Everything changes yet remains the same
The portrait on the wall fades to grey
But the view through the looking glass
Remains unchanged
Things could be worse. She could be ill. Or dead. He was just being ungrateful. They'd shared a wonderful friendship over the years: flirtatious, filled with jokes at the other's expense, not to mention hundreds of arguments, yet strong. Unbreakable. But ten years just wasn't long enough. Not for him, anyway.
Even Brian seemed to be coping, but then he hadn't watched her linger in that office, extending her last moment in her own little sanctuary for as long as possible. He hadn't watched her walk away, crying silent tears, making glistening trails on their path down her face as she took one last look at her team. Her boys. Only they weren't her boys anymore, they were Sasha's. She'd turned out to be a decent boss. To look at them now, they were as successful as they had been before, but was he happy? No, not truly. That probably explained why he was currently stood in his hallway, staring at a photograph of the original team from about seven years ago, that he'd hung on the wall the previous week.
Sandra was smiling back at him, the typical glass of white wine in her hand, an almost ethereal glow shining around her from the summer sun which had illuminated his garden that day. She had her other arm around Jack, who was smiling warmly at the camera, and she had her head leaned towards Brian, standing awkwardly next to her. He smiled back at them, but his was bittersweet. He'd lost all of them now, in a way. He still saw Brian, but it just wasn't the same. Not without her. She'd been the glue that held them together, the burning sun that they all gravitated towards.
He'd never stop being dazzled by that smile. Never. No matter which man she was with, no matter where she was in the world. He'd always hold a torch for her, one that burned just as brightly, just as brilliantly as she did.
A/N: To all of you who are waiting for the next chapter of Under The Bridge, I'm sorry. It's almost complete.