Sahrah: Whew. Oh man. I can't believe this is the end. I'm not getting into the sappy crappy cry-fest (nope, that comes in the thank you note), so I'll just jump to the story before I begin to cry.

Editor: Probably a good idea, Sahrah. How about your last disclaimer? Make it a good one.

Sahrah: O-okay… I don't… own… WAAH! ((bursts into tears))

Editor: …Dammit.

Squall: ((hugs Sahrah)) Sigh. She doesn't own anything except for Raine and the plotline.

Sahrah: ((huggles Squall)) ((sniffle)) R-right… Um, okaaay... third person point of view… ((sobs))

Epilogue: Forever

"…And that's our story," Yuna finished with a smile. Her miss-matched eyes wrinkled as she smiled and looked at her eight-year-old son, Jesse, with his hair brown like his mother and his eyes blue like his father. She looked at her niece and nephew, Vena and Tajem, the blonde twins with swirly green eyes and wicked, devilish smiles. She looked at Emma, fifteen years old and holding Vidina, who was five.

Lulu smirked from the couch, recalling the insane events that had filled her life. Lenne was holding her other child, Erik, in the kitchen with Paine and 'Lai. Paine and Baralai had two children, Risa and Matthew. Matthew was two, and in the kitchen with his parents. Wakka, Shuyin and Tidus were outside playing a friendly game of Blitzball. Although it wasn't too friendly after all, because the women had made the kids stay inside so they wouldn't hear the former teammates cursing at each other like sailors.

Perhaps the ending was a bit too perfect, thought Yuna. Perhaps the love-conquers-all had been a little too cliché, and the events too unrealistic. Perhaps she'd soon wake up to find it had all been a wonderful dream…

"Auntie?" asked Risa, the four-year-old daughter of Paine and Baralai, stopping the bi-eyed woman's inane thoughts. "Is that a true story?"

"It is," nodded Yuna, a smile stretching across her lips.

"That must have been so scary, when that bad man kidnapped you!" cried Vena and Tajem in unison.

"I wasn't too scared," the woman answered. "I knew everyone would come find me." She reached out and patted Rikku and Gippal's twins on their heads. Lulu chuckled and looked towards the front door.

"Someone's pulling into the driveway," the black mage commented.

"Yuna!" cried a youthful, ecstatic voice from the driveway. "Lenne, Lulu, Paine! Helloooo!" Rikku had gone to get Raine and Squall from the airship port, and it could be none other than the happy, dark-haired young woman yelling and running outside. Well, it could be Rikku, but the next part of the exchange ruled out that possibility.

"Stop running!" demanded Rikku. "You're freakin' pregnant! Yeesh! Squall, do something!"

"What should I do? She never listens to me," replied Squall in his cool, collected male voice.

Yuna laughed and stood up, rushing to the front door to let her friends inside. She was followed by the train of children, Jesse and Emma in the front with Vidina, followed by Vena, Tajem, and Risa.

"Where's Gip?" asked Yuna.

"Getting the pizza," replied the blonde Al Bhed woman as she helped an eight-month pregnant Raine get up the front steps.

After the few years on the road with their troupe, Rikku and Gippal had retired from Broadway, due to the pressure of being away from home and the desire to raise a family. Gippal had finally achieved his dream of a successful mechanic shop, which he owned and ran with his talented wife.

Squall Leonhart marched into Tidus and Yuna's house with two bags in each hand.

"So I'm willing to bet," Emma said, "That the three big bags are Raine's, and the little black one is yours."

"Smart girl," confirmed the stoic brown-haired man as he dumped the bag at the foot of the stairs.

"I try," sighed the teenager as she wandered off to find her dad, her straight brown hair bouncing on her shoulders.

"She's way too much like Shuyin…" Raine said.

"Agreed." Lenne walked over to the group with her one-and-a-half year-old baby in her arms. The child was named Erik, and his head was covered in soft, downy blonde curls.

"Mommy? Are we going to eat soon?" Jesse asked his mother, tugging on the bottom of her shirt. Yuna smiled, leaned down, and scooped up her eight-year-old.

