"All is fair in love and war"

Midst the olive trees that swing harmoniously on the fields, I can still see the bus stop. An insignificant pole with a few timetables written on it. Yet memories can be triggered from any which angle. I rub my crinkled hands together. Old age seemed to crinkled and dishevel things. That's the sad thing about being old. Slowly giving up. Soon you don't have anything that really matters. Anything to stay for. That's, slowly, what's happening to me. The olive trees were planted by Elliot and I when we were young. Elliot planted the first one, figuring out how it worked. He was always terrible at that sort of thing. I took over and buried it in rich soil. It oozed through my gloves and covered them. Elliot grunted and picked a ripe olive.

"What do you think your doing?" I asked, hands on hips. I was wearing denim overalls, very rare for me.

"This ones ripe isn't it?" He said and popped it in his mouth before I could say anything. I cringed as he bit down. His face was priceless. "Shit...what the hell is that?" He said spitting it out. "I think something's fucking wrong with this Ellie. Olives do not taste like petrol."

"Your not supposed to eat them raw!" I laughed as he ran inside to grab some water. The olive trees were still treasures of mine. The bus stop stood just outside our gate, it was tagged and had stickers strewn all over it. The one on the corner in red was mine. I never really took up graffiti, but Fintry and I found a can on the side of the road. Being us we couldn't just leave it. It was the last few weeks of thirteenth year and probably some of the best and worst weeks of my life. My rebellious side reflected from my brothers definitely shone those few weeks. I won't go into detail now. It isn't wise to dwell into the past.

I walk over to the kitchen bench. Post it notes are stuck on the wall to the side. Notes on over due library books, notes on dentist appointments. Notes on recipes and quotes. We took notes of our whole lives. Now it's just my whole life.

Elliot Jeremiah Fintry 18-2-1998 to 12-4-2084

In loving memory

If not, in loving stars.

I made them put the last line. It would've made him smile. He lived, and loved. But I wish he hadn't died the way he did. I wish it wasn't a stroke. Yes, a stroke. I stood by his bed for days. Not wanting, or needing to leave. I thought he would make it. Everyone did. He was always tough and good with hiding his fears and feelings. That's part of what I love about him. His easy acting. It was not just incredibly cool, but interesting. How when he took out anger he really took it out on someone. I smile at the time he died my hair bright green. When Macaulay and Arthur couldn't stop laughing. Great brothers I had. Yes had. I'm the last survivor of my generation Jensen's. No more brothers. No more mum, or dad. I still wish for them endlessly. But they'll never come back. That's a promise. Fintry would solely keep that promise. He had to. Something's are impossible to break.

But I still have Felix. Elliot and I didn't want to have a child. We didn't think it would be right. We weren't married. I refused it. It's normal not to get married these days. Felix Fintry-Jensen (we couldn't decide which last name we wanted her to have) is our adopted child. She's polish and had such a temper when she was little. When Elliot and I went to the orphanage we said we wanted a baby girl to look after. The nun said she could help us. There were about five baby girls in the orphanage. I couldn't just choose any baby like some shoes in a shop. It seemed wrong. So Elliot chose. He came out to the waiting area with a plump squealing baby. She wasn't the prettiest, or the nicest. She didn't smell that nice either. But when Fintry put her in my arms she stopped. Stopped crying and squealing. I looked at her with such longing ness that I immediately adopted her. She has grown on Elliot and me for our whole lives.

It hasn't been the best with Elliot and I living together. Never has. We'd always have these really huge rows with me storming out of the house and heading over to O'conners place. Yes, we have been close since forever. He'd always welcome me in and smile. Make me some weird tasting tea or coffee and sit me down for a marathon of some show or another. But every single time I came back. Every single time we apologised and stopped for a while. These rows were hard on Felix at first, but that grew on her after a while. She learnt to love with it as Elliot and I did. It was just one of those things really.

I pour my self a glass of water and sit down at the seat by the window. I can see the bus stop sign from there. I don't know why, but the sign always seemed to remind my of Fintry. I think it was because of how I'd always leave him sleeping on the bus. How he'd get pissed at me and we'd get mad at each other. I loved it when his dark eyes flashed whenever he loathed me at those times. They sparkled with evilness and wickedly manner. Which suited him. Just rebellious and bastard-like. That just his personality. Yet girls used to be all over him. When he first arrived at sixth form, but when we started dating no girl dared come near him. I plaster a massive sign on my Facebook page and student notice board for no "bitchy nasty leggy uptight girls" to come chasing him. Everyone new what I could do from the time I had my nervous break down in thirteenth year. Kleo came over to me.

"So are you like nervous at all? I mean you always distracted when it comes to any subject." I was studying some chemistry work in the common room when she came up to me. I literally forgot about the test we had last period. I was a bomb ready to go off. I stood up calmly and slapped her. I didn't even get into trouble. She ran off crying clasping her face as if dying. Finely I didn't see at all, staying well away from me. Such a wimp sometimes. O'conner tried his best to keep his mouth shut. Elliot just went on like nothing was wrong. I hate him sometimes.

"No you don't," I look up to see Fintry standing in the door way leaning against the door frame. He's young and his hair is still that mess. I blink, he disappears. One of my teachers, I forget now, couldn't walk without limping for a week because they assigned a paper due in two days away. I was punished by Mum so bad. God, I sound...not old. I wish I was young. With Elliot again.

Stop it. I have to stop this, stop dwelling into the past. It'll just bring back bad memories. I don't want to do that. I wish we didn't fight. But there's no use in wishing now. It's not like they're going to come true. Jill, my carer is out. She never lets me leave the house very often. I refused to go to an old persons home. So Jill came to us. I'm eighty nine years old. Five years since Elliot died. Stop it. I don't want to think right now. But that's all old people can do. Think about the past. Elliot shouldn't have made me so angry. I wish I didn't leave to O'conners. I could've helped. But I didn't. I hate how people leave without finishing. How he left on a bad note between us. I've felt guilty for my whole life. The constant war between us has never escaped. At least the love hasn't either. As a wise man once said, all is fair in love and war.

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Authors Note: Hello northbynorth! And anyone else who has wished to read this book. I may have gotten Fintry's birthday wrong, I wasn't sure which year he was born so I took an educated guess. It took me ages to find a good angle on this story. I found Saving Elliot really inspiring, I agree, it is a stand alone book. The one-shot competition was a great idea, Saving Elliot is really popular after all. I added some things in that you hadn't written from Jensen's past. It mightn't have been very Ellioty but I liked it. I hope you enjoyed! I'm not expecting to win though.

Yours

Blak_Velvett