The air had a bit of a chill and the sky was overcast. It was one of the last few days of summer.

Angela Hayes-Jones was on her way to meet her husband for lunch. She had decided to take a shortcut through the park when she heard a woman's happy laugh.

Any other time, she would have continued on her way, but she found her breath caught in her throat.

She knew that laugh. She hadn't heard it in so long.

Jane. She hadn't seen Jane in 12 years. Not since she and menta-…Ricky, she corrected herself, had left for New York.

She still remembered that time in her life like it was yesterday.

She had heard the gunshot and, alarmed and frightened, stayed in the bathroom for a moment, scared there was a burglar in the house, when she finally ventured out into the kitchen, where she had last seen Lester.

She'd never forget that sight as long as she lived. Lester slumped over, blood dripping from his head onto the floor below. Jane and Ricky on their knees before him, he with a look of almost awe on his face as he gently stroked Jane's back, her face conveying shock more than anything else.

When she entered the room, tears already gushing out of her eyes, it was Ricky who brought his eyes up to meet hers, never stilling his attempts to comfort Jane.

It was as if, for the first time, she could communicate with him without words. And at least for this moment, he wasn't the weird mental boy. He was the person her friend loved, but more than that, he was the one who loved her friend.

The silence was broken when Mrs. Burnham came in, gasping in shock before rushing up the stairs.

The rest of the night and the following day were a hectic blur. Mrs. Burnham had thrown herself into the funeral arrangements, in an almost robot-esque trance.

Angela could tell Jane was struggling with her emotions. Her disgust and confusion over how her dad had been acting lately battling with regret over the fact that they had never reconciled before he died.

She eventually pulled Jane aside and told her about the conversation she had had with Lester the night before. She made sure Jane knew that if even for just the last few minutes of his life, she could see he regretted he hadn't patched up his relationship with her and that he was so obviously happy that she and Ricky had found each other.

She'd like to think that her words got through to Jane, maybe that they even had convinced her to go to New York, even though she was still highly worried about leaving Jane with the mental boy, but Lester had clearly seen something in him that Angela didn't, so she just hoped Jane would be in good hands.

Jane had been struggling with whether she should leave with Ricky or not, but it was clear that for his safety, he had to go, and there was no way she was letting him go without her.

Her mother had seemed distraught, but Angela suspected it had more to do with keeping up appearances than genuinely wanting her daughter with her. She thinks Jane saw that too.

So, she gave Jane one last hug as she watched her and Ricky leave for New York and she hadn't seen either of them since.

A lot had changed since then. She had begun to reexamine her own worth after Lester's death. She actually started thinking about what she wanted to do with her life…something besides just modeling.

She eventually decided she wanted to work with teenage girls, girls like she had been, giving them a mentor of sorts.

She applied herself in school for the first time in her life and ultimately enrolled in the local community college, where she met the man who would ultimately become her husband.

She was now working at a community center, counseling teenage girls while her husband was a teacher. They had made the move to New York after graduation. She hadn't realized how much she needed to get out of that same old neighborhood.

Which brought her to the present.

As discreetly as she could, she followed the sound of laughter, peeking out from behind a tree once she had located them.

Jane and Ricky were sitting on the grass as a little girl, who looked to be about six years old, ran back and forth, bringing them various things she found lying around. As she looked closer, Angela could also see a little boy, maybe three years old, standing just a couple feet away, staring up at the sky with a smile.

She watched for a few more minutes, her heart warming at the display before her. While the little girl was off most likely collecting something else, she watched the two adults closely. He still looked at Jane with that intense look in his eyes. She was staring right back, as if this, this moment, was her whole world.

He brushed his thumb across her cheek, a smile on his lips, as he leaned in, planting a slow but deep kiss on her lips.

He finally pulled back and the look in his eyes made even Angela's heart beat faster.

"I love you," he breathed, his tone solemn and reverent. "I love you so much."

His whispered words were met with warm and bright eyes.

They kissed again as she whispered the words back into his ear. It was when they pulled apart as their daughter brought them something else that she decided to make her presence known.

Taking a breath, she stepped out from behind the tree and walked towards the family, hoping she would be received well.

"Hey, Jane."

The End

Author's Note: So what do you think? This is my first American Beauty fic so I'm a bit nervous. I hope it's okay. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I know some people aren't fans of the Jane character, but I thought all 3 of these characters deserved some happiness. I'm thinking of maybe doing one more chapter but not sure. Let me know. Thanks so much for reading!