Cracked.

Her heart was cracked.

She stared at it, unable to believe what she was seeing. This can't be real.

Tentatively, she reached out placing her finger on the thin jagged line. A sharp jolt of pain scorched through her chest and she snatched her hand back. ­­

The crack ran the length of her heart. It didn't appear to be deep, but she was too afraid to touch it and examine just how deep it ran. Her hand returned to the scar, her fingers brushing it with trembling strokes. The burning pain was beginning to fade, a hollow ache filling its place.

Everything around her faded away as she stared at the crack. All she could think about was her Grandfather. His gruff laugh, the twinkle in his eyes when he used to let her win at checkers, his smell of aftershave and mints – something he had always smelled like since he gave up smoking and started popping peppermints to quell the cravings.

Memories of him filled her head, consuming every other thought until she could barely breathe, while the only thing she could physically see was her cracked heart.

A shadow moved over her, casting her heart in shadow making the crack appear darker and more sinister. She could feel something large standing beside her, but she didn't know how to look away from her heart.

"Ariel?" It was Lucas.

The shadow shifted as he folded his large frame to sit beside her. A small hand touched her hair.

"Is she okay?" Ben whispered. "I think she's hurt."

Ben passed held the phone up, finding the message so he could see. A small growl rumbled in Lucas' chest. "She's hurt, just not where you can see it."

Yes you could, she thought, her eyes still on her heart. It's right there.

"What's that?" Ben whispered. He'd seen her heart.

"It's her curse," Lucas said, leaning over. "It's her –" His voice froze as he saw the large crack. "That wasn't there before," he whispered before turning to Ben. "Go and find your Dad. Tell him I'm bringing Ariel to his office, now."

Her heart disappeared as the lid closed. Lucas took the box, placing it gently in her bag. Passing it to her, he wrapped her hands around it before letting go. Her loose grip tightened as large hands came around her, lifting her into the air before resting against a firm furry chest.

Her head lolled to the side, resting against his shoulder. "He's gone."

"I know." His voice was soft. "I'm sorry, Ariel."

"I never got to say goodbye." Her voice caught in her throat and her eyes closed as tears started to fall again.

Lucas held her closer, increasing his pace. He was probably still angry at her about Peyton, and now he was forced to carry her crying back to the house.

"Lucas, about Peyton –"

"Forget it."

"But –"

"Ariel, forget it."

By the time they reached the back of the house, the shock of the crack had worn off, allowing her grief to seep back in, consuming her. She turned her head deeper into his shoulder as the sunlight shone against her face. Muted voices sounded about her as they entered the house.

"Upstairs, Lucas."

The Doc's voice washed over as he directed Lucas up to her room. His own voice rumbled against her skin as he spoke to the Doc but she didn't know what he was saying. She just wanted them to all be quiet and go away.

She reacted as her body started moving away from the warmth and automatically she reached out with one hand, clinging to the hard furry life raft.

"Ariel," Lucas muttered. "Let go."

Hands gently pried her fingers free and then she lying down on her bed. Immediately she rolled over towards the wall, away from the prying eyes she knew were likely looming behind her.

The bed dipped and a hand swept her hair away from her face. Lips lightly brushed her forehead.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," Harriet whispered.

She heard whispering and then Harriet disappeared. Someone leaned over. "Ariel," the Doc said gently. "I'm sorry to ask this, but I need to see –"

She shoved the bag at him. She didn't care. She knew he couldn't fix the crack. She just wanted them to all go away. Grabbing the key, she ripped it off her neck and passed it blindly behind her. A pressure was building in her head and chest. She knew was it was. The same thing had happened when her Grandma had died. As soon as she cried, the pressure would go away. She didn't want to let go though. She wanted it to keep building, in hope it would somehow drown out the rest of her pain and make it all go away.

Her fingers twitched as she felt the Doc touch her heart. There was no extra pain, no burning. She had a sudden overwhelming hatred of them; it was only her that felt the pain when she touched her heart. They could do whatever they wanted and feel nothing but her heart beat.

As fast as it came, the hatred vanished. The bed dipped again and a rough hand enveloped her own. Autumn. Her fingers curled around Autumn's leafy ones, the scar beginning to burn again. Someone sat near the foot of the bed. Through her tears she could see a mass of blonde – Emily.

