Heroic Evil
Chapter IV: Hard Times

It was Tuesday; the day of Skylar's mom's funeral. Amanda had been asked to be with Skylar throughout the funeral to comfort the poor boy. Though, Amanda didn't have to be asked twice, for she had been planning on doing it anyway, whether she was asked or not.

Amanda stood next to Skylar as his mother's casket was walked down the aisle of the church. Even Amanda's mother was there to comfort him. Now he had no-one. He was all that was left of his family. Amy was next to Amanda. She felt absolutely terrible. They all sat down a few minutes later as the girl gently rubbed his back. She could only imagine the amount of pain her sweet was going through at the moment.

Two hours later after the blessing of Skylar's mom's casket, they were outside in the cemetery, where the casket was to be buried. The Priest walked over to Skylar and stood in front of him.
"Skylar Evens," he said. Skylar looked at him.
"Y-Yes, Father…?" he asked.
"Would you like to say a few things to your mother before we bury her?" Skylar thought for a moment then answered.
"Only that I love her," he replied weakly. The Priest nodded and walked back to the sight. Amanda looked up at her boyfriend.
"Do you want to leave, Skylar?" she asked. Skylar nodded his head in reply. Amanda gave a small smile and led Skylar out of the cemetery.

When the two lovers were out, Amanda led Skylar into a mass of trees. She went over to one of the trees and sat down.
"Come here, Skylar," she said softly. Skylar just walked over to her and sat down to her left and didn't move. Amanda sighed at this and wrapped her arm around him before pulling his head down into her lap. She couldn't remember a time where she had seen him this distraught. He was always so calm and collected, and would always have a smile ready for her. But now, he was sad and depressed and he really needed her more than anything. She never wanted to see him like this again. Skylar didn't struggle against her when she brought his head down into her lap. Once she had his head in her lap, Amanda leaned down and placed a kiss on his cheek before starting to stroke her fingers through his brown hair.
"I miss her so much," Skylar stated softly as he silently wept.
"Shhh… I know, I know," Amanda cooed soothingly.
"Can I hug you, Amanda?" Skylar asked suddenly. Amanda looked down at him and gave him a warm smile.
"Sure," she replied. Skylar sat up and leaned into his girl. Amanda wrapped her arms around her sweet and kissed him on the forehead. Skylar nuzzled his head deeper into her neck. Amanda stroked her fingers through his hair.
"I'm so sorry, Skylar," she said softly. Skylar didn't reply and stared off into the distance.

The next day, Skylar was a wreck. He hadn't been able to take any kind of shit or let anyone get close to him. Aside from that, Amanda was the ONLY person in the ENTIRE school that was allowed to get close to him and hold him.

That morning, Skylar had actually put Ben in the hospital after the boy pushed him in order to try and show off to Amanda that he was stronger that the former gang leader. Amanda had held her sweet back but not before Ben got hurt. Amanda led Skylar into the closet where they had shared their first kiss together. She shut the door behind her and looked Skylar in the eyes. Skylar looked down at the floor with somber eye. Amanda walked up to him and knelt down in front of him before pulling him into her arms and giving him a warm hug. Skylar reacted immediately and cried into her. Amanda rubbed his back softly as he cried. "Shhh…" she whispered.

Skylar stopped crying five minutes later, and was now sitting against the wall, Amanda sitting comfortably in his lap and stroking the back of his had softly. Tears were still flowing down his cheeks.
"I'm here, Skylar, I'm here," Amanda cooed softly. "I love you." Skylar didn't reply when she said this and just stared at the door.

