This chapter really won't be as long as the others. Neither will this author's note. I don't have much to say besides the fact that I am really happy with the way this story turned out and I thank each and every one of you for reading and reviewing. You seriously make my writing better and worthwhile. I hope you all will wait up for the sequel. I'll probably have to finish either ML or Pinx first before I start it. I can't overwhelm myself too much. Thanks again and enjoy this next chapter.

~Rolyn~

Chapter Fifteen: Epilogue…

You were my conscience
So solid, now you're like water
We started drowning
Not like we'd sink any farther
But I let my heart go
it's somewhere down at the bottom
But I'll get a new one
And come back for the hope that you've stolen…

"He restores my soul…he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. Yet though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for you thou art with me. Amen. May Darren and Jennifer Hayden rest in peace…"

Ash stepped forward and lit the eternal fires set at the base of the two monumental graves that were nestled on the backgrounds of the newly constructed Hayden estate. The headstones for the late former couple towered over seven feet with the depictions of the deceased carved into them. Right behind the headstone was a statue of Jennifer wrapped in her husband's arms. Both she and Darren were beaming in immortal happiness.

Drew then stepped forward, her expression as solemn as usually as he placed blood red roses at the base of both graves. He took in a sharp breath when he finally felt the tears roll down his cheeks. He had been holding these tears back for months, but seeing his parents now in their final resting place gave him a sense of peace…completion. It was over now. They were gone.

The silence a funeral brings clung to the entirety of the group gathered to bid a final farewell to the late couple.

Ash lowered his head, sniffling occasionally as he let his own tears flow freely. Misty glanced up at him, her eyes glazed over with her own tears. She reached up and brushed away one of his tears. Ash responded by wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. She clung to him and sighed. Aden stood close by, holding tightly to Alex's hand. Jordyn stood behind them, her hands on each of their shoulders.

Rolyn had her face hidden in Jason's chest as she cried silently with Amy behind them. Darren had been more than a man that just took her in. He was the first parental figure to actually show her worth since her mother gave her up and for that, she would be eternally grateful. She also gripped tightly to Dawn's hand as the navy haired girl stared at the graves with red puffy eyes. Beside her, Paul, Michelle, and Kay remained huddled. They may not have known Darren for very long but Jennifer was their mother in every sense of the word that mattered.

Marina leaned her head on Jimmy's shoulder as she stared at the grave. She did not think she would actually see the day Jennifer would fall. She was powerful…too powerful. The world could not handle her, Marina surmised. The world was not ready for that kind of power.

May focused on the back of Drew's head as he stared at the twin graves of his parents. She felt guilty as she stood there with her mother, father, and brother by her side. It wasn't fair that she had her family given back to her just as his were taken away. She worried for him. She wanted to make sure he was all right.

The blind brunette approached him and stood by his side. "I'm sorry."

It was dumb. Apologies would not make things better.

"Yea…" Drew sighed. "So am I."

I'll stop the whole world
I'll stop the whole world from turning into a monster and eating us alive
Don't you ever wonder how we survive?
Well now that you're gone, the world is ours…

"Marina and Jimmy will hereby oversee the functions of Hayden manor. Your team, better known as the Initiative, shall be a covert group acting under the MPF and will abide by its rules and regulations," Norman explained. "The Hayden estate will return to be the haven it was before where training will resume for new recruits while you attempt to quell the uprising hate crimes against metahumans. Your goal will be to usher in the harmony of a new era. You will be the example the world needs.

"All issues in the past have been erased from human memory and data. No one will know the true functions of the manor. Andrew Benjamin Hayden will continue as the Initiatives leader. Misty Serena Waterflower will continue as second in command. Rolyn Genesis Kent is promoted to third. Maxwell Anthony Maple will be your technical specialist."

"You will be provided with whatever technology necessary to complete missions including a meta-jet and a meta-carrier that you all will need training for immediately," Caroline added. "You will all be in hiding as well, meaning you will have to disguise physical evidence of you being a metahuman. Image reformers will be provided for those who need it. You will also start attending school at the local school in northern New Jersey."

"What?" Alex hissed. She was quickly hushed by her mother.

"You will have to focus on using your abilities for the greater good from here on out. Since the Washington, there has been a spike in metahuman crime that exists in all places, mainly in schools because the abilities instill at a young age. It is your responsibility as the Initiative to continue what Darren and Jennifer started."

