📎A/N. Hello my lovelies. This last chapter just did not want to be written.. whether it was my subconsciousness that didn't want their story to end or whether it was something else I am not really sure. However, I have finally managed to put pen to paper and finished the ending to CiNY's rocky journey.

Thank you all so very much for all your support throughout Sydney and Ethan's story. It has truly touched my heart.

Take care and be safe.

❤ ℳ

PS. Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter @mnjgreenhill or like my Facebook page to get updates on my upcoming projects...

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6 Months Later

Sydney closed her eyes and rubbed her temple with her free hand while holding the phone with the other. "Ethan, I love you, but if you don't stop worrying I swear to God—"

"I can't help it," he cut in, "I just don't feel right being away with this looming over you."

Sydney sighed and swung her chair around to stare out the window onto the park below. Spring had finally peeked through the last of the winter snow and was doing its best to brighten up an otherwise overcast day. "You held out as much as you could. None of us could have predicted the trial would go on for that long. And, who in their right mind would think it would take this long for the jury to come to a decision?"

"If it's any consolation, my contact at the DA's office is sure they'll come to a consensus before the weekend. There's no way they'll want to be away from their families for that long," he said.

She let out a small moan. "Let's hope you're right; I'm not sure my nerves will hold out that long."

"Are you sure you don't want me to fly home?" Sydney could hear the concern in his voice.

"No. Stay in Berlin. You have a job to do, and babysitting me is not one of them. Besides, Grace and Stephen are coming over for a Margarita night, and Stephen is keeping me more than busy with work."

Ethan chuckled. "Perhaps it's best that I'm not there. I don't think I could sit through the three of you gossiping over photos from Grace and Mason's honeymoon."

Once Sydney had ended the call, she picked up a photo frame that rested on her desk, and smiled lovingly at it as she reached out and lightly touched the glass. It had only been two days since he'd left, and she already missed him dearly. She continued to stare at the image of her, Ethan and Walter, which had been taken on the promised trip to the Renaissance Faire.

Walter, in his element, hadn't stopped grinning the entire day. In fact, it lasted well into the following week.

In the six months since her father's capture and arrest, life had been a mixture of highs and lows. Without a doubt, she wouldn't have survived without the support and love of Ivy, Victor, and Grace. Her rock, however, had been Ethan. The expected storm had hit without mercy. Yet, somehow, for the most part, Ethan had pulled off a minor miracle and buffeted her from the typhoon.

With the backlogged court system, it had taken five months before the trial was placed on the dockets. Much to her horror, the case itself lasted almost four weeks. Even the press got bored after the first two, and the deluge of reporters trickled in numbers until the final days when it surged back up again. Not to be outdone, the jury, who were expected to bring back a quick verdict, seemed to enjoy their confinement and hadn't emerged in four days.

Throughout the trial, she had done what any normal person did in that situation. She hid out in Ethan's house in Long Beach. Not that she was complaining. While they still maintained their separate apartments, they spent just as much time together, away from the madness of New York city, and basked in the quiet normality of their self-induced bubble.

It was these occasions that were the most precious to her. They could relax without the constant need to look over their shoulder in case a photographer or reporter trailed them. However, with the trial finishing and Ethan's business trip to Germany, Sydney had returned to her apartment in the city hoping that the past could be put behind them. Unfortunately, the jury had other plans.

***

Sydney had just finished putting away the groceries when the doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock as she headed towards the door. It was still thirty minutes before she was expecting visitors.

"You're early," Sydney said as she opened the door and rushed to throw her arms around Grace. "Oh my God, I missed you."

Grace laughed and returned the hug. "I've only been gone a month."

"I know, but it feels like a lifetime," Sydney said as she pulled Grace into the apartment.

They heard a disgusted snort from the hallway, and she glanced over her shoulder. Stephen was standing in the doorway with a raised eyebrow and two bottles of Tequila. "And what am I?" he asked, "Chopped liver?"

