Here's the last chapter! Thank you to everyone who's read this story and shared their thoughts. And, of course, the biggest thank you to Enza – without her, this story never would have been finished.
~TLL~
*Five*Years*Later*
"Congratulations, Jude!"
"Thanks, Callie," Jude said, cradling the phone against his shoulder as he fidgeted with the buttons on his shirt. "I just … feel embarrassed. Everyone else today is seventeen or eighteen. I'm … behind."
"Not as far behind as you could have been," Callie said. "You're graduating high school today! You got into a college, Jude! I never thought these things would happen for you! Be proud of yourself, Jude, I am. I am so proud of you."
"I am," Jude said, staring at himself in the mirror, touching the hair that he still religiously dyed blue. "I am proud of myself."
He'd done it. He'd made it through his first days of school – where people couldn't decide whether they wanted to talk about Connor's cancer or Mrs. Adams-Foster's new kid or the fact that Connor and Jude were gay and dating – and he'd made it through when Connor graduated at eighteen and went to university and now, here he was, about to leave it all behind, including his room at his mothers' house and go to university too.
"I'm up for parole in August," Callie said. "I think I'll get it. I've been a good prisoner. I never killed anyone. I just don't actually know what I'll do if parole happens."
"Stef and Lena will take you," Jude said. "It's what they've always said and they will. They'll help you get back on your feet. They love you too, Callie."
"I might just take them up on it. Go graduate, Jude. You can't be late. And take lots of pictures for me, okay? I'm sorry I'm missing this. I'm sorry I've missed all this."
"Me too," Jude said. "We will. I love you."
"I love you too."
Jude hung up the phone and looked himself in the mirror one last time. Graduating! He'd done it!
"Jude!" Stef called. "Connor's here!"
Like he had done countless times since moving in with Stef and Lena, Jude rushed down the steps to where Connor was waiting for him.
"Congrats!" Connor said.
Like he hadn't just seen Connor two days ago, Jude grabbed him into a tight hug.
"Thanks."
"I'm proud of you," Connor whispered in his ear. "So proud of you."
"You were the first person to believe in me," Jude said. "If you hadn't been stubborn with To Kill A Mockingbird and taught me to read …"
"Don't give me your credit," Connor said. "You did all this. You."
"You helped," Jude said, kissing him softly. "You know you did."
Connor kissed him again.
"Everyone ready to go?" Lena called.
"Ready when you are, Ms. Adams," Connor replied, and Jude just laughed. He wondered how long Connor had to be out of school for the habit to break.
Lena was clearly still amused by it too as she was laughing as she picked her keys out of her purse.
"Let's go!" Stef said. "We can't be late for Jude's big day!"
"No, we can't!" Connor agreed and they bustled out of the house.
Stef and Lena didn't stop taking photos from the moment that they arrived at the school but Jude didn't mind. He had watched Mariana and Jesus go through this; he had spent the last few years seeing many of Brandon's graduation photos stuck to the fridge. It was his turn and – though he wasn't one to think like this often – he did think that he deserved it.
He had just gotten his cap and gown on when he heard a shriek through the crowd.
"Look at you!"
Jude turned, seeing Mariana, Jesus, and even Brandon coming toward them. Mariana trapped him in a tight hug.
"You're here?"
"We wouldn't miss it," Mariana said.
Jude hugged them all, Connor turning his phone and shooing them all together so that he could get a family photo. Jude wrapped one arm around Stef and one arm around Lena and grinned as wildly as possible, trying not to think about Callie. When he sent her the photo later, she would know that he'd been thinking of her, his smile not as wide as she would have expected it to be.
"It's time for grads to line up!" came a shout and Jude adjusted his gown over his shoulders.
"Do I look okay?"
"Perfect, Jude. We've got to go grab our seats so that we get good ones. We'll see you after."
Stef and Lena kissed his cheeks, careful not to leave lipstick smears, and then they left with his siblings, leaving Connor there with him.
"Are you going to sit with them?"
"Yeah. Just want one second alone with you, that's all." Connor adjusted the tassel on Jude's hat. "I'm really proud of you."
"You said," Jude murmured, beginning to blush from Connor's praise.
"I love you," Connor added.
"I love you too."
Connor kissed him softly, the tassel swinging between them. With care, Connor put it back in its spot.
"See you after," Connor said. "Don't fall off the stage."
"I wasn't worried up until now," Jude mused, and Connor laughed.
"You look great."
"Thanks. I have to go line up now. Make sure I can see you, okay?"
"I will," Connor promised, and then he went to find his seat and Jude found his place in line.
He marched in, just like they had practiced and Jude took his seat, just like they had practiced. He glanced around the room, finding his family sitting in the front row on the far side of the room, Connor on the aisle seat next to Jesus. As if Connor had felt his gaze, Connor turned to see him watching and gave a wave. Jude waved back and then faced forward as the speeches commenced.
