I just wanted to go home.

My head was throbbing and my body felt heavy. Every time I took a step it felt like my feet were made out of lead. Instead of doping up on ibuprofen and sleeping for the next day and a half, however, I was stuck in the clinic at the police station. After the fight had been broken up and that perverted asshole rode off in the ambulance, a few police officers took Neji, Naruto, myself and a few of the other guys friends back to the station for further questioning. Apparently they had also called Temari in as well, but we got split up and I hadn't seen any sign of her yet.

"How's the eye feeling?"

I had momentarily forgotten about the nurse who was sitting a few feet away from me, jotting something down quickly on the chart she had written up for the station's records.

"Fine," I lied.

She didn't look up at me; it didn't take a genius to figure out that she didn't really care about me personally. I had been here for about an hour or so and all she had done for me was put ice on it and make the environment incredibly awkward with her deafening silence.

"Have you regained any sight yet?" She continued to jot unknown scribbles on her papers.

"I can see shapes," I said as I closed my opposite eye to see how well the vision was in my bad one. All I could see was the faint blurriness of a filing cabinet and the long blurry brown mass of a wooden door a few feet away. "But everything else is blurry."

"It's a good sign its coming back at least," The nurse said something useful for the first time since I got here.

"Can I leave yet?" My tone didn't hide my irritation very well.

"You can't leave until the police ask you a few questions," She stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I sighed, "Fine, can I go sit out in the lobby then?"

"Because of your medical condition, you have to remain under medical supervision. A precaution just in case we would need to send you to the hospital." She answered, finally looking up at me from her chart. She was young, maybe late twenties, early thirties. She had black hair and pale skin, but her uniquely colored eyes were what drew attention to her face. Her eyes were a deep crimson red, the same color red that matched her shade of lipstick. She was a very attractive woman and I noticed her name tag said Kurenai.

"Send me to the hospital for a black eye?" I scoffed, "What are they going to do, send me to the pediatric ward for a hug and a sucker?"

Annoyance flashed across the nurse's face and she had clearly decided that my smartass remark was not worth gracing a reply with as she turned her spinning stool away from me.

I usually tried to be somewhat respectful to people who were older than me, but I wasn't really in the mood to be a sitting duck in a room that smelt like rubbing alcohol and coffee. I had a migraine from hell and all I wanted to do was go home and shield myself from the outside world.

The creaking of a door dragged me out of my inner thoughts as I turned my head to meet the gaze of one of the police officers that brought us in earlier.

"How are you feeling?" The cop asked, his tone was as flat as the hair attached to his receding hairline.

I shrugged, "About as well as one would expect."

"Fair enough," He seemed somewhat satisfied with my honest answer. He placed his hands on his belt and licked the edge of his mouth, making an uncomfortable slurping sound, before he continued speaking, "I'm gonna jump right to it so that we can all go home and call it a night. Sound good?"

I simply nodded my head, but in my mind I wanted to fall on the floor and thank the heavens that God sent me an angel who would let me go to sleep soon.

"We talked to your friends, Neji and Naruto, and they informed us of what happened. We also collected the video tape from the bar and watched it as well which confirmed that they were telling the truth. We talked to the man who assaulted you and Ms. Temari, and since he knows we have all the footage on camera, he doesn't want to press any charges against any of you. We asked Temari if she wanted to press any sexual harassment charges and she also declined-"

"Wait, what?" I interrupted him before he could even finish his statement. "Temari isn't pressing charges?"

He shook his head before replying, "She said she just wants everyone to go on home and that enough trouble has been caused tonight."

"She needs to press charges against that creep," I clenched my fists just at the replay image of him grabbing her like she was a piece of meat for the taking. "Can't you talk to her again? Can I talk to her?"

"The choice is up to her completely, we can have no interference."

I wanted to object again, but I knew it would do no good, so I just kept quiet.

"Unless Ms. Temari decides to press charges, we'll just call the matter settled. The man who assaulted you and her will have to pay a fine and we'll just report on your side that it was self-defense."

I sighed and nodded. I strongly wanted to urge Temari to file charges, but I already knew trying to convince her against a choice she already made would get me nowhere. She was even more stubborn than me.

"Well, how bout it?" The police officer pressed, bringing me from my inner thoughts. "You want to wrap all this up and go on home?"

I still wanted to press the sexual harassment matter, but I just nodded instead.

"Good," The police officer turned to look at the nurse, "Go ahead and get him finished up here, Kurenai." He glanced back at me, "Neji and Naruto will be ready to leave soon and Temari should be done with officer Asuma soon too. She said she wanted to wait for you until you were allowed to leave."

