It took Ariel three days to push everyone away.

Emily sat with her for those three days, grieving in her own way. She followed Ariel like a shadow, eating when she ate, going to sleep when she did, and even stepping outside when she did. Every day she would try to talk to Ariel, mentioning Autumn and things they should do for her memorial which Samson was organizing. Ariel chose to remain silent, working on mentally closing herself off from the world.

Autumn's parents had taken Autumn back to Sweden. Ariel hadn't asked how or what shape her body had been in. If her legs had turned to leaves she didn't need someone to tell her what had happened to the rest of her.

It was on the third day, as Emily was talking about picking some flowers to make a small wreath, that Ariel finally spoke.

"I'm not going to the memorial," she said coldly.

"What?" Emily looked up from her notes. "Why?"

"I'm just not going, so go and talk about that crap somewhere else. I'm tired of listening to your voice."

The last thing Ariel heard before the bedroom door shut was a small sob.

Every day the Doc came by in the morning, and tried to talk with her. Every time she would ask for another cup of the numbing tea and then refuse to say anything else. Twice he had mentioned her heart, wanting to discuss the latest damage but she shut him out each time. It wasn't the pain that bothered her anymore. It was the wrongness of it. The sensation of it being in two places at once, combined with the jagged stabbing she felt when either piece was being touched – she didn't want to experience any of it. She just wanted to keep it locked in that box and never look at it again.

It was for the best, she kept telling herself. Keeping her heart open to everyone was just going to cause more damage in the future. The tea was helping to inhibit the pain she currently felt. Drinking the tea left her feeling disjointed, like she had been wrapped in a blanket. The world was dulled and put her mind in a soft haze, but she preferred it.

Lucas was the only other person who continually tried to get through to her. He saw what she was doing, and chose to ignore it. Every day he would sit in her room for an hour or two, never trying to talk. They would sit in silence as his mood grew darker until eventually he gave up and left, slamming the door.

It was on the sixth day, the day of Autumn's memorial that his patience finally snapped.

"Come on," he said standing in her doorway. "We're waiting for you."

"I'm not going," she kept her gaze on the book she was reading, refusing to meet his heated gaze.

"Yes, you are," he growled.

"I told Emily I wasn't and I told Doc I wasn't," breathing deeply, she delivered the fatal blow she'd been saving. "Maybe you need to shave the hair out of those big ass dog ears of yours. Obviously you didn't inherit the canine hearing genetics."

The growl was the only thing that alerted her to movement before the book was wrenched from her hands. Keeping her head down, she heard it smash into the wall by Emily's bed.

"Are you really going to keep playing it this way?" He snarled. "You're being a coward!"

Don't react. "I'm not doing anything," she spoke to her knees. "I was reading before you threw my book away."

"You need to say goodbye, Ariel." She could hear the control in his voice and bit the inside of her cheek. He just refused to give up.

"I have said goodbye." Getting up, she brushed past him and picked up her book where it had fallen. "I don't need to stand with a bunch of strangers and say it again."

"Strangers?" He whispered. He snorted in disbelief. "Absolutely pathetic. You're right back to being the bitch you were when you got here. Have it your way then."

He slammed the door and it rattled on its hinges.

"How are you feeling today, Ariel?" Doc asked in their session the following day.

She stared out the window, watching Samson and Michael walk up the lane. "Fine."

The clink of china sounded beside her as the Doc picked up her empty tea cup. "Do you think you're ready to stop drinking the tea now? It has been a week."

She shook her head. A week wasn't long enough in her opinion.

He sighed, placing the cup on her desk. "I know this is painful, Ariel but closing yourself off from the world is not the answer."

Her head turned in his direction, a spark of anger managing to flare to life. "Then what is the answer? Continue caring for people until my heart is in one thousand pieces? Until the pain is unbearable and the wrongness I feel in my chest consumes me? I don't think so."

The spark died and she turned back to the window. People dying, leaving or hurting her – she wouldn't let it happen again.

