AN:

Please read the little AN at the end of this chapter, guys :)

Cloudcity'sBookworm: I hate that she cut again too and I personally have never done it so I don't know what it's really like, but I hope I did a good job with it regardless. You probably won't see her doing that much anymore, the way the story is going right now. Yes and yes, you'll be seeing more of her Grandmother in the next few chapters after this one and I know roughly how she'll fit in now :) You'll also be seeing more of Cameron and I was thinking the exact same thing, he could be a pretty important part of this story for a few chapters at least, maybe more. Thank you so much for your continued support with my story, it means a lot!

ImagineDaydreams: Thank you for reviewing again and I'm so glad you're enjoying where my story is going!

"Tate?" Dakota said in a small voice. "Tate, why?"

He just stared right through her with this intense expression on his face, like she was making him... Angry? But he had to do it. And he would do it. He re-loaded the gun, and she didn't try and stop him. It wouldn't do her any good, anyway. She realised that Cara had disappeared. Vanished.

She looked up at him and saw the shotgun pointing right at her heart. "No, Tate. I love you, please don't do this," she begged, tears running down her cheeks. And he didn't shed a single one...

"I thought you-you cared about me, Tate..."

"I'm not sorry."

He pulled the trigger.

She finally jolted awake. It was still night. She was sure she was imagining it, but there was a sudden pain in her chest... Just where she'd been shot.

For some odd reason unknown to Dakota, she didn't wake up screaming this time, and she wondered why; since this had been the most terrifying nightmare of them all...

That's exactly what it had been. A nightmare. The rest felt more familiar, they were real memories. Or where they? Was any of it real?

She barely considered the last part being a memory, it was just so ridiculous. It was too horrific to he true, and it made sense that she had dreamed of him like that. The trauma of the home invasion was causing her to remember things that she usually didn't, that the pills usually blocked out; and that combined with Tate killing someone in front of her in the same night as the home invasion had caused this. That was it.

"It was just a nightmare," she took a deep breathe. "Not real. Just a nightmare."

She didn't get back to sleep that night, because if it was just a nightmare, then why did she have to convince herself that that was all it was?

Dakota spent her Saturday both wishing Tate would appear and dreading the very thing happening simultaneously. She also watched two seasons of The Walking Dead. It had been a productive day.

That night, she found herself fearing sleep. Sleeping was this special thing you could do when you wanted to be alive but you just didn't want to exist or more to the point- have to deal with existence and the horrors than come with it.

When Tate wasn't there, sleep became Dakota's sanctuary, but the nightmares were depriving her of that. She didn't know how much longer she could cope without either of them, and that was a sad prospect. But it was her life right now and for the foreseeable future.

She took one sleeping pill, but the thoughts kept her awake, so she took another. Thankfully, it worked before she felt the need to pop a third one.

She didn't have any nightmares that night.

Dakota woke at 9am with a spring in her step. Her mom and dad had gotten a decent sleep, too, since she hadn't woke them up screaming. Everybody seemed to be winning today.

After she had had coffee and a nutritious breakfast of pop-tarts, she showered and got dressed. She even put on makeup.

Today was going to be a good goddamn day. Screw Tate, screw Sophia, screw being shot, screw cutting, screw all the pain. She would make today a happy one, even if tonight would be hell.

Dakota took Hallie out for a walk like she usually did. Today, however, she crossed paths with none other than Cameron.

When he smiled at her that way people smile at you when they're just overjoyed to see your face, she felt herself smile back instantly.

"Busy morning?" She asked him when he sat down beside her on the wooden park bench.

He shook his head. "Nah, I just like being out here on a Sunday morning. It's nice feel the sun shining on your face and see countless harassed business-people with their cell-phones blowing up and their cheap coffee spilling all over their equally cheap suits and skirts; and know you're not one of them. Just breathe in the air, though I can't say it's fresh since it's pretty damn polluted. But still... It's good to be awake and alive today, ya know?"

Well, so much for the mindless flirting to no outcome. This boy was like a modern-day Shakespeare.

Dakota found herself staring at him in awe for more than a few seconds too long.

When Hallie barked from her lap at a doberman across the park, she blinked and snapped out of it.

"Uh, yeah. Today's a good day to be alive, Cameron," she smiled. "It's like you read my mind. That's how I felt as soon as I woke up, and I don't usually... It's a pretty great feeling. Now I can see why you're always smiling."

He looked intrigued by Dakota's statement. "You don't usually wake up happy, huh?"

She frowned and shrugged, knowing she'd screwed this up already. "Does anyone, really?"

Cameron looked down, then back up at her. "I wanna take you out tonight, Dakota."

She smirked and raised her eyebrows at his sudden, impulsive decision, and then at her own equally impulsive reply.

"Consider it a date."

Tate watched and waited for Dakota to get home from her bedroom window, though he still considered it partially his. It had been his before it was hers.

He had to find some way to talk to her today, to explain everything that he had done on the night of the home invasion. He knew he'd end up mixing fact and fiction, he'd already rehearsed fitting in his lies nicely with what had actually happened in his head several times.

