Chapter Text
“There are violets in your eyes
There are guns that blaze around you
There are roses in between my thighs
Fire that surrounds you”
After the arrest, Ashtray’s obsession with pinning Terrence and Gus to the LLCs sharpened into something relentless. Getting framed had shaken him more than he let on. The headlines alone were enough to scare off a few gym clients, and he could feel the rest keeping their distance. He couldn’t afford to let this stain set.
The thing that kept him up at night was the gap—the missing piece. He’d traced irregular deposits to an LLC linked to Gus’s company, but the paper trail was still just short of courtroom airtight. And Ash wasn’t about to move without being sure.
Fez knew when to step back and when to call in help. He might not be fluent in PDFs and databases, but he was fluent in people. So he made the call. Rue.
Lexi was staying over at her mom’s that night, movie marathon with Cassie. She didn’t know the depth of the shit they were diving into not yet.
Rue showed up in sweats, hair tied back messily, a laptop slung under her arm and a bag of trail mix in her pocket.
“Let’s crack this,” she said without preamble.
They worked for two hours straight, screen light flickering in the darkened room, Ash clicking between browser tabs like he was chasing ghosts. Rue tracked patterns in Excel sheets, cross-referencing grant numbers with board registrations, bouncing theories out loud while Fez paced and listened.
Eventually, Rue pushed back from the desk, blinking hard.
“I need air,” they said, rubbing their temples.
Outside, the night was still and warm, the kind of late-summer quiet that hums instead of speaks. Rue lit a cigarette with practiced hands and let the smoke linger between her teeth. She didn’t hear Fez come out—just felt him settle beside her, leaning against the porch railing like it was an old friend.
He watched her for a long beat.
“Your hair’s long as fuck,” he said finally.
Rue smiled faintly, brushing her curls back. “Yeah. I got a trim for the wedding, but it’s been growing like crazy.”
She let the smoke trail upward, slowly.
“It’s been a wild month. I’m too tired to braid it, and asking Maddy’s a toss-up.”
“I don’t envy you.” Fez chuckled.
“You ever love somebody so much,” Rue said quietly, “like… every version of them? Even the hurt parts? Even the parts they hate in themselves?”
Fez didn’t answer. He just waited, knowing she wasn’t really asking for a reply.
“She still carries it,” Rue continued, jaw tightening. “That history. It’s in the way she flinches at raised voices. In the way she says sorry before she even speaks. And I can’t fix it. I can’t go back and block every slap, every insult, every time he made her feel small.”
She blinked, fast, looking out at the streetlights.
“And it fucking kills me.”
Fez took the cigarette, inhaled slow, then exhaled into the night. “That’s love, bro,” he said, quiet but sure. “Wanting to fix what ain’t yours to fix.”
Rue blinked hard, knowing Fez knew exactly where they were coming from. “She thinks she’s gonna pass that shit down. And I keep telling her— we’re building something new. Our kid’s gonna grow up in a different house. Different rules. She believes some days but after that shit at the gym. Not really.”
Fez flicked the ash away. “She will. Eventually. It takes time.”
“You’re doin’ right by her, Rue,” he said, softer this time. “Just don’t forget to do right by you , too.”
Rue looked up at him then — eyes glassy, tired, but grateful. “Thanks Fez.”
He shrugged like it meant nothing. “Anytime.”
A pause. Then: “Come on. Let’s go burn these bastards.”
Inside, Ash sat hunched at his old desk like it was a war table, fingers flying over the keys. The glow of the monitor lit up the sharp edges of his face—jaw clenched, eyes locked in.
Fez leaned in. “You said the nonprofit was real?”
“Yeah. Real enough to get funding. Fake enough to wash money through.”
Rue sat cross-legged behind him, thumbing through a worn notebook filled with messy diagrams, half-written theories, and lines drawn between names like a conspiracy board.
“So it’s a shell,” Rue muttered. “Nice front, dirty backdoor.”
Ash nodded, clicking through a registry database. “Look—same EIN number across two orgs, but different board members listed year to year.”
Rue stood and moved closer, peering over his shoulder. “Wait is that Terrence’s name on that grant disbursement?”
Ash highlighted it. “Bingo. He got a payout right after the wedding. Like, days after.”
Rue’s notebook snapped open again, pen flying across the page. “Jesus…”
“Hold up—scroll up,” Rue said suddenly.
He did, eyes scanning line after line of grant disbursements from Second Chance Wellness Initiative.
““There.” Rue pointed. “That’s not a digital signature.”
