I rode in the bus with Castiel, Lucifer, Mary, Bobby, and pretty much everyone else that wasn't Dean, Sam, Gabriel, or Jack. They rode ahead in a jeep, leading the way. Lucifer drove the bus.

Lucifer was supposed to be the devil.

There was something oddly ironic about Lucifer being the one driving the bus to what was supposed to be freedom.

Bobby stood in the doorway of the bus, armed and waiting like the rest of us. Castiel and I sat behind Lucifer. Castiel's job was to keep track of him. My job was to keep watch out the window for any oncoming angels and shoot. Mary sat in the back doorway, gun drawn and ready to shoot anything coming from behind. Everyone was nervous. Everyone was tense. Everyone was quiet and waiting for something – anything – to happen.

As we drew closer, Castiel paused for a moment to check on me. "How are you feeling?" He asked. I had a feeling he would be asking that question, or variations of it, a lot.

"Fine." I didn't glance over at him as I spoke. "Tense. Same as everyone else." I kept watch in the skies.

"Do you feel nauseous?" He asked. "Does your head hurt?"

"Not really." I glanced back over at him. He was describing how it had felt when Jack's powers gave me headaches. "Why? Is Jack doing something?"

"What about my boy?" Lucifer asked, casting me a sideways glance.

"Nothing." Me and Castiel said together. Castiel looked back up at me, pursing his lips for a moment in thought.

"Just making sure you're alright." He said, flicking his eyes over at Lucifer. Not in front of him. The meaning was obvious.

"I'm fine." I repeated.

Not long later, we arrived. Bobby got off first, taking a second to examine the situation. At Sam's insistent shouting, though, Bobby turned back to those of us on board. "We need to get off, now. Everyone, unload!"

I hopped out the bus window, landing low and sturdy on the ground so I could take a look myself. That was when I saw it.

The Rift.

The same gold color I kept seeing, just a thin wavering line that was flicking in and out of existence. For a moment, it looked like it was about to fade away completely.

It surged, then, coming back brightly for just a moment before returning to a dim gold state. It was closing.

The Rift was closing.

It was so small, flickering like a dying light. It wouldn't be open much longer. Hell, it shouldn't have lasted as long as it had.

I rubbed my temples as I approached it. My head only hurt a little bit, thankfully. I wasn't certain what I'd do if I collapsed. But that Rift… I don't know how I knew it, but it was going to collapse on itself the second the source on the other side stopped, leaving all of us on this side. That wasn't good. That couldn't happen.

We had to get everyone through to safety.

"Everyone, go! Now!" I shouted quickly. Everyone had filed out of the bus and was just standing there, shell-shocked. Even Ketch and Mary looked concerned and uncertain. "Single file! Go through!"

"We won't fit!" Someone shouted. I fought the urge to find the speaker and hit them.

"Just DO IT!" I screamed. That did the trick. Everyone started filing out, moving quickly towards the Rift.

"You need to get through." Castiel told me urgently, appearing at my side. I ignored him, stalking even closer towards the Rift. He followed me. "You're going through, right?" I didn't say anything. "Kylie, you need to go through!"

"I have to keep this open." I argued. Castiel stopped for a moment, bewildered.

"What?"

"I have to keep this open." I repeated.

"Ignoring the fact that you don't really remember how to use magic," Castiel pointed out. "You physically can't touch it without going through yourself, and more importantly you need to get through."

"Not without everyone else getting through first." I stated, turning around to look at him. "And that includes you, Castiel."

"I'm not leaving without you." He argued. "Not again."

"I'm not leaving anyone behind."

"Then I'll stay with you." Castiel pleaded. "Just… Please, Kylie. Not again. I can't…" He gripped my hand tightly, and in that moment I thought about the choices Gabriel had laid out for me. "I can't lose you." If I stayed… Gabriel was right. I could see it in Castiel's eyes. If I stayed then Castiel wouldn't stop trying to find a way back here to me, even if I was dead. "Not again. Not ever again. Please." He looked into my eyes, searching for something; recognition, love, understanding, something from me. Something from the woman he loved, one that remembered him.

I might've been that woman, but I didn't remember him. I wished I did, but I didn't.

"I love you." He promised. "Please, Kylie."

I don't know what it was, but those words were what did it. In that instant, I felt any idea I might've had to stay crumble into dust. I couldn't hurt him. I couldn't do that to him.

