Disclaimer: Not mine never all is Melissa de la Cruz's.

A/N: Hello all! Sorry again for the long delay, life is crazy. Have you read Van Alen Legacy all I have to say OMG can't wait for Misguided Angel. Anyway hope you all love this chapter, hopefully I'll get more writing done this weekend. Hope you enjoy!

~Eb

The restaurant Jack had chosen was perfect for breakfast, it wasn't too fancy but was far from the ordinary diners that tourists flocked to. He chose a seat by the window and ordered a round of drinks. Neither of them had said much since leaving the meeting, it was quick and painless, but Schuyler was oddly silent.

"It won't be that bad," Jack said coolly handing his menu to the waiter.

Schuyler shot him an evil look and took a large sip of her drink. It could be as bad as she thought it was. That was the problem. What had she gotten herself into? More importantly, what had Kingsley gotten her into?

"Are you going to be this pleasant throughout this whole meal or just the appetizer?"

She sent him a sharp crack of blue.

"I don't get why you are so unhappy," he joked resting his elbows on the table and leaning in.

"Of course you don't," Schuyler shot back slumping in her chair. She felt worn out and somehow off, it must have been the combination of a day old suit and no sleep. "Because you aren't the one who was just voted Regis."

"I don't get how this is a bad thing."

"You wouldn't."

He arched an eyebrow.

"Look I can't spout high ideals and just let people off the hook."

"Okay?" Jack said drawing out the word.

"I can't say change is necessary and then play favorites with my mother," she paused, "or with you."

"I'm back on your favorites list?"

"You're funny."

"I try."

"When did you become mister hilarity?" She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. This was not going the way she wanted Jack's joking mood was grating against her sullen one.

"Breaking bonds will do that for you," he said in a serious tone.

"Well celebrate somewhere else."

"Alright your—"

"Finish that sentence and I will leave."

Jack smiled. "Alright think about it like this. The problem is not how do you break the rules but how do you introduce yourself to a system that was always in place?"

Sky tilted her head to the side and studied Jack intently. "Go on, I'm listening."

"You cannot punish someone if they went about the process in the correct fashion. There are steps to breaking bonds and if followed they allow you to live without a problem."

"Problem," Schuyler said holding up her hand, "my daughter has no intention of ever letting that secret into the open."

"Then you will need your mother to testify as to what happened. I'll step in even if needed."

"Are you just going to fix every problem I throw at you?"

"Possibly," he said with a wicked grin.

Sky felt herself giving in, it was so easy to be around him and yet so difficult. She promised herself years ago that this, this relationship was just not meant to be. They had tried and tried and still they failed. But sitting here with Jack looking at him, there was something that just made her feel level headed. There was something that just felt right.

"How's Cam?" she asked off handedly. Trying to shake the feeling and talking about their respective children seemed to be the way to clear her head.

Jack looked down at his hands.

"Umm good question."

"Okay you solved my problem I'll solve one of yours. Dinner you could even call it a family affair. We'll do dinner, we'll talk, we may even have fun."

"This will help how exactly?"

"Well for one it will force you to be in the same room with your son, for another I think it's a chance for us to see if this will work." Schuyler bit her lip was she ready to jump back into that ring? Even if she wasn't something had to be done.

Ara was feeling better slightly but it was still better than the walking comatose person she'd been for far too long. She walked back into Duchesne early on Tuesday and looked around the library. It was old and filled with friendly books and quiet cubby holes, where she could block out the world.

With a well worn volume of Seneca's Medea tucked under her arm, she pulled herself into the window seat and flipped open to the book to her marked place.

This play was darker than the earlier Euripides version which was full of certainty and eloquence, but Seneca wrote long prose speeches which were more like stream of consciousness than anything else. Long passages where Medea talked herself into and out of murder, there was already blood on her hands, a little more was of no consequence.

