Caeden paced back and forth in the hallway. The other people rushing around barely paid him any attention and of course, they couldn't see me. Caeden barely noticed me, himself. I didn't hold it against him this time, I was just as anxious as he was. Under my breath I started singing. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Swimming, swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim, swim." Caeden shot me a look, but his mouth twitched into a small smile.

A good number of relatives were out in the waiting room. Caeden's parents, Tanya's parents, Nick and his brood. One person that was missing, and had been for a while, was my grandma. She'd died a few years back at the age of 91. I wasn't there, I didn't even know. Caeden and Tanya sent me a plane to tell me, but I got back after she was gone. But, today wasn't a day to dwell on people who'd already left this world. It was for welcoming new ones.

I'd been hanging around for the past few days. I'd since gotten over what had driven me away seven months prior, and had become the excited aunt very quickly. It wasn't long before we found out the gender. Caeden was disappointed when he found out he wasn't getting a Luke. But he got over it. And if his pacing was any indication, he was just hoping that Elizabeth would come out alright.

They'd shooed him out of the room about ten minutes ago, and he hadn't stopped pacing since. The few nurses who noticed smiled a little. He was acting like a typical first time dad. I heard a few of them joking about how he was the third one tonight. By 'third one', I assumed new dad, not the veterans.

From the other side of the door, we could hear the medical professionals at work, and they were loud. So was Tanya. Every time she made a particularly loud noise, Caeden would rush to the door, but he obediently stayed outside of it. I could see in his face that he wanted to be in there with her, but he was doing as he was told, so I felt proud of him.

Soon, one of the nurses came out, smiling and told him that he could come in now. One of the upsides of being invisible to everyone, was that I was allowed to sneak in by default. Tanya was sitting on the bed with a smushed pink wiggling thing in her arms. She smiled up at us as we walked in the room. She looked tired and about ready to crash, but the smile on her face said otherwise. Caeden's face lit up the moment he saw the two of them together. He immediately went to her side and bent over her to get a better look.

I maneuvered around the nurses and the doctor who were still in the room until I was on the other side of the bed, closer to the window. After most of them cleared out, I moved closer to the bed and bent down, similar to how my brother had. I smiled down at the pink blob before looking up at the happy parents. They both looked exhausted. To be honest, so was I. Adrenaline had been running haywire through all of us all day and we were all taxed. The stress had reached it's climax about the time Caeden was shooed out.

Tanya smiled up at Caeden. "We did it." She sounded as exhausted as she looked.

Caeden's smile drifted from her down to my new niece. "You did most of it." He chuckled before meeting her eyes again. "I just wore a rut in the hallway." Tanya laughed while he kissed her forehead.

I moved my eyes up from Elizabeth's increasingly less pink face. "I'm really happy for you guys." My smile and statement went unanswered as they were too busy staring at the baby. I let it slide. I may usually be an attention hog, but I can let others enjoy the spotlight from time to time. Today was theirs, not mine. I moved my eyes back down to the newborn, who was fast asleep.

We stayed that way for a while. Everyone from the waiting room came in and spent a little time with the happy family. I moved out of the way through most of it. I actually wandered for a bit of it. It wasn't necessarily because I was trying to avoid being walked through, which was an all too real possibility, but it was more the fact that I didn't like being around my family anymore. It was weird to admit that, when, before I'd become immortal, they were my only reason for wanting to stay in Niles when the rest of me was screaming for anywhere else. But it was true, I didn't want to be near most of them. A lot of that was because they couldn't see me, so what was the point?

When visiting hours were over, and everyone went home except for Caeden who was allowed to stay, I slipped back into the room. They couldn't throw me out if they didn't believe in me - which had been my philosophy on pretty much everything for the past seventeen years. When I came back into the room, Caeden was sitting in a chair next to the bed and Tanya was still holding Elizabeth. I took the chair on the other side of her.