"As soon as Uncle Gip gets back from the supermarket," she promised, smoothing his brown hair lovingly.

"Yunie!" called a warm voice from the back door. "We're done with our game."

"Who won?" she yelled back.

"Emma. She came out and kicked all of us on our behinds." Tidus Watanuki walked over to his wife and child, embraced them both, and kissed Yuna's cheek.

"What story did you tell them this time?" he asked.

"Ours," she murmured, leaning over and kissing him quickly on the mouth.

"D'aww. There's going to be plenty of time for that later," Raine pointed out. "You keep making kissy faces and I may go into labor right friggin' now."

"Raine, that's impossible," Paine reprimanded. Yuna laughed and put Jesse back on his feet.

Soon Gippal returned with several pies of pizza, and everyone ate, talked about their jobs and their houses.

"We're moving into our new house soon," Baralai said proudly. He'd finished school and was practicing law in Bevelle. Paine had gotten a job as a brain surgeon in Bevelle General Hospital, and Risa was starting kindergarten in the fall.

Yuna and Tidus had ended up staying in Zanarkand, moving to a more suburban area. Of course, since twins naturally want to stay together, Shuyin and Lenne had moved in across the street from them. Emma was going to Zion High School South, and Jesse went to Zanarkand Elementary. Lenne had finished her online degree years previously and worked at the elementary school.

Wakka and Lulu had gone back to Bevelle, living near Paine and Baralai. Raine and Squall lived on Gagazet, because Raine couldn't bear to stay far from her father or her brother, but the two often flew to Besaid to visit Squall's mother and her boyfriend.

Rikku had grown up next door to Yuna. She's gone to college living next door to Yuna. Unfortunately, the houses next to Tidus and Yuna's had not been for sale when they had moved in, so Rikku and Gippal lived in a nearby townhouse. Three months previous, the house on the left had been put for sale, and Gippal had bought the house for his wife and his children, and they ended up happy after all.

"Emma, are you going to be a cheerleader when school starts?" asked Yuna as she took a bite of her pizza. The teenager looked at her aunt as though the woman had five heads.

"Ugh! No, I'm trying out for Blitz. I'm the best player in the school, and the coach knows it. Even Pacce knows it, that's why he wanted me to be a cheerleader."

"But you're a girl, ya?" Wakka was unable to stop the words from leaving his mouth. "They'll eat you alive."

Emma glowered at her uncle and stood slowly. "'Kay, how about this. You and me, backyard, right now. We'll see who gets eaten."

Wakka withered in his chair, and everyone laughed.

After watching a family-oriented movie (with a break in the middle for Jesse, Matthew, Erik, Risa, and Vidina to go to sleep), the house dispersed. Raine and Squall were staying for the week with Yuna and Tidus. Lulu, Wakka, and Vidina were staying with Lenne, Shuyin, Emma, and Erik. Paine, Baralai, Risa and Matthew were staying with Rikku, Gippal, and the twins.

Everyone said their goodbyes, their 'I-love-yous,' and their 'I'll-see-you-tomorrows,' and went to their respective homes. Raine was tired and turned in early, with Squall following her. Yuna laughed; Squall reminded her of Tidus when she had been pregnant with Jesse. He had tried very hard not to be over protective, but he had always been right with her just in case of emergency.

"'Night," the stoic man said as he followed his pregnant wife up the stairs. Yuna waved back and helped Tidus clean up the kitchen.

"I love the end of summertime," the brunette woman smiled.

"I do, too. The weather's nice, and the sunset looks extra amazing," Tidus replied.

"I love spending time with all our friends…" she continued, her voice quieter as he opened the back door to the deck where Yuna sat down on a swinging bench.

"I do, too. I miss seeing them during the year."

"I love Jesse, and I love you," she whispered, curling up in his embrace as they stared at the stars. Tidus kissed the top of her head.

"I have always loved you, Yuna."

She smiled. "I know. But tell me again. Please?"

