Disclaimer: The Walking Dead is not mine, it's Robert Kirkman's, and AMC's. No copyright intended, I swear.

Warning: This is rated M for language, gore, and eventual smut.

"Relief is a great feeling. It's the emotional and physical reward we receive from our bodies upon alleviation of pain, pressure and struggle. A time to bask in the lack of the negative. And yet, think about it—relief is really the status quo, a negation of the suffering, a nothing in itself. It is the way things were before the pressure and struggle began. So, is it a step back? A regression? Or is it an opportunity to regroup, start over, and move in a different direction? Use your moment of relief well."

―Vera Nazarian

Respite

JPOV

Finding Sophia alive and well turned out to be the miracle the group needed. Everyone's spirits had lifted significantly, and with good reason; Hershel had been able to determine quickly that Sophia would be just fine once she had some fluids in her and had time to rest and recover. Her survival gave them hope—if a little girl could make it out in those woods without any means to protect herself, then surely the rest of them could make it right there on the Greene farm.

Sophia's return even seemed to give Carl's recovery process a significant shove forward. He now spent most of his time conscious and alert rather than weak and only partially conscious. Hearing that his only friend was going to be just fine certainly had the boy looking forward to his recovery more than ever.

Jenna was relieved that something had gone right for once. Instead of another setback, or another loss, they'd received a blessing. A bit of mercy from the cruel world. For now, at least, they could take a moment to get their bearings and—most significantly—enjoy their days.

She spent just about every minute of her time with Thao, now that there was nothing else pulling her in a different direction. No one needed her for anything else, and she could finally focus all of her attention on her boy—the way it used to be.

But living on the Greene farm allowed her to bond with Thao in a way she'd never been able to out on the road. Their lives had revolved completely on survival, so that left little room for relaxation and joy. Now, she could let her guard down and actually play with the boy, the way a parent should. She could teach him things that didn't have anything to do with staying alive out on the road, like how to make a grass whistle or a paper plane, how to do a cartwheel, the finer art of playing Go Fish… And now that she wasn't merely keeping him fed and sheltered, she felt like she might've actually begun to earn the moniker "mama."

Jenna had often feared Thao would never be able to have a childhood again, and she was supremely grateful to be proven wrong.

She also noticed a bit of a change in some of the others, Rick most significantly. He was relieved from the stress of staying focused on the search-and-rescue mission for Sophia, and that seemed to do him a lot of good. He still acted as the group's unofficial leader, but now he didn't have to assign searching partners or direct search grids—he didn't have to give direct orders anymore. But he remained adamant about the group earning their keep on the farm, which Jenna could understand wholeheartedly. Hershel and his family had done a lot for the group—more than could be repaid, in Jenna's opinion. Truthfully, she felt that they were more of a hindrance than a help to the Greene family sometimes.

Carol seemed to have broken out of her shell after Sophia's safe return. Gone was the timid woman living in her husband's shadow. She really had taken on a bit of a maternal role to the group as a whole. She made sure they always had clean clothes, she kept the RV and the campsite clean and organized, she made meals of the game Daryl brought back and the handouts from Maggie. She never had a complaint, and she was always there with parenting advice when Jenna needed it.

She supposed she could have asked Lori too, but after seeing that the woman spent most of her time trying to track down her own kid or asking the others to keep an eye on him back at the quarry, Jenna decided Carol was the best source of advice on mothering.

All in all, it was good to see Carol opening up and allowing herself to be happy. She was such a warm person, with a surprisingly wicked sense of humor. She had Jenna and Dusty cracking up all the time now.

The group had also taken more of a shine to Daryl after he'd brought Sophia back safely. Carol continued to show her gratitude, and Jenna figured that would never stop. The others also seemed to appreciate him a little more, and it was about damn time, too. That man did more for them than anyone else, and just because he preferred to keep to himself, it was often taken for granted. He still had a knack for keeping everyone at a distance, but he'd even begun cracking jokes with them occasionally, and playing poker with Glenn, Dusty, and T-Dog almost every evening after dinner.

If only Merle could see him now, Jenna would always think when she watched them. She always wondered how Merle would react to seeing his little brother pal around with a black man, a half black woman, and a Korean man all in one sitting.

