Charmed: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed Rebecca's POV.
Ryan: Yeah. Last chapt was sad. I hope you enjoyed it though.
W.S.C.: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the POV change!
Nightlancer: Thanks so much. I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
Mira: I thought there were a lot of ways they could get better. It was hard to write these last few chapters with all the options I knew I had.
Serendipity: Hope you enjoy!
Bleed: Thank you so much. I was hoping that whatever choice I made would work. I hope it works.
Bigblusky: I think Rebecca is good for shedding light...or at least being blunt and removing unneeded emotions from the situation.
Sgiambra: Hope you enjoy!
Esuedros: No answer for that, since the answer is in this chapt.
Alex: You're definitely making sense. Your reviews was one of my favorites and honestly a comment that will stick with me. Thank you for enjoying my story for what it is.
Ilessthree: I'm glad you're starting to like Rebecca. Honestly, I didn't like her when I first started writing her...but...she has definitely grown on me.
Shan: Thank you so much.
Kay: Hope you enjoy this chapter.
31: Thank you so much for all the reviews! They meant a lot to me! I hope that you enjoy this chapter.
Charmed (chapt 4): Haha. Idk how many people got that reference. It made me laugh to write it though.
Smo: I'm glad my story has touched you. I hope you enjoy.

Author's Note: I have decided this is the last chapter of SF. There were so many ways I could end this story and so many reasons why I could choose each one. I could have ended in a way similar to life events, how my readers wanted me to end it, or how I felt it needed to end. I eventually chose the third option. This story has been my baby and close to my heart for over a year now, and I decided that I needed to end it in a way that I would feel satisfied - as much as I appreciate all of you and still hope that you enjoy my choice. This story doesn't "go out with a bang" though. So, I'm sorry for those of you who were expecting a huge ending. I'm satisfied with how I ended it, and I hope that you have enjoyed this long, emotional ride.

Remy's POV:

It's at least an hour later when you finally convince yourself to sit up straight and wipe your face with the back of your hand. Your tears are spent and exhaustion is weighing you to the floor even more than gravity. "I'm sorry," you whisper, your voice hoarse from crying. "I shouldn't have come here."

"What are you talking about?" Rebecca sits up too and rubs her lower back. "Don't be stupid. We're friends. Of course you should have."

Your pride feels like it's been ripped from you, your strong façade nowhere to be seen. You're glad the meltdown happened here though, and not with Cameron around. "I don't want out," you whisper, shaking your head. Part of you does want out though, more than anything. It's a voice screaming in the back of your head that this is all too much; you're not ready to grow up and be there for someone who needs you. Even worse, it's telling you you're not good enough - especially compared to Wilson. But it's not you struggling, it's Thirteen, the person you've spent how long pretending to be now.

Thirteen doesn't know what she's doing. She doesn't know how to take care of herself, nor does she know how to have a long-lasting relationship with someone who needs care also. She needs the sex, the booze, the drugs, the downward spiral of self-destruction that will kill her before her disease does. Thirteen wants out because Thirteen is helpless and worthless, pretending to be strong.

But Allison doesn't call you Thirteen, does she?

I don't want to be the Thirteen nobody ever sees. I don't want to even be Thirteen now. I don't want to be focused on being distant or trying to put up walls that Cameron will never be able to get past. I want to be Remy.

It feels like years ago, you sat there holding her in the shower, feeling disgusted with yourself because you could feel Thirteen slipping away. It wasn't a slow or easy process, and it wasn't going to get easier any time soon. It felt like Allison had taken a chisel to your hard walls and no one was offering you any painkillers. But you were both going through days without Paracetamol, weren't you?

"How many times are you going to change your mind?" Rebecca asks. She scoots so you're no longer between her legs and sits Indian-style, her hands rested on her knees. There's no selfish disappointment etched on her face nor is there annoyance, like you expected there to be. "You can't do that to someone; want out one minute then in the next."

"I know," you answer, your voice choked. Not long ago, you had been crying because you were trying to convince yourself to end what you had with Cameron. Now you're on the verge of tears because the thought of waking up every morning for the rest of your life without her feels worse than death. "I know." It makes as little sense to you as it probably does to Rebecca, the constant debate in your mind. Thirteen vs. Remy.

You scrub at your face, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"You need to do some serious thinking, Remy," Rebecca states sternly. It makes you feel like a child being scolded, but you've been desperately trying to hold it all together. "And, you know, maybe you should try communicating with people. She may be hurting, but she's not stupid. You have every right to be struggling too. It's also not that hard to ring me up and ask me to grab a cup of coffee with you so you can talk."

