AN/ Hi... It took a while to finish this chapter...Sorry for letting you hanging, but at least it didn't take as long as the last chapter:)

I'm still amazed over how much support this story has. You guys are awesome:)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kickin' it.

Chapter 3

Loneliness and Nightmares

"KIM!" I screamed as loud as I possibly could through the darkness, a lump starting to form in my throat. I can't lose her, I just can't. "Kim!"

"Jeez…take it easy Jack." I turned to my left and caught sight of the blond popping her head out from around the corner of our house. "I'm right here."

I let out a shaky breath. Thank God she was alright.

"I found this." she said and held up what looked like a soccer ball. "It must be David's"

David Johnston was a ten-year old kid who lived next door. I nodded, not really caring what she was getting to. I just wanted her to get back inside, before anything could happen.

"He must've shot it against the door." She explained. "That's what you heard…"

"At eleven pm?" I pointed out. Kim thought for a moment as I let my gaze search our yard for any potential danger.

"That's odd" Kim mumbled in agreement, playing with the ball in her hands.

"Yeah I know. Can we please get back inside now?" I said, standing only two feet away from our front door, too scared to walk out into the night. I rather not even make my way over to Kim who was just ten feet away from me.

"Hang on one sec…" Much to my dislike the blond disappeared around the corner again, leaving me no other choice but to follow.

"Kim, wait!" Sprinting down the steps I hurried after her. Kim picked up her speed, clearly not wanting me to catch up so that I might get the chance to stop her from doing whatever she was about to do…

Once we'd made it to the backyard I heard something coming from the bushes to my right and I froze on the spot. Kim came to a stop as well, looking questioningly at me. She was still too far away for me to reach her and I'd rather not go any further.

"Kim, get back here!" I whisper yelled, pointing at the spot where I was standing for emphasis.

"Just let me check something…"

"Kim no." I protested, feeling my heartbeat increase in speed and throwing a worried glance at the bushes. All I wanted to do was to run and hide, but I couldn't leave Kim behind. She would have to come with me. "Kim please." I begged, starting to become desperate. "Let's go inside." I tried again, not getting any response from her. For every second that passed the fear grew stronger and together with the feeling of being totally ignored they made me wanting to cry. "Kim please. Kim!" Like a child who doesn't get what they want I almost screamed the last part, trying to get her attention.

"Just one second…" Kim said over her shoulder, not seeming to be worried at all as she inspected something further down in our backyard.

"Kim…" A cold wind passed by making me shudder. "...please…"

Suddenly what sounded like a branch just got broken was heard from the shadows not far from where I was standing, making me jump. I quickly made the conclusion that someone had stepped on it by accident. In other words; we weren't alone.

Panicking I ran up to Kim and grabbed her by the arm, pulling on her to get her to come with me. She pulled away from me harshly, starting to become really annoyed at me. I on the other hand was starting to get really frustrated by her not realizing how much danger she was putting us both in. Why wouldn't she come with me?

Not knowing what else to do I quickly grabbed her by the waist before she had the slightest chance to react. Having the advantage of being both bigger and stronger than her I hoisted her up.

"What are you…Jack!" My name left her throat in a shriek as I tossed her over my shoulder, holding her kicking legs firmly against my chest.

"Put me down!" She was mad I could tell, not only from the venom in her voice but also by the way her fists repeatedly banged against my back as I quickly made my way back around the house. "Jack!" Ignoring her I did my best to hold her so that she wouldn't slip out of my grip.

The hard part came when we reached the front door. It was quite tricky to get through it successfully without accidentally getting Kim hurt from the way she squirmed around, trying to get free. Only being able to use one arm to restrain her while the other had to open and close the door didn't exactly make it any easier either… But somehow I managed. With a shaking hand I locked the door after us before letting Kim down. Her face was red, probably from both anger and the fact that she'd been hanging practically upside-down… I took a step back, knowing I'd do better to leave her some space. Moving my shoulder around a little I tried to get rid of the dull pain that had erupted from carrying her.

"What was that all about?!" She hissed. I cringed slightly under her glare.

