PART II

LILIANA

"Professor Vess, you're not planning on leaving us…are you?"

Jace had returned the previous night with the news that he had successfully located and assembled the other members of the Gatewatch and that it was time for Liliana and the Kenrith twins to join them. After some considerable disagreement, Jace convinced her it was time for her to come out of hiding—that she was needed too much in this battle. What truly changed her mind was his reminder that if she stays in hiding and doesn't help them defeat Tezzeret and the Phyrexians, Gideon's sacrifice will have been for nothing.

Now Liliana was sitting in a meeting with the deans, requesting a leave of absence. Most of the deans accepted Liliana's request for sabbatical as a perfectly reasonable request, but Lisette seemed almost hopeful that this was the beginning of the necromantic professor's resignation being disguised as a temporary leave.

Liliana looked at the druid healer pointedly and smiled. "I have every intention of returning to my position once my work is complete."

"Your work—" Lisette sneered, only to be interrupted from completing whatever insult she was about to hurl when Dean Valentin's commanding voice overtook her own. He knew all too well how much contempt his colleague held for the necromancer.

"Which will be…when, exactly?" Valentin asked, his vampiric fangs poking out from between his wrinkled lips in what Liliana understood was his attempt to smile.

"I can't say, honestly. It depends on how long it takes to get my…affairs in order. This is very delicate research. I cannot be sure how long it will take, but I assure you I will return as soon as I am satisfied."

Lisette pursed her lips and looked at Liliana with a hooded gaze. "You should still have a timeframe worked out for us to follow. How are we to know you will return if you do not give us at least an estimate?"

Liliana narrowed her gaze on the dean. "Because I have said I will. I have given my word. That should be sufficient." She paused and smiled. "After all, it's not like you can easily replace me."

"And if you don't come back?" Lisette pressed. "If something should happen to you while you're…away? What are we to do then? Wait around for nothing?"

"You have two options: find a temporary replacement or don't run my classes again until I return. Considering there was not even a single course in necromancy until I came here, it's not like you would be in a worse state than you were before I arrived."

This seemed finally to satisfy them. Dean Valentin and the others had never taken issue with Liliana's request, but now even Dean Lisette was silenced. If she did have more to say, Valentin brought the meeting to a close by swiftly granting Liliana her request with a promise—upheld by the other deans—that whenever she returned, her place at the university would be upheld without question.

Pleased that she had what she desired, Liliana returned to her quarters and found Jace snoring soundly in her bed. He had been 'walking so much, with very little rest, and she had refused to provide coffee or some equivalent; he needed sleep, not stimulants. Though he was exhausted, he had still been a bit wired when she left for her meeting. Finding him now fast asleep was something of a relief, and it allowed her time to really think about what they were preparing to do.

She went to the other room and lifted her crown, pensive as she felt the smooth metallic surface. So many memories attached to that crown—a range of memories from pride to shame, and everything else imaginable. The weight of those memories was far greater than the weight of the headpiece itself.

Once so much a part of her, she replaced the crown on its stand and stared at it with a troubled gaze. That was a part of her former life, a symbol of her former self. Perhaps it was best if that part of her stayed in the past.

Turning to the large mirror nearby, she gazed at her reflection and wondered: who am I now? How do I define myself anew? Outside this world, outside these walls, who is the new Liliana Vess? And will she be accepted; or will they still see me as I was then?

She was about to face her past in a way she hoped would never come to pass: to face the people whose lives she had impacted, certainly more for the bad than the good, and whose friendship she had only just begun to cherish before she threw it all away in service to Bolas.

Not that she'd had a choice, really. Die a horribly painful death in the form of burning and crumbling into ash or betray the only friends she'd ever truly had and do the dragon's bidding? It seemed an obvious choice, at least at the time. Until facing the consequences of that choice head-on and realizing an eternity of betrayal and service was not worth living. What was the point in living forever, after all, if she had no one with whom to share that eternity? No one that she truly loved, that is. No one who truly loved her.

A shudder came over her and she finally turned away, unable to face her own reflection. She returned to the bedroom and changed into something more comfortable than her professor's uniform. Then she went to the bed and slipped under the covers beside Jace. She needed his warmth; the safety of his love; the comfort of his embrace. A cold panic nearly rose inside her, a ghostly hand strangling her from within, and only Jace's body beside her could sooth that sense of dread.

He stirred when she slid in beside him, and he pulled her close. Though still asleep, his embrace was strong and reassuring. At last, she could once again relax and, exhausted by her sense of worry, she drifted off to sleep.

