What's Meant For You

She loved him when he let her in his home during the chicken epidemic at 10. She loved him at 16, when he swallowed his hatred and took her to homecoming. She loved him on the night of their graduation, when he spent all night worshiping her. She loved him when he left without a trace. She loved him when he didn't call, text, or email for five years.

And, fuck her, she loved him when he turned up out of nowhere, asking for her forgiveness.

Huey P. Freeman x Jazmine DuBois

Romance. Hurt/Comfort. Friendship. Family. Humor.

Rated M

JAZMINE SAT IN THE DARKNESS OF HER BEDROOM, STARING AT THE SCREEN. At 20-year-old Huey. Sitting in a black chair, staring into her eyes.

This Huey looked much more like the Huey she remembered. She hadn't actually realized just how different he looked now. The almost invisible scars on his face. The darkness in his eyes. The tattoos on his large frame. This Huey she looked at now... he looked much more like the boy she was in love with and not so much the man. She wondered if in watching this now, she'd be able to see what caused the difference.

She sat the journal in her lap. She's spent the last two days crying over its contents. The beautiful moments her grandmother shared - about her grandfather, her children, her, and Huey and Alicia - hit Jazmine in a place she hadn't known existed. Her tears were parts elated and brokenhearted. She found a sense of peace and chaos.

It was... interesting to navigate. But after days of tears, thoughts, and seclusion, she'd been able to find peace within those pages. Her grandmother painted beautiful pictures. She was honest. Loving. And hopeful. Jazmine was happy that her hopes came true. That Huey came back, just as he told her grandmother he wanted to. And as much as her heart broke for them as she read of their times of hardship, the end made it easier to accept.

She held the remote in her hand but couldn't seem to find it in herself to hit play. Her grandmother told some stories of their time together, but Huey's actual story remained a mystery. One she could uncover if she could just hit 'play'. But for some reason, despite wanting to know so desperately, she was afraid. Of what he'd tell her. The horrors he went through. That maybe it wasn't as conclusive as he thought it was. And she wasn't sure that she could handle that.

When her phone buzzed beside her, she jumped. Rolling her eyes at herself, she looked at her phone and found that none other than Huey Freeman was calling. Probably to check on her. They hadn't seen or talked to one another in three days. She picked up.

"Hello?" Her voice was so low with lack of use.

'Are you okay?' he asked. She didn't know how to respond to that. So she didn't respond at all. 'Where are you?'

"I'm at home, Huey," she said. "I'm safe... I promise. I just... I finished the journal and I put in the disc you gave me but I for some reason can't seem to press play." She could feel tears stinging her eyes. What if his life had been worse than what she imagined for five years?

'It's in the past, moonlight,' he said quietly. 'Do you want me to come and watch it with you?'

She seemed to consider this for a moment. "No," she said finally. "I think I need to do this on my own. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

'First thing,' he instructed. It made her smile. 'And if you need me sooner, I'll be at Sarah's house until later.'

"First thing," she promised. "I love you, Huey Freeman."

'I love you more, Jazmine.'

She wasn't sure that was humanly possible.

But it gave her the courage to press play.

An hour later Jazmine sat on her bed, wrapping her arms around herself, replaying his words over and over and over again. Tears fell freely down her face, but she couldn't sob. She couldn't cry out. She couldn't breathe. And still, there was so much of the story to be told. So much 20-year-old Huey didn't know that 23-year-old Huey did.

'There are a few things I want to say to you before we begin...,' Huey stated. "The first thing I want to tell you is that I'm sorry. I am... so sorry. For leaving you like that. For leaving at all. I'm begging you to believe me when I tell you that I didn't want to leave. I wanted to hold you all night and wake you up to more.'

He looked down at his hands. 'I finally got to hold you. Finally got to worship you and I only had a few hours... I almost didn't leave. Almost stayed in that bed with you for the rest of your life. But I couldn't run the risk of this somehow coming back to you and my family. So I left.'

