The apartment was still dark when Leia woke.

Not midnight-dark, but that silvery-blue kind that slipped through the windows just before sunrise, painting soft shadows across the floorboards. She didn't open her eyes right away. Her body was warm, tangled in the duvet, the faint weight of what she assumed was probably Olivia stretched across her calves. The world was quiet. Still.

Then she remembered.

Her album was out.

Ethereal had officially been released into the world while she slept. A body of work that had taken over her life - had nearly undone her at times - was now living in people's phones, headphones, apartments. In strangers' rooms, in friends' car rides, in someone's heartbreak playlist. It was out there, and there was no taking it back.

Riven had been kind enough to post on her socials when it came out at midnight, knowing she wanted to just sleep and not worry too much about first impressions of the album as it came out. She loved sees fans get excited at midnight release but she was so tense from her panic attack previously that she thought it was best to just let him handle the rollout. 

Hence why her release day was the one day that she didn't have any promo events this week.

Leia opened her eyes slowly, blinking up at the ceiling.

She didn't feel panicked. That was the first surprise. She didn't feel euphoric either.

What she felt was... quiet. Not numb or empty. Just quiet. Like the inside of her chest had stopped echoing for the first time in a long time.

Carefully, she slipped out from under the duvet, trying not to disturb Taylor beside her. But of course, Taylor stirred anyway.

"Mm?" came the sleepy murmur behind her.

Leia turned, pausing at the foot of the bed. "Just getting a drink."

Taylor's voice was thick with sleep. "It's still dark."

"I know." Leia offered a soft smile as she cast a look at the blonde buried under the covers. "Can't sleep."

Taylor hummed in understanding and tugged the blankets tighter around herself, eyes already drifting shut again. "Come back soon."

"I will."

Leia padded barefoot into the kitchen. The apartment had that stillness she loved - like it was holding its breath. She filled the kettle, the familiar click and hum grounding her as the water began to heat. In the living room, Tate lifted his head from the rug and blinked at her, then sighed and flopped back down.

Her phone was on charge on the kitchen counter.

She didn't check Twitter. Didn't open Instagram or her text messages.

Instead, she pulled up her music app, found ethereal, and hit play.

The opening notes of the first track drifted into the room - low, spacious, layered with static and piano. She leaned against the counter, mug cradled in her hands once the tea was steeping, and just... listened.

Each track slid into the next like a tide rolling in. She'd lived inside these songs for so long, had revised, rewritten, recorded, re-recorded. But now they were whole. She wasn't adjusting EQ or swapping lyrics. This was it.

By the fourth track, her throat had gone tight.

Not because of nerves. Not even because of pride.

But because it felt like saying goodbye to something only she had known.

Now it belonged to everyone.

She lifted her phone, ignoring the hum of notifications and fired a quick text to the therapist Taylor had introduced her to. If she wanted to heal, she needed to heal right.

____

Her therapy appointment was at ten.

She walked there, a hat over her head and Azul at her side. Thankfully, it was too early for any paparazzi to have been camped outside of her and Taylor's apartment - which they still believed was inhibited by Taylor and Joe... although Leia chose not to dwell on that.

The early Summer air was brisk but gentle, the kind that hinted at warmth just behind the breeze. She kept her hoodie sleeves pulled over her hands and her sunglasses on, not because she wanted to hide, but because it made it easier to stay in her head for a little longer.

The office was quiet when she arrived. Light wood floors. Pale green walls. The kind of decor meant to say calm without being too obvious about it. The receptionist smiled politely and gestured toward the waiting area. Leia sank into one of the chairs and stared at the floor until her name was called.

The therapist - Dr. Keller - had the kind of presence that made silence feel like an invitation instead of a punishment. She was in her late fifties, gray hair in a loose bun, no makeup, soft eyes. That first session had been... easier than she expected. Less like confession, more like slowly unwrapping a bandage.

Now, as she settled onto the same couch and tucked her foot beneath her knee, Dr. Keller simply waited.

