“Hey Char,” 
The voice came from behind Charlene and had weirdly shocked her. 
This was happening too much these days. Charlene didn’t know if she should call herself paranoid, or smart. IS there a right or wrong when it comes to what you would do to save yourself and a certain somebody? 
Every time when she went out, Charlene found herself unconsciously looking back past her shoulder as if someone might be following her. 
Even when she was with JJ, she couldn’t help but look down at the floor, and hide her face, as if she didn’t want other people to recognize that she’s the one with JJ. 
Actually, she CAN’T let anybody know that it IS her.
Unfortunately, and Charlene kept reminding herself of this, she was putting JJ in danger, but she didn’t have the willpower or the heart to leave him. 
Nor could she bear to see his eyes sadden and his dimpled cheeks tear streaked. 
Charlene smacked herself on the head. Why is she thinking so much these days? It’s so confusing being in love. Charlene was torn between suffer and wanting more. Was it being selfish for wanting to stay with him? 
“Char…why are spacing out so much these days? Don’t think I haven’t noticed…” JJ’s voice was serious, tinted with concern. 
“What’s wrong?” 
Charlene turned to face him, but she wouldn’t let the tears spill. Any signs of tears would only make it harder for JJ. His people, or the person he loved, it’s not a decision someone should be forced to make.
“I-I’m scared.” Charlene blurted out, her voice trembling slightly.
JJ pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her, as if to protect her from the harsh winter winds. “They won’t find us.” JJ muttered to her ear, so only she may hear. 
Charlene wished SHE could sound just as confident as him when she repeated his words in a near whisper. 
“What if they do, JJ? Will they hurt you? Will they hurt my friends? I can’t stand fearing for tomorrow anymore! I can’t stand being scared over never seeing you again!”
And NOW the tears came, spilling out over her face, but, JJ was there to catch every tear before it dripped off her face. He held her and she cried. JJ knew Charlene was scared, he was too. 
JJ hadn’t noticed that it had gotten dark; their original date had been spent on the voicing out of an issue that the both of them feared. 
The thought of separation made JJ’s heart ache, and he pulled Charlene closer to him.
Charlene felt the sudden pull, and relaxed in his arms, her teeth chattering, but herself feeling as warm as if the warm sun was shining on her in nice spring day. 
But Charlene knew she wasn’t that lucky, the sun would never shine on HER. The only thing she feels lucky about is having met JJ, but that just passed on her bad luck to him…
“Don’t worry Char, I’m here.” JJ whispered, with an attempt at a brave smile. 
Charlene looked straight into his eyes. “It’s because you’re here that I’m staying.” 
“How sweet…” A cold voice drawled from somewhere next to JJ.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“How could you JJ?” 
JJ clenched his jaw, pulled Charlene behind him, and didn’t answer. 
Charlene couldn’t believe it, when it actually happened, she found herself not scared, and no tears could be shed, instead, she ran forward, clenched her fist and threw it across the stranger’s face. 
The man’s eyes blazed and he lunged forward for Charlene. JJ pulled Charlene out of the man’s way and the stranger lost his balance but gained it back so instantly that no one would have noticed that he had once been imbalanced. 
“JJ, after all these years, you’re helping HER? Do you want to be the next Angela Zhang?” 
JJ, again, remained speechless. Was it because he was too ashamed and guilty, or that he believed her didn’t need to explain anything? 
Suddenly, JJ noticed that he had been staring at the floor, unable to choose between his blood brother or Charlene, but once he raised his head up by a little, and gave Charlene a little, sidelong glance, he knew he had picked. 
Charlene, Charlene, and Charlene, there was nothing else he needs in his world. 
“Yeah, remember it, we’ve been brothers our whole life, please, leave us alone. I didn’t choose my destiny, but I want to choose who I will love. And don’t insult Angela, she was never wrong.” 
“No, no JJ. You can’t do this. If you regret it now, I can plead your case with them, just let me kill her, just let me kill her, just let me kill her…” The stranger muttered on and on as he moved forward to Charlene once again. 
“You have someone you love too! You know what it’s like; you would do anything for them!” 
“THEY KNOW JJ!!! THEY KNOW!!!! All I can do now is save you!”
Charlene was moving backwards, away from JJ. JJ whipped his head around to see Charlene shaking her head and muttering to herself. 
“I-I’ll go with you, but leave JJ alone!”
The stranger smiled, but a trace of his previous sadness still lingered in his eyes. “JJ never DID pick wrong…” he said. 
JJ growled, and in a split second, knocked the stranger down. 
Fists thrown again and again, JJ hit the stranger until he was sure that the man was down and completely unconscious. 
Hands tainted with blood and bruises of his own covering his body, JJ grabbed Charlene’s hands and they both ran. Charlene ran with JJ past streets and streets, but pretty soon, she didn’t recognize where she was going, and stumbled forward with only JJ in her eyes. 
Not long afterwards, Charlene’s legs were numb from running and JJ’s head was hurting from the wind blowing into his ears, but however tired they were, their hands never parted. 
But fate was definitely playing with them when an out of the control car crashed forwards, coming straight at them. Their hands broke apart, and they both fell backwards, either from exhaustion or imbalance. 
As JJ stood up, he caught a glimpse of what was behind Charlene, and screamed out “Charlene, RUN!!! Behind you!!!” 
It took Charlene a second to acknowledge this, but once she knew, she glanced at JJ with a gaze of longing, but ran so fast, she had disappeared when the other Fighters caught up to where she had fallen. 
JJ didn’t give it another thought either, he just ran. 
Once JJ ran for a while, he found a hidden place and fished out his cell phone. 
“Char? Char? Are you okay?” 
Charlene was breathing hard on the other end. “Yeah,” she said breathlessly, “how about you? Where are you?” 
“Char, I’m fine too, I just wanted to make sure you’re fine.”
“I’m sorry.” Charlene sighed, her breathing starting to even out a little. 
“For what, Charlene? None of this is your fault.” 
“For showing up, if I never walked along, maybe your life wouldn’t be so complicated right now.”
“Listen to me Char, I Lo-”
“Nice to hear JJ,” snarled a voice JJ was just too familiar with. 
Then the phone smashed to the ground and Charlene gasped in horror. 
JJ’s phone cut off, and the series of beeps did nothing to stop Charlene from hyperventilating. 
JJ.