I didn't remember loving him, but I knew in that moment that I cared for him.

"OK." I agreed. "We do this together. But I still have to keep that Rift open." Castiel stared at me incredulously, uncertain of what I was talking about. "I don't know how I know I can, but I can. I had to come through in one of these," I pointed to it. "And I didn't leave it open behind me. I know that. So there had to be a way for me to touch it and manipulate it." I turned back over to look at the Rift. "I… I can do it. I can keep it open."

As I stared at the Rift, I knew I could. I'd reached out and grasped it before and pulled it closed behind me so nobody could follow. I was certain of it. I'd reached out again twice, and stolen just a little bit of power from it. I knew I was right.

I could reach out and hold it open.

I hadn't been bullshitting the angels. I just hadn't realized I could do it either.

I turned back to Castiel. He was staring at me with pain evident on his face, but I knew he could see my resolve. He could see my determination. At the very least, he could see that if I was wrong I'd appear on the other side safe and sound. "I believe in you." He promise. I smiled, taking a deep breath.

"Good. Because I have an idea, but it's insane." I turned back towards the Rift, thinking for just a few moments. It had to stay open. I had to keep it open.

And I knew I could do it. I don't know how, but I knew. I just needed a little boost.

"Jack!" I shouted, turning back towards the others. He ran over quickly. I looked between the two, knowing this would be difficult.

"I can't do it." Jack said immediately. "Kylie, I can't keep something like this open. I don't even know how, and I'm afraid that if I do," he stopped speaking quickly, and I could see fear in his eyes. "I didn't make this one, and I can't control it."

But I can. I'd done it before. I'd used my own power and magic to close it. I'd tied myself to them.

"I have a plan." I promised. "But neither of you are going to like it." They both looked at me hesitantly. I pointed towards the Rift for a moment. "When I get close, I need you to strike at me with your powers, Jack."

"WHAT?!" They both shouted.

"Just do it, OK?" I begged. "I can keep it open. I know I can. I just need a little bit of a boost."

"That's not a 'little bit of a boost!'" Jack argued. "That's hitting you with something that might kill you!"

"It won't." I assured them. "I think… I think I have it figured out."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have time to explain." In truth, it was still a bit of a mess inside my mind. It was a lot of pieces still slotting into place, but I could guess the picture. I was certain I could. "Just do it, please."

"Kylie," Jack was going to argue, but Castiel cut him off.

"Do it." He said firmly, looking into my eyes. "She can do it."

"How do you know?"

"Because that's my wife." Castiel stated. I smiled a little at that. I had a feeling that kind of trust had been a familiar thing with him. It felt… It felt wonderful. I couldn't help but trust him too. "If she says she can do it, she can."

"Thank you." I leaned forwards to kiss Castiel quickly on the cheek. It was the first time I'd done that, at least that I could remember. I felt better doing that. Castiel looked at me with relief. "I…" I wanted to say I loved him. I don't know why, but I did.

But I couldn't. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. I didn't even remember him.

"I wish I remembered you, Castiel." That was true. That was fair. It might not be right or perfect, but it was more honest than telling a man I didn't even remember that I loved him. "I'm sorry that I don't."

"It's OK." He promised. "We'll have time to talk and sort it out." I nodded once at him, still smiling, before looking back at Jack.

"Are you ready?"

"Not even close." Jack stated plainly.

"Great. Let's do this." I looked back at Castiel one more time, and went for it. I kissed him once, quick and hard on the lips. Castiel recoiled for maybe a second before surging forwards, his hand in my hair and the other squeezing my other hand tightly. We pulled away, looking at each other. I still didn't remember anything. I wished I did, but I didn't.

That was OK. We would have time to talk and sort it out.

Without another word, I ran towards the Rift. Everyone looked at me curiously, but didn't ask as I urged them on. "Go! Go! Get in! Go through! Everybody, get to safety!" I kept shouting as I positioned myself behind the Rift. I took a few quick breaths.

This was crazy.

This was insane.

But I… I could close Rifts. I'd done it before with magic. I'd done it again… I was certain of it. When I crossed over to here, I'd closed the Rift behind me. I'd gripped the edges and pulled it shut.

Why couldn't I hold one open? Just for a few minutes?

I just needed a kickstart, and every time I'd done magic being here, I'd had one.

Jack was tied to these Rifts, just like I was. He didn't know how to control them all either, but he was tied just the same.

