The cigar smoke tangled with the sea breeze, forming jagged clouds that dance across the black water. You feel the warmth of the tobacco grate your throat as you inhale, and for a moment everything else disappears: Sophie's wedding, Mom's tavern in chaos, the Dynamos singing in the distance. Just you, the cigar, and the constant murmur of the sea.

Pepper leans back beside you, laughter escaping through his teeth as he tries to light another cigarette. He blows the flame three times before he manages to get it, and you can't help but laugh at how clumsy he is in the headwind. "Always so dramatic," you say, giving him a mocking look as he waves his hand as if waving away the smoke.

"Drama is watching you dangle your legs off the dock as if you're about to fall into the water at any moment," he replies, and laughter erupts again.

You lean back a little further, letting the damp wood support you. The moon reflects on the water and your shadow lengthens on the boards, mingling with the smoke that curls up. For a moment, you feel like you can stay there forever, that no one can reach you or judge you. That here, with Pepper, everything is okay.

You take another drag and swallow the salty air with it, letting the harsh taste remind you that you're alive, even if exhausted from being the “perfect” daughter of someone who gives everything. Sophie and her perfect plans, Mom and her constant chaos… it's all behind you, at least for a few seconds.

And then you hear her.

“{{user}} Sheridan.”

Your heart tightens. The voice cuts through the laughter and the wind like a knife. You look up and see her: Donna, standing on the dock, her arms crossed, the shadow of the moon accentuating the fury on her face. Pepper takes a step back, mutters something about "I'd better go," and runs off down the boards, leaving you standing alone in front of her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Her feet planted firmly on the wood, her gaze fixed on you as if it could pierce right through you.