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The next few days Cole went around like a zombie. Not saying anything unless being spoken to first. She went to work everyday and put on a happy face. Came home and fell on the couch with the phone next to her to make arrangements for her aunts funeral. Darry spent as much time as he could over their but he had two brothers to take care off. The gang visited as too but she didn't talk so they kissed her cheek and left.

The day off the funeral came and Cole dressed in a plain black dress and drove over to the funeral home with Johnny in the seat next to her. She walked up to her Aunt Ashley coffin and blinked away the tears when she saw her. "I love you." she whispered before seating in the front of the funeral home. She felt an arm go around her a few minutes later. She looked up to see Darry there. He gave her a sad smile. The reverend began the reading and asked Cole to say a few words.

"Ashley Smith, Auntie Ish as I called her since when I can remember. She was their when no one else wanted me. She helped me get off the streets after leaving jail. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't been in jail again or dead." Cole looked up and saw the gang there listening with tears in their eyes. She saw all Ashley friend also in tears. "A few months ago she called me and said that she had cancer. I know most doctors see cancer as death but I still had hope I never gave up hope until the day she died. She was the mother I never had. She rescued me from myself. She never gave up on me and I never gave up on her. May she rest in peace until her family and friends join her in the after world." Cole finished wiping her tears away and sitting next to Darry.

"I wrote this poem for Ashley." Pony said after taking the stand from Cole.

The sprit looks around after leaving her body and went to the graves of her husband and son before anything else. She smiles realizing that she will see them soon. She goes to her restaurant one last time remembering it opening the first time ever. She floats away to her home of many years and see her niece sleeping peacefully. She tries to kiss her cheek but she went threw and the girl slowly wakes up from the coldness on her cheek. She goes to the next house to see "her boys" one last time. Across the house lay 7 boys. Different ages, different sizes, and different in many other ways. She smiles at each one before making her way up stairs with other sprits. She looks down one last time before joining her loved ones.

Pony finished his poem by wiping his face with his sleeve. Cole was openly weeping in Darry arms at the poem. Dally was sniffing trying not to cry. Darry and Soda had tears pricking at the end of their eyes. Steve and Two- Bit kept wiping theirs eyes so not to cry. Johnny had his face in his hands. Next they went to the cemetery to bury her. Cole went home, Johnny with Pony. About a hour later Darry came in looking for her.

"Hey Darry.' She said softly.

"hey." He replied sitting next to her looking at a photo. It was of Cole and Ashley she had to be about 10. She was dressed in all pink and had the glare on her face and Ashley was smiling down at her.

"I think I'm going to leave." She said quietly.

"What? Why?" he asked terrified at her leaving him.

"I don't it just seems right." Before she could say anything else he kissed. He kissed deeply.

3 hours later Cole P.O.V

"I love you. Don't go. Marry me." Darry said after 3 amazing hours in bed.

My mouth dropped open and I looked at him like he was crazy. "But but but…." Was all I could say.

"I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you. Please. We can and will make it work. Ish gave me permission before she past and Pony and Soda loved the idea. I can't live without you." He said giving me a ring. I looked at the ring it said "to the love of my life." I started to protest at the cost when he said it had been his mothers.

"Yes! Yes!" Is said jumping into his arms and kissing him and for another couple hours in bed.

Review! I have I one more chapter after this. Sorry for it being so short.