"So this is where it all came together?" Jeremy inquired, glancing around the library as their group entered it, "This is where the five of you became friends?"

"This is it," Claire confirmed it for him, inhaling nostalgically, "I still remember that day like it was yesterday."

"Same here, my dear," Bender agreed, leading Faith forward. "Up there," he told her, pointing up at the ceiling, "That's the spot where I fell through after I climbed through the ducts. I'm surprised they haven't marked it as a site of historical significance."

"Oh well, maybe later," she said, laughing, "And the closet where you and Claire...?"

"Right over there," he pointed at it, "And if we have time, maybe I'll take you on a full tour of it, and tell you a little more of what sparked between Claire and I in there."

"Not too intimate with it now, John," Claire advised him, but she was grinning. "You know," she turned to the others, "I thought that was going to be one of the worst days of my life, but it turned out to be one of the best and most illuminating days I've ever had."

"Same here," Brian agreed, climbing up onto a table and pulling Melissa up with him, "I had thought getting detention would be the end of the world for me, but it benefited me in so many ways in the end. To be honest, guys, for all the clubs I was in before I met all of you, I never really felt like I really belonged in any of them. With you guys, I did. And it felt wonderful to feel like I belonged somewhere. And of course, if I hadn't meant you guys, I'd probably be dead now. I doubt anyone else would have been able to find me in time after I ran out in misery after we lost the competition."

"And if you'd killed yourself then, I probably would be dead now too," Melissa reminded him, leaning her head onto his shoulder, "You going to Northwestern for the same major as me was what stopped me from taking that poison; if you'd died, I probably would have given up all hope that I'd ever fit in in college and poisoned myself anyway."

"Well, we didn't. Instead, we've had the best lives together anyone could imagine," he pulled her close for another kiss.

"The two of you ended up such an inspirational couple together," Claire beamed at them, "It really is amazing looking back now how far we've all come," she scooted up on another table (as did the others) and glanced around at everyone else that had been in that detention, "It's amazing how brainwashed and immature we all were when we came into the school building that morning, and how much better we'd all become just when we left eight hours later. And how much better people we are now. If Mr. Vernon were still here to see us, I could only imagine how furious he'd be to see how successful we all ended up."

"Well, it doesn't matter, Claire; Mr. Vernon being dead and forgotten in his grave while we all live good lives is enough of a final statement," Allison declared. "And you know what else?" she looked at the others as well, "For as much as we put them down on that day, our parents turned out to be not really all that bad in the end-well mostly," she turned a sympathetic eye towards Bender.

"Well, Art was already a damaged person when I was born, Reynolds-or I guess Kroyer now-so it was probably already too late for him then," the former criminal said, a wistful look on his face that telegraphed that he wished things could have been better between he and his father. "But yeah, you're right; as much as we bashed them endlessly for their mistakes in raising us back then, they all pretty much pulled it together and at least tried to reform themselves when it counted in the end. So maybe we were a little hard on them-although, your dad got better too, right Clark?" he asked Andrew.

"Thankfully, yeah, Bender; he softened a lot over the years," the former wrestler admitted, "He's actually tried to support my acting career, even if he doesn't understand how theater works. But he's been there with Mom each opening night, and I can tell he's proud that his son did well in something, even if it wasn't what he'd initially hoped. So yeah, he redeemed himself well; almost all our parents redeemed themselves well in the end."

It was his turn to glance around at the others. "And you could say we all defied our conventions in the end too," he conceded to them all, "I gave up being an athlete altogether-although I still work out from time to time. The princess gave up the rich life for a normal everyday one," he gestured at Claire, "And the odd one out that day, the brain who one wouldn't ordinarily consider a romantic person, ended up with the happiest relationship out of all of us," he pointed to Brian and Melissa, who squeezed each other close and exchanged deep, affectionate smiles, "So we broke the mold of what was expected of us. And I guess we should all be proud of that."

"I guess so," Claire agreed, "But one thing: let's stay in touch with each other from now on," she proposed to them, "I've really missed all you guys over the last decade; even though we all live in different states now, we should call or meet up more often. So before the reception ends tonight, let's make sure we get all our contact information so we can stay in touch going forward."

"Absolutely, Claire. We should arrange to do this every five to ten years," Allison agreed digging out her phone. "Actually, while we're all here now, how'd you all like to meet Bill?" she asked the others, her expression brightening.

"Sure, we'd love to," her former boyfriend nodded, joining the others in scooting over towards her. Allison typed the prerequisite information into her phone, which brought up an image of a black-haired man her age hunched over a drawing board, drawing away at what appeared to be the giant Iron John. "Sorry folks, the wife's calling in," she said in her best Marty Moose impression.

"Tell her I'm in the 'drawing room,'" Bill said with a chuckle and a smile, "How's the reunion going, my lovely?"

"Wonderful, wonderful," Allison told him with her own smile. "I'd like you to meet my old detention associates and their friends," she waved all of them to lean close to the phone, "Guys, this is Bill Kroyer; he changed my life for the better, and now he's Mr. Allison Reynolds."

"Great to meet you, Bill," Claire waved at him, "Congratulations on becoming a father too; you must be proud."

