I'M SO CONFLICTED! I DON'T KNOW WHETHER I'M HAPPY OR SAD RIGHT NOW! Okay, so I'm happy because I'm super excited to start my next story, but I'm sad because TAKEN IS ENDING AND COUNTING FORGOTTEN I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR 9 MONTHS AND IT'S LIKE A PART OF ME AND I JUST... Okay, I won't get too sentimental, but I just wanna thank you guys. Whether you've been with me since the prologue of Forgotten, or if you just read both stories in one sitting (which I really hope you didn't cuz that would've taken HOURS), thank you. So so so so so soHO much! (that was me trying to reference Laura in the Radio Disney takeover free cookie if you recognized it before I said anything) Anyway, seriously though. Thanks. Thanks for reading my story to the end, whether you liked it or just finished it cuz you feel bad. Thanks. I wouldn't be at this point without you guys. If it weren't for you, I probably would've deleted this. You kept me going, so thanks. And thanks for putting up with me and for helping me through my hard times. I love you guys more than you can even imagine. You're all my best friends and siblings, even though I've never met you. Now, READ ON MY LOVELIES!
Epilogue
"Austin, quit playing guitar and help me clean the house!" thirty-nine-year-old Ally Moon told her husband.
"But I'm practicing that amazing song you just wrote me!" Austin complained. Ally rolled her eyes and kneeled down by Austin's chair. She looked him in the eye intimidatingly.
"Austin, honey, Alex is bringing his girlfriend over to meet us in twenty minutes, and this house is a mess. This is Alex's first girlfriend, Austin. Do you really want her first impression of us to be that we're total slobs?" Ally said.
"No," Austin said, sighing. "Fine, I'll help." He put away his tiger-striped acoustic guitar and started helping to pick up the house.
"Amelia , help us clean up!" Austin yelled to his five-year-old daughter, who was playing in her room.
"Coming, Daddy!" she replied, running down the hall with her blonde hair flying behind her. "For my birthday, I want a drum kit," she said. She was turning six in two weeks, and she was looking forward to inviting all her friends to her music-themed birthday party. She gave her dad the puppy dog eyes and he couldn't say no.
"You are so much like your mother," he remarked. It was true. The only difference in appearance between Ally and Amelia was that Amelia had Austin's blonde hair. Though she didn't look much like her father, minus the hair of course, she had the same personality as him. She loved pancakes, music, and wasn't much of a girly-girl.
"And that's why you can't say no to me," she said with a grin, though she was missing a few teeth.
"C'mon, guys, clean!" Ally said.
"Yes, Mommy," the two said together. The three Moons quickly finished cleaning the house, just as the doorbell rang.
"Amelia, your room is clean, right?" Ally asked, walking to answer the door.
"Be right back!" Amelia said before running back to her room to clean up her toys. Ally sighed.
"Raising three kids alone is not an easy task," she said.
"We only have two kids," Austin said, raising his eyebrow. "And you're not alone." Ally gave him a look.
"You're one of them," she said. "Now be good, and please try not to embarrass him."
"Please, I'm the coolest dad ever. I'm a pop star for goodness' sake." Ally rolled her eyes and answered the door.
"Hey, guys!" she said cheerily. "Come on in!" Alex nodded, his blonde hair flopping over his hazel eyes. He, unlike Amelia, looked almost exactly as his father had when he was seventeen. He had his mother's songwriting skills and his dad's performing skills. He could play every instrument his dad could play (which was all of them), and he was just as childish and outgoing as Austin. As anyone would probably expect, Alex was pretty popular in school.
That's when Amelia came running out of her room.
"Where's Alex's girlfriend?" she asked as she came into the living room. Alex grinned and stepped aside to reveal a blonde girl standing behind them.
"This is my mom, dad, and my sister Amelia," he said to the girl. "Guys, this is Piper," he finally introduced. Austin and Ally couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at the name. It didn't help that Alex's girlfriend looked so much like the Piper they knew. She had the same blonde hair, same blue eyes, same freckles across her cheeks…
"Wait," she said. "You're Austin Moon, right?" Austin nodded.