Ash zoomed in.
The grant form was scanned—real paper, real ink. But the signature?
Not Terrence’s.
Not a board member.
Gus.
“Holy shit ,” Rue whispered. “He signed it himself.”
Ash blinked. “This dumb motherfucker…”
He clicked through more files, folders expanding like a trap opening its jaws. Over twenty forged grant acceptances. Three years’ worth. All tied to a consulting firm registered at an address Gus swore he no longer owned.
“He didn’t even try to hide it,” Fez muttered. “No fake name. No alias. Just… his own property.”
Rue moved around him, pacing now. “That’s misuse of public funds and wire fraud. That’s federal.”
“You think he forged the board vote too?” Fez asked
“Probably didn’t even have one,” Ash muttered. “He was the board.”
They stared at the screen in silence for a moment. Rue finally let out a slow breath.
“This is it.”
“We fucking did it.” Fez whispered.
“So who do we send it to?” Rue asked
“Ange?” Fez offered.
Ash looked at her. “Or we send it straight to the IRS.”
Rue raised a brow. “Ash, since when do you trust the government?”
He snorted. “I don’t. But I know how much they love catching someone richer than them.”
Fez rolled his eyes. “Nah. Let’s do Ange. She’s clean.”
***
Detective Ange pulled up slow in an unmarked sedan, her window already rolled down.
“I said neutral ground,” she said by way of greeting, voice dry but not unkind. “You two look like you’re planning a hit.”
Rue raised her eyebrows. “Technically, you could say it’s a financial one.”
Ash didn’t move. “You came alone?”
Ange gave him a look. “You think I’d risk bringing someone I didn’t trust around you after what you’ve been through? I owe your family more than that.”
Ash didn’t smile, but he nodded once. Rue stepped forward and held out the flash drive.
“It’s all there,” she said quietly. “Terrence’s nonprofit records, routing numbers, dates, forged grant approvals — and Gus’s signature. On state money.”
Ange’s brow furrowed as she took it, slipping it into her coat pocket without ceremony. “You’re sure it’s legit?”
Rue nodded. “We triple-checked. He was laundering public funds through nonprofits. Then re-routing them through a fake consulting firm registered under one of his shell companies. We even found wire transfers from Gus’s personal account back into that firm. That’s a closed loop.”
Ange exhaled. “Jesus Christ.”
Ash stepped forward now, voice low. “You move quiet. No headlines yet. We just need the feds to freeze everything. Make him sweat. Trap him in place.”
Ange gave him a look — impressed, maybe. “You want me to go federal, I’ll have to thread the needle. These kinds of fraud cases usually take months.”
Rue shook her head. “You don’t need to prosecute yet. Just get the financial flag up. You can say you’re reviewing a potential misappropriation claim from within the nonprofit. That’ll trigger an automatic hold. Gus won’t even know where it came from.”
Ange tapped the steering wheel. “You always this good at playing chess?”
“Only when it’s family,” Ash said.
Ange didn’t argue with that. “Alright. I’ll keep this sealed and off the record. You hear anything—he makes a move, calls in a favor, tries to liquidate—you let me know. But once this starts, it doesn’t stop.”
Rue looked over at Ash. He didn’t blink.
“Let it start,” he said.
Ange gave a short nod and pulled the car door closed. As she backed out, Rue and Ash stayed in the shadows, watching until the taillights disappeared down the street.
Only then did Rue finally breathe.
“He’s gonna know it’s us eventually,” she said softly.
Ash didn’t respond right away.
Then: “Yeah. But by then, he won’t have the power to do shit about it.”
***
Leslie didn’t wait for pleasantries. She stepped into the living room with her reading glasses still on, iPad in hand, hair pinned back like she’d been up all night. “They froze everything,” she said. “Gus’ personal accounts. The nonprofits. Two shell corps. It’s all on hold as of this morning.”
Ashtray sat forward in his seat, elbows on knees. “He know yet?”
“Not fully,” Leslie said. “But someone from his office sent a panicked message to the city controller an hour ago. He’s circling the drain and doesn’t even know who pulled the plug.”
Fez let out a low whistle from where he was propped on the couch, still healing but alert. “Shit.”
Lexi was quiet, her hand resting lightly on Fez’s leg. “Does this mean we’re safe?”
“No,” Suze said flatly. “It means we hit him where it hurts. But this kind of man doesn’t just disappear. He adapts. He threatens. He looks for leverage.”
Rue sat cross-legged on the floor near the coffee table, looking over her shoulder at Ash. “He won’t find any.”
