Volume II - Episode 33 Where: New York City, USA When: 4 days after E-Day, 10:15 am Alex could scarcely believe it. Vanessa Cain was sitting in his front yard. He almost expected her to vanish when he opened the front door - for her to be nothing more than a figment of his desperate and lonely imagination - but there she was, sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk at the bottom of the stairs. He walked/half-ran to greet her. "Vanessa?" She looked up at him, her eyes wild and unfocused. She was looking straight through him. "Has that always been there?" she asked. "That tree? Did you put it there?" Alex stared at her, dumbstruck. All the times he had imagined this moment...all the times he had fantasised about their miraculous, post-apocalyptic reunion....those were not the first words he had imagined coming out of her mouth. Suddenly her eyes seemed to focus, and she sat up straight. She seemed to notice him for the very first time. "Alex!" she squealed. She leapt to her feet and threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Alex, you're alive! Oh, thank God you're alive!" Alex opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Vanessa Cain was back, and she was in his arms. VANESSA CAIN WAS HUGGING HIM! He tried to think of something charming or witty to say to impress her. But instead of that, he started to cry.