For Piper Mclean, everything was routine.
She didn't necessarily want it that way. It just...happened. It was the simple matter of nothing unwelcome disrupting the repetitive cycle, which made it perfectly flawless and repeated. No gaps in the strand. A cyclic pattern.
But one day, all of that changed.
When her eyes fluttered open, the sunlight was peeking through the cracks in the blinds, igniting the backs of her eyelids even before they slid up. Warmth was radiating off the form pressed against her front, and she felt hard muscles shift against her arms and chest. Moving slightly, she felt her body press into the fluffy pillows against her back, engulfing her.
She groaned as she stretched her legs as far as they would go once she managed to untangle them from the sheets. Jason shifted in front of her, the muscles of his back rippling (quite deliciously, Piper managed to notice, even in her drowsy state) as his mop of blonde hair got even messier than it already was, thanks to last night, as it rubbed against the pillow.
This was her regular nightly position. The wall on one side, Jason on the other, sometimes facing her and sometimes with his back against her front, her arms wound tightly around his waist with a leg careless thrown over his body. Two solid, trustworthy barriers to protect her from everything else, whether everything else existed or not. This was the way it had always been; ever since that first night they spent in a dark bedroom, their breathing heavy and occasionally breaking into giggles again at the disastrous first time but so them first time which had just occurred. For them, at the fresh age of seventeen, at that very moment where they both lay against each other, Piper sandwiched tightly in between the wall and Jason's hard yet comforting form, there was nothing wrong with the world. It was only them. Piper and Jason. Jason and Piper. Just like it had always been them since their nine year old selves collided in the park, Piper on a skateboard and Jason on his bike. Their friendship was sparked by a collision.
It was ironic, really.
Jason groaned, and slowly turned around to face Piper on his other side. Raising a hand, he gently tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear as she yawned hugely, sleep still weighing on her. "Morning," she mumbled, as her eyes slipped shut again on their own account. She wasn't startled when she felt warm lips press against hers.
"Mmm," Jason replied sleepily, his finger still tracing the features of her face, feeling the soft skin rub against his calloused fingertips. Cracking open an eyelid, Piper was met his crackling blue eyes staring at her intently, electricity in his irises.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are in the morning?" He abruptly asked, his hoarse sleep-filled voice causing shivers to run through her, and she groaned out loud, flipping onto her back and throwing her arm over her eyes dramatically.
"If you're gonna get all sappy on me, Grace, I'm out," she grumbled. "It's too early for all that shit."
"Well, you better get used to it," Jason said, and even though her eyes were covered, Piper still heard the mischievous smirk in his voice. He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "Fiancée."
"Hey, when I agreed to marry you, I never signed up for this."
"Oh, I think you knew what you were signing up for, you know, excluding the fact that you've known me for the past fourteen years."
"In my defence, you didn't talk much for like the first four years of our legendary friendship."
"Well, in my defence, how was I supposed to get anything in?"
"Touché."
"Plus, should you ever decide to break our wonderful husband and wife relationship-"
"-God, we're not even married yet, Jason-"
"-then I would like that magnificent ring on your finger back, thank you very much."
"Gah, as if," Piper scoffed, lifting her arm off of her eyes and studying the engagement ring on her finger. It was beautiful- two miniscule stones, a gold stud and a diamond, held together by an intertwining vine of silver. Piper didn't have to ask what they represented, because on the inside of the band it already said, engraved into the metal: you're the diamond to my gold. She would have puked at the phrase, but it was Jason, so she kind of had to hold back on the sick. Plus, it was kinda sweet.
"Well, if you're not going to give back the ring, at least make me some coffee."
Piper sighed, faking exhaustion, and pushed herself into a sitting position as she pulled a T-shirt from the ground over her head. She heard Jason sigh disappointedly as she covered her body, and bit back a smile. It was adorable how much he adored her. But the smile melted away as she remembered why she had fallen asleep with an insistent discomfort gnawing away at her stomach.
