Epilogue: Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
I put the last candle in the Sponge Bob Square Pants themed cake with a smile. I knew he was going to love his cake, and no doubt love his present just as much.
"You ready, Ames?" Ricky asked, popping his head into the kitchen. I nodded my head.
"Just about. All I have to do is light the candles and then I'll be in." I answered with a smile. Ricky frowned.
"You mean I have to go back in there by myself?" Ricky asked with a slightly worried tone. I laughed.
"It's a bunch of five year old kids, Ricky. You will be fine." I replied, still laughing.
"They are a bunch of animals. Animals that seriously want some cake, so you'd better hurry." Ricky said, a big smile making it's way onto his face.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm coming." I said, shooing him away quickly.
I quickly lit the candles and made my way into the dinning room, making sure I didn't trip over anything. The last thing I needed right now was a Sponge Bob Square Pants cake smashed into the carpet. I already had a big enough mess to clean up as it was.
As soon as I arrived with the cake the children started screaming enthusiastically. Ricky ushered everyone to the table as I set the cake in front of the birthday boy. His eyes lit up when he saw his cake and he looked up at me with a grin that made my heart melt. I stood to the right of him, trying to stop him from blowing out the candles too early. He waited impatiently as we sang Happy Birthday to him before he blew out his candles.
"Birthday Boy gets the first piece." I said to the small group of children. "What piece do you want, sweetie?" I asked, looking down at him. He looked down at the cake.
"That piece, Mommy." He said pointing to Sponge Bob's head. I laughed and cut the piece, before cutting pieces for the other five children. Then I cut me and Ricky a piece.
I let out a long sigh as I took a bite of the chocolate cake, thanking my lucky stars he wanted chocolate cake instead of vanilla. I wasn't too keen on vanilla cake for some reason, even though I liked vanilla ice cream. I was also just really happy to sit down for a while and get off my feet.
Ricky sat down in the chair next to me as he happily ate his cake. "This is going way to smoothly." Ricky said, darting his eyes back and forth between all the kids suspiciously.
"What are you talking about?" I asked confused.
"No one has cried, gotten hurt, broke, or spilled anything. These kids are up to something, I swear." Ricky replied. I looked at him for a second to see if he was being serious but I couldn't tell.
"You aren't serious? Are you?" I asked skeptically. Just because none of that has happened doesn't mean their up to something. He looked at me and smiled.
"I am, actually. I'm being paranoid aren't I?" He asked, shaking his head. I laughed and nodded my head.
"Yeah, you are. There five, Ricky. I'm mean come on." I replied still laughing.
"I know, but little Susie over there is evil." He replied, looking at the small girl with a cautious expression. The little girl turned around and smiled at Ricky. "See! It's like she has super hearing or something." He finished looking a tad frightened.
"Your being ridiculous. Besides just because she has 'super hearing' doesn't make her evil." I said, looking at Susie. Sometimes Ricky could be so....weird.
"Mommy, is it present time yet?" The little boy asked, tugging on my shirt impatiently. I turned towards him with a smile.
"Are you all done with your cake, John?" I asked, looking at his face. He had cake on his face and some icing on his shirt.
"Yes, mommy. Now can we pretty please open up my presents? He asked, using his puppy dog eyes to get me to say yes. I laughed.
"Don't you want to get cleaned up first?" I asked, looking down at his soiled shirt. He shook his head no.
"I want to open presents!" He exclaimed.
"Okay, you can open your presents now." I said sweetly. I watched as he jumped up and down happily, making my heart burst with pure love and happiness.
We gathered the children into the living room where there was an array of wrapped presents out on the coffee table. He sat down on the sofa and his friends gathered around him, curious to see what he got. John looked up at me and pointed to one of the presents, asking if he could open it. I nodded my head and watched as he tore off the wrapping paper, revealing a red fire truck. My mother had bought if for him and had mailed it out to us a week ago.
Three minutes later and all the presents were unwrapped. Wrapping paper scattered around the living room floor as he and his friends looked at his new toys. I grabbed the present next to me, which I had hidden earlier that day and handed it to John.
"This one is from me and your father." I said as Ricky came up behind me and wrapped his arm around me. He quickly unwrapped the gift and jumped up and down excitedly.
"This is just what I wanted!" He squealed happily, before running up to Ricky and I and hugged our legs. "Thanks, mommy and daddy. Your the best!" He finished and hopped his way to his friends, holding his new Vtech SpongeBob Learning Pal close to his chest.
I smiled up at Ricky as he kissed the top of my head tenderly, both of us happy because John was happy and enjoying his birthday. The rest of the day went by smoothily, the party ending at five. John played with his brand new toys as I cleaned up, well tried to clean up anyways. Ricky did most of the cleaning while he had me sit down and relax.
We put John to bed around nine, which was harder than usual, because he wanted to stay up and play. He thought someone might still his toys if he left them alone for too long. Now, I stood in the kitchen, cutting myself a piece of cake.
"If you wanted a piece of cake you could have told me. I would have gotten it for you." Ricky said, leaning on the counter.
"You have done enough for me today, Ricky. I like doing things for myself, you know." I replied feeling a little agitated.
"I know but I like taking care of you, besides you know you aren't suppose to be on your feet that much." He said with a sigh. I turned around with my newly cut piece of cake.
"I know you do, Ricky. It's just, I'm going a little stir crazy. I love taking care of you and John, but now your taking care of me and it makes me feel useless." I said sadly. Putting my cake down on the table, no longer wanting it.