"I… I just…"

"You just what?" Kim had troubles keeping her voice down. I could tell that she wanted to yell at me. Something that made me really upset and I lowered my gaze to the floor. "You're acting all crazy! Mark's not here, in fact no one is." She scolded, talking unnecessary loud which made me flinch. The tears burnt in my eyes and I did everything that I could to fight them. Why couldn't she understand? "You're just imagining, which does definitely not I repeat not give you the right to throw me over you shoulder and carry me away. I don't know what's gotten into you. Just relax al…."

"I'm scared, Kim! That's what's gotten into me!" I almost yelled back through the lump in my throat, not being able to take more of her anger without defending myself. She went silent, looking taken aback, not having expected the outburst coming from me. I looked up through the tears that dimmed my vision to meet her eyes. Everything was deathly quiet as we just stood there looking at each other until I whispered "I'm scared…and I can't help it..." Beginning to lose the fight against the tears I quickly turned and ran for my room.

"Jack wait!" I could faintly hear Kim calling my name, but I ignored her as I made it upstairs. "Jack!" Slipping inside my room I slammed the door shut behind me blocking the sound of Kim's voice. Knowing that no one would be able to see me I leaned against the door and let the tears fall. Kim had been my rock through all of this. Without her I would've never survived. Without her I would never be able to get my life back together. Without her there wasn't any hope… And now she'd just turned her back at me.

I sobbed, although quietly, not wanting anyone to hear me. On slightly trembling legs I made it over to my bed. I hadn't felt this lonely since my time back at Mark's place and I couldn't get the tears to stop. No matter how much I tried to wipe them away new ones kept coming. I climbed up in my bed, letting myself slump down into it. Lying on my stomach I hugged my pillow for comfort while burying my face in it, letting it soak up all the tears. What was I supposed to do without my Kim?

The thought of not having her around cut through me painfully and a quite loud sob emerged from my lips. I so desperately wanted to keep her, I did everything I could to make sure she was safe. It never occurred to me that the more I tried to hold on to her, to protect her the more she slipped away from me… and now I'd lost her.

In hindsight I can see that I was overreacting, but I was still so emotionally bruised that it didn't take much for me to get thoroughly upset. I fully did believe that Kim thought I was a nutcase and that she would leave me.

I just waited for the sound of the door to our house closing, letting me know that Kim would be gone forever from my life.

A door making noise actually did reach my ears a moment later. But it was not from the front door closing downstairs but from the door to my room opening.

"Jack?" I quickly stopped sobbing, closing my mouth and turning my head away so that I was facing the wall, pretending to be sleeping. It took my full concentration to keep my shoulders from shaking as I tried to take deep calm breaths, hoping that Kim would go when she thought I was asleep. It's strange how I had feared her to leave me just a moment earlier and now when she had done the exact opposite and come to me instead, I wanted her to go… For some reason I felt ashamed over the tears that I hadn't been able to stop and I didn't want for her to see them.

"Jack?" I could hear her approach me. Focusing on my breathing I held it together. She gently put a hand on my shoulder, leaning slightly over me.

"Please don't cry." She said softly.

Well that didn't work…The fact that she had seen right through me made me feel like a failure, not being able to do something as easy to pretend to be sleeping. And that was enough for me to lose it again. I hid my face in the pillow, crying silently as I felt Kim sitting down next to me on the bed.

"I'm so sorry Jack." She said and combed her fingers through my locks. I flinched, having not expected her touch. Kim didn't react to it though and she persistently kept stroking my hair, her fingertips soothingly massaging my scalp as she did. "I'm sorry. I should never have yelled at you." I sniffed, not answering her. The bed shifted beneath me as she pulled her legs up and lay down next to me. Lying in the middle of the bed I hadn't left much room for her and she had to press her body against mine to keep herself from falling down to the floor. She let her arm rest over my back, hugging me comforting. The feeling of loneliness slowly started to disappeared. It was nice to have her so close again. After all she was still by my side.

She somehow managed to place her head on the edge of the pillow I was using even though I had it squeezed within my hold and tucked under my face that I still refused to expose. The tip of her nose brushed lightly against my temple as she spoke quietly into my ear.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said." I felt her hand making its way up to my head again, before starting to stroke it. "Forgive me, please."

