William and Jan both spent a good deal of time catching up from where they left off, and definitely spent more time alone with each other, since James eventually returned to Germany to continue commanding the Harmonious Guard after his extended leave. The two went on dates quite often, though at times there were some awkward moments, as Jan still did not have a firm grasp of the human world. More often than not, she relied on William to help her assimilate into their culture.

After a few years, she became very accustomed to the human world, having moved on from what she originally was. William knew it would’ve been a long transition… but strangely, Jan seemed to have slowly forgotten who she was originally. Whenever he brought up the situation of how they originally met, she recounted how it was in the woods someplace, but she thought he was crazy for assuming that it was inside some sort of artificial world.

So… she’s forgetting? William often thought. I’m guessing her magic was integral to who she was, and without it… her now-human mind is just constructing its own, more cohesive story of her life before she made the decision to stay here with me.

While a little distraught that she did not remember the extraordinary circumstances of the day their paths crossed, he ultimately decided it was for the better, as she would be able to live a more “human” life and be able to cope with a world she did not originally come from.

Eventually, William worked up the courage to officially tie the knot with Jan, since it was very clear that they both loved each other dearly. After discreetly getting her ring size, he went out and got a modest diamond ring, where, after an elaborate date that led to an isolated spot in a park at night, he pulled out the piece of jewelry, and asked the single most important question he could ever ask her, on a bent knee. Jan, of course, gratefully accepted.

After about a year of being engaged, the two were then married by a presiding justice of the peace, and, as it just so happened, James was back in America around that time. He, as well as William’s parents, served as witnesses of their marriage. The latter two questioned Jan about where her family was, to which she nonchalantly said that she had no idea. Not only that… but she did not accurately recall who James was, despite having spent a great deal of time with him back a few years ago.

“In any case,” James remarked nonchalantly over his drink, “I am happy for both of you.”

“Thanks,” William said.

They all decided to treat themselves to some fine dining to commemorate the occasion for the two newlyweds. All of them made sure to wear their best formal clothing, with James opting for his ceremonial military uniform (which boasted a large assortment of medals and other decorations, showcasing his massive contribution to the German military).

“We can’t tell you how proud we are, William,” Marlene said.

“Definitely!” Jonathan added. “I knew you’d get over your approach anxiety one day.”

“Indeed,” James chimed in. “All it takes is determination to overcome what would appear to be an insurmountable task. Many years in the military have taught me that much.”

“And I’m glad my son got acquainted with an overseas military man!” Jonathan said. “I must say, Cmdr. Günther, all the circumstances surrounding your career… I’m quite amazed, all the things you went through to get to where you are now.”

James let out a single chuckle through his nose. “Please, call me James. No need for us to go by rank among the civilian populace during leave and liberty.”

“Yeah, force of habit,” Jonathan remarked. “Still, I’m a bit surprised, given that we’ve had some interactions, assignments, and operations in conjunction with several Guard companies via connections through NATO… and here I am with the CO in person!”

“Of course, I’m glad to have met you personally, Jonathan,” James said, picking up his drink again. “But, tonight’s not about me, of course.”

Jan then spoke up. “I’m just… so glad to have met someone as kind and caring as Willy. He and I are truly meant for each other.”

William and Jan both looked deep into each other eyes, blocking out everything else around them.

“For you, Jan…” William began, “...I would go above and beyond, any day.”

“...And just that dedication alone is enough for me,” Jan said. “All I ever want with you, Willy… is to love, and be loved.”

“And that’s what you’ll get from me, until we cross the veil,” William declared.

William was able to find a good career in the field of art, with him doing mainly freelance work. He worked as an illustrator for books, a graphic designer, décor art, among other things his skills could be useful for. Jan, despite being only a diner cook at first, was able to work her way up to becoming the head chef at a posh bistro in downtown Atlanta. Both were able to make quite a good living for themselves, that they moved into a newer, nicer home, selling William’s old prefab (Good riddance, William thought.)

Overall, the two set themselves up for quite a good lifestyle with the money they made. As it just so happened, William was not the only one in his family to take up a bit of change as well.

Marlene got fed up with Jack, due to him lacking a great deal of affection for her, and mainly only being concerned with keeping himself occupied. She could not stand being married to a workaholic, and ended up filing for a divorce. Realizing that she had her mind made up about this, he did at least have the rationale to know she would not change her mind (his stubborn disposition really only manifested around William).

