Hi, everyone!

Well-this is it. The last chapter. God, it's been a year since I posted the first one. A whole year. And wow, I look at the earlier chapters and I think thank God I've improved a bit from that.

But yeah, here's the final chapter.

A couple of you said you'd like to see the soundtrack I used so, I've written it for you at the end.

Anyway-sequel. Sequel, sequel, sequel. Originally, I had no plans to write a sequel. I was just planning to write the events of the film. But then, I got the idea for a sequel. Only thing is, I have no time to work on a sequel right now.

If I do a sequel, then it wouldn't be for several months. Because I've got exams in the next few weeks, and I've got other writing I need to focus on and I might need a little break from this one for a while, having done about one chapter a month for the past year. Can't believe it's been a year since I first posted this, either. Wow.

OK, I've officially decided I have to write a sequel at some point. But at some point in the future. Not for at least several months. Still, it's my hope that when I write it, some of you guys might want to read the sequel, too. I hope you will, anyway!

Anyway, that's the sequel thing.

And lastly, thanks to everyone who read this. Thanks to everyone who put it as a favourite, who put it on alert, who put me on favourite or alert, and who reviewed it. Heck, thanks to anyone who read the thing. I never knew it would get this many followers-Signs isn't that big of a fandom. Anyway, thank you. It was the first fanfiction I ever wrote and I didn't expect this much support. So you guys made me more confident with writing. Thanks to all of you for that.

Anyway, here is the last chapter. The last chapter. I can't believe I can now write Complete. It actually made me tear up a bit. *sniffs*

Well, here we go. Here is the last chapter of Looking On. And I don't own Signs or any of the characters, except Isabelle and her parents.

*sniffs* Hope you enjoy!

"I still can't believe there was so much." I slumped against the door of Merrill's car, closing my eyes for a moment. "I didn't know I even brought that much into my dorm room."

Merrill, throwing the last bag into the back seat, nodded in agreement. "I'll second that. I'm the one who carried most of it."

I rolled my eyes. "Only at your insistence. I was perfectly capable."

"After you dropped the first one on my foot, I thought it might be safer."

I tutted. "Typical."

Merrill's lips twitched in a quick grin, which I returned as his eyes locked with mine. This was one of the many things I loved about Merrill-the way he could grin at me, meaning it with his eyes as well as his lips. Merrill. Merrill, Merrill, Merrill.

God, I loved Merrill.

I leaned against him, sliding my arms around his shoulders as he slammed the car door shut. "Thanks." I pressed my lips to his cheek, revelling in even this small contact. "We've got to go. They'll be waiting for us."

Merrill tilted his head, letting his mouth brush mine. I closed my eyes, feeling the smile blossom, even before my hands found their way into his hair, my lips moving with his into a gentle kiss, pressing my body to his, feeling his heart pound against mine. It took a long moment for us to break apart, Merrill's hand stroking my cheek.

When he spoke, his voice was slightly uneven, his words ragged, and it made me smile harder to know that one kiss had this effect on him, that it was me who made him feel like this. "What was that for?"

"Helping me." I didn't pull away from him, instead brushing my lips across the hollow in his throat, sending a shudder through his whole body. Merrill's hand slid into my hair and he tilted my face to look up at him. "Especially after last time I was packing stuff up."

Merrill raised an eyebrow. "At least, then you brought everything with you and didn't spend three days going through everything and reminiscing." He pressed another kiss to my forehead. "How long can it take you to decide how to pack up the stuff from a college dorm room?"

"Longer than it did to move the stuff." I grinned back up at him, fighting a wave of giddiness. Summer lay ahead, long days, longer nights, sunshine bathing the fields with freedom. I might be a college graduate, but in summer, I was a kid, the same as I'd always been.

Not in every way, though.

I pressed my lips to Merrill's cheekbone one last time, before turning back to the truck. "Come on." I scrambled into the car, pulling at the seatbelt. "Morgan and Bo will murder us if we're late."

Merrill nodded, a rueful grin creeping to his lips, as he headed round to the other side of the car. I patted the seat affectionately. I loved this car. It felt right to have it, right to have this one with Merrill. I loved my old car, but sharing one with Merrill felt natural. Right.

Plus, we could drive pretty fast.

Merrill pulled himself into the seat beside me, his lips brushing my neck, nibbling my ear for a moment. I shuddered, feeling that same rush through me, that same longing I'd felt that nightmarish night in the basement, when he'd been kissing me so hard I'd thought I'd die of it.

That had been over a year ago now, and I could still remember every detail of those few days. I still woke up sometimes, whimpering, the skin of my back stinging with fresh pain, from where the alien's claws had raked across me. Sometimes, when I examined my wrist, the scars still faintly visible in the sunlight, I could still feel its' hand grabbing hold of me, the burning sensation in my skin.

I knew it was just imagination. I knew it was just memory.

It didn't make it any less unsettling.

But whenever I woke up, surfacing from yet another sea of images of Morgan lying helpless on the grass, the alien turning toward us, the glasses of water clattering to the ground like so much confetti, it took less than a moment, before Merrill's arms would be around my shoulders, his lips whispering into my ear, soothing words combined with gentle kisses, on my neck and shoulders, murmuring that it was all a dream, all just a dream. And it wouldn't be long before I turned toward him, my arms wrapping around him, lips nudging under his chin, losing myself in him.

I darted another glance at Merrill as he gunned the motor. "Reckon they'll want to kill us when we get there?"

Merrill shrugged, his familiar grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "50/50." His eyes met mine, and I returned his smile, my hand sliding into his for a moment, before he turned back to the road, his smile slightly wider than before.

As we neared the house, I shuffled lower in my seat, tugging at a loose hangnail, my eyes straying back and forth. Merrill's eyes flickered sharply to me. "You OK?" The words were soft, almost a whisper and I forced a quick smile to my lips, fighting the urge to nibble at my nail.

"Yeah. Just-" I shivered, despite the heat of the afternoon sun. "The crops." I didn't look at Merrill as I spoke, keeping my gaze lowered.

Merrill's hand squeezed mine and my teeth sank into the skin of my lip, my thumb stroking across the skin of his palm in one quick caress. It had been over a year, but every time I looked at the crops I still shivered. The scars on my skin throbbed painfully, little flashes of memory stabbing up my arm.

I examined Merrill with my eyes, taking him all in. "You're lucky." I traced the thin line on his temple with the tip of one finger. "Yours' doesn't show." I'd never been able to figure out why it was that the scars on my skin showed while the scars on Merrill's were almost invisible. I was sure he'd been clawed far worse than me.

Merrill's lip curled, his familiar grin sending a spark into my chest. "Only you could look at someone whose face was clawed by an alien and say they were lucky."

I elbowed him gently in the ribs. "You know what I mean."

Merrill sniggered, both hands finding their way back to the wheel. I stared straight ahead, thankful to have distracted him. No matter that Merrill had never laughed at me once in these past twelve months, at whatever strange little fears and anxieties he'd persuaded me to confide in him, no matter that he never seemed fed up with listening to me, no matter that he'd never once got annoyed at the amount of time I spent worrying. I didn't want to burden him down, be one of those clingers who can't go five minutes without crying on her boyfriend's shoulder.

Both of Merrill's hands were wrapped firmly around the wheel, the bones white against the skin stretched over his knuckles, but his eyes were once again on me. He was scrutinizing me closely, eyes narrowed, and at once I knew I hadn't fooled him.

"It's OK, Izzy." His voice was very low, gentle, and I smiled at the sound of it, slowly meeting his eyes. "They're not coming back."

I swallowed. "You heard what they said at the time. That they might come back."

"Yeah, but not yet."

"You heard everything that was in Morgan's book. They could come back with full forces-"

"Yeah but not for hundreds or thousands of years," Merrill reminded me gently. "Plus, Morgan's book wasn't exactly accurate."

"True." I had to laugh at the idea of the aliens being vegetarians and small-the one that had grabbed Morgan had been twice my size.

I shuddered. I still hated to think of anything grabbing Morgan, despite the fact he seemed to have been mostly unharmed since that morning. In fact, apart from an overnight stay in hospital, and weekly appointments for three months, he was as well as he had ever been. If I'd had any fears that he might have been traumatized or damaged or any other spiel, he'd proved me wrong by pointing out cheerily that everyone was always fascinated to hear the whole story.

I guessed that being grabbed by an alien was pretty good fodder for a ten-year-old boy's popularity.

