Alright, so here's parte deux of my first fanfic, set in the Scott Pilgrim universe. Enjoy!


-right onto a soft carpeted floor. Scott got dizzily to his feet, releasing Ramona from their embrace, and found them lying on the floor of Ramona's living room. As the other's got to their feet, Scott saw the young man standing away from the others, turning over Scott's sword as he examined it.

'H-hey! Who are you? What just happened?' he began. The young man swivelled his head around, his hidden eyes looking directly at Scott.

'You don't know? Hasn't she told you?' he said, frowning. 'Understandable. She always did guard her past carefully – and with good reason.' Ramona got up and was about to speak when Scott interrupted her.

'You know Ramona? How?' The young man smiled, removing his sunglasses to reveal brilliantly blue eyes.

'How do I know her? Well, it's a long story, really. We're… old friends.' he said calmly. 'Oh, and we dated for a while once too.' he added. Scott's eyes widened.

'Then you're… you're…' he mumbled.

'Scott, he isn't-' began Ramona.

'You're an evil ex!' yelled Scott, launching a powerful kick at the red-haired man, who barely had time to react, dropping the blade and blocking the attack with masterful speed and grace. Scott deftly snatched his sword as it fell and brought it up towards his face, but he stepped backwards swiftly, out of the Scott's reach. Scott leapt forwards, bringing the blade slicing downwards, but his opponent was prepared and caught the blade expertly between his palms, twisting it from Scott's grasp and throwing it across the room. Stunned, Scott went on the immediate offensive, unleashing a rapid flurry of kicks and punches at his foe, only to find each one blocked with greater skill than the last. The young man barely blinked as he deflected blow after blow from Scott's fists and feet, barely retaliating at all. He caught a flying punch and twisted, dropping Scott to the floor. Scott scrambled to his feet and continued his attack.

'So this guy's not an evil ex, huh?' asked Wallace as he help a now-conscious Mobile to his feet. Ramona shook her head in exasperation.

'No! He's a friend, really. We dated for a while, yeah, but we actually had a good break-up!'

'Yeah, because you're just all about the healthy break-ups, aren't you?' said Kim sarcastically.

'Hey! We really did! He's a good friend, and… stuff…' protested Ramona with mild indignation.

The six of them watched the Scott trade blows with Ramona's 'friend' for several moments more. Scott kept punching and kicking in earnest, but it was obvious that he was far outclassed by his mysterious combatant, who reacted with lightning speed to deflect every blow and counter every grab. He took Scott's arm in both hands and swung him around, diving nimbly under a retaliatory kick as he threw Scott across the room.

'Shouldn't we tell him? Or, like, help him or something?' Stills inquired nervously as Scott leapt back to his feet and continued the fight. Ramona shrugged.

'Well, he's not going to hurt Scott, so we could just leave them to it…' she said, grinning at Kim, who merely nodded in response. 'And besides, it's nice to watch Scott not win a fight for once.' The young man did not react at all as Scott ran across the living room towards him, fist flying towards his head. Rather than impact with his face, though, Scott's fist slammed painfully into a flickering wall of energy which flashed into existence for a split second, barely visible as a brief distortion in the air around Scott's hand. Scott recoiled back, clutching his injured hand, and Ramona stepped in.

'Scott… he's not an evil ex. He's just an ex. His name's Daniel. He's not here to fight you, Scott.' Scott stood there in confusion, panting.

'He's… not? Then why did we… fight... oh.'

'You must be Scott Pilgrim. It's good to finally meet you.' He extended a hand, which Scott shook cautiously.

'Congratulations on dealing with that maniac Gideon, by the way. He was seriously messed up.'

Daniel Grayson
Age: 26
Not Scott's enemy (apparently)

'Umm…hi, I guess.' said Scott, nurturing his hand.

'Oh, sorry about that. I kind of had to make point back there.' Daniel apologised.

'No, no, it's fine, really. I shouldn't have gone for you back there...' mumbled Scott in response.

'So how did you and Ramona meet?' asked Wallace, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere in the room. He had somehow produced a small glass filled with some unidentifiable concoction, and was sipping from it merrily, one arm round a mildly confused Mobile.

