CLIPPED

EPILOGUE

RJ watches from afar, a smile that is not so rare these days etched on his face.

Seeing Bow, Daniel, and Mia chasing each other around the park brings unexplainable happiness to his heart. A heart that is once stone cold but is now completely thawed by a fire that he still can't grasp no matter how much he chases it.

The fire. His fire.

In the end, love is still not enough to contain her. But at least it's been enough for her to keep coming back.

It's been two years and Maine still keeps visiting.

There are times when she stays for a week, sometimes even for two weeks. But most of the time she just stays for a couple of days.

And RJ, he keeps asking. Even though he receives no answer.

Maine---she always flees without saying goodbye, as if she had finally acquired wings that render her invisible and indiscernible.

Yet RJ keeps hoping. Because she still comes back. And long as she keeps coming back, he will keep hoping.

That one day, her wings will be totally clipped. That she will allow the last of the feathers to fall. That she will need to rely on her legs, legs that will finally allow her to travel the same path as him.

RJ closes his eyes and smiles. He is broken, but for some reason, he still feels whole.

Maybe because the one who broke him has the capacity to make him whole.

Him and Her.

He senses her presence even before he feels her sit on the patch of grass beside him.

He doesn't open his eyes.

"You don't look surprised," she says after a few moments of their silence. "That I'm here."

RJ simply hums. Maine chuckles.

"I almost feel insulted."

"You always come back," RJ says quietly. "That's not something new. I will probably be surprised if you decided to..." His voice trails off. They both know what he's going to say next anyway.

"I need to hear you ask it," is Maine's only response.

"Again, that's nothing new. You always tell me that."

Maine pinches him on the sides, causing him to finally open his eyes and stare at her for the first time since she joined him.

She lifts a brow, daring him to patronize her. RJ continues to stare at her for a few more seconds before he averts his gaze. His eyes go back to Bow and his niece and nephew. Daniel and Mia haven't noticed Maine yet, but Bow has. His brother keeps throwing glances their way. Bow knows about his pain, but his brother refuses to take it away from him. And it's one thing he's grateful about. Bow knows he needs to feel the wounds so he will know how to heal them on his own.

RJ clears his throat. "Fine. So will you?" he asks. "Stay?"

He doesn't immediately receive an answer. Instead he feels the weight of her head on his shoulder.

And he allows her. Maine is probably tired from all the flying she has been doing in the past few months.

Even winged creatures need to rest. They cannot fly forever.

It takes him a couple of seconds before he finally realizes it.

He closes his eyes and just feels. He doesn't need words. He never does.

Soon, he feels her intertwine their hands together.

"RJ."

"Hmm?"

Maine doesn't respond, but there's a silent question hanging between them. A question that they probably both know the answer to, yet both seem afraid to voice it.

But RJ answers it. Because he can. He can, now.

"I know," he says.

RJ turns his head towards her and cups her face with his free hand. He leans forward, his forehead touching hers.

"Welcome home, Maine," he whispers against her lips.

Maine smiles, her eyes glistening with unnamed emotions.

She closes her eyes and allows herself to be embraced by the familiar feelings that used to chase her away.

She allows the last of her feathers to wither away with the wind.

She doesn't need them anymore.

FIN

AN: Yup. This is truly the end. Thank you for reading Clipped. :)

MaiChard Fic Updates to watch out for:

1. Blackout is my twisted one-shot collection. Follow the book now if you're into Twangst, Twuff, and Twama. I will start updating this now that Clipped is finished.

2. I just posted Blood Chapter 3!  So... watch out for Chapter 4!

3. Forbid, Den Chapter 4. You know what happened in Chapter 3. That revelation was the impetus for the events in chapter 4. Chapter 3 was more dark than twisted. Chapter 4 will be more twisted than dark. In Chapter 4, Dennard will finally claim what he thinks is his. Also in chapter 4, someone else starts watching Alden and Maine.

4. The Stranger Chapter 4. It's my newest multi-chapter and I hope you'll give it a try. It only has three chapters in, but it will be updated soon. It's Sci-Fi with a touch of dark fantasy. It's set in a world where there is no female because centuries ago, females had vanished. Or had they?

5. How to Crack Mr. Ice King's Heart Chapter. No regular schedule of posting, but this will be updated more frequently than the others and I will update it next. It will probably have 20 short chapters or even less.

FUTURE FICS to WATCH OUT for:

1. The EX- (Drama) It's originally a one-shot, but it's once again, multi-part, like Clipped. It's set in a realistic AU. I will probably start this after I post Mirrors for Blackout. Or I don't know. It depends. I might post Conundrum first.

2. THE VIRJINITEA KONTRAK (Humor) – A childhood promise between two childhood friends. It will be a multi-chapter fic.

3. CONUNDRUM (Psychological Adventure-Romance with a touch of drama) – Ten passengers are invited to ride a majestic train that is said to transcend international boundaries. Will it be the dream ride of a lifetime or will it be the opposite? This will be a story full of allegories and metaphors. And of course, romance. It's MaiChard. Even when I ask them to slaughter people, there's still romance. There will always be romance. Because what will you do to such a chemistry?