The Fall

A cry escaped Brooke's lips when Leslie suddenly pushed her forward. She looked back at him. She felt betrayed. Sure she wanted her memories back. But didn't Leslie understand that she was scared of this man? She wanted to run back behind Leslie, but she couldn't. His hand kept her from doing so. She looked at him as Moses took her in his arms again. "And to think I fell in love with you!" she shouted suddenly. Tears rushed to her eyes and she regretted those words as soon as they left her lips. But something kept her from taking them back. Maybe it was the hand now covering her mouth.

"Brooke, clam down. I won't hurt you. You know I won't." But that wasn't all true. He had hurt her before, he had killed her. She tried to wiggle out of his arms again, but he held on tighter to his chest. Suddenly she stopped trying to get free. She stood still as he returned her memories. A few moments later Moses let her go and she fell to the ground. He leaned down next to her and took her hand. "What's your name?" he asked her softly.

Brooke gave him a strange look and pulled her hand away from his. She pushed herself up and stepped back. Something didn't seem right. Moses didn't look right in her eyes, he looked far away to her. "You know my name, Moses." she said as she took another step back.

Moses smiled slightly. "But I need to know that you know that you know it. It wouldn't be the first time you forgot who you were." he said gently.

"Brooke, Brooke Bridge." she anwsered frowning. "What happened? Where am I? I don't feel sick... What's going on!?" she cried as her hair was blown into her face. She grabbed the ends. "What happened to my hair? Moses! What happened?" she cried as she stepped back again and this time she ran into Leslie. She spun around and looked at him. "Who are you?" she asked softly. She shook her head and turned back to Moses. He smiled at her and stepped for ward. He didn't say anything as he leaned down and pressed his lips to her. For a moment she stood still. This was okay... Right? She loved Moses, right? Wrong. She didn't know what was wrong. But she knew she didn't love him anymore. She pushed him away and took a step away, almost running into Leslie again.

Moses had acted out of jealously. He had resorted all her memories, except the one where he had killed her, and then he erased all the memories of her and Leslie.

~!!~
Linda looked back at her and smiled widely. "You'll never know if you don't try." she said as she turned a corner. "I'll take you to see Patrick, although Matty did imply he wanted you to find him yourself. He'll bite my head off later, no pun intended. He can be a bit extreme sometimes. Don't worry about him. Everything will be okay. I promise. If Patrick really loves you, he will be able to forgive you. Same goes for him. If you really love him you will be able to forgive." she said as she turned another corner.

She paused in front of a door and knocked. "Patrick?" she called. "Can I come in?" she asked as she wiggled the handle. The door was lock. "Patrick?" she called again. "It's important! I promise." she chirped happily.

"I'm coming." Patrick mumbled as he walked toward the door.

Linda smirked up at Leanne before she ran off just as Patrick opened the door. He stared at her for a moment before he tried to slam the door closed. He wasn't in the mood. He didn't want to be caught up in the past again.

~!!~
Elijah wrapped his arms around the girl and rested his chin on top of her head. "Rue." he whispered. "I- No, never mind." He pulled away and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry this happened to you. I wish I could fix this for you." he said as he took her hand and kissed the top of it. "I would do anything to help you." His voice was quiet. "Just don't run away from me." he whispered and led her back to the tree. "Sit." And he pointed to the ground and he sat down too. He looked at her. "Do you trust me?" he asked suddenly. He would stay next to her as long as she wanted him. With any luck, she would never tell him to go away.

~!!~
Sergei held her close and closed his eyes. He bit his lip, but didn't say anything. What was he going to say? There was nothing to say. So he let the silence grow heavy before he finally pulled Vivian away. He looked at her sadly and kissed her forehead. He picked her up bridal style and walked her to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and kissed her nose. He sat down on the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands. "You should sleep, try to. You need it." he said as he looked down at her and frowned slightly. "I, I don't know, I need some fresh air and some time to think." he said as he stood up and looked down at her. "We should call your mom... Tomorrow." he whispered. He closed his eyes again. This was all falling apart. "I still love you, Vivian. I will always love you." he said as he walked toward the door.

~!!~
Jane paused and looked back at him. A frown pulled down on her lips. She turned around and walked toward him. With her finger tips, she brushed his hair out of his eyes. She let her hand drop back to her side and she closed her eyes. "How did this happen, Sam? Where did it go wrong?" she asked as she took a step back. She remembered that there was a time where she would do anything to get him to say that he loved her. But now, now she almost didn't want him to say it. If this was what happened when he loved someone, she didn't know if she wanted his love anymore. How could you love someone that was brutally insane? She didn't know.

She looked at him sadly and kissed his cheek. Suddenly she was falling back into her own body...

Mary Jean's hand flew to her cheek and the sadness turned to fear. She didn't wait another second before she turned around and fled.

~!!~
Anger flashed in Angel's eyes as he stepped back. "Is this how low you fallen!?" he shouted. "Can you not pick your self back up again?" He glared at Landon who was just sitting there. "It's like I don't know who are anymore!" He was pacing now. He didn't understand why should do this. He didn't like it. He loved this girl, he knew that. And part of him loved her in a different way, too. Why would she do this? He had always thought of her as strong, and that was how Tobias remembered her. Why would she break like this? "You're not the only one hurting, Elianna!" he shouted as he walked over to her and pulled her off the bed, maybe less gently then before, and pulled her out of the room. He didn't care if he hurt her at the moment. She was busy hurting herself. He spun around and pinned her to a wall moments later. And it was suddenly not his words he was speaking.

"Little sister, I thought you were, I thought you were better then that." he said sadly. "You were always so strong." he whispered. "I never thought that one day I would see you just about selling yourself off." he whispered. "It's like you're not Elianna anymore." he said as he pulled away. "Like you're not my sister." he said as he turned around. "Why can't you see, you are making a fool of yourself?" he asked.

~!!~
"No." Milo said simply as he looked back at her. "No, you stay. This place doesn't feel like home anymore, anyways. "You stay here, I'll be fine. I don't mind." he said as he stepped out of the room. "I'll let Ally know that you are still here. Please don't leave, you'll freak out her out if you do." he said as he took a step out of the room. "Anya, please, please, don't do anything that will get you hurt." he said as e closed the door behind him and walked slowly down that hall.

~!!~
Hayden sat in the dark. The bones in his left hand was shifting, moving in and out of place. Why had he been so stupid? He should of known Elysia didn't really want to show him something. She just wanted to get rid of him again. But he wasn't thinking with his head. He was just thinking about what she might want to show him in a dark closet. He thought she was finally going to admit that she loved him just as much as he loved her. Of course he was wrong. She didn't want anything do with him. She only kept him around because he helped her hurt people. That was all he was good for. He didn't even make good boyfriend material. He was down on his luck, and all he wanted was for her to see how much he loved her.

Then the door opened. He hid his hand behind his back and stood up. He shifted the bones back into place before he walked out of the small space and sat done next to her. He took her hand and kissed the top of it. "You're filthy." he said. "What did you do; climb through the woods?" he asked as he stood up and pulled her to her feet. "Here let me clean you up." he said as he put his hands on her hips and pull her shirt upward.

~!!~
Trevor picked up the telescope and walked to the door. "Not all the stars are visible all year long." he said as he opened the door. You aren't going to be able to look up and see the Gemini this time a year, because it only visible during May and June. At the moment Libra would be visible." he said as he walked down the stairs. He looked back at her with a frown. "Are you listening?" he asked.

~!!~
Addison looked at Sage. "You should eat. My cooking isn't that bad." he said as he took a bite. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. "Do you not like my cooking?" he asked. There was a deep frown on his lips. "If that is true you could always start cooking dinner yourself. In fact, I shouldn't have to cook dinner every night, you should cook dinner for us tomorrow." he challenged. The way he was looking at her showed that he wouldn't let her back down from it. "Father, what do you think?"

His father, who was just down the table looked up from his own plate. "I think that is an excellent idea. I have to see any redeeming qualities about her." he said as he took another bite from his own plate.

Maddy frowned and looked over at Sage, waiting to see what she would do.

~!!~
Tony looked at her sadly. He closed his eyes. "Why are you happy? We are dead." he said and opened his eyes. "We will never be able to do anything we once loved to do." he said as he turned back to the window and simply put his hand on the widow. "I love you, Sandra. I will always love you." he whispered. "But I don't want this existence." he said softly reaching over and whipping her tears out of her eyes. "Don't cry." he whispered as he stepped forward. He pressed his lips to hers.

Leslie froze when she spoke, and he took a step back, his face impassive. She loved him? It was funny; no girl had ever told him those words before, and the first one who did didn’t even know her own name. He wanted her to remember; he did, but he also didn’t want her to. If she remembered, what if he didn’t seem so important anymore? What if she remembered something that was more important than him, and went back to that? He didn’t want her to leave him.

He looked back up, his eyes narrowing slightly at Moses, in spite of his thoughts. He didn’t want someone else that close to her. When she spoke again, his eyes grew wide. She didn’t remember him cutting her hair loose? Then what else didn’t she remember? His question was answered with three words that escaped her lips; ‘Who are you?’ Suddenly it was as if everything else faded out from around him. He took a step forward towards Moses, and when he kissed her he felt as though his blood was literally boiling. He couldn’t remember ever being this angry before, and he’d been angry plenty of times lately.

He took a step forward and grabbed Moses roughly by the arm. “What did you do?!” He demanded. “Why doesn’t she remember me?!”

December still hadn’t moved, but now she was staring at her friend with tear-filled eyes, her hands still pressed tightly over her mouth. She didn’t even seem to notice that she didn’t remember Leslie; she just wanted her to remember her, no matter how selfish that thought was. She wanted her best friend back, but she wasn’t even looking at her now. Not that she could blame her; she must be confused.

“Brooke,” She whispered, but her voice was muffled by her hands. She slowly lowered her hands back to her side, taking a step forward. She didn’t think as she ran forward, throwing her arms around her friend and almost knocking her to the ground. “Brooke!” She cried. “Brooke! Brooke, I missed you,” She whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I didn’t come sooner. I’m sorry,” She whispered. She knew that she probably wasn’t making sense to her friend right now, but she was just so happy, so happy that she was there.
~!!~
Leanne found it somewhat strange that a girl she barely knew was giving her exactly the advice that she needed to hear. Because she was right; she did love Patrick, and she had forgiven him. That was why she was here; she just hoped that he could forgive her, too.

She almost turned and ran when she knocked on the door, and even more so when she heard Patrick’s voice, but she forced herself to stay put. When she turned and ran, though, she felt almost sick. “LINDA!” She shouted, surprised at the amount of anger in her voice. But she wasn’t really angry at Linda; she was angry at herself for being such a coward. She quickly turned back to the door and barely had time to react before he was slamming it. She stuck her foot in the door, flinching slightly as it hit, but she didn’t move. She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before she finally found her voice.

“Wait,” she said quickly. “Patrick, please wait.” It seemed to take her forever before she could speak again. “Patrick, I’m sorry,” She breathed. “I’m sorry I did what I did to you. I’m sorry I was so angry. I’m sorry, Patrick.” She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again they held a new intensity, her old stubbornness back once again. “I still don’t understand why you lied to me, but that doesn’t matter anymore. I was blinded by my anger; I should have listened to you. I should have listened to what you had to say, but I didn’t. I wanted to…I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me, to make you as angry as you’d made me. It was childish. I’m sorry.” She said all of this in practically one breath, so when she was done she took a deep breathe, closing her eyes again.

“Please tell me,” She said quietly. “I want to understand. Tell me why you lied,” She whispered, looking back at him. “But either way, come back with me. Please. I’m sorry, Patrick. I want to forget about all of this. Please.”
~!!~
Rue closed her eyes tightly, burying her face in his chest as he rested his chin on top of her head. She didn’t want to say anything, for fear that she’d make her cries worse. She didn’t even understand why she was crying anymore; things weren’t getting worse. They were getting better, if anything, but she still felt as though she had to cry.

She sat down next to him when he sat down in the grass, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, but it didn’t seem to help much. His words caught her off guard, and she looked back at him through the blanket of tears. She knew that she shouldn’t have had to think about it, but she did. The two people in her life that she should have been able to trust completely had both hurt her, one physically and one emotionally. But she wanted to trust him; she wanted to be able to share her burdens with someone else instead of carrying them on her own all the time, and to be able to be trusted by someone else to do the same for them. It was strange; she had never really even trusted Ian, but she had convinced herself that she was in love with him, just as a way to get away from the tension at home.

She slowly nodded, ignoring her tears. “I do,” She said quietly. “I do trust you, Elijah.” He was the only person who had truly seen past what she looked like and to the person underneath it all; maybe that was because he was the first person she really trusted to let him see it.
~!!~
Vivian barely felt it as he picked her up; she was lost in her own thoughts, her mind anywhere but where they were. She didn’t know what to think; it was almost as if she had shut down completely, but her eyes finally opened when he laid her down on the bed. She nodded slightly, but she had a feeling that sleep wouldn’t come, no matter how hard she tried. She flinched at the mention of her mom, burying her face in her hands. She hadn’t even thought of her yet. She didn’t want to know what she would do, what she would say. Would she blame her, like she blamed herself?

She looked back up as he started to walk away, but she couldn’t even find her voice to tell him that she loved him, too. She closed her eyes tightly, burying her face in the pillow and trying to calm herself down. She hadn’t been able to sleep for so long, and now that she finally had told him what had been keeping her up, it still wouldn’t come.

“I’m sorry,” She mumbled, looking at him from where she was laying on the bed. “I really am. Everything’s messed up. You don’t deserve this.” She closed her eyes again, and a few moments later, she was asleep.
~!!~
Sam closed his eyes as she stepped closer, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. Part of him wanted to grab her, hold her, tell her never to leave him again, but another part wanted to let her go. He didn’t understand why; he thought that maybe, if she left, he would be able to think clearly. But that hadn’t worked for him last time, had it? Rainy’s face came to his mind and he flinched.

He opened his eyes again as he felt her lips on his cheek and stepped forward just as she turned and ran. He closed his eyes, then opened his eyes and ran forward to the doorway. He spun around and brought his fist down on the wall, but even his split and bleeding knuckles couldn’t bring him out of his stupor. He didn’t understand what he wanted; he didn’t know what to do. He walked back into his room and slammed the door closed behind him, sinking down to the ground and cradling his head in his hands.
~!!~
Elianna didn’t seem to hear the words that Angel was yelling at her as he pulled her off the bed. When her back was against the wall she finally seemed to snap out of it, and her eyes widened slightly as it was suddenly her brother standing in front of her. His words stung more than she thought any could, but she finally found her voice again. Her legs felt weak and she slid down to the ground as soon as he let her go and turned around.

“What am I supposed to do?” She whispered. “Draven is gone, Isabel is dead, you’re---“ She bit her lip, shaking her head quickly. “Does it even matter?” She demanded. “What does it matter to you what I do?!” She cried. “I just need to forget. I need---I need it all to stop,” She whispered. She knew that she was being childish and stupid, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to forget, and Landon offered that escape. She still didn’t really seem to realize what she’d done; either that, or it hadn’t sunk in yet.

“You’re not even fully here,” She said quietly, pushing herself to her feet, but they gave out again and she sunk back to the floor. “I watched you die, Toby. I watched you die, but now you’re back, as….as someone else. I can’t stand watching this anymore. I don’t want to worry, I don’t want to be sad, I don’t want to feel anything anymore.”
~!!~
Anya slowly sunk down to the ground, staring at the closed door that separated her from Milo. Part of her wanted to go after him, but she knew that it wasn’t fair, not to him. If he didn’t want to be around her, she wasn’t going to force him. Besides, her fear kept her rooted in place. Even with Ally here, she knew that she would be in easy grasp of either Joel or Noah, and that thought scared her even more than Milo leaving.

She pushed herself to her feet and walked slowly back to the room she’d been staying in, but she wasn’t even crying. Her eyes felt strangely dry. She sat back down on the edge of the bed, her eyes moving to the window that led into her room. How easy would it be for one of them to climb in through her window? It’d happened before, after all. Couldn’t it happen again? And who would be there to stop them? Ally? She didn’t want to put her in danger, either. She should just leave.

But Milo had asked her note to. Even if he was gone, she wanted to be able to do at least one thing that he wanted. Besides, that way, she’d be sure not to run into him again. The thought hurt her more than she thought it would.
~!!~
Elysia looked up when he took her hand, a frown crossing her features as she pulled it away when he pulled her up. “Look---“ She began, but when she felt his hand on her hips she glared at him. She shoved him away and kicked him hard in the ankles. “If you ever try that again, I will kick you somewhere else,” She said simply. “Like before.” She glanced down at herself, and it wasn’t until now that she noticed just how filthy she was. She glanced over at the bathroom door, a frown on her face.

“I’m going to take a shower now,” She said simply. “If you try to come in again, I will make you a girl,” She said, her face completely serious. Hardly anyone could tell when she was kidding or not, but maybe he was one of them. She would never admit it, not even to herself, but she liked having him around. She felt less lonely when he was there, even if he was being an idiot. In a strange way, she liked the attention. She quickly shook the thought off and walked into the bathroom, pushing the door closed behind her. She locked it quickly, though she knew that it wouldn’t do much good with him. She turned the water on and a few moments later she was washing the dirt off. She still felt strange, almost as if she were sick. Her stomach was twisting and turning, and she felt warm, even though the water was cold.

She closed her eyes and let the water wash over her, but even that didn’t help. She’d killed before; she’d done it so many times. It was those people who had killed her parents, so why did she care so much about this one? Sure, they had been friends, but that was over long ago. She was one of them. She shouldn’t care. But all she saw when she closed her eyes was herself when she was younger, playing with them…

She opened her eyes quickly, sinking down to the ground inside the tub, pulling her knees up to her chest and leaning her head back against the wall. She took a deep breathe, letting it out slowly, but it didn’t help. She saw only Haven now, covered in blood, her fault….
~!!~
Jenny was listening; halfway, really. She looked up again when he looked back at her, nodding with a grin on her face. “Yes, teacher!” she chirped. She really was happy, though, that he was showing her this. Her older brother hadn’t known the first thing about stars, so she had to find them on her own. At least this time she had someone to show her.

She picked up her pace so she was walking next to him instead, humming lightly to herself as she walked. “This is gonna be fun,” She went on, a smile on her face. “It’s always so pretty at night, but I could never see the stars very well from where I lived unless I went out on a really clear night. Pollution and all.” She ran ahead down the stairs, then paused with a thoughtful look on her face. She ran back up and slid down on the railing, jumping off as she reached the bottom, turning back to him and laughing.

“Try it!” She exclaimed. “It’s fun!”
~!!~
Sage glared at Addison as he spoke, her hand gripping the fork tighter. She gritted her teeth together tightly to keep from yelling, and just nodded stiffly. “Fine,” She mumbled. “I will.” She couldn’t cook at all, though; she had never had to, because Kyle always did it. The one time she had tried she had set off the fire alarm, and been banned from it ever since.

She took a bite and was avoiding looking at anyone else when his father spoke. She pushed her chair back suddenly, and it clattered to the floor. She scowled at him, then Addison, then turned and walked out of the room. Oh, she knew she was acting like a spoiled brat, but she didn’t care. She knew who she was, and she wasn’t going to sit there while Addison tried to get under her skin. She wasn’t hungry, anyways. Her stomach growled, as if just to point out her lie, but she ignored it and walked outside, slamming the front door shut behind her. Her hands were shaking, and she couldn’t figure out why.
~!!~
Sandra shook her head slowly. “I’m not happy to be dead, Tony,” She whispered. “I’m terrified. But I’m just happy to be here with you and Anne. It’s the best place for me right now.” She let her hands fall back to her sides, taking a step back. She was going to leave when he kissed her. At first she didn’t know what to do, but then she moved closer, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She could taste her own tears on her lips, and knew that he probably could, too, but she didn’t care.

Brooke's eyes widened when Leslie pulled Moses away, yelling at him. Moses was just standing there as if he didn't know what was going on. As if he nothing to fear. And he really didn't. At least not in his mind did he. He smirked at the boy and tilted his head. "I was saving your heart, that is what." he said as he watched December just about tackle Brooke to the ground. "What about you think she will love about you know? You were all she knew. So she fell in love. But now she has her memories back. And now she remembers her love for someone else. She remembers everything. You would be just something else for her to know about. Compared to everything else she knows, you are boring. Why would she want you now?" he asked as he pulled his arm away from the boy. "I thought it would be easier on you if she did not remember you, then she wouldn't be able to reject you." he said as he stepped forward. "You should forget about her. She is mine again. My love."

Brooke looked at Moses, but his voice was too low for her to hear. She bite her lip and glanced at Leslie. Something was not right. It scared her. She hated being scared. Finally she wrapped her arms around December. "What is going on?" she cried. Why was no one telling her what had happened. She was so scared. She didn't know what happening and no seemed to care enough to fill her in. "I'm so scared." she whispered. Tears fell down her cheeks. "Who is he? Why was he yelling at Moses?" she asked. She kept looking back at Leslie, as if trying to figure him out.

~!!~
Patrick stared at her as she spoke. He had loved her because he was stubborn. She could stand her ground, but she also knew how to cry. He would admit, he never expected her to admit she was wrong. So it was a surprise to hear her say it. But what annoyed him was how he had to leave for her to see that she was wrong. Could she not have seen him there? Could she not have understood that there was a reason? Could she not see he was sorry?

He closed his eyes and opened the door for her. She would be wrong to assume that that meant she was forgiven. He was stubborn, too. He had tried so hard to get her to forgive him, but she was just now doing that. He had given up. And he wasn't about to forgive her if she couldn't have done the same. Words, actions, nothing worked with her. He had leave. That was messed up.

He took her wrist and pulled her in, closing the door behind him. "Linda. Linda's mother was a made vampire. Do you know what happened to her?" he asked as he pushed her hair away from her neck. "She died during childbirth. That is one of the few things that can kill a vampire without the need of a flame. Did you know that death in childbirth is high in a made vampire then a born vampire?" he asked as her touched his bite marks. He felt the chain under his finger tips. He picked it up and ran his fingers down until thy touched the ring, his ring. He dropped it as if it burned him.

He shook his head and took a step back, looking at his wrist. It was bandaged up so he couldn't see what Matthew thought of as a mistake. He closed his eyes tightly. "It was just easier to say that you couldn't. At least it wouldn't frighten you." he said as he opened his gold eyes and walked into the bathroom that was just off his room. He came back with a large bandage. The kind you put on large wounds. He peeled back the backing and lifted the chain up placing the bandage over his bite marks.

~!!~
He took her hands in his and smiled at her. "Then let me take your mind off of things." he said as he turned his wrist so he could see his watch. "Let me take you somewhere, actually, let me take you somewhere I have to go with me." he said as he looked at her. "You'll have to stop crying first." he said as he pulled one of his hands back and tried to dry her tears with his finger tips. "You can't be crying, they might think I hit you or something. We don't want that, do we?" He didn't go into detail about who 'they' were. He just knew that he was late meeting them and he didn't want to leave her. Plus, he should be able to take her where he went. And they shouldn't mind.

~!!~
Toby sat down next to her and touched her cheek. "Elianna." he whispered. He didn't know what he was doing as he wrapped his arms around her. "Stop this, Elianna, do you know what you just did?" he asked as he touched her neck. "You just mated with Landon. Is that what you want? Things are not going well for you, but do you really want to be connected to that thing forever?" he asked softly. He closed his eyes. "Elianna, I don't know what has happened to me. But I'm not dead. I was putting out the flame. I know I was." he said as he held her close.

~!!~
Hayden watched her as she threatened, not for the first time. He smirked at her as she walked to the bathroom. "Why use my imagination when I can see the real thing?" he asked as she closed the bathroom door. He stepped to the bathroom door. He didn't know why he needed her so much. He loved her and he was sure that acting like this wouldn't get her to feel the same way. He didn't act like this all the time, and he never went too far over that line. But he loved her, and despite what she might think, he didn't just love her body. He loved everything about her, he just didn't know how to really show her that. And plus, it was kinda fun to see her reactions.

He looked at his finger tip and a small bone poked out of his skin making him wince. He shook his head and picked the lock silently and stepped in. "Mind if I join you?" he asked as he stepped toward the shower. "I'm sure there is nothing wrong with your body,I don't understand why you are so shy. You know the best way to get over things like this to experiment. I can be your toy." he said. That was when he felt the blood dripping off his finger. The bone had ripped more of the skin then he thought it would. The blood was gushing out of his finger. He almost fainted. He could never stand blood. "It won't stop." he whined, his eyes wide as he ran forward and put his hand under the sink. The water turned pink, but it sill wouldn't stop.

~!!~
Trevor flinched when she called him teacher. He hadn't been called that since he had actually been a teacher. He frowned as he walked next to her. His frown deepened when she slid down the stairs. He shook his head as he walked down. "No. They had things on the railing, you know, to keep the boys form doing that. They were bolts sticking up every few inches." he recalled as he stepped off the bottom step. He was remembering the school he use to teach at. "They had to put them there after a student hit his head when he fell off the railing." he said with a surged. He didn't give her any details that would show if he was a teacher or not. It could of been from his time in school. She would never know unless he told her. And he didn't think he would.

He walked pass her again and stepped out into the night. It was strange,he didn't even miss the day. He had spent so much of his time in out in the night that he could barely recall what the sun felt like.

"It would be better if there was less trees." he mumbled.

~!!~
"I'll be back." he said as he pushed himself up, setting his fork down and rushing after her. "Sage." he called as he grabbed her arm and spun her around. "What are you three? All you do is sit around doing nothing. You don't like being volunteered for things, then make yourself useful in other ways. I am sorry for my father's comment. But you know, I find it hard to disagree with him." he said as he released her arm and stepped back. He cross his arms over his chest and titled his head. "Useless." he said, a deep frown on his face. "This is all useless, isn't it? You're not going to do anything, are you. I will end up cooking dinner tomorrow, won't I?" he asked, he shook his head and turned to walk back into the living room.

~!!~
Tony pulled his lips away from hers. His lips tasted salty. He looked at her sadly and whipped her tears away. "Don't cry." he whispered. "I'm sorry." And he was. He hated seeing her like this. He wrapped his arms around he. "I'm sorry, Sandra. Sorry." he almost sounded like he was begging for her forgiveness. He had hurt her, and he couldn't stand that. It made him want to bag his head against something thicker... harder. But he couldn't, she would cry again.

Leanne felt like an eternity had passed before he pulled the door open. He didn’t say anything, but she wasn’t sure what she expected him to say. The tables were turned now; he had to forgive her, but she couldn’t ask him to do it so easily. She hadn’t, after all. She just wished she had.

She blinked in surprise as he took her wrist and pulled her in, but she didn’t resist. When he spoke she felt as if part of the weight had already been lifted from her shoulders, only to be placed back on when she realized what he was saying. Death. That was why he hadn’t told her; he knew how stubborn she was, and he probably knew that she would have said she wasn’t afraid, that it didn’t matter. He was trying to protect her; it all made sense now, why he had lied to her, why it had all happened; it was to protect her.

She closed her eyes tightly as his hand touched her neck, then the ring on the necklace. She opened her eyes when he pulled back and her eyes fell on the bandage on his wrist. Any words that she had been about to say left her then; it was all she could do not to take the bandage off herself. But what right would she have to do that? She was the reason that he had those marks in the first place, and the reason that they were now covered up. She had hurt him, more than she felt hurt herself; she saw that now, but maybe too late.

She was unable to tear her eyes away from his as he walked into the bathroom, then came back and placed the bandage over her own marks. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and she felt almost light-headed. But she reached up and grabbed the bandage off her own neck, pulling it back off and letting it fall to the ground.

“No,” She said quietly, but she wasn’t yelling. “Do you think it was a mistake?” She demanded. “Falling in love with me in the first place? Mating with me in the first place? Or are you just regretting what happened? Whatever it is, I’m not going to cover mine up, too, because I don’t regret it. I just regret taking so long to see your side of things.” She lifted the chain up over her head, taking his hand and placing it in it, ring and all. “I don’t care if you choose to wear it or not. Just tell me if you will or not, and I’ll take your answer and leave with it.” She took a step back, smiling sadly at him. She didn’t know what to feel. “I’m sorry, Patrick,” She said quietly. “I’m sorry. I want to make things right, but only if you’ll let me. And even then, I don’t know where to start.”
~!!~
Rue slowly nodded as she listened, but even the reassuring way he talked couldn’t make her stop crying. She finally managed, though, and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, pulling away from him somewhat reluctantly. “Who is ‘they’?” She asked quietly, her voice somewhat hoarse from her tears. She knew that she looked a mess, but even if she cleaned up she wouldn’t look much better.

She had never been very shy; the only thing she kept hidden from her arms, but now she could no longer hide her scars. She was getting used to the stares, but they still bothered her, more than she let on to anyone else. She still managed to smile most of the time, though, despite it all, but not so much lately. But if Elijah was back, for some reason, she felt as though she could again.
~!!~
Leslie stared at Moses with nothing but hatred in his eyes. He didn’t even seem to see Brooke standing there anymore; all he could see was Moses. He had made her forget about him; Brooke didn’t know who he was. If he was completely back to normal before, it seemed to fall apart all in that single moment it took for him to take the knife he had been carrying from before out of his pocket and put it at Moses’ neck. He heard the sharp intake of breath from behind him, but he didn’t pay it any mind. All he could see now was Moses; his hand was shaking dangerously, threatening to cut him.

December was about to say something to Brooke when she saw Leslie place the knife at Moses’ throat. A few months ago she wouldn’t have cared if he died; in a strange way, she would have been happy, as much as the thought scared her now. He was the one who had killed her friend, after all. She was angry at him for erasing her memory of him killing her; it seemed as though that was what he had done, since she couldn’t remember even that, but she still didn’t want to see him killed by Leslie.

“Shut up!!” He yelled, pressing down harder with the knife. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” He hissed. “You had no right to do that!” He yelled. “You had no right!! Who are you to say what she should and should not remember?!” He demanded. “If she’s going to have back some of her memories, shouldn’t she have them all?!” December slowly pulled away from her friend and walked towards Leslie slowly, but he hardly even seemed to notice her. He was too absorbed in what he was doing. When she came within a few steps, though, he turned towards her. She didn’t know what she’d been planning to do, but that was just it; it didn’t matter. She was already dead, but he wasn’t. She had nothing to lose, but he did. Leslie stepped away from Moses only for a moment. The hand that held the knife flashed by faster than December could blink, and she cried out, taking a step back and pressing her hand to her arm, where the blood was already soaking through her shirt.
~!!~
Elysia opened her eyes when she heard the door open, and finally seemed to snap out of her stupor. She scoffed and pushed herself to her feet, almost slipping. She picked up the closest bottle and threw it with all the strength she could muster, so it went sailing through the curtain and hit him square in the back of the head. She quickly pulled the curtain back into place and turned off the water, pulling a towel down from where she’d hung it up over the curtain. She wrapped it around herself tightly, but she still didn’t move.

“Get out, Hayden!” She shouted. Her voice was hoarse, as if she’d just been crying. She didn’t think she had, though it was hard to tell when she was soaking wet anyways. “I’m serious! Get out!” She ignored his words, though she could guess what had happened. He had cut himself. Again.

“Stupid klutz,” She mumbled under her breathe. She would usually stay in there until he left, but he was probably having a meltdown right about now. He seemed afraid of blood, which was somewhat ironic, considering what she did and what he often helped her do. She threw the curtain back and stepped out, after making sure that the towel wasn’t going to fall. That was all she needed now, a way to make things worse.

She grabbed a rag from the small rack in the corner and threw it at him. “There. Use that to make it stop.” She picked up the bottle she’d thrown at him and tossed it back into the shower. “You’re such a baby,” She mumbled, walking back out into the bedroom.
~!!~
Elianna froze when he wrapped his arms around her, but a few moments later she hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. His words made her blood turn to ice, but she knew it was true. It was only then that it truly seemed to hit her what she’d done. She closed her eyes tightly and mumbled something, but it was barely audible.

“You didn’t, though!” She cried suddenly, pulling away and meeting his eyes. “You tried to put out the flame, but you didn’t! Toby, you didn’t,” She whispered. One of her hands was pressed against her neck, but the bleeding had already stopped. She could feel Landon there, as if he were right beside her. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. What had she done? She’d messed everything up, more than before. He would never leave her alone now.
~!!~
Jenny couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her lips as he spoke. “Ouch,” She said simply. “I don’t suppose you would know that from experience, huh?” She teased him. “Were you a trouble-maker, Trevor?” She asked, struggling to keep the smile off of her face. It didn’t work.

She looked around once they were outside, turning in a quick circle. “Really?” She asked. “I mean, I know it makes it harder to see the stars, but you gotta admit that they’re pretty, right?” She asked. “I got lost in the woods once,” She said suddenly. It was strange, how she could turn every little thing into a story. “There were some out behind our old house, and my parents always told me to stay out of them, but my brother dared me to go. He was kidding, but I did, and I got lost. It took them 2 hours to find me.”
~!!~
Sage shot him a glare as he spun her around, pulling her arm from his grasp and taking a step back. She folded her arms across her chest, looking as if she’d rather be anywhere but here, and also as if she’d like to ring someone’s neck. Whose, though, it was hard to tell. When he turned around again she couldn’t help it; she yelled, the only thing she seemed to be any good at lately.

“I don’t even want to be here!!” She shouted. “I want to leave! I didn’t want to be like this, but Nicole didn’t give me any choice!” She knew she was being unfair, blaming Nicole, but it was the first words that came to her mind. “I left to go after someone, and actually went back home for the first time in so long. That didn’t work, so I came back here. I have to stay. You probably think I’m a brat, and I don’t care. Maybe I am. But I’m not going to try and act like someone else juts because no one here likes me!”

She pushed past him into the house, probably rougher than needed. “I’ll cook dinner,” She mumbled. “Just don’t blame me if I set something on fire.”
~!!~
Sandra was about to say something when he hugged her again. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, shaking her head quickly. "It's not your fault," She kept mumbling, over and over again, but she knew that it would do no good. It didn't matter who was blamed; things weren't going to change any time soon.

In away Moses was getting cocky. He just stared at the boy and the knife. In his mind he was using the boys feelings for Brooke as reason why he wouldn't kill him. If he wanted her to remember, surely he knew that the best way to make her not want to remember him was something like this. But he didn't seem to have that idea when he had the knife pointed at him/ And his theory about how she wouldn't want to remember him if he did was proven just as he cut December.

Brooke made a strange noise, something between a scream and a gasp. She didn't wait.; She didn't walk slowly. She didn't care. All she knew was that he had just hurt her best friend. She panicked. She ran forward and pulled the knife out of his hands, cutting her hand in the process. "No! Stop!" she cried as she held the knife behind her back. "I don't care who you are! I don't want to know anymore!" she yelled as she took a step back. She didn't know why she was crying. Because December was hurt? Because she was hurt? Or because of some reason she could no longer remember? It didn't matter. All that mattered now was that she was upset. What ever the reason was, it came back to Leslie. "Go away! I don't care! You had no right to do that! You have no right to talk about right and wrong! You disgust me." Her last words were nothing more then a whisper.

Moses stepped forward and touched her shoulder. She swung her arm around and pointed Leslie knife at him. "And you! Don't touch me! You killed me! I don't know how or why, but you did!" There was a trace of fear in her voice. She glanced at December. "I'm sorry, I know I promised not to, but no one would answer me. No one would tell me what happened." she whispered. All she knew was Moses had killed her. She didn't know anything else. She didn't go deep enough in December's head to find anything about Leslie. She had learned all she needed to. Moses had killed her. That explained her fear.

~!!~
Patrick looked at the chain and ring in his hand. He shook his head and slipped it into his pocket. "I don't regret anything." he said as he picked up the bandage. "I don't regret falling for you. I don't regret mating with you. I don't regret any of that. It was the best times of my life." he paused as he brushed her hair out of her eyes. He didn't speak again for awhile. All he did was stare at her, as if he could see into her very soul. "But all things fade." he added after a moment of silence. "That is the only thing that I regret; that it had to fade so soon. I wish it could of lasted a bit longer. I wish I could of have done anything to make you seen that you wrong sooner. But there was no way, and it ended like this." Every words was true. Everything he said was right, at least in his head. The only thing he didn't say was that he regretted this moment as well. He regretted not being able to wrap her in his arms and say that he still loved her, that he would never stop loving her.

~!!~
Elijah pulled her to her feet and brushed her hair behind her ear. "My friends." he said. "The ones that dared me into the first place to try to get you to fall for me." he smiled. "The reason why I-" With his free hand he reached over his shoulder and touched his tattoo. He laughed lightly. "But if you rather not... Then I could always take you home." he said softly as he took her hand in his. He wanted her to meet them. He wanted them to meet her. He didn't care if that had laughed at her. That he laughed with them. He regretted that, and i they saw that he liked her, then prehaps they would too. That, or he could punch them in their faces if the tried anything.

~!!~
Hayden looked at her as she walked over to him. His eyes traveled up and down her body but he didn't make any comments. He was too busy trying not to faint. He has always been scared of blood. And when he watched her victims bleed, he had to look away. Right now he was as pale as a ghost and he looked awfully close to to fainting. That was when she handed him the rag and left. He didn't say anything about her comment. He just went to work stopping the blood.

By the time he came back out of the bathroom, she was dressed. He smirked at her. "You should wear less more often." he said as he walked over to the end table and picked up his cigarettes and reached in his pocket and pulled out his lighter. He stuck one between his lips and lit it. He looked over at her. She didn't approve and he claimed he wasn't addicted, but in truth, he was.

~!!~
Tobias pulled away and pushed her hair away from her face. "Come on." he said as he picked her up. "I'll take you to another one. I'll get your things later." he said as he walked her back towards where his own room was. The room next to his was empty, no one in there, so he set her down on the bed. If there was anyway to keep Landon away from her away from Landon, he would do it. He wanted to protect his little sister. He wanted to protect her no matter what.

~!!~
Trevor narrowed his eyes at her. "No, I wasn't." he said as he looked back toward the sky. He had actually approved of the idea when it was suggested. He shook his head and said nothing more about that. "I don't like the woods." he said suddenly. "I have no idea what could be lurking into the shadows. I don't like not knowing what is around me." That might be why he liked the stars so much. He knew where every was, where they should be. He knew it. Not knowing scared him.

He set the telescope down and looked at her. "It easier to see the stars without city lights. But the trees make it hard to see them. So it is a win and lose situation." he said. "Do you at least know where the north star is?" he asked as if she was stupid.

~!!~
Addison spun around. "I didn't say you had to be someone else!" he shouted. "But I find it hard to believe the way you are acting is really you! No one in the world can be so bitter, so, so, so childish!" he shouted. "Evey one has some good points about them, every one, but, seemingly you!" he yelled as he took a step forward. "And you can blame Nicole for this all you want, but you're only thinking of yourself! Do you think she had a choice to be like this. That anyone in my family actually enjoy being a wolf? We didn't choose to be born like this, we just were!" he shouted. "You're a selfish, selfish girl!" he shouted as he turned around again to go back to the dining room.

Mandy stood in the doorway of the dining room. She was staring at Sage. "He's mad." she whispered.

Leslie looked as though he didn’t even know where he was; he felt torn between two things, two different people, though both were him. “Brooke,” He said quietly, but he said her name strangely, as if he had never heard the word before. “Brooke,” He repeated quietly, taking a step towards her, hardly seeming to notice the knife in her hands, as if it weren’t even there. December had one hand over her arm, watching Leslie in silence. When Brooke spoke she turned her eyes to her, and her eyes widened slightly as she realized what she meant. She shook her head slowly, and opened her mouth to speak when Leslie cut her off.

“You remember,” Leslie blurted out suddenly. “You remember him killing you, but you can’t remember me?!” He demanded, as if it were his fault. His brief moments of sanity seemed to be all but gone, as if they had never even happened in the first place. “Make her remember!!” He shouted suddenly, spinning back around and looking at Moses, his eyes wild. “You have to! You have to make her remember!!”

December stepped forward and grabbed Moses by the arm, pulling him back and out of the reach of Leslie’s knife, though now held by Brooke. “Moses,” She said quietly. “Moses, maybe he’s right,” She said quietly. “If I were her, I would want to remember everything. Wouldn’t you want that for her, too?”
~!!~
Leanne met his eyes with her own when he was silent, but it wasn’t almost as if she couldn’t see him anymore. Before, it had been so easy to be this close to him. It had been what she wanted; she could feel him there in front of her, closer than she’d been in so long, but it was still as though he weren’t really there. And she knew that she had no one to blame for that but herself now.

His words made her step back, almost as if he’d hit her. She felt that strange feeling in her eyes again; she wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. It was over? She’d come here and it was over. She nodded slowly, as if she were still trying to take in his words. She felt like an idiot; she should have known that it would end this way, but it didn’t seem possible. She didn’t want to give up on this, but he did. She was stubborn, but so was he. They were pulling on two different ends of the same rope, but it seemed as though his feet were planted more firmly than hers were.

But she wasn’t going to give up. Part of her wanted to give up and leave, like it seemed he had, but another part of her refused. She still loved him, and he hadn’t mated with anyone else yet; didn’t that say something, at least? “I’m not going to give up,” She said suddenly, looking back up and meeting his eyes. “Linda said that I could stay because I’m family.” She lifted a hand and touched the marks on her neck, as if to reassure herself that they were still there. “So I’m staying. If in a month you still want me to leave, I will. But until then, I’m staying.” She looked at him, smiling slightly, though it didn’t reach her eyes as it usually did. “You loved my stubbornness too, didn’t you?” She asked quietly. She looked as though she wanted to say something else, but instead she turned and walked back out into the hallway, closing the door softly behind her.
~!!~
Rue flinched slightly, but she quickly nodded. “No, I want to,” She said quietly. When he pointed to his tattoo she frowned slightly, walking around and pulled his shirt down slightly and glancing at it. The burns hadn’t reached it; she smiled slightly in spite of herself and walked back around, grabbing his hand. She was smiling again as she pulled him farther away from the tree. It was only then that she realized it had gotten dark out. She looked up at the stars with a far-away expression on her face, as if she were thinking about something else entirely.

