A Year Later…

Weddings would eventually be the death in me.

Although I had the luxury of having Sally plan most of it, I was still part of the stupid bridal party. And being part of the stupid bridal party meant making sure everyone else was having a good time. While trying not to strangle myself.

"And that's why you should never trust anyone. Ever." Clarissa's brother Chris said, earning a ballroom full of laughs. "But seriously, I paid a dear price not being more careful with my finance firm, and I regretted not seeing my sister grow up to be the fine young lady she is today. However, as this is a new beginning for me, it is an even greater time for her and Parker. And I'm so blessed to finally be present in her life, especially as a part of this new family." His hazel eyes shifted to the couple of the hour. "You have no idea how proud and happy I am for the both of you." He rose his glass. "To the bride and groom."

With a toast, I took my drink in a blissful swig. I would never underestimate the simple pleasure of drinking freely ever again. And Phil had made a generous wine donation.

"Now if the maid-of-honor would say some words?" Chris handed the microphone to me.

Gripping the microphone hard enough to squeeze the non-existent life out of it, I stared down at the audience.

"First of all, let's give Sally, the real bitch in charge, a round of applause." Clapping erupted, as Sally playfully nudged my shoulder. I delivered a charming speech about Clarissa being my partner in crime during law school and life, and that Parker really had a gem. I smiled. "You two honestly are the epitome of true love, and everyone here can see that. Congratulations."

The reception was in full throttle in seconds. Music bathed the space just as much as the flashing lights. I didn't really care to dance, but as I scanned the party floor I could see the twins with Silver, trying (but failing miserably) to groove to the beat.

"I can't believe that I'm this lucky to have them." Despite the roar of the music, I could still hear Blaze. She came to my side, also sporting the same black dress. She pinched my hand. "And you."

I smirked, watching Silas fall on his butt. "I did abandon you for three months after they were born...So I'm not that great."

"What exactly did you do anyway?"

I shrugged. "Hiked mountains. Volunteered. Traveled. Joined a circus." I watched Blaze roll her eyes. "Spent too much money…"

I was subsequently fired (then rehired) at the firm, but that was aside the point.

"It's like a dream, though." She smiled at her family. "I mean, they're like living train wrecks, but it's really fun watching them figuring things out."

"I can't believe Silver never figured it out," I considered, shaking my head. "Not to pry, but what if he wants more kids?"

Blaze's golden eyes lit up. "As you can see, he clearly finds two to be a handful," she said with a laugh. "But if he did, I would be honest with him this time. We'd use a surrogate openly, like we should have before." Her gaze softened. "I'm sorry for putting you through all that trouble."

"Aww, you finally grew up." Blaze rolled her eyes. I was forgetting that I wasn't the only one that had matured from this. I could even see the change in Silver; despite him being oblivious, he was finally tolerable, and I could see why Blaze was with him. However, the twins were already more than enough. I remembered trying to get Aimee (who was affectionately called to as Violet) and Silas to use forks, only to have them flick the utensils in my face like a slingshot. Simultaneously. I still had the marks on my forehead to prove it…

"I had to. I owe everything to you." She pinched my hand again. "Remember that they are yours as much as they are mine. And when you find your true love, you'll know because you already have it with us."

I smiled back at her as a rush of sentiment hit me. It was weird; as much as I considered Blaze and the twins to be exceptionally important to me, I had never told them that I loved them. Could that be what real love was? Something that you felt with every fiber of your being? Something that didn't matter if it was said, just warmly expressed? I felt like an idiot that this was just occurring to me.

I nudged toward the dance floor. "Go. It's hard enough to dance with one person, let alone two uncoordinated toddlers."

Violet took the initiative to fall this time, and suddenly Silver looked beyond overwhelmed. Blaze sighed before heading toward her family.

"Make sure you have fun!" she called out. It took everything not to scoff. Anyone with eyes could see that I was totally having fun. Even if I was now standing by myself like a loser—

"Amy!" Clarissa pulled me into a bear hug from behind. She had changed out of her first, more traditional gown. Now she wore an above knee, white party dress with a few black embellishments. "Are you having fun!?"

