So here we are guys, last chapter. I can't even tell you how emotional I feel right now, but that's okay because I still have the epilogue to write along with the QnA and Authors note.

So ready?

Here we go then guys.

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Hazel POV

Crème ribbons line the white material in little lacy patterns; the torso is embodied with a scattering of diamantes that match the ones twisted into her blonde side bun and through her hair, my hands secure the silver sash around her waist delicately and her blue eyes look up from the floor to her own reflection, two loose wavy sections of hair framing her face as she does so.

I take a step back and I smooth the turquoise material of my dress down as I wait patiently. Monica runs over and puts her hand on Laura's shoulder, Laura smiles at her mother who daps her own eyes with a tissue underneath her rather large white hat. Monica whispers something into Laura's ear which results in Laura beaming at her.

She carefully turns herself around to face me and smiles again, looking suddenly very nervous. My Mum joins me at my side with Ryan, who stares at his mother in what looks like confusion as he nibbles on his little finger.

"Hazel, what do you think?" she mumbles apprehensively. My eyes take everything in and I stroke my hand through the soft short tuffs of Ryan's hair without looking at him. My own eyes feel watery as I nod and grin at her.

"You look stunning Laura, absolutely breath taking"

"Thank you. You know I probably wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for you"

I shrug and smile at her, her eyes shift to Ryan whose eyes blink slowly, she smiles and he gurgles in response. Her dainty heels tap on the wooden floor as she crosses the room to him, she leans down and he is quick to place his tiny hand on her face.

"Does Mummy look pretty Ryan?" she whispers to him, playing with his hair as I was moments ago.

Ryan gurgles again, she looks up at Mum who chuckles. She goes over to talk to her maid of honour Anna, who is a close friend of hers, and Mum looks at me, appearing suddenly very afraid and wary.

"What?"

"I went to see James...he's...extremely tense and nervous"

"Just like the night in the hospital..." I whisper, my eyes trailing away from her anxious face to the light blue wall on the other side of the room in thought.

"What?"

"Oh nothing. I'm going to head over there, see what I can do"

"Thanks love. Oh and Hazel?"

"Yes Mum?"

"You look beautiful Darling"

"Thanks Mum. So do you" she smiles and shifts the material of her flowery black and white dress.

I open the door and cross the velvety carpet rug in the corridors, I walk down three flights of stairs to room 246 which belongs to my dear brother.

I knock on the door and I wait for a bit, then I knock again, I hear shuffling from the other side and mumbled talking.

Andrew, James' best men and also best friend from home, opens the door appearing pleased to see me.

"Well if it isn't little Hazel! How are you? It's been quite a few months since I last saw you!"

"I saw you when Ryan was born" I smile, he shrugs and pulls me into a hug.

"Sort your brother out for me will you? He won't listen to me" he whispers, I nod and he releases me, then makes his way to the elevator.

I cautiously peep through the slightly ajar door, James sits with his back to me, facing towards the large window, but with his head in his hands which seem to be resting on his knees. I sigh and shake my head, I step wisely onto the dark wooden floor of his room, my own white heels clack as I walk over to the bed and stand before him. His shoulders rise and fall rapidly, his posture tense.

"Not now Andrew, I'll be fine, just give me a minute"

"Did the sound of my heels not give me away?" I smile, his eyes, blue like my Mum's stare at me and he gapes for a second.

"Hazel. Here to give me another pep talk I suppose?"

"Right first try"

"Well, go on then, I'm listening"

I settle myself onto the mattress next to him and he rests his head onto my shoulder, my hand grips onto his shoulder and my arm rests on his back, I rub his shoulder and he sighs.

"What's the problem James?" I whisper soothingly as he stares out of the balcony door to the grassy gardens where guests are currently beginning to arrive and are standing around outside the reception room.

"I'm not good enough for this Hazel" he mumbles, he shrugs my hand off and gets to his feet where he begins to pace with his hands behind his back. "I'm not good enough for her"

Oh dear god.

