He's All That

He’s All That

Cascada

I knew it from the start
From the first day that we met

I looked into those eyes, and hell, I was lost in like what? Five milliseconds? Couldn’t have been. It felt like three million years, but all it could’ve been was a single second, a space in time. Now I know why they call it “falling” in love. I fell so hard; I think I might’ve bruised my butt.

I knew to take your hand
Was something I would not regret

Falling in love? Haven’t done that before, not like this. I mean, we get our crushes, but it was nothing like what I was experiencing. Nothing, nada. Don’t even get me started. It felt like I was still falling, but my feet had never left the ground. I could’ve fallen forever. And heck, he might just even catch me. Now that would be a new one, wouldn’t it? People can call me crazy, but I knew this was something I wasn’t just about to regret.

Since that I found a girl in the town
That I wanted to be

I knew who I wanted to be then, and I still do now. And, for once, I found someone who was unique, outside the octagon, or square, or whatever. This wasn’t an Amigo, a perfect person, or a Smoothie, close to it. In fact, nobody in their right mind would call him perfect. But, he is perfect for me. And hell, being off of a rocker is kind of fun!

I slowly know that's what he means to me
He's all that

In those first few moments that I knew it was true, I knew that this was something entirely new and special. Cliché? Stick it up your butt… right now. It wasn’t one of those fake things, y’know? It was more of, wow, I never really realized how incredibly sweet this person is. I was worried that I might fangirl right then and there.

He's all that I wanted
He's all that I needed

O.o How do you describe love? One way, you don’t! There is no way, there aren’t words, there isn’t anything for this feeling. The butterflies, the stalking, the shivers, the sudden need to be near them, that isn’t even a definition. When you ask someone why they love another, they can’t tell you the answer, you have to tumble into love too. Falling down stairs was never so much fun.

He is all that I have
My baby, he's all that

Okay, so maybe I might be a bit obsessive, or maybe a bit stalker-ish, and just maybe I catch myself watching him almost all the time that I can, but that doesn’t make a difference, right? I mean, hell yeah, he is just that… well, yeah. He’s the last chance I’ve got, and damn straight I am so not going to let someone steal him, or let myself waste it. If those hands come one inch closer to him, I am going to break them off and feed them to you.

He gives me this feeling
He makes me believing
That my love never ends
Ohh baby, he's all that

He makes me feel special, and fluttery, and I could do this for a long time. He makes me believe that there is more to this, and tripping down stairs couldn’t have been a better choice on my part. Sometimes I ask myself why I actually bother, but he gives me a reason, one I seriously just can’t explain. Words simply aren’t enough.

He's all that I wanted
He's all that I needed
He is all that I have
My baby, he's all that

Here we go again. When this kind of thing happens, some people don’t want to deal with the hassle of love, and every now and again, I wish I was one of those people. But, this guy, he makes it entirely worth it. All of the struggling, it all pays it’s worth in the end. Who would’ve known that those words would come out of me? I usually don’t stick around, but I will stick for as long as I can.

He gives me this feeling
He makes me believing
That my love never ends
Ohh baby, he's all that

Some people like two or four different people, splitting everything amongst them. But who wants to do that? What’s ever wrong with “Holy guacamole I am head over heels in love with oh my god, just one guy?!” Why all the crazy looks? I stepped into the darkness, and fell down one hell of a flight of stairs, and good god, that was one hott guy I crashed into.

Still hard for me to realize
That I am on my way

I still can’t believe how lucky I was, took a tumble, wasn’t particularly graceful, and still ended up with him. He, the one I could have only dreamed about just a second ago, and then, wow happened. Now I might have a shot at something nobody can steal, on pain of Amigo… and blimps.

But since I've been your girl
I'm getting stronger day by day

What does heaven look like? I can’t say, you have to find out on your own. It is what you want it to be. Cheesy? Stuff it up you butt. Things are how you wish them to be. Who said miracles don’t happen anyway? Maybe all you have to do is believe that there really is true love. I now believe in miracles, because one just happened to me.

For everything I've left behind
None of it was true

I don’t like to lie, the past was something I don’t want to mess with. I can’t change the past, but I can change the future. I live for the present, and fight for the future. You only live once, so make the most of it. Fall down one flight and get hurt? Fall down another.

He's my prison, I belong to you
He's all that

I am not turning back to peek over my shoulder at what could’ve been, the shouldn’t have beens, and the maybe beens. Why cling to the pass when you can get the chance to be fearless and let go of those ropes and learn to fly? He’s my sky.

