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The tears...that's all I will remember.

Tears...like rain as they poured out of my eyes. The wetness came from deep inside flowing over the brim of my lower eyelids and then losing their balance and crashing down like waterfalls onto the skin of my cheeks. So wet, so plentiful...they wouldn't stop. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop crying. I didn't sob or weep...I just cried. I read the words over and over again on the marble marker: Kevin Scott Richardson. He couldn't be gone...he just couldn't. That's when she walked up. She was almost as beautiful as her sister in my eyes. Damn, I love Mel. Tiff, her twin...the differences so unique. I know why Kev loved Tiff...the same reasons I love Melissa. Tiff's eyes...so much cooler than her sister's. She's so much more mature...That's what Kev saw in her. They're almost 10 years apart...but she acts as old as him. God dammit...why did this have to happen?!

Nick's thoughts ended as she stopped in front of him, her petit frame looking up at him. Her blue-grey eyes full of so many tears they appeared to be made of glass, shining in the pale streams of sunlight filtering from the sky. "Hello, Nick..." she softly said, her voice shaking.

"Hi..." he replied softly, swiping at the wet trails on his cheeks.

"You miss him..." she stated softly.

"He was like a father to me..." Nick replied, his eye averted. "I can't believe he's gone..."

Tiffany slowly stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him, the warmth of her embrace flowing over him. They shared the same feelings of loss and pain. He needed Kevin as much as she did only in different ways. Kevin was his protector, the one to look out for him. He kept him out of trouble and helped him learn from his mistakes. He'd listen to Nick's problems no matter how petty they were. If he would argue with Melissa over something trivial or if he forgot a dance step, Kev would sit and listen and then slowly figure out the perfect solution. Nick tightened his embrace around her shoulders, the tears coming again. She was so much smaller than him, though taller than Melissa, yet he was leaning on her...he needed her there. If she hadn't been there, he didn't know what he might do. He wasn't sure if he wanted to break down and sob or if he wanted to scream. His head fell to her small, rounded shoulder, his cheek pressed against the smooth surface, the same feelings of childhood when he buried his face in his mother's shoulder rushing over him. Melissa's small body rushed to him, enveloping him in his arms. "I knew you were here..." she whispered softly before pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I was worried about you..." He remained silent, holding her close to his body. She was his sanity in life somehow, even though her personality was one of the craziest. He cradled her against his chest, feeding off of her love. Tiff's gaze fell to the ground, the tears so close to falling. She remembered holding Kevin like that...their wedding night was still vivid in her mind. Not so much the sex as sleeping in his arms. The barrier of muscle seemed to protect her from the world...and now he's gone... The warmth of two arms soon encircled her shoulder from the side, and her sister's cheek pressed against the joint of her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Tiff. I know it's been a few weeks, but it's gonna take a long time..." Melissa whispered. "You two were so in love..."

"And we still are..." Tiff whispered. "But thank you so much...You're the reason I'm holding on...Death can't change love, but it's very inconvientient..."

Melissa smiled slightly, holding her sister tighter for a moment. "I hate to do this, Tiff...but I have to go..." she whispered, the tears in her eyes as she didn't want to leave her sister.

"I know...I'll be fine..." Tiff said softly. "Besides...I want to be alone with him for a while."

"Ok...Love you, sis..." Melissa said as she placed a quick kiss on Tiff's cheek and squeezed her tight one last time. Tiff watched as Melissa and Nick walked away hand in hand, the silence conveying more than words as they slowly dissappeared from sight. Tiff kneeled in the soft green grass in front of the tombstone, her fingers touching the edges of the etched K of his name. "Oh, Kevin..." she whispered.

"You don't know how much I miss you...I know you're still with me. I can feel it at night, I feel you watching. But it's different...I can feel your body so close to mine...but you aren't there." The tears grew in her eyes, more and more gathering until they could no longer balance. "I know you're safe now..." She fell silent for a time as she stared at the inscription in the marble. "Kev....sweetheart..." she whispered finally, her pale eyes turning liquid again.

"I have to tell you something. I wish you were here now more than ever..." She paused, her eyes closing as she contimplated how to tell him. "Kevin, I'm pregnant..." she finally whispered as she placed a hand on her stomach. "You're going to be a father..."

The tears lost their balance. "Oh, Kevin....right now I need you so much." She then moved to sit against the tombstone, the cold marble against her side as she curled into a ball, her head by his name, the tears streaming down her face. "I love you..." she whispered before she fell into a light sleep, the feeling of his arms around her a comfort.

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THE END

Never forget the ones you love, no matter how far away they are...