Conny held two steaming mugs of tea as he walked down the hallway to his bedroom. It was strange being back at the cabin again, especially when he had been living in the barracks for the past few weeks, imagining that would be his last residence. But the battle had been won, the headquarters in the process of being torn down, and the Council reforming once more. He had lived through it all, and yet, that fulfillment had not yet set in.

Conny ignored the quiet sounds coming from the hallway and slowly opened his door, finding Carly sitting on his bed with her ankles crossed. She made eye contact with him and then hung her head back down.

"Here," he said, handing her the cup of tea.

She slowly grasped it from his hands and weakly smiled. "Thanks," she replied, her body bouncing slightly as Conny took a seat on the bed next to her. The battle had been over for a week, but he was sure he would feel its effects for years to come.

Carly had agreed to live in the cabin for a temporary amount of time. Her parents had been recovered from the Preserver prison, but they were weak and partially disabled after years of torture from the Preservers. They were still recovering in a hospital for now, but Conny knew she would have to go back to them eventually.

She had found her parents at the same time Conny had found the others at the medical tent. He learned quickly of Cassie's condition and Irene's demise, feeling sorrow course through him. Carly, meanwhile, had returned with the slightest bit of a smile on her face, though it fell when she learned of some of the pain that had come to Conny's own family.

"I'll be back tomorrow," Conny heard Dr. Bradford say out in the hallway.

Cassie had been in a comatose state for a week now. So far, there had been no signs of her recovery, but none of them would agree to pull the plug just yet, not when Cassie had done so much for them. Conny could only wait around with the others and pray she woke.

"Have you seen her today?" Carly asked as she drank her tea.

"No," Conny responded. "I don't like going in there." He was referring to one of the spare rooms they had placed Cassie in. It looked more like a hospital room than an actual bedroom these days. Every time he entered, he always found Cassie's family lounging about, sitting quietly as they silently willed their daughter to wake. Marc sat by Cassie's bedside most hours of the day, clutching her hand as if he could will her awake with just a squeeze. Elijah sometimes ventured in as well, but Cherie often kept him away. It had been hard enough trying to explain to the child that his actual mother had passed in the battle and that Cassie might as well.

"How long until..." Carly's voice trailed off. He knew what she meant. 

"I don't know. I don't want to think about it," Conny muttered. "It would destroy my brother. He's already not acting right. When he's not in that room, he's in his own, and he won't come out. I wish he would come down for dinner just once instead of me or Cherie being forced to bring him food."

"He's coping," Carly said quietly. "He knows she's in a balance between life or death."

"I would love for her to wake up, too, but I don't know what will happen if she doesn't," Conny admitted.

"It's going to take a while for everyone to recover," Carly said.

"Mitsuki's brother is looking a bit better at least, now that he's gotten a haircut and a shave. Dr. Bradford said he was starting to put on some weight. I can't imagine what it would be like to live in a prison that long."

"My thoughts exactly. At least he's still a bit sane," Carly said, referring to her own parents' traumatic experience.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"I know," Carly interrupted. "He was younger when he was captured and has a sharper mind. I'm just thankful my parents are alive." There was a pause in conversation as Carly took another sip of warm tea. "What's wrong with Lillian?" Carly asked curiously. "That's her name, right?" She was still getting used to the faces of the cabin, though Conny thought it was impressive that she had been able to get everyone's names down quickly in only a matter of days.

"I don't know. I mean I do know, but...no one can get her to come out of her room," Conny said. "Her wounds are recovering at least, but I don't know how well she's recovering mentally. Irene's death hit her hard. She hasn't even come to see Cassie."

"Has she been eating?" Carly asked.

"I think so. Or Mitsuki forces her to, anyway. Though even then, I saw Mitsuki storm out of her room the other day, so I think Cherie has taken over. It's frustrating," Conny murmured, taking another sip of tea.

Carly frowned and set her empty mug down on Conny's nightstand. "At least you have a nice place to recover and a home to go to. Things will start getting better eventually."

"I suppose so. The Preservers won't be around anymore," Conny thought. After Lynch's demise was made public, the remaining Preservers were gathered and put on trial for their crimes. Conny was sure not all of them would be incarcerated, though he wished they were, but at least their organization and what they stood for was being torn down.

"I hear they're planning to tear the headquarters down to make a memorial," Carly stated. "They'll have headstones and plaques for everyone, even if there's no remains. They want to honor everyone who died at the hands of the Preservers."

Conny slightly smiled, knowing the names of his parents would be there. He had never had a gravestone to visit and bring flowers to. At least he might be able to these days.

"I'm thinking of trying to get involved with the Council," Conny admitted to Carly, "when everything settles down. It was what drew me to join the military in the first place. I'd enjoy making sure our government comes back stronger this time."

"I think you'd be good at that," Carly said, drawing her legs to her chest. "But you won't have much duties, not when the Guardians are still absent."

"I wonder how long we'll live in limbo like this," Conny said. "We finally get rid of the Preservers, and then the Guardians vanish..."

"They had a good reason to. And it was like Cherie said, they didn't say they would be gone forever. Hopefully they'll be back in our lifetime."

"I hope so, too," Conny said.

Quiet filled the air as the two stopped speaking. Conny intertwined his fingers, not sure what else to say. He had not brought up the kiss they had shared in the battle, or the date that he had planned to take her on. Recovery had been harder than he had expected.

"Conny," Carly quietly murmured.

He turned to look at her. Even with the cuts and bruises still healing on her face and arms, she continued to glow with beauty. Conny found his cheeks growing red just staring at her.

"When my parents get out of the hospital," she said, "I'm going to take care of them. We used to live in a little cabin a few hours south of here. They're going to need me."

"I understand," Conny said. She was breaking up with him, although he wasn't sure there was a relationship there to begin with.

"This is selfish to ask of me, and you can say no, but will you wait for me?" she wondered. "I would love to still go on that date with you."

"Are you serious?" Conny asked, shocked. He had guessed this would be one of the last times he'd see her.

She nodded, her cheeks now flush.

"I'll wait," Conny promised. "We can write to each other, and maybe I'll even get a cellphone and call you."

Carly giggled. "Maybe, but writing for sure. I don't know how long it will be. It might take a few years to figure everything out and get settled..."

Conny placed his hand on her arm. "I can wait."

She smiled and leaned her head toward his, meeting his lips. The kiss was short and gentle, without the urgency they had shared on the battlefield. It was a kiss that foreshadowed what was to come, a reminder that one day he could be with her.

"I'm really happy I got to meet you," Carly told him.

"Me too," Conny replied. He interlaced his fingers with hers and sat next to her as the sunset's glow settled over his bedroom. It was going to be more painful to leave her behind than he thought.