Chapter 144– Homecoming
Trinity International Medical Center
Tokyo
10:48 PM
The hospital had become quieter.
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Not peaceful.
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Just quieter.
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The kind of quiet that came after too much chaos.
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Too much blood.
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Too many close calls.
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JJ
Had survived the first critical hours.
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Her condition was stable.
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Still serious.
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Still being monitored constantly.
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But stable.
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And right now—
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That was enough.
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JJ's ICU Room
The lights were dim.
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Machines beeped softly.
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A monitor displayed her heartbeat.
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Steady.
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Slow.
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But steady.
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Keifer
Sat beside her bed.
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Alone.
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For the first time all day.
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No meetings.
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No investigations.
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No enemies.
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No responsibilities.
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Just him.
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And her.
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His Hand
Was wrapped around hers.
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Like always.
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Like it belonged there.
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JJ
Was asleep.
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Peaceful.
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For once.
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No chaos.
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No arguments.
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No schemes.
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No trouble.
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Which somehow felt wrong.
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Because JJ was trouble.
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Beautiful.
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Terrifying.
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Adorable trouble.
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Keifer
Looked at her for a long moment.
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Then laughed quietly.
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A tiny laugh.
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One only she would have heard.
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Keifer
"You scared everyone."
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Silence.
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Keifer
"Again."
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Still nothing.
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His Thumb
Brushed over her knuckles.
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Gentle.
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So unbelievably gentle.
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The same man who terrified boardrooms.
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The same man who could destroy companies with one decision.
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The same man who once ruled an entire school.
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The same man feared across continents.
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Yet Here
He looked nothing like that.
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Not powerful.
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Not dangerous.
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Just a man in love.
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A man terrified of losing his person.
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His Voice
Dropped lower.
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Softer.
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Keifer
"You know..."
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A pause.
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Keifer
"I had an entire speech prepared."
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Keifer
"For when you woke up."
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Another pause.
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Keifer
"It was very dramatic."
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Silence.
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Keifer
"You would've made fun of it."
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Absolutely.
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Keifer Smiled.
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Because he could already imagine it.
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JJ laughing.
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JJ teasing him.
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JJ refusing to let him be serious.
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Then
He leaned forward.
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Slowly.
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Carefully.
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Like she was made of glass.
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And kissed her forehead.
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A long kiss.
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A gentle one.
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The kind that carried every word he couldn't say.
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When He Pulled Back
His forehead rested against hers.
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Keifer
"Come back soon."
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A pause.
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Keifer
"I miss my chaos."
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Nearby
The monitor continued beeping.
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Steady.
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Steady.
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Steady.
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Across The Hospital
Another room.
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Another story.
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Ash's Room
The lights were also dim.
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The waist injury had been treated.
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The bleeding controlled.
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She was exhausted.
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But safe.
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Finally safe.
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Yuri
Sat beside her bed.
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Arms folded.
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Expression unreadable.
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Ash
Looked at him.
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Then looked away.
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Then looked at him again.
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Because the silence was terrifying.
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Ash
"...Are you mad?"
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Yuri
Didn't answer.
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Which was somehow worse.
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Ash
"Yuri."
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Still nothing.
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Ash
"Please say something."
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Yuri
Finally looked up.
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And Ash immediately wished he hadn't.
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Because his eyes looked exhausted.
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Not Angry.
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Worse.
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Scared.
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Yuri
Took a long breath.
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Yuri
"When the tracker stopped moving..."
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A pause.
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Yuri
"I thought you were dead."
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Ash
Froze.
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Because Yuri rarely admitted things.
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Especially feelings.
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Yuri
Looked away.
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Yuri
"When I couldn't find you..."
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Another pause.
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Yuri
"I couldn't breathe."
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Silence.
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Ash's Eyes
Started watering immediately.
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Ash
"Yuri..."
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Yuri
Shook his head.
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Yuri
"Don't."
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Then
For the first time all day—
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His composure cracked.
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Just a little.
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Yuri
"Don't ever do that again."
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Ash
Actually started crying.
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Not dramatic tears.
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Just quiet ones.
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Because she finally understood.
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How terrified he'd been.
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Ash
Reached for his hand.
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Slowly.
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Ash
"I'm sorry."
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Yuri
Looked down.
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At their hands.
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Then intertwined their fingers.
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Holding on tightly.
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Like he was making sure she stayed.
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Ash
Smiled through tears.
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Ash
"You would've burned Tokyo down for me."
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Yuri
Didn't even hesitate.
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Yuri
"I would've."
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Silence.
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Yuri
"And I wouldn't feel bad about it."
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Ash
Actually laughed.
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A real laugh.
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The first one in days.
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Yuri
Watched her.
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And for the first time since the warehouse—
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He relaxed.
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Just a little.
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Because She Was Here.
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Alive.
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Breathing.
