ââ fade in .
the memory was so clear , hidden within the depths of her mind . it was as though the conversation had happened not long ago . â do you know why i came here , warren ? " she spoke softly , back turned to him . things were TENSE between the both of them , they knew what was ahead of them . " to help me keep archangel in check . " he wasn't wrong , but that was not the only reason . yes , she was there to keep archangel in check , to keep warren SAFE from the angel , but there was so much more to it . " yes . one reason . after we lost kurt âŠÂ i was so ABSOLUTELY NUMB . i didn't have anything left to give to it . such deep hopelessness . an unending avalanche and us at the bottom of it , digging âŠÂ forever . " she took a deep breath , hearing the tenderness in his voice , " it takes a toll . " everything they did took its toll , every death , every loss , every battle .  " i sat for days , searching for the last time i felt human . the last time i felt anything real . only YOU came to mind . " her hand lifted to caress his cheek , smiling up at him .
     ââ fade out .
those were different times for the both of them , innocent times compared to what they had now both been through . she was a SHADOW of the woman he knew , she barely recognized the woman she saw in the mirror . she couldn't expect anyone else to recognize her .
things were  DIFFERENT  . she was good at hiding , good at pretending . the only reason warren had caught up to her was that she had allowed him to . it had been easy to avoid him , her mind constantly searching her surroundings and sensing any and all presence . he had been easy to avoid , even as she stood right in front of him . if she did not want to be found , she would not be . she had allowed  this encounter , possibly due to the guilt ( was it guilt ? ) that she felt or in some weak attempt to make it seem as though she was not avoiding him . she crossed her arms over her chest , completely closed off to him , as she stood still . she made no effort to approach or distance herself . she waited patiently for the words she KNEW were coming , the questions he would ask . she didn't need to be a telepath to know .
but his thoughts were so LOUD , he was confused , he was âŠÂ distressed , perhaps that was the best way to put it . he needed help , he needed HER and yet , she refused him at every corner . she knew that it should have hurt her , she knew that she should have felt that ache in her chest , the one that ached for HIM  , but there was nothing  . she wished she could feel something , she wanted to HURT and she wanted to cry . she desperately searched for something to alleviate the ( lack of ) pain , but there was nothing . instead , she was left with the notion of pain , of what she should be feeling for a man that she had once loved more than anything ( she still loved him , she still wanted to save him ) .
     " stop . you're thinking so âŠÂ loudly , warren . breathe , love . â
once upon a time , they had been connected so intimately via their telepathic link . she had known his soul , known him for his every merit and flaw . she had kept him safe , yet she had never been intrusive . she had let the lies slip by , she had disconnected the link when he had needed it , but they had been INTIMATE  on a level that she had never allowed prior to him and would never allow again . this felt awful , it felt strange to stand before him and not know his every thought , his feelings . she could only know what was jumping out at her . thoughts racing , multitudes of scenarios . he was LOST and she was the only who could help âŠÂ but she did not .
     " it is better you do not know . â
because if he knew , warren would not have a CHANCE at being happy . she knew that , he had to know it . the memories she had taken , the atrocities that had happened âŠÂ warren was a good man and his self - loathing would creep in , she knew it would ( who was she to make THAT decision ? ) she cleared her throat and glanced away from him , suddenly unable to meet his gaze .
     " there is a reason the mind makes you forget TRAUMATIC events , warren . i am in no position to give you the answers you search for . you should appreciate what you do have and live the life you now have âŠÂ trust me , some memories are better left forgotten . â
it also made it clearly wasnât traumatic if his entire memoryâs been erased yet sheâs intact and is fully aware of what heâd done. sheâd probably sacrificed his memories for another chance for him - itâs possibly the guilt of doing something for someone whoâs done some severely terrible acts that caused this significant rift between them. he knows, heâs more than well aware, that he has it better than most. the man looks like the european christian iconography of an angel, so he certainly was aware that he was more privileged than just about everyone else. so, here he was, on top of the world with no one he knows, truly knows any more... and the one person that knows all tells him itâs something he shouldnât dare dwell on. which only drive his thoughts to be louder, more vulnerable.
how is he supposed to be a good man if he canât fix his wrongs. he doesnât know much beyond what heâd been told about his previous self, about what heâs read about his previous self on the gossip blogs, the business news, and wikipedia. heâs damn well aware that whatever that could cause what feels like a planet of distance between them is more than a mere traumatic event. heâs sure itâs an event caused by him that betsy had somehow kept from getting out. that the storm he was âbornâ in cleaned away itâs evidence perhaps, he wasnât sure but he couldnât deny the urging in his mind to find out more about it, to find out the truth about it all.Â
so heâd responded bluntly as there was no need for subtleties, as she can hear his loud thoughts already. âif it were so traumatic, why would my entire mind be blank? i had to relearn my name, i didnât know anything when iâd walked stepped out of eye of the storm. not my name, not my identity. i came out of there with no knowledge or recollection of the last three decades of my life. all i was, all i knew was that i had seen the most beautiful woman in that storm and sheâs been avoiding me since. everything i know now âeverything you can hear from my mind right now is what iâve learned through osmosis. i know nothing besides what wikipediaâs said about me yet here you are with full recollection to the fact youâre going through extreme lengths to avoid me of this âtraumaticâ occurrence.â
he was lonely, here he was on top of the world with a fresh start yet there was an emptiness, a void, that he couldnât fill because he was unaware of what had even been in that void. was it love? was their love so strong that even the erasure of their life together has made him empty? or was his actions so heinous, so aggressive, so violent that heâll be unable to recover after learning about them?