“It’s pretty,” She said suddenly, glancing back at him and smiling. “Okay, lead the way!” She said, still holding onto his hand. “What are they like?” She asked suddenly. “Are they like you at all? I only saw them for a little bit back at the mall that day, so I couldn’t really tell.”
~!!~
Elysia glanced over at him, annoyance crossing her face. She wrinkled her nose as he lit the cigarette and walked over to him and pulled it out of his mouth without a word, putting it out in the ash tray on the bedside table. “That’s disgusting,” She said simply. “If you’re going to do that, do it outside, where I don’t have to smell it.”

It was only about 8:00, but it was dark out already. She walked over to the window and pulled open the blinds, looking out at the night sky. She still felt strange, but it was getting better. Her stomach twisted and she mumbled something under her breathe, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge. She closed her eyes, but again she saw Haven’s face. Her eyes widened and she sat up straight abruptly, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides.

“I’m going to bed,” She mumbled, glancing back at Hayden. “Shut up and go outside, if you’re going to keep smoking. If not, just shut up.” She crawled under the covers on the left side of the bed, turning her back to him, but she didn’t close her eyes.
~!!~
Elianna didn’t protest as he picked her up, but once she was on the bed she looked up at him, frowning slightly. “You won’t be here soon, though,” She said quietly. “It’ll be Angel, and he hates me.” She said the words so easily, then frowned. “He must. After what he saw; I saw how he looked at me.” She knew that she probably wasn’t making any sense to him, but she didn’t understand it herself, either.

“You shouldn’t have to protect me,” she said quietly. “I’ve made my own choices, and I should have to deal with them. Not you. It isn’t fair to you.” She was scared, though. She couldn’t believe what she’d done; it felt as though someone else had done it, not her.
~!!~
Jenny grinned, nudging him in the ribs again. “Afraid of the dark, eh, Trevor?” She asked. “You never know what might be waiting for you in there,” She said, lowering her voice and giving it a rasp. “Boo!” She shook her head, laughing, and stepped back as he asked her where the North Star was. Her smile abruptly disappeared, and she frowned, looking up at the sky.

“Um…the north?” she suggested quietly. “Probably.”
~!!~
Sage held her glare at him, even though she knew that most of his words were true, except maybe a few. She really felt as though she was this bitter, this selfish. Only Leanne and the others had ever gotten the chance to see past that, and look where it had gotten all of them? She didn’t want anyone else to ever see it.

She glared at him, ignoring Mandy’s comment. “I don’t care!” She shouted. “You don’t know me, so don’t you dare judge me!!” She yelled. “You don’t know a thing about me!!” She looked furious, and she was, though at who it was hard to tell. None of this was really his fault, either, but she was taking it out on him. But it was too late to turn back now.

Brooke's hands fell to her sides when Leslie stepped closer to her. Something about the way he looked made her think that this was all her fault. This man could very well be insane, and it was all her fault. She didn't know how or why, just that it was. She didn't know what to say. She was so scared. Her hands were shaking at her sides. She regretted the words she had spoken to him, but she couldn't take them back. It was too late, and looked what happened; there was something wrong with this man. She didn't know who he was, she didn't even know his name, but she felt as if this was all her fault. Her fault and her fault alone. What's worse, she couldn't even remember what she did.

Moses stared at December. He closed his eyes. When they opened again there was a new fire in his eyes. "No!" he yelled. "Why should I!? He only knew her little over a week and he already stole her away from me! She fell in love with me and he is ruining my chances of fixing my mistake!" he cried. He buried his face into his hands. His shoulders were shaking, but from anger or sadness it was not possible to tell. He looked up at Brooke again, he was biting his lip hard enough to make it bleed. December was right. He was just thinking of himself. If he loved her he shoulder give her everything back.

He caught Brooke by surprise when he placed his hand over her eyes. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear before he pulled away.The knife slipped out Brooke's hand and a sob escaped her throat. Suddenly she was bawling. She didn't want her head messed with anymore. She hated being so confused. She suddenly ran forward and buried her face into Leslie's chest. Her knees felt weak and she was sure if she let go she would fall. She kept crying as she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. "I'm sorry." she whispered. "I'm sorry." she kept saying as if it was a prayer.

~!!~
Linda turned the corner just as Leanne came out of Patrick's room. She smiled widely at her and ran forward and grabbed her arm. It was only then that she noticed something was wrong. Her smile dropped for only a moment as she pulled Leanne along. "I see it didn't do well." she said. "But you can't give up yet!" she said. "He needs you, he won;t admit it but he does! All he does is mope. And he isn't a very fun moper. I usually find it entertaining to poke mopers, but he's ho hum!" Somehow she was able to say that in an excited voice and all in one voice. As she spoke she had this habit of waving her hands about. She was a very excitable girl. Some might consider her insensitive to another's feelings, but she firmly believed that if she was happy others around her would be too. She didn't quite realize that she could be making it worse. Sadness wasn't something she dealt well with; she would do what ever she could to make someone smile, although she often made everything worse.

~!!~
Elijah took her hand and lead her toward his car that was sitting on the side of the word. He opened the door for her and smiled. "Really, there is nothing more to them than what you have already seen. Just a bunch of morons with no life. They cling to me, actually, I just don't have the heart to tell them to shoo." he said, prehaps too dramatically. Now that everything was clear with Rue his mood seemed to have improved a great deal. He was smiling that wide smile of his that showed he was joking. He refused to look at the burns on her face or her arms, instead he looked into her wide gray eyes. He was quite fond of her, and it seemed when she was unhappy so was he. He couldn't stand seeing her tears.

"Oh." He reached into the glove compartment and handed her some tissues before he let her step in. "Will you be okay?" he asked.

~!!~
Hayden narrowed his eyes at the ashtray and turned his brown eyes to Elysia as she climbed into bed. "You do realize that those cost a lot of money, right?" he asked as he pointed to the ashtray. "It's a waste to waste them like that." he said as he set the pack and lighter down and sat down on the bed next to her. "I think I'll go to bed too..." his voice trailed off. "After this." he said as he stood up and grabbed the cigarettes and lighter, and hurried outside.

He stared upward at the stars as he placed one between his lips and lit it. He leaned against the wall next to door as he smoked. He kept thinking about Elysia. What had she been doing today? Did she really have to lock him a closet? He wouldn't tell her, but he was worried about her. Sometimes it showed on his face when he stared at her. He dropped the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it with the heal of his boot and stepped back into the motel room, locking the door behind him. He sat down in the chair only long enough to unlace his boots, slip his feet out, and pull off his socks. He stood up and pulled his shirt over his head and threw over the back of the chair. That was how he liked to sleep, in nothing but his jeans.

He walked over to the bed quietly. He pulled up the covers on the right side of the bed. All they could get was a single bed room. But he didn't mind. Even if they got one with two beds, he would of have ended up in her bed sooner or later. He laid next to her an closed his eyes. But it was too early for him to go to sleep yet. His mind was still racing. He turned to his side. The bed was small. He was already close to her, but he picked up her hand and kissed it softly. "You do realize that we are in a bed, right?" he asked as he kissed her hand again.

~!!~
Tobias frowned and sat next to her on the bed. He folded his hands in his lap and looked at her sadly. "He doesn't hate you, Elianna, he is disappointed." he said, and for the first time he was aware of the other in his head. He took her hand in his and frowned slightly. "And even if he did,why would he? Your not a person that one can hate easily." he said as he hugged her again. "I am sorry for all this." he whispered.

~!!~
Trevor glared at her but said nothing about the dark comment. He looked back at the stars and rolled his eyes. "That would be why it is called the north star, yes. But can you locate it?" he asked as he sat down in the grass. "Can you locate the Southern Cross?" he asked with a smirk on his lips as he pulled up a piece of grass. He just wanted to see how stupid she was, if she would actually know that the Southern Cross was only visible in the southern hemisphere.

~!!~
Addison turned around and smirked at her. "You are wrong Sage. I do know one thing about you. A few, actually. You are stubborn, and don't even dare say you're not. That would make you a liar as well." he said, a smirk on his lips. "You hate cherries. I saw that look on your face. You like to read. Why else would you have those books in your room. You like Romeo and Juliet. It's quite easy and fun to annoy you. And you are in love with the person that gave you that cross. Why else would it seem to pain you to take it off. Why else would you not be able to leave it off?" he said as he turned to face her and leaned against the wall. "The list could go on. You'd be surprised how much one can learn if one studies a person." he concluded with a yawn. "But, what can you say about me? How much do you know about me? I like cherries. That is about all that you know, isn't it."

Leslie was standing off to the side now, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. His mind was fighting against itself, and he felt as though he were being pulled in two different directions. He didn’t know which side to listen to. He looked at Brooke and then closed his eyes, cradling his head in his hands. He wanted her to remember; he needed her to remember. For some reason, he felt as if that alone would make everything better.

He didn’t even hear Moses any longer; he was deep in his own thoughts, which were so jumbled he couldn’t even keep up with them. When Brooke ran towards him, though, he snapped out of it. His eyes widened, and for a moment it was as if he didn’t know what to do. After a few moments he wrapped his arms around her, and he was back to the way he had been. He was walking on a thin line; the smallest things seemed able to send him tumbling over the edge, back into insanity. But for now, he was here.

“Brooke, I’m sorry,” He mumbled, holding her close as she cried. “I’m so sorry.”

December stepped forward, but then hesitated. She glanced at Moses and offered him a sad smile. She placed her hand on his shoulder and looked at her friend with something like sadness in her eyes. She wanted to be able to comfort her, but she felt responsible, too, for letting it go on so long. She’d let herself be distracted by Simon and only hurt him, too. She let her hand fall back to her side, hardly seeming to notice the blood left on Moses’ shirt. She was looking at Leslie now. She didn’t understand him; he’d hurt her and almost killed Moses, yet now he was holding her friend so gently. It didn’t make sense, and she was afraid for Brooke. But she stayed standing back; if Brooke was happy with him, she wasn’t going to interfere. Not anymore.
~!!~
Leanne flinched when Linda said all he’d done was mope, but when the girl looked at her she tried to smile. Something about her reminded her of herself, at least before. She felt like she had grown up a great deal lately; usually she’d be the one jumping around with her hands up, like she didn’t have a care in the world, or dancing around the room like she had when she’d first come to the other manor. She still was that way, but now she felt as though being happy was wrong. Patrick wasn’t happy; so why should she be?

She let herself be pulled along, and she just nodded. “It didn’t go well,” She said quietly. “But I’m not giving up yet. I’m going to stay and keep trying.” ‘I just hope that it’s worth it,’ she thought, but quickly shook it off. Of course it was worth it. He was worth it; he was worth everything.

“So what now?” She asked suddenly. “You said that I could stay because I was family, right? Is there a place I can stay?” she finally pulled her arm away from her, falling into step beside her, her boots making unnaturally loud sounds as they hit the ground. She hardly noticed it anymore, but a lot of people would.
~!!~
Rue pulled herself out of her thoughts when he opened the door for her. She smiled slightly and held back a laugh at his words, though it didn’t quite work. She was happy to see him smile again; it made her feel like things were okay. She blinked in surprise when he handed her the tissues, but she took them from him with a grateful smile.

“I’m fine,” She said quickly, waving him off with another smile. She got in when he stepped aside, the tissues clenched tightly in her hands. She strangely didn’t feel nervous anymore; she was excited. She had always loved to meet new people, and it was almost as if she were back to her old self, the way she was before she’d gotten the burns on her face. She didn’t have to hide them from him, or from anyone anymore. Even now, she was wearing short sleeves. It didn’t matter to her if people saw her arms, because there was something else for them to stare at now.

She had always had to hide them from Ian; he wasn’t exactly the best of influences, and every time he’d tried to get her to take her jacket off she’d have to make some excuse, say that she had to go home, that she was cold even in the middle of the summer. He told her all the time how strange she was, yet he had stuck around, something that she still didn’t understand.

She looked back over at him and smiled again, her eyes lighting up. She couldn’t pretend that everything was okay, but for right now, almost everything was.
~!!~
Elysia couldn’t sleep. She didn’t understand what she was feeling; it wasn’t guilt, was it? Why should she care about Haven or any of her sister anymore? They were like those things that had killed her parents. Another thought came to her then; what would her parents think of her now? She flinched and closed her eyes tightly, hardly hearing as Hayden walked out of the room. She pulled her knees up to her chest, but that didn’t help. She turned onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.

When he came back in she turned on her side away from him, just as she saw him take off his shirt. Her cheeks turned bright red, but she shook it off as anger. But why? She mumbled something under her breath and closed her eyes again. When he took her hand and kissed it the red increased, but she was only glad that it was dark so that he couldn’t see it. When he kissed her hand again she sat up, bringing her fist up and hitting him square in the chin. She pushed him out of bed with both of her hands, listening to the satisfying ‘thump’ as he hit the floor.

“Now we’re not,” She said simply. “Well, you’re not, anyways,” She said. She moved closer to the other side, so that she was now taking up the whole bed. She kicked him out almost every night, for reasons like this. “Stay out there until you put a shirt on,” She mumbled into the pillow. Why were her cheeks still red? She knew why, but she wouldn’t admit it to herself, much less to him. He was an annoying, perverted idiot who she kept around for no reason other than he helped her with what she did. She could easily find someone else to help her if he decided to leave, but for some reason, the thought made her sad. She scowled and buried her face deeper in the pillow.
~!!~
Elianna buried her face in his chest, her shoulders shaking. “I’m sorry,” She moaned. “I messed it all up,” She whispered. “I messed everything up. I don’t know what to do,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around him tightly. “Toby, I’m scared,” She whispered. “I’m scared of what I’ve done. He won’t leave me alone now, and it’s all my fault. Draven is gone and he probably won’t come back now. You…..You keep disappearing,” she whispered. “I’m scared.” She sounded like a little girl again, the one who would run to her older brothers to chase away her monsters. “I’m scared.”
~!!~
Jenny frowned, and paced back and forth in front of him. “You sound like a teacher, like you’re quizzing me,” she mumbled. She looked back at him and glared slightly. “I told you that I don’t know much about this; I just like to look at them, but I do want to learn.” His comment about the Southern Cross made her pause. The name sounded familiar, like something she’d learned in school. The smirk on his face made her pause.

“You can’t see it,” She said suddenly. “You can only see it in the southern hemisphere.” She grinned, proud to have remembered at least one thing. “So, can you teach me about the rest?” She asked, leaning down and offering him a hand to help him up. “I wanna learn.” She blinked, then laughed. “Never thought I’d say that.”
~!!~
Sage glared at him, and her cheeks flushed red as she reached up and touched the cross around her neck, as if to reassure herself that it was still there. Andrew’s face passed through her mind and she flinched, then glared at him again, a newfound fire in her eyes.

“I know that you like cherries, and that you get some sort of sick pleasure out of teasing me. I know that you’re obnoxious and insensitive. I know that right now there’s nothing than I want more than to punch you in the face.” Her fists clenched together tighter as she spoke. She did know then, though, that there really wasn’t much that she knew about him. She didn’t care, though. She didn’t want to know about him, or anyone else. She could feel tears in her eyes and she pushed them back. She spun around and stormed off in the direction of the woods, though she had no idea what she was looking for there. Andrew was probably back at the manor by now, but she wouldn’t go there, not ever again.

It had taken a week for Elysia to realize that Haven’s face and her memories weren’t going to leave her anytime soon. It had taken her a week to realize that there was nothing she could do to change it. It had taken her two hours to get drunk enough that she could barely hear herself think.

She hadn’t been thinking clearly when she’d gone out that night. She’d just wanted to forget about everything, about the boy in the motel room with her that had been on her mind far too much ever since she’d first found him, about her friend who now lay dead somewhere by her hand, about all the things she’d done in the past that she had now come to question.

Now, though, as she came stumbling back into the motel room, she could barely see. She leaned against the door and closed her eyes, groaning and straightening up. She was smiling, something that was a rare, if not impossible, sight. She grinned and looked up as Hayden came out of the bathroom. She wasn’t thinking at all; she was still smiling as she walked over to him and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly and knocking him to the ground.

“Hayden!” She squealed, resting her head on his bare chest. “You’re still wet,” She giggled, lifting her head up and smiling down at him. “You’re kinda cute,” She slurred, brushing his hair out of his eyes. She looked serious suddenly, her smile gone. “Hayden,” She mumbled. “Hayden, Hayden, Hayden.” She laughed again, and rolled off of him, laying on the ground next to him now. “I’m so tireeeeddd,” She moaned, closing her eyes. When she opened them she was standing again, and she pulled him to his feet as well.

“You know, Hayden,” She said, still smiling. “I love you,” She said suddenly. “I love you thiiiiissss much!” She spread her arms out wide, as if to show him how much, before she wrapped her arms around him again. “You’re such an idiot,” She mumbled. “But I love you anyways. You’re so silly,” she giggled, and she looked up at him again. This time she leaned up and kissed him full on the mouth, closing her eyes and pulling him close. This time, it was her who was coming onto him. She pulled him back a few steps, pushing him down onto the bed, her arms still wrapped around him. Suddenly she sat up and looked down at him, the smile still on her face, though something about it was different this time.

“I’m cold,” She mumbled, and then suddenly she grinned. “You should help me warm up, Hayden,” She said, and she reached down for the buttons on her shirt. She only had two undone when her fingers seemed to stop working. She couldn’t see straight. “Help me, Hayden,” She whined. “I can’t get it. Please?”
~!!~
Draven had gotten back with Michi four days ago, and he hadn’t left her side since. Elianna hadn’t come to him, and he hadn’t gone to her. Strangely, he did feel bad about what he’d said to her, but he wasn’t the type to hand out apologies, not even to family, not even to his little sister. If she wanted an apology, or even wanted to see him at all, she would have come to him, right? Besides, he didn’t want to leave Michi. He would never admit it aloud to anyone, maybe not even her, but he was terrified that she would disappear again, that Ollie would take her away from him, somewhere where he could no longer reach her. That thought scared him more than he thought any could.

When he’d taken her back to his room four days ago, he’d finally looked at what she’d been wearing. At first he had been upset, but he didn’t yell at her, a surprising accomplishment for him. It came back to the fact that he was afraid to lose her again. He didn’t want things between them to change, but the fact was, they already had, so much so that he didn’t think he could fix it. He kept her close to him, because he was afraid to lose her again to the other part of herself. Even now, he was holding her close to him.

He was sitting back in the chair by the window with her in his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, the way they’d sat so many times before. It was almost as if he were trying to bring that time back, to make it true again. He didn’t say anything, but then again, he never really had. He was looking out the window with a distant expression on his face. He had almost entirely forgotten about Leslie by now, even though he knew that he shouldn’t. He had lost his niece to him, after all. The thought made him stiffen up slightly; he knew that he should go to his sister, but his pride kept him from going.

He leaned down and kissed Michi’s neck softly, though it was almost an absentminded action. His mind was far off, going from one thought to the next faster than he could keep up with. He didn’t know what to do about any of them, but for now, this seemed like enough. He had Michi back, after all; that was enough for him for now.
~!!~
Kit wasn’t sure how long she’d spent staring at the photograph of Dustin’s mate, the one she had killed. Long enough for her to realize that everything she’d thought was true up until now might have been nothing but a lie. It was strange, how the feelings she’d had her entire life could be disbanded so quickly, and in a place like this. All it had taken for her to realize it was for her to become the very thing she had hated so much.

She slowly opened the door to Dustin’s room, and when she found it empty she sighed in relief. She walked over to the place where she’d found the photo, then hesitated. She looked down at the face in the photograph, biting her lip. She still hated Dustin; she hated him for what he’d done to her family, but she’d realized that she really was no better than him. She’d done the same thing to him and so many others. She’d let her bitterness blind her to the truth of things, and she regretted it now, something she thought she never would.

“I’m sorry,” She said quietly, as if the woman in the photograph could hear her, from wherever she was now. “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t you that I hated.” She sat down on the edge of his bed, still staring down at the photograph clutched in her hands. She didn’t know why she couldn’t set it down. What she felt was more than guilt, but she didn’t understand what it was.

She hated the way she was now. The first time she’d gone hunting she’d almost thrown up. She felt like a monster, and she thought that she truly was. She was one of the things she’d always hated, but was too much of a coward to finish herself off. She hated herself for that, and even more for the guilt she felt, for the fact that she regretted everything she’d done in her life. She was so confused, but right now she only wanted to cry. But she couldn’t; she had found that out right away. She couldn’t even cry.
~!!~
Gem groaned, closing her eyes tightly as she pushed herself farther back, her back pressed against the wall. She could feel them; she could feel the things inside of her. She could tell now that there was more than one; she was far too big by now for there to be only one, and she could feel both of them. She would go hunting but only end up throwing up right after. She didn’t know what to do; she wanted it to end. Maybe she would have ended it all if it weren’t for the things inside of her. She hated them. She hated them, yet she couldn’t bring herself to kill them, too.

Her hands clutched fistfuls of the sheets underneath her, and she bit her lip until blood ran down her chin. Even now, she could feel them. Damian still hadn’t come back, and for that she was truly grateful. If he felt what she could feel now, something told her that he would never leave her alone, would never leave her side. She felt sick just thinking about him. She hated him, what he’d done to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to kill him. She didn’t understand why, and that thought scared her.

“Christen?” She whispered, looking up from her spot on the bed. “Christen, are you there?” She hadn’t seen him, and part of her felt stupid calling out into the darkness. Another part of her wanted him to be there, wanted him to be close enough for her to hug him. She was scared, but she couldn’t risk going back to her brother. She didn’t want him to get hurt by Damian, too. She didn’t want anyone else to get hurt by him.
~!!~
K.C. had been avoiding her brother as much as possible. The one time she’d seen him was in his room; he’d been working on a painting of that girl, the one she’d made things worse for him with. She didn’t want to face him; she was almost afraid, afraid to hear him say that he was right, afraid to see how hurt he was because of her actions. So she spent most of her time in the library. It was one of the few places she could be alone.

She missed Xavier more than she thought was possible. She felt as though she’d left part of her behind, and in a way, she had. She hadn’t bothered to hide the marks on her neck when she’d come ‘home’. She didn’t feel like she had anything that she should have to hide. She had made her choices, and now she had to deal with the consequences. She felt so stupid for what she’d done; she’d acted on impulse and now she was separated from him. But strangely, she didn’t even really blame him. How could she ask him to leave his home for her? It wasn’t fair to him.

She had just walked into the library when she heard the voices. She froze when she saw them, and her eyes widened at the sight of Xavier. She quickly hid herself, but she could still hear. ‘She’s too stubborn,’ she heard Myame saying. ‘That’s one of her better qualities.’ She bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly, trying not to make any noise at all. Myame was speaking again. ‘She seems heartless sometimes.’ She flinched slightly, but the words were true. ‘: Not really, it's just her way of showing affection. She tore my heart up for the first few weeks.’ She slowly slid down to the ground, as if her legs had stopped working entirely. He was back. He was back, and talking to Myame? She didn’t understand. She pulled her knees up to her chest, leaning her head back against the bookcase as she listened.

‘You speak of her as if she is an angel.’ Myame’s voice. K.C. felt her lips turn up into a smirk; she knew that she was the farthest thing from an angel. ‘No angel would want me.. Xavier this time. She closed her eyes, the smirk falling away from her lips. She had missed his voice more than she thought she could; just hearing it made her feel better somehow. ‘Maybe she only pities you then.’ K.C. bit her lip harder, her hands clenching into tight fists at her sides. Why was Myame saying things like that? ‘:I didn't know she could pity someone. I guess it would make sense though.’ Her eyes widened slightly and she sat up straight, almost knocking down a book. He really believed that? ‘Why do you love her? ‘ It was Myame again. She felt as though an eternity passed before he responded. ‘Why do you?’ She frowned, staring down at her feet. Why didn’t he answer? ‘She’s my daughter, like a part of me.’ In spite of herself, she almost smiled. ‘Then you understand why I love her. I was a mess after she left. That is why I came after her.’ K.C. slowly pushed herself to her feet, leaning against the thick bookshelf for support. Why did being around him make her like this?

‘Why won't you take a hint? You hurt her, I'm trying to get rid of you.’ She stepped out then, walking over to them with quick strides. She looked at her mother, standing next to Xavier now, though she hadn’t even looked him in the eyes yet. “It’s my fault; I left. I hurt him. He didn’t hurt me, Myame.” She had always called her that, for as long as she could remember.
~!!~
Ember buried her face in the pillow, closing her eyes tightly. She’d spent all of her time here ever since she’d found herself waking up again. The room was almost as familiar to her as her own, but being here alone felt strange. She had come to Dimitri’s house after seeing her mother crying became too much for her, and after Jeremy hadn’t shown up again. She felt so confused; she didn’t know what she was doing here, what she was supposed to be doing. Didn’t ghosts come back because they had something to do? All she was doing was torturing herself.

She could remember the time she’d lain here with him the entire night, how angry her mother was in the morning, but how she didn’t care because she’d been with him. She missed him so much. She wondered if he was gone now, too. If he’d left after she’d died. But where had he gone? She didn’t understand.

She’d cried more in the past week than she had on the first day she’d found herself here. It was as if she were trying to make up for all the tears she’d never been able to shed in her time alive. She was exhausted, but she couldn’t sleep. She didn’t want to. She looked down at her left hand, the one that was missing a finger, and slowly closed her hand into a fist. She still couldn’t feel pain. She never thought that she’d be grateful for her condition, but she knew that if she had been able to feel it, her death would have been much, much worse.

She knew that she couldn’t stay here forever, but she didn’t know where else to go. She couldn’t stand to watch her mother so broken up, all because she hadn’t been careful. She wished she could have listened to Jeremy. She wished she could have been happy. She wished anyone was here now.
~!!~
Haven slowly opened her eyes and looked around. At first, nothing was familiar. She was in the woods, and she quickly sat up. Had she fallen asleep? But then, where were Kat and the others? She pushed herself to her feet and walked back in the direction she thought headed towards her house. Her mind was blank; she didn’t know how she’d gotten here, but she just wanted to get home. Maybe her sisters would be able to tell her.

They were standing near the edge of the woods. Andrea looked furious, while Kat looked sad. Beth just looked…blank, as though she didn’t know what to think. Andrea stepped forward and brought her hand back. Haven didn’t have time to think before her fist connected with her. But she felt no pain. She stared at her sister in shock, then she was yelling.

“What the heck was that for?!” She shouted, and Andrea just glared at her.

“You moron!” She shouted. “Why would you do that to yourself? Why would you kill yourself?!” She yelled. Haven just stared at her. Was she insane? She wasn’t dead! She’d just fallen asleep! And even if she was dead, how would she know? She wouldn’t be here, and Andrea wouldn’t be able to see her! None of them would!

“What are you talking about?!” She demanded. “Are you insane? I’m alive! Is this some kind of sick joke? If it is, it’s not funny,” She said. Her mind was racing; this wasn’t like her sisters. It didn’t make sense. Were they playing some kind of trick on her? They had never been like that before. They all looked at each other, and their lips were moving, but she couldn’t hear their words. She shook her head quickly and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were standing close again, smiling.

“Come on, Haven,” Andrea said, a small smile on her face, the one she recognized from so long ago. “Let’s go.”

That had been five days ago. Ever since then, Haven had spent every minute with her sisters. She didn’t understand what was going on; they weren’t home, she knew that much. But she was with them. They told her that she’d hit her head in the woods, that before that they’d moved. They took her to one of the nicer houses on the edge of Dale, and told her that this was where they lived now. She didn’t have a choice but to believe them; the last thing she remembered was living in their large house out in the country, but now she was here, with them. They told her that their parents went on a trip. Haven knew that they were lying, but she didn’t want to think about it. She was just happy that she was with them now.

She acted differently, too. She was smiling a lot more than she did when she was alive, even more than when she was alive with them. She was more carefree, happier. She didn’t want to think too hard about things; every time she did, she only got tired.

“Come on, Andrea!” Haven shouted, a teasing grin on her lips. They were in the woods behind the house they now stayed in, the one they claimed as home. Andrea glanced atg Kat, who was smiling at Haven, though something seemed off about it. It looked sadder than usual. Beth was holding Kat’s hand, and both were watching Andrea and Haven. It was much the same as it had been when they were alive, with them always fighting, either playfully or for real.

Andrea smirked, then ducked down. Haven jumped to the left to avoid the torrent of flames, and the ground shifted under Andrea, sending her tumbling to the ground.
~!!~
Violet rubbed her tired eyes, mumbling something under her breath as she walked down the sidewalk. She had had to stay after school to make up a test that she’d missed on a day when she’d overslept. It was strange; she couldn’t remember a thing about her past, yet she could remember other things, like how to do math problems. She looked down at her feet, shoving her hands into her jeans pockets and walking faster. She was so tired.

It was only about 5 o’clock, but already she wanted to go to bed. The walk home seemed to be taking longer than usual, though. She looked up as she passed by the house she passed every time she went home, only to see the same girl lying in the grass, staring up at the clouds. She smiled slightly in spite of herself, then ducked her head down and walked faster. She passed the park again, but it was empty except for a few children playing in the sand, their mothers standing watch. She shifted her backpack to her other arm, then walked over to the bench, sitting down and setting it down by her feet. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, letting herself relax. She had been here for about a month now, but she still hadn’t talked to anyone else. She wouldn’t know what to say to them; she had found that every time she tried to talk to someone, she only pushed them away. She didn’t know how to talk to people.

She closed her eyes, and before she knew it, she was asleep. By the time she woke up the park was empty, and it seemed as though the sun had just set. Her watch read 7 pm. She sat up quickly, reaching down and fumbling for her backpack, only to find it gone. She panicked and stumbled to her feet, but it really was gone. She knew that she didn’t have enough money to replace what was in there; she barely had enough money to buy her own food. She sighed, closing her eyes again and sinking back down onto the bench. There really was no point in going home now, was there? She could just sleep here.
~!!~
Rue folded her head behind her hands, looking up at the sky and watching the sunset. She was still thinking about what had happened with Elijah and his friends; they’d laughed, made comments that made her blood boil, until Elijah punched one of them. The thought made her smile slightly, but it quickly disappeared. Three days ago she’d gone to court to testify against her father, and he was put in jail for probably the rest of his life. When she’d gotten home her mother had yelled at her, told her it was her fault that this had happened, and then left. She hadn’t seen her since.

The house felt lonely when she had it all to herself. She spent most of her time outside or with Elijah. She wanted to see Winnie again, though. She needed to talk to her sometime. She decided to go tomorrow; her eyes felt heavy, ands he could already feel herself drifting off to sleep.

She woke up when she began to shiver. She sat up slowly, though she couldn’t even see much. She wondered what time it was as she pushed herself to her feet, walking inside. The house felt even more empty to her at night. She walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, burying her face in her hands. She missed her mother, regardless of the things she’d said to her, but even more than that she missed her father. She knew that it was messed up, but she still loved him, and she still didn’t blame him for what he’d done. It was as if her mother’s words were finally getting to her, that it was all her fault. Was it possible that it really was?
~!!~
“TONY!”

Sandra’s voice seemed unnaturally loud to herself as she ran down the hallway towards Tony’s room. “TONY!” She screamed again, and she threw open his door without knocking. Her eyes were wide and wild, filled with tears. “Tony, Anne’s gone!!”

She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, sliding down to the ground. Her shoulders were shaking, and her entire body was trembling badly. She’d gone into Anne’s room and she’d been sitting right there on the bed, and she had said something about telling Tony that she was sorry, but that she had to leave. And then she’d just…disappeared. Right in front of her eyes. She didn’t understand what had just happened, but she didn’t want to. She just wanted Anne back. She wanted her friend back.

She knew that this was going to tear Tony up, but she didn’t know how else to tell him. “I---I went to see her,” she stammered. “And she disappeared,” She whispered, her voice breaking on the last word. “Just….gone. Right in front of my eyes. I don’t understand.” She tried to stand up again, but her legs gave out from underneath her. “Tony, what’s going on?” She whispered. “What’s happening?” She doubted even he would know, but she was too terrified to see straight, much less think.
~!!~
Elianna hesitated with her hand on the doorknob. She needed to hunt; she was exhausted, but she was terrified to go outside, too. She was scared of what she’d done. She knew that it was her fault now if Landon wouldn’t leave her alone. She knew that she only had herself to blame.

She opened the door and hurried down the hallway, her head ducked down low. She ran down the stairs and outside, closing the door behind her. She smoothed out her jeans and shirt and then ran towards the woods, trying to ignore the fear that followed her around. She hated herself for what she’d done; she wanted to change it, but she knew that it was too late for that now.

By the time she was heading back towards the manor, it was getting dark out. The sun had already set. She made her way slowly back to the room she had been staying in, walking in the open door and closing it behind her, flipping the lock again. She wanted to talk to Toby again, or Draven. Draven had come back, but he hadn’t come to see her. She felt as though he weren’t even her brother anymore at times, and Toby was gone again. It was Angel now who was in the room next door, and she couldn’t bring herself to face him. She still liked him; very much so, but she was too afraid to go to him because of what he’d seen, because he now shared a body and mind with her brother.

She sat down on the edge of her bed, looking down at her bare feet, bleeding from running around in the woods. She lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and holding the bracelet in her hand that she’d given to Isabel. She had it back now, and she wore it everywhere.
~!!~
Sage had tried to cook dinner that night, and failed miserably. She’d burned it to a crisp. Addison had made dinner instead, even though she yelled at him and insisted that she didn’t need any of his help. He’d done it anyways, and told them that she had made it. They’d praised her and she’d just nodded, and later she’d tried to thank him, only to end up insulting him again and walking away.

She still didn’t know much about him, and for some reason, the thought now bothered her. For some reason she found herself wanting to know more about him. She’d talked to his sister to find out ways to annoy him, and she had almost made it into a game to see how many she could do before he snapped. She was trying to find anything to distract herself, to stop thinking about Andrew, about Rainy, about Leanne, about Summer and winter. She was using him as her distraction.

She slowly opened the door to his room, poking her head in. Her lips turned up slightly into a smirk, and she closed the door behind her. She walked over to his dresser and switched around the items into a different order, then did the same to the rest of the things in his room, the clothes in his closet, the shoes, everything. She walked out of the room and downstairs and outside, where she’d seen him earlier.

“Yo,” She said, offering him a sort of half-wave. She could still hear his sisters’ words in her head as she looked at him, never once breaking her stare. It was taking all of her self control not to laugh. “I just wanted to say thank you,” She said quietly, reaching over and poking him on his left shoulder. “You know, for before, with dinner.” She knew it was a delayed thank you, but the last one hadn’t gone so well. Besides, she wanted to distract him. “I appreciate it, even if I didn’t really need your help.” She poked him again on the same side, then again. She stood up and patted him on the head, taking a step back and folding her arms across her chest.
~!!~
Alex glanced over at Isaac from where she sat on the front porch steps, then quickly looked away again. Dominic had come back a few days ago, but he’d seen Isaac and left again. She felt guilty; more than guilty. She felt horrible. Caden still was without her father, and it was because of her. Ella seemed to be back to her normal self, but Alex could tell that she was still upset. And why shouldn’t she be? Jasper was gone, after all.

She leaned down and took Isaac’s hand in hers, closing her eyes and leaning her head on his shoulder. She always seemed to be tired lately, but she wouldn’t tell him why. She thought he would know, though; he’d seen Dominic come back, after all. She just hoped he knew that she still loved him.

She had spent so long being pulled in two different directions, and then Isaac had moved on, and she’d loved Dominic. Now Dominic was gone, and Isaac was back. She loved them both; she knew that much. She knew that she had fallen in love with both of them, just at different times. She wasn’t sure what to do right now.

Ella was smiling again. She kept trying to talk to Caden, but she was broken. She didn’t seem to care about anything. Ella wanted to help her, to right at least some of her wrongs, but it seemed impossible. She didn’t know what to do to fix things, and she didn’t think that she could. She had tried to get Dominic to stay when he’d come back, but there was no reasoning with him. She knew that her sister felt guilty, but she had Isaac with her. Ella knew that it was selfish, that it was her fault that he was gone, but she wanted Jasper with her, if only for a few moments.

She hesitated with her hand above Caden’s door, then turned and walked into her own. She didn’t want to make things worse by talking to her. She wanted to see her get better, but she didn’t think anything could do that for her, at least not now.
~!!~
December was happy that her friend had her memories back, but at the same time she was sad. She was no longer living next door; she stayed with that man, the one who had attacked her the first night. December didn’t trust him at all, but she wasn’t going to argue with her friend if it made her happy. She deserved at least that much, didn’t she? She’d gone through so much lately, losing her memories and only getting some back. She wanted her to find happiness, even if it was with that man.

She had gone to see her a lot in the past week, and surprisingly, Leslie hadn’t’ had a problem with it. He seemed normal now, not like the day he’d cut her. He even apologized for it, and he looked ashamed of himself as he did. She still didn’t trust him, though.

She had gone to visit Simon earlier in the day, but he was sick. Every time she said something he’d cough or sneeze. After a while she’d left, and now she was standing in front of the manor. She wasn’t sure why she’d come here; something told her that Moses would have no interest in talking to her, but she wanted to see how he was doing. In a strange way, she’d come to think of him as a friend, even if he didn’t think of her as one. She felt bad for him; he’d been dealt the bad hand of cards. She just wanted to see how it was doing, but she had a habit of making things worse.

She hesitated before pulling open the front door. She didn’t shout his name, but instead looked around. It was so big inside; she’d never really looked around any other time she’d come to get him. She and Brooke had always come and looked at this place, but never gone inside. She’d been fascinated with the vampires, but no longer. Not after all that had happened. But still….she could feel her curiosity as fresh as it had been when she was alive, and that was what made her walk up the stairs and down the hallways, looking around with wide eyes. She looked almost like a child on Christmas morning. She knew that this was probably a bad idea, but she was curious. It was even greater on the inside.
~!!~
Leslie hadn’t left Brooke’s side since she had remembered everything. It surprised him that she still wanted to stay with him. He knew now that she was what was holding him together; that became obvious on that day a week ago. His sanity was back, but he was afraid. He was afraid to lose it again. He wanted to be able to stay with her.

They’d spent most of the week exchanging stories with one another. His eyes always seemed to grow sadder when he spoke of his family, especially his sisters, but he wouldn’t say why. He knew that he needed to find his father and his mother, but he doubted he could make things better. He wanted to try, while he still could.

He wanted to learn more about Brooke, though. He wanted to know everything about her that he didn’t already, even though he knew that could take a long time. He still wanted to know. He glanced over at her, a smile on his face, one that actually reached his eyes. He was sitting on the front porch, his hand holding onto hers with a gentleness that he almost didn’t seem capable of.
~!!~
Piper hadn’t come back. She didn’t even know where she was. She was watching life happen through someone else’s eyes, it seemed like. She didn’t even know her name, much less where she was. She was terrified. She didn’t know what was going on, and that scared her. She wanted to know who she was, why she was here, and whose body she was in, but they weren’t giving her any answers, either. They seemed as though they were looking for someone, but she didn’t know who. She didn’t want to, either. She just wanted to remember.

Sunny no longer knew where to look. She had spent a week wandering around the area around the manor, but she hadn’t found him. Her feet were bleeding and her arms were cut up from the branches, and she had a long cut across her left cheek from where she’d been cut, but she still had to keep looking. She had no family left but her husband and her son, and her son hated her. She knew that, yet she wanted to find him. Him and Horace. She didn’t care which one she found first, just so long as she found them. She was exhausted, though. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep this up. Piper had been unusually silent, but if she rested for too long it would be easy for her to take control.

She slowed her pace, staring down at the ground. She felt tears of frustration welling up in her eyes, but she quickly pushed them back. She couldn’t cry, not now. She wouldn’t give up yet. She looked up and started to walk again, when a familiar head of colorful hair caught her eye.

At first she thought it was Leslie, but when she stepped closer and looked up into the tree she recognized him. She opened her mouth to say his name, but it came out in a whisper, as if her voice had abandoned her. “Horace.” She couldn’t call his name again. She slipped to her knees, blinking once, twice, trying to figure out if he was really there or not. His form didn’t disappear, but she still couldn’t move.
~!!~
Rainy still hadn’t seen Darren. She felt almost betrayed; why hadn’t he come to see her? She was no longer mated to that…that thing that called himself Sam. She was free now, but she still felt small, timid, as if Sam had taken her confidence away with him. She was scared that he would come back. And her fears were justified.

He opened her door and stepped inside, his face impassive. He no longer knew who he was, nor did he care. All that he had on his mind was Jane, but she was gone. Had she ever really been there in the first place? But in his mind, he’d made this girl her. He saw only her in Rainy, and that was why he was here, all over again. Rainy sat up straight and her eyes widened in fear, but he didn’t see it. In a few moments he was next to her, his arms wrapped around her. She was shaking, but he didn’t feel it. In his mind, the girl in his arms was Jane, her and no one else.

Rainy found that her voice had left her entirely. She wanted to scream, but who would help her? Leanne was gone, and Darren wasn’t coming back, it seemed. “Please,” She whispered. “Please stop.” If he heard her, he ignored her. He only held her closer, leaning down and kissing her forehead, her noise, her lips. She tried to pull away, but it was no use. She closed her eyes tightly and retreated to the only place she had left; herself. She didn’t fight him; she couldn’t move.
~!!~
Vivian’s father had never been a very nice man, not even to his own daguther. Most of his time was spent at work, away from his family, and the few moments he did spend at home were spent asleep or away from her. She didn’t know him as well as most kids knew their fathers, and she didn’t know what he’d done.

