A/N: This is a long chapter, so voila! Enjoy! Also do you think their relationship is moving too fast?

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Chapter 13

Ice

The tension was so thick between us, you could taste the nervous air running between the two of us. I knew what we had to do. I just didn't know where to start and whether or not I really wanted to do it.

"Ice? I think it's time we really talked."

"About what?"

"About everything Ice, everything. The past. The present. The future. Just everything."

"The future?"

"You know what I mean. Maybe not now, but sure, we can talk about later."

"I know what you meant. I guess I agree, we might as well do it now, I guess."

"I think it's time we laid all our cards on the table. All our cards."

"Is it really time? And cards, of all things cards? What kind of cards? UNO cards? I like UNO, do you like UNO?"

At this point, I was trying to avoid having to talk about our past. It made me uncomfortable and I didn't really want to talk about it.

"Ice! You are missing the point here! Stop trying to change the subject!"

"Okay, okay, geeze. Calm down, it's not like I'm going anywhere."

An uncomfortable and almost overbearing silence drifted down upon us again. We didn't know how to start, we didn't know where to start. Are we really going to do this? Are we going to just lay all our feelings on the table? I'm not ready yet. I don't want to do this yet. We just "reunited" a few hours ago. I still haven't recovered fully from that day. Is he just using this as a tactic? Is he just using me? If he is, I don't think I would ever recover again. Can I trust him, yet? He has been so kind; sarcastic, but kind. I'm not ready, but, I need to do it. I need to get it out. I need to-

"You can start Flame, since you suggested it."

"Oh, right. Uh, okay here's the thing. Ice, I was the last person my mom talked to before she died. Her last words to me were directed to me. Do you know what she said to me?"

*Flashback- 6 years ago - Ice's 8th birthday in Flame's POV*

Both the vampire and my mom were bleeding badly and both were circling each other. Round and round in circles they went. First left, then right, then left. Not hesitating, I look around for a wooden stick that could work as a stake. Instead of finding a wooden stake I spot a sword. Where on earth did that come from? Thank goodness dad has taught me to use a sword. I ran to it and picked it up. It was light in my hands but not too light. Just nice for me to swing a painful blow. I turned to see the vampire leaping towards mom. I raced toward the vampire and struck. It went through the vampire. Stopping him in his tracks. He crumpled to floor. Seizing to move. Then immediately disintegrated into ash. I had killed the vampire. Spinning 180 degrees, I ran over to my mom, she was bleeding badly and had already lost a lot of blood. I tried to help her, but she refused to move anywhere.

Instead she told me, "It is too late to save me, my young prince. Live with your good heart darling, and you will do what is right. Save Ice. You will thank me later."

I tried to disagree with her, but she refused to listen. "Listen to me son, don't you there lose Ice, she is special. Whatever you do, don't lose yourself. Promise me son, promise m-"

With that her eyes fluttered close, her breaths grew shallow until there wasn't anymore breaths and BANG! My mom, my beautiful mom was gone. I yelled at her to get up, to start moving, to do anything. Hoping that she was only pretending, that she was only sleeping. But I knew better.

*Flashback over*

"She told me to save you, to not lose you. That you were special and that I will thank her later for it. She especially told me not to lose myself. Do you know what I did instead?"

*Flashback- 6 years ago - Ice's 8th birthday in Flame's POV*

I turned to where Ice, was just arousing. Ice. If she had never went into the garden, she would have never been attacked by that vampire. If she had never been attacked, my mom wouldn't be dead! This is all Ice's fault. My eyes hardened and my face turned into a scowl.

"Get over here you stupid girl!" I yelled at her. She looked at me startled and confused.

"Fla..Flame, wh...wha...what's go...goi...going on? What happened?" She looked so pathetic. Her eyes landed on my mom. "Oh! What happened! Flame?"

"You. That's what happened. Get over here now!" I was losing my patience with Ice. If she was ever my best friend she would have never been the reason my mom died. Ice scrambled over. I instructed her to help me bring back my mom's body to the house.

When we got there, everybody looked frantic and worried. When they saw us, they gasped and immediately helped us in. My father looked ill.

"What happened son?" he asked.

"Rogue vampire attacked Ice. Mom died. That's what happened."

He immediately caught my drift. He turned to Mr. Xavic. "Your daughter killed my wife! Hand her over now!"

Uncle Xavic looked startled but then narrowed his eyes.

"That is untrue Mr. Alpha, your son said that the vampire attacked Ice." Uncle Xavic shot back.

"That may be true Xavic, but your daughter was the one who got into the mess first, she should have been the one who had died. Not my wife!" Dad screamed at him.

I turned and strolled up the stairs to where Ice was. She was on her bed, rocking herself back and forwards. When she noticed me, she looked at me. There were tear stains on her face, but that did not move me.

"Flame?"

"Hi murderer"

"Murderer?"

"You killed my mom!" I screamed at her. I pinned Ice to her bed and pressed my sword against her neck. "I should kill you." I continued. "But I'm not going to, since I'm a nice person." I made a slight mark on her neck, in the shape of a lightning. "I never ever want to see you again."

Then I left.

*Flashback ends*

By now Flame was breathing heavily, tears in both our eyes. Our emotions were pouring out as he confessed, word by word by word.

"Not only did I leave you, I threaten to kill you, took your parents away from you and left you and your brother for dead. Not only that but I literally marked your body. Is it still there? The scar I left? Do you know how long it was until I remembered my beloved mother's words? Two weeks! Then I pushed it to the back of my mind again until now. I feel so ashamed and disappointed with myself, and most of all guilty. Please forgive me Ice, for everything I have done to you."

His apology hung in the air. His eyes full of hope. Should I forgive him? He has apologized. However, he left me with so much pain, how do I know I should trust him.

"Yeah, it's still there. The mark."

I pulled my hair away from the side of my neck to show him. His eyes became even more guilty, more downcast.

"I'm sorry. I let my emotions get the better of me. I'm sorry."

Honesty dripped with every word.

"How do I know this isn't a tactic of yours to weaken my resolves?"

His face dropped, even more downcast as if disappointed by my response. The hope started to dim. He hesitated to give an answer, as if unsure of what to say.

"I-I. I don't know how to prove that my apology is real, but I will make it up to you. I will promise you that. Yes! That's what I'll do, I prove it through my actions! Won't you give me a chance? Please?"

I hesitated. I really wanted to trust him. I have missed my best friend from long ago and had often wished for him to come back. Isn't this it? Isn't this my chance to get back my long lost best friend?

"I-uh-I, Yes? Yes. Yes!"

Then I hesitated, I shouldn't be that easy, right? I shouldn't immediately trust so easily right? After all, he could just be using me, right?

"One chance, you have that and if you lose it, you lose it forever."

He didn't hesitate this time. He seemed so sure of it. The hope in his eyes brighten, his face seem to be glowing by the small, but real, unsarcastic smile. Just like the beautiful ones he used to wear all the time. The ones that are now a rare commodity, almost extinct.

"That's all I need, one chance. Thank you Ice! Thank you!"

He ran to me, thanking me over and over, and picked me up by waist, twirling me around in circles like he used to do back when we were younger. My hair whipping the air around us. Joy, happiness and contentment seem to overflow the both of us in that very moment in time. It was as if we were the only two people in the world. It was as if time seem to stop the world just for us both to live and make up for all our lost time. I'm so sure of it, I can feel him returning to me. My long lost best friend has finally come home to me.