Elizabeth was awake now, and her eyes darted over to me as soon as I got in her line of sight. My heart sped up as she stared at me in confusion before a smile lit her face. She can see me. I held out my hand towards her. As soon as it was close enough, she took hold of one of my fingers. I giggled a little and looked up at the parents to see their reactions. To my confusion, their expressions hadn't changed. "Man you guys must really be tired, huh?" No response. From either of them. I shrugged and looked down at the tiny person clinging to my finger. "You know I'm here, don't you Lizzie-Beth." Her smile widened, toothless as it was.

Caeden yawned. Tanya looked over at him. "You should go to sleep."

"Not before you do." He shook his head and smiled at her tiredly.

"Trust me brother, take your sleep where you can get it. There wont be much once you get home." I glanced up at him for a moment while I spoke before looking back down at my niece who was already dozing off, hand still grasped tightly to my finger.

"I won't be awake for much longer. Go ahead. I'm about to call the nurse so they can put Elizabeth in one of the beds. I've held her long enough for one night." She smiled down at her daughter. "Look at her, she's as tired as we are."

"You should all go to sleep. I can keep watch for you guys while you're out. Besides, I'm pretty sure Sandy's got special dreams for newborns, so Elizabeth's gonna be fine." That's what the Guardians did. They protected children and everything that made them childlike. And I was best friends with one of them. I whispered to Elizabeth, though I'm pretty sure she couldn't understand me. "You've got the best protectors ever. You've got Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, Jack Frost, and your Auntie Story Tale. Nothing's ever gonna hurt you so long as I have anything to say about it." And I swear, if a fearling or Nightmare ever comes within two miles of you, they're not gonna live to see the light of day.

Before long, a nurse came in with the baby bed and gently took Elizabeth from Tanya. I had to pry her fingers off mine so they could take her. Not long after they wheeled her away, Caeden conked out, almost at the same exact time as Tanya. I smiled at the two of them, holding hands. I flashed back to the plane and bus ride to my place when they'd done the same thing. Some things never change.

As I stood up I reached out to lightly pat Tanya's hand. I hadn't been looking, so when I felt table, I thought I'd missed her hand. I turned to see what I was doing this time and my heart almost stopped. Then again, some things do. Where my hand should have been touching hers, there was this blue-ish shimmery light where my hand was actually through hers. "No..." I picked up my hand, staring at it. No. I tentatively reached towards Tanya's shoulder, holding my breath. When my hand met no resistance at her skin and went straight through, I felt the prickle at the back of my eyes.

I shook my head. This couldn't be happening, not now. I slowly walked around to the other side of the bed. I held up my hand, ready to try Caeden, but I hesitated. What would I do, if my hand went through him? This was my brother. Not only that, he was my first ever believer. I swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump that I'd just realized was stuck in my throat. I closed my eyes and slowly thrust my hand forward. I didn't need to open my eyes to know. The distance my hand had traveled was too far. Not only that, now that I was paying attention, I could feel it. The lack of belief.

I brought my hand to my mouth, trying to stifle the sound that I have no doubt came from me. I turned away without opening my eyes. I didn't want to. If I did, it would prove to me that I was right. I don't want to be right. This was the one time, I would gladly accept being wrong. I staggered out into the hallway. Suddenly, my fatigue made sense. I'd thought it was adrenaline wearing off, but no. It was so much worse than that. Tears started leaking out of my eyes as I walked past the unseeing eyes on non-believers. I barely managed to swerve around a paramedic who rushed past me at the last second.

I made it outside and I ran around into the nearest alley. I couldn't even see anymore. Everything was a watery blur. I hastily called my wings and took off, unsteadily. This is why they didn't respond to anything I said. I'd thought they were tired, but I was obviously wrong. No... I couldn't seem to fly in a straight line. I ended up crashing into a few buildings and trees as I fled. My shaky flight path made me want to stop and land somewhere, but I couldn't. I thought that, if I could get far enough away, I might be able to forget. That it might hurt less. I just couldn't be there, knowing they couldn't see me. Knowing they didn't believe anymore.

