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Epilogue: Post Production

Shellington Airport

The Rewritten Direction.

That's the name I gave the Seal that Rob had obtained and used to change all of Crosstown and the surrounding areas.

After closely examining some of the pictures I had taken, I realised that I had been so swept up in love and the prospect of having a mate that I had failed to see the signs of the Seal. Thankfully, I had saved some of the evidence in my phone and managed to send it to my dad again.

Remember, after a Seal is destroyed, all evidence of it ever existing is taken with it. Anything that was part of the reality that was built upon the Seal is completely wiped from existence... except for things saved inside inter-dimensional beings that can circumvent the regular laws... Like me and my phone.

It turns out, that the Seal was imprinted on the crest of on the bottle of wine that Vane had given me earlier that week. Additionally, the lightning struck tree's branches also formed another Seal. When I brought up images of Rob's typewriter from the past, I realised that some of the old markings on it had the Seal engraved into it.

And now it was gone...

... and so was any thought of a Crimson Series movie.

It was like history was rewritten without the Seal ever existing. The funny thing is, I noticed that there were quite a few of Rob's works missing. It made me wonder just how far back Rob had been using the Seal...

In fact, I woke up in the motel expecting to find Chad in the bed beside me, I found out that I was sleeping by myself. There wasn't a film crew anywhere near Crosstown and the Crosses... well... they died out a long time ago. Their line ended. Those Crosses we faced were just people Rob created for his reality.

Anything I did during the week or so that I spent in Crosstown was completely forgotten as if none of it had ever happened.

So, after another day of me wandering all over Crosstown, visiting the places where Chad and I had been a couple... I decided to head back home. My job was done... and my heart was just as empty as it was when I left.

There was one catch however.

Rob was dead.

Apparently, the reason I had decided to go to Crosstown was because of his funeral. Official records state that he could no longer take the harsh reviews people were giving his super-successful books that he threw himself off the edge of Point Edge. His body was recovered, thankfully, and I was there to attend his funeral.

He was buried in the glade.

It was a beautiful ceremony. I was called to make a speech and I was as honest as I could without defaming Rob.

I guess... Some things aren't always fixed when a Seal is destroyed.

Whenever I destroyed the Seal, only two people ever remembered what happened.

Me... and the user of the Seal.

I never thought Rob would want to leave this world so badly that he'd commit suicide... but... I guess I was wrong... I was wrong about a lot of things...

Still, it sickened me when I saw several of Rob's critics at the ceremony openly voicing their opinions about how much Rob's books 'sucked' and how his suicide was just an 'attempt to boost sales and forever immortalise his name in literary history'. More than anything, I wanted to chop them to pieces, process their carcasses and use it to print the script for Rob's movies - I still had the script memorised after all.

But... I guess that's the lesson here.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Anyone else has no right to impress their opinions onto everyone just as everyone has no right to insist their opinions upon anyone. Whether or not a person listens, accepts or rejects an opinion is entirely up to them.

Rob was wrong to force his opinion upon us and while my opinion was against his, I was merely attempting to free myself from his control. The right to voice one's thoughts was a right everyone was entitled to.

At least... that's what I kept telling myself.

Ultimately, I killed Rob... and when I realised that Grim was after him as well... We worked together for the first time to take down the same target.

I didn't end up saving Rob... I ended up damning him.

Was that really the right course of action...?

I told myself that I did the best I could. I tried to convince Rob he was wrong... but he ended up being consumed by his desires, fusing himself with the Seal and becoming something that I don't think either Grim nor I were expecting to see...

Fusing with Seals... I have to keep that in mind.

That never happened before and Rob was ridiculously powerful...

Chad, Dennis and Kristine were at the funeral too. Apparently, it became known that Rob was planning on making a movie of the Crimson Series and the trio were signed on to be the main cast. However, because of Rob's suicide... that was obviously scrapped.

On the long plane ride home, I pondered if I had done the right thing... If perhaps, I should have just left Rob to have his little plot of the world. What was the harm, right? But then I'd remind myself about what he did and what he was planning to do with it.

He made his escape... but he was taking people with him.

I realised that if a person were to create their own reality, it should be theirs and theirs alone. No one else would fit into that world.

The worst part was... My fears had come true.

Chad and me... Never happened.

Those few days we had spent together, those few magical days when I thought destiny had brought us together and we would forever be happy... Gone along with Rob's reality. While I longed for Chad to be with me, I knew that things were better this way.

I would rather not have a Chad who was free to make his own decisions than have a Chad that was being manipulated to love me.

And who knows? Maybe one day, we'll meet again.

I might even cast him in one of my movies...

Like that's going to happen.

