I've been back in the real world for about two weeks now. It's weird though; almost everything is as it was before I disappeared. My apartment is still here along with all of my belongings, and all my classes at college are still the same. Of course, now there are different students in my classes because everyone else has probably graduated already. What's really weird though is that all of my friends still know me, but they're all six years older now. It's a little awkward (for me, at least) to talk to them, but they act as if nothing has changed. I guess that's good though. I wouldn't want to have to explain that I've been trapped in another world for the past six years.

Ib has definitely been a huge help for me though. She's called almost every day, and she visits me when she can. We talk a lot about our experiences together, which is especially helpful when I forget things from our first "adventure" in the Fabricated World. Oh yeah, I still have trouble remembering things sometimes. Every now and then I'll forget minor details like some of the puzzles that we had to solve in order to escape. Luckily, Ib helps me remember these things.

Unfortunately, Ib hasn't been able to help me with everything. I've had nightmares almost every night. Almost all of them remind me of how I had treated Ib when I brought her back to the Fabricated World, playing through my mind like a movie of my memories. The guilt still eats away at me, and I feel awful for everything I did. I've apologised dozens of times, and Ib continually tells me that "It's alright". But I still feel bad. I need to do something to make it up to her.

Pulling out my phone, I call Ib. It rings three times before she picks up.

"Hello?" she answers.

"Hi Ib. It's me," I say.

"Oh, hi Garry! How are you?" she says.

"I'm good. But, I have a question. Are you busy at all today?" I ask.

"Uh, no. I don't think so," Ib replies. "Why, do you need to talk?"

"Sort of. Listen, can I drive over and pick you up in about ten minutes?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright, I'll see you then."

"See you soon!"

I hang up, grab my wallet and keys, and then leave my apartment. Hopping into my car, I drive off to Ib's house.

When I get there, Ib answers the door, says goodbye to her parents, and then hops into the car with me. Things are pretty quiet for a while as I drive, but it's not an awkward silence. When we finally arrive at our destination, I step out of the car and open the door for Ib. She steps out and looks around.

"We're at the cafe?" she asks.

"Yeah," I nod. "I know we already came here with your friend Vanessa, but I did promise you that I'd take you to get macaroons when we got out of there." Ib smiles a little and together we walk inside. I order the macaroons and then we sit down together at a small table. We eat in silence for a while before I decide to speak up.

"Hey Ib, I really need to talk to you about… what happened in the gallery," I say quietly. "I'm really sorry for everything I did. I wasn't myself back there and I would never want to hurt you."

"I know, Garry," she says. "You've already apologised enough. I forgive you. I'm just glad we're both safe."

"I know, but I feel like I need to do something to earn your forgiveness," I tell her. "I just feel so guilty for everything that happened. Isn't there anything I could do to make it up to you?"

Ib is silent for a moment, as if she's contemplating her answer. Finally she smiles and then passes the last macaroon across the table to me.

"All I want from you is a friend," Ib replies. "I just want you to be my friend and to be there for me. I want to be able to hang out with you and I want you to stop feeling guilty. Everything you did back in the gallery was not your fault. The gallery was driving you insane and you weren't thinking clearly. It's not your fault." I look down at the macaroon and then at Ib. She sounds so sincere. I smile a little.

"Thanks Ib," I say.

"No. Thank you," she says. I give her a look to show my confusion and to let her know that I need further explanation.

"You saved me," she says simply. "You gave Mary your rose in exchange for mine and you saved my life. You helped me escape, even when you couldn't. And in doing so, you've already earned my forgiveness. Thank you."

"It was no problem, Ib. You would've done the same for me," I reply. She smiles at me and we return to a comfortable silence. Looking back down at the macaroon, I split it in half and hand half of it to Ib. She silently takes it and nods her thanks to me. I nod back and shove the other half into my mouth. Neither of us say anything as we stand up and leave the cafe. We pause outside and look up at the bright, cloudless sky. I never realized how much I missed seeing the sun until now.

"So, are you okay now, Garry?" Ib asks. Am I okay?

"I-I think?" I hesitate. Am I okay? Well, I'm back in the real world, I have Ib with me again, we're both safe, and even though a small part of me still feels bad for everything I did in the Fabricated World, another part of me reminds me that it's all in the past. Ib forgives me. Ib is here with me. She's safe. I'm safe. I smile.

"I think I will be," I reply. "Thanks for coming to the cafe with me, Ib."

"That's good. And, you're welcome," Ib says.

We both get back into my car, and instead of sitting in silence we talk about more normal things; things like Ib's classes at school, her friends, my classes, and plans to hang out next weekend. When we get to Ib's house, I hug her goodbye and then she runs into her house. As I pull out of her driveway and begin to drive home, I smile a little to myself. Yeah, I think I'm going to be okay. Thank you Ib.

And now, my fanfic is complete! (Aw! I feel kind of bitter-sweet about this!) This was probably the hardest chapter to write, so that's why it took so long to update. Anyways, please review and let me know what you think! Thanks so much for reading! :D