After Everything (A Starkid Fan Fiction)

Chapter 23-It Ends Tonight

~It's part of the privilege of being human that we have our moment when we have to say goodbye. -Patti Smith~

Chapter 23

"Let's get naked, oh! Yeah! Let's get naked in a lake!"

"We are rich in Oregitch."

"But who cares. Cause we're naked. Yeah we're naked...in a lake. Alright kids. Go pick out your favorite stretch of land."

"What about you Dad?"

"I'm right behind you."

"Come on buddy, the water's just right..."

"Be right there honey."

As I chase after Rachael, the crowd goes nuts as the lights go down and the final show comes to an amazing close. I hug Rachael backstage as we laugh together, everyone else backstage high fiving and cheering together as well. We did it. We just finished our final show of Trail to Oregon. Three months of shows later and we've finally finished.

Rachael stands on her toes and kisses me, thrilled. "It's all over," she tells me, only looking at me now. "You did it. You made your way back in."

I smile at her as wide as I possibly can. "I never would have been able to do it if it wasn't for you."

"All I did was push you in the right direction," she tells me, just being modest about it all like usual.

"No," I say, pushing some of the lose hair behind her ear. "You did more than that."

"Come on guys! Let's get changed so we can go meet the fans!" Jaime's shrill voice announces. She's been crying all day about how this is our last show, and I can tell now that it's over, she wants to see everyone before she starts balling again.

"Come on, buddy," Rachael quotes from the show. "Let's go see what's next."

I give her a sly smirk. "Right behind you, honey," I reply.

As we make our way to the dressing room, I head Rachael's words. 'Let's go see what's next'. I don't know what's next. I know that I want to go meet up with the fans outside and say hi to them and to have a lot of fun doing it. But after that? Who knows.

And that's what happens. We see fans, we go to a final party at another bar and we all say our humble goodbyes. Nick and Matt tell everyone that they're going to be taking another break, most likely a year or two from writing new shows.

"We want to branch out, try new things and experience new things," Matt explains.

"I know that you guys love what we've done, but these past two years we did so many back to back shows that I think Matt and I need, or no I think we deserve a break," Nick states. "We have all the conventions like GeekyCon next year and we can always do a reprise of a show or just hold our own little convention. It's not like this is the end for us right now."

"Quite the opposite," Matt tells us. "We're moving forwards. We're as strong as we've ever been." I squeeze Rachael's arm, my own draped over her shoulder. "We're going to keep doing what we're doing. We're exactly where we need to be, and nothing's going to get in our way now."

I smile at those words.

Nothing is going to get in our way. We're going to stay how we are and we're going to be happy.

We salute to Nick and Matt, drinking our beers.

The days following the last show are a blur to me. No, literally, they are actually a blur. I've been with Rachael and we babysat Rose again one other time together.