A/N 1: I own nothing but my mistakes. This is the end. Thanks for the support and know that I am in grad school jail now and will hopefully be let our on parole and will see you before I finish my degree. If I don't, I challenge you to put a Samcedes spin on your favorite movies, tv shows, or books and keep our community going along with our other superstars. Goodbye for now to you my friends...

65

The ambulance they were in pulled over when they got to the bottom. Emergency vehicles in every color under the sun, each with lights blazing, sat in a semicircle. Beyond that were vehicles filled with parents and school personnel and news crews.

Cedes' mother was escorted toward them through the throng of concerned parents and reporters. "Mercedes!" she shouted.

"You don't have to go with me," Sam said when Hunter pulled up with Chang in the passenger's seat. "Stay with Gina."

"My mom's got this. I'm going with you." She gave her panicked mom a quick hug before they hopped in the back seat of the cruiser and emergency personnel cleared an opening for them.

"How are they?" Hunter asked her.

"Alive."

"Okay," he said as he paid close to attention to the road all the way to Sam's distillery.

After fifteen minutes of silence, Sam said softly, "I'm not angry."

"When aren't you angry, Sam?" Cedes asked him in disbelief.

"I don't handle uncertainty well. Or fear. When Chang called me—"

"Instead of me. I know."

"You've been there, Em. You understand what that's like, only you actually know how to process and deal with those kinds of emotions. I just become an ass."

She hid a smile.

"You don't become an ass," Hunter said, surprising everyone. "You become more of an ass. There's a difference." That was the Hunter she knew and loved.

Chang looked out the window to hide his grin.

"Do you mind?" Sam asked him. "We're having a moment."

"Oh, that's what this is. My bad."

"We're having a moment?" she asked Sam.

"Yes, damn it. I'm trying to apologize to you for my lack of social skills. But you have to consider who I was raised by."

He had a point. "But you were mad."

"No, Em, I was frustrated that I didn't get to shoot that bastard in the head myself."

"Oh. Okay. Then what about the last fifteen years? You've been either angry or aloof since I can remember."

Cedes saw a glimpse of the turmoil in his eyes. "I told you, I don't handle things right. I never have. I internalize a lot of things and don't know how to respond appropriately."

"Well, you better learn how to communicate and respond appropriately for our daughter's sake."

"For our daughter's sake, I would do anything."

When they pulled into the distillery's parking lot, she asked the men, "Do you have any idea what's going on? I'd love to know what we're walking into."

"I don't have a clue." Sam said and the others agreed.

She nodded despite the disappointment, wondering if this was part of the Dangerous Damsels' plan they'd spoken about earlier. She had so many questions and so little time to get answers.

When she got out out of the cruiser, she found out it was just another shit show."

"Those are my employees." Sam got ahead of her and walked towards them.

All of the workers were standing outside the main distillery. Cedes had only been here once, and she had yet to see the inside, but if it was anywhere near as nice as the outside.

"Mrs. Banks?" she asked. Looking around, she realized not everyone standing outside the distillery worked there. Not unless Mrs. Banks and two other Dangerous Damsels had changed careers, but Cedes couldn't see Lillian Adler rejoining the job market in her nineties. "What's going on?" she asked as Sam and Chang pushed against the door. It had been barricaded from the inside.

"There was a fight," Mrs. Banks said. "We came to kill Cooter, but an altercation of some kind broke out before we got here. The workers won't let us in."

"Mrs. Banks, you can't tell me stuff like that."

"That the workers won't let us in? Whyever not?"

It was only when she saw what Lillian had in her hands that she started to believe her. "You literally brought pitchforks?"

Mrs. Banks laughed. "Only Lillian because she's old-school. I brought this." The tiny woman who'd once been suspected of being a serial killer pulled a Colt .45 pistol out of her purse.

"Mrs. Banks!" Cedes said, lunging for it before the woman killed someone. Or herself. She snatched it away and handed it to Hunter. "Stay put. And don't kill anyone."

"I can't make any promises."

She waited for Hunter to lock the gun in the cruiser and get back. Sam and Chang had pushed past the barrier. All four of them hurried inside but were stopped instantly.

Cedes sniffed the air. "I'm not sure what a distillery is supposed to smell like, but I'm pretty sure it's not gasoline."

Sam ran to a control room to check surveillance. A security guard lay unconscious on the floor, a trickle of blood on his temple. Cedes knelt to check on him. He groaned as Cedes put pressure on the wound.