Leia took a breath.

Then another.

"I didn't panic last night."

Dr. Keller nodded, waiting.

"I thought I might. I woke up early, the album dropped at midnight, and I thought I'd feel... I don't know. Crushed. Like something was about to fall on me. But I didn't. I felt," she paused, searching for the right word, "quiet. Not happy. Not scared. Just... still."

Dr. Keller folded her hands in her lap. "And how does that feel now?"

Leia gave a faint smile. "Weird. But good weird."

A soft beat passed.

"I'm proud of it," Leia added. "The record, I mean. I didn't know if I'd finish it. There was a point last year where I thought... I thought maybe I didn't have anything else left to say."

"Why did you feel that?"

Leia let her head tip back against the couch. 

"Because I was scared I'd only ever write from pain. And I didn't want to stay in pain just to keep creating."

Dr. Keller was quiet for a moment. "But you finished it."

"Yeah." Leia nodded. "And not all of it's sad. Some of it's angry. Some of it's stupid. There's even one track I think is accidentally about falling in love again."

Her lips curved into a dry little smile at that.

"I guess... it was the first time I wrote like someone who wanted to enjoy life and not just suffer through it."

"That's a big shift," Dr. Keller said gently.

Leia nodded again. "It didn't feel big while I was doing it. It felt like survival."

There was a pause, comfortable in its length.

"Can I tell you about the dream?" Leia asked after a while.

Dr. Keller gestured softly. "Of course."

So Leia told her. Not every detail, but enough. The party. The man. The bag of coke. The way she reached for it. The way it felt like her body had already decided to fail her. The way she woke up with her heart clawing at her ribs, the taste of it still in her mouth.

She didn't cry. She didn't flinch. She just... told it.

Dr. Keller listened. Asked a few questions. Gave her space.

"What do you think the dream was telling you?"

Leia swallowed. "That I'm still afraid. That even after two years sober, I still feel like one bad night could undo me."

"Do you believe that's true?"

Leia looked down at her hands. "Some days, yeah."

"And today?"

Another pause.

 "Not really."

Dr. Keller gave the smallest smile. "That's important."

Leia exhaled slowly.

"I used to think relapse would be obvious. Like a decision. A big, loud one. But sometimes I wonder if it would sneak up on me. If I'd only realise it after."

"It's good you're wondering," Dr. Keller said. "That means you're aware. You're thinking ahead."

"I just hate that it still has so much power over me," Leia admitted. "Even in dreams."

"Survival doesn't mean never being afraid again," Dr. Keller said. "It means knowing how to respond when you are."

Leia stared at the floor for a long moment. Then she said, "Taylor helped me through the panic attack. On the phone. She stayed on the line the whole time. Even during her meetings."

"That's a beautiful kind of support," Dr. Keller said.

"Yeah," Leia said quietly. "I'm lucky. But I also don't want her to be the only one who has to catch me."

"That's why you're here."

Leia nodded.

For the rest of the session, they talked about coping mechanisms. About early warning signs. About grounding techniques and what it meant to live inside a body that sometimes didn't trust itself.

It wasn't dramatic. It wasn't even that painful. It was just work. Necessary work.

By the time Leia left, the morning had fully brightened. The city had woken up, busier now. Cabs honking. Dogs barking. A child laughing somewhere across the street.

She paused on the sidewalk outside the building and tilted her face to the sun.

She was okay.

Not perfect. Not bulletproof.

But okay.

_____

By the time Leia made it back to the apartment, the sun had crested fully over the buildings, slipping long shadows across the hardwood and catching in the lip of her half-empty mug on the coffee table. Taylor's morning meeting had started an hour ago, so she was gone already. 

The apartment was quiet again. Still warm from the morning but edged now with a soft spring breeze drifting in through the open window. She toed off her shoes by the door and walked barefoot into the kitchen, the tiles cool beneath her. 

