Be impressed.

Ok, warnings, there is some serious spoilers for those who are yet to read Linger, so please read that first! By the way, did anyone not cry in that book? I never do but I cried my way through the last few chapters T_T Aside from that, I hope you enjoy!

I don't own Linger, Maggie Stiefvater does. Nor do I own the song... I don't know the writer but it is from Tsubasa Chronicles. I suggest playing the song from Youtube while reading this.

Kiss me sweet

I'm sleeping in silence

All alone

In ice and snow

Sam was in Beck's house, sitting in his old room folding a crane out of Cole's original brainstorm of the disease, his fingers deftly folding the napkin into an imperfect square. Imperfect. Nothing could have described his feelings better then that one word, now that Grace was gone. No, not gone, Sam thought determinedly. Gone means never coming back. Grace will be back.

Looking out his window, Sam stared out as the nights wind picked up. Grace was out there somewhere, hidden in the thick of the forest, alone with nothing but the howling wind for company. Or would the wolves be with her, there to welcome her as one of their own? As pack? But Sam could not think of Grace as anything other then the girl who, once so lively, now seemed so frail. Lost in the snows icy remains.

In my dream

I'm calling your name

You are my love

Isabel was the one who found Grace. It seemed that in spite of the icy gale, Grace had reverted back to her human self, though she did not wake. She had been found near Victor's grave, a shivering mess of skin, earth, snow and blood; even unconscious she continued to bleed from her nose and mouth. Though her eyes were yet to open, Sam thought that she was no longer knocked out from the fever and cold, but was asleep instead.

"S… Sam…"

Sam's neck cracked as he turned to face Grace, tearing napkin-crane as he did so.

"Sa…m … whe…r … lo…"

Tear drops joined the rip in the cranes wing. She wasn't awake.

She was delirious.

In your eyes

I search for my memory

Lost in vain

So far in the scenery

Hold me tight,

And swear again and again

We'll never be apart

Cole was outside, trying to lure Grace back towards the house, towards Sam. She had shifted, from nothing more than Sam placing a cold flannel over her forehead, showing just how unstable her condition was. Sam had been too shocked by her sudden shift from skin to fur to do anything other then let her pass, but it wasn't the shift itself that shocked him.

It was Grace's eyes that stared at him, though they held no love, or recognition, at the sight of him. They were void of all except the fear of the enclosed space.

When Cole had finally coaxed Grace towards the heat of the house, she turned once more to skin and Sam carried her back to his room. He moved carefully around the wrecked room, but he couldn't avoid the remains of the cranes that littered the floor. Sam slowly climbed into the bed next to Grace, careful not to jostle her has he held her tightly, his tears mixing with Grace's, as she stared almost blankly back at him.

If you could touch my feathers softly

I'll give you my love

We set sail in the darkness of the night

Out to the sea

To find me there

To find you there

Love me now

If you dare...

Grace was there. For once, in every sense of the word, she was there and Sam had never been more grateful. After a month of unstable shifting, Grace had never retained any kind of clear awareness afterwards for more then a few minutes and now she had been awake and in her own mind for over an hour. His only regret was that she had come to herself at eleven, just before midnight, and he could hardly keep his eyes open. But he couldn't bring himself to close them, just in case this was the last time Grace was Grace for such a time.

Eventually, Grace quietly suggested dimming the light and going to sleep, though Sam thought that while she was saying it for him, she was also losing what little energy she had regained.

"I'll be here tomorrow."

Sam just stared at her, confused.

"Tomorrow, I'll be here."

"Tomorrow," Said Sam. He didn't ask how she knew, but he clung to that word. Tomorrow.

"I love you."

Kiss me sweet

I'm sleeping in sorrow

All alone

To see you tomorrow

"I love you." My lovely summer girl.

In my dream

I'm calling your name

You are my love...

My love...

So, how was that? Please read and review to let me know! Things were spaced better, but FF doesn't like me at the moment .

Lady of Elysion