Chapter 7: Ever After

Shinn locked the door of their house then made his way to the hill together with his and Lunamaria's children. Their son Shaun looked exactly like his father. He inherited his father's black hair and shiny ruby eyes. While their daughter Lia looked exactly like her mother except for her eyes for she inherited her eyes from her father. However, she inherited her mother's magenta hair. She looked like a miniature Lunamaria except for the length of the hair for she had longer hair than her mother.

Hand in hand, they made their way to the hill while singing a happy song. Their children are now two years old. It surprised Shinn how time flies.

Upon seeing the stone memorial, Shaun and Lia ran towards it. Shinn yelled at them to be careful but it seems like they were so excited that they didn't hear their father. Shinn just laughed at them, kids can really be a handful.

And upon arriving at the stone memorial, they said their silent prayers. He had this memorial made in memory of his family who died in Onogoro Island here in Orb.

"Mom, Dad and Mayu. Thank you for always looking out for me. I hope that all of you are resting in peace now. Thank you for all that you've done, I will never forget all the things that you've taught me. And now that I'm a father, I'll try my best to be the best father to my children. Please guide me in my journey to fatherhood. Thank you for hearing me out. Amen"

Then after that they heard a familiar female voice calling them.

"The food is ready!" she said as she waved her slender arms at them. Young Shaun and Lia quickly run to her and gave her a hug. Shinn followed momentarily.

"Mommy, can we play in the field before we eat?" asked Shaun and Lia innocently. The magenta haired woman gave a little laugh

"Okay then. But make it quick, okay?" she replied as she smiled at her children. The two nodded and went together on the field

Lunamaria stood there as she felt a pair of strong arms embrace her from behind. She smiled contently and turned around to face the love of her life. They smiled lovingly at each other and kissed. For them it was paradise just to be there with each other together with their children. They normally have picnics on the field on weekends.

Then the two of them sat down on the picnic cloth and began to eat. As he was eating, Shinn remembered the miracle that happened when his wife gave birth to their twins.

Flashback…

"Doctor, how is my wife?" he asked in a low tone

The female doctor just stood there and let him in the emergency room.

There lay his wife, with an oxygen mask and other tubes connected to her, slowly gasping for air. Just like Dr. Fujiara had predicted, she had difficulty in breathing. Thankfully they had some oxygen tanks in the emergency room.

He held her gentle hand and wiped the sweat out of her forehead. Shinn was so proud of her. Rey was right, she is strong.

"Honey, I'm so proud of you. You did this all by yourself" he said as tears streamed down his face. She wiped his tears with her other free hand and smiled weakly

"I didn't do this myself, you were there for me. I could feel you even though you're not here" she said barely awake

"Yes, you're right. Now it's time for you to rest, Honey. I'll be there with our children by your side when you wake up" he said softly. His wife nodded and soon fell unconscious.

"Your wife is strong, I'm impressed. There was a high possibility of her dying. But she made it through safe and sound" said Dr. Fujiara happily a she put a hand on Shinn's shoulder

"Yes, she is and she always will be"

End of Flashback…

Shaun and Lia came back a few minutes later, each hiding something on their back.

"What are you hiding there?" asked the couple curiously

"Close your eyes first" said Shaun. The couple did as what they were told

"Okay now, open your eyes" said Lia and when the couple opened their eyes they saw a flower garland around their neck. Shinn and Lunamaria smiled happily at their twins

"It's a present for Mommy and Daddy" said the twins as they smiled. Shinn and Lunamaria felt really happy and glad for having such sweet and caring children.

~~~*~~~

There they lied on the soft grass, looking up at the pale blue sky. They could hear their children's laughter as they played on the field. Everything was so peaceful like the sky above them. The married couple couldn't be happier.

"I never thought that a day like this would come. You and me peacefully living with our children. It seems like a dream that came true" said Shinn contently, still looking up at the sky.

"I always hoped that a day like this would come. And I'm thankful that I'm spending it with you" said Lunamaria happily as she looked at her husband whose eyes were shining like a bright star.

Shinn embraced her, taking in her scent. He had moved on from the past and looked forward to a bright tomorrow. He couldn't have done it without Lunamaria.

"I love you" he whispered into her ear lovingly. She gave off a little laugh before replying

"I love you too" she whispered into his ear lovingly. Then he captured her lips with his, feeling their love for each other as they kissed. They smiled at each other then returned to watching the sky.

He could get used to this. A peaceful life with his family, a dream that he thought would never happen.

"What will you do tomorrow?" asked Lunamaria all of a sudden, breaking him away from his thoughts

"Let's see… In the morning I will wake up beside you, kiss you and hug you tenderly, tell you how beautiful you are and kiss you once more before getting out of bed to prepare breakfast. And after that, I will take a bath with you and play with Shaun and Lia. In lunchtime, I will praise your cooking as our family eats together. And I will spend the whole day with my loving wife and kids. And at night, I will make love to you, and tell you I love you" he replied as he looked deep into her amethyst eyes,

"How about you?" he asked

Lunamaria gave a little laugh, her cheeks beginning to turn red. Then she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Shinn was taken aback by his wife's sudden actions and returned the kiss as passionately as she did. After a few minutes they broke apart, the two of them gasping for much needed air. Shinn knew what his wife's reply was, actions really do speak louder than words.

Lunamaria rested her head in her husband's broad shoulder as they returned to watching the sky. It was a past time that the both of them really loved. Because even after all that's happened, the sky remained the same. The sky was like telling them that even after all that's happened, you still have a future to look forward to.

Shinn looked at the woman beside him and smiled lovingly, it was like he was falling in love, endlessly falling in love with her over and over again.

Author's Notes: There goes the last chapter of Endlessly. It was really a fun and exciting journey for a first-time fanfic author like me. I'm really happy that even though it's my first time to write a story of my own, many people like it and appreciate it. I remember one night, tears suddenly fell from my eyes while I was writing. I think I was writing chapter 5 or 6 that night. Maybe I too was taken by my own story heehee... ^_^

First of all I would like to thank all the fanfic writers out there, especially CagalliYulaAtthaZala, AllenWalkerAddict and Yamilex7, for giving me the inspiration to write a story of my own. Your stories really inspired me.

And lastly to my dear readers, thank you very much for reading and supporting Endlessly up to the end. Special thanks goes to those who included Endlessly to their favorite stories, to those who included me to their favorite authors and to those who subscribed to author alert and story alert for Endlessly and me. Thank you so much (if only I could hug all of you right now n_n)

Endlessly is just the beginning and there are many to go, I assure you.

So I'll see you again next time. Please support the stories that I will write in the future and don't forget to review.

(*^o^*) Peace out (*^o^*)