1 Week Later

Ruby sat in the funeral home. She was in the first row of seats. They were all cushioned in blue, but they didn't feel soft in the slightest. She had shown up early to Taehyung's funeral, wanting to get away from people that were trying to offer their condolences. Luckily it hadn't gotten all over the media yet. Namjoon had suggested that they play Taehyung's absence up as him taking some time off until they came up with a reason why Taehyung wouldn't ever return.

Ruby lifted her red eyes to look at the two large flower vases on either side of the podium before her. Beyond the podium was a framed photo of Taehyung smiling that beautiful grin of his. Ruby felt her heart leap up into her throat with her tears as she batted her eyes, trying to swallow the pain. In that moment, she found herself feeling jealous of Ame. Ame and Jungkook were getting the happy ending they deserved. Where was hers? What had she done to deserve losing him? She tried to remind herself that it wasn't anything she had done - that it was because of that wicked man - but that did nothing to console her in her grief.

The grief had been made even more present the day before when Namjoon had taken her to the funeral home to see Taehyung's body. She had told Namjoon that she wanted to see Taehyung so that she could slip something into his casket. Namjoon had agreed to this, going to the funeral home with Yoongi so that he would have back-up for Ruby and her grief. When Ruby had gotten there, she had seen that someone had dressed Taehyung completely in white. The white suit made him look so handsome, but it bothered her that it matched too well with his hair. She choked on her tears as she tried to swallow them, walking towards the casket to slip the letter in her hand inside. She tucked it into the breast pocket of the jacket; a few of her tears falling onto his suit. Yoongi tried to be a steady force for her on the ride back to the apartment, but the grief still remained. Ruby felt that it would always remain.

She had found the love of her life and lost him in just as quick a time.

Ruby couldn't get the thought of Taehyung and his white suit out of her head as she sat there. Feeling safe that she was alone, she brought her hands up to her face and allowed herself to sob. When the funeral actually started, she had to be strong. Taehyung would want her to be. He would want her to...

"Ruby?"

Ruby's sobbing started to lessen; the tears stilling in small lakes in her palms. The voice. Her mind must be making her replay his voice to try to lessen her grief. Taehyung was gone. He was gone.

It was then that she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. No doubt one of the other members had found her, or even Ame or Freddi. She had wanted to avoid that. Bringing her hands down from her face, she wiped their wet surface on the skirt of her black dress, sniffling as she tried to coach herself to calm down.

"I'm sorry...I just needed a moment to...to grieve..."

The hand on her shoulder tightened a bit before letting go. She caught something white moving out of the corner of her eye before the white figure moved to crouch down in front of her. She looked at the person now crouched in front of her, and she felt for sure that her heart was about to stop. That was Taehyung's face the way she remembered him. The aging and wrinkles had all disappeared. Was this a ghost? Or a hallucination?

"Ruby..." he said as he put a hand on her knee gently.

She jumped a bit in her seat when she realized she could feel the touch, and that the touch was warm. She put a semi-wet hand down to place it over the top of his. Her vision blurred with tears.

"No...no, don't do this to me...you're gone. You're..."

"I'm here," he said, interrupting her as a few tears slid down his cheeks. "I'm here."

She watched as he reached his free hand up to his breast pocket, removing the letter. It was the letter she had put there. He flicked it out to unfold it, showing it to her.

"Ruby, I love you too," he said with a half smile; pain in his eyes. "I always have and always will."

"Don't do this to me if you're a ghost..." she whispered. "I love you, but I wouldn't be able to take the pain..."

"I'm not dead," he said, "At least, not anymore. I'm here. I won't leave you."

Ruby couldn't say anything anymore. She was in disbelief. She watched as Taehyung shifted so that he could cup her face in his hands, leaning up some until his lips crashed against hers. She couldn't deny that he was here with that deeply passionate, messy kiss. Ruby felt tears slide down her face as she slipped out of the chair she was seated in, falling to kneel on the floor of the funeral home in front of Taehyung as she kissed him in the same manner back. She wound her arms about him as he moved to do the same in return; the kiss declaring that this time it would pause for absolutely no one ever again.

- - -

Ame kept her promise to Charming even though their relationship had changed. She didn't let him go, even though he was now back to being a bunny. She made sure to take him back to the apartment with her and take care of him. She still took care of Shadow, but Charming obviously had a special place in her heart so he took center stage more often. Jungkook would come over a lot now too since they were together, especially when he wanted to escape the chaos going on in the apartment across the way since all the members of BTS were now staying in that one two bedroom place.

"There's too much...energy," said Jungkook the day of Taehyung's funeral when he snuck into Ame and Ruby's apartment. "I had to escape."

