The Bluetooth system inside Acacia’s car went off, catching her off guard. She accepted the call right after she eyed the caller ID that showed up on the screen.

“Hey.” She greeted.

“Hey yourself.” Zack’s voice erupted from the speakers.

The car in front of her stopped at the red lights, prompting for her to do the same. She glanced at the lane beside her to see that it is empty. After turning her head to view the blind spot, she immediately turned into the empty lane.

“How are you?” She asked.

“I’m good.”

“Thanks for calling, Zack.”

There is a pause on his end of the line.

Ace cannot help but feel impatience overwhelm her every time her mind is on Zack. About a month and a half ago, Zack promised her that he would think about their situation during his time on tour. While on tour, he would call her and check up on her every other day. The fact that he called everyday gave her a hint that he cannot live without her. However, it is not a guarantee that they will end up with a relationship.

“Of course, Acacia. I want to make sure you are still alive, you know?”

“So which city are you at now?” She asked as her fingers tapped the steering wheel impatiently.

“Cupertino.”

“That’s in Cali, right?”

“Ya.”

“So you are on your lunch break.” She observed.

He laughed.

“You definitely are a detective.”

“Yeah, which reminds me, being unemployed sucks.”

Ace took a sharp turn, resulting in loud honks from cars in the opposite lane. She sighed loudly as she merged into another road. Zack chuckled at the sound of angry car honks.

“So what are you up to?” He asked.

“I just picked Breck up from school and dropped her home. Now I’m heading to Beckett’s.”

“Oh, you girls planned this mediating session thing.”

“Yeah, Beckett thought that we needed to retract our claws, reconcile and everything. I guess she mainly wants to talk her problems out with Kaya since it is uncomfortable for Loki to date her when she can’t even get along with his sister.”

Zack made a sound of acknowledgement.

“So who do you plan to reconcile with today?” He asked casually.

Ace pondered over it for a few seconds.

“Wallace.”

“Oh.”

“So Zack, how did you leave things off with her?”

A sigh can be heard from his side.

“She walked out on me, but she wasn’t hostile.”

“Great.”

“So just Wallace?”

Ace laughed.

“And maybe Dale; thought it’d be nice to let her know that I slept with both her ex boyfriend and ex fiancé…”

“Dude, she’ll just kill you!” Zack objected.

“I guess you’re right. I’ll just keep that between those who know.”

She can hear some background chattering from Zack’s end of the line. Jack’s voice is loud and clear, easily identifiable.

“Hey Ace, I have to get to sound check…”

“Yeah, I’m already at Beckett’s, so I have to go too.”

“Hey, I’ll see you in a few weeks okay?”

“Yeah! Oh, and tell Ri I give him my best!”

“Of course!”

“So bye!”

Zack hung up the phone, allowing the blonde to finally leave her car. She snatched her purse from the passenger seat and stepped off from her vehicle. When she approached the front door of the loft, she held in a deep breath and released it slowly.

She can see other vehicles parked on the side, meaning that she is possibly the last to arrive. Punctuality has always been something she was on top of constantly, being a cop and all. But this time, she is too used to her downtime to be punctuate during a friendlygathering.

Ace knocked on the door several times and waited patiently for Liezel to get the door. When she did open the door, she grinned widely at her friend. Acacia is instantly pulled into a tight hug by the tennis star.

“Ace!” She squealed.

When they released each other, Ace took the time to study her friend. Liezel left Baltimore for some tennis tournaments in Europe right after the Lockheart case was solved. The blonde had not seen her friend ever since.

“How did your tournaments go, Beckett?”

Liezel stepped aside to let Ace in and she did so graciously.

“I didn’t win any, but it’s fine.” She chuckled, gesturing for the suspended detective to proceed into the living room.

Acacia walked into the living room to see that everyone is already seated on the sofa. Kaya and Dale sat on one side while Wallace sat on the other.

“Hey!” Ace greeted the ladies as she took a seat beside Kaya.

Liezel found herself a seat next to Wallace.

Everyone glanced at each other, all unsure of how to start this session. It has been a while since they’ve seen each other, with the exception of Kaya and Dale. A lot of conflicts are unsolved at this point.

“Okay, I’ve compiled a list of conflicts that we need to talk out.” Ace pulled a piece of paper from her purse.

She opened up the folded piece of paper and snatched a pen from the coffee table.

“March 16th.” She muttered as she wrote it down on the top corner.

