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This chapter I'd dedicated to mnoorih love ya' Mahnoor! ;-)

The sky wasn't blue today, it was gray. All the clouds had huddled together, letting go of their burdens, known us by the name of 'snowflakes'. The streets, buildings, houses, cars, everything was covered in a white duvet of snow. Despite the early morning hours, children ran out in the snow, gathering it into their hands and flinging at their friends and parents, all of them laughing joyously.

The apartment building was bathed in snow as the third floor window was closed and the curtains drawn shut. The inhabitants of that apartment both lay sleeping, cuddled together in search for warmth. They were absolutely oblivious to the heavy snowfall outside, or the children's laughter, even the cars honking outside were disregarded. They were completely oblivious to the world around them.

Apollyon shifted on the bed so that he could snuggled closer to Eleanora, pulling the blanket all the way up to his chin as Eleanora curled into his warmth. The front door knob jingled as a key was put into the keyhole. The door swung open as a person stepped into the threshold, looking around the decorated lounge, searching for the inhabitants.

With an exasperated sigh, the person made their way into the bedroom, swinging the doors open, but smiling upon seeing the two sleeping as the little cat lay at their feet. Chuckling lightly the person took in a deep breath.

"Get up you two lovebirds!" She exclaimed at the top of her lungs, causing both of them to sit up straight in bed, but Apollyon's movements were too hasty that led with him falling down the bed and onto the wooden floor below.

"Oh, sweety are you alright?" Mrs. Scott asked in slight concern as Apollyon sat up and stretched to release the tension in his joints.

"Yeah..." He groaned as he sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes as Eleanora looked at Mrs. Scott in a sleepy daze.

"Is everything alright, Mrs. Scott?" Eleanora spoke slowly while yawning.

"You two still aren't out of bed!" Mrs. Scott admonished. "Everyone is waiting for you downstairs!"

"Who is everyone?" Apollyon asked as he stood up from the bed, stretching his arms over his head.

"A friend of Elliot's and a few friends of mine. Everyone is eager to meet you two!"

"Okay!" Eleanora exclaimed while sitting up straight. "Just...give us 5 minutes and we'll be down."

"Good kids." Mrs. Scott smiled as she turned around to leave, but stopped in the doorway to look back at the two. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, mom." They both spoke with a sleepy smile as they stepped out of the bed and turned towards their closet. Mrs. Scott looked at the two drowsy teenager, smiling to herself before walking out the apartment.

Apollyon and Eleanora rummaged in their closets, looking for something suitable to wear. Once they had decided what they wanted, both of them stood in front of the sink, freshening up as one or two elbows hit the other. Eventually, Apollyon wrapped an arm around Eleanora's shoulders as they brushed their teeth. Eleanora decided to get changed in the bedroom while Apollyon took the washroom.

Both of them got dressed, wondering who would be at Mrs. Scott's apartment to greet them. Apollyon stepped out in dark denim jeans with a dark blue and white Christmas sweater, where as Eleanora wore the same long sweater with stockings.

Apollyon smiled at their matching sweaters as he offered her his hand. Placing her palm into his outstretched one, she allowed him to pull her up to her feet. Wrapping an arm around her waist he pulled her to him as he rested hi forehead against her's.

"Merry Christmas, Eleanora." He smiled adoringly at her.

"Merry Christmas, Apollyon." Eleanora murmured softly. "This is your first human Christmas." She realized with a broad grin. "And my first actual celebrated one after my family."

Apollyon smiled down softly at her before placing a kiss on her forehead, rubbing his thumb over her jaw. "Come, let's get going. Otherwise Mrs. Scott will tear out heads off."

Eleanora laughed at him as they both grabbed their respective gift bags and made their way out the apartment. With their fingers intertwined, they made their way down the stairs and to Mrs. Scott's homely apartment. Opening the door, both Apollyon and Eleanora were surprised to find faces that they recognized.