He's all that I wanted
He's all that I needed
He is all that I have
My baby, he's all that

He gives me this feeling
He makes me believing
That my love never ends
Ohh baby, he's all that

I swear, love is the best thing for a young teenager like me. I was once told to shut it all out, but then I would’ve missed him, a mistake I would never have forgiven myself for making. I can handle the bruises if he doesn’t catch me, being I am taller than him, but I would’ve loved him anyway. We girls are stupid that way.

He's all that I wanted
He's all that I needed
He is all that I have
My baby, he's all that

He gives me this feeling
He makes me believing
That my love never ends
Ohh baby, he's all that

Yeah, yeah, he can be a jerk, but how many people can just randomly start laughing over nothing at all? Or talk about Quake II, or Doom TNT? Or other various guns? Or laugh at because they are deaf? Or slow dance with during your favorite song? I think I’ve made my point. What’s on the outside isn’t always an image of the inside. Some people turn out to be sugar cubes, and he was one of them, and he still is.

He gives me this feeling
He makes me believing
That my love never ends
Ohh baby, he's all that

I guess I am on my last set of lyrics. So let me just say it. Holy Skyler, I am totally in love with him, and nothing is going to change my mind. So shut up. If you try and steal him, I will rip off your face and grind your bones into my bread. So don’t even try. Head over heels in love? Yeah, that’s me.

Disclaimers: I will not tell you who “he” is, don’t bother asking me, because I won’t tell. I still hate Cascada, but not this song. Yes, it is by Cascada. I might write other fluff and romance and one-shot and two-shot, but not today.

This is not about Jesse or Austin, damn you all.

Dance, Dance (part 1)

A/N: This takes place Post-plot, because, well, yes.

Skulduggery looked around: Only dresses and powdered wigs from every era greeted his eyes. He saw someone in a brown dress- Never-mind. That's not her. 

...Several Cleavers are missing, too. Valkyrie's over there... Valkryie! Skulduggery started towards her at a pretty fast walk, turning her from her conversation with Tanith to tell her softly, "Echo's missing. Do you know where she is?"

Valkyrie looked rather surprised, and shook her head. "No, I haven't seen her since she made that little speech an hour ago... Why?" 

"She's missing and I don't know where she is. She's good at disappearing, but this is a pretty small room." 

Indeed. Fund-raising events are usually not very plentiful in funds. "Did you check the bathrooms?"

Silence was her answer as Skulduggery just... looked at her. The look said 'Do you really think I'd search the women's bathroom for her? I'm not THAT desperate, thank you.'

"Oh...kay... Um, hold on." Valkyrie walked off, and Skulduggery was left standing with Tanith. 

Tanith raised an eyebrow. "Is over-protective Auntie Skull being over-protective?"

"...Auntie Skul? She told you about that?"

"Better. She gave me the comic she made out of it for my birth-day."

...Crap. She made a Comic out of it? 

"...Do you have any idea where she might be, then? Not in the bathroom, by the way. Or at-least not the ladies one." Stephanie was back, empty-handed. She wore her clothes from Ghastly for this party, like Skulduggery wore his. He had left his jacket and hat with the doorman, though, so his... features... were exposed. 

Tanith grinned. She wore regular jeans and a button-up shirt, calling it fancy. Her sword was with the doorman, but not by choice. "Did you check the dance floor?"

Skulduggery cocked his head to the side, and gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. "Yes. She's not there."

"No, not that dance floor, the one downstairs!" 

...Downstairs? 

_______________

The music pumped loudly, drowning out the chances of conversation, some people thought they had. The few who tried shouted over the speakers that played "Souja Boi" loudly, and the entire crowd danced to the throbbing music. The DJ was good, very good. He gauged the audiences energy levels and responded accordingly. 

Later the slow songs would play, but now the night was still young. Bring on your rap and techno, because we're up for the challenge. 

Echo, of course, was in the middle of it all: younger magicians did not recognize her and the one that could were upstairs. Tonight she was one of them, one of the mass. She jumped with the rest of them, sang the songs she knew at the top of her lungs, abandoning any pretense of sense she might have had earlier.

Around her she had a small crowd of three boys vying for her attention- let them attend. No slow songs were here yet, and by that time they would have left. 

_________________

The music attacked the trio's senses as they descended into the basement: It was dark, with flashing lights and pounding music. A rail stood around the sound-proof walls, a platform up above so you could see the floor clearly. The floor itself was lighted by strobes and lazers, and below the dancers floor lights illuminated them, giving them an eerie, exotic look. 

"How are we supposed to find her in all this?" Valkyrie asked, eyes shining at the sight. This was far more fun then any school dance she had ever been to. The sound was swept away as the crowd screamed the words of a song, many voices singing the same tune. She couldn't wait. 

Tanith scanned the floor, searching for any brunettes she could see. Meanwhile, Skulduggery had already spotted her by luck and descended by a spiraling stair-case into the jungle of limbs and flesh. 