Sam had a state-of-the-art system that showed the admin area as well as the distillery floor. Massive metal stills took up most of the floor with thick pipelines protruding out in all directions. They looked like the product of an 1800s science-fiction novel, and Sam was the mad scientist who ran it all.

"There," he said, pointing.

Cooter appeared on one of the monitors, dousing the entire place with gasoline, which seemed redundant.

"Isn't this entire place flammable as is?" Cedes asked Sam.

"Maybe he wants to speed things up a bit," Sam said with a quick shrug. "You need to leave."

"I agree. Hunt, get this man out of here and get everyone back. If this place goes up—"

"Aren't you forgetting something, Merciless?" He stepped closer to her. "I quit," he reminded her. "You don't get to order me around anymore."

She exhaled her frustration. "Hunter. Now. Is. Not. The. Time."

"Actually, I was talking to you, Em." He tried his hand at a death stare. It wasn't bad for a novice.

Still, hers was better. "I'm not leaving. Hunt, please take him."

"I'll take him."

They turned to see Joshua Menkins, one of Sam's cousins and his plant manager, standing at the door, looking like he'd been in a fight with a mountain lion.

"Joshua, are you okay?" Cedes asked. She stood as Sam checked out his cousin's most obvious wounds.

"Sorry, cuz. He jumped me. He's locked himself in the stillroom."

Sam narrowed his eyes on the screen again. "Yeah, well, he's too much of a narcissist to be suicidal. He has a plan."

"He usually does." Joshua went over to help the security guard stand.

"Joshua, you have to make sure everyone gets back. Way, way back. If there is a fire, it's going to take a lot of real estate with it."

"You got it, Sheriff."

She turned to see Sam glaring at her. "Is this you being frustrated again?"

"No. This is me being mad. Get out of here now, Em."

"You know I can't." She stepped closer, trying to make herself understood. "You know I wouldn't if I could."

Sam, Hunter, and Mike left and entered the stillroom, Sam entered by using a master key. He opened the door just enough to peek inside, then he turned and tossed the keys to Chang, motioning for him to go around to the other door. Hunt followed Chang.

"I know he's not suicidal, but surely he wouldn't be stupid enough to set the stillroom on front while inside of it?" Cedes whispered.

"You don't know Cooter Menkins very well," Sam said from between gritted teeth.

"Sam, you need to know, Schuester made a deal with Cooter. Schuester was supposed to kill you in a way that your family couldn't prove Cooter had anything to do with. I think maybe Schuester couldn't bring himself to pull it off? I'm not sure, but I just want you to know, your uncle definitely wants you dead."

"He doesn't consider himself my uncle, and he's always wanted me dead along with his brother my supposed father."

Cedes could only shake her head wishing his words weren't true, but she knew they were.

Sam pointed to a fire axe on the wall behind a small glass encasement. "Can you get that axe for me?"

"Sure," she said like she was born yesterday. When she went to retrieve the axe, Sam slipped inside the stillroom then closed and locked the door behind him.

"Sam!" she cried as she shoved against the solid metal door to no avail.

He pointed behind her and mouthed the words get out.

She shoved again. No way was she getting through that, even with the axe. Certainly not without alerting Cooter to their presence. She looked around, unsure of how Chang and Hunt got to the other door, but she had to at least try. She ran back a few yards and took the first hall she came to. After one dead end, two wrong turns, and three halls half the length of a football stadium, she found the unlocked door at last. She burst through it just in time to see Chang, the only man in the room who'd recently been stabbed, fighting the burly Cooter Menkins.

Hunt was cheering him on, wincing occasionally like a spectator at a boxing match when his fighter took a hit. And Sam was working on a square device of some kind.

She went to him to see what he was doing. "What are you doing?"

"Dammit, Cedes," he said, searching to heaven for strength. He looked at her and asked, "Do you ever listen?"

"Pot meet kettle," she asked, then remembered she was angry. "You locked me out!"

"Exactly."

She started to yell at him some more, but the device in his hands caught her attention. Or at least part of her attention. The rest was taken up by the nearby wrestling match. "First, what is that? And second, shouldn't we be helping?"

Sam looked over his shoulder just as Cooter hit Chang. Mike grunted but kept his arms padlocked around Cooter's neck in a vise grip any professional wrestler would be proud of.

"Nah, Chang's good. And this," he said, holding it up to her, "is a timed incendiary device."

"Ah." She winced as Chang took an elbow to the ribs. "So, he's not suicidal."