"I am, I really am," Bill nodded, his smile deepening, "That's going to be the greatest day of my life. Anyway, Allison's told me all about you guys; congratulations on making it this far in your lives. As you can see, I'm working overtime to help get Roy Walley Entertainment's latest animated feature into theaters on time," he gestured at his artwork.

"Looks good," Andrew commended him, "I just want you to know, Bill, you're the luckiest guy in the world to have won Allison's heart. She's a special woman, and you won't find anyone better if you looked the whole world over."

"Yep, I know," Bill beamed at his bride, "The moment I first saw her in the studio commissary, I knew there was something special about her. After a ten minute introductory conversation with her, I knew it for sure."

"What led you to work for Roy Walley?" Claire asked him.

"Same reason as Allison: I loved his films growing up. I'm from Detroit Lakes in western Minnesota originally..."

"Oh really? My grandparents used to have a farmhouse up in Greenbush," Melissa leaned forward towards the screen, "I know that's some distance away from Detroit Lakes, but still, that's a neat coincidence."

"Yeah, it is. I took up art school after graduation, and eventually got enough money to come out to California-basically the same as how Charles Schulz's life went, from St. Paul to California and glory. Anyway, I was rejected at the Walley studios seven times before they finally hired me; Roy's second oldest son, who currently runs the animation department, pressed the oldest brother to give me a chance..."

"That's Herbert Walley who's second, right?" Bender guessed.

"Nope, Raymond. Herbert's the second youngest; he works in TV production for the studio."

"Well I swore it was Herbert."

"No, no, it's Martin, Patty, Raymond, Ruth, Chandra, Herbert, and Charlie Walley in birth order. Martin currently runs the whole company after his father handed it off to him, Patty's the chief financial officer, Raymond's the head of animation, Ruth is a member of the studio legal team..."

"Thanks, I get the idea," Bender sighed, "Well, good job anyway. Reyn-uh, Allison here says you've been working on features a while now."

"Yep. Like her, I started with Walley Afternoon shows, but I've been working features for a while now. This'll be my first film as a lead animator, doing Iron John himself."

"Here's some advice: push to get the villains in the next films you do. Everyone remembers the Walley villains more than anyone else," the former criminal urged him.

"I'll keep that in mind," Bill chuckled.

"So what else is in the pipeline after Iron John?" Brian asked him, "I have young kids, and I'm sure they'd love to see whatever films are coming soon..."

"Well, we haven't really nailed it down just yet," Bill admitted, "We want to continue adapting tales from around the world-Raymond Walley wants to do one from Scandinavia since we haven't really tapped into anything from there yet. And perhaps ancient Egypt. Of course, there's still a lot of the Grimms' library we still haven't gotten to yet. But don't worry, we'll have something good for your kids eventually."

"If the Walleys are interested, my younger brother's always dreamed of being a medieval fantasy writer," Andrew told him, "If he ever actually does get a book published, I could see if the studio'd be willing to film it."

"Well, thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Bill said. He checked his watch. "Well, I'd better get back to work," he told Allison, "Talk to you later on; hope the rest of the reunion goes well. I love you."

"Love you too, honey," she blew a kiss at him before signing off. "I hope that you can meet him in person at some point down the road," she told the others, "He's even more interesting in person. And you know what else I've found out over the last ten years? I was only half right in detention: your heart could die when you grow up, but it doesn't have to if you don't want it to. I'm so glad that I've been able to keep mine alive all this time."

"I had a feeling deep down you'd keep it alive, Allison. Say, while we're doing this, you guys want to meet Nicholas and Marie too?" Brian jumped in, nodding at Melissa, who pulled out her own phone.

"Oh of course, Brian, of course," Claire eagerly leaned towards him, as did everyone else. Melissa activated the video feed on her phone, which brought up the image of a small boy and girl running around a living room screaming. "Nicholas, don't chase your sister, please!" begged the bespectacled brown-haired woman running after them. "Melissa, this is a little more intense than I thought it would be!" she complained to the caller after raising the phone in front of her face.

"Just hang in there, Shannon; if you can handle ten hour physics sessions trying to ascertain the best ways to maximize rocket thrust, you can handle two young children, I know it," Melissa told her encouragingly. "Everyone, our colleague and neighbor Dr. Shannon Dahle; I asked her to look after the kids while we were here," told the others.

"Good to meet you all," Shannon greeted them with a wave, "And I see the bride's there too; congratulations," she commended Claire.

"Thank you," the redhead beamed, squeezing Jeremy close, "It ended up one of the best days of my life. I guess you work with Brian and Melissa?"

"For the last four years. It felt great to take what they had cooked up and actually bring it to fruition-although not without some hitches, since unfortunately, sexism is still alive and well in the scientific community," Shannon muttered in disgust, "The men in charge of the project kept wanting to push Melissa and I aside and give other men the rights to design the rockets."

"Typical," Faith sighed with a roll of her eyes, "You were able to rise above it though, right?" she asked Shannon.

"I'm glad to say yes-and Brian was a big part of that," Shannon pointed at him, "He stood by Melissa the whole way, yelling at the NASA bigwigs during one meeting where they really got sexist that the project would be nothing without her, and if they didn't give her-and me since I was onboard at the time-the lead role in designing the rockets, they were taking the designs and walking."

