UnWanted Reunion (UnWilling Roommates book 2)

Epilogue

It's over, but it's never the end.

Three weeks later, you had officially moved back to Reverse Falls.  You had upgraded to an apartment with three bedrooms, and you were settling back into your familiar routine with ease.  Of course, not everything was the same.

"Human bodies SUCK!" Bill yelled from down the hall.

You and Will, sitting on the couch, smirked at each other.

"Do you want to go help him?" Will asked.

You shrugged.  "He'll figure it out."

You and Will continued aimlessly channel-surfing until Bill entered the room.  You'd convinced him to trade his flashy tuxedo for a more practical ensemble, but he still wore the bow tie.

Bill flung himself onto the couch from behind, ending up with his head in your lap.  "Pay attention to me," he insisted.

You ruffled his hair with one hand, then pushed him off the couch.  He landed on the floor with at painful thud.

"Ouch!  That was childish," he whined, pulling himself back up onto the couch.  His sleeves were rolled up, and you noticed the nyan cat on his forearm as he sat back down next to you.

"Where on earth did that come from?" you asked him incredulously, biting back a laugh.

He shot you a glare.  "You seriously don't remember?  This was YOUR doing, you insufferable minx."

Most of your life was still a vague blur, but it sounded familiar when he said that.  "And you actually kept it?" you scoffed.

"I could have gotten rid of it, but it reminded me of you," he said stiffly.  "And now that I don't have magic, I'm stuck with it."

Your smile faded.  "Oh."

The doorbell interrupted the sudden awkward silence.  Will leaped to his feet, probably eager to escape the tense moment. 

"I'll get it!" he called, rushing out of the room.  You and Bill avoided eye contact with each other until you heard Will shriek.

Bill was up like a shot, hurdling the back of the couch and rushing into the front room to put himself between Will and any source of potential danger.  You scrambled to your feet and followed behind, pausing in the doorway to take stock of the scene.

Mabel Gleeful was at the front door.  Bill had clamped a hand around her throat and pressed her against the door frame.  Will was on the ground behind Bill, scrambling backwards in blind panic.

"What are you doing here?" Bill growled.  You dropped to your knees next to Will, holding him protectively.  He clung onto you and buried his face in your neck, already crying uncontrollably.

"I- I just wanted to tell you we're leaving," Mabel choked hoarsely.  Bill loosened his grip slightly.

"We're leaving town," Mabel repeated.  "Without our powers, there's no show, and there's really nothing left for us in Reverse Falls."

Once you took a closer look at Mabel, you realized she looked different.  She wasn't wearing the theatrical getup anymore, instead sporting a cozy-looking pink sweater and pencil skirt.  Most different, though, was her expression.  Instead of cold and sadistic, she seemed... uncertain.

"Um," she ran her hand through her hair.  "That's all I wanted to say.  So... goodbye."  She glanced at Will, looking like she wanted to say something more, but Bill closed in on her threateningly.  She gulped and scurried away.  Bill slammed the door behind her.

"Good riddance," he declared.  You agreed wholeheartedly.

Bill crouched next to you and Will.  "Guess that newfound assertive attitude doesn't apply to Mabel, huh?" he asked gently.  Will shook his head wordlessly, still huddled against you.

"I know how to fix this," you told him.  "Let's rot our brains with mindless TV, shall we?"

Bill grinned.  "That always fixes everything!"

You picked up Will and tossed him back on the couch.  He landed, limbs flailing, a surprised laugh interrupting the tears.  You and Bill stationed yourselves on either side of him, trapping him in a cuddle sandwich, and immediately started fighting over the remote.

"I want to watch The Shining!" Bill demanded.

"Why on earth would you think that would be a good idea?" you argued.  "Will's already traumatized enough!"

"Oh, and I bet he'd rather watch My Little Pony?" he mocked.  You laughed in spite of yourself.

"Why don't we let Will pick?" you suggested.  Will looked surprised and slightly ashamed.

"Oh, um, whatever you guys want is fine with me," he mumbled.

Bill shot you a look.  "That's why we don't let Will pick."  He grabbed for the remote again.  You held it out of his reach.

After the scuffle, you ended up watching The Pacifier and you all agreed it was hilarious.

Usually the three of you were able to get on with your lives, but each of you were dealing with the psychological damage that Strange had inflicted in your own ways.  Will couldn't stand to be alone, ever, even for a few minutes at a time.  You and Bill had both gotten used to him moving to one of your rooms during the night.  Bill suffered from occasional bouts of uncontrollable violence, often ending up damaging the furniture and himself.  You frequently found yourself zoning out, having difficulty focusing on things, and still suffered from regular memory lapses.

But it was all okay as long as the three of you were there to hold each other together.

"Now can we watch The Shining?" Bill asked.

"No.  Not ever.  Keep asking and we will be watching My Little Pony."

As you bickered over the remote again, you reflected that even though all kinds of horrible things had happened to you since you'd met these ex-demons, you still felt lucky to have known them.

Bill elbowed Will in the face while going for the remote, and he started crying again.  Bill abandoned the fight, apologizing profusely while you changed the channel unhindered.

"Aw, come on!" Bill complained.  "Zootopia? Really?"

You laughed, chucking the remote out of reach, and eyed both of your roommates with a fond smile.

Yep.  I'm pretty lucky.