Adopted by Dear Evan Hansen: Could we go on For Forever?

3 Years Later

**Laura's POV**

"Ryder!" I shouted, "Come on! We're going to be late."

"And that's a bad thing, how?" She called back, poking her head out of her bedroom, "They can wait, Mom, it's fine."

"Yeah, Mom, it's fine," Brooklyn mimicked, joining Ryder in the doorway.

"How's she doing?" I asked Brooklyn once she joined me in the kitchen.

"Honestly?" Brooklyn raised her eyebrow, "I've seen her more stressed about AP Chem, so she's fine. Thanks for letting me stay here while my parents are out of town, Ms. D."

"No problem, Brooklyn," I put a hand on her shoulder, "You're always welcome here. Ryder! Come on! We can't be too late!"

"Fine," Ryder joined us, buttoning down her shirt as she walked, "But you're braiding my hair on the subway."

I agreed and grabbed my keys, wallet, the tickets, and my phone as the girls got their shoes. Brooklyn and I each took a side of her head and double French braided as fast as we could during our subway ride to Times Square. By the time out stop arrived, both of us were almost done. We tied the ends off with promises to finish them later and we walked down Broadway to the Lyceum Theatre.

"Laura! Ryder! Brooklyn! Over here!"

I found the voice and recognized Ben, Mike, and Kristolyn in line. We walked over and joined them.

"Dad," Ryder hugged Mike, "Aba," then Ben, "Momma," and finally Kristolyn.

"Why are your braids half done?" Kristolyn noticed Brooklyn and my handiwork.

"Mom let Brooklyn and I start a movie a little too late into the day. They started my braids on the subway," Ryder reported.

"Mind if I finish them?"

Brooklyn and I shook our heads and Kristolyn finished the braids, allowing Ryder to tug her beanie over her head.

"Does anyone know anything about this show?" asked Ben when the line started to move as the theatre started admitting people.

"Yep," Ryder nodded, "Papa's been singing and practicing nearly non-stop since he booked the role. I might know the show just as well as he does."

We entered the theatre and took our seats. The stage had a mesh barrier that read BE MORE CHILL. I flipped through my playbill and found Will's biography, something I'd read a million times before, but this time it mentioned Ryder.

"Happy Adoptiversary," We all said to Ryder as the house lights dimmed.

We watched the show with Will's family and cheered extra hard for him during curtain call. I saw his eyes find us and his smile widen.

I followed Will's rapidly texted instructions and lead my dysfunctional family and Brooklyn backstage to the Lyceum's green room.

"Papa!" Ryder ran over to him when he joined us, "You were awesome!"

"Thanks, Rye," he smiled at the rest of us, "Thanks for coming, all of you."

"Our pleasure, Will," Mike assured him. "Congrats on opening night."

**Ryder's POV**

Will brought us to the opening night party and immediately steered me over to the man who played Michael Mell.

"George," Will tapped him on the shoulder.

"Will! That was awesome!" 'George' hugged Will, his smile faltered ever so slightly when he saw me. "Who's this?"

"George," Will put his arm around me and pulled me forward, "This is my daughter, Ryder. Ryder, this is my castmate, George Salazar."

"It's nice to meet you," Mr. Salazar held out his hand and I flinched back instinctively. Mr. Salazar took the hint and lowered his hand.

"Matrix," Will whispered to me, "It's okay. He's a friend."

A tiny bit of tension left my shoulders, but not a lot. I looked at Mr. Salazar and waved.

"It's nice to meet you, too, sir," I said hesitantly, "My papa thinks very highly of you."

"Please, call me George," he turned to Will, "I can't believe you're a father."

"I don't either sometimes," I tensed until I recognized Brooklyn as jump into the conversation. "Hi," she offered George her hand, "I'm Brooklyn Max. I'm Ryder's girlfriend."

She looked at me and I smiled. We'd been happier since we'd started being more open with our relationship when people asked or when we were introducing each other or ourselves.

"Hi, Brooklyn," George shook her hand, "I'm George Salazar."

I saw shock flash through Brooklyn's eyes when she heard his name, but she blinked it away and gave me an Oh My God! look.

I laughed and kissed her ear, "It will only get better."

Brooklyn grinned and nudged my shoulder, "I don't see how - they have tiramisu here." She feigned a look of embarrassment, "Oh, and you're here too."

I rolled my eyes and tugged on Will's arm gently, "Can Brooklyn and I go and get some food?"

"Dessert or food-food," he prompted.

"Both."

Will leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Don't tell your moms but the tiramisu does have alcohol and coffee. Be mindful with how much you eat. Laura and Kristolyn would have my head if you went home drunk and hyper."

"Thanks, Papa. I'll be careful. Besides, I have Brooklyn here to be a second monitor."

"Go have fun," Will nodded, "Don't get drunk."

Brooklyn and I ate our body weight in food, limiting ourselves to one piece of tiramisu shared between the two of us.

The night was fun. We ate food, my guardians drank champagne, and when Brooklyn and I got to Ben's for the night, we collapsed together on the couch.

"Did you have a good night?" Ben murmured in my ear.

"Yeah, Aba," I managed to say through my near-unconsciousness, "I had a great night."

I have found my family and we can go on for forever.

Hey all! I have one more planned chapter that shows what Ryder is doing with her adulthood and that should come in about a week or so. I'd be happy to revisit these characters anyway if any of you have one-shots or prompts that you want me to write.

Also, in case it wasn't clear: Laura is called Mom; Mike is Dad; Will is Papa; Kristolyn is Momma; and Ben is Aba.

Please leave any feedback or opinions you have. I look forward to hearing what you think about this story.

              -Spaceheater1