"Well, Brian the chivalrous knight rides again," Claire gave him an impressed smile.

"Well Melissa spent her whole life working on the designs, Claire; it would have been unfair to not let her finish what she started," he told her, "And gender shouldn't determine who gets to do what; Shannon here worked hard her whole life too..."

"And believe me, I'm so glad you stood up for me like that," Shannon thanked him gratefully, "The two of them are the envy of all the couples on the project, with how close and warm they are with each other," she told the others, "And he was actually the only one who didn't fall in love on the day I heard you all met? I find that a little hard to believe..."

"Well, it just wasn't meant to be between he and any of us that day. But it worked out for the better; this way, he was able to find Melissa, and she clearly was the right person for him," Claire said, "Can we see Brian's kids?"

"Of course...Marie, no, no, that's not food!" Shannon cried, putting down the phone and rushing out of sight. Moments later, she returned, carrying a boy of three and a girl of one in her hands. "Oh, they're beautiful," Allison gushed, waving at the children. "Congratulations, Brian," she patted him on the shoulder.

"Thanks. Allison here'll be expecting a baby herself soon," Brian told Shannon.

"Oh really? Congratulations...no, no, don't slap at your sister!" Shannon begged to Nicholas, who was giving Marie light slaps on the shoulder.

"Nicholas, what did mommy tell you about being the nice brother!?" Melissa told him sternly, making him stop. "Sorry, mommy," he mumbled softly.

"OK, but please don't do it again, because daddy and I'll know," she warned him, "You having fun while we're away?"

"Yes. I've played with my piano, and I've played with Clifford in the yard..."

"Good, good, tell Clifford we said hello."

"And we'd like you to say hello to some of mommy and daddy's friends," Brian waved the others closer, "Say hello to Andy, Allison, Claire, John, Faith, Jeremy, and Paige, kids."

"Hello," Nicholas waved at them; Marie did the same with a low gurgling sound.

"We're so glad to meet the two of you; your daddy's told us all about you," Allison told them with a smile, "I hope we can meet the two of you in person some day."

"That would be nice," Melissa nodded at her. "Well, we're going to go now, we just wanted to say hello to the two of you," she told her children, "You both be nice, and maybe daddy and I'll bring you something good when we get back. OK?"

"OK," Nicholas and Marie nodded.

"OK, have a nice night," she blew a kiss at them; Brian waved goodbye to his children as well before they squirmed out of Shannon's hands and ran off to play again. "Hang in there, Shannon; they wear themselves out quick," he assured his neighbor.

"I hope so; I'm starting to count down the days till you and Melissa get back already," Shannon admitted, looking wiped, "Well, enjoy the rest of your trip; nice to meet everyone," she waved goodbye to the others.

"Good night," Claire wished her well before Shannon hung up. "I'm so proud of the two of you," she commended both brains, "I'd've never guessed you'd be the first to have a family, but clearly you're setting a great example for the rest of us to follow. If we all..."

She stopped as a sad sigh rang out from Paige to her right. Her long time friend was slumped forward, looking depressed again. "Paige, what's wrong now?" she asked, concerned.

"Oh nothing, it's just..." Paige put her face in her hands, "It's just...right now, my whole life feels like a mistake..."

"Don't think that, Paige," Claire hugged her close, "I know after what you went through earlier..."

"It's more than just Mike treating me like he has, Claire, it...it goes back further than that...seeing everyone else happy, and..."

"Well tell you what, Henry: we all listened to each other's true confessions back then; we'll listen to any you'd have to make now too," Bender offered to her.

"Thanks, John, but it won't do any good..."

"Well you never know, Paige," Andrew climbed onto the table next to her and put an arm around her, "At first I didn't think opening up to the others here on that day would do me much good back then, but when I did, it was liberating. We're all willing to listen, aren't we?" he asked the others, who nodded firmly, "Although, if you're really not comfortable..."

"No, OK, I...I guess it couldn't..." Paige took a deep breath, her face contorting with pain and agony. "I feel like a fraud, a puppet, like I'm going nowhere," she began slowly, "I look back at where I was ten years ago-wealthy, popular, steady with Mike, seemingly set for the rest of my life-and now, I can't help thinking, was it all an illusion? The truth is, I never wanted to be a cheerleader in the first place; I just wasn't interested. But my mother wanted me to follow in her footsteps-she'd been head cheerleader in her day, and she wanted me to continue the tradition no matter what. Several times, I tried to quit, but she got in my face and warned me there'd be consequences if I did quit. And I was too scared of her to stand up for myself; she'd get so angry that I was genuinely scared she'd hurt me. And really, she's still controlling me today; I'm a teller at her bank, I do whatever she tells me to do there, she drives me to and from work, micromanages my life. That's the life she wanted for me, not the one I wanted for myself. One where she could continue to control me..."

She started sniffing again. "And now that I look back, the relationship with Mike was as much her idea as anyone else's. She set up our first date in junior high," she confessed, "I liked being with him, I really thought he liked me, but if it was her relationship, if it was that Mike was who she wanted me to be with all along...was it real!? Did he ever really love me at all!? Was it all just a lie from the beginning...!?"

