A/N: Really short little one-shot. Post-partings before she and Christopher became a couple (blech).

Disclaimer – I only have the box sets. All of them. And the knowledge of way too many quotes.

Running

She had never been one for exercise. Everyone she knew could vouch for that. For some reason, today she felt differently. She had to do something, so she was running. Running from her problems, unwilling to face them.

Her hair whipped around her face in the cool night air. She stopped suddenly and tore off her heels. Grabbing them in one hand, she continued on. Past the gazebo, past the diner and Doose's she ran. Past them and into the small woods separating the bridge from town. Heedless of her whereabouts, she ran swiftly through the woods never once looking back.

Finally she reached the bridge and slowly sank onto it. She spread out on the planks and rolled onto her stomach. Burying her face in her hands, she let it all out. She screamed as loud as she possibly could. No one could hear her anyway. Her body was taken over by sobs. They controlled her now and wouldn't stop coming. She rocked back and forth still crying.

Why had she pushed him? Why had she tried to make him jump? Why did she jump? Why did she jump right into bed with another man? One she had given up on so long ago when he had left her.

She had thought that the cycle had ended. So many men that hurt her; men that she hurt. The father of her child that ran to California, leaving her with a baby to tend to. Dangled the promise of a family in front of her, only to yank it away. Her first ever fiance who she as good as left at the altar. The next man she dated over a year later; she had kissed another man while she was still with him. Worse then that, she kissed her ex-fiance. Her father's business partner; charming, but more then a little strange. She had strung him along just so she could shock her mother. Finally she saw her first true love for real. She danced with him at his sister's wedding on their "first date." He had served her coffee for so many years, pined for her for so long. When she finally kissed him for the first time at her inn, she had known. This was the man for her. No one else could ever suffice once she experienced being with him, but she had thrown it all away. Slowly she sat up and stared into the water. The tears gradually stopped flowing and the only thing that remained to prove that she was still alive was the occasional shiver.

She heard the crunching of footsteps beside her and lifted her head to see who was there. It was him; same old outfit, same everything. He hadn't changed at all since she had last seen him. Since he had told her that they weren't meant to be. Tears welled up in her eyes at the painful memory. Finally he spoke, "Hey." He said quietly. Same voice, same clothes, nothing was different, nothing was the same and it was too much. She couldn't take it. Couldn't just sit here and look up at him. Couldn't let him see how much she was hurting. So she did the only thing she could think to do. She ran.

Okay there it is. I know that Christmas is a weird time to post it, but I was just struck with the idea and I couldn't help myself. What did you think?