The universe of the In-Between was truly a marvelous thing to look at. The vast black emptiness, sprinkled with colorful stardust, bright galaxies, and wandering asteroids, all traveling at incredible speed through the cosmos… I couldn’t get enough of it.

We all sat down in the middle of our interplanetary travel sphere, watching billions of stars go by in vibrant flashes of light. I felt motionless, even though we were darting through the In-Between at incredible speed.

“I think we’re getting a prime, front-seat view of some of the In-Between’s most beautiful corners,” Lucas said.

Indeed, while the objects closest to us flashed by, the distant galaxies seemed unmoving—purple, pink, and yellow swirls of gas and dust; thousands of solar systems with millions of possibly habitable planets orbiting solitary or clusters of stars. It never ceased to amaze me.

The trip to Neraka had involved a somewhat similar view, but, this time, as we went in a completely different direction, I had a feeling we were seeing a previously undiscovered part of the In-Between. The wonders of these new sights left me speechless. All I could do was watch and wonder how long it would’ve taken for any of these celestial bodies to come to life.

“This is incredible,” Sofia murmured, gently leaning into me.

I put my arm around her, then pulled her closer, as we both gazed at the stars.

“We’ve got about twelve hours of just this, right?” Vivienne asked, looking at me.

I nodded. “Yes. And I doubt we’ll get bored,” I replied. “I mean, just look at all this.”

A few minutes passed in silence.

“You know, don’t tell any of the kids I said this, but I can actually breathe easier, now that we’re out here,” Xavier said.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I know it took some convincing to get me to do this, but I must admit, I, too, feel a sense of relief to be away from it all. If just for a little while,” I said.

“Yeah, so we’re definitely not telling the Hellswans about this,” Lucas replied, grinning.

“We’re on an official break, huh?” Claudia added. “It feels amazing, doesn’t it? Like endless possibilities at our fingertips.”

“The upside to all of this is we’re going to an uninhabited planet,” Yuri said. “Which basically means we can get into all sorts of mischief, with zero witnesses.”

“Good grief, Yuri, Claudia’s really rubbing off on you, huh?” I shot back.

We all laughed.

“Hey, I never said I’d be a good influence on anyone!” Claudia retorted with a devious grin.

But she’d come such a long way since her early days. She’d chosen the wrong path before, and she’d done less-than-noble things in the past, but, with The Shade’s atmosphere and good people, Claudia had managed to temper herself and attain a moral and emotional balance that she’d lacked before.

“I don’t know,” Sofia replied. “You’ve been an amazing influence on Elonora and Varga, for example.”

“I agree,” I added with a nod. “Lenny has taken on some of your best traits, Claudia. And so did Varga. They’re quite different individuals, but I see big chunks of you in both of them.”

“Well, Yuri’s had a part to play there, too. And, to be honest, Lenny is fundamentally an extension of Ash and Ruby,” Claudia mused, staring ahead. “If I was able to give her anything good of my own, then great. But Lenny is all Lenny. I wouldn’t dare take any credit for the wonderful person she’s become. Hell, the same goes for Varga, too. I like his rebellious streak hidden under that old-soul-goody-two-shoes attitude he carries himself with, but it’s all him. I barely had an influence.”

“Oh, look at you, all modest and crap.” Lucas chuckled, prompting her to smile in return.

I took a deep breath and let it out as the heaviest of sighs, looking at Sofia. “You know, I didn’t expect to feel this way,” I said to her.

“What do you mean, darling?” she asked.

“Liberated. Free. I might even dare to say relaxed,” I replied. “In hindsight, I should’ve said yes right away. I haven’t felt like this in such a long time.”

“That’s what happens when you go on vacation, Derek,” Xavier said, grinning. “You disconnect. You only take your beach slippers and an extra towel, and you leave your worries and responsibilities at home.”

Lucas scoffed. “If that’s all you packed, you’re in a lot of trouble, mister,” he replied.

“You know, I do look forward to spending some time just with you and these old hags,” Sofia said to me, then gave me a playful wink.

“Say what you will, but for an old hag, I look spectacular,” Corrine replied, pulling her curly brown hair up into a loose bun and posing as if for a fashion magazine.

I laughed again, surprised to see us all so temporarily carefree. We’d been so busy adulting for the last few decades that we’d forgotten to just let loose and let go. Even as we sat in our interplanetary spell bubble, we were already unwinding in ways I’d forgotten were even possible.

