The Fall

Leanne sat up straight as he stepped closer, moving farther back almost involuntarily. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed him until she was looking at him now. She shook her head quickly at his words, feeling her anger spark up again. “Explain what?” She snapped. “Explain how you lied to me, right from the very start? Go ahead, Patrick. I’d love to hear how you can justify that.” She pushed herself out of the bed and glanced at the box sitting there, taking it in her hands. She turned back to him, glaring.

“These can’t make things better,” she snapped. She didn’t want to yell at him; she still loved him, so much, but she was too angry to think straight now. “Giving me things…the fact still remains that you lied. You lied the entire time!” She shouted, her anger as fresh as the first day. “You can’t make things better with these,” She whispered, dropping the box onto her bed. “You just can’t. You just can’t make things better, period,” she snapped. She didn’t understand what she was doing until the loud slap echoed through the room, and her hand fell back to her side. She flinched as she slowly realized what she’d done, and then she pushed past him and into the hallway. She was gone before he could respond.
~!!~
Vivian smiled softly as she watched him, and then shrugged slightly. “I think in a few months,” She said quietly, looking down at his hands. She took a deep breathe, closing her eyes again. “I’m still scared,” She said quietly. “But…I feel excited, too,” she said softly. “I never would have believed this could happen to me, but now that it is, I feel….excited. It’s scary, and it’s new, but I’m finally starting to believe that things will be okay,” She said softly.
~!!~
Seth held her close as she hugged him, closing his eyes and nodding. He felt bad for what he’d said to Haven, but at the same time, he knew he was right. She was no longer hurting only herself; she was hurting Cinder, and he hated that.

He knelt down next to her and picked up a piece of a ripped photo. The only thing he could see in it was a face that looked like Haven’s, but something was different about the eyes. He closed it in his fist and helped pick up the glass in silence.

Haven looked up at the sky, trying to wipe her tears away, and failing. She didn’t care anymore; no one was here to see her. She could see Andrea’s face in her mind, yelling at her for being so stupid. She flinched and tried to push it away, but it remained. She opened her eyes when she felt arms around her, and her breathe caught in her throat as she realized who it was.

“Benny,” She said quietly. Normally she would have said his full name, just to spite him, but now she didn’t care. She felt a dampness on her neck and slowly pulled away, and her eyes widened. He was chained. She frowned deeply at his words, and slowly it hit her. Where he had gone, what he’d done, why he’d left so suddenly. He was gone. Lawrence was gone. And now he was trapped.

Any traces of tears were gone, replaced by a cold rage. “You IDIOT!” She shouted, pushing him away as hard as she could, making his chains rattle more. “You idiot! Moron! Stupid! How could you do this?!” She shouted. She wasn’t sure why she was so mad; he had done it, and she hadn’t. He had taken her revenge for her, and now he was trapped here forever because of it. But which part was she more upset about?

“I can’t believe you did that!” She yelled. “Do you ever stop to think?!” She shouted. “Look at you!!!” She yelled, gesturing towards the chains, as if he hadn’t noticed already. “I can take care of myself!” She yelled, but the tiredness in her eyes and face, how much smaller she looked, her bloody and swollen hand, said otherwise. “But you went and did this for me! He killed my family!” She shouted. “He killed my family, and he killed the person I loved!!” She yelled. “He took everything from me, and you killed him!” She felt a strange sort of relief that he was gone, but at the same time, she was furious. “Why couldn’t you leave things be?!” she yelled. “Why couldn’t you let me take care of it?! It was my battle to fight, not yours!! And now---Now you’re---“ She took another step back, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. She hardly felt the pain in her right hand anymore. “Now you’re---“ She wiped her tears away angrily with the back of her hand. “You idiot,” She mumbled. “Stupid. What have you done..” she whispered, sinking down slowly on the porch steps.
~!!~
Seth didn’t even respond as she yelled; he was only looking at her, his mind racing and aching, trying to place the pieces of this puzzle together. But it was as if he were trying to make a piece fit in the wrong spot; no matter which way he turned it, it wouldn’t click. When she kicked him he glared at her, gripping her shoulders tightly. “How did you get here if you don’t know where it is?” He demanded, his nails digging into her skin. “Who are you?” He repeated. “Mary Jean. Why do you look---Why do you look so much like Jane?”
~!!~
Sammy’s eyes widened, and she only managed a small nod. So he did remember that; it gave her a small spark of hope, that maybe he could remember something else, maybe everything else. She shook her head quickly and got in when he opened the door for her, glad that he couldn’t see the blush on her face as she turned away quickly.

“Um, thanks,” She mumbled. “You—You do, too.” It was strange; the first time they’d ‘gone out’, she’d hated him and wanted to leave. Now, she felt nervous, flustered. She wasn’t sure if she liked this change or not.
~!!~
Damian smirked, shaking his head slowly. “You’re wrong,” He said quietly, reaching out and placing his hand on the top of his head, much the way a father would to his son. “You won’t be able to kill me. I won’t let you.” He le this hand fall back to his side, turning his gaze to Gem, only for a moment. She stared back, her face impassive.

He sighed, taking a step back. “You can’t chase me off forever, son.” He said the word as if he were taunting him. “One day you won’t be here, and I’ll take her far away, somewhere where you’ll never find her again.” He smiled, and then he was gone, just as quickly as he’d come. Gem slowly turned her gaze to Christen.

“My brother says he wants to kill him,” She said suddenly. “He said…he said he will. But he’ll only get hurt,” she whispered. She didn’t know why she was saying this now; she didn’t know what else to say. “Damian hurts everyone I love. He takes away everything.” She stared down at her hands, clenched into fists. “ I hate him. I hate his very being,” She whispered. She turned her eyes back to him suddenly. “You won’t leave, right?” She asked suddenly. “Like he said.”
~!!~
Ella flinched with every word spoken, because she knew they were true. The guilt she’d been carrying around since the news of his death came increased, but still she shook her head. “I can’t,” she whispered. “Caden, I won’t. You need to live. You don’t’ want to become like me,” She said quietly. “Because what if you come back? You’ll be stuck wandering around, always cold, never truly happy.” But that wasn’t true; she had been happy, when she was with Alex, when she was with Jasper. But now he was gone, and she’d never see him again, and her relationship with her sister was strained and on the verge of breaking, if it hadn’t already.

“Caden, I know you miss him. I do, too,” she said quietly. “But I won’t kill you. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. I’m sorry,” She whispered. “I’m sorry for everything.”
~!!~
December flinched, shaking her head. But instead of taking it like she normally would have, she found herself yelling back. She didn’t know why she’d come here today, only that she thought he needed to know. Now she knew how stupid it was; how selfish. She’d wanted to see his face again, even if it was angry. To hear his voice again, even if it was yelling.

“You don’t think I want to?!” She shouted. “Simon, everyday I wish I was gone! My parents look at me like I’m some sort of alien! I’m not their daughter anymore! And how could I be?!” She cried. “I want to be gone. But then I saw Brooke, and I want her to be able to move on. I don’t think she can without her memories. I don’t why I came here; it was a mistake, and it was selfish, and I’m sorry. But you’re not the only one who’s hurting from all of this!” She shouted. “Brooke was my best friend for much longer than I’ve loved you!” She yelled. “And I know that she’d want to remember you! I’m telling you for her! I thought that maybe you could help,” She said suddenly. “Maybe if she saw you, it would help, in case Moses---“ she cut herself off, shaking her head and taking a step back. “Just forget it. Just…just forget everything.”
~!!~
Jenny pushed herself up into a sitting position, shaking her head slowly. She flinched as the book hit the wall, and she watched him with a deep frown on her face.

“But I can’t replace it,” She said suddenly. “:My brother gave it to me,” She whispered. “I can’t replace it. If it was just an object, I wouldn’t care so much. But it meant more than that. It wasn’t what it was; it was who gave it to me. That was the last link I had to him,” She mumbled. She shook her head quickly, and frowned, leaning down and picking up the photo. She looked up at him, her eyes wide.

“You smiled,” She said suddenly. She looked back down at the photo in silence, then back at him, then back at the photo, as if comparing them. “Are you a made vampire?” She asked suddenly. “Who is this woman? Was she your girlfriend?” she was hardly thinking through her questions before she asked them; they only spilled out as soon as they entered her mind.
~!!~
Ember only nodded; she was hardly listening to him anymore. She had her eyes on Jeremy, who was still following them. He was yelling something at her, but it was so loud that she could barely hear him anyways. She turned her gaze back to Savastyan, and soon she only held an empty cup in her hand. She knew that she was being stupid, but she just wanted him gone. She was no longer sure what was real and what was in her mind; she was losing herself, and she felt as though she were losing her mind.

She didn’t even seem to process his words, for if she had, she would have left. Jeremy shook his head, and he spun around, searching for Dimitri, yelling his name. He didn’t know what to do.
~!!~
Kit was dreaming. She was dreaming of the time when things were simpler, when it was just her and her brother and her father, and they were happy. Things were as normal as they had ever been. Her dream quickly turned to a nightmare as her brother’s fangs sank into her skin. But that wasn’t possible; he wasn’t a vampire. He was dead. But the pain was so real….

Her eyes flew open as Avril pulled back. A strangled cry escaped her lips as she pressed a hand to her neck, slowly realizing what had happened. Her stomach turned, her heart beating faster and faster. No; no, no, no. She stumbled to her feet, but she quickly slid back down. Her throat was dry, and she couldn’t find her voice to speak.
~!!~
Anya sat up quickly as Joel pulled away, and her eyes fell on Ally. Relief washed over her, until she saw Noah. Things happened so quickly then; Ally was on the ground, and Joel was in Noah’s grip.

“I’m not yours, either,” She wanted to say, but her voice was gone. She couldn’t even move, though she knew she should be running. She should be yelling, something, anything…

Joel glared at Noah, pulling away from him. “Who are you?” He demanded. “What do you have to do with Anya?” She slowly looked back and forth between the two of them. She didn’t know who she hated more; Noah had killed Milo. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, but they gave way from underneath her and she fell back to the bed, silent still, though her mind was screaming for her to run.
~!!~
Elianna only managed a small nod. “I know,” She mumbled. “I know I do,” She whispered. She thought of Draven, so absorbed in Michi that he didn’t even see her, and she gripped fistfuls of Landon’s shirt. She didn’t understand. Why was he doing this to her?

She slowly loosened her grip as she closed her eyes tightly. For some strange reason, sleep came easier now. She felt herself drifting off already; she was comfortable here, though she knew that she had no reason to be, that she shouldn’t even be here with him. She mumbled something else, but it was impossible to make out as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
~!!~
Sage’s hands clenched into tight fists at her sides as she watched him, and she shook her head slowly, griping the book tightly to her chest. She turned to keep her eyes on him as he walked, her eyes narrowing slightly. Her eyes widened slightly at his comment, and she blinked in surprise as he said he was Nicole’s cousin. She flinched as she realized that Nicole had worried about her, then shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter where I was,” She mumbled. She glared at him again. “And stop calling me a child. I don’t care who you are, but you don’t have that right.” In one quick motion she knocked the bowl off his head. It shattered on the ground and the cherries scattered, but she hardly seemed to notice it. “I’m not a spoiled brat,” She said quietly. “I just don’t like you.” She glared at him, clutching her book tighter to herself. “I was with my family,” She added, almost as an afterthought. “But does it really matter? I’m back now, so who cares?” She glared at him, as if daring him to say something else.

Patrick reached out to touch her when she came near him, but he let his hand drop when she began to yell at him. He watched as she picked up his gift. It was meant to fix anything, it was meant to show her he was sorry. To get her to let him have a chance at explaining. He never really believed it work, but it hurt when she said he could never fix anything. He said nothing as she slapped him across his face. He placed a hand on his red cheek, looking at her sadly. "Then let me explain." he said but she didn't, she left him alone. He closed his eyes and fell to his knees. He couldn't do this anymore. She didn't understand that he needed to explain to her. She didn't seem to see how much he regretted it. He couldn't stay in the same house as her any longer. It was hurting not just him, it was hurting her.

After a moment he stood up and walked to her bedside. He picked up the box and opened it. He looked at the earrings and slipped a necklace of his own neck. It was a simple chain that Maggie had given him before he left for the first time almost 200 years ago. He laid the old necklace in the box and closed the box again. He set it back on the bedside table. He looked at the ring that still rested on his ring finger. He slipped it off his finger and set it on top of the box. He then fished her ring out of his pocket. He set it right next to his. No, it wasn't his, it hasn't been his ring since she flung hers at him. They were just rings now. Just useless, meaningless rings that held unwanted memories.

But even so, he felt naked with it on his finger. But that couldn't bother him now. He walked over to her desk and found a pen and paper.

Leanne


Since you won't let me explain, I'll just leave it here. I lied because I d

I have to go. I won't even try to tell you why I lied. I doubt you would read anyways. I can't stay anymore. I can't keep doing this. You said it yourself, you hate me. I can't stand here and let you yell at me anymore. I can't sit here and pretend that things will be alright, because things won't. But it isn't just my fault. I try to make things better, but that isn't how things work. We both have to try to make things better, but you're just not trying any more. You gave up, and now I have to leave. It will be best for both of us.

I still love you, even if you hate me.


Patrick

He folded the note up and laid it next to the box. He then stepped out of the room and walked slowly to the room they use to share. It was so empty without her in here. He didn't even bother closing the door. He just opened the closet and put some clothes in his bag. He walked over to the dresser ad looked at the picture. It was of him and his sibling in a frame. Leanne had given it to him. He pulled the picture out, leaving the frame empty. He moved around the room and picked up anything that was his. But anything that was hers he did not touch. Anything that he had received from her he dropped on the bed. In the end his bad was only half full. He glanced around the room again.

He looked under the bed to pull out his box of knifes. He could only bring one, so he pulled out one and slid it in his bag. When he was sliding the box back under the bed he saw a little stuff bat that he recognized at George. He pull him out and sat on the bed, holding it in his hands. It was Leanne's. He went missing a few days before Leanne found out he lied. He held it close to his heart before he stood up. He walked out, not even bothering closing the door. He pulled his bag on his shoulder and slipped back into Leanne's room. She was still not back. He laid George on her bed. He debated taking it with him, but he didn't want anything that would remind him of her. He unfolded the note and added some thing to the bottom. P.S. I found your bat.

He refolded it and slipped out of her room once more. He closed her door again. He walked back out if the house and walked through the trees.

And he was gone.

~!!~
Sergei rested his head gently on her belly and smiled at her. "Hello there." he said, it was clear that he was talking to the baby, even though he knew it couldn't hear him. He sat up straight and sat back next to Vivian. He closed his eyes and took her hand. "Then in a few months we will find out if it is Dimitri or Dima." he whispered. "But in the mean time you have to take care of yourself." he reminded her. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "I hope, whether it is a girl or boy, that it looks like you." he said as he took a lock of her red hair and kissed it softly. He then stood up and looked at her. "Are you hungry? I can make dinner." he said as he took a step to the small kicthen.

~!~
Cinder began to clean up the glass as well. Without thinking she squeezed a piece in her hand. Suddenly she screamed and dropped it. It was covered in blood. Her hand was dripping with blood. She cradled her hand to her chest crying softly. Whether it was because of the pain or Haven was no longer clear. She looked at Seth with sad, scared eyes. She was falling again. After working so hard to climb back up, she fell right back off.

Benny looked at her sadly and took her hand in his. He looked at her palm. "yeah, you can take care of yourself." he said sarcastically. He pulled away and glared at her. "Do you think you are the only one he killed. Do you think you are the only one that lost family to his family!?" he shouted. "I had just as much, if not more, right at revenge. His grandfather killed me. His father killed my family! You know that empty house where you found Jona and Espen? That was my house! Those boys in the picture was me and my brothers! I lost everything I had to his family! And you are mad at me for getting revenge! He was hurting you! He was gonna kill you! I didn't want to loose someone else! Is that so bad!? Sure, I am bound to the earth until the end of time, but at least I know that you can live until it is your time to die!" he shouted at her. He began to pace then. The chains rattling as he walked.

~!!~
Mary Jean glared at him as he dug his nails in her skin. "I just woke up here!" she shouted. "Let me go!" she demanded. "I have no idea where I am, how I got here, or who the heck this Jane person is!" she shouted as she kicked him again, hard in the knee. "Let me go you over-sized dog!" she screamed.

~!!~
Christen turned to her and looked at her sadly. "Gem." he whispered as he sat down on the bed next to her. "I'll kill Damian and make sure that Drake doesn't get hurt. Okay?" he whispered as he pulled her into his arms and held her. He pulled away and looked at her belly. "Don't hate because of who the father is." he said suddenly. "That is as bad as saying you hate me." he whispered as he kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry this happened to you." he said softly. He didn't know what to do anymore. He didn't want to lose her. He didn't want the baby to come, but knew he could do nothing about it. It all scared him, but he knew she had to be more scared.

~!!~
Caden fell to her knees, crying loudly. "THEN SET ME ON FIRE!" she cried. "Do what ever you can to make sure my body won't come back!" she shouted. She just needed to die. This once very happy girl was walking on a very thin thread. Any moment she could break. Any moment she could fall to pieces and lay next to Jasper in death. But she was still clinging to life. So she needed someone else to push her off the edge. But if not Ella, who? Caden stood up quickly and ran out down the stairs, out of the house and into the cold night.

~!!~
"SHE ISN'T HERE!" Simon shouted. "She is gone! Dead! Buried!" he yelled. "In any case you are right. You were her best friend a lot longer then you loved me, a lot longer then you even knew I existed! You were her best friend! She was closer to you then she was ever to me! So if anyone could save her, it's you not me." he said as he stepped away. "You're not being fair." he said suddenly in a small voice. "You expect me to get this. To understand it. To accept it. But you grew up with this. I didn't. You're not being fair." he said as he went to close the door.

~!!~
Trevor glared at her and pulled the picture out of her hand and hit her in the side of the head with the book. "This is what gets you in trouble. This is what makes me mad. Your endless questions. Your non-stop chatter! SHUT UP!" he shouted. "That girl's name Jennifer. She was my fiance." he said simply. "But it doesn't matter, now does it?" He narrowed his eyes. "Why does it matter if I am made or not!?" he demanded. He glared at her. He said nothing about her Ipod or her brother. He found that he didn't care. He didn't care about many things since he was born in this life of death. He stepped forward and glared at her. "You're a very stupid girl." he spat.

~!!~
Dimitri appeared in front of Jeremy. He was still invisible but he knew that he could see him. He looked toward Ember and Sevastyan. He closed his eyes. "Wait by the door." he said suddenly. "As soon as he tries to take Ember out of the club get her away from him. I'll take care of him." he said as he opened his eyes and looked back at them. He cursed in Russian as he watched Sevastyan get her another cup.

Sevastyan kissed her again as he handed her another cup. "Drink up!" he said. "We can fun later." he whispered in her ear.

~!!~
Avril was sitting on the ground crying. She looked up at Kit. "Don't kill me." she cried. She wasn't sure if she would or not. If Kit were to survive she would have to drink Avril's blood. But it wouldn't work if she was dead. But what if Kit didn't care if sh died. Then she would kill Avril and let herself die. Or she would drink from Avril and take too much and kill her that way. Avril was scared. She looked up at her, fear written all over her face. What was she going to do? Daddy would surely be mad at her. After all this was the woman that killed Lily. If he found out he wouldn't let Kit drink from her. And then Kit would die. Oh no no no no no no no! She didn't know what to do. She just sat there sobbing.

~!!~
Noah glared at Joel. "She worked for my father. She is my love." he said as he stepped closer. He grabbed him by the shirt and pinned him to the wall. "If you were smart you'll leave right now." He said in a low deadly tone. He dropped him to the ground and stood in his way between the bed and him. From behind he looked just like Milo. It was only when he turned around could on see that he was older then Milo. He had died years after his older brother had been murdered.

He glared at Joel. "LEAVE AT ONCE!" he shouted and pointed to the door. His voice said that he would not tolerate disobedience.

~!!~
Addison stood still as the bowl fell off his head and the cherries scattered everywhere. He narrowed his eyes at her. "You are acting like child and until you learn to mature you will be called a child." he stated, his face revealing nothing at all. "This is my father's house, I have every right to kick you out right now. But I won't. It will upset my dear cousin." he said as he turned to leave. "You'll clean up your mess, child. As I have when I was a child; you pick up what you have spilled." he said as he opened the door. He paused and turned to her. "You may of have been with your family, and that is great thing to do, but you will not come back and yell at those who are staying."

He had been raised in a very strict family. Everything about him screamed that. His hair was brushed neatly. His manners were great, and he did not tolerate such behavior.

Leanne wasn’t sure how long she walked up and down the hallways; until her feet hurt and until she could think straight again. She felt a stab of guilt for what she’d done to him; no matter how angry she’d been, she shouldn’t have hit him. She knew that she should give him a chance to explain, but she couldn’t think straight when she was angry. She thought she heard the front door shut, but she slowly made her way back to her room.

She reeled back as she saw her stuffed bat on the bed, and then her face lit up like a child at Christmas time. She ran forward and hugged it tightly to her chest; but how had he ended up here? She’d lost him days ago, but now he was here…

Her eyes fell on the box on her bedside table, and she slowly took a step forward. George fell from her arms and hit the floor as she saw the two rings. Her hands were shaking as she shook them off the box and opened it. She recognized the old chain as the one that he had had around his neck, and then she saw the earrings and she had to set it down to keep from dropping it. She picked the note up next, and slipped down to the ground next to her bat as she read it.

The first sentence made her grip the paper tighter, wrinkling the edges. But she slowly read on, and she shook her head slowly. He believed her; of course he had. But it’d been a lie; she didn’t hate him. But she knew he was right; she hadn’t been trying. She had been too stubborn, too angry, and now he was gone. She slowly read the note again and again, finally looking at the bottom. ‘I found your bat.’

The note slipped from her shaking fingers and she clutched her stuffed animal to herself tightly, closing her eyes tightly. She didn’t hate him; she wanted to talk to him. She felt so stupid; how long had she expected him to stay while she only pushed him away? She hadn’t been thinking clearly. He had to have a good reason to have wanted to lie to her; but she had refused to listen. She lifted a hand slowly to her neck, the marks hidden by the necklace she was wearing. She ripped it off and threw it at the wall, the sound unnaturally loud in the silence. Her shoulders shook as she clutched her bat tighter, as if she could almost feel him there just because he’d held it before her. She should have stopped him; she should have listened. But she hadn’t, and now it was too late.
~!!~
When he began to speak, Vivian’s face turned almost as red as her hair. She wasn’t sure why it made her so flustered, but it was as if it was hitting her all over again. Her cheeks turned redder, if that was even possible, when he kissed her hair and told her that he hoped their child looked like her. She shook her head quickly, but she was smiling slightly. She didn’t care who it looked like.

At his words she shook her head, standing up as well. “I’ll help,” She said quietly as her cheeks slowly returned to their normal color. She pushed her glasses up on her nose, and for a moment she hoped their child at least didn’t have her eyesight; it was strange that that was what she was thinking about now. She reached out and took his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.
~!!~
Seth picked up the pieces in silence until he head her scream. Alarmed, he dropped what he held in his hands and his eyes fell on the blood. His eyes were wide as he disappeared from the room, coming back a few moments later with a rag in his hand. He took her hand in his and pressed the cloth to it, his face impassive. He was having the same thoughts as her; hadn’t it been just a day ago that she’d been laying next to him in the park, smiling for what seemed like the first time in so long? But now she was breaking again. He couldn’t seem to stop the bleeding; his hands were shaking. He wrapped his arms around her instead, surprised to find that this time, it was him crying and not her. That wasn’t right; he was supposed to be comforting her. He angrily tried to wipe the tears away, but it was no use; more came in their place.

Haven froze when he took her hand, and she had a sarcastic remark on her tongue, but it quickly slipped away as he continued to speak. Her mind was racing; she hadn’t been thinking of why he had been in that house that first day. Why he’d saved her, not once but twice. Of course she wasn’t the only one who he’d hurt, who his family had hurt. But she still couldn’t stop the feelings that she had; but it wasn’t him she was angry at. It was herself; it Lawrence hadn’t been lying, then that meant that Andrea had known him…but why hadn’t she told her? She was angry at herself for not seeing anything, for not realizing before it was too late that something was wrong.

The sound of his chains brought her out of her thoughts, and she reached out a hand without thinking and gripped his arm tightly, ignoring the pain shooting up her arm as the glass dug deeper into her skin. “Stop,” she said quietly. “Just…just stop it.” She didn’t know what to think; why had he gone to this for her..? Not for me, she thought. It was his revenge, but he had said that now he knew she could live until it was her time to die. She didn’t understand, and part of her didn’t want to.

“So he’s dead,” she said slowly. “You had your revenge, and I guess mine, too. But was it really worth it?” She asked quietly, looking at the chains covering his body. She didn’t let go of his arm. “Was it worth it, to know that now you’re stuck here? This isn’t a place I’d want to be for all of time,” she said quietly. “I don’t even want to be here now,” She said suddenly, knowing how hypocritical that was, after what she’d told Rufus. That he couldn’t give up, couldn’t let himself get killed. “I don’t. If I could find a way out, I’d take it,” she said, letting go of his arm and taking a step back. “You should have just let things be. Maybe it’d be better if he had killed me,” she spat, though she didn’t know why she’d said it, even if it was how she really felt.
~!!~
Sam glared at her as she yelled, and he only gripped her tighter in response. But as she kicked him his grip loosened, but only momentarily. He lost his balance and fell forward, taking her with him. He stopped himself before falling on top of her, but instead he placed his hands on either side of her, keeping her trapped underneath him. He looked at her hard, as if trying to see straight through her. Why…why did she look so much like Mary Jean?

Without thinking he reached out a hand, touching her cheek softly, tracing the shape of her lips, her nose, everything. She was so much like Jane, but younger. It didn’t make any sense…He didn’t understand. “Why do you look like her…?” he asked quietly, as if she would even know the answer. He didn’t even know it.
~!!~
Rainy slowly walked over to her mirror and looked at the two bite marks in her neck, the ones that bound her to someone she hardly knew and yet already hated. She was surprised that he hadn’t shown up again; she didn’t think a locked door would deter him for long, but maybe she was wrong.

She walked back over to her bed slowly, sitting down on the edge and twirling the locket around her finger. She lay back on the bed and closed her eyes, turning onto her stomach and burying her face in her pillow. She suddenly wanted to find Leanne; only she had been able to make things better for her in the past, but lately Leanne had been quieter, more distant. She hadn’t spoken to her directly since Sam had bitten her; she’d been avoiding her as much as she could, but before that never would have stopped her friend. Now, though, she hadn’t come to her, and for some reason that thought hurt.

