Author's Note: Here it is - the epilogue. It's a bittersweet chapter for me. Part of me is so happy to (finally) finish this story but the other part of me (the one with the couple crush on Four and Six) is sad that we're finally at the end. A gigantic thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed and PM'd me about this story. You all have played a significant role in this journey. Thank you again for being amazing. - Gemma

~ EPILOGUE ~

Today marks our first official argument as a couple.

I was under the impression we would seek out the Garde geographically closest to us. Through the locator rocks we knew they were somewhere in West Virginia. My hope is that their Cepan is still alive and can give us a little guidance as to our next step in this intergalactic war.

Of course today, Six decides going to Spain is a better idea.

"How the fuck are we going to get to Spain?" I ask her.

"I'll figure it out when we get to the airport," she replies.

"We have no computer and no way to forge ID's or Passports or tickets."

"I know."

"Do you think they'll let us on the plane because we're cute? Because they won't."

"I know."

"So I ask again – How the fuck are we going to get to Spain? I'm not swimming."

"I know."

"For someone who 'knows' everything – you might want to come up with a plan before we attempt to get through airport security. Aliens are the ones supposed to do the anal probing – not vice versa."

"Will you shut up already!"

"Not until you come up with a plan that makes more sense than mine! We're a hundred miles away from another Garde. We could get there in two hours if we really wanted to. Find them and their Cepan and get some help."

Six buries her head in her hands.

"Look, we've been on our own too long. We need to find a Protector. It's their job to take care of this shit – not ours. They give us the tools and training and we fight the war."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do," she yells at me. "Now I'm going to the fucking airport. Are you coming or not?"

BK whimpers and his ears fold down against his head.

"What do you have against West Virginia?" I ask her.

Her shoulders slump as she turns to look at me. I'm not sure how I know but she's hiding something from me.

"What's in West Virginia?" I fold my arms across my chest.

"You don't want to know," she tells me.

"Or maybe you just don't want to tell me." I'm even more pissed now.

"That too." She can't meet my eyes.

"I fucking trust you with my life and you're keeping secrets!" I shout at her. "Fuck you, Six."

"John….,"

It's one of the very few times she'll ever call me that. She does it now to keep me from walking away. But I do anyway.

"I won't be able to rescue you." She's a few steps behind me.

"I won't need to be rescued," I snap back.

Her hand closes around my bicep and she spins me around. "If they catch you, they will kill you," she chokes out. "I won't be able to stop them. You're Number Four." Tears spill down her cheeks.

"I can handle the Mogs."

"Not in West Virginia."

"What, do they own the state or something?"

Her pleading stare tells me that I'm not wrong. "I'm not losing you." She wipes the tears from her cheeks. "The two of us going to West Virginia right now is a suicide mission! We need to go to Spain and get reinforcements!"

"If you want me to go to Spain. You have to tell me what the hell is going on in West Virginia." I swallow hard and set my jaw. "Henri and I drove through there to get to Ohio and nothing happened. NOTHING! In fact, I didn't see my first Mog until we moved to Paradise. So you better start talking, Six. And it better be the truth."

I can tell she doesn't want to tell me anything. So when she says, "It's a long flight to Spain. We can talk on the way." I almost laugh at the sheer lunacy of the whole situation. But in the end I concede – against my better judgment.

We don't talk to each other at all the entire way to the airport. Things get very tense between us for several hours as we invisibly sneak around on the runway following the baggage handlers.

This better be the right fucking plane, I think to myself as she checks the tag on suitcase.

"Fuck," she curses as she pushes the tag away in disgust.

Six has been keeping us both invisible for the better part of the day now and I know she's exhausted. I thought about offering to power her up but she's been acting like a real bitch, so I didn't. I'm not even sure that I would help her if she asked at this point.

My arm goes taunt as she pulls me to the next gate. We let the carts full of luggage ahead of us as Six checks the tags on these.

"This is it," she whispers.

I stand beside her, waiting for the inevitable lull as the handlers load bag after bag onto the conveyor belt. Just when we think they are done three more carts full of pallet-sized wooden crates approach the belly of the plane.

