Disclaimer: I do not own a thing. I don't own This Lullaby and I don't own anything that has to do with the novel. If I had a mind as creative as that then I wouldn't be wasting my time writing fanfictions. ( :

Author's Note: So, I've never written a fanfiction that wasn't Harry Potter based. This is fairly new for me. Some of the dialogue between Remy and Dexter may be a bit out of character and the portrayals of them may be a bit off. Please forgive me for that, dolls. ( : If you like this fanfic, feel free to check out my other stories. I'm mostly into one-shots, as I'm terrible at updating.

Remy Starr laid on her bed staring up at the ceiling. Her day had been one from hell. Between dealing with the most obnoxious customers at the salon to hearing her mother's determined 'clacking' typewriter, her day had been rough. Her pale white hands fidgeted nervously as they propped up against her stomach. The urge to give into temptation and smoke a cigarette was almost overwhelming. She resisted, though, as leaving smoke residue around her room wasn't the effect she was going for. Her stress levels were soaring, sending her into a fit of miserable moods. It wasn't as if Remy was great company to begin with. No, her cynicism often sent people scurrying away in the opposite direction. Even Jess refused to receive a phone call from her today. She made up some half-assed excuse about her brother, slyly wiggling out of a conversation. Things were looking pretty bad when even your most loyal companion decided against talking to you.

Just when Remy thought things couldn't get any worse, they did. It happened so fast, within a couple of seconds, that Remy didn't have time to gauge her reaction. Before she could do anything, a disheveled male body came flying through her half-opened window. Naturally, panic was the initial reaction. Remy's heart began beating a million miles a minute and her breathing quickened drastically. Her palms, the ones that were now clutching dearly onto her bedspread, were sweating profusely. Her wide eyes looked at the crumpled figure on the floor, alarm written clearly on her face.

The minute the figure sat himself up, the familiar face sent waves of relief and anger through Remy. She flew her blankets back down to the edge of her bed, and looked up at the ceiling. Counting to ten, she mentally prepared herself for the upcoming interaction. She was anything but thrilled to find that Dexter had managed to weasel himself into her room. It was just the icing on the cake for one of the worst days of her life.

"Get out." Remy stated calmly, her eyes still glued shut, and her thumb jutting to the window behind her. Dexter was not going to make this day any worse for her.

Dexter looked at her, a wide grin spread on his face. His body stayed immobile on the floor as if he was permanently planted there by some significant force. A laugh slowly erupted from his lips as he shook his head like a madman. With the odd gesture, Remy shot her eyes open and fixed him with an icy glare. She clenched her jaw trying to suppress her escalating anger. Dexter wasn't like any other male Remy had met. He didn't seem to comprehend the meaning of the word 'no'. Nor did Dexter get the hint when a girl constantly tried to push him away. Remy had long ago given up with trying to reject him gently. Dexter was as stubborn as herself and he constantly kept coming back for repeat bump-ins with her.

With an aggravated sigh, Remy sat up on her bed, uncrossing her legs so they were straight out in front of her. Carefully swinging them over the bed, Remy sat on the edge of her mattress, towering above Dexter who laid on the ground.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Remy questioned, an eyebrow raised slightly in indignation. It wasn't as if Remy was used to having night time visitors scare the living daylights out of her for no good reason. She didn't seem to care for the action either. No, it was irritating to have random bodies flying inside of her room at ungodly hours of the night.

Standing up from his previous position sprawled on the floor, Dexter fixed his tee-shirt, a gray one that was far too big on him for Remy's liking. In doing so, he knocked a picture frame off of Remy's nightstand, smacked his elbow into the wall, and stumbled on a pair of Remy's neatly aligned flip-flops. Remy rolled her eyes at Dexter's clumsiness, a trait that she would never get used to. It was one thing to be an unexpected visitor in someone's home. It was another thing to ruin their house while you were at it.

Dexter didn't seem to notice the fallen frame or the bright red mark that was slowly forming on his elbow. Remy couldn't help but flicker her eyes to her beloved frame to make sure it was still in one piece. Dexter was going to drive her insane. She knew it. Before the summer was over, Remy Starr would be sentenced to a mental hospital for permanent residence.

"Aw, Remy." Dexter replied, shrugging his shoulders in that off-handedly manner meant to distract Remy from her questioning. The technique rarely worked. Dexter plopped himself down on the bed next to Remy and leaned back so his face was inches away from hers.

