10 Years Later

Lizzie sat in my room and ranted about her day as she painted her toenails some new bright color for the week.

"Like she was so rude, Aaliyah. I just wanted to slap her across the face. 'Why are you working in your state?' Ugh if you saw her face you'd understand why I'm pissed. She literally looked me up and down. Like what the hell? I'm pregnant, not disabled."

I rolled my eyes at Lizzie and turned my attention to the TV.

"I bet you're not even listening." She whined.

I laid my hand on her shoulder to calm her down and she relaxed at the touch.

"Good. I forget that you're here sometimes."

I wish you would.

"Babe!" Lizzie yelled loudly.

I laughed as I heard the familiar rush of steps up the stairs and I shook my head. Her husband Jackson opened the room door and leaned his hands against his knees as if he had run a mile.

"What?" He asked as he breathed heavily.

"I just wanted to say hi," Lizzie said.

Jackson shook his head at her as he walked over and placed a quick kiss on her head.

"I hope you're not bothering Aaliyah too much." He said.

She is.

Despite my clear irritation, I smiled at the couple in front of me.

After Lizzie and our grandmother moved into the house she introduced her boyfriend at the time to us and John made him run for the hills. That same pattern continued for years until Jackson came along.

He had treated Lizzie with nothing but respect and he loved her more than anything. All of us saw that the first time we met him. Unlike her other boyfriends, Lizzie didn't attempt to hide us from him. As soon as he stepped into the house he already knew about us.

Since then, they have been thriving together for the last six years. Lizzie was now pregnant with twins and we all couldn't be more ecstatic. The only issue we were having was with space. But Jackson easily solved that problem by buying Carter's old house and demolishing it. His construction company was now undergoing renovation to expand the house.

As for my mother and John, they never remained in one place long. They took advantage of being invisible and snuck on to airlines and traveled the world. They remained heavily in contact though, with daily texts to the family group chat.

"I'm hungry," Lizzie said with a pout.

"Your grandmother is making cookies for you," Jackson said. "I think she's coming now."

I watched my grandmother walked in and I smiled as she danced her way into the room.

Death's premonition about my grandmother dying soon became a reality about three years ago. She had a heart attack while doing pilates in the living room.

Of course, as tragic as it was, I couldn't help but laugh when I saw her storm into the house and attempt to kick her lifeless body for being too weak.

Lizzie grabbed a cookie and stuffed it into her mouth as we all watched her.

"I feel all your eyes on me," she said with a full mouth.

My grandmother pulled out her phone and tapped a few keys quickly before putting the phone back into her apron.

"I'm going salsa dancing." She said as she swayed her hips.

Lizzie looked at the text sent to the chat and scoffed. "As long as it's not Pilates..." she teased.

My grandmother's smile dropped as she scowled at Lizzie."You are all classified as 'haters'." She said as she danced her way out of my room.

I scoffed as I looked away from her and back to the TV. I was waiting for the concert to start but I was getting antsy.

"It's starting." Lizzie squealed as she turned up the volume on the TV.

A smile spread across my lips as I watched Elijah appear on the screen. A couple of years ago he finally had his big break and a huge record label in New York took him as a lead singer of a band called "Hell's Paradise". I never understood the name but I stopped trying to make sense of it years ago.

As the guitar riff came in, the camera shifted to the audience and I smiled as I saw the empty seat in the front row.

I hadn't reached out to him since he left but he had kept his promise he made to me all those years ago. At every show he performed, there was an empty seat left for me.

I was incredibly happy for him but my heart pained every time I saw him. The love I had for him was still profound.

Lizzie and Jackson sang along in unison to one of his songs and I smiled to myself. I was no longer alive but seeing my family live on brought more life to me than I could've ever imagined.

Hardy and Carter were still in prison and they were going to be for the rest of their sad lives. I threw away the occasional letters Carter would send to the house without bothering to open them anymore. I did open one once before but immediately regretted it as I read an incoherent jumble of words that sounded nothing like Carter. It was clear his mind was in a downward spiral towards insanity if he wasn't there already.

I spent years hating him, blaming him for all the fucked up things that had happened in my life. He was the reason that my family was in this situation, the reason why I couldn't have kids of my own one day.

I would have to be a bystander, a voyeur to all the things life had to offer...to someone else. All because he decided to end my life.

It took me seeing things from a different perspective to finally be able to forgive Carter. He may have ruined my life, but I ruined his. If it wasn't for me he would've been free to do all the things life had to offer. If not for my interference, Carter wouldn't have been spending his life in prison.

So I suppose we're even.

52 Years Later

We sat around the table as we celebrated Liz's 84th birthday. She had grown weak and frail but her eyes still carried the same glint of life that they always did.

Jackson also still looked at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. I reached out and grabbed his hand as he smiled at me.
He was the newest one to join us. Twenty years ago he was the victim of a hit and run while on his way home.

