Author's Note: This one is MASSIVE because I want to fit in a good amount before I start the official Epilogue. I have plenty of things in store for Stanley and Robin since they deserve so much happiness!

2 Weeks After Derry

Boston, Massachusetts

I groaned as I was finally getting my bearings and hoisting myself up on my crutch that I was now relying on. My dad pushed the front doors open into my old apartment and Stanley had my duffle bag in hand, having me look around as I took a few steps into the entry. It felt like a lifetime since I was back here within my home, though I felt very different than how it was before. Before, it felt like any other place that I would find refuge.

Now, it felt foreign.

Since I was released from the Derry Hospital, I was instantly sent over to the Boston Medical Center. The others reassured me that they would keep in touch throughout the whole time, even when I was almost wanting to beg for them to come with me. Going back to the real world with all the I went through didn't seem too great for me now, because now the real world seemed fake. I knew recovery for me was going to be long and brutal, but Stanley told me he was going to stick with me every step of the way, having me question him about his old job in Georgia. He merely shrugged.

"There's nothing for me back there. There are plenty of firms out in Boston that can take me,"

And with that, Stanley placed his house on the market and moved in with me. With a little help from Ben and his friends in the Real Estate realm, we knew his house was going to sell in no time. He even found a job rather quick with Ernst and Young LLP, the third-best firm in Boston. I was stunned in how casual he was about it, and since he clearly only needed a few things from his house and was willing to sell the rest with it with the house, he and I decided to find our own place in the town of Boston. A fresh start, which was what we both needed.

My dad was a big help as soon as I was back in Boston. He wasn't too far away in New York, willing to place his artwork and his art gallery on hold to come down for the first few days and get things comfortable for me. He was beyond excited to see Stanley all grown up, though he was a bit of a tease about it. The best was when he told Stanley he looked just the same, he just grew vertically. None the less, my dad and Stanley were great together. After grabbing some lunch in Boston for our own mini-reunion, My dad ben pulled me aside at one time, looking a bit concerned.

"You and Stanley are moving in together? Seems a bit fast, doesn't it?" he asked, not sounding like he was mad about it but more curious. I shrugged.

"I think we both realized that we were in love with each other and seeing each other at the reunion…it kind of made it official," I explained, seeing him think about it for a split second before he broke out into one of his big grins.

"I'm kind of into that," He said in a grin, having me chuckle, "Life is too short, Robin. Go for what's good for you, fuck the rest of them for saying otherwise."

Not only did I have to deal with my recovery, but I had to deal with my public image when it comes to professional running. People were trying to reach to me via social media, asking over and over what happened and if I was going to run again. It felt like I was a movie celebrity and people were hounding me, ESPN making me the headline, talking about a spooked accident that almost killed me. It was devastating to see and not say anything. My coach told me not to say anything in person or online, he would talk to my agent and they would conduct a massive interview to answer all the questions that were needed in a few weeks or so. All he wanted me to do was rest, rest, and figure out what I was going to say.

Great.

"Here we go, kids," My dad said as he looked around at my apartment with hands on his hips. Stanley walked in to place my duffle bag on the couch while I watched my dad, "I think you can sell this place no problem,"

"I don't want to think about that right now," I groaned as he looked back at me and walked over to help me walk to the couch.

"Your dad has a point," Stanley said in agreement as he took out his phone, looking intently, "This neighborhood is good real estate,"

"Says you?" I asked jokingly.

"Says Haystack," Stanley corrected with a point of his finger at me, "He already has a good friend who's a real estate agent here in Boston that'll help us find a place, remember?"

"You have good friends looking out for you," My dad said in a grin as he helped me leaned back and sink into the couch, getting my wounded limb in a spot that wasn't going to hurt, "Still can't believe that kid grew up to be an architect, who knew?"

"The best one in the midwest," I hummed with my smile, "Anyways, I wanna find a place that'll be private from the public,"

"Sounds reasonable," My dad commented as he sat back on the couch next to me.

"And not too high up, floor wise," Stanley said as I shook my head.

"I need the stairs," I argued, "It'll help with the recovery."

"Further down the road, not right now," Stanley countered, having me glare at him and then leaned my head back against the couch and look up at the high ceiling in my apartment. It was already giving me a headache to figure out a place to live and to move on from what we went through back in Maine. I didn't feel like dealing it all right now since every other minute my limb was on fire. It felt like some sort of punishment.

"Honey," I looked over to see my father staring at me. He aged well, his face still looked youthful with the tints of wrinkles and aged line all along with his eyes and mouth. His hair was barely there, gray gong on white as he was sporting a dangled earring on one side, showing off his boho side. His fitted jeans with a grey shirt and blue kimono showed his true personality, having me see him tech me intently and with love there in his fatherly eyes.

"This is going to be baby steps, from here on out," he explained, placing his hand on my shoulder to squeeze it lovingly, "As stubborn as you are in wanting this to be over with and done, take your time," I said nothing, how could I since I knew he was true? He knew me all too well, which I forgot at times. None the less, he was a good father and I wouldn't trade him for anyone else.