"I know," you whisper. How many times have you repeated that now? Thirteen would have been here rolling her eyes with a snippy remark, but you want to make this work. You sniffle and wipe at your nose then lift your head, managing a slight smile. "Do you want to grab a cup of coffee with me?"

"I dunno," she answers, turning to the side then sprawling out on her back. She dramatically drapes her arm over her face.

"Get up," you reply, realizing she's just trying to get a rise out of you to get you back to normal. Rolling your eyes, you lean forward and smack her hard on the shoulder.

"Ow!" she exclaims, rubbing where you hit. She lurches forward and tries to hit you back, but you're already scrambling to your feet. "You're going to get it," she warns, struggling to get up.

You glance around as if to make sure no one is watching then stick your tongue out at her before darting into the bathroom and locking the door to clean yourself up so the two of you can go out.

xxxxx

"We've been through more together than I've been through with anyone in my life," you admit quietly. Up until now, you've dealt with everyone alone. No one else's problems had become your own, and your own problems were no one else's. Even when your mother had gotten sick and died, there was no one (not even your family) that you had shared your grief with. They never grieved in front of you either, because you just pretended you simply didn't care she was gone. "Sometimes I think some of her issues are my fault."

"Why would you think that?" Rebecca stops in front of a park bench and slowly sits down. She tilts her Starbucks cup up to her lips and sips her coffee, watching you out of the corner of her eye.

You take a seat beside her, close enough so your shoulders are touching. The wind sends a chill up your spine so you balance your coffee between your legs as you struggle to pull your jacket tighter around you. "I keep pushing and pulling her." You grab your coffee again and take a few small swallows just for the warmth it provides. "It seems like she's okay and then I somehow manages to fuck it all up again."

"She's going through a lot. There's going to be a lot of switching between feeling better and feeling like shit." Leaning back against the bench, she drapes an arm around your shoulders. "You just have to do the best you can and talk to her."

The talking part seems the hardest. It's hard to fathom you're even sitting here now, talking about this with Rebecca. You feel like so much less of a burden and more of a stronger person when you just bottle it all up. Of course the stress manages to find its way out, but somehow self-destruction gives you an illusion of control that talking about your feelings does not. "I don't know if I can handle it." You shift around under her embrace before leaning back. She's much more touchy-feely with her friends than you are, but it's something you've gotten used to. "If I keep wanting out…"

"You know what I think about wanting out of relationships?" Rebecca asks.

"No," you answer, shaking your head as the wind blows your hair in your face. "But I have a feeling you're about to tell me."

"I think for some people wanting to be with someone twenty-four seven and never wanting an escape is bullshit," she tells you. "Someone better comes along or something happens, and you honestly don't want to be there anymore. There's those lucky people who can't get enough of each other, and then there's people like us who have doubts." She pauses. "Do you love her, Remy?"

"Yes," you answer without hesitation.

"Then every day you don't doubt how much you want to spend the rest of your life with her should be worth needing to suck up the small moment you do." Rebecca turns to the side slightly to face you. "Seal the deal with this one, Remy."

Your eyes widen to the size of silver dollars. "You're kidding, right?" What she said about doubts makes sense, but there's still so much the two of you need to work through. "We're…we're not ready for that…"

"Not now," she tells you, rolling her eyes. "Go home and talk to her. Find her a therapist; find yourself a therapist. Then five months from now when everything is looking up for good, buy a ring and keep her."

There's a knot forming in the back of your throat, making it hard to speak. "Just awhile ago, you were telling me I needed out," you whisper.

"I was agreeing with your decision," she corrects you. "You thought that was what was best for you, and I want what's best for you."

"What about you?" You bite down on your lower lip and glance at your lap. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how much she likes you.

"I can live with just being your best friend," she answers after a moment. "With some conditions anyway," she adds.

"Conditions?" you ask, shooting her a look.

"I won't babysit your Tasmanian devil dog," she states. "I expect you to still storm angrily into my apartment and piss me off, you owe me coffee if I have to turn you down if you want drugs and sex, and I expect you to pay rent as long as your shit is still in my apartment building."

"Of course," you murmur, rolling your eyes. You give her an awkward one-armed hug before slowly getting to your feet. "Will you take me home?"

"Of course." She smiles and also stands, playfully elbowing your side before the two of you head back to her car.

xxxxx

You push the unlocked door to Wilson's apartment open and step inside with Rebecca close behind you. A suitcase is in the middle of the living room and you quickly recognize your sweatshirt that Allison loves to wear resting on top of it. Your heart drops and you stand frozen to your spot, barely lifting your eyes to glance at Wilson and Cameron.

Wilson is sitting on the chair. He lowers his book to the table beside him when you walk in then gets to his feet.

