AUTHORS NOTE: Well this is the final chapter, and I have to say I am feeling quite pleased with myself that I have finally finished it!

I started this story along with a few others back in 2015, but since then with various things that have happened in real life I haven't had the time or inclination to finish them until now, so actually getting this to the point where I could start posting it at the end of last year was an achievement in itself, as with severe doses of writers block I was convinced that it would never see the light of day. But towards the end of last year I got a wave of inspiration and a new determination to finish what I started. After I got the inspiration last year to write the new stuff which I posted – albeit a series of very short stories and one-shots, (namely Baby Blues, Having the Last Word, Wilful Negligence, The Expensive Charlatan & A Christmas Miracle all in the FSOG fandom). I then turned my attention to the stories which had been hanging around for years and I finally managed to finish Inevitable Destiny? - another FSOG fan fiction and now this, so it appears I am on a roll! I still have three more stories which are hanging half done, a story for the SVM fandom, another Crossfire series story and also a FSOG/Crossfire crossover story so with this newfound returning enthusiasm for fan fiction I am hoping that this year I will manage to pull my finger out and finally complete all of those, so watch this space!

I also want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has read, followed, favoured and also taken the time to leave comments. Your support and positivity is humbling and very much appreciated. I was really unsure about this story as it is so very different from anything else I have ever written and so completely different from the origins of the Crossfires stories themselves, although readers of that series will see the seeds of the original storyline within what I have written and which I took and altered to make something completely different along with numerous nods towards FSOG.

So, here is the epilogue.

Enjoy!

EPILOGUE

Eight years later…

(EVA)

I am walking with purpose through the corridor of the depot heading towards the picking area. I am looking for my husband who I believe is down here somewhere. I no longer work down here in the picking department and haven't done for a while and if I am honest, I miss it. I miss the banter with the guys and the general atmosphere down here. But now I am 'one of them', part of the management. After strolling through my GCSE's and getting straight A's I took A' levels in English and Maths and I also completed a BTEC business diploma. Both of which I aced and I am now Gideons co-CEO. I had been astonished and more than a little bit scared when he told me what he was doing, I was expecting something in the administration or accounts department but second in command of the whole shebang… well shit! He said I was the person he trusted most to make decisions in his absence as I knew the company inside out and he said that he just knew I would make the right decision.

I had been shitting myself when I first stepped into that role, thinking that people would assume I only got it because of being married to Gideon. But I proved myself the day I went to the Bristol depot and helped to sort out a major issue they were having down there. I could've called Gideon and asked his advice but I didn't. I followed my instincts and I sorted it. It was the first time I had done a site visit alone and at first, I had argued against going quite fiercely. Not only because I had always just accompanied Gideon but because I didn't really want to spend time away from home and my family. But Gideon had looked at me and said he knew this was totally out of my comfort zone and he knew I didn't want to do it but he was relying on me and trusted me to deal with it as he had an issue to work out here and he couldn't be in two places at once. He had assured me that he and the children would be fine without me and promised me that if it wasn't absolutely necessary, he wouldn't be asking me to do this. After that I had just shut up and got on with it and although I say it myself, I was pleased with the outcome and after that I didn't doubt my abilities to do the job Gideon had given me to do ever again.

As I turn a corner I walk straight into a solid mass of muscle. I feel strong arms go around me to prevent me from stumbling and I look up into the beautiful blue eyes of my husband and I grin up at him.

Before I can think about it, I repeat the words which started our relationship all those years ago. "Oy watch where you are fucking going!" I say and I see the amusement on his face as he is now obviously remembering the first time we met and I said those very words to him. He throws his head back and laughs loudly before pulling me into him and kissing me.

"Don't, we are at work" I say as I push him away but he just holds me even tighter.

"I'll kiss my wife if I damn well want to. I'm the boss here so I can do whatever I fucking want" he growls in my ear and I smirk at him.

I poke my finger into his chest, "You might be the boss of Cross Industries but you are not the boss of me, mister" I retort and he laughs even louder.

He brazenly kisses me again, "And don't I know it" he mutters in my ear.