The officer left and Kurenai spend the next few minutes completeing my report, giving me instructions on how to care for my eye and giving me signs to look for to determine if my eye was getting worse, and telling me that if I got any of these signs to go to the hospital right away. Honestly, I was only half listening.

As soon as I was allowed to step foot out of the room, I grinned as I thought of falling into my soft, comfy bed, and submitting myself into a sleep coma. My smile vanished within the next few seconds, however, as I heard the last thing in the world I wanted to hear at that moment behind me.

"Oh my God, Shikamaru!" A familiar shriek echoed in the small lobby and I didn't even have to look for the person that shriek belonged to. It was all too familiar to me.

I turned around and saw a blur of blue clothing and blond hair running towards me and before I even had time to react, her arms were thrown around my neck and she was holding me in what felt like a death grip. Her sweet pea perfume filled my nostrils on impact and initially my first instinct was to push her off of me, but I fought off the urge.

"Ino?" I was honestly surprised to see her and even more surprised she had nearly tried to tackle me to the ground. "Ino, what are you doing here?"

"I came as soon as I could," Ino pulled away from me, releasing her snake like grip on me. "I was so worried. I saw that man punch you…and then everything was a blur after that. I tried finding you to see if you were okay, but then Hinata told me that they took you, Naruto and Neji back to the station for more questions."

Her facial expression actually looked genuinely worried, but she still didn't answer my question. "Okay," I stated flatly, "But what are you doing here?"

"Is it so wrong to make sure that you are okay?" Ino asked, furrowing her eyebrows at me.

"Not wrong, just weird," I replied back bluntly.

I wasn't sure exactly what piece of information that she did not understand, because she still seemed very confused at my skepticism. She leaned back and put her fists on her hips; a stance I knew all too well. "Why is it weird that I wanted to check on you?"

I ignored her question and looked past her, glancing around the lobby for someone I had fully expected to be there with her, but he wasn't.

I shifted my gaze back to her, "Where's Sasuke?" I asked.

She clearly had not expected me to ask that question, because she seemed to be somewhat taken surprised by it, "What?"

"Where's Sasuke?" I repeated.

"He's at my house," Ino replied back, quieter that I expected her to be. "Why does that matter?"

"Does he know you're here?"

Ino's expression was growing slightly annoyed, I could tell by the edge in her eyes. "What does Sasuke have to do with you being okay?" She didn't have to answer my question. It was obvious through her response that Sasuke was unaware of where she was.

I squinted my one good eye at her, I'm sure my expression looked very strange due to my heavily bruised eye, but I didn't care. I wanted to know what her motive was. "What are you doing here, Ino." It wasn't a question this time.

"I told you," Ino's tone became more bitter, "I was just checking to make sure you were okay."

I didn't believe her. There was a motive. With Ino, there was always a motive.

"Well, I'm fine." I stated, "Better than ever."

She obviously caught onto my sarcasm by the way her lips tightened into a frown. "Do you need a ride home?"

"What?" For a minute I thought I misheard her.

"I said, do you need a ride home?" She repeated, raising a brow and crossing her arms.

I scoffed, "Why would I get a ride from you?"

Ino's gaze shifted, "I thought you might need one. You clearly can't drive with your eye like that and your car is at the bar."

"I'll be fine," I was short with my response.

"Don't be stubborn," She replied strictly, "I can take you to get your car at least-"

I had just opened my mouth say something that would probably get me a slap in the face, when I noticed Temari step out into the lobby from what looked like an interview room. We caught each other gazes immediately as I looked past Ino, my heart genuinely happy to see Temari walking towards me.

Ino saw me look past her, turned around, and immediately gritted her teeth as she watched Temari approach us.

"Are you alright?" I asked in a concerning tone as Temari stepped over to my side. She wrapped her arms around my torso in a hug, which at first startled me, but I quickly caught on to her acting since Ino was standing right in front of us.

"I'm fine," She replied, in a worrisome tone that I wasn't accustomed to, "I was just so worried about you." Her beautiful eyes looked up into mine. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ino's eye twitch. Damn, Temari was an excellent actress.

Ino cleared her throat awkwardly. Temari broke eye contact and looked over to her, her expression becoming tight.

"What's going on over here, Shika?" She asked in a tone as if she called me 'Shika' on a regular basis.

"Er, Ino was-" I began, but was rudely interrupted.