“I think it’ll be great for us to spend some time together, like we used to,” Vivienne said. “You know, before the kids, the grandkids,” she added with a grin.

“Ah, yes, the early days of The Shade,” Xavier replied.

“Back when I was still a vampire, wreaking havoc, or back when I was stuck in the Underworld for twenty friggin’ years?” Lucas frowned slightly as sadness settled on his face.

“Hey, you overcame all that,” I said. “You’ve come a long way since the early days of The Shade.”

Lucas sighed, as Marion gently caressed his face. “Feels like such a long time ago, doesn’t it?”

“It kind of was,” I replied. “Before Sofia came into the picture, you and I were feuding like crazy. The Shade itself was dark and full of sorrow. It was a place of pain and misery that only served to quench our bloodthirst.”

“I don’t look back on those days with fondness, I admit,” Xavier added. “But they served as one hell of a lesson, if you think about it.”

Lucas nodded slowly. “I certainly have a keen appreciation for life now,” he muttered. “I used to take it for granted. Ironically, it took me dying to figure that part out.”

“And now, we’re all on the same wavelength,” I replied. “We’re grateful for everything we have. And we’ve transformed The Shade into what it is today. If it weren’t for you, Lucas, even in your worst days, I doubt we’d still be here.”

Corrine snorted. “I think that’s being a bit generous. I, for one, could have done without his evil ass lurking around.”

I gave Lucas a smirk. “Maybe. But he was the one who found Sofia.”

Lucas scowled at the two of us. “Yes, I’m glad you haven’t forgotten that.”

“Um, by ‘found’ you mean drugged and kidnapped,” Sofia cut in, reaching over to poke Lucas in the shoulder.

I laughed. “In any case, when Lucas came back to us, he found a different Shade. A different world altogether.”

“Oh, definitely different.” Lucas scoffed. “The first thing I noticed, and it’s something I remember to this day, is how Derek had stopped wallowing in self-pity.”

“We all changed,” I said, smiling pleasantly. “Especially you.”

Lucas sighed, then scratched the back of his head. “I don’t really remember that old version of myself, to be honest. There was so much poison, so much hate inside me. It made everything murky. The Underworld was a place of reflection for me. It was there that something changed inside me.”

“I’m still glad we got you back, even though you came out as a fae,” I replied.

“Well, the Novak family tree did need to spice it up a little bit, huh?” Lucas said.

“Yeah, some vampires, a fae, a witch, and a warlock traveling through the universe in a ball of light,” Corrine chimed in, giggling. “Sounds like the setup of a supernatural joke.”

“At least we’re not walking into a bar. That would be absolutely painful,” Aiden added.

“Speaking of which, do we have a bar in the resort?” Claudia asked, raising both eyebrows as she looked at us.

Lucas chuckled softly. “I’m sure we can fix something up.”

“You depraved bastards,” Cameron replied, shaking his head.

His remark made us all double over this time. It took us a minute or two to regain our collective composure, as the spell continued to shoot through the In-Between.

“The kids were right,” Sofia concluded, looking around. “We have come a long way. Look at all the creatures that now call The Shade home. The millions of supernaturals and humans who rely on GASP’s support and protection. Hell, we made it all the way into the In-Between. You know what? Yeah, we’ve earned this. We’ve totally earned this!”

“Uh-oh, Sofia is starting to unwind,” Cameron replied. “We’re in for a treat, I believe.”

“Count me in!” Claudia chimed in, a grin stretching her lips.

Yuri sighed, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m in so much trouble.”

“And we haven’t even landed on Strava yet!” Claudia replied. “Wait till my feet touch that white sand. Ah, heaven!”

A few minutes went by, as we inevitably relaxed and looked further back in time. A lot of things had changed since I’d first met Sofia. Myself included. My sister, Vivienne, too. Xavier was a different guy altogether, since he’d found Vivienne’s love—not to mention Claudia and Lucas. Even Corrine, despite her consistent sauciness, had come a long way. The passage of time had tempered our impulses.

We had greater clarity and more patience. Wisdom, and a better understanding of life and the purpose it served.

However, for a couple of weeks, we were back to our more primal selves.

Sofia was absolutely right. We not only deserved this—we needed it.