A/N: Okay, i know you all are all ready to kill me cause its been FOREVER sence i posted. all i can say is sorry. Band season in the fall took all my time and i didn't actually had time to do anything except school and band until december. Then this chapter was a delema. I was thinking of another filler but you guys needed more. and i needed to move this story along. so i worked long and hard on this chapter to make it good and i hope you guys like it.

~Ca'Prudii

Chapter 11

Cris

I rolled over in bed, smiling happily. That had been one of the best dreams I had had in a long time. I hugged the pillow closer not wanting to let the sweet, intoxicating smell of Kyle leave, not wanting the dream to end.

Unexpectedly, I felt a cold hand brush against my cheek and a soft velvety voice whispered in my ear, "Love…time to wake up."

My eyes shot open to look into the stormy blue eyes of my vampire boyfriend.

"Good morning," Kyle said softly brushed his lips gently against my forehead.

"Hey," I stretched my arms and sat up glancing around. The bright sunlight flung itself though Kyle's large window bouncing of the silver walls and blue carpeted floor causing them to glisten before landing of Kyle who was sitting next to me shimmering. Slowly I ran my fingers over his bare chest watching his cold hard skin shimmer in the light.

Wait…my hands stop and I looked down at what we were sitting on—a bed.

"When do you ever need a bed? You don't sleep." I asked staring down at the silver comforter.

"I don't sleep, but you do. Do you think I would make you sleep on the couch?" He asked with a smile.

"Why not, they're pretty comfortable themselves. That way you wouldn't have to make room for a giant bed that you don't need." I replied logically. Kyle just laughed.

"What?" I inquired.

"You need it…and therefore I need it. And if you didn't noticed I have plenty of room. I decide I didn't need two couches any way. A bed and one couch would suffice, now its time to feed the human." He lifted me out of the bed and carried me down stairs.

"Umm…the human can walk." I said wiggling slightly in his arms.

"I know."

"Are you going to put me down?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Uhh…" He pretended to ponder the question, "Nope."

"Fine." I crossed my arms trying to act disappointed and yet twisting my head into his chest breathing in his sweet scent. However, I think he saw though my act because he hugged me slightly tighter to his chest. chuckling.

"So, what does the human want to eat? Brea and Kara had fun stocking up the kitchen for the first time." As we made our way around the corner in the beautiful kitchen, he carefully set me on my feet.

A gust of wind blew past me almost knocking me off my feet if Kyle had not kept a firm hold around my waist.

"Brea!" Kyle rolled his eyes exasperatedly, while steadying me in his arms

"Oh, sorry Cris. I just wanted to make you breakfast." She hung her head disappointed. Her face looked so pitiful, I sighed.

"It's okay, Brea, you can make me breakfast."

"Really?" Her cobalt eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh, I'm going to make pancakes!" I smiled at her enthusiasm as she turned around and began pulling all sorts of ingredients out of the cabinets.

"Will," She said simply not raising the tone of her voice, "come and help me." There was a pause and the Brea replied to some unheard voice, "Because you love me."

Within a split second another gust of wind sent me staggering into Kyle's chest. I looked up to see Will by her side giving Brea a deep passionate kiss. He whispered something I could not hear causing her to giggle.

"Come on," Kyle said softly. "Lets leave these two love birds to themselves." Suddenly two eggs came flying out of nowhere, both smashing into the wall behind us as Kyle ducked. Laughing, he pulled me out of the kitchen.

"And stay out!" Brea yelled amidst Kyle and Will's laughs.

"Oh, just finish Cris's breakfast." Kyle yelled back.

"Please," I added out of politeness.

"Thank you Cris…I think I will."

Kyle rolled his eye, "She would have done it anyway she loves you to much to watch you starve." I narrowed my eyes, giving him the "and you would" look. "Not that I would let her." He stammered quickly, looking terrified. My face broke and I laughed. He looked so adorable.

"I know…I just like teasing you."

"Why you little…" Kyle pounced. Locking his stone arms around me like a steel cage, we both fell laughing onto the couch. I buried my head in to his chest smelling his sweet scent.

"Hmmm…you smell so good," he whispered running his nose though my hair.

"That's what I was…wait, what's that smell?" Something was burning.

"Huh?" His face was still buried in my hair. I tried to push myself up from the couch. "Where are you going?" Kyle whined.

"To make sure you sister isn't setting the house on fire." I said motioning toward the kitchen. He sniffed the air and gag. Took him long enough and I thought he was the vampire.