She'd texted Georgie earlier, just a casual, hey, home now if you want to come by, and hadn't expected much more than a thumbs-up or a gif. But when she crossed into the living room, Leia found her sister already curled up on the couch, one leg tucked under her, a half-eaten croissant in her lap and her AirPods in.

Georgie looked up as Leia stepped in, pulling one earbud out. "Hey."

Leia tilted her head. "How long have you been here?"

Georgie shrugged. "Is it bad if I say before you texted me? TayIor let me in before she left. I needed somewhere to exist that didn't smell like Niall's cologne and regret."

Leia let out a soft, tired laugh and sat beside her, folding her legs beneath her. "That bad?"

"No," Georgie said. "Just... done. You know? It's not a sad ending. Just the kind where the music fades out instead of stopping cold."

Leia nodded, picking at the hem of her sleeve. "I know that one."

They sat like that for a while, neither one filling the space too quickly. The city moved outside the windows - distant traffic, the occasional horn, the rise and fall of birdsong. A rhythm you only noticed when everything else was quiet.

Georgie glanced sideways. "How are you?"

Leia shrugged. "Weirdly okay. It feels like there should be more to it. Like a parade or a crash or a panic attack. But it's just... a day."

"That's probably a good thing, right?"

"Yeah," Leia said. "Just unfamiliar. I'm not used to feeling calm on days like this."

Georgie reached for her coffee, took a sip, then leaned her head back against the cushion. "I listened to the whole thing again this morning. Twice."

Leia's stomach clenched, not from fear, exactly, since Georgie had already heard the album a few times before its release. But there was a kind of vulnerability that came from someone telling that to her.

"Well?" she asked.

Georgie didn't say anything for a moment. Then she said, quietly, "I think it might be the best thing you've ever done."

Leia let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding.

Georgie kept going. "It doesn't sound like you're pretending to be fine anymore. It sounds like you figured out how to say not fine in a way that doesn't make it ugly."

Leia blinked. "I wasn't sure if it would make sense to anyone else."

"It makes sense to me," Georgie said. "Especially that second track. That line about letting the silence grow roots? I felt that in my spine."

Leia smiled faintly. 

"I wrote that the morning after Dylan's verdict. I hadn't spoken in, like, eighteen hours."

Georgie didn't answer right away. Her eyes were fixed on some point past the window, distant and quiet. 

"You used to scare me, you know. Not because you were loud or wild, but because you went so quiet, and I never knew what it meant."

Leia didn't flinch. "I scared myself, too."

There was a beat of silence. Leia reached over and took her sister's hand. No dramatics. Just warmth. They stayed like that, fingers linked loosely, until Tate wandered into the room and dropped his toy at their feet like an offering. 

Georgie looked at him for a moment as she sighed.

"Do you ever rest?"

____ 

Later, they walked.

It hadn't been the plan. They'd talked about ordering Thai and watching something brainless, maybe letting the day drift past in slow motion. But when they stepped outside, Tate trailing at Leia's heel with his tail wagging and tongue lolling, the sun was warm enough to keep them moving.

It felt like the first real spring day after a long hibernation. The city smelled like hot pavement and budding trees, like something was waking up under the concrete. Leia had almost not put on proper shoes until she'd thought about Riven turning in his grave in anger if she was seen in sneakers and no socks, and Georgie had tugged on sunglasses, even though they kept sliding down her nose.

They made it two blocks before Tate decided he wanted to stop and sniff everything. Leia let him. It wasn't like they were in a rush.

They walked down a side street first, then veered toward Central Park, Tate tugging gently at the leash like he already knew the route. A soft breeze rustled through the trees, carrying petals from something pink and delicate that neither sister could name. Leia paused to watch the way the blossoms fell across Tate's back like confetti, and for a brief second, she felt weightless. Like the past didn't have teeth today. Like maybe it was okay to just be here.

"So," Georgie said, reaching down to ruffle Tate's ears as he sat obediently at a crosswalk. "Do you think Taylor's gonna murder me if I keep stealing your sweatshirts?"

