The big city.

"Why are you here?" Blake asked. "Why did you follow me back home?" He tought he was still by the river of his childhood.

~~
Mason followed. "Silence is growing boreing." HE finally said.

~~
Dust kissed her fore head. "Nah, maybe someother time."

"Is it really?" Ashlyn asked, as they were seated.
~~~~
Lenora's cheeks turned red, and she just nodded.
~~~~~
"We're at Link's house," Ava whispered.

"Still, why are you here?" He asked. "You hate me."

~~
Dust smiled. "I love you."

~~
"Yes it, almost to much to bare." Mason said as he sat down

Ashlyn was silent after that, almost as if to annoy him. She began looking through the menu.
~~~~~~
"I love you, too," Lenora said quietly, her cheeks still red.
~~~~~~
Ava sighed. She couldn't have this conversation, not while he was asleep. She shook his shoulder gently.

"Blake, wake up," She whispered.

Blake truned over. "I don't want to."

~~
Mason frowned.

~~
Dust laguhed. "I love it when you blush."

Ava smiled slightly, and stood up and walked into the bathroom. She came back a few minutes later and picked him up, with great difficulty. She dragged him into the bathroom, and dropped him into the ice water in the tub.

"Wakey wakey!" She said.
~~~~~~
This only made Lenora blush more.
~~~~~~
When the waiter came, without even asking what he wanted, Ashlyn just ordered a large cheese pizza for them to share with two cokes.

Blake sat up, freezeing. "What was that for!?" He said frowning when he saw Ava.

~~
Mason gave her a smile.

Ashlyn frowned and looked back at Mason.

"You know, you've been staying in my house for over a week, yet I don't know much about you," she said.
~~~~~~
"You wouldn't wake up," Ava said simply. She saw him looking at her and sighed.

"Please, let me explain," She said quietly.

"I don't know if I want you to." Blake said. "Fine, what do you want to explain to me?"

~~
"You never asked." Mason said simply.

"I am now," Ashlyn said simply.
~~~~
Ava closed her eyes, then opened them.

"Nick came to me that day, when you were getting me water. He said that if I didn't leave by the next night, that he would....put you into a sleep that even he couldn't get you out of," She choked out, tears in her eyes. "He said that I had to say I hated you, I had to make you hate me, or else he would...."

She looked at him, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.

"I didn't mean a word of it, Blake!" She cried. "Anything I said to you that night...I didn't mean it!! This past week has been horrible for me, but I can't imagine....what I must have done to you," She whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, but I just didn't want to let him do that to you...."

She took a shaky breathe, and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. I know I promised I wouldn't break you, but I fear I did."

She realized he was still in the freezing water, and offered him a shaking hand to help him out, but wouldn't blame him if he didn't take it. If he never wanted to talk to her again. After all, she had said some pretty horrible things, that coudn't be excused, regardless of the circumstances that they were said in.

"What do you want to know?" Mason asked.

~~
Blake sighed. He took her hand a moment later. "I can't hate you." Matter of fact he told Elliot that he couldn't no matter how much he wanted to. He stood up. "I wanted to, but I couldn't."

Ashlyn decided to avoid the subject of his family, at least for now.

"Where did you go to school?" She asked, as the waiter set their drinks down.
~~~~~
Ava pulled him up, smiling sadly at him.

"I never want that to happen again..." She whispered. "I don't know if I could take it. Thinking that I'd never see you again......I wasn't going to come back. I couldn't. But then Elliot showed up. She used some sort of gift of hers, and changed Nick's feelings. He won't follow me anymore." She would have sounded happy,b ut her voice was shaking with tears.

"Homeschooled." Mason said sipping at his drink. "My parnets got mad at me for getting kicked out of all my other schools." He smiled at the memory of all those times.

~~
Blake frowned and stepped out. "I'm sorry, I said some pretty aweful thigs to, didn't I?"

Ashlyn almost laughed.

"Really?" She asked. "I got kicked out of my last two schools."
~~~~~
"I deserved every word of them," Ava mumbled, looking away. She didn't let go of his hand.