"I'm surprised someone your age knows who I am," he said with a grin.
"And… Ally Dawson?" Piper continued.
"Well, that was my maiden name, but yeah. Why?"
"No reason," Piper said. Then she noticed Austin and Ally's sad faces. "Is everything okay?"
"You're good at reading people, aren't you?" Ally remarked. Piper nodded.
"It's kind of a talent of mine," she replied. After that, it was obvious Ally had been trying to change the subject, so Piper didn't press the subject, which Austin and Ally were grateful for. The five of them went to sit on in the living room. Piper and Amelia sat on each side of Alex on the couch, and Austin and Ally sat on the love seat.
"Your girlfriend's pretty," Amelia whispered not-so-quietly to her brother. Alex chuckled and looked at Piper.
"I know," he whispered back at the same volume. Austin and Ally smiled at the way their son looked at Piper. They couldn't help but recognize it as the way they looked at each other.
"So, Piper," Ally said a bit awkwardly, "tell us about yourself."
"Well, I've been in the foster system since I was just a few months old, but I just recently got adopted on my seventeenth birthday, which was last month. My parents had already adopted three kids before me, so I suddenly got three older sisters that all live at home. Getting ready in the morning is total chaos," she explained. The Moons laughed.
"Anyway, I-er-" she looked at Alex as if asking if she should tell them. Alex's eyes widen in excitement.
"Oh, yeah! Piper, do the thing! Guys, this is totally insane!" Alex exclaimed. Piper sighed and stood up.
"Okay, but… Please don't freak out," she said.
"Trust me, we've probably seen weirder," Austin said.
"We've seen some strange things before," Ally added.
"One time, Daddy ate a sundae off his pants," Amelia piped up. Piper laughed and Austin shrugged innocently.
"C'mon, Pipes, do the thing! Pretty please?" Alex begged.
"Okay, okay," Piper said, deciding that changing the subject wasn't going to work. Piper snapped her fingers and a tube of lip gloss appeared in her hand. "It's really not much, just a little magic trick."
Austin and Ally looked like they had seen a ghost. Piper grinned at them and winked, knowing that they were starting to figure out the truth.
"Alex, honey, will you please take your sister to the store across the street? I forgot to buy flour for the cookies," Ally said, regaining her composure.
"I-" Austin gave his son a stern look. "-would love to!" Alex exclaimed. "Be right back, Pipes. Don't worry, my parents aren't that bad. Just don't ask about my dad's past career and you'll be fine. C'mon, Amelia." He grabbed his sister's hand and opened the door. "We'll be back in ten!" He waved goodbye and shut the door behind him. When he was gone, Austin and Ally stood up like Piper.
"So, how'd you do that trick?" Austin asked.
"You're kidding, right?" Piper said. Austin raised an eyebrow. Piper sighed, rolled her eyes, and walked over to the picture on the wall. She stood next to it and pointed from herself to the blonde girl in the picture.
"Yeah, it's kinda weird that you look exactly like our old friend who was also named Piper, but she had…" Austin trailed off. "No way."
"It's not possible!" Ally exclaimed, putting two and two together.
"Oh, dear Ally, but it is!" Piper said, putting a hand on Ally's shoulder.
"But-But how?" Austin said. "Why? I mean, I'm glad you're back, but we saw you die."
"That is a story I'll get to later. First things first, you guys are old," Piper said, looking her friends up and down.
"We're only thirty-nine," Ally said.
"Exactly. But you guys look good for your age," Piper told them.
"Please, I always look good," Austin said. Ally rolled her eyes while Piper laughed.
"Nothing has changed," Piper said. Ally nodded and mouthed, 'help me' to Piper.
"Hey!" Austin exclaimed when he saw it. Ally and Piper laughed.
"I can't believe you're back!" Ally exclaimed, hugging Piper again. Piper grinned.
"Me neither!" she replied.