Stepping inside, Apollyon and Eleanora were greeted by the sight of a brightly decorated cosy lounge, but the people came off as the most surprising to them. They recognized their biology teacher, Mr. Lam, standing next to Dr. Harold, Eleanora's physician and both of them had to wonder if Mrs. Scott and Elliot knew about Eleanora' condition. Apollyon even recognized his boss, Jack Foster, standing next to his wife.

"Finally you two graced us with your presence." Elliot grumbled from the corner of the room, drinking something from a large mug. "Took you two long enough."

"Mr. Lam and Dr. Harold. Jack." Eleanora greeted breathlessly. "What a pleasant surprise."  

"Oh! You two know each other?" Mrs. Scott inquired in surprise gesture between the three men and the teenagers.

"Mr. Lam is our biology teacher." Apollyon supplied as he could feel Eleanora shake beside him in slight fear at the prospect of the Scott's knowing her condition. "Eleanora worked for Dr. Harold for a while, and I work for Jack at the auto-repair garage."

"Oh!" Mrs. Scott proclaimed in surprise as Elliot looked at the teens with a raised eyebrow. "Well, Nathan here is an old friend of Elliot's, and both Jack and Liam are old friend's of Jake's and became my friends along the way. And we thought it would be fun to invite them over for christmas for old time's sake."

"Oh! Okay!" Both Apollyon and Eleanora exclaimed as instantly Eleanora sagged in relief.

"So you're Eleanora." A gruff voice inquired as Eleanora turned in the direction of the voice, meeting Jack's gaze. He was an elderly man in his late-40's but rather well 'preserved' with dark hair streaked with silver and mirthful hazel eyes. His voice seemed so out of place with his approachable aura. "That kid won't shut up about you. Chats everyone's ear off about you. 'Eleanora this. Eleanora that.' He simply won't shut up!"

Eleanora laughed along with the others as Apollyon flushed pink. "I don't talk that much about her."

"Oh, son, please." Jack scoffed. "But then again, the garage isn't the same without you."

Eleanora smiled wistfully as she placed a kiss on Apollyon's cheek, causing them to flush even more.

"Alright!" Mrs. Scott clapped her hands together, grabbing everyone's attention. "Let's have a merry Christmas breakfast."

Everyone settled down at the dining table that was set up, chatting and laughing as they ensured to include the two youngsters into their conversations. It was all so lively and fun that both Apollyon and Eleanora felt like everything was okay again...if only it stayed for a little longer.

After breakfast, everyone had settled down in front of the burning hearth with either a mug of coffee, hot chocolate, or good old fashioned eggnog. Eleanora had insisted upon helping Mrs. Scott clean up as she grabbed the plates from the table and took them to her land lady in the kitchen.

It started off as a dull ache, which Eleanora had dismissed as simple drowsiness. However, she stumbled a bit, bumping into the chair beside her as Apollyon gazed at her in concern, about get up when she gave him a reassuring smile, making him sit back down. She grabbed the remainder of the cutlery, handing them to Mrs. Scott as the elderly lady gave her a full smile in response.

Eleanora made her way out of the kitchen, but stopped short when her vision doubled, the room spinning around her. She noticed Apollyon jump to his feet but his figure turned sideways, tumbling to the ground. Eleanora wanted to ask if he was alright as she could make out slightly blurred figures around her before her mind was consumed by darkness.

"What happened!?" Mrs. Scott asked in panic as she tried to be heard over Apollyon's and Dr. Harold's chatter. "What happened to her?"

"Let's get her to the hospital." Nathan proclaimed in a firm tone as he was about to pick her up but Apollyon was a step ahead of him, having her in his arm while making his way out the door, Dr. Harold close behind.

Apollyon and Eleanora rode with Liam and Nathan while Elliot drove his mother and the Foster's after the doctor's car. Mrs. Scott had her hands clutched in front of her as she prayed for Eleanora's well being. The cars came to a stop in front of the hospital as Apollyon rushed inside the building, Eleanora in his arms as with Liam and Nathan hot at his heels.