Dusty's spirits seemed to have been permanently raised after Sophia's safe return, and it wasn't hard to guess why; Dusty was very fond of the young girl, and had been since Jenna first arrived at the quarry. She spent almost as much time at Sophia's bedside as Carol had during her recovery, and when the child was well enough to join the others at the camp site, she could always be found either with her mother or Dusty, doing girly things Jenna had never had an interest in when she was that age.

She was glad Thao was a boy; she knew how to keep him entertained, at least. If it was a little girl she'd found in Colorado, she wasn't sure what she'd be doing now to keep the child happy. Thao liked what most five-year-old boys liked; rough-housing, getting his clothes dirty, and racing his cars.

Thao seemed to have really grown on Dusty as well, for she spent a good deal of time playing with him too. Wrestling and Hot Wheels she could handle, but when it came to playing in the dirt, she usually opted out.

The only person who puzzled Jenna at first was Shane. For whatever reason, the day Sophia was rescued turned out to be the same day that he apparently decided he either didn't want or need any help from Jenna anymore. For a couple weeks after that, it was like her first days at the quarry all over again; they only spoke when chance permitted it, and they didn't seek each other out for conversation. Shane didn't talk with her more than he did with Glenn, or Carol, or Dusty.

At first, his strange turn in behavior left her feeling almost stung, and she chalked it up to the aftereffects of being caught off guard. She'd promised to help him, not to get so…involved, or invested in him. So, she snapped herself out of it, and moved on. She'd managed just fine without someone else's shoulder to lean on, and she'd do it again. She didn't need anyone.

But, she couldn't deny that it had been nice to have Shane there for moral support. He could understand her demons, more than anyone else, anyway, and that was invaluable. Perhaps she shouldn't have taken it for granted though. Maybe he'd decided he didn't need her help after all, and he could keep himself together on his own.

Well, as long as he wasn't going to take off and isolate himself, Jenna determined that was good enough for her.

And then, one day, it was like he'd done a one-eighty, because he was talking to her again—more than idle chitchat. She really didn't know what initiated it—again—but she wasn't complaining. It was good to have a friend in him again.

And she would make sure to keep things from escalating any higher than that between them. Yes, he was attractive, in an unconventional sort of way. His ears were a little big, and his nose, while not misaligned, had obviously been broken once or twice. But she loved his dark curls, and had to keep herself from staring at his maple eyes more often than she would've liked. The man was obviously confident and sure of himself, and he just exuded masculinity in a way she'd never quite seen before. He was intriguing, and attractive in his own right. And Jenna had the impression that he'd been very popular with the ladies before the world started ending.

Yes, Shane was attractive. Yes, she was attracted to him. But, she couldn't let her guard down that far. Letting him know her past was one thing. And she had to admit, it was just great to have someone to talk to without barriers. She didn't have to carefully monitor the words she let out when she and Shane talked, and it was a relief.

And in doing so, she'd understood the reason for his previous behavior.

They'd been collecting water from the pump on the side of the Greene house since their supply for camp was running a little low. Thao was being kept busy with the old crayons Beth had dug up somewhere in the house for him, the sweet girl, and Sophia was teaching him how to draw animals at the picnic table under the shade. As it turned out, Sophia had the makings of a great older sister in her. Much more so than Jenna had at that age.

"You talk to Dale a lot, huh?" Shane had said while he pumped water into one of their containers. It sounded more like an observation than a question, but she answered anyway.

"Yeah, I guess. We both like books, and I think I saved his sanity by grabbing some books from the CDC before it blew to hell," she said wryly.

He'd smirked slightly and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I noticed. Ya spend half your spare time with your nose in one of them books."

She'd narrowed her eyes, trying not to show that she was amused. "Do you have a point, or are you just mocking me because I read voluntarily? Because if you don't like books, then I don't know how much I like you," she joked, failing at the end to keep a straight face.

He'd just snorted a bit while she stood with her hands on her hips, feigning insult. "Naw," he admitted amusedly. "Not much of a reader."

"I don't think we can be friends, then," she said, replacing the filled container with an empty one before Shane began pumping more water.

He'd laughed a bit, but that time it was more…weightless. There was no genuine mirth. He got like that sometimes, and she never had to ask what was bothering him. She could only assume that he'd been snared by some memory of the FEMA shelter. Some forgotten detail flashing across his mind, vivid and clear, bringing the rest of that night trailing along after it.

"I think Dale has the same idea," Shane said after a moment, and Jenna had frowned then. That was definitely not what she'd been expecting to hear.

