The sun rose the next morning, sprinkling its dusty rays throughout the town of Kingsport

Disclaimer: Yeah, well, I still maintain that if I did own anything IaHB related, they would be going into a second season. *Grumbles at Disney* Suffice it to say, I own nothing IaHb related.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed my fic. I know this fic is a long one and most of you stuck it out to the very end. Thank you a lot for that. You guys are wonderful.

Oh, and Darkchilde? Equipment? Erm, what kind of equipment would that be? And I am glad to hear that the soundproofing is coming along well.

Here we go:

The sun rose the next morning, sprinkling its dusty rays throughout the town of Kingsport. It was a pleasant morning- not too hot and not too cold. People who had lived in the town all their lives had to admit that it was one of the nicest mornings, weather-wise, that they had had in a long time. Not a cloud dotted the beautiful blue sky. It was a beautiful day in Kingsport.

Well, almost beautiful. Six people awoke to the morning sunshine and cloudless sky and could feel none of the happiness that all of the other people in the town felt. No, they could not seem to admire the wonderful weather at all. It seemed that all six people had other things on their mind.

It was the end of the reunion. Today, everyone would be saying their good-byes and going back to their old lives. And Tyler, Val, Caitie, Jamie, Hank and Melanie all wondered how they would manage to leave. After everything that had happened in the last couple of days, they all wondered how they could possibly turn their back on it all and leave to go back to the lives that they had had before. For the six of them, life would never be the same again.

…………………………………………..

Val stood pacing right outside of Tyler's door. She was rehearsing what to say to him when they said goodbye. She had wanted to get an early start that morning back towards the city and that meant saying goodbye to Tyler. Sure, she didn't really want to say goodbye to Tyler, but some things just had to be done.

I will just go in there and tell him how much I……….care for him. And then I will tell him to keep in touch, she thought, trying to get it all straight in her mind. Then I will tell him……..

It was funny how she couldn't seem to say the word goodbye in her mind.

Well, her mind mentioned casually, look at the bright side. When you get back to the city, you can have Kiandra take you to get that great fleece sweater you wanted.

"Oh yeah," Val mumbled. "Like that even matters now."

But still, she had to admit that the fleece sweater would be nice. Of course, she would get this sweater from winning the bet she had with Kiandra. Val almost laughed. Kiandra was so crazy. There was no way that Val was going to ask Tyler to go with her back to the city to meet Kiandra. There was just no way.

See? Val told her mind. I am going to tell him bye right now. That should be proof enough that I never intended to ask him to go back to the city with me. I'll get the sweater, but it won't really matter because Tyler won't be there.

Val stopped pacing and her shoulders slumped at the last thought. He wouldn't be there, she realized. And all the sweaters in the world would not make her feel better about that. In fact, nothing would make her feel better about that.

I just have to get it over with, she told herself calmly, ignoring that fact that she wanted to cry. Val squared her shoulders and knocked on the door before her.

Immediately, Tyler opened the door as if he had been waiting for her to arrive. Val vaguely hoped that Tyler had not known she had been pacing outside his room for a few minutes before she had knocked on the door.

He smiled at her and gestured for her to come into the room. She walked inside slowly, knowing that telling him goodbye would be one of the hardest things she would ever do. But, it has to be done, she told herself for the millionth time. Sometimes we have to do things that we don't want to do and this is one of them.

"So, what's up, Val?" Tyler asked, hoping that she had not come to tell him goodbye. He was not ready for her to leave yet at all.

Val ran through everything she had rehearsed in the hall. No big deal, she told herself. And then out loud she said, "Tyler, I wanted to tell you something."

Val smiled hesitantly and then looked directly into Tyler's eyes. And that, she realized two seconds too late, was a huge mistake. His eyes were blue, as she had known that little fact for years now. But, that day, they seemed even lighter blue than before. They seemed to sparkle at her and Val was suddenly reminded of the ocean. And, she thought surprising herself, when he smiles his eyes crinkle in the corners. Whoa, she thought, I am losing control.