She broke down sobbing. "Paige, Paige, it's all right," Claire hugged her again.

"No it's not all right, Claire! I'm almost thirty years old, and my whole life's a waste!" she wailed, "I was supposed to be the girl who went far with my life; look at me now, a manipulated puppet who's probably never been loved at all! I can't live with the pain anymore...!"

"Paige, you're not alone, I promise you that," Andrew now hugged her himself, "All of us thought we were alone when we came into detention that day, but we found out we weren't nearly alone at all."

"Exactly," Brian added, shooting a glance skyward; part of him had long since wondered if Stanpovalichki had been watching over them in the detention in the first place-and indeed, if the man had in fact arranged the detention so that they would all meet, "I know exactly how you feel, unfortunately, with my mom wanting to mold me into valedictorian, just like she'd been herself. And Andy does too with his dad wanting to make him the best wrestler in the state..."

"Yeah, I know exactly how you feel, Paige," Andrew pulled back to look her straight in the eye, "But you are not a failure, trust me on that. And to be honest, I always thought you were one of the prettiest girls in our class back then. So if I hadn't met Allison in the detention, maybe I would have..."

"Andy, I appreciate what you and the others are trying to do for me, but it's too late for me now," Paige sighed, wiping at her eyes, "I'm too old; it's too late for me to start over now..."

"It's never too late, Paige. Our parents are all even older than you and I, but they all turned themselves around," he gestured at the others, "So why can't you?"

"Because my mother would kill me if I..."

"Paige, if you're almost thirty, why should you be letting her keep dictating your life for you? You're your own woman now. So let me offer you this," Andrew took both her hands, "Come with me to New York. Leave your mother behind and live the life you wanted to live."

"But when she finds..."

"Who cares if she finds out or not? Just come on along and follow your dreams for once, Paige, whatever they are. Maybe it'll force her to reexamine herself and how she's been to you over the years. I can't guarantee it'll be successful, but unlike Mike, if you come, I won't walk out on you, I promise. Come on, come with me and live, Paige."

"Well..."

"Paige, trust him. He'll give you a great life if you say yes," Allison urged him. Paige turned back towards Andrew, who was giving her a hopeful look. "Yes," she broke into her first smile of the day and hugged him, "Yes, I want to go with you, Andy. I don't know if I have it to be an actor..."

"It doesn't matter," he returned the hug, "Just so we get to enjoy life together. Come with me, Paige, and we will, I guarantee it."

"Thank you, Andy," she commended him, now crying tears of joy, "You've just been so wonderful for me today when I really needed someone..."

"Pretty women like you shouldn't cry, Paige. Not when they've done nothing wrong," he held the hug for well over a minute before releasing her. "Better?" he asked her.

"Much," she wiped at her eyes again, "It feels like a tremendous weight's been lifted..."

"OK then; I'm scheduled to leave next Saturday; pack up your things and meet me at O'Hare by five thirty that night," he instructed her, "You won't regret it."

"Nope," Allison agreed, beaming at her former boyfriend, clearly glad that he'd made it work with someone. "Actually, what Paige said also goes back to our parents," she said to the rest of the Club, "We all put them down for being hard on us or ignoring us, but they all had problems of their own. When you're young, I guess it's hard to realize that people can still have problems after they turn eighteen. My mom and dad were still wrong in a lot of ways, but I understand more about them now, see them more as real people rather than just colossal jokes."

"Same here. I'm glad we were able to see them better. It helped us all get better too," Andrew agreed, pulling Paige close. "So, how about the rest of you?" he glanced around at Melissa, Jeremy, and Faith, "any true confessions you'd also like to get off your chests while we're all here?"

"Well," Jeremy spoke up, taking a deep breath, "I would like to say...about two years before I met you guys, I gave serious thought to suicide..."

"Jeremy...!" Claire grasped his hand, stunned.

"Yeah," he nodded softly, "But put yourself in my shoes: living dirt poor in the slums of Madison, my mother leaving and never coming back, my father beating me half the time he got drunk, everyone in school either ignoring me or laughing at me for being poor, none of the girls in school wanting anything to do with me...there was a time I really just wanted to jump in front of a truck and end the pain of not being loved. That's why I ended up going overboard wooing all the girls in Washington, I guess; I was just so starved for love that I got in over my head trying to get every girl to love me. So I guess I can say you saved me in the end, Claire," he told his new bride warmly, "You showed me what real love is, what it really means to care for a person and be loved in turn. Thank you for forgiving me when I'd given you every reason not to at the lake..."

"Well, at first I didn't want to, but the more I thought about it, Jeremy, I just couldn't turn you away," Claire confessed, "What you'd given to me before I'd caught you was just wonderful, and then I could tell you were genuinely sorry when I spoke with you next. Maybe, in a strange, demented way, you getting shot by that psychopath in the woods killed the bad side of you so that the better you, the one I did fall in love with, could live."

"You know, funny you mention that; I'm still not exactly sure what happened there," Jeremy frowned, "I remember that militia lunatic taking aim at me, and then nothing until I found myself standing in the woods with that Irv Blitzer lookalike hobo, completely uninjured. Now you're sure you saw him shoot me seven times in the face?"

