"When the time is right, even the land and sky unite by the threads of  rain.

Then what are two broken hearts.

For the mighty, to be sealed to  never be apart again ."

                 ......

Vivian gets up from the seat, pushing him aside to rush out of the room.
To only have Ethan run after her.

"Vivian wait!"

He calls after her, but she doesn't stop desperate to leave him. To only have him pull her from her wrists,and enter a room. Closing the door after him

It was a supplies room with no one there. She looks up at him with teary eyes, to only have his eyes to soften.

Blocking her by placing his hands on her either side, he looks down at her with concerned eyes.

"Please! Let me go Ethan. Don't stop me now!"

"First answer my questions Vivian. Is Nix my daughter?"

She looks up, unable to speak anything.
While he cries desperately himself.

"8 years Vivian. I spent 8 without you....repenting after you... blaming myself for your death....to only know."

"That you are alive and doing good."

He steps back , holding his head as she looks at him.

"You were right Vivian...you were right when you said you said you knew how it felt to die."

"Even I know now Vivian...I know how it feels to die everyday."

"  42,12,800 minutes Vivian."

"This much is the time I counted in our seperation.... cursing myself for your death... hating myself."

"To just see you once...to enjoy being in dreams where you were alive atleast.'

"To look into these beautiful green eyes...."

He caresses her cheek with his finger. Touching her delicately yet possessively.

"To kiss these lips and hear them say how much they loved me."

She stares, not knowing what to say , to only let his hands drop. Moving back from her.

"But again you were right Vivian."

"I can't blane you for any of this....You were right to leave me. I never deserved you....your love...your care....I didn't deserve any of it..."

He suddenly looks up, with pleading eyes.

"But atleast I deserved to know I had a daughter Vivian...how could you hide it from me?"

She clenches her fist, to look at the floor and answer.

"She is not your daughter."

Ethan scoffs, looking at her in disbelief.

"Then why did you name her Phoenix? "

"I just...I..."

"Stop lying Vivian! Please stop it! The biggest issue in our relationships was lack of communication. It made us see hell already... don't drag our daughter in the same hell as well!"

She clenches her hands, to only look up at him with raging eyes.

"Hell! I gave you hell? You have me hell...I gave you the option to tell me the truth that night Ethan...I pleaded you to tell me the truth as to why you were hurting me intentionally."

"But you never told me... continuing to play that sick game!"

"You lied saying you were the Plantiff....you made me hate you more!"

"You made me do it Ethan....you changed my love to hate...to Betrayal...to hurt."

"When I just gave you love.... nothing but pure selfless love."

He stills, seeing those green orbs raging in storms. And he didn't had it in him to interrupt her.

"Even when you only gave me hate...when you blamed me for Soph's death...you married me for revenge...you married me to only destroy me and you did...once again you did
...by always choosing her over me!"

"I am not a second choice Ethan. I couldn't live as a replacement."

"You got back Soph. You should have lived happily with her."

A tear slides down Ethan's eyes,as he whispers in a broken voice.

"Is this how low you think of me Vivian?"

"Yes....I admit initially I thought I will take revenge on you by marrying you....but the first night of us together... seeing you in my bed... having those nightmares?"

"I didn't had it in me Vivian. I could never hurt you without hurting myself."

"I tried but I couldn't hate you."

"Instead.....I started seeing my own pains in you...I saw you struggling just like me...to only realise my pains were nothing compared to yours."

"So I did what I had to "

"I did it to bring back the spark in your eyes Vivian. I did it to bring you out of the shell you built around you!"

"I did it to teach you to dream again...I did it to teach you to love again Vivian."

"And I see I was successful in it."

She stills, finally able to look at his eyes without the veils he covered them without. Without his usual cold fascade.

"You made it Vivian. You left me and made a happy life for yourself."

"I am really happy for you."

There is silence for few seconds,to only have him sigh.