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Still arguing.
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Still annoying him.
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Still Ash.
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Across The Hospital
Two rooms.
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Two couples.
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Two people recovering.
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And two men who would happily burn the entire world down if it meant protecting them.
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Outside
Tokyo's lights glittered against the night.
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And for the first time in a long while—
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There was hope.
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Small.
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Fragile.
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But there.
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Trinity International Medical Center
Tokyo
7:12 AM
The hospital was quiet.
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Suspiciously quiet.
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Too quiet.
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The kind of quiet that should have warned everyone.
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Because whenever life became peaceful—
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Jasper Jean Mariano usually ruined it.
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ICU Room
A nurse entered.
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Checked monitors.
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Checked IV lines.
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Checked medication.
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Everything normal.
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Everything stable.
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Everything—
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"Ow."
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The nurse froze.
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Slowly turned.
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And nearly had a heart attack.
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JJ
Was awake.
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Again.
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Looking very offended.
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JJ
"Why does my entire body hurt?"
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The nurse almost cried.
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Out of relief.
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Out of fear.
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Possibly both.
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"SHE'S AWAKE!"
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Two Seconds Later
The entire floor exploded.
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Rhys
Running.
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Lyra
Running.
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Cin
Running.
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Percy
Running.
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Honey
Running.
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Alex
Running.
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Freya
Running.
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Aries
Running.
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Cole
Walking fast.
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Very fast.
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Not running.
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Definitely not running.
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Keifer
Already there.
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Because he never actually left.
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JJ
Looked around.
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Saw everyone.
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And immediately frowned.
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JJ
"Why do all of you look ugly?"
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Silence.
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Then—
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Percy burst into tears.
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"SHE'S BACK."
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Honey
Started laughing.
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Freya
Covered her face.
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Alex
Actually sat down.
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Aries
Looked toward the ceiling.
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Aries
"Thank God."
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JJ
Still confused.
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JJ
"What happened?"
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Everyone
"NO."
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JJ
Blink.
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JJ
"What?"
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Lyra
Immediately.
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Lyra
"You're not moving."
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JJ
"I'm sitting."
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Lyra
"No."
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JJ
"I'm breathing."
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Lyra
"No."
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JJ
"I'm talking."
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Lyra
"Unfortunately."
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JJ
Gasped dramatically.
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JJ
"Rude."
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Meanwhile
Keifer hadn't said a word.
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Not one.
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JJ
Finally looked at him.
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Then froze.
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Because she knew that expression.
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The "I Nearly Lost You" Expression.
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The dangerous one.
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The terrifying one.
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The guilty one.
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JJ
Immediately pointed.
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JJ
"No."
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Keifer
Raised an eyebrow.
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JJ
"Whatever speech you're planning, no."
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Percy
Immediately.
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Percy
"HE HAD ONE."
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JJ
Turned toward Keifer.
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JJ
"You had a speech?"
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Percy
Percy
"He practiced."
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JJ
"WHAT?"
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Keifer
Looked ready to murder Percy.
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Percy
Looked delighted.
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JJ
Started laughing.
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Then immediately winced.
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JJ
"Okay laughing hurts."
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Cole
Finally spoke.
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Cole
"Good."
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JJ
Offended.
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JJ
"What did I do?"
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Every Single Person
Looked at her.
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Silence.
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Then—
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Everyone
"REALLY?"
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JJ
"...fair."
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Across The Hall
Ash had heard everything.
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Because of course she had.
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She Walked In
Slowly.
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Still recovering.
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Still injured.
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And immediately saw JJ awake.
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Both Froze.
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For exactly one second.
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Then—
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"IDIOT."
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"PSYCHO."
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Both Spoke Together.
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Then Hugged.
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Immediately.
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Ignoring every medical instruction ever created.
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Rhys
"NO."
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Cin
"ABSOLUTELY NOT."
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Lyra
"GET BACK IN BED."
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Nobody Listened.
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JJ
Pointed at Ash.
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JJ
"You got kidnapped."
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Ash
Pointed back.
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Ash
"You jumped into an exploding building."
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JJ
JJ
"Fair point."
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Then
The room door opened again.
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Yuri Entered.
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Saw Ash standing.
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Saw JJ standing.
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Saw both ignoring doctors.
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And immediately turned around.
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Yuri
"I changed my mind."
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Yuri
"They can die."
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JJ
"YURI!"
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Ash
"YURI!"
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Yuri
Started walking away.
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Everyone
Started laughing.
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Real laughing.
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The first genuine laughter in weeks.
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Even Cole Smiled.
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Tiny.
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Barely noticeable.
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Keifer Saw It.
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Keifer
"...Did you just smile?"
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Cole
Immediately serious again.
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Cole
"No."
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Percy
Percy
"He smiled."
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Honey
Honey
"He definitely smiled."
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JJ
Gasped dramatically.