"You've got to be kidding me," I mumble. Two of the crates are marked Fragile. There are three crates that contain some sort of animals. I can hear their unnerved fear as the handlers tip the cages with no regard to their contents. The final straw is when I see them loading what is unmistakably a coffin.

"Oh no fucking way," I tug at Six's arm. There is no way I am taking a transcontinental flight with a dead body. It's just not happening.

"Shut up," she squeezes my hand. Hard.

"We can try again tomorrow," I hiss back.

"Or we can go now," she pulls me toward the entrance, which is about to be closed any second.

I don't have a lot of options at this point. If I break free, I become visible in front of at least six people down on the tarmac. If I go with her, then I'm stuck with a corpse for the next eight or so hours.

Either way, I'm fucked.

And not in the good way.

Reluctantly I follow her onto the plane. We hide in a far corner and wait for the door to close. There is very little light as it is and once the door closes we are in pitch black.

Annoyed, I switch on the Lumen and give us just enough light to see the immediate area. The pallets are up on some sort of metal rod shelving and are strapped into place. The passenger luggage is in a big pile on the floor. It feels like we're in one of those kiddie ball pits, only this one is filled with suitcases.

I take a minute to explore our accommodations for the next several hours. There's not much to the cargo area of a plane. We're still awhile away from take-off and I'm already bored. I glance over at Six, who is slumped over on her side. Her hair is wet with sweat and she's paler than usual.

"You're not going to puke are you?" I call over to her. Because I can only imagine how much fun that would be – traveling with a corpse and my vomit-covered girlfriend.

It's a dream vacation, alright.

She grunts something back at me – and since it doesn't sound like she's getting sick I ignore her.

A duffle bag catches my eye and I free it from the confines of the other luggage. I open it and am happily surprised to find a few pieces of clothing in my size. I change into these new clean clothes – which also happen to have Hollister labels – not that I'm a clothing snob – but it's a very pleasant upgrade from Mark James' Old Navy wardrobe.

I notice that two of the animals have calmed down a little but the third is anxiety ridden. Its thoughts are filled with a continuous hum that makes obsessive compulsive behavior seem normal.

"It's alright big guy," I say aloud trying to comfort the distressed animal. He responds with another humming thought – this one is a little less frantic. I take a big leap and land almost next to his crate. There are holes for air but nothing big enough for my hand to fit through. I poke a finger inside as I whisper a few more words of reassurance. Something wet laps against my finger in thanks.

I hope it's a tongue.

Returning to my new hobby of snooping through everyone's suitcase's I find a few things that I set aside for Six and I to use. Nothing of too much value. Some new toothbrushes and toothpaste. Deodorant – which I know I desperately need. Then I find an entire suitcase filled with boxes of cereal.

"Hey Six," I yell over to her holding up a few of the boxes. "What do you like better Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Captain Crunch?"

She doesn't answer and I look her way. BK is curled up next to her, licking her face.

"Six!" I say her name louder this time.

I see her eyes open slightly and she tries to lift her head but she's so weak that she can't. My guilt is building because I know that I haven't been very nice to her.

Digging through a few more bags, I find the one that had a bunch of beach towels. I take the thickest one to Six and cover her with it. "You feeling okay?" I ask.

"Tired," she replies.

"Well, there don't appear to be any Mogs in these suitcases," I tell her placing my hands on my hips in a superhero pose. That makes her smile. "You should get some rest."

"Thank you."

I take a minute to tuck the towel around her and brush the hair out of her face. I'm not happy about this whole situation so I don't bother kissing her. In fact, I tell myself that I'm not kissing her until she comes clean about West Virginia.

That's right. I am officially cutting her off from my lips and my dick.

And BTW - we're eating Captain Crunch because that's MY favorite.

I open the box and shovel it down by the handful. It's the only decent thing I've eaten. And by decent I mean full of preservatives and seven syllable ingredients. We've been living on fruit, nuts and trail mix for the last week. Oh, and coffee.

