Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; I'm just borrowing them. Disclaimer 2: The song is "It Must Have Been Love" by Roxette. I do, however, own this story. It Must Have Been Love By Jade_Max -It must have been love but it's over now...- Her hair fell into deep blue eyes that were brimming with tears. In her delicate hands she held a framed picture of a boy she'd once known, many years back. A boy who had touched her soul and made her feel things she never imagined she'd be able to feel. He'd given her confidence, made her believe in herself and in return she'd tried to get away; tried to keep him at a distance. She bowed her head over the frame, two tears splashing on the glass, blurring the face beneath. She seemed not to notice. The boy's face stared back at her; his caring eyes seemed to bore into hers, telling her of his feelings and yet gently admonishing her of never telling him how she felt. Another couple of drops splashed on the frame, blurring his features even further. -Lay a whisper, on my pillow. Leave the winter, on the ground. I wake up lonely, there's air of silence. In the bedroom and all around...- She placed the picture on its place on her nightstand and crawled into bed. The room was dark, the only light coming from the window and filtering through the blinds. The rustle of the covers was the only sound as she settled herself to sleep. She closed her eyes as she laid her head on the pillow. She settled into one position and felt a heavy sort of silence, a thick silence, filled the room; the only sound that of her soft breathing. Suddenly something hit her window and she opened her eyes to look. A coating of what looked like ice-snow was starting to form and the wind was beginning to pick up. She shivered as she pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes again, blocking out the sound of the wind. -Touch me now, I close my eyes. And dream away...- She curled onto her side, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in her heart and on her chest, feeling the moisture gather in her eyes again as she unwillingly formed a picture of him in her mind. His rough brown hair and those chocolate brown eyes... She winced as his handsome, cute, features met her mind's eye and she bit into her top cover, muffling a sudden sob. She blanked her mind only by a force of will and shut her eyes tightly. She shuddered as, rolling onto her other side, she felt the whisper of ghost hands slide of her waist. She bit her lip as a shiver slid up her spine. Unknowingly she passed from awareness into a dream world... -It must have been love, but it's over now. It must have been good, but I lost it somehow. It must have been love, but it's over now. From the moment we touched 'til the time had run out...- Her bangs brushed across closed eyelids as the sunshine poured down from a clear, ocean blue sky. She slowly opened her bright, dark blue eyes and looked at the boy sitting next to her. His too long bags fell into his chocolate brown eyes and a light blush graced his cheeks as he looked hastily away from her; caught in the act of staring at her. She felt her own cheeks warm as his eyes moved shyly back to meet hers. She lifted her hand to touch his face and he suddenly disappeared! She cried out in alarm and searched frantically for him as the sky darkened and she found herself falling into darkness... The alarm clock sounded, a high, annoying buzzing sound that had her bolting upright in her bed and slapping the snooze button with her palm. She sighed, throwing on arm over her face as she fell back into her soft pillows. His face formed again behind her eyelids and she let the dream slowly take her back into its grasp, reaching out for him again to meet his hand with hers. He smiled, stroking her fingers with his thumb and bringing the backs of her fingers to his lips so he could kiss them. She smiled at him, her eyes meeting his as he brought his head back up, 30 centimeters away from hers. She closed her eyes, feeling the space closing between them and sighed as his soft lips were a breath away from hers. She licked her lips and frowned when she tasted a salty taste. She shook that off as his lips settled onto hers. They were warm, soft and heaven- The alarm clock sounded again and her eyes popped open. She groaned; slapping the snooze button again and then forcefully sat up, pulling her feet out from under the covers to dangle them off the side of her bed. She slid out of bed and stood, stretching her arms above her head and then rubbed her eyes, yawning. "What a night" she mumbled groggily. She quickly padded her way into the washroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Sleepy deep blue eyes met her gaze. Her ocean colored hair was messy, the blue strands hanging down into her eyes. She absently pushed them back. Her pert nose, full lips and high cheekbones all withstood the scrutiny of her gaze and then sighed. Deep purple and blue bags were under her eyes, more proof that in the last two weeks she hadn't been sleeping very well. And what she had been getting wasn't very restful. She looked away from the mirror and reached for her toothbrush. ****** A half hour later she was pulling on her navy blue one-inch pumps and grabbing her doctor's satchel. She shrugged into her winter