He looked back into the camera. Into her eyes. 'I also need you to know that I'm in love with you. I've loved you since I was 10 years old. And I've only loved you since then. I'm sorry for not saying that either. But if I never have the chance to say it again; you're my moonlight in the darkness. You're my heart in human form. The peace in my mind. You are everything to me, Jazmine Nicole DuBois. And I love you.'

He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

'I know you have a lot of questions. And in real time, the story isn't conclusive. If you were given this, then I'll make sure that you're told the ending. Because it means that I didn't make it to tell you myself. If I've given this to you personally, I'll be more than happy to share the rest. I'll tell you anything you want to know. But be patient with me, okay?

'You remember the night of prom? You looked...' a grin stretched across his face, 'delicious.'

'That night we danced together in my room. You fell asleep in my clothes. But right before I fell asleep my mother's brother contacted me. It was about a feud that started years before me or Riley were even a thought.

'To make this very long, very fucking stupid story short, I come from a short line of moronic people, who decided to use their freedom to further harm one another than to make a difference to the African American community. Starting with my great-grandfather, Percy Freeman.

'Percy Freeman was the youngest of six children - four older brothers and a sister. His sister decided to head to New York while him and his brothers settled down in the south side of Chicago. It was hard finding work as a young black man, so he turned instead to a life of drugs. He never did more than he sold, of course.

'Him and his brothers ran the south side. They lived comfortably. And irresponsibly. Never satisfied with what they had. Not thinking that people were looking at them in hopes of finding a reason to jail or kill them. Or both.

'Percy decided he wanted to start expanding out west, despite his brothers' apprehension. He moved forward, running into a man named Howard Blackburn, who ruled the same way Percy did - thoughtlessly, selfishly, and recklessly.'

Huey ran a hand over his face, exhausted. 'I'm sure you can imagine what followed. A lot of blood. A lot of twelve. A lot of violence. But one particular incident is why I'm here. One particular incident set off a chain reaction... After five years of losses, they both decided that it was no longer worth it. They returned to their respective cities and continued to work.

'Life went on. Percy had four children of his own, Grandad being the third, and they settled as best as they could into their lives. Everyone seemed to be content with life except for Lionel, Percy's oldest brother. He didn't have his own family. He was growing bored with business, and he wasn't getting along with any of his brothers. But instead of accepting his sister's offer to make an honest living in New York, he headed back to the west side.

'He hadn't caused trouble right away. He laid low, minded his business, and did whatever the fuck he did to kill time. Until he met a young woman who caught his attention. From what I was told, she was kind and intelligent. And Lionel fell in love with her. Of course, this was before he was made aware that this young woman - Arabella Mooreland - was the illegitimate child of Howard Blackburn.

'Did it stop him after he found out? Of course not. It did just the opposite.'

Jazmine felt... frantic. Panicked. And knowing he was here now, with Alicia, alive and well, did nothing to ease her anxiety.

She was hot. And suffocating. And sitting here, in bed, was doing nothing to set her free. Clad in nothing but a Chicago sweatshirt and a pair of black shorts, she threw on a pair of boots, grabbed her keys and headed out the door.

Huey adjusted himself so that he leaned back in his seat. 'Of course, we wouldn't be Freeman men if the story ended there. Arabella's mother was the ex-girlfriend of Howard's second in command - Ivan Blackburn. His brother.

'She was Ivan's first and only love, from what I hear. He took it hard when she took off. Knowing that information, Lionel used it against Howard. He took his own bit of territory in the west. He had access to as many funds as he needed. He even used Howard's men when needed. I don't know what Arabella thought of all of this, but if I had to wager a guess, she was either intelligent and not kind, kind and not intelligent, or she wasn't either. Because I see no other way she could allow this to go on.

'Anyway, Lionel was on some fucked up power trip. And when Percy had something to say about his recent behavior, he didn't take to kindly to it. They escalated as time went on for decades. Ex-communication, disruption of work flow, even physical altercations. And I really wish I could tell you what happened to get them so far into their hatred of one another, but it ended in Lionel ordering a hit on his brothers. Unfortunately, the vacation home where they were supposed to be didn't only house them.

