A/N: Sorry for the long delay in getting this up, I have had an amazingly hectic social time lately. Completely hectic:D Enjoy, and remember to grab the tissues before you actually start reading this.

Chapter 3 – Corrine and Marshall

Marshall stepped in to the kitchen, following his nose. The smell of bacon frying could lure him out of the deepest sleep. He looked towards the stove, and there was Corrine, her back to him, dancing slightly to the stereo as she cooked his breakfast.

He walked up to her and put his hands around her waist, leaning over her shoulder to get a look at the bacon. He sniffed at it appreciatively.

"Mmmm… Smell's good," he smiled, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

She laughed, and batted him away with the spatula. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

He turned his puppy dog eyes on her and she laughed again. "Fine, fine… Grab a plate."

He grinned and grabbed a plate from the counter, holding it so she could dish up his bacon and eggs. "There's toast in the toaster, and juice on the bench."

"You know me too well," he replied.

"I should do, after being married to you for three years!" she shot back, as he grabbed his toast and his juice and sat down at the small kitchen table. She switched off the stove, and joined him with her breakfast.

The doorbell rang, interrupting their breakfast. Marshall sighed, and placed his fork down on his plate. "I'll get it, it's my turn," he said, raising an eyebrow at Corrine in mock annoyance.

She smiled back at him. "Thank you, honey," she laughed as he pushed his chair back from the table.

He stood and walked to the door, where a delivery woman stood. He opened it and she looked down at her clipboard before looking back up at him.

"Corrine and Marshall Wheeler?" she asked.

He grinned. Even after three years it was still good to hear someone say Corrine Wheeler. Forgiving her, in his mind, for interrupting their breakfast, he happily took the pen she proffered him, and signed his name.

Accepting the package, he curiously looked it over as he shut the door behind him, searching for a name to indicate who had sent it. He walked back in to the kitchen and placed it in front of Corrine.

"It's from Josie," he said, as he sat back down.

Curious, Corrine opened it up, and pulled the items out of it. Two letters and a CD fell on to the table. She popped the CD in the stereo, and let it play as she opened the first letter. Marshall reached over and opened the second letter up.

He stared at the picture of Josie as Corrine began to read the letter outloud.

'Dear Corrine and Marshall.

How are things with you guys? I know it's been a little while; you guys have been busy, married life and all that.

I don't really know how to say this. It's kind of difficult, really. I guess the best thing would be to just come out and say it… Um… I'm dying. Well, technically by the time you get this, I'll be gone.'

Corrine dropped the letter on to her plate and looked up at Marshall in horror. "Is this some kind of sick twisted joke that someone's playing on us?"

Marshall looked back at the piece of paper he was holding in his hands. "I don't think so, baby." He hand it to Corrine, who cried out when she saw what was written on it. 'Come celebrate the life of Josie Trent'. "I think it's for real."

He picked the letter up, and skimmed to the place where Corrine had stopped, before continuing.

'I found out about four months ago that I have a malignant brain tumor. I was given six months to live… I'm down to about two now. I know what you're thinking Corrine… Why not have surgery? We tried, believe me… It's inoperable.

I know you're both also wondering why I didn't tell you sooner, why you had to receive this letter after my… well, death. I didn't want anyone to know, I want you guys to remember me as I was, not as I will be. It's been hard, keeping it from you, but you guys are so happy, and I didn't want to spoil that for you.

And I didn't want to deal with any pitying looks. Don't lie and say you wouldn't have… I know you guys too well. There would have been pity in your eyes, and I couldn't deal with that. I just want to live what little time I have left without all that crap.'

He stopped for a moment, and looked at Corrine. Tears were sliding down her face. He stood up and gathered her in to his arms. Rocking her back and forth, he held her, and whispered comfortingly in her ear.

She held on to him like a dying person holding on to a lifeboat. Her sobs racked her whole body, as the grief she felt tore her apart. Finally she pulled away, sniffling and wiped her tears. "Can you finish reading it please?"

Marshall nodded, and he picked the letter off the table, continuing to hold his wife in his arms.

'I want to thank you guys for being my friends… I know we got off to a pretty rocky start, but you guys have been my closest friends for years, along with the rest of the old gang. Thank you for never giving up on me, and for being there for me… And for coming along for the ride, even though you were both hesitant to.

I just want to ask you guys to live your life… You never know when it's going to be cut short. You two are the most cautious people I know so for me, please go out there and live a little! Also, I want to apologize for lying to you both. What can I say, I'm dying, and I deserve to be a little selfish at times, right:D

But although you're cautious at times, a little too much sometimes, you're both loving people. I admire you guys for how brave you are… There are some ways in which you two are braver than me, that's for sure. You both know what you want and go for it, you grabbed love with both hands and refused to let it go. You're both amazing people.

