TENTH ONESHOT! WOOHOO! And the day before the new WOOTS book comes out. I tell you - today is a good day.

Wow, this oneshot is already over 2,000 words, so I'm gonna keep this short: Hero, I'm sorry it made you depressed, and I really couldn't put it as "FireXOld Forest" cause that would just a mite creepy... but hey, hopefully this one will make up for it. And Jess, thank you so much for reviewing! BrambleXSquirrel is my favorite, too.

Now then, before you get your hopes up: this is not 'romantic' in the strictest sense of the word. No, that'll come later. But JayJay is a fun character to write, so you can expect another in the future, one that is slightly more on the fluffy side of life, teehee. Cause I just love torturing JayJay. Now, onto the funnest part of this update - the oneshot! Don't forget to review when you're finished - it helps me stay motivated!

It's The Only One You've Got
A JayXCinder Oneshot
Song: It's The Only One You've Got by 3 Doors Down

He sighed, the darkness pouring in around him like a warm blanket, as he lay curled up in his nest. He was exhausted - being a Clan medicine cat was harder than he'd expected, especially when you're the only one - but he knew that this night would be just like the one before, and before that, and onwards.

Sleepless.

He glared down at the floor of the den, utterly repulsed with himself. How could he have let Firestar lose a life like that? How? He was the medicine cat - he was supposed to save lives, especially that of his leader. He was too inexperianced, and though his pride stung a little bit, he admitted it freely. But only to himself. He needed someone to go to, someone to help him.

He needed his mentor.

He couldn't care less if she was his mother or not - that was completely unrelated to the task at hand. He needed her, and she wasn't there. And Firestar paid the price.

What if it happened again? He tried to count up how many lives his grandfather had, but was unable to find a conclusive number. That alone told him he wasn't ready - how could he protect his leader's lives if he had no clue how many were left? His tail lashed restlessly behind him. Leafpool was ten times the medicine cat he was, and yet, all because of him, she'd had to step down.

No, he growled to himself, flexing his claws. it was her own doing.

He'd shared with Lionblaze, once he and Dovepaw had returned from unblocking the river, about Firestar losing a life. His brother had reassured him that there really was nothing he would have been able to do, that it was just the natural course of things. But that was unacceptable.

Abruptly, he stood, unable to take the mind-shattering silence anymore. He didn't care if it was moonhigh. He was going to go for a walk. He padded slowly towards the thorn tunnel, quietly as he could, because no sounds meant no questions.

He passed Thornclaw, who was guarding the camp, with a nod, muttering an excuse about herbs or something. He wasn't really paying attention. He just wanted to be out.

He padded, paws confident as he followed the familiar path to the sandy lakeshore. He tripped over a branch - it must have fallen in the past few days - and muttered an angry curse as he stood, shaking out his pelt. He hadn't caused major damage - only a slightly sprained paw.

"Are you okay?"

He jumped at the voice, before cursing himself again. He'd been so concerned with his own thoughts, a badger could have snuck up on him, let alone Cinderheart.

"I'm fine." He mewed flatly, turning to face her. "What are you doing up?"

"Well... I saw you leaving, and you looked really upset. I was worried, so I followed you."

He blinked. She hadn't even bothered to lie. That was something new. "Well, you shouldn't have. I'm fine." He repeated the words, trying to convince himself as much as her.

"No, you're not, so please don't lie to me," her voice was quiet, and he heard her come closer. "Where were you going?"

He sighed, realizing she wasn't going to be sent away so easily. "The lake. But don't you have dawn patrol in the morning?"

"I can switch with Mousewhisker, if I don't get back in time," she muttered. "Can I go with you?"

He blinked. So she'd decided to ask, rather than just follow. "Whatever," he muttered, flexing his paw to find the pain completely gone now. Not even a sprain at all. He turned, walking as confidently as ever, though he was careful not to let anything trip him again. He could hear Cinderheart padding along behind him, almost completely silent, not even a trace of her limp in her gait.

He was glad that it had healed so well. She was a good warrior - she didn't deserve to have that destiny taken away from her, not like before. Not like Cinderpelt.

He scowled to himself. He would bet that Cinderpelt would have never let Firestar lose a life, either. She had been Leafpool's mentor, back in the old forest - he imagined that she would be able to heal nearly everything imaginable.

Finally, he could hear the soft lapping of the waves against the lake shore, and felt the sand beneath his paws. He could imagine the stars high above, reflecting perfectly in the lake below. He could imagine how beautiful it was, with the moon casting everything in a silver tone.

"Will you tell me what's wrong?"

The silence was finally broken, and Jayfeather flicked his ears, eyes staring straight ahead. "Have you ever lied, Cinderheart?"

She flicked his ear gently with her tail. "When someone asks you a question, you're supposed to give an answer, not another question."

"Well, I'll answer yours if you answer mine first."

"Is it some kind of test?" She kept her tone light, but he could hear the undertone of suspicion in her words.

"Of course not," he rolled his eyes. "Just answer the stupid question."

"Fine. Yes, I have, once or twice. Why?"

"Have you ever lied to me?" He surprised himself when he spoke, blinking slowly.

"Never," her voice was so strong and confident that he knew she was telling the truth. "Because you're my friend. And friends don't lie to each other."

