Epilogue:

Your name is Sollux Captor, and it's been a whole year since Aradia Megido saved your life with a single word.

You jerk the comforter on your bed away from your chin, and glide upwards into a sitting position. A high-pitched ring slaps you awake. Your head flicks to the side, and you reach for your cell on your bedside table. It takes you a second to find it; your vision is blurry without your glasses. You answer the call with a quiet "hello?".

"hell0 s0llux! i didnt wake y0u did i?"

"oh, no. iim up."

"0h, g00d!"

"2o, what2 goiing on, aa?"

"well, i wasnt sure if y0u w0uld like t0, but i heard ab0ut an ice rink that 0pened up d0wnt0wn.. i was w0ndering if y0u-"

"yeah! i-ii mean, 2ure. iid love two."

"great! meet y0u there?"

"yup. 2ee you 2oon."

"see y0u!"

She hangs up with a click. After you hang up as well, you catch yourself smiling at your phone. You set the phone back down on the bedside table, and shove the blankets away from you. You lay your feet on the cold floor, and stand upright. You pluck your glasses of the table, then head downstairs to the bathroom. You take a shower, towel dry your hair, and head back up to your bedroom to put some clothes on. Within fifteen minutes, you're ready to go. You leave a note for your dad so he knows where you are. You tug your winter jacket on, and hop into your boots. You race outside, into the icy weather. You look both ways, three times, before daring to cross the street.

Once you make it to the ice rink, you scan your eyes over the crowd. You search for a hint of snow in long dark hair, or steamy breath in the frosty air, coming from ruby red lips. The throng of people suddenly seems to part down the center, and there she is. Her cheeks are rosy red, her hair is fizzy, and her pant legs are already soaked. She's absolutely beautiful.

...

You get some skates on, and shuffle over to the ice. Once you make it to the glossy surface, you whirl around to see Aradia losing balance. Her arms are flailing, she's leaning backwards too far, and her legs are as straight as pencils. You skate over to her, and offer her a hand. She grabs it, steadying herself. She mutters a thank you, sounding flustered. You laugh a little, and the redness of her cheeks darkens. She hasn't changed at all, since the day you met her. You think you're okay with that.

You guide her carefully around the surface of the ice, sticking close to the edges. Aradia grips your arm tightly. You circle once, twice, then three times around the perimeter of the ice. Eventually, she seems to get the hang of it, and lets go of your hand, only to stumble and collapse seconds later. You lean down to help pull her to her feet. She swats your outstretched hand away, and gets up herself with a frustrated huff. You chuckle.

"when wa2 the la2t tiime you went 2katiing?"

She sighs, sounding defeated.

"when i was five years 0ld..."

You smile while she pouts.

"hey, dont worry. youll get better. youre ju2t a liittle ru2ty." You reason.

She sighs again, the drama queen that she is.

"keep iin miind that thii2 wa2 your iidea.."

Now she gives you the "you know, you didn't have to come" look.

"dont giive me that face. come on, ju2t try. 2kate two me."

You back up about ten feet, and hold your arms out towards her, beckoning her to come closer. She looks down at her feet, unsure of herself. But, finally, she takes a sort of half-step in your direction. She slides backwards about an inch or two, loses her balance for a fraction of a second, then recovers it. She glares up at you accusingly, as if you were the one who asked her to come to the rink. You give her what you hope is an encouraging smile, while you try not to laugh at her expression.

"try agaiin."

"its t00 hard!"

"you ju2t need a liittle practiice."

"i suck at this!"

Now she's really starting to get frustrated. You take a deep breath.

"plea2e, aradiia?"

You look at her, almost begging, with your hand outstretched like you're asking her to dance. She seems a little surprised about something. Then she shakes it off. She stares at your offered hand, and bites her bottom lip in thought.

"um.. 0kay."

She relaxes her shoulders, then studies your stance, and bends her knees a tad, the way yours are. She takes a moment to prep herself, then takes a sliding step. She moves forward without a wobble. She takes another step. Then another, and so on. She skates slowly but surely, and eventually takes your hand. The grin on her face was 100% worth waiting for. You love that smile. It's the smile that's reserved for you, and you alone. You would give anything to see her smile like that every time she saw you. That's the smile that makes your heart skip a beat, and gives you butterflies in your stomach at the same time. The first time you saw her smile like that was on Christmas Day, one year ago exactly.

Today is Christmas Day, and you could never think of a better way to spend today, than to spend it with your girlfriend. Your girlfriend, who is the most beautiful girl you've ever seen. Your girlfriend, who is as close to perfect as is humanly possible. Your girlfriend, who you firmly believe has saved your life. She's more precious to you than anything in the world. That's why about six months ago, you finally stood up to Vriska. Honestly, you wish you had done it sooner. You had just needed a little push. Unfortunately, you'd gotten an enormous shove...

...

Six months ago...

