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Homecoming

I had felt so much better after being able to tell someone. Sure it was to Tom, but it had the same affect. After taking Madam Witherspoon's advice to rest, I took another nap and I didn't wake back up until the school day was over. I only woke up because Lola and the others came to see me. Mary said they tried to come by during lunch, but the door was locked and there was a sign saying the nurse was out. They helped me gather my things, and we all headed towards the school's entrance.

"Here is the list of homework we were given today." Mary handed me a sheet of paper and I gratefully accepted it.

"Thanks."

"Make sure you pass it to Trent, too. Is he still sick?"

I nodded absentmindedly, taking care to avoid all of their question gazes. When we got outside Hiro and Raymona were waiting on me. Before I could get away Lola grabbed my wrist.

"Raven, I don't know what's really going on but Trent isn't sick is he."

I was surprised Lola wasn't screaming at me, and demanding me to tell her what was going on like when we spied on Kat. Instead she seemed to be choosing her words carefully. Even though she didn't know, maybe she somehow grasp the seriousness of the situation and wasn't prying due to her intuition. I removed her hand from my wrist and turned to her with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry." I wanted to say more, and if I hadn't been able to tell Tom earlier, I think I would have spilled everything right then and there. However, now my head was much clearer and I was more in control over my emotions. "I can't say much, but...Trent, he'll be back once he's better. I'll see you tomorrow." With a final smile I hurried into the awaiting car and was soon on my way home.

After someone sticking the letter, containing what I could only assume were Trent's fingernails, into the mailbox, my father had stationed two more patrol cars in the neighborhood. He briefly called to check up on me, and during that time I tried to see how things were progressing but he was as tight lipped as always. From the news, it sounded like the Wednesday trial was on the verge of being postponed. I bet Uncle Reed was doing everything in his power to do the right thing, but as the days passed by more and more people were bad mouthing him. No matter how strong you are there is only so much stress someone can handle. I just hoped that this would all be over before his breaking point arrived.

Luckily, that day would be right around the corner.

When I arrived to school the next day, Lola and the others greeted me with forced smiles. They were trying to pretend like everything was normal, and not ask questions but every so often I would catch one of them looking at me with curiosity, and worry. I pretended like I didn't see it, and went about my day as normal.

However, the strangest thing was that Tom, Antonin and Abraxus weren't present. I thought that they would arrive later in the day, but they never showed up. There was a noticeable air of disappointment from the female body. Though on the plus side, it was a much quieter lunch period.

It was that night, however, a little after midnight when I received news that had me shooting for the door. I was already well asleep when Raymona practically threw open the door to my room waking me from my sleep.

"Raven!" She shouted my name and ran up to my bed. Her eyes were wide with excitement and urgency.

"U-uh?" I mumbled still half asleep. I rubbed my eyes trying to wake myself up and stared at a blurred image of Raymona. "Is something wro~ng?" I was cut off by a sudden yawn.

"Actually, it's the opposite!" In her excitement she yelled as she pulled me to my feet.

I stumbled still trying to wake up and grasp the situation. My head tilted in sleepy confusion.

"It's Trent! He was found! As we speak they're transporting him to a hospital!" She spoke so fast that it took a while for me to process what she said.

I fought through the haze of sleep as I mulled over her words. Slowly the grogginess faded and an electrifying energy charged through my body. Did she just say Trent was...? There was no reason for her to lie about something like this, and for a brief moment I thought I had stumbled into a wonderful dream. If it was I didn't want to wake up.

"You mean...Trent...He's..." My throat felt so fry I could barely speak. Was it true?

"Come on, I've been told to bring you to the hospital." She was about to pull me with her but a look of realization crossed her face. "Quickly change, and meet us downstairs. We'll leave as soon as you're ready."

"A-alright!" I unintentionally shouted in my excitement. As soon as she left the room I threw off my clothes - not even stopping from the pain in my side - and tossed on some casual clothes. I tossed some water on my face to rid the gunk from my eyes, and flew down the stairs to see Raymona and Hiro standing by the door.

Without a word we piled into the car and speed towards the hospital. When we arrived the hospital entrance was lit up like a Christmas tree. There were 5 ambulances, and dozens of cop cars all over the place. Taking a closer look there were also news vans stationed nearby, and I could see reporters waiting outside of the hospital. What the heck was going on?

