My phone buzzes in my pocket noisily and I quickly pay for my coffee before leaving the cafe. I take a huge sip before using my free hand to pull it out and answer the call.

"Aria, happy birthday!" Joon's voice echoes through the line. "How does it feel to turn twenty six? You're finally catching up with me." 

I smile and side step someone who nearly walked into me. Thankfully, my reflexes have toned down considerably over the last five years. 

The last person I beat up was a guy in my arts class two years ago. I had almost broken his wrist when he had leaned in my comfort zone thinking he was about to attack me. In truth, he was really just trying to steal a paintbrush. 

Now I've learnt that the people here do things like this. They touch and hug each other when they are happy. They sneak around and try to pick pocket or steal from you when you are not looking. There have also been some perverts that I had to deal with but I made a point to never break any bones. 

I guess you could call it progress. 

"Joon, I will never be able to catch up with you, old man." 

"Ouch," He replies. "So what's the celebration? Drinks at your place tonight?" 

"Katy and a few friends have invited themselves over. You might as well join." I take another sip of the vanilla latte that has become my addiction and weave through the crowd towards my studio. 

"Katy is coming as well? Count me in then." Joon has had the biggest crush on Katy, one of my  friends from the arts course I took in university which I joined using the fake credentials I had.

She has warm brown skin and very curly hair that surrounds her head like a halo. Her fearless nature and brazen personality remind me so much of Rosie. I guess it's one of the main reasons why I grew so close to her.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" I admonish. Joon's flirting around sometimes could rival Remulus.

 I feel a small stab of longing the moment I think of my ex squad member but quickly brush it aside. I don't want to think about them more than I already do.

"Didn't work out," He said. "I think Katy is the one. Anyway what about you? Is Zack coming tonight? Or that Reed guy who is head over heels in love with you." 

"Reed is coming," I reply and then I tuck the phone under my chin as I unlock the door to my tiny art studio. "But only as a friend. Sort of lost touch with Zack."

I went out for coffee one day with someone Katy had introduced. Zack was a nice, well established lawyer who'd just made senior partner in his firm. He'd asked Katy about me after seeing me in one of her pictures and my friend thought it would be a match made in heaven. 

But like all those other coffee dates, this one fell short again. There was always something missing. No one ever piqued my interest and I never bothered keeping in touch. 

I was fine with my solitary life in my studio with my art. 

I walk through the plain white walkway and head to the back where my workshop is. The front houses all the paintings I've done previously, some of which have sold for thousands. 

People who loved them said they were futuristic with all those spaceships and stars. 

But he was always my bestseller. 

The silver haired beautiful alien in my paintings with the pale blue eyes and sharp, angular face. I never drew the real thing, only versions of him and they were still enough to make my heart ache. 

I take out the metal device from my bag and place it on the long working table in my workshop. I carry it with me everywhere, holding on to it more than any of my other belongings. 

It's been five years now and sometimes I feel like throwing it across the room or breaking it into pieces. The damn thing never lights up and sometimes I have a small fear that Lucian only told me he would come back to make our separation easier. 

What if I never see him again?

I pull out a cigarette from the box in my pocket and light it up immediately. I know why he did this. I know living on Earth was something I needed to experience. 

But sometimes it feels like a part of me never left Pluto. 

I wake up in sweat after a night of battling it out in the pits, my sheets soaked. Or I feel wary every where I am like Lazarus is somewhere around here lurking, watching me. 

I know it's all in my head but sometimes I get so anxious. My life here is so relaxed. Paint in the workshop, meet up with friends at night, go on dates wondering if I would eventually realise what I had been missing on Earth. 

I have no place to channel the overriding adrenaline surges I sometimes get. Kickboxing was useless, mixed martial arts wasn't enough, I always ended up hurting my opponent.

I put the cigarette to my mouth and inhale deeply, it helps me relax only momentarily and then I get to work. I draw the green outlines of the planet in Cixin and then spend the entire day painting along them. 

