Heyo!

Check out the AWESOME story cover, yes? It's by ~bibbidy-boo, on deviantArt, and she was awesome enough to let me use her gorgeous pic. Credits to her. (She also has a rockin' Sadie pic, just saying.)

Note: this takes place roughly eight hours before chapter 16 (Here We Go, the deal with Zia being engaged and all that).

Anyway, disclaimer, don't own, yadda yadda, now read.

O-o-O

Zia couldn't breathe.

She had felt this coming on all day; known it was coming from the moment she woke up, jumpy as a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Now it was so much worse. Her hands were shaking, her head was spinning—and certainly not in a good way—but she refused to fall apart right now. She wasn't going to ruin this evening for Carter, who seemed happier than he had been in weeks, with his arm draped over her shoulder as they stared over the city.

"Nice night," he muttered absently, his fingers fidgeting with her shirtsleeve.

"Mmm." She forced her lungs to expand and contract like normal, closing her eyes and listening to the gentle hum of city life—hey, Sissy, watch me!—no, no, she forced Adrian out of her mind. No. Not tonight.

"Kind of quiet," Carter said, "for a change."

"Uh-huh." Carter turned and smiled at her, his eyes lit up—those same chocolate brown eyes her father used to smile with—way to go, sweetheart—Zia's stomach twisted. She had to suppress a heave, her whole body shaking like a leaf as she trampled down the memory.

Carter's smile faded as he took in her pale face, and he placed his warm hand over her own trembling fingers. "Zia?" he asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

Hyperventilating, legs shaking, dizzy, nauseous. "I'm fine," she lied.

He frowned and pressed the back of his hand against her forehead. The knot in her abdomen loosened a little at his touch; she managed to take one shaky but blissfully deep breath. "Carter, I'm fine," she insisted.

She could tell he didn't buy it, but he dropped his hand down again to lace his fingers through hers. "Zia"—

"No," she snapped, clapping a hand over his mouth, "I'm fine."

He smiled against her palm and tugged at her wrist, freeing his mouth and whispering, "I was just going to say I love you."

She closed her eyes as Carter kissed her forehead—her mother, coughing through the smoke—I love you so much, Zia, be careful—she clenched her jaw and simply refused to think.

"I love you too," she managed to choke out, and tried to think of any way to get out of there now because she couldn't hold it together much longer, maybe she could tell Carter she was sick or something—

"Zia, will you marry me?"

Oh.

So that's where he'd been going with all of this.

Zia's throat closed up, her stomach clenching until she was ready to puke—so much for not ruining his night—and she gasped, "One minute," and dashed for the stairs.

She couldn't even make the second floor before she collapsed. Her knees buckled, and she hit the floor, gasping for air as images poured into her brain—Adrian going under—Minha's voice; It's your fault he's dead!—her father screaming—Get out of my head! she thought—her house in flames—her mother vanishing into the mayhem— Zia, be careful—Iskandar laying her in the tomb—I'll come get you, dear—the Serpent's mouth swallowing her—the crack of a whip; fiery pain across her shoulders; Anisa screaming, her tiny frame contorted and bleeding—Zia's own voice; Don't hurt her! Pick on someone your own size, you spineless worms!—bitter liquid being poured down her throat, her own whimper; No more, and Walt pleading with her; One more, Zia, just one more, that's all, please! You have to drink it all, you made me promise!—

"Zia? Zia! Snap out of it!"

Her back arched, her hand gripped her throat, gasping, her fingers tugging at the carpet fibers, she couldn't breathe—

"Zia, calm down." A hand wrapped around her shoulder, pulled her off the floor, and there was Walt, propping her up against the wall and brushing her hair out of her face. "What happened?" he asked her, brow furrowing.

Zia coughed, sniffed, wiped the tears from her eyes. "Just…you know."

"No," he said, sounding impatient, "I don't know. Out with it."

"Carter proposed."

"Oh." Walt scratched his head. "I'm sorry?"

"You don't understand. Everyone I care about gets hurt, Walt—you know what happened to my family. Iskandar died. Anisa almost got killed because of me"—

"Thanks for reminding me," he grumbled.

"And you know what I made you do. What if…if he…" She couldn't finish the thought.

Walt huffed, scratched the back of his neck, and said, "I hate to break it to you, but you sound kind of stupid."

Zia snorted.

"I'm serious," he said. "Carter's a big boy, and I don't know if you missed the memo or what, but we've all survived the apocalypse. Besides," he added, "you're a girl, he's a boy, you like each other…it's, like, the way of the universe or something philosophical like that. Stuff is always gonna screw with you two and you need to get over it."

He stood up and offered her a hand, hoisting her to her feet. Then he hugged her.

"Sorry for being such a nutjob," she muttered.

"Go see a therapist," he said. "And get up there. Poor dude's probably picking the petals off of flowers or something."

"Right," she sighed. "Thank you, Walt."

"Anytime, Hot Stuff." He shoved her towards the stairs. "Get your miserable butt moving."

On the roof, Zia didn't see any flower petals, just one very forlorn-looking Carter with his head in his hands.

He didn't look up as she knelt in front of him, just said, "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't you," she said. "I'm sorry. I should have told you I wasn't—I wasn't okay."

He just sighed, so she pushed his chin up with one still-trembling hand, shoving a few stray memories out of her thoughts—they'd done their worst for tonight.

"Where's my ring?" she asked him.

He blinked.

She smiled at him, saying, "Don't tell me you got yourself all worked up and didn't get me a ring?"

He blinked again, twice, then he finally seemed to process what she'd said and grinned. "Do you mean…are you saying—is that a yes?"

"Of course it is, silly. What else?"

He tackled her, laughing, and she held on as tight as she could because he was real, he was here, he was okay, and she didn't plan on letting go anytime soon.

O-o-O

The return of Adrian, muahaha!

A few notes on things that may or may not have confused you:

1. Minha=Zia's older sister. Will go into more detail with her in later chapters.

2. The whole deal with Anisa almost dying/Walt having to do something to Zia (nothing nasty, he just had to drag her through hell and back—figuratively, of course) will also be explained.

I think that covers it…so, I hope you enjoyed!