Aries' POV

My body felt heavy, extremely heavy and my chest burned. My throat felt like it was on fire and I felt like I had something stuck in my throat. I slowly opened my eyes, my vision blurred as I heard an annoying sound.

Beep, beep, beep.

But it was a neccessary sound, it was my damn heartbeat! I blinked a few times, my vision clearing up gradually and I noticed a blurred face sitting next to me.

I blinked again, my eyes burning each time I do so until it finally cleared. 

I looked down at my hand, it was attactched to an IV. I looked down to see my leg was in a cast and then felt my head like it was being compressed. I noticed I had a bandage around my head and it was pounding. 

"Do you need more medicine?" I hear and look over, I blink for a few times and see the red top of her hair and notice who it is. "Rayleen?" I whisper and she smiles and I feel her fingers on my hand. "Shh, it's okay. How are you feeling?" She asks and I lick my dry lips. "I have to pee." I whisper and she smiles. "I'll get a nurse." She assures and rises to her feet, but I grab her arm. "Wait," I call towards her and she stops and turns to look at me. "Hm?" She whispers and I struggle to sit up a little bit.

"What's happened?" I ask slowly and she looks down and sits down. "They got Cameron, Emily and Brooke. They're in jail and probably won't come out for a very very long time." She whispers and I bite the inside of my cheek. "What about...Raphael?" I ask, swallowing hard. "He's talking with the doctor." I felt a breath of relief as I discovered he was alright. "What about everyone else?" I asks slowly and she looks down at her hands. "You don't remember?" She asks slowly and I shake my head.

"It's a blur." I whisper and she exhales slowly. "It's a miracle you lived through all of that. The crash itself was terrible to your body, but to know you're completely fine-" I interrupt her but putting up my hand up. "Just tell me," I whisper and I hear the urgency in my own voice. My body was aching and the pounding in my head was beggining to throb to the point where I felt tears in my eyes.

Before she can answer, the man I presumed to be the doctor walked through the door. "It's nice to see you're finally awake." He says and I frown. "Finally?" I echo, how long had I been out?

"You've been out for 3 days." Rayleen whispers and I glance at her. "Really?" I whisper and she nods.

"We were more than overjoyed to see all was well with your growing children." The doctor says, walking over to me and pressed my wrist. "Children?" I whisper and swallow hard. "Yes ma'am, congratulations, you're pregnant with twins." My mouth drops and Iean back. Now I really did feel light headed.

"Where's Damon and Aaron?" I ask, trying to distract myself just for a moment. Rayleen looked up at the doctor and then glanced at me. "Aries, Aaron didn't make it. He was shot at the scene, they found you next to his body." I shake my head and remember looking at Aaron but...I didn't know he died.

"Damon?" I ask and she bites her bottom lip and I notice tears fill her eyes. "Oh God," I croak and my throat closes up. "So, he's dead?" I ask and cover my mouth slowly. "No, he's alive. It's just.." She stops and I look into her eyes, searching for an answer. "It's just what?" I ask and she inhales.

"Damon's paralyzed from the waist down." 

Those words echo in my ear and all I can do is stare. He's alive. But he can't walk.

"The bullet was three inches away from his spinal cord." Rayleen adds.

I swallow the hard lump in my throat and lay back, now I have to change the subject once again, I feel the pain in my chest and struggle to steady my breathing. "What about my father, my mother, Keegan and Blaine?" I ask.

"And that Matthew guy?" I add and the doctor clears his throat. "Shouldn't we wait?" Rayleen whispers to him and he looks at me. "I'm unsure of that would be fit for her stability at the moment." The doctor whispers back. "What?" I ask and he looks over at me.

"Just tell her. She can handle it." Rayleen says looking at me. "Tell me what?" I ask and he sighs. "Your two brothers were both shot and killed. Your father died of his wound last night." He whispers. "Who killed them?" I ask and they both fall silent.

I sit back for a moment, flinching in disbelief. "You can't be...you mean I....I killed them?" I didn't even recongize my own voice. These words couldn't- no shouldnt, be coming through my lips. I took lives, someone who was breathing, I made it come to an utter halt. I felt my words get caught up in my throat as a low croak came out of my mouth. I glanced up at Rayleen, searching her eyes for something; some reconciling feeling, a look or something. 

This couldn't be happening. 

"They died at the scene." Rayleen whispers as I lean back for a moment. I felt sick to my stomach. All of this was being dropped on me like a bucket of cold water. 

"I'm a murderer." I sob, now I really was like my family. Years and years of trying to avoid this one simply act that was a form of initiation. Something I ran from all my life. Something that was thrown in my face all my life.

And I finally did it, ending all my ties with my past. This is how I ended it? "They said it was out of self defense, all of your charges have been dropped." She adds and I struggle to steady my breathing.

Finally, I let all of this information hit me, I let it set in. I had killed my brothers and father but it was all out of self defense...even though my fathers death wasnt technically self defense.

He didn't attack me, but I still felt like I was in danger if I didn't.

"Where's Raphael?" I say sniffling and she turns to the door. I see him standing there and boy, do I feel like hopping out of my chair and jumping all over him. 

"Raphael."

"Angel." We both speak at the same time and we chuckle as he walks closer. "How...how're you feeling?" He asks.

That question was a lot more difficult to answer than I thought, I clearly did remember, how Raphael even got into the modeling agency and I realized what he did to me and I came to a peace with that.

I had a realization that finally properly flourished in my mind. This was beyond me at this point, before me and more than me, and that was surprisingly a good thing.