The door bell rings and I look at the time, realising that it is already night. Katy and the rest must be here already. 

I curse softly under my breath and wash my hands before rushing out to let them it. 

"Happy birthday!" Katy screams before wrapping her arms around me. She's tall and skinny, like those models who flood the city during fashion week and she looks gorgeous in her short maroon dress. 

I hug her back and am then attacked by our other two friends Stephanie and Wendy. I whisper thanks while Katy complains about how I'm not dressed yet. I'm about to close the door when Reed appears, a bottle of whiskey in hand. 

"Happy birthday, Aria," He looks at me shyly through his deep brown eyes and runs a hand through his jet black hair. He looks so hopeful, I wonder when he will realise that I will never feel the same way.

"Thanks Reed," I mutter, letting him hug me briefly. 

I lead them upstairs to my loft and quickly wash up. I slip on a pale pink jumpsuit that Cassandra would be proud of, put on some light make up and join them in the living room. 

"Shots for the birthday girl!" Katy rushes to me and makes me gulp down some raw whiskey and then another one. 

I notice a few others who were from our class and sit down to join them. Katy, ever the organiser plays some nice dance music in the background and makes us all play a drinking game. I play along but then Joon arrives and I'm almost relieved to see him. 

"Hey!" I hug him tightly, feeling like I'm connected to my previous life as a soldier who used to fly around in space. 

Cat and the other humans are still back packing in India. I joined her for a few months but ever since coming back to Paris, I haven't seen her anymore. Last I heard they were heading to Tibet.

Joon is the only one here who reminds me that it was all real. 

That Lucian is real. 

I stare at the small metallic device perched on a decorative table. I'd taken it out with me and placed it somewhere I could see but the stupid thing remains unblinking. 

"Somebody's tipsy," Joon teases making me frown. He walks to the table and fills himself a large glass of hard liquor. He even mixes it. 

I want to admonish him but drinking for Joon is like smoking for me. Both are habits that suppress that adrenaline surge we both experience. The thing that makes us want to fight with any random person on the streets.

We head to the small balcony where he takes a huge swig of his drink and I light up another cigarette. I shut the doors so the others can't hear us.

"Maybe we should join the army," Joon murmurs after a few seconds of silence and I turn to look at him. "You know to get rid of all that angst."

I stare at him and it feels like I am looking into a mirror, wondering if we will ever be considered normal here. Maybe it's why all his previous relationships have failed. Because there is a part of us that is still hiding, despite being free.

"The army here is pretty boring in comparison, don't you think?" I say.

"Yeah, but look at us," He gestures at the cigarette between my fingers and then the glass in his hand. "We're numbing ourselves but it is slowly killing us." 

"If you had a chance to go back, would you?" I almost cough, choking on those words and the blind hope I carry with me, hoping that I will see Lucian again. 

"No, I have nothing to go back to. I just wish I had some sort of purpose or direction here. I've tried so many things but I just feel so lost."

"Maybe try the airforce," I joke flippantly but he stares at me seriously. 

"That is actually not a bad idea."

"Joon, we're supposed to lay low. Blend in-"

"Yeah, yeah I know. It's just a thought." 

We both stare at the sky for awhile until we're dragged back inside to the party. I lie to everyone once I'm sick of celebrating, telling them I have an early start tomorrow. 

Once everyone's gone I grab the metal ball and head to my room. I get ready for bed and lie down, staring at the night sky the entire time. 

"Where are you?" I whisper, my voice thick with emotion and I catch a flash of red light from the corner of my eye. 

My head whips to the side and I see the small device blinking bright red repeatedly. I jump out of bed and grab it before switching on the lights. Nothing happens and no one comes. I pace back and forth, my fingers tightening around the metal ball, squeezing all my frustration into it. 

It suddenly stops blinking and I stare out the window, expecting to see someone there but there's nothing. I hear a noise coming from downstairs and all but fly out of my room. 

