Alright, we have another update! There will be another chapter after this because I'm feeling so generous. By the way, for those of you that don't know, the eye of a hurricane is the calm part of the storm before trouble strikes.

Eye of the Hurricane

After stepping out of a steaming hot late night shower, I stare at my reflection in the mirror.

My jaw length silver hair was curled inwards slightly and dripped at a constant rate with water droplets that fell on my bare shoulders. My skin was slightly bronzed, but looked more dark and husky than goldenly tanned. I guess I had good muscles, but honestly; I don't pay much attention to that.

Slowly my hand reached up to brush across my jaw. There was slight stubble growing there, and for the first time ever I contemplate growing a beard. I wonder what Chelsea would think.

Absently I slip on my black silk boxers as I think about it. Only this afternoon Chelsea had found her house in ruins. This morning we were eating breakfast together in her house. And it was only about twenty-four hours ago that Chelsea and I finally became a couple.

I was quite ready to hit the hay. I was exhausted; I couldn't even imagine what Chelsea felt. Just the thought of her in pain makes something wild rise up and try to possess me until I exacted revenge. Fortunately, I could control it. Sometimes.

I wander to my room and hear Julia's soft snore from down the hall. A slight smile tugs at my lips; I loved my cousin, she may act like crazy hot chick, but she was really sweet.

A look at the clock shows the time of nearly eleven at night. Dimly I can hear Mirabelle's pen scratching away on paper in her room. At the opposite end of the hall I can hear Skye's soft moans. He was probably having another dream about a girl. I scowl at the thought that it might be Chelsea. Sadly I note that I can't hear Chelsea at all. I quickly slip into my room to get away from the noises of the night.

My room is pitch dark besides the small ray of moonlight that streamed in through the window. As I walk to my bed, I notice something at my desk.

I approach cautiously, but shake my head and laugh softly when I see who it is. Chelsea had fallen asleep on my desk. She must have been waiting for me or something.

Gently I tuck my arms under the crevice of her legs and behind her back. Then I lift her light body and carry her to my bed with ease.

I place her down on the bed tenderly, not wanting to hurt her. She was dressed once again in those ridiculous lacy pajamas. But it made my heart race all the same.

The shorts were mid thigh and had at least two finger spaces of space between the cloth and her skin. Her breathing was even and steady, her chest rising in pace with it. Lace adorned the top of the shirt near her breasts and would shift slightly every time she breathed. Her shirt rose a little above her waist; showing just enough skin to make my mouth dry up more than the desert sun.

Roughly I shake my head as I pull a blanket over her. She smiles in her sleep and clutches the blanket over her. I smile too. It was wrong to imagine taking her, especially if she was asleep. But I am a guy, and it's these moments that do me in. The moments where she looks so helpless and innocent, I just wanted to kiss her and make the world a better place just for her.

I sit down at my desk, taking her place. It was funny how much Chelsea had changed me. I was feeling emotions I hadn't felt in years, and they were stronger; and they felt so right. Amid the desire and passion for her I felt, there was this odd calm and sense of rightness that would fall over me around her. While I may not be talking as much to other people, she made me show way more emotion than I was used to.

I wonder what my mother would have thought of Chelsea. Without a doubt I knew that she would love her, just like I do. But what about my father? What would he think about the mistake he thought he made now? If we ever got married, would he have walked her down the aisle in replace of her own father?

Gently I sigh as I wrap a blanket around myself. How badly I wish that at least one of them was still alive. But I knew that would never happen. I went to my own mother's funeral, which I could have stopped if only I hadn't made her go back for that stupid toy. And the police said that Dad had been burned alive in the car crash; no remaining trace of him.

A tear leaks out of my eye and I quickly brush it away. Now was no time for mourning. Sleep came first and maybe eventually I'll get this sorrow out of my system. Maybe. Probably never, but Chelsea was making me a more hopeful person.

My eyes fall shut of their own accord and I drift off to sleep among thoughts of my parents.

I jolt awake, my breath uneven and my heart beat erratic. Sweat was dripping down my face and I felt like I had just run a marathon. But for the first time ever, I can't remember what my nightmare was about.

My brow creases. Was that a good sign or a bad sign? I take a deep breath in as I try to calm myself down. Glancing quickly around the room, I notice something that only makes my heart race faster with fear.

Chelsea was gone.

I'm up and out of my seat faster than I knew I could move. I yank my door open and begin to furiously search the house.

Just as I'm practically running into the kitchen, I ram straight into another person and we're both sent sprawling. I hear a plastic cup hit the floor with a thud along with a sound like spilt liquid. Thankfully, no one screamed.

"Vaughn?" The shocked whisper comes from in front of me and I sigh in relief at the familiar voice.

