No Place Else To Go

[Susan Matthews]

Wishing for something or rather anything to happen, Susan stumbled along the second floor. Exploring or just wandering around, she wasn't quite sure herself. Either way, it didn't matter because she was where she was and where she was happened to be Myrtle's restroom.

The ever-present mucky water was still, to no one's surprise, present. Susan didn't care much, she even stepped a little harder than usual. The extra effort caused a light splash to dampen her purple tights that did anything but complement the yellow zip-up and pink flats she also donned. Randomosity was nothing new.

Ignoring the wailing and mysterious splashing sounds coming from the far toilet, Susan approached a mirror in the center of the restroom. She leaned over the sink, staring at her reflection in scrutiny. The mirror was very dirty. With a small look of disgust, a quick flick of her wand, and a quiet tergio uttered, the mirror before her was clear.

With the clear mirror, Susan didn't lean in as close. She touched her face gently under her eyes. She pushed down and out, trying to eliminate the dark circles forming there. She frowned and tried to cover up the marks of exhaustion with a bottle of foundation from her pocket. Still unsatisfied, Susan tried on a smile. It seemed forced. Because it is . . . Susan scowled at the sorry reflection before her.

A few months ago, she might have considered herself pretty and maybe even a little outgoing. Now when she looked in the mirror, she saw a sleep-deprived girl that had nothing better to do than to hang out in a haunted bathroom. A little depressed, she turned away from the mirror and leaned back against the sink. She blew up on her bangs in a dramatic way that suggested extreme boredom, or maybe more depression. Susan ignored the increase in tears from the furthest U-bend and fixed her gaze on the door.

[Dylan Cooper]

Unsure as to exactly where he might be going, all Dylan knew was that half an hour ago he had been happy and now… Now, there was a significant lack of happy felt within him. He didn’t know why… Nothing had changed, nothing had happened to cause such a feeling, and as such he had become slightly worried. Still uneasy and unsteady on his feet where his mental and emotional link to his Shadow Warrior was concerned, he could only assume that perhaps Susan needed someone. He could be wrong; she could need time alone, but Dylan would not sit back and let it be when he had strong suspicions that his own feelings were not, in fact, his own.

Drawn to the second floor, his brows furrowed in worry as he felt a slight decrease in mood that he was sure had nothing to do with himself. Moving at a brisk pace along the corridor, he found himself staring at the entranceway to Myrtle’s bathroom. It made sense, actually; whenever he had felt like being alone to gain time to recuperate from the world, he too had sought out the sanctuary of the deserted bathroom. Well… slight sanctuary, anyway. Myrtle usually kept to herself.

Wondering, not for the first time, if Susan truly wished to be alone, he took a deep breath and pushed the door in front of him lightly, easing it open. His eyes flicking up to find a tired, worn-out looking Susan, he gained a look that emanated worry as he stepped into the dingy, dirty room. Making his way wordlessly toward her, his footsteps slow and measured, he figured that words weren’t entirely a necessity. Doing the only thing he could currently think of that might have an immediate effect, he took one last step and made to pull her into what he hoped would be a comforting embrace.

[Susan Matthews]

The sudden movement of the door caught Susan off guard. She jumped slightly, waiting for the door to reveal who was behind it. Susan tensed, as she began to worry who it might be. She wasn't exactly in a state to be meeting new people. She ran her fingers through her dark hair in a useless attempt to straighten it. However, as the door (which seemed to have taken an eternity to open) began to yield it's opener, Susan felt her heart warm with familiarity.

A weak smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as it was Dylan who appeared before her. She wanted to smile, she wanted to be happy. So why did it seem such an effort to engage the muscles into the appropriate position? Everything was harder than it should have been lately.

Susan glanced down, avoiding eye contact. She fixed her gaze on a button lost at the bottom of a puddle. She studied it, anything to revert the embarrassment steadily growing within her. The button was about an inch in diameter, and probably belonged to a winter coat. Susan analyzed the useless piece of plastic, willing herself not to break down.

As Dylan approached he didn't say anything, and that was okay. They say actions speak louder than words, right? What Dylan did do was hold his arm out. Susan had no choice but to oblige, but she wasn't complaining. As she lifted her own arms, she finally caught Dylan's eyes. Worry was the emotion that filled them. Worry for herself.