His brows knitted into a furrowed line across his forehead when he saw that smile on her face. She'd met someone, he just knew it. He would find the goddamn boy and he would get rid of him, he couldn't lose her again...

And by find, he knew he had to wait until the boy set foot on the property first. But that shouldn't take long.

He glanced at her blackboard. "TAINT." She hadn't rubbed it off yet.

It had killed him inside to see her run out and look for him so frantically when her dad had told him that he couldn't see him in the house anymore, and when he had watched her cut herself again. He had stood there and let her do it. He even showed himself for a second, to scare her into stopping. It seemed to have worked.

If only she knew what he was, it would make it so much easier.

If she had a clue about who I am and what I did to her she would hate me. She would be repulsed by what I am. I can't let her remember. I won't let her remember.

"So, where's this Cameron boy taking you tonight?" Her dad asked, and Dakota smirked. He was in full protective dad mode. It made her glad that he cared so much, though she knew most teenagers would despise their dad for it.

"He didn't say."

Her dad frowned. "Well, he better have a clue about it when he gets here, I want to know exactly where you're going, alright?"

She laughed slightly and nodded.

Dakota spent an hour and a half getting ready. She decided on that floral dress that Constance had complimented her on, but not for that reason. She just liked the dress. It was delicate and feminine and god, it made her feel pretty. She needed that feeling right now. She craved it.

When she looked in the mirror before walking downstairs as the doorbell went, she found countless flaws even though she'd tried to look perfect. She sighed, trying to forget how her reflection appeared to her and plastered on a smile.

Why was she bothering? He'd be just like all the rest, and despite his intellectual qualities and adorable smile he was just a distraction until Tate would show his stupid fucking face again.

But this wasn't Tate's fault. It was Dakota's, for telling him to get out and wishing he hadn't seconds later. She knew it was her fault, but she still so desperately felt the need to cling onto a reason to resent him right now.

She was already starting to fall apart again, and the worst part was that her parents thought she had began to put herself back together.

Her parent's had both offered her encouraging, approving smiles as she left with Cameron. God, they could be so shallow sometimes, but that was probably Dakota's worst personality trait, so she couldn't really judge them.

"So, you told my dad where we're going?"

"I did," he looked her up and down. "You look beautiful."

As they got into his spotless red convertible, she couldn't help but feel like his eyes had lingered in certain places; and her face wasn't one of them.

"Thank you, you're not half bad yourself."

As they drove, she gradually grew more and more relaxed. Chocolate by the 1975 was on the radio, the sun was in her face and the wind was in her hair. Everything was perfect.

Dakota didn't realise that everything was a little too perfect.

They ended up going to a new Italian restaurant, and though she couldn't understand what half of the menu even meant, she enjoyed herself.

"I think you're a great person for making a kind gesture to Sophia, after all she's done to you," he said after they ordered their main courses.

"Well, thanks. Somebody had to be the bigger person, even though she's trying to blame a cupcake that didn't go down will with her on me," she muttered in annoyance. "I didn't make or buy the thing, my neighbour gave it to me... Wait, how do you know what Sophia did to me? I thought you just moved here?"

"Sasha's the biggest gossiper in the school and also happens to be your best friend," he smirked playfully, but she frowned when he called Sasha her 'best friend'.

He noticed. "Are you okay? Did I offend you, because I think Sasha seems like a lovely person, she's just... Very chatty."

"No, no," she shook her head, not wanting to dampen the atmosphere with her shooting story. If he didn't already know about it and he wasn't going directly ask, then she wouldn't feel pitied. Good.

"So, why is Sophia so spiteful towards you, anyway?" Cameron asked curiously. "Did you used to be close or something?"

"I just- I don't really wanna talk about it right now, Cameron," she said it in a snappy tone, and instantly regretted it. "I'm sorry, I'm just... Super hungry. I get cranky when I'm hungry."

He chuckled and they made light conversation for the rest of the meal, nothing too heavy came up.

It was around 8pm when he dropped her off, back home.

"I wanted to take you to watch the sunset with me, but it would take too long to get there," he mused, gazing up at the sky before opening the passenger side car door for Dakota.

"Maybe some other time, it would have been lovely," she smiled, thanking him as she got up and out of the car.

He walked her to her door, standing close by her side, but not too close.

"Thanks for an amazing night, Cameron, I really had fun," she smiled, trying to ignore the awkwardness between them as he lingered at her front porch step. After a moments hesitation, he leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away.

"I had a great night Cameron, I'll see you at school," she muttered firmly, opening the door and stepping inside quickly. She gently but hastily closed it in his face. He didn't look exactly hurt, just disappointed.

Maybe he really was another typical guy who wanted her body more than her. Maybe his whole sensitive, knowledgeable, deep act was exactly that- an act.

Dakota decided to take another two sleeping pills and opened her drawer on her bedside cabinet, frowning when the pills weren't there.

