Hey, everyone! Time for a new chapter of JAS! This is the penultimate chapter, meaning the next chapter will be the last. The epilogue if you will. Here is where we'll see how Theo and Harry are doing, get time skip, and see some familiar friends. I'm gonna attempt to bring some closure for some characters, so this is gonna be a long one. Let's see how it all goes down. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.

Chapter 34: Time Heals All Wounds

The first thing he heard in a while... was voices... but he couldn't understand hard enough to respond to it... mostly because all he could see was darkness and visions...

Visions of himself and his family... of his friends playing... and that's it.

But at one moment... the voices became louder and more clear...

With little strength he had, he tried to focus on the voices. If he did... he might be able to find the source of it all. Soon... the darkness and visions disappeared. Everything started to fade into a light source...

Theo slowly opened his eyes with a small groan. His vision was blurry for a few seconds, but once it cleared, the first thing he noticed was the lights and white ceiling. Turning to his left, he could see a heart monitor and countless wires. To his right was a window... and Sondra?

The six-year-old looked up from her coloring book, just to see her brother's eyes staring at her. She beamed, "Theo! Theo! You're awake!" She sat up from her seat to climb onto the bed, minding the wires. Theo looked up at his sister, "S-S-Sondra...?" He said in a small raspy tone.

"And you're talking! How do you feel?"

"I feel... tired... um, where am I?"

"You're at the hospital, silly. You came here after that mean man hurt you."

"Huh?"

Theo at first didn't know what Sondra was talking about, but it all suddenly came back to him. Their parents getting kidnapped by criminals, the kids going to save them. Him facing Reagan head-on...

... And then getting stabbed...

Wait... he got stabbed?

The boy sat up a little to get a better look at his surroundings. He now could see that he was indeed in a hospital room. Looking down at himself, he could see the IV in his arm hand, his left arm still encased in a cast, and other bandages. Bringing a hand to his face, he could feel one of those tubes up his nostrils, along with more bandages. He then brought a hand to his chest... as he now remembered where he got stabbed.

How did he survive?

Before Theo could ask Sondra anything else, they heard voices from outside the room. The door suddenly opened, as his mother, father, baby brother, and a doctor walked in. He appeared to be talking to his parents... when his mother made eye contact with him.

"OHHH! MY BABY!" She exclaimed, passing Jamal over to her husband before rushing over to hug Theo, crying, "Oh, thank you, Jesus! Thank you!"

"Mom..." The preteen felt smothered by her hold, "Mom, you're choking me."

Trina moved away from a little with a tearful smile, "I'm sorry, honey. I'm just so happy that you're finally awake..."

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm tired and a little sore but..." Theo reached up to wipe away his mother's tears.

"But I could've lost you..."

Albert smiled as he walked over to the bed, "Hey, hey, hey. You're doing okay."

"It's a miracle." The doctor added.

"Theo, that's Dr. Scheimer. He's the nice doctor who operated on you." Sondra explained to her brother, who nodded as he shook hands with the medical man, "Nice to meet you." He said.

Dr. Scheimer smiled, "Nice to see you awake, Theodore. I'll admit, I wasn't sure myself that you would make it. I mean, I think anybody who took a knife to the heart would have died instantly. But somehow, you didn't. And you managed to still survive even with massive blood loss. We still can't figure out how."

Theo was still surprised himself. But now he had another question, "So how long was I out for?"

"A week and a half, baby," Trina answered.

"You were in intensive care for a good while." Albert added, "On life support, until the doctors found that you were breathing on your own."

"Wow..." The boy was finding out all sorts of things that happened, "Are we back home?"

"Nope. Still in Atlanta." Sondra answered for him, "We're gonna be here 'til you get better."

"Oh. Where's everyone else?"

"In the lobby. We all came together to see you. We really missed you. Alya was crying a lot for you."

Theo frowned deeply. He suddenly felt guilty that he made everyone so worried. Especially his family... and Alya. He couldn't imagine how she must have felt when he got stabbed, especially since it happened right in front of her. She probably didn't get a whole lot of sleep afterward, "Gosh. I had no idea. I really scared you guys, didn't it?" He asked nervously.

Albert nodded, "You kinda did, son. But it wasn't your fault. And we're just glad that you're awake. We just weren't so sure..."

"I know. But... how is Harry doing? And Alya...?"

He almost forgot that Harry himself got stabbed trying to protect him. Thankfully, he could sigh in relief when his father answered that, "Harry's doing just fine. He lost a lot of blood too, but a transfusion saved his life. He actually can't wait to see you."

