Okay, I absolutely love Henry and Vicki together, but this came to me the other night and I had to write it out…hope you like it…
Kaydence lay on her bed, laptop in front of her, a blank word document staring back at her.
"Why is it I always get writers block when I try to start a new chapter?" she sighed.
"Probably because you try too hard," came a voice from her dorm room doorway.
Kaydence looked up and smiled, "Henry. I was wondering when you would come visit me again," she said happily.
Henry straightened from his lean against her doorjamb and walked into her room, shutting the door behind him.
"I figured now was as good a time as any," he said before sitting on the edge of her bed.
"Liar," Kaydence grinned, "You fought with Vicky again didn't you?"
Henry sighed and bowed his head, "Yes," he said pitifully.
"How long she kick you out for?" she asked.
"How ever long it takes me to get back into her good graces," Henry replied.
"So, tomorrow then," Kaydence laughed.
"I sincerely hope so," Henry said with a grin.
"Well," Kaydence said, scooting over and patting her bed in an invitation, "You know you're welcome to stay here today, just don't go hogging the covers again."
Henry swung his legs up onto the bed and leaned back.
"Why are you so nocturnal these days?" he asked, worried.
"Cause you keep showing up every time you fight with Vicki over the slightest thing," Kaydence teased.
Even though he smiled at her teasing, Henry still worried. Seeing the look in his eyes, Kaydence sighed.
"I've just been having some trouble sleeping is all. It's no big deal. And it doesn't help that most of my classes are at night now," she said as she shut off her program, closed her computer and pulled her glasses off.
"Kay," Henry started, but was cut off by her raising her hand.
"I'll be fine Henry, I swear it. Besides, if I slept at night, I'd never see you, would I?" Kaydence grinned as she leaned over to place her glasses on her bedside table.
Henry smiled and wrapped his arm around Kaydence's shoulders.
"True," he said.
Kaydence snuggled into Henry's embrace and sighed happily.
"You know, I remember the first time I met you," she said, looking up at him.
"So do I, troublemaker," Henry said affectionately.
"It really wasn't my fault," Kaydence said, poking Henry in the side.
"I was seventeen, I wanted some freedom. Sneaking out without getting caught was just something I had to do. Granted, going to a party knowing only one person there wasn't the best choice, but then, if I hadn't, I never would've met you. And if you recall, I was trying to get out of there when we met."
"And would've been hurt by the guys outside had I not been there."
Kaydence shivered, "Yea," she said, remembering.
She pushed her way to the door, trying to see through the dim smoky haze; only to be grabbed by some drunk guy. Luckily he was easy for her to break away from.
'What's your rush?' some guy asked as she breathed in the clean night air.
'Early class,' she said, beginning to walk away.
'Hey,' another said, reaching out to touch her arm.
She stiffened and looked at him warily.
'You okay?' he asked.
Nodding, she continued walking as she pulled out her cell phone. She'd just dialed her friend Andi's number when the phone was knocked from her hand and her arms pulled tightly behind her back. She tried to fight back, but they were so much stronger than she was.
'SOMEONE HELP ME!' she tried to scream, only to be roughly cut off by one of them putting his hand over her mouth.
Tears began to pour down her cheeks but still she struggled as they tried to drag her towards a darkened alley. Suddenly, the hand over her mouth was gone and the guy holding her arms behind her was on the ground. She crumpled to the ground, sobbing. The other one was fighting with someone, and looked to be losing. When he too, was on the ground and unconscious, the third guy came over and crouched down in front of her. He reached his hand out to touch her, but stilled when she flinched away.
'Are you alright?' he asked.
His voice was like a melody, calming her. Slowly, she looked up and saw his face, concerned eyes on her.
'I'm fine,' she said, getting up, though it pained her, 'Thank you.'
He helped her up and steadied her when she wobbled.
'My name is Henry,' he said softly.
Looking up at him, her eyes shined with tears that threatened to fall.
'Kaydence.'
She had no idea why she'd just told this strange guy her name, but something about him, something in his eyes, made her trust him. Despite what had just occurred.
'Do you need a ride somewhere?' Henry asked her gently.
'Please,' she nearly whispered the word.
Watching her, Henry took his jacket off and wrapped it around her shaking shoulders before putting his arm around her and leading her to his car.
Kaydence shivered again and curled herself into Henry's body.
"My knight in shining armor," she mumbled with a smile on her lips.
"What?" Henry asked, looking down at her.
"My knight in shining armor," Kaydence said again as sleep claimed her.
Henry smiled and kissed her forehead before pulling down her blackout curtain and allowing sleep to claim his tired body as well. Neither of them saw the dawn that rose behind them, or heard the knock on Kaydence's door just a few minutes after.
Kaydence was pulled from sleep a little after seven in the evening, by someone knocking on the door. Grumbling, she pulled herself out of Henry's embrace and grabbed her glasses as she stood from her bed. Walking to the door, Kaydence straightened her tank top out and tried to smooth her hair down. She looked out the peephole and sighed. Quietly opening the door she stepped into the brightly lit hallway, closing the door behind her as she blinked to adjust her eyes.
"What do you want Tyler?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I want to know who the guy sleeping in your bed is," he said angrily.
Kaydence blinked, "Excuse me?" she asked, temper rising.
"You heard me," Tyler said, looking at her.
"If I had anyone in my bed, then it would be none of your business Tyler Simms. You broke up with me."
Kaydence shook her head and looked out the window, happy to see that night had fallen.
"I saw him Kay, and he never left," Tyler said, grabbing her arm.
"Take your hand off me right now Tyler," she said, wrenching her arm from his grasp, "Look, I will say this one last time—" she started, but was cut off when her door opened and a shirtless Henry came into the hallway.
"Problem?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck.
Kaydence inwardly did a dance at the look on Tyler's face, but managed to keep her voice in check. Only Henry would've noticed the hitch in her voice.
"Nope," she said, putting her hands over his, "Tyler was just leaving," she said pointedly.
Henry looked up at the other guy and smiled, "Hi, I'm Henry," he said, sticking his hand out.
Tyler's eyes narrowed and he clenched his jaw, "This isn't over Kaydence Isabelle," he said before stalking off.
Kaydence waited a beat before turning around and shoving Henry back into her room. Grinning, she hugged Henry with all her strength.
"You know I love you right?" she said happily.
Henry shrugged, "Everyone does."
Kaydence laughed and smacked Henry on the shoulder. After a minute, her smile dimmed and she bit her lip.
"What is it?" Henry asked.
"As much as you just helped me, you also put me in a very awkward position," Kaydence said, pulling away from him.
"Why?" Henry asked as he walked over to her bed to grab his shirt.
