Run from your problems, but you cannot run from yourself.
Epilogue: Mom, Grandma, Mitch, and Austin's Mom
Mom's POV
I was sitting on the edge of a low hanging cloud, my pure white wings stretched behind me. Grandma, Austin's mom, and Mitch Lucker. I see why Rae admired him so much. He was a very kind man. Our legs dangled over the edge of the puffy cloud as we clutched our bags of popcorn. The bets we took were sitting behind us. Currently, we were munching on the snack, watching Warped tour as Austin performed below us.
"Now Bethy, you explain what an OTP and what shipping is! Why are they all on boats? Do they have a different kind of boat?" My own mom asked me, her nasally voice breaking our viewing. My old nickname resurfaced and I smirked.
"OTP is One True Pairing. It's when you think two people would be perfect for each other. Shipping is the act of combining the two people. No, they don't have boats." Austin's mom clarified.
"Thanks you." I whispered to her. She smiled and gave the thumbs up. Ever since coming here, we'd been really good friends.
"I totally ship Rae and Austin. I call them AUSTLYN!" Mitch announced, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth.
"See, that's shipping." I pointed out. Grandma adjusted her glasses and stared down at them once again.
"I'm with you Mitch. I totally ship them." I agreed with the singer. He smiled and high-fived me.
"COME ON, SON! I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN TO LEAVE HER IN THE DARK!" Austin's mom cheered. She loved to be vocal about her son.
"KISS HER! KISS HER!" Grandma cheered. I stared at her shocked. This wasn't her normal!
"I am now officially shipping them." She stated proudly. Okay, that's good that she finally got it.
Below us, Austin brought Rae out onto stage. We all held our breaths along with the crowd. We zoomed in our little screen and watched as the man brought out a box and got on his knee. We all watched, silent in awe as he proposed to my daughter.
"THAT'S MY SON!" Austin's mom cheered, spilling some of her popcorn onto the unsuspecting crowd. A few people looked up in wonder.
Grandma and I both cheered and Mitch went behind us, taking his share of the bets.
"I'm just glad I got my bets in early on Austlyn! Yay for shipping!" He cheered. Alan and LP hugged, off stage. Mitch pointed down to them.
"I'm shipping them as well. It's gotta happen!" He cheered and tossed some money in the betting jar. I crossed my arms and shook my head, the wings on my back fluttering defiantly.
"I'm with Mitch. I'm shipping them...ALILY!" Mitch cheered, fluttering his grey wings happily and tossing even more money in the bets. Austin's mom tossed some in to.
"I am not letting my daughter marry someone who is FIFTEEN FREAKING YEARS OLDER THAN HER!" I shook my head. Grandma took my side, thinking it would be a bit of an age gap.
"I'm still shipping them!" Austin's mom laughed. We'll have to see....
"Look! It's Austin and Rae at the bus!" Mitch called out and pointed. We zoomed in to see them.
"Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss..." Grandma cheered.
"Grandma! I've never seen you act like this!" I called to her. She ignored me.
"AUSTIN ROBERT CARLILE YOU KISS THAT GIRL!" His mom yelled down at him.
"Why aren't they...NEVER MIND I'M TAKING MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS!!!" His mom screamed again.
So she threw a piece of popcorn at them. It bounced of Rae's cheek. Mitch followed suit until we had each thrown popcorn, yelling for them to kiss. Only after they kissed did we relax.
"Let's look at Alan. I still ship them." Mitch told us, to prove our point. We watched Alan and LP talk, and Mitch squealed like a little girl when he saw the ginger hug his best friend.
"I still don't know what to think." I admitted. We watched the two friends go off the the stage.
"He's close enough to kiss her...." Mitch whispered. Austin's mom leaned in, getting excited.
"Kiss..." She hissed to him.
"Oh this is taking forever!" Grandma complained and threw down a handful of popcorn. It spattered in their hair and they looked up, once again confused. LP walked away eventually and Mitch sighed, falling back in defeat.
"See. He's to old for her!" I cried out. Alan was a good guy, just a little to old.
"Hey, we've still got eternity." He shook his finger and refilled on popcorn. I ate some more.
Four years later....
"What year is it again?" Grandmas asked.
"2030." I responded. Mitch, Austin's mom, Grandma and I were all watching again. It had been exactly four years and we were back to watching Warped. The money bet jar had grown for the ship Alily. Mitch was determined to see it happen.
Austin came out on stage, and his mom clapped for him, whistling for her child. I saw Rae from the corner of the stage, by LP.
"Mom, this one's for you!" He cried out, like normal. Austin's mom laughed and cupped hands around her mouth, as if he could hear her.
