Chapter 180: So Much to Live For

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Tina's aching heart would be on the mend.

"He just passed out!" Charles shouted. "It's faint but there's still a pulse," he stated, pressing two bloody fingers to Cedric's neck while his other hand remained over the gunshot wound. All that time spent secretly watching Grey's Anatomy reruns must have paid off. He was surprised at how calm he was handling the situation.

The Hizuri girl was on her phone with emergency services, repeating what Charles just said and answering whatever questions they asked. She found out that emergency vehicles were already dispatched to their location with a six-minute estimated time of arrival.

"Martin, go find help and lead them here," he ordered his sniveling friend. He didn't know if Cedric could last six minutes. It was shocking that this was the same man that had courageously held his own in prison for all those years. The guy at least got up and ran in the opposite direction of Leo and the twins. Hopefully, he was truly going for help and not saving his own ass.

"Ren," the Hizuri girl cried out to the dazed Japanese man kneeling beside them.

Charles didn't know what their relationship was to Cedric but they had tried to help, which made them good people in his book. It was insane how the dude took on the twins alone and won. He had been too distracted by his fight with Martin to pay much attention to the others, but what he glimpsed of Ren's skills left him gawking. The guy had the technique to kick some major ass. If that rat bastard didn't have a gun, he probably could have taken them all out. Like that guy did us all those years ago.

He watched from the corner of his eye as Ren shook himself out of his stupor and pulled off his jacket.

"Press this against the wound," he said, holding the garment out to Charles before standing.

"Thanks!" He bundled the jacket and pushed it against the growing red spot on Cedric's left side. If they didn't get him to a hospital soon, he might just bleed to death.

The sound of grunting caught his attention. He kept his hands on the wound and watched the Japanese man try to pry the door handle free. It took him propping his foot against the door to finally get it to budge. Ren ended up kicking on it repeatedly until the metal finally fell to the floor with a clang.

Just as he wrenched the hotel doors open and disappeared inside, Martin finally arrived with the cavalry, or at least that's what he was calling the four security guards, hotel staff, Kuu Hizuri, and Eltra Duris. Martin directed the staff and security in the direction the bad guys fled while Kuu hung back, alert, and ready to spring into action.

"Ceddy," Eltra sobbed, dropping to his knees and cupping his grandson's face. "Ceddy, please. You can't go like this. You have so much to live for, my boy."

Tears blurred Charles's eyes as Eltra broke down in front of him. He had been holding it together so well too. Maybe he was a sympathetic crier or maybe he knew they were going to lose him.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Duris," Charles's voice trembled. Eltra turned and gazed at Charles. The old man's eyes shifted down to his hands then refocused on his grandson's face.

A minute later, the hotel door burst open with Ren carrying a stack of linen and a woman dressed in a shiny gown claiming to be a doctor.

"I need room," she ordered. "Everyone get out of the way. Except you, my dear," she insisted, speaking sweetly to the Hizuri girl. "Keep doing what you're doing."

"Come on, Eltra," Kuu put his hand on the old man's shoulder and squeezed. "Let her save him."

Charles stepped back but hovered over the woman to observe what she was doing. She gripped the two halves of what was left of Cedric's dress shirt and ripped. A flying button nearly got him in the eye.

"Ren," she snapped at the Japanese man. He dutifully handed her a cloth without her elaborating. Charles cocked his head when he noticed blood on the clean material. Is he hurt?

She used the cloth napkin to wipe some of the blood away from Cedric's skin. Every time she swiped, fresh blood sprang from the small dark hole marring his lightly tanned skin.

"Help me turn him over," she instructed, looking at Charles and Kuu. The doctor pressed a new rag against the hole while they slowly turned him on his side. She pushed Cedric's shirt out of the way while she inspected his back.

Charles knew she was looking for an exit wound. The blood coating his back was enough sign that the bullet had passed through. Ren held out another napkin to her before she even had to ask. The doctor used the cloth to wipe the blood away there too. Charles was not prepared to see the larger hole and mangled flesh on his old friend's back. He gulped, trying to keep the contents of his stomach down.

"What do you think, doc?" Kuu asked.

"He's losing a lot of blood. We can only apply pressure and pray the ambulance gets here soon."

Kuu nodded. "Kyoko, honey, switch with Eltra."

"Okay," she nodded, teary-eyed. She carefully held Cedric's head up while she slipped her knees out of the way. Eltra assumed a similar position so his grandson's head could rest on his knees.

"Come here, baby," Ren called gently, holding his arms open for her.

