Author's Note: This chapter is a bit long. Sorry. The pace'll pick up soon, I promise.
By the time they reached the last page of the photo album, it was already dark outside. And Rachel knew she had to leave her home and move on to her next destination. Reluctantly, she choked back tears and whispered, "Bye, Mom and Dad. Bye, Sara. Bye, Jordan. Don't miss me so much…life's gonna get better for you guys."
She went back to her room. And then, taking one last look around, she called out "Alright, Drode. Take me to Jake's."
"Hey. Show me a little respect, here. I'm more than just your average chauffeur." snapped the Drode.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Take me to Jake's, please."
At the word "please", her room began to spin.
And then, she found herself at Jake's door. She was just about to show herself in when the man himself walked out of the door. Even in the moonlight, she could see that her cousin looked like he had aged 20 years old since the final battle. The weak rays of light outlined the corners of his mouth. They were firmly tugged down, as if he was determined never to smile again. His shoulders were hunched over his lanky frame, and he trudged ahead like a person without hope.
"Oh, come on, Jake. It's not that bad!", pleaded Rachel, "being depressed really isn't going to bring me or Tom back to life. It's not your fault. It was a war. During a war, there has to be sacrifices."
He plodded on wearily, giving no sign that he had heard anything. Rachel wondered where he could be going at this hour. Well, there was only one way to find out.
She followed as he got into his car, and sat beside him in silence as he drove. He stopped the car at a place which Rachel found mildly familiar.
It was a cemetery.
Jake got out of the car and walked purposefully towards a single monument in the middle of the cemetery. It was bathed in moonlight.
As they got closer, Rachel could see the words etched onto the stone monument. It had been built in her honour. There was a single rose lying on top of it, and countless bouquets of flowers on the floor around it.
Jake sat down heavily in the grass. He stared into space for a long moment, his face expressionless, and then buried his face in his hands. His shoulders shook with silent sobs. He was weeping like a little boy. A little boy who had been forced to fill the big shoes of a war general.
An owl perched on a nearby tree let out a soft hoot, as if startled by the change in the late visitor's behaviour. Rachel sat down beside Jake, and automatically put her arm round him, though she knew he could not feel her touch. She just sat there, stroking him gently, not knowing what to say to lift her cousin from the depths of depression. "It would not help even if I knew what to say." Rachel reminded herself bitterly.
But her presence seemed to help. After some time, his sobs quelled and he lifted his face from his arms. His tear stains glistened in the moonlight. Wiping his face on his sleeve, he slowly got up.
At the same time, the owl swooped down from the tree and landed in front of Jake. Then, it began to morph into a short, dark-haired adolescent. Named Marco. "Feel better?" he said seriously.
Jake nodded. "Why are you here? I didn't notice you."
"Of course not. You were too busy pining for Xena here." teased Marco, all seriousness in his tone lost.
Jake smiled, but not before Marco and Rachel caught the hurt look that had momentarily flashed across his face. "Still as insensitive as ever, I see." Rachel commented, largely to herself.
"I've been following you whenever I have free time. Which is not very often, since I've got all those talk shows and stuff to star in, you know? But often enough to know that you come here every night. And it's not really helping, is it? Seeing her just brings all the guilt back."
"I need time to…come to terms with it, Marco." Jake said tiredly. His best friend's words had hit home.
"Suit yourself. But if you ever decide to take a break from depression, drop by my new villa, ok? I'll make sure you have a good time." winked Marco. He turned away and began to morph to owl again for the flight home. But before the feathers shrouded his face, Rachel saw the concern written all over it. Marco knew that Jake would not be visiting him anytime soon.
"Bye, Marco. Thanks for dropping by. And since you can't hear me, I'd just like to say that I've always admired your intelligence. We never could get along, but I appreciate your contributions to our victory. Thanks…" called Rachel as Marco took off into the night sky.
She turned to Jake's retreating back. "Goodbye, cousin. Don't take it so hard. Life goes on, alright?"
Then, she lifted her face to the sky, and murmured, "Now for Cass."
She shut her eyes as the now-familiar spinning sensation overcame her.