The next morning, I dragged my entire luggage back into the foyer and gave my mom and my sister a hard stare. I smiled at the two of them kindly, as they both made their way to me and embraced me largely. I looked over at Sophia, who just nodded somberly.

"Chels, I'm so happy you were able to find your home on the islands. I'm sorry for everything."

"Sorry?" I said with a sigh, yet a grin. "Sophia, right now, I need to thank you. It was the most stress-inducing year of my entire life, and I wouldn't trade a second of it. Thank you for bringing me to some of the most amazing people in the world."

"I can't wait to visit you once you're there."

I pulled her into another hug. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

I wished my mother goodbye and I promised I'd call her more. She rattled on for a while about how proud of me she was finally finding my place after a hard time back here at home. I couldn't help but start crying hearing her talk to me the way she was; it was unfamiliar seeing her so emotional this way.

But I finally gave my last "good-bye's" and "I love you's" before I stepped out onto the stoop to see Vaughn waiting outside with a cab behind him. He gave me that recognizable smirk as he watched me lug my belongings down the steps and in front of him.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked me.

I turned around to glance at my home one last time, knowing that it was no longer my house. Knowing that I was going back to Sunshine Islands was all I could bear to think about in this moment. The islands were my home. Those people were my family. I had found my place.

I turned back to him and nodded. "Yeah. Let's get out of here."

The cab ride felt like eons as we made it to the dock. Vaughn and I were relatively silent the whole ride; I was too busy listening to the sound of the wind outside and watching the blurs of the city grays flurry past my eyes. However, I couldn't resist my pinky finger poking at the side of his hand. My heart warmed when he poked his right back against mine. It was so unlike him to act this way, and it was so unlike us; but the city has a way of magic. I guess it worked its magic on us today.

After some time we finally made it on the boat. It wasn't going to leave for another twenty minutes, and so Vaughn and I made our way to the bar to enjoy a drink. We ordered two glasses of wine and clinked to my permanent residence at the place I was meant to be all along.

"Question," Vaughn started after taking a long sip of his wine.

"Shoot."

"How come you never visited Sophia while she was there?"

My eyebrow shot up alongside a smirk. "Why? You think you would've fallen in love with my sooner that way?"

He mirrored my smile and mumbled, "Just answer the question."

I shrugged. "Well for starters she was never around," to that he gave an agreeable nod. "I dunno. It just didn't seem like she wanted me to visit. I was also trying to figure out my own life for awhile and maybe I was jealous that my sister had it figured it."

"Well that turned out to be false."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I know, right? The place she was all along was supposed to be me."

"You went about it in a peculiar way, that's for sure."

I gave him a somber look. "Vaughn, I'm really sorry for everything. For—"

He quickly reached out and grabbed my hand while giving it a comfortable squeeze. "Don't apologize for anything. You don't need to. Your little scheme brought me to you; don't apologize for that."

I gave him a soft smile, and I knew I was in the right hands.

I stood against the railing and watched as Sunshine Islands grew closer and closer. As my nose was caught up in the salty breeze and it staining my bare skin, I felt a pair of arms slither across my stomach and squeeze me close to the body attached. I looked over my shoulder as Vaughn comfortably rested his head beside mine, and with every touch I can't help but grow warmer inside.

"Do they know I'm coming?" I asked him.

I felt him shake his head. "They don't. I talked to Taro about seeing you but I was only coming back if you were coming with me. He told me he had already made up his mind and that I could get you. I told him not to tell the others."

"How come?!"

I heard him chuckle softly to himself. "Don't you want to go around surprising them?"

He knew me so damn well.

"Yes!" I said ecstatically. "Thank you so much."

He turned me around and gave me a short, but passionate kiss. He grinned and replied, "Of course."

Once I stepped on Verdure Island I felt safe; I felt at home. I looked around at the peaceful island and knew that placing my heart here was the best thing I could've ever done for myself. I felt Vaughn brush up beside me and without looking at him I let out a content sigh; it was relieving and heartwarming to know that I was home.

We went up to Ranch Island and there I saw my farm up in the distance. Beautifully kept and looking as radiant and natural as always, I couldn't let the grin on my cheeks let go. As I approached it, I saw a familiar face. My stomach twisted at the sight of the man, as I wasn't sure how to feel about his presence, with his strong and bitter words against me as I left the island for what I thought was for good.

Taro stared me down as I approached him, Vaughn fluttering behind to obviously let me have my time to talk to him. He kept his stern look that he normally did, which terrified me as I had no idea what he was thinking. It could be great, it could be awful, but no one was ever sure until the words escaped his lips. So that was what I waited for.

"It's nice to see you again, Chelsea," he said softly. He then perked an eyebrow and said teasingly, "You are Chelsea, correct?'

"Ha-ha," I fake laughed at him, throwing him an easy smile. "Yes Taro, it's me."

He puffed out a breath and smiled wide. "Well then Sunshine Islands welcomes you with warm arms."

He took my hands, squeezed them for a second, before letting go. In my palm I felt a metal piece; the keys to the house and the barn.

