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Flynn let out a long slow breath, feeling boneless and satiated in his post tethering, post coital haze. His blood pulsed heavily behind his ears. His hand lazily trailed up and down Eve’s spine, enjoying her warm weight pressed against him. To be honest, his senses were in overdrive. After being tucked away in Nicole’s bland universe, this was the most real he’d felt in what seemed like ages.
“You ok?” Eve’s soft voice broke into his musings.
“Hm?” his brain took a second to catch up.
“You’re starting to wander,” Eve teased.
“Oh. No. I was just thinking about how good it is to feel real again. And to be back. Even if technically I was never gone…or…” his brow furrowed, trying to piece together all the details.
“I hate time travel,” she breathed a laugh as she said what was becoming an old adage in their life. She tilted her head to press a kiss to his cheek. “But I know what you mean. It’s good to be in color again,” she agreed. Living in a world without the Library or the ability to think freely was frightening to say the least. It was not a place she wanted to revisit anytime soon. “And I’m glad you’re home. Even if it never happened, I still acutely remember you being gone. You leaving…”
“I can only imagine…I’m so sorry, Eve,” he stared, sighing heavily. “Unfortunately I had a habit of just taking off. You had no reason to even consider something sinister. But I promise this time…”
“You didn’t mean to. I know,” Eve pushed on to her elbow so she could see him properly. “I knew it the second I saw you,” she whispered, bringing her hand to cup his cheek. She met his eyes, feeling that same spark of connection she had felt even when Nicole attempted to force them to forget each other. “But I am not going to lie to you. It was one of the hardest things I’d ever gone through. You left, then I was left fielding the doubts of all the other librarians. Then once Jenkins was killed and everyone else resigned, it was just me, holding onto a crumbling Library,” she finished with a grimace. Flynn covered her hand, pulling it away from his face and pressing a kiss to the palm before intertwining their fingers.
“But you never gave up. Not even for a second. You held the mantle of Guardian admirably. I’m amazed by you, Eve. And so proud,” he beamed. Eve ducked her head, humbled by the flattery. She didn’t feel like she had done anything remarkable. She was just doing her job and even then she didn’t feel like she actually had a handle on the situation. She was merely working on instinct, reacting. Even knowing time had reset and the last few awful weeks no longer existed, the memory of it was still weighty and visceral. She was grateful for the opportunity to debrief with Flynn.
“They were so…broken,” she recalled. Even before Nicole’s real life version of the Hunger Games, the Librarians had been at each other’s throats. Each one vying for the title of The Librarian while battling with doubts and concerns about this magical lifestyle they had been recruited into. “It’s probably best they don’t remember it. Jenkins’ death nearly broke Cassandra and there was something very inhumane about Jenkins’ mortality," she shook her head uncomfortably at just the thought.
“What is with you and Jenkins, every time I leave you alone with him you lock him up or get him killed. We are now just as immortal as he is, so it would behoove you to be kind to him, “ Flynn attempted to move the conversation in a more light hearted direction. Eve afforded him a soft smile. However, he could tell she was still troubled. He wasn't exactly sure how he could help her, other than being with her. It was no different than having a nightmare. It felt so real but at the end of the day was still intangible. Only time would take sting out of it.
“Do you think the memory will fade for us too? Like our memories of this reality faded when we were in Nicole’s reality?” she asked softly.
“Maybe. Hopefully.” Flynn shrugged, he really didn’t want Eve hanging on to the memory of that pain. “But hey…” he shifted so he was sitting more upright and tucked a finger under her chin. “Everything is back to normal. The Library has been restored, Jenkins is as surly and immortal as he has ever been and Stone, Jones and Cassandra are becoming better and better librarians every day. And most importantly, I am never leaving you again. We’re officially tethered to the Library and I can’t imagine anyone I’d rather spend eternity with,” he gently reassured her. A real smile came back to her face.
“You’re nice…” Eve stared with a grin. “And cute…”
“And completely crazy,” Flynn finished, pushing her onto her back and pinning her beneath him.
“And mine,” she added, eyes sparkling. Flynn let out an indignant yelp as she used one swift move to switch their position. He was now flush against the mattress with her beautiful naked form straddling his hips.
“Always and forever,” he agreed with a laugh. She slid her hands up his chest, moving to bracket his face and leaning down to capture his lips in a greedy kiss. He took a beat to relish the sensory input, the substance, and weight of her touch before finally surrendering to feeling real again.