Claudia opened the door admitting a very familiar face to the Cory household. Claudia smiled at the new arrival, despite her own sense of loss.

"Hi, Claudia," the woman said and took both Claudia's hands. She squeezed them slightly to let her know that she understood her feelings. Claudia nodded in a silent "thank you".

The new arrival squared her shoulders, trying to find the courage to enter the living room. She smoothed her short, dark brown hair then ran her hands down the skirt of her navy dress which stopped just above her knees leaving her long, shapely legs visible. She wiped at the corners of her deep blue eyes with her long, perfectly manicured fingers. She did not check her makeup. It did not matter, because most of it had disappeared as she cried in the rental car on her drive to the Corys' from the airport. She took a deep breath and walked to the entrance of the living room. She stood straight with her shoulders back and her head held high, despite the misery and agonizing pain she felt inside.

As she paused, she remembered a childhood shared with Amanda. Her mind drifted to a time that seemed just a little while ago. She pictured two little girls, one blonde, the other brunette, playing with their dolls in the middle of the living room floor. She closed her eyes, cherishing her childhood with her best friend. She smiled slightly when she saw the familiar faces, but she found herself drawn to the man standing alone by the terrace doors. He was dark and brooding. He looked lost. Cameron.

Rachel saw her standing there before anyone else. She did not make a scene by alerting the entire room to her presence. Rachel could see the deep pain in her eyes from tears shed very recently. She walked to her and hugged her tightly.

"Layne, I'm so glad you are here," Rachel told her.

"I took the first flight I could. I'm sorry, Rachel."

Rachel nodded at her. "Amanda would want you here. You two have been inseparable since you were babies. Come see Alli. She'll be relieved you are here."

Layne Roth had been Amanda's best friend since they were small children. She had lived next door when they were growing up. Her mother still lived next door. Her father had died a few years ago. Layne and Amanda had even attended boarding school together. To say Layne and Amanda had been inseparable growing up was an understatement. There was a bond between the two of them that even time and distance had never broken.

Layne made her rounds through the room. She paused to hug Felicia and Cass, then chatted with the others she had known for so long. She kept an eye on Cameron. She knew it was him the moment she laid eyes on him. Amanda had described him perfectly. She could still hear the joy in Amanda's voice as she had described this man who, according to Amanda, was a bonafide hero in the rough.

"So the girl next door returns home," Matt said, as he hugged her tightly.

"I wish it were under brighter circumstances," she told him as she leaned her cheek against his, feeling his familiar warmth. They broke apart but kept their arms around each other's waist standing side-by-side.

"Me, too," he said and nodded toward Cameron. "It's hard for everyone."

"How is Cameron doing?"

"Not well. Not well at all. He risked his own life for Amanda, and right now he wishes he were dead."

Layne understood. This was by far the hardest thing she had ever faced. It was hard to accept that someone so full of life and so much a part of her own life was dead. It did not seem real. Layne kept thinking that she would wake up and discover it was all a nightmare.

"Alli is in the study. Why don't you go see her?" Matt asked her.

Layne hugged Matt again and made her way toward the study. Rachel stopped her on the way.

"This is not exactly the best time to discuss business. Before you leave, I'd like to talk to you."

Layne nodded and continued toward the study. She paused in the doorway and looked at Alli sitting there all alone looking very much like Amanda. Layne had been with Alli from birth. She still remembered that day. Amanda had gone into labor at her baby shower, of all things. She could never say her friendship with Amanda had been dull. Alli had become a precious gift. It was funny thinking back to that time and how little all of them knew about babies. Even though Layne had lived in Nashville for several years, Alli always came to spend time with her during the summer. Alli had a very special place in her heart, and they, in turn, were very close. It was hard to comprehend that she was fifteen years old. It did not seem possible. Layne must have made some sort of noise, because Alli looked up at her.

"Layne," Alli said, with a smile.

Layne smiled, "Hello, Alexandra."

Layne walked to Alli and sat on the couch beside her. She pulled Alli into her arms, as if she was a small child. She rocked back and forth with her as they both cried. They hugged tightly, expressing their grief with no words.

"We will get through this together," Layne whispered against Alli's hair, pressing a gentle kiss there.

Layne listened as Alli talked about her abduction, then her agonizing words of grief as she described her feelings about the death of her mother. They wiped each other's tears as they grieved together. A while later Layne ushered an exhausted Alli off to bed. She sensed that Alli was drained both physically and emotionally. She had too much to deal with right now. Layne walked out onto the terrace through the study doors. She paused as she saw a dark figure leaning against the stone wall. He was looking upward at something. She looked but saw nothing but stars. Layne shrugged off her apprehension and walked to him. He only looked at her when she was beside him.

Cameron sized her up quickly, noting the proud tilt to her head that spoke of her wealthy upbringing, the cut of her short brown hair that said "sensible", the keen blue eyes that saw into the very depths of a person's soul, and the slight upturn of her full lips that told him that she smiled easily.

"Hello, Cameron, I'm. . ."

"Layne," he finished with little expression.

"How did you know?"

He shrugged and turned away. "Amanda has shown me pictures of you. Rachel told me you were coming."

"Amanda told me all about you."

Cameron did not look up. "She told me all about you, too," he countered.

Layne was not sure what to say to him. She shifted in a nervous gesture as she searched for the words to say. "I can almost imagine," she laughed. "I wish that we had met before now."

Cameron said nothing. He continued to look off in the distance.

