Hey all! :D

And welcome back to SOA!

Pain is something everyone experiences sometime in their life. Mine was a prolonged sort of pain and my past weighs heavy on my heart. My family left me to be broken by the Ebony Diamonds. It was the worst nine years of my life. Thinking back on it, and sharing it with Emily … has really made me hurt. Thinking back to all of those dreadful moments has wounded me; both physically and emotionally. Sometimes I even wish I were dead … but wouldn't that be selfish of me? I'm sure there are people in this world suffering far more than I am. I'm lucky to be alive, lucky to have such amazing powers, lucky to have Emily. Spandel … he worked so hard and gave up everything to keep someone as pathetic as me alive. I have to make something out of this life of mine … that is all I can do right now. Even if everything hurts. Besides, I believe that love can overcome pain. But love … is something I have difficulty understanding. I loved my family, and I thought they loved me. But apparently that isn't the case. Spandel … I'm pretty sure I love him. I hope to some day save him from his uncle, I really do. Emily. I did not trust her for a while … but she has become my only friend, the only one I can trust, she loves and takes such good care of me … and I love her as well. I live for her joy … I live to one day see Spandel … … … but what if this illness kills me before I do …?

"He looks like he's thinking doesn't he?" Emily mumbled solemnly, her eyes sadly trailing over to Valerian. He lied on his back, bundled under the clean white covers of his bed. His stomach undulated slowly as he slightly struggled to suck in air. His eyes were left closed and feverish pink formed in his cheeks. Despite it was a definite challenge, Emily managed to get him into the house after he fainted in the backyard. Though Valerian was low in weight, he was still really tall. Emily sat on his window-seat, crossed arms lying on her bent knees. The sunset hues; still very bright, flared a sort of warm and dim light through the large glass window to illuminate the entire room. The heterochromatic kitten she had brought from Valerian's world meowed an agreement and leaped onto her arms.

"Careful." Emily hummed, letting her legs relax and dangle off the seat's edge and settling the kitten in her lap. She ran a hand through the kitten's duel colored fur, soft azure eyes still fixed on Valerian. Her heart fluttered sorrowfully around in her ribs. She knew what Valerian suffered was bad, but she didn't know it was that bad. It sunk her soul and turned her stomach to know that he went through so much. And she didn't even want to think about the Ebony Diamonds. "Poor Valerian." She sobbed in commiseration, tears sparkling in her blue eyes.

"Don't cry Emily."

She looked to see Valerian rising to a sitting position, the covers sliding off of him as he pressed his hand to his heart. He coughed. Emily immediately rushed over to him, landing her hands on his shoulders. He lifted his head to gaze up at her weakly.

"Does it hurt?" She wondered warmly, gently sweeping his bangs out of his eye.

"Just a little." Valerian replied with a slight grin.

"I'll get some tea ready. That should help." Emily stated, turning and patting toward the bedroom door. The kitten jumped off the windowsill and scampered after her.

Valerian finished his tea, putting the thermos it was packed in on the small table near his bed. It had been silent for the duration of the time he drank; with him lost in thought as always and the sorrow of his past, and Emily thinking of how to go about the situation. She felt so awful for Valerian and what he went through. The entire thought that her best friend suffered so much drilled holes in her stomach, but she wanted to know more about his powers; and why he was sick. She stood up to dispose of his tea cup, but his hand firmly landing on hers stopped her. "Emily?" He spoke softly and nervously, his voice shaky as if he were going to cry. Emily turned her head to see him raise his chin. His large eyes reflected pain. "Do you want to … to stay the night?" He stammered. He didn't want to be alone, she could tell. And after recalling such a nightmare, how could he? She wouldn't either. "Sure." She cooed with a comforting smile.

There was this really amazing shopping center stationed in the center of the city, and Rochelle was sure it would be a perfect place to do their couples shop for one another activity. The crowds were moderate, and the lit up buildings stood out in the cloak of night.

"Hello, welcome to Evangeline's." The male cashier at the front desk greeted dully as Rochelle and Pandore entered the popular boutique in the shopping center. It was really calm there. The place was dimly lit by ornate scented candles and crystal chandeliers, and soft music played in the background. The dark oak doors of the bathrooms and dressing rooms lined the back wall. The carpet was a plush magenta, and there was a quaint waiting area next to the large front window. Rochelle and Pandore very easily recognize the cashier, even if he was in uniform. That girlish face, fair skin, messy black hair, small body, and dark violet eyes was hard to mistake, solely because they were so feminine. And if that didn't give it away, a red fox was curled up on his shoulders. He looked pretty cute leaning against the counter and scowling, his fingers interlaced and pressed to his lips with his elbows resting on the top of the desk. His uniform consisted of a blouse; the color of his choosing, which he chose violet. A name tag, and a pair of black pants and shoes. He added a black blazer left open to the outfit.