Charles caught Martin staring at them with a look of longing. He couldn't understand his friend's infatuation with her. When he had told him about the girl he saw at the fashion show, Charles dismissed her as one of Martin's typical models he tried to snag. If his friend wanted to live, he needed to forget the little crush he had on her. Didn't he see how Ren had easily pinned that meathead to the wall? Plus, even with her dirty dress and botched makeup, Charles knew she was way out of his league on an astronomical level.

The cops showed up first. Charles and Martin didn't even put up a fuss when they were shoved against the wall, handcuffed, and tossed in the back of separate squad cars. By now they had drawn a large audience. The emergency vehicles had alerted the paparazzi camping outside to the disturbance going on in the back of the ritzy hotel. He watched as the EMTs rushed to Cedric's side with a gurney and began working on him. A female EMT had climbed on top of Cedric, kneeling above him while pumping oxygen into his lungs while they wheeled him out of view. It was a total Grey move or was it, Yang?

When the ambulance sped off, Charles rested his head back on the uncomfortable seat rest and closed his eyes to contemplate his future. He was so fucked. A single tear slipped down his cheek as he thought about leaving his mother and sister again. This was on him. He should have known that nothing good ever came out of getting involved with Cedric D. Bennett. Karma was still an evil bitch.

It had been approximately two months since he last found himself sitting on this stage. The bright lights were just as harsh as he remembered; their heat contributing to the fresh layer of sweat coating his body. Throw in slamming with a pair of sticks for over an hour and it gets his heart pumping. The crowd was wild tonight. Their energy infectious as he rolled on the snare and slammed on his cymbal. The pedal on his right foot sent mighty vibrations across the stage as he stomped on it with precise timing.

He stole a glance, stage-right, for the millionth time since the set started, hoping to catch a glimpse of his angel watching him. He reminded himself that it wasn't a big deal if she didn't show. It was a last-minute invite and she already had a prior engagement. The initial plan was always to meet after the gig with a small hope of her showing up early to see him play. Her last text after a series of ridiculously sexy photos in her costume read: I'll try to sneak away early so I can watch.

He refocused on the music, banging harsher than usual. He preferred to use his set for shows when he was asked to fill in on such short notice. He found it easier for him to deliver a convincing performance when he was comfortable with the instrument. His ear for music had earned him a sort of reputation as the go-to guy when a band was hard up for a replacement drummer in the area. All he needed to do was hear a song a couple of times before he was able to mimic the sound and add some personal flair. It was how he prepared for this gig and every one before it. When he wasn't overseeing the bar, he was rehearsing with Cody and his band for tonight. He thought it would be the perfect job to burn the pent-up energy he accumulated while giving her space. The exhibit was his breaking point and he was so glad he turned up unannounced. He wasn't sure what had changed her mind after he walked out of the gallery, but he was damn glad she did.

Just in case she was watching, he decided to finish strong. He stood up off his stool beating out the final notes on the snare drum while his left foot tapped on the pedal of the hi-hat. He was harder than usual on the drums tonight and brought his sticks down on the cymbal once, twice, thrice to end the long crescendo with the rest of the band.

The crowd roared with applause, howls, and cheers. He beamed at the audience and pumped his fist gripping his drumsticks into the air.

"Fuck yeah!" Cody shouted coming back and clapping him on the back with the neck of his guitar hitting him in his jubilation.

"Give it up for Damian, folks," Cody shouted into the mic while pulling him front and center of the stage. "Without him, tonight wouldn't have been possible."

The crowd got rowdy chanting his name and several pieces of lingerie came raining down on them. He shuddered and dodged each one thrown at him like a pro. With one last wave, the band rushed off the stage.

Damian scanned the crowd growing backstage, looking for the woman of his dreams. His search came up empty so he headed straight for the band's manager. Reporters, groupies, and the crew were everywhere all at once barring him from his destination. It was like the universe was working against him tonight to find her.

"Sorry, kid," the band manager, Ray, told him with a clap on his shoulder. He didn't have to explain as Damian's eyes fell on the unused backstage pass in his hand. He had asked him and security at the back door to keep an eye out for her and let her in if she showed up early.

"It's cool," he shrugged.

"You were fantastic out there," Ray complimented. "You did us a huge solid. Let me know if you ever want to get out of your small-time bar and on to the big stage. With talent like yours, it would be a piece of cake."

Damian chuckled, even though he should have been insulted. He knew Ray didn't mean anything by it.

