Mara woke up Saturday morning with the headache of a lifetime- so bad in fact that she wondered if she was perhaps hung over. But after a few moments thought, she realised how illogical she was being; this was Mara, she didn't drink. Besides, she had no reason to 'drown her sorrows' as they say. Nevertheless, the constant thud thud thudding inside her temples was a little disorientating, so she pulled herself out of bed to head downstairs in search of a Paracetamol to ease the pain. As she strolled into the dining room, she was greeted with the sight of an assortment of her housemates sat around the table tucking into their breakfasts. As soon as they caught sight of Mara however, they immediately ignored their previous actions to give her their whole hearted attention. How odd, Mara thought.

"Good morning" Mara cheerfully beckoned them, receiving a mixture of expressions and grunts as they carried on their dreary conversations. They must have been awfully tired that morning, but it was Monday and this was early for them she reasoned. As she scanned around the weirdly remorseful faces of her friends, she noticed one particular shining smile missing.

"Has anyone seen Jerome?" she questioned, hoping to catch up with him.

Her house mates shared startled looks as if their faces would snap under the tension and silence resigned around the table; only Alfie attempted to respond to her question but was immediately cut short by a stern look from Fabian. As if in attempt to conceal their brief disconcert, Fabian cleared his throat before flashing Mara a quick, forced and fake smile and finally replied by asking if Mara was 'feeling alright', whatever that meant.

It's not like she was particularly concerned by their secretive behaviour-she was used to them going off for hours at a time with a half-hearted explanation that never really felt sufficient. She recalled Jerome once referring to them as 'the Scooby gang'. Not fazed by this most recent instalment in their enigmatic story, she simply shook her head before heading out of the door in search of him herself.

"Jaffray"

Just that one word sent a waterfall of shivers cascading down her spine, of course it was his voice that had this effect on her.

"Where have you been? No one seemed to know, or want to tell me" she puzzled. She took in his tall, lean form and had to control herself from launching into his arms to smell his strawberry scent which his hair always carried and feel his strong arms around her. But sometimes, Mara liked to hold off to ensure that she wasn't being that clingy, needy girlfriend that she never wanted to become. So instead she settled for walking alongside him, on a familiar path she'd grown accustomed to walking with Jerome since they began dating and walked to the school building together.

"Oh, you know me. Sometimes just need a little walk to clear my head" his mischievous grin glinted down at her that made Mara's heart melt.

"So, what's going on with the Scooby gang? They were acting so strange this morning at breakfast when I only asked if anybody had seen you" her eyebrows burrowed in confusion.

"Oh, Mara. My sweet, sweet Mara…" he responded bemusedly, wearing that smug expression he liked to portray when Mara felt patronized by his words. This was how their little 'debates' always started; he'd make an offhand remark suggesting he knew something that she didn't and he'd endlessly tease her about it until she figured it out. It drove her crazy. But she also loved him for it.

"Jerome…"

Sitting down at the desk in their history classroom, Mara was still awfully unsettled by the watchful looks she was receiving by the usual lot: Fabian, Nina, Patricia, Alfie, and even Amber seemed to be focusing on something other than her nails for once. As usual, Mara and Jerome were the first to sit down in their usual desk at the front of the classroom. So naturally, all the other members of Anubis had to walk past Mara to reach their usual desk and every single one of them greeted Mara, but never once did anyone ever say a hello to Jerome.

"Why are they ignoring you? Did you do something to offend them all?" Mara scolded him, knowing what her boyfriend was capable of.

"Ignore them, it's nothing love" he smiled down at her and she loved it. It wasn't one of his mocking, immature grins that he wore around the others but his beaming, sincere smile reserved only for her.

Jerome was hers, and no one else's.

"Hey Mara" Amber smiled a little belittling at Mara, tilting her head as if in concern. Now this was really bugging Mara- just what was the problem with people today?

"Why are you all ignoring Jerome? What's he done wrong?" Mara burst with her qualms, still trying to grasp why her house mates, and friends, could be so cold. She turned around to the living room entrance in which she'd just walked through with Jerome at her side, only to find he'd disappeared. It wasn't surprising in all honesty, considering the treatment he'd been receiving from their rather rude friends. Maybe he'd been good at concealing his inner hurt and had been more affected than he let on and could not simply stand to bear being in the same room with them anymore. This all did seem a little dramatic for Jerome, appropriate for Amber maybe, but it would explain his absence.

"Oh…he must have gone to his room"

Once again, worried glances were shared throughout the room now containing Fabian, Amber, Nina, Alfie and Patricia. And then out of nowhere, Amber completely dissolved into floods of tears.

"Amber? What's wrong?" Mara's anger melted into concern.

"Oh Fabian, I just can't do it. I know you said that we need to ignore it, but just listen to her" she whimpered, clutching her hands to her mouth as soon as the words were free to hang in the air. She said it in such a not Amber fashion it made Mara fear for the cause of these tears.

"Fabian, she's right. We can't just let her carry on like this. It's not good for her…" Patricia intervened, looking desperately between the two.

"Her? You mean me? Can we please stop talking about me like I'm not in the room?" Mara cried exasperatedly and for some reason, she could feel herself working up into the same state as Amber.