"Yeah, the last time was for setting a smoke bomb off in the theacher's lounge." He said. "How you get kicked out?"

~~
"No you didn't." Blake said. "It doesn't matter what you said, I souldn't have said those things."

"Fighting," She said simply. She smirked slightly, then looked back at him.
~~~~~~~~~
"Are you mad at me?" Ava whispered, finally looking back at him. "I would understand if you were. No matter what, I shouldn't have said some of those things. It's just that, Nick told me that he----" she sighed, and shook her head. "There's no excuse."

Carlisle was upstairs, reading a book.

Ashley, Rose, and Carmen were running last minute errands for the wedding.

"Aw fighting." MAson said. "Not my favorite way to get kicked out of a school, but it worked fine to get me out of Lureorbeth, and Dexter." He said. Lureorbeth and Dexter were the most well known high class broading schools in the state. They were also the some of the hardest schools to get into.

~~
"I am." Blake said. "But I can learn to forgive you." He said quietly.

Ava just nodded, tears still slipping down her frail cheeks.

"I just---I couldn't let him do that to you. I know I should have told you what was happening, but he said if I did, he would do it anyways. I said I wouldn't break you. I promised...." She whispered, shaking her head, disgusted with herself.
~~~~~~`
Ashlyn blinked in surprise.

"Lureorbeth and Dexter, huh?" She asked, taking a small sip of her coke. "Smarty pants schools?" she teased lightly.

"Nothing worng with being smart." Mason said. "You sould try it." He teased back.

~~
"Not all pormises can one keep." Blake said sofly.

Ava just kept shaking her head. She didn't know what she had been expecting. But then again, she hadn't expected to be back here at all, ever. She had tried to numb herself to her feelings, and had managed, at least partly, for the week she was gone. The entire week, all she could think about what how much she must have hurt him. And now, here she was, back with him, yet unable to find anything to say. She hated herself right now. She wanted to crawl into a hole, and never come out.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she whispered, staring at the ground as her tears continued to fall. She had released his hand, and was hugging herself tightly, almost as if if she let go, she would fall apart.
~~~~~
Ashlyn's smile immediatly faded, and she glared at him. She opened her mouth to make some sort of smart aleck comment, when the waiter came with their pizza. Instead, she just took a piece as he walked away, and took a small bite, even though it was still very hot. She was watching Mason, though. She had forgotten that he needed his medicine, and wasn't really thinking about that much lately.

Blake frowned. "Av-a." He said. "What do you want me to do?" He asked. "I don't want to see you hurt or cring, but I don't know if I ca forgive you just yet. It is selfish of me, yes, but I wish to see you happy again. But I no longer know what to do." He said touching her cheek lightly. "I'm sorry to." He whispbered.

~~
Mason took a slice as well. Before he took a nite he put alittle of salt on it.

Ava stepped back, still hugging herself tightly. She looked at him, and smiled sadly, her lips quivering.

"I---I understand," She stammered. "I mean, what had I been expecting?" She whispered. "What I said was inexcusable. Even if I was only trying to he--help." As she said the last few words, her voice dropped and dropped, until it was barely more than a whisper.

"I shouldn't stay here, if you're trying to forgive me. I'll probably just make it harder," She said, taking another step back. She was still hugging herself tightly.
~~~~~~~~
Ashlyn watched him, and raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything about it. She just kept eating in silence.

Blake looked at her sadly. "I don't know if I like the idea of you leaveing again." He said, just as quietly.

~~
Mason glanced at her. "So that was all? You on;y wanted to know what school I wennt to?"

Ashlyn shrugged. She took another bite, then looked at him. She decided to stay off the topic of why he left home, too.

"Favorite subject? Color? Book? Movie?" She started listing off.
~~~~~~~
Ava just shook her head.

"I don't want to make this harder for you than it has to be," She whispered. She reached out a shaking hand behind her and grabbed for the door handle. She pulled it open, and took one last look at him.

"I'm sorry," She repeated, and took a step backwards, out the door, before turning and running down the stairs.