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It was a nice, warm afternoon and everyone was sitting outside enjoying the beautiful day. Joey and his friends were all there too and they were all sitting on a huge blanket eating lunch. Nearly a month had passed since the incident with Dartz and everyone was happy again.
Both Rafael and Alister had left and moved on after a very sad goodbye, but Jackie, Mai and Valon had stayed until they figured out what they wanted to do.

Jackie was laughing at something a boy named Tristan said when Mai spoke up saying she had an announcement. Jackie turned to her with a smile -- something she did a lot since Dartz left. She was a much happier and cheerful person since and everyone noticed it.
Mai looked around at them all, then took Joey's hand with a smile.
"Joey and I are getting married."
Jackie beamed and jumped her friend, giving her a huge hug.
"That's great Mai! Congrats!!"
Mai and Joey smiled wide as everyone hugged and congratulated them.
"What's all this about?" Valon asked, just emerging from the mansion with a pitcher of lemonade.
Jackie smiled at him as he poured himself a glass and set the pitcher down on the blanket. Giving Mai a questioning look, Mai nodded at her and she turned back to Valon.
"Mai and Joey are getting married!" She said excitedly.
Valon spit out the lemonade he'd just taken a sip of and starred at Jackie with wide eyes.
"What?!" He spat in shock. Jackie frowned.
"They're getting married..." She repeated cautiously.
Valon, who was still standing, dropped his glass, causing it to shatter into a million pieces and spill it's contents. He starred ahead of him in shock for a minute and everything was silent. Jackie stood up and reached for him but he pulled away from her.
"Valon..." She said sympathetically. Valon backed away slowly, then, without warning, spun on his heels and ran.
"Valon!" Jackie yelled after him. But Valon kept running.
Jackie looked down at Mai and Mai nodded her head in the direction Valon had gone in. Jackie nodded, then spun around and raced off after the brunette.

Jackie ran into the mansion and looked all around but saw no sign of Valon. She ran to the stairs and was about to bound up them when she heard an engine ignite.
"Damn it!" Jackie cursed, bolting towards the garage.
She reached her destination just in time to see Valon's motorcycle speeding into the distance through the open garage door. Jackie cursed colorfully, then grabbed her helmet and hopped on her own motorcycle to follow him.

When they finally stopped, Valon had lead Jackie to an old, abandoned dock at the end of town. Jackie stopped her bike a ways away from Valon and took of her helmet, simply watching him. He was back-on to her, apparently oblivious to the fact that he had been followed. He was kicking a few random objects into the water and mumbling to himself. Eventually he stopped his fit and simply stood at the end of the dock, starring out over the water with his arms crossed.
After watching him for a while, Jackie got off her bike and walked up to Valon. Apparently having heard her approach him, he snorted indignantly.
"Go away." He growled angrily. Jackie frowned, ignoring the stinging in her heart, and walked up to Valon, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I... I'm sorry Valon... I know how much Mai meant to you."
Valon shook her off angrily but didn't look at her.
"I don't care about Mai hitchin Wheeler!" He snarled at her.
Jackie starred at him in surprise.
"You don't?"
"No!" He spat back. "It just... everyone is leavin."
Jackie starred at Valon in confusion, then walked up beside him and noted the deep frown on his face.

This confused her more.
"What are you talking about?" She asked softly.
"I guess I kinda thought that since we all woke up, and everything we grew up fighting for is really over with, that we'd all stay together. At least for a while. But I was wrong."
Valon's frown deepened and Jackie felt a wave of sympathy wash over her.
"First Rafael and Alister left, then Mai and Joey make this lovely announcement -- and I know they'll leave soon too -- and then there's you talking about leaving."
Jackie frowned and gave Valon a sympathetic smile.
"Valon..." She said softly. "I didn't say I was going anywhere... not yet anyway. I was just saying that-"
But Valon wasn't finished.
"I should 'ave known better." He interrupted, as if Jackie hadn't even spoken. "No one I ever cared about ever stayed. They always leave and I'm always left alone. I should be used to it by now."
Valon was silent for a few moments and Jackie waited for him to speak again, knowing somehow that he wasn't quite finished.
"It's not Mai." He said after a long time. "I gave up on 'er a long time ago."
Valon looked down then, his long bangs shadowing his face in the setting sun.
"Everyone always leaves..." He whispered softly. "Always... It would 'ave been better if I never even woke up..."

Jackie felt a stab at her heart and stepped closer to Valon.
"Wasn't there even one person for you to want to come back for?" She asked softly. Valon was silent for a long time and Jackie's heart beat wildly as she waited for him to answer. Hope. It was an emotion she despised, but somehow, it had weaseled it's way into her being and insisted upon lifting her up so high that the fall would almost definitely kill her.
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"Wasn't there even one person for you to want to come back for?"
Valon bit his cheek upon hearing this question.
Youhe wanted to say. His entire being was screaming at him to just grab her, to pull her close and kiss her senseless. He wanted so badly to tell her exactly the answer he was thinking. But fear overpowered any and every other want and need he had. Instead, he found himself saying something that he knew he would regret forever.
"No." He said simply.
Beside him, Jackie flinched. Looking out the corner of his eye, he saw that Jackie was starring out over the water with a look on her face as if he'd just physically struck her.
"I see..." She said softly. She then turned and walked away.