"Not as much as you." But I was smiling. And I liked to believe that counted somehow.

"You know, I always imagined us having a dual wedding," she said, forcing me to move along with the beat. "Is that weird?"

"You've always been weird," I replied, twirling her. "I bet you and Parker like it weird."

"Good one."

"Now go dance with your husband."

Clarissa pursed her lips. "I will when you go dance with someone."

I moved my shoulders to the rhythm of a new song. "I'm dancing with you aren't I?"

"No, you owe me a wedding wish," she said. "I want you to dance or talk to someone you wouldn't normally—step outside your comfort zone. It doesn't even have to be a dude. I just don't want you standing around the dessert bar getting fat off of strawberry cheesecake."

"But I love strawberry cheesecake." I mean, I was in better shape now than I was pre-pregnancy (blame Sally), but she was right. And she wasn't backing down.

"Okay." I pouted like a whining child. "But you might want to help your husband."

Parker was off to the front of the dance hall, near the DJ that was Tails, "dancing". Clarissa gasped before rushing after him.

"Didn't I tell you how uncool the running-man is?" And that was the last of that. Following her advice, I skipped the dessert table and headed for the bar. Compromise.

"What can I get for you?"

"Only you would work at your son's wedding."

"Better than watching Parker's shameful dance moves." Phil shrugged as I laughed, but he was glowing the glow of a proud father. "It's not work if you enjoy it."

"If you say so."

"I know so." He prepared the bride and groom's signature drink, a white wine with some blackberry embellishments. When I brought out a tip, Phil shook his head. "I thought I was the one giving tips around here?"

"Well, I could use a couple." My boss groaned as she struggled with two large bottles of bourbon. She put them on the bar table with a dramatic sigh. "Why do you make everything look so easy?"

"Where are Portia and Fiona?" Phil said. I searched the dance-floor; saw Fiona dancing with Sage, Portia with some hot girl.

"On the dance floor. Enjoying themselves." I eyed the older couple. "Like you two should."

"I don't know. I'd hate to leave my post." But it didn't take two seconds for Phil to take Ms. Ferret's hand and get lost on the dance floor.

I pursed my lips. "I guess I'll just stay here then…"

There was no line for the bar, but I didn't feel compelled to leave it. I surveyed the wedding partygoers; it was like they were in their own florescent bubble. And if I got too close, it would pop and the harshness of reality would kill them or something.

"What can I get you?" I said, as a familiar face approached me.

His eyes of fire lit up, almost smirking on his mouth's behalf. "I take it your career as an attorney isn't working out so well?" Shadow said.

"It's working about as well as everything else, so I can't complain," I replied, wiping a glass like I actually knew what I was doing. "But I'm not going to ask what you want again."

He pressed his lips together before jumping over the table. In a few moments he prepared two glasses of wine.

"What, no scotch?"

"You can't handle that, remember?" He offered me a nod before stepping over the counter again. "Now if you excuse me."

"You're not leaving this early are you?" In reality, it was sort of late. But only for someone who had to go through seventy-four case profiles by Monday.

"I don't enjoy social gatherings."

"Neither do I!"

"Unlike you, I have no social obligation to be here," he reasoned. "Have a good night—"

"I want to apologize," I shook my head, setting the glass down. What was I doing? Was I that desperate for him to stay? I continued with a sigh. "The time I came onto you, I didn't know that was the anniversary of Maria's death. You were vulnerable then, and it was also wrong to come in between you and Mina."

Yet despite Rouge's briefing last year, his words didn't explain one thing.

I sighed. "Still, why didn't you just tell me that you had an mission to protect Mina that included helping to advance her career? Fake engagement and all? I would have understood—"

"Because I thought this would be your wedding."

It was weird, how silent the room suddenly was. Yet, I was pretty sure DJ Twin Tails had just raised the volume. I could only blink at him.

