Chapter 20 – Epilogue

AN: Well, here it is… the awaited Epilogue of "Summer Camp Nightmare". I have been writing this story for a long time and I really thank all of the people who have stayed with me and supported me ever since I first started writing it. This story has gotten the most reviews thus far, and it actually got over 100, which I am so proud of.

So please, would you just review one last time. It will not only be a parting gift from this story, giving me your last thoughts on it, but it will also give me the strength and motivation I need to write more…

I love all of you guys so much! You all mean the world to me.

I would also like to thank you all to the outrageous amounts of reviews that I got for the first chapter of "Fate Works in Strange Ways". Wow, that is a record of how many reviews I have ever gotten for one chapter. Hopefully it will remain constant throughout the story!

I love you all, and thank you for the support you have given me.

Xoxo,

Lar

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Troy's P.O.V

"Dada?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"Mama?" he said her name as a question. I laughed. Little Jacob was in my arms as we walked through the halls of East High. I was taking him to visit his mother on the last day of classes for her.

"We're almost there, J. Just a couple more steps." He nodded, clapping his hands in excitement. He was most definitely, a mama's boy. We walked down the halls, waving hello to the occasional staff-members and students who recognized us, before we finally got to the room we were looking for.

Room 345. The science lab.

Peeking inside the window, I saw the sight that brought a smile to my face every time. My wife, Gabriella, was standing in front of her class, teaching them, and sharing her love of science with them. The students were listening attentively, holding on to every word that was coming out of her mouth. And then I saw the second sight that brought a smile to my face.

Her hand resting on her 6-month-pregnant stomach.

This was Gabriella's final day of classes for this year, as she was now heading off on her maternity leave. It pained her to have to leave the job that she loved so soon, but neither one of us were willing anything to happen to our daughter.

Our baby girl.

When we got the news, we were both ecstatic. Gabriella was getting the daughter that she had always dreamed of, someone to share her womanly advice with, talk to really late into the night about boys, and form that cherished mother-daughter best friend relationship with. And me?

I was getting the little daddy's girl I could spoil rotten.

We already had a name picked out.

Savannah Maria Bolton.

The bell rang, signaling the end of classes for the day, and I opened the door to the classroom. Many students were crowding around Gabriella, handing her gifts and cards, and bidding their final farewells. She was quite the popular teacher. Then, as the same students headed out of the classroom, they waved hello to me and gave Jacob a quick tickle underneath the chin, a giggle emitting from his mouth. Finally, the classroom was silent.

"Hey you." I greeted, walking up to her and kissing her gently. She smiled.

"Hey." Jacob then gurgled, drawing attention to himself. "And hello to you to, little man." Gabriella cooed.

"Mama." Jacob replied, reaching his arms out in her direction. Gabriella scooping him in his arms, careful of the baby girl inside of her, and rested him as best as she could on her hip. His shoulder automatically fell on her shoulder, as had happened many times before, and she gently began rocking his back and fourth in a soothing manner.

"He's been waiting to see you all day. He missed his mommy." I told her.

"And I missed him. And you, of course."

"Who could forget about me?"

"Watch that ego, Troy. It could probably fill up this entire room." She said playfully. I laughed, changing the topic. Gabriella always got a kick out of making fun of me, and she was getting quite good at it.

"So, how was your day?"

"Eventful." She said, her eyes lighting up brightly. "The staff held a going away party for me at lunch, complete with pink pacifier cake."

"Why that's the best kind!" I exclaimed jokingly. She giggled, rolling her eyes, and then continued her explanation.

"Then, I have been getting tons of going away presents, so I hope you brought the van otherwise we may have trouble getting them all home. I know I'll miss work, but I'm glad that now I get to go home and relax with my family as I wait for this little one," she said, motioning to her stomach, "comes into this world."

"I'm glad to. And to inform you, I did bring the van." She laughed.

How addicting her laugh was.

"Well, we should probably get going. Today's the special day that we get to decorate our new daughters nursery." Jacob was now old enough to go to the room diagonal to ours, providing Savannah the bedroom across from ours.

"Yeah. Let's go." She said, grinning. Gabriella was excited about anything that had to do with the baby, including shopping for baby clothes, decorating, even baby-proofing the entire house, which I found to be a tad…boring.

Together we walked to our car, loading the trunk with the many gifts of Gabriella's, and headed off to our home.

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Back when I first met Gabriella, I didn't know what to think of the brown-haired beauty standing before my eyes. It was the first time I had become friends with somebody for who they were, not what social standing they were in.

When she transferred to East High, I felt my world was complete. I was overjoyed that the girl who had filled my thoughts for the last week of the holidays was back in my life.

And our relationship grew from there.

Fights were had occasionally, a big one resulting a break up in the summer, but we always managed to get drawn back to one another. Then, we were hit with Hurricane Daniel.

I can honestly say, there were times I didn't think I would ever see Gabriella again during those terrible days. Countless hours were wasted away thinking about how I would ultimately react to the news that Gabriella was gone forever.

However, these thoughts were pushed aside, and the thoughts of hope, faith and belief filled my mind. I also had moments where I knew she was coming back to me, and I clung to those.

And those were the ones that came true.

When Gabriella was finally safe in my arms again, I learned a whole new respect for her. I learned exactly how strong of a person she was. Nobody could have endured what she had to go through, and she was exceptionally brave to survive. Somewhere, deep in my heart, a part of me believed she would always make it out.

After then, our life was never the same. In a good way…

Our relationship strength quadrupled, and we became closer and closer together. We married a year after I proposed to her, New Years Day. The ceremony was private, only close family and friends invited, but we didn't mind. We were finally bound together, united as one, as we always knew we would end up.

Three years later, a gift from God was sent down to us in the form of Jacob Alexander Bolton. He was born premature, and many of the doctors predicted that he wouldn't make it. However, he struggled and fought through his first night, and is still here with us today.

And now, a year later, God was going to grant us a second gift, in the form of a daughter.

Our lives have changed dramatically since that first ever time we set eyes on one another. Then, it started out as a crush. That crush grew into a fondness of the person. That fondness grew into love.

That love was strengthened by our 'Summer Camp Nightmare.'

And from that love, our relationship grew into the strongest it could ever be, something that only came around one in a lifetime.

Something that was rare for a couple to achieve, but once it was achieved it was the most sacred part of any bond with a person.

Our relationship was now an unconditional, irrevocable, everlasting love that would never die out or diminish.

Our love would last forever.