It was now lunch time as Amanda led her depressed boyfriend into the cafeteria. He hadn't said much of anything today aside from yelling and beating the crap out of Ben. Every once and a while though, she would hear him tell her that he loved her a lot and that he was thankful that she was there for him. At this, Amanda couldn't help but smile. At least he would talk to her. To her, that was all that mattered. She led him to the table where they usually sat with her friends. Said friends were already at the table waiting for them. They had all heard about what had happened to Skylar's mom and they all wanted to be there to comfort him. After Amanda continued to bring him to the table to eat lunch, they had all begun to see him as a brother. They were like family. Yes, they knew that he had once been the most wanted criminal in the city, perhaps even the world, but after getting to know him and talking to him, they realized that with everything that he had done with the infamous Archangels was done so that he could get him mom out of prison for something that she had never done, nor would have done in the first place. The two lovers reached the table and sat down in their respective chairs. Once sitting, Skylar pulled up the hood of his sweat shirt and placed his head in his arms, leaving only his eyes to be seen in the shadow of his hood. Amanda sighed when he did this and took hold of one of his hands that she could reach, lacing their fingers together and wrapped her other arm around him, placing her chin on his shoulder. The other girls couldn't help but feel sorry for Skylar, not like they didn't already. After five minutes, Amanda noticed that tears were beginning to roll down Skylar's cheeks. She sighed again and, should I say bravely, pulled down his hood and nuzzled her cheek against his own, silently telling him that he wasn't alone and that he had her. As she did this, more tears began to roll, but he didn't weep. The girls around them began to notice that he was glaring at something and, thankfully, it wasn't them. They turned around to see Ben. He was standing there with his arms crossed, a smug look on his face. Even though he was back from the hospital, he was covered in bruises and shallow cuts. He was staring down at Skylar. Skylar stood up slowly, all the while keeping his glare on Ben. Everyone in the room had stopped and any and all sounds had ceased; no-one moved a muscle.
"What do you want, Ben? If you're here to gloat, then I'll gladly send you back to the hospital," Skylar said darkly, going almost completely into Archangel Leader mode. Ben just scoffed at him and then sent a lustful grin in Amanda's direction, who shivered repulsively at the attention that he was giving her. The supposed 'most popular' guy in the school bravely walked around the table to stand by Amanda, but before he could get there, all the girls at the table stood up and gathered in between him and Amanda. Kaity was in the front of the group and had her fists placed on her waist.
"What do you think you're doing, Kaity?" Ben demanded angrily. Kaity gave him a death glare.

"I'm protecting my best friend, Ben. She's already taken. Why can't you take a hint already?" she asked. Ben scoffed before backhanding her, causing her to fall to the ground with a dark red hand print on her cheek. She had tears in her eyes too. Skylar had seen this happen, and it had just made his mood that much worse than it already was. As calmly as he could, he gently pushed the girls in front of him aside after placing a small, reassuring kiss on Amanda's cheek, which made her smile that beautiful smile that he loved so much, and made his way to the front of the group of girls. Once he got there, he shot Ben a death glare before kneeling down and helping Kaity back to her feet. The girl smiled at him and thanked him for the help. She then stepped back to give Skylar some room. Once she did this, Skylar moved his gaze back to Ben, who still had that damn smug look on his face.
"I'm serious, Ben. Leave now and spare yourself the embarrassment, and a beating," Skylar said warningly. He really wasn't in the mood to beat up Ben again and just wanted to relax in Amanda's arms. Ben gave a scoff.
"The only reason that you sent me to the hospital this morning was because you caught me off guard, which won't happen again. I'm sure that if I were to hit you with all of my strength, I would both knock you out and earn Amanda's affections," he stated. Skylar sighed at this. He then looked at Ben.
"Fine, you wanna be that way, then hit me. Hit me with your best shot," he ordered. Ben grinned evilly before gathering up all of his strength and throwing a punch that connected with Skylar's left cheek. All the girl's gasped when Skylar was sent to the floor because of the amount of strength put into the blow. Amanda was about to go over to her downed boyfriend and help him up when Kaity stopped her. Amanda was about to yell at her when she saw Skylar getting back up. As Skylar was getting up, he spat out a little blood onto the floor, and was left with a single trail of blood on the corner of his lip. He stared over at Ben before whipping away the blood and folded his arms over his chest.
"Was that really all of got, Ben? I thought you said that you would knock me out, huh? Well, then I guess that you are just all bark and no bite. It's pathetic really, I mean Kaity here can hit harder than you, and I'm just being nice," Skylar asked mockingly. Ben snarled when he said this and went to charge again when he heard a cough from behind them. Ben froze where he was and slowly turned around, only to see one of the many security guards that were stationed in the school. Upon seeing him, Ben gave the man a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head before the officer took hold of his arm and forcefully pulled him away. Before he left though, he gave Skylar a small smile. Skylar smiled back before walking over to his chair. As soon as he sat down, Amanda was by his side, dotting over him worriedly, making sure that he was okay. Skylar gave a small chuckle before grabbing Amanda's arms in his hands, making her look at him.
"Amanda, I'm fine. Trust me, I've shrugged off worse hits many more times than I can count." Amanda looked into his eyes before sighing. She then rested her forehead against Skylar's own and closed her eyes.
"I know, babe, but I can't help but worry, ya know? I love you so much, and seeing you get hurt just…" she trailed off there and shuddered. Skylar gave a small smile that went unseen by his sweet Angel. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. Amanda gave a quiet squeal of surprise when she felt herself being pulled into Skylar's lap and was about to say something when she felt her lips become locked with Skylar's own. She sat there, shocked. This was actually the first time that Skylar had initiated a kiss. She had always been the one to start the kiss, but now, it was Skylar's turn. After a few moments of shock, Amanda smiled into the kiss and kissed back. The two lovers released the kiss thirty seconds later, pressing their foreheads together and smiling at each other.