"There's so many people." I muttered in awe. How were we going to get in?

"Tch, don't they ever rest?" Hiro sounded annoyed as he spotted the reporters waiting to catch any type of story they could. "We'll have to make a bee-line for it."

Hiro parked the car and Raymona quickly moved to open my door. She told me to just keep straight and not to respond to anything they may ask me. I didn't think it would be an issue since I wasn't the reason they were here. Honestly, I didn't even know how they found out since everything was kept under wraps. Then again the media did always have a way of finding things out. The moment they saw us the reporters swarmed us. They instantly recognized me and began bombarding me with questions about Trent's kidnapping, Uncle reed's case and many other questions. The flashing lights of the cameras as they clicked rapidly had me thinking it was day time. I tried to shield my eyes from the cameras, and thankfully Raymona helped by draping a jacket over my head as she shoved me through the crowd. The few officers stationed outside attempted to shield us, and make a path for us to the entrance. After what felt like ages we made it into the lobby of the hospital where even more policemen were littered about.

"I understand it's their job, but have a bit of common decency." Raymona huffed in annoyance.

I scanned the faces hoping to see my father, but he was no where in sight. Instead I saw Uncle Reed standing in a corner alone. He look beyond exhausted, as if at any moment he would collapse. Apparently, Raymona had also noticed him because she said,

"Raven, why don't you go speak with him. You'll probably find out more of what happened if you do. In the mean time, we'll find you something to snack on."

"Thank you." I gave her a grateful smile and quickly jogged over to my uncle.

When he notice me coming he straightened up and greeted me with a tired nod. "Raven, I see you've been informed."

"I'm just glad this is all over." I looked around a spotted some vacant seats. "Do you want to sit?" When it looked as if he would decline I added, "I'm actually a bit tired after everything." Once we sat down I asked him about Trent.

"He'll survive."

Hearing that I sighed in relief. Knowing that Trent would be ok relieved many of fears. "So how is he now?"

"He has a few bruises from being hit. He also suffers from malnutrition and his right hand was missing his nails. Luckily, we found him before any infection could set in." He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes while letting out a sigh. The corners of his mouth began to twitch and he released a shaky breath, all the while still rubbing his eyes.

He must be feeling all sorts of emotions right now. Much like my father, Uncle Reed didn't express himself like most people. He kept things bottled up until he couldn't contain his feelings anymore. Perhaps because of this similarity I saw him in a similar light as my father. Seeing him on the brink of breaking down cause my chest to tighten. At that moment Raymona came over with two cups of coffee. Maybe drinking something warm would help him calm down.

"Uncle here."

He silently took the cup and began to sip from it. His eyes were now red from his vigorous rubbing.

"How did you guys find him?" I asked once it looked as though he calmed down a bit.

"Curiously enough, we were called through an anonymous tip."

"Oh, that's gre-" I then frowned in confusion once his words sunk in. "Someone tipped you off? But how? Wasn't the story kept a secret?"

"Yes. We're not quite sure how, but either the story was leaked, or there was some kind of internal conflict."

Before I could ask anything else my father walked over. Uncle stood up and I followed suit.

"They say you can visit him now. He's awake for now but he's very weak."

Even though I wanted to see Trent, I thought it was best if only Uncle went. I'm sure he wanted some alone time with his son, so I could just wait until tomorrow. However, when I didn't follow behind Uncle, he turned to me in confusion.

"Aren't you coming?"

"O-oh, I thought you might want to be alone. I can wait."

"It's fine. You were just as worried. Besides, it's only right for family to be present at times like these."

My eyes widened at the words he said. It was such a cliche line, but it made me all the more happier. I didn't realize he was the type of person to say such things with a straight face.

With a large nod I happily followed behind the two of them. Dad lead us to the room and quietly opened the door. When I laid eyes on Trent my eyes began to water. He was only 15, and shorter than most boys his age. Seeing his tiny body look so weak and battered was heartbreaking. So many tubes, and IVs ran across his body. Trent's face was littered with bruises and cuts, showing just how badly he had been treated. The fingers and thumb were wrapped in bandages, and when I moved closer I noticed rope burns around his wrists.

