AN: So this is it, the final chapter of this little tale. A huge thank you to everyone who's followed the journey from the start and read and reviewed so often.

Chapter 29

Hotel Union Square,

114 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA

Freddie switched off the engine and let out a weary sigh; he had made pretty good time in reaching San Francisco but it had been a long and exhausting drive. He mused to himself that maybe he should have had some sort of break earlier in the day rather than doing the whole journey in one stint (apart from a quick gas-and-bathroom break in southern Oregon, during which he also managed to cram a sandwich down his throat). Still, what was done was done, he reasoned, and he was here now and still had some of the evening to go (though the sun had already set by the time he arrived). After a short period of just sitting and relaxing his muscles he got out and stretched for a couple of minutes before opening the back and moving a couple of his things around, draping sheets and clothes over some of his more expensive items to hide them from view (though, despite it being a supposedly secure lot, his most valuable stuff, like his pear top, would be coming into the hotel with him) before locking up and leaving the parking lot.

He strolled into the hotel, smiling despite his fatigue as he recalled his most recent visit; this one wouldn't be quite so enjoyable, as he was here alone, but it would at least break up his journey and give him a chance to relax and get a good night's sleep before completing his journey. He handed his credit card and reservation number to the clerk at the check-in desk; a few minutes later he was in the elevator heading to his room.

Once inside, he dropped his overnight bag on the floor, fired off quick texts to his mother, Carly and Tori before flopping onto the bed and closing his eyes. He was asleep before the first call was placed, sleeping through the ring tone and only rousing himself an hour or so later, a glance at the bedside clock left him very surprised that he'd actually slept, rather than just closing his eyes for a few minutes as he had intended.

A stretch and a yawn were followed by a brisk shower; he checked his phone after dressing again, frowning at the missed calls and the times of them before shrugging; he had no messages so assumed that nobody had anything terribly urgent to say to him.

Suitably revived, the brown-haired teenager gathered up his wallet and room key before leaving the room, heading for something to eat.

Palominos,

345 Spear Street

"Hey Tori, sorry I missed your call earlier," he began after the waitress left having taken his order.

"Hey Freddie, how are you?" his girlfriend enquired.

"Oh not too bad, a bit tired but I knew I would be; I didn't hit too much traffic so it wasn't as long a trip as it could have been. I made it to the hotel by just after eight."

"Cool. So whatcha doing tonight?"

"Dinner at Palominos," he revealed with a satisfied tone.

"Nice." There was a hint of jealousy in her voice, which made him smile. San Francisco for a future overnight date then, he thought happily.

"How was your day?"

"Oh, nothing too exciting, just getting the guest room set up for you for a longer stay; my grandparents had an old study desk they didn't need so we picked that up and put it in so you can study in there if you want."

"Awesome, that'll come in handy when we start school."

"I thought it might," she laughed.

They chatted a little longer while Freddie waited for his steak to be prepared, after which he rang off promising his girl that he would, indeed, enjoy his meal.

Hotel Union Square,

114 Powell Street

Freddie lay on his bed, stifling a yawn. He glanced at his phone and felt that while it was maybe still a little too early to go to sleep, it was getting later and he was exhausted to the point of struggling to keep his eyes open after his long drive. He switched the TV on and surfed a few channels, trying to find something to hold his attention. Struggling to do so, he fired off a text to Carly, grinning as she replied moments later; the old friends exchanged a few more texts, talking about nothing of consequence but just passing a little time together. Freddie privately mused that he wished more of their friendship had been this calm and peaceful. Finally, as his yawning intensified, he warned her that he was going to sleep now and wished her a goodnight before switching off the TV and slipping down into bed; he was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Sunday, 4th September 2011

Freddie sighed as he awoke in the unfamiliar bed. The morning daylight was creeping through the curtains and he knew he would struggle to sleep any further; he had slept pretty well and, now that it was morning, he was excited because, as he came to he remembered, today was the day his new life would really begin – with him in LA for good.

A glance at his phone told him it was actually almost 9 a.m., so he'd slept for over ten hours anyway. He thought he remembered that the place across the road stopped serving breakfast around 9:30 so he hurriedly got out of bed, dressed and grabbed his wallet, heading out for a bite to eat.

En route, Freddie called Marissa; predictably she'd been rather worried that she hadn't heard from him yet that morning so he reassured her that he was fine, just that he'd slept longer than he anticipated after the long trip the previous day and promising to look at potential rest stops and hotels further north for when the two of them headed down in a few weeks' time. He then called his girlfriend while he waited to be seated, keeping her appraised of his schedule. Tori's voice was almost dripping with excitement as he rang off, having been shown to a table.

