Hey, guys! I have a confession to make... I'm writing a book! It's going to be published and sold as soon as I'm finished, but I'm really putting my heart into it. I have decided on a name that is simple, yet good and I'm really excited. I'm going to try updating my fanfics as much as possible, but, for now at least, you might have to suffer through my sporadic updates. I realize that I also left out the bloopers at the end of the last chapter and chapter nine, but I will definitely be putting them in the next chapter.The PoV has changed to Mick, just so you know.

CherryGorilla, you, my friend, are awesome. Thank you for addressing the matter about Butchy and Mick being Antonio's kids' Uncle and Aunt because I didn't realize it until now. I personally do that to my cousins who are older than me or if I have a deep respect for them. You're right on the fact that they are cousins, but it's a random thing I've done my whole life and Butchy is older than the oldest of the kids so it's that strange thing I just have to do or I feel awkward and I seriously don't know why. By the way, I always love a long review!

Sorry for the reeeeealy late update, but I was writing my book and checking out colleges/universities since my plans for a Florida college fell through and time was not in the right place for it. Now, I have a new computer and I'm ready to go again.

Anyway, enjoy!

"To start things off, I'm not some lost girl who just ended up here..." Juliet took a deep breath. "I am- I mean was the First Lady of the Sparx. My ex-boyfriend was Xander..."

Juliet's confession rung in my head like a bell in the top of a clock tower. It wouldn't stop. I guess it made sense in a strange way. I knew she had to be different, but I thought it was just my hatred for her. I had no idea. I have no other way to explain it. My brain felt like it just went through the washing machine, it was that kind of weird. It's like those days where your brain doesn't function properly because of the rainy, yucky weather! I guess that's an okay way of putting it. I felt like my brain was in some sort of snow storm. I felt like I was frozen. I hadn't left the window. I hadn't moved. I hadn't spoken.

Apparently, my silence was torture to Juliet. Everything she had to say, came tumbling out in a rush. "I know that this might peg me as the bad guy and I know that I tried to tear apart you and Butchy, but I swear, I never meant for this to happen! As soon as I found out that Xander had used the information I got from everybody at Big Momma's, I left him and the Sparx in the dust and came to apologize. When I got there, you guys had already left for Launcher Hill and I knew it was too late, but I had to find you guys and tell you all of this. I fear that Xander is going to try to kill Butchy, Mick. He's psychotic. He won't stop until Sparx is the only biker gang around."

I nodded numbly before glancing at Butchy. "I won't let him anywhere near any one of us, let alone Butchy. What made you decide that coming here was a good idea? Last time we saw each other, that I remember at least, I dumped a milkshake on you."

Juliet nodded with a light exhale, "I deserved it. At the time, my only focus was getting you and Butchy separated so Xander could mess with Butchy's head before the race. Then, you lost your memory and you treated me so nicely. At first, I was confused; you had hated me only days before and I didn't know what was going on. I brought it up to Xander and he knew all about it. Apparently, he had been, for lack of a better term, drugging you. Do you remember getting a box of chocolates from an anonymous person before you lost your memory?"

I thought for a moment, attempting to collect any memories of chocolates. I nodded, "Yeah. It was random, but I thought it was from Butchy. I thought it was an 'I'm sorry' gift because he was gone all the time. It was a small box and I was hungry, so I had it with my lunch the day I started feeling unlike myself. That was the day I lost my memory."

"Did anybody else eat any?" Juliet pressed, staring at me with a distressed hope in her eyes.

I shook my head. "No, I asked if anybody wanted one, but they were busy with my dress and didn't want to get any chocolate stains on it."

"Good. Well, not good because it had medicine in it, but good because it didn't get into anybody else," Juliet quickly finished talking and let out a deep breath.

"What was it called?" I asked, silently hoping it wasn't any of the medicines I had thought of.

"The drug? Morphine. Why?"

Well, to heck with that hope.

"I'm allergic to morphine." I sighed, "That's why my body acted the way it did. To most people, the morphine relaxes the body and makes any pain easier to bear. For me, I get hallucinations, seizures, problems with breathing and, once, when I was little, I almost entered a coma because a new nurse gave me an extra dose." I inhaled deeply before sighing to myself, "How on Earth did my life end up like this?"

Juliet shook her head, "I don't know, Mick. Now, I don't know that much about you, but I know that you don't deserve this. Nobody does. You're a good person and so is Butchy. Neither one of you deserve this, especially before your wedding. I see how much you both love each other and I honestly don't want Xander to ruin this. You guys deserve to be together; I realize this. I know, an apology isn't enough, but, if I hadn't gone with Xander in the first place, none of this would've happened. So, for that and everything else that's happened, I'm, truly, deeply sorry."

"Juliet," I started, "I accept your apology. I know what it's like for one little thing to change everything in your life. For me, it was talking to Lela on my first day in town. It's caused me to be with Butchy and to have an amazing family in both the surfers and bikers alike. I know that what you did will never be okay, but I do accept your apology because it takes a lot of courage to understand what you've done and to admit it. Also, I have the feeling that you might not do this ever again."