She slowly turned onto her back and looked up at the ceiling, closing her hand into a fist. She curled up as small as she could get on the bed, closing her eyes. She couldn’t sleep, though. She opened her eyes slowly and sat up again, holding the pillow tightly to her chest. She wondered if Darren would ever come again, after she’d shied away from him so badly, been so scared of him. She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.
~!!~
Gem hated it, but she found herself shaking as he hugged her. She knew that this was Christen, not Damian, but they looked so alike that it hurt to look at him. Even as he pulled back and kissed her cheek, she found that she couldn’t meet his eyes. She managed a small nod of her head, though.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, staring down at her hands. She felt as though every day brought her closer to something, though to what she couldn’t say. She was terrified; she didn’t want this to happen. She wanted to change it, but she knew that she couldn’t. Even if Damian died, even if he was dead, this would still happen to her. His death wouldn’t change a thing, except that maybe she could rest easier. She still wouldn’t be able to look Christen in the eyes.
~!!~
Ella flinched as she yelled, and she took a step back, shaking her head slowly. She thought about how happy Caden was before, but she should have known things would change when she’d run off with Jasper in the first place. She knew that she had been being selfish, thinking only of herself, but it was too late to change that now.

As Caden ran past her she stood frozen for a moment, then she found her feet and ran after her. “CADEN!” She shouted, running outside and seeing her standing there. She grabbed her arm, shaking her head quickly. “Caden, please don’t go,” She whispered. “Caden, I care about you. You’re my friend. Pleas. Please stop this,” She whispered.

Alex looked up as she heard a scream. She was knelt next to Isaac’s grave. She recognized her sister’s voice and pushed herself to her feet, but making her way through the rows of graves. She finally stepped out onto the sidewalk and ran towards her house, her blood running cold.
~!!~
”THEN EXPLAIN ME!!” December shouted. She put her foot in the door to stop him from closing it; she looked furious, something that seemed strangely out of place on her face. “Explain why I’m still here! If I am, then why can’t Brooke?” She demanded. “Why can’t you just listen to me?!” she cried. “You’re right; I’m not being fair. I probably never was. You’re right; I hardly paid you any mind until Brooke went missing, and I’m sorry for that. But you’re wrong,” she said quietly. “Brooke was my friend, but you were her brother. She talked about you, you know,” She said suddenly. She still had her foot in the door to keep him from closing it. “She told me about her little brother.” She slowly stepped back, removing her foot from the door. “I’m sorry,” She said quietly. “Simon, I know I’m not helping you. I just…I needed to tell you,” she said quietly. “I’m not sure why, but I did. And you’re wrong; it’s you who can help her, if…if things don’t work,” She whispered. “Not me. She’s already seen me, and she doesn’t know who I am. She was afraid of me,” She mumbled. “So you’re wrong about that. But I’m sorry I came here. It wasn’t fair of me.”
~!!~
Jenny flinched as the book hit her again, and her head pounded as if it would split in half at any minute. Her eyes widened slightly as he said that his fiancé’s name was Jennifer; maybe that was why he hated her so much. She shook off the thought and stood up, glaring at him. “And you’re a very stupid boy!” she shouted. “I may talk a lot, but you’re just hiding!” she shouted. She found her words were spilling out again, before she could stop them.

“You miss her, right? That’s why you keep her photo.” She frowned, then looked back at him. “Was she the one who changed you?” She asked suddenly. She wasn’t sure what had given her the idea, but she had to ask suddenly. “You know, it does matter. I’m a made vampire, too,” she said quietly. “And no, I’m not going to shut up,” she said suddenly, standing up straight and ignoring the way her head was still throbbing. It hurt. “Everyone’s told me to be quiet my entire life. ‘Jenny, sit down, sit still, be quiet, shut your mouth before I shut it for you, etc, etc.’ I’ve heard it all before, and I don’t care anymore. It’s easier to talk then to be quiet. Silence is unnerving,” she said quietly. She shook her head slowly, but strangely, she was quiet then.
~!!~
Kit had her head in her hands, shaking her head slowly back and forth. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she hated to find that they were quickly filling up with tears. “No,” She whispered. She had never imagined this, not even in her worst nightmares. She was going to become the very thing that she had spent her whole life hating; she was going to become a monster.

She turned her eyes to Avril, sitting in front of her and sobbing, telling her not to kill her. Kit knew that she couldn’t have, not even if she’d wanted to. It wasn’t that she was afraid of dying; that was what she wanted now. But her hands were shaking too badly for her to grip her knife tightly, a new one; she had left her old one behind last time, the one her brother had given her. She bit her lip, feeling as though everything she had known was falling down around her. She didn’t want to be like this; she wouldn’t. But she felt sick at the thought of ending her own life. She was such a coward.

“Shut up,” she said through clenched teeth, looking at Avril. “Shut up!” She shouted, more forcefully as she sobbed. “Just shut up,” she whispered. “I—I can’t---“ She closed her eyes tightly, feeling much smaller then she was.
~!!~
Jeremy shook his head slowly, glaring at Dimitri. “You want me to just leave her here?!” He shouted. “Whose to say he’s even going to take her outside?” He demanded. “Isn’t there more than one door here? He---“ he shook his head slowly as he felt Ember’s eyes on him, staring as though he were the only thing that she could see. She didn’t even seem to notice that Sevastyan had kissed her, nor feel the cup she now held in her hands. She was just staring at him.

“Not real,” She whispered, turning away and shaking her head. She didn’t feel good; she hadn’t when she’d left to come here, but now it was slowly growing worse. She knew that this wasn’t going to help, but still she took another sip, trying to make the image of her dead friend go away. But no matter how much she drank, he was still there.

Jeremy knew he was causing this now; quickly he turned and headed for the door, his face twisted in rage. He stopped outside and folded his arms across his chest, looking as though he’d like nothing more than to wring Sevastyan’s neck.
~!!~
Joel was smiling strangely as he stood back up, shaking his head slowly. “Strange. She never mentioned you,” He said softly. “You know, I’ve known her for much longer than you have. I’ve been with her since she was very young.” Anya’s stomach turned as she looked at Noah; he looked just like Milo from the back. She felt almost grateful to him, but then she saw Ally’s form lying in the doorway and she shook her head. Where was Milo? Why didn’t he come?

Anya cried out in surprise as Joel was suddenly gone; just like that, he left. She didn’t understand it, but she knew that he would come back. Her hopes that maybe he was gone were crushed; he would always come back. He had shown that now.

She sat frozen, staring at Noah’s back as she sat on the bed. She knew she should get up, run, go and find Milo, but she couldn’t find her voice, much less her feet. She felt as though if she moved, she would simply break apart.
~!!~
Sage was silent, standing still as a statue and glaring at him as he scolded her. She didn’t know why she’d done what she did; she was angry, as was obvious from the way she was standing there, but not at him. She didn’t even know him. She was angry at herself, angry at Andrew, but not at him. But she was still her stubborn self, and she folded her arms across her chest, her chin jutting out defiantly as she looked at him. But finally she did kneel down and start to pick up the pieces of glass, though a few times she did cut herself.

She frowned slightly as a thought occurred to her. She glanced up at him, still standing there. “Are you---“ she began, but she wasn’t sure if she should say it. If he was her cousin, then surely he knew, but had Nicole been bitten by someone herself? She shook off the thought and went back to picking up the pieces, ignoring the way they dug into her skin. A drop of blood fell to the floor, but the cut wasn’t deep enough to bother her. She was only all too used to blood now.

Amelia walked through the forest. Her and Johnathan had decided that it was time to try and find Luna and give the dog back.

Johnathan walked next to her making sure Justin stayed close to them. He didn't want to lose his son again, especially not in the woods.