I listened to her, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything in return. Not yet anyway. It'll have to wait until all the emotions had been let out, otherwise I'd just start to sob again.

It was good to know that she wasn't mad at me, although her coming and ask for my forgiveness was something that I hadn't expected. I didn't hold anything against her. The only person I was blaming was me. I was the one who got her angry. She hadn't done anything and all the things she'd told me back downstairs had been true. I was acting all crazy… I swallowed, feeling guilty for making her feel guilty.

"Jack" She said bringing me back from my thoughts. "Please just look at me." I hesitantly turned my head a little, revealing half of my face and looked at her through my bloodshot eye. Her hand immediately moved to my cheek, wiping away a few tears that still lingered there. We both lay silent for a moment just looking at each other. I supposed Kim wanted me to say something, but she wouldn't push me which I appreciated. Instead she kept quiet. Having all her attention towards me she waited patiently for me to speak.

The tears had finally come to an end, but I still felt all battered inside from all the emotions that had been and still were fighting over space in there.

"I hate feeling like this…" I said so weakly that Kim wouldn't have been able to hear it if she hadn't been lying so close to me. "I hate feeling so scared all the time…I whished it could all just stop." Kim listened carefully, removing a strand of hair from my face. After studying me for a moment she sighed and moved a little closer, having our foreheads meet.

"I'm so so sorry Jack. I didn…"

"You were right." I said cutting her off, already knowing what she was about to say. "I am going crazy…"

"No, no Jack. You're not going crazy." She protested. I listened, all of a sudden very interested. She didn't think I was crazy? "You're just scared." I looked down. I knew fully well that I was scared, I'd just admitted it, but hearing someone else say it made it seem so…final. Kim noticed how I was starting to shut her out again and she quickly continued, not allowing me to. "It's only natural after everything you've been through." She gently caressed my cheek. "…and I if anyone should understand that. I'm sorry." I looked up at her again. How come she always seemed to know what to say to make me feel better? A warm smile played on her lips, encouraging me to let go of the pillow I had mangled beneath me. I slowly released my grip, immediately reaching out for Kim replacing the comfort of the pillow with the loving care of her. Turning over to my side I wrapt my arm around her waist and pressed myself against her. She kissed my forehead before protectively wrapping her arms around my head holding it against her chest while placing her chin on top of it. Even though she was smaller than me I fitted perfectly in her embrace as if it was meant for me to be there. I closed my eyes resting my forehead against her collarbone, sighing. Everything felt so much better. Her chest moved steadily up and down as she breathed, creating a rocking motion that soon had me fully relaxed.

"I love you" I spoke softly into her chest, tightening my arms around her. "…more than you could ever imagine." I could feel the now very familiar feeling of her fingers running through my hair as a response to me declaring my love to her. "…and I'm terrified of losing you."

"I know..." She said, turning her head a little so that her cheek was pressed up against my head instead of her chin while giving me a gentle squeeze. "I love you too…a lot." A smile spread across my face after hearing her say that. "I don't even know if it's healthy to love someone as much as I love you…" She mumbled, making a warm feeling spread inside of me and I let out a small chuckle. "I mean I'm hardly even being able to think about anything else..."

"Really?" I smiled.

"Yes really…You're on my mind all the time…" She paused, thinking while I just basked in the love that she gave me, my stomach doing small flips of joy. She had showed me through her actions so many times before that she loved me, she'd even told me she did, but hearing her express just how strongly she was feeling for me made me overjoyed. "There's really no need for you to worry." She said. "I'll never leave you. I promise I'll always be by your side, no matter what."

"Does that mean you'll be my wife?" I asked. A quiet chuckle left Kim's mouth.

"…probably…" she mumbled, unsure of what to answer, not knowing how serious I'd been. The question was meant as a joke but there was indeed seriousness behind it. Marriage was still lying far in the future for me, I knew that, but I also knew that if I would ever marry someone, I wanted to marry Kim.

"We should probably get us ready for some sleep." Kim said and increased the distance between us, starting to get up. I looked up at her, not really wanting to leave her warm embrace.