Vivian had gone with Sergei to see her mother, and told her about the baby. The worst thing was, she wasn’t angry. She wasn’t sad. She had acted…relieved. While Vivian was crying and literally a broken mess, her mother was telling her how much easier things would be now, how she could still live her life now. Her father had found out from her about the baby and the marriage, and he’d done his own digging into the past of his daughter’s husband. He’d used what he found and sent him a letter, telling him to divorce Vivian. He thought he was doing the right thing for his daughter, giving her a chance to live her life, getting her away from him. The letter said that if he didn’t, he would tell about what had happened in France, what he’d done that he’d let his brother take the blame for. He didn’t say how he’d known, or even what it was, just that he knew and he would. He’d sent the letter four days ago.

Vivian had spent most of her time looking for a job in the newspapers, but so far she hadn’t found anything. The rest of her time she was strangely silent. She had let what her mother said to her really get to her. She hated her for it; she wanted to say so, too, but she was too timid to stand up to her, to stand up to anyone. She still held herself responsible for Dima’s death, and it was obvious in the way she carried herself around. She always seemed to be tired lately, and she’d lost quite a bit of weight, too.

She was sitting on the couch now, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, the newspaper open on her lap. She wasn’t reading it, though; her mind was a million miles away, as was obvious from the look on her face.
~!!~
Anya was terrified. She had spent every minute of the past week just waiting, waiting for something to happen. She knew that it would eventually; Joel wouldn’t stay away forever, and she knew that Noah wouldn’t, either. She had Ally here now, sure, but she couldn’t protect her forever.

She didn’t blame Milo for leaving, though. She wanted him to be happy, and if he had to leave for that, she was glad that he did. She just hoped he really was happy, wherever he was now. But another part of her wanted him next to her. She missed him more than she thought she could miss anyone. She wanted to have him back by her side, even if it was selfish. She still couldn’t let him touch her, but she still wanted him close. She wanted to be able to hear his voice again, for him to be able to hear hers again.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, closing her eyes tightly. Within a few moments, she was asleep.

When she woke up, a hand was clamped down over her mouth. Her eyes widened, but she couldn’t see. It was too dark. She recognized the voice whispering in her ear, though, and it made her scream. It was muffled and indistinct through his hand, and she felt tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn’t know where she was, but she knew who she was with. Joel slowly removed his hand, looking at her from where he sat a few feet away. She still didn’t know where she was; the house was unfamiliar to her. He was saying something to her, but she could barely hear the words. She stumbled to her feet and spun around to the door, but he pulled her back before she could.

“Stop!” She screamed, surprised to find her voice again. “Please, Joel! Let me go!” He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, ignoring the way she was shaking. He had taken her to one of the many abandoned houses in Dale, to one as far away from the manor as he could get. He didn’t want to lose her again. He wouldn’t lose her again.
~!!~
Leanne felt so far out of her element. She had been forced into a dress that she would never wear of her own accord; it was pink, for crying out loud. She didn’t want to wear pink. But Linda had forced her into it, and taken all her other jewelry except for her ring and her earrings, which she was wearing now. The shoes she were wearing hurt her feet, and she felt strange without her contacts in. Mason had demanded her to take them out as soon as she saw them. She looked around with her pale blue eyes, trying to resist the ever-tempting urge to turn tail and run out of there as fast as she could get in these stupid shoes.

She didn’t want to be here, even if she was excited to meet Patrick’s family. She had a feeling that if they saw her as she truly was, they’d kick her out faster than she could blink. She hadn’t seen Patrick at all since she’d come here, but today his entire family was here, and she had a feeling she’d be seeing him soon. Now, though, standing in front of and talking to Mason, she felt smaller than she ever had before. She felt intimidated, very much so. She had barely recognized herself in the mirror when she’d looked, with her hair down and normal-colored eyes staring back at her. She doubted even Rainy would recognize her now. She wanted to leave, but she knew that she wouldn’t, not without Patrick. But the way things were going, she had a feeling that he wouldn’t be going anywhere with her.

She was glad to have Linda with her, though. She was slowly becoming more like her normal self, even with Patrick gone. She was only like that with Linda, though. She’d laughed, sang, danced, talked and acted like the child she was in front of her, but no one would be able to guess it by looking at her now. Her face was blank, though she was trying to smile.
~!!~
Jenny was actually starting to feel at home here. She missed her brother, sure, more than she even thought was possible, but she was happy to be here. She was happy to be able to finally stop moving around, to be able to settle down somewhere and call it her home. She hadn’t been here very long, but already she felt comfortable. She had a friend, after all, even if Trevor didn’t think of her as a friend himself.

She still couldn’t seem to keep her mouth shut around Chronos, or anyone, really, but she didn’t care. She was happy; that was obvious even now from the grin on her face as she knocked on Trevor’s door.

“Trevor!” She chirped. “It’s dark out again. Can we go look at the stars? They should be showing soon.” She kept knocking as she spoke, humming lightly under her breathe every time she paused. “I went back to that bookstore I got your book at and got one to teach me more about the stars, and I’ve been reading it. I actually learned a lot, and I wanna see if----“

Her voice fell short as her eyes fell on a woman walking towards her down the hallway. She didn’t recognize her at all, which was strange. She thought she knew everyone here. As she came closer, her eyes widened slightly. She was beautiful. She had long, dark brown hair, and red-brown eyes that were looking straight at her. Jenny straightened up immediately; something about her put her on edge, but she didn’t know why. then she reocgnized her. Her eyes widened and she took a step back.


“Do you know where Trevor is?” She asked suddenly. Her voice sounded like bells; it was high-pitched but smooth. Jenny stared at her, then quickly nodded.

“He’s in there,” She said, pointing at the door. “I was trying to get him to come out, but he won’t listen to me. I don’t think he likes me that much, but I like talking to him. It gives me something to do.” Jenny's voice wasn't as cheerful as it usually was; she was staring at the girl in front of her as if she were some sort of ghost come to life. She watched as she knockedon the door, softer than she had.

“Trevor?” She asked quietly. “Trevor, it’s me. It’s Jen.”
~!!~
Sammy knew that Luke was still in the hospital, but she hadn’t gone to see him. She was sick of it; she was sick of it all. She was sick of getting hurt, she was sick of hurting people. She just wanted a normal life, but that had been out for her long ago. She knew that it wasn’t fair to Luke for him to abandon him now, but she didn’t know how much more of it she could take. Her future was probably changed by now, anyways. But the thought didn’t comfort her much, because her feelings weren’t changed.

She kicked the can across the sidewalk as she walked, her hands shoved into her jacket pockets. She still had the cast on her wrist, and she was still grounded, but her father was on his shift at the hospital now, so she’d snuck out. She knew that it was stupid, if Drew was still around, but she didn’t care. She was sick of being cooped up inside where she was reminded constantly of everyone who was missing.

She looked up as she heard a noise to her left, but when she turned, no one was there. She kept walking slowly, looking down at her feet. She kicked the can again but it came to an abrupt stop in front of her, stopped by another’s shoe. She slowly looked up, and came face to face with Drew.

Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth, but he clamped his hand down over it before she could say anything. She kicked out at him, but he pulled her close, holding her against his chest. She bit down on his hand, closing her eyes tightly as his blood flooded her mouth. He cursed and pulled away and she spat out the blood on the sidewalk, pulling her hands out of her pockets and turning to face him.

“Haven’t you done enough?!” She shouted. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?!!!” He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. She could see from the look in his eyes that he wasn’t going to let her go. She glanced around, only to realize she’d walked towards the manor, towards the abandoned houses. He seemed to know this, too, because he pulled her towards one of them. She kicked out against him, but she only had one hand to use against him. She flinched as he pushed her against the outside of one of the houses, his arms wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms down at her sides.

“Sammy,” He mumbled. “Why do you keep running from me?” he whispered. “You almost got me into trouble last time. Why would you do that?” She knew that all the strength she had wouldn’t do any good against him; she’d realized that long ago, and now she only had one hand. She could feel his hands on her bare skin, and she shook her head quickly.

“Get off of me!” She shouted, but he cut her off with a kiss. He pulled away and kissed her neck, ignoring how hard she was struggling against him. It was as if he couldn't even feel every kick directed at him, most of which missed.

"Sammy, I'm not going to hurt you," He said quietly. "I would never hurt you." Her wrist said otherwise, but she knew better than now to argue with him. She stopped struggling, but that only seemed to encourage him. He pulled her closer to him, until there was no space in between them. She was biding her time; if he let his guard down enough, if she let him think she wouldn't fight, maybe he would let go enough for her to get away...

It didn't work. She felt the door open behind her, and her eyes widened. She tried to pull away, but he was stronger than her, pushing her inside. She pushed against him, but he wouldn't let her go.

Hayden haven't seen Elysia in a few hours and he was worried. He didn't know where she had gone. He just hoped she wasn't hurting someone, or worse, hurting herself. He didn't know what he would so if she turned up dead. He would surely die as well. It was as if she was his lifeline. There was no him without her. He needed her, and he knew, even if she wouldn't admit it, that she needed him. He couldn't even imagine life without her. But he was being paranoid. He thought as he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. His dark brown hair looked black now and water dripped into the floor as he dried himself off and looked into the mirror. He rubbed the steam away as he dressed in jeans. He didn't even bother putting on a shirt on. He saw no reason to. Elysia wasn't here to yell at him,and he didn't care anyways. It was just then that the motel door opened and closed.

He dropped the towel, even though he was still wet, and opened the bathroom door. What happened next caught him off guard. It made him utterly speechless as she laid her head on his chest and pushed his hair out of his brown eyes. And she said strange things, very strange things. things he only dreamt of her saving every night. And when she pulled his to his feet he stared at her. She was telling him that she loved him. Something he always wanted her to say. But something was not right. She was too giggly. The Elysia he loved was not giggly. She was violent and that was how he liked her. He did not like this one, not one bit. No not at all. And this one worried him. She went out and hurt herself. She got herself drunk. Maybe it was just a dream... Maybe she had actually found a way to drown him in the shower and this was his final fantasy.

He tried to push her away when she kissed him. But she pulled him to the bed and pushed him down. He was still a bit surprised. But he seemed to snap out of it when she sat up and started to undo her buttons. His eyes widened as he watched her. "No-" he tried to get out when she asked him for help to UNDRESS her. This was torture. Why did she want to give him what he wanted when she was drunk? He may be a bit creepy, but he wasn't going to take advantage. He quickly reached over, but instead of helping her, like he always wanted to do, he found his noble side and buttoned her back up. "No." he said softly and touched her cheek. "You don't really want this." he said as he turned to walk away.

~!!~
Michi had felt bad the when they came back. Even after she woke up and saw Draven was caring her, he wouldn't put her down. He carried her the whole way back. No matter how many times she told him that she would be okay to walk, he wouldn't let her go. It was as if he was afraid of losing her. He didn't need to tell her for to be able to see. He was scared. But so was she. So she didn't argue and rested her head on his chest and watched his face with her wide green eyes. After a while she had fallen back to sleep.

When she woke up she was laying in his bed, her locket was gone, and he was upset. She wasn't sure if she was trying to hide it, and if so, he was doing an awful job at it. It was clear that he was greatly upset about something. It wasn't until she realized that she was still wearing that she understood why he was so upset. She was wearing maybe-too-tight jeans and an old T-shirt. She ran out of the room in a hurry after she tried to clam him down. When she came back she was wearing a scarlet dress, simple and easy to put on, but he seemed pleased. He was still very much set in the old ways. And Michi didn't mind, so was she.

Now she was sitting in Draven's lap, his arms wrapped around her like the often were. She was leaning her back against his chest. She could feel the cloth of his shirt on her bare back. She was wearing the dress that Leanne had given her last Christmas. It was dark purple, low cut in the back, and went just below her knees. She closed her eyes, her fingers intertwined into his, as he kissed her neck. "it felt nice, she's admit that if asked, but something has been bothering her lately. Something that she did not want to think about, let alone admit to him. But she found her lips moving on their own accord. Or maybe it was Ollie, always trying to get revenge. She was not above using Michi's own thoughts against her.

"I am not an item, you know." she said. That was the thing that has been on her mind. She pulled away slightly and looked at him with sad eyes. He had been possessive, and it was scaring her. She wouldn't admit that and she carefully hid that under her impassive expression. "I may be your mate, but you do not own me." Then another thought occurred to her; she was no longer his mate, she could not sense him with her mind like she was once able to.

~!!~
Dustin set Avril down on her bed and pushed her hair out of her eyes. She looked so much like her that it was unbearable. But he would never think about abandoning his sweet daughter. Instead he leaned down and kissed her forehead as she dreamed. "Sweet dreams, Avril." he whispered softly an brushed her hair out of her face. No one ever really saw him be nice to anyone besides Avril. She was his baby. It was weird o him to say so, but she was. And he would do better with her then he did with her brother. Dustin sat next to his daughter, unaware of what was happening as he closed his eyes.

The door of the house opened and a tall boy stepped into the living room. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he looked around the room. His eyes fell on a ticked off Mindy. "You are not welcome here, Noland Newland Grey!" she growled as she picked up a dictionary and threw it at the boy's head. He ducked and glared at her with his gray eyes. His black hair fell into his eyes he walked toward her. "I have no time to play your games, Mindy." he growled as he turned and walked up the stairs and toward Dustin's room.

He slammed the door open and looked in without really seeing. "Hey old-man --- Ah. Sorry wrong ro--- NO! Who are you and what are you doing in the old-man's room!?" he demanded when he saw Kit sitting there. He recognized the photo in her hands. The woman in the picture with a smiling face and long golden brown hair was Lily Grey, his own his own mother and the little raven haired boy, who didn't look to sure and was hiding behind her legs was him, him about twelve years ago.

He narrowed his eyes at the girl and stepped into the room and pulled the picture from her. He wasn't very fond of his father at the moment, and he only came to ask for money, but he didn't like snoops. And he had decided that this girl was indeed a snoop. He set the picture down on the window sill and pointed to the door. "Out!"

"You have no right to tell anyone to leave, Noland." A voice growled from the door way and Noland spun to see his father in the doorway. At the sight of him a frown crossed the boys fine lips. He crossed his arm over his chest, a mimic of what Dustin was doing. They both had the same sharp features and were of equal height. Noland may of have been an inch or so taller, though. They were so alike the could of been twins instead of father and son. But Noland didn't inherit his father's dusty brown hair or his mother's golden brown hair.

"I don't even want to be here." Noland retorted and stepped forward. "Just lend me a few hundred dollars and I will be out of here." he said holding out his palm, at which Dustin glared at.

"Do you want money, Noland Newland Grey? Why don't you get a job, then?" he spat as he stepped forward and grabbed his arm. The look on his face said he would forcefully remove the boy from his sight. But just then a small girl with brown, almost pink hair ran in to the room and threw her arms around Noland. "Noah!" she said happily as she clung to his legs. For someone who had just been sleeping, she sure had a lot of energy.

~!!~
Christen appeared next to her and looked at her sadly. His eyes fell to her belly. He reached out and placed a hand over top. He could feel them. Them, them, them. He was going to have two little siblings, and he was disgusted. He pulled his hand away and stepped back. "I'm sorry." he whispered as he disappeared. He didn't like the idea of her having his siblings. He loved her, and she was far to young to be a mother. He was worried, what if something happened? He felt awful. This was his fault.

~!!~
Xavier looked at KC when she came walking toward them. He frowned deeply when she was next to him and talking to her mother. He took her hand and turned her toward him. He didn't care if her mother was still there. He brought her finger tips. He didn't care that her mother was glaring at him when he leaned over and kissed her full on the lips. He had missed her so much. He had been so stupid to stay behind when she came back here. How he thought he would survive without her, he had no idea. The need he felt for her somehow transformed to his lips. He barely heard Myame as she yelled for Sean.

But he felt it when Sean ripped him from his mate and threw him at the nearby wall. He stood protectively in front of his daughter. This wasn't exactly what Myame wanted, but he couldn't stop himself when he had seen Xavier all but latched onto his daughter. He glared at him as he stood up.

~!!~
Dimitri sat on the bed next to Ember and touched her left hand. "Stop crying." he said as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed where her ring finger use to be. He felt as if this was all his fault. It sure seemed that way to him. He didn't know what to do. He was worried and scared. Sadness showed on his face. "I'm sorry he whispered as he held her to his chest. This was all his fault. He knew it was.

~!!~
Tony was standing near his window again. His head against the cold glass when Sandra came running in yelling. He spun around looked at her. He didn't get what she was getting at when she started talking. Then it hit him and he fell to the ground burring his face in his hands. He did not answer her when she asked what had happened. But he knew. He knew. She had moved on and left him. He was all alone. They had done everything together. They were born together, they grew up together, they went through death together. But now they weren't together anymore. She was like his other half and he was nothing without her. If she wasn't here, he might not as well be too.

He was alone.

That wasn't all true. And somewhere in the back of his mind he knew this. He still had Sandra. He still loved her. But he had had Anne for so much longer. It didn't occur to him he could lean on Sandra, because he and Anne was always leaning against each other. That was their unspoken agreement as twins. They loved each other. She was all he really knew. With her gone he felt as if he didn't know anything. He was clearly looking over the fact that he knew Sandra. His pain was blinding him.

~!!~
Addison was sitting outside when Sage came out and started to annoy him. He didn't care about what she was saying. In fact he was barely listening to her. He was too busy glaring at her. When she poked his left arm he quickly poked his right arm in the same place. And she kept talking and kept poking. He said nothing as he poked himself every time she poked him. When she stood up and messed up his hair he stood up to, quickly fixing his hair.

He had many little pet peeves. He couldn't stand it when someone left the cap off the toothpaste. He couldn't stand any dishes sitting in the sink over night, so he would do the dishes an eleven O'clock if anyone had and late night snacks. If you made any dishes after that you better clean or face his wrath in the morning. He couldn't stand open doors. He would go around and close all doors that he saw open. There was a number of them. Crumbs on the table must be cleaned off. Feet could not rest on the coffee table kn the living room. There was quite a few others. But Sage seemed to be working on only two of them. See, he had this problem. If you poke him he had to poke himself in the same spot on the other side of his body. And he couldn't stand people touching his head.

"You have been talking to Mandy." he growled. "You have, an now are trying to get under my skin." he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. He looked very stern. His blond hair had been neat on his head before Sage had come. He was dressed in a white button down shirt and gray slacks. Far too neat for sitting outside.

~!!~
Isaac wrapped his arm around her shoulders an rested his head on top of her head. He didn't realize at first what he had done. Coming back did her as much harm as it did good. He wished there was a way to make things better for her. But he knew that the only way things would get better was if Dominic actually stayed and talked to her. She may love him, but Isaac could see that she also loved Dominic. It pained him, but he did not say so. He was content with the silence around them. He was happy just to have her back into his arms. He had not realize how much he had missed her until he didn't want to let go of her. He even sat next to her as she slept. Sometimes he would even hold while she slept. He rarely spoke. But it didn't seem to matter. Who needed words to speak to the person they loved?

~!!~
Brooke's left ankle was crossed over Leslie's right one, she was leaning against him, and had wrapped her fingers around his. She didn't seem to notice how close to him she was. Being with him have become second nature to her over the past week or two. She couldn't remember how long she had clung to him and cried. She had felt like such a child, but it didn't seem to bother him. Now they knew so much more about each other. They talked more then they did before. Maybe because they had something to talk about until now. They took turns telling stories. When he spoke of Jamie ( and Zale ) and she saw his eyes grow sad she felt guilty for trying to replace his sister. But she no longer had any wish to be his sister. She had something oh-so-much better then that now. She was in love with him, as she had told him that day. She had meant it as a spite then, and she had apologized for that.

At the moment it was her turn to speak. But she wasn't sure what to tell him. There was so much to tell him. Where did one start? She had told him about December and her parents. She even talked about Moses, not her favorite subject. She closed her eyes. There was one person that she had yet to even mention. In each subject, she had somehow removed him from them. Simon. He little brother. At that thought a small frown crossed her face and she looked far off. "You know, I have a sibling too." she said. "His name is Simon. He's a strange boy with the most beautiful eyes. One is blue and the other is brown." she said, no longer having to think about what she said. It came out of her mouth as if the words were just waiting for the moment to come out. "He can play the most beautiful music. He dreams about be a musician. I don't know if he still does. It has been so long since I last talked to him. Even before I died, he wasn't himself. When December died, part of him did. I just hope my own death didn't finish him off." she whispered as she felt tears roll down her cheeks. Not being one to want to show him her weakness, she turned her head and closed her eyes.

~!!~
Horace didn't know how long he was sitting in that tree. But he knew it ha to be at least a few hours.He was lost in thought. But what he was thinking about, he couldn't really tell you. It ranged from Leslie to Sunny to Jamie and Zale. His family was the only thing that was in his mind now. Sunny was his beautiful mate, Jamie was his proud daughter who would of made a great king if she had been born the prince. Leslie, the prince, had just split himself off from the family, leaving Horace without a heir. And Zale, sweet Zale was the baby of the family. Both of his daughters and technically his mate was all dead. He never felt so alone in his life. And he had once had nothing but castle servants to keep him company. But now, now he knew what it was like to have someone and to lose them And that made the loneliness harder to bare.

That was when he heard his name. He looked down and saw Sunny. He knew it was Sunny because she had said his name. If it had been Piper she would of have ran off before he saw he. His blue eyes widened and he dropped to the ground and ran toward her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Sunny, Sunny." he whispered and held her close.

~!!~
Sergei was sitting in the bedroom. He was staring at the paper in his hands. Four days ago he got this letter. He opened it and wasn't expecting what read. He had gone white and Vivian had asked him what was wrong. He said nothing and walked off. He looked at the letter every time he was alone. He found her father distasteful. And he found himself a fool for letting the letter get to him. But it did get to him. He didn't want to divorce Vivian, but something told him he would. He only had to two weeks to do it. The sooner he did it the better it would be. So he thought. So he pulled out his suit case and piled his clothes in it. Not realizing that letter fell under the bed. He closed the suitcase and picked it up. He picked up the folder that he had picked up at the lawyer's office on the way home from work today. When walked in he didn't say anything to Vivian, just went right to the room. That morning he had kissed her awake and told her he loved her before he went to work.

Now he walked out and dropped the suitcase near the door and walked into the living room. His ace was impassive when he dropped the folder in her lap. In it was the divorce papers. His name was already signed. It had taken a very long time to even get the 'S' written. He didn't want this, and she didn't deserve this. But if she found out what happened in France, this would happen anyways. Only it would be her dropping the papers in his lap. It was selfish, yes, but this way he was saving his heart, even if he was hurting her. It scared him more then he let on, and he was looking at her with a impassive face. He was terrified.

~!!~
The drawing room in which Mason took her guests was elegant and the most beautiful thing in the room was Mason Winters herself. She was an old vampire. And as to highlight this, her hair was a beautiful sliver color. But she had the face of an eighteen-year-old girl, and the same gold eyes as Patrick. Her movements were graceful, but there was a look on her face that said she was not to be messed with. She hadn't even needed to yell much at Leanne when she came walking in with strange purple eyes. She was strict, as Leanne had just found out. She rose her kids on manners and respect. Patrick didn't seem to take in much of that, though.

Mason crossed her legs as she looked back and forth between her niece and her, she didn't want to say it, daughter-in-law. Leanne looked stiff and unconformable and she couldn't understand why her son would mate with such a girl. In her mind there was only one girl suitable to mate with Patrick, and that girl was not here yet. But she would be soon.

"Leanna." she said, unaware she said Leanne's names wrong. "How long do you plan on staying? Surly you have family back home to tend to. We wouldn't want to keep you from them, now, would we?" she said politely, but the message was clear. Mason did not want her here, but since she was her son's mate, she was inclined to allow her to stay as long as Leanne wished. But that didn't mean she wouldn't try to get rid of her in other ways.

Just then the door to the drawing room opened again and a woman stepped in. Mason was no longer the most elegant thing in the room. The woman had long, dark brown hair and bright green eyes. She was tall and thin. She was wearing an old fashion ball gown, corset and all, but she made it look lovely. She took careful and graceful steps toward them. Only seeing Leanne and Linda when she was next to them. "Ah, I am sorry, am I intruding?" she asked and song-like voice as she looked at Mason who made a hasty get up.

"No, no not at all, m'dear Kendra." she said in happy tone as she offered Kendra her own seat. Kendra was awfully favored. That could be seen from the way that Mason's mood seemed to lighten at her entrance.

Kendra took the seat and nodded her thanks as Mason took a seat in another chair. "And who is this rather dull girl? she asked her eyes on Leanne. If she could insult someone when she did not even know them, think of the damage she could do if she did.

"Leanna, she is Patrick's mate. She is only here for the reunion. Then she will be off again. Honestly, I don't even know why she came. As you heard, Patrick has come home and pronounced himself the heir again. She--" But Mason didn't get to finish.

As soon as Mason had said that 'Leanna' was Patrick's mate, a dark air seemed to surround Kendra. But at soon as she said Patrick was the heir again her face lit up, and she stood back on to her feet. "This is great!" she exclaimed with a ( false ) smile on her face. "That means Patrick's promise is back into effect!" As everyone in the room knew, Patrick kept his promises. And what ever promise Kendra was talking about, he was sure to keep.

"Promise?" Mason asked, tilting her head to the side.

"He promised me that as long as he was the heir he would mate me someday." Kendra said with glee.She may of have seem kind on the outside, but she was awfully wicked. The fact that she didn't care that Patrick was already mated proved this.

Just then the door flew open in a less graceful way that could only belong to Patrick. "Mother." He groaned as he tried uselessly to fix the tie around his neck. He was never good with those things. "I need to speak---" he cut himself off when he saw Leanne. He froze for a moment when he saw Leanne. Then he spun around and pushed past Matthew and Nina who was standing in the door way. He didn't even see her eyes, her pale blue eyes that he adored that she always hid from him. He didn't even seem to notice Kendra.

Mason sighed and stood up. "You, you, and you," she said pointing at Matthew, Nina, and Linda. "You are dismissed." As she said those words, those three left in a haste. When they were gone she turned back to Leanne. "Leanna, you never did answer me. When will you be leaving?" she asked.

~!!~
Trevor was sitting by the window reading his book when Jenny came pounding on his door. And she began to talk. He wasn't in the mood. So he just closed his book, 'cause he wouldn't be able to read it anyways with her jabbing mouth on the other side of the door. He just leaned his head against the cold window and closed his eyes. He wasn't even gonna to tell her to go away. He knew she wouldn't she never did. So what was the point?

He was determined to stay there all night. Well, that was until he heard a familiar voice. He stood up and walked over to the door and listened to her and Jenny talk. There was a deep frown on his face. It couldn't be... could it? But it was. That was proven when she knocked on the door and said that it was her. It was Jen. It was his Jen. It was the woman he loved.

He flung the door open and looked at her. His face was impassive at first. He reached out and touched her face and leaned it upward so he could better stare into her eyes. "Jen." he whispered as a ghost of a smile spread on his lips. It would be the first time Jenny seen him smile, besides in that picture. "Jen." he whispered.

~!!~
Cinder was sitting in her room. She was all alone. They have found Haven's body a few days ago. She had killed herself, and now Cinder had no one else to hold on to, to fall with. It scared her. If she was gonna hit rock bottom, she didn't want to be all herself. But she was. And she always would be. She saw that now. So what was the point of living? She might as well just end it now... After she answers the door.

There was a knock on the door and Cinder pushed herself to her feet and dropped the knife she had been holding. She walked slowly toward the front door. She knew she looked a mess, but she didn't care. She was about to die. She opened the door and blinked in surprise as she saw an old man, and two other, stronger men standing there. But she said nothing. "Cinderella Jordon Anstruther?" the old man asked in a voice that made her wince. It might also be due to the fact that he called her by her full name. She hated being called Cinderella.

"Yes?" she asked softly.

"We are here to relocate you to a more sable environment." the older of the three said as if it was nothing. "It is for your safety Unless you have someone that can support you, we have no choice but to remove you from this house." he explained with a bored look.

~!!~
Luke looked up when Mr. Storm walked in. He had remained silent when he first came in and told him that he was not to be around Sammy any longer. Every time after that when he came in to check on him, only because it was his duty, Luke was quiet and thoughtful, but he knew that Mr. Storm could feel his eyes on him as he left. Almost as if Luke was trying to get the courage to say something.

Tonight he finally said something. "Mr. Storm, wait, please." he said, trying to be polite. "You don't know what happened that night, do you? Let me explain. It was my fault, I'll admit, and you have every right to keep her away from me. I asked her something she didn't want to remember and she ran out of the restaurant. So I ran after her. When I got there it was too late. And she was hurt. I was trying to protect her." he said softly. Then his face hardened. "Like I said you have the right to keep her away. But do you really think that will stop her? Do you even know your daughter? I'll bet you anything she isn't in that house like she is suppose to be." he said as he pushed himself off the bed. His blond hair was no longer a messy mass on his head. It had been cut neatly and in a way to hide the bald spot on his head. "I asked you if she could go to dinner with me because it was the right thing to do, because it would mean a lot to Sammy." he said. "I had promised her that I would marry her. When that time comes, I will ask you. Not because I think you have a say in who she marries, but because it is right, and no matter how much she seems to hate you, she still care for you and it would mean a lot to her. That is what matters. She is what matter. I will do what ever she wants me to do for her. As long as it in my power." he added, as he remembered the times he kept telling her no. "I love her, and that is what matters. You can tell us to stay from each other all you want. Just because it would mean a lot to her if you approve doesn't mean she will require your approval. I would like to have your approval, because it would mean a lot to me if the father of the woman I plan to marry one day actually liked me." he said.

He had not expected himself to say that much. He planed on stopping after he had told him what had happened. But he hadn't.

~!!~
Rico had been following Sammy for sometime now. In his mind it was to protect her from people much like himself. But he didn't care. His mind was slightly twisted. And to him, she was his. And when he saw Drew Anger boiled him red. And he walked into the house after them and pulled Drew away from Sammy. He glared at him with a look of pure hatred. He was a lot stronger then her looked and had him pinned to the wall instead of Sammy.

Elysia closed her eyes when he reached up, but when he rebuttoned her she frowned. When he tried to walk away she reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him back towards her. “Nooo, Hayden!” She whined. “Where are you going? Don’t leave me here alone.” She managed to pull him back onto the bed. “What’s the matter?” She asked quietly, and suddenly she looked sad, very sad. A tear ran down her cheek as she looked at him.

“Am I not good enough?” She asked quietly. “Hayden, I love you,” She said quietly. “Please stay. Please?” She had managed to unbutton three this time when she got stuck. Her brow furrowed in concentration, but she still couldn’t seem to do it.

She looked back up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. She had never before let him see her cry, not even when she’d broken her arm in one of the fights they’d been in. She was far too proud for that, yet here she was, making a fool of herself and crying more than she had in a long time. “Hayden,” She said quietly, and she wrapped her arms around him again, as tightly as she could. She was using her strength to hold him there this time instead of kick him out. “Please don’t go,” She whined. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I love you sooooo much. That’s why I do it!” Her words were slurred and indistinct, and her tears were staining his skin. She pulled back and pushed him down, using her strength to pin him down by his shoulders. “Please don’t go,” She whined. “I don’t wanna be alone. Please?” she leaned down and kissed him again, pulling away a few moments later. “Please?” she kissed his neck this time, then his forehead. “Please?” She kissed him again on the lips, then pulled away slightly.

“Please, Hayden?” She asked again quietly. She moved only for a second, pulling something out from under the bed. It was the rope she always threatened to tie him up in the corner with, or to tie him up and throw him in the bathtub to drown. She fumbled with it, and the knots she tied him up with were loose and easy to get out of it, but she hardly seemed to notice. She couldn’t notice anything now. Her arms were back around him now, but she no longer held him down. “See?” She asked quietly. “I can be anything you want me to be,” She whispered. “Please, just don’t go.” Her arms slid down his waist as she kissed him again.
~!!~
Draven was pulled out of her thoughts by her words. They caught him off guard, and he loosened his grip on her, but only slightly. He didn’t say anything, just looked down at her. He didn’t think of as his property…did he? It was true that he was overly-protective of her, but how else could he act with her now? He was constantly living with the fear that he would lose her to someone else, someone that he couldn’t even see, someone inside of her. How could he not be protective?

He seemed to be having the same thoughts as her; she was no longer his mate, was she? She was here, but in a different body. He could no longer feel her here like he used to be able to. The thought made him frown, and his grip on her loosened even more, surprisingly. He leaned down and kissed her neck again, even softer this time. “I can’t feel you anymore,” He whispered. His fangs brushed her skin lightly. “What if we could fix that?” He asked quietly, kissing her neck once more. “Michi, I love you. I don’t want to lose you anymore. Maybe this would keep Ollie away, too,” He whispered.
~!!~
Kit stared down at the photo, and finally seemed to see the boy in it. Her eyes widened slightly; they had had another kid? Another wave of guilt rushed over her as she thought of the woman she’d murdered, right in front of Avril. She felt like the room was spinning around her, and she closed her eyes tightly, just as she heard a voice behind her. She jumped and spun around, stumbling to her feet and almost falling down. When he took the photo from her she just stared at him. It was him! From the photograph. When he told her to get out she was about to say something else, when Dustin walked in.

She ducked her head down, hiding under her hat. She was still dressed like she was before; from a distance, or even up close, she could easily be mistaken for a boy. She was wearing old, baggy shorts, a faded red T-shirt, and a grey sweatshirt over it, with her baseball cap. She jumped again when she heard Dustin’s voice and looked up, taking a step back. She looked back and forth between the two, unsure of what to do. She had her hands folded behind her back. When Avril ran in she jumped again, and she hesitantly took a step forward.

Her old, angry self seemed to be gone, at least for the moment. She was still stubborn and angry, but this time, she seemed nervous, unsure of herself. She had changed since she’d become like this. “Um….” She mumbled, pulling the cap down lower to hide her eyes. She tried to step around them, but she didn’t have enough room.
~!!~
Gem jumped when Christen appeared, and when he touched her stomach she flinched. She could feel them still, and so could he. She reached out for him as he moved away, but he was gone. She slowly pulled her hand back towards herself, feeling herself shake. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know who she could go to.

That was when Damian showed up.

She heard the window open, and she looked up just as he sat down on the edge of the bed. She forced herself to her feet, but he pulled her back down onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. She felt him stiffen up when they kicked again. She felt his grip on her tighten slightly, then suddenly he laughed. She froze as he moved her off his lap, placing his hand on her stomach. “Two,” He laughed. “Two.”

He kissed her on the forehead, then pulled her down onto the bed with him, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m sorry I’ve been away, Gem,” He said quietly, brushing her hair away from her neck. “I’ve been busy. But I’m back now.” His fangs bit into her neck and she flinched, trying to wiggle away from him, but he held her tight. When he was done he bit his own wrist, and kissed her full on the mouth. She tasted his blood in her mouth before he pulled away, holding her close. She closed her eyes tightly, trying not to think of who was there with her.
~!!~
K.C. was about to say something else when Xavier turned her towards him. “I’m sor---“ She began, but was cut off by his kiss. Her cheeks turned bright red as she realized Myame was still there, but she still kissed him back. When he was pulled away she opened her eyes, and her eyes widened when she saw her father standing in front of her.

“Stop!” She shouted, and the redness in her cheeks was no longer from embarrassment, but from anger. “What are you two doing?!” She demanded, placing herself in front of Xavier. “What’s the matter with you two?! He’s my mate!” The words came to her much easier than she thought they would, but she held Sean’s gaze defiantly. “He came here to see me. Why are you doing this?!” She demanded.
~!!~
Ember looked at Dimitri as if he were an illusion. She slowly raised a hand and touched his cheek, and her eyes widened when he didn’t disappear. “Dimitri,” She whispered, and then she threw her arms around him. Her tears came again, fresh as the first day. They stained his shirt but still wouldn’t stop.

“Dimitri, I missed you,” She cried. “I missed you so much. I thought---I thought it was all a dream,” She whispered. “But I really am here. And I really am---d—d—“ She couldn’t seem to say the words, and her cries kept interrupting her words. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to bite back her tears but it didn’t work. “What do I do now?” She whispered. “Why am I still here? I do—don’t underst—stand,” She cried.
~!!~
Sandra seemed to understand what he was thinking, or at least she was having the same thoughts. She had seen how close the two were, and she knew that she couldn’t even begin to imagine what he was feeling. But she wanted to help him, even though she knew that she couldn’t make it any better. She wanted Anne to come back; she missed her, but she knew that it couldn’t be anywhere close to what he was feeling. She took a hesitant step forward, kneeling down next to him and wrapping her arms around him tightly.

“Tony, I don’t understand,” She whispered. “I don’t understand what’s going on.” She held him close to her, but she knew that she couldn’t help him, not now. She had no idea how, and even if she did, she doubted he would let her.
~!!~
Sage placed her hand over her mouth as he poked himself on his other side each time she did, and when he stood up and looked at her so sternly she couldn’t help it any longer; she burst out laughing. She clutched her sides but she still couldn’t stop. She hadn’t even smiled since she’d gotten here, but now she couldn’t stop laughing. It was as if she were making up for all the time she’d been moping.

“Ah,” She gasped, and finally she managed to stop. She even had tears in her eyes as she looked at him. “Lighten up, Addi,” She said, though she didn’t even seem to realize what she’d called him. “Loosen up a little. You’re so serious. It’s infuriating.” She stepped closer and walked in a circle around him, examining his outfit, her hand on her chin as if she were judging him. She stopped in front of him, then shook her head. “You’re even dressed serious,” She said slowly. “It looks like you’re getting ready to go to a job interview or something.”

She stopped in front of him and reached up, undoing two of the buttons on his shirt and untucking it. She rolled up the sleeves then stepped back, as if examining her work. “See? Much better.” She rustled his hair again and smirked. “If you don’t smile more, you’ll scare people away,” She said simply, though she knew she was being a hypocrite.
~!!~
Alex bit her lip, but she held back any of the words she had wanted to say. The silence was as unnerving as it was comforting, and she didn’t want to break it by saying something stupid. She felt almost bad that he was back, but at the same time she didn’t want to let him go, for fear the he would disappear again. She knew that he had been happy to be with his family again, and she thought that maybe it was her fault he was back again. She felt guilty, but at the same time she was selfishly happy. She closed her eyes but still didn’t speak. It was enough for now to be with him; she was afraid that he would disappear, though. That was part of the reason why she stayed so close to him all of the time.
~!!~
Leslie hadn’t stopped thinking about what she’d said to him that day a week ago; ‘and to think I fell in love with you!’ He hadn’t said those words back to her yet, even though many times he had tried. He always chickened out. He was shy around that subject, because he’d never been in love before with anyone.

When she spoke again he pulled himself out of his daze, looking down at her with soft eyes. He blinked in surprise, then smiled sadly at her. “Do you want to see him?” He asked quietly. He didn’t know much about her brother, but if he were him, he would want to see her, dead or alive. He wanted to see Jamie again, Zale, everyone, no matter what. He saw her tears and he wrapped his arms around her. “You don’t have to be ashamed to cry,” He said quietly, since she had turned her face away from him. “It’s fine. I love you, Brooke,” He said quietly, though he didn’t even seem to realize that he’d said it. “I love you.”
~!!~
Sunny wrapped her arms around her mate tightly, trying not to cry anymore than she already was. Even now, she couldn’t feel Piper struggling. It was as if the girl had given up, and for that, she was grateful. Things were broken beyond repair, but among the pieces she at least had him, him and Leslie, if things went well, that is. He would probably try to kill her again if he saw her. She had seen Jamie, too; she knew she had, even if she was dead. She wanted her daughters back; she wanted her family back together, even if it was an impossible wish.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to find you,” She said quietly, burying her face in his chest. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Piper was silent still, so she finally allowed herself to relax in his arms, closing her eyes. She felt as though she couldn’t even move anymore, but it didn’t even matter now that she was in his arms.
~!!~
December couldn’t find her way back to the door. She was always one to get lost, and it seemed that now was no exception. She didn’t know which room was his, and knocking on them wasn’t a good idea; she knew that much. She wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place. She had only wanted to talk to him, see if he was okay, though she had a feeling that she already knew the answer.

She paused in her stride as she passed by a room with the door ajar. She hesitantly stepped closer, blinking in surprise when she saw Moses there. She knocked lightly on the door, then stepped inside without waiting for an answer. She shut the door quietly behind her, frowning as she looked at him.

“Hey,” She said quietly, leaning against the door. “How are you?” She asked quietly. She didn’t know what else to say. She knew that coming here wasn’t going to help him, but part of her needed to see him for herself. She had told him to give Brooke back the rest of her memories, and even though she didn’t regret that, not one bit, she still didn’t like to see him torn up.
~!!~
Vivian looked up from her newspaper when Sergei dropped something on her lap. It took her a few moments to open it; she was looking at him with concern on her face. She didn’t understand the way he was looking at her, and she didn’t like it. She opened the folder and looked at the pages slowly, her hands trembling. It took a few moments for her to understand. He was….he was divorcing her?

She looked up at him, and the expression on her face was pure shock. She didn’t understand. Her heart was racing as she slowly set the papers down, looking back at him. He had been acting strange, sure, but she had never expected this. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she pushed them back as she pushed herself to her feet.

