On the living room sofa, a pine martin and a multi-colored cat lay curled against one another while their other halves slept. 

From the couch they could see out the back porch and up at the night sky. On a clear night, such as that night, the stars were visible, and Pan and Kirjava were able to pretend it was still five years ago, and they were laying under a different set of stars in a very different world. Unlike their human counterparts, they saw less of a need to clutter their reunion with words, so when they did speak, it was mostly to talk about their humans. After a particularly lengthy silence, which was really filled with just as much meaning as any conversation, Kirjava did return to the subject of Will and Lyra.

"They promised each other they would move on."

Pan tensed, his ears flicking at the unasked question which hung in the air. He steeled himself. "Did Will actually do it?"

"Of course not."

He relaxed against her, nuzzling behind her ear. "Neither did she."

They were silent for a few moments, letting their fur brush against one another. "I don't think they could have even if they tried," Kirjava added.

Pan turned and looked into the cats yellow eyes.

"No one would ever understand what they've been through. They have each other, or they're alone."

"I don't want it to be like last time," Pan said. His still remembered the pain of learning that Will and Lyra were going to be separated.

"It doesn't feel like last time," Kirjava said thoughtfully.

"Let's just hope it stays that way."

Once again the silence engulfed them.

~~~~

Though Lyra didn't want to waste a moment she had with Will, her body had other ideas. Exhaustion won, and she ended up sleeping close to noon. She came downstairs to find Will in the kitchen with his mother. They had made brunch for everyone, and the others had just sat down to begin eating. Lyra paused at the edge of the scene. She smiled to herself as she watched Will help his mother with the food. It brought back memories of no matter how dire their situation seemed, Will always seemed to also have the capacity to worry for his mother's safety and health, even if she was worlds away. A small piece of her wanted to join in the special moment between mother and son- her own experience with maternal affection had been severely lacking. But she couldn't bring herself to move or shatter the beauty of the simple domestic moment. Will looked up from the dish he was drying and smiled brightly. "I made you an omelette."

She laughed, remembering their time in Cittàgazze. Over brunch, Stan continued to explain what they did at the Dark Matter Research Unit.

"It's really just a continuation of what you do with the alethiometer," he began, shoveling omelette into his mouth in between sentences. "We test for the conscious responses of dust. You know, how it responds to its environment, looking for patterns, how it changes, things like that. I'm sure you know all about it."

Dr. Malone had lent Lyra a shirt and skirt to wear that day, until they could go shopping for clothes for her. It was assumed she would be staying for awhile, or at least until they figured out how she got there. She wasn't exactly sure how she would get back. Stan turned to Mary and began telling her one of his theories about the tree. He became so animated he knocked over the pitcher of orange juice in the process. Lyra bit back a laugh. He had his own awkward charm. She could she why Dr. Malone liked him. He was just as passionate about dust as the rest of them.

"We'll go to the Botanic Garden at dusk. The Garden will be closed and no one will be there to disturb us. Stan and I will mostly just be taking readings and observations, but I'm sure you and Will will want to come."

After the brunch, Dr. Malone and Stan slipped off to the lab for a few hours to collect a few instruments and prepare for that night. With the whole afternoon free, Will decided to take Lyra out to a nearby park so they could talk. They left their own daemons together in the yard, where they were quite content together. A boy and his cat wasn't odd. However a boy, his cat, a girl, and her pine martin did seem a bit out of place among all the houses and their mowed lawns and trimmed hedges. The houses seemed so different from her world. To her, they looked like boxes on squares of grass, not homes. When they reached the park, he lead her past the swings and concrete where the children were playing, to the edge of the park, and through the curtain of a willow tree. The swaying leaves concealed them from the outside world, but the could still see out to a world shaded green.

Will sat down against the tree and pulled Lyra against him. "So what have you been doing for five years?"

The question seemed utterly inadequate as the two launched into stories of how their lives had progress since they had last seen one another. After Will had been given a new identity, and any threat to him, Dr. Malone, or their research was taken care of, he was able to go on with a normal life. Or as normal a life as it could get for him. He told her about public school and his plans for the future.

"You want to be a doctor?" She looked at him curiously.

"Yea, I just have this way of knowing what's wrong with someone..." he was looking off in the distance, at nothing in particular. The determination had returned to his face. Coming out of his trance, he steered their conversation back to the past five years of their life. Will was eager to hear about her expedition up North, and they spent the next half hour recounting various events from their past. On the other hand, he seemed to find her years a St. Sophia's very amusing.

"You went to dances?" he said laughing.

"What's so funny about that?" she said scowling at his smirk.

"Nothing. It's just I can't imagine you in a gown, all dressed up, and dancing." He started laughing again.

"Just so you know, there are plenty of men in my world who are good dancers, and who don't mind dancing with me," she huffed, making to stand up. "I'm not that clumsy," she added under her breath.

"Lyra..."

He pulled her back down, but began laughing again at the sullen expression on her face. Unable to keep a straight face, she began to laugh too. Through the wall of leaves, they saw the sun begin to set in the horizon and began to walk back to the house.

