Hey Everyone there, I'm back with another Ana-Christian fanfic. But this is is way too different from the regular fanfics. It's mystery, thriller, adventurous, full of suspense and it's a dark romance. It's a type of story that some might find disturbing in later on chapters.

So consider yourself warned ;)

PLEASE NOTE: I OWN ALL THE COPYRIGHTS TO THIS STORY AND THE CHARACTERS EXCEPT THEIR NAMES.

WARNING: This story is not for everyone. In past few months, there have been readers who stated that they couldn't read my story beyond first 7-8 chapters (since that's the point where the story takes a darker turn) as it was too intense or too dark and disturbing for them. Kindly, if you feel triggered at any point, feel free to leave the story and discontinue it. THE BROOKE IS NOT FOR FAINT-HEARTED or the readers who want an easy HEA. There is an HEA, but not without a long struggle and more dark moments than the lighter ones.

Part - I

THE PRESENT

"If today I woke up with you beside me

Like all of this was just some twisted dream

I'd hold you closer

And you'd never slip away"

- 5 Seconds of Summer

Anastasia

I WOKE UP SHIVERING and sweating again.

The ache in my chest told me I was out of breath.

No matter how big I opened my mouth, I just couldn't inhale.

I grabbed my neck with both hands in desperation. Wanting to somehow force the oxygen to fill in it.

Tears pricked in my eyes due to suffocation. My body started convulsing still no amount of air entered my lungs.

Why can't I breathe! Just let me breathe!

I knew it won't be long now.

Just a few more minutes and then I will die. Leave this world forever. But strangely this didn't feel any new to me.

My mind suddenly went from panic into a calm mode. Accepting my end.

It felt too familiar, like my mind knew how it was like to die and so it was preparing my body.

As if... as if I have died before.

Though it seemed like my body had its own opinion. It just won't listen to my mind. It didn't want to quit yet.

All my limbs flayed out and started shaking violently to get hold of something. Anything.

One of my hands caught something on my night table.

Just two second before it went down, I realized it was my orange juice which I hadn't finish before sleeping.

Crack.

The anticipated sound of the breaking of glass came much later than expected.

Maybe because I was in my last moments that everything suddenly went into slow motion. Or maybe it was just my brain messed up with adrenaline that my senses became faster than a vampire.

Everything was crystal clear to me. All my senses at their max.

I could hear it when the even rhythm of breathing on the next bed stopped.

Shuffling sounds from the bed came followed by a snap of air on the side of my face which told me that covers were withdrawn from that bed.

A heavy sound alerted the placement of a foot on the floor. Thud. Another foot. Thud. Then footsteps. Thud thud thud.

Someone was running towards me. Sadly, it was too late. I knew I was going to die.

Slowly, too slowly, someone lifted the covers from my body.

Faint sounds of my name being called repeatedly registered in my ear. I focused hard to clear the blurry vision of my eyes.

If I was dying then I wanted to leave the world with a memory of one last sight.

Sky!

That was what I saw.

That was going to be the last sight.

It was clear blue, light yet so rich with perfect flecks of gray. Just like after the rain, when the clouds dissolved and the sky began to clear.

It was a beautiful view to look at in my last moments.

I thought how lucky I was to die so beautifully, watching such a serene vision.

Although there was something different about this sky than the one I saw every day.

This one had a certain feel to it. I could almost see an emotion in it.

No, not one but many emotions.

This sky seemed so caring. Love and tenderness were spread out with the blue. Then the gray was coming back, overcoming the blue. Cloud of fear and distress slowly taking over.

I didn't want that. I didn't like seeing fear in my sky. It was too beautiful for any kind of negative emotion.

But then, it didn't matter anymore.

I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

Warmth of death was embracing me. My limbs grew heavy. My eyelids shut down automatically, letting the darkness surround me.

"ANASTASIA!" A deep scream shattered my peaceful death.

Heavy pressure landed on my chest again and again.

My nose was being pinched as a warm mouth covered mine, bringing the sweet flow of air along with it.

My throat burned as more air was shoved down in its path. Lungs finally expanded taking each ounce of life in it. I opened my mouth to breathe.

Again, a blessed amount of forced air was gifted to me.

The burning in my throat was too strong. I started coughing.

The pressure on my chest moved towards my back, steadying me as I coughed harder.

"Easy, easy now." A deep rough voice filled my ears.

"Just breathe"

I complied.

The effect was instant. My body immediately started calming down. And surprisingly, so did my mind.

That was when I realized I didn't die.

I am alive!

Opening my eyes, I saw my savior.

Deep blue-grey eyes that were now filled with worry met mine.

I should be used to seeing those eyes now. But each time I looked into them, I was fascinated by their beauty. It was like watching my own personal sky.

