I know that this chapter is shorter than the others, but I really wanted to include it. This is my favourite chapter in the whole story, so I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do.

"Sometimes the best way to help someone is to just be near them" – Veronica Roth

Emily sat at the desk in her hotel room, her sister's will in her hand. While she was both honoured and relieved that Caroline had wanted Cory to go into her custody, she mostly just felt horrible. She had been so focused thus far on taking care of Cory that she hadn't really been grieving herself. But now, holding the last will and testament of her sister it all felt so real and final. The will was simple; Caroline had left everything to the girls. Caroline had always been organized and practical and her will was short and to the point. As Emily held the two pieces of paper in her hands it all felt so wrong that someone who had been as full of life as her big sister had been reduced to such a small and impersonal last statement.

Emily wanted to be working on the funeral now that she had Caroline's requests. She wanted to have that under control both because she did not have the energy to deal with her mother if they were forced to plan it together. But mostly Emily wanted to handle the funeral arrangements because she knew that her mother would want to do what was "appropriate", but Emily wanted Caroline, Addie and Lou to be buried with real love. She did not want the spectacle she knew would take place if the politicians took over.

As much as Emily wanted to be working however, she hadn't moved for at least 5 minutes. She felt like she was being crushed. Her tears started falling and she rested her head on the desk. After a few minutes Emily felt a hand touching her arm. She lifted her head to see Cory standing beside her. Emily wiped away her tears, but the action was in vain for they were not stopping. The tears she wiped away were immediately replaced with more as they coursed down her cheeks. She shut her eyes tight to try and end the flow of tears but they continued to leak out of the corners of her eyes. She felt Cory's arms hugging her as Cory whispered in her ear, "You're allowed to cry too." Emily let her tears fall and hugged Cory back. After a while, Emily's tears subsided and she released her niece. Cory looked down at Emily who was still sitting at the desk. "Will you come somewhere with me?" she asked.

"Of course," Emily replied. Cory grabbed her coat and Emily followed suit. In the car, Cory directed Emily to a part of Hartford she'd never been to before. They pulled into a parking lot behind a big grey building. "Where are we?" Emily asked.

"You'll see," Cory replied, climbing out of the car. Emily followed her. They made their way to an unmarked door at the far side of the building, to which Cory produced a key. Emily's curiosity was definitely piqued. They entered into a dark store room that smelt vaguely fishy. It was very warm. Cory switched on the light to reveal several coat hooks to the left. She hung hers there and Emily did the same. Cory led Emily down a deserted hallway, flicking light switches as she went. Just when Emily had decided she couldn't take the suspense any longer, Cory turned right and led Emily into a pitch black room.

"Okay, seriously Bug?" Emily said, groping around in the dark. Her voice echoed and she realized that the room they were in must be massive. Cory laughed and Emily heard a large breaker being flipped.

"Oh, wow," Emily breathed. Before her was illuminated a giant aquarium, 25 feet high and 35 feet long. Inside it were beautiful, brightly coloured tropical fish, turtles, sting rays and sharks. Cory hadn't turned on the other lights, so the tank was the only source of light in the room. It cast a blue glow that was both eerie and beautiful. "Where are we?" Emily asked.

"The Hartford aquarium," Cory answered and Emily looked confused. "I work here," Cory elaborated.

"Since when?" Emily asked.

"Not long, I started midway through the summer."

"Where is everyone?" Emily asked, looking around.

"It's Sunday. We're closed."

"Are we allowed to be in here like this?"

"Probably not," Cory admitted. "But given the circumstances, I don't think my managers will mind."

Emily stared at the fish tank a while longer. "What are we doing here?"

"This is where I come when I want to not think."

"Not think?"

"Yeah. If you stare at the fish long enough… it's so peaceful. Your mind can just kind of go blank." Cory sat on a bench and Emily sat beside her. She was skeptical at first, but after a while Emily felt a sense of calm wash over her. She watched a shark lazily perusing the bottom of the tank and thought of nothing. They sat without talking for well over an hour. After their time, Cory shook herself. "Feel better?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do actually," Emily replied.

"Good."

"Thank-you Cory, for sharing this with me."

Cory smiled at her. "You're welcome. You should be thanking Lou actually."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, when Mom and Dad were getting divorced and Dad was going to jail, Lou would bring Addie and I here so that we could think about something else and forget how crappy it was at home, and then we just kind of kept coming here. I was here so much that Grant just offered me the job this summer when one opened up." Emily smiled. "Whenever we were done here, Lou, Addie and I would always get ice cream from the place down the street. Mom always said that it was a weird combination – fish and ice cream – but it worked for us."

Emily stood. "Then let's go get some ice cream." Cory smiled softly and led her from the room, turning out the light as she went.

"But there is greater comfort in the substance of silence than in the answer to a question" – Thomas Merton