Sprinting inside, we wasted no time practically bashing our way into the meeting room, where Hank looked up at whatever he was working on, looking at us as if we were insane.

"RV blew up!" Aiden announced, rushing toward Hank and our mentor pushed himself out of his seat. "I was able to get the chip with all his data out, but the carcass is still ablaze out in the parking lot."

Hank snatched Chip from Aiden's hands before turning toward all of us. "I need one of your phones," he stated.

I didn't understand how this seemed to be such a dire situation since we had gotten what made RV RV out of the wreckage, but I assumed there was something that I was not aware of that Aiden and Hank both knew. After a moment of us all just standing there and staring at each other, confused as to why he'd ask for something like this, I decided to take one for the team and offered him my phone as I pulled it out of my pocket. He quickly grabbed it and rushed away, off to his desk to do whatever technopathic work he needed to do.

"I'll contact somehow to deal with the fire right away," he called out over his shoulder to us. "As for you all, Nay will be here soon with news for you."

I felt my stomach drop, even though there wasn't necessarily a reason that it even needed to. My automatic assumption from then on was that any type of news was automatically bad. I knew this was definitely not a way to live, but I couldn't even help it now.

As soon as the door slid open a few minutes later, my friends and I practically pounced on Nay as soon as she entered the room. She just stared at us, already seemingly anxious from whatever she had been dealing with prior. That didn't stop everyone from immediately throwing the situation we were in at her.

My friends quickly explained that I actually had all of their powers, speaking over each other as Nay tried to follow along. She already had seemed overwhelmed when she'd entered, and this was in no way helping her.

"Okay, okay!" Nay shouted as my friends continued on, pinching the space between her eyebrows as an incoming headache made its way through. "I'm hearing what you all are saying. Luckily, since Violet is an Ender, she will be able to give your powers back to you."

I knew that I could, but that didn't mean I knew how. Nay seemed to realize this and smiled sympathetically at me.

"I know Hank and I have not been the best when it came to training you to use all of your Ender powers," she began, and her sincere attitude made me a little less angry at them. "But this is really rather simple. To take powers, you just need to touch their skin and concentrate. To give powers, you just need to do the same."

Sure, that sounded simple. It seemed like most superhuman powers worked in that way, where you just needed to focus to get it to work. But was that really that simple? Was there ever any better advise than to just focus on what you wanted in order to get it?

"I hate to rush this, but we do have... a few visitors that are on their way," Nay explained, and it was clear with this statement that this was why she had entered the room already seeming uneasy. "So please, see if this is something you could take care of now or you'll have to try it again later."

Well, that didn't put any pressure on me at all...

I turned toward my friends, none of us seeming to really know what we were supposed to do. Who was going to go first? Did I have to pick?

As if reading my mind, Dex took a step forward, volunteering himself. For some reason, this made me feel even more nervous.

He smiled at me. "I know you can do it, baby," he whispered.

Letting out a shaky breath, my fingers brushed against his cheek gingerly. I was terrified that somehow I wouldn't be able to do this, and then my friends would never be able to get their powers back.

Closing my eyes, I tried to do what I was told and focus. Dex's powers were super strength and invisibly, so I just needed to focus on giving him those two powers, right? The last thing I wanted to do was accidentally give him someone else's power and then have to take it back to give it to the right person.

I steadied my breathing and continued to concentrate. I wanted to give Dex super strength and invisibility... Super strength and invisibility...

As I continued to focus, I felt a sudden calmness wash over all of the anxiety I had been feeling, and suddenly a list began to materialize behind my closed eyes, and I was suddenly able to see all of my friends powers right in front of me. All of the powers that I currently possessed.

I remembered how the mind erasing powers appeared to those who had it as a clock when they closed their eyes. It really all was just straight to the point, wasn't it?

Staring at Dex's specific powers on the list, I concentrated as hard as I could until they began to slowly dissolve off the list, simply melting into non existence as I felt the pressure move from my chest and down my arms through my fingertips, into Dex's skin. It was an odd yet satisfying feeling.

