This time I don't really wanna say a lot other than THANK YOU!

Now enjoy & review :)

Chapter 27: Does all end well?

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Roman asked through gritted teeth, his voice alarmingly quiet.

He couldn't believe that Seth really had the nerve to stand just a few feet away from him, his eyes going back and forth between Karo and Seth himself. Did he try to make another move on his girl? Were they...dating?

As soon as this thought had crossed his mind, he completely lost it. He pushed Dean away forcefully, moving towards Seth as fast as he could only to be stopped by Shannon who was brave enough to get in his way.

"Stop it, Roman. You're not gonna hurt him. You're not gonna hurt anybody, you hear me?" she said firmly, looking at him sternly and not backing off although he looked down at her with angry eyes.

"Listen to me Shannon, and listen carefully because I'm only going to say this once: You'd better get out of my way now or things are going to get ugly," he hissed, his breath shallow and his heart beating fast in his chest.

He would never hurt Shannon. He would never hurt any woman. But if she wouldn't let him pass, then he would have to remove her himself.

"Stop threatening her, Roman. Or do you wanna get in trouble with me as well?" Dean asked, trying to grab his friend's arm but he snapped it away immediately.

"What is it? What the fuck is going on? Are you on his side now?" he asked angrily, pointing towards Seth while looking at each and every one of them. "Is this why I'm here? So that you can tell me that you've all decided you wanna hang out with him instead of me?"

"Roman, nobody is going to..." Shannon started but Roman wouldn't even let her finish her sentence as he was still incredibly furious.

"That fool killed my baby. If it wasn't for him then my baby boy would be here with us now, he would be in my arms, in Karolina's arms. But he's gone. He's gone because this no-good son of a bitch thought it was fun to get into my woman's pants," he yelled, his blood boiling now. "Oh wait a minute...hey...I know what this is all about. Yeah, I get it. You've been hiding here, haven't you? Come on...spill the beans."

Karolina looked at Roman wide-eyed. She was shocked. Did he really think she would lie to him like that? She had been lying enough and she was through with it. All she wanted and needed was some space and time to herself so that she could think things through. And now he thought that she had been with Seth all this time?

"I don't know what you're talking about. This is the first time in more than four weeks that I've seen Seth. I haven't been hiding with him here. I was San Francisco. The whole time. I'm here because Dean wants to move out and I had no idea that either you or Seth would be here, so stop accusing us of things we haven't even done," Karo said before running a shaky hand through her hair.

She had been happy to finally see him again. But now she wished she would have stayed in California so that all of this wouldn't have happened.

Roman looked at her intently, trying to read her face but all he could see was sadness. Sadness he was responsible for. But he couldn't help it. He felt betrayed. He had the feeling that they were all lying to him. His eyes moved from Karo and stopped when they met Seth's. His former best friend. The man he had trusted. The man that had ruined his whole life.

"Fuck that," he suddenly said, shoving Shannon away and grabbing Seth by the collar of his shirt. "You're gonna pay now, Rollins. You're gonna suffer for every tear that I have shed. For every single second I felt lonely and lost. Say a little prayer, asshole," he screamed, wrapping his hands around Seth's throat and choking him.

"STOP IT," Dean yelled, trying to pull away Roman with all of his power but his friend kept fighting recklessly. "Leave him alone, Roman. For fuck's sake."

"Roman..." Seth tried to say but all he could do was croak. "Ro...please...stop."

Dean kept pulling Roman away, even accidentally suffering from a punch into his rib cage but he wouldn't let go. If he didn't stop him, soon Seth would be a bloody heap in the middle of his kitchen. And he sure as hell didn't want that.

"ROMAN!" Karo suddenly yelled, her voice firm and convincing. "Get your hands off of him. NOW."

After just a few seconds, Roman surprisingly let go of Seth, pushing him against the wall forcefully before finally turning away from him so that he could face Karo. He looked at her unsure with tears in his eyes. She didn't know if they were tears of sadness or anger. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was that he stopped hurting her best friend. Because that is what Karo still considered Seth.

"You need to calm down, baby," she said quietly, extending her hand to him and looking at him expectantly.

