Epilogue Two:
Sam hadn't remembered seeing a more beautiful wedding, or even imagining one. It had been eight years since the first time on the mountain. They had been through eight years of hell, so it was almost a relief to have the wedding placed on a day filled with so much suffering. The terrible memories could be replaced with beautiful ones. Sam had to admit she was excited to be the Maid of Honor for this wedding, as well as the only bridesmaid. Ashley had kept the other bridesmaids places empty as a sort of memorial to everyone who had died, Hannah, Beth, Jessica, Emily... it was sweet of her. It was similar to how Chris didn't give the position of Best Man to anyone. That was Josh's.
Ashley looked beautiful. There had been some difficulty with planning the wedding. How was a paraplegic bride going to go down the aisle? Would the design of the wheelchair distract from the gown and everything else going around? Sam knew Ashley had all these fears. She also knew Ashley was afraid that Chris might not go through with the wedding. Who would want to voluntarily live with a cripple for the rest of their life? Sam knew these fears were all in Ashley's head. She could think back to six years ago when they had survived their final night, their final trial, on the mountain. Chris hadn't left Ashley's side. She saw him act strong in front of the others, but she hadn't missed the puffy eyes and the teardrops that fell when he thought no one else was watching. She knew his pain was real. She knew their love was real, even if they might not have realized either of them was in love with the other quite yet. They said 'I love you' for the first time a month after Ashley woke up. They had never even had eyes for another person since.
The wedding went off without a hitch. Ivory and pink roses that matched Ashley's bouquet decorated the chair. Ashley's father pushed her down the aisle to give her away. The ivory wedding dress made Ashley look like a goddess. Sam didn't miss the look on Chris' face. She had never seen a face that held so much love. She knew Ashley and Chris would be happy.
She was currently at the reception where Chris and Ashley danced under the stars and fairy lights that were placed around the small courtyard that they had rented out. Sam saw Matt watching from the side, a raven haired beauty at his side. Sam remembered Matt healing after Emily's death. He had held it together while their lives depended on it, but on the helicopter ride he fell into a depression that seemed like it would never end. He had tried to kill himself again. He was dangerous to himself. No one could blame him. He had lost his girlfriend in Emily. He had lost one of his childhood best friends in Jessica. He thought he was going to lose another one in Ashley. He had a terrible time coping. He eventually was admitted into a mental institution. He only stayed for a month or so, but that month worked wonders. Slowly, the old Matt had started to come back. He was laughing again. He could be trusted around razor blades and pills again.
The day knew that Sam knew Matt would be okay was two years ago. She was having a small get together at her house, Chris, Ashley, Mike and Matt were the only ones invited. They always went to one another for everything, never missed any opportunity to see one another because they all knew better than anyone that any moment could be their last, but Matt had said he couldn't come. When asked why he told Sam that he had a date. When she learned the date had gone well, she knew Matt would be alright. Matt broke up with the girl eventually, four months later, but got with his current girlfriend three months after. She's sympathetic towards him, and she didn't try to relate her own experiences to theirs, so Sam found her very pleasant. She was happy for Matt. She was the only one who knew he was planning onto proposing to her.
Sam was distracted from her thoughts by a tap on her shoulder. She had noticed the first dance between Chris and Ashley had ended and beautiful couples in beautiful gowns were crossing onto the dance floor, congratulating the newly weds. Sam turned her attention to the person who had gotten her attention. Mike.
Sam's relationship with Mike was complicated. The two of them depended on one another after everything that had happened. Sam would pull him out of the depressive phases he would have when he got lost in thought about Jessica and Emily. Mike would bring Sam back to reality when she thought about the what if's between her and Josh. They put everything into one another. They had a nightmare, they called one another. They needed a running partner, the called each other. They very rarely were seen in public without the other.
Five months after the events on the mountain for the last time Sam had gotten a call on her phone. "Is this Samantha Waters?" the voice had asked her. She told them yes. "You're listed as Michael's emergency contact. Can you come to the hospital." Of course she had gone right away. Mike had gotten drunk at a bar and ended up in a fight he lost pretty badly. Sam hadn't been out in years. Together, they blended their lives. People often asked them if they were dating, to which they both denied. Neither of them were in a place where they could date. Jessica, Josh and Emily, as well as Hannah and Beth, were always on their minds.
When Sam saw Mike standing there, hand held out, charming smile on his face, she was expecting this dance to be another out of necessity thing. She wasn't expecting the looks Mike gave her. She wasn't expecting to give him looks and shy smiles, or loving the way she felt being close to him while he twirled her around. "We can't do this, can we?" she asked.
Mike shrugged. "Why not? I mean, we're both too crazy for anyone else. No one knows me better than you do. We know the baggage already." Sam smiled. Michael Monroe had a point. They could try things out, of course. The two of them needing one another was pretty obvious. They had an almost symbiotic relationship at this point. "Samantha Waters, would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?"
Sam smiled. For the first time in a while she wasn't thinking about Josh, about what could've been. She wasn't thinking of the guilt that resided in her heart for letting those horrible things happen to her friends. She was able to get past it and just look at the attractive man standing in front of her. She knew he wasn't thinking about his past, either. She knew his only focus was on her. "Only if you promise to not call me Samantha."
He smiled. "You've got a deal." They danced under the fairy lights, smiling at one another, until Mike lifted Sam's chin, looked into her eyes. It was a small kiss, but one full of promises. Nothing would get between them. Not Jessica. Not Emily. Not Josh. No one. Finally, Sam knew she had moved on. The group could finally be at peace. They would never have to fear again.
Thank y'all so much for reading this story! I cannot believe it's over. I had a ton of fun writing it and I hope you all enjoyed reading it! Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed this story. It truly means a lot to me.