A/N: gah! Just found myself sitting outside and my iPod Touch was right there and I just had to write more. I go insane when I put this off… ignore my Hiatus. Screw it. I give up on trying to focus on one thing at a time!!!

Disclaimer: own nothing except Mandy, Carson, and Melody.

'Video girl rocked my world
For a whole two seconds
And now I know,
I'm not about to be another victim
Of the video girl syndrome
Get out of my face,
Get out of my space.
Get some class and kiss the past
'cause I'm not about to be another victim
Of the video girl syndrome'

~'Video Girl', Jonas Brothers

Silence and Song

There was only the beating of hearts. Slow and steady for him. Quick and fluttering for her.

Kevin was still out cold, body limp in the back seat of his car. His hair covered his eyes. Chest rising and falling, she could tell he was asleep. It had been a while since he'd had to break another heart and then suffer the emotional breakdown that followed soon after. Not like losing Gwen was the worst thing that could ever happen to him. Losing Melody was a different story. Losing her again would be like having to rip his own heart out and then eat it. Good thing he was deeply asleep or else the thought of that would've gotten him to bolt awake.

There was stirring in the backseat as the door opened and Melody quietly clamored out. She closed her eyes, knowing this was where she wanted to be. Bellwood. Her body gave the smallest shiver and she braced herself against the car, not wanting to wake her boyfriend. She loved him too much to even think about disturbing him. She reached behind her ear to push the white and black strands out of her face.

There was a short rustling sound as she heard Carson roll over on the couch. He took in a deep breath of air before fidgeting another second or two. Then the air was released from his lungs and every muscle in his body had relaxed.

Mandy was still out at Mr. Smoothy, due back any minute now. That was one thing people loved about Mandy. She could stay up as late as she wanted without growing the slightest bit tired. Then when she did get tired, she was out cold for about thirteen hours. In a way, she was her own miracle worker.

Taking advantage of her alone time, Melody strode out of the garage. The night air was a relief after laying with Kevin in the backseat of his car for so long. His warmth had spread over her, such a comfort to have him /that/ close to her again.

The moon's beams of glowing white light illuminated her hair and dress. She hadn't wanted to take it off, too tired to do so. Melody looked behind her at the ground she had just walked across. Her shadow stretched across the blacktop. It just proved how thin and fragile she was compared to her companions. Not like she'd ever admit to being the weakest link. Pride kept her from doing anything of the sorts.

Stars twinkled above. They shone like a forest full of fireflies. It was so powerful to see that the universe above was still alive.

Common sense told her to go back inside. Common sense told her to wait. She had never listened to it very well. She hardly ever listened to anyone very well. Except Kevin.

She respected him like a god. He would have to be Zeus or something along those lines in Greece. But maybe more powerful. And the fact that he was actually alive and a real person added to his already incredible dynamics. Melody couldn't help but love him. He was strong and defensive, ready to protect the ones he cared about. He had his attitude. It made her crave every second of his attention. But most of all, she loved how much he could understand her like no one else could.

Melody had a ton of problems on her plate. Her sister, Alyse, had died in a Knight shoot out. It was just crossfire. It was just an accident. No one had purposely meant to kill Alyse. She had just died as another teenager gone too young. The last memory that remained of that day was Melody's pain as she fell into the bushes, skinning her knees while being stabbed by what felt like thousands of thorns.

There was no real sense of loss from her sister's death. Melody knew she should've felt pain crashing down on her and making her want to die right then and there, being totally alone now. But it wasn't the kind of bond between sisters that she actually thought it was. Alyse hadn't acually even been related to her. They just traveled on the streets together for a few years. No bond had actually occurred.
They'd only worked together to survive. That was it. Their association meant nothing after that. There was no reason to even consider themselves sisters.

The first time she'd met Kevin had been like a dream. He'd been a ghost of silence at first, but as soon as they'd hit the subway almost a year ago and when he was showing her around, he'd been an open book to read. She'd learned his body language quickly, watching his strong frame walk around in the darkness, the only lights being weak fluorescents. He had saved her from loneliness. And for some reason, Melody found herself grateful that the Knights had killed Alyse. Like it was destiny. She couldn't say she was sad for Alyse's death, but she couldn't say that she regretted it. If her sister hadn't died, she never would've met Kevin. She never would've fallen in love with him. She never would've seen him. And Melody knew that Kevin was all that she ever wanted in life.

He had crouched down beside her after pacing past the alley like he was anxious to get back to somewhere. But there was silence as his footsteps stopped abruptly. Then Melody had heard hem come closer again and his curious face had peered around the corner. "You okay?" he asked in his street voice. The accent had probably started off as something else, but was now mostly slang terms.

She had felt herself nod, running on automatic. Her body was still coping with healing from the scratches and cuts that covered most of her body from thorns and falling down a lot to get away from the scene of the shooting.

"Want to come with me?" His tone had be ome so soft and gentle. And it was only when I looked up into his eyes with their deep shades of brown that I realized he was kneeling right next to me, actually worried. "I stay with some friends of mine. I think they'll let you stay with them too. If I ask nicely, at least."

It took a few minutes to register that the last part had been a bit of a joke. And She had to smile up at him. It was how nice he was that got her to look at him a second time. It was his gorgeous hair and incredibly hot eyes that got her to try and put herself closer to him. And it got to the point that she never wanted to be away from him. Melody had reached up to him and he had taken her hand.

Carson and Mandy had accepted her. Yeah, she was pretty young compared to them. She was even a year younger than Kevin too. But that didn't mean she couldn't challenge herself to match him step-by-step. She followed along behind Kevin, trailing like a lost puppy. Then she had tried to match his rank, second in command. It never worked. So she fell back into the omega status. And deep down, she knew that Mandy and Carson had never trusted her. Never.

The sky twinkled to life again, one star brighter than the rest. It was a peaceful night. She wanted to go back inside to Kevin. She wanted to curl up against his sturdy chest and Len her black eyes slip shut and clouds from dreamland would carry her away...

It could never happen. There was silence and Melody felt her mind wanting to slip away. She whispered words to herself, just under her breath. Comfort and longing twined into one.

"Wake me up.
Watch me breathe.
Hear me sing
My melody."

A/N: there you go. A bit more on Mel. And for those of you who thought it was Melody at Mr. Smoothy, it was Mandy. Just to clear that up. Leave a review if you love me! Or even like me… heck, just leave a review!

~Sky