She didn't want him to be angry. She didn't want anybody to get hurt, neither mentally nor physically. Although she wasn't happy about Shannon's and Dean's plan just a few minutes ago, she knew that it was time for them all to find peace with each other.

"I can't...I..." he started but trailed off when she finally touched him, her hand clasping his and their fingers intertwining.

"Let's go into the living room. We have a lot to talk about," Shannon said, her voice a little shaky as she was still tensed up by the events from just a few minutes ago.

She had known before that Roman was angry but she had no idea that he felt so much hatred towards Seth deep inside. The atmosphere was still tense and she was afraid that once again all hell would break loose but she was happy that Karo seemingly had a calming effect on him.

In silence they all made their way into the living room, Roman's hand squeezing Karo's while Dean had an arm around Shannon's shoulder, once again making Seth the third wheel. Oh, how he hated that.

Karo and Roman sat down on the couch while Seth preferred the armchair, keeping a healthy distance between him and his former best friend. Dean and Shannon decided to keep standing as they were the ones that wanted to speak up first. They had been planning this ever since that phone call they had and they had been thinking carefully about what they wanted to say as they wouldn't want them to part ways without making up.

"Okay, here we go. We need you all to listen and I don't want any yelling, punching or whatever pops up in your stupid heads, got it?" Shannon asked, looking at each of them carefully and sighing contentedly when they all nodded their heads in approval.

"Perfect. So I guess you guys are mad at me and Shan for doing this but it's about damn time you all talk. Roman, Karolina, we're actually pretty sick of your whining about how much you miss each other. You need to stop being so stubborn and give each other another chance. You both are clearly in love and you need to work through this together as a team. It doesn't help if you keep hurting each other when you actually need the other one to make it through this difficult time," Dean said, surprised by his own smart speech.

"Damn right. Instead of telling me and Dean how much you love each other, you should tell it yourselves. We are all deeply saddened by losing Joshua but as harsh as it sounds, we cannot undo it. He's gone and we have to keep going, as much as it hurts. We have..." Shannon said but was soon interrupted by Roman who simply couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"You have no idea how it feels to lose your own baby. Don't tell me I need to live with it just like that," he mumbled, looking at her with hurt reflecting in his eyes.

"Nobody ever said that we know how you and Karo feel. We will never know how much it hurts. But do you want to keep going like that? Do you want to isolate yourselves? Cry yourselves to sleep? Is that what you want to do for the rest of your life, Roman?" Dean asked, looking at his Samoan friend expectantly.

Roman didn't know what else to say and simply shook his head. Of course that wasn't what he wanted to do. He wanted to be happy again. And he knew that he could only be happy with Karo by his side. But she seemed to be the one that wanted to keep going like this.

"Can I say something as well?" Seth asked, looking at Roman unsure and waiting for him to tell him off but surprisingly he remained silent. "Okay...well...so, I never really had the chance to explain myself. I've always been pushed away, you all have just kicked me out of your lives so that I wouldn't make things worse. But has anyone ever thought about how I feel?"

"Nobody cares about how you feel, Rollins. All of this is your fault after all," Roman huffed, clenching his jaw in anger.

"It's not, Roman. And you know that. You've told me just a week ago that you checked the Internet for more information. And what did you find? You found out that there are tons of reasons why a baby dies. It can be stress, it can be malnutrition but it also can be anything else. We will never know why Joshua's heart wasn't strong enough. We will never know why he stopped breathing. But you cannot blame Seth for all of this. You can't blame me, you can't blame Shannon and you sure as hell can't blame yourself or Karo," Dean countered, getting sick of Roman's behaviour as he was being unfair to their common friend.

"Go on, Seth. I don't think you were done," Shannon said softly, giving him a weak smile.

"Yeah...so...I just wanted to say sorry. To all of you. I...I have no idea how this could have happened. It has never been my intention to fall in love with Karo. Why would I? Roman, you're my best friend. Do you think I would do this on purpose? I wouldn't and you should know that by now. I've made a huge mistake. I've fucked up big time and I will never be able to make it up to you all. I haven't only hurt each and every one of you, I have also destroyed our little clique. I don't expect you to forgive me. I just want us to be civil with each other again," he explained, looking at them all nervously before turning his attention back to Roman. "I'm so sorry about everything, Roman. I hate myself for doing this to you. I wish Joshua was here with us as much as you do. I've been selfish. All I could think about was winning Karo's heart."