I shakily flew to my house. I think I wanted to be alone and deal with the knowledge that my brother no longer believed in me. Not to mention the fact that Tanya, who had become one of my closest friends, didn't either. Well, she had been my friend anyway. You can't be friends with someone you don't believe in.

I timed the release of my wings wrong and tumbled onto my roof, landing in a pile of limbs. I didn't care. My face was wet with tears and I didn't have the energy to try and walk down the stairs. Instead, I ended up sitting there, staring up at the sky. It was still daylight when I got back, but I stayed up there long enough for night to have rolled around. I don't think I moved for hours. I kept replaying the years in my mind. Every moment I spent with them both. Every moment I could remember with Caeden from when I'd still been mortal. Especially the two weeks they'd stayed with me the summer after Tanya graduated from High School. Staring up at the stars I could almost see the two of them sitting next to me, pointing out constellations.

Orion's Belt caught my eye and a tiny smile crossed my face. Orion was an old friend of mine. For years, it was the only constellation I could find, simply from finding the Belt. It was a constant, it never changed. No matter how many years had passed, no matter what had happened in the mean time... the stars remained the same.

I tore my eyes away from the lights and buried my face in my knees, which I'd pulled in close. I closed my eyes and sighed weakly. I'm really gonna miss them. I don't know how long I stayed curled up like that, but eventually I heard someone land on the roof near me. From the sound of the footsteps and the cold that wafted from their direction I guessed that it was Jack. I didn't raise my head to check.

He walked over to me, stopping a minute before sitting down with his elbows on his knees. "Hey."

I made a sound that would have been 'hey' except for the fact that I didn't open my mouth to speak. It just seemed like too much effort. At least I responded.

"I know what happened." I didn't say anything. I'd figured he would notice. He lost two believers as well. "How are you holding up?" I shrugged, face still buried. "Are you okay?"

I sighed again. "No." I finally lifted my head enough to rest my chin on my knees instead.

"I didn't think you would be." He'd set his staff down against one of the chairs, I noted. "How's everything with them?"

Despite my general down mood, a small smile tugged at my lips. "Elizabeth's adorable." My smile grew a little wider as I remembered her holding onto my finger for those first few minutes in the room. "She can see me." My smile faded as I remembered what the cost had been. Was it worth it?

Jack leaned towards me and bumped his shoulder against mine. "Hey." I felt his stare on me. I finally met his eyes for the first time that day. "It's gonna be okay." He gave me a small smile meant to reassure me.

"I know." I glanced back up at the stars. I could almost hear their voices as they debated over which constellations were which. "But it really sucks."

"You're preaching to the choir." Jack looked up at the sky next to me. He gestured towards them with one hand, the other holding onto his wrist to keep his balance. "So which ones do you know?"

"Orion. The Dippers. Sirius major or minor, I can never remember which it is." I immediately found Orion again, my eyes finding the bright star behind him that was either the eye, ear, or nose of Sirius. I then followed the point of his arrow to the star that was the horn or eye of Taurus. "Taurus. Cygnus, though I can't ever find it. Aries, which I also can't find, go figure."

"Which one's Cygnus?"

"The swan. I first heard about it when I watched Barbie in Swan Lake for the first time. It starts with Barbie as a camp counselor. One of the girls can't sleep and she starts telling her the story of Swan Lake by showing her the constellation." I gestured up at the sky as I said the last part.

Next to me, Jack chuckled a little. "Figures you'd remember it from a story."

"Do you know the story about Orion?" He shrugged and I smiled a little, delving into my comfort zone. "Orion is the hunter in the stars." I pointed towards the Belt as I began the story, pointing out the others as I did. "Find his belt, the three stars in a row, and you find the archer. The one straight up is his head, off to the upper left, his elbow. The two on the bottom are his knee and foot. And the one off to the right is the tip of his arrow. Basically, he's standing like this." I did the pose before sitting back down. "Follow down at an angle from his elbow and you can find Sirius, his hunting dog. Loyally helping him in his hunt of the great bull." I glanced at Jack for a moment to see a wide smile on his face. "Taurus. The bull is in Orion's sights and his arrow is pointed straight at him. See?" I pointed out the star that was my indicator for the bull. "Or that's how I remember it anyway. I don't remember where I heard the story, but I remember how to find each of them through the it. If I got it right."

