One New Message (Random Updates)

Chapter 23

"Spyro?" she murmured in a daze, "Spy..." she gasped as he cupped her face and held her gaze. "Not real," she whispered as her body trembled.

"No," Corey shook his head, "I have you, you're safe."

She looked up at him scared, "help?"

He nodded and gave her a sad smile, "you were a big help, Sweetheart."

"Find prints?"

"Prints?" Sean asked, making her realize it wasn't just her and Corey in the room.

She left Corey's lap and went to the bathroom. She wet a washcloth with hot water and came back beside the bed. Holding it against the wall, Corey watched in amazement as a small hole in the wall started to appear. She reached inside and pulled out another washcloth.

"How?" Brandon asked, slightly amused.

"Toothpaste," she shrugged as she tore a piece of paper, covered the hole, and held it there with toothpaste. She moved the bed back over and they realized that if they weren't looking for it, they never would have noticed.

"You are a genius, Pebbles," Brandon smiled as he came over to her. "Now, can I give that to Doc Sean and get you the hell out of here?"

She held out the cloth and suddenly lost feeling in her legs. She started to drop but Brandon quickly wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to him. "Whoa..."

"I got you, Babe," he smiled as he took the washcloth from her hand and passed it over to Corey, who handed it to Sean. "Core is right behind you, okay?"

"Sorry," she mumbled as tears started to fill her eyes.

"There is no need for that, Sweetheart," Corey said as he bent down, scooped her into his arms then started carrying her out of the room bridal style. "You have been through a lot, right now you just need to rest with me."

"Just want to forget," she mumbled against him. "Forget all."

"Then how about we play some games?" Corey asked as he leaned against the elevator wall.

"How?" she asked while looking up at him confused. Brandon handed her Nosferatu and she smiled gratefully at him while holding the teddy bear close to her chest.

"Bran can go get my laptop and my extra one for us," Corey explained. "I can set it up for you."

"But my games aren't co op," she tried to explain.

"So?" Corey asked, "we can still play games without playing together, Sweetheart, it's just the matter of spending time together that matters to me."

"Okay..." she trailed off, not really sure how to feel about it.

"I'll be back soon, Pebbles," Brandon smirked as he pulled his car keys out of his pocket. "Don't have too much fun without me."

"I won't," she shook her head before resting it against Corey again. "The rest?"

"They went to help Doc Sean and Dr. Roberts with the evidence you gave us," Corey explained. "Well, North, Luke, and Marc went to get food and snacks for everyone and the rest went to help the docs on trying to figure out who this asshole is." He sat on her bed and maneuvered her so she was sitting between his legs, with her head resting on his chest. "I'm so sorry you went through that, DreamKitten, but I'm so proud of you remaining strong and hiding that. It will be a huge help in making sure he never does something like that again to someone else."

"Don't feel strong," she whispered.

"It's okay that you don't feel that way," Corey murmured into her hair, "we think you are and we'll help you believe in yourself one day." He trailed his fingers down her arms to her wrist. "Can I ask?"

She looked down at the two tattoos and sighed, "What?"

"When did you get them done?" he asked gently. He really wanted to know more but he also knew that right now was not the right time. He was still working on gaining her trust and that meant everything to him. Hell, he still couldn't believe he had finally found his Dream Kitten and she was currently sitting in his lap.

"I got the words right before school," she admitted. She watched as he traced them with his finger before he started to trace the Spyro dragon. "Got them later."

"Well, I'm glad you did," he admitted. "I like knowing that a part of me, of us, is permanently on you, giving you strength. Makes me want to have you put the same ones on me."

"Not the same reason," she shook her head.

"I've had dark moments too, my little dream kitten," he whispered into her hair. "I never tried to go through with it, no, but I did have the thoughts. I may not have had to go through everything you have but I have had some dark times in my life." His breath hitched as he traced over the words Just Breathe and Not Today again. "I told you these."