Hey! So just a couple things before I begin, first on this short list- Thank yous for Thunderclouds7, lilypad22, and bookworminpeace for ya'lls reviews!~ They are well appreciated.

And that is it.

Short list, huh?

Enjoi!

Sydney

The first time I'd woken up. I was somewhere I'd never been before. It was dark, I figured I must not have been unconscious for long. I looked at the digital alarm clock on the night stand right across from my head on my side of the king sized bed.

It was two AM.

My eyes darted around the room, slightly scared.

It was dark navy walls and a hardwood floor with a black carpet rug next to the foot of the bed. A black fan hung overhead with three unlit light bulbs hanging from the center.

All over the floor were scraps of different metals and wires and various tools.

I was about to sit up, but that was when I first noticed the same soft arms around me. I quickly turned to my other side ready to attack and stopped myself.

I came face to face with Iggy.

Whoa.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa.

I freaked for a minute then chilled out. I remembered that I'd passed out and everything.

I looked at his sleeping face.

I found myself relaxing and settling back down under the large black and navy striped comforter.

He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping.

It was mesmerizing.

His arm had been in the exact same position as mine, over mine, to where his hand was on holding on to mine, and still was for that matter.

I hadn't let him go.

Scratch that.

I couldn't-no- wouldn't let him go.

I sighed sleepily and studied him intently.

His head was resting on his other hand and his eyes were shut. His shaggy strawberry blond hair was rugged and swept every which way. At the end of neck by his back the ends of his hair curled sweetly.

Aside from that, I noticed his battle damage.

A bruised cheek darkened his pale skin and cuts shone rebelliously. A couple more bruises covered his lean arms.

I wanted to reach up and feel his face, it looked so… incredibly soft, despite the bruise and cuts.

At the first touch, I withdrew my fingers afraid to wake him, but on the second feel I let my fingers linger.

He jostled a bit and I put my free hand back at my side and squeezed his hand with the hand that was holding his.

I closed my eyes and the instant I did that, I felt his other hand feel my face.

Eyes still closed, I nudged my head over to wear I could feel the warmth of his chest of my head. And his heartbeat sullenly thump rhythmically, then speed up quickly when my head made contact.

Then I felt his arms wrap around me in a hug-like position and I finally drifted back off.

Not a care in the world.

* * * --- * * *

I rolled over and made some weird yawn noise. I expected to open my eyes to Iggy sleeping as soundly next to me as beautiful as ever, but as it always does, reality failed to meet up to my expectations.

"I don't know who this James Griffiths or whatever, but you were screaming his name a-something serious this afternoon." I heard Gunther's voice announce to me as I opened my eyes to Gunther's Toyota Camry moving at a swift pace into my neighborhood.

James Griffiths?

Oh…

Iggy.

James.

Iggy.

James.

Well I guess we both get the picture.

"Oh… James Griffiths…" I said.

"Was that the decent guy who you were talkin' to the day before yesterday? And the day before that?"

"Yeah." I said, thinking about him. "Where is he?" I asked kinda bluntly.

"Not here, obviously. He dropped you off at the Break Room, said that he'd figured I knew where you lived said he was afraid he'd get you hurt again and stared at you for a minute, looked awkwardly at me then left. I was about to say something, but when I'd turned back around he'd gone. Super fast. It was strange. Anyway, got you something. Look in the back."

Tiredly, I turned to the back and was shocked back to life at the sight of my skateboard and guitar.

"Gunther! Thank you so, so, so much! I can't believe they survived!" "Yeah, I came back at and saw some fool trying to run out with your guitar."

I reminisced the fight and cringed slightly, staring down at my wrist.

The one that had been cut.

It was covered in bandages and gauze.

"Well your almost home, I'll back up for you. You've been gone nearly to days."

I froze.

I felt my pupils get smaller.

"oh no." I whispered.

"Duncan! I forgot about-" I quickly whipped out my phone.

"Silent!" I shouted.

Eighteen missed calls.

Nine new voice messages.

Twenty new texts.

"No, no, no, no, no-" I repeated doggedly. Flipping through the texts.

"I'm screwed." I concluded, slamming my phone in a cup holder.

"I'm so screwed. So officially screwed. Screwed forever. For. Ever."

I said, clenching my eyes shut.

When we arrived at my place there was my aunt's car in the driveway.

"Like I said. Totally screwed." I mumbled. I stared at the doctored cut and shivered.

As soon as Gunther parked the car, I hopped out.

I ran straight through the unlocked, wide open door.

"Yes. I'm positive she went to go work her shift at that coffee house Br-" I heard Duncan say.

I ran right at him and jumped on my brother. "DUNCAN!" I cried out.

"Oh my God! Sydney! What the hell!?" He shouted, hugging me tightly back.

He let me go and I explained. "I was performing and then there was this blackout and next thing I know some person grabbed me and threatened me, saying they wanted my friend, Iggy, and next thing I know I've been cut and I'm fighting for my life against these people!" I spit out quickly. Raising my wrist for proof.

"Oh my-" He started, pulling me back into a hug.

"Wait where's aunt Rhonda?" I asked, my eyes beginning to get wet.

"Out looking for you." He said pulling out his phone and pushing buttons.

"Why didn't you answer me!?" He shouted.

"I had my phone on silent. Honest mistake!"

"But where were you for all of yesterday!?"

"After Iggy and I escaped the people I'm guessing he took me to where he and his family lived and he let me stay there. Don't be mad! He didn't know where I lived!" I explained, praying the hard cold, rock-like stare in his eyes would fade out.

It didn't.

"His family even doctored me! You see? Be grateful he was there or God knows what would've happened!" I reasoned.

Though the look in his eyes didn't fade, he said. "Fine, but I want your phone on vibrate or loud all the time and be careful when your with this guy. I'm starting to have second opinions on him, but I am thankful he took care of you."

I hugged him again and avoided his hard stare.

Gunther came in and started vouching for me, but by then Dunk was already mostly convinced and I just took my skateboard out of his hands and thanked him for the ride the left for my room.

I wasn't tired at all, considering I'd pretty much slept all day. So I put my guitar in it's stand and kicked my skateboard over to my desk. I turned to my TV and popped in my favorite movie into the DVD player, Moulin Rouge and turned it on.

I went over everything that happened in the past two days and pushed it out of my head.

Out of mind…

Out of mind…

As the movie played from where I'd left off last time I'd watched it, I laid down on my unmade bed, I thought about Iggy everything he was and wondering about the feeling that was bouncing around in my stomach every time I saw him or thought about him.

I stood up and pushed all of my junk off my desk.

I wrote it down over and over again. Everything I felt. Everything I thought about.

Everything.

Over and over and over and over and over.

And just picture a lot more "and overs."

Then I heard a song begin to play from Moulin Rouge. It was Come What May, one of the best songs in the movie.

"Never knew I could feel like this. Like I've never seen the sky before."

I listened to the song intensely as I suddenly wanted to slap myself for my stupidity.

"And there's no mountain too high, no river too wide. Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side. Storm clouds may gather and stars my collide, but I love you"

"I love you."

Love.

Holy crap.

I love him.

You would have thought I could have figured that out sooner.

I love him.

I began to quickly read through all of the notes full with my thoughts and feelings.

"I love Iggy." I spoke to myself, in particular.

I then heard a noise coming from my window, sounded like something was moving a tree branch. I jerked my head to the window and approached it. I opened my window, but when I looked around, there was nothing there.

Except an albatross looking feather, caught between to twigs nearest my window.