"Taro, thank you so much," I said softly, and without a second to think, pulled him into a large hug.

He was taken aback for a quick second, before returning the hug. It was the little moments of bliss that still counted.

With that, Taro made his way off the island to give Vaughn and I privacy—which, realistically, meant dropping all the bags in my house and then venturing to other parts of the island to see all of my friends. Vaughn and I stood there, in front of the front door trying to figure out the best order for me to see them. After some deliberation and some reasoning, we decided how this was going to be done. He asked if he should wait behind so that I could have the proper time with all of my friends, to which I told him to hang out in the Diner. At the end of it all, I'd bring everyone there and we could enjoy a wonderful first meal with my permanent residence. And the first time really being Chelsea. Goddess, knowing that reality was such a sigh of relief.

As Vaughn and I parted ways by the Diner, I made my way to Sprout Island—specifically towards the beach—to see Denny first. I slugged my way through the sand before approaching his dusty doorstep. It all felt too familiar; it was strange, knowing that it had been nearly an entire season since I've been here. It was the middle of Summer, and over a year ago I barely even knew him. But Denny quickly became one of my best friends on the island, and appearing in front of his door was soon a common occurrence. It felt so natural being here, as if it hadn't been so long, and yet, it felt like I've been doing this all along. I knocked.

I heard him shuffling inside before the door swung open. I saw every crevices of his face go from bear, to surprised, to tremendously shocked.

"C-Chelsea? Is that you?" he trembled.

I couldn't even speak; I just nodded, a smile growing wide on my face. Without a second to spare he reached out in front of me and picked me up and twirled me around in his arms. When he finally placed me down, his hands still gripped my shoulder blades as if it was the last thing he was going to hold on to.

"Chelsea, it can't be you. What are you doing here? What's going on?"

My breath was jagged. I had no idea seeing everyone again was going to be this exciting. "I'm staying. For good."

"Seriously?" I nodded again, tears beginning to cloud my vision.

"But how? I mean we all talked to Taro, but I didn't think…"

"I'll explain it all later. Come with me! I still have to see Julia and Mark!"

He grinned devilishly. "You haven't seen them yet? I'm the first one? Am I the most special?"

There it was. I gave him a friendly shove and said, "Oh shut up."

He chuckled. "And that's how I know you're Chelsea."

We made our way back over to Verdure Island in front of Mirabelle's shop. I took so many trips here. So many times to just hang out, so many times to secretly talk to that boy I had a lame little crush on. I made so many journeys to Mirabelle's shop, but this was not meant to be one of them. I walked in through the front door, and scanned the room.

No one was in the main room, but the door jingled as Denny and I made our way through. We heard some feet clattering around in the back, assuming the reaction of the door was enough to startle them back to work mode.

"Sorry about that. What—" my eyes immediately made contact with Julia's baby blue ones. And all I saw was them instantly fill with tears. There wasn't even a smile across her face, more so just a look that she was going to bawl right then and there.

Which she did.

"Chelsea," she managed to squeak, before she ran up to me and pulled me into a tight hug. I squeezed her back, elated to finally be in her arms yet again.

"What are you doing here?" she muffled into my shirt between sobs; it was nice knowing that she missed me.

"I'm staying!" I finally managed to say. "I'm staying for good."

There was no other reaction to file out of her mouth other than a break of more tears spewing onto my shoulder and back.

"Julia, uh…" Denny tried to chime a word in.

"Are you kidding me Denny?" she flicked her head up. "I'm trying to be HAPPY HERE."

"Sorry, sorry…" I heard him back up.

I smiled to myself as she squeezed me harder, breathing heavily. She finally stepped back and looked at me, her cheeks stained with tears and her eyes puffing and glowing a light red. But when she smiled, I knew it was all right.

The journey continued to our final stop; Mark's. We went back again to Sprout Island to find ourselves at the Inn where Mark still resided. We made our way through the halls to find ourselves in front of the Inn room where we found ourselves only a couple of times. It wasn't too often we found ourselves here—after all, Mark would always visit the farms with plans in mind pre-my arrival—but the few times we were here, it always got intense. And it was about to happen one more time.

I knocked on the door, and waited. I felt like I was waiting hours, not hearing any movement, unsure if he was even home. Maybe he was at Natalie's. Maybe he was on a different island elsewhere…well, he was most likely at Natalie's if he wasn't here. They were probably getting ready to have a nice dinner just the two of them, preparing it in her kitchen.

And as my mind trickled into many "what if's", the door swung open, and there stood Mark on the other side. He glanced down at me, seeming startled more than anything. He stood there, a smile flickering as if he wanted to but he wasn't sure. Maybe it was because Sophia and I really did look alike and he wasn't sure which twin was before him now. But on either shoulder behind me I had Denny and Julia, and I would hope that at least that would've cleared the mystery. But I had to make sure.

"Mark," I sighed with a smile, "it's me. Chelsea."

"I…I know," he said back. "But…"

"I'm here for good," I reassured him. "The farm, it belongs to me. I'm staying here for good."

And there it was; the classic Mark smirk. "And do I have to call you Sophia?"

