A/N: Wow, Alyssa! That was pretty quick compared to your usual update rate!.. Yeah, I know. I've been really driven for this story for whatever reason. Oh! Probably because I'm like two favorites away from being the number one Jojo's story in the section! Seriously guys! That's awesome! Thank you so much for reading and enjoying my story! I'm so, so, so happy! Thanks again!

To those who read The Price of Memory, I'll try and get back to updating this Friday. I've had a rough couple of weeks with my Mom in the hospital, then a doctor's visit of my own. But I did write this so... Well, that's as far as my excuse goes.

Anywho,

ENJOY!

"Maybe I have been here before

I know this room, I've walked this floor

I used to live alone before I knew you

I've seen your flag on the marble arch

Love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah." - Rufus Wainwright "Hallelujah"

BOOK I: The State of Dreaming

PART I: Problems with Blonde Boys

Chapter IX: The Secret Chord

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As she turned the corner back onto her own street, footsteps hurried, Evelyn glanced over her shoulder, looking for... Well, anything really. All the lampposts on this street were broken and had been for years, so there was very little light to begin with. Then, with it being far into the night and all, everyone else had already readied themselves for bed, barring down the shutters and so on. She could've sworn that someone was following her, yet there was nothing within sight - as had been the case the last twelve times she checked. It was a little exasperating really. For all her talk about giving people too little credit, the young girl was hardly immune to a bit of paranoia while wandering the streets by herself. At least at night. During the day, she could easily contain such worries, but at night, any number of creatures could be lurking in the shadows. As was quite apparent to her at the moment, Evelyn was very much a day person. She preferred streaming sunlight and warm breezes to sightless shadows and endless stretches of black. It all made her very jumpy and anxious to be home. Now, that wasn't to say that there wasn't that strange, far off sort of beauty and wonder to night time.

... She did like the stars after all. The whole idea of the tiny little specks of light just hung there in the night skies. Absolutely stunning.

Of course, here in the city - so close to the factory district too, she might add - it was difficult to see the majority of them, the city haze blurring them out. However, she had been told by Aunt Phoebe that it looked very different further out in the country. She had said they were countless, each one brilliant and shining. Evelyn had seen pictures in her books of course, but her Aunt had told her that it was a very different experience in person. Perhaps one day she would leave London and visit the country to see the stars. That was something a lady of society would do, right? They all owned splendid country manors and traveled to wonderful and marvelous places. Therefore, if she were to be a proper society lady, this was clearly in her future, wasn't it? Oh! And of course, she would take Mother wit her - obviously.

The thought caused her footsteps to fumble, the excitement her musings had carried dwindling. Frowning down at the ground now, the dark-haired girl kicked at a pebble, watching it skitter across cobblestone before disappearing down a sewer grate.

After Mother had run out from her meeting with Mr. Pendolton a little over a month ago, Evelyn had assumed matters would return to normal within a few days. Whatever the issue was, it would resolve itself, and Mother would finally explain what had been going on... Wrong. As it turned out. Not a hint, not a word. In truth, Evelyn couldn't hazard a guess as to what she should do about Mother. The woman seemed completely different from the strong, independent figure she had known all of her life. She never smiled, certainly didn't laugh. She barely ate, her waist growing worryingly thin. She didn't speak to Evelyn anymore, nothing beyond monosyllabic conversation. She was rarely home anymore, working longer hours day after day after day. But that wasn't the worst of it. No. While that did concern the young girl a great deal, there was one change that topped them all:

Mother had started drinking again.

Though they were foggy at best, Evelyn had memories from when she was very young in which she could recall Mother drinking excessively. However, something had convinced her to quit... Oh, what was it? The dark-haired girl's feet paused as she considered this, and she toed at the ground. There had been an accident of some sort, she thought... Well, that wasn't very important anymore she supposed. Regardless, the event had convinced Mother to leave it behind entirely, and as far as Evelyn knew, she hadn't touched a bottle since that incident... Until now. Whatever was going on, it was very bad. The young girl blew out a sigh. The whole situation was putting her on edge. How was she supposed to help if no one would explain what was happening? Oh, everything here lately just seemed to be working out badly. First with Millie, and now Mother. Even her Aunt had seemed a tad distant if she thought about it too hard. At this point, Dio was quickly becoming the last bright spot in her life.

