Nicole's Story
Qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm
It was evening time, and the last of the golden rays of the sun were streaming through the branches of the pine trees, and fell on the Den of the Wicklow pack.
It was a small, hollowed-out hill, with a huge, old tree growing on the top. The Den wasn't just an earthen hole; the pack had turned it into their home, but the walls were - for the most part - the bare stone of the hill's inside. It was more of a cave, but it had a homely, lived-in feeling about it.
Inside, there was a space that served as their common room, where they went to chill and relax. There was a large, dented, metal stove in the corner, its pipe vanishing through a hole in the stone ceiling. A pile of logs burned brightly in it, and with the door open, filled the hollow with warm, orange light, and made the room feel cosy and toasty.
A few wooden chairs were scattered about the floor, in no particular order. Some faced the stove, while others faced the cave's entrance. A few chairs were leaning against the walls. There was a large, moth-eaten couch to the side of the stove, much clawed and ripped. In the middle of the room, towards the cave entrance, was a large, wooden table. It looked gouged and beaten-up; it clearly had been well used. Various things were strewn across it; maps, knifes, a few miscellaneous bones. A compass with its glass cracked lay thrown on the map. There were some rags laid over the blades, which were crimson. They had recently been cleaned. Beside the collection of bones, was a small, silver revolver, with six slots in the barrel.
Along the back of the Den, furthest from the opening, was strung a number of curtains, each covering the entrance to a little recess. There were seven of them, but one was full of boxes and seemed to be being used for storage. The other ones, however, were clearly being lived in. Each niche had a bed in it, made up of a beaten up, well used mattress. Most had worn out their springs, and had the imprint sleepers body set into the fabric. Some rooms had a small wooden table in it, as a locker, or just a place to put stuff. Someone had hammered shelves into the rocky sides of the bays, allowing the occupants to place items of value or sentimental importance. Most of the shelves might have a torch, or a faded photograph of times long past, or a trinket or piece of Jewlery. Thin sheets and pillows were laid on the mattresses, but they were hardly used if the stove was burning hot enough. A small hook at the entrance of the nooks allowed the curtains to be drawn and held back, to allow light from the common room to spill into the bedroom.
There was a large cupboard in the common room, and it was the pack's entire wardrobe. Every member stored their clothes in the wardrobe, whether it be their pyjamas, or their raincoat, although the latter was rarely used often. Scattered about the Den were clumps of fur. Most of it was grey, but some was balck, or white, and there was some gold fur strewn in too.
On this particular night, there were two people relaxing in the common room. One, a woman, was lounging on the couch, staring into the flames of the stove. Every now and then, she would shift her weight, and get comfortable again. The other occupant was slumped in a chair against the wall, dozing. Sporadically, he would lift his head and glace around, before resting his head down on his chin again. Both had wolf ears poking out through the hair on top of their head, the back of them covered in black fur, but the front was light grey. They both also had large, bushy wolf tails, which they tried to avoid sitting on. The woman's tail was curved around her hip, while the man's tail hung down from the back of the chair.
Alex glanced up again, looking out towards the entrance of the Den. The light had faded now, and twilight now ruled in the forest. From the light of the stove, he could see snowflakes starting to swirl down outside. He shivered; he was glad he was in here rather than out there.
Nicole tore her eyes away from the flames, and gave Alex a curious glance,
"what are you watching for?" she asked. She looked to be in her mid-forty's, but Alex seemed to only be in his early-thirty's.
Alex smiled weakly, "I'm not waiting for anything, and I'm not watching for anything either," he said defensively.
Niclole smirked, "you're worried about Tayle, aren't you?" she asked softly.
Alex sighed in defeat and nodded. "She's been gone a while," he said in a quiet voice. He bowed his head.
Nicole smiled warmly, "I'm sure she's fine," she reassured him, "she's a tough Furu," but Alex could see that she was worried for Tayle as well.
Alex sighed, apparently unsure, but nodded all the same, and settled back into the chair, shifting a bit to get comfortable again. It had been the night before the full moon when Tayle had vanished, leaving a note to say that she'd be back soon.
It was now the evening of the day after the full moon, and now the moon had started waning. Alex was worried, but it was only natural to worry about your girlfriend.
Nicole yawned, and stretched. She morphed, her human form melting into that of a wolf. When she finished, she shook off the now loose-fitting clothes onto the floor, and got comfortable on the couch again. Alex didn't mind; living in a werewolf pack entitled a certain loss of privacy after a while. Alex stayed as a human.
