JUST GOT LINGER ON SUNDAY AND I ALREADY READ IT AND IT WAS *AWESOME*! reading it again just for fun!

disclaimer: don't own shiver or linger or forever or anything of the like. darn.

POV: Isabel

Why? Why did Jack have to die? And at such a young age, too.

It's just not fair.

"Never knew what?" Grace asked.

I didn't answer her, because I had fallen asleep that quickly.

I dreamed about Jack – go figure. It's kind of natural to dream about someone after they're dead, right? I really don't know, but I dreamed about him.

"Isabel," he said to me. "Isabel."

"Jack! Jack!" I ran after his voice, wanting to hold him, and for him to hold me.

"Isabel." He just kept saying my name.

"Jack, where are you?" I called.

Then I saw his eyes, those beautiful hazel eyes. My fingers felt his crisp, dark, curly hair. "Jack." I closed my eyes and leaned into him for protection.

"Isabel, I love you."

I honestly didn't know what to say to that. I just held onto my brother's image tighter and didn't even think about letting go of him.

"Jack… Jack, don't go."

"I won't."

In my dream, we were just there, holding each other. We weren't standing or sitting, we were just floating there.

"I'm sorry, Jack."

"For what?"

"I'm sorry I killed you. Grace just… she just wanted to give Sam the vaccine and I didn't like you as a wolf and… I'm sorry, Jack…"

"It's okay." His hands stroked my hair gently. "It's okay, Isabel."

"Jack…"

"Isabel." His voice started fading. Then, he was gone.

"Jack! I love you!"

I felt myself falling without his arms to hold me up. Just falling, getting closer to a ground that was still invisible to me.

I woke with a start, with tears on my cheeks. How did they get there?

Quickly, I looked around for Grace. She wasn't there, thank god. I wouldn't ever let even my brother see me cry.

The door handle rattled, and I instantly wiped away my tears with the back of my hand. It was just Grace, and no one horrible, like my mother.

"Finally, you're awake," Grace sighed and sat on the foot of my bed.

"Why? What time is it?"

"Almost noon."

"Really?" I squinted at the window with the shades still closed. It didn't seem light enough outside to be midday.

"Yeah. Um… your eyes are red."

Oh crap. "I'm tired," I said quickly. "They get like that when I'm tired."

"Oh. I get it."

I knew the real reason why they were red. They were red because I was crying, but I could tell that Grace knew that it was a lie. She was good at stuff like that.

"Isabel?"

"What?"

"Before you fell asleep again, you said that Jack never knew something."

"Oh, right. That."

"What didn't he know?"

I didn't answer right away. I just looked around the room like I didn't hear her.

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