coat as she stepped out of her apartment. She turned and locked the door behind her, pocketing her keys as she walked towards the elevator. Her heels clicked on the marble floors as she walked, her even tread soothing to her ears as she tried to focus on her coming workday. She keyed the down button, clasping her satchel in both hands as she waited for the elevator. She sighed, tossing her head to the side to get her bangs out of her face and looked at the numbers on the top of the elevator. She stepped inside as the elevator doors opened silently in front of her. She turned to the panel, absently noting she was the only one inside the elevator and smiled slightly. Not surprising as it wasn't even 6 in the morning yet. She looked at the floor numbers and groaned. She'd forgotten to put in her contacts yet again. She reached into one of the inner pockets of her coat and pulled out her glasses, slipping them easily onto her face and then pressed the basement level button. The doors slid closed and she leaned back against the back wall of the elevator, closing her tired eyes. -Make-believing, we're together. That I'm sheltered, by your heart. But in outside, I've turned to water. Like a teardrop in your palm...- Her imagination quickly brought his face back to her mind as she felt the elevator descend. He'd been her companion almost constantly in the last two weeks, she'd shed so many tears she couldn't count them all. She pictured him beside her, as a man. He would be very handsome, she believed, tall, strong and caring. She pictured his arms sliding around her to comfort her, to tell her that he still loved her. She leaned back into the soft material of the leather-covered elevator and imagined it was him. His strong grasp around her waist, his musky, pleasant smell. She sighed, feeling tears come to her eyes as she pictured him by her side. She could almost feel his love surrounding her as the bell chimed and the doors slid open at the basement level. She opened her eyes and stepped out, holding her satchel in suddenly sweaty palms. She'd told him it was over, that she didn't honestly feel the same way about him. She'd told him they could still be friends and she had seen his heart breaking through his eyes. He'd taken it well, though. She knew she'd hurt him and he'd told her that he wished her well in her career and that he'd be in touch to see exactly how she was doing. She walked slowly through the doors that led to the parkade and pushed through the last, reaching into one of her pockets to get her keys. She keyed the remote entry and the light flashed on a low slung navy blue Jaguar convertible that had the top pulled up as the locks opened and the alarm shut off. She walked quickly to it and slid inside, the midnight blue leather seats soft and comforting under her backside. She tossed her satchel onto the passenger seat and then locked the doors. She slid the key into the ignition, turning it gently and relished the low purring of the well-maintained engine. She gripped the comfortable steering wheel and then looked around. She pushed it into gear and started slowly out of the underground parkade. All the while her thoughts revolved around the boy she'd known, going from his unique gift, down to the color of his clothes and back again. She felt as if he still loved her, as if he were next to her, and the thought made it hard to concentrate. She knew that if he chose to come back and try to claim her as his own, for the third time, she would turn to jelly and give in. To have him near to her... it was such a heavenly thought! If only she'd said yes to him last time he'd come around! -And it's a hard winter's day. I dream away...- The Jag slid silently through icy streets, making slow progress on roads that offered no purchase for the expensive tires. The woman bit her lip, trying to concentrate on the roads and keeping control but found it becoming increasingly difficult. The wind was blowing and throwing ice and snow into the air, making visibility next to nothing. After thirty minutes of nerve-racking driving she arrived at the hospital. She let her car creep into its parking slot and shivered as she turned off the engine. The wind howled outside of the car and she buttoned up her jacket, making sure to cover her nose and suddenly wished she'd thought to bring her winter boots. She took a deep breath and opened the door. She quickly slid out of her car, grabbing her satchel and then felt a huge shudder wrack her body as her feet landed in a pile of icy snow. She clung to her car for support as she closed and locked the door. She carefully walked to the main doors of the Hospital to begin her long day. -It must have been love, but it's over now. It was all that I wanted; now I'm living without. It must have been love, but it's over now. It's where the water flows. It's where the wind blows...