Lizzie along with the five children they had raised together were distraught at his death but once he made his presence known, they rejoiced.

"Happy Birthday, mom." Aaliyah, her youngest daughter spoke.

Her son John brought the cake in front of her and she gave him a sweet smile. Lizzie felt especially weak today so she just wanted her immediate family here. Us, along with her five children, if we could even call them that anymore. They left their kids and families at home per Lizzie's request and came alone.

Lizzie and Jackson's kids gathered around the dining room table and looked at their mom adoringly. She smiled back at them softly and her twins, Evelyn and Zach brought a blanket over her shoulders.

This birthday was unlike the ones from previous years. It was quiet, unspoken words being said through sad smiles.

"This is going to be my last birthday," Lizzie spoke in a frail voice.

Her children that we had watched grow and helped raise with nothing but love and adoration responded to their mother with comforting smiles.

I watched as tears fell down their faces and I began crying. I heard my mother sniffle with John behind me, knowing what this was. It was a goodbye, not a birthday.

As Lizzie fell into a discussion with her kids about the next steps in their lives, I got lost in my thoughts about my own life.

My life wasn't filled with excitement and adventure like it was for my parents. But it was filled with love and to me, that was more than enough.

After the dinner, Lizzie insisted that her kids leave to their families. They said their sorrowful goodbyes and Lizzie smiled as she used her cane to crawl into her bed...for the last time.

That night, she died in her sleep. We didn't even realize it until she ran out of her room and sobbed when she looked at us.

Jackson ran to his wife and pulled her into a hug as they cried together. He took his time hugging Lizzie and she grinned happily. This was the happiest I had seen her since he died.

When she pulled away from Jackson, she turned in our direction and I wept, unable to hold back anymore.

"Aaliyah.." she said in a broken voice as she walked slowly to me.

I wrapped my arms around her small body and she cried in my arms. "I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too," I replied. We've all been here her entire life, but it was different now that we were finally able to touch her.

She looked behind me at the rest of our family and excitedly went to go greet them.

"Dad," she said happily as John enveloped her into a hug. It was strange to see, Lizzie looked so much older than him that you would think he was HER son.

"Mom," Lizzie cried again as our mother joined their hug.

"Do I get a hello?" My grandmother asked in her usual sassy tone.

Lizzie laughed as she wiped her tears and turned to her. "I didn't miss you at all."

"I'm sure," my grandmother said as she embraced her.

We all looked around at one another with tears of joy. After all these years, Lizzie was finally reunited with us.

"Well look at this."

Our heads snapped to the redhead woman perched on the counter. She smiled at me and then turned to Jackson and Liz. "Wow, I'm gone for less than a month and you two are so...wrinkly."

Jackson and Liz scowled at her and she held her hands up in defeat. "Joking."

She laughed and looked between us all. "I've enjoyed getting to know you all, but I'm afraid our time together has come to an end."

Another tear fell down my cheek at her words. I was ready to move on but I would miss the firecracker that stood in front of me. I walked up to her and pulled her into a hug and she tensed at the contact. She soon relaxed and hugged me back. When she made a sniffling noise, I pulled away to look at her.

"Are you crying?" I asked.

"No. You're crying." She countered as she fanned her eyes.

My family laughed at her and she frowned.

"Anyways, Aaliyah, before I send you all off I have a surprise for you." She said as she pointed to the front door.

Before I could turn around I heard audible gasps resonate throughout the room. I slowly turned in my spot and my eyes landed on Elijah.

I squealed and I ran into his arms, almost knocking him down.

He laid a kiss on my forehead and my teardrops stained his shirt. "Hey, Monroe."

I wrapped my arms around him finally being able to do what I had wished I could for the past 60 years.

"You're dead," I said.

"I died quite a long time ago." He admitted.

"How?"

He winced at my question and shook with head, letting out a small laugh. "It's embarrassing, I'll tell you one day."

"So, I believe everyone is here." Death said as she clapped her hands together.

"Everyone except Carter." My mother said. Our eyes all snapped in her direction and she shrugged. "I am just making an observation."

"Pfft. Carter died almost 50 years ago. Hardy did too, turns out people in jail don't really like people that kill kids." Death said as she waved her hand.

Then where are they? I hadn't seen him anywhere near here. We still had family alive and I refused to move on if there was a chance Hardy and Carter could come back to hurt them.

"Where are they?" I asked in a shaky voice as the concern for my family grew.

"Oh, I sent those motherfuckers straight to Hell." She said with a scoff.

Relief filled my senses and I laughed softly at her words while I shook my head. God, did I miss her humor these past few years.

"Take one last look around, you'll never be back." She said.

I looked around my childhood home and smiled through teary eyes. Although some... not-so-great moments happened here, this was where our family was tethered. And for that, I'd miss it.

"Okay, enough looking." She said. "You all...were the highlight of my month."

Before I could respond she smirked at me and held up her fingers to snap.

"Goodbye, Aaliyah Monroe."

Snap!