Midpoint
Hey, so like I said; I would try and update today! Tadah! :) I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone that reviewed, I saw the reviews this morning and just smiled so much, and then started writing immediately! Thanks again to everyone that reviewed and read! I know you're out there my silent readers and I appreciate you all too!
Review Replies:
Breezy Fan (Lisa) – Haha, wow! AWWW YEAH! Thanks, I actually thought that my last chapter was a good one, haha I liked your action chapter! Mine couldn't own that! :D Awww thank you! QOMF! Hee! Okay, your review made my day! Thank you so much POMF! :D
HopelessRomantic1994 (Jade) – Awww thank you so much! Hee! :)
Oryt (Myers) – Haha okay your review seriously made me laugh! I couldn't put them in a fancy building, that would be to obvious ;) Ha! Mal's my babe! Awww sorry I made you cry! My bad... and ouch, that must have hurt. Haha wow okay then! QOGCoDF... boom. Haha indeed they do! Haha... maybe I shouldn't tell you then! Don't want you killing yourself here ;D Haha it's fine! Thanks again! (Is your PM working?)
Sierralim91 - Aww wow, just as I finished writing this chapter I got your review XD Thank you so much! You have no idea how much that means to me, I've never been told that I have brilliant ideas and plots or that I cankeep the pace nice! Your review honestly MADE MY DAY! :D Thank you!
PhoebePhorever (Phoebe) – Hee! Thank you! Hahaha, that's brilliant! XD Awww wow, thank you and I'm so glad you loved it! Pro... never been called that before! :DDDD Well Jel ;) Awww no problem! :) You seem super nice!
Natara William's POV
I had taken off running down the opposite corridor, the other three members of Brimstone hot on my heels. For hackers, they were incredibly fast, but I was faster. I sprinted harder, skilfully turning the corners and looking for somewhere to hide, my legs burned and I was panting heavily but didn't stop.
"Stop! Come back here!" I heard a woman call from behind. "I swear bitch, when we get our hands on you..."
"Krystal, behave!"
I rolled my eyes and then I saw it; a large room stacked high with wooden boxes that almost reached the ceiling. They would provide enough cover for me to hide and get my breath back; I had to keep the members entertained for a short while, until Mal had gotten the chance to explain things to Amy. God knows how he'd pull it off, but knowing Mal, he'd find a way. Glancing behind me one last time, I bolted around a large box and began weaving in and out of the boxes, careful not to knock them or we could all be in trouble.
Meanwhile...
Mal Fallon's POV
I sat down beside Amy Chen, staring at the ground for a long moment. I had no idea how I was going to explain everything that had happened since her absence, but I had to try. It was my once chance to finally convince her to come back and help her heal emotionally. I had always wanted to help her get over Ken's death, but she shut everyone out and shown up for work late, practically throwing herself into her work to avoid talking to anyone. Now was my chance to fix things but I had to tread carefully or I might just push her away further.
"Amy," I started softly "there are so many things I wish I could talk to you about right now, but let me just get straight to the point. Amy, although it sounds completely crazy... I died."
I saw Amy's eyes go wide and she leant back in her chair to gain a little distance, I could tell she thought I was insane so decided to continue explaining, sighing. She was going to be harder to convince than Natara.
"I know, but let me explain-"
"You... Died?"
"Yes, but only for a couple minutes. Thus, that is why I'm here now."
"Right... and you came to tell me this because?"
"Because Amy, when I was 'dead' I kind of... um... experienced something. Have you ever heard of the Midpoint?"
"Can't say I have Mal."
"Well anyway, I went there and saw some people that are dead."
"Mal..."
"Hear me out okay? I know, it sounds completely crazy, but Natara believes me because I could tell her something that no one but her would know. Unfortunately I can't do that with you, but I swear to God that I'm telling you the truth."
"Okay, I'll hear you out. But don't expect me to believe you just because Natara does."
"Thanks Amy," I reached over and placed my hand on hers and looked to the floor. "Anyway, I saw someone... who was very close to both of us, and he asked me to do something for him."
"Mal... If you're going where I think you are, stop now."
Amy's voice was sterner than I had ever heard before, but I couldn't stop now, no matter what.
"Amy. I saw Ken." I stated, looking her in the eye.
Amy's face turned into a hard, cold glare and she stood up, yanking her hand away. She blinked, trying to stop the flow of tears I could see forming in her eyes. She bit her lip and looked away as I stood up.
"S-Stop it." She whispered.
"I can't. You have to listen to me, he asked me to-"
"I said stop it!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the vast, empty room.