Ow! OW! Okay, that's just rude! He was battered for several seconds by the flow as he tried to walk directly to Echo, but eventually realized that would be pointless and watched how the crowd moved, stepping accurately most of the time into empty spaces and pin-pointing his location by the distance from Tanith up on the rail. 

Finally he pretty much tripped over her: Back to him, she was jumping and singing happily. He grinned internally at the site, stepping closer and dancing as best he could. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard.

_________________ 

...One of them had gotten brave, and so, back to him, she grinned. See how he likes being ignored <3~

"Do, do you have a first-aid kit handy? Do you know how to patch a wound? Are you patient, understanding?"

Echo gasped happily, smiling. She loved this song! "I-try-eve-ry-re-me-dy-and-no-thing-seems-to-work-for-me!" 

___________________

Skulduggery was a bit surprised when she did not respond to him being so close- was she used to this sort of attention? But then she gasped- Oh, wait. She just liked the song. 

He listened over the crowd's approving roar, bouncing slightly with Echo because quite frankly the jumping thing was a little odd. "My heart is damaged?" He mused, unable to hear his own voice. What was she thinking about?

The song continued forever and he still stayed close to Echo, but she didn't seem to notice him. Three other boys did, and they made it clear by casting glares his way after looking Echo over. He glared at them right back, and one of them moved away. 

______________

Well, somebody sure is possessive. Echo smiled to herself as she danced, still doing her best to ignore the guy behind her....

...She turned around suddenly, dancing facing the man- Oh my God! Skulduggery! She stopped abruptly, blushing slightly.

______________

Skulduggery looked down at her. "I thought we were dancing," he told her loudly, amused. 

She cupped a hand around her ear and leaned closer. He got right up next to her ear. "I THOUGHT WE WERE DANCING!" The detective shouted. 

Echo's blush deepened, but she nodded and got back to... jumping around pointlessly. Only this time she was only half-hearted, blushing red and glancing at him every so often. 

Sighing internally, he got back to jumping as well, randomly throwing an arm and a leg out here and there. The effect, he discovered, was rather nice. A wild-abandon seemed to take over him, his chest felt warm (oddly) and he grew braver with his dance-moves, somehow not hitting anyone. Echo, in turn emboldened by his comfortableness around her, eventually got back to the level she had been at before, smiling and laughing after a few minutes. 

The sight of a dancing skeleton had to be hilarious, really. 

After a half-hour of dancing Echo was getting tired, but thankfully the wonderful DJ noted the dropping enthusiasm and changed the song~ 

Echo blushed as "Miracle" by Casada popped up, stopping dead and looking like a deer in the head-lights at the speakers that blasted the love song at her. Those without partners left the floor for the bottled water by the walls, and those with stayed behind and danced. 

Skulduggery just looked at her, confused, until he actually listened to the song. That caused him to laugh. 

"WHAT, SHY?" He yelled in her ear. 

She blushed deeper and he knew he was right. 

That was only made even more clear when she stood on tip-toe to get to the place where his ear would be, and yelled back something along the lines of 'shut your mouth' along with a threat. 

Skulduggery laughed out-loud at that, and she glared. Still standing on tip-toe and thus a bit unstable, she grabbed his shoulders by accident to keep herself from falling. In response, he settled his arms on her shoulder-blades, and marveled at her ability to turn interesting colors. 

They really only rocked back and forth, but that was enough. After a moment her arms relaxed, and his settled themselves lower, not right under hers. They got a little closer, and her arms crept around to drape themselves around his neck, and he pretty much hugged her to him. Echo relaxed, enjoying the closeness. Her inhibitions faded away slowly, so she leaned on him, her eyes fluttering shut. Most books depict this sort of scene as everything else drifting away, but instead Echo felt sharpened slightly: the Captain Cleaver could hear everyone within a ten-foot radius, the slight grinding Skulduggery's bones made as he moved, the swish of cloth... Wow, this was....

SHAJSKL! LOUD MUSIC IS BAAACK, BABY! Both of them jumped and lept apart like startled rabbits, wide-awake from the sudden change in tempo. Echo laughed after a second and got back to jumping, perhaps a little closer to Skulduggery then before....

_______

They ended up staying late into the night and early into the morning, Tanith leaving about midnight and Valkyrie nearly falling asleep. Most other people were gone before they finally boarded the Bently. Echo called shotgun and barely managed to stay awake until they got to Valkyrie's house and dropped her off there, carrying her to her parents (who were still awake and pissed she hadn't gotten home sooner- Skulduggery explained to them about the party and she had been allowed to go without a set curfew. That wouldn't happen again, ever). 