"I was offering him a ride," Ino stated bluntly, her tone soaked in poison.

Temari cocked her head to the side, "Oh really? Well, I think I can handle taking care of my boyfriend from here."

Ino snickered sarcastically, "Funny, aren't you the whole reason he's here anyway?"

Temari let me go and prepared herself to stand up to Ino, but I quickly grabbed her wrist to stop her. Getting the hint that Temari was ready to rip her into shreds, Ino stepped away and looked over her shoulder.

"See you later, Shikamaru. If you need anything, let me know." And with her statement, she left.

Temari scoffed, "Why'd you stop me?"

I raised a brow, "Getting in a fight in a police department? Do I really need to explain myself?" Before Temari could respond, we both turned our heads to a "Hey, Shikamaru!" that came from across the lobby. Naruto was coming towards us in a powerwalk, followed by Neji swiftly behind him. Even this late, Naruto was still hyperactive.

"Is everyone okay? God, your eye looks like hell, Shikamaru." Naruto grimaced as he looked me up and down. He looked over at Temari, "And are you okay, Temari? I didn't get to see you after, you know, everything happened." Neji let out an annoyed sigh that the rest of us chose to ignore. He was clearly not happy about the current situation. Of course, no one was, but getting in trouble with law enforcements was the exact opposite way of Neji Hyuuga.

"I'm fine," Temari reassured him, "Just ready to call all of this a night." She let out a sigh.

I nodded, "Yeah, let's get out of here. I'm sure one of the officers wouldn't mind dropping us off to our cars at the bar."

Naruto nodded as well, "Sure, I'll go up and ask. Hinata's been worried sick, my phone has fifteen unread messages from her. Neji, want to come with?"

Neji shook his head. "I'll walk home. It is not far."

I shrugged, "Oh, well, thanks for everything you did tonight." I turned to walk away, but stopped when I heard Neji let out a loud scoff.

"You have the nerve to thank me?" His expression was angry. Everyone looked at Neji and remained silent while tension began to fill the air. Neji's pale eyes were cold as they peered angrily into mine.

Awkward silence lingering, I decided to say, "Uh, yeah, I mean," I was trying to find the right words, "Thank you for intervening. I could have ended up hospitalized if you and Naruto hadn't had stepped in-"

"I did not intervene for you," Neji's tone was cold and dark, his face was intimidating. "I stepped in so that Hinata would not be forced to watch her fiancée be violently beaten to a bloody pulp. The only reason I intervened was because Naruto does not think through his actions before doing them." I hate to admit it, but his words stung me a little. I'm not sure why; Maybe just at the thought that he would have just stood there and let the guy kill me. He didn't care at all.

Naruto grew furious beside me, I could tell by how quickly he turned around to look Neji in his cold, eerie eyes. "What the hell did you just say? Are you serious right now? You really think you were the one who stopped that creep?"

"I did not say I was the one who stopped him," Neji countered, "But I do firmly believe that he would have wiped the floor with you both. Especially you, Naruto. You do not think before you do things and let emotions cloud your judgment."

"Woah, calm down, man-" I started to say but was quickly interrupted.

"Do not tell me to calm down," Neji stepped forward, which made me subconsciously step back, "I do not care what you do in your spare time, Shikamaru Nara, but you will not bring that kind of violence around my cousin ever again. Such behavior should not ever be displayed in front of a woman."

I felt myself getting angry now, "Are you serious? You think I planned for that fight? That I wanted to fight? He was going to hit Temari!"

"Temari should have simply ignored him and returned to your table," Neji stated as if Temari weren't standing right next to me.

Temari let out a sarcastic chuckle, "Really, dude? He grabbed my ass and you expect me to not retaliate?"

Neji didn't look at her, he just continued to stare me down as he replied with, "There are civil ways to handle delicate situations that do not result in violence."

"Really?" Temari roared, "Hey, fuck you, man!"

"Yeah, seriously, what the hell is wrong with you, Neji?!" Naruto reached out and grabbed Neji's shirt collar. "You're going to go on about being respectful to women, but get not defend a woman who was just sexually harassed publicly?!"

"Hey!" A police officer yelled from the front desk, obviously hearing the raised voices and seeing Naruto in Neji's face. "Cut that out, or I swear, you both will be sleeping in a cell tonight!"

Naruto growled, but let go, not taking his eyes off of Neji. Neji pushed him away and got back into his face, his nose only inches away from Naruto's.

"Mark my words, Uzumaki," His tone was ghost like and haunting as he whispered, "Act that way in front of my cousin again, and there will be no wedding."

