A/N: So this is it. The final chapter of this arc I started writing in August 2012. I would like to sincerely thank the readers that came along with me on this journey from Domino to Ready to Fall. I am now going on hiatus and will not be posting for a while. I need a little break and to go back to purely writing for my own enjoyment. I should be back... at some point in the future but thank you for all your kind comments and support. It has been very much appreciated.

I also must state the coincidence of me posting this last chapter exactly a year from the date this fic was first published. Which is kinda spooky...

And finally, the song for this chapter is Crash by You Me at Six which is pretty much my ultimate 1x2 song...

Epilogue

Crash

"Bourbon on the rocks."

The guy behind the bar clinked ice into a glass, pouring over the booze and handed it over with a nod and a smile.

"Thanks, buddy," I said as I turned, leaning against the bar and taking a sip as it was damn smooth.

I looked around the shindig that had turned out to be a lot damn fancier than I'd thought it would be though thank fuck there were only a few damn people. I guess I couldn't damn complain being that it was for us but me and 'Ro had a plan. It was a simple plan. Pick some random court house. Get some random people off the street to witness and boom! Married. Quick, efficient and done. But hey… my life had been one fuck ton of not going according to plan so I guess this wasn't going to either.

My eyes found Heero, his suit jacket gone, his tie a little loose and he was talking to 'Lena, his head leaning to listening to her words and I smiled and watched until I decided I needed a moment. You know, big day and all. I supposed he was thanking her, you know, as shit she'd hosted, given us somewhere private and I hadda say something to the Princess at some point in the night. See if she remembered my promise to get her drunk. Huh. That would be my priority for the rest of the damn night, I thought, get Relena drunk. I chuckled to myself as I walked out of the open glass doors, the weather pretty damn nice and I walked onto the grass, a little damp from an earlier rain shower and I didn't give a shit about my suit. And I didn't have to give a shit about my shoes as hell, I'd decided Converse went with the whole look. As shit, I was getting married, that was traditional enough, I was gonna do a little of the old Maxwell style and shit around with it.

And now I was. You know. Married. No hyphenated name or shit like that. Only some small ceremony with as little words as we could say to make it damn legal. A few friends and that was all. A little party afterwards that may have included a fully stocked bar and a band but I guess for Relena that was "little". Different perspectives and all.

I continued my walk, finding a spot on the grass and sitting down, feeling the wet grass on my suit pants as I leaned back to look at the stars, my fingers keeping a grasp on the glass. I needed a little time, I guessed, and for a damn change I didn't pull out a pack of smokes as I decided now… now was the time to start taking a little more care of myself. No more crazy stunts. No more shit that made my heart feel like it was gonna jump outta my chest and so the smokes went. I guess it made 'Ro happy. He hated the smell of that shit.

It was then I heard footsteps and as expected, I turned to see Quat, his suit and hair looking a little dishevelled and I raised an eyebrow as he sat down beside me.

"Please tell me you and Tro didn't do the nasty at my wedding?"

"I'm not saying anything," he said in faux innocence.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "I'm so not gonna think about it."

"Good," he replied with a little laugh, "don't."

My response was only a smirk as damn, if it were Quat and Tro's wedding, would me and Heero sneak off? Probably. So shit. I didn't blame them. Maybe I was just a little jealous as I'd not been with Heero just to myself since this morning's lazy fuck. Huh. Even when you were doing this whole shebang simple, we barely saw each other. But I guess we had the rest of lives for that.

"You know we tried to keep this secret."

"I have contacts everywhere."

"Yeah, shoulda known," I said wistfully as really, I didn't mind that Quat had found out, that it became this thing, that I'd worn a suit that I'd now rolled up my sleeves and lost my tie. As really, I supposed they should be here. Should be by our sides after every fucking thing we went through. Wars, near death, and a whole ton of other shit besides.

"What next?" he asked and I glanced over, seeing his sex mussed hair and sighed.

"Gonna travel a while, work it out, disappear for a bit. Me and him, you know?"

"You'll keep in touch?"

"'Course," I said, hearing the way his tone was low, "no more running and hiding and all. We'll be in touch just after everything…."

I shrugged as there were no words. As after everything we needed time to heal, we needed time to rest and sleep and fuck in every way imaginable and work out what we wanted from our future.

His hand reached for my arm, brushing the tattoos he could see as the sleeve was rolled up to my elbows. "Just don't run away from us again."

"Promise, Q, brothers."

It was then I leaned over, giving him a bear hug, and when we parted, he looked up and got to his feet.

"I'll leave you with your husband."

I gave him a little wave, still a little freaked by the word "husband" as Heero sat behind me, so I could lean back into his chest, feel his breathing and he could wrap his arms around me. His mouth was at my neck, him nosing away the braid and I relaxed back into him, into his warmth, his skin, the familiar scent and shit, I was fucking content in this moment.

"Think we can escape yet?"

He snickered and kissed at my neck. "A little while longer."

I made a "humph" noise. "I kinda want the honeymoon to start, babe," I said, running my fingers up his thigh, feeling his warm hot breath on my skin.

"Soon," he promised and I let my hand find his, quitting my teasing as shit, maybe blowing him on the grass outside Relena's mansion wasn't my classiest idea. It could wait a few more hours.

We sat, looking up at the damn sky and I thought, all those years ago, when I'd sat here smoking and Quat had told me how I was dick and how far we'd come. I'd come. As shit here I was and there was no more running.

I moved, offering my hand as he looked up at me through his bangs. "Better go play nice for a while, right 'Ro?"

He nodded and we walked back to the Peacecraft estate our arms wrapped around each other, his hand sliding into my pocket and giving me a little grope on my ass. I leaned close, resting my head against his as we walked side by side, together and there was one more thing I hadda do before we bailed. One person I had to talk to.

I saw him and we hadn't spoken to him today, not seen him since the Prev safe house and I dragged 'Ro with me even though he was damn reluctant - walking towards 'Fei and Zechs.

"Congratulations," Zechs said, offering a hand and we both did the polite thing, so damn old fashioned. I bit my tongue and stopped saying something damn snarky about tall and blond but it was only because I could see Wufei was relaxed, kinda happy, I guess, at least for him, and he leaned a little close to Zechs and he looked content. And I was damn glad.

"You know you hurt him at all, I'll kill you," I said, glaring up at Zechs all serious.

Zechs smirked but nodded. "I understand. You Gundam pilots are very protective of your own. It's admirable."

My hand had snaked to Heero's grasping his and squeezed as yeah, we'd kill for our own and do whole lot fucking worse.

"Thanks...'Fei," I said, my eyes meeting his straight on, "for everything. You got us to this... Without you..."

It was as damn near as feelings we were ever gonna get, me and Wufei as shit...neither me or Heero would be here without him. I saw him nod, a short curt movement of his head and I guess that was us done. I leaned close to 'Ro, asking whether we could now bail and he said a quiet "yeah" against my hair and we were ready to walk away, say our last goodbyes but I remembered as we did, to turn to 'Fei.

"Oh and thanks for being our lube fairy," I said with a wink before I turned back, walking next to Heero, leaving the Peacecraft estate to start our new life.

I finally figured that I could stop looking back in anger and vengeance and now it was time for the future. And shit, it was gonna be scary but exciting - a wild ride. And as long as I had Heero, one I didn't want to get off.