Welcome to Gaia! ::

Those strong arms wrapping around her took the breath from her lungs, but she didn't dare complain. Part of her was terrified to trust him again; part of her rejoiced at his return. Part of her hated him, would never give herself to him the way she had given herself to him so long ago on the beach. Part of her would never be his again - because part of her had gone missing. Despite it all, the most tarnished and scuffed up pieces of her gleamed a little brighter thanks to his return.

She would keep him at a distance, but perhaps in time... well, perhaps in time he could earn back her trust. Not all of it - never all of it - but enough. Just enough. He had been worth everything to her, too, so long ago. Too much had changed, but at least he gave her hope that maybe things could be different now that he was back.

Maybe she could be different, for him. For Evan. Most importantly, for herself. Better and brighter. Maybe with the help of the both of them, she could remember how it felt to be complete, to be whole.

When their kiss broke, Sasha rested her forehead against his chin after a breathless laugh.

"You will have to be patient with me. If you can promise that - and promise to understand where you will fit into my life - I promise to do my very best to remember everything I used to be."

Her voice was nothing more than a hushed whisper. She would not beg him to understand, would not beg him to accept what she needed of him. It was a promise that felt unattainable, impossible - but she had never done anything in half-measures.