EPILOGUE
Vimes wasn’t altogether surprised when he showed up in the Unseen University. Sure, everyone had their theories about how they were somehow trapped within Fugue’s mind, but he couldn’t quite figure that one out. It didn’t make sense. Oh, Fugue had been behind something and so had Cancer, but as far as Vimes was concerned the entire thing reeked of magic. There was a certain sort of hesitation that seeped in his bones as he gazed around the books around him, knowing that he had missed nearly three years. Three years! Good gods, and he had thought that little spin back in time had been unbearable!
He felt some remorse for what he left behind and knew that he would miss the people of Edensphere more than he cared to admit, but for now all he knew was the aching gulf between him and his family and his city. Had Vetinari declared him dead, he wondered? Was Young Sam already walking and talking? Had he forgotten his father’s face entirely? Was Carrot the new Commander now? The questions were dizzying, and it almost seemed too overwhelming to take that first step forward.
“Ook!”
As it turned out, the Librarian appeared to help him take those steps and though he didn’t appear to be surprised at his arrival in the library (then again, how could you tell?), he certainly wasn’t too happy about it being invaded.
Vimes nodded at the Librarian and allowed himself to be dragged out, presumably before some other bloody magical book fell off the shelf to send him spinning off somewhere else. When he exited the University and stepped out onto familiar cobblestones, he could have wept with relief. He hadn’t quite believed he was truly home up until now, and he would have gotten on his hands and knees to kiss it if he didn’t know very well the sorts of substances that managed to get in the cracks. Instead, he settled for grinding his toes into it. Strangely, his appearance didn’t turn anyone’s heads. For the best, he thought, because he wouldn’t want the entire city to know about his reappearance before Sybil did. Halfway to home, however, he began to feel a bit insulted. Didn’t anyone miss him? He did a lot for this city! Surely someone would point at him at any moment and exclaim that the missing Commander had finally returned with varying degrees of disappointment and pleasure. But no shout came.
Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer and took off at a run, all the way up Scoone Ave., past Willikins and raced around the house like a mad thing until he finally found Sybil knitting those godsawful socks in the drawing room. “Sam?” She said, blinking at him in confusion.
He opened his mouth, ready to ask her forgiveness for his long absence and to provide an explanation without sounding like he had gone completely mad. But behind the shock, the copper’s voice in his head that never went away said, If you were gone for that long, why’s she still knitting socks for you?
Instead, she looked mildly affronted and said, “Whatever happened? We were supposed to have supper together.”
“I’m so sorry Sybil, I-what?!”
Now she looked really confused, Vimes noted, but not half as confused as he probably looked right now.
“You missed supper,” she said, setting her knitting aside and standing up to take Vimes in properly.
“Only supper?”
“Only supper. Honestly-“
“Only supper!” He shouted hoarsely and kissed her once. After a moment, he kissed her again and tugged her into a close embrace, too relieved to even try to comprehend how any of this worked.
To Sybil’s credit, she was patient enough to let him have his fill for a few seconds before she pulled away to take a good look at her husband. The weight that he had slowly put on over the course of their marriage had almost completely disappeared through his weekly spars with Brianna and doing regular beats, but there was no mistaking that the roughness of strenuous living he had about him when she first met him had come back in full force. Not to mention the armor he wore that was a far sight from his regular uniform. Now she looked really worried. “Sam, you’re shaking. What happened?”
“Where’s Young Sam?”
“I want to know-“
“Where is he?” Vimes said, demanding the information this time.
“He’s in the playroom with Purity,” Sybil replied, stunned.
Vimes grabbed onto her hands and said, “Look, I’ll tell you what happened later, Sybil, I promise.” And he did intend to. He hadn’t told her about going back in time, because it just didn’t seem right, telling her all that so soon after giving birth. Now, he knew that there had been too much for him not to tell her, though he would leave out some of the nastier bits. There was too much to explain away. “But first,” he continued, “I’m going to get changed into some proper clothes, then how about the three of us go for a walk?”
It was rare for Vimes to give orders like this, but Sybil knew when he had put his mind to something, so she appeared to swallow back any protestations she had and said, “All right.” Despite her compliance, there was steel in her gaze, something that Vimes correctly interpreted as, and you will tell me what’s going on in the end, Sam, or else I’ll have your guts for garters.
Vimes walked to their room - his familiar room! Their carpet! Sybil’s silky robe with the constipated looking dragon embroidered on the pocket! Those two comfortable indents in their comfortable bed! - and got changed. He walked over to the playroom, trying to stay calm, and then looked into the playroom and down at his son. Vimes had a tendency to go soft whenever he looked at his son at the best of times, but now the wide eyes and bright face that stared at him, not a day older than he remembered, made him go weak at the knees. He gently tugged the lad away from a rather stunned looking Purity, and simply held him for some time.
Then he dressed Young Sam warmly in his hat and jacket and went for a walk with his wife and son. He knew that he had a lot to explain, that Vetinari was probably questioning the portal that opened up in the library, that he had to reacquaint himself with exactly what was going on in the city and that he would eventually have to get his bearings back into order. But for now, he didn’t think at all and just basked in the gladness that he was finally where he belonged with the family he didn’t think he would ever get to see again.
He was home.