A/N: Thanks to Nick Sparks!
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The further Oliver chased Sarah into the garden, the more it became like a maze. He couldn't see her, but he just followed the sound of her sobs.
"Sarah! Sarah, WAIT! Talk to me please!" he yelled in hopes of getting her to slow down or even stop long enough for him to catch up.
"It wasn't supposed to be this way! I was just supposed to heal you and then you would go home. Why did you have to mess everything up?" She yelled behind her. Oliver could tell she was getting tired. They had been running for almost twenty minutes by now.
Oliver turned the corner of some trees, and there she was. She wasn't running anymore, she was jogging. But Oliver could tell that it wasn't because she wanted him to catch up, it was because she was exhausted.
Oliver used his last bit of strength to catch up to Sarah in about five strides. When he was right behind her, he swung both of his arms around her tightly so she wouldn't get away again.
Sarah yelped, but not because she was in pain, but because she had been caught by the thing she had been running from her whole life. She knew that she would have to tell him the truth.
They both didn't say anything for a few minutes; Oliver was trying to catch his breath. Sarah was using this time to try and get free. But even tired and out of breath, Oliver was still stronger then she.
"LET ME GO!!...please?" she said pleadingly while fighting his every move.
"NO! Not until you tell me why," He spun her around to face him, while holding on to both of her arms powerfully.
"...Why you can't love me." He said in an almost angry voice.
"I...I..NO! I just can't! Now let me go!" She said struggling.
"TELL ME NOW!!" He said, tightening his grip and slightly shaking her.
"OWW! You're hurting me!" She said with tears running down her face.
"Not as bad as you're hurting me I'll bet!" He too had tears running down his face.
Sarah broke down and began to weep.
Oliver loosened his grip because he didn't mean to hurt her.
"Why.Why can't you love me?" He was begging her to tell him.
"Be...because..." She put her head down; she couldn't say it.
"Because why?" he said softly, trying to coax it out of her.
"All of my life.I have healed people, and completely recovered. I have never been injured very long. That's the way it's ALWAYS been." She said looking into his eyes as if the answer were obvious.
"But why can't you love me?" He said, still confused.
Sarah took a few deep breaths to help her stop crying.
"The...the reason I can't love anyone is..." She stopped.
"IS?" He was so close to knowing it was killing him.
"...because a broken heart is the only injury I could never recover from, and I don't think I could handle that." Her secret was out. She felt extremely vulnerable, and that was a feeling she didn't like.
Oliver's heart broke just listening to this.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
She rested her hands on his shoulders. She buried her face in his firm chest and cried.
"Shhh...it's ok...I won't hurt you.I promise." He said over and over. He had one hand stroking her back and one running softly through her hair.
Eventually her cries turned into whimpers.
"I'm in the same boat as you, ya know." he said matter-of-factly.
"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling away slightly to wipe her tears.
"I've never trusted anyone with my heart either." He said looking into her eyes.
"I know." She said placing her head back on his chest.
"How do you know?" He asked surprised.
"..I have my ways." She said with a little smile.
Oliver was still somewhat puzzled, but let the subject drop.
They stood in each other's arms for about half an hour, but it was becoming too cold to stay outside much longer.
"Can we continue this inside?" Oliver asked softly in her ear.
Sarah's only reply was a nod. She was in too much of a dreamlike state to say anything.
They walked to the house with Oliver still holding Sarah. They walked to her room where there was a fire in the fireplace and some candles lit, making the room smell lovely.
They stood in the middle of the room hugging, until Sarah broke the silence with a yawn.
"Ooh, excuse me." She said somewhat sleepily.
Oliver flashed his 10,000-watt smile at her, which made her giggle.
"Well, Mr. Wood, if you don't mind, I'm going to go take a shower. With all that running, I think need one."
"Me too." He looked rather sad to be letting go of her again.
She reached up, while on her tiptoes, and put her mouth right next to his ear.
"Don't think this is over, I want to see you back here when I come out." She said with a small smile that was both reassuring and playful.
"Yes ma'am." He said slightly sarcastically before leaning down and giving her a quick kiss before he left.
