A/N: I did finish Leave a Light on before the end of September like I promised Simkaye, so that's a plus. Enjoy the conclusion for those of you who are still around since I left.

"So you're going to go with him, right?" Brittney and Eleanor had spent the day together. When Eleanor came home, she told her about what had happened, and Brittney immediately decided that they needed to spend the entire day together. Neither of them had gotten dressed yet; still sitting in their pajamas in the living room. The snow outside softly fell on the window, and their voices matched the occasion.

Eleanor sat across from Brittney and pondered the question. Her heart had already said yes, "How are you pausing?" Brittney snapped. Eleanor broke out of her trance, her train of thought, and focused on her sister, "Ellie, I've never seen you this happy before. You need to go with him."

"Brittney—" she said with a small pause, "I just, I don't want to leave you and my friends—"

"Stop with all that talk," Brittney said, "I'll be fine; I'm a big girl now. I want you to be happy," Brittney smiled a soft smile and Eleanor returned the affection. Brittney wasn't usually this supportive and it caught her off guard.

She's right, Eleanor thought to herself, I, I am really happy. Eleanor stood up, "Alright, I'll go talk to him now about going with him."

Brittney stood up next to her and the snow started to fall faster, "Let's get you packed! When does he leave?"

"Oh," Eleanor paused, "In February, but he plans on leaving as soon as possible to get a place and get Thomas enrolled in schools there, I think."

"Well," Brittney said, "Go get changed, you'll need to be looking your best."

Eleanor smiled and started walking out of the room with Brittney in tow. Eleanor walked into her room and looked out the window before going to the closet. The snow had stopped, but the sun was still hidden by clouds. She went over to the window sill and felt the cold glass, I'm sorry I'll have to leave you, She thought, but he's more important to me. My old life, everything. Everything I'll have to leave behind. She started to tear up softly. Tears damped her cheeks; her face turned a slight tinge of red. She didn't know why she was crying, but she was. She tried to remember. If the first tear comes from the right eye, it means she's crying from happiness. If it comes from the left, that means pain. Which eye was first?

Thomas and I went over to Alvin's house. The suburbs weren't as well plowed as the inner city, and thus they had been stuck there for a while. I told them about his promotion and re-location. They asked me what I was going to do, but I wasn't sure. What am I to do?

"I think the choice is obvious," Alvin said, "Just stay here. You're making good money and your expenses are really low, aren't they?"

"Mortgage is high and utilities are on the rise. My car is paid off, but, I still have student loans," I always had student loans. That's the problem with going to school for 7 years, tons of debt.

"But you had scholarships for the last couple of years, right?" Simon asked.

"It doesn't matter when your undergraduate ends up costing sixty thousand in the end," I said, "I'll need the money; I don't make a whole lot free-lance, not as much as either of you.," I turned my head. Thomas was sitting on the floor, playing with some toys I had brought. Everything, I could give him everything he could ever need with this new job, "Schooling is only getting more expensive. By the time Thomas is in college, I wouldn't have been able to save enough to help him go anywhere. I don't want him to have to settle. This job gives me the opportunity to do it all."

"What's the price you pay by going? You give up the possible love of your life?" Simon was playing devil's advocate.

"I know, but sacrifices will be made."

"Wait, you don't have to be the martyr," Alvin said, "just ask Ellie to go with you. This way you and Thomas get what you need."

"Alvin," I said slowly, "Of course I considered asking her to go with me. We've only been together for two months, actually not even that, less than that. She would be crazy to take a chance like that. What if we don't work out? Then she's in Scotland with only the money she had saved, which I'm betting isn't a whole lot considering she doesn't have much to save for. She's not going to be able to get a job instantly, and, if we're to break up, I don't think she would ask for my help to get back here. It would be insane for her to come with me. I simply won't allow it; I don't want to mess up her life. Besides, she would be giving up everything, her friends, her family her life, for me. I," I paused for a second. I had been flowing so hard that I hadn't realized how hard it was for me to say this, "I don't want to be selfish. I don't deserve to have her give up everything for me."

I stopped and took a deep breath. Alvin looked away from me and there was a pause for about thirty seconds until Simon said, "You're basing all of this on the fact that you two might break up."

"Yeah, that's right," I replied.

"You two aren't going to break up," Simon said as he cleaned his glasses in his shirt. He had been doing that since we were kids and it never ceased to amaze me how his exact mannerisms hadn't changed, "Sometimes," he said, putting his glasses back on, "People are meant to be together," he smiled, "You two are like that. You're simply meant to be together."

"Simon, I—"

"No, no responses," he said as he interrupted me, "You're meant to be together and I don't want to hear anything else about it." He walked over to Thomas and picked him up.

