Morrilla: Secrets Revealed

Saying Goodbye

Jen's POV:
its been two days and my dad has barely said a word to Lana and I. I know he's upset about Julie. We all are but I'm still his daughter, he can't just ignore me forever.

Its the morning of the funeral and I know I'm going to be a wreck, I already am but I'm trying to stay strong for my parents and for Lana. They don't need to see me break down. "You ready?" Lana asks me after we are done getting dressed for the funeral. "I guess." I say sadly with a sigh. She walks up to me and puts her hands on my shoulders. "I know its tough baby, you don't have to act like your not hurting. I know you are. I'm here for you." She says and she connects our lips. "Thanks." I sigh and we walk out of my old bedroom hand in hand to the living room to meet up with the rest of my family. "Well it looks like we are all ready to go." My mom says sadly and we all nod before heading out the door and to our cars. I have Lana drive since I know there's no way I would be able to. I just look out my window and watch the rest of the world go by as mine suddenly seems to end. I feel a soft hand on my leg and I smile weakly at Lana who smiles back. "I love you." I say. Her smile grows and she takes her eyes off the road and looks at me again. "I love you too baby." She says. After another five minutes, we arrive at the church and I sigh, seeing all my old friends walk into the church wearing black. That's when I realize, a lot of them don't know about me... About us. "Lana, I can't do this." I sigh trying hard not to cry. Lana hugs me. "I'll be right by your side the whole time." She says. I take a deep breath and nod before opening the door and stepping out of the car.

We walk hand in hand into the church, I can feel the pairs of eyes staring at us, but I don't care. We meet up with the rest of my family in the sanctuary where the service would be held. They were all surrounding her, my sister. Tears begin to fill my eyes at the sight of the wooden box. I keep walking closer and closer, each time reality sets in just a little bit more. Until I see her, my little sister, laying in the coffin with flowers in her hands and that's when I completely lose it. I almost fall over. The sight of my baby sister looking so peaceful shatters my heart. But I'm caught by two strong arms, and through the blur of tears I know its Lana. Once I'm back up on my feet again, I wrap my arm around Lana for support. I'm still sobbing and all the memories I had of my sister come flooding back, causing me to sob even louder. "Come on baby, let's go outside and calm down." Lana says and I nod my head slightly. We walk outside to the front of the church where there is a concrete bench. She leads me over to it and sits down. I sit down next to her, and she pulls me close to her and I rest my head on her chest as she hugs me. The flow of tears seems endless but I'm comforted by the one I love. "Its just so hard!" I cry out and Lana strokes my hair. "I know baby, I know, it will be okay." She says soothingly. I suddenly sit up and feel a rage of anger towards her. "No you don't know! You don't know what its like to lose the only other person in your life who you actually saw as your closest friend. You don't know what its like it will never be okay!" I yell at her and tears stream down her face. "Jen, yes I do. My father... He was shot and killed when I was only 16." She says and suddenly I feel horrible about what I just said. I sob even louder and she pulls me into her chest again. "I'm so sorry!" I cry. "I know baby, I know your hurting. I know it will never be okay. You lost someone you love. I know its hard now, but soon, as each day goes by, it will be a little bit easier to let go because they will always be in your heart and memories." Lana says and I sit up and kiss her gently. "Thank you baby." I whisper before resting my head back down on her chest.

My crying slows and Lana strokes my hair as I begin to calm down. "Hey girls." I hear a familiar voice say. I look up and see my dad of all people. "Hey." I say weakly. He sits down next to me and rubs my back soothingly. "How's my baby girl doing?" He asks and I sit up and look at him surprised for a moment. He hasn't called me that in years. I never thought I'd ever hear it again after everything... "I'll be okay eventually. As long as I have her by my side I'll be okay." I say and smile weakly at Lana who looks at me lovingly. "I'm glad you have her." My dad says and I immediately turn to look at him. "What?" I asked surprised and he sighs. "Its obvious that you two love each other. Not very many people would be willing to do this much for someone they didn't love. I'm not going to take that away from you." He says and a smile grows on my face."that does not mean I support... You know... But you are my daughter. I'm supposed to support you no matter what and I haven't been there for you in a while. I think its time we change that." He says and I look up at him. "You mean it?" I ask, tears beginning to trickle down my cheeks again. He nods and hugs me. "If she is what makes you happy, never let go." He says and I look at Lana and hug her. " never let go." I say and her arms wrap around me too. "I won't. I promise." She says.

