Disclaimer: All original characters from the House of Night books belong to P.C and Kristin Cast but the storyline and new characters belong to myself.

My Version of Burned
Chapter 5
Stark's POV

"You have to eat something, Warrior." Darius ordered, holding a tray out in front of him with what smelt like chicken soup on it. And a glass of wine and blood of course.

I ignored him as I had been for the past three days. I meant what I said about dying a happy man as long as I was holding my Zoey and by the looks of things, it was going to happen.

"I'm sorry." Darius apologized for goddess knows what. It wasn't his fault that Kalona was a messed up ugly bird creature who ruined my, and Zoey's, life.

He left the room quietly and shut the door behind him. I could faintly make out him and Aphrodite fighting over something. Something which sounded like my health. Aphrodite didn't want to give up on me but Darius knew it was too late. I couldn't go on without Zoey and he understood how that felt.

Time passed, people came, but nothing changed.

I don't know how long it must have been; hours, weeks, months- it was a surprise that I was still breathing all the same.

For the first time in a while, I started to feel something deep inside of me. Not something good, but something, which was a difference from the usual as I had been feeling completely emotionless since the day.

Tiredness. That's what the feeling was. An urge to close my eyes, go to sleep and never wake up. It seemed like the best option; better than being alive any longer on this planet.

Squeezing my Queen one last time, I closed my eyes and plummeted into a undisturbed sleep...

~,*-^MVOB^-*,~

"Stark! Stark, wake up!"

Cool, soft hands on my face.

Warm breathing down my neck.

Split hair ends tickled my shoulders.

The scent of blood filled the air as I heard blade meet skin.

"Drink." She whispered, pressing her wrist to my mouth.

Automatically, I latched onto the broken skin and started sucking. I could hear faint moaning in the background and kisses being placed down my neck but all I could think about was that heated, liquid blood running down my throat.

Soon after I started, I heard the voice.

Stark.

That's right, drink. Get better.

It's all going to be okay, I'm here; I'm back.

I stopped.

"I'm back." The voice was clearer now but I didn't want to open my eyes. I couldn't open my eyes and realise I dreamt it all.

"Stark, open your eyes. It's me."

Zoey.

"Zoey?" My voice was weak and raspy.

"Open those beautiful brown eyes for me, my Warrior, I opened mine for you."

She was here.

"My Zoey." I whispered, screwing my eyes up tightly before opening them.

Perfection.

"You're here." I sobbed, roughly grabbing her face and connecting my lips with hers.

It didn't matter that I was being rough with her and we both had almost died. She was here. My Zoey was here with me and we were both okay.

She responded as I thought she would by locking her arms around my neck and deepening the kiss.

"I'm here, I'll never leave you again." I stiffened at her words.

I had left her.

"Stark?" She shook me gently, worry in his eyes, "What's wrong?"

"I left you." I repeated my thoughts. Zoey looked confused.

"What do you mean? You didn't leave me..." It hurt me that she didn't understand and I had to spell it out for her.

"Before Heath died, I...left you," I gritted my teeth and leant away from her grasp, "I should never have left you, I was being selfish. I'm sorry."

Climbing out of the bed, I walked towards the door to leave.

"Stark?" She sounded scared, I could feel that she didn't want me to leave. But I had to.

"Where are you going? It wasn't your fault, Stark! Please, come back!"

I quickly looked back at her and saw pure innocence in her dark eyes.

It made me angrier than upset.

Why wouldn't she just admit that it was my fault instead of putting me through this misery? I deserved to be punished so why wouldn't she let me leave?

Zoey obviously saw my anger, guilt, because she started to get up and run towards me.

Only she didn't.

Because as soon as she had gotten to her two feet, she had collapsed quickly to the floor.

But I still didn't move.

I don't know why I didn't move because I knew that I wouldn't leave her there.

She was my Zoey.

I stared at her in pain, tears beginning to fill my eyes once again.

