Things hadn't changed with the weather. The storm was still raging on outside, but it had gotten slightly worse. The thunder had gotten louder, and the rain had picked up in intensity.

Ciara had started to toss and turn as best she could with her broken leg.

She was having a nightmare. Something she hadn't had in a while.

All the talk about Chase and her past brought up some things she'd like kept there.

When she started to cry out in her sleep her cries were almost lost beneath the thunder that rolled by. But luckily Ben heard something, and it caused him to wake up.

He slowly sat up and looked at her. She seemed to be having an unsettling dream and he wasn't sure what he could do to make it better.

"No…don't touch me!" She cried.

Ben grew more concerned and called out to her. "Ciara?"

"Stop!"

He tired louder this time. "Ciara wake up."

A loud thunderous boom sounded and shortly thereafter the night sky lit up. Ciara abruptly wakes, gasping for air.

"Hey it's okay. It was just a bad dream. You safe now." Ben said as he softly caressed her shoulder.

"I…he…"

"He what?"

She shook her head with tears forming in her eyes. "I can't…it's too much right now."

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

Ben gave her shoulder a small reassuring squeeze. With his touch the brunette could immediately feel her fears and anxieties slipping away. But when she felt him pulling his hand away from her everything started to come back to her. He was about to lay back down when Ciara stopped him.

"Could I…could we…I just feel like being close to you makes me feel better."

"I make you feel better?" He questioned.

"I know I'm just as shocked as you are."

"Okay well are you sure that's what you really want?"

She nodded. "Please?"

Ben knew there was no way he could say no to her. "Okay."

He laid back down on the bed and kept his arms wide open for her. Ciara moved so his body was flush against hers. She then pulled the blanket, so it was covering them both.

Once she was completely settled Ben protective wrapped his arms around her as she cautiously laid her head on his chest.

After a few moments she spoke up with some uncertainty in her voice. "This doesn't mean anything right?"

Ben thought about her question for a moment and then lied. "No, it doesn't mean anything."

Ciara nodded and the slowly closed her eyes.

###

Ben had woken early and reluctantly untangled himself from Ciara. She looked so peaceful and he decided to let her sleep for a few more minutes.

He quietly got out of bed and put his shoes on.

Last nights storm was pretty bad, and he figured he'd go out and take a look around and see if there was any damage.

He was out there more then five minutes before he decided to come back inside.

When he looked over at the bed Ciara was still asleep. He walked over to her and watched her for a moment. Without even thinking about it his hand went up to her face to brush some of the hair off it.

He couldn't stop himself and gently stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

Before he knew what was happening, Ciara woke up and began to freak out. She reached over to the night stand next to her and grabbed the knife that was there. She quickly pointed it at him and started screaming.

"Get away! Don't touch me! Don't touch me or I swear to god!"

Ben backed up and put his hands up in retreat. "Hey, it's okay it's just me Ben."

Ciara looked around the room and to where Ben had been lying next to her. She lowered her weapon and emotionally sighed.

"But you were…where'd you…why are you…"

"I went outside to look around and see if there was any damage from the storm."

"Oh…"

"So." Ben said as he went over to one of the bags filled with food. "Your probably hungry so why don't we get you something to eat?"

"Do I have choice?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No not really."

"Then sure why not."

###

Ben set down a plate of fresh hot pancakes. Ciara looked up him impressed.

"Pancakes?"

"Yes. And don't worry I didn't poison them."

"I wasn't even thinking that."

He went over and grabbed one of the chairs and placed it next to the bed.

While he was sitting down Ciara was cutting a piece of the pancake. When it was finally on her fork she popped it in her mouth and hummed.

"Wow! These are really good. Where'd you learn to cook like this?" She asked him as she went for another bite.

"I taught myself. I had to help out my mom. Like when I was six years old."

"That young?"

"Yeah like I said I use to help my mom. Anyways my sister always said they were the best.

"Donuts were the thing in my family." She told him as she cut some pancake for herself." My Great grandmother had this amazing recipe. When I was little she sometimes would let me help her out."

He nodded. "You mean she let you make a giant mess and pretend it was all good?"

"Exactly. My cousin Jen is the best baker out of all of us. My mom? Not so much."

"Speaking of, she must still be worried about you."

"Is that why they brought you here? Using me to get revenge on my mom and all the other people in Salem that hated you?"

He grabbed her dirty empty plate and got up. "Back in the day that's exactly what I would have done. I would have enjoyed it. Making people suffer."

"That is sick." She told him as she sat up a bit.

He put the plate down on the table and walked back to where he was sitting.

"Your right it is sick. Your Right. I have a lot of anger in me."

"But that's not me anymore." He said as he sat back down.

"Why should I believe you? I mean you say you've changed and I'm just supposed to believe you?"

"Well I think I did more than that. I brought you here, I fixed your leg. And I gave you a knife to stab me encase I got out of line. You like my pancakes." He beamed.

She pointed at him. "No see that's it, it's that smile right there. That smile that makes me feel like your playing me. Like your trying to make me forget that you're a serial killer."