A sky so deep and endless that I could fall - no - fly in it forever.

"You okay, Ana?" Christian asked me. I was so deeply enraptured in his eyes that all I could do was merely nod.

I took notice of my surroundings.

I was in my dorm room, lying on my bed in Christian's strong arms.

Usually. girls would die to be in his arms. I almost literally died in them.

Thinking of the irony, a giggle escaped from my lips.

Christian looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. Instantaneously he became agitated. The battle to remain in control was clear in his eyes.

For some reason, this made me laugh harder.

"Dammit Ana!" He hissed.

"You scared the shit out of me. What is wrong with you?" He shook me roughly once. My laugh faded.

Clearly, he looked distraught.

Because of me.

The thought saddened me.

"I'm sorry C." My voice barely audible.

He frowned. His voice was tender again.

"This is the third time in this week Ana. I'm scared for you. What if I don't wake up on time one day? What if I'm too late and you.. you.." He trailed off.

Christian closed his eyes as if he couldn't bear to think of that outcome. He shook his head.

"I can't lose you."

My head snapped up.

Did I hear it right?

From his expressions, I think I did hear it right.

Warm tingles pooled down in my belly. My mind being more rational, analyzed his statement.

Why did it matter to him so much? Why would he care?

It wasn't like he would be accused of murdering me.

Maybe he didn't want any trouble.

Yes, that was the reason.

I am trouble.

My heart stung thinking how much of a great inconvenience I must be proving to him.

Yet he never complained. I couldn't be unfair to him.

"I'm so sorry for waking you up again C."

He shot me an outrageous look.

"Are you kidding me? Thank god that I woke up. I can't imagine what would have happened if I hadn't. You were dreaming again, weren't you?"

Oh yes! The dream!

I was dreaming the dream again. I nodded.

"Yes, but it was different this time. I remember something."

"What do you remember?" He asked.

I shook my head.

"Doesn't matter. I just remember a few glimpses of it. Not enough to make any sense."

I sighed deeply.

"Look, I'm not trying to sound rude or anything. I am really happy with you staying here but why don't you look for renting rooms now? I heard Paul was looking for a roommate."

"I can't leave you like this. Kate is never here, god knows what can happen to you."

"Christian, I'm not your responsibility," I mumbled weakly. "I've caused you enough trouble anyway."

He snickered. "Trust me it's no trouble. Besides, Kate isn't charging me anything right now. As long as that goes I think I'll tag along here. That is, if you don't mind."

Kate was my roommate and Christian's friend.

Also his ex-girlfriend.

Which was no shocker seeing that fact that almost every girl in the campus was somehow linked to him.

He was the kind of guy girls would rip their clothes for.

Blue eyes with flecks of gray, straight sculpted nose, square-lined jaw, perfect tanned skin, lips made for kissing and dark brown chocolate hair.

He was dangerously handsome. And the arrogant asshole knew it very well.

When Elliot, Christian's ex-roommate, kicked him out from his apartment because C was caught hooking up with his girlfriend in a party, C had no place to stay.

He applied for dorms in the campus but unfortunately they were full.

Of course, many girls offered their bed but he refused them all.

Apparently, he had this weird rule to never have sex in the same bed where he slept. Strange guy.

Nothing else worked out, so Kate offered him her dorm room which was shared by me.

Since Kate stayed most of the time at her boyfriend's house, her bed was free.

She begged me not to report him and made me understand his situation.

After I was guaranteed that he won't be a jerk or try any sort of his infamous moves on me, I took pity on the guy and agreed to our weird arrangement.

During the day he would stay most of the time on campus till eve and at night he would sneak in and quietly sleep in the bed next to mine.

The first two weeks were like this, we never talked outside or even inside the dorm.

I guess Kate told him that I was resistant to his charms. I was scared.

Usually, when guys like him got to know a girl acting out of the crowd and not falling for him, they would make her the challenge and try their best to charm her.

But not Christian.

He never made a move or stared at me like a creep.

In fact, if I'm not wrong, he was more comfortable that I wasn't crushing on him like rest of the college.

Maybe he didn't find me attractive enough, which was completely fine by me.

Or maybe he didn't want to hook up with roommates. It was almost as if he respected me for it. I liked that about him.

As the third week started, we grew more comfortable with the arrangement.

We started making small talks and helping each other here and there.

By the fourth week, he would sneak in an hour or so earlier than the bedtime and we would study together.

Till fifth, we started hanging out outside the campus.

We finally became friends in the sixth week.

It was going to be almost three months now. Of him being my roommate.

The first month and a half were blissful till I started having these dreams.

Not dreams, only this one particular dream.

It was more like a nightmare than a dream. I always woke up panting or screaming or crying hysterically.

