Hi :D Here's chapter 3 !

I'm a real fan of playlists, so I'll be posting mine in case any of you want something to listen to while reading :) This time I listened to the song that gave me the name for the chapter: Need you know - Lady Antebellum.

Nice reading !

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Fallen ! :)

"Need you now"

"Thanks" she said to the young cashier at the same time she left the money over the table an grabbed her order: a herbal tea and a mochaccino.

She stepped aside while saving the change on the back pocket of her pants. It was morning already and she felt the cool coming from the cold walls of the hospital sneaking into her bones. She had spent the night trying to convince Daniel to stay calm and wait before seeing Luce -even though he wasn't allowed in-, but she couldn't keep holding him back and he run out to get flowers.

She lifted the mokaccino and inhaled the scent of the mocha. She smiled when she remembered the time she and Cam traveled to Ethiopia and tried mocha. Cam loved it so much he spent years drinking mocha at breakfast.

She hadn't seen him since they arrived at the hospital and they haven't spoken since he discovered her drawings. She hated him for calling her a coward, but she had to acknowledge to herself that that was the reason she didn't reached out to him when she saw him on England.

She remembered that afternoon too well: she was on her way to the apartment after spending the whole morning on a coffee place reading 'A clockwork orange' after James told her he had loved that book. Before getting down town to her place, she stopped by the bookstore to pick up her notebook. She smiled when she remembered how many times the old man said he loved her drawings. She didn't use to walk across the park, but it was the shorter way to go to apartment and she was in a hurry. Of course, everything stopped being so important when she saw Cam. She didn't need to look at him or listen to his voice: she just knew.

Where could he be right now? She decided to walk out towards the center yard in the middle of the hospital. An auxiliary held the door open for her and she smiled as she passed by him as a thank you.

She had done right at buying the tea: the cold wind blew so hard and the sun could barely warm up the center yard.

It didn't take much to find him. He was sitting on a bench in front of a fountain, with his legs straight and a cigarette in between his fingers. No doubt about it, the worst habit he'd gain while living in France was smoking. She hated it. She hated the fact that the smell of it covered up Cam's, who smelled really good after breakfast: a scent of cleanness and mocha.

"It's a shame you keep smoking" she told him as she approached him.

Cam didn't turn to see her. He bent his legs a bit and put out the cigarette crashing it with one foot against the floor.

"There?"

She didn't answer. She just reached out her arm, offering him the coffee. "If you still smoke, I hope you still like mocha"

Cam sat up straight to look at her. He looked down to the coffee for a moment before accepting it, he held it close to his lips and sipped a bit. "You aren't sitting?"

"I don't mean to bug"

"The mochaccino was a nice peace offer"

A sideway smile appeared on Cam's face -a smile after all- before focusing on the scum.

Izzy sat down next to him and looked up to the fountain. The statue on the center consisted on two little cherubim dancing underneath the water. She held her tea close to her lips and drank half glass.

"Don't drink so fast or you'll feel dizzy" She smiled and let slip a little cough, after choking with the last sip of tea. "Sorry"

"It's ok"

Their eyes met for a minute. Izzy saw how worried was Cam and she couldn't help to feel a bittersweet taste coming up through her throat when she realized he was worried sick… for Luce. It was naive for her to think he hasn't gonna be that worried. She herself had been scared to death, no wonder Cam wouldn't feel like that, too.

"Did you see her?"

"No…" Cam stretched out his legs and lay down on the bench. "I couldn't get Gabbe out of the room. Same with Arriane and the nurse thought that 'three were a crowd', so I came here to wait"

She nodded as she settled on the bench, resting her body over one leg.

"What about Daniel?"

"He went to get flowers for Luce a while ago"

"What about you?"

She looked at him confused. "What about me?"

"Are you all right?"

"Besides the shock… yes" she took another sip of her tea and focused on her hands.

They remain silent for a while. Regardless they wanted it or not, time had managed to raise a little wall between then.

"You were right…" started Izzy.

Cam turned and stared at her confused with a smile on his face. "Tell me something I don't know"

"I mean it…" she continued. "It wasn't there first time I saw you that time in Helston"

Cam sat up to face her, at the same time Izzy settled again on the bench. She didn't keep on talking, waiting for Cam to send her to hell and call her a coward. But he didn't.

"Fine, I hear you"

"I saw you in Woodstock" she confessed. "Making out with some girl… a blond long haired girl, if I may" Cam smiled at her, making her smile too "It hurt, Cam. On one hand, I wanted to get out and cry my heart out until I get it off my head. On the other one, I just felt like beating the crap out of you until you get her off your head. But I didn't, I just kept it all for myself and buried it deep inside. And those feelings didn't come back until I saw you in Helston. When I saw you were there sitting, I thought you might've been waiting for someone and well… I realized I've never had the chance to draw you. You didn't seem to be on a hurry, so I just did it"

Cam kept his eyes on her all the time, but the worried looked he had had turn into sadness.