Bo took a little longer to adjust. Perhaps it was simply that she was younger, or perhaps it was that she'd been aware of what was going on, when Morgan had long lapsed into unconsciousness-he'd told us later he "didn't much remember" the alien holding him. "I remember up to lying on the couch," he'd told me, lying back against the hospital pillows, his face pale, but lips stretched into a small smile. "And then I was on the grass."

Graham had leaned forward then, his eyes narrowed with concern, hand on Morgan's arm. "Did you see anyone?" At his son's puzzled look, he'd continued. "I mean-while you were unconscious? Anything, anyone-"

Morgan had frowned, eyebrows knotting together, his head eventually shaking. "No. Don't think so, anyway. Why?"

Graham had bitten his lip and Merrill and I had carefully avoided one another's eyes. We all knew whom Graham had been wondering might have been seen by Morgan.

Bo's quietness had increased for a while afterwards. Still, we were all around to help her-we'd ended up back in the Hess house after only a couple of days. I hadn't been privy to the bustle of activity that had taken place in the twenty-four hours after the alien's appearance-the inspections, the visits by the investigators, the interviews. I'd spent most of that time by Morgan's hospital bed, with my head on Merrill's shoulder, Bo sitting on my knee, thumb stuck in her mouth, a regressive habit from years ago.

But we'd ended up back there-despite everything. For some reason, it felt like home still. It didn't feel as though anyone was meant to leave.

The car crunched over the gravel, and I determinedly avoided looking at the corn crops, as we pulled up outside the house. Outwardly, it still looked much the same as it did this time last year, when I pulled up here that morning-the windows looking out over the fields like guards, the shutters pulled back to let the daylight in, the slatted boards lapping over one another in perfect formation. Only now, I was in a different car and I leaned over, to whisper into Merrill's ear, lips catching his skin, making him laugh. Smoke was rising from the barbecue and I grinned-Graham had obviously remembered to watch the cooking this time.

The car rolled to a halt and I yanked at the door, sliding out, just as the front door crashed open and a small figure hurtled down the driveway, throwing herself into my arms. "Hey, Isabelle!"

I crouched, scooping her up, pressing a quick kiss to her hair. She'd grown a lot in the past year, but it wasn't a struggle. Her cheeks, smoother now, and with less of the childish chubbiness they'd had in previous years, were creased in a smile, her eyes dancing. I jiggled her into position on my hip, allowing myself to look into her eyes more comfortably. "Your dad remembering the barbecue this time?"

Bo giggled, her arms lacing around my neck. "Mm-hmm." Craning over my shoulder, her eyes widened. "Hey, Uncle Merrill!"

Merrill ruffled her hair, planting a quick kiss on my cheek. "Where's your dad, Bo?"

Bo indicated the house, her attention back on me, and Merrill promptly headed toward the steps, pausing only to give my hand a quick squeeze. I returned the gesture, following him away with my eyes

Bo stiffened suddenly. "Isabelle-" She chewed her lip for a moment, squinting slightly and I tightened my hold unintentionally. Ever since those nightmares, every night for three months, last year, nights with Graham sleeping by her bedside to keep her safe, I was watchful for any change in her behaviour.

I frowned, chucking her under the chin. "What's up?"

She stared at the car behind me. "What's all that stuff in the backseat?"

I relaxed, only just realizing I'd been holding my breath. Bo's gaze had been pointing ominously at the corn crops behind me, and an unpleasant shiver passed down my spine. The scar on my arm seemed to throb ominously, as if itself recalling the events of one year ago.

"Isabelle?" Bo's face crumpled in confusion, her head tipped to one side, nail tugged by her teeth. I dragged my gaze back to hers', forcing a quick smile to my lips. Apparently, I'd let the silence hang too long.

"Just the things from my dorm room. Remember, I graduated last week?" I had to admit, Bo had behaved pretty well for a five year old at the ceremony. Colleen had graduated from high school when I was a year old and college when I was Bo's age. At both ceremonies, I'd managed to disrupt the entire thing, simply by screaming for food during the first, and by managing to toddle halfway up the aisle at the second, which resulted in my mother having to duck and dart out of her seat in order to beckon me back. In retrospect, my sister was pretty generous to have forgiven having to deliver a speech while the entire audience struggled to ignore the sounds of a five-year-old's shrieks of "I want to go on stage with Collie!" Bo, by contrast, had behaved impeccably.

"Oh." Bo chewed her lip thoughtfully. "But you moved out Nana and Grandad's house ages ago-"

I laughed. "Yeah, but I still stayed in dorms sometimes, remember?" It had just been easier to live in the dorms during the semesters, if only to keep up my timekeeping. At least, in the dorms, I had a better chance of getting up on time. Still, now that I was leaving college-finally-I'd packed up the few remaining items lying about my dorm room, enlisting Merrill's help when it looked like it would take too long.

"Isabelle!" Morgan's voice broke through the air, and I turned to see him, ambling out of the house, Merrill's arm around his shoulders. He shot me a quick grin and I returned the expression, noticing that he seemed to have grown three inches in the two days since I'd last seen him. I guessed at almost twelve, it was about time he shot up.

He stopped short of giving me a hug and I suppressed a smile at that-instead, he gave me a mildly awkward high-five, before reaching up to ruffle his sister's hair.

"Glad to have finished school?" I asked, as Merrill held out his arms for Bo. She wrapped her arms around his neck, nestling into his shoulders.

Morgan shrugged. "I guess." He flashed a grin at his uncle. "Want to play baseball, Uncle Merrill?"

I didn't hear Merrill's reply, as there was a sharp tap on the shoulder, and I turned round, my eyes narrowing, only for my nail to travel to my mouth at the sight of my mother. "Hey, Mom."

My mother smiled. At this distance, the lines under her eyes were more noticeable, the indentations that spoke of a lifetime of laughter and worry and sadness, and love. Positive and negative, underlapping and overlapping.

"Hey, Isabelle." She echoed the greeting somewhat ironically, looking me over with her eyes. She smiled, a glimmer of pride in her expression. "So, packing up went well?"

I swallowed. "Yeah." God, how could this be? One year ago, we'd all survived an alien attack and yet there were still things I couldn't say to my mother.

She smiled once again. "Isabelle, you can talk to me. I'm not going to bite you."

A small laugh broke through my lips. I guessed we had got on a lot better since one year ago. I still remembered how she'd found me in the hospital.

I'd been asleep when my mother had arrived, draped over Merrill's lap, my head on his knee when I'd felt someone shaking my shoulder. "Isabelle-Isabelle-"

I'd jerked awake grumpily. "Huh?" Immediately, my eyes had flickered to Morgan in the bed-some emergency with him was the primary reason I'd expect to be woken. But he was sleeping peacefully, and instead I'd turned, confused, to face Merrill, who was gently helping me sit upright, the bandages on his face slightly looser than earlier.

It had been then that I'd seen the woman standing in the doorway, staring at me. And it had been the way she'd been staring at me. That confused, desperate look, as if she wanted to hug me and never let go. As if she didn't know what to do. As if she didn't know what to think.

My mother.

"Mom?" My voice had been faint and she'd stared at me for a moment, hand pressed to her lips.

"Isabelle-" Her voice had fallen away . "Isabelle-" She'd taken a step into the room, her eyes focusing on Morgan for a second before darting straight back to me. She barely seemed to notice Merrill's arm wrapped around me or if she did, she didn't comment on it. She seemed to only have eyes for the sight of me alive.

"Mom?" My voice was small, almost lost in my throat. "You OK?"

She stood still and stared at me for a moment. Then, quite suddenly, she rushed forward, flinging her arms around my shoulders.

I nearly fell off Merrill's lap. "Mom-God-I'm all right-"

"We thought you were-"

I rolled my eyes, while simultaneously sliding my arms around her shoulders. "Mom, I'm OK-we're all OK-Morgan's fine, he's just a bit weak-"

Graham, lying stretched out on the bed with his arm around his son, was stirring. Bo, curled up next to me, muttered something in her sleep.

"Mom, careful-you're squashing Bo-"

My mother straightened up, wiping at her eyes hastily. "Sorry, sweetheart," she whispered, her eyes on Bo.

Bo sighed and turned over. I guessed that was an unconscious forgiveness.

My mother stared at me. "Are you-" Her eyes darted to my arms, wrapped in a bandage. "What happened to your-" She pulled me close again, her eyes frantic, but her hold gentle. I hugged her back, glancing quickly at Merrill, who remained tactfully silent.

