The inspiration for this epilogue randomly came to me! Glad I was finally able to wrap this story up officially. Thank you so much to everyone who followed and read this story and took the time to leave a review. Hope you have made it over to Love and Basketball and are enjoying that story! Love ya'll!


Tris wipes a tear from her eye as they stand huddled together as a family to say one final goodbye. She thought it was silly at first to get all dressed up but now as Harrison and Nia held on tightly to her hands she realized that death was a part of life and she shouldn't shield them from it.

"Mommy, you have to say something nice, like Daddy just did" Nia instructs tugging on her hand. At 4 years old she was already the boss of everyone in the family. Tobias smiles as he looks over at his family all dressed in black as their son requested. Harrison was 10 now and had taken this pretty hard. They had started calling him Little Harry but now that he was getting older he made it know that he liked to be called Harrison now because he wasn't little anymore. His uncle Harrison thought this was particularly endearing and they all tried to keep from calling him Little Harry now.

"Well, I knew Pharaoh was special from the first day I met him, he was so loving and he protected you two like you were his own babies. I think we will always miss him but he's in heaven now."

"Do you think he's with Grandma Natalie, Uncle Reggie, and Auntie Stephanie?" Harrison asks looking between his father and mother.

"Oh, I definitely know he his" Tobias replies as he pats his son on his shoulder. The family made sure that the kids knew about their family even those who had passed away much like Hana, Max, Andrew, and Harrison had done.

"We'll miss you Pharaoh," Harrison says taking a deep breath as Tobias covers the small box containing his ashes with dirt in the backyard in a spot near one of the trees.

"Yeah we'll miss you doggie," Nia says swinging her arms. Tobias smiles a little. Nia had always called Pharaoh doggie as soon as she could start talking.

"Okay let's get changed, We need to get to the restaurant" Tris instructs. Nia takes off running toward the house and Harrison stops to give his mother and hug. She rubbed his back. Her sweet baby boy was growing so big.

Jalen had just graduated from high school and his official send-off party with the family was a the restaurant in a few hours. It started off small but then it grew to a larger event with Jalen inviting his friends and their families and asking Tris to get Sounds of Candor to perform.

"I feel so bad for him, Pharaoh was really his best friend," Tris says frowning as she watches her son.

"I know" Tobias agrees. He had taken Pharaoh's death hard too but at 14 years old, Tobias knew things had gotten rough when he couldn't make it up the stairs anymore. Ever since Tris and Tobias brought Harrison home from the hospital Pharoah didn't want to let him out of his sight. He slept on the floor of the nursery. The only time he didn't is when Nia came home and Tris could tell he was torn over which room to watch over and he ended up in the hallway between both their rooms jumping up if he heard either one of them.

Tris hears the doorbell ring and Tobias gives her a quick kiss before she goes to answer it assuming it was probably Christina. She, Tobias and Christina, and Uriah had moved to a new neighborhood about 5 years ago. Tris loved the brownstone but when they decided on having another baby they knew there wasn't enough space for two kids. Tobias and Amar were doing well with Divergent and had just received a large project to expand a portion of the Lincoln Park Zoo so money wasn't an issue and he actually added on a few features to design a playhouse in the back for the kids.

Uriah and Christina had outgrown their house as well with Christina and Tris expecting at the again this time with twins Jasmine and Jackson bringing the Pedrad crew to six kids. They lived on the same street and the kids usually ran between both houses all summer long or on the weekends. They were a little further from the restaurant but not too far. Susan and Caleb had purchased Uriah and Christina's old home so the family was all still close together.

Tris smiles curiously when she opens the door to find her father-in-law standing there holding a box.

"Hey! What a surprise!" Tris says stepping aside as Marcus gives her a kiss on the cheek and Tris thinks she hears scratching from the box with holes in the top.

"I hope you don't mind, I know I should have asked first but Harrison and Nia seemed so down about Pharoah I couldn't help myself" Marcus grins sheepishly as he sets the box down and Tris sees a small ball of fur as he takes the lid off in the foyer.

"I'll put money on the fact that Nia put you up to this didn't she?" Tris chuckles as she shakes her head and closes the front door. Her daughter was not only bossy but very persuasive just like Justin and could usually get her way with anyone but she had Marcus particularly wrapped around her finger.

