The last part. Continued from "Lemon Tea and His Shirt." I may break your heart at first with them, but don't worry. I'll fix it at the end. I hope.

"Crane? Crane?" Abbie said, standing in front of the portal to the Underworld with a spellbook.

Pandora walked behind him, stood in the entrance. "Your lover is yours again, Witness."

She turned around and the portal closed behind her. It was just Abbie and Crane. Jenny and Joe waited for them in the car, like they did when Crane found Abbie.

"Crane?" Abbie stepped closer to him. "Crane? Can you hear me?"

He stared at her for a moment before he spoke. "I wish to go home, Leftenant."

Abbie nodded, reached for his hand. When he squeezed her fingers, she knew he was still her Crane.

She glanced at him as she fixed him spaghetti. He was quiet and only stared straight. She didn't know how to bring him back. Being in the Underworld did things to a person. She knew what it did to him, what it did to her. It really does break your spirit, your hope, but Crane helped her find hers again. She would do the same for him.

"Do you want to go shower until dinner?" she said, stirring the noodles.

She heard him stand up and leave the kitchen. His empty chair reminded her of the seven weeks without him. She found comfort in his covers, squashed them into herself until she couldn't breathe. That was the only time when she let his absence overtake her. She returned to her room for sleep. Now that he wasn't in the Underworld anymore, she wanted to fully release the pressure and grief that cleaved to her.

When the food was ready, she put their plates on the table and sat down to wait for Crane. Five minutes passed. She played with her finger nails. Ten minutes. She bit her lip. Eleven. Abbie rushed upstairs to the bathroom.

The door was locked; she called his name. Running water replied. She kicked down the door, ran to him as quickly as she could without slipping. His body sunk completely underwater. Abbie sat him up and let the water drain. She dragged him out of the tub. He felt heavier with his drenched coat on. Once spread out on the floor, she gave him CPR.

"Come on. Crane."

She pumped his chest, blew air into his mouth. Pumped and blew. Pumped and blew. Pumped and blew. He finally coughed, sat up, and leaned against the tub. Abbie rested her back against the wall. She didn't look at him. Was the Underworld that bad for him? Did it break him just that much? He almost committed suicide. He would do that to her? Leave her like that again without a goodbye? First the sin eater, then his grief with Katrina, and now this. She leaned her head against the wall and cried while Crane stared and stared. All the water drained out the tub.

Abbie wiped her face, straightened up.

"I thought you weren't real," Crane said.

She didn't meet his eyes.

"She said you didn't exist anymore, and I believed her, Leftenant. I believed her."

The fact that Pandora went as far to torture Crane that way made Abbie's skin tighten. It wasn't enough that she kept him as her captive, but she tormented him about her life. Abbie was sick of Pandora.

"She destroyed me, Abbie."

Her eyes clicked with his, and she saw him cry. She scooted over to him, grabbed his sat in silence again until Abbie stood up.

"You need to eat and get out of those clothes."

He stood up slowly and took her hand again.

Abbie felt a little more at ease when Crane had some food in his stomach. He took a shower, but not by himself. She sat on the toilet and made him sing "Proud Mary" to her. She sung with him. When it was Abbie's turn, they did the same.

They went into his room for bed. She didn't want to leave him alone. What if he slipped into that same head space and tried to kill himself again? He wouldn't be by himself for a few days. Crane sat on the edge of his bed while Abbie stood by his dresser.

"Thank you for your assistance, Abbie. You may return to your sleeping quarters."

She walked toward him, stood between his knees. She allowed herself to touch his cheeks.

"I'm staying."

He nodded. "I do want to apologize for my behavior. My intention was not to frighten you, Abbie. I was—"

"I know."

"It was madness. The most unimaginable events occur in there."

Abbie nodded. "You don't have to—"

"I need to."

She sat in his lap; he held his arms around her waist.

"I heard all kinds of voices. Some of them begged for mercy. A lot of them screamed and screamed. Lost souls even tried to take me with them. They reached for me; they tried to drag me down. The temperature was also quite unbearable. However, that was not the worse part. The hardest cruelty I faced down there were Pandora's constant reminders that I would never lay eyes on you again. Her words fell into my being over and over again. There was nothing I could do about it but accept it."

Abbie nodded again. "Pandora wasn't with me, but they do play with your mind."

"I tried, but she got to me so. When I finally saw you, I couldn't believe it. Shock and Pandora's persuasive taunts engulfed me."

She was glad Crane opened up to her, but she knew it would take him a while to get readjusted. He would have good days and bad days, but she would be there for him. He was there for her.

He put his hand on her cheek. "How did you fare?"

"I held on. I went to work. After work, Jenny, Joe, and I did everything we could to find you. Then I came home. Sometimes, they slept over."

She didn't tell him about burying herself in his bed. He was already fragile enough. If he knew how his absence affected her, he would have been worse than he was.

"Are you withholding, Leftenant?"

"I will tell you when you have a little strength."

He nodded and kissed her forehead. "Thank you for listening."

"It's what I'm here for." She got off his lap. "We should get some sleep."

"In a moment." He held her between his legs, his hands around her.

"What do you need?"

"I need to touch my strength and weakness; I need to touch you."

Abbie and Crane removed pieces of each other's clothing one at a time. They kissed and touched lips, shoulders, palms, the middle of backs, the inside of thighs, the areas that swamped them in solid pleasure. Their intimacy triggered croaked names, tensing, slacking, and tensing again. As they lay face-to-face on different pillows, she told him how she fared.