"Drinking tea is not going to fix the pain or wrongness either, Ariel," the Doc interrupted her thoughts.

"It numbs the pain," she muttered. "Better than nothing."

"The first two cups of tea numbed your pain," he said softly. "The others did nothing."

She turned to face him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"That tea can be dangerous in high quantities, Ariel. I couldn't allow you to continue consuming it. After that first day, the teas have merely been placebos."

Her scar twanged and she inhaled sharply. "You lied to me?"

"Yes," he answered. "The effects you have been feeling for the last week are just the fabrications of your mind."

It was as though someone had dumped a large bucket of cold water on her head. The haze was starting to ebb as the blanket was ripped from around her. Her chest heaved with realization and panic settled in.

"Give me some tea," she demanded. "The 'Pink Elephants on Parade' stuff, not the fake shit you've been feeding me."

"I can't do that, Ariel. You can't bury your life like this –"

"Why not?" She cried. "It's my life, I can do what I want!"

"You can, but as your Doctor, and a friend –"

"I don't have any friends," she snapped. "Not anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't. I let people in and then one day they'll leave and my stupid heart will crack or break again until there's nothing left!"

"I don't think that will happen, Ariel."

"Of course it will," she glared at him. "You guys haven't found a cure and that bitch didn't tell me how to break the damn thing. If I don't start looking after myself properly I'll end up like –"

Her voice cut off before she could finish.

It didn't matter. The Doc finished for her. "Like Autumn?"

Breathing heavily, she realized the haze in her mind had vanished completely, leaving her feeling angry and distressed. "J-just give me the tea. Please."

"You won't end up like Autumn," he spoke softly. "Her curse was damaged. It also didn't stop her from making friends and memories with people she cared about –"

"Don't!" Ariel slammed her fist into her scar as it pulled tightly for the first time in days. Tears stung her eyes and she tried to force the building lump in her throat to disappear. "I don't want to hear it, I just want the damn tea!"

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Ariel struggled to regain control of her emotions. Not a placebo, she thought to herself, trying to trick her mind again. The tea he gave you before is still effective. You feel nothing!

She heard the Doc stand and approach her. His hand touched her shoulder lightly. "I know this is difficult to deal with, Ariel but –"

The door opened with a bang and they both jumped.

"Alright, I've heard enough of this." Amelia strode through the door, her mouth set in a firm line.

"Hey!"

Ariel was yanked to her feet and crushed against Amelia's side.

"Amelia what are you –"

Ariel didn't get to hear the rest of the Doc's sentence before she felt the familiar sensation of being teleported.

Ariel gasped as they appeared on the edge of a cliff. The white stone glistened in the sun, creating a sparkling effect that reflected on the deep blue water crashing at it their base.

"What are we doing here?" she demanded, taking a step back from the edge.

Amelia, unafraid stepped up to the edge and then plopped down, hanging her feet over the precipice. "Take a seat."

Sitting just behind her, Ariel kept her feet away from the edge. Her palms were already tingling from the awareness of her proximity to such a large drop. "You didn't answer my question."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the waves beat against the rocks below as the wind tore through their hair. Amelia's locks came free and created a wild mess around her face. She looked ferocious, as if her hair held some sort of power that was causing it to move on its own. Ariel was beginning to think Amelia hadn't heard her question over the wind when she finally responded.

"What you're doing is stupid."

"W-what?" Ariel asked, momentarily thrown.

"Pushing everyone away like you are, as if that's going to protect you - it's stupid, and it won't work."

Her jaw tensed and Ariel looked away. "You don't know that."

"I do, because I've tried it. I pushed my mother away after what she did to the Grimm's. I never approved of it, and I thought by pushing her away it would lessen the pain I felt at knowing my own flesh and blood could be so cruel." Ariel saw her fingers curl into a fist in the dirt. "When she died, I still cried. She may have been a monster but she was still my mother."

