"IN THE SAFE HAVEN"

~

In which they were all now safe from infection and WCKD.

~

It's been a week since they arrived in the Safe Haven.

The first day was tricky. They needed to help Vince and the others to set up the camp - building, furnishing, etc - but once it was done; it was bliss.

Except from keeping the place alive and thriving, they had no worries. They did their jobs at the times necessary, had far more breaks than what was only dreamed of in the Glade, and laughed and partied far more than they ever would've imagined.

The Safe Haven truly was Heaven.

Ada had back the job she missed so dearly. Beside her best friend, she was able to try a variety of new recipes, each day opening an opportunity to add a new spice or herb into the meals she made, only becoming more and more excited with each genius discovery she made.

She decided to start keeping note of all her recipes. She knew that if she had kids one day in the future, she could pass a book of recipes onto them, so they could remember her legacy.

Her legacy.

"Is cooking really going to be my legacy?" She had been reciting her thoughts aloud like always, her hands dancing along the tufts of grass she was sat on, her legs dangling precariously over the cliff edge.

Her positioning really wasn't dangerous. In fact the cliff edge was barely an edge at all; there was a dip of grass just in front of it, maybe three or four feet down, so there was no chance she was going to fall to her death.

"It wouldn't be a terrible thing. I'm pretty good at it, so if I'm going to be remembered for anything I guess," She trailed off, shrugging.

She patted her already battered book of recipes that laid next to the flower arrangement beside her, letting it rest within the grass. She sniffed as she tilted her head away from the row of orange and white tulips, the wind in her face making her eyes water.

Or was that just her excuse?

She wasn't really talking to herself, more to a blonde boy that she hoped was listening, wherever he was now.

She had done this routine every day since arriving and making the small flower bed with a teary eyed Thomas, a shaky Frypan and a stony faced Minho. Although Minho had no external reaction when they created it in memory of the love of his life, Ada knew he was being hit harder by this than any of them. That night, she crept into his room, met by quiet sobbing that he was trying and failing to keep in.

This also became a routinely thing. The girl bringing him into a hug each night, whispering to him about how Newt was watching over him, and somehow getting him to drop off into a peaceful sleep before returning to her own room.

"I'm not really sure what your legacy is, to be honest." She blurted out suddenly. "You were many things, Newt. Many." She paused, letting the tears form in her eyes before blinking them away carefully.

"You were like a mother to a lot of us. Thomas, and Fry, definitely. You always made sure none of us went hungry, especially in the Scorch, even if that meant you not eating yourself."

The sky had been dark for the entirety of Ada's visit so far. This day in particular, she woke up before the sunrise, a pale grey sky looking down on her, the clouds trailing along her eye line. 

But now it was beginning to lighten. The sun was being brought back from its slumber; poking out at the horizon, already drastically changing the colours of the sky. The grey skies morphed into orange and salmon pink, smearing the shades into the white clouds.

"You were like my brother. Alby's too, I'm sure of it. I think it was the accents; that's what made me attach that relationship to you. But we were always just like siblings. I'm glad you were my brother." She mumbled, patting the grass once again, as though it would stop her from crying.

"Minho's in bits without you. He doesn't really know what to do with himself, either. There's no Runners here, not like in the Glade at least. Lots of us go on runs occasionally, myself included, but he needs something like in the Glade."

Ada couldn't deny how worried she was for Minho. She was certain he could grieve Newt, and that the boy could become a fond thought for him rather than one that made him collapse in tears, but she was scared to see how he would fit in to the Safe Haven.

He needed something exhilarating, dangerous, and invigorating like running the Maze to keep him sane. It was one thing, being tortured by WCKD for six long months, but it was another to not have the same familiar routine to fall back into after it was all over.

"I'm sure I'll find something for him. I know I will. Besides, he's Minho. He'll get through it. He gets through everything."

The sun had fully risen now, the oranges and pinks it dragged up with it having turned into a soft blue, setting the peaceful and happy tone for the day. White, fluffy clouds were sparse, and the sun shone down on Ada's face, already proving to be a bit of a nuisance. 

Shielding her eyes from the rays, she pulled herself up onto her feet. She stood for another few moments, picturing Newt's smiling face in her mind just like every time, and then moved away.

"I'll be back tomorrow, Newtie, don't you worry!" 

He couldn't reply - obviously - but she still called to his flower bed as though he were there and waiting for a shout of reassurance.

Making her way to the dirt trail that led down the mountain and back to their camp, she froze with the realisation she had left her trusty book of recipes beside Newt's memorial. For some reason, she brought it to read him aloud the steps for her latest invention: Sweet potato pumpkin pie.

No one had the heart to tell her that she didn't really invent it, she had simply forgotten it existed after the memory swipe, and kind of reinvented it. So in a way, she did come up with the idea, but someone had just gotten there first. By a long while.

