A/N: Sadly, I think this will be the last chapter. I'm not sure quite sure yet, but I like how this is ending up. The only thing that bothers me is how AU it is, but you are the readers, so tell me what you think. I'll let you know at the bottom whether or not this is the last chapter. About Lo and Stevie's names…I'm just going to add on Greeley, they are going to be some long ass names but that's okay! Flashbacks are italicized.
Disclaimer: Don't own…
On with the story…
--
Epilogue: Loved and Done Searching
"BABY GIRL!" Lo exclaimed as she entered her old apartment.
"MOMMY!" Stevie squealed as she ran to the front door of her old apartment and into Lo's open arms.
"Oh, I missed you so much!" Lo gushed.
"I miss you too mommy," Stevie said, "Daddy?"
"Right here, baby," Kevin smiled and kneeled down so that Stevie could run into his arms from her mother's.
"DADDY!" Stevie ran into his arms and he proceeded to lift her up with him, "I miss you," she whispered into his neck.
"I missed you too babe," Kevin whispered back.
"Never leave," Stevie whispered again, but Lo could also hear it. Stevie was tired and falling asleep in Kevin's arms. It was, after all, 9 o'clock.
"Never," Kevin and Lo said back and Stevie was out like a light.
--
2 Years Later…
"Mommy, Daddy, wake up, it's the first day of school!" 4-year-old Stephanie Leigh Gilmore-Mariano Greeley yelled as she jumped on her parents' bed at 5:30 AM…2 and a half hours too early.
"Baby, we still have over 2 hours to sleep," Lo tried to explain to the overexcited 4-year-old.
"NO! Get up now!" Stevie insisted.
"Babe, come on, we don't need to get up for awhile, just go back to sleep," Kevin tried to persuade her.
"Nope, now!" Stevie started to jump up and down on the bed.
"Fine," Kevin grumbled and got out of bed. He grabbed Stevie and threw her over his shoulder.
"Thanks babe," Lo smiled with her eyes closed up at Kevin, "Wake me up at 8."
"Okay," Kevin said and started walking out of the bedroom with a giggling Stevie over his shoulder.
"My man," Lo sighed into her pillow wistfully.
"Okay Steves, what do you want for breakfast?" Kevin asked as he sat Stevie down on a barstool at a bar that separated the dining room from the kitchen.
"Hmmm…PANCAKES!" Stevie's eyes lit up and she smiled a mile wide as she exclaimed this from her seat.
Kevin chuckled, "Okay," then went to find the pancake batter and start some coffee.
2 Hours Later…
"Coffee," Lo grumbled as she stumbled from the hall to the main room.
"Kitchen," Stevie and Kevin answered without glancing at her. They were always up before her; they were used to this.
"Mmm," Lo moaned and made her unsteady way to the kitchen.
She poured herself a cup of coffee, black, and immediately perked up as she took a gulp.
"So, it's your first day of school today, how do you feel about that babe?" Lo asked excitedly as she plopped down on the couch next to Stevie.
Stevie's smile reached her eyes, "I am sooooooo excited!" Stevie gushed excitedly and started to bounce in her seat.
"How many cups?" she directed to Kevin.
Kevin held up 2 fingers.
"That's ma' girl," Lo said proudly while hugging Stevie.
"I told ya' she would be proud," Stevie stuck her tongue out at Kevin.
"Yeah, yeah," Kevin said.
"Okay, let me get dressed and we'll take you okay, babe?" Lo interrupted their little argument.
"Otay mommy," Stevie said cheerily and turned back to the TV. She was already dressed in a little pink and yellow plaid sun dress and white sandals.
Lo went into her room and brushed out her hair then proceeded to do her make-up and such. She got dressed in a pair of black pin-striped pants and maroon camisole under a black ¾ length sleeve button-up suit jacket. The jacket ended just above her hips and she buttoned the middle button. She put her hair up in a neat business bun and slipped on low-heeled black shoes. She walked out to the living room where Kevin was ready to walk out the door and helping Stevie get her backpack on.