"Hey, don't knock small-time bars. That's where a lot of greats are discovered. Your present clients are no exception." Cody and the band were becoming more popular, but they got their start in his bar.

"Touché!" Ray chuckled. "So, word on the internet is you had a pretty little songbird in your bar last night."

"Sorry, Ray, Kyoko is out of your league. If she was interested in signing, she would be pursued by the big boys. She's that good. I only got lucky last night since she's my girlfriend's close friend."

Ray laughed. "Can't fault a guy for trying."

"Hey, I gotta go. Can you make sure my baby gets back to the bar complete?" Damian pinned the manager with his eyes. There were a few occasions in the past where parts were misplaced during delivery making it a bitch to replace.

"I'll make sure it all gets there personally. Thanks again!" Damian shook Ray's hand and headed for the dressing room to grab his stuff— more importantly, his phone sitting in his leather jacket. He had to go through the gauntlet of scantily dressed women camping outside the room before he was able to get inside. With the help of security guarding the door, he managed to get by only feeling mildly violated.

"Christ!" He muttered as he shut the door on the mob, relieved to find the room free of female companionship. He did not miss that shit.

"Damian!" Cody cheered as soon as he entered the dressing room. "Let's celebrate, man! The world is your oyster. Booze, women, whatever you want, we owe you!" He began tossing a beer to each of his bandmates and threw one at Damian. He cracked open the can, tapped it against the others, and took a deep swig of the cold frothy substance.

"Thanks, but I got a hot date," he grinned broadly, putting down the unfinished can, and yanked off his t-shirt to swap it for a clean one. The guys whistled and cat-called at the sight of his broad shoulders and washboard abs making him laugh as he headed into the adjoining bathroom to wash his hands and face. He needed a shower but didn't want to waste another precious second when he could be spending it in her company. The desire to take a shower with her blind-sighted him and almost knocked him on his ass. Slow, dumbass! She needs slow! He reminded himself. He splashed more cold water on his face then shut off the tap, willing his noticeable bulge to settle down.

"Damn! I need to switch instruments." The band's bassist ogled his muscles when he came out. Playing the drums was a workout in itself, but he had to hit the gym to maintain this build. He rummaged through his duffle bag and pulled on a black Metallica t-shirt then dug through his jacket for his phone and turned it on. While he waited for the device to power up, he shrugged on his jacket and zipped up his bag. Tapping his pockets and glancing around the space, he made sure he had everything. The multiple notifications popping up on his phone caught his attention.

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath and rushed out of the room, ignoring the guys hollering after him with concern.

Not caring who he mowed down during his hasty departure, Damian took off at a neck-breaking speed towards the Beverly Wilshire. The woman he loved desperately needed him. He stomped on the pedal as he replayed the voicemail through the car's sound system.

He pulled up to the hotel in record time and tossed the keys to the valet without waiting for a ticket. The abundance of reporters and photographers hovering outside the hotel entrance was lost on him since he only had Tina on his mind. He knew the gala was reason enough for their appearance and dismissed their presence. Following directions, he found the concierge already waiting for him.

He had tried calling her on the drive over, and when she didn't answer, he called him. He refused to give him any answers over the phone except assuring him that she was physically "okay." The guy was stubborn and refused to budge no matter how Damian rephrased his questions. The nagging feeling that he and his girlfriend shared a strange connection was back. He had felt it last night in the gallery then last night and today at the bar. Christ, he hadn't felt this jealous even when his wife left him.

Come on! Damian's nerves were shot as he watched the numbers on the elevator slowly crawl up each floor until finally, it shuddered to a stop.

"It's down this way, sir," the concierge directed him down the left hallway. Judging by the swanky decor in the small corridor, Damian knew that one night in the Presidential suite had to equate to a years' worth of revenue at the bar. Who cares!

Damian pushed past the concierge and pressed the doorbell then impatiently moved to bang on the door. Mid-knock, his fist caught air as the door swung open. He frowned with confusion at the man standing before him.

Kuu Hizuri?

"Thanks, Miguel," the megastar said, addressing the concierge behind him.

"Let me know if you need anything else, Mr. Hizuri," Miguel answered while Kuu nodded.

"Please come in," the actor gestured, opening the door wider for him to enter.

It took Damian another moment to get over his shock and remember what he came here for in the first place. Not to be deterred by the presence of one of Hollywood's best in the most extravagant suite he'd ever seen in his life, Damian narrowed his eyes.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on? Where's Tina?" he bristled. He needed to see her for himself before he could settle down.

