The Inventor and the Phoenix

Evermore

A/n: you can listen to a female cover of "Evermore" while reading this

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the West Wing, Aaliyah handed Rodney the magic mirror. Wonderbot squeaked in confusion at what the Princess was doing. "The Enchantress gave me this the night I let her in. It will show you anything you wish to see."

Rodney gently took it from her hands. "I'd like to see my friend, please..."

The mirror instantly flashed. Rodney turned away before he faced it again. Cappy coughed as she fell to the snowy ground, lost in the woods and shivering hard.

"Cappy...no..." Rodney gasped horrified. Aaliyah also became distraught at the revelation. "She's sick. She must be dying, and she's all alone." Wonderbot gasped with horror.

Aaliyah seemed desperate as she turned to the rose. It was already down to five petals by then. Even though it would ache her heart to do this, she can't make him stay against his will...

She sighed through her nose. "Then...you must go to her."

"What?" Rodney asked surprised.

"I release you. You're no longer my prisoner," Aaliyah respectfully told him once she faced him.

"You mean...I'm free?"

"Yes," Aaliyah nodded.

Rodney thought he was hearing things, but the second he saw the truth in her golden-blue orbs, he understood. "Oh, thank you," he said to her before glancing at the mirror again. "Hang on, Cappy. I'm on my way."

He went to give the mirror back to her, but she stopped him. "Take it with you...so you'll always have a way to look back and remember me...and the others..." She sincerely told him.

Rodney bit his bottom lip before facing with disheartened eyes. "Thanks for understanding how much she needs me," he beamed at her.

He stroked her cheek to wipe a tear from her eyes, sparing one last glance at her, before he left the room. Wonderbot whined as it hugged her before it followed behind its friend. Just in that moment, Matt walked by to see Rodney and Wonderbot leaving the room.

"Well, Alli-Al, I gotta say, everything's going swimmingly well." He chuckled as he walked up to her. "I knew you had it in ya, girl."

"I let him go," Aaliyah admitted without facing him.

"Ha, ha, ha, yeah..." Matt started before he stopped. "Wait, what?!" He asked shocked, spinning around with wide eyes.

"I had to."

"Bu-bu-bu-but why?!"

"...because I love him."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"She did what?!" The Gang and Rusties shouted all at once.

"Yes...it's true," Matt sighed discontent.

"He's going away?" Caleb asked. Lily gasped, a few tears forming.

"But she was so close!" Cody exclaimed.

"After all this time...she's finally learned to love," Nabel said sadly.

"Well, that's what we need to break the spell, right?" Fender inquired.

"But it's not enough. He needs to love her in return," Sam added. Without the adults noticing, Caleb and Lily had an idea and walked toward the doors of the room.

"Now it's too late," Aunt Fanny added.

Caleb and Lily spared a glance at the Gang and Rusties again before they rushed out the door.

Meanwhile, in the West Wing, Aaliyah watched Rodney, who rose on the horse's back, leave through the gardens, Wonderbot catching up with him. It broke her heart to let him go like this, but she couldn't bring herself to let him suffer a lifetime of loneliness and heartbreak. She then glanced at the wilting Rose with disheartened eyes.

"I was the one who had it all," she sang as her eyes continued to gaze at the Rose. "I was the master of my fate. I never needed anybody in my life. I learned the truth too late."

She closed her eyes tight to prevent the tears from flowing down her cheeks. "I'll never shake away the pain. I close my eyes, but he's still there. I let him steal into my melancholy heart. It's more than I can bear..."

She walked out through the open door to her balcony and found Rodney leaving through the gardens. "Now I know he'll never leave me, even as he runs away," she then walked towards the stairs leading to a tower above. "He will still torment me, calm me, hurt me, move me, come what may."

"Wasting in my lonely tower, waiting by an open door," she stopped at a window halfway up to see the blue-haired boy. "I'll fool myself, he'll walk right in and be with me forevermore..."

She soon made it up to the turrets of the castle and walked across the bridges. "I rage against the trials of love, I curse the fading of the light. Though he's already flown so far beyond my reach, he's never out of sight!"

"Now I know he'll never leave me, even as he fades from view," Aaliyah got to another tower of the Castle and stopped near a window. "He will still inspire me, be a part of everything I do!"

She soon made it to the top, her stance tall and straight, yet her eyes still discontent and teary-eyed. "Wasting in my lonely tower, waiting by an open door."

She watched Rodney and Wonderbot leave through the gates on the horse. Rodney was gone, and he's not coming back.

And she will have to accept that.

"I'll fool myself, he'll walk right in. And as the long, long nights begin, I'll think of all that might have been waiting here forevermore!"