A/N: OKAY, this ends part 1. Part 2 is where stuff happens. Oh joy. *jumps for it* 

((It should be up tomorrow)) 

The Art of Avoiding Pain

I looked up, me back heavy with the pack: Spare clothes, change saved up for 30 years so it added up to a good amount by now, and various other items. My heart weighed heavy against me chest, seeming to rock back and forth like a metronome as I walked. It was the dead of night, on one of the abandoned streets from Rosa Mansion to Rome, and from there she could go anywhere... Persia sounded nice. 

Anywhere but here, where every where I looked Alison winked down at her and Apollo ignored me. Anywhere but where it felt like I died as Penelope walked by, a stunning mix of blond hair and grey-green eyes and Apollo's pale skin and Alison's nose and the two of them together, but not Me. Never Echo, the little sister, the friend, the one he comes to when he and Ali have a spat, but not a lover.  

If I stayed there any longer, I'd go mad. Literally insane: Voices already talked to me, though I dared not talk back.

...The ghosts were gone now, though.  

_____________________________

WHY?! Apollo, Alison, Penelope- WHY!? What had they ever done to deserve this?! Alison had done nothing, Penelope was caught in between her mother and her father- Apollo! 

I knew perfectly well why him, even as tears screamed down I cheeks I knew. Apollo had been fighting, so he had been marked for death. 

I had considered suicide, but cast that away as soon as it struck me, nausea threatening to over-take my stomach. But once again, the halls of my home killed me with their memories, washing me away in a wave of confused emotions that battled with one-another for dominance. Sometimes I even felt like Apollo was there- watching me go through this. 

That ghost of Apollo gave me strength in an odd way: If he haunted me, I would have to put on a brave face for him, because seeing me go through this would undoubtedly make him insane as well.

Where did I put that bag?

______________

Such a jerk! When he had come back from the dead, I had been so shocked- recoiled- repelled! He was angry all the time, at me, at our enemies... 

Nope, not sticking around for this one. 

_____________

SAHJLSAJAK!!! I HATE HIM I HATE HIM HAAAAEEETT!!!!! 

*haets*

______________

...I.... I don't know what to say.... 

All that time, he had been forced to watch... Maybe the Apollo!Ghost actually WAS him? That... Makes sense... A bit... Not really... 

He was so angry because of Ali, sister... I... It... 

I can't stick around. He... I'm just so confused... 

Why hallo der Pak. What say you and I go for a stroll, ne? 

_______________

I... Every time he's around, I feel like myself for a while, but then after a year or two Alison comes back, like she always does, and I feel like I betray her just by looking at ApolSkulduggery. 

...Besides, it's fun when he chases me! <3

___

A/N: I know there is verb-tense shift and all that bad stuff. Too bad. I'm too lazy to fix it. 

Some random drabbles taking place around the same time as the song-fic. Joy joy joy. 

Sonfic 1: Never Too Late (Skulduggery)

A/N: I'll be doing two, one from Skulduggery's and one from Echo's. This one is Skulduggery's... Enjoy! <3 

This world will never be 

When Skulduggery had died, he had honestly never expected to see Alison again, or Penelope, or Echo for that matter. He thought he was going to die and gave Serpine his best shot in the hopes of bringing him down with him.

What I expected...

That... hadn't worked out well. At all. He wound up dead and was forced to watch, helpless in all but vision as he went after Echo, nearly killing her... Then she ran out of his sight-line once again and his anguish grew deeper. Serpine killed so many, and Skulduggery had to watch it all, like a man caged. 

And if I don't belong,

When he came back to life, he was not shocked when people were surprised. It was a bit of a comfort to know people were just as confused as he was that he was alive, but what frightened him was Echo's reaction. 

Who would have guessed it...

She had been... Oh, God! It had been there in her eyes: The shock, the guilt, the confusion, the anger, but... She had not thrown herself at him like he expected: The old Echo would have cried and done all sorts of embarrassing things like beg for his forgiveness. That was Echo, it just was the way she had been. 

I will not leave alone

Instead, she had shown him just how much she had changed. Her eyes hardened after a moment, and she glared at him. After that she basically told him that next time he decided to die he should not steal the show and come back to life after, oh, eighty years. She had been pissed at him, and years later he understood why. 

Everything that I own...

He felt a little hurt: She was his best friend, the person he had known almost as long as anyone else, and longer then his wife... And then his temper flared. Years later he understood just how ANGRY he had been, but right then he took it out on Echo. All his rage dumped onto her, when she already had enough to deal with...

To make you feel like it's not too late,

They had not spoken for a week, and after that they had to co-operate, even if it was grudgingly: He had mistaken his anger at her, and she was just pissed off at him because she was Echo and that's what Echo did. 