May sent her telekinesis at Drew from across the conference table, checking for any kind of reaction to the mentioning of his parents. Drew brought his eyes to meet her pale ones and he smirked for a brief second.

"Feeling me up with you telekinesis again, I see…"

May blushed forty shades of red and retracted her telekinesis. She pursed her lips and Drew laughed, covering it up with a cough. Rolyn glanced between the two before rolling her eyes and returning to focusing on the information they were being told. She could question May later.

I'm only human
I've got a skeleton in me
But I'm not the villain
Despite what you're always preaching
Call me a traitor
I'm just collecting your victims
And they're getting stronger
I hear them calling
Calling, they're calling…

"I don't care." Drew snapped. "I want them on the team."

"They're highly dangerous." Amy snapped back. She narrowed her eyes at him, cursing the day his father instilled his ignorance onto him.

"Only when they were under Manning's control. They are normal now." Drew retorted. He was surprised at how much he used the term normal since he had that talk with may all those months ago. He knew she was right and he knew he had to step up. He could not just wallow in self-pity. His father trained him for more than that.

"Their minds were checked by Marina. The boy was an assassin and the girl was a very dangerous thief who was forced to work for the MCF. With that kind of track record, I don't think you should be pushing so hard for them," Amy advised sternly.

"Your son worked for the MCF and you accepted him very quickly."

"He was blackmailed. The girl did it for money."

"We all get a little desperate sometimes," Drew retorted.

"Why can't you just listen to me?" Amy groaned. It was almost as if she was arguing with Darren rather than a seventeen-year-old teenaged punk. He was grating on her last nerve. He just would not let this go.

"I know your reasoning before you do," Drew said smartly. "My reasoning is better. I've weighed the pros and cons. I know what I'm doing."

Amy stared at the boys determined expression and sighed in defeat. She hated the way telepaths knew everything all the time. Drew gestured for her to get out of his way, knowing she had given up fighting him. There was no winning when it came to a Hayden. Amy stepped to the side and he passed through the threshold of the doorway that led into the MPF holding cells of the head sector.

He passed multiple occupied cells that held dangerous metahuman and regular humans alike. Only the worst of normal humans were sentenced to these cells because their hate towards metahumans was deemed too dangerous.

The boy and the girl shared a cell. The blonde haired girl was twirling a black feather between her fingers while her cellmate; the teleporter with the devils tail did pushups on the concrete floor. Around his wrist was an inhibitor bracelet it was reverse engineered from the collars the MCF used, but was constructed not to do anything but keep his abilities at bay. Nothing harmful.

Drew pressed the intercom button for their cell and easily got their attention. "Wanna get outta here?"

I'll stop the whole world
I'll stop the whole world from turning into a monster and eating us alive
Don't you ever wonder how we survive?
Well now that you're gone, the world is ours…

Rolyn locked eyes with May. The two girls stayed within that stare down for what seemed like ages before the brunette groaned and turned away. Rolyn could not help but smirk in satisfaction. May was easy to read, even without telepathy.

"So you do like him," Rolyn confirmed. May shot her a narrowed eyes look. "You haven't denied it May and the two of you were getting pretty close back before…"

"Yea, I know," May grumbled. "That doesn't mean I like him."

"You never said you didn't."

"And if I did like him?"

Rolyn paused. "That would be…I dunno. You guys would look cute together." Rolyn shrugged.

"Cute?" May laughed incredulously before groaning again. "It doesn't even matter. He doesn't like me in that way."

"What makes you say that? I think he's pretty into you. He's opened up a lot more recently since you talked to him after Washington," Rolyn pointed out. May looked towards her friend in surprise and Rolyn rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I am an expert at eavesdropping." May glared at her. "He likes you, too, May."

"So you say…" The brunette sighed.

"I do say."

"I'm not like you, Rolyn. I can't go outright and tell someone I love them like that," May grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So you love him?"

May groaned a third time.

Rolyn sighed. "Okay…I'll admit it isn't easy…but when you really like someone…it's easy." She reaffirmed. May's brow furrowed.

"What if he doesn't like me back?"

"Make him."

They shared a smile.

