I Found Her

William opened his eyes to find himself back in his home. Everything was very much like how it was before the calamity. James was nowhere to be seen, however. William quickly shifted his gaze over to the table where he last left the tome... only to find that it was bare apart from the place-mats and centerpiece.

“N-no...” he uttered, tears filling his eyes, “...it can't be...!”

Immediately, he rushed out of the prefabricated home, making his way toward the spot where he found Cocoon's tome in the open fields just outside of the suburban area... but the spot was empty. No sign of the large book to be seen. The same, familiar milkweed plant sat in its spot. That plant, which he took notice of... which helped him meet the first girl he ever loved who truly loved him back...

This was all too much to be happening at once. William's legs gave out from under him, and he began to cry once more, burying his face in his hands.

“...C-Coony...” he whimpered.

After a while, William decided to make his way back to his home to hopefully take some time to pull himself together. He called the Eastern Standard Time-of-Day service to determine that it was the day he discovered Cocoon's tome... the day he first met the changeling queen.

Even though he had the rest of the day off... William did not believe he had the mental fortitude to go on with his day-to-day routine tomorrow at work. Surely his brain would switch itself to autopilot as he contemplated everything that happened, losing the love of his life.

“...I guess it all really was too good to be true,” he said to himself as he laid on the futon, staring at the ceiling.

After a little while, the doorbell rang.

“Come in,” William spoke absently, but audibly.

The door opened, and James stepped inside.

“I thought I'd find you here after what happened,” the German paramilitary commander said.

He made his way over to the living area, taking a seat in one of the armchairs next to the futon. Interlacing his fingers as he brought his hands together, he let out a long, slow sigh through his nose.

“I know it must be hard, being forced to leave one who you love so dearly,” James said.

Swallowing, William pursed his lips and clenched his eyes shut. “...It was... far too soon. It felt like we were only starting our relationship!”

“I'm so sorry, William,” James said. “Truly, I am. I'm certain Cocoon is upset as well, knowing full well she may never see you again. But... she did what she had to do, as to preserve the integrity of our world's essence.”

“And that's what I just don't understand,” William said. “Why do I have to lose the people in my life who I care about, ending up right back at square one, where my life sucks?!”

James closed his eyes and tipped his head forward. “...I don't think that's a question anyone can answer. I'm certain this goes without saying, but life is rather unfair. I knew this firsthand when my homeland was taken from me by a tyrannical political party, and so many people I knew personally suffered by their hands. And particularly... when I lost my wife and child. That was the breaking point. From that moment on, I felt like I was destined to suffer.

“But after some time, I began to realize that in order to find happiness... I needed something to pursue. I then recalled exactly why I joined the German Army in the first place. I did so to ensure I could help to create a world where my friends and family could find happiness, and live peacefully and securely.”

William turned to face his visitor. “...Why are you telling me this, James?”

“Because I feel it's important for you to understand that, even though it does not look like it...” James said, “...somewhere, there's someone who needs you, who wants to help you find your place in this world. And, I'll be frank... I am one of those people. As I spend a great deal of time interfacing with military and government personnel, they consist of most of my closest affiliates outside of my family, coupled with the fact that I have outlived most of my friends from back home.

“William, you are one of the few civilians I have actually had enough time to get to know personally on my extended leave, and one from America, no less. I know you have a great deal of untapped potential, and I implore you to make good use of it! And besides, since you and Cocoon have met once before... who's to say fate has not intertwined your destinies to cross paths again?”

William lowered his gaze for a brief moment. “You really think so?”

“Absolutely,” James said. “Just keep pressing on toward the future, using what you have learned in the past to better yourself for whatever comes.”

“I guess you're right,” William remarked, weakly.

James stood from the seat. “So, what's say we go out and do something to distract ourselves from this whole ordeal? Maybe... we could head out for a nice, long walk? It's good for both the heart and mind.”

After sitting still and thinking for a moment, William finally swung his legs over the rim of the sofa, sitting himself upright.