"I knew you wouldn't stay with me...that you hated me..so I lied to you saying I was the Plantiff....I wanted wake up to look at your face...I wanted to feel your touch...I was selfish...I admit."

"I was selfless to keep you with me...despite knowing you will hate more if anything."

She moves her head, unclenching her fists.

"Why Ethan why? You never loved me...you only loved Soph...why?"

"Why are you saying all these things now...why are you making me feel like this?"

"Love?"

"I have been always oblivious of this word Vivian. I never understood it."

"Because it's easy to say but difficult to comprehend."

"But in my entire life, I did only one mistake, which I spent my entire life undoing."

He steps closer coming towards her, to look at her eyes with a longing she never saw before.

His fingers move up to place the wild flick behind her ear as he finally says the truth , it took 16 damn years to say.

"The mistake I did by saying to you that I never loved you."

"The night I told you I was sorry that I couldn't love you."

.
.
.
"I lied Vivian."

"I lied to you...I lied to myself. I was a confused fucked up boy who didn't know the true meaning of the word Love."

"But with time....with you coming back in my life."

"You taught me what true love actually felt like."

"To only realise it was you Vivian... It was always you "
.
.
.

"And then when I had understood it's worth in every sense and confessed to you with everything in me.......you left me."

"Like the broken person, I left you in the beginning."

He smiles sadly to himself.

"It's right what they say about Karma. It truly hits you when you least expect it."

"It left me in the same situation I left you in."

He moves down his fingers to hold her hands, moving them up to kiss them.

"Hurt me Vivian...slap me...punish me."

"I deserve all of it. And I will happily take it."

She couldn't... clenching her fists,she looks away from him.

"But please Vivian tell me the truth once..."

"Tell me that Nix is my daughter."

He tries again making her face him, holding her face in his palms. To only have her push him.

Screaming while crying in pain.

"No! You are not! Now please leave us and go back to your life!"

"We are happy without you Ethan...we don't need you! I no longer live you."

He stills, his heart thudding rapidly in his chest. The thought of loosing her again, making his body to freeze for a second.

"You are lying Vivian. You are again lying!"

"I am not dammit! Move aside!"

Rage clashes between them as they challenge each other. To only have Ethan , place his hand on her waist to pull her closer.

"If she is not my daughter then what is this?"

Her eyes widen as he shows her the medical report of Nix with his other hand. Her age written in bold at the top of it.

7 years 9 months.

"Where the hell did you get it from?"

She screams, trying to get the paper from his hands, to only have him move back. Her front further touching his chest.

"It doesn't matter"

"If you are happy without me...why is the father's name missing in this form?"

She stills,to only have his grip tighten.

"Why didn't you loved and married another man?"

Placing the paper in his pocket,his moves up his other hand to place it on her neck.

"Why didn't you moved on from me Vivian?"

She stares into his brown orbs, finding it very difficult to hold on the strong girl fascade.
She didn't wanted to hurt him more, she was hurt herself.

"Why did you named our little girl as Phoenix?"

She still doesn't reply, not able to do it. To only have him loose hope.

Pressing his forehead to hers, he wished for her lips to move. To tell him she loved him aswell.

But she didn't.

Instead the words that left her lips, broke him again. Further into million of pieces that can never be united.

"If...if you truly love me Ethan."
.
.
.
.
"You will let me go."

His mind goes numb, all the hopes in his heart coming crashing down.
To only take a deep breath, and hss her forehead.

"If you truly love me Vivian..."
.
.
.
.
"You won't stop me from doing this"

He stares down at her lips ,and her heart thuds rapidly in her chest.

Before she could say something, he crashes his lips on her. Moving up his hands behind her neck to deepen it.

She doesn't stop him as he captures her inside but nor does she respond, to shocked to understand anything.

He kisses her with passion, without a warning and respite.

To only feel her not responding. Ethan stills, moving back from her to only feel her lips move finally, as she returns his kiss with equal passion ,her hands running in his hair.

