Seb laughed a little, "Well, I'm not going to lie and say it's been easy... There've been several times where it just would have been easier to drink myself to oblivion than let Serena take any of my darkness on but she doesn't give me a choice either way... I love her for it but I just wish she didn't have to share the crazy with me. Besides, if she'd going to take it anyway there's no reason to drink... especially not with a kid on the way..." He shoved a hand through his hair, "Honestly, I've dumped every bottle I can find down the sink except for the red wine because a glass is good for Serena's nerves on occasion but it's hard to have it there and not down it when I start to tip..."

He shook his head, "Serena helps, more than she'll ever know... I don't get the way I used to nearly as much anymore and it's not just her sharing the darkness... It's just having her around seems to keep me level."

He sighed when Gunner told him about Anna and he shook his head again, "That's tough... All I can tell you for sure is that when I look at Anna's aura lately she seems more steady, a little too peaceful for Anna if you want the truth. When she's around you though... she both lights up and dims down all at once. It's like she's torn... I think she'll figure things out though. She's smart... As for you, you're hard headed as hell. There is absolutely no hope for you," Seb teased.

"Honestly though, I can see you still love her but you're just as conflicted as she is. You two might have gotten the big stuff off your chests but it's going to take some more work for either of you to figure out where you're going."

~*~

Anna listened to her friend and grabbed her hand to give it a gentle squeeze, "Gunner or I could always Guard Seb. It was always the plan before everything else, maybe this was meant to be? Gunner and I split, you have a baby... Now, there's no conflict if one of us takes a Ward."

She sighed and felt the weight of Gunner's glance even though she'd looked over at him too late to catch the look, she shifted in her seat and pushed her hair behind her ear.

"I don't know... I love Gunner but... after everything that happened I don't think it will ever be the same. We're friends now and part of me thinks that that's all we'll ever be." She let out a breath, "We were always great as friends, when we tried the relationship... everything kind of fell apart."

She smiled sadly, "I miss him but... I don't like the idea that I'd hold him back and I don't think he's ever going to REALLY forgive me for leaving... I know I haven't."

She swallowed the lump in her throat, "Ugh... Now you've got me started on the water works," she laughed shakily.

"I don't know..." She glanced at Serena, "He was... my first, tmi maybe but..." She shrugged, "And he's still my only. I'm pretty sure he thinks I slept with Rae but I never did... I couldn't. The whole time I was with Rae I was mourning after Gunner and now that we've fixed things he basically said he doesn't want to be with me until I'm me again... I just don't think I'm ever going to be the way I was, so... Like I said... maybe this was supposed to happen? He can go on with the Elites and I can stick around here and pester you."