This is how the world ends. This is how the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper.

Yeats was onto somethin', except for th' part where th' world doesn't end. Nothin' is so terrible that ya cain't claw your way back. Graydon an' Anne were gone. Nothin' we could do an' Ah didn't think for a second that we'd never see them again. He'd kissed my cheek an' hugged me tightly. Called me "sister" an' that'd been it. She'd slid out th' same way she'd come in. Pale, paler than paper. Those wide, brown eyes hatin' us all. We were all just funhouse reflections of her own self-hatred, but knowin' that didn't make her any easier ta take.

Remy an' Ah hadn't talked about what'd happened between us that evenin'. Everythin' was equal parts embarrassment an' frustration so thick Ah could barely breathe past it. Ah chewed th' side o' a fingernail an' tucked my legs up on th' couch.

Tryst was a happy compromise from th' padded room we'd all needed at one point or another. A room littered with mismatched couches. Ah did my best ta relax an' let th' bustle an' clink o' th' coffeehouse fold over my head. Remy sat on th' other end o' th' couch. Even though my control was improvin' steadily, he hadn't touched me since that night. John an' Kitty were across from us. Hands flutterin'. They'd touch, startle, separate, touch. Whatever it was between 'em felt real fragile, but kind o' miraculous at th' same time. But Kitty hadn't mentioned it ta me again. An' Ah felt like Ah'd barely spoken ta John in weeks except ta exchange a little empty banter. Sighed an' leaned my head back against th' couch.

"Penny for 'em," John's voice cut in softly. So soft Ah jumped, thinkin' mebbe Ah'd imagined it. But when Ah looked up at him, he dropped a wink an' grinned in his old way that made my chest feel tight an' funny. Ah swallowed hard.

"Not worth it. Just thinkin'. That's all."

"Penny isn't much either, sweetheart, is it then?"

"Ah..." Slid a sideways glance at Remy. "Ah was just wonderin' if things'll ever be like they were before."

John looked uncomfortable. He knit his hands together an' stared hard at 'em. "Dunno what t' tell ya, love. It's not really up t' me."

Ah reached out an' touched Remy's knee with th' tips o' my fingers. He jumped like he'd been stung by somethin' particularly big an' nasty.

"I'm gonna go find our waiter, okay?" Kitty said. It was a well-known fact that waiters at Tryst had fully mastered th' art o' never bein' around when ya needed 'em. "C'mon, John." She tugged at his hand.

"You can bloody well go yourself, love." She kicked him in th' ankle. John rolled his eyes. "Never send a woman ta do a man's work." That earned him another kick. "Careful with the merchandise!"

"I keep forgetting you're such a, like, delicate little flower."

"Low blow."

"Come on." She pulled on his arm again. "While we're all still young."

John groaned dramatically an' climbed to his feet. Only both o' them looked at me in a way that was worried and mebbe a little scared. They didn't understand what'd happened. Ah didn't really. All Ah knew was that what was happenin' between Remy an' me felt a little like somethin' was breakin' up. Not that we were. At least Ah hoped not. It was more like th' crackin' that came in springtime, when th' thick ice over lakes and ponds would groan an' everythin' was startin' th' long process o' shakin' off th' winter coat.

"Dat boy's not de brightest crayon in de box, hein?"

Ah jumped. Remy's voice was right in my ear. Low an' a little bit rough. Crumpled silk. Ah turned so fast we bumped noses. "Remy...what..."

"Shhh." He touched a finger ta my lips. "Been t'inking 'bout t'ings: Graydon and Anne and John and Kitty."

"And me?" Ah whispered past his finger.

His eyebrows went up. "Sans doute (of course)." A pause. "What d' we do now?"

Ah lifted his hand from my mouth. "Do?"

"Now dat Graydon's gone. De Friends of Humanity..."

"...will be back. Ya cain't believe they won't." Ah fought th' urge ta lower my eyes an' forced myself ta say what'd been weighin' on my mind. "Ah thought ya hated me. Everythin' was so weird..."