- Keys scarped in the lock and it turned, unlocking the dead bolt and then the handle. The door opened and the blue haired woman stepped inside. She looked haggard. She shrugged out of her coat, revealing the neat clothes she'd worn this morning were now creased and, in spots, spattered. Her slacks were creased around the tops of her thighs and the backs of her knees. New wear sighs were starting to show on her knees where she'd knelt to deal with the children she worked with. She tossed the keys into a dish on a stand near the door. They clattered and fell silent. She stepped out of her shoes, leaving them where they were removed and then locked the door. She sighed, rubbing the back of her sore neck as she walked into her kitchen and hit the play message on her answering machine. "You have: Ten; messages." She groaned as she walked to the fridge and poured herself a glass of juice. She took a seat at her kitchen table and sipped the drink as she listened to her messages. The first one made her smile as she listened to it. "Hey Ames? It's Raye, the girls and I were just wondering if you were going to come visit us for Christmas this year or not. Can you give me a call at my apartment when you get the chance? Thanks." The machine beeped signaling the end of the message. The next three were hang-ups and then another familiar voice came over the speakers. "Amy? Hey girl, it's me, Mina, Haven't heard from you in a long time, what's up with you? You still like your job in small town America? You miss us at all? Give me a call when you get the chance, I'll be at my place the next couple of days while I'm in between modeling shoots and Volleyball tournaments. Call me!" the machine beeped again and then another voice came on. "Hi Amy, honey, it's your mother. I haven't gotten my normal weekly call the last couple of weeks, are you all right? Call me, hon, and let me know that you're all right. I love you, dear." The beep followed and Amy shook her head with a smile, "Mom, you'll never stop worrying about me will you?" she said quietly to the empty apartment. The next three messages were from old friends in Tokyo. Apparently everyone wanted her to come and visit for Christmas. She smiled as she waited for the last to play, knowing that her mother would be thrilled to hear that she would indeed be coming back for Christmas... Though she didn't intend to tell her mother until new years that she had every intention of moving back to Tokyo as soon as possible. She smiled at the thought of her mother's reaction. She stood up as the click on the machine sounded, signaling the last message was about to play and stood up, starting to walk towards the sink. She paused halfway there, frowning at the machine as nothing played for the first couple of seconds. Finally a hesitant voice began to talk. "A-Amy? Hi, you probably don't remember me, but we were friends for a long time back in Tokyo. This is Greg." Amy paled and dropped her glass from nerveless fingers. The glass fell in slow motion to shatter on the floor. The pieces slid all over the tiled floor, glittering like diamonds in the faint light of the overhead light. She lurched a few steps to the counter and grasped it in a hard grip, her fingers and knuckles turning white as she gripped it as if her life depended on it. The message continued, "I know it's been a while since I last called you and talked, but I was hoping you and I could get together tonight while I'm in this area of the states on business. I'm staying at the Holiday Inn, so if you want to call me their number is 780-9641. My room number is 114. Call me, all right? Talk to you soon, I hope. Oh, by the way, it's about 5:30 pm. Bye." Amy sank to her knees on the glass-strewn floor, not noticing when the glass cut through her slacks easily and pierced her skin. She gulped in a deep breath, not believing her ears. 'Greg?' she thought, trying to stop her pounding heart, 'Why did you choose to come back now, of all times!?' She knelt on the floor trying to orient herself for the longest while and finally, after about ten minutes, brought herself back to an even keel. She placed her hands on the ground to push herself up and cried out as the glass slashed into her palms. She bit her lip and pushed herself to her feet, going to the sink and quickly getting some paper towels and wetting them. She carefully removed the glass from her palms and then from the fabric of her pants. She looked down and winced. Her feet felt like a million little needles of pain were striking them. She quickly knelt again, carefully and began to swipe the damp paper towels across the floor, collecting the glass. She picked up the base and dropped it into the garbage. After about ten minutes of cleaning up the floor carefully she removed the glass from her feet and stood again. She grabbed the phone and played back the last message, recording the number of the hotel Greg was staying at and his room number. She placed it on the table and then quickly went to shower. When she stepped out of the shower a few minutes later she felt much better, her hands, feet and knees having been doctored. Wrapped in a bathrobe, slippers on her feet, she quickly went and dialed Greg's number. -It must have been love, but it's over now. It must have been good, but I lost it somehow. It must have been love, but it's over now. From the moment we touched 'til the time had run out...