Title- Because it didnt end.

Rating- G

Author- Beth- Shanshu

Pairing- B/S and X/A (though both are only sligtly mentioned!)

Feedback- on here is fine! but be nice! kinda a first for me!

Summary- short post chosen fic. nothing really happens in it!

Disclaimer- I own nothing! seriously! you think i would be writing fic if i owned something? All belong to Joss etc. etc.

Distributation: anywhere. but asking first would be nice. or just please let me know so i can keep track.

Authors Note: very short, just needed to get it out my head! first fic i've shown to anyone so if you reveiw please be gentle!

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It hadn't ended.

The sun still set, golden light disappearing, leaving the world in shadow.

People still returned to their safe houses, fearing the darkness and what lurked in it.

Adults and children still slept peacefully in their homes, surrounded by their love ones and drifting into dreams of their own.

And the creatures that everyone pretended didn't exist still lurked at night, searching for prey.

And the world still turned, the inhabitants of it blissfully unaware that anything out of the ordinary happened that night.

Except them.

In a little motel in the middle of nowhere, and a not-so little hospital in the same town, there was a group of people who weren't asleep.

A group of people who weren't hiding from the darkness.

A group of people who had lost their safe houses.

A group of people who were well aware of what lurked at night.

A group of people who, although exhausted, wouldn't sleep, hiding from the nightmares that they knew would come if they closed their eyes.

The nightmares that were very much real.

It had all seemed right. The world hadn't ended. They were alive.

But as they drove away, leaving behind the evidence of what had happened that night, they realised that all was not right.

Because they were alone.

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Everything seemed clearer outside. Sitting on the back porch of her mother's house, the soft street lights making everything glow. Shadows from the trees making patterns on the grass around her. Quiet sounds from her not-quite-normal family behind her, safe inside.

The small amber glow, and swish of leather as he sat next to her, and the comforting feeling of being not quite alone.

Except this wasn't the porch of her mother's house. This was a hard concrete step. The intricate patterns in the streetlights and the shadows they cast weren't there. These shadows seemed wrong. The only sounds she could her were from the cars zooming past on the freeway. Her family were inside, but it didn't feel safe. There was no comforting feeling.

And she was alone.

The old saying kept threatening to spill out of her mind. Saying how you don't know what you've got until it's gone. It was so cliché. But so true.

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Everything seemed clearer when he was there. Lying in their bed. The small sounds of her breathing softly. An old lamp in the corner casting shadows onto her face. Replaying the days events in his head, laughing silently at something strange she'd said. And that comforting feeling that she was there, and she was staying there.

Except this wasn't their bed. This bed was hard and empty. The only sounds were from the freeway outside, and a young couple arguing in the hallway. There was no soft lighting, no shadows on her face. There were too-bright lights, and the small shadows fell onto old mismatched furniture. He could no longer replay those happy-days, he couldn't laugh silently. The only thoughts he had were terrifying and sad, and he could only cry. There was no comforting feeling.

And he was alone.

Thoughts and wishes of things he could've changed, things he should've done differently threatened to spill. He shouldn't wish. But it was all true.

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Tomorrow would come.

The sun would still rise, the bright light covering the world.

People would still leave their houses, going about their daily routines, forgetting the night.

Adults and Children would laugh together, bringing happiness to themselves and their loved ones.

And the creatures that everyone pretended didn't exist would hide in their homes, waiting for another night.

And the world would still turn, the inhabitants of it blissfully unaware that anything out of the ordinary happened that night.

Except them.

That group of people would wake to the sun, wondering what they could do.

That group of people would search for new homes.

That group of people would continue to plan and stop the creatures that lurked at night, remembering what they had achieved in the past.

That group of people would still be haunted by memories of that night, trying to find the happiness they should feel.

And they would pretend that everything is perfect. And dream of a future that fulfils all their wishes.

They would drive out of that town, not knowing where they would end up next. And they would pretend everything was right, even though deep inside its not.

Because they are alone.

And because they know what happened on that night, they know what was lost, and they will sometimes feel inside that maybe the world should have ended. Should have ended when the ones they loved were lost.

But it didnt end. And they will live. For them.

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The End.