Chapter Text
Another year gone, another winter past. Another year of waiting. Another year that nothing had changed, but Will still held out hope. He still knew that sometime, one of these years, she would return. His love would come back to him. Someday
He just had to wait until then.
Will handed off the key, standing back and watching as the girl took the key and stepped up beside the small platform. The girl inserted the key into Constance’s back and twisted it. He held his breath, hoping, wishing, praying that this year would be the one, as he had every year before.
Everything seemed to stop for a moment when she seemed to quiver. Will lunged forward and barely managed to catch her in his arms as she fell.
He looked down at her, in his arms. Her eyes were closed, and she was curled up as tightly as she could be. She would certainly be disoriented for a little while. He looked back at the town, who were staring at them in shock.
They shouldn’t technically be surprised. He’d told them the story, many times. He would have lectured them, but right now that didn’t seem to matter at the moment.
“That would be all, folks!” he announced. “Go back home!” He quickly grabbed the key then ran off with Constance in his arms, hoping that no one would follow them. Once they were far enough from the town, Will stopped, beginning to set Constance down on the ground. He slipped off the mask, the hood being pushed back as he did so, one hand still grasping Constance’s arm.
He looked at her, studied her for a moment, but she didn’t say anything. Her expression was blank.
“Constance?” he asked quietly, taking both of her hands in his. “Do you know me? Do you remember?”
She looked down to the ground, her face contorting as she concentrated.
“Re-mem-ber.”
No.
Of anything Will had imagined could happen, this one hadn’t crossed his mind, at least, not for longer than a moment before he dismissed it.
He had considered the pain and shock she’d feel at realizing that everyone and everything she knew (besides himself) had disappeared, but he never once thought that she might not remember them at all.
Constance didn’t remember anything. She didn’t know a single thing that had happened before. Her memory was completely wiped, and now Will had to be the one to teach her all over again.