The people of the House welcome her to applause. Victoria forces a smile onto her face, though she knows she's gonna burst into tears the second she's alone.
Going along with the charade, she modestly bows before them all. "This is awesome. Thanks. Yeah- if you wanna go home, Alex here can open up a portal to take you all home! It'll probably be Seatt-"
Before she can finish that sentence, the mood of the room has already shifted - cheer has turned to "Good, get me outta here!" - as have their gazes from Victoria to Alex. They swarm around Alex, collectively asking to leave the Astral Plane. "Good. Great."
Jessica approaches Victoria with a big smile and a big hug too. She asks her, "Vic, are you ready to go?"
The smile slowly fades as she sees the sadness in Victoria's eyes. "No." She wraps her arms around Jessica, still fighting back the waterworks, and she elaborates, "They're gone. Courtney and Taylor…"
Jessica sighs as she holds Victoria close. "Oh, no. I'm so sorry." Seeing as the crowd is distracted with Alex, she tells her, "Let's get out of here."
The two walk up the stairs and reach Victoria's room. Jessica sits with her as she starts sobbing loudly. "There, there. It's okay.", she tells her as she strokes her blonde hair.
Victoria tells through the stream of tears, "I was so fucking busy with all this Black Goat shit, and they were here without me! My one chance to see them again, and I fucking blew it!"
"No, no, don't say that, that's not true. They came back because of how much you loved them, Victoria. And look at what you did for them. You saved the world!"
Victoria scoffs through her sobs and she asks Jessica sarcastically, "Did I? Shit's still the same out there. Covid's still fucking shit up, the government's still fucking shit up, this whole Astral whatever thing's probably gonna fuck shit up, I still don't feel good at all…"
Jessica shushes her, hoping to stop her. All this stuff she's saying, it's not right! "You stopped the Dream Demons. You caught Rachel Amber, and y'know what? I couldn't be more proud of you. Max and Chloe, and Kate and Dana, and- and everyone here, I know for sure, is so proud of you!" Carefully, she rocks Victoria back and forth in their hug. "Don't you realize that, Vic? You're a hero."
"It doesn't feel like it.", Victoria says as she wipes tears away from her face.
Jessica laughs, knowing that Victoria's getting better bit by bit. "Be that as it may, you've done great things here. And it's all because of Courtney and Taylor. Your love for them, and - I believe - their love for you."
"To tell you the truth, I'm not really following all too well." She weakly laughs with Jessica for a few seconds. "But I think I get it… Kinda. It's just all so much."
"Do you wanna sleep it off?"
"Sure." Victoria yawns, exhausted from the absolute everything that has unfolded in the past few hours alone. She lies down on the bed and already feels herself drifting to sleep. "Thanks, Jess."
"No problem." Before leaving the room, she makes sure to throw a blanket over Victoria, who graciously smiles under its soft warmth.
Rachel Amber sits in a cell, though she's far from alone as she is joined by the spirits of Arcadia Bay. Those nearly two thousand people she killed with her Storm.
Behind the glass that contains her, Max and Chloe watch her, knowing that this whole deal isn't over. After all, who's going to take care of that Old Man that is still zapping the people of the Waking World into the land of dreams?
Kate Marsh and Dana Ward return to Beaver Creek with ease, their heads still spinning from all the adrenaline the Astral Plane brought them. One thing's for certain: there's a whole world out there that has just been opened.
And that makes them happy. Maybe there is a Heaven after all. Maybe make that two: the one beyond the Earth, and the one they call the moments they share together.
Most of the people Victoria rescued have opted to go back home, thankful for their savior's intervention. Lyla, Chris, Sarah Lee and the Drifters are all among them. Of course, there are still people missing and people who have chosen to stay, but at least the day is saved.
They're gonna have to answer a lot of questions from a lot of people in black suits however. Busy days, busy days…
There are also a lot of people still roaming the Astral Plane, building houses of their own all throughout the land (so long as they aren't at the mercy of some other Dream Demons). They'd appreciate a neighbor calling in, though they doubt anyone's listening.
Who knows?
Maybe it's up to our hero to change that!
Victoria wakes up with her body refreshed, still feeling the tiredness on her face. She gets up on her feet and walks over to the bathroom. After splashing some water on her face and combing her hair, she looks at herself in the mirror. Hey, good lookin'.
She skips merrily down the stairs as she enjoys the peace and quiet. Looks like everybody's gone… Well, almost everybody. She spots Mario and Luigi sweeping away some dust, and she summons a broom for herself to help them with it. She dances along to the rhythm of the sweep and pushes the dust out the front door with ease.
In the kitchen, she summons herself a mushroom omelette and some orange juice, and prepares four extra dishes for Jessica, Alex, and the Brothers. I hope they like it!
After grabbing the phone and bringing it over to the living room window, Victoria holds it on her lap as she takes a bite out of her meal. She looks outside and sees the Sun blazing bright along the clear blue day. This is what I fight for. She smiles as the light shines down on her, embracing her as the Astral Plane's protector… or one of many, at least.
The phone rings. And she answers.