"But now, as your possible future father-in-law, I demand that you tell us how you came back from the dead!" Austin exclaimed with fake authority. Piper laughed, but then her eyes widened and she turned pale.
"Oh my gosh," she said in a voice that indicated she was scarred for life.
"What?" Austin and Ally said at the same time. Piper looked at them with wide blue eyes and a face drained of blood.
"I just realized…I've kissed-and been in love with-my possible future father-in-law," she said slowly. Austin and Ally sat back to let that sink in.
"Don't forget that I'm also twenty-two years older than you," Austin added in the same tone of voice as Piper. "I think I'm scarred for life."
"Guys, at the time you were both seventeen and Austin wasn't even close to having a kid. Calm down," Ally said.
"It's still gross!" Piper exclaimed. "Thinking about it now… Ew." She shuddered in disgust.
"Just pretend he was Alex! I mean, they look exactly alike," Ally suggested. Piper shrugged while Austin smirked.
"You have fabulous taste in guys," he said. Piper rolled her eyes and Austin gasped dramatically. "So disrespectful!" Austin exclaimed. Piper rolled her eyes again.
"So anyway, I should probably get on with the story, though Alex and Amelia won't be home for another forty-five minutes," Piper said. "Cute names, by the way."
"Thanks," Ally replied with a smile. "I only got to name Alex 'cause I promised Austin that if we had a daughter her name could be Amelia-I honestly didn't even think we were gonna have another one."
"Wait, how do you know they'll be home in so long when they said they'd take ten minutes?" Austin asked Piper.
"Oh, right. See, since I've already lived a life as a Shadow, now that I'm living another one, I'm even more powerful. Probably the most powerful Shadow ever. So, I can see the future. By the way, Ally, you and my foster mom do not need to freak out over my wedding so much," Piper replied.
"Wait, so you can see that you're gonna marry Alex?" Ally asked. Piper nodded.
"I dunno when, but the wedding is really clear. And I am gonna look amazing," Piper replied.
"Okay, enough with Piper's super cool powers. Tell the story!" Austin exclaimed, sitting down on the couch. Ally and Piper sat down, too.
"Okay, okay, don't get your drumsticks in a twist!" Piper replied in annoyance. "Gosh, where do I start?"
"When you died, maybe?" Austin suggested impatiently. Piper rolled her eyes.
"Just as annoying as before," she muttered under her breath. Austin pouted.
"I thought you used to like me!" he complained.
"Yes but you were-and still are-the most annoying person I've ever met. We have a special relationship, remember? Friends, but also not really."
"Oh yeah," Austin remembered. "You're always mean." Ally laughed.
"I forgot how entertaining you two are together!" she exclaimed.
"Anyway, story time!" Austin exclaimed.
"Right," Piper said. "So, I died. You guys know that and you know how. I gave my life force so you two could come back to life, yadda, yadda, yadda. Anyway, so in the Shadow Realm, when you die you go before the Shadow Council-"
"What's that?" Austin asked dumbly. Piper rolled her eyes.
"A council of nine really creepy guys who used to be Shadows that lived in ancient times and were kings or pharaohs or important people like that. When Shadows die, they go before the Shadow Council. The Shadow Council reviews the Shadow's entire life before you can blink. Then, depending on how evil you were throughout your life, they give you your eternal punishment," Piper explained.
"Oh," Austin said.
"Wow, must be great being a Shadow," Ally remarked. Piper laughed dryly.
"What, eternal torture doesn't sound fun to you?" she asked. Then she sighed. "I asked about my parents. They-they're locked up and acid rains on them twenty-four/seven. I tried to visit them, but all I heard was screaming and the guards zapped me away." A tear rolled down her face. Austin and Ally got up and sat down on both sides of her. Austin wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Pipes," he said. Ally had tears rolling down her face and she hugged the blonde girl.
"They don't deserve that, Piper. I wish none of you were Shadows!" Ally exclaimed. Piper hugged Ally back and Austin wrapped his long arms around the two girls.