Biting her lip and struggling to keep the anxiety at bay, Piper stood up and made her way towards the bathroom. "Rise and shine, Sparky,"she said over her shoulder at Jason, who was still buried under the covers. "You've got a plane to fly in less than three hours."
-oOo-
The apprehensiveness didn't dematerialize as Piper drove Jason towards the airport- instead, it accumulated. The constant sense of foreboding didn't disappear, and Piper couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen. And it terrified her.
"So promise you'll dance as awesome as usual at the recital even if I'm a little late, okay?" Jason asked, and Piper nodded numbly, the thoughts jumbled up in her head. And of course, Jason noticed how distracted she was.
"Hey," he probed gently as they stopped at a traffic light. "You're hiding something."
Sighing, Piper stared at her hands which were clenched around the staring wheel. She hadn't noticed, but her knuckles were turning white with the force of her grasp. Reaching over, Jason gently pried both of her hands away from the wheel, and then set them back down and used his own fingers to mould hers around the leather in a much lighter hold.
"Piper," Jason said softly.
"I feel like somethings going to go wrong." Her words tumbled over each other.
Jason sighed, and she felt his gaze on him as she stared straight ahead at the car in front of them. "Stop worrying."
"How?" Piper asked, unable to keep the incredulousness from leaking into her cracking, low voice. "Jason, in case you haven't noticed, you're a fucking pilot, and in case you haven't noticed, you're ultimately the most important person in my life right now, and I love you like crazy and I just... I ju- just hate it whenever you leave." Piper trailed off, her words getting lodged in her throat. She could literally feel her chest ache, and the tingling sensation travelled all the way down to her toes and made her stomach contract painfully.
Setting her forehead against the warm leather of the wheel, Piper squeezed her eyes shut. Her words revived the memory of when she had first found out Jason had gotten the job- first sheer joy and happiness for him, but then the realisation that he would be leaving her for days on end and would be flying a goddamn plane hit her like a truck on an empty highway
She didn't move until she felt Jason's hand stroking the back of her head, something he knew would comfort her. "I'm sorry, Pipes," he murmured. "I'm sorry, but you know I'm one of the most skilled pilots around here. Why else would they give me a plane to fly at only twenty three years old? They wouldn't do that until they were absolutely positive I can handle it."
Piper nodded, and looked up just as the light turned green. She hit the gas, and the low rumbling of the car started again. She sniffed once, but then took a deep breath and exhaled. Jason was right- why should she worry? Besides, if he had come back to her all those times before, why wouldn't he come back again? It was a part of the pattern- a crucial element which couldn't be missed.
She decided to force the worry to the corner of her mind- for now. "So you promise you'll be there at the recital?" She asked, her voice still thick.
"I wouldn't miss it for anything, Pipes, you know that. But I have a question-"
"Yes, Jason, I might skateboard but believe it or not, I dance too."
"But how?" Jason whined, and the childish tone of his voice made Piper's heart warm. God, she loved him. "I mean, they're completely opposite hobbies. Skateboarding is for cool people and punks-"
"-well, I dance hip hop too-"
"-and dancing is for, like, delicate fairy princesses."
"Bippity Boppity Boo!" Piper cried, taking a hand off the wheel and brandishing a fake wand. "You shall go to the ball and meet your Prince Charming, Cinderella!"
"Oh, thank you, Fairy Godmother!" Jason said, a hand on his heart and his voice ridiculously high. They both burst out laughing which probably wasn't a very good idea, given that Piper was driving a car on a busy road.
When the laughter died down and they managed to subdue themselves a little bit, Jason spoke again. "I still don't get it."
"You know, if you're trying to get me to get a piercing by telling me that skateboarders are punk, you don't have to worry. I'm sure a tongue piercing would be pretty cool." She shot a sideways glance at him. "You know, for special purposes, which I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy a lot."
