Finally, they were here. It was the opening night of the show and Lin and Alex couldn't contain their excitement. The show Lin had been working on for years was finally coming to light, and Alex felt like he was finally part of something important. Nothing could ruin this day.

"Here are your tickets," Lin said to Alex that morning, presenting him with the envelope. There were two on the inside, one for Alex himself and one for Eliza. Alex barely looked up from the computer. Yes, he was excited for tonight, but he was falling behind on his work for school because of all the time he had spent at the theatre the past few days.

"Thanks," Alex mumbled, his eyes wandering around his computer.

Lin frowned; he knew that when Alex spent too much time on his work, he became antsy and distracted for the rest of the day. He couldn't be like that today; it would change the whole attitude of the day for him.

With a swift motion, Lin made a quick decision to close Alex's laptop. Alex's head snapped up and he said, "Dad!"

"We're going to do something fun, okay? Besides, the documents on your computer auto-save, so I know you didn't lose anything, kiddo," Lin said with a smirk on his face.

"Okay," Alex grumbled, trying to take the edge out his voice.

"Grab your coat, let's go."

"We're riding the subway," Lin said to Alex as they rode the elevator down and then strolled onto the street.

"Why?" Alex asked. They didn't ride the subway together very often, but Lin knew that being in a taxicab today might bring Alex back to events that he would rather forget. Besides, he liked the subway better anyway.

"I have a story to tell you," Lin responded simply. Alex was confused, but he followed Lin anyway, his hands shoved in his pockets and his head down to repel the cold.

Silently, they sat down on the subway bench and Alex watched as the people filed in, waiting for Lin to tell his story.

"Did I ever tell you about how I wrote Wait for It?"

"No…" Alex trailed.

"I was on a subway train, just like this one, on my way to a friend's birthday party. It was a pretty long train ride, so I was daydreaming with my headphones in, right? That's when it came to me- death doesn't discrminate- you know the one. I went into the party, and said 'happy birthday but I gotta go' and left." As he told the story, Lin chuckled to himself, thinking of the past.

"Cool," Alex said, still confused.

"Here's what I'm trying to say, Alex." Lin looked the boy straight in the eye; he really wanted to get this message across. "Sometimes you have to say no to your friends to say yes to your work. But, other times, you need to wait for inspiration to strike and you need a friend's birthday party to give it a chance."

"I don't understand," Alex replied, his eyebrows knitted together.

"You've been working too hard, Alex. You haven't hung out with your friends in way too long. When you asked for a ticket for Eliza, it was the first time I had heard her name in weeks. Hercules texted me just last week to ask when he could see you again."

"It's been hard," Alex whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. "Every time I see them, the only thing I can think of is him."

Lin placed his hand on Alex's thigh. "I know, mijo." He then paused before saying, "But John would have wanted you to be happy. He would have wanted you to move on."

Alex swallowed hard. Deep down, he knew what Lin was saying was true. He had been telling himself the same thing for a long time, but hearing out loud made it a little more real. However, there was one more thing he needed to get off of his chest. "He was always jealous of Eliza. If I were to, well, you know, would that be wrong?"

"John loved you more than anything. Whatever makes you happy would have made him happy. He wouldn't want you to be alone. You should do what you think is good for you for once in your life, Alex."

Alex tried to process what he said. "Thanks, Dad."

"You'll love him forever, but that's no excuse to live without love."

Alex's eyes widened at the sign for the store they were walking into. It was a fancy suit shop in the middle of the fashion district. All he could think was, 'what on earth are we doing here?'

Seeing the confusion on Alex's face, Lin said to him, "For your red carpet look tonight."

"There's a red carpet?" Alex asked with wild eyes. He had never had his picture taken like that before.

"A small one, yes," Lin smiled. "But even if there wasn't, you've gotta impress your girl." Lin gave him a little nudge on the shoulder.

Alex laughed. He was right; Eliza was sure to look gorgeous so he needed to look good as well.

Lin and Alex started fingering through the suits. Without thinking, Alex decided to flip over a price tag. There were way too many zeros for his liking.

"You should try that one on," Lin mentioned, pointing to the one Alex had been looking at.

"No, no this is way too much," Alex shook his head.

"Alex, I'm your Dad. I'm choosing to buy you this. You should be the one asking me for things, not me trying to get you to let me buy you things. Let me do this, okay?"

Lin was so good with words. Everything he said was convincing, and Alex couldn't help but believe him and take his advice on the daily. Alex gave him a small nod.

"He'll try this one on," Lin said to the man working there. "I'll try this one as well." He handed him a slightly larger suit. It seemed he was going for a simple blue and black look, while Alex's had red around the edges.

When Alex stepped in front of the three mirrors, he was pleasantly surprised at what he saw. He looked like someone who hadn't spent the past two months holed up in his room on his computer. This suit had a bit of flare and it wasn't plain black like all of the others he had previously owned.

