Disclaimer: I own Chrono, yes I do! I'm a liar, how 'bout you!

Author's Note: See chapter one or chapter seven.

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Ticks of the Clock

Knew

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I knew. I always knew. Sometimes I did not like that I knew; what I knew, but. . . But that was the nature of my condition, wasn't it? To know everything. . . the past, the present, the future. The only thing I did not know was myself.

. . . No.

No, I did know myself. At least, a part of myself.

I knew my heart.

And I knew it belonged to you.

Yes, I knew before I'd even met you that I'd fall in love. And I knew, Chrono—I knew you'd feel the same. I knew that what we'd have would be special, however short lived. I knew how much you cared, though we rarely spoke of our feelings. . . Because I also knew what would happen to us—how the events that God had written would play out.

And I knew. . .

Perhaps the most painful thing I knew. . .

I knew how much you'd love her.

I knew that. . . no matter how much I meant to you, now. . . She would eventually mean more. That your love for her would surpass whatever we had. You would tell me—and I hear your voice echoing inside my mind at this very moment, my Sinner—that "I want to protect Rosette. . . So much that it covers your part of my heart—!"

I knew that. I always, always knew that.

But I. . . I could never stop my feelings. I didn't want to stop my feelings. Nor did I want to tell you of all the things I knew. . . of her. . . I didn't want you to know.

. . . Somewhere, deep in my heart, I didn't want for you to meet her. Though I knew you would—I knew I wouldn't be able to stop it. I could only accept it.

So I did.

I accepted it in my dreams, when only a child. I accepted it when I first met you, in that library. I accepted it when you touched my shoulder, held me in your arms. I accepted it when you shed those tears for me. And I accepted it when I exchanged my life for yours.

You were fated to love Rosette Christopher. And I was fated to bring you together.

I knew. I always, always knew.

But in the end, I didn't care. Nothing would have been able to stop me from loving you.

. . . And of the many things I knew, that knowledge was the strongest.

(Note: This one is dedicated to the workers at the Best Buy near my house, where today I forced a team of employees to tear apart the store in order to find me a copy of Chrono Crusade DVD 6. (A copy which the computers had said was there.) I love you guys! Anyway, I have always wanted to do a Magdalene piece like this, but forced myself to hold off until I knew a little more about her. This one is based purely off of the anime, as I have yet to truly meet her in the manga. Also, I just wanted to mention how impressed I was with Hilary Haag—she made a surprisingly good Magdalene. Though I sort of think they should have used different actresses, it made the transition between Chrono's two Contractors easier to deal with. (No matter how much I like Magdalene, I was admittedly nervous to face Chrono's past with her.) Anyway. . . I'll shut up, now. XD)