Seducing Ariana

Chapter 3:

The Day Everything Changed

Recap:

"The thing I didn't know was that today would be different than any other day I'd had, because that day was they day that everything changed..."

All I remember was darkness. Lots of darkness, and my name being whispered out in a cracked voice, like it was crying. It told me that it didn't want me to die. That it needed me. I was tired-so tired. All I wanted to do was stay like I was and rest. But then I heard the words, "Ari please don't leave us!" At that my eyes snapped open. Everything was blurry at first, then came into focus. Devyn was there. Tears ran down his cheeks, and his eyes had purple bruise-like bags under them, like he hadn't slept in a while. Anna and Mori were beside him, him, holding onto my hand, with tears rolling down their cute little child faces.

"Devyn..." I croaked. My thoat felt dry and cracked, as if I hadn't used it in a year or so. His eyes widened when I croaked that and he jumped on me instantly in a huge bear hug.

"Ariana!" he cried, "Ariana, you're okay!" He pulled back and wiped his tears off with the back of his arm. He smiled at me tenderly and my eyes narrowed in confusion. But before I could say anything, Anna and Mori were in my lap yelling "Ari! Ari!" and sobbing. I sat up the best I could, with the help of Devyn and the moving hospital bed and pulled them to me in a hug.

"Hey Anna." I kissed her head, "Hey, Mori." I kissed his.

"Mommy, I thought you were gonna leave us." Mori wiped at his nose with the back of his hand.

"That's Ari, Stupid. Mommy left. Mommy is never coming back. Ari will always love us, won't you, Ari?" Anna's face met mine, her gaze pleading.

"Of course I will, Sweetheart..." I ran my hands through their brown hair as I forgot to scold Anna about calling Mori stupid.

"Uh...kids...Why don't you go outside and play with Grandma, so me and Ari can talk?" they nodded hesitantly and scooted out of my lap.

"I love you, Ari." Mori said over his shoulder as he wiped a tear from his eyes.

"I love you, too." I croaked once more. Then after the door shut, I turned to Devyn who handed me a glass of water.

"What happened...? Why am I here...?" I was finally able to ask in a normal voice after draining the whole glass and another, but my question's answer was cut off as suddenly the doctor came into the room.

"Hello, Mrs. Markis. How are you feeling today?" the old doctor asked formally. I blinked.

"I'm tired, confused as to why I'm here, "My stomach grumbled and I looked up sheepishly, "And hungry." But there was no laughter as I expected.

Devyn was looking at me in surprise.

"You don't remember what happened, Mrs. Markis?" the doctor raised a thin grey eyebrow. I shook my head.

"No, I don't..." I told him honestly.

"Well what all do you remember, Ari?" Devyn asked, patiently stroking my hand. I closed my eyes, trying to pull up the last thing I remember. A flash entered my mind and I saw myself waving at the children as they went into the school and then I drove off, on the highway, on my way to work. Then the image was gone.

"I took Anna and Mori to school and I was in the car going to work. That's all..." I told them, "Why? What happened."

"Mrs. Markis, you were in a terrible traffic accident." My eyes widened as he continued, "You were hit by an eighteen wheeler and were cut out of the car in an unconsious state." The confusion that hit my mind was dizzying.

"I...was?" I asked looking at Devyn who nodded.

"And you've been in a coma for two and a half weeks." the doctor added, "You had many lacerations covering your body, but none were deep and only the few on your abdomen will leave scars. Now you've woken up like nothing ever happened minus a small bit of memory loss. I'd say you have a miracle on your hands Mrs. Markis."

I could only blink. I had been out for two weeks?

"We're going to conduct a few tests," he said, "Just to see if everything is okay and then you should be good to go home. You'll just have to take it slow for a few days." I nodded as he left the room. Devyn suddenly stood up and looked down at me, a determined look on his face.

I stared back in confusion.

"Devyn...what-" suddenly I felt something wet on my lips and my eyes widened as I realized it was Devyn. Realizing that it was probably only for the world to see though the peephole in the door, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed back. I felt the bed dip as he sat on it mid-kiss and put his hand on the other side of my body for support. Suddenly he tilted his head for a better angle, now able to kiss me deeper. He kissed me roughly, unlike he usually does and I squeaked when I felt his tongue on my lips. He used the surprised opening of my mouth to push it through my teeth and deepen the kiss once again. I grunted in confusion. He'd never behaved like this. His lips devoured mine hungrily and his tongue danced and acted like it wanted to taste every square inch of my mouth. I pulled back, dazed and breathing heavily.

"What was that for?" I asked him, my arms still around his neck, "I don't think anyone's watching-" I paused as I saw the peephole was closed with cloth, I turned back to him and he stared at me intensely. If there was nobody to witness...then why...?

"Devyn...?" I asked as I began to remove my arms from his neck. He inhaled softly and stopped my arms from completely removing themselves.

"Ari...I almost lost you...I thought at any minute that you were going to die in a coma." he said, his eyes averted nervously downwards as he softly stroked my arms that now remained around his neck.

"Are...you okay...?" I bent my head downwards to get him to look into my eyes. He did, then threw his head back and laughed.

"You wake up in a hospital to find out that you almost died and you ask me if I'm okay..." he shook his head, his brown hair dancing about it.

"Well are you...?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"I'm fine you nincompoop." he laughed before capturing my lips with his again. I gasped and jumped back.

"Devyn..." he didn't seem very pleased with me pulling back.

"What?" he asked, like nothing was wrong.