"You're the Father of her child James" I remind him as panic begins to rise in my stomach and I feel slightly on edge.

"That was never meant to happen Hazel and you know it! It was my fault; I messed up, I love Ryan to pieces but it was never meant to happen like this"

I stare at him in shock, my whole body feels edgy as I pull myself to my feet and smooth out the back of my dress where it has most likely wrinkled.

"She's just so beautiful Hazel. You know what I'm like, childish, jokey, annoying. I'm 23 for crying out loud and I can't even act like it!"

"James..." I trail off but he interrupts me again.

"She is so young Hazel. She turns 22 next month, this isn't right. None of it!" he begins to tug at his short dark hair and rubs at his forehead.

I place my hands on his shoulders, forcing him to stop walking, I place a hand over his mouth as he opens his mouth to talk.

"Look James, I know you think this is completely irrelevant but I understand what you're feeling. I was in a similar situation to you, sure I'm not a Dad, I'm not a man and I'm not getting married but I felt like Dan was too good for me, he's so loving and kind and friendly. But you need to listen to me very carefully. Laura didn't have to keep the baby, she didn't have to say yes when you proposed, she didn't have to stay with you. But she did, because she loves you, she loves her family and right now she is stood in her room looking absolutely stunning, grinning from ear to ear and blabbering about becoming a Robinson, because she wants this James, she always has, having a young family isn't a bad thing!"

"Is she really?" his hard expression softens, I nod and he smiles slightly, the tips of his lips turning upwards.

"Yes, and let me tell you. Getting married to her, Laura Cole, the girl you used to chase down the road on your bike, kiss in the rain and visit her when she worked in the chemist, the girl who you adore and always will do. And raising little Ryan will be the making of you. Just like it was for Mum and Dad"

His shoulders relax; he releases his hair and slowly sits himself down in a chair, he looks up at me with his bright eyes and smiles the smile that used to constantly taunt me when I was a little child.

"You think so?"

"Yes I do. Now you want to marry her right, because that sounded a bit...?"

"Of course! Just was a bit worried about her"

"Well then, let me do your hair, you've messed it up"

I spin his chair round to the mirror, he looks sceptically at his reflection and glances up at me worriedly when he notices his now out of place hair. I make a grab for the tub of gel, I comb through it and I gently style it so that it looks smart again, and he smiles more confidently and pulls me into a hug as soon as he gets up.

"Thanks for doing this, I can always count on you"

"No problem, I'll always be here" I cringe at the cheesy words but smile at him as he reaches for a shiny black shopping bag.

"I was going to give you this at the reception but..." he hands me a velvet black box "I gave Laura's maid of honour one to give to her and Mum has one too" he finishes as I gently lift the lid and gasp.

A delicate turquoise crystal beaded bracelet rests on a bed of red cushion. Each bead glimmers in the light of the room and it matches my bridesmaid dress perfectly.

"James I...you didn't have to...oh my god" I raise a slightly shaky hand to my mouth to try and hold myself together "It's amazing"

"It reminded me of you. Bright, beautiful and stood out from the others" he smiles warmly, slipping it onto my wrist above my charm bracelet. "It wasn't cheap mind you, so don't lose it. But you can thank Great Uncle Quentin for that, oh and his money paid for the reception and ceremony too, rich old git really was loaded" he laughs and I smile up at him, rubbing my fingers over the curve on each finely carved crystal bead.

"Shhh! He might be listening!" I shush him, he rolls his eyes and I giggle at the thought, if he is listening he'll be very grumpy and miserable, complaining about the noise and how everyone is happy.

"So then I bought Laura one in white, and mum one in black and white"

I hug him again tightly, I pin a white rose boutonnière to his suit and adjust his suit and tie for him.