I'll stop the whole world
I'll stop the whole world from turning into a monster and eating us alive
Don't you ever wonder how we survive?
Well now that you're gone, the world is ours…

Dawn took in a deep breath and steeled herself before entering the weight room. Paul had been beating away at the punching bag for hours. His knuckles were probably an angry red by now. He had not wrapped them before he started. Paul had always been a reserved person, even before the passing of Jennifer, but since then he has been completely withdrawn. Now, he never spoke unless necessary, or to threaten people.

Everyone avoided him. He was not exactly pleasant to be around; at least before, he was at least tolerable. Now, it was a very different story. However, unlike everyone else, Dawn was not so quick to write off the purple haired teleporter. She knew he was just upset despite the time that had elapsed since Washington. Different people took different amounts of time to mourn. Marina had explained Paul was not very stable, but Jennifer had been his redeeming feature. Of course he'd still feel the pain of her loss.

"You've been going for a while now," Dawn began quietly as she stepped into the gym. Paul glanced at her with his eerily colored eyes and narrowed them briefly before going back to abusing the punching bag. "Taking out a little frustration?"

"Go away," He growled.

"I just wanted to see if you're alright." She responded quickly.

"What do you care?"

"I…" Dawn began before snapping her mouth shut. "I just thought that maybe you'd want someone to talk to. It's no fun holding everything in and after everything you've been through…I can't imagine going through that alone so…if you need anything, I'm here, okay?"

Paul clenched his eyes shut. "Please leave."

"But…"

"Leave!" He roared, whipping around to glare at her. Dawn squealed in surprise before turning and sprinting out of the gym. Paul watched her leave before turning back to the punching bag and kicking it roughly. "Dammit!"

Well you thought of strengths and solutions
But I like the tension
And not always knowing the answer
But you're gonna lose it
You're gonna lose it

"Hell no!" Rolyn screeched. "That bitch left me in near shreds and her little friend almost strangled me to death!" She said as she pointed from the pretty blonde to the dark haired lithe looking boy by her side. Drew perked a brow at Rolyn and watched as May placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"I'm leader. What I say goes, third in command." Drew snorted. Rolyn growled, her silver eyes flashing dangerously as her hair began to stand on end with unbridled energy. "Ian and Patou agreed to help us. Whatever happened at Washington was not their fault. Besides you were quick to forgive Jason."

"I know Jason," Rolyn sneered. "Them, I don't know."

"Well, you are going to have plenty of time to get to know them," Drew retorted.

"I don't have to listen to you," Rolyn snorted.

"Marina and Jimmy already approved."

"You have to listen to them…" May murmured. Drew smirked.

"Well, now that that's settled, I don't think there's anything left to say."

Drew moved passed Rolyn, budging her shoulder as he went. Rolyn growled and glared after the green haired telepath before turning the narrow eyed look on the two newcomers.

"Where's your wings?" May inquired.

Patou rolled her eyes before turning around and lifting her shirt. Rolyn perked a brow at the tattoo that took up the entirety of the girls back and depicted a pair of black angel wings. Slowly the pictures of wings began to pull off slowly from her skin. Rolyn made a disgusted face as the wings completely pulled and extended to full size from her back.

"She's a wicked screamer, too," Ian spoke up.

"I don't know how to respond to that…" May said slowly while shaking her head.

I'll stop the whole world
I'll stop the whole world from turning into a monster and eating us alive
Don't you ever wonder how we survive?
Well now that you're gone, the world is ours…

"So sad to see an old companion pass away…Darren really was so valuable. Now all the plans are turned to rubble…guess we'll have to take matters into our own hands."

"You're orders, sir?" A bored looking mint eyed boy inquired

"We'll need a Team Bryant…get ready to go hunting."

I'll stop the whole world
I'll stop the whole world from turning into a monster and eating us alive
Don't you ever wonder how we survive?
Well now that you're gone, the world is ours…

I'll leave you all wondering with that. I have finally concluded Monster. It's pretty short compared to the forty something chapter stories I am usually spitting out but whatever. Now I can finally focus on ML and pinx. Thanks for sticking around for the ride. And I'd like to thank a couple of special people…

Patou
Thanks for the drawing and helping me with characters. You are a doll.

EvidenceOfSouls
Your fanart is just amazing! I love you and thank you for all of the ones you've given me and those to come.

Kris
Since we've been obsessed with superheroes since forever and have written stories about them before, this was a breeze and I thought of you the whole time.

Samia
What can I say? You're my everything. Without you I wouldn't be able to do what I do.

Don't forget to review guys.

~Rolyn~