So, here it is, the last chapter. The end of the story. This is the first time I've ever actually finished a story I've written, and I'm so, so proud of myself. I want to thank everyone who's read the story all the way through, and a special shout out to everyone who's reviewed, favorite or followed the story. It was the motivation I needed.

Enjoy!

P.S. The song in this chapter is 'Say you like me' by We the Kings. I don't own it. Feel free to listen to it when it comes up in the story. I did alter a couple lyrics though, so it would apply better.

Disclaimer: Yeah. I own nothing.

The town of Miami, Florida, was renowned for many things; the sun, the ocean, various sites and some popularity with pop stars. But the one thing that made Miami so unforgettable was what happened there on the day of Austin Moon's return home.

All hometowns to any sort of star tend to be proud of the fact, proud to say they were home to someone most people have at least heard of. So, it was no surprise that Miami was devastated when Austin disappeared, and doubly delighted when he was found alive. People from Austin's immediate community began planning welcome home parties left right and center, and there were fights as to who would get to use the sonic boom as their party headquarters (Mr. Dawson won that battle). The party plans were quickly turning to disaster as more fights broke out over the simplest of things.

The solution came from a mall association meeting, the very same mall that housed the Sonic Boom. The store owners of the mall gathered together and decided; if they can't have a series of small parties, then they'd have one big party, one that they would host in that very mall.

So the people of the town set to work, decorating the mall with various things from the stores themselves. Several disco balls hung from various parts of the ceiling, and music was provided, that would be played over the mall sound system. I giant 'welcome home' banner hung over the entrance to the mall, and it had Austin's face printed on it. Everyone was invited, and the mall association looked forward with excitement to their superstar's return home.

Austin knew that Miami was proud of him, but that didn't even remotely prepare him for the scene awaiting him when he got off the plane. The crowd had already gathered in excitement, all wanting to catch the first glimpse of their hero. Many of them had banners and signs and a few things they wanted to say. Austin had gotten used to the paparazzi by now, but he was usually left to his own business when in Miami. He was absolutely floored by the scene in the airport.

To be honest, it brought him to tears.

It also made it rather difficult to get anywhere. Though Austin was the main focus, his friends and family were also receiving a lot of attention, particularly Ally, due to her newfound reputation of having solved Austin's case. Her eyes had gone wide with fear when she realised how much attention was on her, and she had a chunk of hair in her mouth the whole time they were in the airport. Her only distraction was helping Austin, who was on crutches and thus unable to carry his own things.

Austin did his best to smile at the crowd and portray positivity to the best of his abilities, but even though he was warmed to the core by the attention, he was nothing short of exhausted and wanted desperately the comfort and warmth of his own bed. The people of Miami would have none of that, however. They'd been planning the party at the mall for a whole week and couldn't wait to kick it off. So it was with a bit of exasperation that the group made their way to the mall, their luggage still in tow.

When the group finally reached the mall and stumbled out of the car, Austin thought for a moment that they'd been taken to the wrong place, until he processed the giant 'welcome home' banner. Even so, his shock had drawn him to a standstill, as well as the others with him.

The crowd watched him anxiously for a few minutes, particularly those who had helped put together the decorations. No one dared make a sound, in case they missed Austin's reaction. As it was, he really wasn't showing anything- until his face split into a wide, joyous grin.

"Awesome." He said.

And that was all it took for the people gathered to set the party into motion. Someone signalled for a DJ to start the music, and someone else got to work on the lights. Everyone else threw themselves into full celebration mode, and inevitably, Austin and his group were dragged into it all (Except Mr. and Mrs. Moon, who had generously offered to take care of everyone's luggage by taking it to their homes).

Austin spent most of his night by the food and beverage tables, chatting with various people, smiling and laughing. He would've liked to dance, but his injuries made that impossible. Besides, as it was, Dez was making enough of a spectacle to compensate for both of them. The only time he tried to dance was when Ally came over to him and dragged him onto the dance floor for a slow song. He'd gone beat red, stammering the whole time, tripping over his feet more than once (which just made Ally laugh). After that, he'd refused to let anyone else drag him onto the dance floor.

The party went on into the early hours of the morning, by which time team Austin had retired to bed. Most hadn't even noticed them leave, they were having so much fun. In fact, the party was such a success, that it was decided that they would have a party like that every year, celebrating the day Austin Moon came home. They decided to call it Austin Moon Day.