"You look so grown up in that dress" he comments, I look up at him and he smiles almost sadly.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Nope. Just makes me feel a bit sentimental"

"Save all your tears for the ceremony Robinson!" I order, he laughs and rolls his eyes, shaking his head at me.

I open the door to find Andrew and Dan talking by a large golden and ornate vase of orange speckled lilies, they both look at me and smile.

"He's ready Andy" I step aside to let him into the room, he thanks me on the way in and thumps me hard on the shoulder which makes Dan's eyes widen slightly as I stumble. The door closes and Dan grins as we meet each other half way.

"There you are; I was looking all over, walked into the bride's room actually because the door was open, luckily she was in the bathroom so I didn't see her. Wow." He looks me up and down "you look gorgeous"

"Do I? I don't know if blue is my colour"

"I think it suits you" he smiles, taking my hand in his and tugging him towards me as his eyes search my face, absorbing everything they see.

"When did you get here then?"

"Oh not too long ago. Matt dropped us all off, bit of a squeeze in the car, but the guys are all so excited"

Laura chose for each bridesmaid to be led down the aisle by their own groomsman, mine being Dan obviously. And My Mum will walk down with Ryan as James and Laura really wanted him to be a part of the ceremony. The thought makes me feel all warm and fussy.

***

Soon the bride, Laura's Dad, the bridesmaids and groomsmen are all gathered outside dark mahogany wood doors, I poke my head through the door and the registrar raises her arms up and everyone excitedly gets to their feet.

"Hazel, Dan, you know what to do" Laura says sternly, we nod and I slip my arm under Dan's with my bouquet of white and pink roses in the other hand.

The doors are opened by two chauffeurs, one actually being Gavin who winks at me, I beam at him and Dan and I walk out towards about a hundred pairs of eyes looking at us, I suck in a breath and force a smile as Dan and I walk towards my anxious brother.

As we walk, I see people I haven't seen in months and years, my family, Laura's family, friends, neighbours and ex-colleagues. I spot Kirsty, Ollie, Emma, Josh and Matt who all grin at me, I see Mr and Mrs Green and a whole other group of people I have never met before. I grip Dan's arm tighter and he smiles down at me, reassuring me that I'm doing fine, I walk steadily until I am faced by my brother with about two pairs of bridesmaids and groomsmen behind me.

"You've got this" I whisper into his ear.

"I know, thank you Hazel"

I peck his cheek and give him a quick hug before sitting into the first row with Dan at my side.

When Laura glides her way down the aisle, people gasp and they all start to look emotional, she looks like some goddess, glowing in the afternoon light that shines through the window. Laura's Dad looks immensely proud to be where he is, James takes one look at Laura and everything seems to fall into place, he seems to be in a daze, a sudden grin on his face as she grins back. He quickly looks at us, Mum, Dad, Ryan, Dan and I and we all nod.

"She looks stunning" I hear Clarissa whisper behind me, Mark humming in agreement. Ellie also being a bridesmaid helped me to calm Laura's nerves earlier today so I turn and smile at her as everything seems to have worked out.

***

Daniel POV

The golden liquid in the glass swirls as swig my glass around in a circle, resting against the table I ate dinner on and sat at and listened to all the speeches. I stare down as the bubbles form and then fade in my glass.

"Hey lonely" Hazel's soft voice greets, I look up and smile at her sudden appearance and stand up more straight. "Why are you all alone, not having a good time?"

"Oh no I am!" I assure her "Just having a bit of a break"

"Well break's over, come on, Laura and James are going to have their first dance!" she grabs my hand and pulls me to the ring of people forming around the dance floor. I watch as Laura hands Ryan to her mother Monica.

We stand at the edge of the polished floor as James guides Laura to middle of the dance floor, his arms secure themselves at her waist as she wraps hers around his neck. The tune for Rule The World by Take That begins to play. I press my hand to Hazel's waist and I pull her closer to me as she begins to tear up.