Soon Mrs. Scott found herself sitting dazed and confused beside her son and the Foster's while Liam, Nathan and Apollyon argued back and forth. A distressed expression visible on the teenager's face as he ran a hand through his hair in agitation, while the doctor tried to calm him with his teacher standing next to the doctor.   

Eventually a defeated expression overcame the teen as Nathan patted his back in a comforting gesture. Liam excused himself for a moment before he returned wearing his white overcoat with a nurse following close behind him.

"What's going on, Liam!" Elliot demanded getting to his feet. "Tell us what happened."

Dr. Harold stood staring at them in confusion, as if though he couldn't understand what was happening. "You mean to tell me...you don't know?"

"Know what?" Mrs. Scott inquired in fear as she also got to her feet, grabbing her son's arm in search for comfort. "What happened to Eleanora, Liam?"

"You don't know?" He asked in bewilderment. "She didn't tell you?"

"What is is?" Jack proclaimed. "Damn it, Liam! You're scaring all of us!"

"She...well..." Dr. Harold didn't understand how to break the news to them. It was already hard baring to her, but baring it to them seemed even more difficult since he knew these people on a personal level. Sighing, he slumped in defeat. "Eleanora is dying."

Instantly Mrs. Scott let out a strangled cry as Elliot stared at him numbly, Jack's eyes wide with shock as his wife clung to his arm. "Eleanora has Stage 4 brain cancer. It's terminal and she initially had 18 months to live, but since time has passed by, she only has 15 months remaining."

He didn't say sorry, he didn't consolidate them, he didn't tell them it was going to be alright as per procedure. He knew. He knew that he could do nothing about it and it wasn't going to be alright. It was going to be very painful for Eleanora, and even more so for the people that loved her because they would be complete and utterly blank on how to ease the pain that she would suffer through.

"Apollyon and Nathan have known since the start." He added softly. "If you want, I could take you to her room."

Without waiting for a response, Dr. Harold pivoted on the spot and walked down the hall, not stopping to look behind him to ensure that they were following. He didn't have the heart to look at their defeated and broken expressions.

It was a cruel faith for such a soft and pure person like Eleanora.

The automatic doors slid open as they stepped into the white hospital room. All chatting ceased the moment they entered. Eleanora lay on the bed, her white hair spread over the pillow as there was a drip attached to her arm. Apollyon sat beside her bed, holding her palm in both of his as he held her hand to his lips while Nathan stood leaning against the far wall of the room.

Mrs. Scott tentatively made her way over to the young teenager that lay on the bed. She perched herself onto the edge of the mattress as she started at the white haired girl with visible pain flashing through her eyes.

"This is a joke, right?" Mrs. Scott inquired softly as she forced herself to smile, but even she knew better than to dismiss such a serious matter as a joke. "You don't have terminal stage 4 brain cancer, right?" 

She looked from Eleanora to Apollyon to Nathan, expecting any one of them to say something, meet her gaze, but none of them did. Mrs. Scott flickered her gaze from person to person, the ache growing in her chest as tears sprung to her eyes.

"Why won't anyone answer me!?" She burst suddenly as Eleanora jumped at the sudden change in tone, and Apollyon seemed just about ready to fight of whatever threat came in the way.

Tears flowed down Mrs. Scott's cheeks as she couldn't believe what was happening. With a strangled cry, she wrapped her arms around the young girl, pulling her into her as she sobbed at the cruelty of it all. She clucthed at the young girl in her arm, squeezing her in a vice like grip as she couldn't believe it.

Apollyon had gotten up from the chair as Jack had wanted to talk to him outside, both the men standing in the hallway as Elliot silently took Apollyon's seat. Once Mrs. Scott let go of Eleanora, she jumped to her feet and out the room as she couldn't bear with it, she couldn't bear with the thought of losing Eleanora.

Eleanora silently looked out the glass doors to see Apollyon sitting on the floor, his back to the wall as he looked completely worn out, his eyes blood shot. Jack stood beside his slumped figure, arms crossed in a stern gesture, but his facial features as soft as possible. She wanted Apollyon to be beside her, everything seemed so much more simpler when he was beside her and she wanted that familiarity back for now.