She watched him leave the room, than sighed as if she just came down from cloud 9. She turned and practically ran to her bathroom. After all, she didn't want to keep him waiting.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The further Oliver chased Sarah into the garden, the more it became like a maze. He couldn't see her, but he just followed the sound of her sobs.
"Sarah! Sarah, WAIT! Talk to me please!" he yelled in hopes of getting her to slow down or even stop long enough for him to catch up.
"It wasn't supposed to be this way! I was just supposed to heal you and then you would go home. Why did you have to mess everything up?" She yelled behind her. Oliver could tell she was getting tired. They had been running for almost twenty minutes by now.
Oliver turned the corner of some trees, and there she was. She wasn't running anymore, she was jogging. But Oliver could tell that it wasn't because she wanted him to catch up, it was because she was exhausted.
Oliver used his last bit of strength to catch up to Sarah in about five strides. When he was right behind her, he swung both of his arms around her tightly so she wouldn't get away again.
Sarah yelped, but not because she was in pain, but because she had been caught by the thing she had been running from her whole life. She knew that she would have to tell him the truth.
They both didn't say anything for a few minutes; Oliver was trying to catch his breath. Sarah was using this time to try and get free. But even tired and out of breath, Oliver was still stronger then she.
"LET ME GO!!...please?" she said pleadingly while fighting his every move.
"NO! Not until you tell me why," He spun her around to face him, while holding on to both of her arms powerfully.
"...Why you can't love me." He said in an almost angry voice.
"I...I..NO! I just can't! Now let me go!" She said struggling.
"TELL ME NOW!!" He said, tightening his grip and slightly shaking her.
"OWW! You're hurting me!" She said with tears running down her face.
"Not as bad as you're hurting me I'll bet!" He too had tears running down his face.
Sarah broke down and began to weep.
Oliver loosened his grip because he didn't mean to hurt her.
"Why.Why can't you love me?" He was begging her to tell him.
"Be...because..." She put her head down; she couldn't say it.
"Because why?" he said softly, trying to coax it out of her.
"All of my life.I have healed people, and completely recovered. I have never been injured very long. That's the way it's ALWAYS been." She said looking into his eyes as if the answer were obvious.
"But why can't you love me?" He said, still confused.
Sarah took a few deep breaths to help her stop crying.
"The...the reason I can't love anyone is..." She stopped.
"IS?" He was so close to knowing it was killing him.
"...because a broken heart is the only injury I could never recover from, and I don't think I could handle that." Her secret was out. She felt extremely vulnerable, and that was a feeling she didn't like.
Oliver's heart broke just listening to this.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
She rested her hands on his shoulders. She buried her face in his firm chest and cried.
"Shhh...it's ok...I won't hurt you.I promise." He said over and over. He had one hand stroking her back and one running softly through her hair.
Eventually her cries turned into whimpers.
"I'm in the same boat as you, ya know." he said matter-of-factly.
"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling away slightly to wipe her tears.
"I've never trusted anyone with my heart either." He said looking into her eyes.
"I know." She said placing her head back on his chest.
"How do you know?" He asked surprised.
"..I have my ways." She said with a little smile.
Oliver was still somewhat puzzled, but let the subject drop.
They stood in each other's arms for about half an hour, but it was becoming too cold to stay outside much longer.
"Can we continue this inside?" Oliver asked softly in her ear.
Sarah's only reply was a nod. She was in too much of a dreamlike state to say anything.
They walked to the house with Oliver still holding Sarah. They walked to her room where there was a fire in the fireplace and some candles lit, making the room smell lovely.
They stood in the middle of the room hugging, until Sarah broke the silence with a yawn.
"Ooh, excuse me." She said somewhat sleepily.
Oliver flashed his 10,000-watt smile at her, which made her giggle.
"Well, Mr. Wood, if you don't mind, I'm going to go take a shower. With all that running, I think need one."
"Me too." He looked rather sad to be letting go of her again.
She reached up, while on her tiptoes, and put her mouth right next to his ear.
"Don't think this is over, I want to see you back here when I come out." She said with a small smile that was both reassuring and playful.
"Yes ma'am." He said slightly sarcastically before leaning down and giving her a quick kiss before he left.
She watched him leave the room, than sighed as if she just came down from cloud 9. She turned and practically ran to her bathroom. After all, she didn't want to keep him waiting.