Clarke got off the elevator and stepped into the foyer of the penthouse located two floors above Griffin Steel's executive offices. She and Bellamy lived here during the week, but returned to Arkadia each weekend. So far, the arrangement worked.

She'd hired a decorator to change the interior from contemporary to farmhouse country, so he'd feel more at home. She'd lived in Arkadia so long, the style suited her as much as it did him. Next summer, she planned a balcony garden. He'd laughed when she told him she intended to grow tomatoes and peppers. He'd suggested throwing in some zinnias for good measure, and she'd taken him up on it, even though she knew he was being sarcastic.

Crassus jumped from the sofa and came to her. She leaned down and petted him. "Where's Bell?"

Lighted candles on every table bathed the room in a warm glow. She followed the path of rose petals from the entry, down the hallway, into the bedroom. A bottle of champagne chilled in a silver bucket. Soft music played on a pill speaker. A printed "Happy Birthday" banner hung across the headboard. Bellamy was nowhere to be seen, but the light in the bathroom was on.

"Bell?"

"Hey, babe. Take your shoes off, prop yourself against all those bed pillows, and let me know when you're done."

Her heart hammered. She didn't know what he had planned but whatever it was, no doubt she'd like it. She got comfortable and settled Crassus next to her. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Good. Now, take the iPod and push play."

The music started, Bellamy threw the door open, and began to dance, pantomime, and unbutton his shirt. Clarke's smile turned into giggles as he rolled his shoulders, slipped one sleeve down part way, then pulled it back up and wiggled his brows.

She took her bottom lip between her teeth. Crassus buried his head beneath the pillows.

Then Bellamy clutched both sides of his shirt, ripped it off, swung it in the air above his head, then tossed it to her.

She squealed as she caught it.

He grabbed the door jamb, gyrated against it, and undid the top button of his jeans.

She put both hands over her mouth.

Moving to the next button, he turned away from her, hooked his thumbs in the waist of his pants, inched them down, then back up. He twirled to face her, released another button and winked. "You want more?"

She widened her eyes and nodded.

Hands above his head, he hip swayed toward her, then stopped at the edge of the mattress. "Happy twenty-fifth birthday, baby." He lifted her off the bed and into his arms, then danced with her.

She took a deep breath and melted against him. "All the women were jealous today when I got flowers every hour. They think you're the perfect man."

"But you know better."

He twirled her, then dipped her, and planted a sweet kiss. "Are you nervous about the press conference tomorrow?"

"A little. Becca said we have bids from People Magazine, Newsweek, and three others to do an exclusive interview with me."

"Well, it's the official passing of the torch, and Diana disappears from the board of directors. That's plenty newsworthy. It's your call, but it's a good time to let the world know about the changes."

"You're right, but I don't want it to be all about me, so I've come up with an idea to shift the spotlight. What do you think about starting a foundation to finance education for prisoners or their children? I thought we might begin with the money we get from the magazine interview. I mean, you got your degree while serving time, and look how you turned out."

He grinned. "Yeah, but I seduced a rich girl to get ahead."

She punched his shoulder. "She seduced you. But that's beside the point. I was thinking of your cellmate, Murphy. You said he has a son. Maybe he could be our first recipient."

Bellamy let out a long sigh and looked at her with soft eyes, calloused fingers caressing her chin. "I'll never figure out how a sweet, kind, generous person like you fell in love with me, but I'm sure glad you did." He took her in his arms and covered her mouth with a hot, wet kiss. The kind that made her toes curl.

She leaned away and gazed up at him. "You're not so bad. I heard you hired Wells as head of security." He'd settled into a corporate job there much better than she'd expected and having him in the office adjoining hers was the best benefit of all. Becca still worked with both of them, but Clarke knew he'd be fine, despite his misgivings that he wouldn't do well in the corporate world.

"Yeah. I like the guy and he has the credentials. And since he's marrying Keenan that makes him practically family. Seems our social calendar is getting crowded with family events. Their wedding in two weeks. Raven and Wick's in three. Then your art show in New York. You okay with all that?"

"A better question is—are you okay with it?"

"Yeah, if you can put up with all my fans wanting to tear my shirt off to get a better look at the model." He broke into laughter.

"And they haven't even seen you dance."

"And never will. That's just for you." He dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Right now I want you to take a nice relaxing soak in the tub because I have dinner coming from The Bunker. All your favorites. Shrimp platter, filet mignon, chateau mashed potatoes, and since you can never make your mind up between the strawberry cheesecake and salted caramel chocolate tart, I ordered both."

She slid off his lap and pushed him back on the bed. "You know me so well."

He smacked her ass. "That's my job, babe. To keep you happy. So, get a move on. They'll be here at eight."

"That gives us time to mark the elevator off my list."

His grin was feral. "I like how you think."

She hooked a finger in a belt loop on each side of his jeans, tugged them down, and smiled. "Happy, happy Birthday to me."

So. First of all THANK YOU for reading All Roads Lead Home. This has been such a huge endeavor for me and I'm completely overwhelmed and blown away by the amazing responses I've gotten. It's been a journey.

To everyone who has left comments throughout or even just once or twice: I am so, so appreciative and grateful for you guys. You don't know how much every little comment made me so incredibly happy. So thank you for that. I welcome any and all last bits of feedback you have.

Another YUUUUGE thank you to yourmomshouse on ao3, who, without her, this would've never been finished. I was really apprehensive about a story where I really changed everything up, even for an AU. Not only was she a fantastic beta who whipped this into shape, she was also my cheerleader to actually continue writing it and give me advice on a number of things. So, thank you, thank you.

Thanks again for reading, it's been awesome.