It's never too late...

Well, China had none of that. They were the best- Over the years Echo had strengthened her powers so she could stay in her "Cleaver" form for as long as she needed, plus her new troops, the Cleavers. He was a Skeleton and thus unafraid of being hit on top of being full of pent up rage. She sent them on several missions together, until she got the fact that they had a non-verbal agreement: Do what was needed as long as was needed, but there was no need for friendship. 

Even if I say
It'll be alright,

Finally a lull that lasted for a century popped open, and Echo disappeared promptly. He found himself quite unsettled without her around: Anger was still there, but now he had no clue who he was angry at, other then Serpine. She was still gone, so he went in search of her. Of course he found her within twenty years, in a bakery in London. When she saw him, he had  seen the things he had seen in her eyes before: But this time it was distilled, like she had finally managed to cool down. 

Still I hear you say
You want to end your life...

Too bad he hadn't. Luckily they were not in public when he started shouting, but then, she yelled back at him, unlike all those times when she just said a few words that made him stop talking pretty quick. 

Now and again we try,
To just stay alive,

"You're so stupid! How could you have just been thinking of yourself all these years?! Alison was my sister too, Skul! She was my sister and I loved her like a sister and I want to kill Serpine for it too but all you seem to do is blame me! Of course I ran, what kind of steel do you think I'm made out of, to stand by you even as you turn into the magical equivalent of an angry drunk!? I'm NOT YOUR WIFE, SKULDUGGERY!"

Maybe we'll turn it all around
'Cause it's not too late,
It's never too late...

No one will ever see...

...She was right. She was right and he knew it. It had taken him five years after that to come to terms with it, and two more after that for her to meet him again... 

This side reflected...

When he had seen her the first though he had was 'Is she still mad?' Well, maybe. He had seen her glare at him once or twice before she talked to China and came over to where he sat... And it wasn't that odd little childish glare she used to use when she was 'just kidding,' either. This was a full-blown ice queen glare.  Shot across a room of people, it was a bit frightening, even for him. 

And if there's something wrong,

When she sat by him she was awkward, shy, a little confused. Good old Echo. Within a few minutes they were laughing over the past several years, a smile upon her face for the first time who knows how long, and he could let everything go for just a few moments, before the party ended and the reality of Serpine and Alison came crashing back down on him.

Who would have guessed it...

Echo saw him the week after that, but this time he wasn't as happy as last time. He mostly listened as she told him about what happened after he disappeared, and after a couple minutes she paused. And asked him what was wrong. Echo had always been way too perceptive. 

And I have left alone

With reluctance, he told her that it felt like betraying Alison, every time he talked to someone he enjoyed talking to, every time he felt like laughing or even stopped thinking about her it was like he died all over again when the thoughts of her came back. 

Everything that I own,

Echo had nothing to say for about a minute after that, just looking at him like he was crazy. Then she informed him that her sister would not have wanted to see him like this, because she loved him and no matter what happened after she died Alison would have wanted him to keep on going. Everything had the ring of truth even through their age-old aura of 'bad pun.' 

To make you feel like
It's not too late,
It's never too late...

And for the first time he could look at her as someone wise, not someone angry or childish or just his friend. He really realized for the first time that she had, in fact, lived as long as him, thank you very much. She just aged much more gracefully and gleaned much more from her years then him, because technically she was a good eighty years old then him because of his time in limbo. 

Even if I say
It'll be alright,

She had smiled at him, and a few weeks later she disappeared. Where had he gone wrong? Had he said something, or not said enough? He was like a ship at sea without an anchor: He felt too light, and he kept thinking that something was missing... 

Still I hear you say
You want to end your life...

When he found her again he had promptly told her off for it. She had replied with a laugh and a comment he really, REALLY wished now she hadn't said. 

Now and again we try,
To just stay alive,

"You're not my Aunt, Skul." She teased him about that for the next, oh, four centuries. 

Maybe we'll turn it all around,
'Cause it's not too late,
It's never too late...

The world we knew...

After that it was a chase across continents with several years in between each, where they would be friends for a bit before she ran again and he started thinking about WHY, but then he found her and they laughed and talked and reminisced and as soon as the topic of Alison came up (which it did) she smiled and laughed like before but right about when he started spilling all his thoughts about his late wife to her she packed up and was gone again. 

Won't come back....

He figured that out only recently, and even then only because Sanguine practically held it up for him on a golden platter while they fought. But was it really possible that she... Could she? No, impossible! 

The time we've lost...

That would require her to have hidden how she felt for over 2000 years! In pain all that time, because of his choice to have her sister instead of her, grieving those eighty years not because of only her sister and niece and best friend but her lover as well... 

