A/N: Hey you guys. You know how I said I might have the next chapter up next week? Well it turns out that next week came sooner than anticipated. And here it is. Please excuse grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. I'm too impatient to wait for my beta reader.
I also just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for reading and reviewing and sticking with me even though I have a tendency to vanish sometimes. I appreciate and read every single review and I only wish that I had time to respond to every one of you. You've made writing this fic super fun and I thank you.
It's almost ending. Is anyone else sad? I'm sad.
"Gumshoe, It's Phoenix. What's going on?" Phoenix said quickly as he picked up the receiver.
"I'm so glad I was able to get a hold of you, pal. Why aren't you answering your cell?" Gumshoe said, frustrated.
"Reception up here is patchy. Is something the matter?"
"I'm afraid so." Gumshoe sighed. "I've just had my guys up in the chopper radio in that they think they saw Andre at Eagle Mountain. The forest is so thick though, they weren't able to land and apprehend him." Gumshoe explained.
"What is he doing here?" Phoenix frowned. "He couldn't possibly know she is alive. No one except you knows that we are here."
"I don't know, pal, but I wanted to give you the heads up so you can keep Maya safe." Gumshoe replied.
"Don't worry, Gumshoe. You can count on that." Phoenix said resolutely. Andre wasn't getting within a hundred feet of Maya if he had anything to say about it.
"Just keep an eye out, okay pal? My guys are still about thirty minutes away. Just keep Maya inside and we'll be there as soon as we can." Gumshoe instructed.
"Thanks, Detective." Phoenix said, hanging up the phone.
He strode quickly back towards the sitting room where Maya was waiting with Mia and her parents, his mind racing. Why was all of this happening? Why couldn't Andre just leave Maya alone? With his jaw set in a hard line and fingernails digging into his palms, he opened the door to the sitting room.
"Nick, what's going on?" Maya asked when she noticed the intense expression on his face.
"Nothing. Everything's fine," he lied. "I just need you to stay here for a bit."
"What? Why?" Maya questioned as the rest of her family looked on, concerned.
"Just do it, okay?" Phoenix snapped, the weight of the situation getting the better of him. "Mia, make sure she doesn't leave this room."
"Sure, Phoenix." Mia said frowning heavily as Phoenix closed the door and left again. He was acting strange, far more irritated than she had ever seen him. Mia knew then that something was very wrong. Whatever the detective had told Phoenix on the phone just now, it wasn't good. She pulled her confused sister over to her in a protective hug.
"Whatever it is that you're doing, Phoenix... please be careful." Mia thought worriedly.
Andre tensed himself against the chill of the breeze. If the wind was getting colder, that meant he was most likely getting very close to Hazakurain. If he remembered the layout of the place correctly, he could bypass the main temple by heading straight where the path forked, which would lead him to Dusky Bridge. There was a rundown shack close to the bridge that he figured would make a decent enough hiding spot until the police search died down in a couple of days.
He had grabbed enough food from the kitchen in Fey Manor to last him at least three or four days. Then he would have to return to Kurain and work things out from there. Althea should have come up with something by then. He had noticed a chopper circling above earlier which made him very nervous, but they seemed to have dropped off. He hoped they didn't see him.
His breathing labored, Andre fought off waves of panic. For the first time in his life, what he was feeling was pure, all encompassing fear. But he still didn't feel any remorse for what he had done. Mystic Maya was a problem that needed to be taken care of, so he had taken care of it. But the possibility that he might now get caught and ultimately have to pay for his crimes was simply unfathomable.
"How... how did this happen. I don't understand," he muttered to himself, as he weaved through the thicket, wondering how his perfect plan could have become unfurled. How did the police even think to tap Morgan's phone? Why didn't he realise how much of a risk it was to repeat his plans over the phone? It was all because he had wanted to impress his mother, and now look where that had got him.
"Stupid," he berated himself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! Now what will she think? Now she'll never love you as much as her precious Pearl."
