The (Real) Epilogue: what happens next
A/N: Anything from Meteor Garden you recognize, I do not own.
***
It was a wedding straight out of a romance novel.
The bride was barefoot as was the groom.
She looked like a gypsy, clad as she was in white cotton shift, her unbound hair blowing gently in the wind, with a posy of white calla lilies in her hands. Little pearls, woven through her tresses, gleamed brightly in the sun.
He looked like a chinky-eyed Indian prince in a loose white kurtah and matching cotton drawstring pants that flapped gently in the wind. His long hair was tied back and the rim of his glasses gleamed brightly in the sun.
The wedding entourage was similarly clad in loose white cotton frocks and matching polo shirts and pants.
The sea was a picture of calm and serenity, reflecting the fading light of the sun as it made its way slowly to the west, and the sky was like an artist's palette, a mix of hazy blues, oranges, pinks, and purples.
She looked up at him. He looked down at her. With hands entwined they said their vows as their matching rings glowed, warmed by the sun.
And then they kissed.
Sweetly.
Softly.
Intently.
As though the act itself was a vow.
A promise.
A pledge.
And just like all weddings before it, they faced the crowd as one.
***
Xiao You couldn't take it anymore. She screamed.
Ximen winced as he took in his wife's curses, which were all directed at him.
It was good thing she was too weak from 'pushing' otherwise his fingers would have ended up all broken and useless. A part of him wished he could bear the pain for her, but then a larger part of him was glad men didn't have to go through this. "Just a little bit more baby…" he offered lamely.
"Oh God Ximen! I can't…it's…aaargh!! *@$%^*&#@($%!" Xiao You was incoherent by the end of her last push.
"Just one more push Xiao You. I can see the head crowning…" the doctor's soothing voice came through over her mask.
"Come on baby…one…two…."
Xiao You bit her lip, gave one more push and…
"Congratulations! You have a baby girl!"
***
"Dad, I'm going out with Xiao You, Jing and Xiaoqiao okay?" Shan Cai shouted from downstairs.
"Where are the four of you going?" Ximen's stern voice filtered through from the master's bedroom.
"Daaad!" Ximen Shan Cai complained loudly. "We're attending Lei's recital."
"What time will you be home?"
Shan Cai rolled her eyes at her father's words. "They're bringing me home." She called out, not bothering to answer her father's question directly.
"Okay baby, take care okay? Tell your aunts and uncles we'll see them this weekend." Xiao You's voice called out in answer over Ximen's muffled voice. "Oh and wish Lei good luck for us…" she added.
"Yes Ma!" Shan Cai replied airily just before the front door closed with a bang.
"I swear Xiao You, you are so lenient with her." Ximen complained after he'd removed his wife's hand from his lips.
Xiao You laughed at her husband's disgruntled expression. "She's going out with our friends' children."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Ximen shuddered. He still couldn't get over the fact that their only daughter …their 16-year-old daughter for that matter, was staying out late much like he and his friends had when they were that age. The Gods were surely punishing F4 by giving all four of them girls. Girls, who, to their fathers' collective chagrin, behaved exactly like they did when they were young.
"Lei's with them." Xiao You pointed out, referring to the only thorn among the roses, Ah Si and Shan Cai's son, Lei, who much to his parents' everlasting relief, acted much like the older man after whom he was named.
"Why couldn't our daughter have taken after you instead of me?" Ximen sighed as he sat down heavily on the bed.
Xiao You grinned secretly just before she sat down on her husband's lap and wrapped her arms around him. Even after 17 years of marriage, he still managed to light her fires even when he's frowning and being such a worrywart. She decided to tease him further.
"Ah…but if she'd taken after me, she might just do what I did and ask the love of her life for the 'full service'," she whispered to his ear.
Ximen froze. "Oh God!"
***
"Lei…" Jing called out from the bathroom.
No response.
"Lei…" she called out again.
Still no response.
Jing hurriedly wrapped herself in a towel and walked towards their bedroom to find her husband sound asleep by the bed. Jing sighed. And he'd promised her a backrub too! "Lei." She shook him awake. Despite years of trying to break him out of this habit, he still kept on falling asleep on her. "Lei, wake up!" She was so looking forward to some down time with him, especially so since their daughter Xiaoqiao, who always seemed to manage to conveniently knock on their bedroom door at the most inopportune moments, was out with friends.
Nothing.
Jing sighed heavily as she sat down next to her husband's prone figure. "Oh well…if you can't beat him…join him." She mentally shrugged. So what if it was still early in the afternoon? There was nothing to do anyway. She had just finished sliding inside the covers after getting rid of the towel when his hands suddenly snaked their way around her waist.
"What do you think you're doing?" he whispered to her.
"Sleeping?" she answered.
"Uh uh…wrong answer…" he grinned just before he started kissing the daylights out of her.
***
Dao Ming Lei stood by the wings waiting for his turn on the stage. Unlike his godfather, he'd chosen to play cello like his famous aunt, who was also his coach and mentor. He looked out and saw his parents and sister Xiao You in the crowd. With them, were his Uncle Mei Zhou and Auntie Xiaoqiao with their daughter Jing, as well as his sister's friends, Shan Cai and Xiaoqiao. Whatever their parents' traits were, creative hadn't been one of them, at least not as far as naming their children went.
Not that he minded being named after his godfather really…but sometimes he felt funny about calling Shan Cai. It was like being disrespectful towards his mother. He sighed. Not that he wanted to call her mind you, because he didn't.
It was more like the other way around actually. She was the one who was always calling him.
He pretty much ignored her really.
She was just his parents' friends' daughter after all.
So what if she was so beautiful that she broke hearts here and there, just like her father had?
He didn't care.
Really.
She was just one of his sister's best friends.
Nothing more.
Really.
But still…
…
…
…
FIN (really)
