Sorry that I didn't have an author's note on the last chapter. That's my bad. Here's chapter 7, one of my favorites. It already got great feedback on Quizilla, so I hope it'll get the same here. ValvE owns Left 4 Dead 2 characters, including Nick...for now! From the previous chapter, Hunters pups were not my idea. They belong to perpetualfrustation on Deviantart. Only the OC pup, Lazerlemon belongs to me.

When Love and Hate Collide

Chapter 7: Chris's True Story

We ran to the boat, while Ellis coughed up a lung. When everyone got on, I could hardly contain myself when I bellowed, "Those fucking zombies! They'll all die!" I unloaded every one of my rifle's magazines into the swarming horde near the dock. By the time the last bullet left the barrel of my weapon, I saw the Hunter howl on top of the Tank Burger sign. I snarled in frustration and failure, "Mother-fucking, son of a bitch! That fucking Hunter made me this wreck! The whole fucking infection did!"

Nick was about to approach me, but Sheila quickly said, "Don't do it, Nick. Let her vent. She's been through a lot. The sad thing is that she wasn't like this when the infection hit. "

Nick faced her and replied, "Really? If I can, then I want to help her."

Coach replied, "I agree with Sheila. Leave her alone." Nick sighed as he continued to watch me rant about the infected and that Hunter. He sat down on the other side of the stern and observed my aggressive manner. Sheila brought Ellis into the cabin so she can dry him off. The last thing we need was a survivor sick with the cold. Coach, Ro, and Alex followed suit, leaving Nick alone with me.

About 15 minutes of explosive and explicit venting, I grabbed the boat's side and began panting. I untied the blue band and let my hair hang down. The rain wasn't as bad as it was 15 minutes ago, but it was still getting me wet. I looked behind me and only Nick was in the rain with me. This fact shocked me. He looked up and weakly grinned.

"Hey", he said to me.

"Hey", I replied back. Why is he still out here, while everyone else is inside? I don't get it. Since he's seen my scar already, I wasn't in a rush to tie the blue band back on. "I need to be alone right now, Nick."

He shook his head stubbornly. "No. You need to talk. Outbursts don't happen on the spot overnight. You are bugged by your past and I want to help. Let me help you, Chris."

My ears went into shock. Nick wants to help me? On his own free will? No, this can't be. But still, maybe it's time I stopped being so shadowy and let Nick see who I really am inside my vengeful soul.

I sighed. I turned around to face Nick and I began walking towards the side of the stern. Nick followed me and sat down beside me.

Nick asked, "Why are you like this? I mean, Sheila told me you were never like this before the infected hit. What made you change?"

I replied, "It was the Hunter. You've seen him before."

He shook his head, "Dig deeper. Beyond the Hunter."

I looked down and whispered, "I'd rather not go so far into my past. It's full of hatred, pain, and sorrow."

Nick slid closer to me, his eyes pleading. "Tell me. You can trust me now. We're allies in this apocalypse."

I nodded without looking at him. "I know I can trust you, but venting my feelings in a non-violent way has always been a challenge for me to do."

Nick leaned back against the side and calmly replied, "Better late than ever. I don't want you falling to pieces before we get rescued. All of us would be very upset to see you flipping out in a middle of a horde or a Tank attack and you're brutally slaughtered before our eyes. I would personally feel devastated if you died."

I looked up in shock, "Really, Nick?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I'll admit, for a girl…er…I mean woman; you are one of the best shooters I've ever seen. I remember when we were dying to insult or hurt each other, but now, that thought doesn't even come to my mind. You know; a love/hate relationship."

Even though he didn't mean "love, love", I still grinned a little, while my face grew a little red. He's right; we did have a love/hate relationship. I sighed again and said, "Fine. I'll tell you what happened before the Hunter." I sensed him grinning in victory.

