Well that was fast O_O here is your reward guys!

"Is that any way to friggin treat your guests?" Crystal asked in a huff, and Rebecca could not seem to say anything, just glare at her. And to top it all off, Ben stood right behind Crystal, looking nervous and uncomfortable, but he still gave her a weak smile and a small wave of greeting.

"It is to two people who I did not expect to see on my doorstep. Last time I checked we had a bitch fight and we haven't spoken since."

"Well yeah, cause you just uped and moved your ass without even saying a word to anyone." Crystal shot back angrily, narrowing her eyes to return Rebecca's glare.

"Well maybe that is how I wanted it. Which brings me back to the main point, how the hell did you find out where I lived."

"Oh, you would be surprised what I can find out!" Crystal snapped, and they were both surprised when Ben softly intervened.

"Philip is still doing my treatments, since I don't mind driving out here and all. And since he was here I knew you would be as well, and I wanted to talk to you and see if you were alright. I heard about the whole thing with you getting kidnapped." his eyes traveled to my wrist, where Kalin's bite marks and scared in a perfect impression of torn flesh and teeth. "So I asked Philip if he could tell me where you lived, and he said he didn't see the harm in that, so when I went home to pack and come back out, cause Philip said I could stay with him for spring break, Crystal heard me talking to him on the phone, confirming your address and all that. She wouldn't stop bugging me about it, so I decided to bring her." he looked at her with hopeful eyes. "I hope you are not too angry for bringing her. I didn't know the two of you had had a fight, but I guess I should have guessed something if you hadn't told her where you had moved too."

"And there you have it!" Crystal sneered, glaring at Ben over her shoulder, and she felt pity for the guy.

She sighed heavily.

"No, Ben, I do not blame you. I should have at least let you guys know I was okay, I know the story should have been all over the news and you must have been worried about me.. Thank you for coming to visit and for caring enough to make an attempt." she then glared at Crystal again. "I still think you were being a bitch, that hasn't changed."

"Whatever," she sighed, obviously brushing off what she had said. Rebecca sighed, then stepped aside.

"Come on in."

"Nice place," Crystal commented, while looking around the living room and kitchen, then throwing her purse onto the couch in a casual manner. "Where is your bathroom?"

"Third door down the hall." she answered absentmindedly, moving back into the kitchen to finish cleaning up the mess she had made. She didn't notice Ben stalking up behind her silently, until he spoke and his voice was so close she jumped again.

"I hope you hold no ill will towards me for what happened."

She twisted around to look at him with confusion, noting that Crystal had already disappeared into the bathroom. She looked up at him, frowning.

"I do not understand what you mean." she said honestly, what would she have to forgive him for?

"When I walked into your bed room and saw Kalin, I said that the two of us weren't together." he said patiently. It surprised Rebecca, after everything else that had happened, that did not even register on her list of importance.

"Oh, it isn't important." she tried to brush it off, but before she could turn around, he pushed the issue again.

"It was because I saw that he could love you." that made her turn back to him fully in shock and confusion.

"What?"

"Kalin."

"Yes, but I don't understand. What do you mean? You saw he could love me?"

"Oh, you didn't notice? When you walked towards the table, he was looking at your face. His expression . . . well, his expression left nothing for imagination. He loved you, I could tell, and I could also tell that you were comfortable in his presence. And we were having so many issues and we barley spent any time together, I didn't think it was fair to you. He would treat you right, I knew he would. Has he come by to visit you?"

All of his words sent her reeling, and made her heart start to pound much harder and faster. To know that his love for her was so evident. And she had left him behind. No! She would not think of it in those terms.

"No, I left there to leave him behind." she hadn't intended to answer him with honesty, but it slipped out before she could seem to stop herself. She put her hand over her mouth and turned away, wishing she could take the truth back out of the air.

"What, why?"

"Because . . . just because!"

"Rebecca, why is it you think you do not deserve to be loved?"

"what!" she snapped, turned back towards him but taking a step back to put space between them. But she only got one step in before she was against the table, and then Ben took that step away from her by taking another step forward.