"Nope. He said something about if he can't have the distillery, no one can."

"Really?"

"But I'm thinking his motivation has a lot more to do with the fact that he took out a huge insurance policy on the place several months ago as a backup plan." He gestured toward the timer. "Pour a little gasoline, set this to go off after you leave, and you have an instant pay out."

"Did you disarm incendiary device?"

"I don't know."

"Because it's still counting down."

"I can see that."

"It's saying less than two minutes."

He looked at her. "I can also see it, Em."

"Shouldn't we get that out of here since it could explode?"

"It won't explode so much as catch fire."

"In a room full of gasoline and corn whiskey. What could go wrong?" She threw her hands into the air and turned to Hunt. With a gesture toward Chang, she asked, "Are you going to help him?"

"Me?" he asked in alarm. "I don't want to get hit. You help him."

He was right. She was the sheriff. It was her responsibility. She pulled her sidearm and both Hunt and Sam sprang forward to stop her.

"What?" She slapped them away. "I'm not stupid. I'm just going to threaten him."

"No need." Sam tilted his head to study his friend as Chang struggled to keep his grip. "You got this?" he asked him.

"Yes," Chang grunted from between clenched teeth, applying more pressure to the burly man's throat. Cooter thrashed and fought as hard as he could. He landed another elbow to Chang's rib cage and Cedes winced.

"You sure?" Sam asked. "I can help."

"I got this."

Sam shrugged and simply watched as Cooter slowly—oh, so slowly—went limp in Chang's arms.

Chang filled his lungs and kicked the man off him only to have Sam grab a container and throw liquid in Cooter's face. Hopefully it was just water.

Cooter sputtered and spit back to life, and Cedes raised her sidearm, but Sam simply knelt in front of him and held out the device. Cooter's eyes rounded to the size of saucers. He lunged for the box and disarmed it with three whole seconds to spare. Just like in the movies.

Cedes hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath. "Not funny to wait to the last minute, Sam."

As Hunt took Cooter to the ground and cuffed him, Sam stood smiling. He held out his palm to show her a small piece of plastic with something that looked like the frayed end of a rope attached to it.

"What's that?"

"The part that would have caught fire."

"The only part that would've caught fire?"

"The only one."

"So, it wouldn't have gone off?"

"Nope. Well, I don't think so," he said, studying it.

Cedes had had enough. "I quit."

"Hey," Hunt said, dragging Cooter to his feet. "I quit first. You can't copy me."

"How did you know to take that out of the box?" she asked Sam.

"I didn't." He gestured to his right.

Cedes looked and saw Bryan Ryan Menkins standing there, looking like he hadn't a care in the world. He did, however, have a black eye and was apparently covered in gasoline.

Reflexively, Cedes raised her duty weapon before catching herself and holstering it. It had been a long day. She walked over to him, sniffed, and crinkled her nose. "Maybe we should get you into a shower."

"I'd like that."

"And see to that eye."

"Nothing a little homebrew won't fix."

"You son of a bitch," Cooter said, trying to get to Bryan Ryan as Hunter hauled him off.

Bryan Ryan raised a brow. "Language, big brother. I'll see you soon in hell." He turned back to Cedes. "Aka, prison."

Cedes chuckled, then walked over to a panting Chang, still on the ground catching his breath, and sank to the ground beside him. "Are you okay?"

"Never better."

Two hours later, Cedes watched as her mom paced back and forth in Gina's hospital room. The man she'd been married to for almost forty years was still in surgery.

Sam had to stay back and oversee the cleanup of the gasoline before he could get to the hospital to prevent his life's work from going up in flames, so she and Hunter brought Chang to the ER no matter how much he insisted he was fine.

Fire and rescue already had the flames by the petroglyphs under control. Thanks to the recent rains, it was more smoke than fire. The bus driver had regained consciousness, which Cedes found extraordinary. His prognosis was good.

Gina had to be admitted into the hospital. They put her on oxygen and a bronchodilator, but nothing seemed to help more than Ricky's visit. She sat up in bed when he walked in, her face full of joy as he pulled her into his arms.

After a moment, he set her back. "Again? Really?"

"I can't help myself. I obviously love the attention and, quite frankly, bruises look good on me."

"So do epidural hemogoblins."

"No epidural hemoglobins this time. Just a plain old asthma attack." She coughed lightly as though in confirmation.