Sydney rolled her eyes. "Pfft. I hardly think twenty-four hours is enough time to miss your bony butt."

Stephen raised his chin and sauntered passed her. "I do believe the word you are looking for is fine. Not bony. Now where's the ice."

Within minutes, the three of them were mixing up a batch of Margaritas and a tray of snacks.

"So mom said Penelope is still on about the State Department not giving back her passport to allow her to travel to the UK for my wedding," Grace said as she poured a packet of potato crisps into a bowl.

Sydney finished mixing a small batch of hummus and handed it to Grace and shook her head in disbelief. "Yes... well, my mother tends to shift blame from herself to everyone else without fail."

"What part of house arrest did your mother not understand?" Stephen asked as he popped an olive into his mouth.

Sydney chuckled. "You should hear her opinion on the judge who sentence her."

"If you ask me, he did it deliberately to save on the additional therapy her prison guards would need if she were put into general population...not to mention the riots she'd probably incite," Stephen remarked.

Sydney noticed Grace had become quiet; her attention was too focused on the platter and her rearrangement of the crackers. She quickly moved across to her cousin and placed her hand on Grace's arm. "You're not still feeling guilty you didn't get married in New York are you? Because if you are, you can get that stupid thought out of your mind once and for all. It was a perfect wedding."

Stephen sighed. "You know she's right," he said to Grace. "It's a blessing Mason's family insisted you be married in the UK. Can you imagine what it might have been like if she'd had the opportunity to be there?"

Stephen visibly shuddered as he filled three tall glasses with ice. "Considering you're her niece, the courts may have allowed her to attend."

Once Stephen had topped up each glass with Margarita, he handed one to Sydney. "At the risk of addressing the white elephant in the room, how are you coping? I see they still haven't come back with a verdict?"

"I'm fine," she said accepting the drink. "I just want this all over with."

"Have you thought about what'll happen if they come back with not guilty?"

Sydney's heart faltered—this was one of her greatest fears. There was no doubt in her mind that he was responsible. However, his defence team had more than earnt the small fortune they charged, and had provided enough discrediting of witnesses to move the focus away from her father and on to the shady dealing of others.

"That's not something I want to think about. Can you imagine the press that would get? While I've pretty much escaped the limelight, it's Jackson that I feel sorry for."

Much to her horror, Jackson had been hounded by the press mercilessly after their father's arrest. He was unable to go anywhere without his minders for the better part of the first month. After that, the media frenzy had died down, and it was safe for him to step foot in public. However, the pressure had gotten to him and, after one particularly harrowing day, Jackson relapsed. It wasn't too hard for him to track down his drug of choice and binge for two days solid. His minders, concerned he hadn't emerged from his apartment, stumbled on him passed out on the couch, sleeping in his own vomit.

Her only solace was that Jackson registered himself into a rehab clinic the moment he regained consciousness.

"How is he?" Grace asked, "I haven't had a chance to ask since I've been back."

"He's doing fine," Stephen replied. "He's keeping to the program and takes each day as it comes. The fact he recognised the problem as soon as he slipped, is a positive sign."

Grace reached for her glass and cocked her head at him. "And how do you know? I thought you two broke up months ago."

Stephen looked flushed as he fidgeted with the ice tray. "That doesn't mean we can't still be friends," he said defensively.

Grace narrowed her eyes at Stephen. "You mean friends with benefits?"

Sydney burst out laughing at his guilty expression. She was wondering how long it would take for Stephen's little secret to come out in the open. Both her brother and he had denied staying in contact after their separation. Sydney, however, knew they both were hiding something. She just didn't know what.

"I thought this evening was for Grace to tell us about her honeymoon," Stephen said, attempting to change the subject.

Sydney grinned. "Fine, have it your way. But don't think we won't grill you on it later."

By the time they had polished off three large jugs of Margaritas, she had forgotten what she had needed to question Stephen about.

