Author's note: Thanks for the reviews.

/

Standing in the face of Alexis Rhodes seeing him for who he truly was, he found himself to be strangely relaxed.

It felt like forever since he'd last been seen. He's grown somewhat accustomed to Aster, in an odd way but to have another's eyes upon him, it warmed his heart in a way he hadn't been expecting it to. He was content to stand there in silence. He gave Alexis all the time that she needed, accepting that it was a good deal for him to process. A brief glance towards the glass, catching sight of a faint reflection of himself. It was still Aster's body, his voice but now the truth of what lay just under the skin was apparent to both of them. He made no secret of it.

Alexis couldn't take her eyes off of him. The way that she looked at him, it was as if she half expected him to vanish before her very eyes. Some part of him wanted to say something, to make a gesture, to comfort her however he could. He didn't know how though. She braced herself against the balustrade behind her, still she didn't take her eyes off of him or even speak. He just waited determined to give her as much space and time as she needed.

"I- I don't understand… How can it be-" Her voice trembled, on the brink of tears. "You?"
"I don't really know." He confessed aware that it might not be what Alexis wanted to hear. "It's a long story-"
"Right now, I think I could do with hearing it, Zane..."

His name coming from her sounded both so odd as he hadn't heard it in such a long time and at the same time comforting for that very reason. He took the precaution of looking around, just to ensure that they were safely alone. Seeing no others present nearby, he took a chance and approached. She didn't move, allowing him to come and settle next to her, leaning against the same balustrade.

The tale that he told was made all the stranger as he didn't understand a lot of it himself. All he could do was tell her about what he'd lived – if the term could even still be applied where he was concerned – through. He did tell her though. He told her everything from his awakening mysteriously on the beach, to finding Aster, sitting through the ceremony, what had transpired with Nightshroud, right up to the agreement which had lead him to be here, like this, occupying his friend's body, with her. About the only thing that he left out was exactly what he'd seen in that nightmare world he'd been trapped in. It didn't seem important. That and even he knew that telling her they'd been married with a kid in that existence would have been an awkward thing to confess to assuming that the life had been created from at least some part of his subconscious.

She took it all in quietly. Taking her time so as to process all of what she'd been told. Not once did she do so much as interrupt him, not even to ask any of the questions which he could only assume that she must have had. She appeared to be, if not troubled, then at the very least deep in thought, reflective. Her outward expression turning a little bit glum. He remained quiet, slipping his hands into his pockets as he waited.

"So this morning, by the lighthouse, that was Aster?"
"Yes… He seemed to think that I should come here. Talk to you guys..."
"Why didn't you just say?! We could have helped!" There was a bit of an accusation there which she didn't attempt to conceal.
"Because I am dead Alexis." He reminded the young woman. "My heart gave out. I don't know why or how I'm back here but it isn't natural. It isn't right."

He stressed that point. It was something which Aster had failed to comprehend and that he himself struggled to put into words: just how wrong all of this felt. It was something that he knew deep within his bones and had done so from the moment that he had reappeared in this world. Even now in the body of another, there was something niggling away at the back of his mind. It wasn't enough to be unbearable but neither was it a force which couldn't be entirely ignored. It was always there, reminding him silently that he wasn't alive anymore and shouldn't have been in this place.

Once more, Alexis was quiet. She looked down at her feet. Her expression was enough to generate some guilt within Zane, he wished that he could have told her something else. That there was a way for him to return properly or failing that for him to erase what she had just discovered from her mind and have her return to her blissful ignorance:

"I'm sorry. This was selfish of me. I shouldn't have involved you in this. It isn't fair."
"I don't mind." She interjected suddenly. "I thought you were gone. Being able to talk to you again, even like this it means a lot… I've missed you."

Zane didn't quite know what to say to that. In all honesty, he'd probably guessed that much simply from the amount of times he'd seen her hanging around their old haunting spot near the lighthouse. Folding his arms across his chest, he allowed a silence to settle in once more if only because he didn't know how to respond to such a confession. Some part of him wanted to tell her the truth, that he too had missed her. These past few days, he'd longed to be able to spend some time with her and just to talk about things be they serious or mundane. Right now, he had that opportunity but for the life of him didn't know what to do with it. As such, it was Alexis who ended up tentatively continuing:

"Do you want me to go get Syrus? I'm sure he'd want to-"
"No!" He spoke suddenly, perhaps a little too loudly, panicked by the mere suggestion. "I don't want anyone else knowing. It's not like they can help, so best they don't know I'm still here."
"But they'd still want to-"
"Leave it Alexis. It's best for everyone."
"Would you want to talk to him?"

No. Of course he didn't. He'd made his peace in the Dark World with his little brother, the rest was all just water under the bridge. He came close to snapping at her for the mere implication that he might somehow need to speak to his younger sibling. From what he'd seen, Syrus was coping well enough. He had his friends to stand beside him and guide him along. So long as he could fall back on them, he would be alright… He turned back towards the rest of the party, as if to find some form of confirmation to found his belief.