'There were six additional occupants - Grandad, my Great Aunt Mabel, my mother, my father, a three-year-old me, and a one-year-old Riley. Only three of the additional occupants survived. Percy and his brothers... all lived.

It was hard to see through her tears. They were hot, falling endlessly from her eyes. But still she drove, determined to release the chaos that seemed to bounce within her very bones.

'You already know that Grandad was the one to take us in. What you don't know is that following the death of his son and daughter-in-law, he took us to the north side until he was settled enough to move. You would love it there. Downtown. And one day, I hope you visit, with or without me.

'Grandad made sure we had a good life away from everything else. The only family we ever saw was my father's brother, my mother's brother, and my mother's nephews. Even as I child I remember the anger that they carried with them. I remember Grandad talking them down from taking action. And for a long time, it worked. Until it didn't.'

Jazmine parked on the street in front of her mother's house. She could see the light and hear the mayhem from outside. Inside was the comfortable sense of simplicity and familiarity. And somehow it still did nothing to ease her mind. To quiet her soul.

Her heart had broken so intensely for them. For Huey. But still, the worst, she knew, was yet to come.

And she was still so sad. So furious. So...

'It wasn't until two years ago that we learned that it was Lionel who ordered the hit that night. For years, they thought it was an act of vengeance. Because Lionel took off not too long before it happened, right after Arabella passed of an unknown illness.

'In the decade following their deaths, my mother's brother never once looked into it. Never asked the right questions. Never wanted to learn why. He just assumed it was payback for Lionel leaving. Assumed that they thought he would be in the home when it happened. So when the fifteenth anniversary of her murder came to be, he took his action. The life of Howard's daughter and two of his grandchildren. An eye for an eye.

'After fifteen fucking years, he decided to act on his own without all of the information he needed. He hadn't told a soul. Just continued on without saying a word. He was confident that not a single person knew. Until the body of his oldest son was found in his apartment. After that, he didn't have a choice but to tell everyone or else he run the risk of them being unprepared.

'Come to find out, just like my mother's retarded ass brother, whoever did this acted on his own. Or their own. As two more of the Blackburn men are missing. Which is why they called me. To find those missing men before Blackburn does. And to find some sense of peace. But as I'm sure you can imagine, we're too far beyond that. Entirely too far.'

Jazmine got out of her car and marched up to the door. She rang the bell once, twice, three times, swallowing hard as she waited. It was her mother who answered.

"Honey, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Why are you dressed like that in the freezing cold?" She pulled Jazmine inside quickly.

The young woman didn't answer her mother. Instead, she made her way into the living room, where everyone sat. The earlier conversation had died down completely. Grandad and Riley looked on with sadness and caution while Huey stood, his face stoic. He took a step towards her.

"Alicia," she blurted out.

"She's upstairs, sleeping in my room," Sarah said as she walked up behind her. "Honey, what's going on?"

"Do you want to talk about this in private?" Huey asked calmly. Her fists clenched at her sides, trying and failing to stop her trembling. Despite the cold, she felt warm. Hot. Like molten lava was coursing through her veins. She didn't want to do anything right now but scream. So she did.

'I know that you're mind is working a mile a minute right now, processing this information. I know you have a lot of questions. The main one being why it's taking me so long to find the men we're looking for. And the truth is, when you aren't the only team looking, the search can become... dangerous. There are some things that I've seen and experienced that have hindered my search.'

"You are the smartest man I've ever met, Huey Freeman," she choked out. "The most intelligent, thoughtful, logical man. How could you think that was a good idea? How?!"

'In the two years I've been here, I've seen death. Felt it close. I've seen destruction. And chaos.'

"You knew, Huey! I loved you for YEARS and you knew it! And this is what you choose?!"

"Jazmine -"

"Don't 'Jazmine' me!"