"Well, now he's going to be hanging around all the time, making sure I wasn't just using you to keep him away from me for one night," Kaydence said.
"Well then I'll just have to come by more often won't I?" Henry asked, grinning.
"I can't ask you to do that Henry. Besides, what is Vicki going to think?"
"That I'm helping out a friend," Henry said, shrugging his shirt over his head.
"A friend that you're occasionally going to have to kiss in public," Kaydence said, sitting at her desk and looking at Henry.
"Kay," Henry said, shrugging into his coat before walking over and crouching down in front of her, "Vicki will understand. Okay?"
Kaydence smiled, though she wasn't too sure, and nodded her head once.
"Okay," she said.
Henry stood and grabbed her hand, pulling her to stand. Still holding her hand, he walked to the door, opening it before turning to look at her and stepping into the hallway. Grinning, he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. Kaydence smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"My knight in shining armor once again," she whispered gazing into his eyes, "Thank you."
Henry leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Anything for m'lady," he said.
Kaydence threw her head back and laughed as Henry pulled her closer. She stopped laughing and let her fingers gently play across the back of his neck. Henry leaned in and gently placed a sweet kiss on her lips before resting his forehead against hers.
"You do realize your friend is watching us, right?" he asked smiling.
Kaydence smiled back, though her eyes flashed; "He's not my friend; he's an obsessed ex-boyfriend who thinks he still owns me."
"Well then," Henry said before kissing her hotly.
When he pulled away, Kaydence's breathing was harsh.
"See you later?" he asked.
"I have to go to the library to do some research, but if you can, pick me up around midnight? The girls on campus aren't supposed to walk around alone at night."
"And yet Coreen does it all the time," Henry said, shaking his head.
Kaydence laughed, "Just be thankful she isn't my roommate," she said pulling away and leaning against the doorway.
"I'll see you at midnight," Henry said, turning away.
Kaydence watched him walk down the hall and smiled when he turned his head to see her still there, she raised her hand in a good-bye gesture. She happened to glance at where Tyler was standing and, still smiling, wiggled her fingers at him before turning and going back into her room, making sure to lock the door behind her.
After showering, dressing and grabbing what she would need for her research; Kaydence grabbed her cell phone and left her dorm room, once again locking the door. She didn't usually do this, but since her roommate had moved out, she felt better knowing the door was locked, whether or not she was in the room. As she made her way down the hall, she heard her name being called.
"Kaydence!"
She turned her head and smiled, "Hey Sam," she said, pausing to wait for her friend.
"So," Sam said, catching up to Kaydence, "Who's this amazingly gorgeous guy (according to Trish) that has Tyler pitching a fit cause he spent the day in your bed?"
Kaydence rolled her eyes and shot Sam a look.
"He's just a friend, and, how do you know he was in my bed?" she said as they left the dormitory.
"Bullshit, and I know you have mostly all night classes this semester and sleep mostly during the day," Sam said good naturedly, "So spill it, and, where are we going?" she asked.
"I don't know where your going, but I need to go to the library to do some research for my paper."
"Oh, good, I need to go there too," Sam said, hauling her bag up higher on her shoulder, "So…"
Kaydence laughed, "Sam, he's just a friend, I swear."
"Then why were you guys swapping spit in the hall earlier?"
"He was helping me keep Tyler off my back. You know, since we broke up, Tyler got wicked obsessive."
"Yea, we all noticed that one girl. Talk about creepy," Sam said, shuddering, "Anyway," she said as they walked along, "Trish says that your 'friend' is, and I quote, "a total bad boy hottie with possibly the most gorgeous eyes she's ever seen.""
Kaydence burst out laughing at that, she could just imagine Henry's reaction when she told him that one. Sam nudged her when her laughter died down.
"Well, you better spill it girl," she said in a mock angry tone.
Kaydence sighed as they reached the library, "Inside, okay?" she said.
Sam grinned and bounced inside the library. They set their stuff down at a table before wandering off to gather the books they needed. Sam came back to the table first, arms full of medical books; she shook her head when Kaydence came back to the table with her books.
"I still can't believe your studying parapsychology," she said, flipping open on of the medical journals.
"I can't believe you're pre-med," Kaydence said mockingly as she sat down across from her friend.
Sam sighed, "Yea, it's become the bane of my existence. So, the hottie," she said.
"Fine," Kaydence relented, "His name is Henry,"
"Ooh, you don't meet many of those these days, already gives him a plus in my book," Sam interrupted with a grin.
Kaydence smiled back, "I met him a few years ago at a party. He helped me out of a…situation. Anyway, after helping me out, he drove me home, and asked if he could see me again sometime."
"Obviously you said yes," Sam said.
"Obviously. Anyway, I moved to the states for a year, and lost touch with him, but when I came back for college, I met up with him again one night. We've been hanging out on and off ever since. He helped me deal with Tyler, and now he's helping me again. Okay?"
Sam narrowed her eyes, "You mean you never…" she let her sentence end there.
"No," Kaydence said, eyes on her book and jotting down some notes, "Never. But…"
"Ah-ha! I knew there was a but there!" Sam said smugly.
Kaydence almost giggled, "If he showed interest, I definitely would. Now, does that answer your questions?" Kaydence asked.
"Just one more," Sam said, "How come?"
"How come what? We never got together?" Kaydence asked.
Sam nodded.
"I don't know," Kaydence shrugged, "Fate hasn't brought me to that path yet," she said, once again turning to her work.
Sam frowned thoughtfully before turning to her own work. The girls worked together in silence until Kaydence's cell phone rang. She looked at the caller I.D. and smiled.
"Hey. You can come in you know," she said.
Sam looked up in interest.
"No, it's okay, I was just finishing up anyway. I'll be out in a minute."
She paused and listened before laughing.
"I'll be right out. Bye."
She hung up and started putting her things away before looking up at Sam with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Wanna meet him?" she asked.
"YES!" Sam squealed.
They put their respective books away and walked towards the door, laughing. Outside, Kaydence smiled when she saw Henry leaning against the light post.
"Hey," she said, walking over and hugging him.
"Hi," came the return, along with a puzzled look.
"Oh, sorry. Samantha MacAllister, Henry Fitzroy. Henry, this is a friend of mine, Sam."
"Nice to meet you," Sam said, extending her hand.
Kaydence looked up at Henry, "Do you mind Sam walking with us? She lives in the same dorm."
"Not at all," Henry said, shaking Sam's hand before bending to whisper in Kaydence's ear, "Troublemaker," he said softly.
Kaydence laughed and looked into Henry's eyes, "Always," she said cheekily.
