XIV

We're perfectly intertwined, if it's quite alright you could be my way of life

She doesn't think life changes much after she becomes a goddess.

Well, she shouldn't really use the word 'life' because she's not alive anymore, not technically. But the feeling still remains because most things remain the same. She keeps her business and goes to work every day. She even keeps her little home, although most of her things can now be found in her and Luke's bedroom at the Underworld castle. But she keeps it and every now and then she stays there, whether alone, with her husband or just having a girls night.

It's hard to notice any changes in her existence when, for the most part, things remain the same.

She's still the same Julie, even if now her official name is Persephone.

She's still the same Julie who works hard and is passionate about flowers; just that now she uses her godly touch.

She's the same Julie who writes and performs music; just that now she does with her band 'Julie and the phantoms'.

She's also the same Julie who's crazy in love with Luke. He remains the same dork who loves her and worships her.

He's a constant, one of the few things that connect both parts of her life. He's that red string that connects her life before she was human and after. He's there to help her, to support her and to guide her through all things godly. Flynn, Alex, Reggie and Willie are also there to show support and help her in every possible way. Her mother is also there for her, but Luke is the MVP of the whole situation, the living embodiment of a supportive and devoted husband and partner.

She didn't think it was possible to love him more, and yet she finds herself falling all over again for him.

But yeah, the dust settles, and she becomes a full goddess. Most things stay the same, really, it's just that now her official residence is the Underworld castle, and she doesn't have to go to any medical appointments because there's no need for that. It's weird to say it because no human has ever gone through what she has, but becoming Persephone is not that big of a deal.

At first at least, she's still getting the hang of it.

When she voices her thoughts out loud, one night when Luke's helping her close the store, a tradition that they still maintain, he offers some advice. It's the way the words flow easily out of his mouth that let her know he's also given the situation a lot of thought, but instead of offering unsolicited advice, he was just waiting for when she needed it from him.

"You will exist forever, but you'll never lose who you are. At your very core, you are a human and nothing will take that from you, not the passing years, not the Underworld, not Olympus. A part of you will always be human, a human goddess if you will. No matter what happens, you will never lose your humanity." He says, simply as if he's not telling her something out of the ordinary. He didn't even stop carrying the flowers to the storage unit as he spoke. But he does leave the flowers alone and holds her face as he resumes his speech; "That's why I love you Julie. That's what makes you incredible and special. I wouldn't have let you go through all this crap if I knew you'd lose who you are, but I knew that you'd remain, that your humanity would remain even after you'd turn into a full goddess. I love that no matter what you are still you, the same amazing, talented, incredible girl with the voice of an angel that has all the power to wreck me."

There's few moments when Luke really shows how wise he is and this is one of them. She's just grateful she's there to witness them, to be the muse and reason behind him. She's also grateful he's by her side while understanding everything that entails becoming a mythological being. He's so grateful he won't ever leave her and will forever be her partner.

She hugs him tightly, making him laugh but wrapping her around his arms nonetheless. Julie feels the laugh travel through his body.

It's in these moments, when she's with him, the moments when he must think she's not watching or, better yet, when he doesn't care if she's watching that she realizes that, in his own way, he's a little bit human.

She tells him as much.

"But I have never had humanity. I have always been a god." He answers to her words, not in a defensive tone or feeling like she just threw an insult at him, he's just pointing out a fact. She knows his comment is born from genuine confusion, rather than something else, so she lets him know, the same way he just made her understand.

"You have always been and will always be a god but meeting me changed you. I rubbed off on you and now, you're every bit as human as I am." She tells him, now being her time to hold his face in her hands. He smiles at her, and she returns said smile, thinking that he would've been a great human.

Her favorite, in fact.

The changes eventually start to make themselves noticeable. Her mother warned her it wouldn't be a big change, but rather, small things that would accumulate until she noticed them. She expected a tsunami, but instead, as her mother told her, the changes are so subtle she barely notices.

But she definitely notices when what is supposed to be her 25th birthday rolls around.