Andre had honestly thought that all of this was going to work out in his favour. He knew that Morgan was due for parole in exactly eighteen months and he had envisioned the grandest of homecomings for her. With Maya out of the way, Morgan would assume ownership of Fey Manor. Even though Pearl would be master in an official capacity, Morgan would still be running things, free to welcome her son into her home and her life.
In time, she would come to see how much smarter and more useful Andre was than Pearl. Then she would favour him the most. Now, as Andre fled Kurain to save his life, that dream was slowly slipping away.
Picking up his pace, he felt a slight wash of relief when Hazakurain's main gate came into view, although it was soon replaced once again with the sick feeling he had been feeling in the pit of his stomach since he left Kurain.
Now all he had to do was make it to Heavenly Hall. Then he could think clearly and work out how to make this mess go away.
Phoenix zipped his hoodie up tightly and breathed a sigh of exasperation. He'd been searching the wooded area just outside the main gate for ten minutes now, but there had been no sign of Andre. He hoped that the police had got it wrong and it wasn't Andre that they had seen close by, but he wasn't taking any chances.
Clenching his fists at his sides, he pushed on. He couldn't remember feeling anger like this before. He could literally feel his blood thundering through his veins as he gritted his teeth. He knew he had to calm down and at least try to think rationally as his current state of mind wasn't helping Maya at all.
He sprinted back up towards the main gate heading through and taking the main path. There was no snow around at the moment, with the warm Spring sunshine having melted most of it away, but the chill in the air still made the wind bite at his exposed skin. Grimacing, he pulled his hood over his head as he reached the fork in the path.
He turned to his left to head back up to the main temple, but stopped after a few steps. Something was nagging at him to check the rest of the place out. He looked back in the direction of the Main Hall, not sure if he should follow this gut feeling, or return to Maya's side at the temple. If Andre had somehow made it to Hazakurain already and was hiding somewhere else close by, wouldn't it be better to search him out rather than just sit up at the temple waiting for him to come to them?
The idea was sound, but on the other hand, there was also the possibility that he had missed Andre somehow, and he was already at the main temple. Phoenix shuddered at the thought. He could just be wasting time out here while Maya's life hung in the balance. What if it was already too late? Panic welled within him as he tried to calm himself once more.
He squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating as hard as he could to try and find the clarity to make the right decision. Gumshoe had promised that the police would be here soon, and they would likely head straight for the main temple. Plus, Maya was safe in the back room of the main hall with her family, and her father wasn't about to let anyone near her. Of that, Phoenix was sure. It would only take him ten minutes or so to duck down to the bridge and courtyard to check everything out. Then he could return to Maya knowing he had done all he could., even if his search turned up nothing.
Satisfied that he had made the right choice, Phoenix turned away from the main temple and headed towards Dusky Bridge.
Maya paced nervously as Mia sat on the couch, chewing on her fingernails. Or rather, Eve's fingernails. Eve probably wouldn't be impressed by that once she got her body back, but it was a bad habit that Mia had never managed to kick.
"I hate it when he does this." Maya said. "Why couldn't he just tell us what's going on? Now I have to stay here going out of my mind worrying about him."
"Try not to worry, Maya." Mia said as reassuringly as she could. "I'm sure Phoenix knows what he's doing."
"He's annoying the hell out of me, that's what he's doing." Maya said, irritated.
"Now Maya, although I don't approve of him snapping at you the way he did, I think your sister's right." Sebastian said, trying to calm his daughter. "Something is wrong, and he's just trying to keep you safe. If he's not back in five minutes, I'll go and look for him, okay?"
Maya hung her head, before nodding in agreement.
"I'll come with you, Dad." Mia offered.
"Absolutely not." Sebastian said flatly. "It could be dangerous. I'm not leading my little girl into a dangerous situation."