'I'm sure Ramona will fill you in on what she feels… appropriate… later.' said Daniel, turning to face Ramona. 'You know who those guys back there were, right?' There was a long silence before Ramona spoke.

'…yes. I spent a month in Germany a while back, had a few one-night-stands with random guys…'

'And then they came back and tried to kill you and Scott.' finished Daniel bluntly. 'It looks like Gideon gave certain people some dangerous ideas.' Ramona kicked Scott's sword across the room in anger.

'I thought I was done with all this! I thought it was all over! With him gone…' She sank to her knees, head in her hands. Scott knelt down beside her, glancing at the others and motioning frantically at the door to the kitchen. Stills nodded and they filed out, shepherding a giggling Wallace with them as they went.

'Ya know, if she was only there for a month, and there were four guys, Ramona was having, like, a one-night-stand a week-' Wallace was cut short by a swift knee to the groin, courtesy of Kim. They shut the door behind them as they left the room.

Daniel seated himself cross-legged on the floor, facing Scott and Ramona, who was crying softly.

'I… I just thought we were through with all this crap from my past, you know? When we beat Gideon, I thought we were done.' she said, trying to dry her eyes. Scott raised a hand and swept his fingers across her face, carefully brushing her hair out of her eyes and wiping away the teardrops as they trickled down her cheeks.

'Hey…' he whispered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he tried to comfort her. 'It's okay. Uh… I'm here.' Ramona blinked, sweeping her sleeve across her eyes, drying her face of the tears. She looked up, directly into Scott's eyes.

'Th… thanks, Scott. I'm sorry… it's just hard, you know. To have a past that doesn't leave you alone…'

'We'll make it leave you alone. Even if we have to beat it back into the ground!' Ramona smiled slightly.

'I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but you might have to do exactly that.' said Daniel solemnly. Scott stood, reaching out a hand and helping Ramona up.

'What does that even mean?' he asked, frowning.

'It means that it didn't end with Gideon. He was cocky – he thought that there was no way you could beat him – but he wasn't stupid. He had a back-up plan, you see.'

'Whaaaaaaat! Is he still alive?' asked Scott, shocked. Daniel shook his head.

'No, no. He's gone. But he left something behind. A message… to everyone who might have had the slightest grudge against Ramona. He formed a bloody army, Scott. And those four back there? They were just the start.' Ramona collapsed onto the couch, head in her hands.

'How many?' she asked quietly.

'One hundred and nineteen. You'll need help, so I came to fight them with you. But Ramona… there's another thing…' Ramona looked up, worried.

'What? What is it?'

'Ramona…' Daniel turned away, rubbing his forehead. 'Their leader… it's him, Ramona. It's Dallas.'

Ramona paled and brought her hands up to her face, covering her eyes. Scott looked around, confused.

'Who… who's Dallas?' he asked nervously.

'David Dallas… he's not a man you should make an enemy of.' said Daniel.

'I hate him. He's a twisted, evil bastard!' screamed Ramona, leaping up and running from the room. Scott stared after her, stunned, jumping as he heard the front door slam. He turned to Daniel, who lowered his gaze sadly.

'I'm sorry, Scott… Dallas is an old wound of hers. I don't think it ever healed. I can't say I blame her, really, knowing what he did to her…' he fell silent, before looking up at Scott, piercing blue eyes staring into his own.

'You should go after her. Let her talk about it. I've known her for a long time… trust me, she needs to open up to somebody. And if you beat down Gideon Graves for her, then I know that you've got something special. Go.'

Scott nodded, a determined expression on his face. He snatched up his coat and ran from the room. Daniel sighed and slumped down onto the couch, reaching down and picking up Scott's sword.

'The Power of Love… huh.' he murmured to himself, turning it over in his hands. There was a quiet, pointed cough from the other side of the room.

'Um… what happened?' asked Stills, his head poking around the kitchen door. Daniel could see the others trying to squeeze through the door behind him.

'You can come out of there… they left. Ramona's… going to need some time, I think.'

'Right…' The group flowed out into the living room, Wallace being partially supported by a mildly disgruntled Mobile as he swirled his cocktail glass, spilling some of his drink onto the floor.

'So where were we? Oh yeah, Ramona was pretty busy in Europe, huh?' he giggled.

