Who is ready for this? Not me.

Not only is this the last chapter, but it's also going to have a lot of feels.

So...

Enjoy! :)

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Jack visits the Argonne Cross first thing in the morning. He's not usually an early riser, but here he is, with the sun still rising too--which, to be fair, isn't as early as it would be in the summer, but there's still something intimate about being here with the sun rising.

He looks at the cross that represents all those who fought in the Meusse-Argonne offensive, for all those had lost their lives fighting there. Like Spot did. It's been five years and four days since Spot died. 

He was here when the cross was first erected two days ago. He just likes coming here without the crowds. Right now, Mush is in a cemetery in Queens, visiting Kid Blink by himself. So he understood when Jack said he needed some time to himself.

"It's been five years, Spot," Jack says softly. "And you fought till the end."

Of course, he wasn't there with Mush and Spot. Over the years, Mush has disclosed little by little what he had seen in the war, what Spot's last moments were like. And slowly, Jack and David recount what they had been through as well.

And of course, there's Antonio. All those years ago, once they learned that Antonio didn't in fact have any place to stay, they insisted that he stayed with them. He kept insisting that he would find his own place eventually, that he would be out of their hair soon enough. They tell that's fine, but he's welcome to stay. And so he has. By now, it's like he's always been a part of the family. Of course, it's strange having someone nearly 30 in their house when they're all nearing 40 (or in Jack's case, now 40), but since when was their found family ever conventional or normal?

Jack wanders the cemetery. He knows that Antonio is here too, at Race's grave. He joins him silently. He doesn't disturb Antonio murmuring soft words and little lullabies for Race. Instead, he stands back and lets the brothers have a moment.

EDWARD HIGGINS
November 1 1883 - November 9 1918

Jack still misses him. He misses Race every day. He misses Spot every day. Every night he is plagued with nightmares about Dave dying right before him. Lately it has been getting better, but he still experiences more nightmares than he wants.

"I miss him, Jack," Antonio murmurs quietly. "I miss him a lot."

Jack sighs. "Me too."

"I just hope he's in a better place now."

"Me too."

Jack leaves Antonio be, and continues wandering around.

So many soldiers. So many names.

Sardinia is here too, and so are Kid Griffo and Chick Tucker. Jack knows that they are all at Dave's grave right now.

Sardinia has not and will not stop. He comes here every day, whispering sweet words to Dave, and telling him how he'll make all of it right again. Dave never got proper justice for everything when he was alive. So Sardinia will spend the rest of his days making sure Dave gets the proper justice now.

Kid Griffo notices Jack, and nods in greeting. Jack dips his head in return.

Watching Dave die before them had traumatized both of them in ways that only the two of them know. They can't explain it to their friends, not even to their lovers. This is an experience only they share, and even now they still spend time together to talk about it, or just sit there together silently.

No one has been the same since the war. They can try going back to normal all they want, but they lost people they cared about. They saw things that they will never be unable to unsee. And everyone grieves in their own way.

And throughout it all, they stick together.

A couple years ago, they had a surprise visit from someone named Ermal. Antonio quickly introduced Ermal as Race's friend, one of the people Race was closest to when in the prison camp. Ermal had come to visit Antonio, but ended up becoming friends with everyone else as well.

Jack has gone to see Bruno and Noemi a few times. He can never thank them enough for all that they provided him with. Each time, Noemi remarks how big he's grown and Bruno asks him when they're going to finish a game of chess. Each time, Jack feels loved. This most recent time, they had invited him to Christmas dinner--along with all their other children. They say he should bring his family too. Jack says that he didn't know how everyone would fit in one house. They said they would make it work. Jack said it sounded like it would be a miracle. He guesses that he'll just have to see this Christmas miracle for himself when he brings his family to Christmas this year. That's a little over a month from now. He can't wait.

Jack doesn't know how much time he spends here today, wandering around, visiting the graves of all those he loves. And sometimes he'll stop in front of a random grave to pay respects. It doesn't matter that he'll never know that person's story. What matters is that they had a story. Whoever they are, they deserve respect. So Jack wants to give proper respect to as many as he can.