Neji purposely bumped into Naruto's shoulder as he turned and left through the glass door exit.

We collected ourselves quickly after our little encounter with Neji and had the officers return us to our cars. Naruto yelled, cursed, and ranted the whole ride back about Neji and Temari was on her own tangent about the matter. I couldn't get a single word in between the both of them, even if I wanted to.

We got to the bar and split off, Naruto getting into his car and Temari and I getting into mine. I managed to calm Naruto down to a point where I could talk to him before we left.

"Just calm down and go to Hinata," I said through his open window as he sat in his drivers seat, "Focus on her."

"I just can't believe he had the nerve-" He started again, but I stopped him.

"You know how protective he is over Hinata. They're cousins, but she's like his little sister. He's just looking after her."

"You seriously think he's right?!" Naruto roared.

"I didn't say that," I said calmly, "I'm just saying, I get why he's angry. Just stop thinking about it for tonight and go get some rest."

Naruto sighed, "Fine. See you soon," He muttered as he rolled up his window. He drove off as I got into my car, looking at Temari who was already buckled in the drivers seat, her expression still told me she was seething.

"What's that guy's problem?" Temari barked as soon as she turned the key, the engine roar following.

"Neji's a little uptight," I replied as she backed out of the parking spot and started hitting the gas pedal.

"Uptight? UPTIGHT?" Temari started laughing angrily, which quite frankly scared the hell out of me. "Uptight isn't a strong enough word to describe that jerk!"

"Look, Neji's parents died when he was young and his uncle, Hinata's father, took him in. He feels like hes her protector. I'm not defending him, im just saying, give the guy a little bit of a break."

Temari sighed and gripped the steering wheel tighter, "Whatever," she replied, but didn't press the topic anymore. Neji had always been an interesting character, for as long as i've known him, he's been strict and cold. Naruto had told me about Neji's story, explaining that when Neji was six years old, both of his parents got into a car crash and died on impact. His uncle, Hiashi, took him in and raised him along with Hinata and her sister, Hanabi. Neji had used to be a fun and loving child, but ever since his parents death, he had become cold and protective of his remaining family. I'm not saying i agreed with his view on Temari and that pervert at the bar, I'm just saying I can understand why he is protective. He was trying to protect Hinata just like I was trying to protect Temari.

I glanced over and saw Temari still gripping the steering wheel, her knuckles were white. "Do you want me to drive?" I asked, seeing that her emotions were still high from the night.

"Does it look like I want to die? With your eye, you're not driving around."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not handicapped, for fucks sake, I can drive."

"No," She shook her head, "I'm fine. Besides, we're not far from my house anyway."

I stopped, "Wait, you're not taking me home?" When had this been discussed?

She didn't reply for a minute, then in almost a whisper said, "I was assuming you'd spend the night at my house."

I shrugged, "I mean, that's fine, I just…I don't know," I wanted to kick myself, I was sounding like an idiot. I couldn't tell if it was because of my exhaustion or because I honestly didn't know how to react to spending the night at Temari's house.

"I just figured it'd be a good idea, you know…if you needed a doctor or something." Temari replied, "But I can take you home, if you want."

I shook my head, "No, its fine. That'll just take us longer to get to bed. Plus, you wouldn't have a way to get back home since this is my car. Your house is fine for tonight."

Temari didn't say anything, she just gave me a quick nod to indicate that she agreed.

We drove in silence for a few minutes, nothing but the sounds of cars passing by, when I finally broke the silence.

"Why didn't you press charges?"

Temari's eyebrows furrowed as she silently processed my quick and random question. "Why should I?" She countered.

I shot her an obvious glance, "Because he deserves some sort of punishment for how he treated you."

"Was getting a broken nose not enough of punishment?" She questioned.

"You can't just let guys get away with treating you like that." My reply came out harsher than I had intended and I regretted it as soon as it escaped from my mouth.

Temari's expression quickly changed from questioning to anger. "Excuse me?" Her tone alone was enough to scare me shitless. "You think I let men treat me like that?"

I sighed, "No, that's not what I mean't-"

"Enlighten me, then," She interrupted curtly, "What exactly did you mean?"

"Nothing, forget it." I turned away, eager to get away from this topic before she ended up kicking me out of the car. The silence was awkward, but I preferred it any day over getting yelled at by a woman, especially Temari, who would easily chew me up and spit me back out.