Ash didn’t respond, but his knuckles were tight against the mug in his hand. He didn’t trust silence. Not from Gus.
“Ange said she’d delay filing anything official,” Rue added. “It’s all under the radar for now. No media. No blowback.”
“That won’t last,” Suze warned. “We’ve got maybe a week—two, tops—before he either figures out it was us, or someone tips him off trying to get ahead of it.”
Cassie hovered near the window, arms crossed, scanning the street like she expected him to pull up any second. “So what do we do until then? Just… wait?”
“No,” Lexi said, standing. “We prepare.”
All eyes turned to her.
She met each one — Rue, Suze, Leslie, Cassie, Ash, Fez.
“He’s going to lash out,” Lexi said. “But this time, we don’t let him divide us. No secrets. No deals. No trying to go around each other. We stay ahead by staying honest.”
Suze’s expression softened slightly. “We need contingencies.”
“We can get Gia and Lux out of the city for a while,” Fez offered, his voice rough. “Take ’em to the desert, maybe. Somewhere no one’s lookin’.”
Ash frowned. “I should be with them.”
Fez looked over. “You will be. Just not yet. You and Rue are still in the middle of it.”
Rue smirked tiredly. “Guess we’re the nerds on this mission.”
“I prefer ‘digital assassins,’” Ash muttered, cracking his knuckles.
Cassie finally turned from the window. “And me?”
“Can you stay with your sorority?” Lexi asked.
Cassie nodded.
Lexi walked over and sat next to Fez again, her voice low but firm. “We froze his money. Now we freeze his reach. Anyone he’s touched—cops, politicians, donors—we trace them. We cut ties. We box him in.”
****
The sound of keys clacked rapidly under Ashtray’s hands. A soft blue glow lit his face. Rue sat beside him, balancing a laptop on her knees, a trail of sticky notes lining the table behind them.
“I think I got it,” Ash muttered. “One of the nonprofits wired money monthly to a catering company that doesn’t exist. And guess who’s the silent owner?”
Rue leaned over. “Please tell me it’s not a caterer.”
Ash spun the screen. “It’s a city councilman. Same one who blocked the vote to reopen that domestic abuse shelter last month.”
Rue exhaled hard. “That’s our guy. That’s the connection. If we link that money back to Gus, the feds can hit racketeering.”
Rue typed in the name on Instagram and say that Michael was in one of his photos and followed him.
“Wow. This is Michael’s uncle. I guess we know his connect now.” Rue added.
“We already froze his stuff, but this?” Ash sat back, eyes wide. “This ain’t just freezing. This is permanent damage. This is fed-level RICO.”
Rue got quiet. “We’re gonna get people hurt.”
Ash didn’t answer right away. Then: “Yeah. Maybe. But not our people. Not again.”
Rue handed him her phone. “Ange said to send anything airtight directly to her burner. Use the code word when you send it. That way she knows it’s the one.”
Ash nodded and uploaded the files, fingers steady. When he hit send, Rue leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.
“That’s it,” they said. “We did it.”
Ash looked over at her. “Now we see how big the fire gets.”
*****
Lexi sat curled into Fez’s side on the couch, her fingers twisted in the hem of his T-shirt, like if she let go, the last few months might catch up and swallow her whole.
Fez phone vibrated.
Ange : Turn on Channel 2.
Fez grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
The news anchor’s voice cut crisply through the quiet.
“Breaking news out of Ventura County, where former nonprofit executive and political consultant Gus Howard has just been taken into federal custody.”
Fez stilled. The hand that had been absently rubbing her arm dropped.
Lexi’s eyes snapped to the screen.
There he was.
Gus. His hands were cuffed behind his back. A plainclothes agent read him his rights as flashbulbs went off. The angle was shaky — someone’s cell phone video from the courthouse steps — but the sound was clear.
“You’re under arrest for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and laundering campaign donations through charitable foundations under your control.”
Lexi blinked.
Fez whistled low. “Damn.”
The chyron at the bottom of the screen updated: FEDERAL INVESTIGATION UNRAVELS POLITICAL SCANDAL. HOWARD IN CUSTODY. MORE ARRESTS POSSIBLE.
Gus didn’t say a word on camera. Just kept his head high, jaw locked, eyes flicking once toward the crowd like he still wanted to control the narrative.
The footage cut to a live shot — Ange standing at a podium outside the federal building.
She looked calm. In control. Lexi almost laughed. Grateful, that a cop, of all people, had helped deliver the final blow.