"What do you mean?" she'd asked when he didn't continue.

"He, uh…he don't much like me hangin around you, I guess," he admitted, still pumping the water. "Thinks I'm a bad influence, or somethin," he added wryly, rolling his eyes, though Jenna could see that Dale's words were having more of an effect on him than he wanted to let on.

"Why would he think that?" she'd asked carefully, having a bad feeling of where exactly this was going.

Shane didn't seem to want to answer at first, but eventually, he spoke again. "He said he don't believe my story," he began, and Jenna closed her eyes as the worst was confirmed. "I get the feeling he thinks I killed Russell and Otis."

And then Jenna began to think she'd screwed up royally. She was the one who'd suggested that Shane stick with the cover story he'd told Rick the first night. If people were starting to suspect that Shane had killed Otis, then it would be hard to convince them with the truth at this point. It would just be taken as another cover up. And really, what reason would anyone have to believe them?

"Maybe you should tell Rick what really happened," Jenna suggested after getting her thoughts together, and staving off the panic. "Not the others, because they'd lose their shit. But just Rick."

Shane had let go of the pump and sat down at the base of the covered well, running his hand over his face. "Naw," he disagreed. "Rick, he ain't…he ain't the kinda man who'd jus' be okay with what I did. He's the good guy. Always has been. An' he wants to believe Russell died for his son, so I say let him. He ain't gonna wanna hear that Russell used Otis as bait."

Jenna cringed slightly at the cold timbre of Shane's voice, but took a seat on the well next to him anyway. She could understand his anger. Rick praising the man that had murdered Otis and changed Shane's life in the worst way couldn't have been sitting well with him.

"If you think that's best," she'd acquiesced, though she didn't necessarily agree with that decision. But, Shane did know Rick better than she ever could, so perhaps he was making the right call. "You could've told me, you know," she added after a moment, meeting his eyes.

He'd looked back at her for a moment, seeming to deliberate over something, before he spoke again. "I'm tellin you now," he said with a shrug. But she didn't have to say anything for him to know that was a very weak defense, and he continued after a moment, when he'd run his hand over his hair and face at least once. "I figured…it'd be best if Dale didn't see me hangin around you too much. Never know when he's gonna start runnin his mouth to the next person who walks by him."

She'd nodded, understanding at once. Dale had threatened him. She couldn't quite explain the defensive anger that was unfurling within her. All she knew was that she really didn't appreciate Dale threatening Shane that way, without even knowing what had really happened that night.

"Don't worry about him," she'd decided then, and he'd looked over at her in slight surprise. "I'm a big girl—he doesn't need to keep an eye on me. And I told you I'd help you, Shane. Those weren't just words. I meant what I said."

He'd studied her for a long moment, apparently measuring the validity of her words, before a little half smirk adorned his face. "I know. So did I."

She'd smiled back slightly then. "I know."

Whatever confused, tangled thoughts about Shane her mind had been pestering her with, Jenna was just glad to have her friend back. It was good to have someone to lean on—someone who really understood her—and she had to admit, it felt good to do the same for him. Maybe she was still just feeling the optimistic aftereffects of Sophia's miraculous return, but Jenna thought that things were really starting to turn around for all of them there at the Greene farm.

SPOV

Shane hadn't been lying when he'd told Jenna he was glad to be proven wrong. He'd been dreading the possibility of finding that little girl in the worst way, if they found her at all. He never thought he'd see the day when he was so thankful to be wrong.

Everyone's spirits seemed to have lifted with Sophia's return, which made things a hell of a lot easier for Rick. That much was starkly obvious. Shane knew from experience that when Rick had people counting on him, he gave everything he had for them, no matter the cost to himself. It was a trait that Shane had always admired in his best friend, and if he was being honest with himself, he'd envied it a bit too.

At first, Shane was glad to pass the torch to Rick when he'd arrived at the quarry. Leading all those people had been a task for a much more fitting man than himself, and he knew that if anyone could handle it, Rick could. But when he'd seen the effects the role of leader was having on Rick, he began to regret it. He'd just passed along all of that responsibility to his friend without another thought, never stopping once to consider how much of a toll it might take on Rick.

He was glad Rick had been given a good deal of mercy from his duties as leader when Sophia was rescued by Daryl. Now, Rick was able to spend all the time with his son that he needed to. He didn't have any other obligations pulling him in a different direction, as was a common occurrence, even before the world went to shit.