"Why're you so...affectionate...? There's nobody watching..." I told him matter-of-factly.

"I love you..." he said, in the same manner as before. Suddenly I had a revelation. I couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed it before...

"Cameras...?" I mouthed to him.

"No." he shook his head, "No cameras." Okay... now I was confused.

"Then why...?" He sighed.

"It's a long story..." he told me as I removed my arms from his neck.

"Well," I shrugged as I looked around, "It looks like we have time..." he sighed heavily like the world was being lifted from his shoulders.

"When the hosiptal called and told me the news, I rushed down here to the hospital expecting the worst. I was horribly upset, which is understandable. When I first saw you, you were covered in a towel, by a bucket of bloody water that was your own. They had just finished cleaning you and dumping the used water into the last bucket. You were so pale..." he paused to stroke my cheek, "I thought you were dead."

I nodded for him to continue.

"But then I noticed your chest moving up and down. It was faint...but it was still there...So I left to go pick up the kids and I left them at my mother's house. I didn't have the heart to tell them just yet. So I came back and stayed with you the whole night. You were so still, so fragile-looking. I didn't know what to do. The doctor said that when you woke that it was possible that you could be a vegatable if you woke up at all, which wasn't exactly reassuring."

He paused to take a drink of his soda.

"Then I noticed something. As I held you hand as you rested I began to have flashbacks of highschool. Of all the fun we had together. Like that time that I convinced you to get on the trampoline with me. It was one of the worst ideas that I ever had." He laughed heartily then grew serious again.

"Then I thought back on the times I had with Alessa. Some better than others. Like our first date, and when she gave birth to Anna and Mori, and all of that."

I nodded, waiting for him to stop beating around the bush and just say what he meant already.

"Then I thought back on the times that I've had with you. Making you laugh. My stupidity being the reason you laughed." he paused as I laughed at this, "Watching you grow from a high-school girl to a business woman in no time it seemed. Looking on as you played with my Anna and Mori in my backyard. That time your tripp pants fell down in the mall after you lost all of that weight. The times you listened to me talk about all of my problems. Eating popcorn together as we watched Anime. It's all such warm and familiar memories."

"Then when Alessa left me, I was so depressed. You offered to let me stay at your house, but I wouldn't so you convinced me to let you take the kids for a while. Then after I got myself together, you brought them back over and brought me dinner every night for a year after that. Then the time when my helicopter was shot down and I was in the hospital, you were with me the entire time you could be, and when you weren't you were tending to the kids. When I was finally able to come home, you stayed and babysitted for me."

I winced at the memory of him in the hospital. Those few months were hell for me. I wondered every night and day if he would live through it. Then my attention snapped back to Devyn who smiled down at me as I looked up at him.

"The night that changed everything was the night I tucked Anna and Mori into bed and they asked where you were. I told them that you were at your house and they asked why weren't you there with them. I had to explain that you were just helping me out until I could get well enough to care for them myself. That now I was well enough and you wouldn't be over as much. Mori began to cry and Anna asked why you couldn't be thier mommy. That night gave me the idea. My finance company had been on my tail to get a beneficary and you were always there for me and the kids, and they wanted you around all of the time. I gave it some thought and a week later, I asked you out for dinner at the Chinese Buffet." He pushed some stray strands of hair away from my face.

"And-dear God-the time I spent married to you made my original marriage seem like the fake one. Only there was something missing. I couldn't figure out what it was. Then, the day that I sat here holding onto your pale fragile hand thinking about the past, it dawned on me. I loved you. I always had. I enjoy seeing your face in the morning when you wake up and throw things at me yelling that it's a saturday and I wasn't to interrupt you sleeping on a saturday. I dread going away from you even a single day. Watching you in an oversized shirt with your hair in a bun tucking my children into bed is the most beautiful sight I see on a daily basis. And our wedding night-" he paused as a look of wonder passed his face, "I was surprised that I didn't notice how much I loved you that day. You were so beautiful, like a goth goddess." He ran his fingers through my black hair.

"The sad thing is that it took me nearly losing you to realize how much I loved you. When you weren't the constant thing in my life anymore I couldn't stand myself. For the first few days, I sat on your bed and held every one of your cats forcefully in my lap and petted them for the longest time." I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"You hate my cats." I told him matter of factly.

"Yes, but I love you." He pressed a tender kiss to my forehead, "And you may not love me now, but one day you might, and the day you decide you do-no-even now, my heart is yours. If I had to choose between Alessa and you, I'd choose you. No contest..." He finished his explanation, leaving me speechless and my heart pounding in my chest. He loved me. I tried but I couldn't wrap my head around it.

"You...love me...?" like before I was hit with a wall of dizzying confusion. He laughed nervously.

"Yes, you silly girl! I love you." I could only gape at him in disbelief, "But don't worry your pretty little head. I won't start seducing you until you come home..." He winked provocatively at me and I laughed.

Author's Note:

This Chapter was very dramatic and sudden considering, all I've given you before was a base time outline of their lives. I hoped Devyn's long speech sort of explained to you thier past relationship because that was what I meant to do and the reason it's so long.

I chose a car accident because

A) I needed a reason for Devyn to fall hopelessly in love with her and

B) Because car accidents are unpredictable and can happen at anytime

Though it was dramatic, I hope you all enjoyed it anyways^^

The thing I did like about this chapter was it's length though. At least I managed to get that right this time^^

So please review and I'll see you in Chapter 4!

-Crimson