REAL, michael j. fox

epilogue

Song Selection: Biggest Part of Me by Ambrosia

3 years later...

Laughing amongst the guests now packed in the studio for the final episode curtain call of Family Ties, I continued to bounce Rose in my lap as I waited for Michael to come back off the stage. Seeing the him still teared stained for a moment, he beamed over to us and lifted Rose into his arms before kissing me on the cheek. "Hey look at you, all grown up," Meredith came up to say briefly before more cameras were being covered in the distance over the farewell.

She left us as well, leaving Mike and I alone with our daughter a little longer. Looking to him fixated on her for a moment had me tilt my head over to him concerned. "You alright there, Fox?"

He nodded kissing her softly on the forehead before handing her to me. "It's been a long day." Knowing the history of the show with him, I only smiled to this as he kissed me softly. "I'll just be a minute alright? Then it's just the three of us back home."

Letting him off on his way, I continued to entertain the toddler in my arms. "And there's my two girls!" I turned back to see my father making his way over to us and laughed as he took Rose up in his arms. Noticing my mother behind him, I straightened myself up to her. "Michael was great."

"Yea, yea he was," I said, looking to see my mother hesitating for a moment.

She cleared her throat before nudging me along. "Can I have a moment with you? Just the two of us?" Looking to my father instead holding Rose nodding his head to me sympathetically, I sighed under my breath to follow behind her.

Seeing the rest of the actors now crowding for photos, I watched Michael laughing amongst them to smile to myself at the sight. "I'm proud of you, Caitlin." I looked over to her surprised at her words as she continued to look straight towards the group of actors instead of back to me. "You've proved me wrong. Suppose you're the more successful woman of the two of us."

That was it. The words I'd long to hear for God knows how long. This was it.

I shook my head to her. "It was never a competition, mom. Even if that, I wouldn't win." She turned down to me at this as I smiled up to her. "All I wanted was your support, that's all. Nothing else really mattered to me." Enveloping me in a hug suddenly I took this by surprise, hugging her back all the same.

***

The crowd of guests continued to laugh in the hall as I leaned against the kitchen countertop to myself for a moment. The feeling of someone beside me had me turn to see Michael had made his way back to me. "You're heading back soon?" He asked me.

I shrugged, twirling the glass in my hands for a moment. "Rose and I can stay here for another month before you go back to filming." Looking up to see him smiling down to me, his eyes shined from the soft light in the halls to have me laugh under my breath. I pictured him always looking at me that way, even years from now. It just made sense that way. "You're not listening again are you, Mikey?"

"I am, I am," He explained himself before wrapping his hands by my waist to pull me close, "I'll just miss you both when I'm gone."

I rolled my eyes at this, placing both my hands on his chest cheekily. "I think you'll do just fine," I played along.

Michael nodded to this to catch the small space between the two of us. "Oh sure but just one thing-" Whispering something inappropriately into my ear for a moment, I blushed immediately over this to laugh nervously as he only kissed my cheek for the successful reaction.

Megan came forward with James, raising a glass to Michael. "Suppose it's bittersweet for you then, today at least?" She mentioned.

He shrugged his shoulders, continuing to hug me from behind as he spoke with them. "Guess you can say that. I mean, some things come to an end at some point," Michael explained.

She nodded to this. "Very poetic, Michael. Very poetic." She then fixated her attention to me, entertained by the exchange between Michael and I. "And then there's just one thing I need to know-"

"He can't tell you anything about the sequel, Megan. You already know that," I answered immediately for her, knowing her well enough she'd ask about it herself.

James laughed at the quick assumption I made as she groaned over this. "Oh c'mon! Not even like small hints, really?" I shook my head as she pouted to this. "I know you know something though, Hall. I'll have you spill eventually."

Michael shook his head, leaning on my shoulder for a moment. "Signed an NDA," He continued to joke with her.

"An NDA how big-"

Laughing off her reaction, James took her hand for a moment. "And we've lost her. Congrats again, Mikey." He waved them off the two of us looking to Megan now sighing deeply over the exchange before Michael spun me back to face him again.

He cupped my cheeks for a moment to eye me intently. "You're going to tell her when I'm not around aren't you?"

"Of course but that's beside the point." He laughed at this as I softened toward his reaction for a moment. Holding his hands tightly, I continued to smile at the sight of him with me this way. "I love you."

He kissed me briefly to smile back to me. "Not as much as I love you."

It was real and it was sometimes a bit messy and perhaps a bit unrealistic, but that just makes it all the more enjoyable. I kept my career, my dream job, and a family with someone out of a literal dream. Sure, looking at it all it seems impossible and I was bound to wake up at some point to find none of it was true. Yet here it was, right before me. What Michael and I have is real and a dream all at once. And I love that it can always be that way.