Tears started rolling onto her cheeks and I felt a wave of guilt was over me. I took a deep breath and decided to continue anyway.
"He asked me to talk to you and look after you," Amy covered her ears as tears continued to flow from her eyes freely, she muttered continuously for me to stop, but I couldn't. "I know you're confused Amy, and Ken just wants you to be happy and stop worrying about him. He's okay, and he loves you. He told me to tell you that."
Amy broke down, collapsing into my arms. I felt my heart wrench as she sobbed. She repeatedly hit my chest, screaming abuse into my shirt. I did the only thing I could think of and pulled her close, wrapping my arm around her, despite her resistance. I hated doing this to her, making her cry and hurt again, but it was the first step to healing and I'd help her through it. I swayed her gently when she eventually gave up and let me hold her, burying her head into my chest, sobbing quietly. I took a deep breath, holding back a few tears of my own as I whispered comforting things into her ear. I felt her legs buckle beneath her and her light weight started pulling me to the ground. I silently brought us both to the floor and sighed. We sat together in silence for a long moment until her tears ceased.
"W-why...?" she mumbled, breaking the silence. "Why is this happening?"
"I don't know Amy... I don't know."
"But, I thought it was over. I was trying, Mal. I was trying..."
Her soft voice trailed off and she shook her head, struggling to stop the tears that tried to force their way out of her large, russet eyes.
"I know Amy, but you don't have to do this alone. We've all been here for you, but you ran away."
"I-I don't fit in at the SFPD anymore. I can't face everyone anymore, Mal. Everything there reminds me of... of... him."
"Maybe that's not such a bad thing, think about it, this way he's still with you. But when you're here, can you find Ken again?"
"N-No... that's the point. I don't want to remember, because every time I do the pain comes back. It hurts... it hurts so much, Mal. I'm bad for people, everyone I care about ends up getting hurt somehow."
"No Amy, you are not bad for anyone, if anything having you absent is bad for people. We need you back, because I don't think I can take much more of Kai. Who else is gonna keep him in line for me?"
Amy giggled through the tears and wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her purple jumper. She was finally beginning to calm down, but I knew I didn't have much time left. There was only so long that Natara could keep Brimstone occupied.
"And besides," I continued. "The pain you feel will stop. I promise you, and believe me I know how hard it is to get over someone you love dying. Although, if you want the pain to stop fully Amy, you have to face it head on. You can't keep running away from it all, because one day it's gonna catch up with you and believe me, it becomes one hundred times harder to deal with the longer you drag it out."
"I just want it to stop... please, Mal, make it stop."
"I promise, I'll help you, but you have to come with me and leave this behind."
"I... I can't."
"Yes you can Ames, come on."
"Ames...?"
"Oh, sorry."
"No... It's alright."
I stood up and helped Amy after. She wiped herself down and walked over to the computer station she worked at. She hesitantly grabbed her things and turned back to me. I smiled at her and extended my hand. A miniscule smile found its way onto her small lips and she slipped her hand into mine. I curled my fingers around her palm and as in on cue; Natara came bursting through a door on the opposite side of the room. She was panting heavily and her face was flushed. Seeing us, she ran over and fell to her knees, hanging her head.
"You have... no idea... what I've just... been through." She forced out between breathes. "You... owe me... Fallon."
"Well done my little ninja. Now come on, we have to get out of here."
Natara unsteadily rose to her feet and placed her hands on her hips, taking a deep breath. Moments later the members of Brimstone burst through the same door that Natara came through; a clear angry look written across their faces.
"There you are, Fallon and Williams! Let go of Kitten!" A young man yelled.
I pulled Amy closer to me and Natara took a defensive stand in front of her. Amy stood in silence for a long moment as they approached us. I glared at them, my hand brushing my holster just in case I needed my gun. After a long moment, the young man approached me, looking me in the eye.
"I said let her go."
"Get the hell outta my face, kid, before I beat you."
Natara reached over and placed her hand on my bicep, squeezing it lightly. I know she wanted to keep the situation calm, but this guy was seriously irking me. Without warning, Amy gently pushed past our barrier and approached him, taking his hand. I didn't let my grip on her go, fearing she'd run off again, but trusted her.
"Azrael... listen to me," She said softly. "They're my friends and... I think I have to go back. Mal has a point, I'm just running away here, and I just... don't know where I belong anymore."
I noticed Azrael's expression soften and he lowered his gaze to the floor. I took a risk and decided to release Amy's hand; she needed to make a decision like I had to when I went to the Midpoint. If she was truly happy here, then who was I to interfere?