"She's not here," came the familiar timbre voice from behind. He spun on his heels and confronted Ren. The guy looked worse for wear— pale, shaken, worried— even though his damp hair told Damian that he was fresh out of the shower the guy didn't look refreshed.

"What the fuck do you mean?!" He shouted angrily, worried about Tina and tired of the runaround they were giving him. "You said she was here! That she needed me! What games are you playing?" Damian demanded, grabbing a fistful of the Japanese guy's shirt and getting in his personal space; their faces mere inches from each other. It irked him that he had to tilt his head up slightly to glare into the young actor's eyes.

Were they always green? He frowned.

"Son?" Kuu asked hesitantly. Damian's eyes shifted when he saw the older man standing with clenched fists ready to intervene. Ren shook his head, the gesture waving Kuu off. The older actor left, giving them room to talk.

When his eyes flicked back to hold the steady gaze of the young man in his grasp, Damian staggered back releasing his grip on Ren's shirt as realization dawned on him.

Son? Green eyes?

"You're Kuon?" Damian stammered unsure by the discovery.

Ren nodded grimly.

"Holy shit!" Damian raked his hands over his face and through his hair, gripping at the strands. He couldn't believe that all this time he had been conversing with the sullen teen that used to tag along with Rick and Tina all those years ago. The kid that went missing after Rick's death. The kid that had Tina step back into the bar that held so many memories of her deceased lover only once before last night after she got sober hoping to find a clue about him.

"Does Tina know?"

"She knows," Kuon answered, a moment of sadness crossing his face.

Maybe he finally told her the truth and that's why she's upset. I don't blame her for being pissed.

"Where is she? Why am I here?" He asked anxiously.

Kuon sighed. "I wanted you to know the truth about me. You make Tina happy and your help today showed me I can trust you. Right now, she's pissed at me and I figured you could...um," Kuon rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Damian was going to add "comfort her," but the gauze on the guy's palm and the bruised knuckles caught his attention. His eyes shifted to the other hand that was stuffed in his pocket.

"I see some things haven't changed." Damian nodded towards the bandaged hand. He remembered the kid getting into fights all the time when he was a teen. Regardless, it was such a dick thing for him to say, but given his appearance, could anybody blame him.

Kuon flinched at his words, but his response was steady. "Someone needed my help."

"I don't want to see Tina get hurt again." Damian leveled with him. He had heard enough about the incident between the news and friends to know the gist of what went down that night. He couldn't bring himself to ask Tina about it. He promised to listen when she was ready to talk.

"Then you and I want the same thing. She's in room 1008. My friend Yukihito is watching over her just in case she needs anything. I'll tell him to expect you."

"Thanks, Ren...uh, Kuon. It's good to see you again." He had so many questions, but he was never close enough to the kid back then to ask any of them.

"You too, Damian. Could I ask you to keep my identity a secret?"

"Your secret is safe with me. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to rescue my damsel during her distress."

"Thanks for coming, Damian," Kuon pulled open the hotel door to let him out.

"I'll try to put in a good word for you," he winked, making Kuon chuckle as he closed the door on him.

Damian only had one person on his mind as he rushed to the elevator and hit the button that would take him to her floor. He found the room and knocked on the door.

"You must be Damian," a friendly Japanese man greeted with a bow when he opened the door. "I'm Yukihito Yashiro. Please come inside."

Damian swept his eyes around the large swanky suite looking for Tina.

"She was still sleeping when I checked on her about ten minutes ago. I'll clean my stuff up and head out." He moved to the living room and gathered his papers and laptop on the coffee table.

"Thank you for watching over her," Damian, whispered. If she was sleeping, he didn't want to wake her.

"I left my card on the table and I'm just two doors down in 1006 if you need anything."

"Thanks again," he said as he walked Yashiro out and locked the door behind him. He moved toward the closed bedroom door and tapped lightly.

"Come in," her gravelly voice rang from behind the door. They must have woke her up despite trying to be quiet.

He turned the knob slowly and pushed the door open.

"Hey," she greeted, not bothering to look in his direction.

Damian leaned against the doorjamb and folded his arms. "Hey, yourself angel…" Tina chose that moment to rise from her pillow and gaze at him. "Or she-devil," he grinned wickedly. Her hair was disheveled and her makeup was a mess from crying. He had never seen a more perfect woman in his life. Tina picked up one of the many pillows surrounding her and attempted to throw it at him with her non-dominant hand. It was a pathetic attempt that the thing barely came close.

"Jerk!" She muttered and buried her face in a pillow that was already stained with her face.