"Dad, I think you're forgetting something important here," Mia said raising her eyebrows. "You're already leading someone else's little girl into a dangerous situation."
"Oh yeah... Right…" Sebastian said, stroking his chin. "I'm getting so used to being here again that I'm already forgetting that it's not permanent."
After a slight pause to consider what Mia had said, he shook his head and shrugged.
"Well we'll just have to make sure that we're careful. I'm sure these girls understand we have to do what we can to protect those that we love."
"Exactly." Mia agreed. "So I'm coming with you."
"Fine," Sebastian relented. "Maya, you have to stay here with your mother. If something is going on out there, it's you that we have to keep safe."
He moved closer to her again and hugged her tightly.
"I love you, Maya. You're my baby. Don't ever forget that," he whispered to her.
"I won't, Dad. I love you too." Maya responded.
Mia tapped her foot impatiently as the room once again descended into silence.
"C'mon Dad, we should just go now. What difference is a few minutes going to make?" Mia said, crossing her arms.
"Fine, fine. We'll go now. Misty, please take care of Maya. I'll tell Audrina to get the other acolytes to watch the door. Don't let anyone in unless you know who they are."
"Of course," she nodded as Mia and Sebastian left the room in search of Phoenix, leaving her alone in the room with Maya.
They could both feel the tension in the air as Misty worked up the courage to speak to her youngest daughter, who seemed unable to look her mother in the eye.
"Maya, please," she asked gently. "Come sit."
Maya paused for a moment, her expression unreadable before moving to sit next to her mother as she had asked. Misty picked up one of Maya's hands and began stroking her fingers absently. Fingers that looked so much like her own.
"Maya, I owe you an apology," Misty started.
"Mom, it's okay." Maya said flatly. "Really, you don't need to do this."
"Yes. Yes I do," Misty nodded, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "I abandoned you. At the time I convinced myself that I was doing the right thing. Then I convinced myself that you were better off without me. But now I can see that I made the wrong choices."
Maya said nothing, instead choosing to look down at their hands, which prompted her mother to continue.
"I should have protected you. I kept an eye on you. I knew about everything that happened. I should have come back after Morgan tried the first time. But I was afraid. Selfish and afraid. I hope you can forgive me, Maya."
Maya looked up at her mother as tears started to course down her cheeks.
"Why didn't you tell me? Last time you were here. Why did you have to pretend to be someone else?" Maya asked, her voice croaking.
Misty hung her head.
"I'd brought shame to the Fey name. While I was alive, for some reason, that seemed to be the most important thing. I didn't want you girls associated with the mess that I caused with DL-6. I pretended to be someone else because I thought it was important that I protected you from that. But now... now I know that those values that Kurain planted within me were all wrong. Family is most important. You were most important. "
"If I had children, I could never even imagine leaving them behind, especially if I had a sister as terrible as Morgan." Maya said softly, her tone of voice not at all matching the bluntness of her words.
Misty found it difficult to hold back her tears at the truth of her daughter's statement.
"Then you will be a far better mother than me," she stated simply, straightening her shoulders and sniffing back her tears. "Of this, I am sure."
Maya couldn't think of what to say as she watched her tears drip off the end of her nose and on to her robes.
"I just wanted you to know how sorry I am," Misty continued. "And if I could do it all again, I would go back in an instant and change everything. I'm so sorry, my darling."
Maya felt like her heart was breaking. Part of her wanted to remain mad at her mother. She had left her behind and never once tried to contact her, even after everything she had gone through. But at the same time her mother had grown up in Kurain, with all these whacked out values about how the village came first constantly forced down her throat. Misty had lived a lifetime with the very same stupid ideas that the elders were trying to force feed to her now.
Making up her mind that life was too short – way too short – to hold on to grudges, she turned towards her mother, wrapping her arms around her and resting her head on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Mom. I forgive you. "
Misty began crying openly at the words she never thought she would be fortunate enough to hear.