"I've heard about the infection on the news before it came down South. I was living in Miami at the time, graduated from college, and living on my own. My parents asked me to babysit my younger siblings because they had things to do. I was bored, so I agreed to watch them." I took a deep breath, trying to get my stomach out of a knot and the water in my eyes. Nick listened intensely as I continued, "I've got—had three siblings. All younger than me. Mary was about 18 years old. My only brother, Joey, he was 12. The baby of the family, Cindy was about 7 years." Remembering my siblings made me want to cry, but Nick would bear witness to my meltdown so, I stayed strong. "It was a very quiet Sunday afternoon. I was watching TV with Joey and Cindy, while Mary was on the family computer in the corner. There was a strange noise in the air that made me edgy. Joey stood in front of me to show me a trick he could do in gymnastics, but suddenly a Charger smashes through the front door and rammed Joey into the wall, killing him instantly."

Tears were almost at their peak, but I refused to let Nick see me cry like a helpless woman. "I ushered Cindy and Mary through the back door, but we were caught in an ambush. A Smoker was standing on our roof and it wrapped its tongue around Cindy's throat and torso, choking her as it rose her off the ground."

Cindy's helpless face flashed in my head, making me cringe in shame. Nick knew it was painful for me to admit anything. He knew it was killing me inside. "A Jockey attacked Mary and rode her into an old well in the backyard. I can still hear her screaming…"

I quickly wiped my eyes clean as I exhaled raspy. "As for me, a boomer barfed on me, forcing me to retreat. I jumped into my car and blew out of there as fast as I could. Before crossing the state border, I saw my mother and father being burned alive by Spitter acid. I did nothing to help them and I watched as they died a slow and agonizing death. Their screams impaled my ears like nails on a chalkboard. I felt like a coward. A big, fucking coward! Running away and leaving my family behind!"

I choked back tears as much as I could. I clenched my fists around the blue band. Nick reached out and touched my right fist, whispering, "You're not a coward. You never were." He sighed and said sweetly as he opened his arms to me, "Come here."

Without hesitating, I turned around and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. Despite the fact I hate being touched or hugged; I didn't struggle or harm Nick in anyway. His suit was wet from the rain, so I guess it'll be ok to cry on his shoulder. I buried my face into his right shoulder and quietly began sobbing. He ran his hand on top of my damp hair and said, "Let it out. Don't hold back, Chris." He knew I was crying? He's a lot smarter than I give him credit for. My sobbing grew a little louder. "I tried to go like I never knew you. I'm awake, but my world is half asleep. I pray for it's hard to be unbroken, but without you, all I'm going to be is…"

Nick finished the chorus as he gently rubbed my back, "…incomplete!" His voice washed over my sour and gruff attitude. For once, I was happy that Nick was with me. He was being so caring to me. For a rough con artist, he can be kind when it's needed.

Inside the cabin, the others were getting worried. Alex cleaned his butterfly knife and asked, "Did they jump ship or something?" Lazerlemon hopped out of his pocket and said, 'Meep. Meep?'

Ro shook her head, "I doubt that. Chris and Nick aren't that stupid."

Coach turned to Sheila and commanded, "Take a small dash along the deck and find them. Hoping they're not in bloody chucks and pieces."

Ellis looked out the window and nearly exploded with excitement. "Look outside the window!" Everyone rushed to the window and saw us embracing in the rain. Ellis was grinning ear-to-ear, "I knew it! I fucking knew it!"

Ro chuckled, "All she needed was a hug from Nick? Mission complete on his part."

Sheila sighed happily at the sight, "I'm so glad she was able to open up to him." She took the camcorder off her neck and began recording the rare moment. "Now, it'll be smooth sailing from here between those two."

Coach slapped Sheila's back and replied, "Maybe there's something more between them. We saw it since day 1."

She nodded, "I know. But they won't admit it. They're too proud to."

Lazerlemon hopped onto the window pane and saw us. He happily 'meeped' over the sight and began to happily hop up and down like a po-go stick. He was clearly happy that we were finally able to open up. Or in Lazerlemon's mind: being together.

I loosened my grip on Nick's waist when he loosened his. "I hope I didn't hurt your chest wound." I shook my head in response. I felt 100 times better than before. We separated and for some weird reason, the storm past. We looked up into the sky, watching the clouds fade away, revealing thousands of stars over our heads. We smiled at the clear sky as a star winked down upon us. This romantic mood was killed when Nick whipped his soaked hair back and forth, like a wet dog. I used my arm as a shield.