I gulped once the pressure had stopped. "Did it work?" I asked, finally opening my eyes.

Dex smirked, suddenly sweeping me up right off my feet and into his arms, just like I had done when I had run him out of the RV. I knew that Dex most likely wouldn't have had an issue picking me up with regular human strength, but the way he was able to move me like I was as light as a feather made it obvious to me that to him, I was.

"Put me down! You're going to hurt yourself!" I squealed, holding back a laugh since I didn't want him picking me up in the condition he was in. "You could have used your invisibility to prove it!"

Dex's grin flashed for a second before he was completely gone, still holding me up, the only thing still visible being his cast.

I let out a laugh now, wrapping my arms around his neck once he reappeared and hugging him tight.

"Sorry to interrupt the little love fest here," Lena then decided to butt in, resulting in Dex finally putting me down, "but we would like our powers back, too!"

I rolled my eyes at her. You knew it was important to her when she interrupted something between Dex and me.

One by one I gave each of my friends their powers back, and it felt like a giant weight was being lifted off my shoulders with each power I gave away. I thought I had been feeling so horribly because of everything that had happened with Damien, but it had seemed to be a mixture of that and the pressure of every power I had within me. No wonder this power wasn't seen as a perk for Enders.

Each of my friends tested their powers out to make sure the process had worked, and I was relieved to see that it actually had. Nearly all of the pressure negative emotions I had been feeling the last few days were completely gone now, minus the negative feelings I felt due to the whole Kristie situation. But something told me that would take much longer to shed.

By the time we were finished with what we were doing, so was Hank. He handed me my phone as he came up to us. "Until we can get RV—or Chip, I guess—a new vessel, he'll have to live in your phone," he explained, and I just blinked at him since I didn't really understand. "With this kind of advanced technology, if he was just left as just the chip without having a physical form to possess, it would no longer work and we would have lost him."

I looked down at my phone, which looked no different at all. RV was in my phone? How was that going to work?

"Hi, Violet!" the familiar voice of RV suddenly greeted me through my phone, the screen lighting up as he spoke. "Please don't send any dirty texts to Dex while I'm in your phone."

My whole face turned red as Lena snickered from beside me. "I... I would never do that!"

Dex grumbled, "How unfortunate."

"Apologies for interrupting this disturbing conversation," Nay cut in, and I felt my face grow even redder. "But our first guest is going to be arriving very soon."

"Who is it, Nay?" Anthony asked, taking one for the team and doing it for us.

"The Director."

My jaw dropped. "The Director?"

Nay nodded quickly. "He has some things he would like to say to you all."

"I thought pretty much no one has seen him in person before," Anthony questioned. "Besides the people that he works closely with."

"Yes, that's true." Nay looked like she was trying to calm her breathing, which didn't make me feel any better at all. "But it seems as though he believes that what he has to say is important enough for an in person visit."

This was wild. I knew that taking down Damien Black was a big deal, but I never would have thought that anything would have been a big enough deal to warrant a visit from the Director.

When the door slid open only a few minutes later, we all shut up immediately and tried to look as dignified as possible, though I wasn't sure that was very possible for a couple of teenagers who had barely even changed out of their pajamas the last few days. We were just lucky we were in actual normal clothes that day.

When I was greeted with the sight of a woman with a short bob and glasses, I was surprised since everyone had always referred to the Director as a man. But almost immediately after my gaze dropped to who was standing right in front of her, and I knew this woman was not the one in charge of the entire DAU.

The man in front of her was in a finely pressed suit and had perfectly manicured features. His entire demeanor was distinguished and demanded respect. Not a hair was out of place on either his head or his face. He was also not an inch over four foot five.

He entered the room, the woman in glasses following right behind him as she clutched her tablet to her chest. I could feel they both had a close relationship and respected each other tremendously. She must have been his assistant that Damien had impersonated in order to create VAKAD.

"Good afternoon," the Director spoke, his deep voice not matching the rest of his stature. "Thank you all for meeting with me today. I am the current Director of the DAU."