No one said anything as the blonde scribbled. After Ace was done, she looked back up at everyone else.

“The first conflict on the list is between Beckett and Kaya, obviously…”

Sighing loudly, Liezel adjusted her position on the couch and turned to look at the blonde heiress.

“Okay, let me start off by apologizing to you for sleeping with Alex.” Kaya spoke first.

Liezel nodded at her solemnly.

“I swear I didn’t do it to spite you or for a personal vendetta against you. I really was in love with him.”

The tennis star ran a hand through her long, black hair and continued to nod.

“And Kaya, I am so sorry for throwing every rich girl stereotype in the world at you. It is unnecessary and rude; and I just want you to know that I am dating Loki because I love him. I do not have a vendetta against you either.” Liezel bit her lips after she said this.

Kaya nodded with a small smile playing at her lips.

“And Loki is madly in love with you too, Beckett. I can totally tell.”

The tennis player grinned in return.

“Truce?”

“Yes, truce!”

Ace nodded at the progress.

“Speaking of Beckett’s relationship with Loki, I want to confirm and make sure that neither Wallace nor Dale have a problem with this.” She looked at the two women.

Dale shifted in her position.

“I’m totally fine with it. I know that Loki has been in love with me for the longest time, ever since we were in school. It is unfair how I’m constantly choosing someone else over him. He deserves to be in love with someone who can love him equally or more. Beckett, I am happy for you and Loki. I approve.”

“Thanks.” Beckett whispered.

“And I’m glad that Loki can finally move past me.”

“Yeah, it was hard for him, but eventually we found each other.” Liezel smiled genuinely.

Wallace picked up a glass of water from the coffee table and took a sip from it. After she was done, she started talking.

“I mean, you guys all know my true identity and everything. Loki is my half brother; and Kaya, you are my half sister. Even though I knew that Loki was my half brother when Conrad pushed for our relationship to spark as a publicity stunt. I really liked Loki. He is really attractive and kind.”

Acacia turned to her side to study Kaya’s reaction. The heiress nodded slowly, but still looks stunned.

“I actually hoped for an actual relationship with Loki. Layla Harper wasn’t me anymore, so I didn’t see it as incest. Anyways, I’m totally fine with it. Loki never loved me and I never loved him. It’s all good, Beckett!”

When the topic died down, Ace gulped. She did not feel too confident to confront Wallace just yet. It is very hard to talk about it, especially considering the fact that whatever is going on between herself and Zack is still unknown.

“And lastly, me and Wallace…”

“Hey, Ace. I want you to know that I do not hate you. No hard feelings. You helped me discover how I want my future to look like.” Wallace said as she tied her red hair in a ponytail.

Ace stared at her questionably. It is hard for her to believe that she is forgiven that easily. She literally pulled a stunt that broke up Wallace’s relationship with Zack, and Wallace is here telling her that there are no hard feelings?

“How did I help?” She asked.

Wallace smiled.

“Well, even though I’ve been running away from my past, I definitely needed Dan.”

“Wait, so are you with Dan now or…?” Dale interjected.

She nodded.

“Yeah, I loved Zack a lot but when I saw Dan that day at the precinct, I instantly knew what I wanted. I knew where my heart is. The first man I fell in love with had my heart all this time…”

Ace nodded, understanding completely.

“And Ace, thank you so much for believing in me and solving the case. You risked your life just to prove that Dan was framed.”

“Of course, it’s my damn job.” She replied.

Liezel turned to the redhead.

“So is Dan accepting your new identity or is he still holding onto Layla?” Liezel asked.

“Well, I told him I am no longer Layla Harper, and he accepted it. He still loves me and is willing to try to get to know Wallace Poulsen.”

Acacia smiled at the redhead, nodding as if accepting the fact that there is no longer hostility between the pair. Wallace never hated her, it was always Acacia who hated and envied.

“Hey Dale?” She turned to the model.

“Yeah?”

“How are you dealing with Raphie and Jack?”

“I feel guilt, and I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t stay with Jack and let him carry the burden with me.” She whispered.

Biting her lips, Ace nodded.

“Uh Dale? I think there’s something I need to tell you about Raphael…”

Dale’s head shot up immediately.

“Don’t worry, I know. He told me. Raphael told me.”

The blonde detective perked up in surprise.

“What? Really?”

“Yeah, I’ve known since we first started dating. Ace, that was ancient history!” Dale chuckled.

“Alright then!”

“Wait what?” Liezel is confused, as is the other two.

