Re: Four Years Later...[James/Ash/Luke]

[Tiger-Lily]

"Are you sure?" Luke asked hesitantly. Evelyn nodded.

"Fine," he said. "I needed to talk to him, anyways."

Evelyn closed her eyes as she watched him walk out of the room.

***

"Hey, you're alive," Luke greeted James as he sank into the seat near the bed. "Your aunt and Haley just left. It's kinda late, and all...about three a.m."

He leaned forward. "Dude, you look terrible. Ashlee was here a while back, and she left too. I guess I lucked out and you woke up," he added, grinning.

[Guest]

James nodded, he winced slightly before opening his mouth to speak, "Yeah lucky you." His voice was so raspy and dry he cleared his throat even that seemed to hurt him he looked up at Luke,

"So how are you?" James asked quietly.

[Tiger-Lily]

Luke winced. "I'm good." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Look, how the hell did this happen? They didn't find a cabbie..."

[Guest]

"It was a set up..." James muttered quietly.

He closed his eyes opening them again and went on, "Chris Sawyer, a guy I knew from school I found out is my big brother, Claire and John gave him up when he was born and now he wants my money... he was the cab driver, he escaped from the cab and I tried to get up front to stear and..." James paused as he tried to recall the accident in his mind but after that his mind just drew a blank.

"That's all I remember."

[Tiger-Lily]

Luke stared at him. "James...you..." It suddenly hit him, what any athlete would hate to hear.

"Your season..." he mumbled. "Not that that's important...just...you really need to get out of here. You and Evelyn, only she already is leaving, um..." he paused.

[Guest]

"Yeah I knew coming back was a mistake, I don't even know why I did. I had a feeling something would happen, I guess I should have just went to another state or Europe for gods sake. Now thanks to all of this I come back and fuck up this season." James closed his eyes and let out an irratble groan.

"So she's already leaving for Seattle then?" James asked Luke.

[Tiger-Lily]

Luke swallowed. "She...was never going to Seattle. It was too dangerous there."

He sighed. "She....didn't want to tell you she was heading for England. Leon made the plan...he told her that there was no point hanging around here when her life was in danger."

[Guest]

"I see... so was she just going to keep it a secert from me then? She was going to up and move for London and when I finally got a break and go off to visit her I come to find she moved halfway round the world?" James let out a sharp breath and looked down at his hands, then back up.

"You know I would have understood if she told me that instead of just..." James shook his head, "Never mind."

[Tiger-Lily]

"That, and...she was hurt, I guess..." Luke continued uneasily.

[Guest]

James groaned, "I ended it this time, I ended thinking that's what she wanted and now I feel like crap because I've hurt her and I just don't know what she wants and it bothers me and I feel like I'm always doing something wrong."

[Tiger-Lily]

Luke sighed. "Sorry to say this, but I kinda agree with her." He ran a hand throguh hsi hair.

"Dude, why were you off hanging with Ashlee the day Ev got discharged?" he asked, bluntly.

[Guest]

James sighed, "Ash told me that Ev wasn't feeling well, and I decided I'd leave her to rest up a bit before I came over, I called her asking if she was feeling better so I could come by because I didn't want to bother her, Ash was just keeping me company so I wouldn't get bored."

[Tiger-Lily]

"James, you called...about what, five hours later? And not just that, the day you came over, with all that Ryan crap going on...I know you say she wasn't home then, but she was, actually. If you really wanted to see her, like you say you do, then what stopped you from going over to her place if she didn't answer your calls? Wait, let me guess, you were partying?" Luke asked coldly.

[Guest]

How was it that Luke was always so dead on about everything in his and Evelyn's life? His mind flashing back to December when they had last been with each other, remembering their date and the time they spent at the pond they found.

"Ever notice that nothing ever lasts? Now...I'm just waiting for an ever bigger disaster...this won't stay...it ne--never does..." she finished in a small voice.

James sighed, "I guess its time it came to an end then? Maybe its this whole distance thing or my cluelessness but I guess its time to move forward and quit living in a fairy tale that things will always work out in the end, because honestly they haven't."

[Tiger-Lily]

Luke sighed. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the wrapped package.

"I uh...didn't plan on returning this to you in a hospital bed, but...she doesn't deserve finding out about it this way, James. She doesn't know what's in here. You might have made a mistake, but . . . maybe you changed and didn't notice?"