"This is the Director?" Lena squawked, looking down at him incredulously. "I could punt him across the room!"

"Lena!" Nay snapped through clenched teeth.

The Director seemed unbothered by Lena's comment, but Nay looked like she was going to burst. I even felt embarrassed, since I'd been just as caught off guard by his appearance as Lena had been. It seemed like we all had been, even Hank and Nay.

"This is my assistant, Alexandra," the Director introduced, and Alexandra nodded as her greeting. "I felt as though she should be here for this meeting due to our newfound knowledge that Damien Black had impersonated her. I also tend to never go anywhere alone."

I wondered why exactly he stayed in hiding. There was no real reason to, unless he saw his height as an issue or he believed he would be more intimidating if he were to never been seen. I really hoped it was the latter rather the former.

"First of all, I owe all of you a not only a tremendous thanks, but an apology as well," the Director began. "You all managed to do something while going through training that our own fully-trained operatives were unable to do. But you should not have had to do that."

He was right, but I knew that this was how it was supposed to be. Damien Black had created Redrum because of my parents, so I knew I had to be the one to finally defeat him. And of course my friends were dragged into it by the fact that Damien had been on our team all along.

"As trainees, you've done things that would never have been expected from you," he continued. "And you did them well. You succeeded. You took down our biggest threat and not only I, but the entire DAU, are incredibly thankful for it. But I am aware that each of you have suffered tragedy and loss because if it. And I am so incredibly sorry."

We'd all lost Kristie, even if she had never been real. Lena had lost Nick, Dex had lost his mother, and Aiden has lost his father. We had won, but in some ways it still felt like we had lost.

The Director turned directly to me now, and I couldn't help but feel completely vulnerable under his gaze. "Violet," he began. Hearing him say my name felt so odd, for some reason. "I want to thank you personally, for all you have done. As an Ender, I know you may feel misunderstood and different at times. But I would like you to know how grateful we all are to you for everything you have done for this organization."

I forced a smile at him, feeling so nervous I thought my heart was going to burst right through my chest. "Of course," I managed to choke out. "I would do it all over again if I had to."

The Director nodded at me, smiling. I felt proud, being able to do something that made a difference. I had come into the DAU so lost and insecure; I never would have thought I'd end up doing something that actually garnered recognition.

"The last three Redrum members that you've dealt with, who we know as Carmine, Striker, and Jester, are still at large," the Director now explained as he turned his attention back to all of us, and for some reason I knew that when he said Jester, that was actually Tom. "Even though Redrum has been disbanded with the official death of the leader, that doesn't mean we won't have to deal with threats from former members or other dangerous superhumans. It also doesn't mean that they won't regroup once time goes on.

I let out a long breath I hadn't even realized I was holding. I knew that taking down Damien Black would only be a temporary solution; the DAU had been along much longer than Redrum had. There had always been evil superhumans and there always would be. There was just no longer a unified organization, for the time being. But the Director was completely right when saying that it would only be a matter of time before a new organization came to light. Now that Damien had brought the idea into fruition, there was no doubt someone would follow in his footsteps when the time was right.

"Now I have one last thing I need to say," the Director went on, letting out a sigh before focusing his eyes on my blonde best friend. "And this has to do with you, Lena."

Lena pointed at herself in awe, clearly caught off guard that the Director was singling her out.

"Lena, I believe I made a grave mistake when I decided that you would not be joining the DAU," the Director admitted as he turned toward the blonde, and Lena's jaw nearly dropped straight to the floor. Nay gave her a pointed look and she closed her mouth. "So I am here to formally apologize to you, and to offer you the spot on Team VAKAD that should have rightfully been yours to begin with."

Lena was absolutely speechless. Ever since I had met her, she had wanted nothing more than to be apart of the DAU. Anytime that it was mentioned that she hadn't been recruited, she was livid. Now, everything was going to change for her.

"Well, Lena?" Nay prompted, incredibly terrified that her firecracker of a niece was going to mess this up for herself somehow. "What do you have to say?"

