Seconds, Minutes, Hours

Epilogue

*twenty years later*

Mia fingered the worn out pages of the book, cherishing memories of a childhood long forgotten. Her eyes strayed to the picture inside the cover, a picture of a raven haired teenager smiling brightly at the camera. She could remember when she had glued it there, hoping to never forget him. He hadn't been the best boy in the word, but he had good intentions. And he deserved to be remembered.

"I'm home!" A voice called. Mia recognized her husband's voice instantly, and smiled to herself. Her husband's arrival would also mean the that the twins would be home. And James and Henry never failed to amuse her.

She held her spot in the book as she walked out to greet her husband with a kiss. She could still remember when Niall had introduced the two of them, all those years ago, when Mias every other thought had been of Zayn and what she could have done to save him. She had never loved him, but his death had caused her a lot of worry, regret and grief. Her two youngest ones attacked her legs, and she gave them each a big hugs, pulling their 5 year old bodies close to her chest. As she stood back up, She set her book on the cabinet, turning to face her husband. "Where are Will and Sarah?"

"Will is with Peter, they're out on a date. Sarah is on a class field trip." He explained.

"And Melody is staying with Niall and Liam for a month. So it's jist us and the twins." Mia laughed. "I guess I know what we're doing."

The twins, James and Henry, had always had a flare for art. Even at five, their work was impressive. And very distinct. If Henry used bright color, James would use dark ones. If James used crayons, Henry used markers. Art was the way that the two indistinguishable boys found their differences, and made themselves easy to tell apart. Unless they were drawing, the inly ones who could tell them apart were Mia, who as their mother had a distinct advantage, Niall, who claimed they disnt look anything alike, and Will. He claimed to have a sixth sense about this sort of thing.

Despite Nialls silly nature, Mia was immensely grateful for him. He had always veen there for her, after everything. Even when her night with Zayn had gotten her pregnant, and she had spent her high school years as a mother with only her almost never present mom as an example. Niall, Liam, and Nialls mother had helped her through everything, making her high school years bearable. The man who was now her husband had helped some too, But it had been Nialls house where her son, who she had named Zack in Zayns honor, had practically grown up. Even after Mia had gotten married, Zack had always said that Niall was more his father than anyone and Mia couldn't disagree. Half the student body had been vonvinced the boy belonged to Niall anyways. Even now, she and Niall were close. All of her children loved him, and Liam, who were now living happily together not too far from where Mia lived. Her children would often spend months at a time living with the couple, giving Niall a chamce to spend time with children, since he and Liam could never have them, and easing the craziness from Mias hoise, if only for a little bit.  Mia often wondered how her husband put up with her thoughts constantly being on other men, Zayn or Niall or Liam, or one of her four sons. She couldn't imagine it was easy for him, but she loved him, and he lived her, So it would all work out.

Mia spent that night doing art with the twins and her husband. That night, James created a picture of what looked to be glass, harsh broken shards, the blue edges biting through the paper. Henry's art was all soft edges, reds and yellows swirling in on themselves to create an intricate design. The children were so impressive at art that they were nearly prodigious, but Mia disnt mind. She was fine qith whatever made them happy, and she wasn't going.g to push them into antthing. That night, Mia made a picture of her own. A bottle of pills and a blade, sitting on top of an unmarked grave. She added that to her book, the one she had made for Zayn. The one that She swore she would give to Zack if she ever finished. The one that held her most sacred memories, and her deepest regrets. And with the edition, Mia was finished. Her memorial to Zayn was finally, after 20 long years, complete. And now she could finally forget about Zayn.

Authors Note
Thank You to anyone who read this. I know it wasn't the best, and I can honestly say I am glad to be done with it. But I got 100 reads, and to me that's impressive. So thank you to anyone who read this, and I truely am sorry for the ending.