As I suspected, she was staring right back at me, her eyes starting to overflow with clear, glass tears.

I felt her sadness deep within me and couldn't take it anymore.

Running quickly towards her, the tears which had been threatening to fall finally flowed down my face.

I wasn't selfless enough to leave her: I needed her.

I loved her.

Kneeling down besides her collapsed body, I pulled her onto my lap.

"Oh, Zoey, Zoey, Zoey!" I cried into her soft, dark hair.

Zoey clung to me like only a mother could cling to her newborn baby. Both of her arms wound around my waist and clutched me like she was afraid I would disappear.

"I've already lost Heath, I can't lose you too!" She sobbed into my chest for goddess knows how long.

Once again, it could have been seconds, minutes or maybe even hours.

Hearing all the commotion, Damien, the twins, Aphrodite and Darius came bursting through the door towards us.

"Zoey!" The twins squealed together.

"Z! You're alive!" Damien shouted over the twins' screaming.

"I told you it would all work out!" Aphrodite smiled triumphantly at Darius and he just nodded in agreement before pulling her into his arms.

Ignoring the fact that I was holding her myself, Damien and the twins ran to my Zoey and pulled her out of my arms.

"Oh Zoey! We're so glad you're alive..." Shaunee started.

"...We don't know what we would have done without you!" Erin finished, smiling broadly.

For the first time in days, I felt complete. I felt like everything we going to be okay.

I didn't know whether Zoey wanted to see that everyone was happy with her being alive but what I did know was that she was very stressed and just wanted to be alone.

Wait, not alone...with me?

I loved her.

Smiling Zoey's favourite cocky smile at her, she smiled back sweetly in return, knowing that I knew she wanted to have some Stark-and-Zoey alone time.

"Um, Darius?" Zoey whimpered in a totally fake ill voice. It made me want to laugh so hard that I had to fake cough to cover it up when she turned around and gave me the stink eye.

"Yes, Priestess?" He responded, ignoring my cough and surprisingly not noticing her faked exclamation.

"I feel quite faint so could you all just leave Stark and I alone to rest, please?"

I was 100% sure that by now everyone had realised she was faking, especially since they all stifled laughs quietly. All the same, Darius agreed that she needed some rest therefore left Zoey and I alone and walked off with Aphrodite, Damien and the twins following rapidly behind.

Before I could repeat my thoughts from earlier about my loving Zoey, she had crashed her pale lips into mine and wound her arms around my neck, pulling me closer and closer.

I smiled into the kiss and then playfully picked her up bridal style, unfortunately breaking the kiss, and went to lay her back on the bed.

Zoey's bottom lip jutted out and she whined.

"Evil." She started pouting – cutely, might I add.

I chucked at her, not mockingly, but in a way which showed my adoration for her. In a way which basically said: awrh, I love you so much and you know what? I want to be with you for the rest of my life.

Cheesy but true, my friends.

"What's the matter m'lady?" I winked at Zoey, making her giggle for a second before she went back to pouting.

"You don't love me; you broke the kiss. You are mean." She scowled at me but I knew she didn't mean it.

"You're right! I'm so sorry Priestess, let me make it up to you." I murmured, laying down next to her and leaning in.

"Um, okay!" She said happily, putting her arms around my neck and kissing me quickly.

It was so hard to think that only ten minutes ago, I thought that I was going to die. I thought that my life wasn't worth living if the only person I loved was dead. But she wasn't dead. My true love wasn't dead and I couldn't be more happy about it.

She might actually love me back.

I pondered the thought happily.

After about half an hour, we both fell asleep in each others arms. But what happened before that, you ask?

"I love you, James Stark."

"I love you more, Zoey Redbird."


A/N: Yay, anyone? I know a load of you said that I should have made Stark upset for longer and that's what I was originally going to do but it was so happy when they got back together!:') Let me know your thoughts? And thank you to all of you who're supporting me through this.


Favourite line? /lydia xox