Piper laughed as Jason blushed red. Sure, Piper could talk vulgar, but Jason was as innocent as a three year old when it came to talking about sex. But in bed it was a whole different story, as Piper had learnt over the years.
The airport came into view, and Piper slid into the free parking reserved for staff. She turned to face Jason, who had unbuckled his seatbelt and was staring at her. "Promise you'll be there?" She asked again quietly, just to make sure.
"Of course I will, Pipes," he assured her, smiling. "It's only like a one and a half hour flight, and then three hours for refuelling and freshening up and then a one and a half hour flight back. The recital is not until four, and it's only nine right now." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. "But don't worry if I'm a little late, okay? It'll be rush hour."
Piper nodded, and tried to smile. She hated this part. She hated letting him go.
"You look great in the uniform," she said softly, as she has already said so many times before, and reached out to straighten his tie. Her hands lingered there, and then slowly made their way up his collarbone to his neck to his face, where they caressed his cheekbones. She stared at him, and he stared back at her until she felt the drop slide down her face, and Jason's face crumpled slightly before it went back to the strong mask. The strong mask he maintained for her.
Grasping his face tightly in her hands, simultaneously, they both moved towards each other over the centre console and their lips met. It started off soft, but soon they moved against each other desperately, letting their fear slide into the kiss, making it deeper. Jason was the first to pull back, and he held onto her wrists which were still up against his face.
"I love you," he told her sincerely.
"I love you too." Her voice cracked. Then he pulled her into a hug and she buried her face into his shoulder. But then he pulled away, sent her one last smile then pushed the car door open and stepped out.
Piper watched until he disappeared inside the double doors, and then, with the weight of dread still dragging her down, she started driving back home.
The radio was playing Slipped Away by Avril Lavigne, but she didn't notice.
-oOo-
Stretching was part of the routine. It calmed the overly enthusiastic butterflies fluttering in her stomach; it caused the accumulating anxiousness to dissipate. So with the headphones plugged into her ears, Piper performed a series of dynamic full body stretches, closing her eyes and letting herself float out of the full-of-chatter dance room, which was overflowing with nervous energy.
She smiled to herself while reaching down to place her hands flat on the floor again- Jason would get one hell of a surprise when they got home after the recital. Because for once, Piper McLean had actually cooked. Yes, cooked. Unsurprisingly, Jason was definitely the cook in the pair- Piper was just too dangerous to be in the kitchen, and most of her dishes ended up tasting like, and she quotes from Leo, "complete, utter dog shit." Thus, Piper tended to stay away from cooking.
But today, since she had nothing better to do, she had pulled out Jason's recipe book and decided to follow one of the simpler dishes. Most days if she was alone in the house, she would have just called over Annabeth or Leo or one of the others, but today they'd all been busy and they had already promised to come to her recital, so Piper couldn't even hold anything against them. As a consequence, the whole day was spent tirelessly slaving away in the kitchen, and as she hadn't burned the house down or caused an explosion, Piper declared the experiment a success.
"Number six!" A woman's clear voice rang out through the room, and Piper's heart leapt as she realised the number matched the card hung around her neck. Standing up straight, Piper took a deep breath, mentally running through all the dance moves she had prepared, which matched the popular Fall Out Boy song she had chosen. Her nerves felt like they were dancing themselves- nothing unusual before a recital.
Hurrying past the stern woman standing at the door, Piper pulled the string over her neck and hung the card at a knob on the wall. She heard shouts of encouragement behind her from the remaining dancers, and fuelled with adrenaline and energy, she took a deep breath just before walking onto the stage.
Piper lived for dance. She lived for the long, graceful movements, and the snappy, clipped hip hop steps. She lived for the rush of energy which hit her as she walked on stage. She lived for the blinding lights of the cameras, of the lights.
