Epilogue: Catching Up

"It's just up ahead here, next right."

"Gotcha," Adam replied, slowing the car in preparation for the turn. "Nice looking community."

The neighborhood did in fact look very well maintained as it came into view off the side of the road. Each house had a spacious yard with well-kept lawns and very healthy trees, some of which held treehouses. The number of trees within the borders of the community alone well outnumbered the number of homes. The yards and sidewalks were not scarce of pedestrians. Some were returning from their jobs, others were out for a leisurely stroll. Children were playing with each other or with their pets, throwing frisbees back and forth or just talking amongst themselves. The sense of community was very evident from the appearance alone.

Which was, to summarize, reminiscent of Silverlake.

It at least gave Emily that same warm feeling of safety from her own home by surveying it. She resisted the urge to rub the bandage on the back of her head at her mother's behest and instead occupied her hand with rotating her charm bracelet around her wrist. After a short while of watching each charm make its own revolution, she turned to the man sitting in the back seat beside her and gave him a reassuring smile. "Are you excited?" she asked.

"Kind of," Wilson answered hesitantly, scratching his own head bandage. "Nervous might be the better word. I'm not really… I just don't know how they'll react."

"They'll still be happy to see you," Emily insisted.

Wilson smiled back at her. "I suppose."

Emily would think that Wilson's family would be more relieved than anything after what happened at Calico's base, especially without any word from him for almost three days after. His injuries weren't significantly worse than anything Emily sustained, the details of which she was still hazy on, but the physicians at the hospital insisted that he receive brief special treatment before he was discharged. Their concern was duly justified considering how much debris the emergency crews had to dig through to get him out. Nothing had come close to crushing any part of him, but it was still a lot of concrete to be sheltered under.

A sharp pang struck her heart. With a shudder, Emily shook away the images and memories of that scene. Aside from bringing Wilson home, she wanted to put the entire incident behind her and never even think of it again. She knew just how difficult that would be, considering how often she would be thinking of her grandfather and, consequentially, how he died. But they all knew that's not how he would have wanted to be remembered or how he wanted his family to live. His family was his life. He would give anything for them.

Even if it meant giving in to Calico.

Another shudder came on at that name. That was one thing Emily could also push well out of her mind. He gave his own life for the opposite of her grandfather's cause, but unlike her grandfather, Calico had failed. Emily pushed out any doubts she had about that, even when they learned that there was no sign of Calico anywhere in the rubble. Penny and Adam told her he wouldn't be a problem anymore, but she could tell that they had some concern that the green-eyed man was somehow still at large. Even if he had survived and not died of some grievous wound, nearly every government that once hosted a Calico Industries building on their soil would be on the lookout. He would never be allowed to accumulate that kind of power again.

Power. Another thing Emily wanted nothing further to do with. Especially Lightning's kind…

The rental car turned into the main drive of the community, providing a much-needed distraction for her, and continued to the end of the first block, on Wilson's direction, coming to a halt in front of a wide, two-story house sitting on the corner. Its yard was long and wide with a luscious, green grass on all sides. Adam and Penny got out first, while Wilson sat where he was with a hesitant hand on the door handle. Emily was about to reach over and put a hand on his shoulder, but he took a deep breath, opened the door and stepped out.

Emily climbed out on the other side and kept a concerned eye on him as he rounded the back of the vehicle and took his first few steps on well-kept lawn, walking as if he were advancing through a minefield. Emily and Penny were soon at his sides and appeared to guide him along. With all the gratitude Penny had for him after hearing what he'd done, or perhaps hadn't done, for Emily, she seemed ready to open up their house to him should he need it.

When they were about halfway up the walkway to the house, the front door ahead of them opened and a woman in her mid-thirties stepped out with wide eyes. Her hair's shade of brown matched Wilson's perfectly, as did her speechless expression. Emily began to wonder if they were even going to greet each other after thirty seconds of silent staring, but then, as Wilson opened his mouth, the woman broke down and ran almost full sprint towards him. Wilson could only take a step and a half forward before she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder, crying softly. Wilson held her tightly and whispered something to her, to which she responded, "It's okay. You're okay, you're okay."

Emily wondered if they too lost a sense of time in such an overdue embrace. Time doesn't matter after it fills an absence. That was her own experience at least.