I could take power in that.

You've taken angelic power before. A voice whispered in the back of my mind. Why can't you take just a little bit of Nephilim power?

"JACK, NOW!" I shouted. He braced a hand at me and pushed it forwards once.

My reaction was as instantaneous as Jack's power's. I pushed a hand out, and for a moment the world paused around me again. I could see the energy Jack pushed out, rippling around me and through the world behind me. It was fluid, and nearly intangible.

Nearly.

I reached forwards a little more with my outstretched hand, and did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed a tiny bit. It absorbed into my body like a pinprick of gold light, and I felt relaxed; grounded. The magic around me felt more tangible, more real. I reached out with my other hand and did the same, grabbing a larger piece with my hand. I reached out a third time with both hands, pooling and holding as much of the magic around me as I could before pulling it into my chest.

It felt like a shock to the heart, putting me into hyperdrive. The world was slower around me for just a little longer, just long enough for me to see handholds in the Rift. I reached towards it, and on a whim grabbed. The edges were slippery, almost slimy, yet still tangible. I could grip them. I could maneuver them. The entire Rift was slippery and malleable. It was like a river, with two mossy rocks creating a gap in it. I could pull the rocks apart, and there would still be a gap.

So, I pulled it open.

I heard gasps around me as I did. I almost gasped myself. The second I started to pull it open, the river turned into two bright angry tidal waves trying to crash into each other, and I was holding them back with my bare hands. I felt myself break out into a sweat. I couldn't see anything but gold. I couldn't even tell if my eyes were open or closed. But I knew I had to keep concentrating and keep holding this Rift open. If I broke my concentration, I would let it go and it would close.

I had to keep focused.

I had to hold this Rift open. It was the only way everyone would get across safely.

"Why are you crying, child?" Castiel's voice. I knew it was Castiel's voice. I couldn't see him, but I could hear him. I could remember hearing him. I could just barely feel the alleyway I was sitting in.

"I'm crying because I…" This wasn't what happened the first time. I knew it wasn't. But I kept going. I kept talking to someone that I wasn't even talking to. "Because I can't remember you. I want to remember. I want my life back! I want my memories and my powers and my family!" I felt my hands pull the Rift open just a little bigger as I gritted my teeth. I was crying. I was crying in the memory turned imagination, and I was crying in real life. "I just want to remember everything again, but I can't remember you and why can't I remember you when I can remember a little bit of everyone else?"

"Kylie, what's wrong?" Castiel asked beside me. His voice was different. Less ephemeral. Less in my head. More physical and there next to me. He was right beside me. I couldn't answer, though. I had to keep holding the Rift open.

"But I did want to see you again." Castiel's voice again. I felt weak. I felt my hands waver for a second. I felt comfort on my back. It was strange.

I couldn't see again, but I was certain I knew.

"You did!" I told him. "You saw me! You found me! You're the only one that remembers between the two of us! Castiel, please. Please help me remember." I begged.

"I don't want to hurt you." The comfort disappeared from my back. "What if I hurt you again?"

"I'm hurting by not knowing!" I shouted, my hands pulling the Rift open a little more. "Every day I hurt because I can't remember a damn thing! All I know is what everyone else tells me. All I know is what they see. I don't know what I thought. I don't know what I saw. I don't know anything and it's killing me!"

"Kylie, it's alright." Castiel's voice. Reality. I was certain it was reality. "You know what you're doing. You can do this. I'm here for you, Kylie, and I'm not leaving you. You're doing so well. You're doing good."

I found strength in my hands, moving them to open the Rift a little more. I was moving someone. I couldn't hear, but I could see. I could see Dean flying back into a bookshelf. The room wasn't one I remembered, but one that felt familiar.

There were books everywhere. I was certain of it.

The push didn't work the second time.

I could see Castiel being pushed into a dark wall. This was a new room. This was a cold room. I was on the ground, I was certain. Castiel landed hard, his eyes closed. I felt fear in my body.

I could see myself standing strong, my surroundings amorphous as I kept pushing back against more and more and more people. People I knew. People I didn't. I had to defend myself. I had to keep going. I had to survive.

I kept pushing.

I kept holding the Rift open.

I saw my hands on a chest. The chest was covered in black goo. I felt scared. I felt desperate. I felt myself breathing quickly and sharply. I felt myself wishing I could pray to someone for help. My hands were glowing white. I couldn't hear, but I could feel and see. I felt like the person under my hands was dying. I felt like nothing I did would ever be enough, but I had to keep trying.

