Chess

Damian soon had his sister back in the house on the edge of Dale, safely out of the sun's rays when it would rise.

Gem hadn't moved from her spot on the floor, shaking.
~!!~
Sam sighed. "What do you want me to say, Jane?" He asked quietly. "That things will never be the same again? That everything is changed?"
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Sandra placed a hand on his arm. "You don't have to keep going if you don't want to," She said quietly, seeing his tears. She was somehow managing to hold her own back. "It's okay, really."
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Ella was silent. She didn't know what to say. "Maybe he was afraid," She said finally. "I'm not saying he did the right thing, but people do strange things for people they love. Maybe he thought...staying there would be the best for you."

Jane looked at him, an anger in her eyes, but the tears pushed it back. "I want you to tell me the truth." She said. "I'm not a little girl. I can handle the truth. I don't want you to lie to me, and tell me that everything is okay. I can see that is okay, Sam." She whispered. "You don't have to tell me anything. I am perfectly content with you holding my hand, and standing beside me."

~!!~
Tony closed the book, and buried his face into his hands. "She is dead." Tony said, as if for the first time.

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Jasper looked away. "But it wasn't." He said. "He abandoned us." He said. "We were all alone for years."

Sam nodded in silence. He took her hand in his. "Then I'll be here," He said quietly.
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Sandra nodded in silence, removing her hand from his arm. "She is," She said quietly. "But, she is sitll here," She whispered. "I don't understand it, but she is." She was silent then, thinking the silence would help him more. She placed a hand on his shoulder in silence.
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Ella smiled slightly at him. "But you're not alone anymore," she said quietly. "You guys can stay here as long as you want. In all honsety, it's nice to have some more people around. Not that I don't love my sister, but without my parents, things are....quiet," She finally decided on a word.

Jane smiled at him. Then she tried to change the dreary mood. "Would you like to play a game?" She asked, quietly. "That's 'bout all I can do now." She whispered.

~!!~
Tony looked up. "Sandra?" He knew this was a bad time, but he needed to know. "When you kissed me, why did you?" He asked quietly.

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Jasper looked at her, and nodded slowly.

Sam smiled. "Sure," He said, standing up straight but keeping his hold on her hand.
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Ella smiled. "Remember before, you promised to make it up to me for making me cry? Well you can make it up now. Come on," She said, and grabbed his hand, trying to pull him out of the room.
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Sandra blinked, and her hand quickly dropped to her side. "I---" She stared at her hands, her cheeks turning a light pink. "I was worried about you. I like you, a lot. I thought...thought that would be obvious by now."

Jane smiled back, and pointed to a bookshelf. "Top shelf, pick one." She said. "Anyone, I don't care, although I would pick one of the American ones. You might not understand the French ones." She mused.

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Jasper followed frowning slightly. "I promised that?" He asked. "Very well, what is it that you want me to do?"

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Tony looked at her. "Sandra, I'm sorry." He whispered. "Is it too late for me to make it up to you?" He asked.

Sandra looked confused. "Make what up?" She asked. "You didn't do anything wrong. I picked a terrible time to fall for you," She said quietly.
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Ella shrugged, and pulled him downstairs and out the back door. The small swingset still sat, though the chains were very rusty, looking ready to break at any second. She sat down on one of them, and let go of his hand. "Push me," She said simply. "I always loved swings, but Alex won't push me anymore. She says I'm too old." She shrugged. "I may look 13, but I'm actually in my...thirties, I guess," She shrugged.
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Sam nodded and walked over to the shelf, pulling down an unfamiliar game, t hough it wasn't in Frnech. "This one okay?" he asked, looking at her and holding it up for her to see.

Tony looked down. "But I-" He seemed lost for words. "Sandra, can you help me find her?" He asked.

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Jasper froze when she mentioned her age. But he shook his head, and nodded. Then he began to push her on the swing, gently. "Higher?" He asked.