Roman was about to jump up and attack Seth when Dean immediately stopped him by grabbing his arm and looking at him sternly.

"I was wrong, Roman. I was hoping she would fall in love with me. My heart was breaking each and every time when I knew you were with her while I was sleeping on your couch with my fucked-up knee. I'm sure you've experienced something like that as well. You fall in love with someone who doesn't love you back. But I didn't want to give up, I kept going. But I lost. I didn't only lose myself, I lost Karo as well. And most importantly: I lost you as my best friend. I would lie if I said I don't love her anymore. I do, that won't change so easily and quickly. But I can promise you that I would never make another move on her again. I accept that she belongs to you, as much as it hurts me. But...please...stop hating me," Seth pleaded, relieved that he was finally able to explain himself and get everything off of his chest.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Nobody really knew what to say. It was especially hard for Seth as he expected someone to comment on his explanation. But they all remained silent for what felt like an eternity. Thankfully Shannon had the courage to speak up again after a few moments.

"Does anyone want to say anything else? We really need to clear the air," she said, her eyes fixing Karolina as she had been the only one to more or less keep silent.

"I know I should have told you about what happened between me and Seth," she started, looking at Roman nervously. "But I didn't want to hurt you. I was confused and I didn't know what to do. Now I know that it was a mistake to keep it all to myself. It wasn't fair and you didn't deserve to be treated like that. And I'm sick of blaming my hormones for all that has happened. It shouldn't have happened, no matter what. I can't say enough how sorry I am. I'm sorry for getting intimate with Seth, I'm sorry for keeping it to myself and I'm sorry for misleading you all. And yes, I miss you, Roman. I miss you and I love you. I want to be with you but I just can't get over the fact that our baby boy is gone."

She definitely wasn't done talking yet but she didn't have the strength to continue as tears started streaming down her face. It was hard talking about the past. Everything started replaying in her mind again and it killed her to remember how much she had hurt the love of her life. But not only him, no, she had involuntarily hurt Seth as well.

It took her a few moments to calm down, Roman's hand squeezing hers was helping her to relax a little more.

"And Seth," she continued, now facing him and looking at him teary-eyed. "I'm sorry for breaking your heart. I'm so sincerely sorry. I wish things were different between us. I wish I could love you just as much as you love me. But I can't. And I never will. What happened between us was wrong. We both know that. I don't blame you for anything though. I'm in this as much as you are. It's both our faults and no one else's. I...I just want my old life back. But I know it's not gonna happen."

Tears kept falling down her cheeks, making them puffy. It felt good getting all of this out without yelling and fighting. She could feel that Roman was still very tense but she tried to soothe him by drawing circles on the back of his hand with her thumb.

"We can make it happen, Karo," Shannon said quietly, choked up by the scene in front of her.

She was glad that both Seth and Karo finally had the chance to speak their mind. They all had to be honest with each other or this intervention was to no avail. And this whole thing wouldn't make sense if Roman didn't open up about his feelings and thoughts. All he had done so far was blaming and accusing others for his misery but she knew that deep down he felt guilty himself.

"Yeah, I'm sure we could make it happen. What do you think, big man?" Dean asked, directing his question to his Samoan friend who had listened to both Karo and Seth carefully.

Roman sighed heavily, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He more than once wanted to stand up and punch Seth in the face. He had no idea how much his friend was in love with his girl and it shocked him. He was sure that all Seth wanted was sex but he was wrong. He would lie if he said he understood where Seth was coming from, it still was wrong to try making a move on another man's woman, but it somehow calmed him down to know that he had gotten them all in this mess for being genuinely in love with someone. But that honestly didn't make things better for him.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. I mean...it helps to hear the different point of views and it makes me understand better why certain things happened the way they did. But I can't forget so easily that my son is gone. And I still feel that if all of this drama hadn't happened, he would still be with us. But yes, I'm not supposed to blame anyone. As you've said before, it's nobody's fault. Unfortunately things like that happen. I just hoped that it would never happen to me," he said, running a hand over his face before turning to Seth who held his breath nervously. "Seth, I can't forgive you just like that. You betrayed me like no one else has ever done before. You of all people tried to take away the most important thing in my life. How could you? I will never understand. I...I just...I don't know. I have no idea what you all expect me to do or say now. Because I sure as hell won't say that everything's fine. It isn't. And it won't be for a long time."