I sat up, Merrill's arms sliding around my shoulders, holding me to him. "It's a long story, Mom." A new thought occurred to me. "Where's Dad? Where's-"

My mother held up her hand, silencing me. "Your dad's fine. He's just at the vending machine. But-" She wiped her hand across her eyes. "Darling, what happened?"

I sighed. "You'd better sit down."

That had been over a year ago, but I could still remember it clearly. Right up to my mother listening to the story, to my father appearing in the doorway (and focusing right in on Merrill's arm around my shoulders), to my father sitting down for a retelling of the story, to the moment where they told me what had happened to them.

"We saw them." My mother held up her hand before I could speak. "Don't worry-we were by the lake, remember?" She tried to smile, but I could see that she was still shaken. "And they came towards the car-"

"I tried getting out." My father spoke-one of the first things he'd said since we'd told the whole story of the alien, Morgan and the night in the basement.

My mother's eyes narrowed. "Yes, your father took the entire hero thing too far. He insisted on getting out of the car-I tried to pull him back-and well, they heard us."

I clapped my hand to my mouth. Merrill's eyes widened, and he pulled me closer, pressing a quick kiss to the top of my head. My father raised his eyebrows but declined to comment.

"And I tried pulling him back." My mother shot my father an exasperated look, which he pointedly ignored. I bit back a grin. "And then he popped up."

I suppressed a snigger at the phrase "popped up". It made the guy sound like a cartoon character. "Who?"

My mother went on as though she hadn't heard. "He lured them away." I stared at her. She went on, her eyes wide, as though she still couldn't believe what she was saying. "He had his car and he lured them away." She stared at me, shaking her head slowly. "He started the car engine and they turned toward him. They'd have come at us otherwise. There wouldn't have been time to get away. But he lured them away." She closed her eyes for a moment.

I stared at her. "Mom?"

She inhaled hard for a moment and then tilted her head up to look into my eyes. "He helped us."

So it was a he. "Was he OK?" The way she was talking was starting to give me the creeps. "Was he all right?" Merrill squeezed my hand and I realised I was nearly shouting. I took a deep breath, bit my lip hard. Calm down. Calm down.

My mother stared at me. "Yes. He was all right." But her tone didn't suggest it. In fact, I had to admit that she looked as though she'd been hit with a startlingly heavy object.

"Mom?" My voice shook slightly and Merrill's fingers wound their way around mine. I squeezed back, grateful for the momentary contact. "What aren't you telling me?"

My mother sighed and looked up. Her eyes met mine directly and she didn't flinch. Didn't look away. "It was Ray Reddy, Isabelle."

I sat still for a moment, absorbing the knowledge. "Ray-?" Dimly, I echoed his first name, as though I could change the second simply by omission.

"Ray Reddy." My mother echoed her comment with a nod. "And don't ask which Ray Reddy, Isabelle, you know there's only one."

I guessed it would have been a stupid question. But still I leaned closer to Merrill, my head brushing his shoulder.

"Ray-Reddy?"

My mother nodded, a note of dry amusement creeping into her voice. "Yes, Isabelle, Ray Reddy. And it doesn't matter how many times you ask me to say it, it doesn't make it more or less true."

Merrill laughed shakily next to me, and I huddled further into him. Merrill spared a moment to glance anxiously at my parents, before he pulled me closer, finger stroking my cheek gently.

"Ray Reddy" repeated my mother, while taking in Merrill's arm around my shoulders with a wry look. "He saved us, Isabelle. No matter how implausible it sounds, it's the truth."

Looking at my mother now, the conversation echoed in my head with pitch-perfect memory. I stared at her harder.

"What's up, Isabelle?" she asked, her voice softer now. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head. "No, it's just-" I trailed off, struggling to express how I felt. "I mean, I wasn't sure what to say."

My mother laughed, but there was a flicker of worry in her eyes. "It's only me, Isabelle" she said, and now her tone was much too gentle. "You can talk to me."

I nodded. "I know." I sighed. "Sorry. Just-stressed."

I couldn't bring myself to tell her that sometimes I couldn't find the words to talk to her. I loved her, but sometimes I couldn't find the words. It wasn't a fairytale. I couldn't tell her everything.

Though I talked to her about some stuff.

"Merrill helped me move some stuff out." I laughed, tossing a glance at him over my shoulder. I spotted him quickly, listening to something Morgan was saying. He was watching his nephew, but his eyes caught mine and he gave me a quick wink, before turning back to Morgan.

My mother smiled, also transferring her gaze to Merrill. "Taken it to your apartment?"

I nodded. "Yep. It wasn't as much as we thought."

My mother laughed. "Where's Dad?" I scanned the lawn for him, though given that there was hardly a crowd here, it was pretty obvious that he wasn't about.

"Inside with Graham." My mother's hand brushed my hair for a moment. "I was so proud of you, Isabelle. At the graduation."

I allowed myself a smile. "Thanks." I stared at her. "Mom, you remember-" I trailed off. "Sorry-"

My mother's hand touched my shoulder. "What is it, sweetheart?"

I swallowed, meeting her eyes. "You remember last year?"

My mother's eyes widened slightly, but that was the only indication of surprise she gave me. "Yes..." Her voice trailed off but she didn't pretend not to know what I was talking about.

I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Do you think they'll ever come back?" I asked, without preamble. "Do you think they'll ever-you know-like they said at the time?"

My mother sighed, brushing my hair back behind my ears. "Is that what you're worrying about?"

I shrugged her off, feeling a sharp pang of annoyance at the dismissive tone in her words. "Don't act like it couldn't happen." I stared at her, fighting the urge to bite down on my nails. "Remember, last time, you kept saying-"

"I know what I kept saying last time." My mother's voice was uncharacteristically low and fierce. "And this time, I'm saying something different. Isabelle, you can't live your life worrying about this. It's not good for you." She looked at me with something like sympathy. "I'm not saying it will never happen. But we'll be better prepared next time. We'll know what to do. And, Isabelle, you've got to get on with your life. You can't live waiting for what's around the corner."

I swallowed, the gentleness of her tone taking the anger out of my sails, to my reluctance. It was still easier to use it, to wrap any rage around me, a protective cover. "Yeah, Merrill says that too." I glanced out at the horizon, my arms wrapped around myself at the heat of the day. The corn crops waved innocuously in the low breeze, and I shivered, remembering other days they had looked that harmless, that innocent.

My mother touched my arm gently. "Well, in that case, maybe you should listen to him." I shrugged, unable to stop the smile that made its' way to my lips at the thought of him.

My mother shot me a surreptitious look. "How are things with you and Merrill?"

I returned the glance, knowing as well as she did that there was no way I was giving her all of the details. "They're good." No need to add how good. No need to add, that sometimes I loved him so much, I thought I might crack open from it, that whenever I was worried about something, he was the only one that could soothe me, that whenever I looked at him, no matter where we were, I felt like I was at home.

And yeah, that all sounded extremely corny and made my teeth want to rot just thinking about it, but it was true.

My mother smiled, apparently not needing any more details. "Good. Your apartment OK?"

I nodded. "The apartment's great." It was, too. Ever since moving in there, six months ago, it had been great. I was pretty glad Merrill was there, too-though I guessed I didn't really need to worry about living alone, I'd been doing that in dorms for about four years. But still, being with him, all the time, was even better than I'd expected. I'd never really considered what it would be like to share an apartment with someone before-or that it was far better than living alone had been, at least for me.

I glanced at her. "You and Dad OK?"

My mother stood still for a moment, focusing her attention on me. "Why wouldn't we be, sweetheart?"

I shrugged. "Just wondered." I'd found myself doing this a lot recently-focusing on my parents, on Morgan and Bo, on Graham-just wondering if everyone was happy. I wasn't sure if this was a by-product of my own happiness, or if it was simply an effect of realising how quickly it could all be taken away.

My mother nodded, a small expression of puzzlement creeping across her face. "Well, yes, sweetheart, we're fine." She brushed the strands of hair behind my ears again. "Don't worry so much."

I couldn't help it. I knew it was over-the invasion, at least for the meantime. I knew that. But I still couldn't help it.

My mother leaned closer. "Your father was interested to hear about your and Merrill's little encounter, though. So was Caroline, when we bumped into her."

I swallowed. "You mean last week." I glanced at her quickly. "Have you spoken to him?"

"Who, Merrill?"

"You know who I mean."

My mother shook her head. "No. Not yet."