Spotting Leo in the second row to the left waving like a madman, a corner of Piper's lip lifted up. She could hear the others' shouts of encouragement, and briefly allowed her kaleidoscopic eyes to travel to the cluster of seats where her friends sat, hurriedly scanning the group. Familiar faces which held countless memories greeted her- Leo, Annabeth, Percy, Reyna, Hazel, Rachel, Frank, Calypso... It warmed her heart to know the whole lot of them had come yet again for her recital, despite how busy their schedules were at this time of year. But nevertheless, she still noticed a presence missing: there was no Jason.
Both unfortunately and fortunately, Piper had no more time to worry as the lights dimmed, and in her peripheral vision, she spotted her French dance teacher shoot her a sharp nod: begin.
With no more thought, Piper began. She zoomed out of the present surroundings, out of America, out of New York, out of Manhattan, out of the Grand Theatre of Dance. The only thing she was focused on were her moves- first a fast move, and then a slower, more controlled leap to spice it up. Faintly registering the applause filling her ears, Piper picked up the pace and moved all over the stage, moving all of the audience. Her dancing was known for being overwhelming and heart moving; it was full if emotion. She could almost feel her instructor nodding in approval- Piper knew she was doing well.
That is, until she allowed her eyes to focus on the crowd for a second too long, and in the midst of her friends' awestruck, proud faces she spotted an empty seat. And then she tripped.
It wasn't the first time ever, but Piper was slightly shocked at the same time. The routine was going perfectly, up until she stumbled. The crowd gasped, but Piper simply got back up and continued from where she left off, struggling to head back towards the focused mind-set. However, now that she had given her mind one tiny allowance, it just wouldn't cooperate with her.
Piper estimated it was about 4:45, if her turn had begun at half past four. Jason had said that he would be there a little late, so maybe a little past four, tops. So now the worry and anxiousness began to spread from the pit of her stomach, like a tree would spread its branches. The cold fist wrapped itself around her heart, encasing it in a thick layer of ice, transforming her blood into pure shards of glass. Suddenly, she was fucking terrified.
She stumbled again but caught her footing, casting her eyes towards the spot where her friends sat. Her eyes immediately latched onto Annabeth's, whose grey orbs were bright even from this distance, and were round with shock and confusion at Piper's unsteady performance. But of course, as Piper purposefully widened her eyes and pointedly looked towards the empty seat next to Leo as she continued moving. Annabeth understood, and instantaneously pulled away from Percy and dug her hand into her pocket, scooping out her phone. After dialling something, she brought the phone up to her ear, and Piper made sure to keep her eyes on Annabeth as she continued to twirl and move her body to the music. But after a couple of seconds, Annabeth locked eyes with Piper again and pursed her lips tightly, putting her phone down.
And then Piper collapsed.
The crowd gasped as the floor rapidly came nearer, and she felt her body slam onto the ground, her hands and knees flaring with pain upon impact. Her breathing was heavy and laboured and she felt the earth move. Some people from the crowd screamed, and she heard Leo's shout as the music faded out. She faintly registered someone hurrying across the stage from the side towards her, but as her dance instructor grabbed her arm and spoke to her in rapid, worried French, Piper managed to struggle out of her grasp and stumble off the stage. She could still hear the chaos she left behind in the theatre.
Hearing shouts behind her of "Miss McLean?" And "Piper!", she was only fuelled to move quicker. She didn't know where she was going- only that she wanted to be alone to worry.
She pushed through a crowd of waiting dancers, who cursed at her. She half pushed a woman against the wall to move past her, and didn't bother to apologise because Jason Jason Jason. She ran around the corner, slipping on the marble tile floor but continuing nevertheless. She ran until she reached a shadowed corner in the large hall where the information desk was, hid and pulled out her phone, pressing Jason's number with trembling fingers. Shaking, her heart threatening to leap out of her throat, Piper held the phone to her ear and closed her eyes, squeezing them shut. The thumping of her hammering heart was unbearably loud in her ears. She didn't know her eyes were filled with ushered tears due to the heavy shock and anxiety until she felt the drops slide down her face, clearing her vision considerably. She struggled to get her breathing under control, but it was useless as the call went into voice mail. He wouldn't answer.
