Chapter 34: Price

                                    

                                          
The final chapter.

10 Months Later

3rd Person POV

The November mountain air was cool, and the leaves had almost all fallen off the trees, with some having no leaves at all. Y/N stood on the wooden deck, gazing out at the Appalachian Mountains in front of him. He, Johnny, and Simon had retired from the military and moved to the United States. They had bought a house up in the North Carolina mountains and had been living a quiet life ever since. Kate and Kyle had also moved on from the military not long after, with Gaz living in London and Kate back home with her wife full time. They all kept in constant contact, even with Farah, Alex, Alejandro, and Rudy. The funeral for Price and the members of Apex had been small and discreet, with only those named individuals knowing where their captain now lay to rest.
Y/N closed his eyes and took a breath of air; everyone was inside since Johnny had offered to house everyone for a few days. It looked like a kid's sleepover, with everyone crammed into the living room by the fire. Y/N had stepped out just to get some air, but the sliding door opening and closing pulled him back to reality.

"Hey, are you okay?" Gaz asked.

"Fine, I'm just enjoying the night." Y/N replied, smiling at his brother.

"Soap is going on about some new party game he wants to try; apparently it involves a lot of alcohol."

"We are going to run out before the week is over." Y/N laughed.

"We can always get more. Thanks again for inviting us all over; even Alejandro and Rudy seem to be enjoying themselves." Gaz smiled as he rested his elbows on the wooden railing.

"I'm glad they came, Alex and Farah too. It's nice to have the family together again."

"Yeah, listen, Kate wanted me to give this to you."

Gaz pulled out an envelope from his hoodie and handed it to Y/N, who immediately noticed how thick the envelope was.

"You didn't open it?" Y/N asked.

"Not for me; I can head back inside if you want to read it alone." Gaz offered.

"I'll head back inside in a minute. Go have fun. I promise I won't be long." Y/N replied.

Gaz nodded and walked back inside, where the others were now arguing over who got what drink. Y/N watched them all happily laughing and smiling; even Simon seemed excited. The letter felt like it had some weight to it as Y/N turned it open, carefully opening it. Inside was a letter and something else, but Y/N decided to read the letter first before he looked inside. It wasn't Price's handwriting, but it was his words; Kate had most likely been given the original, and she had typed it out. Y/N took a deep breath and began to read.

——

Hey Kid,

"Looks like I didn't make it out this time; it was bound to happen eventually. Our line of work isn't exactly the safest, but we are damn good at it, especially you. I can't tell you how proud I am of you. I got to watch you grow from a teenager into the man you are today. Kate and I both love you very much, and we're worried about you, but I am glad you made it back home. I know we didn't get much father-son time with us chasing after all the bad guys, but I sent this to Kate just in case something went wrong. Guess it did if you are reading this. Whatever happened, know that I did whatever happened for you and the others. If I had to, I would do it all again. Your safety is all that matters to me. At the time of my writing this, you, Simon, and John seem to be doing well, and I only hope you all enjoy the rest of your lives. Do that for your old man, would you? Enjoy life for both of us. I know I was hard on you sometimes, and I am sorry for every fight or disagreement we ever got into, but I pushed you so that you would be safe out in the world. I like to think I succeeded. I also wanted to say that I have left the remaining money I have saved to you; use it well and don't let Soap buy something stupid with it. Use it to start a new life; I know you and the others have your own, but consider this a gift from your dad, maybe even a wedding gift."

——

Y/N smiled as he felt a tear roll down his face; the ring on his finger confirmed Price's hope. They had a small ceremony with just friends and family. It looks like Price got his wish and even gave them a gift.

——-

"Anyway, I'll wrap this up; I don't need you to be sad for too long. Keep your head up, kid; you'll be great! Don't forget to watch after the others, but make sure you are taking care of yourself too. I know you have gone through a lot, but I promise it's over now. I would imagine you and the others will be retiring soon, especially after this mess. I just want you all to be happy and live life to the fullest; that's what I would have wanted. Thanks for being there for me; you helped me more than you know, and I owe you a lot, more than I could ever repay you. I left you something in this letter; you'll get a laugh out of it, I'm sure. I love you, son. Take care and be happy."

Your father always,

Price

——

Y/N let out a shaky breath as he carefully folded the letter and slid it back into the envelope. He then reached inside and carefully pulled out the object; the second his fingers touched the item, he immediately rolled his eyes but smiled.

"What is it?" Soap asked from behind.

Y/N nearly had a heart attack but skied once he saw everyone behind him. They had slipped outside to see what was up, and Johnny and Simon walked over. Y/N turned around so everyone could see what Price had left for him. The cigar rolled out into Y/N's hand; it smelled like shit. It was Price's favorite brand, one of the good, expensive ones he smoked on special occasions.

"Gross." Y/N smiled.

"That's all?" Johnny asked, looking through the envelope.

"No, there are two photos in there. One of me and him, and one of you all." Y/N replied as he turned the cigar over in his hands.

"You okay, mate?" Gaz asked.

"Yeah. Price would want us to keep going and be happy."

"He would have loved to be here." Kate replied.

"He's still with us." Y/N smiled as another tear rolled down his cheek.

Simon gently wiped it away as it crossed the Y/N scar on his cheek. The group shared a few sad smiles, but Johnny insisted on a group hug, and no one objected. They had all lost more than they ever wanted to, but now they had each other; they had a family. Slowly, they began to live back outside since it was getting colder outside. Y/N, Johnny, and Simon were the last ones outside, standing quietly in the cold. They knew what the others were thinking and just shared a smile as Y/N put the cigar in his pocket and took each of them by the hands, leading them back inside. From then on, life only got better for everyone; they still got together every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Sure, it wasn't the same without König, Reyes, Nova, or Price, but it was still filled with love and joy. Y/N had lost almost everything, but he had also gained a new family and a new love. He had Simon and Johnny now, and he would never leave them. They lived in peace in their own little world, safe and together until the end of their days.