Lyra smiled, feeling the warm wood of the bench underneath her, closing her eyes and sensing the motes of dust in the breeze al around her, glinting golden, just for a second, like tiny bits of the precious metal, like Dust-
She opened her eyes. She hugged herself, and Pan curled up in her lap. The absentmindedly stroked his fur. It was time. He was there. She could almost feel him through all the worlds. She could hear his breath, smell him. She knew he was there. She knew it. He had to be. He had promised.
Ten years and she kept her promise every day. Only for ten minutes, she sat there. Alone but together, appearing to all the world like a lonely young woman sitting on a park bench, smiling to herself.
The warmth of the sun was replaced by the warmth of a body. A man, her age, was sitting next to her, eyes boring deep into her soul, the color of liquid titanium, flashing silver. His daemon looked at her curiously, perching precariously on his broad shoulder.
He'd grown into a man, no longer a boy, with broad shoulders that made his shirt strain slightly, his hair had lightened, his beautiful eyes were deeper in his head.
But Lyra knew that face so well she could've traced it blind. Will smiled down at her. She thought her heart might burst, shatter to tiny little shards. Something hot pricked her eyes, and tears started to stream down her face. The young man- Will's brow furrowed in confusion.
"You okay, lady?" And when he spoke, his voice was a tad deeper, rougher, but it was him, and she was so sure, and she was a second away from leaping into his arms when it hit her like an automobile.
Lady?
"What?" She muttered around the beginnings of tears.
"Are you okay? Pretty girls don't usually start sobbing when I sit down next to them." He chuckled.
"Will? Don't you-" Her heart sank so far it felt like it was in her stomach. He looked at her, confused, the mans he loved, Will…
"I'm sorry, you must have me confused for somebody else. My name is Sam. I don't know any Will."
They'd talked so many times about there being a Will or a Lyra in their respective worlds, but they'd never really considered it, never-
Sam.
"I'm sorry for startling you. I just had you confused for somebody else." The lie rolled smoothly off her tongue just like it used to. Her face settled back into its expressionless mask.
"That's quite all right."
There was silence. Dead silence. And he moved closer to her on the bench. He was sitting in Will's spot. Will. He was sitting on him!
Lyra made a noise of pain. Sam jumped.
She stood.
"I'd better be going." He jumped up next to her, scooping up his bag. His daemon slithered into the bag, only its glittering eyes peeping out.
"Where're you off to?" He asked amicably.
"Nowhere in particular. Away." She grumbled at the audacity of this man, sitting on Will! She uttered a silent apology for skipping out early, and started to walk faster. He kept perfect pace.
"Do you have a few hours?" He said after a few minutes. Lyra hadn't been looking, realized they'd made a circle of the block. She could feel Will's accusing gaze on her.
"Why?"
"I'd like to take you to dinner."
The gaze she could almost feel Will giving her was outweighed by the other Will, who was here, in the flesh, smelling just lie he did, smiling down at her (he had gotten quite a bit taller) and something in her snapped.
"I'd like that very much, Sam." He took her arm and she set off. The accusing glare had disappeared. Why would Will have a reason to be angry. He was right here, holding her hand and leading her down the street in the growing dark.