Chapter I

"10 Years"

Say my name, say my name, when nobody is around you, say baby I love you…

Alison (POV)

On a chilly, dark Thursday night I find myself standing in the middle of the road. I am looking into the familiar, medium size, white and gray house, which looks lonely surrounded by huge trees.

The second my eyes land on the white, heavy wooden doors, it opens, revealing a cozy yellow light form inside. In the second in the doorway appears a tall, powerful figure. I couldn't see a person's face, but I could swear that for a moment I saw two blue shining orbs looking into me, sending a sense of longing, love and excitement.

A mysterious dark figure starts to slowly walk towards me. My whole body tenses and my hands clench in strong fists, but the second I heard the familiar voice coming from the dark figure, my body relaxes.

"Alison" a man's voice says. "Derek" I answer.

10 hours ago

I am sitting on my bed, looking over my reddish bedroom, memorizing every detail of it. My eyes gaze through the photos, which are attached to the wall, through the old books, which are lying on the bookshelf.

"Alison, I hope you are ready, because we have to leave now" I heard my mom's voice from the downstairs. I sighed heavily, "Do I really need to go? Why I can't stay here?" It's summer!" I shouted back.

After a second I heard someone's heavy steps up the stairs and then a soft knock on my bedroom door. "Can I come in?" I heard a soft, but firm man's voice from the other side of the door. "Of course, come in dad".

My room door went open, revealing a tall man around the forties with short, gray hair. Before speaking, he shuts white doors behind him. "How are you feeling?" he asks, but he already knows the answer. "Do I really need to leave and go there?" I question, sadly looking down at my tangled hands. I feel a warm hand rubbing my back "I understand Alison that you don't want to leave, but you know why we decided this, right?" I bite my lip and nod slowly. "Cheer up Alison, everything is going to be alright, okay? Come on, look at me." he says more excited this time. I lift my head and my eyes meet his blue ones. "Maybe you are going to like there…" before he could say anything else I give him my 'are you serious' look. "Okay, okay. Now let's go your mum is waiting for you." He says before opening the door and heading downstairs.

I look around my room one more time, like it's going to be the last. I take a deep breath, before whispering to myself 'Everything is going to be alright Alison. You can do it!'

Downstairs my mum Jessica was already waiting for me next the outside doors. "Are you ready?" she asks, I nod. "Okay then say your goodbye to Kenneth, I will wait you in the car." She says, before grabbing my biggest suitcase with her and walking outside.

I turn around to see, that Kenneth is standing in front of me. "Goodbye, I am going to miss you." I say hugging him tightly. "See you soon, Alison." He says slowly pulling from a hug. His hands gently hold both sides of my arms, "And don't be so nervous everything is going to be alright. I love you". "I love you too." I said one last time, before heading outside.

Airport

We arrived at the airport. Mum stops in the parking spot near the entrance. This whole ride neither of us talk. I felt really nervous, 'I don't even know why. Oh wait, am going to stay in a place, that I can barely remember and going to see person I last saw in ages!' I say to myself, looking down into my hands, which was one second clenching and next relaxing.

Mum slowly turns towards me and looks down at my tangled hands. "Everything is going to be alright Alison. Don't worry, okay?" I don't move. Jessica gently lifts my face up with her hand, that my eyes meet hers. "I know he is going to take care of you. He wanted to see you a long time ago, then he heard you are going to stay at him he was really happy." I rolled my eyes. "Alison," she placed her right hand on mines, "You know that he loves you and if he could he would spend all his time with you, but it's…" I cut her, "I know it's complicated, but it's also the only thing I know." My mum took a deep breath, you could tell from her eyes, every time conversation goes this way, that it' s really, really complicated.

"I am going to call you as often as I could." she changed a subject, as always, but I wasn't mad, a long time ago I understood if I wanted answers I needed to as him, but not her. "Oh, I am going to miss you so much" mum said pulling me into a hug, "I am going to miss you too".

For a few minutes we stayed like this, until my mom finally pulls away "I love you Alison, don't ever forget that" I smile at her and say, "I know, I love you too". "Oh, I almost forgot, someone is going to visit you there in a few days" she says exited. "Who?" I question. "Well, this is going to be a surprise".

Now

So I am here, standing in front of this house, I last saw then I was eight years old. Because my mum and well dad Kenneth this summer are taking a business trip. And recording to them it would be better if I stay here in Carvahall Hills. Staying at my true father's house, yeah, it's a little complicated, but it's the only explanation I ever got, when I ask about it.