Luke, Alex and Reggie have picked a day of the year to celebrate as their birthday, whereas Willie and Julie already had one and Flynn was kind of forced to pick one; which she did reluctantly and only because they used Julie to coerce her into selecting a date to use as an excuse to eat as much cake as they could and just celebrate. So, really, celebrating a birthday is actually a common situation in the Underworld, but when Julie's own birthday rolled around it was more of a surreal experience than an ordinary thing that happens once a year.

She plays along though, smiling when Luke 'wakes' her up with breakfast in bed and then gives her enough orgasms to make her forget that she's really not turning 25. She smiles and doesn't voice her thoughts as their friends give her presents and Carrie invites her to a party at her dad's Malibu beach house. Instead, she simply nods along and wears the gorgeous dress Flynn gifted her before leaving the castle and driving her car to go to the party where she hugs Carrie and thanks her endlessly for doing this for her.

Julie mingles and plays the part of the birthday girl perfectly, dancing with Luke and her friend group, drinking and talking to other people Carrie invited, posing for pictures that will end up on the million social media platforms that exist. She does all that until there's enough people crashing her party, making it easy for her to slip away without anyone noticing the birthday girl has gone missing. It's not like she's leaving anyway, she just wants some alone time to process what's happening.

She really thinks she's succeeded in leaving the party without anyone noticing and for at least two minutes. However, once she's sitting at the end of the stairs with her feet in the sand, Luke appears by her side. Because of course, he would notice she's gone; she can try and think she's fooling everyone, but not her husband, not her partner, not her Luke, who probably knows something's going on since this morning but has yet to say anything. She knows he's just giving her space to talk if or when she wants to. So she simply leans on him, angling her head to rest on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around her, keeping her close and kissing her forehead, respecting her silence.

They stay like that for a couple of minutes, watching the beach in front of them, hearing the faint sounds of the raging party they just escaped… She doesn't hear their breaths because they don't do that, but if she concentrates long enough, she thinks she can hear a beating sound, even if Luke doesn't have a heart and hers doesn't need to beat anymore.

"I'm not twenty-five. I will never be, right?" She says, looking up at Luke who gives her a sad smile before nodding.

"That's partially right. I'd like to think that despite being immortal, the passage of time does affect us, just because we are not human and therefore we do not age like them, doesn't mean the passage of time is in vain. I know I'm not the poster child for maturity, but I'd like to think I have grown and I'm no longer the same Luke who lived through the Medieval ages. Horrible time, really. Zero out of ten, wouldn't recommend." He adds that last part to make her laugh, and he succeeds, which he takes as a good sign to continue speaking. "The thing is… You are no longer human and therefore the way you measure time needs to change and it probably will, with, ironically, more time."

She laughs again and realizes he's right on many accounts. He definitely has grown even if most of the time he really acts as if he's a regular twenty-four-year-old with no responsibilities and is hyper focused on her and music, she knows he's more than that. He's a King and has the weight of the Underworld on his shoulders. Now he really cares and does his best to perform as he should even if ruling it's not for him. She also knows he's always trying to be the best version of himself and works hard on being a supportive and loving partner and husband. She knows Luke has many layers, and she's one of the lucky ones who gets to witness him impart some wisdom.

"How do I measure time now? It's hard to grasp the concept of time and marry it to the fact that time doesn't affect me in the same way anymore."

"That's something you need to figure out on your own because most of us have never really measured time the way a human does. I can't help you with that, but I can be there for you and tell you this: just because you are no longer visibly aging... It doesn't mean you are not. A year has passed and it was a year full of new experiences and situations... You are twenty-five Julie, granted you are not a regular one, but that doesn't take away all the growth you've done all this year." He caresses her cheek with his free hand, making her smile despite the fears and the scary thoughts, because she can understand what he's saying. Like most things now, it'll just take time to readjust. "I can't necessarily understand what you're going through, but I do understand that big changes take time. You need time to adjust to time."