Seth finally allowed himself to breathe out again, relaxing his muscles when he realized that Roman would probably not beat the living shit out of him anymore. Thankfully.

"Well, I can only speak for myself but what I expect is for us to be a team again. No more fighting, no more threats. I know you guys might have a difficult time getting back to where we have been before but come on boys, we're the fucking Shield," Dean said, a small smile spreading across his face when all of them chuckled quietly.

"Dean's right. I mean, I would say bros before hos but uhm...that would be stupid, right?" Shannon said, giggling at her own stupidity. "But seriously, I think that forgiving might be difficult, but I'm sure that time heals all wounds. The question is what you all expect. What do you want? What do you want and need to happen?"

Shannon looked from Seth to Roman and stopped when she saw the hesitance that was readable on Karo's face. She nodded at her, signalling her to go for it or else things would remain this awkward.

"All that I want is the love of my life and my best friend back. All I want is us to be the invincible team again. We went through thick and thin. I miss that. I miss you all," she confessed, not having the courage to look into Roman's eyes after saying that she wanted Seth back in her life.

"Karo, I'm not sure I can handle you being that close to Seth again," Roman admitted, sighing heavily and once again squeezing her hand.

"Nothing will happen, man. I promise," Seth chimed in, trying his best to convince his former best friend that they needed to trust each other again.

"You've told me that before, Rollins. Look where we are now," Roman countered, shooting him a death glare.

"I know that, ok? I fucking know it. How many times do I need to apologize?" Seth asked, sighing heavily before asking the question that had been on his mind ever since the moment Roman stepped into the kitchen before. "What are the rules?"

They all looked at Seth confused. Rules? What kind of rules was he talking about?

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, being the first one to react while the others still seemed to be lost in thought.

"I wanna know what I have to do to give Karo what she needs. She clearly wants us to be friends again. All of us. And I know that you want it as well. So tell me, what is it? What do you expect of me?" he asked, looking at Roman expectantly.

Roman took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly for a few moments. What he expected? He expected Seth to leave them alone so that they could live happily ever after. But if he wanted Karo to stay with him, then he needed to find a compromise with them.

"I don't want you guys to be alone again. There will always be someone with you when you're in a room together. No more concerts for just the two of you, no cuddling, no kisses. Nothing. And if you will ever lie to me again then I will rip you apart, do you understand me?" Roman asked, ending his little speech and glancing at Karo who seemed to relax a little.

"Clearly. Crystal clear actually. That's fine with me," Seth said, not knowing if the next move was the smartest one but he wanted to try at least. "Deal?" he asked, extending his hand to the bigger man who only looked at him suspiciously.

He stared at Seth's hand, not sure if he should really shake it. Could he so easily forget about everything that had happened? Could he forgive just like that?

"Deal," he finally said, taking Seth's hand and shaking it tightly.

He wanted to try. He wanted to see if things worked out. If it wouldn't, then they would have to find another solution.

Shannon and Dean looked at each other contentedly, happy smiles on their faces. Their plan worked out. All of their worries were instantly gone and they knew that the worst part was over. The most difficult challenge was for them to bring back together Roman and Seth. Karolina clearly wasn't the problem. She was the one who wanted both Roman and Seth back in her life and as far as it looked now, she would get exactly that.

"Thank you," she whispered, suddenly moving closer to Roman and placing her head on his strong shoulders. "Thank you so much, Roman."

"Shh, don't thank me. I'm doing this for all of us," he whispered, kissing her forehead softly before turning his attention back to the others again. "I guess there are few more things I would like to talk to Karolina about when we're alone. So...uhm...I think I need to apologize for being so aggressive. I...I don't know. Please give it some time. I'm afraid things will be a little difficult and awkward at the beginning but I think communication is the key in our situation."