He didn't need her to say it again; he knew perfectly what she was talking about. Same way he remembered that blond haired dark grey eyes girl that reminded him of Izzy.

"And what has that to do with me being right?"

"I was a coward" said Izzy. "Both times and I'm very sorry"

She stood up fast and started walking back to the hospital. Arriane also was right: she had learned the 'art of evasion'.

She wasn't expecting for him to run after her, that wasn't Cam's thing, so she got really surprised when he held her hand on the doorway.

"Hey—"

"I finally found you"

Both turned and found Roland standing in front of them.

"It's something wrong with Luce?" asked Cam. Izzy let out her breath and got rid of Cam's hand.

"She's up and she's fine, which means we are going back to the school"

"Thank you" said Izzy as she kept on walking, crossing the waiting room and moving towards the hall.

"I didn't mean t—" started Roland, but Cam hushed him.

"It's cool" he said as they both started walking.

oOoOoOoOo

She was very thankful for the fact that Daniel fall sleep as soon as he sat on the bus that drove them back to Sword and Cross and that he hadn't woken up.

It was so heartwarming watching him sleep so quietly after spending so many hours awake and she also needed that time to deal with her own thoughts.

Everyone was sleeping –or at least trying to sleep-, even Randy. But she couldn't have fallen sleep even if she tried to. Talking with Cam had left her a little disturbed –'a little' for say the least.-. One of the things that upset her the most were the fact that she could remember that festival with such preciseness, unlike the rest of her mates which could barely remember they attended.

As she turned slightly to the side she managed to see Cam's black hair. He had his head leaning against the window and his foot on the seat.

"Everybody up!" shouted Randy, letting her out of her train of thought and getting to wake everyone else up. "Down!"

Daniel smiled at her and pulled a string of her hair behind her ear. "Izzy, are you ok?"

She nodded "Yes…" Daniel didn't seem to trust her, but he didn't stop smiling. "Did you find peonies?"

"Yes" he said as he got up. "I came back to show them to you, but I couldn't found you"

Izzy looked away and her eyes met Cam's. "I was outside…"

"Raise and shine" Daniel got off the bus and offered her his hand to help her.

"Thank you"

It really caught her eye the fact that to carry them and Randy to the hospital the traveled on a bus for thirty people. They probably didn't have a smaller one.

"Are you hungry?"

Izzy looked at him, amused. She liked seeing Daniel so relaxed. She liked knowing that after the fight they had, Daniel took a choice and went back to talk to Luce as much as she liked the fact that he had run out in search of peonies for her.

Daniel wasn't giving up.

"Actually, I just want to sleep" she confessed.

Daniel looked at her confused. "You haven't slept yet?"

"Look who's saying so"

"It's thirty minutes from the hospital" Daniel looked at her anxiously, but he did not insist. "But, sure, go…"

"I'll see you later"

Izzy laid down one hand on Daniel's arm, smiling, to then keep on walking towards the building and her bedroom.

The wind was blowing hard, so she accelerated to keep herself out of the cold. She walked fast until she reached the stairs, she walk up easily and then turned tiredly to her room.

Something caught her eye as she reached the door. She walked fast and bent down to pick up a small envelope that waited for her.

"Izzy!"

She didn't turn to face him. She stood up with the letter between her fingers and tore it open.

Cam stopped next to her. "I wanted to say something…" he shut up as soon as he noticed the envelope. "A letter?"

"No"

Izzy turned the envelope, allowing a small amount of dust fell. She grabbed the tiny piece of paper inside and unfolded it finding the words 'Miss me? I.'; written on it with black ink.

"Isaac" she said. Her voice failed on her as her fingers begun to shiver.

"Give it" Cam grabbed the piece of paper and tore it apart.

"You can't tell anyone"

Cam opened up his mouth to talk, but she leaned one of her hands on his chest, gently. She looked at him worried and Cam noticed that the hand she leaned on him also shivered.

"You have to tell someone, Izzy" he insisted. "At least, Daniel"

"Dan doesn't need more concerns"

Izzy opened up her bedroom door.

"Izzy, something bad could happen to Luce…"

She turned, indignant. Luce?, Was Luce all that really matter to him?

"You're not telling anyone"

"Steven can help"

"Steven doesn't have to know, Cameron"

Cam was standing on the doorway with one hand on the door. Izzy didn't realize until she tried to swing the door close.