Valon frowned and looked back out over the water again. It didn't matter what he wanted, Jackie would never want him the way he wanted her. This was what he had to keep telling himself.
"It wouldn't 'ave mattered if I woke up or not anyway." He said sourly, not sure if he was talking to himself or not. "No one would 'ave cared. At least before Dartz betrayed us I had something to fight for. Now I don't even 'ave that."
"Are you sure there's no one, Valon?" Jackie asked again, sounding a little suggestive. Apparently she'd hadn't left after all. She sounded like she was now standing a few feet behind him.
Valon's face contorted into anger and his fists clenched at his side. The girl was killing him. He looked over his shoulder and glared at her as best he could.
"I said yes damnit!" He snapped angrily. There was a slight pause but Jackie spoke again.
"What if I said I knew someone who really loved you?" She asked, voice just loud enough for him to hear.
Valon felt his heart rip in two. She must be enjoying this.
He whirled around on her then, trying his hardest to make his deep agony seem like anger. Perhaps if he drove Jackie away it would be better. Perhaps not having her around at all was for the better.
"I'm not in the mood for hypothetical questions!" He snarled. "Can't you see you're making this worse?! Are you enjoyin this?! Torturing me like this?!"
Jackie looked deeply hurt.
"No.. I-I didn't mean.. Valon, I-"
"Just shut-up!" Valon snapped at her. "I don't want to 'ear it! Why don't you just sod off and leave me alone like everyone else! Best to just get it over with now!"
Finally Jackie had had enough and her face grew suddenly furious.
"It wasn't a hypothetical you bloody moron!!" She screamed in anger. "I really DO know someone who loves you!!"
Valon glared at her.
"Oh yea? Prove it! Who?!"
Jackie's fists clenched at her sides for a minute and she stamped her foot in rage, looking like she was fighting with herself.
Valon snorted indignantly.
"There, you see! You can't can-"
"ME!!" Jackie screamed, cutting Valon off.
Valon starred at her in shock.
"W-what...?" He stuttered in disbelief.
"That's right Valon, I love you!" Jackie spat. "I always did, but you were always too damned stupid, blind, conceited and caught up in someone who didn't want you to notice!"
Valon starred at Jackie in shock for a long time until he finally realized that he hadn't been hearing things.
"You... you love me...?" He asked softly, still unable to quite believe what he'd just heard.
Jackie looked like she was ready to strangle him.
"Yes, Valon! I LOVE YOU! I'm sorry if that's too damn hard to understand!!"
Valon frowned.
"Jackie-" He said softly, stepping towards her. But Jackie cut him off and angrily stepped away from him, her frame now leaning against her bike.
"Shut-up!" She snapped. "I'm sick of it! You're an arrogant bastard Valon and I'm sick and tired of you whining and complaining that everything in your life sucks and isn't good enough -- including me!"
It was at that moment that realization struck Valon and every moment previously spent with Jackie was seen in a whole new light. Their date for example: Jackie hadn't been disgusted with him for wanting to kiss her, she had been nervous and excited.
"Valon, you idiot!" He scolded himself harshly. Nothing that had ever occurred in his life compared to how horrible he felt at that moment.

Valon swallowed hard and again took a step towards Jackie but she held up a hand to stop him.
"Don't!" She snapped harshly. "It's too late, I don't want anything you have to offer me and I don't wanna hear anything else you have to say."
Jackie turned and grabbed her helmet then and got on her bike, but she paused before putting her helmet on. After starring at the ground silently for a few moments, Jackie looked up and starred off into the distance.
"You know, it really is too bad Valon. You would have been happy with me, I know you would have. But after all the hints I gave you, not once did you return them. Hell, you probably didn't even notice any of them did you? Well whatever, it's too late now."
Jackie put her helmet on, then turned to look at Valon again.
"Have a nice life Valon." She said solemly. And with that said, she started her bike and sped off into the distance.

Valon starred after Jackie in complete shock as her form got smaller and smaller, unable to follow her, unable to scream out to her, unable to move. He simply starred.
It could have been seconds, it could have been minutes, or it could have been hours, he didn't know; but Valon stood starring after Jackie long after she was gone. He felt like his whole world had just come crashing down around him.
After what felt like an eternity, Valon dropped to his knees and threw his head back, screaming his sorrow to the sky above. His outburst caused a flock of frightened birds to take wing in fright, but Valon didn't even notice them. The world around him had melted away and all Valon could see now was the new, painful memory he'd just made, playing over and over relentlessly to show him the mistake he'd forever regret.
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Jackie sped away from the dock, and Valon, as fast as her motorcycle would allow. She'd been too angry and too proud to cry in front of the brunette, but now, flying down the highway back to the mansion, her tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She'd done it. She'd taken the first step to leaving Valon behind. It would be a long and hard road ahead, knowing that Valon had always been there one way or another, but she'd get through it. Somehow.