At the sides of the dance floor I spy Emma and a professional photographer amongst the flock of people, snapping photos of the newlyweds.

At the end of the song, James and Laura beam at each other and everyone watching as we all clap and cheer, James runs over to the DJ and grabs a microphone.

"This next song is dedicated to my wonderful baby sister Hazel, thanks for everything you've done for us Hazel. With the help of Matt I learnt how much this song has come to mean to you"

And that's when Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol begins to play.

Hazel gasps and looks at me with wide eyes, people begin to stop staring at Hazel to pull their partners to dance and I grin at her.

"It's our song!" she cries. Jumping up and down on her heels excitedly and then she pulls me onto the shining wood.

Her turquoise dress glides carefully as I finely guide the two of us around the dance floor, she closes her eyes and rests against my chest as tighten my grip. I look up to see Josh looking at me from where he is dancing with Kirsty, he smiles and I smile back then over at Ollie, who is currently spinning Emma under his arm. Ollie grins at me then his eyes brighten at the sound of Emma's laugh and he laughs along with her.

I'm so glad that everything worked out for them. I really am, I could've done none of this without them. Emma has been the sensitive shoulder that I needed to cry on; Josh and I went through a similar process and he was there to push me back into reality, Ollie has shown that he will remain loyal to us all no matter what and Kirsty's feisty ways will never hide away her soft spot for Josh.

My eyes find Matt dancing with a petite woman with short glossy black hair, whom I don't recognise. But she seems a lot older than him, by the way they are dancing and how she looks so alike him, she seems to be his Mother. He smiles at her as if she were a delicate flower and keeps her very safe as they dance, like he is afraid of her getting hurt. His younger siblings sit on the stage, swinging their legs back and forth. The little girl in a rose pink dress and the boy in a tiny suit.

I don't think I'll ever know Matt's story, or why he is so protective over his little family. I don't even think Hazel knows even half of it, but from what it's worth he has come out of it as a very decent guy and I'm glad we came to an understanding and that I can now call him my friend.

Gavin watches me carefully, he smiles when I catch his eyes, this whole time he has rooted for Hazel and I and he seems to be proud of that. After all, he was on the premises when Hazel and I first got together. He watched Hazel and Matt get close, still believing that Hazel belonged with me, and I thank him for that and I hope that Hazel and Matt continue to work for him so he can guide the pair through their first years of adult working life.

"Dan?"

I'm pulled from my thoughts at her voice, I look down at Hazel and I let my fingers trail over her soft cheek as we dance steadily, I look into her chocolate brown eyes and I smile at her adoringly.

"Yes Hazelnut?"

"Can we just stay like this, eternally?"

I smile at her and she rests her head back on my crisp white shirt. I brush my hand over her hair and along her soft hair with a calming sigh.

Almost a year ago, I met a small and fragile girl who had seen a rather bad week, she was emotionally unstable to talk about it and when she finally did I learnt things about her that had never occurred when we were younger. We had a strong bond that had reformed after two years of not seeing her and my feelings for her only seemed to grow stronger. As time progressed we did come across a rocky stage that in fact briefly ended our relationship, it was probably the worst I've ever felt, but everything worked out in the end, because we both realised, with the help of Matt and the other culprits involved, that we needed each other to really be happy.

So yes I got upset, I got tearful and I cried a hell of a lot. Sure I fell out with many people; new relationships formed, Josh got drunk repeatedly, Kirsty ranted about Josh, Matt hated me, Gavin didn't like the situation of everything, my family worried about me, Ollie and Emma were in their own little world, Laura and James were thrown into the world of parenthood and a lot of us got hurt along the way.

But I wouldn't change any of it for the world.

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A/N REAL TEARS IN MY EYES GUYS OH GOD. I'm not going to say anything soppy as even if it is the end of the story you still have the epilogue which should be ready in a day or two along with the other bits for me :)

Thank you so much.

-Lx