It took him a few moments to locate his little brother, spotting a familiar tuft of hair. His little brother was standing in front of the table where the photos of those who had lost their lives had been placed. It was easy enough to guess just which one he would be looking at. He let out a heavy sigh.

"What could I possibly say?"
"If Zane can't speak, I'm sure Aster will think of something..."

Alexis took her hand. She did so gently but with enough force to mean that for him to be free of it, he would have to tug quite violently. He didn't. Allowing her to lead him along, following docilely even although he knew just where it was that she would be taking him. He wanted to protest, to dig his heels in and insist that she didn't know what she was saying or suggesting and to stick to his initial position, refusing point blank to speak with him. His identity had been exposed once after all, he couldn't afford to allow it to be revealed a second. Then there would be no chance of him being able to keep his secret.

All the while, he was being brought ever closer to his brother until it was too late, unless he physically turned tail and ran. Syrus looked away from the picture, evidently somewhat surprised at being approached in such a manner. Still he managed to offer them a smile.

"Hey Sy." It was Alexis who spoke first. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." He replied, his smile not quite managing to mask his sadness. "Just, thinking about Zane. I wish he could have been here. I know it wouldn't really have been his scene but still..."

Zane remained silent. There was something lodged just in his throat. It was a handful of words which he only just managed to contain, holding them back to the best of his ability thanks to what little restraint he still possessed. Aster and Syrus weren't close friends. Much like Alexis, he didn't think that they'd ever exchanged more than a few passing words with one another. One wrong word and he would inadvertently add to his brother's list of torments the knowledge that he was trapped here in a permanent state of incorporeal suffering. He didn't deserve that. Not after everything that he'd already been forced to endure.

There could be no denying that Syrus had grown. Perhaps not a great deal physically but in his mind, he was no longer the same frightened and soft-hearted child that he had been upon setting foot on the island. No doubt spending three years narrowly avoiding death and/or being sent to some hellish dimension had something to do with it. He was going to need to be a bit tougher, Zane couldn't help but think, there was a lot riding on him now.

"He would be proud, of you… Zane I mean." The words slipped out, perhaps not that eloquently but they came. "He'd be really proud."

Syrus stared. It wasn't really the sort of thing that Aster would have said. Zane knew that much and was aware that he was likely going to attract many a question on account of his odd and out of character behaviour. It didn't matter all that much however. For the sake of a few words, he found that there was a certain weight on his chest that had been lifted. He was breathing a little bit more easily.

He'd said what he needed to. Now it was time to move on. He began to walk away. Alexis still had his hand. She didn't put up any resistance, offering Syrus a brief smile before following him. Zane didn't have any particular destination in mind so long as it allowed him to put some distance between himself and his little brother. Eventually, they settled in a corner of the room. It was a little quieter, enough to let them speak more freely than they might otherwise have done but not quite so much so as to make it apparent that they were trying to isolate themselves.

"Thank you..." He managed after a few moments.
"You're welcome." She spoke softly, allowing a few seconds to pass before asking quietly. "How long have you got?"
"I promised Aster I'd meet him by his boat at midnight so that he could have his body back." Zane informed her. "Then things will go back to normal."
"You mean I won't be able to hear or see you."
"That's how it's got to be… I'll be okay, Lexi. Don't you worry about me."

He lied as best as he could, knowing all the time that he wasn't going to be successful. She would inevitably worry about him. It was just who she was. He could tell that much easily simply through looking at her. She wasn't quite crying but the look of pain on her face made it apparent that this was something which was troubling her. Perhaps some would blame it upon the loss of several of her friends or if it might be the knowledge that in a few days they would all be moving on with their lives and the uncertainty that brought with it. She might just get away with it as a result for a short while.

"So..." She spoke finally after a short while.
"So..."

He expected it to be an end there. They would go their separate ways. He would make his way down to the docks and spend the rest of his evening there, waiting. Alexis would do her best to forget about him and inevitably fail to do so, forever wondering if he might have been with her, a silent ghost trapped as an observer. He knew what he should have said. He should have told her that he wouldn't, that never again would she find herself in his presence, even unknowingly. In short, this, right now, was farewell. He held off however, aware that it could very well be yet another lie. He would be able to stay away for a while but after a decade? Could he really say that he wouldn't be tempted to seek her – or anyone else – out so as to see how they were doing? He was growing tired of lies and deception.

They stayed standing there for longer than he knew they probably should have. At some point, he realized that Alexis still had his hand. She wasn't quite clinging to him but he still couldn't quite bring himself to pull away.

"Would you..." She draw his attention, hesitating briefly as his eyes fell upon her, timid. "-like to dance?"
"With you?" He stopped himself as he realized that the question was stupid. "You know they'll see Aster."
"Does it matter? You and I will know."

He shouldn't have agreed to it. He should have dug his heels in and/or left. Every second he spent with her, he knew was only going to make things harder for both of them later on down the line. Once more however, he found all of his resolve fading away. He caved and gave in to an urge which he didn't fully understand.

