5 Years Later A lot had changed in the five years since that fateful mission.
Jia and Reuben had decided they put things off for far longer than they really should have.
So, only two days after the mission had been completed, the couple, along with Mickey and Benji, went down to the courthouse and got married.
(It was both a surprise and not to their friends and family.) Of course, they planned on having a party later in the year for everyone to celebrate but after a nearly five year long engagement, everyone was just happy they had finally tied the knot.
It truly didn't change anything, as the couple had been together for so long. Nothing slowed down for them, but it all finally felt complete.
Only one thing could have slowed them down.
About two years after they finally married, Jia fell pregnant. It was both terrifying and exhilarating for the happy couple.
They were ready to be parents but had only had experience with nieces and nephews.
Luckily for Jia, her talents had finally been recognized, and she was starting to move into more of a stunt coordinator role. As soon as her directors were notified she was pregnant, she was strictly forbidden from doing any kind of stunt work on her current projects. But they wanted to keep her as an advisor and slowly but surely saw her true talent for coordinating as well.
Because of those directors, she started to get more and more coordinating jobs. Working her way up to Second Unit Coordinator, which is where she wanted to be. (After all, that was more of the explosions and fun stuff to create and oversee.)
Now here she was, at the premiere of the newest movie she worked on, the first one she was the Head Stunt Coordinator for. It was a special occasion for sure.
What made the evening even more memorable was the fact that Dagger Squad was able to come. They had been made an official group after the mission and somehow were in between training times.
Her parents, despite wanting to be there, had agreed to babysit their granddaughter for the night, as the movie wasn't appropriate for a two year old.
While Jia didn't necessarily get to walk the red carpet like the stars of the movie, she had her family and friends by her side as they watched all her hard work finally pay off.
Mickey was damn near in tears as the movie ended, always an emotional movie goer. Phoenix almost stood up and cheered as the credits began to roll, although she wouldn't have been the only one if she did so.
Even Hangman and Coyote were nothing less than proud and in awe of what she had accomplished.
But by far the best performance of the night was Benji. Because he wasn't just a stunt performer this time.
No, Benji was one of the stars.
He had impressed the casting director so much with his work, she insisted he be the man for the part.
(Jia was honored to be the one directing his stunts for his first movie. It didn't hurt that they already had such a good shorthand, and Benji quite obviously knew what he was doing.)
Afterward, when the group had decided to skip the afterparty (yes, Benji included) and head out to a bar, they got another surprise.
Benji and Mickey, having already known the news, had their phones up to subtly record.
Jia and Reuben turned to their friends, smiles on their faces. Noticing their looks, Rooster warily asked the question. "What have you got to tell us? I know that look."
They only smiled larger before Jia threw her arms open. "I'm pregnant!"
Congratulations were heard all around before someone asked if they should change the venue, not wanting Jia anywhere near alcohol.
She laughed, assuring them she was okay to be here and had her glass of water in hand as they all celebrated the two major milestones of the day.
Arriving home after such an eventful night, the parents were exhausted, but their two year old daughter refused to go to bed without them.
It didn't matter how many stories her grandparents read to her or how much warm milk she was supplied. She refused to sleep.
Reuben bent down to pick her up, the girl latching her arms around his neck immediately. "You should be in bed, little lady. You know the rules."
"Not tired," she exclaimed, though her eyes told a different story.
It was only a minute later she let out a large yawn but still insisted she wasn't tired.
Jia walked into her room just as Reuben set her back in bed. "You need to sleep, my little pappagallo. You've got a big day tomorrow with Uncle Mickey and Kelsey!"
The little girl, very much her mother's daughter, loved the thrill of adrenaline. So Kelsey, being Jia's protégé, had taken the time to help her out and play with the little girl when she needed to safely fulfill that need.
Finally getting the girl to sleep, Jia and Reuben made their way to their own bedroom, nearly dropping onto their bed before remembering they needed to change our of their premiere attire.
Climbing into their bed, the couple gravitated towards each other, always seeking the other out.
Neither of them could have ever imagined their lives turning out like this. From two tiny eleven year olds to fully grown adults, the two had such a full life they didn't know was possible.
Life had thrown so many challenges at them, but through it all, they had each other.
Somehow, they had become each other's safety net.
It was a love everyone dreamed for. These two were just lucky enough to find it.
✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈
Word count: 968
IT'S OVER!! THAT'S IT!!! I hope you all enjoyed Safety Net!! A few bonus chapters are coming your way, but this is it!!
Also, Jia calls their daughter “pappagallo” which is Italian for Parrot. I didn't know until recently that my grandmother used to call me and my cousin that when we were little because we copied everything. I had to include it as soon as I found out. (She was a first generation American, both of her parents immigrating to the US around 1900, same with my grandfather's parents. I'm actually a third generation American from Italy AND Germany, based on my great grandparents all coming over around 1900!)
See you soon for some glimpses of our favorite couple's futures and maybe even some of their past!!
Bye guys!!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