I stepped back, gently taking Natara by the hand and taking her along with me. Natara looked at me with concerned eyes, but I just smiled at her and we walked to the door, patiently waiting to see what Amy does. I was a little nervous and hoped that I had done enough to convince her to come back. I missed her and I know Kai did too. Everyone did. The precinct simply wasn't the same without her cheerful attitude to brighten the place up, it had changed dramatically when Ken left but when Amy walked out the door, that just made everything so much worse.
I watched as Amy spoke to the members of Brimstone, explaining the situation. They glanced over to us with sad eyes before turning back to Amy and nodded solemnly. Azrael seemed to be taking this the hardest, because as the others walked away, he stayed. Amy slung her bag over her shoulder and looked to us. Natara smiled at her and I imitated her actions. I felt Natara lightly squeeze my hand and realized that I was holding her hand in mine still. I blushed lightly and went to pull away, but Natara tightened her grip and smiled at me.
I grinned like an idiot and looked away, focusing my gaze back to Amy and Azrael. They slowly walked over to us and Azrael took a deep breath, turning to Amy.
"Um... Good luck Kitten, I hope you find everything you've been looking for..."
Amy smiled sadly at him and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close. Natara sighed dreamily and rested her head on my shoulder. I felt my cheeks burn and gulped. She could make me feel so vulnerable at times, not that I minded. Amy pulled away after a long moment and wiped her eyes.
"Goodbye Azrael... I'll miss you." She mumbled.
Azrael nodded and walked away, leaving us alone. Natara gently moved away from me and pulled Amy into a tight, meaningful hug. I watched as they conversed and giggled with each other for a short moment. They pulled away at the same time and I led them both outside, avoiding the broken floorboards and crumbling walls.
We got into my squad car and started driving back to the precinct. Natara and Amy sat in the back seat, catching up with each other and having the occasional giggle about the stupid things Kai had been getting up to.
I could tell that things were going to be okay now. It was obvious when you looked at the big picture. Amy was coming back and we were going to help her cope with Ken's death, Natara had gotten out of her relationship with Oscar and I'd finally get Kai off my back! Things were looking good. I'd finally completed everything Ken had asked me to do. There was just one last thing I needed to do...
After dropping Amy and Natara off at the precinct, I started driving to an all too familiar place. It didn't take long to get there and by the time I arrived, a light drizzle of rain had begun raining down. I took a deep breath and exited my car, starting to make my way across the dampening grass.
I was at the graveyard.
As I made my way down the rows of gravestones, I looked across the various names and the date of their deaths. Some were untimely while others seemed to have a long life. Eventually, I came to my destination. I stopped in front of the beautiful marble stone and sat down before it. It read:
Kenneth Marcus Bartholomew Greene
1976-2012
Loyal Detective/Marine, Best-friend, Loving Brother and Son.
'He will never be forgotten in the hearts of those who knew him'
I could barely read it, feeling the distant pain returning, but I stood my ground and began talking.
"Ken... I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm guessing so. I did it buddy, I did what you asked me to do and I promise you that I'll look after Ames. She's hurting still, but that's okay. We all are... or should I say I am." I sighed and closed my eyes, determined to stop myself from breaking. "I just... I miss you buddy. It's not the same without you. But I guess that I'll see you one day."
I looked up to the sky, covered with dark grey clouds. The rainfall hit my skin and rolled down my face, but I didn't care. Instead, I just smiled letting a single tear fall from my eyes and blend in amongst the raindrops. As I stood up, saying my Goodbye's to Ken once more, I noticed a single ray of light break through the sky and illuminate the area.
"Cheesy Ken, very cheesy." I mumbled.
Then I walked away, the gravestone fading into the distance along with all the pain and heartache that I had felt. Instead of the grave being a distressing reminder of death, it was a place where you could talk to the ones you lost, and still keep in touch. In a weird way it was comforting, knowing that they were watching over us. We'd all see them again one day, and on that day, I knew that everyone I had lost would be waiting for me. But I could wait; I still had my whole life ahead of me after all.
Super sorry, that is the CHEESIEST ending EVER. But I hoped you all enjoyed reading Midpoint as much as I liked writing it. The end. :)
If you want an epilogue including the aftermath of getting Amy back and seeing if anything happens for Maltara, then let me know! Thanks again! And also, Thanks to everyone who called me QOMF! :') It means a lot! (Ugh, I'm actually tearing up now - bad memories...)