Not wanting to see anymore, Susan closed her eyes and embraced Dylan. She rested her head on his shoulder. She wasn't sure what to say, or how to explain what she was feeling. Instead, she just breathed. She'd forgotten how good it felt to be close to him. Susan could feel the connection between them. Her heart loosened and she no longer strained to smile. She felt the slight tug of happiness in her, she willed herself to forget her previous awareness of despair.

[Dylan Cooper]

Catching her eye before pulling her close, he attempted to force some of the worry that he knew to be present from his own eyes. It half worked, but the other half just stubbornly refused to neglect dealing with how she had appeared as he’d first entered the bathroom. Truth be told, he hadn’t seen Susan in a while… He’d been so busy with everything that had been going on lately that perhaps he’d neglected his friend somewhat. Feeling quite guilty about her current state, he held her close as she rested her head against his shoulder, moving herself, too, into the hug.

Not particularly needing anything in the way of an explanation, he simply didn’t feel it was required. He could sense her overall exhaustion, the weariness and depression that tugged at her from within. Holding her all that much tighter for it, he breathed deeply, more worried about her than he would even admit or could express. Pulling back momentarily, his eyes found hers and betrayed no sense of guilt or concern; merely a desire to help.

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly, his voice as soft as one who may be addressing a mourner. Some believed such a question to be wholly unnecessary; stupid, even. But Dylan had always thought that their response could dictate to one exactly where to go from there. Such simple responses, a mere ‘yes’ or ‘no’, could carry a multitude of tones that could speak more than their actual answer. Awaiting a response from her, he offered a small flash of a smile to her.

[Susan Matthews]

(ooc: sorry for the wait)

It was relaxing to feel so safe for just a moment. Myrtle's miserable moaning and splashing seemed distant and unimportant. Dylan returned the hug and all was well. After a good time, Dylan pulled back. Susan lifted her heavy eyelids. She'd hadn't realized exactly how tired she'd been before now. She rubbed her eyes, knowing it would do nothing to help the condition of her vision or the dark circles below them.

“Are you alright?” he asked. Susan lifted her eyes to match his. She found his filled with the urgency to help and below that, a encouraging smile. Susan couldn't help but to offer a weak smile of her own. She leaned back against the sink again and found the neglected button with her eyes again. There were two acceptable answers to the posed question. The true question was, though, which would be the truth.

"Yes," Susan lied, then thinking better of it changed her mind, "I mean no." She closed her eyes again, blocking the stupid button from her vision. Trying to think, she brought her hands to her temples. "I don't know anymore," she completed her answer based on what she could conclude about herself. Susan gently opened her eyes again. She knew she couldn't expected much of a response from "I don't know," but she waited anyway. Feeling, nervous and embarrassed about her lack of togetherness, she racked her brain for a real answer, but found nothing.

[Dylan Cooper]

Seeing her rub her eyes in exhaustion was no surprise, and Dylan let the movement slip by, seemingly unnoticed. Anxiously awaiting her answer, his mind was more focused on the words that seemed not-so-imminent given her small but obvious lack of concentration due to sleep deprivation. His head tilting slightly to try and find her eyes as she leant against the sink behind her, he didn’t find them. Her initial response caused his eyes to drop to the puddle floor and his faith in his own friendship abilities to drop. Her change of heart, however, or perhaps merely a change of words, lightened his heart only slightly.

While at least he knew she was not lying to him anymore, nor herself, it still proved a negative point that she had to say ‘no’ anyway. He didn’t know if it was more worrying that she admitted she wasn’t alright or that she admitted that she simply didn’t know; on the one hand, no would provide a definite negative, but at least she would know where she stood and could do something about it. With uncertainty one could never, of course, be certain as to where one was, so how could anything improve? Pushing everything aside, even the increasingly loud sobs coming from what must be Moaning Myrtle, he viewed her with a concerned expression.

Taking her gently by the hand, he blessed the increasing lateness of the hour and led her from the bathroom. Traipsing downwards through the castle, his destination clear in his mind and a plan quite evident also, he crossed the Entrance Hall and headed down the left-hand stairwell into the dungeons. Leading her along, his pace not really able to be defined as fast or slow, they came finally to the dead-end corridor decorated with paintings of various foods. Gaining entrance to the kitchens via the overly ticklish pear, he found himself facing a horde of happy house elves, eager to serve. Ordering several items and a picnic basket in which to carry them, a multitude of elves rushed off to oblige his request, returning faster than one might believe possible with a full-to-the-brim basket. Thanking them with a smile and a few select words, he led Susan up the castle once more.

