A/N: I'm so sorry for taking so long to do this! I decided finally to write the epilogue and see how it turned out, and if it wasn't too cheesy and cliché I would add it. I'm pretty pleased with it and I hope everyone will be too.

Epilogue

One year later

"Come on, Ben!" cried Sophie as she tugged Ben's arm. "I don't want to miss seeing anything!"

"All right, all right," Ben replied and smiled fondly down at his youngest sister, who had on a pretty, light pink colored dress. She had grown so much in the year he was away at college. She was taller, no longer wore pigtails and her blonde hair was starting to darken, just like his had at that age.

"We won't miss anything, Sophie," their dad remarked as the whole family piled into the car. "Ben's probably just as anxious as you to get there on time." He winked at Ben through the rearview mirror.

Ben grinned back at his dad and couldn't help but sigh subconsciously in relief. His dad had been diagnosed with melanoma a few months into his first semester at Boston University. Ben could still feel sometimes the devastating shock that had come over him when he got the call from his mom. Luckily it had been detected early and after a few months worth of treatments his dad was cancer-free.

The drive to the ceremony site didn't take more than ten minutes, but Ben found himself fidgeting restlessly anyway. Next to him, Sophie seemed just as restless as she tapped her fingers on his knee and wiggled around in her car seat. Olivia, on his other side, poked him in the ribs. "Stop fidgeting so much," she chided him. "I can feel the whole car moving thanks to your big butt."

In response Ben pulled at her hair that was hanging down her shoulder. "Get your hands away!" she immediately shrieked. "Do you know how long I spent getting my hair to look this good?" Olivia continued to complain as she got out a compact mirror from her purse. Ben muttered something disagreeable under his breath as he idly watched Olivia check her makeup and smooth her hair. She looked very nice in a green dress that matched her eyes, and it struck him suddenly that she too had changed in the past year. Both of his little sisters were growing up way too fast for his liking.

They finally arrived at the site and Sophie practically danced around in the parking lot as she gripped Ben's hand tightly. "Come on!" she cried anxiously as they all made their way to the rows of empty white seats that were set up in an open space where the grass was green and lush. The accompanying vast green forest and blue skies made a beautiful backdrop.

"It hasn't started yet, Sophie," Ben said reassuringly as they took their seats near the front. "We're early."

"Let me fix your hair, sweetie," their mom said to Sophie, as the simple clip in Sophie's hair had become loose. While she was doing this Ben took the time to look around. More people were arriving, the noise level rising with various conversations going on, and Ben spotted Kurt, Jake, and Patrick taking their seats. They grinned and waved at him as he nodded back. He would go talk to them after the ceremony.

After a while the crowd seemed to quiet down and everyone looked towards the front expectantly. An official-looking man, whom Ben supposed was the Justice of the Peace, appeared and stood facing the crowd. He gave a warm and welcoming smile to everyone, and then Alan appeared to his left, looking rather nervous, and some words were exchanged between them.

The violin quartet started playing softly, and the crowd went silent as heads turned towards the back. First Ben saw two adorable children, a boy and a girl, obviously the ring bearer and flower girl, come down the aisle, hardly able to keep a straight line in their excitement, which amused him greatly. Next came Leah with Alan's son, Peter. Leah gave a big smile to Alan as she and Peter separated at the front to take their respective places on either side. Ben felt his heart rate speed up and he swallowed noisily as he searched for the next bridesmaid and groomsman to make their appearance.

And then there she was, clutching onto Dave's arm as they came down the aisle. Ava's other hand was holding a bouquet of flowers tightly, and Ben could tell she was nervous yet excited. She looked so lovely, with her black hair in a simple up-do, wearing a burgundy colored dress. Her dark eyes were shining and they suddenly landed on him. He felt a wide grin stretch across his face and he winked at her, seeing her face break out into her beautiful smile. She and Dave made their way to the front. Alan came forward and shook Dave's hand, then gave Ava a kiss on the cheek. Ben watched as she reached out and took Alan's hand, giving it a squeeze, before taking her place beside Leah, and it touched him, for the millionth time, how kind and genuine she really was.

