A/N: I couldn't wait I needed to post it ASAP! Hard to believe but here it is the final chapter. Don't forget to read the A/N at the bottom!
Benny's Baby
Epilogue: Two Years Later…
Benny took one last look around the almost empty room and let out a depressed sigh. It was hard to believe that a few days ago it had been filled with all of his things, and now it was just a hollow shell of the place he called home. His Grandma walked in, took in the room and nodded her head in approval.
"I can't believe you're going away for college," whispered Evelyn as she paced around with tears in her eyes. "For the first time in more than twenty years I'm going to be alone in this house."
"Don't worry, Erica and I will visit," said Benny with a smile as he picked up one of the last boxes. "Just because I'm moving in with her doesn't mean I won't stop by every now and then."
"You better, and if you treat me like your father does and come by once every few years I will make sure everything you ever eat tastes like old bananas. And make sure Ethan comes by once in a while too, I expect to see you at least twice a month."
Benny smiled sadly. "You know it's going to be harder for E to visit. He's going to study abroad, remember? I think he's heading to Europe or something in that area."
"Europe? What is there for him in Europe? He's a family right here in Whitechapel."
"Well there's the possibility of a cure, but more importantly a sexy little vampire named Sarah."
"The things you do for the people you care about."
"To make you forget, to take away the pain from everyone. This was the only way to fix everything."
Benny looked at her and shook his head. "Sorry, what?"
"I said the things you do for the people you love, now help me move the last of these things up to the attic."
"You know you can just magic it up there."
"I know," said Evelyn with a sad smile. "But this way I get to spend a few more minutes with my grandson before he goes away."
He gave her his signature grin and picked up both of the boxes. "I don't leave until tomorrow, tonight however is my two year anniversary with Erica. I still can't believe this is going to be one of the last nights I spend in this room, in this house, heck even in Whitechapel."
"It's all a part of growing up. You know what; maybe it's time I got to relax. After all I've done more work raising you and your father than I've ever been given credit for."
"I know, I know," said Benny as he made his way up to the attic. He placed the boxes in the corner before stretching his back. "It's been forever since I've been up here. E and I used to play up here all the time, I remember one time when it… was… raining…."
"I forgot how creepy this place could be, why is it so cold up here?"
He kneeled down and wiped the dust off one of the other boxes that had been set up here. It read 'Benny's Baby Stuff'.
"Why do we even keep these things?"
"In case one day you decide to have children of your own," said Evelyn as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
"First of all there's no way any of these things can still be good it's been like eighteen years, and second you know Erica can't have kids."
"I know, but that doesn't mean you can't adopt."
"Why are we even talking about this?" asked Benny as he opened the box and shuffled through the contents. "There's no guarantee Erica and I will even get married, I mean we're both still young. She's twenty and I'm only eighteen. I'm a Spellmaster and she's a vampire."
"I see the way you look at her, and that look in your eyes tells me this isn't just some teenage fling. It's actual love."
Benny turned red and waved his hand in the air as if to dismiss the subject. "Let's take it one step at a time, how about I get out of college first then we can talk about having kids and my future."
"All I want is just one grandkid," said Evelyn as she headed back down the stairs. "Just one!"
Benny rolled his eyes and continued to rummage through the box. He found several of his old things, and examined each item carefully. Could they really have been his? They all looked so new….
"We used some charms on my old baby stuff, its good as new."
He shook his head again, what was with these weird thoughts lately? He found his old stuffed rabbit and turned it over in his hands, it looked brand new, how was that possible? Its head had been torn off years ago. He noticed an envelope attached it and pulled it free.
"One day you'll understand, one day I'll be able to make things right."
He was about to open it when Ethan's text tone went off, he picked it up and then silently cursed. How could he forget about driving Ethan to the airport? He ran down the hall and called out to his Grandma.
"I'm driving Ethan to the airport, then going out with Erica. I'll be home sometime later tonight."
Evelyn watched him run next door and help Ethan load his luggage into the car. Her grandson was all grown up.
Benny turned the steering wheel and felt his heart sink as they pulled to the curb. The entire ride neither Ethan nor him had spoken, they hadn't so much as said a single word. He unlocked the doors, hit his hazard lights and popped open the trunk. He handed the luggage off to his best friend and then gave him one last weary look.
"Thanks," said Ethan as he placed them on a carrier. He stood there awkwardly and then mumbled: "I guess this is where we say goodbye."