"Fuck"

He curses in between, making her back to touch the wall ,and her thigh to lift up.
To only have her look back at with those beautiful green eyes.

"I love you Vivian"
.
.
.

"And that's why I would never leave you and my daughter alone, even if you ask me to."

.
.
.
.
"Because in all these years it is only you who made me realise."

"That when we love some one."

"We don't leave them for them to find happiness, we hold onto them... giving them happiness."

Vivian doesn't say anything. As both breathe heavily, to only have her smile for the first time.

Looking up at him with tears of happiness leaving her eyes.

"Thank you Ethan....."

"If you would have left and failed my test this time."

"I swear I would have always hated you."

Ethan chuckles, hugging her to his chest. To finally feel complete again.

"I missed you so much my little Phoenix."

He says, to only have her hug h back ,with a shy smile on her lips.

"I missed you too Ethan"

Too lost in each other's embrace, they didn't realise,when the door is opened and someone calls them.

"Vivian? I have been searching everywhere for you!"

They both turn around, to look at the same guy they met earlier. But that's not what caught their attention.

It was the little girl that came running towards them, to go still seeing their hands held together.

"Fifi?"

Vivian asks ,surprised. But the girl's eyes were fixed on the stranger's.
She approaches him to only have Ethan squat down at her level, looking into her eyes.

"Hi sweetheart."

Her next words made him smile. The word foreign, yet so known to him.

"Are you my dada?"

He places his hand on her head, to nod at her.

"Yes Nix. I am your father."

But what he saw was not expected. He hoped she will jump in his arms and tell him she missed him. But instead ,her brows furrow.

And next he knows, a small fist hits his cheek. To only make him loose his balance and fall back .

"Damn"

He curses, trying to understand what happened, to only have the little girl climb on top of him.
Hitting her fists on his chest.

Screaming at him.

"How dare...you leave my momma alone! I...I ....will not leave you!"

Everyone rushes to pull her away, but she was strong for being an 8 year old kid.

Ethan stops everyone, asking them to not interfere, when the child literally cries, tears streaming down her eyes.

"I hate you!'

"I hate you dada for leaving us!"

Her strength weakening, as her punches grow weak. To only have Ethan's eyes soften. He tries touching her but she again hits him, still sitting on top of him.

"Don't touch me! I...I hate you! I hate you."

When she just lays on his chest,tired. Her beautiful face strained in tears,when he engulfs her in his arms, pulling her to his chest.

She tries to resist again, when he he tightens his grip and the girl let's him.

"Shhh dada is so sorry my littlest Phoenix."

"I am so sorry for leaving you."

She stills as he kisses her forehead. Engulfing her in his embrace, to feel like the happiest man alive on this earth.

"Please forgive dada. I promise to never leave my princess ever again."

She moves back, showing him her smallest finger. Looking up at him in hope.

"Promise?"

And he joins his finger with hers. To only hold up her small hands to kiss them.

"Promise."

Vivian joins their hug and they feel complete, to only see another figure standing at the door.

Oliver pulling her along,as she staggered walking towards them. Tears falling down her eyes as she approaches them.

"I have a good news guys"

Oliver looks at Soph, who tightens her grip on his hand, nodding.

"Soph has agreed for the surgery."

And that's when Ethan and Vivian ,get up. Their happiness feeling no bounds.

While Soph steps forward without Oliver's support, nodding at him. To only open her arms wide for both her best friends.

Ethan and Vivian look at each other, tears of happiness in their eyes as they rush towards her.

Hugging her from either side, to finally feel like those old times .

When they were young smiling walking through the corridors again, with no sadness and worry of what the future will bring their way.

They were truly the three musketeers, who fought through their life battles.

To finally stand together to be victorious today.

              ....

It was a happy ending indeed with few characters still missing from the scene. But who said the curtain has to drop here.

For friends , a bonus is still there.