Christian would wake up, calm me down and sit next to me till I fall asleep.

At first, it seemed normal. A rare occurrence. But from past two weeks, it had become more regular.

Not only would I wake up shouting and sweating now, I would wake up choking and suffocating too.

This was the third time Christian had saved my life from dying an idiotic death by a stupid nightmare.

As creepy as it went, I was more aware of how embarrassing it was.

Deep down I knew I should be scared but I wasn't.

Like I had said before, it was as if my mind knew how it was like to die and so it immediately calms when I suffocate or choke in sleep.

Almost like it was a relief to my mind.

Someone can easily call me suicidal. I knew I wasn't.

I didn't want to die. I never thought of dying.

Yet somehow these nightmares that I couldn't even remember as soon as I woke up, made me extremely relaxed about dying.

I looked up at Christian. My heart filled with gratitude. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him.

"Of course I don't mind. I just don't like you missing your sleep because of me."

I snuggled closer to him. "Thank you so much for saving me. Again."

He brought his arms around me and caged me against his muscular chest.

"It was no trouble at all. I would never sleep if it meant keeping you safe."

His words, so raw and honest stirred something deep inside me.

Things have been changing between us for a while now. I could feel that.

I wasn't ready to name it yet or talk about it.

Thankfully C never approached the topic either. Guess we both were happy being safely in the friend zone.

I turned my head against his chest to look at my side. My gaze fell onto the floor where pieces of glass were lying smashed, all over the place.

A few pieces that lay near my bed were covered with blood.

Following the trail I looked down at C's foot, the one hanging out from my bed.

Blood was dripping from it.

I pushed myself backward leaning away from his embrace. He tightened his arms around me.

"Stay" He whispered fervently.

"C! Your foot! You're bleeding." I scrambled out of his hold.

He looked down at his foot, frowning. Like he just figured out that he was injured.

"I didn't realize that." He said strangely calmed. "But it was a good thing the glass broke. The noise was what woke me up."

He winced remembering the scene that took place a few minutes ago.

C brought his hand up gently cupping my face. His thumb caressed my cheek.

As much as I wanted to lean into his touch, I knew I couldn't. It seemed wrong somehow.

Well, not exactly wrong, maybe just too soon.

So instead I made a beeline for the bathroom and brought the first aid kit back.

I settled down on the bed in front of him and carefully brought his injured leg up, resting it on my lap.

"Let me look at that." I told him.

There were several pieces of glass stuck in his sole and blood everywhere. I cringed.

"Doesn't look so good. You might need stitches. Let's see after we clean up the wound."

I took out a pair of tweezers in one hand and a wet cloth in other as I began to nurse him.

The guilt that he was wounded because of me was eating me up.

"I'm sorry this happened because of me." I said as I kept my eyes down at his wound.

Christian brought his hand up. He took my chin in his thumb and forefinger and forced my gaze up to meet his fiercely intense one.

"I don't want you to apologize again at all. Not about tonight or any night before, got it?"

His hypnotic voice compelled me to nod my head.

Looking down, I continued working on his injury.

He didn't even flinch when I took out the glass from the wound.

The way he kept looking at me, his intense stare made me self-conscious. My heart started beating faster in my chest.

"I guess you won't be needing stitches after all." I said when I examined his foot after cleaning it up.

Making sure there was no glass left before I began wrapping the bandage around it.

Christian remained silent all the while, just looking at me.

As soon as I was done, he took the first aid from my hand placing it on the night table.

He took both of my wrists and jerked me closer to him, locking mine in his huge form against his hard muscled torso.

It felt too comfortable to argue or retreat back. Instead, I wrapped my arms around his neck. Snuggling into him.

"Ana, don't get mad but I was thinking maybe you should see someone."

His voice grew tense and nervous. "Someone who could help you."

I stilled under him.

I knew what he was thinking. It wasn't exactly that the idea repelled me.

In fact, it seemed like a good idea in my case. Who knows it might help me.

But what was I exactly supposed to tell a shrink? I couldn't remember the dream as soon as I woke up. I didn't understand why I behaved they way I did while dreaming.

I didn't know anything at all about my situation. How could a shrink help me when I was unable to express myself?

The idea of methods like hypnosis being used was just too scary.

I didn't want some stranger to know all my inner secrets or personal thoughts. They were mine to be shared with. I chose the friends with whom I wanted to share.

The thought of it all bring stripped away by someone professional was what repelled me.

Quickly I regained my composure as I replied him with a tight smile on my lips. "I am perfectly fine C. Don't worry it's just a stupid dream."

If he knew I was lying he didn't push it.

I knew there was something very much wrong with me and I knew it wasn't just a stupid dream.

Still, I put it all away for now as I drifted to sleep in his arms.