A/N: Hello! Just checking in with my monthly update!! And it's a long one this time!!

....

That's what she said. *shoots self*

XXXII

"Well, he's finally out."

Rinslet sighed as she pulled a blanket over the sleeping periwinkle-haired boy on the sofa and turned to the mahogany-haired man sitting on the window ledge. His mood seemed sombre and serious; nothing like the happy-go-lucky attitude he usually wore around her.

"Thinking about Li?"

Jenos coughed; keeping his gaze on the street outside as he calmly replied,

"No."

"Yes," the lavender-haired woman responded; folding her arms as she walked to the window sill and sat down across from him.

"It's not your fault, you know...you had no idea what kind of things he was up to--"

"That's not the point."

He turned away from the window and leaned forward; elbows on his knees,

"I should've been able...to stop him, at least. I should've seen the signs. Maybe then, Belze would still..."

He trailed off; his gaze set on the floor. A long silence hung in the air; filling the space between them like a wall. The only sound in the room was that of Leon's soft snoring.

"I got your messages. All of them."

He straightened; looking to her in surprise,

"You...you did?"

"Yeah," she began; turning to him with a sigh. His eyes brightened as he recalled one of his last to her,

'"Rinslet Walker, you are a true thief. You've stolen my heart, after all. I just wanted you to know that..."'

He swallowed hard; blushing a little as she gazed into his eyes,

'Does this...does this mean she...?'

"And...Jenos?"

He cleared his throat as she leaned in closer to him; his eyes widening in surprise,

"Y-Yeah?"

She flashed him a sultry little smile.

THWACK.

"If you EVER leave 500 messages on my voice mail again, I'll make SURE you don't come back next time!"

He whimpered as she stormed off; tears pouring down his cheeks as a nice lump began to swell on the back of his head,

"Y-Yes ma'am...!"

She stopped upon reaching the bathroom door; her head bowed in silence.

"But really..."

The mahogany-haired man straightened; raising an eyebrow. The tone in her voice had changed a little. It almost sounded like she was crying.

She turned to face him and sure enough; a tear had found it's way onto her cheek,

"Don't ever do that again."

He smiled; sighing deeply.

"Yes, ma'am."

~ø~

Eve sighed softly in her sleep; her eyebrows furrowing as she began to frown.

'"Sven!!"'

----

She ran as quickly as she could through the fog-ridden city; her heart pounding in her chest. There he was just a few feet away. He was so close she could almost touch him. Almost. No matter how fast she pushed herself; she just couldn't seem to get to him. His image flickered before her eyes and she stopped; shaking her head as he disappeared completely,

"No...no!"

She glanced around; desperately searching for a sign that he was still present in this ghost town,

"Sven! Sven, where are you!?"

Her voice echoed coldly back to her and she swallowed hard; hugging herself tightly as she dropped to her knees,

"Sven...don't go."

"Don't worry....I'm not going anywhere."

She gasped as she felt a strange warmth envelope her and she glanced upward. Her eyes widened. Standing over her was a boy with muddy-brown hair. He extended a hand to her and she noted that the knitting on hisratty gloves was beginning to fray. He smiled. She hesitated a moment; gazing cautiously into his solitary sapphire eye. He didn't look dangerous. He looked....

Lonely.

She reached up slowly; her fingertips lightly brushing his. The boy lurched forward suddenly; her eyes widening as blood began to pool at his feet. Through his middle stuck a long, silvery blade and behind him holding said blade was a man with lime-green hair...

"If it hadn't been for him...I would never have met you."

----

Gasping as she opened her eyes, Eve looked quickly to the bed-ridden boy before her,

"Merrick!"

He was still unconscious; his chest rising and falling evenly. Sleeping. At that, she smiled and tightened her grip on his hand.

A knock at the door drew her attention away from him and she gasped softly; wiping the tears from her eyes,

"Y-yes?"

"It's me."

The door opened slowly and poking her head in was none other than Rinslet,

"How's he doing?"

The girl smiled; using her free hand to tuck hair behind her ear,

"He's asleep."

"Well, I figured as much. That blade went right through him."

She walked over to the bed and carefully placed a hand to the boy's cheek; sighing deeply,

"He's a little warm, but it doesn't feel like fever."

Eve nodded shortly, her eyes downcast,

"That's good."

She then fell silent. Rinslet sighed deeply and walked around to the window; glancing outside,

"Well, there's good news. Jenos said he might know where Sven is. So, the sooner you're little boyfriend gets better, the sooner we can go find him--"

"He's not..."

Rinslet straightened as she watched the girl's face turn bright red.

"He's not my boyfriend. Merrick and I...we're just partners."

The lavender-haired woman blinked silently; her lips curling into a small smile after a moment,

"All right. Whatever you say. Either way, though, he needs to rest. And so do you..."

