Three days later, near the castle
Robert and the gang were about to seize the castle along with the rebels. Robert had his Barrett M82 .50-caliber sniper rifle with him, which was fitted with a state-of-the-art scope.
The plan was for the Guardians to get Robert to a suitable spot from which he can snipe Phobos and Cedric before the rebels take the castle and allow Elyon to take her rightful place as ruler of Meridian.
"There, that ridge is perfect for taking a long-range shot!" Irma said as they approached a ridge that had an excellent view of the castle. Robert went prone and set up his rifle near the edge. Looking through his scope, Robert could see the throne room clearly, and Phobos within.
"Just relax and focus, you can do it." Irma said. "I know, your presence give me the strength I need to pull off this shot!" Robert replied as he adjusted his rifle.
He began taking slower, shallower breaths as he placed the cross-hairs over the top of Phobos' head.
"OK, I have his range, adjusting for bullet drop...taking the shot!" Robert said as he exhaled and squeezed the trigger.
BOOM! A thunderous noise echoed throughout the area as the rifle fired. The bullet traveled through the air and reached its target in just over a second. Phobos' head flew to pieces when the bullet made impact, his corpse falling off of the throne and to the floor.
"YES! Got him!" Robert exclaimed. He adjusted his sights as he spotted Cedric entering the room.
Once Cedric changed into his serpent form, he became a larger, easier target for Robert. "Goodbye, scumbag!" Robert exclaimed as he fired the second shot.
The bullet struck Cedric right above his left ear, went through his brain and out the other side, just below his other ear. Robert watched with pride and a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction as Cedric fell to the floor, dead.
"Targets neutralized!" Robert said as he got up and grabbed his rifle, slinging it onto his back and grabbing his AR-15.
"Way to go, babe!" Irma exclaimed as she kissed him. They joined the others and together, they helped the rebels secure the castle and that afternoon, Elyon officially became the new queen of Meridian.
The voices of all her best friends swam through Irma's head as the memory faded. Everyone congratulating her and Robert. Everyone saying how wonderful it was. Everyone wishing them happiness. Irma's mind lingered on that day, that wonderful, magical day from many months ago.
On that day, everything had seemed so perfect, everything had made Irma happy, she had felt loved, and needed, and content. Everything in the world was as it should have been on that day when she and Robert had embarked on a memorable journey of discovery, adventure and love those many months ago.
'Not like today, not like now." She thought to herself as she silently watched the coffin being lowered into the gaping hole that stood before her. That hole was a black mouth, swallowing all the happiness and joy Irma had gained over the past few months and replacing it with a soul-chilling depression.
The voices that she had heard over those months continued to flow through her head. The voices of her friends, her family, and one voice in particular.
One voice that kept recurring and repeating in her head. One voice that she longed to hear, but as she watched the coffin slip into the black void, she knew she would never hear it again, at least not outside of her mind. As the lid of the coffin, a cross carved into its top, sank down into the inky blackness, that voice filled her head again.
"Remember, you need to follow your heart. Follow your heart to the ends of the earth, and you will always find happiness." And Irma was overcome with grief.
Irma looked around to all of her friends, her remaining family, everyone gathered to mourn with her. All of their mixed relatives had descended on Heatherfield for the funeral. The audience of family members surrounded her, most crying, some trying to keep a brave face, but all touched by the loss of their favorite member.
Right out in front, directly to Irma's left, her brother Chris sobbed into the ground, unwilling to look up at the new gravestone or the black maw in front of it. Tom stood over him, barely fighting back tears himself.
Lilian, calm and collected, oddly enough considering her emotional state, stood next to them, whispering comforting words and thoughts to Chris as she gently rubbed his back with her hand.
Beyond her, Taranee, Will, and even Cornelia all bowed their heads in respect. Even with tears dripping down her cheeks and nose, Irma couldn't help but feel grateful to her friends for their support.
She tried to sniff back tears, but to no avail. This woman, always a source of comfort, a source of advice, a source of help, a source of reason, was gone. Gone forever from the life of Irma, Chris and Tom, and her passing left a hole that Irma felt she might never refill.