JACE

Jace awoke to the sound of a grandfather clock's pendulum swinging—tick-tock, tick-tock. His eyes shot open, and he realized it was mid-afternoon by the angle of the light coming in through the window. He lay still on the overly luxurious bed, surrounded by more pillows than one really needed—really, it was like a nest of cushions. He watched the curtains move with the breeze, which carried with it the sweet scent of…rot. He grimaced. Witherbloom Campus had its own peculiar nuances, that was for sure. Surrounded by swamps and decaying trees, it was the ideal location for its inhabitants but not really anyone else. At least Liliana tried to make it smell pleasant with her love of perfumes and scented oils.

He heard a gentle, feminine clearing of the throat from nearby and sat up to see Liliana. She was scantily clad and draped across a long chaise, a book in hand and her long raven hair draped over one shoulder. For a moment, he would almost have thought it was the old Liliana before him, if not for the cacophony of student voices drifting in through the open window. Hearing him wake, she looked up and smiled playfully.

"Finally. I had to check more than a few times to be sure you were still among the living."

Jace sat up on the side of the bed, his feet touching the floor, and stretched. "How long was I out?"

"It's been three days, my love," she answered, returning her gaze to the book in her hands. She remained silent as she continued reading, but just as suddenly slid a ribbon between the pages and closed the book, setting it aside as she moved to sit.

A single cat-like stretch, and then she was slinking across the room to sit on his lap, her arms draped over his shoulders. She kissed him and he fell back, and she squealed as he pulled her down with him. Then he turned her onto her back and lay over her, as he gazed into her violet eyes.

"Was it really three days?"

She nodded, gazing up at him with a playful smirk.

"What, did you slip a sleeping draught into my drink?" he asked, pinning her down by the wrists.

"No. I told you, you needed to sleep." She wriggled her arms, laughing as he held her firmly in place.

He kissed her again, and then he asked, "What did you do all that time? Don't you have classes to teach?"

"Not since the day before yesterday," she replied.

Then she lifted her head to bite him, but he pulled away in time, all the while maintaining his hold on her wrists. She raised a brow, impressed. Then she settled in, satisfied that he could hold her in place. They were few, the men she would allow such liberties. Were he anyone else, she would have seized the thread of his lifeforce by now and severed it.

"They gave you leave?" he asked, oblivious to the deadly fantasies within her mind.

She sighed. "I would have told you when I got back from the meeting, but you were out cold. I didn't want to wake you." She paused. There was mischief in her gaze. "Now, if you'll stop talking for a bit, you can have your way with me before we 'walk. I've been watching you sleep for days, and I'd like to have a bit of fun before we get down to business."

He grinned, and said, "With pleasure."

Once they had gotten that out of the way, they dressed for travel. Jace slipped his hooded cloak over his tunic and made sure everything was in place; everything except for his hair, of course. Liliana seemed to have already decided on what she was going to wear some days ago, and her choice surprised him a little. She had her hair piled on top of her head and was dressed as if she was about to walk into a classroom to give a lecture on soul harvesting and raising the dead. Jace regarded her with raised brows and his hand drawn up to his face.

"Are you…changing your mind?"

"No." She sighed impatiently and looked down at her dress. "What's wrong with it?"

"Well, I mean, you're wearing your uniform."

"It's not a uniform, really. It's just a dress. I like it. It suits me."

"It does," he agreed. "But I wasn't expecting you to wear it when you…meet the others."

She rolled her eyes and then cocked her head, looking at him with a snake-like smile. "Oh, I see. You thought I was just going to pull out my old clothes, pop my crown on my head, and stroll into Ravnica shouting, 'Hey, everyone! I'm back! Did you miss me?' This is why you're the genius."

"Right," said Jace with a sigh. He felt like an idiot but shook off his error. "Well…I don't know what I was expecting. Obviously not that…"

"I have a whole new wardrobe. You've seen this yourself. I mean, sure I've still got some of my old things lying around, but…"

He stepped up to her and took her hands. "I know. You look lovely and I didn't mean to imply there is anything wrong with what you're wearing. I don't know what I was thinking."

She raised a brow and gave him a cat-like gaze. "I'm sure I know what you were thinking. And don't worry—I'll pull my old things out once in a while, just for you…"

He stiffened as she pressed up against him, walking her fingers up the front of his cloak. Then she flicked the tip of his nose and pulled away, adjusting her sleeves.

"But now, we must take a 'walk. Shall we?"

"What about the twins?"

"They need to finish up their finals before they can join us. Then I'll return for them. I've already made that clear to them."

"I'm guessing Rowan didn't take that too well."

"Will was grateful, at least," she answered with a smile. "He does love to study."

"Nothing wrong with that," said Jace. Then he straightened, and said, "All right then. Shall we…? The others will be wondering by now why I haven't returned yet."

Her smile faded and Jace could feel a heaviness overtake her. Before he could ask, she looked him in the eye, and said, "Jace…? Promise you won't betray me to them…that this is not a trap. That if…you want me dead, you will say it to my face and take my life yourself, rather than subject me to the whims of others."

