Something I wrote for a contest, but also to develop the characters for a new story I'm about to start working on with a friend. I liked what happened actually. Enjoy.

Sweetest goodbye- Monochrome butterflies.

Her face against the backdrop of the summer night city was porcelain; a perfectly white oval against the shadowy blurs of cars and far away, maybe the odd couple that was just like them. He followed her gaze, out across the shimmering silver sands; focusing finally on the island out to sea in front of them. It spread like a giant turtle shell, rising out the dark water gracefully until it was nothing more than a rough hump of black rising from the murky depth of the rippling waters.

He reached out, his dark shadow of a hand gravitating towards her beautiful face. He wanted to touch her, to hold her, but he knew that it would only make it harder for him to say what he had to say. He gazed into her eyes, hoping that she couldn’t see the pain and doubt in his own; he wanted nothing more than to do what was right.

“Veronica?” He broke the silence, clearing his throat in a simple attempt to communicate with her; he was trying, and it was hard. Her dark hair flew across her face, batting his open palm away from her delicate skin.

“Edward, I know.” Without even taking her eyes from the island, she seemed to know what his mind was saying, and she was already grieving.

“What do you know?” He couldn’t help but ask the question; at this point a mistaken thought would cost him more than he could bear to lose.

“You’re not staying.” Veronica stated her fears simply. Her voice was cold, like marble, and her throat seems to close tightly around the difficult words as she spoke them. “You’re going to go, aren’t you? You won’t be coming back.”

“I- Well-” Stuttering, Edward looked out to the sea again. His bright eyes were flitting across the foaming waves as if they were searching; maybe it was for the right words.

“You don’t have to answer, you know. That question was rhetorical.” Smiling wryly, Veronica switched her gaze from the cold, lonely waters, to the face of the man she loved. Right now, she hated him more than ever.

“I know I don’t.” Edward found himself wishing that he didn’t have to say it aloud, but he knew that if he didn’t then it wouldn’t ever be true. It had to be true. “But I want to.”

There was a silence between them that grew as Veronica leaned away from his embrace. She could feel his arms reaching out to her, to comfort her, but it was too painful to feel his soft fingers brush her arm. At least this way, she thought, I can pretend it never happened.

“Veronica-” Edward began again; his jaw moving in a steady rhythm with the crashing waves as he fought for something to say. “-You know I love you. Don’t you?” He asked the question with doubt behind his frozen eyes, doubt that melted away when she spoke.

“Yes.” Quietly, Veronica shifted to hug her legs to her chest, tracing her fingers in the sand at her feet.

“And you know that no matter what happens, I will always love you?”

“Yes.” Her voice was barely a whisper, even in the hush of the twilight.

“Then, I have to tell you this.” Edward turned to face her fully, his hands reaching out to grasp her arms once more. She failed to move, and flinched slightly upon contact with his cold skin. Silently, her ivory fingers were dancing across the grains of sand; still drawing the possible outcomes of this conversation.

When Veronica didn’t speak, Edward continued. His voice was strained, no longer the deep, rich drawl it had once been. “Lyla needs me, Ver. Her parents- if they knew- it would ruin us both!” Suddenly, he could no longer control the flow of the words. His efforts became a fruitless struggle against a crashing wave of fear.

“If they knew- think of what it would do to us! Think of what could happen! Lyla would be heartbroken. She’d never recover. A girl like her, a heart too faint to carry the pain we could cause-”

“Edward.” Just the one stern, calm word made his breathing slow, and his heart begin to pound more quietly.

“I know-”

“Edward.” She reached out, her gentle fingers brushing against his chin; the week of stubble rubbed against her fingertips.

“Yes?”

“What am I going to do,” Here she paused to draw breath. Her hand fell away from his face and back to the sliver sand. She was scared, unsure of how to proceed. Maybe it would just be best to tell him outright, now; before he had chance to do anything rash. “What am I going to do about this?” She took his hand, straightening out her legs, and placing it over her stomach.

Edward looked at her in silence for a moment, his eyes only following his hand to where it now lay on the heavy fabric of her dress.

“Is it-” His eyes were wide as it dawned on him. He pulled his hand away from her grasp, and cried out softly. His voice quieter than a seagull’s flight as his whispered, “Is it mine?”

“Of course.” Veronica held her own hands to her front, where nothing was any different than it hand been the day before; or eve, Edward speculated, the day before that.

“Is it- are you sure?” The whites of his eyes were showing now, he was panicking. Veronica tried to reach out to him, to comfort him, but he ran from her touch. If it hadn’t been for the city looming ominously behind them both, he probably would have fled completely from sight.

“Yes.” The sound was a sigh from her slightly parted lips, breaking out into the air like a small gust of wind. “I’m sorry.” She lowered her eyes to her lap before letting a single tear fall onto her silver cheek. “I knew I had to tell you before you left me though. Lyla or now Lyla, this child is still yours.”

“Are you sure?” He asked the question again, this time less incredulously, but with a hint of more worry, and little intimidation.

“Of course I’m sure!” Angrily Veronica tossed her head, her mane of intense, dark hair flying at him.

“Well, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew what you would do!” Her voice was higher than his, competing with the wind that has risen slightly to be heard. “I knew you wouldn’t want me! How is it my fault that you couldn’t keep away from me?” Tears were definitely in her eyes now, and falling into her open lap. Her dress was soon spotted with dark, sparkling patches that Edward could see even in the poor moonlight.

“You knew why I came here tonight, Ver. You knew why I came here to meet you!”

“I knew what you were going to say, yes.” Admitting a kind of defeat she sighed and tried to steady her breathing. It felt like her insides were being ripped to shreds and tossed into the salty abyss before them both. “And I knew that if I didn’t tell you, then I would never be able to look myself, or the child in the eyes, ever again without seeing what I lost in you.” Her voice was quiet again now, the momentary fight that had broken out had been subdued enough for ordinary conversation to ensue.