Laughing, I shouted, "Nick! Down boy!" He began laughing with me as he stopped shaking his head. I looked at his hair which went from suave and slick to scruffy and wild. I said, "You can do that look. It shows the loose side of you."

He smiled at me and replied, "I see you're in a far better mood. Is this the Chris that Sheila knows?"

I scratched my neck and blushed, "Maybe."

He cocked his eyebrow and repeated, "Maybe?"

"Well, I was living the good life until that day. I was very happy, perky, spirited, and funny. Nowadays, I'm vengeful, cold, vicious, merciless, and bitchy. Wait a second…" I looked up at Nick and beamed at my discovery, "You bring out the best in me!"

He stood back and asked, "Come again?"

I was so excited that I almost leaped at him, "Don't you see? Sure, we used to clash heads all the time, but lately, we're becoming a badass team. When I'm with you, I feel a little better inside. We both put up these badass barriers to prevent our emotions from escaping. But together, we see through the illusion. See it, Nick?" He absorbed all of our interaction and nodded. I was right. To protect ourselves, we act big-and-bad, but when we're together, we can be ourselves.

Sheila called from the cabin, "Nick! Chris! Time to sleep!" We both groaned like little kids. After a few seconds, she came out with Ro.

I cocked my head to the side and asked, "Why? I'm not tired." I yawned and Nick snickered a little.

"You stand corrected, Chris", he quipped.

I playfully hit him, replying, "Shut up, Nick. You're just as tired as me."

He yawned, "So? At least I'm not denying it."

Ro decided to break up our banter, "Alright you two. Nick, the guys are sleeping in the cabin, since we lost the coin toss…again."

I eyed Nick, "Do you have a fixed coin?"

He shook his head and replied with a small grin, "Nope. I swear to God."

Sheila said, "Nick, you head into the cabin. Chris, you must remain out here with us."

Nick was about to walk away, but he turned around to face me. It looked like he wanted to do something, but his legs and arms were shaking and he had a sheepishly grin on his face. Finally, he managed to say, "Night, Chris."

I replied, "Night, Nick. Thanks for listening to me. I needed it."

He smiled a real smile as he replied, "You're welcome. See you tomorrow, sweetheart." I rolled my eyes as he said, "Sweetheart." Apparently, that's his nickname for me.

"Eleventh time", I quipped at him. He chuckled in response.

Once he disappeared into the cabin, Sheila and Ro couldn't stop staring at me. Awkwardly, I asked, "What? Keep staring. I might do a trick."

Ro just casually replied, "Nothing. We just wanted to know what happened between you and Nick. We all saw you embracing in the rain."

My face flushed as I heard her words. "Are you serious?"

She nodded, "Yep. No lie. We all saw you two hugging." She tapped the camcorder, immediately turning my face pale. "It was so romantic."

I growled at the mere thought of being romantic. "I'm not romantic! And I'll never be!" I screamed in my head. I did, said out loud, "He just wanted to help me out with my meltdown. That's all. Now, I need the sleep. I'll feel a lot better in the morning."

Sheila rolled her eyes as she muttered, "Say what you want. You're falling for Nick."

I decided to ignore her comment, because half of me knew it was true. I curled up to one side of the stern and crunched up my jacket into a ball, like I did last night. However, tonight was breezy and colder than the night before, so let's hope I don't get too cold.

~It was a cold, winter-like setting at the sugar mill, minus the witches. The Hunter was prowling over my head, on the pipes and catwalks. I growled at the creature and barked, "Come down and face me!" He nodded and leaped down in front of me with no recoil damage from the fall. He looked at me and bared his bloodied teeth at me. I bared my own teeth at him as my scar began burning again. However, my scar began glowing yellow as my whole body began transforming. It was becoming scaly, stronger, faster, and heavier. My human self was transforming into a yellow dragon. (Three guesses for my die-hard readers who it is!) However, the Hunter transformed into a dragon as well. However, he had a more serpent-like body with the hoodie still covering his features. He didn't have wings, but he had incredibly long claws and a saber on the tip of his tail. He had scarlet-red scales and a dirty green under belly. Time for me to conquer this bastard!