"Yeah," said Benny as he looked at his friend. "I guess it is."
"This is going to be the first time we've ever been apart since we first met; it's kind of weird knowing things will never be the same."
"This is a lifelong decision. I mean things will never be the same, ever."
Benny shook his head and tried to think of anything else he could say. What else was there to say? This was goodbye, and not just for a few days or a week, but possibly forever. He stepped forward and pulled his friend into a hug.
"Good luck," said Benny as he patted him on the back. Ethan nodded and wiped the tears away from his eyes as he took a step back. "Remember if you ever need anything, you're always welcome at our apartment. You don't even have to call."
"Thanks for the offer but you already know I promised Sarah that if I couldn't find a cure then I'd at least stay with her," said Ethan as he held up his hand with the ring on it. "Just be sure to check in on Jane every now and then, her working with Rory and Della on making Whitechapel more human and vampire friendly worries me."
"If I'm in town I will, but my Grandma will be here to keep things functioning," he stopped and looked up at the sky. "This is the first time Whitechapel will be without us."
"If Jane turns out to be half the Spellmaster you are then things can only get better."
"Goodbye brother," whispered Benny as he began to cry.
"Goodbye brother," whispered Ethan as tears rolled down his cheeks.
They shared one last hug before heading their separate ways. Ethan disappeared into the airport and Benny got back into the car doing his best to stop crying. This was all a part of growing up right?
By the time Benny arrived at the Whitechapel Gardens he had composed himself and was ready for what was perhaps the most important event of the night- his two year anniversary date with Erica. He checked his watch and sighed in relief, he was right on time. He parked his car and smiled when he caught sight of Erica standing in front of the fountain her back to him. The setting sun gave everything an unearthly almost impossible feel, and combined with the unique lighting system of the park, he blushed as he thought of the romance that had happened on their first date here to years ago.
She turned and when she caught sight of him a smile spread across her face. He felt himself turn even redder, forget her vampire powers she could melt him with just a grin. Benny wrapped his arms around her and picked up her up. She laughed as the two of them spun around.
"I missed you," said Erica as she gave him a kiss. "You got taller, and stronger. When did all this happen?"
"You only visit once every other month," said Benny as he held her close. He gave her a sly smile. "A lot can happen in between those visits. You have no idea how glad I am we're moving in together, I need more of you in my life."
"I heard you dropped Ethan off at the airport," she noticed him flinch. "You ok?"
"Why wouldn't I be ok?"
"It was hard when I said goodbye to Sarah when she left, I just want you if you want to talk about I'm here. Did you let him know that if he ever needs a place to stay he's welcome to our apartment?"
"I did, it's crazy how much things are changing in our life right now."
"-is the most important thing in my life right now."
Erica looked confused for a moment. "Did you say something else?"
"No… but I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, as he did the envelope from before toppled to the ground. "Oops, guess I forgot about that."
She picked it up before he could. "What is it?"
"I don't know it was a letter attached to my old toy, I completely forgot that I even had it. I guess with saying goodbye to Ethan and meeting up with you it slipped my mind."
"Why don't you open it?" asked Erica. "I kind of want to know what it says."
Benny shrugged and slid the mystery item into his pocket. He took the envelope from her hands, and slowly began to open it. Erica pushed him playfully and he pulled the note free. He stopped suddenly afraid of what it said.
"One day you'll understand, one day I'll be able to make things right."
"Stop being all dramatic and read it," whispered Erica as she tried to take the note from him.
He shook his head trying to clear the strange thoughts away and began to read aloud:
Dear Future Benny,
If you're reading this, then the odds are it's been a few years since 'it' happened. You don't know what 'it' is, and that's the entire reason I wrote you this letter. In tenth grade you created a child by the name of Eric (named after his mom, Erica, of course) and he was the greatest thing that ever happened to you. He helped bring us and Erica close together, but at the same time his creation caused so many problems. His DNA structure was filled with flaws because of Erica's vampirism, and he was draining the life force from me. We tried to fix it but it made things worse, and you had to make the impossible decision: his life or ours. It caused everyone so much pain, Sarah refused to get together with Ethan, Della and Rory broke up, and Erica…. I can't even tell you what happened with Erica.
There was only one thing I could do to make things right, and that was to erase everyone's memories. I hope that if you're reading this then everyone is better for what we did.