“Sergei…?” She asked quietly, but her voice cracked. “Wh—What’s going on?” She asked quietly. “What’s this about?” She whispered. Part of her wanted to believe that it was all just some mistake, that it was a cruel joke. Anything would be better than the reality. “Is this….is this about Dima?” She whispered. Saying the name seemed to make things worse; her hands were shaking so badly that she tried to hide them behind her. “I’m sorry,” She whispered. “I’m sorry I’ve been acting strange lately. I’m sorry you’ve had to work so much. I’ll find a job, I promise.” She really did seem to believe that it was something like that that this was happening for; nothing else made sense. This didn’t make sense. The thought of being without him was enough to make her want to scream. “P—please,” She stammered. “Please,” She whispered. “Whatever it is, I can fix it. I’ll fix it. Please.” She seemed like she was breaking into pieces right in front of him; hadn’t he told her he loved her just this morning? “Please, Sergei. I love you,” she whispered. “I can fix it. Whatever it is, please.”
~!!~
The entire house was the most beautiful thing Leanne had ever seen; her own home was nothing of the sort. Every where she’d lived in her life would look like a dump compared to here; it made her uncomfortable. And the woman sitting across from her wasn’t helping at all. She intimidated her, more than she let on. And if she got so freaked out over her eyes, she didn’t want to know what she’d do if she saw her in her own element, her own clothes.

She frowned when she was called ‘Leanna,’ and opened her mouth to protest when she continued. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, and didn’t quite manage to hide her flinch as she mentioned family. “No, actually, I don’t,” she said simply, trying to look her in the eyes. She’d always looked everyone she spoke to in the eyes, but something about Mason made her want to look away.

Her eyes moved to the door when it opened, and they widened slightly at the beautiful woman who walked in. Leanne felt almost unable to look away as she sat down and Mason stood up. Only when her name was said did she look away. She recognized the name. This was Kendra? All she could think now was how much she paled in comparison.

When Kendra spoke to her Leanne straightened up, almost involuntarily, then frowned. She stared at her and shook her head slowly. “I’m not---“ She began, but was cut off as Mason began to talk again. She felt as though the room was spinning around her as they spoke. Heir, mate, Kendra. The words swirled around in her head until they were nothing but a jumbled mess. Patrick never broke his promises. Her stomach dropped, and then a fire took over. She was speaking before she could even think her words through.

“No!” She said suddenly. “Patrick is my mate. Even if he is the heir, he wouldn’t----He wouldn’t mate with someone else! He wouldn’t!” But she didn’t know that; if he had promised, then why wouldn’t he? If he was upset with her, why wouldn’t he? She felt as though she had already lost, and then the door opened. Her eyes widened and any other words she had wanted to say left her immediately. She stared at Patrick until he spun around and left, along with the rest, until it was only her, Mason, and Kendra. Her legs felt weak underneath her, and she barely even seemed to hear Mason’s words. Patrick had promised Kendra; he never broke promises. She knew that, and that thought pushed out all of the others. He would leave her. He would leave her and stay with her, and she had no one to blame but herself. Her eyes burned, as if she wanted to cry but couldn’t. She knew the feeling. She had yelled that he wouldn’t mate with her, but what did she know? This was his home, his family, people he knew. She didn’t know a thing. It was no wonder Mason seemed to dislike her so much.

“My name is Leanne,” She managed to choke out. “My name is Leanne, not Leanna. And I’m leaving in a month.” She struggled to hide what she was feeling, but she knew that her face was like an open book right now. She looked back at Kendra, at her bright eyes and beautiful face, and knew that she could never compare to that. She could never compete with that, with her dull eyes and her plain face that she hid behind makeup. She could never hope to look like her; she felt like a toad standing next to a swan. Kendra was graceful; she could see that just from the way she carried herself. Carried. For some reason she saw herself back at the manor, the first day, when Patrick carried her when she kept tripping. She shook the thought off and took a step towards the door, but she lost her balance. She tumbled to the floor face-down, her hair shielding the broken look on her face. She didn’t want to give up, not yet, but right now she felt as though she had already lost. Patrick didn’t want to talk to her, he had made a promise that she could never be a part of, and she still couldn’t pin the blame on anyone but herself. She slowly picked herself up, though her hair was messed up now. She looked down at her shoe, the heel of which lay on the floor. She’d broken it. She picked it up and held it in her hands somewhat awkwardly as she forced a smile and looked at Kendra, then at Mason.

“I’m sorry. Can I go now?” She asked, with all the politeness she could muster. All she could see now in her mind was Patrick’s face.
~!!~
Jenny jumped back as the door opened, and watched with an impassive look on her face as Trevor and Jen saw each other. She knew she should feel happy for him; she was back, after all. But wasn’t she the one who had hurt him in the first place? She felt a burning anger at this woman she didn’t even know, and seeing them so close only made it grow until she felt as though it were eating her from the inside out. What was that feeling? Jealousy?

When she saw him smile her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides, and she was no longer smiling like she usually was. Jen looked up at Trevor, and suddenly she had her arms wrapped around him tightly. “Trevor,” She whispered. “Trevor, I’m sorry. I missed you.” She seemed unable to let go, as if she had to reassure herself that he was really there. She knew that it was her fault she’d been away for so long, but she still didn’t want to let him go.

Jenny knew that she should leave, but she couldn’t find the will. She didn’t understand why she felt so angry watching them. She didn’t want Jen to hurt him again, because she could tell he was hurt by what she’d done. And why was she back now? ‘Neither of them even seem to notice I’m here now, anyways,’ she thought, with a touch of bitterness that surprised even herself.
~!!~
Seth had been staying close to Cinder, close enough to be able to watch her but not close enough for her to be able to see him. He wanted to make sure she didn’t do anything reckless. He had been about to intervene in her room when someone knocked on the door. He followed her at a distance, but when he heard the words that were being said his eyes widened. He knew that that would be just the sort of push that she needed to go tumbling over the edge. He stepped out of their view, made himself visible, then came back.

“I’m able to support her,” he said suddenly, hardly seeming to notice what they called her. Cinderella? He would have called her that to tease her before, but not anymore. He knew that they wouldn’t let him stay with her unless he had a good reason, so he said the first thing that came to his mind. “I’m her fiancé,” He said suddenly, surprised at how easily the lie came to him. “I can take care of her.” He placed his arm around her shoulder, not even seeming to think of how she might react to this.
~!!~
Dr. Storm knew that the boy he was treating meant a lot to his daughter, but that didn’t make him change his mind. He was trying to do the best for his daughter, and this boy wasn’t it. She would get over it eventually; she would find someone who would be able to be with her and protect her. He didn’t trust this boy; how could he, after all that had happened? He was on his way out of the room when he heard his name called.

He slowly turned around, his face impassive. Luke hadn’t tried to talk to him since he told him not to see his daughter anymore. He was silent, his face impassive as he spoke.

“Are you done?” He asked. He didn’t look angry, but he didn’t look particularly happy, either. He stayed where he was standing, his arms folded across his chest. “You know, I’ve lost four of my children in the past year,” He said suddenly, and his face darkened. “I’m not going to let the ones I have left go so easily. I’m not going to let them get hurt, either physically or emotionally. You can understand that, can’t you?” He took a step forward, holding a clipboard in his hand. He wrote something down on it, then looked back at him. “I understand what happened,” He said simply. “I had a feeling from the beginning that it was something like that, even though she wouldn’t tell me.” He frowned slightly, looking over at him. “You talk about marriage so easily, but do you really understand what it means? Marriage means forever. No take-backs. Are you sure you understand that?” He ripped off a sheet from the front of the clipboard, taking a step back.

“You’re being discharged tonight,” He said simply. “Your injury isn’t enough to keep you here any longer, and as long as you keep resting and taking the medicine we’ll give you, you should make a full recovery.” He raised an eyebrow at him. “As for your memories…well, they seem to be back already, don’t they?” He knew what his daughter thought of this boy, and that was why he said the next words he did. “You can see her,” He said slowly. “But if she ever comes home with a broken anything again, you have me to deal with.” He smiled slightly at him, but it was more of a sad smile than anything else. “You can go as soon as you fill out the paperwork,” He said, handing him the piece of paper he’d ripped out. “Hand it to the nurse on the way out, and you’re set to go.” He walked to the door, then paused. “Remember what I said,” He said simply, and then he was gone.
~!!~
Drew’s face turned red with anger as he was pinned to the wall, and he looked back and forth between Rico and Sammy. “Another one, Sammy?” He asked, and he actually looked surprised. Sammy was standing to the side, staring at Rico in surprise. When she recovered she glared at Drew, and told him to do something that probably wasn’t possible. Drew just smirked, but he couldn’t pull away from Rico.

“I’m sick of him,” She breathed. She still hadn’t said anything to Rico, but she didn’t have her phone with her. “Do you have a phone?” She asked him quickly. She wanted this to be over once and for all. She was sick of it.

Hayden found himself under Elysia once more. His mind was reeling. She was going to kill him later for this. He knew she would. She would blame this all on him and he wouldn't know what to do. She wouldn't believe anything he said. Sometimes she made him feel like scum. Like he was worthless. She only needed him to help pin down the person she was hurting. Any other time if seemed as if she couldn't wait to get rid of him. One might think that he would jump on a chance to have her need him, as she said she did now. But it wasn't right. He loved her, she wasn't acting like herself and he didn't want to take advantage of her. Despite what she might think, he wasn't just after her body. He loved her, he wasn't sure why, but that didn't matter. He just did and he could not describe what he was feeling right now. Anger, disappointment, hurt? She had gone and got herself drunk. He was mad at her for that, he was disappointed that she would fall so low. He was hurt because she felt as if she couldn't sit down and talk to him about what was bothering her.

She was drowning him in kissed now. Three buttons were undone and he could see down inside. He kept his eyes on her face as he tied to pull free from her grasp. He tried to sit up when she pulled out the rope and tired him down, loosely. And where did she get that idea? He told her every gross fantasy he ever had about him and her. He seemed to be masochist. In all of them he seemed to be the one tied up. And now look, he was finally tied up, getting what he had only dreamed of. But he didn't want it like this.

Lucky him, the knots were loose, and he was easily able to pull free and he pulled her arms from around his waist. "Stop this!" he shouted as he flipped her over so he was pinning her to the bed. His eyes widened when he realize that somewhere between him getting the rope off and the flip he had accidentally undid the last two buttons. He could see her hips, her bare skin, and her chest. He looked at her in the eyes. "Is this what you want!? Are you gonna make yourself so cheap!?" he said as he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "In this state you would be so easy to take. You are giving yourself to me." he said as he nipped her ear. He pulled back and slid off the bed. "But this isn't what you want, so I'm leaving." he said as he turned to the door again.

~!!~
When his grip loosen even more Michi was about to slip out and storm out. He didn't even realize that she felt like he thought he owned her, did her? It made her so angry. All she wanted to do was yell, scream, fight with words. As if to prove she was herself and she could take care of herself. But could she really? It didn't matter. All her anger seemed to melt out of her as he kissed her neck, softer this time. She brushed her hair out of the way of her neck and turned in his lap so she was sitting sideways. She looked up at him with thoughtful eyes. She want to be able to feel him there again. And something told her that he needed to know that she was there. That she was real. That she really was Michi.

She forgot about all her earlier anger, at least for a moment. "Do you realize that if you do, you will technically be mated to two people?" she asked softly. Did he care about that? She wasn't sure. She didn't know what to think, but if Ollie might stay away, then it was worth a try. Plus, she loved him more then she could ever put in words.

~!!~
Rico looked over at her and tilted his head to the side and smiled at her. "You should start carrying yours." he said as he dropped Drew to the ground and pinned him down with his boot. He reached into his pocket and tossed it at her. He glared down at Drew. "You're a very stupid kid, you know." he said as he pressed down on Drew's chest. "Kids like you disgust me." he said, not caring that he had technically stalked Sammy as well. In his mind he was doing her a favor. He had a few problems, you see.

~!!~
Luke stared at him for a moment. "I know you lost a lot." he said as he looked him the eyes. "But maybe you are hurting Sammy too. Do you really think she likes being cooped up in that house?" he asked. He wasn't trying to offend him, or tell him how to raise his kids. He was was just trying to bring something to light. He cared for Sammy, and if her being cooped up actually made her get hurt more, then he didn't want that. Sammy was like a little bird, Luke thought, she needed to fly, and he wanted to be the one to be standing there with his hands out for to rest on. Even if she would only fly off again. At least he would be able to say he had held her.

A sly smile crossed Luke's lips when her father mentioned the marriage thing. "I don't plan on taking anything back. I know a lot more then you may think." he replied. He was thinking about the times he went to go see his own wedding. How every time it had been the same woman being walked down to him. How happy she looked. How happy he had looked. And he remembered the time he had taken her to see Taylor, now William Chase. He had no doubt in his mind that they would be together until death did them part. He loved her... He just hoped she still loved him. It was very possible that she didn't love him anymore.

He looked at him when he said he was being discharged. Half of him wondered if it was only because Mr. Storm was tired of him. He felt guilty, but it was highly possible. Hey, he wold be chafed too if he had to deal with himself. That was saying a lot. He blinked in surprise when he gave him permission to see his daughter again. His smile grew wide but the man was talking again before he could thank him. He held the paper and watched him go.Then he quickly slid on his shoes and pulled his phone off the table, turning it on. He didn't feel like talking to his mother at the moment, so he just sent her a text message saying he would be home soon. He knew how happy she would be. Then he hurried out of the room to do as Mr. Storm had said to do.

~!!~
Cinder jumped when a voice came from behind her. She spun around and looked at Seth. There was a certain horror in her eyes. She had told him to go. He was going to get hurt. Suddenly she was so mad. She turned back to the men when Seth was standing next to her. She said nothing, but she knew Seth would be able to see how angry she was. And then that awful lie escaped his lips and she stared up at him in horror. He was saying that they were engaged!? She reached up and took the hand he had around her shoulder. To the men it would look like a sweet, loving gesture, but to Seth it would feel as if she was trying to crush every bone in his hand, that was because she was.She didn't care that she couldn't, but she wanted to. She wanted to go dig up his family and chop off his head. She was so angry. She knew he was only doing this for her, but did he have to say that they were going to get married? What was he thinking? Was he thinking at all? She didn't think so.

The old man looked at Seth coldly. He looked thoughtful and as if he was going to object. But in the end he just shrugged his shoulders. "I was not aware of Ms. Anstruther was engaged." he said simply as he looked the boy up and down. "And, if I may ask, what is your name? What shall I be addressing Ms. Anstruther as soon?" he asked. By the way he said the last part showed that he was planing to be checking in on the girl often, as to make sure Seth could truly support her.

~!!~
It was true. Trevor didn't seem to notice Jenny. He didn't need to; he had Jen back. He had his love back. He had missed her, he had hated her, and he had loved her all these years. He could barely believe that she was here now. He knew that he should feel a certain bitterness for her, look at what she had done to him, and he did, in a way. But that didn't matter at the moment all the mattered was that she was back and he was holding her in his arms. He had forgotten what it had been like to hold her. But now he didn't want to let her go. "Jen." he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. "I love you." he whispered as he held her close.

~!!~
Mason and Kendra was both standing now. They were both glaring at here. But it was Kendra who spoke first. "I don't care if you name is Bean Crud." she said harshly in her sweet voice. It was too sweet for her personality. Her face was too innocent for wickedness. She was a wolf in a sheep's skin, if one could say. She may be a beautiful woman with a kind smile, but she was awful deep down. Even Patrick saw how wicked she was to those she did not like. "You can stay as long as you like, but that doesn't mean Patrick will ever lay eyes on you again. It doesn't mean he will ever love you again. You are the reason he is here, the reason he is so broken. I will be the one to heal his heart." she pronounced and walked briskly out of the room. She did it gracefully. She was the woman every little girl would want to grow up to be.

Mason folded her chest. "You may go. Change your shoes before you go down to the the rest if the family. You are to act proper. Do not embarrass my son son. You hear me? I can personally make you life here a nightmare." she said before she walked toward the door. "Linda will show you around if you need anything, you go to her." she said and then she was gone.

~!!~
Sergei hated seeing her so broken. It made him want to take that folder back and tell her he was sorry. That he loved her, too. He wanted to hug her close. He didn't want to leave her side. He wanted to hold her forever. But he was scared that that forever would never exist. Her father would tell her what happened, and Vivian would look at him differently. That she would no longer love him. He was being selfish, he knew this. He was hurting her, all so his his heart wouldn't get broken.

He stepped forward and whipped a tear out of her eye. "No, Vivian, no. It's not about Dima. It's not about you not having a job. This isn't your fault. I promise you that." he said. He tucked her hair behind her ear. "It's my fault." he whispered. "This is my fault. You might be better off without me." he said. He hated those words. He didn't want her better off without him. He wanted to be the thing that kept her from falling. He wanted her and him to be together until death did them part, not an insane father.

He stepped back and pointed at the folder. "You need to sign those. I'm sorry, Vivian, I am." he said.

~!!~
Moses was sitting on his bed, his face was buried in his hands. All he could think of was Brooke. He had left only because she had asked him to. If she hadn't he would of have tried to get her back from Leslie. He was in love with Brooke, but she was no longer in love with him. Could she not see how much he needed her?

His thoughts were cut off when December walked in and asked him how he was doing. He glared at her. "How do you think!?" he demanded as he stood up. "How do I get back Brooke? Unless you can tell me that, I don't want to hear what you have to say." he said as he walked to the window.

~!!~
Brooke closed her eyes when he asked if she wanted to see Simon. "Y-- yes." her voice was filled with tears. And she turned to look at him when he said she didn't have to cry. An her eyes widened when he said he loved her. She didn't know what to say. She could say that she loved him back, 'cause she did. But she didn't. She just looked at him thoughtfully for a very long time. She had been so scared that he would never say those words back to her. She was so scared that he didn't love her. She didn't regret telling him she loved him ( only how she said it ), but she had wondered if he was secretly laughing behind her back. But now, now he said it. A small smile crossed her lips as she reached up and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Leslie," she whispered and leaned up. She pressed her lips gently to his. "I love you, too." she whispered into his lips.

~!!~
Addison glared at her when she called him Addi. His little sister called him that when she was little. And was she gonna call his brother Maddi? His name was Madison. And he would throw a fit if he was called anything other then his name. "I don't need to do anything, at least I am on steady ground." he said said as she began to walk around him. He wanted to punch her. But she was a lady, even if she didn't act like it, and he didn't hit females. So he just stood there until she was standing in front of him. He was glaring her as she suddenly walked up to him. She unbuttoned his shirt, partly, and un-tucked it. He gasped.

"Are you coming onto me?" he asked as she rolled up his selves. He pulled away and glared at her. He began to pull his selves down and straighten his clothes out. "And like you have any right to talk. I thought laughing was beyond you." he said as he re-buttoned his shirt. He reached up and fixed his hair. "I don't know why you insist on bugging me, but have you stopped to think I liked looking like this?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

~!!~
Noland pealed the girl off of him and handed her to his father. He didn't listen to how she whined and cried. He didn't care, not one bit. Instead of answering his father he reached out and grabbed Kit's arm. "Boy, what's your name?" he said as he pulled 'him' in. He pulled off his hat off and held his face by his chin. "Who are you? You never did answer my earlier question." he said as he stepped closer to him. He didn't notice Dustin put down Avril. He didn't even notice when she ran behind him.Oh, but he noticed when she kicked him and he fell forward. His lips pressed right against the boys.

"GAH!" he shouted as he knocked Kit to the ground and pulled away quickly. He spun around and looked at Kit with a dreadful glare. "See what you made me do!?" he shouted.

~!!~
Xavier sat up and glared at Sean. He pushed his black hair out of his eyes and stood up. He was frowning deeply at Sean. He missed KC, and here was her father keeping him away from him for no reason at all. "What did I do? Why do you hate me?" he demanded. Then his face paled. "I'm so stupid..." he mumbled as he took a step back.

Sean looked back at KC. "You don't know who his is?" he demanded. He shook his head. He knew who this boy was. "He may be your mate, but do you now know your history!?" he demanded. "I bet his whole name is Xavier Xander Zomer." he said as he looked over at Xavier again, who just paled worse. But he remained silent. "He was pert of the rebellion. In fact he was one of the leaders. He was the Lurelacks' aid. Without him I doubt the Lurelacks would of have been able to take the thrown away from Draven." he said, he looked angry. Angrier then he had in a long time. He couldn't believe that his daughter would mate with such a man. And now he had every intention of killing him at one point or another.

~!!~
Tony held her close. But he still didn't say anything. He had her here, now. But would she be enough? HE was so use to having Anne by his side, he didn't know if he could make it without her. Heck, he died because he couldn't. What would happen this time? He couldn't die now. Where there other things that could happen to the dead that he was not aware of? But it didn't matter. There was nothing worse then this. He was sure. He lost Anne, the only thing he was sure that could make it worse was if Sandra left him too. He didn't want that. He clung to her. "Don't leave me, please." he whispered. He understand no more then she did.

Elysia’s mind was only set on him now; she couldn’t seem to think about anything else. She didn’t want him to leave; she was afraid to be alone, but right now she couldn’t even remember why. She just wanted him to stay with her. When he flipped her over she blinked, her vision blurring. She couldn’t see him straight, nor did she seem to notice what had happened. When he whispered in her ear she frowned, and when he got up to leave again she bolted to an upright position.

“Hayden,” she mumbled, but she didn’t seem to be going after him again. She looked down at her hands, clenched into tight fists in her lap. She didn’t understand what was happening with her; she was terrified. Her hands were shaking and she looked back up at him, but she could only see his back now. “Hayden!” She said again, but she still didn’t get up. She finally pulled her feet off the bed, but she only made it two steps forward before she stumbled to the ground. She groaned, and didn’t pick herself back up. She felt unnaturally warm, as if it were the middle of the summer and the air conditioning was broken. She slowly pushed herself to a sitting position and then to her feet, only to fall once again. She didn’t bother to pick herself back up. Her vision was fading, and she felt herself falling asleep. She didn’t want to, though. She wanted to stay with Hayden. She wanted to tell him she loved him, she wanted him to stay….But she was already drifting off, and a few moments later she was asleep, still sprawled out on the floor as if she would never again stand up.
~!!~
Draven shook his head slowly. “But they’re both you,” He said softly, brushing the rest of her hair to the side and touching her neck with his fingertips. “I want to be able to know you’re here,” He whispered. It was strange; he would never let anyone see him like this, not even his family, but he showed everything to Michi, even the parts he was ashamed of. That was why he was so afraid to lose her.

“They’re both you,” He repeated again softly. “I want to be able to feel you like I could before, Michi.” He tightened his grip on her, but only slightly, not enough to hurt her. “If you still want me, then I still want you. I always will.” He kissed her neck again, baring his fangs once more. “Will you let me?” He asked quietly. He loosened his grip slightly, telling her that she could go if she wanted to. The thought scared him more than he let on, even to her.
~!!~
Jenny shook her head slowly and turned away from them. She felt guilty; why wasn’t she happier for him? She folded her arms across her chest and started off down the hallway, a deep frown on her face. She was usually a very cheerful girl, seeing the glass as half-full instead of half-empty, but when she was upset she really went at it. She frowned, slowing down. But why was she upset?

“Aarrgh!” She groaned, cradling her head in her hands. “This is so stupid!” She opened her eyes and paused as she passed by Chronos’ room. She shook her head quickly, but then she opened the door. “Coco!” She called, poking her head in. She knew that bugging him wasn’t the best thing to do, but she had to get her mind off of Trevor and Jen. “Coco, what are you doing?” She asked, and her smile was back, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes this time. She blinked and looked at his desk, which was covered in what looked like pieces of a painting. She looked back up at the wall where one had hung before, then back at the desk. “What happened?” She asked. “Did you rip it? Wow, Coco, there’s lots of pieces here,” She said, picking a few up in her hand. “Who was that lady in the painting, anyways?” She asked, turning back around to face him, the few pieces still in her hand. “She was pretty.”

Jen buried her face in his chest, nodding. “I love you, too,” She whispered. “I’m so sorry, Trevor,” She said quietly, holding him tighter. She was afraid that he would be mad, but he wasn’t. She almost didn’t understand. “I’m so sorry. I was such a coward, and it’s been so long. I want to explain,” She said quietly. “Please.” She couldn’t explain the amount of guilt she felt over all of this. She had been afraid he would hate her; that was why she hadn’t come before now. Even now, standing in his arms, she felt as though he would turn around at any minute and tell her to leave; and she wouldn’t be able to blame him.
~!!~
Leanne watched them both go with her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. She felt a burning anger, replacing the sorrow she’d felt moments before. “Argh!” She threw the heel of the shoe at the door, and it bounced off and came back to her. She leaned down and picked it up, taking off both her shoes and carrying them as she walked out of the room.

She found her way back to the room she was staying in and slammed the door behind her. She slowly sunk down to the ground. Who was she kidding, trying to stay here? Kendra was right. Just because she stayed, didn’t mean he was going to change her mind. She closed her eyes and thought of all the times he’d said those three words she’d loved to hear so much; ‘I love you.’ She opened her eyes and stood up, a new determination glinting in her eyes. Her stubbornness was back.

She walked over to her bag and dug around, and pulled out a bunch of red and black fabric. She pulled out her black boots and a few other things, and then she changed quickly. She wasn’t going to be who they wanted her to be; she wasn’t doing this to spite them. She just wanted to be herself. She wanted them to like her for her, not for some Barbie doll that Linda made up. She had a feeling it wouldn’t go well, but she was still going to try. In a few moments she was dressed in a sleeveless, somewhat tight red corset dress, with black lace layering it that ended high above her knees. There was a black rose hanging off in the front. The dress looked like something only Leanne would own. She pulled on her black combat boots and tied them quickly, then tied the front of the corset. She walked over to the mirror, at the pale blue eyes staring back at her, and put her contacts back in. She slipped on her black, fishnet fingerless gloves and, after making sure her ring and earrings were still on, pulled her hair up into two, low-laying pigtails, like she normally had it. She slipped on a necklace with a spider hanging down at the end, ending right where her dress began. Her bite marks were still clearly visible, and she wanted it that way.

She put her makeup on the way she liked it, then stared back at the girl in the mirror, and smiled. She finally felt like herself.

She walked out of the room and towards the stairs without another thought as to what damage this could do. She smiled politely at those she passed on the way to the stairs, and mumbled excuse me’s to those she passed on the stairs. She paused at the bottom, looking around for a familiar face. Mainly, Linda. She had a feeling Patrick wouldn’t want to see her right now.
~!!~
Seth flinched slightly at the pressure on his hand, but he managed somehow to keep his smile at the men at the door. He knew that she was going to kill him for this later (no pun intended), but he wanted to help her, and that was the first lie that had come to his mind. He knew that it was stupid, but it was all he felt that he could do. He wanted her to be able to stay here.

“Seth Sooter,” He said simply, looking at the man with a false smile on his face. He had a feeling that the man would be back, but he could stick around. As long as he didn’t ask for anything official….the smile faded slightly as the thought crossed his mind. Of course he would. Seth’s mind was racing now, but he somehow managed to keep his smile. “We’ll be fine now, thank you,” He said simply.
~!!~
Sammy didn’t even stop to think of how Rico could possibly have found them; she was too focused on dialing the three numbers she needed to. When she hung up she was smiling strangely. She walked over to Rico and Drew, who was staring up at the boy with nothing but hatred in his eyes.

“Let him stand up,” She said simply. She was smiling still as she pushed Rico away and pulled Drew up. She didn’t give him a chance to say anything before she sent him stumbling back with a punch to the jaw. When he was regaining his balance she hit him again, then kicked him as hard as she could where she knew no one wanted to be. He crumpled to the ground as sirens flashed outside. Sammy kicked him one last time in the side, as hard as she could, and was rewarded with a cry of pain. She stepped back and handed Rico his phone.

“There you go,” She said simply. “Thank you.”
~!!~
”No,” Vivian whispered, stepping back on shaky legs as he pointed to the folder. “Please,” She said quietly, but she could see that his mind was made up. She didn’t understand. If it wasn’t her fault, then why was he doing this? She knelt and picked up the folder, sinking back down onto the couch. Tears ran down her cheeks as she picked up a pen, but her hand was shaking too badly for her to write. She closed her eyes and then opened them, signing the papers as quickly as her hand would allow. She stood up and handed it back to him with shaking hands, then took a step back.

“Sergei—“ She began, but she didn’t know what else to say. What else could she say? She didn’t understand why he was leaving. The thought of being away from him made her feel panicked; it was as if he were holding her together. She had lost Dima before she even knew her, and now she was losing him, too, and there was nothing she could do about it.
~!!~
December frowned, watching him with a slightly concerned expression on her face. “Moses,” She began, but she didn’t finish. Was she supposed to tell him to cheer up? If she were put in his position, she knew that she’d be much the same way. But she still wanted to help him somehow. She didn’t even seem to remember how much she had hated him before. In a way, it was his fault that she fell for Simon, when they went looking for Brooke. But that had fallen apart, too. She knew that she was breaking Simon slowly. She had known that for a long time yet, but she had been selfish.

She shook off the thought and stepped forward. “Moses, you should smile,” She said quietly. “Brooke is happy.” She knew that her words could be doing just as much harm as good, though it was most likely the former. “She’s happy, so shouldn’t you be?” She asked quietly. “I’m sure you’ll find someone else. Maybe not now, but someday. I’m sorry that all of this had to happen,” She said quietly. She took a step back and sighed. “We all have our own problems, Moses,” She said quietly. “We just have to face them.” She knew that was what she had to do, too. She knew that going to Simon wasn’t going to help him get better. He had to move on somehow, and that wasn’t going to happen with her there.
~!!~
Sage’s smile disappeared as he spoke. “No, sorry,” She said simply, taking another step back. “You’re not my type.” As if she even had a type. She frowned slightly and then sighed, shaking her head. “Forget it,” She said. “It’s not worth it.” She glanced at him again, mimicking his pose by folding her own arms across her chest.

“You’re mad now, aren’t you?” She asked. “But you didn’t yell. Well, you did before, but you usually don’t. Why is that?” She asked, though she didn’t know why she cared. “You’re mad, right?” She asked, poking him again on the side, as if to tick him off more. “You wanna yell, right?” she ruffled his hair again and then stepped back again. “You should, if you want to.” She shrugged, letting her hands fall back to her sides.
~!!~
Leslie’s cheeks turned bright red when she kissed him, but he didn’t hesitate to kiss her back. He smiled slightly against her lips and wrapped his arms around her gently. “I’m glad,” He said quietly, resting his forehead against hers. He pulled away slightly, but he took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers.

“You know, Brooke, if you want to see your brother, you should,” He said quietly. “I’m sure he’d want to see you, too. Who wouldn’t want to see you?” He offered her a small smile, wrapping his other arm around her shoulder. “I can go with you, if you want,” He said quietly.
~!!~
Kit glared slightly at Noland as he grabbed her arm, and when he pulled her hat off and grabbed her chin she looked positively murderous. She didn’t look nervous or flustered anymore; she hated to be touched, and this was exactly what she didn’t need. She didn’t seem to care that she was called ‘boy’, though; she was used to it. She did seem to care, however, when his lips touched hers. Her cheeks flushed bright red and she hit the ground hard, glaring up at him. She pulled herself to her feet and picked up her hat.

She grabbed Noland by the arm and spun him around, but instead of slapping him like it looked like she would, she punched him, hard, in the jaw. “My name is Kit,” She snapped. “And don’t come in here and demand things of me when you don’t even know me. From what I’ve heard, I’ve probably been around here more than you have.” She put her hat back on and pushed past him. “And don’t touch me,” she added, almost as an afterthought. She refused to even glance at Dustin as she walked towards the door.
~!!~
K.C. was about to demand what was going on when her father told her. Her mouth closed quickly and she seemed to look even paler than Xavier. She seemed frozen in place, standing between the two of them. It couldn’t be true; he had helped…?

She slowly stepped out from in between them, silent still. She looked at Xavier and her face was strangely blank. “You knew my last name,” She said slowly. “You knew my last name, and you knew who I was. You had to. But you didn’t….” She trailed off at the end, and then she glared at him. “You didn’t tell me!” She shouted. “You looked me in the eyes that whole time, and you didn’t tell me how you helped ruin my family?!” She took a step back, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. She shook her head quickly; this shouldn’t be happening. It didn’t make sense.

She looked at Sean, then at Myame, and finally back at Xavier. “I think you should go now,” She said stiffly. “Before Sean kills you.” In a way, it seemed as though she were trying to protect him, but her face was blank again, so it was hard to tell.
~!!~
”I’m not going anywhere,” Sandra said quietly. She couldn’t stand seeing him so torn up. She wanted to be able to change things for him, but she knew that she couldn’t; no one could. He had been dealt the bad hand of cards. They all had. “I won’t leave,” She said quietly again, but she didn’t know if she could really promise that. If she knew Anne at all, she wouldn’t have wanted to leave Tony here, either.

Michi wrapped her arms around him as spoke. She bite her lip and closed her eyes. She didn't know what to do. She loved him so much. It was funny. If you asked her years ago who she would fall in love with, she would of said that love was for the weak. If you asked her what she would do if she fell in with Draven, she said that she rather die. It was funny how love could come from hate. Before she couldn't stand being so close to Draven, and now she didn't want to be away from him. She felt as if she was away from him for a moment she would fall apart. In fact she wouldn't even be the same i she was away from him; she wouldn't be herself. She was so unsure what to do. He was already lost her once; could something happen where he loose her again? No, that was impossible. But she could lose him. That frighten her so much. The very thought almost brought tears to her eyes. But that was impossible too. He wasn't impulsive like she was. She had walked out and got herself killed, he wouldn't do anything to like that, would he?

There was a small voice in her that told her he would if it was to protect her.

She grew still as she felt his fangs again and his arms loosen again. He was giving her a choice. She could leave if she wanted to, but would she ever be able come back if she ran away? She glanced over at the door. A thoughtful look on her face. She reached down and took his wrists. But instead of pulling his arms away, she pulled them tighter. She tilted her head to the side, inviting him without words to bite her. But she could feel Ollie fighting harder then ever to get out. "Quickly." she whispered.

~!!~
Chronos sat up sleepily and looked over at the girl at his desk. He had not heard wheat she called him, which was lucky for her. Nor did he look like he care, He was so sleepy. He couldn't remember ever being so tired. He watched as she looked at the tore up painting and listened as she made those comments. He yawned slightly as he pushed himself out of bed. "I did not do that. Kristy Cally did." he said, sleep was heavy in his voice. He looked as if he would fall back to sleep on his feet. "That was Sonya. My mate." he said as he pulled the piece of the painting out of her hands and laid it gently on the desk, as if the dead woman could somehow feel it. "That was the last thing I had of her." he sounded sad. It was strange, he never sounded anything but bitter or angry. "I miss her." he confessed hardly aware of who he was talking to. "She was a sweet woman." he said softly as he rubbed his eyes. He didn't seem anything like the angry man knew him as. If it wasn't for his frightening appearance, he could pass for a sweet man now.

"She died, tragically, while carrying our sixth child." he whispered as he yawned again. He looked over at her and rubbed his eye again. "What's your name again? Why are you here? What did you want?" he asked as he stumbled back toward his bed.

~!!~
Patrick was near the stairs when Leanne came down. His eyes widened when he saw her. He didn't care what she was wearing. In fact he almost smiled at what she was wearing. It was 100% Leanne,and he loved her for it. But that thought kept the smile off his face. His mother was going to kill her. He knew that. His aunt Sophie was staring with an open mouth, her mate, Alexander, had dropped the thing he was carrying. His father, Peter was frowning deeply next to him. "That is your mate?" he asked. Patrick nodded weakly. "She couldn't of found a longer dress?" His father didn't seem to care what she was wearing, just that it was too short.

Patrick looked around. Mason looked red hot as she made her way toward the stairs to yell at Leanne. But Matthew was already climbing up the stairs. Matthew's jaw had dropped when he had seen her. His eyes had traveled her up and down. He had at once determined that dress inappropriate for public. It was something that belong in the bedroom, and only long enough for him to pull off. He took her elbow and spun her around and walked her back up the stairs, away from the the eyes of the others.

Patrick tried to follow, but Kendra grabbed his arm. "Patrick, stop, don't worry about her. She doesn't matter anymore, remember? You are back, and you can't break your promise." she said with a cold smile on her face. "In a way, Matthew is doing you a favor." she said as she tried to pull him away. "With that dress, she just proved that she isn't proper. It think she only dressed like that to lure you back." she said. But Patrick knew knew that wasn't it. She was more then likely unaware of what that dress could of have been taken as. She was unaware of just how beautiful she was, no matter how many times he had told her that she was.

~!!~
The old man looked at him and nodded. "Mr. Sooter, it a pleasure to meet you. I fear I must leave now, but next time I would very much like to hear about the details of the wedding." he said in such a way that said that he would give them no choice but to tell him next time he came. With that he spun around and walked away. The other men followed, silently. Cinder stood there until they had left, not once letting go of Seth's hand, if anything her grip tightened. When they were out of sight she slammed the door closed and let go of Seth's hand. There was a fire in her eyes. Before they had been lifeless and dull. Now her anger reached her eyes. She pulled the closest thing to her off the wall and threw it at him.

"YOU MORON!" she shouted as the mirror shattered. Glass flew toward her and cut her face. A small scream escaped her lips. She stepped forward and a piece of glass impaled itself into the bottom of her foot. She was crying now.

~!!~
Rico stepped away and took his phone back. He stared at Drew then Sammy. His eyes stayed in Sammy then. He followed her every moment. His eyes didn't even stray from her as there was sirens outside. She was his full attention. He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. "I never caught your name." he said, his words not revealing the thoughts in his head. "I'm Rico, Rico Armstrong." he said as he slipped his phone into his pocket.

~!!~
Sergei took the folder and held it close to his chest. He couldn't move. He just stared at her. His own hands were shaking. "Vivian-" What was he going to say? I'm sorry, I still love you? He didn't think that would go over well with her. She was already so broken. He didn't want to break her any more. But still want to support her. He still wanted to whole her up. Anyway he could. He looked around the living room. "I send money to help with bills and things. That is the least I could do." he whispered. He took a step back, but he still stared at her. "I-" There he went again, trying to tell her he loved her. It wouldn't be a lie, but he didn't want to hurt her, he already did. He would never forgive her father. This was as much his fault as Sergei's. He knew that, and something was driving him to go find him and knock some sense into him. "I'm sorry." he choked out and then he turned and walked out of the living room. He looked at the small table next to the door where he left his keys. He didn't pick them up. Vivian could drive, but she didn't have a car. So he would leave her something to use. He closed the door quietly behind him before he let the tears slip down his cheeks. He never felt such hatred to anyone then he did right now. He hated himself, he hated her father. He had no idea what to do.

~!!~
Moses glared at her and stood up. He knew she was right, but he didn't want to admit it. Brooke was happy, so he should be too. But he wasn't, because it wasn't him making her happy. It wasn't him... He loved her, but he couldn't show her that love. No, she had someone else now. This was all his stupid faulty. He closed his eyes and fell back on his bed. He looked as if he had gave up. On life, on love, on everything. He looked at her sadly. "I don't know what to do." he whispered. "I don't want to lose her, but she is already gone. How do I get her back when it was my fault?" he asked, there was a strange sound in his voice, as if he was crying, but he couldn't cry.

~!!~
Addison narrowed his eyes at her as she spoke, and when she poked him again, he poked himself. He knew that she was trying to make him mad(der). And he wasn't about to let her win. He tilted his head to the side and his blond hair hair fell into his blue eyes. "What do mean?" he asked. "Why would I be mad?" he asked sarcastically. "Why would I want to yell at you? At anyone?" he asked. He stepped forward. "Not everyone would wants to yell, Herb." He only called her that because she called him Abbi. "Not everyone has a short fuse. Not ever one are angry, like you." In a way, he was wrong. He was an angry boy, he just didn't show it like Sage did. "I don't yell, because I don't want to. Because I can hold myself back. You should try it sometime." he said as he fixed his hair, again... He shook his head. "And why don't laugh more often?" he asked. He liked her laugh, strange enough. It was pretty, he wanted to hear it more often.

~!!~
Brooke looked deep in thought as she gripped his hand tightly, tighter then she had intended. She looked over at him and frowned. "You shouldn't kiss up. I don't think it suits you." she said as she pulled him up to is feet. "I want to see him. I want you to meet him." she said, her eyes suddenly lit up. She tilted her head to the side. "Please. He might not like you though." she said thoughtfully. "He never seemed to like boys around me..." she added. "Once he punched a boy just for flirting with me." she was thinking out loud now. She tugged on his wrist. "Please come with me." It was silly, but she was scared to go alone. She didn't understand why. It was just Simon, but what if he didn't want to see her? She knew she shouldn't be scared, but she was.

~!!~
Noland spun around again and glared at 'him' as he spoke. He didn't say anything, however, as she walked away. He could care less about some kid. He was about to turn back to Dustin when Avril suddenly yelled out. "Kit! No! Come back! Noah isn't that bad!" she whined, unaware that she was commanding her to stay. She was too young to realize what she was doing. But Noland wasn't.

"You Let April make a vampire!?" he demanded. He didn't say Avril because he couldn't say it. "What kind of parent are you!?" he demanded. "You were an awful mate, you are an awful father! You couldn't keep mom alive and now you are doing an awful job of raising April!" he shouted.

Dustin glared at his son. He didn't mention that Kit was his mother's killer. He knew that he would act impulsively and kill her,not caring that Avril was in the room. Avril didn't care that she killed her mother. She treated her almost as a playmate, and Dustin respected her wishes. He cared for his daughter enough to let the murder live. It was a strange victory for him. "Do you think you can do a better job? Then you raise her."

