This is my sequel to Something I Can Never Have...I hope it's enjoyed at least a little...even though I don't really expect it to be. So, here it is.

Chapter One: Why does it hurt?

She left anyway.

Only two short weeks after she and 2D had made amends, she left.

2D was left to struggle with the care of his twin sons, and with a little help from Russel, he scraped by.

Noodle was gone for such an immense period of time that she missed her sons' first words, their first steps, their first solid foods.

She even missed the time when they began potty training. Somehow 2D and Russel together managed to teach them.

2D spiraled into slight depression, but showed no sign.

Russ actually lost weight, ceasing his normal eating habits as though eating less could possibly bring Noodle home.

Murdoc's Winnebago rocked much less as he slept more and more of his days away.

2D sat at the kitchen table, holding a blue ball point pen in his left hand, chewing on the end absentmindedly. A blank notebook stared up at him from the table, mocking him.

He jotted down words as they filtered through his mind, without much thought at all.

She's gone

Escaped

She won't see me

She don't need me

He chewed on the pen once more, working at it from the side of his mouth. He pulled it from the grip of his teeth and studied the bite marks.

Dammit, this was Murdoc's pen, he realized. He shook his head and laid it on the table. Daniel ran up to him, the kids were just mastering their running skills.

"Daddy!" he cried enthusiastically. "When's Mum coming home?" he asked, a sad look crossing his youthful visage briefly. He was four years old.

"I don't know, Danny boy." 2D sighed sadly, pulling the boy into his lap and hugging him. "I hope soon," he said softly.

Oliver ran in next and tripped and fell, scraping his knee on a rough patch of floor. He burst into tears and 2D let Daniel down carefully.

"You're all right, Ollie, you're fine!" he reassured him, picking him up and assessing the wound. He opened a cupboard and produced some plasters and peroxide. He cleaned Oliver's scrape and dabbed a small amount of peroxide on it, warning him it might sting a bit.

"Ow!" he cried, but giggled when 2D kissed the plaster over his knee tenderly. "I wuv you, Daddy," he told 2D, and 2D ruffled his hair affectionately.

"I love you too, Ollie," he smiled slightly, and glanced at his notebook. "You kids wanna go out for ice cream?" he asked. They both agreed enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Yeah!" they cried as one voice. 2D grabbed his car keys and a pair of sunglasses, then scooped up both twins and carried them to the car, acting like it was a game, much to their delight. He fastened them in their child seats and buckled himself up.

He drove to the nearest ice cream shop, a locally owned one named "Bev's Old Fashioned Ice Cream." he grabbed his sons' hands and led them into the small store.

"What'll it be, sir?" asked an elderly lady from behind the counter, her name tag read 'Bev.'

He asked his blue-haired sons what they'd like, and ordered for them. "One small blue berry milk shake and a small vanilla cone." he said.

"Nothing for yourself?"

"No," he said, and she nodded, giving him the total as he pulled out his wallet, paying quickly. She gave him the change along with the ice cream.

"Thank you, sir, and have a nice day," she told him. "Your sons are adorable, if I may say so. Did you dye their hair?" she asked.

"No, it's genetic, I fink," he said, shrugging. "Thanks, and you have a nice day too," he led his sons back to a table in the back of the small building, where they ate their ice cream.

He saw a girl with violet hair walking along the side of the road, far enough away that he couldn't quite distinguish her face. That looks like Noodle, he thought. The hair looked exactly the same, but as she drew closer he could tell it was not her.

She was taller, and had a more filled out figure, tanner skin, a different face. She also was not Asian, he could tell. Just some girl with dyed purple hair, he thought. She walked with her eyes closed for a bit, but when she opened them, they were the strangest color he had ever seen.

They seemed to be a deep purple color, and they were fixed right on him. He looked back at his sons, but she was already moving towards them. Soon he could see the whites of her eyes, and more of the color. They had flecks of amber in them, and the pupils were a deep black, blacker than any pupil he had ever seen.

There was something magical about her eyes, her expression, the way she walked. She sat at the table in front of 2D, but said nothing. She breathed heavily, sweat beading around her face, her eyes closed in exhaustion.

It must be the heat, 2D thought. "Stay here, kids," he said to his sons. "I'll be right back."

He went back inside the building and asked for two large cups of ice water. "And please hurry, I'll pay for them." he told her.

"Don't worry, they're free." she said, and filled two large paper cups. "Need straws or lids?"

"No, thank you," he took the cups quickly and returned to the girl, whose head was leaning back now. His sons were watching her with frightened expressions.

"Hey, are you awright?" he asked her, and she opened her eyes. He handed her a cup of water. "Drink it," he said, and she brought it to her lips, emptying it in no time. She took the other one from him and downed it as well.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I'll just be on my way now," she said, rising.

"No, wait," 2D protested. "Come on, I'll buy you lunch. You must be hungry."

"Starving," she admitted. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked. "No one is this nice to me."

"Your eyes, they're magical," he answered. "Now, come on, where do you want to eat?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I don't know this town." she shrugged.

"What's your name, anyway?" he asked.

"Velvet. And who are you?"

"2D."

"That's your name?" she raised an eyebrow.

"No, s'my nickname. My name's really Stuart Pot."

"Oh. Am I supposed to know you or something? Because you're looking at me like I should."

"I am kind of famous, I guess," he shrugged. "Don't worry about it." he opened the door for her, and she got in as he helped his sons.

He drove to the nearest restaurant, hoping they'd have something decent for vegetarians.