"What are you looking at?"

"The stars. . . ."

"Do you think she's out there looking down on us right now?"

Cameron looked at her sharply. "No," he said with conviction.

Layne was startled. She did not know what to say. "What do you mean?"

Cameron looked her in the eye and said, "She's not dead."

********************

Layne walked through the crowd in the Cory living room. She was still shaken by her conversation with Cameron. It was disconcerting. She wished there was some way that she could help him. Rachel walked to her.

"Can we have our conversation now?"

Rachel and Layne walked into the study. Rachel shut the door behind them. Layne sat on the couch, and Rachel sat beside her.

"This doesn't seem like the most appropriate time to have this conversation. I've been thinking about it for a long time. I want you to come work for Cory. We need someone with the type of experience you have in business. . . ."

Rachel continued with her speech, and Layne listened to every word. When she was done, Layne sat silently for a while. She glanced at the pictures on the table behind the couch. She picked up the one of Mac Cory and studied it.

"I remember sitting in this very place talking with Mac about my future. I think I was sixteen. I told him how working in the business world intrigued me. He told me that when I finished college there would be a job waiting for me at Cory. I have always wished I could come back here. I've lived in Nashville for six years. Working in the music industry has taught me a lot. I know the problems Cory is faced with right now, and I've never walked away from a challenge. Maybe it is time to come home. I have to talk to my husband first."

"I don't think I've congratulated you on your marriage. I'm very happy for you, Layne. I understand that you have to discuss my proposition with your husband. I hope you can stay for a while. We need you close by right now."

,

"Thank you, Rachel. My mother was not happy that we chose to elope and not have the big wedding production. She refuses to understand that Kyle and I lead a very simple life. I have arranged to be off work for a while. I want to be close right now. . . . . I need to be. I'll give you an answer before I leave. I promise."

Rachel hugged her. "We have really missed you around here."

********************

Cameron watched Rachel and Layne through the glass doors of the study. They were having a serious conversation. He could still see the look on Layne's face when he had told her that Amanda was not dead. Stricken was the only word he could think of to describe it. He had thought that the one person in this world who would believe and understand his feelings about Amanda was Layne. Amanda had talked about her so often that he felt like he knew her. Maybe he had been wrong about Layne.

He had had enough of this "gathering". He was going to the hill where he could think and decide what he was going to do to find Amanda.

********************

Cameron sat beside Josie. He stared at the large pictures of Gary and Amanda at the front of the chapel. He looked at the eyes that haunted him in his dreams, smiling down at him now. He put his arm around Josie as she sobbed. Cameron had distanced himself from the feeling of grief. Now, he concentrated on a strategy to find Gary and Amanda. He saw the pity in others' eyes as they looked at him, but he could not give up. The only reason that he had come to this service today was because Rachel had asked him to.

Cameron listened to the reassuring words that the minister spoke. He tried to remain unmoved by the words of love spoken by Amanda and Gary's friends. Even when Rachel eulogized Amanda then Felicia gave a tearful eulogy for Gary, Cameron remained emotionless. Then Layne began singing. . . . .

Cameron's shoulders shook, despite his resolve to remain emotionless. He looked down, blinking the tears away that filled his eyes as the words of the song tugged at his heart. Amanda. . . .

********************

Everyone gathered back at the Cory house after the service was over. Cameron, again, detached himself from the group. He was in his own world of grief and pain. An overwhelming helplessness filled his body, but the despair he felt still was not as strong as the sensation in his heart that was telling him not to give up. There was a war raging inside him. The rational voice told him that Gary and Amanda were gone forever, but his heart told him that they were alive and waiting. . . .waiting for him to rescue them.

Layne stood with her arm around Alli's shoulder giving her the support she so desperately needed. She kept an eye on Cameron. She wanted to reach out to him, but she could see that he wanted to be alone. Steven came along and asked Alli to show him something, leaving Layne alone to keep watch over Cameron. Rachel walked up beside her. She noticed Layne's concerned gaze rested on Cameron.

"He's very upset, Layne. I don't know much about him, even though he spent a lot of time in my house. Amanda adored him. You could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice every time she talked about him. I see that you want to reach out to him. He cannot accept that Amanda is dead. I fear for him."

Layne nodded in agreement as Cameron slammed out of the house bringing everyone's attention to his retreating form. Rachel started after him. Layne stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"I'll go," she said and walked to the terrace doors.

********************

Cameron ran to the chapel. It was still filled with flowers. Someone had already taken the pictures of Gary and Amanda away. He stood in the vestibule for a moment looking around the small chapel. He stared at the cross at the front of the chapel and the altar. He slowly walked to the front of the chapel. With a strangled cry, he dropped to his knees at the altar. He folded his hands and looked at the cross. For a moment, he gathered his thoughts with his head bowed. Then he focused on the cross as he prayed.

"God, I'm not very good at this. I don't have the perfect words. Now, I have done everything I know to do. I love Amanda more than anything. Gary and I were just beginning to be brothers again. There's a lot of people who need them, God. They're all gathered in that house. I'm begging you please bring them back to us. Show me what to do. Give me a sign. Please, God. . ."

Cameron looked down at his hands and wiped the tears from his eyes. He looked up. His eyes opened wide as he stared at the apparition before him. He blinked trying to remove the vision but it did not go away. He stared in awe at the hand that reached out to him.

Author's Note: The song, "Because You Loved Me", was recorded by Celine Dion and can be found on her album "Falling into You".