"Anyway," Piper said after a while, wiping her tears and pulling away from the hug, "the Council viewed my life and realized I didn't do anything wrong unless it was because my grandma was forcing me to-they had already seen her, so they knew how evil she was. Then, when they saw how I died to save you guys, they decided I shouldn't be punished, but rewarded. So, they told me that they were gonna determine a time and I was gonna be reborn.
"They told me I'd have to be put in the foster system at a young age, which I didn't really mind. They also told me I'd go through a lot of hard times in the foster system, but I was fine with that, too, because they told me I'd get to keep my powers and all my memories of my past life. And they said I would be able to live in peace after I died with no punishment. Plus, they said that I'd meet someone familiar. I thought it was Alex because he looks so much like you-I honestly have no idea how I didn't realize he's your kid-but I guess it turned out to be you guys," she finished.
"Wow. Well, I'm happy you weren't punished," Austin said.
"And that you're back!" Ally added. Piper smiled.
"Me too. By the way, I asked about Sarah and her punishment is that every day, she has to go through all the torture she's put all of her victims through. Especially you guys because you were innocent. Before you, she'd only kill criminals-I think you knew that." Austin and Ally nodded.
"So, yeah. That's how I'm here," Piper finished. "But enough about me-tell me about you guys! What happened after I died?" she asked her favorite couple.
"Well," Ally said, "it took a while, but eventually we started living life as normal. All four of us have that picture we took when you rescued Austin and I. We made a pact that we'd never forget what happened, no matter how much we wanted to. Memories-even the bad ones-are important. They make up who we are. Without them, we'd be totally different people."
"I would know. Sarah took mine twice," Austin said grumpily.
"Anyway," Ally continued, "we finished high school and went separate ways for college. Austin and I both went to MUNY, Dez went to some prestigious film school, and Trish went to some school for designers."
"Are you guys still in touch?" Piper asked.
"Definitely," Austin replied. "They actually live right down the street. Dez proposed to Trish the day after our wedding." Piper grinned.
"I always knew they'd end up together," she said.
"So did everyone else," Austin told her. "Well, everyone except them."
"Remind you of anyone?" Piper asked. Austin rolled his eyes.
"Please don't start arguing!" Ally said before Austin could reply to Piper. "Gosh, how did you two even become friends?"
"We had a common goal while you and Piper were in the mansion," Austin said. Ally raised her eyebrows. "Getting you to admit you still liked me," he elaborated.
"Looking back on it, I dunno why we had any thoughts that you didn't," Piper said. "I mean, it had only been a few days since the break-up, and not many people get over relationships that quickly. Especially not you guys."
"I dunno," Ally said. "I mean, he seemed pretty over me when you kissed him." Piper laughed.
"I was a seventeen-year-old guy, okay?!" Austin tried defending himself. "I thought we were done talking about that," he muttered.
"We are," Piper told him. "It'd be really awkward if we weren't because we have about two minutes."
"Wait, does Alex know about your powers?" Austin asked. Piper shook her head.
"He caught me making lip gloss appear one time and thought it was cool and asked me how, so I told him it was a magic trick. Other than that, he doesn't know anything. And I'd kinda like to keep it that way," Piper replied. Austin and Ally nodded in understanding. All of a sudden, the door burst open.
"Sorry that took so long!" Alex said, coming back from dropping off the flour in the kitchen. "We-"
"It's okay," Ally replied as Amelia sat next to her.
"They weren't too embarrassing, were they?" Alex asked his girlfriend, sitting next to her on the couch. Piper grinned.
"Not at all. It's like I've known them my whole life," she replied.
"Well, I better start making the cookies or we won't have dessert. Austin, mind calling Trish and Dez? They'll want to meet Piper," Ally said.
"Sure. You okay with that, Pipes?" Austin asked.
"Pipes is my nickname for her!" Alex exclaimed. Piper started cracking up.
"Actually, it was my nickname first," Austin muttered to himself, walking out of the room to call Trish and Dez.
"What's so funny?" Alex asked his girlfriend.