He was going by the reasoning that whenever he was feeling particularly exhausted or just sick of everything, he found solace while surrounded by his element. Travelling outside after curfew was quite out of the question, but the Room of Requirement would suffice, and was, in fact, sometimes no different from the real outdoors itself. Offering some small talk as they walked, and a joke or two intended to try and lighten her mood, he wondered if it’d had any real effect as they, thankfully, approached the sixth floor.

The door appearing before him in no time, he opened it to allow her entrance, a small, hopeful smile on his features.

[Susan Matthews]

Fear filled her from within as she heard no response from Dylan. She only looked up as she felt his hand in her own. At the touch of his warm hand in her cold one, Susan snapped to attention. Surprised at such personal action, she almost pulled away out of habit. A slight tug on Dylan's part, pulled Susan into following. For a moment, she considered protesting. Where were they going? Why should she follow? She even came as close as opening her mouth gently.

Without waiting for a response or an agreement of any sort, Dylan turned and lead Susan out of the lonely bathroom. They went without talking, down the stairwells to the ground floor of the castle. Susan still did not know Dylan's intended destination, and yet still had not inquired on the prospect of finding the answer.

Susan accompanied Dylan to the kitchens. Susan felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth at the sight of the dozens of house elves. They were so eager to please, so happy, so sure of their purpose in life. She watched as a picnic basket was produced and handed swiftly to Dylan. Susan eyes lit up briefly as she considered the only place open to a picnic at this time of night. She tried to catch Dylan's eye, but he still said nothing.

It wasn't long before they at last near the topmost floors of the castle, making their way along the sixth floor corridor. Along the way Dylan made some attempt at conversation; a comment here and there. Susan only nodded in response, giving the minimal answers as they were required. Though the individual words had no true effect on Susan's mood, the sound of Dylan's voice combined with the whole effort he was making, made Susan's heart grow stronger.

The door to the Room of Requirement opened easily for the two. Susan genuinely returned the smile that Dylan as she passed him and entered the Room dedicated to the Lightfighters. Susan waited for Dylan to enter the room as well, before heading to the Earth room, the desired element, and opening it for the both of them and proceeding in. As always, Susan removed her shoes, leaving them by the door. Though not completely gone, Susan felt the nag of her sleep deprivation ebb away.

Susan turned to look at Dylan as he entered the room as well. "Thank you," she said finally.

[Dylan Cooper]

Seeing her cast off a genuine smile as she moved into the room, his own broadened significantly. If she could smile, the damage certainly wasn’t irreparable where her personality was concerned. He assumed the effects of whatever she was going through at this point in time were primarily physical - - the dark shadows beneath her eyes, the weary look she held no matter what she attempted to portray.

Following her to the room of their element, the one thing that he had found could calm him no matter the situation, and found her facing him once more. Bowing his head slightly, a small smile adorning his features, he meant to say that no thanks were necessary between friends such as them. But Dylan always thought such things needed to be said; after everything he had been through this year, he knew that you needed to tell those you’re close to how you felt about them before it’s too late, before the opportunity is missed.

Susan might know how he felt about her, their relationship was such that such a strong emotion could hardly be missed with the mental connection they shared. But still, he felt the strong desire to express such feelings openly. Stepping forward, he hugged her fiercely. “I love you Susan,” he said quietly, bearing a strong feeling of friendship and nothing that could ever be conceived as more.

[Susan Matthews]

She felt her smile brighten as the return of his own. It seemed Dylan always had a way of making her feel better, even when she was in her lowest of lows. They stood apart for a moment, Shadow Warrior and Elemental Master. Dylan seemed to be contemplating something. Susan squinted slightly, trying to decipher what it might be. She didn't catch actual thoughts, but she was able to grope the actual feeling that surrounded them. Before she could piece the warm thoughts together, Dylan had her in another embrace. Susan welcomed the hug and returned with equal ferocity.

“I love you Susan,” he said quietly.

Susan had to strain to hear it, but it came almost naturally feeling it. Now that she thought about it, Susan couldn't remember the last time someone, anyone had told her that they loved her. Was it her mother last summer? Or her Aunt in the most recent owl? When she got to thinking, Susan found she couldn't remember the last time she'd returned the phrase either. She promised herself not to forget this time.