I couldn't let them die. I couldn't let it happen. Not after I'd just come back. I kept pushing, but this time it wasn't working. Why wasn't it working?

I looked up at the face of the person and saw it was Castiel. "Why can't I save you?!" I asked. I could feel emotion and pain in my voice. I couldn't hear anything else around me, but I heard my own voice. "I want to save you! I want to remember more! Why can't I do anything?"

Castiel opened his mouth to respond, but all that came out was more black goo.

I kept pushing.

I kept pushing. I couldn't hear Castiel's voice, but I could still feel his presence next to me. I could see, but everything was covered in a gold haze. I saw people walking through, some glancing around the Rift to look at me in amazement. More and more and more people went through. They couldn't grasp the Rift like I could, they just went right through the second they reached out. I could hold it, though. I was holding on. I was grasping something in my hand, in a different memory. I…

This was the first memory where nothing was missing, save for seeing it through my own eyes. I could see dark forests around me. I could hear crickets and the crunch of grass. Somewhere behind where I stood, I heard metal slam against metal. I could feel the surprising warmth around me. I wasn't in my own body, though. The me in front of me… She was on the ground. She was in pain. She was watching something behind me intently. I turned around and saw the vaguest outlines of a house, with a man walking towards it. I was certain that I would've been able to see it clearer if I could remember it better.

"Please live." She said. I turned to watch myself hold a… a phone. A cell phone. The other me pressed a button, her eyes still focused on the house behind me. I could hear the phone ringing. I didn't know who I called, but I knew that I recognized the voice at the time. It was gravelly and concerned. I watched myself ask for help, reaching forwards to grasp her ankle. The person on the phone kept talking. They kept saying my name.

I heard a gunshot from the house behind me, and watched as the other me smiled. I could feel the vaguest hints of her thoughts flood through me. I was saved. I'd just saved others. I was good.

I was good, wasn't I?

There was another gunshot behind me. The other me let go of her ankle, collapsing to the ground.

"Why can't you just call me when something good is happening?" The gravelly voice asked, standing beside me. He was a portly man, with dark hair and a slight amount of beard. We both watched as the other me curled up in a ball on the ground, the phone right next to her.

"I don't remember you." I told the man. I knew I should, I could feel it in the back of my mind, I just couldn't reach it.

"I feel insulted by that. I thought we'd become besties." He looked over at me, and when he blinked his eyes turned smokey red for a moment. The eyes didn't scare me, though. The closer I looked, the more things I could see within the smoke. Sorrow. Callousness. Caution. Familiarity.

He blinked again, and they were back to normal.

"Your head isn't quite working right, is it?" He asked. I shook my head, and he sighed. "Always pushing too much." He muttered. "You had a concussion. You broke your ankle." He smirked a little. "Don't worry. I came to save you." At those words, I felt instant fear and regret.

"I'm sorry." I said. "I… I didn't save you, did I? When it mattered, I couldn't save you."

"You couldn't have if you wanted to. I made my choice. You know how stubborn I am." I didn't remember that, but I knew he was probably correct. He seemed stubborn. "Besides, I was always the one to save you." We both turned back to watch the other me.

"I forgave you." I found myself saying. We both watched the other me, thinking. Something was supposed to happen. Something I didn't remember. I couldn't. I was passed out on the ground right there. "I never said that, did I?" I didn't know if I was talking about the memory or in general, but he did.

"I knew it anyways." He stepped forwards to pick her up gently, cradling the other me carefully in his arms. "Never give up, Kylie." He offered me one last look before disappearing.

Someone else was on the other side. They were trying to hold it open too. They weren't Jack. They were someone I didn't remember.

They were so tired, but they were fighting. I could feel it. They were a fighter. She was a fighter. She was fighting for people I didn't know, but I could see their faces in her mind. Sam's face. Dean's face. Gabriel's face. Castiel's face. A man, with a round face and stubble and dark hair. His eyes were just the slightest bit red. It was the same face I'd just seen a moment ago.

Crowley.

My face. She was fighting to hold it open, and my face was in her mind. My hair was longer, and my eyes were happier.

My face disappeared, and it circled back around to Sam's face. She kept circling through these faces in her mind as she fought to hold the Rift open.

