Slam! 3 "Dead Men and Sunnless Days"

Ellie's POV

It was all so great, so perfect. We were all so goddamned happy. Mom and dad were more in love than ever, Zoey and I were engaged to marry the loves of our lives, and Liz and co. came to visit. We were a family again.

Then, we came back to this place and tried our good fortune. Karma does not like to be taunted.

I sit here, on the hard pavement, angry at God, fate, myself. Surprisingly, no blame goes towards my father. He'd done something right for a change. To me, he is blameless. Besides, how do you blame a dead man? Dead men. There's so many of them here tonight.

The Secret Service tried to take us away, secure us. We wouldn't leave. What could they save us from now? We've just lost everything. I can think it so calmly, because I haven't opened my eyes since he stopped breathing. I haven't seen the world or another living face since, his pulse no longer beat beneath my fingertips. I only touch his hair, because it's still as soft and if I really imagine, I can feel the warmth of the fireplace in front of me and hear the History Channel playing in the background. Even though we've had our disagreements, we both share a great love of history. Shared a great love of history. It's only me now.

I hear my mother's unintelligable mutterings and know she would have been far better off having been killed as well. Maybe we all would have. Some would say we have our whole lives ahead of us, why wish it all over for some guys. These aren't just any guys. These are...were our guys.

I'm an unwed widow and it hurts. It hurts so much. I never even got the benefit of marrying him, giving him the children we talked about. But as I hear my mother, I wonder if maybe that's best. Losing before I got the chance to gain. I know it's not. It's like not buying food because it's going to be gone anyway. It doesn't work, you still need it. We still need them.

Zoey was admittedly closer to the altar than me as her little display says. That is her goodbye their farewell. Her eyes are bleary, but she smiles and kisses him gently...goodbye. He's gone and her smile fades. She strokes his face, trying to remember everything for the last time. These moments will have to last each of us the rest of our lives.

Liz has stopped rocking them, now they're just sitting there, staring off into the distance. We're all trying to contemplate, trying to invision life without these undeniably bright and brilliant men. I can truly say that the sun will never shine as bright again. If it ever shines again at all. Something that is coming greatly into question.

I opened my eyes...it's night. For us, it always will be. Sunless days and never-ending nights. And I am a widow, never married, but still left behind.

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