The ceremony seemed to drag, mostly because there was just a lot of talking at the beginning. It picked up when names started being called for diplomas and awards. Jude's legs shook when he climbed the stairs to shake hands with his principal, grasping his diploma in his hand. Had ever thought that he would get here? Had he ever thought he would graduate? No. Not even after Lena started homeschooling him, not after he really started school, not even this past September, when he was told that he only needed four more credits to graduate. He'd done it. He'd done it only because of the people in the audience, but it had all started, as everything for him did, with Callie's sacrifices, and even though he had just spoken to her this morning, his heart ached with all that she'd had to miss.
When it was over, it was Lena that he hugged first before being passed around between his family members, who kept telling him congratulations over and over again. He knew how proud they were of him, but Jude surprised himself with how proud he was of himself. He'd really done it. Holding that slip of paper made everything so real. He'd done it!
"Let's go out to graduation lunch," Stef said. "Anywhere you want to go, Jude, your choice."
He picked the same Italian place that he always did when it was his turn to pick. They spent a few more minutes lingering, Jude saying a few goodbyes to classmates that he'd spoken to, and then, they decided it was time to go, and Jude was relieved to walk out. He was twenty now; it was time to put high school behind him.
Outside the front doors, Connor tugged on Jude's sleeve, holding him back from following Stef back to the car.
"What?" Jude asked.
"I'm not going to go to lunch," Connor said. "I think that you should have some one on one time with your family."
"Come on, Connor, you know they think of you as family too. You're not intruding or anything."
"It's not about that," Connor said. "I just want you to have one on one time because I'm not going to feel bad about you coming over to my apartment later and me keeping you for the night."
"Connor –"
"And I have some things I want to get for you for when you come over," Connor said. He rested his hands on Jude's waist. "So, celebrate with your family now and then we'll celebrate later in a way that they're definitely not invited to."
"You're a tease," Jude said.
"You love me," Connor replied flippantly. "Kiss me and go catch up with your moms."
Jude leant down and kissed Connor.
"What time do you want me over?"
"I'll be home by six. Don't beat me there. I have stuff to set up for you."
"What kind of stuff?"
"Surprise stuff," Connor said, poking him in the chest. "No cheating and using your key."
"You're not going to be able to pull this stuff when I move in with you."
"That's not until August," Connor said, "so I have to milk it while I can."
Jude shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Now, go, I'm going to be late," Connor said.
"For what?"
"Later, Jude, later."
Jude knew he was going to have to be satisfied with that. He kissed Connor one more time before getting into the car with his parents, following the car containing his siblings.
"How do you feel?" Lena asked. "Feel any different?"
"I feel accomplished. I feel like … Like I actually did something. It's a rare feeling."
It was the first time that Jude felt like he'd actually done something for himself. He had done things, accomplished things, but for other people. Some of those things had meant more – like giving Connor his kidney – but this was the first time that he felt like he had done this for him and it mattered. Every time he had struggled, every time school had weighed him down, every question he had ever gotten wrong, no longer mattered, because he had been able to do it in the end.
"Are you proud of yourself?" Stef asked.
"I am," Jude said.
"We are too."
He knew that. His family loved him and he was so glad that he had his family and the life that he had. He was so grateful and he could barely put it into words, and he'd tried. On several special occasions, on the day his adoption was finalized, and the words had never come out right.
"Thank you for adopting me," he said.
"You were meant to be our son," Lena said. "We knew that so soon after we met you."
"I'm glad you knew. I can't imagine any other life now."
"We love you."
"I love you too."
(-.-)
Jude used his key on Connor's door, calling out for his boyfriend as he stepped inside of the apartment. Immediately, Jellybean's aged head poked around the hallway corner, staring him down for a moment.
"It's just me," he said but she rebuffed him. Either she had gotten more distrustful because of her old age or she had decided to stop trusting them when they had adopted a pair of kitten siblings when Connor had moved into the apartment. As he thought about them, Jude's dark brown cat, Hershey, streaked by, following by his orange sister, Lollypop. "Connor?"
"Living room!"
Jude followed the sound of Connor's voice. In the living room, he found Connor with a bouquet of chocolate roses.
"Those for me?" Jude asked.
"Yeah, I need to put you in a good mood." Connor offered Jude one of the chocolate roses. Jude took it, unwrapping the foil from the top of the rose and circling into the kitchen to throw it out.
"Why do I need to be in a good mood?" Jude asked, thinking that he'd been a good enough mood before Connor had said anything. He could see Connor from the kitchen and he half-turned to look at his face.
"I have something to tell you."
"Is it bad?"
"Part of the reason that I didn't go to your family lunch is because Dad had to take me to a doctor's appointment."
Fear flooded through Jude and he dropped the rose on the kitchen counter. "What? Are you sick again? Don't tell me you're sick again! I can't go through that again."
Connor tapped his foot on the floor. "Would you leave me if I was?"
"No!" Jude circled back into the living room, standing in front of where Connor was sitting on the arm of the couch. "Nothing would make me leave you. It'll just kill me to watch you go through that again. And you can't need another kidney, 'cause I need the one I have. It's got to be your liver this time, because I can give you part of that and be okay."
Connor smiled, drawing Jude's hands in his own before pulling Jude down to kiss him. Jude kissed him, but only briefly. His worry had him pulling back.