A piece of metal clanging against the ground in a nearby alley startled her out of her reverie, and with a final glance around herself, she hurried the last little distance back to the house, ignoring her urges to watch her back. When the door closed behind her, the girl released the breath she'd been holding. 'Nothing to worry about, as usual,' she reminded herself.

Glancing across the room, Evelyn's heart clenched at the sight before her. Mother lay slumped over the table, passed out, a bottle of cheap booze idly rolling back and forth next to her head, the last little bit in it sloshing out around her. This was exactly the sort of behavior she had been referring to, and to her ever-increasing concern, it wasn't the first time she had found her like this as of late. For a moment, Evelyn wondered if perhaps the woman hadn't been attempting to wait up for her but quickly banished the thought. It didn't matter much either way, she decided. The edges of her mouth quirking downward, she blinked away the tears in her eyes. Now was the time for her to be strong, like Mother had always been for her. If nothing else, she could offer that. Steeling herself, her feet carried her across the room, coming next to her form. She needed to put her to bed. Gently, the young girl shook her shoulders, and her mother grunted, making some noise of protest that wasn't quite intelligible. However, she ignored it and continued tugging on her shoulder.

"Come on, Mother. You have to go to bed."

"Don't wanna," she slurred back. Her red, bleary eyes cracked open, focusing briefly on Evelyn's face. "Where you been? Is late."

Nodding in agreement, the young girl ignored her question. She wouldn't even remember asking it come tomorrow. "Which is why it's time for bed. Come on. Up." She hooked her arm around Mother's waist, slinging the older woman's own across her shoulders. "Up, up, up," she repeated coaxingly as she continued pulling her out of her seat. Eventually, with a bit of careful maneuvering, the dark-haired girl managed to balance her on her feet, and even though progress was slow, she shuffled them towards the bedroom, her arms clasped around her tightly, straining with effort to prevent her from careening towards either side. Once they were in the bedroom, she eased her down into a sitting position, and the mattress squealed in protest, the springs whining and grinding. At once, Mother flopped over on her stomach, bent over her waist, face pressed into a pillow, her legs still hanging over the edge of the bed. She was already snoring again. Heart-aching, Evelyn lifted her legs onto the bed before tucking the blankets around her form and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Of course, it wouldn't make much of a difference come morning. However, the girl thought it had to be better than sleeping on a table.

Shutting the door behind her, Evelyn checked to make certain the front door was actually locked before heading back to her room.

Today had been exhausting, but worth it in her opinion, Evelyn thought as she pulled out a few pence from the small pocket of her dress and dropped them in the square tea-tin she had been collecting them in, where they clinked against each other noisily. Ever since Dio had told her about Dario's predicament, she had been going out to find odd jobs in order to help him pay for the medicine, and today... Today, she had finally managed to scrape together the last bit he needed. Biting her lip to contain the smile growing across her face, she clasped her hands together in front of her chest. Oh, she was so thrilled! The girl couldn't wait to show Dio she had done it. She thought a grateful he would be. Would he embrace her in a hug? Or was that asking too much? Oh, what did it matter? In truth, Evelyn was able to content herself with just having done a good deed for a friend.

Especially when that friend was Dio.

Evelyn contemplated that in the moments after it occurred to her. Once - and not such a terribly long time ago either - she would not have thought it possible, a friendship with such a bitter person as she had first met. Rather, she hadn't even thought they would grow to tolerated each other at the rate matters had progressed. He had said such nasty words to her those first few conversations... And yet, she understood now. Or at least, the girl thought she did. Dio was simply so complex, and that made everything more difficult than it should have been. After everything he had been through, his mother's death, and most notably, living with his horrible, horrible father, he needed to feel superior, to feel like he had control, and what better way to do so than to put down those around him? Of course, there was more to it than that as well. Much of it stemmed from the trust his father had abused over the years, Evelyn imagined, though she could not begin to fathom the exacts of it all, how far reaching such an infectious influence was. The only thing she could do was be there for him, to accept him in all of his whole self.

And in truth, that wasn't really all that hard for her anymore. There was far more good to accept than bad. Evelyn wanted to do this. She wanted to be there for him forever. To see the bad bits of him and help him through the hard times. After all, the blonde boy had deigned to help her with her own problems - even if it was only lending an ear to her. He seemed to always know when she needed to simply talk about some issue she was having, and the dark-haired girl was grateful for having someone like him to speak with about such matters.

