<div dir="auto"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Mission: Murder on the Exeter Express</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Day: 03</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Stardate: 2445: 12 : 03</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(USS Exeter - Outside DuBois Personal Quarters - FO Cmdr Ailynn Bracken and N&D Manager Caity DuBois - 0430)</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Tired wasn’t the word.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn was completely, bone deep exhausted. Even caffeined up to the eyeballs, she knew that the second that she’d hit the pillow, she’d be asleep, and as much as that was a lovely prospect, there was something that she had to do first, and it wouldn’t wait.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">She felt awful. Intellectually she knew that she’d done everything in her power to prevent everything that had happened from happening, nonetheless, it didn’t stop the faces of the deceased from mocking her and blaming her every time she closed her eyes.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">~It was all my fault~ she thought, her failure encompassing her.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">It was for that reason that she hadn’t gone to bed, instead writing and filing her reports, and then going to see the one person she had at the moment that possibly wouldn’t shout at her for disturbing them at this hour. She hit the door chime knowing that she looked like she was at deaths door herself, only just keeping her physical tiredness, and runaway emotions at bay, it wasn’t going to take much for her to collapse.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Yawning, Caity crawled out of bed, not caring at that moment that her hair looked like someone bird would nest in. Rubbing her eyes and thankful that she had put her pyjamas on, she walked to the door and allowed entry to the person who had woken her up.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">At first Ailynn couldn’t say anything, couldn’t take a step forward, so she was glad when Caity gently took her hand and pulled her into her quarters.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Holding her hand, Caity walked slowly to the sofa and sat down, not knowing what to say. She had heard some rumours before she had gone to bed that something had happened but, seeing Ailynn looking like she did, she knew that it had been bad. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Pulling her into a hug, she said nothing. Knowing somehow that words were not needed and that what she did need right now was comfort.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn felt Caity’s arms enfold her, and she sank into the embrace as she always did. The warmth, and comfort was the last straw. She broke into tears, all her emotion and exhaustion coming out all at once, her profound fear of failure taking over her emotion as her breath came in gasps.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“Its…” she gasped. “So bad…” Ailynn could barely speak. “Erin...critically injured...two others dead.” she buried her face into Caity’s shoulder, the scent from her hair filling her nostrils.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Letting her talk, Caity kept hold of her, gently stroking her hair. Not wanting to interrupt her.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">She tried to pull herself back together, but found that at the moment she couldn’t. “All my fault. I shouldn’t have rested, I wasn’t good enough or clever enough,”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"Ailynn, it was not your fault. How can you think that? That…. Thing… whatever it was evil. Pure and simple."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Rumour had travelled round the ship reasonably quickly, as it normally did. Ailynn had found herself pass many other officers, crew, and civilian staff carrying mixed looks, pity and curiosity being chief amongst them. Holding Caity’s embrace for a while longer while she pulled herself slowly back to herself, eventually Ailynn pulled back and regarded her girlfriend.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“You heard some of it then. I know it wasn’t my fault, in my head i mean. I can’t help shouldering the blame though. It feels like if I had worked harder, not been so thick, then I could have saved them.”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"You were not to blame. Trust me, I know something about blame." She responded quietly.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“It doesn’t feel like it. Now, I can barely close my eyes without seeing their faces, mocking, accusatory looks on their faces. I’ve seen death before, lost patients, had people die on the table in theatre, right in front of me during an operation, this though feels so much more a direct kick to the guts.”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"Because it was your crew. Your friends…. Your best friend. You said Erin was critically injured. Is she..?" Caity’s voice tapered off, not knowing how to ask the question.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn shook her head. "She's alive...barely. quite literally at death's door. I can't help out, conflict of interest." She sighed. "Nesha and Clarke weren't so lucky…if that's the right expression." She leant once more on Caity’s shoulder.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"Erin is strong. Stronger than she thinks but she is going to need you. Not like this. She is going to need the you that would fight her corner. She's going to need her friend."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"I know." She said quietly. "I need her to survive the surgery first though."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"Do you know what happened in there?"</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Shaking her head Ailynn spoke quietly. "I've never seen such...raw emotion, It'll take a while to reconstruct it, and I probably can't say much, but it looked like some kind of electrical energy weapon by the damage. Why would someone do that?" Tears flowed once more.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"That I can’t answer. All i can say is that, whoever she was, was angry. We all do things when we're angry at the world. " She replied, resting her head on Ailynn’s. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"But so angry as to be involved in the deaths of five people? I can't…" she yawned deeply.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"Nor I….." She sighed, knowing that what she had said was going to be questioned. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Comforted by Caity’s embrace, she felt herself relax, and begin to breathe normally. "You mentioned understanding blame? She tilted her head slightly, looking up at her girlfriend's gentle face.