This chapter is a little darker, a sort of preview of what is to come. It's short.

Chapter Two

"Ronnie! Ronnie, wake up. Hey, Ronnie," I whispered, shaking the sleeping form gently. "Ronnie!"

"Mmmm-hmmm…" he murmured. I smacked him lightly.

"Hey, sleepy. Awaken."

Ronnie bolted up. "Cassie!"

I smiled at him, though it was forced. "Don't have a heart attack, Ronnie. I only treat animals and aliens, remember?"

"Oh, man, I'm sorry, Cass. I didn't mean to fall asleep, honestly," he said, brushing his fingers through his long black hair.

"It's okay, Ronnie. I'm not gonna call the police or anything," I told him, releasing my hold on his broad shoulders. "I just came to…"

I hesitated. "I mean, I need to… Ronnie…"

He shook his head, concerned. "What's up, Cass?"

I inwardly groaned. Why did he always have to look so caring? There was no way I would be able to do this.

"Ronnie, can I talk with you?"

He looked confused. "Sure, Cass. What do you need to say?"

I drew a deep breath. "Ronnie, I'm leaving," I blurted.

"What?!!"

"Ronnie, I-"

"No! No, Cassie, you can't! Why? What's wrong?" He looked like he was about to cry. I felt my heart twist painfully. "Is it something I did?"

I took his hand in mine. "Oh, no, Ronnie, nothing you did. Please, this isn't your fault. It's mine. Ronnie, I…"

Ronnie squeezed my hands. "Why?" he asked again, a tortured look in his dark eyes. My heart broke.

"This has to do with him." It was a statement, a fact. No hint of a question. The way it always was when we discussed Jake.

"Yes," I whispered. "Ronnie, I'm sorry. I can't explain everything to you, not now, not ever. Please try to understand. I need to help him."

"Cassie, he's been dead for years." The utter certainty in those words startled me. I looked up to see tears in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

He pulled my face upward, forcing me to make eye-contact with him. "You know it, too. Something in you died when the war ended. I know; I could see it in your eyes. I know we were never that close before, Cass, but something drew me to you because of that. I wanted to make you whole again. I knew I could. But Jake? Jake's dead, Cassie. You must accept that."

"No," I whispered. "Please, Ronnie, let me go."

He sighed. "I'll go with you, if this means so much. Please, just don't leave me!"

"I have to. Ronnie, don't make this harder than it already is."

He was silent for a moment, thinking hard.

"Cass, how can I know for sure?" he asked me suddenly. "How can I know that I didn't do something to drive you off? Please, Cassie, don't leave. I love you," he whispered.

I struggled to force the words past my trembling lips. "I love you too, Ronnie. Don't forget that. It's just…" I bit back the rest of what I was about to say.

He pulled me close. "Just what, Cass? Please tell me. What did I do to you?"

"Nothing," I whispered, fighting tears.

"Cassie, please."

There was no way I could resist the pleading eyes and anguished voice. "You're just… just so protective. I understand that you don't want me to get hurt, but I can take care of myself. Forgive me, Ronnie."

"Cassie…" His mouth opened, then shut. His breath came fast.

"Ronnie, let me go."

Ronnie's expression hardened suddenly. "You don't believe me, do you?" he demanded.

"Ronnie, what-"

"You think I don't love you." His laugh was harsh and bitter. "You think that all I care about you is your celebrity status. Like I care about that." He waved his, dismissing it. "You're a little vain, in a way, Cass, thinking that I love you only because you're famous. I mean, it's cool and all, loving someone who is a classic hero. But that's not the reason I love you, Cassie." His voice dropped abruptly. "I remember seeing you for the first time, Cass. On the playground, in elementary school. I had just moved there, and no one wanted to be anywhere near me. I was too shy to talk to anyone, and most of recess I would spend in the lunch room, all alone. My mother had died recently, and my father had turned to drinking. I remember the glazed look in his eyes whenever I came home from school, the way he would yell at me if I didn't finish my chores or get my homework done. I remember the first time he actually hit me, and how I ran to school that day, too hurt to even cry at first. Then at lunch time, you came and asked me what was wrong. I had no idea anyone even knew my name, and there you were, asking me if I was all right, if I wanted to talk to you about it. In a way, you saved me, Cassie. You gave me the courage to stand up for myself, to tell the school counselor what was happening to me. Eventually I was even adopted and given a new home and a new, fresh start. I made friends." His dark eyes held mine for a long moment. "All because of you, Cassie. I owe you my life, in more ways than one. My little brother was a Controller." His voice broke. "And then when I saw you again, when I saw the hurt on your face, I just had to help. I love you, Cassie."

The tears spilled over, and he held me close to him, murmuring soothing words into my ear. "I love you..."

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, Ronnie and I, but eventually, the moment had to break. I slowly drew back and wiped the tears from my face. "Ronnie, you know I love you too, but I can't stay here, knowing that somehow, I can still save him."

His face turned to stone. "Okay, Cass. Leave, then. I know you think that I don't love you, but for some odd reason I find that I still want to prove it to you somehow." His hand reached out and grabbed something hard. "You're not coming back, Cass. I can see it in you eyes. And even if you do, it won't be the same. You'll be with him. I want you to know that if you leave, I'm leaving, too."

The moon chose that moment to move out from its steady cover of clouds, and I saw a flash of light glinting off the hard object in Ronnie's hands.

A gun.

"Ronnie, NO!!!" I screamed, lunging for the shining, glimmering pistol aimed directly at his heart, but he was too fast. In the next second, blood was everywhere.

"NO!!!!!"

I grabbed frantically at his wrist. "Ronnie, look at me. Ronnie!!"

His eyes fluttered open slightly. "Cass?"

"I'm here, Ronnie, it's okay. I'm calling a doctor."

"No," he stated in voice that was somehow firm, yet painfully weak. He grabbed my arm. "You leave, I leave."

"Ronnie…"

His hand touched my face, gently brushing away the tears that streaked it. "You leave…. I love you, Cassie. And I… I do forgive you."

"No…!"

Then Ronnie breathed in and exhaled slowly. And, just like that, he was gone.

It should have taken a few more minutes. He should have still been breathing at that point. But somehow I knew that deep inside, he had lost the will to live. Because of me. Ronnie was dead, and it was all my fault.

"I love you," I whispered into the darkness. But no one alive was there to hear me.

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I know, I know. This is mean. But I had to get rid of Ronnie. I love him, but a simple break up isn't enough. When I get to writing more, you'll soon find out why.

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Oh, yeah! Please review. If I don't get any, I might just have to leave it at that, because everyone hates me... :) Lol, j/k.