"I... I say yes!" she cried, tears forming in her eyes.

My heart swelled for my best friend. I had been so focused on myself and everything that I had to worry about that sometimes Lena's wants were put on the back burner. I was so happy that she was finally getting what she'd always wanted.

"I'm so happy, I could... could..." She looked around, trying to think of something that would be able to convey just how ecstatic she was. Her eyes then settled on Anthony, and she didn't think twice to pull him in by his shirt collar and press her lips to his.

Nay looked absolutely mortified that her niece was doing this in front of the Director, but he only chuckled at the sight. Something told me he wasn't as mean and scary as people had made him out to be. But that was what happened when almost no one in your organization had actually ever seen you...

"I've been wanting to do that for a while," Lena admitted once she pulled away.

Anthony blinked down at her, still in shock. "Since I've looked like this?" he asked, referencing his growth spurt.

Lena shook her head, a sweet smile on her face. "No. Since before that."

Dex clapped sarcastically from beside me. "Took you guys long enough," he smirked, resulting in me elbowing him in the side.

"You're one to talk," she snapped back at him.

When Dex looked at me, as if expecting me to defend him, I merely shrugged. "She does have a point."

The Director chuckled at our banter, catching me completely off guard. He had such a serious demeanor about him that I never would have thought he'd find our petty arguing funny. But it definitely made me see him in a different light.

We broke off into groups then, Hank beginning a conversation with the Director as they moved to a separate part of the meeting room. Aiden immediately left our sides so he would be able to continue talking with the Director as well, not that that mattered much since he hadn't added anything to the conversation anyway. I didn't blame him, since he really wasn't doing well, and I could see that actually being able to talk with the Director put a spark back in his eye that had been missing. While I didn't want him to completely go back to his old self, I did hope that he would heal.

Lena was on top of the world. She was so excited she could hardly even stand still, bouncing back and forth on each of her feet. Her patted her face a few times, as if to prove that she was really awake.

I was happy that Lena was the one that would be taking Kristie's spot on our team. Though it hadn't been something I'd thought of much, I worried that it would have been filled by someone we didn't know or that it wouldn't have been filled at all. After everything Lena had done to help us without even actually being apart of the DAU, she deserved being recruited more than anyone else.

"You're going to need extensive training, since you're so far behind the rest of your team," Nay informed her, bringing Lena back down from her happy high to a more serious demeanor. "In addition, I would like your help on a family matter as well."

Lena's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "A family matter?"

Nay looked at the rest of us, and it was visibly clear that she was debating whether or not to share this in front of all of us. She seemed torn, but then came to the decision that there was no point in keeping it from us since she knew Lena would definitely tell us later anyway.

"I need you to help Mia with her powers," she answered simply, as if that answered every question rather than making new ones.

"Mia has powers?" Lena seemed completely shocked by this, but then saw that this was only confusing the rest of us even more, so she explained, "Mia is my cousin that didn't have powers, or so I thought. She didn't even have any idea about the superhuman world because her mom kept it a secret."

With Lena's explanation, I couldn't help but feel even worse than I had before. I had been so preoccupied with my own issues and what I was dealing with that I didn't even know much about Lena's family. I should have known she had a cousin.

"You can imagine how terrified she must be," Nay continued. "She's not much younger than you, but you know what she's been through. I think she could really use your help, even though your powers aren't exactly the same."

"What is her power?" Lena asked.

"Water manipulation." Nay seemed uneasy as she said this, for some reason. "Which is unsurprising, considering..."

Lena's face scrunched up in anger. "Unsurprising, but still messed up."

I felt completely lost in the conversation, staying silent just like Dex and Anthony, since I knew that they knew just as much as I did about the topic at hand. I was sure Lena would fill me in on everything now that I was aware of the situation, but that didn't make me feel any less guilty for not focusing on my best friend and her life enough.

Seeing that we were only growing more confused, all Lena said for an answer was, "Mia's dad's power was water manipulation."

"And my brother is... not a good person," Nay excused, looking over our heads as she said this. "It's a good thing that no one has seen him in over a decade."