The violin quartet gently transitioned to another song, and everyone rose as Mrs. Locke made her appearance and started walking down the aisle, with Ava's Uncle Alex by her side to give her away. A murmur of appreciation went through the crowd as Mrs. Locke made her way down, and Ben thought she looked wonderful, happy and glowing, as she walked towards Alan with her eyes glued onto him the whole time. Ben's gaze shifted back to Ava and her eyes were unusually shiny, but he knew her tears were from happiness and relief for her mom. Before she turned to face the front Ava's eyes met his again, and he shot her a reassuring smile and another wink before sitting back down with the rest of the guests.

The ceremony began and Mrs. Locke and Alan exchanged their vows. Ben tried to pay attention to what was being said but all he could do was continue to stare at Ava. He watched her touch the corners of her eyes several times and Leah grabbed her hand. It made him wish he could go up and do the same thing, but he knew Leah would look after Ava. His heart seemed to beat a little faster in his chest as he studied her, seeing how half of her back was bare save for two thin straps holding up her dress and the flattering way it wrapped around her small yet curvy body. Ben was already craving to hold her and to feel her soft, smooth skin against his fingertips.

The happy couple was now exchanging rings, Ben noticed, but his thoughts were still focused on Ava. He would never admit it to her, but at times he wondered what she saw in him. She was always telling him she needed him, but secretly he thought he might need her more. What exactly did he have to offer her? For his part, he was always inspired by her, and greatly admired her thoughtfulness, kindness and loyalty towards those she was close to.

For instance, there was Jesse. Jesse and Paul had broken up at the end of high school. According to Ava, Paul couldn't put up with Jesse hiding his homosexuality from his parents anymore. After talking it over with Ava and Cassie, Jesse decided to come out to his parents. It hadn't gone well. They immediately kicked him out of their house and disowned him.

Jesse ended up crashing on Ava's living room couch for a few days before she came up with a plan to help him. Jesse was going to attend the local college, to save money, so she proposed that he come live at her house, in the guest bedroom, for the next two years, rent free, as both she and Dave would be away at school and Mrs. Locke would be living alone. Ava, Dave, Alan, and Mrs. Locke had to spend a few hours convincing Jesse that this was what they wanted. Despite his initial protests, Jesse was soon settled into the guest bedroom. Ben cleared his throat to stifle the chuckle building in his chest when he remembered Ava telling him Jesse had followed her around for the next few days profusely thanking her until she said she'd kick him out too if he kept it up.

The guests around Ben erupted into cheers and Ben snapped out of his daydream, finally noticing that Mrs. Locke (or rather, he supposed, she was Mrs. Stevens now) and Alan were kissing. Someone let out an ear-piercing whistle and Dave and Ava were laughing and hugging each other. Ben smiled watching them. He knew how much they had both wanted this for their mom, and it must be a relief to them to finally see her with someone they both adored and respected.

The now married couple made their way down the aisle, with Dave and Ava behind them and Leah and Peter bringing up the rear. Ava stole another glance at him, her wide, happy smile lighting up her face, before focusing her gaze on her mom and Alan. Ben figured she was enjoying the sight of her mom's and Alan's first moments as husband and wife, but for his part he continued to stare at her and his mind drifted again, thinking of how much she had done for him.

He wasn't sure he would have survived his dad's episode with cancer without Ava by his side. After he had gotten the call from his mom, he had stood in his dorm room in shock, not knowing what to do. He was alone, as his roommate had gone off to his own classes, and Ben finally found himself sitting on the edge of his bed, not really aware of anything. Almost mechanically he had picked up his phone and texted Ava, although he knew she was in class. What else could he do? He barely remembered what he wrote, but his phone beeped almost instantly, with Ava writing back that she was coming. He wanted to tell her that she didn't need to ditch her class for him, but found that selfishly he couldn't bring himself to. He needed her at that moment, needed her more than he ever had. She of all people would completely understand what he was going through.

