[CLOSED] still holding on.

[aubri 'bee' ella-paige reed]

Aubri moved closer, wrapping her arms loosely around him. She wiped away the tears on her cheeks, then rested her hand back on his chest. She wasn't exactly comforted by the fact that he was living alone and then this happened. She hoped it didn't happen often. She didn't know him, and she already knew she was going to worry about him. Just like she worried about Connor.

"I'm sorry you bit your tongue.. My mom always said not to hold someone's tongue down cause they'll choke." She didn't feel like thinking about her mother. "You know you can bite off your finger as easy as biting into a carrot? But your brain won't let you?" She looked up at him, hoping the random fact was enough to get his mind off of his tongue.

[trez matthew steele]

"Don't worry bout it.. Not a first.." He spit out a smaller amount of blood this time, setting the glass aside. He smiled up at her tiredly. "Really? Makes sense, I guess.." His tongue hurt like hell, but it was nothing new. He was used to seizures, lucky they hadn't caused too much damage. Yet.

What bothered him most was what he had seen this time. Usually it was just epileptic seizures. But on the occasions it wasn't, he saw things. Things he didn't want to believe.

[aubri 'bee' ella-paige reed]

Aubri nodded. "I've debated trying it, but then I knew I wouldn't be able to actually do it.. I'm too chicken for stuff like that. But it makes me curious." She looked up at him, wondering if he thought she was weird. People usually did. She didn't much care, but it still bothered her. To think that her family line was going to end with her because absolutely no one wanted her.

"You know what else amazes me?" She played with his shirt a bit, looking down at her hand. "How a teeny tiny little egg grows into this like, eight pound baby. I mean, it goes from like, microscopic to BOOM! A baby." She decided to shut up, that she was rambling. She moved a little closer, laying her head on his shoulder again.

[trez matthew steele]

Trez chuckled. "Hm, I'd never be in my right mind to bite my finger off. Nearly doing that to my tongue constantly hurts enough."

He yawned, glad the bleeding had stopped, that tongues healed so quick. "Yeah? I was like, four when my brother was born, don't remember much, just the awe you know? So innocent, amazed that he'd actually come out of my mother."

He smiled faintly in amusement, stretching out a bit and absently running his fingers through her hair.

[aubri 'bee' ella-paige reed]

"I don't remember how old I was when my little sister was born. But I remember watching my mom's stomach keep getting bigger. It was like, amazing. And then she came out and she was this little person. It was awesome. She was three months old when she died. I had six older brothers. And then me and her. Can you imagine? Six older brothers?" She smiled, looking up at him.

She always tried to think about the good things. "She was so tiny." She held her hands not far apart, then wrapped them around him again. "It's amazing seeing like, an exact human replica. In miniature form."

[trez matthew steele]

"Yeah, babies are cute." He smiled faintly. "Was just me and my little brother. We stayed here when our parents moved to Los Angeles. They own a casino."

He bit his lip. "Couldn't even make it to his funeral. Had to have a friend help carry the casket.." He let out a wary breath, not wishing to get into that. He smiled, pointing at the picture with a faintly trembling hand. He was exhausted and it was just past morning. "He always saw the best side to things."

[aubri 'bee' ella-paige reed]

She took his hand, drawing it close to him. The way it shook scared her. After earlier, she didn't want another to happen.

"I lost everyone. My mom, my dad, all six of my brothers, and my baby sister. Came home and they were all hacked up, strewn across the house." She stopped for a second, watching the picture warily. "At least you're here. To keep his memory alive. He can never really die, not with you here." She played with his fingers for a moment before letting it go, drawing her hand close to her chest to clasp a necklace that was no longer there. She didn't wear necklaces. It was just another of her curious habits.

[trez matthew steele]

"I'm so sorry, Bee," He murmured with a faint frown. But he knew 'sorry' was far too cliche. Absently he kissed her forehead, it just being who he was to be friendly, supportive. "Yeah..guess you're right. I don't tell many people he's gone...probably better than what he was suffering."

He swallowed, eyes closing for a moment. He had lost his appetite for breakfast.

[aubri 'bee' ella-paige reed]

She shrugged. "It's okay. I guess it all happened for a reason. I don't know. I guess I'd rather think that there was a reason behind someone slaughtering my family rather than to think someone just did it on a whim. But in the end, I lived. So.." She shrugged again. It bothered her. A lot. But she hated to let it show. Hated to let anyone know that she was beyond broken. She just hoped it made someone feel a little better knowing that worse has happened.

"Everything's okay in the end." She said softly, patting his leg gently.

[trez matthew steele]

"Nah, not everything." He shrugged. "We all gotta die sometime.." He gazed up at her a moment. "All of us wanna go out kicking you know? But sometimes that doesn't happen. Sometimes there's no glory. Sometimes t's better to leave pain and sickness behind and rest peacefully. Guess that's all Xander needed. That's what I gotta believe."

He closed his eyes again. "Feel free to raid the fridge if you're hungry." His words were starting to slur. "I should be 'wake 'round lunch...." He yawned, knew the toll seizures took on himself. And again he repeated, "Stay 'long as you want..." Something deep within him hoped she was still here when he woke up.