A/N: This prologue was created with the sole purpose of providing insight into Nathan and Adeline's relationship. The story doesn't really begin until chapter two.

Nathan and I? Over? It was a concept I couldn't grasp. It was as unreal as my imaginary friend, Christopher. I stumbled to the bed, plopping down on it carelessly. Immediately, my mind was on rewind.

End of freshman year

Nathan had his head down, only glancing up every once in a while to eye me with a critical, calculating look. The pencil in his hand flew across the page, hardly stopping for his quick glances upward. "Your expression keeps changing," he informed me. He stopped long enough to smile crookedly at me.

"I'm going through a range of emotions!" I defended myself, furrowing my eyebrows and quirking my mouth to one side. "First there's shock – I didn't know you could draw. Then there's the envy – I can't draw, you know. I think the next is hunger, 'cause I smelled your mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies. And, of course, the current, fish." I tilted my head up and attempted to peer onto the pad of paper in his lap.

He spared me another look, this time with an eyebrow raised. "Fish?"

Anticipating the question, I replied smartly. "Kind of like deadpan and awestruck if they met and had children." That drew a laugh from him; I loved his laugh – it was the only part of him that had been 'boyish' since the moment I'd met him. He always appeared to be older than he was, freakishly tall and already good enough to try out for quarterback on the schools football team.

His hand stilled and I waited with unabated enthusiasm, bouncing up and down on the couch cushion. He flipped it up and around with a flourish, watching my face. Somehow I had expected what I saw; the picture was of me, I had known that, but it was masterfully done, as if he'd shot a complete black and white picture instead of his quick sketch. Messy hair up in a bun, light eyes almost rabid with excitement (I reminded myself mentally to try and dim that particular sparkle), and body poised as if ready to bounce right towards the viewer. It was a perfect likeness, save for the almost imperceptible glow I had around me in the drawing. "You like it?" He asked, his tone edged with no worry or tension.

"I love it," I said, meeting his eyes. Nathan was good at everything he did. It seemed art was no exception. "Tell me, are you bad at anything?" I was searching for an actual answer and he seemed to sense it.

"I can't sing to save my life," he replied, smiling widely and tucking the drawing away in a folder.

Summer after sophomore year

I gasped, staring down the snow-covered slope with trepidation. The skis on my feet made me feel as off-balance as the carousal at the fair, which I had fallen off not one, not two, but three times during the ride (and once before the ride, but I didn't count that); to my credit, it had been a fast carousal and that pony wasn't exactly tame, moving up and down like it did.

Like most things I was scared of, I knew I'd try it. Skiing was one of the things on my list of 'things to do before you get too old or too dead to do,' after all. I heard Nathan finish strapping his boot on and waited patiently for him to say something encouraging.

"Now, don't be scared, you can do this." He said, coming up beside me and flashing me one of his brilliant smiles that never failed to remind me of toothpaste. I chalked knowing what he would say up to knowing him for too long – he never did anything unexpected, a comforting thought in my opinion.

I grinned, ready to attempt it. "Wish me luck," I instructed, and turned my head to accept the kiss I knew he'd give me. I opened my eyes halfway through and winked, pulling away and pushing myself down the hill. For a few moments wind rushed by, pulling my hair briefly from my face.

Opening my eyes slowly, I turned to look back at Nathan watching me from atop the hill – a mere ten feet away. We burst into simultaneous laughter as I jumped for joy, awkward as it was in skis; the bunny hill had been conquered.

Middle of junior year

I sat up, struggling as an hand grasped my hip and someone muttered a tired protest. Blue sheets with duckies pooled around me as I achieved my goal. Looking over I saw Nathan, blond hair askew, sleepily open his eyes. "Is it morning already?" He asked with a lazy smile.

Being a morning person, I nodded happily – until I saw what was causing his sleepy smile: I was completely naked, baring it all, as they say. The sheets flew up so fast an observer might have thought they'd been possessed. "Oh golly, thanks for saying something," I snapped, laying back down beside him.

"You're beautiful." He said without hesitation, pulling me close. "And it's not like you've anything I haven't seen."

I'd imagined a whole blood and guts scene when I'd thought of my first time, so the night prior had surprised me, having not been at all like a scene straight from Saw. I had a sudden craving for Goldfish, something that usually accompanied my thoughts of gore. "You know," I started, drawling the words.

Nathan interrupted me – something he hardly ever does – with a soft, confident kiss. He drew back without deepening it and my breath hitched, body tense. For the first time in a quite a while, I wasn't sure if Nathan was about to say what I thought he was. "I love you, Adeline Carol Anette Waters."