One last thing, could you guys keep an eye on Vaughn for me? I know this is going to be tough for him, and I want him to know that there are people there who care for him. Thanks again.

I love you both.

Josie'

They stood in silence for a few moments, and then Corrine pulled away from Marshall. She reached over to the stereo and shut the song off. "No," she said, shaking her head. "It's… It can't be true, can it?"

She turned to Marshall, her eyes pleading with him to tell her that it was all a joke, that none of it was really happening. He shook his head sadly, unable to reassure her. "I'm sorry."

"Why didn't she tell us what was going on? We would have been there for her…" Corrine paced the length of the small kitchen, her hands waving in the air as she started to sort through her emotions. "This is just so typical of her," she raged. "Let's just take everything on board and not tell anyone until it's too late, and everything has gone horribly wrong. I am so sick of it!"

Marshall grabbed her arms and pulled Corrine towards him, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Babe…" he said gently.

She fell into his arms, and started to cry again. "I just can't believe this is happening," she said, her voice muffled as her head was buried in his chest. "She's…"

Marshall held her tightly, as his tears began to fall. He'd never been particularly close to Josie; he'd be the first to admit that he'd always been slightly afraid of. But he was deeply saddened to hear that she'd died. It didn't help of course that his wife and Josie had been best friends, and that his best friend had had a crush on her.

As she clung to her husband, memories of Josie started to filter through Corrine's mind. It was just the little things, like the annoying habit Josie had… had… of chewing on Corrine's pencils. The time Corrine had accused Josie of stealing from her; she still felt a pang of guilt over that. The way they'd become friends, despite the fact that they were worlds apart, and the only thing they really shared was a passion for everything science related.

She remembered hanging out at the local café after finishing classes at uni, drinking coffee and talking about everything, mundane little daily things that were never noticed until the person in question was gone.

They stood together for a while, both lost in memories, time passing away. Marshall finally roused himself from his thoughts and looked down at his wife, who was still clinging tightly to him. He kissed her lightly on the head, and gave her a quick squeeze before pulling away.

"I should…" he ran a hand through his hair, trying to put his scattered thoughts back in to place. "I should call Lucas," he continued vaguely.

Corrine nodded and immediately began to clean up the kitchen. A defense mechanism, she knew, but cleaning and being orderly had always helped her in times of stress and worry. Automatically she grabbed the plates and scrapped the unfinished food in to the bin, lines of worry etched on her face.

Marshall picked up the phone and dialed his best friends' number. It was an automatic reaction, he knew Lucas's number off by heart. The phone rang once before it was picked up by Mary. He could hear the phone being passed over to Lucas.

"Hey, Lucas," he said quietly.

Behind him, Corrine started to cry again. She dropped her head in to the dishcloth she was holding, as if to muffle her quiet sobs.

Lucas's reply was soft, and instantly Marshall knew he'd heard about Josie, but to be sure he asked, as discreetly as possible. Lucas's reply didn't surprise him. As Lucas asked him about Corrine, Marshall motioned for her to come to him, and held her close to his chest with his free arm before replying.

"She's taken it pretty hard, you know…" he trailed off, kissing her on the top of her head again. He waited for Lucas's reply, concerned for his friend. His voice sounded aimless, as if he was drifting slightly, out of reach almost. "She…" his voice choked up, and he coughed to clear his throat. "She passed away two days ago," he replied softly to Lucas's question.

Saying it outloud was hard, as if by saying it he was confirming that it was true. He didn't want to believe that it was true… Corrine hiccupped as she tried to catch her breath, but the tears continued.

"Didn't you look inside the second envelope yet?" he asked his friend… "It's an invitation to the… you know."

He could hear the soft sounds of paper being ripped open on the other end of the line, and the slight hitch in Lucas's breathing at what Marshall guessed was the sight of Josie's face on the piece of paper.

"Ask him… Ask him if he's going to be there," Corrine whispered from somewhere deep within his shirt. Marshall nodded, but knew the answer without needing to ask the question. There was no doubt in his mind that Lucas would be at the funeral, but at Corrine's urging, he quickly checked.

Lucas sounded distracted, asking Marshall to repeat his question, but came back with an answer in the positive. "Yea, he'll be there," Marshall relayed to his wife. "And he says hi."

Corrine nodded, but didn't offer anything back. After a couple more minutes of chatting, he hung up the phone, and placed his other hand on Corrine's back. He started to rub her back in slow circles, as her breathing began to even out, her tears stopping.

And I can't believe how I've been wasting my time

In 18 hours they'll be laying flowers on my life, it's over tonight
I'm not messing no I need your blessing and your promise to live free
Please do it for me