"That's good news."

"Alya's doing okay too." Trina added, "She hasn't been too happy with the events, she asked about you every day since you've been here. In fact, nobody else has been able to see you. It's a family-only thing the hospital has."

"Yeah. Can't risk the young ones catching any illness." Dr. Scheimer chimed in.

"Okay. I have one more question." Theo spoke again, "Whatever happened to Reagan?"

The room went dead silent when he asked that. After seeing the look his parents exchanged with one another, he could already tell that whatever they had to say wasn't going to be good news. Albert cleared his throat before speaking, "Um, son. He... he escaped. He somehow got away after I... threw him out the window."

"... Oh! Oh..."

Theo wasn't sure how to respond. To the fact that Reagan is still a fugitive, or to the fact that his father used physical force. Either way, the outcome still remained the same. That villainous criminal was still on the loose. He looked down at his hands to ponder... before once again bringing one hand to his chest, directly over his heart, which he could feel beating.

He sat like that for a few more seconds... until a thought came to his mind, "I think I know why I survived..." He said quietly.

Everyone looked at him in silence, waiting for him to continue, "Reagan... right before he put that knife in me... I told him that I had a big heart... and he agreed. And... I think he's right. I do have a big heart. A heart full of courage and love for those I care about and am willing to protect... I know that sounds stupid, but..."

"No, no... I think that's a really nice thing to think about." Albert replied, "You are courageous, Theo. And you are loving. Reagan thought that by destroying that, he could win."

"I'll admit, he sure came close. But he's right about another thing... I don't give up." Theo smiled, "And if I happen to see him again if he's really still on the loose... I'll tell it all to his face again, just to see the look on said face when he sees that I'm still here."

His sister and parents laughed at that as Trina spoke, "I'd rather you not try to confront him, baby. For you're own protection."

"I know, Mom."

"While you may be awake, Theo. I think we better keep you overnight for a day or two just to check on your progress and monitor that big heart of yours." Dr. Scheimer stated, "Then we'll see if you're well enough to be discharged."

Theo smiled, "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Oh!" Sondra exclaimed as she leaned over the bed to pick up her backpack, "I almost forgot. Everybody made get-well cards for you." Turning her bag upside down, she dumped out the contents inside. As she stated, there were colorful cards, each one creatively decorated. Theo picked a few up to looked at them. Of course, inside were standard 'get well' messages.

One card was covered completely in colorful crayons and markers, so he suspected that one was from the twins. And the crayon message inside confirmed it.

'Get well, Theo. We hope you feel better. From Elvin, Nelson, Mommy, Daddy, and Uncle Rus'

Theo smiled. Those two boys were so innocent and pure. The next card was green with paper flowers glued on. The message inside was in cursive, indicating that one of the adults wrote it.

'You're a strong boy, Theo. We know that you'll make it through. God has a plan'- The Parkers. Donald, Leia, April, and Fuchsia

"I helped Fuchsia with the flowers." Sondra chimed in, "We wanted to use real flowers, but we were afraid the flowers would die before you could see them."

"Thanks, sis." Theo looked at the next card, which was white with glitter and paper-drawn basketballs. He instantly knew who this one was from, as he opened the card to read its message.

'I sure hope you get better, dude. My dad, Uncle Mush, Uncle Bucky, Tia Sasha, and Jan are all thinking about you. So am I. I'm doing good by the way. My arm is in a sling, so I probably won't be playing basketball for a while. Still, I hope to see you soon'- Harry

"Fun fact. When Harry got out of surgery, his dad said the first thing he asked was 'Is Theo okay?'" Albert pointed out, "He was really worried about you."

"I can see that." The preteen nodded, "I'm glad he didn't die."

Moving to the next card, he could see a baby's handprint on the front, and the message inside?

'Theo, nino. We are praying hard for you. We pray that you are blessed with recovery and not passing. Jan gives you kisses.- Bucky and Sasha

Chuckling, Theo could imagine little Jan blowing kisses. She was a loving baby, so it wasn't surprising in the least. The next card he read had, surprisingly, a one hundred dollar bill taped to the inside of it.

Danielle and I are praying for you, Theo. Here's a little something for you to use when you get better. Get whatever you want with it, kid. Best wishes'- Rudy

Albert chuckled as Trina rolled her eyes, "I should've expected something like that from Rudy." She said as her son took the dollar out and put it on the desk, where she took it, "I'll hold onto that for you, baby."