We got to her house, finally after what seemed like an eternity of silence, and I can honestly say that I can't remember the last time I was so happy to fall onto a couch. So happy, in fact, that i did not remember that Temari had a cat and I happened to fall on top of the damn thing as soon as my back hit the cushion. Its loud shriek the both of us to the point where we both jumped and it leaped up off the couch and ran into the bathroom, hiding itself behind the toilet. Temari glared at me; I shrugged and said 'sorry'.

I had laid my head on the soft cushion as Temari had begun taking off her shoes. I snuggled into the pillow and couldn't help but smile and let out a deep sigh.

"Do you need some alone time with the couch?" Temari asked, both sarcastically and with concern.

"Sorry," I apologized without looking at her, "You just have no idea how good this feels. I am so exhausted I feel like I could sleep for the next three days straight."

"Well, if the couch feels that good," She started saying, dropping her shoes on the ground with a loud THUNK, "You'll feel like you're sleeping on a cloud on the bed."

As tired as I was, that did not have any impact on how fast I sat up after what Temari had just said. "I'm sorry, what?" I asked, there was no way I had heard her right.

She raised her eyebrow as she reached up to untie her hair, it fell loosely onto her shoulders, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I didn't hear what you said."

"I said you'll think the bed is a cloud, if you think the couch is that comfortable." She repeated, verifying that I did indeed hear her right.

I tried to act normal, "Oh, is this a two bedroom?" I asked, looking around to see if I could find another door in the apartment that might look like another room.

She shook her head, "Its a one bedroom." She replied so calmly, like this was an everyday conversation.

I felt my heart beat a little faster, "Wait, so...that would mean I would use your bed."

"Uh, yeah, that's what that means," Temari said slowly, as if I were an idiot that couldn't understand english. She must have seen the look on my face, because she then asked, "Is there a problem?"

"No, its no problem, where, uh, are you going to sleep then?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head.

She pursed her lips, "Well, I was going to sleep in my bed too."

My heart skipped. Who was this and what did she do with Temari? There was a brief silence, where neither one of us met eye contact, until Temari finally said,

"I'm sorry, usually I would offer an air mattress, but Gaara is borrowing it-"

I shook my head quickly, not wanting to come off as offensive, "No, no, its just-"

"Look, if you're uncomfortable with that, you can sleep on the couch. I just thought the bed might be a little more comfortable..." She trailed off, her cheeks becoming a slight shade of pink. Oh no. I didn't want her to feel embarrassed.

I quickly shook my head again, "No, its fine, I'm fine, I mean, um..." I started stuttering, trying to find the words to say, "I mean, are you okay with it?"

She paused at first, then replied with, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be? I mean...we're both adults, right? We can sleep in the same bed as friends without sex having to be implied, right?"

It took me by surprise when she said we were friends. I had yet to hear her to refer to us as friends and I had never done so either. I tried to find words to reply with, but all I could do was give her a stupid, sheepish nod in response.

She replied back with a smirk, "Okay, fine. I'll get ready for bed, give me a few minutes."

In those short few minutes after she walked into her bedroom, my mind felt like it was going a million miles a minute. Was I dreaming? Did I fall asleep on the couch so quickly that i didn't even realize it, and was now having a dream that Temari volunteered her bed to me?

But it wasn't a dream. If it was a dream then my eye wouldn't be pounding with pain and I wouldn't be listening to Temari rustle around in her room as she as getting herself ready for bed.

What was I doing? Was I really going to sleep in the same bed as Temari? She was right, it didn't have to be about sex or anything, but did i really want to put myself and Temari in an awkward situation like that? I had never slept in the same bed with a woman I wasn't having sex with. I had always grown up with my mother saying, "Nothing good ever happens after midnight," and I can honestly say that statement has always been true in my short few years on this earth. I looked up at Temari's black clock that was hanging up above her tv and it read, 4:13a.m. Way past midnight for sure.

Temari called to me that I could come in whenever I was ready, and without even thinking more about it, I stood up and felt my legs start moving towards the bedroom. My mind kept saying over and over, "Don't inconvience her, turn around and go to the couch. Respect her, don't be a fuckboy," but my heart and body kept moving me forward until I was at the door, turning the knob to go in.

Temari was already laying in bed, wearing a black tshirt and red shorts that reached her mid thigh. Her hair was clearly brushed, but still a bit frizzy. She had clearly removed any kind of makeup she had on, but unlike with Ino when she would take hers off at night, you couldn't tell a huge difference with Temari. She was still beautifully stunning without it. Her bed looked to be a king size, with purple sheets and a comforter, white pillows, and black night stands on both sides.