"Okay," I agreed, seeing his wide smile as he then hoisted himself up and stretched, a bit too dramatically. When he would do that gesture, the long stretch of his pencil-shaped body, I knew he was about to do something a bit drastic.

"So, with that being said…we're gonna get some good food," My dad said, almost seeming like his younger self when we were back in Derry. He clasped his hands together read knitted his eyebrows together, as if he was brewing an amazing plan, "I'm thinking …..we need good pizza…maybe some wine too. Stanley, do you prefer Red or White?"

Both my dad and I looked over at Stanley, seeing him with one hand in his pocket and the other still holding his hold. He was wearing tan slacks, a crisp white dress shirt with a white undershirt barely seen, and a skinny blue tie. He seemed so out of place with my dad and me, and I felt it was always that way when we were kids. My dad and I were filled with color, a bit disorderly, and were going out on limbs. Stanley was clean-cut, knowing what will come next and what to say. I made me grin in how Stanley was looking like a deer in headlights when he was called out by my father.

"Uuumm….red?" he asked with such hesitance. I looked over at my dad to see his reaction. My dad, almost giving him a hard time with how he was looking, was now breaking out in a grin as he walked over and clasped him on the shoulder. I could clearly tell Stanley was not getting some kind of inside joke, a bit uncomfortable with how this was all about him as my dad chuckled.

"You've come so far, Stanley. I'm quite proud," My dad said to him in his kind tone, releasing him before he walked over to the kitchen, whipping out his phone in the process from his back pocket. Stanley was still shocked in the face, looking over at me slowly as I was still planted on the couch. I grinned widely, saying nothing and giving him two thumbs up.

Finally, Stanley grinned.

1 Month After Derry

"Everything's all set up for you,"

"Thanks a lot, Coach."

"No problem, Your boyfriend's going be back here with me in case you need them,"

I inhaled sharply, rearranging my new prosthetic arm that I got fitted from a week prior and I rolled my shoulders. My other hand was holding onto the forearm crutch, leaning as much as could on the crutch and not on my hip. I could hear the chatter from the journalists and news reporters just beyond the curtain that I was hiding behind.

I was about to go out into a massive interview to talk about my future.

This had to be done sooner than later, and with the plenty of reluctance I was feeling, this did have to happen. My agent had the whole thing set up, talking to a few of the news channels that were interested in what happened, Especially ESPN. I practiced what I was going to say over and over on my head while this was all getting planned. Stanley was there to help as much as he could, but I knew this was going to be a solo ride.

Stanley and I were still looking for a place together, and we found t last two places we were heavily invested in. One of the places was a decent sized top floor penthouse, though the building was five stories high. It was an older building, it used to be a factory building that converted some of its lower levels in condos. The building had four floors, and ours was going to be right at the top. We loved it solely because it was one of the oldest ones in the neighborhood. It was made of all brick, tall glass windows that looked down on both of the skyline and the semi-busy street below. A balcony all on one side that touched both the living room and the master bedroom.

I could tell it had plenty of history, and when we took a tour with Ben's Real Estate agent friend, we both were mostly sold right from the beginning. The last thing we saw was the master bathroom, a double sink, and a rather large rainfall style shower that in one corner. The one item that drew both of our attention, was of course the massive tub that was right against the wall.

Stanley and I gave each other a hesitant look, the agent looking at us in concern.

"Something wrong?" He asked. Stanley's eyes went wide slightly as I reached down to lace our fingers together and speak for the agent.

"We're more shower people than a bath."

With that being said, we placed an offer that very afternoon.

Stanley was seeing a therapist, finding one close by his new job in downtown Boston. He decided on his own, claiming that he needed to figure some stuff out about himself. I knew he wanted to make things right in his head, I even asked if he needed me to come to the sessions. He was more than willing to go on his own since it would be better for him, and when he would come home and eat dinner with me, he would tell me some of the details. He spoke about his childhood, what he went through that traumatized him, and now the recent nightmares that he was experiencing almost every night. After a few sessions twice a week, I could see the progress in him, making me beyond glad that he was going to get better.

Looking down at the outfit I wore, I felt the jitter coming in finally as my agent walked up the two small steps to the stage and then grabbed the microphone, giving the introduction. I was wearing a white t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and flats with a black blazer over the shirt. My new hip brace was over my jeans and shirt, not showing the gauze that was wrapped earlier that morning. My hair was up in a ponytail with the top of my hair in a french braid, and with light makeup, I looked pretty cleaned up.

"We're going to leave all the questions purely minimal as much as possible, and if there's anything other questions that do not involved with the topic today, Miss Levy does have the right not to comment…"

"You good?" Stanley asked, watching me as I was looking at the stage from the side. I could see the dozens of reporters there, photographers getting their cameras ready and some new anchors holding their microphones in earnest.

"Yeah. Yeah, I can do this," I said in a stammer, nodding my head a bit too fast, "I've done this at least a dozen times, twice for the Paralympics."