It was not the blood that she was reading it for, the fact just made it more interesting, rather it was the struggle between Jason and Medea that intrigued Ara the most. The sense of duty Jason felt for his children that dictated his decisions versus the madness induced decision that Medea made.

If one is strong enough never to hope then there is no reason to abandon hope.

Sad, Ara thought, that so few of us are strong enough not to hope, it might make life a little easier. They were all guilty of it at some point or another, to hope too far, to push the bounds and pray that the other understood only to be let down in the end.

"Ara."

The girl looked up at Madison. They had never been friends and even during their small acquaintance phase, Ara had never bonded with the girl. Today her strawberry blond hair was blown out to perfection, there was simplicity to her look that was an evolution of the grunge Ara saw around Duchesne. Layers of color and a small pattern.

"What?"

"Are you okay?" Madison asked rocking back and forth.

"Define the term? Okay, I suppose, fine I could even give you that one. But for how long, who can say?" Ara stared out the window.

"You seemed better at the meeting yesterday."

She nodded.

"Do you mind if I?" Madison indicated the seat and Ara made room without further comment. "My father told me about the white vote and what happened yesterday."

Ara shrugged.

"I think you should come out, tell the world your story."

"Me? Why would they care?"

"I think it would help."

"I'll consider it."

"Okay, if you need anything you know I'm here, right?"

You know I won't talk to you, Ara thought narrowing her eyes at Madison, so why offer your friendship.

"I've stood by," Madison said as if reading Ara's thoughts, "and watched Cam hurt people, and I never thought it was a problem, until now. He doesn't want to listen to anyone, not me or you or even reason. He just wants to destroy the world."

"I know," Ara replied quietly.

"Isn't this cozy," Jazz said with a small smile.

"I was just—" Madison started defending herself.

"There's no crime," Jazz replied easily taking a seat between Ara and Madison. Ara breathed a sigh of relief the barrier between her and the other girl was exactly what she needed. Ara could have hugged Jazz right then. But that was Jazz's job to anticipate and be there for Ara whenever she needed her.

"I didn't think there was, anyway I guess I should be going." Madison eyed Jazz and Ara with envy but got up and turned to walk away.

"Is Cam even here?" Jazz asked.

"If he is I haven't seen him, and I doubt he got his sorry ass out of bed yet, and I could care less."

"He needs some just as much as I do," Ara said quietly.

Jazz glared at her, "I can't believe you are defending him."

"It's—it's just."

"No she's right, I'll go track down my best friend." Madison rolled her eyes. "I'll see you around and if you need anything I know the best designer who would love to do a dress for you."

"I'll think about it."

Ara flipped her book open to another spot and looked down at the page. She smiled to herself and read, "I will tear the very light out of the sky." Yes some people just wanted to watch the world burn.

Cam was asleep lost in the darkness of his own dreams, when a blast of sunlight woke him up.

"Good morning," Allegra said with a smile that matched the sun's rays.

"Uh," Cam rolled over and pulled the covers over his head.

"School starts in twenty."

"Free period," he mumbled.

"Is your seventh hour, I had Kingsley fax me your schedule. Up," she demanded.

Cam threw back the covers and shuffled around getting everything together. When he ambled down the stairs Madison was already sitting at the counter chatting happily with Allegra.

"Have a good day," she called as he left.

"Coffee," Madison said handing his a Styrofoam cup.

Cam accepted the cup without contestation and sipped the drink carefully.

"Just so we're clear, this is not a friendly gesture I am still pissed as hell at you, this is a favor to another person."

Cam didn't say anything.

"Are we clear?" Madison asked staring at him.

"As always Madison you have made your point crystal clear."

"Get in the car," she instructed him.

At school, Madison got out and escorted him to his first class: French.

Ara sat in the third row, her typical seat, she was sketching idly on the notebook in front of her. Her long dark hair was pulled over one shoulder and the contrast against her skin made her look unnaturally pale like she was sick. From the depths of his soul, Cam felt the quick sting of betrayal and the slow burn of sadness.