Damian chuckled and knelt on the floor by her side of the bed. She peeked over at him. "Ugh, go away. I'm ugly right now," she groaned back into her pillow.

"Not a chance. You'll always be gorgeous no matter what."

She snorted. "Flattery will get you everywhere, sir."

"Yeah?" he laughed. He stood and pulled off his leather jacket, tossing it on the floor then toed off his boots and crawled up the bed to lay next to her on top of the covers. This was their first time in a bed together and it was doing all kinds of crazy things to him. He wanted to pull her close and touch her and kiss her and...he needed to stop. He folded his arms behind his head to keep them from straying.

"I'm sorry I stood you up," she whispered, turning to face him.

"No worries, beautiful, we're together now. I'm grateful for your friend; otherwise, I would have stormed this hotel looking for you. You aren't getting rid of me just yet."

He tapped the center of her furrowed brow and smiled at her confusion.

"I met Kuon," he added, thinking this is a good time to bring up her long-lost friend.

"You did?!" She screeched and bolted up. "How? When?" Tina sputtered nervously.

"About ten minutes ago in the Penthouse. He called me. Left a voicemail saying you couldn't live without me," he smirked, teasing her to keep things light. His choice of words made him cringe internally. They were probably on the list of top ten things not to say to an upset woman. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here." He recovered and reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You're here now," she smiled.

"I'm here now," he repeated, mirroring her smile. Damian could tell she was generally happy to see him, but the light in her eyes wasn't quite there.

"Want to tell me, why you were crying?" He traced her jawline with his index finger then retracted his hand. Tina shrugged and her eyes watered.

"Hey," he said soothingly, reaching for her hand, but she yanked it back, cradling it against her chest.

"I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?" He sat up terrified by her reaction.

"It's nothing, I kind of hurt my hand earlier."

"Can I see?" He cooed, gently reaching for her hand again until she reluctantly held it out for him.

Damian inhaled sharply as he examined the swollen purple knuckles. "Can you close your hand?"

Tina shook her head when her fingers barely moved.

"I think you might have broken something. It doesn't look good. Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

Tina shook her head and pulled her hand back.

Damian sighed. So stubborn. "I'll get you some ice."

"I had a pack earlier," she told him cooperatively, searching the bed and found the soaked cloth under a nearby pillow. It was at the edge of the bed so the wet spot it left didn't necessarily require a change of sheets.

"I'll be back. When was the last time you took those?" He nodded toward the bottle of pain reliever on the bedside table.

"I could use another dose."

Damian's face scrunched with panic. How many has she had already? Why would they keep pills by a recovering addict? They're over-the-counter, how harmful could they be? Any medicine can be harmful if abused! We should go to the hospital! They need to pump her stomach!

"Relax, Damian," she giggled. "Your thoughts are written all over your face. I won't take more than the recommended."

"Promise?" He croaked and cleared his throat. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."

"I promise, I'm not going anywhere," she smiled and caressed his cheek with her good hand. He covered her hand with one of his and nodded, assured by her promise.

"I'll go get the ice." He scooted off the bed and left the room in search of the ice bucket.

…

Tina watched him go before getting out of bed. She needed to make herself look more presentable despite what he said. When she came here to wallow in her grief she had completely forgotten about her date with Damian. A tug of guilt pulled at her heart. She didn't deserve him, but Tina was selfish enough not to give him up. Tonight sucked; having him here seemed to make it all better.

She staggered to the bathroom and switched on the light. Tina gasped at her reflection in the mirror. A tiny bubble of laughter escaped her lips remembering how he retracted his Angel comment. She-Devil was the more accurate term to describe her nightmarish appearance. The beautiful makeup Ten and her friend had expertly applied was nowhere to be found. Tina groaned and tore open the makeup removal package provided by the hotel using her teeth. She awkwardly began to wipe her face using her left hand. Two sheets and several splashes of water later, her face was finally as clean as it could get with one hand.

After brushing her teeth haphazardly, she glanced at her injured hand, annoyed that it was rebelling from the satisfying punch she had given Cedric. Tina had a lot of time to think about his speech and apology. Unlike with Kuon, it didn't take her long to conclude that he wasn't responsible for Rick's death. It was upsetting that she had sat there making friendly conversation with him knowing her relationship with Kuon and Rick. It hurt knowing everyone she had come to care for, not just Kuon, had left her in the dark. She knew in her heart that eventually, she would have to apologize to Kuon and Cedric. For now, she would let them both stew.

