A/N: This is the final chapter! Thank you everyone for reading this story and reviewing it. I really hope you enjoyed it and like the ending. :)

I guess you could say my life is pretty much back on track. I've been staying with Dave ever since I got out of the hospital about a month ago.

Everything has been great and true to what Dave said Gamzee was put on trial and sentenced to life for everything that he'd done. I'm relieved he wasn't put to death but in a way I still feel slightly bad for him because he's losing his life. He's only eighteen and his life is basically over.

Then the other half of me feels no remorse for him because if he had continued to live out his life outside of prison things would've been worse and so I'm glad I'm finally rid of him.

I've finally started picking up my life along with my education and for the most part things are going great but there's some very obvious tension going on within my group of friends.

It's actually one of the reasons I chose to live with Dave because he's the most peaceful out of all of them.

Plus he makes me feel like I belong and he doesn't treat me like I'm fragile unlike some of the others.

It's like old times, when we were still young and it feels amazing to finally be in a stable environment where my every move isn't watched. A place where I don't have to fear for my life every second of every day.

It's absolute bliss and that's why I'm glad that I pulled through, that Dave saved me when I tried to take my life because it got better.

It got a million times better than I ever thought it could because for once since I was fourteen I'm happy.

I'm truly happy to be alive and the only thing that makes things even better is Dave, my rock, the guy who always stuck by me even when I didn't listen to him.

He's the one who cares the most which is why in a few years when he feels that I'm not just "Trying to be with him out of gratefulness" as he put it then he'll be the person I go to first.

It's been a few months since everything and everyone is still not okay with each other. I feel sort of bad about it because I know it is in fact my fault.

The thing is is that I don't know what I want to do. I want to be with Dave and he with me but he's scared I'm going to leave him when I realize I only liked him because of what he did for me.

I know how he feels but I also know that that isn't actually the case.

One of the main reasons we haven't gotten together however is because of the impending issue of Sollux as well. I know how much he likes me, it may even border on love and I really don't want to hurt him because I like him as well.

I hate the fact that we can't even all hang out without something going wrong.

We've tried it a few times but it always ends in someone running off in either jealousy or anger, sometimes both.

It makes me sad that I'm tearing everyone apart because I only want them to be happy.

At this point I'm not even sure what I should do to fix things between us all.

It's gotten to the point where I'm thinking of moving out of Dave's place and moving to a place of my own, possibly in another state.

I've thought about it for awhile and it seems like the best option but then there's the impending issue of leaving everyone behind, because I know that if I do decide to leave there's no way I can tell any of them because they'll try to stop me and that's the one thing I can't have.

But as I think about it more I realize leaving is the easy way out, I know that if I leave things may be even worse for everyone because they'd start blaming each other.

This is honestly one of the hardest decisions I've had to make.

It isn't until a month later that I finally come to the decision that I'll stay and try and figure things out with everyone.

It's the only way things will become better and the best way to do that is to talk to everyone one on one then as a group because we all have feelings that need to be put out in the open.

I sighed as I stood from the bed and made my way out of the room after slipping on my shoes.

I walked down the stairs and was about to step out the door when Dave called my name.

"Hey Kitkat? Are you leaving?" he asked, appearing from the kitchen with a cup of-what I assumed to be-apple juice in his hand

"Yea, I'm going to Sollux's. I need to talk to him about something." I said and he nodded his head with a small smile.

"Okay. Have fun then." he said but he didn't seem too happy about it. I sighed and nodded my head before walking out the door and walking in the direction of Sollux's house.

Within fifteen minutes I had arrived and was standing on his doorstep with a frown on my face.

I knew this was going to be hard for both me and him. One could only hope things would be better after this and I really hoped he wasn't going to hate me.

With a huff I quickly knocked on the door before I lost my nerve, within seconds the door was pulled open to reveal Eridan.

I smiled. "Hey, is Sollux here?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yea, he's just up in his room. You can go on up." he said and I thanked him before heading up.

Once I got up the stairs I went to his door and knocked before I pushed it open.

Sollux looked up from where he was sitting at his desk, messing around on his computer.

His face brightened when he noticed me. "KK, hey. What are you doing here?" he asked the surprise evident in his voice.

I closed the door behind me and sat on his bed.

"I came to talk." I said and he frowned at my tone, getting up and moving to sit next to me on the bed.

"About?" he asked.

"Everything." I said and he looked at me in confusion.

"What does that mean?"

"I just, I want to talk about us, about what you told me before everything happened." I said and he sighed.

"Okay."

"I know you love me and I know that you were the one who helped me when I first ran. I know all of these things and it hurts okay? You were there for me and you even came after me when I went to Texas. You're literally so amazing and I want to love you, I really do. I want to-" And that's when the tears start falling down my face.

It's funny because you'd think he'd be crying but he's not, it's me and I can't even stop.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I love you I do, just not in the way you want me to and I don't know what to do. I hate that everyone's fighting because of me and I wish you wouldn't. I know it's my fault and I thought about leaving to save everyone the trouble but then I realized it'd make things worse."

