I have two essays due this week and let's just say that I'm glad I'm a writer. There are just certain things I can do in a day and writing an essay is one of them. Now, I'm sure you're not here to hear about my life, so on with the fic!

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As soon as she realized what she was doing, Celeste immediately jumped back. "I'm sorry!" she blurted, her cheeks suddenly warm and itchy. She glanced away to avoid his green orbs which were now looking at her with emotions that she didn't even want to begin to decipher. Her voice was quieter when she spoke again. "I shouldn't have done that."

Idiot, idiot, idiot! she scolded herself. How could she have allowed this to happen? She had promised herself that she wouldn't catch feelings, that she wouldn't let him work his way into her heart again. That she wouldn't fall for his charms a second time.

But damn him, he had started speaking. Rex didn't look it, but he had a way with words. All that talk about marriage and settling down struck her right in the heart.

She felt him cup her chin and lift her head up, but she squeezed her eyes shut. If she looked at him now, there was no telling how her will would break. She didn't dare open them, didn't dare open her heart to him again.

Let it be known that only one male owned her heart and that was Ryan Shade.

"Princess," spoke Rex lowly. "Look at me."

Celeste refused, but her breath hitched when she felt his lips graze her forehead. Then her nose. Then both her cheeks. "S-Stop," she stuttered, still not looking at him. "Rex, if you don't let go-"

He released her face, but not before placing another kiss on the crown of her head. "I love you," he murmured into her hair.

She could still remember the first time he spoke those words to her.

Seventeen year old Celeste grinned as she strode up to her official boyfriend of five months, two ice-cream cones in her hands. "Hey, look what I-" She stopped short, seeing the grim expression her wore. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked softly. He had been just fine when she left to get the cones, but now he looked as if someone had just sucker punched him.

Rex sighed and revealed a wanted poster; with his face plastered on it. "Of all the things I could have gone down for," he said. "Watches is what they get me for."

She took the paper from him. "You stole those watches, like, three years ago," she noticed. "Why are they only busting you now?"

He groaned in annoyance. "Must have finally gotten a face from the image," he figured.

Celeste pursed her lips in thought. "So, what can we do?" she asked quietly.

Rex sighed again, taking her hand and running his thumb over it. "I was thinking Canada," he admitted to her, looking at her helplessly with those green eyes of his. "I know that wasn't what we planned. You don't have to go with me if you don't-"

She put a finger to his mouth, silencing him. "Stop," she commanded gently. "I know that we agreed on Tallahassee, but I've always wanted to see Canada. I'm not leaving you alone, okay?" She grinned at him. "Besides, I like maple syrup."

He stared at her for a moment before bringing his arms around her small waist, embracing her tightly. She hugged him back, resting her hands on his chest and relishing in the embrace. Something she had discovered- or rather, rediscovered- was that she really, really liked physical contact. It served as a reassurance that she wasn't alone in the world, that there was someone with her.

"I love you," he breathed into her ear. She tensed, but he didn't stop there. "You don't have to say it back, I know it's hard for you, but I just want you to know, okay? I'm not with you because we make a good team- we do, but that's not the point- or because you're a pretty girl- you're fucking gorgeous, by the way- but-"

Celeste cut off his rambling by softly pressing her lips to his. "Rex, calm down," she coaxed, silencing him once more. She looked up at him, unable to hide the smile that was fighting its way onto her face.

"I love you too."

Celeste finally opened her eyes, her sapphire pools meeting his emerald orbs. "Don't say that," she snapped. She was vaguely aware of the tears running down her face, but she didn't care enough to wipe them. "You- You have no right to say that to me." She clenched her fists, he hands visibly shaking with sadness and rage. "You framed me, left me in jail for eleven months while I was pregnant."

Rex sighed. "You know I didn't know you were pregnant," he said softly.

He looked so upset that she had to consider what he was feeling for a minute. He didn't know she was pregnant. He didn't know that he had missed out on eight years of her- their- son's life. Maybe if he had known, if she had known, things could have been different. Maybe he would have come back for them.

But she scoffed, shaking her head. "That is not the point," she snapped. "If you loved me, really loved me, you wouldn't have framed me." She faltered, her sadness overtaking her rage. "You wouldn't have left me."

Rex looked taken back by that, as if finally realizing why she had been so cold with him. "I... I'm no better than everyone else, am I?" he realized.

Celeste gave him a ragged sigh, wiping her tears. "Well, you did come back," she reasoned. "Eight years too late, but you did. That's more than I can say for most people, I guess."

He looked particularly pained at that. "I never wanted to be like everyone else," he told her honestly. "I, God, I wanted to be the person who changed things for you. I wanted to be the one to give you everything you always wanted. I-"

She held up a hand and, just like all those years ago, silenced him. "Stop," she commanded, not so gently this time. "Just stop. I don't want to hear it." She didn't want to sit here and listen to what could have been. She looked around, suddenly aware of something. "Rex?"