"You act like smoke inhalation is bad," he said. She giggled but his expression turned serious. "I should have gone on the field trip with you."

Gina started to argue when April Rhodes walked in, out of breath and carrying a first aid kit.

"April, what the hell?" Cedes asked, eyeing the kit.

"Oh, I brought this just in case, but I see they have everything under control."

Cedes looked from Ricky to April and back again. "So what did you two do today?"

Ricky couldn't help smiling. "Gina, I just found out April is my grandmother. My biological grandmother is here in Lima Springs."

The look of stunned disbelief on Gina's face with a light sprinkling of horror was enough to make the rest of Cedes' week. Possibly her whole year.

"You told him?" Cedes asked April.

"It's like you said, Mercy. Life's too short to sit on your ass and be an idiot."

"I am pretty sure I didn't say that."

"Or wear ugly clothes."

"Not that either."

"Or drink bad coffee."

"Yeah, I may have said that." She leaned in closer to April. "So, how did he take the news granny April?"

Her face beamed, but before she could answer, Sam stepped to the door and leaned against the frame, gazing adoringly at his daughter, and it was like the clouds had parted and heaven shone down. At least for Gina. He walked around the other side of the bed and pulled her into his arms, and the strangest thing happened. Gina let go. Finally. All of her bravado crumbled. A sob wrenched from her body and her shoulders shook as she devolved into a mass of tears as he rocked her.

Cedes had always been surprised at how close they were, but for Gina to feel so at ease, so safe with him near, it was like someone opened a puzzle box and tossed all the pieces into the air only to have them land perfectly assembled.

"I'm here, Gee," he said, rubbing her back as he kissed her head. "I'm not going anywhere."

Cedes fought a round of tears herself as she watched them. Her mother did as well. When a doctor knocked on the door and motioned for Cedes' mom to step out, she hurried past the crowd. Cedes followed.

Once they were all in the hall, he turned to them. "Mrs. Jones, your husband is going to be fine."

The emotion her mom had been holding inside burst out of her in a cry that was part relief and part elation. They held each other as the doctor explained the surgery and how Malcom's leg break was clean, and the laceration he had was probably obtained when the bus rolled. His artery was nicked just enough to cause serious blood loss after such a long time without medical attention. The doctor also said that he was unusually strong for his age, healthy as a horse, and expected to make a full recovery.

"You can see him in about an hour. They'll send someone to get you."

Cedes and her mom held each other for a long time. When they stepped back into the room, Gina looked at them with a combination of hope and fear. "He's going to be fine, ladybug." She assured her daughter who burst out in fresh tears and snuggled deeper into her father's arms.

Sam was her father. She shook her head as this revelation again as he stared at her with a raised brow, asking if Cedes wanted to take over as though worried he was overstepping. Cedes shook her head. No way would she miss seeing this. Seeing her daughter so adored. Loved so completely. Cedes didn't miss the fact that Gina had yet to drop Ricky's hand. He sat on her bed, rubbing his thumb over her palm.

The tender moment came to an end soon enough when Hunter showed up, their prisoner in tow. Freshly showered and wearing some of McCarthy's clothes, Bryan Ryan Menkins stepped inside the already crowded hospital room. Hunter got to Gina first. Ricky stood so he could get a hug. Then Bryan Ryan stepped up to her.

"Uncle Bryan Ryan!" she said, like they'd known each other all their lives.

The hardened criminal, the shot caller from one of the most notorious gangs in prison history, offered her a sheepish grin and leaned in for a hug.

US Marshal Rutherford walked in and stood beside Cedes, unsure of why he was there. "You called?"

Cedes nodded and gestured toward one of Gina's visitors. "He's all yours, Marshal. If you can untangle him from the spitfire who has him in her clutches and is refusing to let him go."

The fact that his fugitive was sitting not ten feet from him sank in, and the astounded look on his face told her Bryan Ryan Menkins was the last person he'd expected to see. He looked at Cedes and then back again, and whispered, "Damn."

He put a hand on his sidearm.

Cedes stopped him by placing her hand on his. "He's turning himself in, Marshal. There's no need for that."

"Sorry," he said, dropping his hand. "Reflex."

"I understand." She looked up at him, her expression turning serious, and said, "You owe me."

He huffed out an astonished breath. "Damn straight, I do."

"I'm going to assume any other questions you may or may not have about anyone in my employ will be dropped?"