"No offence, Amelia," Ariel said quietly, "but I think this situation is different to yours."

"You're right, it is," Amelia turned to catch her eye. "But the core message is the same. You can push those kids away, Ariel but at the end of the day you still care for them. They might hate you for whatever reason you concoct in that little head of yours, but if something were to happen to any of them, or they died, like Autumn, your heart would still feel the effects of it."

"No it won't," Ariel choked. The guard she held on her emotions had taken a mighty blow at the truth in Amelia's words, and she tried to rebuild her defenses. "I can turn my back on them in a second."

Amelia didn't say a word, but her eyes said everything Ariel didn't want to hear and she closed her own. Curling into a ball, she buried her head into her knees.

"I don't care," she whispered. "I can't."

The wind blew about her ears, and she didn't hear Amelia move to sit next to her. An arm came around her shoulders and drew her close. "You do, and you can," she said fiercely. "Caring for others is not a weakness, Ariel. It's a hidden strength that can crush anyone or anything that tries to hurt you. Friends, family - they can give you the courage to do incredible things."

The cracks grew bigger, doubt and pain seeping through and Ariel pressed her forehead into her knees until it hurt." But my heart... it can't take it. I..." her voice got caught on the growing lump in her throat. She looked up and met Amelia's sympathetic gaze. "I can't lose anyone else."

At that, the tears finally broke free and she released a broken sob. No words were spoken as Ariel cried. Amelia simply held her, stroking her back in a motherly gesture that on any other day would have freaked Ariel out. That day, however she found she needed the comfort, and she rested her head against Amelia's shoulder as she cried for everything that happened. She cried for her Grandpa, for Autumn, for the curse and her broken heart, and for the fear of truly ending up alone with no friends.

The tears slowly subsided and Ariel sat up, wiping her face. Amelia produce a large handkerchief from the air and Ariel took it with a small smile. "Thanks, Amelia. Not just for the hanky, but for..."

"Don't mention it," Amelia slapped her back and the gentle, motherly Amelia was gone. "You ready to stop being an idiot now?"

Doubt still lingered and her mouth opened to let it out but a stern glance from Amelia squashed it.

"Yes, I guess so. But," she hurried as Amelia started to shut her up, "the damage is already done. I mean they all hate me again."

"Nah they don't." Amelia stood, pulling Ariel up with her. "They're probably hurting more than you because they feel like they've lost two friends in the last week." Guilt washed over Ariel and she bit her lip. "Don't worry, once you explain I'm sure they'll get over it."

"No they won't, they'll think I was being -"

"An idiot?" Amelia finished. "Pretty sure they already know that, Ariel. Come on, let's get back and you can tell them just how of an idiot you've really been."

"I haven't been that big of an idiot," Ariel protested.

Amelia snorted and grabbed her arm, ready to teleport. "Course you have been. Probably why I like ya. I've always had a soft spot for idiots like me."

"Hey!" The words were cut off as they were sucked away with Amelia's magic.

The Doc hadn't been impressed with Amelia when they returned, but after seeing the results of their mini disappearance, his bad mood relented a little.

"I'll be back in a couple of days with Harriet and Ben," he explained. "Ben was upset he couldn't come back for Autumn's service, so we might hold another one. Harriet wants to plant a tree in the garden to remember her."

Ariel knew he was telling her to see if she would agree to attending it and she nodded silently. Pleased, he left with Amelia, who threatened physical harm if Ariel didn't immediately rectify her idiocy, and Ariel returned to her room.

Emily was sitting on her bed, fiddling with a small piece of coloured paper. When Ariel walked in, she shifted slightly so her back was to her. Ignoring the dismissal Ariel sat on the edge of her bed. She felt awkward, but she didn't want to dawdle in case Amelia went through on her threat.

"What are you doing?" She asked lamely.

Emily looked at her warily. "Why?"

"Just curious," she muttered.

She held up the paper. "I was trying to make paper cranes."

