The sobbing R'Laurent let herself be held by Eve as she hadn't the strength of mind to pull a way. "Shah..." Eve ran her hand over R'Laurent's head. "There ..." R'Laurent finally pulled away from Eve and rested her hands in her head.

"I couldn't stand it any longer." R'Laurent said. "I'd wake up."

R'Laurent stopped to sob some more, "And I didn't know whether to love or hate him." Laurie took a shaky breath. "And that's just not acceptable. That's why I transferred off the Nova so that we might go our separate ways." R'Laurent seemed to brighten at what she had to say next. "The possibility that Epic can or will follow me where I am is

small."

Eve looked mildly confused. "But I thought you loved him more that anything..."

"Me, yes, I do. But I posses the part of Epic that hates himself."

"But that can be changed....."

Laurie merely smiled and squeezed Eve's hand. "Yes, it can. But not soon enough....."

"Where there's true love, there's time..."

"No, my dear. There is not enough time...."

"How can you put a time frame on something like love?" An mad Eve demanded.

"This 'love' has destroyed two people. It won't destroy any others. That's why I must go."

And try as she might, Eve could do nothing to change R'Laurent's mind.

<<OOC: To be continued. This series of posts is my last as R'Laurent, and for a while, my last on this ship.>>