Timelines Are Not Meant To Be Joined Together (SAMTBK Vol. 5)

Act 27: Redemption

Max's P.O.V.

I can't believe it. It can't be a coincidence. Only three hours after that shadow lady talked to me, Claire came back! Her hair is shorter than I remember... and the tips are color-changing when she's asleep, like she is now. When she's awake, I'll know what the tips regularly are.

"Look, kid," my shoulder angel began, appearing. "I know you're happy about seeing Claire again, but remember that you had to lose part of your soul for this. Do you think Claire would be happy about that?"

"Claire doesn't need to know. That's our business and no one else's," my shoulder demon argued, also appearing. "Besides, that part of your soul likely wasn't important. After all, you're still alive."

"Max, you gotta tell her what you did. If you don't, it'll come back to haunt you!"

"Well if it does, he can just go seek out Hope again and get her to do more dark soul-stealing magic and BAM! Everything's better."

"How will we ever find her again though?" I interjected. "Besides, I don't think I ever want to see her again." I then saw Claire's body move. "Go away, both of you. She's waking up."

Claire's P.O.V.

I awoke and saw a rather tired-looking Max looking back at me.

"I like your hair," he commented after a moment of silence. "Seems magical."

"I don't really know what happened with it," I admitted, trying to hide my surprise of him liking it. He doesn't need to know the whole gem thing, does he?

"So... how long will you be staying here?" He seemed like he really wanted to tell me something, but was also holding himself back.

"That all depends."

"On what?" Claire smiled.

"On how long you'll let me before you get tired of my company."

"I will never get tired."

"Well, maybe I will then." The two laughed.

3rd Person P.O.V.

"They're getting along so well..." MiniSere thought to herself as she peered through the door of the room. "Maybe... maybe I shouldn't have been so hard with Destiny... I understand why she wants her future. Not for herself, but for those she lost to it..."

"Mini me, are you okay?" Serenity asked. MiniSere froze. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Serenity heard the voices and decided to join the spying herself.

"...I don't really know what came over me. It was just, so strange," Max went on. "I had been waiting two years, longing for us to all be together again. And then when you come, I only seem to remember the times that you weren't there for us. I hope you'll forgive me."

"To be honest, I was the exact same way with you. I remembered all the times I avoided you and questioned if that was actually best for our friendship since we kept going around like that."

"Yeah... our friendship..."

Serenity turned away from the door, the expression on her face unreadable.

"I... I'm going to help Aera with dinner," she said before taking off down the hall.

"What did she just say?" MiniSere thought out loud. "Aera? That's as likely as some lady from another alternate showing up out of nowhere and killing my future."

MiniSere laughed nervously to herself, realizing her words.

"I better make sure big me didn't actually decide to do that!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Act 27 is out!

MiniSere put herself in a possible plot predicament.

Claire and Max are happy!

I'm happy!

You better be happy!

Bye bye!