"I was there in the bushes watching, Jeremy; he definitely shot you that many times," she said, frowning herself, "Now what that hobo's secret was, I don't know, but he somehow healed me and Melissa in the hospital before we met back up..."

"What's all this about?" Faith inquired, confused, "You ran into a hobo from the Jamaican bobsled team with healing powers!?"

"It's a long story," Brian cut in, giving another smile to the sky, "Let's just say, he was a very special person. So, how about you?" he asked her.

"Well," Faith thought hard, "I know I mentioned about how I got to juvenile detention for robbing the jewelry store, but...looking back, it's scary how close I came to going over the edge. I'd gotten a gun off a street friend to use; leveling it at the cashier's face and screaming at him for all the jewels he had...I could see the terror in his eyes, the fear that his life was going to end just like that. I still committed the robbery, but..." she shivered, "I was in a daze as a ran away, realizing how close I came to actually killing someone. My finger was on the trigger, and be honest, part of me wanted to pull it, maybe to enact a symbolic revenge against my parents for abandoning me, against the foster parents who'd abused me and the system that had allowed it to happen. And I was horrified that I had allowed myself to sink to that. I threw the gun into the gutter once I'd stopped running, and I didn't resist when the police caught me. Seeing how psycho the other girls in juvenile detention were too also made me realize what I was becoming. While I've turned my life around since then, it's still scary to realize I'd come that close to being a monster."

"I hear you," Bender put an arm around her, "When I look back now, part of me shudders to see what the old John Bender was like. Part of me was carrying too much of a chip against the world. Under the wrong set of circumstances, I might have ended up falling through the cracks myself-more than a few of the guys I used to hang out with have served hard time in the last ten years. That's not who I wanted to be, I know now. I guess that detention did a lot for me too as it did for everyone else," he nodded at the others, "So yeah, Faith Ludwig, I think Cherry was right about you and I," he looked into Faith's eyes, "You and I do have a lot in common."

"I think we do," she grinned at him. "And you?" she turned to Melissa.

"Well, I've pretty much already confessed everything that really ate me up to everyone before," Melissa said, "And I at least lucked out in having wonderful parents-they're still doing good, by the way; Dad still runs his hardware store, Mom still teaches..."

"Come on, Winters, something's got to be on your mind," Bender goaded her.

"OK, um," she thought hard, "um, I'm not sure if this counts as a true confession compared to what everyone else has said, but I never really liked physical education back in the day. I was so focused on math and science that gym, well, it was a chore to go through. I couldn't memorize it like I could other classes, and it was infuriating to see everyone else doing better than me with all the sports. So while I loved school in general, gym classes were pure torture for me."

"You want to talk about torture? Any class that all of us here at Shermer High had with that dipstick Steinberg; that was torture," Bender countered. He hunched over and drawled out in the most boring, monotonous voice he could manage, "In Nineteen Whatever, the big important government agency also known as whatever launched a big program known as...anyone? Anyone? Anyone? Bender? Bender? Anyone not see how pathetic I am, anyone?"

The others burst into laughter. "Yep, Mr. Steinberg was probably the one teacher I couldn't quite connect with," Brian confessed, "Not that he didn't try, he just...he just had too bland a teaching style that I just couldn't connect with. Although, I still managed to do reasonably well in history despite him making his classes a snore fest."

"Glad we can agree on at least one teacher here being bad, Johnson," Bender told him with a grin. "Well, we survived all the teachers in the end-we all survived life in the end," he told the others, rising up, "So, seeing how far we've come, let's celebrate like we did back then when we realized how much we had in common, for old time's sake."

He dug out his phone and punched in several instructions. The sound of Van Halen rose up loudly, making everyone in the library start applauding. "Stick it wherever you are now, Dick; this is our victory dance!" Bender shouted at the floor, apparently believing Vernon was currently in a rather warm place. He leaped up onto the table, as he and the others once had ten years ago. "I get up, and nothing gets me down!" he launched into the song, "You've got it tough; I've seen the toughest around..."

"And I know, baby, just how you feel..." grinning, Brian jumped on the table after him.

"You've got to roll with the punches and get to what's real..." Andrew did the same.

"Can't you see me standing here, I've got my back against the record machine..." Claire and Allison took the beginning of the refrain in unison, leaping up together, "I ain't the worst that you've seen, can't you see what I mean? Might as well JUMP!" they and the others waved the newcomers up with them as well. Beaming, Jeremy, Melissa, Faith, and Paige joined them. All nine of them continued singing the rest of the song, popping the same dance moves the Club's members had during that original detention's musical interlude, as it had been. And just as that dance-off had felt personally liberating then, Brian remembered, this one felt equally so, as if they were all burying their demons for good in reprising the dancing, and allowing the newcomers to start trying to bury their own.

To his surprise, a round of applause rang out from the library door once the song ended. "Mr. Jacobson..." he immediately recognized one of his favorite teachers from back in the day in the doorway, his previously gray hair now white.

"Very good, very good," the former teacher commended them all, "Good to see life hasn't dragged all of you down."

"Tommy, haven't seen you in years," Bender climbed down off the table, "How've you been doing?"