"Do we have to?" I said. "Can't we just stay here? I mean we're in bed already…" Kim laughed my comment off, ignoring it.

"I'm starting to get really tired…and so do you." She pointed out.

"I'm not tired."

"Right…" She rolled her eyes, clearly not believing me. "I need to go change into my PJs…" Throwing me a glance she spotted the disappointment in my eyes and she smiled a little. "Don't look so sad." She leant down and gave me a small peck on the lips. Slightly stunned after her kiss I was late to react and before I knew it Kim had already gotten out of my hold and was about to leave my room. Just when she reached the door she turned back and looked at me.

"Are you okay?" She wondered, wanting to make sure that I wouldn't go back to being all upset again.

"Yeah," I nodded and reluctantly started to get up only to getting myself ready for sleep so that I could return to my bed again…

The sun felt nice against my skin as I walked along the path, hearing the rhythmic beat of our feet hitting the soft ground as we made it deeper into the forest. I squeezed Kim's hand and turned to look at her. She was still laughing from a joke I'd told her earlier.

Above us the birds sang beautifully, welcoming the spring that had just arrived. The further we went the thicker the forest seemed to grow. It didn't scare me though. Instead of feeling trapped by the foliage, it gave me a feeling of protection and shelter. It felt truly peaceful to walk down the trail with my beloved Kim by my side.

"Look over there." Kim pointed at something that hadn't caught my eye just yet. She let go of my hand and walked ahead of me. Curios to know what she had spotted I followed.

There hidden among the trees was a small building. Kim quickened up her pace. Stopping about twenty feet away from it, she looked up at it with interest. I walked up to her side.

The house was made out of wood and it was pretty small, more of a cabin than a house really. It was kind of nice and somehow it was inviting. Kim started to approach it.

"Looks like no one's here." She said and started to circle the building. I on the other hand walked up the small steps that led up to the door, peeking through the small window that was placed on it. It was hard to see through it because of the light outside and I leaned closer to the window, holding up my arm over my head to block the sun out. Accidentally giving the door a small push with my forearm it opened slightly. I hesitantly took hold of the handle and opened the door a bit more.

"Hello?" I said looking inside. "Anybody here?" No answer was returned. The air felt a bit stuffy and there was a layer of dust on the floor, making me realize that the cabin must be abandon. Bringing up my courage I stepped inside to take a look around. There wasn't much to it…

In one of the corners there was a small kitchen along with a table that was surrounded by three chairs. Up on the wall behind the table there was a window from where you could see the forest. I walked in a little further, spotting a fireplace that seemed to be the only source of warmth in here when it was getting cold at night…

Turning around I walked over to a bed that was placed further away in a dark corner. Even though no one seemed to have been here for years, the place felt homey and oddly familiar to me. The bed was neatly made, but someone had left a small bundle of something on top of the pillow. When I inspected it closer I could see that that something was made out of some kind of fabric. It was light green in colour, but it was dirty and there were…buttons in it. Coming to the conclusion that it was a piece of clothing I took it and held it up into the light. Having a better view of it I could see several small holes in it and the dark patches looked just like…

The window over by the kitchen suddenly smashed, as if someone just had thrown a big rock through it and I spun around, my heart almost leaping out of my chest. I couldn't see anyone or anything that could've caused the hole that was now in the middle of the window. My feet seemed glued to the spot as I waited for another sound, another movement that would tell me what was going on.

Suddenly cracks began to appear on the window, starting from the hole and spreading out to the edges of it. The cracks increased in number until there were so many of them that the window couldn't hold together anymore. It exploded with a loud smash, sending pieces of glass flying all over the place. I shielded my face with my arm as I instinctively took a step back, accidentally tripping on something. Unable to find my balance I fell to the ground with my back up against the wall. Breathing rapidly I eyed the pile of chain that was lying on the floor where I'd just been standing.

"Kim…" I said starting to realize how much danger we probably were in. Putting my hand against the wall behind me for support I hit an object, causing a rattling sound. Looking down next to me I saw a pair of handcuffs. Secured to the wall they dangled about half a foot off the ground.

