Chapter Seventeen

A/N: Thank you to Redejeka for reviewing the last chapter.

It was dawn, and Julia knew that she would have to leave soon, if she was to arrive back in New York state before dark. It was a long journey to make, which she knew well enough, having made it before, just a few months earlier, to first come to Collinsport. She had made her discussions with some people, and they had all consented to the plan she had made, some more willingly than others. Now, all she had to do was hope the children would be alright.

She had packed up her suitcases fairly quickly last night, not wanting to think about the fact that she was leaving everything she had come to know behind her, and so all that was left to do was to take them down to the door, put them into the back of a cab and drive away. It could not possibly be difficult to do.

She knew even as the thought crossed her mind that it was a lie. To walk away from the life that she had built for herself, the friends that she had made, the people she had loved... it would be the hardest thing she had done in her life. In truth, Julia was not sure she had the strength to go through with it. 'But I have to.' she told herself firmly, for what seemed like the hundredth, even the thousandth time. 'For their sakes, if not for mine. I have to move on.'

She kept her shoes off until she reached the doorway, hoping that if she made less noise, she would be able to slip out unnoticed, therefore avoiding the awful moment when she would have to bid farewell to the family that had become almost like her own.

Unfortunately, her plan was foiled when she found both Carolyn and Elizabeth stood in the doorway, while Caleb and Madeleine stood just outside it, her little girl sat against her father's legs, her head lolling even as she tried to keep herself awake. Even at a time such as this, the sight of her daughter brought a smile to her face.

"Did you think we were just going to let you sneak off?" Elizabeth asked, her voice exuding authority just as it always did, even when accompanied by her affectionate smile and the slight glassing of her eyes.

"I hoped so." Julia answered honestly, knowing that the woman would understand and would not take offence. "I just hate soppy goodbyes."

"Me too." Carolyn commented, trying to appear focused on filing her nails, although Julia could see that her hair was strategically placed to fall over her eyes. A smile pricked at the corners of her mouth as she noted that she was one of the few people in the world who would ever bring Carolyn Collins to tears.

"You know that we'll miss you, don't you, Julia?" Elizabeth told the woman, wrapping her arms around her. Tears were choking her voice, making her sound completely different to the usual sharp tones that accompanied speech from the matriarch of the household. They may have had their differences in the beginning, but over time, Elizabeth and Julia had become very close friends.

As she broke away, wrapping her arms around herself, Julia smiled and nodded in Carolyn's direction. She knew that the young woman would never go so far as to embrace her, and she was satisfied enough when her gesture was returned. It was the closest to affection she would ever get from the teenager and it was certainly good enough for her.

Squeezing her eyes tightly closed, she turned to face her family, smiling briefly in their direction before she returned her gaze to the manor she had called home for all these months. In fact, it was the closest thing to a home she had ever really had. But when she caught sight of the boy stood in the doorway, nothing could stop her tears from falling down her cheeks.

David's eyes were ringed with red, his pale cheeks littered with marks where his tears had flowed. He was clutching a toy dinosaur in his hand, a present she had given him on their first trip out together, holding it as if it was the only thing he had left in the world. However, he did not give even the toy a second thought as it fell to the ground, lost in the rush of emotions as he fell into his mother's arms.

It was in that moment, feeling David clutch onto her waist for dear life, knowing that Roger would not be awake until noon and even then would only see his son for half an hour at dinnertime, that Julia finally made her decision. She glanced over the top of David's head at his aunt. Their eyes met and Elizabeth gave a firm nod, the approval she needed for what she planned to do.

They broke apart eventually, and David's face was even redder than before, new tears shining in the early light. Julia wiped them away tenderly, the way she had always wished her own mother would be able to do with her, before taking the young boy's hand in her own and leading him towards the car. Madeleine was already strapped into the back seat, while Caleb was patiently waiting behind the wheel; the man flashed a smile at the dark haired boy as he climbed into the car as well and Julia's heart skipped a beat. Even after all these years, she could not imagine loving her husband more than she already did; perhaps now he could be the father David deserved.

Roger, true to form, did not wake until midday, and it was not until dinnertime that he questioned the whereabouts of his son. Upon his question, Elizabeth presented him with a suitcase, which she and Carolyn presently threw out onto the gravel outside the house, the owner of the case soon following.

Meanwhile, the Hoffman family arrived at their new home in New York, immediately becoming the family that they had always wished to be. Occasionally, Julia would ask David if he still saw the ghost of his mother, the answer always being no. Whenever she would ask, the boy would always say his mother was right here by his side.

However, although David had stopped seeing his mother, Julia more frequently saw hers. She never spoke anymore, just watched as her daughter and grandchildren would play in the sun, happy for the first time in their lives.

True, there were troubles to come in the future, and the ghosts of the past still lingered with them all their lives, but it did not matter, not when they were all together. Julia had often said to her children, who said the same to their children and to theirs, a knowing glint illuminating her eyes, that sometimes, the ghosts of the present were the most beautiful ghosts of all.

A/N: Obviously, this is AU at the end, and you can make a choice for yourself whether you want to leave it that way or fill in the blanks on how they got back to Collinsport. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story and thank you so much for all your support while I've been writing it!