Six is a caffeine junkie.

Eventually, there is a loud roar as the engines finally start. The animals start to freak out again. Even BK gets a little nervous. Six sits up and rubs her eyes.

"Thank you for choosing US Airways," I say mimicking a flight attendant. I go through what I remember seeing on television as the pre-flight speech as this is my first time on an airplane.

"There is one emergency exit on this aircraft." I point to the large cargo door. "In case of an emergency evacuation floor level lighting will come on to assist you in finding these exits." I fire up the old Lumen and show the way once more.

"In the unlikely event of a sudden loss of air pressure, we have no oxygen masks. But don't worry. Remain seated & grab a handful of cereal." I pick up the box of Captain Crunch and dig inside. "Place it in your mouth and breathe normally. Enjoy it because it will be your last meal."

I'm almost finished chewing when the plane suddenly moves forward. I fall back on my ass dropping the box of cereal, which spills everywhere. The plane turns suddenly and I do my best to stabilize my position.

The luggage island we're sitting on slides toward the rear of the plane as it accelerates.

"Awesome!" I say sarcastically as I'm hit in the thigh by what is possibly the largest suitcase I've ever seen. "Just like first class."

Six gives me a dirty look.

There is shrill barking coming from our canine friends. I become all too aware that one of them has defecated all over its crate. Another is one the verge of a heart attack.

I can't think of a worse way to travel. I swear the next time we fly – we're getting tickets and sitting in seats.

As the nose of the plane tilts upward, the luggage tumbles back on top of itself. Six tries to use her telekinesis to keep her and BK from being crushed but she doesn't have the strength. I'm able to lift us all onto the shelving but now we are right next to the casket.

It takes several minutes for the plane to reach the desired altitude. The temperature drops at least twenty degrees. There are goosebumps on my skin. Beside me, BK is shivering and Six is rubbing her palms against her exposed skin in attempt to stay warm. We wait it out a little longer as the plane stabilizes. My ears pop every time I swallow and I go in search of a second layer of clothes. Six sees what I'm doing and starts at the opposite end, opening luggage and sifting through the passenger's belongings. I find a hoodie with the logo of the St. Viator Sharks rubgy team. I am now Sergio, number fifteen.

"Hola, Numero Seis. Mi nombre es Sergio," I say faking a thick accent.

Both Six and BK start laughing.

"Te gusta bailar?" I continue, offering her my hand.

"Mmmmm, Sergio," Six puckers her lips as she saunters toward me. Our hands link together and we attempt to salsa or tango or some sort of ballroom dance. We're absolutely awful at this. She steps on my foot. I turn the wrong way and trip over BK. For our finale I bend her backward, dipping her low and letting my lips (which are still pledged to be Six-free until she gives up the West Virginia details) hover above hers as she waits with anticipation to be kissed.

Unfortunately at that very moment we hit turbulence and I lose my balance. I fall right on top of her.

Through a series of giggles, Six faux-moans, "Oh Sergio – of course I'll join the mile high club with you."

She starts to reach for the button of my jeans but I stop her with a slap to her wrist. When she looks at me in surprise, I tell her sternly, "Access denied."

She laughs and tries again.

This time I'm more forceful, taking her wrists and pinning her beneath me. She struggles briefly, but in her condition she knows she can't win.

"It's not happening," I restate.

"Does it freak you out that much?" she asks.

"Does what freak me out?" I reply, not catching her meaning.

She turns her head and looks toward the shelving. I see the coffin looming above us. "Oh that," I frown. I had actually forgotten it was up there. But now that she brought it to my attention – I am definitely not feeling the mood.

"Ohhhhh, Sergio." She wraps a leg around my waist and pulls our hips together. "Y Ese Fuego Que Quema Por Dentro Y Lento, Te Convierte En Fiera."

"Not quite." I sit back on my heels. Despite the seduction in her voice, the so-called 'fire' she claims must be slowly burning inside me is definitely not going to get me wild. At least not right now.

I glance up at the coffin again.

Yeah.

Definitely not right now.