"Daaayum Ashley, you look'n fine Boy!" Rochelle called to him, waving and tossing him a flirty glance. She got an immediate eye roll as a response.

"Rochelle, I thought it was Jack you adored." Pandore scolded on a whisper, craning to stare at her much taller friend.

"He is, but I have the right to see hot in every guy. And I can tell you that Ashley is a definite fox." Rochelle snickered, getting a disgusted look from her friend. Pandore was never a fan of that fickle, flirty side of Rochelle.

"Anyways," Rochelle drawled, looking over at Ashley, "What are you doing here?" Ashley's arm lazily slid down onto the desk and his head propped on top. "Working. What else? (Fox.)" He quipped sarcastically, making Rochelle embarrassed that he had heard her whispering about him. She very quickly regained her composure. "Yeah but like, why?" She deadpanned.

"To feed myself, pay my bills, enjoy life. You know, like a normal person?" Ashley huffed. Rochelle's face remained blank.

"You think you and your friendship fight the evil affiliation are the only ones allowed to have a life?" The raven haired male spat.

"Well you are the evil. So don't you have better things to do than work?" Rochelle retorted. Ashley groaned, face-palming. "The shop is yours to peruse. There's a sale on men's clothing. Do take your time. And god forbid if you need help, I'm here." He grumbled, changing the subject and trying to shoo them off in the nicest way he could. He sighed as he watched the two girls disappear past a few clothing racks. Iris; his fox, jumped off of his shoulders and onto the desk only to nuzzle his chest. Ashley fondly pat her head. The Seals of Amber were truly quite ignorant, but Ashley had to worry. Could they actually take down the Silver Angels? Alister had reassured him multiple times that such a thing was impossible, but after the big battle in Europe and their epic fail at team building, the kids could defeat them. Alister wasn't going to let that happen though. The heavy training he had been putting the team through made sure of it. Just thinking about it made Ashley's heart and legs cramp. Even Bryson left the Angels HQ looking spent, and that guy was full of energy. What hell was Alister going to put them through tomorrow? Ashley wasn't sure if he could take that and working late. Suddenly he felt his legs shake. He pressed down on the desk with a pant to steady himself. Nope, there's no way I'm going to make it through tomorrow.

"Are you okay?"

Ashley's first reflex was to snap his head up to glare at the sound of a female's voice, assuming it was one of the little Seals of Amber harpies he was talking to earlier. His face softened as he realized that wasn't the case. A female's face peered gently at him from the other side of the counter. She was about sixteen, with soft features aside from her sharp, jade green eyes complimented by dark, thick, long lashes. Her full lips had a faint pink tint to them. Her skin was a velvety porcelain and her sugar white hair fell all the way down to her knees in sleek, placid curls and waves. She was dressed in a dark lavender sundress adorned with a floral pattern that fell just above her knees. A lose fitting, well woven, black, cropped cardigan left open was pulled over it and a black ribbon tied around her waist like a belt. She wore a pair a of black heels and accessorized with a few silver bracelets and a small, purple, flower bow. She was a couple of inches taller than him, but being taller than Ashley wasn't hard to do.

"Uh, can I help you?" Ashley greeted in a stutter, his cheeks flushing red. She was pretty.

"Nope, I just came to check on this place. It's been a while sense I've been here. I'm Evie." She said politely, extending her hand out.

"Evie?" Ashley raised an eyebrow as he took her hand and shook it.

"Yup." She chimed with a friendly shrug, "But you probably know me better as Evangeline Winter. I like my name a lot. I just think Evie is cuter and less of a mouthful."

"Evangeline." Ashley murmured. While they had never met before, Ashley new her by reputation. She owned this boutique and rivaled Raven in the fashion industry. He actually owned a lot of her products. She also used to be a part of the Angels; but that was before Ashley had joined, and was related to the Hopes in some shape or form. Ashley never new why she quit the Angels though, and no one ever spoke of her. Well … not often anyways. It was almost as though she was nonexistent.

"And you're Ashley." She hummed warmly, "My assistant manager tells me quite a bit about you. She said you are great, and that you were incredibly cute. Seems like she wasn't lying."

An awkward chuckle left Ashley and the hue on his cheeks deepened with flattery.

"Anyways, you look pretty exhausted." She commented sincerely, "You can cut your shift early if you want. I certainly wouldn't mind filling in for you. Besides, I find it befitting to work at my own shop every once in a while."

"No it's okay. I don't, I don't need it." Ashley declined.

"Well, if you say so … … um Ashley?"

