A/N [For the record, this story takes place in the timeline of TCGeek's How Strong are you now, so I recommend you finish reading the entirety of that first before this one :D first fanfic, but it's for my favorite pairing, DxA! Hope you can stick with me till I can wrap it up]

The couple walked through the deserted streets of Chesterfield, hand in hand and content after a lovely dinner at the very same restaurant they had celebrated Valentine's day the year before. They walked past a streetlight next to a bench on the hill overlooking the city of Angeles Bay, bathed in the orange-violet hues of the sunset when all of a sudden, Derek Stiles fell to the ground, his hand clutching at his chest as he groaned. She looked in concern at him and moved towards him, instinctively trying to hug and protect the man who was kneeling in front of her.

In a single swift motion, he kneeled on a single leg

His eyes, in their unparalleled sincerity, and his smile, full of love and warmth, coupled with the swift action of the reveal opening of a velvet casing, caught Angela Thompson off guard

"Will you marry me"

Her eyes filled with tears as she was enveloped in a loving embrace by her surgeon, now her Fiancé, the two of them consumating their love with a kiss as he lifted her up and twirled her around, the world around them dissipating into a cold darkness, the only warmth she felt coming directly from him.

There was a sound reminiscent of the way an arrow would pierce it's intended target, of steel burrowing through flesh

Angie recoiled in horror as she felt a warm stickiness emerge from Derek's chest, as he looked down at it first in disbelief, then in unadulterated fear looked towards Angie as the silver blade which had stabbed him from behind had pierced cleanly through and revealed itself from the centre of his chest, blood dripping out slowly, pulsing out in spurts at a more rapid pace as the blade was cleanly pulled out in a forceful, yet clean manner . Derek fell to the ground, his legs having given way, as Angie screamed, her lungs feeling as though they would collapse, her eyes practically blinded by the tears which had built up

Yet there was no sound, though the sight remained there clear as day

Tears staining her vision, Angie looked towards the perpetrator, the silver blade coated in red glinting in the darkness as the person revealed their face

Angie may as well have been standing in front of a mirror, as a picture perfect, albeit paler, doppelganger of her bore the knife. The Doppelganger dropped the knife as she revealed herself further, the pink Caduceus nurse uniform sharply contrasting with the dark blue dress Angie was wearing.

"You did this" her own voice said to her, accusatory and full of malice

Angie looked as the doppelganger began to giggle maniacally, and began to repeatedly stab the helpless figure of Derek, who flinched and coughed out copious amounts of blood which pooled on the seemingly endless void of darkness. She reached out to stop it, but both Derek and his assailant disintegrated in front of her eyes.

The knife, still bloodstained, had somehow found its way into her hands, which she looked and and attempted to drop of the floor, yet her hands disobeyed

Angie's hands moved of their own accord, pressing the sharp blade against her already spoilt dress and creating a laceration spanning her delicate abdomen, blood slowly seeping out and staining the white dress, further horrifying Angie as the dress began to morph into an unfamiliar nurses uniform, an even paler pink in color in contrast to her Caduceus one and a far cry from the blue she was used to as of late.

She cringed in pain, but it was immediately overshadowed by fear as her surroundings yet again morphed, this time into the sterile and simplistic recovery ward in Caduceus Europe. She heard a soft whimpering behind her, and as she whipped herself around in a defensive stance, her heart fell even further as she saw yet another version of herself bent over and tending to an unconscious Derek, still recovering from the operation on his heart by Dr Kimishima. Even at that distance, she could see how at peace the love of her life had been, his bangs lightly gracing his face and his breathing slow and deep, the medical gown sufficiently hiding the bandages covering the operated on area which had not too long ago, had housed the very demons the two of them had been fighting for so long. The younger Angie looked at her, the fire in her eyes contrasting the tears which glistened around them, and asked a single word, rife with anger and sorrow

"Why?"

Angie opened her mouth in reply, but it the next instant, she felt herself falling

Falling

And falling

the lights around her fading

Angela Blackwell Thompson woke up in a cold sweat in her apartment in Florida, falling off the sofa in her haste but immediately regretting the action as a sharp pain shot across her abdomen. She stifled a yelp in fear of further angering the drunken mess of a man who had stumbled home so late after work yet again

Overwhelmed by everything, she crawled towards a corner which was not illuminated by the bright moonlight which bathed the room, and quietly cried into her folded arms, which had subconsciously wrapped themselves around the tender bruises which had adorned her fragile body, she felt nothing besides guilt and despair as she began to shakily snap herself out of it, only to resume as an isolated thought had floated into her head

She had thrown away a loving family in the staff at Caduceus USA, thrown away a job where she was content and happy, where she could get along with everyone and felt fulfilled. Possibly what killed her the most inside however, was how she had thrown away a man who was willing to give up everything for her, a man who had loved her for everything she was, who promised to protect her from everything that would and could hurt her, and never did falter in that promise. She had thrown away his love and affection in exchange for a thankless and hopeless hell she had made for herself

She had lost everything