Sooooo, I'm alive and writing…. I know, I know. I've already heard the angry mob coming after me for not updating in forever. Anyway, I'm really sorry for not updating sooner, but here's the next chapter. This very, very late chapter.

Disclaimer: Disclaimed.

Haruhi ran through the halls of Ouran without noticing which turns she took or the flights of stairs she ran down. The pain in her heart far outweighed her common sense.

Footsteps pounded behind her, but no one called out her name. It wouldn't have mattered anyway – she wouldn't have stopped, no matter who it was. By some miracle, Haruhi reached the entrance of the school, out of breath and panting, but still she refused to stop.

Even if she loved him, she wasn't sure she was capable of ever being with him again. There were too many problems between them, and she wasn't the same person she was before. Her time away from him had made her miss him terribly, but not even the joy of his regained memory could make her forget.

Someone still followed her, keeping pace behind her, but making no motion to overcome her. She figured it was one of the hosts, but she didn't want to talk to any of them. Eventually she had to stop though, for the need to breathe overpowered her.

A cloth came over her mouth and, despite her struggling, she felt her eyes slowly slide to a close.

Haruhi awoke to the sound of an argument, angry French words flying across a luxurious car, but her head was too fuzzy to attempt to translate what was being said. It's not like it would even really matter if she knew what they were saying or not – her hands and ankles were bound too tightly to attempt an escape, and the duct tape over her mouth prevented her from crying out for help.

Instead, she kept her head where it was – resting on her shoulder – so as not to draw attention to herself. It wouldn't have mattered, though. At the rate Emilie was screaming, Haruhi could've ripped her bindings off and started doing the hula without the girl noticing.

Several minutes passed before Emilie hung up the phone with a sigh. "I know you're awake. The drug doesn't last that long." Haruhi refused to give her the satisfaction of even twitching. "Fine. We'll do it your way. I want Tamaki."

As if that wasn't obvious.

"And you're going to help me get him."

Tamaki ran his fingers through his hair as he listened to what Kyoya told him. "As far as I can tell, they're heading back to Emilie's estate. They're taking a longer way there – probably in case you were having them followed – but the overall direction is toward the richer section of town."

It had only been about fifteen minutes since Haruhi ran away from him, but it seemed as if an eternity had passed. He was so close to having her with him again, only to have that same stupid mistake mess it all up. Again. With a sigh, he let his hand fall to his side, not particularly caring whether his hair was perfect or not.

"I want her back, Kyoya. No matter what the cost is."

He smirked, pushing his glasses up a bit. "That can be arranged."

Opening his mouth to speak, Tamaki was stopped as his phone rang. As he pulled it from his pocket, he scowled, but answered it nonetheless. "Emilie. What do you want?"

Kyoya coughed indiscreetly. "Play nice."

"Is that the welcome I get when I went through such pains to rescue your girlfriend from those big, nasty men?"

It didn't surprise him that she knew his memory had returned – not when she was already sending men to kidnap Haruhi, his supposed girlfriend. "I repeat, what do you want? I assume you didn't call just for a chat."

He could hear the pout in her voice. "That's mean, Tamaki. Here I am, calling to let you know that she's here and safe. For now."

"If you lay a hand on her – "

"Oh, Tamaki. You should know better than that. You never, ever threaten a lady. It makes us," The sound of metal being sharpened made his fear spike. "unpredictable."

"Emilie, please, please just tell me what I can do to get her back safely. I'll do anything."

"Nuh uh, Tamaki. It's never a good idea to let someone know how desperate you are. But, since you're so adorable when you beg, I'll let it go. That café I was at earlier? I'm sure you know the one. Meet me there in twenty minutes. Come alone. Or else." There was that damned sharpening noise again.

"I get it. I'll be there. Alone."

He shut the phone and turned to Kyoya. "She wants me alone. If I'm not back within the hour, come and get me."

Without waiting for a response, Tamaki turned on his heel and walked out of the room to go save his love.

Emilie sat at the counter, swinging her legs back and forth when he approached her. "Alright. I'm here. What do you want?"

"Marry me."

There was silence, then a bark of laughter. "You can't be serious. After everything, do you really think I would marry you? Anything we might have had was gone the moment you couldn't handle that I chose my mother over you. Not to mention everything you've done since then. There's no way I would marry you!"

Emilie didn't look hurt. Instead, she showed a triumphant face. "That's what I thought you'd say." Her eyes flicked over to a nondescript sedan, and when he followed her gaze, he saw Haruhi with a knife to her throat. "Care to reconsider?"

There were several moments of silence. "Would you give me a minute? I think I need a cup of coffee."

Emilie nodded. "Just remember, poor, darling Haruhi is still in that car."