"I love you too, Dylan," Susan replied mutually. She let the hug last a moment longer before pulling away gently. "You know, you're my best friend," Susan told Dylan as she rested her hands on his shoulders, keeping him just within reach. She'd been thinking this for a long time, but this was the first time she'd actually said it. She'd never felt this close to anyone before. Susan felt she could tell Dylan all of her secrets, her deepest thoughts, and all of her problems. Best Friends Forever, was the cliche for this conversation, but it was oh so true.

[Dylan Cooper]

Feeling his embrace returned quite fully, he worried for a moment when she didn’t instantly reply. He had expressed himself in a way that came so naturally from all of his time with D’rorah that he hadn’t given a second thought to the actual implications. They were good friends, admittedly… But perhaps it was too much to admit such a feeling? Surely she would know it anyway with the connection they shared, but Susan could very well just not be comfortable with it being said so openly.

Suddenly nervous, quite irrationally even, his features broke out into a smile once more at the reciprocation of his sentiment. Hugging her all that much tighter for it, he felt her pull back after a moment and obliged. His eyes travelling from the soft soil beneath back up to find her eyes, his smile softened. Her hands moving to rest upon his shoulders, he felt completely at ease with her, as if she was not a separate person but rather an extension of himself. Such a notion was preposterous, of course, but that was simply how close he felt to the young woman standing before him.

“You’re my best friend too… The best I’ve ever had, actually,” he said in his quiet voice, the smile adorning his features carrying right up to his eyes and giving them a small light not usually present; though it had begun to appear only with the arrival of D’rorah in his life. Unaware of such a light, his eyes cast themselves briefly to their surrounds. “Here seems an apt place for a picnic…” he commented in a quietly happy voice, recalling that he hadn’t brought a blanket. He’d done so on purpose, of course, feeling that the both of them would prefer to be seated directly upon their element anyway.

His previously flaring worry at the appearance and demeanor of so close a friend had abated slightly with the smile formed upon her face. Still cautious and watchful, he attempted to disguise such a fact by suddenly becoming busy with unpacking their small collection of foods and drinks and setting them upon the earthen floor of the room. “What are you in the mood for, Miss Matthews?” he questioned happily, unknowingly using the form of address he usually reserved for his private banter with Dee.

[Susan Matthews]

It filled Susan with happiness to hear Dylan respond in a similar manner. The returned feelings filled her to the brim with warm-fuzzies that gave her a light tingling in her extremities. Susan hadn't realized what a rush came from expressing yourself like this. She felt exhilarated despite the recent lack of sleep she'd been experiencing. She was subtly aware of every breath she drew. She found herself paying attention to every blink and the constant pulse throbbed in her wrists by way of comfort.

Susan giggled lightly as Dylan seemed to state the obvious. Anywhere and everywhere in the room of their element was absolutely perfect for a picnic. The simulation was identical to any park or meadow that could be found in the real outdoors. It might have been better even. Anytime that Susan had visited, the weather had always been nice. She supposed it could rain, but only if they wanted it to. For now, Susan was happy with the perpetual magic of mild weather. No further inquisition needed, Susan flounced down onto their spot of the lush green grass.

Susan watched patiently as Dylan began to unload their stash of goodies. A plethora of foods was laid out before them. She let her eyes flow of the various sweets, fruits, vegetables, and other assorts items of edibility. At the sudden sight and smell of all of the food, Susan felt a rumble in her stomach erupt. Half-laughing and half-groaning, she pointed to the cupcakes that had recently been removed from the picnic basket. Accompanying her broad gesture, she said, "A cupcake, please."

[Dylan Cooper]

Looking up to her as she emitted a small giggle, he smiled brightly in accordance with the happiness it brought him. Hearing her request, he reached for a cupcake that had recently taken up residence on the mat below them and offered it to her with, thankfully, clean hands. “Good choice,” he commented in a quiet grin of a tone. Selecting a bagel for himself, his mind flickered briefly to the first encounter of him and D’rorah in the Great Hall in which their light banter had really begun. Grinning in spite of himself, his eyes found Susan’s once more and were filled with love; not the love associated with friendship, but the lingering remnants of his memories of Dee.

Consuming his first selection with the ease of years of practice at such a pace, from the look on his face he could have been six again, prancing around the kitchen as his mother baked and his father sat at the table with the local newspaper or a philosophical book of some sort. The little boy had had a hunger unknown to a large proportion of civilised society, and never seemed able to quite get enough. Such a thing was perhaps typical of boys, however.

