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Epilogue

"Mom, have you seen my sneakers?" Michael called from the top of the steps.

"Check the mudroom." Liz was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Cameron, Jake, are you getting ready?" Their family now consisted of three boys. Jake had arrived two years after Cam was born. While the first pregnancy had been textbook, there had been complications with Jake. Liz ended up having an emergency C-section. That one scare was enough for them to decide that they were done having children, even though Kelly said the next pregnancy might be fine. They had toyed with the idea of adopting again but by the time Jake was two it was clear to both parents that their family was complete.

As Michael came down the stairs and walked past the photo gallery that included pictures of AJ and Carly, Liz asked herself for the millionth time where the years had gone. The little boy who had come to them in a time of sorrow was not so little anymore. He would be twelve this year and was already taller than her. It wasn't like that was an unattainable goal though. Cameron was her height now, and Jake wasn't too far behind.

Michael's red hair was still there and after all the drama with Edward ended they learned that Carly's mom was a natural redhead so that was probably where it came from. He also still had those bright blue Quartermaine eyes. A trait that he shared with both his younger brothers. Sometimes Liz looked at her eldest son and was struck with just how much he looked like AJ, other times he was all Carly.

"Found them." Michael came out holding his footwear. All the boys tended to dress like their dad if they could get away with it. Blue jeans ruled in this house. Jason had offered to upgrade his wardrobe with a rueful grin, but she said it was fine. From time to time she made the boys wear dress shirts, khakis, or shoes. The decree was usually meet with looks of horror, but they didn't argue. So for the most part she left them alone. Especially since they all wore uniforms to school.

"Are you ready to go? Dad will be here shortly." Liz wanted to know. Jason had to go into the office to handle something.

"Yeah." Michael sat on the stairs and put the dark blue sneakers on. He was in dark wash jeans and a light gray with dark gray sleeves baseball inspired shirt. "I just need to grab my new game. Dad and Uncle Francis said I could bring it over if both Dante and I got A's on our math tests." The two boys had been best friends their whole lives. Michael, like his brothers, was on the honor roll. His parents didn't tolerate slacking in school. Besides if he didn't keep his grades up he wouldn't be allowed to play baseball, and he pretty much lived for that.

"Go get it." Liz said with a smile. Looking up the stairs she saw Cameron come down. He was in blue jeans with the NYC t-shirt they got on their last trip down to the city, and white sneakers. Their middle child favored her in terms of hair color. He was also the only one of the boys to sport curls. "Ready?"

"Yup. Is Cheyenne back home?" Cameron and his cousin were super tight. Ned and Lois's third daughter was generally over the house, if the kids weren't at the Ashton home. Even at school they hung out. That wasn't surprising because they were the youngest kids in their class. They were only one grade below Michael despite the age difference. Neither mom was letting the school skip anymore grades because they didn't want their kids to feel like out casts.

"She returned from London yesterday. So she'll be there." Liz promised her son. "What mischief are the two of you going to get up too?"

"We are in the middle of a game of Go." Cameron said with a grin. Since the games took so long to play whenever they had to stop they put markers on the board so that they could pick up the contest the next time they were together. They also took turns holding the board, and neither one ever cheated. It was a point of honor between them.

"Who won the last one?" Liz didn't really understand the game. The only reason that didn't dent her ego was because Jason didn't either.

"Cheyenne, but that's okay because I won the time before that." Cameron said heading into the living room to see what Mikey was up to.

"Jake?" Liz called upstairs.

"Coming." He replied appearing at the top of the stairs. He was in dark wash carpenter jeans and a button down plaid shirt. "I couldn't find the socks I wanted to wear." He said with a lopsided grin. "I wanted to show Gabe and Joey my new Ricky and Morty gear." Gabriel was Renaldo and Nadine's son. Like the Hunter family, they had decided one child was right for them. Joey was Cody and Skye's second child. The three boys had been born within days of one another and hadn't been far apart since.

"If you put your clothes away that might be easier." Liz tilted her head towards the living room with only the smallest smirk. Of all the boys her youngest son was the messiest. She had been the same way at his age, but wasn't ever going to admit that although her mother might bust her at some point.

Her parents now lived in Port Charles. Jeff was the Chief of Staff at General Hospital and they still loved spoiling their grandchildren. Her parents had been adopted by the crew, and the only reason they weren't going to be at dinner tonight was because they were in Memphis with Steven and Olivia.

"I guess it's time to clean my room." Jake flashed her another grin, a mirror image of his dad's, before joining his brothers.

He was an almost carbon copy of his dad. He had brown hair when he was born, but it fell out to be replaced with blonde. Liz was thinking that he was going to the biggest of her boys because at seven he was already ahead of both his brothers in terms of height at the same age. He was her budding artist. He was also the quietest of the group and the hardest to get to know. Once you had his loyalty though, you never lost it.

