do something while we're here."

Ulquiorra's eyebrow raised and then he scowled. "What?"

The other man plunked his butt on the back of the vehicle. "It's something I need to get off my chest, and I promised Lucy I would do it. I need to apologize to Orihime for how I treated her."

The look on Ulquiorra's face intensified and his nostrils flared. "I swear to god if you upset her, I will throw your ass in the lake. I will shank you."

"I knew you were a criminal." The madman grin was back on Grimmjow's face.

Ulquiorra was not amused.

A heavy sigh. "Fine. I'm not looking to upset her. It's something that needs to be laid to rest between me and Hime. I know I did her wrong."

The green-eyed man's mouth formed a thin line. "You should have never put her through that in the first place just because you didn't want her to be with me," Ulquiorra stated before grabbing several suitcases by the handles.

"Ulq, I know. Having a daughter of my own has made me realize this. I would kill anyone who hurt Cait like I hurt Orihime." Grimmjow sighed and Ulquiorra saw his shoulders droop.

This was obviously something that had been bothering him for a while. "I will inform Orihime of this and it will be her decision," he said before turning and going back into the house.

That first day was full of fun and sunshine. The kids had pony rides and the two couples and the kids took a short stroll on the beach before dinner. After dinner, Orihime gave the children a dramatic reading of all three of her books, plus another that was not published yet. The fourth was about two ponies named Peanut and Cocoa, and how they helped their tall horse friend, Abby, navigate a world made for shorter animals.

When she finished, she presented them with two plushies: a chubby pale palomino pony with a tag that said "Peanut," which she gave to Brady, and a soft brown one with a tag that read "Cocoa", which she gave to Caity. She hadn't mentioned to anyone that Byakuya had made some prototype merchandise for this new book. He had grand ideas of an animated series and play figures for young children based on these new characters. He said it was the project that would launch Rotten Brand Management into a new market.

Orihime didn't care for any of that, although she was glad that her boss was so happy and excited. As she put the books away and sat up off the ottoman in front of the fireplace, Lucy told the kids that it was time for bed, and Orihime made eye contact with her ex-boyfriend. She had agreed to hear him out.

Grimmjow gave a heavy sigh as the room emptied. Well, almost emptied. Ulquiorra was hanging around the island in the kitchen, scrolling through his phone. He wanted to be present for this… Just in case.

He wasn't sure what he meant. He had no plans on upsetting Orihime. This guilt had been sitting on his shoulders for a long time. Ever since she had said those three words to him, it had been sitting there. The blue-haired man knew he had been in love with someone else all those years ago. He just didn't want to admit it and he was being petty trying to keep Orihime for himself because heaven forbid Ulquiorra was happy.

His friend was happy now. There were subtle changes in the green-eyed man that lifted Grimmjow's spirit. He was silent for a moment as he studied the redhead woman. She was confident and more self assured. Being around Ulquiorra was a good thing for Orihime.

It was her right if she rejected his apology. He had done what made him happy at the expense of her emotions. "I am sorry that I jerked you around years ago. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Brady or Lucy sooner. I apologize for breaking your heart. I'm sorry that I was spiteful and petty after the breakup. I'm not looking for your forgiveness. I wanted to clear the air between us."

Orihime didn't have any initial reaction. She honestly didn't expect to ever hear those words from him, and now that she had, she didn't know how to feel. Her eyes drifted off to the side and she nodded slowly -absently- as she made her way to the sofa and sat.

"Take a seat, Grimmjow," she finally said after a minute. Her voice was pleasant.

She watched him uncomfortably consider her invitation for a moment and then her thoughts drifted inward. She examined her feelings and found that she didn't need his apology. She smirked, and her shoulders jerked a bit with an unvoiced laugh. When she looked back up at him, there was a serene look on her face, at least until she saw Grimmjow's confusion. She smiled at him and asked, "What?"

"I don't know. You just… Why do I need to sit?" Grimmjow asked.

It was Ulquiorra who chimed in. "Because she asked you too. If you want her to hear you out and take you seriously, you'll do it."

There was a heavy sigh and Grimmjow sat down in one of the side chairs. "Okay, I'm sitting."

Orihime glanced at Ulquiorra and gave him a crooked smile, letting him know this was okay and she was not upset. Then she turned her attention to Grimmjow.

"Well, thank you for saying that, Grimmjow. It makes me happy that you care enough to say it. But you don't need my forgiveness," she said, smiling at him kindly and shaking her head from side to side slowly. "You aren't him."

His confusion was etched on his face. Grimmjow arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean I'm not him?"

She chuckled softly. "I mean, you're not the same guy as the one I dated. You're a responsible father. You're a great husband to one of my best friends. You're a best friend to the most important person in my life. I don't know if I'll ever totally forgive my exes, but Grimmjow, you're not that guy. You're my friend," she said, her face growing a bit more serious, but her eyes still gentle as she found his and held the gaze.

Grimmjow's brow furrowed this time. He frowned as he reflected on her words. "Thank you, Orihime. I appreciate that," he said finally after several long moments.

She nodded once and stood up. "Good. Water under the bridge. Now, as soon as those kiddos are asleep, we should all go out on the deck, have a glass of wine, and watch some fireworks over the lake. What do you think, Ulquiorra?"

He nodded. "Pick out a bottle and I'll get the glasses on a tray." Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow and motioned for the man to leave the room and soon as he was gone, Ulquiorra approached Orihime. "I'm proud of you, you know."

She put her arms around his waist and looked up at him. "You are? Why?"

"Because you've really matured over the past couple of years. You've done really well for yourself. I love watching you everyday. You should change the name of your blog though. I know a guy who'd be willing to buy it," he said with a smile.

She laughed and shook her head. He was still after the domain name? "Oh yeah? Do you have an idea for a new blog name?" she asked, returning his smile.

"Coffee and Happiness."

She kissed him and smiled. "It's perfect. I love you, Ulquiorra."

He kissed her back. "I love you too."

THE END

A/N: So this is the end of C&S. Sometimes this was a bit hard to write as I was going through a lot of things at the time. I want to thank JKR for having patience with me. She's always been a creative rock in my life. Thank you my lady. Thank you to our readers who leave reviews and favorites. We really enjoy the praise and insights you all lavish on us. - EIV

That's the end! I'm having a hard time articulating my feelings about this story. By and large it has been a favorite of mine, although it was a struggle to finish. I'm not quite satisfied with it ending. Although I really think that parts of it is the best we've ever done... I guess I feel like there was a lot more to this story that could have been told, but you have to end it sometime. Big thanks to all of you who've read and reviewed - your support is what makes us want to keep going. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks, too, to EIV, for finishing this one with me despite not really wanting to much of the time. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if we had left it undone. See you in the next one! - JKR