"You didn't. You know which is where, but you got the position wrong. He's got a sword in his back hand." He pointed towards the upper left corner of the constellation. I shot him a look, though I was only mildly annoyed by the jab. If he'd been trying to make me feel better, then he'd succeeded. Telling a story - or experiencing one - always put me back at my default. It was like my reset button.

"Thanks, Jack." I smiled a little at him, in gratitude.

He smiled back, bumping me with his shoulder again. "No problem." We started up at the stars for a minute or two, silent. Even though I was still hurting about loosing Caeden and Tanya, I was feeling better. Jack may not be the friend who cries it out with you, but his way of dealing with things worked just as well. Not necessarily ignoring the issue, but laughing around it. I really couldn't ask for a better best friend. "Hey, let's go to Legends."

I looked over at him in surprise. That came out of nowhere. "Uh, you sure?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. I've hid my face long enough." He thought about it for a minute. "I don't think I've pranked any of the regulars in the past decade." He shrugged again. "We should be good."

"We don't have to, Jack." I knew he was trying to keep my spirits up. Trying to make me forget about the whole thing I'd just left behind me.

"No, really. We'll swing by Salem and pick up Sam on the way." He pushed himself up and then reached out his hand to help me. "You two have been trying to get me to go with you to Legends for years. Now's a good a time as any."

I took a hold of his hand and hauled myself up, almost knocking him over as I did. I shot him a grin as he regained his balance. "Alright, if you say so. Let me go and re-organize my bag first. I'll be right back." I went down one floor to my bedroom and upended my bag onto my bed. I re-packed everything I usually took, and put everything else away, simultaneously grabbing a few other things I'd need. I quickly changed my shirt to one a bit more suited for going out and met Jack back up on the roof. "Ready to go."

He turned to me, having been looking out at the sea of trees while I'd been one floor below. He held out his hand to me. "Shall we?"

I smirked at him. "You know I can fly on my own."

"Not from what the winds told me you can't."

I frowned at the air around me. "Gossips." Jack chuckled at me, hand still held out. "I'm good now. I've got it."

He stuck his hand in the pocket of his hoodie and shrugged. "If you say so." Once I'd called my wings we took off together, heading straight for Salem. It took all my willpower to not get sidetracked and head towards Chicago. I stared straight ahead and pretended that I had blinders on. Before long, we were over Massachusetts and Salem's skyline was coming into sight.

Jack and I dropped down onto the street. It was still late enough, that everyone was still inside their homes. However, a few lights were on in one house in particular. Even without the lights, I'd know who's house it was, if only from the visible ward surrounding the property. Jack knocked on the door. "Sam! It's us, Jack and Story!"

From the other side we heard him call back. "Coming."

He opened the door and I could tell by his expression that he knew. He knew what had happened and he was ready for a crying fest. Well, that was, if he didn't know me as well as he did. "Hey are you -"

Jack cut him off before he could finish. "We're going to Legends. You up for it?"

Sam's eyebrows rose. "Uh, yeah, sure." He stepped back so we could come in. "Let me clean up and get the lights first." He shot the two of us one last look before running up the stairs. The lights went out and he came back down, heading for his workroom. We heard him putting things away before he came out, shutting off the light behind him. "Okay. Let's go."

Jack lead the way outside. Sam lingered to close his door, not bothering to lock it. I'd hung back, and Sam looked at me after he closed the door. "Are you okay?"

"No, but I'm getting better by the minute." I shot him a smile as Jack and I took off. Sam couldn't fly, but he could teleport. Usually, he went straight from point A to point B, but when he was hanging around with us he popped in and out. He'd go a little ahead of us and then, once we caught up, he'd jump forward a little more. And then he'd do it again and again until we got where we were going. Sam could only teleport himself, or small inanimate objects. Which was how he'd pumpkin bombed Jack all those years ago. Sometimes I wondered how he knew he couldn't teleport other people - either by themselves or along with him. But, I'd never asked.