She spun around on her heel, making her way back towards the cliff edge to retrieve her most prized possession. Before she could reach down and scoop up the book, a throat cleared behind her, making her jump.

She whirled around, hands raised defensively, before she realised the person was definitely not a threat. Gally had his own hands raised, in surrender, his laugh tickling her ears as he revelled in her hilarious raw reaction. Rolling her eyes, she let a smile play fondly on her lips.

"Hey." She greeted him, maintaining a comfortable distance between them. She had been running, so she knew she was sweaty and probably smelt awful. She decided she didn't think Gally needed to know about the sweat or the stench.

"Hey," He replied, awkwardly. 

It seemed as though he was out of breath. Then Ada realised that he was out doing what she was doing: a daily jog. 

Gally always did his in the evenings, the girl had noticed. Why had he switched it up? Was it because he noticed the timing of when she went for a run and desperately needed to talk to her about what happened between them?

Yes, it most definitely was.

They had talked since it all happened; of course. They had talked about jobs, and food, and swimming, and games, and the Glade. Just not the kisses. Or the confession. Neither one of them had the guts to bring it up, so they simply just let the tension sit in the air between them.

Ada definitely wasn't complaining about his presence; Gally looked good. His biceps were flexed in the tight shirt he wore, and his face was flushed the lightest shade of red from the exercise; making him look rosy cheeked.

"You come up here a lot?" He asked suddenly, taking a step towards her, and looking out to the mountain's edge, where it towered over the beach that the camp occupied peacefully.

"Yeah." She replied honestly, her own eyes turning to the beach, where she could see a few kids splashing each other in the sea playfully. 

"It sounds stupid," She shook her head and let out a small chuckle to stop a sob rising instead, "but I talk to him a lot."

Gally's attention moved to the small bed of colourful flowers at the cliff edge, where a wooden plaque rested in the grass, which read: To Newt. We got those flowers you always wanted.

It helped her through, talking to Newt. It wasn't that she couldn't accept his death or his absence; she was working on that. It was simply a way for her to release her emotions, calmly and therapeutically, and it made her chuckle to imagine the blonde boy's replies to every question she asked aloud.

Unknown to her, all of her friends did exactly the same.

"That's not stupid at all." Gally spoke, his eyes shining with a pure fondness only reserved for the girl.

The relief that flooded her expression was immeasurable. A small smile settled on her lips, as she looked at the flowers herself and then to Gally. Peaceful silence settled with them for a second.

"You know, I was thinking about what happened," She didn't properly register what she was saying as she began to talk, but the way his mouth was a little agape and his eyes were growing wider as she spoke spurred her on. "between us."

Her cheeks flushed and she glanced away, trying to hide her reddened cheeks in her curls. Composing herself, she turned back to him expectantly. She didn't pose a question, but the ball was in his court now. She told him she was thinking about their kisses, surely it was his turn to make a move now.

He was staring intensely at Ada as if debating something internally. She cocked her head to the side in amusement, beginning to open her mouth and ask what he was thinking about, but then it seems he decided it.

He moved in one swift movement to cup her face with his hands, pulling her towards him. She felt the ghost of a smile on him before his lips hit hers. It was a feeling so magnetic that she swore every inch of her was on fire.

They kissed so softly that Ada felt like she was floating. She expected Gally's kissing to be rough, urgent, and hasty like before, but this time he was slow, romantic, and gentle.

Shivers ran down her spine as Gally's hands moved to her hips, closing the little gap between their bodies. Her hands flew up to his neck, running them through his hair, as she kissed him back eagerly.

She forgot completely about her sweaty post-run state. She forgot completely about the book of recipes on the ground beside her. And, she forgot completely about her friend's memorial lying only ten feet away.

Little did she know, the boy in question was watching them from the clouds with a playful frown as he whined to their old Glade leader, "Are they seriously sucking faces in front of my bloody memorial?". Alby only told him in return to let them have their fun.

Ada could feel Gally smiling again. This time, it was infectious. As she began to smile too, their teeth clashed together and forced their lips apart. They began to laugh, still very much invading each other's space.

At that moment, they didn't feel the need to share any words.

The wind was flaring around them, raising the hairs on their arms and sending goose bumps down their bodies - but they didn't feel cold. They felt as though a weight that had been resting on them for a long time had finally been lifted.

They had a lot to discuss, there was no denying that. But they had all of the time in the world to figure it out.

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This is it!

I promise you, this is the only fic in which I kill Newt.

It's mainly because ahead of most of the other chapters, I wrote this last one, and I had it decided that I wanted Ada talking aloud to Newt's memorial about life in the Safe Haven and Minho, etc. Trust me, it was so painful writing in his death, but I hope I did it in a way that brought some closure and peace.

More Maze Runner fics coming soon, because apparently I never run out of ideas! Thank you all for reading, I love seeing your comments everyday <3