From the Cosmos. [gxg]

xxxviii. reunion.

The days after Colette's rescue went by fast. She woke up in the hospital after two days, with an intravenous drip in her arm and guards outside her door. The doctors, inexperienced in dealing with magic-related emergencies, had just given her nutrients and hoped that with enough rest, she would wake up. She left the hospital the same day despite the protests of the medical professionals around her. When she was done, she was escorted right to Blair House, where she spent the day being lectured by Mrs. Falberry. She was thrown right back into executive order preparations like nothing had happened.

That same day, news broke of Colette's kidnapping. The country was up in arms about the situation, which Colette mostly ignored. She got an outpour of support on her social media and it reminded her that she was doing the right thing. The day after she left the hospital, she was standing behind President Rosie Richards as she signed the executive order to legalize magic and end the sterilization program. Cameras flashed in her face, and she smiled, resisting the urge to rub at the makeup that covered the wound on her neck.

When the executive order was signed, she transitioned to the White House Rose Garden, where she gave a speech that had been prewritten for her. She delivered it with pride, though the only thought in the back of her head was getting back to Marisol. As soon as she was done at the White House, she had changed clothing and was on her way to the airport to catch a plane to New York City.

Less than 2 hours later, she was in New York. She checked her phone when she landed to see that Marisol and Nevada had boarded their flight. Now all that was left to do was wait. The plane ride from South Dakota was a couple hours longer. Colette kept sunglasses on and her hair braided. She also wore different clothes than she usually did, and despite how public the past 48 hours of her life was, nobody recognized her. She found Marisol's terminal and went to the closest sitting spot: a Starbucks. She ordered herself a coffee and sat down at a table.

She scrolled through Twitter. Her already high follower count had skyrocketed and there wasn't a moment where she didn't get a notification. She debated posting something, but ended up closing the app instead, setting her phone down. She wouldn't know what to say anyway.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

Colette looked up. Standing in front of her was a middle-aged man and a young girl.

"Yes?" Colette put on her best American accent, hoping that she wouldn't be recognized.

"Are you Colette?"

Several heads turned, looking at her. She took a deep breath and slipped off her sunglasses. "Yes, I am," she said, letting go of her fake accent.

The man smiled at her and then looked down at the young girl next to him. "This is my daughter, June," he said, "We just wanted to thank you for all that you've done for witches in this country."

"That's very sweet," she said, "But I think my role in it was minimal. I owe it all to the protesters who have fought so hard to legalize magic."

He shook his head. "You're so modest. You don't even realize the impact that you have." He nudged his daughter forward. "Would you like to show Miss Colette what you've been working on?"

"Is it really okay?" June asked.

Her father nodded.

June looked at Colette and slowly put her hand forward. A small glow emanated in her hand, a pink ball of light bouncing around on her small palm.

Pride overwhelmed Colette and she forced her eyes not to water. "That's beautiful, June."

June beamed at the compliment then put her hand down, the magic dissipating. Her father smiled, tears tugging at the side of his eyes. "She has never been able to show anybody that except for me," he said, "You're the second person to see it."

"I'm honored," Colette responded.

"We have to catch a flight soon, but I was wondering if I could get a picture of you and June together."

Colette nodded. June stood next to her as her father took out his phone and backed up. The two of them smiled at the camera as June's father took a few pictures.

"Thank you so much," he said, "You're truly amazing."

June smiled as well. "Thank you, Miss Colette."

The two of them walked away, disappearing into the sea of travelers at the airport. After that interaction, it seemed like the floodgates were open. Many other people approached Colette and had brief conversations with her or asked to take pictures. Though some other people gave her dirty or fearful looks from afar, only those who had something nice to say approached her, which she was grateful for. Time at the airport passed like this, without more than 2 minutes between each interaction.

All of the people had been unknown to her until she caught the sight of a familiar blonde haired young man.

"Jackson?" Colette looked at her former co-star, who was flanked by a couple of bodyguards. He smiled and sat down in the seat in front of her. The people who had been waiting to speak with Colette backed up, two burly men in black staring them away.

There were whispers in the crowd, all about Jackson, Colette, and the possibility of them being a couple. Colette swallowed.

"Hello," he said. His smile and carefully tousled blonde hair were enough to make anyone realize why he was such a heartthrob. "It's nice to see you again, Colette."

It had been a few months since Colette had last seen Jackson. It was when the cast for Zodiac Class had an interview to discuss the finale. At that time, Jackson had also asked her out on a date, which she had respectfully turned down.

"It's nice to see you too, Jackson," she said, "How are you?"

"I'm good," he said, "I saw you on the news. Are you alright?"

"Better now." She hated the small talk. The people around the table were staring. Many had their phones out, likely recording the interaction.

A long pause stretched between the two of them. While they had always had great chemistry on screen, the two of them were awkward around each other. Colette blamed it on Jackson's obvious crush on her.

Jackson's smile dropped and a serious look formed in his eyes. He glanced around at the bystanders before returning his gaze to Colette. "I don't care that you're a witch," he said, "I wondered why you rejected me before. You always seemed like you had a secret to keep, so I tried to keep my distance. I've always liked you, and that hasn't changed with recent events..."

Colette could feel her stomach drop. She knew what was happening.

"Now that it's out, I'd like to ask you on a date again."

A couple gasps sounded from the crowd.

Colette groaned internally. The people surrounding her looked hopeful, and Jackson was so genuine, but the only person who had been in her mind was Marisol. She had never once thought of Jackson in a romantic sense. Her phone lit up on the table. Marisol was calling her.

"I'm sorry, Jackson," she said, "but the answer is no."

The crowd gasped again. This was going to be all over the tabloids.

"Can I ask why?"

Colette nodded. "There's somebody else."

Jackson sighed. "I understand." He stood from the table. He smiled at her, and though it was sad, it held no remorse or anger. "I'll see you around."

As soon as he walked away, Colette snatched her phone off the table, immediately calling Marisol back. There was only one ring before Marisol picked up.

"Hi, we just got off the flight!" Marisol said, "I was going to ask where you were, but I think I already see you."

Colette stood up from her seat and glanced around. Past the crowd, standing in the terminal across from the Starbucks were Marisol and Nevada, smiling and waving. Colette couldn't stop the grin from coming to her face as she navigated through the crowd and pulled them both into a hug.