"Chelsea." I breathe out thankfully.

"Yes?" She asks me, confused. "What's wrong?"

I wasn't going to tell her that I thought Will might have kidnapped her. It was a really out of character thing for him to do, but after destroying Chelsea's house I wouldn't put anything past that guy.

Instead I reach forward to cup her cheeks in both my hands, and then I kiss her passionately on the lips. She seems surprised, but kisses back with enthusiasm. Soon both our mouths are demanding and we're breathing heavily.

I break off and lean my forehead against hers, breathing out of my mouth. Even though it's dark I can see her smile.

"Not that I don't appreciate that," She starts, her breathing ragged. "But are you okay?"

I nod my forehead against hers as I intertwine my hand and hers. "I am now."

I can feel her blushing and I squeeze her hand a bit. "What were you doing up?" I ask her softly.

She blushes again. "You were having a nightmare again, so I went to get a wet cloth and some milk." Chelsea shrugs and looks down at her pajamas, now covered in milk.

"Maybe that wasn't the wisest idea ever." She gives me a slight smile. "I don't have any other pajamas."

I stare at her for a minute, not comprehending what she was saying. She blushes and bows her head a bit. Quickly I glance away. Mostly because that movement had caused me to look straight down her shirt.

Instinctively, I rise to my feet and walk to the opposite end of the room. Panic was making my heart pound and the horror/exhilaration of what just happened was making my head spin.

Chelsea mops up the milk on the floor with the wet cloth. I stand and watch her, my heart still pounding.

Afterwards she stands and dumps the cloth in the sink. Then she begins to walk by me and I grab her wrist gently.

"You can wear one of my shirts to bed." The words come out of my mouth so softly; I doubt that I even said them.

Chelsea smiles though. "I'd love that." Then she takes my hand and we walk back to my room.

I toss her one of my black shirts. She smirks as she catches it in the air.

"Turn around." She tells me and I raise my eyebrow. Chelsea chuckles. "I don't want you seeing me naked. Turn around, please."

My eyes widen but I quickly turn around and then shut my eyes closed tightly. I could hear the sound of clothing hitting the floor and I felt sure that she could hear my pulse that seemed to be beating louder than a shotgun.

Suddenly something soft brushes my lips in a tender but firm kiss. I open my eyes to see Chelsea smiling up at me with my shirt on her.

If I even had my breath from my panic attack earlier, I would have lost it again that second. She looked really good in my shirt.

She blushes. "Your shirt is really comfy. It smells like you." She admits the last part softly.

I wrap my arms around her. "You're welcome to have it." I whisper to her. "You look good in my shirt."

Now we're both blushing even as we stand there awkwardly. Me in my black silk boxers and her in my black shirt.

After a bit, I let go and now we're really standing there awkwardly.

"So..." Chelsea starts.

"So..." I repeat.

"W-we should go to bed." Chelsea grimaces and nods her head.

"We should." I agree as I nod my head along with her. So I turn and climb into my bed, facing the wall.

Then someone slides in beside me and wraps their arm around my waist. I turn around to look into Chelsea's big blue eyes. She blushes. "I don't want you having a nightmare again."

I wrap my arms around her too, grateful. She would probably never know how much I loved that she wanted to sleep by me. How much I loved the feel of her skin against mine.

So I try to show her. I lean down to kiss her softly on the lips but she responds eagerly and my body kicks it up a notch. Out lips move furiously against each other and she presses herself tightly against me. A low moan comes from the back of my throat and seems to egg her on. I don't think I was in control anymore; but I don't think I cared.

Suddenly she's on top of me. My hands are around her waist as she presses against me, holding me tight. Her lips break off of mine and we gaze into each others eyes through our raged breathing.

Then her eyes gleam and she flashes me a mischievous smile. Slowly, she leans down and kisses me softly on my jaw. She trails the long, lingering kisses across my jaw and down my neck. My chest is heaving violently, but she seems to love it. Her hands delicately trace the muscles in my stomach and then on my chest. Then her lips trail back to my mouth where she kisses me full on the mouth.

A groan from me comes out against her pressed lips. I knew I was turned on; I probably had been for a while now. If she knew, she wasn't telling me. Instead she presses even more tightly against me and I open my mouth in another low moan. She slips her tongue into my open mouth at that, and I return the favor eagerly.

Then her hands are on mine. Her skin feels deliciously cool to me and I sigh. I begin to slow the kiss down, needing my breathing to be more normal. Only then do I realize that Chelsea had been sliding my hands down towards her butt.

I freeze. My eyes snap open and I break off our kiss to practically jump off the bed.