She started toward the door; Eve bowing her head. Suddenly, the girl spun around; her fists clenching tightly in her lap,

"Rinslet!"

Rinslet turned back as she reached the door; raising an eyebrow,

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"Did he say," the blonde began; her voice trembling slightly,

"Did he say...whether or not Sven was okay?"

The woman straightened.

'"Jenos..."'

----

The mahogany-haired man glanced over at her; eyebrow raised curiously,

"Hmm?"

She frowned; glancing down at Leon. The boy appeared to be dozing off at the moment; a bag of ice propped against his neck. She sighed,

"What is it that you're hiding? From Train, I mean."

Jenos coughed; carefully leaning back in his chair,

"I don't know what you mean."

Folding her arms, she scowled at him; an annoyed tone in her voice,

"You're a terrible liar and you know it. Now, what is it?"

He bowed his head; a long moment of silence passing over them.

"Vollfied," he began; his voice becoming quiet,

"I highly doubt there's anything Heartnet can do for him."

Rinslet frowned; shaking her head in confusion,

"What? But you just said--"

"I know what I said. But the truth is..."

He turned his gaze to her; his expression a solemn one,

"When I found him...he was in terrible shape. Nothing but skin and bones. And that was months ago."

She straightened; gasping softly as he continued,

"If he's still alive, then by now I'm sure..."

----

'"That he's on his death bed."'

Rinslet straightened; forcing a smile as she cleared her throat,

"He said...he said he looked a little beat up, but overall he was fine. If we get to him soon, he should be okay."

The blonde bowed her head; a smile crossing her lips as she began to shake,

"Th-Thank you...Rinslet."

She turned back to the bed as the lavender-haired woman stepped out. Upon hearing the soft click of the door closing behind her, she let out a stifled cry and wrapped her arms around herself. It was quite apparent in Rinslet's eyes...that she had been lying.

Biting her lip, she tightly squeezing her eyes shut,

'Sven...Sven!!'

Unable to hold back anymore; she let out a tiny wail and buried her face in the bed; gripping the bedsheets tightly as she sobbed. If Rinslet was so ready to lie to her about Sven's condition...then she knew it must be terrible.

'"Don't you dare talk about my partner...not when you're siding with the man who killed him."'

The memory of Train's cold voice rushed back to her, then, and she if it was true? What if the reason Rinslet lied to her was because Sven was...

'NO! No, I won't believe that!! Sven...you can't be...! You just can't be gone!!'

Another torrent of tears poured from her eyes and she shook her head. The woman's gesture was kind to be sure...but she was sure the pain of not knowing was far worse than anything Rinslet could've told her.

~ø~

Rinslet sighed as she leaned back against the door; the sound of Eve's painful sobbing meeting her ears.

"Guess you weren't as convincing as you thought."

She glanced over at the dining table to her left as the faint smell of tobacco wafted over to her. Clenching her fists tightly, she swiped an oil painting from the wall nearby and hurled it at the lime-haired apparition seated there. He disappeared as it was about to connect and she flinched as she heard it crash against the floor. Bowing her head, she trembled in anger; a few tears streaming down her cheeks,

"You...you damn jerk. How could you...?"

"How could you just leave her like that?"

~ø~

"You...You idiot!!"

She's crying.

He felt her arms wrap tightly around him; firmly placing pressure on his wound. It didn't hurt; not in the slightest.

"Why!? Why did you do that!?"

Why? Well, that's a stupid question.

Tears glided gently down her delicate cheeks and the sound of her horrified shrieks broke his heart. He gazed up into those beautiful ruby eyes of hers...and for the first time in a long while, he felt whole again. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her...even if it meant losing his life.

If I hadn't...he would've killed you.

She took his hand as it fell from her cheek. When had he lifted it? He couldn't remember. She pulled it to her heart; so close that he could feel it beating. It sent a chill through him, but not a bad kind, he noted. He found himself smiling.

Tell Sven...thanks.

She was frowning now. Or at least, it looked like she was. His vision was beginning to blur. He could feel something wet run down his cheek. Her tears, maybe? No. They were his own. At that, he laughed. So much for promising himself he wouldn't cry...

If it hadn't been for him...I would never...have met you.

She mumbled something. No. It was just his hearing failing him. He felt his strength beginning to flee him all at once and he swallowed hard. He couldn't see her anymore. This had to be it. His heart was racing. Was he scared? Of death, not at all; but to leave her like this...

I just wish...I could've been...a little more helpful...to you.

He couldn't see her anymore. He couldn't feel her, either. Her voice seemed so far away...

"MERRICK!!"

----

"'Sven, too', huh? So, you think you know anything about it!? Where the hell do you get off talking about my partner--!?"

"Eve told me everything!"

