Tiny white heads surrounded by thin green blades poked through patches of slush announcing that the wild Snow Drops had begun to bloom in Central Park. Xavier didn't even notice their quaint beauty as he strolled the winding path. A wearing depression gave indelible evidence as it gradually etched over his deceptively youthful features. Loneliness had crowned itself ruler of his soul, and was slowly eating it away.

Annavera had mysteriously disappeared, leaving no clue to her whereabouts. He'd unexpectedly met Benedict in this time, but more than a month had passed without further contact. And Seran was gone, forever beyond his reach. He was never one to make friends easily, finding it simpler to survive by his own wits, not relying on anyone else. However, the past "year" spent as Benedict's lover, and then the thousand years bonded to Seran had changed all that.

In his depression, Xavier longed to crawl away and hide from the world. He'd heard stories, rumors of other Hollow Ones who had offed themselves. They'd gone out in a blaze of glory, pushed over the edge by rejection and being misunderstood. No matter what he did, he knew Death was never going to grant him peaceful oblivion. The blood of immortal parents flowed too freely in his veins, strengthening his body, a body that harbored a slowly eroding mind.

Searching day and night for three weeks finally yielded the object of his private quest. Deep in the heart of the bowery he had found a tattoo artist who was also an awakened Hollow One. Together they worked a very specific shapeshift formula on Xavier. The only evidence of their work was a tattoo that started at the instep of his right foot and wound its way up his leg, terminating at the glans of his genitals. The final remaining thing standing in the way of his transformation, and ultimate retreat from the world, was the weather.

Xavier glanced up at the cold gray clouds that peeked through the tangled labyrinth of tree branches over head. His pace was slow, almost lethargic. A shiver shook him as a chilling breeze whipped around, dancing among the treetops. The wind felt bitter cold, almost freezing. His mind told him it wasn't that cold, but his body screamed otherwise. As the patterns of his body shifted to accommodate the new pattern of the tattoo he became painfully aware of the physical discomfort Seran, Annavera, even Taijin, must have gone through in the merciless northern climate. He didn't dare shapeshift here. He'd be too vulnerable. Thoughts of moving south to the tropics or out west to the newly founded Las Vegas tempted Xavier, giving rise to some serious contemplation.

A fragrance, familiar and faint, floated on the breeze, taunting Xavier's forlorn mental state. He found his thoughts drifting backwards, reliving the last few moments he'd spent with Annavera. Rounding the sweeping curve of the gently sloped path, he caught sight of a female figure seated on one of the park benches. She was huddled, shivering against the cold. The familiar scent grew stronger as he approached.

"Anna," he whispered to himself, eyebrows knitting in puzzled bewilderment. He was afraid, afraid of discovering that his mind was only playing a cruel joke.

With each step forward, the details of the woman's face became clearer.

"Anna!" His pace quickened as he drew near to the woman.

With one hand, Annevera swiped a tear from her eyes and in doing so, turned her head to see Xavier rushing towards her. Was her mind playing tricks on her again? I must be delusional from the cold. Yet with every step he took closer, she felt more and more the sense that this was real. Shivering, Annevera pushed herself to stand.

"Xavier?" She clasped one hand over the scar on her chest. "Xavier?"

He stopped a couple feet away from her, looking at her like a man who was reunited with a long lost love.

"Anne. I, I thought you wer..., I thought maybe you decided to move on somewhere else. I..." He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. The damp cold air of early spring was chilling to the bone, but he no longer felt it. Annevera was there, with him again, and he was oblivious to the world. Like the promise of new life in spring, the promise of a new heart sprang inside him.

Xavier leaned back to look at her face. A hand lifted, wiping away the remnant of the tears.

"What happened? Where did you go?" Xavier held her close to him. "I've been so lost not having your company."