"You're such a smartass, Reigns," Dean said, immediately getting his arm slapped by his girlfriend. "Ouch, what was that for?"

"You're an idiot, you know that? Roman finally opened up and you made fun of him," she scolded, shaking her head at him which made the others laugh.

"Okay...so...I guess we need to pack then, huh?" Karo asked, being the first one to stand up again.

"Pack what?" Dean asked, looking at her confused.

"Your stuff?" Seth more asked than said, also getting up and frowning at his short-haired friend.

Shannon and Dean just looked at each other and started bursting out laughing in a matter of just a few seconds.

"You really thought I would fucking move? Damn, you really are some dumbasses," he chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

"Go fuck yourself, Ambrose," Roman grumbled, being annoyed that he had been tricked by his friends but he had to admit that their plan was a pretty good and clever one. They have accomplished that they were indeed making up again. One way or another.

"Uhm...so, where are we staying for the night?" Karo asked unsure, looking around worried when she noticed that Dean's place was definitely not big enough for five people.

"Yeah, I don't think I wanna crash on that couch," Roman said, pointing to the couch with a disgusted look on his face which made Karo giggle.

"You ungrateful wretches," Dean mumbled, rolling his eyes at his friends and pulling a goofy face. "Whatever. You guys wanna stay in a fancy hotel? I guess the Marriott should do. At least we have some alone time here then."

"Uhm...I thought we would stay at a hotel as well," Shannon said, looking at him expectantly and raising an eyebrow. "I sure as hell won't spend the night with you on a bed where you've probably fucked half the city."

They all started laughing heartily at the expression on Dean's face and even he had to join their laughter after a few moments. And it felt good. It felt good to finally enjoy spending time with your friends again without fearing one of them to freak out and beat the other to death.

And hopefully it would stay like that from now on.

...

"Alright, let's meet for breakfast tomorrow, ok?" Dean asked, helping Roman, Karo and Seth to get their suitcases out of the trunk of his rental car.

Together with Shannon he had decided to stay in his apartment after all while the other three would get rooms in the Marriot. She had insisted on changing the bed sheets though.

"Sounds good. I'll give you a call when I'm awake," Roman replied, hugging his friend quickly. "Thanks Dean."

Dean simply nodded his head, happy that he was able to make things easier for their clique again.

Both Seth and Karo said their goodbyes to Dean as well before he drove off, leaving the other three alone which would be the first test to their newly found friendship. They made their way into the hotel in silence, none of them sure what to say or what to do as they didn't want to ruin what they had just accomplished. It was a hard way getting there and they didn't want to fuck up again just yet.

"So...uhm...shall we book singles rooms then?" Roman asked quietly, looking at Karo unsure while Seth was already checking into a singles room himself, not hearing what his friends were talking about and Roman sure as hell didn't want Seth to know about his insecurities.

"Don't be ridiculous, Roman. Let's share a room," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

It would be the first time since the day Joshua was born that they would deliberately spend a night together in one bed. Although they had stayed together in their house for a week after the drama happened, they had never really been close to each other again as Karo had always been shutting down.

Roman sighed in relief, happy that he could finally hold his girl in his arms again, falling asleep next to her. He had suffered from insomnia ever since she had left him and he was sure that now he would for sure be able to sleep again as long as she was lying next to him.

"Okay, guys...I...uhm...I'll call it a night then. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night," Seth said, swallowing hard and looking at Roman nervously.

He had no idea how to react. Should he work up the courage to do the fist-pump thing he had always done with Roman or even hug him? What about Karo? Should he even touch her at all?

"Good night, man. I...uhm...I hope we'll make it work," Roman said quietly, lifting his hand and putting it into a fist, raising his eyebrow at his friend and smiling weakly when Seth copied his movement and pumped his fist against his.

He glanced at Karo afterwards, nodding at her briefly and giving her a shy smile before quickly turning around so that he could make his way to the elevators. He had decided not to get too close to Karo as it was still a sensitive subject for Roman and he really didn't want to provoke a confrontation again.

