Your Choice (Book Three)

The Final Chapter

The August sun beats harshly down onto the busy city below as the birds tweet happily, the insects buzz contently and the rhythmic melodies from the ice cream vans chime readily. Right now London is experiencing a huge heat wave, the worst one for a long time. This has landed with the time that Tom and Benedict have decided to visit their family. It has been around fifteen years since they left to the States which led to huge success, numerous awards and some great film projects but now they are on a break.

Their black cab pulls up onto the gravel driveway of their old house which now belongs to their daughter Emmeline Ryder Smith. Yes, little Emmeline Hiddleston got married to Max as soon as the pair hit their eighteenth birthday. They had many ups and downs in their teen years including Emmy's cancer scare and Max's brutal mugging causing a severe head injury leaving him with little use with his left arm. But they survived it. They then decided to move back to London; Max to run the ever growing Ryder Smith publicity company and Emmy to study business at Royal Holloway University. She is now assisting Max in the running of the business as well as carrying out consultancy work with other companies. She is flying high.

Emmeline peers out of the bedroom window and sees her dads climbing out of their taxi with huge smiles on their faces. "They are here!" She shouts through the house as she ties back her hair. Max wanders into the room obviously looking for something. "What are you looking for?" His wife asks hurriedly.

"My phone, I am expecting a call from-"

"Darling...please no work today." She pleads and he nods at her with a smile, this is a family day after all. "Could you please go and wake Jenna up. I know it's hot but if we don't wake her up now she won't go down for her nap later on." She asks him and takes another peep out of the window to see that her fathers are taking their time looking at the fresh flowers in the garden, it has been a while since they visited.

"You don't have to be so nervous you know." Max explains. "They are your parents after all."

"I know." She sighs as he goes to stand next to her at the window. "They are just going to be a bit surprised that's all." Max rubs his hand over his wife's swollen belly containing their future son; Benedict and Tom do not know yet. He then parts from her and goes into the next room – Emmy's old room – and picks up his daughter from her bed knowing that this is the best way to wake her up. The doorbell rings finally so Max goes down the stairs while carrying Jenna and places her down gently on the sofa nearest to the door knowing that it is not possible for him to both carry his daughter and open the front door. Sometimes he forgets. He cleverly turns the latch of the door and door handle using his hand and elbow before pulling open the door to greet his two father-in-laws.

"Hey come on in." He beckons Tom and Benedict to come inside with a smile, "How was your flight?"

"It was rather pleasant actually." Benedict says thoughtfully, "I have become so used to sleeping on planes nowadays." He chuckles as Tom brings their suitcase inside as his eyes swoop the interior.

"I like what you have done with the place." He praises with a smile.

"It's nice isn't it." Max agrees, "All we did was knock through the wall into the kitchen/dining space and repainted. It wasn't much but really brightened up the place." He smiles at them then turns to his daughter who has now woken up on the sofa. "Jenna come say hello to Grandad Tommy and Grandad Benny." The two-and-a-half-year-old pulls herself up and off the sofa before running over to her grandparents. They both greet her lovingly praising her pretty flowery dress and complimenting on how much their little granddaughter has grown which she retorts with something about being nearly three causing the pair to laugh.

"Where is my darling daughter?" Tom asks with his eyebrow raised surprised that she hasn't already made an appearance.

"That is a good question." Max chuckles. "Em!" He calls and awaits a response which comes as a sweet, shrill 'I'm coming'. "She may be a bit slow."

"Why?" Benedict questions, his brow now furrowed. As if on cue, the stairs start to creak as Emmeline's footstep's become nearer. Both actors take a couple of steps further into the house to greet their daughter when they gasp at the sight in front of them.

"Surprise!" She greets them as they start to congratulate her and Max with hugs and kisses. Their already quite large smiles are now even larger, verging on huge. They all take a seat on the sofas as Jenna continues to play with her toys in the middle of the floor. So many questions are being fired about the pregnancy making Emmeline laugh. "Quieten down and I will tell you." The room falls silent apart from the sound of children's television being played in the background. "It is a boy."

"Aww a boy." Tom speaks in awe. "A grandson." He turns to Benedict who also looks very pleased with the prospect.

"He is due in less than two months on October the second and all is well." She beams at them and takes Max's hand in hers.

"All sounds fantastic." Ben admires, "Have you thought of any name's yet?" This question comes as a surprise although it probably shouldn't as enough people have asked them this already. Max and Emmy exchange a brief glance, before turning back to the two men who are sitting forward in anticipation.

"We were thinking Harry." She pauses with a gulp, "After him."

"Sounds like an excellent idea." Tom soothes.

Three years ago, just before Jenna was born, Harry – Emmeline's brother – was killed in the middle east during his short time in the army. He signed up after a major break up with someone he was going out with for five years saying that it was the best thing to do. It was his second tour when the shell hit the camp, killing him and twelve others. Emmy remembers quite clearly seeing him for the first time after his first tour, the helplessness in his eyes. Deep down he didn't want to go back but he had to. "I miss him." Emmy finds herself mumbling.

"I know you do." Max kisses the side of her head.

"He would've been a great uncle." She comments as she looks at her daughter playing and rubs her belly as her son begins to kick. "He would have loved playing with their toys more than they do." She snaps out of her train of thought and turned to her husband. "Could you make some tea?"

"Sure can." He says as he stands up and walks into the kitchen. He looks behind him and smiles at the sight of Benedict sliding onto the floor to join in with Jenna's game playing with her cars.

"Are you happy?" Tom asks his daughter with a concerned expression.

She turns to him a smiles, a genuine smile displaying her pearly white teeth. "I am. I am very happy."

A/n so yeah...this is the end of the trilogy...what do you think? Hehe

I hope you have enjoyed coming on this journey with me, I will be writing a proper author's note in a few moments, saying thank you to some important people and all that so stay tuned :)