Another little reminder that all three epilogues (this one being part 2/3) will be told in Jack's point of view, not Lexi's...

The Program

Epilogue [PART TWO]

Wearing a suit and tie is not one of those things i've ever been very fond of. I always preferred jeans and polo. And Lexi never seemed to have a problem with it, always saying that it worked for me and then teasingly saying that it brought out my eyes. Even after three years of being together, her jokes are still really lame.

Despite my best efforts though, Lexi forbade me from wearing such a thing today, saying that this was a special day, one that when people look back on the pictures we'll both be forced to be apart of, they'll smile at the well dressed young man instead of pursing their lips in disgust at a hole in my jeans. I didn't put up much of a fight, after all, even if her jokes suck, one of the things Lexi actually is good at is being right, not always but enough for it to matter.

That, and i'm sure Annie would have smacked me a few times for thinking such attire was presentable for a wedding. And even though I love Lexi, the Annie reason is the main reason i'm standing in front of a mirror struggling with my purple tie -which is way too shiny I might add- and to use Lexi's words, making my hair less of a hot mess. Because in all actuality, Lexi doesn't intimidate me, but Annie. God, Annie scares the crap outta me. I'm certain that if I didn't do as she said, I would be in a world of hurt.

"Hurry up. Lexi's ready to kick me where the sun don't shine if I don't get you in your position before the wedding starts," I heard John say as he came up beside me, followed by me dropping my arms in frustration and releasing a long breath of air. Silently, I laughed. I may be terrified by Annie, but my girl was somehow able to put the fear of death in him as well.

Looking at him, I was shocked to see that his tie was fine, perfectly tied actually. "Dude, teach me your tricks and maybe you'll be safe." I pointed out with my finger directed toward his tie. "How did you manage that?"

He smirked, making me more annoyed with this situation than i'd like to be. "I'm just that awesome, bro."

"So, Maddie then?" I asked, knowing his comment couldn't possibly be true.

He nodded, running a hand through his hair, and the answer to how he didn't messing it up was far beyond my understanding. "Yeah, it's so freaking confusing. All these twists and turns and knots. How in the heck did she do this?" 

Maddie was pretty much a natural at all things like this, so me and John were lucky that she was both best friends with Lexi and Annie, or else she may not have been here to help with this struggle. I mean, lord knows neither one of our lovely ladies would help, both of them would probably enjoy our suffering.

Love's great, isn't it? Notice the sarcasm.

"Thought so," It was my turn to smirk, walking toward to door with a pat on John's shoulder beforehand.

But John must have been a bit uneasy, pulling me back. The person he had changed into in those few seconds was unbelievable, his eyes showing something in them that gave away just how nervous he was despite him being the calmest of the two over the past couple of months. He swallowed hard as I asked, "Wanna talk about it?"

"Annie and I are getting married today," He paused, seeming to let that huge fact sink in as his eyes grew and he fell back into one of the chairs. Covering his face for a moment and then dragging his hands downward, he slightly loosened his tie from around his neck as I too sat down. "Holy crap! I'm getting married today."

"Way to state the obvious, genius." I sarcastically said with a roll of my eyes to help ease his nerves. "I'm surprised you haven't cured cancer given how smart you seem to be."

"I'm not in the mood for jokes right now, Jack. This is serious."

Of course, I knew why it was so serious to him. "You're doing the right thing."

His stare was cold. "Am I though?" Then, pausing for a moment, he continued. "I'm lying to her, Jack. I've been lying to her for years, but this, this is different. I'll have to wake up beside her every morning and know that i'm holding the biggest secret in the world."

"It was her decision, John. She knew what she was getting into. We're all dealing with it too, okay." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Annie didn't want to remember it, John. We learned to live with that."

Still, he hung his head and his lips parted, guilt covering his face.