Ultimately, William’s father, Jonathan, ended up retiring from the US Navy after over twenty years in his career with an honorable discharge. His original ambition was to become captain of a warship one day. However, with how slowly he was ascending the ranks, despite his going above and beyond his call of duty on a regular basis, it was now appearing more to be a pipe-dream, at best. He only ever received the most basic decorations and medals for a First Lieutenant.

So, he decided to attend some classes to get a Captain’s License for operating merchant ships, since, at this point, becoming Master of any ship would be satisfactory enough. With his background in the Navy, even as a Lieutenant, he ended up receiving certification fairly quickly.

From there, Jonathan Schaeffer ended up serving as captain of several cargo and container ships, mainly on the Maersk fleet. In all honesty, he ended up taking quite a liking to his new job, especially since he realized it would be pointless to be CO of a warship if there was next to no chance of being authorized to fire the weapons, particularly since Goldsborough never saw combat for as long as he was stationed aboard, nor did any ship he served on. Not only that, but another thing he was grateful for was the ability to call William more frequently with the onboard satellite phones.

However… William and Jan, during a time when they could both have themselves a vacation, opted to join the former’s father on a moderate-sized container ship that would traverse a short route; one that would take them through the Gulf of Mexico, around Cuba, and ultimately to Puerto Rico. The two even decided to do some volunteer work to help out the crew, which mainly consisted of ensuring proper equipment and vessel systems operation, cargo inventory checks, cleaning, and in Jan’s case, helping the ship’s cook.

During some off-time, William took to exploring the boat when he got bored of looking out at the horizons. Sometimes, a crew member, oblivious to who he was, would make a snide remark like “This ain’t no amusement park, son! You best keep to the upper decks!” but sometimes, another crew member would come along and interject, something along the lines of “I wouldn’t want to talk down to him if I were you! He’s the Captain’s son!”

It didn’t take long for the whole crew to realize who he and his wife were, though, since it only consisted of about twenty crewmen in total.

It had been almost nine years since James met William a little while later, and the former was able to take another leave from the Guard after another long stretch of operations and missions at that point. So, he decided to fly back to the US to check up on his two overseas friends. After informing them he was in the country and would be paying them a visit, the two happily agreed, with them hinting that they had something really big to tell him about.

James had a bit of an idea as to what they were going to reveal to him, and once he arrived, what he saw alone confirmed it.

Jan had a large bulge in her abdominal region, which she subtly rubbed to direct attention to. James stared, both surprised and delighted, as he knew quite well what this entailed.

“Yeah…” Jan said, softly, “...seven months already.”

“Wow,” James said. “So you’ve finally decided to officially start your own family.”

William nodded. “We figured it was time, given how long we’ve both been together, and how much we’ve both wanted it.”

“And we’ve learned that it’s gonna be a boy,” Jan said.

James smiled. “Well, I am glad that you both decided to go through with this. And…” his eyes shifted to Jan’s pregnant belly, “...I’m positive your son will grow up to be just as amazing a man as you, William.”

“I can only hope…” William said.

Without dwelling excessively on the matter, the three simply went off to make the best of James’ visit once more. They did a bit of traveling together, some sightseeing, and generally just enjoying themselves with some of the local attractions of their destinations.

There was no doubt that William’s life, after having met Jan as the changeling Queen Cocoon, ended up far better than before. She helped open his eyes to things he never thought he would attain, and inspired him to pursue bigger and better ambitions. Sure, he did wish that he could have met her earlier in his life, but he could not change the past, of course.

But, in any case, his future looked bright indeed, as he now had a family of his own, and was finally able to emerge from the shell he encased himself in to avoid others rubbing their own good lives in his face. He was now a much different man than he was a decade ago, and has come to embrace what really makes life worth living. And he help some good faith that his son could go on to do amazing things for the world, particularly since the advent of contemporary technologies has made international connections far easier.

William Schaeffer knew, going forward, that whatever would come for him, Jan, his future son, and James, it would all be for the better as each of them worked to make a better tomorrow for themselves and those around them.

The End?

Author's Note

Sorry if this ending was a bit underwhelming; I just didn't really know a good way to wrap up the story. Not to mention, I've been sidetracked on a number of things. In any case, it was just a prequel story, and I am planning to write up a fourth installment (which will also be the fourth chronologically in the Find Her series.

In any case, thanks for reading, and especially those of you who favorited and followed! Keep a lookout for the new story after I take a break!