I bit my lip. I guessed I should have known. I turned back to the crops, as Merrill's arm fell around my shoulders.

"OK, Izzy?" His voice was soft, and I felt my own smile, as his lips brushed my cheek. Something about his simple presence made me feel better; just the way he whispered to me, the familiar touch of his hand on my arm, the way he pulled me into him, my head falling onto his shoulder. All of these were what I knew.

I nodded, enjoying the sound of the nickname he'd given me on his lips. "Yeah. Just talking with Mom about what happened last week."

Merrill's eyes met my mother's over the top of my head. "Oh. That." He bit his lip, which had been his reaction at the time, too. Not mine, though. I closed my eyes, remembering the incident with point-perfect precision.

We'd been standing in the bookshop, me lounging against the shelves, flipping through yet another copy of a novel I was dying to own, while Merrill made a Herculean effort to look the slightest bit interested in literature-I was well aware of the sacrifice it was for him-when he'd suddenly stiffened, his eyes flickering to the door of the bookshop.

I'd followed his gaze but he'd put his hand on my arm. "What's wrong?" I'd asked him, noticing the furrow of his eyebrows, the way his lip was caught between his teeth.

Merrill had shaken his head hastily. "Doesn't matter. There's nothing to-"

I was already turning around, scanning the shop behind us. "Merrill, what is-"

Merrill turned me round again, fixing his eyes on my own. "Izzy, it's nothing, it's-"

He'd shaken his head once again, in an apparent attempt to convince me that there was absolutely nothing interesting behind me, while frantically scanning the area as though he'd just seen a ghost. I'd stared up at him, my eyes boring into his, until he looked away. "Merrill." My voice brooked no argument. "Tell me what's going on."

He'd looked at me for another long moment, before apparently deciding that further discussion would be hopeless. "Izzy." He sighed, sliding his arm around my shoulders, before gently steering me around. "Look over there." He pointed into one of the further corners of the shop, his eyes narrowed. Frowning, I followed his gaze.

Ray Reddy was standing in the corner of the shop, his head bent over the book he was holding, knuckles white from clutching the cover. There was no doubt in my mind that he had seen us. There was no doubt in his mind that we knew he had seen us. There was no doubt in my mind that he knew we knew he knew we had seen him.

The sentences were so confusing in my head, it took me a few minutes to sort them out.

Then I felt the exact same awkwardness that Ray and Merrill must have been feeling. Even Carl, behind the counter, avoided my eyes, a flush of colour creeping up his cheeks.

I stared at Ray Reddy for a moment, before catching hold of Merrill's sleeve. "I'm going to say hi to him."

Merrill stared at me. "Seriously?"

I took a deep breath before nodding. "Yes. I mean-I thanked him that one time but-"

I'd thanked him last year-I mean, who wouldn't? He'd saved my parents' lives. He'd risked his own to do it.

He'd accepted my thanks, quietly and without ceremony, but it was still awkward-I guessed even then, you couldn't cancel out the past. But I couldn't just walk away from him.

I swallowed hard, tucking my hair behind my ears. "You coming?"

I expected Merrill to refuse, at first, but then, I should have known better by that point. "Yeah," he said, rolling up the magazine he'd been idly flicking through, and shoving it under his arm. I had to admit, it was less threatening than a baseball bat. His arm slid around my waist, and he pressed a quick kiss to the top of my head.

I cleared my throat as we got nearer. Standing next to the shelves, I picked up a magazine-any magazine-and began to flick through it. "Umm-"

Ray glanced at me quickly and looked away. Merrill leaned against the shelves, his hand sliding into mine, his eyes fixed on Ray. I eyed the rolled up magazine in his hand doubtfully, wondering if he was planning to hit Ray over the head with it. I squeezed his arm, praying he'd take the silent hint not to lose it with Ray.

"Hey, Ray." My voice came out slightly higher than usual. In normal circumstances, I'm pretty sure Merrill would have burst out laughing, but then again, we weren't exactly dealing with a normal situation.

Ray didn't say anything but he issued a quick nod in our direction. Merrill tensed beside me and I shot him a warning look.

"Um-" I dropped my gaze uncertainly. This wasn't exactly going the way I'd planned and I was considering faking an injury simply to escape the awkwardness of the situation. But when I glanced up again, Ray's eyes met mine and I bit my lip, knowing I couldn't just walk away.

"Um-" I folded my arms, leaning into Merrill once again. "I just wanted to say thank you. For last summer. I mean, I know it was a while ago, but-"

Ray nodded his head, and I noticed he too was chewing at his lip nervously. Merrill swallowed, pretending to be absorbed in the content of the nearest shelves.

Ray carefully placed the magazine he was examining back on the shelves. "It's fine. It's the least I could do." His eyes met mine and I could hear the unspoken words hovering between us. Since I, you know, accidentally killed your sister.

"It's what anyone would do." The words were low in his throat and he avoided both mine and Merrill's eyes. Carl cleared his throat awkwardly behind the cash register. A heavy silence fell between us.

"Well-" Ray glanced nervously toward the door. "I should be going."

"You do that." Merrill spoke for the first time and I shot him a glare. Well done, Merrill.

Ray bobbed anxiously for a moment and then turned toward the door. He bowed his head toward me in an awkward farewell.

I sighed. "Ray." I couldn't let him go like that. I couldn't.

Ray turned back, looking as though he deeply longed to be anywhere else. "Yeah?"

I sighed. "Look-" I had no idea what to say but I took a step toward him. "You-" I bit my lip and folded my arms. Behind me, I could sense Merrill's gaze on my back.

Ray's eyes met mine and the words fell out of my lips before I'd even realised what I was saying. "Look, Colleen wouldn't have wanted you to be like this, OK?"

I felt like biting my tongue the second I saw the expression on Ray's face. It might have been my imagination but behind me I sensed Merrill stiffen suddenly, and for a moment, wished that I could rewind the last few minutes of my life and never say what I'd just said. Carl was now staring at us openly, without even bothering to try to disguise his avid interest.

I pressed on anyway. "Look, she wouldn't-she wouldn't want you to keep beating yourself up about what happened-she wouldn't-" I trailed off, feeling the blood rush to the surface of my skin.

Ray had dropped his gaze and I pushed my hair back off my face. "Look, all I'm trying to say, is-" I glanced around, despairing of my inability to ever talk to people coherently. "Just-she wouldn't have wanted you to spend the rest of your life thinking about it. And I know that you probably will anyway, but I just wanted you to know that she wouldn't have been bitter. She'd have forgiven you. She wouldn't have been mad. And-" I took a deep breath. "Neither am I. I mean, some of the time, I-" I swallowed. "But I don't think it was your fault," I said, enunciating each word carefully. "I don't think it was your fault." I swallowed, the words hanging in the air.

There was a long silence.

It was me who didn't dare to meet Ray's eyes now. It took me a long moment to look up, my hand clenched so tightly around the magazine that I was in danger of permanently damaging the pages.

"Isabelle?" It wasn't Merrill who'd spoken. I glanced up uncertainly, my nails automatically travelling to my mouth to be bitten.

Ray was looking at me as if I were a horse that might bolt. "Isabelle, I'm sorry." The words came out very steady as if they'd been rehearsed many times. For all I knew, they had. "I'm sorry I hurt your sister. I'm sorry I hurt your family. And her family." I'd have expected him to be crying, but his eyes were tearless. "I'm sorry for that."

I nodded once and strangely, my own eyes were dry, too. "I know you are." I reached toward him, intending to do something-shake his hand, pat his shoulder, something-and he moved at the same moment.

And I found myself giving him a hug.

It was a quick hug, that only lasted a second, and it was rushed and clumsy but it was a hug. My arms squeezed his shoulders for a moment and then I leaned back, not knowing where to look, my cheeks flushed scarlet. Ray was staring at me, as though he'd been hit with something heavy, and I suspected Merrill was looking at us the exact same way.

I stepped back, biting my lip once again. "Just-just so you know." My voice cracked but it didn't matter.

Ray nodded once, and even though he was still shifting awkwardly back and forth, he shot me a quick, hopeful smile. I returned it. "And Ray-" I knew what I was going to say this time. "You should come to one of Graham's services. He'd like to see you." I knew this was true, at least. "I know he'd like to see you."

Ray bit his lip, his eyes darting now. I guessed this might be a slightly bigger step to take. "I'll try." His gaze met mine and I knew he would. Not this week or the week after, but he'd try. One day he'd try.

