Apologies

Lin was singing in the Casino, beautiful notes falling out of her mouth. I had dressed up into this beautiful black floor length dress, hair and makeup done by Aunt Evy. I looked at the dance floor seeing my parents, aunt and uncle all together happily. I sighed walking up to the bar where Jonathan happened to be before he was planning on leaving.

"Annoying, isn't it?" Jon asked me.

"What?" I asked him as he came up to me, 6 inches of oak between us.

"Seeing them all together, happy with each other... In love." He paused before he mentioned the last bit. I sat down on the stool in front of me.

"Yes, actually it is. I feel a bit neglected." I smirked as he made me an old fashioned.

"Welcome to my world sweetheart." He said looking me in the eyes. I sighed. He set my drink down in front of me. I happily gulped half of it before I started talking.

"I just feel like...." I paused looking off to my cousin who had just walked in happily trotting around in his tuxedo. Uncle Jon looked at me sadly. "What? I'm fine." I told him. Taking another sip of the drink.

"Mhmm.." He nodded then abruptly turned around.

"My Lady. Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" I heard a voice behind me ask.

"Listen pal, I'm not really in the mood." I said spinning around on the stool, drink in hand to see Alex standing there smiling at me. I gripped my glass harder.

"What about for me?" He asked. I just put my drink down on the bar.

"I guess I could spare one for you." I smiled placing my hand in his. As he led me away from the bar I could see my mum and dad happily looking at us. We began slow dancing to Lin's singing.

"Tori..." Alex started. "Thank you for being there for me every step of the way. I really do appreciate you in a way you will never realize." I scoffed looking away from his eyes. "I really do. Please Tori, I know I haven't been the most open with it ever." He lifted my chin up removing it from my hand but keeping his grip on my waist. "Come on. You can't stay mad at me, I know you too well." I looked into his eyes, my feelings starting to spill out of the well kept box I had made. He let go of my chin and rejoined my hand as we danced.

"Alright. Go on." I told him with a clipped tone.

"Listen, you've been my biggest supporter for a very long time now. I just-- can't believe I've been such an ass to you recently. I'm sorry." He told me. I let my gaze on him soften.

"Now, can we go back to before this whole adventure started?" He asked me seriously. Little did I know he had danced us away from the eyes of our parents and to a more secluded spot in the crowded club. I nodded at him.

"I just feel like I've been tossed away like trash, too ugly to look at." I told him looking down at our shoes while we danced.

"Tori, even a blind man could see that you're beautiful." He bent down to catch my eyes, leaned in slowly and caught my lips in a romantic kiss. I melted then and there, happy to be with him in this moment. Finally. Though it was a sort of stained love, being from the same upbringing, I was happy to know he loved me the same way I had him ever since we went off to college.

JOSEPHINE'S POV

I leaned into Rick happy to finally be able to spend a few romantic seconds away with him. I just took in the moment happily with Lin's voice taking me into another time.

"So, I guess our family is a bit skewed." Rick told me looking over to Alex and Tori dancing with each other.

"We brought her together with Alex. I don't think it's skewed. I think it's wonderful." I told him.

"Fate?" Ardeth asked him dancing with Evy to our right. I saw Rick roll his eyes.

"It might as well be." I said smiling.

"I think it's adorable." Evy chimed into the conversation.

"I guess I might be willing to accept the fact that fate may exist. After all, it brought all of us together. I'm still iffy on the 'warrior of God' aspect of it though." Rick begrudgingly admitted to us.

"So, I guess Dash and Scarlett have their next adventure?" I asked Evy.

"Why write about it, when you can live it." She said happily to me. "There's something incredibly romantic about vanquishing the undead."

"Even more romantic, doing it with you." Rick told me in a hushed tone.

"Oh my god. You're going to kill me with the cheesiness O'Connell. Just kiss me." I told my husband.

"Don't have to ask me twice." He smiled and leaned in, I met him halfway. Once again we had finished up our adventure. I don't think I could ever go on not doing another one like this again. I loved doing what I do, it kept me young. I smiled into the kiss knowing this—Rick and I, would never stop. I happily would be retired if that's what he wanted til the end of time. We definitely had enough money to comfortably relax until we decided to adventure again.

JON'S POV

I saw Tori and Alex wander off to God knows where. I rolled my eyes, everyone gets what they want in the end, except for me. I grabbed my suitcase and hat from behind the bar and made my exit looking back at my siblings one last time and smiling. I had sold the bar to Mad Dog and was sitting pretty, ready to get away from the chaos. Maybe a Mai Tai on the beach, yes, that sounded good.

"Where're you off to, Mr. Carnahan? Can I get your bag?" My old employee asked.

"No, no don't touch it! Oh, some place where they don't have Mummies." I laughed as I got into the cab taking out my precious diamond I had managed to smuggle away from our adventure.

"Step on it, I have a plane to catch." I told the cabbie.

"Yes, Sir." He replied. I relaxed in the back as we made our way to the airport.

"Ciao, Ciao Shanghai, Peru, here I come." I told no one in particular but happy to get away from this country. Thank god. I kissed my prized possession hoping we wouldn't find mummies where I was going.