"Auntie, why aren't you married?"

It was a question your nephew, Pugsley, had asked frequently as a little boy. After all, his auntie was the nicest lady on Earth. So why did she have a man who loved her. You'd brush the question off every time and try and go on with your day.

"Auntie doesn't need a husband, I have the best nieces and nephew ever," you'd say. Pugsley would giggle and the matter would once again be forgotten.

But the truth was far more complex. You had almost gotten married years ago. To a boy whose heart ticked like a clock and whose mind was greater than anyone had ever known. Just two seventeen year olds making romantic promises in the dead of night.

"After I cure Francois, everything will be better. We can get married and take her away from my father."

But Francois, the sweet little girl, never got cured of the Hyde locked within. And your Isaac died in the explosion your own sister-in-law caused. You never fell in love again, remaining a single aunt to three lovely kids. You never broke your promise to love Isaac until the day you died.

One night, you were restless. Something was off, you could feel it. Which is why you were awake at midnight, curled up on the couch watching nothing in particular. And then you heard a ticking noise. But it wasn't your clock, no. This tick was far more familiar, more comforting.

The door creaked open and you leapt up. Electricty crackled in your fingertips, ready to use your power on whoever just broke into your house. But what you saw made everything fizzle out.

Isaac hobbled in, leaning against the door. His skin was an unhealthy gray, dark circles under his eyes. His right coat sleeve hung down past where his right hand used to be. But he was alive. Breathing and looking right at you with vacant eyes.

He smiled, "Honey, I'm home."