Epilogue

Celine couldn't believe that she was heading off to college. How the years had flown ever since she had come to live with Dana Reid and gotten to know her enormous family.

Celine still couldn't quite believe that she had been so lucky when Dana had discovered her that day singing and playing in Lancaster Market for the money that people threw in the basket she had placed at her feet.

Dana had convinced her to let her help and Celine was so glad that she hadn't run away from someone who was genuinely nice. She had been suspicious, of course, but then, she had been living on the street, so it was only natural that she was.

She couldn't say she hadn't had reservations, as before Dana had taken a hand she hadn't realized that there were genuinely, nice and generous people that liked to help others out of the goodness of their hearts, though she knew that Maestro had been generous and kind to her as much as he could be, so she supposed that she had seen kindness in her life.

Living with Dana has been better than she imagined as she had been provided for just like any parent would their child. She had been bought an entire new wardrobe when she had first come to live with the retired movie star.

When Dave and Lynnette Rossi Dana's grandparents had visited Lynnette had insisted on buying her a new guitar, even though she had again protested because she had priced such instruments out of curiosity and knew how expensive they were.

She had been overruled and she was glad she had given in as she loved the guitar that Lynnette had bought her and made sure to take good care of it.

Now here she was 18 having just finished her last year of high school and was now heading to Juilliard, just as Dana had promised her.

The only difference was that Dana was paying the freight since her circumstances had changed, and she no longer fit the financial bracket that the scholarships covered.

She was no longer as poor as a church mouse thanks to Dana Reid, and her family.

"Ready for your new adventure?" Dana asked Celine with a smile.

"I really am," Celine promised, smiling brilliantly. "I'm looking forward to it and have been for a long time ever since I hit my 18th birthday a few months ago. It's hard to believe how the time has just flown from the time you plucked me off the streets."

"Trust me, it was my pleasure, sweetie," Dana told her smiling kissing her ward's cheek.

"I hope you know I've considered you a daughter for a long time now and it doesn't matter a bit that we're not related by blood," Dana said. "It is why I insisted that you take my last name though."

"You and your family are so unusual," Celine told Dana. "I've never met anyone else who is so genuinely kind, generous and compassionate like your family is.

"That you all accepted a street kid into your lives without a single problem just makes you even more amazing. You know what most people would've done if they encountered someone like me. They might've thrown money into my basket, but they never would've considered actually speaking or getting to know me.

"To them, I would've been basically a non-entity, beneath their notice even if they threw money into my basket, but to most people that would be like giving a tip to someone like a waiter who does you a service.

"Most people wouldn't bother to think about the fact that I appeared homeless, as they wouldn't pay attention to my ripped jeans or my patched shirt. If they did happen notice my clothes or the fact that my hair wasn't clean, they wouldn't have done anything about it and yet you did."

"You went out of your way to help me when you didn't have to just because of my voice was extraordinary and believe me I am grateful that you took notice, even if I was suspicious and rather wary at first."

"You're quite welcome, sweetie," Dana told her hugging her again and kissing her cheek.

"Make sure you call often, as I'd love to hear from you. You let me know how you're doing and I want you back here for the holidays, you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am," Celine saluted cockily making Dana laugh.

"Go on you scamp," Dana laughed.

"Get out of here and let me know when you arrive so I know you're safe."

"I will, I promise," Celine said more seriously, even as she got into her brand new car that has been a gift from Dana, so she would have reliable transportation to get to and from Juilliard.

Since Juilliard was in New York, where a lot of Dana's family still lived, Celine would not be living in a dorm, but would be living where Dana had grown up, which was basically a mansion in a very wealthy part of town.

The members of the family that lived there now knew she was coming and would welcome her when she arrived not caring that she didn't share their blood or that she had once been a street kid.

She had met all of them over the five years she had lived with Dana and they had all greeted her warmly and welcomed her into the family.

Celine couldn't help but notice that everybody all looked around the same age including Dana's parents and grandparents despite Dave's and Lynnette's white and gray hair

There was obviously some mystery going on, as she actually couldn't see the whole family having an organ replaced and still looking as if they were in their prime.

What that mystery was Celine had no idea and while she was curious, she wasn't about to poke her nose into things that didn't concern her, considering that they had been so generous and kind to her as that would be like throwing their generosity back in their faces.

Dana had moved out of Los Angeles over four years ago now and simply said that she needed a change of scene. Celine could understand that since Dana had been in Los Angeles for a long time now. Basically, all her life after college.

"Before I go, can I ask you a question?" Celine asked Dana. "It's something I've been curious about for a long time, but I didn't feel like it was my place to ask but now…"

"Now your curiosity just got the better of you," Dana suggested smiling, and Celine nodded. "Ask away, though I won't guarantee I'll answer, depending on what it is your curious about," Dana said.

"That's fair," Celine said. "My question is, why did you never marry? I mean you're rich, you're gorgeous you're famous, so why hasn't some guy scooped you up?"