After another ten minutes, Roman and Karo had finally checked in and arrived at their room, immediately putting their suitcases into the far corner next to the closet before both sitting down on the edge of the king-sized bed, looking at each other nervously.

"If there is anything else you need to tell me, then do it now please," Roman said after a few moments, breaking the uncomfortable silence that was between them.

Karo honestly had no idea what he expected her to say now. He already knew about everything that had happened. She had apologized hundreds of times. But she also understood that he was still unsure. He was afraid to lose her and he didn't want anything like that to happen again.

"All I want to say, and I'm sure I've said this time and time before, is that I love you. You're the only one I want to be with. Maybe it was wrong leaving you. Maybe I should have stayed with you so that we could make it through this difficult time together. I was selfish. But you were as well. You can't deny it. On one hand I understand why you acted the way you did, but I needed Seth in my life and you took that away from me. I accept your rules. I'm absolutely fine with them. But don't ever take something away from me again. It's a lot to ask for you to trust me again, but I hope one day you will. You're all I want and need in my life, Roman Reigns. You and only you. I need you by my side. We both need to come to terms that our baby boy is gone. There are days when I tell myself that it's not worth fighting anymore. But I can't do that," she said, single tears streaming down her face.

She wanted to keep talking but she started sobbing uncontrollably, giving Roman the time to speak up after wrapping his arms around her.

"You can't do what?" he asked, running his hand through her long blonde hair and kissing the top of her head softly.

"I just wish I wasn't here anymore. I wish I could be with him. There are some days when I simply don't wanna live anymore," she admitted honestly, the tears not stopping to fall down her cheeks.

"Baby, don't say that. Don't! I'm here for you. I'll never leave your side again. Please don't hurt yourself. Listen babygirl, you need to promise me not to do anything stupid," he demanded, his heart beating fast in his chest when he realized just how broken she was.

"I won't. I promise. I couldn't even. As much as I wished I could, I wouldn't be able to do it. But Roman, I need help. I can't do this on my own," she confessed, pressing her face against his well-toned chest, wetting his shirt with her tears.

"Shh, it's okay. We'll find somebody to help us. You and me. I won't let you do this alone. We can do this together. We're a team, babygirl," he replied, hugging her even closer to him, inhaling her scent deeply.

He had missed her. He wasn't sure how he was able to be without her for such a long time. She was everything he wanted and needed and without her he was nothing. He was lost. He would never let her go again. Nobody would ever tear them apart. Not Eve, not Drew and not Seth. He would probably give her a hard time at the beginning, he still needed to learn how to trust her again but he would try everything in his power to make this work.

"I've been a dick, Karolina. And I'm sorry for making things difficult for you. My pride was hurt. And you will never know how betrayed I felt and still feel. Something like that had happened to me before. My ex-girlfriend cheated on me with my former best friend. Everything bubbled up again. But this time it was even worse. You were pregnant. I mean...come on...it was more than just a casual relationship we were having. We were going to be parents," he explained, letting her know how he felt deep inside.

"We are parents, Roman. I know Joshua isn't here with us physically but he will always be here with us in our hearts," she whispered, placing her hand on his chest right where his heart was beating steadily underneath his skin.

"I know. I know he's always here with us," he sighed, moving slightly so that he could lift her chin with his index finger. "I love you, Karolina. I love you like I've never loved anyone else before. Please don't ever do this to me again."

Karo swallowed hard, licking her suddenly dry lips before giving him a weak smile.

"I'll be yours forever," she said huskily, sitting up straight so that she was almost eye-level with him.

She looked deep into his eyes, moving closer to him while slowly closing the distance between them, her nose touching his, his breath on her skin. Her hand was still resting over his heart and she could feel how it started beating faster, he seemed to be just as nervous and excited as she was.

After what felt like an eternity, their lips finally touched and it was as if somebody had lit up fireworks. They both had put so much love and passion into that kiss that Karolina felt as if she was flying. His lips felt perfect on hers, they were soft and plump. She had missed that. She had missed feeling him and tasting him.

