My Love Until the Last Goodbye by Alut

After several hugs and a strange sense of emptiness, Lucius and Amanda left the house.

Lucius started driving, knowing he still had to get home-he hadn't said goodbye to his siblings, his father, or the grandfather he'd just met.

Twas ticking. Through the rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of Serenity and her husband heading back inside.

That image stayed with him. He smiled and turned his focus back to the road.

"You okay?" Amanda asked, noticing how quiet he'd gone.

"Yeah..." he said, reaching over to take her hand and kiss it. "Thank you." "For what?" "For this. For pushingto find her, for helpingpatch things up with her..." Lucius said sincerely.

"I would've loved to have siblings. I think it's only fair. Neither of you deserved to be separated over things from the past. None of it was your fault." "I know. Believe me, I know," Lucius said, the weight of his past flashing through his mind.

"You'll see—we'll be back sooner than you think," Amanda said, making it clear she included herself in that promise.

"You think Judge Moriarty will let us?" Lucius asked, unsure.

"Well, at least me, yes..." Amanda said with a cheeky smile.

"Amanda..." he said, giving her a death stare.

She just smiled and shrugged.

"Con, we've gotta head to the airport. According to Moriarty's itinerary, we barely have tto eat with everyone and then head out," Lucius said, picking up the pace on the road.

"Alright, let's go eat... You know what?" Amanda said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"What?" "I'm already starting to miss this place and we haven't even left yet," she said honestly. "What are you going to miss?" "Well... I think your bedroom," she said, shooting him a flirty look.

"Amanda!" Lucius said, clearly flustered and blushing hard.

"What? I've got svery good memories in that room." "God... What am I gonna do with you?" "Love me?" Amanda grinned.

"I already do..." Lucius said, and there was no doubt in his voice.

After a few more minutes on the road, they finally got home.

The whole Evans family was waiting for them to eat. Everyone knew it would be their last meal together with Lucius for a while, so they'd all gathered and waited for the couple to arrive.

"Finally, Lucius...! We're starving over here," Laura said as she greeted them and led them to the dining room.

"Alright, alright, don't be so bossy..." Lucius teased, pulling her into a hug. Amanda looked at her boyfriend and smiled. She was happy to be part of his life. What had once just been a crush had turned into something more— she wanted to keep exploring every corner of that soft-hearted guy with the tough exterior.

They reached the dining room. Maximus had little Maurice on his lap, listening to the boy talk about his day. Magnus was deep in conversation with Matthew. The two old men clearly had to make an effort to be there they usually preferred to eat in the garden, pretending to puff away like steam engines.

It was their way of avoiding all the noise that, at their age, felt overwhelming.

Lucius saw his middle brother, Paul, chatting away with Diana, and for sreason-though he couldn't quite explain it he didn't blher at all for falling in love with his father.

"Emma, con, sit down already. Stop hovering over everything," Maximus said, calling her over to take her seat. "Relax, everything's going to turn out fine. Con now..." Lucius was surprised by those words. If he remembered correctly, Maximus used to be extremely perfectionist.

But now, that man looked more relaxed than ever, clearly enjoying the presence of his whole family.

"I'm coming, Maximus. Chill out. What's with the yelling? You could just callon my phone, and I'll come. And I wasn't hovering-I was with Isabelle.

"I made sure she looks extra cute to say goodbye to her uncle. We're hoping he visits sits more ofter and that, very soon, he brings us sgood news maybe even tells us were going to be grandparents. Well, I'd be a great-grandma." Her words made the couple turn bright red.

"Alright, alright, let's all sit down already. Tto eat-don't want the lovebirds to be late. At the rate they're going, Emma, your wish might ctrue sooner than you think," Laura said with a teasing grin.

"Okay, okay, everyone sit down. Let's enjoy this delicious meal and then everyone can say their goodbyes to the lovebirds-or whatever they're called Magnus said, waving Kis ☐ hands as if none of it really O mattered.

Lunch flew by in the blink of an eye, with everyone laughing at Maurice and Paul's jokes.

Even Magnus, with his dry sarcasm, Cred the managed to crack a few smiles. Maximus watched the scene unfold and made sure to burn it into his to it into memory-this was the first the was truly surrounded by his whole family. Well, almost-Serenity was missing. But he understood perfectly. She needed to be home, resting.

Maximus knew he wouldn't trade what he had now for anything. Not all the money or power in the world. This- this-was what he had always wanted.

Now he finally knew what it meant to have a whole family. They weren't perfect, and they didn't need to be. They were just a family that had spent far too long stuck between the past and the present. iweend they didot need to be