In the days that followed the successful party, people watched Austin with morbid curiosity, wanting to see how he was coping with the trauma. Most would agree that he was handling everything extremely well. He went about his usual routine, hanging out with his friends, getting into trouble, and even had gone back to making music with his partner. It was as if he'd never been taken.

In fact, the only sign that he'd been through any sort of trauma was the worn out diary he carried with him everywhere. No one dared ask what, or whose, it was. After all, it wasn't their business. But people still wondered what could be so important about that book.

Austin didn't even know why he carried the book everywhere. He hadn't even had the resolve to open it yet to the page his sister had marked. What he did know was that that little book was all he had of his sister at the moment. Also, he didn't entirely trust his parents not to flip through the journal should he leave it at home.

That was why, exactly one week after Austin's return home, which was exactly three weeks after his rescue, Austin found himself sitting on the counter at the Sonic Boom, staring at the journal in his hands, wondering, again, if now was the time to open it.

"Austin?"

He looked up at the sound of his name, and smiled when he saw it was Ally. She was wearing another dress, a red one with a floral pattern on the skirt. She'd styled her hair like she always did, in perfect waves that fell down her back. She was breathtaking, as per usual, and it took all of Austin's concentration not to become mesmerised. It had happened more than once since his return. You can only imagine how embarrassing it was whenever she caught him staring at her with a dreamy expression.

Austin looked down to hide his blush. "Yeah?"

She took a step forward and frowned. "Are you okay?"

This made him smile. If he had a quarter for every time she'd asked him that since they'd returned… well. He'd have a lot of quarters. "I'm fine, Ally," He said. "Stop worrying so much." He was still smiling.

Ally smiled back. "Well, you know, after everything that happened, you know…" she trailed off and her face was tinged pink. "I'm just saying, if you want someone to talk to, I'm here, okay?"

"Noted." Austin said. The two smiled at each other for a moment, in comfortable silence. Then, Austin said "Where's Trish and Dez? I haven't seen them around today."

Ally gave him a knowing look and made a show of looking down at her watch. She held up her hand and counted down "Five, four, three, two, one…"

"Guess who got a job at The Hat Store!" Trish announced, showing off her sunhat with a flourish.

Austin laughed so hard, he fell backward off the counter. Trish gave him and Ally strange look, who was also choking on her laughter.

"Did I miss something?" She asked. That just made the others laugh harder.

"From down there, you probably miss all sorts of things." Came a new voice. Trish turned to the ginger that had spoken and gave him a menacing look. Dez jumped back in fear, and quickly turned his attention to Austin and Ally, no doubt hoping for some sort of distraction. "Hey Ally, you got that new song finished yet?" He asked.

"Almost." She answered. Austin grinned. The new song was sort of entered around his experience, talking about embracing life and its wonders. It was incredible, as per usual.

"That's great. I have all sorts of ideas for this video. I've almost decided, but all I can say is that it has to do with peanuts!" Dez declared, pulling out a jar of peanuts from his backpack as he did. They all raised their eyebrows at him.

Austin smiled at his friend. "Awesome!" He decided. He loved peanuts, after all. He jumped off the counter and snatched the jar out of Dez's hands, and proceeded to eating the peanuts. The girls just rolled their eyes at him.

"Austin!" Dez protested. He pouted like a five year old. "Now I have to go get more peanuts." With that, he stormed out of the store. Austin just smiled at his friend's retreating form, not feeling guilty whatsoever. He'd probably forget about what was bothering him halfway to the store, and then he'd wonder why he was going to the store in the first place.

"That reminds me, I should probably go." Trish said, looking at the time. "I started work three hours ago. Catch you guys later." With that, she left. Ally just shook her head. Austin knew she didn't approve of Trish's work ethics. He'd expect no less from her. After a moment, she turned to Austin, her brows furrowed.

"What on earth could peanuts have to do with our song?" She asked. This sent Austin into another fit of giggles, and Ally quickly joined in. Some customers gave them strange looks, but none of them asked. They knew who they were, after all, and expected nothing short of pure insanity from them.

After a few moments, the two quieted down, and Austin found himself looking down at the journal in his hands again. Half the time, he'd forget he was holding it, and yet he'd never put it down. Ally followed his gaze and shifted back into serious mode.

"Why do you carry that around with you?" Ally asked. Austin hadn't told her everything about Emma, and he knew some things about her, like the journal, frustrated her to no end. Austin felt bad about annoying her, but he wasn't ready to talk about Emma. For now, who she was was a secret he was keeping close to his heart.

"I don't know." Austin answered her as truthfully as he could. "I guess it's just all I have left of her, you know? I just don't want to put it down."