"It's okay," Autumn whispered to someone behind her. "We will stay with her."

Claws scratched on the floor and Ariel heard a soft thump as something pressed against the side of the bed.

"I'll stay."

Arms enveloped her, and the pressure that had been building in her body finally released as she allowed herself to sob, loud and broken.

Emily and Autumn stayed by her side for the day, and most of the next. Lucas would appear and disappear, never saying anything. She slept brokenly, waking when Samson came in to offer his services and condolences. Michael came in at some point to place a kiss on her forehead, murmuring some words of Italian before leaving. Emily told her Kestral had come in while she was asleep but she didn't care if she did. She didn't care about any of their words of comfort. She just wanted to go home.

But she couldn't.

She had never truly hated her father until that text message.

As the sun was setting on the second day, the Doc returned her heart. She had barely thought of it since he took it away. She didn't even have the energy to be concerned about it. At different times, when she was awake she had felt the sensation of it being touched and prodded. Normally it would have bothered her, but this time, she simply brushed the thoughts aside and tried to slip back into the bliss of sleep where nothing hurt.

He placed it gently in her arms. "I know you aren't up to it right now," he murmured, "but when you want to talk about it, let me know."

Ben had followed in behind him. He looked scared, as if she would suddenly break if he got any closer.

As the Doc started guiding him out the door, she heard him whisper, "Dad, can I stay?"

"You can come back tomorrow," he whispered.

With the chest in her arms, she had drifted into a deeper sleep.

When she woke next, Emily and Autumn were gone. It was dark outside, and the house was silent. The floorboards next to her bed creaked and she rolled over. Someone was standing over her bed.

A small light appeared, hovering in the air and she squinted. "Amelia?"

In the dim light, she looked like a ghoul. Her piercings glittered, her eye shadow darker and more ominous. Mascara was smeared on her cheeks and she sniffed.

"Hey girl," she whispered. "Doc needs to see ya."

Was she serious? She started to roll over, thinking this was a strange dream but Amelia grabbed her arm, all but lifting her out of bed. She grabbed the chest, placing it in Ariel's hands. "Sorry, hon. Can't really wait."

Walking quietly, Amelia guided Ariel down the stairs towards the Doc's office. A single light shone under the door. It creaked as Amelia opened it just enough for them both to slip through before closing it again.

The Doc sat at his desk, Harriet leaning against it. Both looked like they'd been dragged out of bed, same as her. In the greater light, Amelia looked more put together than all of them - other than the smeared make up.

Doc smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry to do this at –" he looked at the time and winced "– two thirty in the morning, but I don't want to waste any time."

"What do you want?" she asked dully. "More tests?"

"No, nothing like that. Take a seat." She sat in the nearest armchair, clutching the chest against her stomach.

"Ariel I want to talk to you about your Grandfather's funeral. It's today, in Australia, correct?"

She started. She'd forgotten it was today. For one brief moment, she'd forgotten she wasn't able to go because her father didn't want to make a scene with his freak daughter.

She nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. "So?"

She saw her phone in his hands. Something else she hadn't thought about since dropping it in the bluebell field. Doc held it up. "I read your father's message about not being able to fly you home –"

Not wanting to, she thought bitterly.

"- and after discussing it with Amelia, she has offered to take you home so you don't miss it. Would you like to go?"

Her eyes snapped to Amelia, surprise filtering through the blanket of grief. "We wouldn't make it in time."

She tapped her nose. "That all depends on which method of travel you're talking about. I'll get us there in time."

A strange sensation filled her chest – hope blended with trepidation. "I can go?"

Harriet nodded. "Amelia will stay with you in Australia, and when you've had time to grieve with your family, she will bring back to Sherwood."

She looked down at her heart, a sliver of worry worming it's way in; what if her father was right? What if something happened and the Doc wasn't there to help? "Should I go? Is it... safe?"

Harriet stepped forward, crouching down to her eye level. Taking her hands, she gave them a squeeze. "You should go, sweet heart. This is your time to say goodbye to your Grandpa. If you don't go, you'll regret it. Don't worry about it being safe. Amelia will take care of you."

A sadness filled Harriet's eyes and Ariel guessed she was speaking from experience about regret. She didn't want regret, but she also didn't want to say goodbye to her Grandpa.

She wasn't ready for that. She didn't think she would ever be ready for that.