Vega residence,

Hollywood Hills

Tori's enthusiasm continued all morning, so much so that she even outshone Cat when the bubbly redhead arrived late morning so she could be there to welcome Freddie to his new home.

"Jade's not coming, she's spending the day with Beck," the cupcake lover gabbled as she followed her friend around, "she says things are going pretty well between them at the moment and that they're talking more than they did."

Tori smiled, both at the good news for her friends and at the thought that she didn't think there would be too much talking done once she and Freddie were reunited later in the day.

"He's here! He's here!" Tori was practically bouncing off the walls as her boyfriend's car pulled up in the drive.

"Really? I wouldn't have noticed," Trina replied dryly, earning a huff from her sister, which she just laughed off.

Tori impatiently yanked open the front door, hurrying to Freddie's car just as he was getting out. "Hey you," he smiled before she leapt on him, forcing himself to brace against the vehicle as he caught her up in a hug.

"I can't believe you're finally here!" she enthused.

"It's great to see you too, Tori," he replied, kissing her.

"Alright, there'll be time for that later," Trina drawled behind them, waiting expectantly for her turn to hug the newcomer. Unfortunately for her she'd have to wait a little longer as Cat skipped in front of her and bounced into Freddie's arms the second Tori released him.

"Hey Cat, how've you been?" he laughed, kissing the girl's forehead.

Eventually everyone had greeted him and between them they soon had his car emptied and his belongings in the Vegas' guest room.

"Do you want to freshen up?" Mrs Vega asked; Trina grinned.

"Yeah Freddie, you really should," she pinched her nose teasingly, earning a swat from her baby sister.

"Thanks, I will; I should just call my mom first I guess."

He sent Carly a text before calling Marissa; two messages were waiting for him (one each from Carly and Sam) by the time he'd finished talking to her. He replied to the girls before heading for a reviving shower.

"Put your trunks on; we'll be by the pool," Tori called as she heard him head for the bathroom. Like a good boyfriend, Freddie obeyed, and soon joined his love in the hot spa, while Trina preferred to lounge in the sun and Cat splashed around in the pool.

Dinner was a happy affair; Mrs Vega made her legendary family pot pie again, something Freddie enjoyed immensely.

"That was really good," he told her. "I shouldn't complain about my mom's cooking but… she does have this belief that healthy and tasty are mutually exclusive. Maybe I can help you with the cooking while I'm here and pick up some recipes that show her that we can do both?"

Tori's mother smiled at his words and his offer. "Some help would be very nice Freddie, thank you for the offer. Take notes you two," she jibed at her daughters.

"Suck-up," Tori stage-whispered while digging him in the ribs with her elbow; Trina just rolled her eyes.

"I think I'll get an early night if that's ok," Freddie told his hosts an hour or so later; the journey was really catching up with him.

"Oh sure, that's fine," Mrs Vega assured him, "you must still be pretty tired after all that driving."

"I'll be up soon," Tori whispered to him before giving him a 'cover' kiss goodnight.

Shortly after, the Vega parents decided to turn in as well (Mr Vega had to work on the holiday; crime doesn't take vacations as he was wont to say) and Tori headed up as well, leaving Trina alone downstairs; the elder daughter channel surfed for a while and enjoyed the freedom of having the downstairs area all to herself.

"Everything ok?" Mrs Vega asked her husband as he closed their bedroom door.

"I thought I heard something and it looked like the guest room door was closing but I hadn't heard Freddie moving about at all." His frown increased as he put two and two together; his wife just shrugged as he looked at her. "Do you think Tori's gone in there with him?"

"Probably," she answered inconsequentially.

"You don't sound surprised."

"It wouldn't be the first time they've spent the night in the same bed," Mrs Vega shrugged.

"And you're ok with that?"

"If it's happening it's happening," she replied. "Like I say, it's not like they haven't done it before – and they're old enough and safe."

"I know they did when they went away together, and I guess they did when they travelled up to Seattle but…" he ran his hand through his hair, "I don't like that she's sneaking around and doing it under our roof." His wife said nothing, knowing they'd done it 'under their roof' before. "I think I need a chat with our youngest tomorrow."

It would take a while for the policeman to get to sleep that night.

Monday, 5th September 2011

"Good morning," Mrs Vega smiled knowingly at her daughter as she came down for breakfast. "Sleep well?"

"Pretty good, yes," Tori confirmed.

"And Freddie?" She raised her eyebrows and looked right at the teenager.