"I was looking for you" I say as I try not to be distracted by him as he still nuzzles against me. He pauses before pulling away and looking at me questioningly.

"Why? What's up?" he asks.

"The school rang" I begin and I immediately see a resigned expression appear on his face.

"What have they done now?" he asks with a sigh and I let out a small laugh.

"For once it's not Adam or Matthew" I say as I think about our sons.

Two years after I had Lily we had decided to try for another baby. I had said it would be nice to have a baby we had actually planned for rather than who just surprised us. We had got more than we bargained for with our identical twin sons Adam and Matthew, both named after Gideon's twin brother. They were hell chock from the moment they were born and we regularly get calls from the school about their latest misdemeanour. They are just like Declan – completely hyperactive and because they are inseparable, they egg each other on.

"No, it was the Comp calling about Maisie" I say and Gideon's eyebrows rise in surprise. Our thirteen-year-old daughter is now at the local comprehensive secondary school. She is so bloody clever it is unreal and the school is having difficulty in keeping up with her.

"What's happened?" Gideon asks the concern evident in his voice.

"They want us to go in when we pick her up, as they want to discuss putting her in for her GCSEs. She is doing work which kids who are fifteen and sixteen years old are doing and she is in all the top sets and so they are now working towards their GCSE exams and they obviously want Maisie to sit hers too" I say.

I see Gideon sigh, Maisie may be clever but since she started secondary school this has singled her out as different and in secondary school different is bad and it has made her a target for bullies who are jealous of her abilities. Thankfully her fifteen year old 'Uncle Declan' has been keeping an eye on the situation and stepping in and dealing with the bullies accordingly, and at one point he even drafted in Reece to help who at eighteen is now in his final year at school after the education rules were changed and all kids have to stay in compulsory education until eighteen rather than sixteen now. Bullies don't like people who are bigger than them and when they realised that Maisie was related to Reece who as an accomplished sportsman is tall, fit and muscular and who wouldn't hesitate to protect his niece, the majority of the bullying had stopped. There are still a few issues mainly with a group of catty girls who think it's ok to push Maisie around, so Declan, bless his heart has taken on the role of bodyguard to Maisie and during breaks doesn't leave her side.

"Ok, that's fine" Gideon says with a shrug.

Despite our wealth and the fact that has increased over the past few years, we are still down to earth and grounded, we still live in our home on Primrose Hill Road even though it is bigger now after Gideon got his extension built. We both leave work early to do the school runs and we rely on family for babysitting duties rather than employ someone to take care of our children. All our children attend state schools rather than have private educations. Although we did question if we were doing Maisie a disservice at one point when it became apparent just how astonishingly clever she was. She finds every subject effortless and she excels at English, Maths and Science. But the state school she attends is a good one, and whilst getting a good education is important, so is happiness and Maisie is a home bird and the idea of her going away to a private school just wasn't viable. Her ambition is to become a vet and I have no doubt that she will achieve that dream. Our hell raising twins attend the same Primary school I did and which Maisie did. Eight-year-old Lily also goes there and my suspicions about her were correct, she too is a clever little madam, and her main event is mathematics. She is basically a walking calculator and when she gets together with her older sister who is also gifted at maths it is a joy to watch them. Maisie is still a complete bookworm but Lily has never really been interested in literature, preferring music and the arts as hobbies.

My gran and granddad still live on the estate, despite Gideon offering many times to find them something away from that area. My mum and Vic took up Gideon's offer and they now live down the road from us and away from Primrose Hill.

We are disturbed by a voice calling out to us.

"Gideon".

We turn and see Del walking purposely towards us. He grins at me, "Hi Evie" he says before turning towards Gideon. "Listen, I'm sick of the carrier company. I've had it with them, so I'm going to find someone else. They have let us down four times already this week" he says and Gideon nods.

Del now runs the post room, he has made a spectacular success of his life since he came to work here and took the opportunity that was given to him.

"That's fine" Gideon says dismissively as he trusts Del to do the right thing.