She laughs again before she leans in to kiss him, and he eagerly responds. She doesn't need time to adjust to his lips. She doesn't really need to do anything because his mouth knows how to welcome her home, how to make her feel content, how to make her feel like everything is alright. His mouth has always exceeded that, as if pleasuring her is his number one priority; and let's face it, it probably is.

She doesn't need to breathe anymore, which means the kiss could technically last forever, but she wants to thank him for his words and support, so she breaks it and smiles at him but doesn't get a chance to say thank you because he speaks first.

"I can finally give you your birthday present." He announces, and she furrows her brow, very confused about his statement.

"What do you mean about a present? Didn't you give it to me this morning?" He laughs at her statement, and she knows he's not making fun of her, but he does seem to think her words are hilarious. If he were human, his belly would hurt from the laughter.

"Julie, you really thought breakfast in bed and orgasms were your present? Give me some credit, I'm a classy guy." He answers and, although she was pretty happy with what she thought was her birthday present, she can't help but to be excited about the prospect of yet another gift.

"So? What is it?" She's unable to hide her enthusiasm, making Luke laugh again.

"Please adjust your levels of excitement accordingly. For all we know, you might not like it." He says, but she seriously doubts it. "I need you to look up. Can you find the Big Dipper?" She looks at him instead of following his instructions and realizes he's already looking up and pointing to the constellation in question. Is his gift what she thinks it is? Oh, lord… "Julie c'mon do as I tell you. Did you find the Big Dipper?"

She decides to humor him and finds it after a couple of seconds; "Yeah, I got it. Now what?" He doesn't answer but it doesn't matter because she realizes that next to the constellation the stars are moving and rearranging before forming a 'J'. "Luke…" She doesn't even know what to say when it's clear he's the one who made it happen.

"I didn't know what to give you. At first I thought to go the safe route and write you a song, but I realized I'm not a songwriter Julie. Not really, because nothing I have ever composed can even come close to you. You are the most beautiful song I have ever heard, and I needed to give you a gift that was comparable to your beauty, that could be equally as amazing and incredible as you. Granted, my first idea was to give you the Sun because that's what you are. You are the Sun and the rest of us are just trying to orbit around you… But I couldn't give you that, despite being what you deserve, so I called in a couple of favors and got you your very own constellation. It's okay if you don't like it, though."

His nervousness is palpable. The way he rubs the back of his neck and has a hard time keeping eye contact tells her everything she needs to know. He really feels insecure about his gift as if it was some random tacky trinket or something not thoughtful when it's the opposite. She thinks if this was someone else instead of Luke, they would be flaunting and being all cocky about being able to afford a constellation but not her husband who clearly went nuts trying to find the perfect gift for her, when the perfect gift is him.

"I love it Luke, I can't believe you went to all this trouble when I would've been happy with anything… I would've been happy with nothing at all if it meant you'd still spend the day with me." He smiles, and she thinks he's mistaken because he's the Sun, or rather, his smile could easily rival the Sun. "And I love you too, so so much." She kisses him again and this time they don't stop until Reggie interrupts them and tells them it's time to cut the cake.

She goes back to the party and blows the candles on her cake thinking that she might not have all the answers or know what she's going to do with her new perception of time, but she knows she's got Luke and her friends, so she's going to be alright.

She makes peace with it. Time used to be a friend, an enemy, an ally and now is neither, so she decides to make peace with it instead of being at odds or at war. Now time is like an old childhood friend, someone she used to be really close, and someone she constantly relied on, but not anymore. Now she doesn't need time, it's no longer relevant in her personal life, although it is for the many human clients she caters to, who usually are very picky about the date and time they want their flowers.

But for her, time is no longer relevant. Although …

Time passes and her business continues to thrive. Time passes and she gets used to being a goddess. Time passes and she strengthens the bond with her friends. Time passes and she writes more music than ever. Time passes and Flynn books them more venues to perform. Time passes and Carrie gets married to Nick, no less. Time passes and she starts to have more responsibilities managing the Underworld. Time passes and the Earth keeps spinning and life goes on… Which means Rose has to teach her and Luke how to alter their features to seem older, because they are no longer in their early twenties.