"This one's a bit different though," Stanley tried to explain, but I breathed out very shakily, "I know you can go up there, just know I'm back here in case you need me,"

Both Stanley's and my phone went off, a text coming through. Stanley leaned down to grab his own phone, unlocking it open, and then his face beamed from what was there. I looked at him confused, going down yo my phone in my pocket.

I saw Beverly's name beam up from our Losers Club group chat, which included an Emoji of the number 8 and the middle finger. Much to the idea of Richie when he created the group chat mere hours after we separated from Derry. The rules of the group chat were to check-in at least once a week, and we could pull it off, a FaceTime session as a group once a month.

Ben and I are watching from San Francisco at his new office! You're gonna be just fine, Robin! ~ Bev Marsh

I grinned, seeing another text come through right after Beverly's message:

Greetings from the Big Apple! Don't forget to breathe! You're a natural, us Losers are right behind you! ~ Eddie

If all else fails, tell them that one joke I told you that involves Eddie and his mom! Sending you love from LA, You got this! ~ Richie

"Fucking Losers," I said in relief as I was seeing all of the messages flooding in on both my phone and Stanley's as well. Even Stanley was chuckling as he was reading the message inwardly to himself. Even when they were so far away from both Stanley and me in different parts of the country, they seemed so close, as if I could read off their energy. It made us stronger together from what happened in those caves, and we all agreed to tell each other what was on our minds, both the good and bad, to help each other.

The last one I got was from Bill, having me grin so wide that I forgot that I was about to go up to the interview in a few seconds:

We're beyond proud of you and what you're about to do. Love you ~ Bill

I quickly placed my phone on silent and place it in my blaze pocket, looking dead ahead and gripping my crutch tightly as I was being introduced. Stanley stood right next to me, seeing how I was getting ready to head up the steps. He placed a quick kiss on my cheek and rubbed my arm soothingly.

"You'll be fine," he promised, having me nod at him and give him one more look. He was still looking a bit worried about how I was going up there alone with no real back up behind me. I could see where he was coming from, but I also knew how most of these conferences and interviews went, this wasn't my first time.

I walking up the few steps with ease, practicing in my physical therapy over and over to get more muscle strength back. But already the pictures were being taken left and right as the blinding lights were hitting me and I walked over carefully to the chair in the center. All of the attention was on me and me alone, watching me intensely as I leaned my crutch on the side of the table and then eased myself into the chair that was set up. There were at least four other microphones from other news channels aiming in my direction, along with a Hydro flask with cold water at the ready for me to use.

"Thank you for coming," I said in the microphone, the cameras were already clicking rapidly as I knew at least three new cameras were rolling and recording as I sat up straight and folded my hadn't with my prosthetic hand on top of the table, "This is not the kind of new conference that I thought I would never have to do in my life, but it's better now than never,"

There were a couple of chuckles and giggles from the news reporter. I grinned, clearing my throat. So far it was a good start.

"There has been plenty of talk and rumors going around about my injury and how I inquired it. I would like to point out a few of those rumors and lay them to rest. For one, I wasn't involved in any kind of fight…and trust me…if I was…you should see the other guy," Another small pause of chuckles came through. One of the reporters rose their hand and I pointed to him.

"Tom Rinaldi, ESPN. Most of our fans and the fans in the Paralympic world are bringing around some rumors of you entering Urgent Care at an Atlanta Georgia hospital two days prior with an unidentified male, can you tell me a bit more about that?"

I was silent for a moment, already picturing Stanley looking from the background and feeling the anxiety coming in.

"I was with a friend who was having a medical emergency in his home in Atlanta. Luckily, I was there to help him just in time to get the proper treatment that he needed," I explained.

"He's a friend?" The reported pressed. Some of the reporters were looking at me too intensely for the answer.

"In fact, he's an old childhood friend. And for the sake of my friend's identity, I'm not going to talk anymore about the incident, other than he's okay."

Another hand rose.

"Apolo Ohno with NBC Sports. If you don't mind, can you tell us to some degree the injuries that you got,"

"Sure," I said smoothly, "I was involved in a serious accident in my hometown of Derry Maine. No one else was hurt in the process but the accident did involve me being hurt because of a house maintenance issue. My mid-thigh and all the way through my hip was cut and damaged severely, but there's no broken bones or arteries. Mainly muscle tissue. Thankfully, with the help of the specialists and doctors from both the State of Maine and Massachusetts, I am recovering quite nicely and I'm on a steady track."

"And how long will you be in recovery for?"

"Well, if I listen to my doctor diligently and not push it, I'm going to be 90% in the clear in about a month or two from today," I answered with a shrug, some laughter came in the room along with sighs of relief.

A third hand went up.

"Anna Kooiman from Fox Sports News. With this injury, are you going to be finding yourself running professionally again shortly after full recovery?"

This question made me pause a bit longer, a cold sweat was coming onto my palm that was resting on the tabletop as I tried to piece together what I was going to say.

