"Mom! I'm home!"

Linda smiled, looking up to see Elias entering from the front door, a huge grin on his face.

"Welcome home, Eli. Have a good date with Liz?"

Elias nodded, feeling at one of his cheeks.

"Yeah. We had a lot of fun and… yeah." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Where's Dad?"

"Reading to Mary. I'm sure he'll be ready to collab in a few minutes but you know the drill."

Elias nodded.

"Of course." He gave a wave, heading up the stairs. "I'll be in my room."

"I'll let Henry know."

Linda shook her head, focusing on finishing up cleaning the dishes.

Back to our old routines.

Just as it should be.

oooooo

"And so, they lived happily ever after… The end."

Henry closed the book he was reading, glancing down at Mary. The little girl's eyes were barely open, her head buried into his side, but content.

Back in her real bedroom, her real nightly routine back in focus.

"Tell me another one, Daddy?"

He chuckled, laying her down, tucking the blanket more around her.

"Okay, Little Angel. One last one."

He smiled softly, before mock humming in thought.

"What to tell though?"

"Daaadddyy!"

"Just kidding Little Mary. I know just the story." He laid back with her, closing his eyes.

"Once upon a time, there was a little devil darling. He had a love for bending the rules and for getting into mischief…"

At least now, the stories are just that… Stories.

I finally got my happy ending.

Henry looked up at a photo they had recently hung in the room. A drawing he and Elias had collaborated on. It was a drawing of Bendy, Boris and Alice together, the three off on another adventure of sorts. Bendy and Alice riding on Boris' shoulders as he carried them off to who knows where.

For a moment, he saw the three waving at him before they went back to what they were doing.

Henry chuckled at this, going back to telling his story.

And they finally got theirs too.

The End