Fear the Night
The Epilogue

The Epilogue

“Maverick! Maverick!” Isabella called, a grin plastered across her face, an envelope in her hand as she ran from the hotel lobby, up the stairs and into one of the rooms. When the door opened to reveal Maverick with a frown of wonder, she threw herself into his arms, her own wrapping around his neck as he grunted from the impact. She stood back and before he could ask what she had called him for, she held up an envelope in front of his face as she still grinned.

“Read it!” she urged, shoving it into his hand and he chuckled at her urgency then held it up with a smirk, noticing the ripped edge of the envelope.

“Couldn’t wait for me?” he smirked, playfully. “It’s addressed to both of us.”

“Just read it!” she replied, shoving him toward the bed as he laughed and she shut the door before hurrying to sit with him, bouncing in her seat and making the bed shake as well.

“Who’s it from?” he asked, pulling a card from the envelope.

“You’ll see!” Isabella grinned, her eyes glued the card then she looked at him with wide eyes, waiting for his reaction. He scoffed and shook his head at her as he opened the blank white card and read what was inside. It said:

Hey Mave, Izzy,

Natalie and I are getting married and we want you to be our best man and maid of honor. Write back soon.

Yukio

“It’s about time that kid did something with her!” Maverick laughed. “So the Greenhorn and the Little Heiress are getting married and they want us in the wedding?” He looked at Isabella who stared back at him, silently pleading with him to say they could go. “I guess I don’t need to ask if you wanna go. It looks like we have no choice to accept.”

Isabella let out a squeal of delight and threw herself at him again, making Maverick laugh as he caught. She suddenly gasped and pulled away in worry making him frown in wonder.

“Unless you don’t want to go?” she breathed. “Don’t go if you don’t want to. I know you couldn’t stand---”

“That was a while ago, Bell,” Maverick assured her. “We’ve been away long enough. Besides, after two years, I’d like to see how much the place has changed.”

Isabella smiled and kissed his cheek before asking, “Shall we write back and tell them we’ll be there?”

“We’ll do one better,” Maverick smirked, making her frown in wonder. “Get packing. We’ll get going now. I’m sure Natalie will be itching to talk flowers and dresses with you.”

Isabella gasped with another grin and hugged him again before moving to scramble off the bed to pack, but he gripped her wrist and pulled her back toward him, making her fall onto her back on the bed. He leaned over her and planted his lips to hers making her giggle and kick her feet against the mattress and when he pulled away they only grinned at each other.

“You don’t have to start packing right this minute, Bell,” he murmured, making a trail of kisses from the corner of her mouth to her earlobe to nibble at it.

“You’re wicked, Maverick,” she giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“And you are gorgeous,” he retorted against her ear.

“You’ve been saying that since we got married,” she smirked back as he slid his arms around her waist and held her close.

“Actually, I said it before we got married, and it’s still true,” he grinned against her neck.

“Let’s hope Yukio and Natalie think the same way of each other as you and I do,” Isabella smiled and Maverick growled as she pulled away and sat up.

“You always have to ruin the mood!” he wondered as she slid off the bed and headed to the closet.

“Because if it were up to you, we’d stay in bed all day,” she still smiled. “And we have things to do and places to go.”

“Fine,” he groaned, sitting up and watching her pull their suitcases from the closet to set them on the bed. “How about after we pack?”

Isabella smirked back at him and murmured, “We’ll see.”

Maverick gave a sly smirk of his own, knowing exactly what that meant: Count on it.

“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“”“The couple waited outside the Keith mansion after ringing the bell and Isabella grinned at Maverick every once in a while, making him smile back at her excitement. They both turned to the door when it opened to reveal a red-headed girl with wide sky blue eyes in surprise, full lips curving into a smile.

“Bella!” Natalie grinned and hugged her tightly before turning to Maverick and hugging him as well. “Come in! Let me get Yukio!”

She led the couple into the mansion, their bags in their hands. Natalie hurried off somewhere then came back dragging Yukio with her.

“Izzy!” Yukio grinned, running toward her and hugging her tightly. “Thank God you’re here! Natalie’s been doing nothing but talk about girly wedding stuff since we got engaged!”

“Aren’t you the groom?” Maverick smirked as Yukio came up to him while the girl’s immediately started chatting to each.

Yukio glared at Maverick and muttered, “Just give us an excuse to get outta here.”

“I haven’t seen Joshua yet,” Maverick replied. “You wanna come with me for a visit?”