"The rabbit girl's birthday party…when you said Parker and your roommate were dating, I realized I had made a huge mistake." He sighed. "But I still didn't want to impose on any chance for you to be with him. And my circumstance with Mina hardly gave me the right to foil the operation. I had to impede a terrorist group that targeted Mina before. And acting as her partner was part of the mission in order to lure away suspicion. She wasn't aware of it either, although her manager thought that our relationship could be marketing gold. However, by the time she discovered this, the group had just been detained and her album had already gone platinum, so we ended things promptly.

"If I told you—if I tried to be with you then—either of us could have potentially ruined the operation." His eyes narrowed against mine, but they were calm.

"But you're stronger now. Happier," he continued. "If we were together then, you wouldn't have been able to grow as much as you did. And I think that helped my rationale—the idea that we would be better apart. And you are. You know that."

"I don't know much of anything anymore," I replied, folding my arms. In some ways, it was like nothing changed. But he was right. If everything went how I wanted then, I wouldn't have had something that resembled closure with Scourge. Fiona and I would still want to kill each other. My relationship with Blaze would probably just be tolerable at best. I wouldn't have given birth to the twins.

And that final notion broke my heart.

I took a deep breath, but no tears came. I wasn't sad, nor was I truly relieved. It was just a reaction to clearing the air, I guess. I could hear Clarissa now, bragging about her threat of a suggestion to "talk to people" earlier. Damn her psychic, psychotic tendencies...

I breathed in this healing air. "Well, thanks for opening up. You didn't have to."

"Maria always pushed me to be a good person," he began, folding his arms. "But I was horrible to you. I thought it was better for you to be with someone else, but I ignored your feelings in the process. I am very sorry."

I nodded, processing his response. And since I wasn't easily satisfied with explanations or apologies, I still had one more question.

"Was it you?"

I was being as problematic as I was being vague; and I knew that I had to stop searching for ways to disappoint myself. It was him or Scourge, and I didn't know who to put my money on—or if I'd even win anything if I won.

The corner of Shadow's lip jerked upward. I'd like to call it a smile.

"I'm surprised the ones who call themselves your friends didn't notice," he said, indirectly answering my question. I closed my eyes, forced down my sudden surge of emotions.

"So you left the rose?"

"Unfortunately."

I opened my eyes, and saw the ache in his, the deflated expression on his usually expressionless face.

"Thank you." I tried not to think too much about his act, or this new revelation that changed almost nothing. "I miss talking to you," I then said, feeling the mood change as a slow ballad washed over us. "Can we be friends again?"

"You're acting like we were friends in the first place."

I laughed. "There's the ray of sunshine we all know and love."

"No matter. I promise to never hurt you or your feelings intentionally again." Shadow brought out his hand. "As friends."

I took it. "As friends."

What I did next was probably wrong. I hugged him, despite how much he hated hugs. Then I kissed him before I could ask permission, despite how much he hated surprises. And it was a surprise to me when he allowed me to deepen it, allowed my arms to wrap around his back, allowed our tongues to dance a sensual dance. The heat of his lips, the trace of wine on his breath…it was all intoxicating, overwhelming. But I missed it.

I missed him.

When we parted, the hint of confusion on his face was as foreign as it was amusing. I couldn't help but smirk as I rose on the tips of my toes, and pressed my lip to his ear. "Friends kiss too."

The music started playing something I could finally dance to when I saw Blaze motioning toward me with a smug grin. I gave Shadow a small salute before heading for the dance floor. But in a fleeting moment, his hand found mine.

And we were no longer lost.

So that's it, folks!

I don't have much time to go on a spiel about why the story ended the way it did, but I just hope that you've all enjoyed it. Writing this series has been quite a journey, and although it has come to an end-ish, know that it really was a pleasure writing for you guys. Like I said earlier, the epilogue will be up sometime before a week, as well as the answers to the Q&A. Again, it was a joy.

~KB