"You and your dad are so alike," she explained. "I mean, from what I've seen," she quickly added. Alex shrugged and started talking to Piper about who-knows-what.
"Mommy, can I help with the cookies?" Amelia asked her mom, walking into the kitchen.
"Sorry, sweetie. I gotta get these done fast. Why don't you go outside and play soccer? Jackson will probably want to play," Ally said. They lived in a gated neighborhood and almost every house had kids, so it was pretty safe for them to play outside.
"But Jackson is helping Uncle Dez with the koala babies!" Amelia exclaimed. Even though they weren't actually related, Amelia and Alex had been raised calling Trish and Dez 'Aunt Trish' and 'Uncle Dez.' Also, they considered Jackson (who was Amelia's age) and Cole (who was Alex's age) their cousins.
"Why don't you go ask Piper and Alex if they wanna play with you? I'm sure they'd love to," Ally said. Amelia sighed and walked out of the kitchen.
"Hey, Als," Austin said, walking up behind Ally. "Trish and Dez are coming in twenty minutes. Something about crazy koala babies…?" Austin said.
"Yeah, Amelia told me about that," Ally replied. "Now move, these need to go in the oven."
"Gosh, bossy much?" Austin said, stepping to the side.
"I have to be," Ally replied, "considering the fact that you either act like a child or abuse your parental authority."
"Well, now that I have parental authority, I should be allowed to abuse it," Austin argued.
"That's called bad parenting," Ally said, "which is why I run this house." Austin pouted.
"I can be a good parent if I want," he said.
"Face it, Austin. I do the parenting, and you do the entertainment. That means the kids like you more than me."
"C'mon, Als. Don't guilt-trip me for no reason," Austin said.
"No, no, I'm not. You're just the more likable one," Ally said. Austin sighed.
"Well, now I'm guilty for no reason. Thanks a lot." He crossed his arms and pouted. Ally laughed and Austin rolled his eyes. "You're mean," he told her. "Why do I love you so much? I don't understand!" he exclaimed, looking confused.
"Because we've been through a lot and I'm amazing," Ally replied with a smirk. "Love you, too," she added. The doorbell rang.
"I'll get it, Als," Austin told Ally, who was taking the cookies out of the oven. Ally thanked him.
"Hey guys!" Austin said when he opened the door, letting Trish and Dez into the house.
"Aunt Trish and Uncle Dez are here!" Amelia exclaimed, running out from her room and jumping in Dez's arms. Despite (or maybe because of) his crazy antics, he was great with children, and they all loved him.
"Hey Trish, hey Dez," Alex said, walking from Amelia's room as well, holding Piper's hand. He knew they weren't actually his family, and so he elected to just call them by their names.
"Alex, don't be rude," Austin said. "Introduce them to your girlfriend!" He winked at Piper behind Alex's back, and she chuckled.
"Oh, right! Trish, Dez, this is my girlfriend, Piper. Piper, this is Trish and Dez, my parents' best friends since high school. They're pretty much family," Alex said. Piper grinned.
"Nice to meet you!" she said, trying not to laugh at the fact that she knew them really well.
"She reminds me of someone," Dez noted.
"I do?" Piper asked.
"I can't put my finger on it…" he continued.
"He means you remind us of an old friend," Trish said for him. Piper smiled.
"Mr. and Mrs. Moon said the same thing!" she said.
"Piper, please call us Austin and Ally," Austin said, shooting her a playful glare. She stuck her tongue out at him behind Alex's back.
"Piper!" Dez exclaimed. "That's who she reminds me of! Looks the same, has the same name… You know, I wouldn't be surprised if you really were her back from the dead!" Alex raised an eyebrow, but shook it off as one of the many crazy things Dez always said.
"Well, I have to go use the restroom, but I'll be right back," he said. Then, he whispered to Piper, "If Dez says anything weird or confusing, don't be alarmed. Just roll with it and you'll be fine. Oh, and don't make Trish mad." Piper nodded and watched Alex go down the hall. Amelia was with her mom in the kitchen, so it was just Piper, Austin, Trish, and Dez.