(When she asks Luke how it is that he doesn't know how to do that, he simply shrugs and says: "I never had to do it. I have always looked more or less like this, why would I want to look like anything other than a snack?" He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, making Julie laugh at the fact that she married this dumbass, one that is actually quite wrong because he's a whole damn meal, but he doesn't need to know that.)

Time passes and she loves Luke more than ever. Time passes, and they celebrate their first wedding anniversary, their second, third… Time passes and Luke remains a constant, solidifying his position as her anchor, as her rock, as her ride or ride. Time passes, and she wonders what life would be like without him and then realizes she doesn't want to know because he's there, and he's crazy about her, just as she's crazy in love with him.

"Did I ever tell you that I'm feeling heat in the Underworld when you're around me? I swear this used to be the coldest place. It fit with the aesthetic and everything, but, of course, you came around…" She doesn't let him finish, instead chooses to shut him up by sitting in his lap.

"I'm pretty sure you're the only one who feels heat when I'm around, my King." She says, at the same time he kisses her shoulder.

They still have a couple of minutes before they leave for their annual meeting with all the other gods and goddesses and, apparently, they have decided to spend those in the throne room.

Before her there wasn't a throne. Before her, there was barely a crown that her husband was very reluctant to put on his head. Before her there was little appeal for the title, for the kingdom. Now… Now it's another story; she thinks as she takes in the little details about the room. After she was made a full goddess, Luke decided she should have all the things that Queens have, and because her darling husband had lived through many Monarchies, he made sure to get everything right.

Beautiful crowns, jewelry and gowns for her, her own office inside the castle, her own seat at the table at Olympus, and a throne room for them where they could sit side by side during important events in the Underworld.

She loves the room and everything else, but she thinks it's very funny how all his efforts to be a better ruler find the root in her, and yet, despite his love and devotion to her, and his desire to be a better ruler for everyone, it was clear his heart wasn't in the right place. Luke wasn't made for ruling, at least not alone and that's why Julie was there, to share the burden, to help him, to guide him and rule this place the right way.

At first, other gods and goddesses thought she was just a silly human, someone who was lucky enough to be chosen to ascend immortality, and very quickly the same deities learned that Julie wasn't just a pretty flower who just minded her own business and stuck to flowers and Spring. No, Julie might look like a flower, but she had thorns and knew when to use them. Unlike her husband, who was mistaken by everyone for something monstrous when he was in fact marvelous, Julie knew how to walk the fine line between the two; after all, she ate the pomegranate seeds with gusto. Everyone at Olympus knew that Luke might be the one who was supposed to keep the place in shape, but his wife was the one who really ruled the place.

Persephone, a beautiful flower maiden who loved her husband's kingdom of darkness and decay. A human woman who chose the Underworld over Earth, who found the god of death and put a heart in his chest. Julie Molina, who made the Underworld a better place for gods, goddesses and souls because she just wants everyone to have a good place to rest after life was a thing of the past.

Everyone who underestimated her was proven wrong, especially when they thought she did it alone. The truth behind Julie's success was that she had a couple of years of experience as a business owner, and what was the Underworld if not a business that needed to be managed? Luke was right when he delegated chores and responsibilities, but now she was there to make sure everything was running smoothly, and that was because of Flynn, who had taken her time to teach her the ins and outs of the place in a way her husband could never even attempt to.

Flynn, who was entering the throne room right this second.

"Oh good, you're decent this time." She says as a greeting, and she can feel Luke's annoyance at the comment, accompanied by a groan and a very loud facepalm.

"They find you on your knees one time and apparently it's now a thing." He says, making Julie laugh because he's lying through his teeth and Flynn knows it.

"It's cute that you think you can fool me." Flynn bites back and Luke decides to simply shrug.

