Walking by Erik's side in the bitter cold building, which didn't have heating like his room, Jade wrapped her arms around her body, breathing in Drake's cologne which wafted up every time that she moved. She knew without a doubt that it was expensive. Everything that he owned was. It smelled like something mischievous.

"This is this first time that I've been alone with you for more than a minute since you got here," Erik commented as he opened the door that led out of the building for her. "I'm hoping that you'll drop the shy act and just be yourself. I know that Drake intimidates you, no matter how much you try to deny it."

She eyed him, walking beside her in the orange glow of the gaslit street lights. Before Drake had shown up all of those months ago, when she and Erik were still intimately close friends. She had thought that he would be the one to take into a new, dazzling world of riches and ease, but it seemed that fate had played a cruel joke on them and swapped their places.

"I've missed you," was her only reply because anything else might have unveiled her secrets.

"I don't mean to bring this up, " he sighed, "but after I heard what Drake had done to you I figured you'd hate him for life. How is it that you two are so . . . madly in love?"

Some sort of silver mechanism flashed past her head, setting her mind drifting toward her surroundings of the familiar city night life. Hundreds of people were out walking about, from little children, running around, to old couples, holding hands. Automobiles were zooming back and forth on the street, the smell of cooking food drifted through every open restaurant door, and so many different noises crowded the air.

However Jade's mind slowly came back to Erik's words and she found herself speechless. What reason could she make up for loving Drake? She tried to recall the certain phrases that Damien had told her to use in situations like this. "He makes me happy," she managed at last.

"That's fair enough," Erik muttered as though he wasn't quite satisfied with her answer.

"What?" She asked accusingly.

"I swear I'm not being selfish when I say this and I'm only saying this because I believe I know you well enough to," he said rolling his eyes, "you don't love him. You hate him Jade. Admit it. Be honest with me."

"You're only saying that because you're jealous," Jade sputtered, letting Damien's words fill her mouth yet again.

"He's an asshole Jade," he said as if it were a fact and not an opinion, which in truth it was. "He's a jerk and he doesn't give a damn about you and no matter how many times he forces his kisses on you, he cannot hide that."

"That's what you make him out to be since you're convinced that he actually killed your . . . brother," she said, biting her lip, hating the bitter taste of Damien's words.

"Forget it," he said, narrowing his eyes, "look, I just wanted to spend time you without him peering over my shoulder and without someone arguing every five minutes!"

She nodded, "Things used to be so much simpler."

"Tell me about it!" Erik laughed.

"Why," she said, wrapping her arms around herself even tighter, "why did your father cut you off so suddenly? You're only twenty-one."

"It was over you really," he began. His words froze in the bitter cold air. "I mean once I had learned what Drake and Amon had done to you. I was ready to board the next train and bring you back, but my father fully supports Damien and everything he does. He is Alexi's Chief Counselor. No matter how wrong it may be. When I said I wouldn't follow in my father's footsteps, he cut me off without a second thought."

"Sounds like he's a lot like Damien, " she muttered more to herself than to Erik.

"You know I've actually thought about that a lot and I've decided that the reason that he did this was because he was afraid of what Damien would do to me if I had actually boarded that train so he put me in a position where I couldn't reach you unless Damien allowed it." He sighed deeply before continuing. "And I know how ignorant that sounds, but my father still sends me enough money to pay for a good half of my school tuition, without that money I wouldn't be able to attend the Academy. So I do still believe that he cares for me. I mean we were so close. You know? That's not something that you can say about Damien and Drake. Hell, they can't even come to terms with the fact they're related to one another even though they are identical!"

"It's hard on him," Jade muttered as she recalled her conversation with him before they boarded the train, "he really tries his best to be indifferent though."

"Has it always been that bad between them?" As Jade nodded yes, Erik shook his head in disbelief, "So growing up he had no one. You had no one."

"I had Dane and my foster families for a few years," she sighed. She didn't like talking about this, but Erik had talked about things that he was uncomfortable with so she said, "But yes, he pretty much had no one, I have no one Jade! His words yelled into her mind, echoing through her thoughts as she thought back to that moment.

"That's rough," he muttered to himself, "I mean it's one thing to not have any parents and live with that, but it's a completely different matter to have a father standing right in front of you your whole life and to just know that you can never have him."

"I didn't realize that you cared so much for Drake and his problems," Jade said, peering up at him.

"I don't really," he stated, "I just wonder how he made it through not being more messed up."

"He's pretty messed up," Jade grumbled, "have you seen how easily his temper can rise? How disagreeable he is?"

"Is he always that way though?" Erik asked, speaking louder as the passed by a group of street musicians playing their music into the fresh night.

"No," she admitted, glancing at the merry band with a gentle smile, "it's just because of what happened with Damien and now with me time traveling. It's just a lot of pressure."

"You mean it's a lot of pressure on him keeping so many secrets from Damien without being caught?" He asked, stabbing a knife though Jade's side without even knowing it.

She stopped walking to stare at Erik as if he had turned into a ghost. He looked back with equal intensity, confused at how hurt she appeared, "What is it?"

"I," she stammered, putting her fingers to her lips. "I had never thought of it like that. I mean I understood what he was risking by keeping my secrets and I can understand the pressure." She stopped talking as she burst into a fit of laughter, racking Erik's nerves.

"What?" He asked, grabbing her by the shoulder, forcing her to look at him as they stopped walking."Have you gone insane?"

"You've just made me understand it," she laughed, "he has absolutely nothing to gain by keeping my secret from Damien and I had thought that he was rebelling against him, but you've made me see that it's too risky for him to be wanting to do this just for that, which must mean that he's doing it for . . . for . . ."

Erik shook the confusion out of his eyes and letting go of her answered angrily, "You, Jade! I know that he loves you. You don't have to make it any more clear me. I know we're just friends and I apologize for this morning."

Drake didn't love her though, Jade thought to herself, turning away from Erik. Why was he doing it then? It was such a subtle act of kindness hidden by their forced alliance and Drake's rebellious motives. He'd better not be planning on putting me in his debt, Jade thought to herself angrily. It was the only rational conclusion.

"We're here," Erik sighed. He took a seat on a metal benched looked up at Jade expectantly as snowflakes caught in his eyes.

Jade smiled to herself and sat down beside him. They hadn't arrived a moment too soon because within seconds the massive pine tree sitting before them came to life, shining with a hundred thousands tiny lights, reflecting and sparkling off every ornament and gear.

Immediately a choir of people began singing, although Jade couldn't see from where. Hundreds of people were in square as always watching as the little flame of what youth they had left twinkled sadly, but merrily in their watery eyes.

A man walked by with a tray tied around his neck, carrying steaming cups of hot chocolate, "Hot chocolate, hot chocolate for sale," he bellowed.

Erik gave Jade a smile before tapping the man on the shoulder and dropping a few coins into his hand for two cups of the hot liquid.

"You didn't have to," Jade smiled as he handed her a cup, "I know you're tight on money."

"No, I wanted to honestly," the lights of the tree dazzling in his eyes, "who knows if we'll ever do this again."

And there it was the twinkling in his eyes, that soul which was sad for the future, but was also happily remembering past days at the same time.