Rex looked distracted, but answered anyway. "Yeah?"

Celeste inhaled deeply. "Where's Ryan?" she asked slowly and calmly. However, inside she was panicking. Some fucking mother she was, she had been so caught up in her own emotions that she hadn't even thought about the whereabouts of her only child! There had to be something seriously wrong with her.

It was times like these that she really thought that her son would have been better off in the system. She obviously wasn't mother material.

His expression didn't change. "He's with Diana," he told her. "She also wants to talk to you about something."

That didn't sound too good. "Did she say what it was about?"

Rex shook his head. "No, but it sounded important." He looked away from her. "You should head over there."

Celeste nodded. "Yeah," she agreed. "I guess I should." She turned her back to leave.

"Princess?" called Rex, stopping her in her tracks. "I'm sorry."

She faced him, giving him a sad smile in return. "You said that already," she reminded him. And with that, she left.

Rex glanced around, trying not to look suspicious. God, he couldn't fuck things up now. Not when they were so close to starting over, to settling down. No more of this "Bonnie and Clyde" act they had been pulling for the last few months. It would be just them. A silly grin suddenly graced his face; just them and maybe a kid or two running around.

He had been thinking about this for a while and he knew it was what he wanted. He loved Celeste Shade more than he had ever loved anybody before, no one in the world ever caring about him as much as she did.

It was only natural to want to marry her, right?

True, he didn't have enough money to buy an engagement ring, but he'd get a job once they were settled in Canada. He'd save every cent he could until he had enough to buy her a ring, a really nice one, too. Maybe a sapphire one to match her eyes. Yes, that would do.

"You can't do this."

Rex looked up to see a man standing in front of him. He must have been at least ten years older than himself and had neatly kept dark hair and startlingly blue eyes. "Sorry, do I know you?" he asked carefully, praying to God that he wasn't a cop.

"My name is Tim," answered the man. "Tim Drake."

"Should that mean something to me?"

Tim didn't seem offended by this. "I know this is going to sound insane, but you have to let the cops take Celeste," he replied.

Rex was taken back by that. "Excuse me?" he snapped, suddenly getting angry. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm her... brother," Tim told him. "And her guardian angel- sort of. It's my job to keep her safe."

He scoffed. "Some job you've been doing. She's been in the system her entire life, no one's ever come to claim her. You know who's been keeping her safe? Me."

The man rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure leading her to a life of crime is keeping her safe, Rex Stewart," he commented dryly.

Rex froze. "How did you-?"

"I've known you since you were a baby," interrupted Tim. "I know a lot about you, including how you've roped my sister into becoming a thief." He shook his head. "You're parents would be disappointed, don't you think?"

"Who the fuck-?"

Tim rolled his eyes again. "Shayera Hol and John Stewart, or Hawkgirl and Green Lantern as you might know them." Seeing Rex's disbelief, he sighed and took something out of his bag. "Trust me, what I have in here will convince you of everything."

Celeste knocked on the door to Diana's small loft. The woman opened the door and she tried to put on a confident smile. "Hey, Diana," she greeted, somewhat nervously. She knew that almost everyone in town had seen the paper and she was almost ashamed. She didn't want her friend to think any less of her because of one mistake.

To her surprise, Diana smiled warmly at her. "Celeste, come in," she urged, tugging the younger woman inside the loft.

"Mom!" exclaimed Ryan, rounding the corner and throwing himself into her arms.

She hugged her son close to her. "Hey, kiddo," she whispered, happy to have her son with her. It had been an extremely long day.

Ryan beamed up at her, both his green and blue eye twinkling. "Guess what, guess what?" he asked, nearly shouting.

Celeste chuckled at him. "What?"

"Miss Prince said we could live with her!" Ryan told her excitedly, his expression etched in absolute joy. She froze at those words, eyed traveling to Diana for confirmation. Surely, her son had to be making that up? Why would someone who had only known her for a few months want her- and her son- to live with her?

Diana's warm smile never faltered. "I did," she confirmed.

"Diana-"

The older woman held up a hand. "Celeste, there's always been something about you that I've trusted," she said, voice dripping with such honesty that it was hard to doubt her words. "Rex said that you getting kicked out of Alfred's inn would cause you and Ryan to have to leave town." She chuckled. "Call me selfish, but I don't think I can let that happen."

For the second time that day, Celeste's eyes filled with tears. No one had ever cared this much about her. No one had ever showed her such kindness. "Diana, you don't have to-"

"But I want to," Diana interrupted firmly. "I have two extra rooms for you both and everything." She looked at her hopefully. "So?"

Ryan tugged on her shirt. "Mom, say yes!" he pleaded.

Well, between Diana's hopeful face and Ryan's pleading one, how could Celeste say no?

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Fml, I wanted that chapter to be much longer, but it's late and I'm exhausted. School is literally sucking the life from me. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review!