Ashley realized what she was implying as his eyes trailed down to his hand, which still held hers from when they shook. He drew his hand away and stuffed it in his hair with a small apology.

"No problem." She giggled, moving to stand next to him behind the counter. "Cute fox by the way," she added. Ashley smiled slightly.

Rochelle curiously sifted through the many men's shirts that hung on one of the rotating racks of the boutique. "So what are you getting for Damian?" She wondered absentmindedly as Pandore came up next to her, pulling a royal blue flannel from the rack. The small raven haired girl already held a multitude of clothes to her chest, though none of them were masculine. In fact it was all just a mixed bundle of loose dresses and lingerie. "Oh, these are all just for me. I planned to get something for Damian at the jewelry shop." Pandore justified, "And what are you getting for Jack?"

"I'm giving him a casual outfit." Rochelle laughed almost instantly after she asked, "The guy's always wearing something extravagant and complicated. I'm going to show him the magic of simplicity!" She dashed to another part of the boutique. Pandore giggled, following after her.

Meanwhile. Jack closed his eyes in thought, humming a random tune and teasing his chin with his finger. Damian stared impatiently at him. "Jack, we've been standing here for fifteen minutes. Could you hurry up and choose something already?" He huffed, twisting the present he had gotten for Pandore in between his fingers. The two stood in the luxury jewelry store that Pandore wanted to go to for Damian's present. Jack's green eyes flew open and skimmed over the different rings and bracelets that filled the display case. "Picking a present for a girl isn't exactly easy." He whined.

"Oh really?" Damian rumbled satirically, boasting the present he found for Pandore in front of Jack's face. "It only took two minutes to find this." He cooed. Jack's" gaze slowly fixed on the gift in disinterest. It was a ring with a golden band and a giant ruby.

"That's what you're getting her?" Jack's voice was a disgusted deadpan.

"She really adores the color red, so I figured it would be great." Damian elaborated.

"It's a ring." Jack stated flatly.

"It doesn't have to be over-the-top. This is the first time we've done something like this before." Damian informed.

"Huh, go big or go home I always say." Jack brushed off, dismissively flicking his wrist and then flipping his hair. Damian groaned exasperatedly. Jack gazed at the ceiling thoughtfully, before perking up. "I know!" He cheered idealistically.

Jack, Damian, Rochelle and Pandore stood at a lake designated in the middle of Pandore's favorite park. They had decided to end their date there with a walk and then a gift exchange. The lake was gorgeous, painted an inky midnight blue and reflecting the majestic moon and stars. All four of them clutched their gift bags in their hands.

"So, we ready to go?" Rochelle chanted excitedly, hoisting her bag in the air and receiving agreeing cheers from the rest. "Okay, I'll start." She volunteered, confidently striding over to Jack and offering her bag to him. Jack curiously gripped the blue package and dug into it. His green eyes widened with surprise as his knuckles brushed against something soft. He slowly pulled out a white polo, gazing at it in confusion. An amused smirk danced across Rochelle's lips at Jack's reaction as she gestured for him to keep going. Jack did as was instructed, pulling out a royal blue flannel, followed by a pair of black jeans, and a set of white converse. "Why … it's so … simple." He commented in disbelief.

"I know, isn't it adorable!?" Rochelle squealed with joy, giddily hopping up and down much like a small child. "I found it at Evangeline's. See I figured that sense you were always wearing super extravagant stuff, I'd like to see you rock the cute and casual look."

"Well that's pretty ironic." Jack smiled as he gratefully placed his new outfit back in its blue bag and handed Rochelle a pink package. She fished her hand in excitedly, pulling out a black dress with the skirt ruffled and a lace pattern lying across the torso. Next she pulled out a well woven, thin pink cardigan, followed by a silver necklace and bracelet to match, followed by a pair of fancy knee high black boots. Jack's hand met his hip proudly and he smirked as he witnessed Rochelle's wide grin.

"Well what do you know. That is pretty ironic." She laughed endearingly, putting her things back in the bag.

"You always look so casual. I wanted to see you in an elegant, girlie light." Jack commented, getting a huge hug from his half girlfriend. Damian and Pandore had to laugh. It was pretty cute.

"All right Lover Birds your turn." Rochelle huffed tauntingly, leaning on Jack's shoulder. Damian and Pandore nodded nervously, both deciding to exchange their gifts at the same time. Both of them held out a box to one another; Pandore holding out a box of black velvet to Damian, and Damian holding one of red velvet to Pandore. Pandore; with the enthusiasm of a child, flipped the small case open. Her brown eyes lit up on sight of a giant ruby perched on the gold band of a ring. Meanwhile, Damian's eyes widened with a gasp of shock as he peered at the silver signet ring in his box. Jack and Rochelle gave knowing looks and nods to each other as the two romantics gazed at one another with adoration.

