About a week had passed since she'd told them what was really going on. Although there hadn't yet been any hugely obvious changes to her health, it was clear she was getting weaker and weaker. Time was just ticking by and she knew she was in over her head. The wedding was coming up soon, and although Irene and Aden were determined to organise as much of it as possible by themselves to save Belle the stress, she was still understandably panicking about everything. She knew she had to get things done before it was too late, and was doing her best to fit in everything she needed to do. Everyone who knew about the cancer was fussing over her, constantly worrying if she was alright, but as much as they tried to hide it, she could plainly see that they too were crumbling, particularly Aden. She had no doubt in her mind that watching them suffer because of her was much worse than any of the physical pain she was in.

She forced herself to focus on writing the letters and taking the photographs she had planned earlier. Since the idea had came into her head, she just kept pushing it to the back of her mind. Although it was something she really wanted to do, it was hard, knowing that it was really her last proper goodbye with each of those people- the last trace of her presence that they would have. At 20 years old, that's never something you want to have to do. She couldn't put it off any longer though, and seeing how tough everyone was finding it to cope with her illness gave her the reality check she needed to push ahead and just get things done.

She'd intended to give the letters out as late as possible; they were more for the future than for the present; but the reality was that her death could come at any time. Cancer isn't exactly merciful, and she really didn't want to leave it until it's too late- to pass away without having given everyone their goodbye. There were so many people that she wanted to write letters to- Amanda, Rachel, Cassie, Mattie, Nicole- but she decided that if she was going to do this, she was going to do it properly. Time really was running out so she would just give letters to those who really needed them; Aden, because she loved him; Irene, because she was practically her mother and had done so much for her; Annie, because she had become a little sister to Belle and she really grew to care about her; and Geoff, because he'd been there for her and she knew he would be there for everyone else.

She'd decided Geoff should be first- she really needed him to help the others get through this. She scanned over the letter one last time, put it in an envelope with the photographs, and hesitantly sealed it before heading to the beach where she'd asked him to meet her.

She had only been waiting for a minute or two when he arrived. He quickly jogged over to her, worried and concerned about why she'd asked him to come.

"There you are, Belle! Has something happened?" he asked, slightly out of breath.

She just shook her head and gave a small smile.

"I just need to speak to you", she replied.

He nodded understandingly as they both sat down. Everything was quiet for a brief moment as she contemplated what to say.

She spoke quite quickly, staring at the sand. She was a bit nervous- it was quite a daunting thing to have to do.

"Geoff, this is all happening so fast. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't leave you all without a goodbye. I've been writing letters- one for each of you, and I want to give you yours today. There's photos too- one of them is to remind you of me, and the other is something I'd like you to do in the future. I know I probably seem totally crazy, with this.. weird plan, but it's just that I've seen how much everyone suffered because of Jack's death- his family and friends were left with so many unanswered questions and I want to make sure that that doesn't happen when I die. Does this.. make any sense?" she asked, starting to laugh at herself. Although she was very aware that she was quickly dying, it still seemed like a very odd situation to be in and she couldn't help but wonder if she was doing things the right way at all.

"Of course it does, Belle", he answered gently. He was a bit shocked really; a letter seemed so official or something. As much as he'd hoped her death somehow wouldn't happen, he had to come to terms with the fact that it was pretty much inevitable at this point. A wave of sadness washed over him as reality hit him again, but he tried not to show it.

"Right", she smiled, "Because I was beginning to think I'd completely lost it".

She passed the envelope over to him, and he received it cautiously. He stared at it for a minute or so before opening it, trying to get his thoughts together first.

"One more thing, Geoff", she said, "Is it ok if you don't tell anyone about this? I'm kind of hoping to keep it a secret until Annie, Irene and Aden have got theirs too. I don't know when that will be- as long as it takes for the time to feel right, I suppose".

He nodded in acceptance, and slowly unsealed the envelope. He pulled out the letter, and was surprised by how uncharacteristically shaky his hands were as he began to read.

