Naomi's pov

Arriving back at the mansion, we dismounted our pets and went inside. Austin looked all around as we passed through the foyer. I noticed Masky and Hoodie both in the living room.

They didn't seem to notice us so we went to the kitchen. There we saw Jeff and Jack, both guzzling down glasses of water.

"Damn, that was a long walk back," Jack said in a low tone.

The two suddenly looked over at us, realizing we were standing in the doorway. I scowled at Jeff and crossed my arms.

"I'm sure you remember my cousin, Austin. After all, you are the one who stabbed him in the back."

Jeff slammed a fist on the table. "Just how many of my victims are gonna come back from the dead?!"

"What's going on in here?"

We all turned to see Masky and Hoodie coming in. They both froze and stared at Austin.

"Why is an ordinary human here?" Hoodie questioned.

Selene chuckled. "He isn't normal anymore," she said, passing the proxies and heading for the living room.

Slenderman suddenly appeared before us. "Who is our newcomer?"

I grinned up at the faceless creature. "Austin, my cousin. Thanks to Selene, he's one of us now too."

We suddenly heard claws clacking across the wooden floor. We looked down to see Bella and Edward scrambling into the room and straight to Austin. He picked them both up and hugged them.

"Nice to see you two again as well."

Slender welcomed Austin, and after introductions, everyone slowly left the room until it was just me, Jeff, and Austin. My cousin nudged me with his elbow, causing me to sigh in frustration. I approached Jeff, who leaned against the sink with his water in hand.

"Jeff... Listen, about earlier..."

Jeff suddenly put his glass down and wrapped an arm around my waist. He pulled me against his chest and shoved his lips against mine. I was caught off guard by his actions. He swiftly pulled away and I punched his arm, still remembering what I'd told him before about not kissing me. He chuckled and rubbed his arm where I hit him.

"I think we both said stuff earlier that we didn't mean. It's behind us, let's just forget about it."

I smiled and nodded. I'm so glad he didn't make me apologize. Looks like we both hate the word 'sorry'. Jeff let me go and Austin came over to us.

"Hey," Jeff greeted, "no hard feelings about... you know... killing you. It's just what I do."

Austin pet the opossums that clung to his shoulders. "Well I can't really say all is forgiven. But..." He narrowed his eyes at the bleached man. "If you ever hurt my cousin again, you WILL have something to worry about."

Bella and Edward both hissed as a warning, but Jeff only chuckled. "You're no threat to me, but I'll keep that in mind."

The three of us went to the living room. There, we saw Jack and Selene sitting side by side on the couch. Selene held the side of her head with one hand while Jack gently rubbed her back. I guess she's still feeling the effects of that ritual.

I walked over to her. "Selene, you okay?"

She smiled up at me. "I'll be fine. I'll get plenty of rest once I get home."

She abruptly stood and left the room. We all quickly hurried after her, following her to the foyer.

"Wait, Selene!" I called.

The girl ahead of us stopped in her tracks.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I already told you. Home," she answered, keeping her back to us.

I stepped forward from the group. "You're not staying?"

She slowly turned a bit, looking back at me with a sad smile. "I don't belong in a place like this, Naomi. Since our mission together has ended, it's time we part ways."

She turned to leave again, but before she could take a step, I yelled, "You can't go!"

Selene snapped her head back around, her eyes wide. I could tell she was both shocked and confused.

I turned my gaze to the floor. "You brought my family back to me, and in return, I helped you retrieve yours. But... that doesn't mean our time together has to end. Selene... you've become... somewhat like a sister to me."

I glanced up to see her dumbfounded expression. "Do you... mean that?"

I nodded. Her expression softened. "Naomi, I could say the same thing. When I first found you, I was hesitant to put faith in you. But you proved to me that I could trust you time and time again. I'm happy to consider you family."

She suddenly approached me and wrapped me in a hug. I didn't hesitate to return it. After she pulled away, Jack came closer. I backed away from the two, knowing they needed space.

Selene's pov

"Selene," Jack said, "I want you to stay too. You do belong here, with all of us and... with me."

I stared up at his eyeless mask. "Are you just saying that because of what Naomi told you about us?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm saying that because it's truly what I feel. This can be your home, we can be your family. Just, please, stay here. I don't want you to leave."

He pushed his mask up, showing his frowning lips. I didn't know what to say. After a moment of silence, Jack carefully wrapped his arms around me, bringing me closer. He slowly leaned toward me until his lips were on mine.

The kiss was short but sweet. Jack seemed to stare down at me questioningly, waiting for a reaction or answer. I smiled kindly.

"Now how could I say no after that? Looks like I'm here to stay after all."

Jack instantly grinned at my reply, showing his sharp teeth. Naomi then came over with a happy smile, patting my shoulder. The aching in my head came back again, reminding me that I needed to rest.

I clutched my temples while Jack placed a hand on the small of my back. "Come on, Selene, you need to take it easy for awhile."

I flashed Naomi a quick smile before Jack gently began guiding me forward. We ended up going upstairs to Jack's room. He walked me to the bed and gently pushed me down so that I laid on my side.

With my one good eye, I watched him then climb onto the bed and lay behind me. He leaned over me, slipping his mask off and setting it on the bedside table. He then kissed my shoulder and wrapped his arms around me.

"Just sleep now, Selene," he told me. "I'll still be here when you wake up."

I smiled to myself and closed my eyes. I never would've expected Jack to act this way. Seems the spirits were right after all. Now I have a new home and a new family.

Naomi's pov

I took Jeff and Austin to the living room. Masky and Hoodie were still here too. They seemed to be watching The Walking Dead. One of my favorite shows.

"Oh yeah, this is my show!" I exclaimed.

Austin laughed. "Yep, definitely your show."

Jeff chuckled and draped an arm around my shoulders. "Now this is something I can get into."

I scooted closer to Jeff, resting my head against his shoulder. I felt his lips press against my head before he laid his head over mine. I actually kinda liked the affectionate side of him. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Austin petting the opossums in his lap while watching the show.

I was happy he was back. Selene reunited me with the ones I lost, and in exchange, I helped her track down her family for her. I'm glad she's here to stay too. She's a part of my family now as well, and now that our mission is over, we can finally relax and just enjoy our time.

A/N: Just so you all know, there will be one more part. This isn't the final chapter.