# The Journey Of A Lifetime

Title: The Journey Of A Lifetime
Status: Complete
Characters: Anon, Fang, Samantha
Rating: SFW
Classification: One Shot
Author: Anonymous
Summary: There were complications during childbirth. Now it's just you and the little one.
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>You watch your little girl grow up into the spitting image of her mother
>She gained a rebellious streak because you work too many hours trying to support her by yourself but you still love her with all your heart
>You have to be both Samantha and Ripley for her prom date
>You lose it and barely get any pictures taken because you start crying when you see her in her mother's old prom dress
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>Your daughter leaves quickly, too embarrassed by her dad
>That's okay, you don't want to ruin her special night
>Her date seems like a good kid, he'll treat her right
>You stare at the two of them in the album of your camera
>You place it next to the framed picture of Fang and yourself
>You can barely tell the two of them apart, she really is her mother's daughter
>You sit down in your chair, truly alone this time
>You reach for a battered old guitar
>Strumming it, you find the strings are familiar to you now
>You learned how to play for her after all
>You begin to strum your daughter's favorite song
>It was your favorite too
>It came naturally, something you've played on many nights to help you or your daughter sleep
>The notes were impossible to forget
>You heard them every time you looked into the amber light brilliance of your daughter's eyes
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>You finish the song but it did nothing to soothe the ache in your heart
>You lie in the chair, listening to the ticking of an old clock, A wedding gift you had gotten so long ago
>You stand up and head to your bedroom
>Your daughter was an independent soul, you didn't need to baby her by waiting
>you sit on the master bed, sized for two
>She always liked her side of the bed softer, easier on the wings she said
>You can't bring yourself to lie down, so many mundane memories of the two of you flooding your mind
>Somehow the thought of cooking with her, cleaning the house, and brushing your teeth together were the happiest moments
>Simple things you'll never have again
>You spy her amber necklace on the dresser
>You gave it to your daughter of course, but she didn't wear it tonight
>Too old fashioned she said, didn't want to wear mom's old junk to prom she said
>You sniffle and smile, Fang would have said the exact same thing about Samantha
>You pull out your phone and call her
>"Hello?" The motherly ptero answered
>"It's Anon" you tell her, even you can hear how close to tears you are
>"Is everything alright, honey?" She asks, you've called her like this before
>"Yeah, it's prom night, y'know?" you try and laugh it off
>Samantha hums before responding "Want to talk about it?"
>"Yeah" you choke out, nodding despite being alone in the room
>"I remember, just before your prom night we heard Lucy squealing in her room. She was so excited." Samantha sounded lost in her memory
>You couldn't find the strength to respond
>"You were a good husband and an amazing father, Ripley and I are so proud of you, Anon."
>There was no point fighting the tears running down your cheeks now
>"Thanks, mom." You sob out
>You and Samantha talk a while longer, both of you sharing the pain of losing the most important person in your world
>You may have lost Fang but she still left you the greatest gift you could ask for, a family.
​
>Given the day's occasion, you couldn't help but look back at the pictures your daughter took on prom night with the young man she's been with ever since.
>His size and brawn almost reminded you of Spears. He even had that look of calm intelligence duelling explosive fury, albeit still nascent. And Lucy in her mother's dress, the night as a whole, was a bittersweet memory.
>Grug didn't make you feel like you had to pull pages from Ripley's playbook to keep him in line. Polite, respectful, sharp, and so sweet on your daughter that you could see the love between them from a mile off even then.
>That's why news of him proposing after they both graduated college didn't shock you in the slightest. Your daughter was ecstatic, and you had to hold back the lone tear of pride that she was doing so well for herself after overcoming that transitionary phase of young adulthood, flourishing just as Fang, sweet Fang, did.
>That's why you were sitting in the car outside the wedding venue, getting everything out now so you wouldn't ruin your little girl's special day.
>You had already gone over all those pictures of Fang even before Lucy was just a twinkle in your eye. You would have given Grug your old tuxedo but retailoring it wouldn't taken too much, so now those wine-stained sleeves were coated over in drying tears.
>Tears of sorrow when you went over the part of the book where Fang dropped off and Lucy picked up. The only pictures you had of the funeral were in your head, and even those were almost too much to bear.
>But even why you wept changed as you watched all of those birthday photos and life's firsts start to roll in. Her first steps, her first violin, bass, and guitar, the first time she stepped out of your hands and into school. All those pictures with grandma and grandpa. Raptor Jesus bless Ripley and Sam.