I stared at him for a moment, mind working overtime. His face was all smooth planes, softened by affection. Gentle, green eyes waited patiently, sure and confident, just as Nathan always was in everything he did. "I love you too, Nathan James Johnson."

Just as I thought we were having a moment, I heard my mother's shrill scream from the doorway. She wasn't supposed to be home until tomorrow, but there she stood looking scandalized, embarrassed, and at a loss for words. "NO ONE PANIC! YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHO ARE YOU? AND YOU, WHO ARE YOU? WHERE AM I?" I began loudly, panicking, hoping desperately to fake amnesia.

Nathan bolted up, immediately tugging on clothes, blushing from head to toe – and I did mean literally. "Mrs. Waters, wow, hello ma'am." He didn't stutter, which I thought was a grand success.

"ADELINE CAROL ANETTE WATERS AND NATHAN JOHNSON!" She started, bellowing in the voice I knew as 'look out, she's going to blow!' Then, amazingly, she faltered, mouth opening and closing – like most things, I could liken it to a fish. We'd been going out for close to two years now and it seemed she wasn't sure which one of us to lecture first; our families are so tight-knit, I thought with some measure of delight. "I – I sure hope you kids used protection."

Immediately I blushed, both embarrassed by the situation and somewhat scandalized that she thought we might not use protection. "Of course we did, honestly mother!" I half-yelped, half-whispered at the same time that Nathan said, sheepishly, "Should I go?"

"No," my mother sighed, looking weary, "Stay, but, for heavens sake, put some clothes on – both of you! I'll make pancakes." Pancakes were the end-all-be-all in my family. All was well.

End of senior year

"Hey you," Nathan said smoothly, leaning over my desk with a picture-perfect smile splitting his face, revealing even, white-as-a-toothpaste-commercial teeth. Everything he did sent my heart racing and he knew it. I pushed back my hair with one hand, holding it there so I could peer up at him.

"Hiya," I said, softly. "Did you remember to bri-" I was cut off when he held up a scrape of white – my jacket.

With a playful laugh, he set it on the desk. "You left this at my house last night," he said loudly, grabbing the attention of the entire classroom. A few catcalls and silly comments were thrown our way, but it was nothing new.

We were the the golden couple – together since freshman year, voted cutest couple and most likely to get married after high school. If you asked me, we were suited like salt is to pepper. "Nathan!" I admonished, smiling; it wasn't like the entire school didn't know we were together. "I was thinking.. we should do something this summer, before we head off to UF. Something fun and amazing, like climbing a pyramid. Any ideas?" We were even going to the same college.

"You mean... like skiing?" He replied, pretending to ponder.

"You didn't!" I gasped with mock surprise. Nathan always knew what I wanted to do most and figured out a way to make it happen, spoiling me as much as any boy could do to a girl. I tried to do the same in a way, keeping him organized and being his cheerleader at every football game. It was no real surprise that we were going skiing, not to me; I'd wanted to go again since the first time Nathan and I had went skiing and he knew it.

He smiled, leaning forward to steal a kiss as Mr. Brown walked into the room, frowning at us. "Anything for you, sweetheart," He said with a playful wink, sliding into the seat next to mine. "Just no pyramid climbing, I'm afraid."

The entire class was spent talking, laughing, and sharing secret smiles with Nathan – nothing out of ordinary for the last day of high school, in my opinion. All of the todays classes would be pointless, simply a time to say goodbye to everyone. I knew a lot of people because of Nathan; we had gotten together halfway through freshman year, but before that I'd been shy and not very outgoing. I had a few friends and one best friend, Anna. Now I had a truckload of friends and two best friends: Anna and Nathan.

Anna, Nathan, and I had nearly every class together senior year – we'd planned it that way. "I heard that, missy," Anna whispered in my ear, making me whip around to greet her.

"Heard what? That several of our classmates plan to get drunk and party after this? Don't be silly, we're so much classier than that," I replied, rolling my eyes.

She mimicked me and shook her head, curls bouncing about her face. "The skiing thing!" She squealed softly, obviously excited for me. "You are so lucky! Wow, Nathan is such a sweetie." Anna was always surprised at what Nathan did or said, my polar opposite. I was sure she had a crush on him, which was cute, not threatening – I'd help her find someone perfect for her, too.

"Yep, as perfect as chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs," I agreed, beaming, looking around to find and catch Nathan's eye. He was chatting with some of his friends, but, as if sensing my look, turned his head and caught my eye. I grinned. He grinned back.

That was us – we were perfect together: that's why I'm not giving up. I sat straighter. This is not the time for crying, I thought when my eyes glassed over of their own accord. Calm yourself, tear ducts... I'm not going down without a fight. Just like that, the battle for Nathan Johnson's heart began.

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