Though she was one of the main people who made a stink about what the government was having Natalie and Bridget do that day that dad woke up, she eventually thought it over and decided that forgetting the test could help make things go back to normal with her life. And, if Natalie was okay with it, maybe doing the same for her mother would stop the panic attacks she was having. During the commotion with dad -a commotion that consisted of him getting locked up in a secure prison within a day of him waking- she went through with it without us even knowing. John had to fill us in, saying that if we still wanted to be in Annie's life, we needed to come up with a not so suspicious way to meet her for what would feel life the first time to her.

And apparently, if we wanted to be in everyone else's lives that had the memory test done on, we needed to figure it out in the same way. I didn't know exactly how any of it worked, but Natalie was the tech person and seemed to know that everything would be alright.

At first, I was totally against the idea, saying that I knew what it was like to forget something like that and that all it did was confuse things, but according to Natalie, Annie was determined to do what she wants and that she was sure it was what she wanted. So eventually, I got over it, Lexi and I going over to her dad's house one day -to help him move out and into another new one- which caused us to bump into her just like we thought we would. And that's how Annie thinks we all became friends. I'm not sure how the Maddie friendship occurred though. Again, the whole forgetting process confuses me.

And as far as the whole those-who-didn't-forget-would-have-their-family-involved-with-the-test-thrown-in-jail business, mine and John's parents were able to get out of it by helping the government with all the smart science qualities they possessed.

"Now," I started. "We've had this talk a lot. I know that that's not what's really on your mind."

He sighed, saying, "Think about the future, alright. Mary is still out there, never been found, and i'm making a vow to protect Annie for the rest of my life from this thing she doesn't even know is a problem." His breathing was heavy. "I love her, I wouldn't have asked her to marry me if I didn't. But I don't know if i'll actually be able to live up to the promise I make today once Mary makes another test and sets off all those bombs Lexi ranted on about forever."

Honestly, he wasn't the only one to ever think like that. I'd had the same thoughts right after dad had woken up. Back then, the thought of what the future might be threw me into a pit of depression. The government thought they were protecting people by erasing their memories, and I started to believe it because ignorance truly seemed to be bliss compared to the terror I faced on a daily basis. And though I tried, in the end I gave up and let depression in. I know, pathetic, right? But it happened, and not me, but Lexi was the one who helped me climb out of that pit. And that's when I had the same thoughts John is voicing now, me wondering, since I wasn't able to stay calm while thinking about the future, how I could protect Lexi when that future finally came. And then thinking, maybe she would be the one protecting me, and that didn't seem fair, not after everything she's already gone through.

But I had to focus on John right now because he, unlike me, was actually brave to say what was bothering him instead of keeping it to himself. 

"John," Of course, I didn't have even the slightest idea what I was going to say so he could be reassured. "I'm sure everything will be okay."

He stopped me though, this time with an angry yet concerned look plastered onto his face. "What if Annie and me have a kid? Oh god, what if it's not kid, but kids? I can't deal with that, Jack. I know I can't protect a whole family. I can't look at a whole family of Annie and our kids, practically lie directly to their faces everyday, and then not be able to protect them in the end when I could have done something much sooner and prepare them. I just don't know how i'm going to be able to stand up there today, look Annie in the eyes, and say a promise that could very well turn out to be a complete and total lie down the line."

I stayed quiet after his outburst, him now standing up and falling back against the wall with a thud. Not long after, I got up, walking over to him and doing the only thing I could think of doing at that moment; I slapped him. Hard.

The action made him fall over and hit the mirror I was standing in front of previously, a hand placed on his cheek and his mouth hanging open. "What," He huffed out, moving his jaw around a bit. "Was that for?"

Bending down, a smile making its way onto my face, I answered him. "I've had a few years to think it over, and that, my dear brother, was payback for kissing Lexi. You didn't think i'd forgotten did you?"

His eyes held shock, his hand still stuck in its spot on his face. "You said everything was okay with that though, said that it wasn't a big deal. You let it go." He lifted himself up from the floor -not without being a baby and complaining though- and faced me. "I mean, you did let it go, right?"