The suit that hung in his closet housed too many bad memories, too many funerals. Even now, staring at himself in this new suit, Alex couldn't help but tear up. For once in his life, a suit would be related to something good in his life. This time, Alex could remember what John looked like in a suit. In fact, it was something he would never forget.

"You like it?" Lin asked, snapping him out of it.

"More than anything."

"It's yours," Lin replied. They were about to have one hell of a night.

"Well don't you two look nice," Vanessa gushed. It took Lin and Alex awhile to get home through all of the New York City traffic, but once they did, it was almost time to go to the show. They quickly changed into their suits and went into the kitchen where Vanessa was waiting in her beautiful gown.

"Thanks," Alex blushed.

"Thanks, hon," Lin replied, placing a kiss on her cheek. "You, my darling, look absolutely gorgeous." He took Vanessa's hand and twirled her around, showing off her dress.

Alex watched them with a small smile on his face. Lin was always so romantic; Alex only hoped that he could sweep a girl or guy off their feet like that one day.

"Will Eliza be here soon?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, she should be on her way," Alex responded nervously, checking his phone again for a text from Eliza. She had said she left her apartment over fifteen minutes ago. He couldn't wait until she got there, beause every passing second seemed like eternity.

"Don't be nervous honey!" Vanessa exclaimed, seeing the look on his face. "She'll love the show."

"Oh, I'm confident that he'll like the show. Everyone likes the show," Alex replied with a shrug. "How could they not?"

"Then what's got you so nervous?" Vanessa asked. Alex blushed and looked at his feet. Vanessa looked to Lin, who just smiled and tried not to laugh. Alex knew that if he told Vanessa he liked Eliza, she would gush all over their relationship that Alex wasn't even sure about in the first place.

Then, putting the pieces together, Vanessa said, "Is this a date?"

"Not officially," Lin interjected, knowing that Alex wouldn't know what to say. "We'll see how it goes. Be discreet."

"I'll do my best," Vanessa replied with a large grin on her face. As if like clock work, there was a knock on the door that was sure to be Eliza. Lin went to open it and Alex smoothed down his suit and hair. Suddenly, everything he was wearing felt wrong. She would think it was too fancy, she would think he was pretenious-

Then Eliza stepped through the door and the world stopped spinning. She was gorgeous. He had never seen her like that before. It was if she shining and her eyes were screaming words of love. Her smile was radiant and her mesmerizing eyes captivated him. It wasn't the dress or the makeup: it was Eliza.

Eliza waited for Alex to say something, but he didn't. His mouth just parted slightly and he continued to stare at her. He looked amazing, to say the least. He looked professional and happier than she had seen him in months.

"Hi, Alex," she finally said, breaking the silence.

Still, Alex stood there, gaping at the girl in front of him. Lin nudged him forward. "Eliza, you look amazing."

"Thank you," she said sweetly.

Lin clapped his hands together. "Alright, well let's get this show on the road! I've got two town cars waiting downstairs for us as a special surprise."

"It's like we're famous," Eliza giggled. Alex smiled at seeing Eliza so happy. He couldn't wait for her to see the show.

Before the show, they got the full red carpet treatment. They showed up in their town cars and walked onto the carpet where photographers were waiting to take pictures of the family and the rest of the cast. Alex felt so exposed, but with Eliza standing next to him, he wasn't as nervous.

Finally, they were able to break away, and Eliza felt Alex's hand slipping into hers as they made their way to their seats. Lin was already backstage, getting in costume and doing warmups with cast before the show.

Alex's hand started to shake; suddenly he was becoming so nervous. More than anything he wanted the show to go well. If Lin were successful, he would feel successful being part of something he had helped create. He didn't want his first professional gig to be failure, but at the same time he didn't know how it could be.

Eliza, with her hand still around Alex's, squeezed it tighter hoping to relieve his nerves. As the lights dimmed, she smiled at him and his heart began to melt. Somehow, she relieved all of his tension.

When the final chords of 'Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story' struck, the whole audience immediately jumped to their feet. The show was a hit and so was Lin. Eliza and Vanessa both had tears in their eyes, but Alex was hollering and couldn't wipe the smile off of his face.

Lin received the grandest round of applause out of any of the cast members. Because it was their opening night, he took the mic to say a few words.

"Hello, hello, hello!" Lin exclaimed with a very clear sparkle in his eyes. "Thank you so much for coming! I hope you enjoyed the show. I just wanted to say a few thank yous before we all head out to the party. To Alex, Tommy, and Andy- the most fantastic revolutionary crew anyone has ever seen. To my beautiful wife Vanessa who has supported me every step of the way. To this amazing cast who has made my vision come to life in ways I could have never imagined. And finally, to my son Alex who inspires me every day. I'm so glad you're a part of our family. Okay, now go party everyone!"

Alex was so happy. He didn't think it was possible to be as happy as he was. Nothing could make this night any better than it was. The show was a success, Eliza was by his side, and he had loving parents. Who could ask for more?