"I'll start by saying that I did enjoy running, it's been a huge part of my professional career as an athlete. Especially in the Paralympic world, competing and bringing awareness to the community for those who are disabled and that does deserve a fitting chance as competing with everyone else. I don't want to sound like I have a big egotistical head, but I'm proud that I brought plenty of boundaries together as one. So, it saddens me to say this, that I'll be officially retiring from running,"

Gasps were heard all over the place, more pictures were being snapped in my direction as I could see plenty of hands snapping high in the air. I rose my hand up to quiet down the room, giving a small smile.

"I've been battling this decision for some time, ever since I got hurt. But I feel as though it was time: I'm getting older and my body is not what it used to be when I first started running. There can be plenty of opportunities for others that were like me twenty years ago, eager and willing to break down more barriers. My health right now is far more important, and because of the injury that I did get, my running will never be the same. Even my walking won't be the same.

I have, although, consider other avenues and careers that I could embark on that's closer to home for me. Perhaps I can be a coach, or teach physical education later on. I'm not saying I'm giving up on the sport altogether, I would never do that. This sport has been a part of my life far before I became a professional, back to when I was a child I loved to run. So…who knows, maybe this can be a time for me to give that love back to others and show them how to love it."

I leaned back a bit, seeing some more hands rising in the air as I stopped with my speech. I hesitantly looked over to the background, the small clearing behind the curtain that was open. Stanley and my coach were watching the whole time, my coach giving me a thumbs up and a wide smile on his face. Stanley's smile was bit warmer, almost rare and his arms were crossed in front of him softly. I grinned at him briefly, seeing how relaxed he looked now that he heard what I had to say. I was glad he was there with me as support, even if he didn't understand how this all worked. He was still there, and that had to count for something.

Looked back ahead at the sea of reporters, I reached over to take a long sip from my water bottle that was perched next to me on the table.

"Next question."

2 Months After Derry

Our new place was finally livable, and the best way to christen it was with a semi-Loser's reunion.

Stanley and I decorated it to fit a mixture of both of us and our personalities. It was a Stanley was in charge of the organization, which I didn't mind as I was more prone to the artistic elements. We had a second bedroom that as our guest room, our master bedroom was big enough to have my mini studio that was pushed away in the corner near the windows. We utilized the balcony every night after a long day at work with a glass of wine and venting about our days.

In short, we were in love with our penthouse apartment.

Living with Stanley, at first, seemed too good to be true. He lived on a schedule, even on days when he wasn't working. I would laugh at how he would have a Saturday morning with nothing to do and it would make him go crazy. I coveted these mornings with nothing to do, but I would help Stanley out the most with it and we would go explore Boston, including the museums or the parks. It took a brief moment for us to get used to each other and have a flow in a living routine, but of course, we both didn't mind it at all.

I loved hearing him in the morning making our coffee and healthy breakfast, seeing him bob his head involuntary to the vinyl records I would put on in the living room while he would do his puzzles on the coffee table, and even the somewhat soothing smell on his skin when he would come out of our master shower using a lemon-scented body wash. We took turns washing the dishes, I did the laundry with the soft fabric softener that he liked, he knew how to get some of the deep grease stains clean from the pots and pans. We meshed together, smoothy.

The others knew about Stanley and me before we knew about each other, so when they heard that we finally got our place together they wanted to celebrate. It was nice to have a small reunion with some of the Losers, not all of them since real life came back into the mix. Richie, Ben, and Beverly were the only ones that could make it and they all over at our place. We had a great night in with them which included plenty of wine, some great Chinese Take out and plenty of time to catch up.

Since we left Derry, things were shifting and changing or all of us. For one, we were all going through nightmares, every single one of us. Some of them were the same, and others were different. My nightmares were of me being stabbed over and over, having me wake up in a cold sweat. Every once in a while I would scream, Stanley hushing me in the best way he could. I felt bad that he would see this side of me, and yet the roles would reverse from time to time and I would calm him down from one of his nightmares. He dreamt of the deformed lady he saw as a child.

Bill was writing a new thriller with his book loosely based on what we went through as children, which we were all intrigued. Mike moved down to Florida and was taking some classes at the local community college to get a degree in agriculture and science, Beverly started her divorce from her husband and although it was brutal at first, it was going along in her favor. Ben was helping her in every step, the two of them of course confirming that they were going to get together officially.

Ben landed a great offer to build a massive new skyline in San Francisco and would bring him plenty of money and fame, Richie landing a Netflix Special and a spot in a TV Comedy show out in Los Angeles. The one-piece of news that came and shook us all was from Eddie, who was also going through a divorce from his wife. He was more secluded about it, but we were all supporting him though he had it mostly taken care of.

That night with the 5 of us in Boston was memorial for certain, it almost felt like we were kids again and making each other laugh through a bit tipsy from the alcohol that Ben and Richie brought. I was parked on the couch practically the whole night, resting my hip as the others were catching back and forth with each other. I had to watch in admiration as they were dissecting each other's secrets and hidden motives with ease, having me feel as though this was the only place I would be in.