"You do. You put yourself in relationships where you know that you will grow no emotional attachment, and where you know they only want you for your body. And then, here is this man who is willing to love you unconditionally, I can tell, and you run from him like he is the death angel himself."

"It is none of your business!" she hissed.

"It is! Because you know what, I do care about you! You are my friend, and we were together for a long time, I want you to be happy. But I see what you do."

"I do not run from him because I don't think I deserved to be loved. It is because I cannot love."

"What?" he actually laughed at her, shaking his head. "Is that really what you think of yourself?"

"It is what I know. I have met many men, and none of them have even touched on my heart. Even my own family is quick to tell me I am heartless because I didn't cry when a family member died, or when my dog was run over."
"Wow," Ben said softly, then shook his head. "You really have convinced yourself of this haven't you? Did you ever think that the reason none of them touched your heart is because you believe you will never be able to love, so you pick the guys who you know will not love you back? You pick the men who do not want something emotional with you." he gently touched her cheek. "You made sure none of them would love you, and that you would love none of them. But you can love, Rebecca."

Before she could say something else, the bathroom door opened, and Ben quickly stepped away from her. Crystal came back into the living room, standing there with her hands on her hips, looking at the two of them.

"Well, isn't this tense, got any night clubs around here?"

"Are you sure you really want to do this?" Beth asked, as they stood in the doorway to the night club. The music was night, beating through Rebecca's body and offering comfort and familiarity.

Rebecca shrugged, "I think that it might do me a little good. Maybe I will be able to do some dancing. Though I think Crystal will easily outshine me." they both moved over to the bar, and Rebecca could not spot Crystal, who was already somewhere in the crowd of people dancing.

"I don't like her," Beth said in a low voice, which made her barley audible in the loud music.

"Your not the only one," Rebecca said with a comforting pat on the shoulder. She had asked Beth to come because Ben had refused to and she did not want to be left alone with Crystal, she thought she might end up tearing the girls eyes out if she had to spend alone time with her. She was holding a grudge, but it was one well held.

"So she was someone you knew back at your old hometown?" Beth asked, sliding into a chair on the bar. Rebecca remained standing, she was going to get some dancing in while she waited for her drink order to arrive.

"Yeah, we were friends for a long time. Then shit when down."

"Know how that goes."

"Yeah, sucks."

"Butt loads." Beth flashed a smile at the bartender when he handed her her ginger ale. "So why was Ben looking at me all weird and stuff before?"

When Rebecca had called Beth and invited her over, Ben had just stared at her when she had walked through the door. Stared at her like she was something so beautiful he was afraid to take his eyes off of her. He had seemed embarrassed when Rebecca called him on it, but she had been wondering that herself.

"Guess he just digs you."

"Do you really think so?" Beth asked, seeming honestly interested.

"Oh yeah."

"How do you know him?"

"Hes my ex."

"Oh . . ."

Rebecca laughed, patting her on the shoulder again. "Don't worry, I will not think it is all weird if you decide to date him. It was more of a friend with friend thing, we never did anything, nor did we every really feel like we were dating."

But Beth studied her carefully, sucking and biting on her bottom lip.

"You sure you wouldn't mind?" she asked again, apparently afraid of making things arkward between them.

Rebecca wished them the best.

"Nope, go for it."

"Okay, thank you, really. I am glad you moved down here." then she smiled brightly. "Now we just need to find someone for you."

"Yeah right." she said with a half laugh, and turned to go to the dance floor, but only got halfway before her whole body froze.

Crystal was talking to someone, a tall male who was bent over so she could speak in his ear and he could speak in hers. She could only see Crystal's face over his shoulder, and the males back, but he had long black hair, and his body was well built and easily seen through the tight fitting shirt he had on. The male said something to Crystal, something that made her laugh loud and hard, and the males body tensed as if this angered him.

Then Crystal spotted Rebecca. And if feeling her eyes and his back, the male stood fully, and twisted around.

And Rebeeca's heart stopped as her and Kalin's eyes met.

She spun back around and rushed back to the bar.

