It was evident that Sarah was in a very dark mood as the day progressed. She had been inordinately quiet after her draenei friend left. Shortly after she locked herself away in her room.

Drew's concern intensified when she refused to come out not only when Erik announced lunch, but also later when dinner was ready. The contrast between Sarah's mood from morning to early evening was alarming.

"Erik, what 's wrong? I know something has been said or done to upset her, but I don't know what and I feel helpless." The faithful puppy paced up and down in front of the fire.

The hunter dwarf knew Lukha had taken it upon herself to tell Sarah about Khadgar. It was not something he could do – he wasn't exactly the most tactful of individuals. As he had expected, the girl had not taken it well. It was not his place, however, to discuss it. Relationships were private and he felt offering any opinion on Sarah and Khadgar's relationship would be disrespectful to both. He did, nevertheless, feel sorry for Drew. The lad was obviously very concerned for his friend. "Ye should really be asking hur, lad, no me."

"But she won't open the door!" Drew gestured with a wave of his hand.

"Jist wait 'til she's ready tae talk, which ..." he said looking in the direction of her room, "... might be a while."

Drew started pacing back and forth, frustration and concern written plainly on his face. The dwarf was starting to get edgy as a result. "Look, let's gan oot for a while, she'll come roond in hur ain time."

"I can't leave her, Erik. I'm sorry. But, if you need to go out I understand. I will stay here and hopefully, she will come out "

Erik nodded, giving the excuse he had some things he needed to see to.

Inside her room, Sarah sat on the edge of her bed staring out the small window. For some time she simply looked over the hills, seeing nothing, hearing nothing – just wondering why she had bothered stepping through that portal in her living room.

Countless hours had been spent trying to rationalise the strange events that had taken place in her life mere weeks before. It did not require the intervention of a therapist to tell her what state her heart was in. Broken; trying desperately to mend by way of sutures made from pointless, wasted hope. But hope nonetheless.

Before she had taken the plunge, she was aware of her conflicting emotions – she was practising hating him yet all the while was still in love with the man. At that time, she had not the slightest prefiguration how, or if, she could ever return to Azeroth.

She had sat, in her living room, her laptop open and World of Warcraft on its screen. She was mindlessly doing the profession quests at Darkmoon Faire. The perpetual sting of tears had just started when she decided enough was enough and she would try to grapple her way back to the surface of normality. On the edge of her laptop sat the gem Arcaena had gifted her. She picked it up and turned it over in her hand. She heard the demon hunter's words echo in her head –"Take this. It is a keepsake. Think of us when you look at it."

Her eyes focused on the fine ribbons of fluorescent green within its centre. They seemed to ripple, shimmer. Her mind drifted back, replaying some of the happy times she had shared in Azeroth with Erik, Lukha, Anduin and the gentle elf mage, Thaerei. Even Arcaena herself for all there were fewer instances of happy memories with her, there was a bond she had developed with the demon hunter nonetheless. She had tried hard not to think of the one person who plagued her mind daily – but there he was, standing within her mind's eye, leaning down to kiss her. She'd inhaled sharply and her room was suddenly filled with noise and light.

She had stared in stunned silence at the portal, to begin with. Then, driven by an uncontrollable urge, she rushed into her bedroom for clothing, a rucksack, her phone and earbuds; the bathroom for medicinal supplies – plasters, paracetamol, toothpaste and brush, wipes, antiseptic. Within five minutes she was packed and ready to go.

The sound of the portal had become a constant deep thrum, like the sound of a nearby whirlpool. For a moment, she hesitated; half scared and half eagerly anticipating the journey back to Azeroth. Her dubiety soon melted and she started throwing her belongings through.

Hearing the shriek behind her once she reached the other side took her completely by surprise. She had been so engrossed in getting through that she hadn't noticed Drew in her house seconds before.

As things had turned out though, she was grateful he had followed her. She knew she would need his friendship more than ever now. She needed his strength, his humour his understanding.

The knowledge that the man she had returned for was no longer available, was killing her. The fact it was due to a set of outdated and quite frankly, nonsensical rules and not another woman, made it no easier to bear. In fact, it was perhaps even worse.

Still, almost two years had passed in Azeroth. He had had time to come to terms they were destined never to meet again; it had, after all, been by his own design. That was obviously how he had wanted it. His position in life here was more important than a dalliance with an alien woman.

She sighed heavily. Now that she was here, however, she had to make herself useful. There was no point coming back to simply mope around. Plus, she actually had no idea how to get back home. She suspected it was somehow triggered by the gem the demon hunter presented her with, but how it actually worked remained a mystery.

The war was still raging. Erik had also mentioned Arcaena was continuing her search for Illidan too. Granted, she had not embedded herself in the game again since returning home, so she really did not have a clue how it all panned out. But, as she'd discovered on her last visit, the game was not the master of Azeroth. The game plan therefore could be whichever path the Azerothians decided to walk. Maybe, even with a little help from herself, and now Drew.