The couple shared a few longing kisses and then the woman turned back to the house and called in a shaky, English-accented voice, "David! David, come out here! There's someone here to see you!"

Several seconds later, a young boy of about ten years of age with matching brown hair came out onto the front step and studied the unfamiliar group of people. Then his eyes fell on Wilson and widened even more than his mother's had. "Daddy!" he cried with a wide smile and ran to Wilson.

Wilson bent down and scooped the boy up in his arms, embracing him just as tightly. "I knew you'd come home!" David shouted. "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!"

Emily laughed quietly at his enthusiasm, which reminded her of Jon back in Silverlake. Which also reminded her of Mike, and of all her other neighbors and family friends of the tight-knit community, which made her share the smiles around her. Penny took a step closer to Emily and put an arm around her. Emily leaned into her side and put her hand on Penny's. That same sense of security and comfort she felt in this place was no coincidence. It was a home because it was a family.

Kneeling down partially, Emily took her hand off Penny's and placed it atop Lightning's head, scratching him gently. Lightning warmed up to the gesture immediately, wagging his tail and looking up to her. As near as Emily could tell, he was perfectly content with the idea of never being able to use his powers again, especially for the sake of his "chemical balance". Whatever that meant, she raised no objections in that regard either.

Wilson dropped to one knee and put David back on the ground. "Thanks for not growing up too much while I was away," Wilson said, causing Emily to suddenly realize he didn't share his family's accent.

David laughed. "Rhino kept me in line mostly," he replied.

"Rhino?" Wilson said, suddenly filled with amusement. "So you're still taking care of him, huh? Where is the little guy?"

As if on cue, a brown hamster in a plastic ball rolled out of the front door and advanced towards David. Wilson laughed heartily. "There's the mighty Rhino!" he exclaimed.

Adam leaned close to Penny and murmured, "'Rhino', the hamster?"

"Shh," Penny said, playfully hitting him.

The hamster came up to David, then looked over towards Emily and Lightning. Emily didn't think it was possible for a hamster to have such an expression of astonishment, but Rhino demonstrated just that and started rolling towards them. "Lightning!" David shouted, his face also full of surprise.

To Emily's own curious wonder, Lightning ran forward and greeted David and Rhino as though they were old friends. Everyone except for David and his mother wore a quizzical expression as they observed at the unexpected reunion. Whatever it was, Wilson decided to address his new friends first. He led his wife to Penny and Adam and introduced them as he explained their relationship to him. Emily broke away from them and approached David. She waited for a moment while he played around with Lightning and Rhino until his eyes eventually came across and fixated on her.

"Hi," she said, timidly waving a hand. "I'm Emily."

David studied her for a few moments in silence, almost looking like he was infatuated with her. Then he clearly got a grip on his sense and smiled at her. "Hello," he greeted warmly. "I'm David."

"Hi," she repeated awkwardly. "I see you've met Lightning."

"Yep," he replied, patting him on the head. "He's the greatest dog I've ever met. I found him outside my house just a few days ago, and I didn't think he'd come back so soon."

For an unknown reason, Emily's heart skipped a beat. "You mean, like three days ago?"

"Yeah, three or four. That's about right," he stated. Then, something must have clicked in his mind. "Oh. Ohhh. Are you his owner?"

"I am," Emily responded.

"Oh, that's brilliant!" he said cheerily. Both he and Rhino appeared to be sharing the overwhelming excitement. "I wondered where he came from. It's so great to meet you."

The energy in his handshake nearly set her off balance. "And you," she said, laughing. "Yeah, I lost him just about that time. I'm…" With effort, she formulated the right words in her mouth. Lightning suddenly dropped his ears back in a guilty manner, looking at her with unease. This was where Lightning had gone when he was scared, to a place not dissimilar to his home. Emily didn't hold it against him. In fact, she understood it, more or less. She couldn't know everything Lightning was feeling, but she could tell that he always had her in mind, one way or another. "I'm glad he was in good hands."

All three of the boys lit up at the statement. "I'm glad he found his way back to you," David said with even more jubilation. He may not have known the full story, but Emily could tell that he was able to understand animals just as much as she was. With that came his love for his family. "So, you're from Silverlake?"

"Yeah," Emily answered. "It's a pretty nice place, kind of like this actually."