"How's Hayley?" I ask and Del grins widely and fishes his phone out of his pocket. When he came to work here the attraction between him and Hayley was immediate and mutual and with a bit of match making from me and Gideon we watched as their relationship blossomed. Del had asked Hayley to marry him and at the moment she is on maternity leave after giving birth to their first child, a little boy who they called Evan.

"She's perfect" he says with a slightly dreamy expression in his eyes, he fumbles and calls up the latest photographs on his phone of Hayley and Evan.

I glance at my watch and realise its nearly time to leave to fetch Lily and the boys from school. "Sorry to interrupt but I have to go" I say as Gideon also looks at his watch.

"Alright, I'll meet you up at the secondary school in a short while then?" he says and I nod.

oooOOOooo

As I am waiting at the primary school for my children to appear I start thinking about everything that has happened. It is eight years now since Nathan was ejected from my life. To this day I have no idea exactly what happened that night or who was involved. All I know is Nathan is dead. The police came to question me due to the fact he had been released that day and was found dead so close to us. I had just told them that yes, I knew he had been released that day but hadn't seen him and that he no longer featured in my life. They had questioned granddad and dad as they were the ones who 'found' him in the park along with someone else who had been walking through the park and had raised the alarm by phoning the police. After the post mortem which ruled that it was a suicide after finding massive amounts of drugs in his system it was generally accepted that Nathan had been released and because he had been disowned by his own family and had been forcibly ejected from mine he had taken his own life. I am thankful that the police didn't really investigate his death too closely, but I think they were probably just pleased that they wouldn't have to deal with him or his anti-social behaviour anymore. Of course Gideon, dad and granddad knew different but I also knew that what had actually happened would go with them to their own graves.

I look around the playground, I don't really know anyone here now. All the mums who were here when Maisie was here have now moved on and a new set of mums have taken their place. Karen still comes up here as she has kids who still attend and we talk from time to time and she keeps me updated on Megan.

After Megan was released from prison, she left the area. She went to the council and applied for a transfer. So, if another home became available in another area or if someone wanted to move here, they could initiate a swap. Her kids were taken into care while she was in prison but when she came out, they were returned to her. Karen told me that she is still a trouble maker and still tries to split up people who have done nothing to her, so she hasn't really learnt her lesson; but now she doesn't go to such outlandish extremes to create issues. She just stirs and tells people things and then stands back and watches the damage she causes. I'm glad I'm no longer in her orbit and I just wish I had seen sense earlier.

I am pulled from my thoughts as the doors open and my two little hellions surge through them and straight towards me. I crouch and catch them in my arms as they begin to both speak at once, telling me what they have been doing today. A few moments later Lily also appears and we leave the premises and head to the secondary school to meet up with Gideon and to speak to Maisie's teachers.

When we arrive, I threaten the boys to behave and they both nod at me solemnly as we make our way inside. They look around with wide eyes and it seems to momentarily stun them into silence. But as soon as they spot Gideon, they rush towards him. He grabs them and whispers to them and once again they nod so I'm guessing he was also issuing dire warnings of what would happen if they started to mess about. He greets Lily with a hug and she shows him a certificate which she was awarded for good work in maths and I watch as he proudly reads it and congratulates her before telling her to put it away safely.

oooOOOooo

"So… you are ok with what's going to happen?" Gideon says and I pause to listen.

We are all sat around the table having dinner and as is our custom we are discussing our day.

Maisie nods at him, "Yeah, it was inevitable that I would do my GCSE's early. I mean I have been working towards them so why wait?" she shrugs and shovels another spoonful of pudding into her mouth.

"What then?" he asks and Maisie grins.

"Well, I was talking to the careers woman, and told her I wanted to be a vet and she said that after I had done my GCSE's I could make a start on my A' levels as I would need those to get into Uni to get the qualifications to become a vet. She said it was a tough career choice but she also said she had no doubts I could do it" she says proudly.

"What… what about the bullying?" Gideon asks carefully as he is obviously thinking that Maisie doing her A levels when the majority of her peers are not even ready to do their GCSE's is just going to draw more attention to her.