Since this was all a dream, the fight was one-sided: me. Too wounded to fight, the Hunter/dragon crashed to the floor, bleeding from his wounds. I hovered down and averted back into my human form. I approached the creature, whose wounds were regenerating and asked, "What do you want?" He looked up and smiled a real smile. Not a grin, not a smirk, but a real sweet smile. As he did, the winter landscape became to feel warm and soft. He stood up and pulled his hood back. It was Nick! I gasped as my eyes widened with surprise for a split second.

He replied in a soft, loving voice, "You. I want you." He began walking towards me, but I took a few steps backwards, a little shocked by his answer.

I shouted to wake myself up, "Wake up, damn it! You know the real Nick would hit you! Wake up, Chris!"

Sadly, it wasn't working. I backed into a wall, which dream Nick rose up with a wave of his hand. "What are you? A Jedi!" I barked as he advanced. He just grinned and waved his hand back, forcing my body forward towards him. "Damn it! 'Star Wars', dragons, and zombies! What's next? A Predalien?" I growled as I crashed into Nick's torso. He looked down on me and smiled while he brushed a lock of my hair away from my face. He wrapped his right arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. My hands were pressed against his chest; my whole body was so close to his. He placed his forehead against mine, which surprised me because the scar didn't hurt under the slight pressure on it.

"Don't fight me, Christina. Let your hatred go and embrace my love. I love you", he whispered. I was speechless. Was this still Dream-land or were this Nick's true thoughts and feelings? I still believe my first answer. Nick's too stubborn to admit anything, let alone emotions for anyone. Especially me.

Without warning, he leaned in and softly kissed me on the lips. Explosions and Hunter pups with angel wings swirled around us like a tornado of fire and heat. My heart was skipping every two beats. His lips were so soft, but passionate at the same time. I melted in his embrace, breathless by his kiss. However, before I had a chance to kiss him back, he pulled back and vanished in a whirlwind of fire and ice. All that was left was me and the Hunter, who was separated from Nick at the last second. He looked up at me like a confused dog and tilted his head. I just shrugged my shoulders to the dumb-struck animal, because I was too dumb-struck to answer him. However, I smiled and sighed romantically at the memory of the kiss. It's official; I'm in love with Nickolas Rowker the con artist. ~

Want to know what happened in the real world during this dream? Well, here's the "real" story.

I was shivering against the cold deck, thanks to the crisp air. Since I'm too stubborn to get up and ask for a blanket, I just laid there, shaking, doing my best to maintain my body heat and quit the shivering. My teeth clattered from the cold, creating a little noise among the other noises among the darkness, like the wind blowing and the waves beating against the side of the boat.

Lazerlemon heard my teeth-chattering, so he decided to wake up Nick, since he cares so much. He leaped onto Nick's shoulder and began hopping up and down on it, 'meeping' to wake him up. Finally, Nick stirred as he shooed Lazerlemon off his shoulder. He groaned as he sat up from his slumber and stretched his arms over his head. He yawned and rubbed the sleepiness out of his acid-green eyes. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness before standing up. He scanned around the cabin, seeing that Coach was sleeping like a baby and Alex had his limbs hanging in random spots and positions.

"How can he sleep like that?" Nick thought to himself. However, he did notice that Ellis wasn't among the boys. Nick softly sighed and thought, "Where is that redneck? Is he hanging over Sheila? That horn dog really wants her…badly." He looked through the window to look for Ellis, but he didn't see him. He only saw us girls asleep. Ro was turning her sleep, while Sheila was smiling in hers. He rolled his eyes and thought, "Maybe she's dreaming of Ellis. That girl is as crazy about him as he is about her." He noticed that the two girls had some sort of cover on their bodies, protecting them from the harsh wind and chilling air. That's what I lacked: cover.

