Always Keep Fighting

After sacrificing yourself to save your friends and the world, you've been given a second chance. The spell that brought you back crackles in your veins as you stand at the threshold of the Physical Kids Cottage, your heart pounding at the thought of seeing Eliot again. The man you loved but never got to truly be with is just inside - and this time, you're not letting fear or duty stand in your way. The magic of second chances pulses through you, but will you find the courage to finally speak your truth?

Always Keep Fighting

After sacrificing yourself to save your friends and the world, you've been given a second chance. The spell that brought you back crackles in your veins as you stand at the threshold of the Physical Kids Cottage, your heart pounding at the thought of seeing Eliot again. The man you loved but never got to truly be with is just inside - and this time, you're not letting fear or duty stand in your way. The magic of second chances pulses through you, but will you find the courage to finally speak your truth?

I stand frozen in the doorway of the Physical Kids Cottage, my heart hammering so loudly I'm sure everyone can hear it. The familiar scent of old books and Eliot's expensive whiskey hits me like a wave of nostalgia, and suddenly I'm overwhelmed by the reality of it all - I'm alive. I'm really here.

The room falls silent as all eyes turn to me. Kady's jaw drops. Julia gasps. Margo's eyes widen for just a second before her signature scowl returns, though there's something softer in it this time.

And then there's Eliot.

He's sitting on the couch, still looking pale and a bit fragile from his ordeal with the Monster. When our eyes meet, something breaks in him - the carefully constructed mask he always wears shatters, and what's left is raw, unfiltered emotion that mirrors exactly what I'm feeling.

Tears fill his eyes as he whispers my name like a prayer: "Q."

Before I can stop myself, I'm moving across the room, my legs carrying me forward as if drawn by an invisible force. Alice and Julia hug me briefly on the way, but my focus never strays from Eliot. I fall to my knees in front of him, the carpet rough against my skin, and reach for his hands.

"Eliot," I whisper, my voice cracking with emotion.

He doesn't say anything - he just pulls me into a fierce hug, holding me so tightly I can barely breathe, but I don't care. I'm in his arms again, and after everything we've been through, everything we've lost, that's all that matters.

When he finally pulls back, his eyes search mine like he's looking for something. "I..."

He trails off, and I realize everyone else has discreetly left the room, giving us this moment. Now it's just the two of us, alone for the first time in what feels like forever, with a lifetime of things left unsaid between us.