After a long moment of consideration where he stared at her as though trying to see into her soul, he nodded. "As you wish, Sheriff." It was noble of him. His curiosity would get the better of him eventually, and Cedes might have a few questions to answer, but Deputy Martinez was in the clear for the time being.

Bryan Ryan touched Gina's face and repeated his sentiments after their first meeting. "You are just like your grandmother."

Gina beamed at him.

"I'll be gone for a while, but I'd love to get to know you better when I get back."

"Because you escaped from prison to save my dad from your brother and now you have to finish your sentence?"

Bryan Ryan's look of surprise mirrored Cedes'. "How did you know that?" she asked, but thought better of it. "Never mind. I don't want to know."

Bryan Ryan laughed softly. "She's as smart as you, Mercedes." He gave her another hug, then stood to shake his nephew's hand. "You've done good, Sam. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, sir." He stepped closer and said softly.

"I am totally innocent of what they have me locked up for. I do admit to committing a murder. It was my own brother not long after what he did to your mother. She was the first person who was ever good to me. I loved her. I couldn't let your him get away with it." Bryan Ryan admitted to Sam.

Sam fought hard to keep his expression passive. He nodded in thought. "I knew. Deep down, I think I always knew."

"I'll be closer now. Don't be a stranger." He pulled Sam into a hug, then walked over to Cedes.

Her expression was nowhere as calm as Sam's. "I told you, chocolate drop. I've killed before. I'm just in prison for the wrong murder."

"I'm still going to look into that."

"I know you will."

He gave her a curt nod, then stalked out into the hall, Rutherford right on his heels. To Rutherford's credit, he didn't cuff him right then and there. It was a gesture of good faith and Cedes knew Bryan Ryan would honor the gesture by not being difficult.

The rest of the evening was a parade of well-wishers, but the true pièce de résistance was when Lily walked in—walked—wearing a hospital gown and connected to an IV, her mother in tow.

"Lily!" Gina ripped the oxygen off her face and started toward her new friend, but three pairs of hands pushed her back down.

Lily walked to her bed. The poor girl's face had seen better days. She had stitches on her cheek and forehead, and her nose had been broken for sure, but it was all superficial. Surprisingly, she hadn't sustained a single fracture.

Lily's mother seemed hesitant about their sudden friendship, perhaps because of all the danger that seemed to follow Gina around like a bad habit. She looked at Cedes, her chin raised a notch too high. "She wanted to check on your daughter."

"I wanted to come and apologize," Lily explained. "I'm so sorry, Gina."

"Sorry?" She took Lily's hand into hers. "You could've left me there and saved yourself, but you didn't."

"You could've done the same thing," Lily said with a sly smile that turned appreciative. "But you didn't."

Gina looked up at Lily's mom. "Mrs. Lynn, your daughter saved my life."

The woman looked at her in surprise. "Lily told me you saved hers."

"Because she did, Mom," Lily insisted.

"But you saved mine first," Gina argued.

Lily laughed. "We're going to have to agree to disagree."

Kitty Lynn cleared her throat, a telltale wetness gathering between her lashes. "Well, that certainly sounds like something you'd do, Lily."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Gina," the woman said, pursing her lips, "thank you for everything you did for Lily and Electra."

"Electra?" Cedes asked.

Mrs. Lynn nodded. "Turns out your daughter was right. That is my niece lying down the hall. I finally got a hold of my brother-and sister-in-law. They'd been trying to call Electra for days. They said the texts just didn't sound like her. When I told them Gina's theory, they flew back immediately. They're with her now."

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Lynn," Gina said. "Lily."

"Thanks, Gina. I just wish I'd listened sooner."

"Is she awake?" Cedes asked. She hadn't gotten a call, so she guessed no. She guessed right.

"Not yet, but they're going to reduce her meds now that she's out of danger. She could wake up as early as tomorrow."

"I'm so happy for you, Lily."

The look that flashed across Lily's face gave Cedes hope for humanity. After all the nastiness, for Lily to look at Gina like Cedes did. Like she hung the moon.

They let Cedes' mom into post-op to sit with her dad, but they moved him to a room in the middle of the night. Thus, her daughter's infinite capacity for escape and evasion as she snuck past Cedes and Sam to go visit him. They'd both fallen asleep in the room with her, Sam in the chair closest, so it was mostly his fault her escape went unnoticed.

Cedes woke up at around two in the morning to a frantic Sam.

"She's gone," he said.

"I know where she is."

Thankfully, Cedes was still wearing her uniform. That seemed to keep the charge nurse from stopping them when they sought the fugitive in the one place Cedes knew where to find her.