"You seemed to forget I was last night." Ciara gave him an annoyed look and he sighed. "Besides why would I do that?"

"So that I would trust you. And then you flip on me. Make me your next victim."

Ben was hurt by her comments. "So, after all of this you'd still think I'd hurt you?"

"I don't know what I think."

"Well I don't think there's much more I can say to convince you, but I get it. That feeling of just wanting to trust someone so bad. And when you finally take the risk on them it, it just…"

"What?"

He got up. "Nothing. Never mind it's dumb."

"No, no you can tell me."

He put his hand on his neck and sighed. "I was just thinking about when me and my sister were little kids. Found this little stray kitten and we took care of it for months. We played with it we fed it. We loved the cat." He smiled as he reminisced. "And one day it went missing."

"What happened?" She had a feeling she wasn't going to like the answer.

"My dad said we probably left the door open and it ran away. But Jordan and I knew we didn't. Then he says we better go check the road…and there it was. It was dead. Hit by a car."

"That's so sad.

"He see's my sister and I crying. Two little kids devastated…he starts laughing. Thought it was funny. So maybe that's why I am the way I am. Maybe that's why I got pleasure out of people's pain. But I'll tell you one thing my dad may have been a sadistic jerk, but that man had power. He could make me feel exactly how he wanted me to feel and he knew there was nothing I could do about it. After that happened…over and over and over again I-I just decided that was it. I didn't want to be a victim anymore. I wanted that power…for myself." Ben started to get choked up as he could feel tears forming in his eyes. "I didn't know any other way. I'm sorry." He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as he sat down on the bed. "I'm so sorry."

Ciara watched as he wiped the tears that had managed to fall from his eyes.

She felt horrible and wished there was something she could do to take his pain away. She thought about touching his hand but before he could he got up and went to the front of the room.

"What your dad did to you was terrible. No child should ever be treated like that."

"I didn't tell you that story to make you feel bad for me. God I just wish someone could understand what made me this way. When a kid grows up just feeling worthless and powerless all the time…" He turned to look at her. "Ciara, I have no desire to hurt you. I have no desire to hurt anyone. I am not that monster anymore I swear to god.

"I'm not that monster either. I mean I know my mom is worried about me but I'm just not ready to go back. Just thinking about seeing Clair and Tripp together."

"i-I…I get it. It's not easy. But you don't have to go back there if you don't want to. You can stay with me as long as you like. But I understand if that's something you don't want."

"Why do you think I wouldn't wanted to stay here?" She questioned him.

"Because of who I am. Because of what I did. Not mention what you said before about how you thought I was playing you."

Ciara frowned. "Ben it's not your fault. None of this is your fault."

He walked over to her and started to pace a bit before sitting back down on the bed "But I killed three people. How is that not my fault?"

"You weren't in your right mind. You weren't thinking clearly."

"It still doesn't absolve what I did. It still doesn't change the fact that I'm a monster."

"Would a monster have picked me up off the side of the rode and carried me to safety? Would he have splinted my let? Given me a knife to stab him if he had gotten out of line? Or go out of his way to get me supplies?"

"No but-."

"I get it Ben. Every morning you wake up and you think of all the ways you could have changed things, if only I did this or if only I did that it would never have happened. Because the truth is, no matter how much you wish that you could change what happened, you can't. So, the best thing you can do is just accept it and try to find a way to move on."

Ben looked up at Ciara and longingly stared into her eyes. He never felt so vulnerable then he did in this moment.

Another tear slipped from his eyes and Ciara noticed it. She lifted up her hand and went to touch his face and wipe it away. But before she could Ben pulled away.

"We should probably get you cleaned up." He told her as he walked over to the table.

"Ben…"

"I'm sure your tired of that blood being caked on your face."

She knew things were tense now and tried to lighten the mood. "I don't know. I kind of like it. Build's character."

"Were getting you cleaned up and I won't let you argue me on that."

"Has anyone ever told you that you can be really bossy when you want to be?"

He smiled. "No, they haven't. Has anyone ever told you that you're stubborn?"

"I am not stubborn." She folded her arms over her chest.

"Yes you are. You're being stubborn right now."

Well if I'm being stubborn then you're being bossy. And it can be extremely annoying if you ask me."

Ben brought over a small bowl filled with water and a towel.

"Do you want to-. "

She cut him off. "I can do it myself."

He and stepped back a bit and nodded. "Okay."

Ciara took the cloth from the bowl and rung it out. She then carefully wiped her face and neck off. Once she thought she got it all she looked up at Ben.

"Did I get it all?"

He shook his head. "Here let me help."

He took the wet cloth from her and brought it up to her skin. He watched her face for any sign that she didn't want him to touch her, but he found none.

He gently pressed it to her face and began to clear away some of the remaining specks of blood

Ciara looked up at him as he did this.

She thought she'd flinch when he touched her but like last night she found his touch to be soothing. Something she never expected to feel with him.

Once Ben was done he found himself intently staring at her. Ciara noticed and cleared her throat.

"Better?"

He smiled. "Much."