Ally sighed. She took a step forward and, taking Austin totally by surprise, she reached out and held his hand. He desperately hoped that she wouldn't notice how red his face just went.

"You've never even opened it." Ally noted, still looking at the book.

It took Austin a minute to find his voice. "No." He admitted. "She marked a page for me, but…" His voice trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Ally looked up at him, and gave his hand squeeze. "You should read it. She didn't give you the book and mark a page just so you could stare at it all the time." She joked.

Austin smiled slightly. "I guess so." He said, still uncertain.

A costumer called Ally over at that moment, and she went to help, leaving Austin staring at the book. He still wasn't sure if he should open it. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what she'd written down for him. What if it was something awful, another secret that could change his life? What if it was about what happened when she pushed him? He didn't know if he wanted to know what had happened there. And yet, Ally was right. She wouldn't have given him her personal diary, with a page marked no less, just so he could stare at it. She wanted him to read it. He had to respect that. So, glancing overtly around to make sure no one was watching, Austin steeled his resolve and, taking a deep breath, opened the book to the marked page, and read:

Hey Austin. If you're reading this, then I guess I didn't go with you back to Miami. Sorry about that. There are just some things I need to know, some answers that aren't in Miami. I'm sure we'll see each other again someday. Until then, keep my book. You can read it all, though I'm not sure if you want to. Also, I wrote the song below. It's for Ally, from you. I've been working on it for a while, and I only just finished it. It's up to you whether or not you're gonna sing it to her. I hope you do.

Love, your sister, Emma

Song title: Say you like me

She's the girl that no one ever knows.

And I say hi, but she's too shy to say hello.

She's just waiting for that one to take her hand

And shake her up.

I bet I could.

I wish my heart was always on her mind.

'Cause she's on mine like all day, all the time.

Forget me not, forget me now.

I've come too far to turn around.

I'm here tonight.

'Cause I'm never going down,

I'm never giving up.

I'm never gonna leave,

So put your hands up.

If you like me,

Then say you like me.

I'm never going down,

I'm never giving up.

I'm never gonna leave,

So put your hands up.

If you like me,

Then say you like me.

Whoa, oh, oh, oh.(x4)

She's the girl that no one ever knows.

Works a double shift just to buy her clothes.

Crazy teens and faded dreams,

Baby, just believe

There's no one else like me.

'Cause I'm never going down,

I'm never giving up.

I'm never gonna leave,

So put your hands up.

If you like me,

Then say you like me.

I'm never going down,

I'm never giving up.

I'm never gonna leave,

So put your hands up.

If you like me,

Then say you like me.

Whoa, oh, oh, oh. (x4)

It's time to fall into my arms.

'Cause I've been waiting for too long.

You're an angel,

Grab your halo,

And let's fly tonight.

'Cause I'm never going down,

I'm never giving up.

I'm never gonna leave,

So put your hands up.

If you like me,

Then say you like me.

'Cause I'm never going down,

I'm never giving up.

I'm never gonna leave,

So put your hands up.

If you like me,

Then say you like me.

I'm never going down,

I'm never giving up.

I'm never gonna leave,

So put your hands up.

If you like me,

Then say you like me.

Whoa, oh, oh, oh. (x4)

Just say you like me.

Austin drifted to the end of the page, and found that he had a smile plastered on his face. So, that's what she'd been doing when she'd been writing in her diary while he'd talk about his life. She'd nailed it, too. It was perfect for the situation he was in with Ally. His gaze drifted back up to her letter. She said they'd meet again someday. He had to believe her.

The sound of instruments crashing to the ground shook him back to reality. He looked up, to find Ally in the middle of a pile of instruments, a sheepish look on her face. She caught his eye.

"A little help please?" She said.

"Sure" Austin said, smiling, as he pushed himself off the counter. He closed the book and set it down for the first time since Emma had given it to him, leaving it under the counter while he went to help Ally clean up the mess.

One day, he thought. One day, he'd sing that song to Ally, and sweep her off her feet. One day, he'd find his sister again. He'd tell his friends about her and they'd welcome her into the group. One day, he'd help her solve the mystery of her life, and the mystery of what happened the day he was rescued.

But that's another story.

And there we have it. One last announcement everyone! Wait for it (drum roll)…. I'm making a sequel! Yeah. I just couldn't bring myself to leave the story at that. The sequel is going to be called 'The Shadows in the Corner' and it's going to be a supernatural/romance story. I'm hoping to post it in the next couple of weeks. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am!

Until next time, everyone!