Thanks for all the kind and encouraging reviews. P.s. I've always been a sucker for the puppy eyes; )

Prologue

Christian POV

"Christian! OW! Help me!" I could hear her sobbing off from the side.

My heart stopped cold, "Ana! What happened?" I ran off into the direction of the cries, what happened we were only playing hide and seek. As I turned the corner I saw Ana on the floor holding onto her head crying. Blood marred her flawless pale skin, it was all over her face and hands. As she sobbed my name profusely all I could feel was horror. It was my job to protect her, but there she was hurt.

"Ana, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I questioned as I fell to her side. She looked up at me with those tearstained, guileless eyes and I could feel my heart shattering into millions of pieces.

"I was... hiding behind... that tree when a... big bird came and started flapping... at me. I tried to run but I fell and banged my head." She stuttered out in between sobs. It was all my fault I was responsible for her and then this happens. I carefully picked her up and began to carry her to my mom.

As I did, I told her "It'll all be okay, I'm going to take you to my mom and she'll fix you." I was two years older than her, it was my job to keep her safe and I couldn't. She was only six and tiny too, much smaller than me how could she care for herself. She held me close, burying her face into my chest as I tried to soothe her. We finally came out of the Bellevue gardens and neared the backdoor so I began to call for my mom. Out she rushed and after one look at Ana in my arms she instantly changed into her doctor persona.

"What happened? Oh, Ana darling, you'll be okay!" Mom said to Ana. "Christian bring her in and place her down on the sofa." She said to me.

I brought Ana in and then mom got to work. She told me to go next door and tell Mrs Steele so that she'd come for Ana. As I got up to leave Ana held onto my hand and squeezed, she looked at me and said "Don't leave me Christian! Please!" I looked at my mom and begged her with my eyes to let me stay.

"Come on Ana be a strong girl! Someone needs to tell your mommy." She said with a kind smile.

Begrudgingly, Ana released my hand and as soon as she did I was off to get Mrs Steele. As I neared the Steele house I saw Mr and Mrs Steele shouting. There was another man there but, none of them paid any attention to me and carried on shouting. "STOP!" I screamed.

Finally they noticed me. Mr Steele was the first one to speak. "What's wrong son? Why do you have blood on you? What happened is it Annie?" His voice became more frantic as he went on.

"Ana fell over and banged her head. You need to come quick Mom told me to get you." I told them desperate to get back to Ana. But, as soon as I finished Mr Steele set off to my house with me not far behind. As we arrived at Bellevue I ran inside to Ana surpassing even Mr Steele.

There, Ana was lying on the sofa with a big bandage around her head and blood still everywhere. With me frozen at the door Mr Steele pushed past and dropped to his knees near Ana, pulling her into his arms. "Oh Annie! You need to be more careful! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine now daddy! Christian brought me in and Grace fixed me, she even gave me a lollypop!" Ana said while beaming at Mr Steele. Mr Steele then looked at me and called me to him.

"Yes, Mr Steele?" I said

"It's Ray, son." He said with such care. "Thank you for helping Annie. She's lucky to have you."

I looked at him stupefied, "She helped me. She fixes me." I said with the utmost truth, "She can touch me and make it not hurt." Ana then looked at me and called me over. I came close and she jumped at me engulfing me with her arms. Who knew such a tiny thing would have so much power behind her.

My Mom then came in and smiled. "She'll be okay, Ray. It was only a little cut, she'll be good as new soon." She said with a kind smile. Ana then sat on the floor near me and Ray.

It was only then that Mrs Steele came in. I never really liked her, in the three years she's lived next door I have never seen her speak to Ana properly. She was never there and, now she arrives ages after I told her, her daughter had fallen over and banged her head somewhere. But, sadly that wasn't the worst thing. She came with that guy, the mystery man and though she, herself collapsed at Ana's sides and began to dote over her, that man just looked at Ana. Weirdly.