"I'm not going to apologize for worshiping my Queen. I regret nothing." Is all he decides to reply, making Julie smile because her husband is an unapologetic cheerleader who spends all his days worshiping her one way or the other. She kisses the corner of his lip before standing up and meeting Flynn who gives her a look as if saying 'I can't believe this is your husband!'. Luckily, she doesn't really say it.

"Here is the last report with the new souls we got this morning." Explains Flynn, giving her the papers to present to everyone at Olympus. Julie doesn't even need to check it because she knows her friend has done a splendid job, so she simply gives her a hug as a thank-you. Maybe in a couple of years she can successfully make her case as to why Flynn should be in the meetings with her, but for now they have to maintain appearances despite everyone knowing Luke was in charge only in name. "Please don't let your boy toy open his mouth. Last year he almost ruined things for us."

"I heard that!" He says, getting up from the throne and walking towards them. She knows it's time to go, so she just kisses her friend on the cheek before joining her husband. "Don't worry Flynn, I'll just doodle 'Mr. Luke Molina' in my notebook; I'll be thinking about how pretty my beautiful wife is while bossing everyone around."

"I'm begging you please do that. Let Julie kick some ass!" Flynn says just as she takes Luke's hand in hers, kissing his knuckles before bracing on. She might be running this place, but he's her partner and even if he hates the whole damn meeting, he will be by her side and support her.

"Thank you, for everything." He says as they make their way out of their realm. She shakes her head at him, because this husband of hers, this incredible husband of hers will probably spend the rest of his existence thanking her.

Which is something she's not opposed to in the slightest.

"You know how I like it when you thank me in another way." She says, wiggling her eyebrows to make him smile, something in which she succeeds.

"That's literally the only thing that's keeping me motivated right this second." He says, just as they reach Olympus. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see her mother waiting for them at the table, but her focus remains on Luke. "Are you ready to kick ass, boss?" He asks her with those beautiful green eyes of his, the eyes that tell her that he's cheering for her that he wants to see her kick ass and impress every single one of the petulant gods and goddesses that live there.

"Yeah, let's show 'em who's Queen." She answers before walking to the table with her chin held high, commanding the Olympians to see her, to pay attention to who's really in charge. Luke walks behind her, and she can see it in his eyes, the desire, the way he's absolutely enjoying seeing her like this. Showing everyone how powerful she really is.

Julie. Persephone. Human. Demigod. Goddess. Queen. She was about to show them how true her titles were.

On the hundredth anniversary of her first day as Persephone, Julie finds herself at the top of the castle looking at her kingdom.

She inherited this place from her husband. A horrible place, if she's being honest. Who on Earth would want the Underworld? Her, that's who. In all her years as Queen, she has worked hard to make this her home, the place where she belongs, where she's free to be whoever she wants to be. And she chose this. She chose to become who she is today. Luke gave her the option, but she made the choice all by herself, because she wanted this for herself. She loves Luke and his love would always exist, even if she hadn't made this life changing choice. She could've remained human, and he would've been by her side; loving her as she aged, as her hair turned white, as her face housed more wrinkles, as her bones began to ache. He would've loved her until her body became one with the earth and her soul would join countless others at the Asphodel Meadows, (but knowing Luke, he would've obviously used his privileges to move her to Elysium or maybe do the same procedure they did with Willie).

She knows he would've done all that even if it killed him a little, if it pained him to see the woman he loves die slowly. Luke loves her so much, he would've respected her if that was her choice.

But that was never what she had in mind.

She wanted this, she wanted this existence. She wanted to be who she is right now. Her existence might not be what she dreamed about, but it is so much better than she would have imagined.

That's why she rarely entertains certain thoughts about wondering what her life would be like if she hadn't met Luke or if she hadn't accepted his proposal of marriage that obviously led to her immortality. She already knows how that life would've played out, and she's not interested in going down the rabbit hole because that's not the life she wants or longs for.

She doesn't regret her choice, never has, never will.

