The furious expressions on his parents' faces gave Gregor a temporary feeling of fear. How did they get down here? Did Mrs. Cormaci rat them out?

"Um... hi," Gregor said awkwardly, giving them a small wave.

Gregor's mom glared at him. "I should have known you would come down here. After all Mrs. Cormaci has done for our family, you scare her to death by running off to the Underland again?"

"You don't understand," Gregor pleaded.

"We know enough," Gregor's mom replied. "As soon as Lizzie is better, we're going back to Virginia, and we're never setting foot in New York again."

"Mom," Gregor started. "You don't understand! Didn't you see Luxa's note? There's a prophecy. I have to fulfill it."

"No, you don't," Gregor's mom argued. "Whatever this prophecy says, it's not about you."

"Don't you realize that I've fulfilled four prophecies already?" Gregor responded. "I mean, at this point, what's one more?"

"Every single time you go down here, you almost get killed!" Gregor's mom shouted. "I can't take that risk anymore!"

"Do you think I wanted this?" Gregor yelled. "I never asked to be the stupid warrior! But I am, and I can't do anything about it. Mrs. Cormaci said it herself - even if I run, my destiny will chase me. And my destiny is to save the Underland."

"Maybe it's not," Ripred said from behind. Gregor turned around to face him.

"What are you talking about, Ripred?" Gregor asked firmly.

Ripred lowered his voice so only Gregor and his family could hear. "I never believed in Sandwich's prophecies. Nerissa is just as crazy as him."

Gregor leapt up. "No, she's not! Sandwich was a murderer! Nerissa would never..."

"Keep your voice down!" Ripred whisper-shouted. "Vikus is just around the corner."

Gregor rolled his eyes but lowered his voice. "Listen, I have to stay. The Underland needs me."

"Maybe it doesn't," Ripred repeated. "You have already saved the Underland multiple times."

"Obviously not," Gregor muttered. "Look at us now."

"Us?" Gregor's dad commented. "You're not a part of these people."

"Not everyone down here is bad!" Gregor shouted. "Why don't you guys get it?"

"Calm yourself," Ripred said, hitting Gregor lightly with his tail. Gregor glared at the rat and crossed his arms.

"Gregor..." his dad sighed. "If we allow you to stay..."

"No! That's not an option!" Gregor's mom shouted. "He's leaving."

"But, Mom..."

"Lizzie nearly bled to death!" Gregor's mom screamed. "That can't... that won't happen to any of my children! And it sure as hell wouldn't have happened in Virginia!"

Gregor turned to Ripred. "Please, back me up. I have to stay. You know that. The prophecy clearly mentions me - the warrior. It says that the Underland will die if I don't come!"

"And you came," Ripred replied. "Does the prophecy talk about how long you have to stay?"

Gregor thought for a moment. "Yes! At the end, it asks if I will succeed or fall."

"So?" Ripred said. "How many other prophecies have ended that way?"

"You've manipulated me before," Gregor claimed. "With the Prophecy of Blood! You said I only had to stay for a meeting! But you lied! How do I know you're not lying now?"

Ripred shook his head. "I have told you before that my words were open to interpretation. And I'm not lying now. You know that I don't believe in Sandwich's prophecies or Nerissa's visions. And frankly, I'm a bit disappointed in your lack of trust in me, especially after our little chat."

"Enough!" Gregor's mom exclaimed. "You're coming home, and that's final."

"I disagree," Gregor's dad said, much to everyone's surprise.

"WHAT?" Gregor's mom gasped.

His dad sighed. "Haven't you noticed the difference in Regalia? The city is destroyed. That was the rats' doing." He quickly turned to Ripred. "Well, not all the rats. But... you know what I mean. The point is, the Underland is in danger."

"And as much as that sucks, Gregor can't help them. He's thirteen. What can he do that nobody else can?" Gregor's mom asked.

"He's the warrior. You know this."

"But the warrior's dead!" Gregor's mom nearly shouted. "I don't understand..."

"Things have changed," Ripred said simply, causing everyone to turn and look at him. "The warrior may have been killed, but he's back now. And although I'm skeptical about the prophecies, I do believe that Gregor and his sisters would be of great value to the Underland in its current state."

Gregor's mom contemplated this for a minute and then sighed. "I don't know what crazy part of me is even considering this, but..." she looked directly at Ripred. "I need you to swear to me that you will not let anything happen to any of my children."

Ripred nodded. "I give you my word. I will protect them."

"I... why am I considering agreeing to this?"

"Grace, it's okay," Gregor's dad said, putting an arm around Gregor's mom. "Everyone will be fine."

"I just don't understand why you need Boots and Lizzie," Gregor's mom argued.

"Because the prophecy says so," his dad responded. "Or so it seems. Am I right?"

"Yep," said Gregor reluctantly. "Believe me, I don't want them here either, but they have to be. I don't know why, but..."