Even though Evelyn could never know exactly what the future held for her, she knew only one thing for certain: she wanted Dio to be there with her.

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How had the girl done it?

That was the question that had been running through his mind since she had made the request that morning and would continue doing so as the day wore on. Dio could feel it already. Now, to explain. It could really be applied to any number of matters concerning the girl. Though it was still a laughably absurd notion when he matched it up with the mental image of the underfed, short, little girl in his head, Evelyn could actually accomplish a surprising amount of tasks when she was determined. The blonde was hesitant to say any task since believing so whole-heartedly in any individual aside from one's self was doomed to end in disappointment. However, she had come a far cry closer than any of the other sheep in her position. Evelyn continued to surprise him time and again with the depth and level of her determination. It was admirable, he supposed, so long as it continued to benefit himself.

Almost a week ago now, the girl had turned up one evening at the doorstep of his new abode - Father had somehow managed to lose even that dive of an inn, so now they were living in an even worse squalor than before - with a gleam in her eyes, a barely tempered smile, and a small tin hidden behind her back. After he had ushered her in and managed to quiet her excitement enough, she explained that the tin was full of money, that it was for his father's medicine. Somehow, she really had made good on her promise from some time ago. Of course, the promise wasn't the one Evelyn thought it was, but the girl had managed to scrape together the last few pounds he needed to buy enough poison to finish his plans. She had barely been able to contain herself as she explained all the little various things she had done to pinch a pence here and there. Why did she continue to do all these things for him? No one was that devoted. Yet what angle could she possibly be playing at? How could it benefit her in any way? The answer was, as it always was anytime his suspicions reared in this regard, that it couldn't. The truth then, though an odd one and this would be the first instance that Dio realized just how wonderfully influence could gain him an advantage, that Evelyn Crew really was that selfless, that willing to give of herself to him. The way her face lit up when he had thanked her, eyes bright, smile near blinding, it really said more about her than paltry words ever could.

Because of that timely little delivery, Dio's plan had already been set in motion. Earlier in the week, the wretched old man had complained of a severe stomach ailment, and just the night before, he had lost his footing on the stairs leading up to the front door of their home and nearly cracked his skull open. A pity. It would've saved so much pain for the both of them... But then, even when dying, Dario could never be considerate for the ease of anyone else.

Dio digressed. Her bringing him the money was not the reason for the question that had been swimming throughout his mind on this day. No, the reason for that was another matter entirely.

Outside, it was bitterly cold. In a surprising early frost, the weather had taken a plunging dive over the week, and all of last night and the day before that, snow had fallen in steady, lazy waves. Dio did not care for snow. Such frigid cold bit at his fingers and face, making them ache, and the icy wetness of it all clung to his hair and feet. Considering his status, his coat was never quite thick enough to keep it out. He didn't even have gloves this year as his old pair had been worn to threads last winter. All in all, it was a miserable and annoying time of year. Dio would much rather remain in his bedroom reading a good book and drinking hot tea than go outdoors and take in all the splendors, here he rolled his eyes, of such weather.

Yet on this day, the blonde boy found himself trudging through the grey, sloshy streets, dressed in his thickest shirt, coat, and overcoat, his boots already soaked through with icy water, and a long red scarf looped thrice around his neck, and his arms were crossed to retain as much warmth as possible. Beside him, was Evelyn, her arm wrapped around one of his own, her cheeks and nose a bright pink from cold, but her green eyes warm. She was wearing a long blue dress today, a patchy coat around her upper half and a pair of old gloves on her hands, yet despite the miserable cold, the fool-girl was smiling a soft, quiet sort of smile, a smile that claimed complete contentedness. Going out in such weather had been her idea. When she had arrived at his home that morning, Evelyn had asked if he would like to accompany her to a nearby park to play in the snow...

And despite his every intention of saying no, Dio had agreed.

Why had he agreed? Even now, he didn't understand why he had said yes to her when he clearly protested the action. The weather was dreadful, and he hated it. His wretched father slept most of the time, so the old man's presence was not intolerable for the time being. Likely, Evelyn would not have even minded over much had he refused her offer, so he ran no risk of losing any influence with her. The blonde boy had nothing to gain from this outing ... So why had he said yes?