"So," Henry said as he wrapped his arm around Kaydence's shoulders and they began walking, "Sam, what are you studying?"
"I'm pre-med," Sam said at once, scrutinizing Henry subtly.
"What do you want to do after this and med school?" he asked, genuinely interested.
"Pediatrics," Sam said.
Henry's smile was sad and Kaydence unconsciously touched her hand to her stomach.
"You like kids?" Henry asked.
"Love them. I can't wait to have my own one day," Sam said smiling.
Henry and Sam kept talking on the walk back to the dorms and Sam didn't realize that Kaydence had been uncharacteristically quiet, but Henry did. Upon reaching the dorm, Sam parted ways with Henry and Kaydence, turning to go up the stairs to her room, while Henry and Kaydence walked quietly down her hallway and to her room.
"Are you alright?" Henry asked after Kaydence had unlocked the door and they were in her room.
"Fine," Kaydence mumbled, dropping her bag on her desk chair.
Sighing, Henry walked over to her and turned her around to face him.
"Kay," he said softly.
Without warning, Kaydence began to cry. Gently, Henry picked her up and lay her down on her bed. When he tried to move away, Kaydence held onto him tightly.
"I have to put you down for a minute, okay? Just for a minute."
Still crying, Kaydence let go of him and curled up on her bed. Henry shrugged out of his jacket and toed off his shoes before crawling onto her bed behind her and holding her to him. After some time, her tears tapered off and her breathing began to even out. Sighing, Kaydence rolled over and faced Henry, who was watching her carefully.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"You want to tell me what that was about?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
Kaydence's eyes dropped down to stare at Henry's shirt as she played with the buttons.
"I can't have children," she said almost in a whisper.
"What do you mean?" Henry asked her, confusion plain on his face.
"When I was fifteen, I was told that I had a condition that cause me not to be able to have children. Ever."
"I'm sorry," he said genuinely.
Kaydence smiled sadly, "So am I. That's part of the reason I volunteer with kids so much. I may never get to have my own, but at least this way…"she trailed off.
"I understand," Henry said.
Kaydence finally looked up at Henry and he brought his hand up to brush away her tears. Kaydence sighed again and sat up, trying to put some distance between herself and the vampire, before she did something she knew she would regret. Like admit that she had fallen in love with him.
"Have you fed?" she asked, pulling her hair back.
"Not yet," Henry replied, looking up at her.
"You should go and do that," Kaydence said as she got up from the bed, "I have work to do anyway, and I know you want to spend some time with Vicki tonight."
Henry watched as she opened her bag, took out her notebook and two of the books she checked out of the library as she sat down at her desk. She began working, and only stilled for a fraction of a second when Henry's hands came down on her shoulders lightly and placed a kiss on the crown of her head.
"I'll see you later, alright?"
Kaydence nodded, but didn't trust her voice to say anything. When she heard the door shut, she got up from her desk and locked the door. Before she sat down at her desk again, she grabbed her cell phone out of her bag and blew out a breath. She dialed Sam's number and waited for an answer.
"You got me," Sam said, picking up her phone.
"Hey, can you come to my room?"
"Juicy gossip?"
"The possibility of…"
"Everything copasetic?"
"Yes?"
Kaydence tried to say it confidently, but instead it came out like a question and Sam sighed.
"Be there in half a second."
"Thanks."
Kaydence hung up the phone and tried to concentrate on her work, but her mind kept wandering back to Henry. After reading the same sentence seven times she slammed her pen down on her notebook.
"Damnit!"
A knock on her door had her sighing and standing from her desk. She glanced out the peephole and saw Sam. Kaydence unlocked and opened the door before ushering Sam inside. Grinning, Sam held up two bags.
"I come bearing munchies, drinks and two sympathetic ears to listen to what's up."
Kaydence smiled at her friend as they plopped onto the unused bed and tore open some chips.
"I think I'm in love with Henry," Kaydence said swallowing.
Sam's jaw dropped, showing Kaydence chewed food.
"Okay, ew. Close and swallow before speaking please."
Sam quickly swallowed her food and stared at Kaydence. After a few minutes, Kaydence got uncomfortable.
"Please say something," she said.
"I knew it!" Sam said grinning.
Kaydence groaned, "Damnit."
"I knew you were totally crushin' on that hottie! And who can blame you girl? I mean, the boy is fine."
Kaydence bit her lip, "I know."
"Well, what's the problem?" Sam asked as she opened a soda.
"His girlfriend."
Sam winced, "Harsh."
"No kidding."
Both were silent, just munching and thinking until Sam spoke up.
"So what's she got that you ain't got?" Sam asked shrugging.
"His girlfriend is Coreen's boss," Kaydence said before taking a swig of soda.
"Coreen? As in…" Sam trailed off.
"Yea, Coreen."
"Well shit," Sam said, leaning back a bit.
"Thus the problem."
"Well," Sam said, "It doesn't help that Tyler's always a pain in the ass."
"He is not my problem. He needs to leave me alone," Kaydence said frowning down at the open soda in her hand.
"What are you going to do about it?" Sam asked as she stuck a piece of licorice in her mouth.
"Not a damn thing," Kaydence replied shaking her head.
"Why not?" Sam demanded.
Kaydence sighed, "I just…I can't okay Sam? I can't."
Sam leaned back against the wall and looked Kaydence over.
"You're really gone aren't you?"
"Sami, I am so far in this hole, there is no chance of me ever getting out. Ever," she paused and smiled at Sam, "And to be honest, I don't mind."
Sam laughed and threw a chip at Kaydence, who then joined in the laughter. Neither of the girls saw the shadow pass by the window.
When Kaydence woke up again, it was midday and Sam was gone. She glanced around and saw a note tacked to her bulletin board. Standing, she stretched and groaned. She walked over and took the note off her board.
'Kay-
Had to go, class at 1. CAN'T MISS. Be back
later to chat about your 'issue'.
Ciao,
Sami'
Kaydence grinned and looked at her clock. But there on her bedside table was a card with her name on it; and a rose. Confused, Kaydence walked over and picked up both items. The rose had yet to bloom, the way Kaydence liked them. Shrugging, she flipped over the card and froze. Fear in her eyes, and terror felt down to the tips of her toes.
YOU ARE MINE.
She immediately threw both the rose and the note in the trashcan. Picking up her cell phone, she found that she had two messages; one from Henry, and one from an unknown number. She dialed her voicemail and listened to the message from Henry.
"Hey, it's Henry. I just wanted to make sure you were alright; you were acting really strange after I walked you back to your dorm. Call me and let me know you're okay. Please."
Kaydence bit her lip and erased Henry's message before playing the second message.
