The Beginning of the End - Jenlisa

Chapter Thirty-Five

∞∞∞

One evening, in December, Jennie and Riley came home to find Lisa looking over a bunch of papers in the living room.

"Hey~..." The brunette greeted as she entered the room, her puffy cheeks rosy and her gummy smile was fanciful. Bending down, Jennie kissed Lisa lightly on the lips. "What are you doing?"

"Looking over these..." Lisa answered, holding up a sheet of paper.

Jennie raised her eyebrows as she took it from the Thai. "What are these?"

"Statistics..." Lisa answered simply.

"And what's the deal with them?"

Lisa shrugged. "I have no idea~."

Jennie laughed—that was so much like Lisa. "Well, would you like some company?"

Lisa grinned, nodding enthusiastically.

"Arrasseo~..." Jennie said. "But I need to make some hot choco milk first. I'm freezing~."

It was then that Lisa noticed the absence of her energetic son.

"Hey, where's Riley?"

Jennie rolled her eyes as she made her way out of the room. "Outside, where else?"

∞

When Jennie came back, she slipped into Lisa's arms and curled up against the blonde, resting her head on the Thai's broad shoulder. Lisa smiled as she held the papers up to allow Jennie to accommodate, placing a small kiss on the top of the brunette's head.

"Figured out what they are yet?" Jennie asked, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

"I'm on~ that~." Lisa replied.

Jennie smiled. "You know..." She sighed. "I'm proud of you."

Lisa seemed to freeze upon hearing Jennie's words, her entire body tensing. "...What?" Lisa breathed.

"Yes..." Jennie confirmed. "I'm proud of you. You achieved all your dreams... You're who you wanted to be and where you wanted to be. And I know it wasn't easy—but you never gave up."

A small smile on Jennie's face, she turned her head to look up at Lisa. "And you're doing a great job."

A long moment of silence passed before Lisa found her words to speak.

"You're amazing~." Lisa whispered, awed.

Jennie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Is that so?"

"Yes~." Lisa answered. "Any other woman... Who would have wanted to even hear about this ever again? It tore us apart. Had I not become The Best Choreographer, we wouldn't have had all the problems that we did."

Jennie shook her head. "You have no way of knowing that. And, Lisa..." Breathing in, Jennie shifted in Lisa's arms so that she was now facing her. "I love you for everything that you are. You've wanted this ever since I met you. Your family wanted this for you. It was your destiny. And I accept it and I love you for it." Sighing, Jennie buried her head in the crook of Lisa's neck and pressed a kiss to her warm skin. "I do."

Lisa placed the papers on the coffee table and wrapped her arms fully around Jennie's small figure, her embrace tight, warm, and protective.

Kissing Jennie's temple, Lisa heaved a sigh. "I wonder if there will ever come a time when thinking about it will no longer hurt..." Lisa murmured against her skin.

Jennie closed her eyes. "Maybe."

"Thinking about not having you here, in my arms... Thinking about not knowing Riley..." Lisa paused and shook her head. "I don't think I would have ever worked up the courage to look for you if I hadn't thought I'd seen you that day. This, us, now... It all came down to a chance. And I can't even remember how I managed to live six years without you."

"I know..." Jennie whispered. "But you know what?" She pulled away to look into Lisa's eyes. "I'm grateful. That our paths crossed again, that we're together now. I have you and I have Riley—and that's enough for me. It's more than I ever dared to ask for. You want more, I can feel that. You want to change the past, but that's not possible, Lisa~. We need to come to the terms with it. And I'm sure we will. We're on the right path."

Lisa sighed and tightened her embrace, coaxing Jennie to return to her favorite spot on her chest. "Everything will be alright~." Lisa spoke.

Jennie smiled. "Exactly."

They spent hours wrapped up in each other's arms, discussing random matters and trying to make sense of the statistics. The atmosphere was comfortable, and with Jennie in Lisa's arms.

Lisa felt as if everything was already alright—in her life and in the world.

Riley joined them after a while, cold and wet, but with a grin on his face that could have lit up the entire room.

Jennie straightened from where she sat with her back to Lisa's chest, an almost incredulous look on her face.

"What have you done?" Jennie asked.

Lisa grinned when she noticed Riley trying to stifle a laugh.

"Well, I was playing with Kuma-yah~, and he jumped on me and sent me into this huge pile of snow, and of course—"

"Of course you jumped on him and went headfirst into another pile of snow~." Jennie completed for him.

Riley grinned sheepishly.

His NINI rolled her eyes. "Come on~." Jennie said, sliding off the couch. "You need to get out of those clothes."

"What about Kuma-yah~?"

"Kuma doesn't wear clothes, Riley."

"Yeah, but he has fur!"

"Yes, well, you can blow-dry his fur after you get changed!"

Jennie left Lisa with a kiss, and went to tend to Riley, their banter resounding clear throughout the house. With a smile on her face, Lisa also stood up, and, placing the paper in her hands back on the table, went to raid the kitchen for something to eat.

When the two joined her once again, Jennie started to cook dinner.

With her son on her lap, stealing cookies behind his NINI's back, and Jennie moving around in her kitchen, Lisa felt complete. Lisa felt like she had a family.

And Lisa knew then—she would do anything to keep them by her side.

Keep going... Difficult roads can lead to beautiful destinations.