Disclaimer: This is a complete work of fiction, there's no resemblance to actual persons or events or places. If so, it is utterly not intended. I do NOT own Monster High, or anything to do with it. Thank you.

A / n: Alright, I am home and currently stuffed from previous Thanksgiving dinner. No more turkey please! Damn. I'm done lmao. I know it's now the twenty sixth chapter and all, but I'm still overwhelmed by the love this story is getting from you guys! I give thanks for you guys, bringing a smile to my face with your reviews and reviewing to keep my creative juices flowing to the maximum. :) Keep doing what you do!

Cast In Stone

Chapter Twenty Six

It'd been a nice few weeks that had passed. Deuce had been coming over to Heath's to spend time with Jackson, to which Skyler joked about his binders being extremely tidied by now. Deuce and the normie both felt pretty great around one another and just enjoyed spending time together no matter what they were doing, it felt great to do so. He flopped down on his bed, reaching for his iCoffin, dialing a familiar number.

Clawd Wolf answered his cell phone. "Hey."

Deuce made himself comfortable after awaiting his answer, "Hey man, what's up?"

"Nothing much, you?"

He sighed, "Listen… can you talk right now?"

After some silenced thought, he spoke up. "Yeah, I can. Lemme bring the cordless phone upstairs and we'll chit chat." A couple minutes passed by before he heard Clawd's voice once more. "Alright, I'm ready."

Deuce heaved a sigh; he needed to talk to someone… unbiased. Not that Jackson or Heath were extremely biased but it was always nice to have that one unbiased person to help you come to a clear conclusion. "Okay well… y'know I've been hanging out with Jackson, a lot."

"Are you two together yet?" Clawd let out a deep chuckle, almost every time he talked to Deuce, he asked him that question. He seemed to be really anticipating it, probably because Deuce seemed happier than he had been for quite some time.

Deuce let out a slight groan, "Not yet. I'm working on it, I'm working on it. He's not easy y'know."

"And this you're not used to?"

Deuce reassuringly laughed a bit, "Right. Nah, I'm just kidding. But I have been meaning to call you. I want to discuss… Cleo."

Clawd seemed very enthused. "Yeah, good choice. I wanna mention some things about her too. First of all, how it's still not fair how you're handling things Deuce." Instead of interrupting Clawd, he continued to stay on the line and listen to what he was saying. With age did come wisdom and he was Deuce's oldest friend. This wasn't exactly a topic Deuce could talk to his mother about. So he looked up to Clawd Wolf as a sort of male figure in his life that he could undoubtedly trust. "I mean, you gave Cleo an ultimatum. Has she done anything to try and gain a spot in your good books?"

Deuce had to really think when it came to anything about Cleo in the past few weeks. He hadn't been focusing on her and while it was nice not to do so for once, he felt very bad for hardly noticing if she did good or bad, or did anything at all. "I can't really think of her approaching me or anything."

Clawd growled ever so slightly, "See? That's my point. You gave Cleo an ultimatum and you're not giving her a chance to follow through because you're so occupied. Deuce, as someone who's a good friend to you – listen to me. You cannot keep Cleo on the sidelines, thinking she has hope should things fall through with Jackson, you go back to her. And you can't keep Jackson on the sidelines, should shit go south with Cleo. Either way it's not fair to one of them no matter how you slice it. It causes for hurt feelings and it's just very unfair. It hurts. So, what you need to do… is officially end it with Cleo. Saying you're over, that's it… and you've moved on."

Deuce winced lightly. The way Clawd had said the word 'slice' brought him back to the moment just the other day where Jackson revealed to Deuce what had truly happened. How hurt he felt in his own life, enough to take a sharp knife and a harsh stab to his own abdomen the way he did. It was honestly one of those rare cases where he was just fine for the most part, but it was all for a purpose. It must've been, how could it be explained otherwise? "But what if she finds out it's Jackson?" Deuce proceeded suddenly, shaking the thoughts from his mind as he tried to focus on the current conversation.

Clawd shook his head, despite being on the other end of his cell phone. "She doesn't need to know who it is or any of those details Deuce. If you're truly wanting Jackson, cut all ties with Cleo. Let her move on and find happiness without you. Or if you want Cleo, leave Jackson alone and cut all ties with him."

Deuce sighed, feeling a bit agitated. "But I don't know what -"

"Then you need to take a good couple days or so to yourself to figure out exactly what and who you want. I mean it, don't socialize with either one of them and just think Deuce. Think about everything; consider everything… and only then, your heart will give you an answer. You turn things to stone Deuce, that doesn't mean you have a heart of stone."

Deuce nodded. He knew that everything Clawd had taken the time to say to him was right. "Thank you Clawd, you're the best."

Clawd shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, a knowing aloof grin upon his face. "Yeah, you know this."

It may have taken Deuce Gorgon a couple days, but he completely made his choice and subtly broke it to Cleo de Nile that there wasn't a chance for them to continue being together. He explained that it wouldn't be fair for her to keep trying when his mind was already made up. He treated her to dinner to give his full explanation of why it wasn't best for them to stay an item and that he wanted her to move on and be happy. He wished her all the best in her future endeavors and that she would find happiness along the road ahead of her.

Cleo did very well in accepting all that was said to her and leaving things on a very positive note between them. There was no bitterness as one might think a de Nile would have.