She never thought she would consider the Underworld home, and yet there she is. Everything she loves is there. Her bond with Earth and the human world had changed over the course of the years; after all, she had buried all of her loved ones (minus Caleb, of course, the bastard didn't die). So the human world wasn't what it used to be and yet… She still feels very much human. She knows her humanity sets her aside from everyone else down there.

She might be celebrating a hundred years of officially becoming Persephone, but she was still Julie Molina, even if her home was now the Underworld and her responsibilities were not about managing a flower shop but instead caring about all souls and worrying about when Spring would come and when the flowers would eventually wither and die.

She used to think Luke carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, but now she knows that carrying the weight of the Underworld and all the souls and deities that resided there wasn't easy. She knows because, just as they share love, they share the burden.

Julie feels his presence before he even opens his mouth to announce himself.

She's looking at the buds of flowers and plants that surround the castle; the Underworld is just as ready for Spring as Earth when she feels him. She used to think, when she thought he was human, that he was larger than life. He had a way of making himself seem so lively, so cheery and out of the ordinary, it was impossible to not feel drawn to him. Nowadays, she knows he's larger than afterlife; he might've taken the backseat and let her run the show, but Luke was just as imposing and grandiose as he had been when they were just a pair of smitten dorks kissing all over Los Angeles.

(Now they're just a pair of smitten deities that kiss all over the world. Their game has completely upgraded.)

"I can feel you staring, you know?" She says, not turning to look at him, but she can feel him walking towards her anyways, and when he surrounds her with his arms she lets herself relax against his body.

"I'm surprised you noticed, you seem to be focused on something else." Is all he says, resting his chin on top of her head. She smiles at the gesture but doesn't really say anything because she doesn't know how to explain to him that she's thinking about mortality and immortality at the same time. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She scoffs, not because she doesn't want to share her musings with him, but because of the phrase he used; "A penny, Luke? Don't be cheap. The thoughts of your beautiful wife are worth at least a diamond."

He chuckles, but when he doesn't immediately answer, she knows he's seriously considering her silly comment as something very serious, which is not surprising because he always takes very seriously everything that comes out of her mouth.

"How about two emeralds?" He asks at the same time he uses one of his hands to dig through his pocket before extending a velvet box in front of her. Sometimes she wonders if his perfect timing is something that comes natural to him or just a skill he has had centuries to perfect.

Only time will tell.

Before taking the box, she kisses his cheek as a way of thank you, an act he enjoys far more than he would hearing the words. She takes a second to study his perfect smile. Time doesn't affect them unless they let it, but she thinks there's something in his smile that wasn't there a hundred years ago, it wasn't even there when they first met.

His smile now is the smile of someone who was really content, who was fulfilled, who had a happy existence and enjoyed every day. Remembering his wedding vows, she thinks that, maybe in another universe there was a Luke who was mortal and grew old with her by his side; so his smile probably would wrinkle his face, showing all the years and adventures they had lived together. This wasn't that Luke, and although his hair wasn't grey, and there weren't crows feet in the corner of his eyes, there was no mistaking it; her husband was genuinely happy.

And he was able to know true happiness because of her.

And she was able to know true love because of him.

"Our anniversary was yesterday." She deadpans just as she opens the box to reveal two exquisite emerald earrings that must've cost a fortune. But what is a fortune when you're a god and a King?

"But your anniversary is today." He says softly against her ear, making her shiver. Luke has always treated this day as if he didn't worship her the rest of the year, but obviously she didn't mind. Why would she mind being adored by the one she loves more than immortality itself?

"They're beautiful." She breathes, smiling because, while eternity seemed a very big and scary word when she was human, she's not afraid of it now. There will be a hundred more years, and she will still be adored by Luke, adored by a creature that everyone is quick to dismiss as monstrous and yet there he was, wrapped around her immortal finger. "Thank you, Luke. Will you put them on?"

The question is unnecessary, but she asks anyway just to see his eager response. It's probably the only way he will interrupt the embrace, to delicately take the earrings out of the box and put them on her ears with a reverence that could only be matched by the way the Prince put the glass slipper on Cinderella. Their love story is not quite Disney material, but she would pick it every day, no matter what.