"You don't need to worry about me, Amanda. No matter what happens in the future, I will always be by your side, and if I'm not, then you can be rest assured that I will be on my way there. If I ever get hurt, it will only be because of two things: 1) an accident, and/or 2) if I am protecting you. No matter where you are, I will always love you, and only you, that I promise you," Skylar said warmly. Amanda couldn't help the tears or the adoring smile that came after she heard what her dear Angel had said to her. It was so sweet and she now knew that he would do exactly what he said, no matter what. She felt so loved and knew then and there, that Skylar was definitely the one for her, and she would be damned if anyone tried to force them apart. The girls around them couldn't help but smile at the couple.
"I love you too, Skylar… I love you so much," Amanda whispered happily into her boyfriend's ear before nuzzling her cheeks against his. After a few minutes of this, Amanda leaned back and looked into Skylar's eyes. After a few moments of gazing into each other's eyes, Amanda giggled and rubbed her nose against Skylar's own, effectively giving him a nose kiss. Skylar chuckled at this.
"Shall we get back to eating?" he asked then. All the girls, including Amanda, nodded their heads. So, they all sat back down, well, the girls did, and continued to eat, with Skylar being in a much better mood than he was in not but five minutes ago, and Amanda still sitting in his lap, smiling like there was no tomorrow.

Skylar sat in his seat during sixth period. Amanda, unfortunately, wasn't in this class. After lunch and separating to go to their respective classes, Skylar's mood had gone from slightly cheered up all the way back down to depressive. Without Amanda there to comfort and hold him, he was a wreck. Thoughts of his mother were constantly plaguing his already distraught mind and distracting him from his work. Tears began rolling down his cheeks at these thoughts. His teacher, who was in the middle of a lecture, looked over to him and noticed his tears. She gave a soft sigh and made her way over to him. She had heard about what had happened to his mother on the news and she could only imagine how much pain the poor boy was in right now. She just wanted to give him a hug, but, alas, she could not. She placed a hand on his shoulder, making him look up at her.
"Why don't you go to the office and talk to you councilor, Skylar. Don't worry about class, you won't be missing anything," she said. Skylar stared at her for a moment before nodding. He thanked her after gathering his stuff and walked out of the room. His teacher gave a soft smile when he was gone before resuming her lecture. "Now, as I was saying…"

Mrs. Diamond was sitting in front of her computer in her office, replying to an e-mail. She pressed enter to send it and just as she did so, a knock sounded from her door. The young councilor jumped slightly and looked to her door.
"C-Come in,' she called. The door opened a moment later to show a teary eyed Skylar Evans. The young woman turned in her chair to face him.
"Come on in, Skylar," she ushered. Skylar walked in and sat down in the closest chair to him. It was then that Mrs. Diamond noticed the tears that were traveling down his cheeks.
"What's the matter, dear?" she asked softly. Skylar didn't answer her immediately, and when she was about to ask again, he spoke up.
"C-Can you please call down Amanda Siarra? I'd feel better if she were with me…" Skylar asked. Mrs. Diamond gave him a warm, understanding smile and nodded.
"Of course," she replied before picking up the school phone on her desk and dialed Amanda's sixth period teacher's number.