'But I don't want your heart to break for me... No matter what happens to me, everything will fall peacefully. I promise you'll be safe. And I made sure that should I not be able to take care of you in life, I can do so in my absence.'

"You felt it in every single thing I did! The way I spoke. The way I listened! The way I looked at you! There were times where you couldn't stand to look back! Because you knew it was there. You knew I loved you. You've known since we were ten, Huey! So tell me why! Tell my WHY, Huey!"

'I hope you know that it's your light, even from this distance, that keeps me from becoming lost. I hope you know that not a single day goes by where I don't think of you. Think of ways to make sure I return to you. I hope you know that I am doing everything I can to do just that... But just in case I can't...'

"Why, the first fucking time that you tell me... Make me feel it... Display it in a manner that it can't be confused..."

'I didn't know love before you. I didn't know trust before you. I didn't know innocence before you. And I certainly didn't understand the beauty of it all before you... If I never have a chance again, I hope you know that you are the only woman I've ever been in love with. My first and only love.'

"... why is it accompanied by an eternal goodbye...?"

There was commotion in the background that was quickly drawing nearer. When Huey looked at the camera now, his eyes were much harder. Much more familiar. That was the last image that flashed across the screen before it went black.

The entire room fell silent. Jazmine's tears seemed endless as she stared into Huey's calm eyes.

"Jazmine?"

Jazmine's head snapped up to the top of the stairs, where Alicia stood rubbing her eyes. As she carefully made her way down, she tried to wipe her eyes. Alicia held her arms out and Jazmine collected her quickly, holding her close.

"Why are you crying?" she asked as she snuggled into her warmth.

"I missed you so much," Jazmine said, which she realized quickly that it wasn't far from the truth. She held Alicia tighter.

"I missed you too," she said, sleep overcoming her again.

Jazmine buried her face in Alicia's hair, inhaling deeply. Having this little girl in her arms was calming. Grounding. Helped her to understand that the existence where that tape would have been her only goodbye, wasn't her present reality. She rocked her slowly, using the movement to guide herself back to peace.

Sarah gently touched her back. "I'm going to take her back upstairs, okay?" Jazmine looked like the wanted to say 'no'. "I think you need to go talk to Huey."

It took some coaxing, but she was able to get the sleeping child from her arms and carry her back upstairs. She came down with a pair of sweats and guided her into the guest room to put them on.

"What did that disc tell her, boy?" Grandad asked softly.

"Apparently all the wrong things."

When they stepped out of the room, Huey made his way to the front door. "We'll come get your car tomorrow." His voice was gentle but commanding. She nodded, unable to look at him.

He guided her out to the car and drove as quickly and as carefully as he could to his home. For the first time, Huey felt that Jazmine's silence was deafening. Suffocating.

When they got to his home, he took her upstairs into his bedroom and stripped her until she was only in her - his - Chicago sweatshirt and her shorts. He got her settled under his covers while he undressed. He stripped until he was only in shorts and socks. He got into bed beside her.

He opened his arms to her, giving her the opportunity to cuddle into them. She took it, resting her head over his steady heart. Listening.

"Tell me how to make you feel better," he said quietly.

She didn't respond right away. "When you left," she began quietly, "it never once crossed my mind that it had to do with what happened between us. Instead, I was instantly drowned by a sense of fear. And helplessness. All anyone could ever tell me was that I meant so much to you. To believe in you as best as I could. You're Huey Polonius Freeman, after all. What can't you do?

"But you're also human. You aren't invincible. And the more people avoided my questions, the less they could tell me, the further into darkness I fell."

She sat up to look at him. "I didn't eat for days. I didn't speak for months. I didn't leave that bedroom unless I absolutely had to. I cried until I physically couldn't anymore. I was so dehydrated I had to be hospitalized. I was so lost. And afraid for you, Huey. If that young woman had received that footage however many years later, she would have been broken."

She gave him a small smile, reaching up to touch his face. "One day Riley came into my room, sat on my bed, and asked me if I trusted him. Of course I said yes. And he told me to believe him when he said that everything will be exactly how it's meant to be. That no matter where the road takes us, that it will all be okay.