Can't get back...

Even as she attacked him and tried to strike him down, this time he was careful- Valkyrie was to hold back, to not reveal herself no matter what, while he 'took care' of her and made sure she hurt neither himself nor herself and she still ended up with a broken wrist and oh God why hadn't she told him! 

The life we had...

When she woke up at home he had been there the entire time, following her through the house as she ran, and finally to the library where she broke down- But why?! He knew for a fact she could not be in that much discomfort- His own arm had the exact same wound. When she called him a Butt-smear he really had no clue what to say, but... She had been worried for his safety?

Won't be ours again.

He had been shocked even more so when she hugged him, relief going through her system while his brain broke in silence. It was true, then, she actually did... Did... 

This world will never be
What I expected,
And if I don't belong...

She loved him. 

Even if I say
It'll be alright,

He watched her very, very closely from then on, cuing in on her movements and the things that showed what she thought, even though he knew them like the back of his hand already. It was unspeakable how much he worried about her day and night, especially when for the final time she refused to stay on the side-lines, making sure she was in the middle of the battle. 

Still I hear you say
You want to end your life...

What was it with women and suicide runs? Tanith, Valkyrie, China, Echo, they all insisted upon self-sacrifice. When Echo threw herself in front of him to block the blow from the God, he had believed the would both die, for real this time. He had been ready to grab her and hold her close, but the next thing he remembered...

Now and again we try...
To just stay alive...

...Whiteness. Echo was there, somewhere, he could hear her (wind chimes and a ticking clock), as well as Valkyrie (drum-beats and hail against a roof), and he thought Tanith was around there somewhere but could not remember what it was like. He couldn't see past the whiteness, though, but got the vague feeling Echo was struggling... 

Maybe we'll turn it all around,
'Cause it's not too late,
It's never too late,

And then he was on the ground, his jacket too heavy- Oh wait, what? Echo! She was lying on top of him, barely breathing, far too still...

Maybe we'll turn it all around,

'Cause it's not too late
It's never too late (It's never too late)

When she woke up next he didn't care who saw- He hugged her right there, and she seemed shocked, surprised, fragile, hesitant... And then disbelief and then joy, when she hugged him back. 

It's not too late,
It's never too late...

"Maybe I chose the wrong sister..."

A/N: OMG. THREE FREAKING HOURS. Maybe I won't be doing an Echo to this one... D:

Any Requests?

Hey, guys, got any requests? If so, comment here.

Request form:

Author: (Me, Paula, whoever.)

Characters: (EXAMPLE: Amigo, Jeremiah)

Type: (Crack, fluff, ect.)  

Prompt/details: (In the middle of the night, the barn, Jeremiah steals a brush.) 

Eve of Destruction, The One We've All Been Waiting For!

Dear Readers,
I am here to warn you now about the following unknown-shot. My name is Jaeza Prendida, and I have read and reviewed this story twice now. For you to know, all the names have been highly coded with a special way to identify who exactly is who. Also, people have been paired, not at random either, and they will cheat on each other the majority of the time. Except for a few them... the author, Garlands, tends to do that kind of thing. Not only that, songs have influenced the following events, and some include Faded (Cascada) and Fearless (Taylor Swift). On top of all of this, there is an ass-load of romance, (yes, "it") and it may get too dirty for young poeples to read. Please do not blame Garlands, she was having too much fun... and these things just write themselves. Please read at your own risk, and do enjoy!
Sincerely, Jaeza Prendida

Disclaimers: I do in fact own all of the characters, but I wish I could sing like Taylor Swift, so obviously, I do not own her or anyone else's music. All photographs are mine thank you. I am that awesome. Also, Published by Amigo Corporation, all in favor of Amigo?!? AYEEEEE!!!

Katarina Nieva was sitting on the bluff that overlooked the Saint Amigon Ocean. The salty air was fresh and smelled of the water many feet below, and of the shrub-less dunes that she resided upon. Katarina, or known as Kat to those who had once known her, had moved here six years ago, when she was still just twelve. Born under the Cursed Star Skyleren, she had been cursed with the Star of Skyleren, a powerful control of the Cosmos. When she was twelve, she had chosen to run away from home, and move here to the bluff of Amigon Ocean, right on the edge of the Desert of Roxyia. Nobody could find her in those hidden place amongst the clustered sand dunes, it was a maze without water.

Amongst the towering sands, in a dune right by the ocean side, Kat had dug into the hill, and using her powers over Gravity, she had made a dome-ish home inside the sands. It was cozy, and she had lived there for six years, enjoying the sun, ocean, and the ease of the times. It was like time had slowed down, and Kat could enjoy everything in stride without people poking her with needles and cutting her open and all that scientific shit. She shook her head even thinking about it.