“Then, what are we to do?” Edward rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger carefully; his sparkling eyes were dull with pain and worry. “You can’t stay here any longer. It’s wrong, sinful-”

“You’re one to talk about sin Edward!” She was still using his full name, after all these years, and he hated it. But why are you thinking about that now? Why not focus on the matters at hand? Her dark eyes were burning with intense fury. She swung to face him, her delicate face was screwed up hard and her full lips pulled into a snarl. “How can you say this to me? After all we’ve been though!” She slammed her hand down against the sand, feeling with some regret the hard rocks under the surface digging into her palm.

“I’m thinking about your safety, damnit!” Edward threw his hands up in disbelief; he was truly shaken by what had occurred tonight. Now what?

He waited until she was calm again, laying his hand on her arm to slow her breathing once more.

“Can you get rid of it?”

“Certainly not. Out of the question. You created the poor thing, it should at least have the right to live.”

“I’m not thinking that is such a good-”

“Don’t argue with me, Edward.” The warning glare in her eyes made him stop, and think. What could she do if he didn’t listen? She could ruin him to the bloody ground. A sudden loathing sprung to his chest, and he had to fight hard to keep it down, out of sight, hidden.

“Well then!” He threw his hands up in the air again, truly at a loss as to what to do. “What the hell should we do now?”

“How should I know?” Veronica’s voice was frosty, brimming with emotion. How was she going to cope after all this had blown over.

“You’ll have to leave.” Edward climbed up from the sands and started to walk. Veronica took a deep breath, following suit; she knew that if she left him now, she might never see him again.

“I don’t want to leave-”

“Well you’re going to have to.” Pouting he spun to face he, gripping onto her arm so hard that is hurt. “You’re going to have to go, because I can’t just leave Lyla. She loves me.” Delicately, he brushed a strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

“Edward, I love you-”

“You don’t!” He swung away again, and started marching across the silver, closer to the sear. He was headed to the harbour, where there were people. “Can’t you understand that Veronica? Can’t you see? All of this-” He waved his hand our wildly, gesticulating at the crashing surf and the calming silence. “All of this is wrong! It never should have happened. None of this should have happened.” He stopped walking and gazed back out to sea.

Veronica approached him slowly, her skirts brushing the sand beneath their feet as if trying to wipe away what had been said, and done. Carefully she extended a hand to touch his arm, and instead of moving away like she expected he moved towards her. Suddenly he was in her arms, and his wet cheek was brushing the hollow at her throat.

“Oh heavens Veronica. How am I going to live without you?”

“Shhh, shhh...” She soothed him gently, holding his to her chest and stroking his dark hair softly. “You’re right. I have to go.” She raised his face so it was directly opposite her own and kissed his forehead. Her cold lips lingered over his skin; her breath coming even and deep. His scent was everywhere, and she wanted to remember it forever.

“I love you.” There were still tears in his eyes, and it pained her to see him cry so. His cold, oceanic blue eyes were glistening in the moonlight. Veronica kissed his forehead again, and then stood back.

“I’ll go and see Jacob. You know he proposed last week? I’ll tell him that we have to marry straight away or it won’t happen. I won’t tell my parents, I’ll leave them a note saying I’ve run away. If they get that, I’ll be disgraced, but it’s better over that than anything else-” She was pacing now, her dress sweeping the sand vigorously as her brain worked to concoct some sort of story.

“And, what about Lyla?” Edward had composed himself, and now he reached out to slow her brutal pacing.

“Lyla, Lyla...” She repeated the name until it was just a word, any word, rolling off her tongue. “You have to tell her the truth.” She stopped abruptly and focused on his face. “You must tell her Edward, I won’t be able to live with lying to her any longer.”

“But it should surely break her heart-”

“Better broken and mended, than full of lies and deceit.” She retorted back. “You’ll tell her; she’ll still have you. I know she loves you more than anything. I’ll go far away, take Jacob to the South Coast. He’ll never doubt that this child is his, even if I had to tell him it was born early. He won’t know any better, not for a lame blacksmith’s son like him.”

Edward nodded, tears building in his eyes again. “How can you keep so calm?” He asked softly, gazing adoringly at her deep lips and into her enchantingly dark eyes.

“Because I must.” Simply she held her hand over her stomach again. “You may not see it, but I do. I’m not living for myself any more.”

“I understand. but, still, I will miss you.”

“You’ll get over it.” She reached out to stroke his face one last time, her fingers trailing across his skin as they had done across the sand. When she was done, she only smiled at him and headed away, back the way they had come. She had money enough for a cab, and she wasn’t going to ride anywhere with him. Ever again. It would hurt too much.

Her feet pattered across the silver sand, highlighting moments of joy and sadness for them both. The summer night city behind them seemed to glow, and so did Veronica’s face as she headed back towards civilisation. She treads softly over the area where they had just been sat, aiming to miss the little drawings she had made in the sand.

Edward followed in silence, still stunned by her flighty departure. “She didn’t even say goodbye.” Silently he gathered his things to his chest; the blanket, his jacket, and was about to walk away for the last time when he noticed something which made his broken heart wrench.

There, in the sand, the moonlight cast a soft shadow. He bent down, taking a kind of pride in the curling script that he had inspired.

“Eternal love.” He followed the beautiful words with his fingertips, and she had done when he wasn’t watching. “Godspeed.” A tear came to his eye and rolled down one cheek. The last tear he would ever shed for her, her swore, until he could hold her in his arms again. “Goodbye.”

“I love you, darling.” Her voice was in his head, but maybe, just maybe, she had spoke that aloud; loud enough for him to see that she still cared, and that he should never forget the sound of her voice.