Geoff,

If you had told me when you first arrived that I would one day write you this letter, I'd have thought you'd totally lost your mind. Do you remember how we used to argue all the time when you first moved into Irene's? I never would have imagined that things would eventually end up like this. Although I might not say very much to you, I wanted to tell you that I'm so glad I got to know you properly. You're strong and responsible and caring, and I just want to ask you not to change. I've never told you, but I've always admired how respectful and decent you are. You were so young when you left the farm, but already you were so genuine and mature. I watched you take care of so many people; Annie, Melody, Nicole, Claudia; and I don't think you realise how strong you are. Not every teenage boy is so selfless and responsible. I know this whole letter seems very cheesy, but this is important.

I'm aware that I'm asking quite a lot from you, but I know you are strong enough. I really, really would be so grateful if you could take care of everyone when I'm gone. It's just, I've seen how low Irene fell after Lou's death, and I'm scared that another death will send her over the edge if she tries to deal with it alone again. Death seems to just ruin everything and I hate to have to put you all through that. Please stay strong for Irene. She's done so much for all of us, and it's horrible to think she's going to have to suffer again. It's really important that you try and help her to keep going. I know all too well how easy it is to feel like just giving up when everything seems to be thrown at you at once.

Of course, I don't even have to ask you to look after Annie. You're already a great big brother, Geoff, and I hope you realise that. She looks up to you more than you will ever know. She looks up to me too, but I let her down. I let you down too, with the addiction, and I'm so, so sorry. I know you said you've forgiven me, but I can't apologise enough for that. It wasn't fair on you or Annie. I've let Annie down, but you never have. I just hope you can see how good you are with her, and how much she needs you.

This third and final favour is probably the most important, and probably will be the most difficult to do, but I trust you, Geoff, and that's why I'm asking you to please look out for Aden. You're the only person I can think of who will be able to help him, now that Roman's not around. To say he means the world to me is an understatement. I've never even came close to loving anyone as much as I love him, and to be honest, I'm terrified of leaving him. I've seen him get depressed, I've seen him be lonely, I've seen him struggle; and it's horrible. Geoff, you're probably more loyal than anyone I've ever met, and I need you to stick by him. I'm just scared that leaving him will send him back to how he was before. I can't predict the future- maybe he will be ok, but if he's not; if he doesn't deal with my death well, and becomes aggressive again, he really needs a friend to help him get back on track with things. This is mainly why I'm writing this letter. I can honestly say that he means everything to me and I'm just really, really worried about how he will react. It just feels wrong- we're meant to be getting married in just over a week; and now, by dying, I have to take the future that he really wanted away from him. I just don't want him going back to the way he used to be. Please, please look out for him; try and get him to stay on the football team and to keep carrying on with his life, even if it's hard; it's what he needs to do. And please don't ever let him forget how much I loved him.

Before I finish this letter, I just want to say thankyou, Geoff. You've been so great and I don't want to leave you- any of you. I'm sorry that everything has ended up like this. You and Annie have dealt with so many deaths in your lives and it's not really fair that you have to cope with another one. That just seems to be the way life goes, though. Thankyou for everything; especially for being so forgiving about the drugs- I know that wasn't easy for you, and I really appreciate how good you were about that. You have no idea how much that helped- knowing you and Annie were there for me. I've only known you for a short time, and it feels so wrong to be writing this, but I wanted to give you a proper goodbye. I wish you the best of luck for the future. You've helped so many people, but you really deserve to be happy too- I know things didn't work out with Claudia, but don't be afraid to find someone else. I don't want you all to be sad for long after I die. You need to focus on the future too. I hope you believe me when I tell you, Geoff, that whatever girl you choose to be with, will be very, very lucky to have someone like you.

