Me: Oh my slug! Guys, thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm glad you like the story so far! I got a really interesting suggestion from one of them, you know who you are!

Eli: I would love to hear her say that!

Me: It would be awesome yes... :)

ENJOY!

I had me and my slugs' things all packed into a duffel bag. It was 09:45p.m. I just really hoped Eli would be here on time. I sat on my bed and looked around my room. It looked much emptier now. I looked around in my duffel bag. Enough gold to last a lifetime, all my clothes and jewels and toiletries were all neatly packed. Also my most prized possessions. 09:55. Eli should almost be here. I stood at my window and looked out over the many types of greenery that was in the forest. I saw something move out of thee corner of my eye and looked down. There he was; my saviour. He looked up and I tossed my duffel bag down to him. He caught it and put it on my parked Mecha. He really thought of everything. He held his arms open for me to jump. Is he crazy? Oh well. Here goes nothing. I sat on the windowsill, took a deep breath and jumped. I closed my eyes mid fall. Strong arms wrapped around me and I opened my eyes again. "Hey Kord," I whispered and giggled. "Hey, that was supposed to be my catch," Eli whined. "Please, you couldn't catch a girl falling down from fifty storeys with those arms," Kord said and put me on my mecha. "Let's ride!" Eli said and we were off. I had to half stand as to not hurt myself down under any further. We arrived at the hideout. "Trixie will show you to your room. I'll bring your bag," Eli said. "Thanks." Trixie walked me in and showed me where everything and everywhere was. Eli put my bag on the comfy double bed in my new room. "Eli? Thanks for doing this. For everything." He pulled me into an embrace. "It's nothing."

After I unpacked and decorated, I went to take a shower. I felt dirty. Everywhere. After I scrubbed myself clean, I dressed in grey sweats and a light blue top. There was a knock at my door. "Come in!" Eli entered and closed the door. He sat on my bed. "Lilly?" "Yeah?" I asked a bit shakily, knowing where this was going. "What did he do to you?" I took a seat next to him. He took my hands. "Tell me." "He… molested me." His eyes widened. "Are you hurt? Did he… you know…?" "I'm a little hurt yes. But no, he didn't." He breathed a breath of relief and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back. When he pulled away slightly, we locked gazes. He leaned in and brushed my lips with his own. My eyes widened with surprise, but my lips had a mind of their own. Soon I leaned in deeper and my lips moved in a perfect rhythm with his. His right hand was behind my neck, pressing me in closer, and his left hand was on my right hip. Our eyes were closed. I heard a chirp noise and took my lips away from Eli's to look at my dressing table and saw E-Mo teasing me. Then I noticed Eli's lips moved to my neck. His right hand pushed me lightly and I lied down against the pillows. My heart was beating wildly against my breastplate. His right hand was stroking my thigh. He touched a purple bruise and I yelped. His eyes immediately filled with worry and he stopped the assault on my lips. "Lilly? Did I hurt you?" "It… wasn't… you…" I said between breathless pants. He looked down and saw my now uncovered legs were spotted with the purple bruises. The worry in his eyes was replaced with brutal anger. I cupped his face with my pale hands. "Eli, look at me." He didn't listen at first. "Look at me," I said sternly. His baby blue eyes locked with my moss green ones and they softened again. "I'm okay. I'm away from him. He won't hurt me again." Eli fell down next to me and pulled the covers over us both. We spooned and Eli wrapped his strong arm around my middle. My slugs nestled together on their turquoise velvet pillow. Eli kissed my head softly. "You shouldn't let anyone hurt you like that, Lilly. Didn't you have your slugs with you?" "My dad took my blasters. I told my slugs to hide; otherwise he would've killed them." Eli stayed silent. I cuddled deeper into his embrace. "I want to thank you, Eli," I said. I turned on my back to face him. He smiled at me and quirked an eyebrow. "What for?" "Being my hero." Okay, that sounded way less cliché in my head. He didn't seem to mind, though. He pressed his lips to my left cheek in a loving kiss. I smiled and closed my eyes. I heard him sigh and I turned on my side. I put my hand on his chest and he pulled me tighter against him. I curled up, listened to how my slugs 'awwwed' and gave a sigh of my own. Soon I was fast asleep.

My eyes flew open and I inhaled sharply as I shot up, panting. Eli woke and soon he was sitting next to me, rubbing my back slowly to soothe me. "Lilly, what's wrong?" "Eli, I'm so glad you're okay," I threw my arms around his neck and he wrapped his strong arms around me once again. "Why wouldn't I be, Lilly?" "I… I had a nightmare… of my dad doing the same thing to you as what he did to your dad." Eli was quiet again. I pulled away and looked out the window. The stars were still shining bright. If I were to guess, it was around one o' clock in the morning. When I looked back Eli was also staring out the window. I then realised he doesn't have a shirt on. I blushed slightly, but looked away to hide it from him. "I'm sorry if I upset you Eli. It's just… every time I see you, I think of what I did to Will." "Stop saying it's your fault, Lilly! You didn't do anything wrong!" I flinched at the harshness in his voice. I looked at him and was shocked at what I saw. He was leaning against the headrest, eyes shut tightly and tear tracks on each cheek. I situated myself on his lap with my knees at each of his sides and leaned my hands against his bare chest. I kissed the tears away and rested my forehead against his. With eyes still closed, Eli put his hands on my waist, trailed them up my sides, over my shoulders to cup my cheeks. I felt his warm breath on my lips. I smiled shyly and looked down. He surprised me by capturing my lips with a gentle kiss. It took me a couple of seconds to answer back his kiss. I leaned into it, but pulled away before it got too intimate. We smiled at each other. I scooted off his lap and lied down. He did he same. We stared at each other for a while before finally drifting off to sleep.

I woke again an hour later to the sound of crying. I opened my eyes and saw Eli's spot next to me was vacant. I sat up and looked around. I didn't see him anywhere. The sound was coming from outside. I put on a jacket and my pair of light blue slipper-boots, took a blanket and walked to the front door. I opened it and looked outside. No one's there. Then I heard the sound above me. I saw a ladder on my right and climbed it. Eli sat on the roof with his head resting on his arms which were on his knees. His shoulders shook. I said nothing. I put the blanket over his bare shoulders and sat down next to him. His shoulders stopped shaking, but he refused to lift his head up. I decided to put an arm around his shoulders. Apparently it was the right choice because he lifted his head (eyes closed tightly) and hugged me. He rested his head on my shoulder and I felt his tears sliding onto my bare shoulder, for my jacket was open. I hugged him back tightly. "Shh, shh, shh, it's okay, Eli," I said. "I just miss him… so much…" "I know you do. Just remember Eli, all your friends are here for you, including me, okay? We'll be here till we're dust. We'll never leave your side," I said, sounding like I wanted to convince myself. Would I ever go back to my dad? I looked at Eli. He looked wrecked. No. I would never go back to that maniac. I kissed the top of Eli's head. I folded both my arms around him and hugged him tightly. He hugged me back just as tight. Even enclosed in his strong arms, I think I finally feel free.