The time passed slowly, the stove burning hypnotically. After a while, Alex got up and took a log from a wood basked, and threw it onto the fire, causing sparks to leap up. He then went and sat down again, glancing longingly at Nicole, who was curled up on the couch. He sat down on the chair, and before long, his chin was resting on his chest, and he was snoring.
Suddenly, there was a sound at the door, and Alex sat up quickly, fearing the worst. But it was only Tayle, struggling out of an old, battered raincoat. Alex jumped up in excitement just as she finally got out of it, glanced up and saw him. But instead of her face breaking into a smile like Alex had expected, she looked awkward, uncomfortable.
Alex was going to rush up to her, but approached her slowly having seen her expression. Nicole sat up, turning around and laying her snout on the arm of the couch, watching the scene play out.
"Are you... alright?" asked Alex fearfully. He hadn't been expecting her expression to be so troubled.
"I'm... fine... fine," she said quietly. Alex noticed her trying not to look at him. He was sad now; why was she so nervous?
"Ohh-kay," said Alex slowly, not believing her. He went back to his chair, and pulled it a bit towards the stove, "why don't you sit down?" he asked politely. Tayle remined standing.
Nicole laughed, "Alex, you have no idea how to talk to," she turned to Tayle, "someone who obviously has something on their mind,"
Alex looked at his feet, and shook his head. He looked sadly up at his girlfriend.
"If I've done anything... look, I'm sorry, ok?" he said desperately in an attempt to make up for whatever he might have done, "what did I do? Where did you go?" he pleaded helplessly.
Tayle took a long sigh, and mumbled something that Alex failed to hear.
"what did you say?" he asked.
"I had my coming" whispered Tayle, her voice horse. She hung her head in shame.
Alex stared in disbelief, "But... um... you're a werefuru?" he asked, shocked. Tayle nodded slowly.
Alex looked at her with a blank look, "But... but... but... how?" he asked slowly.
Tayle looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, "Alex, it... it didn't work..." she moaned helplessly.
Ales looked confused, "what didn't work," he asked, puzzled.
Tayle sighed, looking even more uncomfortable, "You know what I'm talking about," she said, sternly, "It didn't work. It must have broken," she growled, but her tone was that of one who is more hopeless than angry.
Alex thought for a second, then realisation came flooding to him, and he felt the cold tendrils of dread prying at his mind. "oh... oh... no." he said in a horse, scared whisper, "so does that mean... it was..." he stopped, and looked at Tayle, "I infected you?" he whispered, his voice pleading, begging.
"Are you... do you hate me?" he asked, tears in his eyes,
"no," replied Tayle, "but I don't like you right now either," she growled, "I'm just glad I had Nicole to help me," she added, her voice in a friendlier tone. She looked across at Nicole, who smiled warmly.
Alex turned viciously towards the wolf on the couch,
"You knew?" he snarled, "You knew, and you didn't tell me?!" his voice was low, threatening. He was well aware that Tayle was bisexual, and could easily leave him for, say, Nicole.
Nicole looked affronted, "Yes, of course I didn't tell you! How would you have reacted? And you would have only gotten yourself worked up; you have no idea what a girl needs sometimes. No, it's better for Tayle to tell you when she's ready," said Nicole with an air of finality.
"Tell me what!" Alex exploded, "I already know that she's a werefuru! It's all my fault!" he cried.
"That's not the only thing I am," Tayle mumbled quietly. Alex was puzzled at first, but then apprehension quickly gripped him.
"What do you mean?" he asked quietly, hoping that the answer wouldn't be the one he was expecting. He felt... scared, apprehensive, but also slightly exhilarated.
Tayle looked extremely scared too, and glanced at Nicole, who nodded slightly. She turned to Alex, trying not to catch his eye.
"Alex, I... I'm... I..." she stopped, and took a deep breath, before starting again,
"Alex, I... I'm... you're going to be a father." she said with an air of finality, before breaking into a mad grin.
But for Alex, the world had dropped away from beneath his feet.
He slumped back into the chair, took a deep breath, and blinked a few times.
He was silent for a few moments, before looking up into Tayle's eyes.
"What?" he whispered. But this whisper was one of joy, fear, disbelief, and regret.