Justin had wanted to come along, cause he hadn't gotten to go with them anywhere out of the forest in a long time.

~~~
Monique followed behind them wondering what they were going to do with Isis. She stayed hidden and quiet as she followed.

Sergei looked at her. A smile on his face. "Okay." he whispered as he followed her in. He pulled his hand from hers and walked over to the freezer. "What do you want?" he asked as he looked over her. They didn't have much. They were living off of just his paycheck. Although he worked hard, he didn't have a very good job and it didn't pay all to well. But even though they needed the money, he didn't want her to get a job. She thought it would be better if she stayed home and raised the child, at least until it was in school. In any case he was prepared to get a second job. To work twice as hard, if only to give them a better life. She was right when she said he would make a good father. Even if he thought he was an awful brother.

It was obvious that he still felt guilty for letting Dimitri died with on a bad table. He had invited Dimitri's ex-girlfriend to his wedding. He had basically done everything in his power to make Dimitri's life miserable. And then he died thinking his little brother hated him. He couldn't remember how many times he cried to Vivian about that. And she just sat there and listened. He loved her even more for that.

He finally closed the freezer and pulled some pasta out of the cupboard. "Spaghetti sound good?" he asked as he looked at her, a smile playing on his lips.

~!!~
Cinder's eyes widened in surprise when she felt tears on her neck. Seth's tears. She pulled away as he tried to whip them away. It did no good. He leaned upward and pressed her lips to his cheeks. She could taste the tears on her lips. "Seth." she whispered. "No, don't cry. I'm sorry." she said as she kept pushing his tears off his cheeks. More just kept coming. "I'll be more careful. I promise." she said as her own eyes began to water. She really thought that she did something wrong. This was the first time she seen him cry. It was unnerving. "Please, Seth. I promise to be more careful." She said as she touched his cheek, leaving a bloody print on his cheek. "Please don't cry." But be then her own tears were running down her cheeks.

~!!~
"YOU'RE HYPOCRITE!" Benny suddenly shouted at her as he pulled away and began to pace once more. "You ask me if it is worth be chained to the Earth, but you say that it you didn't care if you died trying to kill Lawrence. What is the difference between this and that!?" he demanded. He looked at her. Then his eyes softened. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist. He knew he was being a moron. But he loved her, even if she didn't love him back.

~!!~
Mary's Jean's eyes widened as she feel to the ground. When he trapped her beneath him, she tried to kick upward, back the dress restricted her legs. So instead she pounded on his chest yelling for him to get off. But he didn't. Instead he started to touch her face. Tracing her lips, her nose. Every thing. "Stop!" she shouted at him. "Get off of me! I'm not Jane! I don't know why I look like her, so just get off!" she shouted as she began to pound of his chest once more. She had no idea that she was acting like Jane too.

~!!~
Christen looked at her. There was a sad look in his eyes. She couldn't look at him. He saw how she shook. How his presence hurt her. All because of what his father had done. He hated his father so much more now. Now he couldn't hold Gem without reminding her of him. So Christen stood up and disappeared. He stayed nearby, just out of sight.

~!!~
Caden pulled away from Ella. There was tears running down her face. "Stop it!" she shouted. "I need to do this. I need to be with Jasper." she cried as she fell to her knees again, sobbing. "I need to see him again." she cried. "Don't you get it? You died with your sister, and you are still with her. Why can't I?" she cried. "Please! I can't live without him! You don't know how it feels to loose your sibling! You never had to live like this!" he yelled as she stood back up and turned to run again.

~!!~
"JUST SHUT UP!" he shouted. Simon didn't look pleased. He was glaring at her now. "Just shut and go away!" he cried. "I DON'T KNOW!" he shouted. "I JUST DON"T KNOW!" He had door open again. "Don't you get it? I'm scared! How do you think I am going to take it! I lost you, then my sister. What am I suppose to do? Say go 'Let's go find her now'? No. I wouldn't be able to look at her. I can barely look at you!" he cried as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Please don't leave me again." he whispered. "Please. I'm scared."

~!!~
Trevor flinched when she asked if her missed her. He did. Very much so. Then she asked if she was the one to change her. He glared at her. A memory flashed before his eyes. Jennifer standing in front of him, her head titled. She was looking at him with sad eyes. It had been late, and he had gone to bed, but how did she get in? Trevor quickly shook that thought before he could remember the pain of her fangs in his skin. The last time he had seen her had been when she made him drink from her.

Trevor stepped forward and glared at her. "Your ever lasting talk unnerving!" he shouted. "I can't think at all and---" It was too much like Jenifer. She loved to talk. She would talk for hours and he would sit there and listen, holding her hand. Matter of a fact, the night he was going to ask her to marry him he had to wait three hours before he could. He had to---

He wanted to hit him self in the head with the book. Why was he letting this girl bring back memories?

~!!~
But Avril didn't stop. She kept crying those tearless sobs. "Daddy is gonna kill you." she said. "He won't let you live after you killed money. But I don't want you to die." she said, still sobbing. It was strange. Kit had wanted to kill Dustin after she watched him kill her family. But Avril had seen her kill her mom, and try to kill her dad two times. Yet she did not want her dead. She did not wish death upon anyone.

~!!~
Dimitri said nothing as he walked, still invisible, to Savstyan and Ember. He touched Ember's shoulder and glared at Savastyan. He stepped next to him and looked back at Jeremy. Dimitri needed to find a way to make sure he took her through that door, because it was anytime last time, he would.

Savastyan touched Ember's chin and made her look up at him. "What's wrong, love?" he asked as he kissed her again.

~!!~
Noah turned around and smirked at Anya. He took her wrists and pulled her up to her feet. "I'll take you to a place where my brother and your little stalker won't find you." he said as he picked her up, bridal style and walked over to Milo's open window. Even though they were on the second floor he had somehow managed to get them both out of the window and was now walking her down the hill.

Milo sat up. He had somehow fell asleep at his desk. He had stayed up half the night watching Anya sleep. He finally had her back. He stood up slowly and went to go check on her. But in front of his door he saw Ally slowly sitting up rubbing a knot on her head. She looked at him with wide eyes, and the story caming spilling out of her mouth.

~!!~
Addison looked at the blood. "Am I a vampire?" he asked. "No, your blood disgusts me." he said. "I won't drink it." he said. Trying not to look at the blood. The sight of blood made him feel sick. "I'm leaving." he said as his eyes fell to her hand and blood again. "Oh ---" he threw open the door and ran out of the room. A little girl stood in the door way. "What did you do to big brother?" she she asked.

Vivian’s thoughts were wandering as she followed him into the kitchen, glancing around the small area with a small smile on her face. She felt bad about him working so hard while she stayed home, but she had given up on saying anything about it. She was finally starting to warm up to the idea of being a mother. Although it still scared her, she already felt a strange attachment to the child inside of her that she didn’t even know yet. She felt as though she’d be lost if it wasn’t there.

She pulled herself out of her thoughts as he spoke and she nodded, finally letting go of his hand. “Yeah,” She said quietly. “I’ll help,” she said, leaning down and pulling a pot out of the cupboard. It slipped from her hands and clattered to the floor, making her jump. Her cheeks turned red as she quickly picked it up.
~!!~
Seth looked down at her, shaking his head slowly, but he couldn’t stop his own tears, much less hers. He could feel her blood on his cheek as he wrapped his arms around her tightly again, hating how weak he was. He had never cried in front of her before, and he didn’t want her to see him like this.

He pulled her closer, his shoulders shaking. He had always told her that things would be okay, and he wanted them to be. But he didn’t know how he was going to do it anymore, not with Alice so close by and just waiting to hurt her, not with her slowly losing herself. He felt as though he would fall apart if he let go of her.
~!!~
Haven flinched and watched him pace once more. His words made sense; she knew she was a hypocrite. Hadn’t Rufus called her the same thing? She had told him he couldn’t give up, but she had been about to do the same thing. Benny had saved her not once, but twice. If it weren’t for him, she’d have died back in that house the first time around. She shook off the thoughts and watched him, her eyes falling on the chains. She was so confused. She missed him so much when he was gone, even when she was so happy being around Rufus. But now Rufus was gone; as the words passed through her mind she felt the pain again, fresh as the first day. Her legs felt weak, and she felt as though she would fall down when suddenly she was being held up by someone else.

She felt his lips on hers, his arms around her waist. Her legs felt even weaker than before, and her mind was racing. Why was he doing this to her again?? She wanted to push him away; this wasn’t right. She was still in love with Rufus, even if he was gone. She didn’t respond for what seemed like the longest time, and then she pushed him away, stumbling back and finding her legs again. She was feeling too many things at once, but again her anger won out.

“Stop it!!” She shouted, glaring at him. She wanted to hit him, she wanted to hurt him, but instead she just stood there. “Don’t you get it?!” She shouted. “He’s dead! Rufus is dead! I loved him, and then you just show up, and start…start…” she shook her head, taking another step back. “I missed you when you were gone,” she said suddenly. “I missed you so much, more than it made sense to miss someone who annoyed me so much. But this isn’t fair!” she yelled. “I’m confused enough as it is!” She shouted. She felt strange; she slowly sank down on the front porch steps, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. “Just go away,” She mumbled. She hadn’t been out of her room for days, and her lack of food and sleep was finally catching up to her. “Just go,” she mumbled. “Please.”
~!!~
Sam didn’t even flinch; he seemed as though he couldn’t even feel her hitting him. Instead he slowly sat up, but he pulled her up with him, never once letting go. She was acting just like Jane; he didn’t understand it at all, but this was her; it had to be. Not Rainy. Not her.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her close to him. “You are,” He mumbled. “I don’t understand it, but you are. You have to be.” He sounded desperate now, almost pleading. He pulled back, but only slightly. He brushed her hair behind her ears and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. He was surprisingly gentle with her, as if he would break her if he did anything else. It was how he had always kissed Jane. He slowly pulled back, but his grip on her didn’t loosen, as if she would run away if he let go.

“You look like her,” He said quietly. “You even taste like her.” His features had softened, and he suddenly had his arms around her again. “You have to be her.” Again his voice sounded desperate, almost scared. “You have to be.”
~!!~
”Christen??” Gem asked quietly, looking up from where she sat. He was gone; something told her that he was still there, but he was trying not to let her see him. She slowly pulled her legs back up onto the bed, closing her eyes tightly. “I’m sorry, Christen,” she said quietly. “I am.” She knew it wasn’t fair to him to be scared, just because of his father. But she couldn’t help it. She just couldn’t.
~!!~
Ella flinched, knowing that her words were right. She didn’t know what to say to her; she didn’t think there was anything she could say. She stepped forward, but Alex was there now and acted before she could.

Alex grabbed Caden by the shoulders, but she was strangely gentle. “You’re not going anywhere,” She said quietly. “Caden, I’m not going to let you hurt yourself. Your father is hurting enough after Jasper’s death. I’m not going to let you do it to him all over again.” She looked uncomfortable now, but she continued. “Besides,” she said quietly. “I care about you, too. And you’re staying right here. You’re not going to hurt yourself. You’re not going to leave.” She shook her head and then wrapped her arms around her. “You’re not going to die,” She mumbled. “I’m not going to let you. I won’t.” Ella stood back, her eyes wide.
~!!~
December shook her head and turned on her heel to go when he hugged her. She froze, her eyes wide. He was so warm. She hadn’t hugged anyone in so long, that she wasn’t thinking as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. She was freezing. She didn’t understand why he was doing this; she didn’t know what he wanted her to do, what he wanted from her, but something told her that he didn’t, either.

“Simon,” She said quietly, but she didn’t know what else to say. She was so confused, and she was afraid to break whatever small amount of peace they had between them, even if it was only for a few moments.
~!!~
Jenny watched him with something like concern in her eyes. She’d always been able to worry about others even when she was the one in danger; it was another thing her brother had said would end up hurting her. She knew that she was pushing her luck, but now seemed like the only time she could talk to him without getting hit again.

“What was she like?” She asked suddenly. “Was she like you? Or was she different? People always say that opposites attract. Does that mean she was nice?” She was only kidding, but it was hard to tell just by looking at her. “How long ago was that picture taken?” She asked quietly. “How long were you married?” She knew that it was none of her business, but for some reason, she wanted to know. She couldn’t explain why, but she wanted to know something about him other than what he’d shown her, which wasn’t much other than he enjoyed hitting her in the head with books. She had always been curious. Her brother told her it would be the death of her.
~!!~
Kit stared at Avril as if she had never seen her before. She didn’t understand. If she were this girl, she wouldn’t have stopped. She would have kept drinking until she was dead, but she had. Her eyes widened at her words; she didn’t want her to die? Her mind was racing again, and her voice abandoned her.

She refused to believe that she was wrong about vampires. They’d killed her family, but in the past few days she’d realized that maybe not all were bad. She shook the thought off quickly, but it remained with the girl in front of her crying. “Stop,” she mumbled again, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. She needed to think, and she couldn’t do that with her crying.
~!!~
Ember didn’t kiss him back; she slowly pulled away, glancing behind her though no one was there. She slowly turned back to him, her face thoughtful. “You look like him,” She said suddenly. “Dimitri.” Saying his name seemed to bring her back, if only for a moment. She blinked in surprise and stepped back, only to bump into someone else. They shoved her forward again and she stumbled into Sevastyan, almost falling over. She quickly stepped back. “Sorry,” she mumbled. She looked far off again, but Jeremy was finally gone. She slowly relaxed, shaking her head.
~!!~
Anya’s eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. “No!” She shouted, but her voice was still too soft. When he picked her up she tried to get free, but she was too tired and weak. When they were walking down the hill her voice finally came back to her.

“MILO!” She shouted, shoving against Noah as hard as she could. “Let me go!” She yelled, glaring at him. “You’re no better than Joel if you do this!” She yelled. “Noah, let me go!!”
~!!~
”That’s not what I was going to---“ Sage began, when a little girl was suddenly standing there. She blinked in surprise, then shook her head, looking back down at the glass. “Nothing,” She mumbled. “Ask him.” She stood up and threw the glass away, wiping her hand on her jeans, leaving a red streak. She glanced back over at the door.

“Your little sister?” She asked, though something about her voice said that she didn’t really care.

Luke pulled up in front of the restaurant and got out of the truck. The old rust bucket kind of stood out in the parking lot. He laughed slightly as he walked over to her side if the truck. He opened the door and smiled at her. He found himself staring again. He looked away quickly as he offered her his hand. "You look... beautiful." he whispered softly. He didn't want to stop telling her that. He really did need better lines.

He led her into the restaurant where he kept sneaking glances at her while the waiter showed them a table.

~!!~
No. No. No! Cinder couldn't stand seeing him like this, didn't want to. She couldn't stand to know that this was her fault. It was all her fault. She remembered when she told him to stay, asked him to never leave. If she had never been so selfish and asked him to stay, he wouldn't be crying right now. He would be gone and forgetting her by now. She wanted, she needed him to be happy. If only him, he would be happy. It time for her to grow. She now saw how much like a child she been acting. Well that was going to change, starting today.

She pulled out of his arms and looked up into his eyes. She stepped away somehow willing the tears to stop when all she wanted to do was to cry into his chest. Why was she doing this? For him; for his happiness. "Seth, I think you should go." she said slowly. She hoped he didn't hear the doubt in her voice. She closed her eyes tightly. "You said you would leave if I told you too. So, go. Leave. Never come back." She hid her hands behind her back so he couldn't see them shaking. But she could nothing about the shaking of her voice as she attempted to be strong. "Just-- Wait!" she said suddenly. She knew what she was doing would be a mistake, but the thought of him forgetting her all together scared her. She pulled a necklace off her neck and stood on her toes to put it around his neck. She paused and tucked it into his shirt so he wouldn't have to see it. "Now go." she whispered.

~!!~
Benny froze when she sat down. "Haven." he whispered. He touched her back and the chains hit her in the back by mistake. He pulled back quickly and looked at her sadly. "Haven." he looked away then. "You asked me if it was worth it. Ask me again when you die and I'll be able to give you an answer then." he said as he left. He was planing on staying near her until the day she died. Even he just had to lurk, invisible. He loved her too much to leave her. But in a way she was right. He shouldn't be doing this to her. He was dead, after all.

~!!~
Mary Jean's eyes widened as he kissed her. It was soft, it was gentle, it was full of love, and it freaked her out. Whoever he thought she was, he really did love her. But now his love was misplaced. She wasn't her. But even as he he kissed her, she had a sudden urge to kiss him back. But she didn't, and instead she spat in his face when he pulled away. She didn't care who she tasted like. She just wanted him to let her go. "Let me go, Sam!" she shouted. She flinched. How did she know his name?

~!!~
Caden cried loudly as Alex hugged her. "NO! NO!" she cried trying to free herself. "He won't care! He wouldn't! He already left! HE LEFT ME! He only ever cared about Jasper. That was why he left me! He didn't care! He won't care if I died! He already left!" she cried. But suddenly she was clinging to Alex, crying into her shoulder. "He already left. Daddy is gone. Jasper is gone. I'm all alone." she whimpered.

~!!~
Simon was crying. "Why? Why me? What have I done to the universe? First I lose you, and I lose Brooke, and I lose my sanity. What did I do wrong? Was it because I fell in love with you? Because I still love you?" he asked between sobs. He shouldn't be crying. He always wanted to be the shoulder she leaned on. But in the end it was always her holding him up. He felt so lost without her. But he had been healing. And now he didn't think the wounds would ever heal again. He just needed her to stay. He knew it was wrong, but he was scared.

~!!~
"STOP IT!" Trevor yelled. "Just, please, just stop with all the questions." he said. It was strange, he almost never said please. He was looking down and his hands were shaking. "Just shut up!" he said, but his voice broke. "Stop it. Just stop." he said as he took another step back. "She was, she was, she was her." That was the best way he could describe it. "We were never married. I changed before we could." he said, still not telling her that it had been her. That she had been right. "The night before the wedding I was changed." he said softly. Then he glared at her.

"It's none of your business!" he shouted. But he could almost imagine that she was Jennifer... "She was the kindest. For the longest time I believed that she couldn't hurt a fly. I was wrong. I was wrong... And that nearly killed me. I let love blind me. I couldn't see her as she really was. Not until it was too late. Not until..." he paused and fingered his bite marks. He never understood why she just left him. Why didn't she just mate with him? It would be the same as marring him, right? She left me... She left me lost and confused. Lonely, too. I never did get to see her again after that. She was such a good actor." his voice took on a bitter tone. "I don't think she ever did love me."

~!!~
Kit looked up at her. "But what am I going to do? Daddy will make you suffer. He'll let you turn into a vampire, but he won't let me give you what you need to live. You'll die, very painfully." she cried and she was bawling again. "I'm scared." she cried as she suddenly threw her arms around her. "I'll make sure you live. Then you can be my mommy. You owe me that!" she cried, remembering how she killed her mother. How Lily had yelled at Kit to spare her. And how Kit was going to kill her, but she somehow got out.

~!!~
Sevastyan took her hand. "Come on." he said as he began to pull her along. "I want to get out of here." he said. He was no longer smiling. He was longer happy, flirty. He seemed deadly serious. He didn't take her to the main exit, though, instead he took her toward the back door. Dimitri tried to follow but he lost them in the crowds. Panic filled him as he looked for Jeremy.

~!!~
"Hush!" Noah yelled. They were too far away for Milo to hear. "You are mine. Don't you get it? For once I want the one thing big brother does not have. For one I will not come in second to my brother. For once I will have what I want. I want you. I did so many things for you. You never noticed me, your eyes were always on Milo. Everyone's eyes were on Milo." Jealously filled his voice. "I killed my brother for you!" he growled as he took her further away. "I'll have you." he said. He seemed to be going insane. His brother seemed to be making him insane.

~!!~
The girl smirked. "Addison has a weak smocath." she said as she looked at the blood. "Yesterday he puked for an hour after I put three worms in his cherry bowl. He almost ate one." she said smirking as she walked forward. "I'm Mandy. I'm the little sister." she said as she offered her a hand. Her smile was wide. "You are Sage? Cousin Nicole was worried about you." she said.

~!!~
Sergei spun around when he heard a loud crash and he ran forward picking up the pan. "Be careful." he reminded gently. With his free hand he carefully touched her belly. He smiled and pulled away and filled the pan with water. He laced it on the stove and turned it on. He looked over at Vivian. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Sammy kept her eyes anywhere but on him as they drove; she wasn’t sure why, but she felt as those if she did look at him she’d say something she’d regret. She was so confused; something about this felt so wrong, but something else felt right about it. This wasn’t all of him; the parts that remembered her were gone, but yet he was still here, wanting to be with her, at least for now. When he opened the door for her she smiled slightly at him, knowing full well that he could see how red her cheeks were. She stepped out and followed him inside, and when they sat down she glanced around, feeling strangely out of place.

She smiled slightly at him, but she found that she had no words to say. There were so many things that he didn’t remember anymore. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind. She wanted to think positive, if only for one night. Part of her wanted to run and hide, but she forced herself to stay. She wanted to be here.
~!!~
Seth froze at her words. He knew that he had said he would leave if she wanted him to, but he didn’t think she would. He was afraid to leave her; not just for himself, but for her. Alice was still here, and though she would probably be happy if he left her, that didn’t guarantee her safety. But he had promised her.

He slowly pushed himself to his feet, his cheeks still wet with tears. He froze as she clasped the necklace around his neck, and he closed his eyes tightly, fighting back the new wave of tears. He wouldn’t cry anymore. If this was what she wanted, he would do it. For her only.

He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “Take care,” he said quietly, pulling back. He smiled sadly at her. “Stay safe,” He said softly. He bit back the other three words he wanted to say, and instead closed his eyes and disappeared. He made his way slowly out of the house, as if at any moment Alice could show up to hurt her. He didn’t want to leave; he wanted to make sure she was safe. But what else could he do?
~!!~
Haven didn’t open her eyes as he touched her back, not even at his words. When she finally did stand up she slowly made her way inside, closing the door behind her. She walked into the kitchen and stared down at her hand, and slowly pulled out the pieces of glass. Blood welled up, fresh and new, and she let the water wash over her hand before wrapping it up clumsily. She slowly made her way upstairs and into her room. She saw Cinder still standing there and she hesitantly took a step closer.

“I’ll clean up in here,” She said quietly. “You can go.” She still felt strange, and her stomach ached and felt strangely empty. She made her way to her bed and sat down on the edge, looking down at the shredded pictures on her floor. What she had done slowly hit her; all her photos of her family were gone. She had been acting like a child. She closed her eyes, fighting back the tears before standing up and picking up the three pieces of a photo by her bed. She set them down and smoothed them out, and dug around in her drawers. A few moments later she had a crudely taped photo of her and her sisters, and her parents in the background. She set it down on her pillow and glanced back at Cinder in silence.
~!!~
Sam’s eyes widened again; he hardly seemed to notice what she’d done, just that she’d said his name. “I never told you my name,” He said slowly. “How could you know it if you’re not her?” He asked, and for a moment he looked happy. His face lit up like a child’s, and he wrapped his arms around her again. “You are her. You have to be,” He whispered. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. How else could you know??”
~!!~
”You’re wrong,” Alex said quietly when she was silent again. “Your father cares for you more than you know. I know he does. He’ll come back. I know he will.” She felt strange, awkward, standing her and holding her. But at the same time she knew it was okay. “And you’re wrong again, Caden. You’re not all alone, not anymore. Because weather you like it or not, you’re stuck with me. Me and Ella. And no matter what happens, I’m not going to let you go.” The words sounded strange coming out of her mouth, and she felt Ella’s questioning glance, but she continued. “I care about you, Caden. You’re almost like another sister to me, and as long as I’m here, you know you’ll always have somebody.” She slowly disentangled herself from her, but she stayed standing close. “So don’t go running off anymore.” Ella bit back the words she wanted to say; Alex actually looked close to tears. “Got it?”
~!!~
December didn’t know what to do. She felt more confused than ever, and she wished she had never come here. He still loved her? The words both comforted her and worried her. She wanted him to move on, but at the same time she felt selfishly happy that he still felt for her as she did for him.

“I’m sorry, Simon,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t know what else she could say; she felt horribly guilty. “Simon, I don’t want to hurt you anymore,” she whispered. “But it’s too late for that, isn’t it?”
~!!~
Jenny abruptly closed her mouth when he said please, her eyes wide. She bit her lip to keep from speaking as he did. She had a feeling that she was the first person he’d told this to, and that made her nervous. When he was finished, she slowly stood up. “Trevor, I’m sorry,” she said quietly. She didn’t know what else to say to him; she couldn’t understand what it felt like to be hurt like that. She’d never loved anyone, so how could she?

“Maybe…” She bit her lip, searching for the right words. Surprisingly, when she actually did need them, they didn’t come. She shook her head and slowly picked up his book. “I’ll buy you another book,” She mumbled. “I really will. I’ll get the money somehow, and---“ she shook her head slowly, handing it to him. “I’m sorry.” She wasn’t sure why, but suddenly she was speaking again. She felt as though she had to tell him something to make up for what he’d told her.

“My brother changed me,” she said suddenly. “He came home one night, and at first I thought he was just drunk, but then…” She shrugged, touching her own bite marks. “He came back after three days and finished the job, then he left. And then….” She bit her lip, but she couldn’t stop her next words. “then my mom came in after I was changed. And I---I felt so…so thirsty. That’s all I can think of how to describe it. And then I…I killed her.” She shrugged, staring down at her feet. “I killed her, and then I left, and eventually found my way here.” She looked back up at him, forcing a smile. “I know you probably don’t care, but I just felt like I should tell you something, since you did….” She trailed off at the end, and then she was talking again.

“You know, Trevor, I didn’t know her, but maybe there was something you didn’t know. Maybe it wasn’t an act. Maybe she really did love you; in that picture she looked as happy as you did, at least to me. I don’t know why she did what she did; I don’t know her. But maybe there was a reason.” She fell silent again, sitting down on the edge of her bed.
~!!~
Kit was so confused; her mind was racing faster than she could keep up with. The thing that had her arms wrapped around her was a monster, but was she any better? She didn’t know anymore. She had killed her family, just as her father had killed hers. Before it had seemed like the only thing she could do, but now she didn’t know. She didn’t know anything anymore.

She slowly pushed the small girl away, shaking her head slowly, one hand still pressed to her neck. She didn’t want to die; she had been so prepared to do it before, to die to kill Dustin, but now she felt fear, so real and powerful that it was all she could do not to cry. She didn’t want to become like them, but she didn’t want to die, either.

“I can’t,” she mumbled. “I’m---“ she could hardly believe the next thing she said. “I’m sorry for what I did to you,” she whispered. For once, she saw a person instead of a monster in front of her. She didn’t choose to be this way, just as Kit didn’t choose to end up this way. “I am. But…but I don’t…” She didn’t know what to say. Of course Dustin wouldn’t let her keep her alive; she would do the same in his place. “You should go back,” she mumbled. “Go back to your dad. Before he finds you here with me.”
~!!~
Ember didn’t seem to notice the change in his attitude, and if she did, she didn’t show it. She followed him in silence, feeling lost in the crowd. She was feeling strange, and she couldn’t tell if it was from the drink in her hand or not. She glanced up at him as they stepped outside, and the noise slowly faded from behind her, leaving her ears ringing. “Where are we going?” She asked, almost absentmindedly.

Jeremy was growing impatient. He had his arms folded across his chest, pacing back and forth in front of the door. Where were they? Why hadn’t they come out yet? He shook his head and made his way back inside. He didn’t care what Dimitri had told him; he was going to find her and get her out of here himself.
~!!~
Anya’s eyes were wide as she stared up at him. “Noah, I loved him. I can’t help that. I didn’t even know that either of you…that either of you even knew who I was.” She had stopped struggling against him, and she shook her head slowly. “Noah, I’m still my own person. And you killed Milo for you, not me!” she yelled. “You’re the reason he’s dead and didn’t get to live a long life! You’re the reason!” She cried. It was strange, how her voice came back to her now when it would do her no good. “Noah, this isn’t going to do a thing,” she whispered. “It’s only going to make things worse, can’t you see that?” but even as she said it she knew that he couldn’t.
~!!~
Sage couldn’t help it; she laughed. It was the first time she’d laughed since leaving Andrew, and she quickly silenced herself, though a smirk remained on her lips. She shook her hand with the one that wasn’t cut, and nodded. “Nice to meet you,” She said. When she mentioned Nicole she flinched, but nodded. “Yes, I went to see some family,” She said quietly. “But I’m back now, as you can see.”
~!!~
Vivian’s cheeks turned an even brighter red as he touched her stomach, and she shrugged. “I’m fine,” She said quietly, though it wasn’t entirely true. Lately she had been feeling strange, as if something were wrong. She knew it was probably all in her imagination, but something still felt off somehow. “You don’t need to worry about me so much you know,” She said quietly. “Really. I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”

"Thank you." he said softly when they handed them the menus. He looked at Sammy. He was smiling widely. "Thank you for coming with me." he told her. "You have no idea how much this means to me." He closed his eyes for a moment. He paused. He looked unsure. "Do you, do you mind telling me more of what I can't remember." Because he really did want to remember. He really did. He needed to remember. He needed to know every dream he had of her wasn't in vain. He needed to know why he loved her so. And he did, he just didn't have the guts to tell her just yet. But he wanted to.

~!!~
Cinder looked at Haven, tears in her eyes. She didn't try to stop them any longer. She ran forward when she looked back at her. "I made him cry. I was hurting him." she cried as she hugged her. "I was hurting him. So I made him leave. Now he is gone and I am alone once more." she cried as she clung to her. She knew she was gonna regret this. But it was best for him. But she was so scared. Would Alice still try to kill her if Seth wasn't here? What if her father came back? She would have to face all this on her won. And she clung tighter to her.

~!!~
Mary Jean could feel tears of frustration slip down her cheeks. "Sam, I'm not Jane. You have to believe me..." She stopped. She didn't think it would work, no matter how many times she tried it. She sighed. "Yes, Sam. I'm back." she whispered. Maybe he would get bored and let her go if she just played along. She went still, no longer trying to get free. What was the point? She was so small compared to him,so weak compared to him. "Sam." she whispered softly.