"Kaydence, you know better than that. You shouldn't make me mad at you. Stupid little bitch, you know that you belong to me."
Kaydence dropped her cell and looked around. She crouched and picked up her cell, still wary of her surroundings and, though it was bright outside, drew her curtains on her windows and made sure to test the locks. She huddled on her bed, the forgotten cell phone clutched in her hand. A knock on the door made her jump.
"Who is it?" she called out quietly.
"It's Coreen, please open the door Kaydence."
She hurried off her bed and unlocked the door, opening it only a fraction of the way before pulling Coreen in the room.
"What the-?" Coreen managed before Kaydence shut the door and locked it.
She stared at Kaydence for a minute, then noticed the terror in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" she immediately asked.
Kaydence watched her, eyes haunted, before she held her cell phone out to Coreen.
"Listen to the message," she said in an undertone.
Confused, Coreen took Kaydence's cell phone and did as she asked, eyes widening as she listened.
"When did you get this?" she asked after she hung up the phone.
"Sometime last night or today before I woke up," Kaydence answered, sitting on her bed again.
Coreen came over and sat next to her, "Who is it?"
"I don't know. I mean, I thought the note was from Tyler, but he wouldn't do this. He can't," Kaydence began to babble.
Coreen put a hand on her shoulder and Kaydence looked at her.
"What note?" she asked quietly.
Kaydence pointed to the trashcan. Quickly, Coreen got up and went over to the trashcan. She pulled out the card and the rose.
"Did this come with it?" she asked.
Kaydence nodded, but said nothing. Coreen scanned the card, then placed both it and the rose on Kaydence's bedside table, noticing when she flinched away from it. Coreen pulled her cell from her pocket and pressed speed dial.
"Vicki, its Coreen. Can you get Mike and come to my dormitory? One of my friends needs help. Okay, thanks. Bye."
Coreen hung up and sat down next to Kaydence again.
"Vicki said she and Mike will be here in a few minutes, okay?"
Kaydence moaned, "I wish I could talk to Henry," she whispered.
Coreen either didn't notice, or chose not to say anything. She simply put her arm around Kaydence's shoulders and held her close. When her phone rang a few minutes later, Kaydence heard Coreen answer it, and give Vicki her room number. The knock on her dorm door had her jumping.
"It's okay Kaydence, it's just Vicki and Mike," Coreen said as she went and unlocked the door.
Vicki stepped in, followed closely by Mike, who both looked disheveled, but no one commented.
"What's going on Coreen?" Vicki asked.
Coreen glanced over at Kaydence, and Vicki followed her sight.
"Kaydence?" she asked softly.
The girl huddled on the bed looked up at her with a look in her eyes that tore at Vicki. Slowly, she sat down on the bed and looked at Kaydence closely.
"What's wrong?" Vicki asked gently.
"I think I'm being stalked," Kaydence said, but it was so quiet Vicki could barely hear her.
"Why do you say that?" Vicki asked, brushing Kaydence's hair back from her face.
Kaydence calmly pointed to her bedside table where the rose, card and her cell phone lay. Vicki reached over and picked up the card with two fingers. She read it and inwardly shuddered, then she handed it to Mike and picked up Kaydence's phone with a puzzled look on her face.
"Listen to the message," Coreen said calmly.
Vicki did so and frowned as the message played, after hitting the replay button, she handed the phone to Mike, who also listened to the message, and placed a hand on Kaydence's bowed head.
"It's going to be okay," Vicki said soothingly, "I'll stay here today, and I'll send Henry over tonight, alright?"
Coreen sent a puzzled look to Vicki, who explained.
"Henry and Kaydence know each other. They have since she was, what, sixteen?" she asked Kaydence.
"Seventeen," Kaydence stated softly.
Vicki nodded, "Henry helped her out of a situation, and they became friends. Which you know is not an easy thing to do with Henry."
Coreen nodded and looked at Mike, who was just getting off his cell phone. He walked over and crouched down in front of Kaydence.
"Kaydence?" slowly she looked up at him, "I'm going to have a phone dump put on your dorm phone and your cell phone, as well as a tap. There's going to be a plainclothes officer coming around once in awhile, in addition to Vicki asking Fitzroy to keep an eye on you. Alright? If this guy does anything else, I want you to call me, Vicki or Henry," at Kaydence's nod, he stood and picked up the card and the rose, "I'm going to take these to the precinct and see if we can get prints on the card."
He was halfway across the room when Kaydence's whisper reached his ears.
"Thank you."
"Coreen, get a copy of Kaydence's schedule for me."
"She has three classes with me," Coreen stated after Mike had left.
Vicki nodded, "Then I want you to keep an eye on her in those classes okay? Watch out for anyone who's watching her or seems too interested in what she's doing."
Coreen nodded and Vicki looked back at Kaydence.
"Sweetie, do you have a roommate?" when Kaydence shook her head, Vicki looked at Coreen again.
"No can do Vicki. Kaydence and I tried the roommate thing already. We almost killed each other."
"Slob," Kaydence said with a small smile.
"Neatfreak," Coreen said, sticking her tongue out at Kaydence.
"Do you have someone who would move in with you?" Vicki asked.
Kaydence nodded and looked at Vicki, "My friend Sam. She's a pre-med major."
"Okay. You trust her?"
"With my life and soul," Kaydence responded.
"Okay, then why don't you call her and ask her to move into your room, tell her what's going on."
Kaydence nodded again and stood from her bed, "Thank you so much Vicki. I know you have other cases."
Vicki waved her off and smiled softly, "Its fine. Besides, any friend of Henry's…"
Kaydence smiled and went to open the door for Vicki and Coreen, as she walked out Vicki looked at Kaydence one last time.
"I'll be right down the hall talking to your R.A. and letting her in on the situation. Lock the door."
Kaydence bobbed her head in compliance and softly shut the door, making sure the lock clicked into place. She sat down at her desk and sighed as she rested her head in her hands. After calming herself, she called Sam and left a message for her before she picked up her pen and focused on the open books in front of her. She was well into her paper on the difference between poltergeists and ghosts when there was a knock on the door. Kaydence looked up and blinked, slightly disoriented. She looked at the clock and found it was well past nine at night; that meant it was Henry's turn to watch over her. She got up and walked to the door.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"It's Henry," came the reply from the other side of the door.
Kaydence unlocked the door and slowly opened it. Henry came in slowly and just looked at her for a minute. Kaydence's calm façade crumbled under his gaze and she rushed into his arms.
"It's okay," he said, holding her to him, "It's okay."
Henry pulled back after a minute and looked down at her, "Is this why you were acting so strange earlier?" he asked.
