Through the rearview mirror, he watched the second IFC SUV pull out behind them. Karen's security team, probably. The presence wasn't exactly subtle.
"Well, that's not weird at all," Emily said, looking back at their escort.
"Could be worse. Could be a convoy."
"Give it time."
The drive from the IFC compound to Sandworth Falls proper took less than five minutes. The headquarters sat where Luca's old neighborhood used to be, and he still couldn't reconcile the armed gates and prefab administrative buildings with the memory of his street. All of it was paved over and repurposed into something functional and secure.
He turned onto Route 3, and Sandworth Falls opened up ahead. The old bones were still visible beneath the new growth. Original storefronts stood alongside sleek System-built structures that gleamed even under the overcast sky.
As they passed the town common, Luca's grip tightened on the wheel.
The gazebo had finally been rebuilt with fresh white paint and new lattice work, young bushes planted around the base. No sign of what had stood there four years ago. No trace of the gallows or the desperate attempt at order when the portals first opened, and the world went to hell.
Emily's hand found his shoulder. "Hey. It's not the same town we left. And we're not the same people either."
He exhaled, forcing his fingers to relax. "Yeah. I know." He glanced at her, managed a smile. "At least we're finally coming back with good news."
Emily's mom lived in one of the older neighborhoods that had survived the System's arrival mostly intact. The houses were small but well-kept, with driveways just wide enough for one car and yards that probably looked nice in summer.
Luca parked in front of a pale blue Cape Cod house with white trim. The IFC SUV rolled past, found a spot two houses down, and stopped.
"This is going to be so awkward," Emily muttered, but she was already unbuckling her seatbelt.
"Want me to wait in the car?"
"Absolutely not. You're my emotional support boyfriend now."
"That's not a thing."
"It is now. Come on."
They walked up the front path together and stopped at the door. Emily knocked.
The door opened. Mrs. Berrow stood there, hand flying to her mouth. "Emily?"
"Hi, Mom."
"Oh my God." She pulled Emily into a hug, fierce and sudden, then released her just as quickly to look her over. "You look incredible. And you—" She turned to Luca, her smile warm but her eyes a little too bright. "Luca Rossi! Come in, come in."
The living room hadn't changed. The same floral couch sat against the wall with the same family photos on the mantle. The coffee table still had that stack of magazines Emily's mom would never read but kept anyway.
They sat. Mrs. Berrow brushed her hair away from her face, and Luca caught sight of the bruise along her cheekbone. Faded, maybe a week old, the yellow-green edge of something that had been worse. Emily had seen it too. Her shoulders went rigid.
"The girls are at school," Mrs. Berrow said, folding her hands in her lap. "They wanted to see you, but I didn't know when you'd be coming by."
"That's okay," Emily said quietly. "How are they?"
"Good. Growing like weeds." Mrs. Berrow glanced toward the window, then back. "Your father should be home soon. He's working the afternoon shift at the plant."
Emily's jaw tightened. "We can't stay long anyway."
The conversation stayed surface-level after that, carefully avoiding anything too heavy. Emily smiled and nodded at the right moments, but Luca could see her fingers tapping against her knee. The way she sat, the quick looks she cast around the room, like she was bracing for something.
Mrs. Berrow didn't ask about the dangers or the things that had changed them. Maybe she didn't want to know.
After an hour, Emily rose. "We should get going, Mom. We've got a few more stops today."
Mrs. Berrow hugged her again, holding on just a beat too long. "Promise you'll visit again before you leave?"
"I promise."
The crowd was small, but it was there.
They opened the door of the house, and Luca saw them immediately. Maybe fifteen people gathered on the sidewalk between them and the SUV, phones out, faces lit with recognition. More were coming from across the street.
The two IFC security agents were already out of their vehicle, positioned to keep the crowd from getting too close.
"Oh no," Emily muttered beside him.
"Oh yes."
