She shouldn't be doing this. She was well aware of the fact. He had told her to go away and never come back. But he couldn't have meant-could he? She had loved him, and him her.

Violet leaned against the building, waiting for the three brothers to come out of the small store. She had seen them go in and couldn't believe her eyes. A plan had quickly formed in her mind, and she was ready to pull it off. After all, all the years of pain couldn't really be for nothing, could they?

The three dark haired boys exited the store laughing at something one of them had just said. Probably Shane. Violet knew very well that he made them all laugh often. He used to make her die laughing.

Just as planned, the three walked right by where she was leaning against the brick building, all three stopping in their tracks with plainly stunned expressions. She lifted her chin confidently.

"Violet?" Jason was the first to speak up, sounding as nervous as she felt.

"No, my name's changed in the past four years." She stated sarcastically.

"What are you doing here?" Shane surprised her by speaking up next.

"I wanted to talk to you guys." She shrugged, unable to meet Jason's eyes as an awkward silence fell.

"Uh, why don't you guys go wait in the car?..." Jason suggested tightly, ignoring Nate's encouraging pat on the shoulder and Shane's sympathetic and worried expression. The two walked off in silence.

"Well?" Jason asked stiffly.

"Well what?" Violet asked innocently.

"I-I thought I told you to never come back." Jason didn't sound nearly as confident as he would have liked.

"You did." She nodded in confirmation. "But I still love you."

"No…you can't." Jason whispered, taking a step closer to her.

"Don't tell me how I can and can't feel." She snapped, brushing a dark strand of her hair out of her face.

"But…"

"Love doesn't fail." Violet's voice shook as she quoted the words he had spoke to her years ago, "But apparently nerve does."

Violet slung her backpack over her shoulder, ignoring the tears running down her face. She had never expected things to come to this. The night air smelled fresh as she left the house and walked down the street.

"Violet." She jumped at the voice and watched Jason step out of the darkness. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Violet said but shook her head afterward, letting her face fall.

"Hey…are you sure about this?" he whispered as his warm fingers lifted her chin so that she faced him. The tears stopped flowing as she contemplated his question.

"Absolutely." She managed a shaky smile, "I'd rather be with you then my family. If this is the only way…"she frowned at her words, "But your music…your dream. How can you give it all up for me? If you leave your brothers now…you'll lose it all…"

"None of that matters as much as you." Jason whispered, pulling her into his arms.

"We're only eighteen." Violet stated thoughtfully. "Running away from home?"

"Your parents hate me and my family." Jason reminded her softly, stroking her hair tenderly.

"I know."

"Where are we headed?" he asked as she pulled back enough to look up at him.

"Anywhere."

"Jason…" Violet whispered as they drove. She felt cold.

"What's the matter?" he asked softly. They had been driving for half an hour already, and he had thought she'd fallen asleep.

"Jason…" Violet whispered again, "Go back."

"What?" the disbelief was evident in his voice, "Violet, what are you saying?"

"I can't do it." Violet whispered, "To my parents or to your family. They love you. They need you. This is your chance…you're giving up your music for me-I don't want it to be that way. Go back. Now."

"Violet, I chose this too." He reminded her, paNateing inward at her words. If they went back they'd have no chance together. Her parents would never allow it.

"Go back, Jason. Now." Violet pleaded with him, "If you love me-go back."

"Violet-"

"Do you love me?" she demanded strongly, already knowing his answer. He kept driving in silence. If he said no, she'd want to go back. If he said yes, she'd still want to go back. He had to be honest.

"Yes." He breathed.

"Then turn this car around and take me back. You're not risking your career for me." Violet said softly, tears sliding down her cheeks. He obeyed after an inward fight, a heavy weight on his chest at what she was asking him to do.

"Thank you, Jason." Violet whispered after he had parked his car in front of his house. "I love you."

"Not enough apparently." his surprisingly stiff response came.

"Don't be like this." Violet requested sadly. "Your family needs you for more than one reason. It'd be selfish to take you away from your family that loves you-and your brothers need you now more then ever…"

"It's just a stupid tour." Jason muttered angrily.

"That stupid tour could change your family's life- it's your dream. Don't tell me you don't want it."

"Not as much as I need you." Jason's stressed tone said before he got out of the car and came around to help her out.

"Jason…I'm sorry." Violet said, caressing his cheek before kissing it, "I know how much this must hurt…"

"I thought you loved me." Jason didn't respond to her touch.

"I do." Violet nodded.

"Do you? Do you really?" Jason whispered.

"Of course."

"Then get back in the car and let's go." He challenged her. If she could use his love to get what she wanted, he could do so also.

"No." Violet said strongly. "We'll make it some other way. Love never fails." Jason surprised her by laughing bitterly.

"Love never fails. Hah, yeah." Jason whispered, "Love never fails, but apparently nerve does."

"I didn't lose my nerve." Violet protested, "I came to my senses. I don't want to do the selfish thing. You're needed here. You need to go and follow your dream."

"Fine." Jason said stiffly, "But if you leave now…Your parents will never let you come back to me."

"I know." Violet said, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand, "But I'm doing this because I love you."

"If you leave now…don't try to come back." Jason whispered, the moonlight showing the tears on his own cheeks.

"I love you, Jason." Violet said, taking a hold of his shirt's collar, forcing him to come closer, "Whether you believe me or not."

"You didn't love me enough to go." Jason whispered, trying not to let her closeness affect him.

"No, that's where you're wrong." Violet spoke, "I loved you too much to go. I couldn't take you from your family…Not only did they need you…you've always needed them. I'd hate to see what you would be like without your brothers. And you reached your dream in life now."

"I told you to not come back." Jason said strongly, fighting the urge to scoop her up in his arms and kiss her.

"Don't stand there and pretend that you don't love me." Violet breathed.

"What makes you think I do?" Jason finally managed to reach up and push her hands away from him. "That was four years ago."

"Say it."

"Say what?" Jason asked, hating the hurt look on her face when he pushed her away.

"Say you don't love me." Violet challenged him, "Say you didn't write Tonight for me."

"Why would I write a song about a girl I haven't seen in four years?" Jason blushed at how obvious the words must have been to her.

"Say you don't love me." Violet whispered, wishing she wasn't crying.

"I don't love you." Jason whispered firmly, his own words stabbing him like a knife. The despair in her eyes was almost too much to take as she bit her lip, obviously to keep from sobbing.

Violet felt the adrenaline rush at his words. The pain was more than she had expected. Four years. She should have braced herself better for rejection. It was all too ridiculous. How had she dared to hope he still loved her? Was it because of how much he had loved her once- so much she had been convinced it would never fade?

"There. I said it." Jason's tight voice said softly. Violet bit her lip harder, willing the tears to stop falling but Jason wasn't finished, "But it isn't true."

"What?" Violet dared to breathe again, her eyes growing wide at his words.

"I love you, Violet." Jason whispered, not waiting for her to register his words before scooping her up into his arms and kissing her tenderly.