Central Manhattan Elementary School
Stevie ran up to a lady in her mid-thirties with auburn hair to her shoulders, "Hi, I'm Stephanie Leigh Gilmore-Mariano Greeley, but you can call me Stevie," Stevie said quickly, smiling up at the woman.
"Wow, what a name," the woman said, surprised.
"Mommy says that I'll always be a Gilmore-Mariano girl and Great-Gran, Gran, Mom, and I will always be Gilmore girls," Stevie explained.
"I see," she said and looked at a blushing Lo, "I'm Mrs. Drake," the woman smiled and extended her hand to Lo and Kevin.
Lo reached out and shook her hand, "I'm Lorelai Lorinn Gilmore-Mariano Greeley, you can call me Lo," Lo mimicked her daughter.
"I'm Kevin Richard Greeley, you can cal me Kevin," Kevin extended his hand.
"Ah, a much easier name," Mrs. Drake commented.
"Yeah, we Gilmore girls like to be complicated," Lo smiled and watched as Stevie hugged her and Kevin quickly then ran off with the other kids.
"She'll be fine," Mrs. Drake assured.
"Oh, I know," Lo smiled and put her arm through Kevin's, "We'll be back to pick her up."
"Bye Mrs. Drake," Kevin called as they left the building.
"My baby's growing up," Lo whispered.
"We did good," Kevin said just as quietly.
--
10 Years Later…
They leant in simultaneously and ever-so-lightly brushed their lips together.
She leaned back and blushed slightly, much like her mother and grandmother.
He leaned back and smirked much like his father, uncle, and her grandfather.
"Be my girlfriend?" he asked shyly.
"Of course," she said quietly, but with excitement.
They leaned in again and deepened the kiss a bit. They pulled back and smiled at each other. Their families would be excited…and proud.
--
4 Years Later…
"Stephanie Leigh Gilmore-Mariano Greeley," she walked up onto the stage and to the headmaster to accept her diploma holder.
"Thank you Headmaster Latgis," she smiled and walked to edge of the stage where she looked out into the crowd at her aging great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, boyfriend, and numerous aunts and uncles. She made funny faces with her mom, grandma, great-grandma, and aunts, then exited the stage.
"I present to you the Lower East Side Preparatory High School class of 2023!" the headmaster said through the microphone and the graduates through their hats in the air.
She caught her hat and ran to find her family. She found her boyfriend and jumped into his arms.
"I'm so proud of you babe!" he said as he picked her up and twirled her around. She clung to his neck and let him spin her while she grinned.
"I love you," she whispered in his ear.
"I love you, too," he set her down, kissed her on her nose, forehead, cheeks, chin, and then finally gave her a passionate kiss on the lips.
They pulled back and smiled at each other.
"Yale," they said together, touching their foreheads together as the rest of her family came over including his mother, father, and little sister Karen.
"Told you they were going to get married," the boy's mother bragged.
"We said it, too," the girl's mother piped in.
"Well they are," their aunt conceded, "and that's all that matters.
The three 43-year-old best friends gazed at the two young adults in love while two older women gabbed about how old they were getting, one being 78 and the other 62.
The men were off in their own group discussing the insurance on the building.
--
4 Years Later…
"Do you, Stephanie Leigh Gilmore-Mariano Greeley, take this man, David Michael McKinney to be your lawfully wedded husband…," the priest started.
The rest of the ceremony continued accordingly. The only drama was that someone cough Lorelai cough spiked the punch. Oh and they got a call that Christopher, Sherri, and Georgia Hayden's plane crashed and they didn't survive. Rory and Lorelai were upset, but were determined to make the most of the party. Chris had never been there, ever, during their lives anyway.
"Could we have the bride and groom to the dance floor for their first dance," the DJ said over the speaker.
My love
There's
only you in my life
The only thing that's right
My first
love
You're every breath I take
You're every step I make
"I love you," Stevie whispered in Davie's ear as she laid her head on his shoulder and buried her face in his neck.