"Now, I came out here to see if you were ready. Everyone is inside waiting for us." My dad says and looks at me. I sigh. "I think I'm ready now." I say. Lana stands up and I grab her hand and the three of us head back into the church together.

Lana's POV:
I've never seen Jen like this before, so I know she's really hurting. What she said about me not knowing what its like, hurt and brought back all the memories of my father, but I know she's hurting now more than she ever has so i don't take her words seriously. I know she would never mean it. I continue to comfort her and her dad comes out after a few minutes and actually talks to us. What he said surprised me probably as much as it did Jen. He accepted us, in his own way, and hearing that made the both of us feel better.

We are now walking, hand in hand, down the aisle of the church to the front row where the rest of the family sits. I feel hundreds of eyes stare at us, stare at Jen and I holding hands, but like we once promised, we wouldn't let other people come between our relationship. We take our seats with the rest of the family, and the service begins. Jen's mom, dad, and brother say a few words about Julia and when Daniel finally walks back to his seat I look at Jen. "Are you going to say something?" I ask and she nods. "I want you to come with me." She says and this time I'm the one who nods. She leads the way up to the podium and I follow. When we get up to the podium, I stand next to her and grab her hand. "Hi everyone, my name is Jennifer. Some of you may or may not know me and some of you may just know me as Emma Swan from Once Upon a Time. I was... Am, Julia's older sister. Julia was one of the most admirable and friendly people in this town. She always greeted everyone with a smile. A smile that could light up even the darkest rooms. For me Julia was more than my sister. She was my best friend. Growing up, we did everything together and we were almost inseparable. Of course we had our arguments, what family doesn't. The last several years we had grown apart because of who I was... Not because I was an actress on some huge prime time TV show, but because I was a person who had fallen in love with someone who wasn't exactly up to my family's standards..." She says and looks over at me and smiles. "It took Julia a while to accept that this was who I am, but after a few years, she finally came around and realized that I was still her sister. After that, we became closer than ever. She was always there for me when no one else would. I hadn't talked to her in months before... Well... My life got in the way, work got crazy, and my love life.... I actually have one now. I wouldn't be here where I am today without my sister. She helped me become who I am and I will never forget that." She says with tears in her eyes. She turns to walk off but I pull her back. "I would like to say something too." I say and the crowd looks at me confused. "My name is Lana Parrilla. Not very many of you know who I am, but you will when I'm done. I never got to meet Julie but from what Jen tells me, she sounds like the kind of woman everyone wants to be friends with. I never met Julia, but from the little bit that my fiancé has told me about her, she sounds like the kind of woman who never gave up on anyone. I guess you could kind of say I am where I am today because of her. If she hadn't pushed Jen towards her acting career, who knows where I would be today. I guess you could say she brought me my happy ending." I say looking at Jen. "And for that, I will be forever greatful. Thank you" I say and Jen and I walk back to our seats. "Thank you." Jen whispers to me. "For what?" I ask. "For saying that. It really means a lot, and I think my parents can agree." She says and I smile at her. The rest of the service goes by fast, and soon its time to say our final good byes. Each family member got a rose to put in the casket with Julie. I walked up with Jen and she handed me her flower. "You're a part of this family now too." She says and smiles at me tearfully. "I can't. Its your rose for your sister." I say. "Its our rose for my sister."she says and I smile before grabbing the stem of the rose and we both gently played it on top of Julia. "Goodbye. You will always stay strong in my heart Lil sis." I hear Jen whisper and I see tears begin to fall. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her cheek. "I love you." I say. "I know saying goodbye is hard, but it will get easier with each passing day." I add. She looks up at me lovingly. "I know. I love you too." She says and our lips collide gently. We pull away from the kiss. "I'm glad I won't ever have to say goodbye to you." She says and I hug her, before we walk back to the car.

A/N: thanks for reading! I hope your enjoying it.