"Thanks, Mom." Theo looked at some more cards... but one stuck out to him. It was pink and covered in marker-drawn hearts all over. On the front was a picture of him with a superhero cape. Slowly, he was started to see who this was from, and the message inside confirmed it.

'Dear, Theo. Every day, I've been thinking about you. I haven't stopped crying. But I've been praying every night that you get better. I wanna thank you for always being there for me. For always protecting me and everyone else whenever there was trouble. You are one of the bravest boys I've ever met. And when you wake up, I hope to share my gratitude for you. Get well soon, Hero. Love, Alya'

"Awww!" Sondra gushed, "That's cute. I think she really likes you, Theo."

The preteen was blushing deeply as he stared at the message. He already knew that Alya cared about him, but judging by this card, that care seems to have grown into something... more. Was it really true love? He wasn't sure. But he was thankful either way.

Albert gave his son a knowing look. He knew how he felt about Alya. And it seemed that she was starting to feel the same way. Now it was a matter of when those two would confess those feeling to each other. Granted, they were still very young, so it would probably take a while before it developed further. A few more years, at the very least.

Before another word could be said, Jamal let out a squeal of happiness as he reached out towards Theo. Albert set the baby down on the bed, as Theo pulled him closer, "Hey, little man. You miss me?" He asked with a grin.

Jamal's response was patting his brother's face lightly. Theo chuckled, "I guess that's a 'yes'. Man, I can't wait until I get outta here. And we can put all of this craziness behind us."

"We all agree, baby." Trina nodded, "I can't wait until we can get home and relax."

"Before Alya's parents' wedding, right?"

"Actually... instead of a wedding, Mr. Davis is planning something else."

"Really? What is it?"

Albert shrugged, "We're not so sure yet. It's a surprise. But when we get to New York in a few weeks, we'll find out."

The next day saw Theo finally being discharged from the hospital with medication for his heart. He arrived at the hotel everyone was staying at and was surprised with a 'Welcome Back' party. His friends greeted him with hugs and wellness wishes. Alya in particular was brought to tears once she saw him.

"So happy to see everybody!" Theo smiled.

Harry high-fived him. His arm and shoulder were no longer in a sling, but the area was still sore, so he moved a bit slowly, "Same, man. I'm glad that we all made it out okay. When I heard that Reagan stabbed you in the chest, I thought for sure you were dead. But my dad said that you were still breathing despite all of that."

"Yeah. How did you survive?" April asked.

The boy shrugged, "It's hard to say. Not even the doctors know how it's possible. But all I can say is... this heart beating inside of me is big."

"It sure is..." Alya agreed, "You have such a big heart, Theo. You are always willing to help people and protect those you love. That's what makes a great person... and a hero..."

"Aww..." He started blushing, "It was nothing, Als'. I had to protect you. Reagan might've done something truly bad."

"I know... I shudder thinking about it."

"Oh, by the way." Sondra spoke up, "Alya, what are your Momma and Daddy gonna do now that they're not getting married anymore?"

The girl smiled softly, "Well, they're still gonna raise me and the baby. Because they love both of us, no matter what."

April smiled as well, "That's good to hear, girl. It looks like everything's starting to look up for us all."

"And if that mean man ever tries to get us again," Elvin spoke.

"We'll get him instead!" Nelson finished.

The kids laughed at that optimism. Truthfully, they were all a bit wary knowing that the man that caused them so much trouble was still out there somewhere. But they refused to let that fact get in the way of their lives. They were still young, and they planned to enjoy it...

All of it...

The following weeks found everyone returning back up north. In their last days at Atlanta, the kids were able to film their roles in Joyce's movie, for she had delayed production for about a week when she heard of the chaos that went on. Actually, by now, the kidnapping had been on the news, mostly due to the recent news of Reagan's escape. He was now an even more wanted man.

When returning to North Philly, Theo spent that time resting up. The boy was now more tired due to his injury, and it would take a while before he could regain his energy. To keep him company, Sondra would tell him stories and have him play tea party and dress up with her and Jamal.

Albert kept in contact with his friends, who all were feeling some type of way after the kidnapping. They each had experience one form of trauma or another from the experience, so they set up some group therapy sessions via Zoom with Albert so that they could discuss their thoughts. And while Rudy also participated in the group sessions, he had his own private sessions with Albert alone so that he could get help on his personal issues. Same with Danielle.

Speaking of Rudy and Danielle, once word got around that the wedding was canceled, the two were left to figure out how to fill the spot for the wedding date. They still wanted to do at least something for everyone after they went through all that trouble even sending invitations. When they were left stumped on ideas, Alya gave a very interesting suggestion.