Tidus smiled back, his signature grin with pearly white teeth. The wind rustled his spiky blonde hair and it tickled his face. "Okay, well... When I was seven years old, a beautiful little girl named Yuna Lesca moved in across the street and to the left. We were both seven years old, and she was scared. I fell in love with her right away. When my brother said she had cooties, I ignored him. When everyone said she was a geek, I ignored them. When that man hurt her… I didn't know. But I loved her still, and for a long time I'd hoped she would somehow know.

"But she never figured it out, and that man hurt her very badly. Then one day I couldn't take it anymore; I loved Yuna Lesca so much… On that day, we were both eighteen. She finished her math test, and I finished mine. Yuna was passing notes with her cousin, and I tossed one in too.

"So Yuna took a Leap of Faith. She decided to let me love her, and we were together for a very long, happy time. Some bad stuff happened during that time, and some unexpected things. Like Dona, and Emma. Then I made a mistake. I got careless, and she got hurt because of me. She ran away because she was scared… and eventually I chased after her.

"We were finally together again in college. We made new friends, but still loved and depended on our old ones. Then someone else decided that he wanted Yuna, too. He took her away from me, so I chased him. Our friends helped so much, and then she was back in my arms.

"I asked her to marry me, and she agreed. We got married after our senior year of college. A few months later, Yuna got pregnant, and we had a beautiful little boy named Jesse Aaron. After Yuna's mother Jessica and my mother Anabelle.

"Eight years later, we sat outside on our deck, watching the stars. I held her and she asked me to tell her how much I love her."

Tidus paused, and cradled Yuna's face in his hands, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "Yuna Watanuki, I love you more than all the stars in the night sky, deeper than the ocean, stronger than the fiercest storm on Spira. I've loved you since before I care to remember, and I promise that I can only love you more as each day passes." He brushed the happy tears from Yuna's eyes. "I love our child, and I love our friends. I love waking up every morning and seeing you. I love going to sleep with you in my arms. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you with all of my heart."

Yuna held her husband tightly and whispered, "Tidus Watanuki, my love for you is bigger than the world, more beautiful than the Farplane, and more powerful than anything I have ever known. It fills my entire being with happiness in ways I can't even begin to comprehend. I want you to be beside me forever."

"Forever and ever," agreed the blonde man, leaning in and kissing Yuna softly. They were interrupted when a small voice whispered something into the night.

"Mommy? Daddy? Can I stay with you? I can't sleep." It was little eight-year-old Jesse, with wide, stunning blue eyes and soft, windswept brown hair. His pajamas had little red chocobos on them, and he clutched a chocobo plushie by the foot in his hand.

"Of course you can, darling," Yuna answered, holding out her hand for her son to grab. He climbed onto the swing between his parents and rested his head against Tidus's chest, looking at Yuna expectantly.

"Hey, Mommy?" Jesse started.

"Yes?"

"Aunt Raine has a baby in her tummy, right?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"How did it get there?"

The End

Sahrah: ((bursts out laughing and crying at the same time)) YESSS, HOW DID IT GET THERE? UNGH, THE ENDING WAS SO FLUFFY I COULD HURL… BUT I MADE IT… EHEHEHEHEHEEE…. WAAAH…

Editor: …Oh good Yevon. Uh… Sahrah, suck it up.

Sahrah: Gwah. Sorry. I'm just very emotional… I'll have the thank you letter and the prologue for my new story online tomorrow. About this… well, I actually wrote this today (August 30, 2008) in the car on the way home from my trip to Vermont. Yeah, in one sitting. In, like, two hours. Crazy, I know. I'm pretty proud of that. And as for the ending, well… I've always wanted to write a scene like that, with the kid asking about babies. If my kid asked me, I'd make him guess until he said an answer that amused me a lot.

Squall: I'm not surprised. You'd be a weird mother. Oh, and for the record, Vena (Rikku and Gip's daughter) means "fire" in Al Bhed. Tajem (their son) means "devil". We thought it fit. We also thought it was fitting for them to have twins.

Sahrah: Indeed. Well, cookies for whoever gives me the funniest response for the lucky parents to say to Jesse. I also would like to hear your opinions on the excruciatingly Mary-Sue children. Ah well. In the meantime, ciao!