I look back at Six, who is having trouble keeping her eyes open. "Why don't you just sleep?

She must be really out of it because she doesn't argue. Finally taking my advice, she sighs and uses her telekinesis to bring the towel closer. Curling up with BK she closes her eyes. An instant later she's sound asleep despite the loud snoring of my Chimaera.

With nothing better to do I continue to poke through the suitcases. It amazes me what people pack to travel. Aside from all the normal stuff like clothes, toiletries and other essentials I find a wide array of things that make me wonder about the passengers riding above us. I find everything from bottles of liquor and pocketknives to books on Occult studies. There are all sorts of DVD's and jewelry and skimpy bikinis (naturally I steal one for Six)

There are food and hair products of all brands. I find multiple dental retainers and bottles of prescription medication. In addition, there is a complete First Aid Kit and an entire bag full of….

"Legos!" I'm not sure why I get so excited – I mean I'm not a kid anymore but there is something addicting about playing with those colored building blocks. I open the bag and reach inside. For the next couple hours I busily create the largest tower I can manage – while finishing off the box of cereal.

Maybe this trip isn't so bad after all.

Turbulence strikes again and my tower topples over onto its side. Six stirs to life. "What was that?" she mutters as she half-asleep attempts to get to her feet in a defensive fighting stance.

"Relax Captain America. It's more turbulence."

"Oh," she nods in her somewhat dazed state.

I'm not sure what is going on with her but there is a moment where she seems to sway. Her knees buckle as she faints but that same instant I am next to her. I don't catch her completely but I do manage to keep her from free falling onto the luggage.

"Six. Six. Come on. Wake up." I tap the side of her face with my palm.

It takes several minutes for her to regain a level of consciousness that I'm comfortable with. But I'm still worried.

"I thought you could heal yourself."

"I might need a little boost," she smiles hopefully at me.

I'm not ready to kiss and make up but I know that I can't leave her in this state either. On the outside chance that anything happened and she couldn't properly defend herself – I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

She's on her back on a bed of suitcases. I sit on her, a leg on either side as I hold both hands about a foot above her. With fingers splayed wide, I concentrate and let out a blast of energy. A blue dome of electricity forms between us. Even though we've done this before – this time something is different.

I feel things. Thoughts. Emotions.

Memories.

Images flash through my mind like a movie montage. I can't comprehend what I'm seeing. There is a woman who continuously appears in almost every frame.

Katerina

I have no idea who that is or why I know her name. Another Garde? Maybe the one in Spain? But as the time line progresses she seems to too old to be one of us.

There is a glitch in the scenes – almost like a skip on a DVD.

Katerina is covered in blood. She cries out in pain as a Mog stabs her over and over again. I start to feel sick and want to stop this but I'm caught in the web of this same image. It repeats over and over and each time a new aspect reveals itself.

Her screams are joined by a loud wailing.

Six.

I'm seeing her memories.

I'm living her nightmare.

I'm watching her Protector crucified by the Mogs.

In a secret base.

West Virginia

It takes so much effort to break the connection that I struggle for several minutes before I'm successful. Clenching my hands into fists, I look at Six with a new sense of understanding. Walking in her shoes there is no doubt that I would have made the same decision to come to Spain.

I shouldn't have doubted her.

Unsteadily I slide off of her. My arms won't stop trembling and I can't shake the unsettling feeling that we're in over our heads. She was right. We need everyone to fight this war.

We need to unite the remaining Garde before attempting a rescue mission.

As she sits up, I throw my arms around her. I can't even begin to express my sympathy for her loss. She witnessed Katerina tortured for who knows how long and then eventually murdered.

Without thinking I kiss her softly.

I wonder if I made her relive the memory of her protector. If I did, I am deeply sorry for causing her any further pain. When we first met she mentioned losing her protector a few months back but I had no idea the gruesome truth.

As she kisses me back just as gently, I want to make all the hurt go away.

Pulling her on top of me, I run my hands along her back. I don't dare speak because I know I'll say the wrong thing so I let her take the lead.

