A.N. Hope you like this chapter and I will be doing the other story as a side project so read and review!

Love you guys xx

Chapter 9

Mum stepped into the room quietly and assessed the scene.

She stepped quietly into the room to see me pretending to be fast asleep curled up under the covers. At the end of the bed Jake, who was as good as a son to Mum and Saul and a brother to my brothers and a jerk to me ever since Zed had met him in middle school, was sat quietly on the end of the bed playing music from my phone to help me sleep. He really was sweet sometimes when it came to looking after me. But what the hell was the kiss all about?!

He looked up to see her standing there watching him happily.

'Karla! You made me jump a bit!' he stage whispered jumping off the bed in shock whilst trying not to wake her up. 'I…um…I was only sat on the bed.' He stuttered

'It's fine Jake I trust you two not to get up to anything.' She extended her loving arms 'Do I get hug?'

'Of course Karla.' He visibly relaxed folding in to the hug. He pulled out of the hug and gathered up his stuff to go home.

'You can always stay here tonight if you want Jake.' She offered standing in the door way watching. Mum was always offering if people wanted to stay over as if it was her sworn duty to ask or something. Typical Karla

'It's okay thank you Karla my parents will want to know where I've been.'

Mum nodded in understanding and left him to it after kissing me goodnight on the temple. 'Buenas noches mi pequeña nina.' She whispered which translated as goodnight my little girl which I normally replied with 'No soy poco que soy apenas más pequeño de lo que.' Meaning 'I am not little I am just smaller than you.'

Mum had a huge dose of Mexican heritage along with her family of 9 meaning she had 6 siblings making special occasions a very big deal in our family with the same on Dad's side.

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The next day was a blur of family, Costa, hospital and Jake. I wasn't sure where we stood now after last night. He had kissed me. The player, man-whore of the school had kissed me and now I had no idea what to do. Brushing my hair up into a messy ponytail; I was sat in the hospital waiting room adamant that I won't go in to Zed's room until he tells ME he's sorry. Emotions bubbling back near the surface I walked off quickly to the coffee shop across the road. The bell rang as the smell of coffee and the bakery hit my nose. A roughly twenty-six year old girl came and asked for my order.

'Could I have a hot chocolate and two slices of brownie please?'

'It'll be a couple minutes okay miss?' she looked at me whilst processing the money through the till with earnest eyes making her look sweet and about eight.

I nodded and whilst I was waiting up at the counter a man came in and ordered an expresso; he was standing way too close to me. I took a gingerly taken step backwards and he again paced confidently towards me. This continued until I was backed right up against the wall and the pile of filth was playing with my hair.

'Don't touch me.' I whispered but he only smirked and continued to weave his web of discomfort around me as my heart rate quickened when the memories came back swamping me in milliseconds.

By this point I was seething 'I said don't touch me.' My Gritted teeth wall projected the sound in my head.

'And what if I don't want to?' the man grinning at me with breath laced with alcohol.

I was hyperventilating at this point with tears threatening to break into a slalom down my face leaving tracks with the flair of a professional skier.

Out of the blue the man was ripped sharply away from me and was punched down onto the floor. And someone else, a man's voice, shouted again and again down at him. But I just shook. Everything just hit the gears right back down into slow motion I couldn't get the images of my father and those Sundays out of my head. My arms were wrapped around myself as I sank down to the floor.

'Shh.' It was Jake. 'Shh it's okay Angel.' I slumped into his arms has he picked me up bridal style and carried me to the closest booth whilst I just clang on to my life line. He peppered light kisses all over my face and neck; maybe he really did care about me after all. The kind waitress put my order on the table with a knowing look after banishing the laughing man out the café but not before threatening him not to come ever in his lifetime.

'How did..?' I stuttered out between mild sobs but Jake just rocked me back and forth. Maybe this meant we were now together? I wasn't sure of anything now apart from the sight of Zed storming in still in his hospital gown

'Ziva!' Zed shouted running over to me with Xav and Yves hot on his tail.

'Zed! Zed stop!' They were shouting until they saw poor old tear stricken me sat 'We will…uh…be outside.' They looked like they would rather stay but knew better than to do it.

'Ziva its fine he's gone, remember? You're safe.' He whispered pulling me out of Jake's arms into his chest. But I wasn't ready Jake hadn't finished properly calming me down. My heart rate soared way back up sky high; I was beginning to hyperventilate again. There was shouting but that was way above my head I was slipping. Slipping into a deep black hole.

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I woke up in someone's arms being carried around white clinical maze of walls. A hospital. I changed my head position causing my carrier to stop and look down at me. It was Jake. He was always there to clean up after my mistakes, carry me around everywhere. I was sick of it. I broke out of his hold landing in the attack position I had grown to know oh so well.