This was where she belonged. In his arms, lost in a passionate kiss, his hands cupping her face, pulling her even closer. She didn't want this moment to ever end again. She wanted to be in his embrace forever, not letting him go again. But he gently broke the kiss after what felt like ages, looking at her intently and staring into her big blue eyes which made his heart almost explode in his chest.

"I will never let you go again, babygirl. I love you, more than you will ever know," he panted, once again pressing his lips onto hers before continuing. "And I know one thing for sure: Justice will definitely prevail."

...

THE END (for now)

(Please see a little EPILOGUE below my "Thank you post")

Nobody will ever know just how much it kills me to end "Will justice prevail?!". When I started writing the original story "Please protect me from injustice", I had no idea I would ever be so successful with my writing.

You all have always encouraged and supported me throughout this story and I can't thank you enough. I know this story has been a rollercoaster ride. There were happy moments, but also very sad moments. But you kept reading. And that means a lot to me.

I especially want to thank the following people:

pezziecoyote, ShannonTheAwesomeOne, mrsrkoshield, melzabelza, Insane Cali Gurl, Shannon5288, benova13, DeeMarie426, CheekyClaudine, angelsdee327, DaShadowAngel, princessreigns, rrsexybeast, anonymous173, Lilygirl95, UntilNeverDawns, LindaPipeBomb, StormyCrown, soagirlforever, Cookie D, AngelsDestiny22, Pinayprincesa, 6, randyse, StoryLover82, BatmansApprentice123456788, charmedbyortonbarrett, ItsGbruhh, kitkat1488, Emmettluver2010, girlacrossthestreet, , AnnieM, Bambi, Nemesis109, Wweforever70 and everyone else that has reviewed or given me feedback. YOU ARE AMAZING! (I hope I didn't forget anyone)

PLEASE NOTE: This is not the end for Karolina and Roman. And it sure as hell isn't for Dean and Shannon. There will another sequel which will probably start next week. So keep your eyes open and watch out for another story called "Justice has been served."

...

EPILOGUE

Karolina looked at herself in the mirror critically and frowned. Although she had been working out like a maniac the last couple of months, she still had the feeling that she looked fat. She would never want to understand that it was simply in her genes to be a little chunky.

"Wow, you look gorgeous, princess," Dean said, appearing behind her out of nowhere and startling her slightly.

"God, you scared the living shit outta me," she complained, turning around and lightly slapping him. "And no, I don't. I wish I would have ordered it a size bigger. I can hardly breathe."

"Oh shut up, Karo. You look absolutely stunning," Shannon chimed in, seemingly having followed Dean into the room Karo had been hiding in for the last 30 minutes.

Although everybody had doubted that they would still be a couple by now, Dean and Shannon couldn't have been happier. They had both finally found the missing piece to their puzzle and despite fighting often for nothing, they always knew how to make up. In Dean's opinion, sex was always the solution to every problem.

"You're just saying that so that I don't start crying and fuck up my make-up," she said, giggling when Dean rolled his eyes at her theatrically.

"If you ever say that again, I'm gonna have to spank you so hard until you start begging me to stop," he threatened, rubbing his hands together and chuckling evilly.

"What if I would like that?" Karo countered, giggling when Shannon scoffed and playfully pouted her lips at them.

"Hmm...you might as well wanna spend the night with me then today, babe," he said, winking at her with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Alright...okay...stop it now you two," Shannon said, trying to sound angry but she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She was happy that things were back to normal. It took them more than a year to be where they had been before, and Roman was still cautious when it came to leaving Seth and Karolina alone, but everything seemed to run smoothly again.

It was unbelievable that she had been dating Dean for almost two years now. He was the man she had always been looking for and she never wanted to be without him ever again. He was the one who sometimes told her when to shut up. She needed that or otherwise her big mouth would get her in trouble.

But this wasn't about her and Dean today. It was about Roman and Karolina. Never would Shannon have thought that they were now standing here. After all the trouble with Seth and Joshua's death, she wasn't sure if they would ever be the couple again they had been before. But they were more in love than ever.

After more than two years, the day had finally come and she was probably just as excited as Karo was.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door, opening it slightly only to peek the head into the room. It was Karo's dad who had a huge smile on his face.

"Are you ready to walk down that aisle, sweetheart?"