She looked to her right. There standing next to her, a breeze stirring his short brown hair, an expression of steadfast determination on his face as he stared forward, stood Robert. He was composed, calm, quiet, and strong. He faced forward with a strength that came from a desire to not show emotion, but it was powerful. Irma needed that strength, needed that persistence, needed someone to be her rock in such times of loss. Robert was her rock.
Without another thought, Irma leaned over and buried her face in Robert's shoulder. She inhaled deeply, and just as it had so long ago, the cool, wet scent of a beautiful ocean filled her mind. She felt Robert's neck vibrate ever so gently, as he nuzzled his girlfriend with all the compassion and strength of a man who was unendingly loyal to those he loved.
Irma felt supported by the strength of Robert, she felt safe. With her face sheathed and protected by his shoulder, Irma continued to cry. Robert didn't flinch at the tears soaking his shirt and neck, Irma needed him now, she needed him to be strong, she needed him to be there.
Robert draped one arm over Irma's back and held her close, gently rubbing her back, letting his strength and comfort support the teen who had lost so much, and was only now letting her emotions go, letting her loss overcome her in a grand display of a release of pent-up emotion and feelings.
Robert would be there for Irma, keeping her close, to keep her from getting lost.
Robert woke up in his bed the next day. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he made his way into the master bathroom, about to get ready for the day. He started waking up earlier in the mornings, so he could take care of his usual business and have more time for Irma.
'And now,' Robert thought soberly as he made his way downstairs, 'I'll need to be spending more time with her than ever.' The funeral had only been yesterday, and even then, Anna had only passed away a week before that.
"Killed instantly in a major car accident." Irma had been told. Irma had been excruciatingly upset ever since then, so much so that it very nearly tore down the brave facade that Robert kept up around everyone else to see his girlfriend in so much pain and distress.
Robert had been checking up on her every day, offering comforting words, a hand to hold her, and all he could offer. It was the least he could do, but it didn't seem to be having the desired effect. Irma was still miserable.
This time, a week later, when he went into her house to check on her, she was gone.
He figured that she was at Cornelia's house, so he got into his truck and headed off to find her.
He started making his way to Cornelia's neighborhood. As he slowly made his way down the first street, he heard a familiar voice that caused him to slam on the brakes and stop the truck. Robert looked and saw Cornelia and Elyon rushing towards him, looks of distress on their faces.
"Cornelia! Elyon, what is it? What's wrong?" Robert asked. "It's Irma, she's not acting like her usual self!" Elyon replied.
"How so?" Robert asked. "She locked herself in her bedroom last night and hasn't come out all day!" Cornelia replied.
"Her father tried to reason with her but with no success, so he told us to find you and have you talk some sense into her." Elyon said.
Robert realized that this could be the best shot he ever had at helping Irma cope with her loss, and decided to take it. "Hop in, we'll all talk to her." Robert replied. Cornelia got into the passenger seat while Elyon got into the back seat.
Robert drove off and raced towards Irma's house. When they got there, Robert and the girls got out and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, Chris opened the door.
"Robert! I'm so glad you're here, my sister's lost her mind! She's been crying in her room non-stop all day!" Chris said as he led the three inside.
"I heard, that's why I'm here, so I can talk to her and try to calm her down." Robert replied as the group went upstairs to Irma's bedroom.
Meanwhile, Irma was lying down on her bed, looking at a picture of her and her family. She had locked herself in her room and had not come out all day, grief and sadness blocking out all other emotions unlike ever before. She set the picture down, buried her face in her pillow and cried some more.
A pair of knocks on her door caused Irma to bolt upright and swing her head around.
"Irma? It's me, I need to talk to you." Robert said from behind the door in a compassionate tone. Irma sniffed back some more tears, relieved to hear his calming voice. "O...OK, come in." Irma said after she unlocked the bedroom door. Robert opened the door and came into the room.
He sat down on the bed next to Irma and wrapped his arm around her, letting his presence sooth her.
"I...I can't believe it, after everything that's happened, I still can't believe she's gone!" Irma said as she barely managed to hold back a sob.
