A/N: Here is the epilogue! Again, thank you all for choosing to read this and to review it. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Stay tuned because my new fic will be debuting in a few weeks. Until then, I hope everyone stays safe and healthy!
- Jess (MorphMe)
April 21, 2006
Angel Grove, CA
"Kimberly, where do you want me to put this?" My mother asked me for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. I fought the urge to roll my eyes and took a deep breath.
"Just put it anywhere in the room where there's space." I replied. She nodded, heading into the kitchen with the box in her hands. I shifted from my spot on the couch, making sure that everything in my lap stayed in my lap. I grabbed the glue gun on the coffee table and pulled the trigger, putting a few dots of hot glue on the poster that laid on the table. I pressed the letters in my left hand to it, making sure they were straight.
"What about these, dear?" Mom called out as she walked back into the living room. I saw she was carrying a box of juice pouches.
"Those can go in the cooler." I said, finishing up the poster. "Mom, cold stuff in the coolers. Warm stuff on the stove."
"Yes. Of course, dear." She said, disappearing back into the kitchen. I knew she'd be back shortly though. Standing up, I scooped all the scraps of papers into the waste paper basket next to me and unplugged the glue gun. I put everything back into the craft bin I keep and put this back on the book shelf in the corner of the room. I looked at the poster, admiring my work. It was no masterpiece but it would work for the day.
"Look who's up from their nap." Marci said, coming down the stairs. Looking up, I saw she had the bleary eyed brunette child of mine in her arms. Lily yawned and rubbed her eyes, her hair looking wild around her head. I smiled, letting out a little laugh.
"She looks like a wild child." I said, kissing her forehead. "Can you go with Aunt Mimi and see about fixing that mop on your head, babes?" I asked.
"'I'll try my best but no promises." Marci said, heading towards the bathroom. Grabbing the poster, I walked over to the entertainment center and propped it up on top. There were two tables set up on the other side of the room, empty bowls and trays set up on top of them. There were pink tablecloths on the top of them, matching the napkins, cups, and plates that were resting at the head of the first table. There were also pink and white balloons tied to weights in the middle of the tables as well as in the corners of the room, just out of the reach of Lily. The pink and white streamers were still holding up, hanging around the room from the middle. Everything was perfect and looked just like how I had pictured it when I first started planning Lily's birthday party. I couldn't believe she was one already, this last year of our lives moving like a rollercoaster.
"Hey, hey, hey! Party people are here!" Aisha said as she opened the front door. In front of her, Matteo came toddling in. He wore a little yellow dress shirt and some cargo shorts, a blue polka dot tie clipped to the front of it. His hair had really grown, the curls around his head resembling that of a milk chocolate color.
"KimKim." He said, waving at me. I smiled down at him.
"Hey, Matty." I said, waving back. Aisha was holding a bowl of something and Rocky walked in behind her with two large gift bags. Adam and Billy followed behind them, both carrying a gift bag. "Did you all over shop like I told you not to?" I asked, eyeing the group.
"It was a suggestion, not a ruling." Adam said, shrugging as he set the presents he was carrying on the table designated for them. "Where is the birthday girl? Uncle Adam wants some cuddles!"
"Marci is getting her ready now." I said. There was a knock on the door and Rocky reached over and opened it for me. Dr. Mckinney was standing there, smiling.
"Hey, Greg. Mom's in the kitchen." I said, smiling at the man who had helped deliver Lily. He was holding a gift wrapped box in his hands that he set down as he came into the house.
"Thanks, Kim." He said, heading in that direction. Him and Mom started dating shortly after we had returned from Mexico. They had been in touch since Lily was born but they sealed the deal around the time she turned six months old. They are good for each other. Greg treats Mom like a princess and Mom doesn't act like she needs to wed Greg the first second she gets which is a plus. They even each other out, something they both need.
"Am I late?" Zack asked, scooting into the open door. He had three gift bags in his hand as well as two mylar balloons in the shape of ballet slippers.
"Nope! Right on time." I said, taking the bags from him. Mom and Greg emerged from the kitchen, carrying snacks for the food table. He helped her set them up with Adam and Billy went to the kitchen to help carry everything else in.
"We're here!" Trini called as she stuck her head in the door. She walked in with Jason who was carrying a rather large box in his arms that was gift wrapped. He grinned at me as he set it on the floor while I hugged Trini.
"That better not be that car you saw at the store." I warned him, pointing a finger in his direction.
"Trini bought it, not me!" He said, holding his arms up in defense. I could see the scar on his forearm from where he had been shot that fateful day. Jason had been pretty lucky. The bullet had gone through his pec muscle, just barely missing anything important. They needed to do a skin graph though from his arm to help with the scarring. He likes to brag about it now, saying he was shot by the cartel and lived to tell the tale. It makes Trini and I roll our eyes when we hear it.
A lot of things happened that day to set things into motion. For starters, Trini hadn't answered the phone when I called her because she was searching for Jason, Tommy and I. Adam and Billy had come across our wrecked vehicle on their way to the town. When they saw we weren't in it, they started to call all the local hospitals and EMS providers. When they hadn't picked anyone up matching our descriptions, they knew something was wrong. That's when she got my voicemail. They rushed here to try to stop us from leaving but they didn't arrive until after Jason and Tommy had been taken to the hospital by the police. That's when Billy discovered that my phone was still pinging as we were moving, telling him exactly where we were and which direction we were moving in. They rushed to Mexico, Tommy refusing medical care. Billy made his first bomb that they used to blow up the RV and they were able to save the day.