"...Dad...?" Trent's small voice croaked pulling our attention. His half lidded eyes scanned his father's face before cracking a small smile. "Long time...no...see..."

"If you have the energy to joke, you must be better than I thought." Uncle Reed chuckled.

I gently grabbed Trent's left hand while smiling broadly. Seeing him after so long make my heart swell in happiness. "I-i'm glad your back." I needed to hold back my tears. I've been doing nothing but crying lately, that even I was starting to get annoyed by it.

"...I'm glad...you...were safe..."

I thought back to when it all happened and looked down. "I'm sure it was because of you." It was embarrassing that Trent, someone much younger than me and who was also just as scared, had to protect me. It was frustrating, but there wasn't anything that I could do about what happened. So I shook the thought from my head.

"You did good surviving like you did."

I frowned and sent my father a disapproving gaze. I knew he was trying to be encouraging, but I wished he was able to dress his words up better. Our eyes met and he coughed in his hand.

"What I mean to say is, I'm also pleased you've come back."

Trent gave a raspy laugh. It honestly sounded very painful. "Thank you...Uncle..." He then briefly closed his eyes, "Sorry...I'm just...Really tired..." His voice was starting to becoming quieter and his speech was slurring.

"Perhaps we should leave now." I suggested, to which both males agreed.

"That's probably for the best. There is still some paperwork to finish before the trial later today."

Hearing my father's words, Uncle Reed grimaced as if he didn't want to think about it. He placed a hand on Trent's shoulder, "I'll come visit later. Get some rest, you deserve it."

"I'll come, too."

I smiled when I saw that Trent was already fast asleep. Now that everything was back to normal I felt lighter now than I had in these past few days. That night, even though I could only sleep for a few hours before school, I slept peacefully knowing that Trent was safe.

A few hours later I was on my way to school with Raymona and Hiro in tow. Today would mark the last day they would be my escorts since the trial would be over by the end of the day. I thanked them for watching out for me these past few days. If they weren't there for me I don't think I would have been able to keep it together, especially if I opened that envelope. So I was very thankful to them for sacrificing their time to stay with me.

The moment I stepped onto the campus I was approached by Lola and the others. Lola and Kat looked angry, while Mary appeared disappointed. I really couldn't blame them. Hiro told me that all this morning Uncle Reed and my father were all over the news. They reported that Trent was kidnapped by the same mafia group that Uncle Reed was prosecuting in court. They also reported that the ones involved in the kidnapping were injured, and the ringleader of the kidnapping - the same one who kicked me - was killed. Apparently, the police had arrived only after the fighting finished. Regardless of what happened I was happy for Trent's safe return. Though, none of that would save me from my friend's wrath.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Were the first words Lola fired when she saw me. Here eyes were narrowed in anger. "Why did you keep something like that a secret?"

Kat nodded and angrily punched my arm, "Why did you feel like you had to shoulder it all by yourself? Didn't you trust us?"

"M-maybe she had a reason." Mary was the only one to jump to my defense. Though this only gave Lola another target for her anger.

"What reason could she possibly have? I thought we were friends." She turned back to me. As she did I noticed she looked as though she had been betrayed. "You lied to us when you said Trent was sick, and the way you've been acting makes sense now. I thought it was strange when you didn't want us to come visit, and when I couldn't contact Trent on his phone. Also suddenly being dropped off and picked up from school..."

"I'm sorry." Those were the only words I could say. "I'm sorry I lied, but I couldn't tell anyone. My father wanted to keep everything as quiet as possible. Perhaps it was because Uncle Reed's court case, but he didn't want me to tell anyone." I bit my lip and looked down, "I really did want to tell you guys. I hated lying to you...But...I also didn't want you all to worry. It was hard enough for me, knowing and not being able to do anything."

Lola balled her hands into fist as she struggled to contain her anger. "So it was better for you to be the only one to suffer? Maybe we couldn't have done anything, but at the very least we could have supported you. Do you not realize how horrible you looked these past few days. It was like looking at a completely different person."

Kat, after having been just as angry, had calmed down a bit after hearing my explanation. "It's not like I don't understand your feelings. I guess I'm not one to talk since I kept my debt a secret but...It's not good keeping such heavy things to yourself. It only eats away at you until there is nothing left."

