Autumn POV

This time I wake up in a bed. I gently touch my head only to find out that it has been re-stiched, and I see my leg propped on some pillows. Some crutches lay on the bed next to me. Confused, I take the crutches and go outside of the little room to find Devon standing right there, about to knock. He laughs.

"Oh, hey, I was just gonna ask you something." He scratches the back of his neck nervously, and I just nod. "Would you come with me to try and talk to Ike?"

"Oh, uh, sure." I say, suddenly excited to see Ike.

"Alright, let's go."

Ike POV

I sit in Autumn's bed at Alfea. After Flora's disappearance, we decided to come back and sleep on it, since we didn't really know where to go from there. It's morning now, and I haven't gotten a wink of sleep. I'm waiting anxiously for the others to wake, though I'm pretty sure Helia and Julien aren't sleeping either. Suddenly I hear a know of the dorm door, and I sigh and lazily go to open it. When I do, I am shocked to the point that I almost faint. Devon is standing there, with Autumn standing behind him. She looks happy to see me, and once I contain myself, I shove him aside and engulf Autumn in a hug.

"I missed you so much," I say.

"I missed you more." She says, and I melt a little inside. Then I remember that my brother, the brother who was my best friend at one time, but then deserted me, was standing right behind me, and who knows what he could have done to my Autumn. I turn and slam him into a wall.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I growled in his ear.

"Ike, I'm pretty sure you know who I am. It's me, Devon." He says. I punch him as hard as I can.

"You idiot, you know what I mean. You think you can just walk out on me when I was only twelve, and leave me with our parents? Our parents who were never home, so you basically left me to fend for myself, I might add. Then you come back and do who knows what to my girlfriend, and now you expect me to act like old times and pretend everything is back to the way it was? Well guess what, its not, and it never will be. Don't expect me to forgive you. Get out of my sight." I drop him to the ground and turn to walk out, but then I see Autumn's face. She looks horrified.

"Autumn, I-"

"You know Ike, your 'girlfriend', she doesn't look to.. comfortable with you." He wipes up some blood from his pathetic face. "In fact, you two don't exactly... suit each other. She's sweet and.. well, you know where I'm going about this." He smirked. "Trust me, I'll be back."

And he was gone.

"Ike... What was he talking about?" I turn to see the whole group behind us, eyes wide.

"Autumn, can we talk in private?" I ask nervously.

"Sure." She hugs her brothers and they whisper something in her ear and she laughs, then follows me. We walk out to the forest.

"Okay, after my brother left, my grades dropped and I started getting into fights with other kids, so my parents finally noticed and did something about it. They made me see a therapist, and after that my dad always told me that he was disappointed in me. It could have been him trying to help me but it kind of shut me down. Eventually I enrolled myself in Red Fountain to get away from it all. I wasn't always calm, but then I met you, and you help me keep myself together. And I love you for that." I smile, and she literally has tears in her eyes. Before I can say anything, her lips are on mine, and were kissing. I can't remember the last time we kissed.

Then I remember my brother's words.

He'll be back, and I have to protect Autumn at all costs.