Jace was surprised—not least of all because she was basically admitting she's afraid. He knew, of course, that she felt fear like anyone else. For her to admit to such a weakness, however; that was something new and unexpected.

"Lili…" he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers. His fingers gently stroked the back of her head, getting tangled in her upswept hair. "Darling, I would never hurt you—never do that to you. I don't believe you deserve to die; not for what happened on Ravnica, and not for anything else. Gideon wouldn't want that and…neither do I."

He met her gaze and caressed her mind, reassuring her mentally as much as he did verbally. He felt her trembling cease and pulled her to him. He just held her like that for what seemed like a long time, thinking about everything that had happened since Ravnica. Then, with a kiss to her forehead, he whispered, "Darling, losing you…when I thought you were… I mean, I…"

"Jace," she said gently, looking into his eyes, "it's okay. I'm here."

He took a deep breath and a tear slid down his cheek. Still choked for words, he touched her cheek, and managed, "I love you, Liliana Vess. And I believe in you."

Tears welled in her eyes and a faint smile touched upon her lips. Then he pressed his lips to hers once more and, before they could lose sight of their goals, he stepped back, saying, "See you on Ravnica. Follow my trail and you'll be safe. I promise."

Then he 'walked away.

LILIANA

Liliana took a deep breath. Jace would never lie to her. If he promised to keep her safe, he would stand by his word. He loved her—not just puppy love, not just a boyish infatuation, but real, genuine love. Despite everything they had been through, everything they had put each other through—the fights, the betrayals, the misunderstandings—despite it all, they still loved each other. It left her breathless, to realize what she had with him, so unlike anything she had ever had with anyone else.

Here was a man who was willing to forgive even the worst in her; willing to work with her to repair their damaged relationship as they continued working to repair themselves and correct their own faults. More than two centuries and countless lovers, she had never found a man who loved her like Jace. And for the first time in over two centuries, she decided to allow herself to love him, in return.

"No more holding back," she whispered, almost like a prayer. Without further hesitation, and before his aether trail faded, she 'walked after him.

When she rematerialized, she found herself in a room with a large bed. There was a precarious pile of books and scrolls on one of the nightstands and a wardrobe stuffed with cloaks was left partially open. Liliana smirked and turned around to find Jace standing behind her. He smiled.

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Your bedroom?"

He shrugged. "It's the only place I could guarantee no one else would be around, so you would feel safe when you arrived."

"So," she said, looking around, "is this my prison for the duration of my stay?"

"I'd prefer you not to think of it as a prison… More like, a safe place for you to relax and not have to worry about being recognized. If you want me to sleep somewhere else…"

She laughed. "Why on earth would I want you to sleep somewhere else?"

He took both of her hands in his, remaining serious. "Lili, I will protect you." When she was about to object, he held up his hand, and said, "and don't say you don't need protecting. We all need to be protected sometimes. There's no shame in that."

After a pause, she released a heavy sigh. "I know." Then, telepathically, she thanked him. She couldn't quite bring herself to say it aloud, but she could project the words to him.

He smiled, looked her firmly in the eye, and said, "You're welcome. You do need to work on that, though. For everyone who can't read minds, at least…"

With one last kiss, he strode toward the door and prepared to open it. Cold fear shot through her, and she cried, "Wait!"

Jace stopped and turned back to her, as she explained, "I need…a little more time. Do they…do they all know I'm here? That I'm coming?"

He cleared his throat and looked down at the floor. After a moment of surprise, Liliana glared at him and put her hands on her hips. "You didn't tell them I was coming?"

"Well, Chandra and Nissa know you're alive and that you've been helping me. And Kaya knows, of course."

"But you didn't tell them I would be joining you?"

"I…still wasn't sure you weren't going to change your mind. I didn't want to say you were coming and then show up without you."

She threw up her hands. "Nine Hells, Jace! You should have at least told them something! Does everyone know I'm alive, or did you just forget to prepare everyone else before they see a ghost stroll into the room? What were you thinking? Were you thinking? I mean, really!"

"Shh," he cautioned her.

Nevertheless, she kept shrieking, "This is going to be a disaster! I thought you said you were going to protect me? The moment I walk into a room filled with several people who aren't expecting me, most of whom don't even know I'm still alive, I'll be lucky if they don't kill me on the spot!"

She placed her palm on her forehead, and said, "Why do I have to think of everything? You're supposed to be the brains here, not me!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The knob jiggled, but thankfully the door was locked. Then a familiar voice came from the other side.

"Jace?" It was Chandra. "Are you there? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah," he called out. "Everything is fine."

"I didn't even know you came back," she said, her voice muffled from the other side of the door. "Everyone's been worried. You've been gone three days."

Jace had walked to the door and now he pulled it open. When Chandra saw Liliana, there was a fleeting moment before recognition hit. Then her eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped.

Liliana stiffened and drew mana, just in case she needed to defend herself.

