21; Blood Brothers

Early the next morning, Tyler yawned and sat back in the uncomfortable chair he had been in all night as he sat by Marissa's hospital bed. When she called him and he heard her scream out over the phone, his whole body had frozen in fear.

He had never been as worried as he was in that moment. The thought of losing her was too much to bear. He had no idea what was going on or what caused her to scream, but he jumped into action wanting to save her. In his mind, she was still his girl and he was not going to let her down.

The first logical thing he did was try to call her back. Maybe it wasn't as bad as he feared, maybe something took her by surprise and she dropped the phone. But after calling her repeatedly with no answer, he began to call whoever he could think of that was at the Founder's Hall.

Unfortunately for him, most of the people who were there were busy with the pageant- leaving him with only one person to call, a person he never imagined he would have to call; he would have to call Jeremy Gilbert. If anyone knew where she was or what was going on, it would be Jeremy.

But when Jeremy told him he had not seen her in a while, that's when he knew something was wrong and the fear began to take over, that's when he began to pace back and forth as ever bad imagine filled his head.

It wasn't long after that when he got a phone call from his mother and his worst fear was realized. Marissa had been attacked by an animal and had lost a lot of blood. His mother didn't know how she was doing, all she knew was the younger girl was headed for the hospital.

Without a second thought, he grabbed his car keys and jumped in his car to go to the hospital. On the way, he was suddenly reminded when Vicki was attacked by an animal at the beginning of the school year. She had survived that attack- which made him hopeful that Marissa would too.

As he flew down the road, he had to remind himself that just because there were similarities between the two girls, that didn't mean he would lose Marissa the way they all lost Vicki. The latter had a lot more problems before the animal attack.

All he knew was he couldn't lose Marissa. Losing Vicki was hard- he did like her- but it was nothing compared to what he feels for Marissa. With Marissa, he was feeling things he had never felt before, things he never thought he would feel, it was something that felt a lot like love.

Tyler never thought he would fall in love, he always thought he would date around, going from girl to girl like he had been doing for years. That had worked for him, he never got close to anyone which meant he wouldn't get hurt. It was a good plan...until he met Marissa.

She took him completely by surprise, then suddenly he wanted to open up for once and he wanted to be honest with a girl. The next thing he knew he was falling for her. There were times he wasn't sure about the new feelings he was feeling, but between the Kelly drama and now this, he knew exactly what he was feeling. He was completely 100% head over heels in love with Marissa Forbes.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise and his heart raced in fear when that realization hit him. He didn't fear loving her, it was just the fear that someone had wormed their way in and could now hurt him. If they didn't work things out, if he couldn't win her back, it would hurt like hell. He had never experienced that feeling before; rejection and heartache. He had broken a lot of hearts but never had his broken and he didn't want to start now.

As soon as he had entered the hospital, he had rushed to her side. He didn't care that he wasn't family and wasn't allowed in her room, he was going inside and he wasn't going to move until she woke up. The doctor and nurses were not happy about it, but he just reminded them who he was; he was a Lockwood and he was going inside.

He went into her hospital room and sat down beside the bed with no plans of moving. He didn't care what time it was or that his back was killing him, he wasn't moving until she opened her eyes. The only person that could make him leave was her if that's what she chose.

Tyler yawned again then folded his arms across his chest as he felt his eyelids begin to close. He quickly snapped them open and looked over at her peaceful face as she continued to sleep. The doctor said she was lucky. Even though she lost a lot of blood, she was going to be okay after a lot of rest.

He wasn't sure how long he had been watching her before his eyes closed again. He didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until he felt a hand on his arm gently shaking him awake.

Snapping his eyes open, he looked at Marissa hoping she was awake but was disappointed to see she was still sleeping. He looked over to his left and saw that it was Caroline who had woke him up.

"I'll take over if you want to go home and grab some sleep," Caroline suggested.

She had been sleeping in one of the more comfortable chairs across the room. It wasn't much of a peaceful rest, but it was more than what he had. She knew he hadn't got any sleep since arriving at the hospital.

"I'll give you a call when she wakes up," she added when he shook his head.

"Once she's awake and I know she's okay, then I'll sleep," Tyler said, being stubborn.

Caroline softly smiled as she watched Tyler stare at her sister with a concern yet loving expression on his face. She never thought she would see this side of him. If someone had told her months ago that one day Tyler Lockwood would love someone more than himself, she would have laughed at them, but then he fell for her sister and she saw- firsthand- the change in him.

"Guess I better go get us some coffee then," Caroline suggested. She had no plans in leaving Marissa's side either.

