The Butterfly and The Moth

Epilogue: S

"Well," I sighed, closing the door to Daisy's apartment behind me as I entered. "It's done."

Daisy looked up at me. She was sitting on the white couch that she had made me and Colt carry up the three floors of the apartment building because it didn't fit in the elevator.

There was some anxiety in her eyes. But not too much. It was nothing like the anxiety that had filled her throughout the weeks of the trial. It was nothing like the anxiety that had paralyzed her the day of the verdict.

She had barely been able to sleep, or eat or even breathe.

And she wasn't alone. We all felt that way.

But this was just his sentencing. He had already been found guilty. Today was the day we knew how much Erik would pay for what he did to Dahlia.

"How long?" Colt asked me from beside Daisy. They were close, but not too close. Colt's arm was just barely resting across her shoulders.

"Twenty one years," I muttered.

It had been a joy to see his face show disbelief when the judge read his sentence. He had been so smug just moments before. He thought he wouldn't have to pay for it. He thought the legal system would be forgiving to him, the way it had been in the past.

It wasn't.

"Thank god," Daisy sighed out, taking a deep breath like she had been holding it.

Out of all of us, I had been the only one who wanted to go to the sentencing. I didn't blame them for not wanting to go. But, I had to. I had to make sure he was going to spend as many years as possible thinking about what he think. About the pain he caused.

"Where is she?" I asked Daisy, who pointed lazily to the door on the right.

I walked slowly, opening the door as gently as possible. I felt my own breath release as I saw her, laying on top of the colourful blankets that I still remember buying over a year ago.

Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling as gently as snow falls on a cold, quiet day.

I moved towards the bed, my eagerness to touch her moving me quicker than I should. My hands travelled around her shoulders, and my touch seemed to wake her from her dreams.

"Dahlia," I said softly, pressing my lips against her brown hair. I felt my body relax as her scent filled my senses.

She was here.

She was alive.

And now, she was finally free.

"Hi baby," she purred put, her eyes still closed but a small smile on her face. She reached out towards me, wrapping her fingers around my neck.

"It's over now," I whispered. "He's gone."

Dahlia opened her eyes, looking at me for a moment. Her smile didn't fade, she just nodded.

"We can all forget about it now," she told me softly. 

And, I knew she was talking about me. I knew she was telling me that I could forget about it. I have been so worried about her since that night. I have been so protective. I just couldn't help it.

I had almost lost her.

My hand travelled to her stomach, and my fingers traced the scar that spanned across her entire abdomen. Dahlia didn't like the way it looked. She said it reminded of her of what happened.

And I understood. But it didn't do the same for me.

It reminded me of how she was still here. It reminded me of the surgery that brought her back from certain death. It reminded me of how hard she fought to stay here. To stay with me.

"I love you," I whispered, kissing the delicate skin on her neck. "I love you so much."

"I love you, Sterling," she said back, pulling against my face so my eyes were looking into hers. "You're my light. My love. My stars."

I felt the emotion rise up in my chest as I heard her words. How close had I been to never hearing her say those words?

Those had been my thoughts as I ran up to her body, laying on the cold, hard road and her blood pooling underneath her.

I kept thinking that I had never told her. We had never called this what it was. It was love, and it had always been love. Even from the very beginning, when neither of us could see it.

"Is it just us here?" She asked me, finally sitting up.

"Colt and Daisy are out there, " I told her, helping her stand from the bed.

Not that she needed me to. She was all healed now, it was just habit. I had cared for her as she recovered. And when I couldn't be there, it was Colt or Daisy.

Dahlia laughed, shaking her head. "Sometimes I wonder if this is really mine and Daisy's apartment, or if it's mine, Daisy's and Colt's. I swear he spends more time here than he does at yours and his apartment."

I nodded, laughing just like she was. "He definitely likes it better than our place. I don't think he can help it, Dahlia, he loves you."

"I know," she smiled. "I love him too."

The two of us left the comfort of her room, joining Daisy and Colt in the living room. They both smiled at us, but they smiled at Dahlia the most.

"So, what should we do to celebrate?" Colt's voice rang out, rubbing his hands together. "Personally, I say we get drunk, glue Erik's picture to dartboard and go crazy."

Dahlia chuckled, shaking her head as he sat down on the couch beside him. "Let's just watch a movie, enjoy our night together."

"Deal," Daisy agreed, throwing a blanket over the three of them. "But I'm picking the movie, because the last time Colt picked, I almost threw up."

Quiet and gentle laughter filled the air, the way it so frequently did in this room. There was so much ease between the four of us. There was so much trust, and so much care.

Because I think we all realized, that night, that our story together couldn't just be over. We all knew that it had really just begun. That had just been the first few chapters, not the ending.

The rest of our book would be boring. It would only document the calm nights we spent together, and the way our bonds had all changed. Daisy, Colt and I, we had always had a past. But it was different now. Our lives had been irreparably changed by Dahlia.

The rest of our book would only detail our lives, and the way we chose to live them together. No more moths. No more butterflies.

Just people who loved each other.

AN: now stop harassing me.