Kaydence pulled away without saying anything and walked back over to her desk. Henry watched her as she went back to writing her paper. Someone knocked on the door and Henry turned around to see Tyler standing at the open door.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
At Tyler's voice, Kaydence turned around, her eyes flashing.
"Get. Out." She said slowly.
"What's going on Kay?" he asked, trying to step into the room.
Henry turned quicker than possible and slammed his hand against Tyler's chest.
"She said get out," he growled.
"I just wanted to make sure—"
"Did you do it?!" Kaydence demanded, getting out of her chair and stalking over to Henry and Tyler.
"Do what?" confused, Tyler backed up a step.
"Leave the card and rose on my table? Leave that creepy message on my voicemail?!" Kaydence was almost screaming at this point.
Henry gently took her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. His charm did nothing for Kaydence, much like his non effect on Vicki, but looking into his eyes calmed her greatly. She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. When she opened her eyes again, she felt calmer.
"Did you do it?" she asked again, this time quietly.
"No." he said.
Kaydence looked at him sadly.
"I have nothing to say to you Tyler Allen Simms. We broke up and ever since then you've acted like an obsessed jack ass. I'm asking you one last time, please, leave me alone. And stop acting like we're still together, because we're not."
Kaydence turned back around, now out of Henry's grasp and walked back over to her desk, sitting down with her back facing both men.
"Kay," Tyler said again.
Henry turned to him again and glared at him.
"She asked you to leave," he said lowly.
Crushed, Tyler sent one last look in Kaydence's direction before turning around and leaving the room. Henry shut and locked the door behind him. He turned back to Kaydence, who had her back to him again. She looked as though she was trying to proof her paper, but he knew her heart wasn't in it. Henry grabbed the chair from the other desk and, turning it, sat down, crossing his arms over the back of the chair.
"Talk to me," he said quietly.
Kaydence fiddled with her pen, "What do you want me to say?" she asked him quietly.
"Just talk to me," Henry said, confusion and concern in his eyes.
"I—" Kaydence started.
She was interrupted when her phone rang.
'Saved by the bell' she thought, seeing the caller I.D.
"Hey Sam."
"What's up, I called as soon as I got out of class. Is everything okay with He---"
"Not really, but that's not why I called you," Kaydence blew out a deep breath, "Do you want to move into my room?" she asked quickly.
"S'cuse me?" Sam asked.
"Come back to my room and I'll explain," Kaydence said.
"You got it honey, just give me five."
"Deal. Uh, someone is walking you back to the dorm, right?"
"Got Mal on one side and Jay on the other," Sam said happily.
"Okay. See you soon."
"Later gator," Sam said.
"Bye girl," Kaydence returned before hanging up.
She placed her phone on the desk next to her and tried to avoid Henry, but he would have none of it. He put his hand over hers and held it until she finally looked up at him. What he saw in her eyes, however, had him letting go of her hand.
"Please," Kaydence whispered, "Just leave it alone."
Henry nodded, though his jaw clenched. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what, if anything, could be said to make her feel better. At the knock on the door, he stood, stilled by Kaydence's hand on his arm.
"Who is it?" she called.
"You're most favorite person and her two extremely good looking bodyguards," Sam called through the door.
Kaydence smiled, stood and walked to open the door. The three on the other side walked in and only Sam didn't seem surprised by Henry's presence in the room.
"Hey Henry," she said, throwing her bag on the floor and flopping down on the unused bed.
"Sam," Henry returned, smiling slightly.
"Henry, I'd like you to meet two friends of mine. This is Jayson Davis and Malcolm Tam. Guys I'd like you to meet Henry Fitzroy."
"Fitzroy? As in the graphic novel writer?" Jayson asked.
"You know my work?" Henry inquired with a smirk.
"Are you kidding?" Jay asked, "Your stuff is legend."
"Spoken like a true comic geek," Kaydence teased as she dropped down on the unused bed next to Sam.
Sam wrapped her arms around Kaydence and kissed her temple.
"Are you okay?" she whispered in Kaydence's ear.
Kaydence shook her head and held onto Sam, trying not to cry.
"Is it him?" Sam asked.
Slowly, she nodded, still trying not to cry. Sam looked up at the three boys and smiled sweetly.
"Could y'all give us some girl time? Please?" she asked.
They nodded, though Henry was reluctant to leave.
"We'll be outside," he said.
When the door had shut behind them, Sam sighed and gently stroked Kaydence's hair back.
"Okay girl, spill it," she said.
Kaydence gave a watery sigh and burrowed into Sam.
"I can't be around him anymore Sam, it hurts so much," with that, she let the tears fall.
"I know baby," Sam said, rocking her softly.
"I don't want this Sam, I can't do it anymore," Kaydence sobbed.
"Shhh," Sam soothed, "its okay. Everything is going to be fine."
"I love him so much, and he loves her. But she doesn't love him. If she loved him like I did, she wouldn't be messing around on him. I can't Sam. I want to say something, but I can't hurt him like that. I don't want to love him anymore."
Sam held onto her friend as she cried, knowing it was the only thing she could do. After a little, Kaydence's sobs tapered off and her breathing evened out.
"C'mon Kay," Sam murmured, "Let's get you to bed."
"Hmmm," Kaydence moaned, but she moved when Sam got up.
Sam helped Kaydence to her bed, and tucked her under the covers. Sam crouched down and smoothed Kaydence's hair from her face.
"I'll be back in a little while," she said softly.
A soft sigh was her answer and, standing, she walked from the room. Set met with Henry and Jayson in the hallway, where they were talking.
"Is everything alright?" Henry asked.
Sam shut the door quietly, trying not to disturb Kaydence.
"It will be, I suppose," Sam said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What's wrong?" Henry asked, clearly concerned.
"To be honest, a lot of things," Sam looked at Jayson and smiled, "Can you excuse us please Jay? I need to talk to Henry alone."
"Sure," Jay nodded, "I have some work to catch up on, I better go."
"Okay," Sam said.
Jay kissed her cheek and turned to Henry, "Nice to have met you," he said.
"You too," Henry said extending his hand.
Jay shook Henry's hand, then walked away, leaving Sam and Henry alone in the hallway. Henry looked at Sam, trying to figure out what had gotten Kaydence so upset.
"What's wrong with Kaydence?" Henry asked.
Instead of answering his question, Sam tossed one back at him.
"How do you feel about her?" she asked.
"Kaydence?"
Sam gave him a 'duh' look, "No, you're P.I. girlfriend. Yes Kaydence."
"She's—a friend."
"Liar," Sam said.
"What are you talking about?"
"You. Part of her problem, is you."
Henry looked confused and Sam sighed.