She had been doing this for too long. She couldn't keep it up. She was too tired, too weak. She was minutes away from burning out.

It's OK. I urged her gently. I could feel surprise in her mind. Let go. I felt her mind recede from the Rift, and I was back to being grounded in the world for just a moment. I couldn't see clearly, and every word around me came through severely muffled, but I could feel. I could feel the weight of the edges on either side of me. I could feel the ground solidly beneath my feet. I could feel the comforting warmth of Castiel's body standing behind me. I could feel my hands burning, even. The tidal wave turned into two magnets, desperate to join together and meet up. I was still holding them apart, but just barely.

I could feel the tension in how I kept them apart.

I could feel the fire of their intensity searing itself into my palms.

There was fire burning brightly in my hands. Orange and red and yellow fire, not the shimmering nearly-tangible gold. It didn't hurt as much as the Rift did. The fire was comfortable. It had good memories, I could just barely see them. I was pushing too much, the curtains bit the ashes. Jack was pushing too much, I hit whatever a fridge was. We needed control. I needed control.

Control.

I learned control through fire. Fire in emotions, fire in physicality, fire in intent. I learned to control my intent.

Intent.

I learned to channel my intent into the world around me. Intent in action. Intent in desire. Intent in purpose. Intent in control.

I learned to wield my intent.

I learned to control my powers.

I had to get myself back under control.

Castiel was talking next to me. I doubted he'd stopped. "And I can't tell you how much I love you. You're amazing for being able to do this. I can't believe you're doing this. I know that it's difficult, but I also know that you can do this." I focused on his words. I needed to stay grounded in this world. I didn't know how much time had gone by. I didn't know what was happening. I could feel other memories, whispers of them, slipping and swimming around in my mind. I could chase them if I wanted, but if I did I would lose track of time again. I didn't know if I could come back. It was so hard to.

I didn't know what would happen if I didn't come back.

I kept listening to Castiel, kept focusing on his voice. I had to speak to him. "How many are left?" I forced the words out through gritted teeth. That was what did it – what grounded me fully in the world. In an instant I was hyper-aware of everything I was doing. I could feel the tears in my eyes. I could feel my feet, one braced behind the other. I could feel the burning of my hands much clearer. I could feel the pain in the rest my body as every part of me trembled in effort. It was like fire was coursing through my insides. I was burning up.

I was going to burn eventually.

I was controlling this fire, but just barely.

"Mary, Bobby, and Charlie just went through." Castiel informed me. "There's just you, me, Dean, Sam, Gabriel, and Lucifer left."

"Good." I didn't even think before the next words came out. "Go through."

"What? No!" As he finished those words, I felt the ground shake underneath me. I faltered for a moment, but I couldn't move my hands from the Rift. It was like I was bound to it, unable to really move from my position. Bits and pieces of memories kept flitting by me, just barely able to understand.

"Go through." I repeated firmly. "Get yourself and the others through." I blinked once, and I couldn't see around me again. I was firmly rooted in the world, fully conscious of myself and what was happening, but all I could see was that same shimmering gold.

Something felt wrong, though. It felt wrong and bad and big.

"You have to go." Castiel said. Something in his voice changed. It was more urgent. It was… It was scared.

He was scared.

"You first." My voice was tense, but it was calm. It was certain.

"Michael is here." The fear and urgency in Castiel's voice was much more pronounced now. He placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Kylie, he can't catch you. You need to go through NOW." I turned to look over at Castiel, and could just barely see him through the gold. He looked scared, turning between me and something off to the side.

"I can't pull away." I whispered. "I can't. If I let go, I don't know what'll happen." You're burning up, Kylie. It's too much power and you're going to burn up inside. It's not a question of if or when; it's a question of whether you implode or explode.

You'd had control of the angelic power you stole. This was like trying to control a hurricane in comparison to a small stream.

"We might all be stranded here." I said instead. Castiel didn't reply. I could feel him thinking. Someone in the distance shouted the word go. "Dean just went through. Gabriel and Lucifer are fighting Michael."

"Get Gabriel and Sam through."

"Not without you." He argued.

"I got this." I promised. "I think… I think I can keep it open from the other side. Just tell me when to let go."