"AUSTIN HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?! I'VE BEEN SMILING FOR THE PAST THIRTY YEARS AND YES I AM PROUD OF YOU!" She fell over laughing after this. I couldn't help but chuckle. She was tons of fun to be around. We all munched on more popcorn as he finished the song.
This was their last song, but they weren't over yet. Alan came out to the center of the stage, pulling LP along with him. No, was this happening to my little girl?
"Now Austin proposed on this stage to Rae, and look how that turned out...." The ginger started. LP looked a little uncomfortable. Mitch grinned ear to ear.
"DO IT ALAN!"
"Shhh! We gotta hear!" My Grandma complained.
"Lily-Pearl, I've known you since you were nine. You're not only my best friend and the person I can trust anything with, but the love of my life...." Alan started. I was trembling. Mitch was shaking from pure joy.
Alan got down on one knee as the crowd gasped. Tino did a quick drum roll for him on this perfect day.
"Lily-Pearl Croft, would you do me the incredible honor and marry me?" The ginger opened the box and presented her with the ring. Mitch threw his popcorn to the sky, letting it rain on innocent people in the crowd.
"ALILY FOREVER!! I AM THE ULTIMATE SHIPPER!" Mitch did loops in the air from pure joy. LP was down there hugging Alan, kissing him as he slid the ring on her finger and the crowd went wild.
"Good for her! I'm so proud of my grandbaby! BUT SHOOT I LOST THE BET!" My grandma simultaneously cheered and roared from anger. Mitch took his money and flew circles over the crowd as they went wild. I cried from pure joy. Under my cloud we sat on, it started to rain light, warm drops of water.
Nine months later...
"Does this dress look good with the wings?" My grandma asked.
"We're in the middle of the wedding! You wore that Austin and Rae's wedding! You'll be fine!" I told her. In the middle of the floor, Alan and LP said their final 'I do's' and kissed. I cried three times. Mitch grinned ear to ear, and Austin's mom was with me, both hugging me and crying at the same time.
The four of us watched Alan and Lily-Pearl slow dance on the floor while we ate slices of the cake and discussed the next OTP's.
Needless to say, the cake was good.
I was sitting on the edge of a low hanging cloud, my pure white wings stretched behind me. Grandma, Austin's mom, and Mitch Lucker. I see why Rae admired him so much. He was a very kind man. Our legs dangled over the edge of the puffy cloud as we clutched our bags of popcorn. The bets we took were sitting behind us. Currently, we were munching on the snack, watching Warped tour as Austin performed below us.
"Now Bethy, you explain what an OTP and what shipping is! Why are they all on boats? Do they have a different kind of boat?" My own mom asked me, her nasally voice breaking our viewing. My old nickname resurfaced and I smirked.
"OTP is One True Pairing. It's when you think two people would be perfect for each other. Shipping is the act of combining the two people. No, they don't have boats." Austin's mom clarified.
"Thanks you." I whispered to her. She smiled and gave the thumbs up. Ever since coming here, we'd been really good friends.
"I totally ship Rae and Austin. I call them AUSTLYN!" Mitch announced, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth.
"See, that's shipping." I pointed out. Grandma adjusted her glasses and stared down at them once again.
"I'm with you Mitch. I totally ship them." I agreed with the singer. He smiled and high-fived me.
"COME ON, SON! I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN TO LEAVE HER IN THE DARK!" Austin's mom cheered. She loved to be vocal about her son.
"KISS HER! KISS HER!" Grandma cheered. I stared at her shocked. This wasn't her normal!
"I am now officially shipping them." She stated proudly. Okay, that's good that she finally got it.
Below us, Austin brought Rae out onto stage. We all held our breaths along with the crowd. We zoomed in our little screen and watched as the man brought out a box and got on his knee. We all watched, silent in awe as he proposed to my daughter.
"THAT'S MY SON!" Austin's mom cheered, spilling some of her popcorn onto the unsuspecting crowd. A few people looked up in wonder.
Grandma and I both cheered and Mitch went behind us, taking his share of the bets.
"I'm just glad I got my bets in early on Austlyn! Yay for shipping!" He cheered. Alan and LP hugged, off stage. Mitch pointed down to them.
"I'm shipping them as well. It's gotta happen!" He cheered and tossed some money in the betting jar. I crossed my arms and shook my head, the wings on my back fluttering defiantly.
"I'm with Mitch. I'm shipping them...ALILY!" Mitch cheered, fluttering his grey wings happily and tossing even more money in the bets. Austin's mom tossed some in to.
"I am not letting my daughter marry someone who is FIFTEEN FREAKING YEARS OLDER THAN HER!" I shook my head. Grandma took my side, thinking it would be a bit of an age gap.
"I'm still shipping them!" Austin's mom laughed. We'll have to see....
"Look! It's Austin and Rae at the bus!" Mitch called out and pointed. We zoomed in to see them.
"Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss..." Grandma cheered.
"Grandma! I've never seen you act like this!" I called to her. She ignored me.
"AUSTIN ROBERT CARLILE YOU KISS THAT GIRL!" His mom yelled down at him.
"Why aren't they...NEVER MIND I'M TAKING MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS!!!" His mom screamed again.
So she threw a piece of popcorn at them. It bounced of Rae's cheek. Mitch followed suit until we had each thrown popcorn, yelling for them to kiss. Only after they kissed did we relax.
"Let's look at Alan. I still ship them." Mitch told us, to prove our point. We watched Alan and LP talk, and Mitch squealed like a little girl when he saw the ginger hug his best friend.
"I still don't know what to think." I admitted. We watched the two friends go off the the stage.
"He's close enough to kiss her...." Mitch whispered. Austin's mom leaned in, getting excited.
"Kiss..." She hissed to him.
"Oh this is taking forever!" Grandma complained and threw down a handful of popcorn. It spattered in their hair and they looked up, once again confused. LP walked away eventually and Mitch sighed, falling back in defeat.
"See. He's to old for her!" I cried out. Alan was a good guy, just a little to old.
"Hey, we've still got eternity." He shook his finger and refilled on popcorn. I ate some more.
Four years later....
"What year is it again?" Grandmas asked.
"2030." I responded. Mitch, Austin's mom, Grandma and I were all watching again. It had been exactly four years and we were back to watching Warped. The money bet jar had grown for the ship Alily. Mitch was determined to see it happen.
Austin came out on stage, and his mom clapped for him, whistling for her child. I saw Rae from the corner of the stage, by LP.
"Mom, this one's for you!" He cried out, like normal. Austin's mom laughed and cupped hands around her mouth, as if he could hear her.
"AUSTIN HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?! I'VE BEEN SMILING FOR THE PAST THIRTY YEARS AND YES I AM PROUD OF YOU!" She fell over laughing after this. I couldn't help but chuckle. She was tons of fun to be around. We all munched on more popcorn as he finished the song.
This was their last song, but they weren't over yet. Alan came out to the center of the stage, pulling LP along with him. No, was this happening to my little girl?
"Now Austin proposed on this stage to Rae, and look how that turned out...." The ginger started. LP looked a little uncomfortable. Mitch grinned ear to ear.
"DO IT ALAN!"
"Shhh! We gotta hear!" My Grandma complained.
"Lily-Pearl, I've known you since you were nine. You're not only my best friend and the person I can trust anything with, but the love of my life...." Alan started. I was trembling. Mitch was shaking from pure joy.
Alan got down on one knee as the crowd gasped. Tino did a quick drum roll for him on this perfect day.
"Lily-Pearl Croft, would you do me the incredible honor and marry me?" The ginger opened the box and presented her with the ring. Mitch threw his popcorn to the sky, letting it rain on innocent people in the crowd.
"ALILY FOREVER!! I AM THE ULTIMATE SHIPPER!" Mitch did loops in the air from pure joy. LP was down there hugging Alan, kissing him as he slid the ring on her finger and the crowd went wild.
"Good for her! I'm so proud of my grandbaby! BUT SHOOT I LOST THE BET!" My grandma simultaneously cheered and roared from anger. Mitch took his money and flew circles over the crowd as they went wild. I cried from pure joy. Under my cloud we sat on, it started to rain light, warm drops of water.
Nine months later...
"Does this dress look good with the wings?" My grandma asked.
"We're in the middle of the wedding! You wore that Austin and Rae's wedding! You'll be fine!" I told her. In the middle of the floor, Alan and LP said their final 'I do's' and kissed. I cried three times. Mitch grinned ear to ear, and Austin's mom was with me, both hugging me and crying at the same time.
The four of us watched Alan and Lily-Pearl slow dance on the floor while we ate slices of the cake and discussed the next OTP's.
Needless to say, the cake was good.
Notes
A big thank you to all of you out there! Thank you so much for supporting me through my writing and I loved the comments from many of you!
(Shout out to @I_Ship_Aliver for bringing up the shipping of Alily!)
A HUGE thanks to everyone though, for helping me bring this story to life! I love all of you and I couldn't have made this story alive without each of you!
If you want more, my next story is called Fight By My Side. If you enjoy a fantasy, adventure, thriller story, you might want to check that out!
Although it's sad to see this story end, I hope to see many of you comment on this next story! I love talking to you guys! For now, I hoped you liked the ending!
Sincerely yours,
Chaos'sWolf
@AngieRofl
Yay, I'm sooo happy you loved it! Third book is still in progress and I'll try to update fairly frequently!! I'm with you on staying up....If it's two in the morning, I'll just get on my phone and find a new story to read!!! XD XD
8/16/14