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JJ
"GET THE CAMERAS."
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Cole
Actually considered murder.
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For The First Time
Since Care.
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Since the war.
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Since the grief.
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The family felt like a family again.
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Loud.
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Chaotic.
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Annoying.
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Alive.
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And judging by the amount of noise currently coming from ICU—
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Chaos had officially returned.
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NYC
Watson Mansion
Two Weeks Later
Home.
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The word should have felt comforting.
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Safe.
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Warm.
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Instead—
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It hurt.
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The convoy entered the mansion gates slowly.
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No celebrations.
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No chaos.
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No Percy screaming.
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No JJ causing trouble.
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No Honey arguing with Percy.
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Nothing.
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Just silence.
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Because everyone felt it.
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The absence.
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The one person missing.
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The Front Doors Opened
And everyone stepped inside.
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The mansion looked exactly the same.
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The same paintings.
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The same staircase.
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The same furniture.
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The same walls.
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And somehow—
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That made it worse.
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Because everything was the same.
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Except her.
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JJ
Stopped first.
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Near the living room.
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Her eyes automatically moving toward one corridor.
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The corridor nobody mentioned anymore.
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The corridor nobody walked through if they could avoid it.
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The corridor leading to a single room.
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Care's Room.
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Silence spread.
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Because everyone had noticed.
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The Door
Was still closed.
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Exactly like it had been weeks ago.
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Exactly like it had been the day they left for London.
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Exactly like it had been the day they left for Tokyo.
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Nobody Opened It.
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Not once.
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Cole
Hadn't touched it.
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Keifer
Hadn't touched it.
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Lyra
Couldn't.
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Rhys
Wouldn't.
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JJ
Never managed to.
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The Door
Simply remained there.
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Waiting.
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Like it expected its owner to come back.
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JJ
Slowly walked closer.
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One step.
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Then another.
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Then another.
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Until she stood directly in front of it.
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Her hand lifted.
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Stopped.
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Lifted again.
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And finally touched the wood.
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Cold.
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The door felt cold.
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JJ
Closed her eyes.
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Because suddenly—
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Memories hit.
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Too many.
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Care laughing.
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Care stealing food.
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Care sleeping through movie nights.
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Care threatening Percy.
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Care sitting beside her during bad days.
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Care calling her annoying.
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Care protecting everyone.
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Always protecting everyone.
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JJ
Took a shaky breath.
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JJ
"...you idiot."
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Her voice cracked immediately.
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Because Care wasn't here to answer.
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No sarcastic reply.
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No eye roll.
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No smirk.
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Nothing.
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Lyra
Appeared beside her.
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Quietly.
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Looking at the same door.
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Her Best Friend's Door.
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The room where they had spent countless nights talking.
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Laughing.
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Planning.
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Dreaming.
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Lyra
Couldn't stop the tears.
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Not anymore.
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Lyra
"I still keep expecting her to walk out."
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A pause.
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Lyra
"Just once."
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JJ
Started crying too.
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Because she understood.
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Every single person in this house understood.
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Rhys
Standing behind them.
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Silent.
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Because he still remembered hospital shifts.
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Coffee breaks.
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Arguments.
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The way Care always stole his chair.
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Ash
Lowered her head.
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Because she still remembered the late nights phone calls.
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The sacrifice Care chose.
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Percy
Looked away.
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Because every joke felt wrong here.
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Honey
Held his hand tighter.
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Yuri
Remained quiet.
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Freya
Wiped her eyes.
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Aries
Stared at the floor.
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Even Keifer
Couldn't look at the door for long.
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Because Care had been family.
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Not by blood.
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By choice.
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And sometimes—
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That hurt even more.
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Then
A soft sound echoed.
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Barely audible.
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Cole
Had finally walked forward.
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Silence followed him instantly.
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Because nobody knew what to say.
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He Stopped
In front of the door.
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Looking at it.
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Just looking.
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For a very long time.
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Then his hand touched the handle.
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For the first time.
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Weeks.
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Months.
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It didn't matter.
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It was the first time.
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Everyone Held Their Breath.
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But he didn't open it.
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No.
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Instead—
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He rested his forehead against the door.
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And closed his eyes.
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Nobody Had Ever Seen
Dr. Cole Watson look fragile.
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Not once.
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Until now.
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Cole
Softly.
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Almost too quietly to hear.
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Cole
"...I'm home."
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Silence.
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Absolute silence.
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Because everyone knew.
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He wasn't talking to the room.
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Or the house.
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Or the door.
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He was talking to her.
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The Girl
Who would never answer again.
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And somehow—
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That hurt more than anything else.
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Outside
New York continued moving.
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Cars.
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Lights.
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People.
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Life.
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But inside Watson Mansion—
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For one small moment—
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The world stood still.
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In front of a locked door.
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And a room that still held too many memories.
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