This was the most personal thing Nay had ever said to us, outside of her few comments about her relationship with Malicius and Hank, which were still unresolved even though the former was dead. It made me wonder if I would ever truly know more about my mentors than the basics. As much as they could upset me, I still looked up to them and cared for them enough to want that kind of relationship with them. I felt like now I'd finally get the chance to do so.

Nay glanced down at her phone as a notification rang. "I'll be back in a moment," she announced. "Our other guests have arrived."

After everything that had just happened, I'd completely forgotten that Nay had said we had multiple guests, not just one. Aiden was still chatting it up with the Director, who actually looked engaged in the conversation rather than bored, which I would have expected from anyone who got stuck in a long conversation with Aiden. But I guess I was being too judgmental.

As Nay returned, my jaw dropped when I saw Stephen, Katrina, and Jude follow in behind her, Joel is Stephen's arms. Initially, all I felt was panic. What were they doing here, out of their safe house? But then I remembered the whole reason that they were hiding in the first place, and how I had promised that I would help make them safe. Now that Damien Black was dead and Redrum was in shambles, they were finally safe to roam again.

Joel immediately jumped from Stephan's arms and barreled toward me, throwing his arms around my legs as he hugged me tightly. "Hi!" I greeted, hugging him back as I looked up at the other three. "I can't believe you guys are actually here!"

"Neither can we," Stephen chuckled as he threw one arm around me for a hug. "But it's all thanks to you."

Jude stayed back as Katrina move forward to hug me, but I'd expected as much from him. I knew he had a crush on me and he knew I had someone waiting for me back at the DAU, and he was able to read other people's emotions. He definitely didn't want to overstep any boundaries.

"How's Kristina?" I questioned as Katrina and I pulled away from our hug, lowering my voice as I glanced over at Aiden, who seemed too interested in whatever the Director was saying to pay attention to us.

Katrina smiled. "She's doing well," she answered, and I couldn't help but sigh in relief. "She has her good days and bad days. Being held captive for nearly two years will do that to you, I guess."

I was glad to hear that she was at least doing well. I had no idea what she'd gone through during her captivity at Redrum, but I could only assume it was nothing good. And since they needed her to stay alive since her power would die with her, she was truly trapped until she wasn't needed any longer. I was really thankful that we were able to get her out before they deemed her no longer necessary.

I realized then that Dex, Lena, and Anthony had no idea who these people were, and were most likely very confused by the fact that I knew them. I quickly turned back around to face my friends, smiling sheepishly at them.

"Guys, this is Stephen, Katrina, Jude, and Joel." I gestured to the four Enders as I said their names. "They're the Enders I met when I went on my trip."

Calling it a trip made it sound like it was some kind of vacation, and it was a little odd since I had left because I couldn't stand being around my teammates at the time. Not to mention that trip resulted in the death of Dex's mother, and that was the last thing I wanted either of us to think of at that moment.

"This is Dex," I introduced, gesturing to him. "He's my..."

"Boyfriend," he answered, not skipping a beat.

This sudden admission nearly knocked me right off my feet. Not only was I struggling in trying to figure out what to call Dex since we had never actually ever put a title on what we were, but he said it so confidently that he knew he didn't even have to ask me if that was what our title was. Because it just was.

"And this is Lena and Anthony, my closest friends," I finished, though my voice was small and it was rather lackluster after what had just been said.

Lena nodded. "Also boyfriend and girlfriend," she announced, and Anthony was now beaming beside her.

I then noticed Joel's distraught face when I looked down at him. "But Jude and Violet are my mommy and daddy!" he cried, looking between everyone as if to get some sort of explanation.

"What?" Dex snapped.

"What were you up to on this trip of yours?" Lena questioned, the smirk evident on her face.

I just stared at them, my jaw dropped. How the heck was I supposed to answer something like that when I was caught so off guard?

Stephen stifled back a chuckle as he said, "Joel just hasn't seen his parents in a long time so he must have reassigned those roles to Violet and Jude."