"That weekend, after some research, I went to a tattoo shop and had them create my moon for me. Because on August 11th, 1995, the night that ended up changing my life forever, the moon was full. And beneath it, this strong, powerful, beautiful leo was born. So I had the stars within painted to reflect just that. I didn't get this tattoo because it was fitting for me. I got it because it was perfect for you.

"And I used it to guide me through my darkness. Because my mind, my heart, and my soul could no longer reside where they were any longer."

Huey stared at her for a very long time, processing everything she told him.

And suddenly she was on her back, staring up at him. He touched her face gently and trailed his fingers down her neck and to her chest. Even though her shirt, he could feel her heart beating.

"Tell me what I have to do," he said. His voice was thick.

She reached up and pulled him until his head down to her chest. She felt him relax. "Tell me what happened, Huey. The worst parts and the best," she whispered.

"A lot," he said. "And if it gets to be too much, tell me, okay?" She nodded.

Huey took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"The night Marcus, my mother's brother called me, was the night that he found his son dead in his apartment. He was with Percy, Percy's brothers Richard and Robert, my father's brother, Adrian, and Marcus' other son, Jay. That's when a lot of this bullshit became known. They ended the conversation asking for my help. Originally, I said no. Their bullshit, they clean it up.

"But Jay's fiancee was targeted and almost killed by one of the Blackburn family members. By that time, two of the men were missing. They were both Percy's sons. When they told me that they could be looking to eradicate the Freeman family as a whole, I decided to go and stop it myself. The night before graduation, Grandad, Riley, and I got into it. They didn't want me to go. They didn't want to lie to you all. But I had to. I couldn't chance this coming back to you all."

Huey ran his hand along her thigh. "So after the best night of my life, I left." She began playing with his hair. Huey took a deep breath.

"Howard knew that someone was coming. He just didn't know who. And he didn't know why. So when we were making our way from Midway Airport to Percy's house, we were tailed and shot at." Jazmine froze. "No one was killed. The driver was shot in the arm, but he was alright.

"We lost them and made it to the house. We were divided. Half of them wanted to kill them all. The other half just wanted all of the violence to stop. So when Howard gave Percy a call, everyone was on edge. He took it, of course, and that's how we found out that Lionel was the one who ordered the hit before he left. Still, Lionel was nowhere to be found and now Percy's sons were gone.

"Percy was willing to let it go - an eye for an eye - but the younger generation was still unsettled. They wanted to find his sons - Theo and Lerone - and Lionel. And kill them all. Percy wasn't concerned about Lionel but he didn't want his sons to die. Marcus evened the score when he killed them, so to speak. And they upset the balance. So they were out for blood.

"So my job was to find all three of them and help them find some common ground. I let them know that I find them, I bring them all to a central location, and they decide what to do with them together. But after that, I'm done and they're done.

"Of course I don't trust them. They're more reckless than Grandad and Riley. So if I died or someone tried to step a toe out of line, they'd be locked up. Their crimes have no statute of limitations in Illinois, so they'd be given life. And the children would be taken into foster care. None of them were made aware of this though. I had contacts in the city that are still keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity.

"Over the following two years it was much of the same - violence, underhanded behavior, racist ass cops, and death. But there was also positive things. Like Jay getting married. And his wife getting pregnant. And I finally found a solid lead on Theo and Lerone. But the night I made that video, a lot changed."

Huey wrapped his arms around Jazmine as best as he could and held her tight. He could feel her heart pounding against him. She squeezed him in return, clinging to him.

"That night Howard had me taken from Percy's home. He knew I knew something, but he didn't know what. And he didn't know how. And I didn't know how he could have possibly known that. Until we stared talking.

"He was calm at first. Because he had me tied up in one of his many houses in the west side. But when I didn't talk, he became irate. That's how I got the cuts on my face. And there were larger ones on my body, but they were made with a clean blade while the ones on my face were serated, so they healed much better."