"I can promise they'll be okay," Ripred interrupted, looking straight at Gregor's parents. "Well, they will if they listen to what my say. Lizzie will be fine. The other one? Boots? She doesn't listen. But I'll do everything in my power to protect her."

"You're not helping your case much," Gregor muttered.

Ripred shrugged. "Just being honest."

"Brutally!"

"Okay, fine!" Gregor's mom shouted. "He can stay. But I don't know if I trust that you can protect all three of my children. Especially after what happened to Lizzie."

"Oh," Gregor gasped. He whispered to Ripred. "They don't know about Boots."

Ripred nodded. "Telling them will only make them worry more. Not telling them will make them suspicious."

"What are you talking about?" Gregor's mom yelled. She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Your dad is staying with Lizzie the entire time, and I'm staying with Boots. And you, Ripred, are staying with Gregor for every second of every day."

"Oh, boy, what an honor to be the warrior's bodyguard," Ripred said sarcastically. "This will be fun."

"Could say the same about you," Gregor commented in disgust. Ripred chuckled, and Gregor couldn't help but show a small smile.

"So, what made you two come down here?" Gregor asked his parents. They exchanged a painful glance.

"Mrs. Cormaci called us and told us what happened," Gregor's dad replied uneasily.

"And who's staying with Grandma?" Gregor asked.

Gregor's mom looked down. "Gregor, she... died of a heart attack two days ago."

Gregor's head shot up. "What? B-but... she was getting better..." His voice was filled with utter devastation.

"I know," Gregor's mom said quietly. "You... you just never know."

Those words sank in. You just never know...

"I have to go," Gregor exclaimed suddenly. He brushed past his parents and ran for the hospital.

As he ran, the words pounded into his head. You just never know. What if she was dead already? What if she died sooner than the doctors had predicted? Two weeks was a maximum estimate, anyway.

Once he reached her room, he didn't even ask if he could visit her. He ran in and grabbed both of her hands. She stirred a little before waking up.

"Oh, hey," she greeted him weakly.

Tears rolled down Gregor's cheeks. "Hey, Luxa," he replied, stroking her hair gently.

"Let me guess," Luxa said. "You went on some quest to try and save me, and it was unsuccessful."

"Not exactly," Gregor responded. He told Luxa everything that had happened, not leaving out a single detail. She was as sad as he was by Andromeda's death, but she wasn't very surprised about Ophelia.

"I have heard of her," Luxa told him. "I have not met her, though."

"Do you know what she did?" Gregor asked.

Luxa shrugged and looked down. "Keep going."

Gregor finished the story of their quest but found that he couldn't talk much about Lizzie. Luxa squeezed his hand in support. And then, Gregor told her about his parents and his grandmother.

"That's why I came to see you," Gregor admitted as he looked down. A single tear left his eye. "You just never know."

"Gregor," Luxa sighed. "Do not make this any harder than it already is."

Gregor pulled out the picture from last time. They were smiling, but sadly, because they knew they couldn't be together much longer. They both knew it. Luxa's face softened as she pulled Gregor into a hug. Gregor laid beside her on the hospital bed with his arm around her shoulders. He could tell Luxa was holding back tears.

"I remember this picture," Luxa said simply. "I remember thinking that it was... the last memory I would ever have of you."

Gregor took a deep breath as she continued. "I thought that after you died, nothing would ever be the same again. I would be queen, but I didn't want to be queen. I didn't want to rule over Regalia, knowing that you had died to protect it."

Luxa sighed as a tear rolled down her own cheek. "But... most of all, I didn't want to ever love anyone else. Because nobody else could make me feel the way I do when I'm with you."

"And I could try to move on, Gregor," she continued. "I could date others... possibly marry one someday... but nothing would truly fill that space in my heart."

She put her face in her hands as she sobbed harder. Gregor held her in his arms as he cried, too. He wanted to say something, but she kept talking.

"You were right, you know," she said once her tears had slowed. "About death. When one dies, they are forever in the hearts of those who loved them."

Gregor remembered Boots' curious eyes... her innocent face... clutching one hand on her heart to keep Thalia from flying away. His eyes watered, but he quickly blinked back the tears. Luxa couldn't die. She wouldn't.

Gregor looked Luxa in the eyes. "Luxa, listen to me." He lifted her chin to make her look at him. "I will save you. I promise."

Luxa smiled at him through her tears. "You seem to forget that I already have two bonds who have sworn to save me as they would save their own lives."

Gregor wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her. It was the most passionate kiss he had ever given her. He needed her to remember this... to remember all of this... to remember him. She wasn't dying. He wouldn't let her. And they both knew it.

She kissed him back for a long time. They just sat like that for a few seconds, kissing and holding each other.

Then, suddenly, Luxa's head fell limp, and she collapsed back onto the bed as the devastating sound of a flatline filled the room.