Episode One, Part 1:
Basilisk

This love is good, this love is bad. This love is 
alive back from the dead. These hands had 
to let it go free, and this love came back to me. 

Sol's first vision of Basilisk was obscured by the dark night and heavy rain that had been beating down relentlessly, but it wasn't enough to make her return less glorious; it had been 9 months since she was there last and finally, after everything, she was home. 

With confirmation from Joren that all of their people were either in their tents or patrolling the faraway fences, Wynn led Sol up to the gates - who was doing her best to keep her head low - and they stepped inside the grounds of Basilisk with everyone from the half-bus following right behind. 

It was a strange feeling to be back, and even as Sol hurried inside the Sovereign's Quarters, she found it difficult to comprehend it was even possible that not only was she there, but she remembered everything. 

With the doors sealed behind them and Kodiak out sorting everyone into temporary tents, Sol was finally able to catch her breath, scanning her eyes around the Quarters until they landed on Joren. He was standing in front of the door looking wearier than Sol had ever known him to be. 

She couldn't wait any longer, quickly leaving Wynn's side and running over to the older man, throwing her arms around his neck. 

"I've missed you, kiddo," he mumbled against her, lifting her so high that her feet rose off the floor. 

She wanted to say it back, she wanted to say that she understood exactly how he was feeling, but she didn't. She didn't remember him to be able to miss him. 

"I bet," was all she could think to say, squeezing him tightly for just a moment longer before eventually pulling herself away, discreetly wiping at the teardrops rolling down her cheeks. 

"We need to organise someone to back into the DeadLands with all the vehicles we have-" 

"Hey," Wynn let out a gentle laugh, tugging on Sol's arm to pull her back towards him. "We just got you home. Let someone else worry about that for now." 

"But-" 

"I'd listen to him, River," Joren cut her off, tilting his head down and offering a playful smirk. "He's become pretty persistent these last few months. I wouldn't want to get on his bad side." 

"That, I don't think you have to worry about," Sol murmured, glancing up at Wynn who was standing right beside her, not even realising how much she was leaning into him. 

"At least let me worry about sleeping arrangements. Chess will have to sleep in my bed until we can figure out where she can stay-"  

"She can share my tent," Atlantis said, smiling at the girl in question as she appeared by her side. 

Sol was grateful for the offer - knowing it would be one less thing she would have to worry about if Chessca had a safe place to sleep; she was so used to her being tucked away in the small room behind her own bed that she didn't have to worry about anything happening to her because Sol knew everyone would have to get past her before ever laying a finger on Chessca... But things were different now they were at Basilisk, and it was the first reminder that while everything looked the same as Sol knew it to be, it wasn't as simple as fitting back into her old life, it was trying to figure out who she was now, and how she could find her place among the people who had learned to live without her... 

"Atlantis, are you sure? I mean, have you even shared your tent with anyone since..." 

"Since my mum died?" Atlantis finished her question, seeing Sol's reluctance to mention it. They both knew that Sol would have been there to help her through the grief if she wasn't taken away, but it remained a comfort that Sol hadn't been able to give to her, nonetheless. 

"It's okay," Atlantis assured her. "I've had time to process everything. I've gotten myself to a better place. Besides, it'll be nice to have the company." 

Sol smiled tenderly, walking over to them both and slinging an arm around each of them. 

"Thank you," she whispered, unable to put into words how much their safety meant to her. 

"Rest up," Chessca replied, cupping the side of Sol's face before leaving her for the night, following Atlantis' lead out of the Quarters. 

By now, everyone else was beginning to disappear for the night, and as Wynn glanced around the room, he realised he couldn't see his brother anywhere. 

"Where's Quill?" He asked. 

"I think he went into your room," Elara yawned, looking down the hallway where she had seen a dark shadow move only minutes ago. 

Wynn let out a deep breath, suddenly torn between two instincts in his chest. His eyes slowly drifted over to Sol, not wanting to leave her side, but he had to check on Quill. 

"Go," Sol told him, carefully pushing him in the direction of his room, encouraging him to check on his family before worrying about her. She could see that he was hesitant - the debate furrowed his eyebrows and brought a slight tremble to his lips, but Wynn complied, letting go of her and making his way down the hall. 

It felt like it had been ages since he had been in the Quarters, so he could only imagine how Sol must have been feeling. And as he continued to walk away from her, he couldn't shut out his worries about what would change for her, and what had already changed for his brother. 

"Hey," Wynn spoke, tapping his knuckle quietly against the open door. 

Quill was sitting on the side of his bed, his hands on the mattress either side of him as he head was hung low, either in exhaustion or defeat - Wynn couldn't quite read him. 

"Are you okay?" He asked. 

"Fine," Quill said, letting out a long breath as he began to pull his shoes off, quickly growing frustrated at how tanged his laces were. 

"We're all home now, and Dreea will be back with the others maybe in a day or two; our guards will be taking the vehicles in the morning to pick them all up, so the worst is over. We can just take it easy-" 

"I said I'm fine," Quill cut him off, lying down on his bed with not even enough energy left to move underneath the blanket. 

"Okay... Good. That's good," Wynn said, scratching at the back of his head. Quill had barely said a word to anyone on the bus ride home and his fragile mood only seemed to worsen the nearer they got to home. 

As Wynn stepped into the room, eager to trade his shirt for anything that was cleaner or not covered with grains of sand, Quill interrupted once again, clearly irritated by Wynn's presence. 

"Just go be with Riverly," he groaned, covering his closed eyes with the back of his arm, trying to shut out all glimpses of light he could see. "I know you want to be with her." 