~!!~
"Yeah." She said, and pushed herself to a small table. "Do you know how to play it?" She asked.

Sandra looked at him, a small smile spreading across her face. "You mean Anne, right?" She said.
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Ella laughed, and nodded. "Yes please," She said, looking up at the sky, a smile on her face.
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Sam shook his head, setting the game down on the table. "No I don't," He said.

"No, I mean my true love." Tony said, a slightly teasing tone in his voice. "Yes, Anne." He said softly.

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Jasper laughed and pushed her higher. "Is this safe?" He asked, eying the rusty chains.

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Jane began setting it up. "This on was my favorite when I was little, perhaps because it was one of the few I could read without being corrected on how to say something. Ansel hated it because I was always correcting him when he read something." She smiled slightly. Then she explained to him how to play it. "We play a lot of games. It was a tradition that my mother's husband started back in France." She said, not saying father, since she never knew him. "Even after the loss of her husband and Aline she tried to keep the tradition alive." She said, forgetting Sam didn't know about the fact she was adoptive.

Sandra smiled. "Of course I will!" She said, standing up. "I would have gone looking for her anyways," She said. She smield at him, any trace or hint of tears gone from her eyes. "Now?"
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Ella laughed, looking up at the sky, feeling almost like she was flying. Suddenly a snapping noise echoed in her ears, and she felt herself fall to the ground from up high, landing on her hands and knees. She groaned, and stood up slowly, her knees and hands grass stained. Her left knee was cut open, and bleeding.

"I'm okay!" She said quickly, and looked at the broken chain on the swing, a frown on her face. "Alex won't like that..."
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Sam looked at Jane in silence, then spoke. "Aline?" He asked. "And why do you call your father 'her husband?'" He asked, curiousity spiking his interest.

Jane froze. "Uh." She she looked down, she didn't like telling this secret. Normally she would never even hint at it, but she felt so conformable around him that it slipped. "Aline is Ansel's little sister." She said quietly. "I mean I am his sister too, but he is related to Aline by blood, not upbringing. By birth my name is Long, not Mich. I'm adopted." She said quietly, she smiled slightly. "Ironic, don't you think?"

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Jasper ran to her, and looked at her. "That wasn't smart." He remarked.

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Tony sighed. "Whenever." He said softly.

Sam smiled slightly, and tried to lighten the mood. "Well, look at it this way. If we ever get married, you won't have to change your last name." He realized what he had said, and quickly looked away. "I didn't mean that we would, I just was trying to--" He sighed, shaking his head. "Nevermind."
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Ella laughed. "Well, stick around long enough and you'll find out I'm not exactly the smartest one around," She said. She looked at her knee and frowned, flinching. It stung, though it probably shouldn't. "You would think I wouldn't bleed anymore," She mumbled.
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Sandra sat down next to him. "Later, then," She said quietly. She wanted to give him some time to think about it, really think about it before they went looking for her. She folded her hands together in her lap nervously. "Do you want me to..go?" She asked quietly, gesturing towards the door.

Jane's face grew red, and she, too, looked away. She spoke suddenly, what she said even surprised herself. "Sam, do you love me?" She had asked. Then her face grew darker. "I mean- I Didn't- You don't have to answer that." She said looking at her hands.

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"I think I figured that out by now." He said with a small laugh. "Come on." He said walking toward the house.

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Tony looked at her. "Only if you want to." He said.

Ella followed him quickly, flinching each time she moved her right leg. She opened the backdoor and walked in, holding it open for him. "Alex is going to kill me," She mumbled. "No pun intended," She added.
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Sandra looked away, and nodded. She didn't move to get up, and instead stayed where she was. She stared at her hands, trying not to say something stupid, or do something equally stupid.
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Sam's shoulders stiffened, and he looked at the table, then back at her. He touched her arm lightly, taking a deep breathe.

"I think so," He said finally, quietly. "The last time I was in love, I hurt her, and she hurt me. I don't want...I don't want it to happen again."