As the night was slowing down and Stanley showed Ben and Beverly our guest room for them to use, I was somewhat helping Richie with getting a pillow and a blanket for the massive couch we had.

"Oh, come on, Robin. I got it," Richie tried to take the blankets from me but I shifted it away from him.

"I can't be a good hostess if I can't help you, Rich. Besides, this helps me stretch out my leg and get some blood flow," I admitted as I threw the blankets on the couch and tossed the pillow at the corner. Richie snorted.

"You know I was going to ask for my bed to be turned down and peppermints on the pillow…" He trailed off, having me glare and grab the edge of the spare pillow to smack him. Once I hit his head, Richie chuckled and snatched it from my hand before I could hit him again.

"Fuck off, Tozier," I said to him, hear him snort in laughter as we both sat on the couch, feeling as light as ever. I leaned back a bit on the couch as I was seeing Richie eye me as he pushed his glasses back up his nose with his finger being pointing at me.

"How's your hip?" he asked, having me look down briefly at the brace I was in before rolling my eyes.

"It's getting tedious. I'm not on my crutch anymore which is nice, but the hard part is the physical therapy," I replied, reached down onto my thigh to try and massage a particular part that seemed strained. I grunted since it was barely out of my reach. Richie then maundered over to be next to me and he grabbed my leg carefully in his hands.

"Richie—" I warned him.

"Shut up," he replied in a snort as he placed my leg over his lap gently, then he started to massage his fingers carefully into my thigh. Instantly, it was a release I needed and I rolled my eyes carefully to elan back and sigh in relief. Richie chuckled as he was still rolling his knuckles over the tender flesh.

"Richie, if you don't make it in show business you're gonna be my personal masseuse, okay? I will pay you handsomely in both cash and extra cheese pizza. " I groaned out as he hit another good spot on my inner thigh. Richie chuckled as I gave him a questioning look, "Where did you learn how to do this?"

"My mom," He replied calmly, a grin was on his face from mentioning his mother, "She showed me how to do it when I was a teenager, claiming that it would be a good thing to use if I wanted to get a girlfriend.." he trailed off, his face almost going a bit blank from what he said. I sat up a bit, feeling a bit cornered in how he was reacting to his comment.

"Hey," I said, tapping his hand gently to get him out of his groove, "You okay, Rich?" Richie finally looked up and gave me a nervous smile, which was very rare coming from him. I was still giving him a concerned look as he bit his inner cheek.

"Yeah…well…I guess," he paused, scrunching his face a bit as I was drilling my eyes into his own. He then looked beyond solemn, which made me feel worse about it. He then sat up a bit, being careful with my leg that was still on his lap and he looked at me dead on, "I've been wanting to tell you something….well, you and the others,"

"Okay…." I trailed off, seeing Stanley out of the corner of my eye walking back into our living room and seeing the scene. He too looked concerned, and when Richie saw the look on Stanley's face and rolled his eyes a bit too dramatically.

"Jesus, Stan. No one died or anything," He reasoned.

"But you're too serious for our own comfort, Richie," I countered, seeing Richie's eyes go to me as I shrugged. He groaned, hiding his face in his hands as Stanley sat down next to me and gave Richie an intense stare.

"Richie, what's going on?" Stanley asked now, just as concerned as curious as I was. It took him a solid moment or two before he finally looked up at both of us and looked beyond serious.

"I'm bisexual."

No one said a word in the room. It wasn't that Stanley and I were beyond pissed off or angry from the news, nor were was passive about it. The news itself came out of nowhere and made Stanley and I almost lose our voice. I slowly nod my head, showing that I heard him since it seemed like all of Richie's body language was melting of fin both relief and fear from what he just said to his two childhood friends.

I even looked at Stanley to see how he was reacting, and it was the same as I was: a bit perplexed but nothing too extreme. He was about to say something, but he stopped himself.

"Look I don't expect here to be a big song and dance about it, trust me," Richie said in the room, "But, just so you know, you guys are the only ones that know about it. Not even Big Bill…or Eddie, neither one of them know."

"Really?" Stanley asked, giving him a look of confusion, "Why?"

"You know why, Stan," Richie answered, and yet we were giving him a look to keep talking, "Well, for one, you've been my best friend since we were 7 and I tell you everything….and with Robin…I don't know…you have this whole….bohemian hippie nonjudgmental aura around you."

"Thank you?" I thanked though it seemed more questioning.

"Wait," Stanley interjected leaning a bit forward with his elbows resting on his knees, "How long have you been bi, Rich?"

"Since we were kids," He answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"And you're telling us now?" I asked though I didn't want it to sound like I was angry about it.

"Well for one, Derry Maine is not the best place to come out to, let alone grow up in with these feelings," Richie answered, Stanley then was rubbing the back of his neck and nodding. Stanley and I looked at each other and we both somewhat agreed.

"He's got a point," Stanley murmured, and I even nodded. Richie gave both of us a look.