'Shut up, Wallace.' said Kim sharply. 'Where did they go?' she asked, turning to Daniel.

'They just went out. They've got a lot to talk about… Ramona's going to go through some hard times pretty soon. I just hope Pilgrim's up to it… not that I won't help if he needs it.'

'Yeah… you kind of saved us back there, huh?' said Stills.

'What? Oh, yeah… don't worry about it. Uh, I think you guys should probably go home… get some sleep, you know? I'm going to wait for them to get back.' said Daniel. Stills nodded, motioning to the others, who followed him out. Kim just stood there, staring at the red-haired psychic slumped back on the couch.

'Um… I kind of live here…' she began. Daniel glanced up, surprised.

'Oh, sorry… maybe I should go, then.'

'No, no, it's okay. You should stay.' she said quietly, sitting down on the couch next to him. He extended a hand and she shook it.

'Daniel Grayson.'

'Kim Pine.'

'Nice to meet you. I'm guessing you're friends with Scott?' asked Daniel.

'Only friends, yes. Well, we're in a band together.' Kim answered carefully.

'Really? What do you play?'

'Drums. Scott plays bass... well, he's actually been playing guitar lately. He's really bad,'

'So… it's just the two of you?'

'Well… Scott sings, but he's pretty terrible. Actually, we're a pretty terrible band. We only play to Ramona's cat, anyway.'

'Ramona has a cat?'

'Yeah. He's called Gideon.'

'Gideon? Riiiiight…' There was a long silence.

'Thanks, by the way. For helping us out back there.' said Kim.

'You're welcome, I guess.' he replied, reclining and stretching out his legs. 'Their music was terrible anyway.' Kim smirked.

'Yeah, they kind of sucked.' she said, inclining her head thoughtfully. 'You were pretty good, though. Was it you playing the drums?'

'Yeah, I play. I usually use my hands, though.' he laughed.

'So are you psychic?'

'Yes.'

'Are you vegan or what?'

'No, I'm not a vegan. I like steaks too much for that.' He turned his head to face her. 'Anybody can be a psychic, really. It just takes practice. Wasn't that guy with your drunk friend psychic?'

'Who, Mobile? I think so, yeah. But he just does psychic cleansing and mind tricks and stuff, not like you. And Wallace is not my friend. He was Scott's roommate before he moved in with Ramona. He's pretty gay.'

'I noticed. And that Mobile guy is a telepath. I'm a telekinetic.'

'Um…what's the difference?' said Kim, puzzled.

'I can manipulate objects with my mind.'

'Oh. Right. I think one of Ramona's exes could do that. He was vegan, Todd-'

'-Ingram.' finished Daniel. 'I knew him. He wasn't actually that bad a guy before she dumped him. I always thought it was kind of harsh how she left him just because his dad wanted him to go to Vegan Academy. He really did care about her. He punched a hole-'

'-in the moon for her. She mentioned it.' Kim muttered.

'Yeah, that was it. Some guys will to anything for a little attention.'


Scott sprinted down the street after Ramona, who was skating along, slicing through the snow.

'Rammy! Wait up! Wait…' he cried as her rollerblades sent powder snow swirling into the air.

'Leave me alone, Scott! I don't want to talk!' A white Subspace door appeared in the snow and she skated through it, vanishing. Scott sped up, but just as he reached door it disintegrated, sending him sprawling onto the ground. There was a soft chuckle from behind him, and a British voice spoke.

'Well, Mr Pilgrim. It looks like you've been left behind…' Scott leapt up and span, but there was nobody to be seen.

'Who are you? Where are you?' he shouted at the air.

'My name is Andrew Cole… but my friends call me Espio.' answered the voice smoothly.

'Why can't I see you? Sh-show yourself!'

'Behind you…' the voice spoke from the air. Scott turned rapidly, fists raised, but there was no-one to be seen.

'I see that our advance guard failed. David predicted as much. But they were most talented… I am curious to know – how did you defeat them?'

'W-we had help.' Scott said, spinning slowly on the spot, trying to pinpoint the location of the voice.

'That much is evident. I was wondering who assisted you.' the voice enquired condescendingly.

