Breanna was half asleep, but still deep in thought. She'd been terminally ill, put into an AI twice, kidnapped the same amount of times, yet she was still just a girl- No. Not a girl anymore. She was a woman. What was that term she'd learned in Literature about characters going from innocence to experience? Bildungsroman, that was it. Her life had been one big Bildungsroman. She was a woman with hopes, dreams, and common woman's desires. And right now, there was only one hope, one dream, one desire.
As if on cue, she heard faint music outside the house. She went over to the window and opened the blinds to see a boy- No, a man- with a guitar on the ground below. When she opened the window, West's song fit their situation perfectly.
"Dear my love, haven't you wanted to be with me?
And dear my love, haven't you longed to be free?
I can't keep pretending that I don't even know you
And at sweet night, you are my own
Take my hand
We're leaving here tonight
There's no need to tell anyone
They'd only hold us down
So by the morning light
We'll be halfway to anywhere
Where love is more than just your name..."
Breanna, entranced, picked up right away.
"I have dreamt of a place for you and I
No one knows who we are there
All I want is to give my life only to you
I've dreamt so long I cannot dream anymore..."
And West.
"Let's run away, I'll take you there...
"Forget this life
Come with me
Don't look back you're safe now
Unlock your heart
Drop your guard
No one's left to stop you..."
Breanna lowered down the fire escape ladder, and as West climbed up, they sang the last chorus together.
"We're leaving here tonight
There's no need to tell anyone
They'd only hold us down
So by the morning light
We'll be halfway to anywhere
Where love is more than just your name..."
"What are you doing here?" Breanna asked.
She never could have seen it coming. He gently placed his hands on her arms, his face only inches from hers. "I'm here... To ask you if you'll spend the rest of your life beside me."
Her eyes met his. "What do you mean?"
West reached into his pocket and pulled out the gold and diamond band. "Breanna Rattmann," He took her hand, slipping the ring onto her finger. "Will you marry me?"
It took a long time for her to process the question. Was he really asking this? Was that look of pure love on his face true? Would she awake the next morning with no ring, no open window? No. This was really happenening.
Her response was a long, passionate kiss, which he gratefully returned. This was her hope, her dream, her desire. This was what she wanted for the rest of her life.
Her life, which would be spent as a human, with this man she loved. And someday, they would have a family of their own.
And eventually, she would die. She would die, just as all humans do. She would not live forever as an AI. She didn't want to. She wanted to grow up, hand in hand with West Anderson.
"You don't know how long I've waited for you to ask."
I'm going to be honest. I really should have ended it with the first one. The last three just don't seem as good. Feels almost forced, even to me. I just wanted excuses to write about Breanna. .
But this was the last one, I swear! Maybe they'll get brought up in future stories...?
Anyway, thank you so much for reading this series, and I hope you loved Breanna as much as I do~
The song is Anywhere by Evanescence.