"The answer that is rather complex Celine," Dana said. "But the simple answer is I never truly fell in love. I won't say I wasn't courted by some famous actors directors, and other people that are in the movie business, but I never truly fell in love. When I was much younger, I never cared if I passed my legacy on to a child, because as I've told you before, I was very self-centered when I was growing up and I resented the three younger siblings that my parents had after me for a lot of years. At the time I believed that my parents should've stopped with me and not had anymore.

"I now realize that I was just being selfish, and even though my family explained to me that I was never meant to be an only child I still believed for a lot of years that they couldn't possibly love more than one child at a time.

"I have since realized however, that love is not finite. In other words, love is not limited to just one person. Love is infinite, which means that someone can love multiple people, even if that's in different ways.

"It would've been great if I had actually fallen in love, I just never did that's all."

"A lot of movie stars never marry Celine or if they do then it's rarely the kind of love that lasts a lifetime. I won't claim that real love doesn't exist here in Hollywood, just that it's rare."

Dana didn't tell Celine the real reason she had never married as her adopted daughter didn't know about the immortality, but the day was coming up in a few years where she would likely be told. Not now, though, as Dana didn't Celine distracted from studying and doing her best in all her courses at Juilliard.

"I understand," Celine said.

"I've had relationships, don't get me wrong. Some that lasted a long time, years, but eventually I realized I didn't love the man that I was dating and so the relationship ended."

But not without some heartache, Dana thought keeping that to herself

"Now you better get going if you want to get there before it gets dark or you'll have to stay overnight in a hotel," Dana urged Celine.

"It would be faster just to take a flight," Celine said.

"While, that is true. You wouldn't have your car if you just took a flight," Dana pointed out.

"You need your car to go places as it would be more expensive to take cabs everywhere.

"I don't expect you to just stay on campus you know and eat in the cafeteria. That's why I gave you an expense account. Feel free to eat out at least a few times a week or just see the sites when you have free time. Just be careful as you know how dangerous some people can be and call me regularly so I know you're OK. Try to be on campus when night falls, though I won't claim that even college campuses are completely safe, since they can be dangerous places too."

"Nowhere is completely safe Dana," Celine said having finally dropped the Ms. a few years ago.

"True enough," Dana agreed remembering her own college years, which had been a very long time ago.

"I'll make sure I call at least once a week," Celine promised, and Dana nodded.

"I would appreciate that and if you want to call more often feel free," Dana said.

"Go on now," Dana urged.

"You better get going as it's a long trip to New York. It might be better if you take your time over a couple of days so that you're not driving the distance all in one day."

"We'll see how the time goes," Celine said. "If I have to stop because I'm too tired to drive the rest of the way then I will."

"Make sure you stop for a meal for lunch even if I know that means it will take you longer to get to New York," Dana instructed ward.

"You let me know if you're going to stop for the night and I don't care how late it is when you get there. Let me know when you arrive, even if you wake me up. I want to know you're safe," Dana added.

"I will," Celine promised. "I love you, Dana. Thank you for taking me in believe me, I'll be eternally grateful."

"I love you too, sweetie. I'll certainly miss you while you're at college, but you'll be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas," Dana told her kissing her cheek before she waved Celine towards the road. "Are you sure you have everything your guitar, toiletries, clothes and everything else you need?"

"Yes, Dana, I have everything and it's not like I need furniture since I'll be living with your family while I attend Juilliard."

"OK, then you better get going. I'll miss you," Dana said. "If you remember something you did leave here let me know and I'll mail it to you."

"I will, and I'll definitely be home for the holidays," Celine promised before she started the engine of her brand new convertible and headed down the long driveway to the open road she had been living in for four years now.

The house they had moved to in Philadelphia wasn't even half as big as the house Dana still owned in Los Angeles, but it was certainly big enough for the two women. Philadelphia was far enough away from Los Angeles that most people didn't recognize Dana's name unless they watched a lot of movies.

That didn't mean that Dana wasn't recognized at all. It just happened more rarely in Philadelphia than it did in Los Angeles.

Dana watched her ward drive down the driveway and disappear around the corner before she side and headed back inside.

She was certainly going to miss Celine while she was at Juilliard, but she also knew that children did grow up, and Celine had already been a teenager before they'd met.

Dana wondered if this is how every parent felt when their child reached college age, but considering how she felt now that Celine's car had disappeared from her sight, she would say that all parents felt like this when their child headed for college or at least the good ones did.

Finally, Dana, headed back inside to get her purse, as she headed out to do some shopping. She didn't want to stay home now that Celine was gone.

Still, the holidays were only a few months away, and Celine would be home for them and Dana could hardly wait.

She never imagine she would feel this way about any child, but she loved Celine and wanted to always be part of her life.

Dana headed for her car refusing to dwell on her ward's absence as she started the engine.

She would do some shopping as that was the ticket to make her forget about the absence of the girl that she thought of as a daughter.

Dana drove down the driveway and headed for her favorite shopping center.

This was definitely the life.