The school bell rang, warning us that class would be starting soon. Without another word Lola walked off and the other two followed shortly after. Having been left behind I sighed sadly. I'm sure they would get over it eventually, but I knew it would take a while. If I were in their shoes I would have reacted the same way. At the very least I should have been the one to tell them, instead of them having to find out because of the news. The rest of the day Lola and Kat didn't say much to me. Mary tried to strike up a conversation during lunch, but nothing worked. Though since Tom was back at school there was more than enough noise to fill the silence. When school ended Lola was quickly packing her things up. She seemed to be determined to ignore me for a while, but I didn't want things to be this way even if it was my fault.

"Lola," She didn't even look at me when I called her. "I'm going to go visit Trent. Do you want to come?"

This got her attention and, for the first time since early this morning, she looked at me. "You're visiting Trent?"

I nodded hoping this would help quell some of her anger. "I'm sure he would like it if the four of us went to see him."

"...Fine."

I smiled glad that she would be joining. After telling Kat and Mary the plan, they were happy to join us. So the four of us headed towards the hospital. It was a quiet ride but luckily Lola didn't seem as mad as before. After years of being with her I could gauge the levels of her anger pretty well.

A quick scene change later and the four of us, after checking into the visitor's log, were entering Trent's hospital room.

"Oh, Uncle Reed."

From Trent's beside Uncle Reed nodded his greeting. "Seems you have other visitors. We'll talk more later."

"O-oh, if you want we can wait outsi-"

"It's fine. I need to be heading back to work."

"See you later, Dad."

"Bye Uncle."

Once he left Kat sighed heavily as if she were holding her breath. "He looks even scarier in person than he does on TV. I felt like he was glaring at us the whole time." She hugged herself and shivered.

I laughed, "That's only because he was tired. I don't think he's been resting like he should. Anyway-" I smiled at Trent. Though he was still bruised, and looked exhausted, his face had regained more color since I saw him earlier this morning. "It's good to see you are recovering."

"Yeah, though...I'm still a bit...tired." His voice was still weak. I really had to strain to hear him.

Lola frowned as she observed him, "Damn it..."

Trent looked at her and guilt swam in his eyes. "Sorry...About all of this, and I hope...You aren't too mad...with Raven. She...didn't have a...choice."

She bit her lip, "Don't try to talk so much." She then averted her gaze before adding, "And...It's kind of hard to stay mad while looking at you. We were worried sick about you...Both of you..."

"But we're glad everything turned out ok." Mary tidied up Lola's sentence with a gentle smile.

For the next few hours we kept Trent company, talking about anything and everything we could think of. Trent was trying to keep up, but it was slowly becoming apparent that he was fading out. He was talking with his father before we came, and we didn't want him to over work himself. So we decided to leave, but not before promising to visit again. He must have been really tired because he was fast asleep before we could leave.

Sunday

For the remainder of the week we continued to visit Trent, though sometimes I went alone. Each day that passed I saw that Trent was quickly regaining strength, and according to him he would be released by the end of this week. his release date would coincide with the beginning of fall break, and according to him Uncle Reed would be taking a few days off and the two of them would travel some where together. I was glad that he was making some time for Trent, but I couldn't deny that I would be a bit lonely. Especially since everyone else also had plans for the break.

"Oh, excuse me." I apologize after bumping into someone as I exited the subway train.

I sighed as I slowly made my way towards Tom's home. Like many other things in my life I was unsure of how I felt about this arrangement. This all started because I wanted to help Kat get rid of her debt, but just how long was Tom planning on making me come down here. It has already been a little over a month but it didn't seem like he was running out of ideas to torment me. I blushed as I thought of all the things he has done to me thus far. My mind always went blank when he did that sort of stuff, and it was hard to talk during those times. Though, when I finally did tell him to stop he always listened.

'And...I don't completely hate it...'

My thoughts only confused me more. What was it that I wanted? This was strictly a physical relationship. He didn't have any feelings for me, and I didn't understand my own. Did I want something more with him? Or was I satisfied with how things were now? I thought back to the way he touched me back at the nurses office. He was so gentle unlike his usual self. There was a painful stab in my chest that made me frown in confusion.

"The sooner he get's tired of this the better." My thoughts had me going in circles. Even if I liked him nothing good would come out of it. Our lives were too different. The worse case scenario would be that our meetings last until the end of year. After that we would be forced to go our separate ways. I could only hope that no one, specifically my father, finds out about this.

"Oh." I mumbled surprised. I was so lost in thought I hadn't noticed I had arrived. I rung the door bell and a familiar voice answered.

"'ell if it ain't Boss's lil' lady."

"Good evening." I responded calmly already used to his rough way of speaking.

The gates opened and soon the large man was welcoming me into the home. He name was Mortin Klein and was of German descent. He preferred to be called by his last name, and surprisingly he was only 25 years old. Due to his large and rough appearance I thought he was much older, but despite his appearance he was shockingly kind. He had even apologized for scaring me the first few times I came here. He said they could never be to careful due to their affiliation, and that I looked a bit suspicious with my disguise on. Guess I couldn't really blame him.

"Sorry for the intrusion." I said as I removed my shoes.

"Boss is in a meetin' righ' now, so wait 'ere." He said as he led me to a room I hadn't been to yet.

It was a large room that had sofas, a T.V and expensive looking items scattered about the walls and shelves. In one corner there was a mini bar with all kinds of expensive wines and liquor. I wasn't very knowledgeable in that kind of thing but one of the bottles that I recognized ran for at least 3 grand.

"You wanna glass lil' lady?"

"O-oh, no. I was just looking. I-i'm too young anyway."

"Dat ain't nutin butta numba. 'ad my first glass at 12."

"Thanks Klein, but I'd rather not." I continued to politely refuse. The last place I needed to be inebriated was here.

After a few moments I heard voices coming down the hall. It sounded like a group of people, and two of the voices I recognized. One was Tom's and the other one, though familiar, I couldn't exactly place it. I looked at the doorway hoping to get a glimpse of who was speaking and the moment I did I dropped to the floor. In the process my knee hit the mahogany coffee table in front of me. I covered my mouth to stop from groaning out loud. I recognized one of the men speaking with Tom. Just the day before was a meeting of corporate bigwigs, and company CEOs. My father had me attend and one of the men I meet was the CEO of a huge pharmaceutical company. That same man was in the group of people speaking with Tom. If he saw me he might recognize me, especially since the only thing I wore as a disguise were my sunglasses and hoodie and at the moment I wasn't wearing either of them.

"Huh, what was that just now?" The CEO questioned.

"I bumped da wall. 'pologies." Klein grumbled as he covered for me.

"Ah, well anyways. This has been a very fortunate meeting. I am looking forward to our future partnership Mr. Riddle."

"As am I." Tom responded cordially before continuing to escort his guest out.

"Dat musta' urt lil' lady." Klein said with a gravelly chuckle.

I slowly stood up since it seemed like it was safe to do so. I sheepishly smiled and pulled off my hoodie that fell down in my rush to hide. "Thanks for covering for me." I don't think anyone here knew that I was the police cheif's daughter. I never revealed my last name, and I was sure Tom hadn't told them either. If he had I probably would have received a very different welcome. Despite him not knowing why he still covered for me.

"Least I could do fo' Boss' lil' lady."

Warmth spread through my chest at being referred to Tom's lady but I quickly pushed it away. I had tried to tell him that I didn't have a relationship with Tom, but he continued to call me by that nickname. So I just gave up and let him call me however.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."

"It's O...K..." My words trailed off and my eyes widened.

Tom smirked as he confidently moved to stand in front of me. His sudden closeness made me nervous and I looked away.

"Do you like what you see?" He teased gripping my chin to make me look at him.

I swallowed my answer while my blush darkened. Tom was already a very good looking guy, but seeing him in a suit made him look so much more attractive. He wore a black pin stripe suit, a white undershirt and a silk, dark green tie. I've seen many people wearing business attire before, so it should have been a big deal, but seeing Tom wear it was different. He had a different feel to him. More professional and adult-like. Seeing this side of him made my heart beat faster.

"I didn't realize you had a suit fetish. I'll make sure to remember."

My eyes shot to his in utter horror, "I-i do n-not!"

His eyes laughed at me and he finally released my chin only to grab my wrist. He then pulled me along the now familiar corridors until we reached his room. For some reason I was more nervous than ever. It really couldn't be because of his change of attire, could it? No, that couldn't be it. It was because I was thinking strange things before coming here. He released me when we entered the room and he moved to his bed. I stood by the door awkwardly playing with the hem of my hoodie while watching Tom. He tossed his blazer on the before reaching for his necktie. When he caught me staring I looked down.

Soon I heard footsteps and realized he was coming closer. For every step he took I retreated until my back hit the door, and I gasped when he trapped me by placing his hands on either side of my head. As he peered down at me I could feel my face burning and I was beginning to shake. My hoodie felt so constricting all of a sudden. It was so hot.

"If you look like that, it makes me want to tease you." He grabbed my hand and brought it up to his necktie. "You were watching so closely you must want to help."

"I don't...I-it's not like th-that."

"It's not a suggestion, but an order. Undress me."

I naturally lowered my gaze and my hand trembled as my grip on his necktie tightened ever so slightly.

Ah...

The material feels exactly how it looks. It was so soft, and silky smooth. Wanting to feel the texture more, my thumb gently brushed over the knot and a please sigh left my lips. It felt so nice. I pulled on the tie and when I did Tom was pulled forward, his body now pressing into me and making me freeze.

"Don't stop now." He whispered into my ear and a jolt of electricity shot down my spine.

I pulled harder at his tie and with a breath I didn't realize I was holding, his tie slid from around his neck at the same time I exhaled. Using a single finger he tilted my chin upwards and took the tie from my hands.

"We'll play a bit more next time." He moved away and threw his tie with his jacket before walking over to his sofa. "Raven, come here."

Now that I wasn't surrounded by him the embarrassment of what happened came full force and I covered my face. When he came at me like that it was hard to remember that I can make him stop with a single word. It troubled me that Tom was able to manipulate me so easily, but there wasn't anything I could do about.

But...Did I really want to?

"Raven." Tom's annoyed voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"S-sorry." I crossed the room and sat on the sofa, making sure to keep plenty of room between Tom and I. Though my heart had slowed down, my body was still warm with lingering heat so I unzipped my hoodie and laid it across my lap. The cool air on my exposed shoulders felt good.

"You're hurting my feelings. Come closer."

I shook my head, "I-i'm fine, thanks."

He rested his chin on his fist and smirked, "You don't have to be so worried. I don't plan on doing anything else."

"R-really?"

"Don't look so disappointed." He teased, "I'll make it up to you next time."

I frowned, "I don't need you to make it up to me."

With a final look he turned his attention to the table before us. It was then I noticed all of the papers, and documents scattered about. There was also a laptop open to a spreadsheet. As if I weren't there Tom leaned forward and delved into the paperwork. I sat there unsure of what I was supposed to do. Was I supposed to just sit here while he worked? I chanced a look at him, but unlike usual he didn't return my gaze. It gave me a rare opportunity to study him without consequence. Realizing this my heart fluttered.

Being able to drink in his features up close really solidified his surreal attractiveness. His features were so clearly defined, and his jawline was sculpted to near perfection. Through all of our meetings I had never directly touched him, but I couldn't help but wonder would feel like to run my hand across his face. As if responding my hand twitched and I looked away in embarrassment thinking he would notice. When he didn't say anything I looked at him again. Slowly I dragged my eyes down his side profile and I involuntarily swallowed when I reached his neck. The top two buttons of his dress shirt were undone so I had a nice view of his protruding Adam's apple. I continued my exploration to his hands that typed away at his laptop's keyboard. His fingers were long and slender, but his hand was large and definable that of a man's. I tore my eyes away from Tom afraid that I would be caught if I stared much longer.

What was wrong with me? I was acting really strange. I took a deep breath to calm myself down and closed my eyes while leaning into the sofa. I have to admit it was nice being able to sit and do nothing. For the last two weeks I had been on high alert, and unable to get any good rest. Even now, with Trent back, I had busied myself with visiting him at the hospital and just the other day I had to attend that party with my father. I took another deep breath as I relaxed even more. Dealing with Lola and the others also made me anxious. They only just started acting normal around me again, which made some of my other anxieties go away. Now, if only I was able to tell them about Tom.

I took another deep breath. The sound of rustling papers and the keyboard made me relax even more. When I was young I would sometimes have to stay the night with my father at his work place. As he would work through the night I often fell asleep to this sound. Before I knew it my head lolled to the side and the everything faded away

I awoke with a start, shooting to a sitting position. I can't believe I fell asleep! How long was I asleep this time? I noticed I had been moved to Tom's bed and the embarrassment of him having to carry me spread across my face. Speaking of Tom, he was no where to be seen. I checked my phone and sighed in relief. It wasn't even 2:30 yet, so I couldn't have been sleeping for any more than an hour. As I stood up and stretched I noticed I felt really refreshed even though I had only slept for an hour.

"I wonder where he went." I went back over to the sofa, and his papers were still all over the place. I was curious about what they were but I learned my lesson after the last time I went snooping around. Instead I turned my attention to the desk that had some awards displayed. I had been wanting to take a closer look at them, and even if I'm caught there is no way I could get in trouble.

I sat in front of the small display shelf gasping in awe from the variety of trophies. There were awards for swimming, martial arts, archery, soccer and even a mathlathon. What was even more impressive was that they were all first place trophies, and dated when Tom would have been in middle school or younger. I knew he was talented but to be able to do so many things was beyond amazing. It was almost impossible. How could one person have the time to do all of this?

"He must of had a lot of fun as a kid."

"Not as much as you think."

"Tom, welcome back." The phrase slipped from my mouth before I could stop myself. I blushed and looked down. It sounded like I was some house wife welcoming him back home. I tried to quickly change the subject and said, "You did so many things when you were younger. You're telling me it wasn't fun?"

He shrugged indifferently, "I didn't particularly care. My grandfather thought it would be nice if I had different skills." He gracefully sat on the sofa and crossed his legs so his ankle rested on his knee, and placed his arms on the back of the sofa.

"But you must have enjoyed it if you managed to get first place so many times."

"I only did so because anything less is a failure. Enjoying the activity is irrelevant, being the best is all that matters. Well, if you were to ask my grandfather anyway." He gave a sly smirk before asking, "Are you finally taking an interest in me?"

My initial reaction would have been to deny it, and if it were a few weeks ago I would have, but for some reason I couldn't bring my current self to do the same. Did I want to know more about Tom? If I did would that even change anything? I couldn't find a good response so I remained silent and gazed at his trophies.

"By the way, why did you suddenly hide earlier?"

Oh, yeah. I completely forgot about that. After seeing Tom the CEO was erased from my memory. "It's just...I thought that CEO would recognize me."

"You've met before."

"Yes...But only briefly. I met him at a corporate event I went to with my father."

"I see." I heard the finality in his voice and he didn't press the matter. Perhaps he wanted to keep me from knowing anything that I could leak to my dad. Then again there was no way I could tell him without also revealing how I got the information.

"Raven, come here."

Without much thought I quickly obeyed him and sat beside him. Before I could react he reached for the spaghetti strap blouse I wore, and lifted it to right below my breast. I instantly blushed and shrieked in surprise. "T-tom, what are you doing?!" I quickly pulled my shirt back down and looked at him for an explanation. I thought he said he wouldn't do anything today.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, "I'm assessing the condition of my property."

Though his phrasing was a different from a normal person's I relaxed when I realized, "You were checking my wound?" Slowly I was starting to put some things together. I tilted my head as I met his eyes. "Is that why you didn't do anything today? Because you were worried about me?"

He eyes narrowed in distaste, "Of course not. It's just no fun playing with damaged goods."

'Hmm...I wonder...If I should read between the lines...If so, that would make me really happy.'

"Wipe that stupid look off your face."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

He looked at me as If I had grown a second head and suddenly he stood back up. "Anyway, Tinker has made us a late lunch. After we eat you should head home. I have too much work today so I can't keep you company."

"I'm fine with just watching you." Were the words that I wanted to say, but I buried those words deep within me. Instead I silently nodded and as I trotted behind Tom I couldn't help but smile the entire time.

Hmm, I hope this chapter was ok. I'm really have fun with this. There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes that Raven doesn't know about.

But everything will be explained in due time lol.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed. Please let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is welcomed, and I'm more than happy to take ideas ^^