You Always Had Me

It's funny what time does to people. Time pushes people apart, and together. It changes people, for good, and for bad. It's a gap, allowing us to find out who we really need, and who we don't. It heals wounds, or tears them open. We lose track of time, and sometimes don't value it enough. Time is limited as it is endless. Your time might run out suddenly, leaving you looking at what you have, and have not done. Letting there be regrets and gratitude.

Sometimes it's not your time that runs out, rather someone else's, that's makes you look and rethink life. Or take a trip down memory lane, with them, one last time.

Many years ago, Gil and Liz were kids, running around in the woods, new countries, and soon to be new friends. Gil was a knight and Liz a small time soldier, he was stronger, and older. They got along well, both having a love of the woods a nature. It was easy for them to waste an entire day in the woods, chasing animals, hunting, and messing around with each other.

One day the two were walking, tired from a long day of hunting. They were arguing over why no game was found.

"You're way too loud!" Eliza growled at him

"Dude, no way, I am not that loud!" he argued back, at this time, still thinking she was a guy.

The argument went on and on was they walked out of the woods, until he stopped "I hear something…"

Liz glared "Yourself walking no doubt, I bet its echoing."

He ignored that, listening harder. From the woods behind them a masked rider came charging out, and grabbed Liz off the ground, riding off.

Gil ran after, screaming his head off. Their horses were near, picketed there since morning. He swung onto his and went charging after. Liz as busy trying to get free herself.

With the combined efforts, Gil gained ground and Liz managed to not be knocked out and slow the man down. Finally, Gil got close enough to yell "Jump!"

With not much time for thinking, Liz jumped, Gil leaned over in his saddle, grabbed her, threw on behind him, and went racing in the other direction.

He laughed "You jumped!"

She clung to him as they went flying back to the woods. "I didn't have much choice…"

"You could've rationally thought about jumping from one horse to another at a gallop."

She scowled "If I did we wouldn't be riding away."

He halted back by the other horse and Li got off, getting on her own, then the two of them starting to walk home. Quietly, she muttered "Thanks."

He looked ahead and answered "That's what friends do. You'll always have me when you need me."

Years later, he had a major crush on her. Of course, he never told her directly. The way they acted wouldn't allow him to. It would look like he was joking and it would anger her. He was brave, but he wasn't even sure if he had the courage to tell her about his love.

It seemed like that wasn't going to be very important anyway, because she had found something else much better than he loud brutish friend. A new man, named Roderich.

They had been fighting, Gil and Roderich one night, they always fought, the two never saw eye to eye on anything.

Liz had gotten sick of hearing the two of the fight and had gone inside, and actually fell asleep, the oil lamp still burning.

"Go away! No one likes you!" Gil spat at the man

Roderich glared at him fiercely, arms crossed. "Dear Elizaveta likes me. I'm sorry Gil, it seems she no longer wants a boy, but rather a man."

Gil scowled "You're no more a man than my little brother. You're a silver spoon spoiled prick!"

Their argument raged on, the main point being who Eliza chose. She had ignored him, shoved him away, spent every moment with Roderich. She blew him off, they didn't do anything together anymore. He was nearly invisible to her, and he hated it. He hated Roderich for it.

While they argued and she slept, the oil lamp inside caught on fire, it burned the papers on the table, and soon the table and all near it was aflame, blocking the door off.

Roderich and Gil both smelled the smoke and froze, the two shut up and went their own ways. Roderich to get water, and Gil to the door. He threw it open, letting more air into the house, letting the fire get bigger. He screamed through the flames and smoke. "LIZ?!"

She coughed, stuck in the corner as everything near burned. He swore and shut the door, dashing to the only window on the small place. He looked for a rock, finding none, punched it hard enough to shatter the glass. He exploded through the window and landing inside on the floor. Jumping to his feet he coughed and looked through the flame and smoke, walking the best route to her.

He was bleeding from the glass, and his eyes stung, his skin burned.

Eliza screamed and he ran closer, without speaking, grabbed her in both arms, bridal style. He ran through flames to the door, kicking it open, and running out of the house, collapsing maybe twenty feet from the burning house, coughing hard and groaning.

Liz sat up, looking down at Gil then around for Roderich, who was not in sight. By the time he made it back, the house was gone.

Gil looked at the sky and sighed "Let's not do that again."

She laughed softly, taking his hand and pulling glass from it.

"Thank you…Gil." She said softly

He smiled softly "Of course. That's what friends do. You'll always have me when you need me."

It hurt him a bit, to see she didn't say anything. She didn't say anything about loving him, needing him. And when Roderich came running with water, she stood and ran to him, leaving Gil only half fixed, laying alone under the stars.

He might have been the braver more heroic one. But he was not good enough, so it seemed. Roderich had replaced him.

A few years after that, he sat in a church in a suit, front row, waiting for the music to play. He was at Eliza and Roderich's wedding.

