A/N: I hope this chapter is as good as it needs to be to make people happy...one of those people being me...and I also hope it's fluffy enough for you all. I love fluff! Whee! Here we go...


"Lyra?"

"Will?"

"Is it really you, Lyra?" Will asked tentatively, unable to let himself believe lest he was mistaken.

"Yes! It's me!" With that, Lyra choked on a sob and flung herself into Will's arms. They embraced fiercely, holding on as if they would never let go, each believing that if they released their holds even a little, the other would disappear.

"I've missed you so much, Lyra," Will said, burying his face in her hair, tears of happiness streaming down both faces.

"I've missed you too," Lyra whispered, snuggling into his firm embrace, happy to be held against his chest at last.


Pan and Kirjava had recognized the other immediately. They had embraced lovingly, but rather casually, especially when compared to Will and Lyra. If the couple had stopped to think and watch the daemons, they would have realized that the daemons' meeting was likely not their first in four years...or even in a couple of weeks. But Will and Lyra were too busy trying to make up for lost time.


When they finally pulled apart, Will took a good look at Lyra. He was awestruck with how beautiful she had grown in the years they had been apart. Even with her tear-stained face, she was still gorgeous, her beauty enhanced by the light in her eyes.

As Will was watching Lyra, she too was looking at him. How he had grown, from a thin, young boy on the edge of adolescence to a man. Lyra felt that as long as he was beside her, nothing could harm her. But she could not overlook the desperate look in his eyes, even when it was temporarily masked by love.

"What's wrong, Will?"

"Wrong? Nothing anymore. You're with me, and nothing can go wrong."

"Tell me, Will."

He heaved a heavy sigh. If she really wanted to know, he supposed he would tell her. After all, what would he do without her? He began to relate how Kirjava had been missing lately, since about two weeks ago. He had been so preoccupied with his mother's illness, and later death, that he hadn't noticed until after the funeral. He told her how he felt as though everyone he loved had been taken from him...his father, his mother, and Lyra. He was losing Kirjava now; he was sure of it. He berated himself for not having paid more attention to her before.

"Now, all I have is Mary, who has her own life, a great new career...and a fiancé!" Will's eyes widened as he realized what he had just said. He had been so wrapped up in his grief that he had forgotten about Mary's wedding ceremony the next day. "Oh my goodness!" he said. "I'd forgotten! She's to be married tomorrow..." Will groaned. "You see, Lyra, I'm so worried...I'm so afraid of losing the people I love. Mary won't be gone, but she'll belong to someone. It'll be different somehow...we'll still be friends...but..."

"I understand," Lyra said soothingly. "You've lost your parents and feel as if you're losing Kirjava and Mary."

"Yes. And you. It feels as if I'm betraying my parents and Kirjava by saying this, but of all the people I love, I would hate to lose you the most. Lyra, I love you so much..."

With that, Will could contain himself longer. He pulled Lyra to him, and kissed her fiercely on her lips, enjoying the sensation as much as he had the first time. The kiss grew deeper, if possible, and Will's tongue begged for entrance into Lyra's mouth. When she let him, she shivered from his caressing touch. Will took this to mean that she was cold and broke the kiss at once to give her his jacket.

"Oh, no, Will. I don't need it. I'm warm enough with this cloak, thank you."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Then shall we resume?" he asked, smirking.

Lyra didn't respond, but pulled his mouth down to hers for an innocent kiss. Then another, more passionate kiss. Lyra put her arms around Will's neck as he pulled her to him, hands on her waist. Neither noticed that they and their daemons were being lifted gently into the air on a puffy, white cloud.


As they rose higher and higher, Lyra's cloak slowly ceased to be warm enough, and she broke off their kiss and clung to Will. That was when they both looked down, only to see that the ground and their feet were no longer in contact.

"Will, what's happening?"

"I'm not sure."

"Pan? Kirjava?" This was the first time she had spoken to the daemons.

The two smiled mysterious smiles, and Kirjava said, "You will find out soon. Do not be worried."

Will and Lyra looked at each other puzzledly, but said nothing. Will only held her closer as they rose into the sky.


After what seemed like an hour but really was only a few minutes of silence, they slowed their ascent, and the air grew gradually warmer, the sky gradually brighter. Finally they stopped, and Xaphania appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. With a smile on her face as she saw the young lovers, she said softly,

"Welcome to the Realm of the Angels."


A/N: Another semi-cliffhanger...sorry! And a short chapter too. The next one may come out before next Wednesday if you're lucky, (and if I'm lucky,) but it probably won't. And then I start school...so...BUT I WON'T ABANDON THIS FIC! Even though it's actually about halfway through...Also, I didn't remember if he gave a name to the angels' world, so...(Remember, I don't have the books and haven't read them since six months ago for the second time.) Hope you liked this chapter! Please review!

Eye of the Dodo:

I'm really glad you liked my fic! I'm very conscious about spelling mistakes and grammar, because it hurts my soul every time I read something that has either one. I'm really sorry about the quotation marks and spacing with quotations. I seem to have missed the day when those were taught in elementary school...and now you suffer the consequences. I basically end up starting a new line for every new thing said and from there...it's kind of random. Sorry about that.

incarnated-soul

The daemons do indeed have a way of meeting each other. I'm not going to be mysterious, because after reading this chapter, you've probably already figured that out. Congratulations for the great inference! I'm glad you like my story.

Johnandslation

I've never thought of Lyra's Oxford that way. Now that you mention it, I'm inclined to agree. I really do hope that Philip Pullman does continue the trilogy...but that would mess up my story. (And although I would be heartbroken, I would still love for the master himself to write the story, not an amateur like me.) I love the part where they realize they're in love...and always cry when I read that they have to part...it's so heartbreakingly sad! And the understanding how they feel...good for you! As for feeling crazy, it's good to admit it to yourself. I found that I did...and unlike you, I broadcast it. Well, not so much the fact that I'm psycho, more like the fact that I'm eccentric...very much so...Just a question: is this two people reviewing? Who am I writing to? The name makes it sound like two, but the reviews are always from one person's point of view. Just curious. Thanks for reviewing.

fuzzifox

I hope that was fluffy and romantic enough for you...I love reading fluff, but can't write it all that well...

Dajare

I agree, cliffhangers are evil...unfortunately, so am I. Thus, you are once again left with a cliffhanger...and will be until I decide to update again. Smiles sweetly

Review, review, review! It motivates me to write!