And it was true. Val could feel her resolve slipping away slowly and she knew that if she stayed in Tyler's room too much longer, she would end up never leaving. I have to do this, she told herself. I'll just say it quickly and have it over with once and for all.

"Tylerwillyougotothecitywithmeandmeetmyroommate?" Val said in one quick breath. Then she froze. What had she just said? She had meant to say that she had come down to his room to tell him goodbye. But, it surely had not come out that way. Oh good Lord, she thought as she closed her eyes in embarrassment. What have I done?

"What?" Tyler asked sharply. He had wanted her to say those exact words for so long. Of course he wanted to go back to the city with her. He wanted to be with her forever. But, he was also practical about the situation and he wanted to see if that was what she had really said.

"I said, I came down to your room to tell you goodbye," Val amended quickly, hoping that Tyler really hadn't been able to understand her the first time.

Tyler smiled and looked at Val knowingly. No, that had not been what she had said at all. It wasn't even close. He watched the girl before him as she would not meet his eye. "That's not what you said," he said quietly, watching as Val began to squirm a little bit.

"I..um….well…of course it is!" She said loudly. "I know what I said, Tyler. Now, just let me think about what comes next."

Tyler almost laughed as Val started to pace his room. So, she had planned to tell him goodbye. And she had planned it all out well. Except, Tyler thought with a grin, she was having trouble remembering the plan and her mouth was saying things she never meant to say.

Val stopped pacing and looked at Tyler. I can do this, she thought, her heart beating wildly. All I have to say is goodbye.

"What I wanted to tell you was…..goo…..ggg……gooooo…" As hard as Val tried, she just could not get the right word out. She closed her eyes in concentration, trying to shove the vowels and consonants into a word that made sense.

Tyler leaned forward, playing along. "What was it you wanted to tell me? I can't quite understand you."

Val opened her eyes and gave Tyler a dirty look. "You know, you aren't making this any easier," she said briskly before going back to forming the word on her tongue. "Gooo….ggg…"

But it just was not coming at all. Aw, forget it, Val said and she stopped thinking realistically and logically. "Do you want to come back to the city with me?" She asked. It was funny, she noticed, how every one of those words came out just fine.

Tyler smiled and wrapped his arms around Val. "I would love to," he said and then he leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips.

But the sweater…, her mind reminded her, but Val just sighed as Tyler kissed her. It was a stupid bet anyway, she thought.

………………………………………..

Jamie felt like crap. There was no other way to describe it. He felt as if someone had torn out his heart, stomped on it a few times and then had handed it back to him for safekeeping. Every part of him was screaming to grab Caitie and never let her go. But, he knew that he wouldn't.

It's her choice, he thought darkly as he followed Caitie out of the door of the hotel to the parking lot, where her rental car was parked. If she wanted to be with you, she'd stay.

But, she wasn't staying. It was painfully evident to him by the fact that her packed bags were in his hands. He was carrying them for her, but he wished he weren't. Jamie wished that he could simply put them in his rental car and beg her to go with him to K's Camp. He could see it in his mind. He would load their bags in the back of his car and then plop himself in the drivers seat to drive to the airport. But, before even putting the key in the ignition, he would lean over and give her a little kiss, in a way thanking her for choosing to stay with him. Of course, that's what he wanted to happen, not what was going to happen.

After the dinner the night before, Jamie and Caitie had gone back to her room in the hotel. There, they had spent their time talking until the had fallen asleep. They had talked about everything- the schools they had gone to, the places that the currently lived. But, the one thing that they never had gotten around to talking about was the fact that they would have to say goodbye to each other the next day. It had been a bit of a sore subject, as one could well imagine. And so, they had simply ignored it, knowing that talking about it would only lead them to think of sad things.

They reached the small red car and he waited as she opened the trunk. She lifted the lid slowly and Jamie threw the suitcase and bag inside quickly. A part of him cried out as he did so, as if to protest the fact that it was not his car that he was throwing the bags into. She is not going with me, he tried to convince himself. She doesn't want to.

He stood back stonily as Caitie shut the lid of the trunk. Then she looked at him, her head cocked to one side just a bit. He had known her long enough to know what that gesture meant.