"Okay," she finally whispered, her nails digging into the chest. "I'll go."

Harriet smiled, leaning forward to kiss her hair. "Let's go and pack your bag."

Ariel let Harriet lead her back up to her room and they quietly packed a small bag. Ariel looked over at Emily's sleeping form and wondered if she should leave a note. Harriet did most of the packing as Ariel stood by, watching quietly. She didn't really feel like she needed to pack a bag. She was going home after all, she had plenty of crap there.

Once they were finished, they returned downstairs. Harriet touched her arm. "Brad will let the others know where you've gone in the morning."

"Sure."

She stopped her again outside the Doc's office. "One more thing - I know this isn't highly important, but you should probably know. Amelia can get quite... emotional. Even about people she barely knows."

Ariel sighed. "So?"

Harriet gave her a motherly hug. "It's just a warning so you don't get surprised today."

Ariel had no idea what she was on about and shrugged. "Okay then."

Amelia had been busy since they'd been packing. Upon entering the office, the chairs had been moved and a small circle of powder lay in the center of the room, surrounded by candles and waxed symbols melted onto the floor.

"All good?" Amelia stepped into the circle. "If my calculations are correct we should drop right into your house. Oh wait –" she walked over to Ariel and quickly yanked a strand of hair from her head, wrapping it around her index finger as she muttered some strange words Ariel didn't understand. "Right, now we're ready."

She stepped back into the circle, holding out her hand to Ariel. The Doc placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll see you soon, Ariel. Take all the time you need and we'll talk when you get back."

Harriet gave one last quick hug before gently pushing her towards Amelia. The circle was small and she was forced to squish up next to Amelia to they both fit.

"Hang on tight."

Ariel gripped Amelia's waist with one hand, curling her fingers into the leather vest. She smelled of rosemary incense and burnt candlewicks. She started muttering in a strange language. It could have Latin but she wasn't sure. Amelia was speaking so quickly she had trouble deciphering one word from another.

A gust of wind blew through her hair, surprising her, and she immediately clung tighter to Amelia. She could feel something crawling along her skin, reaching up to the roots of her hair and all the way down to her toes. Her hold on her chest became a death grip as her feet suddenly left the ground with a loud crack. A gasp escaped her lips as a flash of light burst around them, followed by a familiar scream coming from somewhere nearby –

And then her feet were back on solid ground. Her legs buckled at the unexpected landing and Amelia's arms came around her shoulders, steadying her.

"Whoa, this place is ritzy," Amelia murmured in wonder. "Did I get the wrong place?"

Ariel opened her eyes. They were standing in the living room, on top of the coffee table. Vases of flowers filled the back wall, cards of bereavement attached to the stems. A large black leather couch stood in front of them and she knew without looking that a large eighty-inch screen television would be mounted on the wall behind them. Two paintings – one of Venice, the other of Florence – hung on the back wall. There was no photographic evidence that a family lived here, that two girls had grown up, watching cartoons on Saturday mornings and arguing over which movie to watch while their Grandpa had watched with amusement.

Apart from the flowers, it looked like a holiday home – sparse of anything meaningful and highlighting only the extravagance of the owner as if to say ' we're better than you'.

"Nope, you got the right place," she said quietly, jumping off the table. Being back home, a ball of unease formed in the pit of her stomach. The last time she had been here she'd been confined to her room.

The last time she'd been here her Grandpa had been alive.

"Daaaaaamn," Amelia dragged out.

Movement behind the couch caught her eye. A pair of familiar brown eyes peered fearfully from behind the black leather. The ball of unease in her stomach expanded from a tennis ball to a basketball.

"Ariel? Is that you?" Paige stood up. Her face was pale, surprisingly make up free and she looked as tired as Ariel felt. She wore a two-piece black suit, her bleached hair tied in a sharp knot at the nape of her neck with a few wisps blown out of place from their dramatic entrance. "Oh my God!"

She lunged over the couch, shoving Amelia out of the way and wrapping her arms tightly around Ariel's shocked frame, started to sob loudly.

Hey guys, sorry for the long delay! I'm finally home and settled in, so I hope to update a bit more regularly. Thank you to everyone who continues to stick with me. This story has certainly been my most challenging one yet but I'm enjoying the way my characters are fighting me! So what do you think is going to happen with Ariel and Paige? Thoughts?