- Amy slid out of the driver's seat and handed her keys to the valet, smoothing down the sleek skirt she was wearing and smiled as she received her ticket. Thankfully the storm had died and now there was only very minimal snow on the ground, though it was still icy. She stepped up onto the curb and took a deep breath. She grasped her purse in her hand and walked calmly into the most expensive, and classiest, restaurant in her town of Candy, Washington. She stepped inside the solid oak doors as they were held open for her by one of the employees. She smiled her thanks and looked around, taking in a sharp breath as the beauty of the restaurant hit her. All around her was solid oak finished, polished until it gleamed. Doors, panels, booths and floors shone with the healthy light of wood that had been well cared for. The smell of lemon and oak wood polish was light in the air, attesting to how often the wood was done. The chandeliers hung from glittering faux diamond cords, the chandeliers themselves looked to be crystal, glittering and throwing small rainbows of light across the floors and walls. The walls themselves reflected everything, being huge mirrors, and she marveled at the homey atmosphere that accompanied the whole, astounding array. She noticed that the seats in the booths were all red or black leather, well oiled yet not overly so. The chairs at the tables for two were all solid wood and gleamed with health. She smiled, 'This place is amazing!' Her blue eyes traveled over the patrons, looking for her date. Her eyes stopped on one particularly handsome gentleman. He stood about 6 feet tall, with dark brown hair. His eyes were scanning the crowd as well and she knew before they found hers that they would be brown and hold a heart-melting smile. She felt her jaw drop as she took in the rest of his appearance. He wore a form-fitting suit; tailored to his body, that showed off his trim, narrow hips, his wide shoulder and his long legs and muscular body. Her breath caught in her throat as his eyes found hers and blinked once, his jaw opening slightly. She had to smile. Amy closed her mouth. She wore her hair in its usual style. It fell softly to her shoulder in light blue waves, framing her face and enhancing her deep blue eyes. She wore a golden blouse that was sequined and hugged her top. The gold belt at her waist held her top in place, tucked into her black silk calf length skirt. She wasn't wearing stocking and she had black and gold pumps on her feet. She walked towards him carefully, removing her navy blue jacket from her shoulders. One of the waiters came and took it from her and she thanked him before continuing towards the man. "Greg?" she questioned hesitantly. He nodded, "Amy. It's good to see you again." She threw her arms around him in an impulsive hug and held him close, "I missed you," she told him softly. It had been well over ten years since she'd last seen him. He hugged her back and smiled, "Likewise, Ames." He pulled away from her and offered her his arm in a gentlemanly fashion. She giggled and accepted as he led her into the dinning room, straight to the table the waiter had shown him to when he'd arrived. He pulled out her chair for her and then seated himself. "How have you been Amy?" he asked conversationally, "I haven't talked to you in about five years and it's been even longer since I've seen you. What, eight, nine years?" "Ten years, seven months and an assorted number of days," she replied quietly, a smile in her voice. She knew to the last hour how long it had been since she'd last seen him. "I'm doing well, Greg. I've got my own practice here and I help out with the children at the hospital. I miss everyone from Tokyo, though." She sighed, grabbing her water glass and taking a sip. Greg frowned and removed her hand from the glass, raising an eyebrow at her when he inspected the cuts and slashes on her fingers and palm. "What happened here? These look fairly new." She blushed, "I dropped a glass at home and accidentally put my hand in a pile. I should have been more careful." He nodded, "I agree. So other than your job, do you have many friends around here?" She shook her head, "No, just my colleagues. I tend to keep to myself, my work takes up most of my time anyway. And I don't date, before you ask about that." "Same Amy. Still the workaholic." He teased, running his fingers gently over one of the deeper cuts on her fingers. Her brought it to his lips and kissed it gently before releasing her hand. She froze at his action, unsure of what to do. "So how about you Greg? How have you been?" she asked when she found her voice again. "I've got a job I hate, not real place I can call home, yet and very littler time to myself," he told her honestly, but he was smiling, "I'm doing swell." She laughed; she couldn't help it. "Oh, god! I haven't laughed for so long!" He smiled as the waiter came over to take their orders. For the next couple of hours they got to know each other again. Finally, as dinner was winding down, Amy leaned back in her chair contentedly, "What a night, I haven't had this much fun in ages!" Greg smiled, "I'm glad I could help. So I'm hoping you and I will keep in touch a little more frequently, now anyway." Amy nodded sincerely, "Me too. So what are you doing for Christmas? Going back to Tokyo to visit your folks maybe?" Greg shook his head, looking at her with comber eyes, "No, Amy. I'm spending it with my fiancée's family." Amy froze, her wine glass centimeters from her lips. She felt as if her world had just been shattered and knew the sudden tearing pain in her heart, was it breaking. She