Chain Letters: EpilogueThat morning, Church awoke with a strange rejuvenation surrounding him and he didn't want to get up. For the first time in months, he was sleeping. He sighed an turned over to where Tex had laid. Everything was still dark and he had his eyes closed. But he felt the warmth of some else and quickly shot open his eyes and flipped on the light. A women laid next to him. He stared at the figure. Who was it? How had she gotten in here? And why was she laying in bed with him? "Who are you?" She moved and looked at him with sleepy eyes. Could it be? No, it couldn't. No way, it was a dream. "Tex?" She smiled. "Did you think you could get rid of me that easily?" she asked and he looked around. "Hit me." She tilted her head. "Why?" "Because I think I'm dreaming." She then slapped him and kissed him. It was real, he knew it now, but how? What had he done? He just tried to enjoy her and pulled her to him as she wrapped her arms around his head. "Tex..." He finally said with tear filled eyes. "I love you. Where did you go?" She smiled and ran her hand through his hair as they sat on their knees. "I love you too. And it's kind of a long story. I came back as soon as I could. I'm sorry." He then hugged her and closed his eyes with a sigh. She hugged him back with as much strength as she had. "God I missed you." She sighed closing her eyes. "I missed you too." They hugged silently for awhile before he spoke again. "Do you want to see Noah?" She nodded and he knew. So they walked to Noah's room and Tex looked at him from the doorway and hugged Church. "You're the best father in the universe," she whispered and he hugged her tightly in return. "Only because I learned from the best mother." She smiled and then kissed him. Years seemed to pass almost as quick as months from then on. Everything was how it should be in the world. Though she never did explain her absence… Ten Years Later They were all out on the beach with blankets, Noah was now seven and was making sandcastles with Tex out in the sunlight while Church was up in the shade under an umbrella with his daughter---Allie, four----and was putting some suntan lotion on her with his sunglasses on an wearing blue swim trunks. He felt annoyed about how many tourists were on the beach, it was starting to pack and he didn't like that. Never had and never will. Tex seemed entirely comfortable on the other hand. She was wearing a gray swimsuit and had her sunglasses on her head instead of wearing them correctly. Her eyes squinted and legs crossed as she laid leaning on her hands. Their son was now walking around looking for shells as he finished up and sent Lacy off. She went down to her mom and sat down next to her. Church just had evaluated his family for a moment. Tex was now brushing around Allie's curly red hair, Noah was searching for shells still or maybe it was crabs---he couldn't tell----and Allie was uncoordinatedly playing with a plastic kids shovel as they all looked happy as could be. His daughter was wearing a dotted swimsuit and his son was wearing blue swim trunks with goggles for snorkeling on his head and missing teeth front teeth. They all had tousled hair and Tex had since cut hers to her chin like it had been in Valhalla. Everything was how it should be. He walked over to his son and they both stopped completely. "What, Dad?" Church smiled. "What are 'ya looking for down here?" His son lifted up an empty and broken conch. "Looking for a not empty conch. Do you think I can find one?" Church looked around. "Maybe with a little luck." "So you don't think so?" Church crossed his arms. "Sorry, Dad, but I was cursed with your unluckiness." He looked to Tex. "I'm not unlucky, I'm the complete opposite. I have you, your sister, your mother, a house, job and you guys. You wouldn't believe how lucky I am." Noah just stared at him with emerald eyes. "Okay…? Will you help me find a conch?" Church nodded and then he turned to Tex who winked at him. He winked back. After a few minutes, his son yelled in excitement, "Dad! I found one! Hurry up!" He jogged over to his son and he poked the conch and it moved from the crab underneath. "Told you." His son laughed as Tex and Allie ran over. "He's hurting it, Mommy!" Lacy yelped. "No, he's not darling, just playing with it." Tex winked at Church again, them both knowing it was a lie. "Are you sure?" she yelped again. "Yes." Tex picked her up and sighed. "Let's go draw in the sand sweetie." Then Tex kissed Church lightly before walking off. "I'm very lucky son." Church felt the wind whisk through his hair and saw it in his son's hair, Tex's hair, Allie's and everyone else's on the beach----fluttering. "So very lucky." he said breathlessly as he looked to the perfect blue sky, knowing everything was how it should be. The End