Michael came back out of the living room as she was slipping on her black high heeled boots. "Is Emma coming today?" He wanted to know.

Liz wasn't surprised he was asking this while his brothers weren't around. She didn't tolerate teasing between her boys but was guessing that it still took place when she wasn't with them. Michael was in the awkward phase where he was starting to notice girls, but not really sure what to do about it. Emma was Kristina's best friend and a frequent guest at gatherings these days. Even if he didn't know the young woman through his cousin he would know her from school.

"I don't know if she'll be there." Liz told her son. "She's been over the last couple of times so the chances are good she'll be there today." Liz had noticed the young lady watching Michael when she thought no one was looking. They were too young to date, but hanging out under supervision was not a problem. "You can invite her to come to the house the next time everyone is over." Liz let her son know.

"Okay. Thanks Mom." Michael went back into the living room to watch television until Dad got home.

She was checking her messages when the front door opened. "Hey." Her guy didn't look stressed so Elizabeth relaxed. A search warrant had been delivered earlier in the day and Jason had to be at the warehouse while it was being executed. She had been only a little worried that he was going to end up going downtown to police headquarters. It wasn't that she thought he was careless enough to get caught, it was that the police took any opportunity to haul him into custody. Arrests had been rare since they had the boys, but from time to time they still occurred. That was when Liz was truly grateful that Diane was so awesome. Because nights away from the family didn't happen.

"Sorry." Jason didn't bother to take off his jacket because they were going to be leaving right away. While he knew that the search was taking place, he didn't know he would have to be there. That generally wasn't the case.

"Don't be." Liz didn't let him feel guilty at times like this. He never missed anything the boys did, and he was always there when she needed him. That was all that mattered. "Everything taken care of?"

"It's all good. Johnny and Francis were with me. We hung out and played cards." Jason reached out and with a hand on her hip urged his wife closer for a kiss. It wouldn't matter if one of the boys came out because they were used to seeing their parents kissing. Jason made sure that his sons knew how to treat the people in their lives. "You look pretty."

"Thanks." Liz said blushing. He could still do that to her. She was in an ivory peplum top paired with black jeans. Both items were favorites from her wardrobe, she was also wearing the hoop earrings her boys got her last Mother's Day. "The boys are ready."

Jason nodded and kissed her again. "I figured we were heading right out." The Pauls were hosting today which was why Cody wasn't at the warehouse. "Guys." Jason called out and he heard footstep. He rarely had to repeat himself.

While the boys put on their jackets Liz gave Jason a good looking over. This was another period of grief for their family. Lila had passed away, peacefully in her sleep, just over a month ago. The loss was still painful. In recent years her physical health had deteriorated but her mind had remained sharp as ever. Edward had passed away a few years back, and for their grandmother all the grandkids had attended the service. The recent funeral marked one of the rare times that any of the siblings spoke with their parents. Alan and Monica had returned home for Lila's service, which was to be expected, and left a week later after the reading of the will. Jason didn't look tired anymore, which was a good thing.

"Everyone have everything they are taking with them?" Jason checked and got three nods. He grinned when he noticed that Jake was taking the newest issue of Destined with him. Elizabeth's third graphic novel had launched three years ago when Legion finally wrapped up. This one was proving to be as successful as the other two. None of the boys knew what their mother did, which made the fact that Jake was already talking about maybe one day creating a comic book of his own pretty funny. "Head out to the car." Jason hit the remote to turn the SUV back on.

Elizabeth grabbed the large plastic food storage container that was on the table in the foyer. She had been baking last night because the Morgans were sharing responsibility for dessert with the Hunters. When Liz asked Skye what she should bring 'a lot of brownies' had been the response.

"I'll carry that." Jason zipped up his jacket covering his long sleeved black t-shirt and took the treats. He had sneaked a few last night when they were being made. This morning he had smiled wide when he noticed that the glass cake stand was filled with brownies for the house. The fact that he could see walnuts in them made him feel good. His girl never failed to spoil him. "Everyone buckled up?" He asked once he was behind the wheel, and got a chorus of yeses.

"You okay?" Liz asked as they piled out of the car. The boys were already running up the front steps anxious to see their cousins.

"Yeah, it just seems odd to be here without Grandmother." Jason would at some point take a walk in the garden. Skye had promised to make sure the roses continued to flourish. Lila's long time groundskeeper was going to stay on to make sure that they did.

The CEO of ELQ had been stunned to learn that she had inherited the estate. She thought for sure that Emily was going to get it. In fact Skye offered to sign it over to her sister. The youngest Quartermaine child had simply shook her head no, saying their grandmother knew exactly who needed to live in the house. The family of seven would fill the house with noise and love. In addition to Lila Rae and Joseph the Pauls had added to their family through adoption. A set of three siblings Jessica, Riley, and a newborn baby girl they named Caroline had joined the family three years ago.