~!!~
Xavier was staring down ah his hands. They were shaking badly. How this all fall apart like this? Why did he let things end up like this? He was asked hundred of years ago if he would regret what he did. He would of laugh and said no, but he would of have been wrong, because he did now. But also in a twisted way, he didn't. If he hadn't done what he did he wouldn't of have met KC at all. That was the only thing he was thankful for. But she wanted him gone. He just looked up at her and smiled. It was a soft, sad smile. "I did what I did, it was my own free will. Yes, I helped destroy your family. No one wanted Prince Draven to have the crown. He was a heartless prince. You can't blame the people for not wanting him to have the crown. He wouldn't give up the crown to Price Tobias, we knew he wouldn't, so we didn't even try to get him to do that. We did the only thing we could." he shook his head. "KC, you knew my last name too. How was I suppose to know if you knew about me or not?" he shook his head again. He wasn't helping, so he just walked shifty out of the room, and then the manor. This had been a mistake, he knew that before he came, but he had to try. He loved her that much.

~!!~
Trevor pulled away and looked at her. There was sad look on his face. He pushed her hair out of her face. It was always falling in her face. He kissed the tip of her nose. "Please, please tell me why you did this. Tell me why." He was frowning now. "Tell me why you turned me into a monster!?" there was a bitter tone in hos voice now. It was obvious that was still angry at her now. He closed his eyes and pulled her into his room, locking the door behind them. He turned toward her. His telescope leaning against one wall, his book of myths was laying on his window sill. His room was a mess. He was quite the collector of things. It was random things, really. But they filled selves and boxes. They were on his head board, and in the chairs. He hadn't change. The room looked quite similar to what his room did so long ago.

He pulled her to the bed, the only place two people could actually sit. He pulled her down next to him and looked at her. "Please." he said again.

~!!~
Dimitri held her close to him. He kissed her head and closed his eyes. He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't seem to understand himself. So he said nothing or awhile and just held her close to him. That would have to do or now,his words seemed to have left him. "I love you, Ember, don't cry, please. I love you. I'm sorry I can't explain to you what happened. I am sorry, I wish I could, but I don't know what happened. I should of been there. I could have helped you. But I wasn't, and now you are like this." It was clear that he blamed himself. This was all his fault. He thought he knew Sevastyan, apparently he didn't. It scared him that his own family would kill his wife... His widow. It was all his fault.

Draven paused when he felt her hands on his wrists; would she leave? His grip loosened even more as he pulled back. He didn’t know what he would do if she left now. He hardly understood himself anymore; he felt like a completely different person than he was before. He hardly even recognized himself; but for some reason, he was okay with that.

When he pulled his arms tighter his eyes widened slightly, and he looked down at her. When she spoke he didn’t hesitate any longer; he leaned down and sunk his fangs into her neck. Her blood tasted much the same as it had before; he closed his eyes and held her closer, until there was no space between them at all. When he pulled away he turned his hand over, exposing his wrist to her. There were still marks from where she’d bitten him last time, but they were fading, at least it seemed that way to him. He kissed her neck gently where he’d bitten her. “I love you,” He said quietly. He felt sure that this was the right thing to do.
~!!~
Jenny was caught off guard as he didn’t yell. He looked….nice, almost. She blinked and watched as he took the pieces from her and put them back on the desk. Her eyes widened slightly as he spoke, and as he stumbled back towards the bed she finally spoke. She liked him better this way; he was more pleasant.

“Six?” She asked incredulously. “Wow. I’m sorry about what happened though,” She added quietly. “What else was she like?” She asked suddenly. “I mean, you said she was sweet, but what else? She was pretty. I remember the painting.” She knew that she was probably pushing her luck, but this seemed like the only time she’d be able to talk to him and not get bitten or killed. “How long ago did this all happen?” She asked. “What are your kids like? Are they like you, or like her? Have you seen any of them recently? What are their names? How old are they? Are they boys or girls?” She didn’t even seem to realize just how many questions she was asking him. She was talking to keep her mind off of everything else, and it seemed to be working.
~!!~
Leanne could feel the eyes on her as she looked around. She kept her head held up high, though, refusing to look away. She hadn’t really thought this through much; she didn’t know what the dress could be taken as. She hadn’t thought of it that way. She met Patrick’s eyes for a moment, but the look on his face made her look away quickly. Her eyes fell on Mason and she frowned, and was about to step forward when Matthew took her elbow and walked her back upstairs.

“Hey!” she protested. When they were at the top she pulled away from him, glaring. “What do you think you’re doing?” She demanded. “Why did you do that? You have no right to drag me around like that. I’m not a little kid. I can take care of myself.” She took a step back, folding her arms across her chest. She didn’t like the way he had looked at her before; it made her uncomfortable. “I’m going back down there,” She said simply. “I’m part of this family now, remember? I have a right to be there.” Her voice was cold, as was the way she was looking at him. “I’m not going to let you keep me away. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She turned back to the stairs, her face impassive as she took the first step down.
~!!~
Seth was silent as he watched the men go, and then he turned to Cinder just as she threw the mirror at him. He barely managed to avoid it and he watched the glass shatter. His eyes widened as he saw the blood and he quickly knelt down next to her. He knew that she was angry at him; he knew that she probably hated him now, but that didn’t stop him from wrapping his arms around her.

“Cinder, I had to tell them something,” he said quietly. “I had to tell them something, or they wouldn’t leave. I’m sorry. It was the first thing I thought of.” He pulled away slightly, kissing the cut on her cheek. “I’m sorry I came back when you wanted me gone,” He said quietly. “I thought you’d want to stay here,” He said. “I thought you’d want to stay here, even if you only have me with you.”
~!!~
Sage’s eyes narrowed at him as he called her ‘herb’, and she scowled at him as he told her she should laugh more often. She knew he was right; she was always angry. At first she hadn’t known what it was, and she had taken it out on others, getting her in trouble at school more times than she could count. After she met Leanne and the others it got a little better, and they got to know the kinder side of her, the side of her she always kept hidden. The side that she had shown to Andrew, and that she now locked away.

“It’s impolite to laugh at how other people look,” she said simply. “Besides, I only laugh when something’s funny.” The truth was, she usually only laughed when she was with her friends, or maybe Andrew. A hand lifted involuntarily to the cross around her neck, but she quickly let it fall back to her side.
~!!~
December frowned, and she walked over to the bed and sat down next to him without asking if she could. “You know, Moses, sometimes you have to look past what you can see,” She said suddenly. “You have to try and see things from the other person’s perspective. How do you think Brooke feels about all of this? I know that it wasn’t on purpose, but you did kill her, and then tried to suppress that memory. She’s probably sick of it all.” She looked down at her hands, then back at him. “I think you need to let her go,” She said quietly. “Don’t go after her. Don’t try to get her back. She’s happy now. You should try it, too.”

She stood up and closed her eyes, shaking her head. She knew that she needed to take her own advice. She wasn’t helping Simon by staying there. She wasn’t helping her parents, either. She was only hurting them more and more with each day that she stayed there. They both needed to move on, but Simon most of all. He had broken when she’d come back, undoing any progress he might have made. It was then that she decided that she couldn’t go back. She couldn’t go back home, but where else would she go? She sighed, and took a step away. A clean break would be best for Simon, for everyone else. The only thought that made her happy, even a little, was seeing Brooke. But something told her that she wouldn't be happy about what she'd decided to do about Simon.
~!!~
Vivian watched him go as a feeling of numbness took over her body. She didn’t know what to feel; she felt as though if she thought about it too much, she would fall to pieces. She pulled her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes tightly, but somehow the tears still managed to slip down her cheeks. She tried to think about something, anything else, but all she felt was a sense of emptiness. She slowly pushed herself to her feet and made her way slowly to the small bedroom, but even laying there she couldn’t sleep. She buried her face in the pillow that he had slept on, trying to muffle the sounds of her cries. She felt as though maybe, if she tried hard enough, she could wake up and find that it was all just a bad dream. But as she looked up again through tear-filled eyes, she was still alone.
~!!~
Sammy took her eyes off of Drew only for a moment as she looked at Rico. “My name is Samantha Storm,” She said simply, as the lights came closer. A few moments later she was left with just Rico, watching Drew’s form as the car pulled away. He was smiling at her. She quickly turned away.

She didn’t know what to think; all she knew was that it was finally over. It had to be. He was finally gone. He couldn’t bother her anymore. She leaned against the doorframe as if it was the only thing holding her up, letting out a long breath. She turned back to Rico and offered him a small smile, but then she frowned. “How did you know where I was?” She asked suddenly. “I mean, you came just in time….” She trailed off at the end, then looked back at him. It seemed suddenly quiet to her.
~!!~
Leslie smiled slightly at her and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. His eyes widened slightly at the mention of her brother punching someone, but he quickly shook it off. “You haven’t gone to see him since….?” He didn’t want to say ‘since you died.’ To him, she wasn’t dead. It just didn’t seem possible, but her heart was beating no more than his was.

He gripped her hand a little bit tighter, smiling at her, a smile that finally reached his eyes. It made him look even more like a girl in a way, but at the same time it made him look more handsome.
~!!~
Kit froze when she was almost to the door. She felt as though something were holding her in place. She frowned and struggled harder to move, but she couldn’t get out of the door. She didn’t understand. Though she thought she knew so much about the ‘monsters’ that she had spent her whole life loathing, there really was a lot she didn’t know, such as what Avril was doing now.

When Noland mentioned his mother she flinched, pushing her hat down further to hide her eyes. She knew that the guilt was written all over her face, chasing away the last traces of anger. She seemed to be able to switch between one emotion to another quickly. She blinked in surprise when Dustin didn’t correct him. She didn’t understand what was going on, and she just wanted to leave.

“What—What’s going on?” She asked suddenly, looking first at Avril, then at Dustin, though her gaze didn’t linger on him for long. “I can’t move.” She kept all traces of fear out of her voice, but she was afraid; she didn’t understand what was going on, and that frightened her.
~!!~
K.C, watched him with an impassive look on her face, but inside she was screaming. Why did it have to happen like this? Why couldn’t things ever go right? She could see Andrew now; he would be able to say I told you so. She had always thought love was for the weak, and Andrew had warned her that she would get hurt. She should never have gone after Andrew. She should have left it all alone. It was all her fault. She should have recognized his last name, but she had never really paid attention to things like that, to her own history. Names weren’t important; it was the deeds that mattered.

She looked back up as he smiled at her, and she flinched, a crack in her armor. When he was out of the room she slowly turned around, looking first at her mother, than at her father. She didn’t say anything as she walked out of the room and to her own room. IT felt like forever since she’d last been there. She walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge, staring down at her hands. She reached up a hand and touched the bite marks on her neck, and then shook her head quickly. She loved him; she loved him, regardless of what he’d done. And in a way, he might have been right. Draven wasn’t the best for the throne. But she couldn’t just forget about it all, either; it was still her family that had been hurt.

She dug her nails into her skin and didn’t even flinch as the skin tore. She just wanted the marks gone. She wanted to forget, and she wouldn’t be able to if she could still see them. She scratched her own skin until her neck was bleeding badly, but even then she didn’t stop. She didn’t want to have to see those marks ever again and remember the face that they belonged to, the one she still loved so much.
~!!~
Jen flinched as he yelled, but allowed herself to be pulled into his room, and a small smile crossed her lips as she saw the mess it had become. He hadn’t changed at all, and the thought cheered her up as much as it saddened her. She thought of all the years she’d been away; part of her had been afraid that he would have changed, but he hadn’t.

“You have the same mess as before,” She said quietly. She smiled slightly at him. “You still like to look at the stars,” She said suddenly, her eyes falling on the telescope. “I always looked at them after---“ She frowned slightly, cutting herself off. She sat down on the edge of his bed with him and looked down at her hands. She knew that she wasn’t acting completely like herself, but how could she be, after seeing him again after so long?

“I was changed,” She said quietly, staring down at her hands. “A week before I changed you.” She had practiced saying this so many times, and now that she was here, the words came pouring out. “I was afraid,” She whispered. “I was afraid that you would leave me, would see me for the monster I was then. So…so I selfishly changed you, too.” She bit her lip and glanced over at him, but then quickly looked away. She didn’t want to see his reaction. “I didn’t want to be alone. But then…then I got scared. I thought you’d hate me, so…I ran.” She closed her eyes tightly. “I’m sorry, Trevor,” She said quietly. “I’m so sorry. It took me this long to come see you, because I thought you’d hate me. And you have every right to. But I never stopped loving you.”
~!!~
Ember couldn’t seem to stop crying, not even long enough to say what she wanted to say. ‘It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I was reckless, careless. I was stupid.’ In the end, all she managed to say was “Enough should have been enough. I should have been satisfied that you were there, but I didn’t believe it,” she whispered. “I thought I was going crazy. I thought that it wasn’t real. I’m sorry.” After a few moments it seemed as though she had cried herself out, yet she was still hanging onto him as if he were her lifeline.

Last time Draven bit her, Michi had flinched. This time she was ready. This time she did not. She just stayed there, her eyes closed, sitting as close to Draven as physically possible. Her hand was tracing circles on top of his as he drank her blood. She was strangely happy. This was what she wanted. This was what she needed. She needed him. And when he finally did pull away from her, it almost felt too soon. But she smile up at him. She reached up and wiped away her blood from his lips. Her green eyes were staring into his. They weren't looking at her with anything but love. It almost didn't seem possible that he had once tried to kill him. That she had been one of the people to take his birth right. But that was all there, all in the past. And that was where it would stay because it no longer mattered.

Michi looked away from his eyes and down at his wrist that he was offering to her. That was when her smile disappeared. Although they looked like they were fading to Draven, to her they looked just like the day she bit him. She traced the marks slowly, then took his wrist in her hands. She brought it to her lips and kissed it softly. She was hesitating, though. Ollie was angry and trying to get out. And Michi was thinking. She made these marks, but at the same time she didn't. It was another body, another person. That person was dead. Did she have any right to replace her?

What was she thinking? She was his mate. She knew that. She was the woman he loved. She just had to make it official again. She was still doubtful as she sunk her fangs into his skin, the blood rushed into her mouth and she could feel him there again. She was fully aware that he could now feel her doubt, and she was ashamed. She also knew he could feel Ollie's anger. The question was now, could he separate their two feelings?

Finally she pulled away and stared at his wrist. She had bitten above her old marks. She couldn't bare covering up the original. She couldn't bare erasing what she had done. So she wouldn't.

She looked back up into his eyes and smiled widely. But she knew that he could feel her doubt, still. She could no longer hide behind her mask. Somehow that thought comforted her as much as it scared her. The last time she hadn't thought much about it, but this time she did. This wasn't something that she would do. Mate with someone like Draven. But she did, she had changed just as much as he had.

~!!~
Chronos looked over at Jenny. He tilted his head to the side and his dark hair fell into his face. "Sonya, Sonya was everything. She was strong, yet so gentle at the same time. She could keep the children from running a muck, as where, I failed at that. She was the only person that could look me in the eyes and tell me that I was wrong. She wasn't afraid to tell the truth. But her tongue wasn't sharp. She could make anything sound kind." His eyes were half closed and their was a smile on his lips. His voice was softer then it has ever been. Talking about Sonya did that to him. He closed his eyes. "They weren't like either of us, they acted like themselves. You will laugh at their names." He still smiling. "My oldest daughter's name was Echo, she was followed by Apollo, male, Hermes, male, Pandora, female, and Eros, male. If my sixth child was born she would of been Psyche. If she had proved to be a boy instead, he would of been Zeus." he said, he looked sad now. "And they are older then you." he said as he laid back. "Only one of them is still alive, and I don't know if you can call him alive." he looked even sadder now. "There was an accident with Eros, he--"

Sudden the door came crashing in and Chronos sat up and looked at the boy sleepily. The boy looked a lot like Sonya, or at least, he would of have if he wasn't covered in scars. Every part of him had a scar, and his skin was discolored in places. He looked more like a zombie then a vampire. He and Chronos started at each other for a moment. Chronos was still to sleepy to do anything.

"OH MY LORD-!" The boy looked panicked. "You half dead again! Why do I have to be the one to save your soul!?" Then he was suddenly standing in front of Chronos. He grabbed a fist full of Chronos black hair and slammed it against the wall. Suddenly Chronos was awake.

The boy landed face down on the floor and Chronos had his foot on his back, pinning him there. There was a look of pure anger on his face. "What was that for, you brat!?" he shouted at the boy under his foot.

The boy moved his head so he was looking to the side, at Jenny. "I was only saving your soul, pa. Kindness doesn't suit you, you soul was burning. I had to do something!" In truth, Eros had just been looking for an excuse to bang his father's head up against the wall.

Chronos glared at the back of his head and pulled away. Eros quickly righted himself and had a serious look on his face. He looked over at Jenny and jerked her her rather roughly over. He tilted her head and looked at her neck. "Did you make her, pa? She doesn't seem to be a born, or someone you would allow in your room. Is she going to be your new mate? If so I can just go ahead and kill her now and get it over with." he spat.

"No, she does hold my interest, Eros. But you can kill her." he said.

Eros face suddenly grew happy. "Nope, I am good, she doesn't have any romantic problems, so I don't have any reason to kill her." he chirped. He was anti-romance. That was when his eyes fell on the painting, ripped to bits. "YOU KILLED MUM!" He said, pushing Jenny out of the way. He picked up a few pieces. "You ripped the painting!?"

~!!~
Matthew grabbed her elbow again, this time tighter and pulled her back up the stairs. "You'll be an embarrassment to Patrick. Then he will definitely not take you back then." he said as he pulled her down the hall. "But, then again, he has Kendra and a promise to keep." he said as he ushered her down the hall. "You are unwanted. Why would he want you? You are an embarrassment. He only mated with you out of pity." he said as he reached down and pulled the ring off her finger. He dropped it to the the ground and dragged her onward.

He couldn't explain why, but he needed Leanne. Just seeing her in that, it hurt to watch her. He need her. It might of had something to do that she was his brother's mate that made the need grow. He didn't care if this was wrong, after all, Patrick had Kendra now. If everything went her way, Kendra would be mated by the end of the night. So he felt free to take anything he wanted.

Finally he pushed her into his room. It was dark and he didn't even bother turning on the light as he locked the door. "I give you things Patrick will refuse you." he said. "He is selfish, you know that. He only cared what he wanted. He didn't even ask you, he lied to you. Can you really forgive him for doing that, no matter what his reason was?" he asked as he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her close to him. "You know, girls like you are only good for one thing." he said her ear. "Maybe he thought he could make you better, but you are low. You are only needed for entertainment." he whispered as he pushed her down onto his bed.

~!!~
Cinder buried her face in her hands as Seth wrapped his arms around her. She didn't understand why she was crying. She didn't get it. She shouldn't be crying. She wasn't going to be taken away, Seth had saved her again. But she was crying and she couldn't stop the tears. Seth was still here. She had told him to go, to leave. He had cried, she had seen him cry and she realized that she was hurting him. So she told him to leave. She did it to protect him, but he just came back. She pulled out of his arms and stared at him. "Are you stupid!?" she shouted at him. "Why did you come back!? Why won't you stay away? Do you like causing yourself pain? Do you like making me hurt you? You were crying, Seth!" she cried.

She didn't need him to pick her up if she was going to knock him down in the process. She didn't want to cause him pain. She just wanted him to be happy. She once thought she could do that, make him happy. But his tears told her she couldn't. If she couldn't make him happy, he couldn't make her happy.

"No! You have to le--" She was cut off when the door opened and Alice stepped into the room. Her long blond hair was falling into her face, but the anger could be seen clearly.

"It's not right to lie, Seth." she said. "She isn't your fiance. I was, and technically I still am." She cried as she pulled Seth further away from Cinder. She wrapped her arms around him and glared at Cinder. "You can't have him." she spat. "He's--" Cinder cut her off this time.

"I DON'T WANT HIM!" she shouted. That wasn't all false, she didn't want him if she was just going to hurt him. She didn't want to be the reason he was in pain. She had no idea her words might hurt him more.

~!!~
"Since when do you care about being polite?" Addison asked as she watched her. "Everything about you is impolite. It's like you were raised in a barn. Sometimes you smell like it to." he said as he pushed his hair out of his eyes. He looked at the cross and frowned. It looked like something a leech would wear. He wasn't very fond of vampires.

~!!~
Andrew watched out his window as Xavier walked toward the woods. When he had seen him come earlier he thought that KC would be happy. Her dreams were coming true, while his was only paint on a canvas. He closed his eyes. Why was Xavier leaving? He had lived long enough to know he wouldn't leave if there was something he needed to do. But in the recent months, he would do anything to please KC, if that meant leaving behind his own happiness, he would.

And that was exactly what he was doing. KC must of have told him to leave. He looked back at the painting, a frown on his face. Sage's orange hair was blowing in her face and there was flower petals weaved in her hair as if the wind had place them there. And there was a butterfly, it was sitting on her shoulder. The painting was almost done, it had so much color, but even so, her green eyes looked so sad. He had tried so many times, but he could never make them look anything but how he last saw the. Finally he put the paint brush down and walked out into the hall. He didn't care he was getting paint every where.

Soon he was pushed open the door that belonged to KC. The smell of blood rushed toward him. "KC!" He looked panicked as he ran toward her. He pulled her hand away from her neck and looked down at it. Xavier's bite makes would never be seen again. "Kristy." he whispered as he sat on the bed next to her. He carefully pulled her into his lap and held her close to his chest. "KC, what happened?" he asked.

~!!~
Moses glared at her when she told him to move on. He knew that Brooke may be sick of it all. But he needed her. He couldn't let go of her. She has been the only person that could make him smile, besides his siblings. He had loved her and he had done everything in his power to protect her. In the end he had hurt her more. December was right, but he didn't want to say so. He pushed himself up and looked down at her.

"So, I let her move on? Where will that get me?" he asked. "I'll be stuck here, in the past, in the shadows, while some other man-if he can be called that-holds my love." he said as he walked toward the window and looked out. "Why should I just let her go? I care for her too much." he whispered.

~!!~
Rico frowned deeply. He had more brains then one may think. He knew he couldn't tell her that he was following her. "I was walking Cupcakes, he pulled the leash out of my hands and ran off. I was looking for him when I saw him pull you in." he said. "Men like that disgust me." he said, not even realizing that he was just like that. To him he was right in this.

He smiled slightly at her. "I can look for Cupcakes later. Let me take you home. I would feel bad if I left you to walk home on your own." he said as he offered her his hand.

~!!~
Brooke smiled back at him and reached up and posted his hair out of his eyes. The way he was smiling made her want to lean over and kiss him. And for a moment she looked as if she was about to. Instead she pulled back, her cheeks slightly pink. She looked away. "You should smile like that more often. It suits you." she whispered. She couldn't explain why she didn't kiss him just now. She didn't understand it, herself. She had so willing kissed him earlier. Why was she so shy now? She didn't know if she wanted to know. She was content with just being near him.

She gripped his hand tightly. And looked over him out of the corner of her eye. Her cheeks were still pink. She smiled widely, but then it disappeared. "I didn't know I had a brother until last week. I haven't left your side in that whole time." she said as she pulled him a long. She led him toward the house she grew up in. It was easy, as if she never forgotten before. Soon they were standing in the front yard of the place that so many of her stories took place in. She smiled sadly at him as she looked up at the window from which the only light in the house came from. "Simon's home." she whispered as she let go of his hand and walked up to the door. She knocked quickly. She was no long smiling. She looked nervous.

"Coming!" A voice came from inside. It was Simon. Soon she heard footsteps coming down the stair, then a cry of panic and tumbling sounds. He had tripped down the stairs.

Brooke grabbed at the door handle, but it was locked. "SIMON!" She called as she banged on the door. She was about to hit it again when it flew open and a boy was standing there. He was was bleeding, badly, in number of places. "Oh, Simon." she whispered as she touched some of the blood of his cheek. It didn't even cross he mind that there was a vampire next to her.

~!!~
I frown spread on Noland's face as he looked at Kit. He closed his eyes. "Listen, boy, you are my sister's servant. You have no choice but to listen her." he said. "Got it?" he asked with a roll of his dark eyes.He looked at Avril. "Why did you do this?" he asked her. His voice was softer then it has ever been. He leaned and brushed her hair out of her face as she began to babble.

"I bit her by accident. I didn't want her to die. But daddy would of have been mad. So I had do it behind his back. I didn't want daddy but I didn't want to kill her, so I just did it. When daddy found out he was so mad. He tried to kill her. But I can't blame him. She did tried to kill him before. But I didn't know what to do. So all I did was beg daddy to leave her alone. I know it is hard for him, more so since she---"

"That's enough." Dustin said before she could say that Kit had killed Lily. Whether he did it to protect Kit or himself was unclear, but the later of the two was the most likely.

~!!~
Trevor listened to her in silence. "Is that it? Is that why you did this to me? Because something so stupid? Did you doubt me so much that you would think I would hate you - just because you changed a little? You are still you. Jennifer, I loved you then. I loved you every time I looked at the stars and asked myself why you did this to me. I loved you when all I knew what to do was hate you. I loved you when you weren't here. I loved you when I didn't know what to do. And every time I tried tried to move on, I stilled loved you." he said as he took his chin in his hand. She was so much smaller then him. He could break her so easily, but he was gentle, just like he was when they were engaged. "You think I would hate you or that? If I would hate you it would because you left me. I almost wish that you left me at the alter. I wish you'd killed me instead. I don't want to be like this. You broke my trust and did this to me. I should hate you, and for a while,I thought I did. But I love you." he said softly as he kissed her forehead. "Don't leave me again." he whispered as he closed his eyes.

Draven didn’t feel any pain when her fangs bit into his skin; instead, he felt a sense of relief. He felt that if they were connected again, then he couldn’t lose her. He had thought that the first time, though, and he had lost her. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind, but as soon as he did, he could feel what he hadn’t noticed before. He could feel everything about her, and with it, her doubt. His expression didn’t waver as he looked down at her, but he seemed tenser than he had moments before. What was she doubting about? He looked down at his wrist, at the two sets of marks there now. He turned his gaze back to her, and a small frown broke through his façade.

“What’s the matter, Michi?” He asked quietly, brushing his fingers over the marks on her neck. “What’s so doubtful to you?” He let his hand fall back to his side, never once tearing his gaze from hers. He didn’t understand what she was doubting about; it almost made him angry. Wasn’t this what she had wanted? Why had she hesitated? He didn’t seem to realize that his grip on her was tightening with each passing moment, perhaps even enough to hurt her. He wasn’t paying attention to that; his mind was elsewhere.

He was so sure that this was the right thing to do, because regardless of the body that she was in now. It was still her, and he knew that. But was she doubting it now?
~!!~
Jenny’s lips turned up into a smile as she listened to him talk. She had forgotten almost entirely about Trevor and the woman down the hall who shared her name and practically her personality; she liked this tired Chronos. He seemed less likely to bite your head off and more like he’d be fun to hug. She smiled wider as she listened to him spout off the names of his children, but her smile slowly faded as his did. She was about to say something when the door opened.

She jumped and spun around to face whoever was there, and her eyes widened slightly; she couldn’t help it. He looked like someone had taken parts of different people and stitched them together. Was this the child he’d just been talking about? She jumped again when he yelled, and watched in a sort of dumbfounded state as he smashed his father’s head against the wall. Her mouth dropped open and she flinched; that sounded like it would hurt.

‘I guess he’s awake now,’ she thought, looking at the anger on Chronos’ face. When Eros looked at her she just stared back, her face still a mask of surprise. She didn’t quite understand what was happening. She cried out as he pulled her closer, and his words made her shake her head quickly. “No!” She said quickly, just as Chronos spoke. Yep, he was definitely back to normal.

Her mouth dropped open at his words, but Eros didn’t seem interested. His words sounded bitter to her; what did he have against romance? She barely managed to catch herself as he pushed her aside and walked over to the painting. She glared at the back of him, but she still found herself staring at all of his scars. Just what had happened to him? Any other time she would have asked, but she didn’t want two people out for her blood.

When he spoke, though, she did, too, as if literally unable to control herself. She didn’t even seem to realize just what it was she was saying.

“I don’t think he did it,” She said slowly. “He didn’t want me touching it, and he was just talking about how nice Sonya was. She sounds like a person I’d want to meet. I saw the painting before it was ripped, though,” She said, walking over to him and picking up one of the pieces. She glanced at Chronos and quickly dropped it again. “You look just like her,” She said suddenly, turning back to him. “But what happened?” She asked suddenly. “I mean, how’d you get the scars?” She wasn’t trying to be rude; she hardly seemed to realize what she’d asked, or how personal it could be. But she was already talking again, without even giving him a chance to answer.

“That was so weird, though. He was just telling me about you and you burst through the door. You have really good timing, you know that?” She asked, smiling at him. She knew that she wasn’t welcome here; she didn’t want to get in the way of them, either.

“I think I should go,” She said suddenly. “I mean, you guys haven’t seen each other for a while, right? You probably have some things to catch up on.” She didn’t think they seemed the type for that, but she didn’t say so. Instead, she spun around and quickly headed for the door.
~!!~
Leanne flinched at his words, but she turned her face away from him so that he couldn’t see. Was she an embarrassment to him? She shook her head quickly, as if that would get rid of the thought. No; he loved her, even though he knew everything about her. She wasn’t an embarrassment to him. She couldn’t be.

She tried to pull away from him again, but his grip was too strong. The few people she passed in the hallway didn’t even glance at her; she wanted to say something, but it was as if her voice had abandoned her. She tried to dig her feet into the ground, but she only ended up almost tripping as he continued to pull her down. She glared at him and was about to say something when he spoke again. Kendra. She turned her eyes away from him again, but his next words made her angry. Pity? Was that really what he thought? She glared at him and when he pulled the ring off her finger, she snapped.

“Let go of me!!” She shouted, but she found herself in his room regardless. She could barely see her own hand in front of her face. She took a step back, but her boots were loud; even if he couldn’t see her, he could hear her. She felt her stomach turn as he placed his hands on her hips, and she glared at him, though the effect was lost in the dark. She brought her foot down hard on his, but it hardly seemed to do any good. A shiver ran down her spine as she found herself laying on his bed, looking up at him, though his form was still blurred in the dark.

“You don’t know me,” She said quietly. She was glad that it was dark, for now; he couldn’t see how badly her hands were shaking as she tried to push him off. “You don’t know a thing about me, so don’t pretend you do!” She shouted. “You’re disgusting. You can’t just do things like this to people. You don’t understand a thing about what’s going on!” She yelled. “I already forgave Patrick,” She said suddenly, letting her hands fall back to her side. She seemed as though she had stopped struggling; she closed her eyes, and in spite of it all, she was smiling. “I already forgave him,” She said quietly. “I already did. I don’t care about his lie; I was worse, what I did to him. I know that now.” She opened her eyes again, glaring at him once more, though she didn’t even know if he could see her. “I came here for my mate,” She said suddenly. “I came here for him, and I’m not leaving, not without him.”

She slid out from his grasp, but she only fell to the ground with a loud ‘thump’.
~!!~
Sage’s hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides. She took a step forward and wasn’t thinking as she brought her fist back, feeling it connect squarely with his jaw. She took a step back, shaking her head. “You don’t know me,” She said through clenched teeth. “I was raised with three older brothers; they acted like animals, but they had more manners than you,” she spat. She knew that she was being a hypocrite; she had no more manners than he did. But she didn’t care; she was angry, and most of her common sense flew out the window when she got mad enough.

She shook her head slowly, a wry grin crossing her features. She caught his gaze and glared at him. “You’ve never seen a necklace before?” She snapped, her voice laced with bitterness. She took a step back. “Oh, by the way, Addi,” She said, turning around and opening the front door. “You might want to check out your room later. It seemed different to me, somehow.” She walked inside and closed the door behind her, walking straight to her room and slamming the door closed behind her. She walked over to her window and pulled it open, taking something out of her pocket and lighting it. She knew that she shouldn’t smoke inside the house, but right now, she didn’t care.
~!!~
Seth didn’t want to let go of her; he wanted to hold her until she finally stopped crying, but that didn’t seem like it was going to happen any time soon. Was he the reason she was crying? He’d only wanted to help her, but it seemed as though he’d done just the opposite. When she spoke his eyes widened slightly.

“Is that why?” He asked quietly. “Cinder, I was only crying because I was worried. It’s not your fault; I’m sorry,” He said softly. He was about to say something else when she spoke, and then he heard Alice’s voice.

His face was strangely impassive as she pulled him away from Cinder; he didn’t fight her, but he didn’t say anything, either. He looked as though he were deep in thought; only when Cinder yelled did he seem to snap out of it.

He pulled away from Alice none-too-gently, and just looked at Cinder. She looked like she was telling the truth. He felt a pain deeper than any he had felt before; she had said it before, but she hadn’t meant it….had she? Would it really be better if he just left? He thought of how close she’d been to hurting herself earlier, and shook his head. He would stay, just as he had before; he wouldn’t let her see him. Maybe this time, he could stay that way. He didn’t want to hurt her. But she could see him, even if he didn’t want her to; if he wanted to stay as close to her as he was now, she would know it.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them she would no longer be able to see him, except maybe his light. He knew what lay in store for him in the future; but even when Cinder yelled at him to leave, he couldn’t, not even if it would save himself. He was already dead, after all; what else did he really have to lose? Couldn’t he only gain? But that didn’t seem to be happening, either.

He looked at Alice, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Our engagement was never made on love. It had no value. And it ended when we died,” He said simply. He wanted her to leave; he wanted to talk to Cinder, but he didn’t want her to have to see him anymore, at least not his face. He wasn’t sure what to do anymore; but he would start with this.
~!!~
K.C.’s neck was burning; the pain was worse than anything she’d felt in a long time, but her mind was detached from it. She barely paid attention to it, even as she dug down deeper and deeper. She just wanted the marks gone; she wanted to forget. But no matter how much she tried, she could still feel him there. She couldn’t stop it.

Before, she had never even thought about love. Every time she did, she thought of it as something that only someone weak would need, because they weren’t content with themselves. She’d only been assured in this as she watched Andrew; in a way, she’d been trying to save him from what she thought was going to destroy him, but she’d only destroyed him herself. That, and she was selfish; she didn’t want him to forget about her, even if she fought with him all of the time. After she’d watched him get his heart broken again and again with Sage, she promised herself that she’d never let that happen to her. But it had; and it was just as Andrew had said. She’d only ended up with her heart broken. She’d taken a risk and jumped, but only ended up falling.

When she heard the door open she looked up, but her hand didn’t move from her neck until he pulled it away. He looked panicked; she blinked in surprise. She looked as though she were in a daze of some sort. She wasn’t acting like herself. Instead of pulling away and yelling at him, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest, though the blood from her neck stained his shirt. “You were right,” She mumbled. “Xavier was part of the rebellion,” She said quietly. “It’s his fault we’re here now, and I didn’t even know it,” She whispered. She didn’t even seem to realize what he’d called her; if she had, she probably would have said something about it. “I hate it,” She whispered. “No matter what I do, he’s still there.” Her hand grasped a fistful of his shirt, the one that was covered in her own blood. “You were right,” she repeated quietly. “I’m just sorry that I didn’t realize it sooner. I still love him, Andrew,” She whispered. She wouldn’t even admit that to herself, but she found herself telling it to her brother. She’d never shared anything personal with him before, at least not like this. “I can’t stop. I don’t know what to do.”
~!!~
December didn’t know what to say to him; she felt as though she were talking herself in circles. Did she really have a right to talk, anyways? She hadn’t exactly been thinking about what was best for the person she loved, either. How could she expect him to, even if that person was her best friend? She watched as he walked over to the window and then stood up in silence, but she didn’t move from where she was standing.

“Maybe you’re right,” She said finally. “Maybe you can’t let her go. But just think about what’s best for her,” She said quietly. “Just think about it, before you do anything. That’s all I’m asking, though I know you don’t owe anything to me.” She turned around and walked to the door, but paused again with her hand on the doorknob. “You know, I hated you for what you did to her,” She said suddenly. “I hated you for killing her. But you care about her just as much as I do, don’t you?” She asked quietly, pulling the door open. “I wonder why we always lose what we care about.” She walked out into the hallway and pulled the door closed behind her without another glance at him.
~!!~
Something still didn’t feel right to her, but Sammy nodded. She shook her head as she glanced at his hand, instead walking outside and stretching her arms high above her head. She couldn’t believe that it was really over; she had finally gotten rid of him. She slowly lowered her arms bag to her sides, looking at the cast still on her wrist, then back at Rico.

“Thank you,” She said again. She didn’t want to admit it, but she would feel better if he walked her home. But she also didn’t want to hold his hand; she wasn’t that weak, nor would she ever admit it even if she was. She always wanted to show that she could take care of herself, even if this proved otherwise. She didn’t seem to realize just how close things had come this time to disaster, how it could have ended if he hadn’t come alone. She had always thought herself strong, and she was; but not strong enough to protect herself from him. She closed her eyes, letting out a long breath before turning back to Rico. “Coming?” She asked simply.
~!!~
Leslie’s cheeks were even darker than hers were; he let himself be pulled along after her, a small smile on his lips. He acted as if this was the only place he wanted to be, that if he were anywhere else he would have been miserable. And it was mostly true; the only place he thought he’d be happier than with her was with his sisters, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. He looked up as she stopped walking, his eyes falling on the only light on inside the house. He smelled the blood before the door opened.

He took a step back, and his face changed. Instead of a smile he looked as though he were struggling not to scream, as if he were in pain. It was only then that he realized how long it had been since he’d hunted. When the door opened his eyes widened slightly and he stepped back again, almost stumbling over his own feet. His hands flew up to his mouth, as if that alone could keep him from pushing past Brooke and to her brother. He felt like an idiot; why hadn’t he thought of this? It was because he didn’t often interact with humans. He didn’t even think of what it must look like to Simon, him standing in the back looking as though he were suffocating. His eyes turned to Brooke, begging her to understand what he couldn’t say.
~!!~
Kit’s eyes widened slightly at his words, and she shook her head slowly, staring down at the ground below her feet. Servant? What did he mean? But the fact was, she still couldn’t leave. She was barely listening as Avril spoke, only catching a few words. There was so much that she still didn’t understand; she thought that she had known everything, but that wasn’t the case. She didn’t want to learn it, though; she wanted things to go back to the way that they used to be, but they couldn’t, not when she was like this.

She looked back up as Avril stopped talking, but she didn’t even seem to realize what she’d been about to say. She didn’t speak, only took a step to the side so that she was no longer standing in front of the door. She pulled her cap down farther over her eyes, as if that could keep them from seeing her, too. She just wanted to leave; she wanted to go back home, but she wasn’t even sure where that was anymore.
~!!~
Jennifer flinched with every word he spoke, even if they weren’t sharp. They all still felt like a slap in the face to her. When he took her chin in his hand she bit her lip, trying to turn away, but she couldn’t look away from him. When he kissed her forehead she just nodded. “I’m sorry,” She whispered. “I’m so sorry, Trevor.” She didn’t know what else she could say; she had broken his trust, just as he had said, and it wasn’t something that was easily rebuilt, even if there was love there underneath it. “I’m not going anywhere,” She said quietly. “I promise. Never again.”

"Brooke?" Simon whispered as she looked at him sadly. He hadn't believed it. He didn't want to believe it, but here was all the proof he needed. He was about to throw his arms around her and hold her tightly when he saw Leslie. In the dark he looked like a girl. A frown pulled on his lips when he saw how strange she was looking at him. "Brooke who's the chick?" he asked softly. "And why does she look like she is dieing?" he said as he pushed Brooke to see what was wrong with her. He was unaware that she could kill him. He was unaware that she would want to drink his blood.

That was when Brooke saw Leslie. "Simon, stop." she said,her voice panicked. She reached over and pulled him back, away from Leslie. She was looking at Leslie with sad eyes. She blamed herself. She was the one that wanted him to come with her, she hadn't even thought that he might want to 'eat' Simon. Fear ran through her. She couldn't let this happen. She remembered how painful her own death was. She ran up to Leslie and wrapped her arms around him. "Leslie, think. Please, don't look at Simon." she whispered.She wasn't even sure he heard her. But she didn't care. She just brought her arm up to her mouth, without thinking she bit down hard.

Blood filled her mouth and she pulled away. She offered him her arm; her blood. Her arm hurt, but she didn't him to attack Simon. She would do anything for him, even be the meal for a vampire. She was looking up at Leslie with watering eyes. She knew she wouldn't taste as good as Simon, but she didn't want him to kill her brother. "Please, Leslie. Please. Please." she kept saying that one word over and and over as if it was her prayer.

~!!~
Michi looked up at him when he asked her what was the matter. She could feel him. She could eel the anger that he always held building up. His anger made him a great protector, but that was only when that anger wasn't directed at her. But now, it was. It kind of scared her. Draven could be merciless. She wasn't sure if his love for her could save her if his anger peeked. So she decided not to push her luck. Even as his grip was tightening on her, she decided to tell him the truth.

She reached over and grabbed his wrist, although it didn't do much good. She just looked up at him, in the eyes. Although she was in pain, she was not crying. She would not cry, not even in front of him. She didn't want him see her as weak. She needed him to hold her like he was ashamed of her. If she was weak at his side, he might be ashamed if her, then cast her to the side. And still underneath, or maybe over top, she was doubtful of the fact that she was Michi. She was unsure.

"What if I'm not Michi?" she said boldly, just like she would always do. "I was not born as Michi. I was technically created Ollie. Just because I may think I am Michi, have all her memories, does that mean that I am Michi? What if you just mated with Ollie? How do we know who I am? I don't it is possible for me to be Michi. No matter how much I want to be. Would it be right for me to pretend to be someone I am not?" Her voice did not waver, she did not look away from Draven's eyes. She was acting just like Michi would. But she was so confused. She didn't know if any of this was possible. She was doubtful of this, or herself at the moment.

Finally her voice fell, but she did not look away. By now she would have a bruise on her arm from his grip.