Have a party!

So within a week, Rudy planned a block party in Rockefeller Center, open for everybody, especially their closest friends, including Joyce and her family, Flora and hers, Dimitri's family, the Franklins, and even Mudfoot dropped by. On June 24th, the party was in full swing, with music, games, and all sorts of alcoholic beverages for the adults.

Speaking of...

"A toast, to another year of the Junkyard Gang being together again." Albert raised his glass of tea, while the boys raised their glass of either wine or beer. Of course, due to the presence of children, each adult was to only have at least one cup or glass of alcohol. And after what went down in Raleigh, the gang was perfectly fine with that rule.

"A toast!" The rest of the guys repeated as they clanked their glasses together.

As they all took a sip, they were joined by Devery and Melba walked by to greet them. The siblings were both police officer partners, so Rudy hired them as security guards for the party.

"Wassup, party dudes!" Devery greeted with a grin.

"Hope you aren't getting into any biiiiig trouble." Melba added, before giving Russell a kiss on the cheek, "By the way, thanks for inviting us, Rudy. Maybe I should hire you for entertainment at my wedding."

Rudy smirked, "As long as I'm not forced to dress up as a clown or something, it's fine by me."

"You don't need to dress up as a clown. You're already a clown." Russell snarked with a smug grin.

"Fuck you, shrimp..."

Bill smiled at his brother, "I'm really happy for you, Rus. You've got your life back together, got a great paying job, and a feisty yet loving fiancee'."

"Well, I doubt that I'd be in that position if it weren't for you, Bill. You never gave up on me even when I was at my lowest." Was Russell's grateful response.

"You're my brother. Of course, I wouldn't give up on you."

Devery chuckled, "Just like I wouldn't give up on my sister. We're like two peas in a pod."

Melba plucked her brother on the forehead, "Yeah right. Like when you never pressed for more details years ago when Rudy almost assaulted me."

"Wait... what?"

Rudy's eyes widened in horror as he started to shush the woman, but she continued to talk, "Yeah. When Rudy's whole 'No Class Monster' thing happened, he almost went beserk and nearly raped me in our own house. But he was able to come to his senses and stop himself in time. Don't worry, though. We're all good now. Oh, if you'll excuse me."

With that, Melba walked off when something caught her attention. As for Rudy, all he could do was chuckle nervously and sip his wine when both Devery and Russell's fiery gazes bore into him, "Yeah... about that..."

While the rich boy tried to explain himself to his friends, Bill also made his way throughout the crowd, hoping to find his wife. Thankfully, it didn't take too long, as she was mingling with the other women. Grinning, he snuck up behind her and began tickling her sides, making her giggle.

"Oh, you." She smiled as she turned to kiss her husband.

"Just thought I'd get away from some potential drama. But how are you doing? You want a drink? Maybe a grape wine."

Cami shook her head, "Not really. But water would be nice."

"Just water? You sure?"

"Yep. In fact, I won't be drinking any alcohol for the next few months."

Bill was confused, "Really? Why not? The only reason you wouldn't is if..." His jaw dropped when he finally realized what his wife was trying to say, "Wait a minute... are you...?" When she nodded her head happily, he hugged her, "Oh, Cami!"

The other woman just shook their heads as Trina spoke, "Can't believe it took him that long to figure out she's pregnant. And he's supposed to be a doctor."

"Wait until he finds out what he's having," Leia whispered.

As the adults were in conversation, the kids were having fun playing some party games. Well, most of them. Theo was sitting and watching with interest, as he still felt tired from his injury. Alya sat next to him, just to make sure that he was doing well.

"You want me to get you some more fruit punch?" She asked sweetly.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks, though." He replied, before leaning back in his chair, "Hard to believe I'm even still here, y'know. After all the chaos that happened a few weeks ago.":

The girl nodded, "I know. It seems like every summer, something big happens. What do you think will happen next year?"

"Who knows? Maybe another criminal will come and get us."

"Oh, I hope not."

The two laughed at that possibility. Dealing with Reagan was bad enough, they couldn't handle a new bad guy to try and make them suffer. That would be too much at this point. As they watched everyone have fun, Harold approached them, just to make sure that Harry was being careful with his shoulder. While the place where he was stabbed healed mostly, there was still a soreness, and too much movement could make it worse.

The tall man smiled as he watched his son win a round in whatever game they were playing. It was great to see him so full of spirit after everything that happened. He knew that Belinda would definitely be proud of him.

"Harold..."