"I like that Skye is here." Liz knew one of the grandchildren was getting the home, she just wasn't sure who. She knew it wasn't going to be Jason because Lila knew he loved where they lived. "It seems right somehow."

"It does." Jason nodded in agreement. Before they could head to the door another SUV pulled up.

Liz waved at Georgie who was doing the same thing from the front passenger seat. Before she could get out the eldest of the Giambetti kids was hopping to the ground and running for the door. Maxwell, who was a year younger than Jake, was probably looking for Riley. Gregory at four had to wait to be unstrapped. Something he was clearly not happy about. Once his feet hit the ground he too set off for the estate. In the doorway Alice was already waiting to take his coat.

"Brownies?" Georgie pointed to what Jason was holding.

"Yeah, what did you bring?" Liz was guessing pasta of some sort.

"Baked ziti. Gregory won't eat much else right now." Georgie's youngest son was beyond fussy about food. The guys went ahead so it was a good time to talk business. Liz was a powerhouse in the industry and Georgie still ran that empire, now from their very own building. "I spoke with Felix on Friday." The two friends hadn't seen each other before now. "He signed the contract for the fourth series."

Federation One the second series Elizabeth had launched was ending next year. It had been a huge success, which was pretty much what everyone expected of her these days. She had all the final issues completed and locked away in one of her fireproof safes. She had started working on the fourth series late last year which meant by the time it launched later this year she would have about ten issues banked. Working ahead made life so much easier.

"I'm sure he regaled you with how amazing he was in the negotiations." Liz could only imagine the story. The next time they were in Malibu she would get together with her agent who would give her the blow by blow.

"Yes, he said something about a whip and a chair." Georgie said laughing. The man was hilarious. "I think he also mentioned barely surviving."

Liz just laughed harder. It amazed her that all these years later her secret hadn't gotten out. Stan was still tracking to make sure no obsessive fans were going to be a problem. From time to time some folks had to be looked closer at, but for the most part no one had even come close to learning who M. O. Gene really was. "I'll send him some chocolates."

Georgie just cracked up because Felix would sit in his office calling Liz all kinds of names. He didn't do sugar because he was always dieting. "I'm sure his assistant will learn some new words when the box arrives." They walked into the house and shed their outerwear. It was time to put business away.

The family had grown. It was too big to fit into the dining room so for these dinners they were in the ballroom. From this point forward the weekly gathering would be held in the mansion because it was the only place they could all be in the same room at the same time. While they would break into smaller groups once the meal was done, eating together was the point.

Around the space members of this family, through blood and choice, were eating dessert and talking. The kids were at their own set of tables, not because they couldn't sit with the adults but because they chose not to. They had created their own community and that was respected.

At the rest of the tables the adults were talking about a multitude of topics. Everything from the newest fashion offerings to the coming hockey playoffs to travel plans. It just depended which table you were listening in on.

One common thing that tied to the two halves of this whole together were the smiles. Everyone was happy to be here. This was an event that was looked forward to. This was a chance to come together and just relax.

Liz was sitting at a table with Skye, Emily, and Lois. They were having a very informal board meeting discussing the Nurses' Ball that would take place later in the year. Liz now sat at the head of the board of Lila's foundation and she would be leading the event planning, along with Emily. Skye was providing funding via ELQ, as was Dominque through Deception. Lois was overseeing the talent. They would meet off and on throughout the year until it was time to start putting everything into motion.

At his table Jason had just finished discussing his new bike with the guys. Going on rides with his wife was still his favorite pastime. While Johnny was telling them about the new car he was going to get Jason's eyes moved around the room. Taking a mental family portrait of everyone in attendance. This was everyone who mattered to him. His gaze landed on his wife, the center of his world and holder of his heart. She must have felt his gaze because she looked over and dropped him a quick wink which made him smile. He turned back to his friends feeling happy.

Life wasn't always easy. Sometimes it was downright painful, but as long as you had those you loved around you then everything else could be handled. Having family made it all worthwhile.

We've come to the end of another story. Thank you so much for coming along on this journey with me. Your continued support means more than you know. This story was for all those folks who love drama served with a side of even more drama. Also for those of you who have been requesting a longer tale.

It was fun to switch things up and not have the bad guys be mobsters. Sometimes family is the hardest thing in life to navigate, and other times it the biggest blessing there is. In this one we got to see both sides of the coin, while watching our favorite couple show that they can handle anything that comes their way.

I'm going to be taking a break to enjoy the holidays and some time with my family. I'll be back with another story sometime next month. I have more stories in the works, as well as one shots for the series. Hopefully some of you will return for them.

So as the calendar turns from one year to the next I wish you all peace, love, and happiness. May this coming year see us being kind to one another.

Thank you for the follows, the favorites, and the reviews!