~!!~
Caden looked at her. She was still crying. "This isn't the first time he left me." she said before she ran pass then into the house. She didn't want to admit it, but she was right. But she didn't want them. She wanted daddy. She wanted to be his little girl again. She wanted Jasper, and the way he would read to her in the middle of the night if she had nightmares. Sure, she had Alex and Ella, but they weren't who she wanted. Who she needed.

She slammed the bedroom door behind her.

~!!~
Simon looked down at her. He said nothing, but his eyes showed that she has. He didn't want to let her go. She was hear, she was touchable, and the moment he let go he would find out this was all a dream. He rested his chin on top of her head. "Please tell me you are real."he begged. "If you are just a dream I will put myself beside you." he whispered.

~!!~
His anger just seemed to leave him. "There was no reason. If there was a reason, do you think she would just leave me? If you think if there was a reason, she wouldn't tell me?" He shook his head. "If there was, I would really like to know it. But there is no reason. I can't think of any. And no matter how much I would like to believe she loved me, I know she didn't, or she wouldn't of have done this to me." he said and closed his eyes. He was thinking long and hard. "Your brother was stupid. If he really cared about you, then he would of killed you. No good this young should have to live a life,forever, like this." he said as he held the book close to his chest.

He turned and walked toward the door. "Don't even bother about the book. It's over fifty years old.I had it since middle-school. I doubt they make them, much less sell them any more."

~!!~
Avril looked at her with sadness in the eyes. She reached out and grabbed her wrist. "No." she said softly. "You'll die." she sounded so scared. "I don't want you to die." she cried. She looked around. "You have to promise you'll meet me back here in three days." she said. "You have to! That is the only way I'll leave you. Kay?" she asked as her grip tightened.

~!!~
"Somewhere, quiet." Sevastyan said as he led her to his car which he had parked back here. "Quiet and far a way." he said as he helped her into the passenger side of the car. He was frowning deeply now. "I'm so glad you came here tonight. I been here, every other night waiting for you. I was about to quit. But there is something I want to show you."she said as he started the car and sped out of the parking lot.

Dimitri ran toward Jeremy. There was a frown on his face. "I was wrong. He took her out the back door." he said in a panic. He didn't know what Savastyan was planing.

~!!~
Noah dropped her then and pinned her to the ground with his boot. "NO!" he shouted at her. "He died because of you!" she screamed at her. "It is your fault! It is your fault for being so innocent, so---so. For making you want you. It is your fault for looking at him the way you did! It is your fault for showing up in the first place!" he shouted. "He didn't have to die... It's his fault for being the favorite. It's his fault for being fault so perfect! It's his his fault for being born!" he looked like he was crying now, but he was glaring down at her. "He didn't have to die. I didn't have to kill him. I didn't want to, but he left me little choice. BUT IT IS NOT MY FAULT!" he yelled.

~!!~
Mandy smirked. "You should help me later. I want to do more then just put worms in his cherries." she said as looked at them with disgust. "I have no idea how he can eat those things all the time. He is addicted to them." she said,her frown deepening. Then her smile widened. "Please play with me tomorrow?" she said as she walked over toward the door. "It will get you out of the house. My dad is strict on clean, if you out of the house he will have a hard time making you clean." she said.

~!!~
Sergei laughed slightly. "You are telling me not to worry about you?" he asked as he dropped the pasta in the pan. "You do know that you make me worry without even trying, right?" he asked as he stirred the pasta. He smiled at her. "But I love you anyway." he whispered softly.

Sammy stared down at her hands, nodding silently. ‘Sure,” she said quietly, for lack of better words. She glanced up again just as he spoke again and she froze. This was exactly what she had wanted to avoid, but what had she been expecting? He didn’t remember her hardly at all, so what else could they have talked about?

But she didn’t know what to tell him. He refused to believe anything about time-travel, not that she could blame him. She wouldn’t have believed it herself before meeting Ash. She bit her lip, staring down at her hands. “Well, we---“ She cut herself off, again losing her words. The first time they had met she had been yelling at him, demanding him to take her back to save Ash. Then Cole. The thought of him made her hands clenched into tight fists under the table, and she shook her head quickly. “We---We didn’t---“ She shook her head slowly, letting out a long, shaky breathe. She didn’t know what to say to him that he would believe.

Another thought hit her then; what about Robin? Her stomach twisted and she stared down at her hands again. Luke probably didn’t remember her, but what about Robin? It all suddenly felt wrong, so very wrong. She closed her eyes tightly, searching for the right words. She pushed her chair back, standing up so fast that it fell to the floor. “I---I have to---I have to go,” She stammered, her voice thick with tears. She cursed under her breathe, wiping them away with the back of her hand. She shook her head quickly. “I’m so—sorry,” she mumbled. “I am. I need to---I can’t---“ She shook her head and walked quickly to the door, but as soon as she was outside she was running. She didn’t look back; she wasn’t thinking clearly. If she had been, maybe she would have realized how stupid it was of her to run in the part of town that she didn’t even know. She just needed to think; she knew that Luke would probably not want to talk to her after this, and the thought made her slow down slightly. When she finally looked up again, she was far from the restaurant, far from anyone, actually. She felt the tears slipping down her cheeks and she slowed down until she could finally breathe again.

There was no one around; only a few empty alleyways and old run-down buildings. She had gone farther than she knew. She knew that she should have been paying more attention when she heard footsteps behind her. A hand clamped down over her mouth before she could move, pulling her into the nearest alley. Soon it was almost as if it were dark; it was dimly-lit, and the only thing around them was an old dumpster. She bit down hard on the hand and heard a muffled curse behind her, and she spun around, but the face that she saw was anything but what she expected.

“Drew?” she asked quietly. He smiled at her, the smile that she had tried to hard to forget but had never been able to.

“Hello, Sammy.” He took a step closer, until her back was pressed against the wall. “You look beautiful,” He said softly, and his eyes traveled up and down her figure until she wished she’d worn a longer dress. She glared at him, trying to swallow down her fear.

“You’re following me,” She said quietly, though it wasn’t a question. “You’re pathetic, Drew,” She said, trying to gather her courage. Even though she was stronger than most her age, she had learned before that he was stronger than she was. She couldn’t believe he was here; it didn’t make any sense. He stepped closer, and she ducked down and kicked out at him, but he had gotten faster, too. He grabbed her arms and pinned her to the wall, her arms above her head. He was too close for her to kick him; she suddenly saw herself here again, but in another town, another year, another day. She closed her eyes tightly, feeling sick to her stomach.

“You know, Sammy, it seems as though every time I turn around you have another boy with you,” He whispered. “But you ran out on him. Why is that?” He mumbled, leaning closer and kissing her neck. She bit back a scream and glared at him instead. If only looks could kill.

“It wasn’t for you,” she hissed. “Drew, go home. Leave me alone. You know that whatever we had was over long ago. I’ve moved on; do the same.” She knew that she was pushing her luck, and the way his grip on her wrists tightened only showed that. But she didn’t care. “You’re disgusting,” She continued, never once taking her eyes off of him. “You know that I hate you, don’t you? But you still keep coming back. It’s sad, really. You should be able to find someone else, since you’re oh so charming.” Her words were dripping with sarcasm, but if he noticed he didn’t show it. He loosened his grip, but only slightly, and that was all she needed. She pulled out of his grasp and ran. She didn’t make it far; again she was reminded of another day in another town, when the same thing had happened. He spun her around roughly, and she knew that she had gone too far with her words.

“I don’t believe it,” He said quietly, and she felt the pain before he even reached his hand back. The noise seemed unnaturally loud, and she tasted blood in her mouth. “I don’t. You don’t hate me, Sammy.” She spit the blood out on the ground, and felt his grip on her shoulders tighten. “I know you don’t.” She was silent, her cheek burning.

“I do,” She mumbled, turning back to him and glaring. “You’re insane. I should have seen it before.” She closed her eyes, and felt the pressure on her shoulders release. When she opened her eyes he was standing in front of her, still as a statue. She hesitantly took a step away from him, but he reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“Your arm healed, I see,” She spat, and suddenly he smiled. She froze as he pulled her closer to him. She stumbled and fell against him, but he just smiled still.

“Yes, your boyfriend enjoyed breaking bones, didn’t he?” he mumbled, pulling back slowly. “But you know, he’s not the only one who can do that.” She heard a sickening crack, and then she felt the pain. A burning, searing pain, worse than any she had ever felt before. She screamed, louder than she knew she could, but either no one heard her or no one cared. She cradled her broken wrist close to her chest, pulling away from him as tears of pain streamed down her cheeks. She found herself right back where she’d started, her arms pinned above her head. He pressed down harder on her wrist and she felt sick to her stomach with pain. He seemed to enjoy it, for his smile only grew larger. She didn’t have time to move before he kissed her, and she didn’t care anymore. She just wanted the pain to go away.
~!!~
Haven stiffened up as Cinder wrapped her arms around her. She didn’t know what to do; she slowly patted her on the back, shaking her head slowly. She didn’t know what to say, what to do. The only people she had ever been able to comfort were her sisters, and even then it had made her uncomfortable.

“Cinder..” she said quietly, and then she sighed. She remembered what she’d said to Benny the night that Rufus died, that her family was dead. But it wasn’t true entirely; Cinder was still her family. “You’re not alone,” she finally said quietly. It seemed almost ironic that she was here comforting her when she felt so broken herself. “You’re not. I’m not going anywhere.” She knew it wouldn’t be much comfort, not after she’d locked herself in her room for so long and scared her, but it was all she could do now.

She wanted to get better, if only for Cinder. She knew that she couldn’t help herself anymore, but maybe she could help Cinder. She was losing herself, if she hadn’t already done it, and for some reason Haven felt guilty for not helping sooner. She bit her lip and shook her head quickly, as if to chase off her own guilt.
~!!~
Sam’s grip on her only tightened at her words. “Jane,” He mumbled, resting his chin on her shoulder. He wasn’t thinking clearly any longer; he hadn’t done that for a long time, and now all he could think was that she really was back. Rainy didn’t even cross his mind any longer; it was as if she had never even existed. He slowly pulled back, but he kept his hands on her shoulder. He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, before kissing her on the lips again. It was almost as if he had to convince himself that she really was there, that she wouldn’t disappear.

“Jane, I’m sorry,” He whispered, and suddenly his arms were around her again. “I’m so sorry. I never meant for things to turn out this way,” He whispered, though just what he was referring to he didn’t say. He just held her tighter. “Jane, I never wanted any of this to happen. But I’m happy that it did,” He whispered. “If I had grown up with you, I never would have grown to love you. Not like this.” It was easy to see that he was gone long ago; he never would have said that before, never would have even thought of it.
~!!~
Alex watched her go in silence, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. Ella shook her head slowly, taking a step forward.

“Alex…” She whispered, but her sister only shook her head and smiled.

“It’s fine,” She said quietly. “Maybe she’s right, after all. It was stupid to think that I could make her feel better.” Ella shook her head quickly.

“No, that’s not what I mea---“ but Alex cut her off again.

“I know. It’s okay.” She said quietly. “I’m going to go for a walk, okay?” She asked quietly. “I need to think. Stay here with Caden, please, and make sure she doesn’t try to run again.” Ella just nodded and watched as her sister slowly turned back the way she had come before turning back into the house. She sat down on the couch near the fireplace, closing her eyes. She didn’t know what to do any longer.

Alex made her way to the graveyard again. She knelt back down by Isaac’s grave, closing her eyes and leaning her forehead against the cool stone. She sighed, shaking her head at herself. “I don’t suppose you know what I should do,” She mumbled. She was happy that he was happy, but she felt lost without him. She still loved him, even if the same heart loved Dominic. She sighed, closing her eyes tighter, but the tears still fell.

“I know I’m being stupid,” She mumbled, sitting back and wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. “But I miss you. I hope you’re happy wherever you are, with your family,” She said quietly. She often came here and spoke to him, even if she knew he couldn’t hear her. It helped her clear her mind, which was exactly what she needed right now.
~!!~
December shook her head slowly. “I’m not a dream,” She whispered. She pushed her tears back and hesitated, trying to push back the feelings and thoughts she was having now. She saw him with that girl again, saw him yelling at her, yet she knew it wasn’t his fault. She wasn’t thinking as she looked up at him, kissing him on the cheek. “See?” She whispered. “I’m real. If I wasn’t, would I be able to do this?” She kissed him on the forehead. “Or this?” She knew how selfish she was being; she knew that after this any chance he had of forgetting her was probably gone, but she knew that she loved him, and that was all that she was thinking of right now.

She pressed her lips to his for the first time in so long, wrapping her arms around him once again. She pulled back after a moment. “See? Real,” She whispered against his lips. She quickly pulled away, but she didn’t apologize. It wouldn’t change a thing, and for once, she wasn’t sorry.
~!!~
Jenny was silent again, a strange achievement for her, and she flinched slightly at the mention of her brother. In a way, he was right. But she had clung to the hope that she might find him again ever since she’d left home, if he was even still alive. She had no idea where he would have gone, and she had given up finding him when she came here.

“I’m sorry,” She mumbled again as he turned for the door. She shook her head slowly, but the small movement only made it throb again. She flinched, rubbing her head where she’d been hit with the book. She felt like a child, though that was what she always had been.
~!!~
Kit didn’t understand at all. She had killed this girl’s mother, yet here she was, worried about weather or not she lived? When her grip tightened she just nodded. “I promise,” She mumbled, but in truth she didn’t know if she would. Both of her fears were weighing each other out. She was so confused; maybe in three days she would understand more.

“I promise,” she repeated again, her voice stronger than before. “I do.” She bit her lip, turning her face away from her to keep from saying anything else that she might regret later. She hardly even understood herself anymore, and she was afraid of what she might say.
~!!~
Only when they were driving away did Ember seem to really think things through. His words didn’t make sense to her, even in her dazed stupor; he had been waiting for her? She frowned, sitting up straight and looking over at him. “Show me what?” She asked quietly, though something told her that he wouldn’t tell her. She knew that she shouldn’t be here, that she should be scared, but she wasn’t. Nothing scared her anymore; nothing seemed to matter to her anymore.

Jeremy cursed under his breathe. “You idiot!” He yelled, though weather he was talking to him or himself it wasn’t clear. He made his way to the back door, but there was no one there when he stepped outside.
~!!~
Anya cried out as she hit the ground, and she struggled to sit up, but his boot held her down. She flinched with each word he spoke, but she shook her head slowly. “You’re wrong,” she whispered. “I’m not the one who took his life from him. You’re the one who did it, Noah.” She knew that she was pushing her luck, but she didn’t care, not now. She didn’t want to blame herself anymore, not for this. “I was dead before him. It’s not my fault that you were jealous of him,” She whispered. “The only reason he died is because of you, and you alone. You had a choice; you always had a choice, but you chose to kill him.”
~!!~
Sage couldn’t help but smile; for some reason she thought she could get along with this girl. She hesitated, but the nodded. “Sure,” She mumbled, leaning down and picking up more of the glass. She glanced up at her again. “And I’ll help you with whatever it is you’re planning for your brother,” She added, smirking again.
~!!~
Vivian smiled slightly and shook her head. “I really don’t want you to worry, though,” She said quietly, though she doubted her words were doing any good. She walked over to him, but kept her distance from the stove. “Anything I can help with that I won’t mess up too badly?” She asked quietly.

Brooke wondered the halls of the old house before she finally stepped back into the empty living. She smiled at Leslie as she down across from him. "Hey." she said, ignoring the fact she held a small fear for him. She moved over so she was sitting next to him, against the wall. She let out a small yawn and closed her eyes. A few moments later she fell asleep and her body leaned against Leslie's.
~!!~
Luke watched her as she stood up with tears in her eyes. "Sammy." he whispered as she said she couldn't stay. Then she left. He stood up slowly. He looked so confused. What had he done. He was just trying to remember, she wanted him to remember, didn't she? What had he done? What could he do? He sighed and quickly waved for the waiter to give the table to someone else. He was going to stay, and he wasn't going to leave without her. By the time he ran out of the restaurant, she was already out of sight. He looked at a couple that was just walking in and asked if they had seen her. He had to find her no matter what.Maybe if he told her she would would feel better. But he had to find her first. It was like one of his dreams. He was standing alone in the dark as he watched her walk away.

He shook his head and ran in the direction pointed out to him. He had to find her. He really did. "Sammy!" he yelled as he ran faster. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. "Sammy!" he yelled louder. He needed to find her. That was when he heard the voice. He turned into ally. "Sam-" he paused. He glared at Drew who had her pinned to the wall. "Who are you!?" he shouted. He didn't remember him. He ran forward and pulled Drew away. "Don't touch her!" he shouted as anger pooled out of him. He threw Drew against the wall an glared. "Are you okay, Sammy?" he asked.
~!!~
Cinder looked up at her. "Have, you won't leave, will you?" She didn't know what she would do if Have left her. She had lost so much and she was feeling all alone. Even Haven seemed so far away. She was having her own troubles and she was breaking, but Cinder just leaned on her. She closed her brown eyes and pulled away. "Please don't leave me! I can't do this! I don't know how!" Her tears were pouring down her cheeks now. "Please." she cried as she tried to whip her tears away.

She had to be strong. She had to take care of herself now. Seth was gone. She had made him leave and now he wasn't here to hold her and make her smile anymore. She wanted him back, but this was for his own good. She wouldn't be the one that broke him like that. She wouldn't be the one that made him cry again.
~!!~
Mary Jean froze. "Sam." she whispered as tried to wiggle out of his arms. "What are talking about? What happened? You're hurting me." she whispered. "Please, let me go." With any luck, maybe he would realize that she wasn't Jane, just because she had no idea what he was talking about. But did she really want to know? Wasn't that kind of like prying? Why did it mattered. He was here thinking she was someone else, she had a right to know who he thought she was.
~!!~
Hands reached around Alex, grabbing her wrist so her arms wrapped around her, just as his was. He pulled her against his chest and kissed the top of her head. "No, I don't know what you should do." Issac whispered in her ear. It has been so long since he had last held her. So long since he had last spoken her name. So long since he had last seen her face. And he was happy to do so again, A ghost of a smile on his lips. "You know you really don't have to tell me you are stupid. I already know that." he said as he held her closer and kissed the tip of her ear. "I was happy with them, but I am just as happy with you. That was true, but he would just like to know how he got back, why he was back. He was confused, and happy. He was back, but now his family was out of his reach again.
~!!~
Simon's eyes widened, but he didn't hesitate to kiss her back. But when she pulled back he didn't know what to do. He wanted to hold her closer, but she pulled away. In the end he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him. "Don't leave me. You can't leave me again. You have to promise." he said.He looked at her with pleading eyes. He needed her. He needed her more then his breathe. If he couldn't see her, he would surely suffocate. He held her close. December you don't understand how much I missed you when you died. How I felt. You will never under stand that." he said. "Please. I don't want to lose you anymore." And with those words, any moving a long he had made was gone. He was back to square one.
~!!~
Avril smiled slightly. "Thank you." she whispered. Then she ran off. Twigs broke under her feet as she ran. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. She never made a vampire before. But now she had no choice. But she knew her father was going to kill her. This was going to make him so mad. But he wasn't going to let Kit die.
~!!~
Sevastyan shook his head. "Something, sharp." he mumbled to himself as he took a sudden corner that took them into the woods. He drove faster then he should, and he didn't care. He just pressed his gas pedal down and drove faster. Soon he pulled in front of an old, run down house. He stepped out quickly, opened her door, and dragged her out. He gripped her tightly as he pushed her inside the house, flickering lights coming to life as he flicked the switch. The house was mostly empty, no sign of life. He stepped forward after locking the door. I want you to write something as he gestured to the only piece to the only thing in the room. A desk. He pushed her toward it. On it laid a piece of paper and a pen. And not far from that laid a knife. Before she could do anything, he picked up the knife and pressed the blade to her back. "I want you to write a letter to you mom saying you are dead. Gone and buried in front of this house." he said as recalled the hole he had dug out front. "WRITE!" he shouted at her. "You brought this onto yourself." he whispered.

~!!~
"SHUT UP!" Noah shouted as he yanked her up and shook her hard. "I killed him for you! I did! It's your fault! I would of played your Milo." he cried. "I would of have played him for you. I would of done anything for you!" he was shouting. Then there was a loud sound as he hit her across the face. "YOU SEE IT! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU! HOW MUCH I CARE FOR YOU!" he shouted.

~!!~
A grin broke out on Mandy's lips. "Kay!" she said happily. "But nothing with nuts... I tried that once." she said with a deep frown. "Mama freaked out when he began to choke." she mumbled. Then she was smiling again. "I wished that had worked. Oh, and Addison isn't a bad guy. Don't hate him because he seems stuck up. Hate him because he is an idiot." she said as she paused in the door way.

~!!~
Sergei frowned. "I'm not sure." he said. "Could you set the table with out hurting you and/or the tableware?" he asked with a smirk. He looked at her and his eyes softened. "Everything will be okay. We will give the baby a good life." he whispered as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Sammy heard another voice break through Drew’s, and her eyes snapped open. “Luke,” She breathed, and when Drew was pulled off of her she cried out, holding her broken wrist close to her chest. “I’m fine,” She gasped, trying not to scream. She didn’t remember anything hurting this bad before. Drew flinched and hit his head on the bricks, but then he slowly stood up straight. Sammy barely saw him; she was staring at Luke with a mixture of emotions on her face. Gratitude, frustration, pain. She slowly pulled herself off of the wall, the copper taste of blood still in her mouth.

“Luke, we need to go. Now,” She whispered, but she didn’t move. It was almost as if she’d forgotten how to move. Her wrist was throbbing, and she bit her lip, trying to focus on any other pain but that. She didn’t see Drew moving again until he was behind Luke; he brought the brick down on his head faster than Sammy could follow, and he fell to the ground. She felt frozen as she saw the blood around his head, then turned her eyes back to Drew. He slowly dropped the brick, staring at his own hands as if he didn’t now what he had done. But she knew him; she knew him more than she wanted to, and she could see that he didn’t regret it. He looked almost pleased with himself.

“Sammy---“ he began, but she barely heard him. She was staring at Luke’s still form, and for a moment she wondered if he was dead. He looked it; the amount of blood was frightening her. She spun back around and shoved Drew back with her one good arm, picking up the fallen brick at his feet. It was heavy and her broken wrist screamed in pain, and it had Luke’s blood on it, but she wasn’t thinking clearly. It slipped from her hands before she could even think of what she had planned to do with it. She spun back around and knelt down next to Luke, her hand shaking as she turned him around. She didn’t have anything to stop the bleeding, and she pressed her one good hand down on the wound, but all it did was stain her hand red. Tears blurred her vision as she looked back up, meeting Drew’s eyes. He looked back at her in silence, and all her words left her. She looked back down at Luke; she didn’t have her phone. She couldn’t call for help.

She looked back down at Luke, shaking her head slowly. The only sign that he was still alive was the slight rise and fall of his chest. “I’m sorry,” She whispered. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She pushed herself to her feet, turning back to Drew. He was still standing in the same spot as before, staring down at the blood-stained brick at his feet. Sammy didn’t know what she had planned to do as she stepped towards him; one of her hands was useless, and she wasn’t thinking clearly, but she didn’t know what else to do.
~!!~
Leslie glanced up as a voice reached his ears, and he actually found himself smiling as he saw Brooke. Lately it seemed almost as if his sane side was coming back; he no longer seemed like he did the first night he’d talked to her. He himself didn’t know that he had changed much; it had seemed as though after losing his sisters nothing else mattered, but he wasn’t sure who he had been lately. He felt as though he had been watching someone else instead of doing those things himself. He felt guilty, more than he had in a long time.

When she sat down next to him he nodded, but he didn’t say anything. Soon she was asleep, leaning against him. His smile slowly faded, but he wasn’t frowning, either. Carefully, almost as if he were afraid he would break her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and rested his chin on top of her head.
~!!~
Haven just nodded, but she was barely listening to her anymore. She knew that she should help her; and she wanted to. But she was afraid to get too close to her. Lately it seemed as though everything she loved was being taken away from her. She didn’t want to feel that pain again, but Cinder was looking at her so desperately at her now that she didn’t know what else to do.

“I won’t leave, Cinder,” She mumbled, closing her eyes, tired from all the tears she’d shed lately. She was feeling strange again, and she slowly pulled away from her. “I’ll finish cleaning up in here,” She said quietly. It was strange, but she already missed Benny. She shook her head; she was confused enough as it was! Why did he have to show up again?? She sighed, standing up again. “I won’t leave, Cinder,” she said again quietly. “It’ll be okay,” She said, though she knew it was lie; how could she promise that? “You should get some rest,” She said quietly, though she knew it was her who needed rest as well. “I’ll finish here. Okay?” She asked quietly.
~!!~
But Sam didn’t answer her. His grip loosened, but only slightly. He wasn’t thinking clearly any longer; he hadn’t for a long time. He couldn’t remember the way things used to be, what normal even was. He didn’t care, either. He mumbled something under his breathe, but not loud enough for her to hear. He finally pulled back, but only slightly.

“You don’t remember what happened?” He finally asked quietly. “I thought you were dead,” He whispered. Her death had haunted his dreams since it happened; that was part of the reason why he was acting so strange now. He hadn’t gotten any sleep. “But you’re here. You’re really here.”
~!!~
Alex froze in his grasp. His voice was as familiar as if she had only heard is yesterday, even though he’d been gone for months now. His touch was so familiar, and she didn’t realize just how much she’d missed him until now. She didn’t understand what was going on; for a moment she thought that she was only imagining it, but it felt too real to all be in her head.

“Isaac,” she whispered, holding him close. “Isaac, what are you doing here?” She asked quietly. “I thought you—I thought you were---I mean, I know you were gone, but I came here everyday…” she trailed off at the end, and gripped him tighter. It didn’t feel wrong, though part of her heart belonged to Dominic. She didn’t understand what she wanted, but right now she just wanted to be with him. “What’s going on?” She asked quietly, burying her face in his chest, her voice muffled. “Why are you here?” But her voice was happy, happier than it had sounded in a long time.
~!!~
December felt the guilt hit her full force as he pulled her closer to him, but she couldn’t bring herself to care right now. She had him back; the consequences couldn’t matter now, could they? Even if she had ruined any chance he had of moving along. She closed her eyes tightly and nodded. “I won’t,” She said quietly. Brooke’s face passed through her mind, and she pulled away slightly. She knew that she had to help her friend, and she was being selfish by standing here with him. But she had missed him so much, and even though she could see that she was harming him just as much as she was helping him, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything, do anything, other than stand here with him.
~!!~
Kit wasn’t sure how long she sat there after Avril had left, her mind slowly wrapping around what was going to happen to her now. She was afraid; she was terrified, more scared than she could remember ever being before. But it was inevitable now; she couldn’t change things, no matter how much she wanted to. She was such a coward; she said she hated them, but she didn’t have the courage to kill herself to make it stop.
~!!~
Ember blinked, shaking her head slowly. “What are you---“ She began, when he took a sharp turn that sent her flying to the right, hitting her head on the window. She didn’t feel it. When he pulled her out she stumbled almost blindly after him; she felt as though she were moving in slow-motion, wading through mud. Everything was too slow and unfocused; she knew she had made a mistake coming here with him, but she didn’t realize just how much until he stopped her in front of the desk. She felt the blade near her back, and she froze.

Her heart skipped a beat at his words, and she shook her head slowly. “No,” She said quietly. “Sevastyan, what are you talking about?” She asked quietly. “I’m not---“ She couldn’t seem to finish her thoughts. She tried to turn to look at him, but if the blade had cut her she didn’t know it. “What are you talking about? What did I bring upon myself? I haven’t---I haven’t done anything.” It was strange, that she was afraid now when she’d been so eager to die before. She didn’t understand what was happening.
~!!~
Anya flinched as she was pulled to her feet and he shook her. She knew she should have stayed quiet, but even now she had to bite back the remarks she had on the tip of her tongue. Her eyes widened as he hit her, and her head snapped to the side. Her cheek was burning as she stared down at the ground. She didn’t say anything; it was as if her voice had left her once more. She blinked, struggling to hold back the tears she felt coming. She didn’t want to cry, not in front of him. But she was scared; she didn’t understand what he was going to do.
~!!~
Sage smirked and nodded. “Duley noted,’ She said simply. She threw the rest of the glass away and sat down on the edge of her bed, glancing over at Mandy and nodding. She wanted to ask her what she had been about to ask Addison, but she was silent. She would ask Nicole later. She lay back on her bed, folding her hands behind her head and staring up at the ceiling. She no longer wore Andrew’s cross necklace around her neck; it lay in the bottom of her backpack now.
~!!~
Vivian blushed deeper and nodded. “I can’t guarantee the table wear’s safety, though,” she said quietly, pulling two plates down and setting them on the table. She had managed not to drop them, though; that was something. She didn’t say what else she wanted to; that she was worried for him just as much as he was for her. She didn’t want him working so much, even though she knew it was the only way they’d have enough money. She hated to see him tired, though he did seem happy, happier than she had seen him in a while.

Sergei smiled at her. "Tomorrow I am going to be home late. I am going for another job interview." he said as he turned off the burner. "We need as much money as we can get." he was frowning now as he poured in the sauce. He knew that as much as she did, but he regretted the fact that he would see her less then he did now. That she would be left home longer bey herself. As he put the food on the plates, he looked at her sadly. "If I get it, I will be home later." His smile had faded. "I promise it won't be like this forever. One day it will be different. It will be better. One day I'll give us a better life. Just have some patience." he kissed her forehead as he pulled out two forks. He looked at her, biting her lip. "I only wish Dimitri was here. I don't he would of made a good uncle. He would of have spoiled it rotten." he whispered.

~!!~