"Since Jude likes her so much," Joel nodded, as if it was matter-of-fact. Which, with his mind reading powers and his ability to feel how people feel toward each other, it pretty much was.

Dex nodded, this peaking his interest as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Does he now?"

His tone made it seem like he was interested, but we all knew that the only thing Dex was feeling was anger and jealousy. You didn't even need Enders powers to figure that out, though it sure helped confirm it.

Jude put his hands up in self-defense. "Hey, I'm not trying to do anything. Especially with how you two feel about each other."

I felt my stomach do a flip. "How we feel about each other?" I couldn't help but ask.

The fact that I could feel how everyone else felt toward each other but then I had no idea how people felt toward me was only one of the many Ender quirks I could have lived without. It would have been much more useful to know someone's feelings toward me than everyone else.

"You love each other," Joel answered matter-of-factly, causing me to nearly start choking on nothing and for Dex to visibly turn white.

I was horrified, because I knew that if Joel was feeling this between Dex and me, then that meant the three other Enders in the room could as well. I didn't know why that felt so embarrassing, but it was like they could read right through me. I was so used to being able to do it to everyone else that having it done to me felt wrong.

I didn't even know what to say. I didn't even think there was anything to say! And it wasn't like Dex was saying anything either!

"Well, I think we've caused enough excitement for one day," Stephen laughed as he patted Joel on the shoulder. "We just wanted to come by and thank you for everything you've done for us."

"It was so great to see you again," Katrina sighed as she wrapped me in a tight hug. "I'm so happy that we can finally be free to come visit you whenever we want."

"And you'll have to meet Kristina soon," Stephen nodded as he gave me a hug as well. "Officially, of course."

I smiled at them. Yes, I really liked the sound of that.

"Bye-bye, Violet!" Joel cried as I crouched down to give him a hug. "I'm going to miss you!"

"We'll see each other real soon!" I grinned, ruffling his hair. He beamed up at me before running back to Stephen, who scooped him up into his arms.

I then turned to Jude, whose hands were in his pockets as he stood a respectable distance away from me. I glanced over at Dex, who was eyeing us through slits. At least now we actually had a title so he had the right to be jealous.

Jude held out his hand for me to shake. "I'd hug you, but I value my life a little more than that."

I laughed, taking his hand. "You're a good guy, Jude."

He really was. He'd find a girl for him one day.

Once my Enders friends were gone, both Anthony and Lena were looking each Dex and me expectantly, as if ready for a show. I had tried to prolong the goodbyes as long as I possibly could to try to postpone any awkward conversation, but it wasn't like I had any way to avoid it now.

"Is there anything you have to say?" I snapped at Lena, who was smirking at me now.

"Oh, no. I think I'll just go ask the Director some questions about my recruitment..." She winked at me before heading off in the direction that our mentors and Aiden were still talking with the Director. Anthony, however, stayed put, as if he knew he needed to stay for something.

"That's insane, what that kid said, isn't it?" Dex brushed off, his arms crossed over his chest. He wouldn't look at me. "About love."

I raised an eyebrow at him, though my heart was racing. "Is it?"

"It's not," Anthony answered for him, his know-it-all behavior returning full force with the return of his powers. "It's not like Dex has never said it you before or anything."

My eyes went wide as panic washed over Dex's features. "What?" I practically squawked.

Dex looked like he could have ripped Anthony's head off. "I am going to murder you," he threatened, taking a step toward him that would have been much more threatening if one of his legs weren't in a cast.

Still, Anthony wanted none of Dex's wrath so he quickly sprinting off, now right beside Lena as she continued to chat with the Director. They smiled warmly at each other, and I was happy for them for finally telling each other about their feelings. It took them long enough.

Speaking of which...

"Do you want to elaborate on what exactly Anthony was talking about?" I questioned, shooting a very pointed look at him. He seemed very uncomfortable, but I didn't really care at that moment. "Or am I just going to have to go get the information out of him?"