Now Deuce had the perfect plan in mind. He walked up the steps of this very familiar home, knocking on the door and waiting patiently. To his surprise, the very person he wanted to see answered it. So without any hesitation, Deuce grabbed Jackson and submerged him into a heated lip lock. "That's my baby! You make auntie proud and smooch the lips off that boy! GO ON MY LITTLE VACUUM!"

Isaac grabbed his wife playfully and shut the door, lightly scolding her from within. Jackson's cheeks blushed heavily but Deuce caressed them gently. "Jackson… there's been something I've been meaning to ask you."

Jackson sighed, "Deuce… I am seriously running low on socks. Can't you buy toys for your snakes instead of them stealing my socks? I'm reminded every time my feet get cold, or I slide my socks on to have like, three toes hanging out."

Deuce gave a grin, "I researched about your kind," he poked Jackson's nose. "your feet are the body part that most hold your individual scent. That's why animals or the like will sometimes curl up at their human's feet, or like, their shoes or whatever. Cool huh?"

Jackson narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, it's great. You're still buying me more socks though." His eyes suddenly widened when he remembered something. "It's a good thing you stopped by, I almost forgot something. Stay right here."

Deuce raised an eyebrow as he watched Jackson scurry back into the house, but he shrugged his shoulders. "C'mon Deuce… you can do this. Don't wimp out, don't wimp out. Just be confident, just be…"

"Here we go."

"Ah shit." He'd lost his nerve in a matter of seconds. This is what Jackson had been doing to him as of lately. Well that and giving him these hardly controllable butterflies in his stomach.

He put this long, small box in Deuce's hands. "I… saw it and thought of you."

Upon opening the box, he felt as if he had difficulty breathing. Inside sat a gorgeous, sterling silver chain with a breathtaking snake pendant; it had garnet stones for the eyes. He closed the lid over the box suddenly, but opened it again to get a peek. Yep – it was still there. "Jackson… I don't know… what to say."

Jackson shrugged his shoulders. "It's nothing, I just really thought of you upon seeing it. And I have bad luck like that, if I walk away from something I want to get, figuring I'll get it next time… it's never there. So, here it is. Do you like it?"

Deuce nodded enthusiastically, "Yes of course I do. However…"

Before he could say anything else, Jackson took the box from him, opening it and taking the pendant out. He very carefully draped it around Deuce's neck, fastening it at the back. "I know you, if you're not wearing it – you lose it."

Deuce took a moment to smirk, "Yeah, you're right." Turning around, he scooped Jackson up into his arms, taking a few moments to enjoy the sound embrace. "Now… I have something to give to you."

Jackson pulled away slightly in curiosity. "Tell me it's not another cell phone."

Deuce smiled, "No, no… it's not that. Here, I've been kinda studying up on you and decided to get you this." He pulled out a brand new book from his vest. "I may have had a little help from say, your aunt, uncle and cousin… but I just wanted to be sure it's something you'd enjoy."

Jackson took the book graciously from Deuce's hands. He noticed a bookmark in it and opened the book to that page. The bookmark was pretty big, but was colored in artistically to look like a rock wall. In cursive, white writing it read:

I'd give anything at all for you to be, nothing but cast in stone with me.

Jackson adjusted his glasses as he finally departed his gaze from the bookmark to none other than Deuce Gorgon, "Are you serious right now?"

Deuce laughed, "Of course I am… would you be my amazing boyfriend Jackson Jekyll? With a little dash of Holt Hyde?"

YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO ASK HIM TWICE YEEAH! Jackson narrowed his eyes, "Holt, shut your face for a minute, I'm trying to soak this all in!" He softly exclaimed out loud. SAY YES LOVER BOY! YOU KNOW YOU WANNA DANCE WITH NO PANTS! "I swear, if I could lock you up in a sound proof cavity of my mind I so would…" Deuce cupped Jackson's chin, distracting him momentarily and their lips brushed together softly. Once parting though, Jackson took off Deuce's sunglasses and he flinched a little. "Shh, it's okay... I have glasses remember?"

Deuce smiled warmly, nodding. He was speechless in this perfect moment right now.

Jackson lovingly pet Deuce's snakes, a couple of them licking him in return. He shuddered, mumbling under his breath. "I'm never gonna get used to that." But he shook it off and continued on. "As for being your official boyfriend? Yes, si, oui - in many undead languages, Deuce Gorgon." But finally he roughly pulled Deuce in for a steamy lip lock. Deepening the kiss ever so naturally this all felt to be just perfect to both males. Upon letting go, Jackson caressed Deuce's cheek softly with his fingers.

For the first time in Jackson's life, he actually looked forward to tomorrow, the day after that and the day after that. Life was worth being dragged through the lowest downs, for the highest and sometimes life changing ups that could alter how one sees the potential in their own life. Something so simple yet difficult as opening up your heart, can open many doors and shut out the bad.

The End

Wow, I'm shocked.

This story is finally finished.

I don't even know how to take this news myself xD

I will end off by saying a HUGE thank you to EVERYONE! Who read, reviewed, favorited, alerted, followed… thank you so, so, so much! I can't even begin to thank you all. Of course I'd love to hear what you thought about this final chapter, the story… all of it. I enjoy reading all your feedback, it means so much to me that you care enough to do so.

Much love to you all and take care!

Don't worry, I'll be back with another story soon enough. ;)

Sincerely,

CreativeWritingSoul