A/N: I promised an epilogue and here it is. Some of it is told in flashbacks italicized, and really it doesn't go too in depth or tell everyone's story...just kind of let's you know what happened after the last chapter. Anyway, I hope you like it and if you do leave some feedback! Also:
Quinceanera: in the Latin culture it is a coming out part for a girl's 15 birthday (sorta like a Sweet 16)
"Mama, I don't want to wear a dress...I don't even see why I have to. Technically you don't have to wear a dress to be dressed formally, I am serious they even said it on What Not To Wear" Molly whined.
Alexis rolled her eyes at her little tomboy whose obvious future profession of a lawyer was peaking out. She was about to argue when the door opened and Molly's eyes lit up.
"DADDY!" she cried running and jumping in his arms.
She watched him spin her around before laying a kiss on her head, "why aren't you dressed Mol; we don't want to be late."
"Okay daddy, I will go get dressed right now" she said running up the stairs.
That got an Alexis eye roll as he walked towards her, "what" he asked blinking twice and standing in front of her.
She swatted his hard chest, "oh yeah Daddy asks and she skips away...Mommy asks and she wants to know why she has to wear a dress"
He smiled, "I just think she likes arguing with you"
The simplicity and honesty in everything he says is one of the things that made her fall in love with him those years ago.
"I love you" she said looking into his sky blue eyes.
A simple upturn of his lips; something most wouldn't notice...the ways his eyes sparkled back at her, "I love you too" he said bringing his lips to hers.
"EWWWWWWWW" JJ exclaimed running down the stairs.
"When are we leaving for Krissy's Cincinera?" he asked.
Alexis smiled at her boy with his two missing front teeth and his daddy's eyes, "Quinceanera, sweet...Quinceanera" she repeated.
"Uh huh, that thing"
"After Daddy gets dressed we will go...now JJ, no going outside...I don't want your suit dirty" she added before he ran off.
Her husband smiled at her, "ten minutes" he promised as he took the stairs two at a time.
As she watched him go her mind traveled back to another place.
Flashback...
"Are you turning me down" he asked a sad look in his eye.
She sighed, "I am happy Jason...we're happy...I am not the marrying kind" she tried to explain.
"I guess I should return this" he said sliding the ring back in his jean pocket.
A pang of guilt washed over her...he had went out of his way to plan this...a trip into the city, a Broadway show, a carriage ride through Central Park. He had always tried to appeal to her sensibilities.
Before she could speak again he brought up something else, "there is something else"
"Okay" she said her heart dropping to her feet.
"I want to adopt Molly...I mean if she doesn't have my last name, it's okay...but I love her...like she is my own...and I want her to know that even though Ric is gone...she has a father who loves her"
She didn't think she could love him more than she already did...until that moment, "I like that idea" she said tears in her eyes.
He wiped the tear that escaped away with his thumb, "me too"
Three weeks later the paper's were filed, and Alexis was happy. The aftermath of the proposal had been weird at first...but now things were back to normal. She was leaving the office when the call came.
Forever she would remember the sound of Carly's voice on the phone...but the only words she actually heard were, "Jason...Mercy hospital...come now"
In record time she was flying through the doors. Unlike General Hospital she didn't know where to go; luckily Carly was there.
"Alexis" she called running over.
"Is he okay?"
"They think it his brain...he blacked out driving" Carly tearfully explained.
Two women sat there silent, waiting for news. Finally the doctor came out.
"Well Mr. Morgan has a slight bleed in the brain...it has to be fixed...we are going to send him over to General Hospital so Dr. Drake can do the surgery...it is a pretty common procedure...he is stabilized and we will be transferring him in a couple of hours"
Alexis nodded, "can I see him"
"Are you family?"
Suddenly everything swirled...what was she...his live-in girlfriend, his lover, friend, the mother of his child. Instead Carly spoke up.
"She's his wife"
"Oh right this way"
Alexis made a mental note to send Carly champagne for her quick thinking. She walked into the room and his eyes were slightly opened.
"Hi" he said simply smiling.
She couldn't help the tears from falling, "oh God Jason...you don't know how happy I am you are okay" she said coming to him.
He reached out to her and she fell into his arms as he pulled her on the bed with him, "I'm okay...don't worry...I'm not going anywhere"
And for the first time in her life...she believed it. They lay there silently until Alexis blurted out, "I want to be your wife..."
This garnered a huge smile, "after the surgery...we will have a nice little ceremony...and I can tell people that all I had to do to get you to agree was to have a brain bleed"
Alexis laughed, "shut up"
"I love you"
"Love you too"
"Ready?" Jason asked waking her out of her trance.