“We received a series of anonymous files detailing misappropriated funds tied to several shell corporations and dummy nonprofits,” Ange said, flipping through a folder for effect. “A credible source linked the final transaction to a key witness who, tragically, was found deceased earlier this week under suspicious circumstances. We are investigating that death as a homicide.”
Lexi flinched.
Terrence.
Fez glanced at her.
“You good?” he asked, voice low.
Lexi nodded, but didn’t speak. Her heart was thudding too loud.
“He gone, Lex,” Fez murmured. “We did that.“
Fez pulled her closer, her head resting against his shoulder as the press conference wrapped up.
Finally able to relax.
****
A few months later.
Fez sat in the from of the sweat-stained gym. Lexi was beside him, hand resting on his thigh. The lights over the ring were too damn bright—hot, sterile—but he barely noticed. His eyes were locked on Ashtray.
Ash had been training harder than ever since Gus got locked up. Like he needed somewhere to put the storm.
Fez had seen that fire in him before—back when they were kids, scrapping for survival, no coaches, no bells, no crowd. Just instinct and rage. But this? This was different. It was channeled.
Ash stood in the corner of the ring now, gloves tapping against his thighs, mouthguard in, chest rising steady. Calm. Focused. His opponent looked older, broader—probably twenty pounds heavier—but somehow still in his weight class. Fez didn’t care.
That didn’t mean shit.
Ash didn’t win on size. Never had. He won on timing, on precision, on pure fucking will. He carried his rage like a loaded gun, but never let it go off by accident.
The bell rang.
Fez pushed off the chair and stood, instinct tightening every nerve.
Ash didn’t rush. He stepped in like he was stepping into fire—measured, eyes cold and calculating. That same expression he used to wear when they were younger, when shit was about survival. When Fez would tell him not to flinch, not to blink, just to move. Ash didn’t blink now.
From the crowd, Gia’s voice cut through:
“Let’s go, baby! Stay light on your feet!”
Fez glanced over. She was right up by the ring, hoodie stretched over her growing belly, the name O’Neil stitched across the front. Lux stood beside her, red headphones over his ears, hand tucked in hers like it was second nature.
Fez’s chest tightened. The kind of ache that crept in when you realized how far you’d come—and how close you’d come to losing it all.
His brother. That same kid who came to him by accident, who used to fall asleep with fists clenched. That kid was in the ring now, grinding.
There was more on the line than a win.
Ash slipped a hook and drove a shot straight into the guy’s ribs. Clean. Technical.
Fez let out a slow breath. Barely noticed Lexi’s hand finding his.
“Good, Ash,” he muttered. “That’s it. You got this.”
Next round came fast. The other guy came out frustrated, arms swinging wide, too much emotion. Fez narrowed his eyes.
‘Don’t take the bait, little bro’. Fez’s grip on his wife’s hand tightened just a little.
Lexi glanced up again, saw the way his gaze softened, then hardened again.
Ash didn’t. He stayed sharp. Pivoted left. Slid right. Waited.
Then—bang. One-two combo, quick as a blink, and the guy stumbled back into the ropes. The gym buzz shifted, rising. The energy changed. Fez felt it in his gut, like a wave he couldn’t stop.
“Go Ash!” Lexi hollered.
Gia’s voice cracked again, louder this time:
“It’s yours, baby!”
Ash didn’t show it. No smirk. No raised glove. Just locked eyes with her across the ring like she was the anchor holding him to Earth.
Then came the finish.
A hook that landed flush. The guy dropped like the truth had finally hit him—knees gone, eyes wide. The ref rushed in. Fight over.
The crowd erupted.
Guys from the gym whooped and whistled near Fez, yelling his brother’s name, slapping shoulders—but Fez didn’t move. Didn’t smile. He just watched.
He just watched Ashtray. Standing there in the ring. Breathing hard. Not hyped—anchored. And the first thing he did wasn’t raise his gloves.
He looked for Gia.
She didn’t wait for an invitation. She passed Lux to Fez and climbed under the bottom rope with all the confidence in the world, like she belonged in the ring too.
Fez smiled, small and soft.
Ash pulled her in with both gloves still strapped on, forehead pressed to hers like nothing else existed. She kissed him right there in the ring, slow and sure, hand resting over the new ink on his chest:
Liv.
Fez swallowed hard. He didn’t need to ask. He already knew—that name, that tattoo, that moment—it was everything Ash had fought for.