He raised his hand in an awkward farewell, heading out the door-without any purchases, I noticed. Carl stared after him, his mouth hanging open.

"You can stop staring now, Carl," I reminded him, my tone somewhat wry. "The show's over."

Carl had the decency to look abashed.

I turned back to Merrill, who was staring at me as if I'd grown an extra head. I winced, as I slumped against the shelf beside him.

"I know what you're thinking" I said quietly, without looking at him. "Why did I go up to him? What was the point? He doesn't deserve it, etc." I sighed. "I just couldn't let him go like that. And Graham would like to see him. And it doesn't seem fair that he could end up spending the rest of his life punishing himself for one accident-"

"Izzy." Merrill's hands landed on my shoulders, turning me to face him. "I wasn't going to say any of that." His eyes searched mine for a moment, and my heart seemed to stutter in my chest. I remembered countless nights where he'd look at me like this, as though he was learning me off by heart, and I remembered the way it felt to look back at him like that before leaning in, letting my mouth brush his. Looking at him, I felt the same longing seize me now, and my hand stroked his cheekbone, wanting him near me.

"It's just-" I struggled to explain. "I don't want him to-"

"Izzy." Merrill's hands caught mine. "I wasn't going to say any of that."

I stared up at him. "What were you going to say, then?"

Merrill returned my gaze. "I was going to say...that was pretty brave." His tone was soft, gentle, and I swallowed, stepping closer to him, as his arms slid around my waist. "That was pretty impressive." He rolled his eyes. "And yeah, I know you're annoyed at me for what I said to him."

I smiled, letting my finger dance along his lips. "Not really. Not anymore." I tilted my mouth to his, letting my fingers slide into his hair. His hand caught my chin, holding me against him, as he kissed me back, his mouth warm and gentle and my mind seemed to dissolve as his lips moved gently with mine-

Carl cleared his throat dramatically, and we broke apart, Merrill with that familiar glint of mischief in his eyes. I grinned back, his finger tickling under my chin gently.

I turned to Carl. "All right, we've stopped. See?" I turned back to Merrill. "I've forgotten what I was looking at now."

Merrill indicated the shelves behind me. "Something over there. And you might want to put that back." He pointed at the magazine.

I glanced down at it. "This?"

Merrill gently took it back, holding it up to examine the cover. "Well, I don't think you really want a copy of Antiques Today, do you?"

Remembering the conversation, I glanced at Merrill now. "Do you think he'll be all right?" I asked, my voice low. I hoped he would be.

Merrill nodded. "I think-with a bit of time-" He seemed to consider it for a moment, before pulling me into a quick hug. "Yeah, I think he'll be fine."

I smiled, a little reassured by this. "When'd you get to be this smart?" I pecked another quick kiss to his cheek.

Merrill shrugged. "Since I started going out with you. It rubs off. 'Specially when you're reciting your college work in your sleep." He shook his head. "I swear, during your exams, you woke me up, reciting facts about the healthy social development of a five year old."

I dissolved into laughter, and Merrill's arms slid around my shoulders, his eyes darting to my mother uncertainly. She was remaining tactfully silent, though there was a small smile hovering at her lips as she looked at me.

I sighed. "God, I'm hungry. Wish Graham would hurry up with the barbecue."

Merrill darted another anxious look at the smoke. "If he carries on talking with your dad much longer, I think we might have to rescue the barbecue."

I followed his gaze. "Jeez-" I slipped out from under his arm, heading toward the house. "I'll get them."

Merrill was already moving toward the barbecue, my mother following, with the assurance that the food would be salvageable, of that she was sure, and that there was nothing to worry about. I grimaced at the idea of trying to serve burned chicken to Morgan and Bo.

"Graham" I called as I approached the house. "If you and my dad don't get outside soon, I think we'll be having pizza for dinner."

During the course of a barbecued meal-with thankfully unburned meat-I kept glancing at the cornfields. They looked so harmless waving there in the early evening sunlight. But they'd looked this harmless a year ago, too.

I had to stop thinking like this.

"Isabelle?" Morgan nudged me gently in the side. "Pass me the ketchup."

"Please," Graham admonished him, with a quick wink to me. I shoved the bottle toward Morgan, too taken up in noticing how different Graham looked these days.

It was strange to remember those six months after Colleen had died now, the way Graham had been-so angry, so fierce, so determinedly disbelieving. But things were different now. I guess if you leave the church, there's always an option to go back in, because Graham was accepted back with no hesitation.

I asked him the night before his first service-less than two months after the invasion-if he was nervous.

Graham had looked at me for a long moment. We'd been standing on the back porch of the house, with Merrill gently coercing the kids into helping with the dishes inside.

"I'm not nervous exactly," he'd told me, staring out at the corn crops, his hands clenched on the porch rails. "I'm anticipating it. But more than anything, it's strange."

"To deny something exists and then be proved wrong?"

Graham had laughed softly. "No," he'd said gently. "To deny something exists even when you know it's true."

I smiled. "Well, we'll all be there. You know we will." I paused for a moment, before returning my gaze to the crops. "She'd have been proud, you know, Graham."

Graham's eyes met mine, and he didn't look away. "Yes. She would have been."

There was a short silence. Graham's lips twitched in a slow smile. "She'd have been proud of you, too, you know."

I smiled. "Hopefully."

Graham nodded. "Yeah. She would have been." He touched my shoulder gently. "She'd have been proud."

I'd wanted to thank him, but there were no words. So instead, I simply transferred my gaze to the fields, stretching out into the evening sky.

Now, I stared at Graham, his eyes crinkled with laugh lines, his hand resting lightly on Bo's shoulder as he guided her hand to a bowl. She too, was laughing, the soft, summer breeze blowing her hair about her face. In the early evening, she looked more like her mother than ever. I watched her, drinking her in.

Bo noticed the intensity of my gaze. "What, Isabelle?" She pushed her hair behind her ear with one hand-another familiar gesture.

I shook my head. "Nothing, sweetheart." I decided to change the subject. "You looking forward to starting school in the fall?"

Bo nodded. "Kind of. I get to be in first grade."

Morgan snorted. "You'll be in first grade, anyway, dummy."

Bo kicked him.

"Bo!"

After a quick round of reprehensions, I turned to face my nephew, brows still furrowed sulkily. "What grade are you in now, Morgan?"

He slouched slightly in his seat. "Middle school. Starting middle school, anyway." He sighed. "Don't want to."

"Morgan-" Graham shot him a warning look. "You know it will be fine."

I gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. "Yeah, well, everyone hates sixth grade. It's when you get to seventh grade that it gets better." I frowned. "Actually, eighth grade. Actually, high school. Actually, senior year. Actually-"

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Actually, when you leave?" His mouth was curling back into the familiar grin.

I nodded. "Pretty much." The table dissolved into laughter, and Morgan managed a grin, as he turned back to his food. Graham gave me a quick wink, and Bo stuck her tongue out at me over the table. My father too, met my eyes, a smile playing at his lips.

In the kitchen, afterwards, he followed me in. "Isabelle?"

I turned, wiping my hands hastily. "Yeah, Dad?"

He watched me quietly from the doorway. "I just wanted to say well done," he said quietly. "I was proud of you at graduation the other day."

I swallowed. "Thanks." I watched him quietly for a moment, noticed the way his eyes shifted nervously. Knew he was trying just as hard as I was.

"Isabelle?" At the questioning note in his voice, I raised my eyes to meet his. "Yeah?"

My father gave me a small smile-a small, genuine smile. "I'm glad you're happy with Merrill."

I stared at him. He gave me another smile and a nod before turning back to the porch. "Oh, by the way-" He turned to face me. "I think Morgan and Bo want you to play with them. They keep saying something about baseball?"

I nodded. "I think Merrill promised them. Tell them we'll be out in a minute." I didn't have any idea where Merrill was, actually-the last time I'd seen him, he'd been out on the porch, cigarette stuck between his lips. He still smoked the things, no matter how many times I'd gently nagged him to give them up.

"I don't want you to die before you're fifty," I'd murmured once, staring at the profile of his face, my cheek pressed into the pillow, letting my fingers dance across his chest, revelling in the warmth of his skin. My lips had brushed his shoulder, murmuring over his neck.

Merrill had smiled, rolling over to face me, his mouth almost tickling mine as he spoke. "Then I promise I'll give up before I'm fifty," he'd whispered, silencing any further concerns with a gentle kiss to my neck before moving his mouth back to mine.