I walked off the plane and quickly collected my bags. Customs had me checked again but, as usual, they never picked up my guns or my combat knife. As they asked me the usual questions and I answered them dully, I wondered what would happen if I told my parents that dad had decided to drink some of Chad's cum at one point. It'd be really amusing since I had Dave's call to me recorded on my phone.

While the ensuing conversation would be hilarious, I decided that I really didn't want that type of conflict or drama.

After all, I just lost my mate.

Once my bags were checked and I was given the 'all clear', I headed out of the airport.

Three people were waiting for me.

"Jake!"

My mom, Rebecca Reaper, came storming through the crowd like a wolf on a rampage. Being close to seven feet tall and brimming with muscles, she cleaved through the much smaller population and even broke apart a reuniting couple. I braced myself as I was suddenly lifted off my feet and squeezed against her chest.

"Hi mom!" I laughed, prising myself from her grip.

"How was your trip?" she asked, beaming brightly at me. Then her smile faded slightly. "Everything okay with Rob?"

I managed a smile even if my ears flatted against my head. "Yeah... As well as can be expected. Had a few twists and turns but... Had my heart tugged around a lot... but I'm good."

She took careful notice of the fact that I didn't mention anything specifically about Rob or the fact that I went to a funeral. She placed a careful paw on my shoulder and sighed softly. "Will you be alright?"

"Just give me time to patch a few things up and I'll be good."

The other two figures followed the destruction my mom had left and beamed at me.

The one on the right was my dad, still buff, still handsome and still with that cheeky grin on his face that told me he was having evil thoughts about me and him in the same bed.

The one on the left was an athletic black fox in a trim suit with a black coat reaching down to his knees hanging over it. Despite is obviously professional appearance, he had quite a few ear-piercings. An 'industrial' - I think that's what they call those long metal bar piercings - was attached to his left ear and three other rings were in his right.

That's what I liked about Alexiel. While he could be very professional, he was also a very casual guy who treated you like a friend instead of just another bag of money for him.

"I'm sorry to hear about Rob, Jake," the fox said, lowering his sunglasses. "No one gave you any trouble, did they?"

I shook my head. "Nah... Just a few critics who were a little harsh on Rob but nothing to cry over."

"Good..." Alexiel reached into his coat and pulled out several documents. "Because the producers are expecting these today and I was hoping that you'd have a clear head to run through them..."

"Alexiel!" my mom snapped, snatching the contracts from his paws. "Jacob just came back from burying his long-time friend! He has no time to be deciding whether or not he'll sign over the rights to his books to movie producers!"

"Actually..." I began, raising my paw. "I have come to a decision."

Alexiel's eyes brightened and my mom looked a little disappointed. My dad rolled his eyes and shouted something along the lines of 'Oooh! Shiny!' and darted away.

I gently took the contract from my mom.

"Great!" Alexiel exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "I was thinking you should sign the one for Sidney Studios. They've got big plans for several of your children's books. Oh! The one for Warren Sister's Studios is an excellent place to launch your more adult oriented books and they've got a huge track record of making sequels-"

He never got to finish.

I lifted the contracts up in front of him...

Rrrrrrrip!

... and tore them in half.

Alexiel's jaw dropped and my mom's eyes went wide.

"I am not going to touch the movie industry," I said conclusively. "Not with a ten foot pole. Not even if I was in another dimension. Too much drama."

The black fox looked horrified. "But... But..."

"Alex," I said, placing a paw on his shoulder and smiling consolingly. "I respect you and I can understand why you want me to go through with this. But when I write, it's not only to create a world that I imagined. A world that I created and forged, where anything I think will simply be there or where my wildest fantasies will come true.

"It's to create a world where I can visit anytime I open the book and start reading. A world where people have the choice to come along with me if they wanted to and we can stay for as long as we wanted. Somewhere I can close my eyes" - I closed my eyes - "take a deep breath" - I took a deep breath... and I smelled Chad's clean, crisp, dew-drop scent - "and go to that place. But..."

I opened my eyes and stared directly at Alexiel.

"A place where I can come back to this world anytime I wanted. It's a world of my imagination but it isn't an escape. It's a reality I created but it isn't only my reality. It's a world where people can come in and contribute to it with their own thoughts, their own imaginations, helping forge it and make it grow. That is why I write and if I make a movie, I'm just not letting people have that freedom."

Something Rob and I differed in opinion...

As Director, he made sure everyone followed his precise script and restricted the freedom of his actors to add their own flair to the world he created. As a writer, I put the words to paper but the freedom was for my readers to imagine the world as their own. I wrote the script, but they brought it to life.

Everyone deserved that freedom.

"I guess..." Alexiel said. "Your call, Jake. Though... I wish you hadn't torn up the contracts. That was expensive paper..."

I laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Tell you what? I'll make up for it by writing a tribute to Rob's most successful story series."