He lifted Lux without thinking. Ash turned and crouched, scooped him up one-armed like the kid weighed nothing. Gia laughed, wrapping her arms around them both like they were made to fit that way.
Fez felt Lexi press against his back, arms looping around his waist.
But his eyes stayed fixed on the ring.
On his brother.
You good?” she asked quietly.
He didn’t look at her right away.
Just nodded once. A breath slower than usual.
“He could’ve killed that kid.”
It wasn’t pride in his voice.
It was fear.
“But he didn’t,” she said, soft. “He was in control.”
Fez let out a dry, humorless chuckle. “That’s what scares me, Lex.”
Now he looked at her.
Eyes bloodshot, but clear.
Like he’d been carrying a weight so long he forgot it was there until tonight.
Lexi stepped in then, right into his space, arms wrapping around his middle. His body tensed—just for a second—then melt against hers, head dipping until his chin brushed the top of her hair.
“I used to think… if I could just keep him from turning into me, it’d all be worth it,” Fez whispered into her hair.
Lexi closed her eyes.
“And now?” she asked.
He held her tighter.
“Now I don’t know if I’m holdin’ him back or givin’ him a reason to stay steady.”
Lexi pulled back just enough to look up at him. Her hand found his jaw, thumb brushing over his cheek.
“You’re not holding him back,” she said. “You’re anchoring him.”
Fez’s eyes flicked over her face like he didn’t quite believe her—but wanted to.
“You sure about that?”
She nodded.
“I’ve seen what it looks like when someone fights for survival. And I’ve seen what it looks like when someone fights for something they love.”
He searched her eyes like he was afraid she’d vanish.
Lexi leaned up and kissed him, soft and steady.
Epilogue
The spring air was warm and heady with jasmine, curling through the vineyard. Family and friends wandered beneath strands of fairy lights and sun-faded bunting. Ivory linens danced in the breeze. Mason jars overflowed with lavender and wild daisies. A hand-painted sign near the gate welcomed them:
“Sip & See for Neria Rue Perez-Bennett.”
Rue Rue stood barefoot on the patio in a soft blush suit, curls carefully styled — probably by Maddy — framing their face. Maddy Perez stood beside her, radiant in a flowing white off the shoulder lace dress, her curves hugged by the fabric, her hoops gleaming in the light. Her hair styled in a headband. One hand rested on Rue’s hip, the other cradled Neria, adjusting her gently for pictures.
Karen from the LGBT Center stood under the vine-wrapped arbor near the rows of grapes, flipping through her notes with the excitement of someone holding the sweetest secret. Her wife and daughter, Hailey, were there too. Ashtray had arranged folding chairs in neat rows. Cassie passed around fizzy drinks and soft pink cookies. Gia stood nearby, Lux on her hip and her baby bump under a ruched sundress. Lux squirmed to be let down, eyes locked on Hailey and the other kids running wild through the grass.
Rocky arrived with his boyfriend, proudly wearing a pin that read GODFATHER . James filtered in solo, low-key and smiling.
Kat right behind him. Maddy’s parents, cousin Carmen, Dom and his wife arrived. Her Aunt Maria also came.
Serena practically bounced trying to be the next to hold the baby. Ali walked in with a gift under one arm and a warm nod toward Rue.
Lexi, with a GODMOTHER pin clipped to her blouse, clapped her hands together.
“Okay! Everyone, take your seats.”
Because this wasn’t just a Sip & See.
When the music faded, Maddy leaned down to kiss Neria’s head, then gently passed her to her mom. She reached for Rue’s hand, and together, they stepped barefoot toward the arbor. Karen smiled wider.
“I know you were all invited here to meet someone new,” she said, glancing toward Maddy’s mom, Sonia holding Neria, “but what you didn’t know is that we’re also here to honor a different kind of arrival—a commitment, long in the making.”
Gasps, then laughter rippled through the crowd.
Rocky smacked Ash’s shoulder. “You didn’t tell me!”
Ash just smirked and shrugged. “Wasn’t my news.”
Maddy’s family was floored—utterly stunned that this wasn’t just a Sip & See but also a wedding. The fact that they’d managed to keep it under wraps, even from Leslie and Suze, was a minor miracle.
After everything they’d been through, Rue and Maddy had known one thing for sure: they weren’t getting married in a church—not after what happened at Fez and Lexi’s wedding. The near-death, the trauma… yeah, that was a hard pass.
And with Gus and Michael still lurking during Maddy’s pregnancy, a baby shower had felt too risky, too exposed. It wasn’t until the new restraining orders were officially enforced that they could even breathe.