"Looking for these?" Tate leaned against her bedroom doorframe, shaking the container of pills in his hand, clearly taunting her.

She turned and glared at him. "I was looking for you, but I started to give up on the hopes that you'd come back here. So yeah, I need a couple pills to get to sleep. Now give me them back, please."

He shook his head. "I'm not giving you them back, Dakota, and I want you to stop hurting yourself, too."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You really were there?"

"What?"

"You were standing at my door when I cut myself again, and then-" she began, but he cut her off.

"I noticed you were wearing a long-sleeved cardigan," he cut her off. "But I bet Cameron wished you weren't."

"What the hell are you getting at here, Tate?" She shot him another glare.

"Well, I think we both know what I mean," He said it nonchalantly, but there was jealousy in his eyes and he couldn't hide it, not even in their darkness.

Dakota looked down, feeling the urge to cut herself. But she reminded herself how stupid and pointless that was. She was stronger than that. Either way, Tate was making her feel humiliated and he knew it.

"You know exactly what Cameron wants from you, but are you going to just let him pretend to be a nice guy and take it? And then leave you, because he never actually cared?"

Dakota snapped her focus back up to him. "I can't believe that you can't talk to me until I decide to take a couple sleeping pills to get a decent night's sleep, when I search my whole neighbourhood for you, but you probably didn't know that because you were too damn busy being jealous of some guy who I agreed to go to dinner with, and that you'd think that of me, I really can't-"

"And I can't believe that you could be so damn naive!" He yelled, and she jumped slightly. He noticed that and glanced at the floor, feeling guilty. He didn't want to make her upset, but as much as he hated Cameron, he didn't want her to have to deal with him killing the boy. So he had to be cruel to make her understand or at least accept what she already knew.

"If you just came back here to insult me and make feel even more disgusted with myself than I already do, you can show yourself the fucking door, Tate," she stepped towards him to snatch her pills back, but he held them up higher than she could reach.

"Really? I thought you would want to tell me yourself, to 'get out'," he said bitterly, staring down at her, but not quite glaring.

"You killed someone in front of me, and you stabbed her multiple times when one would have easily done the job, so I don't think you're being fair," Dakota folded her arms in irritation. "Where's the other two? What did you do to them, Tate?"

The way he had just walked in and started verbally attacking her made her forget about the fear she should have felt around him.

"I took care of them, and I had some help," he muttered dismissively.

"No, you didn't. You don't take care of anything, Tate! You leave things more broken than they were before you appear out of nowhere and disappear the same way."

"Maybe that's because I always seem to cut myself on your shattered pieces!" Tate shouted, and in his moment of built up rage being released, he threw the container of pills across the room and looked down.

Dakota stepped back from him and remembered how unpredictable he could be, yet she was still shocked by his violent reaction.

"You shot me," Dakota said after at least ten seconds of silence.

His gaze snapped up to her.

"In my nightmare, two nights ago. You shot me."

He blinked.

"I don't want you to be the demon haunting my dreams, Tate," her voice cracked and her eyes welled up with tears.

"Come here," he said, his voice heavy with sadness. Tears were beginning to roll slowly down his cheeks, now. "Come on," he opened his arms to her, and she didn't hesitate, running into his arms.

Tate held her tightly and she let herself drown in him, in his warmth. He moved his hand up and down her back and stroked her hair, pulling her closer with every sob.

"I'm sorry I told you that I never wanted to see you again, god, I didn't mean it..." Dakota murmured into his chest.

"I know, I know you didn't mean it," he whispered gently. "I'm sorry I scared you, but I couldn't let her hurt you. I never wanted you to see me do that..."

He let her sob into his chest like that for a good few minutes without a word, letting his own silent tears dry out. Then he lifted her carefully and lay her down under her duvet.

"I want you to always remember that I'm going to fix you everytime you break, Dakota, and I would never let anyone, or anything hurt you," he said softly, his voice shaking with emotion. "I love you."

"Can you stay with me, just until I fall asleep, Tate?" She looked up at him with tired eyes, sounding like a little kid. But he didn't care, he'd stay for as long as she'd let him, if he had it his way.

But she was alive and he wasn't, and the truth wouldn't stay buried for much longer; he just knew it. He wanted to cherish the time he had with her right now, before he unknowingly fucked it up, although he already had when he shot her and killed her best friend. Really, they had been finished before they had even started.

"You don't need the pills tonight, Kota, I'm right here. I'm always gonna be right here."

AN: Okay, so I decided to give some insight on Tate's feelings in this chapter, and I hope you liked it! Please let me know if you prefer the story completely from Dakota's POV or you liked the Tate's POV parts and would like me to keep them up. I ended it on a bitter sweet note, I guess, instead of a cliffhanger for a change. Be prepared for more drama next chapter and please review! I love you all :)

ImagineDaydreams: Ugh I feel so bad disappointing you here because she doesn't actually know yet, but this is all leading up to a big confrontation and some major feels when she finds out aha. Please keep reading :)