Tyler nodded his head but didn't say anything as she lightly squeezed his shoulder for comfort, before walking out of the room.

Once he was alone, he leaned forward and grabbed Marissa's hand. He raised his other hand to cover his mouth as another yawn escaped. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the sleepiness that was trying to overtake him.

He still refused to close his eyes until she opened hers. He looked over at the girl who had stolen his heart as he wished with all his might that she would wake up; just open her eyes so he could see that she was okay. He needed to see that.

He looked down at her hand and lightly ran his thumb over her knuckles. As he continued to caress the back of her hand, he did something he had not done in a long time. He prayed to God that he wouldn't lose her. He was so lost in thought he almost didn't feel her hand move as she turned it over to hold his hand, intertwining their fingers.

Tyler jerked his head up, seeing the most beautiful sight he had ever seen; Marissa awake with a soft smile on her face. She watched him stand up from the chair and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word, his lips were pressed against hers for a harsh and quick kiss.

Afterward, he rested his forehead against hers with his eyes still closed. He was afraid if he opened them he would see that this all was just a dream, but when she laid a hand on the side of his face, he knew this was real. He instantly felt the familiar tingles he always felt when she touched him, but nothing could have prepared him for when she spoke and her warm breath hit his face.

"You're here," she whispered with a surprised tone. After telling him to give her space she had assumed he wouldn't be there, but was happy to see that she was wrong.

Tyler pulled back to look at her, seeing the look on her face. He couldn't believe she honestly thought he wouldn't be there. Break-up or no break-up, he would always be there for her.

He opened his mouth to tell her that, but before he could, she whispered something else, her voice so hoarse he couldn't understand her, causing him to ask her to repeat herself.

"Water," she whispered again.

"Oh, right," he said, standing up and grabbing the small pitcher of water that was on the bedside table. He poured the cold clear liquid into a plastic cup then handed it to her.

He waited until she took a few sips, then asked, "Do you remember what happened?"

Marissa set the cup down on the table beside her. "I remember trying to call you, then something...some kind of animal, I guess...attacked me."

Tyler nodded his head as he stood by her bed, fighting the urge to touch her, but he didn't want to overwhelm her. "I know I'm supposed to be giving you space, but when I heard you scream over the phone I-"

"It's okay. You don't have to explain," she interrupted him. "Besides, I'm glad you're here," she added with a smile.

"Good. Because I'm not going anywhere. Even the nurses and doctor couldn't run me off," he said with a laugh.

Marissa chuckled at his words then bit her bottom lip before looking up at him shyly. "That's good to hear because I-I don't want any more space between us."

"What are you saying?" he asked, not wanting to get his hopes up.

"I miss you. I miss us," she admitted. "That's why I was calling before the animal attack. I miss you, Ty."

Tyler smiled at her words and felt his heart racing. He had worried that she would never forgive him or give him another chance, but hearing her say that made him feel like he could breathe a little easier.

He leaned forward to quickly kiss her lips, then said, "I missed you too, Ris. I was worried I had lost you forever."

"You haven't lost me. You still have me, Ty, I'm still yours," she whispered, before pressing her lips against his for another kiss.

Tyler laid a hand on the side of her face as he tilted his head to the side to deepen the kiss. He knew he should be taking it easy with her, but he couldn't stop kissing her. Her lips were like his drug and he couldn't get enough.

She rested her hands on his shoulders and tried to keep up with his pace. She was finding it hard to breathe but didn't want to stop. It had been too long since they had kissed and she had missed that feeling he gave her.

She wouldn't have stopped for anything if the door had not opened as Caroline walked back into the room. She happily called out her sister's name when she saw she was awake.

"Oh my God! Rissa! You're awake!" Caroline cheered as she set the two coffee cups down on the table. She gently pushed Tyler aside to lean down and hug her sister.

"Can't...breathe...Care..." Marissa choked out when Caroline hugged her tight.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic, Ris. Besides the real reason you probably can't breathe is because you two were just sucking face," Caroline joked as she looked at her sister and Tyler with a smile on her face. "So, what's going on with you two? I can't believe I leave the room for a few minutes and miss everything."

"I'm going to go grab the doctor," Tyler suggested as he backed away from the two sisters and exited the room. Not wanting to go into any details at the moment with a nosy Caroline.

"So did we win? Are you 'Miss Mystic Falls'?" Marissa asked once the two girls were alone.

"Yes I did," Caroline answered with a grin on her face. "But no changing the subject here. What's up with the kissing? Are you two back together?"

