Remember me?

No, I don't supposed you do. I haven't updated in ages aaaaand... this isn't an update, either. (bad author, very bad author)

Ok, so the thing is, I have a metric fuck-tonne of homework and uber important state exams this year and I've started writing my own novel and someone sent me a link to the outside world and the graphics were awesome!

So this is me saying...

I'vediscontinuedthisstory.

I'M SO SORRY!

Ok, I know you guys might want to know what happens so this is a synopsis of what I'd planned to happen with the rest of this fic.

Clara and Ayden meet.

(snippet of the awkward cuteness so maybe you guys will hate me less)

'Mother, I'm going to show Ayden the rebuild of the old library in the plaza. We won't be long I promise.' I said with a sweet smile, hoping that Mother didn't recognise my lie to mean "I want some alone time with my future husband please and thank you"

'Oh, well, if you must.' Mother said, glancing to Ayden's parents.

'You'll survive without me for a few minutes, won't you?' Ayden said, his tone slightly too tight to be teasing. 'It's not like you'd notice, or anything.' he muttered under his breath, almost too low for me to hear.

'Hurry back.' His father said with a tight smile.

'He's talking to you.' Ayden said, once again not convincing me that he was joking.

We left our parents chatting happily in the kitchen, but couldn't sneak past our siblings.

'Where are you guys off to?' Lana asked when she caught sight of us.

'Library.' I mumbled.

'Sure.' One of Ayden's brothers -they were practically indistinguishable- scoffed.

'Reading.'

'Books.'

'Poems.'

'You're really not fooling us.' Laura laughed, 'don't worry, we were once young, newly Matcheds, too.' She sighed nostalgically. 'Have fun.'

'Not too much fun.' Damian said seriously, eyeing Ayden.

'Go away.' I growled, pushing through the wall of annoying siblings. Ayden followed.

'So, we're going to a library?' he asked.

'Uh, no.' I scoffed, 'I'm a nerd, but I'm not that bad.'

'Right.' He said, probably unsure of what else to say. 'Then where are we going?'

'We're- oh. I have no idea.' I said, 'I didn't really think this through. It's just if my mother told you one more baby story about me I would scream.'

He chuckled, 'I think my parents were probably alarmed by the sheer volume of stories they had.'

'Like you weren't an embarrassingly adorable baby.' I teased and turned left to head to the small public park a few Burroughs away. It was probably going to be deserted because everyone was either at school, work or free rec hours. Meeting your Match meant you didn't have to follow your usual schedule for a day and it was embarrassing how exciting I found it.

We walked in slightly awkward silence; the only time we said anything was when we saw a boy from my Burrough passionately kissing his Match in his front garden.

'Oh, gosh.' I said and dropped my eyes to the ground.

Ayden chuckled next to me.

'What?' I said, shyly glancing up to look at him. He sure was tall.

'Nothing.' He grinned.

'What?' I demanded.

'You're just... I don't know. Sweet, or something.'

'Sweet or something is the best you can do?' I demanded teasingly.

'Um. Yeah, I guess so. Your face went this shade of pink and um... or something.'

'Right. I guess I'm not used to seeing that every day.' I mumbled.

'Me neither. Oh, teens with their hormones.' He said sarcastically.

'Aren't we teens with hormones?' I asked, then blushed immediately.

'What are you suggesting?' He asked as we arrived at the park.

'Nothing.' I said.

'Oh, I think you're suggesting something.' He teased. The place was deserted.

'I really wasn't.'

'I think you were.'

'Then you're very presumptuous.' I said and strode quickly away from him to sit under my favourite elm tree. I dumped myself under it and waited for Ayden to join me.

He sat down next to me and grinned, 'Presumptuous or attentive?'

'Presumptuous.'

'Or attentive?'

'Attentive to just what exactly.'

'The obvious hidden message in your words.'

'And just what was that?'

He shifted his position on the grass next to me so he was facing me instead of us being side by side instead of answering.

'There wasn't an obvious hidden message in my words.' I said, my mouth feeling too dry; I swallowed nervously. He shifted closer, his golden orange eyes smiling mischievously.

'There wasn't?' He asked, getting closer still.

'Nuh-uh.' I managed to get out when his face was so close to mine that I could feel his breath fanning across my face.

'No?' He asked, closing his pretty eyes, now close enough that his nose brushed past mine.

'No?' I said and it sounded like a question, my own eyes fluttering shut.

'Pity.' He said and abruptly pulled back from me entirely and resuming his original position of slouching next to me.

I blinked in shock and he burst into loud peals of laughter.

'That wasn't- you can't just- why did you- that was so- ugh!'

'So there was a hidden message in your words.' He laughed.

'You- you did all that to prove a point?' I demanded.

'Yup.' he said, his raucous laughter finally subsiding into soft chuckles.

'Ugh.' I said because I had no idea how else to portray my annoyance.

'Are you mad?' He asked.

I shook my head.

'Disappointed?' He asked, and once again his voice couldn't quite manage to be teasing. This time, his tone was laced with a shy sort of hope that made me want to hug him or ruffle his hair or something.

'No.' I said, 'are you?'

'Maybe a little.' He shrugged.

'Yeah?' I asked.

'Yeah.' he said, sitting up to face me again.

I gulped.

'So you're really not disappointed?' He asked.

'Nope.' I said, my face creeping closer to his. 'Sorry you are, though.'

'I'll survive.' he said and I could see him swallow as I leaned in a little closer.

'Will you?'

'Probably.' He said his cheeks pinkening as I crept in closer, my nose brushing past his.

'Will you survive if I pulled a stunt like you did?' I asked.

'No.' He said, reaching up a hand to tangle in my hair and pulled me even closer so my lips pressed against his. My breath caught in my throat. First kisses were supposed to be like that, right? A little awkward, plenty sweet, teasing, soft. It didn't feel like fireworks, or whatever other cliché that I never believed in in the first place; it made my blood feel like it was boiling in my veins and zinging from my heart to the tips of my toes, my brain like it was melting in my skull.

He pulled back as I pushed further forward and he chuckled awkwardly against my mouth. I guess neither of us had expected me to be so brazen.

I curled my fingers around the collar of his shirt and pulled back out of the kiss.

'Couldn't you have done that the first time?' I breathed giddily.

(See? I'm not that evil. Evil people don't write first kiss awkward fluff to apologise for stuff.)

Anyway, they meet, get married, life is good. BUT about six months before the Society wants them to have a baby (that still weirds me out. Like, "hi we're the government, impregnate your wife now, thanks.") Clara falls ill with the first wave of the Plague. But it's all good, all treated (Ayden's worried as hell, though) and she's back on her feet in no time at all. Whoop. Also, they're both highly, highly successful in their chosen career paths, forgot to mention that. So after Clara gets well again, *gasp* Alec contracts the first wave of the Plague. Once again, everything's fine, back on his feet in no time.

BUT THEN Ayden and Austin both contract THE SECOND NOT SO TREATABLE VERSION OF THE PLAGUE. And things pretty much fall to shit. Sorry. Maybe it's just as well I didn't write it, you guys might have gotten mad.

So, Clara works as hard as she can trying to find a cure, Alec's Match dies of the Plague -leaving him a single parent of one-, there is no word from her family, her husband is feeling a wee bit poorly i.e. dying in a hospital bed with drugs pumping into his veins. Clara's kind of perpetually pissed off, but who can blame her?

AND THEN Austin dies, she gets word that her brothers and Lana are all as bad as her husband and that Laura is dead -her parents are immune- and Ayden's getting worse by the day.

BUT THEN da-duh-da-da CASSIA AND A BUNCH OF OTHER REBEL MEDICS ARRIVE AND CURE THE HELL OUT OF THE SICK PEOPLE!

So, Darren and Damian live, Lana does not -but is reunited with her twin sister- Austin dies, Ayden does not and Alec and Ayden realise that they're idiots for fighting so much -btw some of the whole "I'm developing my characters and their relationships" thing involves, delving deeper into Ayden's relationship with his brothers (hint, it's not a very good one).

And aside from the death toll and mass destruction and tragedy, they ALL LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

So, I guess this is goodbye. ...

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Goodbye.

-Speeder.