I ran into the kitchen. "Brea, you okay?"

"I don't know what I did wrong," she whined motioning to the blacken pancakes. I bit my lip to prevent the smile that was threatening to show itself.

"It's okay, Brea, you just cooked them for too long."

"Oh, I always ruin everything," she cried desperately.

"That's not true, babe. You haven't ruined me yet." Mark wrapped his arms comfortingly around his girlfriend. I saw her flash him a weak smile.

"But, Cris, aren't you going to be hungry?" Brea looked so concerned that I couldn't help but smile.

"I'll be fine. I'll just get some food at home." Wait home. My eyes widened. Dave was going to kill me. I wouldn't be surprised if he put out an amber alert or, of course, he probably just forgot that I wasn't around. "Kyle, I need to get home."

His face fell slightly. "Yeah, you should, and you probably should call Kaitlyn and Shelby too." I reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Don't worry, maybe you can stay over." His face brightened at the thought.

"Hey, what's going on down there? What's that smell?" A stern voice floated down the stairs.

"Shit," Kyle mumbled so I could just barely hear.

"Kyle you take Cris home, I'll handle this," Brea said confidently as Mark gripped her hand.

"Was that Mark?" I asked as Kyle led me out to his car.

"Yeah."

"What's up with him? He doesn't like me does he?" I asked offhandedly. I looked up to see Kyle biting his lip.

"Its not like his doesn't like you; he just doesn't like who you are." He replied tentatively. "If that makes sense." I slid into the passenger's seat still confused. Kyle sighed and closed the door.

"What I mean—" I jumped to see him sitting in the driver's seat. I was never going to get used to the whole super speed thing. "Oh, sorry." He squeezed my hand lightly and flashed me an apologetic smile.

"'T's okay, go on."

"Umm…" He took a minute to recollect his thoughts as he drove out on to the street. "What I mean is that he doesn't know what to expect from you. See, Mark is used to being able to read the minds of people around him. All he needs is to be able to pick up on personalities and then its like he can pick up that person's thoughts, that frequency. That's why he works where he does. He can get close to students and keep track of what people are thinking about us.

"You, however, are different. He can't figure out your personality, your frequency. When he thinks he has you figured out you surprise him. It's something he's not used to and it's not something he likes." I nodded slowly trying to understand, but somehow Kyle knew I still didn't quite get it.

"Cris, you have the power to change to world. Mark wants to know what you are going to do. He likes to be prepared, but he can't figure you out. He can't get into you head. That's what frustrates him, makes him anxious. And that frustration shows itself in his anger."

"So," I said slowly, "he hates me and I can't even do anything about it?"

Kyle laughed; the most perfect sound in the world (though I can only speak for myself) slashed though the tension between us like a knife through hot butter. I sighed glad that I hadn't done anything accidentally wrong.

"So why was he so upset about the burnt pancakes?"
"Oh, that's just him being him. Trying to find something to take his anger out on." Kyle turned his shining blue Mercedes onto my street.

"I never knew he had so much. At school he's always so calm."

"He usually is, but you seem to…" His words trailed off as he suddenly pulled to the edge of the road and stopped the car.

"What is it?" I asked anxiously, watching for signs on his face. Of course he gave me none.

"Wait here." Kyle was out of the car and along the side of the forest before I could protest. I blinked once and he was gone.

"Kyle!" I yelled. What was going on? I turned in my seat trying to see where he might have gone. I sighed frustratedly. What the hell was going on? I looked irritably down the road. My house was just a couple minutes walk from here. If Kyle didn't want to drive me, fine, I'll just walk.

I scrambled out of the car onto a wet patch of half melted snow. Slipping and sliding, I only managed to make it to the road without falling by supporting myself on the blue Mercedes. When I succeeded in standing on the road, I look up in the direction on my house. What I saw made me freeze. Smoke was billowing above the trees. Not just the regular fireplace smoke, but the smoke you'd expect to see with a huge fire. Nobody lit bonfires in this area. It was like the bottom of my stomach fell out and I started running.

My mind whirled. This could not be happening. How could I've not seen it? Oh, stupid ultra-tinted glass. I cut though a path I knew through the woods that would bring out into my backyard. I stumbled over every root, falling twice, scraping my hands. My legs burned, but I kept pushing.

