Helloooooo! My goodness, it has been far too long since I posted anything of mine here. I swear, my muse was on vacation.

Looking for some inspiration and needing some prodding to get back into writing, I asked Amber to create a challenge for me.

Amber asked for a story involving Elijah and I needed to utilize the following five words:
Tigers, Pez, sunflower, piano and baseball cap

So...without further ado.

Rating: Um...PG, I don't know.
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not know, nor am I in any way affiliated with any of the celebrities mentioned in this fic. This is just a figment of my often too overactive imagination.
Author's note: Big smooches to Amber for challenging me and continuing to nag me. ^_^

Snapshot Memories

Elijah’s POV

Tired of sitting in silence and staring at the barren walls, I reach out toward the small table that is barely recognizable beneath the mountain of magazines, books, and newspapers.

My fingers come to rest on a large bulky object, tightly curling around it, and bringing to rest in my lap. Fingers lazily trace the worn cracks in the leather, stalling momentarily on the areas of leather so worn from where her fingers lovingly gripped the album. My gaze is drawn to the picture that is proudly displayed on the cover. There she is staring back at me, eyes twinkling as I see my photographic self dipping her as we danced in the streets. Slowly, ever so slowly, my finger traces her features and comes to rest upon her mouth. Her smile. God, how I love that smile. So bright, so vibrant, so full of life. Her smile embodies everything that I believe her to be.

Leafing through the album, memories come crashing forward at lightening speed.

Pictures of Ella and I at the zoo, posing in front of the tigers, our hands curled up in a fashion that is supposed to be representative of paws, our faces sneering at the camera as if we belonged hunting along side the large cats in the African plains. A small chuckle rises deep within my throat. It was always this way with Ella. Break out a camera and you were lucky to get a serious picture of her. It was always some sort of goofy pose or contortion of her face. “You know” I would tease, “Someday your face is going to freeze like that.” Her response would always be the same: a flick of her long golden tresses, a small school girl giggle followed by the statement of “But you will still love me.” And it was true.

Page after page sends me spiraling back in time. There we are at Dom’s birthday party. Goofy grins, silly Scooby-Doo birthday hats that were two sizes too small strapped upon our heads, hands thrust toward the camera proudly displaying our hard earned prize for winning the team competition of “Pin the Chest Hair on Billy”. She was so excited about her Wolverine Pez dispenser, and I as equally excited over my own Spiderman.

Another page, another memory. Ella’s surprise birthday party. Oh how I had struggled with this, keeping it a secret from her was near impossible. I’m horrible with secrets, and Ella has this was of extracting information from me. I don’t know how she does it; sometimes I swear she is the devil in disguise as an angel. The party was a success, the surprise on her face was worth every agonizing minute I spent preparing.

The piano bar in New Orleans. One too many Guinness on an empty stomach and the next thing I know, I’m up on stage sprawled upon the top of the piano – laying on my side, one hand propping up my head, the other gripping a microphone, as I croon out a horrible rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You”. Much to my dismay and to Ella’s delight, Viggo was quick with the camera and my love struck display of emotion is forever captured.

Time slips by as I lose myself in the pictures and recall the happier times. The further I get into the album, the sparser the pictures are. The last few pages of pictures no longer feature the smiling and vibrant Ella that I fell in love with. Instead the pages are haunted by the ghost of the woman she has become.

Suddenly I grow weary of all this reminiscing. Suddenly the memories do not seem as happy or as wonderful. With more force than necessary I snap the album shut, as if that will cut off the feeling of sadness that has crept into my soul, rooting itself in my bones, settling in my heart.

The abrupt movement caused something to fall from the album to the sterile white floor. Reaching down to retrieve the fallen object, my already heavy heart sinks further into the murky depths of my body as I realize what lays on the floor.

Gathering up the two halves, I piece together the picture. Silent tears splash down upon the glossy surface. Anger, frustration, and fear sear through my body like wild fire and I understand why Ella attempted to destroy the picture. Ella is the sole figure in the picture, alone and sullen. Her face no longer holds the rosy glow and beaming smile, her golden locks no longer frame her angel like face. Instead she wears a smile which is nothing more than a grimace, her face ashen and haggard, and a baseball cap to cover the few sparse strands of hair that remain.