"I-god Sollux I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. I just don't want you to hate me…" I said and he pulled me into his arms.

"It's okay. I don't hate you. I couldn't hate you, not now and not ever. You don't need to apologize to me for anything, you love Dave and I know I can't change that. I was just being selfish. It's okay, I'm okay. I knew that day at Dave's place that you could never love me like you did him. The way that you clung to him, as if he was the only one that could help, it made me realize that I never even had a chance. I'm fine and now so are you." he said and pulled away from our hug to kiss my forehead.

He smiled at me and wiped away my tears. "Now stop crying and go tell Dave." he said and I sniffled and nodded my head before kissing his cheek and departing the room.

"Hey Kar, how's Sollux?" Eridan asked as I entered the living room to say bye. I gave him a look of confusion and he laughed.

"I could tell by your face when you came in, that you were going to reject him."

"You could tell just by looking at me?"

"Yup, you forget that we were the best of friends a long time ago but even though it's been awhile since then, I can still read you like a book." He said with a grin.

"Oh. Sollux is fine I think. He said it was okay and that he didn't hate me but I can't help feeling that maybe he was lying for my benefit. I don't want him to be hurting because of this but I just can't love him like he does me." I said and Eridan nodded solemnly.

"It'll be okay. If it makes you feel better, I'll go check on him and make sure he's okay."

"Yea that would make me feel better. Thanks Eridan." I said and he smiled and gave me a hug before I left.

It seemed things were looking up. Hopefully he's really okay with it. I don't want our friendship to suffer because of this.

I'm pulled from my thoughts when I run into someone. "Oh shit, I'm sorry." I said and looked up, only to be met with a pair of bright purple eyes.

I stumble back in shock as I stare at none other than Kurloz Makara.

"I-I…" I had no idea what to say. I hadn't seen him in so long and he wasn't even at Gamzee's trial. Plus what exactly do you say to the brother of the person you got sent to prison?

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you."

"You're talking?" I asked in disbelief and he chuckled.

"Yea. I have been for about two years. I figured everything out and now I'm better than I was back then."

I smiled. "I'm glad you've worked things out."

"Yea me too. Look I'm really sorry about what you had to go through and if I'd have known what he was doing to you, I would've put a stop to it. Whenever I saw him he would just go on and on about how amazing you were and so I figured you guys were doing well. I never really felt it necessary to contact you because it seemed like you were happy when you left. For that I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'm fine now. I think all of this has just made me realize just how important it is to have people you care about around and to appreciate my life more. I didn't tell anyone this but for the longest time I've wanted to die and everytime he would come home, I would hope that he'd go too far and I'd finally be gone. I wanted him to kill me. But even before Gamzee I wasn't exactly happy. I think having him, the one person I loved with my life hurt me in the way that he did just pushed me over that edge and that was when I started wishing." I said and he nodded and pulled me into a hug.

"You know-I know it's weird considering everything that's happened but I will be here and if you need anything at all just tell me." he said.

We talked for a bit more as I walked the rest of the way home. It was nothing too serious, just us catching up on things but it was nice.

We exchanged numbers and I said goodbye and then he was off. I waited till he was around the corner before I entered the house, only to walk straight into Dave.

"Oh hey." I said and he gave me a weird look.

"Who was that?"

"Gamzee's brother Kurloz."

"Why was he here?" He asked with a hint of anger. I rolled my eyes.

"Because I bumped into him and then we started talking and he wanted to make sure I was okay." I said and Dave nodded.

"Oh. So uh I thought you'd be with Sollux for longer." he said.

"No. I just had to tell him something and then I decided to come back so I could tell you the news." I said and he looked at me worriedly.

"What news?"

"That Sollux is okay with me not being with him. He understands that I can't love him in that way, that even though I've been with others and have loved them as well there really is only one person that ever fully had my heart to himself even if he didn't know it. I didn't either, not until just recently."

"Oh, whose that?"

"You." I said and for one rare moment his composure broke and a tear fell down his face as he hugged me tightly.

"You're serious?" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

"Yea. I'm serious. I love you Strider." I said.

He pulled away from me and kissed me and for the first time everything felt right again.

I was okay and I would be okay. I was finally free again and nothing, no one could ever change that again.

He pulled away and pressed our foreheads together.

"I love you to Kitkat." he said and instead of yelling at him like I used to, I smiled.

Everything wasn't exactly perfect but things were good and I was okay with that. This isn't a fairy tale and not everyone gets what they want but there's no such thing as happily ever after because what they don't show is the after and the after is what truly matters.

I'm happy and that's all I could ever ask for. I'm happy and I know that in the beginning things will be rocky between us all but eventually everything will even itself out and we'll be alright.

My scars are what make me strong and even though they cut deep I'm still here and I'm alive.

I'm free and I'm loved and I no longer want to die.

For now everything is okay and I'm fine with that.