"Enjoying retirement, John. Corey couldn't make it to the reunion tonight, so he asked me to drop in and say hello to everyone in his class for him. And I see you've been doing well yourself, John. Congratulations on your career in the military," Mr. Jacobson entered the library, beaming at him, "I had a feeling deep down that you had a lot more potential than you ordinarily showed in high school."

"Well, Tommy, I don't usually commend teachers, but you were honestly one of the few I trusted at all," the former criminal told him, "You at least tried to be fair-minded and weren't either a cold-hearted thug or a hopeless idiot like most of the other teachers here back then."

"I always tried to give the best for my students, even those who had some issues with authority. And John, so you know, you could have come to me at any point with any problems you had back then," Mr. Jacobson told him sympathetically, "I would have done what I could have for you, including with your father."

"I'm sure you would have, Tommy. The problem was, I didn't know how to reach out then," Bender admitted.

"Looks like you've done much better now," Mr. Jacobson looked over the group, "So, I see the members of that one memorable detention came back to where it all started to relive the memories," he said with a grin.

"So you knew about that?" Allison asked him.

"Oh, from how much Mr. Vernon ranted in his final days working at this school about how much he wished he'd never put the five of you together in the same room, how could I not have known? And Claire, I'm so sorry for what Mr. Vernon did to you at Lake Olafsson," Mr. Jacobson approached her, "I was horrified when I heard what went down up there; it disgusted me to no end that he would stoop that low."

"I'll admit I was scared when he was attacking me," Claire admitted, shuddering at the memories of what the angry, vengeful Vernon had put her through, "For a moment I thought he was actually going to kill me. No one should ever go as far as he did to try and get revenge."

"I know. So while we shouldn't speak ill of the dead, I'll admit I don't miss him now that he's gone," Vernon's former associate shook his head grimly, looking disgusted at the memory of Vernon. "But, anyway," he turned back to the group, "I know Carl dropped in on that detention himself a couple of times that day. He retired two years ago, but I've kept in touch with him, and I think he'd be interested in knowing how all of you have done since then..."

"OK then, let's make a video out of it?" Allison proposed, looking excited at the chance.

"That would sound like a great idea to me, Allison...if I can figure out how Corey told me recording videos on these things works..." the former teacher frowned, fumbling around with his phone.

"Let me," the professional animator approached and pressed the necessary aps to set up a video recorder on it. "We'll tell you when," she told him, gesturing everyone else who'd been in detention with her that day forward. "We want to do this alphabetically?" she asked them.

"Works fine for me," Andrew nodded. "OK," he pointed towards Mr. Jacobson, who pressed the button to record them on the phone. "Hello, Carl, do you know us?" the former athlete began the message.

"Ten years ago, we were all in detention together, and we overcame so many social differences to become friends," Claire came in next, smiling at the others.

"Mr. Vernon said then that we wouldn't amount to anything. Well, now he's dead and forgotten, and here we are, all successful," Allison followed.

"So since you and he had wondered where we'd be then, here we are, ten years later," Brian finished the introduction. He stepped aside as Bender strode forward. "Sergeant John Bender, Green Berets, United States Army, dedicated to taking out terrorists-like Di-Mr. Vernon once was-all around the world," the former criminal laid out his life story.

"Andrew Clark, actor on Broadway," the former athlete stepped forward next.

"Dr. Brian Johnson, rocket designer for NASA," the former brain followed him.

"Allison Reynolds Kroyer, animator, Roy Walley Entertainment," the former basket case gave her update.

"And Claire Standish O'Connor, makeup designer," the former princess finished up.

"Does this answer all your questions?" they asked in unison, "Sincerely yours, Carl, the Breakfast Club."

"Perfect," Mr. Jacobson nodded, stopping the recording, "I'll show it to him the next chance I get."

"Claire, guys, you in here?" Gavin the groomsman stuck his head in the library door, "The photographer wants photos of the bridal party in the parking lot before the reception; they're waiting out there now."

"Great of them to wait till now to mention it," Claire sighed, "Well, let's get this all over with," she told the rest of the group, who gathered up their belongings. "Good to see you, Mr. Jacobson," she told the teacher, "Give my regards to Corey."

"I will, Claire. Congratulations," he beamed at her and Jeremy. "And congratulations to you and your wife here too, Brian," he told the brains, who were the last two to leave the library, "I've been following the Mars mission on the news, and what the two of you managed to do together in making this leap for science possible is really commendable."

"Thanks, sir," Brian blushed, "I'm, I'm just glad I was able to make you proud of me. You were always one of my favorite teachers here..."

"I could tell. And I appreciated it, then and now," Mr. Jacobson winked at him, "I think you may also want to know, I was there five years ago when Lake Forest Central finally lost, to North Wilmette. I congratulated the North Wilmette team afterwards, and their team captain told me that our last match against Lake Forest Central had inspired them. That they'd been there in the audience that night, and that it led them to believe anything was possible, and that they could win it all. In the years before our match, most of the teams were coming into the tournament convinced they had no chance, that Lake Forest Central would win no matter what. We may not have won the match that night, but we gave every other high school in the North Shore hope that they could win it. So if you've still felt any pain over finishing second that year, just know that we won a lot more than we could have imagined, including the respect of every other school in the Chicago suburbs."