A soft knock on the door drew her out of her thoughts. She opened it to find Damian holding up a large Rolling Stones t-shirt.

"There she is." His eyes lit up at the sight of her clean face.

Tina rolled her eyes and bit her bottom lip to contain her smile, but Damian just kept staring at her.

"What's that for?" She asked, her cheeks heating up under his intense gaze.

"As beautiful as you look in that dress, I thought this might be more comfortable. It's mostly clean," he said, giving her a lopsided panty-dropping grin.

Tina clenched her thighs together and focused on the shirt. She had bought pajamas for tonight during her shopping excursion with the girls, but his shirt was far more tempting. She grabbed it out of his hands and shut the door on his face.

"Are you sure you don't need help changing? I'm offering you my right hand since you're only working with one. I'd give you my left, but that one's my favorite," he teased from behind the door.

Tina stifled her giggles with his shirt which did nothing to quell her beating heart or settle the butterflies in her stomach. It smelled like him and felt soft against her face like he used fabric softener on it. Luckily, the zipper on the dress was down her side, making it easy for her to wiggle out of it. She stood there for several seconds contemplating whether or not to remove her bra, since she never slept with one. Before tonight's fiasco, Tina had every intention of asking him to stay the night and take their relationship to the next level. She decided to leave it on knowing she wasn't in the right place emotionally for them to get intimate and slipped the t-shirt on. He was right, it was comfortable and not too short, stopping a few inches shy of her knees since she was on the tall side. Stalling, she ran her fingers through her hair nervously, working out the tangles from her earlier nap. She had a comb in her purse, but that required going outside to get it. Checking her appearance one last time, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

Damian laid on the bed, still dressed in his jeans and t-shirt with his eyes closed and arms once again folded behind his head. The king-size bed looked small now with him in it. He's so damn sexy. God, it's been way too long. Those faceless encounters during the darkest part in her life didn't count.

His eyes fluttered open to gaze at her when the bathroom door clicked shut. Midnight orbs raked over her body slowly, from head to toe. Tina shivered as she recognized the lust in his eyes.

"I like the way you look wearing my shirt." His voice was husky and heavy with desire. Tina felt her body heat up. "Wanna make out?" He teased, patting the space beside him. She couldn't help but laugh at how eager he sounded.

"Don't laugh," he chuckled. "You make me feel like a teenage boy all over again?" He confessed, making her smile. "Come here, let me just hold you. I'll keep my hands in a respectable spot."

No longer nervous, Tina climbed into the bed beside him, laid her head on his shoulder, and placed her injured hand on his chest. It felt right being held like this again. He reached over, picking up the makeshift ice pack sitting on the table, and placed it over her hand.

"It's cold," she shivered involuntarily.

"Bear with it. I don't like the way it looks." After a few moments of silence he eventually asked, "So are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I was hoping we could just fast forward to the kissing part," she teased, lifting her head to stare at his lips. She would eventually tell him how she assaulted the Hollywood star and would possibly go to jail for it, but right now she wanted to forget her woes.

Damian groaned and crushed his lips to hers. She smiled against his lips knowing she would never get bored kissing him. One moment his mouth would be demanding, tongues tangling together in a heated embrace, the next it was tender and sweet. They made out like teenagers stealing kisses under the bleachers during their lunch break. Like a gentleman, his hands never roamed. Although, the one resting on her back was going to leave marks with the way his fingers were gripping her. She didn't mind one bit.

They continued their make-out session until their mouths were exhausted and the need for air was imminent.

"That was hot," Damian commented, grinning happily once he caught his breath. "I can't wait to get to second base with you."

Tina laughed unabashedly, her heart lighter than ever. She was falling hard for this man. The notion didn't scare her anymore and life no longer seemed so bleak. Tina was so relaxed she yawned, fatigue finally taking over. He had managed to take her mind off her pain, even her hand didn't throb as much.

"Get some rest," he whispered, stroking her hair.

She yawned again and settled her head on his chest, loving the way it felt to be in his arms.

"Will you stay?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

Tina closed her eyes and fell asleep with a contented smile.

AN: Thank you for sticking with me! Sorry for the dramatics in the last chapter, I couldn't resist. I contemplated killing Cedric off more than once but kept thinking Koga would be devastated...LOL. I'm too emotionally invested in this Cedric to let him go. I didn't get through all the scenes I wanted to in this chapter, since, like usual, I got carried away. I hope you enjoyed a little Damian and Tina.

Thank you for always reading and for the reviews. I HEART you all!

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^