Alternate Epilogue
AN: So…I hope you liked the end of “Then Again.” I know it
wasn’t anything exciting, but too much drama is not very attractive either—in
my opinion, anyway. The following is what
the Epilogue of “Then Again” was going to be until I changed my mind about this
being the last we hear from Brian and Sienna.
I know, Brian’s kind of left in the cold at the end of this story, and
I’m deciding whether or not to continue his saga. Regardless, may I present…The Alternate
Epilogue.
The albums
lay across the floor and bed in his room, and his worn and wrinkled fingers
traced over the hundreds of pictures, dozens of snapshots of his life. There were the pictures from his childhood,
from his hospital stays when he was barely six years old. He couldn’t help but smile at the one of him
and his mother sitting on the hospital bed.
He missed her and the love she and his father had always given him, but
both of his parents had passed away nearly fifteen years ago. He’d always cherish those memories, though.
Then, of
course, there were the hundreds of pictures, magazine clippings, and articles
from his days as a Backstreet Boy. He’d
shared so much of himself with the world and built a bond with four other men
that had lasted and continued to last, even today. Even with Kevin being seventy-one years old
and Nick a slightly younger sixty-two.
They still argued.
His fingers
shook slightly as he began to turn the pages of another scrapbook. The invitation to what had been one of the
happiest days of his life stared up at him from the first page and was placed
above a picture he’d always cherish. He
and Sienna had been ecstatically happy, he remembered. They’d had two little girls and their entire
lives to enjoy together. Though they’d
celebrated the birth of their son and professional accomplishments, their
happiness, and marriage, had lasted a brief twenty-three months. He’d never forget.
Brian shut
the book and leaned back against the pillows, tired down to his bones. He could hear the activity from the first
floor of the house. His children, their
spouses, and his grandchildren were gathered to celebrate the dawning of
another year, and he could hear their cheerful voices. He’d go down soon, but, for now, he’d stay
with his memories.
He’d asked
Serena to put the hundreds of photographs together into scrapbooks because he
was unable to do so himself. He hated
admitting he was old, but he hadn’t had the strength in him to organize the boxes
of memories. Serena had done an
incredible job, and he was proud of her as he was proud of all three of his
children.
Despite
their parents’ separation, Serena, Kara, and Luke had grown into healthy,
happy, and successful individuals.
Serena had become a psychologist and worked with children. She was also happily married and had given
Brian two beautiful grandchildren.
Luke had
pored over the files Regan had given him from the weeks that he, his siblings,
and Sienna had been kidnapped. He’d shown
an immense amount of interest in detective work from an early age, and, with
Regan’s help, had joined the FBI. He,
too, had married and now had a three month old son.
Then there
was Kara. Brian couldn’t help but smile
when he thought of how his little firecracker had followed in her father’s
footsteps. She’d started her own band in
high school, and they’d been signed to a major label two days before Kara and
her bandmates had graduated from high school.
They’d gone on to headline world tours and had had the time of their
lives. Brian liked to believe that his
daughter had learned from the Backstreet example of what not to do when you
become famous because she’d kept her bandmates grounded. Now, with all six of them having reached
their thirty-seventh year, they showed no signs of stopping, and their fans
continued to be loyal.
Brian
couldn’t help but let his mind turn to Sienna.
He’d never stopped loving her, but they’d never gotten back together,
either. It had taken nearly six years
after the divorce for them to become good friends again. Sienna had continued to run her flower shop
and had expanded it to have a location in her hometown of Philadelphia,
too. Though Brian had remained unmarried
for the past thirty-odd years, Sienna had remarried four years after their
divorce was final and was still married to a fun-loving lawyer. Brian had wished them the best of luck and
remained friends with both of them.
“Dad!”
Serena rushed into the room, her dark curls bouncing on her shoulders. “Kara’s going to be on soon. Come on!”
Brian
smiled and stood. “Thanks for doing a
wonderful job, hon. It’s more than anything I was expecting.”
She walked
over and hugged him. “I’m glad you liked
it. I love you, Dad.” She, too, would
always remember that New Year’s Eve had been her parents’ wedding anniversary
for one, brief year.
“I love
you, too.” Brian linked his arm with hers.
“Let’s go watch your sister rock.”
Downstairs,
Brian was attacked by Serena’s four year old daughter and nine year old son,
both wanting to sit next to him on the couch.
Brian chuckled and made room for both on either side of him. He smiled over at Luke, who was rocking his
baby boy.
“Hey,
Dad. You’re just in time!” Luke turned
the volume on the television up as the MC of New Year’s festivities in Times
Square announced Kara’s band. Serena’s
children yelled enthusiastically when Kara appeared onstage with her guitar and
began to sing.
Brian sat
back and smiled. His life hadn’t been
perfect by any means, but he couldn’t claim that he was unhappy. The loneliness, though wearing in the
beginning, had been replaced by the company his children had given him. When the Boys had retired in late 2008, Brian
had continued to produce Christian music, and he’d involved his children in
every aspect of his life, including a track on each of his albums.
Now, they
were all gathered to watch Kara belt it out onstage for thousands of people,
and he couldn’t be happier. His life had
been long and full, and he’d never known a dull moment.
“We’re
gonna rock in the new year! I want to send this song out to my dad!” Kara
declared onscreen to screaming party-goers.
“Everybody! Rock your body! One, two, three!” And her bandmates pounded
out their music.
Brian
grinned. Alright!
***
