Sloane had never wanted to hear Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" less than she did standing next to her aunt Rachel above a giant hole in the ground where her mother and father would be lowered into less than ten minutes from that moment.

She wasn't sure who had picked the music. Most of it had been songs her parents hadn't even liked, but no one thought to ask Sloane to select songs that would play at her parents' funeral. No one had wanted to bother her. Unfortunately, hearing things like The Smiths or Bryan Adams, who her parents hadn't even liked, was bothering Sloane more than the fact that she hadn't been the one to pick out what music played in intervals between speakers. Still, even the crappy music that she assumed her father's friends had picked out was better than listening to the familiar smooth tune of one of Elvis's most popular songs.

Because whoever had picked this song obviously knew her parents. "Can't Help Falling in Love" was their song. It was the song they had danced to at their wedding, the song that had been playing over the hospital radio when Sloane had been born, and the song that had been playing over the sound of chicken sizzling when a gas leak had engulfed their house in flames. This was the song that Sloane had grown up with her parents listening to. And while she had stayed dry-eyed throughout her aunt's speech, throughout her maternal grandmother's sobs, and throughout her pseudo-uncle's beautiful guitar solo meant for her late father, she felt the weight of it crashing into her when she heard the Elvis hit. She wasn't sure what "it" was, but she felt it closing her throat and she felt the tears forming in her eyes.

Which was the only reasonable explanation for running out on her own parents' funeral.

Halfway through the second verse she broke away from her aunt and rushed through the cemetery, ignoring the worried calls of various family members who had been asking her all day if she was okay. And when they had asked, she had been. She had been blissfully numb, unaware of what feeling was anymore. But the second that Elvis song had started playing, it was like this switch had been turned on and suddenly she felt everything tenfold. So, she ran until she couldn't hear the familiar tune anymore. She was on the other side of the cemetery, across the street and in front of a random florist shop that was strategically placed (because when you went to visit a grave, wouldn't the polite thing to do be bringing flowers?) and a building that looked like no one had touched it for years.

That's where her aunt and uncle found her an hour later, sitting on the curb in front of the florist shop with a stony expression on her face. She was fairly certain the back of her dress would have dusty cement on it when she stood, but she didn't care. Sloane shifted slightly when her uncle sat next to her on the curb, throwing his arm around her. She accepted the embrace, leaning her head onto his shoulder.

"You doing good, kid?" Her uncle Brandon had always been one of her favorite people. It was her mother's brother-in-law, married into the family but part of it, nonetheless. Now, she was just thankful that he asked the question with genuine concern and not just condolence-filled pity, like so many others had. Though, she supposed she would be genuine too if she had to take in a kid whose parents had just died.

Sloane nodded. "I'm fine now. I just didn't want to hear that song." And she never wanted to hear it ever again.

"Understood." And that was that. She knew Brandon wouldn't ever play it again, just because she had said so. He was understanding in that way. Sloane looked up at her Aunt Rachel's face, at the softness there, and understood that her aunt would never play it either. "You ready to go? We'll go pick up your bags from your grandmother's house and catch your flight. It's at seven, so we can grab something to eat at the airport."

Right. Sloane was moving. Among all the funeral plans and funeral process, she had forgotten that her parents being dead meant relocating. Her grandmother from her mother's side had demanded that Sloane come and live with her, but Amy and Garrett Saunders had made it clear when they said they had wanted Sloane to live with Rachel and Brandon, should anything have happened to them. Sloane wondered that if they knew something was going to happen, they would have chosen differently, but she doubted it. Her aunt and uncle had always been the more reasonable option. "Sounds like a plan," Sloane said softly, accepting her Aunt Rachel's hand and allowing herself to be pulled upwards, righting herself once gravity hit. The three parts of the dysfunctional family made their way to Brandon's beat up Honda, and Sloane spotted the Washington license plates, faded slightly over time but still depicting the state she would now be living in.

She remembered the day her aunt and uncle moved to Forks. Sloane's mother, Amy, had spent the entire day sobbing and hugging her sister close with goodbye in her voice every time she spoke. Sloane had visited them at their home several times over the course of the ten years they had lived there, but now that it would be her home, she knew it would feel unfamiliar. Sloane wasn't looking forward to the uncertainty of new rooms, new walls, and a new house altogether. As the blonde slid into the old car, her mind wandered off, back to before the fire, when her parents were still alive. Before Sloane had been designated an orphan and Rachel and Brandon had to worry about taking care of a teenager that wasn't their own. Sloane wasn't even sure they had ever wanted kids of their own, and now they were stuck with one. She didn't know how she could apologize for something like that.

After ten minutes of driving, Sloane felt the car pull to a stop in front of her Grandma Susan's house. The elderly woman was waiting out in the front yard, big smile on her face and arms outstretched for the hug she knew Sloane would need. Once the car had fully slowed and Brandon had cut the engine, Sloane was jumping out of the car and rushing to her paternal grandmother, accepting the embrace with a sigh of relief. While Amy's mother had never really approved of Sloane's father and was always cold towards her granddaughter, Garrett Saunders's mother was different. It was the only person Sloane would consider living with had Rachel and Brandon not agreed to take her in. Her grandmother was the person who helped Sloane get through the first few hours of shock, holding the teenager as she cried.

"Hi baby," her grandmother said affectionately, running her hand through the ends of Sloane's long blonde hair. "I've got your stuff inside. Luckily the firefighters got most of the flames controlled before it hit the back end of the house, so most of your stuff is okay. Some things are a little charred, but we'll make sure we clean all the ashes off, yeah?" Sloane felt herself nod as Susan wrapped her arm around Sloane's shoulders and started to lead her into the house. "Some of your parents' things were okay, too, so I added those in. I thought you might like to go through it and see what you want to keep. I'd be more than happy to split the rest between me and Amy's mother."