Vanessa, Alex, and Eliza went outside and waited by the stage door for Lin to come outside. Vanessa was smiling from ear to ear with a bit of mascara under her eyes from act two. Eliza had a very similar look; one of the only differences being Eliza had her hand wrapped around Alex's.

When Lin came out of the door, he was sort of out a breath and had a huge smile on his face as well. He immediately hugged Vanessa and they stayed there for moment, knowing that their lives had changed forever.
Seeing the love that the two had, Alex took his hand out of Eliza's and wrapped it around her waist instead.

"Alex!" Lin basically screamed as if noticing him for the first time. "I have a surprise for you, can we step into the theatre?"

Alex nodded, but silently he thought, a surprise for me? It didn't make any sense; they should have had a surprise for Lin! He was the one that did all the work.

The theatre was basically empty at that point, as everyone was on their way to the party. Lin ran down the aisle like a little kid and hopped up onto the stage with a spring in his step. Eliza, Alex, and Vanessa followed him, laughing with him at his childlike glee.

"What are you doing?" Alex laughed when they reached the edge of the stage.

"Come up here!" Lin exclaimed. Eliza looked at both Alex and Vanessa with confusion, to which they both had no answer. That is, until Alex turned away and Vanessa gave her a knowing smile.

"What's going on?" Alex asked again.

"Well, Alex, Vanessa and I have something very important to ask you on this very special night. I hope you don't mind- we invited a few people. Come on out guys!" Suddenly, the cast appeared on stage, as well as Laf, Herc, Angelica and Peggy. Clearly, Eliza wasn't clued into the surprise and Alex was more confused than ever.

"We know life has been difficult for you, but we're hoping to make life a little bit easier and give you a little bit of security. We wanted everyone you loved to be here when we asked," Vanessa added. It was almost is they had rehearsed it.

"What do you want to ask?" Alex questioned, still incredibly confused.

"Alex, we want to be your parents. How would you feel about us adopting you?" Lin asked, smiling even wider than before. Then, Anthony walked over and handed him the papers.

Alex drew in a breath. He couldn't believe it. "Really?" He asked. He felt like he was dreaming.

"All you have to do is sign," Lin replied, handing the pen to him.

"Yes! Yes!" Alex quickly scrawled his name on the bottom line and then dropped the papers in an instant, pulling Vanessa and Lin into a hug out of pure excitement and happiness.

Everyone around them cheered. Laf and Herc even teared up a little bit. Eliza walked over to her sisters and asked them, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Please, you can't keep a secret," Peggy replied with a small laugh.

"That's true," Eliza smiled.

"How did tonight go?" Angelica asked, squeezing her hands. "You look gorgeous."

"Thank you," Eliza responded sheepishly. "Everything was amazing. It couldn't have been better."

Without warning, Alex came up to Eliza and spun her around, completely full of glee. "Alexander," Eliza laughed.

He set her down and held her hands, looking into her eyes with hope and wonder. "You're worth it," he whispered.

Then, he kissed her. It was the perfect ending to the perfect night.

The next morning, Alex woke up with a smile on his face as well as a longing to do something that he felt was needed, especially now.

Lin and Vanessa were still sleeping after the long night they had, so he wrote them a note and put in on the counter to let them know where he was going.

When he went outside, he was pleasantly surprise at the warm breeze that blew through the air. Still, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and stuck his headphones in his ears. Warm in New York City in March meant fifty degrees, and to Alex, that was still pretty cold.

Alex's destination wasn't all that far away, but the walk gave him time to think of something to say. There was so much he wanted to let out, but he wasn't always good with his feelings.

Nevertheless, he reached the exact place he needed to be. As he stood in front of John Lauren's grave, he pulled out his ear buds and knelt down.

"Hey John, this feels sort of weird, but I'm just going to pretend I'm talking to you, okay?" He paused for a moment. "I don't know exactly why I came here, but I woke up this morning and I knew I need to talk to you."

Suddenly, Alex felt a wave of guilt wash over him. "John, I've gotta tell you something and you know, I used to tell you everything."

"Life is hard without you. I miss you everyday. I still love you, John. I'll love you forever." He smiled, thinking of John's freckles and curly, brown hair. "I've got a new family, John. The Mirandas adopted me last night. I really can't believe it."

The night before had been a whirlwind of emotion that Alex hoped would never end. He spent the night with Eliza pressed up against him and parents who were legally now his. For once, his life wasn't a nightmare, it was a dream and he didn't want to wake up.

He sighed. "But John, I can't live my life without having someone to love. I can't cry over you forever. I miss you more than anything, but I can't do this John. I want to be with Eliza, but I want you to be okay with it first. Send me a sign. Something, anything, please."

He waited for a moment, shutting his eyes and praying for something from John. As it was, John never failed him. His phone rang with Eliza's name displayed prominently on the screen. This was his sign.

"Thank you," he whispered. "I'll always love you."

FIN

PART TWO: 'FOREVER' COMING SOON