She was worried about him. It would be so easy to pretend that nothing was wrong, he knew. Jamie had done it many times in high school. When he had first realized that he liked Caitie more than just friends, he had tried to hide it. He had pretended that nothing was wrong, that he had no feelings other than friendship for her. But, this time was different. This time they had crossed over the friendship line and he was tired of pretending nothing was wrong. I am about to lose her all over again, he thought sadly. Of course something is wrong.

Caitie rushed to Jamie and enveloped him in a hug. His arms wrapped around her out of habit, and he pulled her close, never really wanting to let go. Everything about her, he would miss. Jamie buried his head in Caitie's hair and breathed in the fresh coconut smell. God, he would miss that too.

"I'll miss you, Jamie," Caitie said into his shirt, and Jamie felt his heart sink. This was really it. She was really leaving.

"I'll miss you too," he replied after a second, his voice thicker than usual. He tightened his grip around her. Jamie knew that if he let go of her, she would leave. She would get in the car and drive away and he would not see her for a very long time. He didn't want to let her go, but he knew that he had to. It's her choice, he reminded himself bitterly.

Jamie felt Caitie start to pull away from him and immediately, he commanded his arms to release her. His brow furrowed as he realized all he was giving up as he let go of her. And he tried to look happy. She has chosen this, he thought as he tried to smile. This is what she wants.

Caitie gave him a quick kiss on the lips before turning back towards her car. She opened the driver's side and climbed in without hesitation.

Jamie finally forced a smile on his lips and moved the couple of steps to stand next to the open car door. He knew that his smile must seem so fake, but there was really noting he could do about it. After all, he felt crappy about the whole situation.

"Call me," Caitie said, turning the car's key in the ignition.

Jamie nodded and thought about how true he would stay to that promise. He would call her a lot. As much as he could. Everyday if possible. Anything to hear her voice.

Jamie watched as one small tear appeared under Caitie's left eye. She wiped at it with her hand quickly as if she did not want him to see it at all. And then she looked back at him. "Goodbye Jamie," she whispered.

"Bye," he returned, equally quiet.

And then Caitie shut the door of her car and put the car in gear. Jamie watched as she slowly pulled out of the parking lot of the hotel and started off down the road. A tear from his eye traveled down his cheek, but he did not wipe it away as Caitie had done. He was tired of hiding his feelings. And he wasn't going too anymore.

He stayed right where he was, standing in the middle of the parking lot, until he could no longer see her car. And then he closed his eyes and wished that the pain in him would go away.

Caitie felt the tears run down her face as she traveled down the road. They were coming faster now, meandering their way down her cheeks. She felt awful. She hadn't wanted to leave Jamie at all.

Then why did you? A little voice in the back of her mind asked innocently. Surprisingly, she did not really have an answer for that question. She shook her head and tried to think of all the reasons why she and Jamie could not be together.

"Well, there's the……," she said aloud to herself. "And then there's the whole……". But, no matter how hard she tried, Caitie could not finish either of those sentences. What were the reasons again? She thought.

And then she rolled her eyes. What was she doing? She wondered. She was running away from the only person that she had ever fallen in love for. And for what? What was awaiting her back in the city that was so very important? Nothing. Jamie wasn't going to be there. So, nothing there was important.

All Caitie wanted to do was be with Jamie. And it really did not matter to her where they would be together, as long as they were together.

"What am I doing?" Caitie said out loud and then before her mind could change, she made a very illegal U-turn and started back towards the hotel.

Jamie heard the car pull up next to him, but he still did not open his eyes. He was afraid that if he opened his eyes and it wasn't her, he would be sorely disappointed. He imagined the person in the car next to him was probably some lost tourist going to ask him for directions. Nothing more. She's not coming back, Jamie told himself for the hundredth time. But, still he did not open his eyes. He simply waited to hear a voice.

"Jeez, are you that tired?" Came the sarcastic tone. "I just left you not even five minutes ago and you are already sleeping?!?! And on your feet too!"

