Catcher in the Fluxweed (Cassie/Silver)

[Cassie Jones]

Cassie nodded, she knew that he was telling the truth, she had seen the sadness in his eyes before. "I just" she paused, taking a breath to steady her voice. "I measured who I was by him, I was part of a whole. I'm lost without him" she said softly. She rested her head on his shoulder, glad her tears had ended.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver closed his eyes at the strangely comforting feel of Cassie relaxing in his arms. Part of him was still a little on-edge at so much physical contact, but the rest of him enjoyed feeling strong, feeling needed, even if it was an illusion. "You can't let yourself be half a person," he said softly. "You were whole before you met him, weren't you?" Silver couldn't remember if Cassie had mentioned a boyfriend when he'd met her, but she had seemed whole then.

[Cassie Jones]

Cassie nodded, "You're right," she said softly, sighing. "I just need to discover myself again. It just hurts so much" her voice dropped to a whisper as she let the last words hang in the air between them. She felt safe with Silver, she always felt relaxed in his company and she trusted him.

[Silver Blackwood]

"Only time can help that," Silver said, wishing he knew some other words of comfort. He'd had a year to get used to the idea that his mother was dying, and even so, it was still painful. "Just keep living, and it'll come back to you." Silver opened his eyes again, looking out at the forest, but concentrating more on the feel of Cassie, bundled in her cloak, in his arms. It was a surreal feeling, and it spoke to the part of him that had dreamed about her after they'd met. Had they really only met that once?

[Cassie Jones]

Cassie knew he was speaking words of wisdom, that she would do well to follow his advice. But she was just so frightened of what she would find of the world without Julius, what the world would make of her. She shifted slighty, getting more comfortable in his arms.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver inhaled sharply at the motion of Cassie's body, however innocent, against him. It didn't feel innocent, at least not on his part, and it was a firm reminder that he wasn't dreaming, as odd a thought as that was. Somehow, Cassie had literally fallen into his arms, and she seemed content for him to hold her. For now, he couldn't think to speak.

[Cassie Jones]

"I didn't say thanks before, for catching me" Cassie said after a moment. "I was off in my own dreamworld and I didn't even see you" she continued, a little embarrassed that it had happened. "Talking to you is helping, it shows that I can't hide away, which is all I want to do" she added, telling him of her gratitude.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver looked down at Cassie again, his eyes softening as he set his previous thoughts aside. He wanted to give her some pearls of wisdom, tell her that hiding away didn't do anything but isolate you further, or that she'd find herself again if she just gave herself the chance, but couldn't seem to think of the way to phrase the words without sounding cheesy. So he said, "you're welcome," and inclined his head lightly.

[Cassie Jones]

Cassie looked up at him, and although her lips didn't curve, there was the hint of a sad smile behind her eyes. "I shouldn't have dumped this on you, it's my burden to carry" she said quietly, clearing her throat as she tried to get rid of the lump in her throat. "But thank you for listening, you're a true friend" she added, letting him know he was appreciated.

[Silver Blackwood]

True friend. It wasn't at all what Silver would have hoped to hear when he had a beautiful girl in his arms. He gave Cassie a watery smile while he tried to remind himself of all the reasons why he shouldn't have expected to hear anything else, but no matter what he tried, friend just wasn't the compliment he knew she'd meant it as. "It's no problem," he said, looking out into the forest. "I'm glad I could help."

[Cassie Jones]

Cassie nodded and rested her head on Silver's shoulder again. She was tired from all the raw emotions that had been assailing her in turn since Julius' death. She hadn't slept and she was thinnner than ever from not eating a thing. "You're going to have to force me you know" she said softly, plucking at a loose thread on her cloak. If she had things her way she would shut erself away from the world, rejecting all earthly things like sleep and sustenance. "Force me to still be a part of this world." she said, sighing.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver tightened his arms around Cassie, her hopeless words completely bypassing any shyness he might have felt at the motion. "You aren't going to let yourself die," he told her, his voice still soft, but determined. "There's people other than him who loved you. You wouldn't want your family to go through this, would you?"

[Cassie Jones]

The thought of her family almost brought fresh tears to spill down her cheeks. "They haven't spoken to me since Julius moved in" she said softly, closing her eyes as she tired to think of some reason to continue. "I haven't talked to my friends in weeks and I haven't wanted to dance." she continued. She looked up at him. "Me not wanting to dance is bad." she whispered, her usually green eyes a soft grey, showing she was frightened and sad.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver's eyes softened as he looked back down at Cassie to see the pain written on her face. "I know," he said gently. "But you can't die because someone you loved died. If we did, there'd be no one left to remember they lived." Silver didn't notice his slipping from talking about a vague you to the more personal we. He spoke from experience, from watching, and from his own life.

[Cassie Jones]

Cassie somehow caught his we and it nagged at her mind. She tilted her head to one side and gazed at him for a few moments. "You know what it's like don't you?" she asked softly. She knew that it was nonsense to want to die, just so that she could be with Julius, but that didn't make living any easier for her.