Author's Note: I can't believe I have written 20 chapters worth of this crap (yes, it is crap) and you guys are still reading it, lol. I love you guys!

On a side note...if anyone ever tells you that it would be fun to go hang out at a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere for two weeks, tell them no. This place is really creeping me out. I'm ready to go home now. I'm bored out of my mind. I have nothing better to do than sit around and write this stuff, lol.

Disclaimer: Nope.

Wren lingered in the place just between asleep and being awake. She shivered as her still sleeping mind recalled the terrible dream she had experienced. It had been truly frightening beyond anything she had ever experienced. She had never been more thankful when that dream finally faded to be replaced with one that was much more pleasant. It was that pleasantness she still found herself in now and she was reluctant to wake up and have it vanish.

Wren snuggled in closer to the body beside her and felt the arms around her tighten ever so slightly. A small sigh of contentment escaped her in her half sleeping, half awake state. She had never had a dream that felt this real and tangible before. She could hear the steady, comforting thud of someone's heart as she rested her head on their chest. She could feel the soft scratch of the material that separated their skin from hers against her cheek if she moved her head slightly. Breathing deeply, she took in the deliciously masculine scent of the person beside her. It was a smell that reminded her instantly of her sifu.

Her sifu? The thought caused some degree of alarm within Wren's sluggish brain. He had been in that horrific dream she had. In that dream he had been so angry. She could feel him pressing down on her so hard that she couldn't even breathe. She had never known such intense fear before. She shuddered a little at the memory and felt the person beside her shift slightly as they mumbled her name sleepily and pulled her closer.

Of course, she thought lazily, he had been in the other dream she had also. In that dream she had felt almost like she had been floating. The feeling had initially caused her some distress, but that had been shortlived. Then, as if sensing her apprehension, he had been there. He had held her and comforted her. He had whispered softly into her ear that everything would be okay. The way he had spoken to her had sounded so sincere and she had wanted so badly to believe what he was telling her was true.

As Wren drifted closer to consciousness, she noted that something beneath her was poking painfully into her ribs. She wiggled around a bit, trying to get comfortable again, reluctant as she was to leave the security of the dream she was having. It was no use. The object continued to uncomfortably jab into her side. Regretfully, Wren's eyes slowly opened.

Wren gasped as she became instantly and fully awake. It had been no dream. She found herself curled up against Sub Zero, wrapped in his embrace with her head resting on his chest. She remembered now. She had been snooping in Frost's room and he had discovered her in here and had tried to kill her. But why, she wondered, was he with her now? Had the other half of her dream been real also or had it been drug induced? She couldn't know for sure. As she assessed her situation, her very first instinct was to jump up and run screaming down the hall. She managed to suppress the urge, barely.

Carefully, she lifted her head to look up at him. She hissed as a jolt of pain went through her neck. She sqeezed her eyes shut until the feeling passed. Slowly reopening them, she noted with great relief that he was still asleep. If she had her way, she wouldn't be around when he decided to wake up. She didn't know where she would go, but she sure as hell didn't plan on spending another second more here than she had to. Her mind kicked into gear then, trying to figure out a way to get out of the situation she was in.

She cautiously moved her left arm from where it rested across his stomach and reached between their bodies to retrieve whatever she was lying on. Shifting her weight slightly, she was able to pull the object out from under her. It was a book. It wasn't just any book, it was Frost's journal. She remembered finding it just prior to what she thought was quite possibly the worst experience of her entire life. She put the journal to the side. She hadn't even gotten to take a look at what it contained. At this point, she really couldn't have cared less. It wasn't going to be her problem anymore. She was getting the hell out of here.

She gently shrugged off the arm that he had wrapped around her shoulders, letting it drop back to the bed behind her. She then carefully removed his other arm around her waist, draping it across his own stomach. Slowly, she rolled away from him to lay flat on her back. She lay absolutely still until she could be certain he hadn't been disturbed, before pushing herself up into a sitting position.

Wren's hands immediately flew to her head as a wave of dizziness hit her. Her neck throbbed in time to the beat of her heart. Once the dizziness passed, she gently prodded her aching throat with her fingers, wincing at the pain it caused. She vaugely recalled someone else stroking her neck as they whispered to her over and over how sorry they were. She looked back at Sub Zero who still seemed to be sleeping soundly. Had it been him? Did it matter? She shook her head. She didn't believe any amount of being sorry could ever rectify what had happened. Although, she admitted to herself, she was probably as much at fault as he was.

Silently, she swung her legs over the side of the bed to put her feet on the floor. She sighed as she looked across the room to the door. As crappy as she felt at the moment, it may as well be miles away. She took one last look back at a sleeping Sub Zero before unsteadily getting to her feet. Wren took the first step and was immediately hit with a sharp pain that radiated from her right hip all the way down her leg. Groaning, she dropped to her knees with a thud. She would crawl out of here if she had to.

Sub Zero was up and awake instantly at the sound. "Wren!" He was immediately at her side, trying to help her back up.

"Get away from me!" Wren batted his hands away. "Don't touch me!"

"Please...let me help you..." Sub Zero managed to work one arm around her waist and pulled her with him to a standing position.

"NO! I don't want your help. Leave me alone." Wren could feel tears burning in her eyes as she struggled against him.

"Wren, please..." His voice sounded tense. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Then let me go!" Wren was crying now. She drew one arm back to hit him.

He saw her intent and caught her arm in mid air, twisting her around to where her back was against his chest. He put both of his arms around her, effectively pinning her arms to her sides as she continued to kick and thrash. He a couple steps back toward the bed until he could feel the edge behind him. He sat down, a still struggling Wren nestled between his thighs. "Relax, Wren. Please." This was almost as bad as he imagined it would be. "Stop fighting me and I'll let you go..."

Wren ceased her struggles immediately. She tried to relax as much as the tension in her body would allow. "Okay..." She did her best to control the waivering of her voice. "I've stopped, now let me go...Please." She added the last as an afterthought.

Sub Zero loosened his hold on her slightly, but still kept a firm grip. "Does anything hurt?" The concern in his voice was evident.

"You said you would let me go!" Wren felt fresh tears forming in her eyes.

"And I will, after I'm done speaking with you." He took a deep breath. "Are you in any pain?"

"No." Wren's hip and neck throbbed together painfully in unison.

It was a lie and he knew it. "Wren?"

"I said no." Her words came hissing out from between clenched teeth.

Sub Zero nodded. He wanted to give her something to relieve her discomfort, but didn't want to press the issue and make matters worse. "Okay." He turned his thoughts to other matters. He didn't even know where to start. "We need to talk about what happened."

"There isn't anything to talk about. I know what happened, I don't need you to recap it for me." Wren wondered if anyone would come to her aid if she screamed for help. She truly doubted it.

"Oh, we have plenty we need to talk about." He felt he desperately needed to apologize. "Wren, there aren't even words for how sorry I am about...everything. I...care about you. I brought you here and I'm responsible for what happens to you. I need you to know that I would never want to intentionally do anything that would hurt you, but I have and that is unacceptable."

Wren sat completely motionless. "What do you want from me?"

He closed his eyes and took a shaking breath. "Just listen." The next words he spoke pained him. "When I'm done I'll make the arrangements for you to go home, if you so desire."

Wren perked up at the offer, but was still suspicious. "Do you swear?"

He nodded sadly. "I do."

End of Chapter 20

In the next chapter...Will Sub Zero finally spill his guts? Will Wren forgive him or will she take him up on his offer to send her home? What about Frost's journal? Will Voodoo ever leave this god forsaken wilderness and return to the comfort of her own home? Stay tuned!