I breathed a laugh. And with the biggest delight, I shook my head, and said ecstatically, "No. Call me Chelsea."

With that, he stepped forward and pulled me into him. My face buried into his chest and I wrapped my arms around him as he did so with me. He pulled me close and I felt his headrest on top of mine. I felt so complete. It all felt right again.

I walked with them all, side by side, making our way to the Diner where Vaughn would be waiting for us. But as we were approaching, we saw a familiar figure walking in our direction that clearly had intentions to see only Mark. Because her face evidently fell when our eyes connected.

Before I knew it Natalie was standing directly in front of me and the silence was thickening. I knew I had to say something, because with a confused yet fiery look I knew she was waiting for me.

"Natalie…hi, it's me, Chelsea. For good. I think you've been explained everything that's going on, and I didn't know anything until I got here. I hope…"

"Chelsea," she sighed into a smile. "It's okay. We're friends."

And the last bit of weight that seemed to remain on my shoulders finally slid off and made their grave below my feet. Release.

I invited her to come with us to the Diner to which she happily agreed. So we finally set off to the Diner, and knowing that Vaughn, my boyfriend, was going to be waiting inside for me. And then it finally hit me that none of them knew what happened with us back while I was home. None of them knew he went to go retrieve me. And none of them knew that we were officially in love, and officially together. Things were about to get interesting one more time.

Denny pushed the doors open to the Diner for it to be relatively empty. Alisa and Nathan were in the back, and a couple of tables from the entrance there sat Vaughn, drumming his fingers on the white tablecloth.

"Hey, Vaughn!" Denny shouted, his face smiling wide. "Oh my Goddess…uh, Vaughn!"

He gave a curt nod to him. Everyone else seemed to be at a standstill of being unsure of what to do. And yet again, now was a good time than any to strut with some pride and give my friends yet another surprise.

"Guys," I smiled sweetly, walking past them. "I…have another surprise for you all."

"Shut up." Julia immediately said, her eyes growing wide. "Don't tell me…"

I placed my hand on Vaughn's shoulders, and he reached across with his other hand to intertwine our fingers a bit. I smiled down at him sweetly and he gave me a reassuring grin and a wink in return. I finally glanced up at my friends, and they were all smiling in awe and utter shock. They scrambled to get seats as we all sat together around the table, beaming smiles on everyone's faces; well, Vaughn's may not have been beaming but he had that smirk that I adored.

"So how in the heck did this happen?!" Julia squealed, excitement oozing out of her.

I was about to start talking before I was surprisingly cut off.

"I talked to Taro after you all did," Vaughn began to explain. I glanced at him, happily surprised, before he threw me a stare and another smirk, before addressing the crowd again. "I left for the city the other day and I told her that Taro allowed her back on the islands."

"No, we want to know how this happened," Denny clarified, smiling wildly. "What's the story!"

Vaughn sighed, and glanced over in my direction. He had done enough talking, I could tell. So I smiled.

"He came to my home and took me out. We walked around, we got some ice cream, and we talked a lot. And a lot about feelings. It all just sort of fell into place when he showed up. And then he brought me back here today." I purposely didn't want to talk about his parents—they didn't need to know that tidbit.

"What? That's so vague!" Mark nearly pounced.

I shot him a devilish grin before saying, "Well I guess I'll tell you more later then."

And we all couldn't help but smile and chuckle and giggle and laugh, knowing that I always told Mark everything in detail behind closed doors, and that Julia and Denny would later find out, and that the information would soon travel to Natalie and Elliot and Lanna as well.

The islands were a series of connected veins and nerves, every person affecting the last, every pulse flowing into another. We were all one body, and when something goes wrong, when something is foreign or removed, the body malfunctions. Taro was able to see that; he was able to see the pulse in the air had diminished, the nerves and the reactions were dulling; the lives were slowly weakening. I didn't want to take full credit for being the happiness on the islands, because Goddess knows that I don't provide the light that is in fact Sunshine Islands. But it's all a working part—some work stronger with other parts and some parts don't need others to function—but when you realize you're central to what was seemingly working, you can't help but find yourself back and realize that you're home.

At least, this was home for me.

A/N: To start off this author's note, I want to first apologize that this FINAL CHAPTER TOOK SO DAMN LONG TO COMPLETE. It's been such a hectic year for me (classes, leadership, etc.) and tonight really just felt like a perfect night for me to complete this. It had been started for so long but Goddess the relief I have now that it's not lingering over me anymore is wonderful. And over two years later, REFLECTION IS COMPLETE :)

Secondly, I want to thank all of you so much. Your dedication and loyalty to this fanfic have meant the world to me. I love writing about these guys and just in general; your generous reviews and critics have been nothing but a blessing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I'm not too sure what else to say here, honestly if I kept talking I'd probably just start thanking you guys a million times over. I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU ALL. Stay beautiful kids, and never stop writing. Even if you think you suck like I do. BECAUSE WRITING IS FANTASTIC.

LOVE YOU ALL AGAIN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOYALTY AND LOVE. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

x silhouette dreams x