Tayle's grin slowly faded to an expression of fear,
"You're... going to be a father, Alex... I... I'm pregnant," she stuttered, drawing back towards Nicole. Alex didn't get angry easily, but if he did, well... it was better not be in the firing range.
Seeing Tayle scared of him frightened Alex, and he put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. He shook his head slowly.
"What... but... how?" he came out with at last. Tayle wanted to speak up, but Nicole stopped her, before suppling instead:
"Tayle told me that you two... spent some time together," said Nicole tactfully.
"That was private," growled Alex, "and I expect you hate me now, don't you? This is all one big mistake. I don't want to be a father. I'm not ready," he murmured in a small voice.
He looked scared, small, pathetic. He knew he should really be worrying more about Tayle; she was going to be affected more than he was, she was going to have... the... child.
Alex took a deep breath, and Tayle, seeing him feeling so rotten, couldn't help but go over to him and wrap her arms around his shoulders. Nicloe didn't stop her; she knew how the couple must feel.
"Alex, I... I love you. Don't forget that, ok? I don't hate you. Not for this..." she breathed quietly into Alex's ear. She couldn't see it, but Alex smiled warmly. He reached back and took Tayle's hand, squeezing it tight in his own as a sign of affection.
They stayed there in loving embrace, until Nicole broke the moment by clearing her throat. Tayle glanced up and glared at her. Nicole shifted and spoke up,
"We should... give Alex some space," she suggested, "It's a lot to take in, and it can be... stressful, being a father for the first time." Alex didn't know if it was a trick of the light, but a sad gleam seemed to flash in Nicole's eye for a split second, before it was gone.
Tayle could see that Nicole wanted to talk to Alex alone, so she stiffly straightened up, pecked Alex on the cheek, and went out of the Den. Before she turned out of the door, she turned and glanced back at her boyfriend, and blew him a kiss, before turning and disappearing out of sight, into the gloom of the night.
Alex watched her go, and when she was gone, put his head in his hands again,
"What have I done?" he whispered softly.
"You've made someone very happy," replied Nicole,
"I'm not happy though," complained Alex, sighing.
Nicole sighed, and morphed back to human form. Alex didn't mind that she didn't have anything on; like I said before, living like this led to a loss of privacy. You got used to it. Even still, Alex made an effort not to look at her frame as she struggled back into her clothes.
Nicole sat back down, and gestured at the couch beside her,
"sit," she ordered.
Alex groaned and got up, and walked over to the couch and sitting back down beside Nicole.
"What is it?" he asked wearily.
Nicole sighed, "You need to talk, I can see it," she explained, "and I... I want to listen," her voice sounded unsure.
Alex was apprehensive now; it was very unusual that Nicole's tone would be anything other than calm and composed. But now she sounded morose and sad.
Alex gave her a sidelong glance, "you sure?" he asked. Nicole nodded.
Alex took a deep breath, and sighed,
"what am I meant to talk about?" he asked.
"How you fell about... this, your child," her face remained impassive, "you seem... sad, that you're going to be a father. As if you don't want it to happen," she probed.
Alex sighed, and began,
"It's not that I don't want it, but, ah, I don't want it either. This doesn't make any sense, does it?" he asked Nicole, who replied:
"well, explain it to me then,"
"hah, well, don't get me wrong, I'm so, so happy right now, I'm overjoyed right now, both for me and Tayle, but... but I can't help but look on the bad side; the cons outweigh the pros right now. I'm so happy, and so sad right now..." he trailed off, and buried his face in his hands,
"I... this has never happened to me before, to anyone I know. I don't know what to do, I'm lost," he continued, "I have nobody to turn to, nobody to ask for help. I don't want a child. I'm not ready to have a child," he sat up and stared into the flames of the stove,
"I... only want this to have positive outcomes, I... only want the best, for all of us," he explained, mentioning Tayle, "I want the best... for the- for our child..." he gasped, "but... I don't want them to... live like this," he mentioned, gesturing around. He turned to Nicole,
"My child will be born a werewolf, right?" he asked nervously. Nicole nodded sadly.