"You're not—"

"Stop!" he walked out of the room with Thomas. Alvin smirked and I put my head in my hands.

"You still not know what to do?" Alvin asked.

"Of course not. I can't have her leaving everything behind. I won't allow it."

"I guess that means," Alvin said, "Regardless of what she wants to do, you won't let her come with you?"

"I guess that would be it, yes."

"You sounds crazy," Alvin said, "Just ask her if she wants to go with you."

"I can't. I can't let her make a mistake. I can't let her say yes."

"I think," he said, "You're either afraid of her saying no, or you're afraid of how happy you could be," Alvin walked out of the kitchen, leaving me out to dry. I hate it when they get this way. They truly don't know what I have to do. They don't know what's best.

"He hasn't returned my calls in days. I think he's avoiding me," Eleanor had been trying to contact me for a number of days but hadn't, well, she hadn't been able to get a hold of me. Now, she stood on the front steps of her building with Brittney. They had just returned from shopping for travel gear, "I know that he's planning on leaving soon, but I'm not sure when. I need to know so I can get a ticket, or maybe he's gotten me a ticket already. I just need to talk to him."

"Doesn't he work out of his place?" Brittney said.

"He does."

"So, you should just stop by," Brittney stated, "I mean, he doesn't have a lot of places to go. He could be running errands or getting Thomas from school, but that would be the extent of his travel, wouldn't it?"

"You're right!" Eleanor grabbed her phone and checked the time, "I'll be able to catch the subway and get there in no time! He's probably just been really busy with his job stuff."

"Yeah, probably," Brittney said with a weak smile. She wasn't sure why, but she thought she knew why I wasn't returning all of her calls.

"You don't sounds so convinced."

"Well, maybe—" she stopped.

"Go on…" Eleanor knew what was coming next but she needed Brittney to say it for it to be real. She had considered it too, that he wasn't going to take her with him. She didn't want it to be real.

"Maybe… he doesn't want you to come," as soon as she said that she cringed. It looked like she was expecting to be yelled at, hit, or something of that nature. She averted her gaze, but Eleanor didn't respond. She looked to her sister and noticed that she was now crouched down, playing with the light snow on the ground.

"I thought about that. I thought that maybe he doesn't want me to come, but I need to know. I don't, I don't want him to leave without me knowing why," Eleanor stood back up straight and faked a smile, "It, it wouldn't be the end of the world if he, if he didn't…"

Brittney saw that her sister was suffering and brought her in for a hug, "Forget what I said," she pulled away from her, "He's probably just been busy."

Eleanor popped a smile, "I know, yeah, you're right. You're right, I'll go talk to him now," Eleanor walked off their front steps and left towards the subway. The snow had stopped falling but it left a light layer on the ground. The streets were filled with black snow and dust, leaving a brown tone all around her. She looked about her, as she was prone to do when travelling alone. People looked like nothing else as she moved towards her goal.

The subways were cold with the feeling of loneliness creeping into her heart. She hadn't contemplated what would happen if she didn't go. She was ready to sacrifice her old life for her new one.

"You looked troubled, Ellie," Alvin was sitting down a few seats behind her. She had passed him as she walked to where she was, but she didn't see him. Her heart was set on finding what she needed, and nothing else mattered at the time. She turned around and suddenly looked surprised, "I think I may know why."

"What is he doing Alvin?" She asked.

"He's not letting you sacrifice your life for him," Alvin said as he closed his newspaper, "He's always been a martyr; he doesn't let anyone give up anything but himself."

"So, he's leaving without me?" the idea sent a shiver up her spine. She was tingling with the idea; her heart immediately started to hurt. She didn't know what to do.

"He is," upon hearing this she sat down on the floor of the subway and put her head in her hands. She slightly recollected herself and tucked her knees into her chest and put her head down.

"I, I thought as much," she said, trying her hardest not to cry, "When is he leaving? I, I want to," she thought about what she wanted to do for a second. She wanted to go with him; she wanted more than anything to drop everything and leave, but she was conflicted. She didn't want to invade his personal space, "say goodbye."

Alvin pulled out his phone and started texting someone. He was responding to a previous text when he put the phone back and looked at her, "Is that all you want to do, or is there…"

"I want to, I want to go with him," she was choking back the tears at this point and Alvin noticed it.

He started to smile, "I was hoping you would say that," he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope, "I have here a ticket for the flight that he's on, right next to him. Take it," He tossed it to the ground in front of her.

She picked it up and started smiling uncontrollably, "Alvin," she paused, "I barely know you, but you've just done one of the most amazing things anyone has ever done for me. Why?" As she said that, the train stopped and jerked hard. She fell to the ground. Alvin chuckled and walked over to help her up. He extended a hand and pulled her up. People rushed by to get off.