My eyes are wide as I stare at Chelsea, but I'm not really seeing her. I'm remembering, once again, the horrid night where everything went wrong. Sabrina had let me touch her like that on that night, and my heart was broken. I couldn't do that again.

"Vaughn?" Chelsea whispers as she walks up to me slowly. "I-I'm s-sorry, if I did something w-wrong."

I shake my head. No, I loved it when she couldn't keep her hands off me. It made me remember that she never wanted anyone but me. Plus, it felt so good to be touched by her.

"What's wrong then?" She asks me softly as she places her hand on my arm.

"I'm scared." I tell her truthfully. That was it pretty much. I was scared that if I became too happy again, that my world would crumble beneath me again.

Chelsea smiles though. "We can go slow. I'm sorry I was going fast. I j-just got a little excited." She leans up to kiss me gently on the cheek.

Then she smiles and grabs my hand. "Come on. I know how to make you feel better."

Chelsea guides me to the back room with all the animals. She smiles back at me as we head into the sheep pen. All the sheep were sleeping and she pulled me down next to them.

Then she lies down on one of the sheep and closes her eyes. "Come on. Lie down on any one of them. They're very comfy." She mutters the last part as she sighs in content.

So I lie down next to her. She was right, the sheep was comfy. Her eyes flutter open. "You did say to lie down on any one of them." I whisper to her.

Chelsea blushes and snuggles closer to me. I wrap my arm around her and fall asleep to the steady breathing and heartbeat of the sheep and Chelsea.

For the rest of the week, I work extra hard to earn more money. I was going to need it for the surprise present I planned to get Chelsea for her birthday.

True to his word (an odd thing for a thief), Skye stayed away from Chelsea though he did hit on her maybe once or twice a day. I was always there to growl at him when he did.

Chelsea's home wasn't fixed yet, but Gannon assured me that it would be finished shortly after I left. All her animals were still well cared for by Chelsea, and Stark followed at her side loyally.

We didn't spend much time together, as I was trying to make money for the surprise present I would give her; but when we saw each other in passing, she would blush and smile at me. I would offer her a timid smile as well as a nod of my hat.

Will still hadn't been found yet and it worried me that he would try something while I was off the Island. Natalie assured me that she would keep an eye out on Chelsea for me, so I felt a bit better. Though I had to admit that going to the city was starting to become a hassle.

Late at night before I leave back to the city, I head to Chen's shop for one last minute job for Mirabelle. I enter the shop and head over to the main desk.

"Chen." I nod to him. "Package for you from Mirabelle."

Chen smiles. "Thank you Vaughn." He takes the package from me and pays me in cash; something I appreciate greatly. I was a little more than half way to my goal.

I begin to walk out of the shop as Chen walks into the back, but then I catch sight of someone.

Elliot is standing by the far wall of the shop, next to the wall with the blue feathers. He's muttering to himself and counting on his fingers.

I walk up to him and tap him once on the shoulder. He jumps about a foot in the air and gives me a look that reminds me of a deer trapped in headlights.

"V-Vaughn!" Elliot stammers out, his face darkening in embarrassment. "Wh-what are y-you d-doing here?"

I raise my eyebrows. "I was delivering a package to Chen. The better question would be, what are you doing here?"

Elliot sighs. "We've become pretty good friends, right Vaughn?"

I nod. Since Elliot was around Julia so much, I couldn't help but start to become more comfortable with him. Chelsea was defiantly making it easier for me to be friendly.

"What do you think of Julia and m-me?" He asks nervously.

I snort. "You're so sickeningly good for each other, I want to hurl every time I see you together."

Elliot pauses. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"It was."

He nods and looks back to the blue feathers. "I'm going to ask her to marry me."

I don't think I heard right. "Sorry, could you repeat that?"

He turns to look at me, his eyes bright. "I'm having dinner with Mirabelle and Julia on the Starry Night Festival and I'm going to ask her to marry me then:"

I chuckle. "Well be prepared for an audience then, because Skye, Chelsea and I are all eating with you too."

His eyes widen and he swallows. "I'm still going to do it."

I nod. Elliot swallows and looks at me again. "Vaughn, if she says yes...will you be my best man?"

I'm shocked. "You want me to be your best man?"

He nods eagerly. "You're the closet guy I know on this Island; besides Denny who I'm also going to ask. Please Vaughn?"

"Uh, sure." I manage a small smile under my hat. "And don't worry, she'll say yes."

Elliot seems relieved. "I'm going to wait until the day before the festival to buy the feather. Thanks Vaughn." He smiles and leaves the shop.

I smile to myself as I begin to head down to the beach to wait for the boat. The Starry Night Festival would sure turn out to be interesting alright.