I turned back to the sink and immediately stared at the row of glasses. The siren song still sounded in my head. Put them in the right order. Make sure they're in the right order.

I stole a glance at the door. Morgan and Bo's laughter echoed around the kitchen walls, bouncing in from the evening air outside. You don't want anything to happen to them, do you?

I gritted my teeth. You're not real. You're not real. If I always followed what you said, we might all be dead now.

If I hadn't neglected to line all the glasses up in the right order last year, we might not have been able to defeat the alien so quickly. Though, I had to admit, it was strange. Why had it been not following the thoughts in my head as opposed to following them that defeated the thing? How did that make sense?

And how come Bo still couldn't always make her way through one glass of water? And how come I still had nightmares? And how come-

I tried to stop the thoughts in my head. Enough. Nothing was perfect. And Bo could drink a whole glass sometimes. And what we'd seen last year, would be enough to give anyone nightmares. And-

I shivered, and shook my head. They were just dreams. Just dreams.

And I couldn't expect everything to be perfect.

Hands on my shoulder drew a gasp from my throat, and I swung round-only to see Merrill standing behind me. I tried to force a glare to my face, but confronted with his mouth quirked into that little grin, his hands sliding round my waist, the way they were doing, it was hard to work up any genuine anger.

"What is it?" My voice was quieter than I'd expected, my gaze quickly darting to the doorway to make sure we were alone. My eyes met Merrill's and I grinned, enjoying the sensation of his fingers stroking my back, his hands warm, yet sending shivers through my whole body. "What?" I couldn't stop the smile, even as Merrill gently ducked his head, kissing me before I could say anything more.

My hands wound into his hair, my pulse already racing faster, pressing myself against him, relishing the sound of his gasp as my hands danced across his skin, gently sliding under his shirt. His mouth grew fiercer on mine, and I relished the taste of him, the feel of the soft insides of his mouth, a small sound of pleasure in the back of his throat, as he gently moved his mouth to my neck, kissing a spot under my ear that made me shudder.

"Merrill-" I waited until he drew back, his eyes meeting mine, his gaze slightly unsteady now. I smiled, cupping his chin in my hands. "What was that for?" I whispered teasingly, letting myself brush against him once more, his arms tightening around me.

Merrill's lips moved into a slow, soft smile as he brushed his mouth against my forehead. "I love you, Izzy." The words were soft, gentle, and they still thrilled me to hear them.

I closed my eyes, leaning against him. "I love you, too." I could remember the very first time he'd said it-at least, the very first time when we hadn't been in a life-threatening situation.

We'd been sitting in Merrill's car, and my head had been lying on his shoulder, his hand stroking my hair. We'd been whispering to each other, his voice gentle, as he interspersed his words with soft kisses to my hair, to my shirt, to my lips. I'd watched him, my arms wrapped around his shoulders, thinking of everything I loved about him. The way he stared at me sometimes, as though trying to see inside my head, his eyes gentle and faintly curious. The way he always teased me about how much I read, though never without losing the faintly admiring tone in his voice. The way the guard in his eyes would sometimes slip down and he'd whisper to me, telling me something, something that made me kiss him, slide my arms around him, pull his head onto my shoulder and whisper to him, murmuring how much I cared about him.

But ever since that night at the bottom of the basement steps, we hadn't said it yet. Maybe it was just because we'd only been going out a few months. Or maybe I was just plain scared of it all going wrong.

But it had been that night that Merrill had glanced at me and smiled faintly. "What are you thinking about?" he'd murmured, his hands lost in my hair.

I'd smiled. "You," I'd murmured, huddling further into his chest. "What I love about you."

Merrill had smirked. "Anything you don't love?"

I'd grinned, pressing another kiss to his mouth. "I plead the Fifth on that one."

Merrill's low laughter echoed through the car and I smiled, tucking my head under his chin. It wasn't as though we never argued. We did. But it was difficult to, sometimes. It was difficult to stay mad at Merrill. The few times I'd attempted it, it had only been a matter of minutes, before he'd slide his arms around my shoulders, whispering an apology, eyes soft as they met mine, and I'd kissed him gently, communicating forgiveness immediately.

Merrill had tucked his hand under my chin, tilting my head to look at him. "You're so beautiful" he'd whispered and I'd resisted the urge to drop my gaze, feeling the blood rise to my cheeks. I felt my lips move into a smile, though, my own hand reaching for his. "I might not agree with you on that one."

Merrill stared at me. "You are beautiful. And stubborn, by the way." He pressed a kiss to my nose, making me laugh softly. "And you laugh a lot. More than you used to. And you're very, very smart. And you make me laugh." Another soft kiss to my mouth and I drew back to stare at him, my heart suddenly thudding in my chest. "And I love you," he whispered, stroking my hair behind my ears. "I love you, Izzy."

I stared at him, something which felt remarkably like a firework display going off in my head. For a moment, I struggled to form the words. My finger stroked the shape of his lips. "I love you, too," I whispered, watching the way his eyes widened as he heard the words. "I love you, Merrill Hess."

Merrill's eyes seemed to light up, his mouth parting in a gasp. He stared at me for another moment, mouthing something silently, before he pulled my mouth to his with a wild gasp. My hands found their way into his hair as my mouth moved with his, a gentle ferocity pouring into the kiss, my heart slamming against his chest, beating in time.

I remembered whispering the words to him again, later that night, lying next to him. "I love you, Merrill Hess." He'd pulled me closer at that, my head nestling under his chin, his bare skin warm to the touch. I'd sighed, wrapping my arms around him, loving how close to him I was, my hair spreading out over the pillows, his arms holding me near as he'd whispered "Love you, Izzy. I love you." He'd kissed me again, but slower this time, much slower so that when he pulled away I was almost dizzy. He'd smiled and I'd closed my eyes, pulling him closer, revelling in how close we were, in the smile I couldn't push away, in the simple fact that as I lay next to him, I already felt like I was at home.

Now, I smirked, hands sliding into his hair. "Remembering the first night you said that-" I whispered, but any further conversation was cut off by a scuffle in the doorway.

"Uncle Merrill, you said you'd play with us-" Morgan abruptly turned away at the sight of Merrill's arms wrapped around me. "Sorry-"

"No, it's OK-" Merrill and I had already leapt apart as though we'd both received an electric shock and I could see the smirk hovering at his mouth. I shot him a warning look, already rearranging my expression as I turned to Morgan. "We'll be out in a minute. Why don't you and Bo go and get ready?"

As he hurriedly left, I turned to Merrill. "That's why we should save this for at home."

Merrill laughed, his lip curling into a crooked grin and I swatted his arm gently. "Come on. We promised them a game."

Stepping out, I blinked-I hadn't realised how bright even the early evening sunlight was. Morgan was standing still, with a small smirk, Bo jumping up and down at his side. Graham was laughing at something my father had said, and my mother was watching me. She had a small smile on her face- a small, peaceful smile.

Looking on-and God, that was still such a cheesy phrase-might be what therapists called it, but for me it was entirely different. It was just these moments, with my family, with Merrill, even just with me, that made me happy, that made me smile. That made me see that life went on.

And Colleen would know that.

Whenever I thought about her these days-or at least, walked in the woods, the places she loved to walk-I felt-happier. Calmer. More at peace.

I knew she'd be pleased about Merrill and I. Whenever I came home after visiting the woods and didn't have much of anything to say, Merrill would give me a sharp look but never push me to talk about it. Instead, he'd simply sit there with me, stroking my hair or kissing my neck and just let me gradually lose myself in him.

I knew Colleen would be happy about Graham. I knew she'd be happy with Mom and Dad. I knew she'd be thrilled with Morgan and Bo. I knew she'd be happy with Merrill and me.

That made me smile.

Bo came running up to me instantly, her long hair flowing behind her. "Girls versus boys!"

Merrill gave me a quick wink. I turned to Bo. "Ready to beat the pair of them?"

She slapped me a high-five. "Yep!" She turned to glare at her brother, who was measuring her height with a look of derision. "Dream on."

I raised an eyebrow. "We'll see who's saying dream on when we've won!" I stood up straight, tossing my hair out of my eyes. "Who's hitting first?"

Merrill laughed, ruffling Morgan's hair. "You two try. Then we'll show you how it's done." He gave me another grin that I struggled not to return.

"Don't push it, Merrill Hess." I picked up Morgan's favourite bat, and waved it threateningly. "The two of you remember when you're standing there, laughing-we're the ones holding the baseball bats."

