"Uh. This is the Giant." Hogarth said, slowly crawling back out of the Giant's hand. "Alice, meet the Giant. Giant meet Alice." He said, gesturing back and forth between the two. He walked behind Alice, put his hands on her shoulders, and began gently pushing her towards the Giant. "C'mon, don't be shy."

"H-Hogarth, we need to go back. People will wonder where we are. They'll come back here. We need to leave. I'm sorry, I just-"

"Will you hush?" Hogarth said, smiling a bit even though she couldn't see. "It's not like the Giant is some secret now. He hasn't been for awhile." He looked up at his enormous friend. "And he won't bite." He whispered.

Alice began resisting once they got within 30 feet of the Giant's still-lowered hand. She pushed her hair out of her face and finally stopped, causing Hogarth to go around her and put his arm around her shoulder. "Oh my- He's just. So… So…"

"Big?" Hogarth suggested, grinning.

"Real."

Hogarth made a face, looking Alice straight in the eye. "I thought Richard told you about him."

"Well, for me that's as real as it got. He was just a story then. But now he's… here. Real." Alice repeated, staring up at the Giant, her eyes still wide as ever. She pursed her lips, tipping her eyebrows. Slowly, she stepped away from Hogarth.

"Alice?"

"Sh. I'm figuring this out."

"Figuring this out? What?"

"I don't know, it just feels like something needs to figured out."

Hogarth raised an eyebrow as she took each step. Well, she's interested now. Just don't know in what sense.

"What are you doing here?" Alice whispered to herself. She continued to walk towards the Giant, who watched her patiently.

Hogarth began to follow close behind, resting his hand on her shoulder once again. "He found me. I knew he would."

She jerked to face Hogarth again, her eyes wide. "We need to go back."

Hogarth's face twisted in confusion as he looked back and forth between Alice and the Giant. "What?"

Alice frowned and gestured to the Giant, "Do you really want everyone to see him yet?"

Now it was Hogarth's turn to frown. Of course he wanted to. But… Not now. Definitely not now. Everyone would have the same reaction, even Dean and his mom. They'd all be full to the brim with questions- some that not even Hogarth could answer, even though he was the boy that found and saved the Giant many years ago. It would be too much.

He looked back up at the Giant, who turned his head questioningly. "Hogarth." The Giant said simply. He obviously had no idea what was going on between Hogarth and Alice, but the look on the Giant's metal face gave away that he knew it for sure involved him.

Hogarth walked forward, and once again the Giant offered his hand on the ground. "I'm sorry, but I have to go again Giant. I can't stay tonight." Hogarth told him, reaching forward and resting his hand on one of the Giant's fingers. "I'll come back tomorrow, I promise."

The Giant continued to look at him with confusion. This time though, he was silent. He truly didn't understand what was going on.

Oh God, am I going to have to say what I know he understands? Last time it could've meant forever.

"Hogarth?" Alice asked, and he shut his eyes in response, allowing his hand to slip off the Giant's hand.

He walked a couple of steps away, shoulders hunched in temporary defeat. Then he turned to face his oldest and most unusual friend. "I have to go. Do you remember what that means?"

The Giant blinked.

Hogarth sighed, crossing his arms. "God, I really don't want to say this." He muttered to himself. "I go." He started, pointing to the near-black forest. "You… stay."

The Giant suddenly had a look of shock on his face, his eye's completely wide and his jaw unhinged. "Hogarth?" He said again, reaching out further.

"Giant, no." Hogarth told him, sternly.

Alice stood back for a moment, wondering what to do. This obviously wasn't going to be an easy goodbye and she felt like she was intruding by just standing there, hearing it all.

"I'll be waiting." She said quietly, not waiting for a response when she turned and headed in the direction she'd come from earlier.

Hogarth ignored her, subconsciously reminding himself to apologize later, and finally said the very words he dreaded on that late November day almost 7 years ago:

"No following."

The Giant stared at him for a moment, the shutters in his eyes slanting downward. Then his jaw lowered, much resembling a frown. "Ho…garth…" He said quietly, reaching back out at Hogarth almost desperately.

"No, I have to go. Right now. I promise I'll come back tomorrow. This is the last time I'll leave you like this." Hogarth told him, finding himself now close to tears. It's been too long. And it isn't fair. "I promise." He repeated, backing away with his hands in front of himself.

Hogarth continued backing away, keeping his eyes on the Giant. He couldn't bear to look away, even though he really wanted to. The look on the Giant's face was pure disappointment and sadness. I hope I can make it up to him. Once he got to the treeline, he knew he had to turn back around. The Giant did too and began to stand before he saw his friend's older face disappear, only for him to be faced with a dark silhouette of a tall teenager, grabbing the hand of the girl who looked at him with cautious eyes.

"I stay." The Giant's voice boomed across the power station.

Hogarth paused for a moment, and Alice looked back at him. She caught a glimpse of the Giant as he watched them depart. Her heart fell and she gently prodded Hogarth forward, only able to guess the pain he was feeling now.

After a few minutes of trekking through the now-black woods, hoping to hit home by going in the exact direction they'd come from, Hogarth said very quietly, "I go."