Sam was easier to talk to about certain things. He was a little more open. I could ask him things that I wouldn't ask Jack - like about how all the immortal stuff works. But, then, there were the subjects that Sam had locked away and nailed shut. With him, it was hit and miss with what we could talk about. With Jack, I knew where the line was. No asking about his time alone, no asking about how he died, etc. Jack didn't dwell on the past, and so we didn't usually bring it up. Sam was an open book with his past - except for the aforementioned blank pages.

And Sam treated dealing with things differently than Jack did. Or even how I did, for that matter. Sam was the rock, the shoulder. Not that I'd ever been the one crying on it, but that's how he was. He'd listen to you vent. And if he was the one in need of venting, then he let it out some other way. We were all so different, but the things that mattered about us, those were the same. That's why we were such good friends.

Before long, we all met up outside of Legends. Sam lead the way in while Jack brought up the rear. When we all went to find a table, the room was it's usual level of loud. However, soon enough, I could hear whispers that 'Jack Frost was here'. I saw a lot of stink eyes thrown towards us. Suddenly, I understand why Jack lays low. After a few minutes, Dollie came and took our orders.

After she left, three familiar faces appeared behind her. Mors went to Sam and high-fived him before pointing at an empty seat at our table. "Can I join you guys?"

I shrugged, looking at Sam and Jack for consent. "Sure."

Gaia smiled down at us. "We're done for the night. Sunny and I are heading home." She gestured to the glowing immortal behind her, who I was avoiding eye contact with. "I heard everyone talking about how Frost was here and I had to come and see for myself."

Jack shot her a smile. "Hey, Gaia."

"Wow you to actually showed up." She turned to her band mates. "Pay up guys. I told you these two would get him here eventually." Sunny grumbled as he passed her a few bills, while Mors did the same, but with a lighter attitude about it.

Sam and I laughed at Jack's expression, as well as the exchange. "You guys bet on weather we'd get Jack to show up?" Sam addressed Gaia with his question.

"Oh yeah. There was a pot. Everyone was in on it. Which reminds me..." She turned around and started searching the crowd. Her face lit up when she spotted the red mane that was unmistakable. "Shady! Guess who's here!" She singsonged the last line and all three of us giggled. She turned back to us, flashing a smile as she started weaving her way to the redhead who was trying her best to disappear into the crowd - to no avail. "See you guys later."

"Well... I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that Gaia won the pot." I turned away from the flowered Spirit of Spring to the group at my table.

Mors was chuckling. "Yep. When you first showed up and told everyone that you were friends with Jack," he/she gestured to the immortal sitting across from him/her. "Everyone was wondering if he'd ever show up. Then you made friends with Mr. Halloween here," Mors hooked his/her thumb at Sam. "And the pot started. We knew the two of you would eventually wear him down." He/her smirked at Jack, who grinned back, even though he looked a little uncomfortable.

Sam looked over at Mors. "Hey, Mors, why are you still hanging around. Gaia said you were done for the night." I glanced sidelong at Jack, top try and gauge where his discomfort originated from. After a minute I realized it was Mors that had him unnerved. Well, not everyone's as okay with death as you are.

"We are, but I felt like sticking around for a while." Dollie returned with out drinks and set them down in front of us. She turned to Mors, expression questioning. "I'll have a Ghostbuster."

Dollie's eyes widened in surprise. "Estas seguro de?"

"Yeah, I'm done playing for the night. Plus, I feel like having fun." He/she leaned back in his/her chair and crossed his/her arms behind his/her head.

Dollie facepalmed. "Oh, Dios mio." Now that one I could translate. 'Oh, my God.' She quickly rushed off to the bar while I was still trying to figure out what all the fuss was about.