He walked to her his tie still undone; there were no words needed as she just reached her hands and fixed it. When it was done she wanted to rip it off of him...for the rest of her life; the sight of him in a suit would always make her heart beat a little faster.
"Yeah" she said patting him on the chest and calling the kids. Molly came running down in her ballerina length sage colored dress. JJ looked like a mini version of Jason except with dark curls in his black suit. Kristina had handpicked the colors and dresses for the special occasion. She also had decided she wanted everyone to have to wait to see her at the Mass until she was all ready.
When they arrived at the church; Alexis and Molly went one way, and Jason and JJ went the other. But not before Alexis stopped her son.
"The Game boy" she said putting her hand out.
"Aww man, but mom Spencer is going to have his...and we were going to play"
"You heard your mom JJ; hand over the game boy...and maybe at the party later mommy will think of giving it back to you" he said as his son reluctantly gave the game boy to Alexis.
JJ left to walk into the church, "you're so sexy in daddy mode" Alexis said winking and walking away. He smiled as he walked into the church loving the way the green dress clung to her curves.
As he walked into the sanctuary he was hit in the leg by a toddler.
"Uncle Dason" the little blond haired boy exclaimed a gleam of mischievous in his eyes that reminded Jason of his mother.
"John, get back here...I swear" Carly called across the room.
"UNCCLLLLLEEEE JAYYYYYYSOOOON" he heard another voice call out running between Carly's legs.
"BJ!" Carly called after her daughter Barbara Jane...affectionately and bittersweetly called BJ after a sister Carly never knew, but was always in her heart.
By the time she got to them they were both in Jason's arms.
"Guy's we gotta sit down Kristina's mass is going to start" she said leaning in to give Jason a kiss.
After everyone took their seats the ceremony started. Jason watched as Kristina took her place in front of the priest. He couldn't believe how much she had started to look like her mom...and her in the white dress took him back to another time.
Flashback
He stood on the beach in the Dominican Republic surrounded by family and friends. Carly had teased that he chose the Island for the wedding because they was so risk of semi flagging. It was just after sunset and the torches lit up their cove. It was the same cove he had took her at the start of their relationship...the first time he knew he was starting to fall in love with her. It was only days after his brain surgery with Dr. Drake that he started to plan the wedding. He had gotten her to finally say yes, and he didn't want to wait too long. The truth was he could have lived without her being his wife...they weren't exactly the marrying kind...but he wanted her to know she had it all. His love, his heart, his life...his last name...or the hyphenated version she was planning to use. He watched as Nikolas walked her down the aisle of petals...she was barefoot as was he. She had let her hair do the natural wave thing that he liked...it was slightly blowing in the warm breeze.
He was totally lost in the moment...the rest of the ceremony seemed a blur until finally his lips were on hers. The honeymoon had flown by but it wasn't until the second day back that he realized how much his whole life had changed.
When he had finally extracted himself from the business he didn't know what to do with himself. He had enough money to never want for anything...so he decided to open up a couple motorcycle shops. He had come home tired and was greeted at the door by the Chinese delivery man. He quickly paid him and step inside where his wife was setting the table. After sitting down to dinner he set up a video he washed dishes with Alexis drying...and he wondered how his life had become so normal...so happy. And then it happened; Alexis handed him the manila envelope with the papers inside...and if on cue Molly Lansing Morgan came in, reached her arms up to him and uttered a word that changed his life, "DADA"
"Can I please have my game boy?" their son asked as soon as they arrived at the reception hall.
Jason looked to Alexis and she nodded, "here JJ...but next time you ask your mom and I for permission, okay?"
"Thanks!" he said running off with cousin Spencer.
As they took their seats a very pregnant Sam waddled over.
"Alright where is the food" she said plopping down.
Alexis smiled, "well isn't someone just glowing...where is your husband?"
This got a smile, "Cruz got called in on a case...he told me to promise Krissy he would be here to steal a dance"
True to his word Cruz showed up in time for the dancing...as daddy only let a few cut in on him and his daughter.
Alexis watched the dancing couples; until she felt arms around her.
"You know...you shouldn't do that in public...my husband may see you"
Jason smiled as he silently led her to the dance floor and their bodies swayed perfectly to the music.
And both realized that this was freedom...in each other's arms...because together they could face anything...and together they released the chains that had held them for so long...chains of the past and the future...and together they were a family...and they were finally free.