Some of You May Hate Me After This, but It's Necessary, and It WILL Get Better for Jack and Sky in Later Chapters. Never Fear!!

This chapter is Full of Angst, but I feel That it Deserves a Chapter of It's Own, so instead, the Chapter After this Will Deal with How the Society Protects Sky.

Now... W-O-W!! 33 Reviews for that Last Chapter alone... You Guys Spoil me and are A-MaZing about Reviewing!! -Smiles-

I'm Sorry that I haven't updated much in the past couple of weeks because I've been incredibly busy, but the reviews Gave me the Motivation I needed today to actually sit down in front of the computer and write this.

Chapter Title is Courtesy of the very awesome Fall Out Boy.

Ch. 6 - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Again)

"Why didn't you keep trying to call me? I could've been here a hell of a lot sooner," Oliver Hazard-Perry scolded as he walked down the long hallway towards Schuyler Van Alen's hospital room.

"Oliver, I spent two hours saving Schuyler, and then another monitoring her. Not to mention I work in a hospital. You're lucky I got to call and leave you a message at all with the way things are around here," his aunt, Dr. Pat, argued back at him as she followed, her long white coat billowing out behind her.

Oliver knew she was right, even though he wished she wasn't.

It still pissed him off that he hadn't been notified sooner of Schuyler being attacked, even if it was half his fault because he'd been sleeping.

"And Oliver," his aunt continued, "I should tell you before you go inside that she's already got a visitor."

That made Oliver's steps falter and his brain go into overdrive as he reached Sky's door and turned the knob.

Who would be with her?

Not even Oliver would've guessed that said visitor was Jack Force, but as his aunt left him to go see other patients and Oliver stepped inside, there the guy was in all his blond glory. To say Oliver was shocked and jealous would be an understatement.

Jealous wasn't even covering how Oliver felt right now.

Because not only was Jack Force here, but he was cuddled up next to Schuyler as she ran her fingers through his hair.

They fucking looked like lovers, and Oliver felt a dangerous amount of hate boil up as he stepped into the room and shut the door loudly behind him.

Oliver knew he was being rude by interrupting, and he didn't give a shit. Clearing his throat loudly, he spoke in a tight voice, "Schuyler. Thank God you're okay and not lonely. Wouldn't want that, now would we?"

Schuyler Van Alen was enjoying having Jack Force in her arms as she stroked his platinum blond hair, but as Oliver's voice rang through the air, it jolted her out of her haze and back into the real world that was her life.

Her eyes went to the doorway and saw Oliver's look of disgust as he stared at one half of the Force duo, and knew instinctively knew that her and Jack's time was over.

Done.

So Schuyler forced herself to quit stroking Jack's silky hair and push him away, even though that was the last thing she wanted as Jack straightened and stepped back from her. It didn't escape her notice that Jack had let her go reluctantly, and as he'd stepped back, his green eyes had stayed connected with her blue the entire time, almost pleading.

She already felt the loss of Jack after he'd moved away even though he was still within a foot of her, and wanted to pull him back into her arms once again and hold him close to her heart.

Where she desperately wanted him to belong.

Where she needed him to belong.

But that was the problem, wasn't it?

Because he didn't belong there, and they both knew it...even if Jack couldn't admit that to her or himself.

Oliver spoke again, this time challenging Jack with his words. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Jack Force himself. What are you doing here?"

Schuyler watched Jack's eyes narrow in response.

In a tight voice, Jack replied, "Well, Oliver Hazard-Perry, what does it look like I'm doing here?" And then, in a move that only served to piss Oliver off even more, Jack reached for Schuyler's hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss there as he looked up and nailed Oliver with pure murder in his eyes.

Schuyler felt as if Jack were marking her as his, and her heart fluttered as his lips pressed against her skin, causing her thoughts to shatter into a million tiny fragments as she stared up at him.

Had he felt that way when she'd stroked his hair? Had he gone crazy with just her simple touch as she did with his?

And it was with those thoughts that Schuyler realized what she had done wrong.

Because accepting his kisses and holding him close and stroking his hair was giving Jack the wrong idea.

Because while she loved him...

She still had to let him go to save him, and as she looked between him and a very aggressive looking Oliver, she knew she had to end it before it once more began.

Schuyler hadn't hurt Jack or herself the first time for nothing.