"Well, that's nice to know, Mr. Jacobson," Brian nodded, "But I've done a lot better with that over the years. I know now that I won an awful lot more that night than I lost-including winning the greatest reward of all," he pulled Melissa close to him again.

"I see. Congratulations to you too, I guess it's Melissa," Mr. Jacobson commended her, "I could tell when I saw you on Lake Forest Central's Simmons teams that you'd go far in the world."

"Thank you," Melissa told him with a smile, "And the best part is, I got to share it with Brian, who was the greatest thing to ever happen to me," she gave him a kiss on the cheek. The former teacher beamed. "You two make a great couple," he echoed everyone else's assessment of the their relationship. "Well, I guess I'll let you both go take care of this photo shoot; wonderful to see you both again."

"Wonderful to see you, Mr. Jacobson; like Claire said, give my best to Corey-I hope he's doing well since...well..." Brian remembered what Matt had told him earlier.

"So you've heard," Corey's father shook his head, "Yes, it's true, I'm sorry to say. At least Corey realized the seriousness of the mistakes he'd been making after Lori left him. If I'd been living close enough to him then, I would have done everything I could to have talked sense into him before it came to that. He was pretty depressed for a while, almost beating himself up too much for having cheated on her."

"Is he better now?" Melissa asked, concerned.

"Fortunately, yes. I had to have several long talks with him about how he needed to move forward and learn from his mistakes if he wanted to live a good life, but he's pulled himself together now. In fact, he's been dating again for the last year and a half after he moved to Seattle and started working for a tech firm there, and it's clear to me from what I've seen that he's not going to make the same mistakes with her that he did with Lori."

"Well I hope it works out, Mr. Jacobson," Brian told him, "We may not have been close friends, but I always wanted the best for him."

"I know. And so do I, although I suppose any father worth his salt would feel the same," Mr. Jacobson mused, "I think he'll be just fine, though. Well, run along now; don't want to miss the shoot."

"Have a good night, Mr. Jacobson," Brian bade him farewell, exiting the library with Melissa. "Good to see him again too," he told his wife.

"I can tell why you liked him a lot," she said, looking over her shoulder at Mr. Jacobson walking down the hall in the opposite direction, "Actually, Brian, I think I need to make a bathroom stop; I'll catch up outside in a moment."

"Take your time," Brian wished her well. He exited Shermer High and bustled towards the parking lot, where the wedding photographer was snapping pictures of the bridal party in front of a backdrop of a park in springtime. Brian rushed towards the back of the line, where the rest of the Club (plus Jeremy) were standing, waiting their turn. "Sorry I'm late; just catching up with Mr. Jacobson a bit more," he explained to the others.

"No surprise there, Johnson. What surprises me is that you didn't try and track down every teacher we had to reconnect with them too," Bender cracked, "Because I..."

"Well, good evening, everyone," came a sudden, very familiar voice to Brian's right. He spun in a flash. Sure enough, Bill Stanpovalichki stood there on the curb, his dog sitting at his feet. "I trust you're all having a good night?" the former homeless man told the group with a grin.

"You!?" Claire was amazed, "How'd you get here?"

"And on top of that," a frowning Bender sized Stanpovalichki up, "How the hell is it that you look like you haven't aged a day in ten years, fat boy!?"

"Oh, I have my ways, John," Stanpovalichki grinned mischievously. "Allow me to also extend my congratulations to the bride and groom," he approached Claire and Jeremy, "You both earned this special day. So I hope this is a good enough present for you."

He pulled a bouquet of pink flowers from underneath his coat and handed them to Claire. "Why, thank you," Claire blushed, "But how did you know...?"

"I had heard there was going to be a wedding. So I wanted to make sure the newlyweds got something, right, Keema?" he rubbed his pet behind the ears.

"So you're the guy who Claire said did something to get her back to normal after Mr. Vernon beat her?" Allison inquired.

"You might say that, Allison."

"How do you know my name?" her eyes went wide, "I never met you before...!"

"No, but I've heard of you-from Claire and Brian," Stanpovalichki said quickly, "Actually, I've been hoping to finally meet you face to face-same with you, Andy," he turned to the wrestler, who looked just as surprised as his former girlfriend that the homeless man knew his name, "Because I wanted to say congratulations to you all."

"Uh, thanks," Andrew said, puzzled, "For what?"

"For taking the opportunity you were all given when you met ten years ago and making the best of it," Stanpovalichki smiled at all five of them, "This might be a bit of a broken record from what you've heard all night, but I'm so proud of all of you. To take what you found in that detention and making sure it blossomed into a great friendship, and becoming better people. That may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but as far as I can see it, that's a pretty good accomplishment."

"Thanks-but how did you know about the detention in the first place?" Claire was equally puzzled.

"Like he said, Claire, he has his ways," Brian beamed at the man who'd changed his life for the better, "I'm glad you could make it tonight."

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything, Brian," Stanpovalichki told him. "And Jeremy," he approached the groom, "I'm glad to hear you turned yourself around from where you'd been before too, that you took all the advice I gave you in the woods and put it to good use."