"I- I..." Wynn choked, not sure what to say. Of course he wanted to be with Sol after being separated for 9 months, but that didn't mean that nothing else mattered to him; it didn't mean that everything he had been for Quill and Elara was suddenly going to cease to matter to him. 

"I want to be here for you, Quill," he said. "Because you're my brother. Because I care about you." 

"Alright," Quill sighed, "but I'm fine. So go be with Riverly. I'll find Aeryn if I end up wanting some company. Okay?" 

"...Okay," Wynn agreed, quickly changing out of his shirt before he turned for the door, hovering just outside, unable to leave things the way they were. 

"I mean," he said, wishing Quill would look at him, but he didn't. "I'm here for you. Me and Elara both are... I'll see you in the morning." 

He shut the door behind him, sighing heavily as he closed his eyes and leaned up against the wall outside, trying to let go of his thoughts just long enough so that he could find some rest. Bringing Sol out of The City of Targo was supposed to fix everything, not bring along a new set of problems on its own. 

"Wynn," a familiar voice called for his attention, a voice he was still getting used to hearing again, to saying his name. 

He pealed his eyes open, relaxing as he saw Sol standing in front of him, nervously fiddling with her hands. 

"How are things?" 

"I wish I knew," Wynn breathed, glancing at the door to the side of him, unsure what to tell her. "I've never seen him like this; not even when mum died, or Ares. He doesn't seem upset, I think he's angry. If it was the other way around, I'd be able to help him, but I'm not good with anger. I'm impulsive when it comes to it, and Quill's the opposite." 

"Maybe Atlantis will be able to help," Sol suggested, earning an eyebrow raise from Wynn. "Not only does she share the pain of losing a mother, but she also came up to the ground a found her family. Me and dad. I know I shut her out for the longest time, and dad's dead, but she still knows what that's like to suddenly have a family of sorts... Maybe it'll all calm down when Dreea gets back here with everyone, and he and Hannah can finally talk about it." 

She saw Wynn tense up as if the very idea of his brother being alone with Hannah was enough to make him nauseous. 

"Or not!" She hurried to change her mind, quickly reaching out and gripping onto the side of his arm, almost beckoning him to keep his focus on her. It surprised her how easily her instincts for Wynn had returned to her. 

"Maybe this is something that we can worry about in the morning," she squinted, searching him for any sign of ease which wasn't hard for him now that she was around. He rolled his eyes a little, smiling as he gave in to her, not expecting what came next. 

Sol moved her hand down to latch onto his own, flickering her eyes up to his in a moment, seeming to ask for permission. Neither really knew what was coming next, but they were so consumed in each other that it didn't matter. 

She turned around, slowly pulling Wynn around the corner towards her room, glad that the first time she went in there after leaving, she wasn't alone. 

Wynn shut the door behind him as he followed her in, still not letting go of her hand, and as the two were sealed away from everyone else, in the vulnerability of who they were to each other, they had never felt more exposed. 

"Wynn..." She repeated his name, a sudden shortness of breath that was warm against Wynn's skin as he stepped in front of her, closing all distance. He let go of her hand only to bring it up to the side of her face, tucking her long, messy hair behind her ear. 

"I know," he said, leaning his forehead against hers. "Me too..." 

Sol hummed into a smile, gradually closing her eyes once she realised that his were already shut, rising to her tiptoes and pushing her lips against Wynn's. At that moment, the past 9 months vanished from her mind and they picked up right where they left off. There was an urge to pull him closer, a fear that she was about to lose him if she didn't, and Wynn didn't resist. He was consumed in how soft her mouth was against his own, almost grateful that he had never kissed her before she was taken away because he knew for sure that it would killed him, even more, to lose her after having that feeling. 

Sol's hands were on the sides of his face, slowly pushing him away and holding him against her, feeling his lips linger over her skin. She didn't want it to end, but she was too afraid to rush into it, so she stopped. 

"You have no idea how long it feels like I've been waiting for that," Wynn breathed against her, pressing one more kiss to her forehead for good measure. 

"I think I do," Sol whispered, unable to fight away the smile from her face. "We should, um," she coughed, taking a step back from him, never having known herself to be nervous in front of him until now. 

"Yeah," Wynn managed a faint laugh, understanding what she was implying. He pulled his shoes off as Sol moved to the bed, amused at how unsure they were with the other as if they didn't know each other better than anyone else. 

As Sol climbed into the right side, Wynn did the same on the left, pulling the blanket over him and shuffling closer to her. Sol was looking over at him, not knowing what he was expecting or even comfortable with, but he simply grabbed onto her arm, pulling it over his chest so it wrapped around him with her hand resting on his waist. Within seconds, her head was resting on his chest, feeling more at peace than she had done in her entire life.

 It wasn't anything more than that; just the two of them laying close together with no room in between, but it was enough. It was intimate, and desperate, and a feeling they had both ached for, for so long.

"To be able to be here with you," she murmured as her tired eyes glanced as far as they could see, trying to remember every detail of her room despite the darkness of the night. "Well, I thought I'd never see you again. Never know you again," she said. "I know there's so much to say, but I just need to start with a thank you... You saved me, Wynn. From myself. I'll never forget that." 

"Well, you're not going anywhere," Wynn said, holding her tight. "And neither am I. So this could be forever if you'd want it to be." 

One // Part One
I thought I'd never see you again.

Honestly, not my best, but here's to Season 7! I actually can't believe I'm on the seventh book of this series! I don't think I ever imagine I'd get this far (or to get this far and have a lot of the next book mapped out), but here we go! I'm making sure this series gets to 10 books!

Thank you for sticking through seven books! Hope you enjoyed that #Wynnverly scene!

05/07/20