I must have stood there looking stupid, because Temari finally said, "You planning on standing there like a creeper all night?"

I snapped myself out of my daydreaming and made my way to the opposite side of where she was, kicked my shoes off, and lifted the covers, crawling underneath them. Once i was adjusted, Temari leaned up and flicked off the lamp on her side and we were submerged in darkness aside from the window on her side that emitted a small amount of moonlight.

Even though I was excruciatingly tired, I couldn't seem to close my eyes. It was utterly silent in the room, aside from Temari's cat who seemed to make its way out from behind her toilet eventually and kept meowing loudly.

Other than that, all we could hear was one another's breathing. And it stayed that way for at least fifteen to twenty minutes.

I had begun to think that maybe Temari had already fallen asleep, but quickly received my answer when she sighed and said almost in a whisper, "I cant remember the last time someone laid down next to me."

Honestly, it caught me completely off guard. The only thing I came up with on the spot was a, "Me either."

She sighed again, "It's lonely sometimes at night. Have you ever noticed you only really think about being single when its late at night and no one else is around?"

I nodded, although I'm sure she didn't see it. "Yeah. Its because the only thing you're stuck with at night is your thoughts. And those can be just as dangerous as your worst enemy."

Temari didn't say anything for a few seconds, then replied with, "I wonder why I feel so vulnerable at night sometimes." Her tone was uncharacteristically soft, I wasn't used to it.

"Its because people don't understand that, you can be around a million people...friends and family, but nothing is quite the same as having a lover with you. You can be surrounded by people everyday, all day...and still be the loneliest person on the damn planet.'

It was quiet then and honestly, I was almost expecting Temari to play a joke on me, to tell me to stop being a damn baby and tell me I was being too sensitive. But instead, I heard a small voice whisper into the darkness, "Can I tell you something?"

I shrugged and replied with, "Sure."

"Honestly, I asked you to sleep in here because of me...not because I wanted you to be more comfortable."

I was confused, "What do you mean?"

It took her a minute to reply back, and I was almost sure she wasn't going to say anything back at all, until I heard her weakly reply back with a, "I just didn't want to be alone."

Suddenly, I felt Temari shift next to me, and she laid on her side that was facing me. Before I could even collect what was happening, i felt her warm, slender fingers interlace with my cold ones and her palm rest softly against mine. At first, I was certain I was dreaming. That I had drifted off to sleep without realizing it and was now having a dream about Temari laying with me in bed. I mean, there was no way this was real, right? Not the Temari i knew. The Temari i knew was strong, independent, and she would never need to rely on a man if her life depended on it. I didn't push her away. In fact, I didn't do or say anything. I wasn't accustomed to this side of Temari. I was at a loss for words.

I quickly realized it wasn't a dream, however, when Temari let out a soft, gentle sigh next to me and whispered, "It doesn't mean anything…it just felt we needed that."

I don't know why, but it felt like my heart skipped a beat. Maybe it was because I was overly exhausted from tonights events. Maybe it was because I really did need someone to reach over and hold my hand. Or…maybe it was because I was genuinely happy that Temari was lying beside me and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could actually be open and honest with someone. I wasn't sure what the reason was. All I was sure of, was that I really didn't want her to let go.

A/N: Hey there faithful readers. I just wanted to let you guys know that I am still alive and I am still receiving all of your wonderful reviews. For those who care, here is a run down of my life since November. I moved twice. My boyfriend is now living with me. We didn't have internet for a long time. My laptop broke. I got a new job. He got a new job. We are moving again in August. His laptop is not reliable, and I have literally been working on this chapter on and off for the last three months. I just so happened to find the time to finish it today, and even though it is finished, it is very unpolished. You will find grammatical mistakes as well as spelling mistakes in this chapter even more so than other ones and I do apologize for that. I am sorry that I have not updated in what seems like a century. But i will revise my promise that i made several months ago, I WILL finish this story. If it kills me. If it takes me ten years to finish it(thats a bit of a dramatic time frame) but i WILL finish it. I promise i am reading all your reviews and trying my hardest to give you new material. Thank you SO much for not bombarding my inbox and leaving ugly reviews about me abandoning the story. It is not abandoned and never will be abandoned. Unfortunately, due to my extreme schedule and unreliable writing sources(damn technology) I can't promise another update soon. I can promise, however, that as long as you keep loving the story and leaving kind and supporting reviews, i will be trying my hardest to get you guys the next chapter as soon as i possibly can. Thank you all for your support and continuing to follow the story :)