Alex groaned, "That's what I was afraid of. I don't want a child that has to be born into... all this. I don't want a child who has parents who don't know how to look after them,"
"what do you mean?" asked Nicole,
Alex sighed again, "Compare us to the people in the city. Their children are around other children, their friends, others like them. They get a proper education, a house, decent clothes, and they aren't considered rejects of society!" Alex shouted, his hands balling into fists, "And what will my child have? They'd be on their own, with only first-time parents as friends. They'll be taught as an animal, learning to hunt and kill and live in the wild. They'd be living in a cave, in cramped conditions, or they'd be sleeping with Tayle; he won't have his parents together. They won't be able to make friends, nobody likes us. We're monsters. Nobody will want to be around him. All the parents would scream and hide themselves and their children. No school would take them." Alex paused, "I'm happy that Tayle's having a child, but... but I don't want the child growing up like we have to live. It's not the way a child ought to live. I guess I'm... afraid. I don't want to make mistakes. I want to give my child the best that I can give him. But the problem is that I'm a werewolf. Tayle is a werefuru now. She's also pregnant with a baby that's also going to be a werewolf, and it's all my fault!" Alex turned suddenly to Nicole, tears streaming down his face, "Nicole, I... I'm scared, so scared. I'm not ready. I didn't want this, not yet..." he faded into silence, sobbing quietly.
Nicole was silent for a moment, before slowly putting her arm around Alex's heaving shoulders. She didn't want to get too close to Alex, he was Tayle's boy, but she still wanted to provide support. It was a tough thing.
"Don't worry," she whispered to him, "I won't... let you make the same mistakes I did..." Her voice was sad.
Gradually, Alex dried up his tears, and felt composed enough to continue talking.
"Mistakes... that you made?" he asked, "you had... did you have..." he trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.
"I... I had a child, a boy. Yes, I had a son. Once." Nicole admitted sadly, and Alex realised something. Her eyes were pinched with sadness, and her voice was softer, but also sadder. ALex realised with a shock that the calm and collected Nicole that he was used to, that he had known all his life, was all and act. Nicole carried herself proudly, but underneath, she was a sad, scared woman, who just wanted someone to see her as a friend rather than a role model, someone to look up to. She wasn't close to anyone, because nobody would want to be close to her.
All this came to Alex in an instant, and he realised how almost mean that pack had been to her. He never remembered anybody asking Nicole if she was ok, if she was alright. That was what she did instead. Nicole was never scared, or sad, or foolish. That was what the others did, and Nicole got them out of.
The pack never gave a second thought to Nicole; she was always fine, never seeming to be troubled. The pack had excluded her from its social life, and she was too afraid to open up to anyone, and ask them about it. Alex was suddenly thoroughly sorry for her, and found himself putting his arm around her instead of the other way round.
Alex looked at her, and said softly, "do you need to cry?" he asked, full of worry.
Nicole shook her head, "not yet, but... maybe later,"
Alex nodded. "You had a son? How... who was the father?" he asked softly, not trying to encroach on her personal space, but he got the feeling that Nicole wanted an excuse to talk, to just let it all out.
"Beowulf," she said quietly, and Alex nodded, remembering the wolf that had infected Tom, and who had been killed by Tom's village. He had had a long golden stripe down his back, and, now that he was thinking about it, seemed quite close to Nicole, but she never openly said if they were a couple.
"That would make... sense" said Alex carefully, "He always seemed quite... distant, just... like... oh." he stopped, hoping that he hadn't hurt Nicole's feelings.
"Just like me, yeah," said Nicole sourly, and Alex mentally flinched at her hurt expression.
They were silent for a second, before Alex spoke up:
"you said you had a son once. What happened to him?" It was a blunt effort to break the tension, and Alex was afraid he had asked a question he shouldn't have when Nicole got up and went over to the spare room, which was being used for storage. But she gestured for him to come over to her.
He came over, and she drew back the curtain, and hung it on its hook. The musty smell of a room unlived-in wafted out. He noticed the mattress had been put up against the wall, and that the crates and boxes had taken up most of the room in the small bedroom.
"Ever wondered why we have a spare room?" asked Nicole quietly. Alex shook his head. Nicole reached up over the mattress, to the shelf where the room's occupant would keep personal and precious objects. Alex was surprised to see taht nothing had been stored up there; it was mostly empty. Mostly.
There were what looked like a few odd stones and bits of crystal and glass. A cracked pair of glasses lay folded in the dust, and small picture frame, stood beside it, taking up the rest of the shelf. Nicole reached up and took the frame down, her hand resting on the glasses for a second. Alex thought he heard a small sob escape her lips.
She went back out to the couch and sat down, and Alex followed suit. Dust lay so thick on the picture that Alex couldn't even see the glass. Nicole blew the dust off, making it billow up in a gey cloud, which caused Alex to sneeze. When he had stopped, he opened his eyes to see Nicole looking at the picture morosely, and he could see tears dripping off the end of her nose.
