Gears. Fucking gears everywhere. It was hard to say what the worst thing about these gears was; that they made it difficult for Dave to get to his second gate or that the constant clink of their meshing teeth served as a reminder. Did John connect to Jade in time? Sure, Dave himself had just barely been able to save Rose. It was some sort of trend; they had all cut it close. But John… No, the thought was pointless to Dave. John had to have connected to Jade in time. The alternative…

Dave slashed through another imp, another obstacle. The imps were almost as bad as those fucking crocodiles at the base of Dave’s exit from his first gate. Why did he trust that troll bitch? Sure, she was right about the crocodiles and Dave had just barely saved his skin at the last minute because of her. Still… Dave couldn’t help but wonder if he could have gotten to his second gate sooner if he had simply ignored the troll. She seemed rather insistent that Dave should wait; that if John had failed to connect to Jade in time that Dave’s second gate would lead to John’s planet. Dave didn’t give a shit; he had to know if Jade was safe and she hadn’t answered any of his pesters.

Up high above a spinning rod, connected by a gear at its base to a line of gears, was the red gate Dave was looking for. The gear path was littered with winged basilisks; hovering over the path-way to escape from the spin of the gears underneath. Dave had largely dodged the spinning sensation of the gears in his rush but he paused as his eyes caught glimpse of the spinning rod. A moment’s hesitation and the lower hem of Dave’s action pajamas was caught in the teeth of the gear he was standing on as it bit against the edge of another. Fuck; Dave could feel the gears pull at his pajamas. A quick jerk proved the higher craftsman-ship of the pajamas threads; the only viable option of escape to unequip them. Dave could give less than half a shit about his wardrobe; he shoved the pajamas back onto their captchalogue card and jumped from the cusp of the gear. Over and on top of the heads of the basilisks; Dave entered his second gate.

It was lucky for Dave that Jade’s house was built on a volcano. What would have been a deadly fall was barely more than an inch; Jade’s first gate was actually below the roof of her house. Well, what was left of it anyways. The second gate near Jade’s house sat over the top of her roof. The top of Jade’s house was slippery; a smooth marble surface which, while Dave appreciated it for its location, proved rather disastrous when it came to staying at its location. Dave quickly slipped off the marble roof and began to plummet. Splotches of green, brown, and blue bombarded Dave as he tumbled to the ground. A quick ‘pchoo’ heard in the distance served as Dave’s sole warning to his rescue. The tip of a harpoon, perfectly timed, effortlessly thread through the back end of Dave’s shirt and out again as it stuck against the rocky backdrop of Jade’s mountain. A jolt greeted Dave as the line grew taut. Jade rushed over from the nearby lake, a smile on her face as she waved at Dave.

“Hi Dave!” Jade beamed; a harpoon gun in her hand. As with everything else, Dave was saved at the last minute. Dave clutched the line with his hands to stop from sliding to the mountains behind him. He hung barely more than 8 feet above the ground. Jade placed her harpoon gun away as she slowed herself under where Dave was hanging. A short stop, a brief smile; Jade took out a rifle and shot at the line. Dave came crashing down next to Jade, still rattled from his fall but relieved to see Jade was safe. Face first in the dirt, Dave pushed up with his arms as he brought his legs underneath himself

“God damn it. What the hell are you doing?” Dave asked, “Shit, how many times do you have to give me a heart-attack today? It’s like I’m gorging myself on some sort of god damn cheeseburger. Sorry Doctor, I couldn’t resist the fucking cheese.” Dave started to brush away the dirt clinging to his shirt; his jeans hung slightly low from his fall.

“I’m sorry Dave but you’re the one who came here early” Jade said, her smile slightly faded, “You are ok, right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Dave said, “And I guess you are too huh?”
“Yep! John just connected with me. It was really scary honestly,” Jade turned her head slightly, “I thought I wasn’t going to make it for a while…” Dave shook slightly.
“God damn Egbert,” Dave yelled more to himself than at Jade, “I’m just glad he got his act together; bro needs to get his priorities straight.” Dave turned his head towards Jade.
“I…” Dave continued, still shaking, “I had to know you were safe. I mean, if he hadn’t connected in time…”
Jade sprinted towards Dave; her hands quickly finding their way around Dave’s shoulders. She pressed herself tightly against Dave, her lips locked on his as Jade closed her eyes. Dave leaned back in surprise before returning the hug.
“It’s ok Dave.” Jade said, bring herself back from their kiss and staring into Dave’s eyes, “we’re both here now.”
Still taken aback, Dave said, “..Y..Yeah… yeah we are.” He laid his head against Jade’s shoulders as he brought her in for another hug. “We are.”