~3rd Person POV~

Gladio's eyes widened. He ran to the others and told them that (Y/n)'s body was missing. "That's impossible. How can a dead body just get up and walk away?" Noctis asked, having a hard time believing the news. "Go check the damn car for yourself. She isn't there," Gladio said as he kept his anger pushed down. "You don't think someone stole her body, do you?" Prompto asked.

"Why would someone steal her dead body?" Gladio threw a question back at the blonde. "We can't simply go around and question everyone about this. We'll need to search ourselves," Ignis states. They all get back into the car and search the area.

"Wait, what if she survived the gunshot?" Prompto tried to stay positive for everyone's sake. "Impossible. The bullet passed cleanly through her head. No one could survive such a lesion," Ignis said. "I don't care if we find her walking around. We need her back, dead or alive," Gladio sternly said. They nod and begin their search.

-Three Months Later-

With no leads on (Y/n), everyone started to lose hope. Gladio was the only one who held the most hope in finding the girl he loves dearly. The night was young so the group set up camp. Gladio sat in a chair and pulled out his phone. Countless pictures of (Y/n) smiling and laughing filled his phone. When he reached the picture of her falling into a pond, he chuckled lightly. Prompto saw this and leaned over.

"Hey, I remember that! Noct was fishing and she tried to push him in, but he moved and she was the one who fell in." They both laughed together at the picture. Once realization hit them, they both went silent.

Noctis' phone suddenly rang out of the blue. He looked at the screen and saw it was an unknown number. He was a little hesitant but picked it up. "My, my, my. You all look miserable." Noctis recognized the voice as Ardyn's. "What the hell do you want?" Noctis growled more lowly than usual. The prince knew the Chancellor was grinning on the other end.

"I think this will interest you. Meet me in Galdin Quay. I have a surprise for you." With those final words, Ardyn hung up. Noctis glared down at his phone as if to hope Ardyn would receive it. "Who was that?" Prompto asked. Noctis filled them in on the phone call that just happened moments ago.

"Let's go. He might know something we don't," Gladio said. "We'll wait 'til morning," Ignis said. Everyone called it a night and went to sleep.

-Next Morning-

They all woke up early, even the prince himself. Without skipping a beat, the four men got into the car. It only took them about ten minutes to get to Galdin Quay. "Um, did he say where to meet him?" Prompto questioned. Noctis shook his head. "Let's look around," Gladio proposed.

"You don't have to look far, Your Majesty." Ardyn sauntered over to them. They all treaded carefully and kept their distance from the Niflheim Chancellor. "What's this "surprise" you have for us?" Noctis questions. "Let's not rush. I heard about your poor friend. Such a shame. She was such a beautiful girl. So young to have just died," Ardyn said, sending a small smirk to Gladio.

He gritted his teeth and tightened his fists in anger. The rage inside Gladio grew as the seconds flew by painfully. "Just tell us why you wanted us here!" Prompto finally snaps under the tension. Ardyn clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Fine. I'll show you your surprise. Come here, my dear." Everyone looked to where the Chancellor was gesturing to. A car parked not far from the Regalia had caught their attention. The door to the car opened slowly. A familiar girl stepped out of the vehicle.

"No way..." Noctis murmurs in disbelief. Ardyn smiled as their eyes all widened at the sight of the girl. "(Y/n)," Gladio called the girl's name softly. His eyes watched her every move. She walked over to them and stood by Ardyn. "I must say, the wound was an obstacle indeed. But, we were able to reconstruct her. Trust me when I say this- she is still your (Y/n)."

"Um..." (Y/n) messed with her fingers. She couldn't even look at them, let alone Gladio. "B-but... h-how..." Prompto asked in a shaky voice. Ardyn ignored the blonde and patted (Y/n) on her shoulder. "I did condemn the one who sent the troops. I couldn't bear to see such a young and robust girl be killed on my watch. I'll leave you to yourselves." Ardyn waved and walked away.

Gladio couldn't hold himself back anymore and grabbed the girl in his arms. She gasped at his sudden action. No words were exchanged as they hugged each other. The others watched the scene with warm smiles. Prompto began to cry tears of joy. Gladio inhaled her sweet scent and curled a hand into her (h/c) hair. (Y/n) began to cry, feeling shame for what she did.

"Are you mad?" She asked. Gladio tightened his arms around her small frame. "Not anymore. Now that I see you're alive, I don't care what happened." Suddenly Prompto yelled out. "I can't take this anymore!" He ran over and joined the hug. (Y/n) laughed and made sure to hug him, too. They broke the hug and she looked passed Gladio to smile at Ignis and Noctis.

"We're glad you're back, (Y/n)," Ignis said gently. Noctis returned the smile and approached her. He gave her a small but warm hug. "Glad you're back." Gladio then suddenly grabbed the girl by the arm. "I'm gonna need some one-on-one."

Everyone except (Y/n) caught on. They gave them their space and let Gladio do what he wanted. "Hey, why did you send-" Without letting another word escape from her lips, Gladio sealed them shut with his. When (Y/n) gasped, he depended the kiss. She began to melt into the kiss, causing her knees to go weak. Gladio noticed and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her on her feet.

When Gladio gave her one last heavenly kiss, he pulled away. (Y/n) panted as she tried to get air back to her lungs. "Well, that was one hell of a 'welcome back' present," she said once she was able to breathe properly. Gladio kissed her on the forehead where the bullet once claimed her life.

"I've got more in store. You just have to wait."