"I DID IT FOR YOU!" Noah cried. Suddenly his arms were wrapped around her and he leaned down,burring his face in her mass of dark hair. "I love you so much." he whispered. He held her as close as he could, trailing kisses down her neck. "Anya, I love you. I had so many plans. I was going to have you marry me." he whispered softly. The words would of have been sweet if they had came from some other person, if they came from Milo. "I would if pretended to be Milo if you had let me, if you had wanted me too. I love you, Anya, so much." he said as he pulled her to the ground, pinning her underneath him.

~!!~
"Write!" Sevastyan shouted. "NOW!" he shouted as he reached over and grabbed her wrist. He slid the blade down her arm, blood trickled out. "WRITE, NOW!" he shouted at her as he spun her around and pointed the knife at her throat. "I can make your death, quick and easy, all you have to do is listen to what I say.On the other hand, if you don't, I could always bury you alive." he said as he spun her around. "At least this way your mom will know you are dead." he said. "Now, write!"

~!!~
Simon said nothing as she stepped away. He placed his hands on both sides of her face. "December." he whispered as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you, I love you so much. I missed you, you have no idea how much I missed you." He kissed her just above her eye. "I should of have been able to save you." he said as he kissed the tip of her nose. "But I couldn't, I fail as a boyfriend." he whispered as he kissed her lips again. He pulled back, but he did not remove his hands. "I need you."

~!!~
Issac laughed softly. "You are babbling, Love." he whispered in her ear. He kissed her cheek and closed his eyes. What was he going to say? He didn't know what he was doing here, and he wasn't going to lie to her. "I am holding you." the smart allelic replied with a smile tugging on his lips. "I love you." he said. It felt so good to say it. "I love you so much." he repeated. How long has passed since he told her that. He didn't know and didn't care. He just held her closer. "Alex, what's wrong?" he whispered.

~!!~
"Sam." Mary Jean whispered. "I don't know anything." she whispered. "All I know is that I woke up in the hall. I don't remember dying, I don't even remember living. I don't even know how I know your name." she whispered. "I don't know who you are, Sam. Do you really think you know me? Then who I am?" she whispered. Some strange part of her wanted him to be right. Right that she is Jane. But she wasn't Jane! And it wasn't fair to any of them to keep pretending to be someone she was not. But she didn't even know who she was. She closed her eyes tightly. She didn't know what to do.

~!!~
Cinder nodded slowly and looked away. "Please eat something when you are done. Please." she begged as she ran out of the room. She ran into her own, but left the door ajar. Falling into her bed, Cinder wrapped herself in her covers. She didn't like it. She was so use to having Seth by her side. But she told him to go,to leave. What was she going to do? She was lost without her "Guardian Angel". She had no idea how much she had come to rely on him. She was so scared. So lonely. All alone. But she still had Haven, right?

~!!~
Brooke's eyes fluttered open for a moment. But she let them slid back closed as sleep over took her again. For the first time, she really felt safe with him. She had always moved with caution around him, afraid that he would snap again. But maybe he wasn't so bad. Mayne he was sane. And maybe one day she would remember who she was. She felt that it was fair. Even from just the little bit of time they spent together, she felt she was getting to know him, yet she couldn't even offer him a name. She had no idea who she was.

~!!~
A large stood in the entrance of the ally. The rottweiler was growling at Drew. "CUPCAKES!" a males voice suddenly yelled as a man with long black hair came running up, holding a leash. "Cup-" That was when he noticed what was going on in the ally. He frowned deeper. "Good boy, Cupcakes." he said as he stepped forward. Rico hooked the leash on the dog's collar and looked at Drew. "You're an idiot." he said under his breath. He stepped forward. "If you were smart you'll get going now." he said as got closer. He looked down at Luke's body. "We don't have time for this." he told the girl, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer then needed. He glared at Drew. "GO! NOW!" he shouted. He pulled something out of his pocket and threw it. A knife flew past Drew's face, leaving a scar. Rico had deadly aim.

Vivian thought for a moment that she’d been speaking aloud; he seemed to read her thoughts as he said he was going to another job interview tomorrow. She stared down at her plate as he put the food on it, nodding mutely. What was she supposed to say? She wanted to help him, but she knew he wouldn’t let her go and try to get a job. She looked up when he mentioned Dimitri, and she could see how much he missed him just by looking at him. She didn’t know what to say, so she reached out her hand and placed it on top of his.

“I’m sorry,” She said quietly. That was all that she knew how to say; she couldn’t understand what he was feeling, since she’d always been an only child. She shook her head slowly, looking back at him. “Sergei, I don’t want you to try and get another job,” She said suddenly. “I know you worry for me, but I’m worried for you, too. You’re going to overwork yourself. Our life may not be the best, but you don’t need to keep trying to make it better. It’ll be fine; we all will.” Her words came spilling out faster and faster, and the silence that followed after seemed even louder.
~!!~
Anne was sitting on her bed, looking out the window with a distant expression on her face. She was afraid to go to Tony again; she didn’t want him to get angry at her again. She knew that his anger was well-placed, or at least that was what she believed. She should never have told him to talk to Sandra again; sure, they’d both still be hurting, but not this bad…

She was torn out of her thoughts as she saw a figure near the top of the hill. Her eyes widened as she recognized the figure; it was Sandra. She was walking in circles, a confused look on her face, as if she didn’t know what she was doing or where she was going. Anne hurried down the stairs and outside, before Tony could see her. She ran towards her and, despite everything, was smiling. Sandra, however, seemed less enthusiastic.

“Anne?” She asked quietly. Anne nodded, her smile slowly fading.

“Sandra, you okay? You don’t look so good,” She said quietly. She stepped forward and placed a hand on her arm, then quickly stepped back. She was freezing; even more cold than she was used to feeling herself. “Sandra…?” She asked quietly. She looked so tired, and sick. Sandra stared back at Anne, her face blank.

“Anne, I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she whispered. “I woke up in my bed, at least I think I did, and now…I can’t figure anything out. I don’t remember anything that happened lately. But something told me to come here, and so….I did. And you’re here. I remember that now. You were dead, at least I think so, and Tony is, too, but I wasn’t sure if you were really real. I’m---I don’t---“ Anne shook her head, and wrapped her arms around her friend. Something was wrong with her; she knew that, but what surprised her the most as she hugged her was not how cold she was . It was the fact that her heart was no longer beating.

“Sandra?” She asked quickly, her voice high and panicked. “Sandra, what happened??? What’s going on??” But she just shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t remember,” She whispered. “But I’m so cold. I can’t get warm, no matter what I do. I keep shivering, and when my parents saw me they screamed. I can’t figure anything out. I’m scared,” She said quietly. Anne shook her head slowly, her mind racing. She didn’t know what to do; this didn’t make any sense to her, either. How could Sandra not remember dying? And it didn’t seem like she even knew that she was dead.
~!!~
Anya flinched as he pulled her close, half-expecting another hit. What he did do surprised her even more; she couldn’t find the strength to pull away, and she couldn’t move, either. She cried out as he pulled her to the ground, pinning her down. She looked up at him, holding back tears. She was afraid; she felt like the same little girl she had been when she’d lived with Joel.

“Noah, what are you doing?” She asked quietly, looking up at him, surprised that she could still speak. “Noah, please stop,” She whispered. “You’re scaring me.” She knew that probably wasn’t the best thing to say, but it was all she could think of to say.
~!!~
Ember stared at the blood trickling down her arm, her face impassive. She closed her eyes tightly when he spun her around; she could feel the blade at her throat. She was afraid; it was strange. She didn’t understand; wasn’t this what she had wanted? But not at his hands. Not at his.

She stared down at her paper, then the blood dripping down her arm and the pain that she couldn’t feel. She picked up the pen slowly, and her blood dripped onto the paper. She could almost see her mother’s face when she saw it. The pen almost slipped from her shaking hands, but she managed to hold onto it. She didn’t know what to write; she couldn’t. Finally, she began to write. She hadn’t spoken to her mother much since Dimitri’s death, and she had seen how worried she was for her. She saw her face in her mind again the day she’d gone to the doctor’s and they’d seen her scars. She closed her eyes tightly, and the pen almost slipped from her grasp again. She wrote what Sevastyan told her to; that she was dead. She wrote that she was sorry, that she loved her. Then she signed her name, and set down the pen.

She didn’t move, feeling the cold blade at her neck. She could feel cold fear in every part of her, but she still didn’t speak, even as she felt the blood trickling down her arm.
~!!~
December shook her head quickly, meeting his eyes for the first time in so long. “It wasn’t your fault,” she said quickly, quietly. “It wasn’t. I wasn’t careful enough; you shouldn’t have to protect me all the time,” she said softly. “I should have been able to take care of myself, but I was careless. I’m sorry,” she said quietly. She let her eyes fall away from his, staring down at her feet instead. “Simon, I----“ but she didn’t finish. She knew that she was wrong with him, but she was selfish, too selfish to admit it to herself, much less say it to him.
~!!~
Alex just shook her head at his words, all of them. She wasn’t being fair to him, to Dominic, or to herself. But none of that seemed to matter now; she had fallen in love with Isaac, and now he was back. Dominic was here, too, but right now all she could think of was the person whose arms she was in.

“Everything’s messed up, Isaac,” She whispered, but she didn’t explain. She didn’t want to. There was so much that he had missed, so much that she didn’t want to think about, much less say aloud. She didn’t understand how any of this was possible, and maybe it was just all in her mind. But if it was just a dream, she never wanted to wake up.

She turned her eyes back up to him again and reached up a hand, touching his cheek lightly. “You’re really here,” she mumbled, more to herself than to him.
~!!~
Sam’s grip didn’t loosen; if anything, he held her tighter. “You’re my sister, Jane,” He said quietly. “And I love you. I really thought you were gone,” He whispered, and again he was right back where he’d started. It was as if he was still trying to convince himself that she was real, that she was really back. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that it wasn’t possible. That these things just didn’t happen. But he pushed that part back, ignoring it as much as he could. He didn’t want to hear what it had to say.
~!!~
Haven nodded and watched her leave before she started to clean again. She gathered all the scraps of photographs together into one pile. Some were too small to be saved, but she wanted to save the ones she could. She was angry at herself for letting this happen, for doing this, but she couldn’t fix it now. One moment of anger and all her memories were destroyed.

Soon her room was clean. She carried the bag of garbage she’d gathered down the stairs, and walked into the kitchen. The light hurt her eyes, and she felt somewhat dizzy. She leaned against the counter, letting out a long breathe. The face she saw when she closed her eyes was no longer Rufus’; why wasn’t it? She quickly opened her eyes again and soon she was sitting at the table with a bowl of soup, but she wasn’t hungry. She pushed it away and rested her head on her hands, closing her eyes. She was so tired, but sleep still wouldn’t come.
~!!~
Sammy jumped and looked up as she heard a voice, moving closer to Luke’s still body. She stifled a cry as Drew stumbled back, one hand on his cheek, quickly stained red. He seemed to hesitated only for a moment before realizing he was outnumbered, and then he was gone, just like that. Sammy turned her eyes back to the man and his dog. Any other day she would have laughed that such a tough dog had a name like that, but she wasn’t thinking straight now. She looked frantic; she was anything but herself now.

“I—I can’t---I don’t have a p—phone,” She stammered, looking up at the man again. She hadn’t even said thank you. “I ca---can---can’t call for help,” she said, staring down at her red hands. She barely even recognized the pain in her wrist any longer. “P-please help,” She stammered. “Please. He—help him. I ca---It’s my fault.” She was hardly making sense anymore as she mumbled to herself. She was frantic, and her hands were shaking badly, which only increased the pain in her wrist.

Anya closed her eyes tightly as she felt his lips on her neck. She felt every ounce of progress that she’d made slipping away through her fingers. It wasn’t Noah she saw above her now, kissing her cheek, her forehead, her lips. It was Joel. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She felt herself trembling, and as much as she tried to move, it was as if she was frozen. Fear held her in place, even after Milo pulled him off. The yelling didn’t even register in her mind; she pulled her knees up to her chest, curling up on the ground as small as she could get.

She didn’t seem to be aware of anything around her; in her mind she was back with Joel, back as the small, helpless girl she’d been then. She was still shaking, and she closed her eyes as tightly as she could, making herself even smaller. It was almost as if she wanted to disappear.
~!!~
Sammy’s hands were shaking too badly to hold the leash; she wrapped it around her good wrist and flinched as he picked up Luke; the amount of blood made her think he was already dead. She followed him on numb legs; the pain in her wrist no longer seemed to register in her mind. She looked up as he stopped and put Luke in the backseat. She didn’t speak as she opened the front door and put the dog there, then closed it and climbed into the back. She placed Luke’s head on her lap, though soon her dress was stained dark red.

She didn’t think to ask why this man was helping her; she didn’t care. She just knew that Luke needed help, and she didn’t care who gave it to him. She clenched her teeth together tightly to keep from screaming as she jostled her wrist.
~!!~
Vivian shook her head slowly. “How is it your fault?” She asked quietly, a small smile turning up the corners of her lips. “Sergei, I just don’t want to see you work yourself too hard while I sit here doing nothing. Sure, this place isn’t the best, but for now, it’s enough.” She looked down at their hands, then back up at him. “I love you, too, Sergei, but you shouldn’t feel like you have to do all of this. We’re in this together now, and I want to help.”
~!!~
Alex closed her eyes as he kissed her, but she barely had time to respond before he pulled away. She shook her head slowly, letting out a long breathe. “Months,” she said quietly. “I’m not sure how many,” She added quietly. “Three? Five? Too long,” she whispered. She reached into her pocket and pulled out something, enclosing it in her fist. She pulled back slightly and showed him the stone he’d given her before. She smiled slightly at him. “I kept it,” She said quietly.
~!!~
December shook her head slowly. “I do love you, but I don’t know,” She said quietly. She hated seeing him this way, so lost and confused, and any happiness she felt was gone. She shouldn’t have come here, but it was too late to change that now. “Simon, I don’t know,” She whispered. “I’m sorry.”
~!!~
Sam held her tighter, refusing to let her go. “You are!” he cried, pulling her close. “You are. You said it; you are,” He whispered, but a sudden pain in his arm made him let her go. He pulled her off, staring at his own blood slowly dripping onto the floor. He turned his eyes back to her and, without thinking, sunk his own fangs into her skin on her neck. He didn’t care that he was already mated; Rainy was gone in his mind, along with the rest of it. He didn’t know what he was doing; but he didn’t let go.
~!!~
Ember felt sick as soon as he brought the knife down; there was no pain, but just seeing the amount of blood and no longer feeling anything there was enough to make her almost lose consciousness. As soon as he cut her again, she did.

But she didn’t wake up.

Mary Jean was about to pull away when Sam pulled her off of his arm. She reached up to whip crimson drops off her lips. But then there was a sudden pain on her neck. He had bit her. What had she done? What was Sam doing? Somehow she knew. She was his new mate. She felt the tears build up in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. She pound on his chest. Suddenly the pain became too much to bear. A scream escaped her lips and the tears began to fall. "Stop it! Stop it, Sam!" she cried. "This isn't what I wanted! Doesn't what I want matter!?" she cried, but those weren't her words. She wasn't sure where they came from. "Stop!" she cried. "Please?" she begged. She turned her head, trying to keep her tears hidden. "Sam, you said you loved Jane, but I don't think you do."

~!!~
Simon looked at her sadly. He reached out and touched her hand. "December, I don't know what to do." he whispered. "This isn't normal, is it? To be in love with a corpse?" he asked softly. "This is wrong, isn't it? Then why don't I care?" he asked. "I don't care what you are, because you will always be December." He looked down at her and touched her cheek. "You are my love." he whispered.

~!!~
Issac's eyes widened. He wrapped her fingers around the stone and leaned down, kissing her again. "You kept it." he said into her lips. "I have no use for it now." he whispered as he pulled away. "It's not mine any more. It's yours." he said as he stood up, pulling her with up him.

~!!~
Sergei looked down at the plate. "I- This was my idea." He whispered. He couldn't look at her. He didn't know why; but he felt as if he needed to do everything, protect her. But she wouldn't let him. "Vivian, I'm sorry." he whispered as he poked at the food with the fork. "Vivian I love you. You know I don't want to worry you. I'll--" he stopped and bit his lip. "I'll stop working so hard." he finally agreed.

~!!~
Rico got onto the drives seat as Cupcakes looked back at them. He growled at them and Rico flicked him in the nose. "Behave." he said as he turned on the car and began to drive. Moments passed and soon they were at the hospital. Rico opened the door wide for her to step out and he pulled the blond boy out. "My car." he mumbled when he saw how stained his back seat was.

The moment he stepped in, the nurses were freaking out. They had him taken out of his arms and rushed into the ER.

~!!~
"Leave!" Milo shouted at Noah and let him go. Then, with him gone, he rushed to Anya's side. He sat down next to her and rested her head in his lap. "Anya, love, are you alright?" he asked. "I'm so sorry." He was. This was all his fault, he shouldn't of have left her alone in the room.

Anya's eyes opened when he placed her head in his lap. Her eyes widened and she pulled away, stumbling back on the grass and shaking her head. "N---No," she stammered. She turned her face away from him; he looked just like Noah. Just like him. She hated herself for letting this happen; she couldn't look at him again.
~!!~
Sammy shook her head slowly; she didn't notcie the dog. She was only looking at Luke. When he opened the car door and pulled him out she saw the blood, and shook her head. "I'm sorry," She mumbled, and followed him inside. She was still cradling her wrist close to her chest. She cried out and tried to follow after Luke, but someone grabbed her shoulder. She spun around and saw her father standing there.

"Sammy, what's going on?" He demanded. His eyes widened as he saw the amount of blood on her dress. "What happened? Sammy, are you hurt?" She shook her head slowly, but then he saw her wrist.

"Yes, you are. Come with me." He pulled her along, but she pulled back. He turned to face her, and he looked angry now. "That boy is just getting you hurt," He said quietly. "He got himself hurt before but this time it was you, too. I want you to stay away from him. If he even makes it through this."

She shook her head slowly, taking a step back. She didn't care about her wrist anymore. He called after her as she spun around and ran back outside, but he didn't go after her.
~!!~
Vivian let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and nodded. "Thank you," She said quietly. "Thank you." She poked at her own food, but she was still feeling strange. She did'nt want to tell him that, though, so she began to eat, trying to hide the look on her face by looking down.
~!!~
Alex closed her eyes and nodded, letting herself be pulled up with him. She placed the stone back in her pocket, but she didn't let go of his hand. She held on tightly and looked around the graveyard. She knew she should be home with her sister now, but as it was, she just wanted to be with him.
~!!~
December flinched as he sai the word 'corpse,' but she knew tha the was right. It wasn't right; it was so, so wrong, but she didn't care. She knew that she should,b ut she didn't. "I'm sorry," She finally said quietly, but what for she dind't say.
~!!~
Sam pulled away not when she screamed, bu twhen she accused him of not loving Jane. He glared at her and shook his head quickly. "I do love her!" He shouted, gripping her shoulders tight enough to hurt her. "I do! I do!" He shouted. "Why can't you see that? Why can't she see it?!"

Leanne knew that it was her fault he as gone. She realized only now how differently things could have gone, but she had let her anger blind her to the things around her, and she’d acted on it one too many times. The fact still remained that he’d lied to her, but she knew how horrible she’d been to him. She’d known it even as she was doing it, but she’d felt so hurt that she didn’t stop to think.

She had held onto some vain hope that he missed her as much as she missed him during the week of his absence, that maybe he’d come back, but of course he never did. She had said she hated him; what reason would he have to come back to her?

She was wearing the chain around her neck that he’d left, and his ring lay on the end of it. Her own was back on her finger, and she felt strangely better with it there. She even had the earrings on; the ones he had tried to give her, the ones she had rejected in her anger. She didn’t care any longer why he’d lied; she’d only wanted time, but she knew if he were still here she’d no doubt still be angry. She hated herself for that; how long would she have kept that up? She knew that she had been being selfish, stupid, and above all that she was wrong.

And that was what had led her here.

She felt weak at the knees, looking at the home she’d seen only once before. Patrick’s home. She couldn’t believe that she’d even remembered how to get here, but somehow she had. And now she almost wanted to turn around and go back. She glanced down at herself, at her old black combat boots and black leggings, her gray sweater-dress, and suddenly wished she’d worn something else. But it shouldn’t matter, should it? She didn’t want to stay. She just needed to talk to him. But something told her that it wouldn’t be that easy.

She hesitated, looking up at the house and reaching up a hand to knock. Her eyes fell on the ring on her hand and her hand quickly fell back to her side. She felt almost sick; she couldn’t remember ever feeling like this before. She slowly sat down on the front porch, cradling her head in her hands and taking a deep breathe. When she felt more steady she stood up and knocked before she could change her mind. Her mind was racing now; what was she going to say? He thought she hated him; maybe he hated her now, too. She’d messed up so badly, and she didn’t know if she could fix it.
~!!~
Vivian had gone to the doctor’s office five days ago; she couldn’t explain it, but something had felt wrong. She hadn’t told Sergei about it because she didn’t want to worry him; after all, it was probably nothing. But it wasn’t nothing. She’d sat at the doctor’s office for hours, and then she found out. Her baby was dead.

They called it a miscarriage. She’d spent the entire day there, and she found out that it was a boy. The baby she’d never know was a boy. Little Dimitri. She’d taken her time getting home that day, but she didn’t tell him. She tried to, but she couldn’t. She’d felt different ever since then. She felt as though she was no longer whole. She had finally been accepting the idea that she was going to be a mother; she’d grown to love the child inside her, even if she didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl. She’d tried every day to tell him; she couldn’t explain even to herself how it felt to watch him talk to the child that was no longer there, how gentle he was with her, though there was no longer anything there. She knew he noticed how red her eyes always were, how she no longer ate anything strange; he had to, didn’t he? But she still didn’t know what to tell him. She’d been wearing larger clothes to hide the fact that her stomach was flat again. But she couldn’t hide it forever, and she didn’t want to. But she’d seen how happy he looked; she didn’t want to hurt him.

She pulled her knees up to her chest where she was sitting on the bed, closing her eyes tightly. She wrapped her arms around her stomach instead, biting her lip so hard she tasted blood, but even then she didn’t stop. She felt so broken; she felt lost without her child. Her child; she’d never thought she’d say those words, and now she never could. She’d lost him before she’d even known him. She felt blood run down her chin and drip down to her arm. She finally felt the pain and opened her eyes, flinching as she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, leaving a trail of red. She had to tell him; she needed to. He deserved to know. She knew he’d be furious with her, but she had to tell him. She didn’t know what she would say; how could she tell him?

She pushed herself off the bed slowly and walked out into the kitchen, finding him where he’d been before at the table. “Sergei,” she said quietly. “Sergei, I need to talk to you. Please.”
~!!~
Rue pushed herself higher on the swing, closing her eyes and feeling the wind blow her hair back out of her eyes. It had been over a week since she’d seen Elijah; she hadn’t seen him since he’d been at the hospital. She knew that she should at least see if he was okay, but she had told his brother she would leave him alone. Besides, she knew that she would never be able to look at him again, knowing that it was her fault he was burned. Just like her.

The thought of not seeing him anymore would have been bearable, if not for one fact. She kept thinking of what he’d told her; he was falling in love with her? It didn’t make sense, but no matter how often she tried to convince herself otherwise, she knew that it was true for her, too. But she wasn’t going to see him anymore; she couldn’t. So what did it matter?

She opened her eyes and jumped, but she didn’t catch herself in time. She landed on her back in the sand and stared up at the clouds passing by in the sky, her arms spread out around her. She heard someone laughing, but she didn’t look up to see who it was. The park was almost empty today, surprising since it was so nice out. She slowly sat up, brushing the sand from her clothes and pushing herself to her feet. She used to be able to forget everything coming here, but it was different now. She smiled slightly at a younger girl running by, who dropped the ball she’d been holding and ran. Rue quickly turned her back, raising a hand and touching her cheek.

She made her way to an old oak tree that sat near the edge of the park and collapsed underneath it, spreading her arms out around her again and staring up at the sky. Her mother had taken to ignoring her as ifs he were the child and not her; she wouldn’t even look at her unless it was to say something mean. She turned over onto her stomach, closing her eyes again and sighing.
~!!~
Anya kept her eyes down, staring at her bare feet dangling above the bed. She hadn’t said more than two words since that day a week ago when Joel and Noah had come back. She knew that she wasn’t being fair to him; she had come back to him only to pull away again, and she didn’t want to, but every time she saw him she could only see Noah now. She didn’t want to hurt him, but that was just what she was doing. She could leave again, but last time she’d only hurt him more. She didn’t know what to do anymore; she didn’t want to hurt him, but that was all she was doing.

She lifted her eyes to the window and walked over to it, her feet padding softly over the floor. She glanced outside; the sun was just beginning to set, and it looked beautiful. But she couldn’t look for too long, because along with the coming darkness came her fear. She turned away from the window and walked back to her bed, glancing over at the door that connected her room to Milo’s. She hesitated before walking over to it and placing her hand on the doorknob. She shook her head slowly, and took a step back. What was she going to say to him? No apology could fix things with them. She didn’t think anything could.
~!!~
Elianna couldn’t explain what she was thinking as she knocked on Landon’s door. She knew that she was asking for trouble, but she welcomed it. Anything was a distraction from her brother’s absence. Because he had left; he’d left a week ago, just as he’d woken up again, and he hadn’t been back since. She wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t come back at all; he would stay wherever Michi was and forget about her. He already had.

It hurt more than she thought it would; she missed her brother. She missed the way he used to protect her so vehemently, but now he had someone else to protect, and she was alone again. Without Tobias, without D’angelo, without Isabel. In her mind, Landon was the last person she had left. And regardless of what he was like, she wanted to be with him. He was her distraction; and though she knew it was wrong, in some way, she was falling for him.

She didn’t knock again, but instead slipped inside, pulling the door closed behind her.
~!!~
Jenny glanced down at the book in her hands, then back at the door to Trevor’s room. She finally knocked, but didn’t wait for a reply before opening it. She grinned at him, then pulled the door closed behind her. She was holding something behind her back. She extended her hands and showed him the book, the same book she’d ruined before. It was old, but wasn’t yet falling apart.

“I got it from a really old second-hand bookshop,” She said quickly, still holding it out to him. “I had to sell my old earrings for it. My brother told me they were real diamonds, but I didn’t believe him, but the guy at the pawn shop did apparently, though I still have my doubts. But either way, I got some good money for them, and so I went out and got this.” She gestured towards the book with her head. “I know it’s probably not the same as having your original, but I’m not gonna apologize again. What I did was childish, but so was what you did.” She thrust her chin out defiantly, as if daring him to say differently. “So I think we’re even now, sorta.”

“Well, actually….” She lifted the book and hit him once in the side of the head with it. “There,” She said, grinning. “Now we are.” She seemed to be back to her old, light-hearted self, as if none of this had ever even happened. She set the book down on the bed and stepped back, placing her hands on her hips with a smile on he face.

“You know, you like looking at the stars, right? I think once I saw a telescope. Do you still have it? Do you think I could borrow it sometime? I really like looking at the stars, and it would be cool to see them up close. I had a telescope once, you know, but my brother broke it by accident one time when he was moving it.” She sat down next to him on the bed, making herself comfortable as if they were friends. “You could look at the stars with me. I don’t bite.” She grinned. “You know, I don’t think I can use that expression anymore, ‘cause technically I do bite now.”
~!!~
Haven had only been able to save three of her photographs; only one had her parents, and the other two were her and her sisters. She had cleaned up her room, and all that was left was a stain on the wall from the food she’d thrown. She felt like a child, but she didn’t care anymore. She was sitting on the back porch steps, her chin resting in her hands.

She’d never admit it, but she wanted to see Benny again. She missed him, though she knew that she shouldn’t. She felt so lost now; her past was behind her, but there was more than one mystery there. Andrea and Lawrence; what had been going on there? She didn’t like to think about it too much. But Lawrence was dead, and she could finally move on. But then why was she still hanging onto it so tightly?

She knew that Benny had had just as much right to kill Lawrence as she did, but she still felt angry with him for some reason. She just wanted something to focus on, something to take her mind off of everything else that had happened. Rufus was gone, Ash was gone, and Cinder was leaving more and more everyday. What was she supposed to do? Cinder would barely leave her side now. It had taken everything to get out here by herself now.

She stood up, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. She was a hypocrite, and she knew that, but she still couldn’t stop the words from escaping her lips. “Benny!” She shouted, as if he could really hear her. But he was gone, long gone, just like everyone else. Everyone else. “Why’d you leave?!” She cried, turning her face up towards the sky. “Why aren’t you here? You’re so stupid!” She shouted. “You believed everything I said!!” She shouted. “But I was lying. I was lying, you idiot! Why can’t you see that?! You should have known that! Every word….I don’t hate you.” She felt crazy, talking to herself. She walked forward a few steps, kicking at a rock in the grass. It flew far into the woods and out of her sight. “You’re so stupid!!” She shouted, kicking at another rock that turned to dust as soon as she touched it. “Idiot! Moron! Jerk! Why aren’t you here?!” She shouted, taking another step forward and unclenching her fists. “You just left me, after taking away the one thing I had left to live for!!” Her eyes widened at the words, and she slowly calmed down, staring down at her feet. Was killing Lawrence really all that she felt that she had left to live for? With everyone else gone except Cinder, did things really seem so hopeless? She only had to look at the tears mixing with the dirt on her hands to know the answer.
~!!~
Seth had said he would leave when she asked him to, and he had tried. He had really tried, but he couldn’t stay away. He wasn’t sure if it was just because he was selfish or because he was worried about Alice coming back to hurt her, but either way he had stayed close. But not too close; he knew that she could still see him. She was becoming a hunter, and he knew that he couldn’t stop it.

He had been thinking more lately about what awaited him if he stayed with her. But as hard as he tried, he couldn’t find the fear. He didn’t care what awaited him, so long as she would be there until then. But now she wasn’t; he had to stay close to her, yet far away. He hung around Haven most of the time; he knew there was another ghost near to her, but he didn’t know why. But now, he wasn’t with any of them. He was back in the woods, wandering around with his head bent down low. He wanted to go back to her, but she had said that she wanted him gone. And he had promised, not that he’d been entirely keeping it anyways. But he loved her too much to just leave, even if in the end it would be his own downfall.
