How It Ended

This is how it ended, the long journey that had harried them all. It ended with a confession…

Rain fell on the sleepy city of New Olympia, patting the roofs of the residential houses and businesses. In a large brownstone dorm, where seven teens lived, a young man of seventeen stared out his bedroom window, sighing. He hated days like this, when there was no way to track Cronus and no way to defeat him. It was one more day to sit rotting in their rooms, and another day Cronus had to plan to take over the world.

Jay sat on his bed cross-legged, looking out his pane as the rain poured down, making intricate patterns as it ran along the glass. He whirled around as footsteps resounded outside his door.

"Hey there Jay!" A tall, cheery girl with long fiery hair and a stunning smile leaned against the frame, grinning at him playfully. "What's up?"

"Nothing," he grumbled, giving her a sour look. She frowned.

"Are you just being a sour-puss because we can't fight Cronus today?"

He shrugged, not wanting to talk. She rolled her eyes. "Jay, you have got to relax. Maybe it's raining for your own good," Theresa suggested, always optimistic. "Maybe it's so you can finally take a break. I know the others are glad."

Rage filled him, and he leapt to his feet, brandishing his sword. "Wow, put that away!" she cried, startled.

"The others don't have the pressure of leading!" he yelled, leaning over her.

She crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Oh yeah? Try being a psychic and having people breathing down your neck and telling you to get better!" she shouted back, knocking his sword out of his hand with an expert kick. He winced and groaned as she caught his wrist and the sword went clattering to the floor.

Theresa growled, "Nice way of spreading the mood." Then she turned and stalked away.

Yeah, yeah

What you got if you ain't got love
The kind that you just want to give away
It's ok to open up
Go ahead and let the light shine through
I know it's hard on a rainy day
You wanna shut the world out and just be left alone
But don't run out on your faith

Jay felt ashamed. She had only tried to be friendly, and he had pushed her away. As usual. But the pressure to save the gods was building, and he couldn't take it. Every time he tried to be a normal guy, something came to remind him he wasn't. Like when he was about to ask Theresa out to dinner, only to have to cancel his plans when Cronus made trouble downtown.

Yet when he thought of how much Theresa meant to him, his fight against the god of time seemed to be less of a big deal. Her smile was enough to light up his world, and her laugh made him want to laugh along. Yet Cronus was always in the way.

Not anymore, Jay decided.

Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
And when you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else seem
So small

He walked out of his room and down the hall towards Theresa's. He peeked around the doorway to see her stretched out on her low bed, hands on her arms as she lay on her belly, staring at the light green walls. Her weapons closet hugged the opposite wall, and her balcony opened up into the driving rain. Her eyes were closed, and she was frowning in concentration.

"You can come in Jay," she said quietly. He jumped, startled. He cleared his throat and tried to collect his thoughts.

"Umm, Theresa, I just wanted to…" he trailed off helplessly. He hoped she wouldn't look at him, or else he would get lost in her big green eyes. But she did, and he prayed he wouldn't choke.

"Uh, umm, I…" he stuttered. "I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for flipping out at you. It was uncalled for. I was just so caught up in worrying about Cronus taking over the world, I forgot about everything else that's important in life, like…"

"Us?"

It was now or never. Yes or no. Tell her how you feel, or push her away forever.

It's so easy to get lost inside
A problem that seems so big at the time
It's like a river that's so wide it swallows you whole
While you're sitting around thinking about what you can't change

And worrying about all the wrong things
Time's flying by, moving so fast
You better make it count cause you can't get it back

"Yeah, like us." He blushed and rubbed his neck uncomfortably. She smiled and got to her feet, walking over to him and taking his hand.

"You wanna go find the others?" she asked casually, trying to make him feel less awkward. He grinned, relieved.

"Yes, yes I would," he replied. He squeezed her hand and smiled at her. Eyes twinkling, she led him downstairs, only to find the living room deserted. Theresa strolled over to the coffee table and picked up a note.

"Gone to the movies with the others," she read, squinting to decipher Archie's scrawl. "We'll be back before supper. Enjoy the dorm. Just don't wreck anything." She laughed at Archie's dry humour. "Ha-ha."

Jay covered his mouth with his hand so she wouldn't see his snicker. Then he went over to the couch and collapsed with arms and legs outstretched.

"So, what are we going to wreck?" he asked cheekily, ducking the pillow Theresa threw at him, grinning.

"I knew you had a fun side!" Theresa exclaimed. "It just needs to come out more!"

He smiled, shrugging. "I always had a fun side. You just didn't know me well enough."

"Oh yeah? What other secrets do you hide beneath that gruff exterior?" she asked jokingly, hands on her hips.

Suddenly Jay looked very serious. He leaned forward, and Theresa glanced at him nervously. "You seem too intense," she pointed out. "Relax."

"You wanted to know my secrets," Jay replied. "Now you will."

"Okay…"

"Well, my deepest secret is…"

"Jay! Stop dragging it out!"

"I love you."

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
Oh, and when you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else seem
So small, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Theresa shot three feet in the air, eyes wide in shock. "Wha…" Then she began to giggle hysterically. "You had me scared," she gasped. "I thought it was something, well, scary!"

She tumbled over to him and fell onto the couch, hugging him around the waist. She glanced up at him, adoration in her gaze. "You're such a teaser, you know. I didn't think you had it in you."

He grinned, and gave her a peck on the cheek. "You know, Tessa," he said, "I've felt as though something was missing in my life. And ever since I've met you, I feel, I don't know…"

"Complete?"

"Yeah, complete. You have an uncanny knack of reading minds."

"It helps when you have a psychic ability, Jay."

"True."

They sat in silence for a few moments, content with simply each other's company. Theresa sighed and shifted, curling up beside him and turning the television on. There was a cartoon movie running, and they both decided to watch.

"Hey Jay, is your name short for anything?" Theresa asked out of the blue. "I'm just curious."

"Nope."

"Hmm, I thought it would be short for Jason or something. That's cool."

"Yeah, my Mom liked short, strong names."

Theresa grinned. "So do I," she said, yawning. She kissed his cheek, and then she laid her head across his lap and closed her eyes, her long wavy hair sprawled across his chest. He touched the place where her kiss still burned, smiling. Then stroked her hair, feeling a bit sleepy himself. Feeling like the luckiest guy in the world, he closed his eyes and lost himself in her hushed, steady breathing. She was his, finally, and not even Cronus could take her away.

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
And then you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Oh, it sure makes everything else seem
So small

Yeah, yeah

A few minutes later he was snoring softly, and that was how the others found them. Jay was sprawled out on the sofa, Theresa's head in his lap, and both of them smiling. Atlanta and Archie exchanged knowing glances, bounding up the stairs to their rooms on silent feet. Herry and Odie headed to the basement to play Odie's video games, and Neil followed after turning off the television and muttering something about taking up the whole couch. And that was how it ended, that day in New Olympia, with a simple confession of love. As the rain pounded against the rooftops, Theresa and Jay's hearts thumped to a similar tune, and that was how it ended.

A/n: This is just a oneshot I made up tonight. Hope it isn't too bad. The song is "So Small" by Carrie Underwood. Please review!