~~~~~

The last rays of the sun were disappearing as they approached the tree. The golden glow still surrounded it, but it was somehow fainter, and Lyra had no desire to touch it. The magnetism which had previously pulled her to it was gone.

"Well, we better get started," Dr. Malone said, pulling a variety of silver instruments from the black duffel bag which she carried.

Suddenly, as the last ray of light left the sky, the aura surrounding the tree vanished.

"It's gone!"

Lyra rushed forward to touch the tree. Her hand felt the smooth bark, but the air was normal, not thick. There was no tingling this time. She stepped back and looked at the tree itself. She had never actually gotten a good look at it. She had been too preoccupied with the light. The tree had smooth, light bark and low branches that jutted out, perfect for climbing. Every branch ended in thick clusters of dark green leaves. Squinting slightly she could see small, white flower buds nestled between the leaves. She had never paid much attention to trees, but she would have to say this one was beautiful. She wondered how Jude had transported it from his expedition. Who had found it in Will's world? She looked around for a plaque but saw none.

"Well, that's just great," Stan groaned behind her, bringing her back to reality. "Now we'll have to wait until dawn for any tests. That is, if the thingy reappears at dawn."

Dr. Malone looked resigned. "We should still test it now. There's probably still dust."

Lyra, however, had other ideas. "Hey, Will..."

Before he could see where she had gone, she had begun climbing the branches of the tree.

He quickly caught up with her. "You can't climb trees. At least not now anyways."

"And why not?"

He grinned. "Because they turned you into a lady at that fancy school of yours, and ladies don't climb trees."

Lyra scowled. "No I en't! You take that back right now, Will Parry."

"Or what?"

Making a face, she pushed him. Rather than lose his balance, he jumped from the tree. Laughing, he called up to her. "Alright, 

I take it back! Come down!"

Dr. Malone looked up from her instrument. "Wait, Lyra, before you come down, could you break me down one of those branches with the flowers?"

"Sure."

 She began to climb higher, toward the edge of one of the branches. When she reached the end, she snapped off a piece with buds. As she turned to climb back down, a burst of red caught her eye. Looking up, she saw an apple. She sat there, mesmerized by it. It was the purest red she had ever seen. There were no imperfections, it's surface was completely smooth and unmarred. Like the light, she had to touch it, to taste it.

"Hey, Will, I didn't realize this was an apple tree."

He didn't seem to hear her. She reached forward to take it. There was a sudden movement as a small snake slithered up the branch toward the apple. She brushed it away and plucked the apple. Bringing it to her lips, she took a bite. It was the sweetest apple she had ever tasted. The juice dripped down her chin and she wiped it away with her hand. She wanted to share this with Will. She hurried back down the tree to find him. He was sitting off a ways, on their bench.

"Here, try this."

She thrust the apple into his hand.

"Where did you get this?"

"It was in the tree. Just taste it. It's the most delicious apple you'll ever taste."

"Are you sure you should be eating that tree's fruit?" He looked at it hesitantly, then at her eager face. She nodded, and with a shrug, he took a bite of the apple.

His eyes widened as he bit into the sweet fruit. The juice pooled at the corner of his lips. Lyra leaned forward to kiss it off, and her lips brushed against his. The light contact made her heart jump, and her face flushed hot. Will turned his head and deepened the kiss, pressing his lips back against hers. His hand slipped up and tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck. Intoxicated, she snaked her arms around him, leaning into him for support. Together they sank down until they were sitting on the bench. His tongue dipping into the contours of her mouth, and she pulled him closer to her until they were pressed against one another. His hand slipped under the hem of her shirt, drawing soft circles on her back with the pad of his thumb. She shivered at the gentle touch. This was nothing like their previous chaste kisses. This kiss left her confused, wanting more.

Through the haze of her mind, she heard a voice calling out. Will lifted his mouth from hers, and leaving her feeling empty, as though something had been wrenched from inside her. She looked up at his face. His dark eyes bore into hers with their usual determination, but it too was somehow different, somehow less in control. He shook himself slightly before standing up and pulling her to her feet. "Mary's calling us. We should go."

Beside the bench, the apple lay forgotten.