Authors Note: Hi everyone, I apologize for the long delay again, and I also apologize that this update is only one chapter.

Between my grandfather having the heart attack, his recovery (which continues to go well), my mom having walking pneumonia, and then my dad had to be taken to the hospital on Friday because he was having "10/10 pain" in his side/back (the doctor he saw is pretty sure it was a kidney stone, but not 100% sure if it's even passed yet), needless to say, life has been stressful!

Anyway, I'll leave my other remarks until the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 106: New Start

The next day...

Cheryl's Point of View

I checked my hair in the mirror on the wall near the front door one last time.

Even though it was a Sunday, I was heading into my office at the Interior Design studio where I worked. I wanted to try to catch up on some things I had let sit around for too long. Once I was satisfied with my hair, I walked over to the bottom of the stairs.

"Ali! I'm leaving now! Are you sure you're okay?" I called up the stairs.

"Yep!" Alicia called back.

I sighed quietly to myself.

Once we had gotten back to the house the night before – and once she had calmed down enough to talk – I had managed to get all the details out of her about what she had seen and heard in Zak's dungeon. I had to admit, just her description of what she experienced had frightened me, so I could completely understand why she had reacted the way she did.

I did my best to reassure her that the spirit – or whatever it was that had attacked her – was just playing with her insecurities, and that nothing it had said or had shown her was how Zak actually felt. I obviously wasn't experienced in the Paranormal world like the others, but I had learned enough by now to know that evil entities played on your worst fears, doubts, and insecurities.

After Alicia and I had talked, she went to bed. She didn't call or even text Zak, and I knew it was most likely because she was still doubting herself after everything that had happened. So, once I was positive she was in bed for the night, I called Zak myself and passed on everything Alicia had told me. I wasn't entirely sure how she would feel about me giving this information to Zak, but I felt that he should know. He had been quiet, and when he did talk, his voice was soft, with a touch of sadness to it. I tried to convince him to call Alicia, but he didn't want to push her.

When I woke up this morning, Alicia was already up, sitting on the window seat in her room. She was colouring in one of her adult colouring books – and no, not that kind of adult! It was a new trend – colouring books for adults – basically extremely detailed designs of mosaics, animals, landscapes, you name it. A lot of people have started using them for therapy, or as a way to combat stress, as they find it relaxing. Personally, I don't see how Alicia could find it relaxing, as some of the designs are so detailed, it can take her up to a week or more to finish one page! But I knew she was into all that stuff, and it seemed to be helping her for the moment.

I had been happy to see she had at least gotten herself some breakfast, as there was an empty bowl and a half of glass of juice on a table near the window seat. I had asked her how she was and if she had been in touch with Zak, but she merely gave me one word answers – "fine" and "no". Not wanting to push her myself, I told her I was heading into work, and then had left her alone to get some breakfast and then proceeded to get ready.

Now, Alicia was still sitting in her room, lost in her book. She had taken a break to take her dishes downstairs and then washed up and gotten dressed, and then went right back at it. I figured as long as she seemed calm, she was okay, although I had wanted to tell her to call Zak.

"Okay, see you later!" I called up the stairs again, before heading over to the front door, grabbing my purse, my portfolio, and my keys along the way. Just as I opened the front door, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw a figure - dressed all in black - standing in front of me.

"Zak! Sheesh, you scared me," I grumbled, composing myself.

Zak chuckled softly.

"Sorry, I was just about to knock. Are you heading out?" Zak asked, nodding slightly at the portfolio case in my hand.

"Yeah, heading in to work for a bit," I replied, and then stepped aside to allow him to come inside. "Come on in, she's upstairs in her room," I added.

Zak's face momentarily looked a bit shy before he stepped inside.

"How is she?" Zak asked, as he slipped off his shoes.

"Quiet, been in her room most of the morning," I said, which caused Zak to frown slightly. "I think she'll be okay once she sees you, though," I added.

Zak raised an eyebrow slightly.

"You think?" Zak asked, somewhat softly.

I smiled in reassurance at him and nodded.

"Yeah. I think she's just doubting herself still. Just needs to hear reassurance from you," I responded.

"Alright...thanks," Zak said, looking a bit shy again.

I smiled again.

"No problem, see you later," I replied, stepping outside.

"Sure. Have a good day at work," Zak said.

"I'll try," I mumbled, hearing Zak's chuckle before I pulled the front door closed behind me.

Zak's Point of View

After Cheryl left for work, I began quietly climbing the stairs to the second floor.

It wasn't until I reached the top of the stairs that I realized I probably should have had Cheryl tell Alicia I was here, instead of me sneaking upstairs and suddenly appearing at the door to her room.

Idiot...I thought, but it was to late now.

I walked down the hall to Alicia's room and quietly peeked inside. I immediately saw her sitting on one end of her window seat, and she looked to be drawing, or something. Her hair was still wavy from the night before, but she had it pulled back in a loose ponytail. She was wearing a purple hoodie, and black yoga pants.

Those damn yoga pants... I thought briefly – they hugged all her curves in all the right places.

(Link on my profile for Twitter and Instagram picture)

I couldn't tell from this position what her mood might be - as I could only see her profile - but she seemed peaceful enough.

Not wanting to startle her too much, I stood up normally and lightly knocked on her door. She immediately stopped what she was doing and looked over at the doorway. If I had startled her, it had only lasted a few seconds, but her expression softened and relaxed when she saw me.

"Hey..." she said softly, a slight smile appearing on one corner of her mouth.

I couldn't help smiling in return. She was beautiful - even in a pair of sweats with her hair pulled back and no make up - she was still absolutely beautiful to me.

"Hey," I replied softly. "Can I come in?" I added, in an equally soft voice.

"Sure," she responded softly, taking some books and some sort of small, plastic container off of the window seat and setting them on the floor.

I walked into the room and over to the window seat, and sat down across from her. That was when I noticed what she was doing.

"Colouring?" I asked, noticing the half coloured in design of a peacock amongst some branches and flowers. It was very detailed, with some very small pieces that still needed to be coloured in.

"Yeah," Alicia answered softly, somewhat shyly. "It's a new thing, colouring books for adults. Some people use it for therapy...I find it relaxing," she added, before lifting the book up off her lap so I could see the front of it.

"The Secret Garden" by Johanna Basford.

(Link on my profile for Twitter and Instagram picture)

"That's cool," I responded, a little unsure of how to react. Not that I had anything wrong with it. I knew she was artistic, and even Aaron himself painted and created some dark, macabre pieces..

"There are some books you might like...I've seen some Dracula ones online," Alicia said, as she set the book and her coloured pencil aside.

I swear, she could read me like a book.

"Really? You'll have to show me later," I said. "Another way to ruin my manly reputation," I added, in a teasing tone.

Alicia laughed quietly as she nervously played with something in her hand. It was the silver cross I had given her months ago. Seeing her wearing it after everything that happened last night gave me a bit of relief.

It was then I also noticed white writing on her hoodie – "I just want to listen to Backstreet Boys and ignore all my adult problems".

I couldn't help but chuckle quietly.

"I hope by 'adult problems' you don't mean me," I teased.

It took her a second to realize what I meant, and then she laughed slightly.

"No, not you," she replied, still playing with the cross in her hand.

Somewhat hesitant, I reached over and gently set my hand over hers, letting her keep the cross in her hand.

"Cheryl called me last night...she told me everything that happened..." I said softly, watching Alicia's face closely for clues.

"I figured she probably would have at some point," Alicia replied softly, not flinching away from my hand – something I was immensely grateful for.

I nodded slightly before I spoke.

"How are you feeling?" I asked softly, not wanting to bring up all of the details again. I just wanted to know where she stood.

"...scared," Alicia replied softly, looking down at our hands, and I frowned.

Before I could think of how to respond – other than the obvious, and stupid response of "why?" – Alicia spoke again.

"I'm scared...that you won't want to see me anymore...or that what it said was true," Alicia said softly.

I frowned before I edged a bit closer to her.

"Not one word of it is true..." I said softly, feeling a bit vulnerable and a little unsure of myself. I didn't want to say the wrong thing. "And if either of us no longer wants to see the other, it should be you no longer wanting to see me. It was my crazy, obsessive, attached spirit that attacked you," I added, with a slight smile on my face to try to lighten the mood a bit with some humour.

She smiled at what I first said, and then chuckled quietly at my attempt at being funny.

"You warned me plenty of times about it," Alicia replied.

I nodded.

"I know," I said. "Regardless, nothing it said or showed you is true," I added, reaching over with one hand and lightly running the back of my fingers along her jawline, which caused her to smile.

"Cheryl said the same thing...and also said that it was just playing with my insecurities," Alicia said softly.

"She's right. Smart cookie," I said, and then smiled when Alicia laughed quietly.

"I know," Alicia replied.

I smiled.

"So...is everything okay?" I asked, somewhat hesitantly.

"Yeah," Alicia replied, and then let go of the cross she had still been holding, and turned her hand to hold mine. "But one more thing," Alicia added, taking a deep breath before looking me in the eyes.

Uh-oh... I thought nervously.

I gently squeezed her hand in response and tried not to let my nervousness show.

"What is it doll?" I asked softly.

Alicia must of sensed my nervousness, because she gave me a reassuring smile before she spoke.

"I did a lot of thinking this morning, and I realized something," Alicia began.

I swallowed back a lump that had formed in my throat, and again, Alicia must of noticed, because she laughed quietly before she took both of my hands into hers.

"Relax...this is a good thing," Alicia said.

I smiled the best that I could despite my still slightly unsettled nerves.

"I know we've only been dating a week, but we've known each other for six months..." Alicia started, but I cut her off, having suddenly realized something.

"Six months yesterday...your job interview was on May 31st," I said, unable to keep the smile from forming on my face.

Alicia looked both surprised and happy by my remark.

"You're right..." Alicia said, smiling a bit more, and her eyes lit up a bit.

I smiled in return.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," I said.

"No, it's okay," Alicia said, still smiling.

I knew I probably had a stupid grin on my face, but ignored my thoughts as Alicia continued.

"So yeah, we've known each other for six months...and have been through more crazy things than most people, and therefore have bonded in more ways than most people would," Alicia said.

I smiled and nodded in agreement, wondering where she was going with this.

"So, with that in mind, I want to start anew today...sort of," Alicia continued, and my stomach turned into a nervous wreck again.

She squeezed both my hands as she looked into my eyes again as she spoke.

"I want to promise you...that starting today, I'm going to do my very best not to let my insecurities rule my life so much. I realized today how many times I've doubted you and your feelings for me, when you've been nothing but supportive and understanding. And I'm sorry for that. I don't want to be like this all the time...I really don't," Alicia explained.

I smiled at her reassuringly and squeezed her hands.

"You don't have to be sorry doll, I know this is new territory for you. The only thing that upsets me is when you put yourself down so much, and you shouldn't, because you're a beautiful person, inside and out..." I said softly.

Alicia smiled, her face flushing slightly, and before she could say anything else, I spoke up again.

"I'm all for you being more confident in yourself, but don't feel like you have to rid yourself of it completely. Your shyness is one of the many things I like about you," I said, smirking at her.

Alicia laughed quietly as her face turned a darker shade of pink.

"Way to make this easier for me," Alicia jokingly mumbled.

I laughed, before letting go of her hands and grabbed her around the waist and pulled her so she was sitting across my lap, which caused her to yelp in surprise.

"Seeing you blush is just to cute," I said, smiling when she rolled her eyes in embarrassment.

"Oh shut up Bagans," Alicia muttered in a joking tone, and I laughed.

"Make me," I replied, with a smirk on my face, wondering if she'd pick up on my slight cue in trying to help her be more confident in herself.

She laughed at first, but then after a few seconds, she smiled – slightly shy - before I felt her wrap her arms around my neck and she leaned forward and kissed me gently.

I smiled against her lips as I gently kissed her back and held her close to me.

As horrible as the night before had been, and as traumatic as the experience had to of been for Alicia, I started to think that maybe, it was a blessing in disguise.

Authors Note: So how was that? :)

Another thing I wanted to comment on. I've finally been doing a bit of work on a Tumblr page I've been planning to create for my Fan Fiction, even though I only have one story at the moment. Right now I'm just experimenting with different looks and getting myself used to it. I think it'll be a good thing to have, as you guys will easily be able to ask me questions, readers from all three sites will be able to interact with each other, and more. I hope it's not a lame idea, lol.

Anyway, hopefully the next update will be longer, and no so far away. I also know another Lockdown is way overdue, so working that out in my head. I do have to have an endoscopy on November 2nd, but I've had one before and had no issues, so hopefully the same will happen this time around.

Please continue sending in your reviews!

Oh, and Happy Halloween!

P.S. That image of a coloured in page from the adult colouring book - that was done by me. Just a little tiny tidbit for you. :)