Epilogue

We are sitting on the couch, relaxing after a small dinner, and Christina is tucked away in bed.

The doorbell rings. Sark motions that he will get it and gets up.

I hear him open the door, and happy voices float in from the hallway. It's been a long time since I heard laughter in my house, so I get up and walk to my front door.

As I approach the front foyer, I see a man I recognize standing next to a woman I don't. It's James Nottingham and the woman next to him is indeed beautiful.

"Hey, old chap! I see you didn't waste any time in reclaiming what is yours." James laughs at him lightly.

Sark laughs. "Sydney, you know James and this lovely woman is Marissa." She shakes my hand strongly.

Sark turns to James. "And I see you didn't waste time in following up with Marissa on my debrief."

James laughs, and then holds up the small cat carrier that he was carrying. "Here's your cat, Timothy."

I watch as James can hardly contain his laughter, as Sark…or Timothy rather, opens up the cat cage. I watch as Fish jumps out and looks around. "Hi Fish." Sark calls out and motions for the cat to come to him.

The cat ignores him and walks away.

Sark turns to James. "What in bloody hell have you done to my cat?"

James lets out the howl that he was holding in and then bends down so that he's crouching on the floor. He makes a few kissing noises. "Here's James. Come here James."

The cat goes bounding up to James and he picks it up. As he stands, he turns to Sark. "Well, since you no longer need your alias, I thought it only fair to rename your cat. After all, you were giving him an identity crisis."

Timothy laughs and takes back his cat. "How kind of you. I suppose in repayment I should take back all those nice things I said about you to Marissa!"

…

That night he comes to my bed and I revel in how normal it feels.

Sark.

Sharp.

Timothy.

This whole new world is going to take some getting used to.

He holds me in his arms and I say the thing that I have been meaning to, for over two years now.

"I love you," I say.

He looks at me in the moonlight and smiles.

"I think you should know that I imagine myself as an overprotective father. There's a large likelihood that Christina may never go out on a date."

I lift my head from his shoulder and look at him. "Why? Are you going to scare them all away?"

He laughs and pulls me back into his arms. "Scare them? I wouldn't do that. I'm just going to introduce them to your father."

I smile, and drink in the warmth around me.

"I love you," he whispers to me, and I exult in the normality of it all.

And I know.

I need never fear the darkness or the daylight again.

The End.