Maisie laughs, "I'll just set Dec on them. He has taken it upon himself to become my bodyguard so he tends to deal with them, but they don't really bother me anymore. I mean what they do is petty and really quite pathetic. I told them so and because they could see what they were doing was having no effect they wandered off on to someone else… it was the other bullying which upset me more, when they started getting physical". She stops speaking and looks down, concentrating on her bowl of pudding and as she does this I swallow hard. Knowing that it probably triggered long buried memories from when she was little.

"Well, if they do start getting to you, you must say something – don't let it fester and bring you down" Gideon says firmly.

Maisie smiles up at him, "Don't worry, I will dad" she says simply, before turning her attention back to her pudding.

"Kyle phoned me today" Gideon says after a few moments of silence and I look up in surprise and I smile as I think about my younger brother.

Kyle is twenty now and at university. He is following his dream to become an architect but his photography has also been noticed and he is making quite a name for himself as an accomplished photographer. He is incredibly close to Gideon who is funding his university education and he seems to look upon Gideon as an older brother.

"How is he?" I ask. I had been worried about Kyle going away to uni as he is such a loner but I needn't. He has just embraced it and taken it in his stride just like everything else in his life.

"He's good… he's met someone" Gideon says.

"Really?" I say in surprise this makes me incredibly pleased for my brother as he deserves to be happy. He had come out when he was seventeen. The first person he had told was Gideon and he had encouraged him to tell mum and dad. We had been there when he had told mum and she had just shrugged, hugged him and basically said 'and?' which had been a huge relief to him. Gran was of the same opinion, and so was granddad. I was a little bit surprised at dad's reaction. He had been shocked, and you could tell he was uncomfortable about it, but to his credit it hasn't altered their relationship too much, but there is a slight distance there now between them which wasn't there before and that is sad. Reece and Declan don't give a damn to them Kyle is just still their big brother, and as Declan bluntly and a little crassly put it, 'so what if you prefer dicks!'

Gideon nods, "Going to uni has been the making of him, he has really come out of his shell and he is embracing who he is, whereas before he tried to hide it. He is coming home to visit and he wants to bring his boyfriend with him to meet us" he says.

"That's brilliant!" I say brightly.

"When are we seeing Uncle Christopher and Uncle Ricky again?" Adam asks suddenly and before Gideon can answer Matthew pipes up with his own comment.

"Yeah, when? Why don't we see them as much as Gran-Gran and Grandad and grandma?" he says.

"Because they live in Manchester, stupid" Lily says and Matthew puts his head down and shuts up.

"Lily, that was unkind" Gideon says sharply.

"Sorry daddy" she mutters but Gideon shakes his head.

"It's not me who you should be apologising to" he says.

"Sorry I called you stupid" she says to Matthew and he smiles at her.

"It's ok" he says.

"That's better, and in answer to your question. Hopefully we will be seeing them fairly soon". I look up in surprise at that and Gideon smiles at me.

"Uncle Christopher is coming home on leave and grandma called me to say that she would like us all to go up to Manchester to be there when he does" he explains.

There is a chorus of cheers around the table at that news. Everyone is very fond of Christopher and we all worried when he joined the army. Thankfully though he has just been based in the UK after his basic training was completed and he has been living at various bases. At the moment I think he is at Catterick Garrison but I lose track. I know he speaks to Gideon when he can, they text and skype when they can and we follow him and his activities on his Facebook page. The whole family was there to see him at his passing out parade after he finished his basic training and became a real soldier. Ricky is a car mechanic and works in a garage up in Manchester and he also calls and talks to Gideon quite regularly, and Ireland is a mum!

That had been an interesting development, she had been seeing someone and things happened and the first we knew about it was when she had run away from home and come down to Stoke on the train and turned up on our doorstep. She had been petrified at what her mum and brothers would say, especially Christopher who hadn't liked her boyfriend from the start. Knowing exactly what she was going through, and knowing just how frightened she must be feeling I had sat down with her and talked everything through with her and then we had called Elizabeth who was absolutely frantic and we had sent her home. Needless to say, the boyfriend disappeared at the first sign of real responsibility and left Ireland holding the baby, literally. But she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and she called him Jason. She is doing well and she is a good mum and Elizabeth is helping her raise him. I also think Geoff is involved – as a family friend and nothing more. Although it is blatantly obvious that Elizabeth and Geoff still love each other, there really has been too much to overcome for them to get back together and make another go of it.

