Epilogue

Susanna and Ryan stayed on the river banks, dancing well into the night, and avoiding the confused Telerans leaving the church. After grilling him to relate what had happened, telling him she knew all along that he'd come back to her, and then having a hearty laugh about Darcy wanting Keith over him, Susanna had finally fallen silent. Ryan, however, took his turn to laugh.

"Now I now why I disliked you all those years," he said. "You talk too much."

Susanna gave a fake gasp. "Well, I disliked you because you could never take a joke."

He grunted. "How could I, when you made a joke about everything?"

"Well, if you hadn't been so high and mighty, I wouldn't have made fun of you."

They paused for a moment, looking at each other. Then Susanna burst out into laughter.

"What is it now?" Ryan asked.

"Tell me why we like each other, again?" she said.

He smiled. "If I could put it into words, I would, but I'm not going to try."

She smiled as well, and they began to dance again. But Susanna suddenly looked troubled.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Are you still going to Africa?" she inquired.

He thought for a moment. He had completely forgotten about his charity tour. Was he still going? He looked down at her… now that he had her, he wanted to spend all his time with her; he didn't want to leave her for two months now. But the prince inside him nagged, a promise is a promise. So perhaps…

"Come with me," he said.

Her face broke into a laugh again. "Come with you?" she repeated. "How am I supposed to do that? I have a job, you know."

His face fell. He knew it had been a long shot, but it had been worth a try.

"Unless…" she began.

"Unless what?" he asked quickly.

"Well, what if I propose an outreach program, you know, for the store. Like we donate some money to the charity, and then I go as a publicity shtick."

"Would that work?" he asked hopefully.

"I think so… I don't know about two months, and you'd have to postpone it for a bit, but still…"

He grinned. "That's an excellent idea."

She grinned as well, and they continued dancing, happy to have the problem solved. Susanna chattered on about African animals, and what she should wear, and how she'd probably complain about the heat, et cetera, but Ryan listened to her ramble on, content to listen to her voice. But suddenly she broke off, and stepped away from him, looking at her watch with a panicked look on her face.

"No! It's 11:40… almost midnight! I have to go!" she cried.

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Susanna, be serious."

"I am! The necklace… I have to get it back to my godmother! Come on!" she said, grabbing his wrist and beginning to run through the tent. She tore across the bridge, and he ran after her, bewildered but amused. Upon reaching the other side, she got a taxi by running in front of it, nearly getting herself killed. Yelling at Ryan to get in, she bellowed at the driver to hurry to the hotel. He obliged, and Ryan rushed to put on his seatbelt as the driver raced through the streets. The taxi came to a screeching halt outside the hotel, and Susanna scrambled inside, where her godmother Clarisse stood waiting. Ryan hastened in after her, but suddenly felt embarrassed as Clarisse looked with amusement at them.

"Susanna, thank you for remembering," she said, taking the necklace off her goddaughter's neck and placing it in a box. Susanna flushed, trying to catch her breath.

"I guess you heard," she said quietly.

Clarisse smiled. "Yes. I regret not being at such a memorable event," she said with a chuckle. Ryan nervously looked around the lobby of the hotel, relieved to find it empty. Clarisse gave Susanna a kiss on the cheek.

"I told you you were in love," she said softly with a wink.

Susanna laughed and hugged her godmother. "Thanks," she said.

Clarisse then walked over to Ryan, who felt awkward, but was reassured to see Clarisse smiling.

"Do not worry, young man," she said. "You did the right thing."

He smiled, and bowed his head. "Thank you."

"Take care of her," she continued. "She needs it."

Ryan chuckled. "I know, and I will."

Clarisse then nodded to both of them and left the hotel. Ryan and Susanna stood for a moment.

"So, what should we do?" Susanna finally asked.

"Well, we shouldn't stand here. Someone will find us," he said.

"We'll have to face it sooner or later," she mused.

He shrugged. "I'll explain. They'll have to understand."

"Will they understand that Darcy was having an affair but we weren't?" she suddenly said, panicked.

He walked to her and took her hand. "Yes. I'll make sure of it. Let's take a walk."

She nodded and they went outside, strolling towards the Jardins.

"Thanks, by the way," Susanna said, out of the blue.

"Why?" he asked.

"Can you imagine what I would have been like if you hadn't come to see me? Can you even imagine what I'd be like if you hadn't come to New York at all?"

He smiled. "Well, I'm glad I did. But who cares about the past? Let's just start over."

She smiled as well and gave him a kiss. "I can do that."

And so Ryan and Susanna began their life together. Susanna did call Mr. Simmons for advice, and asked him what he thought of her outreach idea. He called it a stroke of brilliance, as did everyone else. She became the business world's new celebrity, and she appointed Ryan coordinator, a job he absolutely loved. The Telerans, to their surprise, understood what had happened at the wedding, and were thrilled that the prince had chosen Susanna over Darcy. In March of the next year, they left for a one-month charity tour, which was documented for a television special, causing their celebrity to grow. When they returned, they spent a blissful amount of time together, working and living, until December, when Susanna found a rather shiny present under the Christmas tree.

They were married on a beautiful sunny day in May, and, (you know I have to say it), lived happily ever after.

The End

A/N: Done! Nearly a year after I began, it's finally finished.

But never fear! I'm planning, right this very moment, to have my new story up by Wednesday. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check it out! And review! Else I shall be very disheartened.

So again, thank you for a wonderful year of this story, and all your fantastic reviews. It's been a blast!

Love, luck, and flying Ringwraiths,

Emma