"You're not….not mad at me for…" He trailed off, clearly not understanding that we are both being so calm about it. Both Stanley and I suddenly snapped our head over at him.

"Why would we be angry?" I asked him softly, seeing how Richie was looking more vulnerable in front of both of us in how we were handling the news. He looked down at his hands that were on my leg, not saying anything but looking crumbled.

"Richie," Stanley said from his seat, finally sitting up and walking over to sitting next to Richie and give him a hard look, "As someone who grew up in a religious household, I was taught how to hate someone who didn't believe in the same things as me. It took the Losers to make me realize that I'm fine the way I am…and I know they're gonna love you for you…all of your craziness and stupid jokes…and whoever you fall in love with,"

Richie felt like he was on the point of crying from what Stanley was saying to him. I nodded in agreement with him as Stanley reached over to rub his back and give him his own kind smile.

"I think I can speak for both Stanley and myself here," I said, looking at Stanley briefly and seeing him smile at me as I too smiled at Richie, "I don't know where you think we could ever love you less….you're too hard not to love. And I know you're gonna be so lucky with whoever falls for you…so damn lucky, okay?"

Richie could see where we were coming from, how we both were being supportive of him in how he was coming out to us in our home. This had to have been brave for him, and after what we went through together back in our childhood town, we needed each other more than ever. Richie sniffled, moving his glasses off of his eyes to wipe his tears away in a bit of a blubbering mess. Stanley wrapped his arms around Richie and held him close in a hug since I wasn't able to move fast enough. Still, I hoisted myself up and slowly walked over in a limp to stand in front of Richie. He looked up at me with his wet eyes, groaning once more at how I was being stubborn.

"R-R-Robin…don't…" He tried to say to me, but I cut him off.

"Shut up and let me hug you," I argued, seeing him wetly chuckle as I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his head. He placed his head against my lower stomach as he wrapped his arms around both Stanley and myself. We were in our safe cocoon there, the three of us. ever since we were kids I somewhat felt like I wasn't belonging in the friendship of Richie and Stanley, but this showed me that we all belonged together.

3 Months Since Derry

Stanley's POV

The Boston Center for Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine

"Now breathe out nice and easy. There you go….stretch through it. Come on kid, you can do it."

I scribbled down the numbers as I was watching Robin in her Physical Therapy session late that afternoon, seeing her work through some stretches on her hip and leg with the ballet bars. It was nice that we were having our private room, no one that would poke their head in or even want to be curious. Robin was trying to get back to her normal self, even if it meant pushing herself through these sessions.

Robin got her feet wet with being a coach, thanks to her current coach. She was helping out with some of the Athletes that are training for the upcoming Paralympics that was going to be held in Tokyo. They were more than willing to have her help with the USA team, especially in Track and Field since she's a veteran. It was good that she was staying busy, even while she still healing. It never slowed her down, and she wouldn't show it on her face either as she spoke with the athletes and critiqued then.

The room I was in was the smaller waiting room, a massive window looking into the actual room Robin was working out in with her coach and a physical therapist. I was making notes in my journal to keep track of her progress, being the type A self that I am. She had about 20 more minutes before this session was over to the week, which was nice because Bill was on his way over to be with us for the weekend. He was meeting with his editors and was wrapping up in New York, deciding to stay a few days with us. The day he was going to come to stay with us happened to be on one of her sessions, which was bad planning for us. Bill didn't mind it at all.

The door opened, having me look over with a grin. Sure enough, it was Bill, seeing him close the door behind him and sigh in relief from seeing me. I got up from the bench I was sitting on.

"Heya Bill," I said in a grin as we hugged, "How was the train down here?"

"Meh, it was alright," he replied to me as we pulled away from each other.

"Listen, sorry for having you wait. And hey, if you want, we can eat in tonight since Robin's going to be wiped out from therapy. We totally forgot about this session and she needs to go to them since she's getting immensely better," I apologized to him, but in true Bill fashion, he shrugged it off.

"It's fine, Stanley. I'd rather have been here," he reasoned as we both were sitting together on the bench again. I grabbed the notepad again as Bill pointed into the room in Robin's direction, "How is she doing?"

I inhaled slowly, trying to figure out what I was going to say to him as I gave him a gentle look.

"The truth?" I asked, seeing him now look away fo Robin and then over at me, a bit of concern was on his face.

"Of course," he replied. I leaned back and rubbed my eyes with my fingers for a brief moment before I looked back at Robin.

"She's struggling, not too much but she is. She likes her new job….but just trying to get through physical therapy and having a bit of a backlash from her retirement." I felt bad telling Bill about what Robin was going through. She wanted to keep it private, especially since she didn't want to burden others with what she as going through. As professional as she was, she did have her moments where she would need to get her frustrations out.

"I didn't think it would be that bad for her," Bill mumbled with a hint of sadness as we were watching Robin do another deep stretch on her hip and mid-thigh.

"She's getting better at it," I reasoned, "It was the first week that was hell,"

"At least she has you," Bill commented, having me give him an odd look.

