Lyra watched the clock over the library tower, waiting for it to strike noon.

"Lyra!" called a voice from her right. She turned.

"Will?"

"Lyra!" Will laughed.

"Will, Will, how…how did you get here?" she stuttered.

"I used the knife, of course!"

"The knife? Didn't you break it?"

"I did, I just took the pieces out of the pouch, and all of a sudden it was mended. See?" He held up the knife for Lyra to see.

"Oh, Will…"

"Well? Can I come in?"

"Of course!"

Will widened the window so he could step through.

"There. Now we're together."

"Will?"

"Yes, Lyra?"

She paused, making sure she really wanted to ask the question. She decided she would. "Will, aren't you married?"

"I was. Tanya left me. She said she couldn't stay married to a man who was in love with someone in a different world."

"That's understandable, though, isn't it?" asked Lyra.

"It is," said Will fairly. "Are you married?"

"James died in an accident."

"May I ask what happened?"

"You may." Will waited for her to tell him, then realized that she was only giving him permission to ask. He laughed.

"What happened, then?"

"He was on a fishing boat, and it capsized."

"I'm sorry." There was a long silence.

"But you know what, Lyra?"

"What, Will?"

"It's all okay now, because we're together."

"For now. But what about you? You can't live as long as anyone else in my world, just like I can't live as long as anyone else in your world."

"Then we can leave both worlds. We'll go live somewhere else."

"Sounds fair," said Lyra.

"It does, doesn't it?" Will replied. He took her hand, helping her up. Kirjava nudged Pantalaimon to his feet.

Will closed the window that he had used to get to Lyra's world and opened up a new one.

"It's amazing that you can still do that."

"I'll know how to use it until I stop being the knife bearer."

"When will that be?"

"When I die."

"Don't die, Will." Lyra picked up Pantalaimon.

"Don't die, Lyra. Here." He took Lyra's hand and helped her through the window.

They were now in a tropical rainforest, and a light misty rain was falling.

"Now we'll both die at the same time," said Will.

"Yes," said Lyra. "Now we'll always be together."

Will took Lyra's hand, and they strolled off into the mist to die together.