She wordlessly handed him the dusty frame, and started drying her eyes with the end of her sleeve. Alex watched her for a second, before turning his attention to the picture in his hands.
It was hard to see at first, but he blew some more dust off, and it came into focus. It showed three people, in front of what had to be the rocky cliff outside the Den. On the right was a young woman, who looked to be in her 20s. She had a beaming, charming smile, and seemed to be laughing. She had black, shoulder length hair. With a shock, Alex realised that this must have been a much younger Nicole. Alex couldn't remember ever hearing Nicole laugh.
She was being cuddled be a man on the left, who had his arm around her shoulders. He was smiling wide, and Alex recognised the short-cropped hair and the square, stubble covered jaw. It was Beowulf, seeming so much... warmer, and... happier than Alex could ever remember him being.
And then, in the middle, was a slightly shorter person. They were wearing the spectacles that had been on the shelf, but in the photo, there wasn't a crack in the lenses. He had shaggy black hair, just like his parents. He had Beowulfs square jaw, but also Nicole's narrow-yet-rounded nose. He was smiling, as in, the corners of his mouth were turned up, but Alex saw it didn't extend to his eyes. Alex saw no humour or enjoyment in his eyes.
It was a family photo.
The middle person had to have been Nicole's son.
Alex became aware of Nicole looking over his shoulder at the photo, and sniffling occasionally. He turned back slightly towards her, and she sat back.
"Oh, we were so much younger back then, so much... happier," sighed Nicole, "Me, Beowulf," she paused for a fraction of a second, "and Jack. That was his name, Jack." she sighed sadly again.
"This may look happy to you, but were terrible parents. We were just like you. We had the spare room hollowed out as Jack's room, once he was old enough for his own room. But we didn't know how to care for him. We treated him as a friend, not as a son. We should have cared for him more, we should have seen that he wasn't happy, we should have... we should have... should have... should." she balled up her fists. "All should's and should have's. It's too late now." her voice was laced with regret. "We didn't love him as a son... we, we... only... loved him as a friend..."
"everybody in that photo is dead, except me. Everybody that I ever loved, gone. I don't want to find anybody new to love, either; I don't want to disrespect Beowulf's memory, and even so, nobody would be brave enough to approach me..." she trailed off sadly.
"I don't think Jack was ever very happy. When he got old enough to go out on his own, he started going away for longer and longer times. But he always came back, and when he did, it usually wasn't for long. He was a quiet person, but me and Beowulf were too nervous to talk to him, and we watched, heartbroken, as our own son grew further and further away from us." she shuddered, reliving painful memories that nobody should have to relive. "We... didn't know what to do, we didn't have anyone to turn to. Looking back, it wouldn't have been hard to talk to him about it, but we were so frightened, because it was all new and alien to us, and we were so afraid of doing something 'wrong'..." Nicole trailed off into silence, tears streaming down her face. She sobbed softly.
"And then Beowulf decided to try and organise a family hunt. He thought it would give us time to... reconnect." her voice was quiet, toneless now.
"We asked Jack, and he agreed. But we could see he didn't enjoy the idea; he only went because he had to," Nicole sighed sourly.
"It was expected to be a week away together, away from the pack, away from the Den. It was meant to give us time to relax together, to be a family... again," Nicole's voice stuttered at the word 'again'.
"we planned to be away for a week. We left, and... and before long we came to a herd of deer. Our first prey." Nicole turned to Alex, "You know how when we go hunting, we only kill what we need, and leave the rest?" Alex nodded; it was common sense not to overhunt the food in your territory.
Nicole stared at the picture in her hands, but it didn't seem like she was actually seeing it. She was staring into space. "He killed them all. Jack killed the whole herd. Massacred them. He had this trick, a move, where he would bring his claw under his prey's throat, and rip it completely open." Nicole's voice was almost dreamy, but then her face hardened.
"When he was finished, he... he was surrounded by dead deer. Beowulf and I were horrified. We both saw the gleam in his eyes; he had enjoyed it." Nicole's voice was becoming tight with grief again.
"We wanted to talk to him, but... but we were both too scared. Of our own son." She took a deep breath. "We set up camp. I was meant to be refilling the water flasks. Beowulf got it into his head that he was going to talk to Jack while I was gone. I... I was too scared of Jack, so I let him." Tears started to drip down Nicole's face again.