Reaching for some grapes, green and seedless by request, he popped a few into his mouth before turning back to her. The previous light he had gained through thoughts of his girlfriend had largely faded now but still a hint of it remained as he directed his mind to more pressing matters at hand. “Are you alright?” he questioned in a quiet, serious tone, his eyes attempting to pierce hers. It was not so much the question itself that prompted an answer, but the meaning and tone behind it; he was worried about the condition in which he had found her in the second floor bathroom, and constantly on his mind was the fact that she had not sought him, she had resided in solitude, attempting to get away from everyone. He had thought them closer than that, but perhaps he hadn’t been spending enough time with his best friend of late, so preoccupied had he been with bringing his magical and mental abilities back up to par.

[Susan Matthews]

Susan gratefully accepted the cupcake from Dylan. She didn't delve right into it. Instead, she rotated the small cake. She turned it, examining the icing, the cake, and the small paper cup holding it, searching for the perfect place for the first bite. Making the decision to comment of Dylan's choice of food, as he had to her, Susan looked up. She had a witty comment poised on the tip of her tongue, prepared to be released. Before she spoke the pre-decided comment, Susan sensed other thoughts on her friends mind. Dylan was distracted, and instead of speaking, Susan began to lick the icing off of her cupcake without any regard for her previous inspection of the dessert.

Only at Dylan's familiar inquiry did Susan look up. Are you okay? The question reverberated in her head. It was such a general question. Susan carefully wiped the corners of her mouth with a finger, cleaning them of the colored icing that left stained markings faintly behind. She then placed the finger her to her mouth as she pondered an answer to the question.

"It's complicated," Susan began as she focused her attention on the paper wrapping to her icing-less cupcake. She carefully began to peel the paper away, doing her best to keep the entire cake intact. "There's just so much pressure," Susan tied to explain, she glanced briefly at Dylan, before returning her attention to the cupcake. She realized how vague she was at the moment, and struggled to elaborate. She tore her eyes away from the cupcake and resorted to her gestures that she often used when words didn't come as easily.

"I'm . . . I guess I'm only, only . . .," Susan rolled her hands, as if it would crank the gears in her brain, "dreading," she stopped the motions upon finding the desired word with the depths of her vocabulary, "dreading 'D-Day'," she made a point to place air quotes around the word as she spoke it. Deeply annoyed at even herself for her lack of eloquence, Susan took a large and frustrating bite at the cupcake. She felt as if tears would emerge at any moment. The distraction of the picnic was no longer enough to shield her true emotions. She swallowed roughly and slumped slightly.

"Dylan, I don't think I'll be ready to fight the Shadow Mage," Susan expressed. She placed the cupcake on its paper. Her throat was too tight to manage another swallow. She nervously rubbed her hands together, both afraid and eager for Dylan's response. She felt her chest tighten as it always did when she thought about ultimately facing her fear of the dark sorceress.

[Dylan Cooper]

Observing her odd little survey of the cupcake held before her, his eyebrows tweaked slightly in amused wonder. With the connection they shared, he assumed that she knew of his real intentions behind the question. To the casual observer it was the broadest question in the world, of which the reply could be anything and on any tangent the questioned person might wish. His true intentions, however, had directed the simplest of questions, to which no ambiguity could be perceived.

The condition in which he had found her in Myrtle’s bathroom had sparked not only worry but a deep-seated concern for her, for why she had been in that state. For why she had been alone, not incidentally but on purpose, had actually sought solitude. For why she had been so drained… So unhappy… As to allow such things to be presented within her eyes. For why she had not come to him, to talk to him, to even try and approach him when surely he was the closest person she had at this school.

Her initial reply left much to be desired. While it was simple, however, he knew that it must be true. Not wishing to pressure her, wanting her to go at her own pace, he remained silent, waiting to see if she would offer any more; if she could offer any more. As she began to prompt herself once more, his eyes flicked back up to her face and studied her features briefly, missing the gaze her own eyes sent his way. As she continued, falteringly, he let her talk, taking in every word and action, wondering where this might end up.

Of course, there were a whole host of reasons she might be feeling this way… schoolwork, relationships, training with the lightfighters… But until she could let him know, he was quite powerless. He only hoped that whatever it was, he might be able to help. He knew the pain and powerlessness of expressing your feelings to another only to find that nothing could be done, but he supposed that at least sharing her thoughts and emotions might ease the burden somewhat.

