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the last chapter for ITOK! i know its kind of sudden since i haven't written for this ff for WEEKS, but i just needed to end it. i just hope that it wasn't... so... blah. i love all of my reviewers and readers who still keep up with this! *hands out muffins and chocolate* its been out heck of a ff...

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Chapter Eighteen

"Racetrack? Is that you?" Mush put the glass of water down on the table to walk over to his friend. Race was the kind of person you would see wearing a content smile on his face, his hair neatly combed as possible, and clothes that hung from his body comfortably. Not the kind of person who had a blank stare on his face, wearing a suit and his worn out bag in his hand. The picture just didn't fit.

"Of course its me, Mush. Who else would it be?" said Anthony walking through the doorway and trudging up the stairs towards the bunkroom.

"Well, I dunno, Race. You've been acting a little weird lately," answered Mush, following Anthony up the stairs. "We see you at the Center everyday, but we hardly see you sell your papes. We don't see you play poker anymore, and some people have been saying that you ain't going to the races anymore. What's going on, Race?"

"Who said that I don't go to the races anymore? That's a lie. I still do," said Race, his back turned to Mush, gathering his clothes and looking through the various drawers next to the bunk beds.

"That's not my point, Race," said Mush sternly walking over to the other side across his bunk bed in order to face Race. "Hold on… are you leaving us?"

Anthony sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked across at Mush, his eyes still and waiting for a reply.

"Yes," muttered Anthony as he closed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Wait, you can't JUST LEAVE…" retorted Mush, walking over to Anthony and blocking his way. "Where are you going? Why?"

"Remember that day I told you about? When I saw Sapphy?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, the guy that found me is going to give me food and a place to stay. Somewhere better than this. Somewhere where I can live. He can actually help me have a better life, Mush, can you see that?" said Anthony, his words suddenly striking Mush.

Mush knew that they all wanted a better life than what they had right now. But to replace the memories and the experiences that they all had together was unforgettable. That was something you couldn't replace. Race was always there with his comments, cigar in his mouth, cards in hand, and a smirk in his face. But he was different. He wasn't the Racetrack he knew.

"Don't tell me this is about Sapphy," muttered Mush.

"Its not," answered Anthony sternly. "I know its not. Just tell the boys, okay?" said Anthony pushing his way through and making his way down the stairs.

"Race!" shouted Mush. "Can't you at least wait for them? They're your friends, Race!"

"And you're my friend, Mush!" shouted Race, turning around to face Mush. "Will you please just tell them? I'll come visit."

With that, Race turned around, opened the door and greeted the streets leaving his past behind him and Mush standing in the lodging house, full of shock.

~*

"Is that all for today?" asked Anthony from his seat, shuffling the papers on his table and checking to see if there were any more work to be done.

"Other than the proposal, nothing, sir," answered Pierce, looking through the papers in his hand and glancing back up at Anthony.

"Good, then. I can go for the day…" said Anthony, grinning and standing up from his seat.

"Oh, no wait, sir. There's one more thing."

"Don't tell me its another meeting…" groaned Anthony.

"I don't think it'll take up too much of your time. Its another customer."

"Oh. Praise?"

"No. Complaint."

Ten years. That was how long it had been since he had been living on the streets. But here he was now, sitting in one of those furnished chairs that could've resembled Pulitzer's. That day at the rooftop was one that he'll never forget. He saw Sapphy, that was for sure. But the person that found him, that was just plain luck.

Out of all the buildings and rooftops in the world, he had picked the right one. The right one that gave him a home, money, and food. It gave him a future and a life. He didn't deny that he sometimes regretted his decision, never leaving. He never visited anyway. But he worked to where he was now and he wasn't just going to throw it all way.

It didn't take him long to become the expert on things. Five years. It took him that long to build on the foundation that he had. After playing poker in numerous amounts of places, it didn't take him long to set up his own business. A bar, saloon, whatever you wanted to call it, Anthony had started his own. A small stage was placed on one side of the room, with numerous amounts of tables, chairs, and booths scattered her and there. A small bar was placed on the corner, opposite the stage where bartenders and waiters would walk by to get drinks for their customers. It was a decent place, he made sure of that, and anybody was welcome.

Anthony gave Pierce a nod and said, "Alright, send them in then."