Now she was eighteen, a tall, thin, (but not bony) and graceful girl. She had midnight black wavy hair that cascaded down her back like ocean waves, and shocking violet eyes that sparked in the strong sunlight. Katarina hadn’t seen another human in more than six years. Around her tanned neck was a choker with a heart shaped locket on it. It was a magical locket, and it reflected whoever Kat wanted it to. Right now, it showed an image of Alejandro Mïn, (double dots over the i in Mïn) one of Kat’s oldest friends. He had been beside her for so long, and she hadn’t even told him where she was going. She missed him most of all. There were others, of course, Greggory, Robert, Garret, Geoffrey, Aaron, Leahna, Elaine, and Natalie. She remembered them all like it had only been yesterday, not six years ago.

Alejandro wandered back into her thoughts, and she pictured her face in her mind’s eye. His black hair, tanned skin, and baby blue lavender colored eyes. He was always laughing and he too had been born under the Cursed Skyleren Star, and they had trained together while they were still young.

“I miss you.” She said quietly, looking down at the soft sand beneath her bare feet. Her shoes had worn out years ago, and now she just went around without them. The sand was soft enough, and hot, so her soles were tough as nails.

“I missed you too.” An all so familiar voice said, and Katarina swung around, her feet dancing over the sand as a boy stepped closer to her. He had dark black hair and light baby blue lavender eyes… it couldn’t be.

“Alejandro?” Kat asked, his name sounding foreign on her tongue. She hadn’t said it in forever.

“I thought I’d never find you, Kat.” Alejandro said. “I… kept searching… but you were gone.”

“I had to go Alejandro.” Kat said, looking away in shame. “I just couldn’t stay.”

“You didn’t tell me where you were going.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Kat.” Alejandro took the last few steps until they were face to face. Kat smiled inside, she was still half an inch taller than he. “I… missed you so much.” He took her face in his soft hands and forced her to meet his eyes. Their beauty struck Katarina to the ground, and she froze, her own violet eyes wide. “Look into my eyes and tell me otherwise.”

Kat struggled to speak, but she couldn’t. It had been too long, and things had changed in the past six years.

Alejandro let go of her and wrapped his arms around her, and he hugged her close to him.

“I didn’t want to give up. But everyone told me you were dead, or worse, Skyleren had come for you in the end.” Alejandro’s voice was lower than it once had been, but he was still gentle in his heart.

“Now what, Alejandro?” Kat asked.

“Kat, I need you to wake up.”

“What?!” Kat suddenly screamed, panicking. “No, no, NO!” She struggled and broke away from him.

“All you have to do is wake up.” He said, suddenly appearing in front of her. She jumped again, and could feel the pain of a rock imbedding itself into her foot. She shook it loose and dodged away, but Alejandro was still in front of her. He caught her wrist and swung her around, and she crashed into him as she lost control. She clenched her fist, and she forced the air at him, but his magic was more advanced than hers now. He stopped her spell in its tracks.

“This isn’t going according to plan, exactly.” He grumbled, as he gave her a huge shove, and she stumbled. He continued pushing her towards the bluff’s cliff, and she was immediately terrified.

“No, no, no.” She mumbled. “I don’t want to fight you Alejandro. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Katarina Nieva.” Alejandro said sternly. “It’s time.”

“Time for what?”

“I love you Kat.”

And then he shoved her off of the bluff, and into the ocean far below.

Dear Reader,

Happy now? What will happen to Kat? Did the only love she ever had just murder her… or is there something deeper? What does Alejandro want? And what exactly is the Cursed Skyleren Star? More in the next edition of Eve of Destruction, the One We’ve All Been Waiting For.

Jaeza Prendida

Disclaimers: Currently introduced characters: Katarina “Kat” Nieva and Alejandro Mïn. How are they related? Well… we’ll get to that, now won’t we?

Dear Readers,

This is just a one-shot, and probably won’t be continued. Garlands plans on writing the ultimate romance scene between… err… you’ll see at some point. Apparently, it’s just too hard to try and recreate real people. Ouch.

Jamie Alos

Night-Time Visits

Skulduggery knocked on the window, and after a moment the curtains were pulled back to reveal a semi-awake Echo. She blinked blearily at him, rubbed her eyes, and looked at him some more.

"Can I come in?" He asked. He knew she would hear him through the glass.

In return she let the curtain drop back into place. After a moment the light inside came on and she returned, looking more awake now.

"I was beginning to think you would miss it." She held a guitar in one hand and a song book in the other.

"Alright, so how do you want to do this?" Echo asked as he climbed inside.

"Oh, anywhere is fine." He took the guitar from her, tuning it expertly while Echo looked on.