Lazerlemon tapped the glass, causing Nick to hush the creature. He was trying to tell him something. The pup pointed to the right and 'meeped'. Nick looked to the right side of the stern and noticed my shaking and curled up body. At first he thought, "She's so stubborn for her own good sometimes." But then he sighed and snuck out of the cabin. The cold air greeted him, causing a chill to shoot down his spine. "Damn! It is cold out here!" he whispered to himself. He tightened the grip on his white jacket as he silently made his way to my sleeping form. He kneeled before my shivering body and his eyes flooded with pity. He thought, "Chris, you don't need this kind of torture. Let me help." He pulled his white jacket off and gingerly placed it on my body. Immediately, my shaking began to subside and my chattering teeth began to slow down. He grinned at himself for caring so much for me. But he was unaware that he was being watched.

Ellis, who just got up to take a piss, saw Nick walk out of the cabin and approach me. He smiled as he took his white coat off and place it on my freezing body. Ellis thought, "You love her, Nick. Quit hiding it and quit denying it."

As if he thought the magic words, he heard Nick whisper, "I love you." Then he gently kissed my left cheek before departing. Ellis quickly blended into the shadows as Nick walking back into the direction of the cabin door. Ellis noticed that Nick had a growing smile on his face as he disappeared into the cabin to resume his sleeping. Ellis scampered to the stern and saw that I too was smiling in my sleep. The redneck grinned to himself as he thought, "Can't wait to see her reaction tomorrow. I bet she'll be in a giddy mood."

Ellis retreated back into the cabin and quickly noticed that Nick was still awake. "Oh…hey Nick", he whispered to the conman.

Nick looked up and replied, "Hey Ellis. Where have you been?"

"Oh. I was just taking a piss. Beer can go through me like water through a hose." Lazerlemon leaped towards Ellis, who quickly caught him in midair. He petted the puff ball on the head before putting him down on the gun bag. The Hunter pup yawned and curled up into the fabric of the bag and fell asleep.

Nick drunkenly nodded as he stared at the ceiling. Ellis was itching for Nick to spill his guts. After all, maybe now he can have a normal talk with the stubborn and sarcastic con artist.

"I saw what you did, Nick."

Nick's eyes snapped towards Ellis with a dangerous glare in them. "You say anything to Chris about it, I'll kill you with my own bare hands. Got it?"

Ellis nodded and responded, "Got it. But you shouldn't be hiding your feelings so much. It'll kill you in the end. They bottle up inside and they'll explode inside."

Nick scoffed softly, doing his best to stay quiet, "Fuck that. If anything's going to kill me out here, it's going to be by zombies. No emotions can kill me. Never had and never will."

Ellis shook his head and whispered, "Admit it, Nick. You love Chris."

"Hell no."

"Hell yeah."

"Fuck no!"

"Fuck yeah!"

"Only when I'm walking to Hell."

"That can be tomorrow for all we know. Come on!"

Nick covered his face with his hands, knowing Ellis wasn't going to give up on his mission to make Nick spill the beans. Finally, he grumbled, "Yes."

Ellis smirked and replied, "What? I didn't hear you."

"Yes. Ok, you finally happy now? I said it!" Nick's loud remarks were stirring Coach and Alex in their sleep. Both Ellis and Nick stayed deathly quiet for awhile, so their friends can stay asleep. For awhile, Ellis thought Nick fell asleep.

"Nick?"

"What?"

"I love Sheila."

"I knew that from Day 1, Ellis."

"Good. Now you officially know."

Nick rolled his eyes at his redneck pal. Of course he knew that Ellis was in love with Sheila. Everyone knew that! Even Sheila could pick up hints that Ellis loves her. However, will Ellis be the first to confess his love or will Sheila be the first to speak? Only God knows the answer to that question.

"Nick?"

"What now, Ellis?"

"I won't say a thing about your love for Chris. Or about what you did. I promise."

He turned his head to Ellis and saw him grin and wink at him, knowing that the secret is between them now. Nick sighed, hoping that Ellis will keep his promise. If not, then he's in for some deep shit in the morning. He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep, dreaming of his love for me. Plus zombies. Hmm. He has bizarre dreams too!