***

As predicted, the jury came back with their verdict before the courts broke for the weekend. Throughout the month-long ordeal, Sydney hadn't once stepped foot in the courtroom, preferring instead to wait to hear from Jackson, who regularly met with their father's defence attorney. With Penelope's inability to attend, the attorneys were mortified to discover that Sydney refused to attend and that Jackson was in rehab and couldn't—this put to bed any thought of the defence team showing family unity.

Sydney had burst out laughing when the idea was floated to her. Seeing their expressions, she had sobered quickly, glanced between them and asked, "What? You were serious?"

As with the majority of news, she was made aware of the verdict, two days later, through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; followed a considerable time later by the expected call from her brother.

"I suppose you've heard by now," Jackson asked.

"Social media is faster than the news media these days. So what now?" she asked.

"The judge has set a date for sentencing. So we still need to wait a week to find out how long."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"You know what sis? I think I'm going to be fine. If this debacle has taught me one thing, it's I need to worry less about what others say and concentrate more on making myself happy. That was my last rehab stint. I am not going down that path again."

"You know, if there's anything you need, you just need to ask."

"I know, and I do appreciate what you've all done for me. Especially Ethan, it can't have been easy on him... Speaking of which, when is he due back?"

A rush of warmth spread through her and a bright smile unconsciously replaced her worried frown. "Anytime soon. His plane landed an hour ago. I was going to meet him at his place, but I don't think I can face going out in public—not just yet—so he's coming here instead."

They chatted for a little while longer before Jackson needed to head out to an NAA meeting.

Not able to concentrate on work, and not willing to go anywhere near the internet, Sydney turned on some music and threw herself into giving the kitchen cupboards a spring clean.

"Well isn't that a sight for sore eyes."

Sydney, startled at no longer being alone, hit her head as she jerked up in reaction to hearing Ethan's teasing tone. "Ouch!" she said as she put her hand to the back of her head as she cleared the cupboard.

She was surprised to see him leaning over the counter grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Sorry couldn't help it. The way your backside was dancing was too much for this mortal man."

Sydney threw her cleaning cloth at him. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry," he said with a wink, not looking the least bit apologetic.

She arose from the floor, and Ethan came around to help her up. He pulled her into his arms and pulled her tight against his chest. "I missed you so much," he murmured into her hair.

Sydney closed her eyes and revelled at the strength she felt when in his embrace.

"I suppose you heard?" she whispered.

She felt him tense. "Yes, and I can't pretend I'm not happy about it."

Sydney pulled away and looked up at him, meeting his intense gaze. "Have I ever said I thought him innocent?"

"No, but—"

"There's not 'buts'. He's been found guilty and will be going away for a long time. He may be my biological father, but he lost all rights to my support the moment he ran and left us paying the price for his stupidity."

Ethan searched her eyes as if seeking the validation in her words. While there were no longer any secrets between them, she had shied away from discussing her father with him, knowing how much damage had been done as a result of David's actions.

He groaned and bent his head to nuzzle the crook of her neck. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Sydney chuckled as a wave of Goosebumps ran across her exposed skin. "Not in the past week... not properly, at least," she teased.

Ethan lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his hips as she brought her arms up to encircle his neck. "We'll have to see about making up for lost time," he said gruffly as his grey eyes darkened with desire.

Her reply was curtailed when he brought his lips down to capture hers in a searing kiss that was felt by every nerve ending.

Ethan spent the rest of the day making her forget the outside world, and she was more than happy to pretend it didn't exist.

***

"Hey Mr. M, Miss R, how are you both today?" called out the orderly manning the front desk.

While Sydney could happily have spent the remainder of the weekend being distracted every which way by Ethan, she knew Walter had been looking forward to their visit. She just hoped he wouldn't notice just how late they were after Ethan had found yet another excuse to pull her back into bed that morning.

"Not bad Tyrell, how about you?" Ethan answered as he signed the visitors book.

Just as Sydney stepped forward to repeat the same process, Tyrell handed her an envelope. "Dr. Friedman wanted me to give this to you. Something about changing the program for Walter."