Please stay strong for the others. It's been really lovely to get to know you and I hate that this goodbye has had to come so soon. Thanks again for everything,

Lots of love,

Belle xx

PS- Don't hate me for suggesting this, but I definitely think that the certain lucky girl in your future that I mentioned earlier may just be closer than you think..and with blonde hair..and a name beginning with N..and just might be an ex of yours. Don't be afraid to give it a go. You'd be so good together. :) Whatever you choose though, as long as you're happy- it will be the right decision, and I mean that. x

Belle felt herself choke up as she patiently watched a whole range of emotions wash over Geoff as he read. At some points, sadness and confusion leaked into his eyes like spilt paint contaminating an untouched colour- such simple emotions, yet they seemed so wrong and out of character for the cheery, positive Geoff she was used to. Occassionally, she'd see a flicker of hope in his expression, then more sadness. She watched as he gave a little smile at her reference to Nicole, then his eyes became all worried again as he thought about the whole letter. She was surprised at how young he looked- she was starting to see a raw innocence that normally was practically unnoticable with his mature and responsible personality.

She silently placed her hand in his, and they sat thinking for a moment, relieved at the all-too-rare peace.

He pulled out the first photograph and stared at it. It was a picture of the church he attended. He didn't understand it. She'd said the first picture would be something to remember her by- but she didn't go to church.

She smiled at his confusion.

"I chose this, because I know you doubt yourself a lot, Geoff. You don't..realise how good a person you are.."

He looked up at her, still as confused as ever.

"Remember the time I took that picture of Reverend Hall? It made a bad situation worse. It made so many people hate your church. I shouldn't have done that. You were already dealing with enough at that time-you didn't need to sort out all the trouble at the church too, especially when you were getting teased so much for it- but you did it anyway. You did it because you knew it was the right thing to do. You forgave me too. I probably didn't deserve that- what I did was wrong, no matter what my reasons were.. but you just seemed to forget about it. And that wasn't the only time you forgave me. You always forgave me, Geoff. Always. It takes so much guts to do that, so much faith and strength. You don't give yourself any credit though. Most guys would run a mile at the thought of having to forgive someone... Everytime you look at this photo, I want it to remind you of how far you've come, and how strong you really are. You've been such a good friend to me, and I want you to realise that I've never forgotten how understanding you've been. I want this picture to help you when you're finding things tough- because you can get through it- whatever it is- you're strong enough, you're good enough, and I know that because you've shown me so many times."

Belle noticed the vulnerability in his eyes again as he listened. He had a lump in his throat as he thought about what she was saying. He hadn't felt that way in so long, it sort of surprised him. He couldn't really bring himself to speak yet, and instead, pulled the other photo out of the envelope.

The picture had been taken on the far end of the beach. It showed a rugged cliff, with a steep drop down to the rougher waters. She'd captured the silhoette of a random hiker, making the dangerous leap required to cross the narrow gap between that cliff and a rocky hill- the nearest piece of solid ground.

He stared at it for a few seconds, trying to figure out what it all meant.

She laughed at the sheer bewilderment in his expression.

"I don't want you to jump off the cliff, Geoff", she smiled. "I took this one because I know how hard you try to do what's right, to please everyone else. This picture is there to tell you not to be afraid of doing something you want to do, just because the other's might not agree with you. It's ok to take a risk every once in a while. Of course, doing the right thing always seems to work out in the end, and it's good that you're so sensible, but I've come to realise that life is so short. If there's something you want to do, don't be afraid to just go ahead and do it. You never know what day is going to be your last, so I want this to remind you to take chances. You never know how late is going to be too late, so just.. live for the moment. Don't be afraid".

He was surprised that he had to fight back tears as he pulled her into a hug. He very, very rarely got to that level. He knew she was right- he shouldn't be afraid. He had to trust her. He had to trust God's plan for her, and he had to be strong for everyone else, but somehow, none of that seemed to make him any less scared at the thought of her having to leave.

"We're all going to miss you so much, Belle", he whispered.

Even if she had tried to reply, she wouldn't exactly have been able too- she was squashed beneath the strong grasp of his arms, but considering the fact that this may be the last time the two friends would be alone together, she really didn't mind.