Pushing through the brambles and bushes, I could feel the heat and hear the roaring before I got there. I could hardly catch my breath when the scene reached my eyes. Fire was consuming everything. Bricks already turned black from the soot. The flames reached out of windows and up toward the sky begging for more oxygen. I cried. Tears were like rivers carving canyons down my face. Time seemed to slow down. Deafened by the roaring, I watched the flames licked the edges of the house, my house, eagerly. It was gone all gone. Everything that ever connected me to my family was gone. Consumed by those hungry flames.

I started forward. If those flames wanted to take everything from me then they can have me too. The heat was licking my arms almost preparing me for the flames when something cold broke through the wall of heat. Strong arms wrapped themselves around me pulling me away from the welcoming flames.

No…no…no…was all that could make it though my mind. Who did this person think he was to pull me away? I wanted to die…I needed to die. If everything was gone, why live?

"Shh…Cris…everything will be okay." The soft, smooth voice alone was able to break through the red haze that covered my eyes. One of his cold hands cupped my face forcing me to look into his clear sapphire blue eye. I broke. The tears came, again, in torrents down my face.

"Why…Kyle…why?" were the only words I could shake out. Every ragged breath I tried to take between sobs raked through my chest painfully. I gripped Kyle's shirt as if it were my lifeboat, the only thing that would keep me from running back into those flames.

I didn't notice when the rest of Kyle's family appeared, nor when the firemen brought out the huge hoses to try to drown the raging fire. My world seemed lost. All I could do was sit hopelessly on the ground clutching myself to Kyle's chest wishing for a different texture, something warm and comforting, something that had always been there and wasn't here now.

I thought I could here her. Her high pitched whining, yelping. The sound she made when I would leave. I stopped sobbing to listen. No, she couldn't be. I heard it again…yes. With out a second thought I jumped up and ran toward her painful sounds.

"Cris!" Kyle caught my arm before I had gone ten feet. What, is he deaf or something.

"Sky!" I yelled at him and yanked my arm out of his loose grip.

I fought my way through the forest. Each bramble, each branch seemed intent on stopping my progress, but nothing was going to stop me. The yelping continued, leading me closer and closer. I was barely aware of Kyle following me.

Yanking my leg free of a tangle of brush, I saw her, my one true friend who had always been with me, lying limply against the trunk of a giant oak. Her beautiful black and white fur was burned and crusted with blood. I could see a deep gash at her neck.

I took a step forward as Sky looked up at me with sorrowful eyes.

"Cris, stop!" I flinched as a cold hand caught my arm.

"Don't move." Brea whispered in my ear. A low chuckle echoed out from behind the oak tree and Kyle jumped out in front of me with a growl.

"Yes, Cris don't move." He said mockingly reaching down to caress Sky's beautiful head.

"Don't touch her!" I growled at him, trying to pull myself free of Brea's arms.

"Oh, but why waste such a beautiful animal?" He pulled the gash up to his lips and drank. I screamed and Kyle launched himself at Troy.

Ripping Troy off of Sky, Kyle threw him farther into the woods. I heard a sharp crack, which I presumed was Troy hitting a tree. Kyle glanced back at me with a promise in his eyes before disappearing.

"Kyle," I cried desperately

"It's okay. He'll be back." Brea said softly letting me go. "And Will was watching so Kyle's got back up that Troy doesn't know about."

I rushed over to Sky bending down over to limp figure.

"Sky…Sky." She gave a faint whine in response. "It'll be okay, girl. We'll get you to the vet." I managed to choke out as silent tears fell down my cheeks again. It was amazing I still had tears to shed. Brea bent down next to me as I knotted my fist in into Sky's ruff.

"It's too late, Cris. She's lost too much blood. Her heart beat is fading." Brea said her voice filled with compassion.

"No! That won't happen. She's strong. She'll survive. She has to survive." I lifted her head gently on to my lap. "Come on girl you can do it. You have many more days to live. You still have to clean up to milk in my cereal bowl. You have to keep my feet warm at night." My voice was shaking violently now, even though I tried to control it. Sky opened her eye and gave me a long pleading look and one last whine, a goodbye.

"She's gone." Brea confirmed sympathetically.

I leaned down and buried my face into her bloodied and burned fur willing for her heart to start again. It never did.

A/N: i almost cried writing this chapter.

Well like reviews...please tell me you haven't given up on this story cause i haven't updated in a long time.

and tell me what you think...was it right for Sky to die? Originaly she wasn't but i think it was only way to get Cris to move on. What do you guys think?

~Ca'Prudii