"Never!" Juliet exclaimed, shaking her head hurriedly. "This has been enough of an emotional roller-coaster. I'm way beyond ready to get off of this ride."

"I know what you mean." I nodded with a small smile before turning to Juliet with a serious expression. "Do you have any more news on what Xander could do? Anything would be beneficial at the moment."

"It's not much, but I know that he had been planning on kidnapping you sometime in the future. If it would distract Butchy and make him fall for the trap, it was good to Xander. I feel so stupid for going with him in the first place. I was so blind..."

"Well, if I hadn't asked him about the Harley piece, he wouldn't have made the connection between Butchy and me," I sighed, "We can't blame just one of us when it was both of us. I do have to say, though, Juliet, I'm really thankful that you came over."

"What?" Juliet pondered, "After all that I've told you, how are you thanking me?"

"It takes a strong woman to admit what she's done. It isn't easy. For that, I thank you."

Juliet nodded slowly, a small, barely noticeable smile on her face as she moved from her spot and headed for the door. "Mick, if you need anything, anything at all, let me know. I'm here for you."

I nodded, taking a deep breath as I moved over toward Butchy's left side, "I will, Juliet. Thank you."

As the door clicked shut behind Juliet, I sighed out a few deep breaths. I knew I needed to calm myself down, however, it was exceedingly hard to do so after just being told that Butchy's life and my own were, more than likely, in danger. I slowly ran a hand through my hair, letting my grip tighten on the strands at the back of my neck before letting go. My left hand toyed with my engagement ring to distract myself, but it wasn't helping. My free hand slid over the blankets to grab Butchy's, but as I moved to grab his bandaged hand, I noticed a slight tremble that made me freeze.

I lifted my hand from Butchy's bed and, upon the realization that the shakiness wasn't going away, I held it over my chest and inhaled unevenly. I could feel my heart pulsing against my palm through the thin fabric of my shirt; why was it beating so fast? I heard Butchy say something, so I tried to look over at him, his voice momentarily distracting me from the panic. I took a breath in, but coughed. I swallowed thickly, but my throat was too tight, so I ended up choking on it instead. As I caught my breath again, I felt the air in the room get colder, almost smotheringly so, and I turned to sit on the edge of the bed. A twinge of pain shattered inside my rib cage, making me gasp sharply. I tried to take another deep breath, but it was like trying to breathe underwater; it wasn't working.

I felt my stomach get tight with fear as my heart's beat got faster and rougher. Involuntarily, I made a choked, panicked noise and my knees gave out, forcing me to my hands and knees next to the bed. I shakily inched myself into a seated position, resting my head against the metal bar of Butchy's bed. I heard Butchy mumble something, but I couldn't understand him. It was like he had joined my lungs underwater, I could hear his voice, but not his words. I heard a faint click and a slightly louder beeping noise, but I was quickly distracted. I felt my stomach clench again and, before I could attempt to get rid of the feeling, I was hunched over the cheaply made plastic trash can, expelling the grilled cheese I had for dinner the previous night into the white trash bag.

My eyes watered after dry-heaving a few times, so I leaned away from the trash bin and wiped the moisture from my eyes. I sensed my throat burning, but I only focused on how my heart was doing. After taking a few moments to get my twitching and shaking under control, I pressed my hand to where my chest had been hurting and, surprisingly, my heart was thumping just a bit quicker than it usually was. I hardly felt anything other than disgust after pushing the bucket aside and laying down on the cold hospital floor. The room slowly started to feel warmer and the cold, checkered floor started to feel nice against my overheating skin. I inhaled through my nose and closed my eyes, sucking in a few shaky breaths before I heard the door to the room click open and a set of footsteps get closer.

I slowly opened my eyes as a shadow loomed over me; through all the blinding hospital room lights, I could just barely make out Uncle Antonio's face. He knelt down by my head and slowly lifted me so I rested against his chest. I heard him say something, but I didn't fully register it. "Huh?" I muttered softly.

"What happened, Makana?" Uncle Tony asked again.

"I dunno," I whispered. "It was so cold. Everything was spinning and it hurt so much. My heart was beating hard and I started getting scared. Then my chest was too tight and my throat closed up. I started choking. I couldn't breathe, Uncle Tony. I couldn't breathe!"

"Shh," Uncle Tony shushed as he pushed two fingers against pulse point on the inside of my wrist. "That sounds like an anxiety attack, but you're better now, little one. It's okay. Breathe deeply or it might happen again."

I took a breath in and forced myself to relax in Uncle Antonio's grasp. I heard movement from the bed next to us. "M...Mick?"

I looked up and saw that the upper half of Butchy's bed was raised so he could see over the edge and to us on the floor. I locked eyes with his chocolate colored ones and I could see the worry in them. I forgot he had asked me something. I was just focused on the fact that Butchy was not only talking and looking at us without too much strain, but was also forcing himself to sit up because I wasn't doing well. Thankfully, Uncle Tony answered Butchy's open question for me.

"Biagio, she will be fine," Uncle Tony claimed reassuringly. "These things are not uncommon with all of the stress you both are under. I am sure that after some rest and extra fluids, she will be fine. The stress of everything just caught up with her."

