Breathing, an in a heartbeat fanfic

Disclaimer: Not mine, all Disney's! WOO HOO! I'm finished with my entire Song Title quartet! Anyway, I hope you liked reading it as much as I did writing it, and don't worry, I shall have my next story, "A Mother's Pray", out soon! *grin* Anyway, this story is also a tribute to some of my favorite authors, like "Here With Me" was--Arcadia, author of the excellent "Ode To Jamie and Caitie" and "Just One of Those Days" and sunderlandprincess, the genius behind "Open Arms". (I actually quite writing this story today to go back and read chapter five of Open Arms, I liked it SO MUCH...*grin*) Anyway, I hope you liked this series, and with out further ado...

Breathing

Jamie Waite walked down the gray sidewalk, the full moon illuminating his way almost like it was day. The silvery-blue light sparkled down around him, adding it's tint to everything it touched. A million stars hung in the midnight sky, like diamonds on a velvet dress. A gentle breeze blew through the trees, and Jamie shivered just a bit in the chill of the early spring night air.

The young man had just gotten off of work, and, unfortunately, had to walk home. His bike was currently back at his house, waiting patiently for him to have the time and the incentive to fix the brakes, and until he got those requirements, he was stuck using his feet.

Actually, he didn't really mind the walk. It was only about a half of mile from his station to his house, so it normally took him about fifteen minutes, if he wasn't in a rush. And right now, he really wasn't in a hurry.

There was something seductive about a spring night, Jamie mused to himself, shoving his hands in his pockets. The way the wind blew, the quiet that filled the air, the scent of the new flowers and planets, the solitude...all this mixed together in a refreshing break from the hustle and bustle of being an EMT.

Jamie shook his head, trying to shake the sound of the roaring siren out of his mind. However, the image of the bleeding four year old girl the squad had taken in refused to leave his mind, and the young man sighed, running his fingers through his dark hair.

That was one of the only problems he had with being an EMT, he reflected. He could handle all the blood and pain and misery--except in young girls. For some reason, he was always reminded of his beloved little sisters whenever he saw a little girl in pain, and how it could easily have been Crimson, or Jazz, or Sami, or Molly.

Jamie shied away from those thoughts, continuing his walk down the sidewalk, quickening his pace almost unconsciously. For some reason, some since of dread had filled him, telling him that someone he loved was in pain, and he wanted to get home quick to check on his little sisters...just to make sure.

I'm finding my way back to sanity again
Though I don't really know what I'm gonna do when I get there
I take a breath and hold on tight
Spin around one more time
And gracefully fall back to the arms of grace

Catie Roth walked through the cool night air, he bare feet slapping against the cement. She shivered in her tank top and shorts, wishing that she had had the presence of mind to grab a coat before she stormed out of her parent's house.

Her parent's house--that place would never be her home. It would always just be the place she lived, until she was old enough and/or had the money to move out on her own.

The dark haired girl shook her head, trying to clear the sounds of her father's screams from her mind, and her mother's dark looks. Catie sniffed softly, a tear she wasn't even aware of rolling down her cheek.

It wasn't fair. Why was she the one her parents chose to take their temper out on? She never saw Brittany, or Dustin, or one of the twins getting yelled at the way she was. So what if she was different? That didn't mean she should have to be the scapegoat all the time.

Reaching up to rub at her cheek, her fingers came away wet, and Catie blinked in surprise. She hadn't even been aware of the fact that she was crying. Rubbing her cheeks with the palm of her hand, she tried to dry them, but to no avail.

A choked sob rose in her throat, but she beat it back, crossing her arms over her chest and quivering in the suddenly colder night air. Her heart hurt so badly right now, she found herself wishing that it would just...stop.

That pulled her up short, and the girl hugged herself tighter, a pebble biting into her bare feet. Her knees went weak, and she knew that she had to sit down before she fell down. Carefully, she moved to the edge of the sidewalk, sinking down on the edge of the sidewalk and road.

Catie pulled her legs up to her chin, and wrapped her arms around them, trying to keep warm. The chilly wind blew right through her thin tee shirt and shorts, and she shivered again. Sure it was cold, but it was warmer out here then at home, she knew.

And there, in the cold street, in the middle of the night, with no one else around to hear her, Catie Roth let down her walls...and cried.

Cause I am hanging on every word you're saying
Even if you don't wanna speak tonight
That's alright, alright with me
Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside heaven's door
And listen to you breathing
Its where I wanna be, yeah
Where I wanna be

Jamie hurried down Oak street, his boots slapping against the cement of the sidewalk in a steady cadence. As he walked, he tried to calm himself down.

'You're being ridiculous. The girl's are fine...if something had happened, Mere would have called you, or Jazz or Crimson would have. Nothing is wrong at home, your just being paranoid because of that little girl.'

This did not slow Jamie down, and the young man continued to make his way down the street, his hands still shoved in his pockets.

So intent was he on getting home to check on his family, that he almost missed the huddled lump that sat on the other side of the street from him, rocking slightly. However, a soft sob caught at his ears, and the young man stopped, turning his head this way and that, trying to find the source of the cry.

His eyes, long since adjusted to the funny light of the moon, landed on a small body curled up on the other side of the road. His natural instincts, along with the ones he had gained during his stint as an EMT, took over, and the young man walked across the street slowly, so as not to scare the person.