I skip the steps, running down the stairs two at a time. I stop at the bottom and peer into my workshop. 

There's someone standing in the shadows, staring at my unfinished paintings. He stands tall at almost seven feet, with broad shoulders and long lithe limbs. He turns to the side, noticing my presence and his face catches the moonlight. 

I freeze in place, taking in his sharp jawline and high cheekbones. There is a small silver stubble along his chin and his hair has been pulled back, making him look different. More mature. 

"Aria, these are very beautiful," Lucian's voice is so deep it pulls me into it's depths and suddenly I feel like I'm drowning. 

I take a step towards him and then another one, till he is all I can see. 

He looks different, more regal, more toughened up, like the Sole General he has become. He takes my hand in his but I push it away violently, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. 

"You came back," I whisper and his eyes cloud with emotion. 

"I said I would." He looks around and then he smiles at me. "This is a very nice place. Are you going to show me around?" 

He walks up the stairs, leaving me stunned for a few seconds before I follow him. We stop in my bedroom and I see him scouring the area with his eyes, studying every nook and corner. He walks to the wall that houses my pictures and stares at each one. 

"You look happy." He states. "And your hair it's different."

"I coloured it," I reply angrily. Seeing him like this reminds me vividly of the day he made the unilateral decision to leave me here five years ago. I know he meant well but it still doesn't stop my blood from boiling. 

He walks up to me and I'm so frustrated I want to hit something. 

"You're more beautiful than I remember." He touches my arm and I lash out, throwing an upper hook which he avoids easily. He lets me hit him, blocking each move expertly, it feels like we are back in his room on Pluto, training for one of my matches. 

I feel a release I never knew I needed and throw a punch which I know he will avoid. Instead he grabs me and we both land on my bed. 

"You have a bad case of Retired Officer's syndrome," Lucian murmurs into my ear while I pant tiredly. I haven't fought like that in years. 

"What's that?" 

"Plutonian officers who are retired from battle tend to go stir crazy." 

"I'm not crazy," I glare at him but my heart is slowly melting the more I look at him. He looks down at me, his hair hanging over his face and it brings me back to every memory we had together. 

"Aria, have you made your decision?" Lucian releases my wrists and sits up. 

I sit up and face him as well. I can almost feel the nervousness pouring off him in waves.

"I want to join the army, Lucian. As a Commander and squad leader," I say determinedly. 

Lucian exhales in relief and buries his head in my pillow. He groans and then turns back to me, his cheeks flushed. "Aria, you have no idea how afraid I was that you would choose to stay here." 

"I want to choose my squad," I demand, unwavering. I don't want him to see how dangerously close I am to crying. I'm as relieved as he is, maybe even more. 

"Everyone knows the role you played in the war. They would be honoured to have you lead them. The halfbreeds are especially fond of you." 

"Okay, it's settled then," I get up and wait for him to do the same.

"Aria," Lucian pauses and pulls at his uniform collar. "Does that mean you're not coming back to marry me?" 

My lips pull apart into the hugest smile, I can't help it. "Of course I'm marrying you. Unless you want to set me up with someone else--"

Lucian cuts me off by grabbing me by the waist and kissing me. It feels like my insides are exploding in happiness and I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. 

"I love you so much," He says against my lips. "I've missed you so much." 

"I love you too, Lucian. Always have and always will." 

I was born on Earth and I will always cherish it but I've hidden my entire life and now I want to be free of that feeling. I want to live it doing what I love, with the person I love. 

It took me awhile to realise but home is not a place or an object. Home is wherever or whoever I need it to be. 

And as I head back into space with Lucian, the love of my life and my squad members whom I adore, I realise that this is the home I have always wanted. 

It is all I ever needed.

THE END

Guys thank you so much for following this series till the end. It truly was a journey for me and I thoroughly appreciate each and every vote and comment. Those were my fuel pills that kept me going. 

Please stay tuned for the A/N soon and have a nice day everyone!!