"Your not useless, Ames. Your still taking care of John and I, and your also taking care of our daughters now." He replied, wrapping his arms around me comfortingly.
"I know, I know." I said, putting my head on his shoulder. "It's just something I'm not getting use to. With John I could do just about everything I did when I wasn't pregnant, but with the twins I have to be extra careful. And to make matters worse I'm twice as fat, I don't know why your still with me. I'm a beach wale." I finished. Ricky pulled away from me and smiled.
"Your not fat, Ames. Your still as sexy as you were five, six years ago. And you know I love you." He replied, picking up my left hand showing me my wedding rings. "Your my wife, and I will always love you. Whether your fat or skinny." He replied with a smirk, making me punch him on his arm lightly as I laughed.
"You always know how to cheer me up." I replied, hugging him before grabbing my cake and sitting down.
Ricky sat down next to me and pulled my feet onto his chair. I moaned as he started massaging my feet, he definitely knew how to make me feel better. I rested my head on the back of the chair and closed my eyes.
It had been almost six years since our friends had been murdered. It was still hard at times but Ricky and I had made our own normalcy. Those three days my family had been gone for Mimsy's funeral, Ricky and I had made love and conceived John. My parents were not happy but helped us through the pregnancy. John was born the second of June in two-thousand and ten. John being born in June helped with the coping process but also made it more difficult. It helped because it brought joy to that dreadful month and it hurt because it made me feel like I was moving forward too soon.
We were so busy taking care of John that month that it helped take our minds off of what happened but we never forgot. Even now I still wake up from time to time in a cold sweat, shaking. Ricky did on occasion, too, but, we both finally felt that it was okay to move on. We would never forget them or what happened but we finally let go and moved on.
We had moved to New Jersey a little after my nineteenth birthday, at the time we moved it was to try and run from the memories. We had thought moving would be the best option, we wanted to get away from California, from where they lived when they where alive. And it has helped, we can focus solely on John, and our daughters that have yet to be born. We aren't the survivors anymore, we are just a young, but normal family.
It was always hard around holidays and birthdays when our family wasn't around, but we made it work. Sending each-other e-mails, cards, and letters. Talking to them on the phone and we even bought a web cam so John could see his grandparents and his Aunt Ashley. Our families have already made arrangements to fly up to New Jersey when the twins are born, that's why they weren't at John's birthday party today. We were expecting the twins in one month. They were due July tenth, and we couldn't wait to see them. Even John was excited to be getting two sisters.
"Hey, Ricky?" I asked, my eyes slowly opening. Ricky looked up from my feet and smiled.
"Yeah, Ames?" He asked curiously.
"Do you ever think about the future. I mean with everything that happened... Do you think it will ever tear us apart?" I asked quietly. He looked at me with a serious expression.
"We've gotten this far, Amy. Nothings gonna stop us now." He replied getting up and giving me a kiss, before picking me up bridal style and taking me to our bedroom.
Ricky was right, nothing was gonna stop us now. Not when we've gotten this far, together. And we'd get through the rest of our lives....Together.
Looking in your eyes I see a paradise
This world that I found is too good to be true
Standing here beside you, want so much to give you
This love in my heart that I'm feeling for you
Let 'em say we're crazy, I don't care 'bout that
Put your hand in my hand baby, don't ever look back
Let the world around us just fall apart
Baby, we can make it if we're heart to heart
And we can build this dream together,
Standing strong forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers,
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us,
Nothing's gonna stop us now
Woh woh oh
I'm so glad I found you, I'm not gonna lose you
Whatever it takes, I will stay here with you
Take it to the good times, see it through the bad times
Whatever it takes is what I'm gonna do
Let 'em say we're crazy, what do they know
Put your arms around me baby, don't ever let go
Let the world around us just fall apart
Baby, we can make it if we're heart to heart
And we can build this dream together,
Standing strong forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers,
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us,
Nothing's gonna stop us
Ooh, all that I need is you,
All that I ever need
And all that I want to do,
Is hold you forever,
Forever and ever
And we can build this dream together,
Standing strong forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers,
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us,
Nothing's gonna stop us
(And we can build this dream together,
Standing strong forever)
Woh oh oh-oh-oh
(Nothing's gonna stop us now)
Nothing's gonna stop us
(World runs out of lovers)
Now (we'll still have each other)
(Nothing's gonna stop us) us now
(And we can build this dream together) hey baby
(Standing strong forever) I know
(Nothing's gonna stop us now)
Oh my god, guys! I'm so sad, I can't believe this is the end! I'm still going to post a alternate ending. Well, alternate chapter 12 I guess you could say. And with the alternate to chapter 12 the epilogue would not be needed, so when you read it you can choose which ending you liked best.
The song I listened to while writing this chapter was Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship. It's one of my all-time favorite songs!
I really enjoyed everyones reviews and I will definitely miss them!
Sammy- I always looked forward to your reviews, they always made me smile! And, yes, I will be writing another one in the very near future, so keep a lookout. That's funny because I'm not much of a horror type person lol! If that was a hint that you would like to see another horror story, hint taken, and I will definitely think about it! And, I'm glad someone thinks I'm a good writer, because I sure as hell don't lmao!
Anyways, I should have that alternate ending up soon, so keep an eye open. This maybe an end to one epic journey but there are still plenty yet to come! Have a great weekend everyone! =]