"I know, sweetheart, but I heard that you've been locking yourself up in here alone, and everyone's worried about you, especially me; when Cornelia came up and told me about this, I seriously expected the worst, that you had gone into an irrecoverable breakdown, so I came to talk to you and help you. I mean, you shouldn't lock yourself away from everyone else because of this, it's not healthy. Keeping to yourself and keeping all of your feelings bottled up won't solve a thing. In fact, it will only make things worse." Robert said as he gently stroked Irma's back.
"But...I...I'm just so scared, Robert. What if...what if I lose my friends, too? What if I lose you?" Irma asked.
Robert continued to be soothing, understanding and compassionate. "You don't need to be scared, Irma, I'm here for you, your family is here for you, our friends are here for you, even my family is here for you. This isn't something that you have to face alone. Just remember that you couldn't have stopped it. All you can do is accept it and move on. I know it's hard, but your mother would have wanted you to. She wouldn't want you to be like this. And I'm still young, our friends are still young, your brother is still young. Our time isn't close to coming yet, we're going to be here with you for a long time, Irma, and I won't let you torture yourself out of the irrational fear of our loss" Robert said.
Irma knew the truth in Robert's words. In one motion, she threw herself into Robert's arms and hugged him tight, sobbing loudly and soaking his shoulder with her tears. Robert held her tight, stroking her hair and back, consoling her.
"I...I was just so scared, after the accident, I was just so scared that you or any one of our friends were next." Irma said.
"Irma, you're feeling so bad right now because you never let these emotions go. You just let them build up inside of you and now they're all forcing their way out. I want you to let them all out now. I'm here for you, I will make you feel better. Trust me." Robert said in the softest, most soothing voice that he ever thought could possibly come from his own mouth.
Irma did, continuing to cry on Robert's shoulder for what seemed like hours, letting her pent-up emotions spill out from her body, only to be mopped up by the compassion of the man she cared about most.
Outside the room, Cornelia smiled and wiped away her own tears as she listened to the events occurring just a few feet away on the other side of that door. She knew that Robert had helped Irma realize that all was not lost, helped prevent her from spiraling into an unrecoverable depression.
When her last tears finally dried up, Irma knew that she was done. She stared into the blue eyes of the man she loved, the toughest man she had ever known, who could take on the burden of a tortured soul and bring it out of the dark. She stared into his eyes, and found only love staring back.
Then, Robert leaned forward and kissed her. Irma kissed him back, and with their lips pressed together, everything seemed to brighten. Irma felt her fear, her anxiety, her uncertainty, and the last remnants of all the emotions she had recently harbored begin to bubble away.
Then, in an unexpected move, Robert slipped his tongue into Irma's mouth. All of the remains of the feelings she had dealt with recently faded away in an instant.
Robert held her there for a good long time, letting the bliss of the moment replace all of Irma's pain. After a timeless moment, he pulled away, letting his tongue slide along Irma's own as he elicited a small shudder from his girlfriend. Returning her gaze and seeing desire and longing replace all of the pain and fear in those beautiful blue eyes was the most rewarding sight Robert had ever seen. They then shared their first time together, united as one.
Robert lay on his back and sighed in an expression of pure love when Irma crawled over and snuggled up right next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. They lay there for some time, letting their heart rates slow down and their breathing get back to normal. They lay without speaking for longer than either cared to count, bonds building between them as they communicated without words.
Then, after what seemed like an eternity, Robert spoke first.
"You see, Irma? I love you, more than anyone else I've ever loved before, even my own family, and you know what, there are other people who also love you, Irma. Your father loves you, your brother loves you, Will, Taranee, Hay Lin, Elyon and Alchemy all love you, even Cornelia loves you, even though you two sometimes don't get along too well. My point is, there are so many people who love you and none of us can stand to see you tear yourself apart over your loss. Now don't get me wrong, it's OK to be sad, but let us be there for you, let me be there for you. We all want what's best for you, Irma, we all want to help, and we all love you." Robert said.
"I know, dear, I love you too!" Irma replied only happiness flowed in her voice. With that, the two lovers shared one last kiss and felt themselves being pulled into the comforting grip of sleep.
Inside Irma, the hole that had recently begun forming in her heart started to reseal itself, thanks to the undying love of the now-sleeping man whose arms were wrapped around her in a loving embrace.