Drabble 4: Snowflake.
Snowflakes are catching in her curls, and though he's tempted to brush them out of her hair, he stays quite still.
"He ruined my life." She states out loud, eyes unblinking, staring at the tiny, weathered little headstone, "It's… pathetic. The baby under all this fucking snow and dirt ruined my entire life and I never even met him."
Henry nods, putting a hand on her shoulder. He's kinda glad she's finally doing this… but on the coldest day of the year? It's okay, though, it's okay that she decided at five in the morning that she needed to get to Seattle, to find the run-down church where she used to go every Sunday until she decided God was an over-glorified Santa Claus.
The cemetery is trashed, and for some sick reason, she likes it that way. Like Gabe deserves it. That stupid infant has screwed her over for eighteen years and yeah, he does deserve this. Stupid fucking kid and his stupid obstructed small intestine. She could've had a big brother, someone to beat the shit out of the kids who'd beat the shit out of her. Someone to hold her hand when she crossed the street (Mom had always forgotten, in fact, as a toddler, Natalie was near killed twice crossing the street by herself), to play with her at recess. To mess with Henry, to act like a total dick, yet still love her more than anything.
But the bastard just had to go and die, didn't he?
She suddenly kneels, wiping away the layer of frost and snow off the stone and she frowns. Natalie stands again, walking away to another grave, plucking a flower from a bouquet left there. Natalie twirls it between her fingers before placing it on her brother's tombstone. Henry swears, she almost smiles.
With a pat to the ground, she stands for good, taking Henry's hand in hers as they walk through the gates, back to the car, back to their lives.
He kisses a snowflake off her cheek and she smiles, looking back at the pathetic little stone as they drive away. Maybe one day, she'll come back. Maybe someday, she'll be able to forgive him. Maybe.
But not today.