He looked over again, only to see Haruhi with a perfectly blank expression on her face, despite the danger she was in. Typical. "I won't be long." Once inside the café, he left out a breath he hadn't realize he'd been holding. He looked down at his watch. Twenty minutes. If he could hold out that long…

There was a scream outside, and the sounds of a fight. Running out with the rest of the customers, Tamaki saw a sight that would be forever burned into his memory.

Haruhi beating the crap out Emilie.

"Give me back my boyfriend!"

Blood spurted from Emilie's nose as Haurhi's fist collided with it with a sickening crunch.

"He's not your boyfriend!" She tried to block Haruhi's next blow, but didn't see her leg reaching out to bring her down. Emilie crashed onto the table, sending pieces of glassware flying through the air as Haruhi grabbed her by the collar. "Don't ever mess with us again!"

Tears started streaming from the blonde's face. "Kyoya! This isn't what I signed up for!"

Her words stopped Haruhi mid-punch. "Kyoya?"

Said host walked out from behind the café. "Well done, Emilie. I have to say, I'm a bit surprised at you, Haruhi. I never thought you would beat her quite so badly." He turned to Emilie. "I do apologize for that."

She dabbed at her nose with a delicate white handkerchief she pulled from her sleeve. "I'll send you the hospital bill."

Tamaki and Haruhi just stared at them, then Haruhi released Emilie from her grip. "You mean… you set this all up?"

"You guys really should stop being so surprised by the extent of his manipulation. I mean, come on. Is there really anyone crazy enough to kidnap Haruhi again?" Hikaru and Kaoru unfolded themselves from the front seat of the sedan.

"You guys were there too?" Haruhi stared at her friends as she tried to make sense of it. She came up with nothing.

"Tama-chan and Haru-chan needed help. So when Kyo-chan told us of his plan, we knew we had to help!" Hunny and Mori stood from their seats at one of the café's tables. "Can I have some cake now?"

Haruhi collapsed into a chair, with Tamaki following. "How much of it?"

Kyoya shrugged. "Was planned, you mean? Most of it. We had a few… setbacks along the way and had to improvise, but you were never in any real danger."

"The explosion that nearly killed her?" Tamaki asked, his face getting red from the thought that his best friend had intentionally put his girlfriend at risk.

Hikaru and Kaoru shrugged. "The explosives were a little stronger than anticipated."

"And we never thought you'd lose your memory, Tama-chan. That made us come up with an entirely new plan."

Emilie stood up, handkerchief held at her nose. "I felt so bad after I heard that I was the reason you two broke up. After our relationship in France, I gave him up completely. Meeting him here was just like seeing an old friend. When Kyoya called and told me what happened, I felt absolutely horrible. We all hoped you two would fix things on your own, but when it was clear you were too stubborn for your own good…" She shrugged. "I was more than willing to play the psychotic ex."

"But why do all of this in the first place?"

"Tamaki, you were one of the few friends I had in France, and I wanted to return the favor. It's clear you and Haruhi belong together. And as for the plan? We needed you to realize how much you mean to each other. The fact that Haruhi was willing to risk her life getting away from a knife-wielding bodyguard to make sure you stayed hers… well, that says a lot. And if you two are too stubborn to admit that you still love each other by now, you're both complete idiots."

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions later, but for I just want to go home. With Haruhi, if she'll let me."

With a small smile, she grabbed his hand and led him away.

Hikaru smiled and high-fived his brother. "Mission accomplished."

Several hectic weeks went by as Haruhi and Tamaki slowly fixed the problems between them. Their friends were right though – that whole fiasco made them realize how much they needed each other. And if not even a not-really-psychotic-just-borderline-crazy-ex could get between them, nothing would.

And that was perfectly fine with them.

After things settled down, Tamaki took Haruhi out to dinner at a small diner on the outskirts of town. The place was quiet, with a few couples at tables but nowhere near full capacity. Grapevines wound their way up wooden supports and through a trellis that served as a ceiling for the outdoor patio. White icicle lights allowed for a dim, romantic setting for a perfect night.

Tamaki and Haruhi sat across from each other, talking and laughing quietly in the night. A waiter brought a bottle of champagne out to the couple, but neither of them noticed. They were too caught up in their own world.

As the hour grew later, Tamaki finally stopped talking, got down on one knee, pulled out a ring and asked, "Will you marry me?"

A little blonde with violet eyes started to let her eyes fall shut as her father finished up his story. "And that, Viola, is the story of how I finally married your mom."

Haruhi, who was leaning against the headboard of her daughter's bed, merely smiled. "You know, Senpai, you forgot the part where I said yes."

It's done! Thank you for everyone you has suffered through keeping up with this story, and thank you guys for all the favorites, follows, and reviews. You're amazing!