Piper felt herself being swallowed even deeper into panic mode. She began to have trouble breathing. But then, through the haze, a few low, blurred words reached her ears and allowed her cloudy brain to register them.
"-Pilot Alex Randi-" and Piper remembered Jason telling her about his co-pilot for the flight. And her heart both leapt and sank at the same time at the possibilities. With her breaths escaping her mouth in loud, broken rasps, Piper stumbled out of the hidden shadows (which must have seemed pretty creepy in itself) towards the information desk, where the news radio played. The women's eyes widened upon seeing Piper's expression and leotard plus stockings get-up.
"Turnitup, turn it up!" Piper managed to gasp out as she leant heavily against the counter. He filled her chaotic thoughts again. Jason.
Without question, the woman reached out and pressed the volume button, and the crusty voice of a news reporter filled the room. Piper saw the woman's lipstick coated mouth move as her eyebrows drew together with concern, but Piper could only focus on what the news reporter was saying.
"-and the control centre has released the plane disappeared from the charts only forty two minutes after take-off on its route back to New York, and is now unable to be detected through monitors, therefore it is most suspected to have crashed, judging by last second readings from the pilots. The aircraft was piloted by Jason Grace, and-"
But Piper couldn't hear anymore, because she was on the floor and she couldn't breath and there were these piercing, pain filled sounds ringing in her ears then she realised it was her who was screaming but how if she couldn't breathe and Jason Jason Jason Jason...
He had promised her he would never leave. All those years ago when they were eighteen and Piper was sick of her mom, was sick of her family, was sick of the cuts on her body, was sick of how people treated her and was sick of school, he had held her as she cried and had promised her before making sweet love to her. And Piper had believed him, all through their fights, all through the memorable moments like graduation and their friends and the proposal and the nights they spent together. She believed him through every horror film she had dragged him to, through every recital, through every goddamn boring documentary he had forced her to sit through. She had believed him though all the days and nights they spent just talking and laughing and remembering and planning and loving. But now, she realised how frail the promise really was. How fragile, like a string holding an elephant off the ground. How capable of breaking by just a single touch.
And this was the only single touch that promise needed.
She didn't have the energy to move anymore. So she curled up on the ground and wrapped her arms around herself, holding her broken pieces together the best she could as she cried. Hands touched her, and she heard unusually loud familiar voices as she was scooped off the cold ground.
But all she could think of was Jason Jason Jason as her eyes slipped shut even though she didn't want them to.
-oOo-
For the next couple of days, she didn't move. She couldn't bring herself to possess the will.
The bed seemed to grab hold of her and stick her to it. With her expression blank, Piper would simply stare up at the ceiling for hours, her thoughts sometimes blank too. However, most of the time, they were jumbled, filled with memories and yearning. She would constantly look towards the other side of the bed, hoping he would be there, his head propped up on his elbow, sending her that smirk she so adored. Then he would reach over and mess up her hair to annoy her, and tell her how stupid she was to believe he would ever leave her.
But that didn't happen. It wouldn't ever happen.
Instead, other people were in the room with her. She knew Leo came, and he sat on a chair next to as she stared at the ceiling and squeezed her hand as he sobbed, so different from the usual laughing, lame joke cracking Leo Valdez that she had known for years. Through a daze, she was able to understand Thalia had come and she too had stared at the picture on Piper's bedside, unmoving. Hazel came to force food into her mouth. And then Annabeth was there, telling her that she still loved her and everyone else still loved her. Piper didn't understand how she thought that would help- Piper know she still had people who cared for her, but the point was that she didn't have him. And right now, all she wanted was him.
