The moment their palms touched, a blinding light engulfed them. The energy of the universe surged with power as their souls merged. Jake and Annie were swept away in a whirlwind as they were transported across dimensions.
"Holy shit!" Jake gasped.
"Jake!" Quinn's voice faintly called from a distance, but he was already gone.
The whirlwind subsided and the white light dimmed. Jake took in his surroundings. The land around him was deserted. Strange, purple rocks protruded from the ground. Crystalline fragments were scattered about. The sky above them was showered with space dust. Two moons resided overhead. Annie stood before him, still glowing as a spirit outside of the material world.
"Princess!" he exclaimed, overcome with emotion.
Running towards her, he embraced her. She put her arms around him too. Her grasp felt like a cool breeze against him, yet she was so familiar. They both wept.
"I missed you, Princess, so much," he croaked. "I think about you every day."
"Oh, Jake," Annie replied. "I missed you, too. My heart has only been yours."
They held each other for a while. Wiping away his tears, Jake glanced at the strange landscape.
"I have so many questions," he started, "but I guess a good one to start off with is where the hell are we?"
"My home planet," Annie replied. "This is where I originated eons ago. The first sun imploded and became a black hole, destroying this world, and this is what's left."
Jake smirked. "So you're some sort of alien, I guess, huh?"
Annie laughed. "I suppose so, yes."
"What happened when you sacrificed yourself to Vaanu?" he asked.
"Well," she started. "It's hard to explain, but I'm a part of Vaanu. When I returned, we became one and our consciousness dissolved into the universe. My soul is still here, but I don't have a physical body."
Jake's eyebrows furrowed as he comprehended her explanation. "So how exactly did you get a physical body?"
"Well, Vaanu created me from his essence. I was willed into existence by you guys. When you all went to La Huerta, you all needed someone to give you hope. You may not have known it at the time, but you all needed something. I could offer you all that. After I could do that and save you all, my work was complete. You guys didn't need me anymore, so I returned to the universe."
"That's bullshit," Jake said. "Because I need you, Annie. I really do."
"I know," Annie said. "I wasn't really meant to fall in love with anyone, but the universe has a funny way of doing things. Soulmates don't discriminate against time and space. They're rare to find, but it turns out we were each others."
"So don't we belong together then? Your heart completes mine, not Vaanu's," Jake said, his eyes welling up with tears again.
"I know it's not easy to accept—" Annie started.
"Not easy to accept? Not easy to accept?!" Jake shouted, stiffening every muscle in his body.
"Jake," Annie started.
"It's impossible for me to accept! I'm just wandering around helplessly through life trying anything I can to numb the pain! Nothing is right in the world without you! I thought I finally had something worth fighting for, but despite my best efforts, I don't have it anymore. How can you accept it? How can you move on just like that? Because I sure as hell can't," he yelled as the frustration and pain accumulated over the years coursed through him.
"I haven't," Annie said quietly.
"What?" Jake said.
"I haven't," Annie replied. "Ever since I sacrificed myself, everything fell into place except for you. You weren't complete. I don't regret my decision because I could save everyone, but I haven't fully accepted that we couldn't be together. I love you, Jake."
"I love you, too, Annie. More than you could ever know."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"One more question," Jake said, "Why La Huerta?"
"After the first sun imploded, Vaanu was ejected from the world. As the new earth was still forming, he landed on the area where La Huerta exists. Anyway, the island appeared upon his impact and broke time as we know it," she explained.
"So that's why time was so screwed up while we were there?" Jake asked.
She nodded. They sat in silence for a while.
"Jake," she said. "We don't have much time."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"You don't belong here. The universe is going to return you back to your world soon," she explained, sadness in her eyes.
"I won't leave without you," he insisted, grabbing her hand. "You're coming with."
She smiled. "You're still as stubborn as ever. I won't be able to come with you. I'm with Vaanu."
"I can't lose you, alright?" he insisted. "Not again. I promised I would find you, Princess. I promised I'd bring you back."
"Jake," she said urgently, pulling his face towards her. She gazed into his eyes with more determination and fire than he had ever seen before. "Listen. I will find a way back to you. I swear on it. I love you."
He opened his mouth to speak, but Annie stopped him with a kiss. Her glowing lips felt like a gentle wisp of air against his. They pulled apart. Jake gazed into her eyes with love and affection. Without warning, a white whirlwind engulfed him and ejected him back to La Huerta, the feeling of her kiss lingering on his lips.