'S-some guy named Daniel-'

'What! Daniel Grayson?' A frenzied yell sounded from Scott's left and he turned just in time to block a flying kick from a short, dark-haired young man dressed entirely in white. His assailant dropped to the floor and somersaulted backwards gracefully, blurring and blending perfectly into the snow. Scott blinked, trying to focus, but saw nothing but the softly falling snow.

Andrew Cole
Age: Unknown
Rating: British (and invisible)

'What the…' Scott saw a blur moving in the corner of his eye and span, dropping low under the attack and delivering a sharp uppercut. Cole fell forwards onto the snow, pushing up with his hands as kicking at Scott with both feet. Scott stepped back and retaliated with a brutal flurry of punches to his opponent's head and chest. Scott's fist connected with his nose and he staggered backwards, collapsing onto the snow. Scott stood back, watching warily as he slowly rose to his feet, blurring slightly in the falling snow but not fully disappearing from sight.

'So… Espio… is that like from Sonic the Hedgehog?' he asked innocently.

'Shut up!' shouted Cole angrily. He reached up and brushed the snow from his shoulders, before stretching out a hand and conjuring a disc of light which solidified into a black metal ring with a bladed edge.

'Come and get me, Pilgrim.' he growled, beckoning with his other hand.

Purple flames burst from Scott's chest as he shut his eyes, mentally summoning his sword, The Power Of Understanding. He grasped it tightly by the hilt and pulled fit from his chest, the violet light illuminating the street. Cole tilted his head to one side, smirking.

'How cute.' he laughed, before spinning and launching his weapon at Scott like a discus. Scott barely managed to deflect the speeding projectile with his own blade, bringing it up to his face at the last second and sending the disc arcing back towards its owner, who caught it deftly. Scott charged at him, bringing his blade slicing horizontally through the air. Cole was prepared, leaning swiftly out of the sword's path and sweeping out his own weapon in retaliation, his metal disc clashing with Scott's sword. They slashed and dodged at each other for almost a minute before Scott began to speak.

'So that disc thing… is it like the ones from Tron?' he panted, parrying a savage downward strike.

'It's called a chakram, you imbecile!' shouted Cole, ducking under Scott's blade and slashing at his legs, only to find his attacks blocked by a fierce backwards slice.

'Well, it looks like the things they had in Tron…'

'Enough!' Cole leapt forwards and brought the black ring crashing down onto the ground where Scott had been standing, looking up just in time to see Scott's sword, wreathed in purple fire, descending towards him. Cole brought up the disc in defence, deflecting the slash and sending the tip of Scott's blade scraping across the ground, melting the snow where it touched. Scott brought his weapon up for a return attack, switching targets in the blink of an eye. He ran the length of his blade directly through Cole's weapon, whipping back his sword and tearing the ring from his grasp. It clattered onto the ground and dematerialised, briefly flashing with white light. Cole looked up in alarm.

'NO! You cannot-'

Scott reversed the blade in his hands and sliced Cole in half, sending coins raining down across the street. He stood there for a moment, gasping for breath, letting the Power Of Understanding slip from his grasp. It vanished, darkening the street as the purple flames were extinguished.

Then he began to focus.


'So you won the Toronto International Battle of the Bands? That's pretty impressive.' Daniel and Kim were seated next to each other on Ramona's couch.

'That was when we had Stephen Stills with us. He always was the talent. And I'm not sure if we ever really won it, since Gideon went down. He was supposed to be the sponsor.' said Kim, frowning slightly.

'Still, you must've been pretty good. You mentioned that you were in a band with Scott before?'

'Yeah. It was called Sonic and Knuckles… me, Scott and this girl called Lisa Miller.'

'The actress?' asked Daniel.

' Yes, actually. I didn't realise she was famous or anything.'

'Oh, she isn't. I just used to watch a lot of Canadian television. I've got a good memory for names.'

'Right… anyway, it was pretty cool for a while, before Scott moved to Toronto. He… he didn't even tell me. I found out from Lisa.' Kim turned away.

'So you and Scott had been dating, and then he just left without saying anything?' said Daniel quietly.

'Yeah, that's what… wait, what? I didn't say anything about us dating!' Kim glared at him indignantly.