It was the beginning of June, and everyone was buzzing about summer vacation being nearly there. Every single student seemed overly-excited and enthusiastic. But you weren't happy that day. Vriska had crossed the line. She had been picking on you relentlessly. It was as if she wanted to give you all the beatings she was going to miss during summer vacation.

You were slowly making your way home, bruised and battered. With every step, pain tore at your limbs. You were exhausted. That's when you heard cruel laughter coming from behind your back. You froze, standing still. You felt your hands curl into fists and your shoulders tense. You spun around to face her. That evil grin looked just as dangerous as her bluish-grey eyes. Her jet black hair was blowing carelessly in the wind. Her outfit was a cross between something a tomboy would wear, and clothes that screamed 'goth chick'. The look was tied together with those phony hipster glasses. You knew that she probably didn't need them, as she had made tons of rude jokes about your glasses in the past. Perhaps she only wore them to make fun of you. Or maybe Eridan. God, you hate that guy..

She smiled at you, with pearly white teeth. That look was not pleasant. It wasn't a nice smile, it was a smile that said 'if you try to run away, once I catch you, I'll cook you and eat you'.

Vriska's smiles were never pleasant...

She started walking towards you, and you took a few steps back. "what do you want from me, vrii2ka?"

She laughed again.

"Oh, I just wanted to have a little chat, f8ur-eyes..."

She stepped closer, her eyes glued to you, while watching your every move. This was not good. After all, "good" is not a word you'd use to describe anything involving Vriska. Every fiber of your being was screaming at you to run, so you did. You ran as fast as you possibly could, ignoring your exhaustion. Unfortunately, running away gave her the ability to chase you. You could hear her footsteps not far behind you, taunting you. Of course, she had much more energy than you did, so you were very much aware that she could easily catch up if she wished. But, it seemed like she didn't want to win right away. She enjoyed the thrill of the chase.

You managed to run all the way to the street corner just passed Aradia's house. But by then, you'd completely run out of steam. You were panting, sweaty, and feeling half dead. You spun around once again to face Vriska, who didn't seem to be any more tired than she was before. She casually fixed her hair, and sighed with mock disappointment.

"My, myyyyyyyy. A little tir8d now, are we? I was just 8eginning to enjoy myself."

She smirked.

You boldly stared at her. You really weren't in the mood for this right now. Or ever.

"leave me alone."

"why sh8uld I?"

She raised an eyebrow. She was testing you. She was always interested in how far you'd go, on the rare occasion that you decided to stand up for yourself. It was forever entertaining to her.

You started feeling a little frustrated.

"vrii2ka, ju2t leave me alone. iit'2 all ii've fuckiing wanted for almost eiight year2 now!"

She snorted.

"And why the fuck sh8uld I care? It's not like you've ever 8een nice to me, or gave me what I want!"

You opened your mouth to make a retort, but Vriska cut you off by shoving you hard into a concrete wall.

"Don't even 8other, Captor. Your words m8an a8solutely nothing to me... Don't y8u forget that." She snarled.

She whirled around, and started to walk across the road. She was almost halfway there when you saw it. A blue car. THE blue car. The car that nearly ran your girlfriend over. And today, it was going just as fast as it was on that Christmas Eve walk to the cemetery.

It was at that very moment that you made the craziest decision you have ever made in your entire life.

You bolted forward, arms outstretched.

"vrii2ka, watch out!"

You shoved her forward with all the force you could muster.

Screeching tires. Vriska's scream. An explosion of pain, and your head hitting the pavement. You were on your back, gazing up at the bright blue sky through broken glasses, while you felt your own blood soak the front of your shirt. You lost consciousness, all the while, feeling strangely calm. You couldn't bring yourself to feel regret. You supposed that's because, that time, you had known how much pain was coming.

...

You can still remember waking up in the hospital as if it were yesterday.

Your eyes opened to see a small hospital room, with a window, sink, and a private bathroom. You were lying down in a hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown, and attached to an IV, embedded into your wrist. There was some pain in your chest and your limbs, but it remained just a dull throbbing. You must have had some kind of medication, then. You could vaguely recall regaining consciousness at some point during the ambulance ride there, and then falling back asleep. Your eyes scanned the room. That's when you realized that someone must have given you your replacement glasses. Your other ones broke when you.. Jumped in front of that car. God, you felt retarded. Then, something occurred to you. Did Vriska make it out okay?.. You tried to convince yourself that you didn't care, but you really did.. Was pushing her out of they way of that car all for nothing?

The door opened slowly, and a nurse walked in. When she noticed you weren't still asleep, she smiled cheerfully. "Oh, you're awake! How are you feeling?"

You cleared your throat. "could be better."

The nurse smiled sympathetically. "I know, huh? It's never fun being in a car accident, is it?"

You simply sighed. It kinda hurt your chest.

"Well, sweetie, I guess I'll sum this up for you. You've got one broken rib, a whole bunch of cuts and bruises, and a decent sized bump on the back of your head, but you're gonna live. I must say, that was quite a miracle... Getting hit by a car, and only getting a broken rib? Incredible!"

The nurse walked over to your bedside, and tucked you in a little better.

"However, you did lose some blood, so we're going to keep the IV in for a while. Just sit tight... Oh, by the way, that girl who saw the whole thing happen... What was her name, now?.. Something with a V... Anyway, she came out alright. A little shocked, and a broken arm, but she's fine."

You tried to hide your look of relief.

...

After the nurse left, you managed to get some more sleep. You woke up an hour later, to a knock on the door. It was the same nurse as before.

"Hello again! So sorry to wake you, but you have a few visitors who are itching to come see you. Shall I let them in?"

You gave her a brisk nod.

"Okay. I think your father is out there, so, would you like me send him in first?"

"2ure."

Before she left to go get him, she asked you how much pain you were in, and then helped you swallow some Aspirin. Waiting for the nurse to return with your dad probably only took a minute or two, but it definitely felt longer than that. When they finally entered the room, you could tell by the look in your dad's eyes that he had been expecting worse. But, when he saw you were in a much better state than what he had imagined, his spirits lifted, and he smiled.

You talked to your father for a good while, and then he left the room. The nurse then bustled off to tell the other visitors they could come in the room. As soon as the door opened, Aradia came barreling in, looking like she was about to break down crying. As soon as she saw you, she ran to your bedside, grabbed your face, and kissed you, over and over again, muttering things like "0h thank g0d y0ure 0k.." and "i was s0 scared.." between breaths. It looked like she had just dropped everything to get there. She had no makeup on, and her hair was a little wet, like she had just gotten out of the shower.

From the doorway, you heard a familiar voice say "UGH. COULD YOU LIVE WITHOUT SUCKING FACE FOR FIVE FUCKING SECONDS, AT LEAST?"

The nurse looked over at Karkat with a scolding glance, then left the room a little flustered, as Aradia stepped away from you shyly, looking a little embarrassed. You grumbled, and rolled your eyes at your asshole of a friend, then smiled.

"hey, kk."

...

You talked with the two of them for a long time. But, eventually, they both had to leave. Once they said their goodbyes, and AA kissed you goodnight, you got comfortable, and closed your eyes. You were slowly drifting off, when you heard a knock on the door. You sat up, a little confused. The nurse had already given you Aspirin before she left... The door opened, and standing there, with a cast encasing her left arm, was Vriska.

All you could do was stare, because you had absolutely no idea what could possibly be going through her head. She looked at the floor, and chewed the inside of her check, looking very uncomfortable.

"I just wanted to say thanks, fou- I mean, Captor... I mean, you're still a total screw up, 8ut... No, I mean, this is pr8bably too l8 anyway, 8ut... Uuuuuuuugh... I'm s8rry. For everything."

You were absolutely shocked.

"um.. wow. thank2, vrii2ka.."

And with a few extra seconds of awkward silence, she spun on her heels, and made her grand exit, black hair swishing behind her...

And still to this day, that was the last thing you've said to Vriska Serket.

...

Okay, so it wasn't so much standing up to Vriska; more like finding a way to earn her respect. Or, at least an apology. But, you're still glad that things happened the way they did. It may have taken you nearly eight years, but you got your wish. From that day on, Vriska simply left you alone.

When you look at your life now- snow drifting lazily to the ground from a blank white sky, Aradia in your arms, while you do your best to teach her how to skate- you have no regrets. If the only way to get Vriska to cease tormenting both you and Aradia was to get hit by a car, then so be it. You would do it all over again if you had to.

AA gently grabs your hand, and guides you over to a small bench, just off the ice in the rink. You follow her lead, sitting down, even though your ass is now freezing. She's still breathing heavily from the effort of learning to skate, so she must just be a little tired. She doesn't let go of your hand. Her head tilts up to watch the snowflakes fall, as her steam clouds of breath swirl through the air. You reach over to cup the side of her face, and bring your lips together. You kiss her softly, feeling oh so warm despite the cold weather. You break the kiss, and just study her face. Then you smile, and whisper "merry chrii2tma2, aradiia."

She grins, and leans her head against the shoulder of your winter jacket.

"merry christmas, s0llux."

Yup, you don't regret a single moment. Putting an end to Vriska's bullying was one of the best things you have ever done. You weren't just protecting yourself. You were protecting Aradia. And you'd do anything in your power to protect her.. Why?

Because your name is Sollux Captor, and Aradia Megido isn't just some girl to you...

She's your other half.

3

...

*FINDS SHERLOCK AND NEVER UPDATES AGAIN*. So, yup. I decided to add one more chapter to this story, simply to give it the great ending it deserves. Thank you, everyone, for reading this story... I'm unsure whether or not to continue writing fanfiction, on this site or otherwise. Well, if I do come back to this site, you'll be seeing some new stories. I might limit myself to only writing one-shots, though. It's probably going to be a while before I ever try writing a multi-chapter story again. Oh well. X'D So, yeah. This is goodbye for now. Hope you enjoyed it, and goodnight! c:

~GemiiniiCaptord