"You nearly broke my picture frame."

"Don't be such a hard ass, Remy."

"You could give someone a heart attack jumping in on them like that."

"Did I scare you?"

"No. Why are you here?" The question once again flew out of Remy's mouth as she set Dexter with a look of determination.

"I was in the neighborhood." Dexter's reply was casual and soft, as he looked out the window. Clouds loomed in the sky and it was darker than normal for such a late time of night.

Remy looked at Dexter, trying to figure out if he was being sincere or not. That was something she hated about him. Sometimes she couldn't tell where he drew the line between teasing and honesty. Deciding that his response was genuine, Remy nodded her head and trailed her tongue along the bottom of her lip.

Without warning, rain started falling rapidly, at a steady pace. The open window allowed droplets to cascade onto Remy's carpeted floor. Immediately standing up, Remy slammed the window shut and pulled back the curtains. Thunder rumbled off in the distance, and Remy wondered if it had been getting progressively worse. It was entirely impossible that she had been too caught up with Dexter's spontaneous drop in that she had missed the dim flashes of lightening and the muffled claps of thunder.

Looking up at her, Dexter got one of those smirks on his face. The smirk had become one that Remy would learn to dread the more she got acquainted with him. It was the traditional one used by Dexter when he was initiating a new challenge. Rubbing his hands together, Dexter sprang up from his seat on the bed. His eyes held a mischievous glint to them that stirred excitement in Remy's stomach.

"I bet you that I can last longer outside in the rain than you can." Dexter said with finality in his voice, nodding his head once as if to prove a point.

"What?" Remy asked, an incredulous look on her face. "It's thundering and lightening out there."

"So? Scared, Starr?"

"No!" Remy looked up at him only to see that there was no sarcasm hidden in his facial features. She realized, with a bit of horror, that he was completely serious. "You're crazy."

"Are you up for it?" He asked in a tone that made her feel inferior to him. When he said it like that, it was nearly impossible for Remy to say no.

"Why not."

"Loser has to buy sodas for the winner for a week."

"You're on." After all, it was nearly impossible not to accept a challenge from Dexter. As ludicrous as the idea sounded, Remy actually found herself enjoying the idea of going out in a thunderstorm. The intense feeling of being so close to one, right on the brink of danger, thrilled her.

Dexter offered her a lopsided smile before re-opening the window and climbing out. He offered Remy his hand once he was situated on the other side. Taking the extended hand, Remy followed suit and jumped out of her window. The minute her feet were on the grass, she was getting soaked. Dexter ran out to the middle of the street. Remy hesitated a bit, before following him. Her blonde hair stuck to her cheeks as the rain matted it down. Her tight pink shirt clung tight to her body as the mixture of humidity and rain mixed together. Every part of her body was drenched with the rainfall, but for some strange reason, she didn't mind.

Opening his mouth, Dexter caught raindrops on his tongue, his arms outstretched and his palms facing upwards. Remy noted that he looked absolutely ridiculous in that position.

"C'mon Remy!" Dexter cooed, urging her to follow his example. Exasperated, Remy did the same. It wasn't as if anyone was out at this time of night anyways.

Dexter laughed sharply, causing a few giggles to burst out of Remy's mouth. She spun around slowly, letting her skin soak up the rain. For the first time in a long time she let her mind go blank. She didn't think about college or her confusing relationship with Dexter. She didn't think of her new step-father, a mere notch in her mother's bedpost. She didn't think about planning her summer up to the very last moment. She just let everything go.

She wasn't even aware of Dexter's presence until she felt his warm breath caress her neck.

"You're beautiful, Remy Starr." He stated plainly, his arms each grabbing one of Remy's shoulders. He squeezed them gently, and Remy could have gagged at the overly cliché line. Except with one look in Dexter's eyes, she simply couldn't.

A clap of thunder rumbled closer and a strike of lightening illuminated the sky. Both occupants standing in the street didn't seem to notice. Neither could remember who leaned in first, or who brushed their lips against whose. However, Remy and Dexter kissed in the middle of a thunderstorm, standing at the corner of two streets.

Reflecting upon it afterwards, Remy realized she had found the cure to releasing her stress in the most unlikely source.

Feedback from wonderful readers like you would be very much appreciated.

- Muriel.