When Derek, well my dad came out of the shadow I could finally see his face. He didn't change much as I could remember. As always he was wearing black jeans, black leather jacket with also black shirt. From his outfit you could just tell how much this man loves black. His black hair looked perfect, short beard on angular jawline and those green eyes and white smile you just couldn't resist.

"It's so good to see you Alison" he says softly with open arms. "You too, kind of" I say a little shyly.

At this moment I was trying to be angry at him, I know, maybe he wasn't a bad guy in this whole situation, but I couldn't act like everything was okay, because it wasn't. I didn't see him in ten years, it's going to take some time to let him in.

He shared a warm smile. His gaze went down to my suitcase, "Let me help you," he says, stretching out his hand and taking my suitcase. "Thank you" "It's nothing, come on, let's go inside before you catch a cold" I nod and followed him.

"I don't know if you remember anything." he say, when we find ourselves inside of the warm house, I didn't notice that I was freezing until now. "Not much" "Well from outside doors to the left is living-room a little further workroom and few other small rooms. To the right is the kitchen, also there's other doors from which ones you could go outside." He explains "And here," he says while we are climbing upstairs into the second floor. As we reach the floor, I see a small couch and a TV hanging on the wall. "Here," he opens the doors in the further right "Is your room".

We step inside of the room, it was just like I remember it. I always liked it here. White and red walls, queen size bed, wide windows and a view of the mysterious forest and white moon. Bookshelf's full of old unread books, few photos standing on the night table.

"I didn't change anything, I thought if you didn't like it, you could change it yourself…" I cut him answering too fast. "I love it!" I say heartily. He smiled closed lips. "Okay, then I am going to leave, that you could unpack. The bath is opposite your room. If you need anything I am going to be downstairs," I nod. As he was planning to head out he said "Alison," I looked at him curiously, "Maybe, you want to eat something, we could order pizza or ..." "Oh, no I am not really hungry, but thank you" He nods and walks out.

That's one of the things I always liked about Derek, he never asked too much or talked a lot. We could just order pizza and that would be just perfect.

After few hours

I finally finished unpacking my things, it seemed much more things, than before. I quickly changed in my night-suit. I sat on my bed next to the night table, on which one was standing old photos.

There were a photo of the Eiffel Tower, a photo of me and my aunt Isabella, when I was like five years old, another with mum and me, when I was about six and also the last photo of me and Derek, we ever took. I take that one in my hands, I was eight here. We were looking into each other with big smiles on our faces. I slowly brushed my thumb through his face, he didn't have a beard then.

I remember I was so happy that day, the day I got this pink, awesome bike that I just loved. My face spread a smile of this memory.

I heard a knock on my door. And also he always knocks. "Hey, I wanted to check if you need anything" He says, looking down at my hands. I looked at him before putting the photo back on the table. "Everything is okay, I was getting ready for a bed" I say, pulling warm sheets over my body." He stood there for a few seconds, you could see he wanted to say something, then slowly comes up to me and sits on the edge of the bed. I looked at him curiously. "Alison, I am really, really happy that you arrived, I missed you so much and I know it's going to take some time for you to trust me, but I want you to." My gaze for a moment went down.

As much as I wanted to be angry at him, it was hard now. I wanted to trust him. I know that he didn't use to talk about his feelings, he was like this big, tough rock.

"I know, thank you" I softly say looking into his green eyes. He holds the gaze for a moment, then his eyes trail to the night table beside the bed. I narrow my eyebrows curiously, when his face spread a little smile, while he was remembering something.

"Do you still like it," he asks still looking into the photos. This time I narrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "Paris, do you still love it?" he says, looking into me with softness in his eyes. I looked at the photo, then back to him. "Yeah, it's still on top of my list". "Yeah, on mine too," he says and I chuckle a little, his face seemed to become brighter at my laugh. "That's not true, for some strange reason you always wanted to visit Iceland." his face spread a little grin, "Yeah, you are right". I looked at him and it almost felt like I never left for those ten years.

Suddenly day started to catch up with me, and tiredness overtakes me. Derek says, noticing that I became sleepy "We can talk tomorrow if you want, you need to rest" "I would like to. To talk" I say honestly. He stands up, but before moving asks one more time, raising one of his eyebrows "Do you still love pancakes with chocolate?" I was a little amused about this question. "I do and with a lot chocolate, but don't say it to mum, she is going to be mad." He smiled a smile that I loved seeing on him, then I was younger.

I don't know why, it's just fit him perfectly.

"Okay, then. Goodnight Alison" he says before closing doors. "Night, Derek".