He helps her turn around, caressing her face at the same time he brushes her wild curls out of her ears to be able to fully appreciate the image of her wearing his gift. She feels like a work of art when he does this, when he looks at her with such reverence that it could only be compared to the looks on tourists' faces when they come face to face with the Mona Lisa. Maybe he does think she belongs in a museum, to be admired by many, but she's thankful he's selfish and decided he didn't want to share her with the world. Maybe he's right and mortals don't deserve her, only he deserves her.

His ever-calloused hands caress her face gently, and she leans into the touch. They might have to carry the weight of a never ending number of souls on their backs, but right now Luke is holding her heart, her once human, beating and bleeding heart, and she thinks no one else could've managed to hold it so gently, with so much love. She wouldn't have trusted anyone else with it.

"You look beautiful, Julie." He says to her at the same time he rests his forehead on hers. If they were human, they would be breathing the same air right now, she thinks. Something must show in her face because he furrows his brows, before asking:

"Do you regret it?" He doesn't need to speak up for her to hear him, his question actually comes out almost like a whisper. She's not surprised he can read her so easily, even when the thought barely crosses her mind.

"No." She whispers, but with her conviction there's no need to raise her voice. Olympus could tremble with the amount of strength there is in that single word. He smiles at her answer and in that moment she thinks he's absolutely wrong; it's that smile that could light up their kingdom, not hers. "I have always been happy about the decision I made."

She raises her hand to caress him this time. Her fingers lightly traced the outline of his lips before moving to his jaw and working her way up to the rest of his face. He closes his eyes and lets her be, enjoying the sensation. If humans could see him now, the horrible, terrible King of the Underworld; reduced to a soft puppy by the light touch of his wife.

But they don't get to see this. This moment is for them, and them only.

"I would've given up everything just to be with you. If there had been a way for me to get rid of all of this…" He opens his eyes and looks at her as if nothing else exists right now. "I would've because you're worth giving up on everything."

There's conviction in his words too. She shivers because she can feel it, the fire in his eyes, the strength in his voice. These are the words of a man who would do anything to be with the one he loves, come hell or high water.

"I know." She answers honestly. Just because she knows, and she has known for a very long time, it doesn't mean she's not moved by his unwavering love for him. So she kisses him, slow and soft at the beginning, barely a brush of the lips, just like the night they met, when she thought the kiss was life changing despite not being what she expected.

But then, as if she had lit a match and thrown it into a pyre of gasoline, the kiss changes. He kisses her tenderly, but there's hunger, there's passion, there's 'I love you more than you can ever even begin to comprehend' love. She started to dig, of course. She became a sort of Indiana Jones of his love, and began to explore how much Luke loves her, but after a hundred years, she's pretty sure she's barely scratched the surface. She doubts there's enough time to even come close to the center.

But here's the thing. She loves him more than he can begin to comprehend. It still doesn't stop them from professing their love for each other.

"I love you." He says to her, breaking the kiss just to tell her that. Because, for all the hunger, the passion, the love… He has always needed to say things out loud. To make sure she remembers. To make sure she doesn't even begin to forget.

"I love you too." She says to him, with a smile on her lips. Her eyes scan his face, and something inside melts because his face always radiates happiness when he's around her, but he straight up glows when listening to those four words.

She seeks refuge in his arms; hands traveling from his face to his torso, finding the spot that seems to be made for her. She doesn't know if he changed his body to make hugs more comfortable for her or if she simply carved this place for herself. It doesn't matter. What matters is that he surrounds her with his arms and kisses the top of her head, relishing in the moment.

Her eyes close instantly, and she finds herself focusing on the sound.

One beat, two beats.

There it is, Luke's beating heart. Her heart, really, because it belongs to her. It beats just for her, because he loves her and only her.

She fell in love with death and made him feel alive; no other person can say that.

FIN