"I need to brush my teeth," I breathed. "Grilled cheese tastes nasty the second time around."

"I don't doubt that," Uncle Antonio chuckled. "Do you think you can stand, Mick?"

I shrugged in exhaustion. "Only one way to find out."

With Uncle Antonio's help, I was able to balance on my own to feet again. My knees still shook, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been. Instead of heading for the bathroom, I turned to Butchy and stared into his eyes again, putting my hand on his cheek. "Get some rest. You need to rest or you'll aggravate your shoulder."

"Not with..." Butchy cleared his throat softly, "without y-you."

"Biagio, don't worry about me," I insisted.

Butchy's head moved slightly, as though he was trying to shake his head. "Al-Always wor-ry 'bout you."

Uncle Tony took my shoulder lightly. "Mick, he will still be waiting when you get back. He's too stubborn to back down, even when he's injured."

I nodded, rubbing Butchy's cheek once more before turning and letting Uncle Tony lead me to the bathroom. I quickly scrubbed my mouth clean, gargling the hospital provided mouthwash to get rid of any leftover nastiness. I balanced myself on the way back into the other room, using the wall next to the door as support and making my way back to the beds. Uncle Antonio followed me to make sure I wouldn't buckle again. True to what his uncle had told me, Butchy was still sitting up, watching my every move with his piercing brown eyes like it would help me stay stable.

I turned around and sat on the bed I had been staying on for a couple nights; it was more comfortable than I remembered.

Uncle Tony said something about getting me something to calm me down and left the room as soon as he had finished putting Butchy's bed back to a resting position with the head piece up only a little bit. Butchy sighed next to me and I looked over at him. His eyes were hard as he looked out the window not far from his bed. "I watched."

"Watched?" I asked quietly.

Butchy inclined his head slightly before turning his head to me. "The wh-ole thing."

"You watched me when I was having the anxiety attack?" I reiterated for him.

Butchy hummed in agreement. His eyes glimmered sadly as he continued, "I couldn't help. You needed me… and I couldn't..." Butchy swallowed thickly and cut himself off.

I reached over and took his hand, a small, electric zap tingling up from my hand. "It's alright, Butchy, I know you couldn't get up out of bed and help me. You can't exactly help me like this."

Butchy's eyes watered as he whispered to me, "If I can't help... the woman I love… I'm worthless."

"No you aren't," I stated firmly. "Biagio, if that is the only requirement for someone to be labeled as worthless, then I fit that, not you."

Butchy squeezed my hand tightly, his eyes still watery, but also upset at my words. "Take that back."

"No." I shook my head. "I couldn't help you when you got into the accident. All I could do was watch in fear, hope that you'd be okay and that you would live. If anyone in this room should be called worthless, it should be me."

"But, I jus' sat here...I had t' call… nurse's station for help," Butchy slowly said.

"You called for the nurse?" I murmured and, in response, Butchy pointed his left hand to the array of buttons on the bed remote. One button had the picture of a nurse with the words 'Nurse Call' under it. "That's more than I did. I sat there, holding you and crying. You called for someone to help me."

"Uncle Tony said..." Butchy took in a deep breath, "You stopped th' bleeding... I would've died."

I felt my eyes stinging at the memory. "I wasn't going to lose you. I did the only thing I could think of," I sighed shakily and tightened my grip on his hand. "You'd do the same for me. Heck, you did do the same for me. I thought I was going to die since I couldn't breathe. I heard you trying to talk to me, but my brain wouldn't connect the words, so I would try to focus on you. It worked, but when I tried, something new would happen and I'd get scared all over again."

"I was terrified of losing you," Butchy admitted, glancing away as he did. "I kept saying your name."

"I'm glad you did. If you didn't distract me, I don't know if I'd be okay right now." I shook my head. "I'm scared of losing you, too, but I'm also afraid of being lost and leaving you alone again."

Butchy tugged his hand out of mine and reached up, lightly brushing away some tears that had fallen from my eyes. I looked up at him and saw him smile lightly even though he had his own tears threatening to spill. "I love you." Butchy said, his voice backing his statement.

"I love you too," I said softly, moving over so I was next to him. I leaned over and pressed my lips to his in a gentle kiss. When we separated, I put my forehead to his and gazed into his dark eyes. He had this ring of gold around his pupils that seemingly glimmered every time he felt strongly about something.

Butchy exhaled shakily and closed his eyes. "I can't wait to hold you without pain again. I want to listen to your heart. I haven't heard it since you lost your memory." When Butchy reopened his eyes, tears that had clung to his lashes now slashed on his cheeks. He leaned back and reached up to wipe them away, but I grabbed his hand.

"Biagio, I'm here." I slowly pressed his palm to my chest, his fingertips pressed against a pulse point on my neck and his palm over my heart. My heart pulsed and pumped against his hand, making fresh tears surface in his eyes. "I am not going anywhere. I'm alive and safe."

Butchy shuddered as his breathing got ragged, "I love you so much. I don't think you'll ever know how much I love you, My Queen."

"Maybe not. But it's not nearly as much as I love you, My King."