Commencement Exercises

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Here we are, the final hurdle. Can I get a final hurrah? I'm now bowing out of the arena for 2 weeks (let some other people single-handedly fill up the OC page of ff . net!) but I will be busy sorting out MIBTW. So on my return I will be focussing on that and whatever you guys want! This chapter is dedicated to Kazzie because she also figured out the title thing.

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Epilogue

A couple of hours later they were ready to leave. Jess and family had already departed and Dave had reappeared to say brief goodbyes before going back to his bedroom to crash. 'Take care Kirsten,' the Nana told her, making Sandy smile. However, Sophie Cohen wasn't about to give in that easily, 'of my son and grandchild,' she added quietly as she hugged her daughter-in-law. Kirsten sighed, Sandy's mom really was something.

'Oh I will,' she promised sweetly, meeting the other woman's eyes and matching her gaze for a moment. The Nana's lip twitched and she winked quickly before turning to her son and lavishing him with affection and criticism in equal measure.

'So you're escaping back West Sanford? Well you behave yourself out there.'

'Yes Ma.'

'Morals shift with the time difference, just you remember that.'

'Yes Ma.'

'Look after the future little Cohen.'

'I will.'

'Keep an eye on that wife of yours…'

'Ma!'

'And don't forget to call your poor mother when you get home so she can stop worrying.'

'Worrying? Please! You'd probably say I deserved to meet with an accident just for living in California.'

'Don't exaggerate. Now get on with you before you miss that plane,' Sophie snapped, kissing her son loudly on both cheeks before hustling them out the door.

'Bye Ma, love you too!'

The Nana smiled and began to shut the door behind them. 'Just you make sure the cabby doesn't overcharge you on the way to the airport.'

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It was a month or so later when another letter with a New York postmark appeared on their doormat. Kirsten was surprised to see that the bulky envelope was addressed to the both of them in the Nana's angular handwriting. With a slight trepidation she slid a nail under the flap and shook out the contents; a short note and a set of photographs.

'Thought you might like these,' read the former. 'All is well here, which you would know if you bothered to call once in a while. I hope Kirsten is taking her vitamins. Sophie.'

Kirsten shook her head at her mother-in-law's bluntness and guiltily reached for the ante-natal vitamins on the countertop. Then she spread the photographs out across the kitchen table, smiling at the memories. It hadn't been that bad a weekend, she reasoned, marvelling at how much her bump had grown in the past few weeks. It was hard to correlate the neat rise of her stomach in the photographs with the belly that was currently keeping her several inches from the table.

Engrossed in the pictures she didn't hear her husband's arrival, jumping as she felt his arms slip around her waist, or rather, where her waist used to be.

'What's all this?' he asked, kissing the back of her neck before leaning over her shoulder to read his mother's letter.

'Did you take your vitamins this morning?'

His wife blushed, 'Yes…well, this afternoon, after your mom reminded me.'

Sandy laughed and squeezed her a little tighter, scanning the array of pictures.

His brother looking sheepishly proud in his cap and gown.

He, his mom and brother and sister all grinning for the camera.

The whole family grouped together around the graduate.

One in particular caught his eye and he picked it up to look at it closely.

'Did my mother take all these?' he asked uncertainly.

'Yeah I think so. She was the only one with a camera as far as I remember.'

Her husband nodded, still transfixed by the photo. Kirsten knew why he'd asked. The picture was of her and Sandy stood alone, obviously waiting while other photos were being taken, utterly unaware that they were being photographed themselves. They were stood close together, almost facing each other. One of Kirsten's hands was up at her husband's shoulder, the other not visible, wrapped around him, her face tilted up towards him, smiling with her eyes closed. Sandy was kissing Kirsten's forehead, a look of pure adoration on his face, one arm around Kirsten's shoulders, his other hand resting lightly on her bump. It was a beautiful photograph; love caught on film. What was surprising was that Sophie Cohen had taken it.

Maybe she didn't begrudge their love after all.

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Hope you enjoyed that! PLEASE let me know which of my fics I should be focusing on next!

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