~!!~
K.C. stared at the painting in front of her, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. She knew that this was childish, but what he had done was way out of line. But what she was doing was, too. But it didn’t stop her from taking the painting off the wall and ripping it down the middle, again and again, until it could no longer be put back together. She knew that he would kill her for this, but she didn’t care. He’d tried to kill Xavier, so why should she care?

She turned out of the room and walked down the hallway to Xavier’s, and pulled open the door. She looked calm and composed, despite what she was feeling. “I have to go,” She said quickly, leaning against the door. “I need to leave. Chronos is going to kill me when he sees what I did. I need to go back to where I came from.” She walked over to him and sat down next to him. “Come with me,” She said suddenly. “Please. I need to go, but you have to come with.”
~!!~
Rainy hadn’t seen head nor tail of Sam since he’d left her room a week ago. She was grateful, but also lonely, in a strange way. Leanne had told her she had to go, and she didn’t know for how long. Rainy hadn’t asked, and Leanne hadn’t noticed anything different about her. That had hurt more than she would ever tell her.

She couldn’t feel Sam anymore; a week ago he seemed to just have disappeared. She knew he was still in the manor, but she could no longer feel him. She didn’t understand it at all.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, watching the sunset from where she sat near her window. She glanced down at her hand, clenching and unclenching her fist. She missed Darren; she was still frightened of him after what he’d done, but she also knew that he’d never do it on purpose. But he thought that she was scared of him, and she really was, at least she was before. Somehow, part of her thought that just seeing him would make it better. But she wouldn’t know if he didn’t come, and something told her that he wouldn’t.
~!!~
Piper glanced around the room, then stared down at her hands, a deep frown on her face. She couldn’t remember a thing. Not her name, not her age, not what she was, not anything. She didn’t understand what was going on; nothing made sense, and she wanted to leave and never look back. But where should she go? And besides, something felt wrong, off. Someone was pushing their way out; she felt as though she were being pulled back into her own mind, and she couldn’t fight against it.

Sunny smiled when she could see again. She had been there during the visions that Piper saw, and she, too, was shaken by it. But she wasn’t going to stand around and wait for her family anymore. She could hold Piper back; the girl didn’t even know who she was anymore. She was easy to hold back now, and she would keep her back. She would find her family; what was left of it.

But she didn’t know where they were. She hadn’t seen Horace in a while. She felt a deep-set worry for both him and Leslie, even if Leslie had tried to kill her once before. She smoothed out the dress she was wearing and made her way out of her room and outside. She didn’t know where to start, but she would find them.
~!!~
Ember blinked once, looking up at what used to be her house. She felt out of her element; she didn’t know how long she’d be gone, nor if her mom had even gotten the letter yet. She remembered everything; and even if she hadn’t, just looking at her left hand would be enough to tell her that it wasn’t all a nightmare. Though she looked normal except for that, coming back didn’t bring back her finger.

She felt lost and confused; she wasn’t supposed to come back. She didn’t know what she wanted, but it wasn’t this. She wandered inside, knowing that her mom was at work. She wasn’t thinking straight; maybe, if her mom saw her, she would realize that it was all okay…even if she was dead. She just needed time to think.

She slowly made her way up the stairs and to her room, and as she opened the door she saw something she’d never seen before. Her mom was sobbing. She had her face buried in one of her pillows, and Ember saw a blood-stained note on the bedside table. Her eyes widened and she ran towards her, but her mother didn’t even look up.

“I’m sorry,” Ember stammered, reaching out towards her, but her hand passed right through. Her eyes widened as her mother didn’t even look up, didn’t hear her words. She took a step back, stumbling over her own feet and slipping to the ground. Something wet rolled down her cheek and to the carpet. They were warm, and she lifted a hand slowly to her eyes. She was….crying? She almost laughed with the irony of it all, but she couldn’t. She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. It took her a few moments before she realized there were arms around her, pulling her to her feet. She looked up and saw Jeremy. Before she could say anything he took her hand and pulled her downstairs and outside.

“Ember,” He breathed. His face said that he had seen it all. “Ember, who?” He asked suddenly. She shook her head slowly, her vision blurred by tears. His eyes fell on her hand and he went pale, paler than usual.

“Ember, who?!” He demanded, but she still couldn’t answer. It was as if she were making up for all of the tears that she’d never been able to shed. “Why weren’t you more careful?!” He shouted. “You had so much left. You lost it all, just because you were depressed!” His yelling only seemed to make her tears worse.
~!!~
Kit had spent most of her life killing vampires. She had never once hesitated to end a life of theirs because of the ones she had taken. But in a small amount of time, a tiny little girl had been able to convince her that maybe she was wrong.

There were bad humans. There were humans who were worse than vampires. But she hated to think like that, because it meant that her entire life had been a waste. She had never even been able to kill Dustin, even after what he’d done to her family. She knew that she had left her knife in his room, and that was what had brought her here now. She knew it was reckless; he had tried to kill her more than once before. But she wanted her knife back; it was from her brother, after all.

She couldn’t find it, though. The room was practically spotless, minus Avril’s toys. But she couldn’t find it. She opened drawers, looked under his pillow, everywhere she could think of. All she could find was more and more photographs of a woman. After ten minutes, she gave up and looked around the room. She finally looked closer at the photo, and froze.

She knew that face. It took her a few moments, but she knew. That night came rushing back to her, and she had to struggle to hold onto it. Lily. It was Lily. The woman she had killed, the one Dustin had spoken so highly of. She found that her hand was trembling as she clutched the photo, and she quickly spun around and pushed the drawers closed, but she didn’t bother to fix his pillow or anything else. She was still clutching the photo tightly as she spun out of the room and into her own, slamming the door behind her. She locked it and sunk down to the floor, still staring at the photo.
~!!~
December couldn’t take it anymore. She knew that she had made a stupid, selfish mistake by going to Simon in the first place, and every time she went to him he was different. Sometimes he wanted to see her, but other times he seemed to be right back where they had started. She needed to find Brooke; she couldn’t wait any longer. She hadn’t gone to Moses yet, and she needed to. She needed her friend back, and she wouldn’t let Simon or anything else distract her any more.

She pushed her way through the woods; the cuts and scratches didn’t even bother her anymore. She didn’t stop until she reached the manor, and she didn’t knock on the doors. She wasn’t afraid anymore; why should she be? She was already dead. “MOSES!” She shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth to be heard better. “Moses!!”
~!!~
Leslie seemed to be almost back to his old self. He laughed, a normal laugh this time, his old, care-free one. Any old traces of his insanity were practically wiped away; the only time he wasn’t happy anymore was when he thought about his family. He wanted to find his father and apologize, but he didn’t know where to find him. So he settled for Brooke. He still called her Jamie, but he no longer thought of her as a replacement for his sister. He really did care for her, even if he was still getting used to showing it.

He glanced over at the form next to him from where he was sitting on the front porch, covered from the last remaining bits of sunlight. He had a smile on his face, but something about his eyes said that he was far off in thought, nowhere close to the girl sitting next to him, even though their arms were touching.
~!!~
Sage turned another page in her book, her eyes passing over the words faster than seemed possible for her to actually be reading the words. She wasn’t taking in any of it; her mind was far away, back in the past. She wanted to go see Leanne, but she had a feeling that her friend would be angry at her for disappearing. She was worried, though. But if she went there she would only think of Summer and Winter.

She hadn’t come out of her room much for the past week except for meals and showers. She had been like this before, too, and nothing much seemed to have changed. The only things about her that was a constant was the cross necklace around her neck. No matter how many times she tried to take it off, she always wound up putting it back on.

She closed her book and groaned, turning over onto her back and clutching a pillow tightly to her chest, staring up at the ceiling. It was almost sundown, but she wasn’t tired. Her sleeping patterns were permanently messed up; now, she spent most of her nights roaming around outside in the woods, and her day inside.
~!!~
Sam hadn’t left Mary Jean’s side even for a moment. It was as if he literally couldn’t, as if some invisible thread held them together that only he could see. He had caught her trying to run a few times, and each time he had stopped her. He didn’t understand that she really wasn’t Jane; in his mind, this was her. It had to be. And she was his mate now. Jane was back, and he was with her.

He was sitting with his back against the wall now, his arm around her shoulder. He wouldn’t leave her alone even now. It was as if he would fall apart without her around, and maybe he really would. He had made her a part of him now, and he couldn’t be without her now.
~!!~
Sammy had gone to visit Luke once or twice since he’d been admitted to the hospital, but he’d been hardly coherent. She was on lockdown again, not that it’d done much good any other time before. Even now, she had found a way out. They had left her alone, thinking she didn’t know the code to the alarm system.

She stared down at the white cast on her wrist, a frown on her face. On the left side of her cheek was a fading bruise, barely visible any longer, though it’d been worse the first night. Her father had gotten the police on Drew, but they hadn’t caught him yet. For some reason, this didn’t surprise her.

She knew that she had to give up on Luke. If their future was real, it would find a way to work out, wouldn’t it? She knew that her logic was skewed, but she was sick of waiting. She was sick of getting hurt and hurting others. She wanted to be able to move on, though onto what she didn’t know.

She looked up as the sun began to set, and sat down on the edge of the sidewalk. No one was outside on the street, and she placed her chin in her hands, closing her eyes, her shoulders slumping. Luke would be better off without her, even if his memories were gone. She wasn’t helping him any by saying stupid things like ‘I love you’ when he didn’t even know who she was.
~!!~
Ella had tried to talk to Caden a few times, but even if she could get past the yelling and calm her down, she didn’t know what to say to her. She couldn’t apologize for what she’d done; how could she? She had taken away her only brother because she was selfish. She missed him more every day, but it was too late to bring him back. And it was her fault he was dead.

She pushed herself higher on the swing, and was unable to forget the time that he had pushed her. She slowed down and stepped off, lifting her arms above her bed and stretching. Alex wasn’t home; she didn’t know where she was. Their relationship was still strained, no matter how much Alex liked to pretend otherwise. Ella slowly made her way inside and upstairs to her own room, pausing only for a moment by Caden’s before moving on.

Alex was sitting by the old hollowed out tree, her face blank. She held the stone Isaac had given her in one hand, the other touching the bark. She was thinking; she was confused. Last time this had happened it had seemed so simple to choose, but now things were different. Her heart loved two different people, and she felt torn, more than she had in a long while. It was funny, how she fell in love twice after she died, and never once when she was alive. And both already had a family of their own.

She slowly let her hands drop to her side, leaning against the tree trunk and closing her eyes. She was sick of thinking; she had Isaac now. Dominic was gone, for who knew how long. She knew the choice shouldn’t be so hard, but Dominic had been her best friend. But she had loved Isaac first, and still did. It made no sense to her to feel like this. It was tearing her apart.
~!!~
Anne knew that she had made a mistake asking Milo to let Sandra stay here, but she didn’t know what else to do. Her friend had looked so confused, so lost, and she had nowhere else to go. But she was afraid that her brother was going to hate her for it. He had locked himself in his room. Sandra at least let her in to talk to her, but nothing seemed to help her remember. Anne didn’t know how to help her.

She had given up trying to talk to Tony. It was pointless until he wanted to, and she doubted he would want to any time soon, if ever. He had forever now, after all. That was the way it was looking now.

Sandra was terrified. She wanted to know how she had died, but she couldn’t remember a thing. She could come up with a thousand different scenarios, each worse than the last, but the unknown still seemed somehow scarier. She hadn’t tried to talk to Tony yet, at Anne’s warning, but she needed to now. She needed to see him; part of her felt like talking to him might help her remember, even if he wasn’t there. Or maybe she was just convincing herself of that because she wanted to see him. Whatever it was, it had led her to knock on his door now.

“Tony?” She called quietly. “Tony, can I come in?”

Mary Jean didn't know what to do anymore. He'd touched her and she'd flinch away. He'd kiss her and she'd bite his lip. He'd tell her he loved her and she'd spit in his face and say she hated his guts. He'd yell at her and she'd try to leave again next time he fell asleep. Nothing she did drove him off. He really believed that she was this Jane girl. He had left bruises on her when she accused him of not loving Jane. But if he really did love her, wouldn't he be able to tell that she wasn't Jane?

She looked over at Sam. She had tried to bore him, but he still held on to her tightly. Maybe if she... If she gave him what if he wanted he would leave her her alone. Maybe if she could talk sense into him he would let her go. She closed her eyes. She was being stupid. She knew that, but this was her only other idea. She reached up and grabbed his hand, pulling his arm from around her shoulder. She intertwined their fingers together. She didn't want this... But in her eyes this was the only way she could escape.

She looked up at him. Her eyes were sad. She brought Sam's hand to his lips and kissed his finger tips. It made her sick, but there was something inside of her that liked his touch. "I'm sorry." she whispered as she traced his lips. She was biting her own. This had better work or she was in a lot of trouble. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his. But she pulled away quickly. "Why do you treat me like this?" she asked as she looked into his eyes. "You say you love me, but you treat me more like I am a prisoner then a mate, a love. If you loved me you would let me go when I'd asked. You don't love me, Sam, you love the person that I look like. You love Jane, and I'm not Jane." She kissed his face in numerous of places. "Do these kisses satisfy you when they aren't from Jane? How is this fair to Jane? If she loved you, wouldn't this hurt her to see? Here you are, letting another girl kiss you. I'm a poor replacement for someone you loved. I am nothing like her."

Little did she know that she was acting just like her. In fact Jane had tried the same thing with him just before his father died. It hadn't worked then either. "Jane is dead." she said as pulled away. "Get over it. I'm not her." She said as she let go of his hand and stood up. "I won't play your 'Jane'. I'm tired of you hurting me. You don't care. You say that you love me, but you don't. I still don't think you ever loved Jane." She glared at the boy. "You're nothing but a child, hiding." She didn't care if made him made. She just didn't care anymore. She was just tired of being in his arms when she didn't even care for him. She wasn't Jane, she knew that, but sometimes she she felt as if she didn't know who she was anymore. Sam frightened her and she was done with living in fear. She only had a week of memories and they were all of Sam, she couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want the man she hated be the only she knew. She wanted to find her memories. She knew her name, Mary Jean York, why couldn't she remember else. She knew if she didn't, she would never find out who she was. Oh how wrong she was.

~!!~
Linda ran around the corner when she heard a knock on the door. "I GOT IT!" she shouted. Her long blond hair flew behind her. She was smiling widely. She was an excitable girl, with shining blue eyes. She was one of Patrick's many cousins, here for a family reunion. This was the first time since he left that he actually made it to one. She was so happy, she hadn't seen him since she was ten. But something seemed off. He wasn't himself. No matter how many times she asked, he would not tell her. But Matthew smiled, oh, he knew, but he was keeping it to himself. Not a soul would hear it from him unless he needed them to do something. It was kind of like black mail.

She ran down the stairs, but suddenly she tripped half way down. She rolled until she finally hit the door. "Oof!" she exclaimed when her head hit the tile floor. "WHO PUT THOSE STEPS THERE!?" she cried as someone stepped next to her. She was just about to sit up when a heavy boot pinned her down to the ground. She blinked and looked up at Matthew. "Oh! Ma-" But he cut her off.

"How many times must I say it!? Running in the house will get you killed!" he shouted at the girl. But she smiled at him. It annoyed him to no end. But then she had to add her voice to the equation. "I will only die if someone lights me on fire!" He glare at her and pressed down harder, making her cry out. "I will gladly." she shouted at her, pulling out a match book.

"MATTHEW!" Patrick shouted from on top of the stairs. "Just open the door!" He did not seem like he was in a good mood. He never was these days. The only person that would really talk to was the man he just yelled at.

Matthew mumbled something and pulled Linda to her feet. "OPEN IT!" he yelled at her as his brother turned and walked away. Once more disappearing into his room. Who knew when he would be seen again. Matthew was thinking when Linda's annoying voice cut him off. "MATTY, YOU RUINED MY DRESS!" she cried and he wanted to slap her. But he held himself back as she opened the door, revealing Leanne.

Linda blinked and looked her up and down. "Who is she? Is she a family member?" she asked Matthew, who glared at her, but his look at Leanne was deadly. "In a way," he said. "She is my sister-in-law, I guess..." With those words out of his mouth, Linda's eyes widened.

"She's Patty's Mate!?" she exclaimed. "She's so pretty! I like her eyes!" She reached out to pull Leanne in, but Matthew stopped her. "But she isn't welcome here, in fact she was just leaving." He was glaring at Leanne when he said that. His look said he would kill her if she stepped foot in the house.

~!!~
Sergei looked up her when she walked in. He pushed his news paper away and smiled at her. He had noticed that there was something was wrong, but he didn't want to ask, he was waiting her to tell him. "What's up?" he asked as he stood up. He wrapped a arm around her shoulder and walked her into the living room. "Sit" he whispered as he pulled her down on the sofa.

~!!~
Elijah sat down next to Rue. "You're so stupid." he said. His brother had told him that she said that she didn't want to see him anymore. He didn't know that it was a lie, he believed him. He looked at her. "You're so stupid. You think I would hate you because of..." he didn't finish. "Is that why you said that you didn't want to see? Or were you too scared to look at my arms?" he asked. He was wearing a black tank top. His burns visible. His hair was following in to his green eyes. "You're so stupid. You may stay away from me, but what is stopping me from coming to you!?" he demand as he leaned over her.

He did not know what he was doing, not until after he pulled away did he realized that he had kissed her. He blinked he hadn't even given her enough time to kiss him back. But he didn't regret it. He frowned at her. "Don't you understand? I won't just leave you alone because you tell Ethan that you don't want to see me anymore.

~!!~
Michi stared at Logan's back. "Stop it." she whispered. But neither of them heard her. She had her hands over her heart. "STOP IT!" she yelled as ran out from from behind Logan. She spread her arms out in front of him, protecting him, and she looked at Draven. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She remembered him laying so still in his bed. She remember all the blood. She remembered crying for hours. "Stop it, Draven." she whispered and held her hands over her heart. Her locket was wrapped around her wrist, the clasp was broken. "Draven, I thought you were dead." she whispered. "You never woke up."

"Ollie!" Logan yelled as he reached forward and grabbed her arm. Michi yanked her arm away from him. "Draven." she whispered. She took a step forward toward him. Ollie was inside of her yelling about the deal that the had.

~!!~
Landon sat up in his bed and looked at Elianna. He folded the blankets over and patted the bed beside him. "Come here." he said. He looked at her sleepily, but there had to be a reason she was here. She was more then likely lonely. "Are you alright?" he asked as he laid back down. He looked at her and looked away. You can tell me." he whispered.

~!!~
Trevor only looked at the the book before he set the book on the side table. He glared at her when she began to talk. "Shut up and I won't do what I do." he said simply. His frown deepened when she she mentioned his telescope. He nodded toward the closet. "If you break it I break your head. Understood?" he said sternly as he stood up and glared at her. "I'll go with you, only because I don't want you to break it." he said as he pulled open the closet. A number of things fell out. Old photographs, mythology books, and an old year book. He stepped on the year book and pulled out the telescope. It was the newest thing he owned.

~!!~
It was standing where only air had seemed to be a moment before. He tilted her head upward so he could look into her eyes. Benny was frowning deeply. Thoughts were racing through his mind. Why was she doing this? Why was she acting out? Why was he worrying him so much? Why couldn't she see that she had so much more to live for then to take someone else's life? He was watching her, sadness written all over his face. He hadn't left. He had been by her side the whole time. It hurt him to think that she thought of him as someone that would leave her.

"You need to grow up." he said, staying still. "You tell me leave and yell at me to come back." he said. "You tell me you hate and take it all back. How long do you expect me to stick around while you make up your mind?" he asked as he dropped his hands to his side; her chains rattled. He closed his eyes and stepped backward. "I love you, but you don't love me. Not the way I love you. No. Every time I touch you, I can't help but kiss you." he whispered as he touched her touched her cheek, leaning forward as if to press his lips to hers, but he pulled back before he could. It was wrong and it would make her mad at him. "Look at me. See these chains? These will only be reminders of what I have done. You don't need me around to remind you of anything." he said. "I should just go."

He didn't want to leave. He wanted to hold her and tell her it will be okay. Because it would be okay. She would heal in time. It would all be okay, in time. All she had to do was move on. But he couldn't tell her that. She wouldn't let him. He knew this. But he wanted nothing more.

"You have to find something else to live for." he whispered. "Isn't there anything you want to do with your life?" he asked softly.

~!!~
Xavier sat the book down next to him, a frown on his lips. "What did you do?" he asked as she sat next to him. Anger was written on his face. "What did you do!?" he demanded. "I told you not to do anything! It's not the first time he tried to kill me! You didn't have to do anything!" he stood up and narrowed at her. "Don't you get it? Whatever you did, he will hunt you down and rip you to pieces!" he shouted. "And why should I leave!? This is my home! You are asking me to leave just because you did something stupid! What did you do!? You didn't have to do anything!" He was fuming. He didn't understand why he was yelling just that she was acting stupid. He didn't want to leave here. This was his home and she thought for sure that she had made it her home too. He didn't understand why she would want to leave.

~!!~
Brooke was sitting half in the sunlight, half in the shadows, next to Leslie. She smiled at him. She was going on about something but it didn't seem as if he was paying her any attention. He seemed to be many miles away. She would give anything to be where he was. She didn't know what was happening, she didn't want to leave his side. She wanted his eyes on her, and only on her. It was a strange thought, it almost made her feel guilty. She blushed slightly and looked away. Suddenly a cat ran past them an the girl shoot up and ran after it, disappearing into the woods. She heard someone's name being called in the distance. But it was the cat she was worried about.

She didn't know how long she was in the woods. By time she came back the sun was almost all the way set. She was holding the brown cat close to her. It was trying to get out of her arms, but she held on tightly. She walked over to Leslie, smiling widely. She began to climb up the steps when the cat clawed at her face. She dropped it quickly, her hands flying to her face, tears rushing to her eyes.

~!!~
Moses stepped up behind her and tapped her shoulder. He was covered in dear blood. He had been hunting in the shade of the trees for a while now. That was all he seemed to be able to do any more. Hunt, hunt, hunt. He channeled all his power into that so that he wouldn't have to think about Brooke. But as soon as he bit into the animal he thought about how he killed his love.

"You don't have to yell." he said somberly as he closed his eyes. "What do you want?" he asked.

~!!~
The smell of dinner floated through the house. At the stove stood the one, the only Addison Star Phillips. By him was a bowl of cherries, big surprise. As he made dinner he ate another Cherry. He had made dinner every night since he had came here. He wasn't a bad cook. His food was remarkable. As he pulled the chicken out of the oven and poured the rice into a bowl he put in two cherry pies into the oven. That was the good thing about being the cook. You could make anything you pleased. Of course he had to make lots. His mother, his father, his siblings, and cousin was here, plus Sage and Zane. And werewolves ate a lot.

He put the bowl of cherries into the fridge and called dinner. Off to the side of the kicthen was a large dinning room and his siblings, Madison and Mandy (his brother and sister), was making their way there. "Come on! Dinner" he yelled again at the rest of them. "Someone has to go with me to the store after dinner." he said.

~!!~
Tony hadn't let his room since he found out Sandra was dead. He cried so much that first night. She was dead and he couldn't help but think that if he had only stayed by her that she would be alive. This his fault. He killed her. He was a murder.

He was deep in self pity when someone knocked on the door. He didn't answer. He didn't want to talk top her, but something told him that she would come in anyways.

Sam closed his eyes and held her hand tightly as she took his. In his mind, there was no other answer other than this was Jane. She had to be her; it didn’t make sense any other way. He was past seeing logic. He was past himself. When she kissed him he closed his eyes, and for once he looked truly at peace. Her words made him open his eyes, and he gripped her hand tighter, refusing to release his hold on her. He stood up with her, and his eyes narrowed. He released his hold on her hand and grabbed her wrists, pulling her towards him until their faces were only inches apart.

“You’re lying,” He said through clenched teeth. “You’re lying!” He shouted, pushing her back until her back was pressed against the wall, her wrists pinned above her head. “You said so before!” He shouted. In a way, she almost had. “You kissed me, you held my hand, you did! Were you pretending?!” He shouted. His eyes were wide and frantic; nothing like his old self. It was as if he were a completely different person.

He pulled her away from the wall and pushed her down onto the bed, pinning her down by her wrists and placing his legs on either side of her. “Were you?” He demanded, gripping her tighter. “If you’re not her, then why pretend? Why kiss me? You’re no better than me, then, are you?” He asked. His grip didn’t loosen, and he stared down at he with nothing but cold fury in his eyes. But suddenly, he softened. “I know you wouldn’t lie to me, though, Jane,” He said quietly. “I love you. I do, and you know that.” His grip loosened slightly and he slid his arms around her waist, his fingers brushing the bare skin on her back. “Jane, you can’t leave. You can’t. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” He whispered. That part was true; he did feel as though he would fall apart without her here with him.

He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that this was wrong. It was beyond wrong; it was sick. But he pushed that part back until he could no longer hear its voice of reason any longer. Right now, he just wanted to keep Jane with him. He had to keep her close, or he would fall apart. She had to know that, didn’t she? And she wouldn’t want him to fall apart. She loved him, like he did her. They loved each other. He remembered that much. It was as if he didn’t remember anything else about his past self but the parts with her in it, and his new personality was born out of that.
~!!~
Leanne paced back and forth on the front porch, her head in her hands. She didn’t know what she was going to say, even if he agreed to talk to her, which somehow she doubted. ‘I’m sorry,’ just didn’t seem like enough anymore. She glanced up when she heard voices from inside, and her eyes widened as she recognized one. It was strange, how that one voice could make her stop in her tracks and forget everything that she was thinking about, even when it was yelling.

When the door opened she blinked in surprise, looking first the blonde girl then at Matthew. She bit her lip, and offered a fleeting smile to the girl. She turned her gaze to Matthew, shaking her head. “I’m not leaving, “She said simply, folding her arms across her chest and meeting his eyes. “I’m here to see Patrick. Please.” She knew that the look he was giving her was less than friendly, but she didn’t care. She had so many words she needed to say, and she wouldn’t let him stop her, even though he no doubt hated her, just as Patrick probably did. She had spent the entire past week regretting everything, and she was sick of just sitting around. She wanted to do something about it.

She wasn’t her usual, care-free self. She seemed as though she had matured; and she had. She looked older somehow, as if she understood something that she hadn’t before. She was still her old self underneath it all, but right now she couldn’t laugh or have fun. That wasn’t what she was here for. It almost made her sorry, seeing Linda; the girl seemed just like her in a way. She hoped they could still be friends after this was settled out; if it ever was. She hadn’t planned for what she would do if Patrick wouldn’t forgive her; she couldn’t even bring herself to think about it, even if she deserved it. And she knew that she did. That and so much more.

She still had her bond with him; she lifted a hand to her neck at the thought, but only felt the clasp of the necklace still there. She felt like an idiot; she had been so stupid, pushing him away just because she was angry. She still didn’t understand why he’d lied, but she knew that he had to have a good reason, a reason that she hadn’t given him a chance to tell her about. Her anger had made her bind, just as it had done to her so many times before. She didn’t get angry often, and when she did, it was usually full-force. But never this bad. She had really felt like she hated him for a few moments, but it was never true. She just needed to show him that.
~!!~
Rue had her eyes closed, her arms still spread out around her when a voice broke through her façade. Her eyes snapped open quickly and she found herself looking over at Elijah. The first thing she saw were his arms; burnt, just like her. She flinched and turned away again, biting her lip as she listened to him. She was silent until she felt his lips on hers. She froze, and didn’t even have time to respond before he pulled away. She sat up quickly, almost hitting her head against his. It didn’t surprise her that his brother had told him that she didn’t want to see him anymore; she had expected it.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then her eyes fell on his burns again, and all her words left her. His arms, his neck. He was broken now, just like her. She felt sick with herself, because she knew that this was her fault. She should never have taken him to her house. She should never have let him anywhere near there, for this very reason. She turned her face away from him, but her words still wouldn’t come.

“I’m sorry,” She finally managed to say quietly. Her lips still felt strange, as if she could still feel him there. “Your brother told me I should stay away, and he was right. Elijah, I’m just hurting you. Look---look at what I did to you.” But she didn’t; she kept her face turned away from him, her eyes closed tightly, though the images were burned into the back of her eyelids. In her mind, this was all her fault. And maybe it really was. She hadn’t been careful enough, didn’t think things through. She was too rash; her mother had told her that on many occasions, though she wasn’t saying much of anything these days.

She turned her eyes back to him, but only for a moment. It was as if his very image hurt her. She couldn’t look at the burns and know that it was done by the same man who had harmed her. She closed her eyes but lifted one hand, reaching until her fingertips touched the burns on his neck. She flinched and pulled back, opening her eyes. “I lied,” she said softly. “I lied when you asked me if he hurt me anywhere else.” She didn’t know why, but she felt like she had to tell him at least that. She hesitated before lifting her shirt slightly in the front. On the front of her stomach was a burn that went to the edges of her stomach; it almost looked like a paint splatter, random and painful. She quickly lowered her shirt again and turned her face away from him.