'No, you didn't. But it's in the way you act. I saw the way you looked at him and Ramona. There's history there… no anger or jealousy, but history, and a little bit of regret.' he answered calmly.

'I-I only… what the hell are you, a mind-reader?' Kim spluttered.

'I'm not telepathic, Kim. But I can see it.'

'I didn't… fine. Yes, we dated. It was in high school, before he left…'

'Were you close?' Daniel asked gently.

'Uh… yeah. We… did it once. For the first time…'

'Oh… okay. But you moved here yourself?'

'Yeah, after I left university. He was living with Wallace, trying to start a band with Stills. I asked if I could play drums. He said yes. It was kind of weird at first, but we just tried to keep it in the past. Then he met Ramona, and… well, I guess you know the rest. I'm don't envy them. I like Ramona, and I know Scott's happy with her, so I left them to it. The two of them… they're like my best friends. Ramona let me stay here without a second thought when I got kicked out of my old place. And me and Scott? We got closure. It's behind us now.' Kim finished, blinking. 'Wow, I don't think… I don't think I've ever spoken to anyone about all this.'

'Exes aren't generally a happy topic of conversation. Especially when Ramona's involved.' Daniel replied.

'I guess so.' Kim reached out and patted his arm as he rose from the couch. 'Hey… thanks. For hearing me out. I think I needed to get all that out in the open.'

'Happy I could help. Listening is something I excel at.'

'You mean other than being psychic, playing three instruments at the same time and beating Scott in hand-to-hand combat?' said Kim sarcastically. Daniel laughed.

'If you say so. I worked hard on those, though. Listening doesn't need work, just the right attitude.' He straightened up, stretching out his arms. 'I was going to grab a drink. You want anything? You look thirsty.'

'What, are you just gonna take stuff from Ramona's kitchen? Scott said she hates that.'

'Oh yeah, she always has. But that wasn't what I meant. You drink, right? Alcohol?' he asked. Kim nodded.

'I… have been known to drink alcohol.' she replied.

'Excellent. I'll just be a moment.' said Daniel, dematerialising in an instant. Kim blinked in surprise, but he was back before her brain could process his disappearance, holding a pair of tequilas in tiny cocktail glasses. Kim looked at him suspiciously.

'How did you do that? Was that teleportation? I knew a girl who could do that once…'

'Not exactly. It's more like a kind of instantaneous sub-molecular transportation using micro-portals into Subspace.' Daniel said, seeing a blank look on Kim's face. '…but yeah, it's basically teleportation.' He slumped back onto the couch next to Kim, handing her a glass, which she accepted cautiously.

'Is this tequila? I don't know if I should drink this…' she began, eying the drink in her hand.

'Why not?' asked Daniel, taking a sip from his own glass. Kim's face reddened.

'I… have a sort of… tendency… to do really stupid shit when I drink tequila.' Daniel grinned.

'Such as?'

'Well…' Kim blushed. 'So far my tequila track record includes punching a girl in the face for trying to help me up off the floor, making out with Scott's seventeen-year-old ex-girlfriend and signing my own eviction notice.'

'Hey, it's just one glass. I promise I won't try to make you drink any more.' Daniel said, smiling slightly. Kim sighed and took a sip, before throwing the entire glass back in one gulp. She slammed the empty glass down on the armrest.

'Yeeeeeah… we're going to need some more of that.' Daniel grinned and clicked his fingers. A full bottle of tequila materialised between them and fell onto the couch.

'Better?' he asked.

'Now that's more like it…' said Kim, reaching for the bottle.


Ramona sat perched on the edge of a cliff, legs hanging over the precipice. She didn't react when a Subspace door materialised to her right and Scott stumbled through. He looked around in astonishment at the scene that surrounded them as the door behind him disappeared in a whirl of snow. He stood atop a colossal peak of rock and ice, a sea of clouds extending for miles around, slowly drifting and swirling beneath them. Scott could see peaks of other mountains piercing the clouds in the distance.

'Wh-where are we?' Ramona turned her head, patting the rocky ledge next to her.

''It's Mount Everest, stupid. Don't they teach geography in Canadian schools?' Ramona scowled. Scott sat down next to her, letting his own legs dangle over the edge.

'Ramona…' he began reaching up and placing a hand on her shoulder.