He just hopes that when he passes away some day, that people will do the same for him.

But the thing is, he would never know. And neither will these people. But maybe their spirits will, and maybe their spirits will be grateful. And that's all Jack needs.

Jack comes home to find David reading a paper on the sofa, Mush cooking in the kitchen, and Antonio reading a book in the evening light.

Jack approaches David from behind. "I thought you would have had enough papers to last you a lifetime," Jack murmurs in his ear. "Guess you still aren't tired of them yet."

David looks up at Jack and grins. He pecks Jack on the lips. "Guess the papers are better when I'm not the one selling them."

They grin.

"Did you go to work today?" Jack asks.

"Well, someone has to provide for this family. And sometimes, if you want something done, you have to do it yourself."

"True, true." They both know that this is just light banter.

"Dinner's almost ready, just a minute," Mush calls out to them.

"Alright Davey, you know that's the cue for setting the table."

David puts the paper down. "Indeed I do."

"Let me just finish this one page, and then I'll come," Antonio declares, totally entranced in the book. "It's the last page of the chapter."

"Okay," Jack says good naturedly. He knows that Antonio won't actually come help set the table; there's probably at least two or three pages left of the chapter, and Antonio won't stop until he's reached the end of the chapter.

"Okay guys I hope the table is set because dinner is ready!" Mush calls out to them a few moments later.

And so they get dinner on the table, thank Mush for cooking, and start eating.

"What book were you reading, Antonio?" Mush asks, trying to make conversation.

"Oh, it's nothing," Antonio averts his eyes.

"Oh come on, you've been reading it all day, it's not nothing," David says.

"I'm rereading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," Antonio mumbles. "I know, it's stupid."

"No, no it's not," Mush tells him empathetically. "The books are meant for everyone of all ages to read. L. Frank Baum said that himself."

"And besides, it's not stupid to like those books," Jack tells him. "You've reread them ... what, two or three times? All 14 of them?"

"I think this is my fifth time," Antonio admits sheepishly. "Or at least, once I get through the fourteenth book."

"Have you read any of the Oz books published after L. Frank Baum passed away?" David asks.

Antonio shakes his head. "They weren't written by him, so it doesn't feel authentic, you know?" he pauses. "Actually, I don't know if that makes sense."

Jack smiles. To him, it makes perfect sense. It's the logic that Race would have used. "No, no. We understand perfectly."

Antonio smiles back.

"So how was your day, David?" Mush moves the conversation along.

And so it keeps going. This is what it's been like in the past nearly five years since Mush and Antonio came home. It'll be five years in January.

And in July, it will mark ten years since Jack, David, Race, and Spot moved in with Mush.

Time has gone by. As it always has. And always will.

And throughout it all, they will always have each other.

Jack looks out the window. It's dark already; typical November. He looks at the two gold stars hanging side by side in the window, as well as the floral horseshoe nailed to the wall beside them. And even though Kid Blink, Race, and Spot aren't here physically, he knows that they're here some how. And that they are watching over their family, smiling fondly at them all.

And so Jack smiles too, grateful for his family, grateful that no matter what, they'll always have each other.

It's the way it's has been. And it's the way it always will be.

THE END

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So there we go. That's the end of our story.

No, no I am not okay.

What did you all think???

I tried finding information about memorial services, or just memorials in general, so what you got was a mix of what I found, and what I imagined would happen.

I had to add in that bit about The Wonderful Wizard of Oz haha. I love those books so much. I've read all fourteen of them either twice or thrice. You should read them too. Highly recommend.

Anyway.

This story is ending.

I can't even right now-

This story ... it means a lot. And now I've written the last chapter.

I ... don't know how I feel about that.

The thing is, though, that this is me we're talking about, so there will be an epilogue, and one last author's note after that.

Are you ready for it?

Please, no homophobia, profanities, hate etc in the comment section at all times.

Best,

~Your Beloved Author (who can't believe that this story is coming to an end)