After everything I'd been a part of at Morior and the Mortal Masquerade, this place still had ways to surprise me. I had a suspicion as to who Larkin's headsman had been – he was a tall, muscular guy who I'd seen working as one of our stagehands and occasionally came under an avatar, but I had no idea who the lady was who lost her head after Maise and I left the platform. It was an impressive effect which must have involved a lot of skill, trust and preparation on both their parts. It was easy to forget that we weren't the only ones Uncle Morbid called upon for deathplay illusions.

On Monday it rained heavily. I got drenched in mud cycling to work, but didn't mind as I knew there was a hot shower waiting. It meant we were working together all day in the workshop, outdoor work on the Jungle would have to wait until the rain stopped. But this place doesn't put you in situations like a woodland cabin in a Spring rainstorm without there being some kind of drama in store.

Around about eleven there was a knock at the door, rising above the clatter of the rain on the roof. I got up and opened it, to find a soggy looking individual huddled up against the downpour. The man in the doorway looked to be middle aged, of slim build with slightly balding greying hair. He wore a burgundy golf sweater speckled with rain droplets, tan chinos, deck shoes and a checked collared shirt. His face was covered with light but managed stubble, his expression good natured and unthreatening. Wilco stopped and stared as he saw him, looking him up and down with amazement.

"Hello William," said the man. "You look just as I remember you. I might have changed a bit myself, though."

Wilco burst into tears and ran forward, the two men embraced passionately.

"Phillip!" he cried. "I'm so sorry I left you!"

I fetched Phillip a towel and made tea for us all as he sat down to tell his story. Chris had to be processing emotions right now – even though she'd known about Phillip, we never expected him to show up here, and certainly not as an older man. Perhaps sensing this, Phillip sought to put him at ease straight away.

"Are the two of you together?" he asked Wilco, indicating him and Chris. When Wilco confirmed that they were, Phillip looked Chris up and down.

"I didn't think you liked femme, William," he said.

"Chris dresses to express herself and I prize that above any preferences I might have. She was all man when I first saw her, but when I saw her dressed l I knew it was real and that I had to accept it. Then it turned out I love Chris both ways – you love the person, not the type."

Phillip was impressed.

"It seems we've both been on learning journeys," he said. "Let me tell you mine."

"When you took your own life, it devastated me. What made it worse is that my parents still treated you with contempt, it was then I knew I'd made the biggest mistake possible by letting them bully me into leaving you. They told me I could attend your funeral if I wanted as if it was some big concession, I told them both to go to Hell and that was the last I ever saw of them. I wish more than anything I'd done that when it counted.

"After I graduated I made my way whatever way I could, did a bit of freelance illustration and ended up teaching. That's when I met Martin, who became my life partner."

Phillip paused for a moment, remembering who he was talking to.

"I'm sorry to drop that in like that. He did know about you and I, and how it ended. I hope you would have wanted me to move on."

Wilco nodded quietly.

"It's OK," he said. "I'm truly glad that you did."

"Martin and I married in a civil partnership," continued Phillip.

"Hang on, what?" interrupted Wilco.

"Oh, William, if only you hadn't checked out when you did," said Phillip. "So much has changed, we won so much. There is still prejudice and there will always be people that hate us, but it's OK to be out and proud now. Laws were passed in our favour, and one of them allowed us to marry."

Wilco was taken aback by this. When he'd grown up it had been such a battle, it must have felt hopeless. I knew that feeling – I had grown up later, when the gay pride movement had built the momentum that would lead to the landmarks Phillip was referring to, but prejudice and bigotry dies hard. Whatever progress had been made, it was still a homophobic attack that had killed Maise and Chris. The law can't change minds, it can only sanction attackers and support victims.

Phillip stayed for a couple of hours and talked about his life. Wilco told him all about his time on this plane, which, given the age difference between the two of them, he realised had been longer than he thought. Chris stayed out of the way in the way Chris does, but she must have been wondering, as was I, is this the newest member of our team? What would it mean for our dynamic?

"So why are you here now?" asked Wilco, finally.

"You mean how did I die? The big C, I'm afraid," said Phillip. "I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in my forties and lost the fight three years later. Martin stayed with me to the end – he was there for me all the way and was brave and strong when I couldn't be. After I died, I found myself on the path leading up to this cabin, in the rain. Something told me that this was a transition point, a chance to resolve something important before I went on to where I was going. I knew immediately that it had to be you."

Wilco took a deep breath.

"So this is a flying visit," he said quietly.

"I'm afraid so," said Phillip. I'm eternally glad that I was brought here to see you again, to have this conversation and apologise for not fighting for you when I should have. I don't know if you can forgive me, but I had to see you."

"Phillip," said Wilco, "you don't owe me an apology, I owe it to you. I should have fought for you, given you the strength to fight just like Martin did. He sounds like a great man, and I'm glad if it couldn't be me, you had him to build a life with. So, you're waiting for him now?"

"Yes, but not here," said Phillip.

I was aware of someone else sitting at the table. I knew without looking who it was, and what their arrival meant.

Phillip turned to Chris.

"Please look after him," he said. "I'm so happy that you've found each other, and that William had his second chance here. Just like I had my second chance with Martin. Do you mind if we..."

"Not at all," said Chris.

Phillip and Wilco came together and kissed passionately. Tears were streaming down both of their faces, but they were tears of joy, tears of closure. They touched hands one last time.