Ashamed, she is so ashamed. I know, I see it in her eyes. I know this isn’t the first picture, nor is it the last that she will destroy. It is as if by destroying the picture, the lasting physical evidence of this disease, that she will eradicate it. If there are no pictures, then it can’t have happened. No pictures, no lasting memories.

My gaze returns to the figure lying in the bed, the sounds of the hospital ringing loudly in my head, the constant beep of the machinery echoing in my ears.

It has been six long months from when we first found out about Ella’s condition. The words uterine cancer are permanently scorched into my thoughts. For six unbearable months, I’ve watched the woman that I love become nothing more than a shell of a human. Laughter no longer is shared between the two of us, only tears. The chemotherapy hasn’t been going as anticipated. The doctors tell me that Ella’s body is a battlefield, one that is slowly losing the battle. Her body is slowly killing itself, slowly taking her away from me.

I can’t stand to think of the outcome, I can’t stand to think of my life without her. We’ve shared so much, so many laughs, too many tears, and experienced a lifetime of memories. But I’m selfish, I’m not ready to say goodbye. I can’t say goodbye. And I won’t.

I can’t think this way; I need to be strong for her. When her body is weak, I need to be strong enough for the both of us, it is the only way.

Despite the drug induced slumber, her hand twitches and I take it as a sign. Sliding the chair closer to the bed, I grasp her clammy hand and focus on the new memories we will create once all of this pain and sickness is gone. A scene is painted in my mind, and I whisper it to Ella, sharing the moment, hoping she can hear me.

We are no longer in the stark and desolate hospital; instead we are in Italy, the countryside. Ella has always wanted to go to Italy. Everywhere around us are sunflowers. Hand in hand we stroll along the fields of yellow. Ella suddenly tears free from my grasp and she is running, running wild and carefree through the sea of sunflowers, her golden hair flying behind her, laugher ringing loud and clear through the air.

In my mind I create moments, moments that are worthy of snapshots, moments that if I hope, wish and pray for hard enough, will find their way into Ella’s photo album. Proof, tangible proof of our rekindled happiness and love.

AWWWWWWWWWW!! That was so sad... and sort of unexpected. I mean, I can be the dumbest person ever, especially when i get sucked into a story, and this one had such a joyful start, that I simply didn't expect it to evolve like that.

But of course, it was beautiful and greatly written... man, I missed your writing so much! :hug:

Thanks for sharing, hon, and thanks to Amber for nagging you!

Holy frick, that was just........Blondie, that was AMAZING! Honest to God, I think that is some of your best work ever! It was so beautiful, I could just cry for hours. wahhhh! I loved it so much! Like, I can't even tell you how much I loved it, because, I'm just gushing over here and all smiley and feeling bittersweet sad but happy?

Ahh, I just loved it. I can't stop saying it. squeee!

ahhhh! I love pictures like this. I can see baby lij being a tiger. grrrrr and precious at the same time!

I laughed so hard at this, I thought I was going to cry! Pin the Chest Hair on Billy...I wanna play!!!!!!!!!!

Why does this not happen when I am at the piano bar in New Orleans???? sobbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb!

This part was so sad. :cry: Like, its not her fault she is sick, but I can really empathize with the feeling embarrassed and ashamed that she is. Poor girl!

That was the most beautiful thing I have read in a long time. You are just amazing, girl!

I am so in awe of this shorty, it is sheer perfection. I love you so for writing it! :hug: And, you keep that inspiration flowing.

Oh my goodness!!! This is so sad! :cry: But it was so well written, hun! Absolutely beautiful. I loved the imagery of the pictures, and the new 'memory' he created. Wonderful job!

Blondie that was as amber said amazing so powerful and there were still bits that made you smile at the begining and Elijah's so sweet. Wow thanks for sharring.

Oh ladies. My goodness, I am simply gushing with pride and at the same time my face is beet red.

First of all, thank you for taking the time to read this little shorty. Second of all, thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words.

To say the least, I was a bit afraid to post it. After not writing for what seems like a lifetime, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to convey the emotions that I wanted. Your encouraging words was just the thing I needed.

So...thank you all. :hug: