Skye sat in his office, his head down on the desk. In his mind, he could not stop replaying the scenes from that morning, could not stop thinking about the 'what if's.

He had arrived late in his office, perhaps deliberately. Upon entering his office, his heart sank when he saw that both Jade and Kyle were already there. In the tense silence, Skye prepared the potion – nevermind that he had one readied – and when he was done, he set it on the table.

He did not stay to see who drank the potion first. But when he returned two hours later, the cups were empty.

The doors slid open, and Skye did not bother lifting his head up. It felt too heavy, and he wished that whoever it was who entered his office would see that he was not in the mood to talk.

"Skye,"

Russell - Kyle's trusty sidekick. Of course, with Skye breaking up Kyle and Jade, it would only be a matter of time when Russell would come and talk to him. Sensing that Russell had no intention to leave, Skye lifted his head -

- and promptly got a punch on his left cheek. It sent his head snapping right, and he heard his glasses landing on the floor a distance away, the lenses shattering into pieces.

"You can report me to the Elders if you want, but only if you dare to make your ugly deed known," Russell said.

Tired and with a bruised cheek, Skye rose from his seat and faced Russell. "You have every right to punch me. But you can't stop me from loving Jade,"

What am I saying?

He watched Russell's face reddened in anger.

"You... Bastard." Russell swore. He turned and strode out of the room.

Russellsat back on his chair and gingerly touched his sore cheek, wondering which was hurting more - his cheek...

Or his heart.

Maybel looked over at Mervyn lying in the bed beside her, the soft morning sunlgiht falling upon him through the window. It should be a really romantic moment, had Maybel not have too much going through her mind.

Stupid old witch, she thought, resting her head against the pillow, only a fool would really believe that he is attractive at this age! Look at him, never good looking to begin with.

She pulled the blanket higher up her bare chest.

Men, aren't they all the same? Just give them what they want, and it wouldn't be too long before they are at your mercy.

She chuckled softly to herself. Beside her, she felt Mervyn rousing and promptly felt his hand reaching over to her.

"Honey..." he mumbled, before falling back to his sleep, his outstretched arm resting over Maybel's abdomen.

If I hadn't need to use you... Maybel glared at the witch. She moved Mervyn's arm away and slid out of the bed. Pulling on her clothes, she was careful not to make a sound. Smiling to herself, she turned and opened the door, glanced over at the form lying on the bed, and shut the door.

She had the information she wanted, for now.

She strode out into the street. Clainesville was not a busy town, something that had not change over the years. Perhaps some things never do change. Had she herself changed over the past two - nearly three - decades? She wasn't sure.

Sometimes she wasn't even sure if she still knew herself, physically, as well as mentally. Circumstances forced her to change, to adapt, to become what she had became. She certainly didn't start off as ruthless as she was today, something she admitted to herself.

She was merely just another wide-eyed, innocent young girl at twenty back then, with great dreams and aspirations, just like any other girl at that age. She had dreams of finding her prince charming, the right guy who would come along and sweep her off her feet one day, that she would get married to him, have a couple of children, and live happily ever after.

She was right, at least up till the part of finding her prince charming. But perhaps her prince charming was not as charming as she had thought, something she found out only later.

Her prince charming took away all her dreams and aspirations. She gave him everything she could possibly give to show him just how much she loved him.

But it wasn't enough to keep him. He apparently had someone else, and she was merely a 'mistake'.

A mistake! Maybel thought angrily, the 'clicks' from her heels getting louder as they hit the pavement. With an apology and an explanation that she was a 'mistake', the man took off, went back to his family like nothing ever happened during the past 4 months.

He could perhaps pretend that nothing had happened, but she couldn't. She was left with a burden - his child.

She could still remember the first day she had morning sickness, and brushed it off, thinking she was feeling sick after drinking herself silly the previous night. But the symptoms carried on for a week. Something was wrong. Her mother began asking her questions, but she avoided them. One day, her mother decided that Maybel was simply going to the doctor.

"Congratulations, you're three months pregnant!" The doctor announced with a pleasant smile on her face. But the smile gradually faded when she sensed something amiss from the heavy silence.

"Preg... pregnant?" Maybel stuttered. She sneaked a glance at her mother, who was coldly silent throughout. But her mother would not look at her, only staring straight at the doctor. Maybel willed her mother to say something.

"Is it too late for abortion yet?" Her mother asked, voice cold.

"No..." Maybel looked frantically from her mother to the doctor. "No, please!" she cried.

The doctor looked sympathetically at Maybel before speaking, "It is still possible..."

"Then schedule her for one this very afternoon," her mum began to get out of the chair.

"... but it would be rather risky." The doctor continued, standing up too.

"Mum..." Maybel pleaded, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She followed her mother out of the clinic and grabbed her arm. "Mum! Please! Listen to me. I ... I want to keep this child - "

"Do you even realise the seriousness of this situation?" Her mother tried to keep her voice down, but failed.

"Yes... Yes I do,"

"No, you don't! You don't know just how hard it is to raise a child single-handedly." Her mother started to walk down the street.

Maybel hurried to fall into step beside her. "But you did it. You raised me all by yourself. You did it. You can teach me,"

Suddenly, her mother stopped in her tracks.

"It's precisely because I did it, that's why I know just how hard it is to do so!"

Maybel shook her head, her tears flying from her cheeks.

"That's why I don't want you to have to go through the pain that I went through," Her mother's voice cracked. "You're still young. You have a bright future in front of you. It wouldn't be too hard for you to find another man who truly loves you," she touched Maybel's face gently. "But if you have the child, it is going to be a burden! A burden to your happiness, eternally!"

"No..." Maybel shook herself out of her mother's grasp, "I love him. It's his child I am carrying now, and I shall bringhim into this world, to show him the splendid and wonders of the world," Without another word, she took off, down the street and away from her mother.

She spent the next few days away from home, before finally returning home after running out of money for food and lodging. Her mother was worried sick, and promised her she would not force her to go for abortion anymore.

Finally, the time for delivery came. It was not an easy labour, but she could remember the warmth of holding her child against her chest.

"You have your father's eyes," she whispered, tears of joy streaming down her face. It was a beautiful boy. She attached a small anklet to the baby, with his name engraved on it. She remembered going to sleep with the baby boy safe in his cot beside her bed.

But the next morning, he was gone.

Maybel nearly went berserk. Maybe she did. She asked her mother where her child was, but her mother looked just as distraught.

"I'm sorry," she cried, "I'm so sorry, Maybel. But I couldn't stop the Daybreakers from coming to get him."

"Excuse me, s'cuse me, madam, but would you like anything else to go with your breakfast set?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Maybel wiped away a tear that was gathering in her eye. "No, that would be all,"

It all would not matter now.

Because soon, she will have her child back.

Sorry for the long hiatus.I had a really bad writer's block.

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