FINAL GOODBYES
Written by Star
Chapter Three - A Reason to Fight on

...Our lives will come and go
Coming with the rising of the sun
And setting with the coming of the moon
Our lives come and go with time
Just as many have come and gone before us
And this cycle will go on
For many, many years to come

(Pixie Wings)

A slight breeze ruffled the growing hair of the melancholy young woman, staring blankly out to sea. Sorrow nestled itself deep in her heart that she nurtured with no desire to dispose of, despite the efforts of those around her. The wind grew stronger and her hair danced wildly, but her eyes remained unfocused upon the sea. She leaned back into the giant tree that protected the gravestones and plaques from sunlight.

The earth swallowed him whole, descending to his final rest. His mortal flame flickered and glows no more. His shadow cast, she stumbles and falls.

.oOo.

"It's getting cold."

She remains silent, her eyes never wavering from the stone, bearing his name.

"Please Star, this isn't easy for me either." Ringo's voice breaks, and she finally turns around. "Come inside." He pleads.

Star continues to stare, unshed tears bright in her dark eyes. Even for the victorious, there is no glory; loved ones are left to carry on alone, or else pick up pieces that may never be whole again. War, the relentless juggernaut that cared not for broken hearts and righteous wishes.

She saw his eyes in every green leaf, savoured his fading scent upon her pillow, and cried for the love that was hers for so short a time. It had been about survival for so long, would she survive a broken heart?

.oOo.

Waiting for Death…it was the last thing she expected to hear. Her shrinking world expanded slowly, stomach swelling with life created. Star marvelled daily at every kick, turn and shiver. Suddenly the world was full of colour again, and she prayed that her child would be the image of its father. Her heart was full now that there was something worth living for and she was blissfully distracted by the life growing inside her; as the longing that stirred in Ringo's eyes closed his heart to all others.

She loved him from the moment they placed him screaming on her stomach. Her son, the image of his father, closed her heart to all others.

.oOo.

"Was Daddy a strong man?" The young boy asks his mother.

"Very strong, and very brave." Star replied, gazing lovingly into her son's dark green eyes, welcoming him into her arms.

"Why did he die?"

Star froze, unsure of how to answer. She was saved, as she had so often before, by her faithful friend.

"I bet you've never had a hot chocolate with three marshmallows in it before, have you, Nick?" Ringo offers.

"THREE?" Nick squeals. "Thank you Uncle Ringo, you're the best!"

Marshmallows consumed and hot chocolate quenching the young boy's questions, Nick runs off to play. An inquisitive child that rarely misses a thing, he is in the advanced reading class.

"He's a cute kid." Ringo sighs.

"You're biased." Star chuckles.

Silence both uneasy and welcome settles between them. They'd been fighting lately; Ringo had broken up with another girlfriend after he put Nick's interests first. He'd been short with Star, frustrated with her stubborn desire to ignore the situation between them. However he couldn't help it, he loved her and the child.

Increasingly aware of the tension between them, Star tried and failed many times to articulate her thoughts. She loved Ringo too much to deceive him; it was Blade's embrace she wanted.

Ringo would never leave; Star would never ask him to.

.oOo.

Years pass, preparations are made and the rumours fly. With Ringo's refusal to commit to another woman, tabloids place the blame with the Space Knight Commander. Star mustered her courage when forced to endure innuendo through important meetings.

All the while, her son continued to grow into a confident man. With wild black hair and mischievous green eyes, Nick quickly becomes every bit the hero his father was.

Star knew he would never belong to her forever, but she'd lived for him longer than she realised and dreaded his wedding day. Her anguish was soon forgotten, as his bride was pregnant and it wasn't long before Nick presented her twin granddaughters.

.oOo.

Life became calm, and disconcerting for her. The next generation of Space Knights had been so well trained, they'd begun to train others and she felt obsolete. Without anything of dire importance to occupy her time, Star dwelled on memories of her long dead lover. What had she seen in his eyes that touched her so deeply? What had his soul whispered to hers that she couldn't hear now?

"You'll never let him go, will you?" A deep voice asked. "I've known you all these years…" It didn't take him long to find her; she'd taken to watching the sunset out on the veranda.

"Ringo…"

"Loved you all these years, loved Nick like my own…" He interrupted. Ringo was determined to give this one last go before giving up forever. Star wasn't the only one feeling the sting of progress.

Star watched in horror as his eyes swelled with emotion; what had she done? Her brave, arrogant, loyal friend, and she'd hurt him deeper than any weapon ever could. The yearning she'd ignored for years suddenly sung louder than any wailing siren.

"I've been such a fool," She whispered, ending the unspoken endearment as she crushed her lips against his. Best friend became lover, and a flame long extinguished was reignited as the night wore on.

When it was over, both breathless and spent, at last rewarded with a blissful sleep.

.oOo.

Star heard the Warrior's call sometime in the night and answered, without rhyme or reason. She felt something in her bones, her senses screaming of a dangerous presence. Ringo stirred, but fell back into blissful dreams as Star kissed his cheek.

As she flew away, the irony wasn't lost on her; she'd fled to her death without so much as a glance over her shoulder, just as Blade had so many years ago.

.oOo.

Nick's frantic face hovers above her, he screams, he panics and knows it will do no good. In the distance, Star's foe lies in pieces and her son is furious; Dead End was his responsibility, not hers!

"Shh, baby…" She croons softly. Her strength was waning, pain, fading. Nick cries out as she coughs up more blood. He could see from her wounds that it wouldn't be long.

"I want you to stay…" He weeps. "I need you…"

Trying and failing to wipe his tears away, Star resigns herself to smile at her distraught son. She was too weak to feel guilty that her son found her bleeding on the battleground…

"You have made my life worth living." I whisper. "Everything you've done…everything you do…I'm proud of you…"

"I love you, Mom…" His cries fade.

.oOo.

Her hand falls limp and she's somehow aware that there's a new journey waiting for her. Wondering what will happen next, she stares sadly as her son clutches her lifeless body. Another life, she thinks, and marvels at how light she feels as a bright light embraces her.

As the light begins to fade, Star finds she is no longer alone. A stranger reaches out to her, his green eyes warm and bidding her to take his hand.

"I've been waiting for you, what took you so long?"

...The End

AN

This is the last, re-revised version of Final Goodbyes! I've finally got the chapters the way I wanted them and taken out unnecessary bits of story. I hope you enjoyed this version, if you've read the original...let me know what you think