Ben had continued to sit on the bed, burying his face in his hands, thoughts fleeing through his mind, all centered around his dad, and his family. He felt himself going to pieces. There were so many questions he had that he should have asked his mom, but at the same time he didn't want to know the answers.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he initially didn't feel the soft touch in his hair, then on his hand. Startled, he looked up to see Ava standing there, her brown eyes anxious and sad, and she offered him a small smile. She took his hand in hers, warm and small, and gentle. Wordlessly she sat down next to him and put an arm around him as he leaned into her, resting his head on her shoulder. Before he knew it he had wrapped his arms around her, gripping her small body to his bigger one, his face buried in her neck, breathing in her honey and milk scent that he loved. He held onto her as though she was his lifesaver as he started trembling. Ava had rubbed his back, smoothed out his hair, and kissed him gently wherever she could. Ben could never form the words afterwards to tell her how much she did for him with these simple acts, with just her presence, calming him down and giving him comfort in the worst moment of his life.

The months following this were difficult, as they waited for their first semester to finish and visited his family as often as their hectic college schedules would allow. Luckily winter break came quickly and lasted a little over a month, so Ben was able to spend more time with his dad. Right before New Year's he was pronounced to be cancer free. After celebrating the great news with his family Ben went over to Ava's house to tell her. Her dark eyes had lighted up instantly as she smiled radiantly at him and threw her arms around him happily. Before he could stop himself he had crushed her to him and kissed her fiercely. He kept on kissing her, to show her how much he appreciated her being there for him and his family, and barely gave her a chance to breathe as he nibbled on her soft neck, and along her collarbones, before going back to kissing her full, soft lips. On New Year's Eve his family joined hers at her house in celebration, and near midnight he gave her a long and tender kiss. Somehow he felt their relationship had reached another level, perhaps a more mature one, and he thought she felt the same way as she looked deeply into his eyes and softly told him she loved him, with a more serious note than he had ever heard before, and he whispered the same to her as he gathered her to him and held her tightly.

While Ben was recalling all of this he and his family had shuffled onto the grass in the open space, and Sophie had grabbed onto his hand and was chattering excitedly about all the pretty dresses and flowers, adding that she thought Ava had looked very, very pretty. Ben smiled listening to her and then groaned inwardly as he remembered Ava telling him that the wedding party would go to another site to take pictures, and that he wouldn't see her again until the evening at the reception.

Ben spent the next few hours hanging out with his family. It was something he obviously didn't get to do very often anymore since he was in college, and he missed his family more than he cared to admit during the school year. Finally the time came to go to the reception. It was held outdoors as well, under a few tents in case it rained. The tents were large and airy, and there was plenty of room for everyone. Ben was seated with his family and with Cassie, Kurt, Patrick, Jacob, Jesse, and Paul.

Cassie and Kurt had decided to take a break before they went to school. They thought it might be too difficult to maintain a long distance relationship, as Cassie had gone to an art school and Kurt had chosen a small liberal arts college nearly three hours away. Ben, as well as Ava, had a feeling they might be reevaluating their decision, as he noticed Cassie was sitting next to Kurt and leaning into him, and he had an arm around her. Nothing would make Ava happier than to see Cassie with Kurt again.

Patrick and Jacob had gone to schools about an hour away from each other, so they were able to get together often. They were both doing well at their schools, although Jake was still in the midst of choosing a major. Ben was confident he would figure it out as time went on.

Although Paul and Jesse weren't together, Ava had high hopes that they would be again soon. They hadn't spoken in the first few months after their breakup, until Jesse confessed to Ava one day that he missed Paul terribly. Ava encouraged him to reach out to Paul, and luckily Paul had been open to pursuing a friendship with Jesse, especially after he learned what Jesse had gone through with his parents. They had started spending more and more time together and it was clear that their feelings for each other hadn't changed.

While chatting and catching up with everyone Ben often glanced along the long, rectangular table at the front of the tent facing the guests. Ava was sitting between Dave and Leah and she was constantly smiling. She chatted excitedly with Dave and Leah throughout the meal until the DJ announced the first dance and Alan led Mrs. Locke (Ben could still not think of her as Mrs. Stevens) to the dance floor.