> High school, prom, and then the pictures she had mailed you from college. And now that blank page that was going to be filled with wedding photos.
>You wish she could be here to have seen all of that. To see this.
>Later on the ceremony starts up and you walk her down the isle, keeping it all together for her when you see her in her mother's old dress, wearing that amulet of amber.
>You're strong for her when you think it's time to step away, one last time, for her to be wed to her man.
>And you almost falter when Naser, somehow looking barely aged, taps you on the shoulder and hands forward a guitar.
>Her guitar
>Lucy turns to you and gives a smile that tells you this was her idea.
>"Dad, before we start, could you play something for us? I know she would want you to."
>You almost break down but smile through the freshly welling tears as you take it and place the strap over your neck.
>There's no question on what to play.
>It's her song. It's the one she guided your hands on and wrote out in her head, passing it on to you. It's what you would play whenever Lucy couldn't sleep as a child and needed something to her lull her to sleep, and what you would sit and play when it felt like you couldn't go on any further.
>You can only shut your eyes and go through it all. The dam breaks and you swear for one last time you can feel her hands guiding yours again.
>All of it comes tumbling down as you finish the song off, all that's left to do is fling your arms around your daughter a final time, tell her how much you love her, how much her mother would've loved her, and step away after she squeezes you tight and lets go.
>A few hours later while she and Grug are entertaining guests you can't help but sit off to the side, trying to recompose yourself.
>You're so wrapped up in thought that you hardly notice when your side of the bench practically raises and a meaty, claw-tipped hand settles on your shoulder.
>You swear this is the only time Ripley has done this without meaning for it to hurt.
>He's still a grizzled stone of a pteropatriarch, somehow keeping muscle and an imposing stature on into old age. But there are some worn-out features to match; a milky eye and a few missing teeth. There's a fatigue behind the one he can still see out of that took up lodging when Samantha died and never left.
>Everything passes for a while before he speaks.
>"I wanted to tell you something before we both go off and probably drink ourselves blind. You did it, son. You're one of the biggest reasons why my granddaughter is getting the happiest day of her life. You succeeded as a man and, more importantly as, a father. You didn't break even when it felt like everything was falling apart, and you did what a father is supposed to do. You kept everything together even in the face of total despair, all for her. You're a man I'm proud to call my son, and you can golf with me anytime."
>You can only inhale deeply and say thank you before you get one of the ptero's rare pats on the back along with a smile as he gets up.
>He was right. Just like you're the reason why she's here, she's the reason why you're still here. All of it, all of it for her
>For her
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>You sit down on the park bench, your back complaining louder than it has in years
>Volcadera bluff was a beautiful place but you had grown to hate the damp coastal air in your old age
>Lucy used to chuckle when you complained about your bones but these days she just looked worried
>You feel a pang of guilt, you really shouldn't be a burden on her, she's busy enough
>People walking by don't pay you any mind, just an old man in the park, where did all that time go?
>You heave a wheezing sigh that rattles your chest
>You really shouldn't be out here, too many medical problems to be away from the nurses long
>You're old enough to make your own choices, damn it.
>High pitched squeals catch your attention
>A gaggle of children, human, and dino alike are chasing each other
>You probably sat on this same bench and watched lucy play tag just like you are now
>You just... Can't quite remember that far back
>You remember her wedding, you remember the birth of your grandchildren, you remember Ripleys last words to you
>You remember Fang
>You lived a good life, didn't you? Certainly a long one.
>Seems like the only people that visit parks are the very young and the very old
>You content yourself to watching the children play, utterly unaware of the lives they're going to lead
>It's funny that no matter how many old people warn us to cherish our time we never do until it's gone
>You've done your fair share of it after all, even if you know your grandchildren won't take it to heart just yet
>Your eyelids are heavy, did the walk here tire you out that bad?
>You lean against your cane, maybe you can take a quick nap before you go home?
>Just a few minutes
>When you open your eyes again you feel so much lighter
>Someone's sitting next to you
>Pure white like an angel, with wings to match
>She gives you a smile that you could never forget, a smile from a rooftop so long ago it may as well be another life
>"Hey dweeb, what kept you so long?"
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-ENDING FIVE OF FOUR-
-The journey of a lifetime-
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkg8jHM6guw