They had spent two days there, until Rose couldn't stand another moment away from Bear.

They said their goodbyes and her family even hugged Alexander. Rose joked that they wanted Kalyca to stay more than they wanted her to because they had all been hugging her repeatedly.

The whole goodbye session lasted for a good hour and a half. Eric had gone back to his parents house or wherever he had been previously staying to get his things and move. Rose and Alexander offered him their guest bedroom. He accepted, he was really happy they were being this way. He had to admit he was perfect for Rose, being able to match her kindness and generosity.

Right now they were on their way back home. Home home, not the one they were leaving.

Rose's eyes were still puffy as she held the paper in her hand with all of their phone numbers and addresses on it. She hadn't let it go since she wrote all of them down and folded it up.

She decided to sleep for the rest of the way home. Alexander would not let her drive crying like she was. So she climbed in the back and curled up to Kalyca's carseat. Alexander watched them both sleep the whole way home.

She woke up in her own bed, they didnt want to wake her up. She looked for Kalyca or Alexander but neither of them were there. She looked over to the nightstand and her phone and the paper were there. The alarm clock said it was a little past noon. She moved her feet some. There was something in front of them. Something...BEAR! She jumped up, so fast she made herself dizzy, and she whispered Bear's name and he woke up as well. She grabbed him and squeezed him and he licked her whole face. "Oh, I missed you." She said, hugging him again.

She heard really quiet voices from outside her room. Alexander had probably helped Eric with his stuff and now Kalyca was probably making them watch cartoons.

Not bothering to change out of her T-shirt and pajama bottoms, she carried Bear into the other room in full zombie mode.

"And sleeping beauty awakens." Alex walked over and kissed her head.

"With true love's kiss, even." She said, holding Bear up. "Do we have any cereal?" Eric was staring at her, because she hadn't even treated him being there as anything different from her seemingly normal routine.

"I'm not sure, and I was about to ask you why you didnt know." Alexander replied, Rose was in the kitchen searching through the cabinets holding Bear on her hip.

"Oh no, you need to go out." She said to Bear and closed the cabinet she was looking in.

"WHERE IS MY CEREAL" Rose said, like the ice dude from The Incredibles.

"I dont know, dear, but I suppose I could look for it if I were asked to."

"Alexanderrrrrrr, will you please find me some cereal?"

"Yes, Rose, dear, now take care of the varmint."

"He's not a varmint, he's my baby!" After she shut the door, Alexander said "varmint" under his breath.

He made a bowl of cereal and sat it at the table close to the door. He liked to act as if he were upset or annoyed but really he loved that she was like that.

She sat down on the patio and watched bear run around and go potty.

Eric was sitting on the couch with Kalyca asleep and half laying on him. They were still watching a princess movie.

Rose came back in and Alexander made a noise and motioned towards the table.

"Thank you, Alexander." She said smiling at me.

"You should really help Eric, he seems to be in quite the situation." She said, laughing.

"I tried, Rose, he's new here. He still likes the leeching."

"It'll stop being cute very soon, Eric, but at first you feel like the chosen one." She said loud enough so Eric would know it was directed towards him, if he wasn't already listening to their conversation.

"What do you mean? I'm not the chosen one? Dang." They all laughed.

"Rosie, when am I gonna start working?"

"Today." She replied with a straight face, focusing on her cereal.

"When today?"

"After I eat my cereal we can all go to the shop, including bear," she said his name in a way to get him excited, "and announce my departing and your arrival to replace me. But you know. I'll still do all the stuff I did before. I just dont want money from working there or to do cars all day. I want to be home a whole lot more." She looked over at Alexander for a moment.

"Really? Okay. But Rosie...I dont know enough about cars."

"Dont worry, Eric, I'll set you up with one of my boys and they'll show you the ropes." She smiled to herself at her innuendos.

"Ugh. Okay." They laughed.

"I'm going to take a shower and get Kalyca ready then we're going."she stood up.

"To new beginnings." She said lifting her bowl in a toasting manner. Alex lofted a glass of water he had been drinking up too. Eric reached and held his up from off of the coffee table.

To New Beginnings