Alexiel's ears perked up immediately. "The Crimson Series? You want to write a story based around the Crimson Series!?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not? I mean, we can piggyback on Rob's success, pour in the cash and fans from his series who aren't fans of mine might be convinced to convert."

The fox's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant!" He flicked out his phone. "Let me just talk to his people! See if we can negotiate a deal for the rights..."

And just like that, he was off making it happen.

I had no doubt I'd write the altered Crimson Moon. I still had it memorised, after all. It would be my final tribute to Robert Lester. All the money would go to his family and to keeping his works alive. Who knows? Maybe I might start a trend and budding authors will use Rob's name and world to kick start their own careers.

Rob would definitely want that.

I might even wring a little saucy fanfic and post it online.

I did read his S-Files, after all.

"Hey!"

My heart jumped at the sound of that husky, youthful voice.

I spun around and like an angel out of heaven, Chadstone West came strolling up to me. I had to resist the urge to throw myself at him and go diving for his tongue. I glanced around to make sure he was talking to me. I saw Kristine and Dennis a short distance away and they were waving at Chad.

He was heading for them.

I was happy to note that they were now officially engaged. Apparently, it was the talk of the whole celebrity world. Dennis proposed at Rob's funeral. They now wore matching diamond rings. I guess without the whole 'vampire' and 'non-vampire' thing holding them back, they could finally be happy together.

Good for them.

A paw rested on my shoulder and I spun around.

"Whoa!" I cried, leaping back in shock.

Chad's eyebrows rose. "Hey. Did I startle you?"

I glanced at my mom who was about to say something when -

BOOM!

Everyone spun towards a cafe... where my dad as poking his head out from behind the counter, covered in coffee... The entire cafe and all its workers were likewise soaked...

"ISAAC REAPER!" my mom shouted and bolted straight towards the cafe. My dad let out a soft 'eep' and ducked back behind the counter.

Yikes... My dad was a danger around any form of kitchen appliance... in and out of home...

"You know that guy?" Chad asked.

"Yeah... That's my dad..." I muttered bitterly.

The Husky let out a soft chuckle. "Must be fun at home."

"You have no idea." I smiled pleasantly at him and turned around. "Well, you must be busy. I got to go make sure my dad isn't arrested."

He seized my shoulder again. "Whoa, wait up."

"Yeah...?" I asked shakily, my heart pumping in my chest like it was set on 'humming bird with a double shot of espresso'.

"You were at Robert Lester's funeral, right?" Chad asked, pointing at me.

"Yeah... I'm Jacob Reaper. I was a close acquaintance."

"I remember. You gave that really moving speech," Chad said, holding out his paw. "I'm Chadstone West."

I hesitated about shaking his paw and pleaded that my dad would make something else explode in the next three seconds...

Three... two... one...

Nope.

No distraction.

Damnit, dad! Blow something up!

I gingerly shook his paw. Strong as ever.

"You were lined up to make a movie for Rob, weren't you?" I began.

"Yeah," Chad chuckled. "Shame. Took years for him to find someone willing to fund him and then he had to end it like that."

That gave me the sneaking suspicion that Rob might have used his Seal to gain funding...

Rob...

"Yeah... At least he went on his own terms," I said, releasing Chad's paw. I saw police start to make their way through the crowd and sighed. "Listen, my parents need me. It's a pleasure meeting you, Chadstone. But I gotta head off."

"Hold up," he said, nodding towards the crowd. "You just got off from your flight after seeing your friend's funeral. I don't think you need more drama. Besides, your mom looks capable of handling things."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you getting at?"

"How about I treat you to a coffee?" he asked, bringing out his trademark, brilliant grin.

Damnit... At least he didn't use his Puppy Dog Pout.

"Chadstone -"

"Chad. Just Chad." He nudged me with an elbow. "And come on. How many times can you claim that you've had coffee with an actor?"

...

I rolled my eyes and couldn't help but smile.

Destiny is such a bitch if this was how she was going to play her hand.

Despite_Rob's interference, _despite the affection between us being just part of Rob's fantasy, we still end up getting together?

Okay, two more tries.

"Chad, you're a nice guy but I'm tired..."

"Then a coffee will pick you right up!" he exclaimed. "Come on! Don't make me drink some by myself. I don't want to look crazy."

Alright... Fine...

Last shot.

"I don't like coffee."

Chad rolled his eyes. "Oh thank god. Neither do I! I couldn't kiss anyone with coffee breath."

I blinked. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied with a coy little smile. "So you coming or what? We'll grab hot chocolates instead."

Fine... have it your way...

"Sure," I chuckled, shaking my head. "You're really persistent, you know that?"

Chad grinned and rested an arm around my shoulder. "I know what I want."

Heh... So if after three attempts to worm my way out of his arms... I still ended up exactly where I wanted to be... Where we both wanted to be....

I guess what they say is true...

The third time is a charm.