"...I thought you didn't know how to play." She was glaring again. Skulduggery laughed internally: She only glared like that when she was forcing herself to. Echo wanted to spend time with him as much as he did with her. 

"Whoever said that?" He asked, and she had a feeling that under his grinning skull he was... Well, grinning.

A/N: Skulduggery taking guitar lessons. Funfunfun. Don't get any bad ideas, now! They're just playing guitar... And singing. XD

Banded Together

No doubt about it, Valkyrie was the lead singer. Youngest of them all, she was often the one who made the most impression upon newcomers without needing a reputation. She was flashing lights and bombs going off and the sound of screeching tires blended into a teenager who disobeyed orders and made her own opinions. She was the one that suggested the stupidest plan that everyone else worked off to create a better and better one, and the one that threw herself from a window as a distraction. Valkyrie, the star of the show. 

Skulduggery was bass and drums. He was the strings that tied the group together, the one everybody needed healthy in order to play. He was the one who made sure they didn't all die, the person who was always, always there if needed.  He did not do much in sound: But when it counted, he was there. Stealing what they had to have and the one that usually made the most sense, Skulduggery was the sound of acoustic guitars and piano music on a cold day. He was that thing you know is there, you can hear it beneath the song, but you just can't pinpoint it...  He was the one behind it all, under-appreciated by anybody who did not know him. 

Echo was lead guitar. Echo was the one who came up with the flare and the one who raised moral when all seemed dark, the one with tons of allies ready to spring up and support her because she's just so like able. Echo was the one who socialized, who threw parties, who manipulated in the background to get done what needed to get done. She was the one who kept secrets (while Skulduggery drew them out). Echo was the sound of rain against the roof turning to hail, fire crackling in the grate, and thunderclaps that shake the very core of your soul. She's the one who grins at everything, and takes the fall for the team if she must. The one they need, Echo. 

They needed each-other like a family, and in certain cases they almost were. One splendid melody trying to make all the others dance to their tune.

...Not that it's that difficult. Already most people were on their side.

A/N: Lol, this came up when I thought about the final scene where Echo beats a God's hide in a mental game of Charades. XDD

Eve of Destruction

Baytail, Amigo's girlfriend. Yes, I am now officially dating, and I have a one-shot to prove it! (teh coming soon! Too lazy to write now)

Welcome one and all. Let the flames and hate commence.

>:D Welcome one and all to Project 'Verbal Warfare.' This was created because seriously, me and Paula will spam up Five Musketeers within a week. No one will ever find ANYTHING again. 

If you plan on posting here and not just watching, read below. I hope I managed to keep it short.

...*cough cough* 

Basically, you create a topic with either a prompt (below) or a one-shot. 

One-shots are like the things me and Paula left behind in Musketeers.

Prompts are sentences like "Snow fell against the window-pane, blocking out the moon." People write based off that:

"Snow fell against the window-pane, blocking out the moon. Inside, she slept peacefully, buried under mountains of blankets to stay warm. 

A man's shadow fell over her, and she opened her eyes, but it was too late. Blood joined the snow on the window, and the moon fell dark."

...Sorry. XD

Respond to prompts in the comments. Try and keep them short, but if it goes beyond "drabble" length, create a new topic for it. 

Important!! LABEL PROCEDURE! 

Okay, labels go like this. If you label two things with the same tag, then click the label link on the topic, it takes you to all things labeled with that label. That's why in Musketeers, all my topics have "Writer" at the bottom. That is a label.

Labeling Procedure: I just want to make this as annoying (lol) as possible. ALWAYS, ALWAYS TAG WITH YOUR USERNAME. That way, we can sort who wrote what without having to scroll down and CHECK. 

Tag with "Drabble," "One-Shot," "Two-Shot," and so on. If it is a Multi-chaptered fic, also add in the name of the multi-chaptered story. If it's based off a multi-chaptered fiction, go ahead and put that in too. ((Things like that classified below))

Fluff, Angst, crack, and Romance are the four labels for content. 

For example, one of mine would be: Volital, One-Shot, Fluff, Rippling Pool. 

Simple and easy to remember. If you forget, I'll let you know. 

'Mod Speaking' is something only I do. Because I'm the mod. >:D

RANDOM INFO: 

Drabbles: Drabbles are little tiny stories, sometimes just sentences. A traditional drabble is 100 words, but they can go up to 600 before I classify them as One-Shots. 

One-Shots: Short stories over 600 words. They cannot have more then one chapter, and usually don't have much of a plot.

Two-Shots: Like One-Shots, only with two chapters. 

Multi-Chaptered: ...A multi-chaptered story. What brains you possess... *rolls eyes*

NOW POST LIKE TOAST AND GO! :)