But that's why I wrote this, to tell you there has to be a way to bring Eric back. He faded from existence, but that doesn't mean he's lost forever. I know in the back of your mind you remember his laugh, the smile on his face, his curly blonde hair, and those bright blue eyes of his. That's why I'm writing you this letter. I've found a loop-hole. Eric can't exist because he was sapping away at our life energy along with the unborn child, and when we severed the connection both faded from existence. But that's where things can change, that's where we can fix our mistakes.
But before I say anything else there's reason I had to remove the memories, I needed to give us time, all of us including our friends to realize how important they are to one another. At the time we weren't ready to be a dad, but if you're reading this then hopefully more than a few years have passed, hopefully we'll be ready to try again. It's time to lift the spell; it's time to finally set things right.
Now I only have one thing to say:
Bring back our son.
Bring back Eric Weir.
It was as if something had clicked, Benny looked up as the memories came rushing back to him. It took a moment for him to register what happened and when he did he felt his hands begin to shake. Tapped to the bottom of the note were a few strands of blonde hair, Eric's hair…. He stared at Erica hardly breathing, waiting to see what her reaction would be.
"Eric Weir," said Erica aloud. "I remember now…." Then she glared at him. "How could you erase my memories without my permission?"
She began to smack his arm and Benny backed away from her doing his best not to laugh. "Erica stop, stop, can I at least explain myself?"
"You knew you could bring Eric back and you chose to erase him from our memories, what is wrong with you?"
"At the time I couldn't tell you, there were so many things happening. I figured if we forgot about and gave each other time to experience our feelings then maybe one day when we were ready to be a family, to be together, and then when we were ready I could bring him back. That's why I wrote this letter, it was the failsafe for the spell."
She slapped him. "That's for erasing my memories." Then before he could respond she pulled him into a kiss. "And that's for everything else."
"We can be a family again," whispered Benny as he thought over everything that just transpired. He snapped his fingers and pulled something out of his pocket. "Before I forget I got you something."
It was a necklace infused with a bright blue gem. "When you wear it, whisper the words: memento maximus, and it'll show you the memory you cherish most with the person you're with."
He motioned for her to turn and carefully put it around her neck. He smiled when she whispered: "Memento maximus."
The gem began to glow, what appeared wasn't their first official date at the gardens, it wasn't their 'incident' at the hospital, in fact it wasn't even from the past two years they were together. It was a memory they had just recovered.
"So this is my son," said Erica as she held Eric gently in her arms. She had taken care of babies for her entire babysitting career, and here she was suddenly scared beyond all belief. "This is my son I was never going to have."
Tears began to well up in her eyes; Benny noticed and felt tears well up in his as well. He scooted closer to her on the sofa, and looked at the infant in her arms.
"Yeah," he whispered. "This is our son."
"We can bring him back?" asked Erica as she felt tears stream down her cheek. She ran her finger over the gem wishing she could hold her son again.
"Yeah," whispered Benny as he held her tight. He felt tears well up in his own eyes as he stared down at the necklace. "When we're ready, we can bring him back."
They spent the rest of the night sitting on a bench underneath the starry night sky watching the same memory repeat over and over. One day Eric would be back in their lives, one day they would be more than just boyfriend and girlfriend, of this Benny was absolutely sure. But like his note said, it would take time to get there, and when they finally did he was going to make sure they didn't make the same mistakes as before. This time he would be ready, this time he was going to be the best father possible. He squeezed Erica's hand and saw the same determination in her eyes.
"What do we do now?" asked Erica as she looked from the necklace to him. "What happens next?"
"We enjoy each other for the next few years," said Benny as he slid his arm around her shoulder. He held her close and smiled as she lay against him. "Because if Eric is anything like us, then we're going to have a seriously long road ahead of us."
The two of them shared a laugh, they could finally be a family.
The End
A/N: There you have it! The conclusion to Benny's Baby, I might come back and tidy up the story, fix some errors I made with a few chapters but for the most part this is it. Thank you to all those who left a review, and offered feedback on my story it was very appreciated.
As for my future on this sight, I feel as though I'm done for now. I just don't feel it anymore. I'm going to try and finish 'A Tale of Two Brothers', but I don't know if I can do the story justice anymore. I just feel as though the spark for writing right now is gone, and I do have a few other things I need to work on. So as of now, consider this my farewell. It was fun writing for you while it lasted but there's a whole world out there waiting to be explored.
Take care,
-Takarifan101