"He slept really well too."

"Your dad saw you last night," she noted quietly. "He wants a little chat with you tonight."

"Oh," she muttered. "Would it help if I said Freddie was already asleep when I got there?"

"Was he?"

"Uh, sure," she replied weakly and with more than a hint of guilt in her voice.

"Tori…"

She sighed before thanking her mother for handing her a cup of coffee.

Tori had barely finished breakfast when she heard Cat's trademark, impatient knock on the front door. She was walking across the living area to the door when it suddenly opened; Jade stood next to the redhead.

"Your dad's a cop and you still never have a locked front door," she remarked dryly; Tori rolled her eyes but did privately have to concede the point. "So, he's here then," she stated; Cat, of course, had seen Freddie the previous evening and his car was sat in the driveway.

"Hey girls," the man himself emerged from the second floor of the house; Cat rushed over to embrace him. "Hello Jade," he greeted the goth over the cupcake lover's shoulder.

"Welcome back to LA," she smiled a little. "All set for your new school?"

"I think so; it's gonna be a different experience to my old school, that's for sure."

"Ah, you'll settle in in no time," Tori draped an arm around his shoulders, making an awkward type of group hug between the couple and Cat, who was still attached to her man.

"So, what's planned for today?" Freddie asked.

"We're meeting the others for a movie in half an hour."

"Just enough time for some breakfast then," he smiled, detaching himself from the girls and getting some cereal while Tori poured him a coffee.

Jade edged over to Tori while Freddie ate; she elbowed her rival in the ribs, leaning into her and whispering in her ear. "Looks like he worked up an appetite last night."

Tori turned scarlet at her words (and the prospective talk with her dad); Jade just smirked triumphantly.

Movie Theatre,

Green Meadow Mall,

6801 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles

"Are you ok?" Freddie whispered to his girlfriend; she seemed distracted and fidgety during the film.

"Yeah," she muttered back, "just a bit bothered about something my mom said this morning… dad saw me sneaking into your room last night; he wants to 'talk to me' tonight."

Freddie swallowed nervously; it occurred to him that he could be said to be abusing the Vegas' hospitality and breaching their rules. He began to worry that his invitation to spend a month with them could be revoked; he also felt slightly ashamed, given all that they'd done for him in terms of making him feel at home whenever he'd been in Los Angeles.

Tori clearly saw his shoulders slump; she took his hand gently. "Hey," she whispered, "I'm the one who's in trouble, not you. You were where you were supposed to be and I came to you. Dad might want to stop me from doing it again while you're here but I'll make sure he doesn't blame you for it."

"Thanks," he squeezed her hand a little more and they turned back to the movie.

Vega residence

"Tori," Mr Vega finally cornered his youngest after dinner; Freddie and Trina had both been sent to make sure that they had everything that they needed for school in the morning.

"Hey dad," she smiled brightly at him; it usually worked but not this time.

"Don't 'hey dad' me, young lady. You didn't sleep in your room last night."

"No, I didn't," she admitted.

"Why not?"

"I missed Freddie while we were apart, he's back and I wanted to be with him."

The detective swallowed, especially at the blunt manor and the double meaning of being with Freddie.

"That's not happening again," he declared; Tori recoiled a bit at the finality in his tone. "Freddie can stay here until Marissa comes down, we already agreed to that, but whatever has happened between you two in the past, I don't care, you will not be sleeping with him in this house." She opened her mouth but he cut her off. "There's nothing you have to day except 'Yes, dad'. Understand?"

Tori frowned but was never going to win the staring match. "Yes dad," she acquiesced in defeat.

"Good. Now make sure you're ready for morning."

"Yes dad," she repeated and trudged sadly upstairs.

Epilogue

Hollywood Arts High School,

Tuesday, 6th September 2011

"Here we go," Tori declared as Freddie pulled his car into the almost empty parking lot. He found a spot fairly close to the main entrance and the couple got out of the vehicle. "I'll get my timetable and see if I can pick yours up and then meet you when you finish in the office?"

"Sure, sounds great," he agreed; hand in hand they walked to the building. Freddie opened the door and let Tori walk in ahead of him.

"I'll see you soon," she leaned in and kissed him.

It was a new school year and a new start for both of them; they were a couple, very much in love and looking forward to the future, all of which seemed unthinkable a few months ago after Kenan's party and the lock-in at Ridgeway. Both Freddie and Tori would conclude that, for them, something better had certainly come along.

AN: And that's the end of this story; a huge thank you to you all for reading and reviewing this story. I'm glad you all enjoyed it. PD