Allison is laying on the couch, repetitively stroking Batman's back. She glances over at you when you walk in, not moving but not shifting her gaze away from you either. It looks like she's been crying for awhile and is putting up quite a fight not to do so again the moment she sees you.

"Are you kicking me out?" The assumption is like a kick in the gut.

"We thought you weren't coming back," Allison answers in a cracking voice before Wilson does. "I packed your stuff to save you the trouble."

"Can you leave?" you ask, glancing at Wilson and then Rebecca.

Wilson looks hesitant then makes his way over to the door. He stares at Rebecca for a moment before a look of realization that he's seen her before appears in his eyes. "Coffee?" he asks.

Rebecca glances around then tosses her empty coffee cup into a nearby wastepaper can. "Yup," she answers then turns and walks away, Wilson hot on her heels.

"Allie…" You shut the door behind them and take a few steps forward.

Allison lifts up Batman and puts him on the floor before slowly sitting up. "It's okay," she whispers, looking anywhere but at you now. She runs her fingers through her tangled hair, brushing it away from her face. "I understand, I really do." She clenches her jaw and grinds her teeth together.

"No, Allie, you don't." You walk across the room and kneel in front of the couch, taking one of her hands in your own. You kiss her knuckles, keeping them against your lips as you peer up at her. "Baby, I'm not leaving you."

Her despair turns to confusion and she finally brings herself to look you in the eye. "What?" she whispers. "Wilson said…"

"Wilson was wrong," you tell her. You let go of her hand and get to your feet again. "We just have a lot of stuff we need to work out. We both need to find someone to talk to, someone who knows what they're doing."

She still looks in shock that your not leaving. "Yeah," she barely manages before reaching her arms out to embrace you.

You crawl up onto the couch, kneeling on her lap so your knees are on either side of her. "We need terms and conditions, Allie," you state, draping your arms around her neck. "Eating, sleeping, working…"

"Remy," she cuts you off hesitantly, tentatively resting her hands on your waist.

You stop talking, feeling your heart drop as you wait for the argument that's going to end it all.

She rubs the hem of your shirt between her fingers for a moment before speaking up again. "What if you don't want me after all of this?" She tilts her head down, finding a spot on the floor to stare at. "What if we do manage to work this out and I wake up one morning and you're not here again?"

"I will be," you reply, placing two fingers under her chin and tilting her head up so she's looking at you again. "I'm here now, and if we can work at this, I'm still going to be here five years from now providing you still want me to be."

She lifts her hands to your face and brushes her thumbs across your cheeks. "It'll get better this time," she says earnestly. "I'm promise us, and I won't break that promise to you or myself."

Exhaling, you shake your head. "Allison, don't make promises to-"

"I promise you," she repeats firmly.

It takes a moment for you to convince yourself to believe her. She's not the promise-breaking type, quite the opposite really. "I promise too," you reply finally. You hesitate before attempting to speak again. "Allison, can I k-"

Her lips pressing against yours cut you off. Your eyes flutter shut and the two of you simultaneously draw each other closer. It's a tender moment that just begins the final fight for your relationship, but the worry slowly begins to fall away. Every moment you don't doubt is worth every moment that Thirteen does. But you're not just Thirteen anymore, you're -

"I love you, Remy," Allison say softly, pulling back.

The small smile tugging at the corners of her lips is enough to make you smile too. "I love you too, Allie," you respond. You glance at her stomach then speak to the baby inside fondly. "I love you too."

Batman leaps onto the couch and squirms his way between you. He stares for a moment before tilting his head back and letting out a long drawn out howl.

You and Allison both roll your eyes and hold back from laughing, repeating in unison, "…and we love you too, Batman."

Not content with the attention, Batman continues squirming then nips at your elbow expectantly.

"Dog, you are the devil," you state, scooping him up so he's sitting on Allison's shoulder with his front paws resting on your own shoulder. He begins licking your face and nuzzling his cold nose against your cheek. Feigning displeasure only lasts for a fraction of a second before the warmth enveloping your entire being becomes too much. Your girlfriend, your baby, and your dog are all wrapped in your arms; a family you could have never seen yourself having.

This is your family. Even with the struggles and inconveniences, these are the people you don't want to trade it all in for. New days are coming. You can feel it.

That's it, Guys. It's probably not the big ending you wanted, but that's it. This story has been an amazing, emotional experience and I'm so happy I decided to continue it and not just leave it a one-shot. Now, please hit the review button on your way out then make your way over to my new story 'Run'. It's not Cadley (not that I've stopped writing Cadley), but I promise not to disappoint you if you like how I write!