"You're so predictable"

He was tired. He was tired of all the fights with Izzy, tired of being worried sick for Luce, frustrated because his plan with her never work out the way he wanted and tired of Izzy making everything harder.

"Leave"

"No"

Cam got inside Izzy's room, hoping she took one step back, but Izzy did not move.

"Out, Cam"

"You owe me an explanation, Izzy and I am not leaving without one"

"I don't owe you anything!"

"You owe it to Luce, then!"

"You open up your mouth and you'll find me"

"Do it for her!"

"Is everything about her for you, Cam, Everything?!"

She pushed him so hard; Cam had to hold on the door frame to stop him from falling.

Both were overwrought and Cam looked at her, surprised. Even she was surprised. She had never reacted like that before.

Cam stood up and reached out for her hand. "Isabel…"

"Please…"

Izzy removed her hand as she took one step back.

Cam didn't say a word, he just stood there in front of her for a minute, before closing the door.

oOoOoOoOo

She felt a little uncomfortable sitting there. Actually, she didn't really think that anyone felt comfortable at that point. She had never attended a funeral before and she had never listened to a priest. The closest she had ever been from a religious ceremony was seeing people outside the church in Rome and in that very nice hill on India. Of course she never prayed like those people, but somehow she managed to feel safe and at peace with herself.

There she just felt uncomfortable and sad.

Daniel was sitting with his eyes glancing down at the grass, right next to her. Gabbe looked at him with concern and both switch looks a couple of times trying to figure out what was going on with him.

Izzy grabbed the hem of her dress between her fingers. It was black –like all of her clothes on the reform school- but it was different. She had picked that one up after obsessing over Audrey Hepburn: it ended just above her knees and it was quite notched, with lean sleeves covering her arms and the neckline crossing right below her clavicle bones. She was aware that it was a funeral she was attending, so she grabbed a black vest and put on pantyhose, just like Gabbe. Only that Gabbe's skirt was longer than hers.

Once the funeral ended, everyone began to stand up and walk back towards the school. She noticed that there were a few chairs around a white table with food and drinks on it.

She also got to see Cam hugging Luce.

She turned and started to walk back to the cemetery. She felt sad for all those graves and statues that –just like her- were on their own. She stood under a big oak-tree and set her eyes on a behead angel statue.

As quick as she felt him, she was suddenly standing a few meters behind the beheaded angel.

"Boo"

She turned back to see James standing in front of her… And really close to her. She met him when he was just a sixteen year old enjoying life, now he was a twenty year old guy doing just that.

James was tall –almost as tall as Cam- and had really strong arms. He had big brown eyes with little green spots on them, pale skin and dark hair.

"What are you doing here? You can't just jump around like that!" she said with a smile on her face.

"Ouch" James smiled back and leaned on the tree standing behind them. "No 'I miss you'…"

"I missed you… now tell me what you are doing here, and please tell me that you didn't just leave that guy covering up for you"

James sat down on the grass and Izzy imitated him.

"I missed you too" He caressed her arm, tenderly. "And Miles it's quite a great roommate, there for: so am I….; How's everything going?"

Izzy moaned and leaned her head against the tree, glancing up to the sky. "Well, Daniel doesn't really know what to do about Luce and Luce had a pretty close date with death and right now I should be in the funeral of a kid that didn't get as lucky as Luce… I think that pretty much says it all"

"What about Cam?"

Izzy giggled and turned to look back at James. "Are you serious?"

"You said you'll always answer me with the truth" he replied. "And… I'm curious. It's natural" He also laughed a bit, before glancing down to his shoes.

"I should've never made that promise" James laughed harder and leaned his head back on the tree, just like her. "It's complicated and… hurtful"

"I heard Steven—"

"What?!" Izzy turned angrily.

"Hey, hey"

"What did you hear?" James wasn't looking at her. "The truth"

"That Isaac's back…"

"Is that why you are here?"

"I was worried…" James' voice failed him. "I care about you"

Izzy opened up her mouth, but she decided not to speak. She reached out for him and held his head between her hands to look at him "I am –and I will be- fine" she said with conviction.

"What about Cam?" James smiled, timidly. "Are you going to tell me that I can't be jealous now?"

"I thought we—"

"I'd like to tell you that you deserve better than him, but I'm afraid it won't help" James grabbed her hand and help her stood up. "Anyway, I have a date tomorrow"

"Ouch… Now I'm jealous"

James held her hand tight. "If something bad hap—"

"I know"

Their eyes met and Izzy couldn't help but to hug him. James held her tight and leaned his chin on her forehead.

"Be good, James"

They broke apart and James smiled at her one last time.

Just as quick as he had arrived, he was gone... And Izzy started to walk back to the school.

What did you think? :) Hope you let me know!

xoxo :)