"I haven't seen Theo happy in such a long time. Like happy at all, literally unhappy. You made him happy. I want you to continue to make him happy," he looked at the schedule, "Brittney's already packing your things for us to send off to you when you get there," He put his hands behind her back and pushed her gently off the train, "This is your stop."

She looked around, and it was the stop right outside of the airport, "You're right," she smiled and tears started streaming down her face, "Thank you so much, Alvin! Look after Brittney while I'm gone."

"Oh," he chuckled again, "I shall." With that the doors closed. She turned around and started running. She looked at her watch, and then at the ticket. She only had two hours to get on the flight.

"Are you ready to leave, Tommy boy?" Thomas and I had finished packing and were heading for the airport. It had been a week's long process, all the while, I couldn't talk to Eleanor. I didn't know if it was the best idea to just disappear but I wasn't sure what to do. I think she would understand, if I left as the bad guy, she would be able to move on easier. I really am a martyr, aren't I? Thomas shook his head as he walked down the stairs. He had on his winter's coat and a little backpack with stuff for him to do on the long flight.

I called a cab to come pick us up, and we loaded all of the things we would need to live for a while unto the car. Alvin and Simon were having the rest of it sent to us later, when we needed it. I didn't know what we would do about the car, though. The flight to the airport was long and smoky, as the cab driver insisted on smoking the entire way.

"Daddy?" Thomas asked after a while.

I looked down to him, "Yeah?"

"Where's Ellie?"

I paused, "What do you mean?"

"She's coming with us, isn't she?"

"I," I paused again, "No, she's not."

"Why," he started to tear up a bit, "Why not?"

"It's because," I stopped and dried his tears, "it's because she has a life here. I can't pull her away from that."

"But, she has to go with us!"

"She can't, bud," Thomas buried his head into his booster seat and started crying," I took him out of his seat and held him, "I know, I'm going to miss her too."

I'm sitting on the plane and immediately regretting all of my decisions. I wish I would have talked to her. I was sitting on the seat near the window. The sky was a perfect sort of blue, a tragic coincidence that I haven't seen it like that in a long time. Thomas was sitting next to me, asleep. He was so excited that he couldn't get to sleep last night.

"We're going to be leaving in ten minutes," the pilot announced.

I have ten minutes to take Thomas off the plane and run back and get her. But I can't. I don't have the right too. I put my head up against the seat in front of me. I couldn't imagine what I had done. I had lost.

"Excuse me sir, I think you're in my seat," I looked up. It must have been the other person sitting here, "My ticket says I have A87, which is your seat. You must have assumed that you would have known the person and thus could have taken their seat."

"Eleanor."

She was crying lightly, and I followed suit, "You're a terrible jackass, but you're lucky you have amazing siblings."

"They always know what's best for me."

"Why did you do it?"

"I didn't want to tear you away from your life."

"You should have asked me."

"I," I paused, "I think I was afraid you would have said no."

"Never in a million years," I leaned over sleeping Thomas and we kissed softly.

"One thing though."

"Yes?"

"Where is all of your stuff?"

"I have very few memories of my biological mother. I remember she had auburn hair, but that's where it ends. Luckily, I was blessed enough to have another mother," It was twenty years later. Thomas had moved to California with his betrothed and we were attending his weeding. Twenty of the best years of my life. That's truly saying something because college was fantastic, "My father met Eleanor when I was five, and she was immediately willing to be my mother. I'm so thankful for you, Mom," We had two other children, who are both 19 and 16. Thomas was following in my footsteps and trying to become a patent attorney. You would have been so proud; he's really grown up to be a fine man. He still has your eyes, regardless of what people say. He's always had your eyes.

I hope you're doing well Mal, "Thomas," I said to him during my toast, "and Marissa, I hope you two the best, and I hope you find time to do everything, and nothing at all. The best advice that I can give you is that you need time to do nothing. Sometimes, nothing is for the best," she's really good for him, makes him work harder. She also planned the weeding perfectly. She reminds me a lot of Eleanor, she's a blonde like her at the very least.

"Thanks Dad," Thomas said, taking the microphone. The reception was simply beautiful, "And Dad, I still haven't thanked you yet."

"There's no need; it was my job, after all."

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

"Well then," he said, tossing the microphone, "Let's eat!"

Later Eleanor and I were returning to our hotel room. The company had a series of rooms in hotspots on permanent reserve and they allowed us to use it. I sat with the love of my life in our disgusting hotel bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Thank you."

"What?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For showing up on that plane. You did more for me that day than anyone else ever has. I have you to thank for my life as it is."

"No need for thanks. I was just doing my job," I smiled, and she returned it as she always does. I really didn't deserve her, but I was glad.

I was glad that she was there.