I nodded, knowing that it was true. Getting over what had happened between them was the easiest thing I ever had to do in my life, and considering it saved both of their butts, there was no reason to stay mad about any of it. "I just figured it was a good a time as any to smack some sense into you though, using that seemed like a good excuse. Plus, it's bringing something to this discussion that you seem to have forgotten."

He shook his head, viewing the situation as humorous. "You're something else, you know that right?" Placing his hands in his pockets and ignoring the pain in his face, he said, "And for your information, you can bet your charming boyish hair that I forgot what happened. Been trying to bury all of that for years. But thank you for bringing it up, it really brightened my day." Sarcasm was practically dripping from his lips and falling onto the floor as he said it. Wait, no, that was the tiniest bit of blood, most likely from the hit.

I gestured to it and John wiped at it, looking more annoyed than normal but just staying quiet about it. "Listen, John, whether you forced yourself to forget or not, remember this. You saved someone that day. You have literally one of the biggest advantages in this world that we'll have to fight with in the future. Never think you're not going to be enough to save those you love, because in the end, you're part of the reason we're all still safe. And I don't know about everyone else, but i'm eternally grateful for what you did, and am very honored to be your brother and your best man. And i'm absolutely sure, one hundred percent positive, that those kids you're going to have in the future and Annie will be motivation enough to do it all again. Whether they about know about any of this or not."

"Wow, way to get mushy," He teased. "You really believe all that, don't you?"

I would have answered him, but right then, Natalie came into the room, Kent's arm linked with her own. "Annie's throwing a cow out here. Get your butts moving." She glanced at my tie. "Really, Jack? Maddie, the best man needs help." And then, she was gone.

Placing a hand on John's shoulder, I told him, "You'll be fine, man. If it ever come right down to it, tell her if you have to, i'm sure she'll listen and maybe even believe how wacky it all sounds." He smiled, lowering his eyes. "I mean, she obviously loves you, she'll listen to whatever it is you have to say. Otherwise, she wouldn't have said yes when you asked her to marry her, as lame as it was the way you did it."

"Right." He agreed. This action was followed by him shoving me and rolling his eyes. "Go fix your dang tie before I strangle you for hitting me."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Like you would be able to take me on." And that was it, we went back to our oh so kind and brotherly ways.

Exiting the room, Maddie immediately found me, grumbling about how I was supposed to be the better one of me and John, and yet, I wasn't able to conquer a stupid knot. 

Her words were mere hums after awhile though, my eyes catching sight of a particular blonde beauty in a dress the same color as my tie. Her hair was up in a fancy bun that looked to be bothering her. Her make-up was a bit overdone -blame Annie for that one- but she looked amazing anyway.

Moments later, I was standing next to her, ready to walk down the aisle arm in arm. "How's maid of honor life treating you?" She groaned when I asked her.

It's not that Lexi didn't like that Annie asked her to be such an important thing in her wedding. It's just that Lexi's had her fair share of awful weddings -Mary's mainly- and they brought up memories she'd rather leave buried.

Over the years, she's had to live with the fact that Mary's her mother. It kept her up at night, caused her to call me constantly to talk about it, and then eventually lock it away in her mind. She stopped bringing it up and flat out denying it if I ever did about a year ago. But it was easy to keep it out of conversation, considering we never told anyone else, and she's never confronted her father about it nor told her brother what she knows.

I wrapped my arm around her waist for a moment, knowing that she might be thinking about all that now too. It was then that she answered me. "Oh. It's dandy!" She joked, pushing me away from her and linking her arm with mine again. "I saw Maddie messing with your tie. You have some trouble?"

The music started playing, everyone already in their positions and ready to walk. "Nah, it's was a piece of cake."

So, we walked and then, Annie came out, a smile on her face and a purple flower bouquet in her hands. And i'm not completely certain, but I think John stopped breathing for a moment.

After that moment, things got a bit boring.