"You just want an excuse to come over," teased Ame. Charming was currently sitting on the table, munching at a carrot that Ame had given to him. Her fingers paused in her stroking through his fur, turning her head to accept the kiss that Jungkook placed upon her lips.

"Maybe," said Jungkook with a chuckle before it died as he looked at Charming. Charming was staring right at him. Jungkook sighed as he pulled out a chair from the table and sat down.

"Are you ready for today?"

Ame shook her head.

"Of course not," she said. "Who is ever ready for something like this?"

"Namjoon is still asking questions about everything. Neither he, Jin, Hoseok, or Yoongi can fully believe what happened. Jimin barely does, but at least he was there."

"So you left the poor man to answer all the questions on his own?"

"I needed a minute," said Jungkook. "I feel partly responsible."

"It's not your fault," said Ame. "It's all Cupid's."

"I should have stood up to him sooner though."

"How were you supposed to do that as a mortal, Jungkook? By shouting at the sky?"

He half smirked as he looked over at Ame.

"You're amazing. Did you know that?"

Ame turned her head so that she could face him.

"You're amazing too."

When Ame turned back around, she was just barely able to see Charming hopping off the table and out of the kitchen. Sighing, she moved to stand up from the table. He seemed to be braver now about exploring the apartment, which was more than likely because he had been free to explore the apartment in its entirety when he was human. Jungkook got up from the table too, following after Ame.

"He's been doing this more often lately," said Ame. "Are you sure you're going to be okay with a bunny in our lives?"

"Of course," said Jungkook. "We can't just leave Charming to fend for himself. He did us both a favor by protecting you while I was gone."

"Even when he kissed me?"

"We're not going to talk about that."

"You're jealous, aren't you?"

"Are you seriously asking me if I'm jealous because he got to kiss you before your soulmate could find you again? Then yes. I'm very much so."

Ame saw that Ruby - in her haste to leave for the funeral home that morning - had left the door to her bedroom wide open. Approaching it, she let it creak open to reveal the darkened interior.

"You're ridiculous," said Ame.

No Charming. She couldn't see him anywhere. She began to search from room to room. It was like he had disappeared into thin air.

"He's here somewhere," said Jungkook when he saw Ame start to panic. "The door to the hall is shut. Let's just recomb places. I'll help you."

Ame nodded. She didn't want to think that she had lost someone else on such an already tragic day. Jungkook was right. Charming had to be here somewhere. Jungkook moved away from her to begin checking back in the kitchen area for him. Ame went back to the bedrooms. She checked Ruby's again to find it an empty shrine to Taehyung. She then moved towards her bedroom, reaching a hand out to flick the light on.

She didn't notice anything off at first as her eyes landed on her messy dresser, her even messier closet, and then the cage with Shadow in it at the foot of the bed. As her eyes went to her bed, she was shocked at the sight that greeted her.

Approaching the bed slowly, she went over to him and gently laid a slightly trembling hand on his shoulders. As she did, he let out a soft moan, shifting slightly until his eyes opened and he looked at her. Ame's eyes filled with tears.

"Why are you..."

Charming paused when he realized he was speaking. Quickly sitting upright, he looked down at the black clothing he was wearing and the hands he was able to flex. The feet. He clasped both of his hands to his face to feel the smooth skin, slipping them up until they were rooted in his hair. By this point, Ame was beside herself. She couldn't help herself as she moved forward to hug him tightly. Charming let his hands fall out of his hair as he hugged her tightly back; Ame burying her face in his shoulder.

"I missed you," she said.

"I missed you too," he said back as he hugged her tightly to him. "You and your jealous boyfriend."

She chuckled; tears slipping out of her eyes as she did.

"Don't think that - just because I was a bunny - I couldn't hear everything. Your boyfriend out there is jealous of what a good kisser I am."

"Naughty bunny..." she whispered.

"Not anymore," he whispered back as he dared to press a quick kiss to her temple just as Jungkook appeared in the doorway to the bedroom; his eyes widening when he saw Ame hugging a human Charming.

"He's...he's..."

"Yes," said Ame as she lifted her head to turn and face Jungkook in the doorway. "He's home."

"But I never left..."

Charming's words were cut off as Jungkook came over to him too, moving to hug him as well. That hug had been unexpected, but Charming took it. He slipped one arm free from Ame so that he could hug them both at the same time.

"Does this mean I won't get kicked out of your apartment when you eventually get married?" teased Charming.

"Shhh. Don't ruin the moment," said Ame with a chuckle.

"You have quite the lip since you got back," commented Jungkook with a chuckle of his own.

"Get used to it," Charming said with a smile.

- - -

AN: I don't own any of the pictures used in this chapter.