Panicking I scrambled to my feet. The place felt all of a sudden very dark and hostile. We definitely shouldn't be here. Not wasting any time I ran out the door.

"Kim we need to get out of here!" The blond stood over by a small shed and -from what it looked like- was about to open the door to it. She turned her head at the sound of my voice. "Run!" I yelled as I jumped down the porch taking all the steps in one leap. Kim had barely the chance to hear my warning let alone do anything before the ground beneath her gave away and a giant hole appeared. She let out a high shriek as she fell.

"Kim!" I screamed, watching in horror her disappearing below the surface. Kim having the great reflexes that she had was able to grab a tree root at the last second, literally holding on to it for dear life. I ran to her rescue as fast as I could, but just before I could reach her something hit me hard in the back, knocking me over. Frantically I tried to get up, only to find that to be almost impossible with the heavy thing that was weighing down on my back.

"Why in such a hurry?" A deep voice came from behind me. Peeking over my shoulder I met the pair of green eyes that had been haunting me for weeks now. "Tess has just made dinner inside. Why don't you join us? You must be hungry." The man gave me a grin, sending shivers down my back. I was frozen from fear, not daring to move or to answer him. I hardly even dared to breathe. Whatever he was about to do would be ten times worse if I tried to do anything.

"Jack!" Kim screamed as she started to lose her grip. Suddenly the fear of the man pinning me down drowned in the utterly horrifying thought of losing her and I started to struggle to get free. Using my elbows I tried to crawl closer to her. The tall man was both heavy and strong but with willpower I slowly but steady got closer to the hole that was about to swallow my Kim. A pair of strong hands took hold of my shoulders and pushed me down, my elbows giving in beneath me. Kim's hand, which was the only thing that was visible for me from where I lay on the ground suddenly slipped.

"Kim!" I reached out for her, the tip of my finger only inches away from her. "Hold on." With all the power I could possibly muster I pushed myself along with the man off the ground up onto my hands and knees. I barely made it a foot forward before collapsing when he got off me for a millisecond just to come crashing down on me again. He must've used all of his bodyweight and I gasped for the air that had been knocked out of me. The man climbed on top of me and sat down on my back to hold me in place. "Kim!" I was closer to her now though and I knew I would be able to reach her. Extending my arm I was just about to grab her when a hand took hold of my wrist, forcing it back. "No, Kim." I struggled to get my arm free. Realizing that it probably wouldn't work I let him pull it back and quickly reached out my other arm instead. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough and before I had a chance to even touch her, the tall man grabbed that arm too. He forcefully pulled it towards him and bended it before pinning it against my back, just above my other arm that was already held there. I squirmed beneath him, desperately trying to break away from him, but he was unbelievably strong and all I managed to do was to get myself exhausted. I refused to give up though.

"Let go!" I exclaimed. Of course he didn't obey my command. All he did was to hold on to me harder, which only made me fight harder.

"Jack!" Kim sounded so scared it broke my heart.

"Kim, hold on!" I answered, sweat beading on my forehead. "I'm coming."

I could feel him shifting his grip of my arms, so that he could hold them in place with only one hand. But even then he was too strong for me to get away from.

In the corner of my eye I could see him picking up a rock with his free hand.

"No, no!" I shook my head, beginning to realize what he was about to do. "Don't!" Tears formed in my eyes as I saw him raising the rock in the air. I struggled like crazy, thinking this couldn't be happening. "Please no!"

To my devastation he threw the heavy rock through the air, aiming it at my Kim. It landed right on her hand, causing a sickening noise as the bones were crushed. She let go of the tree root she'd so bravely had held on to and with a piercing scream she fell.

"KIM!"

I shot up straight in my bed and looked around in the darkness for her, for a moment almost believing that I'd fallen into the black hole along with her.

"Kim…" I mumbled through the choking ache in my chest. My heart was beating ridiculously fast and a feeling of being trapped suddenly washed over me. I began to kick, trying to get rid of the bed sheets that clung to my sweaty body. Once they were off I was able to think and I realized to my relief that it was all just a dream. I was in my room, Kim was sleeping safely in our guest room and Mark that maniac was locked up somewhere, not being able to hurt me anymore. I panted trying to get my breathing back to normal.