Many other people came- for what, Piper didn't know. But every one of them left the space next to Piper on the bed empty. Leo had unplugged the TV, due to the fact that the plane crash was still big news and Jason's face was being constantly displayed on the screen. They didn't blame him; by now they had discovered it was a defect in the plane's engines. Piper hated engines. Fucking hated them.
The first time she moved was a week after the crash, when her phone started ringing Superheroes by The Script. Jason had changed it to his favourite song only days before he left. Her phone had rung before but Piper had simply chosen to ignore it. But this time, something pulled her to move her arm to her bedside table and pick up her phone, where someone had kept it safely for her.
"Hello?" Piper croaked out, her voice hoarse from not speaking.
"Miss McLean?" A professional male voice spoke from the other end.
Piper instinctively tensed. "This is she."
"Ma'am, would you mind coming over to the Crash Investigation Office?" The man questioned. "We have something you might want to know."
-oOo-
Piper honestly had no clue what pulled her towards the building just a ten minute drive away- she should have been running away from it. But for the first time in a week, she moved with a purpose and slipped some fresh clothes on, then grabbed her keys and headed out of the front door. She didn't call to tell anyone where she was going. She simply drove away from the house.
But when she got there and parked outside the sliding front doors of the building, she realised what a great mistake she had made. This was exactly what she had been trying to avoid. Hands beginning to tremble, her breathing began to get deeper, but she moaned lowly and swallowed the panic down. She swallowed the pain down. She had to be brave about this- she had to know.
Stepping out of the car, she locked the door and then made her way inside the building. The lobby was huge, and filled with sofas and armchairs off to one side, near a café which was making absolutely no business. A few people sat in the seats: a mother, whose eyes were bloodshot, sitting with her sleeping daughter who looked to be about three. There was a man sitting slumped on a chair, staring ahead with his eyes glazed as if in a daze. An elderly woman sat with her grandson, occasionally dabbing her eyes with tissue. There were others scattered around the lobby, all looking as forlorn and miserable as them. Piper's heart burnt inside of her chest- these people probably came every day to ask about the crash. She was just glad it wasn't a bigger plane. The last thing she wanted was for more people to feel the pain like her.
"Miss McLean?" The man at the front desk motioned for her to come nearer. Piper went the few wobbly steps forward, still shaken by the sight which had greeted her when she had entered. "Good morning, ma'am." He looked back down towards the computer in front of him, continuing to type. Piper wondered how anyone could work in a place like this, where so many devastated people sat- a place filled with anguish.
"Good morning."
"Please head upstairs to the fifth floor, and turn three doors to your left, where the head inspector should be situated at this moment." He glanced up and cast her a small smile but said no more, so Piper made her way towards the elevator, in which she stood alone as it travelled up. She never did like elevators much.
Soon she found herself in front of the door she had been directed to, and before she could knock it swung open and she was met by a young man, maybe in his late twenties. He was dressed in a brisk suit, and the gold rimmed glasses sitting on his nose reminded her so much of Jason it hurt.
"Ah, Miss McLean!" The man greeted her, smiling brightly, and reached out to shake her hand. His grip was firm. Piper distantly wondered how he knew her name. "My name is Josh Mentolin, and I'm an intern here at The New York Crash Investigation Office. Please, come in." He pulled open the door, giving her space to step inside.
Cautiously, she made her way inside, and her iridescent eyes scanned the room. It looked like an ordinary office, with a full ground to ceiling window instead of one of the walls, overlooking the majestic New York skyline. At the piled-with-papers desk sat a large buff man behind a computer screen, with a cleanly trimmed moustache. Piper had to deliberately drag her eyes away from the shiny bald spot on his head, because seriously, were heads supposed to glow that brightly? It could have blinded her.