"What can I do?" I asked though it sounded miserable when I said it, "I don't know what it's like to go through this…and dealing with what happened back in the sewers…" I stopped, feeling like I was going to say the wrong thing. I gripped my notebook hard as I was feeling conflicted. There were so many things I could do to help her, and other times I didn't know what to do. It was the worst feeling, not knowing what to do to help Robin.

"You being there for her," Bill advised me, now having me look over at him as he gave me one of his signature grins, "Since we were kids you always looked out for each other. And just being there for each other made things better for both of you. At least I saw it that way, and I know the others saw it too."

Once again I was quiet, remembering those times when we were little and how we were together. The more I remembered, the more I realized that Bill was right: we were always together and it always worked. I had to smile, both of us looking back at Robin again.

"Thanks, Big Bill," I thanked him softly.

"You're welcome, Stan the Man," He replied just as soft. Within a few moments, I could see Robing trying to push down in a deep stretch and her leg slipped, having her slip and brace onto the ballet bars. It happened so fast, she even yelped since her injured leg was now almost hanging like a rag doll. Her upper body was perched over the bar, the one-arm was gripping it tightly as the bar was resting right unearth her other arm near her armpit. Bill was about to get up, his eyes going wide in concern, but I grabbed his jacket and stopped him. He looked at me in shock as I was still staring at Robin.

"She'll be fine," I said to him, seeing him slowly sit back and we were watching it unfold in front of me. Robin hung her head against the ballet bar, groaning in frustration and was gripping it so hard I thought she was going to snap the bar in two. She was literally shaking as Bill spoke up.

"She's pissed," He stated.

"I know," I said calmly, "But she needs to do it by herself. She gets herself worked up like this since she's so stubborn,"

The therapist walked over, rubbing Robin's back soothingly and lowering her voice to talk to Robin. We couldn't hear it, but I was watching Robin's face in how it was contorted in anger and pain. She was taking deep even breaths, her shoulders were shaking with every inhale and exhale. it took her a solid minute before she slowly got her composure together. Carefully, she placed her hands back in the right position and hoisted herself up a bit to get her thigh underneath her. With precision, she lowered her foot back to the ground.

"She did it," Bill said in surprise.

"She's resilient," I added, "The first time it happened I ran into the room. She got mad, she told me she needed to do it on her own. She was beating herself up about it though, and when I told her to stop, she slowly got better. Even now I wanna go in there, but I know it won't help her. "

The therapist told her they were done for the day, Robin sighing in relief as she looked up into our room. She saw Bill, her face morphing into bliss as a wide smile was seen on her face. Bill grinned too, waving at her as I smiled like a proud parent. Once she looked at me, I saw her mouth "I love you"

"I love you too" I mouthed back, and I meant every word. I finally looked over at Bill, packing the notebook in my work bag and getting my jacket ready.

"Let's order some Italian and watch your latest thriller," I suggested, seeing him give me a sour look as he groaned.

"You know that movie sucked," he tried to argue, and yet I shrugged my shoulders.

"I know, but it's better to watch with us than with Richie, right?"

Robin's POV

"I'm glad he had a good time with us," I said to Stanley as we were sitting together on the balcony in our two chairs, watching busy Boston night below us while we were in a comfortable quiet space. It was a cool fall night, the leaves were changing along the sidewalks and the somewhat soothing bite of the cold nights were coming our way.

We made sure Bill was busy all weekend, taking him to the ideal hole in the wall restaurants and tourist tours. When I had to go into a meeting Stanley took Bill to some of the museums, and on our last night together, we went to a Boston Red Sox game. All in all, it was a great weekend.

Stanley nodded in agreement, "I think he liked the game."

"I was surprised that you wanted to come, I didn't think you were into baseball," I said in a joke, seeing him roll his eyes.

"I'm not, but if I go that least one game a year, then I'll be fine," He answered.

"Then who am I going to go with?" I asked, mocking a hurt tone.

"You should take Ben," Stanley suggested, "He's the baseball fanatic in the group."

"He actually invited us to go out to a Giants game in San Francisco later this year, he got a private party suite room for us as a gift for his latest schematics deal," I suggested, the both of us going into a calm silence again. I saw Stanley get up from his chair, walking over a few steps the railing of the balcony, and leaning over to look at the life that was happening down below. I couldn't help but watch him as he was looking at what was going on down below, his arms resting on the railing and his hair flying slightly in the cool wind.

At that moment, my own heart was swelling from just watching him, having me feel as confused as to how I ended up here in the first place. Being with Stanley made everything so new to me, and at times I had to remember that this was real and no dream. We were growing together, and within months of being together in this new life, I realized that I loving Stanley was day enough like breathing.