Amanda sat in her seat during Human Biology class with a note pad in front of her. Her teacher was giving a lecture about the human body's nervous system. She was about to write something down on the white board in front of her when the phone on her desk rang. Her teacher walked over to her desk and picked it up.
"Yes?" she asked. "Uh huh… Okay… yeah, sure, she can come down… Alright, I'll send her down… Okay, bye." Amanda's teacher put the phone down and looked at Amanda.
"Amanda, you are wanted down in Mrs. Diamond's office as soon as possible. Don't worry about class, you won't miss anything." Amanda nodded and got her stuff. As she did this, her teacher came up to her.
"If you see Skylar, please give him a hug for me, Lord knows that he needs all the comfort that he can get." Amanda gave her teacher a smile.
"I will. Have a nice day, Mrs. Cleo," she replied. Her teacher smiled.
"You too, Amanda." With that, Amanda walked out of the room and walked towards the office.

Amanda walked into the office and went toward Mrs. Diamond's office. She knocked on the door. There was a bit of rustling coming from the inside.
"Come in." Amanda opened the door and poked her head inside.
"You wanted to see me, Mrs. Diamond?" she asked. Mrs. Diamond smiled.
"No, I didn't, but Skylar did," she stated. Amanda then took notice of the figure sitting in one of the chairs.
"Skylar," Amanda asked. Skylar looked up at his girlfriend with teary eyes.
"Amanda…" he whispered. Amanda walked over to him and sat in the chair next to his. She then wrapped her arms softly around his shoulders and took his right hand into her own and laced their fingers together in a loving hold.
"Alright, what do you need to talk about?" Mrs. Diamond asked kindly. Skylar looked at her and sighed.
"My… My mother…" he replied sadly. Amanda tightened her grip on Skylar's hand and soothingly ran her hand up and down his back, making sure to trace her perfectly manicured finger nails between his shoulder blades, which was one of his sweet spots. Mrs. Diamond was saddened then. She had heard about his mother's tragic death and could only imagine the sheer amount of pain this poor boy must be going through. She then nodded.
"Alright; tell me," she said. Skylar nodded, drying his tears before beginning.
"My mom, she was loved by everyone… She was the one that I always looked up to and saw as my hero. I loved her so much. She was always smiling and always willing to help others who were in need. She was always so happy and cheerful and rarely ever got angry. The only time I ever remember seeing her frown was after my dad left us five years ago… But, then a year later, when she was wrongly accused for something that she had never done, nor would have done in the first place at all, and she was thrown into prison, I had sworn to do anything in my power to get her out. So, I started up the Archangels, and took on the role as leader. Even though, I was portrayed as a boy with a mother that was loved by everyone at first, but I had done many things that weren't me at all and wasn't proud of… I had continued this for three years until I met Amanda. She was the very first person that I had saved. After that, I continued to save people; the feeling of being a hero becoming a dream, and then a goal a few months ago. I had just recently defected from the Archangels two weeks ago after Amanda and I go together. I don't know what to do now that my mom is gone," Skylar explained sadly.

Amanda leaned over and kissed her sweet on the cheek before continuing to rub his back. Mrs. Diamond looked like she was going to cry.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Skylar," she stated softly. Skylar nodded and rested his head on Amanda's shoulder. Amanda kissed his forehead when he did this. Suddenly, the school principal walked in. Apparently, he had heard the whole thing. He looked at Skylar.
"Skylar, why don't you and Amanda take the week off? You deserve some time to get through your emotions Amanda take good care of him," Mr. Bradford said softly. Amanda looked at him for a moment and smiled. She then turned to Skylar.
"Come on, babe, let's go home," she said. Skylar nodded and sighed before standing up.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Bradford," Amanda said before leading Skylar out. The principal gave the two a warm smile, as did Mrs. Diamond.

Amanda walked into her sixth period class and over to her teacher. Her teacher looked at her.
"Are you going home with Skylar?" Mrs. Cleo asked. Amanda smiled and nodded as she handed her teacher the note that she was given by the office.
"Yeah, I'm taking him home. I'll see you next week," she said before walking out the room. Mrs. Cleo nodded with a smile.
"Remember to give Skylar a hug for me, Amanda," she called out to her student. Amanda nodded and closed the door. Mrs. Cleo gave a sigh. 'Oh, that poor boy…' she thought before getting back to what she was originally doing.

Amanda walked with Skylar out to the school parking lot and to her silver 2012 model Camaro SS. Amanda unlocked her car as they walked up to it. Skylar got in and sat in the passenger's seat. Amanda got into the driver's seat and inserted her key into the ignition slot and turned it, starting up the car with a low roar of the engine. She then looked over at her somber boyfriend. She sighed and slid the car into reverse then put it into drive and drove off. As she was driving home, Amanda looked over at Skylar to see that he was staring out the window with a sad look on his face. Looking down at his hand, she gave a small smile before reaching out to it and held it within her own, lacing her fingers together with his own. Skylar looked over at her before sighing and leaning back in his seat.
"Do you want to listen to some music, Skylar?" Amanda asked. Skylar simply shook his head in reply to which Amanda sighed. She then reached over and wrapped her arm around Skylar's shoulder before pulling him down so that his head was rested on her shoulder. Skylar didn't react to this and continued to look out the window.

When the two got to Amanda's house, they walked inside. Skylar immediately comically plopped down face first onto the couch. Amanda gave a silent giggle at this and sat down next to his head and looked down at him. Skylar noticed her weight and lifted his head up to look at her.
"Can I put my head in your lap, Amanda?" he asked. Amanda smiled and nodded.
"Of course, babe. You don't have to ask," she replied softly. Skylar let a small smile grace his lips before he rested his head in Amanda's lap. Amanda smiled again and began to gingerly run her fingers through his hair.
"Thank you," Skylar said in a whisper. Amanda giggled silently before leaning down and planting a kiss on his temple.
"You're welcome, Skylar," she replied.

Skylar lied on Amanda's couch, staring blankly at the colorful piece of technology known as a television. Amanda was fast asleep on top of his chest. Like him, she had been really tired. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and curled up her fingers in a rubbing manner every once and a while. Her head was rested on top of Skylar's chest, listening to the soft thumping of his heart. The rest of her body was to the side and pressed against the couch. Skylar reached for the remote and turned off the TV. Once he did this, he set the remote down and looked down at his sleeping Angel. He reached up then and ran his fingers through her long, blonde hair. Amanda shivered at this and nuzzled her head deeper into Skylar's chest. Skylar sighed then and laid his head back, closing his weary eyes. He wrapped his arms around Amanda's waist before going to sleep.

Amanda woke up to the crisp smell of coffee. She opened her eyes to see her Skylar sound asleep beneath her. She smiled and kissed her sweet on the cheek. She then looked around to see her mom sitting in her chair, drinking a cup of coffee. She noticed her daughter looking at her and smiled.
"Hey, did you have a nice nap?" she asked. Amanda giggled and nodded in response.
"Yes, I did," she replied. Her mom smiled and sipped her coffee. Amanda put her head back down and crossed her arms under it. She quickly pecked Skylar on the lips. And put her head on top of her arms. Her mom smiled at her from behind her cup. Suddenly, Skylar bolted up, startling the two girls, and inadvertently throwing Amanda off of him.
"Skylar, are you alright?" Amanda asked as she got back on top of him so that she was now sitting comfortably in his lap. Skylar didn't reply as tears began welling up in his eyes. Amanda noticed this and rubbed them away when they began rolling down his cheeks.
"Did you have a bad dream?" she then asked. Skylar could only nod softly and leaned forward to rest his head on Amanda's shoulder.
"What was it?" she asked softly as she stroked the back of Skylar's head soothingly. Skylar let out a soft sob before replying.
"It w-was about y-you breaking up with me… and-and r-r-running o-off with B-B-Ben… Amanda, p-please… don't… don't leave me… please…" he said. Amanda was saddened by this and brought her sweet deeper into her arms, resting her hand on the back of his head and caressing it softly.
"Skylar, I'm not going anywhere," she stated softly, gingerly grazing her unoccupied hand's finger nails across the skin of his back. "You, of all people, should know that I love you and would never leave your side." She then placed a soft, loving kiss on his cheek. Skylar continued to sob into Amanda's shoulder for a while. That's when he smelled the coffee… Immediately, upon noticing the scent, his dream was forgotten.
"Coffee! I smell coffee! Who has coffee? I want some coffee, please! Where is it?" he comically asked. Amanda looked at him for a moment before laughing beautifully. Her mom, who was amused by what had just happened, got up and walked into the kitchen. She came back out twenty seconds later with a mug of warm coffee in it. She walked over to them and held out the mug to Skylar. Amanda, albeit reluctantly, got up from his lap and sat down next to him so that he could drink his coffee. Skylar reached out and took the coffee before taking a sip. He took the cup away from his lips and moaned out happily.
"God, I love coffee!" he exclaimed before taking another sip. Amanda giggled at her boyfriend's antics. Her mom sat down again and smiled too.
"So, did you two leave early, today?" she asked. Amanda nodded her head as Skylar was drinking.

"Yeah, we did," she replied. Her mom smiled sadly. Amanda looked back at Skylar and took his hand in her own. Skylar didn't react and continued to drink his coffee. Once he finished his coffee, Skylar put the mug down and sighed in bliss. Amanda smiled and put her head on his shoulder. Skylar closed his eyes and laid his head on top of hers. Mrs. Siarra then got an idea.
"Skylar, would you like to stay the night tonight?" she asked, knowing full well how her daughter would react to this. When the two lovers heard her, they both jumped and comically fell off the couch. And just as she thought, Amanda shot up in joy.
"Really? He can stay the night?" she asked joyously. Her mom nodded, inwardly smirking. As soon as she did so, Amanda hugged her happily. Skylar just looked at Mrs. Siarra with a shocked expression on his face. 'Is this really happening?' he asked himself mentally. That's when Amanda brought him into a crushing hug. A few seconds after being in the hug, Skylar began turning blue. This was followed by a happy squeal from Amanda.
"A-A-Aman…da… a-air… can't breathe… p-please…" Skylar managed to choke out. Amanda heard him and saw that he was on the verge of turning purple and beginning to flail about. She gasped and let go of him.
"Skylar, I'm so sorry," she stated as Skylar coughed and gasped dramatically. Once she saw that he had his breathing back under control, Amanda cupped his cheeks in her hands. Skylar looked up at her when he felt her hands on his cheeks. Amanda smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him on the lips. Skylar immediately responded to the kiss and pulled her into him. Mrs. Siarra smiled at the display of love before her. She knew of Skylar's past but as long as he protected her daughter, he was always welcome.

Skylar and Amanda broke away from the kiss and looked into each other's eyes, their foreheads pressed together.
"I love you," they said in unison. Mrs. Siarra smiled again. 'They remind me of James and me from when we were younger,' she thought. Skylar looked at her and noticed her staring.
"Are you alright, Mrs. Siarra?" he asked. Mrs. Siarra was broken from her reverie when he spoke. She then smiled.
"Sierra; my name is Sierra Siarra," she said. Skylar nodded softly at this and went back to getting lost in Amanda's gorgeous green eyes. Amanda did the same thing.

