Hello, everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Forgive my lack of an update; I was busy eating, sleeping, and putting up Christmas light all day. xD Anyways, here is Chapter 10. It's also a bit un-eventful, but as I said; I have some big plans for this story. :D

Also, I typed most of this on my iPod, so apologies for any mistakes. C:

Again, thanks a ton for all reviews! You guys are honestly awesome! Enjoy! :D

Chapter Ten - Cynthia

I don't know how long I was up blubbering, but I awoke in the morning on my bed again, neatly tucked in under the covers. I rolled over towards Mal's side, expecting to see him still sleeping there next to me. To my surprise, though, he wasn't there. I debated on whether to get up and get dressed, until I glanced at the clock. I was surprised to find that it was already almost noon; I'd slept longer than I thought I would. Curious as to where Mal went, I rubbed my sore eyes and got up, pulling on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. I briefly brushed my teeth, then walked out of our already-open bedroom door. Glancing around the kitchen and seeing Mal wasn't there, I rounded the corner into the living room. Mal and his sister, Cynthia, sat next to each other, quietly talking with one another. His nieces, Denni and Raven, sat on the opposite couch, looking a little out of place. Denni fiddled with the sleeve of her shirt, and Raven silently inspected her fingernails, as if they were suddenly the most interesting things in the world.

Mal turned around as he heard me approach, then greeted me with a smile.

"Hey," he said softly. "I would've told you they were coming over, but I didn't want to wake you up."

"It's okay," I replied. Cynthia stood up and crossed the room, gently embracing me. I hugged her back and forced a smile in return.

"I know this doesn't help anything, but I'm sorry about Madi," Cynthia said sincerely, a genuine spark in her eyes.

"Thank you," I said with another smile, not quite as forced as the last one. I turned towards the opposite couch, where Mal's nieces still sat.

"Hi, Denni. Hi, Raven," I greeted, forcing yet another smile.

"Hey, Aunt Natara," Denni acknowledged with a smile.

"Hi," Raven said shyly, offering a slight wave.

I went over and sat beside Mal

"How are you two holding up?" Cynthia asked cautiously, glancing first at Mal, then at me. Mal and I exchanged a quick glance, before I spoke up.

"Alright," I said, briefly glancing up at Mal's sister. My voice almost caught in my throat again, and I swallowed hard to push it back down. The smallest things triggered my emotions these days. Even a single empathetic question triggered something inside me. I'm not sure what it was, exactly, but it wasn't pleasant. I sniffled and looked away, and Mal slid his arm around me, pulling me to his side. I took a few deep breaths in and out before looking up again. Cynthia looked at Mal and I, sincere concern in her eyes. Denni and Raven awkwardly shifted their gazes around the room. I can't blame them, really; I hadn't known either of them for too long. I had asked them to babysit Madi several times, but Mal and I were of course not there.

"We miss her, of course," Mal said, trailing off briefly. "But we're... we're coping alright." Mal's words sounded unusually tight, and I knew he was fighting hard against emotion.

"That's to be expected," Cynthia said slowly. "You're allowed to miss her. We all will."

We all will. Like hell you'll all miss her. Most of those people that came to her funeral barely even knew her. Some of them hadn't even met her; they'd never seen her alive. I felt bad the second after I thought it, but I couldn't help it.

"Have you guys been sleeping alright?" she asked. I thought of the dream I had about Madison, and yet again, those damn tears started to spill over. To hell with those stupid tears. I leaned forward and put my head in my hands, willing myself not to bawl my damn eyes out again.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry," Cynthia apologized earnestly. "I didn't mean to... I'm sorry." I raised my head and tried to speak, but my voice wouldn't cooperate. To hell with voices not cooperating, too.

"It's okay," Mal said, speaking for me. "She just... had an... upsetting dream the other night." Mal gently rubbed my back, and I glanced up at him. His bottom lip trembled slightly, and he took a deep breath in. Emotions seemed to be getting the better of us both, more often than not recently. I knew that was something neither of us enjoyed, but it... it just happened, no matter how hard I try to fight it off. Especially in this house, where everything reminded me of Madison. It would feel wrong not to be this broken.

Broken. That's what I am these days. I wish I could remember how it felt like not to have this hurt in my chest every single waking hour of the day. I don't think it will ever go away. I know I'll never be the same again. We'll never be the same again.

I must have started crying harder, because Cynthia came over and crouched down in front of me, gently placing her hand on my knee.

"I'm sorry, Natara. I didn't mean to set you off," she said softly.

"It's okay," I choked out. "Everything is setting me off recently." She made a sympathetic cooing noise, but said nothing more.

Denni crossed the room and sat beside Mal, leaning her head on his shoulder. He smiled at her, then draped his arm gently around her shoulder. Raven slowly followed, sitting down next to me.

I could tell Raven was like me, and wasn't one for jumping up to comfort others. Nevertheless, she reached over and gently took my hand. I glanced over at her and offered a small smile, giving her hand a quick squeeze. She smiled in return, reaching over with her other hand and briefly rubbing my back. The gesture felt a little awkward, but I knew she meant it.

I heard Mal sniffle next to me, and I glanced up at him to see fresh tears glisten in his eyes. He met my gaze and bit his lip, taking a shaky reath in. Again taking his hand, we laced our fingers together so they were intertwined. He bent down slightly and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead, causing me to smile a little.

We sat like that for a while, in comfortable silence. I'm not sure how long, but it was nice. Eventually, Cynthia stood up and glanced at the clock.

"Denni, Raven, we should probably go. I still need to drop Raven off at her house."

"Okay," they both said quietly. We all stood up, taking turns pulling each other into hugs. Cynthia hugged Mal and I first, reminding us to 'stay strong'. If I'm even capable of that. Denni hugged Mal tightly, and he did the same to her. Raven turned and gave me a gentle hug, then smiled at me sweetly, before switching places with Denni. I pulled Denni into an embrace, then gently pulled away. As they all headed towards the door, Cynthia reminded us to call her if we needed anything. I just smiled and said thank-you, because I didn't know what else to say. That's really the only thing you can say, honestly.

Once Mal and I were finally alone, we both collapsed on the couch.

"God," I muttered, "I just woke up and I'm already exhausted."

"So am I," Mal replied, leaning his head back and heaving a sigh.

"Mal... I'm really sick of this," I confessed, desperately looking up at him. "I'm sick of crying, I'm sick of missing her, and right now, I'm just generally sick of life."

"I know, I know," he murmered quietly, taking me in his arms. "I am, too. But we are going to get through this together, because there is no way in hell I can do it by myself."

I smiled up at him, leaning my head on his shoulder. "What would I do without you?" I asked playfully.

He opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off when the phone rang.