"So cheesy." The half couple commented, but Damian and Pandore ignored them as they pulled in for a kiss.

I feel as though I don't have enough tears within me to express my sorrow, but why would I want to? I've always tried to look on the bright side of things, because I think positivity is one of the key components to heal. Right now, my positivity is Emily. Even with all that I went through, it's hard to be stuck in my miserable past knowing I have her love. But now, despite this philosophy; I am feeling rather depressed. The memories of my past flood my mind and stab my heart.

I remember how my family used to love me … just like my precious Emily does.

I remember all that Cray made me suffer.

I remember watching Spandel suffer.

I remember witnessing poor mages like me suffer … and even be killed,

I remember losing Spamdel … I remember it all …

And of course there is the sickness that I can never get rid of. I really don't want children, well … not anymore anyway. It's kind of strange, but I've always wanted twins. They're really cute. But if I could pass on my illness to them, well … I'd much rather die than do that. This illness cripples me everyday. Why aren't I strong enough to fight it? Why? And why must it have struck now? That only gives poor Emily even more to worry about. Why? Why? Why? … … … … … … … … … i can't take this …

Emily closed the bathroom door behind her as she reentered Valerian's bedroom. That shower had given her quite a bit to think about; yet at the same time, the hot water pouring over her skin and through her hair was so relaxing. Now she felt a meld of refreshment and stress as her slightly damp curls fell lazily around her shoulder blades and she found herself dressed in a navy cat T-shirt and a pair of comfy pajama pants. Valerian had already taken a long bath while she went back to her house to grab a few things. She wanted to stay and take care of him for a while until they departed to Asia to stop the Angels from retrieving their flash drive. Speaking of Valerian, he sat uncomfortably on his bed. He had broken into a fit of both coughs and tears. Emily hurried over to him, holding him to her chest and caressing his back. He calmed down momentarily, tears still slowly emanated from his big lavender eyes and traveled down his cheeks. "Emily." He whimpered dejectedly, sniffling as he snuggled his head into her neck. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I hate for you to have to deal with me like this, and for you to worry. You don't have to look after me if it troubles you."

"No. I'm the one who brought up your past." Emily cooed warmly, a hand gently combing through his soft black hair. "And besides, I can't imagine fighting through this sickness all alone has been easy for you. I want to help you. You're like my brother. I love you to death." Emily's eyes widened with a gasp as Valerian burst into more tears. Had she said something wrong? She was only speaking the truth.

"Thank you, thank you so much." Valerian sobbed, clinging to her in a tight hug, "I love you just as much …Darling Emily Evans."

Emily helped Valerian settle into bed and climbed into the sheets next to him. She heard his light panting as he tried to breathe. The sound gradually chipped away at her heart as she knew he was only struggling. She wanted to get him to bed. Nightmares aside, it was hard to suffer when you slept. She rolled on her side to face him. "So why is it that you're sick?"

"My magical ability." Valerian exhaled, "Despite my mind being strong enough to sustain it, my body isn't. With that said, my power flurry often takes energy from my body to keep it and my magic alive. My body and immune system are weak because of it. That's why I'm sick like this. … if only I were stronger."

"It's all right." Emily crooned as she glided a comforting hand across his hot forehead. "I suppose there isn't a known cure is there?"

Valerian shook his head.

"Valerian, why didn't you tell anyone about your magic, and your sickness?" Emily asked. Valerian only stared at her in silence. "I was … and still am … really … scared." He replied

"You were afraid that if we found out your magic ability, we'd hurt you the way Cray did."

"I … I'm really sorry."

"Valerian it's okay." Emily stated, pulling him into her arms. "You're not always at fault you know? You don't have to apologize for everything. I do think you should tell the rest of the team about your magic though."

"Emily-" his tone was incredibly distressed.

"Shhh. It's all right." Emily soothed, "You don't have to. I just think it'd be a good idea." She felt Valerian nod slowly, and then the two drifted into slumber.

Okay so that marks the end of this chapter you guys. I'm looking forward to the next. Hope you are too.

Evangeline is one of my favorite names. I've had the idea for Evangeline for over half a year now, but didn't really have a place for her in any of my stories. That is until Ashley and Helen came along and gave me an idea. So a mini thanks to their creators. Just a heads up, Ebony Diamonds is now an affiliation option on the Seals of Amber OC forum just in case that may interest any of you. :)

Thanks to those who read, a dear thanks to those who leave a review, a profuse thank you to those who Submit OCs, and lots of love and a huge hug to those who do all three! :D

Leave a review, and remember that feedback is love! ;)