"No!" Dex cried as I took a step toward Anthony's direction, clutching onto my arm to stop me from going anywhere.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"When... when you were brainwashed," he began, refusing to look at me as he looked off to the side at something else. "I may have... said something to try to snap you out of it."

My eyes narrowed at him. "Just to snap me out of it?"

"No! I..." Dex looked completely lost for words as he looked at anything but me, his hand in his hair. "Fucking hell."

It had felt like so long ago when Dex was always swearing, even when it was unnecessary. It brought me back to our first conversation, when I was just a terrified girl wrapped in a blanket and he was a dark and brooding boy who said that I didn't look half bad.

I'd never realized just how difficult this would be for Dex to say, but at the same time, it wasn't like it was easy for me to say either. I had chickened out or changed the subject so many times before, even in my own head. Love was not something that either of us knew how to deal with or express. We knew from the past that love and the DAU did not mix well.

"You don't have to say anything." I smiled, though it felt forced since I felt disappointed.

I wanted to hear it from him. More than anything. But there I was, fully aware of the fact that I was in love with him, but I couldn't bring myself to say it either. It wasn't fair for me to pressure anything out of him when I couldn't do the same.

I was happy just being with him, and to have him as my boyfriend. We didn't need to force anything out right away. We had all the time in the world.

I turned to head toward everyone who was on the other side of the room, still enthralled by the Director. They had no idea if they would ever actually see him again, so I knew they wanted to get as much information and wisdom out of him as they possibly could. And while I knew that was important, I would have given up that opportunity just to hear Dex say that he loved me. But I wasn't forcing anything.

Dex grabbed my arm, stopping me from going anywhere. "Well, I... I do," he stammered.

I only blinked, not wanting to get my hopes up. "Do what?"

"Love you," he blurted, finally forcing himself to look at me. He brushed my hair out of my face, tangling his fingers in it as he cupped my cheek. "God, do I love you."

I couldn't help but smile at his words, my insides practically turning to mush. "Now was that so hard to say to me?" I couldn't help but tease.

"Incredibly."

I giggled, overjoyed and elated with what I had just been told. After waiting for it for so long, it was still everything I could have hoped for. It made me feel absolutely on top of the world. It was exactly what I needed to hear after everything I had gone through.

"Well?" Dex now asked, a frown tugging on his lips. "Do you have anything you want to say back to me?"

"Hmm." I tapped my chin with my finger. "I don't know."

Dex's eyes nearly bulged right out of their sockets. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I'm just kidding," I giggled, moving toward him and wrapping my arms around his neck. "I love you too, Dex."

Finally being able to say it took such a weight off my shoulders, much like it felt when I'd given my friends their powers back. I'd had no idea how much it had been weighing me down until it was finally gone.

Dex grabbed my face, pulling me in and pressing his lips to mine in a passionate kiss. We had kissed so many times before, but this time was different. Now we were officially boyfriend and girlfriend, and we had finally said we loved each other. Everything felt so different now, but really nothing had changed. And yet, this still felt like the beginning to something great.

We still had a lot ahead of us. We needed more time to train, to grow, to heal. One day, we would be full-fledged members of the DAU, but at that moment, we were just teenagers who were just trying to survive. We had a long road ahead of us, but the path was clear now with the bumps in the road behind us. I knew there would be trials in the future, but I couldn't imagine much worse than what we'd already had to deal with.

We'd been through so much, and I knew it was long from over. But even so, I was looking forward to everything I would have to face as long as I had Dex and my friends by my side.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The end.

There's still an epilogue coming up! So there will be one more part to look forward to. :)

This chapter is so long because I felt like I had to throw in everything I could to tie up as many loose ends as possible. I wanted to keep some of it open ended but I knew people would be asking about certain things so I just figured... info dump at the end lol.

I just got an iPad which I'm using as a laptop, which makes it the first laptop I've had in years since my MacBook pretty much stopped working. I have a PC, but for some reason I just do not enjoy writing on it. But for some reason, writing on a laptop has made me actually enjoy writing for the first time in years. I don't know why, but it makes me really, really happy.

Please COMMENT, VOTE, and FAN! <3