Epilogue: November, 1989

The television had been on constantly for the past few days, showing scenes of the people of East and West Berlin hacking and pushing at the once intimidating concrete and iron wall that divided them since after the war. The pictures from Germany were always colorful and full of joy at the reunion of the country. It represented a step forward.

Magnus Bane, 68 years old, lay across a brown leather couch in the dimly lit living room. The TV was turned down in favor of the stereo in the corner playing an Elvis cassette tape. Magnus had always liked Elvis for some reason. Alec said it was because the man was flashy and bold, which never failed to draw Magnus. But Magnus knew internally it was because he could never resist jet black hair and clear blue eyes.

Around Magnus, in piles separated by year, lay stacks and stacks of envelopes. Some open, some gently resealed only to be opened again in due time, they lay in a sort of fortress circle around him. He held a letter in his hand, eyes scanning over it for the hundred-thousandth time since he'd first received it. The words on the page never failed to make him smile, even if some of the recollections were sad. His take on it was that they'd survived that time, therefore they could survive anything. Alec's letters would forever be, next to Alec himself, his most prized possessions. They represented the undying power of love.

Often, these recollections came in handy in his lectures to his classes at the local college. Students had come to love his history class, and they always got excited when the lesson reached World War II. Kids today had sort of glorified and sensationalized the war, associating it with heroes of valor and bravery. That was all well and true, but he made sure to tell them about the tragedies and hardships the war caused, for the soldiers and here at home. He would recount the radio broadcasts and movie house newsreels of the day, trying to get them to understand what it was like, even though they never truly would. Once, to their immense delight, he brought another one of his extremely treasured possessions: Alec's dogtags. They were fascinated, as people often are, by an actual relic of the time. And on the next day, he had convinced Alec to come in and tell the story of what those tags had been through, leaving out the more gory details, of course. But nonetheless, the students were engrossed, and it proved to be the best lecture they ever heard.

Now, sitting here on the couch in their cozy home, Magnus read and re-read the letters that had never seen the post, the ones Alec had brought home himself. They were some of the darkest, but also some of the most hopeful. Their words were an indication of where they would go, what they would accomplish as intertwined souls, in the years to come. They still received ill looks when they walked the street holding hands, but it didn't matter. Things were changing, slowly but surely. And, in the end, Magnus could always find strength in the lines on these pages, if ever he should need it.

There you have it. This was a joy to write (even though I cried most of the time), and I'm so glad that you all liked it.

As I said before, I'm truly amazed at how this story has touched people. Both my grandfathers served in WWII, Air Force. My dad and my uncle were also Air Force; they served in Vietnam. I also have a very, very good friend who is in the AF right now. So, I'm surrounded by it. Honestly (and I've told some of you this already), this story was to pay homage to the wonderful men in my life who've served. The choice to make Jace and Alec pilots was a sentimental nod to my grandfathers, dad, and uncle. My uncle made a career of the Air Force, and retired a Master Sergeant. I'm very proud of them all, and I'm glad I could honor them in my own way.

Also, I mentioned to some of you that Isabelle is sort of modeled after my aunt, who stayed home when her brothers went to war and helped fight the good fight on home soil. She went to work and helped my grandparents with the day to day while my dad and uncle were away. She's just as honorable as any veteran.

Thank you to all those of you who've shared your experiences with me that this story brought up for you. I truly enjoy them, and if you ever want to share, please PM me or message me on AIM/Tumblr. I'd love to hear from you.

My best to all of you, and this story did its original job as well…which was to cure my MLG writer's block. I'm diving back in and you guys will have a new chapter soon! All my love!