A/N: I am back! Please bear with me if updates will be quite slow as my hands are quite full. Thank you so much for the new follows and faves. I appreciate it a lot, more than you know. This chapter is dedicated to Elphaba Fiyerobert – thank you so much for the inspiring words and for believing in me.

Again, reviews are welcome and appreciated so send them my way, Fallenatics!

Disclaimer: This is a fanfic. The Fallen series and Unforgiven, alongside with all its characters are copyrighted and belongs to Lauren Kate. I'm just playing in her sandbox and receive no financial gain from this.

CHAPTER FOUR: BEFORE THE STORM

LILITH

Lilith had been awake for approximately five minutes now, and the first thing she noticed in her half-dazed stupor was her desk clock ticking, the only faint sound in an otherwise silent evening. It was a quarter to midnight, which meant she slept a solid three hours. She still wasn't used to the whole Sword and Cross weekend extravaganza, but she has no plans of complaining. She can do whatever she wants for two whole days, each week. What a change.

She was still lying on her bed, her arms crossed over her stomach as she stared up in the ceiling. Her first Saturday was uneventful. She was supposed to meet up with Cam earlier, but he didn't show up. Arriane did, however, telling her that he had something to do and will meet her later that day. She was kind enough to take her on another grand tour of the school grounds, which included tips on which cameras were working and which ones were just mere displays to scare students from breaking the rules.

The day came and went, and she still wasn't able to see him. She felt a tinge of annoyance and pain deep inside her, a faint version of her feelings when she first saw him at Rattlesnake Creek. And she knew, deep down, that it will never disappear. More like it became a soft hum in the melody of her life.

She lay on her bed a few minutes more before she let out a sigh, sitting up on her bed. The night was calm, and she could see the moon hanging low, bright and eloquent against the black canvas of the sky outside the barred window of her room. Lilith watched it for awhile before rubbing her face vigorously. Where was he?

She stretched her arms upwards, and took a look around. Her eyes fell on her bedside table once more, where she noticed three irises tied together with a green ribbon. Next to it was a heavy, creamy ivory card with the name Cameron Briel pressed in gold letters at its bottom left-hand corner. How he was able to place it in her room without her knowledge, she did not know. Must be another angel "thing" she wasn't aware about.

She reached for the note and the flowers and smiled as she admired the blue-and-yellow blossoms. She used to just appreciate them in picture books and postcards, since she had never seen one in Crossroads all her life. Until that time Cam gave her that desk covered with iris petals. It was the most romantic thing anyone has done for her.

She placed the flowers on her lap and read the message in Cam's neat handwriting:

You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't dare wake you up. I'm sorry I didn't show up earlier. Urgent matters. I'll make it up to you. Wanna go dance under the stars tonight? I'll even let you open your eyes this time.

"Love, Cam," Lilith read out the last line with a smile. She traced the golden letters of his name with a finger, shaking her head in amusement.

She used to think that love is just something that existed in songs. Something artificial, something unearthly and definitely something she never looked forward to. It was just a word to her, a four letter word that held very little meaning.

She remembered the note she found inside the desk Cam gave her in Rattlesnake Creek. How she used to wonder if Cam just wrote it absentmindedly. How she used to think he was just some random guy who just wanted to get in her pants. She could never be more wrong.

Cam loves her. And she loves him back. Very much so, more than anything. It just felt so natural, like it was meant to be and she knew it was. All her life, she thought she was unlucky. A sad, angry girl who doesn't seem to fit in. The one with an unfeeling mother, a sick brother and a dog who always gives her headaches. Her life was a complete mess, save for her music.

She didn't wish for a savior, because she never needed saving. She didn't wish for a prince charming because she knew she was no princess. Who would have thought she would be getting something better? An angel, all her own.

She stood up and got dressed, picking a black The Four Horsemen T-shirt, black leggings and a dark blue beanie Arriane was able to pack. She crossed the room and made her way towards the door, opening it slightly. She stopped when she remembered that there was a red just across her room.

She peered at it and her brows furrowed when she realized something. The camera was removed, the wires peeking out in its usual place. Did Cam remove it so she can go out without problems?

She made her way out of the room, closing the door as quietly as she can. She walked silently in the deserted corridors, keeping a wary eye on the reds that she knew was everywhere. All of them were intact, unlike the one in front of her room, only all the lenses were covered with cardboard. How the students can get away with it, she wondered.

She reached inside her jean jacket and pulled out the guitar pick Cam gave her the first day. "Forty four," she muttered, as she scanned the room numbers as she walked. She rounded the corner and saw Cam leaning on his bedroom door. He was wearing his usual garb – black jeans, black shirt and his leather jacket, a faraway look on his face.

She stepped towards him with an extra spring on her step and stopped in front of him. "Hey," she said.

"Hi," Cam replied, a faint smile on his face.

Lilith's smile turned into a frown. She could sense something was wrong. She had never seen him so defeated after their arrival here at Sword and Cross. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Cam stepped in and pulled her close into a hug. She heard him sigh, his breath tickling the side of her neck. "I am now," he answered.

What could be the problem now?