When he was about five feet from her--because at this distance, he could tell that it was a girl--and cleared his throat, in an attempt to get her attention. The blue light of the moon danced around her ebony black hair, which swung back out of her face when she looked up, her wide hazel eyes glimmering with tears.

Jamie's heart jumped in his chest, and he had to fight the sudden urge to sweep her up in his arms and hold her for the rest of her life.

Catie, for her part, had to fight the desire to throw herself at him, and hold on until the stars burned out of the sky.

I'm looking past the shadows in my mind into the truth
And I'm trying to identify the voices in my head
God wish won't you
Let me feel one more time what if feels like to feel
And break these calluses off me one more time

"Jamie?" Catie was the first to speak.

"Catie?" He asked in surprise. She looked up into his face, another tear trickling down her cheek. Hurriedly, so Jamie wouldn't see it, she brushed it away, but she wasn't quite quick enough. Jamie's heart lurched, and he sat down beside her, close enough so that his arm was just brushing hers.

"What are you doing out here, Cait?" Jamie asked, threading his hands together to keep them from reaching out and brushing the shiny hair away from Catie's face and wipe off the tears.

She was silent for awhile, looking up at stars with a faraway looked on her face.

"Don't you wish you could fly to the stars, Jamie?" Her question caught him completely off guard, and he looked at her in confusion, his eyebrows knitting together.

"What?" Was his intelligent reply.

"I do. Sometimes I wish I could just fly away from this place, this planet, and get lost in the stars." Catie continued, her tone dreamy and even more faraway then it had been before. Jamie, worried, reached out to touch her hand gently.

Cause I am hanging on every word you're saying
Even if you don't wanna speak tonight
That's alright, alright with me
Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside of your door
And listen to you breathing
Its where I wanna be, yeah

The contact sent a chill up both their spines, and Jamie yanked his hand back, as though he had been burned. Swallowing hard, he ran his hand through his hair, and opened his mouth to answer her question from before.

"Yeah."

"Yeah what?" Catie asked, looking at him in confusion. Jamie let a small smile touch his face, as he clasped his hands in front of him again.

"Yeah, sometimes I wish I could get away from here."

"Just sometimes?" Catie asked.

"Yeah. Then, when I'm with my sisters, or my mom, or my friends, or you, there's no where else in the universe that I would rather be." Jamie told her, looking over at her with his deep brown eyes. Catie looked back, and caught her bottom lip in between her teeth.

"Really?" She finally asked, her fingers moving toward his clasped hands on their own accord. Carefully, delicately, they reached out to touch the back of his hand, the tips of her fingers gently caressing his knuckles in the barest hint of a touch. She heard him let out a shuddering breath, and she turned her eyes from their hands to his.

The dark depths of his eyes burned with something she couldn't quite name, and her heart began to thud in her chest.

"Really." His voice was a choked whispered, and Catie let a small smile touch her tear soaked face.

Oh i don't want a thing from you
Bet you're tired of me waiting for
The scraps to fall off of your table to the ground
La da da da...
Cause i just wanna be here now

Very slowly, Jamie turned his hand over and caught hers, threading his fingers through hers. A small smile touch his face as well, and Catie let hers grow. However, the chill of the wind got a hold of her at that point, and she shivered, cursing the cold wind for breaking the perfect moment.

Jamie noticed, and slipped his hand out of hers, and shrugged his black leather jacket off of his shoulders. Carefully, he wrapped it around her body, smiling softly at the way it hung off of her much tinier frame.

He had to fight the urge to keep his arm around her shoulder, and let his arm drop to his side. However, to his surprise, Catie reached out and took his hand again, slipping her small hand into his much larger one. He looked down at her, and smiled again, and she smiled back, the starlight making her eyes gleam, even though her tears had stopped.

"My parents." Catie told him softly, not breaking eye contact.

"What happened?" Jamie sucked in a breath, and squeezed her hand reassuringly. Catie sniffed, and broke their gaze for a second, before looking back.

"I'm not the perfect blonde cheerleader that they wanted for a daughter." She told him, a bitter smile touching her lips.

Jamie blinked, and reached out with his other hand, and brushed a lock of her silky black hair back away from her face. The silky strands clung to his fingers softly as he tucked the majority of the hair behind her ear.

"I don't know about blonde cheerleader, but I think your pretty perfect." Jamie told her, and then winced at how corny he sounded. "That was corny."

"Yeah, it was." Catie giggled, her hazel eyes laughing. But then her laughter died, and she studied his face carefully. "But...thank you."

Jamie flashed her his lightening smile, and looked down at the ground for a minute. "No problem."

"Jamie." Catie whispered, making his look up, his eyes wondering. The girl steeled herself, and took a deep breath, before leaning forward.

Half way to her destination, Jamie must have realized what she intended to do, because his lips met her halfway, in a soft kiss. He leaned forward and she did too, deepening the gentle kiss into something hotter, deeper.

The stars seemed to shine brighter as they lost themselves in each other, Jamie dropping her hand to wrap both of his arms around her waist. Catie's arms found there way around his neck, as they pulled on another closer, trying to get even closer then close.

When the fire finally cooled, and the need for air overtook them both, they separated, looking at each other in surprise.

"I..." Jamie started, and Catie lifted a hand to his lips, a small smile pulling at her face.

"I know."

Slowly, she leaned her head in, pressing her lips against his again, the fire of the kiss warming her to her very toes. Jamie responded in kind, as the stars looked down from above.