“Okay,” he said, standing.

The two soon found themselves walking around the neighborhood, generally chatting about some minor, trivial topics at first, soon delving into each other's past. James, in particular, had quite a lot of stories to tell, having lived for a little over a century.

“Wow,” William remarked at the stories told to him, “and you've managed to live to this day, with all the battles you've been through?”

“I've taken my share of bullets and shrapnel, and even been hospitalized a few times,” James said, “but I always lived to fight another day. And with all the experience I've gained, such occurrences are far less common than when I was younger and more impulsive at times.”

Little were the two aware... they were being stalked. A young woman was trailing after them, moving around the various blocks surrounding the path the two were taking. She seemed to be taking a particular interest in the two...

“I'm sure if I ever went into combat... I'd probably end up dead or a POW,” William said, sadly. “No way in hell would I ever be able to do anything as remarkable as you did in my lifetime...”

“Oh, don't go thinking you're insignificant,” James said, sagely. “I am positive that there is still a great many things you could do to go about changing this world for the better.”

“I appreciate the sentiment,” William said.

After continuing their chat and walk for a little longer, the young woman following them finally stood directly ahead of them. William and James both stopped upon seeing her.

“Oh,” James uttered, “hello?”

“Hey there,” the young woman said.

She had fair skin, dark-brown hair, blue eyes, and a thin figure. She wore her hair loose, and had simple, slim-fit blue jeans and a black tank-top. From her overall appearance, she seemed to be about the same age as William.

“How's it going?” She asked.

“Well...” William began, “...we're getting by, I suppose.”

“And who might you be?” James asked.

“I'm Janet,” the girl said. “Janet Rhodes.”

“Janet...?” William asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, but my friends call me Jan... at least, y'know, if I had any.”

“You don't have any friends?” James asked.

Jan shrugged. “Guess you could say I'm a new addition to the community. I moved here recently and picked up a new job at a local diner.”

William nodded. “Always good to see a new face around here.”

“You okay?” Jan asked. “You look a little... lost.”

Lowering his eyes to the sidewalk pavement in front of him, William sighed.

“To tell you the truth...” he began, “...I'm not really doing so well at the moment. Someone I really care about has... gone away. And I might never get to see them again.”

“Is that right?” Jan asked, her eyebrows raised in curiosity. “I'm sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks,” William said, nonchalant.

“Would you like to get a cup of coffee with me?” Jan offered. “It might help take your mind off things.”

“Coffee?” William asked.

“Just figured,” Jan said. “I'd like to get to know someone around here... especially you in particular, William Schaeffer.”

William's eyes shot wide open. “H-how... how do you know my name?”

“I guess you could say... we've met before,” Jan explained.

“But, that doesn't make any sense,” William said. “I've never met anyone named Jan.”

“Well, I'm sure it may come back to you,” James said. “Plus, I could do for some coffee myself.”

After a moment of thought, William relented. Who knows? Maybe this girl could understand what he was going through once they became familiar enough for him to elaborate?

“Sure,” William said. “Lets head on over to the cafe, shall we?”

Sure enough, the trio went and sat at an outdoor table after ordering their beverages, conversing with each other yet again. James, of course, had much to tell the young woman about his life, and while she did find his stories interesting... for some reason, she seemed more interested in William.

“So...” Jan began, “...what happened that made you so upset now, William?”

William shook his head. “It's complicated. You wouldn't believe me if I told you.”

“I doubt that,” Jan responded. “I'm fairly open-minded, and I can tell when someone is lying. So go on, and tell me!”

“Alright...” William began, readying himself, “...you see, I met someone, from another world, a 'pocket dimension' if you will. And, even though she wasn't a human... she was still probably the most important individual I had ever had the pleasure of knowing. She helped to take my life in a direction I thought it would never go... but it all came crumbling due to a tragic series of circumstances.”

Jan's eyes lit up. “Really? Well, I can only imagine how awful things must be for you now, getting to know someone you truly care about being swept away from you after such a short time.”