"She didn't tell you."
"She hasn't spoken to me for the better part of the last 24 hours. I'm concerned."
Sam sighed again and shifted her weight to her left foot.
"Okay, I'm going to tell you what she confided in me, even though she will kill me. But if you know, it may help."
"Know what?" Henry growled.
"She's in love with you," Sam stated matter-of-factly.
"What?" he asked incredulously.
"I need to repeat myself? I would've thought your hearing was better than that Henry."
"I heard what you said Samantha," Henry replied tersely, "How do you know that?"
"She told me. That's why she hasn't spoken to you, she doesn't know what to say without embarrassing herself. Of course, the fact that you have a girlfriend who's probably cheating on you doesn't help. And then there's---"
"Hold on a second," Henry interrupted, "Repeat that last sentence."
"The fact that you have a girlfriend doesn't help," Sam said.
"That's not what you said."
"Yes it was."
"No, you said 'who's probably cheating on you.'. Would you care to explain?"
Sam blew out a breath and ran her hand through her hair, "It's just something Kaydence said during her cryfest earlier. I didn't mean to say it out loud."
"How would she know?"
"I don't know, hell, I don't even know what's going on right now. I mean, she just blurts out that she wants me to move into her room but she never told me why."
"She's being stalked," Henry replied quietly, his mind running a hundred miles an hour.
"What?!" Sam almost shouted.
"Coreen came by earlier after you left and…"
Henry proceeded to tell Sam the whole story so far and the look on her face when from disbelief, to shock, to rage.
"It's probably that bastard Tyler," she ground out.
But Henry shook his head, "It's not. She point blank asked him about it earlier and I would've known if he had lied about it."
"So she's in trouble?"
"More than I may be able to help her out of," Henry said quietly.
"I can have my stuff moved in by tomorrow. I just need to go and harass some muscle," Sam said resolutely.
"I'll stay with her while you go and take care of everything."
Sam nodded and placed a gentle hand on Henry's arm before he could go into Kaydence's room. He looked at her and she smiled gently.
"She'll get better about talking to you, she just needs time. And you need to contemplate how much your friendship with her means to you."
With that, Sam slipped into Kaydence's room and grabbed her bag off the floor. Before leaving, she walked over to Kaydence's bed and whispered in the sleeping girl's ear, then kissed her cheek, stood upright, and walked out. Henry shut the door behind her, then walked over and crouched down in front of Kaydence. He watched her for a little while before he brought his hand up and gently traced his fingertips along her cheek. Kaydence smiled softly in her sleep, and Henry found himself smiling at her.
"Troublemaker," he murmured affectionately.
When Kaydence woke up again, the sun was just beginning to rise. She frowned as she realized she'd missed all her classes. She got up out of bed and walked over to her laptop, which was still shut down from the other night. Looking down, she saw a note on top of her computer, and cringed.
Not again, she thought, before realizing she recognized the handwriting.
The note was from Henry. Sighing, Kaydence picked up the note and read, her heart swelling with each word.
Kay—
Sorry I couldn't stay until you woke up, but you know me.
Sam said she would have all her stuff moved in by today,
so be ready. I know you missed your classes and I'm sorry I
didn't wake you, but you looked like you needed to sleep.
Actually, I'm sorry for a lot of things, maybe we can talk
tonight. I'll be by just after the sun sets, just call and leave
a message about where to pick you up from class.
Henry
Kaydence smiled and lovingly ran her fingertips over the note.
"That jerk," she said warmly.
Picking up her cell phone, she hit the speed dial for Henry and waited for his machine to pick up. She looked down at the note in her hand and smiled when she heard the beep on his answering machine.
"You, Henry William Fitzroy, are a jerk," she said this with a smile and her voice was sweet, "But I suppose I can forgive you for that, seeing as you are a man after all," she laughed, "I have Paranormal Studies tonight in Whitman Hall at 9, then I have to go to Stanton Hall for Metaphysic Anomalies at 11:30. Coreen is in Paranormal Studies with me, so just meet me at Stanton Hall tonight," she paused and bit her lip, "See you later."
Kaydence hung up her cell phone and smiled at the note in her hand. Shaking her head, she dropped the note on her desk and sat down. Turning on her lap top, Kaydence couldn't help but look over at the note again and smile. Grabbing her notebook, she put it down over the note and started to transcribe her paper to her computer. She was so in depth with her paper that she almost didn't hear the knock on her door. Hearing the second, louder, knock; Kaydence looked up.
"Who is it?" she asked, not moving from her computer.
"It's Sam, open the door! This stuff is heavy!"
Kaydence quickly went to her door and unlocked it. As soon as the door opened, Sam stumbled in with her arms full. Kaydence grabbed the first thing she saw before it fell to the ground.
"Thanks," Sam said breathlessly.
"Welcome. Thanks for doing this for me."
"Hey," Sam said, dropping her stuff on her bed, "Henry told me what was going on," she put her hands on Kaydence's shoulders, "How're you holding up?"
Kaydence shrugged, "Okay I guess, I mean, I haven't gotten anything else from that guy since the call. I really hope it was just a prank, but I'd rather not take any chances, you know?"
Sam nodded and dropped her hands from her friend's shoulders.
"Well; Jay, Mal and Dean are bringing the rest of my stuff down for me, so lets deal with what I brought, then we'll take care of the heavy stuff."
Kaydence grinned and the two girls got to work. The boys were in and out, moving the rest of Sam's stuff in and when Kaydence looked at the clock again, she realized it was almost 8! At least all of Sam's things had been moved in and they were almost finished setting up Sam's half of the room.
"Sam, I have got to shower so I can get ready for class," Kaydence said, grabbing some clothes before heading for the bathroom, "Can you ask Jay if he'll wait and walk with me to class?"
"Sure thing hun," Sam said.
While Kaydence was in the shower, Sam looked around and her eyes spotted the note peeking out from underneath Kaydence's notebook. She knew Kaydence wouldn't mind, so she grabbed the note and read it. Smiling, Sam put it down on top of the page before closing Kaydence's notebook. She shoved the notebook and Kaydence's Paranormal Studies book in her bag and got a few things ready for her friend. When Kaydence came out of the bathroom, she saw what Sam did and smiled at her friend.
"Thanks, we spent so much time moving your stuff around, I didn't realize how late it was getting."
"No problem hun, Jay should be here any minute. You know, I still can't believe he's taking that class with you."
As if on cue, there came a knock at the door. Sam walked over as she listened to Kaydence, who shrugged as she grabbed her favorite necklace off her dresser.
"It's a filler class for him, but I think he really likes it."
Sam opened the door and Jay popped his head in.