So they made a quiet decision, just the two of them: why not tie the knot right here, right now, with the people who loved them most, and their daughter cradled in Maddy’s arms?
An impromptu wedding at the Sip & See.
Classic them.
Leslie turned slowly to Rue with wide, glassy eyes.
“You—you’re getting married?” she gasped.
Rue just shrugged with that sheepish grin she’d been making since she was a kid caught red-handed. “Surprise?”
Suze had one hand clutched over her mouth, eyes already filling. Sonia fanned herself, whispering, “I need wine. Or cake. Or both.”
Karen continued, her voice steady, warm. “This love has survived addiction, violence, grief, shame—and it still chose to grow. Today we celebrate not just the life they made, but the love that made that possible.”
Rue turned to Maddy, her voice already trembling.
“ Maddy… you were never part of the plan.
I didn’t think I’d survive long enough to fall in love — let alone raise a child with someone like you. Someone full of fire and glitter and sharp edges that somehow never cut me.
You saw me — the whole messy, jagged, half-healed me — and stayed.
You stayed when I forgot how to come home to myself.
I promise to show up for the mundane, the holy, the early mornings with cereal on the floor and our daughter yelling for both her Mom and Ama.
I’m yours, Maddy. And I’m so proud to be.
Forever.”
Maddy blinked back tears, cupping Rue’s cheek.
“ Ruby.. Rue
You once told me you were always afraid.
And I was too, but you were the best thing that has ever happened to me. Even when I pushed you away, or doubted us, or made things complicated — which, let’s be honest, I still do.
You’ve held every version of me — the girl who wanted to disappear, the woman trying to become someone better, the mom who didn’t know if she could do it. And you’ve loved me through all of them.
Rue, you make quiet feel safe.
You’ve taught me what it means to stay.
I vow to protect the soft parts of you — even the ones you pretend don’t exist. I vow to dance with you when there’s no music, and sit in silence when the noise is too much. I vow to fight for this, for us, for our family — with my whole heart.
You’re my home, Rue.
And I love you so fucking much.”
They kissed, slow and reverent.
Rocky wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “God, I’m gonna be a mess for days. They deserve this, man.”
Leslie Bennett stood silently near the garden bed, hands clasped over her chest, her breathing shallow. Watching her child stand there—alive, clear-eyed, loved—made something long buried in her chest finally let go.
She exhaled.
Softly, to no one in particular, she murmured, “I can’t believe this day came.”
Karen pronounced them married, and the backyard burst into applause. Neria blinked awake in Lexi’s arms, just in time to gurgle into the silence.
Later, when the sun slipped behind the roofline and twilight settled in, Lexi curled beside Fezco on one of the bench’s. His arm, still stiff from surgery, draped carefully over her stomach.
They watched as Rue and Maddy took the center of the vineyards dance floor, the fairy lights above them swaying in time with the music. The beat shifted, something fast paced and bold, without missing a step, Maddy slid into it like muscle memory.
She turned around slowly, back to Rue, hips rolling into figure-eights. One hand in the air, the other trailing down her thigh, teasing and smooth.
Serena and Rocky hollered in encouragement.
Rue stepped right into it, grinning like a fool, one hand on Maddy’s waist, the other dragging down her wife’s arm as they moved in sync.
“ Oh my god ,” Leslie muttered, shielding her eyes half-heartedly. “Didn’t they just have a baby?!”
“I’m shocked Rue even got rhythm” Ali laughed.
“Maddy!” Sonia shrieked. Her face horrified. Maddy’s cousin laughing.
Maddy stood tall, laughing. Rue joined in kissing their wife.
As the night winded down, Ali was bouncing Neria gently to sleep talking to Leslie while Rocky, James, and Rockys boyfriend laughed over champagne glasses filled with apple juice.
Ashtray and Gia laughing with a few of Rue’s electrician friends. Lux sleeping on his dad’s shoulder.
Cassie and James making conversation over wine.
Lexi tilted her face toward Fez. “I think I want kids.”
He looked at her, still and cautious. “With me?”
“Of course, with you,” she said, smiling.
“You sure?” he asked. “Might end up with a mini Ashtray who steals protein bars and doesn’t shut up.”
She laughed. “As long as they have your heart, I’m in.”
Fez kissed her cheek and pulled her closer. “Then I’m already there.”
Above them, fairy lights twinkled like stars. All around them were second chances, sticky baby kisses, healed wounds, and messy love made real.
And this time, it wasn’t chaos.
It was home.