A moment later, Shady stood up - on the bar top - and yelled out for all the club to hear. "Hey! Everybody! Listen up!" She paused a minute to make sure she had everyone's attention. "Death's drinkin' tonight!" There were a few 'woo!'s and a few moans. All I know is I was excited. After being warned that Mors got drunk easy and that he/she was a loud drunk, I really wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Her speech done, Shady climbed off the bar and back behind it.

I raised my eyebrows at the immortal across from me. "Ghostbuster?" How cliché can you get?

"That's right, you've never seen me drunk." Mors leaned back, legs crossed. "Well, whenever I do decide to drink, I always start off with a Ghostbuster. It's my signal to the staff that I'm about to get rip roaring drunk. Fair warning, I'm worse than Sunny." I find that hard to believe. Well, then again, I did have limited experience with drunk people. All of which having happened in that building.

Sam rested his elbows on the table. "At least you don't hit on everything that moves."

Mors grinned at that. I locked eyes with him/her for a moment. "We'll see." I turned to see that the tables near us were quieting down as Dollie brought Mors' drink. It was almost completely clear except for a white, milky blob. "What's the white stuff?"

Mors picked up the drink, holding the glass by the stem, a smile on his/her face. "Irish cream." Before anyone could say anything else, he/she tipped back the drink, taking most of it with one gulp. Dollie brought both hands to her face, looking equal parts embarrassed and equal parts scared. Mors downed the rest of the drink before carefully setting the glass on the table. He/she then abruptly jumped up on his/her chair and threw his/her arms wide, addressing the club in a similar way to how Shady's had a moment earlier. "Let the fun begin!"

-

A few hours later - and many, many drinks - I'd had my fill of Mors being drunk. Actually, I think I could go the rest of my life without him/her ever having another drink again. Lets just say, we all came very close to finding out Mors' gender. And not because we were told either. Mors easily drank enough for all of us that night.

Of course, Mors wasn't the only one who drank. Jack did too. The irony in that was, al of the alcoholic drinks that Jack consumed, were Coffee flavored. The irony being that coffee is a so called remedy for hangovers. I was sure that the hangover Mors was sure to have in the morning, wasn't gonna be one that could be cured with Coffee alone.

Another bit of irony was that tonight was the perfect time for me to start drinking. Not that Jack and Sam would let me drink away my problems. So I was basically the only sober person in the building, come the early hours of morning.

Well, not the only sober person. Sam leaned towards me while everyone else was otherwise occupied by being drunk. "How are you doing, really?"

I shrugged, looking down at my glass. "I think I'm okay." I looked back up at where Jack was flying around the room, not quite steady. "I'm not good, it still sucks, and I'm still hurting." I turned and met Sam's more or less concerned gaze. "But thanks to the flying drunk," I pointed towards Jack and both of us chuckled. "I think I'll be fine." I shrugged again. "At least I got a new believer out of it." I was still trying to decide if it was worth the cost or not. It'll have to be. "And I'll be damned if anyone ever hurts her. Immortal or otherwise."

Sam grinned and took a swig of his drink. "You sound like a Guardian. Maybe a bit more crude, but, you know." He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

I made a sound of consent, but I didn't say anything. Jack had said something similar when he'd been screaming at Manny when I was dead. I'd thought about it off and on since I'd become immortal. I don't know, I didn't think I was cut out to be a Guardian. Yeah, I'm fiercely protective of people I care about, but I'm picky too. I don't just care about anyone, you have to earn it - usually. However, if I became a Guardian - and I still wasn't sure that was ever likely to happen - knowing me, I'd immediately take it upon myself to be just as protective of every kid. If only because I'd want to prove that the right decision had been made. But, if any child - ever - fell pray to the darkness that the Guardians are sworn to protect them from... I was pretty sure, I'd feel like the sole failure, and I don't want to deal with that. With great power comes great responsibility and I don't want the responsibility. No, I'm good where I am.

"Speaking of Guardians, Jack's changed a lot since he became one." I raised an eyebrow at him. As far as I could tell, Jack was still his childish self - mostly. I wasn't counting the his drunk escapades. Though he was acting like a child at the moment. Which was to say, normal. "Not where it counts of course. He's still fun and childlike at his core."