"I know I don't deserve it, but thank you Maya."
Maya pulled back, offering her mother a sad smile.
"You're going to be ten times the Master I was." Misty said proudly, looking down at her beautiful, compassionate daughter. "You have a beautiful soul, Maya Fey. You're just what that village needs."
Maya hugged her mother once again, but their tender moment was soon to be shattered by a commotion outside the room.
Rushing to the door, Misty opened it to find out what was happening. Someone had started ringing the bell and the newer group of young acolytes from Kurain seemed to be rushing everywhere. Grabbing a hold of the first person within reach, which happened to be Iris, Misty managed to stop her long enough to ask some questions.
"What's going on?" Misty asked.
"I don't know," Iris replied. "But I think there's something going on over at Dusky Bridge. Someone is yelling and fighting but I don't know who. Sister Bikini just told me to call the police. The new girls are very frightened."
"Oh my god... Phoenix is out there!" Maya cried as she peered over her Misty's shoulder. In a flash she shot past her mother and cousin, running as fast as she could towards the temple doors.
"Maya, wait!" Misty called out, but to no avail.
Phoenix realised that his gut feeling had been correct when he spotted a lone male ducking into the bushes that headed towards Heavenly Hall.
"Hey!" Phoenix called. "Hey you! Stop!"
The male turned around to see who had called before turning and running, quickly disappearing from Phoenix's vision.
"Damn it," Phoenix cursed, taking off into a sprint after him. He just knew it was Andre. He wouldn't have been running if it wasn't. Ducking and weaving his way through the bushes, it wasn't long until he started gaining on him. As he got closer, he could definitely make out the sharp features of Andre Fey. Gritting his teeth together, he allowed the anger building within him to fuel his body. He moved faster than he ever had before. His lungs were burning from the cold air, but there was no way he was stopping now.
"Andre, stop now!" Phoenix yelled, but it had no affect at all. He was still gaining ground, mainly due to the fact that Andre appeared to be carrying a heavy backpack. Andre darted out through the bushes to the right with Phoenix following closely behind, bringing them into a clearing. Phoenix recognised that they had made it to Dusky Bridge.
Using every ounce of his strength, Phoenix lunged at Andre, and successfully tackled him to the ground. Andre hit the ground with a sickening thud, with Phoenix falling on top of him. Andre squirmed trying his hardest to get away, but Phoenix was taller and heavier.
Rolling Andre on to his back, Phoenix managed to punch him square in the nose. In a moment of panic, Andre brought a knee upwards, connecting directly with Phoenix's ribs which winded him temporarily. The small lapse of control was enough for Andre to scramble away from Phoenix. He struggled to his feet, shrugging off his backpack. He turned back to face Phoenix, who was still on the ground, clutching his ribs.
"I won't let you near her," Phoenix coughed, recovering his breath.
Andre wiped his bleeding nose with the back of his hand, spitting the blood that had trickled into his mouth on to the ground beside him.
"You're too late, lawyer." Andre said mockingly, his chest heaving. "Haven't the police told you about Ami Fey's cabin?"
"What are you talking about?" Phoenix spat, glaring at Andre as he struggled to his feet.
"Burned to ashes. With your precious Maya sleeping inside." Andre gloated, in between heavy breaths.
A terrifying sound… something primal and guttural emerged from Phoenix's throat as he lunged again at Andre. Phoenix barely registered the information that Andre seemed to have no idea that Maya was still alive as his fist connected with the young Fey's face once again.
"I won't let you hurt her again! Never!" Phoenix roared as he punched Andre a third time, before picking him up by the collar of his shirt and slamming him back into the ground.
Andre coughed as the air rushed from his lungs on contact with the rocky ledge.
"She's already dead, you imbecile!" he spat at Phoenix, somehow managing to free one of his arms. He swung his fist at Phoenix, connecting with his temple.