"Alright." Castiel trusted me completely. I could feel it. "I love you, Kylie." I felt those words rolling around through my brain. I felt the comfort of his presence and his hand on my shoulder and I could see the kind smile in his eyes. I could hear my heart start to beat a little faster. I could feel a smile in my mind. I could hear… I could feel… I could see… I could…

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, DAMMIT!" I could hear those words so loudly in my mind, bouncing off the walls endlessly. With each reverberation of Castiel's voice I could… I could see. I could see a room. It was bright. It was warm. It was full of books and couchs and chairs and a table and I was so happy in that room. I could feel the wood floors beneath my feet. I could smell the slightly stuffy books and papers. I could hear the polite quietness of the room.

I could see flashes of people – of memories.

I saw where Dean hit the books – literally.

I saw where Sam sat and rubbed his temples as he looked at books. He was eating a salad.

I saw where Kevin and I would lay out and talk. Books and papers were scattered around us. We didn't care. It was break time.

I saw where Jack and I would talk. We both had warm, steaming mugs in our hands. I could smell chocolate. Jack was happier after talking.

I saw where Crowley sat, a glass of liquor in his hand. We were both somewhat helpless in the situation. We were both sarcastic. He looked more than a little embarrassed.

I saw myself in this room with people I didn't know the names of. We were all talking. We were all thinking. We were all strategizing. We were all hoping and pleading we weren't doomed, but we couldn't pray because God was screwed too.

I saw Castiel.

All the different people and memories and thoughts I could only catch the barest edges of froze when I saw Castiel. He stood just a few feet away from me, expectant and smiling. "Hello."

"Hey." I thought for a moment. I wasn't certain what to say. "This isn't a memory, is it?"

"Not quite."

"Why?"

"There are too many of them." He explained. "Some of them good," as he spoke, he looked off to the side. We were both curled up on a couch. I was starting to fall asleep against his chest. He was comfortable and awake and looking at me. "Some of them bad," I looked over to the other side. Castiel was sitting at the big table in a red hoodie. He was looking at me like he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life. "And some of them just… memories." I looked forwards, and he was standing right in front of me. Castiel reached forwards to grasp my hands lightly.

"Are you here to help me remember them all?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No." He admitted. "If you remembered that much all at once your mind wouldn't be able to undertake it all. You're barely able to keep yourself together as it is. You have to take these memories in slowly."

"How long will it be until I remember everything again?"

"I don't know."

"What if I never get them all back?" From the look on his face, I could see that was a possibility too. I looked around the library, and saw it flicker for a moment. Bits and pieces of gold were creeping in. My hands… I looked down, and saw I wasn't holding Castiel's anymore. I was holding someone else's hands. They were smaller, thinner, more feminine. They were coated in gold. I looked back up, and Castiel was replaced by my own self, coated in gold and shimmering so bright. She had longer hair, darker hair with streaks of red and purple coursing through it. Her clothes were darker too, but neater at the same time.

She smiled at me, offering me a kind and understanding look. "I'm working on that." She promised.

I blinked again, and all I could see in my hands was the line of gold I was holding open.

I could hear people gasp my name. I could feel wood floors beneath my feet and smell old papers and sweaty people. I could feel the change in the air on my skin, from an outdoor breeze and clouded sunlight to a circulating airflow and light from… from lightbulbs. That was the word, lightbulbs.

The Rift shuddered a little under my hands, and a presence was beside me a second later. "I'm here, Kylie. I'm here." Castiel. He sounded relieved. His hands weren't in mine, but he was right there beside me. There was another shudder, followed by someone saying Sam's name in relief. "You can let go now, Kylie." Castiel urged. "You can do it. We're all here. We're safe. You're safe. Let go." I felt hands on my shoulders. Not Castiel's, but someone else. They pulled the Rift magic out from me, through me, and began pulling me away softly.

"Close it." Jack ordered quietly.

"What if I don't know how?" I asked. I could almost hear Jack smiling a little.

"You know how. Intent."

Intent.

I felt the Rift soften with my intent, turning into a malleable force. Closing the Rift was easy. It wanted to be closed. It wanted to be done. I pulled my hands together, waiting until I felt the edges stick to each other and disappear. Jack kept his hands on my shoulders as he pulled his own power - power that I'd stolen for just a moment - out of me.

Jack looked around. This... this wasn't the Bunker. Where he was now was a small wooden room, with walls made of logs and a couch and table before him. Kylie wasn't in front of him anymore. His hands were still out, as though they were supposed to be on her shoulders, but they dropped limply when he realized she was no longer in front of him.

Where was he?

Where was Kylie?