----

The muddy-haired boy stared back at him sternly; his eyes narrowed,

"She told me that he was her guardian...and that he disappeared four years ago without a trace. She said she wanted to go look for him, but someone wouldn't let her. I'm assuming that someone was you."

He scowled at the boy; his eyes burning with rage,

"That's none of your business."

"You're wrong. It is my business!"

He shoved the chestnut-haired man away from him; the pull of the handcuffs jerking him forward a little,

"I don't know what you think you've heard...but Eve hired me to help her find Sven because nobody else would! She was tired of waiting around for you to get your head out of your ass and let her go with you! She wants to find Sven just as badly as you do!! Don't you get that!?"

The man clenched his fists tightly,

"Of course, I do. I left her behind because I care about her! I didn't want her to get hurt--"

"It seems to me that she was more hurt by the fact that you left her."

----

"E-Eve. What are you doing here?"

----

The girl remained silent. Retracting her umbrella, she knelt down in front of him and leaned forward. His eyes widened as she wrapped her arms around him,

"Eve--?"

"I was worried...so I came looking for you."

Her embrace tightened and he straightened; glancing at her from the corner of his eye,

"You...you didn't have to do that--"

"I know," she began; pulling away from him with a smile. A single tear slid down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away,

"I just wanted to make sure you'd come back."

----

What...what is this?

----

Clenching his fists, Tim snarled; his eyes welling with tears,

"You...you son of a bitch!!"

He charged forward and slammed his fist into the boy's face. Merrick tumbled backward to the ground and Tim knelt over him; grabbing the collar of his shirt,

"Do you have any idea what you put everyone through!?! How much pain you caused all of us!!?! How much pain you caused her!?!"

He pointed at Blanchett's grave; tears streaming down his face.

"She waited for you!! She swore to herself that she wouldn't leave here...that she couldn't leave here!! Because she was waiting for you to come back to her!! The only hospital that could've helped her was out of town...and yet still she stayed here!! Even though she knew you were never coming back!!"

Merrick turned his gaze from the boy; sighing deeply,

"I know."

Tim growled as the boy silenced and again punched him the jaw,

"You know!!? What do you mean 'you know'!? How could you possibly know when you weren't even here for the past three years!!?"

The boy trembled; his voice crackling as he continued,

"All I could do this whole time...was sit here and watch her destroy herself. I had to watch her marry that bastard Lector Garland...I had to sit back and take it as he beat her and abused her!! She made herself sick over it and when she couldn't take it anymore...I had to watch her disappear."

Slowly, he loosened his grip on Merrick's collar; his head bowing,

"It was like losing you all over, again..."

----

All...all of my memories...but why...?

----

"Loved?"

"What? You tellin' me you didn't know?"

Blanchett giggled at his silence,

"You really are clueless. The poor girl was head over heels fer you and whaddidya do? Y'left her cryin' in the middle of that high school dance and faked yer own death just to get away from her. Not only that, but ya left her in the arms a'that good fer nothin' Garland, who wanted nothin' more than t'use her at his own pleasure. When the poor girl couldn't take it anymore, she asked fer my help and well, I gladly came runnin' to her aid."

"If you loved me Blanchett...then why didn't you just say so!?"

Merrick shouted, his voice cracking with sadness. She snorted, narrowing her eyes at him,

"Would it have even made a difference?"

Clenching his fists tightly, he lowered his head, his entire body shaking,

"Blanchett....if I could....I would take it back. I would take it all back!! I wouldn't have run that night...I would've come back for you--!!"

"What about her?"

She motioned to Eve, her expression darkening,

"If ya took it all back...then you'd'a never met li'l Miss Sweeper over here. Tell me, Merry...could'ya honestly say that ya'd take back that night, knowing that? Knowing you'd never see her bat those pretty li'l eyelashes at ya...that ya'd never hear her beautiful voice again?"

BANG.

He silently watched her fall to the ground; blood pouring from the hole in her temple. His eyes then widened as she hit the floor; unmoving. Making his way around the couch; he staggered to her side and dropped to his knees.

"What....what have I....?"

Her violet eyes were wide open; staring out into nothingness. Blood soiled the carpet beneath her head. Eve straightened as he began shaking; carefully reaching out and touching his arm,

"Merrick..."

Her touch gave him no comfort.

"What have I...?"

Blanchett was dead...and there was no taking it back.

"BLANCHETT!!"

----

Does this mean...? Am I...?

----

"You should go....sweetheart."

He pulled away from her; tears rolling down his cheeks. Maggie smiled; weakly wiping them away,

"Now, now...don't cry. It's all right...I'll be in a better place...from now on."

He tensed as her eyelids fluttered; squeezing her hand tightly,

"Maggie?"

"I love you...Merrick. You have made me....so proud..."