The man stood upon her entry. The card in front of him on the desk read 'Mr Lawkins, Head investigator.' He leaned over the desk as he held out his hand and gripped hers tightly, saying, "Pleasure to meet you, Miss McLean. Gary Lawkins." Piper said nothing. She could feel her heart thrumming insistently all over her body; her fingertips, her temples, her throat- she was that scared. Apparently Mr Lawkins noticed that too, as he gestured for her to take a seat on one of the two chairs which were positioned at a 45 degree angle towards the desk.
Piper always hated that layout- it held bad connotations. A visit to the therapist, an interrogation at the police office, a parent-teacher meeting. But she sat nonetheless, straightening out the lilac T-shirt she had carelessly pulled on.
She hadn't realized it had been his favourite on her. Now she wished she had.
The other man- Josh Mentolin, she remembered- sat perched on the arm of the opposite chair. He smiled encouragingly at Piper, but Piper didn't feel encouraged at all. It only made her feel even more panicked, because that meant that something was coming- something she wouldn't like.
"Miss McLean," Mr Lawkins began, "firstly, I would like to offer my deepest condolences for your loss."
Piper said nothing; she only stared at a faraway patch of greenery out of the window. It was probably rude, but she didn't really give a shit at that moment.
"Jason Grace was a man of great courage and heart, and this is truly painful news to deliver, but we feel that you should be aware of our findings as you are so closely related to this." Mr Lawkins pursed his lips and stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to respond.
Piper opened her mouth, managing to croak out a feeble thank you. Lawkins glanced towards the intern and gave him a stiff nod, to which Josh slipped off the arm rest of the seat and walked towards the long table against the wall. Towards a record player.
"Miss McLean." Piper spun her gaze back onto Mr Lawkins, and he was staring at her with something resembling pity in his brown eyes. "I must warn you, what you are about to hear might be... difficult."
Piper's heart suddenly picked up the pace, and she could feel the fright starting to seep through her veins. She was scared about what that record player held.
"It's the final words received from the plane before it vanished off the monitor, and it has given us a lot of valuable information," Mr Lawkins continued as he stared at her carefully, then glanced towards the man against the wall behind Piper. "However, Josh here strongly felt that you deserved to listen to it too."
Piper suddenly wanted to run. She could easily make a break for it, she was sure. Maybe grab a skateboard from the shop around the corner and fly down the streets towards her house. Wait, bad pun. Really bad pun. But still, Leo would be proud of her hurried grab-and-go, while Percy would most likely feel his "heart swell up!" if she decided to start skateboarding again. She hadn't touched the board since the dance recital.
But instead, her ass was glued to the seat and she remained motionless, dreading the moment when Josh would press the play button. She opened her mouth to tell him to stop, to make him pause, to warn him, but no sound came out.
And then static filled the room. And she could hear shouts. Sounds of panic.
Her eyes dropped shut when she heard his voice.
"Flight 287 to base! Plane to base, we've dropped all contact, do you read me? Flight 287 to base, the engines are dropping, do you read me, we need assistance immediately-" The static became overwhelming, overtaking his voice.
When it reduced slightly, another voice came into focus. "Shit, Jason, we're going down. We're going down."
"Why can't they hear us?" He sounded panicked, his voice laced with desperation, and Piper wanted nothing more than to pull him into her arms, let him tuck his head against her chest as their legs tangled together and she comforted him, running her fingers through his hair. "Plane to base, do you read me? Engines are failing, we can't-"
Static filled the room again. "The control centre tried everything they could," Lawkins said quietly, his voice grave. "It wouldn't reach them. There was nothing we could do."
There were screams. Shouts. Piper felt the piercing pain in her chest; it vibrated throughout her entire being. She squeezed her eyes tighter, wanting to block it out. She didn't want to remember, because it hurt. All she wanted was to have him back.
"Oh fuck! Fuck, it's over!" It wasn't Jason. Jason never cursed.