There was an outbreak of laughter from Graham and my father. My mother raised an eyebrow at me. "Isabelle! You're meant to be the adult!"

At this, Morgan laughed. "Girls can't play, anyway."

Graham's eyes widened, even as he laughed. "I wouldn't say that in front of Isabelle, Morgan. Not unless you value your health."

I'd already raised an eyebrow. "Care to repeat that, Morgan Hess?"

But Bo was already trotting forward. Merrill watched with an expression of some amusement as the little girl neared him and her brother. She stood still, her hands on her hips, eyes narrowed in a glare which would not have looked out of place on the face of someone twice her age.

Morgan and Merrill waited. Bo hesitated, seeming to consider a moment, and then leaned forward, lips pursed, to deliver her threat. "You're going down."

There was a moment of incredulous silence before Merrill, Graham and my parents-even my mother-burst out laughing. I broke into a small round of applause and even Morgan fought back a grin as Bo strode, back ramrod straight, and eyes wide, back to me.

I slapped her another high-five. "Ready?"

She fixed me with a grim look and nodded.

As the others assembled themselves, ready for the game, Morgan running to pick up his inhaler off the table, I stole another glance at the cornfields. They lay, stretched under the sunlight, a labyrinth of green, the sun setting behind them. Rays of brilliant colour streaked across the sky, casting the garden and fields in red and orange.

Bo stood, bat clutched firmly in her hands, as Morgan bowled it. From Merrill's watchful eye, I had the feeling he'd cautioned his nephew to go gently on his sister. I waited, watching the swing of his hand, the movement of the ball as it flew into the air.

Bo's bat made contact with the ball on her first swing.

It took me a moment to blink before I realised she was already running. And that the ball had flown a good distance away.

Merrill was cheering his niece on-apparently forgetting she was supposed to be his rival. Even Morgan, racing to grab the ball, spared her a quick smile as she raced round the bases, her little fists pumping like pistons. To the side, my parents and Graham yelled similar words of encouragement as she rounded the bases, her little eyes narrow with determination.

I jumped up and down, indicating the fourth base as she neared me. A bit further, a bit further...

Bo slammed her hand onto the base. "Did it!"

I hollered her name, picking her up and whirling her around. "Nice one, Bo!" Similar cheers were breaking out from the side-even from Merrill, who had apparently entirely forgotten whose side he was supposed to be on. He ruffled Morgan's head, a quick consolation for my nephew, who stepped forward, eyes fixing mine with a look of mischief.

"I'm not going to go so easy on you," Morgan told me, lips twitching in a grin. I raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't expect you to." I caught a quick smile flickering across his mouth, just as he threw the ball.

I took a swing and hit it.

No-one was more surprised than I was. Merrill's mouth actually dropped open. It was only Bo hitting my arm and screaming "Run!" that tipped me off I needed to get moving.

As I raced around the bases, with Morgan and Bo's laughter echoing in my ears, and the feeling of the grass under my feet, all I could focus on, as I neared the fourth base, was the cornfields. They were there, the same way they'd always been. The shapes of last year were long gone, grown over, vanished. But I could still see them. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see them.

I slammed the fourth base with my hand. "Home run!"

Bo squealed, throwing her arms around my waist. I kissed her head, and Merrill wandered over to me, sliding his arms around my shoulders. He brushed his lips across mine, in a quick kiss. I smiled, leaning back. "Trying to distract me?" The words came out low, quiet and Merrill's eyes widened, his lips curving into a grin. "Never."

Morgan picked up the ball, raising an eyebrow at me. "You wait." He nodded his head to further affirm his threat. "That was just warming up." I suppressed a laugh as I turned back to Bo, heading back to the base. She positioned herself, hands clamped around the bat handle, eyes narrow, ready.

Maybe we'd never know if they'd come back. Maybe we couldn't afford to worry about it. I'd heard once that you should live for the day. And that seemed pretty appropriate right about now.

I didn't know what could happen in the future. But I couldn't afford to waste time worrying about it today.

So I turned my back on the cornfields. And I concentrated on cheering with the others, yelling out words of encouragement to Bo, as she hit her second ball, shrieking with the others-even Morgan, this time-as she began to round the bases, the ball flying through the air, towards Merrill, whose eye caught mine as he smiled. Bo flew round the bases and I could hear the laughter of my parents, their own cheers and louder than anyone, Graham as he cheered on his daughter, watching her run towards me, towards another home run.

Live for today. And this seemed a pretty good day to live for.

Bo hurtled headlong into my arms, and a cheer erupted from my throat as I lifted her up. Merrill broke out laughing, still panting from where he'd been chasing the ball and threw his arm around my shoulders, pressing a kiss to my niece's cheek. Morgan too laughed, reluctantly patting his sister's shoulder, and sending me a quick smile. Graham swung himself to his feet, and came over to join us, hugging his daughter close. My parents remained sitting, their eyes thoughtful, amused, as they watched us.

The corn crops rustled softly behind us. Merrill gave me a quick hug, and Bo slipped her hand into mine, Morgan's hand on her shoulder, as Graham ruffled his daughter's hair. I moved in front of Bo, taking the proffered bat. Merrill caught my eye and gave me a quick wink, as Morgan's arm moved once again.

The sound of the bat hitting the ball was the only thing I knew. And then I was running, around the bases, the laughter echoing in my ears. The ground pounded under my feet and I could feel the sunlight, brilliant across the horizon as I ran, further and further away from the cornfields with each step, circuiting back towards my family.

And that's it. That's the end of the first one. Wah. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed that. Once again, a big, big thank you to anyone who read this, favourited, reviewed, alerted-you guys kept me going. Thank you for that. And this has been one of my favourite things to ever write. Thank you so much.

Here's the soundtrack, for those of you who want to give it a listen. Right, these were just the songs I enjoyed when I was writing it. It doesn't mean they're songs that everyone else will enjoy or think suit the story. This was purely a personal choice. So if you don't like them, that's up to you. I'm not saying everyone has to. These are just what I enjoyed and what helped me. And yes, my music taste is pretty diverse, as you'll probably tell from the choices.

Ominous

Could It Be Another Change? by the Samples

Rotterdam by the Beautiful South

Cracking by Suzanne Vega

Fear of the Dark by Iron Maiden

Deer in the Headlights by Owl City

Hard Believer by First Aid Kit-I love the fact this song's about faith and a lack of faith. It kind of reminded me of Signs when I first heard it.

Please, Please, Please, Let Me by Slow Moving Millie

In the Cornfields

The Dangling Conversation by Simon and Garfunkel

Schizophrenia by Sonic Youth

Sing by Travis

Play With Fire by the Birthday Massacre

Midnight by the Birthday Massacre

Nighttime

Love Cats by the Cure

Slippery People by Talking Heads

When I Was a Boy by Dar Williams-just reminded me of Isabelle always wanting to be included and not left out because she's a girl.

Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult-this is one of my favourite songs ever. And I thought it went well with where Graham and Merrill are running around outside, before everyone's seriously scared, while there's still some fun in the whole thing.

Bad Reputation by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts-I don't know why but this helped.

Horror Show by the Birthday Massacre

Questions, Questions and More Questions

Should I Stay or Should I Go by the Clash

Hounds of Love by Kate Bush-for some reason, this always reminded me of Isabelle's mental battles, of her fighting the thoughts in her head.

Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days

Gives You Hell by the All-American Rejects

Run by Vampire Weekend

Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses

Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day

Let the Flames Begin by Paramore-this always reminded me of the beginning of the whole hysteria, the way everything ignites.

A Trip and a Reminder

If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode) by People in Planes-reminds me of Isabelle's initial relationship with her mother.

I Wanna Be Sedated by the Ramones

Begin Again by Taylor Swift

Belong by the Pains of Being Pure At Heart

Paperback Writer by the Beatles-this just reminded me of the bookshop.

Back In Your Head by Tegan and Sara

Little Lover's So Polite by the Silversun Pickups-this just reminded me of Isabelle's memories.

I Am A Rock by Simon and Garfunkel

High School Never Ends by Bowling for Soup-the whole encounter with Lionel Pritchard reminded me of this song.

Beat It by Michael Jackson

There She Goes by the La's

Monster by Paramore-this reminded me of the moment they saw Ray in the restaurant. Even though I don't see Ray as a monster, I think at that point Isabelle doesn't feel too well towards him.

Hard to Explain

I Wanna Live by the Ramones

Attack by 30 Seconds to Mars-reminds me again, of Isabelle's thought battles.