While he wasn't looking, I slowly got up from my spot and walked over to stand behind Stanley. Gently, I wrapped my arm around him from behind, getting my prosthetic arm around as well to rest on top of my arm and leaned my body against his backside. Stanley slowly placed his hands on my arms, having me feel the gentles pressure of his hands on my prosthetic arm. This was one of those times when we had to at least be close to each other, whether in a hug or just holding hands, to remind each other that what we have is real and good. Sometimes coming out of something as traumatic as what happened in Derry made me question every once in a while what was real and what wasn't. It was odd, then again, I knew the others were going through the same things too. Just being able to hold Stanley enough like this was enough for me.

Which lead me to another new step for both of us as a couple: our intimacy.

It wasn't that we were petrified in being intimate with each other. It almost felt like the opposite: constantly holding hands and sneaking kisses when we could. It might have been plenty of years apart and now just experiencing this new phase together. On the other hand, there were moments where I would want to go a bit farther than the occasional making out on the couch or snuggling on the bed. The line that we wouldn't dare to cross was for multiple reasons, but I knew the main one was my injury.

Stanley wasn't going to budge.

He had to stop himself a handful of times, and although I wanted to push past it and yell at him, I knew that he had a good heart about it. He knew the progress I was dealing it, sitting in plenty of therapy sessions and doctor appointments with me, so he knew what could be too far. Of course, it was an embarrassment when the doctor would have to ask if we were sexually active and when to hold off. As bad as it sounded like we were teenagers, being grown adults were worse.

Luckily, without Stanley's knowledge, I had a doctor's appointment that gave me the green card to go a bit further. Technically it was my physical, the only kind of appointment that Stanley wasn't going to accompany me with, and that day he was off at work all day. It made me feel like I was a kid at Christmas, as morbid as it sounded when I was walking out of the doctor's office with a big grin on my face.

"I went to the doctor the other day for my physical," I explained as I rested my head against his back, just breathing him in and feeling instantly relaxed, "I didn't want to mention it when Bill was here,"

"Oh really?" He asked, his voice rumbling through his body as he sounded a bit light about it, "Everything okay?"

Saying nothing at first, I squeezed him a bit harder with my arms around him, feeling him somewhat freeze up as his fingers were along my arms. How was I going to approach this without even seeming like I was just wanting to jump his bones?

"More than okay," I replied softly, afraid to say it louder though we were alone on our private balcony. Stanley slowly turned around and faced me, wrapping his arms around me as I did the same. He was searching my eyes, almost confused as first as I was just giving him a soft gaze. I wished I could have read his mind while we were staring at each other. But then I could see something click behind his eyes, there was a shift in how he was standing and his eyes got slightly bigger.

"You're….okay?" he asked, not knowing what else to say. I had to smile widely at him, really wide as I nodded my head. It was surprising how Stanley was reacting to this in such a way. My stomach was in knots, but the good kind, like what I was waiting for was going to come true from seeing how he was looking at me.

He leaned in gave me one the best kisses I ever got from him.

It wasn't fast and heavy, that wasn't in either one of our natures. But I could feel it in how Stanley was kissing me over and over, bold and almost to the point of having me feel dizzy. I felt him press his hand on my neck to cradle and keep me just as close to him as I was wrapping my own arm around his waist. It was like we were both taking our time and kissing like it would bring us breath.

I could feel how Stanley was carefully leading us back inside while still kissing me, having me stumble as I tried to stay close as he was navigating us to our bedroom.

He pulled away slightly when we were in the hallway right outside our bedroom, having me notice how he was catching his breath but looking out of his mind. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were dilated, and his lips were getting so much color it made me go crazy.

"We're gonna go slow, okay?" He asked in a rapid breath. I nodded so fast my head was spinning, not wanting this to stop before it would go farther. I reached up to peel off his sweater, dropping to the ground and then pulling his shirt up from being tucked to placed my fingers underneath to touch his bare skin. It made me shiver.

"Slow…yeah, that's fine," I replied as I felt him pull out my hair from its ponytail to rake some of his fingers through, planting another kiss before I pulled away and looked at him dead in the eye, "I'll go at a fucking glacier pace to make this happen."

"I wasn't thinking that slow," he reasoned as he then leaned in to plant a kiss on my neck. I groaned, leaning involuntarily into him as he was hitting a certain part that made my finger shake.

"Damnit, Stanley what's gotten into you?" I asked in a light groan when he pulled away and grinned, "You're driving me crazy."

"You're one to talk," He countered back, laughing. I had to laugh too, the craziness of how we both were acting in the dead of night. Being grown adults about to take a further step and maybe both of us always wanted for an honest time, and we were so light about it.

Once I got my breath regulated a bit better, I looked at him straight in the eyes, a blissed-out grin on my face.

"I love you," I told him, my voice sounding out of breath but bold at the same time. I could say it over and over until I was blue in the face: It was the bravest thing I could ever say to him. He grinned widely, leaning in to barely have our lips touch. It was making every part of my body feel so light and fizzy like I could burst into a thousand pieces.

"I love you more," He said back to me. And as he drives into a kiss, pulling me into his bedroom as he was stripping off my shirt and I pulled out his belt from his pants, we both were in a new state of bliss.

If heaven existed, then I was as close to it with Stanley Uris.