Chapter 2: Best Wishes

NEWS Last minute news, I changed the title to Fallen because the song fit so well with the story!

A/N: Thank you SO much for the wonderful feedback. I really appreciate it. I wrote out half of Chapter two only to delete it because the story just didn't fit so here's my rewritten work. I hope it turned out alright. Also, as a sidenote, little bits and pieces of lyrics from songs will appear throughout the fanfic. I'm not writing a songfic, but I thought some of the song lyrics just fit well with the story.

Disclaimer: Lyrics from Sara McLachlan are not mine. They belong to her and her beautiful song "Fallen". (As far as I know I will be using the lyrics to Fallen. I'll let you know if there are any other songs I intend to use.)

Sooner or later the door swung open and Toby walked right pat Ashley as she sat on the stoop. Craig slowly staggered behind and stopped when he saw Ashley. He closed the door behind him and walked over to Ashley.

"So?" Ashley asked.

"It went... ok." Craig said, "He really isn't the talking type." They both stood and watched Toby walk away, "I think you should talk to him... you are his sister and all. Step-sister.. whatever."

"I tried. He just sits there and stares... I figure I'll give him some room before I barge in and act like I know what he's going through... Toby and I are different." Ashley said with ease.

The two began walking together down the street. It was awkward for both of them considering they had just broken up in the worst way possible. Ashley leaving. They both knew it was over at that moment but now they were together again, walking, and talking. Half of Ashley's mind was still mourning for Jeff and for her family, and the other half was confused as to whether Craig knew they were broken up or not. Craig tried to remain as normal as he could be around Ashley but it was awkward for him as well. He questioned why he was even talking to Ashley... she left him. In his eyes, that's not what someone you love does to you.

"London... fun?" Craig really wasn't interested in anything about London by that time. What happens in London stays in London. He didn't have the nerve to say that to her face though.

"Yea... it's amazingly beautiful. You just don't understand." She stopped at her last word. Of course he doesn't understand, she is the one who stopped him from coming with her to London in the first place, "The people are wonderful and... I don't know. It's relaxing and I love it."

Craig just stared out into the scenery in front of him. He didn't know what to say, "And your job?"

"Perfect." Ashley didn't even realize how uncomfortable Craig was. She was too worried about what she was going to say next, "They made me an offer, you know..."

"An offer?" Craig turned his head this time to see what Ashley was talking about.

She was smiling, "Yeah, like this full time internship. Eventually I get a job... maybe not a great job but if I take this internship my life will be perfect." There was a glow to her words. It was like she was speaking gold, whatever that means. All Craig understood was the 'fulltime internship' part of her sentence.

"And college? You're just going to give that up for a few demo's?" Craig tried to ask as nicely as possible yet still in a concerned Craig fashion.

"They're going to pay for me to go to college.. well not completley. I have to apply for finacial aid and my FAFSA's like normal. But the difference after that, we're going to negotiate it all. College and a career." This is her dream and she was living it.

Craig smiled as if he accepted what she was talking about. He played around with his fingers as he tried to grasp on to what she was trying to tell him. In Ashley's head, she was implying that she was going to get to live her dream and that everything was falling perfectly into place. In Craig's head, he realized that his Ashley was going to be gone forever.

Tomorrow was the funeral. This meant there were only hours left until the doorbell would stop ringing with neighbors and friends stopping by with macaroni salads and mashed potatoes. The table was already full of plates and bowls and no one in the house was eating except for Ashley. She couldn't let the food go to waste because of a few emotions. She did not want to look heartless either but she knew that someone had to be strong in that house and show the other two that there is so much more in life than drowning your pain in sorrow because you can't let go of someone dear to you. After telling Craig about her fulltime internship she was prepared to tell her mom. Her mom was excited as she could be, though still in mourning. Kate loved Ashley and supported her in everything she pursued. She wasn't going to hold back her only daughter from the one thing she wanted most. Toby, on the other hand, didn't have much to say to Ash.

"So after all this... you're going to leave? Again?" Toby finally spit out a few words. It was the first time Ashley and Toby had gotten any real interaction with each other.

"Well, sort of." Ashley didn't know how to answer that question.

Toby leaned back into the couch, "Right." There was a long pause, "London must be great then. Cause you haven't really called me or Kate since you left... but it's only been three weeks so I guess you're still just getting settled."

Ashley just looked at him for a moment. The awkward silence began to take over once again.

"Toby." Ashley said quietly, "You know I'm here for you... if you ever want to talk, that is."

Toby mockinly chuckled for a moment, "Don't do this."

Ashley scrunched her eye brows, "don't do what?"

"This... pretending to be my big sister or something. Cause whatever you're doing.. you don't do it well." Toby said straight forward.

"I'm not pretending to be your big sister. I bascially am your sister... is that what you think of me? Like some phony who's... who's forced to be family?" Ashley stood up and faced the window for a second then turned back at Toby.

"You think your my sister? You're not even my step-sister. We were only related because my dad married your mom... that's it. You never cared about me.. or my dad." Tears were slowly filling Toby's eyes.

"I cared about Jeff. You don't even know... and i care about you so don't even tell me that I don't. I came home for you guys. I came home because you needed me." She pleaded. They weren't yelling orshouting but the conversation was intense.

"Maybe you're right! But a better answer would have been that you came home because you needed us. Not the other way around... I mean. None of this really matters anymore, but whatever. No one's going to notice if you leave, so go." Toby walked away and left for his room. Back to his oasis.

Ashley slowly tried to gain composure. She had no idea what just happened.

Truth be told I've tried my best
But somewhere along the way
I got caught up in all there was to offer
And the cost was so much more than I could bear.