There's No Such Thing As Happy Endings - Book Three of the Why I Run Series

Chapter Twenty-Four

Point of View: Pax, First Person
Timeline: Logan is sick, Patton is exhausted from bring Pax back from his previous crystal state, Virgil is mid-hallucination, Ollie and Daisy are M.I.A., Pax is getting his husband, Will, back

Immediately, I could smell the ocean and sunshine. I opened my eyes, wincing a bit at how bright everything was. I looked around, searching for any sign of Will, but he wasn't anywhere in sight.

What was this? Was this where I would find Will? I had been darkness, what did that mean?  Was everyone trapped in their own little world?

I gasped at my eyes caught sight of a massive white house boat with a bunch of multicolored fairy lights.  It was only a couple hundred yards in front of me, resting at a small dock.  I found myself... almost... being drawn towards it -

Wait! Focus! You have to find Will.  Don't get caught up in... whatever this is.  It's not real.  Don't trust it.

"Will?" I cupped my hands over my mouth, calling out. "Will-"

Will popped up from seemingly nowhere, waving at me from the dock.  "Pax? Oh thank goodness, what took you so long?" Will cheered, coming up the dock - waving and grinning madly.  He jogged up the small hill that I was on, quickly wrapping his arms around me and I truly wanted nothing more than to sink into his arms. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Leave? Where are we going?" I questioned, thrown off.

Will laughed. "Okay, I know we only planned this yesterday but come on," Will stepped in front of me - grinning so widely I couldn't help smiling back. His hazel eyes sparkled with amusement and I was close enough to see the impossibly small freckles just below his eyes. "It'll just be us, out on a this big as- uh, awesome boat," Will quickly censored himself.

I couldn't help laughing, leaning forward and kissing him gently. "No cursing."

Will pouted. "Never cursing at all?"

"Joan has been a terrible influence on you."

"I can't help it if Thomas's best friend curses like a sailor," Will argued. "And seriously, come on! I mean, I know that the boat isn't going anywhere, but what are we waiting for?" Will gave me a wide, silly smile as he grabbed my hands with his large ones.

Gosh... he looks so happy here... even though none of this is real. How do I convince him to come back to me, when he loves it here so much? How can I rip him from this? This is a... a beautiful fantasy to live in.

I couldn't help laughing despite the uneasiness building in my stomach.

No, Thomas needs us. The both of us. We have to go back for him. It's our responsibility.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But... Will, does something... feel off to you?" I coaxed gently. Perhaps it would be better if I tried to get him to realize that none of this is real.

Will quickly registered the worry in the way my voice wavered. "Off? What do you mean? Do you not feel well?" He reached forward, pressuring the back of his hand to my forehead. "You don't have temperature. Is it the boat? Is it too much? We don't have to go if you really don't want to..."

"No, no you really want this," I shook my head. "I... don't know, I - I guess I just feel like - like I'm dreaming or something. Something about all this," I waved to the scene around us, a peaceful but uncomfortably silent Imagination. "Feels wrong."

"Well... I don't feel anything wrong, but trust your instincts," Will agreed, stepping forward and folding his hand in mine. "What do you think is going on?"

He doesn't know, he doesn't understand.  But at least he remembers, that's a start.

I gently lifted my free hand to his cheeks, brushing my thumb across his cheekbones. Guess I was just going to have to tell him outright. "William, sweetie, I need you to wake up. I need you to come back to me."

"What? Pax, what do you mean? What are you talking about?"

"We were attacked in the Imagination," I tried to remind him. "A hellhound. And I'm here to bring you back home.  But I need you to figure it out, I don't know how to help you, my love.  Please, Thomas needs you... I need you to come back...please," I whispered. "Believe me."

Will's face darkened with doubt. "Of course I believe you," he said, but I had a feeling he was just humoring me. "What do I need to do?"

I leaned forward kissing him softly. Gosh, it felt so... real. I pulled back, and remembered what Patton had told me. "Remember your name... remember who you are, the ones that love you, the ones that you love... you have to fight to get back to them, fight to see them again... fight to see me again.  You have a responsibility, William. You are part of Thomas Sanders, he needs you.  Please, please fight this - I know you can do it.  I need you to come back. Come back for me, please."

"Where are you going?! Pax, wait, what's happening to you?!"

"I told you - this isn't real. Out of this," I waved my hand. I briefly noticed that I was turning translucent, I couldn't stay for much longer. Did this happen to Patton? "Out of this little world is me, I'll be waiting for you. But you have to do this on your own. I love you, Will," I whispered as my eyes suddenly felt very heavy and I started falling into a seemingly endless black tunnel...

-----

I stumbled backwards, someone managing to stay on my feet.  My off-white glasses slid down my nose and were practically falling off my face but I didn't even both to fix them.  I looked up, frantically hoping to see my Will.

All my hopes crumbled at the sight of the green emerald, lying in my hands mockingly.  I could vaguely see Patton and Logan out of the corner of my eyes but I couldn't hear anything, my brain not being able to process anything but the deafening silence and overwhelming sense of loss, of pain that coming in waves so quickly I could barely process it all.

"No," I cried out, hoping the gem close.  "Why didn't it work? Will..." I cradled the gem, doing my best not to cry at my failure.  "Please Will.  You're my other half, I can't be whole without you.  Please, please..."

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Holy crap, I posted twice in less than two weeks, I'm on a roll XP 
Just curious, has anyone figured out what side Will is? 
Max <3