The thing i've always hated the most about weddings is the long ceremony. I always end up yawning because of it, which gains me a few glares from time to time. The seats hurt like freaking crazy and then so does my back from sitting on the harder than brick chairs for so long. Standing this time around only seemed to make it drag on longer though.

It just never made sense to me why it had to last for so freaking long. You're about to spend the rest of your life with the love of your life and somehow you get conned into wasting what feels like a crap ton of your time to finally get to that moment where it's official. Not to mention also dragging a full wedding party down with you.

If I were in John's shoes, I would be doing everything in my power to rush through this thing. 

I get it, alright, weddings are supposed to be a beautiful thing. What I don't get is why they drag on to the point of making me want to rip my eyes out.

But John, well, John just kept smiling the whole time, totally transfixed by Annie the entire time. And then the vows came, both sweet and simple, normal kind of vows you hear at every wedding.

Once Annie got into how they met though, I saw John stiffen a bit.

"He spilled his coffee on me if you can believe how cliche that is," She recalled, a tear in her. "I hated him for it, yelled at him forever. And whenever i'd run into him at what seemed like the most unlikely times, I would groan and growl, just about anything to let him know I didn't like him. But then when I realized he was my new best friend's boyfriend's brother, I tried to be nice, just fake it for the sake of the friendship I had with Lexi. But then, things changed and somehow, John, I wasn't faking anymore. It wasn't exactly love, but it wasn't hate anymore, and now look where we are."

I heard John mumble to her that he loved her and she mouthed it back. At that point, I saw at least one good thing about the ceremony.

❒❒❒❒

"So, not to sound pushy or anything, but when are you and Lexi gonna, you know," Kent began asking me, Natalie still hanging on his arm and smiling. He was nudging me. "tie the knot?"

I couldn't help but laugh, not because marrying Lexi was a joke to me or because I didn't want to marry her. To tell the truth, I don't know why I laughed, nervous reflex I guess.

"Um, don't know about that one, Kent. We'll probably hold it off until she finishes college. Lexi's really excited about some art course she's taking this year, I wouldn't want to screw that up for her." And it was the truth. After everything, we went back to the harsh reality of school, considering we'd missed so much of it at that point and all, only to hear that we'd probably have to redo the whole school year we were all so behind. Luckily, the government that wants everything covered up helped with that problem, and managed to help those who wanted it out on the college front.

"Lexi's very talented," Natalie spoke up. "My favorite drawing by her is that one she's got hanging up in her apartment, the one of you that resembles what she drew in the, well, you know where." 

To this day, I don't know the story Natalie went with to stay in Annie's life. Perhaps she just used the doctor excuse, considering the coma thing was still hot news.

"Yeah," I agreed, a smile lining my cheeks. "That's her favorite too, says it reminds her of a really happy time, despite where she originally drew it."

They both seemed to agree, nodding their heads in understanding. "Well," Said Natalie after awhile. "I'd like to get this guy out on the dance floor before he makes up an excuse for why he can't dance later on."

"Hey!" Kent defended. "Can't blame a guy for his hatred on dancing. Am I right, Jack?"

I chuckled. "Can't help ya there, Kent. Lexi's the one who hates dancing in our relationship, I on the other hand am actually a fan of it."

He rolled his eyes before Natalie dragged him away, me turning around to become face to face with Brittney. Her and Luke have been going out for awhile now. And considering Luke found his way into Annie's life somehow as well, he was invited to the wedding. We all figured Brittney would be his plus one. "Hey."

"Sup," Brittney replied, lightly swaying her hips to the music. "Where's Lexi?"

"Oh, she's uh..." I trailed off, looking around the room only to rub at the back of my neck in confusion. "She's...somewhere. There a particular reason you're looking for her?"

She placed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Nah. I was actually just trying to make conversation until Luke gets me a slice of cake. Sorry bout that."

I put a hand up to show it was fine, then excusing myself to take a quick walk outside. The place was stuffed, I needed air.