"Don't you mean his center?" I grinned to myself.

Sam chuckled a bit. "Yeah. But what I mean is, he's started to grow up a little. Not too much, but..." Jack iced over a strip of the stage and dance floor, creating a slide that he, as well as many of the others in the club put to use. "I think it was really good for him."

"I concur. On the growing up thing. But only when it comes to people being as reckless and childish as he is." It was Sam's turn to shoot me a look. "Oh trust me I've seen it first hand. Then again, that's because I'm usually the one who's being reckless and childish."

"I can't imagine anyone being wilder than Jack."

"Let me tell you a tale, of a newly created immortal who always wanted to fly." He raised an eyebrow at me, skeptically. He was smiling though, so I knew we were good. "Ever since she first saw Treasure Planet, she'd always wanted to have her own version of Jim's fall through the sky, though she knew she wouldn't be able to without wings of her own. So, when she found out she could make her own wings, she wasted no time in testing them out." Sam was now smiling at me knowingly. My mention of creating my own wings having tipped him off. "Jack was with her for her first flight and she flew as high as she dared... and she dared a lot." I grinned, remembering that first flight. "Well, when she stopped to take in the view, Jack came up alongside her. She knew that then was the perfect time to initiate that fall she'd always wanted. And Jack saw it in her face. She probably scared a few years off of his life when she abruptly released her wings and plummeted through the sky, going faster and faster as gravity pulled her towards the ground."

There was a loud noise as Jack crashed into the jukebox. Both of us at the table grinned. Sam glanced back at me, shaking his head at our friend's drunk antics. "And then what happened?"

"Then, right before she hit the ground, she reformed her wings and pulled out of the dive. She got the free fall she'd always dreamed of, all thanks to the magic she'd always known was real." I looked over at him. He was a great friend. I'm glad I met him when I did. "And then she crash-landed when she clipped one of her wings on a tree." I laughed at my own klutz moment from long ago. "And Jack came flying out of nowhere and tore into her for being reckless." I shrugged, still smiling. "I tend to act without thinking, and that makes him nervous. There was this one time that he asked if I had a death wish." I laughed again, and this time Sam joined me. "Now I actually try and bump it up a little, 'cause I know it bothers him."

"I'm not so sure that it's finding someone more reckless than he is." He shot me a sidelong smirk. I didn't mind. I'd rather be the butt of a joke right now than be dwelling on what had happened earlier in the day. So I smirked back. "I think it's more that he has people to take care of now. All his believers."

I watched as Jack threw back a shot that someone offered him. There was a fairly plain division of people; the drunks all in one area going crazy, and the sober or less drunk people all watching from a safe - or somewhat safe - distance away. "Well, you know what this means?" Sam glanced at me, expression asking the question for him. "Jack's acting responsible."

Sam shuddered. "Nope, nope, no. Jack can't be the responsible one. Nope." He was shaking his head, caught somewhere between being serious and joking. I'd almost call it sarcasm, except for I knew it wasn't. "If that's the case, then the apocalypse has begun, and I'm not ready for the world to end." He shook his head again. "Just, no."

I was laughing by now. My head was resting on my arm, which was draped across the table. I'm gonna have to thank Jack later for the impromptu outing... I needed this. "I. Concur." I was still laughing but I didn't care. I was happy, even with what'd happened earlier. No, I was happy in spite of what happened. I may preach being a happy person over everything, but sometimes, life throws you a curve ball and you're stuck not knowing how to deal. It was times like these that I was glad that I had friends like Jack and Sam.

Jack, who'd been avoiding Legends for decades or more, had willingly come to the club, simply to make me feel better. And both of them ended up having a mini story told to them. Which, as I've already stated, puts me back at default. No matter what else is going on, a story, of any type, fixes me - to an extent. They both knew me well enough to know this to be true. They knew they just had to get me talking. And they both succeeded. Yeah, I think I'm gonna be okay. I glanced between Sam and Jack, neither of them noticing for the moment. Thanks to these two.