Elizabeth had told me that now she knew everything, she was able to forgive Geoff to a point. But despite that she was unable to forget and she said that she knew that she could never totally trust him, and if they were to try and make another go of things it would be doomed as she could not forget what he had done before. I guess I could understand that, after all Geoff had denied a mother her children for years. Ursula is still alive although is quite frail now after suffering a stroke a couple of years ago, and Gideon's Uncle Hugh… well he died. To his credit he really did try to straighten his life out but it became too much and his demons were just to powerful and in the end he killed himself, by taking an overdose of pills. Gideon had supported his father and much to my surprise had insisted on attending the funeral, but he said he was there for his dad, not his uncle and I was so proud of him for doing so.

I look around the table at my family, with a sense of contentment. I gaze at my husband who I credit with giving me a new life. I continually thank fate for the day I walked around that corner that day at the depot and straight into Gideon. As that chance meeting has given me so much. I look at Maisie, her life has also changed beyond recognition of what it was like before I met Gideon and as a result, she will be able to realise her own dreams and ambitions and I have no doubt she will make a huge success of her life. I look at Lily and then the twins and I smile. They are happy and content and will never know what it is like to struggle and have nothing and for that I am glad.

I realise Gideon is speaking to me and I give him my attention.

"Sorry… did you say something?" I ask.

He grins at me, "Away with the fairies again Angel?" he asks and I nod.

"Yes, sorry… I was just thinking" I say and he looks at me questioningly.

"Penny for them?" he asks and I laugh.

"I've told you before, my thoughts generally revolve around you and this lot so they are priceless!" I say as I gesture around the table.

Gideon grins back at me, "That's what I like to hear" he says.

Our meal comes to an end and everyone disperses to do their own thing. Maisie goes to her room and I know she is probably settling down with a book as that is her routine in the evenings. Lily vanishes and a short while later we hear music coming from her bedroom, while the twins head outside to play in the garden.

"Be careful with that football!" I shout as I see them kicking the ball around on the lawn.

"We will" they call back in unison and I stand in the kitchen watching them playing and enjoying themselves.

I feel Gideon come up behind me and wrap his arms around me and he presses a kiss to my neck.

"So, what were you thinking about at dinner, you looked really deep in thought? You weren't worrying about stuff were you?" he asks.

I shake my head, "No, I was just thinking generally about everyone" I say with a shrug.

"Well I can understand that as thoughts of you consume me, you are at the forefront of my mind every waking moment" he mutters and I smile.

I turn in his arms and wrap mine around him, "As it should be" I say with a grin and I press a quick peck of a kiss on his lips.

He looks at me with mock hurt, "Is that all I get?" he asks and I laugh.

With that he lowers his head and cupping my face with his hands he covers my lips with his and kisses me soundly. I hold on to him and I feel him press himself against me.

"Oh god will you two get a room!"

We pull apart and see Lily standing there looking at us with a look of disgust.

But before either of us can say anything Maisie appears. "Shut up Lily, it's nice to see how much they love each other, you wouldn't like it if they were arguing and fighting. We are lucky we have a mum and dad who love each other so much" she says as she joins us in the kitchen.

I see Lily consider that and it is at moments like this that I realise that Maisie has never really forgotten that early time in her life. Just the odd comments she makes now and again remind me that the memories of that time are just beneath the surface. I feel Gideon squeeze me and I know he is probably thinking the same thing I am.

Lily doesn't say anything but just goes and pours herself a drink before disappearing back to her room. Maisie lingers and after a moment she walks up to us and gives us a hug.

"What's that for?" I ask looking at my daughter warily.

"Just because" she says simply.

"Everything is ok isn't it?" Gideon asks her and she smiles and nods at him.

"Everything is just perfect dad" she replies.

I can't help but smile at that comment as I look up at my husband, yes… everything really is perfect.

THE END