Authors note: same disclaimer as last time! Enjoy!

Theme 2: Love

Crystal looked at the ceiling from where she was bundled up in a thick blue sleeping bag. She was still thinking about the rather nasty argument she and Nick got into earlier, which ended with her giving him a pretty hefty slap, after a nasty comment he'd made about the one she loved was dead and gone, and that she should move on. Or at least that's what he was trying to say possibly. It wasn't what came out is mouth however, and he ended up slapped for it.

Part of what he said was true, but it was so hard. She had loved her husband so much when he was alive, and when he died trying to help others during a tank attack when the infection first started, it was like she'd lost her heart for good. And now, with Nick, it was restored in a sense, but she was terrified that she'd forget Sean. As much as she wanted to love Nick, she also didn't want her fear to come true. Turning over in her spot, back to where Nick was already asleep, she fell into a fitful sleep herself.

Opening her eyes, she saw she was in a beautiful green field of grass, with a spattering of trees and flowers everywhere. The sky was without clouds, and the sun shone brightly. Looking around, she realized it was all bright and clear like it was prior to the infection. It didn't take long to dawn on her where she was, and before she could say it out loud, a painfully familiar male voice spoke from nearby.

"Wonderful isn't it...? It's exactly like home used to be before the infection" Crystal spun and gasped, tears welling up in her eyes. A handsome young man, with slicked back red and black hair was looking at her with emerald green eyes, hands tucked into his pants pockets. He had his typical bit of straw sticking out of one corner of his mouth.

"Sean...!" Crystal whispered. The young man flicked the straw aside and walked over to stand in front of her. He looked down at her, a gentle expression on his face, before taking hers in his hands. He gently stroked her cheeks with his thumbs.

"Crystal...why aren't you giving what could be in front of you a chance to grow?" he said this so softly, she didn't have it in her to be upset about what he was saying.

"I...I can't...that's like betraying you...I know your dead..but I.." Sean made a shushing noise, and let go of her face, taking hold of her hands now.

"Crystal...it's alright. I will always love you, you know this. But I can't allow you to be alone, if you have the chance to have someone to love again. You won't forget me, and you know it. But you can make new memories with Nick"

"I..didn't tell you his name...how did..?" she started to say.

"I've seen a few key moments..like your little spat" Sean responded, still holding her hands in his.

"oh...that...yeah..we...both got..heated..." She blushed a bit.

"Oh yes...you have just about the same temper underneath your skin. You will butt heads now and again, but you'd be surprised just how good a match you could be. Give it a chance...please? Not for me, but for yourself. You love him, even I can tell..so please...try." Sean was becoming see through, making Crystal realize she was starting to stir in the waking world.

'Sean...I'll...try...' she thought, as he completely faded from her vision. Then everything else grew brighter, blinding her, forcing her to cover her eyes with an arm. 'Goodbye...again'

Back in the real world, despite the sleeping bag being rather thick and made of a decent material, Crystal was shivering. It wasn't clear whether it was from actual cold, or sadness and confusion over what she just 'dreamed' about. Nearby, Nick was awake, and lifted himself up onto his elbows, glancing her way. His dark brown hair was ruffled from sleep, and his eyes slightly bloodshot. His cheek was barely red, let alone pink from the slap anymore. With a sigh, he got out of his own sleeping back, and dragged it over to lay right next to Crystal's. He got back in, but didn't zip it as far as he could. He threw and arm over her gently and dragged her the last couple inches into his shirt covered chest, also partially covered by his sleeping bag. Now that she was this close, he could see she wasn't shivering, but shaking due to tears.

"Crystal...Crystal!" he said quietly, gently shaking her with his arm. The young woman jerked awake, wide eyed, eyes red rimmed and bloodshot. "You were dreaming..."

"I...yes..I was..." she was still shaking, but not as badly. "But..it wasn't bad..it was just...sad in a sense..since I was dreaming of people that are gone now..." She closer her eyes and inhaled deeply. To Nick's surprise, she pressed her back as closely to him as she could possibly go with the sleeping bags in the way. "I'm sorry Nick...you...you don't treat people you care for like I did earlier...I shouldn't have hit you..." Nick blinked, not sure he was hearing what he was. But he was awake, so he had to have.

"...I shouldn't have said what I did..." he mumbled, clearly not the type to really apologize for anything. She tensed, then relaxed after a moment. She fidgeted, turning over until she was face to face with him, instead of back to chest. It was then that it hit him as to what she just said. He looked at her, eyebrows raised and eye wide with surprise. "wait a minute...you...care for...me?" The line was hesitant, as if he wasn't really sure of himself and what he was saying. He then frowned. "but I thought..." Crystal lifted a finger to his lips in a classic be quiet movement.

"I know. I was upset over my husbands death, and I was wrong to take my bitterness over it out on you, especially for the reasons I did. I...was...falling for you..and it scared me...I was afraid I'd forget him and anyone else I loved. And that made my attitude towards you worse. I am sorry..." She was blinking a lot now, trying to stay awake. Nick noticed this, and sighed.

"Never mind that now...sleep...we can talk more another time" he told her. He cut her off before she could protest. "Sleep"

"..Fine...good...night.." she was out soon after that, back into 'dreamland'. He hoped whatever she'd dreamed of would be different, and better, this time.

"...Good night..." and then, even quieter so only he would hear it, "...I love you". He gently kissed her forehead, and then put his head down. He was asleep not long after. Not far away, a younger man in a baseball cap opened an eye, and smiled, before closing it and going back to sleep.

End of theme!