Leia smiled. "No. She'll just start hiding the ones she actually likes."

"Rude," Georgie said. "I'm the emotionally fragile little sister. I deserve comfort."

Tate barked once, like he agreed.

They crossed into Central Park about twenty minutes later and took the long loop - quiet and meandering, past joggers and stroller-pushers and a man selling bubble wands out of a duffel bag. Tate kept pausing to greet every other dog they passed, tail swishing like a metronome.

"Okay," Georgie said eventually, after they'd passed the little lake where the rowboats collected like lily pads. "Can I ask something maybe weird?"

Leia glanced at her, adjusting her grip on Tate's leash. "Sure."

Georgie hesitated. "Do you ever feel like you're still waiting for the other shoe to drop? Even now?"

Leia didn't answer right away.

She looked down at the path beneath her, watched the way the sun hit the gravel and made it glitter, watched the way Tate's ears perked every time a squirrel darted by.

"Sometimes," she said finally. "But it's not like before. It's not panic. It's... awareness. Like I know where the edges are now."

Georgie nodded. "That makes sense."

Leia took a breath. "It's hard to trust good things when you've seen how fast they can fall apart. But I'm trying."

They paused on a bench, Tate flopping to the ground beside them with a huff and rolling onto his back to sun his belly. They sat with that for a long moment. Tate yawned loudly, belly still up to the sun, paws twitching like he was chasing something in a dream.

"I hate that it took almost losing everything," Leia said eventually. "But maybe that was the only way I'd let myself change."

Georgie rested her chin on her knee. "I miss Niall."

"It'll pass," Leia murmured gently. "I'm sure he misses you too, but you guys made the decision because you knew it wasn't working for you. That's braver than staying together and ending up resenting each other, George."

Georgie nodded but didn't say anything.

They wandered again after that, no real direction. The air shifted warmer as the sun climbed higher, but the park offered shade in all the right places. They stopped for lemonade from a stand near the fountain, Tate patiently accepting a few ice cubes as a treat. The vendor recognised Leia, and asked if she could record a quick video to say hi to his daughter. She did so with a smile, even getting Tate to bark in it for the fan.

They passed a couple with a baby strapped to the dad's chest and a toddler dancing in circles nearby. The mother was humming a song - one of Leia's songs, though not from the new record. An older one. 

That surprised her.

"That's your song," Georgie said, noticing too.

"I know."

"You okay?"

Leia nodded. "Yeah. It's kind of... nice, actually. Hearing it from someone else's world. Like it got out of mine."

They looped back toward the city, Tate still trotting at a steady pace, his tail beginning to dip as the heat made him slower. Leia's legs ached a little, but in that good way that meant she'd moved enough, breathed enough, lived enough for the day.

They reached the corner of Georgie's apartment block - Leia's old one, now that she had moved in with Taylor. Tate led them home like he always did, nose up, ears alert, the very picture of purpose.

They were just a few doors down from the apartment when they heard it - a soft, stifled squeal followed by a hasty whisper:

"Is that her? That's Leia, right?"

Leia turned instinctively. Two girls, maybe twenty-one or twenty-two, were standing under the awning of a boutique coffee shop, their phones already out but still at their sides. One wore a leather jacket with patches stitched up the sleeve; the other had a beanie pulled low over her curls. Both looked caught between excitement and uncertainty.

Leia slowed.

Tate, sensing the change in her pace, came to a polite stop and sat at her heel.

"Hi," Leia said, voice warm but quiet. She didn't want to startle them.

The girl in the beanie blinked hard, clearly trying to process that she was being addressed. "Oh my God. Sorry - we didn't mean to be weird. We're just... hi. I'm Lucy. This is Amira. We've literally been listening to ethereal since midnight."

Amira nodded, a little breathless. "We were at the listening party last week, and we've been counting down. It's... beautiful. Like, all of it. The lyrics in that fifth track made me cry on the train this morning."

