Dancing In The Stars

- 32 -

A/N: yes, this is in the present, five months after Libra died. No her body didn't decompose. She was brain dead, but Leo kept her on life support with the hopes that she would wake up. When she didn't months later, he gave up.

- Leo -

I set the last set of flowers in a vase near the casket. With all the flowers that were given me after Libra died, I didn't need to hire anybody to decorate the funeral. What is there to decorate?

What is the point of a funeral anyway? It feels like it's more for the people who are still living anyway. Honor the dead, all that bullshit. Libra probably doesn't give a fuck anyway.

I wonder how she feels right now. Can she feel anything? Is she actually here?

I don't know what I believe. I always went with the flow, and now, staring at my wife's dead body, I don't know what I believe.

I stand there staring at her for a while. It's like time stops. I memorize every detail.

Her hair is set neatly to the side, the streaks of blonde that I've always loved, popping out against the white of the silk casket, somehow brighter than ever.

The light caramel color of her skin is now a Snow White pale, and her freckles look dark against her now pale skin.

Her lips are dry and cracked, a discolored, abnormal pink. I want to touch her, to run a finger over her forehead like I would do to wake her up. I want to kiss her. I want her to open her eyes, I want to see her look at me, her blue eyes bright.

I can't help but reach down and touch her hand.

It's cold. The cold sends a shock through my body, and I take my arm back, suddenly realizing it. She's dead. She's really dead.

Now it's real.

An arm grasps my shoulder. I turn, surprised. "Oh," I say.

"You okay?" Scorpio asks.

I shrug. "Yeah." I'm not, though.

I hadn't realized that everybody had arrived. I prepare myself to talk, but when I stand up there to talk about her, I freeze. I have the words in my head, but I can't get them out.

I clutch my shirt over my heart. It hurts too much to open my mouth.

So instead, I drop to the floor and sob. Ugly, weak sobs. Nobody stops me.

A few minutes later, I calm down, breathing in and out shallowly.

"Alright," Scorpio gets up and helps me up. My black pants are coated in mud. "Let's go sit down," he whispers.

I let him lead me to a seat. Cap goes up there and clears his throat.

"Is there anybody else who wants to speak, or cry? Your choice."

I almost laugh, even though it's not really funny. I don't think he meant it to be funny. I think he's serious, but I almost laugh anyway.

Sagittarius goes up. "I'm mad at her for dying to be honest," hushed whispers arise at Sag's words. "Five months later and I'm still unable to breathe when I think of her. I'm mad that she left without telling me. Who knows? Maybe  she could've survived. Maybe I could've done something."

Sag shakes her head, clears her throat, and talks again. "I want to help. I'm going to go back to school and become a neurosurgeon. I don't care how long it takes or how hard it is. I just want to save people like Li."

She goes and sits down. I can't help but smile. A few more people go up. They talk for a long time.

About an hour or two later, people start saying bye and leaving. The casket is closed now. They're taking it away to bury it.

Scorpio comes up to me afterwards. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah,"

This time, I really am okay. I think I needed some closure. She's gone, and it's okay. It still hurts, but it's okay.