"Well, the more I thought about it, everything you did tell me before you sent me off to get Claire was right; I'd gotten in over my head wanting to be loved," Jeremy confessed to him, "I did genuinely fall in love with Claire, and I was willing to do whatever it took to get her back. And I did, and now I have her heart for good," he squeezed his bride's hand affectionately.

"And I hope your union with her is an eternal and joyous one," Stanpovalichki wished them well.

"OK, we're ready," the photographer called from the backdrop.

"Be right there," Jeremy called to him. "Well, we've got to go; good to see you again," he bade Stanpovalichki farewell, "Hope we run into you again some day."

"Maybe you will," the homeless man gave him a wink.

"Well, just give us advance warning next time; you kind of freak me out when you pop up without notice," Bender advised him, looking somewhat unsettled by Stanpovalichki's presence. "Well, let's go, guys," he gestured the others to follow Claire and Jeremy towards the camera.

"Give me a minute; I've still got more to say to him, John," Brian told him, remaining in place.

"You're still going to tell me who this guy is some day, Johnson," Bender advised him with a scowl, walking off with everyone else. Brian shook his head with a grin and turned back to Stanpovalichki. "I could tell them, but they'd never believe me if I did," he told the man, "Anyway, I've got to ask, were you actually there for the wedding today?"

"Like I said, Brian, I wouldn't have missed it. Just because you couldn't see me didn't mean I wasn't there, after all. I guess I can't help checking up on my former clients, as it were. And by the way, from the bottom of my heart, thank you," Stanpovalichki reached into his coat and pulled out the two roses Brian had left on his grave earlier in the day. "I don't get many visitors, so this really meant a lot to me, Brian. thank you," he told him gratefully.

"It, it was the least I could do, after you...after you stopped me from killing myself and showed me what a great life I had," Brian told him, putting a hand on Stanpovalichki's shoulder, "As I guess you heard earlier, I love everything I see about myself in the mirror tonight. And it's great to see everyone else has done well; did you guide them to where they are now?"

"No, they all blazed their own paths. But I was watching them all too before the detention, just like I'd been watching you," Stanpovalichki confessed to him, "I was hoping the five of you would take advantage of the opportunity that detention presented for the better, and thankfully, you all did. And I couldn't be prouder of all of you. Seeing you blossom into wonderful people, it feels like..."

He put his hand over his face and started sniffing. "Hey, hey, it's all right," Brian told him, "It's not worth crying over..."

"It's not that, it's just...I never got to have children when I was alive. I wanted to so badly, but it never came to pass, not with my wife...I'm sure you did the research and saw what happened. When I was dying in that alley, I felt like I'd failed in life. Somehow, by being able to be there to help you and your friends, you've all made me feel like my being here has meant something, that I have made a difference in the world. Truthfully, although I've helped dozens of people since I've arrived at where I am now, there was something about the five of you that kept drawing me back, to keep tabs on you all this time. So much so that...that part of me thinks of you all as the kids I never did get to have. Seeing where you all are now, I feel like a proud father seeing his kids do well in the world. So Brian, thank you," he beamed down at his protégé, "Thank you for making my existence be worth something."

He pulled Brian into a grateful hug, tears of delight-or at least the memory of them-streaming down his face. "Well, I won't keep you," he released the hug after about thirty seconds, "Have a great time with your friends."

"I will," Brian shook his hand, "Will I see you and Keema again?" he glanced down at the dog, who leaped up on his hind legs to lick the former brain's hand.

"As long as you live a good life, no need for me to show myself in person again until you join me," Stanpovalichki told him, "But don't worry, even if you can't see me..."

"...you'll always be watching," Brian nodded knowingly, "Just promise, don't you forget about me. Or them," he gestured at the rest of the Club by the backdrop.

"Promise."

"Come on, Johnson, we're waiting!" came Bender's impatient call from the backdrop. Giving Stanpovalichki one final smile, Brian ran off to join the others. Stanpovalichki watched him bustle away with a very deep smile of his own-a smile that got broader as he now felt a hand on his shoulder. "I did good, didn't I, Rosie?" he asked, his eyes watering again.

"I couldn't be prouder of you than I am right now, Bill Stanpovalichki," said the dark-haired woman now standing at his side. She gave him a warm hug and kiss. "I knew you were a great man when I first met you, and now, a lot more people do." She stared warmly at the Club standing together for a group photograph, all of them clearly happy to be in each others' presence again. "They really do feel like our kids," she told him, "I'm glad they all turned out great in the end after what they went through."

"So am I," Stanpovalichki said, smiling at Melissa running out of the building to join the others for another photo, Brian giving his bride a strong hug and kiss for the photographer, "Everything turned out wonderfully in the end. Well, Rosie," he bent down to pick up Keema's leash, "Since they'll be all right for now, how about you and I have a night on the town together for once? I think we've earned it after all this time."

"Sounds great to me, Bill," his wife agreed, "You and I haven't had much time together lately."

"Let's make up for that right now. Let's go, Keema," Stanpovalichki tapped his dog on the back. He walked off into the night with his arm around his bride, singing out loud as he left, "Glad you recognized me, looked my way, made it clear you loved me. The rain stopped falling, rain stopped falling down, down, down, down..."

THE END