Jamie smiled and opened his eyes to the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his entire life. Caitie Roth had come back to him. All the sudden he was nervous. His hands shook and he wished with all his might that she would get out of the darn car so that he could kiss her. But, he simply stared at her instead, waiting for her to explain her return.

Caitie read his mind, it seemed. And she tried her best to make light of the situation. "Well, you know James, I thought that I might just have to take a look at this camp of yours." She looked at him with a rather false superior look. "You know, to make sure you aren't warping young children's minds or anything like that."

Jamie nodded his head, playing along. But, inside he was ecstatic. She wanted to go with him to K's Camp? That was great! "I see," he said, solemnly.

Caitie unbuckled her seatbelt and threw open the door to the car. For a second, Jamie wondered why she was hurrying so much, but then it did not matter. Caitie threw her arms around Jamie and buried her head in his chest. The tears came even quicker now, soaking into his shirt. But, Caitie didn't care. She was where she was supposed to be. She was with who she was supposed to be with. There was so much she wanted to say. She wanted to show him how much he meant to her and how frightened she had been that she would lose him for good. She wanted to show him how happy she was to be back in his arms again.

Caitie looked up at Jamie's eyes, which danced with happiness. He smiled down at her and wiped a tear away from her cheek. There is so much I want to say, she thought in her mind.

And then, as if Jamie had read her mind, he replied, "I know. Me too." And then he kissed her.

………………………………………….

Hank had not slept a wink. He had gone through all the motions- brushed his teeth, put on his pajamas and then had laid in bed. But, sleep had never come. He had spent the night, laying on his back and staring at the dark ceiling of his hotel room. And he had thought long and hard about what he wanted.

The entire weekend had had him question exactly what he wanted to do- not only that morning, but in life. Where exactly was his life going? Hank had always had a plan in his life. Right after high school, his plan had been to go to college and then Med. school. Then, after that, he had worked his butt off to get to the position that he was at. But, now that he was there, what was his plan? This question had kept Hank up the entire night. And he wondered if, since he didn't have a plan for his life, if he was really happy.

Presently, Hank was up and dressed. He sat at the little table in his room, staring at the wall. Thoughts were still rushing around his mind like they had all night. What did he want? Well, he knew the answer to that one. He wanted Melanie. He wanted her to be in his life forever. But, the question became, how would he go about keeping her in his life?

After the dinner the day before, he and Melanie had walked in silence to the bleachers at Kingsport High School. The bleachers held a bit of sentimental value for them, seeing how it was the place they had first kissed. And they had sat there in total silence, holding hands. Both Hank and Melanie had been aware of the problem that the next day would bring. And they had both been aware of the fact that they could possibly lose each other the next day. But, all that had not mattered as they sat on the bleachers together. No, all that had mattered was that they had been together for that moment. Even if they lost each other the next day, they would at least be able to remember that moment on the bleachers.

A scraping sound and a thud outside Hank's door made the thoughts in his head vanish. He looked towards the door, a rather perplexed look on his face. What in the world, he thought as he moved towards the door to his room. He leaned towards the door and placed his ear on the hard wood. The scraping and thudding sounds continued. It seemed to Hank as if they were actually coming from down the hallway a bit. But, Hank thought as he kept on listening, they are getting closer.

He listened as they came nearer to his door. For some reason, Hank did not want to look out his door and see what the source of the sound was. The whole thing was like his own private little mystery. And for just a few seconds, it took his mind off of Melanie for the first time since he had seen her at the beginning of the reunion.

Suddenly, the scraping sound stopped and one last loud thud resounded in the hallway right outside of Hank's door. He thought he heard a quiet curse following the thud, but he was not too sure.

And then there was a knock on his door. Hank jumped back from the door as if he were a child being caught doing something he knows not to be doing. His heart started to beat rapidly. He stared at the door, wondering who was on the other side. There was no more scraping or thudding sounds to be heard. Just simple silence.

Hank took two deep breaths, hoping to calm himself a bit. He reached for the knob on the door slowly. His fingers closed over the cool metal and Hank braced himself for whatever might be on the other side. Hank turned to knob and pulled the door open slowly.