The night was cold, wind hitting my face from every corner and causing my lips to tremble. Holding my arms to my chest, I couldn't help but curse the supposed hot temperatures of Florida that had decided to to be my fan and show up. Let's just say, though i'm not a fan of heat, being cold wasn't something I enjoyed much either.

"You know," I turned around to find Lexi, her arms wrapped around me a second later. "hiding from your girlfriend is really cruel."

I grinned. "All I did was come outside. And before then, dear girlfriend, I couldn't find you anywhere. It seems that you were the one hiding."

She shoved me. "Was not. I was actually having a delightful talk with Luke."

"Oh yeah," I started, finally wrapping my arms around her as well. "What about?"

"He asked me if I thought it was too soon for him to ask Brittney to marry him, said the wedding was getting in his head and showing him what a life would be like with her. He said he liked what he saw." She explained.

"Okay. And you said?" I asked.

"Whatever. That's all I said. If he wants to marry her, and she says yes, who am I to say it's too soon." She paused, thinking it over before giving her next opinion. "Just because they've only been dating for three months doesn't mean they can't be in love. I mean, I can't judge. Look at how fast I fell, and I barely knew anything about you."

"And look at us, still going strong three years later." 

"Not with a lack of fights though," She pointed out.

"Which were mostly your fault." I shot back to which she glared at me and caused me to hold my hands up in defense. "Fine, some were mine. But you've got to admit, you've got a temper on you."

"Jack," She began, rolling her eyes and pinning me up against the side of the building. "Now would be a good time to shut up."

I leaned in close, sure to let my breath fan over her because I knew how crazy it drove her. "Oh yeah. What are you gonna do if I don't?"

She backed up, the smirk on my face dropping. "Use your imagination."

At that, she walked away, the moonlight causing the purple of her dress to glow.

"Hey!" She turned around as I yelled to her, me able to catch up. "You look great in that dress by the way. Absolutely beautiful."

She blushed just like I thought she would. To this day, it's still the cutest thing i've ever laid my eyes on.

"Yeah, sweet talk all you want, Jack." She started walking away again, the redness still extremely present on her face as she did. "I'm still not gonna kiss you."

I couldn't help but smile, watching her walk away yet see her turn back to look at me and pause long enough for me to catch up to her. Our lives were starting to reach the point of normal, and maybe it would stay that way long enough for us to go through a mid-life crisis later on in life that didn't involve the test in any way.

But no matter what, at least I had her. As long as she was with me, how bad could life actually get?

Scooting past her, our arms rubbing against the other and me leaning in close enough to her ear, I said, "Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that, princess."

❒❒❒❒

The next chapter will be explaining all that happened between Jack and Reid in better detail than what it does here. And yes, you'll get some a much needed Jack and mother chat as well. I just couldn't find a way to fit her into this chapter without it being too weird. That's basically the whole plot of the entire last epilogue actually, with a cool twist...anyway...

Ha! I bet ya'll though that this chapter was going to be Lexi and Jack's wedding. Well, tricked ya! I totally got you. Um, hehe, yeah... please don't leave...maybe someday i'm write their wedding and put it in 'Short Stories For The Test'...yeah, i'll probably do that.

Onto something else now though. I read 'Unwind' by Neal Shusterman recently (on Monday) and I couldn't put it down. Connor, Risa, and Lev stole my heart and I just love them all so much! But Roland, god, Roland tore out my heart (haha, kind of an unwind pun) and made me suffer in the end with everything that happened...and the shark arm killed me so much I want to just cry my eyes out. Ahhhh, you'll understand once you read it. And please do, I need to obsess over this with someone now. Hopefully i'll be able to read the next books in this series soon. Otherwise, i'll go crazy...

Chapter dedicated to sabi013 for posting such a sweet comment in the last chapter that is still making me smile like a lunatic. Silent reader or not, I love you all just for reading and (hopefully) enjoying this story :)

Anyway, hope you guys liked this. Vote and comment your thoughts if you did :)