The One After the Reunion

Author's Note

Three days after the Reunion special, I decided to write this story because I wanted to do something creative with my free time, and I also needed an emotional outlet for this pairing. It was a daunting and exciting project for me since I've never written fanfiction before, and I'm also the type of person who starts a lot of projects and only finishes some. So I gave myself a deadline: June 30 and stuck with it. It is too important not to give it a proper ending. This story is my offering to the universe if you will. This is how I view the beauty of their possibility.

What I truly enjoyed when I sunk my teeth into this was the process of mixing the facts and the fiction. I've asked myself plenty of times, 'What might have happened after this photo was taken?' and 'What could be going on behind the scenes in between those Instagram posts?' and worked my way from there. The research was essential as I wanted to stick to as much truth as possible to create a more immersive environment; one that you can easily believe as an alternate reality should real life not end up as we hope for.

The References section is available after this (see external link and proceed to last chapter) so you can check out some information sprinkled in the story that was true and not something I imagined. I feel I must point out in the story, that the biggest divergence from real life was the timeline of their dating history. David wasn't kidding about them being 'two ships passing.' If I correctly referred to the articles with accurate information then Jen was newly single in 1994 before they start shooting the show, but David was already in a serious relationship with a Louisiana law clerk who he continued to date until 1996. Jen, when they shot the coffeehouse kiss, was already with Tate, and you know the rest of it. All of this you can research and verify yourself, so enjoy!

"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." - Aristotle