sorry for the delay in upload but I just really don't like this chapter and have been trying to improve it because this story deserves the best ending I can make. but I also feel like I've been owing you guys this chapter for awhile so here it is!

January 7th 1946.

"I still can't believe you have a boyfriend."

"You've known for two months."

"I know but still."

The old nursery of the Wheeler's house had been completely redone and turned into a bedroom that Jane and Gwen now shared. Two beds, dressers, and desks had been managed to squeeze into the little room. It was Within weeks of taking her home they learned that Gwen's parents had been killed. She'd gotten separated from them and taken to another camp due to overcrowding and they'd died sometime after she left. Gwen was much better at dealing with and hiding her emotions around others. But it wasn't often that Jane woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of her best friend crying.

About a week after they heard the news about Gwen's parents they got a letter from Rita's family. They told her that they'd been in a camp called Auschwitz and that both Rita and her little sister had died back in July. They'd both fallen ill and had been killed by the soldiers who ran the camp.

Things were so much easier with her dad and Gwen back, but they were still hard. Everyone was just taking things one day at a time.

Jane could hear her dads voice from down the hall in the room that he was staying in. "Girls, it's already 7:30 you're going to be late!"

Gwen groaned and pushed her chair out from her desk on the opposite side of the room. "Guess I'm not gonna do my hair today." She said as she grabbed her jacket from the closet.

Jane, who was already waiting by the door, rolled her eyes. "I think you'll survive."

The two girls hurried down the stairs and down into the dining room. The glow Gwen had lacked had finally returned and her dad had started gaining the weight back (he'd also trimmed his beard the day they got home and had gone back to his regular shaving schedule). Gwen was thrilled about her new wardrobe she had gotten when the three of them went out shopping shortly after they got home. She was thrilled about the maroon blouse with puffed sleeves which had been hanging up in the closet since the day she bought it for a special occasion.

The night that her dad and Gwen had been brought back they had soup and rolls for dinner. Her dad had to break the news that they'd been so underfed he was pretty sure it would be a while before they could stomach solid food again. She and Nancy made the best chicken soup they could and even watered it down a little but Jane still found her dad throwing up in the bathroom about an hour later.

In the middle of the meal Ted and Karen said that they'd been talking about what would happen when the war ended. They said that the three of them were welcome to stay as long as they wanted and that they would gladly change the nursery and Ted's office into bedrooms. Needless to say they took their offer in a heartbeat.

The feeling of not having to worry about going outside was liberating in a way Jane had never imagined. Whenever she wanted to she could step out the front door and just breathe the fresh air. She did so often.

The two girls were met with the smell of pancakes before they even made it to the dining room. The Wheelers had bought a dining table long enough to comfortably fit everyone but Jane still sat in the same spot next to Mike. Only now Gwen sat on her other side. When they sat down her blonde friend piled strawberries onto her plate with a large grin. It was the first solid food she'd managed to keep down. She eyed the plate of pancakes for a second before glancing nervously at Jane.

"Will you share one with me?" she asked

"Of course."

Jane cut two even pieces and placed one on Gwen's plate next to her before getting another full one for herself. Underneath the table Mike reached for her hand. Despite the fact that his parents revealed they'd known the two were together for almost the entire time, and that her dad figured it out pretty much instantly, they still felt embarrassed around their family.

"Are you nervous?" he asked her once she swallowed the first piece of pancake she cut.

"Yes." She answered honestly.

Mike's school had started building an additional wing specifically for students whose schooling had been set back due to the war in the beginning of December. It would be Jane's first day of school since she was fifteen. Of course she was nervous. Not to mention it was an entirely different school than she was used to, one that was filled with strangers.

"Dustin said that we can all come over school." Mike told her. "Do you guys wanna go or do you wanna come right home?"

Jane glanced over at Gwen who looked up from her plate. After a few seconds hesitation she raised an eyebrow. "I'll go if you go?"

She nodded, "Yeah, okay."

Slowly but surely Jane was beginning to get over the anxiety that came whenever she left the house. At first she was only able to be outside for about twenty minutes before she started having a panic attack. Every day they practiced going out for longer periods of time. In the beginning she and Mike would just take a ride around the neighborhood. Then they would go get lunch. Eventually she was able to stay out long enough to go see a movie.

For New Year's Mike's friend Will had invited the three of them to a small party at his house. All of his friends had come over to meet Jane and Gwen (apparently Mike had been talking about them nonstop since the day the war ended) so she had already known she would be with good company. She just wondered if she would be able to stay out past midnight. Mike stayed by her side the whole night and every hour or so checked in to make sure she was okay. Surprisingly she had been fine the whole night.

Jane's dad came down only a few minutes after she did and sat on the other side of Gwen. He too didn't fill his plate up much. She remembered how he used to eat twice as much as her for dinner in the same amount of time. Though it hurt to see so many little things that were different about them she told herself that it might take time but they would get back to normal. But the tattoos were something she would never get used to. Most days Gwen covered it up with makeup but when Jane glanced over she saw that, with her short sleeves, her tattoo was on display.

She leaned in close to her. "You didn't cover it today?" she asked quietly so no one else would hear.

Gwen followed her gaze down to her arm before shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know." She answered. "I don't think I'm going to anymore. It's not something to be embarrassed about."

Hearing those words come from Gwen, who once in the eighth grade didn't come to school one day because she had a cold sore, was a shock to the system. Jane put her arm on her shoulder. "I'm so proud of you."

She watched her roll her eyes. "Please don't get all mushy on me, today, I don't think I can handle it."

