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There was a train in the distance as Leo stood beside the tracks.
She didn’t know where she was, why she was here, nothing. Only that she had been waiting so very, very long, too long even, but now, there was a train in the distance, it was getting closer and closer. Every breath she took, it was bigger and bigger, the familiar frame coming into view, the ghost of her father’s hands over its surface from when he’d painstakingly crafted it.
She was excited, it had been so long since she’d seen it.
Then there was a breeze around her, and finally the girl could turn, could look- and behind her was a quartz tower, gleaming bright and dazzling in the sunlight. A massive dragon curled around it, protective but more importantly, it was home. The center was her crystal, a blazing violet with the promise of a lifetime inside.
If she looked at the bottom of the tower hard enough, she could imagine a little dirt hut, walls covered in pictures and paintings- a simpler time, a time she missed but knew was beyond her.
Because… the train was coming.
Now she could hear it, the pump of its engine, the clattering of the wheels upon the tracks, the wood it was built from creaking with the strain of travel… and though it was day, somehow the lights in the front shined so bright so beckoning.
And so Leo stared at the train, waiting, patient as ever.
She would wait and she would keep waiting.
Any second there would be the turn of the bell, and she would board that train-
And then… then…
Leo didn’t know. She didn’t understand why she was even here.
But she had to wait.
Slowly yet suddenly, there was a rush of wind as the train barreled past her, only to stop abruptly before her. The bell rung loud and clear, echoing in her head.
Leo stood before the doors to what was the family suite.
Family…
Her heart ached.
But her little hands took hold of the railing and she hoisted herself up, one little step at a time. There was no going back now. This was her destiny.
This would be home now.
Leo stood in front of the door, hand trembling with a fear she didn’t realize she possessed. She was normally so fearless in the face of uncertainty, acting just like her fathers.
There was a sharp pain in her heart and she leaned over, eyes welling up with sudden tears as the faces of the men who raised her flashed in her mind, all of them smiles and laughter, and somehow that was far more painful than remembering their moments of distress.
Leo choked on her sobs before the door, and she felt like she was going to collapse and fall off the train before she could even ride it-
There was a woosh-
Strong hands clutched her arms and she was pulled into the car with a whimper, a cry, then greeted by a warm hug given by two people surrounding her.
Leo didn’t have to open her eyes to know.
“Te extrañé.” She sobbed into their arms, clutching back at them as though they would slip through her fingers at any moment. “Por favor no me dejes ir.”
“Nunca.” Her papa whispered into her ear, his hold tightening and she realized with a start how long it had been since she’d heard him say a word.
“We love you very much.” Her pa whispered too, something so rare for him and that only made her all the more desperate to cling to him.
Leo finally opened her eyes to see her parents, her father, her protectors, her everything.
Papa looked like he did all those night ago, the vibrant violet eyes full of so much love and fondness- she reached out, holding his cheek which made her little hands seem so much smaller. He clutched her hand in his and hummed a lullaby he sang to her so very long ago.
“A dónde fuiste?” She asked, eyes never ceasing to well up as the tears continued down her face.
“No importa. Estoy aquí ahora.” Her papa said, and he moved in, kissing her on her little forehead, “Te quiero mucho, mija.”
“Papa…” She mumbled, but then her attention changed to her other father as he giggled. Of course he did, he was never good at this… never was she and she giggled too somehow even as tears continued to fall. “Pa…Por qué no viniste por mí?”
“I did, I’m here now.” Her pa said, smiling wide and bright, his teeth like the tower she called home, and it was instantly comforting. “Te quiero mucho, mi hija perfecta.”
Leo crumbled, her lip quivering, “No, no, los quiero a los dos más!”
They both chuckled, shaking their heads affectionately.
“Love isn’t a competition.” Pa said, “But let’s not cry…” He reached for her, holding her cheek as he brushed away her tears, “There’s so much we have to do together!”
“Hay tanto que ver! Las aventuras te esperan y ahora que estás aquí, todos podemos irnos!” Papa said excitedly, “Este es sólo el comienzo.”
“En realidad?” Leo whispered, brushing away the last of her tears with the back of her arm. She was in disbelief, she was happy, so happy, but how? Why?
This was a gift she didn’t think she would ever receive.
“Of course it’s real.” Pa shook his head, “This is our happy ending.”
“Es lo que te mereces. Lo que todos merecemos.” Papa nodded and he took hold of Pa’s hand, leaning in to kiss his cheek with a flirtatious wiggle of his brows that sent Pa giggling again with a red blush over his golden cheeks.
“Quiero creerlo, es difícil.” Leo mumbled as it felt like any second this illusion would dissolve in front of her, but they’d been so warm-
Papa bent down in front of her, Pa clutched his shoulder from behind as he spoke, “Mi niña, abraza esta felicidad.”
He gestured to the door that led to the other compartment and she looked to see both the doors opening and what felt like a million people on the other side.
Hermano Roier, Cuñado Cellbit, Sobrino Richas, Sobrino Pepito, Tio Bad, Hermano Dapper y Ramon, Tia Tina, Tia Mouse, Tia Bagi, their Empanada-
Tia Jaiden, Tio Max, Sobrino Bobby, Mejor amigo Trumpet-
It was so many people, some she knew so much better than others- but it was all the children of the island, from tonto Tio Tubbo and his daughter Sunny, to Pac and Mike to Fit and Philza with Tallulah and Chayanne- Etoiles and Baghera with Pomme- even Acau, Jung, YD and Chunsik were among the group. Slime and Mariana were bickering, Juanaflippa and Tilin dancing around beside them, a grumbling Quackity in the middle-
And they were all smiling and laughing and happy.
This was paradise.
The family car was still just herself and her parents who she looked up at one last time.
Vegetta, the smartest man she knew, serious but also so silly. He protected her like no else and loved her so brightly with every last fiber of his being. She never lost hope to see him again and now that hope was being rewarded.
Foolish, the silliest little guy and the father she needed. He was there every step of the way, fighting for her tooth and nail, loving her in a way only he could, dramatics and all. There wasn’t a day he didn’t cause her to smile and she hoped to smile so much more with him now.
Leonarda Brown de Luque had everything she could ever want on this train and she didn’t think it was stopping anytime soon, the steady rhyme of its journey on the tracks soothed her aching, bleeding heart and she smiled knowing there wouldn’t be a day that went by without her family now.
She made a promise long ago, locked away behind glass that no matter what…
Always Juntos.