Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights to Higher Ground; those belong to very rich stupid people who canceled a wonderful show.

Rated: T

Summary: A missing moment between Scott and Shelby after she returns.

Shelby sat at the end of the doc, her knees tucked under her chin as she stared at the full moon's reflection in the water. She had finally come to a crossroad in her life; finally she had cut open the wound in her soul and let the poison bleed out. Instead of the immense rage she felt before, now she just felt empty. Everything bit of strength and courage and love that she had gained at Horizon had been used up in her struggle to finally take control of her life and stop her step-father. When she had returned to Horizon it was because she had no other place to go, but she was also so empty that she didn't have anything to give.

Shelby didn't jump as Scott came up behind her…she knew he would come. When it came to each other they were both stubborn, he was a pusher, he would want to know why she had left with out saying goodbye and Shelby supposed she owed him some sort of explanation. Scott sat down beside her and they stared in silence at the water for a long while until finally she heard him ask "Why?"

"Why, Shell, why leave with out saying goodbye?"

Shelby sighed tiredly, "Because, because I had no other option."

"What?" he groused out in surprise.

"Scott, out of everyone here, when I was with you, I would feel normal, somehow I felt cleaner around you, I was happy, when we were together I could build my dreams and hopes up. When I found out that I had to leave, I could handle saying goodbye to everyone else but you. When I was leaving Peter told me that there was always room for hope, but I could only hope when I was with you…and I was being forced back into that nightmare, saying goodbye to you would have broke me, he would've won. But the cliffhangers had given me strength and you had given me courage to face what I had become, because of that I was finally able to stop him.

"If we were so good together, then why…why that awkwardness and strangeness between us now?" he asked her.

"Because I have lived with that darkness and anger in me a lot longer than you have, and for everyone part good feeling there was five times the anger and pain. When I finally decided to be done with it, with him, when it was over, I was empty. I am empty Scott…I don't have anything left to give. I am hollow inside and I can't feel anything every emotion was drained out of me…the good and the bad. I don't know when I will start to heal, and if you still care for me, what I really need is time."

Scott stood up a few minutes later…he leaned over and kissed her softly on the top of her head. "I'll be here waiting when every your ready. I promise." As he spun around and walked off into the night Shelby felt the nothingness insider her stir up for a brief moment before settling back into stillness. A small smile tugged at her lips, Scott had done it again, he had thrown a small pebble into her stillness and soon enough emotions would once again be like crashing oceans waves insider her…but this time the waves would be clean and alive, and wonderful.