The house was quiet. Not the kind of silence that felt empty, but the kind that came with peace. The kind Rea had never thought she'd have.
She sat outside on the porch, watching as the last bits of sunlight dipped below the horizon. The sky was painted in shades of gold and purple, casting a soft glow over everything. The backyard was still alive with the sound of laughter—Jnr, Greg, and Jason were running around, probably causing trouble, while the adults watched over them.
It was… nice.
She hadn't always imagined her life would end up like this. After everything—after the missions, the losses, the years spent fighting battles that never seemed to end—she had expected the weight of it all to crush her. But somehow, here she was.
She heard the door creak open behind her.
"Figured you'd be out here," Christy said, stepping onto the porch and sitting beside her.
Rea smirked. "Old habits."
Christy sighed, leaning back in her chair. "You know, when we were younger, I never thought we'd make it this far."
Rea hummed in agreement. "Yeah. Same."
They sat in silence for a moment, just listening to the sounds of life around them.
Then Christy nudged her. "Jnr told me you finally told him about Aster."
Rea chuckled. "Yeah. He wouldn't stop bugging me."
Christy grinned. "He's a little menace. I love him."
Rea smiled, glancing toward the backyard where Jnr was now trying to wrestle Greg to the ground. "Yeah… me too."
Christy hesitated before speaking again. "Do you think about him a lot?"
Rea didn't have to ask who she meant. She nodded. "Every day."
Christy exhaled. "Me too."
Rea glanced at her. "I think he'd like this, you know? All of this."
Christy smiled softly. "Yeah. He'd probably complain that it's too quiet. And that we're all getting boring."
Rea snorted. "Sounds about right."
The door opened again, and this time, Eric and Jaxon stepped out, both holding drinks. Eric handed one to Christy before leaning against the porch railing. "You two look serious."
Christy shrugged. "Just reminiscing."
Jaxon took a sip of his drink. "I try not to think about the past too much."
Rea tilted her head. "Really?"
Jaxon exhaled. "Yeah. It hurts. But… I guess it's part of us now, isn't it?"
Rea nodded. "Yeah. It is."
Eric looked over at her. "You okay, Rea?"
She thought about it.
About all the years she had spent running, fighting, losing people she loved. About Aster's smirk, about Celeste and Andrew never giving up on her. About Christy and Eric always being there. About Jnr, and how somehow, despite everything, he had become the best part of her life.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt… okay.
She smiled. "Yeah. I think I am."
Eric raised his glass. "To the ones we lost."
Jaxon clinked his glass against his. "And the ones still here."
Christy grinned, lifting hers too. "And to the future."
Rea took a deep breath, looking at them—the people who had fought beside her, who had become her family.
Then she lifted her glass.
"To all of it."
And as the laughter and voices of her loved ones filled the air, for the first time in a long time, Rea felt at peace.
The fight was over.
And she was home.
The End.