Rather than attack, however, Chandra gasped, "Liliana!" Then she ran to her and threw her arms around her old –former? —friend's neck. Liliana stood dumbfounded.

"Jace told me you were alive, but I could hardly believe it!" she began, pulling away to look at Liliana, shaking her head in disbelief. "I mean, I didn't know you were coming and even if you were, seeing you again…I mean, you're alive! You're really here!"

Liliana was about to speak, but Chandra immediately moved into a rapid fire of questions and observations. "I like what you've done with your hair. Do you still let it down sometimes? Or do you always keep it up now? Not that I didn't like it before—I mean, you're gorgeous no matter what you do. You could make a garbage bag look glamorous. But Jace said you were a teacher now?"

Were she not still in shock, and a bit overwhelmed by Chandra's burst of questions, Liliana might have had tears in her eyes—to be welcomed back so readily by anyone was rather unexpected. Finally having a moment to speak, she said warmly, "Chandra. Yes, I'm…here. And yes, I'm a…teacher."

Chandra threw her arms around Liliana's neck again. Then she stepped back and held Liliana's hands. "This is unbelievable! Wait 'til everybody sees you! Please tell me you're gonna stay and help us? I mean, we do ok on our own, but the Gatewatch still needs you. And I…well, I was mad at first—like, really, really mad that you betrayed us, and especially after Gids…"

She paused as a shade of sadness crossed over her face. Then she sighed and continued. "But after Jace explained it to me like, so many times I thought my head was going to explode, I finally understand it. I mean, why you had to…and why Gids…"

Liliana felt a sting in her eye and cast her gaze to the floor. "I'm…sorry, Chandra. I know he was like a brother to you. A brother to us all." She shook her head. "I never meant for him to…"

"I know," said Chandra, placing a warm hand on Liliana's shoulder. Her eyes were rimmed with tears, but she almost smiled. "It's ok, Liliana. I…miss him every day. But I'm glad you're here. It's what Gids would have wanted—all of us back together, united toward a common goal."

"I miss him, too," Liliana admitted. Then, trying to disguise her vulnerability, she joked, "I mean, it's not as much fun without Beef Slab to laugh at from time to time."

Chandra almost smirked. She was probably used to Liliana's ways by now, as she didn't seem to take offence. Instead, she gasped, and said, "Wait 'til the others see you!"

While Chandra gently tugged her by the hand, Liliana resisted. "I…can't see them."

"She's not ready to face them, Chandra," said Jace, placing a soothing hand on Liliana's shoulder. She offered a meager smile in thanks.

"Why not? I mean, I was probably the most mad at you of everyone, except maybe Jace. I dunno. You guys have a weird…thing between you—I mean, talk about tension. Whoa. I'm glad to see you've gotten over all that, because it'll be so much easier to work with you getting along. And Nissa pretty much always hated you, but you've made it through us ok, so everyone else should be easy."

"But Nissa doesn't know I'm here. And neither does anyone else."

Chandra raised a skeptical brow. "You're not afraid of Ajani, are you? And Teferi? I mean, they were your biggest cheerleaders, besides Gids."

"I wouldn't exactly say they were my cheerleaders," Liliana replied. "They didn't hate me, but they certainly didn't like me. I mean, at best they didn't care either way."

"Teferi did," said Chandra. "You know, he expressed regret when he heard you were…well, when we thought you were dead. He thought it was a waste—and a dishonor to Gids."

Liliana remained silent as she pondered this. Finally, she said, "What about Nissa, though? She left the first time because of me."

"This is not the Liliana Vess I remember," Chandra suddenly remarked, her arms crossed over her chest. "The Liliana Vess I remember wouldn't've cared less about whether or not anybody liked her. And she wouldn't've been afraid to walk into a room full of enemies like she owned the place. Gids didn't die so you'd just slink away and hide behind fear. What's happened to you? I mean, I get that you're trying to be a better person, or whatever it is you're trying to do—but where's your spirit? We're gonna need something of the old Liliana back, if we're ever gonna defeat the Phyrexians and Tezzeret. Otherwise, you might as well have stayed dead."

"Chandra," Jace chastised. But Liliana took a deep breath and touched his arm.

"No, Jace. She's right." Liliana narrowed her gaze on Chandra. "You're right, Chandra. I didn't come here to hide in Jace's room the whole time. I came to help. I came to…join the Gatewatch. For real, this time. And if I'm going to be of any use to the Multiverse, I need to reignite my old spark. So, will you help me do that, Chandra? Will you help remind me of who I am meant to be—who Gideon always thought I could be?"

She held out her hand and Chandra looked down at it for a moment. Finally, she took hold of Liliana's arm and they shook on it. Then, with a smile, Chandra said, "Great! Now, let's go show the others Liliana's back in town and ready to kick some Phyrexian butt!"