Leia felt something lodge in her throat. The same song that had once lived in her notes app, unfinished, written through gritted teeth after a sleepless night - now it was someone else's train cry soundtrack. Someone else's companion.

She swallowed hard. "Thank you. That means a lot."

One of the girls stepped forward just a little, still hesitant. 

"It's just really cool to see you doing music again. Like, you've always been talented, but it feels like... you're really back, you know? Like this version of you is you."

Leia blinked.

She'd been told that, or some version of it, by critics and producers and even Riven—but something about hearing it from a stranger, someone who wasn't part of her industry or her team, just someone who'd listened and felt something... it hit different.

Her chest swelled in a way that made her want to cry and laugh and maybe hug them both.

Instead, Leia smiled. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all day."

The fan grinned, visibly relieved. "Would you mind if we got a photo? If not, no worries—"

"Of course," Leia said, already stepping closer. "Do you mind if Tate's in it? He's kind of the real star."

Tate barked once, as if on cue, and both girls giggled.

Leia crouched slightly so Tate could sit beside her in the frame, and Georgie took the photo with a practiced swipe, offering a quiet smirk as she handed the phone back.

"Thank you so much," the taller one said, checking the image. "This honestly made our year."

Leia squeezed her hand gently. "Thank you. For listening. For being kind."

They waved goodbye, still grinning, and disappeared down the sidewalk, phones already out - presumably to scream about what just happened.

Leia turned toward Georgie, her cheeks aching from smiling, and opened her mouth to say something -

And that's when she saw him.

The pap.

He wasn't being subtle. Standing across the street with a long-lens camera, one headphone still in, holding his stance like a sniper. He hadn't called her name, hadn't shouted questions. Just stood, taking shot after shot of her crouched with the fans, of Tate wagging his tail, of Leia's unguarded smile.

Her jaw tightened instinctively. For half a second, she felt the old spike of adrenaline - fear, frustration, the feeling of being watched.

But then she looked at him. He wasn't moving. He could have easily came over, ruined that fan interaction and started to bombard her. 

The bar was truly low - but she was glad he hadn't. And that's what gave her the idea. Leia crossed the street slowly, hands at her sides, her posture calm but firm. Georgie stayed back, watching but not interfering, one hand on Tate's leash.

The pap looked up as she approached, surprised but not startled.

Leia stopped a few feet away.

"Hey," she said.

He lowered the camera slightly, uncertain, but she knew that the record was mostly likely still on.

"I'm not gonna ask you to delete the shots," Leia said evenly. "You were across the street, and they weren't intrusive. But I'm with my sister. I was talking to fans. And I'd rather that their faces aren't plastered on the internet without their permission."

The man blinked. "I wasn't gonna-"

"I don't know that," Leia said softly. "But you're here and you're taking pictures. So here's the deal. You promise me you won't publish those pictures with their faces in it, and I'll answer some questions for you. Not intrusive, of course."

The pap stared at her. Then, slowly, he nodded.

"Cool, perfect," Leia smiled. "Go ahead, three questions."

The man shifted his weight from one foot to the other, lowering his camera the rest of the way. "Uh... okay. Thanks."

Leia waited, arms crossed loosely. Calm. Unbothered. Like she had all the time in the world, even though her heart was still doing that thing it always did when a lens was pointed in her direction, where it clenched without permission.

The pap fumbled for his phone, clearly not expecting the chance to actually speak to her. 

"Right. Uh - first one: how does it feel having ethereal out in the world? I mean, it's your first full album since the... everything."

Leia let a breath out through her nose. Since the 'everything'. That was one way to put it.

"It feels..." she paused, thinking. "Like the version of me who needed to write it finally got to breathe. And now I get to move forward."

The man blinked. Clearly not expecting a real answer.

He recovered. 

"Okay. Second question." He glanced at his phone like he'd made a list - she wondered if he was getting texts from someone else as she spoke. "There's already buzz online about how personal this record is. Some people are saying it feels like a message. Like it's aimed at someone. Is there any truth to that?"

Leia gave him a look. 