Ana clung to her mother and father but they, both, were trying to keep their distance from one another. When Ana finally sat back she looked up, saw the man and questioned her parents as to who he is. Her father replied sharply "Yes, Carla. Who is he?"

Mrs Steele replied, "He is Stephen, but we'll talk about him later."

"Okay, hello Mr Stephen." Ana said, while beaming. He was smiling back at her, (which is hard not to she's just a naturally happy person who makes the others around her happy too) when Mrs Steele looked at him and, told him to leave.

As he turned around to leave Ana called out "Bye!"

Mr Steele picked Ana up, said thank you to my mom and left to go home with Mrs Steele following close behind.

I didn't like Stephen but little did I know I didn't like him for a reason.

A month later

There were trucks and vans, great, big ones parked outside the Steele's house. I had just come back from school and was wondering what was going on. I walked into their house with a confused look on my face but, it left my face as I rushed to Ana. She was clinging to Ray, bawling, crying her eyes out. Ray also looked distraught, he was crying. Ray the man of literal steel, the hard-ass marine and stern but loving father was crying his eyes out alongside his daughter.

"Ana, Ray, what's wrong?" I asked concern evident on my face.

A little way behind them was Mrs Steele, she was looking down at the scene before her with sadness and worry etched on her face. "Ana, we need to leave soon."

LEAVE! What's happening? Ana can't leave me. I'll go back to the lonely, angry thing I used to be, the thing I was before Ana touched me, healed me.

"But I don't want to!" Exclaimed Ana. Ray stood up with Ana in his arms and finally noticed me. "Sorry son." Was all he said.

It was then when Ana looked at me, and the look on her face set it in stone. She was leaving me. I began to take small steps back, when Ana came running to me and I engulfed her in my arms. "Why do you have to leave?"

"I don't know, mom said I have to!" She wailed in reply. I looked up into the face of the women who was causing so much pain and despair, to find that similar emotions were etched on her face.

"Ana, I told you. I don't feel the same way about Ray anymore. I think we'd both be happier if we separated. I'm in love with Bob but I do still love Ray." Mrs Steele explained.

While I was looking at her with such hate on my mind, in walked none other than the creeper, Stephen. "What is he doing here then?" Demanded Ana.

"Honey, I told you, he's Bob's brother-in-law. He's come to help us move to Savanah." Once Mrs Steele uttered those words, my chest began to throb. She wasn't just moving from next door; she was leaving to an entire different state.

Ana began to cry even harder. I then knew that no matter what I couldn't lose my Angel. "Don't worry Ana, will still message and email each other every day, I'll call you."

She looked up at me with her ocean blue eyes and said, "Can I write letters?"

Of course she wanted to write letters, my little English geek. "Sure Ana." When she looked up at me and smiled I knew it'd be okay. Obviously, she'd come to visit Ray so we'd see each other again, for sure.

A little while later

Ana was all packed. She was in her mother's car sand was waving goodbye to me and Ray. She looked so sad, so forlorn that I knew I had to be the one who smiled. I would be strong enough for both of us. "Bye Ana!" I called out. Once the car began to move I blocked out everything else, but the sight of Ana waving from the back seat. A tear rolled down my cheek.

Six months later

I checked my email account again. Why wasn't she writing back to me? For months the number of letters and mails were reducing gradually until, for the last fortnight when I got none. I wonder how she is, what she is doing right now? She never came to visit Ray down here, he always went to her every two to three weeks.

7 years later...

I miss her, I can no longer bare to be touched, I tried to hug Grace but it burnt; it always burns now. I have to see all these different psycologists to try and 'fix' me but no one is actually worth it.

I leave the house and turn the corner. I go into the nearest store where they never check id's and slam money on the counter. "A bottle of Vodka." I ordered. He gave me the bottle and snatched the money away quickly. I, then, went to the park, opened up the bottle and began to drink the pain away. Drink away the burning, drink away the sting of being forgotten. I drank it all away into sweet oblivion.

Could someone explain to me the American grade system? It'd be much appreciated; )