He had to stay away from her, and she would have to learn to do the same, even if it felt as if she were dying inside.

Oliver opened his mouth, no doubt to say something that would ultimately piss Jack off, but Schuyler cut in.

"Ollie? Could you give us a minute," she asked quietly, not looking at either of them.

Oliver's attention successfully diverted from whatever little verbal match he'd been planning to have with Jack to Schuyler's request.

"Why?"

Schuyler chose to ignore his disgusted expression, instead opting to give him her pleading look. "Please, Ollie?"

Her conduit's eyes narrowed, not wanting to budge from his spot, but eventually he nodded his head.

"Fine, I'll go. But say the words and I'm back just like that."

Schuyler nodded at him, but before Oliver left he made sure to go to her bedside and give her cheek a kiss, his eyes on Jack's the whole time. The message Oliver was clearly giving him was a warning about not trying anything funny while he was gone.

Sky just rolled her eyes at Oliver as he left. Usually, she found his possessiveness cute, but in that moment she just wanted him to go away.

And finally, with exaggerated slowness, he did, leaving just her and Jack.

Schuyler forced herself to look down at the hospital blanket covering her instead of Jack as she asked him to sit back down. So quiet that she almost didn't hear his movements, he sank back into the maroon plastic chair beside her bed.

She didn't want to do it, but even letting Jack believe that things between them were fixed like she had hours ago wasn't good for either of them. She wanted things to be fixed just as he did, but the truth of the situation was that he was still destined to be bonded, and Schuyler couldn't ignore that fact anymore than she already had.

She had to cut him loose.

Schuyler lifted her eyes to Jack's. "First off, I want to say thank you again for saving me, Jack. You'll never know how much that means to me."

A cautious smile lit up his face, and only broke Schuyler's heart even more as she forced herself to continue, saying the words that would once more drive them apart. "But Jack..." Schuyler took a deep breath. "Jack, I'm sorry if you thought that this meant that we would be together again."

Jack's heart twisted at her words, and he panicked. "But Sky, you can't just expect me to leave you--"

Schuyler cut in, making her voice hard, hating to hurt him but not having another choice. "I made my feelings clear when we broke things off. I'm done. We're...done."

Jack's eyes slid shut as a tortured expression took over his face. "You don't mean that. You can't mean that."

"I do mean that," Schuyler emphasized in a broken whisper before steeling her resolve and forging on. "Jack... I want you to stay away from me. This is hard enough as it is because of what we had together, but I've let already let go when you can't seem to. It's better if we aren't near each other."

Jack's eyes opened and met hers, pleading, while Schuyler tried not to give in. The moment seemed to last forever, and then she blinked and looked away, breaking the spell.

Jack's voice was sad as he replied, "Fine, I'll leave you alone. Just...promise me one thing."

Schuyler wished she could promise him so much more, but instead, she simply asked, "What?" She hated how her voice was just a hoarse whisper.

His eyes were serious as she met them again. "Promise me that you'll stay safe."

Choking back tears, Schuyler nodded in response, and before she could process what his intent was, Jack leaned forward and pressed his lips softly to hers, effectively breaking her heart and making it race in a way that only he could.

What they shared in that moment was more than just a simple kiss. It was sweet and slow, tragic and heartbreaking, entirely too brief.

Slowly, reluctantly, Jack pulled back from her and brought his lips to Schuyler's forehead in a kiss, cradling her head in his hands as he breathed her in. The press of Jack's lips against her skin was almost too much, and Schuyler felt tears begin to pool in her eyes as they threatened to escape. Desperately, she tried to hold them at bay.

Neither of them would forget this moment, as tragic as it was.

And then Jack pulled away, waiting until Schuyler's eyes locked with his before whispering in a hoarse voice, "I love you. Whether you love me or not, I love you."

Then he turned and left the room, taking her heart with him.

Little did Schuyler know, that soon, Jack himself would play a part in keeping her promise to him about staying safe.

I'm sorry if I just made some of you cry!! lol. I'm just a Natural Angst writer, and it's hard for me to write happy stuff.

BUT...Do Not Give Up on Jack and Sky yet!! I Have Something Really Glorious Planned Out for the Next Chapter that Will Once More Push Them Together...with a Bit of a 3rd and 4th Wheel as well.

Now, In Light of the Holiday Season, I Hope Every Single One of My Readers Has a MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Reviews are Presents!! =]

- Brittney