A/N: I used this as an answer for a meme on my tumblr rp account but I got so carried away it turned into a one shot so I figured, why not post it here too :) The meme was to write how my character reacted 1, 5, and 10 years after their characters death and this is for Erica Reyes and Isaac Lahey. (My verse is where Erica survives and joins Scott's pack like Isaac does.)

1 year:

Erica sat down on her bed with a thud. It was today. A year ago today. She had been trying desperately to distract herself all day but her distractions had run out. She fell backwards and laid down on the bed just staring at the ceiling. She reached her hand over to her beside table and picked up her ipod. As she put the earphones in she scrolled down until she found the playlist labeled Isaac 3.

Breath caught in her throat reading that. No one had mentioned him around her because they knew she couldn't have handled it. She clicked on it and started to listen. It contained all of the songs special to her and Isaac. The song that was playing when they first kissed, songs they listened to when they were curled up on her bed, and their song, In My Veins by Andrew Belle. For the first time since he died she clicked play as the music sounded in her ears.

She could still feel how cold his hand was in hers as he laid in the hospital bed. No one knew why he didn't heal. No one could do anything about it. She had cried for a month straight, or it felt like that. As she listened to their song she could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She rolled over onto her side and curled up into a ball as sobs ran through her. She was shaking uncontrollably and all she wanted more than anything in the world was for his arms to be around her. But she knew that would never happen again.

As her cries became louder and more intense she rolled her head into her pillow and willed herself to dream about him, it had to be better than the reality.

5 years:

Erica was running around on campus trying to get home. Her class had run late again and she would miss her bus if she didn't hurry. She looked down at her watch and it wasn't until then that she noticed what date it was. The anniversary of his death. Five years today. She looked back at the campus buildings and thought of the conversation they had had back then.

"What are you going to do after high school?" Isaac asked her, his hand tracing circles on her back. "After high school? I have no idea, I hadn't really thought about it since we changed. I suppose I always liked drawing. I would love to study art. The colours and lines have always called to me, as if I'm the only one who can understand them. But I doubt that could happen now…"

"Why couldn't it? I think you should study art at University. If its your passion nothing should stop going and getting it. Erica smiled over at him "There's something my passion wants me to get right now.." She winked and leaned over, kissing him deeply…

Erica smiled as she looked down at her sketchbook under her right arm. After he's died she put herself fully into her art as a coping mechanism. She didn't let anything stop her, just as he had wanted. She felt a small tear slip down her cheek and she moved her hand up to wipe it away. She hoped that wherever he was, Isaac could see that she was following her passion and wouldn't stop.

10 years:

Erica sat at her desk going through paperwork. If there was one thing that she hated it was paperwork. She didn't mind being an art curator but the office aspect of it wasn't her cup of tea. She decided to take a break and wander through the gallery, art always had soothed her in the past. Wandering through the halls, occasionally pausing to look at a painting a little longer, she made her way through until she came to the small corner with her work.

Most curators weren't displayed but her boss had made an exception for her as the work had caught his eye. She looked over at the final painting and saw him. His strong jawline, messy tousled hair and those deep blue eyes. She had painted this right after it happened. It was her way of holding on. Now she could smile at the image of him and remember the good times they'd had together and how he was her inspiration to follow her dreams.

She glanced down at her finger, looking at the engagement ring, glistening in the dim light of the gallery. She knew that she wouldn't be the woman she was today without him. She was thankful for that and she knew that in her heart she would always love him. She walked over to the wall on the opposite side, looking back over her shoulder for a final look, before flicking off the light and making her way back to her desk.

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