“Yes!” Yukio replied, quickly and after telling the girls where they were going, he picked up Isabella’s bags as Maverick still had his and headed out of the mansion.

“So, where’d you guys go?” Yukio asked as they walked down the street.

“Here and there,” Maverick shrugged. “Mostly the Orient. Thanks for inviting us, kid. Congratulations.”

“Thanks for coming,” Yukio replied. “Nat and I were wracking our brains trying to figure out a way to get you guys back here.”

Maverick laughed and Yukio jerked his head toward a turn, making the other man stop and frown.

“He didn’t write you?” Yukio wondered, stopping as well with a frown of his own. “He found a pad in town. He lives there with a roommate to help him pay rent.”

“He didn’t tell me,” Maverick replied, somewhat astonished as he followed the younger man down the street.

“He probably meant to,” Yukio shrugged. “Ever since the Revolution he’s been busy with his practice. Doctoring and nursing came back last year. There aren’t as many Suits as before. Even the sun around here is brighter! It’s changed a lot here.”

“And the Drones?” Maverick asked. “What happened to them?”

“There’s still a few,” Yukio replied. “But we outnumber them, fifty to one. They leave us alone, well enough, though. Some of them couldn’t be helped. Still, the people here have set aside their fear and helped those that could be cured.”

“That’s good,” Maverick nodded. “This place really has changed a lot.”

“Some people were asking about you,” Yukio reported, still walking. “They were looking for you to elect you President.”

Maverick gave a hearty blast of laughter then said, “Can you imagine me as president?!”

“Nope,” Yukio chirped. “That’s why I said I didn’t know where you were.”

“Good,” Maverick replied. “I’ll take care of anybody who recognizes me.”

Yukio nodded then stopped at a door and knocked. Joshua opened it and his eyes landed on Maverick immediately.

“‘Bout time you came back, boy,” he smirked.

“Ya got somethin’ to say about it, old man?” Maverick shot back with a smirk, noticing the bit of silver growing into the doctor’s auburn hair.

“Come in,” Joshua entreated. “There’s someone you should meet.”

He stood aside to let them into his pad and Maverick stepped in first with a frown but he stopped dead as Yukio stepped in after him.

There was a man sitting in an armchair across the room, his caramel, amber eyes shining through strands of dark brown hair. He smiled, slowly up at Maverick when he saw him and stood up, smoothly as the younger man stared at him with disbelieving eyes and agape mouth.

“Well, close your mouth, son,” the man advised, walking toward him. “You’ll catch flies with a slack jaw like that.”

“D-Dad?” Maverick breathed, still staring at the man as he stood in front of him.

“Dad?!” Yukio echoed in astonishment and Joshua slid Maverick’s bags from his hands then ushered Yukio down the hall to give the father and son some privacy.

They stood and stared at each other for a few moments before Maverick finally sputtered, “W-When did…?”

“I came back, fully, a month ago,” his father replied. “I was hoping to surprise you. Did it work?”

“What do you think?” Maverick retorted in a breath, still in shock and started circling the older man. Mr. Fallon stood still as he let his son examine him. Maverick stopped to stare at his father’s face again, eyes still round as saucers.

“What do you think?” Mr. Fallon asked, lifting his arms up in presentation. “Do I look up to par?”

Maverick said nothing and instead of saying anything, he threw his arms around the older man’s chest and hugged him close, then muttered, “‘Bout time, ya old fart.”

Mr Fallon only smirked and hugged his son back, tightly. They stood there for a moment, neither one willing to let go, afraid that what was happening wasn’t real. Finally, Maverick pulled away, rubbing his eyes as if something was in them as Mr. Fallon only his tears flow freely while he smiled at his son.

“What’re you lookin’ at, dad?!” Maverick asked, irritably with a very small sniffle.

“My son,” he replied, simply and Maverick only stared at him a moment before smirking.

“And?” he wondered, asking through the one word what the man thought of his son.

“I’m proud of you,” Mr. Fallon said, his voice thick with emotion and honesty.

“Yeah, well, Joshua said you would be,” Maverick shrugged with a sniffle, making light of it outwardly, but his heart was swelling with joy.

“Are you leaving again after the wedding?” his father asked, wiping his tears away, quickly.

Maverick shrugged again and replied, “I don’t know. We’ll see---” He stopped mid-sentence then scoffed at himself as he realized he was going to use one of those phrases Joshua had made up a long time ago. “We’ll see where the wind blows. That’s all we can do.”

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