"Ready to go?" he asked Kaydence.
"One second," she replied, saving her paper, emailing what she had to her professor with a short note and shutting down her computer.
Turning, she grabbed her bag, her phone and an extra pen.
"Ready," she said, smiling at Jay.
"Let's go then," Jay smiled.
Kaydence looked over at Sam.
"Henry's supposed to be meeting me before my Metaphysics class so he'll be here afterwards. I have to tell you what he did when I get back from class."
"I read the note," Sam grinned.
Kaydence grinned back, "We'll talk later," she said walking out the door, "Bye!"
Kaydence and Jay sat next to each other in their class, so they could keep each other awake if one got bored. Coreen came in to the classroom, waved, and sat a few rows away, but close enough that she could keep an eye on the room and on Kaydence.
Feeling a slight buzz against her hip, Kaydence took her cell phone out of her pocket and smiled. She flipped open her phone and read Henry's message. Shaking her head she closed the phone and put it back in her pocket as her professor walked into the room.
Class went by slowly, and Kaydence found her mind wandering as her pen doodled random notes and pictures on her notebook. She was startled from her thoughts by Jay nudging her.
"What?" she asked in a whisper.
"You were spacing," he whispered back.
"Thanks," Kaydence replied, looking down at her notebook.
She could feel her face heat up and hurriedly flipped to a new page, but when she glanced up at Jay he was smirking, and she knew he'd seen what she'd doodled. Looking back down, Kaydence tried to hide her face and concentrated intensely on what her professor was saying. To her immense relief, the class ended shortly after and she hurriedly put her things away.
"Miss Reynolds, I'd like a word with you," said her professor.
Kaydence groaned and looked at Jay, "Wait up?" she asked.
Jay nodded, "Meet you outside," he said walking towards the door.
As soon as the last student left the room, Kaydence grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder while walking towards her professor.
"Yes ma'am?" she asked.
"I got your email about fifteen minutes before class started, that's why I was a little late. Your paper is, well, what I read, is amazing. You're really getting in depth on this paper. Good work, keep it up."
Kaydence smiled, "Thank you ma'am."
Her professor smiled and nodded her head, still smiling; Kaydence walked over and pushed the door open. A rush of cool night air greeted her and she took a minute to adjust her bag before looking around. Not seeing Jay, her smile became a frown and she glanced around her again.
"Jay?" she asked anxiously, "Jay, come on, this isn't funny," she called out, "Damnit."
Curling her arms around her and crossing her arms over her chest, Kaydence looked around one more time before she began to walk towards Stanton Hall. She was about halfway there when her phone buzzed. She pulled her phone from her pocket and looked at the caller I.D. She sighed when she saw it was Henry.
"Hi," she said walking a little faster.
"Where are you?" he asked.
"On my way to Stanton Hall, I'll be there in a minute or two."
"Samantha said that Jay was walking with you?"
"He was supposed to, but he bailed at the last minute," Kaydence huffed.
"You're alone?" Henry asked incredulously.
"I'll be fine, it's only another—"
That's all she got out before someone had grabbed her from behind and put their hand over her mouth. Kaydence dropped her phone and tried to yell, but the sound was muffled. Kicking and fighting she reached back and racked her nails across her attackers' neck. She heard a muted curse and the hand that was over her mouth moved away. Kaydence started screaming as loud as she possibly could while still fighting against him.
"LET GO OF ME!"
She fought as hard as she could, but she could feel herself getting tired. Suddenly, she dropped to the ground as her attacker let go of her. Gasping for her breath, Kaydence looked over and saw Henry fighting her attacker. She watched as he shoved Henry away and flew off. Henry watched after him for a minute, then turned and hurried over to Kaydence.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he helped her stand.
Kaydence was shaking, but she nodded her head.
"No you're not," he said, moving to stand in front of her.
Kaydence crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at the ground until she felt Henry cup her chin and tilt her head up. Slowly, her eyes rose and she met his gaze. A gaze with compassion, concern and confusion looking back at her. Kaydence tried to stop it, but the tears began to flow. Henry wrapped his arms around her and held her to him as she cried. He placed a kiss on her forehead and tried to calm her down, murmuring nonsense to her as he felt her body tremble and shake.
"We'll go back to your dorm room if you want," Henry offered.
Kaydence pulled away slightly and wiped the tears from her eyes before nodding. Henry wrapped an arm around Kaydence's shoulders and picked up her bag from the ground. Kaydence had always thought of herself as a strong, independent woman but truth be told; she had never been happier in her life to have someone to lean on. The walk back to her dorm was silent, and for that she was grateful; she didn't know what she would've said to Henry just then, other than repeating 'thank you' over and over. But Henry seemed to recognize that she needed the quiet, and so said nothing as they walked on. Kaydence's ribs hurt from how hard she'd been grabbed, but nothing felt wrong, other than her throat being dry from her screaming. She knew her voice would be hoarse when she tried to speak again.
When they arrived back at the dorm, Sam was in the lobby, and looked up when she saw Kaydence enter with Henry. Abandoning her other friends, she hurried over to Kaydence and framed her friend's face in her hands.
"Are you alright?" she asked as her eyes searched Kaydence's.
Kaydence almost nodded, but changed her mind and shook her head while latching on to Sam like a lifeline. Sam glanced over at Henry, who was still inwardly seething over the attack. She put an arm around Kaydence and they walked from the lounge towards their room, Henry following behind them. When they arrived at their room, Sam opened the door and ushered Kaydence in, Henry closed the door behind him and dropped Kaydence's bag by her desk. He watched Sam, who seemed to know exactly what to do, help Kaydence into the bathroom with a change of clothes, and waited until they came out. Kaydence had changed, her face had been washed, he assumed by Sam; and she seemed calmer. He waited as Sam tucked Kaydence into bed and stroked her hair, and he came to realize that he wanted to be the one doing that for her.
Something had changed in how he felt for Kaydence when he'd heard her scream over the phone. Genuine terror had gripped his still heart and his skin seemed to be covered in ice, it was something he'd never felt before and something he prayed he would never feel again. Slowly, he walked over to Kaydence and waited until Sam had moved away before crouching down and staring into Kaydence's haunted eyes. He raised his hand up and brushed his fingers over her cheek, a warm sense of déjà vu creeping over him as he gently tucked her hair back behind her ear.
"I need to talk to Sam alright? We'll be right back," he said soothingly.
Kaydence nodded, but grabbed for his hand when he placed it on the bed to lever himself up. Henry looked down at her and smiled softly.
"I promise," he said.
