DISCLAIMER: These characters do not belong to me. I wish to have had the brilliant idea myself, but no such luck. They belong to their creators and that will never change. I'm just borrowing them, since they have started to gather dust, however they will be returned. Suing me for this bit is a waist of time. I am a struggling student trying to get into college.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is not my first written story, but it is one of the first ones I post. Don't be afraid to flame or correct me if you find it necessary, because I haven't watched all episodes ( I live in Brazil and they didn't rerun after the show was over./ Peguei o bonde andando) and my first language is not English.


SMILE BEFORE THIS IS OVER

By BloodyMary

No...

Never in a million years could I have imagined that things would have ended like this...

So suddenly...

So...

Normally...

So...

He was...

Could it be that he was...

Dead.

She felt tears running down her cheeks before she ever realized she was crying. For reasons beyond understanding, the sounds surrounding her before, dissipated in the air. Nothing moved, no one breathed. She stared into nothingness willing her lungs to work, to inhale... But they wouldn't. Like someone who had their chests constricted with a blow, the air had all but rushed out of her, and none seemed to come back in. The lack of oxygen started to affect her mind, which became fuzzy around the edges. Her legs betrayed her in a way they had never done before, and she found herself falling, felt her knees hitting the ground. Strong, yet quivering arms embraced her from behind, and for a moment she allowed herself to believe that it was his arms comforting her...

But even the most elaborate illusion, those we create to trick ourselves in believing all's well, must come, eventually, to an end. After all, how could he be the one there next to her, if he was... Dead. Yes, dead. She hated how final that was, how permanent that word sounded. Before, when months would pass and they had no word from him, she always took comfort in the knowledge that eventually he would call, send in a clue, taunt them to catch him, and never allow himself to get caught. She might not have seen him, but she'd know he would've always been there, an arms length away.

But not anymore. He was never again going to call at the wee hours of the morning just to talk about everything and nothing at all. No more clues to the past, hidden DSA's or elaborate ways to taunt them, and her especially, worsening the ulcer that refused to leave. And worst of it all, he would never have the chance to reunite his family, to discover all the wonder of the world he was kept from while growing up. Never again would he eat his so beloved PEZ again, see a stunning sunset, her a child's laughter... She felt like it was over.

And she was right. The end of an era came with his death. The life she'd been living for the past five years was over. And she had no idea what to do with her life from now on. She was not even sure she wanted to go on. After all, what else was there? A job at Corporate? An opportunity to play minion to that walking emphysema that called himself human? I don't think so...

She heard a voice break through the cloud that seemed to surround her before. It repeated her name over and over again, trying to get her to respond. And even though she wanted to answer it, she found herself unable to.

Parker, Parker, Parker...


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