Instead o' sayin' anythin' right away, he hugged me tightly. It was awkward, no question, Ah was angled across th' couch with my cheek crushed against his chest. It was good medicine. He smelled like th' custom-made cologne from Bourbon Street: spicy with a tang like cut grass. Ah pressed my hands against his back.

"Ah know it was a horrible thing ta do. Everythin' was confused..."

He took my shoulders, holdin' me loose then, like Ah was th' most breakable thing in th' world. Th' room was spinnin' a little. "What d' we do know?" There was a whisper o' desperation in th' question th' second time.

"Th' sun rises an' sets. We work an' sleep an' eat. Tell jokes, philosophize. Pay rent. Try not ta let John an' Kitty bully us into havin' sushi more than once a month. We find a bigger apartment."

Remy frowned. "We sleep together."

My mouth went dry. He kissed me before Ah really knew what was happenin'. "Kitty should go back ta Xavier's. Bad enough that th' three of us aren't goin' ta school."

Remy shrugged. That pretty, elegant motion that could drive me ta distraction an' drive me crazy at th' same time. "T'ink dat we shouldn't decide dat for her." We were quiet for a bit, watchin' Kitty an' John from across th' room. He was leanin', one elbow against th' counter. Her hands wove in th' air, punctuatin' somethin' she was sayin'. A group o' people passed between us an' them, cuttin' 'em off from our sight.

"About...well...Ah thought ya didn't...Ah mean, Ah don't want ta hurt ya."

"I trust y' not to." He said it so plainly, with a hint o' shock. A warm feelin' coiled in my stomach. Spreadin' everywhere. "What might hurt is t'inking dat y' didn't mean it." Happiness was risin' inside me. Ah bit my lip ta keep it in an' rested one hand on Remy's thigh. His fingers dug into my shoulders. "Don't t'ink dis is exactly de place," he warned. Th' glint in his eye told me Ah was gonna pay later. An' that Ah'd most likely enjoy th' hell outta it.

Th' crowd parted an' Ah could see Kitty an' John walkin' towards us. The routine was th' same as before: touch, startle, separate, touch. Remy's hand was tangled in my hair, massaging gently. Ah didn't know what was goin' ta happen. Omnia mutantur -- everythin' changes. Nihil interit -- nothin' dies. When he kissed my neck his lips were warm on my skin. Everythin' important that exists has a small beginnin'.

end

***

That's it. That's all. The end. Huge thanks to everyone who read this despite my increasingly-erratic updating. I've no doubt that y'all haven't heard the last from me. Just let me get some of this season's Evo under my belt.

aro: Thank you! Also, good point about Evo!Pyro. Bleh. Maniacal laughter is not a character trait. Evo!Remy OTOH...I like. He's snarky.

Panter Nesmith: The summer broke my brain too! Probably because it won't. stop. raining. (glares at sky) I do not know if this conclusion increases or decreases your frustration levels, but here it is for good or ill.

anda: Awwww. That's so nice! And here we are at the final installment too. I'm unsure if this arc gets to continue or if I'll start over with something new. Any thoughts? (anyone? Bueller?)

Lace123: Why do I get the feeling that people are going to be shocked that this was the last chapter? I wanted to end in an understated way I think. This made a lot of sense to me. Hopefully it will make sense to you.

kulerka: Apologies to the Lancitty fans, because I like Lance too. The Kitty/John-ness is fun to write. Very different from R-R-ness, but in a good way.

Yumiko: Veggie teriyaki stir-fry -- loads of veggies sauteed with teriyaki sauce. Mmmm. Tasty. I can do some fun stuff with tofu? Spinach? ummm...eggplant? (you can tell I'm a vegetarian, right?)

ishandahalf: Because there are a zillion fics on FF.net. Which would be just fine and dandy like sour candy if I felt like the search engine function was super helpful. Meh.

Drumming-Femme: Yeah too bad my Pyro isn't Evo's. Or that Evo's Pyro has one emotion and that's "crazy". Because I love them together. Remy totally needs friends. Keeps him from getting all broody.

Ruby-servantof-eli: I can understand though. Because comfort-sex isn't necessarily the best sex, or without complications and regrets. Because I love that Remy has a conscience even though he pretends like he doesn't. Make-up sex on the other hand...