"Shouldn't you be asking me how I'm feeling or something? I did just get attacked by an animal you know," Marissa pointed out.

"After what I just witnessed, it looks like you're feeling very well," Caroline joked as she sat down in the chair by the bed that Tyler had been sitting in earlier.

Marissa laughed, feeling better and better, then said, "To answer your question, yes; Tyler and I are back together."

"Good. I know he makes you happy and after all of this, I know he'll always be there for you," Caroline said.

When her sister shot her a confused look, she continued, "From the moment you were brought to the hospital, Tyler never left your side, no matter how many times the nurse tried to make him. He refused to leave you."

"Really?" Marissa asked, smiling. She knew he had made a comment about it earlier, but didn't realize he was serious.

Caroline nodded her head. "I never thought I would say it...I never thought I would see the day that Tyler Lockwood would fall in love, but it's clear to see that he is. That boy is crazy in love with you."

Marissa felt her eyes widen at her statement. She knew Tyler cared about her, he had even told her that, but he had never once said the 'love' word. Was Caroline right? Did Tyler love her?

Before she could ask Caroline any questions, the doctor walked in to check on her, making Caroline and Tyler leave the room while he looked her over.

She barely listened to the doctor as she kept thinking about what her sister said. She knew she shouldn't be stressing about love. They had just got back together and she was still working on trusting him again. The love thing should wait, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and when Tyler walked back into her room smiling at her she knew what her heart was thinking...She was in love with Tyler Lockwood.

•••

Even though she was doing better and was expected to make a full recovery, the doctor wanted her to spend one more night at the hospital, just to make sure the cuts on her neck wasn't infected. As long as everything was okay in the morning she could go home.

Caroline and Tyler had kept her company all day, while most of her other friends were in and out visiting. Jenna and John had visited as well.

Not surprising her mom didn't stick around for long. Once she knew she was okay, Liz left to find the 'animal' that attacked her. She was surprised though that Jeremy had not visited yet, but she tried not to let it get her down. She believed he would show up at some point.

Later that day, she sent Tyler and Caroline home to sleep. They both argued with her, neither one wanting to leave her alone, but they finally agreed to leave for a short time, then they both would return to keep her company until she was released in the morning.

Now she laid in the bed alone, trying to sleep but was having a hard time getting comfortable. She glanced over at the door when it opened and smiled when Jeremy walked in.

"I was starting to think you weren't gonna visit me," Marissa joked as he slowly made his way toward her.

"I'm sorry," Jeremy said with a guilty look on his face. He knew he should have visited earlier, but he couldn't bring himself to go. It was his fault she was laying in that hospital bed.

She shrugged like it was no big deal, then flashed him a smile. "It's okay. I knew you would visit eventually. I got your back and you got mine, remember."

"But that's just it, Rissa, I didn't have your back," he said, sitting down in the chair by her bed. "That's what I'm apologizing for. I should have been with you. I should have protected you. I'm sorry."

"Jer, seriously, it's okay," she said, reaching out to hold his hand. "I'm okay, you don't have to feel bad. You did nothing wrong and you don't have to apologize," she added as she gave his hand a squeeze, hoping to comfort him.

"I still shouldn't have let you out of my sight," he mumbled as he held on to her hand not wanting to let her go. He couldn't believe how close he came to losing her.

He didn't believe for one minute that it was an animal attack, he knew what really attacked her. He knew it was a vampire, he just didn't know who did it. He knew it wasn't Anna, but he hoped she could help him figure out who did attack Marissa when he saw her later tonight.

"And I shouldn't have gone out alone to make a phone call, but I never thought an animal would attack me," she pointed out.

"That's what you remember? You remember seeing an animal?" he asked, wondering what exactly she did remember.

Marissa thought about his question, then said, "Actually I don't remember the attack. I mean I remember going outside, I remember calling Tyler, then I woke up in the hospital and the doctor told me I had been bitten by an animal before I passed out again."

"But you don't remember seeing who- I mean what- bit you?" Jeremy asked.

"No, but I guess it was another mountain lion or something?" she guessed. "I mean what else could it be?"

Jeremy looked at her and thought about telling her the truth. After being attacked by a vampire, she deserved to know the truth, but was now the right time to tell her or should he wait until a better time? Was there even a right time to tell someone about that?

While in thought, he ran a hand through his hair, still unsure what he should do. Fortunately for him, before he could make up his mind, he heard his phone ringing.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and saw that it was Anna calling. He told himself he would call her back once he left the hospital, then slipped the phone back into his pocket and looked over at Marissa, who was watching him and waiting on him to say something.