This wasn't the first time I'd been having these kinds of dreams and I knew fully well that it was all in my head, but they affected me in way that is hard to explain. In a sense they were memories, making sure that I would never forget the dreadful feelings. Neither the physical nor the emotional.

As usual, I was shaken and an unsettling feeling filled my guts. With the terrible images of Kim's hand being crushed and forced to let go playing inside my head it would be close to impossible to go back to sleep again. I rubbed my eyes trying to get rid of them. The darkness in my room began to feel very eerie and the anxiety was coming back. I got up and walked over to my window. From there I could see the southern part of the street running through our neighbourhood and also the Johnston's property quite clearly.

Even though I'd told Kim that she was right about me only imagining things, I still couldn't get rid of the thought of someone sneaking around outside, watching every move I made. As on cue a dark figure came into view. He'd come from the northern side of the street, that was hidden from me, so I couldn't exactly tell were he'd come from. For all I knew there was a possibility that he'd been walking around our house, inspecting it.

I instinctively took a step to the side, hiding myself behind the curtains. Never letting my eyes off the man, I watched him heading over to a car that was parked further down the road. Our neighbourhood is fairly small and I have a pretty good knowledge about everyone who lives here. That's why I became super alert at once, because I did know that no one here around owned a black Volvo like the one that was conveniently enough parked just outside of reach for that dim light of the street lanterns.

I tensed and took hold of the curtains that hung before me, afraid that they would disappear and reveal me otherwise. The man had almost reached the car when he suddenly turned around. That's when I knew…

I hadn't been imagining. He had certainly been watching me, for he lifted his gaze to the window I was standing in. He knew that was my room. He knew I was in there. I quickly hid my face behind the curtains, almost not daring to breathe.

"Jack?" I spun around quickly. Still clutching the curtains, I managed to get myself tangled up in them at the same time as I jumped back, hitting my desk that was placed next to the window. Not being able to find my balance, I fell rather ungracefully to the floor, bringing a few books that'd been lying on my desk along with the curtains down with me as I landed with a big thud.

"Oh my God!" Kim exclaimed, fumbling in the dark to find the light switch. "Jack, are you alright?" Turning the light on, she quickly spotted me under the pile of fabric and books. I squinted, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the bright light as I heard her approach me.

"I'm fine…" I mumbled, not really concerned about the crash I'd just suffered or the curtains I'd most likely destroyed and I started to get up. Kim helped me get untangled before hoisting me up onto my feet again. She kept holding on to me, her arms wrapt around my waist, probably afraid that I would fall back down again if she'd let go.

"What's going on?" She wondered and I suddenly remembered the dark clothed man that had been looking up at me. Quickly I looked out the window, just to find the man and the car gone. I frowned in confusion. "Jack?" I turned to her. Should I tell her? Maybe she'd think I'm going nuts…

"Nothing…" I said, deciding that I didn't need to tell her, at least not now. Besides there was a chance that she wouldn't believe me and I just didn't have the energy to go through that discussion again…

It looked like she was about to say something but changed her mind at the last moment. Leaning closer to me, she placed her head against my chest and hugged my waist a little tighter. I responded by snaking my arms around her and holding her close. Stroking her hair gently, I glanced down the street. How come he managed to disappear like that? I'd barely let him out of my sight for more than a minute and he hadn't seemed to be in much of a hurry.

I was slightly irritated actually that I had let him get away. If it hadn't been for Kim entering my room…The name Kim suddenly reminded me of something and I leant away from her slightly so that I could have a better look at her.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. She gave me a weird look.

"You called for me." She said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh…" was my first response, realizing that I must've been talking in my sleep. "You heard?"

"Yeah…It was hard not to. You kind of screamed." I let my gaze fall. She must think I was crazy. I briefly wondered if mum and dad ever had heard me scream in my sleep. If they had, they hadn't told me…

A soft touch to my cheek cased me to quickly return from my thoughts.

"You ok?" Kim asked concerned, gently caressing my cheek.