“Hold on,” William said. “You actually believe me?”

“Of course!” Jan said. “Besides... this world, the pocket dimension you speak of... would it happen to have resided within a certain type of tome?”

Both William and James were frozen as they heard how she described it, only able to wonder how she knew such a thing.

“It's a rather complex form of magic, I know,” Jan said. “But I know about it firsthand myself... because I was there to experience it for myself.”

“Y-you mean...” William trailed off.

“...And I met a brilliant, smart, handsome boy who gave me the absolute purest love I could ever receive in all of reality,” Jan finished.

Both William and James, in spite of their surprise at how much she knew about the situation, used what she told them to piece together exactly who she was.

William's eyes went wider than ever. “...Coony?!”

Jan smiled. “Yes... I'm here, Willy.”

He was unable to believe it. The girl who sat in front of him was actually Cocoon? She assumed a human form? Of course, he had his doubts, and wondered if maybe she was a stalker pulling a prank on him or not, if she knew about the situation. But then again...

“Cocoon...” James interjected, “...if this is really you... then, how are you in this world? I thought you were imprisoned in the tome. And, are you just in a different form right now... or is this a new, permanent form?”

“When I made the time-jump with my powerful spell,” Jan began, “I sent my tome back a little further, to spawn at an area where there would be no human perception of it. From there... I got to work condensing every single wisp of magic I could from the realm within the tome. Once I did that, I used it to bring me into your world, and alter my form in the process into the human girl I am now. I then used the last of my power to conjure documents, including a fake birth certificate, for me in the nation's database...” she nervously shifted one of her legs, “...brainwashing a few federal employees to help out in the process. And I was able to get some welfare benefits, a small apartment, and a decent job.”

“S-so, Coony... that means...” William stammered, “...you're...”

Jan nodded. “Yes, I am a citizen of the United States. And my name is no longer Cocoon, or even 'Coony.' Now, it's Janet Allison Rhodes.”

Tears fell from William's eyes yet again, but this time a warm smile spread over his face. Jan, formerly Changeling Queen Cocoon, stepped toward him, wrapping her arms around her lover, and he did so in return.

“I thought I would never see you again...” William choked out.

“For you, Willy,” Jan responded, “I would go across the farthest stretches of reality.”

After a long, well-deserved embrace between the two, they mustered the will to separate.

“So... what about the tome?” James spoke up.

Jan pursed her lips. “Unfortunately, due to the power I absorbed from it in the process of leaving it's world and altering my form... it's been completely depleted of power. The world within has ceased to exist. And as a result... I have lost my magic when I assumed human form.”

William clasped his coffee cup, but did not pick it up from the table. “So... why would you do it? Why would you abandon everything that makes you... well, you?”

Jan looked out into the distance, up at the sky just over the horizon. “Why wouldn't I? Willy... everything that happened on that fateful day we met... when you came into my world... ever since then, I have wanted to be by your side, no matter what the cost may be. So, when I realized it was possible to come back to your world, I was also well aware of the price. And when it came down to remaining in an artificial world with magic, but without love, and living in a real world without magic, but a lifetime supply of happiness...” she shifted her focus back to her lover, “...I immediately opted for the latter.”

“Coony—er, Jan...” William began, a blissful smile overtaking his face as his eyes continued to well with tears, “...you have no idea how happy this makes me.”

“Indeed,” James remarked. “I think it's wise to choose happiness over power. Not to mention... I am certain you would not want to be subject to complete isolation yet again, would you?”

Jan shook her head. “Never again. That's why I knew, after having met Willy... that this would be the best decision for all of us.”

With that, the trio continued to drink their coffee, more or less deciding on where they wanted to go with their future together. James, of course, had to return to his command of the Harmonious Guard after his extended leave was over, but no doubt, he would remain in contact with William and Jan. As for the two lovers... well, it went without saying, but they would surely be willing to see each other on a daily basis going forward. Though she no longer fed on love... Jan knew she could still not live without it after having become accustomed to it from her Willy.