"Really?" Ariel saw a few attempts scrunched up behind Emily. "What for?"

She hesitated, and Ariel poked her, snatching the paper out of her hands. "Remember what I told you about me being a bitch, Em? Don't let it get to you."

"Hard not to," she whispered. "It's been a rough week."

"Yeah," tears stung Ariel's eyes and she stared furiously at the piece of paper as she started to fold it. "It's been pretty shit if you ask me."

A smile tugged the corners of Emily's mouth and she let out a small noise of surprise as she watched Ariel expertly fold the paper into a small crane. "How did you do that?"

"Lainie had a Japanese exchange student when we were fourteen," Ariel carefully finished the final fold and pulled out the wings so it would sit properly. "She taught us how to make a few different origami designs. Do you want me to teach you?"

Emily nodded, and Ariel spent the next fifteen minutes teaching her step by step how to make the crane. There were a couple of different ways to make them, but Ariel figured the way she used was the easiest.

"Cool," Emily whispered as she placed the three perfect cranes next to each other. "That's three down."

"What?"

"Oh, uh, I was going to make a thousand of them," she murmured, reaching for more paper.

"What on earth..." a memory clicked into place and she redirected her expletive. "You want a wish, right?"

Ariel remembered hearing about the Thousand Origami Cranes story when she was in primary school. If you folded one thousand of them, it would make a wish come true.

"That's the idea," Emily said.

"Why would you do that?" Ariel asked. "I mean, it's not like -"

"I know it probably won't do anything," Emily interrupted, "but I just feel like if I do this, and put my wish into all of them, then it will give me hope, you know? I know it sounds lame, but I want to do this. I mean, magic is real, we're proof of that, so what if this is true in some way too?"

Ariel watched her silently. Emily's cheeks were flushed from her little outburst and Ariel knew she had to want it desperately to speak out like that. She picked up another piece of paper. "What's your wish?"

Emily paused. Her usual hesitancy returned and Ariel sighed. "I can't put your wish into it as I fold if I don't know what it is."

Shoulders relaxing, Emily looked down, fiddling with her half made crane. "I wish that all my friends curses will be broken."

A lump formed in Ariel's throat and a tear escaped, landing on the paper in her hand. "Sounds good to me."

They worked in silence as the sun began to set, and a small pile of cranes started to form between them. Ariel thought of everyone in the building as she folded, wishing that all their curses would be broken and they could go back to their regular lives - even Kestral, she thought as she set the last crane down on the pile.

They stopped when the paper ran out, and their stomachs started to grumble. Emily looked pleased with their progress. "I'll have to ask Michael to get me some more paper the next time he goes into town," she said.

Getting up to go downstairs, Emily stopped at the door. "Do you want anything for dinner?"

Ariel stood and walked over to Emily, putting her hand on her arm. "I'm sorry for being a bitch, Em. Forgive me?"

"I forgive you," she whispered. "I won't though if you ever shut us out again."

Grinning, Ariel wrapped an arm around Emily's shoulder. "I can understand that. I like it when you let that attitude out."

"T-that wasn't an attitude -" she stammered.

Opening the door, Ariel guided them out and down the stairs. "Trust me, for you that was attitude. Need to stop being afraid of what everyone else thinks, Emily. Just say what you want to say and screw them if they don't like it."

Emily started stuttering, arguing that she wasn't afraid and Ariel continued to tease her as they organised dinner, until they were both talking and laughing in the kitchen, their minds lighter than they had been all week.

Hey everyone, sorry for the extremely late update. I have seen all your requests for an update. My laptop has died after my cat decided to chew on my charger and I'm trying to find a replacement. I also struggle with writing chapters that deal with death and dealing with it. It's definitely a learning experience as a writer and sorry if it's still quite rough, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging any longer <3

Edit: Because I felt bad about not posting for so long, but I don't have the next chapter ready, I posted the first chapter of my short story, The Bleeding Hearts Society, if any of you are interested :-)