Disclaimer: I don't own Everwood. Did you really believe I did?

Looking back now it seems so clear that they were meant to be together, but at the time nothing could be further from the truth. He was almost ten years her senior and she, barely out of high school. What kind of force draws people together at such different times of their lives? Is that fate or something more, something almost magical?

I was twenty-four that summer and had come home to see my sister graduate. The baby of our family, she was something special and sometimes the only reason we remained intact. Everyone loved Delia, how could they not? I just never imagined it would be my best friend who would teach her how to love. Sure, there had been good examples of love all through her life, but for every happy couple there was a tragic story. And the tragedies are what remain in our minds, haunting our dreams. So although the world shone love down upon her, my sister never let herself love anyone.

She wasn't always this way. I can remember when she was filled with energy and filled with love. Nothing could keep Delia down, but eventually life caught up with her. This town has always said that I was too old for my age, an old soul I guess you could say. But really I just let my pain show. Using cynicism to protect myself from anymore pain. Deep in Delia's eyes, there has always been wisdom; it is as if she knows that the world holds too much pain for us to take and she has taken it upon her. I can't pinpoint the day that she stopped being the happy child and took upon a broken woman's point of view nor can I see the signs when I reflect upon it. It was sudden. All truly bad things are. I guess you could trace it back to knowing too much too soon, losing so many people before even hitting middle school.

Sure we lost our mother, and don't think that I take it lightly, but Delia seemed to recover well. She never held the same scorn as I did for our father, so he became the receptor of all the love and attention she once poured on Mom. Plus, a new town with new people, that's heaven for the social butterfly she was at nine. It was the consistency of loss and pain that ripped at her. Linda. Delia was too young to need to understand HIV and she loved Linda (well, once she got through her jealousy of sharing Dad once again.) The whole town was caught in the glory of Colin and the heroism of our father. That too was taken in a single blow. Madison, well Delia sent her away but it hurt all the same. It was the loss of Brittany their junior year that caused all the pain to catch her with my sister though.

A/N: Let me know what you think. Like it /hate it. Should I not quit my day job? (I know the answer to that one) BTW: I have taken down my other stories but see my author page for challenges to do with them. I just never had the time to catch up and have changed in the way I view life. (its called growing up: going from high school to college)