"Are you sick again?" Jude demanded.
"How long have I been in remission?" Connor asked him.
"Uh …" Jude thought back. "Four … Five years. Right? A long time, anyway. Why?"
"How long do I have to be in remission before I'm considered cured? Do you remember?"
"Five years," Jude whispered. "Five years. Is that what your doctor's appointment was about?"
"It was," Connor said. "I am cured!"
Jude whacked him on the bicep and pushed him back onto the couch. "You couldn't have led with that?!"
Connor just laughed. "Sorry! You just distracted me and I –"
Jude straddled his hips. "Sorry! You had me so worried! I thought you were dying again!"
Connor kept laughing. "I'm healthy! I'm healthy! I'm all fixed! You can't be mad when everything's perfect!"
"I can always be mad," Jude grumbled. "It's what I'm good at."
"The one thing you're good at," Connor joked.
Jude bent down and kissed Connor, his hands sliding under his shirt. "You're a jerk, you know. I knew it when I first saw you."
"I can make it up to you," Connor promised, pulling Jude's shirt over his head and dropping it on the floor. Hershey immediately buried himself in it, Lollypop leaping on top of him, Jellybean following the two of them around like a helicopter mom.
"You're going to have to try," Jude said. "Otherwise, I'll just go on believing you're a jerk forever."
"Come on. Bedroom, while the cats are distracted."
Jude reluctantly got off of Connor, but the moment the bedroom door closed the cats outside, Jude had Connor pushed back on the bed, back on top of him in a second. But Connor surprised him – he played baseball on the school team and worked out regularly – and he easily had the strength to turn the tables on Jude, rolling him back onto the bed. Connor kissed him and Jude melted.
"Still mad at me?"
"It's going to take more than one kiss."
"I'm gonna spend forever kissing you," Connor said.
"Yeah?" Jude murmured, getting lost in the fantasy of it.
"Yeah. I'm going to marry you someday."
His words caught Jude off-guard because they'd never talked about their future further than Jude moving in with him. But it didn't make Jude scared; it made butterflies erupt in his stomach. He knew he wanted to be with Connor forever. He knew he was going to love him forever.
"You're not asking now, are you?" Jude said.
"No, but someday I will."
Jude ran his fingers through Connor's shoulder-length shaggy hair before wrapping his hand in it and kissing Connor deeply.
"Someday, I'll say yes."
"Even if you're mad at me?" Connor joked.
"Yeah, 'cause I'm going to be a terrible husband so I'll do it just to spite you."
Connor laughed. He kissed Jude's lips and then worked his way down, kissing Jude's neck and chest. Jude had his arm around Connor, holding him close as he relaxed into the large bed that was soon going to be Jude's soon. He looked around the room; he spent so much time here that it looked like he had already completely moved in. His clothes and knick-knacks were crammed in with Connor's on nearly every surface, except for the bookshelf, because that was reserved for Connor's copies of To Kill A Mockingbird. But that was okay, because the book was special to Jude too.
Jude shifted his gaze back to Connor, hooking his hands under Connor's shirt to pull it off him.
"Like what you see?" Connor teased.
Jude reached his hand down, touching Connor's surgical scar. In return, Connor pressed a hand against Jude's.
"Matching set," Connor said, like he had the first time they'd been naked in front of one another, staring at how the other's transplant scar fit the curve of their bodies.
"I love you," Jude said. "But, so help me God, if you start off good news with 'remember how I was dying once', I'll kill you myself."
"Get over it," Connor said, low in Jude's ear, his breath tickling Jude's neck. "You're going to be stuck with me for a very long time."
"I better be," Jude muttered crankily and his tone had Connor laughing at him again.
"That's why I love you," Connor said.
"Shut up," Jude said. "I thought you were supposed to be making something up to me."
"I am, I am," Connor said, his lips against Jude's while his hands slid down Jude's body.
Jude closed his eyes and fell into Connor, his hands sliding through the long strands that they had tracked to the perfect length the entire time it was growing back. All of the good in his life now was because he had taken the chance and talked to some jerk kid all those years ago, and, now, Jude couldn't bring himself to have a single regret about anything. He kissed Connor deeply, feeling his heart double-beat in his chest at every contact.
He was always going to love him.
*The*End*
The playlist is now available on tumblr and youtube!
If you have a song that reminds you of The Island Of Misfit Toys and would like it to be on the playlist, send it in and let me know! I'd love to hear your playlist suggestions. This week's songs are: Forever by Matt Hires; What I Needed by Erin McCarley; and Here I Am by Dolly Parton and Sia.
So, on tumblr I'm: we are all of legend now (with dashes between every word). If you want to find my replies to anon reviews, add backslash tagged backslash anon dash replies. If you want to see anything I post about The Island Of Misfit Toys, go to my tumblr URL and add backslash tagged backslash the dash island dash of dash misfit dash toys. Punctuation is spelled out due to Fanfiction's restrictions. If you're having any trouble accessing the tumblr content please send me a pm and I can format it for you in a different way.
~TLL~