"She might have laid it on a little thick" Marcus admonishes as Tobias comes in the back door.

"Dad, what are you doing here….You didn't" Tobias laughs as he stops when he sees the box and hears a tiny bark realizing what was happening. "Let me guess Nia begged you didn't she?"

Tobias leans over and picks up the small Rottweiler puppy. Tobias smiles, Pharaoh had been this small when he and Lauren picked him out. The puppy eagerly licks Tobias in the face.

"I'll go get the kids, and change" Tris says as she makes her way up the stairs. She stops to admire the pictures on the wall on her way up. One that makes her smile was from 2 years ago, Nia was sitting on her lap while Harrison stood next to her with Tobias in the back. She loved the picture so much she had it put on the wall. Nia had green eyes just like Uriah, Jeremy, and Hana but she was a mini version of Marlene just lighter in complexion. Harrison, looked more like Tobias now that he was getting older and Tris could tell he was going to be just as tall as Tobias.

Tris had become a spokesperson for the National Organ Donation center. There had been a national ad that featured Tris, Tobias, and the kids that ran all over the country. She was still doing speaking engagements at fundraisers telling her story. She felt so good about using her voice to help save lives. They had been featured in several television interviews on Good Morning America, CNN. It had been fun, things had died down now, 10 years later but Tris still helped with as many fundraisers as she could.

Tobias grins when he hears Nia and Harrison run down the starts excitedly yelling when Tris tells them Pop-Pop, which is what they called Marcus, was downstairs with a gift for them. No one participated in another season after the first of Real Housewives of Chicago other than Evelyn which ultimately lead to her and Marcus divorcing from all the drama. Tris thinks he couldn't truly get over all the deception Evelyn had pulled with Marlene and Tobias. Now that Marcus only worked part-time lecturing as a professor at the Northwestern Medical School, he loved spending time with Nia and Harrison and had even started hanging out with Max, Harrison, and Andrew on Sunday nights for poker.

Marlene was now overseeing all the residents in the ER at Northwestern Memorial which made Marcu very proud. Evelyn usually popped up with gifts for the holidays and the kid's birthdays but Tobias and Marlene still kept their distance from her. It had been 7 years since the divorce and Marlene and Tobias were happy Marcus had started dating again.

While Caleb, Susan, Tris, and Christina ran the restaurant primarily now, Max, Hana, Andrew, and Harrison still worked, they were turning more and more of the running of the restaurant over to their children.

"Pop-Pop! You really did it. Thank you Thank you!" Nia exclaimed as she hopped up and down excitedly in front of her father to get a better look at the puppy before running up to Marcus so he could lift her up.

"Yeah Thank you, Pop-Pop! This is the best. I'm going to take good care of him" Harrison grins as Tobias lets him hold the puppy who lets out a bark and licks Harrison in the face.

"Anything for you two, I have some things for him in the box, but you have to pick out a name for him" Marcus knows he spoiled his grandkids but Tris and Tobias had raised them to be so appreciative and thankful it made his day to see them smiling and happy.

"Can we name him Elsa?" Nia says after a minute thinking about her favorite Disney movie Frozen.

"That's a girl's name" Harrison rolls his eyes and Tobias and Marcus chuckle as Nia crosses her arms and pouts but starts to laugh when Marcus tickles her.

"What do you think we should name him?" Tobias asks his son.

"I think he looks like a Chief" Harrison says after a moment.

"Chief, I like it" Nia shrugs hops down out of her grandfather's arms, and runs off to tell Tris what they named the dog.

"Wait until I tell Jeremy!" Harrison grins.

All the kids were close, especially Jeremey and Harrison and now Nia, Jasmine, Jackson and Destiny, Caleb and Susan's little girl who was also 4 with Destiny being born a few months before Nia, Jackson, and Jasmine. Caleb and Susan had been married for 2 years now and were very happy. Everyone was so proud of Caleb, he had been sober for 10 years now and was even an AA sponsor and led group sessions at the Abnegation community center for recovering addicts. He decided he didn't want to go back into the world of science and was content running the restaurant alongside the rest of the family.

