The Beetle & The Atom

8 - A New Path

Upon opening in your eyes and having the bright lights above you nearly blind you, you're situated in a hospital bed, stripped of your jacket, socks, and shoes. As you groan, you quickly notice Eve is right next to your bedside as she sits in a chair. Eve quickly perks her head upwards once she hears your breath, closely looking at you while she sheds tears of joy. You were close to opening your mouth, but Eve lunges forward, hugging you tightly. Feeling immediate relief after seeing the love of your life again, you smile at her, wrapping your arms around her firmly.

Y/N: I missed you too, Sammy.

Eve: You absolute fucking dumbass...

Eve pulls back and kisses you. You kiss her back, giving Eve the same amount of affection. The two of you end up kissing each other for a solid 10 minutes before you both pull back for breath, a string of saliva connected between you both. Khaji Da appears as a hologram next to you both.

Y/N: Eve-

Eve: You scared me to death, Y/N. You scared all of us for doing something so crazy by sticking around just to fight Omni Man.

Y/N: I know. The moment Debbie told me Nolan was the reason The Guardians were killed, I saw red. I wanted him dead on the spot for what he did. But... I made it through the fire and the flames in the end, didn't I?

Eve: (as she's still shedding tears of joy) You sure did. And... please. Please don't let the need for revenge twist you, hon. It's truly not worth it in the end.

Y/N: I... I'll try my hardest to not let it warp my mind, Eve. You have my word.

Eve: Thank you.

Eve then pulls in her chair and sits back down on it before she kisses you again, as Ross, Irene, Sasha, and Cecil walk into the room as Zoe is carried by Sasha. You are then met with tight hugs from each of them, except for Cecil, of course. He doesn't do hugs. You then pet Zoe as she rubs her head against you.

Y/N: Yeah, I missed you too, girl.

You smile at Zoe as Cecil looks at you.

Cecil: You did us proud out there, kid.

Y/N: I did. But... Jasmine, I could have saved her from that ring, Cecil...

Cecil: It's hard being a hero. You can't save every soul in distress. (sighs) Not even our own super powered souls.

Your mood goes down, you know he's talking about The Old Guardians Of The Globe who were ruthlessly slaughtered by Nolan. Irene steps forward, holding your face.

Irene: Sweetie. Nobody here blames you for what you did. Cecil is right, sometimes we can't save everyone. You did the right thing.

Y/N: ...I don't know, what did I do, mom?

Irene: You saved our lives, and the lives of others in the mall. The path Jasmine went down was horrid, but she'll never be forgotten.

Ross: Never. She was a good kid. It's a shame things turned out the way they did. But son, you did the impossible. Sure, it hurts, but you'll still find a way to move forward past all of this heartache. I know you will.

Wiping a tear from your eye, you look at Ross.

Y/N: Thanks dad.

Sasha then gets in close to you, and shows you something that surprises you. Jasmine's Ring resting on Sasha's middle finger, but it has been repurposed with the willpower in her heart, making it appear Green with an all too well known symbol resting right on top of it.