After coming back from Mexico, I learned about Jason needing surgery and that our house had become a crazy crime scene again. We stayed with Trini and Jason until we were cleared. Marci had been so relieved to see me when we returned. She was even more relieved to know that she didn't have to hide such a big secret anymore. She moved back in once our house was cleared by the police. It was nice having her back here and seeing her every day. She was excited about the end of her junior year, that senior status just hanging on in front of her. She was still seeing her boyfriend from last year as well, proving that it wasn't just a fling. He's a good kid though and I was happy to see her with someone that made her happy.
"Here's the birthday girl!" Marci announced, coming into the living room. I saw she had changed Lily into a pink dress with white bow tied around her waist. Her hair was combed back into a pink bow, making her look much older than she was. There was a group of 'awe's' from everyone in the room when they saw her. Adam held his arms out and she willingly climbed into them.
"There's my favorite niece." He said, smiling at her. "Oh, I can't wait until we have one of you." Billy smiled, putting an arm around his husband's shoulders.
"Few more months." Billy said. They were patiently waiting for the birth of their son. A few months ago, they searched for someone who would be willing to carry a baby for them. A young girl stepped up and now, they were waiting for their son to be born. I couldn't wait to see them with a baby, no doubt in my mind that they wouldn't be the best parents ever.
Zack had elected to stay here in California to work on his acting as well as his theater work. I still use him for my plays at the theater, his talent being something I needed for my shows. He was seeing someone now, a girl he had met through working at the theater. They were a good fit and both were huge nerds for all things theater. He has also worked on his directing skills, helping me with the latest production of the Wizard of Oz. Even Mr. Ridley had begun to pay Zack for help around the studio and the temptation of a job somewhere down the road. Trini and Jason finally got married. His hope of a long engagement changed after Mexico. It made the both of them realize that there was no point in waiting with everything going on. So, they made plans and had a quick ceremony. Trini was over the moon, happy to have a commitment from Jason. Married life was treating both of them well and I was thrilled that they were finally legally married.
"My turn." Trini said, holding her arms out to Lily. Lily smiled when she saw her, giving her a tight hug as she took her. She made her way around the group, seeing everyone. As she did, I finished setting everything up and put her cake on the table. Everything was ready and perfect.
Well, almost.
"Da da da da da." Lily said, walking towards me after Jason had set her on the floor.
"Dada is right here, baby girl." Tommy said, walking into the living room from the direction of the garage. Lily's face lit up at the sight of her Daddy and she took off running towards him. Holding her arms up, she let Tommy pick her up. He kissed her cheeks, smiling at her. "Happy birthday, princess." He said.
"Da da da da da." She babbled, making him grin. He turned to look at me, leaning in and giving me a kiss on the lips.
"How's my other girl doing?" He asked, lingering on my lips.
"Fine. We were just waiting for you."
Tommy and I came back here and did what we said we were going to do. It wasn't easy but we promised to rebuild our relationship from the ground up basically. We both went to therapy for what we had been through and I started attending group sessions for battered and abused women. It helped me a great deal to get over what Nick had done to me to be able to move on from it. Tommy and I were doing great now though we still take it day by day. I have regrets about the way things went down but I know that this was for the best, no matter what I wished I could change. He moved the rest of his things into our house and his room became Lily's room after a little remodel, him moving in with me. We were finally a family together, something I was over the moon for.
Nick, on the other hand, landed himself in a federal maximum security prison. He ended up with a laundry list of new charges, ensuring that he was never going to get out of jail again. He was now on the other side of the country as us, living in solitary confinement and partially handicapped due to where I had shot him. Andrew, Gracie, and Pete were in prison as well for drug and kidnapping chargers. It was good to know that none of them would be able to hurt us again. The power coin that saved my life is tucked away in the dresser upstairs, the bullet still embedded into it. I keep it as a reminder of what happened and what I have overcome.
"Lily, be careful." I said as Tommy set her back down on the floor and she wobbled her way over to the table where the presents were. Matty was on the floor, playing with one of her toys. She sat with him, grabbing another toy.
"Everything looks good, Beautiful." Tommy said, wrapping an arm around me. "You outdid yourself."
"Thanks. I wanted to make sure that everything was perfect. I know I'm being an over the top Mom but she deserves it."
"That she does. She's lucky to have you." He kissed the top of my head. "That's who you are and I wouldn't have you any other way."
"Thank you." I said, smiling up at him.
Not every day is perfect and some days, I wish that things were easier but I wouldn't change a thing about my life right now. I thank God every day that I ended up back here and that I have the chance to raise Lily with Tommy. I'm not sure what divine power led me back here but I'm glad it did. As I looked over at Lily, I smiled. She saved my life, more than anyone else ever has. And thankfully, I was able to say that I had managed to learn to save myself as well. I know Tommy was always going to be there to save me when I needed him to be but it was nice to know that I had that power inside myself too.
I'm a handful at times and a piece of work. There are days that I don't like myself and have to try my hardest to stand myself. But, I'm also a killer mother and do the best I can for both Lily and Marci. I had all my friends back with me. And I'm also able to say that I have Tommy by my side again. There's nothing else I could ever want and that made life feel down right perfect for me. I can't guarantee where life will take us or what will happen, but I do know that this is exactly where Lily and I are supposed to be. And we are never leaving again.
"Is it time for cake yet?" Rocky asked, glancing at the cake on the table. There was laughter around the room as I wrapped my arms around Tommy from the side.
"It's good to see somethings never change." Tommy said, hugging me into his side.
"Yeah." I said. "It really is."
