I do not own Warm Bodies. It's just awesome.

R and Julie: The Simple Life

Chapter 12: One Last Song

R stood on the balcony, cradling his month old son in his arms. Baby RJ was wakeful and quiet, staring into his father's eyes.

It's like he can look at me and see straight into my soul.

The setting sun melted into the distant horizon. The evening clouds, tinted magnificent colors, added to the exquisite beauty of the world.

Music floated out from the open door behind him, emotionally powerful and speaking his words for him, as good music tends to do.

'This is my life. It's not what it was before . . .'

Definitely not. R thought back to everything that had happened since he first laid eyes on Julie fourteen long months ago. So much. So much he could have never anticipated or hoped for.

'All these feelings I've shared. And these are my dreams that I've never lived before . . .'

I wanted so much to be this. Even when I couldn't actually express what it was that I wanted. This was it.

'Somebody shake me 'cause I, I must be sleeping . . .'

R held his son aloft, gazing at him, holding him almost as an offering of thanks. No, no waking up from this dream. No, thank you.

'Now that we're here; so far away; all the struggle we thought was in vain . . .'

So long alone, trapped inside myself. This, now, is Heaven. Nothing could be better. No matter what Fred says. I simply cannot fathom anything being better.

'And all the mistakes one life contain; they all finally start to go away . . .'

R kissed his son's cheeks, his forehead, his nose. The baby burbled, happily touching and caressing R's face with his small, soft, moist hands.

'Now that we're here, so far away and I feel like I can face the day . . .'

I'm not alone anymore. And I even managed to bring some people with me, R thought of Marcus and the others who had lived as Corpses so long and now were actually living and feeling, being human.

'I can forgive and I'm not ashamed to be the person that I am today . . .'

He didn't even notice his few shed tears until Baby RJ touched his face again and smeared the moisture there. R sniffed and smiled at his precious son. The child stuffed his tear-covered fingers unceremoniously into his open mouth, eyes bright, cooing at his father.

Julie stepped to his side and gazed adoringly at her men. R put an arm around her and kissed her, his human heart completely full of love and life. She snuggled up against him and they stood together, holding their small son and watching the sun melt down.

Finally, Julie spoke.

"Dad said he'd take Baby RJ for a few hours so we could spend some time, just us. I think he wants some Colonel Pop-Pop time."

R watched the sunset, listened to the music, squeezed his son affectionately, and said sincerely.

"That'd be nice."

Julie looked up at him with a promise in her eyes and a smile on her lips.

"Yep. And . . . I have a few ideas about how to spend our time, too."

R turned to her.

"Yeah?" he whispered.

She nodded and seductively whispered back.

"Yep. But we need to find those birds first."

R grinned and spoke.

"Okay."

As they walked back in the room, R caught the final line of the song and the mellow guitar riff that followed it.

'. . .and I'm not ashamed to be the person that I am today . . .'

Just R, he thought. Yes. I still like it. More than ever.

Just R.

"So Far" by Staind is the final song here. It was always going to be, from the time I began writing "Human". Check it out. It's completely gorgeous and it just soars.

I have enjoyed writing these two stories more than I can express. I tried to stay true to the personalities and rhythms of these phenomenal characters while at the same time allowing them to evolve naturally.

R, Julie, Nora, Colonel Grigio, Marcus. The kids. Even that sunset guy. They represent so much about just being human.

In my mind, they all live happily ever after. Of course, life has its ups and downs. That's just part of it. The point is, that they live. I think that's a quote from some movie or other. It's still true, even so.

Thank you so much for reading this opus of mine. I've had a lot of words inside me to let out. You've done well to read them all.

May you live and be well.