"I feel." I simply say with a low chucke and he walks closer. He has bags under his eyes as if he hasn't slept in days and that he's been crying all through the night. He also had his left arm in a sling. "Listen, Angel, I'm so sorry." He says and drops to my side, and grabs my hand, kissing my knuckles each softly. "Don't be, I understand, you did what you had to do." I say and he shakes his head, his bottom lip quivering. His face beginning to get strained. 

He was crying.

"It seems like it never ends. Ever since we were kids." He whispers and I look down and kiss his head. Seeing him vulnerable like this was odd to me, not because he's always been strong but because I was just realizing how strong I really was.

I was strong enough to be strong for him and that was a lot. For once, I felt as though, I could hold him and protect him to the best of my ability and it would be genuine and not out of fear.

"It's over now." I simply assure, and watch as finger dabbles across my ring finger and I smile softly.

"This is our new beginning." I whisper and he looks up at me. "How did I ever get so lucky?" He asks and I smirk and look down at my hands, "You deserve me, just as I deserve you." I mumble and he leans up to try to kiss me and I back away. "I havent brushed my teeth and days," I mumble and he smiles. "I'm going to be kissing you with morning breath, so get your beautiful ass closer to me." He grumbles and I kiss his lips slowly with a giggle.

It was short and effective, my heart increasing in speed as I felt his warm shaking hand, brush past my ear. We pull away slowly and I open my eyes, immedaitely locking with his mezmorising hazel eyes. "Your heart." He whispers and I raise an eyebrow. "What about it?" I ask and he chuckles and points to the heart monitor. "Your heartbeat started to increase." He says and I blush. "Now you see what you do to me." I reply softly and he kisses my nose.

"Ahem," The doctor then clears his throat and I look over to my side, to see him sitting there, clearly feeling uncomfortable. "Well, now that you are awake, we can check your reflexes and vitals. You may be able to be released by the end of the month," The doctor explains.

"Just enough time to plan a wedding." I suddenly hear and see that Damon is being pushed in a wheelchair closer over to me. He has a head bandage as well and his legs are covered by a blanket.

"You're up and around already?" I ask and he nods. "Girl yes, I needed to come out and stretch my legs." He says with a wink and I cringe. "Damon-" But he stops me.

"I have to live like this for the rest of my life so I might as well make the best of it and crack some jokes." He says and I smile sadly at me. 

"Hey, what did I say about water works? Aren't you happy to see the important people are still alive? Look at us! All crippled, disabled and distraught together. It's such a bond. Rayleen's pregnant, my lower half is irrelvant, Raphael broke his funny bone, and you're over there with a broken leg, pregnant, a head injury and a leg sprain." Damon says with a wide grin and I hear Raphael suck his teeth when he says he broke his funny bone. "It's clearly a torn muscle." Raphael says and Damon rolls his eyes.

I was surprised he took Aaron's death so well. "But Aaron is still with us in spirit." He adds and looks down.

Whoop, there it is...

"I'm sorry." I whisper and he smiles sadly at me. "Aaron already warned me beforehand. He told me there was a chance, he wouldn't make that and I came to meets with that. I just didnt think it would actually happen." Damon whispers and looks away. 

The air suddenly gets thick with emotion but only for a brief moment. "Cheer up everybody. We have a wedding to plan." Damon exclaims and we all look at him. "You sure do bounce back fast." I say and he smiles.

"You know me so well." He teases and puts on a dramatic smile. 

"I guess we do have a wedding to plan then," Raphael says looking over at me.

"I just don't want to be walking down the aisle in a cast, it'll look weird," I remind softly. Damon purses his lips and gazes down at his legs. "Trust me, if you look weird in a cast walking down the aisle, then I'll look like a circus act doing wheelies down the aisle." Damon says in a matter of fact tone.

"Wheelies?" I ask and he nods. "Girl yes, you know I gotta make an entrance." Damon says, flipping his imaginary hair.

"This is going to be an interesting wedding." Raphael whispers in my ear. "A wedding, I can't wait to see." Rayleen adds.

"That makes two of us." I say, still staring at my best friend. God, I loved his behavior. I felt a settling inside me already.

"Rayleen, we have to talk setting. I'm thinking a James Bond theme." Damon whispers but then I block his conversation out to look over at Raphael. "I felt like I've been waiting all my life for this." Raphael says.

"To be in the hospital with your crippled ass fiance and her gay best friend?" I ask and he chuckles and shakes his head. "No, to meet you."

I bite the inside of my cheek then look down. "You always were a charmer, you know that champ?" I ask and he tilts his head to the side, squinting at me. "Little innocent old me? No. You were hard to get through to." He says in a deep voice and I kiss his bottom lip. 

"Hey none of that! Wait for the honeymoon!" Damon suddenly says making me jump.

"Yeah, the honeymoon." Raphael says, putting emphasis on the last word. And I smirk, "Which reminds me, I have a very special dance prepared for you, for our wedding night." I say and he smiles. "Oh really? Like what?" He asks.

"The last dance every performed by Aries," I whisper into his mouth.

"Well, I look forward to ever second of it. Until then Angel." He whispers and kisses my forehead.

"Until then champ." I echo and seal it with a passionate kiss.

~*~*~*~*~

The next chapter will be the last chapter of She. Then afterwards I'll write an Epilogue and then after thattttttttt, I'll write, one last seperate authors note for you guys. 

I love you guys

xo flower

Song: A Thousand Years x Christina Perri