He danced twice with Alexis. Two songs. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd danced with anyone. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure that he had ever danced with anyone. Presumably that showed as he found himself struggling to avoid standing on his partner's feet and making up most of it as he went along. She took it in her stride. Laughing a few times when he got into a muddle, amused rather than annoyed. Truth be told, he found himself to be smiling, something else that he couldn't recall indulging in a good deal in a good while. He fancied that he must have gotten at least a little bit better as by the second time. He wasn't quite so clumsy and the enjoyment was somewhat different for it.

It drew close to midnight and the time for him to leave.

Alexis didn't argue. She didn't try to convince him to spend "just another few minutes". Instead, she just nodded solemnly, understanding. Her smile vanishing as she did so.

"I'm coming with you."

Her tone left little room for debate and he didn't feel like trying to chase her away. Instead, he found himself to be grateful for her presence. Together, they made their way down towards the docks, slipping away from the party without anyone really noticing. It was a quiet walk, with both parties fully aware of just what awaited them at the end of it.

Zane found himself to not be focusing on it all that much. Whether or not that was voluntary denial or something that he was doing subconsciously, he couldn't have said. There was a pleasantness in being able to feel the warm breeze blowing up from the ocean and to breathe properly for the first time without having to worry about some evil force that he couldn't deny. Finally he found himself capable of understanding some of Aster's gift and regretful for not being able to enjoy more of it. There were other things which he would have liked to tell Alexis, to talk with her about but he thought better of it, finding some sort of solace in the peaceful silence. She hadn't let go of his hand and that was enough.

The docks in front of Aster's yacht were deserted. Good. To the onlooker, Zane assumed that what was about to happen would appear to be rather strange. He glanced around, searching for Aster. He shouldn't have been far, they were on time after all. Eventually, he spotted his form emerging from down towards the lighthouse and gradually making his way towards them. Next to him, Alexis shifted slightly, her expression sorrowful. He wished he could have said something to make things better for the two of them but no words came to mind.

"I'm going to miss you." Came Alexis' quiet confession.
"I've been gone for a while now." He assured her, unsure if such a statement could ever be comforting.
"Yes but still..."
"Aster's almost here." Zane informed her, aware that she wouldn't be able to see the soul.

Sure enough, the young man joined them a few moments later. Alexis did turn her head, mimicking him in an attempt to look at least in the right direction. It was obvious however that she couldn't actually see him. Whilst her eyes scanned around the port, they failed to lock onto anything concrete and so, after a short while, they came back to focus on him. The sorrow behind her eyes was impossible to mistake. He contented himself with squeezing her hand, holding it a little tighter. Aster cast a confused glance between the two of them. Instantly, Zane was able to guess just what the issue was:

"She knows." He explained.
"You can have a bit longer, if you want." Aster muttered in response.
"No… It's time."

He didn't bother explaining that if he spent any longer in Aster's body, he wasn't entirely sure that he would be able to give up what had been offered to him. He held out his hand, offering it to his friend to tap. He didn't look at him however. Instead, he turned to look at Alexis. Whilst she did seem to be a bit confused, having missed the conversation and perhaps not quite grasping just how it was that they switched bodies, she did understand that he was about to leave. Zane held his breath, taking one last chance to breathe in the fresh sea air he so enjoyed. His grip on his friend's hand tightened.

There was a familiar flash. He thought that he might have heard Alexis shout and he was torn out of Aster's body and thrust back into his cold and tired existence.

For whatever reason, he found himself to be dazed this time around. Whilst he was back to the existence that he recognized, he still found himself to be struggling to make sense of the world around him or even to remember just how it was that he was here and what he was doing. It was only a loud gasp that brought him back to reality. Aster crashed to his knees, shaking from head to foot. Alexis did her best to help, bracing him as best as she could in an effort to support him.

"I-I'll be alright." He only just managed to assure her through his spluttering.

She didn't leave Aster's side but did instead raise her eyes to meet the figure of the spirit standing nearby. They locked eyes. Zane saw her and saw that she was looking right at him. There could be no mistaking it. Their gazes met. She didn't need to articulate it. He could tell. She could see him. He didn't quite know how to react to that. Some part of him felt what he could best describe as a feeling of relief, as if that "goodbye" hadn't quite been all that final. There was however a sense of dread which came with that, as he realized that he'd just become Alexis' problem in equal parts to Aster's. Both feelings clashed within him, leaving him standing there uselessly, unable to react.

They would probably have stayed like that for a good while longer, gawking at one another like idiots if it weren't for Aster. Without warning, he fell forwards. His arms and legs becoming limp. If it weren't for Alexis still next to him, his face would likely have slammed into the concrete. As if was, she was only just fast enough to catch him and at least soften some of the fall. She turned him over so that he was resting on his right side. Still he remained unresponsive. Zane stayed where he was, fearful to approach and aware that even if he did, he wouldn't be able to help.

Alexis did what she could to get a reaction from him. Shaking him gently and tapping him on the shoulder. He was heavy, limp:

"Aster? Aster!" She called to him before pausing, raising her eyes to meet Zane. "He's passed out..."