Phoenix momentarily lost his balance, providing Andre with the perfect opportunity to knock him to the side. With all of his force, Andre pushed Phoenix off of him, sending him hurtling toward the edge of the ravine.
Phoenix managed to stop himself before he got to close to the edge, but Andre wasn't going to waste such a rare moment of weakness from the former attorney. He shuffled closer, shoving Phoenix closer to the edge. Andre delighted in the fear on Phoenix's face as the man felt his legs fall over the edge.
Using all of his upper body strength, Phoenix desperately tried to hold on as Andre pulled himself to his feet. A sinister smirk spread across his lips as he peered down at his next victim, desperately trying to pull himself up on to the ledge. Andre wiped his bloody nose again, before crouching down closer to Phoenix.
"I guess this is it, Phoenix Wright," he shrugged. "It's been fun."
"You won't get away with this." Phoenix groaned, still trying to pull himself up. "The police are on their way."
"They'll be too late to save you." Andre laughed.
"Maybe. But you'll never lay a finger on Maya again." Phoenix glared, smirking triumphantly despite the fact that his life was now on the line.
"Why do you keep talking like that?" Andre screeched, his face contorting into a mask of insanity. "Maya Fey is DEAD! She's dead because I KILLED HER!"
"Nick!"
Andre's head snapped around in the direction of Maya's voice. He shook his head, uttering an unintelligible sound. It didn't make sense. He couldn't believe that he was seeing her desperately trying to get away from the people restraining her to run to the aid of Phoenix. Was this some sort of trick? How was this possible? She was dead! He was sure of it!
Andre's moment of weakness in his confusion was the only opening that Phoenix needed. The moment Andre turned his back on him, Phoenix reached out, gripping Andre by the ankle. The action caused Andre to lose his balance, falling backwards and tumbling over the edge of the ravine and down into the river below.
Almost immediately Phoenix registered a strong pair of arms assisting him back up on to the ledge, as Sebastian Fey rushed to pull him to safety. Scrambling away from the edge, Phoenix struggled to catch his breath. Maya was by his side in an instant, crying as she clutched at his jacket, pulling him into a hug as she sobbed.
"Nick, please don't ever scare me like that again. I thought I was going to lose you… I thought…" she trailed off, burying her face in his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, patting her back soothingly.
"It's okay Maya. I've just got a few bumps and bruises. I'll be okay," he reassured her as she continued to cry.
"Nick… I couldn't… without you… I can't…" Maya continued to stammer through her tears. Phoenix tightened his hold on her.
"Shhh, Maya," he soothed. "It's alright. Everything is going to be alright."
"How many times are you going to fall into that ravine to protect my sister, Phoenix?" Mia asked, her small joke masking the concern she was feeling.
"As many times as I need to," Phoenix responded dryly. Mia smiled.
"What is she talking about, Nick?" Maya asked, raising her head from his shoulder.
"Nothing," Phoenix said, smiling gently at her, before placing a kiss on her forehead.
Looking around, Phoenix became aware of the amount of people surrounding him. There must have been about fifty police officers combing the area, most notably Gumshoe heading towards him at full steam.
"Pal, are you alright?" Gumshoe said when he finally reached his fallen friend.
"I'm fine, Gumshoe." Phoenix said with a small nod. "But Andre fell into the river. You'll need to send someone down there so he doesn't get away again."
"Already taken care of." Gumshoe said. "There's a search and rescue team on their way down there now. He won't get away this time. We have the whole mountainside covered from here to Kurain."
"You've really outdone yourself here, Gumshoe." Phoenix said genuinely. "Thank you for all your help."
"It's nothing, pal. I'm just doing my job." Gumshoe said, a little embarrassed. He had to admit that he was quite proud of the way he had managed to pull the investigation together. It wasn't often that Dick Gumshoe got everything right. But this time, he managed it when it really counted.