"Goodbye my friend, my love," said Wilco. "Thank-you for coming back to me."

Phillip nodded through the tears and turned to the newcomer.

"I'm ready to go", he said.

Susan nodded and took his hand.

After Philip's visit and departure, Chris was a little quiet for the rest of the afternoon. I could tell that something was bothering her, but she was uncomfortable talking about it, especially in the emotional aftermath of all Wilco had experienced. In the end it was Wilco who spoke up.

"Chris, are you all right?" he asked. "Something's been bothering you ever since Philip came. You do know that it's you I love now, don't you? Phillip even gave us his blessing."

"It's not that," said Chris. "We all have past lives and I'm glad you had the chance to say goodbye properly. Actually, it was something else that was said."

Wilco frowned.

"What is it, Chris? I have to know if I've said anything to upset you, I can't stand that."

"Do you remember what Philip said when he found out we were together?" said Chris icily. "He said, 'I didn't think you liked femme'. And then you said, 'you love the person, not the type'. What is your type, Wilco? Because that sounds a lot like I'm not it."

Wilco looked uneasy as Chris continued.

"You encouraged me to come out and dress full time. When you told me you loved me, I thought you wanted me to be your girlfriend, and it was beautiful. What am I to you, Wilco? What do you want me to be?"

"I want you to be you," said Wilco.

"Oh, do you now?" yelled Chris. "Why the fuck did you set me off coming to work in frocks if it's not what you wanted? Are you laughing at me, is that what this is?"

Chris turned and ran from the room. Wilco ran after her. I went to the door to see the two of them running off into the rain with Wilco desperately calling after his lover. As I followed behind they ran up to the lake, through the woods and into the Hungry Garden, where I lost sight of them both.

As I followed down the path, my feet tangled in something in the mud. It was Chris's dress, crumpled and discarded on the floor. A little further on was a padded bra, a pair of ripped tights – all of Chris's outfit that day.

I finally found the two of them in the clearing where the Madagascan Sacrifice Tree stood. The rain had abated, soaking the area in a rainbow glow. Stood there was Chris, completely naked with her back to the tree, scowling through furious tears at Wilco, who was cautiously entering the circle.

Chris waved her arms, indicating her naked, male body.

"Here!" she seethed. "Is this what you like?"

Wilco shrugged.

"I told you, I love you. I mean, that is a fucking hot body, but it's the person inside that I love, and I still would whether you had a dick or not."

Chris was shaking.

"Be my girlfriend, Chris," said Wilco. "Or my boyfriend. Be both. I love you in every way and I don't know how else to tell you."

Chris calmed a little, but continued to stare daggers.

"What am I, Wilco?"

"You're my Chris. That's all I want."

"I mean, is this all just dress-up?" said Chris. "I thought you liked me this way the way you were encouraging me, but now I think I'm being patronised. I've always had this feeling that didn't match what I saw in the mirror, but am I a trans girl or just a failed man?"

Wilco reached Chris and grabbed her in his arms.

"You stop that, Chris," said Wilco. "After everything you've done for everyone around you, don't you dare call yourself a failure. How do you think I felt when I remembered what I'd done, when I took my own life and left everyone behind to deal with it? You fucking bet I felt like a failure! But the universe didn't agree. It brought me here, to Morior, to you. It even let me see Phillip one last time, to know he was OK.

"You're confused right now, I get it. All those years holding a different person inside, now it's all flooding out. Hell, did you even know you were gay? Lexie told me you hadn't had another partner."

"I dreamed of guys," said Chris. "But I was always a woman in those dreams."

"Well then, here we are," said Wilco. "I admit it, I was attracted to you first as a man. When I realised you were trans, I didn't know how I'd go on feeling about you, but I couldn't leave you in the closet to rot. But now I will never stop loving you, no matter what. If you ever transition fully I will be there for you, but for pity's sake don't do it for anyone other than yourself. Or maybe you've got a bit of both, like Lexie has. Maybe the whole gender division thing's a load of crap anyway, have you thought of that? Maybe you don't have to choose one or the other."

Wilco unbuttoned his shirt and began to strip off, maintaining eye contact with Chris throughout. He nodded at the Sacrifice Tree.

"We still haven't tested that," he said. "Remember when I promised you first go?"

Chris blinked at the change of subject.

"Yes," she said, uncertainly.

"Well, I need to ask a favour. What would you say to us both getting eaten together?"

Chris choked a little.

"I thought you couldn't do deathplays," she said.

"I didn't like femme either," said Wilco. "And yet, here we are."

Wilco picked Chris up into the Weismuller-Miles Tarzan pose and carried her toward the Sacrifice Tree. Chris looked straight at me over Wilco's shoulder and winked. So much for discrete distance, I wondered if any of this drama had been for my benefit.

Wilco set Chris up against one of the large hanging leaves. The trailing vines around them began to twitch as the mechanism was activated. As the vines found both their legs they started to coil around, pulling them closer together.

As Chris and Wilco pressed against the thorns on the back of the leaf, the trailing end began to slowly roll up over them, Iike a spiked bedsheet. They kissed as it covered their legs, their shoulders and finally closed over their heads, sealing them inside together as red ooze seeped from the side of the leaves. Craig and Rebecca had done a good job with that, I thought. It really looked like they were being chewed into mulch.

I turned around and headed back to the workshop. I figured they'd want at least twenty minutes in there before I let them out.