Except the faces in the crowd weren't strangers. Dr. Lewis from the old clinic still wore his same glasses and tired smile, and Janice Harper stood near the back, one of the former Selectmen.
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"That's our kid!" someone shouted.
Emily laughed, a little breathless. "This is insane."
Luca stepped out, and the noise tripled. People calling his name, Emily's name. He waved and grinned. These were his people, the ones who'd been here when the System arrived and the world changed. They'd survived together.
One of the security agents stepped forward. "Captain, we need to move."
"I know, I know." Luca made his way around the vehicle, shook a few hands along the way, Emily smiling and waving beside him.
Someone near the back had their phone up, livestreaming. A woman Luca half-recognized called out, "Are you really leaving again?" before one of the agents stepped in, guiding her back with a polite hand and a practiced smile.
The crowd had formed quickly. Word traveled fast in small towns, but this was something else.
When they were both back in the SUV and the doors were closed, Luca sat there for a second, engine idling. Through the windshield, he watched the agents work the dispersal like they'd done this a hundred times.
"That was weird," Emily said.
"I know." He shifted into drive, pulled away from the curb.
They drove in silence for a minute. Emily stared out the window.
"You okay?" Luca asked.
She nodded. "Yeah. That went better than I thought it would."
"Yeah?"
"She didn't bring him up. That's... good."
Luca kept his eyes on the road, but his grip tightened on the wheel. "The bruise."
Emily's breath caught. "I saw it."
"Did he ever—"
"No." She cut him off. "That's new. Or at least, it never happened when I was there."
Luca didn't say anything for a moment. What could he say? That he wanted to turn the car around? That he wanted to do something about it? Emily's mom had made her choices, and Emily had made hers.
Emily reached over, squeezed his hand. "I'm out. That's what matters."
"Yeah." He squeezed back, then exhaled. "Yeah."
"Your turn now. Ready to face the Rossi family gauntlet?"
He managed a grin. "Born ready."
A large sign appeared on the right side of the road as they left Sandworth's limits, the official United Earth Republic seal at the top.
SANDWORTH FALLS PORTAL MANAGEMENT ZONE
Operated by Interstellar Frontier Company
RESTRICTED ACCESS
All Delvers Must Register at Meredith Field Office
Unsanctioned Entry is a Class C Felony
Luca remembered when there was no sign. Just the portals, raw and unpredictable, spitting out creatures at random hours. The trailer park on the edge of town had been overrun twice before anyone figured out a schedule. Now there were regulations, clearance levels, and official hours.
Emily stared at the sign longer than he did. "It's weird, isn't it? Seeing it all... managed."
"Yeah." Luca kept his eyes on the road.
"Better than the old days," he said. It came out quieter than he meant it to.
Meredith opened up ahead, Lake Winnipesaukee glimmering in the distance despite the overcast sky. The town had changed, too. A tall wall now surrounded the perimeter, defensive towers visible at intervals, houses and shops packed within its bounds like a medieval fortress built for the modern age.
Luca turned onto Lakeside Drive. His grandparents' house sat near the end of the street, a two-story colonial with white siding and green shutters. The driveway was full, with two IFC SUVs already parked near the garage plus half a dozen other cars Luca recognized.
"Big family dinner," Luca said.
"I see that."
They parked on the street. Luca took Emily's hand, and they walked up the driveway.
The front door opened before they reached it. Nonno Giuseppe stepped onto the porch, arms wide, face split with a grin. Nonna Maria was right behind him, already wiping her eyes with the corner of her apron.
"Luca! Finalmente!" Nonna Maria pulled him into a hug that smelled of tomato sauce. "We've missed you so much, caro."
"Nonna, Nonno." Luca grinned as he hugged them both. "I missed you too."
Nonna turned to Emily, took her hands in both of hers. "And Emily! Welcome, cara. Come in, come in."
The dining room table was already set for what looked like twenty people with something sweet baking in the oven. Luca's uncles and aunts filled the living room, and the moment he stepped through the door, they surrounded him.