"It's too hard, I don't think I can bear to listen to her for much longer" Amber clutched at her heart as if she was trying to protect it and gave a fleeting glance in Mara's direction, as if just looking at her caused her some sort of heartache.

"Excuse me? Can somebody please tell me what's going on here?!" she cried, her anger building and building until she felt like a kettle ready to boil. She wouldn't be surprised if her ears began to emit smoke like one of those silly cartoons soon.

"Mara…please, don't make this harder for us" Fabian began in such a painfully soft manner that it broke Mara's heart just to hear it. With every step he took towards her, Mara retreated one back. She didn't like this, no she didn't like this at all. Jerome would know what to do. Jerome would make this better.

"Stop, what do you mean? Just stop! Jerome? Jerome!" she cried, now desperate to cling onto some sort of sanity, something that might still make sense.

"Oh Mara, oh god. Just tell her, Fabian" Amber's tears collided against her cheeks as she struggled to regain composure. Mara could feel her own eyes fill with tears of fright and confusion.

"Tell me what?!"

"Mara…Jerome's not here" Fabian gulped, trying to find the right expression to explain what was so difficult and unexplainable. He hoped, oh how he hoped that she'd realise before he had to make her realise.

It was too much, everyone was closing in on her and Mara was struggling to take one calm breathe after another. She didn't understand, she couldn't understand.

"What do you mean he's not here? I'm sure he's in the other room, if you ju-

"No, Mara. Jerome's gone" Fabian had to close his eyes in angst as he knew if he took one glance into Mara's grief struck eyes, he would collapse into the same stance as Amber.

"No, no. What are you saying? Stop it" Mara collapsed onto the floor, sobs escaping her mouth as she clutched at her heart to stop the pain, the hurt.

"Just remember Mara, please"

…

"So, we'll begin the chemotherapy on Monday. But its good news that we've caught it fairly early on, we're very hopeful for your case Jerome"

And it was okay, they would get through it together. Mara and Jerome, Jerome and Mara. Mara just knew that the days would surely get better and everything would be okay.

"You sure you don't want me to stay with you?"

"I'm positive, you go and enjoy yourself Jaffray. I'm just a little tired, don't let a dying man get you down" he winked at her and although she didn't approve of his humour, he wouldn't be Jerome if he wasn't making light of the whole situation. And he was still Jerome for now.

"Mara…were you…watching me…sleep?" Jerome questioned lazily, still half in the land of peace and rest.

"Maybe…" she smiled down at his young form. Leaning down and placing a chaste kiss on his forehead, she smoothed down his hair and just stayed and watched. Sometimes, she just had to check he was still breathing. Sometimes, it was all she could do to keep herself from not wanting to breathe anymore.

"Mara, Mara, Mara. This is such a good day, this is the best, perfect, ever day" he grinned at her delicate form, before twirling her around and around. She giggled at his care free tone, one she'd missed and longed for. He was better, he was definitely better.

"Here's to many more to come my gorgeous, perfect, wonderful boyfriend" she giggled and grinned as they danced round and around out around the trees. It was the first time in months that she genuinely believed the reassuring comments she comforted him with. The first time she knew that he'd make it through.

"I'm sorry…the treatment didn't work. The tumour has grown back. I'm so, so sorry"

And for the first and only time in her life, Mara held Jerome as he cried in her arms.

"I'll always love you Mara, remember that? You're my everything" his eyes that used to sparkle now seemed dull, and lifeless. But he was still here, and Mara would cling to that until the day that it was all over.

"Don't say that Jerome, don't you ever make a goodbye speech again" she pretended to hit him playfully on the shoulder, attempting to regain the light hearted humour their conversations used to hold.

He winced in mock of her actions, gracing her with one of his Jerome smiles.

His Jerome smiles were rare these days.

"No, no, no, no. Jerome, my perfect, stupid Jerome. Wake up, come on, for me baby, please wake up and we can scam somebody together and go visit Poppy and your Dad and play chess and cuddle up by the fire. But only if you wake up baby, please, please, please"

Amber felt Nina reach for her hand as they watched Mara cling to the limp, pale body of one of their closest, oldest friends.

Uncomfortably, Mara's house mates stood around the living room in stock silence. That was all they could do as they watched Mara scream until her lungs sounded bare and her eyes cascaded tear after tear to add to her never ending sob. Only when she finally collapsed onto the floor, her energy wasted and her damaged vocal chords forcing her into silence as she stared at emptiness did Amber, Patricia and Nina attempt to carry her up to her room. They didn't expect her to get much sleep.

"He's…he's gone" she whispered to nobody, one tear dancing down her cheek. But she'd seen him, she knew that she had. He'd been with her this morn-oh. Oh.

"Mara, I am so, so sorry" Amber cried running over to hug the small, delicate form of Mara. Mara couldn't return the hug, she didn't want to. That would be admitting that she was right, that he was gone.

Her Jerome; her gorgeous, handsome, charismatic, caring, compassionate, clever Jerome.

He was her one and only love.

And once again, her friends had to watch as she cried herself into exhaustion, wondering what the next morning would bring.