It was not that wanted nothing to do with her, because truthfully there was a part of him that wanted to wrap his arms around her and never ever give her up. To reach out and brush a hand over her skin just to make sure she was real and not a picture.

Then there was the part of him that had been left so empty for so long that there was no way to forgive what she had done.

Cam looked around at the seats, so what did he choose? She looked up quickly and locked eyes with him. There was regret written all over her face but it turned cold, her features went blank unreadable.

He took a seat at the back of the class and pulled out his notebook.

Class passed without incident and Cam got up to go to his next class. On his way out the door, he bumped into Ara. She pulled back and gestured for him to go first. He was stupid he should have just walked through the door instead he just stood there.

"Hi," she said timidly carefully pushing the envelope.

He looked away waiting for her to go first.

She nodded and turned to go, "You know I never stopped—never mind." Ara readjusted her messenger bag and left.

"Wait," he called out.

She turned and clasped her hands in front of her waiting for him to say something.

"Me too."

She nodded. "I have Chemistry Lab I need to get too, but maybe…." Her voice trailed off.

Sure he whispered in her head but Ara threw him out before he had a chance to say more.

Turning on her heels, she raced to chemistry without looking back.

Dylan was not sure of his next move, he had received more than one call from Bliss since seeing her at the party. There was the possibility that she was interested in him for some other reason but it was easier to believe something that she was evil.

"Afternoon," Dylan said casually, as Stephen dropped into a chair next to him.

Stephen looked up blearily and waved his hand, "Coffee."

"Are you aware that you live on the stuff?"

"Please." It was an order which Dylan was more than happy to comply with. He ambled into the kitchen and poured the dark liquid into the cup. Handing it off to the man in the living room he took a seat across from him.

"Thanks."

"Rough night?"

Stephen shrugged.

"That good huh?"

"Yes." Stephen curled up around his coffee inhaling the sharp scent before relaxing. "How's your life going?"

"I need some advice on Bliss."

"Romance issues, hit me with your best shot."

"Look I don't like my past I'm not okay with it and frankly I really am not sure I like the idea of being an angel. There is something between us but it scares me and I have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that it's been there for more than one life time."

Stephen nodded and gestured for Dylan to continue.

"I'm scared when I am around her she's not who she was but she's not the same person she was when she changed."

Stephen cocked an eyebrow.

"There was a change," Dylan explain, "and then she was someone new, but she's changed again and this time she is neither who she was or who she was originally. She's someone new."

"Does she scare you?"

"In an odd way more than the other."

Stephen nodded again.

"She wants me to have a meal with her."

"Do you want to have dinner with her?"

"On a strange level yes."

Stephen toasted Dylan with his glass.

"You are really god at this whole conduit thing."

Stephen shook his head and shrugged.

xhollymarie: Sorry I should have made that clearer, Anna is a shortened form of Orianna. Thanks for the review!

GirlwithBlueBlood: Because I love a good cliffhanger….that's all. I know Jack is an enigma who is probably unsolvable. Thanks for the review!

xo-tink-xo: Yes he did, Ara holds the process and is there to help people if they need it but she does not have to be there, she just often is because often it would happen right after she finished telling them. Abbadon has just known all of this for a long time so he did it whenever he felt. Thanks for the review!

SKY: Yeah Cam and Jack that relationship is going to need some extreme therapy, or just a little thought from a couple people. Thanks for the review!

Dahlia: I am getting used to the whole J/S thing I love them to be sure but it's getting there. And I agree the Committee really can't know what Sky has in mind but she is the daughter of the Uncorrupted. Thanks for the review!

Aruallee: Here's the answer, I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review and you make me smile!

KelseyMorgan': WOW moments indeed, drama…who can handle drama….Hopefully Sky! I want her to take charge as well, strong female characters are what I am all about. Thanks for the review!