He didn't know what answer he'd expected her to give, but... somehow, this wasn't quite it. He scoffed."What do you mean, 'friends don't lie to each other'? What stops them? Mates lie, siblings lie, parents lie," he knew all that to be true. "Leaders lie, medicine cats lie. Our ancestors lie. What stops friends?" He sharply mewed, unable to keep the mocking tone from his voice.

"I don't know. But I know that I haven't lied to you, not even once. And I intend to keep it that way," she mewed, voice still strong and confident. "Now, I've answered your questions, and it's time you answered mine. What's bothering you?"

He kept silent for a moment, before turning to look at her. "Why do you want to know? What is it to you?"

He heard her quiet growl before she answered. "Because I'm your friend, Jayfeather. And friends do that - they share their problems with each other, so one can try to help make the other feel better. Now, you can't ask me any more questions until you answer mine. And if you refuse, I'll push you into the lake."

He heard her tone lighten as she made the joke, but it didn't cheer him any. He was silent again, struggling for the words to say that would make her want to leave, that would make her angry so she'd storm off without another word. But this was Cinderheart, and if there was anything she was good at, it was being stubborn.

He looked back up at the stars, hesitant to begin, but unable to think of a believable lie to tell her. "You really want to know?" He felt her glare burn through his pelt. "Okay, okay, no more questions. Sor-ry." He rolled his eyes at her. "She-cats."

"You're avoiding the question," she remarked with a sigh, her tone beginning to show her impatience with him. "Please, Jayfeather, just tell me. I don't like seeing you so... so hurt."

He blinked at her words, before turning back to the lake. "I'm a lousy medicine cat," he murmured, so quietly he almost hoped she didn't hear.

But, unfortunately, Cinderheart had very good hearing.

"No you're not!" She protested vohemently. "You're one of the best, Jayfeather! I don't know any other medicine cat I'd trust more than you."

He scoffed at that. "Yeah, I'm sure. Considering the only other medicine cat you've ever known was a liar who broke the warrior code, I'm sure I'd be the only one you'd trust."

"That's not the reason I trust you," he could practically hear her rolling her eyes. "I trust you, because -"

"I'm your friend, right?" He shook his head.

"No," she mewed instead. "Because you were the one who healed my leg. Sure, Leafpool made the rush-thing that held it still and made the poultices herself, but... But you were the one who kept my spirits up. You were the one who taught me to swim. And you've done so much for every cat in ThunderClan, given up so much for them..." his ears perked at the wistfulness in her words. She gave a quick shake of her head before continuing. "Jayfeather, why are you so unsure?"

He huffed, head suddenly growing heavy. He made himself comfortable, resting his head on his paws. "I let Firestar lose a life. The day the fox attacked? He lost a life. And I couldn't stop it."

"Of course you couldn't," she spoke after a long pause as she absorbed the words. Then she crouched down beside him. "You can't control life and death, Jayfeather. You can only help them."

I should be able to control them, he thought to himself. I should be able to save my clan, no matter what. Why else am I one of the Three? He knew he couldn't tell Cinderheart about the prophecy, but for one tiny moment, he wished he could.

"And you didn't let Firestar do anything," she continued strongly. "He's not a kit to be protected. You can't tell him not to go on patrols just because there might foxes and badgers out lurking in the shadows."

"But I should be able to stop a fox from taking my leader's life," he spat. "It was just a fox! And I... I completely froze up! I wanted -" he broke off, not wanting to say the words. And she didn't speak, just waiting in silence before he could take it no more. "I wanted Leafpool. I wanted her to tell me what to do."

She was silent for a moment, and he flinched when he felt her lay her tail comfortingly on his shoulder. "I don't think Leafpool would have been able to make much of a difference, Jayfeather. But I understand what you're talking about."

"How?" He muttered, turning his face away from her. "How could you possibly know what I mean?"

"I've got an apprentice, remember?" She mewed. "I... Sometimes I just want to beg Cloudtail to tell me what to teach her, to remind me of all the battle moves she can learn, all the hunting techniques I learned from him. But Ivypaw's my apprentice, and he's not my mentor anymore, so I have to do what I think is right, and I have to teach her everything I possibly can. And that's what you have to do," she sighed. "You have to do what you think is right. And you have to do everything you can possibly do."

He mulled over her words for a moment. "But how do you know if you're doing everything you possibly can?"

"You just know," she purred, moving her tail and touching her nose to his ear. "Do you feel better yet? Cause I'm running out of helpful things to say."

He considered her question. She had a point. He couldn't depend on Leafpool forever - she wasn't even a medicine cat anymore. She had taught him everything she knew, and she believed he was ready for this. That was why she'd given him his name. But it didn't make the burden any lighter.

He nodded slowly, turning to face her. "Yeah. I do."

"I'm glad," she mewed, standing and stretching. "Well, we'd better head back to camp, you know. Before anyone gets suspicious," she purred with laughter.

He rolled his eyes. "Clanmates can be so gossipy, can't they?"

"Well, what else is there to do? Aside from patrolling and hunting?" She continued to purr, waiting for him as he stood.

"You do have a point," he conceded, inhaling the soft wind that blew over the lake. "Hey, Cinderpelt?"

"You're welcome," she purred, before she began walking back towards the camp. He narrowed his eyes, rather annoyed that she'd just assumed that he was going to thank her for anything. "Now come on, grumpy-paws. I've got a dawn patrol to get rested for."

He rolled his eyes at her bossiness, but followed along without another complaint.

Warriors belong to Erin Hunter. It's The Only One You've Got belongs to 3 Doors Down.