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[Billy_Gilman101]

This is a short story that I wrote based on a story that Tracy and I write together over MSN. Enjoy.




A New Hope

Destiny walked along the worn path that led to her fathers gravestone. She hadnt been here that often, for more reasons then she could comprehend herself. She still looked upon her fathers death as her fault. Even though many times Dayton, her older brother and best friend, had tried telling her that it wasnt. She couldnt help but put the blame on herself. If it hadnt been for her pregnancy and stubbornness then her father would still be alive; so how could it not be her fault?

She kicked stones out of the way as she walked. A slight breeze was blowing and she pulled her jacket tighter around her. As she looked around she watched the trees swaying back and forth in what seemed to be a mournful recognition of the death beneath them. The cemetery always looked cold and dark to her. With the lines and lines of headstones; different names on each one. She wondered if any of these people had died in the same way as her father. Was it possible for someone else to be going through the same thing she was? Did anyone else blame themselves for the death of a loved one? She couldnt be sure.

Her footsteps seemed loud and rough as she neared his gravesite. She tried to stop the trembling of her body and the tears that threatened to fall, but she failed. His stone was made of white marble and had these words written across it. "Beloved Husband and Father, We will love you always." She felt her body lower to the ground, but she had no control of herself now. Her thoughts floated away from her to a place where someone would hear them and care. As she laid there she cried, for her father...and for herself.

--*--*--

Destiny awoke late the next day. When she opened her eyes she saw her brother standing in front of her window. He was staring out at the lake and his eyes showed worry. She wondered how long he had been there. Since the funeral he had often come into her room in the middle of the night or early in the morning to check on her. She didnt know why, but she figured it had something to do with the fact that she had hardly spoken since that day. She didnt mean to worry anyone, it was just her way of grieving. But if it was going to hurt him this much, then maybe it was time to open up a little bit..just a little.

"Day...whats wrong?" She asked as she stood and walked over to him.

His eyes seemed to go from glassy to clear in an instant as he looked over his shoulder to her. He didnt say anything at first, but his eyes did. She saw hurt there and...fear?

She watched him closely as he turned and placed his hands on her shoulders. This was a gesture he always used when he had something important to say. She could feel her muscles tensing in apprehension and she looked away from him.

"Destiny, I've been thinking..." He paused and stared at her for what seemed like forever. "You cant keep going on like this. You have to move on sometime."

His words stung at her and she took a step backwards. She watched his arms fall back to his sides and her tears came fast and hard. Move on? How was she supposed to move on? She had killed her own father. But she would listen to him, she would hear him out.

"I know...its probably not as easy for you, as it is for mom and I. Granted its not easy for us either, but you have to Des. You're only hurting yourself by cutting yourself off from everything -- everyone else." He continued. "Just promise me you'll try."

Destiny found it harder to answer them then she would have thought. She nodded at first, wondering if her voice would hold out.

"I-I'll try." She finally managed.

--*--*--

Billy walked along the edge of the lake. He stopped and looked out over the water. He had a lot of memories here, and more recently, some not so good ones. Ever since he had met Destiny he had felt something for her. He wasnt quite sure what it was, but he knew it was something that he had never felt for any person before her.

He sank down to the ground and plucked a few strands of grass. He stared at the pieces in his palm and one by one he dropped them into the water. If only he could talk to her, tell her how he felt. Somehow, he would. Somehow he'd get across to her that everything was going to be fine. In the end everything would turn out alright, right?

He looked up when he thought he heard someone walking. He was right, but what shocked him the most was who it was. She didnt look up as she walked so he couldnt be sure whether she had seen him or not. Standing up he brushed his hands off on his jeans and stuffed them into his pockets.

"Hi Destiny." He said loud enough that she could hear him, but not so loud that it would scare her.

Destiny's head jerked up immediatly. She didnt like him, he knew that. You could tell just by the way she looked at him. There was some sort of..hate..in her eyes. It stabbed at his heart every time. She looked as if she might turn around and leave, but instead she kept walking towards him.

"I wont bother you." She said coldly as she sat down a few feet from him and curled her legs up to her chest.

He winced at the edge in her voice. What had he done to make her dislike him so? He slowly, cautiously, walked over and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Destiny, you could never bother me." He said softly, trying to reassure her, to be there for her.

When she looked up at him the look in her eyes had changed from hate to sadness. Her eyes were glassy with tears and she looked as if it took all of her strength not to break down in front of him. What surprised him even more was the fact that she had not yet moved away from him as she usually did. She just sat there and looked at him, searching him, perhaps she would finally confide in him. He hoped so.

She shook her head and looked at the ground. "I cant do what they want me to. I cant move on."

Her voice was quiet, but he had heard her well. She didnt need to explain who the "they" she was talking about was, or what they wanted her to move on from. A fresh wave of sadness passed over him as he watched her. She was so fragile, so...vulnerable. But she was strong, boy was she strong. He cleared his throat before attempting to speak.

"You have to do it in your own time, Destiny. No one can force you to get over something, especially something like...this." He was careful in how he put it, afraid of pushing her away if he said the wrong thing.

He slowly lowered himself down beside her. His hand was still resting on her shoulder and he placed his other hand on her cheek. Turning her face to meet his he looked into her eyes. The only thing he wanted from her was some sort of trust, something to show him that she didnt completely despise him.

Destiny felt weak all of a sudden. She couldnt get her thoughts straight, what was he doing to her? Yet, she liked it. It gave her comfort, in a way that she had never been comforted before. She let herself lean into his arms, not having the strength to fight her heart right now. It was when he wrapped his arms around her that she broke down. There was no stopping her tears, and he didnt seem to mind. He rocked her back and forth and whispered into her ear soothingly.

"Its alright, Des. Its gonna be fine. You can trust me."

--*--*--

After that day things did get better for Destiny. She found herself waking up happier, and able to smile. It still wasnt completely better, but there was definitely a difference.

She stood up off of her bed and walked over to her closet. As she grabbed her jacket she gave a small smile. She was going to go talk to Billy. She had to thank him for being there for her, for showing her something she had needed to see. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of his warming smile. What she felt for him was still unclear, but she knew now that she didnt have to fight it any longer.

It didnt take long for someone to answer the door, and to her luck it was Billy. He smiled at her and his face seemed to light up. She smiled back at him but she didnt say anything, not yet.

"Do you want to come in? Or should I come out there to you?" He smiled again. He always smiled, she had never seen him upset. But maybe thats why she felt this way for him. He was so different from her, but in all the right ways.

"Could you come out?" She asked simply.

He was quick to oblige and stepped out, closing the door behind him. He stood in front of her for a minute and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He didnt say anything, it was like he knew she wanted to tell him something.

"I have to thank you for something..." She said quietly searching his eyes. When she found what she was looking for she felt an extra boost of courage to continue.

"What for, Des?" He asked. His eyebrows came together in a confused scowl, but he was still smiling.

"For giving me a second chance. You showed me that you can always move on, no matter what you've gone through. You've given me an all new hope for life"

As she said this she could feel a weight lift off of her shoulders. She was free from whatever was holding her down. Billy seemed to notice this, for he too looked relieved as he wrapped his arms around her.

[Brooke]

OMGOSH!!

Ra! I'm soooo sorry it took me sooo darn long to read this. I haven't been over here on the board in forever.
But I'm going to say that this was AMAZING!
I loved it! You and Tracy did awesome!
I think you should make it into a longer story, I'd so read it!!! hehe

Love ya!
Brooke