"Pop Pop are you coming to Jalen's party, we have a surprise!" Nia says bouncing up and down when she comes back downstairs.

"A surprise well I guess I can't miss it then" Marcus agrees enthusiastically as she crawls into his lap where he was sitting on the couch. Marcus spent time with the entire family now and was planning on attending the party to support Jalen that evening.

Tobias laughs as he heads upstairs to change. He knew Tris and the kids had been working on some special surprise for the party and he was shocked Nia and Harrison hadn't spilled the beans yet. Tris gets their newest member of the family all set up with the new bed and toys Marcus bought him. Knowing he would be okay for a few hours with Marcus offering to come back and check on him if the party went a little long.


Tris gets everything set up with the band as soon as they get to the restaurant. She was so proud of Jalen, had decided he wanted to be a police detective like Zeke, and had been accepted to the University of Illinois Urbana Champagne. Christina was relieved that he would be close to home.

Hana had made sure all of Jalen's favorites were on the menu for the party. Uriah and Christina were so proud, they had come a long way from being 16 and panicking when Christina realized she was pregnant.

"So what's this big surprise Tris has cooked up?" Zeke asks as he sits down next to Tobias, Uriah, and Will. Zeke had a major break after busting the distributor linked to Cara's murder. He had risen through the ranks of the Chicago PD and was now working for the DEA as a field agent in Chicago.

"Beats me. I couldn't even get it out of Justin and you know he tells everything" Uriah shrugs. Uriah had been promoted to chief of his own fire station. Harrison was adamant that he was going to be a firefighter just like his Uncle Uriah which Tobias suspected was the inspiration for the name of their new puppy.

"You ready for all this," Tobias asks Will as he takes a sip of his beer and grins as he observes the younger kids chasing after each other to get stage.

"Well being around this crazy bunch has me feeling over confident but I think I am" Will laughs out. He and Marlene had been married around the same time that Nia was born and they were expecting their first child in the coming weeks. Will looked over adoringly at Marlene who was sitting with Shauna rubbing her very pregnant belly as she laughed.

Destiny, Jasmine, Jada, and Jackson all dance in front of the stage as Tris sings. Destiny was adamant that she wanted to sing just like her Aunt Tris and she usually cried when Susan and Caleb didn't let her stay up late when the band played.

Bobby, Ravi, and Michael were extended family now, all with kids of their own who hung out with Tris and her family. Sounds of Candor had seen an increase in interest with all the attention on Tris and the Real Housewives of Chicago Franchise. The band had done a small tour about a year after Harrison was born at a few locations in New York, Atlanta, and few other cities. Bobby recorded with a few recording artists and Tris was excited to sing background vocal for a few records with H.E.R. which one them a grammy. Tris loved singing but she had no interest in being a recording artist full time and being on the road away from her family. She was invited every year to sing the National Anthem at all of the professional sporting events in the city each year still. Bobby tried for a few years to on a small record label but never made it big. Now Tris and the guys still did gigs around Chicago and played at The Pit during the summer months.

Tobias smiles as he watches his wife when she starts to sing Rise Up by Andra Day. Even after 12 years she still didn't like to show her transplant scar. She was wearing a high collar yellow one-shoulder shirt with a bow on the sleeved shoulder. Her hair was tied up in with a yellow, red, and blue kente headband, her curls piled on top of her head. He loved the way her jeans hugged her hips, after two kids she picked up a little weight but Tobias loved it and told her every night when he ran his hands over her hips and thighs after the kids were in bed. He was still as captivated by her when she sang as he was that first time he heard her. He loved the quiet moments as she sang to their children before bed or to calm them during a thunderstorm. These moments were what he lived for now.

You're broken down and tired

Of living life on a merry go round

And you can't find the fighter

But I see it in you so we gonna walk it out

And move mountains

We gonna walk it out

And move mountains

And I'll rise up

I'll rise like the day

I'll rise up

I'll rise unafraid

I'll rise up

And I'll do it a thousand times again

And I'll rise up

High like the waves

I'll rise up

In spite of the ache

I'll rise up

And I'll do it a thousand times again

For you

For you

For you

For you

Tris grins as she looks at her husband while she sings. After all this time, she still got the surge of excitement when she sang and when she connected with her husband. It still felt like the first night when she sang in this very spot and noticed him while she was singing.