Kaydence nodded again and let go of Henry's hand, her gaze following him. He could feel her eyes on him as he and Sam walked out into the hallway. Before shutting the door, he smiled at her again, and much to his satisfaction; Kaydence sent a small smile back. Out in the hallway, Sam leaned against the wall opposite her door and stared at Henry.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Do you know where your friend Jay is?" Henry asked, feeling his anger rise.
"He's supposed to be in his Financial Law class, why?" Sam asked.
"He was supposed to walk Kaydence to Stanton Hall but apparently he decided not to at the last minute. Kaydence was attacked tonight while she was walking by herself."
He could swear that Sam growled when she heard that.
"I'll kill him," she said, clenching her fists.
"Not if I get to him first," Henry said with a grim smile.
"I can't believe he would do this, he loves Kay like a sister," Sam said, "I mean, yea he's a little flaky, but he would never do something like this. Something must've happened to him, he knows about the guy who's been attacking girls all across campus. He hasn't let anyone walk alone, even if it's out of his way. I don't understand."
"All I know is that he left Kaydence alone and because of that, she was attacked."
He was about to go back into the room when Sam placed her hand on his arm.
"Wait a second Henry," he turned to face her, "Kay's terrified, nothing like this has happened to her before and—"
"Yes it has," he said softly.
"What?" Sam asked, eyes widening.
"That's how we met," Henry replied, leaning against the wall next to Sam's door, "When she was seventeen she went to a party. She was trying to leave when she was grabbed by two guys. If I hadn't been there she most likely would've been raped," Henry sighed.
"Oh my God," Sam whispered, her hand over her mouth.
Henry moved to open the door again and ushered Sam inside the room.
"What are you going to do?" Sam asked him in a hushed tone.
"Right now? I'm going to keep a close eye on her," Henry replied as she shed his jacket and toed off his shoes.
He crawled onto Kaydence's bed with her and held her tightly to him, one arm around her waist and the other gently playing with her hair. Kaydence curled into Henry and looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Hi," she said in a hoarse voice.
"Hi," Henry returned, searching her gaze for any sign of the confident woman he knew.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Flashbacks," Kaydence said, looking down and playing with his chain.
"I understand," Henry said tenderly, "Hey," he said, tilting her chin up, "Everything's going to be alright, okay?"
Kaydence looked into his eyes and nodded. A small smile ghosted across her face as she felt Henry pull her closer.
"They should've knighted you when you were still in England," she said inaudibly.
Henry smiled gently and began playing with her hair again, "Why's that?" he asked.
"Cause you're always saving me."
Henry leaned forward and kissed Kaydence's forehead.
"Close your eyes," he said softly, "And just relax. I'm going to stay right here with you."
Kaydence's eyes fluttered shut and she curled her hand around the pendant Henry wore. He watched her for he didn't know how long, and he still watched her when Sam tapped his shoulder and told him that she was going to bed. He nodded and looked over at the clock on Kaydence's bedside table. It was only 1:30; he still had a few hours. Slowly, he moved off Kaydence's bed, untangling her hand from his chain and placing a gentle kiss to her knuckles before moving across the room. He grabbed his cell phone from his jacket and hit the speed dial for Vicki's office as he left the room.
"Nelson Investigations," Coreen said.
"Coreen its Henry, where's Vicki?"
"I thought she was with you," Coreen stammered.
"Coreen, where's Vicki?" Henry asked, letting his 'charm' flow through his voice.
"With Mike, she knew you'd be with Kaydence all night."
"Coreen, I'm going to ask you this once. Don't lie to me. Is Vicki cheating on me?"
"Henry I—"
"Coreen."
"I'm sorry Henry," she whispered.
"So am I," he growled, ending the call.
Henry walked back into the room and quietly shut the door behind him. When he looked up, he saw that Kaydence was sitting up in her bed watching him, her arms wrapped around her knees as she hugged them to her chest.
"Are you alright?" Henry asked, putting his phone back in his jacket pocket.
"I'm sorry Henry," Kaydence said quietly.
"About what?" Henry asked, though in his mind, he knew.
"I didn't mean for you to find out about Vicki."
"How did you know?" Henry asked, sitting down next to her.
"When she came to help me the first night, she had brought Mike and they both looked like Coreen's phone call had interrupted something. When Vicki sat down next to me, she smelled like him," Kaydence said lowly.
Henry didn't know what to say to that, he just put his arm around her and kissed her temple. Kaydence's eyes fluttered shut when she felt Henry kiss her and when he pulled away, she put her head down onto her knees. Turning her face to the side, she looked at Henry through the curtain of her hair.
"You should go," she said inaudibly.
"Do you want me to?" Henry asked.
"No. But you should. I know you didn't feed last night, and I know how hard it is for you right now," a ghost of a smile crossed her face, "I've seen you at your worst Henry, I'd rather not see you that bad again."
"I'm staying," he said resolutely.
Kaydence moved her hair from out of her face and off of her neck and her eyes met Henry's.
"Then feed," she said.
"Kaydence—" Henry began.
"Henry, please. For me."
Henry sighed with a slight smile on his face; the first time she'd said that to him, she was trying to get him to show her his fangs, and he had.
"Still trying to get your own way on everything?" Henry asked.
Kaydence smirked, "It worked the first time I tried. I thought I would try again."
"I'll be fine," Henry said, laying back and pulling Kaydence with him.
Kaydence curled onto her side and looked up at Henry.
"I know you Fitzroy, just do this for me."
Henry could hear the blood pulsing through Kaydence's veins and had to hold back a groan. Kaydence sighed and curled a hand around the back of Henry's head.
"It's not like you haven't had to do this before," Kaydence whispered, urging Henry's head to her neck.
Henry still hesitated, but Kaydence's next words shocked and humbled him.
"I forgive you," she whispered as his breath hit her neck.
His eyes darkened as he let his fangs be released and, taking a breath, he sunk his teeth into Kaydence's neck. She gasped when she felt his fangs pierce her skin, and wrapped her arms around him as she let him feed. When Henry pulled away, Kaydence felt a bit dizzy, but she was still conscious. Henry looked down in her eyes and was relieved when she looked back at him.
"Stay?" she whispered hesitantly.
Henry nodded and pulled her close. Kaydence nuzzled her face into Henry's neck and placed a sweet kiss on his collarbone.
"Sweet dreams Sir Henry," she murmured into his neck.
Henry let a small smile drift across his face before closing his eyes. He didn't sleep, it was too early for him to try, but his eyes stayed shut while his other senses took over the job of keeping Kaydence safe. Something he now knew, that he would do that at any cost.
See the little purple button? Press it and make me happy…please? If you want more, lemme know and I'll try to add either another chapter or make a sequel to it….no evil flames please.