I don't think I can handle it. It was a sentence that had been said many times in the Wheeler house.

Once they were done with breakfast and cleaned up their plates they headed for the front door to get their backpacks and jackets. Jane groaned as she put her arms through the sleeves. "I left my bad upstairs, I'll be right back." She said before turning and taking the stairs two at a time.

Up in her room Jane triple checked that she packed everything she needed. She also put Gwen's makeup in the front pocket just in case she changed her mind and got self conscious about the tattoo. Just as she zipped it up she heard a soft knock on the open door behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and instantly spotted Mike standing in the doorway.

A smile spread on her face as he started walking over to her. "Hey, whatcha doing up here?" she asked

Mike shrugged. "I just wanted to check on you." He said. "Today's a big day, I want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm okay." She told him. He was constantly checking on her but she had yet to get tired of it. But Mike wasn't the only one either. Everyone was always asking her if she was okay or if she needed anything. Even Holly would bring home drawings for her from school when she thought Jane was having a bad morning. She was so incredibly lucky to have them all that it blew her mind. "You don't have to worry, okay? It's just school. I'll be fine."

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Yeah, I know." He said, but Jane wasn't quite convinced. "But you haven't been out of the house that long yet. What if you get freaked out?"

Jane put her arms around his neck. "Then I'll take to Gwen. Take deep breaths. All that stuff I've been practicing. I'll be fine."

Mike flashed her a smile. "I know." He said before leaning down and kissing her forehead. "It's my job to worry."

Before he could stand up straight again she stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his. She had yet to get tired of kissing and she didn't think she ever would. Everything that attracted the other girls in school to boys and dating had become clear back in August. Jane no longer had to wonder what was wrong with her that made her so uninterested in the idea. She had started to question if she ever would be interested. Now she knew it was just a matter of finding the right boy.

Mike needed another haircut. She could tell by the way her hand on the back of his neck was just brushed by the ends of his hair. A small smile appeared on her face when she remembered how terrified she had been the last time she cut his hair. Back when she didn't dare to let herself admit her own feelings to herself. The difference between then and now were astonishing.

Her first day of school had given her a small burst of confidence. "Mike?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

He stood up straight again while his eyes frantically searched her face. Jane began to worry as he remained silent. Had she said it too soon? Had she totally messed things up the way she had been worried about doing for months? She wished she would have consulted with Gwen beforehand to get her opinion on the timing.

Before she could worry too much a smile, bigger than she had ever seen him put on, completely took over his face. Mike pulled her into a tight hug and buried his head into her neck. He didn't need to say it back. Just by his reaction she could tell what he was thinking. Jane had never been good at reading people's body language, but the more time she spent with Mike the easier it got to read him. She mentioned it to him once a few weeks back. He had told her he could either read her like a book or not at all. Seemed about right.

"I love you too." His voice was muffled slightly but she could still hear him loud and clear.

Jane wished they could stay like that forever. But it was only about a minute before she heard Gwen's voice from the first floor yelling up at them. "Hey lovebirds!" she shouted, "Unless you want me stealing the keys and leaving without you I suggest you haul ass down here!"

She groaned as she let her arms drop to her sides before she trudged out the door and down the stairs with Mike close behind. As confident as she was that she would get through the day Jane just wasn't sure how easy it would be. How many times would she feel the tightness clenching in her chest and creeping up her throat? How often would she have to blink back tears or excuse herself to go to the bathroom when she couldn't hold them back any longer? Jane tried to push the thought down and instead reached for Mike's hand.

When they finally reached the first floor again Gwen was standing in the open front doorway with her backpack on and her hands on her hips. She tossed Mike his keys once he got close enough and lead the way out to the car. He shot Jane a grin as they followed her out. Gwen climbed into the backseat while Jane sat up in the front next to Mike. As they pulled out of the driveway she leaned up to the front and turned on the radio.

"You excited for first day of school, Janey?" she said and pinched her cheeks.

Jane swatted her hand away. "Not as excited as you." She told her. "We're going to school. You've never been so enthusiastic about learning before in your life."

Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "I just want things to be normal again. Even if it means suffering through algebra." She said. "Besides, I haven't had a cute boy to flirt with in months. I've been completely deprived."

Both her and Mike laughed. "I kind of forgot how annoying you were when I was busy missing you." Jane teased.

She felt Gwen give her shoulder a light shrug. "I thought you missed me because I was so annoying."

The drive to school from Mike's house was longer than the walk to her old school had been. She and Gwen went back and forth playfully while Mike simply smiled and shook his head at them. Everything was so unbelievably normal. In some ways it was even better than it had been before. Even though Jane had lost so much during the war she had also gained so much.

When they finally pulled up to the school she stared up at the building. She felt the same blend of excitement and nervousness as she had her first day of school back when she was five years old. Students were filing in through the front doors but Jane was hesitant to even get out of the car. She only tore her eyes away from the school when she felt Mike put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ready?" he asked gently. From the backseat she could feel Gwen watching her carefully.

Before moving in with the Wheelers she felt like there was no point in fighting so hard. She'd lost everything that she cared about. What was the point in trying so hard to survive the war when there was nothing to look forward to when it was over? But now, on the other side of what felt like the end of the world, she felt stronger than ever. And when Mike smiled at her like she was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen she felt like she could conquer the world.

"Ready." She answered as she reached for the door handle.

I know this was a bit anticlimactic but I feel like they all deserve a bit of normalcy after everything they've been through. I hope you liked this (shitty) ending to this story. Hopefully I'll see you guys in the comments of my other stories :)