~!!~
Eros spun around and grabbed Jenny by the arm. "Hold it, missy." he said as he pulled her toward him. "You can't just ask questions and then leave. It doesn't work that way," he said as he pushed his hair out of his eyes and looked around the room. His eyes fell on a tiara that was laying on the floor. It had been on his head when he came in. It must of fallen off when Chronos pinned him to the ground. He let go of her and picked it up. He placed it on top his head once more and Chronos was glaring at it.

"You're too old for dress up." he said.

"You're too young to be a bitter old man." Eros retorted.

He looked back at Jenny. There was a frown stretched on his lips. "My timing isn't great. I was walking up the stairs when you entered the room. I was standing there a good ten minutes before I entered. If he hadn't started talking about me I would of waited until you left to enter. " he said as he straightened the tiara on his head and looked at his father. "A for the scars. You don't get to know." he said as Chronos took the tiara of his son's head.

"You're a boy, you were raised as a boy. Stop acting like a girl." he said as he set the tiara on the desk.

Eros glared at him and pulled it off the desk and back on to his head. "This is all I have left of Echo. I'm not going to give it up." he shouted. Then he looked down. "I'm sorry. I-" But Chronos was already yelling.

"All you have left of your sister, huh! I bet it is!" he said with a roll of his eyes. "You have more of her than I ever had!" he shouted. "You have her-"

"SHUT UP!" Eros cried out falling to the ground, shaking with tears he could not cry. "Just stop." he begged. "I know what I have, I don't need you to remind me every time I come to see you. This is why I left. This is why I never come. Just stop. It's not my fault." he whispered.

"It is." Chronos said. "It is your fault. Yours and yours a lone as he looked at Jenny. "Get him out of my sight. That's all I want from you, then maybe I won't kill you."

~!!~
Fear covered Patrick's face as he tried to pull away from Kendra. She held on tight to him, so he looked at his father. "Please." he begged slightly.

"She's fine." Kendra insisted, but Patrick could feel Leanne. He knew things were not fine. He felt a deep hatred for his brother. For Kendra for saying everything was fine. For Leanne for coming down wearing such a dress. He loved the way she dressed. It was what made her her, but he would think that she would have enough common sense to know that walking down wearing something that short was a big no no. It made him want to burn all her clothes like that. It was strange; he didn't want to give in to her and leave with her, but he wanted to leave to burn all the clothes that would give any man a strange thought. He thought he move on. But this just proved he couldn't. Why would he be so protective if he was moving on?

His father nodded and walked up towards his youngest son's room.

Matthew reached down and pulled Leanne back up on the bed. "There isn't anything I need to know about you. You aren't very interesting, but why would you dress like this if not because you enjoy this?" he asked as he pinned her down again. "Where is Patrick then?" he asked. "Down stairs. Not saving you. Is he angry? It's because you came down and embarrassed him. He is mad at you. You are worthless." he whispered in her ear.

Just then the door handle jiggled. "Matthew." came Peter's voice.

Matthew mumbled something. "Ah, this will have to wait." Matthew whispered in her ear as he pushed himself up and opened the door."What?" he looked so innocent.

Peter looked in at Leanne. "Leanne," he began. "Come, I think we should talk." he said as he waited for her to come.

~!!~
Cinder stared at where she knew Seth stood. She watched the light move and anger cross Alice's face. She suddenly felt sad and regretted what she had said. She regretted everything she said. She loved Seth, yet she abused him emotionally. She felt broken, so she broke him. She hated it like this. She wanted it to go back to how things use to be. But she had already ruined that, she ruined everything. She knew she did. It had to be her fault that all this had happened. It had to be. Seth would be so much happier with someone else, yet he felt as if he had to stay with her and protect her. The world was crashing on her. She fell to her knees and cried.

Alice looked at Seth when he spoke. Anger boiled in her. She had always been her parent's little girl. She would do what ever they wanted of her. They wanted her to marry Seth. She had always known that she was going to marry him. So she had tricked herself into believing that she loved him. Even now she believed that she loved him. Because she needed to, even now she believed that she had to please her parents. She had even made herself believe that she had died out of heart break. Everyone around her would believe it, as well. She put up a front that made everyone think she would make a good wife. So when she died the day after him, it made so much sense that she had died of a broken heart. No one would think about how she had been sick. No one blamed that. No,they blamed a dead boy. In any case, if Seth had not been a coward and stayed, he would not of had to marry Alice. He would of have grown old and moved on at death.

And in that case, Cinder would of have long been dead at this point in time.

Alice was not just ticked. There was a fire blazing in her eyes. If she were to accept that their engagement was over, then she would be acknowledging that she had failed her parents. This girl, this girl who was hanging of a cliff much higher then herself was getting in the way. In her mind she could not move on until Seth accepted that she was his wife (or was to-be) or that she accepted that it was all over. And she would not accept the later.

She leaned down and picked up a piece of glass and her voice was soft. It almost sounded like she was crying. "Why do you love her? Don't you see that I was always right here? I would of have been so much easier to love. She is slipping, she is going to fall. You can't save her, but I was always there. You could of loved me. You could of held me. You would never of have needed to catch a falling girl that never wanted to be caught. Why do you put yourself in so much pain, Seth?" she asked softly as she should up with the glass. She looked at him and the glass flew out of her hand, she didn't even look as to where it was going.

There was an ear silting scream.

Cinder had the worse timing. She looked up just as Alice threw the glass. It planted itself right in her eye. She rolled her self in a ball as she cried. It hurt just to do that. She didn't know what to do, what to do. SO she just sat there; covered in blood and tears.

~!!~
Andrew sat there in silence. What was he going to say? I told you so? Here was his sister, crying and upset, he hardly thought it was the right time to tell her that he had told her so. If anything this was where he blamed him. He had fallen in love, told her that it was worth it, then changed his mind after she had already fallen hard. He should of listened to her, maybe they both wouldn't be broken. But they were, and even though he didn't want to admit it, there was times that he regretted that he walked out on Sage. He knew all too well that KC would end up missing Xavier, even if she never said so. This was all his fault. So all he did was hold her closer.

"Khris. You don't deserve this." he said. "You deserve to be happy. he whispered as he stood up and carried her into her bathroom. He set her on the counter and looked at her neck. It was worse up close. Taking a rag, she began to clean the blood. She bled so much. The wounds were deeper then he had thought. He brushed her hair out of her face. He was frowning, deeply, as he placed a bandage on her neck. But it didn't cover it all the scars. It took two move bandages, and by the time he had them covered, his hands were shaking. "WAS THIS WORTH IT!?" he demanded, but his voice was shaking. "He hurt yourself because o him, but he is still there! You didn't do anything but hurt yourself!" he cried. He was still shaking as he wrapped his arms around his sister.

~!!~
"No place I rather be then hanging by this thread," Elijah whispered softly. "And I will never leave these words unsaid." He spoke softly under his breath. He didn't want to forget the lines, although that was impossible. He had written the song and whispered it to himself when he couldn't play it on the guitar.For days now, he has been debating coming here and showing her what he had written for her. He had never forgotten lyrics before, but he was so nervous, he didn't know how she would take it.

But none of that showed as he smile softly at her when she opened the door. Rue wasn't the prettiest, although she may of have been once, but she was his light. The reason he wrote the song in the first place. "Can I come in?" he asked as he pulled the guitar strap higher on his shoulder. "I have something to show you." he said, and he swore that he could feel the lines he had wrote slip off his tongue. "I-" He looked pale as he stepped in. He wanted to turn around and forget about this whole mess. It wasn't worth it. But he knew it was; that she was worth it. "Sit." he said softly as he tried to draw the lyrics back to his tongue, but he couldn't couldn't pull them forth.

It was too late to back down, no matter how much he now thought that this was a bad idea. He wanted to do this at the same time.

The redhead bit his head and looked away and bit his lip as he sat across from her and pulled out his pick. He sat the guitar in his lap and looked at her again. "Don't laugh, okay?" he said and looked down at the guitar again. He never told he could play anything, although she had heard him sing before. It was in the car to the radio. But she never knew that he could even write songs.

His hand was shaking slightly as he began to start playing. It all came back then, and his nervousness seemed to disappear. Music was easier to focus on then romance, and he didn't pay attention to Rue then he did have to worry about what she would think, at least not at first. The lyrics came back, and he was smiling slightly. "I was so- so sure/ That everything was secure/ That I didn't need this cure/ I couldn't see that everything was so- so obscure." It began, and he no longer seemed nervous. "Then I ran into you/ I didn't know wha- what to do/ Now I am standing here looking like the fool." he went on. His voice seemed to grow stronger with every word.

He didn't look at her once as he sang. Well, mostly. He glanced at her when he came to one verse. "And then there was that smile/ That you gave me every once and a while/ It stretched out the mile/ Made everything oh-so- so worthwhile." he glanced just as his fingers almost made a mistake. Now he was nervous again. What if he didn't practice enough? She would laugh at him. But he couldn't stop. "I always kept my head so- so high/ But I never did look up at the sky/ Until I looked you in the eye/ I never felt more like the fool."

He only kept going because he was now afraid to face her and he knew he was blushing slightly. Soon the song came closer to it's end, and he knew that he would have to look at her soon. "'Cause I will never be the one on top of it all/ I will always be the one to fall/ No place I rather be then hanging by this thread/ And I will never leave these words unsaid." Once more, he almost made a mistake, no musician was perfect, but he wanted to be. He wanted to get this right, for Rue. "Running into you/ Not knowing what to do/ I'll always be the fool." Then he was down to the very last line. "Always the fool."

He stared down at the strings for a wile before he glanced up at her.

~!!~
Rico followed her out the door and nodded slowly to her question. He would follow her home like he did every time she left the house. Then he would pretend he was leaving, and he would watch from a far. That was how every night went for him. It was not strange, not to him. He walked to her side when he saw a figure standing on the sidewalk, staring at them with a sad expression. He was tall and thin with black hair falling in his dark eyes. He was wearing a light blue T-shirt despite the weather. He was wearing jeans and no shoes. His brother had claimed that all his clothes were lost in a fire, that he had to be buried like that.

Rico didn't know who this boy was, but he couldn't look away from the long scars that decorated one side of his body- all the boy had left of his human life, although he received them in the accident that took his life.

Cole didn't understand why he was here. He didn't know why he was back He had once read that the dead came back to fulfill some business that they had left undone. He could only think of one thing, that note and what should of have been Sammy's death. He had regretted that since the moment he was told she was dead (only later did he find out it had been Ash who had died). That was why he was depressed when she came to find him. At first he thought he had been making it up, but then later, after holding her and falling in love with her, did he find out that she was real. Then the guilt filled him.

He had not killed any person before Ash, and that had meant to be Sammy. If she had been dead he would missed out on the only girl that made him want to be kind. Then he killed again, this time his brother, Rex. Then the guilt had broke him. He had tried to get Sammy to do things she did not want to do so he could repent. But that had not been the right way. And then he died. Maybe he didn't want to finish his business. He knew that he wouldn't be resting peacefully. He wouldn't be going to the place everyone hoped to go. He knew he carried far too much sin for that.

Now he was looking at Sammy and Rico. Sadness covered his face as he walked up to them. He looked at Rico and shook his head. "There is no need; I'll walk her home." he said as he looked at Sammy. "If that is okay with you, Sammy."

~!!~
Noland didn't even notice that Avril had called Kit a she. All he did was look down at her and told her to let 'him' go.

"You can go." she said softly. "If you want." IT was clear from her voice that she didn't want her to leave. "But don't you want to meet Noah? I swear he isn't this a big of a meanie." she as she walked over to the older girl. She tugged on her shirt and looked up at her. "Please don't leave."

~!!~
Trevor smiled at her. His face was suddenly so soft as he let go of her chin. He looked much like the day that he asked her to marry him. He remembered that day clearly. She had made a promise to him that day, too. Just after she had made that promise he asked her.

"Do you know what is better then a promise?" he repeated what he said that day. She had anwsered 'what', but now she was silent. That was when he slid the ring on her finger and whispered in her ear the answer.

"Forever." he whispered in her ear as he brushed her hair away from her neck. "I been waiting fifty years for you to come back. I been waiting all that time to make you mine, forever. I wanted to give you what was better then a promise all that time." he whispered into her skin. "Later is better then never." he said. "If you still want me." he said as his fangs brushed her neck.

Jenny frowned slightly as she was pulled back, but she didn’t protest. When he let go to pick up the tiara she blinked in surprise, and opened her mouth to say something when they started fighting. She took a step back, looking back and forth between the two of them, a frown tugging at her lips. She didn’t understand what they were talking about, but she didn’t need to. She just hated listening to it.

She couldn’t seem to get a word in, though, which was rare for her. When Chronos spoke to her she glared slightly at him. “I don’t know what the two of you are talking about, but he’s the only son you have left, right?” She demanded. “You should be hugging him, not telling him to get out. What kind of a father are you?!” She shouted. She didn’t often get angry; she was usually the smiling, carefree one, trying to stop arguments, but she wasn’t now. Now, she looked furious.

“You two have each other! I don’t understand what you’re arguing about, but does it really matter?! If you’re all that each other has left, then who cares what happened in the past?!” She shouted. Seeing Eros on the ground practically in tears awakened the frustration inside of her that she’d been holding back since she left home. “Just because your life sucks, doesn’t mean you should take it out on your son, or on me!!” She shouted, taking a step forward towards Chronos. “You’re not the only one whose lost people!”

Her hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides as she looked up at him, her chin thrust out defiantly, as if daring him to make a move. She didn’t hate him; she knew she shouldn’t be yelling at him, that it wasn’t her place, but it infuriated her. She couldn’t go back to her family, and he was shunning the only one that he had? She spun back around before he could do anything and took Eros by the hand, pulling him to his feet. “Let’s go,” She mumbled, dragging him to the door without waiting for a response. She pulled him to the door and slammed it open, dragging him into the hallway and slamming it closed behind her. She let go of his hand and took a step away, her eyes closed tightly. She brought her fist down on the wall, but all she managed to do was split her knuckles open. She spun around and let out a strangled cry, somewhere between a sob and a scream. She seemed to have forgotten that Eros was there entirely. Her mind was swimming with thoughts, and all her frustration was welling up. She didn’t know where her brother was, she couldn’t see her family, she didn’t even have a mother anymore, and Trevor was happier with the woman who had broken his heart than hanging around with her. She knew that she shouldn’t be surprised, but it still upset her.
~!!~
Leanne shook her head quickly as he spoke. “No!” She shouted, fighting against him once again. She seemed distracted now, though. Was what he said true? Shouldn’t Patrick have been able to feel what she did? They still held their bond, even if he didn’t want to acknowledge it. Why wasn’t he coming? She hated to be thought of as someone that needed saving, but that was the way it seemed now. But would Matthew really do anything, or was he just trying to scare her? She thought it was the latter, but the way he whispered in her ear as he stood up to answer the door made her think otherwise.

She was quickly back on her feet, her face back to the way it had been before; any trace of fear or worry was gone, replaced by an apathetic expression, though her eyes were still furious as she looked at Matthew. She didn’t know why Patrick hadn’t come, but she didn’t care. It didn’t matter. Maybe he really didn’t know she was in trouble; or maybe she hadn’t been at all. Maybe he really had just been trying to scare her.

She blinked in surprise when she saw Peter, but she quickly recovered and nodded at his words, trying not to show how relieved she felt. She felt sick to her stomach as she saw the way Matthew looked at his father, but she ducked around him and into the hallway, fighting back the rising nausea. She stopped once she was in the hallway, folding her arms across her chest and looking at him. “Thank for getting my name right,” She mumbled quietly.
~!!~
Draven was dangerously silent for what seemed like the longest time after she fell silent. His grip only seemed to tighten; by now she would be in a lot of pain; he was almost close to breaking her arms, but he didn’t seem to realize it. He felt an anger deeper than any he had felt in a long time, and it was directed at her.

Or was it? Who was it in his arms right now? Was it Michi, or Ollie? His head began to throb, and with that his grip tightened even more. As soon as it did, he heard the sickening ‘crack’ as her arm broke like a twig under his grip.

That was what he needed to pull himself out of his daze; he released his grip on her, stumbling to his feet and pushing her to the ground in the process. His hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides as he looked at her, taking a step back. Part of him wanted to yell, wanted to scream and demand why she was saying this now, after he’d mated with her, but another part wanted to hold her and say that he was sorry, that he didn’t mean it. But did he? His face was a prefect mask of indifference, the way it had always been before he’d met her. But the hard set of his jaw, the stiff way he was standing; anyone who knew him well enough could see that he was fighting a battle that no one else could see, and losing.
~!!~
Leslie didn’t hear what Simon had said; if he had, chances are he would have said something about it. But it was taking all he had not to kill him where he was standing. It made him feel sick; he shouldn’t have had to try so hard not to hurt someone. He’d hunted only animals for most of his life; he had learned early on that he couldn’t stomach the guilt, not like most of them could. But he hadn’t thought ahead; he hadn’t been thinking clearly. Brooke had that effect on him.

He opened his eyes as he heard her voice, stumbling back again, his hands still pressed tightly over his mouth. When she wrapped her arms around him his eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t move. He was afraid of what he would do if he did.

He could smell her blood as soon as she broke her skin; he tried to pull away from her, but his eyes fell on her arm, the blood running from the wound that she had inflicted on herself. He couldn’t stop himself as he bit down where she had, the taste of her blood filling his mouth. It relieved him, but at the same time he felt sick. By the time he pulled away he knew that he had taken far too much; if she weren’t already dead, chances are he would have killed her by now. It was the first time he had felt truly ashamed of what he was; before, he had never had to think about it much. It was normal for him. But spending time with Brooke made him see how unnatural it all was.

He pulled away from her slowly, staring down at the marks he had made on her arm. He could still taste her blood in his mouth. He slowly looked up at her, his eyes wide. “I’m sorry,” He stammered. “Brooke, I’m so sorry.”
~!!~
Seth was pulled out of his thoughts as he watched Cinder fall to the ground. Her cries broke through the fog in his mind and he stumbled forward, though he would still be nothing more than a light to her. He hesitated, though. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what would be better for her. He had long ceased caring about what happened to himself; he just wanted her to be safe, to be happy. But she wasn’t safe when he was here, nor was she happy. But she wasn’t when he was gone, either.

He looked up as he heard Alice’s voice but it was blurred, as if he were hearing her from a distance away. His eyes were only on Cinder, even as she picked up the glass and threw it. What happened next seemed like slow motion to him. Her scream broke through to him, though, and he ran forward, kneeling down next to her. The amount of blood was frightening even to him. He pushed himself to his feet and looked at Alice, his eyes blazing. His hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides, stained red from Cinder’s blood.

“I don’t love you!” He shouted, louder than he’d ever yelled before. “I never did!!” He yelled. “I never could, and I never will! We’re dead, Alice!!” He cried. “We’re dead. Gone. We might as well not even be here, but we are, and you choose to spend that time hurting me?!” He demanded. “Hurting the people I love?!” His hands were shaking, though with fear or rage it was unclear. “You don’t love me, Alice!” He shouted. “If you did, you wouldn’t do these things! You wouldn’t hurt her! You’d only do that if you hated me, like I hate you.” He didn’t think about what he’d just said, nor the effect it could have on her. He knelt back down next to Cinder, knowing that she’d be able to see him now. She would have heard everything he had just said to Alice. He gently pulled her up to a sitting position and placed his hands over hers, though her blood was already staining his. He didn’t know what to do; he couldn’t leave her side, not while Alice was there.

“I’m so sorry,” He whispered, but it seemed as if only those words were causing him pain.
~!!~
K.C. didn’t know what to think. She didn’t want to think; she wanted to forget everything and just sleep. But she would always wake up, would always have to face another day. It was strange, how the absence of one person could make her never want to face the world again. She wasn’t the headstrong girl she usually was; now, she seemed like a little girl afraid of the monster under the bed and looking for comfort in someone else. But the monster was herself now, wasn’t it?

When he picked her up she didn’t say anything. She didn’t even flinch as he wiped the blood away from her neck, though inside she was screaming with pain. When he yelled she jumped, and just looked at him, biting her lip hard. She didn’t know what to say to him. Was it worth it? Was any of it worth it? She just sat there as he hugged her, no longer able to find the strength to return the gesture. She didn’t want him to be worried about her; she didn’t want him to see her like this, so broken up. She bit back any words that she wanted to say, instead choosing to sit in silence. She didn’t know what she wanted; she wanted him to leave, but at the same time, she felt as though she’d fall apart if he left her, if he let go of her. She had never wanted her brother near her before, but now she felt as though he were her very lifeline. In a way, he might have been.
~!!~
Rue was crying.

She thought that all the tears she had had been spent in the past week since her mother left, but evidentially she was wrong. And it was the very person she had been longing to see who brought them out.

She wasn’t really all there since her mother had left, though she had seen him since then. She’d smiled, laughed, but it no longer reached her eyes, and she wouldn’t tell him why. Her house felt so empty when she was the only one there; she spent most of her time in her room, the one place that she truly felt secure in. But even that feeling was gone now.

When she’d opened the door to find him standing there, she knew how tired she looked. She had hardly gotten any sleep the past few days, and it showed. She looked broken; exhausted. But she’d smiled as she let him in, her eyes falling on the guitar over his shoulder. She blinked in surprise and was about to ask if he played when he spoke. The way he paled made her stomach drop; he looked as though he wanted to run away. She frowned slightly and shut the door behind him as he stepped inside, nodding as he spoke. She sat down and looked at him as he did the same, her hands folded together in her lap nervously. She didn’t understand what was going on, but the way he was acting now made her wonder if she had done something wrong. Was he mad at her?

She frowned and opened her mouth to ask why she would laugh when he began to play. Any words she had been about to say fell away like a ton of bricks. She kept her eyes on him as he played, but she didn’t even notice the few almost mistakes that he did. It was like nothing she’d ever heard before. She didn’t realize she was crying until her tears fell down onto her hands. She raised a hand to her cheek, but she still didn’t take her eyes off of him. The lyrics were what was making her cry; was that how he really felt? She met his eyes as he glanced up, then looked down at her hands, which were trembling. She knew that he had stopped playing, but she still didn’t look up. The only sound in the room was her soft sobs that she was trying so hard to hold back.

She’d moved here expecting a repeat of her old life; she’d have to hide everything from everyone, but that didn’t matter. She had been happy. But then history repeated itself, and she no longer could hide her scars. The first time she’d met Elijah, she’d though of him as nothing more than another face in the crowd to ridicule her, but now, everything was different. She let the silence stretch on until she finally managed to find her voice again.

“You are a fool,” She finally managed to get out, but her voice was barely more than a whisper. She couldn’t explain why she was saying this now, after so long; it had always been there, in the back of her mind. The things that had happened lately just seemed to push it forward. “Elijah, you could have anyone,” She said quietly. Even as she spoke her tears continued to fall, but she was unsure why any longer. “You’re nice, sweet, and handsome. But you choose me?” She asked quietly, looking back up at him, though his figure was blurred. “You could have anyone, anyone more beautiful than me,” She said softly. “My own mother called me worthless and left me here on my own a week ago. You should do the same." She blinked, causing more tears to fall. She looked back down at her hands, finally managing to still their trembling. "I don't understand. Why don't you just leave? Why do you keep wasting your time with me? You'd be so much better off with anyone else. I'm just causing you pain. You shouldn't let me drag you down like this," She whispered.

She was happy. She was so happy, but she had to ruin it by saying something like that, when all she wanted to do was tell him that she loved him and hold him close. She couldn’t believe that he’d written that for her; she hadn’t even known he could play the guitar. She had only heard the song once, yet even now the lyrics were spinning around in her mind, and with them came the tears all over again.
~!!~
Sammy didn’t want to be alone with Rico; something about him felt off, but she couldn’t quite place what. But whatever it was, it had her on edge. She kept a safe distance away from him, but she felt a pang of guilt for it. He had saved her, after all, even though she hated to think of herself as someone who needed saving.

She looked back up and was about to say something when she saw him. She stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding hard, almost painfully, against her chest. It was Cole. It was him. She closed her eyes tightly, but when she opened them again, he was still there. Her eyes fell on the scars that covered him on one side, and her stomach turned. Was she seeing things? But Rico was staring at where he was standing, too.

How was he here? She had seen strange things here, but the dead coming back? She felt as though her legs were too lead weights keeping her frozen in place. When he walked closer her nervousness and confusion was replaced by something else; hatred and anger.

“No, it’s not okay!!” She shouted. Her voice was so loud in the silence of the night that it made herself jump, but she didn’t stop. “You’re not supposed to be here! You’re dead!” She shouted, not paying attention to the fact that Rico was still there. One of her hands lifted involuntarily to her left arm, where a small scar sat near her elbow, the result of a piece of glass in the accident that had taken his life. “You should be dead!” She screamed, shoving him back with both hands, flinching as she strained her wrist. “I hate you! I know what you tried to do to me, Cole!” She shouted. “I know that you never loved me! It was just a game to you, wasn’t it?!” She demanded. “A sick, twisted game. Let’s see if I can make her fall in love with me!” Her voice was filled with bitterness and resentment. She wanted nothing more than to hit him, even if it probably wouldn’t do any good; he was already dead. Wasn’t he? She wasn’t sure about anything anymore.
~!!~
Kit looked down at Avril, biting her lip. She didn’t know what to do. Finally, she took a step back, surprised to find that she could, and shook her head. “Sorry,” She said quietly. “I should go.” It wasn’t just that she had already ruined any chance of a good ‘first impression’; she just wasn’t interested. Besides, she was the reason that this boy’s mother was dead, the reason that Avril’s mother was dead. She didn’t want to be there, even if she had been the one looking at the photograph in the first place.

She didn’t say anything else as she turned around and walked out of the room, walking down the hallway and to her own room. She opened the door and closed it quietly behind her, slipping down to the ground. The old part of her that was so sure she was right in killing vampires was still there, but it was being buried under another part of her that she had never known was there, a part that knew she had been wrong. She was switching back and forth in between moods quickly; it was almost as if both sides of her were fighting, and it was still unsure which would win.

She stood up and walked over to her bed, sitting down on the edge and pulling the hat off her head. She brushed her short red hair out of her eyes, laying back on her bed and staring up at the ceiling in silence.
~!!~
Jennifer’s eyes widened when he spoke the same words that he had so long ago. She still remembered them clearly; she remembered that entire day as if it was just yesterday. But it had been over 50 years.

She was pulled out of the memory as his fangs brushed her skin. A shiver ran down her spine, but she nodded. She didn’t know what to say; she felt horrible for doing this to him for so long, and knew that no matter what, the fact would still remain that she had hurt him, probably deeper than she could ever understand. But she didn’t want to lose him again, didn’t want to be away from him ever again.

“Yes,” She said quietly. The ring that he had given her when she’d accepted his proposal symbolized their promise, but she no longer held it. She had left it with him when she’d run away like the coward she was. But wasn’t this much better than a ring to symbolize a promise?

The silence was killing her. She didn't know what she was expecting him to say. Maybe that she was wrong? Maybe she wanted him to make her believe she was her. She was so lost; she wasn't sure what she wanted anymore. But it was certainly not what she got.

She heard the creak before she felt the pain. She stared at him with wide eyes; they were watering from the pain, but she refused to let them fall. Never once had he hurt her, not like this. Not even when he hated her, though he tried. She was surprised. She didn't even say anything as he knocked to the floor. She held her broken arm as she stared at him with pain and confusion on her face. Suddenly she was crying loudly. It wasn't just the pain of her arm, it was the pain that he could look at her like that, that he could hurt her like that. But maybe she wasn't her,so it didn't matter. She was confused and it didn't help at all. He mad her feel so small.

She made her self as small as she could without hurting her arm anymore. She couldn't look up at him. He was just adding to her confusion. She was the small thing at his feet, crying loudly. He had never seen her so broken before. She had never been so broken before. She couldn't figure out how he could do this to her. How he could break her so easily. She could see that he was fighting with himself. But he shouldn't have to, she was the one on the full broken in mind and body. She wanted him to hold her. But at the same time she didn't want him to touch her. She was so lost. So confused. Then she wasn't even there.

Ollie sat up and wiped away Michi's tears. She flinched as she moved her broken arm. Standing up, she looked Draven and looked him in the eyes. "You disgust me." she said. "She trusted you. She was confused and lost for a moment,she was hoping you could fix her, but you had to break her more." Ollie said as she pushed herself to her feet. Her disgust covered Michi's sadness. "Did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy destroying her? You were the first person she ever opened up to, and now she is regretting it. You don't love her, do you? You just love beating her down and breaking her. You have been doing this for a while. Is this you revenge on her?" she demanded.

~!!~
Eros had found himself in a moment of weakness. He hated when he was weak. Not only did he let his father down, but he was no longer himself when he was weak. He was someone else all together, and he had no power to stop it. He hate when this happen.

He wrapped a arm around her shoulders and pulled her close so that her back was pressed against his chest. His free hand reached down and picked up her bloody hand. His lips touched each of her knuckles. "You shouldn't hurt yourself." his voice said, although it was softer. It was his arm. It was his hand. It was his lips. It was his voice. But it wasn't him. "You shouldn't yell at father, he has been through a lot more then you may think." he said as his eyes passed over her hand. Then he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry yourself, sweetie." he said in her ear as he pulled away.

~!!~
Peter smiled slightly at her. "It's not hard to remember." he said as he looked down the hall. "Not as hard as my brother-in-law's name is. I don't even know how to it. Bartholomew... I don't even know if I said that right... And he won't go by Bart." He said as he took a step forward. The reason Mason got Leanne's name wrong was because she didn't like her. She even got his sister's name wrong. How she got Tammy out of Tempest, Peter had no clue. But it didn't matter. He just felt as if he had to talk to Leanne. He looked away and began walking. "Come on." he said,not looking back to see if she was following or not.

Suddenly a kid with brown hair and brown eyes came running around the corner. He looked to be around sixteen, but he was small for his age. There was a strange look in his eye, but what was stranger was the fact that he was carrying a small baby in his arms.

Peter froze in his tracks and his eyes widened as he reached over and grabbed the boy by the shirt collar. "Ezekiel... What are you doing with DeAndré?" he asked as he looked down at the boy and the boy. Ezekiel was his sister's brother. Peter and Tempest didn't share a father and Tempest and Ezekiel didn't share a mother. But it didn't matter. the teen was still like a brother to Peter. And DeAndré was his nephew, Tempest's son. So, he was a bit freaked out by the fact that the teen was running with the infant.

"I am liberating him!" Zeke claimed as Peter pulled the baby from his arms. "Tempest is an awful mother!"he pouted. "She took away the soldiers!" he exclaimed.

Peter looked at the baby then the boy. He glanced at Leanne next. "Here." he said as he placed the infant in her arms. That was when Zeke noticed her. His brown eyes widened.

"Ah! Don't give him to her! Look at the way she is dressed! You're going to confuse him!" Zeke said as he tried to take his nephew back from Leanne. "And I thought Tempest was the only one dressed... Strangely here." he mumbled as there were heavy footsteps coming toward them, fast. Suddenly a tall woman came around the corner. She was even taller considering that she was wearing heeled boots. She was dressed in much the same fashion as Leanne was. Her red dress was like a second skin and it stopped far above her knees. Her long black hair was knotted on top of her head and her make up was elegantly done.

"Zeke!" she called as she glared at him. Then her eyes fell on Leanne and her baby. "DeAndré." she said softly. "Can I have my baby back now?" she asked as she reached for the child in Leanne's arms.

~!!~
Brooke stepped away from him when he was done. She held her arm to her chest and she was looking at him sadly. "Leslie." she whispered. "Are you okay?" she asked as if she wasn't the one that was just bitten. She was scared. She didn't know what she would do if he killed Simon. She watched him for a few more moments before Simon was by her side again.

"What the heck just happened!?" he demanded as he looked at the couple. He looked made. He saw the way that Brooke looked at at the boy. He knew something was up, and he didn't like it. December had told him that Brooke was back, and he had her back now. He was slightly jealous that she stayed with a vampire all this time. December said she couldn't remember who any of them. But she could now; why didn't she come sooner? "Would someone mind---" he was cut off by his own coughing fit. When he was done hacking, he looked up at his sister, who was smiling sadly at him. She took his wrist before he could speak and dragged him in the house. He didn't protest.

Brooke paused in the doorway as she pushed Simon in. "Leslie, please come in." she said, even though she really had no right to invite him in anymore. "Simon, why are you home lone if you are sick?" she asked as she looked back at him.

Simon glared at her. "You died." he said as he walked into the kicthen, as if that answered it all. In a way it did. It had always been Brooke who had took of of him when he was sick. He knew he should be a little bit more freaked out, but part of him thought this was all a dream. He would wake up and he would find that she had never been here. Maybe if he was lucky he would wake up and they told him that he had been is some coma and none of this had never happened.

~!!~
Elijah reached up to touch her cheek when she spoke. A smile played on his lips when he heard her. But then she continued; she didn't stop at 'you are a fool'. Her words started to sting. They cut him deep and his face was a mask of pain. “Elijah, you could have anyone.” she had said. But he didn't want anyone else, he wanted her. He cared bout her. She was the one he needed. “But you choose me?” He didn't choose her, did he? He just kind of fell for her. It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. Even if he did, he would of still chosen her. “My own mother called me worthless and left me here on my own a week ago. You should do the same." Her own mother left her and now she was telling him to do the same? He couldn't believe this. Not only did she not tell him her mom left, but now she expected him to do the same. By this point in the game his hands were shaking badly. He couldn't stop them, he felt as if he was going to freak out. Did she not realize how deep her words were cutting him? Sure, she was insulting herself, telling him to move on. But he couldn't, he didn't want to. He didn't want to forget her.

With her last words, he finally had enough. But it hit him. She was breaking up with him. His face fell as he stared at her. He pushed himself up to his feet. His guitar fell to the ground with an awful racket. He didn't even bother picking it up. He cared for it, it was the only thing he had left of his grandfather. He wouldn't treat it so poorly, but it didn't matter. All he could think about was what Rue had just said. The way she just broke up with him. All he could think about was how much this hurt. He felt... he felt... He didn't know how to explain it. He felt broken.

"So, this is it?" he asked, his voice sad. "You think you aren't good enough, when you deserve the best? You think that you are worthless when I think you are the most treasured person in this world? I know I haven't been the best, but I am trying. You deserve the best, Rue. Don't you get it!" he was suddenly yelling. His moods kept changing. He was sad one moment and the next he was angry. This wasn't how today was meant to go. He had it planed in his head, and this wasn't fair.

"Don't you get it? Do you understand anything?" he shouted. "Who else could I want? Who else would I love!?" He was was pacing now. That was what he wanted to say. That was what he came to here to tell her. He loved her. They never told each other that directly and he had been scared. He was surprised that it came so easy now that he was mad. "Why would I write you a song, a love song, if I wanted anyone but you!" he demanded. He couldn't breathe. He felt as if he was about to faint. But he looked at her. "So this is how it ends? This is what you want?" He knew he would give her what ever she wanted, no matter how much it hurt. "I never found any of this a waste of time, but I wished you told me sooner that it was."he said as he turned and walked to the door. He did. He wished she had told him sooner, that way he wouldn't of fallen in love with her, that way he would of lost sleep perfecting that song. Her telling him this now made everything he did so willingly a waste of time.

He didn't even notice his guitar was still on the floor when he stepped out of the house and slammed the door closed behind him.

~!!~
Cinder kept crying, even after Seth pull her up and put his hands over hers. She was in so much pain as she looked at Seth. He was all fuzzy. "Seth." she cried as she suddenly leaned forward and grabbed a fistful of his shirt and cried into his chest. "Seth." she cried again, her voice mixed with pain. She was so scared, but she didn't know why. She knew that there was no saving her eye. The blood kept flowing, staining her cheek crimson. It gave a whole new meaning to the term 'blood tears'.

She held on tightly to Seth, not letting him go. Not even when Alice began to shout that she didn't deserve his love. That he was liar, that she did love her. Then she fled in anger and rage. Cinder didn't even let go when she heard footsteps in the kicthen, or a faint voice talking into the phone. She didn't care. She just didn't care, all she wanted was for Seth to make the pain go away. She forgotten just how much she was mad at him for the moment.

She even pull away when the sound of an ambulance could be heard.

~!!~
The girl hurried down the steps and ran straight to Kendra. There was a sly smile on her lips as leaned up and whispered something to her. When she pulled away, Kendra was covering her mouth and looked shocked. The girl then looked at Patrick, sadly. "I - I'm sorry." she whispered as Kendra took his hand and kissed his finger tips.

"We should go to someplace more private." she suggested as she lead the confused Patrick away from everyone.

Patrick was frowning deeply, he didn't understand what was going on. He could make out Leanne's feelings; they were confusing to him. Soon they came to a small drawing room and Kendra pushed him into a chair. "What's going on!?" he demanded. He looked up at Kendra, looking like an angel biting her lip.

"I am so sorry." she said as she simply gestured to the girl to tell him what she had seen.

"I seen Leanne walking into Matthew's room." she said quickly. "And then I found this on the floor." she said as she showed him the Leanne's ring.

Anger pushed through Patrick's veins; but not at Leanne. "I see Matthew lead her away, too! IT WASN'T HER CHOICE!" he shouted. He was enraged that she would suggest that Leanne was cheating on him with his own brother.

The girl stepped back, looking down. "There were, uh, noises in the room. But not struggling sounds, And when your father opened the door, they were both on the bed. They-" Patrick cut her off with a glare. He didn't want to believe this. He hated the thought of it. "Not possible! he shouted as he pushed himself to his feet. In his anger, all of Leanne's feelings were drowned out. But in his anger, there was a spark of love.

That was when Kendra spoke. "Now,Patrick, think logically. She came here to get back at you. She made you feel bad, then embarrassed you. Now she is using your brother to make a fool of you." she said.

Kendra was right...

She had made him feel bad, made him try to drop the rope. Then she came down wearing that dress. Although he didn't mind the way she dressed, he wanted his family to think the best of her. She had other things she could of have worn. He didn't want her to change how she dress, just chose something that was more appropriate. But no, and now his whole family probably thought she was cheap. He hadn't want that. And then she went and fooled with Matthew. It was like a slap in the face. Something told him he was wrong for believe these lies, but he was tired of this. As much as he wanted to go find his mate, he didn't think he would be able to look her in the eyes. He didn't know what to do. He felt as if he was falling apart.

His anger had melted away and was replaced by an unfathomable sadness. He fell back to the chair and buried his face in his hands. He was so confused. Then Kendra lifted his face up and pressed her lips to his. He wanted to pull back because, even if he didn't want to admit it, he was still over his head in his love for Leanne. But he didn't pull away; he felt frozen.

She pulled away and smiled at him. "Let me free you." she whispered as she held his wrist to his lips.

This wasn't what he wanted, but he allowed it. He didn't even flinch as Kendra bit into the skin. But he hesitated when he went to bit her neck, but in the end his bond with Leanne was broken.

~!!~
Cole grabbed her wrists when she pushed him. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. He closed his eyes as tears ran down his cheeks. "Sammy. I am so sorry. I am sorry. I did love you; I still do. Didn't you know that?I fell in love with you when I never wanted to. I am sorry, it was such a stupid mistake." he pulled away, not even noticing the strange look Rico was giving him. He didn't even notice that Luke was now standing a few feet away. Even if he did, he didn't care as he pressed his lips to her.

It wasn't until Luke had ripped the him off of Sammy did he realize that they had and audience. Then Luke's fist connected with his. "DON'T TOUCH HER!" he shouted. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER AGAIN!" he yelled as he glanced at Sammy, then Rico.

~!!~
Trevor didn't wait a moment longer. He bit into her skin and blood rushed into his mouth. When he pulled back crimson drops decorated his chin. He wiped them away and leaned down, kissing the ,marks he had just made before he kissed her lips then offered his own wrist for her to bite into. He couldn't believe that after so long he was finally getting his wish.

Draven was pulled out of his thoughts by the sounds of her cries. They cut him deeper than any knife ever could, ever had. He stumbled back, leaning against the wall for support, as if his legs just couldn’t cut it anymore. Her cries only seemed to grow louder and his mask was broken as he flinched, as if his arm was the one that was broken instead of hers, as if he hadn’t caused her pain. He slid down to the ground, holding his head in his hands. “Stop,” He said through clenched teeth. He didn’t know what to do; he didn’t know what he had done. “Stop it!” He shouted, opening his eyes and looking over at her. That was when Ollie stood up.

He was silent as she spoke. In some part of his mind, he knew that she was right when she spoke of him hurting her, how she had trusted him. Ollie was looking him in the eyes, but he couldn’t meet hers, not while he could still see Michi there. He refused to look up at her; now he was the one on the floor, looking broken. Though he was the one who had broken her.

When she accused him of never loving her, though, he snapped. “That’s a lie!!” He shouted, looking up at her. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, glaring at her. He wavered for a moment as he saw her arm, but then he continued. “I did love her! I still do!!” He shouted. But he knew that he was the one who had hurt her, too. What was she thinking now? He still couldn’t meet Ollie’s eyes. He didn’t know what to do.
~!!~
Jenny looked down at her hand, her face downcast. She was being stupid; she knew that, and yet she couldn’t help it. She hadn’t felt this frustrated in a long time, and she didn’t know how to deal with it. Her cheeks turned a light red when she realized that Eros was still there, and she was about to apologize when he pulled her close to him. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned bright red as he kissed her knuckles. She didn’t know what to do; this was the closest she’d ever been to any boy before, at least like this, and she barely knew him. Besides, it seemed strangely unlike him, even if she had only just met him.

He didn’t sound like himself, but she wasn’t thinking of that as he kissed her cheek and finally pulled away. She spun around, her hand flying to where his lips had touched it, and she just stared at him. For once, it seemed as if someone had left her speechless. After what seemed like an eternity, though, she spoke.