"I heard Tyler's been here to visit," he said, deciding it was best to change the subject for now. "Are you two back together now?"

"Yeah," she answered nervously. "I know you hate Tyler and I know you think it's a huge mistake to get back together with him but-"

"Hey, it's okay," he cut her off. "As long as you're happy, Ris, that's all I care about. Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, I can see now that he does care about you."

"What do you mean?" she asked confused.

"When he couldn't get in touch with you on the phone, he called me," he said. "He thought if anyone knew where you were it would be me...at least I should have known that, but I let you down."

"Jer, I told you, it wasn't your fault," she slowly said, hoping to get through to him. She hating seeing him beat himself up over this.

Jeremy opened his mouth to argue with her, but before he could, he heard his phone beep to let him know he had a voice mail message. He figured it was a message from Anna and ignored it.

Marissa didn't say anything, but couldn't help but wonder who was blowing his phone up. She also found herself wondering where Jeremy actually was during the pageant. She would never blame him for not being there, but she still wondered what was more important to him at that moment.

"Where were you?" she asked him quietly.

"What?" he asked confused.

"During the pageant, where were you?"

"I was talking to Anna," he confessed.

Even though he enjoyed talking to Anna, he still felt bad for not being there for her. Although he was with Anna now and did really like her, Marissa would always have his heart. She was his dream girl and he would always love her- even if she never knew it.

"I thought you two weren't talking."

"We had a long talk and got some things cleared up and now we're, uh...we're together."

"Well, congratulations then." she bitterly said.

She felt angry but didn't know why. She knew she should be happy for him, but not today- not after being attacked by an animal and left for dead while he was hooking up with a new girl. He's her best friend, he should be there for her.

She knew she was being bratty, but she couldn't stop the jealousy or anger that took over and it became worse when she heard his phone beep again. She had a good feeling who the message was from. Stupid new girl Anna.

Folding her arms across her chest, she snapped, "Are you going to check that or not?"

"What?" he asked confused about her sudden change of mood.

"Your phone. Check it. It's bugging me," she slowly said.

"It's okay, it's just Anna. I'll check it later," he explained as he shot her a smile, hoping she would smile back.

"No, check it now. Wouldn't want to keep Anna waiting," she said, her tone harsh.

"I'm here with you, Rissa. I want to be here. I wanted to check on you," he pointed out. "I'll see Anna later."

"You can go to your girlfriend now. You're forgiven and don't have to feel guilty anymore, I'm fine."

"That's not why I'm here and you know it. You're my best friend and I was worried about you," he tried to explain as he stood up.

"I told you, I'm fine and now I'm sleepy," she said, rolling over with her back toward him. She didn't want to see him any longer.

"What's your problem?" he asked, still feeling confused and even a little anger at her sudden change. He couldn't understand why she seemed like she was pissed at him all of a sudden.

"Nothing, I told you I'm tired. I'm going to sleep," she said while turning her head to look at him. When she was done, she turned it back to lay down on the pillow.

"Rissa-"

"Bye, Jeremy," she cut him off.

Jeremy opened and shut his mouth, unsure about what to say to her. He thought about the conversation they just had in his mind, trying to figure out what he said or did to upset her but was coming up blank. Maybe she was just tired and she had always gotten cranky whenever she was tired. Maybe after she left the hospital and got to sleep in her own bed she would cheer up.

He watched her back as she slowly breathed in and out for a few seconds, then walked closer to the bed. Assuming she was asleep, he leaned down and lightly kissed the top of her head before standing up and walking to the door.

Jeremy opened the door, then paused and turned to look at her as he said, "I promise I won't let anyone hurt you again."

With that promise in mind, he exited the room. He would do whatever he could to keep her safe. He would never forgive himself if she got caught in the middle of all the vampire drama. He had to protect her from it all.

•••

A/N; I had a couple of reviews asking about the vervain perfume. Rissa never got to put any perfume on before leaving the house, she also did not have on her vervain bracelet that Elena gave her in chapter thirteen. So, sadly at that moment when Stefan attacked her and she was compelled by Damon, she was vervain free. I hope that cleared up any confusion and I apologize if I didn't make that clear in the previous chapter.

Thank you all for reading and/or adding the story. Big thanks to Nina the Keyblader Mistress, roses and violets, shippolove844, Rebekah M, pollywallytron, DayDreamer1212, Erudessa-gabrielle, Sage Londyn, Emmettluver2010, wizziewoo123, Maya95, OhBeClever, JennyLynn2012, Cheshirecat2012, grapejuice101 and all the Guests who reviewed.

Happy reading!
xx