AN: MORE POWERSTONES GUYS!!
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The next day, Evangeline returned to the house she hadn't visited in months, and the silence waiting inside the old neighborhood felt heavier than she expected.
Alex parked near the curb and cut the engine without speaking right away. The house stood at the end of a quiet street with pale walls, closed curtains, and a garden that had grown a little wilder since she moved into the estate. The big tree behind the house rose above the roofline, its branches wide and familiar, casting shade over the place where Loki used to roll in the grass until his fur filled with leaves.
Evangeline sat in the passenger seat with both hands around the strap of her side bag. "I thought I'd be fine when we got here," she said while looking through the windshield, her voice steady enough to prove she was trying. "It's been two years, and I still feel like he's going to run out from the backyard like nothing changed."
Alex turned toward her and rested one hand over hers. "You don't have to be fine in front of me, Lilly. You can just miss him."
She looked at him, and the softness in his voice almost made her lose the control she had been holding since morning. "I know. Thanks for being here with me."
Alex nodded and squeezed her hand once before letting go. "Take as much time as you need."
Evangeline gave him a small grateful smile, then stepped out with her bag against her shoulder and walked through the side gate toward the backyard. The old latch complained under her hand, and that small sound pulled a memory from somewhere deep, Loki barking at the gate, spinning in circles because he always believed every visitor had arrived for him personally. She paused for a breath, then continued down the stone path where weeds had pushed between the edges.
The backyard opened around her slowly, sunlight filtering through the big tree and spreading across the grass in uneven patches. The grave sat beneath the lowest branch, marked by a smooth stone with Loki's name carved across it. Someone had kept the area under the tree clean, probably Alex, because the soil around the stone looked tidy and the fallen leaves had been brushed aside with care. Though she comes here every now and then, it's been a couple of months since her last visit.
Evangeline stopped a few feet away and pressed her lips together.
"Hey, handsome," she whispered as she lowered herself onto the grass near the grave, careful with the bag in her lap. "I'm sorry I haven't visited enough. Life got really loud, and I kept telling myself I'd come when I could talk without crying. Turns out I overestimated myself again."
The wind moved through the branches above her, and the leaves answered with a soft rustle that sounded almost familiar. She let herself imagine him there for a second, tail sweeping the dirt, head tilted like he was listening to every word and judging her for not bringing snacks.
She opened the side bag and took out a bright blue rubber chew toy shaped like a bone. She ran her thumb over the smooth edge and let out a sad laugh. "You'd have chewed this up in fifteen minutes, and then you'd have looked at me as if I bought you a broken toy."
She placed the chew toy before the stone, then reached back into the bag for a yellow ball with fresh black paw prints stamped across it. Her fingers tightened around it as another memory came too quickly, Loki sprinting around the tree with his tongue out, refusing to bring the ball back unless she chased him first.
Evangeline placed the ball next to the chew toy and wiped a tear from her eye with her hand. "I brought you a ball too, because I know you hated giving them back and enjoyed making me look foolish in my own yard. You were really good at emotional manipulation for someone who couldn't open doors."
She sat quietly for a while after that, one hand resting on the grass near the grave. The house behind her felt distant, almost as if it belonged to another version of her, the woman who had lived here with quieter dreams, smaller rooms, and one dog who followed her everywhere as if she were the center of his universe.
"Everyone's doing great," she said after the silence softened enough to let her speak again. "You would've loved the new house, even if it's too big and ridiculous. You'd have loved the garden and the pools."
A smile trembled across her mouth as she looked up at the branches. "There's also Nacho, the orange cat I told you about before. He acts like royalty and sleeps near Asher like he's guarding a tiny king. You would've annoyed him so much. I think he would've hated you for a week, then secretly slept beside you when nobody was watching."
She paused for a moment and just sat there in silence...
"I miss you," she said when she could speak again, her voice thin and honest. "I miss hearing your nails on the floor. I miss you stealing my socks and acting innocent with the sock still in your mouth. I miss talking to you when nobody else understood what I was trying to say."
She leaned closer and rested her fingers against the engraved name. "I'm okay now, though. I want you to know that. I still miss you, and I think I always will, but I'm okay. I have people who love me, and I have a home that feels warm again."
A few birds moved in the branches above her, hopping between leaves before flying toward the neighboring roof. Evangeline watched them go, then gave the grave a small smile through damp lashes.
"You don't have to worry about me anymore, boy. I know that's silly because you were a dog, and dogs probably don't sit around worrying about rent, heartbreak, career choices, or whether their humans are eating enough vegetables. Still, you worried about me in your own way. You always knew when I needed you."
She took the ball and rolled it lightly against the grass before setting it back by the stone.
She reached into the bag one more time and took out a small framed painting, one Alex had drawn. It showed Loki under the same tree, mouth open, eyes bright, with Lilly holding him.
Evangeline tucked the frame carefully against the base of the tree, where the shade would protect it from the worst of the light. "This is from Alex."
She sat there a little longer, talking softly about nothing and everything. She told Loki about Asher's laugh, Max's cravings, Trixie's ribbon attacks on Nacho, Alex's endless work, and how strange it felt to wake up in a mansion where there was always someone nearby. She told him that the world outside had become bigger than she ever expected, yet this little spot under the tree still felt like one of the safest places she knew.
Near the side gate, Alex stood where he had promised to wait, far enough away that her words stayed private and close enough that she never had to feel abandoned. He simply leaned against the fence with his hands in his pockets, watching the empty street beyond the yard and giving her grief the space it deserved.
When Evangeline finally stood, she brushed grass from her dress and looked down at the grave with a softer expression than the one she had carried into the yard. "I'll come back sooner next time," she said while touching the top of the stone. "And I'll bring better treats and new toys."
She turned toward the side gate, then stopped after only two steps and looked back one last time. The chew toy, the ball, and the photo waited beneath the tree, small offerings to a love that had never needed words to be real.
"Love you, Loki," she said gently, and this time the words didn't feel like goodbye.
Alex straightened when she walked toward him, his eyes searching her face without pushing for an answer. Evangeline reached him and slid her arms around his waist before he could say anything, pressing her cheek against his chest as his arms closed around her with steady warmth.
He kissed the top of her head and kept his voice low. "Do you want to stay longer?"
Evangeline shook her head against him, then breathed out like something inside her had finally loosened. "No, let's go home."
She looked back once more as they reached the car, and the big tree swayed softly behind the old house. It still hurt, and she knew it would hurt again on other days, but that's just a part of life.
As she took the back seat, Alex looked toward the tree. 'Don't worry, big guy. I'll always keep her safe.'
Then, he got into the driver's seat and drove away.
--[AN: Here you go, 5th chapter of the week. See you on Sunday.🫡]
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