Their first song was Can't Help Falling In Love by Andrea Bocelli. Ava had recounted to Ben the memory of seeing them dance to that song, and he was reminded, not for the first time, of how much Ava had had to deal with in her life, growing up without her father. Ben had pretty much taken for granted seeing every day how his parents were happily married. It made him realize, over and over, how much Ava helped him to appreciate the small yet important things life.

During the second half of the song Dave and Ava, along with Peter and Leah, joined the married couple on the dance floor. Ava gave Dave a kiss on the cheek as they started to dance. Ben watched them, smiling a little, as they chatted quietly. After a minute Ava's eyes looked away from Dave and Ben followed her gaze to her mom, and he saw Mrs. Locke and Alan cozily tucked into each other, Alan's arms tight around her, and saw her smiling widely at him, their eyes locked on each other. Ava looked back to Dave and they chatted quietly again.

Much as Ben wanted to jump out of his seat and claim Ava as his dance partner for the rest of the night, he knew he needed to give her time to spend with everyone she knew and invited to the wedding. So he waited, fidgeting impatiently (which Olivia pinched him for, through his long-sleeved shirt), taking in good-naturedly the jibes from the other guys as they all took turns going up to Ava and asking her to dance during the slow songs. Of course it also helped that he found Ava looking at him constantly and smiling at him whenever she could, so he contented himself while he waited.

His dad gave him a wink before getting up and asking Ava for a dance, which his mom seemed to be greatly amused and touched by, and Ben watched as his dad spoke to Ava as they danced and he saw her eyes become shiny again. He was sure his dad was thanking her for being there for the family through their difficult time, and in true Ava fashion she was most likely embarrassed and protesting that she wanted to help any way she could. Then Alan asked Ava for a dance, and Ben knew she would consider it to be incredibly special, like a father-daughter dance, as he saw her quickly wipe a few tears away. As their song came to an end Ben decided it was the right time to make his move.

He approached Alan and Ava slowly, not wanting to disturb them if he could help it. He felt somewhat nervous yet he wasn't sure why. Luckily Alan put him at ease right away. "Hello Benjamin," Alan greeted him warmly. "You ready to dance with my beautiful stepdaughter?"

"Yes sir, if I may," answered Ben, putting on as much politeness as he could. He knew Alan approved of him but he still felt he needed to show his worth as much as possible. Smiling at Ava, Alan handed her off to Ben and he immediately pulled her close to him as his nervousness faded, wanting to feel her warmth against him, and she put her hands on his shoulders.

"About time you came," Ava said, her eyes twinkling at him. "I was wondering if I'd get to dance with my boyfriend at my mom's wedding." Ava laughed a little and Ben joined in, unable to help himself at the infectious sound.

"Oh, I was just biding my time," Ben replied, smiling at her and taking in how lovely she looked now that he could see her up close. "I thought I'd let the other guys have their chances first, because no one else but me is going to dance with you the rest of the night."

Ava smiled and held onto him tighter. "I wouldn't want it any other way," she said sincerely.

"You look beautiful, love. More than beautiful, in fact," he murmured in her ear as he put a hand around the back of her neck and gently guided her head to rest between his shoulder and chest . He heard her let out a small, contented sigh.

"You look great, as always," she murmured back, as she snuggled closer to him. Ben wrapped his arms tighter around her. He knew he was good-looking, had known since he entered high school. But to hear it coming from Ava meant more to him than any of the compliments he had ever received from other girls. He knew she saw more in him than just his looks, had looked past all of that and deep inside of him and reached him, something no one else outside of his family had ever done.

They danced the rest of the song in silence, and Ben couldn't help but press kisses to her soft hair, done up in ringlets of curls, and move one of his hands up from her waist to rest between her shoulder blades, wanting to feel her soft skin. He felt her shiver a little against him at his touch, and he smiled a little smugly realizing the effect he still had on her.

When the song ended he took her hand and led her back to the table he was sitting at. Everyone welcomed her with big smiles and well-wishes for her mom, and she sat down next to Ben and talked with everyone. She kept rubbing circles with her thumb on the back of his hand, and always managed to glance or smile at him in between conversations.

Another slow song came up and Ben squeezed her hand, wanting to dance with her again. Ava finished talking with Sophie and followed him as he led her to the dance floor and pulled her close against him.