That was when he had decided it had to have been something Evelyn had done. Yes... That was the only possibility that made a modicum of sense. Now, he only wanted to know what it was. He didn't much like the idea of this girl having any sort of sway over him.

Distracting him from his thoughts, an elderly couple passed by and, seeing their linked arms, gave a light laugh and smiled. Though Evelyn returned their smile as a way of indulging them, Dio rolled his eyes and turned his nose up at them. Fools. What did they have to smile about? They knew nothing. As they walked, snow crunched under his and Evelyn's feet, and Dio's eyes scanned the street before him. How far away was this park? Admittedly, traversing the area after setting out from his new house was throwing him off kilter to a degree. However, he had been there before enough to know the time it should've taken. Then again, it had been some time now. He certainly didn't remember it taking this long last time... There. It was a little further. He could just make out the benches that lined the edge of the park, covered in snow though they were.

Soon enough, the pair reached their destination, and as soon as the park came more fully into sight, Evelyn gave a little delighted gasp and smiled over at him. "It always looks so beautiful when it's like this. The snow just makes everything look so clean."

"Until the factory smoke settles in," Dio added dryly, kicking at a clump of blackened ice at the edge of the street. Sighing, Evelyn nodded her agreement as though sorrowful at the idea, though she didn't say anything further on it. After a moment, the blonde boy went on, "Well, what do you wish to do? It was your idea to come here."

With a thoughtful hum, the bright-eyed girl - having returned to her normal state of exuberance - dropped his arm and jogged a few steps before spinning around to face him, walking backwards now, a happy bounce to her steps. "There's all sorts of things we could do," she answered unhelpfully. Then, tapping a gloved finger against her chin, the girl added, "Want to build a snowman?"

And so, with another roll of his eyes - but a few words of agreement nonetheless - Dio and Evelyn had set out across the park and decided on a spot on top of a hill to place it before getting to work on their snowman. Personally, the blonde boy didn't see what the point in it was, but he supposed it was somewhat interesting watching their creation take shape. And of course, there was entertainment to be had from teasing Evelyn about the quality of her additions, Dio thought as he chuckled at the glowing red that stole across her face, somehow brightening it even more than the cold had already done. When she had noticed his lack of gloves, a concerned frown quirked her lips. However, instead of asking about it, she only pulled off her pair to reveal a spare set underneath them before offering them to him. Pleased, Dio grinned at her before slipping them on. They were a little tight, the girl's fingers being a fair length shorter than his own, and although it failed in quite keeping the cold out, it was still a fair bit better than handling snow with no barrier at all. Then they had continued on as before, making little comments here and there, but mostly working in silence.

They had just been finishing up when it happened. Focused on being done with it, his mind straying towards his desire for hot tea and other comforts, Dio hadn't been paying Evelyn any mind. Then, all of a sudden, he was struck on the back of his neck by a burst of icy wetness. With a grunt, the blonde boy spun on his heels, an angry scowl on his face at the intrusion, and raised his hands defensively. "What do-" he trailed off at the sight of the dark-haired girl. She was very determinedly not looking at him, hands held behind her back and an expression that warred between wanting to look innocent and wanting to laugh that damned her all the more. "You just threw a snowball at me." It wasn't a question, though there was perhaps a slight incredulity to his voice at the thought of his Evelyn having anything like a mischievous side. Then there came a little of the anger from before. How dare she?

"Maybe," she admitted, eyes flashing as any pretense of innocence was dropped, and then she revealed the second snowball that had been hidden behind her back. "What would you do if I said yes?"

At the challenge scrawled across her face and present in her tone, the remaining anger he had felt melted away, a new determination settling in its place, and Dio flashed her a cheeky grin. Flippantly, he reached back and flicked the remnants of snow out of his hair. Then, the blonde boy took a measured, deliberate step towards her. "Dearest Evelyn ... You really shouldn't start wars you can't possibly hope to win," he warned her menacingly as he took another careful step in her direction. Oh, the look on her face was magnificent, all wide eyes and dropped mouth. He didn't even have a snowball of his own.

Alarmed, the girl raised the snowball in her hands threateningly, making as though to throw it and feigning the motion a few times, and matched him step for step, backing away. "Stay back!" she exclaimed. Another step back - that was perfect, Dio thought smugly as he glanced around her. "Don't think I won't do it."