"Fuck the ginger ale, please to god give me a shot of whiskey."

Rebecca's POV

"Uh, Beck, you okay?" Beth asked, worry coloring her tone. And I could not assure her. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I felt sick to my stomach and panicked. My legs wanted me to run out the door as fast as I could go and run until I go home where I could lock the door behind me. Just meeting his eyes flooded me with all of those dreams I was having of him, and made me feel light headed from the swamping of memories and sensations and feelings that came with them. But there was a dominant part of my brain that was in panic.

How the hell had he found me?

The bartender put my whiskey down on the bar, but a long fingered male hand took it before I could snatch it up and tip it back. My eyes followed the hand as Kalin brought it up to his mouth, locking eyes with mine, before drinking the shot.

"Sir," the bartender said in a warning tone. "If you would like a drink, I will give you one, but please do not go stealing our other patrons drinks."

"Oh she doesn't mind." Kalin said in a drawling voice, with a tone that made my whole body crawl with sexual excitement. He leaned down so he was closer to me, and I could not stop the physical reaction of my body softening towards him. "Do you baby?"

I couldn't say anything, I was trying to sort out everything my body was doing and feeling all at once. The bartender must have taken my silence for an answer, or Beth may have sensed the sexual tension and sent him on his way.

"Sooooo," Beth drawled out, catching the top of my arm and tugging me back towards her, putting distance between Kalin and me. I wanted to hug her in thanks, but Kalin's eyes still locked me in place. Such possession was in his gaze.

"Who is this sexy beast?" Beth asked, but there was no sexual interest in her voice. It was odd to hear, since every other female practically drooled over Kalin. I glanced at her in confusion, and when I looked back and Kalin, I saw that he was also looking at her, but with a more appraising look.

"I am Kalin, and you would be?" he said, giving a smile that had me wanting to sigh with longing. But Beth was unfazed, she gave him a smile back, more friendly.

"I am Beth. And of course by the way you are looking at Beck, I am guessing you already know her."

"Oh yes," he drawled, his eyes looking me up and down. "Intimately."

"Ohhhh! You are just sex candy aren't you! Beck, how come you never told me about him?" Beth asked with a slight whine to her tone.

"Because I am the one she was running from." Kalin answered for me, and I threw him the best glare I could manage. "Isn't that right?"

"You were running from him? But he is sex on a stick!"

"Beth," I said with a hard edge to my voice. "Can you leave us alone for a moment."

"Yep, sure, gone." she said immediately, slipping off the stool and disappearing into the crowd.

"She is a bride to one of my clan members. Would seem they have already met." Kalin said to me once she was gone, and that answered the question as to why she was unfazed by him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I said, sounding more tired than angry.

"Following you, of course."

"Why can't you just leave me be?"

"Because I love you. And you are mine."

"Oh yeah, you love me so much that you are dancing with my best friend."

"That was not what you think it was." and his tone told me not only was it true, but he was not going to elaborate.

"Fine, what the hell do you want from me?"

"Want from you?" he laughed. "That should be obvious. I want a chance. A chance to make you love me the way that I love you."

"Why!"

"Because I cannot live without you." he said it so simply, so . . . calmly. It was infuriating.

"Whatever! Fine, you know what, you will get your chance. But only if you pass every one of my tests!"

"Tests?" he asked, but he only seemed interested, not angry or nervous.

"Yeah." way to steal my thunder.

"Okay. Give them to me."

"Oh no, you will only know them when the come!" partially because I had no idea what I was doing. But was I really doing this? Giving him a chance?

"Fine, again." he said in a voice of silk, and leaned towards me. I almost leaned towards him as well, but then panicked and leapt back.

"AHHHH! No! No kissing or sex until the tests are over!"

"Or unless you want them?" he said with a smug smile.

"That won't happen!" I hissed, but I knew it was a flat out lie. Already I wanted him, and I had just guaranteed I couldn't have him. "First test is dancing!" I blurted, before he could respond. But when a slow smile spread his lips, I swallowed heavily, wondering if I should regret it.

"Then after you, my sexy bride."