And I
I want to
share
All my love with you
No one else will do
And your eyes
(your eyes, your eyes)
They tell me how much you care
Oh,
yes
You'll always be
My endless love
"I love you, too," Davie whispered back and pulled her closer, tucking her head under his chin, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.
Two hearts
Two
hearts that beat as one
Our lives have just begun
And
forever
I'll hold you close in my arms
I can't resist your
charms
"Always?" Stevie looked up into his eyes and asked.
"And forever," Davie smiled down at her and kissed her nose.
The song ended and the DJ spoke again, "Could we have the maid of honor and best man to the dance floor please?"
Oliver Richards and Anna Malice made their way to the dance floor to join Stevie and Davie. A few minutes into the next song the DJ requested that any other couples that would like to join to make their way to the dance floor.
Lo and Kevin, Tabby and Justin (not together, but still single), Lexis and Mike, Tara and Josh, Stacie and Brendan, Rory and Jess, and Lorelai and Luke made their way to the dance floor followed by many other couples.
"We're married," Stevie gushed.
"We are," Davie confirmed.
--
8 Years Later…
"Sadly, we are here to announce that our beloved author, Lora Mariano," she had kept the name for her books, "will be leaving the literary world," Lucy Dunfield, age 55 and still on her own talk show reported to her crowd.
The crowd moaned in dissatisfaction and Lo looked sad.
"So Lora, what are the reasons for your departure?" Lucy asked.
"Well, I'm 55, my grandmother is 90 and she's having some health problems right now that I need to be there for. I have written 20 books for you to enjoy, I've done my part, but I will not be gone forever. I plan to give writing classes of some sort down at my alma mater, Yale University, in their night program," Lo assured and explained.
"Well, that's good. We're sorry to hear about your grandmother though. The audience is dying to hear how your daughter is doing," Lucy looked riveted in her seat.
"Well, she's happily married with 2 kids, Stephanie Lynn McKinney, Lynn for short, and Jacob David McKinney, Jake for short and she runs my grandmother's inn since she is now unable to," Lo answered happily, looking out into the crowd to find most of her family their.
"And your parents?" Lucy questioned.
"Still married, my dad still teaches, but has also taken over the position of headmaster at Chilton Prep and my mom still works at her newspaper, but she now owns it instead of being the editor-in-chief. They're retiring soon, though," Lo answered.
"Seems like your family is doing great," Lucy smiled a genuine smile.
"Yeah, I guess my life turned out pretty good," Lo looked out at the crowd again and smiled at her daughter, grandchildren, son-in-law, best friends, husband, and her mother. The others couldn't make it for various reasons, but she knew they were watching.
"And you'll find out more New York, when we come back," Lucy said cheerily.
Lo and Lucy put on genuine smiles for the camera; both women thinking about how far they had gone. Just 23 years ago they had been on this same stage talking about the beginning of Lo's career and were now talking about the end of it with a bittersweet feeling of life fulfillment that they didn't know would come to them.
There was no more searching.
She was loved.
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A/N: This story has finally come to a close. Thanks so much for sticking with me through all of it! I hope you like how this turned out because I did! Press the pretty little button and tell me what you think!
The song that I used was Endless Love by Diana Ross.
Personal Thank You-s:
Literati and naley forever- As usual, the first to review. Thank you once again for the support, suggestions, and general reviews!
RBDFAN- Well, what can I say? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALWAYS REVIEWING! It really makes me happy to have such faithful reviewers.
Curley-Q- Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALWAYS REVIEWING! Knowing I'll always have you and RBDFAN to review is very comforting.
7thgirlgal- OH MY GOSH! Thank you so much for making me feel so special! I am so happy that I could do that for you with my writing! If you ever need to talk just PM me and I'll listen!
hollowgirl22- Ahh, definitely one of my favorite reviewers! I love that you love my stories so much! Thanks so much for always reviewing!
Ghostwriter- Short and to the point…just how I like them! Thanks a bunch!
Also Thanks to the Following:
AceJournalist, Vartan-Lover, gilmorejunkie1230, and SmilesAreAllINeed for reviewing when they did!