She awarded the "loss" of Khadgar one more thought. A long, tearful thought at that, before wiping the snot from her nose and making a decision.

An hour had passed before Sarah opened her door. Drew instantly stood upon hearing her coming through. She'd been crying, her eyes still red and puffy.

"Hi," he said gently. He so wanted to wrap his arms around her but refrained from doing so.

"Hi, Drew." She made her way to one of the armchairs.

"Can I get you anything?"

She shook her head. "I just need you to listen."

This was unexpected. For all she was clearly upset, she also bore a quiet resolve. He inched the other chair closer and sat ready to hear whatever she wanted to tell him.

He heard the whole story again about her arrival in Stormwind but this time all the gaps were filled. The Archmage had taken her under his wing from the start. He had stood protectively at her side even when she had ranted at Malfurion and Tyrande in front of the king. He had whisked her away to his quarters in Dalaran, prior to it being teleported after she announced the release of the Illidari was imminent.

She took Drew through the weeks she spent in Dalaran, and how finally she realised the intensity of her feelings for Khadgar and their reunion, peppered with insults thrown at each other as he'd pursued her through the streets. But it was then they discovered how they felt for each other. She smiled at the memory.

The story continued - to saving the King on The Broken Shore, the presentation of the Illidari and even the first night she lay with Khadgar; although she spared Drew the detail.

She covered how the demon hunter Arcaena tricked her into facing Gul'dan, and the young mage Thaerei, who so heroically went into the portal after her. Drew smirked a little. He knew how that felt.

Finally, to the eve of the battle in Goldshire, and the mass bloodshed, and loss of lives including a dear friend cut down in his young life. Ultimately, the sheer agony when Khadgar had ordered her sent home through the rift. Now, she had learned that his duties to Azeroth meant their love could never be shared the way she wanted.

Drew studied Sarah's face closely as she revealed the whole story. Above all the fantastical things she told him, there was one fact which was absolutely resolute; her love for the Archmage. It clearly had not diminished, perhaps it had grown even stronger. Her eyes, when she mentioned Khadgar's name, tore at Drew's heart. He knew she would never look at him in that way. Without a doubt, she was lost to him. Drew would never be part of her life as he'd hoped. Even with the restrictions of the Archmage's new role, he somehow knew with the utmost certainty, Sarah would love that man forever.

There were still things niggling him though. No matter how utterly sincere she was, he could not help but ponder over a pattern.

Sarah could also tell when something was bothering Drew. Their friendship had developed so that they could never completely hide things from one another, the other at least, always sensed it. She asked him what was going through his mind.

He did not want to cause her hurt, so he tread as carefully as he could. "You sure pick them, Sarah." He smiled wanly as she clasped his hand. "You deserve someone though who can give you everything of themselves, no matter what or who stands in their way."I am that man, he thought, but he would never voice that now.

"I don't believe we choose who to love, Drew. It chooses us." She responded. "All we can do is go with the flow and cope as best we can."

He shook his head. "I can't believe you're not pissed at him though!"

"Oh, I am!Very!" Her melancholy smile made him rub her hand sympathetically. "But, after thinking about it, I understand. Doesn't mean I have to like it. But I do have to accept it."

"This is déjà vu, Sarah. You've been here before with Pete."

"No! It's very different. I can see the similarities you are picking up on, I thought it too for a while -guy puts work and ambition before his woman, blah blah." She managed a small laugh. "But, this, somehow, is so much more ... pure! That's the only way I can describe it." She clasped Drew's hands a little tighter. " I know I am going to feel empty without him, but Khadgar is in my every waking and sleeping thought. He is the air I breathe. He is my pain and my joy. And while he was cursed temporarily, following his battle with Medivh, I too am cursed ... but it's with loving him, for all time."

It took several minutes for Drew to come to terms with what she had just confessed. He envied the Archmage deeply, but he could not resent him. Even with abstinence from what was, quite frankly the most natural part of loving someone, Sarah was still bound to the man.

"So, are you going to meet with him?" Drew asked quietly.

Sarah toyed with a small gem in her left hand. Drew watched as flecks of green seemed to pulse deep inside it. All he knew was it had been the item that had brought them to Azeroth and it had been given to Sarah by a demon hunter.

"I may have no choice," she said, staring at the gem. "I am going to need his help."

"To get back home?" Drew asked.

Sarah moved forward in her chair and held the jewel tightly between her thumb and forefinger in front of their faces. Drew looked into her eyes and saw a fierce resilience; a determination and fight he had never seen in her before.

"No Drew. I am going to kill two birds with one stone so-to-speak. I am going to help bring an end to the Legion and I am going to do it with the best ally this world has. I am going to find Illidan Stormrage."

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