'I don't want to talk about it, Scott. I don't, I just don't.' she said, shaking slightly.

'I didn't say you had to talk about anything.' Scott answered gently. 'I just had to let you know… I'll fight for you, I'll fight whatever or whoever I have to. And I don't care what happens to me. I… love you, Ramona Flowers. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone, and I'd do anything for you, anytime, anywhere. You don't need to give me a reason.' Ramona leant into Scott's arm, resting her head on his shoulder.

'I know, Scott. And… I love you too; I just don't want you to get hurt. Gideon and the others were one thing, but it's going to get worse, I just know it, and I can't put you in harm's way like that, I just can't, Scott.' she said sadly. Scott softly stroked her long crimson hair.

'You don't have to put me in harm's way. I can do it myself just fine.' he murmured. Ramona smiled involuntarily, hugging him tightly. He wrapped both arms around her and they sat there in silence, embracing, looking out over the ocean of rolling clouds. It felt like years to Scott before she spoke again.

'I… I'm sorry I yelled at you and stuff.' said Ramona sheepishly.

'It's okay. Daniel said I should go after you, said you should talk about everything.'

'Daniel says a lot of things, Scott.'

'But… do you think you ought to talk about it?' Scott asked. Ramona shut her eyes.

'I don't know, Scott. It's hard… I've done so many things trying to escape my past, I've just been making more past to escape from. How do I know I'm not just doing it now?' she cried, her voice echoing around the peak.

'Because now we're fighting your past, Ramona. You're not just running from it anymore.'

'Right… right.' she said, opening her eyes and staring into Scott's. 'So… do you want me to talk?' she asked.

'I want to listen.' Scott replied 'Why don't you start with Daniel? He said you were old friends…'

'Daniel… okay. He wasn't lying. I've known him almost all my life. We lived in the same town growing up, went to school together, we both went to the same university. But his parents, they… died when he was very young. He lived in an orphanage on the edge of town with just one or two other kids. I… I don't think he had many friends when he was younger - actually, I doubt he has now – but he kept the ones he did have very close. He wasn't unfriendly, just kind of solitary. He spent so much time working on things, practicing, training. He always had to be better than everybody else.'

'So is that how he became psychic? How he could play all those instruments?'

'Yeah. And he learned about Subspace, too, far more than anyone else I've ever known. He worked so hard, all the time, he just… well, he was always pretty quiet, not really talking much. He wasn't like the 'strong and silent' type, more just… the silent type. He wasn't shy, just a loner. He never had to depend on anyone, but I don't think I ever had anyone to depend on. But he changed…' She fell silent, staring into the distance.

'What happened?' asked Scott.

'It was my first year at the University of Carolina in the Sky. I was with Roxie, right? And he was always there, helping out with little things, trying not to get in the way. But this one time… there were these guys. Athletic guys, all brawn and very little brain. Daniel played sports, and he was good, but I don't think he ever enjoyed them. He hated team games.'

'Getting a little off the subject, Rammy…'

'Right, sorry. So these guys… about a dozen of them, I think… they're just mocking me and Roxie for, you know, being-'

'Yes! Yes! I know!' spluttered Scott raising a hand to stop her. 'So, what did they do?'

'Well, they were making jokes and laughing at us, and Daniel just walked right up the biggest guy there and he ordered him to stop. And they just laughed in his face, told him to get lost. But he said no, and told them to leave us alone. Then one of the guys punched him in the face, real hard…'

'Oh, man. How bad did they beat him up?' Scott asked tentatively.

'Beat him up? They didn't beat him up. He knocked them all out cold. It was amazing… he was so graceful, but so powerful. I'm sure he was psychic even back then, but he didn't even use his powers, he just… fought. It was right in the middle of the canteen. He punched their ringleader so hard he broke a table in two when he fell.'

'Sooo…'

'And after that, he was different. Like he'd been learning how to do so many things for so long, and now he knew everything. He talked more, he made more friends… after me and Roxie broke up he was there for me, and after a while we started dating. It was great, for a while. He taught me a lot back then, like how to use Subspace, and how to fight properly.'

'Hold on.' Scott interrupted. 'I thought Roxie said she taught you about Subspace and stuff?'