"I think people will hear whatever echoes in their own lives. If they see themselves in the songs, then I did my job right. Sure, there's definitely songs on there about my partner and there's some about other people - but I hope that when fans listen to them they find other things they can relate it to, rather than my own experiences. That's all I'll say about that."

The pap nodded, swallowing. He looked down at his phone again. "Last one. Promise."

Leia arched a brow, waiting.

"Do you feel like you're back for good now? Like... really back?"

Leia glanced over her shoulder for a brief second. Georgie was crouched beside Tate, who had flopped dramatically onto his side, tongue out and tail flicking lazily. Her sister looked calm. Unbothered. Safe.

Then she turned back.

"I don't think I ever left," she said. "I just got quieter. Now I'm louder again. But I never stopped being me."

The pap stood there, speechless for a beat too long, like he hadn't expected anything that honest. Then he nodded again, slower this time. "Thanks."

Leia gave him a small smile. "Don't publish the fans' faces."

"I won't," he said, and for once, she believed him.

She turned and walked back across the street, her shoulders a little looser than before.

Georgie raised an eyebrow as she returned. "Are you... negotiating now?"

"I'm too tired to be furious," Leia said. "And honestly? I'm proud of myself today. I don't want that to get swallowed."

Georgie smiled. "You're kind of a badass."

"I'm trying," Leia murmured.

She looked back over her shoulder. The pap had stepped back, just like she asked, his camera at his side as he turned away and walked off, his phone to his ear as he grinned. She sometimes hated paparazzi, but that was probably his entire pay check for the month paid with one exclusive conversation.

She made a note to brag to Riven about how she'd gotten him some press to work with on her one press-free day later. 

_____

By the time Leia and Tate made it back to the apartment after wishing Georgie and their old apartment a goodbye, the sky had deepened into gold.

The streets had thinned a little - families retreating indoors, tourists shuffling toward early dinners, the city settling into its quieter rhythm. It was Leia's favorite kind of dusk: soft, tired, humming. Tate padded ahead of her up the stoop, leash slack in her hand, his tongue lolling contentedly from a long afternoon.

She was just about to pull her key from her pocket when she heard the shutter click.

Just one.

A single photographer across the street, standing half-hidden behind a tree, camera angled low. No yelling. No questions. Just one silent frame of her standing in the doorway with Tate beside her - sunglasses on, hoodie rumpled from hours outside, her smile still lingering faintly from the fans they'd run into earlier.

Her jaw tensed, but she didn't let it show. She let her fingers drop from the key, instead pressing a button on the buzzer and muttering to Drew that she was outside, and there was a pap here. Within seconds, the lobby door was swung open and the man was patting Tate's head as they entered.

The lobby was cool and dim. Tate shook himself once, then trotted toward the elevator like he had somewhere to be.

Leia followed, exhaling only once the door slid shut behind them. Inside the lift, she pulled out her phone and texted Taylor on the way up.

pap just got a shot of me w/ tate at the door. might need to fake leave later so it doesn't turn into "leia spends the night" rumors.

ok. we'll figure it out. you okay?

yeah. just don't want to steal your stunning spotlight.

you are the spotlight today. hurry up and come home.

one sec. just about to open the door.

When the elevator doors opened, Tate trotted into the hallway like he owned the place, nails tapping lightly against the wood. Leia followed, unlocking the apartment with the quiet comfort of someone who knew exactly which key would stick.

Inside, the lights were low, warm. Soft instrumental music played from somewhere in the apartment, just audible enough to wrap the space in calm.

And then Taylor appeared.

She came around the corner barefoot, her hair up in a loose twist, wearing one of her old folklore crewnecks and leggings, holding a glass of sparkling water with lemon.

Leia felt something in her chest loosen at the sight of her.

"There you are," Taylor said, voice soft. "Was starting to wonder if you got kidnapped by an overly enthusiastic vinyl collector."

Leia let out a breathy laugh, dropping her keys into the bowl by the door. "Close. Georgie and I got caught by a couple of fans recognising me this afternoon, actually."