"When... when I came back... I found Beowulf sitting on a log, a blank look on his face. I only realised later that he'd been in shock. Jack was gone; he wasn't there. I... asked Beo what had happened..." Nicole started sobbing, and Alex noticed that she had called Beowulf by, what Alex guessed to be, Nicole's pet name for him.
"He told me that he had approached Jack, and asked him about the deer. And he said Jack had lashed into him, and said... things to him. The he turned and ran, crying." Nicole continued, "That was when Jack broke, I think. When Beowulf had asked him about what he had done. It was only years later that Beowulf actually told me what he had said. I don't think he wanted me to feel hurt by our own son's words." Nicole's voice took a sharper edge.
"what did he... say?" Asked Alex nervously.
"I have no friends. I have no family. Why are you asking? Why do you care?" Nicole took a long, deep breath, but collapsed into sobbing, her shoulders hunched and her head in her hands. It was almost... scary to Alex, to see someone who was normally composed, to lose themselves.
"he said that. Those were his exact words. He said that, and... other things. He called... us... things. Horrible things. And the worst part is that all the things he told his father, all the things he called us, they all were true. We hadn't loved him. We didn't know. Ever since Beowulf told me those words, I have hated myself. Every day of my life. No son should have to endure parents like we were." Nicole sighed again. "I don't want to tell you what he called... us. I'm... not ready. Some memories are still too... too painful, even... even after all this time,"
Alex nodded; he could understand that. Nicoled smiled a small smile, and continued.
"He didn't come back to the camp that night, and he still hadn't returned by morning the next day. We were worried, and Beowulf was frantic to try and make up with him. He didn't want to be the reason that he lost his only son. We tracked his scent through the forest, and before long we came to fear the worst. Blood was in the air." Nicole shivered, and drew herself together, wrapping her arms around her knees.
"We came to a hunter camp. It was quiet; they were all dead. There were about two dozen hunters, all dead, all with their throats ripped open. They had been stacked in a horrible pile. But they were not the only casualty." Nicole dried her eyes, apparently reaching some point in her story.
"We found Jack's body at the edge of camp. He lay sprawled on the ground, his throat split. A small silver dagger wasn't far from him. Easly withing throwing distance. Easly withing throwing distance if you had, for example, killed yourself and tried to throw away you weapon..." Nicole's voice was bitter.
"We searched the hunters, and burned the bodies. We searched Jack as well, just... just in case." her voice stuttered, "we found a small leather sheath, which perfectly fit the dagger. He had obviously been planning to take his life for a while; why else would he carry it around with him?" Nicole breather deeply, trying to hole her composure.
"Beowulf always blamed himself for Jack's death. He was never the same after the day we found the body. He was always more... careful of what he said an did. I think he learned that hard way that actions have consequences." Nicole paused for a second, silent in thought, "We brought the body back to the Den, and buried him not far from the waterfall. He liked to sit there on some says, just thinking. We marked the grave, but we don't go up there. There's just too many... bad memories... I don't want to relive..." She faded into silence, but she cried no more tears; she had run out. She stayed hunched over for a bit more, before taking a few deep breaths and straightening up. Her face was back to the one that Alex had always known; calm, composed, and not much else. But Alex now could see the pain in her eyes. She was still a small, scared woman on the inside, but she carried herself like a queen.
"I've told you about jack, do you want to know why?" she asked. Alex nodded slowly, lost for words.
"I don't want you making the same mistakes as I did. I don't want a second... Jack. You give all you love to Tayle and her child, you hear me? I don't care what stands in that child's way, or what difficulties you might face as a family, you never, you her me, NEVER, stop loving them. Ever. I... loved Jack more than anything else in the world, so did Beowulf. And then all of a sudden, he was gone. Forever. Don't let the same happen to your child. Show them that you love them. Believe me, it makes a world of a difference..." she trailed off, and after a pause, she got up and went to place the picture frame back in the store room, but stopped. She stared at it for a few seconds longer, and slowly turned and placed it in on her shelf in her room. She smiled at it sadly for a few seconds, and turned back to Alex,
"Thanks, by the way. You... you really helped. Sometimes, it... helps to have someone to talk to."
Alex nodded, smiling. He still didn't feel any braver, or more confident. But he knew that he was going to go up to Jack's grave. Someday. He didn't know why, but he felt he should at least pay some respects to him. It just seemed... right.