'Scott, Roxie would say anything if it made her look good. I wasn't thinking about Daniel back then – I hadn't even seen him for years. But anyway, in the end, we both knew we weren't right for each other, and we finished it. There wasn't really a big break-up, we just stopped dating and went back to being friends. He was still there for me… but I messed up. When he found out that I was cheating on the twins with each other, her was so… disappointed in me. He still tried to help, but I pushed him away, ignored him when he warned me not to date Gideon… he even offered to help me with the League. I rejected him… why did I do that, Scott? Why did I do that?' She began to cry again, letting the tears trickle down her face, gripping Scott tightly.

'It wasn't your fault, Rammy. I bet you weren't even thinking straight back then. Gideon was in your head, Rammy, and it was him pushing Daniel away, I'm sure of it.' Scott whispered into her ear, consoling her.

'Yeah… yeah, I guess you're right. But he's here to help us now, right? Just like always…'

'He said he'd help, Ramona.' Scott said, trying to reassure her.

'Yeah… and if Dallas is coming, we're going to need that help.'

'Soooo… you want to talk about Dallas?' asked Scott tentatively.

'He… I don't really want to get too much into it. There's a lot of bad memories there.' Ramona said.

'You don't have to give me all the details.' Scott replied. Ramona took a deep breath.

'He used me for sex for almost a year.' she said shortly. Scott blinked slowly, his brain ticking over as he tried to process her statement.

'He did what?' he shouted out after a long pause. There was a rumbling far beneath them as a flock of birds swooped into the air, disturbed by the sound.

'He used me for sex for almost a year.' Ramona repeated, her face unreadable. 'It was after I stopped dating Daniel. There was this one time at a party… I was pretty drunk, I think… and we ended up sleeping together. He was kind of a quiet kid, but he was pretty crafty. He'd had his eye on me ever since I started university. I was really embarrassed after what happened… so I tried to hide it. But David was clever… he had plans, and there was nothing I could do, nothing at all. Whenever I tried to break out of it, he'd have another scheme in place, always there with some bit of trickery or blackmail or threat. I remember it all… I felt so powerless.'

'Rammy… I'm so sorry, you don't have to tell me-'

'I'm going to finish, Scott. I have to. So… he used me, manipulated me, for nearly a year. It was almost the end of my second year when Daniel finally found out. I remember him walking in on us right in the middle of it. When he found out what David was doing, he was so angry… he said I should have told him what was going on. I'd never seen him so furious. And then he stormed out, just telling me to leave David…'

'And did you?' asked Scott, releasing his arms and looking directly into her eyes. She lowered her head.

'I tried to. But then David was there, and he had some guys with him…'

'What happened?' he said, eyes wide.

'They… they beat me up, Scott.'

'They beat up a girl?' exclaimed Scott, shocked.

'Yeah. I fought them, used all I'd learned from Roxie and Daniel… but there were just too many of them.' She gazed back into Scott own eyes. 'Scott… do you remember when Gideon altered your memories of Kim? How you thought you fought all those guys for her?'

'Yeah… I really just punched that one kid, Simon Lee.'

'Well, Gideon was using my fragments of my memories to create those illusions. What you thought you did for Kim… Daniel did that for me. He came back after David took me, battled all David's henchmen. They never stood a chance… I was chained to the wall, just watching him fight them. They all piled in on him, but he was unstoppable, like a force of nature, tearing down the walls around him as he fought. Then he reached David, and they clashed, fists and feet flying so fast. David was good, really good, but he was no match. Daniel didn't even bother with his powers. And then, when David was beaten, he begged Daniel to let him go.'

'Did he?'

'You had the memory, Scott. You know how it went. Daniel kicked him right off that floating rock, so hard that he landed in the ocean. I… I never saw him again.' Ramona finished, kicking her legs in the air, arms wrapped around Scott's chest.

'Rammy, wow… that's a pretty horrible story.'

'I know. I'm kind of a pretty horrible person.'

'That's completely untrue.'

'Prove it.'

'…you ended up with me.'


...and that was chapter 2. Total word count: Over 9000. Next chapter will be up in a few days!
Chapter 3 has been uploaded. Go on. Click the button with the arrow. You know you want to.