Her dad was gone, but strangely, she didn’t miss him. She didn’t even feel sorry for him. He had hurt Elijah; he had crossed the line that none of them had had the courage to draw. She closed her eyes and took a deep breathe, letting it out slowly. “I can’t look at you,” She whispered. “Not while knowing that I’m responsible. I was careless and stupid; I should have known better than to let you come over, when he was there.” She said the word with so much bitterness and anger that it hardly even sounded like her voice. It wasn’t like her.
~!!~
Vivian kept her eyes cast downward as he led her over to the couch. She couldn’t stand to see him smiling, to see how happy he was and know that she was about to ruin it. But she had to tell him; she had to. Maybe that would finally help her accept it herself, because she felt like she was still in a dream. As if she would wake up and he would be back; her daughter would be back, even though she had never known her.

She had spent days and nights afterwards wondering what it would have felt like to hold a baby, her child, in her arms. A girl; it still seemed like a dream, as if she would wake up and be back in Dale, and none of this would have happened. She would have had a daughter; the thought made her mind spin, but it had also made her happy.

“It was a girl,” She whispered finally, staring down at her hands folded together in her lap. “I found out.” She couldn’t bring herself to keep going; she knew that what she was about to say would break him, maybe even beyond repair. But every pause was going to hurt him more, she knew. A girl was what he had wanted. She placed her hands on her stomach. She had never felt her there, not truly. She would have been able to soon, but that chance was gone, along with little Dima. “I was feeling sick,” She managed to choke out, her voice already heavy with tears. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to fight them off, at least until she could finish. “So I went to see the doctor while you were at work. I didn’t---I didn’t want you to worry. They told me---“ She folded her hands together again and opened her eyes. “They told me she died.”

She still wasn’t looking at him, and her hands had begun to shake as she no longer could hold back her tears. “They called it a miscarriage. This was five days ago. I—I tried to tell you before, but I couldn’t,” She whispered. She thought of how he’d talked to the child that was no longer there, and flinched, her hands clenching into tight fists. “I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t want---I didn’t want to hurt you,” She whispered, her tears dripping down onto her closed fists. “But I am now, aren’t I? I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
~!!~
Draven had found her; he’d finally found Michi. It had taken him a week, but he had finally found her. She was within arm’s reach, but she was also far away. He was no longer sure where the line between her and Ollie was drawn. He didn’t know how strong she had become, and how hard Michi might have to fight to stay. He just knew that it was her now, with the locket he had searched his room so vehemently for wrapped casually around her wrist.

Her words caught him off guard; he didn’t know that he hadn’t woken up on time. He had hardly heard Elianna as she spoke to him; his only thoughts had been on Michi, on finding her. And finding out why she had left. But it all made sense now, though he still didn’t understand why he hadn’t woken up.

He turned his glare from Logan to Michi, but his eyes softened considerably when he looked at her. “We’re leaving,” He said simply, his voice level and calm, his face impassive once more, like stone. He reached out and grabbed her hand, though his grip was tighter than it needed to be. He turned his gaze to Logan once more, his eyes cold. “Now.”
~!!~
Elianna hesitated only for a moment more before walking over to the bed quietly and sitting down next to him. She looked down at him where he was laying and quickly turned her face away at his question. She knew the answer, of course, but part of her didn’t want to tell him; the part of her that still seemed somewhat rational. In the end, though, she lay down next to him and turned on her side so she faced him.

“I miss my brother,” She said finally. She closed her eyes, letting out a long breath. “I know that I sound like a little girl,” She whispered. “But I really do miss him. He isn’t like he used to be. Ever since he found Michi, it’s as if I’ve become second-best. First Tobias dies and comes back as someone else, then I lose Draven, too. It’s not fair,” she whispered. She opened her eyes and propped herself up, looking down at him. “It’s not fair,” She said, her voice gaining volume now. “He just left me here alone. He cares about her more than me, and I’ve been with him all along. I’ve always been with him. I’m losing everybody,” She said suddenly. “My daughter, my brothers, everyone. I don’t understand why.”

She was exhausted; she hadn’t slept much since her brother had left, and it showed now. She wasn’t acting at all like herself. The death of her daughter and Draven’s disappearance seemed to have changed her, at least for now. She sat up straight and looked down at him, biting her lip. She moved closer and leaned over him, leaning down and pressing her lips to his. She pulled away slightly and closed her eyes. “Distract me,” she whispered. “At least for a little while. Please,” She whispered, pulling away slightly and placing her hands on his shoulders. “I don’t want to think, not about him, not about anyone.” She leaned down and kissed him again, longer this time. “Please.”
~!!~
Jenny nodded eagerly, and her face lit up when she saw the telescope. She glanced briefly at the yearbook, and she frowned slightly, but didn’t ask. “It’s so cool!” She said, a grin on her face. “It looks so much nicer than the one I have. It’s probably a good idea that you come with me,” She said suddenly. “I have a tendency to break things. I think I broke four plates at my house when I made dinner one night. My hands were wet from washing them and they just slipped out of my hands, all at the same time. It made a really loud noise and when I picked up the pieces I cut myself and had to get stitches. That wasn’t a fun story to explain to mom and dad,” Her voice faltered slightly at the word ‘mom’, but then she continued. “But the stitches hurt a lot.”

She leaned down and poked the yearbook. “This is yours, right? You have a yearbook?” She picked it up from under his foot and opened it. “Did anyone sign it? You probably won’t believe this, but once I signed two full pages in my friend’s yearbook, and still had more to say. She got really really mad but it was fun. Well, maybe you will believe it,” She said suddenly, thinking of his book.
~!!~
Haven had opened her mouth to say something else when he appeared. She stared up at him, her eyes wide. She wanted to say something, anything, but she didn’t know what. She was silent as he spoke, and when he leaned closer she flinched, closing her eyes tightly. She didn’t understand why. When he stopped speaking she took a step back, shaking her head quickly, angry at the tears that were so quick to come.

“There isn’t,” She said quietly. “There never has been. Ever since I found out about Lawrence I’ve wanted him dead; he killed everyone I cared about. I didn’t even care what happened to me, not even when Rufus was there….” She trailed off, her voice growing softer, but then turned her eyes back to him. “But now he’s gone, and I’m just left with the pieces that I can’t fit together anymore. I don’t know why, but I don’t want you to leave,” She said quietly. “I want you around. I know it’s not fair, but I do.” All her words came spilling out now, and she couldn’t stop them. “I know that this isn’t fair to you, but----“ She cut herself off, her cheeks bright red. She didn’t want him to hear all of what he had. She didn’t want him around, but she did. He loved her, but she didn’t love him. Not like that. But then why did she miss him so much when he wasn’t there? It didn’t make any sense. How could she explain it to him when she didn’t even understand it herself?
~!!~
K.C. stood up, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. “I wasn’t just going to stand by and do nothing! He hated me already; if he wasn’t going to kill me before, he is now. I like it here too, Xavier, but I’m not going to sit here while he comes after me!” She knew she was being unfair, but she couldn’t stop now. “I ripped his painting,” She said suddenly. “He hated me already; I can’t have made it that much worse.” That was a lie, and she knew it. “How was I to know that he’d done it before?” She demanded. “Xavier, I have to go. I can’t stay here. I acted on impulse, but it’s too late to take it back now. I can’t stay.”
~!!~
Anya stepped away from the door, her hand falling back to her side. She didn’t know what to do to make things better. She wanted him to be happy, but he couldn’t be, not with her around. She knew that, but she still couldn’t leave. Nothing seemed to work, and she could only sit and regret it. She sat down on the edge of her bed, looking down at her hands. She closed her eyes tightly and stood up, opening the door to Milo’s room before she could change her mind again.

He was sitting on his bed. She stayed near the door, taking a deep breathe, trying not to see his brother there. “Milo,” She said quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Milo, I want to fix things, “She whispered. She could barely hear her own voice. “Please. I---I can’t stand seeing you like this and know that it’s because of me. Please tell me how to fix it.” Those were the first words she’d said to him in a week, and she wouldn’t even meet his eyes as she spoke them. She was terrified of him, and she hated it.
~!!~
Leslie snapped out of his daze when she stood up and ran into the woods. His eyes grew wide and he stumbled to his feet just as she came back, the cat in her arms. A small smile made its way to his face, until it jumped out of her arms and her hands flew to her face. His eyes widened and he stepped forward, placing his hands over hers. He slowly removed them and flinched as he saw the scratches and her tears.

“Hey, it’s okay,” He said softly. He wasn’t thinking as he gently touched one of the scratches, shaking his head slowly. “It’s okay. Jamie,” He said quietly, for lack of a better name. But he didn’t want her to be his sister; he wanted her to be his friend. He leaned down and gently touched each scratch with his lips, then pulled back and kissed her on the nose. “It’s alright,” He said softly, resting his forehead against hers. He was blushing, a strange sight to see on him. He didn’t understand why. But he didn’t like to see her hurt, even if it was something small like this. He placed his hand on her cheek and leaned closer, pressing his lips to hers. He was gentle, almost as if he was afraid he would break her if he wasn’t.
~!!~
December jumped and stepped back as he tapped her on the shoulder, and she seemed to turn even paler when she saw the blood on him. She shook her head quickly, trying to remember why she had even come there in the first place.

“Br---Brooke,” She finally stammered. “Brooke. We have to---have to help her. “ She was speaking almost as if she were in a daze, looking only at the blood that covered him. Did he look like that when he’d killed her best friend, too? “It’s been a week. Please. We have to try again.” She finally looked up and met his eyes. She knew that he regretted what he’d done, and that it had been an accident, but she still felt a strange sort of anger at him. It didn’t seem fair; none of it did.
~!!~
Jeremy paced back and forth in front of Ember, who had slipped down to the ground, her hands covering her face. “Why didn’t you stay away from him?!” He shouted. “It was him, wasn’t it? It was that idiot’s cousin! You left with him and then you never came back. What did he do to you?!” He shouted, spinning back around. “I came here and I waited, and you never came back. I don’t understand, Ember. Why couldn’t you be happy when you were still alive?!” He yelled. “I understand about loss, Ember, but you can’t just give up like that! You were a coward! You still are! You just ran away when things got bad. You know that my life wasn’t the best, either, but I didn’t run away!”

Ember’s cries were silent, but with each word she had to fight back the sobs that fought to escape her lips. She knew that he was right, but he’d never yelled at her before. Not once when they were alive. That somehow made it all worse.

“That idiot should have been able to protect you! But he’s not even here now!!” He continued, and he stopped pacing, kneeling down in front of her. “Ember, you didn’t fight. You gave up. You were always so strong. You know that I loved you for so long,” He whispered suddenly, and her eyes opened wide. She looked up at him, her eyes bright red and puffy. He continued. “I loved the way you stood up for yourself and your friends, the fire I saw inside of you every day. But after you lost me, and then Dimitri, it left you. You stopped being….you. And now…now you’re just like me. Stuck here. I hope it was worth it all, Ember,” He said quietly, standing back up. “I really hope it was.”
~!!~
Sage lifted her head off her pillow when she heard the call for dinner. She slowly stood up, smoothing down her t-shirt and jeans before walking over to the door. Her eyes were tired and her hair messy as she made her way downstairs. She looked as though she had just woken up, which she really had. She yawned and stretched, rubbing her eyes as she walked past Addison.

“I’ll go,” She mumbled, without really thinking it through. She just wanted a chance to get out of the house. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. She’d never admit that she liked his cooking. She leaned over him in the kitchen and picked one of his cherries off the top, popping it in her mouth. She wrinkled her nose, shaking her head. She hated cherries; for some reason, though, she just wanted to annoy him by taking one.
~!!~
Sandra sighed, but she hesitated only for a moment before walking in. She hadn’t seen him since she’d come here. For a moment she almost turned around and ran back to her room, but she swallowed back her fear and closed the door behind her.

“Tony, are you okay?” She asked softly. It seemed a dumb question after she asked it, but it was too late to take it back. She stayed near the door, as if she were afraid to get any closer, though why it was unclear.

Brooke looked at him when he pulled her hands away from her face and touched her cheek. She smiled weakly at him when he said it would be okay. She believed him, and wasn't that bad anyways. But her smile faded and her eyes widened and a thin blush covered her cheeks when he kissed each scratch. "Le-" she began but then he kissed her nose and her blush grew deeper. But he was blushing too. She smiled at him and was about to say something else when his lips touched her own. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, her cheeks growing redder by the second. She suddenly stepped back and she touched her lips. "Leslie." she whispered softly. "I-" She didn't know what to say. She was happy. She was strangely happy.

She stepped forward and touched his own cheek. She smiled slightly.

~!!~
Fear ran through Mary Jean when his face was inches from hers. Tears made it to the edges to her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She was so focus on keeping them in that it seemed as if she lost her voice. She didn't even speak when he had her pined to the wall. Her arm were above her head and he was gripping her so tightly that it hurt. In a twisted way, he was right. Suddenly she was on her back on the bed. He still had her pinned. He wouldn't stop yelling. She didn't want to admit it, but he was scaring her. But it wasn't until his voice softened and his arms slid around her waist that her tears slid down her cheeks. Her voice was still trapped in her throat. She could no longer tell him to get off. To leave her alone.

Instead she put her hands on his chest and gave a weak push. He didn't move, and she hadn't expected him to. "Please." she whispered. "Please get off." she managed but her voice was breaking and so quiet she barely heard it herself. She began to fall back into her own body. "You're not the man I feel in love with." those words were stronger, and she had no idea where they came from, she was no longer the one speaking. She was no longer there. It was no longer her in Sam's arm.

Jane didn't know what was going on. She spent so long in the dark, but somehow she knew what Sam had been doing for the past week or so. "I don't love you, not like I did. What happened to you? You use to be so sweet. What happened to the boy who followed me to that party and dragged me home before I made a fool of myself? What happened, Sam? What happened to the boy who played board games with me when I couldn't walk? What happened, where did he go? Why did he leave me with a monster with his face?" She sounded so strong, but she didn't know what he would do. He seemed unstable. Right now, with him pinning her down, he could hurt her badly. And she knew she probably wouldn't fight him if he decided to hit her. In her mind, this wasn't Sam. She wasn't the boy that stole her heart, now he was the monster tearing it to bits. She loved Sam, and this wasn't Sam. She didn't love this person, monster. But that didn't stop her.

"You're not a man! You're a boy! You're a stupid, scared little boy who needs to grow up! Go ahead; blame it on me! Say this is all my fault. I don't care what you do anymore! But this is your fault! You're at fault and I'm tried being treated this way! You didn't seem to need me when you went around flirting with any girl that crossed your path! You didn't seem to need me when you mated with that girl! The only time you needed me was when you were about to get killed! It's your fault that I'm like this! This is your fault! You yelled at me for something I did not do! You slammed the door in my face in just about tell me that you never want to see me again and the moment I'm gone you freak out! How is that fair to me! Why should I stay here! You don't own me! I am not yours! I don't love you! Why can't you get that through your head!" she shouted at him.

~!!~
"HOW ROMANTIC!" Linda exclaimed. There was a smile on her lips as she leaned forward to pull her through the door. "Of course, I'll take you to him." Suddenly she was knocked back to the ground. Matthew was glaring down at her. He turned his glare to her, but suddenly he was smirking. "Matty, what are you thinking about?" Linda asked, almost in fear. She knew when he smirked like that he was planing something.

"Kendra." he said, a strange look in his eyes.

Linda stood up looking confused. Kendra was the girl that everyone thought Patrick would make his mate. But that was so long ago. Him and her had long ago drifted apart, but they were still on good terms. Linda knew this, but she didn't think anything about it. "Why?" she asked.

Matthew shook his head. "None of your business." he said and looked at Leanne. "I don't think Patrick wants anything to do with you anymore. Not when he can have so much better. All he has to do is mate with someone else and he is free of you. It's as easy as that. And who knows, he might fall back in love with Kendra. Hearts are fickle things." he said as he leaned over her. "Or I could take you away from him." he said as he pushed her hair away from her neck and kissed it.

"MATTHEW!" Linda shouted as she pushed him away from Leanne. But he was smirking as Linda pulled Leanne in and slammed the door closed.

"You can talk to him, if you can find him, if you can make him listen." he chuckled as he turned and walked away. He doubted that she would find him easily right now. The house was rather large, Patrick could be anywhere. But later she would be able to find him. The family reunion would be soon, and Patrick was expected to be there since no one has seen him in so long.

Linda smiled up at Leanne. "I'll help you find him! I know where his room is... But Matty might get mad if I showed you... ANYWAYS! I'm so glad to meet you! I am Linda! I am Patrick's cousin. I think it is really-- Say, you're not planing on talking to him in that are you?" she asked looking at Leanne's clothes.

~!!~
Anger rolled off of Elijah. She couldn't, wouldn't, look at him. He reached over and took her chin and gentle made her look at him. "Is that it? You're avoiding me because your father hurt me? What is your problem? Do you think so little of me that you don't want me around? Look at me! Does it matter what I look like I accepted you, don't you think I deserve more then this!?" he was almost shouting now. "Fine, I'll leave. if you don't want me around any more, I'll leave and never come back." he said as he leaned forward again. He pressed his lips to hers, but didn't pull away right away. He didn't want to. But he did. He stood up. "I'll go. You don't want me here, so I'll go. You can take that as a good bye kiss. He said as he turned and began to walk away.

~!!~
Sergei froze, a smile almost made it's way to his lips. Dima, their baby would be Dima. But, wait, wasn't it too soon to find out if the baby was a male or female? He didn't understand. He watched her and fear fell over him. Something wasn't right. There couldn't be anything right. Why would she be acting like this? He reached over and took her hands in his. That was when she told him that Dima died. His eyes widened and he dropped her hands. He stood up and began to pace as she went on.

He stopped in his tracks when she told him this was five days go. He spun around and looked at her. "You didn't tell me when you found out!?" he shouted. For a moment he forgot how she must feel about this. After all the baby was part of her. What made him mad was that she didn't tell him, she made herself suffer on her own when he could of held her. And how had he made it worse every time he spoke to Dima?

He sat back on the cough and buried his face in his hands. "No, no, this isn't happening." He had actually wanted to be a father. He wanted to be the father of Vivian's child. Now he wouldn't be Dima's father,yes, there was a chance they would have another child, but right ow he couldn't think about that. His child was gone.

~!!~
Michi flinched when he glared at her. When he grabbed her hand she tried to pull out his grasp. She wouldn't admit it, but he was hurting her. Instead she took a step forward to follow him. But Logan grabbed her arm and looked at her with sad eyes. They were both holding her tighter then needed, They both didn't want to loose her. She looked back in forth. With Logan holding her arm. Ollie was fighting hard. She was fighting just as hard. Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore, their body couldn't take it. She stepped back and suddenly everything went black.

She fell to her side, toward Draven. She had fainted.

~!!~
Landon was about to pull the blanket up over her when she sat up. "It's okay." he whispered just as she leaned toward him. He remained laying down. He frowned when she pulled away the first time,the second time he kissed her back. The last please muffled in their lips. He would be happy to distract her. It would be his honor.

His arms found away around her waist and suddenly he wasn't so tired. Somehow he had Elianna on her in a matter of seconds. His knees was on either side of her, his arms still around her waist. He moved his lips from her mouth to her neck. "Distracting enough?" he asked in between kisses. "I can make you for get everything." he whispered in her ear. A smirk crossed his lips. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle." he said. He was kissing her neck again when his fangs touched her skin. He sunk his fangs and pulled a way few moments later. She smirked widely at her and slid his fangs into her arm. "Do you know how good you taste? You're so beautiful. I want to be mine." he said as he brushed her hair out of her face. Her blood dripped down his chin and stained her nightgown.

~!!~
Trevor glared at he. "For the love of all that is good, shut up." he said as he started to pile the stuff back into the the closet. He was about to pick up the yearbook when she did and began talking again. He glared at her. He believed she did. But it didn't matter. "Sure, tons of people did." he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "That one is from my senior year. I remember one day my friend stole it from me and by time I got it back he had everyone sign it. He said he knew that if I did I wouldn't have anyone sign it because I would of just put it in my locker or something." he shrugged. "Not that it matters."

~!!~
Benny frowned deeply. "YOU HAVE TO FIND SOMETHING!" he shouted. "You're so stupid if you think that it will just walk up to you!" Then he sighed and turned away. "Life isn't fair, neither is death." he said looking at his chains. "Life doesn't work that way, you have to go find your own reason to live, you're not going to be handed something to live for.:" he shook his head and looked at her. "You don't know what fair is." he said as he turned to leave. "You need to make up you're mind. I'm sorry for all I done to you, but I don't regret it." he said, running his hands through his hair,causing his chains to rattle. "I love you, and I'm not taking those words back."

~!!~
Xavier looked at her. He shook her head. "You need to leave, go ahead, but you can go without me." he said. Why was he saying this? Why couldn't he just nod and follow her like he wanted to? Something in his pride kept him from doing so. He had told her not to do anything, and she did anyways. He could take care of himself, he wanted to protect her, to keep her safe. How could he do that if she was putting herself into these dangerous situations. He sigh and looked at her sadly. "I don't care, KC, but you will have to go by yourself." He still did not understand why he couldn't just that he would go with her. These people were his family, she was asking him to leave his family behind and go with her.

~!!~
Milo looked up when she she stepped into the room. He frowned deeply as he strained to hear her words.Then glared at her. "Do you think you can fix anything!?" he shouted as he stood up and walked over to her. "Do you really think you can fix this!? YOU CAN'T!" he shouted at her. "So, don't even bother to ask." he said. He didn't understand why he was saying these things, just that he was done with this all. He couldn't take it anymore. Why did he fall in love with the girl that couldn't love?

He just shook his head and walked to the door and pulled it open.

~!!~
Moses looked at her sadly. He wanted to find her, he wanted to find. He needed to find her. But he didn't know what to do when he did. So he had been waiting for December. "If you can lead me to her, then I'll do it now." he said as he looked up at the sky. He missed Brooke, this was all his fault. He wondered what Leslie was doing to her. He seemed pretty insane, maybe he was hurting her, maybe she hated being with Leslie and would come back to him. He could only hope, he had no idea what was going at the moment. He would freak out if he did.

~!!~
"And who said I wanted you to go?" he said as he glared at her. He picked up his bowl of cherries and put them in the fridge for later. "Don't touch them." he said he started putting food on plates for siblings. "You make you're own plate." he said,like he did every day as he walked his sibling's plate into the dining room. When he came back he sighed. "You can come, just don't get annoying." he said as started to making the others plates, walking them into the dinning room for them.

~!!~
Tony stood up and glared at her. "DO I LOOK OKAY TO YOU!?" he shouted. He turned his back to her and looked out the window. He loved her,but she was dead too... He couldn't help but blame himself. There was no other way, this had to be his fault. He knew that. In his mind if he had never told her to go away she would still be alive. She wouldn't be dead and he could of have watched her grow up, it sounded creepy, yes, but it was a lot better then knowing that she was dead.

He banged his head against the window. "You should be alive, yet you are dead. This isn't what I wanted. Sandra, I love you, I wanted to see you live, grow up, and die of old age.But now you are stuck like me. Why would I be okay?" he asked.

Leanne jumped as Linda suddenly yelled, and she stumbled back, almost losing her balance and falling off the porch. She was about to answer her when Matthew pushed her back. Her hands clenched into fists and she glared at him, and opened her mouth to speak when he did. Confusion crossed her features and her hands slowly uncurled from their fists. She turned back to Matthew when he spoke, and she struggled to keep her face impassive when all she really wanted to do was run and hide.

‘I already know that,’ she wanted to say. ‘I know that but I’m still going to try.’ But as it was, she was strangely silent, which was nothing like her. She didn’t know who Kendra was, but it didn’t matter. She snapped back when his lips touched her neck, and her blood felt like ice running through her veins. When Linda pulled him away a hand flew up to her neck instinctively, the touch of his lips remaining. She didn’t say anything as she was pulled inside and the door slammed closed behind her. She stared straight at Matthew as he spoke, her face impassive. Only when he walked away and left her with Linda did she really seem to come back to reality.

“Wear what?” She asked, glancing down at her outfit. She frowned, looking back at Linda. “I’ve been dressed worse than this in front of him,” She said simply. “Besides, I’m not planning on sticking around very long,” She said. “I just need to talk to him.” But now that she was getting closer, her mind was like a blank sheet. She didn’t know what she was going to say.
~!!~
Rue sat in the same position on the grass as he turned and began to walk away. She closed her eyes tightly, touching her lips with her fingertips. She didn’t know what to do. She opened her eyes and stumbled to her feet, almost falling over. She ran forward and threw her arms around him from behind, holding on tightly.

“That’s not it,” She breathed. “That’s not it. I just….I don’t want to know I’m responsible for your pain,” She whispered. “You can’t deny that this was my fault. You’d be fine if you’d never met me. You’d be unscathed; you’d be fine.” She closed her eyes tightly, tears slipping down her cheeks and onto his shirt. “You know that I don’t care what you look like; you don’t care what I look like. I’m ugly, Elijah. You can’t deny that, either. Kids take one look at me and run back to their mothers. My own mother can’t even look at me without reminding me of what I look like. But somehow, you saw past that, and my thanks to you was to let you get hurt.” She opened her eyes and stood up on her toes, though her lips were trembling as she kissed the burns on his neck.

“I’m sorry,” She whispered. “I am. I don’t want you to leave.” She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and walked around so she was facing him. She placed her hands on his shoulders, though her eyes were closed again. “I’m scared to hurt you,” She whispered. “The last boy I fell in love with died. It was my fault then, too. If I tell you that, would you still like me?” She let her hands fall back to her sides and shook her head slowly. “But that’s just it. I don’t want to hurt you, because I think I’m---“ She opened her eyes again, her tears slipping to the ground again. “I’m falling in love with you,” She said quietly, barely audible, her voice cracking.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I let you get hurt. That’s why I can’t look at you. I can’t, knowing that it’s my fault. But I don’t want to watch you walk away, either,” She whispered, staring down at her feet.
~!!~
Leslie was practically red by the time she pulled away. He didn’t know what to say when she touched his cheek, so he didn’t say anything. He was confused; he didn’t know who he was anymore. Because even though now he seemed to be back to his old self, his past sins were still there. He had killed people, many people, and felt no remorse about it. He had enjoyed it. All because he had lost his family, and pushed away the last ones he had left. Just thinking of Sunny now made him feel sick. That really had been his mother that he had turned into a pile of ashes. Where was she now? He had to find her, and Horace. He knew that he had to, but the thought scared him. He was a coward.

He looked down at Brooke, and knew that he wanted to change. He had been someone else when he’d found her; a monster. He didn’t know why, but it was as if something had been lifted off of him. He felt like himself again; he had missed it. He placed his hand over hers, closing his eyes. For the first time in so long, he felt at peace. He wanted to stay here with her while he could. He didn’t want to fix his past yet. He would start with her.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered quietly, brushing her hair back behind her ear. “I’m sorry that I hurt you.”

He wanted to be a coward for just a little bit longer.
~!!~
Vivian watched him in silence, though her vision was blurred. “I’m sorry,” She whispered when he sat back down. “I’m so, so sorry. Some part of me….this has to be my fault,” She whispered, staring down at her hands. Blood dripped down from where she was biting her lip, but she hardly seemed to notice it. “I’ve spent every night thinking ‘what did I do wrong? Was I not taking care of…taking care of…of her enough?” She closed her eyes tightly, burying her face in her hands. Her words were muffled, but it was still easy to tell what she was saying, what she was feeling.

“I keep wondering if, maybe if I’d done something different, things would still be okay. That---That she would still be alive,” She whispered, her shoulders shaking. “I feel….I feel empty, Sergei,” She whispered. “I feel as though something was taken away from me, and something…something was. I----I didn’t know her, but knowing that she’s---that she’s not there anymore….” She opened her eyes and finally looked at him. “I can’t figure it out. Was this my fault? Did I---Did I kill her somehow, and not know it?” She whispered. “I don’t know what to do,” She cried, wrapping her arms around herself tightly and staring down at the ground. “I’m sorry,” She whispered, and those words became almost like a prayer. She kept repeating them, over and over again. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
~!!~


Sam’s grip on her only seemed to tighten with each word that she spoke. His face was a mask of pain and annoyance. He felt as though he were being pulled in two different directions, and he didn’t understand why. He knew now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was Jane underneath him. Her, and not anyone else. But then why was she saying these things to him? He didn’t understand. He didn’t like it.

There was a small voice in the back of his head telling him to stop this, to get up and walk away, to leave her alone. That voice was his old self, but he had pushed it too far back to hear it clearly. Its voice was muffled and indistinct, and easy to ignore now. His grip tightened even more, and he shook his head. “No,” He mumbled. “No!” He shouted suddenly, and the loud noise that echoed through the room seemed to snap him out of his daze. He stared from his hand to ‘Mary Jean’s’ bright red cheek, then quickly got up and off of her. He seemed unstable on his feet; he leaned against the wall for support, his head throbbing. The soft, quiet voice was becoming louder and louder.

“SHUT UP!” He yelled suddenly, but even that wouldn’t help. He didn’t know who he was; he didn’t know what he was doing. He felt sick and yet strangely satisfied at the same time, watching Mary Jean now. He didn’t know what was wrong with him; he didn’t know what to do. He felt like he was being torn in two.
~!!~
Draven glared at Logan, his eyes like ice. He was about to say something when Michi fell. He caught her and held her close, closing his eyes. For a moment it was as if he had completely forgotten about Logan standing there; now, all that was in front of him was Michi. He cradled her gently against his chest, supporting her weight with his own. He didn’t realize just how much he’d missed her until now. He never wanted to be without her again. It was strange; he never thought that he’d be this way himself. He’d laughed at people for it before, but now he understood. He understood what it was like to love someone so much that they were literally a part of you. He understood; and he loved it as much as he hated it.

