One Heart

Nathalie’s POV

“Rae honey, are you all packed? We need to leave soon,” I called up the stairs, my own couple of suitcases already lined up by the door. Everything else in the house had since been packed into boxes and moved into storage over the last week, with basically only what Rae and I were taking still here, in our bags.

After receiving my results I had decided on taking up the offer of going back to Huntington Beach with Jimmy, while Val went on ahead to help prepare my old house. No one had been in it since I had left- not even Brian who easily had at least half of his wardrobe at the time in there. However I guess it wasn't hard for him to fill out his fashion desires, especially with the popularity of Avenged Sevenfold increasing by the day, plus the creation of his own clothing range probably helped. Of course this would probably attract the attention of the others so I instructed Val to make up the house in secret, making sure that none of them were around to see her going in and out making it liveable once again. I knew it was a lot to ask of her, but she didn't seem to mind. Neither her nor Jimmy knew the outcome of my results since I had chosen not to tell them, which they then decided to take as that I didn't want them to know, and as such didn't ask. I knew they both wanted to know, but after all, it was of my concern and mine alone.

Jimmy soon came down the stairs with a few small pink suitcases stacked in his arms, along with a small wire cage and a twitching rabbit on the top. He placed them beside me with a sigh of relief and stretched his limbs out, commenting, “Your daughter seems to be following in your footsteps.”

“In what way?” I asked, all the while stroking a trembling Princess through the wire cage.

“She has a load of clothes; just like you,” he groaned, leaning his back against the wall. “What other four year old has ten suitcases, just to herself?”

I smiled. “One who has a very doting Uncle who buys her anything her little heart desires whenever they take a trip to the mall. I believe that last suitcase was bought in your last shopping trip, just so we could take all the new clothes you and Val had got her along.”

“Maybe,” he chuckled, scratching at his head sheepishly. Since neither Val nor Jimmy had kids of their own they basically saw Rae as their own, spoiling her to the best of their ability. “Is the house all ready then?”

Nodding, I retracted my finger when the white rabbit seemed to have calmed after its turbulent journey. Poor thing would have to last on its own on a plane now. “Val called this morning; she said everything is in place. Had to get a load of cleaners in apparently, since everything was coated with inches of dust.”

“No one has been in that place for four years- well, not until now.”

“It has been a long time,” I mused, my eyes drifting in silence until Rae came bounding down the stairs, a bunny-shaped backpack bouncing upon her back.

“I'm ready!” She sang, her cheeks red from excitement. “We can go on holiday now!”

Smiling, I crouched down and gently pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her tiny frame. I couldn't believe that soon I would be separated from her forever- it was worse enough when I had to work in the night, even if she was sleeping.

I had handed in my notice at work a few days ago, having to force myself to nod and smile as my boss grew tears and hugged me, saying that whatever I needed I just needed to ask. It seems that everyone becomes more charitable when you tell them you'll be dead in a year; who figured?

I blinked away the tears in my eyes before I pulled away from her, straightening from the crouch and shaking my head. “Mummy just needs one minute to get something, and then we can go. Why don't you help Uncle Jimmy take your suitcases to the car?”

Since she was anxious to go she immediately went over to the small pile that was hers and tugged on the one that happened to be at the bottom, triggering a domino effect of the tumbling which was luckily set right by Jimmy. She seemed oblivious to this however; just merrily skipping out the front door to the car with one of her many small suitcases in her hand.

I caught Jimmy's eye and laughed as he groaned, almost apologetic as I said, “I'll just be a minute.”

Leaving him to tend to the little monster and the trouble she caused I walked back upstairs to my room, crouching down by the bed to rescue the box full of my old gifts. I tipped the contents out onto the bed and threw aside the box, placing the photo in my pocket and looping the ring onto the silver chain, which I looked at for a few moments before placing it alongside the photo in my pocket.

When I got back downstairs all of the suitcases- including mine- had been loaded into the car we hired. Jimmy hung back to wait for me while I guessed that Rae was already strapped in. I greeted him as I cleared the last few steps. “Ready to go?”

“All packed. What are you planning to do with the house though? Sell it?”

“Of course not,” I replied, shaking my head. “This is where Rae grew up, I could never do that.”

“But what about paying it off?”

“Jimmy, do you not remember what I said I did with the car I used to come here?”

He nodded. “You sold it to help you set up here.”

“Do you know which one it was?”

“I don't think I recorded that detail when one of my friends was running away when she was heavily pregnant, not telling me where she was going either.”

“Of course you wouldn't,” I murmured, feeling guilty that I had brought it up at all. “I sold the Veyron, Jimmy. I bought this house with the money; I've never needed to pay anything on it.”

“Well...” He trailed off, not really knowing what to say. “I guess that explains a lot.”

“This home is in Rae's name, so if I ever meet the Reaper, she'll have something familiar to come back to.”

Jimmy shifted uncomfortably, his gaze wearily finding mine. “What do you mean by that?”

I stopped in my tracks, having begun to walk to the door. “By what?”

“By 'meeting the Reaper'.” He folded his arms and frowned. “Don't lie to me either. What happened? What did your results say?”

“It doesn't matter Jimmy,” I replied, carrying onto the door only to have him move and block my path. “It's my life.”

“Nat, please,” he pleaded, resting his hands on my shoulders and staring at me. “I already lost my friend once, don't tell my you are running away again.”

“I’m not running but…” I smiled softly at him, my hand creeping up to take one of his that were on my shoulder and holding it. “They told me…” I stopped myself, laughing quietly to myself. There really wasn’t any point trying to sugar coat it. “I'm dying, Jimmy.”

He laughed and told me to stop being dramatic over a little migraine, but when he realised I wasn’t joking his chuckles quickly ceased. His hand almost dropped from mine as his eyes widened, his mouth opening in a gasp. “You're lying. There is no way-”

“Jimmy.”

“You are only 26 for fuck's sake, how-”

“JIMMY.” He stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes echoing the fear I once had. “Val doesn't know, neither does Rae. I don't want anyone to know, you understand?”

He nodded numbly, obviously still in shock on the bombshell I had dropped on him. I knew it was unfair, but it didn't seem as bad now that someone else knew. Made it almost... easier to deal with.

“What's going to happen to you?”

“I just start getting weaker I guess,” I replied with a shrug. “I don't really know.”

“So... how long did they say until-” He cut himself off, obviously unable to actually ask about how long until he had to start planning the funeral.

“Less than eight months, but they said some people live longer.”

He pulled me into a tight squeeze, almost as if he expected me to drop dead in the next minute or so. Reluctantly he did let me go when I pointed out I was going to die sooner if he didn't, allowing me room for my lungs to gather air again.

When I moved past him to outside, he called me back once more. “Nat?”

I stopped, looking back. “Yes?”

He smiled at me. “Your life... really has sucked, hasn't it?”

“You can say that. Although not many people can say they've been on tour with a famous band, now can they?” I laughed, holding out my hand for him to take. “At least I have lived it while I could; not many can say that either.”

His fingers closed around mine, the front door falling shut behind us as I pulled him to the car. “I can't deny that. You always were a maniac partier.”

“Taken from one of your own songs, you need to seize the day while you can. You never know when you’re time will be up.”