We kiss for a very long time. It's slow and sensual – as though we have all the time in the world. My hands roam across her curves as her body forms to mine. When her fingers seek out my bare flesh, I can't help the low murmurs of pleasure spilling from my lips.

She nibbles on my lower lip as her hands find their way into my new Hollister jeans.

"Access granted," she coos into my ear as my zipper descends.

"I told you," I sigh as she strokes my erection. "I'm down with this YOLO shit - anytime."

Our telekinesis merges as we undress each other. Fingertips trace along the most sensitive areas of our skin. An electric connection ignites as we touch each other. As my fingers sink deep into her, she radiates a heat meant only for me. Between her legs lies a tropical paradise of warmth and wetness.

She steals my breath once more with the depth of her kisses.

Being here with Six has awakened powers that I never I knew I possessed. She's changed me in ways that no one else could.

She lures me on top of her and I hold her closer than I've ever held anything.

In unison our hips roll into each other. The long awaited reunion is finally here. The fight and the sadness melts away.

She moans between kisses. I tighten my embrace and she does the same. It's as though we're trying to break the laws of physics and share the same space. I thrust in a steady rhythm reveling in the sensation it creates. Six is the perfect fit, tight and slick against my cock. I lose myself in the motion fading back in only as she climaxes beneath me.

As her insides pulse, it takes me with it. Arousal peaks and I pause to bury myself as deep as I can. Everything I have spills inside her. Barely able to breathe we cling to each other.

I'm in love.

There is nothing better than this.

I rest my head on her shoulder as she kisses along my collarbone. Her fingers entwine with mine as we lay there. I'm happy to be with Six wherever that might be even if it is naked in a sea of suitcases.

"Well, Four." She kisses my cheek. "That was quite a performance."

"Mucho gracias," I reply kissing her back. "You were a terrific supporting actress."

"Supporting actress?"

"I'm still auditioning for a leading lady."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, so if you know anyone who might be interested…"

She pokes me in the forehead. I smile as I kiss her again. "Don't worry, Baby. You're still being considered for the part."

"Baby," she snorts out a laugh. "Better watch that mouth, Cowboy." She rolls me over, attacking me with savage kisses on my chest. They're short and sharp and when she adds her teeth they morph into bites. She sucks hard on my neck, chewing against the tendon. It hurts a little but at the same time – it turns me on in the worst way.

"I think they're done casting for Fifty Shades of Gray," I stutter as she pinches my nipple between her fingers. My cock rises to salute her as she claws my shoulder blade.

My breath comes in short panting segments as she takes my erection between her lips. I'm throbbing in her mouth as her nails dig into my hips and thighs. Her pace is fast and saliva pools at the base of my cock. Lifting my hips against her mouth, I hear myself chanting, oh fuck over and over.

She switches up and fists my dick as her tongue traces figure eights around my balls. I can feel myself getting close to a second orgasm. I lie submissively as she works me in every way, until I'm begging for release.

"I love to see you like this," she hisses into my ear as her fist continues to pump my erection.

"Please, Six" I whimper. "Fuck me already."

Her hand slows and she bites her lip. She looks at me – considering it.

"I need you to get on my dick right now." To emphasize my point, I use my telekinesis to place her in position. Then of her own volition, she slams down on me. We both cry out as I come instantly.

"Come here." I pull Six down against my chest, wrapping her up in my arms again. "When we land, I'm going to talk to the director. I think you deserve a shot as my love interest."

She giggles. "I appreciate the gesture."

"One condition though," I say as I comb through her locks. "You may have to dye your hair."

She props herself up to look at me. "You want it blonde again, right?"

"I liked the blonde," I tell her.

"I like it dark," she counters.

"What about a compromise?" I suggest.

"Such as?"

"Blue."

"Blue? Why the hell would I dye my hair blue?"

"To match my Lumen."

"You really are something aren't you?" she laughs as she kisses me.

I guess I am.

But you know what?

Humans believe in finding your soul mate.

Loriens believe in loving forever.

I believe that I have both.

And that's all that matters.

FIN