Phoenix nodded in thanks, as he motioned to Maya that he wanted to try and stand up. She draped his arm over her shoulder and helped him to his feet, with another helping hand from Sebastian Fey.
"Phoenix Wright, you've most definitely proven yourself worthy of my baby girl," Sebastian said, patting Phoenix on the back.
"Did you hear that Maya?" Phoenix said with a weak smile as he turned towards her. "Your Dad likes me. And all I had to do was almost get myself killed."
"A sense of humour, hey? I like it." Sebastian chuckled. "Trust me, my boy. You'll need it in this family. Wait until the elders start giving you hell."
"Hopefully they won't be too much of a problem once we go and tell Althea the truth." Phoenix said, grimacing as he tried to stretch the muscles around his injured ribs.
"We should get you to a hospital," Mia suggested with a frown. Phoenix shook his head, waving her off.
"I'm fine," he said. "There's still too much to take care of. Andre might be out of the picture, but we still need to finish what we started. Morgan is going down."
Mia accepted his answer, but still frowned with worry over her injured friend.
"Gumshoe," Phoenix called. "I need you to do something for me."
"Anything, pal." Gumshoe said with a nod.
"There's an unfinished house out on Woodlands Road, about 45 minutes out of Kurain. I need you to go and check the railing on the second storey balcony at the back for a handprint dried in the paintwork. Maya's father says that Morgan put her hand on the wet paint the day that she murdered him."
Gumshoe blinked heavily, trying to absorb the information that clearly wasn't adding up in his mind.
"But Sebastian Fey is dead, pal. How could he have told you that?"
Sebastian glanced back and forth between Phoenix and Gumshoe, before raising an eyebrow.
"Is this guy for real?" he asked Phoenix, motioning to the detective.
"I'm as real as they come, sir!" Gumshoe said, extending his hand. "Dick Gumshoe, at your service."
"Sebastian Fey," Sebastian responded with a slight smirk, returning the detective's handshake.
Gumshoe looked over at Phoenix, then back to Sebastian, then back to Phoenix once more, clearly confused.
"I think I'm going to go check out that house." Gumshoe said slowly.
Phoenix and Sebastian watched him make a hasty retreat, before Phoenix turned, grinning at Maya's father.
"You know, we've explained this whole channelling thing to him time and time again over the last few years. I guess it's just harder for some people to understand."
"I guess so," Sebastian agreed, still frowning in the direction that Gumshoe had headed off in. Closing his eyes, he turned to his wife.
"Misty, I just felt a rather sharp pain in my forehead. Care to tell me what that means?"
"It means our time here is almost up," Misty responded sadly. "We should get back to the temple."
Back in the sitting room at the main hall, Maya fussed over the large bruise forming around the outer side of Phoenix's left eye and the top of his cheekbone, where Andre had landed his punch.
"Here, put some ice on it." Maya said, pressing the cold compress against his cheek.
"Ow," he grimaced, pulling back.
"Nick, it's swelling. We have to get the swelling down!" Maya reasoned, leaning in with the ice pack once again.
"You're too rough. Give it here, I'll do it." Phoenix said, taking the ice pack from her hands and resting it gingerly against his cheek. He had no doubt that there were plenty of other bruises and scrapes littered over his body as well. He made a mental note to try and hide them from Maya.
"Aren't they cute?" Mia sighed to her mother, as they observed the pair from across the room.
"Yes, they sure are." Misty said, smiling happily. It was a comforting feeling knowing that there was someone who would always make sure no one ever hurt her daughter.
"Comforting, isn't it?" Mia said, as if reading her thoughts.
Misty nodded.
"He'll always take care of her."
Closing her eyes against yet another head pain, Misty inhaled sharply. It was most definitely time to leave.
"Maya..." Misty called. "It's time," she finished sadly.
Maya ceased fussing over Phoenix immediately, her face falling into a sad frown.
"I wish all of you could stay," she said dejectedly.
"I wish we could stay too," Sebastian agreed. "But we don't belong here anymore."