Shane was also beyond thankful that Carl's recovery was going so well. He visited him at least once a day—he avoided stepping into the Greene house, not wanting to run into Patricia if he could help it—and from the looks of things, the boy was doing just fine, all things considering. After Sophia had recovered from her days in the woods, she started spending her time in Carl's room, keeping him company along with his mother or father. Usually, they played Checkers or Go Fish. Sometimes Carl would tell Sophia about one of the more serious bike crashes he'd experienced, or some injury he'd gotten while playing baseball—trying to impress the girl, Shane knew.

Yeah, he was going to be just fine.

There was one dark spot in all of the light, however; for Shane, anyway. Ever since Dale had confronted him with his accusation—not totally unfounded, either—Shane had begun to worry that if the old man suspected him, perhaps some of the others did too. How long would it be before Hershel and his family grew suspicious? Shane really didn't want to be the reason the rest of them were kicked off the property. They loved it there. Jenna in particular looked at the farm like it was the best place she'd ever encountered, and when Shane saw her running around the yard, letting Thao chase her for a while before she eventually let him catch her and wrestle her to the ground, it wasn't hard to see why. This was a safe place for her boy. This was a home.

He wanted to talk to her. It felt strange, wrong even, not talking to her. But with Dale keeping him in his sights, he didn't want to do anything to provoke the old man. He didn't want to start anything that would send them packing.

Initially, he'd done his best to just stay away from her, but he had to be subtle about it. He didn't look in her direction any more than he did anyone else, he didn't make conversation with her more than he would with Glenn or Dusty, and if the group was sitting around the fire pit at night, he always made sure that there were a few people in between them. He never ignored her outright, because that would be too obvious.

Even so, it sometimes felt like he was ignoring her, for whatever reason, and it bothered him. If she was offended by it, she didn't show it—and he had the impression that she wouldn't show it if she was. Offending her wasn't his intention, and he was sure that she would've figured that out, but still, it left him feeling far from stellar.

He really had grown to loathe that old man for forcing him into this. Jenna had promised that she'd help him through this, but with him not-quite-ignoring her, that was damn near impossible for her to do. And she was right; he wasn't able to just sweep his memories of the FEMA shelter under the rug. There were mornings when he'd wake up and the sound of Otis's screaming was the first thing he heard. There were nights when all he could think about was pulling the trigger that ended Russell's life, and whether that bastard had deserved it or not, it left Shane feeling cold in a way he'd never felt before. An unnatural, internal cold that filled up his entire being. A smothering, suffocating chill that he couldn't escape.

And then he realized…Jenna was going through the same thing he was, three times over. He'd promised her that he'd be there for her in return. While he hadn't exactly said those words that night, it was implied when he'd told her they were going to be alright. So this not-quite-ignoring her business was over—Dale could do what he wanted. She'd promised to help him when she had no reason to, and he wasn't going to take that for granted.

The only problem was, he wasn't sure how to start talking to her again the way he had before. It would seem pretty damn strange if he just strolled up to her and struck up conversation now, wouldn't it?

It was actually pretty frustrating. Shane hadn't been the type to feel uncertain about talking to a woman since his younger teenage years—and he'd gotten over those years quickly. He wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but it sure was pissing him off. Just walk up and start talking—how hard could that be?

As it would turn out, pretty damn hard.

He just didn't know what the hell to say to Jenna that didn't sound like he was asking for forgiveness, because that wasn't what he was doing. Every time he planned to go up and speak to her, somehow all of the words in his head became apologetic. Look, I know I ain't been there like I said… Hey, I know we haven't talked lately, but… Jus' had to figure out a few things, but I'm good now…

It was fucking ridiculous. All he had to do was walk up and start talking, so why the hell was he overthinking it? Was it because he knew Dale would probably be watching him like a hawk the whole time from his lookout spot on top of the RV? What the hell did that matter? He and Jenna were friends, in a way, and if he wanted to talk to her, there was no reason he shouldn't.

Finally, the opportunity presented itself a couple weeks after the day Sophia was brought back. It wasn't until later that Shane realized why it had worked so seamlessly; it wasn't orchestrated. It hadn't been planned out. It was just a genuine interaction, and that one simple interaction just about eradicated all the distance he'd been putting between them for the past two weeks. Like it'd never even been there in the first place.