took in a deep breath and strived for normalcy, "Oh? Anyone I know?" He shook his head, taking in her reaction, "No. I met her in Ireland while I was on business there. Her name is Tessa. We're going to be married in about two months, two weeks after Christmas to be exact. Part of my coming to see you was to ask if you would come to the wedding." Amy nodded, taking a sip of her wine. She felt as if she needed the bracing effect of the alcohol all of a sudden. "I see. Well, I can try, but I'm getting transferred back to Tokyo after Christmas and I'm going to be awfully busy settling in and everything and I know mom would be heartbroken if I disappeared again so soon since she hasn't seen me in a few years, but I will try, alright?" He nodded, grasping her hand in one of his, "That's all I'm asking, Amy. Would you like to meet, Tessa? I'm sure the two of your would get along really well. She's one of the top surgeons in Ireland." Amy sucked in her breath; a terrible thought suddenly forming in her mind, "Do you mean, Tessa McDouglas? -THE- Tessa McDouglas? You're marrying her?!" "You know her already, then?" Amy shuddered, thinking of the fiery red head that had challenged the whole medical system to prove that her method of brain surgery was the most effective. And she had succeeded. Not only was the woman amazingly talented, she was also drop dead gorgeous with the body of a super model! "I've met her once. She and I didn't get along too well." Amy wasn't about to mention that the argument she and Tessa had gotten into was over Greg's photo a couple of years back. "Oh, well, I'd still like it if you'd come to the wedding, Amy. It would mean a lot to me." He told her, smiling. Amy felt her heart tearing into little itty-bitty pieces, breaking and shattering, without means to fix it, "I'll do my best. If you'll excuse me Greg, I need to be going, I have an early morning tomorrow." She pushed herself away from the table and smiled at him, "Thank you for dinner, I wish you the best with Tessa." She turned and walked away quickly before he could see the tears glimmering in her eyes. -Yea, it must have been love, but it's over now. It was all that I wanted; now I'm living without. It must have been love, but it's over now. It's where the water flows. It's where the wind blows...- Amy closed her apartment door behind her and slid down until she was seated on the floor. She hugged her knees, letting her tears soak into the silk of her skirt. "Greg," she cried brokenly, "How could you do this too me?" she wondered. She cried, deep heaving sobs racking her body, causing her lungs to hurt at their strength but the pain was very dim compared to the pain in her heart. She felt as if she was going to break into pieces and couldn't seem to stop crying. Her skirt was soaked, ruined, as she continued to cry into the fabric. She bit the fabric, tearing it with the strength of her grip and didn't care. Amy lurched to her feet and walked into her bedroom, throwing herself on her bed and burying her face in her pillow. Tears continued to fall, pouring out of her eyes like rain, running in a constant river down her face and soaking her pillow. She ripped off her skirt and removed her blouse, tossing them into a pile next to her bed as she continued to cry. The light of passing cars flickered over the walls of her bedroom as she curled into a little ball, her gaze falling on the picture of Greg that rested on her nightstand. She picked it up, kissed him once through her tears and then smiled before hurling it across the room, causing the pane of glass to shatter and the frame to break into pieces. From this day forward: she knew she would always feel empty, feel incomplete. She would go to his wedding, watch him get married to some other doctor, knowing it should be her up at the alter with him, wish him and Tessa a happy life and then walk away forever. She loved him, and she had lost him by waiting too long. Never again would she wait to tell someone that she loved them; never again would she make the mistake of letting her fears rule her life. It must have been love, it couldn't have been anything else. Now it was over. Forever. The End. Author's note: Well, that's it for my third shot at this... this one was more difficult to write, considering I wanted to give it a happy ending and couldn't... Oh yeah, Candy Washington: I made it up, so yeah... anyway, write me, let me know what you think of it. Flame, comments, questions... let me know! Jade_Max@innocent.com Author's note 2: This is regarding Secret Garden, for those of you that are curious about my first fic. First off, I will be continuing it, not sure when I'll find time yet, but I will be. Second, it's going to turn into a three part series. The first is out, the whole "Secret Garden" bit is the first part. The second part, will more than likely be the wedding of Endymion to Serenity. At the end of that part, I'll put in what the last will be about. Probably the shattering of the peace but I'll see what happens with the second part. Anyway, suggestions go a long way, if you guys want to see something, I'd be happy to receive suggestions and maybe use them in that story if you've got ideas. Thanks again to everyone who's written me about that particular story! It's much appreciated! Jade_Max