The entrance to his office opened as Pierce walked forward and turned the brass doorknob. The sounds of swishing layers of dresses and the clink of shoes filled the room. Anthony's eyes fell upon a woman in her twenties. Her dark blonde hair shimmered as the light from the chandelier touched her and her fair skin glowed in contrast to her dark red colored dress. Her hands were dressed with white gloves, clutching a small purse. She held her head high, her blue eyes staring back at his with determination.

Anthony stared for a moment, expecting a tall man to walk in the room, but instead he received something else. It was much better than a meeting. He hastily stood up and greeted her with a smile and a nod, offering his hand out as she entered the room and sat down on the chair before him.

"I came here for a complaint, not a bloody tea party," snapped the woman.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm pretty sure that I know you came here for a complaint, but I was brought up with the decency of introductions, at least," said Anthony sitting back down and leaning back on his chair. He couldn't help it if he was still improving the truth after all these years.

"I didn't think that introductions would be needed to the owner of such an unsatisfactory bar."

"Unsatisfactory? What did you find unsatisfactory in--."

"The space for one thing… its such a solitary and small space that anybody could hardly get around considering how many go here…"

"We don't feel the need to go all out with everything here, miss. Sometimes confined spaces are better than huge and broad places."

"… Then there's the food… who serves those kinds of food at this time of night?" continued the woman.

"We like variety," stated Anthony calmly.

The woman sighed in defeated, her eyes looking back down at her fingers. Suddenly, her emotions changed. "I'm sorry. I don't even know why I came here. Instinct, I guess."

"Well, just glad to see another new face."

"I just wanted to know… why did you name it Athena?" said the woman, her face looking at him intently and with curiosity.

It was true, he did name it Athena. It didn't take him long to figure out what it would be. Sure, he still visited the racetracks, he couldn't give that up. That one day when Athena finally won the race was just extraordinary. Even though he hadn't received much from the bet, it was still something different. Athena, the horse, was there that night Mr. Jones let them inside for a quick peek.

"I named it after a horse. At the races," answered Anthony simply. There was nothing wrong with telling her the honest truth. It wasn't going to hurt after all.

"Races?"

"Yes."

"The racetrack, you mean?"

"Erm… yes…"

"Racetrack, is that you?" Her eyes widened with curiosity and awareness as she slowly leaned forward and looked at Anthony's eyes. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking at him and taking him in.

It didn't take long for Anthony to figure out what was going on. After years and years of looking and waiting, all he just had to do was sit and here she was. Right before him. And he didn't even know that it was her. Her hair was now much darker, compared to the strawberry blonde hair that he was so much used to. Her blue eyes were masked with maturity and growth, while her face grew to what became a woman's.

For a moment he thought that she was going to leave, after what had happened at Irving Hall. It wasn't the most pleasant way to say goodbye to one of the people that you cared so much about. But she stayed there, in awe of what she had found that day.

"Sapphy…" muttered Anthony.

Sapphy smiled, her face beaming and her eyes glittering with excitement. Her heart rose in her chest as she looked back at him and answered, "The one and only."

~*~

Experiences and memories. That was what you lived and dwelled on. The childhood past that you had gave you the strength and power to what you grow up to be. That was when you learn things, figure out what you wanted, and experience the greatest and worse things in your life. There were ups and downs, but everybody lived through it. Everybody had to go through with it.

But for Anthony it was different from the others. The changes and things that he went through would never mirror another's. The growth that he had done was shocking both to him and Sapphy. Sapphy. That was another impact that he had. He learned the lesson of loss and chances. It gave him the knowledge that he had now. But even though his childhood was filled with things that he regretted and hated, there was nothing that he would change for it. It was unforgettable and nobody can ever take that away.

No one can take away your most precious memories. Most people didn't know that until they were gone. And Anthony wanted to make sure they did, he wanted them to know that the most precious things could be staring right at you right at that moment. If they only knew how much it meant to them. If they only knew the power and inspiration that they could receive.

That last thought dawned on his mind as he looked at the sleeping angel before him, unknown to the events of the world, and kissed its cheek. Jennifer Neiman Diodetto. The greatest gift of all that he was given. He thought of all the memories that they would make, him, Jennifer, and Sapphy. For once in his life, he was content with what he had, never knowing what would come next.

End

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I just had to have a happy ending! lol. Not exactly shoutouts, but thanks to Sagey, Sapphy, and Strider for bugging me to write this! ^^ Also, thanks to Blake! You made me want to post this chapter up! ^^