“I---I’m sorry,” She stammered, though for what she wasn’t sure. And then she was rambling again; it was as if it were the only thing she knew how to do then. “I shouldn’t have yelled at him, but I just got so mad. I guess it’s because he still has you and I don’t have my family anymore. But I told Trevor that I wanted to make this my family, but no one here seems to like me, not even him.” The words made her flinch, almost imperceptibly, but then she continued. “But, um, I won’t say anything to Chronos again,” She added quickly. Her words were beginning to run together as she talked faster and faster, until her words became almost imperceptible. “So, um, I should go now,” She said, taking a step back as her cheeks slowly returned to their normal color and she let her hand fall back to her side. “Are you going to be staying here?” She asked suddenly. “Or are you leaving again? I mean, I know it’s probably none of my business, but….” She trailed off at the end, and just looked at him.
~!!~
Leanne glanced down at her boots as he spoke, shrugging her shoulders. It made sense that Mason didn’t say her name right on purpose; she hadn’t bothered to hide the fact that she wanted her gone, and now. But just having someone here who didn’t criticize her immediately or look at her with judging eyes was enough to make her smile, and follow him.

She jumped and looked up when Peter picked up a boy who she hadn’t even seen coming, and her eyes immediately went to the baby in his arms. Her eyes widened slightly as he spoke, but she didn’t ask. She wasn’t sure that now was the best time, though that never would have stopped her before. Her jaw dropped as the infant was suddenly placed in her arms. She looked down at him, standing stiff and rigid. She looked as though she was unsure of what to do with him. She remembered then the way she had felt when Patrick had told her that she would never be able to have kids; it seemed like a distant memory, one tinged with bitterness. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. She still didn’t want kids; not now, and probably not anytime soon. But the thought of knowing that she never could was something she could never explain to anyone else.

She smiled down at the small child in her arms, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes as it normally did. When Zeke spoke she didn’t even look up; not until she heard new footsteps did she tear her eyes away from DeAndré’s and look at the woman standing in front of her now. She hesitated for a moment before she carefully put the baby back in her arms, taking a step back.

“I’m sorry,” She said quietly, though she wasn’t sure quite what she was apologizing for. She didn’t look quite as happy as she had moments before, but then again, she hadn’t looked very happy then, either. Now, all she could think about was Patrick. She tried to force the memories back, but they kept forcing themselves back out. She folded her arms across her chest, taking a step back and looking at the boy, then the girl. She didn’t know what to say; any other time, she would have been introducing herself, smiling. Now, though, she looked completely out of her element, as if she’d much rather have been anywhere but there. And her eyes kept straying back to DeAndré, no matter how much she tried to look away.

A sudden feeling of raw anger overtook her and she stumbled back, her hands flying to her head. It wasn’t her; it was Patrick. She looked around in confusion as she felt something else in between; she knew the feeling well. It was love.

She knew, somehow, what was happening. She spun around and began to run, but somehow she knew she would be too late, as the anger was replaced by an unfathomable sadness. She felt as though her heart were being crushed into pieces. She turned a corner quickly, almost slipping to the ground. She had just reached the stairs as the confusion entered her mind, from Patrick’s to her own. She was distracted; she missed a stair and slipped down the rest, landing painfully in a heap on the bottom, where she knew everyone could see her. But she could no longer feel Patrick; she couldn’t feel him there at all.

A cold numbness overtook her body as she realized what had happened. He’d mated with Kendra; he’d given her up. Every inch of her body hurt, but she couldn’t find the will to get up. Her hair fell down over her face, shielding her from the eyes of everyone else in the room who had no doubt seen her fall. She couldn’t believe it; she was too late. He’d given up on her.
~!!~
When Elijah’s guitar fell she jumped, her eyes going up to meet his. Every one of his words felt like a slap in the face. Her eyes widened as she realized what he thought; he thought that she was breaking up with him. Thinking back on her words, it was no surprise, really. She wasn’t being fair to him; she was only thinking of herself.

She had many opportunities to cut in and try and explain herself, but what could she say? She felt as though her throat had closed up, and just when she thought she was finding her voice again, he said what he’d never said before, not like this. ‘Who else would I love?!’ Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned red, but he didn’t seem to notice. Her hands curled into tight fists in her lap, and she flinched as she heard him speak again. ‘I never found any of this a waste of time, but I wished you told me sooner that it was.’

‘It wasn’t a waste of time. None of it was. I’m sorry,’ She wanted to say, but her voice had abandoned her again. She stared down at her hands, barely aware of the tears streaming down her cheeks. Wasn’t this what she had wanted? She’d told him he deserved much better than her, but it felt as though someone had ripped her heart out and stepped on it. She didn’t know what to do. She felt like a hypocrite, but she couldn’t watch him leave. She loved him.

She looked up as the thought entered her mind, and she stumbled to her feet just as the door slammed shut. She wasn’t thinking as she ran towards it, but she paused with her hand on the knob. What was she going to say to him? She’d hurt him. She’d really hurt him. She slowly turned around, and her eyes fell on the guitar he’d left. She knew she should take it to him, but she couldn’t find the strength to even stand up anymore. She slowly slid down to the ground, pulling her knees up to her chest.

She had been left alone before, but she’d had Elijah. Now she’d ruined it. For once, she truly did feel alone.
~!!~
Sammy flinched as he pulled her close, and then she began to yell at him, saying things that would have gotten her grounded had she been anywhere near either of her parents. She tried to push him away, but she didn’t get a chance before he kissed her.

She had seen his tears; she hadn’t seen him this broken before, it seemed. And though she knew it was sick, he had given his life for her, after trying to take hers in the first place. Was that enough to make up for it, though? Ash’s face made its way into her mind and she flinched, but it still wasn’t enough to make her pull back. No matter how much she hated him, there was still a part of her that loved him more than she could ever explain. It was sick in her eyes, but she couldn’t help it. That was what led her to kiss him back.

When Luke pulled him away her eyes widened, and she just stared. She didn’t know what else to do. Did Luke remember now? Or was he still lost? But it didn’t make sense that he’d be so upset if he didn’t remember anything. And when had he gotten out of the hospital? She wiped her mouth on the back of her mind, as if that could get rid of the taste of Cole’s lips. She was confused, so confused. Luke was her future, wasn’t he? But the future could easily be changed. The thought sent a pang through her heart that she knew all too well. Ash was dead. Cole was dead, yet here he was. Drew was gone, yet still haunting her nightmares. And now Luke was back.

She took a step back, her hands clenching into tight fists at her sides. She stared down at her feet, closing her eyes tightly. She didn’t know what to do.
~!!~
Jennifer didn’t get a chance to kiss him back before he pulled away. She didn’t feel any pain in the marks on her neck, as if his kiss had taken them all away. She didn’t hesitate as he offered her his own wrist; she was no longer the coward that she had been before. She finally had a chance to begin to make up all of the years to him.

When she pulled away, her lips stained with his blood, she looked happier than she had in years. Her glow was back; she laughed lightly, and then she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him tightly. “I’m sorry,” She said quietly. “But from now on, I’ll make it up to you,” She whispered into his ear.
~!!~
Leslie didn’t say a word as Brooke spoke; he looked as though he were off in his own little world. He couldn’t understand her at all; she was the one who had been hurt, yet she looked at him with so much concern in her eyes. When Simon began to cough he snapped out of it, and looked up as they walked inside. He hesitated but finally followed.

He felt strangely out of place; he was the one who didn’t belong here. He didn’t bother to hide it, either. He could still taste Brooke’s blood in his mouth as he stood near the doorway, halfway in and out. He had offered to come, yet now he was wishing that he hadn’t.
~!!~
Seth tensed up as he heard Alice’s voice, but when it stopped he didn’t even look up. He wasn’t paying enough attention to realize that no one had called the ambulance; maybe someone had heard the screams. He didn’t care. He picked her up gently and carried her over to the door, pulling it open with one hand and stepping outside to meet the ambulance.

“I’m sorry, Cinder,” He said softly, looking down at her. Her blood was still all over him, staining his clothes and his hands. “This is my fault.”

Ollie tilted her head and looked at him with the same eyes Michi had just looked at him with. Then a laugh escaped her lips as she looked at him. She took a few steps toward him. With her goo hand she reached up and though his cheek. "I know you love her. But does she? If you loved her, wouldn't you of have comforted her instead of breaking her. You both made mistakes, but it was yours that ruined everything. You don't know how lucky you were to have her. But now your touch horrifies her." she said as she stepped back and looked at the door. "She doesn't want to stay. She doesn't want to see your face. She doesn't want to feel your touch. She thinks this all was a mistake." Ollie said as she smiled. "All of this; falling in love with you, mating with you, wanting you, missing you, caring for you, staying by your side, telling you the truth, and still loving you. She wants out, now. She hates how you make her feel. She hates how your the only person in the world that can break her. She hates how she still loves you."

With the those final sentences, Ollie walked pass Draven and went to over to the door, rest her hand on the knob. "Oh, and David is under the bed. Have fun trying to explain to him what just happened."

~!!~
Tempest took the toddler in her arms and brushed his black hair out of his face. "Thank you." she said softly as she looked over at her younger brother. She glared at him as she stepped forward. Suddenly the child slipped out of her arms and landed on the ground with a loud cry. Tempest's hand flew to her mouth as she leaned down in front of her son.

Zeke was the first to speak. "YOU DROPPED HIM-" but he didn't get to finish. That was when Leanne turn and ran toward the stairs. Her boots pounding on the floor. Zeke stood frozen, confused as to what just happened. Tempest merely looked up. She could not follow the girl who she that she did not know; even if she clearly looked panicked. Tempest had a crying child to attend to.

But Peter ran after her. He was right behind her when she fell down the stairs. He stopped next to her and looked down at her. He could see just from the way she laid there what had happened. Patrick finally mated with Kendra. There had been a time that Peter that Patrick would fall in love with Kendra. But Patrick never had. And when he came a few months back, how he saw how he and Leanne had acted around each other. He was happy that he had fallen in love with this girl who the gift to make him happy. But he was ashamed that just because they were in a hard time, Patrick would run off and pate with some girl he knew that he hated. He cared about his son's happiness.

And then Mason saw the broken Leanne. But a smile came to her face as she realized what had happened. She was happy that Patrick no longer tied to Leanne. She wanted what was best for him in her mind and she didn't think that Leanne was best for him. She in fact hated Leanne for taking her son away. So when she looked down at the girl, she felt no pity. She just smiled and said; "And this is what you get. You are no longer family. You may leave now. In fact I say, you better leave now.

Peter didn't like her words. He took her arm and pulled her over to his side. "Mason, what are you doing?" he demanded. "You hold no right to kick her out of this house. I don't care what you think on the matter." He didn't care that people were now gathering around them. He kept going. "You are wrong! And I am tired of this! You will not treat her like she is trash, you will treat her as what she was. She was your daughter-in-law. Although she no longer holds the title, she will still be treated as such." Peter was not a person east to anger, so seeing him like this was new. It was even harder for Mason who could also feel that fire.

She yanked her arm from his grasp and looked away. "No, I am right. I will not treat her as what she never should of have been. I will treat her as I see fit." she said as she pushed past everyone and up the stairs.

~!!~
Tempest stood up and took DeAndre's hand when she finally got him to stop crying. She smiled down at him. "Do you want to go see daddy?" she asked as she moved her green eyes from the little boy to the woman quickly walking down the hall. "Hello, Mason." she said in a monotone, but the woman didn't even glance at her. Tempest was happy for this as she looked back down at her son. "So?" Her voice was cheerier now.The little boy looked up at her and nodded quickly.

The sounds of her boots echoed through the halls as she lead the small boy toward the room in which Hunter now laid in. No doubt asleep. Finally she pushed open the door and peered in. The room was dark, but she could make out a figure laying on the bed. A smile pulled on her lips as she told DeAndre to stay put while she woke him up. She wouldn't want any pillow accidentally thrown at the little kid, now would she?

She walked toward the bed and paused by his side. A smirk was gracing her lips. "Hunter." she said as she poked his cheek. Nothing. "Oh, Hunter." she said a little louder. She pinched both of his cheeks pulled. "Hunter." she repeated as she made him have funny faces. There was a small moan and her hands were smacked away. "You sleep too much. It's not healthy, you know." she said as she walked over to a chair and sat. She then began unlacing her boots, to take them off. As she did so she did not notice DeAndre wonder off.

Moments later she was standing on the other side of the bed. She sat down and glanced at her mate's sleeping body. "Hunter~!" she whined, but that didn't work. She didn't think it would. Suddenly she stood up with a sigh and started to jump. "Come on, Hunter, time to wake up!" she said as she jumped. Waking him has never been an easy task.

~!!~
The boy laughed at her when she was finished talking. He leaned against the wall. "Your an interesting girl, you know that, right?" he asked as he folded his arms over his chest. He looked down at his fingers and moved them. The way he did it made him frown, but he just shook his head and looked up at her. "And I don't know-" his face grew pale and he looked away. "I don't know if I am staying or not. I will don't see why you would care." his voice grew bitter as he used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth. IT was as if he didn't like how her skin had tasted. "And why you want a family beats me." he spat. "You're gonna lose them all, anyways. Family don't stay together. You lose them all in time. Sometimes you even have the luck of seeing them all die. Sometimes you have to live knowing you are the reason they are dead." he spat, he said as if he knew just how that felt. He did. "You are better off with any family." Eros said, his voice bitter as usual.

With those final words he spun and stormed away. He couldn't stand people like that. She was lucky that she didn't have any family to hurt her, any for her to hurt.

~!!~
Cole just stood there, unsure what to do. He closed his eyes and touched his lips. He glanced at Sammy. "You still love me." he said. He now was not paying any of the other two boys any mind.All that mattered was that Sammy had kissed him back. She still loved him, just like how he still loved her. He couldn't begin to explain how much he regretted hurting her the way he had. It scared him to think that she would ever love someone else. But she didn't; she loved him. She had to.

"NO!" Luke suddenly shouted when Cole stepped closer to Sammy. "She doesn't! She loves me now." The last line came out in a whisper as he looked at her with sad eyes. He had seen how she hadn't pulled a way. He had been there. He closed his eyes tight and shook his head. "Don't you?" His voice was small. He couldn't believe this. They were the ones with the future, and now he could feel it falling apart.

~!!~
Brooke looked over at Leslie and tilted her head. "Are alright?" she asked. He looked... out of place. "Leslie, you can come all the way in." she said softly. "It's fine. Simon doesn't bite." she looked away quickly. "Sorry, bad choice of words." she said as Simon stepped back out of the kicthen, he had some crackers in his hand.

He looked strangely at Leslie. "In or out. Can't be both. The door needs to be closed, heat's on." he said before he started to cough again. He looked at Brooke who was now looking at him with a worried look. "Why are you here?" he asked. "No, I mean, why are you just now coming to see me?" his voice was bitter. He was upset that she had known that he existed and never came to visit.

Leslie finally stepped into the house, pulling the door closed behind him. He glanced around, still looking completely out of his element. He didn’t know why he had agreed to come here, other than to comfort Brooke; but what good was he doing, just standing there? He only felt as though he were making things worse, and the way that Simon spoke to Brooke only confirmed his fears.

He spoke up, though he had a feeling that his words wouldn’t do much good. “She was with me,” He said simply. “That’s why she hadn’t come yet.” The words weren’t entirely true, thought they weren’t complete lies, either. He didn’t like the way he was talking to Brooke; even he could see how much she cared for her brother, though he had never even seen them in the same room together before. Why couldn’t he? Or was he just choosing to ignore it?
~!!~
Sammy could feel it, too. She was feeling everything; she could no longer see clearly the future that Luke had shown her, though why she didn’t know.

“You know who I am?” She asked quietly, finally looking back up, at Luke. She had forgotten Rico’s presence entirely, it seemed. “You remember?” She tried to keep the hope that she felt out of her voice, but failed. She was sick of getting her hopes up only to have them trampled on. She didn’t want to be disappointed again, to be hurt again.

She wouldn’t look at Cole; she wouldn’t answer him. She couldn’t. She hated herself for what she’d just done, but she couldn’t even tell herself why. She refused to believe that she still held anything but hatred for him, yet that kiss had proved different. Now, though, it only made her hate him more. What had given him the right to do that?

She took a step back when she realized that Cole had moved forward, keeping her eyes on Luke. She knew that their future was still there; it had to be. So then why couldn’t she remember all of the details, the things that had occupied her dreams ever since she’d learned of them?
~!!~
Jenny watched him go, her face a mask of surprise and hurt. Well, wasn’t he just a ray of sunshine, she thought. Mood swings, too. She didn’t know what to think of him, yet her cheeks still remained a brighter shade than usual.

His words stuck with her, though. He wasn’t right though, was he? She didn’t have a family now; her father was the only one she had left, and she couldn’t see him again. But it wasn’t better not to have one. But then again, she didn’t know just what he had gone through. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head, slowly walking back down the hallway in the opposite direction of him. She hesitated, glancing behind her. She didn’t want to go past Trevor’s room, not now.

In the end she found herself outside, laying on the grass outside of the manor. The stars weren’t out yet, the one comfort she could find. She didn’t have to think of him here, to think of anything here.
~!!~
Leanne closed her eyes tightly, one of her hands pressed tightly against the marks on her neck. They were just there; she could feel nothing, nothing that he could. He was linked to someone else now, someone that she knew she could never compare to. She still didn’t understand, though; why had he given up on her? She knew that she had messed up, but hadn’t they both? She’d come to try and fix it, and things had only gotten worse.

‘And this is what you get. You are no longer family. You may leave now. In fact I say, you better leave now.’ Mason’s words were like twisting the knife in the wound; she flinched, shrinking down even more. She knew how pathetic she was being, yet she still couldn’t bring herself to get up off the ground. Only when she heard Peter’s words did she finally stumble to her feet. Bruises were already beginning to form where she’d hit on the way down the stairs; on her legs and arms. Everything hurt, but she wasn’t focusing on the pain, at least not the physical pain that she was feeling.

She didn’t say anything as she slowly turned and walked back up the stairs. She didn’t know what to do; Mason had already stormed off, and she was turning her back on the person who had helped her. But she didn’t know what to do; she didn’t want to stay here, even though he had vouched for her. She didn’t have a reason to stay.

She paused by Matthew’s door; her wedding ring was still on the ground, wasn’t it? But she couldn’t find it as she walked back to her own room. Maybe it was for the best.

She opened the door, flinching as she put weight on one of her feet. Her ankle was throbbing, but she didn’t care. She walked over to her bag that was hardly unpacked and began to put the few things she had brought with her back inside of it, her face strangely blank.
~!!~
Hunter never seemed to be able to get a good night’s sleep. Or in his case, a day’s sleep. Something, or rather someone, always seemed to wake him up. He didn’t have many dreams, but he still always seemed to be in bed. So when his mate started pulling on his cheeks to wake him up, needless to say, he wasn’t happy.

He moaned and pushed her hands away, but that didn’t deter her. A few moments later she was jumping up and down on the bed, calling his name. He buried his face in the pillow, but it still wouldn’t stop. Finally he stood up and, still looking half-asleep, pushed her down onto the bed and rolled the blankets tightly around her, restricting her movement.

“Stay,” He said simply. He was dressed only in a pair of jeans and he looked exhausted, though he had been asleep for far longer than normal already. He was about to go and find somewhere else to sleep when he realized something. He slowly turned back to her, and his face looked darker than before.

“Where’s DeAndre?” He asked, his voice accusing. The only part of her that he could see was her head, sticking out of the blankets he had rolled her up so tightly in. It wouldn’t surprise him if she had lost him. Again.
~!!~
“You’re lying.” The words came out soft at first, but then louder, much louder. “YOU’RE LYING!” Draven shouted at Ollie’s retreating form, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. Michi couldn’t regret it all; she couldn’t. And yet, hadn’t he felt it when he bit into her wrist? He took a step forward, then fell back again, his eyes closed tightly. When he opened them again he looked more confused than upset. Part of him wanted to yell again, to deny it, but another part of him was just tired. He didn’t understand it, nor was he thinking at all about the little boy under the bed.

Elysia had woken up the next morning in the bed, surrounded by what looked like the rope from underneath the bed that she often threatened Hayden with and her own clothes. She couldn’t remember a thing from the night before except that she’d gone out and done more drinking than she ever had before; actually, she’d never touched alcohol before then. But she could get the picture from what was around her. The one thing she did remember was Hayden pinning her down, her shirt unbuttoned in the front.

She felt an anger deeper than any she had felt before. She felt more angry than she had when she’d found out that gifteds had killed her parents, when Lawrence had been killed. She jumped out of bed and pulled on her clothes with trembling hands, and stormed towards the door. She’d found Hayden sitting right outside, and she exploded.

She grabbed the thing closest to her and threw it at him; the chair that sat near the window. The wood cracked and bounced back off of his back, and she didn’t even seem to care how much she could have just hurt him. She kicked it out of the way and started to yell.

“How could you?!” She screamed. His shirt was gone, and her cheeks turned bright red, though with anger or something else it was hard to tell. “You scum! I can’t believe you!” She shouted. She didn’t care that others could probably hear them. “I knew you were a pervert, but I thought that you at least had some morals! How could you do that to me?!” She felt a deeper sense of betrayal than she could ever remember feeling before. “I hate you! I hate your guts, your soul, your very being! I hope you drop dead!!” She ripped the cigarette out of his mouth and threw it down onto the ground.

She spun back around and inside, picking up the few things that she knew belonged to him and stuffing them into a bag. Her hands were shaking, and she couldn’t figure out why. She hated him; she hated him more than she ever thought she could hate someone. She felt tears starting in her eyes, but she passed them off as tears of anger. She threw the bag outside and kicked him hard in the ribs. “Get lost,” She spat. “You’re disgusting. I can do fine without you. I never needed you.” She felt sick to her stomach; she couldn’t believe he’d do this to her. “You don’t know what love is,” She said quietly. “You don’t know a thing. Get lost, and don’t ever come back here!” She shouted.

That had been four days ago. She’d spent the first day trying not to destroy the entire motel room in a way to get out her anger, and instead spent most of her time pacing back and forth in front of the door in silence. On one of those days she’d gone outside for some fresh air when a woman had asked her what had ‘happened to that boy who sat outside all night.’ She hadn’t believed her at first, but the person she described was Hayden. She didn’t understand. She had sat for hours trying to remember that night, but she still couldn’t. Finally, though, she remembered. She remembered the way he pushed her away, and the way he left the room while she made a fool of herself.

At first, she hadn’t been sure what to feel. She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t remembered it before. Even now, 4 days after she’d kicked him out, she still didn’t know what to do.

She stepped out of the shower and looked at herself in the mirror, wondering what he saw in her. That was the one question she’d asked herself over and over again since she’d met him; what could he possibly see in her? She was rude, arrogant, violent, and mean. And she knew that she was, yet somehow he still claimed to love her. She flinched as she remembered all that she’d said that night he’d left, and turned away from the mirror. She slipped into her pajamas, a simple tank top and a pair of shorts. She didn’t have to worry about him anymore, so it didn’t matter what she wore. She walked out into the main room and sat down on the edge of the bed, still drying her hair with the towel.

She didn’t understand the guilt that she was feeling. She had been mistaken, but why should she feel guilty? She could so easily find someone else to help her, someone who wouldn’t put her under so much stress. But she missed him. Her eyes widened slightly at the thought, and she remembered how she kept telling him that she loved him that night. Her cheeks turned light red and she paused, staring down at her feet. But she didn’t love him; she couldn’t. She didn’t even know what love was, so why did she say that to him? He was probably far over her by now, she thought. Off with some other girl in some other place. So it was all a moot point, really.

The thought made her sad, for some reason. She quickly shook it off and stood up just as the door opened. She dropped the towel and stared at Hayden, her mind suddenly blank. Why was he back? What was going on?

“You could at least knock,” She snapped. It was funny, how the first words that came out of her mouth were angry ones. “I could have been changing.” She leaned down and picked the towel up again, frowning as she looked back at him. “What are you doing here, anyways?” She asked. “I thought I told you to get lost.” She flinched inwardly at her own words; why couldn’t she say what she really wanted to say? But what was it that she wanted to say, anyways?
~!!~
Rainy hadn’t come out of her room for over a week. Sam hadn’t left her side for most of the time; he kept saying her name, a name that she had never been given. He would whisper it in her ear as he leaned down to kiss her neck. Even after he’d left a few days ago and hadn’t come back, she had not moved. It was as if she knew that he would be back, and she was only waiting for it. She had given up on waiting for Darren to come back, because he hadn’t. She had given up trying to figure out why, too. Was he angry at her for not fighting harder against him, for letting him bite her? But the bond was broken now; she didn’t understand how or why, but it was. Yet he still would not let go of her.

She was back to how she had been before; she felt sick and could barely even sit up. She knew that she needed to hunt, but she couldn’t find the strength to get out of bed, much less the will. Maybe if Leanne had been there, she’d been able to convince her; if Sage were there, she could have forced her. But neither of her friends were there, and it seemed as though they weren’t coming back any time soon. She knew that it had been her decision to stay here; it had been her decision to become like this, and good had come out of it. But right now, it was overshadowed by the bad.

If someone had opened her door, it wouldn’t have even looked like she was there. She was curled up into a small ball under the covers of her bed, and she was barely visible anymore. If anyone had seen her, it would have been obvious that she hadn’t been hunting; she seemed even paler than usual, and maybe even smaller.

The first time this had happened, she’d pulled out of it for Darren, for her friends. She had been being selfish because there were others who cared about her. She knew that she still wasn’t being fair; Leanne still cared about her, even if she was gone now. But she wasn’t really thinking clearly anymore; she was terrified that any moment Sam would come back through that door, but at the same time, she was beyond caring. About anything. She pulled her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the gnawing she felt in her stomach, the way her throat burned. She didn’t care. It was worse than last time, it seemed; she wondered how long it would take before it literally ate her alive.
~!!~
Anya felt like she were floating inside a dream. It had been days since she’d been able to think clearly; it wasn’t that she couldn’t, but she didn’t want to. Her mind and body seemed to have both shut down on themselves, if only to protect her from the pain waiting just outside the walls she’d managed to build up so high. She was reliving her nightmare day after day, moment after moment. With every kiss and every word she retreated deeper and deeper, until she stopped altogether. Joel wouldn’t let her leave his side; not when she slept, not when she was awake. It was as if there was an invisible rope tying them together, that he was afraid to let break. He kept her as close as he physically could, with no regard to how it might affect her. She wasn’t even responding to him any longer, but it didn’t discourage him, not even a little bit.

Even in the safe prison she’d built for herself in her mind, the memories didn’t stop. Everything seemed to trigger one, until it was as if she were watching a movie of her life in fast-forward, from the day he’d found her in the woods up until the day she’d met Milo. Even in her prison, she remembered him, all too clearly. She remembered his smile, his touch, his kiss, everything. And though some of it scared her, she still had enough common sense left to know that she had to go back to the manor, regardless of whether or not he was there. She wasn’t sure whether it would be better if he was or not, though.

She waited until Joel was asleep. She had to disentangle herself from his grasp without waking him up, but once she did, she didn’t waste any time getting to the door. She had tried before; but he caught her every time, until she had finally given up. Now, though, she had a chance, and she took it.

It was cold outside. She shivered lightly, rubbing her bare arms with her hands. She was wearing the same white dress she’d been wearing the day she’d left a week ago. She was filthy; her hair hung down in strands around her face, which seemed even paler than usual. It wasn’t just that that was startling about her appearance, though; her eyes looked as though they had lost any of the fire that had remained in them. She looked as though she were having trouble just standing on her feet, and in a way, she was. She had been unable to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time for the past week; how could she, laying in the arms of the man she had feared for most of her life? She didn’t pause as she walked up the hill, but it took her longer than it ever had before. Every step she took felt like twenty, and by the time she reached the top, she was swaying on her feet. She wondered if it was all pointless; if he had been able to take her the first time, why not again? She walked up to the door and pulled it open, and as soon as she did, voices reached her ears.

Only one, really. And she recognized it immediately, without even having to see his face. It sounded as if it were coming from the top of the stairs. She didn’t know what to do; she couldn’t see him. She couldn’t. She couldn’t be near him anymore, and she knew that. But her feet wouldn’t let her turn around and go back, though out of fear or exhaustion she was unsure. She slowly slid down to the ground in the entryway. She could still hear his voice, but she couldn’t focus on the words. The room was swaying around her, though she was no longer moving. She couldn’t close her eyes, though. She would wake up back where she started; it would all turn out to be just a dream, all of it.
~!!~
K.C.’s neck had healed, but the aftermath of what she’d done was still painfully clear. The entire right side of her neck was covered in a patchwork of scars, big and small, shallow and deep; the bite marks were no longer even visible underneath them all, but they were still there; she knew that because she could still feel him there. The bond was as strong as ever, and nothing could change that. She had tried, after all, in a moment of desperation.

She knew that in the end they were both at fault for what had happened. She should have realized sooner; he should have told her. But she couldn’t pin all the blame on him. She had been too absorbed in it all that she hadn’t stopped to think; if only she had, it could have all been avoided, from the very beginning to the very end.

She had tried to forget him. She had tried to move on, but she had nowhere left to move onto. She knew that she couldn’t just go back to the way things had been before. Too much had changed; she had changed. She was no longer the same person that she had been then, nor did she harbor any desire to go back.

She still felt betrayed, though; he had known who she was, yet he hadn’t though it important to tell her. What else had he lied about, she wondered? But the love she’d seen in him was real. It had to be. That couldn’t be faked; she knew that hers wasn’t.

She was confused, she was angry, and she was filled with a bitter resentment for both of them. She had told him to leave, yet here she was, standing outside his door. When she’d left a few days ago to come and find him, she hadn’t told anyone where she was going. She knew that Andrew would grow angry with her, as would Sean. She knew she was only going to worry Myame, and part of her wondered why she was even here. She couldn’t sleep; she could barely close her eyes without seeing his face. She needed to sort it out, but she had no idea what she was going to say.

She couldn’t even bring herself to knock. She had already been standing there for what seemed like an eternity, but had probably only been about ten minutes. She slowly let her hand fall back to her side, taking a step back. She still loved him, but at the same time the anger was still there. She bit her lip, her hands clenching into tight fists at her sides. She hated feeling like this; she wasn’t a coward. She never had been before.

She finally lifted up her hand and knocked on the door quickly, before stepping back again, until her back was against the opposite wall of the hallway.
~!!~
Samantha looked up at the clouds, her face impassive. It wasn’t supposed to have turned out this way; things had been getting worse and worse ever since she moved here. Her dreams had turned to nightmares, her life had turned into one as well. She kept seeing Ash’s face, Luke’s face, Cole’s face, Drew’s face, John’s face. And then Drew did show up again.

He was supposed to be gone. He wasn’t supposed to be able to come back again, but there he was, looking much the same as he always had. It made her stomach turn, to think that he ever could have had part of her heart. And in truth, he had; he had been more than just a distraction or a lifeline. In some twisted way, she did love him at some point.

But not anymore; never again. When he showed up at her door she had thought at first that she was dreaming, but his touch was all too real. She screamed at him, yelled at him to get away, but he’d told her that if she tried to get rid of him, he would hurt the little family she had left. He said that he would kill him. She’d lost too much of her family already to risk anymore; she knew that he would do it, and she wouldn’t be able to stop him.

And that was how she had found herself here. The only place she could get away from him was her own house, but he didn’t let her go there until he wanted her to. She felt sick with his arm around her shoulder, his lips on hers, but she couldn’t just tell him to get lost. She couldn’t call the police again; if he’d found a way out the first time, she knew that he could do it again.

Her future with Luke was slowly fading from before her eyes; she wanted it back. She still loved him, so much, but part of her heart still belonged to Cole, part belonged to Ash. She couldn’t love him with her whole heart, no matter how much she wanted to. She was damaged goods; and he knew that, didn’t he? But he still said he loved her. But not anymore. Not anymore.

He’d seen her with Drew. He’d seen her with her hand in his, with his arm around her waist, as if she belonged to him and him alone. She wondered if he knew that the smile she gave him was fake, was forced. It didn’t matter, though; she couldn’t change this. She hated herself for being such a coward, but she couldn’t fight him. She couldn’t change anything, no matter how much she wanted to.

The park was empty; the sky was threatening rain, but it didn’t seem to faze Drew. He didn’t even seem to notice. The only thing he was focused on was her; she could feel his eyes on her even when she wasn’t looking at him. He hadn’t tried anything like he had that night when Rico helped her, but she knew that he would. What would she do then, she wondered? She couldn’t say no; she couldn’t. She couldn’t risk anymore of her family. She didn’t want to see her mother so broken again, to lose another familiar face that she loved.

The first raindrop fell, and she glanced over at him. His gaze met hers, and she felt her stomach turn again as his lips met hers. When he pulled away the rain began to come down in a light drizzle, slowly turning into a steady pour. She slowly stood up, but he pulled her back down without a word. In the end she ended up sitting with his arms around her waist, her head back against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart that she wished would stop.
~!!~
Anne opened her eyes and screamed.

Her hands were shaking, and even as the rain began to come down harder she found herself unable to move. Her head was throbbing, and she felt like she would fall down at any moment. She quickly closed her eyes and stumbled back, falling down to the ground. Her jeans were covered in mud, and she shivered violently as it began to pour. She seemed frozen in place, unable to move a muscle. She didn’t even know where she was; she didn’t know how she had gotten here, why she was here. The last thing she remembered was sitting on her bed, sick as ever, Tony and Sandra’s faces…

Her eyes widened as the rest of the memories came flooding back, right until the time she fell asleep and woke up here. She was dead. She wasn’t supposed to be here, but she had been, and then she was gone. But now she was back. Thunder cracked and lightning flashed, and she screamed again. She had always been terrified of thunderstorms; she would act like a little kid whenever they happened, hiding in her room. She looked like a little kid now, too; she may have died at 17, but she was small enough to pass for 15, and as scared as she was, she looked even younger. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, her tears mingling with the rain. She didn’t understand what was going on; she didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want to feel the fear that she did, the confusion. Where was Tony? Where was she? She slowly opened her eyes again, but all she saw around her were houses, each one looking the same to her as the last. The lights of the house across the street were on, and she could see a figure moving inside. She pulled her knees up to her chest, chilled to the bone.

She could see the manor in the distance, but she couldn’t bring herself to move, nor did she know what she’d find there. What had happened to her? What if Tony wasn’t still there? She bit her lip and closed her eyes again, flinching as the lightning cracked again.
~!!~
Seth had spent many nights sitting by Diner’s bedside, but each time he was thinking about the same thing. He knew that if he stayed with her, he would hurt her more when she sealed him away. But he also knew that if he left, her life would be cut short. She had proved that to him on many occasions. He couldn’t leave her, but if he stayed, she would hurt, too. But she did love him; despite it all, he knew that. And he loved her.

No matter how wrong it may have been, he knew what he was going to do.

But it was going so wrong.

He knew that he was putting her in more danger; Alice would only come after her more if he did this, but he would never leave her side again. He would protect her no matter what; he wouldn’t let anything touch her ever again. Seeing the eye patch she now wore to cover what Alice had done made him flinch every time he saw it.

He wondered if he was doing the wrong thing as he attempted, for the first time, to make something for her to eat. In the end, he only set it on fire, and had to listen to her scream at him as he put it out. When he tried to light a candle, he only started another candle, which had much the same result. She was in her room now, and he didn’t know what to do. She was probably wondering what was wrong with him; in truth, he didn’t know.

It had started raining soon after she had to put out the second fire. He remembered how scared she had been of rain, but yet something still kept him from going into her room. He knew what he wanted to say, but he didn’t know what he’d do if she rejected him, if she yelled at him. He knew that he couldn’t leave her, but he knew that no matter what he did, he was hurting her.

In the end he opened the door that led to her room and slipped inside, closing it behind him. The light was off; it was around 6 pm, but it was dark outside from the rain. “Cinder?” He called quietly, knowing that she didn’t like to be called that. It was the only name he thought suited her, though. The only name that he knew her by.
~!!~
He wasn’t there; he was never there. She had so many chances to leave, but she didn’t know where she would go. She was sick of being alone; the silence was driving her insane. She could feel herself slipping, falling. She didn’t want to lose the bit of sanity she had left.

It was obvious just from a glance by now that she was pregnant; it was a strange sight to see, on someone so small. She tried to hide it as best as she could, but she couldn’t. She hadn’t come out of her room since it happened, and part of her wondered if anyone even noticed. She missed Andrew; she still loved him as a brother, even though she now knew where her real brother was. She didn’t want to lose him, too; but she knew that going to him would probably produce much the same reaction as she’d gotten from Drake.

She hadn’t seen Christen since he left; she didn’t want to be alone anymore, waiting in fear for Damian to come back. She slowly pulled her door open, peeking her head out into the hallway. No one was there; she slowly made her way to the room she knew was his, and lifted up a hand, knocking on the door.

She stepped back and folded her arms across her chest, in a sad attempt to hide what lay underneath. She kept her eyes on the ground as she waited, biting her lip as she tried to resist the urge to turn and run. What was she even doing here? What could Andrew do that everyone else couldn’t? She knew that no one could do anything to help her; she was just scared of being alone.
~!!~
”You just had to pick today to get sick,” Sage muttered, glancing down at the form under the covers on the bed. “I hate staying indoors.” The rain was still coming down hard, but she hardly seemed to notice. She just wanted to complain; she didn’t want to be stuck here with him. That was the only reason she really cared.

She sat down in the chair she’d pulled up to his bedside, muttering something under her breath about wolves with low immune systems. She folded her arms across her chest, leaning back in the chair, then let it fall back to the ground with a loud ‘thud’. Her face seemed to be twisted into a permanent scowl, just as it had been ever since she’d gotten here. She had already poked him many times, even when he was sick, just to watch him freak out and do it again to his other side. She knew it was mean, but he wasn’t exactly nice; besides, she was bored.

She sighed and stood up, picking up the rag off his forehead and disappearing into the bathroom. A few moments later she came back and put it back on his forehead, sinking back down into the chair. She glanced down at her feet, but her eyes fell on the necklace that she still had around her neck. She quickly took it and put it inside her shirt, though why she felt the need to hide it she wasn’t sure. She had been so sure that she didn’t care about him anymore, but seeing it again brought back a flood of feelings that she hated.

She finally stood up, and glanced around his room, put back into order by him. She remembered the look on his face when he’d found out what she’d done, and in spite of herself, she smirked. She didn’t say a word as she walked around his room, and began to look through his stuff. It was unsure whether she was just really bored or trying to tick him off. After a few moments, though, she burst out laughing.

She was holding a small album in her hands, open to the middle. “Wow, Addi,” She said, in between laughter. “You were so cute. What happened?” She asked, walking back over to the bed and sitting down, just out his reach, still flipping through it. She snorted in laughter and held out one to him. “Nice butt,” She laughed, before putting the picture back in the album. “Ah, blackmail,” She sighed, leaning back in the chair again.

She didn’t know why ticking him off was so much fun.
~!!~
It was a small funeral. Only a few family members and Jasmine attended. When it began to rain after the ceremony, everyone left, except for one very colorful girl who sat in front of the grave long after they were all gone.

Even when it began to rain, she didn’t move. She was staying with Ember’s mother that night anyways; she was practically right next to the graveyard, anyways. She was spending a week with her before she went home. She couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from the name on the grave, though. Ember Mae Fate. Nor the news that went with it.

She was murdered.

The thought made her immensely sad, yet at the same time furious. Whoever had done it had never been caught. Though the thoughts scared her, she wanted them dead, whoever they were. She wanted to kill them.

She was staying in an extra room in their house, but her mother was already asleep, and didn’t notice when Jasmine snuck into Ember’s old room, still dripping wet. She closed the door behind her and looked around at the room that still reminded her of her friend.

It was plain, but it was Ember. She walked over to the closet and opened it, looking around through the clothes, the boxes, until her eyes fell on something familiar. She slowly pulled out the photo album and sank down onto the ground, a small puddle forming around her dripping clothes.

They were filled with photos of her and Ember, Wesley and Jeremy. Jasmine slowly ran her hand over the photos, a sad smile on her features. She was the only one left of them; she knew that, and yet she couldn’t stop looking at the pictures. She didn’t know that the very friend she was mourning was standing right behind her.

Ember stood off to the side, her face pained. She knew that in a moment she could let Jasmine see her; she knew that by now, but she still wasn’t very good at controlling it. But would that really be good for her? She hated herself for how careless she had been, for letting herself get killed. She’d hurt more than just her mother; she’d hurt her best friend, she’d hurt so many people. She took a step back, closing her eyes and letting out a long sigh.

Jasmine slowly shut the album, but she hesitated for a moment before placing it in her own bag. Ember watched in silence as she sat down on the edge of the bed, her hands over her eyes as she began to cry. She hated seeing her best friend like this, and knowing that it was her fault. But she didn’t know what to do.
~!!~
Elianna hadn’t exchanged one word with Draven in what felt like so long. She didn’t have the courage to go and talk to him. She didn’t want to. She could barely stand to look at Toby, at D’Angelo. And she felt as though she were losing her mind. Landon wouldn’t leave her alone, but how could she expect him to? She’d been acting rash, made a fool out of herself. And she never even thanked D’Angelo for helping her out of it.

She shouldn’t have had to be afraid to leave her own room, to go outside to hunt, because he might be there.

She was tired, and it was raining, but it was the only time she could think of to go outside to hunt, when he might not be there. She slowly walked down the stairs, still dressed in her nightgown. Her eyes were sunken and hollow, and she looked like she hadn’t slept in a long time. She pulled open the heavy front doors and walked outside, and was immediately soaked by the rain.