When Huey felt Jazmine trembling he looked up and found her lip between her teeth and tears falling from her eyes. He reached up to wipe them away.

"Please don't cry, moonlight," he begged softly. "It's all over now. We don't even have to talk about it if you don't want to."

She shook her head and took a deep, shaky breath. "Please keep going."

He studied her for a moment, deciding whether or not he would. After a moment of thought, he adjusted himself so that he was sitting and moved Jazmine so that she saw sitting across his lap with her head in his neck. She placed a hand over his heart, as if she still needed proof that he was still living. He ran a soothing hand up and down her back.

"That's as graphic as we're going to get, okay? You'll know all of the important things, but maybe some things should stay with me," he said. She hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"It turns out that Jay was the one who told him. Whenever I found information, I kept it to myself. They only knew when I came and went. Never where I was going. Jay tried his best to find out but as it turns out, he's not that good a tracking people. He tried to reach out and make a deal in order to keep his new family safe. He thought that if they could get their men back and lie low, it would end this. He had a family to protect.

"But Percy didn't see it that way. Jay saved me but it cost him his life. His wife, who was having a hard pregnancy as it was, had a hard time going on. She begged me not the be angry with Jay. I told her I wasn't. Which was true. Because while I wouldn't do what he did, I understand doing whatever I think I can in order to keep you safe." He rested a hand on her flat stomach. "Especially when you're keeping a part of me safe."

She placed her hand on top of his and leaned up and kissed him gently. He kissed her forehead before she tucked back into him to listen to the rest. He kept his hand over her stomach, rubbing back and forth with his thumb.

"We continued on with our search. I was even more determined to get out of their now. They were growing angrier and restless, Jay's wife was bedridden, and I couldn't trust any of them or their motives. Before she gave birth I went to Italy and saw your grandmother.

"I already know she wasn't going to make it through the birth, so your grandmother gave me advice and contacts to help me decide what to do with the child when she was born. She also help me finalize my plans in the event that I didn't make it so that everything you needed would be included within her estates. Once I finished up there, I came back and Alicia was born. Her mother, unfortunately, was gone.

"I held Alicia for the first time and she was surrounded by her family. A bunch of angry, thoughtless, reckless assholes. So I went to the courts with the help of some contacts and I got legal custody of her while we sorted out her new situation. I was granted permission to keep her away from Chicago for a few months. So I took her to Italy. And with the help of your mother, she kept Alicia for the first six months of her life."

He gave Jazmine time to process this information. From what she understood, that was around the time that her mother finally got her life back on track after her father. She said she needed to get away for a while and find peace. So Jazmine didn't say anything when she left. They spoke every single day and even video chatted. She never once realized that she was staying with her grandmother. Never thought twice about it. When she came home, she was so different. The love she gave was different. The protection she provided was different. She was different. Better. And Jazmine couldn't be mad at that.

So she gave Huey a quick kiss on his chest to urge him to continue.

"While she was there, I found my own apartment on the north side, where I planned to stay. To this day, none of them knew where it was. Not only did I have a lot saved up from before but Percy paid a heavy price for me to be there. So money wasn't a problem either. Howard, however, was.

"He wanted Alicia. For what, I couldn't tell you. He tried to get me legally jammed up. Had twelve on his payroll trying to tail me, threaten me, and attack me. And when the Freeman family was made aware of this, they were more concerned about Blackburn having the upper hand and not at all concerned with Alicia's actual life. So I made sure that my only concern was her.

"When I got her back, I had those cops in my debt. Some of their unchecked behavior included racial profiling and the beating, framing, and unjust imprisonment of your black men. If they wanted their lives and their families together, they had to listen. And they did it well. I kept Alicia away from it all and protected. She's never even met anyone in Chicago aside from the day she was first born.

"After that I did a lot of traveling. I made sure to keep Alicia in one protected location. The only time she ever went far was to visit your grandmother's grave in Italy." Jazmine snuggled closer to him.