A few hours later Skylar was in Amanda's room, watching TV. He was waiting for Amanda to get out of the shower so that they could go and eat dinner. The sound of the shower running stopped suddenly. Skylar perked up at this. He then started hearing the sound of soft footfalls padding gently across the wooden floor in the hallway. The door opened a few second later to reveal a towel clad Amanda. Skylar blushed so hard, that the color of his face would make a cherry jealous. Amanda looked at him with her own blush, just it was pink.
"Umm… W-Would you mind turning around so that I can get dressed, Skylar?" Amanda asked. Skylar, being the ever perfect boyfriend and gentleman that he was, turned around so that Amanda could get dressed. Amanda finished getting dressed and walked up to her boyfriend from behind. She then wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and kissed him softly on the cheek.
"Thank you, for being so sweet to me, Skylar," she said sweetly. Skylar relaxed his already tense body and leaned back into Amanda.
"Y-You're welcome, A-Amanda," he replied. Amanda smiled and went around him and set herself into his lap. Skylar sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

It was midnight as Skylar watched Amanda's TV. He just couldn't fall asleep. Amanda was asleep though. She had her arms wrapped around him and had her head rested on his stomach. Skylar was about to shift when Amanda stirred. She opened her eyes and noticed that Skylar was still awake. She sighed tiredly.
"Skylar… You need to go to sleep…" she stated softly. Skylar sighed when she said this.
"I can't fall asleep," he replied simply in the same tired tone as her.
"Then I'll put you to sleep," Amanda stated as she sat up and wrapped her arms around Skylar's shoulders. Skylar stared at the TV for a moment before sighing. He turned it off. Amanda smiled in the dark once he did this.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked. Skylar sighed.
"Whatever you can," he replied. Amanda smiled again and brought Skylar into her arms.
"Well, I do know that you like it when I caress the back of your head," she stated before starting said action. Skylar immediately fell prey to Amanda's actions and became putty in her hands. Amanda slowly ran her fingers through Skylar's hair. Skylar shivered at this. Amanda giggled and continued. She then cradled Skylar's head into her chest. Skylar was too tired to care where his head was at the moment. The actions being done by Amanda's hands on the back of his head were quickly coaxing him into a deep sleep. It was then that Amanda decided to lie down. She did so and repositions his head on her chest. She never once ceased in caressing the back of his head as she did so either. Skylar relaxed and allowed his weary eyes to close; the harmonic beating of Amanda's heart gently lolling him.
"Go to sleep…" Amanda soothed quietly. Skylar was asleep two minutes after she said this and was purring/snoring softly. Amanda smiled at this and went to sleep herself after placing a soft kiss on her boyfriend's forehead. 'Sweet dreams, my dear Angel,' she thought before closing her eyes.

The next morning, Amanda woke up to the feeling of weight on her chest. She opened her eyes and looked down to see her sweet Angel fast asleep. She cooed quietly and wrapped her arms around his waist. 'My sweet Angel,' she thought happily as she nuzzled her head into the top of Skylar's own. Skylar unconsciously snuggled his head deeper into Amanda's chest when she did this. Amanda blushed slightly at this. She then opted to wait for Skylar to wake up. She reached her hand up and brushed aside some of his hair from his eyes and settled for rubbing his eyebrows with the tips of her fingers.

Skylar woke up to the feeling of his eyebrows being stroked. He opened his eye and looked up. He saw that it was Amanda. He loved having his eyebrows stroked. His mom used to do it to him when he was young to put him to sleep. This brought tears to his eyes. 'Mom…' he thought sadly. He missed her so much. Amanda looked down at her Angel to see tears rolling down his cheeks. She was confused.
"Skylar, why are you crying?" she asked, not yet aware that he was awake. Skylar surprised her.
"My… my mom… she would always stroke my eyebrows when I would have a bad dream… She also did it to put me to sleep… I don't mind you stroking them, it just brings up memories…" he explained sadly. Amanda jumped at the sound of his voice slightly, but she did hear what he had said to her. She was saddened.
"I'm sorry, Skylar," she said. Skylar didn't reply and just nuzzled his head deeper into her chest. Amanda smiled sadly.

End Chapter!
Next time: Hard Times Part II: Injured