"Do you ever think about the future?" he asked her quietly as they swayed to the music.

She chuckled a little and looked up into his face. "Well I am in college and trying to get through to make a career for myself, so yes, I would say I think about the future."

Ben hesitated before speaking again. It had been on his mind lately, when he realized they had been together for almost two years, that after deciding to go to college together they had never discussed their relationship again. He was sure Ava was happy with him, but would that change? He needed to know how she felt, if she ever pictured them always being together like he did.

"Do you ever think about other aspects of the future?" he asked, pulling her in even closer against him.

Ava looked puzzled. "Like what?"

Ben took in a deep breath. "Like…us." He almost regretted saying it when he saw surprise and a flash of panic on Ava's face. He spoke hurriedly and tightened his hold on her. "Sunshine, I love you, so much." He paused, and watched as the panic dissipated from Ava's face. "We've gone through a lot of things together, high school, and Matt passing away, and now college, my dad's cancer, your mom getting married." Ava nodded slightly, her face taking on a serious expression. "What I'm trying to say is, I know as we get older we'll have to get through more of whatever life throws at us, good and bad, and the thing is…" Ben could hear his voice getting slightly rough with emotion. "I can't imagine you not being there, not being with me, through everything. I don't know if I would have gotten through my dad's episode with cancer, without your love and support. You're always saying you don't know what you'd do without me, but the truth is, Ava, I don't know what I'd do without you. I need you, I need your love, and I need you in my life."

Ava's face continued to look serious as she took his words in. Ben knew it couldn't have been more than thirty seconds at most for her to catch on to what he was trying to say, but it felt like a lifetime had passed by before a smile slowly spread across her face. She took one hand off of his shoulder and put her soft, warm fingertips against his cheek. "I can't imagine you not being in my life either," Ava replied softly. "You've…brought so many changes to my life, and you're always there for me, and the way you understand me… With you I feel like I can get through anything. When I'm with you...everything is just so much better. And…" she trailed off and chuckled a little. "I do need you Ben. You, and no one else. I love you."

Her simple yet meaningful words reassured him. He never doubted her, knowing that whatever she said was always spoken sincerely. Ben smiled at her and moved her hand from his cheek and placed it on his chest. "I love you too Sunshine," he murmured as he bent his head to kiss her. He knew she didn't like PDA but dammit, she was his and he wanted to show her, at this moment, exactly how he felt about her.

When he finally had to pull away to catch his breath he smiled at the sight of her dark brown eyes looking dazed and hazy and her slightly parted lips before she buried her face against his shoulder. He could feel her chest heaving against his and she tightened her hold on the back of his head. She had snuck her hands into his hair, like she always did whenever they kissed. Ben placed a soft, lingering kiss on her neck and breathed in deeply her honey and milk scent. It was then that he noticed they were dancing to True by Ryan Cabrera.

"I remember you singing this song. It was right before the first time we kissed," he murmured and gave her another kiss, this time below her ear.

"What?" she asked after a few seconds. "When was I singing this?"

"I heard you singing this song, at your house," Ben replied. "I wanted to kiss you, so badly. And somehow hearing you sing this, it just…made me sure you wanted it too."

"Our first kiss," Ava said quietly, lifting her head from his chest and smiling lovingly at him. "I love you," she said again.

"I love you too, Sunshine. My Ava." Ben kissed her again, soft and quick, and wrapped his arms her, pulling her close against him. She was his, his Sunshine, his Ava, and she would always be his. Everything she had gone through, losing her dad at a young age, being raised by a single mom, meeting and losing Matt, welcoming Alan into her life…she had taken it all in stride and come out a stronger and better person for it. And because of it all, she was the one he needed, the one he loved, the one who had come into his life and changed him for the better. And he would always love her for that.

A/N: So I hope everyone enjoyed the ending and that it's a satisfactory one. This is it for Ben and Ava. No sequels or anything like that. Thank you, everyone, for all the reviews and favorites and for reading it even though it is long. I'm sad for this story to end but I will be working on my other one and I hope it will turn out to be a good story as well. Thanks again!!