Dylan considered himself a bright boy. Well… he had before having his head quite mutilated by various things. But even so, he should have understood what she meant by ‘D-Day’. As it was, however, he did not. His brows furrowed into a slight confusion, they relaxed and opened slightly as she finally came out and stated it. His eyes being cast unconsciously toward a patch of earth not far from the edge of the blanket they shared, he blinked himself back into reality and raised his gaze to her face, attempting to meet her eyes.

Noting both the lowering of her cupcake and the rubbing of her hands, he made a pointed note to himself to tread carefully with his words. No witty, completely reassuring response popped into his head as it once would have done; though, he’d never much used such things in circumstances like this. Instead of trying to use false comfort, for he knew that she was smart enough to see through any veil he might try to shield her with, he simply spoke the words he himself might wish to hear were he in her position. Words that he believed in, and that he took comfort from whenever he had those familiar flashes of fear that he, too, would not be ready.

“I don’t think anyone is ever really ready…” he began softly, his voice as quiet as it usually was. “All we can really do is train as hard as possible… learn what we must, and know that we fight for everything good in this world, hoping that when the time comes we can just help fight the good fight.” Having a multitude of self-doubt within himself, he often thought on such a thing in attempts to reassure himself, to make him realise that it was worth going on, and to make him remember why he did. “No matter how much we do, how much we know or don’t, when we face her we can only do our best and know that we have each other.”

It made him sad to think of such a time, knowing the position he was in. He almost wished he were a Shadow Warrior, and she his Elemental Master. He would be the one perhaps to die defending her, not the other way around. He wanted with all his heart to let her know that he would protect her, no matter the danger, but he was still intelligent enough to know that the greater good had to overcome their personal attachments to each other. She would be more vulnerable to attack from the Shadow Mage if she were the Master of Earth… But on the other hand, she would never be taken to the dark side, to fight against those she once loved. He couldn’t imagine a torment more complete than that, to raise his hand against Caitlin, Keaira, or one of the others. Were he to dwell on it completely, the ever-present fear that he might turn himself against D’rorah would have reared its’ ugly head and caused a physical shiver to course through him.

As it was, he surpassed such thoughts. Taking her hand in his, he squeezed it lightly and offered a small smile that spoke volumes. He would do what he could; they would support each other, protect each other, and work as one. “We’ll train… study… We’ll do what we must, to make you and I confident in our abilities, so that we can be as prepared as possible when the time comes to face her,” he said hopefully, the smile upon his features lingering even as his hand remained quite comfortably in hers.

[Susan Matthews]

Releasing her hands of their task, Susan found they were now quite dry and even a little clammy. As uncomfortable as it was, she resisted returning to the incessant motion. Susan furrowed her brows in concentration. She had her attention focused on the half-eaten cupcake for as long as she could manage. It wasn't long before she couldn't help but look at Dylan as he spoke to her.

His first words weren't of much comfort to her. She would have liked to hear something that said this is going to be a piece of cake. Susan valued the truth though. It warmed Susan to hear Dylan confess that he wasn't as confident either. The optimism in Dylan's words unwrinkled the knots in Susan's forehead. She listened to Dylan as if he were revealing the meaning to life itself.

Susan nodded her head, forcing herself to believe the words that Dylan spoke. There's time, she told herself, we'll be ready. Even as these thoughts rushed through her mind, she couldn't help but wonder why it was she that was chosen. Or if it had been her all along. Susan wasn't quite sure what she believed in when it came to destiny or fate.

She was distracted as she felt the warmth of Dylan's hand in her own. Susan watched as their fingers naturally found their places in between each other. At the sensation of the light squeeze, Susan looked up in time see a smile form on Dylan's features. Susan could feel her own confidence blooming within her as Dylan made his final statement.

"Sounds like a plan," she whispered, with a little difficulty. Those the tears had subsided, the tightness in her throat was still present. She laughed at the sound of her strained voice. "Oh, Dylan what would I do with out you?" She asked rhetorically. Susan couldn't fathom what kind of person she would be with out him. She tried to remember what she had done before they had gone for their swim on that rather cloudy day, and came up with nothing. She remembered it as if it were only yesterday, yet it seemed it had been an eternity since then.