Ooh Child by Beth Norton-Isabelle's whole conversation with Bo reminded me of this song.

Dog Days are Over by Florence and the Machine

Thirteen by Big Star-it sort of reminds me of how Isabelle and Merrill start to talk to each other more, start to feel more for each other. Just the sweetness of the song.

Nightswimming by R E M

Heavy Storm by First Aid Kit

Blue by the Birthday Massacre

Whispers in the Dark

Fire Ant by Alex Winston

Try Not to Breathe by R E M-just reminded me of Isabelle struggling not to let Merrill and Graham know she's awake.

Why Can't I by Liz Phair-this whole thing reminded me of Merrill and Isabelle. I kept grinning every time I listened to it.

Misery Business by Paramore-the whole thing where Isabelle's listening to Merrill's story about Randa McKinney

The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez-this song's beautiful. And I think it covers the sadness Isabelle feels for her sister and Graham.

Asleep by the Smiths

Suzanne by Leonard Cohen

Whispers in the Dark by Skillet-I had to have this one in.

Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush

Learning to Fall

Teenage Angst by Placebo-all of Isabelle's memories, plus the conversation with her mother, even though she's not a teenager any more.

I Cried for You by Katie Melua-when Merrill's comforting her on the stairs. D'aww.

Velvet Elvis by Alex Winston

Broken by Seether-again, some of Isabelle's memories.

Prettiest Eyes by the Beautiful South-OK. This kind of reminds me of what Merrill's thinking about when he's watching her speak and he keeps staring at her. And as she mentions a few times, she can't look away from his eyes. D'awww.

She Loves You by the Beatles-ha ha, this reminds me of Morgan and Bo picking up on the romance between Isabelle and Merrill before they do themselves.

Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl by Broken Social Scene-this reminded me of Isabelle as a teenager. This song always reminds me of the beauty of the teenage years, as well as some of the pain.

Flying Dutchman by Tori Amos-reminds me of Isabelle as a kid.

At Seventeen by Janis Ian-I think this would have been Isabelle's go-to song as a teenager. Any teenager who's ever felt like an outcast should listen to this.

Boys Don't Cry by the Cure-this reminds me of Merrill. Always reminds me of Merrill and how he's trying to be strong for everyone else.

Helena by My Chemical Romance

Dreams by Fleetwood Mac-this song always reminded me of Isabelle and I'm not sure why.

Marianne by Tori Amos-this definitely reminded me of how Isabelle feels about Colleen's death.

Wonderwall by Oasis

Just My Imagination by the Cranberries-I love this song and it reminds me of Isabelle and Merrill again.

Give Me Strength by Snow Patrol-again, I think this is part of Isabelle and Merrill falling for each other-each gives the other more strength. Sounds cheesy, but aww.

Come on, Get Higher by Matt Nathanson-and yeah, this is what I imagined playing during the first kiss scene. Oh God, I love this song for Isabelle and Merrill. I love this song.

Ignorance by Paramore-I think that shows the shock at the end of the chapter. It sounded dramatic to me, at least.

The Waiting Game

Nuit Avec Une Amie by Standard Fare-I'm not sure how this song reminds me of Signs, but it does.

The Worrying Kind by the Ark-er, yeah, this always reminds me of Isabelle. And how she NEVER. STOPS. WORRYING.

Demons by Guster-this reminded me both of the aliens and Isabelle's thoughts.

Perfect by the Smashing Pumpkins

Hurt by Johnny Cash-I think this is one of the saddest songs ever. And I think it summarises how they all feel without Colleen.

More than Words by Extreme-another Isabelle and Merrill thing. I just love the song, and it sounds like a love story in itself.

Love by the Smashing Pumpkins

Meds by Placebo-as things start to go downhill, I think Isabelle's thoughts are affected as well.

Father and Son by Cat Stephens-this reminded me of Isabelle's phone call with her father. Even though she's obviously not male, I think it sounded similar to their relationship, sometimes.

Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye, featuring Kimbra-just reminded me of how Graham had changed following Colleen's death

Everlong by the Foo Fighters-this reminds me of the scene in the barn. You know which scene I mean. It also reminds me of later on, as everyone starts losing their temper as the tension mounts.

Thank You by Alanis Morrisette

Vanilla Twilight by Owl City

Playing God by Paramore-reminded me of Graham's loss of faith.

Skinny Love by Bon Iver-this is one of the saddest songs, I've heard, and reminded me of when they're all hugging at the dinner table.

Farewell Whispers

Butterfly Culture by Benjamin Francis Leftwich

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

Unfamiliar by the Birthday Massacre

Atlas Hands by Benjamin Francis Leftwich-this reminded me of all the farewells, and it just conveyed the sadness quite effectively.

Say I'm Sorry by Theory of a Deadman

The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars

Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls

Nightmare

Remember Me by the Birthday Massacre

Riot by Three Days Grace

Looking Glass by the Birthday Massacre

The Diary of Jane by Breaking Benjamin-all of these four just reminded me of the fear in the basement.

This Woman's Work by Kate Bush-this reminded me of the scene with Graham and Morgan. This song is one of the saddest I've ever heard.

Breathing by Kate Bush-kind of obvious, reminds me of the asthma attack.

Open Your Eyes by Snow Patrol-both reminded me of Graham's pleading and also of Isabelle waking up from her nightmare.

Radioactive by Imagine Dragons-Isabelle imagining the apocalypse.

Dirty Little Secret by the All-American Rejects-just Isabelle and Merrill's dare game, with them trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Kathy's Song by Simon and Garfunkel-another reminder of Colleen.

Holocene by Bon Iver-OK. This is, without a doubt, a song that never fails to make you cry. It is this good. I always use it for sad scenes. And this is just the song when Isabelle tells Merrill about feeling guilty. I even cried writing the scene. This song is heartbreaking.

Confronting

Bubbly by Colbie Cailliat-another Isabelle and Merrill thing.

Careful by Paramore

The Wolves by Ben Howard

I Caught Myself by Paramore-yes, the whole kissing scene. Yeah, this song reminded me of it.

Half-Mast by Empire of the Sun

Come Back to Me by Trading Yesterday

Alibis by the Birthday Massacre

Czarina by the Smashing Pumpkins-I don't know why this one worked for me.

Running Up That Hill by Placebo-this reminded me of the whole "realization" moment for everyone.

Emergency by Paramore

Everlong (acoustic) by the Foo Fighters

Holocene by Bon Iver-the scene with Morgan on the grass.

Nineteen by Tegan and Sara

Shine by Benjamin Francis Leftwich-just the hope at the end of the chapter.

Forwards(and this is the longest soundtrack, for some reason. If anyone's still reading.)

Waterfall by the Stone Roses-again, reminds me of Isabelle.

We're All in Love by the New York Dolls

Close to Me by the Cure

Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun

Swim Until You Can't See Land by Frightened Rabbit

Do You Remember by Jack Johnson-this song reminds me so much of Merrill and Isabelle.

Two-Headed Boy by Neutral Milk Hotel

Please Forgive Me by David Gray

Spit on a Stranger by Pavement-this and the two above all reminded me of the meeting with Ray.

Cello Song by Nick Drake

Northern Sky by Nick Drake-Isabelle and Merrill again.

Stay Stay Stay by Taylor Swift-guess who.

What Difference Does It Make? by the Smiths-this reminds me of Isabelle's unease about the whole thing and there's nothing like the Smiths and Morrissey to inject a little unease.

Everything With You by the Pains of Being Pure At Heart

Snow (Hey Oh) by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Strong Enough by Sheryl Crow-again, Isabelle and Merrill.

You Could Be Happy by Snow Patrol-I think part of this reminds me of Isabelle's father.

Life in Technicolor by Coldplay-reminds me of Isabelle's life improving.

Your World by Declan O'Rourke-oh jeez, if you listen, you'll know who this reminds me of.

So In Love by the Icarus Account-this is the moment where Isabelle and Merrill say they love each other. I love this moment.

Make Love to Me Forever by Snow Patrol

Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed

Dakota by the Stereophonics

Rotterdam by the Beautiful South-it was right at the start and it reminded me of coming full circle but growing at the same time. Get me, it's profound.

Anyway, if you could be bothered reading all that, that's the soundtrack that helped me.

Once again, thanks so much to everyone who read this. I've loved writing it so much. When the sequel goes up, I'll hope to see you all again and maybe some new faces too.

Happy Reading-and see you all in fanfiction land.

hallowgirlfrommars x:)