His eyebrows shot up at what he found in front of his door. Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say who he found in front of his door.

She must have dragged that huge suitcase up the stairs, Hank thought, as he looked her over.

The suitcase in question, which Hank surmised had been making all the noise, was standing on its end. On top of the suitcase was precariously perched the one girl that Hank did not ever want to say goodbye to.

A few strands of her long hair were hanging in her face and she blew out of the corner of her mouth to try to move them without using her hands. Her eyes were narrowed as if she were trying to look determined to get her way. Her arms were folded over her chest as if she were angry. And her legs were crossed as if she were trying to show that she was totally comfortable with the way she sat.

Too bad the suitcase kept shifting and almost spilling her to the floor.

Hank leaned against the door jam and tried not to laugh. If he laughed, she would get flustered. He didn't want her to get flustered. He was enjoying Melanie trying to look angry way too much.

The suitcase shifted again under Melanie's weight and she threw her arms out to stop herself from falling. Hank stifled a chuckle as he watched her reposition the suitcase under her bottom and then resume her angry look- folded arms and all.

"Well, you have—," Melanie started, but the suitcase started to buckle again. Jeez, she thought, this is supposed to be a real moment and this stupid suitcase is ruining everything. She thought she heard a slight snicker come from the direction of Hank and she shot him a dirty look. Then, with as much dignity as she could muster, Melanie fixed the suitcase underneath her and resumed her pose once more. Melanie looked at Hank with a look that she hoped screamed determination. It was hard to do so, though, when she was sure the suitcase would dump her at any minute.

"Well, you have me for the next three weeks since I cleared my schedule for you," she said, happy to get out a whole sentence without the suitcase moving. "What are you going to do with me?"

And in that second, everything clicked for Hank. Every question that had been brought to his attention in his mind the night before was suddenly answered. He didn't know where the idea had suddenly come from. And he certainly didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. But, it made so much sense. It was the perfect way to stay with Melanie forever.

He looked at the girl before him as she struggled to keep her balance on the suitcase. She was still trying to look defiant. And, Hank noticed with a bit of happiness, he could see the old Melanie from high school in her eyes. Hank smiled as he watched her throw out her arms once more to stop herself from falling off the suitcase. Slowly, she readjusted the meddlesome luggage again and then looked up at him, waiting for his answer. Yes, he thought, I know what to do now.

And he only said two words. Two words that would change both of their loves forever.

"Marry me."

For the first time since the beginning of the reunion, Hank realized he had been the one with the surprise. Throughout the reunion, it had been Melanie who had kept surprising him. But, not this time. This time, it was Melanie's eyebrows that shot up at his words. She froze, staring at him in surprise and wonder.

And Hank just grinned as Melanie forgot all about her fight to stay balanced on the suitcase. He could tell that every part of her was focused on him and what he had just said. And he waited because he knew the inevitable would happen.

The suitcase moved a slight bit and Melanie fell on her butt on the floor.

………………………………………

Brooke sat at her desk in the station and smiled. Oh, it truly was a wonderful day. The weather had been so good that morning that she had decided to walk to work instead of drive. And, boy was she glad that she had walked! It had been so warm out. Then, of course, there was what she had seen as she had passed the football stands at Kingsport High on her way to the station. All three of her favorite couples were sitting on the bleachers, talking and laughing away. It made her happy to see such a sight. And, she had noticed with satisfaction, each couple was holding hands. So, my plan worked really well last night, she thought with a smile on her face.

"Brooke?" Alex called from the doorway. "So? How did it go last night?"

Brooke smiled and thought about what she had seen at the dinner the day before and then what she had seen on the way to work. All three couples had looked so happy.

Brooke looked at Alex, the devious glint back in her eyes. "Mission accomplished," she said.

The End

Well, after fifteen chapters, I figured it was time to end this thing. I hoped everyone liked it. Oh, and would anyone be interested in a sequel? I have ideas for one, but I am not sure whether or not to write anything more on this one. What do you guys think? Please don't forget to review. Thanks!