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Epilogue

-- One Year Later --

"Nick, can you take out the trash?"

"Yeah, hold on!"

I clicked off the TV and headed into the kitchen. Cam was sitting in a high chair, his face covered with mashed carrots. James was eatinhg a cookie. Leigh pointed to the trash.

"It's full and I have a mess to clean up," she said with a smile.

"He hasn't gotten the eating thing down," I said with a laugh. I yanked the bag out of the trashcan. Leigh playfully tugged my shirt.

"Neither has his dad," she teased. She pulled me towards her and kissed me softly.

"Yes, but there's so many other things I can do well," I teased. She blushed and slapped the back of my jeans.

"Trash," she said.

I know what you're probably thinking...how in the hell did I end up with Howie's wife? Well, when Bri and I got back from Germany, everyone was so relieved to know we weren't dead that any questions were long forgotten. Bri had this elaborate story about how we had 'hid' out for a few days, but then we felt like chickens so we decided to come home. And miracuously, the murders stopped.

The first thing I wanted to do once things settled down was tell Leigh the truth about Howie's death. Bri had fought with me every step of the way, but he lost the battle.

Of course, Leigh hadn't believed me. She told me that wolves only exist in movies. And in a weird twist, she found it touching that I would even claim to be responsible.

We started spending a lot of time together. For me, in the beginning it was because I really did feel guilty that I had left her a single mom. And for her, I think it was because she was worried about a lack of 'womanly' care for Camden. Anyhow, I prayed every night that Howie wouldn't come down from Heaven and kill me. I wasn't really a bad person. And surprisingly I was a good dad. I just had to believe that Howie would have wanted me to step up. I had to believe he forgave me for tearing off his arm.

Because of the guilt and weirdness of being attracted to the widow of one of my best friends, Leigh and I didn't move in together right away. But about nine months after Howie's death, I found myself staying with her more and more. I started out in the guest bedroom, but no one told me how persuasive lovely Italian women are. Again, I tried to tell her I was responsible for Howie's death, but she dismissed it and told me I shouldn't feel guilty for sleeping with her.

And, well...

Now we were newlyweds and I was taking out the trash. We got married on a whim at city hall a week ago. It was great because only Brian and AJ knew; the press hadn't even figured out Leigh and I were together.

I'd be lying if I said I never thought about Lauren. After all, she was the first woman who truly taught me how to love. The older Cam got, the more he looked like her. It was so funny to watch him laugh and see her smile.

Leigh tells me that she feels the same way about James. She hasn't had the heart to cut his hair in forever and he's beginning to look a little like D sans-Millennium era.

As I opened the back door and carted the trash out, I looked up at the sky. There was a full moon tonight. It had taken me months to stop fearing this time of the month. It had felt so strange the first time to be able to get through the whole night without hair or extra bone growth. Leigh had found me cowering at home with Cam looked in his room. She had stayed with me the entire night.

And I loved her for that.

"DADA!" Cam exclaimed happily as I walked back in. I sat down and began to wipe his face off. Leigh ran a hand across my back as she took her seat by James. She played with his little ponytail and watched me.

"We're missing something, you know," she mused. I held out a piece of carrot and Cam took it from my fingers, smacking his lips. I laughed. "What?"

Leigh made a soft humming noise that totally relaxed me.

"A little girl."

I turned in surprise. "A what?"

Her eyes sparkled. "A little girl."

I grinned. I had a feeling this full moon was going to be a little wilder than most.

"Are you serious?" I asked. She nodded.

"And what if it's another boy?" I teased. She leaned down and kissed James forehead. "Can I go play?" he asked. She nodded. He wiggled off the chair and took off, still munching on his cookie.

"I'll take that gamble," she said. "Who knows, maybe we'll have a whole pack before we get a girl." She tilted her head a little and howled.

I must have paled because she leaned over and slapped my shoulder. "It's a joke, wolf boy! Really Nicky, you're wild but you're definitely not a wolf. I'm pretty sure you wax your chest."

"What?! I don't wax my chest!"

"But it's so smooth," she murmured. The murmur was what got me. I began to wipe Cam's face a little quicker. She stood up and bumped her hip against me.

"I'm going to go take a showerrrrr," she trilled. "Can you get the kids to bed?"

"You just gave James a cookie!" I protested. She giggled.

"Good luck!" she called. I heard her footsteps on the stairs.

I sighed and looked at Cam. He smiled up at me and grabbed the end of the towel. He began to gnaw on it.

"I guess you and Bri are the only ones who know my secret," I whispered. I kissed his forehead. "As for mommy Leigh, well..."

I glanced up at the stairs.

"I'm still hungry like a wolf."