Turning to the source of that sweet voice, Harold nearly jumped when he saw that it was Violet Samson, his girlfriend from high school. She hadn't changed much over the years, despite having more curlier hair, and even wearing a little makeup. But she still had that sweetness to her as she smiled at him. But all he could do was blush back at her.

"You enjoying yourself?" She asked.

"Uh... yeah. I am..." He responded nervously.

"You okay?"

"... Yeah... I mean, I... oh, I can't do this!"

Harold held his head as he shook it. Violet put a hand on his shoulder as he continued, "I just feel so... conflicted, y'know..." He said to her, "I just can't get over losing her..."

Violet nodded. She was aware of Belinda, for she also attended UPenn for about two years before transferring. She had the pleasure of meeting her. And although there was some jealously, Violet held no ill feelings at all, and was happy that Harold found another girl. So much that it devastated her when she learned of Belinda's death, "I know... I know it's hard."

"The worst part about it is that... Harry never got to know her..." Harold sniffed, "He doesn't know what it's like to have a Mom in his life. It doesn't seem to bother him, but... and I wish that I could've saved her..."

"You had no way of knowing what would happen. Nobody did, not even her. But you can't just keep dwelling on the past about the what if's and what could've been. As much as we hate it... we can't change the past. We just have to keep moving forward. Belinda would want that for you and Harry..."

She then sighed as she rested her head on Harold's shoulder, "To be honest... I felt bad. When I heard about what happened, all I wanted was to reach out to you... but I afrai to... I thought that you resented me after I broke up with you."

"What?" The man looked at his ex with shock, "Resent you? I could never resent you, Violet."

"But I pushed you away. I let my personal issues get in between us."

"Hey, you were dealing with a lot. And I understand that you needed time..."

"Still, I should've been more open. But instead, I made you feel like I didn't love you anymore... I still do..."

That caught him by surprise. While they have tried to rebuild their relationship recently, Harold wasn't sure if Violet still had feelings for him. And wondered if that also was part of the reason they were on and off so much. To respond to what she said, he pulled her in for a hug, "I... feel the same way, Vi. I love you too..."

"Oh, Harold..."

The two looked at each other, their faces... lips especially, ever so close together...

"Miss Violet!"

They quickly pulled away when they noticed Harry walking towards him. He had a big smile on his face as he hugged Violet, "I'm so happy to see you." He beamed.

Violet giggled, "How are you doing, sweetie?"

"Still sore. But fine."

That's good."

Harold smiled. Ever since Harry met Violet, he's gotten close to her. He was elated every time he saw her. It was almost as if he thought of her... as a Mom. Could they...? Well, he decided not to dwell on that right now. No need to rush. He wanted to see if things would work out first, "Hey, Violet. Maybe after the party, you wanna come back to my place and chill for a while?" he offered.

Harry gasped in excitement, "Can you, Miss Violet? Please?"

The woman smiled, "Of course. I would love that..."

Little did they know, was that the kids were watching from afar. April sighed, "That's so cute. I think Harry might get a Mom soon."

"You never know..." Theo chuckled, "Miss Violet sure is nice enough."

Sondra nodded in agreement before she noticed someone coming their way, "Hi, Mr. Mudfoot!"

Indeed it was the ever so helpful elderly friend of the Junkyard Gang, as content as he could be in his old age, "Hey there, kids." he greeted.

"You were invited too?" Theo asked.

"Yep. I always love a good get-together. Reminds me of the parties I attended in the sixties. With all the jazz music and soul foods. And stuff."

Elvin and Nelson perked up in interest, "Really?" Nelson asked.

"Can you tell us all about it?" Elvin added.

The older kids also expressed interest in Mudfoot's stories. So the elder man was more than happy to share, "Alright then. Gather around, and I'll tell yeah about the story of the time a guy fell into the punchbowl. I think it was about 1964..."

And so, the kids listened to the story, the adults connected and reconnected with each other. And everyone was once again having a good time.

And there you have it. Theo survived that stab wound, we get a few cameos of characters from the show, we get a callback to No Class Monster, Cami is revealed to have finally gotten pregnant again, Harold plans to rebuild his relationship with Violet, and the kids get to hear one of Mudfoot's stories. I apologize if things seemed rushed and all over the place. Like I mentioned before, I wanted to close out some storylines and plot points before we get to the very end. But I hope you enjoyed it regardless.

Next chapter is sadly the epilogue. We'll get another time skip and see how everyone's still doing after the summer. It'll be happy and bittersweet. So be ready. I'll see you soon, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you.