"Thank you for coming out to celebrate my nephew Jalen, the guys and I were very excited to work up this surprise for you, we hope you enjoy it!" Tris announces as she motions for the kids to join her on stage.

Jalen, Justin, Jada, Jeremey, and Harrison had all been begging Tris to help them start a band. They all had grown up around Sounds of Candor since Tris started singing with them. Andrew, Max, Hanna, and Harrison all look up and smile from their seats in the courtyard sitting exactly where Little Harry, Jeremy, and Jada instructed them to. Shauna, Marlene, Rose, and Christina are looking to Uriah, Caleb, Will, Zeke, and Tobias to try and figure out what was going on but everyone shrugs and smiles. Everyone is amused when all the kids get up on the stage and Tris gets them into positions with Jada, Destiny, Jasmine, and Nia on one side, Harrison, Jeremy, Jackson on the other. Mike gets up and gives his drumsticks to Justin and Tris hands Jalen another microphone.

Bobby starts the song on the piano and Tris starts off the song for them.

One day when the glory comes It will be ours,

it will be ours Oh one day when the war is won

We will be sure, we will be sure

Oh glory (Glory, glory) Oh (Glory, glory)

All the adults in the audience start to cheer when Jalen comes in with Common's verse.

Hands to the Heavens, no man, no weapon

Formed against, yes glory is destined

Every day women and men become legends

Sins that go against our skin become blessings

The movement is a rhythm to us

Freedom is like religion to us

Justice is juxtapositionin' us

Justice for all just ain't specific enough

One son died, his spirit is revisitin' us

Truant livin' livin' in us, resistance is us

That's why Rosa sat on the bus

That's why we walk through Ferguson with our hands up

When it go down we woman and man up

They say, "Stay down", and we stand up

Shots, we on the ground, the camera panned up

King pointed to the mountain top and we ran up

Christina smiles big as Uriah yells out "That's my boy!"

Hana, Marcus, Andrew, Tobias and Uriah, and Caleb all have their phone out now recording. Everyone knew the kids had bugged Tris about wanting to start a family band but this was amazing that she had pulled off this performance. All the younger kids join in the help her sing the chorus this time.

One day when the glory comes It will be ours, it will be ours

Oh one day when the war is won

We will be sure, we will be sure

Oh glory (Glory, glory) Oh (Glory, glory)

Caleb and Susan both laugh at how animated Destiny is with her singing. After the song is over Tris gives Jalen a big hug and everyone scatters so the band can take a break.

"I'm so proud of you," Tris thought Jalen had real talent and encouraged him to keep up his music and rap skills even though he didn't want to make a career out of it. She was very open with him about how music had been a great creative outlet for her.

"Thanks, Auntie" Jalen grins as he sees one of the neighborhood girls he invited to the party smiling at him. Jalen was handsome, looking just like Uriah at that age now, Tris knew he had the eye of several girls in his class.

"I think Brittany liked your performance too" Tris teases and Jalen grins and hops down off the stage to talk to the young lady smiling at him.

Andrew laughs as Nia hops up into Andrew's lap and he gives her a big hug. Jasmine had done the same to Hana and was talking away about how much she loved to sing now.

"Grampy did you see us, we did good didn't we?" Nia asks enthusiastically.

"You did so good! You sounded just like your mother" Andrew admonishes.

Tris smiles as she watches her daughter and her father chit chat and leans back when she feels Tobias wrap her arms around her waist.

"Well, that was a great surprise. I have no idea how you did it" He whispers and nuzzles her neck.

"Trust me it was a labor of love" She giggles, thinking about how difficult it had been to get all the kids to focus and keep it a secret.

"We have an amazing family," Tobias says thinking out loud as he looks over the courtyard at their family and friends laughing and smiling. Their families had been through so much but through it all, they stuck together. Moments like this he had come to treasure. Tris turns in his arms to give him a soft kiss and wraps her arms around his neck.

"Our second chance at life has been pretty good to us," she says with a smile.

"And I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world" he promises before pulling her into another kiss.