A/N: Okay people, this is it! I wasn't sure how to end this story seeing as The Tenth Circle (both book and movie- again, see the movie! Britt Robertson's great!) both end pretty abruptly. But I tried to tie up as many if not all of the loose ends and hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for all the fabulous reviews! You guys are fantastic :)
Chapter 18- Crushed And Created
"Cate?" Lux stood outside the bathroom door, knocking gently. "Food's here."
Cate emerged a few seconds later, looking better than before though it was clear she had still been crying.
Lux frowned concerned as she watched her. "You okay?"
Cate nodded and forced a half-hearted smile, running a hand down Lux's arm as they made their way into the lounge where Baze had began to dish out the food on to plates.
"Hey." Baze smiled at Cate concerned, not sure how to act.
Cate smiled slightly in response, taking a seat on one side of the couch and accepting the plate from Baze.
"So... we were thinking 27 dresses." Lux spoke up, looking at Cate and smiling as she took a seat next to her.
Cate smiled back. "You hate that movie."
Lux shrugged as if it was obvious. "Yeah... But you love it."
They ate mainly in silence, and both Cate and Lux were fast asleep by the time the movie had finished. Baze surprised himself, sitting through the entire movie and not complaining. And though he wasn't going to admit it, he couldn't help but like it a little.
Baze stretched in his position on the floor, yawning as he glanced over at Cate and Lux. They looked peaceful, with Lux's head in Cate's lap and Cate leaning her head on the side of the couch.
Baze stood up, debating whether or not to move them. He finally decided against it and grabbed a blanket off of the side of the couch, sprawling it over them.
He smiled, watching them for a few minutes before moving to sit in the nearby chair.
All three jumped awake when the doorbell rang the following morning. Lux sat up slowly, stretching as she yawned.
"Ow." Cate gripped the back of her neck as she sat up, moving her head around. "Okay, defiantly not a good choice."
Baze groaned, not moving from the very uncomfortable looking position. "Who the hell rings the doorbell this early?"
Cate and Lux rolled their eyes in sync and Lux stood up, walking over to the door. "Detective Trudeau?"
Cate and Baze exchanged a glance before rushing over and standing behind Lux. "Hello, Lux. Miss Cassidy, Mr. Bazile." The detective smiled gently before signaling to the detective beside him. "This is my partner, Detective Pratt."
"Oh, uh, come in." Lux seemed to be the only one able to talk, and moved aside to allow the detectives to enter.
Lux led them into the living room, taking a seat in the chair Baze had slept in while Cate and Baze sat on either side, both instinctively placing a hand on her back.
"What can we help you with?" Baze finally broke the silence, coughing to clear his throat.
Detective Trudeau spoke up first, leaning forward and looking at Lux. "We're dismissing the case. An eye witness came forward and corroborated your father and Mr. Thomas' story. We've ruled Peter Jones' death a suicide."
Cate and Baze visibly relaxed, both letting out a sigh of relief. Lux, however, bit her lip and tried to decide what to say. "I-uh, what happened?" She finally whispered.
"The witness identified Mr. Bazile and Mr. Thomas as the ones who assaulted Mr. Jones, and also that he was the one who assaulted you. Mr. Jones was apparently unconscious when your father and Mr. Thomas left the park, and we believe that he may have jumped to his death after waking." It was Detective Pratt who spoke this time, his tone kind yet judgmental at the same time.
Lux nodded slowly, not really taking in the information. Cate wrapped an arm around her shoulder, relieved, and Lux subconsciously shifted closer to her.
"Peter Jones' parents have also dropped the assault and battery charges. Another three victims came forth."
Again Lux nodded and she smiled through tears, looking up at Cate and then Baze before standing up.
"Thank you." She whispered to the detectives before turning back to her parents. "I need a little while, okay?"
It was more of a statement than a question and Lux squeezed Cate's hand quickly before rushing up to her room.
Cate knocked on the entrance of Lux's room after giving the teenager half an hour to herself, smiling gently. "Can I come in?"
Lux looked up and nodded, smiling slightly. She shifted over in the bed, making room for Cate to sit beside her.
"You okay?" Cate asked gently after a few minutes of silence.
Lux thought for a minute before looking up at Cate and slowly nodding. She hesitated before shifting closer to Cate and laying her head on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're my mom." She whispered.
Lux's words surprised Cate but she quickly recovered, her eyes filling with happy tears as she placed a kiss to the top of Lux's head. "Me too, sweetie." Cate whispered. "Me too."
A week after the case had been dismissed, Lux, Cate and Baze had fallen into a perfect routine. Ryan had applied for a transfer to another radio station in another state, and after saying goodbye to Lux, he had walked out of their lives for good.
For Lux's benefit, Baze and Cate had worked on building a "friendship", and with Ryan no longer in the way, both couldn't help but hope that over time it would progress into something further.
Despite Cate and Baze's hesitations, Lux had finally convinced them that going back to school would be the best way for her to move on.
Going back to school was different to what Lux had expected. Nobody judged her, nobody insulted her, and to be frank, almost nobody looked at her but when they did, it was quick, pitiful glances.
"Lux!" Lux hesitantly turned around at her name, coming face to face with the person who had called her.
It was obvious Bryn hadn't slept or eaten much over the last few weeks, and Lux couldn't really blame her. Lux didn't say anything, indicating for Bryn to continue.
"I-uh, I'm sorry." Bryn whispered in the already quiet corridor. Everyone seemed to have subtly tuned into the conversation. "For what I said to you at the funeral. For what he did for you."
Lux nodded, not saying anything as she walked past Bryn and into her first class. She didn't need to apology, and to be honest, she didn't want it.
"Hey." Lux smiled sincerely as she climbed into Cate's car after school. Baze was driving, and from where they were parked it was clear they had been waiting for a while.
"Hey kiddo. " Baze smiled back, watching Lux cautiously.
Cate too turned in her seat the second Lux was in the car. "How was your day?"
Lux nodded, smiling sincerely. "It was okay." She whispered.
It was going to be okay.