Merrick straightened as she suddenly went limp; her eyes locked on the burning stairwell. Swallowing hard, he closed them with a trembling hand. He then stood silently; gazing down at her through blurry eyes. Wiping away the tears, he stepped around her and quickly made his way toward the back door as the roof began to creak. He bolted upon reaching the back porch; stopping at the fence. The house exploded in flame then; the roof caving in on itself.

----

"What is it, Daddy? What's wrong?"

----

The pain seared through his head; burning like fire. It was the worst kind of pain he'd ever felt. He could feel blood pouring out of the gash on his face; a gash from the broken bottle his father was holding. Had the man...really just hit him? Tears welled in his eyes and he sniffled; looking up at the man in fear,

"What did I do?"

His vision started to blur as he gazed up at his father's face in confusion. The man looked horrified.

"Daddy...what did I do wrong?"

He felt himself fall to the ground; his father reaching for him. It was then he heard her screaming.

"Stop it! Don't you touch him!!"

A dark figure rushed over to him; scooping him up in their warm arms. Sniffling, he clung to them tightly; his little body trembling. She started moving away from the man; heading toward the door. He could hear the anger in his father's voice as she retreated,

"What? Are you running to him again?? Running back to that little twerp?"

"No," she said sternly; grabbing her purse and keys,

"I'm taking Merry to the hospital. And I'm calling the police--!"

She let out a sudden cry and he felt himself falling again; the woman right with him this time. His heart began racing. He couldn't open his eyes.

"He won't help you, you know. He can't. He's dead."

She let out another startled cry; her voice beginning to waver,

"What did you do...?"

"I took care of him...there's no way he'll ever come between us, now."

She let out another cry. Then another. And a third.

The tiny boy forced his right eye open; his heart stopping as he watched his father bash the bottle against her repeatedly. His mouth fell open as he tried to shout; but only a squeak came out. She apparently heard him and tightened her hold on him; covering his head.

"It's all right."

She whispered softly.

"It's all right."

The man continued to beat her. Was he....was he going to kill her? Kill them both?

"It's all right."

Her embrace tightened and he squeezed his eye shut again; listening only to the sound of her voice,

"It's all right...it's all right...it's all right...!"

He could still hear her soft voice consoling him, even as he lost consciousness...

----

"Huh? You want to see what I'm doing?"

----

He nodded. The brown-haired man laughed softly; his glasses glinting brightly in the light,

"All right."

The man picked him up and sat him down on his knee,

"It's an oil painting. I like to do them in my spare time."

The boy blinked at it; his eyes wide,

"It's pretty."

Reaching out silently, he ran his fingers across it; the man laughing behind him,

"Whoa, whoops! It's not dry yet!"

He set the boy back down on the ground and lead him by his clean hand to the kitchen,

"C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up before your mom gets here."

He straightened at the sound of the door bell; the man letting out a groan,

"That's probably her now..."

Sitting the boy down on the counter, he leaned back; calling out into the other room,

"Susan, could you get that?"

A few moments later, the boy watched quietly as a woman with curly, blonde hair hurried down the stairs to the door. She opened it with a smile and the tiny boy squealed, leaping off of the counter. Standing in the doorway was a woman with waist-length, mahogany hair and smoky blue eyes.

"Sorry I'm late," she began, shaking off her umbrella as she stepped inside,

"My car broke down!"

"Mommy!"

The woman glanced up as he came rushing forward and knelt down; smiling brightly. He giggled; wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"I found her sitting on the side of the road and thought I'd give her a lift."

"You would."

"Hey!"

The boy blinked as he spotted the man standing behind her. He wore a long, tan coat with a business suit underneath. Perched on his lips was an unlit cigarette. What caught his eye most, however, was the man's unusually lime-coloured hair...

"Hey, kid. Hey!"

--ø--

The muddy-haired boy groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. The sun was the first thing he saw. Wincing, he closed his eyes again and raised a hand up to shield them from the light. After a few minutes, he opened them again to see one brown eye staring down at him. He let out a startled cry and bolted upright.

SLAM.

He clasped a hand to the growing lump on his forehead and groaned; squeezing his eyes shut. He had hit something just now; something very hard.

"Dammit! Jeez, kid...!"

Merrick straightened upon hearing the man's familiar, deep voice and spun around quickly; his eyes growing wide. Kneeling there was a man in a cream-coloured suit with a silver briefcase at his side. An eyepatch covered his right eye and poking out from beneath a beige fedora were long tufts of lime-green hair.

Apparently, the man noticed his staring at this point and turned to him; raising an eyebrow,

"What?"

"You," the boy began; blinking in surprise,

"You're Sven Vollfied, aren't you?"

Sven straightened; a look of confusion crossing his face,

"And you are?"