"When were you going to tell us?" Elliot's voice brought her out of her reverie as she turned in his direction. His eyes were cold and hard, defying even, daring her to speak. "When were you going to tell us about the cancer, Eleanora?"

Eleanora bit her lower lip as she moved her gaze to her fidgeting fingers in her lap. She didn't want to answer Elliot's question, as a matter of fact, Elliot's cold demeanor was scaring her as she had never seen this side of him before, and it filled her angst.

"You were going to tell us, right?" He inquired accusingly, his sharp tone piercing through Eleanora and causing her to wince away from him. "You were going to tell us, weren't you? Or did you have no intentions of us knowing that you're fucking dying!"

Eleanora whimpered at his harsh tone as she moved away from him, shame and guilt washing over her like a tidal wave as she shook slightly, the tears threatening to spill. Suddenly a warm and familiar presence loomed over her as a comforting hand was placed on her arm.

"Don't get loud in here." Apollyon growled lowly at Elliot as Eleanora hid her face in his stomach, clutching onto the only thing she knew-for certain-was real. "This is still a hospital."

"You fucking knew!" He bellowed while jumping to his feet, the chair falling back. "And so did you!" He accused pointing to Nathan who stood silently against the wall.

"Elliot, lower your tone." Jack spoke up beside Apollyon, who rubbed Eleanora's back comfortingly. "You're scaring her."

"I'm scaring her!?" He exclaimed in rage. "That's rich! She didn't even tell us, herself, that she is dying!"

"Those are her wishes." Apollyon growled. "You have no say in them."

"Mum and I took her in!" Elliot breathed. "We have every right-"

"-You don't." Apollyon intervened. "She didn't get sick in front of your eyes, she didn't start showing symptoms early in front of you, she didn't seize in your arms, in the middle of the school hallway, you never saw the grief in her eyes when she learned that she was dying. You weren't there at the appointment, with Dr. Harold, in which she refused to take her last chance for treatment, she didn't start dropping pound in front of your very eyes, she didn't come undone in your arms every night, and she most definitely did not start to deteriorate in front you and still keep up a strong front."

"You have no right, whatsoever, demanding such things from her." Apollyon stated professionally. "She doesn't owe you jack-squat, so you better leave before I call security because of you violating the hospital's rules and regulations."

Elliot clenched his jaw and fists as he glanced at Nathan expectantly, waiting for him to stand by his side, rather than look down at the ground. With his jaw set and his fist clenched, Elliot made his way out the hospital room, the doors sliding shut behind him.

Apollyon watched Elliot's figure disappear before turning back to the withering girl clutching onto him in desperation as she shook in fear, her tears falling onto his sweater's front. Soothingly rubbing her back, Apollyon placed a kiss on the top of her head while muttering sweet nothings against her hair.

"Everything is alright, sweetheart. You're alright." He murmured into her hair as he tuned out the world around him. "We're alright."

Forcing her to scoot to the other side, Apollyon got onto the bed with her as she clutched onto him as if though he were her saving grace. He could have been, if only he hadn't fallen, he might have been able to at least reduce the damage, so that they could actually operate, but he didn't have that power anymore.

"A-Apollyon." Eleanora hiccuped into his chest as she shushed her. "I'm so tired..."

"Then sleep." Apollyon suggested as he stroked her hair. "I'll be right here."

"N-no...I'm tired of keeping it all together, trying to act brave and like it doesn't affect me. I am tired of accepting my fate, I don't deserve this."

"I want to grow up, become an adult. Attend university, become a doctor, help people, save lives." She hiccuped. "I want to get married and have kids, a family of my own. All of my dreams...shattered."

"I want to spend the rest of my life, knowing that you'll be right there with me." Eleanora sobbed softly. "You'll always be here, right?"

"Of course, sweetheart." Apollyon spoke in a strangled voice, trying his hardest to prevent the tears from falling, kissing her temple. "I'll always be here."

"Apollyon...I-I...I don't want to die."