"Oh, God." His voice was thick. Piper could hear sounds in the background- screams, yells, glasses breaking, children crying. She didn't want to imagine it. "Pipes," he said suddenly, brokenly, and her eyes shot open. "Piper, I'm sorry." More sounds. She couldn't breathe. "I'm sorry. I promised you I would come back. I'm sorry." His words cracked. "I wanted to watch you dance." His voice was a whisper, but it was loud over the background noises. "I wanted to marry you, to have a family with you, to wake up with you every single day of my life. I'm sorry we can't have that," he wept. "I love you, Piper McLean, I love you and I've loved you ever since I met you when we were nine, when you crashed into me with your skateboard." The static was gradually increasing, and it was getting more and more difficult to make out what was happening. "You were so beautiful. You were my best friend." Piper's breath was coming out in gasps and so was his, and her whole form was reeling with emotions.
"Oh shit, oh shit." Another voice was speaking, mumbling prayers. "It's close. The ground. It's so close. I love you, Mom. It's over."
"Pipes… I love you." And then there was a loud bang, and it all shut down in an avalanche of static.
Opening her eyes, Piper didn't realize how quiet it was. Her breathing was heavy, and she could feel the warm tears streaming down her face. Josh offered her a glass of water, but she didn't take it.
Both Josh and Lawkins stared at her with sympathy in their eyes. But Piper said nothing- instead, she stood up on shaky legs and made her way towards the door, pulling it open with trembling hands and exiting the office. Neither man tried to call after her.
-oOo-
Piper's life wasn't routine anymore. Every day she promised herself something new- just to avoid disappointment when something went wrong. Now there was no chance of any jutted nail being a driven into a smooth strip of wood- no chance of any more sparks.
It took months to even begin healing. She hadn't told anyone about the recording, but instead repeated the same simple actions everyday- wake up, eat breakfast, somehow scrape through the day, eat dinner, then sleep and repeat. It only changed when she finally picked up the courage to flip open the photo album on her bedside.
It involved crying and screaming and cursing because she was so angry at how fate treated her. But seeing Jason's face again made her remember, remember how he would always tell her to get back up strong- and she started to change.
She began dancing again.
She got offered a job working as a dance teacher at an elementary school- and she adored it. The kids were absolute angels, and they reminded her how much more there was of life to explore. She began to see her friends more- the first time she had stood waiting at Leo's doorstep and he had opened the door, he had given loud a woop of joy and pulled her into a hug, dragging her inside the door then forcing her on the couch to watch a cry-worthy bad chick-flick. "Just like old times," he had said, as they stuffed their faces with popcorn and threw some at the overly exaggerated characters on the screen.
Annabeth, too, was overjoyed. Her, Hazel, Reyna, Calypso, Rachel and Piper had spent a well-earned girl's night together, laughing as Annabeth imitated Percy in the morning, and Hazel told everyone about Frank's worrying obsession over romance movies. Sure, it hurt, but Piper was happy to have her friends back.
Her dad called her. They finally spoke after years of unspoken bad blood, and they arranged to meet up together someplace.
When two years had passed, Piper went to visit Josh Mentolin and Gary Lawkins in the office. She thanked them and apologized for walking out so rudely, and was then met with a group of people waiting in the lobby on the ground floor. They were all of different ages, of different nationalities and cultures, but there was one thing which brought them all together, and Piper realized this soon after they invited her to sit with them.
Every Tuesday, since that day, the same group of about twelve people met in coffee shops and restaurants, just to remind themselves and help each other with the pain that one day- one single day- caused them. But they became some of Piper's best friends.
Four years had passed, and Piper was happy. She still cried whenever she saw his face on the wall, or on the screen or a page. She still missed him dreadfully, and it was oh so fucking painful sometimes, but she knew this was what he wanted. He would have wanted her to get back up strong and ready to fight, just like he always told her to. He wanted her to take risks.
And that was exactly what had happened.
-oOo-
I know you all hate me for going MIA for month and then showing up with this. I'm sorry. I love you guys?
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