Jasper didn't laugh and walked in. "Where are the bandages?" He asked.

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Tony looked at her, seeing that she didn't want to leave. "Do you want something?" He asked.

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Jane pulled her arm away. "I love you Sam." She said. "But you don't want to love anymore?" She asked, tears in her eyes again.

Ella pointed up the stairs. "The bathroom," She said. "But I can get them," She added quickly, taking a step towards the stairs, flinching as she did so.
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Sandra shook her head. "No," She said quietly, staring down at her hands. She was silent then, feeling like she should leave, but not wanting to leave his side.
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Sam shook his head. "I didn't say that," He said quickly, looking at her . "I'm just...." He shook his head. "Scared," He finally said.

"No." Jasper said, and pointed at the sofa. "I'll get them." He said and disappeared before she could protest.

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Tony nodded and looked down.

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"But why would I hurt you?" Jane asked slowly.

Sam shook his head. "You wouldn't," He said quietly. "But I always hurt those I care about," He added, almost a whisper, Willow flashing through his mind, the ashes that once were her body.
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Ella nodded and sighed, sitting down on the couch. She stretched her legs out onto the table and looked at her knee, a frown on her face. She hadn't hurt herself in a while, so it was a strange feeling.
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Sandra sighed, and stood up. "I should go," She said simply. She turned back to him. "Come to my house when you want to look for her, no matter what time it is. I'll come with." She turned to the door, then paused. "Oh, and uhm..you can forget what I said today," She said, with a nervous laugh. "I know it's a bad time, and I shouldn't have said anything."

Jane reached out and took his face in-between her hands again. That was hard since he was so much taller then her wheelchair. "Sam, you wouldn't hurt me, not of propose." She said softly.

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Jasper came done a few moments later, and smiled at her. "I doubt you need to put anything other then a band-aide on it." He said, peeling the wrapper off and sticking it to her knee.

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"Sandra, I..." He shook his head. "Okay." He said simply instead.

Ella smiled slightly. "Nope," She said quietly. "No infections, nothing to worry about. I guess being dead has its advantages." She looked away, the smallest of frowns on her face. She seemed strangely comfortable with the fact that she was dead, but that wasn't really the case. She quickly regained her smile.
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Sandra smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, everything will be fine, including me," She said, and turned to the door. She opeend it quickly and slipped outside, letting the door close behind her before her smile faded.
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Sam looked down at her, then slowly nodded. "I do love you," He said quietly. "I love you, Jane."

Jasper frowned. "You shouldn't act like that." He said. "Being dead, that shouldn't be something comfortable with." He said, sitting back.

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Jane smiled. "I'm glad you do." She said, pulling her hands back, and pointed to the game. "Are we ever gonna play?" She asked.

Ella shrugged. "I've come to terms with it," She said, sitting back on the couch as well. She looked at her knee, then back at him. "Once you're gone so long, it feels...normal," She said quietly. "But I do miss some things. Like..pizza," She said, with a faraway look on her face. "Pepperoni pizza. Or even just the warmth of a summer's day...I'm always so cold," She said quietly.
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Sam laughed. "Yeah," He said quielty, looking back at the game. As he looked at it, he spoke again. "You should come to my house for dinner sometime," He said suddenly. "I want my dad to meet you."

Jasper stood up and sat on the sofa next to her, their arms touching. "There isn't anything you can do to warm yourself?" He asked quietly.

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Jane smiled at him, slightly. "Anytime." She said. "But didn't you say your dad was never home?" She asked quietly, picking up the pieces.

Ella jumped, the warmth from his arm touching her cold skin making her only want more warmth. She may have been used to the cold, but it didn't mean that she didn't miss the warmth.

"No, nothing," She said quietly.
~!!~
Sam sighed, watching her pick up the pieces. "I'll try and get him to come home early," He said quietly. "I don't know if it'll work, but..." He smiled at her.