Hershel's farm gave them a lot of freedom they hadn't experienced for months. Freedom they'd had back when the world was still normal. That also went for the kids, who were now free to just be kids. That being the case, it gave Thao the opportunity to act his age—five. The boy was so conditioned to follow Jenna's orders for the sake of survival, Shane had almost forgotten that five-year-olds were prone to misbehavior.

It was around noon, the sun baking down on them like the devil's furnace was overheating, and Dusty asked Jenna if she'd borrowed her utility knife. The last place she'd seen it was in her bag, in their tent. Jenna hadn't taken it, and she knew that the only person who'd been in the tent besides her and Dusty was Thao.

"Hey, bud, come here a second," she'd said as she approached him where he sat in the dirt, racing his cars.

He'd gotten to his feet and came to a stop just a few feet in front of Jenna, looking up at her curiously. "What is it?" he'd asked, running his hand just under his nose in a manner very similar Jenna's. He'd apparently picked up that little quirk from her.

"Do you have Dusty's knife, buddy?" she'd asked, lowering down on her haunches to be at eye-level with the small child.

Thao shook his head, but didn't voice an answer.

Jenna had him turn out his pockets, only to find them empty. But it was obvious that the boy was hiding something, because he'd grown very fidgety and he was a little too quiet while she asked him again if he'd taken the knife.

"Alright. Stay here and play with your cars," she'd said, rising to stand again.

She'd looked over her shoulder on her way toward the front porch of the house, where Thao had been playing earlier, just in time to see her boy sneak around to the other side of the RV, where he must've figured he was well hidden from Jenna's vantage point. Out of sight out of mind, right? Shane had found himself smirking ruefully. No such luck, kiddo.

Sure enough, Jenna had excavated the utility knife in the grass next to the porch steps, where it would've probably gone unnoticed for quite a while if someone hadn't been looking for it specifically. She'd folded the knife closed and tossed it to Dusty on her way to the RV, where she located Thao sitting quietly in the grass, trying to play with his cars as nonchalantly as he could. But it was clear that he knew he was in trouble. Kids were rarely good at hiding those things at that age. Shane could recall a time, years ago, when Carl had drawn on the living room wall with permanent marker and tried to hide it by shoving the heavy recliner in front of it. When Rick and Lori had noticed the awkwardly positioned chair and the drawings it concealed, it hadn't taken very long for Carl to fess up.

"I found Dusty's knife," Jenna had told Thao, crouching down to be at level with him again. "Do you know where?" Thao just shook his head. "Are you sure? Because I think you do, buddy." Again, he just shook his head, but voiced no answer. "Thao, I want you to tell me. Did you take that knife without asking?"

He shook his head, looking back at her with big eyes. "No," he said a little too innocently.

"Are you sure?" Jenna asked, her voice still patient.

He nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I'm really sure."

"Really?" she'd asked. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

He shook his head slowly. "No."

Jenna didn't say anything further, but just raised her brows expectantly and kept her eyes on the boy's, waiting. About thirty seconds later, Thao had ducked his head in defeat and mumbled, "Yes, I took it," in a small voice.

Jenna nodded. "That's what I thought. Go sit at the table," she instructed, pointing to the picnic table to her right.

"For how long?" Thao wondered, sounding like she'd just given him a life-sentence.

To her credit, she didn't cave at the distraught lilt in her boy's voice, but kept her face straight when she answered. "Until I say so. Now go," she said, nodding her head toward the table. "Don't move from that spot, understand?"

Thao nodded glumly and trudged off to the picnic table, where he sat down and held his head up on his fists, already looking extremely bored. Jenna kept her gaze on him for a long moment and then straightened up to stand, running a hand through her wild hair. Shane had gotten the impression that was the first time she'd ever had to be the disciplinarian for her boy. He was just impressed that she hadn't given in to his puppy dog eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Dusty," she'd said to her friend as she headed over toward the fire pit, where Dusty and Carol were preparing lunch for everyone. "I'll keep a better eye on him—"

"Hey, don't even worry 'bout it, Jen," said Dusty with the easy wave of her hand. "He's five. This shit happens, ya know? No harm no foul."

"Thanks," breathed Jenna in obvious relief. "Now I'm just wondering how long to have him sit there…" she'd mused, looking over at the picnic table, where Thao was slouching unhappily in his seat, kicking his feet back and forth across the dirt beneath the table.