Ace bit her lips.

“I was in eighth grade and snuck into a party with Rian at the Lockheart mansion. Raphael thought I was sixteen when I was only fourteen. Well, we hooked up that night.”

Liezel, Wallace, and Kaya all stared at her with dropped jaws.

“He never told me…” Kaya muttered.

After that shock wore off, Wallace decided to ask the question she has been wondering for the past month and a half.

“So Ace…”

“Hmm?”

“Are you and Zack finally together?”

The detective sighed quietly and stared ahead in mild confusion.

“I-I don’t know…”



“This thunderstorm is ridiculous!” Breck called out from the living room.

Ace made a sound of agreement as she stuck the last of the dishes inside the dishwasher. Because of the weather condition, she will have to hold off using the dishwasher until tomorrow morning.

She left the kitchen and finally allowed herself to take a break on the couch. Breck moved slightly to give her older sister room. In all honesty, Breck enjoyed the fact that her sister got suspended. It is rare for Ace to spend time with her. After her suspension from her duties, Ace is more responsible and around the house a lot more.

“Hey, I checked my email like a few hours ago and I got accepted to New York University!” Breck squealed as she kicked her psychology textbook aside.

Acacia’s face lit up in excitement as she leaned over to pull her younger sister in a tight hug. She kissed her little sister’s cheeks happily while she laughed joyfully.

“I’m crossing my fingers for Penn, but either way, I can go to college!”

“Yeah! So damn proud of you, Breck!”

The seventeen year old girl smiled at her older sister. She still cannot believe that just this January, her sister had a near death experience. Everyday in the field is a danger for Ace, but that specific occasion just made the danger more apparent for her. This suspension is the best to have happened to Ace for Breck.

“I just hope Penn will give financial aid…”

“Breck, you know me and our parents got money saved up for your tuition. They left money in their will, saved solely for your tuition.”

“Really?” Her face lit up.

“Mmm hmm!”

Breck opened her mouth, prepared to talk when harsh knocks against their front door interrupted. Sighing loudly in annoyance, Ace got up from her position on the couch. She scratched at her head in exhaustion as she walked toward the door.

Rolling her eyes, she turned the lock and pulled open the front door. Her eyes widened in shock as they examined the sight before her.

Zack is standing on the other side, smiling sheepishly at her. He is soaked from head to toe due to the storm outside. Nonetheless, she is still extremely happy to see him.

“Zack…”

“Yes!”

“Huh?”

“Yes, I want to do this.” Zack tugged at her hand, pulling her into him.

Tilting her head upwards toward him, he leaned down and kissed her roughly on the lips. Giggling, she stood on the tip of her toes and slowly wrapped an arm around his waist. In a matter of seconds, her back is pressed against the wall.

“Okay, I am going to lock myself in my room.” Breck called out from the living room, clearly disgusted.

The two broke away from the kiss to laugh. While they laughed, Ace placed both hands on either side of his face. She caressed his skin and stared deeply into his mesmerizing hazel eyes.

“What about your tour?” She asked.

“Cupertino can live without me,” he replied, “And I’m taking the first flight to Los Angeles tomorrow morning.”

Ace leaned over to kiss him again.

“You could’ve told me this over the phone. I would’ve been fine with it.” She whispered against his lips.

He pushed a wet strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, realizing that his soaked body got her wet.

“No, I wanted to tell you in person. I want you to know that I am going to do this. Screw all my doubts and my fears. If I do not go for it, I will regret it when and if I lose the chance to do this.” He pressed his lips against hers.

Ace wrapped both legs around him after kicking the front door close.

“Acacia Janelle Kovacs…” He pulled away from her.

Breathing heavily, she stared at him with a wide grin on her face.

“Yeah?”

“Will you be my girlfriend again?”

She ran her fingers through his wet hair, using her other hand to touch his cheek.

“And this time we do it right.” She proposed.

“And I promise not to pop the question until I’m sure we are both ready.” Zack chuckled as he said this.

Nodding, Ace pulled him into another kiss.

“Yes, I will be your girlfriend.”

Notes

FIN***

How'd you guys like the ending???

Well, that's it for this series. If you want to know deets about Kaya and that album she recorded in the last story and if you want to know if Loki and Liezel will last, look out for a spinoff... I probably won't have it done soon, but look out for it in the next few months if you will. No guarantee for quickness of how fast I'll have it done.

Comments on the ending of this story and this series...?