Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, or the song lyrics. They are the creations of James O'Barr and Evanescence respectively.

My Immortal

She stepped soundlessly through the deserted street, singing softly to herself.

"I'm so tired of being here,

Suppressed by all my childish fears."

The song was one she'd heard earlier in the day, on a passing car's radio. It had made her weep – so much emotion in that voice, so much sentiment in those words. How true it was.

"And if you have to leave,

I wish that you would just leave."

A sudden breeze made her shiver. She hugged her arms close to her and looked up at the building she'd come to.

"Your presence still lingers here,

And it won't leave me alone."

She sighed. How those words applied to her. She felt tears prick her eyes, but she blinked them away. Not worth it, she thought miserably and she turned away down another street. Up ahead she saw her destination.

"These wounds won't seem to heal,

This pain is just too real,

There's just too much that time cannot erase."

She remembered everything – the apartment freshly painted in her favourite colour red, his grinning face, then suddenly the furniture everywhere, the laughing, the screaming, and the look on his face before...She shook her head and the images vanished. 'Why did you leave me here?' she wondered, suddenly angry with him. 'I hate you!' But no, that wasn't right, she didn't hate him. She couldn't hate him – it surprised her, actually, how much she loved him. Still, she felt annoyed that he'd gone and she was still here. She didn't much like being alone, especially here of all places – it just wasn't fair! She been able to come back for him, but he hadn't returned for her. Perhaps he stuck there, she thought, or perhaps he doesn't want to come back, or maybe he doesn't love me anymore...?

She'd reached the church by now, and checking to make sure no one had seen her, she went into the graveyard. She walked through the carpet of leaves, looking around her as she went, until she saw them – two small marble headstones. She knelt down in front of them and touched them tenderly.

"When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears,

When you screamed I'd fight away all of your tears,

And I held your hand through all of these years."

She smiled. She remembered everything about him – his bright blue eyes, his long black hair and how it fell over his face, the way he use to kiss her forehead and whisper to her that he loved her, the way he looked at her from the stage as if he was singing only to her; it brought tears to her eyes now, but she let them fall freely. She leaned forward and gently kissed his headstone, then traced her fingers delicately over the inscription, as if she was afraid the stone would break beneath her touch. The wind picked up suddenly and threw leaves into her face. She brushed them aside and looked up, aware that she was no longer alone. A figure was approaching her, and worried that she was about to be accused of trespassing, she got up and started to run towards the iron railings that surrounded the cemetery. But the figure caught her and held her there. She couldn't move, and though she struggled, the figure was just too strong, so she did the only thing she could do: she gathered her breath, ready to scream for help. But the figure silenced her by putting a finger to her lips. 'Sssh,' the figure whispered and pulled her close. She felt the figure leaning close to her ear, and though she was terrified, she heard every word that was whispered in her ear.

"But you still have,

All of me."

She gasped and pulled back. Reaching up, she brushed the figure's hair aside, a moment of confusion and then total understanding. She smiled and embraced the figure warmly, then, leaning close to the figure's ear, she whispered a name, his name, once.

"Eric..."