He didn't come to object, no, he came because she had asked. She needed her friend there. He was livid. The nerve she had to ask him that.

He went to her house. He had told her about his love for her.

Then she blinked and showed him the ring. Closing the door in his face.

Few weeks later he was asked to come. He couldn't believe he did, sitting there in the pew.

The doors opened and she walked down the aisle, to take the hand of a man he hated.

And he sat there, through the entire ceremony, quiet. Watching the girl he loved get married to another man.

When the priest asked if anyone objected, he felt Liz look to him. He saw Roderich tense. He felt a scream build in his throat.

But there was silence. The ceremony moved on.

He watched Liz be kissed by Roderich. By her husband. Tears stung his eyes, his throat was choked up.

When the happy couple exited, he bolted out the door. In a few days he got a letter from her, simply thanking him.

He didn't answer her. Not for many years. They didn't speak, he tried to make himself hate her, but he couldn't.

He finally sat down one day, took the letter, stuck it in an envelope and sent it to her, with a tiny note reading "That's what friends do. You'll always have me when you need me."

He eventually heard she had divorced Roderich. He wanted to give her a big 'I told you so'

He never did. He tried to visit her, check and see if she was ok, but cold heartedly, she ignored him. He never understood why.

She had a reason. She didn't want to see him, because if she did, she'd fall in love with him, and she just couldn't.

So again, the two didn't talk. The World Wars came, and during the second, she revolted under the Nazi rule.

Gil went to destroy the rebellion. He was after all, the Lord of War. He wouldn't stand for such rioting.

He did destroy the entire revolt, but he was missing the leader. Eliza.

He went on to look alone, going to where he knew she would be. The woods.

It didn't take him long to find her. He smiled up into the trees, black Nazi uniform blending into the black forest.

"I found you."

There was a soft thunk, and a tired and beaten Liz looked at him. "You still walk really loud." She muttered.

He laughed, leaning against the tree. He had no intent of following his orders. He was supposed to kill her. He wouldn't.

"Well…your brother wants me dead…right?" she asked, so tiredly, it broke his heart.

The war was destroying them all, he could tell she had no fight left. His crazy, wild, fire filled girl, had no fight left.

"Yes, he does."

There was silence "So…now what?'

He walked over, grabbing her tightly. "Pay me one thing."

Her green eyes looked frightened, staring up into his bloody red ones. "W-what?"

"Don't hit me." He said, leaning down and kissing her. It was soft, quick, it didn't hold the passion he felt, the power. He didn't have time for that and she didn't have the energy for it.

He smiled in the dark, hand on her cheek "Thanks."

She looked at the ground "You didn't kill me…" her mind was stuck on that.

"No, I didn't. You don't need to die."

She hugged him tightly, crying into his chest. He held her close, lightly patting her back.

"G-Gil…h-he won't like that…"

"I know." He replied calmly

"W-Why help me…."

He smiled softly, muttering "That's what friends do. You'll always have me when you need me."

She looked at him "You say that a lot…"

He shrugged, going to say something else before his radio went haywire. "I need to go."

He ran off, and she didn't see him the rest of the war.

Actually, she didn't see him until 1947. She tried calling and looking, but he was un-findable, until he called her, giving her a place to meet him.

She got there quickly. It was a field, like the ones they would play in when they were just kids.

She saw him walking over to him. He was weak and tired looking. He looked really bad, like he could barely stand.

Hugging him tight, a million things flooded her mind. He simply said "I'm dissolved."

His hot tear his her, and she looked up at him, her eyes flooding in tears "N-no…"

He nodded, holding her close.

She sobbed. How could he be dissolved now! Not when the war was over and they finally got over themselves…they could finally have been together…

"B-but I want you…I n-need you Gilly…"

He smiled weakly "You always had me…you always will…" his voice was getting weaker. He was becoming hard to hold, see through. "I….I love you…."

She was hugging herself now. He was gone. Just gone.

How true was it…she always had him. How could she have been so stupid! Their entire life, he was loyally there…and if he wasn't, it was her fault. She shoved him away, and he always came back…he had always loved her, and she had been too stupid to see. That stupid, arrogant, pompous ass that she called friend…was no more. She would never hold him, be with him, have him…

On the ground was his cross necklace. She sunk to her knees, and with a shaking hand took it, slipping it on. The chain was long enough so the cross hung near her heart.

It was comforting, the slightest bit. He would really always be there when she needed him. He always was…he always would be.

It didn't matter that at some point in time they didn't talk. It didn't matter that at some point they tried hating each other. They had both learned in that time, they needed and loved each other. Time had taught them that.

Without either of the knowing, their time together was running out. He didn't know he was dying. She didn't know a part of her would die either.

She never knew how much his company meant to her, until now. She took his stupid lines for granted. She would learn from this…from her loss. Time would heal this wound.

But it would take a very long time until that happened.

Until that time, she would look at that cross and remember his final words.

"You always had me…you always will…I….I love you…."

Thoughts?

Anyone crying?