"I'm counting on it," Dio countered, ignoring her threats, and continued his slow, easy pace. What Evelyn failed to realize was that she was fast approaching the edge of the fairly steep hill. She would be there in three.. two.. one more step. Then it would be a simple matter of finishing their fight. As she took that last step back, her balance wavered, and panicking, she lobbed her snowball towards him, throwing wide by a long shot.

That was when Dio retaliated.

Taking the last few steps to close the gap between them, the blonde boy raised his arms and gave her a light push on the shoulders to repay her for the snowball to the back of his head. It was only fair he thought, and his grin broadened as her footing worsened, her arms flailing around, trying to find purchase to steady herself... However, just before she lost her balance entirely, Evelyn grabbed the lapels of his coat, and due to the slippery ground, he wasn't able to maintain his own footing. And the two went sprawling down the hill together, head over heels. Somehow, perhaps partly due to the cushioning the snow provided, neither of them attained any injuries, and they rolled to a stop, side by side. Clearly, his revenge had backfired to an extent, and Dio couldn't let her get away with that either. So he flipped on to his knees, and before she could move away, the blonde scooped up an entire armful of snow and dumped it directly on her face.

With a clipped shriek, she reached up to swipe away the snow that covered her face and began sputtering, and the sight of her there, red-faced from either embarrassment or cold - likely both - her dark hair contrasting starkly like raven feathers in the ice and haloing her head, her struggles for grace entirely undone in one fell swoop, caused a chuckle to bubble up from his chest. And before he knew it, he was full out laughing. She looked so ridiculous, and he had always enjoyed being the clear victor. After a moment though, the blonde boy realized she was practically choking on her own laughter... She was enjoying herself too? Even though she had lost... Well, she had always been a good sport about such matters, and when one was facing Dio, losing was an inevitability.

Soon enough, their laughter died down, and with it, the world around them set itself back in motion - complete with the distant laughter of the other children at the park, the ever-present sounds of the city, and of course, the stinging wet cold.

Dusting himself off, Dio stood, knowing that remaining seated would only make the cold worse. He glanced down at Evelyn, still laying in the snow, her hair piled around her and a foolishly contented smile on her face as though the uncomfortable chill was the last thought on her mind, and his sharp gold eyes followed the the curve of her lashes, idly observing the way the snowflakes would catch in them. "We should return," he told her simply. Though the outing had been less unpleasant than he had assumed it would be, the girl was even more delusional than Dio had assumed if she entertained any notions of them staying for any longer.

However, Miss Crew slowly opened her eyes and only nodded in agreement. Then, she began to rise to her feet, pausing to adjust her hair and clothing every so often, returning to the same psuedo-refined creature he knew her to be. Once she was back on her feet and had relooped her arm through his, they headed off in the direction they had come from.

"Thank you.." Evelyn began. "For coming out with me today, yes, but also for just being my friend... I'm really glad to have met you, Dio."

In his peripherals, the blonde boy could see her round face staring up at him, eyes sparkling. Though he didn't answer her verbally, her hummed in agreement, and apparently, that was enough for her as she refocused on the streets ahead of them and adjusted her grip on his arm.

How had she done it? The thought re-entered his head. However, this time, he felt as though he had an answer for it. The fact was, Evelyn hadn't done anything. The girl was far too naïve to even have a hope of manipulating him, Dio. Therefore, it stood to reason that Dio had agreed to come because he wished to do so, and why should he not? He found the girl to be perfectly acceptable company for the most part. She knew her place well and was good for a laugh, he knew, his mind flashing to the image of her sprawled across the ground. Yes, it was quite alright that he knocked about with her today.

After all, Dio was hardly in the habit of denying himself the things he wanted.

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A/N: Ah! But I do love that entire last scene. FINALLY! I get to write a little fluff for the two of them. Dio is surprisingly obstinate against fluff. *rolls eyes*. Go figure. But what did you all think? Part one is coming to a close in the next chapter, which may or may not be a little short since it was originally supposed to be apart of this chapter. However, it was getting a little long, and really, I wanted to leave it light and fluffy and not on a bad note. Anywho.

Thanks for all the support guys! I really appreciate each and every review!

ONWARD!

-Alyssa