David's expression became even more amiable than ever. "That probably explains why Lightning felt right at home," he said kindly. Emily felt a flicker of uncertainty flash through her, wondering if David was implying something. He must have caught it, quickly adding. "And why he missed you so much."

Emily dismissed the uncertainty and gave Lightning another glance. "He likes being with you too," she started optimistically. "so we'll have to visit again sometime."

"That'd be great!" With a new joy in his eyes, David turned to his father, who must have been keeping an ear on the conversation. "Dad, could they sometime? Could they visit?"

Wilson rewarded the boy's enthusiasm with a chuckle and a nod. "They're welcome here anytime," he replied.

"Well," Penny interjected. "We're going back to the states tomorrow. We'll resume living there and we wouldn't want to take advantage of your…" She glanced briefly at Emily, who didn't blame her mother for her hesitance―after all, the two families had essentially just met―but gave her a pleading look. Penny smiled back at her and said. "It would be nice to get together some time," she conceded.

Both Emily and David failed to hide their excitement, jumping once off the ground. "Yes!" they said in unison.

David's parents laughed to themselves, and all four adults looked upon them with kindred satisfaction. "We do have some time this afternoon yet," Penny added, sneaking a wink at Emily. Maybe they were just better at containing their enthusiasm.

David was quick to cover his embarrassment. "Hey, Lightning," he said. "Want to give that frisbee another go?"

He barked playfully and lowered his upper body to the ground in a challenging stance, wagging his tail vigorously. "All right!" he responded, running back to the house. "Rhino, Emily, you too! Come on!"

To Emily, the last time she'd played with Lightning felt so long ago and the opportunity to do it again felt remarkable. Emily looked at Lightning, who held her eyes for a moment, obviously feeling the same thing. "You wanna go play, Lightning?" she said eagerly. "Huh? Do you?" He barked again and ran ahead as just the right pace for Rhino to keep up. Not that the energized hamster needed the assistance, rolling right alongside his new friend. Emily giggled and followed them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wilson and his wife invite Penny and Adam inside, and then focused on the blue disc David had tossed to her. Not surprisingly, Lightning leapt into the air and caught it before it reached her. Both children laughed and encouraged the two pets on as they ran further into the yard. Emily thought for a moment if her parents' impromptu visit would be at all awkward, but the common bond between David and Lightning would undoubtedly bring them together.

It was clear why Lightning had stayed here when he was separated from Emily. Mark and Mittens both knew it. It didn't matter how far any of them were from Silverlake. Wherever their family was, that was their home. And there were none like it.

Dedicated to Australian Chaos, JimmyRocket, and 8MilesThatWay.

There it is. It took four years, numerous revisions and countless brainstorms, over the course of which two of the authors to whom this story is dedicated left FanFiction, but Calico Returns is finally completed. To be perfectly honest, it doesn't feel real at all. I know that's an incredibly clichéd thing to say, but after all this time I still have the sense that I'm still working on it. Maybe it'll feel completed now that it has the "Complete" label on it. Or maybe some of you won't be satisfied with that ending and insist that I should still be working on it. Regardless of that, it's an amazing sense of accomplishment to have finished this.

This story has been part of my life for so long now, which is both a good and a bad thing (more good than bad), and I'm glad of how much I've learned over the course of this time. I've thoroughly enjoyed writing this and am equally eager to start on other works as well, and not just lengthy fanfictions.

However, I'm somewhat sorry to report that my time on the Bolt area of this site is thinning substantially, partially as a result of this story's length. I still plan to write "The Dog Life" relatively soon, but "Calico Intent" and "A Friend in Need" are on a hiatus right now. Plus, to be perfectly honest, "On Your Six" wasn't really going anywhere. It was more of a cutesy Christmas two-shot. Sorry to those of you who may have been interested in those, but I plan to move on to The Last of Us before anything else.

After that, who knows? Knowing myself, I won't let what's started go unfinished. ;)

Wherever I go from here, I cannot express my gratitude enough to all of you out there, whether you followed my story, reviewed it even once or twice, or both, or have just been keeping up with it after all this time. Your support in whatever form is indescribably encouraging and immensely appreciated.

One of the things I learned over the course of this story was that inspiration isn't something you have to work at, it's all in your head. Just put it down on paper and let it flow from there, and remember, how far you can go can only be measured by how far you are willing to go.