EPILOGUE

One Year Later

I'm standing on the side of the road in central Battery City, a bucket of red paint in one hand and a big roller in the other that i can use to get a smooth effect with. The wall in front of me use to be a plain shade of fading white, but is now an eye-catching scarlet shade, which brightens up the whole street.

BLI had made the city a colourless prison, but a year on and we've been redecorating like mad in our spare time, encouraging the citizens of the city to do the same and plant flowers or paint wherever they can. Slowly the city is regaining it's spark, along with all the smiling faces that I can now see.

I sigh and admire my handiwork, looking at the wall that is now a mixture of swirling orange and red hues that blend and twist together in an eye-catching pattern. Whenever i get a spare moment i like to go out and paint the city, making it bright enough to match the killjoys that run it. 

It has been a long day. I've spent the morning at the Battery City Leadership Base, which is just a fancy name we've given to the new killjoy headquarters. Now we occupy Battery City we got to enforce the laws and run the city, which we do successfully. I'd been going over proposals to expand the city with Jet Star, due to the growing population. 

I see the familiar trans am round the corner of the street, the redhead i love driving it. He pulls up beside me and gives me a minute to place my paint stuff in the boot before i climb in beside him, leaning over to kiss him. 

He kisses me back immediately, a hand resting on my waist and the other going to rest just below my ear, right where one of my hickey's can still faintly be seen. He lets out a moan as he does so, loud enough to show that he's missed me today. He and Ghoul had to go and take care of some droids that were malfunctioning all day, so i haven't seen him since he got up early this morning. We go on missions together whenever possible as we always love to have each other's backs.

"I missed you baby" he pulls away and nuzzles his small nose against my neck "The droids were really playing up. They were old models we missed and they were still programmed under BLI commands. They took up like three hours. Plus Ghoul spent nearly the whole time seeing how many different ways he could break into the hut they'd been in." 

"Why am i not surprised?" i chuckle, my chin brushing against the slight stubble that's forming across his jawline "i missed you too though. You should've just let me come along too, we both knew it would be fine." 

"I know, i just don't want to take any chances. I love you both too much" he rested him hand on the small bump under my t-shirt where there was a tiny little life growing, shaping and forming into it's own person. 

 "I'm pregnant, not immobile. At least, not yet. Wait until i'm eight months gone and i'll probably be saying different" i'm four months down the line at the moment, and although at first i was more surprised that anything else, now i'm excited too.

"Apparently Ghoul and Cyanide have taken a bet. Ghoul reckons it's a girl and Cyanide thinks a boy. Whoever loses has to cook for a month" he reluctantly takes him hand away from my stomach so that he can start the car up again, driving off down the street as we talk.

"Well we'll know soon enough anyway" I stare down at the noticeable shape forming beneath my lose purple t-shirt "not that i care either way. As long as it's healthy." 

"It just makes me even more relieved that we took the city when we did. Now we get to raise this kid in an actual, safe home. Imagine if we'd had them when we were still out in the desert?" He sighs as i imagine giving birth in the middle of a gunfight. 

"Yeah, it wouldn't have been ideal" I muse as we turn down into the side street where we live. "We would've managed though." It probably would have fuelled my hate for BLI even more if they were endangering my child's life. Luckily all the leader's bodies are long since burned or buried - there was even a street party when Korse's body was cremated. Balloons and everything. 

"We always manage" He parks the car outside and the two of us stumble into our home - a sweet little house with three bedrooms and even a little garden. We could've gone for the bigger houses now that we're in charge of the city, but we opted for something more homely. 

"Are you still up for the party tonight?" i ask "Because if we're going i need to go get dressed and find something that still fits me" i gesture to my swelling body. 

"Of course. We've gotta celebrate the day we took down BLI. We nearly lost everything to take this city back" He heads into the kitchen whilst i head upstairs to raid my wardrobe for an outfit. Tonight there's a massive celebration all over Battery City to commemorate us taking the city back a year ago today, and to also honour the killjoys who lost their lives in the final battle.

I find a simple black dress that goes in at the waist but then hangs loosely around my hips, perfect for my current situation. I slip it on with some comfortable shoes and then try to brush through my ever-blue hair. I've come a long way in a year. Now i co-run a capital city, have a baby on the way and live with the love of my life. And i haven't even had to use my ray gun since that day. I still carry it around as a just in case, but the threat has been exterminated. 

When we reach the city centre the party is in full swing. Killjoys are drinking and dancing everywhere - laughing as they do so. I can see Ghoul and Cyanide sitting on the roof of their car, sloppily kissing with their drinks abandoned at their feet. Kobra spots us first and heads over with Jet in tow. 

"Spark! Party!" He hugs us both and grins down at my bump. To say he was excited when we told him he was going to become an uncle was an understatement. "You look great!" 

"Thanks" I see his eyes scanning the crowd behind us "If you're looking for Silver then i saw her heading to go and talk to Show Pony." His eyes light up immediately, confirming my suspicions that he was looking for his girlfriend. 

"Great! I'll catch up with you guys later!" Him and Silver are taking things slow, but i think it's only a matter of time before they move in together, maybe even tie the knot for good. 

"Come on, let's dance before everyone realises we're here and tries to talk to us" Party voices my thoughts and pulls me into the crowd of people. A sense of deja vu washes over me as i remember when i'd run away from him through the crowds of people in The Battery, when we'd kissed just outside the same building, and even that part right before we charged the city. "What are you thinking about?" 

"How this is just like The Battery" Although it's not a particularly slow song, i still lean on him as we move to the beat. "Well, without the impending doom. And Crash's dodgy cocktails." 

"And without you running away from me." 

"Shut up, that was ages ago" I give him a playful flick on the arm "I certainly stopped running away in the end, didn't i?" 

"You had me worried i was loosing my charm" he faked a vain expression. 

"No, just your ability to fight a drac without almost getting ghosted. I should've kept count of how many times i saved your life, that could come in useful when the baby's crying at 3am and neither of us want to get up and feed him or her." 

"Are you guilt tripping me into sleep deprivation?" He gave my waist a gentle squeeze. 

"Maybe" I mumble before leaning forward and kissing him again in the middle of the crowd. I don't care who's watching or who see's me in this moment of weakness. I don't care that i've learned to let my guard down, to love people so freely and even allow myself to have a child - something i would've ran a  mile from in the past simply because it's so much responsibility and you really do hand over your heart when you become pregnant. But now all these facts just make me happy. 

If my family are my weaknesses, then oh how wonderful it feels to be weak. 

THE END. 

Bam! It's done! Woo!

This was a fun story to write. Thank you to everyone's who's stuck it out to the end - especially those who've been regularly voting and commenting along the way. It's super-appreciated.

There will be no sequel, this is the end of Spark's story. I'm giving her a happy ending ;)

I think that's all for now. Except maybe stick around, give me a follow, i dunno. 

Thanks, 

Headfirst_for_Helena