He looked up at Logan, and held Michi closer, but gently. “We’re leaving,” He said simply. “The girl that you knew isn’t her. This is Michi, and I’m leaving. We’re leaving.” He picked her up bridal style, as if she weighed nothing at all. “If you try to stop me, I’ll rip you to pieces,” He said simply. And he would; he knew that he would, and he would feel no regret whatsoever. He turned his back on him and began to walk away. It would take a long time to get back carrying her, but he didn’t care. All that mattered now was that he had her back.
~!!~
Elianna would have forced him off of her any other day. She would have yelled at him and told him to stop, but she was the one who had wanted this. She wanted to forget everything, and he was her distraction. That was why she didn’t fight once she was looking up at him and she felt his lips on her neck. She closed her eyes and managed one small nod. “Oka---“ Her words were cut off when his fangs bit into her skin. She mumbled something under her breathe, but it was hard to understand. She flinched as he bit her arm, but she didn’t pull away then, either. She blinked up at him, at her own blood that was dripping down onto her nightgown, then closed her eyes.

She was tired. She was angry. She wasn’t herself. She opened her eyes and looked up at him again, sitting up as much as she could with him still there. She took his hand in her own, though she could still feel her blood running down her arm. She pressed her lips to his wrist gently, and then she did the one thing she swore she’d never do once John died. She sunk her fangs into his wrist, and his blood flooded her mouth. She could feel him there already. The bond between vampires was so much stronger than that of humans, was all that she could think as she kept her mouth on his wrist. So much stronger than a simple ring on your finger. But then why him? She couldn’t have answered that even if she’d wanted to.

She pulled away slowly, reluctantly, and looked back at him. She could still taste his blood in her mouth as she sat up straight, placing her hands on his chest and pushing him away so she could. She didn’t say anything as she looked back at him, at her own blood that was on his face. She reached up a hand and wiped it away with her fingertips, gentler than she seemed like she would ever touch him. She leaned up and kissed him again, wrapping her arms around him tightly.
~!!~
Jenny shook her head quickly, still flipping through it. “Of course it matters!” She protested. “Yearbooks can help you preserve memories. Ten years later, twenty years later, even thirty years later you can look back and remember things that you would have forgotten otherwise. That’s why I always made sure to get everyone to sign mine,” She said, smiling at him. She flipped another page and her eyes widened. “You were prom king?” She asked incredulously. “Wow. I never woulda guessed. You don’t seem the type,” She said, looking down at the picture of him. “Wow! You look so much younger,” She said. She didn’t realize that most of what she said could be taken as offensive, even if she didn’t mean it that way.

“Memories are easy to keep if you have something to keep them with,” She said suddenly, and she reached into her back pocket, pulling out a digital camera. “See?” She asked, grinning as she turned it on. “Say cheese!” She said, and the flash went off. She laughed and put the camera back in her pocket. “The unexpected pictures are always the best,” She explained. “Because that way you get the real person, instead of a fake smile. I’d rather have a real picture of someone angry at me than a fake smile.” She looked thoughtful for a moment, the continued. “I think I wanna stay here,” She said suddenly. “I started out just looking for my brother, but I’m sick of it. I want to make a new home somewhere, with a new family. I think here is good.” She smiled at him. “Even if I annoy you.”
~!!~
Haven’s hands curled into fists at her sides, but she couldn’t think of anything to say to him. She knew that he was right, but what did she really have to live for? A ghost walking around in chains because of her? A girl broken to pieces who wouldn’t leave her side? She flinched at the three words she’d only heard from one other person in her life and watched as he turned his back to her.

“You’re running away,” She whispered. “You’re running away!” She shouted, ignoring the tears that now flowed freely. Any other time she wouldn’t have let herself be seen like this, but right now she didn’t care. “I may be a coward, but so are you!” She cried. “You’re no better than me!” She didn’t know why she was saying these things; he hadn’t done anything to make her say it, but she didn’t know what else to do. She wanted him to stay, but she didn’t even know why.

“I don’t have a reason,” She whispered. “I don’t have one. I’ve lost everything. Everyone expects me to be okay!” She shouted. “Cinder needs me, but I’m just as broken as she is! She expects me to support her when I can barely even keep my own head up! With Rufus, I was okay. But every time I love someone, they get taken away from me. I loved my sisters, I loved my parents, I loved Ash, I loved Rufus, and look where they are now! Dead, buried, gone. So even if I said I thought that I could love you, would it really make a difference? Would you stay then?” Her eyes widened slightly, and she took a step back, wiping her tears away angrily with the back of her hand. She didn’t know where those last words had come from, and she didn’t want to know. She just wanted things to be okay again, even though she knew that they never could be.
~!!~
K.C. shook her head slowly. “So you want me to leave without you,” She said slowly. “After everything….you won’t go.” She knew that was she being unfair, asking him of this. Her stupidity and her tendency to act on impulse had gotten them into this situation, but her pride and stubbornness prevented her from saying so.

“Fine,” She said stiffly. “I’ll go.” She took a step back, shaking her head again. She wanted to say sorry, but for what? For trying to make Chronos see that he couldn’t hurt him so easily and get away with it? For trying to help protect him? She turned to the door and placed her hand on the knob, but then she hesitated. She didn’t want to turn her back on him, but she didn’t want to stay. She couldn’t stay, but he wouldn’t come with her. In the end she opened the door, and a few moments later the front door closed, and she was gone, going back ‘home’. But where was home anymore?
~!!~
Anya flinched, but she didn’t say anything as he walked towards the door. She didn’t know what to say; she knew that he was right, after all. Why did she think she could fix anything? She hadn’t seen him this mad before, though. She stepped forward and reached out a hand towards him, but it quickly fell back to her side.

“I’m sorry, “She whispered. “M—Milo, where are you going?” She asked quietly, though she thought she knew the answer already. She had been wondering before how he could take all of this. Maybe he couldn’t.
~!!~
December nodded. “Now, then,” She said, her voice sounding more sure than she felt. “Now. I don’t know where they are, but Dale isn’t that big. We can find them. I know that we can.” She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him outside, then quickly let go, shaking her head as she walked towards the woods. She wasn’t afraid of him, but she didn’t want to be close to him, either. She only turned behind her once as she made her way through the woods, and she only tripped once, too. She picked herself up quickly and walked faster, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. She didn’t know where to start looking; she was only fooling herself. But what was that boy doing to her now? Was she okay? Was she hurt? All these thoughts ran through her mind as she came out of the woods---

And right next to the house where Brooke was kissing him. She stood in silence, her eyes wide, watching him so close to her, so casual. It didn’t make any sense to her. Brooke looked….happy.
~!!~
Sage scowled at him, but he was already back in the dining room. She was silent as she made her own plate, only looking up again as he came in.

“Me? Annoying? It’s as if you don’t know me at all,” She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “If anyone is annoying, it’s you, not me,” She said simply, walking into the dining room and taking the seat farthest away from him as she could, falling silent again. She didn’t even glance at Nicole once.
~!!~
Sandra’s eyes widened, and she walked over to him without another word. “Tony, you can’t honestly think…think that any of this is your fault, can you?” She asked quietly. She flinched as he hit his head, and without thinking she sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly and pulling him close. “It’s not your fault. I don’t---I don’t even know what happened,” She whispered. “I just woke up, and….and I was like this. I don’t remember how it happened, and that scares me, but there’s no way it could be your fault. It’s not your fault Anne died; it’s not your fault you died. None of it is your fault,” She said quietly.
~!!~
Gem wanted to see Christen again. Even though she knew it was selfish, even though she knew she wouldn’t be able to let him near her, the reassurance that he was at least there would have made her feel better. But he wouldn’t show himself, even if he was still there, because he knew that it would hurt her. She didn’t know weather to be angry with him or thank him. But now, she could do neither.

The only good thing that had happened was that Damian hadn’t shown his face again. But that didn’t matter to her. She would almost welcome the disturbance to the silence that had fallen over her in the past week. For she hadn’t said one word. She curled up tighter under the blankets, closing her eyes. She barely heard the footsteps as Damian walked closer, touching her shoulder. She didn’t open her eyes as he lay down next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She was shaking, but she didn’t speak.

Linda looked at her like she was crazy. She grabbed her wrist and began to pulled her up the stairs. "You're strange." she laughed. "I don't know how two lived over seas, but here there are different rules. You can't just talk to him and expect that to work. I haven't see Patrick since I was ten, and believe me, I haven't been ten in years. But if he was anything like he was then, he is as stubborn as a cow. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that is a bad thing. At least he can stand his ground. And this house that is a good thing. Mason, my aunt and Patrick's mother, can be kind of pushy. Clark, my uncle and Mason's husband, is a bit stuck up. He planed out the future of all his kids. Well Patrick didn't want that so left. We have been trying to get him back for years. The ironic part is that you are the one that actually made him come back, huh? When he came back he looked so sad. Even Maggie said she couldn't remember anytime he been so blue. And she is like 400 sometime. Oh, but she's blind and looks only twelve. Did you know that?"

Just as they were walking down the hall a man turned the corner. He had the same blond hair and blue eyes as Linda. He smiled at her softly and looked at Leanne. "Who is this, Lin-"

"This is Leanne! Patrick's mate!" she exclaimed excitedly. "She is a made vampire like mama was!" she said as she skipped towards her father still pulling Leanne along.

A frown pulled on the man's lips. "We don't talk about your mother here." he said as he looked at Leanne. "I am Nickolas. I apologize for my daughter's excitement." he said and looked back at Linda. "Don't pull her arm out of the socket and make sure you are wearing a clean dress before the rest of the family arrives." he said as he walked pass them.

Linda stuck her tongue out at him and looked up Leanne. "We are having a family reunion. Technically you are family since you are mated to Patrick. It is your right to call yourself by our last name. Winters. Leanne Winters. Actually that has a nice ring to it." she said as she pulled her along.

~!!~
Elijah looked down at Rue when she was standing in front of him. He touched her cheek. "You can't blame yourself." he said, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "You didn't do anything. I knew what your father did, and I went inside on my own free will. If anyone is to blame. It's me." he whispered. He put his hand on her shoulder and took her hand in his other. "Don't call yourself ugly. Don't blame yourself for anything. To me you are beautiful. I will admit, that your skin isn't very beautiful. But skin dies it fades, one day your skin won't matter." he said as he kissed the burnt cheek. The skin was rough under his lips. He pulled away and looked down at her. "You need to decide; do you want me to stay or go?" he asked as he closed his eyes. "I miss you and I don't care about your past. I care about you." he whispered.

~!!~
Brooke was smiling widely at him as he placed his hand over hers. She didn't want to be his sister anymore. Instead she wanted to be the girl he would kiss, he would hold. She wanted to be the girl he loved. She didn't know if she had ever wanted anything more then that, but she thought it was safe to assume that she never wanted something more then this.

She leaned her head against his hand when he brushed her hair out of her face. She smiled up at him. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his head. "It's fine." she whispered. "In a twisted way, I wouldn't be here if you hadn't." she whispered and bite her lip. "You won't, you wouldn't hurt me again, would you?" she asked softly and she made fists with her hands, gripping the back of his shirt.

Then suddenly she was ripped away from him. Moses glared daggers at Leslie and held a shocked Brooke close to him. "Don't touch her!" he shouted at him. He looked down at Brooke trying get out of his arms. There was tears in her eyes along side the fear. She was scared of him, but Leslie was so much worse and she was clinging to him. "Brooke, stop." he said as she tried to wiggle out his arms. "Please, Brooke, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." he said as she slide out of his arms and ran behind Leslie.

She gripped his arm and shook her head. "My name isn't Brooke." she said. "My name is Jamie." she said. She was shaking.

Moses sighed and shook his head. "No, Brooke, your name is Brooke. Your mother gave you that name. It's the name you had ha all your life. I can give you back your memories. I can give you back your name. Just come here, please." he begged.

Brooke only shook her head and held onto Leslie tighter, so Moses turned to Leslie. "Do you really care for her? You kissed her like you did. You held her like you did. But is that really enough to prove you do? How do you like calling her, what was it, Jamie? That's not her name, and it doesn't feel right calling her that, does it? How do you like having a girl that can only remember you? She will only be able to remember you. She won't be able to remember her brother, her best friend, her life. She can't tell you stories about how she and her friend would bury each other in the snow. She will never be able to tell you the humor of her name. You will never be able to know everything about her. She can't even tell you her birthday! She can't tell you how old she is. Is that what you really want, a girl that you have to make? If you make her, she won't be her, and then what is the point of caring for her?" he asked as he stepped forward. "She may not want it now, but she will thank you later. Please, let me give her back her memories. You can't say that you don't want to know who she is, and the only way you will find out is if she tells you herself. Let me give her back that knowledge."

Brooke shook her head and just held on to Leslie tighter. Sure, she wanted to know who she was, but she was scared of the man in front of them.

~!!~
Sergei wrapped his arms around her and rocked her back in froth. "Stop that." he said as he held her close to his chest. "Stop it!" he said. "It's not your fault. You were under a lot of stress. If anything it's my fault. I am the one that worried you." he said as he kissed the top of her head. "Please stop blaming yourself." he begged quietly. He couldn't take this. He couldn't watch her like this. It hurt him to see her so broken. It hurt him even more to think he did this to her. Maybe if he didn't worry her, the baby would still be alive. Maybe if he hadn't suggested to elope it wouldn't have come to this. But then she wouldn't be his wife. He wouldn't be able to hold her in his arms at night. He wouldn't be able to kiss her. But was that all worth it? Was it really? He loved her, and there was always the future. In a twisted way, maybe it was betterthis way. Maybe next time they would be ready for kids.

~!!~
Jane quickly pushed herself up and pressed a hand to 'her' cheek. She looked at Sam with something like pity in her eyes. "Sam, stop this." she said as she said as she walked over to him. She stayed a safe distance away. "I miss the real you." she said. She was telling the truth. She missed him, and this wasn't him. The Sam that she loved was funny, sweet, kind, and a bit annoying. This wasn't the Sam she fell in love with. So she stepped back and walked toward the door. She paused in the doorway. She shook her head. "I don't see it. I don't see the love you claim you have for me. I don't see it. You are treating me as if you own me. I'm not yours." she said as she stepped out of the room.

~!!~
Landon watched her with a strange amusement in his eyes. He didn't even flinch as she bit into his arm. And when she pushed him back he did. He licked his own blood off her lips when she kissed him and pulled her close to his chest. One hand slid down and found the hem of her nightgown. Just as he was tugging upward on it the door slammed open making him pull away.

Angel was glaring at him, hatred filled his eyes, but when he looked at Elianna it was something else in them. It wasn't the love that was once in his eyes. The way he was looking at her showed that she had just lost all respect from him. He shook his head and walked over to them, pulling Elianna off the bed. "Come on, you shouldn't be in here." he said as he tried to pull her to the door.

~!!~
Trevor ripped the yearbook out of hand. "Why is it so surprising that I was prom king? Why do you have to insult me every time you get a chance?" he demanded. "Does it amuse you!? And I can't look all that much younger!" he shouted as he threw the year book back into the closet and slammed the door closed. He pointed to the telescope. "Are we going to go outside or what!?" He looked angry, and he was, Here he was, being nice to the girl he hated and she was insulting him. Hoe did that make sense?

He glared at her. "I don't care if you think of this as home. I don't care where you go." he said as he picked up the telescope. "Are you coming or not?" he asked.

~!!~
Benny paused in his steps. He glanced back a her. "I love you, I will never regret those words. Every time I stole a kiss from your lips, I won't regret. I don't care if you hate me. I will always love you. Just, just let me think for a little while. I always return." he said as he turned his back again and walked away.

~!!~
Milo looked back at her. He looked so sad, and he was, he just couldn't love her anymore. He didn't want this to end. He loved her, but it felt like it all was a dream, and he is waking up to a nightmare. He didn't know what to do anymore. He just needed time to think. He didn't know how long, just that he needed to go. He needed to wake up again. Or fall back asleep and dream of the time Anya was normal.

He looked at her sadly. "Anya, I'm sorry, I just have to go for a bit." he said as he stepped out of the room.

~!!~
Nicole looked up as Sage entered the dining room. She smiled sadly at her, but she didn't even spare her a glance. It made Nicole feel sad, unneeded, and unwanted. After all she did give Sage a place to call home. But Nicole never received a thank you or an apology for anything. Sometimes she felt as if Sage didn't like her at all. She knew she had every right to hate her, but why? Nicole had done everything she could make up for it, but still...

Addison came into the dinning room and sat,for some reason, as close to Sage as he could. He found her annoying and distasteful. But he liked to annoy her. It was like his new hobby. One he enjoyed very much. More then she would ever know.

~!!~
Tony pulled away from the window and looked at Sandra. He touched her cheek and closed his eyes. She was wrong. He died because he didn't take care of himself. Anne died because he couldn't take care of her. Sandra died because he had broken her heart. She likely died the same way he did. But did he tell her these things? No. She would argue, she would say he was wrong, and frankly, he wasn't in the mood. Instead he pulled his hand back and went back to hitting his head against the window.

Leanne was only half-listening to Linda as she was pulled along. She felt as nervous as she could ever remember feeling; she was suddenly aware of every flaw in herself, the ones that no doubt everyone here would see. She just wanted to talk to Patrick and leave, but she knew that Linda was right. He was stubborn, just like her. It was one of the things she loved about him. She flinched and turned her face away from her; she’d really hurt him, hadn’t she? Worse than anyone before.

She looked up as she heard another voice, and glanced back and forth from the man to Linda. She could see almost immediately that they were related. She managed a small smile at him and shook her head, but Linda was already pulling her along again. She frowned slightly, and part of her wanted to ask what had happened to her mother. She would have before, but lately she had taken to thinking her words through before she said them.

Leanne Winters; the words made her cheeks flare up bright red, and in spite of herself, she smiled slightly, but it disappeared just as fast. “That’s only if he’ll forgive me,” She said quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper. It didn’t hold any of the usual cheerfulness or excitement that it usually did.

She looked up again and gently pulled her arm away from Linda, falling into step beside her.
~!!~
Rue closed her eyes tightly, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. Her entire life, she’d ignored the way she looked. Her mother tried not to speak about it, but the way she looked at her, with disdain rather than love, said enough for her. The way her father couldn’t even look her in the eyes said it, too. So she tried to hide it; she never told anyone, but now she couldn’t hide it any longer. She had always been afraid to show someone what she looked like underneath it all, for fear that they wouldn’t like what they saw, that they’d run and hide, or worse, pretend that it didn’t happen, like her mother had tried to do for so long.

She opened her eyes and shook her head quickly. “I don’t want you to leave,” She whispered. “I—I want you to stay. I’m sorry. I’m sorry this happened, but no matter what you say, I still think it’s my fault. But if you don’t—“ She shook her head, and wrapped her arms around him tightly. “Then that’s just as good. I just don’t want you to leave,” She whispered.
~!!~
December stayed standing in the background, watching the scene unfold before her. She had her hands pressed tightly over her mouth, trying to suppress the cries that she knew would come up if she let go. Her best friend was standing so close to her, but yet she was still so far out of her reach. Why did things have to turn out this way?

Leslie was silent, staring at first Brooke, then at Moses. Finally, he reached behind him and pushed Brooke forward, gently yet firmly. He would have yelled any other itme, but he was himself again. And somewhere inside him, he knew that this man was right. If he really cared about her, he’d want her to remember, right? He had wanted to fix all the things he’d messed up; he could start here. She would still remember him once she had her memories back, after all. He could still care for her, but this time, for the real her.

December stepped forward, shaking her head, her eyes frantic. She wanted to protest now; Brooke looked so scared, so terrified. And she’d looked so happy with Leslie. But wouldn’t she be happier to have her memories back…? Or was she just being selfish? She quickly fell back, turning her eyes to the ground.
~!!~
Vivian closed her eyes tightly, but she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t have, even if she had wanted to. It wasn’t his fault; she knew that much, but maybe it wasn’t hers, either. But it didn’t matter whose fault it was; all she knew right now was that her baby was gone. She would never be able to hold her in her arms like she’d wanted to. She’d never be able to say her name, to hold her close. She was gone before she had a chance to live.

She buried her face in his chest, her hands gripping fistfuls of his shirt. Her sobs wracked her body; she’d never cried like this before, not alone nor in front of him or anyone else. She felt as though a part of her had died, and in a way, it had. She remembered what her mom had always told her. ‘It isn’t the end of the world.’ But it seemed like it now. Now, it really did. How could everything go on normally outside, while her world was falling apart? It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t fair. She hated it.
~!!~
Sam stood in the same spot, watching her in silence as she walked out into the hallway. He stepped forward suddenly and grabbed her arm, but he quickly let go again. It was as if he were fighting within himself, unsure of which side to listen to. He wanted to make her stay, but he didn’t want to hurt her again. He didn’t know what to do.

“Jane, I’m---“ but he didn’t finish. He was sorry, but he wouldn’t say it. He felt as though he didn’t need to apologize to her, even standing here and staring at her red cheek that he had hit. He felt almost detached from himself, as if someone else had hit her, and not him. He didn’t understand a thing of what was going on, and he stepped back again, looking at her with a mixture between confusion and love in his eyes. He didn’t know which side to listen to.
~!!~
Elianna didn’t try to stop him as he wrapped his arms around her. It was obvious from the blank expression on her face and in her eyes as Angel opened the door that she would have let it go on; that she wouldn’t have stopped him. She flinched slightly at the look in his eyes, but she didn’t understand why. It was as if she were taking longer to take things in than she usually would, as if her mind was running slower than usual.

She glared slightly at Angel, pulling away from him. “No,” She said, her voice firmer than she felt. Her legs were shaking and she had to sit back down on the edge of the bed before she fell over. “You’re not in charge of me. You can’t tell me what to do.” She sounded like a little girl rebelling against her parents, but that was what she felt like right now. She didn’t want to listen to him; she didn’t want to think. She didn’t even seem to realize what she’d done yet, even though her neck still throbbed.
~!!~
Anya stepped back as if he had hit her, and nodded slowly, turning her gaze downward. She was scared; she wanted to tell him that, to beg him to stay, but it wouldn’t be fair of her. She knew that; but she also knew that as soon as he left, she would be an easy target for either Joel or Noah.

It didn’t feel right, though. Why should he have to leave his home because of her? “I’ll go,” She whispered, looking back up at him. “Milo, it isn’t right that you should have to leave your house because of me. Let me leave. Please.” She was struggling to hold back her tears; she didn’t know how long ‘a bit’ was, but she wouldn’t blame him if he never came back, if he never wanted to see her again. She was being unfair to him; she wanted him to be close to her again. She wanted him to hold her again, kiss her again, but she just couldn’t let him. She couldn’t look at him and see anyone other than Noah anymore.
~!!~
Jenny frowned. “I wasn’t trying to insult you,” She mumbled, watching him with a strangely blank expression on her face. “I was just saying. Anyways, yeah, I do. Let’s go,” She said, grinning again, her momentary seriousness gone without a trace. “You know, once, my brother bought me a book naming all the constellations and stuff, but I still could never find any of them for the longest time.”

She walked over to the door and opened it, holding it open for him. “This will be fun,’ She said, the smile still on her face. “I haven’t looked at the stars in a long time, since I left home. It should be fun!”
~!!~
Haven stood in silence as he left, and then she slowly sunk down to the ground. A few moments later she pushed herself to her feet and took off into the woods.

She needed to get out. She felt as though she were suffocating when she was inside, with Cinder so close and everyone else so far away. She needed to clear her head and figure out what she wanted. She didn’t want to think about it, with Rufus still gone, but she felt something for Benny that she couldn’t explain. She had to figure out what it was, so she could tell him whether to stay or to go. She couldn’t understand what she felt, seeing him tied up in those chains; it made her upset and angry with him, but it also made him sad. He killed Lawrence for himself, but also for her, right?

She closed her eyes as she stepped into the woods, and she felt herself back with her sisters, before things were so complicated, before she was alone. They had lived near the woods, and everyday she’d go in them with her sisters and practice. It was as if she could see their faces in her mind as she walked. She didn’t stop until she was far enough in that she could no longer see the house, and then she sat down on a fallen log. The silence was strangely comforting, but also unnerving. She cradled her head in her hands and closed her eyes, trying to push away the memories into the far corners of her mind where they belonged. She didn’t want to think of them now, nor ever again. She had seen them when she’d gone looking for Cinder’s mom, and they hadn’t tried to save her. She didn’t understand it, but it didn’t matter. They weren’t here now.

She opened her eyes when she heard the crack of a twig behind her, and spun around, only to come face to face with a knife. The hand holding it was extremely pale, and she thought of someone immediately, but she couldn’t place it. She slowly looked up, and met the dark eyes that she remembered immediately.

“Elysia,” She breathed. The hand holding the knife slowly lowered, and she saw her friend’s face clearly, and with it came the memories. She had been her and her sisters’ best friends when they were younger, but then she’d moved. She looked the same, just bigger, more mature. She recognized her immediately; but she was different, somehow. She didn’t look…happy, anymore. She just looked….dead. As if she’d given up long ago on everything.

Elysia stared at Haven, her face impassive. She had finally found her. She was easy to recognize, even after so long. Unlike Haven, she didn’t think of the memories. She didn’t think of how different Haven looked, how sad and tired. She just thought of the fact that it was her fault that Lawrence was dead. And in her mind, it was.

It hadn’t been easy for her to get here. She’d had to lock Hayden in a closet to keep him from following her; she didn’t want him to find anything out about her past that she didn’t want to share, and this part she wanted to keep it a secret. She had to trick him to get him into the closet, though, which wasn’t exactly fun for her. It was easy to fool him, though; she knew him too well, something she wasn’t exactly proud of. She’d just pulled him inside by his shirt, saying that she wanted to ‘show him something.’ It was almost too easy.

Now, though, she looked at the girl she’d thought of as her friend for years, with nothing but hatred in her eyes. She brought the knife back to her neck, still saying nothing. Haven’s eyes widened, and she stepped back, but she only dug the knife deeper, a trickle of blood flowing down her neck. Elysia saw the flinch, and returned it with a smirk.

“Elysia, what’s going on?” Haven asked quietly, her voice shaking slightly, no matter how much she willed it not to. She couldn’t believe that she was really here, that she was really seeing her. “What are you doing here? Why are you…?”

Elysia smiled, and Haven recoiled in surprise. But still, she didn’t speak. She didn’t want to, didn’t need to. She didn’t need to explain herself to her; she just wanted her gone so she, too, could leave. She didn’t want to be here. She slowly lowered the knife, but before Haven could turn and run, she pulled something else out of her jacket pocket and pressed it to her head. Haven froze; she knew what it was without looking. The cold steel was enough. She didn’t have time to think, didn’t have time to breathe, before she heard the loud ‘bang!’ and a sharp stab of pain. Then, it was over. Darkness fell over her, and she fell to the ground. Elysia stared at the blood pooling around her body, then leaned down and closed Haven’s hand around the gun. Then, she left.

It didn’t take her long to get back to the motel. She walked inside and shut the door behind her, closing her eyes. She looked paler than usual; she felt something almost like regret, but as soon as the thought entered her mind she pushed it back. What she was doing was right; it had to be.

She walked over to the closet and unlocked the door, pulling it open. “There you go,” She said simply, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge, pulling off her boots with a sigh.
~!!~
Sage wasn’t exactly angry at Nicole anymore; it was true, she hated her for the longest time, but not anymore. She couldn’t blame her forever; she was finally realizing that. Maybe she was finally growing up. But she still didn’t seek her out, not even to apologize. Because she didn’t think that she had anything to apologize for.

She glared at Addison when he sat close to her, but she didn’t get up to move. If he was going to insist on annoying her, she would annoy him back. She would talk to his sister, figure out how. It was sort of like a hobby, something to take her mind off of things. She picked at her food, glancing over at him for a moment, but didn’t eat.
~!!~
”Tony!” Sandra shouted, and she pulled him away from the window again. “Stop it!” She cried, and though she hated it, tears sprung to her eyes. “Stop hurting yourself! You’re not going to fix anything that way. Please. Please, just stop it!” She quickly let her hands drop again, staring down at the ground. “Tony, I’m scared,” She whispered. “I’m so scared. I don’t even know what happened to me, but I’m…happy. I’m happy that I’m here with you and Anne. But not if…not if you’re going to hurt yourself, blame yourself. Please, stop,” She whispered. “Please.”
~!!~
Ember didn’t look up again until her tears stopped. Her eyes felt heavy, and she felt as though she could fall asleep right there. Was this how everyone felt after they cried? It must get annoying. She wondered for a moment, if she could feel pain, too, but the thought was gone just as fast. She wouldn’t want to even if she could.

She looked up, but Jeremy was gone. She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, pushing herself to her feet. Her legs shook and she had to lean against the door to steady herself. She wasn’t angry; not at Jeremy, not at Sevastyan, even. She was angry at herself, because Jeremy was right. She should have been more careful, but she wasn’t sure what to believe. She had seen things she never should have, and then Dimitri showed up; she hadn’t known what to believe. But she believed now; of course she did.

She looked around slowly, but it was hard to see. The sun had already set; the moon was coming out now. She slowly sunk back down on the porch steps, but her tears came back. She wiped them away angrily with the back of her hand, but they didn’t stop.