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Cait nodded, "I can tell you. I'm… happy to if that is the right word, but whether it should be now…"</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn nodded, and sighed. "Feels like we have things hanging over our heads."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Sighing, Caity sat back and nodded, "I had a sister. Sara. She was older than me by a few years. She was wonderful, beautiful and talented but she was troubled."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn pulled away from Caity slightly, but held her hand, their intertwined fingers resting in Caity’s lap. “Troubled? How so?” She asked, gently. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"She started taking things. Got into it too deep. We tried everything to help her. One day, whilst she was…. My parents left us to get some food I think. I left her alone for a few minutes… in those few minutes, she bolted."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn’s blood ran cold, it was a horribly familiar story. “Oh no…” Ailynn felt her heart plunge in her chest again, knowing where the story was going. “Your parents?”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"They blamed me. Said it was my fault that she ran. Got even worse when they found her a week later…" Caity’s voice trailed off, knowing that she didn't have to say, that Ailynn would understand. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“Oh baby, I’m so sorry.” She swapped hands for her left, and wrapped her right arm around her girlfriend's waist. “Your parents?”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"They blamed me for her… so I left. Haven't seen or spoken to them since. That was four years ago."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“I had a feeling that there was something...hanging over you, just tiny things that you’ve said here and there, but I had no idea how traumatic things have been.”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"This whole situation…. Whilst I have not suffered anything like those others, it has brought up things. But, it has also, in a weird way, helped."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“What was she like, before her troubles I mean?”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Smiling softly, "She lit up the room with her smile. She was a talented musician. She could make a piano sing. Beautiful but troubled."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn felt a tear come to her eye. It was so similar to her own story, she knew that she had to tell Caity about her past, but now wasn’t the time, this was Caity’s moment to speak, and talk about her past, it wasn’t Ailynn’s moment this time. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"I have some home movies of us. One of the only things I took when I left. Other than Bert and Mr Flibbles."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn smiled, turning to the vivarium and then to Caity. “The penguin puppet.” She smiled gently, and slipped off her shoes and tucked her feet up, leaning her head into the crook of Caity’s shoulder as she leant back slightly. “Your Uncle help you out, back on Mars I mean?”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"Yeah. He taught me everything I know. Not just about bars, but life too. He showed me what unconditional love really is."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“I don’t know what to say Caity, I can’t begin to understand what you went through, there was always just me, so I was selfish growing up I suppose.”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"We all have our moments. The things that try us, test us. That was mine. This maybe yours." She paused and looked at her, "You alright now?"</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">She looked up at her, and kissed her gently on the cheek, then rested her head back down, “I’m okay, feeling a bit more settled. I always do with you, you know that. Are you okay, Miss Ruffled hair and cute space whale PJ’s”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Caity hit her playfully, "That’s what you get when you wake me up at four in the morning." She paused for a moment, "You can stay here if you want to but I get the feeling there's somewhere else you want to be right now."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn shook her head, “Want to be elsewhere? No.” She sighed. “As lovely as it is to see you in your nightwear for the first time, and as much as I’d like to not have to move and sleep right here on the couch, I need to go back up to Sickbay and see if Erin is awake yet.”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"You need to take care of you as well. You will have been awake for a good 24 hours now. And don't try to tell me otherwise, missy. Go, see if she is awake. If not, go talk to the captain. Just talk."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“I will baby. I will. I’ve no doubt I'll be under the counsellor for a few sessions anyway.” She groaned as she stood up and slipped her shoes back on, then held her arms out, however inside she was smiling deeply at Caity’s gentle care. “Can I have a hug?”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"Always." She stood and enveloped Ailynn in her arms, holding gently and taking in a deep breath. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn felt herself sink into the embrace, and felt a smile return to her face, and let out a happy sigh.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">"Oh, before you go. I swear if you tell anyone about my pj's and I will find a way to sneak Tribbles into your quarters."</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn laughed gently, rubbing her nose gently against Caity’s and then kissing her, before pulling her face away slightly, a happy, but tired smile on her face. “I’d better get on. I love you.”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Caity heard the words but didn't respond. The words that she had longed to hear had been spoken in a moment of intense emotion and, part of her wondered if they were meant.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:arial;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">She regretfully let Caity go, and with a gentle smile turned and left the room. It wasn’t until hours later that she realised what she’d said, blushed at the memory and she realised that she’d meant every word; she did.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font face="arial"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;white-space:pre-wrap">(Reply none)</span></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font face="arial"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;white-space:pre-wrap">(Posted by Jackie and Mark)</span></font></p><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></div>