- P R O L O G U E -

-Ash-

July 12, 1915

New Orleans, Louisiana

"Alexander, my parents are in the house!"

I held my index finger to my lips in a 'hush' like manner and motioned her to join me on the small front porch of her house. She rolled her eyes but approached me nonetheless.

The crickets creating a soft ambience in the humid Louisiana night slightly calmed me as the dim porch light illuminated her curvy figure as she walked towards me. Once she was within arm's length, I pulled her so that every part of her was pressed against me.

"What you doin' here? What if somebody see you?" She questioned rapidly. Her Creole accent making a slight appearance.

I pressed my lips to hers in a long, firm embrace. "I had to see you," I answered candidly.

I felt her relax a bit in my arms, not giving her parents another thought.

Suddenly she sighs and pulls away with a solemn expression."I can't do this Alex." She starts.

I open my mouth to protest, but she cut me off with a stern look and a pointed finger. "We can't keep doin' dis here."

She turned so that her back was to me. "We're too different."

I came up from behind her and turned her towards me."Look at me," I gently grasp her chin between my thumb and index finger. "This isn't just some game . I love you and I don't give a damn what anyone thinks."

Just as I said this, I heard a gasp from behind us.

I tentatively turned around and saw Sophia's younger sister, Abigail, standing in the small doorway of the old white shotgun house.

The twelve-year-old was pretty much a carbon copy of her older sister, with her chocolate brown hair pinned up in tight curls and big brown eyes staring at us with concern.

"I'm alright Abby, go back in the house."

The girl looked between us once more with uneasiness but reluctantly obeyed her older sister's demands.

After Abigail had left, Sophia took backwards step, away from my embrace, and put her arms around herself, as if she was trying to keep from falling apart. I could see the fresh tears in her eyes and her lower lip start to tremble. My heart ached at the beautifully painful sight.

"I love you Alex, honest," she took a deep inhale of the sticky air." And if we could be together I would be the happiest woman alive."

We've had this conversation about a million times and she'd always say that because of the difference in our skin tones we would never work out and that we should forget each other move on, but I couldn't, I loved her too much.

"But we're from two different worlds. You have your people and I-" I pressed my lips against hers to stop her talking.

She pulled away almost immediately and slapped me.

My head snapped in the opposite direction due to the force of the slap.

"I'm done Alex and I mean it." She turned around but I caught her wrist and pulled her back to me.

"You can't leave me that easy Soph."

She struggled in my grasp, but I just held her tighter all the more.

"Let go uh' me!" She managed to wiggle her way out I'd my hold and glared fiercely at me.

"I don't know what I was thinking, going with you that night. I must'a been a damn cooyon," she spat.

I looked at her with a baffled expression.

"You-you regret what you called the best night of your life?"

I was waiting for her to chuckle awkwardly and say that she was just teasing or even try to take back her words, but she didn't.

"The best night of my life will be when you leave." She didn't mean anything she was saying, I could practically see her trying her damnedest not to run into my arms but she held her chin out in defiance. That's what I loved about her, she always stood her ground and never backed away from doing what she thought was right.

"Sophia, why are you saying these things when you don't mean them?" I took a step closer to her shaking frame and asked her again.

"Papa done found out 'bout us and said he will kill you if I keep seeing you," I felt her relax a bit in my arms.

"Sophia everything will be okay," I said reassuringly. I held her head to my chest, patting down the frizzy mess that was becoming her hair. I looked behind Sophia when I heard the sound of a gun being loaded and was met with the angry face of her father holding a silver pistol.

"Baby girl, I need you to go in the house. Me 'n Alex fixin' to talk."

She turned towards her father and shook her head, standing boldly in front of me. "As soon as I leave, you're gonna shoot him."

"What else can I do?" He tightened his grip on the pistol. "Swâ twa, swâ li," he stated coldly. "It's gonna be him or it's gonna be you cher," he waved the loaded gun towards me again. "An' he ain't got nobody to miss him."

I turned her around so that she was facing me.

"I'll be fine Sophie, just go in the house."

I saw her face morph into a confused expression.

"He gotta gun Alex and he'll shoot."

"Just relax Soph, I'll be alright," I assured with a small smile.

I hadn't told Sophia about my being an Angel, well Dark Angel rather, because I thought she would deem me insane.

I figured she wasn't going in the house so I moved her out of the way so that her father could take his aim.

"I know you're a terrible shot old man, so make this one count."

I heard her father spit out another colorful threat but I was bracing myself for their reactions.

When he cocked the pistol, I was suddenly pushed to the side and tripped on the cracked cement that made up their modest porch,

It took me a few seconds to come to, but when I did, I could faintly hear crying and someone gasping for air.

"Why you do sumthing like dat cher?" I heard him weep. He was holding one of her small hands in his bigger, calloused one.

I got up and looked over and saw my love lying in a pool of her own blood, fighting for air, the blue dress that she was wearing was now adorned with the red liquid.

I got on my knees and crawled so that I was above her head and put her head on my lap.

"No-now you have a life, go live it," she gasped. A small smile graced her lips for a brief moment.

I shook my head and muttered profanities under my breath.

"You can't leave me that easy Soph," I whispered.

But it was to late, her eyes closed and I could just about see her spirit leave her body.

I could no longer keep my cries to myself and felt hot tears stream down my face.

The longer I stared at her lifeless body, the sicker I became.

With on last kiss on her forehead, I gently removed her head from my lap and quickly stood up to leave but Sophia's father grabbed my wrist to stop me.

I turned to him.

"You really love her, yeah?" He asked sadly.

His face had paled drastically and his eyes had lost their familiar lively glint.

"So much that it hurt."

After that he let go of my wrist and turned back to his daughter.

I made a hasty exit but slowly crumpled down on the sidewalk not far from her house.

I looked to dark, incompassionate sky and yelled out in frustration.

"Why have you cursed me? Why have you left me? Why did you take her so soon?" I whispered to the wind.

-One Week Later-

"We are joined here today to celebrate the life of Sophia Grace Duval. She leaves behind her little sister, Abigail Duval and her parents Henri and Charlotte Duval. Would anyone like to say a few words?"

Sophia's funeral had taken place in a small catholic church not far from the bayou.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was out and there wasn't a cloud for miles, but I couldn't see the day for anything other that what it really was.

A painful reminder that I could never truly be happy.

I didn't pay attention to the service, my eyes never strayed from Sophia's open casket.

I couldn't see her, because I was all the way in the back, hardly in the old rundown building, but I didn't doubt that she probably looked gorgeous.

By the time the service ended they took the casket and placed it on the back of a horse-drawn carriage. As everyone was preparing to make the short dispiriting trek to the cemetery, I slowly approached her casket.

Her chocolate brown hair was straightened and framed her pale carmel face in a soft river and she was dressed elegantly in a modest black gown with her hands her placed on her stomach.

She was beautiful.

I stroked her cheek with the see back of my hand and kissed her frozen lips.

"I'll see you in a hundred years." I whispered against her mouth.