Sure enough, they walked in to see her dad and Gina having a quiet conversation as her mom slept in a recliner.

"Mom!" Gina whispered.

Cedes hugged her dad, careful of the IV and monitors. But at least his color had returned. "You look better."

He chuckled. "Thanks. Your daughter was filling me in."

Cedes was a little jealous. Gina hadn't even filled her in. Not completely. They had yet to get her official statement of what happened. Cedes didn't want her to have to go through that just yet.

"How are you, Dad?"

"Pretty wonderful at the moment. They have me on the good stuff."

"Really?" she asked, coming up with a plan. She leaned in and whispered to Gina, "Go with me on this."

Gina nodded and Cedes frowned and rubbed her head. "I don't … I don't feel well." She collapsed into a chair as Sam looked on, completely unmoved.

Gina fell to her knees beside her. "Mom. Mom, no. Don't go. I need you."

Cedes moaned and Gina draped herself over her, fake crying like she was making a bid for an Oscar. "Oh, Mom, what will we do without you?"

Cedes' mom woke up just in time for the show. Cedes was so happy for her.

"Daddy, you can't let me go to the grave without knowing about your stint in the big house."

"Hold on," he said, grabbing the handheld button to dispense more pain meds. "I need more drugs for this."

"Mercedes Love Jones," her mom scolded. "You're acting like this after everything that happened today?"

Honestly, it was like her mother didn't know her at all. "I'm not going to make it," she continued, laying it on thick.

Her dad brightened. "Good thing we're in a hospital then, eh?"

"Everything is getting dark."

"Well, it is past midnight."

She looked at Gina. "There's so little time left."

Gina draped herself over her again. "No, Mom. Don't go."

"I was convicted in late December back in sixty three," he said, telling the story at last.

But Cedes kept up the performance just in case. Not that she didn't believe her father. She just didn't trust him. Probably because he would've been, like, two in '63.

"This is the truth."

"Yes, a true story that happened when you were in diapers."

"Excellent point," he said, winking at her. "I was testing your math skills."

Gina got up and sat on the bed with her grandfather. Abandoning Cedes in her time of need.

"I guess I'll keep looking. Who knows what I'll uncover in the process?"

"It wasn't a prison," he said, releasing a hapless sigh. "It was a brig. And I really did go in undercover to expose a ring of corruption regarding black soldiers."

"How long?"

"Seven months."

"Holy crap, Dad. That's a long time to be undercover."

"Trust me, it seemed like a lot longer."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Big Poppa," Gina said.

"It's okay, baby girl. It was my job and we took down someone who needed taking down."

"David was right," Cedes said, her awe apparent by her vacant expression. "He really does have a superpower." She'd probably have to give him a raise now.

Minnie Jones walked over to the bed. She hugged Sam, who reciprocated wholeheartedly. "Cedes," she said almost reluctantly, "your father and I have changed our minds."

"About?"

"We think maybe you should get your old job in Eureka back," her dad said. "Give up this whole sheriffing thing."

"Nothing like any of this ever happened when you were a detective. You and Gina were both a lot safer."

"After getting me elected illegally? You want me to turn tail now that Schuester can't be sheriff again?"

"We think it would be best. For both of you."

"Maybe, but you have to admit, everything that has happened recently is pretty rare. This town is normally so quiet."

"That's true, but lately it's been one thing after another."

"What do you think, ladybug?"

"We can't leave now," she said, looking at Sam like she wouldn't leave him for the world. "We've come so far. And you guys are here and Ricky is here and … and Dad is here." She looked at Sam almost askance, as though calling him Dad might upset him, but it was the surprise in his eyes that had Cedes smiling. On the inside because she didn't want to ruin the moment.

"Besides," Gina added, "after all we've been through, what else could possibly go wrong?"

And there went that.

"I think the bigger question should be, is Dad moving in with us or are we moving in with Dad?"

Cedes and Sam's gazes met in surprise. Leave it to her daughter to skip ahead.

The End

A/N 2: No Epilogue at this moment planned. But if I survive grad school and have time, I may do one with a wedding and future siblings for Gina. Not sure when or if that will happen...Right now I am torn between a secret elopement, Cedes already being pregnant, and a double wedding with Stacey and Hunt with Hunter being a groomzilla LOL and if Cedes ever got Bryan Ryan off for his double murder charge and who was controlling Quinn...Not making any promises though. Until we meet again!