"Oh?" Sydney said as she opened the letter and scanned the contents. She frowned. "There's a couple of things that don't make sense. Is she still here?"

"I'll just check," said Tyrell as he moved across to the computer and pressed a few keys. "Yep. Her shift's up in thirty, though."

Sydney turned to Ethan, "You go ahead. I need to see Zoe."

It didn't take long for her to find Walter's speech therapist. After a short conversation which alleviated her initial reservations about the changes to his program, she weaved her way through the corridors to Walter's room. As she reached her destination she stopped short just outside the door and fished around in her bag—she'd promised to bring a new stash of Butterfingers. It wouldn't do if she didn't turn up with them. From the racket coming from the room, they were playing Super Mario Brothers.

Just as her fingers curled around the packets, she heard Walter ask, "W-Where's S-s'ney?"

"She'll be here in a minute, and I'm sure she'll have your candy."

She smiled. Ethan, while not overly happy with her feeding his brother's obsession, did nothing to stop it.

"You s-s-sure?"

"Positive."

The sound from the TV halted.

"W-Why d-d-did you s-s-stop the game?"

"Buddy, I need to ask you something."

Sydney was confused at the way in which Ethan's tone turned serious. He had been teasing one moment and the next, the complete opposite. Rather than interrupt their conversation, she let the candy sit at the bottom of her bag and remained outside the door. She leaned against the wall, half listening to their conversation and half scanning through the additional material Zoe had supplied her with.

"You know I love you don't you? And I'd never do anything to hurt you."

Ethan's odd declaration held her attention, and she stopped reading to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Aha."

"And you know Sydney loves you?"

"I l-luv S'ney t-too."

"And just because things might change in the future, it doesn't mean we love you any less?"

From Walters lack of reply, Sydney guessed he wasn't following Ethan's meaning. To be honest, neither was she.

Ethan let out a loud sigh, and she heard the bed squeak as he rose. The room became quiet. She peeked around the corner and from the reflection in the mirror, could see he had crouched down in front of Walter's chair. They were now eye-to-eye. Before they could spot her, she quickly pulled back and strained to hear Ethan's explanation.

"For a long time buddy, it's just been me and you." He paused before he continued. "Then Sydney came into our lives."

"I -l-luv S'ney," Walter piped in, his voice full of cheer.

"I know you do, Buddy, and that's what's been keeping me up nights."

Sydney's head snapped around. This was news.

"W-w-why?"

"Because I want to ask her to marry me, and I need for you to be okay with it."

Sydney's chest tightened, and her breath caught. Ethan's words spread through her like the sun on a hot summer day and lightened even the darkest corners, pushing away all the doubt that had been building. A thrill of excitement flashed through her body, and she revelled in the feeling. She knew, without reservation, he was the one person she wanted to grow old with. The one person she couldn't live without. It took all her energy not to jump up and down like a child who'd just been granted free reign of a toy store.

A moment later, panic followed the path carved by her happiness. She understood Ethan's reservations. He didn't want to risk Walter regressing backwards after all the progress he'd made.

"M-m-m-marry?"

A lump built in her throat, making it hard for her to breathe. Oh God! He's not thrilled at the prospect. She could hear the rising panic in Walters question.

Ethan quickly responded before it could escalate. "Now, just because we'll be getting married, doesn't mean we'll stop visiting or going on trips. It just means our family will grow by one. You, me and Sydney."

Again, everything grew quiet. She knew how her father felt waiting for the jury to announce its verdict. Her entire happiness rested on the events playing out in Walter's room.

"Say something Buddy; you're scaring me," Ethan implored.

You and me both. Sydney echoed silently.

"Wh-why?"

This time, Walter's tone was less panicked. However, she still couldn't ascertain his thoughts on the subject. A sheen of perspiration broke out on her forehead, as she waited for Walter's acceptance.

"Because I love her, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving her. Because with Sydney, I am the best