"Thanks, Grandma," Sloane replied, separating from her grandmother to walk through the threshold of the door. There were piles of neatly organized boxes sitting in her grandma's living room, and Sloane noticed with a heavy heart that her grandma had actually taken the time to mark what each box contained. For once, she ignored her own stuff and made her way to where her grandma had set out her parents' possessions. There wasn't a lot, but Sloane noticed that one of the firefighters had recovered her mother's wedding ring. It was a tiny diamond, since her father hadn't been able to afford much at the time, but as he worked his way up in his publishing company, he had bought a sparkly diamond wedding band for Amy to add. The band had separated from the ring due to the heat, but they were still mostly intact, save for needing a severe cleaning. "Grandma," Sloane said, and she felt Susan move to stand next to her. "Can I -"

"It's all yours, sweetie," Susan said, and Sloane nodded. She just wanted the ring, not so much the wedding band. It was just a reminder of the beginning of her parents' marriage. Her grandma pocketed the wedding band when she realized Sloane wasn't going to take it and smoothed some hair behind Sloane's ear. "Anything else you want to take? Whatever you want, you take, alright?"

Sloane nodded and examined the leftover items once more. Her grandmother was right when she said there wasn't a lot left, but it all meant something. Still, she knew that both her grandmas deserved to have some things left of their own children. "I think I just want the ring. Thanks, Grandma."

"Of course, baby," Susan replied, pressing a quick kiss to Sloane's hair before moving to where her granddaughter's boxes lined the walls. "Need some help carrying this stuff out? Now, I know Forks is freezing, so I packed some of my own jackets because the good Lord knows I don't need them in the middle of Texas. They aren't the most stylish, but they'll do the job."

"We would have taken her shopping," Rachel said, an odd look crossing her face. Susan was quick to nod her head.

"Of course, I know. I just wanted to help out with any expenses I could. I appreciate you taking her in," Susan told Rachel, giving her a quick smile. "And I want you to call me if you have any troubles. Money, food, anything. I know this one can be a handful," Susan joked, nudging Sloane's shoulder with her own.

"Yeah, she's an awful kid, all right," Rachel replied, the same joking tone in her voice. "In all seriousness, despite the circumstances, Brandon and I got real lucky with this one. I know she'll have no trouble at all. She's mature for her age." Before she plucked the box from the ground, Rachel squeezed Sloane's shoulder. "We're heading out after we get your stuff in the car, okay? We'll give you a few minutes." Sloane watched her aunt walk back out through the front door and realized there was only one box left at her feet, which she could easily carry. She gave her grandma a watery smile.

"I'll email you lots, and send you postcards," Sloane promised, reaching out and hugging her grandmother once more. It was nice to hold onto something so familiar. "I'll come back and visit whenever I can."

"I know you will, I'll just miss you," Susan replied, letting out a sigh that ruffled the strands of Sloane's hair. When they broke away, Susan had tears in her eyes. "Well, off you go, then. You don't want to miss your flight. Call me as soon as you land, alright? You have my number memorized?"

"As if I could ever forget it," Sloane answered, rolling her eyes. "Love you, grandma."

"Love you too, baby. Try not to be sad. I know it's hard. Believe me, I know. But it'll all be okay, in the end. You might end up loving Forks. Who knows? I know living with Rachel and Brandon will help. They seem like wonderful people."

"They are." She looked out to see them loading the box Rachel was holding into the car and took that as her cue that it was time to leave. Sloane lowered herself into a crouch, wrapping her arms around the last box on the ground and stood upright once more, smiling at her grandmother. "See you soon."

"See you soon, baby. Hope your flight is good."

Sloane nodded in acknowledgement and made her way through the front door, looking over the box to make sure she wasn't going to trip on anything. Once she was safely to Brandon's Honda, she shoved the last box in the backseat with her. Brandon was letting Rachel fly home with Sloane while he transported all of Sloane's stuff in his Honda. He would arrive back in Forks a couple of days after they did. She was grateful, since this meant she didn't have to try and shove all of her things in a suitcase or carry on, or get a U-Haul. She didn't want to burden her aunt and uncle more than she already had. When she got into the backseat, she sent a final wave to her grandmother before Brandon was pulling away from the curb.

They got to the airport at five-thirty, which gave them time to eat and get Sloane some reading material for the plane ride. After making sure both Rachel and Sloane had their boarding passes, he bid them a goodbye and made his way back to the Honda to start the drive back up to Washington. Sloane sat quietly with her aunt in the tiny airport, silently staring ahead of her as Rachel flipped through a magazine.

"You alright?" Rachel asked, reaching over to squeeze her hand.

"I'm fine." Sloane had been saying the words so much that she wondered if it was the only word she knew now. "Aunt Rachel?"

"Yeah?"

Sloane turned her hand over so she could grip her aunt's fingers. "Thanks for letting me stay."

Rachel's eyes softened and Sloane noticed how much Rachel looked like her older sister in that moment. "Oh, kid," Rachel said affectionately, "I wouldn't let you go anywhere else."

This thought comforted her, and when she heard Elvis's "Can't Help Falling in Love" start to play as background music in the airport, Sloane didn't get overwhelmed and run away, like she had at the funeral. She simply grabbed her headphones from her carry-on and clicked the shuffle button on her iPod.

Welcome to my new story! While I'm suffering major writer's block for Sleepwalker, the idea for Saudade came into my head and I just couldn't let go of it. I really hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!