Taylor stepped closer, brushing a hand lightly over Leia's arm in passing. "How'd that go?"

"It was actually really nice," Leia admitted. "They loved the album. Said it felt like I was back." She paused. "I didn't cry. I wanted to. But I didn't."

She crossed the room and dropped onto the couch, Tate curling up instantly at her feet. She could feel the exhaustion in her body now - the good kind. The kind that came from surviving a long day and still having something left to give.

Taylor sat beside her, tucking one leg underneath herself, her thigh brushing against Leia's.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while. The music continued to hum softly in the background. Olivia padded out of the bedroom and immediately climbed onto Taylor's lap like she'd been summoned.

Leia glanced at her. "You're quiet."

Taylor looked at her for a moment. "I've been waiting for the right time."

"For what?"

Taylor hesitated. 

"I wanted to give you something tonight," she said carefully. "A kind of album release gift."

Leia tilted her head, suddenly alert. "Okay..."

"It's a song," she said. "One I wrote when everything felt like it was falling apart. I didn't think you'd ever hear it. I didn't think I'd ever get to play it for you."

Leia's breath caught.

Taylor looked at her, eyes gentle. "It's on Midnights. You've probably heard it by now without knowing. But... I want you to really hear it."

Leia didn't speak. She just nodded, once.

Taylor moved from her spot on the couch, sitting at the piano in the corner and motioning for Leia to join her on the piano bench. She did, their thighs and knees touching as Taylor started to press her fingers into the piano keys.

It was haunting in that way Taylor's songs sometimes were - where the emotion was buried just deep enough that you didn't realize you were holding your breath until you heard the chorus.

She'd heard Jack mention labyrinth before. He'd said that on the album, it was going to be one of those tracks that felt quiet, almost like a pause in the story. She hadn't pressed into it too hard. Hadn't let herself. Maybe she'd known, somewhere in the back of her mind, that it was meant for her.

But now - now she was getting to finally be listening, and the truth was right there.

This wasn't about fear in general. This wasn't about some metaphorical fall.

This was her. This was Taylor writing about falling back in love with the person she thought she'd lost.

Leia's breath hitched. Her hand curled over her knee. Taylor sat still beside her, watching with a kind of tenderness that made Leia feel both fragile and indestructible.

Leia felt the air shift around her, the walls recede. All she could hear was Taylor's voice. All she could feel was the way her own chest rose and fell, steady but uneven, like the song had cracked open something she'd buried and was now coaxing it gently into the light.

By the time the last note faded, Leia was blinking hard, her hands pressed together like a prayer in her lap.

Taylor didn't say anything right away.

Leia looked at her.

"You wrote that... about me."

Taylor nodded. "I couldn't say any of it out loud. Not then. But that's what it was. You were the labyrinth. The way in, and the way out."

Taylor reached out, brushing a thumb beneath Leia's eye. 

"I've been waiting to give it to you. I wanted to wait until you could hear it without thinking it was a warning."

Leia leaned in slowly, forehead resting against Taylor's. Her voice was barely a whisper. 

"Thank you."

Taylor closed her eyes. "You gave me something too, you know."

"What?"

"Ethereal," she said. "That whole album. I've never heard you sound more like yourself."

Leia let her eyes flutter shut. "I didn't think I'd make it to this version of me."

Taylor's hand curled over hers. "I did."

And for a long time, they just sat like that - knees touching, breath shared, the room holding them quietly between the noise of the world and the next step they hadn't yet taken.

Outside, the city kept moving.

But inside, they were still.

Not hiding.

Just home.

..

.

.

.

.

.

. 

little bit of a filler chapter but wanted to say sorry for the delay!! had a busy few weeks and hadn't been able to write :( but next chapter is goooooooood. you're going to love the next few hehe. lots of soft moments and minimal drama for now!

side note: i've been thinking about writing an ellie x oc fanfic from the last of us... would anyone be interested in that lol?