She was freezing, but hardly noticed as she slowly made her way to the woods, her hair hanging down in wet strands around her pale face.
~!!~
Jenny wasn’t quite herself. She only seemed to talk when she was nervous or angry, and spent most of her time sulking instead of laughing. She hated that she felt this way; she’d hardly known Trevor for that long, yet seeing someone from his past come back and take him away made her furious, made her sad, made her confused. She didn’t think she liked him like that…but then why was she so jealous?

It didn’t help that Jennifer kept trying to talk to her. She looked so happy, so cheerful, and Jenny had exploded one day and yelled at her, saying that she shouldn’t be so happy because she was the one who had broken him in the first place. It had its desired effect, but after she could always seem to feel Jen’s eyes on her, as though she were trying to figure something out.

She’d met Eros a few times too, but she wasn’t in any mood to talk to anyone. She was sick of the way things were. She had wanted to make a family here, but the only person who seemed interested in talking to her was the one person she couldn’t measure up to.

She glanced behind her as she passed Trevor’s room in the hallway, then kept walking quickly, her arms folded across her chest.

Jennifer glanced over at Trevor, a small smile gracing her lips. She was pretty much back to her old self, the one that was so much like Jenny. She still felt guilt, more than even he knew, but she didn’t let on just how much. She had noticed something about Jenny, though, something that she doubted the young girl even knew herself. She’d spent so much of the past years just watching others, sitting on the sidelines. She had grown quite good at reading people.

“You know, Trevor,” She said softly, squeezing his hand softly. “I think that little girl likes you.” She said it casually, but she glanced over at him, her eyes curious. She bit her lip, tilting her head slightly to the side. “How long have you known her?” She asked quietly. “She doesn’t seem to like me much, but I can understand that,” she added quickly.
~!!~
Leanne didn’t quite get to leave; Patrick’s sisters stopped her. She wasn’t sure how, but they somehow convinced her to stay, at least for that day. She intended to leave afterwards, but then she saw Patrick.

He was no longer himself.

She could tell as soon as she laid eyes on him. He wasn’t smiling, he wasn’t himself. He was dressed like someone she’d never seen before, and he looked miserable. She didn’t understand it; she watched as Kendra told him what to do, what to wear, how to act, everything, growing angrier and angrier by the second. She still didn’t know why he’d done what he did; maybe he had given up on her. Maybe he really did want to be with Kendra. But then why was he so unhappy? And that spark of love she’d felt before he mated with her…it was directed at her. She knew it, somehow.

She had spent the first few days she’d stayed locked up in her room, refusing to do anything, to talk, to smile. Now, though, she seemed to be back to her old self, though whether it was real or fake it was hard to tell. She was currently dressed in a black jean mini-skirt with dark purple leggings underneath it, her usual boots, and a tank top. The bruises on her arms were visible, but fading. She still limped a bit as she walked, but she was almost healed. She had two rings around her neck, the one she thought she had lost and his. She’d found it again on her bedside table, along with his, and though she wondered how it had gotten there, she didn’t care. She kept them both around her neck, at first as a memory, but now it was more like a sign. It said ‘I’m not giving up. I’m not leaving.’ She did at times wonder if she was still wrong by staying there, but after seeing Patrick so many times, each time looking more miserable than the lost, she began to believe that she was doing the right thing.

Besides, she couldn’t just leave. He’d changed her; she knew that. She would never be the same as she was before she met him, and she didn’t want to be. She couldn’t forget all of the times he’d said he loved her, said that he would always love her. She’d said the same thing, and though she’d claimed to hate him, she had never stopped loving him. She never could. She remembered every kiss, every word, every memory. Even though she had tried to before, she knew that she could never leave him.

All she wanted was to be given one chance to talk to him, to really talk to him alone, to find out why he had done it. If he really wanted her gone. Then she would leave. It wasn’t enough that everyone else wanted her gone; she refused to go until she heard it, straight from his mouth. Something about him still didn’t look right; he wasn’t himself. If he was going to stay with Kendra, then she wanted him to be happy. Kendra was making him into someone that he wasn’t, and she was sick of seeing it.

She had spoken to Tempest more, and she really did like her. She was the one person here who seemed to be really like her; she still had more friends, though. They were just more reasons she didn’t want to leave. Though she did miss and worry for Rainy, she couldn’t go back, not yet. She had to fix things here, somehow. If she could.

She turned down the hallway, humming lightly under her breath. She was still wearing her purple contacts, and the normal amount of makeup that she was never seen without. She didn’t cover up the marks he’d made on her, either; her neck was bare, and everyone could see them.

Her eyes fell on Patrick and Kendra and she froze, taking a step back. Seeing him still made her nervous, made her hurt, but she was growing better at hiding it. She knew that she had no one to blame for all of this but herself; it was just another thing to keep her up at night.

She slowly took a step forward, and her smile slowly faded as she saw how Kendra was clinging to him, how unhappy he looked. He no longer even dressed like himself; he was just like a doll that she dressed up and played house with. She had seen this so many times over the past week, but always stayed away. Now, though, she didn’t.

She took a step forward, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides as she walked over to them, the rings around her neck hitting against each other, signaling her arrival. She stopped a few feet away, and turned her gaze towards Kendra. It was hard to make her mad; she usually was the one who would try and resolve conflicts, not make them. But not this time.

Her eyes narrowed, and before she knew it, she was yelling, everything she’d wanted to say since this started. “You say that you love Patrick, don’t you?” She demanded suddenly. She gestured towards the man who she loved, who looked nothing more than a zombie at the moment. “Don’t you?” She demanded, but didn’t even wait for an answer before continuing. “But this isn’t him!” She shouted, taking another step forward. “This isn’t the Patrick that I know. I don’t know how you got him to mate with you, nor do I care. Maybe he does love you. Maybe he doesn’t love me anymore.” The words stung deeply, but she didn’t show it. “But you’re turning him into someone that he’s not!” She shouted. “If you really loved him, then you’d take him the way he is, not try to change him into some...some…puppet!!” She cried. “If you really looked at him, if you really knew him, you’d see that he’s not happy!!!”

She turned to Patrick, and her features softened immediately. Her voice was quieter, too, but still unhappy. “And you,” She said quietly. “Why are you letting her do this to you?” She asked. “Why aren’t you standing up for yourself?” She demanded, her voice rising slightly. “Why aren’t you being yourself?! I hate watching you like this, Patrick!” Just saying his name made her flinch. “Why did you mate with her if you aren’t happy?? If you love her, if you wanted her, then why do you look so broken?!” She cried. Her eyes moved back to Kendra, and she just shook her head.

“I’m sick of watching you break him,” She said quietly. “He’s not some dog that you can train to do whatever you want to. He’s not a toy. He’s a person! He’s the most amazing person I’ve ever known, and you’re not treating him like one. I’m sick of it!” She shouted. She knew that in a way she was being hypocritical; she, too, had broken him, had driven him here. But she was trying to fix it. “You don’t really love him,” She said, her voice low and dangerous. “You don’t. If you did, you wouldn’t treat him like this. I made a mistake; I know that I hurt him, too, but at least I’m trying to fix it,” She spat.
~!!~
She’d spent hours looking at the photos that she’d found on the back of his guitar. The first one was of a younger him, sitting on the lap of the man that she assumed to be his grandfather. The other was of her.

She didn’t understand why she didn’t go to him right away, to apologize and try to explain herself to him. Maybe it was because part of her really did want him to move on; she did know, deep down, that he deserved better than her. But she also knew that she didn’t want to let him go; she that she loved him.

Her mother still hadn’t come home; she was running out of money for food, for all of the things that she needed. She hoped she came back soon; she didn’t know what to do if she didn’t . The house felt strangely empty, even more so than before, because she knew that she couldn’t go to the one person that she always had before for comfort.

It took her a week to work up the courage to go to his house. At first she told herself that it was just to return his guitar, nothing more, but she knew that she couldn’t let him go. It was selfish, it was stupid, but she needed him.

It was pouring, but she didn’t care. She pulled up to the curb outside his house and stepped out, struggling to hold the guitar and the umbrella at the same time. By the time she made it to the door she felt like she were about to collapse. She slowly shook out the umbrella and knocked on the door, taking a step back and putting the guitar strap over her other shoulder. Rue knew that his mother hated her, but she needed to talk to him. She didn’t know what she would do if she couldn’t.
~!!~
The first few days after Sergei left were like nothing she had ever experienced before. She couldn’t understand why he’d left, nor did she have any desire to. She didn’t want to think about it. But everything reminded her of him; and the emptiness that she felt inside was now outside as well.

It wasn’t until the night before that she found the letter under the bed.

It was sticking out and she picked it up, and had been in a sort of daze ever since. At first she was shocked that her father would do that, then curious about what Sergei had done, then furious at him for giving in, then sad that he would. She didn’t understand what he had been thinking. Whatever he’d done…it couldn’t have been that bad, could it? But it didn’t matter; it hurt to think that he didn’t believe that she’d still love him in spite of it. And she felt as though she hated her father; he wasn’t looking out for her. He was going out of his way to hurt her.

She’d called him to tell him she’d found it, but after he answered, she hung up. In the end, she got into the car that only made her think of Sergei and left for Dale.

The entire drive her thoughts were only on him; she couldn’t understand why he had done this, why he hadn’t talked to her about it. He saw what she was like when he left, yet he still left. She tried not to think about what he had done, what could have been so bad that he would leave her, but she couldn’t stop the thoughts from entering her mind. But no matter what it was, she convinced herself that she would still love him. Nothing could change that. Nothing.

It was pouring by the time she pulled up outside of his house. Everything about here was familiar; she could remember him teaching her how to ride her bike, him saving her when she almost drowned, him standing up for her when she couldn’t even stand up for herself. She couldn’t just leave him here; she wouldn’t.

She stood in silence outside for what seemed like an eternity before knocking. She was freezing, soaked completely by the time she knocked. And it was him who answered the door.

She didn’t know what she was going to say; she didn’t care. Without even thinking about it, she brought her hand back against his cheek. The resounding slap seemed unnaturally loud, even with the rain pouring down.

“Why?!” She demanded, the first word that left her mouth. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but they mingled with the rain. “Why didn’t you tell me?!” She cried. “Do you really think I would have hated you?? I don’t even know what you did, Sergei, but—“ She shook her head quickly, her voice cracking. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She whispered.
~!!~
Alex hadn’t left Isaac’s side in the past week, nor had he left hers. Ella was the one she was worried about the most, though; even more than Caden, even more than Dominic. She trusted her sister; she trusted that she had done what she thought was right for Jasper. She didn’t blame her for his death. She didn’t blame her for anything.

But their relationship was already beginning to shatter; it had been for a while. Too many things were getting in the way, and Alex just wanted to fix them. Ella, though, wouldn’t come out of her room unless she had to, unless she was talking to Caden. She was avoiding Alex, it seemed, and Alex didn’t know why.

She was sitting outside, under the cover of the roof, watching the rain fall down around her. Isaac was by her side, the only comfort she could find now. “I don’t get it,” She said quietly, not meeting his eyes. “Why she won’t talk to me. She won’t even look at me.” She fell silent then, watching the rain pour down harder. She didn’t really expect an answer; it just felt nice to be able to talk to someone.

Ella was sitting in her room, also watching the rain. She loved the rain; it was the one thing that could really calm her down, but it didn’t seem to be working any longer. She couldn’t look Alex in the eyes, or even Caden, without feeling guilty. It was her fault that Jasper was gone, and her fault that Dominic was gone. She’d managed to drive them both away, and get the one person she had ever been in love with killed.

She didn’t want to worry her sister, but she couldn’t bring herself to face her, not like this.
~!!~
Kit stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around herself tightly. She had gone hunting again earlier that day, and felt sick afterwards. She hated how good the blood tasted, how much she needed it. She hated that she wanted it, even when she knew that she didn’t need it.

She didn’t want to be here, but at the same time, she knew that this was the only place that she would ever be able to go again. She had lost her family long ago, and now she was one of the very things she hunted. And though she hated to admit it, that little girl who had done this to her was beginning to grow on her, like a parasite that you can’t shake off. Though she could do without Noland, and especially Dustin. She hated to look at him and know what she had done, what he had done. She couldn’t look Noland in the eyes because of it.

She didn’t have any clothes here; she had gone back to where she’d been staying to get her own, and for some reason she’d come back. She slowly pulled on a pair of cargo pants, loose and baggy, and let the towel fall to the ground. She began to dig through her bag for a shirt she could wear, though all of them were t-shirts.
~!!~
Two days ago, her sisters had left her. One minute they were there, and when she turned around, they were gone. It didn’t make sense; she’d spent so much time looking for them, and she still was. She didn’t understand where they had gone, why they hadn’t told her. She was happy to live in oblivion; she didn’t want to think about what she couldn’t remember, or why. She was happy just to be with her family, because part of her, though she didn’t realize it herself, knew that it wasn’t supposed to be this way.

“ANDREA!” She called, cupping her hands round her mouth as she stumbled through the woods behind where they’d been staying. “KAT! ANNA!” Only silence answered her. She was starting to get scared; she couldn’t find them, and things were beginning to look familiar to her. But that didn’t make sense. She wasn’t paying attention and almost ran into someone, and stumbled back, looking up at the man in chains standing before her.

Something inside of her wanted to say something to him, but she didn’t know what. She stood up and grinned, her face lighting up. “Hello,” She chirped. “Have you seen three people who look exactly like me?” She asked, glancing around quickly. “I can’t find them.” She looked at the chains covering his body, but didn’t say anything about it. Ignorance was bliss.
~!!~
Hunter was furious.

He’d been asleep again, this time, when she woke him up and he found out that DeAndre was missing. He didn’t understand how she could manage to lose him so much; was it so hard to keep him in your sight? It wasn’t like he was that hard to keep track of. He was sick of having to have to find him, of having to worry about him.

They’d only just found him again, and he was standing with his arms around his son, looking at Tempest with narrowed eyes. “How could you lose him again?!” He shouted, though he didn’t seem to see the way that his son squirmed in his arms, the look on his face as he shouted. “He’s not that hard to keep track of!” He didn’t say how worried he’d been, how scared. He could only seem to show how he felt with his words.

He knew that in a way he was to blame, too; he was always in bed, never helping. But he didn’t care right now. “What if he got hurt?!” He demanded. “What if he got hurt, and you weren’t there, because you couldn’t find him!!”

He knew that he shouldn’t have been yelling, but he didn’t know what else to do; he was afraid to let go of his son for fear of him disappearing again.
~!!~
Violet held her hands out in front of her, watching the raindrops fall down onto them and slide down to the ground, gathering with the mud in a puddle. She slowly turned her eyes over to Noah, wiping her damp hands on her already soaked jeans. A small smirk turned up the corners of her lips as she walked over and stood next to Noah, rocking back and forth on her heels as she watched Anya stumble up the walkway.

“She’s going to fall,” She said softly, but she wasn’t even looking at Noah as she spoke. She turned her eyes away from Anya and glanced up at the rain still falling down harder, closing her eyes and spreading her arms out around her, letting out a long breath. She opened one eye, glancing at Noah. She didn’t know much about him; he was one of the first people she saw when she woke up, so she took to following him. How could she know anything about him, when she didn’t know a thing about herself?

“You’re going to fall the hardest, though,” She said suddenly, and a grin spread across her face. A laugh bubbled up and she took a step back, looking back over at him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, humming a soft tune under her breath as lightning flashed above them again. She loved thunderstorms; the chaos that they often caused made her smile.
~!!~
December hadn’t gone to see Simon since that day a week ago when he’d been sick. She wondered if he was feeling better now; she hoped so. She hoped she hadn’t broken him beyond repair; she hoped that someone, anyone, could make him better. She didn’t’ care who it was. She just wanted him to be okay.

It hurt to stay anywhere near him. She didn’t go home; she didn’t want to see that look on her parent’s face every time they were forced to see her face. She’d found a house that wasn’t being used near the edge of the town and had taken up residence there. She felt like she had nothing left; she didn’t want to be here. If it weren’t for Brooke, she wouldn’t at all.

She knew where she was staying now, but she couldn’t find herself to go see her, at least not at first. Would she be angry about Simon, or did she know? She was worried about her friend, about that boy she was with. That was why she was going to see her now.

She was worried about Moses as well, but seeing him hadn’t done him any good. She didn’t know what to do. She thought that maybe seeing Brooke would make her feel better, at least a little bit. But when she was almost to the house she knew she’d been staying in she saw him.

He was going to ruin it. He was going to hurt her. He was going to bring her back from the happiness she’d found. December knew that it wasn’t her place to stop him, that it wasn’t her battle to fight. But she wanted to protect her friend, no matter the costs.

“Moses!” She called, but he didn’t turn around. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, shaking her head quickly. She didn’t want to use that; she didn’t want to do that to him, no matter who he was. She shook her head and opened her eyes, Brooke’s face in her mind, how happy she had been around that boy, no matter who he was. She wasn’t going to let him ruin it.

Her body fell to the ground on the sidewalk in a crumpled heap, and suddenly she was seeing life through the eyes of Moses. To him, it would feel like watching a movie, watching himself move from outside. She slowly turned around and began to walk back towards the Manor, flinching as she passed her own body. She’d never really tried to talk long distances like this; she didn’t know if she could do it. It would be easy to slip up, to lose her concentration and fall back. She bit her lip, which was no longer even her own, walking faster. She hated how it felt to not be herself, to see things through someone else’s eyes. But she didn’t know what else to do.

By the time she entered the woods she was exhausted; she tripped once, twice, didn’t even notice the blood running down her, his, leg. She could see the manor in the distance now; she knew that she didn’t have far to go, but she didn’t know if she could make it.
~!!~
Sandra didn’t know how much longer she could stand and watch Tony. She was sick of seeing him hurt, of seeing him suffer. But he wouldn’t let her help him; he needed Anne. She knew that, but she couldn’t bring her back. She didn’t know what to do; she wanted to be able to change things, to bring them all back to life. She often wondered what things would be like if she’d never died, if they’d never died.

She still insisted on trying, though. She opened his door and stepped inside in silence, but she didn’t say a word. Sometimes she thought that she was only trying to comfort herself now, since she couldn’t comfort him.

It was raining that night and Payton's brown hair stuck to his forehead as he ran through the woods. "MOM! DAD!" he shouted. The thunder drowned out his voice and fear ran through him. The rain hid his tears as he ran. "MOM!" He knew what she was going to do. "Dad!" And he knew what he wouldn't do. Payton kept running. He needed to stop it. He had to make everything right. It was only he who could. He wouldn't give up until he did what he needed to. He was like his mother like that, even if he wasn't her biological son. Even if he was just a brat running to save someone who wouldn't even save himself. He would. Yet he knew he couldn't...

Then the sparkle of a gold wedding ring could be seen as Jojo lifted her hand just as lighting struck. She touched her eye patch just as Payton came into the clearing. The couple there turned to the huffing boy. Jojo looked at him with a deep frown on her face. The man only smiled, sadly, at him. "Go back, it'll be fine, Payton." he said as he turned his eyes back to Jojo.

"NO!" Payton yelled as he ran forward. "Daddy! NO!" He was crying. He didn't even realize he called his father something he hadn't since he was eight. "Stop it!" he said as he threw himself in between the two of them. His father touched his shoulder. "Pay-" But his son cut him off. "NO! YOU HAVE TO STOP! YOU CAN'T LET HER! PLEASE! FIGHT BACK!" he cried.

The smiled still clung to his father's lips. "I knew this was going to happen all along. It'll be fine, you'll see." Those words just broke Payton more. He turned to his mother then. He was crying. "Mom." But she turned her face away and pushed her son out of the way.

Payton fell helplessly to the ground as he watched his mother end his father. All he ever known, all he ever cared about, it no longer seemed to matter. A sudden hatred formed in him. It was aimed at the man that he looked up to most of his life. Why didn't he fight back? Did his father not care about what it did to him? Payton never hated someone someone so much as he did now.

----------

The sun seemed to be mocking him. Only a few days after his father 'died' and the sun was shining brightly. He hated it. He glared out of Willie's window at it as his friend sat on his bed.

William was licking dough of his fingers. He looked sadly at his friend. "You should make this quick. I left Rylee to watch the cookies; she'll burn them." the younger boy said as he pushed his blond hair out of his green eyes. Dough clung to his hair, but he hardly seemed to care. "My dad is complaining about hospital food again, and my mom can't cook at all."

Payton looked at Wille. He almost felt bad. His friend had more to worry about then he, himself, did. His father was in the hospital, none of the doctors could figure out what was wrong with him, his mother was slowly breaking, and his little sister was becoming more clingy then ever. Who was he to ask this of his friend. But he couldn't forget what Willie told him a couple of weeks ago. His past was changing, there was a chance that he would never be adopted by his family. Although that would have it's perks, it scared him. But what scared him more was the deep hatred he felt for his own father. He didn't want to go back in the past to save himself, he wanted to save the man that had raised him.

Closing his own eyes, Payton turned back to the window. "It finally happened. My father is gone. I tried to stop her, but my mom wouldn't. Now I am all alone. My mom isn't the same anymore." he said quickly. He could feel Willie watching him. He could almost feel his pity. Payton didn't want Willie's pity.

"And you are telling me this, why?" he asked.

"I need you to take me back in time." Payton anwsered.

Then came Willie's whiny speech about messing with the time line of things. Payton spun around and glared at his friend. "MY MOM DID IT AND NOW I MIGHT DISAPPEAR! I HAVE THE RIGHT TO FIX MY MOM'S MISTAKES!" the boy shouted. This made Willie flinch as he stood up.

"Fine." the blond one whined as he took Payton's arm.

It was raining here. Payton looked up at the house that he was standing in front of when Willie left once more. There wasn't one light on inside. But he knew was home. Seth and Cinder. Payton had acted foolishly. He had no idea how he was going to get inside. But he couldn't turn back, now. The moment he touched the dirt in the past he had changed something, now he had to see it out to the end.

~!!~
Tempest had placed DeAndre in the middle of the room and told him to play quietly with his toy, as so he didn't wake Hunter up. She thought that would be fine. She would be sitting in the chair watching him after all. But she was tired, she didn't know why. It could be a number of reasons. But in the end she had fallen asleep in the chair and when she woke up, her baby was gone and the door was ajar. She went straight to Hunter and woke him up. He was not happy, he was never happy about being woken up. She knew he would yell at her, he always did. Although it was almost like lying, she neglected to tell him that she had fallen asleep. She didn't think that was her case. But in the end, after DeAndre was safe in his father's arms (heaven forbid she would drop him again), he yelled. Tempest could feel his anger. It hurt her to know it was directed at her.

She turned her head as he yelled. He didn't understand how worried she felt when DeAndre went missing. He didn't understand how scared she got. He didn't understand how she felt when she knew it her fault. He was right. Hunter was 100% right. DeAndre could of gotten hurt, and it would of been her fault. But how could he pin all the blame on her? He slept more the hibernating bears. But it just didn't matter. It never mattered.

Tempest was becoming more and more upset by the second. It was clear from the way her hands shook before she hid them behind her back. From the way she bit her lip and closed her eyes. From the way she tried to hide that she was upset. She was never one to want anyone, not even Hunter, to see her upset,but the more she tried to hide she was, the more it became clear.

Finally she couldn't help it. He wouldn't stop and it didn't seem that DeAndre was comfortable. Tempest just broke. She covered her mouth as she pushed past him and out the bedroom door. It didn't matter to her that she was wearing some of her highest heels. She somehow managed to run away from Hunter the man she loved and their child in his arms. She didn't know where she was going, she just needed to think. But as she stepped down one of the steps her one of her heels broke and sent her spiraling downward. It was must like Leanne had the week before.

She crashed to the bottom in unbelievable pain. But even the pain couldn't make her stop thinking about how awful of a mother she was.

~!!~
A week had past, and Patrick was still hers. It had been so easy for her to mod him into what she wanted. She would have to thank Leanne later, for breaking him enough for her to slip into the cracks and form something better. He did what ever Kendra asked now. If he wore one of those awful shirts, she could easy make him change into dress clothes. Now he dressed like a man that deserved to be by her side. But now, the only thing she was having trouble with was that he always looked so... dead. Kendra didn't get it; he was with her now, he should be happy. He should be kissing her, holding her, treating her like a mate. Instead he acted like she was his warden. That didn't really bother her, but the least he could do was act like he cared, put up an appearances. But there would be still time, she could make him into what ever she wanted to.

She had herself wrapped in his arm as they walked down the hall. He was quiet, but she preferred that over his talk. She just needed Patrick to be the man at her side. His love will come later. Even now he refused to stay in the same room as her. That was the only thing he denied her. Things will get better for her and her paint... But not until Leanna left.

Leanne was was walking toward them now, and Patrick stopped in his tracks. His eyes fell to the rings around her neck. He quickly looked away. The sight of her brought a frown to Kendra's lips. She held on to Patrick, tightly as Leanne began to speak. When the girl turned to Patrick, Kendra could feel his pain/ Leanne's words were hurting him. She could almost feel him slipping away from her. And she couldn't let that happen. So when Leanne was finally done speaking she didn't let Patrick speak; Leanne's speech was rather stupid. Amazing? If Patrick was a amazing he wouldn't need to be fixed, but he did.

"You're a very stupid girl." she said, dryly. "Do you go up to every couple and try to break them up?" she asked. "You are a fool. You think love is based on happiness? You think love is based on anything besides want? You let thoughts like those get in the way, and now you lost Patrick." She was speaking as if Patrick wasn't even there. "He is imperfect, I am doing him a favor by fixing him, because I love him. You let him be, you didn't try to fix him, that was what went wrong. Did you think that it will be easy to hold on to someone if you just 'except them'. It doesn't work!" she shouted. "Patrick is mine, and he shall be mine, because I am gonna keep him close. I am going fix him and make him mine. I'll do what you didn't and he won't leave me as easily as he left you." she said as she looked up at Patrick.

Patrick was staring blankly at Leanne again. "Leanne, I-" But Kendra cut him of again. She press her finger to his mouth. "No, please, don't talk to her." There was something like fear coming off of Kendra. "I'm not going to let you leave me." she added.

~!!~
She didn't understand what was going on with Seth. What had gotten into him. Every night she made her own food. And she basically ate it alone. It was nothing new. What was new was when she rushed into the kicthen ad there was a fire going. She yelled at him. Apparently he was trying to make her something to eat. But he was a fail at cooking. Then after she cleaned up that mess, he started another fire. Why he needed to light a candle was beyond her. But he did, and she ended up putting that one out, as well. She shouted at him then, too. Then she had stormed to her room.

She didn't know what he wanted, but she wished he would just spit it out instead of trying to burn her house down.

Then the rain started. She was fine with just the rain. But then it started to thunder. And then the lightening. Part of her was tempted to run down stairs and crawl in Seth's arms. But then she remembered she was mad at him. Instead she crawled under her bed and tried to have her sobs. She was so scared and half of her wondered why Seth wasn't up here with her.

Then her door opened and she didn't know what to think. Then he called out her name. "Don't call me that." she called weakly, but she was too scared to say anything more. She knew sh had no reason to be scared. But she was. It was just a storm, but she was shaking under her bed again.

~!!~
Ware-wolfs weren't meant to get sick, and Addi seemed to be the only one that ever got sick. In fact he couldn't recall his siblings ever getting sick. So in away Sage had been right that he had a weak immune system, what else she had added to that comment, Addi would be forever unsure about. "You spend hours in your room, Sage." he coughed out. As he watched her. She didn't want to be the one to be taking care of him. He guessed that she would rather see him die.

He closed his eyes for a few minutes when she pulled the rag of if his forehead and walked to take soak it in more water. She wasn't doing a bad job at taking care of him, she was just not helping with her attitude. For some reason he wanted her to stay near him, but only of she was happy. But she wasn't.

He opened his eyes just as she started to walk around his room. On any other day he would of kicked her out by now for touching his stuff, but he couldn't get out of bed. He just glared at her. His glare deepened when she found his photo album. She had to find his baby pictures.

He watched as she flipped through it, but he said nothing until she pulled one out and showed him. "Nice butt." she had said.

"You know you can get in trouble for looking at naked baby pictures, right?" he asked as he posted himself up. The rag fell to his lap. His chest was bare as he leaned over and pulled the album out of her hands. He then took her by the wrist and pulled her forward enough so he didn't have lean so far out. "And besides, why look at my pictures when you can have the real thing?" he asked as he pressed his lips to hers.

~!!~
The sound of the rain was his lullaby tonight. For nights it was the sound sounds of Vivian's soft breathing that had lulled him to sleep. Now all he had was the silence and the occasional rain fall. He wanted her back in his arms, he wished that he never left her. He wished there had been a way to fix all this. He regretted leaving like that; with her like that. He loved her, always would. But if he tried to go back would she still love him? He made such a big mistake. But still, could she had loved him if she knew? He shouldn't have to think about it. But he was scared. He was afraid of her hating him. But in the end, didn't he make her want to hate him? How bad did he hurt her? He hurt himself, but not nearly as bad as he did to her.

He couldn't sleep, he could never sleep. Not anymore. But now didn't seem to be the time to sleep. Someone was at the door, and his mother was not home. Sergei slipped out of bed and walked down stairs pulling open the door. He didn't have time to react to what he saw when Vivian slapped him. He just stood there, a hand on his cheek as he listened to him. She found the note, then...But she still loved him? Why else would she say that? She had to, and he had hurt her. But hopefully not beyond repair.

He didn't know what he was doing as he reached over and took her hand. Her palm was red from slapping him. He pressed it to his cheek and closed his eyes. He had been craving for that touch for a week. "I'm so sorry." he whispered as he reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him until there was no room between them. "I'm sorry. I know it's not enough, but I'm sorry. I really am." he whispered. "I was stupid." It was no where near enough and he would not blame her is she pulled away and hit him again.

~!!~
It had been Etan that opened the door. He looked nice... Until he realized who it was. Then that normal glare he usually gave came out. "You!" he spat. "Why are you here?" he demanded as he pushed her back and stepped out himself. "I thought I made it clear that you weren't welcome here." he spat as he closed the door. His eyes fell to Elijah's guitar then. "And why do you have that?" He was staring daggers at her as he pulled it out of his hands. "I don't care what you have to say, go. I won't let you ruin this for him. This is a new chance for him. Now go!" he spat as he ripped the picture of her off the back o the guitar and let the wind blow it out of his hands.

That was when the door opened. "Ethan, what are you..." The woman's voice trailed off as she looked at the girl that she hated so much. "You have to leave now, sweetie." She didn't even try to make her voice sound kind. Both mother and son were glaring at Rue. If only looks could kill...

There were voices in the background. One very un-happy one belonged to Elijah. Something crashed to the ground followed by a call for his mom. He appeared behind her and grabbed her arm. "You can't do this-" Then he saw Rue. He froze and his green eye's widened. "Rue." he whispered. He stepped out and took her hand and kissed it softly.

"Who is she!?" a man's voice demanded from behind Elijah's mother. Beside him was a woman and just behind them was a girl about Elijah's age. "This wasn't the deal!" he looked angry. And in turn Elijah's mom glared at her.

"This is just a worthless girl who can't let Elijah go. I promise that Elijah would forgot about her once he and Lily--"

"STOP IT!" Elijah yelled. "I don't want to marry Lily-Rose!" he said as he spun around to face the little group.

~!!~
Hayden had sat outside of the motel room the entire night. He hadn't once tried to go back in, out of due respect for the girl that he loved. But that respect for her was never paid back. He had done something special for her last night, he had respect her unconscious wishes. But then looked what had happened...

He had turned his head when she slammed the door open. She was clearly ticked. But what had he had done? Could she be mad at him for not taking advantage of her; that seemed silly to him. Why would she mad about that? He was about to pull the cigarette out of his mouth and stand up when she threw the chair at his back. Pain ran through his body, and it took all he could not to let the cigarette fall out of his lips. He didn't even stand up, but he turned round and stared at her while she yelled. She didn't remember... She assumed he had used her. He knew that it was his fault that she thought this, but it still hurt. Did he really seem like the guy that would take what he wanted with her in that state? The hurt showed on his face as she yelled.

His voice seemed to be gone. All he could do was watch as she ran back into the room and then came back with a bag of his stuff. He couldn't even open his mouth before she threw the bag at him and kick him hard in the ribs. His face paled at the pain. He hadn't heard it snap, but that didn't mean she didn't crack it. She was a lot stronger then she thought she was sometimes. He sat there for a long time after she slammed the door. Her words were echoing in his head. She didn't need him... She would be fine without him... She never wanted him to come back... Not ever. His back was hurting, he would later have a large bruise, his side was killing him; he didn't even want to think about the damage that she could of have caused there, and his heart was broken. She had beat him down before and lowered his self-confidence , but never like this. She had never hurt him so bad. He could even feel the tears rushing down his cheeks as he finally pushed himself up and pulled a shirt out of the bag, and pulled it on.

Every movement hurt. She had definitely cracked a rib. Hayden knew he should go to the hospital, but what was he going to say? Nothing. Instead he just turned and left. She never wanted to see his face again, the least he could do was leave, even if it hurt him more the his ribs.

And four days had passed and Hayden was alone.

Hayden could not say what drove him to bring the bottle to his lips. Maybe he wanted to know why Elysia had done it. What did Elysia see in it? He couldn't tell you, but after a few drinks he was beyond caring to see her side of the story. It was funny how since he had met her he had always worried about what she saw, if she was okay,if she was mad at him, it wasn't until he brought himself to a drunken state that he actually thought about himself. There was a strange rage in him. It had always been there, but it just needed a little help to come to the surface.

Angry thoughts twirled in his head. Did Elysia not realize that he had given up a whole life for her? Did she not care that he was going to be disowned the moment his mother found out that he had not killed her? Did she not care that he given up his dreams to find her, and any chance he would have again at them to stay with her? Did she not understand? No, she didn't even know, because she never asked about his past. She never wanted to know more about him, even when he couldn't know enough about her. It shouldn't of have, but it made him angry beyond belief.

That was when he decided to go back. She needed to know that she couldn't just push him around. She needed him, even if she tried to deny it. That was why he pushed open the door to her motel room.

His head was down as he closed the door and locked it. He stared at her as she spoke. She was speaking nonsense again. She was always liked to make herself seem strong, but even in the state he was in now he could see her weaker side, even if she couldn't see it herself. He didn't say anything as he walked over to her. Every step hurt; he hadn't gone into a doctor's office for his rib. But only a little pain could be seen on his face, the beer in his system drowned out all the pain he should of have been feeling. All he could think about was getting what he deserved.

He grabbed her arm and stared down at her. His grip was a lot tighter then anyone would ever expect from him. He was a lot stronger then he ever let on, in fact he could over power Elysia if he really wanted to.

He was smiling at her, but there was a dark look in his eyes. "Elysia, Elysia." he said, but it was clear from his voice that he was drunk. "My little liar. My pretty little liar." he added as he brushed her hair out of her face. "You stupid little girl. That's all you are. A stupid girl, telling yourself precious little lies." He spun her around and pushed her down on the bed, pinning her down. "You think you have every right to yell and shout. You think I deserve every hit, every punch, both to the body and to the ego; but if anyone deserves to be broken it's you." There was a sinister tone to his voice. "For once I will be doing the breaking."

~!!~
Darren couldn't explain why he had spent so long away from his love, but he had. He had been so upset by the fact that he couldn't protect her, that he had killed, that he couldn't face her. He felt awful for it, too. Now, more than ever, Rainy needed him. But where was he? He was millions of miles away, moping. He couldn't take anymore. Finally he pushed himself to appear by her side, but what he saw didn't make him feel any better. He pulled the blanket off her bed and looked at her. Unbelievable sadness over came him. He didn't know what to do, so he reached down and pulled her to to a siting position and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Rainy, Rainy." he whispered over and over again. He saw how pale she was; how small. He blamed himself, but knew she wouldn't go hunting. He didn't decide to do it. It wasn't an idea. He didn't think at all about it. It was an impulse that made him use his nails to dig into his skin and draw blood. It was an impulse that made him pull her forward and place her mouth near the pooling blood on his neck.

"Drink." he command. This was for her good. She would go hunt, he would allow her to fed off him. The wrist would of have been a more logical spot, but he wasn't mating with her, and he didn't want to give her that idea. He wasn't going to mate with her; even if he did love her enough to let her feed off of himself.

~!!~
Trevor looked down at Jennifer. They were sitting on his bed. His book was open in his lap and his hand was in hers. How many times before had they sat like that? He remembered that sometimes he would tell her about what he was reading if she asked. He missed those days, but he was happy to have her back. "Why do you say such things?" he asked as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly, bringing his eyes to her. "She has no reason to hate you." he whispered as he dropped her hand and moved his book to the side. He leaned over so his face was close to her. "I only known her for a year or so, but I know she doesn't 'hate'." he said as he pulled her closer. "And even if she does like me, it's just a kid's crush. It will pass." Suddenly he smirked as he pulled her even closer. "Are you jealous of the child?" he as he kissed the tip of her nose. "Do you think you have a reason to be jealous?" he asked as he place his lips so they were almost touching hers.

~!!~
Milo had come home after a week of just sitting alone. He had missed Anya more then he could ever tell her, but he would never hold her again. She was gone. He came home and found Ally sitting all alone in Anya's room. He knew then that Anya was gone, that he had made a mistake to leave. Now Joel had taken her again.

He had stormed out of the room and toward the stairs, Ally at his heels. At the top of the stairs he paused ad turned around and began to shout about how this was all her fault. He knew it wasn't; it was his, he had been the one to leave. Just as he was shouting he the door open. He paused in his yelling and ran down the stairs. His eyes widened as he saw Anya siting there. He didn't wait a moment. He ran to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Anya. I'm so sorry." he whispered.

~!!~
Xavier had stayed in his room since the moment he got back. He could feel different emotions from KC, but he forced himself to be oddly blank. He had done nothing but lay in bed, being in an almost dead-like trance. She didn't want him, so he would make it seem like he just disappeared. But there was times he couldn't help but feel something. Something that told her he was still there, still very much in love with her.

For the first time in a long time, Xavier sat up when he heard a knock on his door. He looked at the door blankly. There was a familiar presence just outside the door. But despite the bond, he was surprised when he saw KC on the other side of the hall, staring at him. A frown pulled on his lips as he looked away.

"Why are you here?" he asked as he turned back to look at her. That was when he saw the scars. He stepped forward and pushed her hair off of her neck. Hurt washed through him, wiping out all other emotions when he realized she was trying to get of their bond. He traced the scars with a gentle finger. "Fine. I know why you are here. I'll fix it. You don't want me, I will destroy the bond. You won't have to deal with me any longer." His voice was cold, but there was traces of sadness and hurt. He spun around and walked down the hall. His solution was simple; find a new mate.

~!!~
Isaac wrapped his arms around her and brought her close to him. He kissed her forehead and looked at the rain falling. He remained silent for a few moments before he brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I had lots of siblings when I was growing us. There was never a time were at least one of them was not mad at me." he said, holding her closer. "But it is impossible to have a relationship where no one is mad at anyone." He knew that she didn't really expect an answer and his may not had made since. But he had told her because he loved her, and at least wanted to try to help. Was he doing a good job? Was holding her enough? He didn't know.

~!!~
Noland pulled open Kit's door with a deep frown of his face. Avril loved Kit, Noland could see that, but the boy was no good for her. He had to go. Noland didn't care to say anything as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He looked over at Kit. His back was to him and the room was in almost complete darkness. He flipped the lock and walked over to the smaller boy and grabbed him by the arm. "Look. We need to talk." he said as he looked down at him. The room was so dark that he could barely see his face. "You need to go." he said as he glared at him. "You aren't welcome here." he said, although he knew he wasn't either.

~!!~
Benny stood above Haven with a frown on his face. His hands were in fists as he stared at her intently. "I have." he said suddenly as he stepped closer to her. "But they're all you." He knew that he would make no sense to her, but he didn't care. "I seen you sad and violent. Now I have seen you happy." he said as he finally took a step back from her. "Do you not remember who I am? What I did for you? Why I am like this?" he asked as he lifted one arm to show the chains more clearly. "What you did to me? How you broke my heart?" he asked. "What you did to yourself?" He glared at her then. "You're dead, Haven."

~!!~
Noah glanced at the girl that had followed him. He never said much to her, but she never left his side. She was annoying, really, but for some reason he never told her to leave. He did, though, tell her he would kill her and feed her skin to the crows.

When she started to speak he looked at her with a blank stare. "You are wrong, Violet. I have already fallen. I am just waiting to hit the ground." he said as he turned away from her and walked toward the door which had closed tightly behind the small girl. He leaned down to the ground and pressed his ear to the door. There was a time where he would of have been able to just walk into his own home, but he was no longer welcome.

He listened as his brother came toward the door and began to mumble apologizes. That was how he knew that Anya had crumbled again. She was always so easy to break.

~!!~
Moses couldn't help it. He needed Brooke. He didn't want to hurt her or make her unhappy. But he wanted a second chance. He wanted her to know he didn't mean it, that he still loved her. So he found himself heading toward the house in which he had first found her. He had come a few times, but he never had the courage to say anything, but slowly anger and hate fill him. Many times he had watched her and Leslie either sit on the porch, talking happily. It should of have been Moses there, not that boy.

The house came into view and Brooke and Leslie were outside, sitting in the same place they were almost always. Moses's eyes met Leslie's for a moment, and Moses watched as Leslie tilted Brooke's face away, and up at himself, so she didn't get a chance to see him. Anger filled Moses and he was about to call out when he was suddenly watching his own body walking away. He didn't understand what was going on until he watched his body walk pass the mess of December's. Then it hit him, and the anger that was just directed at Leslie was now directed at the girl inside of his body. He started screaming at her to let him go, it was no good. He watched himself trip. And he didn't know what to do. All he knew was that he wanted to strangle December.