But Luca noticed other things too. The windows had reinforced shutters with heavy steel hidden behind decorative wood. An energy rifle leaned against the wall near the back door, energy cells stacked neatly on the shelf beside it. The Rossi family had always been prepared, but this was different.
Nonno Giuseppe caught him looking and pulled him aside while the others fussed over Emily.
"How long are you planning to stay visible?" Nonno asked, voice low. He was smiling, but his grip on Luca's arm tightened.
Luca blinked. "The Victory Tour. A few weeks, maybe."
Nonno nodded slowly. "Good. Keep moving. Don't let them pin you down." He squeezed Luca's shoulder. "We've been watching the news. Just remember, fame makes you a target as much as a hero."
Before Luca could respond, Uncle Michele clapped him on the shoulder. "Look at you! Moving up fast, Luca."
His younger cousins gravitated toward Emily immediately, asking questions about the ship, about Alpha Centauri. She laughed and answered what she could, leaning in close when the youngest cousin tugged her sleeve. Luca felt something in his chest ease. She fit here.
Nonna Maria ushered them all to the table. "Sit, sit! Mangia!"
Plates appeared with bowls of pasta topped with fresh-grated Parmesan and platters of bread still warm from the oven. Wine flowed freely, conversations overlapped, laughter filled the room.
Uncle Michele raised his glass. "To Luca and Emily. Welcome home."
"Welcome home!" the table echoed.
Nonna Maria kept urging them to eat more, piling pasta and then roast beef onto their plates faster than they could finish. Emily had given up entirely and was just accepting whatever Nonna put in front of her.
"I think you've officially defeated me, Nonna," Luca said, leaning back with a groan.
Nonna Maria beamed, then sighed, crossing herself. "Atanasio," she murmured, shaking her head. "Things haven't been the same with him since Maddalena passed. He never comes to visit. It's like he's more comfortable up in that space station."
"Ma, he was just here a month ago," Uncle Michele said gently.
"Ahh, it's not the same!" Nonna waved her hand dismissively.
A brief silence fell over the table. Luca felt it settle in his chest, the absence of mom, the weight of her memory.
Uncle Michele cleared his throat. "So, what's next, Luca? We heard the government has something planned for you?"
Luca sighed. "Yeah, they're putting together a Victory Tour. We're not exactly looking forward to it."
Nonna Maria reached across the table, nudging Emily. "Mangia, mangia! You need your strength!"
Emily laughed, diving into another bite of tiramisu. "I don't think I've ever tasted anything this good."
"You can come back anytime. Anytime."
By the time they bundled up to head outside, full afternoon had settled over Meredith. The February evening was bitter, stars crisp and bright against the black sky. Luca and Emily walked hand in hand down toward the shoreline of Lake Winnipesaukee, their breath visible in the icy air.
"Your family is amazing," Emily said, nose already pink from the cold.
"They liked you. I could tell."
"You think?"
"Nonna Maria doesn't feed just anyone like that. You're officially adopted."
They reached the lake, the ice stretching out under the faint glow of starlight. It was beautiful in its frozen stillness, vast and completely different from the artificial environments of ships and stations. Luca breathed deep, savoring the cold and the weight of Earth's gravity pulling him down.
Behind them, barely visible in the darkness, a figure shifted near one of the parked SUVs.
Luca pretended not to notice.
"Can we go back now?" Emily asked, smiling. "It's freezing."
"Yeah. Come on."
They said their goodbyes at the door. Luca hugged his nonno and nonna, promising to visit again before they left Earth. Emily shared hugs with each of them, clearly moved by the warmth she'd been shown.
As they climbed back into the SUV and started the engine, the glow of family and home lingered with them. The IFC SUV pulled out behind them, headlights cutting through the darkness.
Luca looked over at Emily. She was smiling, relaxed in a way he hadn't seen since they'd left Alpha Centauri.
"Good day?" he asked.
"Really good day."
"Yeah. Me too."
They drove off into the winter night.