"Ten minutes should be good enough," Carol offered informatively, pouring water into the pot over the fire Dusty had going.

Jenna nodded appreciatively. "Alright, thanks."

And, without even thinking about it, without having to plan any dialogue to approach with, Shane had gotten up to join Jenna while she made her way over to the Cherokee. Whenever she got stressed out, she tended to head over to work on one of the cars, tuning up the engine with their minimal supplies. He'd gathered that it was a bit of a stress reliever of hers.

"How the hell'd you do that?" he'd asked without any preamble as he joined her at the front of the Cherokee.

Her eyes had met his, puzzlement flashing across them for a moment as she lifted the hood. "Do what?" was her simple response.

"Get Thao to fess up like that," he explained. "You didn't even have to lecture 'im."

She'd just let out a little breath of laughter while she connected a socket to the ratchet to get started. "Just had to maintain eye-contact and wait," she answered, leaning forward to work on the engine.

He'd quirked a brow. "You kiddin me?"

She'd laughed again at his disbelieving tone. "No, not kidding. My grandma used to do the same thing to me when I was his age. Figured I'd give it a try."

And just like that, they'd picked up where they'd left off, conversing easily and joking like they'd known each other for years. And for the first time in a long time, Shane wasn't aware of Dale's eyes following him, though in hindsight, he knew they must've been locked right on him then. In all honesty, he couldn't have cared less at that point. It was good to be able to talk with Jenna again, even if they weren't talking about anything remotely serious or important.

After helping her tune up the engine of the Cherokee for approximately ten minutes, Jenna had gone off to relieve Thao of his timeout.

"Alright, come over here, bud," she'd said to her boy, wiping the oil from her hands on an old rag and tucking it into her back pocket.

Thao got up from the table and skulked over to Jenna obediently, his head ducked slightly. "I'm sorry, mama…" he mumbled in a very small, very apologetic voice. Shane could tell that it took a bit of effort for Jenna to keep her face straight and not be affected by her boy's dejection.

"What're you sorry for?" she'd asked, successfully keeping her demeanor calm and authoritative.

"Because I took Dusty's knife, and for lying when you asked me if I took it," he'd answered in that same small voice.

"You know that was wrong, don't you, bud?" she'd asked sincerely, and Thao had nodded glumly. "I don't want you lying anymore, understand?"

"Yes, mama," he'd answered.

"And you ask before you touch other people's things—that's not polite," she chided gently.

"Okay."

"Promise?"

"I promise…" There was a short pause, before he seemed to gather up his courage to speak again. "Mama?"

"Yeah, buddy?" Jenna replied curiously, lowering down to his level.

"You still love me, right? You still wanna be my mom?" Thao asked in a hopeful tone that must've broken Jenna's heart at least a little bit.

Shane knew that had to have been true, because her eyes had widened slightly, and she looked for a moment like she'd just been punched in the gut. But she recovered quickly and held Thao's face in both of her small hands gently.

"Of course I do, sweetheart," she assured him sincerely. "Of course I still love you. Come here." She'd pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly while he hugged her back with equal force, and kissed his head gently. "Do you still love me, buddy?" she'd asked.

Thao had nodded immediately. "Yeah, I love you, mama."

Jenna had smiled a bit, and Shane knew then that she'd been honestly a little worried about that prospect. "Oh good. Thank you, buddy, I'm glad. Now come on—let's go find Dusty so you can tell her you're sorry, alright?" she suggested, leaning back to look him in the eye once more.

He'd nodded and smiled, glad to be forgiven. "Yeah."

Shane had watched them walk off together, and decided to stay put there at the camp site, seeing that the two of them could probably use some time to themselves while they made up to each other. He was just glad that the barrier he'd put up between them was gone now, because while neither of them needed the other, it was a hell of a lot easier on both of them if they were a united front, so to speak. Because if he was plagued with memories in his sleep and in his waking hours, he knew that she probably was too. They both shared the same burden, and now they didn't have to carry it on their own.

Note:

I am soooo very sorry for the most delayed update I think I've ever made. I was out of town for about three weeks, and I've had family visiting from out of state until today, so I've been busy with family weddings and whatnot. But, now I'm back to writing. Thank you for hanging in there, and thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows. They are very much appreciated!

BC- In response to your question, yes, I am planning on delving into the months that were skipped in the show. I'm not sure how much, but I'm definitely going to.