Hey everyone! Guess what--I'm alive! It's a wonderful thing. I have a big list of excuses as to why I haven't updated in, like, 12 weeks, but I suspect you don't want to hear all of them. The main one is that I had pit orchestra and it slowly devoured my freetime. It was fun, though. However, tech week was from 3-9 everyday, and before that they were 3-6 and then after that we had the actual performances and it was a big insane pot of insanity..so there's my excuse. Happy? Great. Let's get you all off that cliffhanger, shall we?

I don't want to describe how I felt after Dr. Martinez's little revelation. Because there are no words. I don't want to spend paragraphs trying to describe an emotion that I have tried really hard to forget. I can tell you it hurt. Hurt even more than Jeb's betrayal. I don't know why. The phrase "once bitten, twice shy" comes to mind. I guess because I thought I'd learned my lesson with Jeb--never trust an adult. And then I made that mistake again. Apparently birdgirls don't learn fast. But what I did learn? Mistakes are doubly painful the second time.

I hate to admit it, but I didn't have the courage to tell the others exactly why we were pelting across the skies at a rapid pace, apparently without a plan. Well, definitely without a plan. No one asked, and I didn't volunteer any answers. Well, Angel knew, of course. But she didn't tell the others. I think she wanted me to. But at any rate, I wasn't exactly in the mood to give a real long explanation of this afternoon's events. What I was in the mood for was a long cry, uninterrupted, and an indefinite supply of hot chocolate. However, none of these things was going to happen really soon.

After an hour of silent, miserable (on my part) flight, someone touched my shoulder.

"We need to stop," Fang said, not unkindly, but not too kindly either.

"You take them," I said thickly, keeping my eyes ahead. "I need some alone time." And just like that I zoomed off. Because I could. And while it wasn't a cup of Swiss Miss, it helped.

I angled for a handy patch of pine tress, alighting in one of the upper branches. I drew my legs to my chest and waited for the inevitable waterworks.

Except, the inevitable waterworks, in fact, seemed to be evitable.

I couldn't cry. Although I was dying to, knowing from scant experience that crying did indeed make everything better, I couldn't. So I sat there, sad and depressed and lonely, not crying. I just huddled on my little branch, watching a raven cut through the graying sky.

I became aware of breathing behind me.

Normally, I would have whipped around and sucker punched whoever had snuck up behind me. (And usually it was only one person.) Today, I was just too depressed, and plus I had a sneaking suspicion that I didn't want to talk to the breather behind me. Not at the moment. So I let him be invisible. For a few minutes, anyway.

"Angel. She told you," I stated, not turning around. I admit this was a stab in the dark. I had no idea.

"Yeah." So we sat there, me not turning around, him sitting there and breathing.

"I'm sorry," I said. Another silence. No, the breather was not rushing to return the apologies, or clamoring to say "Oh, no, that's fine, why are you blaming yourself?" etc, etc. And that somehow made me feel better. I did make a mistake, and neither of us was trying to cover it up.

"I know." The wheeling raven dipped into another pine tree, farther away. I was left still staring resolutely at the clouds. "So am I." The breather was talking softer now. He was closer. I could feel him in the air behind me. He was officially in my personal bubble. People in my personal bubble that do not have express permission to be there are usually forcibly evicted.

I made a temporary exception. Temporary.

"I was waiting to tell you. I was scared." He was even quieter now.

"I know you would have. Eventually. It was just too much at the moment." And that was my excuse for the most epic fight since someone blew up my jeans when I was thirteen. Well, since someone deserted me last December, actually.

THe silence returned. The clouds were a charcoal color now. I sat staring at them. He was behind me. It was kind of awkward, but kind of okay, too.

"So," I said to break the awkward-but-kind-of-okay silence.

"I overreacted too," he said with a slight sigh. No one would have heard it except me. "Sorry."

I didn't rush in to forgive him. I knew that little apology was all that was coming from him. So I drew it out a bit.

"Yeah. I guess we both did." I shifted. THe charcoal clouds were now more like burnt-marshmallow clouds.

"And I'm sorry about--her." The sentence was no more than a whisper. I turned around and looked at him. He avoided my gaze and stared at the burnt marshmallow clouds. "It's hard when people you trust betray that. We all know. But you've gotta remember that there are still people that won't do that to you. Ever." He tensed slightly. "Like me." He finally looked at me. I don't know what my expression was, but I knew that I was so grateful for that little speech.

Somehow, that's what I needed to hear right then. That he'd never change. He'd be like my rock, unmoving and sturdy.

On the other hand, if he changed, I'd be ruined completely. What a gamble.

Love's a gamble. I remembered reading that on a bumper sticker somewhere. So.

There wasn't any distance between us now. Nothing to close. So I just reached out and held him.

Above us, the marshmallow clouds burst open, sprinkling rain that splattered all around us, but not between. Nothing could get in between anymore. And then I leaned up and closed my eyes and let the rain fall.

And we--finally--kissed. Because what else are you supposed to do when it's raining, your heart broke into a million pieces and your soul mate just promised never to leave you?

We just shrared the moment . And we breathed together.

Okay. Fax. Everyone happy now? Was it cheesy? Abrupt? Great? Terrible?

As amazing as it seems.... 1)I stayed up until two to finish this 2) You are going to review it, and 3) It's not over yet, not by a long shot. A chapter and the epilogue.

Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving/Black Friday/ Normal Friday if you don't live in the US. :D

BlueWingedKitty