"Yeah…" I nodded after a slight hesitation. "It was just a nightmare…"

Kim seemed to process my answer for a moment, before cocking her head to the side. The look in her eyes made me feel as if she could see right through me and I braced myself for whatever question I knew she was about to ask.

"What were you doing out of bed?" I stared at her blankly, not knowing what to answer at first.

"I just…" I sighed, debating whether I should tell her about the man or not. "I just couldn't go back to sleep." She nodded.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"About what?" I asked, feeling a knot turn in my stomach.

"About the nightmare." The images of the cabin, the green eyes and Kim falling through the ground flashed before my eyes, making a shiver run down my spine. I shook my head.

"No, it's ok." I answered deciding that I rather not talk about it because that would only make it harder to forget…

"Ok…then we should probably get back to sleep…" Kim said quietly, letting go of me to head back to the guest room. My chest suddenly contorted painfully as the fear spread through me again. The feeling surprised me and I jumped, quickly taking a hold of her. I pulled her into my arms and as soon as I could feel her warm body against mine the fear started to fade. Tightening my arms around her, desperately wanting the feeling to go away, I buried my face in her hair. Kim realized I probably wasn't going to let her go anytime soon and that it would be close to impossible for her to escape my strong hold. So she brought her arms around me once more, resting her head against my shoulder. I don't know why, but every time Kim would move away from me it felt as if she would disappear. Even though I knew in my mind that she wouldn't really leave me and that she would still be there in the morning when I wake up, I couldn't help but feeling as if my world would fall apart ever time we separated.

The exact opposite would happen every time she was close enough for me to feel her warmth or her breath against my skin, hear her heart beat or inhale her wonderful scent. Every painful memory, every dreadful feeling would simply go away and if I'd stay long enough within her embrace my heart would be filled with peace and I would be genuinely happy.

After several minutes of just holding each other I finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"Can't you stay?" Kim turned her head a little, eying the bed, still holding me tight. I knew what was going through her mind as she thought of what to answer. "Please. I swear I won't do anything. I promise." I said as an answer to her unasked question. Leaning away from her I gently cupped her cheek, urging her to look at me. "You can trust me. Please Kim... It'll help me go back to sleep." I said quietly. Her eyes were piercing right through mine as if she was trying to see if I could be trusted or not. "Please…"

A smile pulled on the corners of her mouth just before she stood up on her toes and placed a kiss to my lips. I raised my eyebrows, looking down at her surprised.

"Is that a 'yes'?" I wondered, feeling a little tingling in my tummy. Her smile grew even wider and she broke away from my embrace. Before I had a chance to get all worried again she took my hand and led me over to the bed. I smiled, knowing that she indeed intended to stay.

She straightened out the bed sheets that had been all messed up, probably from me twisting and turning during my nightmare. I helped her before turning the light off and climbing up in my bed with her. Letting Kim use my arm as a pillow, I snuck my other around her waist. Kim pulled the cover up over us, making sure that we wouldn't get cold. Bringing her arm around me, she snuggled her face into my neck and closed her eyes. I felt all fuzzy inside, having a hard time to comprehend that Kim Crawford, the most wonderful girl in the world was lying in my bed, in my arms, and I was lying in hers. For a moment I thought that I probably wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, being too busy enjoying the cosy feeling of her relaxed body next to mine. I didn't really care though. It didn't matter if I'd stay awake all night long as long as she was here.

"I love you" Kim mumbled, the words tickling my neck as she breathed them out. I smiled.

"I love you too." Gently kissing her forehead I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Feeling utterly happy, the mysterious man who'd been lurking around outside was totally forgotten.

If there's one thing that I regret about that night it would be not telling Kim about him. If I had then maybe we could've figured it all out together... Then maybe we could've stopped it all from ever happening…

That was it. Hope you liked it even though there hasn't been much more than fluff to this story so far...haha Things will soon get a bit more interesting though...

I'll be updating asap.

Please don't forget to review. Again every review is like a boost of inspiration for me to keep on writing. These chapter wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for you guys. I don't think I would've ever been able to finish TnD without you. So thank you to everyone who has been reviewing and everyone who will be reviewing:)

See ya.

/MJ