Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable as someone else's.

A/N: So, hello everyone! Most of you know me from Scarred, if not, I'm Deffy and it's wonderful to meet you.

I'm here with a surprise oneshot (and possibly prologue for a new story). I'm super busy so we'll see if I can turn it into a full story. If not,y'all get a super mysterious, vague oneshot. Be sure to leave some love if you want to see more!

Fabian POV

The first time he met her, he was five and completely unaware of what the future held for him.

"Mommy, look at the flower!" he said excitedly, jumping up and down in front of his mother. Sounds of children playing and screeching filled the park around them, and he looked back to wave at his friends for a second before focusing on his mom again. "Mommy, look."

She motioned to be quiet, pointing to the phone at her ear, but she saw the flower and smiled a little. "Go play with your friends, Fabian," she said, covering the mouthpiece of the phone. Slumping like a wilting flower, he trudged away from her, still clutching the stem between his fingers, only to see that Joy and Mick had started swinging. There were no swings left.

"I'll look at your flower, little man," said a voice behind him. He startled, flipping around and nearly stumbling. A hand shot out to steady him, and he shivered. It was colder than it should've been in such hot weather, like she'd had her hands in a freezer all day. "Careful there, kid. We wouldn't want you to get hurt, would we?"

The owner of the voice was a girl, much younger than his mom but much older than him. She towered over him in size, blonde waves falling softly to her chest. What immediately drew him in was her blazing red eyes, which had narrowed in wariness. Most other kids would be terrified, and in fact one child who'd been playing with wood chips near them had run away immediately, but he was nervous simply because he didn't want his mom to see.

"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers…" He trailed off, looking back at his mom. She didn't notice, too busy snapping at whoever was on the phone with her.

The girl laughed, and the sound was warm and bright. She knelt down beside him. "Well then, how about we introduce ourselves? Then we won't be strangers anymore. I'm Nina," she said, extending her hand for him to take. "What's your name?"

"I'm Fabian. Fabian Rutter," he replied, grinning and shaking her freezing hand with a classic child enthusiasm. Now her eyes widened, and she seemed to struggle to breathe for a second.

"Fabian, hmm?" she whispered. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Fabian. Can I see your flower now?" He nodded and held it up for her to see. It was a lily, white and silver and altogether beautiful. "Oh, that's pretty. Are you going to give it to someone? Maybe that girl over there on the swings that you were playing with?"

He shook his head. "Nah… I want to give it to you." Nina smiled and giggled, tucking her hair back in clear invitation. He slid the flower behind her ear, and her hair moved to cover the stem, keeping it in place. "It looks even better when you're wearing it."

"Ah, what a little charmer you are. Do you-" She cut off when two others approached, their eyes just as red as hers. Perhaps they were siblings.

"You've been waiting for the contract to end for five years and you delay your prize because you want to talk to a kid? Who are you and what have you done to Nina Martin?" said the girl, paying no attention to him. "It's time to go, before we're too late."

Nina growled, and the sound was so animalistic that it startled him. "You would do well to remember who you're speaking to, Amber. Go wait at his house. I'll be there in a minute." They sighed and walked off, muttering about mood swings. She smiled at him, shifting back into her more peaceful personality as if the strangers had never interrupted. "I've got to go, darling. Thank you for the flower."

He opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it just as quickly. There was a sadness to her smile that shook him to the bone, and for a second, she seemed much older than she looked. Then she was lifting her hand to his cheek. "Close your eyes," she whispered, and he did. "You are going to forget the past five minutes. You will not remember me, but the imprint of our meeting will leave you in a brighter mood for days. I'm sorry. I wish things could be different." Lips pressed to his forehead. "Farewell, Fabian Rutter."

When he opened his eyes, there was no one.

"Fabian!" called his mother, standing up at last, and he ran over to her. "It's time to go. What was that flower you wanted to show me?"

He reached up to present it to her, but was surprised to find it gone. "I had it right here, I swear!" he exclaimed, looking around for it. Nothing. "I don't know where it went, mommy."

"That's alright, Fabes. You can find another one later. Let's go home." He nodded and waved goodbye to Joy and Mick, skipping after his mom. Normally he would've complained, but he was unusually happy. His dreams were haunted by red eyes, but the sight instilled an odd peace within him rather than scaring him.

The next morning, he was told that a man in the neighborhood had died. The only clue to who killed him was the wife's claim that she'd seen three shadows melting into the night.

They never found the killer.

A/N: Odd, I know! Let me know what you think if you can: suspicions about Nina/Fabina dynamic/what's going on, suggestions, thoughts in general, anything! Don't be strangers. And for Scarred fans: the next outtake will be arriving soon! It's almost done.

Until next time, my little definitions!