"Well, tell them!" Austin told Piper impatiently.
"Austin, you're pretty close with Alex's girlfriend," Dez said. "That's kinda weird."
"You'd understand if she'd just tell you! C'mon, Pipes! What are you waiting for?!" he whined.
"Alright, alright, give me room to talk, dimwit," Piper told the blonde. Trish looked taken aback at the girl's disrespect towards her boyfriend's father. Piper saw her expression. "Calm down, Trish. It's me. As in, I came back from the dead."
"What?!" Trish exclaimed.
"You heard her!" Austin said excitedly. Dez screamed. Then, he and Trish hugged their old friend. Piper quickly told the story she told Austin and Ally.
"That's amazing!" Trish said.
"It's been twenty-seven years!" Dez exclaimed. Piper grinned.
"Yeah! But I'm back and even more powerful, which means I have a whole new world of possibilities to mess with Austin!" the blonde girl replied. Austin's eyes widened and he took a step towards Dez and away from Piper.
"Oh, and I can see that I'm gonna marry Alex, therefore I'll be part of the family and you'll be stuck with me forever," she added. The other three laughed and they group hugged. Ally ran out from the kitchen and joined the hug. Finally they all pulled away.
"Mommy, she looks like that girl in the picture!" Amelia said from next to her mom. Ally grinned.
"Yeah, she does."
Finally, Alex came out of the bathroom and the seven of them ate the homemade pizza Ally had prepared earlier that day.
"Wow, Pipes," Alex said, "how are you getting along so well with my parents? They're usually super embarrassing."
"Hey!" Austin exclaimed. "I can abuse my parental authority!" Piper laughed.
"I dunno, we just kinda clicked," she replied. "It's like we've known each other for years." Austin, Ally, Trish, Dez, and Piper all laughed. Meanwhile, Alex and Amelia looked at each other, confused as to what was going on. They shrugged it off and enjoyed the rest of the night.
Ugh, endings. Guys, I really need to work on my endings. Anyway, I have this weird obsession with Sonny With a Chance. Like literally I got into it again and Kevin and Heath wrote it and OMG MY CHANNY FEELS but they BROKE UP AND NEVER GOT BACK TOGETHER AND MY HEART IS SHATTERED AND STERLING KNIGHT IS SO ATTRACTIVE I CAN'T EVEN WILL SOMEONE FANGIRL WITH ME? But seriously it's amazing and because they're written by the same people THERE ARE SO MANY PARALLELS BETWEEN CHANNY AND AUSLLY AND IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL I CAN'T DEAL HELP ME PLEASE! Oh, and did I mention HOW FREAKING ATTRACTIVE STERLING KNIGHT IS LIKE I ALWAYS THOUGHT HE WAS CUTE BUT NOW I'M REWATCHING IT AND I'M LIKE OMG CUZ LIKE WHEN I WAS LITTLE I LIKED HIM BETTER WITH LONGER HAIR AND I THOUGHT IT WAS UGLY WHEN HE SPIKED IT UP BUT NOW I'M LIKE HOLY GOOD HEAVENS OH MY FEATHERS CRAP CAKES SWEET DOORBELLS AND SPOONS HE IS SO FREAKING ATTRACTIVE! Right, back on track... Omg I can't stop thinking about Sterling Knight like guys he is up there with the Lynch boys and Ellington but he has more of a mature attractiveness and oh my sweet feathery doorspoons he's attractive. Right, right, right. On track. Thank you so much for reading this terrible excuse for a fanfic. Thanks for putting up with my weird updating schedule and thanks for all your amazing reviews. We're at 127 right now, and my goal is to get at least as much as Forgotten, which is 134. Think we can do it? I think yes! Even if it's just a word. Or, ask me a question and I'll PM you! Or we could fangirl! Idc as long as you review! They make me happy. Okay, now I'm finally leaving. Congrats if you read this entire AN. Thanks for reading and please review! Love you all more than I love Sterling Knight! (Again, he's up there with the Lynches and Ellington)
~Maddie :)