Maya nodded her understanding as she stood up, moving over to her parents, embracing them both. They hugged each other in silence for a moment, until Sebastian motioned for Mia to join them. Without a word, Mia slipped herself under her father's shoulder and wrapped her other arm around Maya.
Phoenix watched on as Maya's family shared an emotional embrace. He was happy that Maya got to do this. Her whole family was together one last time, and he knew it was a moment that she would cherish forever.
"What are you doing, Phoenix? Get over here." Misty instructed, beckoning him closer with the hand she had around Maya.
"That's okay," Phoenix said with a smile. "I don't think I could bring myself to interrupt this family moment."
"I think it's safe to say that you're a part of this family, whether you like it or not, Phoenix Wright," Sebastian reasoned. "Don't make me get mad at you for ignoring my wife's request."
Phoenix smiled as he pulled himself to his feet. He definitely couldn't say no after that. Gritting his teeth against the pain in his muscles, he moved over to Maya, wrapping an arm around her waist as he slotted himself in next to her mother.
"Misty, don't we have a beautiful family?" Sebastian asked his wife with a smile.
"Yes we do, Sebastian," she responded, hugging everyone just that little bit tighter.
As the family broke apart, Sebastian turned to his bleary eyed youngest daughter, leaning down to talk to her at eye level.
"Now Maya, your mother and I have to go soon, but I want you to behave yourself okay? Absolutely NO dying. I don't want to see you on my side for a very long time. Do you hear me?"
Maya chuckled as she sniffed back her tears, nodding at her father.
"I also want lots of happy, healthy, grandchildren too. So you need to stick around for that." He glanced over at Phoenix. "But also not for a very long time. Wait... at least ten more years. Maybe fifteen."
"Dad..." Maya groaned.
"I'm just saying..." he shrugged.
Maya smiled again at her father as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Phoenix Wright," he said, turning to Phoenix and offering his hand. "Take care of my baby girl. If anything happens to her, I'll be waiting. Just remember that."
"I promise." Phoenix said, shaking his hand.
With that, Sebastian stepped back, allowing Misty to get closer to Maya. She placed her hands either side her daughters face, frowning sadly as she surveyed her pretty features.
"I love you so much, Maya. I always have," she sniffed.
"I know, Mom." Maya replied, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck in a final embrace.
"Thank you... for everything," she said, turning to Phoenix, who nodded in reply. She moved back across the room to Sebastian, as they prepared to head back to the other side.
"I'm going to go too, you guys." Mia said. "Eve needs a rest. But if ANYTHING at all happens. ANYTHING. You guys have someone channel me, okay? You have to promise. "
"We will," Phoenix said, pulling Maya closer to him.
Mia gave them one last smile, and with that, the three of them were gone, leaving three exhausted acolytes in their place.
Maya turned to Phoenix, burying her face in his chest as she was unable to hold back her tears anymore. Uncontrollable sobs wracked her body as he stroked her back soothingly.
"Is she okay?" Jess asked cautiously.
Phoenix nodded silently.
"You girls go get some rest. She'll be fine."
Phoenix kissed the top of Maya's head as the acolytes left them alone in the room.
"For a moment, just for a moment there, Nick. It felt so real," she sobbed. "They were all here. They were all here with me. But now they're gone again."
Phoenix closed his eyes at the pang he felt in his chest at Maya's words. His heart ached with the pain he knew she was feeling. He longed for the day when he and Maya could have their own family. They'd get married, have lots of kids and live a long, happy, normal life.
It might take a while to get there and there might be many obstacles in the way, but as he held the crying woman in his arms closer, Phoenix vowed that they would get there.
One day, they would get there.
A/N: So. The cliffhanger actually turned out to be an actual CLIFF HANGER.
Hey? Hey? Get it?
See what I did there?
One more chapter and an epilogue to go. Next time, the gang confronts Althea!