[Guest]

James grabbed the red velvet box and held it in his hand he examined the box and sighed, "You're right Luke maybe I did change, don't worry she won't find out about this I guess it will just be between us." He placed the ring box on the table.

He couldn't believe it was over, after all these years of fighting for her and trying to win her over it was over.

[Tiger-Lily]

Luke glanced down at his hands. "She's...uh...look, how badly do you want this to go on? She thinks, and I can't blame her...that this wasn't going anywhere...assuming that you had managed to take time out from your busy training to actually get married...then, you'd see her, what, twice a year? Seriously, no girl would agree to a marriage like that..."

[Guest]

James nodded, "You're right Luke, I mean we barely saw each other over the year and I guess maybe this whole distance thing didn't do us any better. Believe me if things were different I would still want this to go on but now, He sighed. "I don't even know what I want anymore."

[Tiger-Lily]

"Seeing as how she has to move away from Willchester though..." Luke began. "She coudl always go with--" he cut himself off and stood up.

"Sorry, guy, I'm kinda beat. I've been entertaining your, um, ex, for the past five hours now, and I've left Natasha with her cause she OD'd on stuff she shouldn't have eaten and now is practically bed-ridden again." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'm guessing you're gonna be here a while, huh?"

[Guest]

James didn't understand why he cringed at the word ex, but he did. He knew it was going to take sometime to get used to not being associated with Evelyn anymore.

"Its alright Luke, I'll be here for about a week or so which is not what I intended obviously but then I'll head back to New York, so go and get some rest and I'll talk to you tomorrow then I guess?"

[Tiger-Lily]

Luke nodded, sighing, and left.

***

When Evelyn woke the next morning, it was to see Natasha sprawled out at the foot of her bed, and Luke taking over the couch. Ashlee must have left in the middle of the night or something.

Evelyn tested her balance, getting out of bed slowly. She didn't feel like throwing up...so good so far then.

It was about seven in the morning. Evelyn got herself a cereal bar - she was allowed that - and chewed distractedly on it.

Finally, finding it hard to stand around and watch her houseguests snore, she grabbed her jacket and purse, and hailed a cab to the hospital.

***

"James, Darko please? Yeah, friend of his," Evelyn told the receptionist.

Getting the room number, she entered quietly, adn flinched.

A tirade of horrid memories hit her. Tubes, IV's, heart monitors...too much like last year. Last year she'd nearly died...this year...?

Evelyn swallowed, trying to breathe. She sat down on James' bed, forcing her mind away from the unwanted memories.

"We have such bad luck," she murmured, one finger lightly stroking James' hand, an IV attached to it.

She recalled her conversation with Leon. Her cousin had been right. Only, she wasn't the only one who needed to get away from here. Evelyn raised her head to look at the various monitors around James' bed. For once, he wasn't talking, but the machines were more than enough. She swallowed a gulp, feeling tears rolling freely down her cheeks.

"I never wanted this," she said softly. James did not stir, peacefully asleep. Hoping to reassure herself, Evelyn rested a land hand on his rising and falling chest.

She pulled her hand back, eyes now on James instead. "Why are you so stupid, James?" she murmured softly, feeling again, that horrid verge of crying. She wiped her eyes, and leaned forwards, lightly kissing him on the forehead.

"James, I'm sorry." Evelyn felt herself shaking, tears overflowing now as she rested her head on James' chest. "I'm so, so sorry..."

[Guest]

He heard the soft voice in his mind it sounded so distand but he knew it wasn't, he felt the weight on his chest his eyes twitched slightly they fluttered open to focus on the bronze hair. He raised his hand placing it in her hair twirling one of the curls in his hand.

"Don't be...sorry..." He whispered.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn lifted her head an inch, catching sight of brilliant blue eyes through her blurred vision. She swallowed, wiping her eyes, and lifted herself up.

"Sorry, I didn't...mean to wake you..." She glanced at James' hand, the bronze strand curled around his finger, and felt her insides clench. "Um...I'll just go get a nurse, okay?" She stood up, pulling her hair away.

[Guest]

James shook his head, "No its okay, stay. I don't need a nurse."

[Tiger-Lily]

"Uh, but...um..." Evelyn stammered, uncertain. She glanced at the door and then back at James. Slowly, she sat back down on the bed by him, eyes on the window, hands clenched in her lap.

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