"About six months before I came back, I found them. All three of them. Theo and Lerone were looking for Lionel. Since he was indirectly responsible for the death of three more of their family members, they decided that killing him was a fair trade.

"He was in a small town called Zion. It's very far north and east in Illinois. Luckily for me, I was able to find and subdue all of them before they killed the old bastard. I brought them back south, unconscious. I called the Freeman men and the Blackburn men to a town called Joilet. They met me in an abandoned building.

"I let them know that I couldn't begin to give a fuck what they did, be it let it go or kill one another, but after tonight, I ain't want to hear shit else about it, there will be no further action, and the bullshit they pulled will remain nothing but history, or else we'd go with my plan. They didn't take kindly to being threatened, but I could give a fuck how they felt about it, as long as they knew I'd be good on my word. And I absolutely was.

"I left them to it that night. Of course, I had my contacts watching them. From what I understand, they took turns fucking Lionel up. Beat him within an inch of his life but he still lived. Everyone moved on. I stayed for six months to watch them, make sure I had the all clear to take Alicia, and collect my last payment. As soon as I saw that everything was the way it should have fucking been from the beginning, I came back to Maryland."

They sat together in silence for a while. Huey waited patiently for her to speak. She sat still in his lap, silent tears streaming down her face. She couldn't imagine what he'd been through. What he'd seen. What stories he kept short for her sake. Having a family like that.

She pulled away to look him in his eyes.

"If you ever, and I mean ever, do that to me again, Huey Polonius Freeman, you're going to wish you were never fucking born," she warned, tears falling from her glaring eyes. He swiped them away.

"I promise I won't," he said. "I won't leave you like that. Or ever again, if I can help it. I promise I won't let a day go by where you don't know that I love you. Bad days included. I worked very hard to come back to you. I did everything I knew how to do. I'm not going to give that up again."

She glared at him a moment longer before throwing her arms around him and holding him close. "I know there's a bit more to the story... The more horrific side... And it you ever want to share with me, I'll be right here to listen. Huey, I love you so much. If you didn't... I... I don't ever want to live without you."

He moved down until he was on his back and he pulled the cover over them. He rubbed her back slowly until her breathing evened. He sat in darkness for a long time, holding her and reminding himself that he was still here. That she was here. That Alicia and his family were safe. It wasn't until she shifted and placed a small, tired kiss on his neck that he relaxed.

He really, really made it.

There are a few things I would like to say.

The first being, this is such an interesting write for me because I am in fact from the south side of Chicago. It's so nice to do more research, learn more, and highlight the beautiful and the ugly of where I'm from.

No matter where in the world you are from or are going, please be careful. Choose to be the best possible person you can be and be mindful of who you allow in your life. NO ONE - family included - is worth your peace, your safety, and your core values.

Secondly, I would l like to thank every single one of you for your reviews. You make me so excited to write and it's really helping me build my confidence.

To Bulma's Ego - Your comments are always so uplifting. It may not seem like a lot to you but your comment on the last chapter made me beam. I lack so much confidence in my ability and knowing that someone who doesn't know me at all sees the potential in me really warms my heart. I always look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

To ThickBlackGirl - Thank you for your comment and just taking the time to appreciate the characters as I've tried to develop them. Hearing from you all makes such a huge impact on me.

Lastly, I want to let you know that some sensitive subjects are in the future regarding some of the themes we touched on here - loss, mental health, and toxic relationships. We also briefly touch on racism but I tried not to be intense with it. It has been a problem and continues to be so. If you hate someone, hate them for the person they are, not something they have no control over.

I cannot stress enough that I need you all to look out for yourselves. Be KIND to one another. Try to always seek understanding. As a child, you are conditioned to think a certain way depending upon your upbringing. Often times, it isn't your first thought but your second that counts. Take care of yourselves and take care of each other. I really can't wait to see you guys in the next chapter.

I really hope you loved it.

So, so, so, soooooooo much love.

- Q. I.