Status: The epilogue is up and posted. Thanks for reading, lovelies!

Blue Moon

Epilogue

Fourteen Years Later

“How is she?” I circled the bed, looking down at a sleeping Sophia.

“Well.” Will sighed quietly, “I think she’s adjusting well.”

“This isn’t what I wanted, you know.” I swallowed hard, “It—her life wasn’t supposed to be such a travesty like ours.”

“I know.” Will led me out of her room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

“Does she know what happened to him? I leaned against the wall, my head resting in my hands with a heavy heart.

“Collin placed her under our guardianship. She knows that he was taken into custody,” Will stepped back to rest against the banister. “I’m sure she’ll recover. I don’t know how she’ll recover from the execution though.”

“Do you remember how long it took her to recover from—,” saying her name still tied a knot in my gut, “Emily?” I blinked rapidly to clear the threatening tears. I had already shed enough over her unfortunate and untimely death of pneumonia.

“We are the best option for her, you know this Eliza.” Will placed his hands around my face, still looking at me the same way after all these years.

“I know we are, Will.” My hands raised up to meet his, wrapping around them lightly.

“There’s no need to worry then. Now not, not until morning at least.” Will kissed my forehead, walking toward his study.

I followed him quietly, the nagging worry not leaving me. I can’t remember when Will was the calm one and I the panicked one. When did it become like this? I sat down in the chair off to the side of his desk. I stared at him lovingly, seeing the dim aging that had grown on his face. His posture was slacked and relaxed like it used to be, it was straight and stiff. He had grown so much, we both have.

“Is there any chance that Collin will be released? Any at all, you think?” I leaned forward, my elbows resting on my knees.

“Eliza, you remember what the verdict was. You know how dangerous, more than ever, it is to be possessed by a supernatural entity, even involuntary. He’s been sentenced to death. We’ve tried reasoning with the city council but you know those bastards won’t change their mind.”

“It’s unfair to her. It’s completely shot to hell for her. It doesn’t matter if she has us, what matters is that she doesn’t have her parents anymore, Will. I know how hard that is, you know hard that is. Imagine it at her age. I’m afraid she’ll resent us or become depressed, maybe even—,”

Eliza,” Will cut off my worried rant. “Do you remember when Sophia was playing out in the field with her friends when she was six and that little devil of a kid, Shiloh, pushed her down the hill?”

“Yes.” I smiled at her tiny figure stomping up to the house, clothes muddied and wet.

“Emily told her to turn her cheek, you told her to push him back. Who did she listen to ultimately?” Will scooted his chair close to me.

“Me.” Shiloh didn’t have his two front teeth until the adults grew in thanks to Sophie.

“And she has pushed and fought through the adversity that is her family for her whole life up until now because of that. I think that even if she does get depressed, if she can’t cope, I have no doubt in my mind that she will want you to be the one to take care of her. To be her mother, Eliza.” He held my hands tightly and I couldn’t help but let my eyes water by his kind words.

“And you will be a great father to her.” I held Wills scuffed face in my hands, “I’m still scared though.”

“Me too.” He smiled before kissing me and scooting back over to his desk.

I rose from the chair, aiming to go to bed. I walked down the darkened hall, seeing that Sophia’s door was open. I cautiously moved closer but didn’t see her in her bed. “Sophia?”

There was no answer and I grew curious and walked down the hall to Will and I’s bedroom. The oil lantern was lit, Sophia sitting cross legged in the center of the bed. I smiled sweetly, seeing her tired eyes staring back at me.

“What are you doing in here, sweetheart?” I took a seat on the bed next to her.

“Dad isn’t coming back is he?” She whispered, chewing on her lip as I saw the tears forming in her eyes.

I looked sadly down at her. She was smart, she was observant, and I knew that she would and could figure out the situation on her own. She knows the cycles of her father’s curse, she knew it could come to this one day.

“No, darling, he isn’t.” My hand ran through her long hair soothingly.

She tried hard not to break but eventually wrapped her arms around me, heaving her sobs into my shoulder. I hugged her tightly, doing my best to calm her. “You’ll be able to see him one more time before his sentencing. You can tell him anything you want, how much you love him. You’ll have the blessing of closure, Sophia, I promise.”

“Am I living with you and Uncle Will?” She was still crying but looked up at me in a moment of calmness.

“If you would like. We love you like our own, we wouldn’t want you anywhere else.” I dried her tears with my sleeve.

“I don’t want to be anywhere else.” She leaned into me and I rested my head on her hair, my arms still wrapped around her.

“Is everything alright?” Will stood in the doorway, looking concerned.

“It will be,” I nodded, smiling. “Right, Sophie?”

She held her arms out to Will and he strode over, sitting next to her and taking her into the bear hug that he always gives her. Will looked at me, taking my hand in his behind Sophia’s back and squeezing it brieftly.

“Just promise you won’t leave me. I can’t lose anyone else.” Sophia looked between us and I sighed heavily.

“You will never lose us, Sophie. Not even in your wildest dreams.”
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I know, I know. I took FOREVER to post the epilogue. I apologize, I really do. But I honestly was done after that last chapter and it wasn't until recently that I was compelled to finally finish it. I hope the final outcome of this story is satisfactory. I wanted it to be in the future, after the mess is done. I wanted them to be well into their marriage and I wanted to establish that they were happy all those years even without a child. As for Emily and Collin. Well, I didn't like killing them but I felt that the reasoning behind it was okay. I hope you all are too.

I was actually sad writing this. That my first real story, that started everything in writing for me, is finished. This story is my baby and it is so imperfect and jumbled but damn to I love it dearly. I also love all of you dearly, all of you that have stuck with me from the very beginning or have just recently come across this story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have. If anyone is interested, I also have two other stories . So if you liked or loved this one, I can pretty much guarantee that you'll love my other ones.

Thanks again for all the sweet and amazing comments, recs, and subs. And I hope that some move on to some of my other work.

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Mel.